ABUSE TRACKER

TEXAS
In Forney

CRANDALL, Texas – A former Crandall, Texas, associate youth pastor was arrested last week in Dallas County for indecency with a child by sexual contact.

67-year-old Steven Gray, a former associate youth pastor at the Lord’s House of Prayer in Crandall, Texas, was arrested on September 8, 2014, for indecency with a child by sexual contact of a then-11-year-old boy at his south Dallas trailer home in the Pecan Lake Estates mobile home park. The boy and Gray allegedly met at the church.

According to Dallas County investigators speaking with Fox 4 News, who first broke the story, Gray left the church approximately three years ago after serving approximately 30 years. The incident is believed to have happened in 2009.

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TEXAS
The Raw Story

DAVID FERGUSON
17 SEP 2014

A 67-year-old former associate pastor at a Texas Christian church is accused of repeatedly molesting a then-11-year-old boy.

According to My Fox Dallas-Ft. Worth, former youth pastor Stephen Gray is accused of repeatedly molesting a boy from his congregation at Gray’s trailer in a mobile home park in south Dallas.

The boy, now 16, told his mother and family friend John Hall about the molestation, which took place over the course of a summer.

The boy, who knew Gray from Sunday school classes at the Lord’s House of Prayer in Crandall, apparently began to make daily visits to Gray’s trailer in the summer of 2009.

In Gray’s arrest warrant, the boy reportedly “started going over to [Gray’s] residence on a daily basis…On one of these visits, the boy asked about a cowboy hat and [Gray] said if he wanted that hat, he would have to earn it.”

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

Dan Box
Crime Reporter
Sydney

THE Catholic archdiocese of Sydney has overturned the findings of a Vatican inquiry, conducted under its previous archbishop ­George Pell, which attacked the credibility of alleged child abuse victims and said they may have “fabricated” their claims of abuse by a priest.

A “definitive final ­decree”, written by Cardinal Pell’s interim successor, Bishop Peter Comensoli, found “with moral certainty” that the alleged victims were abused at a boarding school during the 1970s, as they claimed.

Evidence available to the initial inquiry but not mentioned in the previous decree suggested a “pattern of allegations and admissions” about the priest that “substantially undermines the credibility of his claim to innocence,” Bishop Comensoli found.

His final decree, issued this month, also raised “significant doubts” over the conclusions of the three senior Australian clerics appointed by Cardinal Pell to carry out the original investigation.

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MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014

Statement by Verne Wagner of Duluth, Northeast MN (Duluth, MN & Superior, WI) SNAP director ( 218- 340-1277, lwagsmn@yahoo.com )

According to just-released church records, for almost 60 years, numerous Minnesota Catholic officials concealed the crimes of a predator priest who worked in the Crookston diocese.

It’s not news that Fr. Louis Heitzer was a prolific pedophile. However, his work in the Crookston diocese was not disclosed until yesterday.

We urge Crookston Bishop Michael Hoeppner to aggressively seek out anyone who may have been sexually assaulted by Fr. Heitzer.

Minnesota Public Radio reports that Fr. Heitzer was at a church retreat house in Nevis, MN, that “allowed Heitzer to preside over weekend Masses at nearby parishes,” even though center staff had been warned in writing that he had molested children.

A Twin Cities Catholic official, Fr. Kevin McDonough, wrote in 2002 that Fr. Heitzer was “‘perhaps the most abusive priest ever to be part of this Archdiocese’ abusing kids ‘every place he went.’”

In Bishop Hoeppner’s diocese, we believe there may be eight or ten men who struggle in silence, shame, secrecy and self-doubt, living sad and lonely lives as they battle the life-long harm caused by childhood sexual trauma. They deserve comfort and consolation. They deserve a bishop who acts like a compassionate shepherd, not a cold-hearted CEO.

Bishop Hoeppner should use his diocesan websites, parish bulletins, and pulpit announcements to seek out and help anyone who may have been sexually assaulted by Fr. Heitzer or any other child molesting cleric in the Crookston area.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Albany Times Union

CENTRAL CITY, Pa. (AP) — A parish priest has been placed on leave after federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials searched the rectory of a central Pennsylvania church and a private residence where he’s listed as having a phone number.

ICE officials and U.S. Attorney David Hickton of Pittsburgh aren’t commenting on the searches conducted Friday at Our Lady Queen of Angels’ rectory in Central City, Somerset County, and the residence listed to the Rev. Joseph Maurizio.

A woman who answered the phone at the private residence Wednesday would not identify herself, but said the priest had no comment.

Hickton and ICE officials have confirmed an ongoing investigation, but won’t say what it entails. Among other things, ICE officials have jurisdiction over crimes involving international travel.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 17 September 2014 (VIS) – This morning, the director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., provided an update on the sixth meeting of the Council of Cardinals, which began on Monday, 15 September and will conclude this afternoon. As usual, the Holy Father was present at all sessions apart from this morning’s, due to the Wednesday general audience.

“In the previous meetings, the Cardinals had worked by examining all the Congregations and Pontifical Councils, but they had also assigned a significant amount of time to hearing the referring Commissions on economic and organisational questions (COSEA and CRIOR) and on matters pertaining to the economic Dicasteries. Work in this area may now be considered complete, following the constitution of the Council and the Secretariat for the Economy. The press conference held by Cardinal Pell in July focused on the results of this work and on the initiation of the activities of these new organs.

“Therefore, in this meeting the Council of Cardinals resumed work on the other Dicasteries. In the meantime, several contributions had been prepared by various members of the Council on the different issues within their sphere of competence, which were proposed or presented to the Council. During these days, the Council focused on two principal “hotspots”.

“The first includes the themes of the laity and the family. It is a very broad area, encompassing many issues, including for instance the role of women in society and in the Church, youth, childhood, or matters related to lay associations and movements, and so on.

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POLSKA/POLAND
Ocaleni

Czekałam 10 lat na „przepraszam” ze strony mojego oprawcy i Kościoła. Z czasem dałam się przekonać, że może udawanie, iż nic się nie stało będzie najlepszym lekarstwem. Nic bardziej mylnego.

Molestowanie nie kończy się w momencie, gdy oprawca znika z Twojego życia. Ono wciąż w Tobie pozostaje – mimo upływu lat, wciąż czujesz się brudny. Nie możesz spać po nocach i godzinami przechodzisz przez traumę kolejny i kolejny raz. Nowe związki? Wpadasz w zdumienie, że ktoś jest jeszcze w stanie Cię pokochać takiego „pokaleczonego” – dlatego przyzwalasz na to, by traktowano Cię jak oczywistość. Do dziś płacę za to, co mi zrobiłeś. Ale dziś też podejmuję ważny krok, żeby to wszystko zakończyć. Proszę biskupa elbląskiego o rozpoczęcie procesu kanonicznego w mojej sprawie.

Dziękuję Wszystkim, którzy zainspirowali mnie do działania i wciąż mnie wspierają. Wiem, że wiele osób odwróci się ode mnie lub zapyta „po co walczyć z wiatrakami ?”

Mam dość bycia ofiarą. Jestem Ocaloną.

IMG_20140917_092336

PREZENT NA 25. URODZINY. MÓJ LIST DO BISKUPA DIECEZJI ELBLĄSKIEJ. / A GIFT FOR MY 25TH B-DAY. MY LETTER TO BISHOP OF ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF ELBLĄG.

I have been waiting for 10 years to hear “sorry” from my abuser and from the Church. I began to think that maybe acting like nothing had ever happened would be the best treatment. I was totally wrong.

Sexual abuse is not over when your abuser disappears from your life. It remains within you — even though so many years have passsed, I still can feel how stained and dirty I am. I cannot sleep at night and I sustain my trauma by recreating it in my head over and over again. New relationships? I believed that it’s a miracle that anyone could fall in love with such an emotional wreck — that is why I let them take for granted. I am still paying for what you have done to me. But today, I am taking one step further. I need closure. I asked bishop of Elbląg to start a canonical process.

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AUSTRALIA
Broken Rites

By a Broken Rites researcher (article updated 17 September 2014)

A Christian Brother charged with the indecent assault of boys while he was a teacher in New South Wales, is likely to plead guilty, a court has been told. Brother David Standen, 65, a senior member of the Catholic order of Christian Brothers, has been charged regarding his time as a teacher at St Patrick’s College, Goulburn, in southern NSW, three decades ago.

Standen appeared in Goulburn Local Court on 17 September 2014 for a brief preliminary procedure His lawyer (Greg Walsh) told the court that the defence expects the forthcoming court process to be a short one, involving negotiation with the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

“I can indicate they are likely to be pleas of guilty,” Mr Walsh told Magistrate Geraldine Beattie.

The matter will come up again soon in the Goullburn Local Court for the next step in the prosecution procedure.

Standen is charged with 11 counts of indecent assault on males. Police allege that the assaults were committed against eight boys aged 12 while Standen was teaching at St Patrick’s College in Goulburn between 1978 and 1980. (This former boys’ boarding school has since been replaced by Trinity Catholic College Goulburn, which is for girls and boys.)

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PENNSYLVANIA
Daily American

By the DAILY AMERICAN

The Rev. Joseph Maurizio, pastor of Our Lady Queen of Angels Parish in Central City, has been placed on leave of duties, according to a press release from the Most Rev. Mark Bartchak, bishop of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.

Federal agents searched the Our Lady Queen of Angels rectory on Friday. Maurizio later informed the bishop about the search. Details about the nature of the search are scarce. Several residents reported seeing Department of Homeland Security agents at the church. A media request filed with the department has not been returned.

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PENNSYLVANIA
We Are Central PA

A Somerset County priest has agreed to step away from his parish duties after federal agents raided his church. The diocese of Altoona-Johnstown released a statement earlier today, saying Reverend Joseph Maurizio pastor of Our Lady Queen of Angels Parish in Central City is on leave. Federal agents and homeland security raided the church on Friday- the diocese was not aware of it until later on. No charges have been filed and it’s unclear what they were looking for.

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CALIFORNIA
CBS Los Angeles

HESPERIA (CBSLA.com) — Two members of a Victorville church, one of them a youth pastor, have been arrested on suspicion of having sexual relationships with two teenage girls and authorities believe they may have more victims.

Victor Callejas-Vargas, 22, and Jesse Rodolfo Rios, 19, both of Hesperia, are scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday on several sex charges involving a minor, according to San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department officials.

Victorville Police launched an investigation on Sept. 9 after receiving a report of a possible inappropriate sexual relationship between a 14-year-old girl and two men, San Bernardino County sheriff’s officials said. The investigation led detectives to a second victim, a 17-year-old girl, and to the suspects, all of whom are members of Centro Cristiano de Fe Church in Victorville.

Callejas-Vargas is also an employee and youth pastor of the church, officials said.

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MAINE
WCSH

Chris Facchini, WCSH September 16, 2014

BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — News of the arrest of Father Adam Metropoulos on possession of child pornography and violation of privacy charges stunned members of St. George Greek Orthodox Church. There are about 90 families that make up the church parish.

Lee Speronis is the president of the nine member church council. He said he spent most of Monday night on the phone with other council members. He wouldn’t comment on the criminal investigation, but said that the church council would be moving Thursday’s regularly scheduled meeting to Tuesday night so they could address the arrest and how to move forward.

“I think we’re doing what we can do which is just reach out to each other and hugs and get together and talk. And we can’t address the criminal stuff because nobody really understands it and there’s not a lot of information out there but what we can address what do we do with our community with our family,” said Speronis.

Speronis also confirmed that Father Metropoulos had been suspended indefinitely by Metropolitan Methodios, who is the head of the Greek Diocese of Boston. The Greek Diocese is sending a replacement priest so they can hold services this Sunday.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
The Irish News

A LAY group which campaigns for change in the Catholic Church has criticised the amount of money spent on a bishop’s residence and diocesan offices in north Belfast.

Voice of the Faithful said the decision to carry out an estimated £1 million-plus on refurbishing Lisbreen House had highlighted the “lack of transparency in the Church – especially in financial matters”.

Yesterday The Irish News revealed that an estimated seven-figure sum – including £300,000 of government funding – has been spent revamping the 15,000 sq ft Lisbreen House over the past two years.

It is home to Bishop of Down and Connor Noel Treanor and also houses diocesan offices.
The work attracted attention because of the length of time it took as well as the erection of elaborate entrance gates.

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WASHINGTON
Seattle Times

By Craig Welch
Seattle Times staff reporter

When the Christian radio host accused him of plagiarism, the quick-witted preacher sounded flabbergasted — and annoyed.

“Man, I thought we’d have a better interview than this,” Mars Hill Church Pastor Mark Driscoll said.

Driscoll’s heated November 2013 exchange with radio host Janet Mefferd would prove a crucial turning point in his explosive rise and recent fall, igniting a chain of events that would begin unraveling the Seattle megachurch he founded.

For years the edgy, blue-jeaned, hipster preacher used charisma and combativeness to barrel through turmoil, once bragging that he’d mow down all who questioned his vision: “There is a pile of dead bodies behind the Mars Hill bus, and by God’s grace, it’ll be a mountain by the time we’re done,” he once said in a meeting. “You either get on the bus or you get run over by the bus.”

Behind the scenes, former church members said, Driscoll could be vicious, abusive and controlling. Some charged that he refused to promote an overweight elder because Driscoll said his “fat ass” would tarnish Mars Hill’s image.

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UNITED STATES
Forbes

Rob Asghar

The crisis at the famed megachurch Mars Hill church has led to steep declines in attendance and revenues and sudden layoffs and closures. It came as a result of the reckless leadership style of its leader, Mark Driscoll (chronicled well in a recent piece by Seattle Times reporter Craig Welch).

Beyond the problems attributed to Driscoll’s behavior, other questions should arise. For example, why do these situations happen? Do toxic leaders build up toxic followers, or is it the other way around? It, in fact, seems to be a complicated tango, one in which each side gradually leads the other off the precipice.

Some years ago, former Los Angeles Times religion writer William Lobdell wrote about his experiences covering the sexual abuse scandals of the Catholic Church. Lobdell shared that what broke his spirit wasn’t the way the church leaders refused to see the truth, but rather the way the ordinary laypersons refused to see it–how they shouted down peers bold enough to speak honestly about their traumas, how they sought to rationalize any evil done by their beloved leaders.

That’s one crucial aspect of the link between toxic leaders and followers. In the case of megachurches, there’s also the appeal of protecting one’s part in a big, impressive show — like being a regular at the cool club that everyone talks about. The star of the show is usually an uber-charismatic, dramatic salesperson. Like the brash and humorous Driscoll.

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UNITED STATES
Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome

September 16, 2014 by Reba Riley

If there’s one thing I know the power of, it’s a name.

For the better part of a decade I suffered from a chronic mystery illness that was attacking me from the inside out. Countless doctors and specialists couldn’t diagnose me, couldn’t give me a name for what was happening. They told me it was all in my head — that I could pull myself out of it if I just tried harder.

I believed them.

Debilitating fatigue and pain became a way of life. My physical distress was second only to the mental torture that went like this, “I am doing this to myself. I do not have an actual medical condition. These symptoms are not real. There is nothing wrong with me.”

But there was something wrong with me. After eight years of sickness, a doctor handed me a slip of paper. On the paper was the name of the disease I had been fighting; the disease that had been fighting me.

I wept with joy. (Which confused my poor doctor more than a little bit.)

I had a name. The symptoms were real. I did have a medical condition. I was not doing it to myself.

Because of the name, I found out I was not alone; there were thousands of other people dealing with the very same condition. Because of the name, I discovered community, support, resources, and treatment. Because of the name, I recovered.

Because of the name, fatigue and pain are no longer a way of life for me.

Which is why I am giving a name to a spiritual condition that is even more real and more dangerous than the disease that robbed me of my physical health for many years:
Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome.

PTCS presents as a severe, negative — almost allergic — reaction to inflexible doctrine, outright abuse of spiritual power, dogma and (often) praise bands and preachers. Internal symptoms include but are not limited to: withdrawal from all things religious, failure to believe in anything, depression, anxiety, anger, grief, loss of identity, despair, moral confusion, and, most notably, the loss of desire/inability to darken the door of a place of worship.

The physical symptoms of PTCS — which may or may not be present — include: cold sweats, hives, nausea, vomiting, sexual dysfunction, sleep disturbance, rashes, heart palpitations, increased blood pressure — oh, to heck with it. The symptoms are as varied as the people who suffer them.

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CALIFORNIA
Highland News

On Tuesday, September 9, 2014 deputies from the Victorville Police Department received a report of a possible inappropriate sexual relationship between a 14 year old girl and 2 adult men. Further investigation led detectives to a second victim, a 17 year old girl.

The suspects were identified as Victor Callejas-Vargas, 22, of Hesperia, an employee and youth pastor of the Centro Cristiano de Fe Church in Victorville. The second suspect was identified as Jesse Rodolfo Rios,19, of Hesperia, a resident and member of the Centro Cristiano de Fe Church. The two victims are both members of the church.

Investigators conducted interviews with the suspects. Both suspects were subsequently arrested, transported and booked into the High Desert Detention Center. Vargas was booked for sex with a minor three years younger, sex with a minor with the suspect over 21 and the victim under 16 years of age, and oral copulation with a person under 16. Vargas is being held on $100,000 bail. Rios was booked for oral copulation with a person under 18, and sex with a foreign object and is being held on $100,000 bail. Both are scheduled to be arraigned on September 17.

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FLORIDA
News-Leader

Siân Perry, News-Leader

“Remember that not all male babysitters are bad,” Nicholas Mitko Clark wrote in his profile on a babysitting services website that also featured a photo of him with his arm around a young boy.

Clark, 21, of Yulee, was arrested Thursday on federal child pornography charges stemming from an investigation that began last year into a suspect in Canada.

Clark is accused of engaging in an instant message conversation with that suspect and receiving and distributing “images of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct,” according to a statement issued Monday by U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III of the Middle District of Florida.

Investigators also found child pornography on Clark’s computer as well as Google searches relating to young boys and teen sex, Bentley said.

Clark worked at the Fernandina Beach Boys & Girls Club, volunteered with area youth organizations and churches, including First Presbyterian here and South Jacksonville Presbyterian, and was a summer camp counselor. The Yulee High School graduate was one of the founders of Teens for Change and the student representative of NACDAC, the Nassau Alcohol, Crime and Drug Abatement Coalition.

Read more: Fernandina Beach FL News Leader. The local news source for Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach FL – Babysitter held on sex charges

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CALIFORNIA
The Record

By Jennie Rodriguez-Moore
Record Staff Writer
Posted Sep. 17, 2014

STOCKTON — The Diocese of Stockton said it has received 34 claims of sexual abuse since it notified the public of a deadline to file such claims imposed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

In a statement, the diocese also announced that no priest in active ministry was named in those claims.

Diocese leaders filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in January, saying its finances have been drained by legal costs and settlements arising from claims of child sexual abuse by priests.

Over the past two decades, those costs have mounted to $32 million for the diocese, which oversees parishes in San Joaquin, Calaveras, Stanislaus, Tuolomne, Alpine and Mono counties.

Following the bankruptcy filing, the courts set Aug. 15 as the deadline for anyone thereafter to file such a claim.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

The Police Minister said he will be relying on the Commissioner to determine the level of resources thrown at a child sex probe into Newcastle’s Anglican Diocese.

A police strike force was set up in August to investigate alleged child sexual assaults in the Hunter region, dating back 40 years.

It is focussing on the Anglican Diocese, with police urging anyone who has been a victim or has knowledge of a child sexual assault to contact them.

The Police Minister Stuart Ayres said resources will be allocated based on demand.

“I’ll be taking advice from the Commissioner who will be allocated the resources as he sees most appropriate,” he said.

“We allocate our resources based on demand at the moment and so we know that fluctuates.”

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CANADA
The Globe and Mail

INGRID PERITZ
MONTREAL — The Globe and Mail
Published Tuesday, Sep. 16 2014

Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte, a self-styled “workers’ priest” who was archbishop of Montreal for over two decades, is seriously ill in hospital.

The archdiocese of Montreal said Tuesday that the 78-year-old cardinal has been in hospital for a few weeks. He has been suffering from “fragile” health for several years, including complications related to diabetes, said Lucie Martineau, director of communications for the archdiocese. …

Cardinal Turcotte earned a reputation as a charismatic, approachable figure during his 22 years as archbishop of Montreal. His tenure wasn’t without tumult; he oversaw church-building closings, sexual-abuse scandals, and upheavals caused by Quebeckers’ growing disaffection with organized religion.

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CALIFORNIA
Turlock Journal

By Sabra Stafford
Crime Desk sstafford@turlockjournal.com 209-634-9141, ext. 2002
POSTED September 16, 2014

The Diocese of Stockton’s efforts to declare bankruptcy has led to 34 new potential claims of sexual abuse being reported.

The Diocese reported the allegations arose during a three month period of notifying claimants and did not involve any priests serving in an active ministry.

The Diocese made the decision in January to file for bankruptcy after a series of costly sexual abuse settlements left them financially drained.

The 34 new claims have been filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and will now be evaluated by a court-appointed committee of creditors and the Diocese. The filings followed a period of extensive outreach by the Diocese to ensure all potential claimants were aware of the August deadline for submitting sexual abuse claims to the court. The Diocese published notices in more than two-dozen national, regional and local newspapers, and mailed notices to every household on local parish and Catholic school mailing lists.

The information related to the new claims has been ordered by the court to remain confidential.

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NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand Herald

By Nikki Papatsoumas
Wednesday Sep 17, 2014

The Catholic Church says appropriate checks on parish staff are in place after a Blenheim priest admitted indecently assaulting another male.

Father Aidan Kay, 71, formerly of St Mary’s Catholic Church, pleaded guilty to the charge in Blenheim District Court yesterday.

The victim, who is over 16 years of age, has name suppression.

Kay had been the parish priest at St Frances Xavier in south Hobart, Australia, for five years before his appointment to St Mary’s.

He has been relieved of his duties at St Mary’s, which he joined in January 2013.

Speaking on behalf of St Mary’s, Archbishop of Wellington John Dew said before a priest was asked to join a parish, they went through a number of checks.

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CANADA
The Telegram

Gary Hoskins will be going to Supreme Court. Judge Lynn E. Cole made the ruling when the 56-year-old former Roman Catholic priest appeared before her in Stephenville Provincial Court for a preliminary inquiry Tuesday to determine if there was enough evidence to proceed with trial.

Hoskins is facing two charges of alleged sexual assault on boys who were in their late teens at the time he was a priest at St. Stephen’s Parish.

The sexual assaults took place in or around Stephenville.

Cole placed a ban on any evidence put forward during the preliminary inquiry to protect the identity of the victims.

According to court records, Hoskins is a resident of Mississauga, Ont.

Meanwhile, Rev. Bernard Buckle, another priest who served at St. Stephen’s Parish, is also facing charges of three counts of sexual assault.

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MINNESOTA
KSTP

By: Megan Stewart

Files detailing child abuse accusations against another local priest were released Tuesday an attorney.

The reports against the late Father Louis Heitzer are the latest piece of the ongoing accusations that the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis failed to protect children.

Heitzer was referred to as “perhaps the most abusive priest ever to be part of this Archdiocese,” in one file. The files were released by attorney Jeff Anderson on Tuesday.

The files detail meetings with families and church leaders and Heitzer’s continued involvement in Twin Cities churches within the archdiocese, the Diocese of Crookston and the Diocese of New Ulm.

Heitzer was ordained in 1942 and worked at several parishes in Minnesota, including Winsted, St. Paul, Marshall, Sleepy Eye, Olivia, Winthrop and Forest Lake. He died in 1969.

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UNITED STATES
POPE FRANCIS the CON-Christ.

Paris Arrow

September 14, 2014

John Allen’s article appeared in Abuse Tracker today with his version of “The vision behind Crux”. Below (see image of Vatican Corruption) is our rebuttal under each of his paragraphs which are in italics.

But let’s get to the crux of his wile message at once.

John Allen wrote: “To begin, the basic ambition of Crux is simple: To get the story right… I also believe that if Crux can get the story right on a regular basis, one natural consequence could be softening divisions in Catholic life”.

SOB Same Old Bloke John Allen wile is this: “the basic ambition of Crux is simple: To get the story right” – — what this really means is “To concoct the story — and to make it appear seemingly right”. That is the expertise of John Allen and his clones of Vatican Pied Pipers – they can make Pope Crimes and Vatican Evils appear right and feel-good right for idiot Catholics – just like Hollywood does with all its fiction make-believe to be true stories. Read Argo &“saint” John Paul II are make-believe legends of Hollywood and the Vatican, the twin cities that “lie for a living”

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

MAINE
WABI

By Shawn McVicar

A Bangor priest remains behind bars after police arrested him for possessing child pornography.

Adam Metropoulos, 52, is charged with possession of sexually explicit material and violation of privacy.

Metropoulos is the priest of St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Bangor.

District Attorney Chris Almy says in 1983, Metropoulos was convicted of sexual assault in Michigan.

Bangor Police say their investigation started Saturday, after a complaint from a woman who had been staying at Metropoloulos’ house.

According to Sgt. Tim Cotton of the Bangor P.D., “On Saturday evening, we received information from an adult female that she had been staying at the Metropoulos residence, and while having a shower, she noted that there was a camera pointed towards her in the shower from a basket across the room. She exited the shower, retrieved the camera and also retrieved the memory card from the camera. She later confronted Mr. Metropoulos about why the camera was there, and then shortly thereafter, came to the police department and notified us on the activity.”

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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
Chiesa

As the impeccable prefect of the supreme tribunal of the apostolic signatura, he is on the verge of being demoted to the purely honorary role of “patron” of an order of knighthood. At the behest of Pope Francis

by Sandro Magister

VATICAN CITY, September 17, 2014 – The “revolution” of Pope Francis in ecclesiastical governance is not losing its driving thrust. And so, as happens in every self-respecting revolution, the heads continue to roll for churchmen seen as deserving this metaphorical guillotine.

In his first months as bishop of Rome, pope Bergoglio immediately provided for the transfer to lower-ranking positions of three prominent curial figures: Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, Archbishop Guido Pozzo, and Bishop Giuseppe Sciacca, considered for their theological and liturgical sensibilities among the most “Ratzingerian” of the Roman curia.

Another whose fate appears to be sealed is the Spanish archbishop of Opus Dei Celso Morga Iruzubieta, secretary of the congregation for the clergy, destined to leave Rome for an Iberian diocese not of the first rank.

But now an even more eminent decapitation seems to be on the way.

The next victim would in fact be the United States cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, who from being prefect of the supreme tribunal of the apostolic signatura would not be promoted – as some are fantasizing in the blogosphere – to the difficult but prestigious see of Chicago, but rather demoted to the pompous – but ecclesiastically very modest – title of “cardinal patron” of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, replacing the current head, Paolo Sardi, who recently turned 80.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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

New pedophile priest lawsuit filed
Serial predator’s whereabouts are unknown
He fled to Mexico after multiple accusations here
Victims: “Pope must stop child molesting clerics from moving”

WHAT
Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims will prod Sacramento’s Catholic bishop to do more about a predator priest who fled to Mexico and is being sued again for child sex crimes.

Victims and their supporters will beg the bishop – and Pope Francis – to;

–warn Catholic officials in Mexico about the priest,
–do all they can to put him in a remote, secure, independent treatment center, and
–aggressively seek out others who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes by the priest.

And the victims will urge Pope Francis take firm action to prevent predator priests from moving to other nations when abuse reports against them surface.

WHEN
Wednesday, Sept. 17, 11:30 a.m.

WHERE
Outside the Sacramento Catholic diocese headquarters (“chancery office”), 2110 Broadway in Sacramento

WHO
Three-four men and women who are abuse victims and members of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org), the nation’s largest and oldest support group for men and women abused in religious and institutional settings.

WHY
Two Sacramento area men who are now in their 30s are filing a civil child sex abuse and cover up lawsuit against the local Catholic bishop and an accused fugitive pedophile priest who suddenly sold many of his belongings at a yard sale, then drove to Mexico, claiming that a relative had a serious illness.

Starting in 2002, As many as 14 youngsters have accused Fr. Francisco Javier Garcia of child sex crimes. A warrant for his arrest was issued in 1995, but Garcia fled to Mexico avoiding the charges. Prior to the warrant being issued, a victim came forward and reported their abuse to law enforcement.

According to the lawsuit filed by Garcia’s victims, Garcia was known to have abused other children prior to being moved to other churches.

Garcia was highlighted in an award-winning 2004 Dallas Morning News investigative series called “Hiding in plain sight.” It was about child molesting clerics who went or were sent abroad after accusations against them were made.

[BishopAccountability.org]

SNAP wants Pope Francis to take firm action to prevent child molesting clerics from moving.

“It is extremely irresponsible and dangerous for Catholic officials to let predators flee abroad and suffer no consequences and molest again,” said Tim Lennon of SNAP.

“Church officials hire, train, ordain, transfer, and pay these predator clergy. So the least they can do is ensure they don’t harm any more children,” said Barbara Dorris, outreach director of SNAP. “An easy way to do that is to put them in secure, remote treatment centers.”

According to a Boston-based research and archive group, BishopAccountability.org, there are 20 publicly accused child molesting clerics in the Sacramento diocese. SNAP suspects the real total of proven, admitted and credibly accused predator priests, nuns, brothers, seminarians and parochial teachers is much higher.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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
Religion News Service – Spiritual Politics

Mark Silk | Sep 16, 2014

SPOILER ALERT!!! If you intend to see Calvary — and you should — and you don’t want to know how this spiritual whodunit (or rather, who’lldoit) turns out, read no further.

Last evening I saw Calvary, John Michael McDonough’s remarkable movie about Father James, a righteous and caring Irish priest played exceptionally well by Brendan Gleeson. The movie opens with the voice of a parishioner in a confessional informing Father James that he was repeatedly raped as a child by a now deceased priest, and that as a result he will murder him in a week’s time — not because he is guilty of anything but precisely because he is a good man.

Over the week’s course, we discover a Catholic world blown apart by the abuse scandal. The parish, located in beautiful County Sligo, is a grim community of skeptics, adulterers, depressives, and drunks. This being Ireland, there’s no shortage of gallow’s humor, and there’s also no doubt that Father James is doing his level best to hold things together. But in the end, his church is burned down, his dog has its throat cut, and his life is, as promised, terminated.

The movie’s title makes it only too clear that this is a parable. It is the Passion of Father James — the final week of a man of God who sacrifices his life to make up for the — original? — sin of another. He throws the revolver he has brought to defend himself — his last temptation — into the sea. He is shot on a beach below the headlands that point to the name of the place outside the walls of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified — Golgotha, Calvary, Skull. There is, perhaps, a hint of redemption at the end.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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: Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Source: Anne Steffens, Interim Director of Communications

From Bishop Andrew Cozzens, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

Documents from the priest file of Louis Heitzer given to the court earlier this year were released today by Jeff Anderson and Associates. This release is in the interest of public disclosure and accountability.

The archdiocese received reports of sexual abuse of minors by Heitzer prior to Heitzer’s death in 1969. Between 1991 and 2004 the archdiocese received additional reports of Heitzer’s sexual abuse of minors decades earlier.

The archdiocese’s goal is to help victims/survivors of minor clergy abuse and their families heal. The archdiocese recognizes that the healing process is unique for each person and family. The archdiocese, however, has come to understand that for many people it is important to know that abuse will not happen again. Verbal assurance will not suffice; concrete action is necessary.

The archdiocese will continue to develop concrete steps such as new procedures to address reports of abuse. Another such step is public disclosure of the identity and assignment history of the clergy member against whom accusations of sexual abuse of a minor have been substantiated. Heitzer’s assignment history was first released by the archdiocese in December of last year and is now updated with additional assignment information for 1967 up to his death in 1969.

Louis Heitzer

Date of birth: 7/15/1914, deceased
Date of ordination: 1942
Date the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis posted this cleric’s name on a list of those with claims of substantiated abuse against them: December 5, 2013

Cleric’s prior assignments:

Associate priest, Most Holy Trinity, Winsted (now part of New Ulm Diocese), 1942-1944;
Associate priest, St. Andrew, Fairfax (now part of New Ulm Diocese), 1944;
Associate pastor, Assumption, St. Paul, 1944-1945;
Associate priest, Holy Redeemer, Marshall (now part of New Ulm Diocese), 1945;
Associate priest, St. Mary, Sleepy Eye (now part of New Ulm Diocese), 1945-1948;
Associate priest, St. Joseph, Waconia, 1948;
Associate priest, St. Aloysius, Olivia (now part of New Ulm Diocese), 1948-1950;
Administrator, Sacred Heart, Franklin (now part of New Ulm Diocese), 1950-1954;
Pastor, St. Joseph, Rosen (now part of New Ulm Diocese), 1954-1955;
Pastor, St. Michael, Gaylord (now part of New Ulm Diocese), 1955-1956;
Pastor, St. Luke, Clearwater, 1956-1958;
Pastor, St. Scholastica, Heidelberg, 1958-1966;
Associate priest, St. Richard, Richfield, 1966-1967;
Assistant pastor, St. Peter, Forest Lake, 1967;
Sacramental service and supply ministry, clergy retreat house, Nevis (Crookston Diocese), 1968;
Chaplain, rest home, Ivanhoe (New Ulm Diocese), 1969
Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Date permanently removed from ministry: 1969
Current location: Deceased
Current status: Died in 1969

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NEW ZEALAND
Stuff

A Blenheim priest who has admitted an indecent assault is the first case of a clergyman pleading guilty at the first opportunity, the head of sexual-abuse charity says.

Alastair Aidan Kay, 71, pleaded guilty to a charge of indecent assault on a male over 16.

Kay was stood down from St Mary’s parish in Blenheim after a complaint was made to police about an incident on July 15.

He made his first appearance in the Blenheim District Court yesterday morning.

Defence lawyer Rob Harrison asked the conviction not be entered so Kay could go through a restorative justice programme. This would involve a meeting between the offender and victim to work out a way forward.

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

MAINE
MI NBC

BANGOR, MAINE — Adam Metropoulos, originally from Saginaw, has been arraigned in Bangor, Maine for possessing child pornography and photographing a woman without her permission.

Metropoulos, who is 52-years-old, is a priest at St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Bangor.

Police said they began investigating when a woman told them that she thought she had been photographed or recorded without her permission.

He is currently being held on $10,000 bond.

According to the Bangor Daily News, Metropoulos has been suspended from “all priestly duties” until the case has been resolved.

The paper, who ran an extensive background piece on Metropoulos back in 2002, says he moved to Maine from Saginaw in 1990 to teach at a high school there.

Metropoulos was a graduate of Saginaw Valley State University and went on to work at Dow Chemical. He later left Dow Chemical in order to pursue a doctorate from the University of New Hampshire.

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

MAINE
WCSH

Samantha Edwards, WLBZ 5:15 p.m. EDT September 16, 2014

BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — A Bangor area Greek Orthodox priest was arrested Monday afternoon after a woman claimed he video taped her in the shower. Adam Metropoulos, 52, is charged with a violation of privacy and possession of child pornography.

The investigation began Saturday when the woman reported the alleged video taping to Bangor police detectives.

Sgt. Tim Cotton with Bangor police said, “When she was in the shower she looked across the bathroom and she observed what she believed to be a camera in a basket on a wall. She exited the shower, went and checked on the camera. It, in fact, was a camera and was, in fact, recording her activity in the shower.”

Bangor police interviewed Metropoulos and searched his home where police said they found child pornography.

Sgt. Cotton said, “They also left with multiple items. Computer equipment and hard drives, memory cards, and disks…the initial search found items that we believe meet the criteria to be child pornography.”

Metropoulos does have a criminal past. Sources tell NEWS CENTER Metropoulos was convicted of sexual assault on April 25, 1983 in Saginaw, Michigan.

Metropoulos moved to Maine and taught chemistry at Millinocket’s Stearns High School from 1990 to 1997. We did ask the Department of Education if the prior conviction would have shown up on Metropoulos’ background check, but the state did not begin conducting background checks until 1999.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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 Mercury (Australia)

THE Islamic State (Isis) is intent on killing the Pope, the Iraqi ambassador to the Holy See has warned the Vatican.

Habeeb Al-Sadr, who has been the ambassador since 2010, has advised that one of Isis’ goals is to assassinate the Pontiff and warned that the jihadists “don’t just threaten”, according to Italian newspaper La Nazione.

Mr Al-Sadr confirmed he did not have any specific intelligence on an impending attack but said that their “genocide” of Yazidi Christians and destruction of holy Islamic sites was an indication of their intent.

“What has been declared by the self-proclaimed Islamic State is clear – they want to kill the Pope,” he told La Nazione on Tuesday, adding: “The threats against the Pope are credible.”

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

MINNESOTA
Jeff Anderson & Associates

[Rev. Louis J. Heitzer/Rev. Joseph Heitzer – assignment record via BishopAccountability.org]

Father Louis Heitzer Priest File
Father Louis Heitzer Timeline
Key Documents from Louis Heitzer File

Father Louis Heitzer is believed to have abused young boys in every location he worked, ruining the lives of many, and was never held accountable for his actions. Ordained in 1942, Heitzer worked at several parishes during his 25+ years in the priesthood. He worked in cities including Winsted, St. Paul, Marshall, Sleepy Eye, Olivia, Winthrop, Clearwater, Heidelberg, Lexington, Union Hill, Forest Lake, Ivanhoe and Nevis, Minnesota.

At least three Archbishops knew of Heitzer’s inappropriate behavior with children and numerous parents sent letters to Church officials detailing accounts of sexual abuse by Heitzer. Meetings were held in rural parishes with parents of several youths who claimed to have witnessed or experienced abuse by Heitzer.

At least a decade after allegations of inappropriate behavior surfaced, Heitzer was hospitalized and after one month of treatment was returned to ministry “with perfect safety.” In 2002, after more victims came forward alleging sexual abuse by Heitzer, then-Vicar General Kevin McDonough, in a September 24, 2002 letter refers to Heitzer as “perhaps the most abusive priest ever to be part of this Archdiocese. I believe he abused boys every place he went.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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 St. Paul, Minn.
Sep 16, 2014

Efforts by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to cover up clergy sex abuse stretch back to at least the 1950s — a decade earlier than previously revealed, according to documents released today by victims’ attorneys.

The archdiocese file on the Rev. Louis Heitzer shows that bishops used now-familiar strategies to protect Heitzer from prosecution nearly six decades ago. During the 1950s and 60s, four bishops failed to notify police of allegations that Heitzer sexually abused several boys. Instead, the archbishops transferred Heitzer to 14 parishes over his 27-year career.

The 152 pages, released as part of a clergy sex abuse lawsuit that accuses the archdiocese of creating a public nuisance by keeping information on abusers private, raise questions about how long Catholic leaders in the Twin Cities have covered up abuse.

Memos and letters show a pattern of secrecy by Archbishop John Murray, who served as the third archbishop of St. Paul from 1931 to 1956, Archbishop William Brady, who served from 1956 to 1961, Archbishop Leo Binz, who served from 1961 to 1975, and Coadjutor Archbishop Leo Byrne, who served from 1967 to 1974.

The previously confidential documents reveal a world in which church leaders protected priests who sexually abused children and downplayed complaints from parents and their children, while victims suffered in silence without the aid of support groups or therapy.

Heitzer, a German immigrant who died in 1969, spent less than a year at most parishes before bishops quietly sent him elsewhere. In a 2002 letter, then-vicar general Kevin McDonough described Heitzer as “perhaps the most abusive priest ever to be a part of this Archdiocese. I now believe that he abused boys every place he went.”

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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
The Record

STOCKTON – The Diocese of Stockton said it has received 34 claims of sexual abuse since it notified the public of a deadline imposed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

The diocese announced the news Tuesday in a statement that also said no priest in active ministry was named in those claims.

Diocese leaders filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in January, saying its finances have been drained by legal costs and settlements arising from claims of child sexual abuse by priests.

Over the past two decades, those costs have mounted to $32 million for the diocese which oversees parishes in San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Calaveras, Tuolomne, Alpine and Mono counties.

Following the bankruptcy filing, the courts set Aug. 15 as the deadline for anyone thereafter to file such a claim.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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: Tuesday, Sept. 16 2014

Statement by Tim Lennon of San Francisco, Bay Area Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 415-312-5820, tlennon@snapnetwork.org )

Stockton Catholic officials disclosed today that 34 victims of predator priests have come forward in recent months. We suspect this number – 34 victims of Stockton predator clergy – is a drop in the bucket. The real total, we believe, is much higher.

Our hearts ache for all of these victims, especially those who were not able to come forward by the Stockton bishop’s callous and arbitrary deadline.

Even predator priests who are “not in active ministry” are still dangerous, which is why it is crucial that Stockton’s bishop lets parishioners, police and the public know who and where they are.

A judge required Stockton Catholic officials to do “extensive outreach.” How could the Stockton diocese brag about this same “extensive outreach” if they were compelled to do it by the court?

Stockton church officials claim that a court order means “all information about these claims is confidential.” That does not, however, prevent Stockton Bishop Blaire from publicly disclosing the names, whereabouts and work histories of the proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting clerics. Stockton’s bishop should do this, for the protection of the vulnerable and the healing of the wounded.

We note that the Diocese is not interested in “resolving outstanding claims as fairly as possible.” It’s interested in avoiding embarrassing child sex abuse and cover up trials. Church officials are interested in avoiding depositions at which they and other church officials will face tough questions on why they acted recklessly, deceitfully and callously with clergy sex predators.

The high church officials are interested in focusing public attention on those who commit child sex crimes, not on those church officials who conceal them. These officials are interested in protecting the careers and reputations of past and current officials. Their actions are not focused on the healing of the wounded and the protection of the vulnerable. And they’re interested in focusing on money, not corruption.

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

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Globe

By Mark Shanahan and Meredith Goldstein | GLOBE STAFF SEPTEMBER 16, 2014

Actor Mark Ruffalo was at the Globe on Monday to do research for his new movie “Spotlight,” in which he’ll play Globe investigative reporter Michael Rezendes, a member of the Pulitzer-winning team that broke the Catholic sex abuse scandal. Ruffalo was seen in the newsroom, the cafeteria, and the library — not that we were following him. Ruffalo’s costar Rachel McAdams has been spotted around Boston, so she must be researching for her own role in the film (she’ll play former Globe reporter Sacha Pfeiffer, who’s now a star at WBUR). . . .

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UNITED KINGDOM
Telegraph

South Yorkshire PCC Shaun Wright finally resigns in the wake of the Rotherham child sex abuse scandal

By Martin Evans, Crime Correspondent

Shaun Wright, the Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire, has resigned in the wake of the Rotherham child sex exploitation scandal.

Mr Wright had come under increasing pressure following the publication of Professor Alexis Jay’s report into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham. He was the councillor with responsibility for children’s services in the borough from 2005 to 2010.

But he initially resisted calls to resign including from the Prime Minister, Home Secretary and the Labour party, which eventually expelled him.

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GROSSBRITANNIEN
Spiegel

[The police chief in Rotherdam has resigned amid controversy about how police handled sexual abuse cases.]

Der Polizeichef der englischen Stadt Rotherham ist zurückgetreten. Shaun Wright wurde seine unrühmliche Rolle in einem riesigen Missbrauchsskandal zum Verhängnis. Er ist sich aber immer noch keiner Schuld bewusst.

London – Premierminister David Cameron, Innenministerin Theresa May und Oppositionsführer Ed Miliband hatten Shaun Wright aufgefordert, den Posten aufzugeben. Er hatte sich lange gesträubt. Jetzt hat der oberste Polizeichef der nordenglischen Stadt Rotherham dem Druck nachgegeben – und trat zurück. Er sei in den öffentlichen Dienst gegangen, um Positives für den Süden Yorkshires zu bewirken. Der Schutz verwundbarer Personen, besonders sexuell ausgebeuteter Kinder, sei seine oberste Priorität gewesen. Doch seinem Anspruch an sich selbst genügte Wright offenbar nicht.

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OSTERREICH
Kleine Zeitung

[Summary: The civil actions brought by a former pupil against two Admonter Fathers for alleged sexual abuse and aggravated assault goes to a new round in court. On Monday, the legal representatives for the ex-pupil presented the court of upper Styria Leoben a motion for bias against the judge. This motion must now be considered by the district court. The priests say they had no free time in all their years at Admont and they deny responsibility for the offenses at the school and this should be handled by the state.]

Die zivilrechtliche Klage eines ehemaligen Zöglings gegen zwei Admonter Patres und das Stift wegen des Vorwurfs sexuellen Missbrauchs und schwerer Körperverletzung geht in eine neue Gerichts-Runde.

Der Ex-Zögling und sein Rechtsvertreter stießen sich laut dem Sprecher des Klägers u.a. an der Behauptung der Padres, dass sie in all den Jahren in Admont keine Freizeit gehabt hätten. Womit die Verantwortung für die zur Last gelegten Delikte an den Staat als Schulaufsichtsbehörde übergehe und somit die Republik bzw. der Steuerzahler dafür gerade zu stehen hätte.

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TEXAS
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Tuesday, Sept. 16

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 )

A youth pastor has been arrested for alleged child sex crimes and the question now is what will his congregants do now? Will they actively help police and prosecutors? Or will they sit passively back and force the brave victim to carry the burden of pursuing a predator alone?

[My Fox DFW]

We beg current and former staff and members of the Lord’s House of Prayer in Crandall to aggressively seek out others who may have seen, suspected or suffered child sex crimes by Steven Gray.

That’s the best way to protect kids. That’s the responsible course of action. That’s what Jesus would do, we believe.

But in most cases, colleagues and congregants of credibly accused child molesting clerics do little or nothing. They leave it up to a wounded victim and overworked police and overwhelmed prosecutor to keep a predator away from kids. Then they express shock and horror when the predator’s shrewd lawyer gets him or her off on a technicality or gets a short sentence and later re-offends.

So we beg every person associated with the Lord’s House of Prayer to show courage and try hard to find and console others with information about or suspicisions about Gray’s crimes. That’s the right thing to do.

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INDIA/MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Statement by Verne Wagner of Duluth, Northeast MN (Duluth, MN & Superior, WI) SNAP director ( 218- 340-1277, lwagsmn@yahoo.com )

A credibly accused predatory Indian priest has lost another court ruling and is now one step closer to facing a trial in Minnesota. For the safety of children and the healing of victims, we hope he will be extradited soon.

[court document]

Fr. Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul is accused of molesting two girls. When child sex abuse allegations against him surfaced, he quickly returned to India, where he remains.

[ABC News]

Twice this year, United Nations panels have harshly criticized Vatican officials for their refusal to help law enforcement apprehend this dangerous cleric, Fr. Jeyapaul, who molested girls in the Crookston, MN diocese and worked at one event (maybe more) in the St. Paul Archdiocese.

We’ve long worried about the safety of girls in India near Fr. Jeyapaul, especially since his bishop put him in charge of overseeing schools, knowing full well that he was considered a fugitive from US criminal authorities.

Fr. Jeyapaul is one of an increasing number of accused predator priests who have been allowed to flee to other countries despite credible child sex abuse allegations or sometimes arrest warrants.

According to BishopAccountability.org, Minnesota Catholic officials “knew of rumors about inappropriate behavior by (Jeyapaul) in 8/04” but Fr. Jeyapaul “suddenly returned to India in 9/05.”

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POLAND/POKSKA
Ocaleni

Skazany wyrokiem za molestowanie nastolatki w Henrykowie Lubańskim, ksiądz Jan M. przebywa na wolności, w domu księży emerytów w Legnicy. To dlatego, iż otrzymał wyrok w tzw. zawiasach – 1 rok i 8 miesięcy w zawieszeniu na 3 lata. Dla porównania – nastolatka była przez księdza molestowana przez całe cztery lata.Co więcej – w komputerze księdza znaleziono programy i treści pedofilskie. Sąd uznał księdza również winnym posiadaniu nielegalnych materiałów. Wyrok nie jest prawomocny.
predator

Ocaleni I Polish Sutvivors: jesteśmy zaniepokojeni niskim wyrokiem, mimo, że sąd uznał księdza winnego wszystkim trzem postawionym zarzutom. Jeszcze bardziej martwi nas fakt, że ksiądz dostał wyrok w zawieszeniu i pozostaje poza kontrolą: nie mamy pewności, czy nie będzie molestował kolejnych dzieci. Wyrażamy też wielki szacunek dla nastolatki, która odważyła się zeznawać przeciwko swojemu agresorowi – brawo!

Liczymy na to, że adwokat poszkodowanej odwoła się od wyroku i, że ksiądz ostatecznie trafi do więzienia. Liczymy również, że zostanie on dożywotnio pozbawiony kontaktu z dziećmi. Mamy nadzieję, że w międzyczasie ujawnią się kolejne ofiary księdza Jana M., jeśli takowe istnieją. Do tego czasu apelujemy opiekunów legnickich dzieci o ostrożność.

Więcej na ten temat w Polskim Radiu Wrocław
————————————————————————————
The priest Jan M., convicted of sexual harassment of a teenage girl in Henryków Lubański is currently on the loose, staying in the retirement home for priests in Legnica. Why? He was given a suspended sentence – one year and eight months of imprisonment conditionally suspended for three years. To draw a comparison, the junior miss had been sexually harassed for four years. What is more, there was pedophile content and related programs discovered on the priest’s computer. The court found him guilty of possession of illegal material. The sentence is not final and binding.

Polish Survivors: we are alarmed by the degree of penalty, although the court found the priest guilty of all three charges. What concerns us even more is the fact that the he was given a suspended sentence and remains out of control: we cannot rest assured that he will not harass other children. We also express our respect to the teenage girl who dared to testify against her aggressor – bravo!

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POLAND/POLSKA
Ocaleni

Czy w USA, Anglii, Holandii, Belgii, we Włoszech i innych krajach, z których pochodzą nasi czytelnicy, również pedofile dostają kary w zawieszeniu i chodzą na wolności?

sad-pijani-kierowcy

Oryginalny obrazek (by Andrzej Rysuje) znajdziesz TUTAJ.

O jednej z takich spraw pisaliśmy tutaj: Skandal! Ksiądz pedofil na wolności!

Zupełnie absurdalny wydaje się przy tym fakt, że do więzienia w Polsce można iść za… kradzież wafelka wartego 99 groszy (więcej)!

—————————————————

Do pedophilies from USA, England, the Netherlands, Belgium or Italy receive a deffered sentence for pedophilia and they are still on the loose?

We mentioned such a case here: Scandal! Pedophile priest on the loose.

it is even more ridiculous, as in Poland you may end up in jail for stealing… a wafer which costs about 30 cents.

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MAINE
WABI

[with video]

By Adrienne DiPiazza

Bangor Police say they arrested a man Monday in Bangor after getting complaints from a woman who said someone had been taking her picture without her knowledge.

Adam Metropoulos, 52, the priest of St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Bangor is charged with violation of privacy and possession of sexually explicit material.

District Attorney Chris Almy confirmed Metropoulos is accused of possessing child pornography.

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MAINE
Bangor Daily News

By Judy Harrison, BDN Staff
Posted Sept. 16, 2014

BANGOR, Maine — The bishop of the Greek Orthodox diocese that includes Maine has suspended the priest at St. George Church who was arrested Monday after being accused of possessing child pornography.

Adam Metropoulos, 52, of Bangor remained at the Penobscot County Jail unable to post $10,000 cash bail Tuesday morning while the congregation waited for word from its diocesan office in Boston on how to proceed.

He was arrested Monday afternoon after being accused of possessing child pornography and photographing a woman without her permission.

Metropoulos was charged with one count each of possession of sexually explicit material, a Class C crime, and violation of privacy, a Class D crime, according to Bangor police.

Metropolitan Methodios, head of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston, announced in an email on Tuesday that Metropoulos “has been suspended from all priestly duties” until the criminal case has been resolved,

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UNITED STATES
Waiting for Godot to Leave

Kevin O’Brien

The New Testament contains two Epistles by St. Peter. A third one was recently discovered, but some are doubting its authenticity. It appears to have been written during Jesus active ministry …

***

Peter, Apostle of Jesus Christ, to the Other Eleven and to Various Disciples.

May God bless you all. I give thanks always and everywhere for the hard work you are doing in spreading what Jesus is calling the “gospel message”.

Which, of course, needs some refining.

I took Jesus aside the other day for an “ad hoc meeting” and tried to talk some sense into him. He keeps insisting on this whole “cross” thing and claiming that he’s going to suffer. “God forbid!” I told him. After all, we can’t have that – it would be bad for the organization and we have to protect our branding.

Some of you have been asking how he responded to me. Not well, really. “Get thee behind me, Satan!” was a bit of an over-reaction, as far as I’m concerned. He keeps saying that’s the “hour” for which he was sent. Totally beyond me.

Meanwhile, we’re forming a Doctrine Committee to deal with things. Oh, and there’s a Fish Fry on Friday next week, though we clearly don’t have enough at this point to feed the multitude. The Fall Festival is taking volunteers and Scrip is available in the Gathering Area.

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MAINE
USA Today

Matthew Diebel, USATODAY September 16, 2014

The priest of a Greek Orthodox church in Bangor, Maine, has been arrested for alleged possession of child pornography and photographing a woman without her permission, according to reports in local media.

Adam Metropoulos, 52, of was charged Monday with possession of sexually explicit material, a Class C crime, and violation of privacy, a Class D crime, police told the Bangor Daily News.

According to the News, an investigation began over the weekend when a woman complained to police that she believed she had been photographed or video recorded without her permission or knowledge.

Metropoulos, a native of Michigan, has been the priest at St. George Greek Orthodox Church since September 2001, the paper reported, and was a high school chemistry teacher before that.

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IRELAND
Ecumenical News

Henri Rose Cimatu
Monday, September 15 2014

The Evangelical Alliance Ireland has said that believers, and not the State, should fund their own schools

The EAI stance is similar to that held by a prominent atheist group and a leading Muslim academic in the predominantly Catholic country.

EAI executive director Nick Park said evangelical Christians feel alienated by State-funded schools that are usually run by the Catholic Church, which has by far the largest religious following in Ireland.

He mentioned Catholic practices such as the First Communion which can be a problem for evangelical parents. …

Increased prosperity in the 1990s along with cover ups by Catholic leaders of child abuse at schools in the 20th century have undermined church credibility and led to many Irish now shunning Catholicism.

The Irish Times reported that the position of EAI to call for a secular education system in Irish schools is similar to the one proposed by Atheist Ireland.

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UNITED STATES
The Raw Story

SCOTT KAUFMAN
16 SEP 2014

Despite allegations that he abused his position in Victory Church to curry sexual favors from his parishioners, a feature-length documentary about controversial “Fight Church” pastor Paul Burress was released on Tuesday, according to Hemant Mehta.

Earlier this year, former members of his Rochester, New York congregation accused Pastor Burress of abusing his power in the community to entice people into his swinger lifestyle.

In an email, the church’s executive pastor, Al Odgen, characterized those claims as a “vindictive email attack against Paul and Victory [Church],” and accused the church’s “enemies” of being “obviously in collusion with each other.”

The film does not address the controversy surrounding Pastor Burress’s abuse of power within his church, focusing instead on his ministry and the children and young men who fight in it.

The filmmakers, Daniel Junge and Bryan Storkel, wrote in The New York Times that one of the abiding concerns of Burress and other pastors who practice mixed martial arts (MMA) is that “the modern church [has] become ‘feminized’” because it fails to realize that “many of the Bible’s core tenets involve fighting.”

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INDIA
Business Standard

Press Trust of India | New Delhi September 16, 2014

The Delhi High Court today dismissed as “premature” the plea challenging a trial court order recommending extradition to the USA of Indian Catholic priest Rev Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in that country during his stay in 2004.

Justice Pratibha Rani rejected Jeyapaul’s plea after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) submitted that the government has not passed any order for extraditing him to the US.

The submission was made before the court by an MEA official, after which the court dismissed the plea as being premature.

On September 12, the high court had refused to stay the trial court’s order.

It had also called for a status report from the Centre on whether the trial court’s recommendation has been accepted.

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MISSISSIPPI
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Monday, Sept. 15

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

A veteran Catholic teacher, Richard Pryor, has been indicted for allegedly molesting students on out of state trips. Our hearts ache for these 11 boys and their families.

[Sun Herald]

We applaud every person who has cooperated or is cooperating with this investigation. But this is exactly the kind of crime that Catholic bishops assure us can’t happen. For more than a dozen years, they’ve pledged to not let priests, teachers and other staff alone with children. We urge Biloxi Bishop Roger Morin to explain how this happened.

We also urge Bishop Morin to

–emphatically and repeatedly beg anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered Pryor’s crimes to call police and

–personally visit every school where Pryor worked, making the same plea.

If kids are to be safer and predators are to be convicted, it’s crucial that Catholic employees aggressively seek out anyone with suspicions about or knowledge of Pryor’s crimes. Passively sitting back and letting these victimized kids and their families carry the full burden of prosecuting Pryor is callous and irresponsible.

It’s our civic and moral duty to help police and prosecutors keep predators away from kids.

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FRANCE
The Local

Two men are in French jail after they allegedly used an official Vatican vehicle to try to smuggle several kilos of cocaine and cannabis through France, according to media reports.

It must have seemed like the perfect cover to two suspected drug smugglers: an official Vatican vehicle with diplomatic license plates. However, things didn’t exactly go according to plan.

The tale began when the personal secretary of 91-year-old Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Maria Mejia turned over the car to two Italian men last week for a tune up. The men allegedly did a lot more than change the spark plugs.

French daily Le Monde reported the pair, who are 30 and 41 years old, promptly drove the car to Spain and picked up four kilos of cocaine and 200 grams of cannabis and headed back to France, which is where their luck ran out.

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FRANCE
Times Live

he Vatican was left red-faced Tuesday after it emerged that a car bearing its diplomatic plates had been stopped in France with four kilogrammes of cocaine on board.

The car — which also contained 200 grammes of cannabis — belonged to 91-year-old Argentinian cardinal Jorge Mejia, emeritus librarian at the Holy See, who retired in 2003 and who is currently bedridden.

Pope Francis, a fellow Argentinian, visited Mejia, who was confined to a hospital in Rome after a heart attack, just two days after being elected.

French radio reported that the cardinal’s private secretary entrusted the vehicle to two Italian men to take it for its annual check-up.

The two men promptly drove to Spain to buy the drugs, thinking that they would be protected by the diplomatic plates, according to RTL radio — a scenario not yet confirmed by legal sources.

The pair were picked up on Sunday at a toll station near Chambery in the French Alps on their way back.

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FRANCE
Le Figaro

Un contrôle routier, mené dimanche matin à Chambéry (Savoie), aurait permis aux douaniers de découvrir dans une voiture diplomatique, avec deux homme à bord, 4 kilos de cocaïne et 150 grammes de résine de cannabis, rapporte RTL.

C’est la plaque d’immatriculation du véhicule qui a permis d’établir que celui-ci appartient à la délégation en France du Vatican. Ses passagers, deux Italiens de 30 et 41 ans, se seraient présentés dans un premier temps comme de simples chauffeurs, expliquant que la drogue ne leur appartenait pas.

Les premiers éléments de l’enquête auraient permis d’identifier le propriétaire du véhicule comme étant Jorge Maria Mejia, bibliothècaire émérite du Saint-Siège et âgé de 81 ans. C’est le secrétaire particulier de ce dernier qui aurait confié quelques jours plus tôt la voiture aux deux hommes pour qu’ils en fasse la révision. Ce dont ils auraient profité pour faire un aller-retour en Espagne et y acheter la drogue, pensant échapper aux contrôles grâce à la plaque diplomatique.

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FRANCE
Midi Libre

La voiture, munie d’une plaque diplomatique, appartiendrait à un cardinal de 91 ans. Deux hommes ont été interceptés à son bord.

Une voiture diplomatique du Vatican transportant quatre kilos de cocaïne et environ 200 grammes de cannabis a été interceptée dimanche 14 septembre à un péage près de Chambéry en Savoie, a-t-on appris mardi de source judiciaire, confirmant une information de RTL. Les deux occupants de la voiture, deux Italiens âgés de 30 et 41 ans, ont été interpellés et placés en garde à vue. Celle-ci a été portée mardi à 96 heures, les deux hommes devant être déférés jeudi matin au parquet de Chambéry pour être présentés à un magistrat et une information judiciaire devant être ouverte pour trafic de stupéfiants.

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VATICAN CITY
Bloomberg

By Elisa Martinuzzi Sep 16, 2014

The Vatican Bank named Lazard Ltd. (LAZ)’s Italy Chairman Carlo Salvatori and Banco Santander SA’s Mauricio Larrain to the board as it completes an overhaul of lender’s governance.

The appointments add “significant financial experience and global perspective at a time when the role of IOR is being reinforced,” the bank, formally known as IOR, or Institute for the Works of Religion, said in an e-mailed statement today.

Since becoming pontiff last year, Pope Francis has replaced the Vatican Bank’s leadership and made transforming the scandal-tarnished lender one of his top priorities. The bank has closed 2,000 accounts amid allegations of money laundering.

Jean-Baptiste de Franssu, the former head of Invesco Ltd.’s European business, was named IOR president in July. The new board of seven members includes former Deutsche Bank AG Chairman Clemens Boersig.

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FRANCE
The Guardian (UK)

Agence France-Presse in Lyon
theguardian.com, Tuesday 16 September 2014

A car bearing Vatican diplomatic plates was stopped in France with 4kg of cocaine and 200g of cannabis on board.

The car belongs to the 91-year-old Argentinian cardinal Jorge Mejia, emeritus librarian at the Holy See, who retired in 2003 and who is bedridden after a heart attack. Pope Francis, a fellow Argentinian, visited Mejia in hospital in Rome two days after being elected.

French radio reported that the cardinal’s private secretary entrusted the vehicle to two Italian men to take it for its annual checkup. The two men drove to Spain to buy the drugs, thinking they would be protected by the diplomatic plates, according to RTL radio – a scenario not yet confirmed by legal sources.

The pair were picked up on Sunday at a toll station near Chambéry, in the French Alps, on their way back. Neither of the men had a Vatican diplomatic passport, so the Vatican was not directly implicated, French legal sources said.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The group of Cardinals called to oversee the Institute for the Works of Religion has appointed two new members to the IOR Board of Superintendence.

A Vatican statement on Tuesday said the IOR Board of Superintendence is now complete with the nominations of Mauricio Larraín and Carlo Salvatori.

The Commission, which oversees the body known as the “Vatican Bank”, was reshuffled last January.

Please find below the full text of the Vatican statement:

IOR Board of Superintendence completed with nominations of Mauricio Larraín and Carlo Salvatori.

The Cardinals’ Commission of the Istituto per le Opere di Religione (IOR) has appointed Mr. Mauricio Larraín (Chile) and Mr. Carlo Salvatori (Italy) as members to the IOR Board of Superintendence.

On the occasion of the nomination Cardinal Santos Abril y Castelló, President of the IOR’s Supervisory Commission of Cardinals, said: “The IOR is looking forward to working with these two new board members who will add significant financial experience and global perspective at a time when the role of IOR is being reinforced and confirmed to meet the objectives of the Holy Father.”

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MAINE
Greek Reporter

AP – Authorities say a Greek Orthodox priest from Bangor is facing child pornography charges.

Police on Monday arrested 52-year-old Adam Metropoulos, a priest at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, on charges of violation of privacy and possession of sexually explicit material.

Bangor police say they started investigating on Saturday when a woman complained that she thought she had been photographed or video recorded without her permission or knowledge.

District Attorney Chris Almy confirmed Metropoulos is charged with possessing child pornography.

Metropoulos is being held at the Penobscot County Jail on $10,000 bail and could not be reached for comment. It could not be determined if he has a lawyer.

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AUSTRALIA
New South Wales Police Force

Former Catholic school teacher charged with historic child sex offences – Lismore

Tuesday, 16 September 2014

Police have charged a former Catholic school teacher with 19 historic sex offences against children and adult teenagers in the 1970s and 1980s.

Officers from Richmond Local Area Command established Strike Force Golvo in April this year to investigate historic sexual abuse at a Catholic school in Lismore.

Today (Tuesday 16 September), detectives arrested an 81-year-old man at his home in Kingscliff.

The man was taken to Tweed Heads Police Station where he was been charged with nine counts of sexual assault against a child, three counts of sex assault, four counts of indecent assault, one count of detain for advantage and two counts of soliciting a male to commit an indecent act.

He has been granted conditional bail and will appear Lismore Local Court on October 20.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Leicester Mercury

A welfare helper at a Rosminian-run Catholic boarding school has been jailed for sexually abusing a pupil, in the 1980’s.

Francis Belt (72) pleaded guilty to two counts of gross indecency at Ratcliffe College, Ratcliffe on the Wreake, Leicestershire, when the boy was between 13 and 15 years.

Leicester Crown Court was told that when the matter came to light Belt was moved elsewhere as the Rosminian Order covered up the scandal.

The victim was then made to write an apology letter to his abuser.

Belt worked in a pastoral role offering support to the pupils – especially the homesick or lonely ones – as well as helping with sports, other activities and doing maintenance jobs.

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AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

A former Catholic school teacher has been charged with sexually assaulting students more than 30 years ago.

The 81-year-old man was arrested at his home on the NSW north coast on Tuesday.

The arrest comes as police investigate historical abuse at a Catholic school in Lismore.

The former teacher allegedly assaulted students at the boarding school between 1977 and 1986.

He was charged with 19 offences, including sexual assault and detaining a person for advantage.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service – Bolletino

The Cardinals’ Commission of the Istituto per le Opere di Religione (IOR) has appointed Mr. Mauricio Larraín (Chile) and Mr. Carlo Salvatori (Italy) as members to the IOR Board of Superintendence.

On the occasion of the nomination Cardinal Santos Abril y Castelló, President of the IOR’s Supervisory Commission of Cardinals, said: “The IOR is looking forward to working with these two new board members who will add significant financial experience and global perspective at a time when the role of IOR is being reinforced and confirmed to meet the objectives of the Holy Father.”

With these appointments, the IOR Board of Superintendence is now complete. Besides Mauricio Larraín and Carlo Salvatori, it is composed of Mr. Jean-Baptiste de Franssu (France), President of the Board, Mr. Clemens Boersig (Germany), Prof. Mary Ann Glendon (USA) and Sir Michael Hintze (UK), who assumed office on 9 July 2014. In addition to these six lay members of the Board, Monsignor Alfred Xuereb, Secretary-General of the Secretariat for the Economy, serves as its non-voting Secretary.

As set out in the Institute’s revised Statute from 1990, the IOR Board of Superintendence defines strategy and ensures oversight of operations. The members of the Board of Superintendence are nominated in accordance with the new legal framework and for a period of five years.

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VATICAN CITY
Crux

By Inés San Martín
Vatican correspondent September 15, 2014

ROME — The Vatican’s top official for the family says that October’s Synod of Bishops will debate altering church rules barring divorced and remarried Catholics from communion, but considers its emphasis will probably be on practical strategies for helping couples rather than changing doctrine.

Italian Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, said that with regard to divorce and remarriage, the synod is more likely to look at better marriage preparation and wider access to church courts for requesting annulments, a process that declares a marriage invalid, rather than changing the current discipline.

Paglia spoke in a September 2nd interview with Crux. He stressed that while the synod will touch on the debate over divorced and remarried Catholics, its real agenda is much broader, including a wide range of ‘profound human problems’ concerning the family.

“We’re focusing on this issue that, though extremely important, isn’t really crucial. We have to consider the children, the elderly, the sick, adoption processes, [and] the lack of intergenerational dialogue.”

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TEXAS
KDFW

[with video]

By: Dionne Anglin

A former North Texas youth pastor was arrested recently for allegedly fondling a young boy.

The 67-year-old former associate pastor, Steven Gray, is accused of fondling a “then” 11-year old boy, who was visiting him inside his trailer at a south Dallas mobile home park.

The arrest warrant affidavit says the victim, who is now 16, told his mother and a friend about what happened during at least one of the visits.

John Hall says he is that friend.

“He came out with me about four or five weeks ago during the summer and he said, ‘This is what happened: I was molested,” said Hall.

According to the affidavit, the victim says at age 11, “He started going over to [Gray’s] residence on a daily basis,” and, “On one of these visits, [Gray] asked about a cowboy hat and [Gray] said if he wanted that hat, he would have to earn it.”

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UNITED KINGDOM
Manchester Evening News

Sep 16, 2014 06:00 By John Scheerhout

One in four of Greater Manchester Police’s best detectives are now working on historic sex abuse cases, it has emerged.

Some 40 of the 160 officers on the force’s Major Incident Team are dealing solely with sex cases dating back to the 1960s.

They range from the high-profile probe into disgraced former MP Cyril Smith to investigations into alleged grooming gangs and abuse at care homes across Greater Manchester.

The unmasking of Jimmy Savile and other public figures as sex abusers has encouraged more and more people to come forward with complaints.

The Smith probe has so far uncovered 20 alleged victims who say they were abused between at Knowl View boys’ home in Rochdale and other places.

Some 24 others have come forward and alleged they were abused by others at Knowl View.

It has emerged an investigation into horrific abuse at the former Broome House care home in Didsbury has been re-opened after a man reported he was raped by staff in the mid-1990s. Three men have been arrested.

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NEW ZEALAND
3 News

By Rachel Parkin
Reporter

A 71-year-old Catholic priest has pleaded guilty to indecent assault.

Father Aidan Kay was stood down from duty at his Blenheim parish over the weekend and vowed in court this morning not to go near his victim. But he may yet avoid a conviction.

From church pillar to court defendant, Father Kay looked uncomfortable in court as he fell from grace, pleading guilty to indecent assault, but avoiding conviction so restorative justice can be explored.

It came after a shock announcement at St Mary’s Church mass on Sunday.

Some parishioners were reportedly in tears on learning Father Kay had been charged and removed from the ministry.

Outside court he had a message for his victim: “I’m anxious simply that they not be affected and harmed by all this.”

With alleged offending like this, interim name suppression is usually granted to prevent the victim’s identity being revealed by association. But in this case Father Kay’s identity was revealed by the church before the court could even consider it.

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NEW ZEALAND
Herald Sun

A CATHOLIC priest who moved from Australia to New Zealand a year ago has been removed from his duties at a Wellington parish after a police investigation.

POLICE have charged Aidan Kay, a priest at St Mary’s Catholic Parish in Blenheim, with an offence following a complaint, the Catholic Archbishop of Wellington John Dew said in a statement on Sunday.

“As this case is due before the courts no further details will be discussed,” he said.
Parishioners were informed about the situation at mass on Sunday.

The announcement was greeted with gasps and some parishioners cried, The Marlborough Express in NZ reported

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NEW ZEALAND
The New Zealand Herald

By Adam Poulopoulos of the Blenheim Sun

Tuesday Sep 16, 2014

A Blenheim priest has pleaded guilty to a charge of indecent assault.

Father Aidan Kay, 71, formerly of St Mary’s Catholic Church, appeared in Blenheim District Court today over an incident in July.

Judge Peter Hobbs remanded Kay on bail, and he is due to reappear in court on October 20.

Defence lawyer Rob Harrison asked no conviction be entered.

At Kay’s next appearance restorative justice will be considered.

The victim, who is over 16 years of age, has name suppression.

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NEW ZEALAND
TVNZ

Police have criticised the Catholic Church after it named a Blenheim priest publicly before he appeared in court today.

Aidan Kay pleaded guilty in Blenheim District Court to a charge of indecently assaulting a male.

Church leaders began telling parishioners on Saturday evening that Kay had been relieved of his duties. This was followed by a media statement issued after Sunday mass by the leader of the Catholic Church in New Zealand Archbishop John Dew.

Police are now questioning the church’s decision to reveal Kay’s name before he appeared in court today.

Detective Senior Sergeant Ciaran Sloan says there is a need for “accuracy and fairness”. He said the accused has a right to apply for name suppression and that can also protect a victims privacy.

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MINNESOTA
KARE

[with video]

Blake McCoy, KARE 11:53 p.m. EDT September 15, 2014

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A group of 12 theology professors at the University of St. Thomas have signed an open letter criticizing Archbishop John Nienstedt in the wake of the clergy sex abuse scandal.

“The Catholic Church locally here is living in two separate universes and that’s not good,” said professor Massimo Faggioli.

MORE: Theologian letter to Archbishop

The two universes he speaks of are how the local archdiocese views things behind closed doors and reality.

They sent their letter to Archbishop Nienstedt on Monday and are calling for three main points of change:

Leave the legal talk to the lawyers; bring pastoral talk to the people.
Re-introduce yourself to the people and parishes that are our Archdiocese.
Engage lay people in the important work of the Archdiocese.
These professors believe the church is in a spiritual crisis, as well as a legal one.

“The crisis we are in can not be solves by lawyers, by judges, by settlements. It’s too big,” said Dr. Faggioli.

Archbishop Nienstedt responded Monday afternoon saying healing and reconciliation are at the heart of his mission.

MORE: Archbishop response letter

The archbishop claims to have stepped out of the clergy bubble and surrounded himself with more lay people. He says he often makes unpublicized visits to parishes on weekends.

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BOSTON (MA)
Katholisch

[Summary: Married Catholic priest, polygamy, ordination of a terminally ill man, a column about the question of “Why I am Catholic.” This is the topic spectrum one day on the Crux site. The Boston Globe set up the new portal as an “unconventional undertaking.”]

Verheiratete katholische Pfarrer, Polygamie, die Ordination eines Todkranken, eine Kolumne über die Frage “Why I am catholic” – “Warum ich Katholik bin” – das ist das Themenspektrum an einem Tag im September auf der Website cruxnow.com. Die Seite ist da erst wenige Tage alt, und die Tageszeitung Boston Globe, die das neue Portal eingerichtet hat, nennt sie ein “unkonventionelles Unterfangen”.

“All things catholic” – “Alles, was katholisch ist” lautet der Leitspruch der Internetausgründung der renommierten Bostoner Tageszeitung. “Wir haben die journalistische Notwendigkeit gesehen, mehr über die Kirche zu berichten und zu diskutieren”, erklärt Globe-Herausgeber Brian McGrory. Geschehen soll das auf objektive Weise. “Ich stelle mir vor, dass Crux der Marktplatz der katholischen Kirche ist, ein Platz, auf dem alle Stimmen gehört werden”, sagt John Allen, der seit Jahren vor allem für katholische Medien aus dem Vatikan berichtet, und jetzt als Mit-Herausgeber von Crux fungiert.

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FLORIDA
New Times

By Kyle Swenson Mon., Sep. 15 2014

In 2012, Jeffery London, a former youth pastor and charter-school dean of students, was accused of a vicious pattern of sexual assault with the poor kids he let stay with him at an unlicensed foster home dubbed “London’s Hotel.” The investigation reportedly involved up to 40 possible victims.

When London went to trial in early 2014, a jury found him not guilty. But this October, he’s scheduled to again face a jury on 18 additional criminal charges coming from four more accusers.

Additionally, a civil lawsuit has dropped in Broward filed by four alleged John Doe victims rehashing the allegations. The target of this suit: not London but the charitable institutions that allegedly enabled the abuse.

One of the suit’s targets is the estate of Elizabeth Buntrock, a now-deceased philanthropist. According to documents filed in court, in 2000, London moved into a Coral Springs home paid for by a Buntrock charity and meant to provide housing for underprivileged minor male children. But no one in the organization vetted London, made sure the caretaker was properly licensed as a social worker, or directly supervised his interactions with kids, the lawsuit claims.

“London accessed dozens of young boys… for the purpose of grooming, manipulating, and coercing them into becoming sex slaves,” the filing states. “He was able to do this without supervision thereby to brainwash poor and vulnerable children in his custody and control through use of force, threats, guile, church authority and religion, bribes, and the exchange of other benefits for sexual favors, such as treats, video games, shopping tribes, money, transportation, clothing, food, travel, and shelter.”

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ALABAMA
WIAT

PLEASANT GROVE, Ala. (WIAT) — The minister of a Homewood church was arrested late Thursday night for rape and sodomy, according to the Pleasant Grove Police Department.

Glenn VanZandt, who is the pastor of Palisades Church of Christ on Palisades Boulevard, was arrested and faces charges of second-degree rape and sodomy.

Pleasant Grove Police Department spokesman Detective Sgt. Daniel Reid says it involves a female under the age of 16 and that VanZandt was involved in an ongoing relationship with the female.

According to Reid while on patrol, an officer noticed a car parked in a dark area of a park around 10 o’clock Thursday night. The officer went to check it out and found VanZandt and the young girl inside.

Warrants for VanZandt were signed Saturday morning as he was formally charged through the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office.

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ALABAMA
AL.com

By Martin J. Reed | mreed@al.com
on September 13, 2014

PLEASANT GROVE, Alabama — A Birmingham-area minister has been formally charged with rape and sodomy after he was arrested Thursday for allegedly victimizing a minor female.

Glenn VanZandt, 55, of Hoover, faces charges of second-degree rape and second-degree sodomy contained in his arrest warrants, Pleasant Grove Police Sgt. Danny Reid said in a phone interview this morning.

“There was a period of victimization over several months where he had sex and sodomized a minor female under the age of 16,” Reid said about the charges against VanZandt.

VanZandt this morning remained in the Pleasant Grove jail awaiting transport to the Jefferson County jail in Bessemer, Reid said. His bond has been set at $60,000.

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ALABAMA
Alabama’s 13

By Robyn Sirmans

JEFFERSON COUNTY, AL –
A local pastor faces criminal charges in connection to the sexual abuse of a female victim under the age of 16.

Glenn Vanzandt, 55, of Hoover, has been charged with second degree rape and sodomy.

Vanzandt served as the lead minister at the Palisades Family Church of Christ located on Palisades Boulevard.

Authorities say the alleged crimes happened over several months.

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WASHINGTON (DC)
WUSA

WASHINGTON (WUSA9) — A deacon has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a minor who attended his church.

Maurice Blanchard was arrested this year for raping a 15-year-old in 2003 when he was a deacon at the Grace Apostolic Church.

Blanchard pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor in MD Circuit Court in Prince George County last Tuesday. He could be sentenced to between four and nine years in jail when he returns to court on November 14.

Officials say Blanchard’s wife Kina was “coercing the victim to stay silent about her husband’s rapes.” Other victims came forward after the now-26-year-old victim filed charges.

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CANADA
The London Free Press

By Randy Richmond, The London Free Press
Monday, September 15, 2014

Kelly Grenier is one of the last of the Southwestern Ontario women to seek redress from the Roman Catholic diocese of London for alleged sexual abuse at the hands of disgraced and now-dead priest Charles Sylvestre. After more than seven years of stops and starts, and failed negotiations to reach a settlement, the case heads to trial Monday in London.
– – –

Kelly Grenier could ride this trial out one way or the other.

She could rock in her late grandmother’s chair, which she has insisted be placed in her lawyer’s office to use during breaks.

“When I’m rocking it is very soothing. And I can visualize myself being rocked by her.”

Or Grenier could, as she puts it, take the court on the wild “rodeo ride” that can be her personality.

“I could just melt down. I could just start to cry and not stop. I am exhausted.”

When you’re about to have lawyers and experts pick at all the scars of your life so a judge can determine exactly what caused the bleeding, you don’t know how you’re going to react.

Grenier, 48, is one of the last women to seek redress from the Roman Catholic diocese of London over its disgraced and dead priest, Charles Sylvestre. After more than seven years of stops and starts, and failed negotiations to reach a settlement, the case is headed to trial Monday in London.

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UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News

By Paul Burnell & Jonathan Ali
BBC News

The level of child sexual abuse at the Knowl View school in Rochdale was “beyond horror”, a former pupil who became Tony Blair’s chaplain has said.

Father Michael Seed, 57, started at the school in 1970 and said he was abused by the one person from the school to be jailed for abuse.

The priest said he was interviewed by police about the school in the 1990s.

He has also been asked to provide evidence for Rochdale Council’s internal investigation into the school.

“As a priest I have to forgive what happened but justice also needs to be done,” he said.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

Madeleine Baran St. Paul, Minn. Sep 15, 2014

A group of tenured theology professors at the University of St. Thomas sent a letter to embattled Archbishop John Nienstedt on Saturday urging him to “leave the legal talk to the lawyers” and reach out to lay people to repair the spiritual harm caused by the year-long clergy sex-abuse scandal.

“We believe that without such public steps the pastoral state of the archdiocese is not sustainable,” they wrote. “The Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis has had a distinguished place in the history of the Catholic Church in the United States. The current crisis is a grave blot on that history. Legal action alone will not remove it.”

The letter, signed by 12 of the private Catholic university’s 21 tenured theology professors, does not call for Nienstedt’s resignation. Instead, it asks him to change his approach to the crisis. The archbishop should turn his focus to reconciliation, outreach to the faithful and greater involvement of lay people, it said.

“The Archdiocese is in a spiritual crisis as well as a legal crisis,” the professors wrote. “The resolution of the legal actions now underway will not undo the spiritual damage.”

Massimo Faggioli, an assistant theology professor who signed the letter, told MPR News that in the last several months he has watched Nienstedt increasingly focus on legal battles while the faithful have grown disenchanted with their spiritual leader.

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MINNESOTA
KSTP

Archbishop Nienstedt responded to an open letter written to him by University St. Thomas Professors.
————

The letter:

The following tenured members of the Theology Department of the University of St. Thomas:
Dr. Cara Anthony
Dr. Bernard Brady
Dr. Massimo Faggioli
Dr. Paul Gavrilyuk
Dr. Michael Hollerich
Dr. John Martens
Dr. Stephen McMichael
Dr. Paul Niskanen
Dr. David Penchansky
Dr. Gerald Schlabach
Dr. Ted Ulrich
Dr. Paul Wojda

c/o Dr. Paul J. Wojda, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Moral Theology
Chair, Faculty Affairs Committee (2014-15)
University of St.Tomas
PJWOJDA@stthomas.edu

September 15, 2014

Dear Dr. Anthony, Dr. Brady, Dr. Faggioli, Dr. Gavrilyuk, Dr. Hollerich, Dr. Martens, Dr. McMichael, Dr. Niskanen, Dr. Penchansky, Dr. Schlabach, Dr. Ulrich, and Dr. Wojda,

Thank you for your recent letter with your proposals and suggestions. I appreciate your interest in helping people draw closer to Jesus Christ and I am grateful for your service to the students of the University of St. Thomas. I know that many have recently had difficult conversations with friends and family about why they still continue to profess their faith. I am very sorry for anything I or my predecessors have done to cause Catholics to doubt their faith or the sacred trust that is placed in Church leadership.

I am grateful, too, for your thoughtful advice and your willingness to share it. Please allow me to address the suggestions you listed:

• Leave the legal talk to the lawyers; bring pastoral talk to the people.

Many Catholics have shared with me the same pain you are describing, and I have taken the initiative to move in the direction you are suggesting. In last week’s issue of The Catholic Spirit is an article on the first of a series of healing Masses designed for allthose who feel they have been hurt by the Church. We are working with local pastors tocommunicate the information about these Masses to the faithful. Here’s a link: http://thecatholicspirit.com/news/local-news/masses-healing-reconciliation-hope-offered-archdiocese.

The theme of healing and reconciliation is at the heart of these liturgies, which can provide powerful prayer experiences for those who have been wounded or those who know others who are suffering.

• Re-introduce yourself to the people and parishes that are our Archdiocese.

The reason I became a priest was to become involved in the lives of people, and I appreciate every opportunity I have to do so. I have met and continue to meet with victims and survivors of clergy sexual abuse, their families and their friends. I am also reaching out to community leaders, ecumenical leaders and parish leaders to talk and learn about how we can be a part of the healing process. I often spend my weekends celebrating Mass at local parishes or going to community events. I have not publicized these events, but they are happening on a regular basis.

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: CHAO XIONG , Star Tribune Updated: September 15, 2014 – 8:41 PM

St. Thomas theology educators are urging the archbishop to quickly start the healing process.

Roman Catholic Archbishop John Nienstedt has agreed to meet with University of St. Thomas professors after they sent him an e-mail over the weekend urging immediate action to repair damage caused by child sex abuse investigations.

A dozen tenured professors in the university’s theology department signed off on the e-mail in reaction to a lawsuit that alleges clergy sexual abuse within the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and decades of coverup carried out by high-ranking church officials.

The Ramsey County attorney’s office is also reviewing evidence for possible criminal charges in 10 cases of alleged sex abuse of minors by priests.

“The Archdiocese is in a spiritual crisis as well as a legal crisis,” read the professors’ letter, dated Sept. 12.

The professors urged Nienstedt to begin reconciliation with parishioners, to meet directly with parishioners and to increase the presence of lay people in the archdiocese to avoid an insular culture.

“This is having a dramatic impact on the people in the pews,” Bernard Brady, chair of the Theology Department, said Monday of the sex abuse investigations. “We all know people who have … left the church.”

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VATICAN CITY
U-T San Diego

By NICOLE WINFIELD, DEBORA REY Associated Press.SEPT. 15, 2014

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis met Monday with an Argentine judge who played a key role in the recent convictions of two former military officers for one of the most notorious crimes of the country’s Dirty War.

La Rioja Bishop Enrique Angelelli, an avowed leftist, was killed Aug. 4, 1976 in a car crash, shortly after Argentina’s military seized power and began a crackdown on suspected leftist “subversives.”

For decades, officials insisted the death was accidental. But the case was reopened in 2010 after a former priest who had been riding with the bishop said their car had been forced off the road.

La Rioja judge Daniel Ruben Herrera Piedrabuena ordered new expert investigations into the crash and determined that Angelelli had been assassinated. …

The Vatican provided no details of Francis’ meeting Monday with Piedrabuena. But earlier this year, the Holy See provided Vatican documentation to the court showing that Angelelli had warned Rome of his problems with the military.

In one dispatch to the papal ambassador in Buenos Aires one month before he was killed, Angelelli complained that many “honorable” people were being imprisoned and that the military was justifying its torturous ways by saying they had to “kill the enemies of God and country.”

The future pope — Jorge Mario Bergoglio — was the Jesuit leader in Argentina at the time and was on good terms with Angelelli, though he did not embrace the socialist-influenced Liberation Theology of the elder man.

Bergoglio though intervened at Angelelli’s request to shelter three seminarians targeted by the same death squads that had killed some Catholic lay workers in La Rioja.

Bergoglio hid the three in his seminary in Buenos Aires just as Angelelli was assassinated.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
WPVI

By Walter Perez
Monday, September 15, 2014

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Police are investigating a possible case of child abuse involving an Archdiocese of Philadelphia facility.

It was an employee at Mercy Hospice on S. 13th Street who first noticed what appeared to be signs of child abuse on the youngsters who were living with their mother.

The authorities were called, the children were hospitalized, and the Philadelphia Police Special Victims Unit is now handling the investigation.

Mercy Hospice is a Center City shelter run by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It is a place for homeless women and children to grow and heal in their time of need.

And while information about cases like these is strictly confidential, Archdiocesan officials did send Action News a statement saying, in part, “there is no indication that any staff member of the facility is suspected of responsibility for the incident.”

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MINNESOTA
KSTP

[See also the previous letter by tenured female faculty of the Department of Theology of the University of St. Thomas.]

By: Megan Matthews

The Theology Department of the University of St. Thomas is calling on the Archdiocese to make changes in light of sexual abuse scandals and how the church has handled those scandals. In an open letter to the Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the Rev. John Nienstedt, and the local church, the department says the Archdiocese is in a spiritual crisis and legal crisis.

The letter comes after months of mounting pressure for Nienstedt to step down for allegedly covering up child sexual abuse by priests. Nienstedt has repeatedly denied the allegations and said he has no intention of quitting as head of the Catholic Church in Minnesota.

The Theology Department says the legal action being taken will not undo the spiritual damage the scandal has done to the church.

“While we support the rights of the victims of sexual crimes to justice and hope that resolutions of the lawsuits will offer appropriate restitution that leads to their healing, we know that no legal decision will heal the damage done to the Body of Christ,” the letter reads.

The letter lays out three main points:

“Leave the legal talk to the lawyers; bring pastoral talk to the people.”
“Re-introduce yourself to the people and parishes that are our Archdiocese.”
“Engage lay people in the important work of the Archdiocese.”

The department members are asking the church to reach out to its community and start to repair the trust. “Trust within the Church and between the Church and the local community has been badly broken,” the letter says. They say one of the steps in the process of restoring that trust is to listen to members of the church.

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MINNESOTA
National Catholic Reporter

Brian Roewe | Sep. 15, 2014

Absent a renewed emphasis in interpersonal outreach, the current pastoral state of the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese “is not sustainable,” said 12 tenured theology professors of the University of St. Thomas in an open letter to Archbishop John Nienstedt.

The letter, dated Friday and made public Monday, comes in response to the ongoing clergy sexual abuse scandal in the archdiocese — what the faculty called “a grave blot” on the archdiocese’s history — that has raised criticisms of how Nienstedt and other church officials handled allegations of child sexual abuse by clergy.

The result has been more than legal troubles for the Twin Cities church, the theologians said, but “a spiritual crisis.”

“The people of God rightly expect bishops to be good stewards of the Lord’s household,” the professors wrote, pointing to Pope Francis’ February address to the Congregation for Bishops where he stated “The bishop as a witness of Christ, is not isolated, but with the Church.”

“Recent events have shown how badly the pastoral leadership of the Archdiocese has failed to meet those expectations. We refer not only to the multi-faceted sexual abuse scandal itself but also to the manner in which these scandals have been handled,” they said.

In a response letter sent Monday afternoon, Nienstedt expressed gratitude for the “thoughtful advice and your willingness to share it,” adding “I am very sorry for anything I or my predecessors have done to cause Catholics to doubt their faith or the sacred trust that is placed in Church leadership.”

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NEW ZEALAND
Stuff

The Catholic parish in Marlborough has been thrown into turmoil with the announcement at the weekend that one of the priests based in Blenheim has been charged with indecent assault.

Officials from both the church diocese and the Passionist order to which the priest belongs were at services on Saturday and Sunday to break the news to the congregation that Father Aidan Kay has been removed from the parish and will not be returning. They also said he has been charged by police, but would not give any further detail of what that involves.

Kay is due to appear in the Blenheim District Court today charged with indecent assault on a male over 16.

The church is to be commended for its swift and public response to the situation. With the “employee” yet to appear in court and enter a plea to the charge, many organisations would have kept the situation quiet, treating it as an in-house matter until the legal process had been worked through.

During the past 30 years, the Catholic church has been criticised for the way it has done just that. Rather than being open about the illegal and deviant behaviour of some of its religious leaders, it has quietly and swiftly transplanted them to various outposts and supervised roles. Deals were done, victims were persuaded not to lay complaints with police and charges were avoided.

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NEW ZEALAND
TVNZ

NE News reporter Daniel Faitaua
Published: 10:37AM Tuesday September 16, 2014

A Catholic parish priest has pleaded guilty in the Blenheim District Court to indecent assault.

Father Aidan Kay, from St Mary’s Catholic Parish in Blenheim, was removed from his duties after being charged by police.

His defence lawyer Rob Harrison asked that no conviction be entered and he was seeking restorative justice.

Judge Peter Hobbs remanded Kay on bail until October 20 when restorative justice will be considered.

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MASSACHUSETTS
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: A priest of the Boston archdiocese ordained in 1975, Braley was placed on administrative leave in February 2012 after an allegation surfaced that he sexually abused a 14-year-old altar boy while assigned to a Cambridge parish in the late 1970s-early 1980s. Braley denied the allegation. In November 2013 another allegation was publicly reported that Braley sexually abused a 10-year-old girl in the confessional at the same Cambridge parish, during the same time period.

Ordained: 1975

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NEW ZEALAND
Stuff

CATHIE BELL

Blenheim’s St Mary’s School leaders have assured their community the charge former parish priest Aidan Kay is facing does not involve staff or students from the school or preschool attached to the church.

The school sent a special newsletter to parents and caregivers yesterday with a copy of a letter from Archbishop John Dew announcing Kay’s removal from his role as parish priest at the Catholic church in Blenheim.

The letter was read by archdiocesan vicar-general Monsignor Gerry Burns at weekend masses last weekend.

He told parishioners that Kay, who was parish priest since January last year, would not be returning to the parish.

“During the week, the police formally charged him with an offence following a complaint made to police.

“As a result, he has been removed from ministry.”

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MAINE
Bangor Daily News

By Judy Harrison, BDN Staff
Posted Sept. 15, 2014

BANGOR, Maine — The priest of St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 90 Sanford St., was arrested Monday after being accused of possessing child pornography and photographing a woman without her permission.

Adam Metropoulos, 52, of Bangor was charged with one count each of possession of sexually explicit material, a Class C crime, and violation of privacy, a Class C crime, according to Bangor police.

Efforts to reach members of the St. George Parish Council were unsuccessful late Monday afternoon.

Metropoulos is being held at the Penobscot County Jail. Bail of $10,000 cash was requested by the Penobscot County district attorney’s office.

The investigation began Saturday when a woman reportedly complained to police that she believed she had been photographed or video recorded without her permission or knowledge.

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MINNESOTA
WQOW

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A judge has split an upcoming clergy sex abuse trial against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Winona into two separate phases.

The plaintiff, identified only as Doe 1, alleges that church leaders created a “public nuisance” by failing to warn parishioners about a priest who sexually abused him in the 1970s. The case has already led to the unprecedented mass disclosures of church documents and names of accused priests.

In an order Monday, Ramsey County District Judge John Van de North said he’ll conduct a bench trial on Doe 1’s public nuisance claim starting Nov. 3. Rebuttal evidence and closing arguments are set for Dec. 8-9.

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MINNESOTA
Jeff Anderson & Associates

News Release
September 15, 2014

(St. Paul, MN) – Today, Judge John Van de North issued an order bifurcating the Doe 1 v. Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis and Diocese of Winona civil lawsuit. The decision today to separately try the public nuisance claim before the negligence claim is a giant step forward for public safety and child protection.

The trial for the public nuisance claim is scheduled to begin November 3, 2014, followed by the trial of the negligence claim on January 5, 2015.

“The harm being done by the dangerous practices of the Archdiocese is imminent and real,” said Doe 1’s attorney, Jeff Anderson. “This is why the trial of the public nuisance case before the negligence case is a giant step toward public safety and child protection. We are grateful for the chance to share this journey, with this survivor and other courageous survivors, of exposing these dark secrets and reckless practices.”

• Today’s Order is attached and additional information can be found on our website at www.andersonadvocates.com.

Contact Jeff Anderson: Office/651.964.3458 Cell/612.817.8665
Contact Mike Finnegan: Office/651.964.3458 Cell/612.205.5531

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MISSISSIPPI
WLOX

By Michelle Lady – bio | email

GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) –
A grand jury has indicted veteran South Mississippi teacher William Richard Pryor for allegedly molesting students. Pryor was in federal court Monday morning for an initial appearance where a judge detailed the four count federal indictment against Pryor.

A South Mississippi teacher has admitted to investigators that he molested at least eight boys who were his students, and the abuse spanned a period of 20 years. That’s according to an affidavit released Thursday.

William Richard Pryor, 68, is in federal custody charged with transportation of minors with intent of sexual activity.

Pryor is charged in counts one and three for transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and counts two and four for travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

If convicted on counts one and three, Pryor could be sentenced from 10 years to life in prison on each count. If found guilty on counts two and four, Pryor faces up to 30 years in prison for each count.

According to an affidavit in the case, Pryor confirmed to FBI investigators that the allegations of molestation by two different victims are true. Pryor also identified six other victims, and gave the FBI details about when and where he sexually abused them. Most of the alleged abuse happened during trips Pryor took with the students to California, Montana, Colorado, Oregon, and Georgia.

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MISSISSIPPI
Sun Herald

BY ROBIN FITZGERALD
rfitzgerald@sunherald.com

Richard Pryor, a longtime school teacher in Gulfport, has been indicted on federal charges alleging he took boys across state lines for sexual activity.

GULFPORT — A federal grand jury has indicted a longtime Gulfport school teacher on multiple charges alleging he took boys across state lines to have sex with them.

Richard Pryor, 68, allegedly molested the boys while he was a teacher at Bayou View Junior High. He has admitted molesting eight boys and the FBI has found evidence of others, according to recent testimony.

The indictment was unsealed Monday in U.S. District Court.

Pryor faces charges with maximum penalties of up to life in prison.

He was teaching at St. Patrick Catholic High School in Biloxi when the FBI arrested him in August.

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MINNESOTA
Tenured Members of the Theology Department of the University of St. Thomas – via KSTP

“To the extent of their knowledge, competence or authority, the laity are entitled and sometimes duty-bound to express their opinion on matters which concern the good of the Church” (Vatican Council II, “Dogmatic Constitution on the Church”, Lumen Gentium, par. 37).

The people of God rightly expect bishops to be good stewards of the Lord’s household. As Pope Francis has said, “The bishop, as a witness of Christ, is not isolated, but with the Church . . . The episcopate is not for the bishop himself, but for the Church, for the flock, and for others” (Address to the Congregation for the Bishops, February 27, 2014). Recent events have shown how badly the pastoral leadership of the Archdiocese has failed to meet those expectations. We refer not only to the multi-faceted sexual abuse scandal itself but also to the manner in which these scandals have been handled.

The harm done affects first of all the victims themselves. But it touches the lives of all of us as members of the Church, including our efforts as professional theologians to represent the Catholic faith and the Catholic intellectual tradition in an honest and credible way to our students, their parents, our alumni, and our colleagues and friends. As theologians and educators, we offer proposals that may open a path toward recovery from the pastoral breakdown we are witnessing. We do so reluctantly and wish to emphasize that we remain committed to working and praying for the good of the whole archdiocese, including its pastoral leadership. We also want to recognize the criticisms and insights already offered by several of our women colleagues in their letter published on July 25, 2014.

Leave the legal talk to the lawyers; bring pastoral talk to the people. The Archdiocese is in a spiritual crisis as well as a legal crisis. The resolution of the legal actions now underway will not undo the spiritual damage. While we support the rights of the victims of sexual crimes to justice and hope that resolutions of the lawsuits will offer appropriate restitution that leads to their healing, we know that no legal decision will heal the damage done to the Body of Christ. A process of spiritual healing could begin within an appropriate liturgical setting and with you taking the initiative. Consider using the Rite of Reconciliation as a model for how this might be done in various places around the Archdiocese. Think about the example set by Pope St. John Paul II’s millennial apology for the failings of the Church. We believe that the people of the Archdiocese would welcome such gestures towards reconciliation.

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