AUSTRALIA
Western Advocate

BY LOUISE EDDY
29/08/2008 8:24:00 AM
A FORMER resident of a Catholic orphanage has alleged the abuse of Bathurst children by some members of the clergy dates back to the 1960s.

Sandra Peckham, now 58, was taken to St Joseph’s Orphanage at the top of William Street when she was just six years old.

Her mother had left and her father, a drover, wasn’t around much.

Yesterday she contacted the Western Advocate after reading new claims of abuse at St Stanislaus’ College in the 1970s and 1980s to say she, too, had been a victim of abuse.

“[The orphanage] was supposed to be a better place, but it turned into a nightmare – a nightmare I haven’t woken up from,” she said.

CANADA
CBC News

Last Updated: Thursday, August 28, 2008
CBC News
About 50 people shouted and waved placards outside the Cornwall Public Inquiry Thursday to protest the treatment of a man who refused to testify before the commission and demand his release from jail.

Perry Dunlop, a former Cornwall police officer, is in Toronto serving a six-month sentence for a civil conviction of contempt of court. He is to be sentenced next Wednesday for a criminal conviction of contempt of court.

The inquiry is looking into how authorities responded to allegations that young people were abused in Cornwall by more than a dozen men from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Dunlop's role began when he learned in 1993 that the local Catholic diocese had paid a former altar boy $32,000 to drop his sexual abuse complaint against two priests. He handed the complaint to the Children's Aid Society against orders from his superiors, leading to an OPP investigation.

Dunlop was charged and found guilty of contempt of court in the fall of 2007 after he was summoned by the inquiry from his home in B.C. as witness but refused to testify. He said he believed the inquiry is not about finding the truth and he had lost faith in a justice system that treated him as a bad guy.

KENT COUNTY (MI)
WWMT

August 28, 2008 - 5:46PM
KENT COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A priest who used to work in Kent County, who is already locked up following an Internet sex sting, faces even more trouble.

The Reverand Shamaun Beas, a native of Pakistan, is facing up to 15 years in prison on a molestation charge.

He was supposed to be spreading the word of God, instead Beas is behind bars these days with a shocking rap sheet of sex crimes. Now he will stand trial on charges that he molested two young girls while he was a priest at the Holy Family parish in Sparta.

AUSTRALIA
Western Advocate

29/08/2008 8:05:00 AM
NEW claims that a paedophile ring was active at St Stanislaus’ College during the 1970s and 1980s have prompted a former student to tell his story of abuse.

Thirteen former Stannies’ students have told police they were abused at the college.

A 65-year-old former priest is already facing 33 charges, and police are continuing their investigation.

Another former student, who asked only to be known as ‘John’, told AAP he was sexually abused three times in April 1971 by a priest who left St Stanislaus’ a few years later.

“I still remember it,” John said. “I carry that stench on my back ever since the day it happened.

“I was a day boy and I was not the only victim back then.”

ILLINOIS
Madison County Record

8/28/2008 1:29 PM
By Ann Knef

A civil suit filed against Faith United Baptist Church in O'Fallon alleges a youth minister "initiated sexual contact and impregnated" a minor who had attended the church with her family for eight years.

According to the complaint filed Aug. 22 in St. Clair County Circuit Court, the church and co-defendant Pastor Willie Brown allegedly knew that Youth Minister Terrance Jenkins allegedly "committed separate and unrelated acts of sexual abuse with other members of the church, including an unknown 9 year old girl while in the employ of Faith United Baptist Church."

The suit claims the church had actual knowledge or should have known that Jenkins was under initial investigation for sexual abuse on or about November 2007.

SAN FRANCISCO (CA)
San Francisco Chronicle

Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer

Thursday, August 28, 2008

(08-28) 12:07 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Bernie Ward, one of the Bay Area's most prominent radio talk show hosts for 15 years, was sentenced to more than seven years in prison by a federal judge today for distributing child pornography on the Internet.

Ward, 57, pleaded guilty to the felony charge in May and admitted sending between 15 and 150 pornographic images by e-mail, which he maintained were for a research project. Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco imposed a sentence of seven years and three months, rejecting a defense plea for the minimum five-year term required by federal law. Prosecutors had sought a nine-year term.

Noting Ward's background as a former Roman Catholic priest who discussed child molestation in the church on his radio programs, the judge said he was troubled that Ward didn't "seek treatment, seek help" when he "encountered his own predilection" for child pornography.

SAN FRANCISCO (CA)
San Jose Mercury News

By Howard Mintz
Mercury News
Article Launched: 08/28/2008 11:52:46 AM PDT

Former KGO radio host Bernie Ward, tranformed from a popular liberal voice on the local airwaves to pariah, was sentenced today to seven years and three months in federal prison for distributing child pornography on the Internet.

Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker imposed the sentence on Ward, who must turn himself in to U.S. Marshals by noon Friday to begin his prison term. Before the sentence was handed down, Ward spoke briefly, telling the judge, "I regret the harm this has caused my family, my friends, and this community.''

Ward declined to comment after the hearing, where his family and friends sat in the gallery, his wife and son in the front row clutching each others' hands. Ward hugged his family when he emerged from the courtroom and walked away with his lawyer.

KANSAS CITY (MO)
The Catholic Key

The Catholic Key interviewed Bishop Robert Finn concerning the recent settlement. The following Question and Answer session poses and addresses some of the questions that have most frequently been asked.

Q (Catholic Key): On what authority did you decide to reach this settlement?

A: (Bishop Finn): In accord with Canon law, I am required to work closely with the Board of Consultors and the Diocesan Finance Council to plan for the diocese, particularly in financial matters. Among other responsibilities, these boards assist me in developing and adopting our annual budget. The decision to reach a settlement with these individuals was made in close consultation with both boards. I also sought their counsel on how to meet the obligations of the settlement.

Q: Will parishioners be asked to make special contributions to fund the settlement?

A: Owing to prudent stewardship of resources, it will not be necessary for us to make special requests to fund this settlement.

KANSAS CITY (MO)
The Catholic Key

By Jack Smith
Catholic Key Editor

KANSAS CITY - Bishop Robert Finn, with the consent of the Board of Consultors and the Diocesan Finance Council, agreed to a settlement of all pending clergy abuse cases against the diocese on August 21.

The cases filed over the last two years include 47 complaints against 10 priests and two members of religious orders. They relate to incidents of abuse taking place between the early 1950s and early 1990s.

At an August 20 press conference, Bishop Finn spoke of his compassion for the "victims of this behavior" and said, "We apologize for the fully unacceptable behavior that prompted these lawsuits to be brought against the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph."

KANSAS CITY (MO)
The Catholic Key

Bishop Robert W. Finn

Over the past two weeks, I have had the opportunity to speak on behalf of our Diocese to individuals harmed by our clergy or former clergy. I have offered an apology to them, and before our whole community, for the fully unacceptable behavior that prompted serious grievances to be brought against the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. With compassion for the victims of this behavior and with sadness over any failure by the Diocese to serve as a proper steward of safety and security for our young people and our parishioners, I expressed a sense of institutional accountability for these sad events.

In reaching a settlement with lawyers representing the families involved in these cases, we took painstaking steps to fully vet all issues. Thoroughness was the hallmark of this process, and the agreement represented a resolution of all existing claims against the Diocese and the individual clergy named.

After taking the matter to the Diocesan Finance Council and the Board of Consultors, we agreed to fund $10 million in payments to the victims. The settlement proceeds are to be divided among 47 plaintiffs by means of an independent and binding arbitration process. Based on advice from legal counsel and on prayerful reflection over this most difficult matter, I believe that this settlement, while costly, is a responsible resolution for these individuals and their families and in the best interest of the Diocese. Elsewhere in The Catholic Key today I explain where this money comes from and how it will affect the Diocese.

SAN FRANCISCO (CA)
CBS 5

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

Former radio talk show host Bernie Ward was sentenced in federal court in San Francisco today to seven years and three months in prison for sending child pornography over the Internet.

U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker called the case a "personal tragedy" and said Ward has many laudable achievements related to his charitable work.

But the judge said he was troubled that Ward, a former Roman Catholic priest who crusaded against molestation of children, didn't seek help for his predilection toward pornography.

BELLEVILLE (IL)
Peoria Journal-Star

The Associated Press
Posted Aug 28, 2008 @ 02:18 PM

BELLEVILLE — A former altar boy awarded $5 million by an Illinois jury that found a Roman Catholic diocese hid the sexual abuses of a priest he alleges molested him dozens of times decades ago says he still faces "a long road ahead" in overcoming the trauma.

A jury St. Clair County, Ill., just east of St. Louis, deliberated nearly five hours Wednesday before awarding James Wisniewski $2.4 million in compensatory damages and $2.6 million in punitive damages in his 2002 lawsuit against the Diocese of Belleville, Ill.

BELLEVILLE (IL)
WTHI

Associated Press - August 28, 2008 3:04 PM ET

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) - An advocacy group for victims of clergy abuse wants a $5 million jury award to be undisturbed for a man who claims he was repeatedly sexually abused by a priest decades ago.

A St. Clair County jury returned the verdict yesterday in favor of James Wisniewski (wihs-NOO'-skee) in his lawsuit against the Diocese of Belleville.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
The Reporter

The Philadelphia Archdioscese announced the removal of a priest who served in several Philadelphia area churches including Norristown and Warrington due to sexual abuse allegations.

John H. Mulholland has been under restrictions since a 2005 allegation of sexual abuse involving a minor, according to the release. The allegation was found to be substantiated since then.

Text of the press release:

The Holy See has notified the Archdiocese of Philadelphia that th request of John H. Mulholland to be removed from the clerical state was granted. In 2005, an allegation of sexual abuse involving a minor by John Mulholland was reported to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and his
ministry was restricted. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia investigated the allegation, which was subsequently substantiated, and he sought removal from the clerical state.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

By Scott Steinkerchner OP

My heart is heavy this morning because of a collision of many factors. I wonder what exactly is the heart of religion? What is the point? What does God want from us?

I received an email from a faithful Catholic that began, “In my life one of the greatest sources of grief and sadness has been to watch friends and family members fall away from the practice of the Catholic faith.” I wish I had his life. I sometimes wish I did not know the things I know about the world.

I have traveled around the world, helping missionaries in developing nations help the people they serve stave off starvation and try to get out of the abject poverty that grinds them into the dust. (The photo to the right is one I took recently in a clinic in Haiti.) I read in the paper this morning two news articles. The New York Times reported: “Idaho: Death Penalty in Kidnapping and Murder Case.” The story ended, “Jurors viewed a videotape Mr. Duncan had made of his sexually abusing, torturing and hanging Dylan.” This grieves me to my core. What is the world like that created such a person? And what must it have been like to see this videotape? And in what way does killing one more person do anything but make the world more murderous?

Closer to home, the Belleville News-Democrat informs me of the case against the Catholic Diocese of Belleville that has just resulted in a 5 million dollar settlement against the Diocese from a man who had been sexually abused by a priest after the diocese had known of multiple similar allegations against him and yet transferred him without warning his new parishes. In the Church’s defense, “Former Belleville Bishop Gregory says key documents about sex abuse were kept from him.” Testimony revealed that an official of the diocese “knew about detailed reports that Kownacki [the priest in question], had raped a 16-year-old girl and aborted her fetus with his hands,” but did not tell the new bishop.

Now I am really sad. First, sad for these victims. Then sad for those involved who now must see how their actions contributed to the problem.

UNITED STATES
The Washington Times

Julia Duin
Thursday, August 28, 2008

When I attended my first meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in November 1986, I was very conscious of about 300 men, all dressed in black, scurrying about on very important business.

And then there was I, a religion writer for the Houston Chronicle who had no idea of what was going on.

Back then, the man who headed the press office for the bishops was Russell Shaw, always a helpful soul when I needed guidance on what was what.

His new book, "Nothing to Hide: Secrecy, Communication and the Communion in the Catholic Church," is an amazing read, considering the author was in the belly of the beast for 18 years.

His beef: Despite extravagant promises made in 2002 in the aftermath of the clergy sex-abuse scandal, the doings of the U.S. Catholic Church are as impenetrable as ever. A case in point: the twice-yearly bishops' business meetings.

AUSTRALIA
Wikinews Reports

The school at the center of child-sex allegations, St Stanislaus College in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia has removed a newsletter recommending Penthouse magazine as recommended reading for teenage boys. On the schools website, the newsletter has been replaced by a copy which omits these comments.

In the same newsletter, principal of the college John Edwards informs the school community that The Daily Telegraph had contacted him regarding sex abuse allegations.

AUSTRALIA
Daily Telegraph

By Gemma Jones

August 29, 2008 12:00am

A CONVICTED paedophile teacher from St Stanislaus College is assisting police with an investigation into allegation of a child sex ring at the school.

Stephen Joseph Wade broke his silence yesterday through lawyer Mark Walsh to say he now held concerns about a former priest from the school who is facing 33 child sex charges.

Priests, teachers 'in paedophile ring'

Wade served 15 months for his own sex attack on a then Year 7 student in 1986, which was around the same time Brian Spillane, 65, from Riverwood, is alleged to have committed the offences.

Wade said yesterday he was worried his life would be ruined by the new airing of his crime.

ELKHORN (WI)
Janesville Gazette

By TED SULLIVAN Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008

ELKHORN — A Lake Geneva teen attended youth group in the 1970s to learn about God and Christianity, but she claims a counselor had sex with her after playing a “trust” game.

The woman, now 49, for the first time Wednesday confronted the man accused of assaulting her, pointing toward him in Walworth County Court, saying he had sex with her 34 years ago when she was 15 and 16.

“It happened multiple times,” she testified during a preliminary hearing.

Russell J. Lesser, 63, Bryson City, N.C., is accused of having sex with the woman 40 to 60 times, including one time at his house on the girl’s prom night, according to the criminal complaint.

GRAND RAPIDS (MI)
Muskegon Chronicle

Posted by Chronicle News Service August 28, 2008 07:14AM

GRAND RAPIDS -- After emotional testimony from a pair of teenage sisters, a Catholic priest with local ties, who already is in prison following an Internet sex sting, now faces trial here for allegedly molesting the girls.

The Rev. Shamaun Beas, 39, on Wednesday was ordered to stand trial in Kent County Circuit Court on two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.

Beas earlier had worked out a plea deal to exchange a guilty plea for the alleged molestation of one of the sisters for a one-year jail sentence. But a Circuit Court judge last month rejected that deal -- and Beas then took back his guilty plea -- sending the case against the Pakistan native back to Rockford District Court.

BELLEVILLE (IL)
My Fox St. Louis

By Chris Regnier

(KTVI - myFOXstl) --
A multi-million dollar verdict Wednesday against the Belleville Diocese in the case of a child abused by a predator priest in the 1970's.

That victim Jim Wisniewski is now 47 years old and living in Champaign, Illinois.

He's married with two adult kids.

PENNSYLVANIA
Voice from the Desert

The following Letter to the Editor of the Morning Call (Allentown, PA) seems to indicate that the Bishop of Allentown, PA owns three properties, two of them at the New Jersey Shore, worth $2.35 Million.

Of course, the bishop may have been born into money or made a bundle before entering Holy Orders.

On the other hand, do the people of the Allentown diocese know of these three properties? Do they care? Are there any hungry people in Allentown that could be helped if the bishop sold one or two or all three of the properties and gave the money to the poor?

BELLEVILLE (IL)
Illinois Lawyer Blog

Posted On: August 27, 2008 by Mark P. Loftus

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, there was some absolutely jaw-dropping testimony yesterday in a clergy sex abuse case trial currently underway in St. Clair County, Illinois. James Wisniewski, 47, is suing the Belleville, Illinois Diocese for for damages arising out of the years of sexual abuse committed upon him by Rev. Raymond Kownacki in the 1970's. Wisniewski has testified that Kownacki abused him some 40-50 times over a 5 year period beginning in 1973. Wisniewski further testified that Kownacki told him that the church "condoned" sexual abuse of minors and that if Wisniewski told anyone about the abuse, Kownacki would kill the boy's parents and ruin their business. To drive home the point, Kownacki showed Wisniewski a handgun. In addition, there has been evidence that Kownacki raped a 16 year old girl and aborted her fetus with his hands.

AMITE (LA)
The Advocate

By DEBRA LEMOINE
Advocate Florida parishes bureau
Published: Aug 28, 2008 - Page: 1B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

AMITE — The elder son of Louis D. Lamonica said on the witness stand Wednesday that his thoughts of being raped by his father and others are fuzzy because he made them up.

As they did in a previous trial, both of Lamonica’s sons recanted on the witness stand their previous allegations that they had been sexually abused by their father.

Lamonica, 49, of Hammond, on trial for the aggravated rape of his two sons, is a former pastor of the now-defunct Hosanna Church in Ponchatoula. Seven members of the Hosanna Church congregation were indicted in 2005 on charges of sexually abusing three children.

IRELAND
Irish Independent

By John Walshe Education Editor

Thursday August 28 2008

Teachers are on a collision course with the Catholic Church over the future control of new primary schools.

The Church will today launch a strong defence of denominational schools, but the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) says separate schools for different faiths are not needed in new areas.

It is the first major public disagreement about who will run the up to 400 new schools which will open over the next decade, catering for 100,000 additional pupils.

GREEN BAY (WI)
Green Bay Press-Gazette

August 28, 2008

For Catholics in Northeastern Wisconsin, a new era begins today. And because members of the faith are so numerous here, today's events are likely to have a wide-ranging impact.

David Ricken completes the journey that began in early July, when Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as the new bishop of Green Bay. For the past eight years, Ricken has served that role for the Diocese of Wyoming, in the Rocky Mountain territory where he has spent most of his life. ...

The test of his mettle in more sobering issues will come soon enough. The Midwest director for The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests has already sent Ricken a letter, urging the new bishop during his first 100 days to release more records regarding past cases of sexual assault by clerics in the Green Bay Diocese.

Ricken said the issue is "a big priority for bishops throughout the country" and added, "I hope I can be actively engaged in a healing process that actually works." It's clear SNAP will hold him to those statements.

OREGON
SNAP-Great Plains

What:
Walk Across Oregon to raise awareness about child sex abuse.

Where:
We will start in Ashland, Oregon, on September 1, 2008, and end in Portland tentatively on September 29, 2008.

Who:
Survivors of sex abuse and clergy abuse, family members or survivors and supporters from the community.

- - Wintre's Wishes ( www.wintreswishes.org)

- - Compassionate Gathering (www.compassionategathering.org)

- - National Association to Prevent Sex Abuse of Children (www.napsac.org)

ST. LOUIS (MO)
St. Clair County Journal

By J.W. Campbell
Wednesday, August 27, 2008 9:16 AM CDT

The St. Clair County Sheriff's Department continues to investigate a former volunteer with connections to an area youth ministry after a second round of sexual assault charges were leveled against him on Aug. 21.

Terrance Jenkins, 36, of East St. Louis, was charged in connection with the August 2006 sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl. The most recent charges come on the heels of a July 23 arrest of Jenkins for the alleged sexual abuse of a 7-year-old girl in December 2007.

"Any time you have allegations of two separate incidents involving criminal sexual assault, it's natural to investigate further to see if there are additional incidents," said Capt. Steve Johnson of the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department. "Right now, our investigation is ongoing. I can't say much more than that. I'm not allowed to comment on evidence nor can I say more about the victims."Investigation into the latest allegations began shortly after a complaint was filed with the Sheriff's Department in December 2006.

CANADA
London Free Press

By JANE SIMS

Disgraced Baptist pastor Royden Wood seemed unconcerned he may end up in jail next week.

With a bravado he showed during his trial, Wood, 58, the former senior pastor at the now-defunct Ambassador Baptist Church, said he "enjoyed jail" outside court after his sentencing hearing yesterday.

"It was fun. It doesn't scare me a bit," he said, his wife Linda by his side.

CANADA
Ottawa Sun

By TREVOR PRITCHARD, Sun Media

CORNWALL, Ont. — A former eastern Ontario bishop withheld documents from police that showed one of his priests was on probation for abusing boys in the U.S., a long-running sexual abuse probe heard Wednesday.

Eugene LaRocque told the Cornwall Public Inquiry he still complied fully with all the requests he received from officers with the Ontario Provincial Police’s Project Truth team, even if he didn’t volunteer additional information.

“I was asked for a photograph — I gave them a photograph. I was asked for a curriculum vitae — I gave them a curriculum vitae,” said LaRocque, who ran the Alexandria-Cornwall Roman Catholic Diocese from 1974 until 2002.

AUSTRALIA
Central Western Daily

BY JANICE HARRIS
28/08/2008 12:20:00 PM
ORANGE’s Catholic community has been shocked by revelations a police investigation is underway into alleged sexual abuse and gross acts of indecency against former students of St Stanislaus College in Bathurst.

A police probe into the claims involves three former staff, St Stanislaus College principal John Edwards says.

A 65-year-old former priest at the private school is facing 33 charges, following allegations of a paedophile ring comprising priests and teachers at the school during the 1980s.

For decades many Orange parents have sent their sons to the all-boys college in Bathurst, as weekly boarders or travelling daily by bus.

BELLEVILLE (IL)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

By Nicholas J.C. Pistor
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
08/28/2008

BELLEVILLE — A St. Clair County jury on Wednesday evening ordered the Belleville Diocese to pay $5 million to a former Salem altar boy who claimed he was sexually abused by a priest decades ago.

The verdict is believed to be the largest jury award in a local priest-abuse case.

The jury found that the diocese conspired to hush sex abuse allegations and allowed the priest free rein in the diocese — even after, court records show, church officials knew he couldn't control his sexual urges toward young boys and girls.

VERMONT
Times Argus

August 28, 2008

By Kevin O'Connor Rutland Herald

BURLINGTON — A judge declared a mistrial Wednesday after a Chittenden Superior Court jury remained deadlocked on whether Vermont's Catholic Church was negligent in hiring and supervising a pedophile priest.

A five-man, seven-woman panel had deliberated for 16 hours over three days when Judge Matthew Katz received a note at noon saying, "We do not agree and can no longer proceed. Question — how do we proceed?"

The judge's answer: "I don't have a magic bullet — I'm going to declare a mistrial." ...

"There was a lot of opinion, a lot of confusion, a lot of emotion, a lot of minds that were not made up as to the charge of negligence," said one juror, who asked not to be identified. "In the spirit of cooperation, we moved on to talking about dollars."

VERMONT
Boston Globe

By John Curran
Associated Press / August 28, 2008

BURLINGTON, Vt. - A mistrial was declared yesterday after jurors deadlocked in the case of a former altar boy who sued the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, saying he had suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a parish priest 30 years ago.

Three months after a similar case led to an $8.7 million damage award against the church, jurors in Chittenden County Superior Court could not return a verdict on the suit of a Waitsfield man who said the church was partly responsible for his molestation by a priest and should be held liable for damages.

They had deliberated for 16 hours over three days.

It was a legal victory for the church, but Bishop Salvatore Matano, the spiritual leader of Vermont's 118,000 Catholics, stopped short of calling it a relief.

VERMONT
Burlington Free Press

By Sam Hemingway, Free Press Staff Writer • August 28, 2008

The case of a former altar boy allegedly molested by a priest in the late 1970s was declared a mistrial Wednesday by Judge Matthew Katz after the jury signaled that it was unable to come up with a verdict following 16 hours of deliberation.

Katz dismissed the panel shortly after noon after the jury sent him a note saying “We cannot agree and we can no longer proceed.” The judge received the note an hour after he sent his own message to the panel, imploring the jurors to keep talking.

“You’ve given it your all, and that’s all we can ask of you,” Katz told the jury.

Joseph Rossner of Essex Junction, who served as the jury foreman, said in an interview later Wednesday that the panel tried several different ways to compromise on a verdict, without success.

BELLEVILLE (IL)
News-Democrat

BY GEORGE PAWLACZYK
News-Democrat

BELLEVILLE --A jury awarded $5 million to a former altar boy Wednesday, validating arguments by his attorneys that the Rev. Raymond Kownacki sexually abused him and other youths and that top officials of the Belleville Diocese covered it up for decades.

James Wisniewski, 47, of Champaign, was awarded damages in a civil trial resulting from a lawsuit he brought in 2002. It alleged that when Wisniewski was a 13-year-old altar boy at St. Theresa's Parish in Salem in 1973, his pastor, Kownacki, began repeated sexual abuse that spanned five years.

The damages to Wisniewski include $2.4 million for compensatory losses including medical costs and emotional duress and $2.6 million for punitive damages.

AUSTRALIA
Daily Liberal

Dubbo Catholic priest Father Paul Devitt yesterday spoke in support of St Stanislaus’ College at Bathurst as police broadened an investigation into alleged sexual assaults at the prestigious boarding school 30 years ago.

A 65-year-old former priest has been charged with 33 counts of sexual assault and gross acts of indecency on five juveniles, aged between 10 and 18.

The man has faced court and is scheduled to reappear next month. Since then, more people have come forward alleging similar assaults by a paedophile ring comprising priests and teachers.

The St Stanislaus’ investigation is ongoing and people with concerns are urged to contact police.

Father Devitt stressed the alleged assaults happened during the 1970s and 80s and police were not looking into anything in the current day.

AUSTRALIA
The Age

Miki Perkins
August 28, 2008 - 9:40AM
A Catholic priest from the Melbourne archdiocese has pleaded guilty to 10 child sex and pornography charges in the County Court.

Father Edmund John Haines, 62, served the district near Geelong for 12 years, including the towns of Meredith, Winchelsea, Anakie and Bannockburn.

The Geelong resident, who is known by his middle name, pleaded guilty to six counts of committing an indecent act with a child under 16, committing an indecent act with a child aged 16 or 17 who was under his care, procuring a child to make pornography, and producing and possessing child pornography.

Haines was also a chaplain at St Joseph's College in Geelong and had worked as a priest in Papua New Guinea.

BELLEVILLE (IL)
WTHI

Associated Press - August 27, 2008 8:34 PM ET

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) - A St. Clair County jury has awarded $5 million to a man who sued the Diocese of Belleville, saying it covered up alleged sexual abuse by a priest in the 1970s.

The jury on Wednesday evening found the diocese "fraudulently concealed" James Wisniewski's (wihs-NOO'-skees) claims.

VERMONT
WCAX

Burlington, Vermont - August 27, 2008

A former altar boy's sex abuse lawsuit seeking millions in damages from the Vermont Roman Catholic Diocese ended Wednesday with a hung jury and a mistrial.

Members of the jury say they all agreed that the diocese should pay damages to the former altar boy who was molested by a Vermont priest 30 years ago. But the jurors could not agree on the amount.

The jury returned to the courtroom Wednesday afternoon after announcing they were irrevocably stalemated and unable to reach a verdict after 16 hours of deliberation over three days.

AUSTRALIA
Western Advocate

BY LOUISE EDDY
28/08/2008 8:20:00 AM
STRIKE Force Heador detectives are appealing for members of the public to come forward with information relating to an ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual abuse at St Stanislaus’ College in the 1970s and 1980s.

Thirty-three charges have already been laid against 65-year-old former priest Brian Joseph Spillane, a teacher at the school during this time.

Spillane was charged in May and has been granted conditional bail. He will appear in Bathurst Local Court on September 15.

AUSTRALIA
Western Advocate

BY BRIAN WOOD
28/08/2008 8:25:00 AM
THERE was a feeling of shock among several ex-students of St Stanislaus’ College yesterday following revelations police were investigating several former staff members over claims of sexual abuse dating back more than 20 years.

Police yesterday confirmed they were speaking to 13 people who had contacted them with allegations they were victims of abuse.

However, they would not rule out the possibility of others also coming forward as their investigations widen.

A 65-year-old former priest at the Catholic private school is facing 33 charges following investigations into allegations of a paedophile ring comprising priests and teachers at the school during the 1980s.

Local businessman Pip McIntosh attended Stannies from 1979-1984.

He said yesterday he never had any idea, or heard any rumours, of the allegations which have surfaced.

BELLEVILLE (IL)
WTHI

Associated Press - August 27, 2008 5:14 PM ET

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) - A St. Clair County jury is deliberating the case of a man suing the Diocese of Belleville over sexual abuse he says he suffered at the hands of a priest in the 1970s.

James Wisniewski's (wihs-NOO'-skee's) attorney asked jurors to award more than $5 million in damages to his client.

AUSTRALIA
ABC (AM)

AM - Wednesday, 27 August , 2008 08:03:00
Reporter: David Mark
TONY EASTLEY: The principle of St Stanislaus' College says the school is co-operating with police investigations into paedophile activity.

John Edwards is speaking here with AMs David Mark.

JOHN EDWARDS: We have very limited information. What's taken place is that a search warrant was served on the school in early July that listed the names of a number of former students and the names of three former staff members. We've assisted police in their enquiries in this matter.

DAVID MARK: Can you tell me whether those other two staff members were teachers?

JOHN EDWARDS: Um, one of them was a former teacher at the school, and the other person worked in other capacities at the school.

AUSTRALIA
New Zealand Herald

4:00AM Thursday August 28, 2008
By Greg Ansley
CANBERRA - Australia's oldest Catholic boarding school has been rocked by a sex scandal that has led to charges against one former priest and may spread to others.

St Stanislaus College in the New South Wales country city of Bathurst has promised full co-operation in a police investigation that so far includes allegations of abuse of 13 former students in the 1980s.

"It is imperative that the Catholic Church addresses issues of alleged sexual misconduct towards children as openly and as comprehensively as possible," principal John Edwards said. ...

Edwards confirmed allegations of late-night sexual abuse committed during prayers and chanting, and said he had passed internet material received several years ago to the police.

Former priest Brian Joseph Spillane, 65, appeared in Bathurst Local Court in July charged with 33 offences, including sexual intercourse with boys aged 10 to 16 under his authority, six counts of sexual intercourse with students aged 11, 12 and 13, and other offences involving gross indecency.

VERMONT
Boston Herald

By Associated Press
Wednesday, August 27, 2008

BURLINGTON, Vt. - A mistrial has been declared in the case of a former altar boy who sued the Diocese of Burlington for negligent supervision of a priest he accused of molesting him.

After about 16 hours of deliberations over three days, jurors said Wednesday they were hopelessly deadlocked.

BELLEVILLE (IL)
News-Democrat

By George Pawlaczyk

BELLEVILLE — Plaintiff's attorneys today asked for $5.6 million in damages in a civil trial where the Diocese of Belleville is accused of covering up a priest's sexual abuse of a minor.

James Wisniewski, 47, of Champaign, is suing the Diocese of Belleville for psychological damage he alleges was caused by sexual abuse beginning in 1973 when he was about 13 that was inflicted by the Rev. Raymond Kownacki.

Circuit Judge Lloyd Cueto explained instructions to the jury of 12 with two alternates. The case is expected to be given to the jury today.

VERMONT
NECN

(NECN: Burlington, VT) - A judge has declared a mistrial in the case of a former altar boy suing the Diocese of Burlington.

The man, now a 40-year-old Waitsfield resident claims he suffered sexual abuse as a child. He says the church failed to adequately supervise Reverend Edward Paquette and that Paquette molested him up to 50 times when he was a fourth-grade altar boy at Christ the King church in Burlington in the 1970s.

VERMONT
Burlington Free Press

Free Press Staff Report • August 27, 2008

BURLINGTON -- A jury that had been deadlocked since Tuesday in its deliberations in the clergy sex abuse trial was unable to come back with a verdict today.

Judge Matthew Katz this morning had suggested jurors consider how much it would award in punitive damages before it worked out compensatory damages.

The judge's suggestion was opposed by attorneys for the plaintiff and the Diocese. Jerome O'Neill, who represents the plaintiff in the case, declined to elaborate.

Kaveh Shahi, an attorney for the Diocese, said he suspected a mistrial would be declared if the jury failed to make progress.

VERMONT
WCAX

Burlington, Vermont - August 27, 2008

Jurors in the latest priest sex abuse lawsuit were unable to reach a verdict.

Jurors were deliberating the case of a 40-year-old former altar boy, who wants Vermont's Roman Catholic Diocese to pay him up to $14 million because he was molested by Reverend Edward Paquette 30 years ago.

AUSTRALIA
NEWS.com.au

August 28, 2008 12:01am

THE police sex crimes squad has been called in to investigate a flood of new abuse claims involving St Stanislaus College as a former college boarder subjected to horrific late-night prayer sessions told his story yesterday.

Dallas McInerney, 35, condemned the Bathurst school - which only this week was allegedly encouraging its students to read Penthouse magazines - for retaining the Vincentian Fathers as governors while police investigated claims up to four staff were involved in abuse of students.

School principal John Edwards confirmed yesterday the school was served with two warrants on July 2, with the names of three former staff members listed under the title "accused" and that the police were seeking documents and material from the school which was referred to as a crime scene.

AUSTRALIA
Daily Telegraph

By Gary Schoener

August 28, 2008 12:00am

OVER the years I have dealt with around 2000 victims of child sex abuse involving clergy.

I've assisted people in bringing complaints about all manner of religious organisations and groups - from Catholic dioceses to Anglican, Jewish organisations and Lutheran Synods.

Most people would be familiar with the US Catholic Church scandal uncovered in the Archdioscese of Boston involving a secret settlement of child molestation claims against at least 70 Catholic priests.

The story made world headlines with some calling it the worst crisis in the Catholic Church in 500 years.

Contrary to what most believe, most victims were known only to their attorneys and the church. Those 500-plus cases in Boston were, for the most part, not public.

VERMONT
Rutland Herald

12:39 p.m.
August 27, 2008

Staff

A mistrial has been declared in the case of a former altar boy who sued the Diocese of Burlington over sexual abuse he claimed happened to him while he was a boy.

The jury deliberation began Monday afternoon, continued throughout the day Tuesday and resumed this morning at 9:45 a.m.

AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

Dylan Welch, Linda Morris and Terry Jones
August 28, 2008

FOR years Father Brian Spillane presided over a flock of young, impressionable boys at St Stanislaus College in Bathurst.

A chaplain and a teacher, he officiated at school Masses, led the pupils in prayer and gave them religious guidance.

He also, according to allegations by 13 former students, repeatedly sexually assaulted them.

One alleged victim, who completed year 7 at the well-known Catholic boarding school in 1986 before being expelled, blew the whistle on 65-year-old Spillane's alleged sex offences.

AUSTRALIA
The Australian

Angus Hohenboken | August 28, 2008
ORGIES involving up to 60 schoolboys, priests and teachers are among allegations levelled at former staff members of a NSW Catholic boarding school.

The Seven Network last night reported claims that nine former teachers and priests from St Stanislaus College in Bathurst, in eastern NSW, had committed sexual abuse on students during "hypnotic" night prayer services in the 1980s.

An alleged victim, whose identity was withheld for legal reasons, said the number of victims involved in the encounters had grown over time.

"It started out on a one-on-one basis and then in small groups of between eight and 12, and then on one occasion there was a large group of at least 60."

INDIA
Indian Catholic

KOLLAM (ICNS): Sister Albina Mary, superior of a convent under of Kollam diocese, appealed for an anticipatory bail in Kerala High Court in a case connected with suicide of junior nun in her convent.

The senior nun in her petition on Monday pleaded for anticipatory bail saying that she is of ill health and is under treatment. Besides her ill health, her availability for investigation and willingness to cooperate with it be considered for granting her anticipatory bail, she pleaded.

The nun’s move is considered a precaution against police arresting her in connection with the Aug. 11 suicide of Sister Anoopa Mary, a 23-year old nun. The junior nun’s suicide note had accused the superior of harassing her.

AMITE (LA)
The Advocate

By DEBRA LEMOINE
Advocate Florida parishes bureau
Published: Aug 27, 2008 - Page: 1B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

AMITE — After a young boy with mental problems confided in his therapist that his father, Louis D. Lamonica, did not abuse him, the boy’s disorders only grew worse, a therapist testified in 21st Judicial District Court Tuesday.

Lamonica, 49, is being tried on four counts of aggravated rape of both of his sons when the boys were 11 years of age or younger. The former Hosanna Church pastor is the second of seven members of the now-defunct Ponchatoula church indicted in 2005 for sexually abusing children.

Most of the witnesses presented by District Attorney Don Wall on Tuesday are people to whom the boys, in spring 2005, disclosed their alleged abuse: their regular psychiatrist, a forensic pediatrician, a therapist hired by the state for the younger boy’s treatment and a recorded statement made at the Child Advocacy Center in Livingston.

VERMONT
Rutland Herald

August 27, 2008

By Kevin O'Connor Herald Staff

BURLINGTON — A jury was deadlocked Tuesday after 13 hours of deliberation on whether Vermont's Catholic Church should pay for negligence in hiring and supervising a pedophile priest.

A five-man, seven-woman panel has spent two days considering whether the statewide Roman Catholic Diocese is liable in the Chittenden Superior Court case of Thomas Murray, a 40-year-old Waitsfield man who says the former Rev. Edward Paquette abused him 20 to 50 times as an altar boy in 1977 and 1978.

The jury has a three-part job. First, it must determine whether the diocese failed to protect Murray when he was a 9-year-old parishioner at Burlington's Christ the King Church. If the jury finds negligence, it then must decide how much to award Murray in compensatory damages and, if warranted, additional punitive damages.

Shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday, Judge Matthew Katz announced that the jury, deliberating behind closed doors, sent him a note saying it couldn't agree on what to award in compensatory damages and wanted his advice.

UNITED STATES
Chiesa (Italy)

by Sandro Magister

ROMA, August 27, 2008 – On the eve of the Democratic party convention in Denver, the party's candidate for president of the United States, Barack Obama, chose a Catholic as his vice presidential running mate, Senator Joseph Biden (in the photo).

The choice immediately reignited the controversy over whether or not Eucharistic communion should be given to pro-abortion Catholic politicians.

Biden is one of these. The son of working class Irish parents, as a boy he thought about entering the seminary and has his rosary always in his pocket. He goes to Mass every Sunday and receives communion at his parish, St. Joseph's in Greenville, Delaware.

But as a politician, he has always vigor