PROVIDENCE (RI)
NEPA News
By RICHARD C. LEWIS, Associated Press Writer, The Associated Press May 31, 2005
Thomas Tobin was installed on Tuesday as bishop of Providence, becoming the spiritual leader of the nation's most Catholic state.
In his first address, Tobin urged Catholics to be disciples in the tradition of Jesus, and dwelt on the church's fundamental principles, including preserving human life at all stages and a commitment to heterosexual marriage. ...
Considered a theological conservative, the 57-year-old Pittsburgh native was praised during his years in Ohio for his handling of the clergy sex abuse crisis and his dedication to the church.
Outside the church before the service began, a handful of people silently held signs with the pictures of young men who they say were abused by Catholic priests. Patricia Shanley, a practicing Catholic from Providence, said she wanted the new bishop to forthrightly deal with the clergy abuse scandal and be committed to reform agreed upon by Catholic leaders.
"We are the church," the 62-year-old Shanley said. "It's not just the hierarchy."
HOUSTON (TX)
Vermont Guardian
HOUSTON — The Vatican has asked the U.S. State Department to declare Pope Benedict XVI immune from a sexual abuse lawsuit filed in Houston, according to court documents obtained by the Houston Chronicle. On May 20, a church official contacted the State Department, requesting that it notify a Houston federal court of the pope's immunity as the head of a foreign state.
The lawsuit, filed by three anonymous plaintiffs, accuses the pope, then acting as a cardinal, of conspiring to cover up the alleged abuse. The suit names a former seminary student as the alleged abuser.
In a confidential letter sent to every Catholic bishop in May 2001 (Vermont Guardian, April 29), then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger issued an order ensuring the church's investigations into child sex abuse claims be carried out in secret. Lawyers for abuse victims claim it was designed to prevent allegations from becoming public knowledge or being investigated by the police.
Other stories posted earlier on May 31, 2005 can be found in the archive for this month. The change was made due to system maintenance. Look for Abuse Tracker archives at the left of the web site and click onto the second listing for May 2005.
VERMONT
WCAX
Waterbury, Vermont - May 31, 2005
The sex abuse scandal that rocked the Catholic Church led to new rules for priests and all other clergy across Vermont. Any person who performs official duties for a church or religious body, must report cases of abuse to the state. Now the Vermont Department for Children and Families is training clergy on how it all works.
Classes were held inside the Vermont State Colleges building in Waterbury. The students -- clergy members.
"We want to help the families in our congregation and children," said one Minister.
The group learned about a law affecting each of them regardless of faith. Under Vermont's Child Abuse Reporting Law, all clergy became mandatory reporters.
LOS ANGELES (CA)
Monterey Herald
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - A retired Roman Catholic priest will stand trial next week for allegedly molesting a boy in the 1990s.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin June 9 in the case against Michael Wempe, who faces three counts of committing a lewd act on a child and one count of oral copulation of a person under 16.
The current case stems from charges filed in September, months after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling voided 42 other sexual abuse allegations against Wempe. The alleged victim, now in his mid-20s, is the brother of two previous alleged victims.