ABUSE TRACKER

MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Monday, Sept. 15

Statement by Frank Meuers of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 952-334-5180, frankameuers@gmail.com )

While we disagree with their recommendations, we are grateful to St. Thomas professors who are criticizing Twin Cities Catholic officials over child sex crimes and cover ups.

[Pioneer Press]

Their recommendations largely involve symbolic or long term moves. But kids are at risk now and need protection now. Gestures and “good will” measures come later. Helping to prevent more child sex crimes and cover ups now must come first.

For instance, the theologians suggest that Archbishop John Nienstedt hold some sort of “penitential mass” or reconciliation service. We oppose this.

Events like this do not safeguard vulnerable kids. And that’s the top priority now.

Events like this imply that the abuse and cover ups have ended. They have not.

Events like this suggest that only healing is needed now. That’s not irresponsible.

Events like this convey the message that kids are not being molested now. That’s a reckless assumption.

Here’s what should happen now: every proven, admitted, and credibly accused child molesting cleric must be exposed, suspended, and housed in secure treatment facilities (whether they are diocesan or religious order clerics, whether they’re still in the area or not, etc.)

Nienstedt should widely and repeatedly warn parishioners, police, prosecutors and the public about these potentially dangerous individuals, by posting their names, photos, whereabouts and work histories on church websites, both archdiocesan and parishes.

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

UNITED STATES
Waiting for Godot to Leave

Kevin O’Brien

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, in my opinion the most beautiful of Marian feasts.

In today’s Mass, there is an optional sequence to be sung or prayed. It is the Stabat Mater, a 13th century hymn, whose stanzas are made up of rhyming couplets followed by a third line that rhymes with the next stanza’s third line: AAB, CCB – like so …

At the Cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to her Son to the last.

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,
All His bitter anguish bearing,
Now at length the sword has passed.

This is from the 19th century translation by Edward Caswall of the original Latin hymn.

But in the official version of Caswall’s translation, the United States Council of Catholic Bishops have placed on their website some very odd changes, such as this …

Let me mingle tears with you,
Mourning him who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live.

What the hell??? The official version on the website (and I assume in the Missals) includes only 16 of the 20 stanzas, which is strange – but far stranger are stanzas like this in which nothing rhymes with anything and which throws the whole hymn off.

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

MILWAUKEE (WI)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel Sept. 14, 2014

Catholic laity — the people in the pews — will play a more prominent role in the life of the church in southeastern Wisconsin in the coming years, according to a declaration issued Sunday by Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki.

And local bishops will lend their voices to the social justice issues that disproportionately affect minorities in the 10-county archdiocese, such as poverty, immigration and gun violence, the declaration says.

The document, issued during Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, outlines Listecki’s long-range vision for the church, which was mapped out in June during a two-day synod that pulled together hundreds of local Catholics from across the archdiocese. …

Listecki’s blueprint comes at a pivotal time for the church in southeastern Wisconsin. The archdiocese is attempting to emerge from a grueling, nearly 4-year-old bankruptcy that has cost it more than $13 million — a bankruptcy prompted by its mishandling of clergy sex abuse cases dating back decades. Parish membership is declining, despite the growing number of people locally who identify themselves as Catholic. The archdiocese also is bracing for the retirements of dozens of full-time priests in the coming years.

Still, there is room for optimism, said Mark Gray, senior research associate at the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, which has been conducting a demographic study for the archdiocese.

“We actually predict that the self-identified Catholic population in the archdiocese, looking on toward 2040, will be quite stable,” he said. “These are people who still see themselves as Catholic, and they are. They’re the lowest-hanging fruit for the new evangelization — the people easiest to bring back.”

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

MILWAUKEE (WI)
WTMJ

[with video]

MILWAUKEE — It was a milestone sermon Sunday morning at the Cathedral of St. John.

Milwaukee’s archbishop, Jerome Listecki, announced the archdiocese’s principles for the next 15 years.

It’s called the Synodal Declaration: the culmination of a spiritual convention that took two years and some 15,000 participants. The Synod measured the pulse of Milwaukee parishioners, and after a summer of scandal and bankruptcy, the Synod wanted to restore the church’s health.

“This is really an archdiocese that has a deep level of faith,” Listecki told TODAY’S TMJ4. “We want to excite it, ignite it, form people by it and evangelize through it.”

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

MINNESOTA
Crux

By Michael O’Loughlin
National reporter September 15, 2014

A group of theology professors from the largest Catholic university in Minnesota penned an open letter to the archbishop of Minneapolis and St. Paul, lamenting ongoing revelations of clergy sex abuse and “also to the manner in which these scandals have been handled.”

Addressed to Archbishop John Nienstedt, under fire for allegedly mishandling reports of clergy sex abuse, twelve tenured faculty members of St. Thomas University wrote, “Recent events have shown how badly the pastoral leadership of the Archdiocese has failed” to respond to the pastoral needs of Catholics there.

The group stopped short of calling for Nienstedt’s resignation, writing that they “remain committed to working and praying for the good of the whole archdiocese, including its pastoral leadership.”

Nienstedt has faced criticism for a number of scandals in recent months, including accusations from a former archdiocesan chancellor, Jennifer Haselberger, who claimed that church personnel knowingly turned a blind eye to accusations. Other employees have reported hostile working conditions in the chancery, and Nienstedt himself remains under a self-appointed archdiocesan investigation for sexual misconduct. Those allegations involve adult seminarians and priests, and date back before Nienstedt was archbishop. …

Signing the letter were Cara Anthony; Bernard Brady; Massimo Faggioli; Paul Gavrilyuk; Michael Hollerich; John Martens; Stephen McMichael; Paul Niskanen; David Penchansky; Gerald Schlabach; Ted Ulrich; and Paul Wojda.

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

MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

By Emily Gurnon
egurnon@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 09/15/2014

More than half the tenured faculty members of the University of St. Thomas theology department have sent an open letter to Archbishop John Nienstedt insisting the “pastoral state of the archdiocese is not sustainable” without significant changes.

“The people of God rightly expect bishops to be good stewards of the Lord’s household,” said the letter, sent to Nienstedt on Friday and distributed publicly Monday morning. “Recent events have shown how badly the pastoral leadership of the archdiocese has failed to meet those expectations.

“We refer not only to the multifaceted sexual abuse scandal itself but also to the manner in which these scandals have been handled,” said 12 theologians who signed the letter.

The letter does not call for Nienstedt’s resignation; Assistant Professor of Theology Massimo Faggioli said Monday that the group is not taking a position on that matter.

Aside from a similar letter from women faculty members this summer, the missive is unusual, he said.

“I don’t recall a history of other statements of this kind, but I don’t think there has been a crisis as serious as this one in recent history, either,” Faggioli said.

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

NEW JERSEY
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Monday, September 15, 2014

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

A New Jersey serial predator priest was apparently defrocked months ago, but his bishop essentially kept silent about it, telling only one group of parishioners but refusing to tell the public or other parishioners.

In July, Metuchen Bishop Paul Bootkoski (732-562-1990) wrote to his flock at St. James parish telling them that Msgr. Michael J. Cashman has been defrocked by the Vatican. Cashman worked at churches in Old Bridge, West Trenton, Spotswood, North Brunswick and (most recently) Woodbridge (and likely at other locations too).

[Mutuchen diocese]

Bootkoski’s letter was obtained and posted on line today by BishopAccountability.org, an on line archive about the Catholic church’s on-going clergy child sex abuse and cover up crisis.

Bootkoski, like hundreds of other Catholic officials, has repeatedly pledged he’d be “open and transparent” in dealing with pedophile priests. The twelve year old US national bishops policy (called “the Dallas Charter”) mandates that he be open. But he’s told the smallest group possible about Cashman’s wrongdoing, instead of shouting from the rooftops, “Cashman’s a credibly accused and defrocked predator. Keep your kids away from him.”

Bootkoski’s acting more like a cold-hearted CEO than a compassionate shepherd. He’s trying to do the absolute bare minimum, rather than do what best protects children.

Bootkoski’s refusal to widely announce Cashman’s defrocking is endangering kids. Only a small percentage of Metuchen Catholics know that the child sex abuse allegations against Cashman have been deemed credible and that the Vatican has permanently ousted him. An even smaller percentage of Metuchen area parents, police or prosecutors know this.

Bootkoski should do what 30 US bishops have done: post the names of proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting clerics on his diocesan website. He should explain and apologize for his reckless secrecy regarding Cashman. He should make sure that verbal and and written announcements about Cashman are made in every church this weekend. He should disclose Cashman’s last known whereabouts. And he should personally visit each parish where Cashman worked, emphatically begging victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to protect kids and call police with any knowledge or suspicions they may have about Cashman’s crimes.
Anything less is damage control, public relations, and a violation of the spirit of the church’s abuse policy.

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

NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

‘All money in the world can’t make up for what we took…’ Nazareth children were wronged, admits nun

BY JOANNE SWEENEY – 12 SEPTEMBER 2014

Catholic children who were selected for migration “to populate Australia” had been done a “grave injustice”, the Sisters of Nazareth religious order has admitted.

Abandoned, orphaned or illegitimate children were given a “glowing report” of what life would be like for them in Australia and were selected by the order as long as they were white, “(had) good health and good stock”, the Historical Abuse Inquiry heard yesterday.

The admission came from the congregation’s spokeswoman as she gave evidence to the Banbridge inquiry concerning the placement of 111 children from its homes in Belfast and Londonderry in Australian institutions in the 1940s and 1950s.

Sister Brenda McCall acknowledged the lasting impact of the migration scheme on the children and told the inquiry: “With hindsight, the congregation regrets the grave injustice done to these children in sending them out, not just the children but to their families as well.

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

NORTHERN IRELAND
BBC News

Northern Ireland’s Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) has been accused of providing misleading information to the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry.

The inquiry’s chairman, Sir Anthony Hart, criticised the HSCB for its response to a request for welfare records about two children.

He accused the HSCB of “regurgitating” information that the inquiry had already provided to it.

Sir Anthony Hart said: “This is misleading. I am not impressed.”

The Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry (HIA) is examining child abuse in religious and state-run institutions in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 1995.

As part of its investigations, the HIA had asked the HSCB for welfare records about the two children who were sent to Australia in the last century.

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

NEW JERSEY
Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen

July 29, 2014

Bishop’s letter to parishioners of St. James, Woodbridge, regarding Msgr. Cashman. To read, click here.

——————-

The letter

July 21, 2014

Dear Parishioners of St. James Parish,

I have learned that the appeals court assigned to hear the charges of sexual abuse of a minor against your former pastor, Msgr. Michael Cashman, has ruled that he was guilty of “ongoing sexual abuse” of two minor children in the early 1980s. The court also imposed the penalty of dismissing Msgr. Cashman from the priesthood.

For the sake of the victims, your parish, and Msgr. Cashman, I wish that a final decision in this matter could have been reached long ago. I have every confidence, however, that Msgr. Cicerale and your parish leadership will continue to guide the parish through the process of healing and reconciliation.

I am also mindful of every diocesan bishop’s obligation to see that a person dismissed from the priesthood is assisted with the transition to his new state in life if he is left in need because of the penalty.

Finally, I wish to express my solidarity with the recent words of our Holy Father, Pope Francis: “Before God and his people, I express my sorrow for the sins and grave crimes of clerical sexual abuse […] There is no place in the Church’s ministry for those who commit these abuses, and I commit myself not to tolerate harm done to a minor by any individual, whether a cleric or not.” Please pray that I may have the Lord’s assistance at every moment in fulfilling this most important commitment.

Sincerely in the Lord,
Most Rev. Paul G. Bootkoski
Bishop of Metuchen

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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
Jamestown Sun

A Catholic priest accused of sexually assaulting two teenage girls a decade ago at a Greenbush, Minn., parish is one step closer to being extradited from his home country of India to the U.S. to face charges in Roseau County.

A judge in India recommended recently that Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul, 59, be extradited to Minnesota so that he face two charges of first degree criminal sexual conduct in state district court in Roseau, said Mike Finnegan, an attorney with the Minnesota-based law firm Jeff Anderson and Associates, well-known for litigating clergy sexual abuse cases in civil court.

But that may not happen for some time, Finnegan said, since Jeyapaul has the chance to appeal the decision.

“Our hope is that he gets extradited as soon as possible,” Finnegan said.

Ultimately, the Indian government will decide whether to send Jeyapaul to the U.S. to stand trial, according to an Associated Press report.

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

VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 15 September 2014 (VIS) – The sixth meeting of the Council of Cardinals with the Holy Father began this morning, and will continue during the days of 16 and 17 September. The Council of Cardinals was instituted by Pope Francis to assist in the governance of the universal Church and to draw up a plan for the revision of the apostolic constitution “Pastor bonus” on the Roman Curia.

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

VATICAN CITY
Catholic Culture

The Council of Cardinals, which assists Pope Francis in the governance of the universal Church and in the reform of the Roman Curia, has begun three days of meetings in Rome.

It is the 6th meeting of the council.

The Holy See Press Office announced that Pope Francis has added Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, as the Council’s 9th member. Cardinal Parolin had been regularly taking part in the meetings of the Council since his appointment as Secretary of State, but had not been formally named a member.

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

CANADA
CBC News

A Belgian human rights activist who was active in bringing Eric Dejaeger to justice says Friday’s verdict has vindicated many of Dejaeger’s victims.

“They were afraid that they were not going to be believed,” says Lieve Halsberghe.

On Friday, Nunavut Justice Robert Kilpatrick convicted Dejaeger on 32 of dozens of sex-related charges he faced involving Inuit children more than 30 years ago.

Halsberghe was one of several people who helped track Dejaeger down in Belgium in order to see him extradited to face the charges.

Over 10 months some 40 complainants testified against the Belgian-born former Oblate priest they knew simply as “Father Eric.”

“The people I met in Nunavut… showed extreme courage to face this monster after so many years and so much suffering,” Halsberghe says.

Crown prosecutor Doug Curliss says the trial was taxing on everyone.

“I know it was tough and it was tough on the community but they came and told their story and this is another step towards that conclusion.”

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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
Crisis Magazine

ANNE HENDERSHOTT

In a news story that received little media attention last year, LifesiteNews.com and Breitbart, reported that the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation awarded the National Catholic Reporter a $2.3 million grant to provide positive publicity for the work that is being done by Catholic women religious. It was a noble goal that emerged from Conrad Hilton’s experiences having been taught by faithful nuns during his childhood. Keeping with his wishes to provide for the nuns that helped to shape him, the Hilton Foundation has long supported women religious through its Conrad Hilton Fund for Sisters—a foundation that has been funded with nearly $200 million and has made almost 10,000 grants to various religious communities over the past 26 years.

But, Conrad Hilton could not have predicted that his foundation would one day be helping to fuel the animosities between the Magisterium and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) by funding a newspaper which has had a long history of attacking individual bishops, and criticizing the teachings of the Church. Recalling the faithful women religious of his youth who taught him to love and serve God, it is unlikely that Hilton would have wanted his money to support the kinds of attacks on the bishops—and the teachings of the Catholic Church itself—that the National Catholic Reporter is now engaged in. This new Hilton-funded initiative has effectively purchased positive publicity for the nuns—at the same time the bishops’ are attempting to bring the LCWR closer to the heart of the Church through the doctrinal assessment they have been conducting since 2009.

Defending against such a suggestion, Brad Myers, senior program officer, was quoted in the article published in LifeSiteNews as claiming that the Hilton Foundation “does not take a position on the controversy between the Vatican and the leadership conference.” Myers published a policy paper in February, 2013, indicating that the grant was not related to the current issues related to the doctrinal assessment of the LCWR.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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
Salon

PATRICIA MILLER

Adapted from “Good Catholics: The Battle Over Abortion in the Catholic Church”

From a father in Missouri who’s looking to keep his daughters from accessing birth control, to the refusal of key contraception mandate plaintiffs to accept the Obama administration’s latest “accommodation,” the Hobby Lobby decision continues to reverberate.

But while the Green family who filed the Hobby Lobby suit objecting to the mandate are evangelical Christians, the road to Hobby Lobby wasn’t paved by the Christian Right. It was the Catholic Church, more specifically the U.S. Catholic bishops’ conference, that largely engineered Hobby Lobby to block the legitimization of contraception as a standard health insurance benefit—a last ditch effort to prevent by law what it couldn’t prevent from the pulpit: women from using birth control.

The Catholic bishops’ interest in “conscience clauses” that would allow employers to opt out of reproductive health care services began in earnest in the late 1990s, with the increased viability at the state and national levels of contraceptive equity measures designed to ensure that health plans covered prescription contraceptives like the Pill just like other prescription medications. For years, insurers had omitted contraceptives from prescription drug plans—the only entire class of drugs routinely and explicitly excluded—which made women’s out-of-pocket medical expenses some 70 percent higher than men’s. Measures to ensure contraceptive equity had been stalled by male legislators and social conservatives who asserted that employers and insurers shouldn’t be forced to pay for what they called a “lifestyle” choice, not a health care need. Despite that fact that nearly all women use contraceptives at some point in their lives—98 percent, according to government surveys—and that at any given moment two-thirds of women of child-bearing age are using a contraceptive method, the implication was that fertility management was frivolous or immoral and that “other people” shouldn’t be forced to pay for it.

When Connecticut considered a contraceptive equity measure in 1999, a Catholic priest, the Rev. Joseph Looney of Bethlehem, Connecticut, told the legislature that covering contraceptives would only benefit “playboys” and would fund “craziness and irresponsibility.” It was a framework that conservatives had successfully applied to abortion—asserting that it must be segregated from other health services and government funding because it was immoral—and now were trying to apply to birth control.

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

IRELAND
Ulster Herald

ONE of Ireland’s leading commentators on the Catholic Church has expressed surprise at the speed of the Vatican’s acceptance of Cardinal Seán Brady’s resignation.

In line with Church rules, Cardinal Brady offered to resign as Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland on the occasion of his 75th birthday last month. That resignation was accepted by Pope Francis on Monday, allowing the Coadjutor Archbishop of Armagh, Archbishop Eamon Martin (52), to become the 116th Archbishop of Armagh and leader of the Church in Ireland.

Omagh native Michael Kelly, who edits the Irish Catholic newspaper in Dublin, said there was surprise that Pope Francis took just three weeks to accept the resignation.

When Seán Brady’s predecessor Cahal Daly turned 75 in October 1992, he remained in office for four years until his retirement in 1996.

“That would be normal enough,” said the editor. “The surprise is that it has been accepted relatively quickly.

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

IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

BY JIM CUSACK – 15 SEPTEMBER 2014

The Catholic Church is believed to have paid out up to €50m (£40m) in compensation to abuse victims since it was revealed former Cardinal Sean Brady had direct involvement in swearing two of the victims of paedophile priest Fr Brendan Smyth to secrecy.

Senior legal sources said there was a rush to settle the bulk of up to 300 high court cases in the Republic in which the former Archbishop of Armagh was nominally named as lead defendant on behalf of the Church.

Many of the cases had been before the court for more than a decade – some for up to 16 years – as the Church stonewalled the plaintiffs.

The case that exposed Brady’s direct involvement, where he was the note-taker in a case involving the boys raped by Smyth, had been before Dublin’s High Court for 13 years.

However, since Brady’s involvement came to light in March 2010, a considerable number of the cases that had been before the courts for years have been reported on official records as ending with “no orders made in this case”.

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

AUSTRALIA
ABC News

Survivors of child sex abuse are criticising the Victorian Government for failing to expedite laws to deal with abuse in response to last year’s parliamentary inquiry.

The Betrayal of Trust report was handed to the Government last November, which has passed some legislation in response.

But abuse survivors are angry that the state election appeared likely to prevent many of the report’s 15 recommendations from being acted on this year, with only one week left before election preparations begin.

John, a child abuse survivor from regional Victoria, said he was frustrated with the delay.

“There’s got to be mandatory action in my opinion,” he said.

“Reporting’s very well, but if government bodies aren’t funded enough, then they need to be funded so that they can act on the reporting.”

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

IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

BY MARK O’REGAN – 15 SEPTEMBER 2014

Former Irish president Mary McAleese should name and shame a senior Catholic cleric who “laughed” when she told him to “tell the people of God” details of sexual abuse within the Church.

A leading children’s rights campaigner in the Republic said Mrs McAleese now has a “duty” to disclose the identity of the person.

The former president had said the cleric, who she would not name, had come “looking for advice” at Aras an Uachtarain.

The incident occurred at a time when Church authorities were under increasing pressure to investigate a variety of abuse allegations.

She suggested to him that the Church should “open up the diocesan archives” and having carried out a relevant audit relating to the allegations “tell the people of God what’s going on”.

But the cleric only “laughed” at her, she recalled. “I said if you don’t the state will intervene. And his last words to me, getting into the car were, ‘the state would never cross that line’. A week later, the state crossed that line,” the Belfast-born woman added.

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

IRELAND
Irish Independent

Colum Kenny
Published 14/09/2014

‘Sing a new song to the Lord”. That’s the motto of the new head of the Catholic Church in Ireland. Last week, Eamon Martin became Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland when Cardinal Sean Brady stepped down.

Like many priests and nuns he is committed to helping people who are isolated, lonely, ill and anxious.

But a Catholic Church that really strikes a new note will do much more than that. It must offer all people hope by being believable itself. …

If Irish bishops really want to set an encouraging example, the hierarchy should be seen to engage in a process of honest self-criticism of its institutions and its doctrines, a process leading to real and painful changes. Instead, the Irish hierarchy still sounds like it’s singing off an old hymn sheet.

Archbishop Martin was full of feel-good sound bites last week. He said that he would not want back the 1940s and 1950s: “It was very much tarnished gold.”

But he needs to be more specific. What exactly does he think was wrong then, and why? And how much is fundamentally different in the organisation that he leads.

The absolute power of bishops has not changed. The way that policy is decided still ultimately excludes the laity in general and women in particular.

This will be graphically illustrated when a synod of bishops meets in Rome next month to discuss family matters.

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

MAINE
Portland Press Herald

Paul Kendrick’s relentless allegations of molestation by a Haiti orphanage founder got him nowhere, except taken to court. Then, a break – the surprise arrest of his target.

BY SCOTT DOLAN STAFF WRITER
sdolan@pressherald.com | @scottddolan

Freeport resident Paul Kendrick has been so dogged in spreading his often unwelcome message about victims of child sex abuse that his past efforts have gotten him banned from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland and threatened with formal rebuke from the Roman Catholic Church.

That didn’t stop him.

If anything, Kendrick’s message has become even more insistent in the past few years as he focused on an American man who founded an orphanage decades ago for impoverished boys in Haiti. Kendrick has accused the man, whom he has never met, of raping many youths in his care.

Since 2011, Kendrick has made those accusations against 62-year-old Michael Geilenfeld in a torrent of letters, hundreds of emails, Web postings and radio broadcasts. He made so many allegations that the orphanage founder and an American nonprofit organization that raises money to fund his Haitian efforts, Hearts with Haiti, sued Kendrick for defamation last year in federal court.

But Kendrick, scheduled to defend himself against the charge at a U.S. District Court trial in Portland starting Oct. 7, is far from deterred. He feels encouraged.

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

AUSTRALIA
The Examiner

A FORMER Hobart-based Catholic priest has been removed from his duties in a New Zealand parish after being charged with indecent assault.

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

Father Kay was based in Hobart for five years and took up his post in New Zealand in February 2013.

“As this case is due before the courts no further details will be discussed,” Archbishop Dew said.

Archdiocese vicar-general Monsignor Gerry Burns told parishioners at mass yesterday that police had charged Father Kay, a Passionist priest, with indecent assault following a complaint, The Marlborough Express reported.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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 Catholic Insider

In our last post, we shared why we thought it was scandalous and gravely wrong for Cardinal O’Malley to appear at the Boston Globe’s Crux launch event, publicly endorse this heretical pub, and help lead souls away from salvation. So much was bad about the content of the event that we will not have time to go into everything. But we will share a few points, including how unfortunate it is that the Sean O’Malley who seemed to have the courage to preach on certain moral issues in 2005 (e.g. homosexuality) was not the Sean O’Malley at the Crux launch event responding to a question about homosexuality.

As we noted earlier this year in our post, “Boston pastor praised by Cardinal O’Malley puts Holy Family on par with homosexual couples“, on November 23, 2005 Cardinal O’Malley published a Letter from Cardinal Sean O’Malley on Homosexuality where he said:

In the Gospel when the self-righteous Pharisees bring the adulteress to be stoned, Jesus says let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Then to make sure they got the point Jesus wrote their sins on the ground. The stones fell from their hands and they fled. Jesus said: “Neither do I condemn you”, but He added, “Go and sin no more.”

If we tell people that sex outside of marriage is not a sin, we are deceiving people. If they believe this untruth, a life of virtue becomes all but impossible. Jesus teaches that discipleship implies taking up the cross each day and following Him with love and courage.

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

UNITED KINGDOM
Bedfordshire on Sunday

AFTER a 16 year investigation by this newspaper there is real hope of justice over allegations of sexual and physical abuse at a former Catholic boys home.

The police announced this week that they are reviewing and stepping up the investigation into the former orphanage, St Francis Boys Home in Shefford. It is to be led by a senior officer who will have a team focusing entirely on this case. They will be reviewing all complaints and evidence.

Two suspects are still alive and have been questioned by police.

Since the announcement many more former residents have come forward and the total number claiming they were abused could exceed 100.

They said they suffered physical and sexual abuse by the priests who ran the orphanage and physical and emotional abuse from the nuns who worked there.

The accusations relate mainly to the 1950s and 1960s. The home was closed in 1973, as the then Bedfordshire County Council was suspicious of how the facility was being run.

An FoI (Freedom of Information) request put in by this newspaper into the inspection reports demonstrate concern, which a former member of the then team, has said went well beyond what was written.

Two former boys, Damian Chittock and Tony Walsh, did win substantial amounts in out-of-court settlements from the Catholic Church but it never admitted guilt. Following an investigation by BoS, one of the accused priests, Father John Ryan, was interviewed by the police under caution but was not charged.

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

MISSOURI
Berger’s Beat

Two attorneys will soon ask the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Missouri Supreme Court’s restrictive 1997 Drewer ruling, which protects institutions that are sued for child sex crimes by their employees. And they’re challenging a more recent decision in the Fr. James Tierney abuse case in which Catholic officials are seeking thousands of pages of records from SNAP about clergy sex abuse victims.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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
Bilgrimage

William D. Lindsey

Tom Reese, one of the pope’s fellow Jesuits and his usual strong supporter, says it flatly:

The list of those attending the Synod of Bishops on the family is a disappointment to those hoping for reform of the Curia and for those who hope that the laity will be heard at the synod.

A disappointment to those hoping that the laity will be heard at the synod. . . .

Let those words remain in your ears for a bit. We’ll return to them in a moment.

As Reese notes, for Catholics who may wonder whether “natural family planning” (that is, the rejection of contraception) is the church’s great gift to the laity, it appears the synod on the family is shaping up to be a repeat of the failed 1980 synod on the family: the pope has stacked the synod’s council of auditors (observers) with lay Catholics who promote “natural family planning” and oppose birth control.

Reese:

At the 1980 synod on the family, the lay participants were remarkable for how totally out of touch they were with the views of average Catholics. I fear this is a rerun.

This despite the fact that responses to the questionnaire sent out by the Vatican to lay Catholics in preparation for the synod uniformly and consistently report, insofar as bishops’ conferences have been willing to release their results, what we all have known for many years now: namely, that an overwhelming majority of Catholics in the developed sector of the world resoundingly reject the magisterial teaching about contraception. And that those lay Catholics had thought, when they replied to the Vatican questionnaire asking for honest feedback about church teaching re: family matters, that they were at last being given a voice in the church’s deliberations about these matters.

And then there’s the fact that Pope Francis’s list of pontifical appointees to the synod on the family includes Cardinals Angelo Sodano and Godfried Danneels. As Jerry Slevin notes in an essay just posted at his Christian Catholicism site, both men have deplorable records vis-a-vis the abuse crisis in the Catholic church — which is surely a family issue of the greatest critical importance to lay Catholics everywhere.

Regarding Sodano, Jerry quotes Jason Berry, who wrote last year in the New York Times:

But Cardinal Sodano ranks with the Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony as an egregious practitioner of the cover up. As John Paul II’s secretary of state, he pressured Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict, in two notorious cases.

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

CANADA
YouTube

Published on Sep 12, 2014
A court in Canada has found a former Roman Catholic priest guilty of 24 of the 70-plus sex-related charges involving children.

Eric Dejaeger had already pleaded guilty to eight counts of sexual assault dating back thirty years ago. Dejaeger was returned to Canada from Belgium in 2011 for an immigration violation. Sexual abuse of children by priests has rocked the Roman Catholic Church in recent years. The Vatican has come repeatedly under fire for its handling of the child sex abuse cases. A UN report into the abuse scandals in February called on the Vatican to immediately remove all clerics who were known or suspected child abusers.

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

UNITED STATES
Crux

By John L. Allen Jr.
Associate editor September 13, 2014

…

The vision behind Crux

Crux sponsored an event Thursday night at Boston College to present itself to the world, featuring remarks on Pope Francis from Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, described by Crux columnist Margery Eagan as the pope’s “BFF,” followed by a panel discussion, moderated by Eagan, with Mary Ann Glendon, former US Ambassador to the Holy See and a member of the Vatican bank’s supervisory board; Robert Christian, an editor of Millennial Journal; Hosffman Ospino, a theology professor at Boston College, and myself.

O’Malley was clearly the star of the show. He alternated between intriguing and often humorous insights about the pope, and passionate commentary on issues of special concern to him such as immigrant rights. He also took questions on the sex abuse crisis, outreach to LGBT Catholics, and more.

A good write-up by Crux national reporter Michael O’Loughlin is here.

Toward the end, I fielded a question about the vision for Crux and whether it can do something about the widespread polarization that many American Catholics perceive in the Church.

The truth is that if someone should be laying out a vision, it’s really not me. Brian McGrory, editor of The Boston Globe, and Teresa Hanafin, editor of Crux, are the decision-makers responsible for overall direction.

That said, it’s a legitimate question, and obviously I have my own reasons for getting involved. For what it’s worth, I’ll recap my answer.

To begin, the basic ambition of Crux is simple: To get the story right. Catholicism is a complicated and difficult beat; it’s hard enough to be accurate, comprehensive, and balanced in the way we cover the news without trying to accomplish another agenda.

That said, 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.

I told the audience a story about my liberal Jewish wife becoming friends with some people in Opus Dei, a Catholic group which has a reputation for being fairly conservative, back when I did a book on them in 2005. The moral of the story is that what took the edge off my wife’s suspicion wasn’t some rational argument (and certainly not my book!), but the experience of getting to know these folks on a personal basis.

Friendship doesn’t make disagreements disappear, but it does tend to make them manageable.

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

AUSTRALIA
Broken Rites

The Catholic Church has paid settlement money to two alleged victims of Father Peter Julian Brock in the Maitland-Newcastle diocese, north of Sydney. The two male recipients, who are siblings, alleged that Father Brock began abusing them 40 years ago when they were in their early teens.

The settlement money was paid by the Maitland-Newcastle diocese, which is one of the eleven Catholic dioceses in New South Wales.

The Newcastle Herald newspaper stated on 12 September 2014:

‘The Catholic Church paid compensation to the brothers after a church investigation … found the priest had committed “a range and pattern of behaviour that constituted sexual misconduct” between 1968 and 1975.’

This article in the Herald also reported that Father Peter Brock has died, aged 69. Or, as a church website for clergy puts it: Rev. Peter Brock has “gone to God” (on 11 September 2014).

Broken Rites has looked up Father Peter Brock in the archives of the Australian Catholic Directory. From the 1970s until 2001, he was listed as working in several parishes of the Maitland-Newcastle diocese.

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

AUSTRALIA
lewisblayse.net

Some form of legal representation is an excellent idea when negotiating with institutions who’ve harmed you. There are, however, certain difficulties that may arise. While the majority of the legal profession may act completely ethically, unfortunately there will always be rogue operators who do not necessarily act in the best interests of their clients in dealing with institutions responsible for child abuse.

Lawyers owe a duty of care to their clients. While there are many fine lawyers who act for people engaging in compensation negotiations with institutions, sadly, not all act in ideal ways. Over the years, I’ve heard of instances in which lawyers / law firms have engaged in conduct such as:

* Overcharging.

* ‘Talking big’ at the beginning of the relationship, before a retainer agreement is signed, and then pursuing the client for fees when the client refuses to accept an offer from an institution that is substantially lower than the sort of outcome discussed in the ‘honeymoon period’ in which the lawyer is signing the client up. In some cases, clients have even ended up worse off than they were before they signed up the lawyer because the lawyer has not been able to achieve a better outcome than what the institution initially offered, but the client has ended up with less because they have to pay the lawyer’s fees out of the settlement!

* Consciously or unconsciously acting more in the interests of the institution than the client.

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

MALTA
Times of Malta

Sunday, September 14, 2014 by Fr Paul Chetcuti

Abuse is abuse. Period. It is a fact – a horrible, destructive, irreversible fact in the life of many, too many! Abuse wounds so many of us, indeed all of us – a deep, unmeasurable wound that rips apart the human psyche and pierces the spirit. The deeper the wound, the fiercer is our reactions, both on a personal and a collective level.

Let me stop on some common reactions: shameful secrecy, angry judgement and prevention.

Shame, guilt and hence, secrecy, is the first reaction. The victim is wrecked by these reactions and often carries the festering woundedness for years in dark silence. The perpetrator does the same thing, but, often, too often, under the guise of denial.

Society, petrified by the woundedness of abuse, has tried to survive on this denial. And let’s not escape our collective responsibility by scapegoating this or that institution, epoch or authority structure. The shame, guilt and denial belong to us all, because both the victim and the perpetrator is always ‘one of us’.

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

NEW ZEALAND
NZCity

14 September 2014

A Catholic priest based in Blenheim has been removed from his duties 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 made to police, Catholic Archbishop John Dew said in a statement.

“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 reported.

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

NEW ZEALAND
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington

Police have charged Fr Aidan Kay CP, a Priest at St Mary’s Catholic Parish in Blenheim, with an offence following a complaint made to Police. As a result he has been removed from ministry. As this case is due before the Courts no further details will be discussed.

Contact Simone Olsen, Communications Adviser, 021 611 052

[Editor’s note: CP is the notation given to Priests of the Passionist Religious Order.]

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

NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand Herald

Anna Leask

Police have confirmed that a Catholic priest stood down after a complaint has been charged with indecently assaulting another male.

Father Aidan Kay CP, 71, was a priest at St Mary’s Catholic Parish in Blenheim but was removed from the ministry after the complaint.

He will appear in the Blenheim District Court on September 16 charged with indecently assaulting a male over 17.

Police would not comment further as the matter was before the courts.

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

NEW ZEALAND
Stuff

CATHIE BELL

Catholic parish priest Father Aidan Kay has been removed from duties after being charged with indecent assault.

The Blenheim-based priest is expected to be in court Tuesday.

Archdiocese vicar-general Monsignor Gerry Burns told parishioners at mass today that police had charged Kay, a Passionist priest who had been at St Mary’s Parish since last year, with indecent assault following a complaint.

”As a result he has been removed from ministry. As this case is due before the courts, no further details will be discussed.”

The announcement was greeted by gasps and exclamations of horror. Parishioners were shocked by the news, and some at the vigil Mass were in tears.

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

NEW ZEALAND
Newstalk

The Catholic Church says a priest has been charged with an offence following a complaint laid with police.

In a statement, Archbishop John Dew says Father Aidan Kay, a priest at St Mary’s Catholic Parish in Blenheim, has been removed from the ministry.

He says as the case is due before the courts no further details will be discussed.

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

UNITED KINGDOM
The Herald

A PARISH priest last night said a man jailed for abusing girls in the 1970s had not been left unsupervised with children when he helped out at her church.

Sunningwell man John Laister, a former Sunday School teacher, was jailed for 14 years at Bradford Crown Court this week after being convicted of abusing two girls in West Yorkshire in the 1970s.

The 72-year-old had helped produce Sunningwell’s St Leonard Church newsletter before he was jailed.

The Rev Pam McKellen said the church knew Laister had previous convictions.

She said: “I am very sorry to hear that John Laister was found guilty of serious sexual offences. I know that this will come as a shock to many people who know him.

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

IRELAND
The Tablet

11 September 2014 by Sarah Mac Donald in Dublin

Newly appointed Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin, who also becomes Primate of All Ireland, says he wants to see a “humble renewal” of the Irish Church led from the bottom up by the laity.

Speaking at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh this week, following the announcement that Pope Francis had accepted the resignation of his predecessor, Cardinal Sean Brady, Archbishop Martin pledged to be a “servant leader” and cautioned against expectations of a top-down leadership.
He called on the laity to take ownership of their vocation and mission to hand on the faith.

Outlining his vision for the future of the Church, the archbishop, who is expected to become the next President of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, said it would not be about “building up some big edifice or some triumphalist Church or trying to make sure that it dominates politics and the State”.

Cardinal Brady, whose resignation was accepted a few weeks after he reached the retirement age of 75, had faced numerous calls to step down following his handling of a clerical sexual abuse case in the 1970s. The hierarchy has been heavily criticised over the abuse scandal in recent years.

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

UNITED STATES
PopeCrimes& Vatican Evils.

Paris Arrow

Crux is not about Jesus Christ but about the new Cult of Pope Francis. Crux will cover-up Pope Francis so idiot Catholics won’t decipher his Vatican Circus papal acts as the CON-Christ, the Pretender and Impostor of Jesus, and biggest THIEF in mankind’s history. Crux is Propaganda by Jesuit Mercenaries to brainwash idiot Catholics to continue donating their millions of dollars to the Vatican Mammon Beast nestled in secret Vatican Swiss Banks that hoard despots’ and imperialists’ wealth hence they perpetuate poor countries and poor peoples and breed violence against women and children. Crux is the new cult on Pope Francis as smokescreen to the grim LIAR high priest who cannot clone ants and dogs and hence cannot clone Christ flesh and blood in the Eucharist Satanic mass.

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

UNITED STATES
Christian Catholicism

Jerry Slevin

Pope Francis has recently stepped up significantly his already strong efforts to protect the Catholic hierarchy from basic international laws and any democratic oversight.

Of course, Francis is trying to avoid both the long reach to the Vatican of Australia’s Royal Commission now investigating Cardinal Pell’s alleged abuse cover-ups, as well as increasing calls for a comparable US Presidential Commission under President Obama.

And seemingly of equal importance are Francis’ and his US bishops’ relentless efforts via anti-Obamacare contraception insurance and anti-gay marriage crusades to help their “low tax” billionaire buddies preserve a right wing US Supreme Court majority by electing a Republican US Senate majority in November. Both of these majorities will also likely be “friendlier” to some US bishops who are increasingly expected to end up in US federal bankruptcy and criminal courts. In a non-Presidential election year, Francis’ push may be the “turnout difference” in some states, especially among fundamentalist and Latino Catholic voters.

Significantly, Francis this week has shocked many Catholics, including his usually devoted Jesuit cheerleader, Vatican expert, Tom Reese, at the National Catholic Reporter (NCR), by Francis’ appointments of disgraced Cardinals Sodano and Danneels to the “Family Synod of Fathers Without Kids”. …

Francis then shocked even more Catholics by selecting, for two key priest child abuse “prevention positions”, conflicted former canon lawyers to Boston’s disgraced Cardinal Law and Chicago’s much criticized Cardinal George.

Fr. Robert Oliver, Cardinal Law’s former canon lawyer, will be, in effect, chief of staff for Law’s Boston successor, Cardinal Sean O’Malley’s illusory Vatican “child abuse commission”, and (b) Fr. Robert Geisinger, a Chicago Jesuit, will be new Vatican “chief prosecutor”. Geisinger has had strong ties as a canon lawyer to both Chicago Archdiocesan and Jesuit leaders, some of whom reportedly had extensive histories of secretly protecting priest sex abusers.

One US Jesuit province alone paid in 2011 over $160 million to settle priest child abuse claims. US Democratic leader, Nancy Pelosi, then even objected to a Jesuit, Fr. Conroy, being appointed US House of Representatives’ chaplain, only to be overruled by Republican leader, John Boehner, with strong support for Boehner’s selection from a NCR editor

The Vatican chief prosecutor position is derived from the absurd legal claim, based on the 1929 corrupt bargain between Mussolini and Pope Pius XI, that the 110 acre campus in Rome used for a few hundred Catholic religious officials is a separate nation. This is a cynical and conflicted “self policing” position that, in effect, aims often to protect in secrecy alleged child abusing clerics, like Pope John Paul II’s favored Polish/Dominican Republic Archbishop Wesolowski, from national criminal prosecutions abroad that would likely implicate more Vatican officials in public legal proceedings. …

On Cardinal O’Malley

As to Pope Francis’ new “papal protector of children”, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, recent NCR comments of Jim Jenkins are revealing. Reportedly, Jenkins, a prominent California psychologist with some abuse survivor patients, battled with Cardinal Levada, beginning a decade ago when Jenkins was on Levada’s San Francisco’s Archdiocesan child protection board. Jenkins observes about O’Malley, in pertinent part:

“Hierarchs in the Vatican are only motivated by power and it’s twisted sister, money. This is a typical maneuver by Cardinal Sean O’Malley. He says the pious thing in public but in private, behind the scenes, he makes sure that the fix is in. This is the way that O’Malley has conducted himself ever since he became a bishop – it’s the way he has climbed the clerical ladder. O’Malley is the chief Vatican cleaner-upper who sweeps up after the elephant parade of abusers. … “

Jenkins adds in another comment:

“Really, with Sean O’Malley – the most political creature I have ever met in my whole life – in charge of this commission, we shouldn’t get our hopes up by any means. O’Malley has greased his climb up the clerical ladder cleaning-up [as in covering-up] sexual abuse scandals in every stop along his career as a prelate. It is what O’Malley does best. That is the reason the Vatican dons made him a cardinal in the first place. He does his job well, and looks really good in that Franciscan habit – right out of central casting.”

“It is illogical for us to expect much from Papa Francesco on the sexual abuse front. Bergoglio could never have risen to the rank of cardinal-archbishop of Buenos Aires, then get elected pope, without the support of the most reactionary members of the hierarchy [Think Ratzinger!].”

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

AUSTRALIA
Perth Now

Archdiocese of Perth confronts horror of child sex abuse with ‘transparency and independence’

EXCLUSIVE PETER LAW PERTHNOW SEPTEMBER 14, 2014

CHILD-ABUSE awareness classes will be taught at Catholic schools and Sunday schools in the Archdiocese of Perth as part of sweeping anti-abuse measures.

Volunteer “safeguardian officers” will be trained and appointed in each of the 104 parishes and 100 affiliated schools for children and vulnerable adults to report abuse.

Regular public reporting on safeguardian work, including case numbers and compliance checks, will be made to the Department of Child Protection.

The package of measures, which includes contracting an independent auditor and partnering with external organisations, are a first for the Catholic Church in Australia.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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
10 News

SAN DIEGO – There is concern from some of San Diego County’s nearly 1 million Catholics about the new head of the San Diego Diocese.

Monsignor Steve Callahan was selected to serve as temporary administrator of the diocese after Bishop Cirilo Flores died over the weekend.

10News reporter Rielle Creighton shows why some believe Callahan is part of the church’s dark past involving the sex abuse cover-up.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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
POPE FRANCIS the CON-Christ.

Paris Arrow

With news compilation

September 11, 2014

On this 13th anniversary of 9/11 it is important for American idiot Catholics to remember the victims of 9/11 vs. the JP2 Army – John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army that outnumber them 5 times in the USA. Americans should protest and boycott the visit of Pope Francis in 2015 and contact their representatives and senators in congress to not invite and to not allow Pope Francis to speak in the house of Congress, read more about it here – Pope Francis met Joel Osteen, Doug Coe, powerful evangelicals. Protest Pope Francis speech in Congress in 2015 visit. Idiot Catholics, beware of Jeb Bush http://popecrimes.blogspot.ca/2014/07/pope-francis-met-joel-osteen-doug-coe.html

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

DEUTSCHLAND
Dulmener Zeitung

[Summary: The Munster diocese in the past four years has paid out about 700,000 euros to 111 victims of sexual violence in the Catholic Church. The sum was confirmed by the diocesan episcopal office yesterday. The majority of the cases go back decades.]

Münster –
Das Bistum Münster hat in den vergangenen vier Jahren rund 700 000 Euro an 111 Opfer sexualisierter Gewalt im Raum der katholischen Kirche gezahlt.

Von Johannes Loy

Diese Summe wurde gestern von der Bischöflichen Pressestelle bestätigt. Die Mehrzahl der Fälle liege bereits Jahrzehnte zurück, hieß es. Anlass, das Thema erneut in die Öffentlichkeit zu bringen, war die Vorstellung des Buches „Hilifi – Gottes vermaledeite Brut“ von Hedwig Herrath Beckmann (70).

Sie erlebte als kleines Kind Ende der 1940er und Anfang der 1950er Jahre schwere Misshandlungen im Waisenhaus Marienburg in Coesfeld und brachte ihre schwere Kindheit, die ihr gesamtes Leben überschattet, nun in Buchform zu Papier. Bischof Felix Genn empfing die Buchautorin in dieser Woche zu einem Gespräch in Münster und bat stellvertretend für die Kirche um Vergebung für erlittenes Leid.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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
Headlines from the Catholic World

Vatican City, Sep 12, 2014 / 12:48 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis’ latest appointment to a commission designed to fight sexual abuse of minors may have an effect in shaping the upcoming Vatican office also dedicated to combatting abuse.

“Delicta Graviora” are serious crimes in the Church, and they include grave offenses against morality: the sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric, or the acquisition, possession, or distribution of child pornography by a cleric.

A Delicta Graviora office is to be set up within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican announced May 19, also revealing that Archbishop José Mollaghan of Rosario had been appointed as responsible of the new office. He will serve in this position from Buenos Aires.

Pope Francis’ decision to establish a special commission for “Delicta Graviora” shows his commitment to tackling abuse on a global level.

On Sept. 10, the Pontiff made another step forward in this commitment by announcing the appointment of Boston priest Msgr. Robert J. Oliver to the post of Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the protection of Minors.

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

UNITED STATES
The Open Tabernacle: Here Comes Everybody

Posted on September 13, 2014 by Betty Clermont

Pontificates have common and particular geopolitical aspirations for increasing the power of the Catholic Church. The current pope and his two predecessors formed and maintain the U.S. episcopate as a politically motivated body who, in support of the Republican Party, remained silent on immoral military invasion, torture and domestic slaughter by firearms but went into paroxysms of outrage over birth control.

John Paul II allied with the Reagan administration against the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe and in support of military dictatorships in Latin America.[1] The Eurocentric Benedict XVI tried to restore some deference previously enjoyed by the Church on that continent and concentrated on Africa, which he called the “lung of the Church,” mindful of the West African oil boom. Now, with one of their most influential and powerful pontiffs in history, the Vatican has undertaken a most ambitious project: incursion into Asia, the economic powerhouse and home to half the world’s population.

The first indication of the Vatican’s new direction was the appointment in July 2013 of George Yeo to one of the commissions organized to study Vatican finance and his later assignment to the new Vatican Council of the Economy along with Hong Kong Cardinal John Tong Hon. Yeo is the first layman from Asia given an important position in the Vatican. He graduated from Cambridge University and Harvard Business School and is a former Minister of Finance for Singapore and a brigadier-general in the Singapore Armed Forces. He is a director of AIA Group Ltd, based in Hong Kong with offices in Taiwan, China, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. In addition, Yeo was a visiting scholar to Peking University and remains a visiting scholar at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. He chairs the International Advisory Panel of India’s Nalanda University and is on the advisory board of Harvard Business School and Opus Dei’s IESE Business School.

The Australian (Pacific Rim) Cardinal George Pell is now the tsar of all Vatican finance and administration. After becoming an archbishop in 1996, Pell invited Opus Dei to establish themselves in Melbourne and then Sydney when he became head of that archdiocese in 2001.

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

KANADA
BRF

Der ehemalige flämische Priester Eric Dejaeger ist jetzt in Kanada wegen sexuellen Missbrauchs von Minderjährigen für schuldig befunden worden. Der ehemals katholische Priester hatte sich zwischen 1978 und 1982 an dutzenden Inuit-Kindern vergriffen. Mehr als 40 Personen sagten in dem Prozess aus.

Seit seiner Verhaftung im Januar 2011 befindet sich Dejaeger in Isolierhaft. Wann das Strafmaß verkündet wird, wurde nicht mitgeteilt.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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
Broadway World

Deadline writes that Brian d’Arcy James has joined the cast of Open Road’s SPOTLIGHT, directed by Tom McCarthy. James will star alongside Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Aaron Eckhart, Liev Schreiber, Rachel McAdams and Stanley Tucci in the film, which centers on the Boston Globe’s real-life investigation into pedophile priests in the Catholic Church.

Read the original story here.

SPOTLIGHT will follow the team of reporters and editors “that uncovered an unimaginable city-wide conspiracy to cover up clergy child abuse…Their reporting eventually led to the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law who had hidden years of serial abuse by other priests and opened the floodgates to other revelations of molestation and cover-ups around the world”. They won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for their work.

Among the Boston Globe staff involved were Marty Baron (Schreiber), Walter Robinson (Keaton), Michael Rezendes (Ruffalo), Sacha Pfeiffer (McAdams) and Matt Carroll (James). Mitchell Garabedian (Tucci) was a lawyer who represented the families of the victims.

McCarthy directs from a script he co-wrote with Josh Singer (The West Wing). Open Road, Participant Media, eOne and Anonymous Content are joining forces on the project, which is set to begin filming in Boston and Toronto this fall.

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

FRANCE
L’Informateur

Exercice délicat pour Me Guillaume Demarcq. L’avocat au barreau d’Amiens ne devra pas prouver l’innocence de son client. L’abbé Stéphane Gotoghian a en effet reconnu les faits d’agressions sexuelles qui lui valent sa mise en examen judiciaire. Lors de son audition, puis en garde à vue, l’éclésiaste a avoué des attouchements sexuels sur trois mineurs, sur les périodes 2004-2005 et 2010-2011. Me Guillaume Demarcq devra donc apporter des explications sur les agissements de son client. Surtout, il tient à éviter tout amalgame, et toute interprétation des faits : “ Stéphane Gotoghian n’est pas un pervers sexuel qui rode et attrappe des gamins dans la rue”. Toutefois, les faits reprochés sont suffisament graves pour que le Parquet et le juge d’instruction aient requis la détention provisoire. Des réquisitions que le juge des liberté et détentions n’a pas suivi. Stéphane Gotoghian est placé sous un strict contrôle judiciaire : interdiction de résider dans la Somme, interdiction d’avoir des contacts avec les victimes, interdiction de célébration de culte et d’activités en lien avec des mineurs, obligation de soins, et obligation de pointer 1 fois par semaine au commissariat. Puis, une modalité étonnante et rarissime : l’interdiction d’entrer en contact avec l’évêque d’Amiens, Jean-Luc Bouilleret.

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

SWITZERLAND
Buddhist Channel

by Adam Fisher, http://genkaku-again.blogspot.com, Sept

Edlibach, Switzerland — A Zen sesshin/retreat in progress at a Jesuit center in Switzerland has been halted after the Jesuits found out it would be hosted by Eido Tai Shimano.

Below is an excerpt of a letter from the director of the LaSalle-Haus describing what happened.

The retreat of Eido Shimano was not part of our program. The European Rinzai Sangha had rented our guest house and our staff was not informed about the coming of Eido Shimano.

Being a catholic retreat centre we have very strict rules regarding misconduct.

After having been informed of Eido Shimanos coming to our center and being aware of the fact that he is a controversial figure regarding issues of misconduct, I informed him personally, that he had to leave our center which he did a day after the sesshin had started.

Yours

Tobias Karcher

A more detailed look at the misconduct to which Karcher referred can be found on the Shimano Archive (http://shimanoarchive.com/)

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

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Catholic Insider

In the wake of Cardinal Sean O’Malley recently joining in the Boston College commencement that honored pro-abortion, pro-gay Sec. of State, John Kerry, on Thursday evening, he continued his endorsement of people and groups that oppose the Catholic Church and her teachings by opening the launch event for the new heretical Boston Globe “Catholic” pub, Crux.

Crux came right out the gate letting everyone know they are publishing content about the Catholic Church that is often going to disagree with Catholic Church teachings. Just one example is them hiring Margery Eagen as “spirituality columnist”–she has criticized and opposed Church teachings for years, called for the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 and in the past week at Crux has already ridiculed a comment made by Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and attacked the “bizarre crackdown” on the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), which is being investigated by the Vatican. Another example is a Crux advice columnist who just told a “Cafeteria Catholic” who disagrees with Church teachings to hang in there waiting for Church leaders to change Catholic doctrine:

“There are women who, in good conscience, have taken priestly ordination vows and consider themselves Catholic…My unordained advice, therefore, is this: Hold onto your Catholicism – as well as your conscience – and perhaps your leaders will follow you there.”

Thankfully, a reader responded:

“If a Catholic found no wrong in thievery, but wanted to remain Catholic, the answer isn’t to see if the leaders of the church will follow his example and embrace stealing. Instead, the thieving Catholic must pray while seeking forgiveness that he can accept the Church’s position that stealing is forbidden. (True, he may fail many times and struggle along the way, but too it may take years for someone to break free from society’s teachings about birth control or gay marriage and embrace Catholic truths.)

Quite simply, Crux is BAD. And this is the essence of the problem with Crux and the problem with Cardinal O’Malley endorsing the pub. Catholic Church teachings are intended to lead people to holiness and urge them repent from their sins so they can save their souls, avoid the fires of hell and get to heaven. By Crux airing “all the voices in the conversation” with paid staff that has a history of touting the opposite of what the Catholic Church teaches on nearly every moral teaching, they lead souls away from salvation. And by supporting and endorsing Crux, Cardinal O’Malley is once again shirking his responsibility as bishop to teach the teachings of the Church and he is helping lead souls to hell by giving credibility to this publication. It is shameful and scandalous.

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

NORTHERN IRELAND
Tyrone Times

A former Dungannon woman who was sent to Australia from a care home when she was a child has told the North’s Historical Institutional Abuse inquiry that she suffered feelings of “abandonment and isolation”.

The 63-year-old woman was transported to Australia in 1955 when she was aged four from Nazareth House home, Belfast, which was run by the Sisters of Nazareth.

The woman, who asked to maintain her anonymity, was one of approximately 130 children who were sent to Australia as part of a child migration programme between 1922 and 1995.

She said that soon after arrival she was fostered to a family who wanted to adopt her but that wasn’t allowed, the nuns told her, because her mother had not given permission. She took the name of the foster family and had a happy childhood. In the family she was “nurtured as a daughter and a sister”.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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 – Rhymes with Religion

Boz Tchividjian | Sep 12, 2014

Many have been understandably astonished and disturbed this week by the video of NFL player, Ray Rice, punching his fiancé in an elevator. As I was still processing this repulsive offense, I was came across dozens of heartbreaking tweets from abuse victims around the world using the #WhyIStayed, expressing why they had remained with the person who abused them. As I read these tweets, I began to realize how often I have heard abuse victims share that the Church was the reason #WhyIStayed. I began remembering how often I have heard of women who wearily return to those who hurt them time and time again because that is what their church told them to do. Here are three common dynamics I have witnessed in churches that contribute to #WhyIStayed:

#WhyIStayed. Abuse is not abuse. Many churches have created a distorted understanding of physical abuse that occurs within homes. It is defined as relationship matter that should be addressed within the “church family” instead of a criminal matter that should be handled by the authorities. I recently listened to a well-known pastor answer a question about what to do if a wife is being physically abused by her husband. Not once during the pastor’s lengthy and seemingly empathetic response did he ever direct or even encourage the victim to contact the police. What this pastor probably doesn’t realize is that his silence about reporting this crime communicates that in fact this is not a criminal offense. Victims within these types of environments are often convinced by their abuser or sometimes even by other church members that being physically beaten is acceptable and sometimes even deserved. The police are seldom called.

Instead of helping vulnerable individuals understand the importance of reporting this criminal behavior, too many within churches prefer to push victims back into the arms of abusers as they congratulate themselves and praise God on another successful “reconciliation”. These victimized spouses stay with those who hurt them resigned to the hopeless belief that is what God wants them to do.

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

IRELAND
Irish Examiner

By Lynne Kelleher

Irish children adopted by rich American families in the 50s and 60s have spoken of their harrowing Stateside childhoods in a new BBC documentary.

In the wake of Philomena, Martin Sixsmith — the journalist who wrote the book on which the Oscar-nominated film was based — decided to probe further into the Church’s role in an adoption trade which saw an estimated 2,000 illegitimate children taken from their mothers and sent abroad.

The BBC Two documentary, Ireland’s Lost Babies, sees Mr Sixsmith criss-crossing the US discovering evidence that prospective parents were not properly vetted by the Church.

“The more you talk to the children who were sent out to America — and there were hundreds of them — the more you realise what a lottery the whole system was,” says Mr Sixsmith.

“Some of the children had happy lives with the families they were sent to but many of them didn’t. Some of them were physically and sexually abused.”

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

CANADA
Brandon Sun

By: Staff Writer
Friday, Sep. 12, 2014

By Ian Hitchen

An Old Order Mennonite woman who pleaded guilty to shocking two girls with a cattle prod, and to strapping one of them, has been sentenced to probation for the abuse.

The Crown says her crimes were just a small part of a much larger investigation that revealed allegations of widespread child abuse at the community and led to charges against more than a dozen adults.

The investigation led Child and Family Services to apprehend all of the community’s children in February and June of last year.

“What these children experienced from (the woman) is a tiny fraction of what, overall, went on in this community,” Crown attorney Nicole Roch told Judge Donovan Dvorak in Brandon provincial court on Friday.

The woman and her southern Manitoba horse-and-buggy community can’t be identified, as other accused still face charges and publication bans protect the identity of victims and witnesses.

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

CANADA
Brandon Sun

By: Ian Hitchen
Saturday, Sep. 13, 2014

A southern Manitoba Old Order Mennonite community at the centre of accusations of widespread and horrific child abuse was being run “similar to a cult” by a man said to be able to read sin on a person’s face.

Those are the allegations detailed by RCMP in a court document, details of which couldn’t previously be released due to a publication ban that has now expired.

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

WISCONSIN
Pierce County Herald

CRIME AND COURT ROUNDUP: Neenah pastor in jail for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl

A minister in eastern Wisconsin is in jail, awaiting up to three-dozen felony charges for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl. A bond hearing was held in Brown County yesterday for 33-year-old Jerry Fletcher of Neenah, pastor of Crossover Ministries in Black Creek. A court commissioner sent Fletcher to jail under a 150-thousand-dollar cash bond. Prosecutors expect formal charges to be filed next week, with an initial appearance set for a week from Monday. An assistant district attorney said in court that Fletcher has admitted having sexual contact several times with the girl, dating back to last December when he lived in Green Bay. The minister’s attorney said his client turned himself in, and has been cooperative with investigators. District Attorney David Lasee tells the Green Bay Press-Gazette that Fletcher has been wanted in Arizona for 12 years for a similar case.

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

CALIFORNIA
The Fresno Bee

BY LEWIS GRISWOLD
The Fresno Bee
September 12, 2014

A church volunteer is under arrest on suspicion of molesting a 9-year-girl at the church, Visalia police said Friday.

Dan Sisk, 34, of Visalia, was arrested Thursday after police investigated a complaint by the girl’s parents stemming from an Aug. 20 incident at The Road church in the 1000 block of South Burke Street.

Operations pastor Brandon Hall said Sisk passed a criminal background check that included a fingerprint scan. He was a baby sitter for a Bible study group when the incident occurred, he said.

Sisk is being held at the Tulare County Jail on $100,000 bail.

He also worked as a volunteer at Central Valley Christian Preschool and Growing in Grace Preschool, but was never alone with children, police said.

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

CALIFORNIA
CBS Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A former youth pastor pleaded no contest Friday to molesting two girls at the church where he worked, officials from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.

Jonathan Michael Macy, 31, entered his plea to one count of lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14 and admitted the special allegation of more than one victim, Deputy District Attorney Jon Hatami said.

An initial investigation began after there was a report of child molestation involving a girl and an employee at the Desert Christian School. A second victim was identified during the investigation.
Officials say Macy molested two girls, ages 11 and 12, during Sunday church services at Grace Chapel.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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)
WGBH

By DAN KENNEDY

For those of us with long memories, the scene at Boston College on Thursday created enough cognitive dissonance to induce vertigo.

Some two decades ago Cardinal Bernard Law invoked the wrath of God in denouncing the Boston Globe for its coverage of the pedophile-priest scandal. “We call down God’s power on the media, particularly the Globe,” Law told a crowd. Ten years later the Globe had Law himself on the run with a series of reports revealing the cardinal’s role in covering up the scandal.

And now? Cardinal Seán O’Malley was the star panelist Thursday night at an event sponsored by the Globe to mark the debut of Crux, its website devoted to covering the Catholic Church. O’Malley thanked Globe owner John Henry and his wife, Linda Pizzuti Henry, for launching the site. He praised John Allen, recruited from the National Catholic Reporter to write for both Crux and the Globe. And he expressed the hope that Crux would help foster “a better understanding of Catholicism.” …

If you were looking for some critical analysis of Francis’ pontificate thus far, you didn’t find much on Thursday. O’Malley called Francis “one of the most extraordinary leaders of our day,” and there was no disagreement from panelists Allen; Mary Ann Glendon, a professor at Harvard Law School and a former ambassador to the Vatican; BC theology professor Hosffman Ospino; and Robert Christian, the editor of Millennial, a website aimed at younger Catholics.

On a range of hot-button social issues such as LGBT rights, divorce and the role of women in the church, panelists talked about Francis’ compassion and outreach but played down the possibility of significant shifts in doctrine. As O’Malley said of the pope, “He hasn’t changed the lyrics, but he’s changed the melody.”

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

INDIA
Business Standard

Press Trust of India | New Delhi September 12, 2014

The Delhi High Court today refused to stay the order of a trial court recommending extradition of Indian Catholic priest Rev Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul, accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in the US, during his stay there in 2004.

Justice Pratibha Rani said “where was the hurry that you came before this court, no such action has been taken yet”.

“You were in a hurry yesterday. Where was the hurry?,” the judge said.

Meanwhile, the counsel for the Centre told the court that “no order of extradition has been passed yet. It is under process.”

To which the judge said “the magistrate report (order) has not been accepted by the Centre. So let them (Centre) first file their status report by Tuesday, then we will hear it”.

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

VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Register

by EDWARD PENTIN 09/11/2014

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has appointed U.S. Msgr. Robert Oliver as the new secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, an advisory body set up by the Holy Father earlier this year.

Msgr. Oliver, who spent 10 years dealing with clerical sex-abuse cases in the Archdiocese of Boston, will take up the position after serving two years as the Vatican’s promoter of justice at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. As “chief prosecutor,” he was charged with investigating clerical sex-abuse cases as well as other grave offenses, including crimes against the sanctity of the Eucharist and violations of the seal of confession. He will be replaced by another U.S. priest, Jesuit Father Robert Geisinger.

In this Sept. 11 interview with Edward Pentin, the Register’s Rome correspondent, Msgr. Oliver discusses his new role, the advances that have been made in the Church’s handling of clerical sex abuse, and how its experience could help other institutions deal with an egregious crime that affects all segments of society.

What will be your new duties as secretary to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors?

My duties will be many and varied. The purpose of the commission is to help the local Churches to share best practices and undertake new initiatives and policies. So we’re really hoping to have an impact on the whole world, but there has been so much that has been done so well in different parts of Europe and North America, and really around the world, that can be shared now with folks in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

We can learn from one another, particularly from the different cultural experiences, and the commission will have a real opportunity to share some of these things.

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

UNITED STATES
Crux

By Archbishop Charles J. Chaput
Special to Crux September 12, 2014

“Calvary” is the kind of film that leaves a theater silent at the final credits. It’s not the silence of boredom or a morgue, but the silence of people collecting their emotions in order to breathe again.

Friends who’ve seen the film, some of them already two or three times, have noticed the same effect. From the first frame to the last, “Calvary” has an understated power – a blend of everyday pain, faith, despair, humor, candor, bitterness, and forgiveness – that brands itself onto the heart with spare simplicity. It’s also the best portrayal of a good priest in impossible circumstances I’ve seen in several decades.

Plenty of good reviews of Calvary already exist. I can’t improve on them here. It’s enough to say that the cast – led by Brendan Gleeson in an extraordinary performance – gives us a menagerie of human foibles, and the County Sligo setting has a raw Irish beauty that few viewers will ever forget.

But it’s the story that makes the film.

Gleeson plays an innocent man, a good priest, in the aftermath of Ireland’s devastating sex abuse scandal. A late vocation, a widower with a troubled adult daughter, he’s surrounded by people he knows better than they know themselves, characters ripe with indifference, resentment and cynicism, sprinkled with just enough courtesy to mask their contempt.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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)
Crux

By Christina Reinwald

Web producer September 11, 2014

The staff of Crux held a panel discussion on the papacy of Francis. Our video of the event will be available here soon. Cardinal Sean O’Malley provided opening remarks. Margery Eagan, spirituality columnist for Crux, moderated the discussion.

The panelists included:

* John L. Allen Jr., associate editor, Crux
* Mary Ann Glendon, Learned Hand Professor of Law, Harvard University, and former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See
* Robert Christian, editor and blogger, Millennial | Young Catholics, An Ancient Faith, A New Century
*Hosffman Ospino, Boston College assistant professor of Hispanic ministry and religious education

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

LOUISIANA
WDSU

BELLE CHASSE, La. —A 30-year-old man was extradited from Utah and brought to Plaquemines Parish to face child sex abuse charges in which authorities said the suspect’s family destroyed evidence in the case and a bishop “absolved him of his sins.”

According to a news release from the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office, 30-year-old Matthew Todd Wallis is accused of aggravated incest and oral sexual battery. The alleged crimes happened in 1999-2000 and involved at least one young girl when he lived in Belle Chasse, according to investigators.

The Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office believes more victims are possible and are urging them to come forward.

The investigation began in May 2014 when a victim came forward, telling investigators that Wallis abused her at his home in the 100 block of Brentwood Drive when she was between 4 and 5 years old. …

Investigators learned that about the same time of the tape’s destruction, a second victim allegedly came forward and spoke with the bishop of Wallis’ church about the matter.

The church was identified by the Sheriff’s Office as The Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints based in Harvey.

“It is believed that Wallis subsequently met and spoke with the bishop of the church about the alleged crimes and possibly ‘confessed his sins’ to the religious leader at the time,” the news release said.

Witnesses told investigators that Wallis allegedly went through a “repentance program” with the church.

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

BELGIE/CANADA
De Standaard

De voormalige Belgische priester Eric Dejaeger (67) is schuldig bevonden aan 24 aanklachten van seksueel misbruik van kinderen in het Canadese gehucht Igloolik. De feiten speelden zich meer dan dertig jaar geleden af.

Het proces tegen Dejaeger nam ruim tien maanden in beslag. Na de slotpleidooien van het openbaar ministerie en de verdediging, in mei, hield de Canadese rechter Robert Kilpatrick zijn beslissing in beraad.

Tijdens het proces kwamen meer dan 40 mensen getuigen, goed voor 76 aanklachten. Verschillende aanklachten betreffen het seksueel aanraken van de slachtoffers. Daarvoor geldt een minimumstraf van één jaar cel. In de loop van het proces werden vijf aanklachten toegevoegd en werden er ook vijf afgewezen. Bij de start van het proces pleitte Dejaeger schuldig aan acht aanklachten.

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

CANADA
John McKiggan’s Sexual Abuse Blog

Dejaeger finally convicted

There is good news for sexual abuse victims of former oblate priest Eric Dejaeger. He was found guilty today on 24 of the 68 charges he was facing in Iqaluit.

The priest pleaded guilty to eight sexual abuse charges last November. So Dejaeger will face sentencing on 32 convictions sometime early next year.

Some charges dismissed

Unfortunately, some of the children who claimed that he assualted them did not receive justice. Dejaeger was not convicted of all of the churches due to concerns the presiding judge had about the evidence presented by some of his alleged victims.

Justice Robert Kilpatrick said:

“The quantity and quality of the evidence available to the court in this case has been substantially weakened by the passage of time. The reliability of the Crowns evidence on many counts is suspect. This is reflected by the results of this trial.”

Delay caused by abuser

The unfortunate fact is that one of the reasons for the extended delay in this case was due, in great part, to the fact that Dejaeger fled Canada and hid in Europe for more than two decades.
You can read more of the details in my article: Nowhere to hide: Internet helps bring sexual abuser to justice.

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

CANADA
Canoe

QMI AGENCY
Sep 12, 2014

Nunavut priest Eric Dejaeger was found guilty Friday of 31 counts of sexually abusing Inuit children between 1976 and 1982.

The convictions include unlawful confinement, indecent assault, unlawful sexual intercourse, and one count of bestiality.

He had previously pleaded guilty to eight charges of indecent assault against boys.

Dejaeger, 67, was acquitted on 48 counts.

Allegations ranged from sexual touching to rape.

One defendant, identified as CP, told court about catching Dejaeger having sex with a dog, then being locked in a room where Dejaeger proceeded to rape him and a friend, identified as JU.

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

DEUTSCHLAND
Stadt Zeitung

[Summary: The canonical profess against the former pastor at Unterthurheimer is still not completed. The Vatican is currently dealing with the case.]

Das kirchenrechtliche Verfahren gegen den früheren Unterthürheimer Pfarrer ist noch immer nicht abgeschlossen. Die Dienstausübung ist ihm aber dauerhaft untersagt. Derzeit beschäftigt sich der Vatikan mit dem Fall.

Die Kirche hat noch immer keine Entscheidung zum sexuellen Missbrauchsvorwurf gegen den früheren Unterthürheimer Pfarrer getroffen. Das kirchenrechtliche Verfahren sei noch nicht abgeschlossen, teilte der stellvertretende Leiter der Pressestelle im Augsburger Bischöflichen Ordinariat, Nicolas Schnall, auf Nachfrage unserer Zeitung mit. Das Verfahren liege derzeit im Vatikan, so Schnall weiter. Dort wird es von der Glaubenskongregation bearbeitet. Der Bistumssprecher machte deutlich, dass sich die Sache zeitlich noch hinziehen könne. Das Verfahren könne in solchen Fällen erfahrungsgemäß länger dauern, erklärte Schnall.

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

CANADA
Digitial Journal

IQALUIT, NUNAVUT–(Marketwired – Sept. 12, 2014) – Eric Dejaeger, 67, a former Roman Catholic priest, was found guilty today in the Nunavut Court of Justice of 31 counts of sexual offences against children and one count of bestiality. Most of the crimes were committed in the Hamlet of Igloolik in what was then the Northwest Territories, where he was one of the local priests, between 1978 and 1982. He was found not guilty of 48 other charges. Sentencing will occur at a later date.

He was arrested on January 20, 2011, when he was returned to Canada after spending 15 years in Belgium. He has been in custody since.

Both parties have 30 days to decide whether to appeal this decision.

The Public Prosecution Service of Canada is responsible for prosecuting offences under federal jurisdiction in a manner that is free of any improper influence and that respects the public interest. The PPSC is also responsible for providing prosecution-related advice to law enforcement agencies across Canada.

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

CANADA
Nunatsiaq Online

JIM BELL

The man the Belgian press called “Pater Pedo,” ex-priest Eric Dejaeger, 67, is guilty on 24 of the 68 charges he stood trial on at the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit, Justice Robert Kilpatrick ruled Sept. 12 in a massive 212-page judgment.

Combined with the eight indecent assault charges he pleaded guilty to this past November at the start of his trial, this means Dejaeger is guilty on 32 counts, most involving the sexual molestation of Inuit children in Igloolik between 1976 and 1982.

Kilpatrick convicted him on many counts of indecent assault on boys and girls, and one count of bestiality with a dog, one count of forcible confinement, and one count of sexual assault.

Dejaeger, who originally faced 80 charges, will likely be sentenced early next year, following a sentencing hearing in Iqaluit scheduled to start Jan. 19, 2015.

Prosecutor Doug Curliss said the Crown will likely need about three days of court time to present its sentencing submission, which will include time to read victim impact statements from complainants involved in the charges that Dejaeger is convicted on.

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

CANADA
CBC News

A Nunavut judge has found Eric Dejaeger guilty of 24 of 68 charges relating to sex crimes dating back to his time as a Catholic priest in Igloolik, Nunavut, before he fled Canada in the mid-1990s.

Dejaeger, 67, had already pleaded guilty to eight counts of indecent assault.

Dejaeger had pleaded not guilty to the 68 charges relating to allegations of sex crimes against children in Igloolik three decades ago. His trial that started in November 2013 ended in May.

He will be back in court for sentencing Jan. 19.

In his written decision, Justice Robert Kilpatrick noted that the quantity of evidence in the case had been substantially weakened by the passage of time.

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

INDIA
Daiji World

New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS): The central government Friday told the Delhi High Court that it has not taken any decision yet on the extradition of Catholic priest Rev Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul, accused of molesting a child in the US when he was there in 2004.

Jeyapaul, 59, challenged the order of a trial court here recommending his extradition to the US to stand trial there.

Hearing his plea, Justice Pratibha Rani asked the central government counsel to take further instructions on the issue.

The trial court recently said that a “prima facie” case was made out for his extradition.

If extradited, Jeyapaul will stand trial on the charge of “first degree criminal sexual conduct” in Minnesota, USA.

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

CANADA
Global News

By Staff The Canadian Press

IQALUIT, Nunavut – A Nunavut judge has found a former Roman Catholic priest guilty of 24 of the more than 70 sex-related charges he faced involving Inuit children more than 30 years ago.

Defrocked Oblate priest Eric Dejaeger had already pleaded guilt to eight counts of sexual assault when his trial began in December.

In his written decision, Justice Robert Kilpatrick noted that the quantity of evidence in the case had been substantially weakened by the passage of time.

The trial was marked by high emotion and lurid tales.

Witness after witness told court that Dejaeger used his position as Igloolik’s missionary to lure and trap them into sex, threatening them with hellfire or separation from their families if they told.

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

FRANCE
Le Parisien

Un prêtre de 40 ans a été condamné mardi par le tribunal correctionnel d’Amiens à trois ans de prison dont 18 mois ferme pour des agressions sexuelles sur mineurs, commises pendant dix ans. Stéphane Gotoghian a été reconnu coupable au regard «de la gravité des faits commis au préjudice de cinq victimes (ndlr : quatre étaient parties civiles) alors qu’il avait autorité sur elles, sur dix ans (entre 2002 et 2012), et que toute dangerosité ne peut être écartée».

«On aurait pu arrêter ça bien avant», a regretté la procureure Françoise Dale dans son réquisitoire. L’affaire «porte une atteinte majeure aux valeurs défendues par cette Eglise», a-t-elle ajouté, requérant quatre ans d’emprisonnement, dont la moitié ferme.

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

FRANCE
France 3

Le procureur avait requis contre Stéphane Gotoghian, ancien prêtre de Fressenneville (80), 4 ans de prison. Mardi soir, il a été condamné à 3 ans de prison dont 18 mois ferme pour agressions sexuelles sur 5 mineurs. Des faits qui se sont déroulés entre 2002 et 2012.

Par Jennifer AlbertsPublié le 10/09/2014

Stéphane Gotoghia est par ailleurs soumis à une obligation de soins. Il lui est interdit de se rendre dans la Somme et d’exercer une profession en relation avec des jeunes.

4 des 5 jeunes victimes étaient présentes lundi au procès de l’ancien prêtre du Vimeu ainsi que l’archevêque de Besançon, Evêque d’Amiens à l’époque.

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

FRANKREICH
Radio Vatikan

[Summary: A 40-year-old priest has been sentenced to three years in prison in Northern France after being convicted of sexual abuse of minors. The court heard that Stephane Gotoghian sexually abused four boys over the years through 2012.]

Wegen sexuellen Missbrauchs Minderjähriger ist in Nordfrankreich ein 40jähriger katholischer Priester zu drei Jahren Haft verurteilt worden. Das Gericht in Amiens kam zu dem Schluss, Stéphane Gotoghian habe über Jahre hindurch bis 2012 vier Jungen sexuell missbraucht. Der Priester war teilweise geständig. Als Zeuge in dem Prozess wurde auch der damalige Bischof von Amiens geladen, der heutige Erzbischof von Besançon Jean-Luc Bouilleret. Er sagte aus, er habe Hinweise auf den Priester 2006 zur bistumsinternen Ermittlung weitergegeben. Stéphane Gotoghian wirkte unter anderem als Kaplan bei der katholischen Pfadfinderschaft Europas.

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

CONNECTICUT
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, September 12, 2014

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

It’s bad enough that Hartford’s Catholic archbishop wants to overturn a jury verdict in a clergy sex abuse and cover up case. What’s dramatically worse, however, is that he wants to deny hundreds of child sex abuse victims in Connecticut.

Connecticut has one of the nation’s best statutes of limitations in the nation. The archbishop is trying to get it nullified. He’s protecting predators and hurting children.

This is a stunningly selfish move. To protect Hartford priests who committed and concealed heinous crimes against children, Archbishop Leonard Blair is willing to endanger kids and hurt kids across the state, whether they are being or may be assaulted by parents, teachers, coaches or anyone.

He’s not only putting Catholic kids at risk. He’s putting all Connecticut kids at risk by trying to make it much, much tougher to expose child molesters in court.

Kids are safest when predators are jailed. But most child molesters are never prosecuted. The next best approach is to use the courts to warn parents and the public about them, and get them exposed, suspended, or fired so they will have less access to kids. That’s what civil litigation does. That’s what Archbishop Blair wants to prevent, by restoring an archaic, rigid, predator-friendly statute of limitations.

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

CANADA
Sylvia’s Site

The verdict in the sex abuse trial of previously-convicted Oblate ex-priest Eric Dejaeger will be rendered tomorrow (Friday 12 September) in the Iqaluit courthouse, Nunavut. Please keep Dejaeger’s many many victims in your prayers as they await the decision, and after. Let’s hope and pray that justice is done.

Dejaeger also has a courtdate set for Edmonton, Alberta tomorrow “to set a date,” I have a feeling those Edmonton charges may surface in the Nunavut courtroom tomorrow and be lumped in with the others. I truly do hope I am mistaken.

Please post links to any media coverage re: the verdict.

*****

Earlier today I posted a letter from the Headmaster at St. Mary’s International School (SMIS) to alumni regarding child molester Brother Lawrence: here it is:

11 September 2014: Kagei letter Alumni Letter acknowledging he knew of Brother Lawrence apology January 2014 and victim came forward May 2013

Wonder why it has taken so long to get Brother Lawrence away from the schools and out of Japan? And, the big question: Where is this molester now? In Canada? Nestled away with Brother John in Quebec?

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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)
Crux

By Michael O’Loughlin
National reporter September 12, 2014

Because Pope Francis “walks his own talk,” as Crux associate editor John L. Allen Jr. put it Thursday night during a panel at Boston College, he’s won over the hearts of millions of Catholics. But there are many challenges left to confront – challenges with the potential to shape the church in Francis’ vision.

“Pope Francis has brought hope to people’s lives and has compelled many people to take a look at the church again,” according to Cardinal Sean O’Malley, archbishop of Boston and a personal advisor to the pope.

The panel, “A Pope for the 21st Century,” focused on the pope’s popularity and his vision for the Church. The event marked the launch of Crux, a new website covering the Vatican and the Catholic Church, a project of the Boston Globe.

O’Malley, revealing that he communicates with the pope by fax — “It goes right to his room, he responds right away, and you don’t have to worry about differences in time” — called Francis “certainly one of the most extraordinary leaders of our day” and “thoroughly Argentinian. He loves tango, soccer, and matte.”

Did Cardinals know what they were getting when they elected Francis? “Obviously, he is the man of surprises, and he’s done so many things that no one could have forecasted,” O’Malley said.

Several panelists said the pope’s emphasis on joy and mercy provides an opportunity to heal divisions in the Church, but they were asked about several hot-button issues, including immigration, the firing of openly gay employees from Catholic institutions, the role of women and the laity in the church, and political discourse.

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

ISRAEL
Arutz Sheva

By Haim Lev and Ari Soffer
First Publish: 9/11/2014

After two years on the run from Israeli authorities suspected sex-offender Rabbi Eliezer Berland has reportedly been arrested in Amsterdam’s international airport, and will soon be extradited back to Israel.

Berland, who founded and leads the Shuvu Banim hassidic sect, was accused of sexually molesting several female followers in Israel but fled the country to escape investigation.

Some will be asking how the runaway rabbi managed to escape facing justice until now, but his network of loyal followers proved key both in hiding him and helping him give police the slip on numerous occasions.

Just last week Berland dodged police in Johannesburg, South Africa, by the skin of his teeth as he traveled to officiate at the wedding of one of his followers.

Police attempted to ambush the car he was traveling in, but the fugitive rabbi managed a dramatic escape.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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
Failed Messiah

Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

He ran for almost two years but in the end he could hide from the law no longer.

Breslov Shuvu Banim hasidic leader Rabbi Eliezer Berland has finally been arrested.

After hopping from country to country, seeking refuge from law in places like Morocco, Zimbabwe and South Africa, Berland was arrested early today in Amsterdam’s international airport, Arutz Sheva reported.

The now 77-year-old Berland allegedly sexually abused several of his female followers, at least one of whom was a minor at the time of the alleged abuse. He fled Israel almost two years ago after learning police were about to detain him.

Berland went first to places like the US, Italy and Switzerland but then moved on to more exotic locations without extradition treaties with Israel.

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

CANADA
Haaretz

Police in the Canadian province of Quebec believe that members of the radical, ultra-Orthodox Lev Tahor sect were involved in human trafficking and forgery, according to court documents released on Wednesday. The case has been widely reported in the Canadian media.

The sect of some 250 people, also known as the “Jewish Taliban” because female members wear a black gown resembling a burqa, lived in the Quebec town of Ste-Agathe-des-Monts for about a decade before authorities were alerted in 2012 by reports of widespread abuse and neglect of children.

The community fled en masse to a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, before going on to the Central American country of Guatemala. According to recent reports, they have since fallen out with their neighbors in a small Guatemalan village and are moving on.

Search warrants released by a Quebec judge on Wednesday allege members of the community falsified government documents, and engaged in human trafficking.

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

ISRAEL
Haaretz

By Revital Hovel and Haaretz | Sep. 11, 2014

Fugitive ultra-Orthodox rabbi Eliezer Berland was arrested in Amsterdam on Thursday, almost two years after he fled Israel to avoid arrest for sex crimes.

Berland, a leading member of the Breslov Hassidic movement and founder of the Shuvu Banim yeshiva, was detained at Amsterdam airport on an international arrest warrant, according to various news sources. He had arrived on a flight from South Africa, where he had been living since April.

Berland also spent lengthy periods in Italy, Morocco and Zimbabwe during his 23 months on the run. He was accused of sexual abuse by a number of his female followers, including a 15-year-old girl, in 2012.

Shortly after he fled Israel, his son, grandson and several other followers were arrested on suspicion of fraud and money laundering involving the sect’s finances.

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

NETHERLANDS
i24 News

Rabbi fled Israel after several female followers accuse him of sexual abuse

Rabbi Eliezer Berland, a rabbi who fled Israel two years ago to escape charges of sex crimes, was arrested on Thursday in Amsterdam.

Berland, 77, is a prominent rabbi in the Breslov sect and founder of the Shuvu Banim yeshiva in Jerusalem’s Old City who was instrumental in bringing many Jews closer to ultra-Orthodox faith.

Berland had arrived in Amsterdam from South Africa, and was arrested at the airport on an international arrest warrant.

In 2012, Berland was accused of sexual abuse by a number of his female followers, including a 15-year-old girl.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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)
Standing on My Head

September 12, 2014 by Fr. Dwight Longenecker

cruxLast evening I attended the official launch of Crux–the Boston Globe’s new website dedicated to “all things Catholic.”

The venue was the splendid campus of Boston College. In the afternoon I had the chance to tour the campus with fellow Patheos blogger Tim Muldoon, and had the better part of an hour with theologian Fr Robert Daly SJ–we reminisced about our mutual friend, Dom Sebastian Moore OSB, who was a monk at Downside, an irascible intellectual and former professor at BC. I picked Fr Daly’s brain about the thought of Rene Girard for one of the books I am working on.

Veteran Vatican reporter John Allen is the Boston Globe’s catch from many years of reporting at the National Catholic Reporter. Allen’s objective reporting on Catholic affairs has won admiration from Catholics from both sides of the “right-left” divide as well as respect from journalists in the non-Catholic world.

I also met MaryAnn Glendon again–former ambassador to the Holy See and now serving the church in a new role helping to reform the Vatican Bank. The panel included Globe writer Margery Egan, a theology professor and Robert Christian–the editor of Millennial–a website for young Catholics. Hosffman Ospino, a Boston College assistant professor of Hispanic ministry and religious education was also on the panel.

Cardinal O’Malley gave an excellent speech on Pope Francis–highlighting Francis teaching that while the church is in the business of compassion and social justice she is not just an NGO. The reason for the church is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Cardinal Sean also criticized Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (has he been reading my blog?) MTD is that particularly American version of the Christian faith which reduces the gospel to a miss mash of self help religion, good works and the idea that God is perhaps “out there” and is to be used as a kind of fire extinguisher or someone one might just call on for help when nothing else seems to work.

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

CANADA
CBC News

A Nunavut judge is expected to hand down his decision in the case of Eric Dejaeger, a former Catholic priest charged with sex crimes, on Friday.

Former Catholic priest Eric Dejaeger leaves an Iqaluit courtroom in January 2011 after his first appearance for child sexual abuse charges in Igloolik dating back to the 1970s. A Nunavut judge is expected to hand down his decision in the case on Friday. (Chris Windeyer/Canadian Press)

Dejaeger’s trial began last November. Since then there have been two lengthy adjournments and the number of charges has gone up and down as new counts were added and others dismissed.

Dejaeger, 67, has pleaded guilty to eight counts of indecent assault. He pleaded not guilty to 68 other charges relating to allegations of sex crimes against children in Igloolik three decades ago. More than 40 complainants testified during the trial.

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

CONNECTICUT
CT News

Posted on September 11, 2014 | By Daniel Tepfer

HARTFORD – The Archdiocese of Hartford is asking the state Supreme Court to overturn a $1 million verdict for a man who claimed he was abused by a Roman Catholic priest at a Derby school in the early 1980s.

Among other claims, the archdiocese contends the law that extended the statute of limitations for such lawsuits is unconstitutional.

A hearing on the case has been scheduled for Sept. 22.

“I don’t think any of the issues they have raised have any merit but this is no surprise,” said New Haven lawyer Thomas McNamara, who represented the complainant in the case.

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

CONNECTICUT
Norwich Bulletin

By The Associated Press
Posted Sep. 12, 2014

HARTFORD — The Archdiocese of Hartford is asking the state Supreme Court to overturn a $1 million verdict for a man who claimed abuse by a priest in the early 1980s.

The Hearst Connecticut Media Group reports (http://bit.ly/1qqIDI1 ) that the archdiocese says the law extending the statute of limitations for such lawsuits is unconstitutional.

Thomas McNamara, the lawyer for the former altar boy who filed the complaint, said issues raised by the archdiocese do not have merit.

The man who claimed abuse at age 13 by the Rev. Ivan Ferguson in Derby between 1981 and 1983 won the verdict in Superior Court in 2012.

Ferguson died in 2002.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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
PopeCrimes& Vatican Evils.

Paris Arrow

Attention! Judge Román Berroa and Justice minister Francisco Domínguez – traitors of the Dominican Republic and – slaves of Opus Dei Beast a.k.a. Vatican Mammon Beast, Estás traidores de la República Dominicana y estás juntos esclavos del Opus Dei Bestia alias Vaticano Mammon Bestia!

Idiot Catholics Judge Román Berroa and Justice minister Francisco Domínguez – FYI For Your Information, read below a compilation of articles about Pope Francis and the Vatican who have “punished” Józef Wesolowski because he was a bestial papal pimping nuncio and they defrocked him as a priest and archbishop, and revoked his status as papal nuncio and therefore he is NOT a diplomat any longer.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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 Derek J. Anderson | GLOBE CORRESPONDENT SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley joined a panel of journalists and academics Thursday night in a discussion of the new pope that was part of an event marking the launch of The Boston Globe’s new website Crux, which will cover the Roman Catholic Church across the world.

O’Malley kicked off the night’s discussion by talking about the pontiff’s goals, actions, and thoughts.

“Pope Francis challenges us to overcome our indifference in our own lives,” he said, adding that the church is about caring and compassion.

Panelists dove into the specifics of the pope’s allure to those who have disconnected from Catholicism, as well as issues including immigration and sacraments for divorced and remarried couples. …

Crux editor Teresa M. Hanafin introduced the panel. The cardinal was joined on stage by Globe associate editor John L. Allen Jr., of Crux; Mary Ann Glendon, Learned Hand professor of law at Harvard University and the former US ambassador to the Holy See; Robert Christian, editor and blogger; and Hosffman Ospino, a Boston College assistant professor of Hispanic ministry and religious education.

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

CANADA
680 News

The Canadian Press Sep 12, 2014

IQALUIT, Nunavut – A Nunavut judge is expected to deliver a verdict today in a trial of a former Roman Catholic priest on 68 counts of sex abuse against Inuit children more than 30 years ago.

Justice Robert Kilpatrick’s decision could be the final step in a legal saga that spanned two continents and tore apart a remote Arctic community.

The trial of defrocked Oblate priest Eric Dejaeger, which began last December in an Iqaluit courtroom, was marked by high emotion and lurid tales.

Witness after witness told court that Dejaeger used his position as Igloolik’s missionary to lure and trap them into sex, threatening them with hellfire or separation from their families if they told.

Several told of bestiality involving Dejaeger’s dog.

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

CANADA
Leader-Post

THE STARPHOENIX SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

An 83-yearold Catholic priest has been charged with indecent assault dating back to the 1970s in a small community north of Saskatoon.

Omer Desjardins is alleged to have committed the offence against a female in 1978. The StarPhoenix is not naming the community where the charge originates to protect the identity of the complainant.

The charge of indecent assault was subsequently replaced in the Criminal Code of Canada with sexual assault.

Desjardins currently lives in Manitoba, where he continues to practise as a priest and works in spiritual care at the Saint Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg.

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

SOUTH DAKOTA
Aberdeen News

Posted: Thursday, September 11, 2014

By Scott Waltman swaltman@aberdeennews.com | 0 comments

A former Mobridge pastor has been charged in Walworth County with a felony count of sexual contact with a minor.

The charge against Timothy Thompson, 38, who now lives in Colorado, stems from incidents in 2008, according to court paperwork.

Thompson was the pastor at Cornerstone Community Church in Mobridge from March 2008 through February 2013, when he moved to Denver, according to the Mobridge Tribune. The Tribune reports that the victim is now an adult and that Thompson was arrested in Denver late last month and extradited to Walworth County for a Sept. 2 court hearing at which he was granted a court-appointed attorney but did not enter a plea.

He’s scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 22.

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

UNITED KINGDOM
Biggleswade Today

by Luke Gardener
luke.gardener@jpress.co.uk
Published on the
12 September 2014

Ex-residents of a Shefford boys orphanage will be re-interviewed by police after a new review into claims of physical and sexual abuse was announced.

The investigation into historic allegations of physical, sexual and emotional abuse in the 1940s, 50s and 60s at St Francis Boys Home is to be overseen by Senior Investigator, Mark Ross.

A team of detectives will ensure all previous allegations are investigated and they will review all of the information provided by the victims and witnesses.

Mark Ross said: “The investigation has evolved due to the large number of victims and witnesses.

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

MINNESOTA
Northlands News Center

September 11, 2014

Duluth, MN (NNCNOW.com) — A case involving the documents of priests who have been accused of child sex abuse was heard in St. Louis County Court on Thursday.

Attorneys representing two sexual abuse survivors want the Diocese to release what they call “secret documents” of diocese practices.

The diocese is asking for a protective order over the documents, which would contain the names of priests along with dates, times and places where they worked and who they allegedly abused.
Attorneys representing those who were abused say it’s a matter of public safety.

“Today is actually a very narrow situation of a legal matter of historical cases [of priests who] have been dead for over 15 years. It’s very sad what has happened in the past,” said Father Eric Hastings, Chancellor and Judicial Vicar of Duluth Diocese.

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

MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

By Tom Olsen
Forum News Service
POSTED: 09/11/2014

DULUTH, Minn. — With a trial just months away, the Diocese of Duluth went to court Thursday in an attempt to prevent the potential public release of decades’ worth of documents and depositions of top church officials related to priest sex abuse cases.

Two alleged abuse victims are suing the diocese, and their attorneys have made it clear that they intend to release documents and depositions that are obtained during the pre-trial discovery process — a plan that has drawn sharp criticism from attorneys for the diocese.

St. Louis County District Judge David Johnson heard about 20 minutes of oral arguments from attorneys before taking the matter under advisement. He did not ask any specific questions of the attorneys and gave no indication of how he would rule. The judge said a written decision would be issued “soon.”

The files on the accused priests have not yet been obtained by the plaintiffs’ attorneys, and no depositions have been taken at this time, but the pretrial discovery process is expected to ramp up soon as the first case heads to trial in February.

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

POLSKA/POLAND
Ocaleni

ocaleni.polska@gmail.com

Kościół w Polsce “zbroi się”, jak donoszą media. Już jutro odbędzie się w Polsce kolejna rozprawa o odszkodowanie od Kościoła katolickiego z powództwa Marcina K. Następne rozprawy tego typu już się szykują – całym sercem jesteśmy z naszym przyjacielem Markiem, który również będzie domagał się od Kościoła zadośćuczynienia finansowego.

Media spekulują, że Kościół boi się, iż podzieli los Kościoła amerykańskiego, tzn. że z powodu odszkodowań wypłacanych ofiarom księży pedofilów bankrutować będą kolejne diecezje. W USA zbankrutowało już 11.

Sam Kościół w Polsce nie chce poczuwać się do instytucjonalnej odpowiedzialności za domniemane ukrywanie pedofilii, nie chce płacić odszkodowań, a sprawę Marcina K. traktuje jak… atak na swoją instytucję. Zatrudnia cenionych adwokatów i z uporem maniaka powtarza, że nie odpowiada za czyny swoich podwładnych.

Pisaliśmy już o tej sprawie: Po raz pierwszy w Polsce. Hierarchowie Kościoła boją się.

Więcej w TVN

—————————————–

According to media reports, the Church in Poland is “arming” itself. The compensation case filed by Marcin K. against the Catholic Church, the first such case in Poland, will take place as soon as tomorrow. There are also other upcoming cases of this kind – we heartily support our friend Marek, who is also going to claim financial compensation from the Church.

There are speculations in the media that the Church fears that it will end up just as the American Church, namely that more and more dioceses will fail due to the compensations paid to the victims of pedophile priests.

The Polish Church itself refuses to feel the responsibility for the acts of pedophilia that it has been allegedly hiding and considers the case of Marcin K. to be an attack on its organization. The church employs respected lawyers and obstinately reiterates that it cannot answer for its subordinates’ deeds.

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