October 31, 2006

Church 'covered up' sex assaults

AUSTRALIA
The Australian

Kevin Meade
November 01, 2006
THE father of a teenage boy who was sexually molested by an Anglican priest complained to church authorities in 1976, but the pedophile was forgiven and later employed at Brisbane's prestigious "Churchie" school, where he taught until 2002.

Details of the church cover-up emerged in the Brisbane District Court yesterday after the priest, Robert Francis Sharwood, pleaded guilty to seven charges of indecently assaulting the boy, who was 13 when the two-year sexual molestation started.

The court heard that when the victim, now 46, complained to the police in 2003, he was influenced by the revelations of the Toowoomba sex abuse trial that led to the resignation of former Anglican archbishop of Brisbane Peter Hollingworth as governor-general.

Sharwood, 62, pleaded not guilty yesterday to five other charges including sodomy, gross indecency and indecent assault. His trial on those charges began yesterday. Prosecutor Ron Swanwick said Sharwood and his victim, now a university lecturer, had hundreds of sexual encounters between 1974 and 1976.

Posted by kshaw at 04:14 PM

Davenport Diocese slashes budget

DAVENPORT (IA)
Gazette

By: Gregg Hennigan - The Gazette
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport, which filed for bankruptcy earlier this month, will cut its budget by 7.6 percent and is seeking donations to help pay for the installation ceremony of its new bishop, according to the diocese newspaper.

The Catholic Messenger reported the diocese is looking for ways to cut $276,000 from its $3.64 million budget because of the bankruptcy filing.

The newspaper also reported that parishes will take up second collections during Masses on two weekends in November to help pay for the installation ceremony of the new bishop. All diocese priests are also being asked to contribute to the event.

Posted by kshaw at 04:12 PM

Pontiff's act of contrition provides little succour for the many victims of abuse

IRELAND
Irish Independent

IT has taken Pope Benedict XVI a full calendar year to comment on the Ferns Report that published shocking details of child sex abuses or alleged abuses by 26 priests in the small Wexford diocese.

While the Pope's belated act of contrition and expression of personal hurt are to be welcomed, his statement of regret has not been accompanied by a firm purpose of amendment.

This is in part due to the indirect manner of the Pope's remarks to the Irish public - made through a press statement issued some hours after the new Bishop of Ferns, Denis Brennan, had met the Pontiff at a private audience in the Vatican.

While Bishop Brennan's well-meaning press release was designed to restore confidence in the local clergy and laity, its pious tone does not convey any real insight into the policies being pursued by the Pope to eradicate the scourge of priestly rape of children in Church care.

Posted by kshaw at 07:28 AM

Robinson is denied release on bond

TOLEDO (OH)
Toledo Blade

By MARK REITER
BLADE STAFF WRITER

Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Thomas Osowik yesterday denied convicted murderer Gerald Robinson's request to be released from a state prison while the appeal of his conviction for killing a nun in 1980 works its way through the courts.

Judge Osowik flatly rejected the motion of Robinson's attorney, John Donahue, who asked that the 68-year-old priest be released on a $250,000 property bond. The ruling stems from a motion that Mr. Donahue filed two weeks ago questioning the circumstantial evidence and testimony that jurors considered to convict Robinson on May 11 for the murder of Sister Margaret Ann Pahl.

The request from the attorney included an affidavit by Robinson, who swore under oath that he didn't kill the 71-year-old nun April 5, 1980, the day before Easter, in the chapel at the former Mercy Hospital near downtown Toledo. She was preparing the chapel for the Holy Saturday vigil services that were scheduled to be celebrated later that day.

Posted by kshaw at 06:57 AM

Monk gets prison term for soliciting child sex

LOS ANGELES (CA)
Los Angeles Times

From Times staff and wire reports
October 31, 2006

A 61-year-old Catholic monk was sentenced Monday to five years in federal prison after admitting that he used the Internet to solicit sex from children.

Earl John Place was living in a Mexico City monastery when he tried to get what he thought was a 13-year-old boy from the U.S. to come to Mexico for sex. The "boy" was an undercover agent from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

Posted by kshaw at 06:48 AM

Irish Primate Thanks Pope for Concern in Abuse Cases

VATICAN CITY
Zenit

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 30, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The primate of all Ireland thanked Benedict XVI for his continuing support in seeking to bring healing to those affected by the painful tragedy of child abuse.

"Holy Father," said Archbishop Sean Brady of Armagh, "no issue has received more time or attention from the Irish episcopal conference than the agonizing problem of responding to those who have had their trust betrayed, their lives devastated and often their faith destroyed by sexual abuse inflicted on them by some priests and religious."

He continued: "This abuse has been a source of great scandal and discouragement to the whole Catholic community, including a great majority of priests and religious who continue to strive to lives of holiness and selfless service in the name of the Lord."

Posted by kshaw at 06:36 AM

Johnston trial to move

MISSOURI
Neosho Daily News

By John Ford / Daily News Associate Editor
Published: Monday, October 30, 2006 4:58 PM CST

Trial for George Otis Johnson, the Granby pastor facing 17 felony sexual abuse counts in Newton County, could move as far away as Sikeston or St. Joseph.

During a pre-trial conference today before Circuit Court Judge Timothy Perigo, defense attorney Andy Wood asked for a change of venue with a 200-mile minimum distance from Newton County. The change of venue was automatically granted in accordance with the Missouri Supreme Court, said Perigo.

Wood requested the distance stipulation because of publicity in the case, which has garnered national and international attention.

“The court is aware of the case,” Wood said. “We would like to have a fair and impartial jury.”

Posted by kshaw at 06:34 AM

Steuben pastor faces sex abuse charges

WOODHULL (NY)
Star-Gazette

By Larry Wilson
lwilson@stargazette.com
Star-Gazette Corning Bureau
October 31, 2006

WOODHULL -- David J. Troup, pastor of the Borden Baptist Church, has been jailed on felony sexual abuse charges.

State police from Painted Post arrested the 39-year-old Troup, who lives in Painted Post, on Saturday evening following an investigation that lasted less than a week.

Investigator Curt Eaton said the investigation began last week after state police received a report from the New York Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment in Albany.

Eaton declined to say whether the children reported the alleged incidents to their parents or to other adults.

Posted by kshaw at 06:31 AM

Baptist pastor charged with sex abuse of children

WOODHULL (NY)
WCAX

WOODHULL, N.Y. A Baptist pastor has been accused of sexually abusing two boys under the age of eleven.

Thirty-nine-year-old David Troup leads the Borden Baptist Church in Woodhull, about 75 miles south of Rochester. He was arrested this weekend and charged with felony sexual abuse.

Posted by kshaw at 06:29 AM

Pope tells Irish bishops to find the truth, prevent priestly abuse

VATICAN CITY
Catholic News Service

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI said priestly sexual abuse of minors was a "heart-rending" tragedy that requires an effort of purification by the church.

Addressing Ireland's bishops at the Vatican Oct. 28, the pope encouraged them to establish the truth of past sex abuse cases, take steps to prevent future crimes and bring healing to the victims.

"The wounds caused by such acts run deep, and it is an urgent task to rebuild confidence and trust where these have been damaged," the pope said.

Posted by kshaw at 06:27 AM

Priest accused of abusing teen in 1970s

AUSTRALIA
The Sydney Morning Herald

October 31, 2006 - 6:39PM

A passion for music evolved into a relationship involving hundreds of sexual encounters between an Anglican priest and a teenage boy more than 30 years ago, a court has heard.

Robert Francis Sharwood, 62, of Brisbane, faced the Brisbane District Court on 12 sexual assault charges alleged to have occurred between January, 1974, and March, 1976, while he was an assistant curate at a parish in Brisbane's south-west.

Sharwood has pleaded guilty to seven of the charges but a jury is set to determine whether he is guilty of the remaining five, including one count of carnal knowledge and two counts of indecent assault.

The court was told the complainant, now 46 and who cannot be named, was only 13 and a young parishioner who played the organ at the parish when the inappropriate relationship started.

Posted by kshaw at 06:23 AM

October 30, 2006

Borden Pastor arrested on sex abuse charges

BORDEN (NY)
Star-Gazette

Star-Gazette
October 30, 2006

State Police in Painted Post have arrested David J. Troup, 39, the pastor of Borden Baptist Church, on two counts of sexual abuse.

Police said an investigation revealed that Troup, of Painted Post, subjected two children less than 11 years old, to sexual contact.

Troup was arraigned in Erwin Town Court and remanded to Steuben County Jail on $10,000 cash or $20,000 property bond bail on each charge.

Posted by kshaw at 11:16 AM

Only top lawyer good enough for high-roller priest

FLORIDA
Irish Independent

HE has been accused of spending millions of dollars of church funds on girlfriends, gambling and holidays.

But Fr Francis Guinan's love for the trappings of wealth shows no sign of abating.

The Offaly-born priest, one of two Irish clerics accused of stealing $8.6m from a church in Florida, returned to America from a month-long holiday cruise in Australia last week to finally face charges.

But the lawyer he has hired to defend him won't come cheap. David Roth is considered the best criminal defence lawyer in Florida, and the man whom the wealthy go to when there is trouble and bad publicity.

Posted by kshaw at 04:46 AM

Text: address of Pope to Irish Bishops

VATICAN
Independent Catholic News

On Saturday, Pope Benedict delivered the following address to the Irish Bishop at the start of their ad Limina visit to Rome..

Dear Brother Bishops,

In the words of a traditional Irish greeting, a hundred thousand welcomes to you, the Bishops of Ireland, on the occasion of your ad Limina visit. As you venerate the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul, may you draw inspiration from the courage and vision of these two great saints, who so faithfully led the way in the Church's mission of proclaiming Christ to the world. ...

In the exercise of your pastoral ministry, you have had to respond in recent years to many heart-rending cases of sexual abuse of minors. These are all the more tragic when the abuser is a cleric. The wounds caused by such acts run deep, and it is an urgent task to rebuild confidence and trust where these have been damaged. In your continuing efforts to deal effectively with this problem, it is important to establish the truth of what happened in the past, to take whatever steps are necessary to prevent it from occurring again, to ensure that the principles of justice are fully respected and, above all, to bring healing to the victims and to all those affected by these egregious crimes.

Posted by kshaw at 04:36 AM

US Bishops Vote on Abuse Study Funding Proposals

UNITED STATES
The Universe

Posted on October 30, 2006

By The Universe: US bishops will vote next month on a proposal to release one-third of the money earmarked to study the causes of clergy sexual abuse of minors in this country.

Bishops accepted a proposal from by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice to conduct the study last November. If the proposal is accepted, $335,000 will be used to underwrite the first three segments of the research.

The first part of the study will look at the historical context and influences on the problem, while the second component will focus on Church response to cases of sexual abuse.

Posted by kshaw at 04:25 AM

LI Catholics praise pope's comments on sex scandal

LONG ISLAND (NY)
Newsday

BY BRANDON BAIN
Newsday Staff Writer

October 30, 2006

Many Long Island Catholics were pleased with Pope Benedict XVI's remarks in which he called clerical sex abuse cases in the Catholic Church "egregious crimes" that had damaged the church.

"I'm glad he decided to come out to address this," said Al Basile, who with his wife, Mary Ann, was on their way to celebrate Mass at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre yesterday.

Others said it was long overdue.

"It's about time," said Jeffrey Grant, who had just attended Mass.

In an attempt to "rebuild confidence and trust," Benedict, who has rarely spoken openly about sex abuse cases, on Saturday addressed a group of bishops from Ireland.

Posted by kshaw at 04:21 AM

Pope requests help for victims of pederast priest

VATICAN
Dominican Today

THE VATICAN.- Pope Benedict XVI requested yesterday that the principles of justice are respected and help for the victims in a case involving a pederast priest.

He made the request at the meeting he held with a group of Irish Bishops who are visiting the Vatican.

Benedict XVI explained that the cases of abuse "are still more tragic when the culprit is a man of the church" and insisted that "the principles of justice be totally respected and, most importantly, that support be provided to the victims and all those that have been affected by these enormous crimes".

Posted by kshaw at 04:15 AM

Gozitan priest will be called to Miami to give testimony

MALTA
di-ve news

by Andrew Galea, di-ve news (drew_g@di-ve.com)

GOZO, Malta (di-ve news)-- October 29, 2006 -- 1630CET--The Gozitan priest accused of sexually abusing underage boys will be called to Miami to give testimony in court once the case goes to trial.

The legal team representing an unnamed 41-year-old man who has filed a $10 million civil lawsuit against the Miami Archdiocese has confirmed its intentions to call Fr. Mercieca to the witness stand.

The lawsuit charges the Miami Archdiocese with negligence in allowing Fr. Mercieca to have had "unfettered" contact with young boys despite having a "history of sexual perversity and inappropriate contact with children".

The plaintiff claims Fr. Mercieca lured him to the top of the church's bell tower as a 12- to 13-year-old altar boy, and performed oral sex on him despite protestations from the boy.

Posted by kshaw at 04:12 AM

October 29, 2006

Church says sorry to bullied priests

AUSTRALIA
Adelaide Now

COLIN JAMES
October 29, 2006 11:15pm

ANGLICAN priests "silenced, bullied or threatened" when they tried to report child sex abuse have received a public apology.

The annual Synod of the Diocese of Adelaide has endorsed a report urging it to "acknowledge and apologise for the distress experienced by some clergy who attempted to report abuse in the past and were silenced, bullied or threatened".

The apology was among measures approved by Synod at the weekend to overhaul the church's handling of child sex abuse allegations, including the adoption of a new code of conduct for priests, church officials and church workers.

The strategy - developed over 12 months by a special working party - included the introduction of mandatory reporting of child abuse to church and welfare authorities.

Archbishop Jeffrey Driver yesterday described the measures as "one of the best models for best practice in professional conduct of any diocese in Australia".

Posted by kshaw at 10:58 AM

Purge sex abuse, Pope tells bishops

VATICAN CITY
The Australian

Natasha Bita, Florence
October 30, 2006
POPE Benedict XVI has told Catholic leaders to stamp out clerical pedophilia and uncover the truth behind claims of past sexual abuse in the church.

In his first public criticism of clerical abuse since his election as Pope last year, the German-born Pontiff said the "egregious crimes" caused deep wounds.

Bishops must find out the truth, seek justice and do whatever was necessary to prevent abuse happening again, he said.

"In the exercise of your pastoral ministry, you have had to respond in recent years to many heart-rending cases of sexual abuse of minors," the Pope told a group of Irish bishops visiting the Vatican at the weekend.

Posted by kshaw at 10:55 AM

Popeless

IRELAND
One in Four

Daily Mirror

Fury as pontiff refuses to say sorry over the Ferns child abuse scandal

Top child protection activist Colm O’Gorman has slammed Pope Benedict XVI for filing to apologise for the Ferns sex abuse scandal

The Pontiff expressed his regret and horror at the systematic abuse of children in the Ferns Diocese of Co Wexford.

But he refused to say sorry to the children who were tortured and also failed to implement measures to prevent similar things from happening again.

Posted by kshaw at 07:46 AM

Ferns statement: full text

IRELAND
One in Four

The Irish Times

The following is the full text of the statement issued yesterday by Fr John Carroll, Diocese of Ferns communications office director.

Today, Thursday October 26th, 2006, as part of the procedure of the visit of the Irish Episcopal Conference Ad limina apostolorum, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, received in audience the Most Reverend Denis Brennan, Bishop of Ferns.

The Holy Father expressed to Bishop Brennan his deep sorrow and distress at the suffering endured by the victims of child sexual abuse involving some priests of the Diocese of Ferns.

Posted by kshaw at 07:42 AM

2 jurors recount how panel found Robinson guilty

TOLEDO (OH)
Toledo Blade

By DAVID YONKE
BLADE RELIGION EDITOR

Retired Catholic priest Gerald Robinson’s recent sworn statement that he did not kill Sister Margaret Ann Pahl did not impress two of the jurors who convicted him of her murder.

If Robinson were innocent, why didn’t the priest — in a videotaped interrogation shown in court — or any of his four attorneys say so during the trial, asked two jurors in an interview with The Blade.

Beth Como, 53, of Holland, the jury foreman, and Cathy Shrader, 59, of Toledo, were among the 12 jurors who found the 68-year-old Roman Catholic priest guilty of murder in the 1980 slaying of Sister Margaret Ann.

The 71-year-old Sister of Mercy nun was strangled, then stabbed 31 times in the sacristy of Mercy Hospital on April 5, 1980.

The Lucas County Common Pleas Court jury announced its verdict on May 11, just over six hours after deliberations began. After the trial ended, the jury decided as a group not to talk about the case with the media, which included national publications, television, and cable networks.

Posted by kshaw at 07:29 AM

A Moment in Time: Don’t just blame the priest, blame priestly conditions too

MALTA
The Malta Independent

by Charles Flores

I doubt whether there would have been such neighbourly solidarity, even within the minuscule community of Gozo, with the Rev. Anthony Mercieca had he not been a priest. As a normal individual admitting to abusing a minor as far back as the 1960s would have meant instant condemnation, swift legal proceedings and the inevitable stigma on the rest of his family and loved ones.

In fact, the Mercieca case came to the fore very much at the same time that our Law Courts were trying a no less delicate case involving two brothers and minors entrusted to their care. Not only have the brothers received lengthy prison sentences, but there was a general feeling of repugnance, and rightly so. An individual’s sexuality is strictly his private business, but when involves children and/or adolescents, there hardly remains any place for compassion.

Over the past 10 years, a large number of paedophile cases involving priests, monks, nuns and members of strict religious organisations have surfaced all over the world, from Ireland to Australia, Central Europe to the United States, putting the Vatican in such a quandary as to provoke it into committing several glaring mistakes of both omission and shocking nonchalance. It is an accepted fact that even the present Pope is on record as having swept certain notorious cases under the convenient carpet in the not so distant past.

Posted by kshaw at 07:13 AM

Come on, it was only fondling

MALTA
The Malta Independent

by Daphne Caruana Galizia

Fr Anthony Mercieca, the priest at the centre of the Mark Foley storm, told American reporters that he had been naked in a sauna with 13-year-old Foley, massaged him, gone skinny-dipping with him, slept naked in the same room with him on overnight trips, “taught him some wrong things about sex”, fondled him, and even, on one night, might have gone further, but he doesn’t remember because he was on tranquillisers and alcohol at the time because he had a nervous breakdown, and the whole thing is a blur. Then he said that the relationship wasn’t sexual, because there wasn’t any penetration. “It was just fondling,” he told WPTV of West Palm Beach, Florida. The last person to make that kind of distinction to the US media was Bill Clinton, who infamously said of his relationship with Monica Lewinsky: “I did not have sex with that woman.”

Posted by kshaw at 07:08 AM

EXCLUSIVE: RANDY REV PREYED ON ME.. IN HIS WIFE'S CAR

UNITED KINGDOM
Sunday Mirror

By Sarah Arnold And Amy Nelmes
IN his starched dog collar and formal cassock, the Reverend Alastair Kendall was the very picture of propriety.

Over tea and biscuits, he mingled with his parishioners after preaching on how to be a good Christian.

But there was one of the Ten Commandments he couldn't keep himself: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife.

For while married Rev Kendall, 51, appeared pious to the congregation, one member of his close-knit flock has a very different story to tell.

Worshipper Marie Perrett claims the vicar seduced her and would whisper at church meetings: "Can't wait to get back to yours later."

Posted by kshaw at 07:04 AM

Minister's retrial on sex-abuse charges set to begin in Pa.

PENNSYLVANIA
The Virginian-Pilot

By MICHELLE WASHINGTON, The Virginian-Pilot
October 29, 2006

A former minister whose child sexual abuse convictions were overturned on appeal will stand trial again in Pennsylvania beginning Monday.

His neighbors in Norfolk are angry that the retrial took so long.

Lane C. Hurley, the former minister of First Christian Church in Ghent, faces charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault and corruption of the morals of a minor. The trial will take place in Carlisle, Pa., where he is accused of molesting his niece during the summer of 1997, when she was 10.

Hurley was convicted of the crimes in 2003, but a Pennsylvania court granted him a new trial on grounds that his lawyer did not effectively represent him. Hurley has maintained his innocence.

Posted by kshaw at 06:40 AM

Levy to hurt parishes

AUSTRALIA
Adelaide Now

October 28, 2006 11:15pm

ADELAIDE'S Anglican Archbishop says a levy to cover $5 million in sex-abuse claims will hurt small parishes.

The church will hit its parishes with a 1 per cent levy each year for 10 years to meet claims against priests, church officials and church workers.
In a majority vote at its annual conference yesterday, the church's synod endorsed the levy as part of a 10-year strategy to rebuild its finances.

Archbishop Jeffrey Driver said there had been almost unanimous support for the levy, even from those parishes struggling to survive.

"It was a strong indication of the synod's strong goodwill towards its responsibilities to survivors (of sexual abuse)," he said.

Posted by kshaw at 06:34 AM

Foley’s ex-priest disconnected from reality

TERRE HAUTE (IN)
The Tribune-Star

By Stephanie Salter
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — “He seemed to like it, you know? So it was sort of more like a spontaneous thing … See, abuse, it’s a bad word, you know, because abuse, you abuse someone against his will. But it involved just spontaneousness, you know?”

— The Rev. Anthony Mercieca on nude massages and “fondling” former Rep. Mark Foley when Foley was an altar boy

Before the bullet-train blur that is today’s news cycle passes, can we take just a few minutes to study the Rev. Anthony Mercieca and his role in the life of a now-disgraced United States congressman from Florida?

This isn’t about Republican and Democratic party politics. It’s about betrayal, denial, the insidiousness of the sex abuse of minors and one of the darkest chapters in the 2,000-year existence of the Catholic Church.

Mercieca may now be retired to a remote island off Malta in the Mediterranean Sea, but — until last week when he spoke openly with the news media about what he did with and to the adolescent Foley — he was a functioning priest, saying Mass and hearing confessions.

To read his admissions and his insistence that he did nothing wrong, is to question one’s ability to comprehend English.

Posted by kshaw at 06:30 AM

Church must rebuild trust

VATICAN CITY
Ottawa Sun

Sun, October 29, 2006
By AP

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI said yesterday that the church must urgently rebuild confidence and trust damaged by clerical sex abuse scandals, which have created deep wounds.

The pope made the remarks to a group of visiting bishops from Ireland, an overwhelmingly Roman Catholic nation where the church has been damaged by sex abuse scandals over the past decade.

"You have had to respond in recent years to many heart-rending cases of sexual abuse of minors," the pontiff told the bishops. "These are all the more tragic when the abuser is a cleric."

Posted by kshaw at 06:26 AM

"Wounds of sex abuse run deep," says Pope

VATICAN CITY
EuroNews

The Pope - in a meeting with Irish bishops in the Vatican - has said the wounds from sexual abuse in the Irish Church "run deep". He told the bishops that they should prevent repeat offences and rebuild trust. Revelations in Ireland in the 1990s of systematic sexual abuse by priests over decades shattered faith in the Church.

"In the exercise of your pastoral ministry, you have had to respond in recent years to many heart-rending cases of sexual abuse of minors. These are all the more tragic when the abuser is a cleric. The wounds caused by such acts run deep," said the Pope.

Posted by kshaw at 06:21 AM

Episcopal Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr. is under fire over his brother's misconduct.

PENNSYLVANIA
Philadelphia Inquirer

By David O'Reilly
Inquirer Staff Writer
Episcopal Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr. is used to church conservatives' denouncing him as a "false teacher" and a "heretic" because of his liberal views on gay clergy, gay marriage and Scripture.

Now moderates and fellow liberals in his five-county, 55,000-member Diocese of Pennsylvania are taking the gloves off, too.

Saying they are frustrated with his financial practices and "imperious" management style, some clergy and lay leaders are seeking to oust the 62-year-old bishop with evidence that he concealed his brother's sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl more than 30 years ago.

The abuse occurred under Bennison's watch; his brother, John, served as youth director of the California parish where Charles Bennison was rector.

Posted by kshaw at 06:19 AM

Gozitan priest to be called to Miami to give testimony

MALTA
The Malta Independent

The Gozitan priest embroiled in accusations of sexual abuse involving underage boys will be called to Miami to give testimony in court, once the case goes to trial.

Speaking to The Malta Independent on Sunday, the legal team representing an unnamed 41-year-old man who has filed a

$10 million civil lawsuit against the Miami Archdiocese has confirmed its intentions to call Fr Mercieca to the witness stand.

The lawsuit charges the Miami Archdiocese with negligence in allowing Fr Mercieca to have had “unfettered” contact with young boys despite having a “history of sexual perversity and inappropriate contact with children”.

Posted by kshaw at 06:13 AM

Pope: Clerical sex abuse hurts church

VATICAN CITY
The Mercury News

By Alessandra Rizzo
Associated Press
VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI said Saturday that clerical sex abuses were ``egregious crimes'' that had damaged the standing of the Catholic Church and its clergy, in his first explicit remarks on the subject since becoming pontiff.

Speaking to a group of bishops from Ireland -- an overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country where all but one seminary has closed after repeated scandals -- Benedict said it was urgent ``to rebuild confidence and trust.''

``In the exercise of your pastoral ministry, you have had to respond in recent years to many heart-rending cases of sexual abuse of minors,'' the pontiff told the bishops. ``These are all the more tragic when the abuser is a cleric.''

``The wounds caused by such acts run deep,'' Benedict said.

Posted by kshaw at 05:59 AM

'Underground' Catholics surface for conference

NEW JERSEY
NorthJersey.com

Sunday, October 29, 2006

By DAVID A. MICHAELS
STAFF WRITER

Its name means universal, and yet critics charge the Catholic Church is losing followers in the United States because it isn't inclusive enough.

Outraged by the sexual-abuse scandals and chafed by the church's unwillingness to amend some traditional positions, many Catholics have given up on their church. But some still feel tied to the rituals and practices they grew up with, and have responded by forming their own churches that operate outside the bounds of Rome.

"We are church with a small 'c,' " said Mary Anne Nugent, a retired librarian from Suffern N.Y. whose group, Spirit Rising, celebrating its Mass in different locations around Bergen County. "We are past wanting to reform the church, but we love the faith. So the motivation is just to gather together and pray in a way that fits our mind-set."

Spirit Rising grew out of a women's book club focused on spirituality, Nugent said, and does not publicize its meetings. But other organizations, some started by former priests, have become sizable organizations frequented by people who feel alienated by Catholic doctrine, such as gays, lesbians and divorced people.

Some of these underground churches, as some experts call them, aired their ideas Saturday at a conference in Whippany called "Imagining New Ways of Being Catholic." It was sponsored by Voice of the Faithful, a reform-minded group that has attracted the ire of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.

Posted by kshaw at 05:54 AM

October 28, 2006

Gozitan priest denies allegations

MALTA
Malta Independent

The Gozitan priest, claimed by two people to have sexually molested them, described the “aggressive and unfavourable” exposure he is getting as “unfair and unjustified” yesterday.

The priest, Fr Anthony Mercieca, said this on Thursday night in a two-
paragraph statement signed by his Gozitan lawyer, Dr Alfred Grech.

The statement read: “In the wake of the onslaught of accusations levelled against him, Rev. Fr Anthony Mercieca believes that nothing that had happened between him and Mark Foley, some 40 years ago, could provide solid grounds for legal action against him. He therefore considers the aggressive and unfavourable exposure as being unfair and unjustified.”

Posted by kshaw at 08:16 AM

Lawsuit targets diocese panel

ALBANY (NY)
Albany Times Union

By CAROL DeMARE, Staff writer

First published: Saturday, October 28, 2006

ALBANY -- A California priest is suing the Albany Diocese's mediation panel, alleging the agency set up to help victims of clergy sex abuse fraudulently claimed it was independent of the diocese.

The Rev. Mark Jaufman is seeking $2 million in his federal court action filed this week on his behalf and that of other unnamed victims. The suit targets the Independent Mediation Assistance Program, or IMAP.

In his court papers, Jaufman, who had previously announced that as a boy he was abused by a parish priest, said he discussed his situation with IMAP representatives. The panel's investigation of his case has been going on for about a year, he has not been compensated, and he is "disappointed and frustrated," his attorney, John Aretakis, said Friday.

IMAP is headed by retired Court of Appeals Judge Howard Levine and administered by the Albany law firm of Whiteman, Osterman and Hanna, of which Levine is a senior counsel.

Posted by kshaw at 08:09 AM

Nuns' costs could rise because of bankruptcy

DAVENPORT (IA)
Des Moines Register

By SHIRLEY RAGSDALE
REGISTER RELIGION EDITOR

October 28, 2006

An unintended consequence of the Diocese of Davenport's bankruptcy is that the Catholic sisters who live next door to the chancery may have to pay more to lease the land on which their convent was built.

The Congregation of the Humility of Mary has filed papers in federal bankruptcy court stating that it has an interest in the outcome of the diocese's bankruptcy.

The congregation's Davenport convent at 820 W. Central Park Ave. was built in 1982 "on land leased from the Davenport Diocese," according to Lisa Bellomy, communications director for the community.

The sisters have a 99-year lease on the lot for their Humility of Mary Center, according to Richard Davidson, attorney for the diocese.

Posted by kshaw at 08:02 AM

Brady invites Pope to visit Ireland

VATICAN
RTE News

28 October 2006 12:48
The Catholic Primate, Archbishop Sean Brady, has invited Pope Benedict to visit Ireland.

He issued his invitation during a meeting this morning between the Irish Hierarchy and the Pontiff.

In his response, Pope Benedict did not refer directly to the invitation but expressed his appreciation for Archbishop Brady's gracious words.

The Pope told the Irish bishops they face an urgent task to rebuild confidence and trust in the wake of the clerical sexual abuse scandals.

Posted by kshaw at 07:59 AM

Pope: Wounds From Clergy Abuse Run Deep

VATICAN CITY
WTOP

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI said Saturday that the church must urgently rebuild confidence and trust damaged by clerical sex abuse scandals, which have created deep wounds.

The pope made the remarks to a group of visiting bishops from Ireland, an overwhelmingly Roman Catholic nation where the church has been damaged by sex abuse scandals over the past decade.

"In the exercise of your pastoral ministry, you have had to respond in recent years to many heart-rending cases of sexual abuse of minors," the pontiff told the bishops. "These are all the more tragic when the abuser is a cleric."

"The wounds caused by such acts run deep, and it is an urgent task to rebuild confidence and trust where these have been damaged," Benedict said.

Posted by kshaw at 07:51 AM

,Bear witness to Christ’

VATICAN
Kath.net

„I am pleased to learn that many of your dioceses have adopted the practice of silent prayer for vocations before the Blessed Sacrament.“ Pope Benedict XVI. to Irish Bishops.

Dear Brother Bishops,
In the words of a traditional Irish greeting, a hundred thousand welcomes to you, the Bishops of Ireland, on the occasion of your ad Limina visit. As you venerate the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul, may you draw inspiration from the courage and vision of these two great saints, who so faithfully led the way in the Church’s mission of proclaiming Christ to the world. ...

In the exercise of your pastoral ministry, you have had to respond in recent years to many heart-rending cases of sexual abuse of minors. These are all the more tragic when the abuser is a cleric. The wounds caused by such acts run deep, and it is an urgent task to rebuild confidence and trust where these have been damaged. In your continuing efforts to deal effectively with this problem, it is important to establish the truth of what happened in the past, to take whatever steps are necessary to prevent it from occurring again, to ensure that the principles of justice are fully respected and, above all, to bring healing to the victims and to all those affected by these egregious crimes. In this way, the Church in Ireland will grow stronger and be ever more capable of giving witness to the redemptive power of the Cross of Christ. I pray that by the grace of the Holy Spirit, this time of purification will enable all God’s people in Ireland to "maintain and perfect in their lives that holiness which they have received from God" (Lumen Gentium, 40).

Posted by kshaw at 07:49 AM

'Pastor' accused of sexual abuse

DECATUR (AL)
WAFF

Oct 27, 2006 11:40 PM EDT

A self-proclaimed pastor is out on bond after being charged with first degree sexual abuse of a child under 12.

32-year-old Victor Young Pickett of Decatur is a man many know as "Pastor P."

Pickett is accused of committing the crime six months ago.

"Back in April, we had a child report to his elementary school teacher that a person he knew as Pastor P. had touched him in an inappropriate manner," says Decatur Police Lieutenant Chris Mathews.

The crime allegedly happened in Pickett's apartment, on 8th Street South West in Decatur.

Posted by kshaw at 07:45 AM

Price of sin puts church on brink

AUSTRALIA
Adelaide Now

COLIN JAMES, LEGAL AFFAIRS EDITOR
October 28, 2006 12:15am

THE Anglican Church in Adelaide faces financial collapse if it cannot raise more money to cover child sex abuse compensation claims, its annual conference has been told.

The Diocese of Adelaide Synod last night heard the church had been forced to borrow $7.5 million to settle claims from victims of abuse committed by priests, church officials and church workers.

A briefing paper prepared for the Synod says the church already had used the loan to settle claims totalling $4.5 million, with more expected to be privately negotiated over the next 18 months.

The yearly cost of servicing the loan would average more than $1.25 million for the next eight years, leaving the church facing annual budget deficits until at least 2015.

Posted by kshaw at 07:42 AM

Budget balanced, CCCB focuses

CANADA
The B.C. Catholic Newspaper

By DEBORAH GYAPONG

CORNWALL, Ont. (CCN) – At its Oct. 16-20 annual plenary meeting in Cornwall, Ont., the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops came to a decision about its 2007 budget but referred the question of making voluntary sexual abuse guidelines mandatory to the November meeting of its Permanent Council.

“We are in good shape,” said CCCB president Archbishop Andre Gaumond of Sherbrooke in a telephone interview Oct. 23 after the conference had approved a balanced budget for 2007. “It’s really promising. We were very strict on the expenses. We have the results. Let’s hope we can keep on this way.”

The forecast surplus for 2006 is $368,000, while the actual surplus for 2005 is $824,694.

Going on to discuss the abuse guidelines, Archbishop Gaumond said, “It’s not an easy question, it’s very complex.”

Posted by kshaw at 07:40 AM

Soens lawsuit put on hold

DAVENPORT (IA)
Sioux City Journal

Pending lawsuits filed against the Diocese of Davenport by victims of sexual abuse by priests will be put on hold while the diocese goes through Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a judge and attorneys say.

District Judge Charles H. Pelton and attorneys representing the victims and former Bishop Lawrence Soens of the Sioux City Diocese agreed at a hearing last Friday that it would be pointless to proceed to trial. The case victim Michael Gould filed against the diocese and Soens was set for trial last Monday.

"It doesn't make sense to us to present this case twice," said Patrick Noaker, one of Gould's attorneys, referring to the possibility of one trial involving Soens and a later trial for the diocese.

Posted by kshaw at 07:38 AM

Court: Victims' names shouldn't be released

KENTUCKY
the Courier-Journal

By Peter Smith
psmith@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

Prosecutors should get the names of living persons accused in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington sexual abuse case -- but not the names of victims or deceased abusers, the Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled yesterday.

In its unanimous vote, the court overturned part of an order issued by the judge overseeing the case in Boone Circuit Court.

The dispute centered on an order in June by Senior Judge John W. Potter, who oversaw the class-action lawsuit that was settled for $85 million earlier this year by the diocese and about 350 anonymous plaintiffs.

Potter ordered the special master overseeing the settlement fund in June to turn over all of the names involved -- of victims as well as abusers, dead or alive -- and details of the abuse to prosecutors.

Posted by kshaw at 07:35 AM

U.S. bishops to vote on funding of Catholic clergy sex-abuse study

WASHINGTON (DC)
Catholic Online

10/27/2006
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

WASHINGTON (Catholic Online) – The U.S. bishops will consider a proposal to release about one-third of the $1 million they set aside for research to examine the causes and context of sexual abuse of children and young people by clergy.

The vote on the proposal, set for the bishops’ conference Nov. 13-16 meeting in Baltimore, Md., would release $335,000 to be used to underwrite the first stages of the research by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

Last November, the U.S. bishops approved a proposal from the college for the study, estimated to cost $2-3 million. The study is set to be completed in 2009.

Posted by kshaw at 07:32 AM

Rejecting teaching precludes receiving Communion, bishops' draft says

WASHINGTON (DC)
The Pilot

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A Catholic who "knowingly and obstinately" rejects "the defined doctrines of the church" or its "definitive teaching on moral issues" should refrain from receiving Communion, according to a document that will come before the U.S. bishops at their Nov. 13-16 fall general meeting in Baltimore.

The document, "'Happy Are Those Who Are Called to His Supper': On Preparing to Receive Christ Worthily in the Eucharist," requires the approval of two-thirds of the members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for passage. ...

"In order to receive holy Communion we must be in communion with God and with the church," the document says. "If we are no longer in a state of grace because of mortal sin, we are seriously obliged to refrain from receiving holy Communion."

Among examples of such sin, the document cites "committing deliberate hatred of others, sexual abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult, or physical or verbal abuse toward one's family members or fellow workers, causing grave physical or psychological harm; murder, abortion or euthanasia."

Posted by kshaw at 07:30 AM

Judge: Diocese can keep victims secret

DAVENPORT (IA)
Gazette

By: Associated Press

DAVENPORT, IA - A federal bankruptcy judge has approved the Davenport diocese's request to keep secret the names of abuse victims during bankruptcy proceedings.

An order filed this week by Judge Lee Jackwig creates a Master Anonymous Claimants List that will include the names of people who say they were abused by priests. Each claimant will be assign a "Doe number" that will be used in future court proceedings.

The list will be filed with the court clerk and sealed. Future claimants will have their names and addresses added to the list and kept confidential.

Posted by kshaw at 07:27 AM

Bishops to Vote on Funding for Sex-Abuse Study

WASHINGTON (DC)
Zenit

WASHINGTON, D.C., OCT. 27, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The U.S. bishops will vote next month on a proposal to release one-third of the money earmarked to study the causes of clergy sexual abuse of minors in this country.

If the proposal is accepted, $335,000 will be used to underwrite the first three segments of the research, which is being undertaken by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, part of City University of New York.

Last November the bishops accepted a proposal from John Jay for the study, called for by the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which was passed by the U.S. bishops in 2002.

The study, to be completed in 2009, is expected to cost $3 million. The U.S. bishops have committed $1 million toward it. Further funding is being sought from Catholic and other philanthropic groups.

Posted by kshaw at 07:20 AM

Church to sell properties to pay for child sex claims

AUSTRALIA
ABC

Saturday, 28 October 2006.

The Anglican church has endorsed a plan to sell off some of its South Australian assets to help pay compensation to the victims of child sex abuse within the church.

The 2006 session of the church's synod has endorsed a plan to subdivide a portion of the church's Bishop's Court grounds at North Adelaide.

It also voted to sell a Barossa Valley camp site previously used by the Church of England Boys Society.

Posted by kshaw at 07:17 AM

Los Angeles Abuse Cases Are Settled for $10 Million

CALIFORNIA
The New York Times

By NEELA BANERJEE
Published: October 28, 2006
WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 — The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles and a Catholic religious order have agreed to pay $10 million to settle claims made by seven victims of sexual abuse by clergy members, lawyers for the parties involved said Friday.

While the amount per victim is large relative to payments made to settle sexual abuse cases in other parts of the country, it is typical of the sums paid in California, which has a taken a strong stance toward the Catholic Church in abuse cases. In 2003, for example, the state extended its statute of limitations for child sexual abuse cases, and the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office has been conducting a criminal investigation into the archdiocese since 2002.

More than 95 percent of the $10 million settlement will be paid by the religious order, the Carmelites, Province of the Most Pure Heart of Mary, which is based in Darien, Ill. The archdiocese will pay less than 5 percent, lawyers for the plaintiffs and the order said.

Posted by kshaw at 07:15 AM

$10M payout in abuse cases

LOS ANGELES (CA)
The Press-Telegram

By Solvej Schou, Associated Press
Article Launched:10/27/2006 10:27:26 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES - The Archdiocese of Los Angeles and a Roman Catholic religious order will pay $10 million to several people to settle allegations of clergy sexual abuse, attorneys for those involved in the cases said Friday.

The Carmelite order will pay most of the settlement to seven people, including two who said they were sexually molested at an Encino high school, an attorney for that province of the Carmelite order said Friday. The archdiocese will contribute about 5 percent.

"We were glad to be able to work out a settlement, and we hope this brings peace to the people who are involved," said attorney Jim Geoly, representing the province of Carmelites involved in the lawsuit.

"We're satisfied with the archdiocese's participation. These particular claims involved accusations against Carmelites serving in Carmelite institutions," he said.

Posted by kshaw at 07:12 AM

Irish Bishops in Rome to meet Pope

IRELAND
Irish Independent

Thirty-two Irish Bishops are meeting the Pontiff in the Vatican this morning for what's being described as the state of the church address.

Pope Benedict will focus on what he believes are the major issues and challenges that the church in Ireland is facing, in particular the issues of child protection and clerical sexual abuse.

The Irish church has over the last number of decades been greatly troubled and scandalised by the level of such abuse.

Irish Catholic reporter in Rome, Michael Kelly, said that one clear message had emerged: "He's very strong on this issue that Church authorities must report abuse to the civil authorities, that child abuse is a crime that should be dealt with by the health authorities and the police and that is something that the Bishops must be aware of.

Posted by kshaw at 07:10 AM

A malicious fabrication - Gozitan priest's lawyer

MALTA
The Times of Malta

Herman Grech

The elderly Gozitan priest at the centre of a sex scandal involving a former US congressman has categorically denied accusations of sexual abuse made by a second American man.

"Regarding the allegations made by Attorney Jeffrey Herman, speaking on behalf of an unidentified person by the name of John Doe (a pen name) No. 26, Fr (Anthony) Mercieca emphatically denies the accusation made against him and describes it at best as a figment of the imagination and at worst as a malicious fabrication," lawyer Alfred Grech said when asked by The Times.

The retired priest, who is in the spotlight after being accused of molesting ex-congressman Mark Foley four decades ago, is facing new allegations of sexual abuse by another former South Florida altar boy.

In the first comments to the press since the accusations surfaced against the 72-year old priest, Dr Grech said:

"In the wake of the onslaught of accusations levelled against him, Fr Anthony Mercieca believes that nothing that had happened between him and Mark Foley, some 40 years ago, could provide solid grounds for legal action against him. He therefore considers the aggressive and unfavourable exposure as being unfair and unjustified."

Posted by kshaw at 07:08 AM

Strategy to fund sex abuse claims

AUSTRALIA
Adelaide Now

October 28, 2006 06:05pm

ADELAIDE'S Anglican parishes will have to pay a one-per-cent levy each year for 10 years to fund outstanding sexual abuse claims.

The levy is expected to raise $55,000 each year from July 2007 and will be imposed on the assessable income in each parish.

It is part of a 10 year financial strategy endorsed by the Diocese of the Adelaide Synod's annual conference at St Peters College on Friday night.

Posted by kshaw at 07:05 AM

Author ambivalent about archbishop

MASSACHUSETTS
Reading Eagle

Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley gets mixed reviews from Peter Manseau.

The archbishop of Boston earns several mentions in Manseau's fascinating nonfiction work, “Vows: The Story of a Priest, a Nun, and Their Son,” about which Manseau talked in Reading earlier this month.

Writing about O'Malley's appointment in 2003 to clean up the clergy sexual-abuse mess, Manseau says that “he was all but sainted by the Boston Globe,” and asserts, “That so venerable a watchdog as the Globe was all too ready to take the O'Malley bait suggests the Catholic Church pulled off its most impressive public relations coup since the Gospels turned a murdered rabbi into a king. ...

“Though the new bishop meant a change of rhetoric and a change of fashion were at hand, for real change, deep change, Catholics in Boston would have to wait.”

Posted by kshaw at 07:00 AM

October 27, 2006

Judge: Diocese can keep victims' names secret

DAVENPORT (IA)
Des Moines Register

SHIRLEY RAGSDALE
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

October 27, 2006

A federal bankruptcy judge has approved the Diocese of Davenport’s request to keep secret the names of abuse victims during
bankruptcy proceedings.

Judge Lee M. Jackwig this week ordered that the names of claimants be kept under seal. And as new claims come forward, new names may be added to the list the diocese is compiling.

“We have a list and we are giving each name a number,” said Richard A. Davidson, attorney for the diocese. “The claimants will be referred to by the number rather than their name in bankruptcy court.”

Some of the men who have alleged they were abused by Davenport diocesan priests have sued the diocese using a pseudonym. Those identified as John Doe I through VII were among the 37 claimants who in October 2004 settled with the diocese for $9 million. Since then, more men have come forward and in a lawsuit naming the diocese and retired Sioux City Bishop Lawrence Soens. Among those are 11 identified as John Doe 8 through 18.

Posted by kshaw at 02:18 PM

Self-styled pastor charged with molestation in Decatur

DECATUR (AL)
Ledger-Enquirer

Associated Press
DECATUR, Ala. - Authorities arrested a Decatur man, who claimed to be an ordained minister, on charges he molested an elementary school student he was tutoring.

Victor Young Pickett, 32, was booked into the Morgan County Jail and released on $25,000 bond Tuesday. A grand jury indicted Pickett on a charge of first-degree sexual abuse of a child under 12 years old.

"In April a child in elementary school reported to his teacher that he had been inappropriately touched by a man he knew as 'Pastor P.,'" Decatur police Sgt. Terry White said.

Pickett was indicted on sodomy and sexual abuse charges in January 2000, but that case was later dismissed, The Decatur Daily reported Friday.

Posted by kshaw at 12:59 PM

FATHER FEDELE. CASSATION ANNULS RELEASE

ITALY
AGI

(AGI) - Rome, Oct.26 - The Re-examination Court must reconsider the release of Father Fedele Bisceglia, the 69 year-old priest investigated for having allegedly raped a nun. The Court of Cassation decided so, thus annulling the release ordered by the Court of Catanzaro. THe Cassation also accepted the request of a Cosenza DA prosecutor, Claudio Currelli, regarding the release of the priest's secretary, Antonio Gaudio, also accused of rape.

Posted by kshaw at 09:44 AM

The big question: 'What are you hiding?'

Toronto Sun

Fri, October 27, 2006

By LIZ BRAUN, TORONTO SUN

His Eminence, Roger Cardinal Mahony of California, has a large Roman Catholic flock to oversee.

Over the years, that flock has included some 550 priests who molested children -- just one of the jaw-dropping items you learn from journalist Amy Berg, the filmmaker behind the documentary, Deliver Us From Evil.

Berg's devastating film centres on interviews with defrocked priest Oliver O'Grady, a man who abused children in California for 20 years while the Catholic Church moved him from diocese to diocese. The film is about the abuse, the victims, and the cover-up by the church.

Posted by kshaw at 09:29 AM

Davenport diocese prepares list of anonymous claimants in bankruptcy

DAVENPORT (IA)
WOI

DAVENPORT, Iowa The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport is preparing a list of anonymous claimants that will be kept under seal while the diocese goes through bankruptcy proceedings.

The diocese filed for Chapter 11 earlier this month -- the fourth diocese in the nation to seek financial protection to deal with priest sex abuse cases.

An order filed this week in U-S Bankruptcy Court creates a Master Anonymous Claimants List that will include the individual's name and assign them a "Doe number" -- as in John Doe.

Posted by kshaw at 09:23 AM

Ex-altar boys sue diocese

BATON ROUGE (LA)
The Advocate

By ADRIAN ANGELETTE
Advocate staff writer
Published: Oct 27, 2006

Three former altar boys sued the Diocese of Baton Rouge on Thursday, claiming they were molested by a priest in the 1970s.

All three men, along with 11 others who have previously filed suit against the diocese, claim they were molested by former priest Christopher Springer. The diocese has settled lawsuits with six of the former altar boys.

“It’s the same pattern over and over and over again,” said Felecia Peavy, the Houston-based attorney handling the cases for the 14 altar boys. “The number of allegations continues to grow, and I don’t know if we will ever know how many victims are out there.”

In the latest lawsuit against the diocese and Springer, two of the three plaintiffs claim they were molested at the church rectory in New Roads.

Posted by kshaw at 09:17 AM

Priest in Foley Abuse Claims Hits Back at Accusers

MALTA
WHAM

VALLETTA (Reuters) - The Catholic priest accused by former congressman Mark Foley of molesting him as a boy said on Friday the allegations did not constitute a basis for him to be prosecuted.

Anthony Mercieca, who is retired and lives on the Maltese island of Gozo, has admitted in U.S. media interviews that he had encounters with Foley that could be perceived as sexually inappropriate but denied having sex with him.

In a statement issued by his lawyer, Mercieca, 72, said an accusation of molestation by a second man was "at best a figment of the imagination and at worst as a malicious fabrication."

"In the wake of the onslaught of accusations leveled against him, Reverend Father Anthony Mercieca believes that nothing that had happened between him and Mark Foley some 40 years ago could provide solid grounds for legal action against him," lawyer Alfred Grech said.

Posted by kshaw at 09:11 AM

‘Pastor’ indicted on molestation charge

DECATUR (AL)
The Decatur Daily

By Seth Burkett
DAILY Staff Writer
sburkett@decaturdaily.com · 340-2355

Authorities arrested a man, who claimed to be an ordained minister, this week on charges he molested a child he was tutoring.

“In April a child in elementary school reported to his teacher that he had been inappropriately touched by a man he knew as ‘Pastor P.,’ ” said Decatur police Sgt. Terry White.

White said ‘Pastor P.’ turned out to be Victor Young Pickett, 32, of 217 Eighth St. S.W.

A Morgan County grand jury indicted Pickett this month on a charge of first-degree sexual abuse of a child under 12 years old. ...

Police told THE DAILY in 2000 that detectives performed a six-month investigation into Pickett’s activities that revealed he was running a church out of his apartment, picking up young males to take them to his church and molesting them.

Posted by kshaw at 09:08 AM

Pope tells bishop of 'horror' at sex abuse in Ferns

VATICAN
The Irish Times

Patsy McGarry, Religious Affairs Correspondent, in Rome, Martin Wall

Pope Benedict, in the strongest language he has ever used in relation to clerical child sex abuse, has expressed his own "personal anguish and horror" at what happened in the Ferns diocese over a 40-year period from the early 1960s onwards.

He said the "incomprehensible behaviour" of some clergy in Ferns had "devastated human lives and profoundly betrayed the trust of children, young people, their families, parish communities and the entire diocesan family".

Pope Benedict's comments were made public last night by the director of the diocese of Ferns communications office, Fr John Carroll. The pope was speaking during a private audience at the Vatican for the new Bishop of Ferns, Most Rev Denis Brennan, who is accompanying the other Irish Catholic bishops on an ad limina visit to Rome.

The 271-page report of the Ferns inquiry, chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Frank Murphy, was published a year ago. It identified more than 100 allegations of child sexual abuse made between 1962 and 2002 against 26 priests operating under the aegis of the diocese.

Posted by kshaw at 09:01 AM

'Harassed' priests hide collars fearing abuse

AUSTRALIA
The Australian

October 27, 2006
SOME Anglican priests have stopped wearing their collars in public after being abused over revelations about child sex abuse.

Adelaide Archbishop Jeffrey Driver yesterday said he had been "deeply saddened" when he was told priests had been ostracised since details of the abuse emerged three years ago.

"In a sense, they have become the secondary victims of the abuse," he said. "The toll of individuals (within the church) has been high."

The issue of priests not wearing their collars in public surfaced in a report commissioned by the church following the highly-publicised resignation of former Adelaide Archbishop Ian George.

Posted by kshaw at 08:59 AM

"Deliver Us From Evil" Opens

ABC 6

By Tamala Edwards
October 26, 2006 - An unusual documentary film opens on Friday presenting frank confessions of sexual abuse by a former Catholic priest.

Some are already asking is this film healing or hurting to victims of similar abuse?

What Oliver O'Grady confesses in the stunning new film, "Deliver Us From Evil," is that he is a pedophile priest. Over the twenty years the priest spent in Northern California parishes, he raped dozens of children, including a 9-month old infant. Usually these culprits are two-dimensional, made real only in stories of their victims or in court documents.

Posted by kshaw at 08:57 AM

Movie Review: Deliver Us From Evil

The Epoch Times

By Ester Molayeme
Special to The Epoch Times Oct 26, 2006

LOS ANGELES Deliver Us From Evil is a remarkable documentary about Father Oliver O'Grady, reportedly the most notorious pedophile in the history of the Catholic Church.

Father O'Grady provided over 20 years of service to the Church in Northern California, time in which he allegedly molested hundreds of children, including a 9 months old infant. In some cases he seduced parents in order to get to their children.

As accusations of molestation arose, the Archdiocese moved Father Oliver O'Grady from parish to parish.

Posted by kshaw at 08:51 AM

Quelling her horror for sake of story

Toronto Star

Oct. 27, 2006. 01:00 AM
PETER HOWELL
MOVIE CRITIC

Amy Berg is a reporter's reporter.

At CBS News, ABC News and CNN, she investigated social ills of every stripe: poverty, pollution, drug abuse, sexual assault, illegal doctors and more. Her dogged quest for truth, often dealing with difficult sources and subjects, has earned her two Emmy Awards.

"I really like doing these investigative pieces," says the Los Angeles filmmaker and former TV producer.

But nothing can top the six years of diligence that led to Deliver Us From Evil, Berg's shocking documentary inquiry into pedophile priests in the Roman Catholic Church. The film opens in Toronto today.

Posted by kshaw at 08:49 AM

'Deliver' makes a powerful case

Rocky Mountain News

By Robert Denerstein, Rocky Mountain News
October 27, 2006

Oliver O'Grady wears gray sweaters and seldom seems to raise his voice. Aside from the lilt of his Irish accent, he might as well be a Mr. Rogers stand-in, a kindly-looking soul with an apparently gentle demeanor. But O'Grady, a former priest we meet in the shattering new documentary Deliver Us From Evil, could hardly be less benign.

A pedophile priest, O'Grady betrayed the trust his parishioners placed in him and preyed on their young.

Perhaps it was narcissism that drove O'Grady - now living in Ireland after 20 years in the priesthood and seven in prison - to appear in director Amy Berg's film. Berg, who had covered sexual abuse within the church for CNN and CBS, makes this bit of cinematic dynamite the centerpiece of a heartbreaking film.

Posted by kshaw at 08:47 AM

Settlement reached in Crespi High sex abuse case

CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles Times

By John Spano, Times Staff Writer
October 27, 2006

The Los Angeles Archdiocese and a Roman Catholic religious order have agreed to pay $10 million to seven people, including two who said they were sexually molested by clergy at an Encino school.

The case involved Dominic Savino, 67, a Carmelite priest who spent many years as a teacher and administrator at Crespi Carmelite High School.

Also named as a defendant was former Crespi Principal John Knoernschild and two other members of the order not associated with the school.

Most of the settlement will be paid by the Carmelite order; the archdiocese will contribute about 5%, a church spokesman said.

Posted by kshaw at 08:45 AM

Editorial: Crime & justice

FLORIDA
Naples Daily News

Daily News staff

Friday, October 27, 2006

Though there is a common thread of perverted sex and molestation, this is about trust — and violating it.

Former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley says he was molested as a boy by a priest.

Whether that is to distract inquisitors of his e-mail propositions to teen pages or to build sympathy, the explanation from that now-retired clergyman speaks to the insidious nature of child molestation: It becomes habitual, rationalized behavior.

While describing an intimate and fawning friendship with Foley that included nudity and even fondling, the priest says there was nothing sexual or inappropriate.

That is doubly dangerous coming from someone in authority — someone who purports to act on behalf of God.

That priest violated trust placed in him by the Foley family and the church.

Foley in turn violated trust placed in him by voters and the parents of congressional pages.

Posted by kshaw at 08:43 AM

Exceptional 'Deliver Us' asks church to account

Philadelphia Inquirer

By Carrie Rickey
Inquirer Movie Critic
With his smiling eyes and silver nimbus of hair, the Rev. Oliver O'Grady looked like a parish priest straight out of central casting. The music of his Irish brogue inspired trust and faith.

"He was the perfect example of what you thought a priest should be," recalls Maria Jyono, a pious Catholic from Lodi, Calif.

Jyono speaks in the past tense because, between the ages of 5 and 12, her daughter, Ann, was raped regularly by "Father Ollie." Ann, now 40, wasn't the only child violated by this sexual and spiritual predator.

Posted by kshaw at 08:38 AM

Pope: my anguish and horror over Ferns abuse

VATICAN
Irish Independent

THE Pope last night spoke emotionally for the first time of his personal "anguish and horror" at the horrendous clerical child sex abuse scandals in Wexford.

The Pontiff broke his silence exactly a year after a Government inquiry found the scale of abuse in the diocese of Ferns made it one of the worst places in the world for systematic rape of young children by abusing priests.

The Pope's expression of his "deep sorrow and distress" for the devastation caused to the victims was conveyed earlier yesterday to the Bishop of Ferns, Denis Brennan, during a private audience at the Vatican.

Bishop Brennan, who took over the Ferns diocese last April, is on the five-yearly statutory visit to the Pope. For the past two weeks he and 33 other bishops have been meeting the senior heads of the various congregations which make up the Curia, the papal civil service.

Posted by kshaw at 08:36 AM

Pope 'horrified' by Irish abuse

VATICAN
U.TV

Pope Benedict XVI has revealed his horror at the behaviour of more than 20 priests who sexually abused children in the Diocese of Ferns in south-east Ireland.

The Pontiff told the Bishop of Ferns, the Rev Denis Brennan, he was praying for the healing and peace of all those who had suffered.

In his first comments on the abuse as Pontiff, he spoke of his deep sorrow and distress at the suffering endured by the victims.

He expressed his own personal anguish and horror at the incomprehensible behaviour of those clergy.

And he told Bishop Brennan the priests` actions had devastated human lives and profoundly betrayed the trust of children, young people, their families and parish communities.

The Pope received Bishop Brennan as part of the visit of the Irish Episcopal Conference.

Posted by kshaw at 08:34 AM

'Deliver Us From Evil' chilling

Jam! Showbiz

By LIZ BRAUN - Toronto Sun

PLOT: Documentary centres on convicted pedophile Father Oliver O'Grady, formerly of California, and also investigates the devastating, lasting effects of clergy abuse upon victims -- and the heinous cover-up orchestrated by the Catholic Church.

After the Boston clergy scandals of 2002, you'd think there was nothing else to know about pedophile priests and corruption in the Catholic Church.

Think again.

Posted by kshaw at 08:30 AM

Archdiocese defrocks priest, apologizes to Foley

FLORIDA
Washington Blade

By PHIL LAPADULA
Friday, October 27, 2006

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Catholic Archdiocese of Miami has launched an investigation of a priest who has admitted to fondling Mark Foley when the former congressman was a young teen.

In a statement posted on its website, the archdiocese barred the Rev. Anthony Mercieca from performing any priestly duties. The archdiocese also issued an apology to Foley.

Mercieca has denied having sex with the young Foley but has said he skinny-dipped and sat in saunas naked with the teen during overnight trips in the 1960s. In an interview with the CNN affiliate WPTV from his home on the Maltese island of Gozo, Mercieca admitted to fondling Foley.

Posted by kshaw at 08:27 AM

DE's Catholic Diocese asking Vatican to defrock former priest

WILMINGTON (DC)
WGMD

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 05:29:24 +0000

The Catholic Diocese of Wilmington has asked the Vatican to defrock a former Delaware priest who is charged with sexually abusing a Syracuse boy. The Diocese made the request a week ago - just one day after 77 year old Francis DeLuca was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and several counts of sexual abuse.

Posted by kshaw at 08:19 AM

Priest's Lawyer Denies 2nd Abuse Claim

MALTA
The Ledger

By MARIA SANMINIATELLI
Associated Press Writer

ROME
The lawyer for a Catholic priest who acknowledged fondling former Rep. Mark Foley when Foley was a teenager said Friday there were no grounds for legal action against the clergyman, and denied allegations by a second man who said the priest molested him.

"Father Anthony Mercieca believes that nothing that happened between him and Mark Foley, some 40 years ago, could provide solid grounds for legal action against him," lawyer Alfred Grech said in an e-mail from his office in Malta to The Associated Press in Rome.

"He therefore considers the aggressive and unfavorable exposure as being unfair and unjustified."

Posted by kshaw at 08:16 AM

Gozitan Priest denies second molestation claim

MALTA
MaltaMedia News

By MaltaMedia News
Oct 27, 2006, 13:01 CET

Through his lawyer, Gozitan Priest Fr. Anthony Mercieca has denied fresh molestation allegations set forward by a former altar boy identified as John Doe No. 26. The man alleged that that abuse took place in the 1970s when he was 12 years old.

The Gozitan priest admitted last week to have had an "intimate relationship" with former United States Republican Congressman Mark Foley in the 1960s. However, the priest, speaking through his lawyer in a statement, denied the allegation made by John Doe No. 26, describing it "at best as a figment of the imagination and at worst a malicious fabrication."

According to the Associated Press, the statement further read that "Father Anthony Mercieca believes that nothing that happened between him and Mark Foley, some 40 years ago, could provide solid grounds for legal action against him," adding that "He therefore considers the aggressive and unfavorable exposure as being unfair and unjustified."

Posted by kshaw at 08:13 AM

Defrocking of priest requested

WILMINGTON (DE)
The News Journal

By BETH MILLER, The News Journal

Posted Friday, October 27, 2006
Officials of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington confirmed Thursday that they have asked the Vatican to remove from the priesthood the former Delaware priest arrested last week on charges of sexually abusing a Syracuse, N.Y., boy.

Diocese spokesman Robert G. Krebs said the diocese made the request to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith last Friday, the day after the Rev. Francis G. DeLuca, 77, was arrested and charged with several counts of sexual abuse and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.

Syracuse police say DeLuca confessed to molesting the boy, now 18, over a five-year period. He was arraigned Wednesday, according to Assistant District Attorney Kari Armstrong. He is scheduled to appear in Syracuse City Court on Nov. 13, Armstrong said.

DeLuca was removed from public ministry and forced to retire in 1993, when allegations of sexual abuse arose while he was a priest in Delaware.

Posted by kshaw at 08:11 AM

Catholic Sex Abuse Case Reaches $10M Settlement

LOS ANGELES (CA)
CBS 2

(AP) LOS ANGELES The Los Angeles Archdiocese and a Roman Catholic religious order will pay $10 million to several people to settle allegations of clergy sex abuse.

Lawyers say the Carmelite order will pay most of the settlement to seven people, including two who said they were sexually molested at Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino.

A church spokesman says the archdiocese will contribute about five percent.

The defendants in the case include Dominic Savino, a 67-year-old Carmelite priest, who spent several years as a teacher and administrator at the high school.

Former school principal John Knoernschild was also named, along with two other members of the order not associated with the school.

Posted by kshaw at 08:06 AM

October 26, 2006

Film puts spotlight on clerical sex abuse

BOSTON (MA)
National

By CHUCK COLBERT
Boston

A new documentary film on the scandal of clerical sex abuse in the Catholic church opened to the public in Boston, Los Angeles and New York Oct. 13.

“Deliver Us from Evil,” was prescreened twice in this area, once at the Boston Film Festival, and again at a screening hosted by the national office of Voice of the Faithful, a church reform organization that sprang up at the height of the sex abuse crisis in the Boston archdiocese.

In both instances, the film’s director and producer, Amy Berg, a former journalist for CBS News and CNN, fielded questions from the audience. Joining her were sex abuse survivors and a lawyer for victims of clerical sex abuse.

Posted by kshaw at 03:54 PM

Bishops to Vote on Funding for Study of Causes and Context of Clergy Sexual Abuse

WASHINGTON (DC)
U.S. Newswire

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The U.S. bishops will vote during their fall meeting in Baltimore, Nov. 13-16, on a proposal to release $335,000 of the $1 million they earmarked last year for research on the causes and context of sexual abuse by clergy.

The money would be used to underwrite the first three segments of the research, which is being undertaken by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY.

Last November, the bishops accepted a proposal from John Jay for the study of the Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Children and Young People by Catholic Clergy in the United States, as called for by the bishops' Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.

As part of the proposal, John Jay is to raise funds for the study which is estimated to cost $2-3 million.

The entire study is slated for completion in 2009.

Posted by kshaw at 01:37 PM

Pope 'horrified' by Irish clergy's sex abuse

VATICAN
Irish Examiner

Pope Benedict XVI today revealed his horror at the behaviour of more than 20 priests who sexually abused children in the Diocese of Ferns.

The pontiff told the Bishop of Ferns, the Revered Denis Brennan, he was praying for the healing and peace of all those who had suffered.

In his first comments on the abuse as pontiff, he spoke of his deep sorrow and distress at the suffering endured by the victims.

He expressed his own personal anguish and horror at the incomprehensible behaviour of those clergy. He told Bishop Brennan the priests’ actions had devastated human lives and profoundly betrayed the trust of children, young people, their families and parish communities.

Posted by kshaw at 01:35 PM

Priests need support: Driver

AUSTRALIA
news.com.au

COLIN JAMES, LEGAL AFFAIRS EDITOR
October 27, 2006 12:15am

ANGLICAN priests need more support to help them recover from revelations about child sex abuse by some of their colleagues, says Adelaide Archbishop Jeffrey Driver.

In his opening address to the annual Synod of the Diocese of Adelaide, Archbishop Driver last night said priests also needed to regain confidence in a church leadership widely criticised over its handling of child abuse allegations over several decades.

Outlining a strategy to recover from the revelations, he said the diocese not only had to help its priests, but also needed to confront significant budget cuts to pay for child abuse compensation claims totalling millions of dollars.

"We are part of a diocese in which, sadly, there has been low morale among the clergy and many good and faithful clergy members are struggling to know how to exercise their ministry in the changed church to which they now belong," he said.

Posted by kshaw at 01:30 PM

Pope expresses sorrow at Ferns abuse

VATICAN
RTE News

26 October 2006 17:13
Pope Benedict XVI has told the Bishop of Ferns of his sorrow and distress at the suffering endured by the victims of child sexual abuse carried out by some priests in the diocese.

The Pope received Reverend Denis Brennan today and expressed his own personal anguish and horror at what he called the incomprehensible behaviour of those clergy.

Posted by kshaw at 01:28 PM

ALTON: Ex-priest gets prison in sex abuse case

ALTON (MO)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

10/26/2006

A former Catholic priest who briefly served in Alton was sentenced this week to five to 10 years in prison after pleading no contest in a sexual abuse case in Bay City, Mich., authorities said.

John Steven Rabideau, 45, was accused of engaging in sexual conduct with children between the ages of 6 and 14 in the mid-1980s when he was a seminarian in Boston and visiting relatives in Michigan. The alleged offenses did not involve his duties as a priest, authorities have said.

He was sentenced Monday in Bay County Court and will get credit for 261 days served behind bars.

Posted by kshaw at 10:20 AM

Coalition Asks Mayor To Cut Ties With Cardinal

LOS ANGELES (CA)
CBS 2

(CBS) LOS ANGELES A coalition representing victims of clergy abuse asked Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Wednesday to distance himself from Roman Catholic Cardinal Roger Mahony and watch a documentary about sexual abuse within the church.

The mayor's cordial relationship with Mahony sends the wrong message to children abused by priests, members of the group said outside City Hall.

"The mayor gives the cardinal more credibility, credibility the cardinal does not deserve," James Robertson with Survivors of Silence said.

"We ask that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is the mayor of all citizens in Los Angeles, to please end his relationship with this renegade cardinal."

Inside City Hall, members gave a mayoral aide a copy of the documentary "Deliver Us From Evil," which is the story of former priest Oliver O'Grady, who allegedly abused hundreds of children in California over 20 years, including a period of time when Mahony was his superior in Stockton.

"We're going to ask (the mayor) to stop appearing with the cardinal because when he appears with the cardinal he grants him a level of municipal credibility," abuse victim Tim Healey said.

The Mayor's Office had no immediate comment. Tod Tamberg, spokesman for the archdiocese, said Mahony has no intention of changing his relationship with Villaraigosa.

Posted by kshaw at 10:16 AM

Derry laity complains to Pope over bishop

NORTHERN IRELAND
One in Four

The Irish Times

A group of Derry Catholics has written to Pope Benedict expressing serious concern about the conduct of affairs in their diocese by Bishop Seamus Hegarty. Dr Hegarty is currently in Rome, where Ireland's Catholic bishops are on a two-week ad limina visit.

Every Catholic bishops' conference makes such a visit to Rome at five-year intervals to report to the Pope and senior Vatican figures on what has been going on in their church locally.

Derry's lay Catholic group, Voice of the Faithful, has written to the Pope and the Vatican's Congregation of Bishops to say they are "deeply concerned" about Bishop Hegarty's "failure to act on the recommendation made by Pope John Paul II to all Irish bishops in 1999 to set up structures which would give Ireland's lay Catholics a greater sense of belonging to their own church".

They criticise "his failure to advance in the diocese proposals for support for victims of sexual abuse announced by all the Irish bishops in February 2005 in the document Towards Healing".

Posted by kshaw at 09:28 AM

Priest accused of child abuse flees parish

IRELAND
Irish Independent

A PRIEST has fled his parish amidst allegations of child sexual abuse.

Locals say they have not seen the priest in the small, rural parish for almost two-weeks now.

According to senior church officials, Fr Peter Cribbins, who is serving as a priest in the parish of Rhode, Co Offaly, has taken administrative leave while an investigation into allegations against him takes place.

"We have not seen Fr Cribbins around the town for almost two weeks now and it is very upsetting to hear of this investigation," said one local yesterday.

Posted by kshaw at 09:23 AM

Cardinal's letter baffles local priests, sparks more debate

NEW YORK
The Journal News

By GARY STERN
THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: October 26, 2006)

Many New York priests say they are baffled that Cardinal Edward Egan is blaming recent criticism of him on untruths spread by unnamed pedophile priests.

Some are particularly concerned that Egan, in a letter to priests, twice singled out Monsignor Howard Calkins of Mount Vernon for criticizing him in the press, despite Calkins' apology to Egan.

"There is amazement on the part of priests that he mentioned Monsignor Calkins twice," one New York priest said yesterday. "It seems totally uncalled for. Howard tried to show some sensitivity and apologized, but you're not given a chance to talk. The whole letter is unfortunate."

Interviews and e-mail exchanges with 14 archdiocesan priests, all of whom have spoken with other priests, revealed widespread confusion over the thrust of Egan's letter and dismay over the open conflict that has gripped the Archdiocese of New York for the past two weeks. No priest was willing to be named because of what each said is Egan's clear dislike of public criticism and concerns about retribution.

Posted by kshaw at 08:54 AM

Capital of the World, Capital of Brutta Figura

NEW YORK
Whispers in the Loggia

Spot-on or not, when the New York Daily News picks up Letter #2 with the screaming headline "Egan labels revs sickos: Sez critics molesters," you know it's shaping up to be quite the Wednesday.

Gotham is simmering. Again. Well, more than just simmering.

Just as the fracas over the original, anonymous missive calling for a "no confidence" vote in him was dying down, Cardinal Edward Egan's Monday retort to his priests has thrown the church in the Big Apple into a renewed tumult. Not pretty at all, Romans puzzled at what on earth is going on -- and, intriguingly enough, both the Post and religion writer Gary Stern at the Westchester Journal-News are floating the name of Msgr Charles Kavanagh as the possible target of Egan's wrath.

Posted by kshaw at 07:36 AM

Warning of suspected priest pedophile may have come too late

WILMINGTON (DE)
Newsday

October 25, 2006, 7:10 PM EDT

WILMINGTON, Del. -- Catholic Church officials in New York were warned several years ago that a former Delaware priest arrested on child sexual abuse charges last week was a suspected pedophile, but only after the man allegedly began molesting a New York boy.

Francis G. DeLuca, 77, was arrested Oct. 19 and charged with repeated sexual abuse of a Syracuse, N.Y. boy.

DeLuca was removed from the ministry in Delaware in 1993 after officials with the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington learned of credible sexual abuse allegations against him dating to the 1960s.

A former Wilmington bishop accepted DeLuca's early retirement in December 2003 "for reasons of health" and forbade him from engaging in active public ministry without permission, according to documents obtained by The (Wilmington) News Journal.

Posted by kshaw at 06:56 AM

Cardinal Egan Replies to Priests’ Criticism of His Management With an Angry Letter

NEW YORK
The New York Times

By ANDY NEWMAN
Published: October 26, 2006
Just when it seemed to be dying down, the dispute over an anonymous letter criticizing the management style of Cardinal Edward M. Egan has been revived by the cardinal himself in an angry letter he sent to all the priests in the New York Archdiocese.

In his letter, sent Friday, Cardinal Egan said his critics were merely doing the bidding of sexually abusive priests who felt the archdiocese had treated them unfairly.

In the interest of preventing further attacks on the church leadership, the cardinal decreed in the letter that sexually abusive priests would no longer be allowed to hide behind anonymity. Any priest who is found guilty by a church panel of sexually abusing a minor and is then “reported to be speaking untruthfully” about the church’s justice process will be ordered to write a public apology or be tried again before another panel, which will make a public report about the statements.

Because he is “confident that all cases of the sexual abuse of minors by priests that have been treated during my tenure have been handled properly,” the cardinal wrote, “I have no doubt what the conclusion of the panel will be.”

Posted by kshaw at 06:53 AM

Man says Foley's priest molested him in 1970s

FLORIDA
Palm Beach Post

By Andrew Marra
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Another South Florida man says he was sexually abused as a young boy by the Rev. Anthony Mercieca, the priest who former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley accused last week of molesting him in the 1960s.

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Miami-Dade County, the man alleged that Mercieca molested him once in the late 1970s after altar boy practice at St. James Catholic Church in North Miami.

The man, who was not identified in the lawsuit, did not report his claims of sexual abuse until he saw a picture of Mercieca circulated on news reports last week.

"This time I could not be quiet," he said in a statement.

The lawsuit comes almost a week after Mercieca's name was first linked to Foley's allegation that he had been molested by a priest as a teenager.

Posted by kshaw at 06:51 AM

Mayor urged to see abuse film

LOS ANGELES (CA)
Press-Telegram

From P-T wire reports
Article Launched:10/25/2006 09:40:16 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES - A coalition representing victims of clergy abuse asked Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Wednesday to distance himself from Cardinal Roger Mahony and watch a documentary about sexual abuse within the church.
The mayor's cordial relationship with Mahony sends the wrong message to children abused by priests, members of the group said outside City Hall.

"The mayor gives the cardinal more credibility - credibility the cardinal does not deserve," said James Robertson with Survivors of Silence.

"We ask that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is the mayor of all citizens in Los Angeles, to please end his relationship with this renegade cardinal."

Inside, members gave a mayoral aide a copy of the documentary "Deliver Us From Evil," the story of former priest Oliver O'Grady, who allegedly abused hundreds of children in California over 20 years, including a period of time when Mahony was his superior in Stockton.

Posted by kshaw at 06:48 AM

Ex-altar boy accuses priest who fondled Foley

FLORIDA
Miami Herald

By JAY WEAVER
jweaver@MiamiHerald.com

A retired Roman Catholic priest who admitted fondling ex-Congressman Mark Foley four decades ago is facing new allegations of sexual abuse from another former South Florida altar boy.

The latest accuser, identified as ''John Doe No. 26'' in a lawsuit filed Wednesday, claims the Rev. Anthony Mercieca allegedly performed oral sex on him in the late 1970s at St. James Church in North Miami. At the time, the accuser said he was 12 or 13 years old.

Now 40, he says he tried to push away the priest. He alleges the incident occurred in the bell tower of the parish on a Saturday after he had altar-boy practice and had gone on a bike ride with Mercieca.

Posted by kshaw at 06:43 AM

Second accusation against Gozitan priest: Alleged abuse victim sues for $10m in damages

MALTA
The Malta Independent

by David Lindsay

A 51-year-old man yesterday filed a civil lawsuit against the Miami Archdiocese after he claimed he had been sexually abused by Gozitan priest Fr Anthony Mercieca in 1978.

At the time of the alleged abuse, the boy, who has been named only as John Doe No. 26 since he was a minor at the time of the incident, was 12 to 13 years old.

The allegations follow similar ones made against Fr Mercieca by disgraced American congressman Mark Foley.

In a complaint filed in the Circuit Court of the 11th Judicial Circuit for Miami-Dade County, Florida yesterday, the plaintiff, an altar boy at the time of the alleged incident, claims he was invited to the top of Miami’s St James Church bell tower by Fr Mercieca, who proceeded to perform indecent acts on him.

Posted by kshaw at 06:41 AM

Police: Priest admits N.Y. child abuse

SYRACUSE (NY)
The News Journal

By BETH MILLER, The News Journal

Posted Thursday, October 26, 2006

Former Delaware priest Francis G. DeLuca has confessed to molesting a boy during a five-year period, according to a report released by Syracuse, N.Y., police.

DeLuca, 77, served in the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington for 35 years before he was forced into retirement and stripped of his priestly duties in 1993, when similar allegations arose against him here. Diocese officials said he was allowed to retire to keep his benefits.

After retirement, he returned to Syracuse, his hometown. Syracuse police picked up DeLuca at his apartment Oct. 19 and questioned him about a local mother's complaint that he molested her son, now 18.

In a 90-minute interview, DeLuca told police the boy periodically spent the night at his apartment, usually on weekends. He told police he started to fondle the boy when the boy was 12 or 13 years old. After the boy reached 16 or 17, DeLuca said he added pornographic movies to the meetings, police said. The meetings continued until earlier this year, he told police. DeLuca also provided a three-page affidavit, which was not released, police said.

Posted by kshaw at 06:40 AM

New abuse claim against priest

MALTA
The Times of Malta

Ariadne Massa

A second former altar boy has surfaced in Miami alleging he was sexually abused in the 1970s by the same retired Gozitan priest who has been accused of molesting disgraced American Congressman Mark Foley.

The Archdiocese of Miami last night confirmed it had been informed by the media of a lawsuit and a second allegation of misconduct against Fr Anthony Mercieca.

The fresh allegations against Fr Mercieca were made by a man who lived in North Miami and was an altar boy at St James Catholic Church, where the 72-year-old priest worked, the man's attorney Jeffrey Herman told the American media yesterday.

Posted by kshaw at 06:36 AM

Sex abuse coalition asks Villaraigosa to sever ties with cardinal

LOS ANGELES (CA)
North County Times

By: North County Times wire services

LOS ANGELES - A coalition of representing victims of clergy abuse asked Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Wednesday to distance himself from Roman Catholic Cardinal Roger Mahony and watch a documentary about sexual abuse within the church.

The mayor's cordial relationship with Mahony sends the wrong message to children abused by priests, members of the group said outside City Hall.

"The mayor gives the cardinal more credibility -- credibility the cardinal does not deserve," said James Robertson with Survivors of Silence.

"We ask that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is the mayor of all citizens in Los Angeles, to please end his relationship with this renegade cardinal."

Posted by kshaw at 06:34 AM

October 25, 2006

Cardinal Egan Fights Back Against Critics Inside Church

NEW YORK
NY1

In a letter obtained by local papers, Edward Cardinal Egan says a recent call for a vote of no confidence is motivated by anger over his treatment of priests accused of sexual misbehavior.

The cardinal wrote to Archdiocese priests: "We cannot be left open to all manner of lies, leading to all manner of scandal and damage to the archdiocese and the archbishop from people who refuse to take responsibility for their actions."

His comments follow the circulation of an anonymous letter among priests, calling for the no confidence vote. However that letter does not even mention Egan's treatment of alleged pedophile priests.

Egan recently convened his top aides for a meeting about the controversy, where they pledged their support.

Posted by kshaw at 06:02 PM

Man: Priest who fondled Foley abused me in '70s

AVENTURA (FL)
The News-Press

By The Associated Press
Originally posted on October 25, 2006

AVENTURA — A former altar boy tried to forget his alleged sexual abuse by a Catholic priest in the 1970s, but could not ignore it any longer when the clergyman said last week he fondled a teenage Mark Foley, the man’s attorney said today.

The man, now 40, said in a lawsuit that the Rev. Anthony Mercieca abused him when he was about 12 or 13 years old. He was an altar boy at St. James Catholic Church and still lives in South Florida, attorney Jeffrey Herman said.

The man is identified in the lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Miami only as John Doe No. 26. He seeks more than $10 million in damages.

In a statement Herman released at his office in the Miami suburb of Aventura, the man said “all of my nightmares came back” when Mercieca’s picture appeared on the news last week. Mercieca was interviewed about claims from Foley, a former Republican congressman, that the priest had molested him in the 1960s.

Posted by kshaw at 05:57 PM

US priest faces another abuse allegation

FLORIDA
Sydney Morning Herald

October 26, 2006 - 7:49AM

Another former altar boy says he was sexually abused in the 1970s by the same Catholic priest who acknowledged fondling former Republican congressman Mark Foley when Foley was a teenager, the man's lawyer said.

The new allegations against the Rev Anthony Mercieca were made by a man who lived in North Miami and was an altar boy at St James Catholic Church, Jeffrey Herman said.

Herman filed an action against the Archdiocese of Miami, accusing Mercieca of abusing the man, now 40, when he was about 12 years old. The man is identified in the lawsuit only as John Doe No 26.

Posted by kshaw at 05:54 PM

Group Wants Mayor To Sever Ties With Cardinal

LOS ANGELES (CA)
CBS 2

(CBS) LOS ANGELES A coalition representing victims of clergy abuse asked Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Wednesday to distance himself from Roman Catholic Cardinal Roger Mahony and watch a documentary about sexual abuse within the church.

The mayor's cordial relationship with Mahony sends the wrong message to children abused by priests, members of the group said outside City Hall.

"The mayor gives the cardinal more credibility -- credibility the cardinal does not deserve," James Robertson with Survivors of Silence said.

"We ask that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is the mayor of all citizens in Los Angeles, to please end his relationship with this renegade cardinal."

Posted by kshaw at 05:50 PM

Canadian Catholic News: Bishops defer decision on sex-abuse guidelines

CANADA
Catholic Online

By Deborah Gyapong
10/25/2006
Canadian Catholic News - (www.cathnews.net)

OTTAWA, Canada (CCN) – The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) referred the question on making voluntary sexual abuse guidelines mandatory to its permanent council’s November meeting.

"It’s not an easy question, it’s very complex,” said CCCB President Archbishop André Gaumond of Quebec in a telephone interview Oct. 23.

Archbishop Gaumond said Francophone and Anglophone bishops have some differences over the issue, largely based on the fact that Quebec has civil law while the rest of Canada operates under common law.

“We have to be careful before a [instituting] a mandatory protocol throughout Canada,” Archbishop Gaumond said. “Many bishops have expressed their own feelings and opinions. I think we are going in the right direction, but we think it is important to be careful not to make a mistake.”

Posted by kshaw at 12:41 PM

Second man accuses Gozitan priest of sex abuse

MALTA
di-ve news

MIAMI/MALTA (di-ve news)--October 25, 2006 -1730CEST--Another former altar boy said that he was sexually abused in the 1970s by Rev. Anthony Mercieca, the same retired Catholic priest who acknowledged fondling former Rep. Mark Foley.

The new allegations against the Gozitan priest were made by a man who lived in North Miami and was an altar boy at St. James Catholic Church, where Mercieca worked, attorney Jeffrey Herman said.

Herman said he planned to file a lawsuit on Wednesday against the Archdiocese of Miami. His client, now 40 and identified in the lawsuit only as John Doe No. 26, says Mercieca abused him when he was about 12 years old.

Posted by kshaw at 12:37 PM

Second man alleges to have been abused by priest

MALTA
MaltaMedia News

By MaltaMedia News
Oct 25, 2006, 18:32 CET

A second former altar boy has alleged that he was sexually abused by Fr. Anthony Mercieca. The Gozitan priest admitted last week to have had an “intimate relationship” with former United States Republican Congressman Mark Foley in the 1960s.

The man is alleging that that abuse took place in the 1970s when he was 12 years old. Now aged 40, the man has been identified in a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Miami as John Doe No. 26. Attorney Jeffrey Herman, appearing for the client, said that the lawsuit will be filed on Wednesday.

Attorney Jeffrey Herman said that the man who lived in North Miami, was an altar boy at St. James Catholic Church, where Mercieca worked.

The Associated Press reported the Atttorney saying that "He had been thinking about it before Foley came forward, and then when Foley came out and the church encouraged other victims to come forward, he decided to come forward."

69-year-old Fr. Mercieca, now lives in Gozo. Last week he allegedly told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that he had series of encounters with Mark Foley that the Congressman might have perceived as sexually inappropriate. However, speaking to the Associated Press the following day, he said that the Sarasota Herald-Tribune "wrote many things that I didn't say".

Posted by kshaw at 12:34 PM

Another allegation against priest tied to Foley scandal

MIAMI (FL)
ABC 12

(Miami - WABC, October 25, 2006) - A former altar boy is now saying he was sexually abused by the retired Catholic priest who acknowledged fondling former Congressman Mark Foley back in the 1960s when Foley was a teen.

Attorney Jeffrey Herman says the new allegations against the Reverend Anthony Mercieca come from a former alter boy at St. James Catholic Church in North Miami. It's a church where Mercieca worked decades ago.

Herman said he'll file a lawsuit today against the Archdiocese of Miami. His client, a 40-year-old man identified in the lawsuit only as John Doe No. 26, says Mercieca abused him when he was about 12 years old.

"He had been thinking about it before Foley came forward, and then when Foley came out and the church encouraged other victims to come forward, he decided to come forward," Herman said.

Posted by kshaw at 12:33 PM

Foley Fallout Continues

MIAMI (FL)
Central Florida News

Now there's a second former altar boy claiming he was sexually abused by a Catholic priest who has admitted fondling former Congressman Mark Foley.

The new allegation against the Reverend Anthony Mercieca is being made by a Florida man who knew the priest in the 1970s.

His attorney is set to sue the Archdiocese of Miami. The man, identified only as John Doe Number 26, is now 40. He says he was about 12 years old when he was abused.

Posted by kshaw at 12:30 PM

2nd Fla. altar boy accuses Foley priest

MIAMI (FL)
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

By JENNIFER KAY
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

MIAMI -- Another former altar boy says he was sexually abused in the 1970s by the same retired Catholic priest who acknowledged fondling former Rep. Mark Foley when Foley was a teenager, the man's attorney said Wednesday.

The new allegations against the Rev. Anthony Mercieca were made by a man who lived in North Miami and was an altar boy at St. James Catholic Church, where Mercieca worked, attorney Jeffrey Herman said.

Herman said he planned to file a lawsuit Wednesday against the Archdiocese of Miami. His client, now 40 and identified in the lawsuit only as John Doe No. 26, says Mercieca abused him when he was about 12 years old.

Posted by kshaw at 12:29 PM

Latest Mercieca complaint

MIAMI (FL)
Bishop Accountability

John Doe 26's complaint against the Rev. Anthony Marcieca, filed in a Miami court, is posted on the Bishop Accountability site.

Posted by kshaw at 12:05 PM

THE REV. ANTHONY MERCIECA

FLORIDA
Miami Herald

The Rev. Anthony Mercieca was ordained in 1962 and served as a priest in various South Florida parishes before leaving the Archdiocese of Miami four decades later to serve in the Gozo diocese in the Republic of Malta.

His assignments included:

• Blessed Trinity, village of Virginia Gardens, 1993-2002.

• St. Henry, Pompano Beach, 1987-93.

• St. Ambrose, Deerfield Beach, 1985-87.

Posted by kshaw at 11:55 AM

EGAN BLASTS MUTINY

NEW YORK
New York Post

By DAN MANGAN

October 25, 2006 -- Edward Cardinal Egan is lashing out at his anonymous priest critics, claiming they are motivated by unjustified anger over his tough treatment of clerics accused of sexually abusing minors.

"We cannot be left open to all manner of lies, leading to all manner of scandal and damage to the archdiocese and the archbishop from people who refuse to take responsibility for their actions," Egan wrote New York Archdiocese priests in a new letter.

Egan's missive comes in response to an anonymous letter circulating among priests accusing him of being dishonest and uninterested in dealing with priests. The earlier letter called for a "no confidence" vote as a means of convincing Pope Benedict XVI to accept Egan's mandatory resignation offer next spring when he turns 75.

Posted by kshaw at 08:52 AM

Priest is sentenced in Michigan for abuse

MISSOURI
Belleville News-Democrat

BY JENNIFER KAPIOLANI SAXTON
News-Democrat
ALTON - A former Alton priest has been sentenced to five to 10 years in prison in Michigan after pleading no contest to child sex abuse charges.

John Steven Rabideau, 45, was sentenced this week after pleading no contest to charges of abusing three male relatives in the late 1980s. Earlier this year, he was extradited from South America after being detained in Colombia.

Rabideau was being held in the Bay County, Mich., jail Tuesday.

He served briefly at two Alton Catholic churches -- St. Mary Immaculate Conception Church and St. Patrick's Church, which is now closed. The exact time in the early 1990s that Rabideau served in Alton was not available.

Posted by kshaw at 08:48 AM

Cutoff is for creditors of diocese, not victims

DAVENPORT (IA)
Des Moines Register

DAVENPORT — The U.S. Bankruptcy Court has set a Feb. 6 deadline for creditors of the Davenport Catholic Diocese to file claims.

That date, however, is not the "bar date" for claims against the diocese brought by abuse victims, according to the victims' attorney.

"It is merely a claim date, a tentative deadline for creditors," said Craig Levien of Davenport, who represents the abuse victims.

"The diocese still must file a bankruptcy plan and give adequate notice of the final deadline in nationwide, statewide and local newspapers."

Posted by kshaw at 08:31 AM

Polygamous family investigated for incest

SALT LAKE CITY (UT)
Individual.com

SALT LAKE CITY, Oct 24, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) --

Utah officials are investigating allegations of incest within the polygamous Kingston family.

Paul Kingston is the leader of the Latter Day Church of Christ, a fundamentalist sect based in the Salt Lake Valley with about 1,500 members, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

The newspaper said authorities are seeking DNA samples and fingerprints in an apparent criminal investigation of incest within the family.

Former sect members say incestuous marriages have caused genetic defects such as dwarfism, microcephaly and kidney problems, the newspaper said.

Posted by kshaw at 08:19 AM

LA cardinal urged priest to stay in Mexico or face inquiry

LOS ANGELES (CA)
Monterey Herald

ROBERT JABLON
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - Cardinal Roger Mahony more than two decades ago warned a priest suspected of abusing children not to return to California or face a possible investigation, referring to the man as a "psychopath," according to letters released Tuesday by a victims' group.

The letters were filed in court as part of a recently settled lawsuit, in which Mahony - head of the nation's largest archdiocese - gave a deposition detailing actions to remove the priest from duties at a California diocese, said Mary Grant, spokeswoman for Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP.

"What we think Cardinal Mahony should have done is said: 'Bring that priest back here right now. He needs to be arrested,'" Grant said at a downtown news conference. "That's what somebody who cares about children does."

Mahony's conduct in handling clergy abuse allegations has been under fire from SNAP for several years.

Posted by kshaw at 08:17 AM

Sex assault claim minister wins payout from Church

SCOTLAND
The Herald

BRIAN DONNELLY October 25 2006

A former minister who quit after claiming she was sexually assaulted by a married Church of Scotland elder has won an undisclosed out-of-court settlement after threatening to sue for discrimination.

Helen Percy, branded a witch by some parishioners during the bitter, nine-year saga, is now considering applying to be readmitted to the clergy.

She is also now planning to write a book about her experiences and claims members of her former presbytery in Angus are angry she has been kept out of the ministry for so long.

Posted by kshaw at 08:11 AM

SEX CASE MINISTER WINS HER 9-YEAR STRUGGLE WITH KIRK

SCOTLAND
Glasgow Daily Record

By Brian Mccartney
A MINISTER forced to resign for having sex with a married church elder has won her nine-year legal battle with the Church of Scotland.

Helen Percy, 39, had admitted the sexual encounter with Sandy Nicoll, now aged 61, but alleged that she had not consented.

Yesterday, the Kirk backed down from a sex discrimination tribunal at the eleventh hour and paid her a five-figure sum.

Ironically, Helen, who opted to quit the pulpit rather than face the sack, said she never wanted a penny.

Posted by kshaw at 08:09 AM

Ex-minister admits abuse

CINCINNATI (OH)
Cincinnati Enquirer

BY SHARON COOLIDGE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
The former minister of Carthage Baptist Church admitted in court Tuesday that he fondled his 13-year-old daughter, whom he adopted after she was placed with the family as a foster child.

Ronald Love, 50, of Anderson Township, pleaded guilty to two charges of gross sexual imposition in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court in return for the dismissal of two other charges, according to court officials.

The girl's biological mother, who is forbidden by court order from having contact with the girl, showed up at the hearing and spoke passionately about preventing Love from ever harming a child again.

Posted by kshaw at 08:07 AM

Alleged victim of priest who fondled Foley sues Miami Archdiocese

FLORIDA
Miami Herald

BY JAY WEAVER
jweaver@MiamiHerald.com

A Catholic priest who admitted fondling former Congressman Mark Foley four decades ago has another alleged victim: A former altar boy who will sue the Archdiocese of Miami today.

The accuser, identified as ''John Doe No. 26'' in his lawsuit, claims the Rev. Anthony Mercieca allegedly performed oral sex on him in the late 1970s at St. James Church in North Miami. At the time, the accuser said he was between 12 and 13.

Now 40, he alleges the sex-abuse incident occurred in a room at the parish on a Saturday after altar boy practice and a bike ride with Mercieca, according to his lawyer, Jeffrey Herman.

''The priest told him not to talk about it with anyone,'' said Herman, who is holding a press conference at 11:30 a.m. today at his law office in Aventura. When Mercieca asked him on another occasion to go for another bike ride, the boy said no and never returned to the church, he said.

Mercieca -- now living on a Mediterranean island -- was pushed into the spotlight of scandal a week ago when Foley disclosed his name to Palm Beach county prosecutors as the priest who molested him in the mid-1960s when he was an altar boy at Sacred Heart Church in Lake Worth.

Posted by kshaw at 08:05 AM

Twin scandals rock Congress and church

SPRINGFIELD (MA)
The Republican

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Underneath the stately dome that encases gilded murals bearing witness to its institutional heft and history, the party faithful scrambled as the scandal that one of its male leaders had sexually seductive contact with high school boys flew out through its brass revolving doors.

No, the sexual predatory behavior had nothing to do this time with the Vatican dome.

Instead, it involved the dome of the U.S. Capitol and the recent resignation of Florida Republican Rep. Mark Foley soon after he learned that the news media had obtained electronic copies of the X-rated e-mail conversations the self-proclaimed gay and alcohol-addicted lawmaker had with high school boys who served as House pages.

In one day, Foley was gone, his congressional office closed and wiped from the House's Web site.

Catholics in the Springfield area watched with interest.

They hope that the Roman Catholic church learned. Yes, learned.

Did they make a connection between the sex scandal within the Republican Party and the sexual abuse crisis within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield?

Posted by kshaw at 08:01 AM

Tentative ruling bars naming of accusers

LOS ANGELES (CA)
The Press-Enterprise

By MICHAEL FISHER
The Press-Enterprise

LOS ANGELES - A judge has tentatively denied a bid by the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego to force those claiming sexual abuse by clergy to reveal their identities in public court documents in the first lawsuits headed for trial early next year, attorneys said.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Haley Fromholz took the issue under submission, but indicated he was inclined to deny the diocese's motion, attorneys said.

His final decision will likely affect the more than 800 pending clergy sexual abuse lawsuits in Southern California, including the 140 cases targeting the dioceses in San Diego or San Bernardino.

The San Bernardino Diocese did not join the San Diego Diocese in its request.

Posted by kshaw at 07:57 AM

The Double Life of John Leary

SPOKANE (WA)
SF Weekly

By Matt Smith
Article Published Oct 25, 2006

"I sometimes think that if the time ever comes when I lose all sexual desire, I'll probably be nothing but a blob or stone. I will have lost my pizzazz."

— Jack Leary, answering the question of whether he had ever been tempted to form a romantic relationship. From the book Jebbie: A Life of John P. Leary, S.J.

In 1965, an 18-year-old freshman at the Jesuit Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., learned he'd landed a plum assignment.

The boy was from a Washington family of committed Catholics. He was considering a vocation in the priesthood. And he'd been given the task of chauffeuring to and from a speaking engagement Gonzaga President John Leary, a luminary intellect and personality in a Jesuit order glimmering with charismatic, brilliant priests.

Leary was the polymath philosopher and ordained priest with penetrating eyes who'd been Gonzaga debate coach to U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Tom Foley. Leary was the pedagogical visionary who went on to found the experimental university New College of California in San Francisco. He was a mesmerizing raconteur who combined the common touch of a coal-miner's son with an urbane vocabulary, boundless curiosity, and a mischievous wit that caused many students decades hence to remember their hours talking with Leary as the highlight of their lives.

The idea was that the Gonzaga student would drive Rev. Leary to a town across the state where the university president was speaking. They'd rent separate hotel rooms, spend the night, and drive back to the university. According to the boy's now late-middle-aged recollections, he fell asleep in his own bed. Leary stripped naked, got on top of the sleeping boy, and tried to penetrate him. Leary wasn't extremely violent, but he was forceful, persistent, and the boy had to fight Leary off. Eventually, Leary relented and made up an excuse for his behavior.

Posted by kshaw at 07:54 AM

Fugitive priest sentenced to 5-10 years in child sex crimes

BAY CITY (MI)
WOOD

BAY CITY, Mich. -- A Catholic priest who was charged with sexually abusing boys two decades ago and was captured in Colombia has been sentenced to five to 10 years in prison.

John S. Rabideau, 44, pleaded no contest in Bay County Circuit Court to three assault counts. Nine other felony charges, including first-degree criminal sexual conduct, were dropped as part of a plea agreement. He faced up to life in prison as originally charged.

Prosecutors say the charges stem from incidents that took place from 1985 to 1987, when Rabideau was a seminarian. They involved three boys ranging in age from 7 to 14.

Officials say Rabideau fled the country when the charges were filed in 1998.

Posted by kshaw at 07:47 AM

Faith groups need financial oversight

FLORIDA
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Elizabeth Tylock
PLANTATION
Posted October 25 2006

Two priests, John Skehan and Francis Guinan, are accused of misappropriating in excess of $8 million because, as one of them commented, he was underpaid and deserved it as he was the CEO of a huge business.

No priest should see, touch or handle donations from parishioners. Monies should be made payable to a special account designated by a budget oversight committee comprising parishioners and then the checks should be picked up by an armored car service and transported to the bank of choice. All checks should be countersigned by no less than three budget members and audits should be conducted twice yearly.

The message these priests are communicating to us is that religion has become big business. Not only is the Catholic Church paying out huge sums of money to sexual abuse victims, now the parishioners who have deprived themselves of necessities in order to tithe to the church, watch helplessly as their funds are channeled to property owned by the priests, to their girlfriends, to pay for their expensive vacations and their gambling in Sin City.

Posted by kshaw at 07:45 AM

Del. diocese had warned N.Y. of priest

WILMINGTON (DE)
The News Journal

By BETH MILLER, The News Journal

Posted Wednesday, October 25, 2006

The arrest of a former Delaware priest on child sexual abuse charges in New York last week removed the hope some church officials held that such abusive behavior was a thing of the distant past.

Francis G. DeLuca, 77, was charged with repeated sexual abuse of a Syracuse boy. The abuse, prosecutors say, occurred after the scandal of child sexual abuse by priests emerged nationally in 2002, after the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops adopted stronger policies to protect children and improve reporting practices.

The time frame is also after Wilmington diocese officials notified Syracuse diocese officials of DeLuca's residence there.

"In the 4 1/2 years I have been doing this, it was always some consolation that the most recent complaints of abuse we were aware of was 20 years old," Tony Flynn, attorney for the Diocese of Wilmington, said Tuesday. "That Father DeLuca may have abused someone now is just awful."

Posted by kshaw at 07:41 AM

Egan labels revs sickos

NEW YORK
New York Daily News

BY KERRY BURKE and ADAM LISBERG
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Edward Cardinal Egan says he's figured out whom to blame for a recent uprising against his leadership: pedophiles.

In a letter sent to all 650 priests in the New York Archdiocese, Egan said criticisms leveled against him in an anonymous letter, as well as by a prominent monsignor, largely come from disgruntled priests who molested children.

"At the core of the letter and the declaration in support of it by Msgr. Howard Calkins are stories that are being told by priests who have been found guilty of sexually abusing minors," Egan wrote in the letter, dated Friday.

"This situation cannot be allowed to continue," he wrote. "We cannot be left open to all manner of lies, leading to all manner of scandal and damage to the archdiocese and the archbishop from people who refuse to take responsibility for their actions."

Posted by kshaw at 07:38 AM

Priest's bishop seeks his dismissal

SYRACUSE (NY)
The Post-Standard

Wednesday, October 25, 2006
By Renée K. Gadoua
Staff writer

A day after Syracuse police charged a retired Delaware priest with sexually abusing a minor, his bishop in Wilmington, Del., informed the Vatican the diocese was requesting he be removed from the priesthood.

The Thursday accusation, at least the fourth against the Rev. Francis G. DeLuca, convinced officials in the Diocese of Wilmington that further action should be taken, said Robert G. Krebs, speaking for the diocese.

Krebs said the diocese Friday told the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of its intention, and the official paperwork followed.

If the Vatican chooses to dismiss Krebs from the clerical state, he will no longer be a priest in the Roman Catholic Church. That process could take at least a year.

Posted by kshaw at 07:35 AM

A former priest molested kids in California parishes. Now he talks in a chilling documentary.

CALIFORNIA
San Francisco Chronicle

Jesse Hamlin, Chronicle Staff Writer

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

He was the closest thing to God they knew. Bob Jyono can still picture the priest he and his wife, Maria, called Ollie, a family friend who often spent the night in their Lodi home, saying his morning prayers with a Bible in his hands.

"And all during the night, he's molesting my daughter -- not molesting, raping her! -- at 5 years old,'' wails Jyono in "Deliver Us From Evil.'' It's a devastating documentary about Oliver O'Grady, the notorious pedophile priest who sexually abused children, including a 9-month-old baby, in a string of Central California towns for 20 years -- and the Catholic bishops who moved him from parish to unsuspecting parish, allegedly covering up his crimes.

"For God's sake! How did this happen?'' Jyono cries.

Posted by kshaw at 07:33 AM

Future of Catholic Church to be discussed tonight

NORTHERN IRELAND
Derry Journal

SEAN O'Conaill, Co-ordinator of Ireland's Voice of the Faithful last night issued an open invite to local priests to attend a meeting in the city tonight at which the future of the church will be discussed.

Members of Derry's Voice of the Faithful organisation will gather to discuss 'Your Church and its Future' this evening, October 24, in the City Hotel at 8pm.
Co-ordinator of Voice of the Faithful, Sean O'Conaill told the 'Journal' yesterday he was hopeful some local priests might attend the meeting.
"I would like to see priests there, and we would be more than willing to answer any questions they might wish to ask," he said.
The organisation, who formed in response to the Catholic Church clerical sex abuse scandal, recently sent a report to Pope Benedict XVI and the Congregation for Bishops in Rome, voicing "deep concerns" about a number of issues in the Derry diocese.

Posted by kshaw at 07:31 AM

October 24, 2006

Bishop Blaire

STOCKTON (CA)
Modesto Bee

By SUE NOWICKI
BEE STAFF WRITER

STOCKTON — The Most Rev. Stephen E. Blaire, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Stockton for more than five years, recently sat down with The Bee. In a wide-ranging interview, the 64-year-old discussed everything from his childhood to Santa Claus to pedophile priests to Pope Benedict XVI.
Here, edited for space, are his comments: ...

Q: How do you feel the diocese is doing regarding the priest sex abuse issue?

A: I think our diocese has done well in addressing the issue.

I'm part of a national committee to see what kind of education we should provide for children. We don't want to put any burden on children as if it's their fault to protect themselves against abuse. So how much information do you give children? What kind of training do you give parents?

There are some dioceses that have not settled their cases, like Los Angeles. But we've settled our cases here. We've just got a couple that we have to work out the technicalities. Of course, you don't know who will come forward tomorrow.

Q: Are there other steps you think need to be taken?

A: I think the most important thing is to protect children. That's the No. 1 responsibility we have. I think we've taken the right steps. Do we need to improve the quality of what we're doing? Oh, yes. We still have to keep working at it, supervising it, training teachers, training parents. We'll never stop training.

Posted by kshaw at 06:20 PM

Egan Defends Handling of Priest Sex-Abuse Cases

NEW YORK
WCBS

John Slattery
Reporting

(CBS) NEW YORK According to Gary Stern of our news partner The Journal News, Cardinal Edward Egan, in a letter sent to the priests of New York, appears to blame the recent anonymous criticism of his leadership on dissatisfaction with his handling of sex-abuse cases involving priests.

In the letter, dated Oct. 20, Egan writes that stories "told by priests who have been found guilty of sexually abusing minors" were related to a recent, anonymous letter attacking his leadership.

"Many claim that they have been the victim of unjust treatment, deception and lack of understanding," Egan's letter reads. "Unfortunately, no one challenges what they have to say. And the reason is clear: the Archdiocese has always been careful to respect their privacy."

Copies of the letter, received by most priests yesterday, were provided to The Journal News/LoHud.com.

Posted by kshaw at 03:30 PM

Clergy abuse victims seek treatment center of their own

COLUMBIA (MO)
Belleville News-Democrat

ALAN SCHER ZAGIER
Associated Press
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Advocates for victims of clergy sex abuse are asking Catholic Church officials in Jefferson City and Palm Beach, Fla., to help pay for a residential treatment center for abuse victims modeled in part after similar sites for troubled priests.

Known as Come to the Stable/The Stephen Spalding Foundation, the proposed center would be named after a former student at the St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Hannibal, which closed in 2002 amid accusations of rampant sexual abuse by a former instructor.

The accused priest, Anthony J. O'Connell, worked at the seminary from 1964 to 1983. He later spent 10 years as bishop in Knoxville, Tenn., and four years leading the Palm Beach diocese. He resigned after admitting improper contact with a former student and later settled a pair of lawsuits. He has since retired to a Trappist monastery in South Carolina.

"They have multimillion dollar facilities where priests can go," said Michael Wegs, a former O'Connell victim and St. Thomas Aquinas graduate leading the fundraising effort. "All we're asking for is some place where (victims) can go."

Posted by kshaw at 03:22 PM

Egan defends handling of priest sex-abuse cases

NEW YORK
The Journal News

By GARY STERN
THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: October 24, 2006)

Cardinal Edward Egan, in a letter sent to the priests of New York, appears to blame the recent anonymous criticism of his leadership on dissatisfaction with his handling of sex-abuse cases involving priests.

In the letter, dated Oct. 20, Egan writes that stories "told by priests who have been found guilty of sexually abusing minors" were related to a recent, anonymous letter attacking his leadership.

"Many claim that they have been the victim of unjust treatment, deception and lack of understanding," Egan's letter reads. "Unfortunately, no one challenges what they have to say. And the reason is clear: the Archdiocese has always been careful to respect their privacy."

Copies of the letter, received by most priests yesterday, were provided to The Journal News/LoHud.com.

The letter attacking Egan, attributed to "A Committee of Concerned Clergy for the Archdiocese of New York," did not mention Egan's handling of sex-abuse cases. It blamed the cardinal for poor morale among priests and called for priests to take votes of "no confidence" in Egan's leadership.

Posted by kshaw at 09:19 AM

Pastor pleads not guilty to statutory rape

COLUMBIA (MO)
Columbia Missourian

The former pastor of a Columbia church pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of second-degree statutory sodomy and second-degree statutory rape in the 13th Circuit Court.

Columbia police said in a probable cause statement that Roberto Edgar Lopez, 36, had a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl who attended Horeb United Methodist Church, a bilingual Spanish and English-langauge church Lopez helped establish.

Since Lopez left Columbia, the congregation was “dissolved,” said the Rev. Nick Campbell of the Fairview United Methodist Church. Lopez had been moved by the church from Columbia to Monett to help minister another bilingual church.

Posted by kshaw at 06:42 AM

2nd Delray priest arrested, posts bond

DELRAY BEACH (FL)
Palm Beach Post

By Michael Laforgia
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

DELRAY BEACH — If, as one former bookkeeper told police, the Rev. Francis Guinan likes to stay for free when he travels, the Miami-Dade County Jail was only too happy to accommodate him.

Guinan, one of two Delray Beach priests accused of spending offertory money on girlfriends and gambling trips, turned himself in Sunday at Miami International Airport - almost a month after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

He remained in jail until Monday night, when paperwork was processed to set his bail at $50,000 and he was released.

Guinan, 63, and the Rev. John A. Skehan are charged with helping themselves to $8.6 million in collection plate money from St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church, where Skehan was pastor for 40 years.

Posted by kshaw at 05:34 AM

Gozitan clergy abuse scandal rocks Maltese Church’s omertà

MALTA
Malta Today

Karl Schembri

His photo hanging in the Gozo Cathedral Library as its major benefactor and honorary president and distributed among the world for totally different reasons, 72-year-old Fr Anthony Mercieca has managed to do just what his superiors have tried to hide for ages.
For years now, the Maltese and Gozitan curias have been sweeping under the carpet some of the most serious allegations of child abuse by members of the clergy and religious people, shelving files of reported cases in their obscure and secretive internal tribunals, away from police investigators and doomed to remain in the darkest ecclesiastical corridors unless the victims find the courage to report their cases to civil authorities.
Speaking to American journalists, Fr Mercieca has, by Maltese and Gozitan standards, talked too much. So much that he found himself amending, clarifying and censoring his own statements in one interview after another, after his alleged victim referred to his abuse “by a clergyman”, until his lawyer finally convinced him to just shut up.

Posted by kshaw at 05:29 AM

Sant’s Viagra, Pullicino’s Blues

MALTA
Malta Today

Saviour Balzan

I am not one to stand up for the rights of suspected paedophiles. But there is a difference between a person who is alleged to be a paedophile, and someone who faces criminal charges for paedophilia.
I am tired of the double standards in the media.
In the past, the local press chose not to name the three priests accused of child abuse in an orphanage on the outskirts of Hamrun. Yesterday it found absolutely no problem in publishing the picture of a priest accused of paedophilia by the alleged victim, a distraught Republican senator.
But only after his name was released by the international press agencies. Just because all the international agencies mentions his name, then it seems okay for The Times to splash his name everywhere.

Posted by kshaw at 05:27 AM

Retired priest who abused boys is allowed to return to Canada

WORCESTER (MA)
Telegram & Gazette

By Gary V. Murray TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
gmurray@telegram.com

WORCESTER— An 82-year-old retired priest released from state prison yesterday after serving a sentence for sexually assaulting altar boys at a Bellingham parish more than 20 years ago will be allowed to return to his religious order in Canada.

Judge Jeffrey A. Locke has not yet ruled on whether the Rev. Paul M. Desilets, now on probation, will still be required to undergo sex-offender treatment, as previously ordered by the court.

Rev. Desilets was sentenced to 1 to 1-1/2 years in state prison on May 11, 2005, after pleading guilty in Worcester Superior Court to multiple counts of indecent assault and battery on a child, indecent assault and battery and assault and battery. The Catholic priest admitted assaulting 18 male victims from 1978 to 1984, when they were altar boys at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Bellingham and he was associate pastor.

In addition to imposing the state prison sentence under a plea agreement in the case, Judge Timothy S. Hillman, now a federal magistrate judge, placed Rev. Desilets on probation for 10 years, to begin upon his release from custody. As conditions of probation, Rev. Desilets was ordered to stay away from his victims, to have no unsupervised contact with anyone under age 18 and to undergo a sex-offender evaluation and any related treatment recommended by the court’s Probation Department.

Posted by kshaw at 05:24 AM

Gail Walker: 'Media priest' right to break abuse silence

IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

24 October 2006
It's a slammer headline to make senior figures in the Catholic Church blanche. The most famous priest in Ireland, Fr Brian D'Arcy, says that he, too, was abused - and by priests.

There are those who will dismiss the revelations as a bid for more of the limelight. A newspaper columnist and the host of a Radio Ulster show, Fr D'Arcy is viewed by some as something of a 'media priest.'

And it's precisely because of that high profile 'Mr Nice Guy' image that the revelations are such a big risk. After all, if Daniel O'Donnell wore a collar, he'd be Fr D'Arcy instead of Daniel O'Donnell.

Many of his audience simply won't want to hear of any of that type of unpleasantness.

But Fr D'Arcy deserves only praise and support for speaking out.

Posted by kshaw at 05:22 AM

Perv priest leaves prison, will fight treatment for abuse

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Herald

By Danielle Williamson/ Milford Daily News
Tuesday, October 24, 2006 - Updated: 04:47 AM EST

A retired Bellingham priest convicted last year of abusing 18 altar boys decades ago was released from prison yesterday and will return to court this winter to learn whether he can skip mandated sex offender treatment.

The Rev. Paul Desilets, 82, was sentenced in Worcester Superior Court to 12 to 18 months at MCI-Cedar Junction after pleading guilty to six charges of assault and battery and 26 counts of indecent assault and battery.

The former Our Lady of the Assumption Parish priest served 17 months before being freed and placed under the supervision of a Canadian cleric, a spokesman with Worcester County District Attorney John Conte’s office said.

Posted by kshaw at 05:20 AM

Priest's lavish Vegas trips

IRELAND
Irish Independent

ONE of the two Irish priests accused of stealing $8.6m (€6.85m) from a church in Florida regularly took his girlfriend on gambling trips to Las Vegas.

And Fr Francis Guinan asked for - and received - special room rates at top hotels in Vegas because he was considered such a "high roller".

Police reports reveal Fr Guinan (63), from outside Birr in Co Offaly, also brought the woman and her son to Ireland on holiday, while other trips together included a spa weekend in Georgia.

Posted by kshaw at 05:15 AM

Delray priest accused of helping steal more than $400,000 from collection plate turns self in

DELRAY BEACH (FL)
sun-sentinel.com

By Leon Fooksman of sun-sentinel.com
& NewsChannel 5
Posted October 23 2006, 1:11 PM EDT

DELRAY BEACH – A missing priest accused of helping steal more than $400,000 in offerings and gifts at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church has turned himself in to authorities in Miami.

The Rev. Francis Guinan was being held at the Miami-Dade County Jail after surrendering to police at Miami International Airport on Sunday. He bond is expected to be set today at $50,000, according to the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office.

Guinan was in Australia and other tourist destinations when the Rev. John Skehan, pastor at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church for four decades until his retirement several years ago, was arrested on the same charges.

Posted by kshaw at 05:13 AM

Court sets deadline for claims in Davenport Diocese bankruptcy

DAVENPORT (IA)
WHO

DAVENPORT, Iowa A February deadline has been set for anyone who wants to make a claim against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport as a part of the diocese's bankruptcy case.

The U-S Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of Iowa set a February 6th, 2007 deadline today (Monday). The Davenport diocese filed for Chapter Eleven bankruptcy protection on October 10th in an effort to deal with the financial burden of more than 24 claims against it by people alleging abuse by priests.

The court has also called a creditors meeting for November 8th at the federal courthouse in Davenport. The meeting is expected to be conducted by a bankruptcy trustee -- not a judge -- who will ask financial questions of a diocese representative.

Posted by kshaw at 05:10 AM

Lastest priest scandal again raises questions about Church's silence

WILMINGTON (DE)
The News Journal

Posted Tuesday, October 24, 2006
OUR VIEW

There is something deeply unsettling about the latest tale of priestly abuse that made headlines over the weekend.

A former Wilmington priest has been arrested in Syracuse, N.Y., and charged with molesting a 12-year-old boy. This news is bad enough. But it gets worse.

Apparently, in 1993, Wilmington Catholic Diocese officials had received similar complaints about the priest when he was stationed here. The then-Bishop Robert E. Mulvee removed him from the ministry and sent him packing ... to do what? Prey on other 12-year-old boys?

The argument can be made that the original Delaware incident happened in the 1960s but came to light 30 years later, long after the statute of limitations ran out. The diocese could rightly say that no criminal charges could be brought against the priest and therefore kept quiet about the matter.

Posted by kshaw at 05:05 AM

Fla. Priest Surrenders to Police

DELRAY BEACH (FL)
The Sentinel

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. - The second of two Florida priests charged with spending church money on gambling trips, rare coins and a girlfriend has surrendered to authorities, his attorney said Monday.

The Rev. Francis B. Guinan, 63, returned to the United States on Sunday from a trip to Australia and was taken into custody in Miami, said his attorney, David Roth. He was to be released late Monday on $50,000 bond, Roth said.

Last month, authorities issued arrest warrants for the Rev. John A. Skehan, longtime pastor at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church, and Guinan, his successor. Police say the two misused $400,000 in church funds. However, an audit conducted by the Diocese of Palm Beach alleges the pair misappropriated $8.7 million.

Posted by kshaw at 05:01 AM

B.C. fears sex abuse linked to polygamy

CANADA
Edmonton Sun

Tue, October 24, 2006

VICTORIA -- The possibility of children being sexually exploited or abused in the community of Bountiful is of more concern than the issue of polygamy, B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal said yesterday.

But Oppal also said he is not ignoring the fact polygamy charges may be available to Crown prosecutors for some members in the southeastern B.C. community.

"The fundamental issue here is sexual exploitation of children, sexual abuse of children and sexual assaults - if all that is taking place," Oppal told reporters.

"That is more important than anything else. I'm not ignoring the fact there may be polygamy charges available there but it's much more important, I think we can all agree, that we prevent any child abuse."

Posted by kshaw at 04:57 AM

Church volunteer charged with sex abuse

HOLLAND (MI)
WOOD

Updated: Oct 23, 2006 05:27 PM EDT

By DAN BEWLEY

HOLLAND - A volunteer at the Calvary Reformed Church on East 8th Street has been charged with first degree criminal sexual conduct against a 9-year-old girl.

The man, 50, has not been formally charged, so his name has not been released. He has posted bond and will be charged on October 31 with first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

He teaches computer classes part-time at the church, and last Thursday volunteered at their monthly food giveaway. The girl and her family were waiting their turn when, according to Pastor Blaine Newhouse, the man broke church policy and was seen alone with the girl in a computer lab.

Posted by kshaw at 04:53 AM

No Liability for Church In Molestation Matter

MINEOLA (NY)
New York Law Journal

By Michael Scholl
New York Law Journal
October 24, 2006

MINEOLA - A Roman Catholic church and its parent diocese are not liable for damages in connection with the sexual molestation of a 13-year-old boy by a coach in the church's youth basketball program, a state judge has ruled.

Supreme Court Justice Karen V. Murphy of Nassau County has awarded summary judgment to the Church of St. Christopher and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre in John Doe v. Church of St. Christopher, 18551/03.

The decision appears on page 23 of the print edition of today's Law Journal.

The case arises out of the sexual molestation of a 13-year-old boy by Brian Schlacter, a veteran volunteer coach and coordinator of the Catholic Youth Organization basketball program at the Baldwin church.

Posted by kshaw at 04:49 AM

Ex-Sioux City Bishop's Trial Postponed

DAVENPORT (IA)
WCAU

The trial of a former Siouxland bishop on sexual abuse charges won't be taking place anytime soon.

The retired bishop of the Sioux City Diocese Lawrence Soens had been scheduled to go on trial in Davenport.

Soens and the Davenport diocese are facing accusations Soens assaulted a former student while principal at Regina High School during the 60's. However the judge has postponed the trial indefinitely after the diocese filed for bankruptcy. He's ruled it will be too costly to have two trials, one against Soens and one later against the diocese.

Posted by kshaw at 04:47 AM

Former choir director dies in prison

FLORIDA
Sun Herald

A former church choir director who spent eight years in prison for molesting two boys in the early 90s died at the Jefferson Correctional Institute in September.

Richard Trepinski, 69, died Sept. 30 at the prison in Monticello, Fla. Florida Department of Corrections spokeswoman JoEllyn Rackleff said she could not release further details due to privacy laws.

Charlotte County Sheriff's Office spokesman Bob Carpenter said Monday that Trepinski had heart problems.

Posted by kshaw at 04:45 AM

Former Del. priest not serving in N.Y. church when sex abuse allegedly occurred

SYRACUSE (NY)
The News Journal

By BETH MILLER, The News Journal

Posted Monday, October 23, 2006 at 7:09 pm

Syracuse, N.Y., officials say the former Diocese of Wilmington priest arrested on child sexual abuse charges last week was not serving in a church when the incidents allegedly occurred.

Danielle Cummings, a spokeswoman for the Diocese of Syracuse, said Wilmington church officials had notified the diocese in 2002 that Francis G. DeLuca had retired and moved back to his hometown but should not serve in any priestly capacity.

Posted by kshaw at 04:39 AM

Molesters have no excuse

FLORIDA
Ledger-Enquirer

The Rev. Anthony Mercieca's remarks regarding his relationship with a teenage Mark Foley are examples of gross denial and minimization.

It's all part of the life and times of a child molester. Mercieca went from denying that he ever behaved inappropriately with Foley -- the Florida congressman who resigned last month after reports of inappropriate e-mails to a former page -- to recounting some inappropriate events, such as taking the teen into a sauna and going skinny dipping with him.

All this, yet in typical offender style, Mercieca bounces between spectacular lapses of memory and amazing recall.

For example, we have to wonder how other incidents appear so difficult for him to recall in detail, when Mercieca can recall the time he took lots of pills and drank alcohol until he can't remember anything that happened after that. Very convenient.

Posted by kshaw at 04:36 AM

October 23, 2006

Paying for sins

AUSTRALIA
The Australian

Jill Rowbotham

October 24, 2006

Seeking redress: John Ellis is suing the Sydney Catholic archdiocese over abuse he alleges he suffered at the hands of priest Aidan Duggan. Picture: Alan Pryke

AFTER more than a decade of damage control over the sexual abuse of children, the churches are still picking up the pieces. Spectacular revelations are few and far between these days, but look no further than the plight of Adelaide's Anglicans to see that many dioceses will go on compensating victims for years to come.

In the City of Churches, Anglicans face servicing a $9 million loan that's needed to finance payouts to more than 70 alleged victims of pedophile church workers. More than 30 in that group have received $4.5million collectively after accusing former church youth worker Robert Brandenburg of abuse. Brandenburg committed suicide on the eve of his arrest in 1999.

Archbishop Jeffrey Driver will oversee a lengthy program of financial recovery that will involve a 10-year levy of 1 per cent of income, to be paid by parishioners, and asset sales including the tennis court at his historic residence, worth up to $2 million, and a church camp site in the Barossa Valley.

Posted by kshaw at 02:47 PM

Former priest sentenced for sexual abuse

BAY CITY (MI)
ABC 12

BAY CITY (WJRT) - (10/23/06)-- It was an emotional morning in a Bay County courtroom where a former Catholic priest was sentenced for sexually abusing his nephews.

John Rabideau, 45, was sentenced to five to ten years in prison for molesting three of his nephews.

In a plea deal, Rabideau plead no contest to the charges.

The abuse happened in several incidents from 1985 to 1987.

The three nephews all made victim impact statements in court and Rabideau also spoke.

"What happened to me was the least of the problems that came from the abuse. He abused three of my brothers, he destroyed my parents and their confidence as parents, he caused our extended family to break up," said Rabideau's nephew, Joseph LaFranboise.

Posted by kshaw at 02:45 PM

Ex-Waterloo priest pleads guilty to molesting girl

IOWA
Des Moines Register

ASSOCIATED PRESS

October 22, 2006

Ventura, Calif. — A former assistant pastor in Iowa has pleaded guilty to molesting a student at a church-run school in the late 1980s.

William Malgren, 52, was arrested in Idaho earlier this month for sexually assaulting the girl from 1983 to 1989. At the time, Malgren was a pastor at Thousand Oaks Baptist Church school in northwest Los Angeles.

The girl — now a woman in her 30s — was a student there.
Malgren served as an assistant pastor at Burton Avenue Baptist Church in Waterloo, Iowa, in the early 1990s.

Posted by kshaw at 07:46 AM

Ex-Miami-Dade priest accused of abuse admits errors

MIAMI (FL)
The News-Press

By The Associated Press
Originally posted on October 23, 2006

A popular priest in the Cuban exile community who resigned amid allegations he sexually abused an altar boy has apologized and admitted “errors of judgment.”

A letter from the Rev. Gustavo Miyares was read to parishioners at Immaculate Conception Church during Sunday Mass.

“For many years I have been deeply plagued by the events,” Miyares wrote in the letter read by Felipe Estevez, auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Miami. “I prayed for God’s guidance. The only conclusion that I could reach was that I had to be true to Christ, my priesthood, and you, my beloved community, and explain to all concerned my sincere regret and repentance for any pain brought on by errors of judgment that I have made.”

Some worshippers reacted to the letter with tears.

Miyares resigned Oct. 6 after learning a 39-year-old man identified as John Doe No. 25 filed a lawsuit saying he met Miyares and another priest, at a summer camp in Boynton Beach when he was 14. The abuse took place at the camp, the priests’ rectory and a condominium in the Keys, according to the lawsuit.

Posted by kshaw at 07:40 AM

Former S. Fla. Priest Accused Of Abuse Admits Errors

MIAMI (FL)
News4Jax

MIAMI -- A popular priest in the Cuban exile community who resigned amid allegations he sexually abused an altar boy has apologized and admitted "errors of judgment."

A letter from the Rev. Gustavo Miyares was read to parishioners at Immaculate Conception Church during Sunday Mass.

"For many years I have been deeply plagued by the events," Miyares wrote in the letter read by Felipe Estevez, auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Miami. "I prayed for God's guidance. The only conclusion that I could reach was that I had to be true to Christ, my priesthood, and you, my beloved community, and explain to all concerned my sincere regret and repentance for any pain brought on by errors of judgment that I have made."

Posted by kshaw at 07:36 AM

Priest tells of sexual abuse in childhood

IRELAND
Belfast Today

By IAN STARRETT

SHOWBIZ priest the Rev Brian D'Arcy has written an account of the sexual abuse he suffered as a child and while training for the priesthood because he wants to help other abuse victims.
"If I hadn't got counselling and tried to deal with it in a healthy way, it probably would have destroyed me," said the Fermanagh cleric.
In his book, A Different Journey, he says that he was sexually abused as a 10-year-old by a religious brother at his school in Omagh and later by a priest while he was studying for the priesthood at Mount
Argus in Dublin.
"To deny it would indicate that I was to blame for it, and it's just part of the dealing with abuse in the proper way," he says.
"It's a short part of the book – only two pages. It's the simple fact of the matter that it did happen.

Posted by kshaw at 07:34 AM

Under lock and key – the Church’s sex abuse investigations

MALTA
A Matter of Truth

Malta Today

News • 21 May 2006

Under lock and key – the Church’s sex abuse investigations
Matthew Vella

The Church’s investigations into sexual abuse by priests are destined to gather
dust in the curial secret archives unless civil authorities intervene to unlock the
information on cases of sexual abuse which were never reported to the police.

Police will not act upon “rumours or public information” with respect to
investigations by the Curia Response Team on priests accused of sexual abuse,
unless victims take their case straight to the police.

A spokesperson for the ministry of justice and home affairs told MaltaToday the
police are empowered to act on “reports, information and complaints”. The ministry did not answer as to whether the police have ever demanded information from the Curia on its investigations into sex abuse by priests.

Posted by kshaw at 07:30 AM

Retired Wilmington priest charged with child sexual abuse

WILMINGTON (DE)
Fox 29

Last Edited: Sunday, 22 Oct 2006, 4:56 PM EDT
Created: Sunday, 22 Oct 2006, 4:56 PM EDT
A former Diocese of Wilmington priest has been arrested in Syracuse, New York, on child sexual abuse charges.
Francis DeLuca was removed from the ministry and allowed to retire in 1993 after allegations of molestation surfaced. The 77-year-old served as a priest in Wilmington for 35 years. After retiring, he moved to Syracuse, his hometown.

Posted by kshaw at 07:17 AM

Hialeah priest accused of abuse apologizes to parishioners

MIAMI (FL)
Miami Herald

BY LAURA FIGUEROA
lfigueroa@MiamiHerald.com
A Hialeah priest who resigned earlier this month amid allegations that he sexually abused an altar boy admitted to ''errors of judgement'' and apologized via a letter read to parishioners during Sunday Mass.

The Rev. Gustavo Miyares, who has been a staple at Immaculate Conception Church for the past 15 years, agreed to resign on Oct. 6, after learning of a pending lawsuit alleging he sexually assaulted the boy in the 1980s.

''For many years I have been deeply plagued by the events,'' Miyares wrote in the letter read by Felipe Estevez, auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Miami.

''I prayed for God's guidance. The only conclusion that I could reach was that I had to be true to Christ, my priesthood, and you, my beloved community, and explain to all concerned my sincere regret and repentence for any pain brought on by errors of judgement that I have made,'' wrote Miyares, who had not publicly contested the allegations and agreed to step down.

Posted by kshaw at 07:11 AM

Abusive priests often deny effect of actions, studies find

FLORIDA
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

By Peter Franceschina and Jim Davis
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted October 23 2006

The Rev. Anthony Mercieca doesn't characterize his relationship with a young Mark Foley as sexual, or even harmful. To him it was a "spontaneous thing."

Specialists who treat and study abusive priests say Mercieca's efforts to downplay and rationalize his actions with the teenage Foley are common. In a study commissioned in 2002 by the U.S. Catholic Conference and conducted by John Jay College of Criminal Justice, researchers found that justifying and excusing abusive behavior were a result of distorted thinking and denial.

"It's not something you'd call rape or penetration or anything like that. It was just fondling. It was sort of like a spontaneous thing," Mercieca, 69, told WPTV-Ch. 5 from the Maltese island of Gozo, where has lived since retiring from the Archdiocese of Miami in 2002.

Posted by kshaw at 07:09 AM

Miami ban on saying Mass 'followed in Gozo'

MALTA
The Times of Malta

Massimo Farrugia

The Miami Archbishop's decision to withdraw Fr Anthony Mercieca's faculties, which means that he may not say Mass or administer the sacraments, was being followed in Gozo yesterday, sources close to the Gozo Curia said.

The 72-year-old priest, accused by US Congressman Mark Foley of molesting him as an altar boy in the 1960s, was still in his home yesterday and nowhere to be seen, according to sources. Efforts to contact him proved futile.

His residence in Library Street, Victoria, was besieged by the international press after the allegation emerged on Thursday.

Posted by kshaw at 07:06 AM

'PERV' PRIEST WAS KNOWN AS ABUSER

SYRACUSE (NY)
New York Post

AP
October 23, 2006 -- SYRACUSE - A former Catholic priest, accused last week of sexually abusing a boy five or six years ago, had been barred from the ministry in 1993 after his former diocese in Delaware found he had abused "about three or four" children there.

Francis DeLuca, 77, is now charged with sexual abuse of a boy who was 12 or 13 at the time. He is now 18. DeLuca was arrested Thursday in Syracuse, where he had been allowed to retire. He had not been a priest in Syracuse.

"It breaks my heart to learn that someone in Syracuse may have been victimized by a removed priest of our diocese," said the Most Rev. Michael Saltarelli, bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington, Del.

Bob Krebs, a Wilmington Diocese spokesman, said an investigation after a complaint in 1993 found DeLuca had molested three or four children in the 1960s. DeLuca was immediately removed from the ministry.

Posted by kshaw at 07:03 AM

October 22, 2006

Mass in Gozo Sunday skips mention of Foley allegations

GOZO, MALTA
Gainesville Sun

By MARIA SANMINIATELLI
Associated Press Writer
October 22. 2006 6:37PM

The sermon at the cathedral on the Maltese island of Gozo where a priest accused of molesting a former U.S. congressman often said Mass came and went without mention of the case Sunday, in what a politician said was evidence of the locals' strong reticence to discuss such matters publicly.

"Why would we say something? We know nothing about what happened," said Father Anton Gauci, one of 12 priests who helped celebrate Mass and who has known the accused father, Rev. Anthony Mercieca, since they both were boys.

"Certainly I don't think anything grave was done. And then according to what we read in the newspapers, that congressman Foley has passed through some muddy waters," Gauci said.

Posted by kshaw at 07:46 PM

Church under fire over slow response to Ferns Report

IRELAND
Irish Examiner

23 October 2006

By Seán McCárthaigh
A LEADING charity working with victims of child sex abuse has raised concerns about the lack of progress by Catholic Church leaders in implementing their policy on the reporting of allegations of clerical sex abuse.

The Irish Examiner understands that the failure to appoint lay professionals to investigate allegations against priests means the decision on whether to notify the civil authorities of suspected clerical sexual abuse still rests with the bishops in all but one of the 22 dioceses in the Republic.

One in Four has questioned delays within the Church about establishing aAbuse Tracker Office for Child Protection as promised by the Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Seán Brady, shortly after publication of the Ferns Report last year.

A senior childcare expert, who wished to remain anonymous, has also raised doubts about the Church’s willingness to implement its own new guidelines, Our Children, Our Church. These were published shortly after the landmark report criticised Church leaders for their handling of complaints against 21 priests in the diocese of Ferns.

Posted by kshaw at 07:42 PM

Attorney: Bankruptcy worked for Tucson Diocese

IOWA
Quad-City Times

By Dustin Lemmon | Sunday, October 22, 2006

Lynne Cadigan admits she doesn’t like the Roman Catholic church.

But Cadigan, the attorney who represented alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse in Tucson, Ariz., can’t deny that the church’s decision to file bankruptcy there helped her clients.

Cadigan represented 33 victims in claims against the Tucson Diocese, which filed for bankruptcy in 2004. At first she questioned the diocese’s decision.

“We were very skeptical and we initially thought the bankruptcy was just one more way to scam the victims,” she said. “Financially and emotionally it was a good tool to heal the (victims). I don’t like admitting that, but it’s true.”

Posted by kshaw at 07:36 PM

'It's a betrayal of trust'

CHICAGO (IL)
Daily Southtown

October 22, 2006
By Cathleen Falsani Special to the Daily Southtown
While not as physically traumatizing as being robbed at gunpoint, when large sums are stolen from a church treasury by a pastor or staff member, the wounds of broken trust are deep.

The Rev. Mark Sorvillo, former pastor of Chicago's St. Margaret Mary Church, is charged with embezzling more than $190,000 from his North Side parish -- the sixth priest or employee in the last 18 months to face charges of stealing from Catholic churches or institutions.

Among them was Dennis Composto, former comptroller of the Chicago Archdiocese's St. Joseph College Seminary, who on Oct. 11 was placed on two years' probation and ordered to pay $300,000 in restitution by a Cook County judge.

The six incidents -- involving alleged thefts ranging from $96,000 to more than $2 million -- represent a tiny fraction of the Catholic institutions in the archdiocese, with its 370 parishes in Cook and Lake counties.

Posted by kshaw at 07:47 AM

The sad and loveless life of Brian

IRELAND
Sunday Independent

SOMEDAY, with the benefit of hindsight, someone will succeed in unravelling one of the great mysteries of the age - the sometimes weird, sometimes wonderful, relationship between the Irish people and the Catholic Church.

But on Friday night on the Late Late Show we perhaps got a glimpse of what it was all about. It came from the most unlikely source - none other than the prototype trendy Irish priest, Fr Brian D'Arcy, or just Brian as he prefers to be known now.

Did poor Brian D'Arcy, chaplain to the Irish music industry for years, get a lump in his throat listening to Kenny Rogers preceding him on the Late Late : The Gambler and all that talk of knowing what to throw away and knowing what to keep? "Know when to walk away, know when to run." He probably should have walked away from the institution of priesthood having been twice sexually abused by his colleagues. But he stayed. And he is still clearly trying to come to terms with that.

Brian talked about the full life he has had thus far but what echoed around it all was the emptiness of a life lived without intimacy. Here was a man confessing again to the nation, perhaps partly because he has no one at home to confess to. He talked of friends and family but can anyone really truly know themselves or be said to have lived a real life if they have never had a normal loving intimate partner? Friends and family are all very well but a man needs someone to go home to.

And Fr Brian confessed that the only intimacy he ever experienced was a botched twisted intimacy at the hands of men who were, in Brian's words, squeezed into being priests. "If you try to squeeze a guy into being a priest you're going to get an abuser." If you try to be a celibate or a priest or other things not reachable, he said, humanity disappears with it.

Posted by kshaw at 07:44 AM

Naked confessions of Foley's priest are hard to stomach

FLORIDA
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Published October 22, 2006

Howard Goodman

Now, that's a relief: It was only saunas and massages in the nude, skinny-dipping and fondling.

Thank God it was nothing like sex.

The interview confessions of the Rev. Anthony Mercieca induce a kind of stunned amazement that any man of the cloth would so easily admit to behavior that's so patently wrong, while blithely acting as though everything was quite all right.

Mercieca is the Roman Catholic priest who says he cavorted with a young altar boy named Mark Foley when he was assigned to Sacred Heart Church in Lake Worth in 1967.

Posted by kshaw at 07:27 AM

Archdiocese seeks Foley priest abuse victims

WEST PALM BEACH (FL)
Washington Times

October 22, 2006

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- The Archdiocese of Miami has asked priests at eight Florida churches to speak with parishioners about whether a retired Catholic priest accused of molesting former Rep. Mark Foley may have molested anyone else.
The archdiocese on Friday also barred the Rev. Anthony Mercieca from all church work while it investigates the accusations.
"Such behavior is morally reprehensible, canonically criminal and inexcusable," the archdiocese said.

Posted by kshaw at 07:23 AM

Abuse cases exit shadows in Mexico

MEXICO
Boston Globe

By Jo Tuckman, Globe Correspondent | October 22, 2006

MEXICO CITY -- The last time Joaquín Aguilar Méndez went into a confessional, he said, he told the clergyman how he was depressed by the lack of support given him after he publicly alleged that he was raped by a priest while an altar boy.

"He told me it was all my fault for not keeping the matter private," Aguilar Méndez recalled recently. "And I said to myself, right, that's it. I'm still a Catholic, but I've had enough of the clergy, forever."

Now the 25-year-old vows to dedicate the rest of his life to exposing the sexual abuse he said pervades the Mexican church under the protection of the highest ecclesiastical authorities.

The church authorities categorically deny such allegations. "Not many people report being abused by priests in Mexico because it doesn't happen that often," said Father Hugo Valdemar, spokesman of the archdiocese of Mexico City.

Posted by kshaw at 07:21 AM

Gozitan priest unlikely to face prosecution

FLORIDA
The Times of Malta

Herman Grech

A spokesman for the state attorney's office in West Palm Beach, Florida, has ruled out law enforcement action against a Gozitan priest implicated in a former US Congressman's sex claims, unless other alleged victims come forward and as long as the alleged offences are not time-barred.

Disgraced Republican Congress-man Mark Foley's lawyers have said the politician does not want to start proceedings against Fr Anthony Mercieca. While the statute of limitations has expired in Mr Foley's case, until last night no other individuals had made similar allegations against the clergyman.

The Archdiocese of Miami on Friday barred the 72-year-old Gozitan priest from all Church work as it investigates Mr Foley's claim that the clergyman had molested him as a teenager.

Posted by kshaw at 07:19 AM

On Movies | Convicted pedophile ex-priest goes on camera

Philadelphia Inquirer

By Steven Rea
Inquirer Columnist
"We've all seen stories about victims," says Amy Berg, referring to the victims of sexual abuse. "But we've never seen a pedophile talking about it, and that's an important point. We have to understand why he did this, and what happened when he did."

The pedophile in question is convicted and defrocked Catholic priest Oliver O'Grady, a smiling leprechaun of a man who, over nearly 20 years, raped and sodomized his way through a succession of small California parishes, leaving shattered families and destroyed lives in his wake.

While the majority of his victims were children and teenagers, boys and girls, he was also convicted of sexually abusing a nine-month-old infant and the mother of one of his adolescent victims.

Berg's wrenching documentary, Deliver Us From Evil, features a remarkable interview with O'Grady - shot in Ireland, his native country, to which he returned in 2001 after seven years in U.S. prison. The movie, which opens Friday at the Ritz Theaters, has prompted the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office to consider criminal charges against Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who for many years was O'Grady's supervisor.

Posted by kshaw at 07:16 AM

Gozo priest who said he fondled Foley relieved of duties

MALTA
Malta Independent

The Archdiocese of Miami barred Rev. Anthony Mercieca on Friday from functioning as a priest anywhere in the world after confirming that he was the clergyman who Mark Foley said molested him in the 1960s.

Mercieca, who now lives in Malta, can no longer publicly celebrate Mass, administer the sacraments, or wear priestly clothes, said Mary Ross Agosta, a diocesan spokeswoman.

Ms Agosta apologised to Foley in a statement and described as repugnant Mercieca’s intimate contact with him, which the priest disclosed to a Florida newspaper last week.

Mercieca, 72, worked in south Florida for almost 40 years and remains under the auspices of the archdiocese.

Posted by kshaw at 07:14 AM

Former Del. priest arrested in New York

WILMINGTON (DE)
The News Journal

By BETH MILLER, The News Journal

Posted Sunday, October 22, 2006

Retired priest Francis G. DeLuca served in the Diocese of Wilmington for 35 years.

A former Diocese of Wilmington priest, allowed to retire in 1993 after allegations of child sexual abuse surfaced, was arrested last week in Syracuse, N.Y., on the same charges.

Francis G. DeLuca, 77, a priest in Wilmington for 35 years, left in 1993 when former Bishop Robert E. Mulvee removed him from the ministry and allowed him to retire early.

DeLuca then moved to Syracuse, his hometown.

DeLuca now is charged with sexually abusing a Syracuse boy for several years, from the time the boy was 12 or 13 until the boy told his mother when he was 17, according to published reports. He is now 18.

Posted by kshaw at 07:12 AM

Accused ex-priest had been barred

SYRACUSE (NY)
The Post-Standard

Sunday, October 22, 2006
By Nancy Buczek
Staff writer
A retired Catholic priest charged by Syracuse police with sexually abusing a minor was permanently barred from the ministry in 1993 after his former diocese found he had abused minors there, a representative of that diocese said Saturday.

"It breaks my heart to learn that someone in Syracuse may have been victimized by a removed priest of our diocese," said the Most Rev. Michael Saltarelli, bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington, Del., said in a statement after learning of Francis G. DeLuca's arrest.

DeLuca, 77, of 100 Pastime Drive, Syracuse, could not be reached for comment Friday or Saturday.

Wilmington diocesan officials received a report in 1993 that DeLuca sexually abused a minor in Wilmington in the 1960s. Diocesan officials contacted the victim and confirmed that he had been molested by DeLuca, according to a diocesan statement. The diocese confirmed that "about three or four" individuals had been molested by DeLuca in the 1960s, said Bob Krebs, a spokesman for the Wilmington diocese.

Posted by kshaw at 07:09 AM

Mark Foley allegedly singled out "hot" boy pages

WASHINGTON (DC)
Malta Media News

Oct 22, 2006, 12:38 CET

Former Republican Congressman Mark Foley, who was allegedly molested by a Gozitan priest in his teenage years, made friends with a wide circle of teenaged House of Representatives pages, then singled out "hot" boys to write to, the Washington Post reported on Sunday.

Mark Foley resigned from the US Congress last month after a number of suggestive e-mails to young male pages were uncovered. The former Congressman from Florida said soon after his resignation that he had been molested as a boy by a "clergyman". Last week, Gozitan Fr. Anthony Mercieca was reported to have told Sarasota Herald-Tribune that Mark Foley might have felt that their "intimate relationship" in the 1960’s was "inappropriate".

Fr. Anthony Mercieca has however hit out at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, saying that report published was "exaggerated", while denying that his relationship with Mark Foley was sexual in nature.

According to Washington Post four more former pages said they were sexually solicited by Mark Foley. One former page said Foley sent him e-mails when he was 16 asking about his roommates and if he had ever seen them naked. Later, the Congressman hinted about a job opportunity for the boy, "because I was a hot boy," the newspaper quoted the now 22-year-old former page as saying.

Posted by kshaw at 07:06 AM

Maltese stand by priest accused of fondling Foley

MALTA
Cleveland Plain Dealer

Sunday, October 22, 2006
Maria Sanminiatelli
Associated Press
Victoria, Malta -- People on the Maltese island of Gozo defended a native priest accused of molesting a former U.S. congressman as a boy, saying Saturday that he was a well-liked, private man with a quiet demeanor.

The Rev. Anthony Mercieca, who is retired and lives on Gozo, was quoted by media in Florida last week as saying that he fondled former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley and was nude with him on several occasions while serving in a parish in the state in the 1960s.

The Archdiocese of Miami has barred the priest from all church work as it investigates the abuse claims. The Maltese Church has also opened an investigation into the case.

Posted by kshaw at 06:56 AM

Priest tells of sex abuse horror

IRELAND
BBC News

A Fermanagh-based priest has explained why he has written an account of the sexual abuse he suffered as a child and while training for the priesthood.

Newspaper columnist and broadcaster, Father Brian D'Arcy, said he included the details in his memoir to help other abuse victims.

"If I hadn't got counselling and tried to deal with it in a healthy way it probably would have destroyed me."

He said it was only years later he was able to "deal with the stigma".

In his book, A different Journey, Father D'Arcy revealed he was sexually abused as a 10-year-old boy by a religious brother at his school in Omagh.

Posted by kshaw at 06:54 AM

October 21, 2006

PRIEST ABUSE INVESTIGATORS WONDER IF FOLEY IS THE BEGINNING

FLORIDA
WPTV

Reported By: Jamie Holmes
Photographer: Blaine Logan
October 21, 2006
The photograph of a young Father Anthony Merceica was how Mark Foley would have seen the priest when he claims he was sexually abused.

Abuse though is not how Father Anthony Merceica remembers their friendship.
"For some people it's molestation. Maybe for other kids it's fun, you know? At the time you see it in this sense," the priest told Newschannel 5 by phone Thursday.

Since our interview Merceica has gone into isolation at his home on Malta.

This as his former employer for the last forty years, the Archdiocese of Miami, begins an investigation into exactly what happened between Merceica and Foley.
"Father Mercieca's status right is that he is a priest without faculties, which means he has no permission to perform publicly as a priest. He cannot celebrate mass, he cannot minister to the sick, he cannot administer any sacraments, he cannot wear any clerical garb, which means he cannot wear his clerical collar," says Archdiocese of Miami spokesperson Mary Ross Agosta.

The Archdiocese believes the matter is isolated, but there are those who have investigated cases like this before, that wonder.

"If Mercieca is behaving this way in his first U.S. appointment, we have to ask ourselves was he doing the same thing in other parishes," asks Terry McKiernan with Bishop-Accountability.org.

His group has investigated the backgrounds of thousands of priests accused of sexual misconduct.

Posted by kshaw at 01:38 PM

Records document priest's high-rolling lifestyle

DELRAY BEACH (FL)
Palm Beach Post

By Stephanie Slater
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Saturday, October 21, 2006

DELRAY BEACH — The Rev. Francis Guinan took his girlfriend to Las Vegas nearly a dozen times, often staying at the Monte Carlo Resort Hotel & Casino where he would receive special room rates because he was a "high roller," documents show.

They traveled together quite a bit - relaxing at a spa in Athens, Ga., taking her son to Ireland and staying at the swanky Atlantis Hotel in the Bahamas in November 2004 with the Rev. John Skehan, his cohort who already has been charged with stealing more than $100,000 from the church both led.

Guinan usually put the expenses on his card - an American Express Platinum credit card paid with money put in the offering plate at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach.

Guinan's lavish lifestyle is detailed in hundreds of pages of investigative documents obtained by The Palm Beach Post.

Though authorities issued a warrant for his arrest last month, Guinan, 63, has been vacationing in Australia.

Posted by kshaw at 08:06 AM

Press Review

MALTA
di-ve news

VALLETTA, Malta (di-ve news)--October 21 2006 - 0930CEST--The child abuse of a former Republican lawmaker continued to be food for headlines on Saturday.

The Times of Malta said that the Archdiose of Miami has asked any possibile victims of inappropiate behaviour or oabuse by a Gozitan priest to come forward or contact the a law enforcement agency.

Posted by kshaw at 07:59 AM

FOLEY PRIEST PROBE

UNITED STATES
New York Post

By NILES LATHEM

Admits fondling Foley.October 21, 2006 -- WASHINGTON - The Catholic Church began an investigation of the creepy priest who admitted fondling Mark Foley when the disgraced former congressman was a kid.

As the already lurid Foley sex scandal continued to grow more weird, the Roman Catholic Church of Malta said it would probe the past relationship between the teenage Foley and Rev. Anthony Mercieca, 69, who worked at Florida church that Foley attended when he was 13.

The Archdiocese of Miami issued an apology yesterday to Foley, stating it's "distressed by the revelations disclosed by Father Mercieca regarding former Representative Mark Foley. Such behavior is morally reprehensible, canonically criminal and inexcusable."

Posted by kshaw at 07:57 AM

Former Mother Seton priest may have abused second boy in Ohio

MARYLAND
Gazette

by Melissa A. Chadwick
Staff Writer

A priest accused of sexually abusing an altar boy at Mother Seton Parish in Germantown several years ago reportedly abused another boy in Ohio, according to letters contained in court filings.

A teacher in Ohio wrote a letter to the Order of Dominican Fathers and Brothers in June 2005 and informed them that a former student confided in her that the Rev. Aaron Joseph Cote, a member of the order, abused him in the late 1980s.

According to one of five letters between the woman and the Dominicans filed in Superior Court of the District of Columbia as part of a lawsuit, the teacher wrote: ‘‘Along with the sexual molestation, he indicated that Fr. A.J. had repeatedly shown him pornography and given him alcohol. I believe that the details that this student shared with me are true and that these incidents did take place.”

Cote was a priest at Mother Seton from 1999 to 2002. A former Germantown resident has accused Cote of molesting him during that time and filed the lawsuit in November.

Posted by kshaw at 07:48 AM

Confession no excuse for abuse silence

AUSTRALIA
news.com.au

By Colin James
October 20, 2006 12:00am

ANGLICAN priests will no longer be able to use confidentiality as a reason for not reporting child sex abuse, under strict new rules to be introduced across Adelaide.

The unprecedented measures, to be endorsed by the Diocese of Adelaide Synod next weekend, will extend to confessions heard by priests, including those with other priests.

They follow the compulsory training of South Australian Anglican priests on their legal requirements to report child abuse to authorities, which have been opposed by some priests who believe confidentiality should be maintained for pastoral reasons.

The new rules surpass those implemented nationally by the Catholic Church, which still maintains confidentiality over confessions.

Posted by kshaw at 07:46 AM

Source: Accuser in Jeffs Case Was 14

SALT LAKE CITY (UT)
CBS News

SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 21, 2006
By JENNIFER DOBNER Associated Press Writer

(AP) The woman at the center of a criminal case involving polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs was 14 when forced into a marriage with her first cousin, a source close to the case said Friday.

At Jeffs' direction, she was married despite her objections in 2001 to the cousin, who was older than 18, the source told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to protect the woman's identity.

The marriage was not polygamous, the source said.

"It was child abuse, plain and simple," the source said.

Jeffs, 50, is the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a southern Utah-based church. The sect broke away from the Mormon church more than a century ago and has been disavowed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Posted by kshaw at 07:43 AM

Just a Quiet Retiree Leading Mass in Malta

MALTA
The New York Times

By IAN FISHER
Published: October 21, 2006
VICTORIA, Malta, Oct. 20 — He is known here as Father Tony, though he does not seem to be known very well, for the Rev. Anthony Mercieca spent his career as a priest far from Gozo, the tiny Mediterranean island where he grew up. And he is not sociable anyway, say people who know him.

“He is a very solitary man,” said George Borg, 52, a teacher who described himself as a family friend. “He walks alone.”

That quiet ended after Father Mercieca, 69, gave several telephone interviews admitting that he had had possibly inappropriate encounters in Florida in the 1960’s with Mark Foley, the congressman who resigned over explicit electronic messages to pages.

In the interviews, Father Mercieca admitted to massaging the boy, skinny-dipping with him and staying in the same room with him on overnight trips. He said, perhaps, too much — and on Friday, he refused to speak to reporters camped out on the narrow street where he lives with his brother, George, also a priest. As the diocese here investigated the accusations, many of those closest to Father Mercieca did not want to address the subject.

Posted by kshaw at 07:33 AM

Church probe curbs priest

FLORIDA
Palm Beach Post

By Kathleen Chapman
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Saturday, October 21, 2006

The Archdiocese of Miami apologized to Mark Foley on Friday for the behavior of a priest who admitted fondling him four decades ago.

Anthony Mercieca, who now lives on the Mediterranean island of Gozo, is barred from celebrating Mass or wearing a priest's collar until the church finishes an internal investigation. Once the inquiry is complete, the archbishop of Miami could send his name to Rome for permanent removal from the priesthood, spokeswoman Mary Ross Agosta said.

"The Archdiocese of Miami is distressed by the revelations disclosed by Father Mercieca regarding former Rep. Mark Foley," Agosta said in a written statement. "Such behavior is morally reprehensible, canonically criminal and inexcusable."

Posted by kshaw at 07:28 AM

Sex-abuse suspect never alone with kids, pastor says

VANCOUVER (OR)
The Oregonian

Saturday, October 21, 2006
HOLLEY GILBERT
VANCOUVER -- A Vancouver man charged with sex crimes against two Clark County children was supervised as a classroom aide at the Portland church he attended and was never left alone with children, the church pastor said Friday.

Michael Scott Norris, 40, attended the Open Bible Church in Southeast Portland until about four years ago, a year before he moved from Portland to Vancouver, pastor Phil Newell said Friday.

The church follows rigid practices to protect children, including doing criminal background checks on volunteers, having windows in classroom doors and never leaving volunteers alone with children, Newell said.

Posted by kshaw at 07:24 AM

Dublin pastor says he'll fight charges of child sexual abuse

VIRGINIA
The Roanoke Times

By Tim Thornton
381-1669

RADFORD -- Standing in his sock feet just inside the front door of his modest house, Hawthorne Reed Jr., pastor of First Baptist Church across the river in Dublin, said Friday he plans to fight the accusation that he sexually abused a child.

Reed is charged with two counts of forcible sodomy and one count of aggravated sexual assault on a child younger than 13, all linked to incidents that allegedly occurred in July 2000.

"They're not true," Reed said of the charges. "Anybody could make allegations. I'm going to fight this stuff in court."

Reed said he knew the people who accused him, but didn't know why they did it.

"Who knows what goes on in people's minds?" he said.

Posted by kshaw at 07:22 AM

Court allows former altar boy to sue Catholic church over sex abuse

HONG KONG
The Raw Story

dpa German Press Agency
Published: Saturday October 21, 2006

Hong Kong- A court cleared the way for a former altar boy to sue a Catholic church in Hong Kong along with the ex-priest who was convicted of sexually abusing him more than 14 years ago, a news report said Saturday. The boy was 15 when Michael Lau, then a deacon in charge of altar boys at St Joseph's Catholic Church, abused him in a series of sexual assaults in his quarters and at a school between 1991 and 1992.

The victim, known only as H suffered a mental breakdown following the incident and was subsequently diagnosed with schizophrenia and post traumatic stress disorder.

A report in the South China Morning Post said H believes the attacks contributed to his condition and that the church breached its duty of care by not protecting him from Lau. He also claims the church was negligent in failing to notify police after the abuse claims were first made.

Lau, now 44, was only brought to trial more than 10 years after the incidents. He was sentenced to four-and-half years in prison in February 2003 after being convicted of indecent assault and gross indecency, but was freed in January 2006 after serving three years.

Posted by kshaw at 07:14 AM

Church schedules apology service

GREEN BAY (WI)
Press-Gazette

Anyone who may have been hurt by a representative of the Catholic Church in any way is invited to attend a Prayer Service of Apology at 7 p.m. Friday at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, 140 S. Monroe Ave.

Bishop David Zubik, of the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay, will lead the service, the first of its kind in the diocese. Following the example of Pope John Paul II, who apologized publicly to anyone who was hurt by the church in a special prayer service in the millennium Jubilee Year of 2000, Zubik intends to apologize publicly to anyone hurt by any representative of the church especially within the diocese of Green Bay.

Posted by kshaw at 07:12 AM

Bishop launches investigation of priest in Foley case

FLORIDA
TCPalm

By MICHELLE SHELDONE
michelle.sheldone@scripps.com
October 22, 2006

Miami Archbishop John C. Favalora has launched an internal investigation into allegations that a former priest at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and School in Lake Worth molested the young Mark Foley.

The Archdiocese of Miami confirmed Friday morning that Anthony Mercieca was the man the disgraced former congressman claims molested him between the ages of 13 and 15.

Mercieca, 69, who now lives in retirement on the Maltese island of Gozo, "cannot wear his clerical garb or present himself as a priest in any way shape or form" until after the investigation concludes and possibly never again, archdiocese spokesman Mary Ross Agosta said Friday.

The archdiocese has sent notices to every parish where Mercieca served, asking them to advise parishioners this weekend of the allegations against him and ask that any additional allegations be reported to the archdiocese's Victims Assistance Coordinator at (866) 802-2873 or their local police department.

Posted by kshaw at 07:09 AM

Palm Beach authorities name Gozitan priest

MALTA
Times of Malta

Massimo Farrugia, Herman Grech

The Archdiocese of Miami has asked any possible victims of inappropriate behaviour or abuse by a Gozitan priest to come forward or contact a law enforcement agency.

Fr Anthony Mercieca, 72, was named by the Palm Beach State Attorney's Office as former Congressman Mark Foley's alleged abuser.

The Gozitan priest in the meantime severed all communication yesterday as the world media turned its spotlight on Gozo. Fr Mercieca, ordained for the Diocese of Gozo, worked in the Archdiocese of Miami in the mid-1960s through the early 2000s.

Reporters and cameramen from international networks yesterday flocked to Library Street, Victoria, hounding the residence of the priest who has recently confirmed having had encounters which Mr Foley may have perceived as sexually inappropriate 40 years ago.

The Archdiocese of Miami said it was distressed by the revelations disclosed by Fr Mercieca regarding Mr Foley.

Posted by kshaw at 07:06 AM

Local parish and clergy sex abuse- What to do?

Yakima Herald Republic

Catholics and people of good will can work for changes in the Catholic Church that will promote the protection of children.

1. Become informed. Meet with others to read and discuss "A Report on the Crisis in the Catholic Church in the United States" by theAbuse Tracker Review Board, a lay board organized by the United States Catholic Conference. This report outlines the causes of this crisis and offers recommendations to correct the problem.

2. Watch for cover-up. Dioceses have acted like the dysfunctional family that hides its secrets. Almost every diocese in the country has been implicated in the moving of priests known by church leaders to be a risk to children. These actions prolonged their abusive behavior (the current revelation of Father Toulouse at Seattle University, a case in point). To merely be informed of the abuse is inadequate; one must also know about historical patterns of hierarchical protection of clerics who were a risk to children. Church officials not only hid the actions of offending clerics, they covered up their own actions and decisions as well. A prime example of cover-up is detailed in the Boston Globe's investigative report on the Archdiocese of Boston, "Betrayal."

Posted by kshaw at 07:02 AM

Attention pointed in wrong directions

UNITED STATES
The Sun News

SEAN KOSOFSKY
Republicans need to take responsibility for the Mark Foley scandal.

The latest revelation that a priest may have victimized the former U.S. representative when he was a child does not let Foley off the hook for his own despicable behavior. Nor does it exonerate Republican House officials.

Party leaders have exploited the "family values" mantra, while all along vilifying the most vulnerable among us - gays, minorities and women.

Yet the minute one of their own behaves abhorrently, they try to cover it up, then try to deflect blame and finally turn on each other.

Foley blamed alcohol before predatory priests.

Posted by kshaw at 07:00 AM

Gozitan priest denies sexual relationship with former Republican lawmaker: Gozo Curia tight-lipped over investigation

MALTA
The Malta Independent

by FRANCESCA VELLA

The Gozo Curia was tight-lipped yesterday, saying little more than what had been said in a statement issued late on Thursday night, a few hours after the international media reported that a Gozitan priest had denied having a sexual relationship with former US Republican lawmaker Mark Foley in the 1960s.

When contacted yesterday morning, the Gozo bishop’s secretary, Fr Eddie Zammit, said that Bishop Mario Grech had written to the members of the Response Team yesterday morning, asking them to investigate the allegations made against the Gozitan priest.

The team will work according to the policies established by the Maltese Ecclesiastical Province with regard to similar cases of sexual abuse in pastoral activity, said Fr Zammit.

On Thursday, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune had reported that the Gozitan priest, now in his 70s, had had several encounters with Mr Foley, when the latter was still a boy, which might have been perceived as being sexually inappropriate.

Posted by kshaw at 06:58 AM

Accused Priest’s Long Flight From Law in U.S. and Mexico

MEXICO
The New York Times

By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.
Published: October 21, 2006
TEHUACÁN, Mexico — For two decades, dozens of children have accused the Rev. Nicolás Aguilar of molesting or brutally raping them. He faces an indictment charging sexual abuse in Los Angeles and at least five formal complaints in Mexico. Yet at 65 he remains at large, still working as a priest in villages here.

Father Aguilar’s long flight from the law, critics say, reflects the ease with which priests can avoid prosecution in the United States by hiding in Mexico, where judges and prosecutors are reluctant to challenge the enduring political strength of the Roman Catholic Church.

The case has focused attention on a problem that is not limited to Father Aguilar, but rather, critics say, points to a pattern of complicity by high officials in the church.

In September one of Father Aguilar’s accusers filed a lawsuit in southern California alleging that the cardinals of Mexico City and Los Angeles had conspired to help him escape prosecution by allowing him to slip across the border.

Both cardinals deny any wrongdoing. But American law enforcement officials and advocates for victims say that since 1995 at least three other priests accused of molesting children in the United States have fled to Mexico before the authorities could arrest them. In other cases, going back to the 1980’s, still more were transferred to Mexico after church officials received complaints about them.

Posted by kshaw at 06:53 AM

October 20, 2006

Archdiocese to Investigate Foley Priest

FLORIDA
Washington Post

By Daniela Deane
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 20, 2006; 3:30 PM

The Archdiocese of Miami announced Friday it is opening an investigation into the conduct of a retired priest who has admitted fondling former Congressman Mark Foley as a boy in Florida, calling the alleged abuse "morally reprehensible, canonically criminal and inexcusable."

The archdiocese issued a statement apologizing to Foley "for the hurt he has experienced" and said the investigation could result in Church sanctions against the 69-year-old priest, who is now retired and living on the Mediterranean island of Gozo off Malta.

The announcement came one day after the Gozo diocese said it too had opened an investigation into the conduct of the Rev. Anthony Mercieca. The Miami archbishop has withdrawn the priest's faculties, the statement from the Miami church said.

Posted by kshaw at 09:50 PM

Sex offender counseling decision delayed

WORCESTER (MA)
Telegram & Gazette

By Gary V. Murray
TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
gmurray@telegram.com

WORCESTER— A judge postponed action today on an 82-year-old retired priest’s request that he not be required to undergo sex offender counseling as a condition of his probation on sexual assault charges.

Dennis J. Kelly, a lawyer representing Rev. Paul M. Desilets, told Judge Jeffrey A. Locke during a hearing in Worcester Superior Court that his client is too old and sick to take part in a sex offender treatment program after his release from prison Monday.

Rev. Desilets was sentenced to one year to one and a half years in state prison on May 11, 2005, after pleading guilty to charges of sexually assaulting 18 male victims from 1978 to 1984 in Bellingham.

The victims were altar boys at Our Lady of the Assumption parish in Bellingham at the time of the assaults and Rev. Desilets was associate pastor there.

Posted by kshaw at 03:41 PM

Experts: Abusers think they're innocent

UNITED STATES
Sun Herald

RACHEL ZOLL
Associated Press
Experts on sex abuse say the comments of a Roman Catholic priest who acknowledged being naked with Mark Foley when the former congressman was young fit a pattern of distorted thinking that they've seen over and over among offenders.

The Rev. Anthony Mercieca told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that he was naked with Foley in a sauna, and was quoted in other interviews saying he also fondled him. Mercieca told the AP that the relationship wasn't sexual, a distinction abuse experts found disturbing.

"The priest is very focused on the legalities here and I think it's important for the rest of us to see the enormous power differential between these two," said David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.

"There is a tremendous abuse of authority and position involved in these activities whether or not they constitute child molestation."

Posted by kshaw at 03:38 PM

Foley may have used 'training'

FLORIDA
Sarasota Herald-Tribune

By CAROL E. LEE
carol.lee@heraldtribune.com

Experts say the type of sexual abuse Mark Foley said he suffered as an altar boy from a Catholic priest may have become the model that Foley used, decades later, in forming his own illicit relationships with teen-age boys.

"There could be an identification with the abuser that was like a training ground for grooming: how do you pick the vulnerable kids and how do you groom them," Mary Gail Frawley-O'Dea, a clinical psychologist and author of the forthcoming book, "Perversion of Power: Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church."

"It's a way of understanding how Foley may have become the man he was, but it isn't an excuse for him becoming the man he was," Frawley-O'Dea said.

Most abusers say that they were sexually abused as children, but the vast majority of adults who were abused as children do not grow up to be abusers (less than 20 percent), psychologists said.

Posted by kshaw at 03:36 PM

Press Release Regarding Allegations of Sexual Abuse As Reported in the International Press

GOZO, MALTA
Diocese of Gozo

This afternoon, Thursday, 19th October 2006, the Diocese of Gozo has learnt for the first time through the international press about allegations made against a priest residing in the Diocese of Gozo.

The Diocese of Gozo has seen the statement issued by the Archdiocese of Miami, Florida, U.S.A., with regard to this case.

The bishop of Gozo, Mgr. Mario Grech, contacted tonight the Archdiocese of Miami and asked for further information about the case.

In light of all this, tomorrow Bishop Grech will instruct the Response Team to investigate these allegations according to the policies established by the Maltese Ecclesiastical Province with regard to cases of sexual abuse in pastoral activity, and present him with a report.

Posted by kshaw at 03:32 PM

Miami archdiocese: Behavior by Foley priest is 'morally reprehensible'

FLORIDA
Sarasota Herald-Tribune

STAFF REPORT

The Catholic Archdiocese of Miami announced Friday it had launched an internal investigation into Father Anthony Mercieca, the priest disgraced congressman Mark Foley says abused him as a child.

The announcement came in a written statement that also said the diocese was withdrawing Mercieca's "faculties," and that the investigation "could result in ecclesiastical sanctions against Father Mercieca."

"The Archdiocese of Miami is distressed by the revelations disclosed by Father Mercieca regarding former Representative Mark Foley," the statement said. "Such behavior is morally reprehensible, canonically criminal and inexcusable. The events described are totally contrary to the ministry of a priest."

In the statement, Catholic officials apologized to Foley "for the hurt he has experienced."

Posted by kshaw at 03:29 PM

Miami Archdiocese apologizes to Foley

MIAMI (FL)
CNN

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- The priest whom former Rep. Mark Foley has accused of molesting him when he was a teen could face sanctions, the Miami Archdiocese said Friday while offering the embattled ex-congressman an apology for the priest's "morally reprehensible" behavior.

The Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office identified Foley's alleged abuser as Father Anthony Mercieca, the archdiocese said in a written statement.

Sources close to the investigation previously told CNN that Foley named Mercieca as his alleged abuser.

The statement said Mercieca, who worked in the archdiocese from the mid-1960s through the early 2000s, could face ecclesiastical sanctions.

"John Favalora, archbishop of Miami, is withdrawing Father Mercieca's faculties," the archdiocese said.

Posted by kshaw at 03:24 PM

Maltese priest's behavior toward Foley called inexcusable, criminal

FLORIDA
Catholic News Service

By Catholic News Service

MIAMI (CNS) -- Father Anthony Mercieca's admitted behavior 40 years ago with a young Mark Foley "is morally reprehensible, canonically criminal and inexcusable," the spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Miami said Oct. 20, shortly after receiving the name of the former congressman's alleged abuser.

Mary Ross Agosta, director of communications for the Miami Archdiocese, said Archbishop John C. Favalora had withdrawn from Father Mercieca the right to function as a priest and had begun an investigation that "could result in ecclesiastical sanctions" against the Maltese priest, who served in south Florida for 38 years.

The Diocese of Gozo in Malta, for which Father Mercieca was ordained in 1962, was notified of Archbishop Favalora's decisions, the spokeswoman said. The priest, who retired in 2002 from work in the Miami Archdiocese, now lives on the Maltese island of Gozo.

A notice on the Web site of the Diocese of Gozo said Bishop Mario Grech had asked his diocesan response team to investigate the abuse allegations and report back to him. It said the diocese had learned about the allegations Oct. 19 "from the international press."

Posted by kshaw at 03:20 PM

Archdiocese of Miami names Foley priest, bars him from practicing

WEST PALM BEACH (FL)
The Florida Times-Union

By BRIAN SKOLOFF
Associated Press Writer

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Archdiocese of Miami said Friday it has barred the Rev. Anthony Mercieca from all church work as it investigates a claim by former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley that the clergyman abused him as a teenager.

Mercieca is now retired in Malta and a diocese there has opened an investigation after he said this week he fondled Foley when the Florida Republican was a boy.

"The Archdiocese of Miami is distressed by the revelations disclosed by Father Mercieca regarding former Representative Mark Foley. Such behavior is morally reprehensible, canonically criminal and inexcusable. The events described are totally contrary to the ministry of a priest," the statement read.

The church also said there have been no other allegations of abuse against Mercieca reported to the Archdiocese of Miami.

Posted by kshaw at 03:08 PM

Jewish filmmaker delves into pedophile priest scandal

The Jewish News Weekly

by michael fox
correspondent

As a journalist for CBS and CNN, Amy Berg produced numerous segments on pedophilia charges against California priests, and the failure of the Los Angeles archdiocese to come clean about what Cardinal Roger Mahony knew, and when.

In her debut documentary, “Deliver Us From Evil,” Berg focuses on Oliver O’Grady, a former Northern California priest who did seven years in prison for just a few of his crimes. The Los Angeles filmmaker handles this sensationalist material with remarkable restraint, yet it seems inevitable that some critics of the film will zero in on her Jewishness.

“I’m sure that will come up at a certain point,” Berg agrees in a recent interview at a hotel in San Francisco. “I haven’t heard it, but it might already be on the Internet.

“My response to that is, thank God I’m not a Roman Catholic making this film, because I came to it from a totally nondenominational point of view. I came in as a journalist trying to tell a story, and it wasn’t cluttered with Catholic guilt or Jewish guilt, or any of those kinds of guilt that we bring in to a story that’s very personal to us. I came in, I asked questions, I allowed the people in my film to tell this story. I just assembled it.”

Posted by kshaw at 09:32 AM

Disputing the cycle of sexual abuse

UNITED STATES
Newsday

BY BRYN NELSON
Newsday Staff Writer

October 19, 2006, 9:30 PM EDT

Up to one-third of girls and one-fifth of boys in the United States will be subjected to it before the age of 18, according to some experts. Many of the victims will keep their silence for years -- or decades.

And contrary to a lingering myth, the vast majority will never become sexual abusers themselves.

The sensitive subject of child sexual abuse has again been pulled to the fore of public discussions in the wake of revelations that former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) sent inappropriate e-mails and explicit instant messages to underage House pages. And a new admission by a 72-year-old Catholic priest that he touched an adolescent Foley nearly 40 years ago has only compounded the uproar.

Lost in much of the hullabaloo, psychologists say, is an unfortunate reality: Child sexual abuse remains a thorny but chronically underfunded area of research in which no simple patterns have emerged.

Posted by kshaw at 09:29 AM

Ex-janitor pleads guilty in child pornography case

PORTLAND (OR)
The Oregonian

Friday, October 20, 2006

A former janitor at Portland's Congregation Beth Israel synagogue pleaded guilty Thursday to receiving child pornography over the Internet, federal authorities reported.

Sentencing for Timothy Lee Olander, 48, was set for Jan. 2. Olander had previously served five years on probation in Oregon for the 1988 sexual abuse of a child, according to a state Department of Corrections spokeswoman.

Posted by kshaw at 09:25 AM

Ad alleging sex crime cover-up heats up campaign

OLYMPIA (WA)
Spokesman-Review

Richard Roesler
Staff writer
October 20, 2006

OLYMPIA – As the days count down to November's election, Washington's second-most-expensive state Senate race is turning more ferocious.

Since Friday, Spokane residents have been opening their mailboxes to find large postcards that maintain that Sen. Brad Benson "voted to cover up sex crimes against our children."

The mailer – which features a photo of a hurt-looking girl clutching a teddy bear, as well as some Spokesman-Review headlines about alleged church and boys home sex abuse – focuses on a vote by Benson three years ago.

Benson, R-Spokane, called the mailing "a new low."

"I guess when you're desperate you dig deep and stretch things," said a fellow senator, Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, who voted the same way on the bill.

In 2003, Benson was one of 35 House lawmakers who voted against adding the clergy to the occupations required by law to report allegations of child abuse. The bill passed the House, only to die in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Posted by kshaw at 09:12 AM

$100,000 Bail for Priest Accused of Stealing from Church

CHICAGO (IL)
Fox 28

Bail has been set at 100-thousand dollars for a Chicago priest accused of funding a lavish lifestyle out of money he allegedly stole from his North Side church.

The Reverend Mark Sorvillo appeared at the Cook County Circuit Court yesterday. He is charged with felony theft of more than 100-thousand dollars.

Prosecutors say Sorvillo pilfered money from the weekly offerings at St. Margaret Mary Parish starting in 1998 and continued until he resigned last February. He is also accused of taking donations from baptisms and weddings.

Posted by kshaw at 09:03 AM

Baptistgate parallels Foleygate

OpEd News

by Christa Brown

As Foleygate unfolds, the Religious Right remains mute about its own child sex abuse scandal.

Just three days before Representative Foley resigned, I was standing at the doorstep of the Southern Baptist Convention, asking it to implement procedures to rid their ranks of clergy predators and make kids safer. Along with other delegates from SNAP - the Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests and other Clergy - we presented Baptist leaders with a letter asking for the creation of an independent review board to investigate accounts of clergy sex abuse. Despite a multi-part series in EthicsDaily, the SBC's response has been one of avoidance.

Rather than taking action to protect kids, SBC leaders seem to think that if they close their eyes long enough, the problem will go away. This is a very dangerous sort of blindness that leaves kids at risk.

SNAP went to the SBC's Nashville doorstep because, in recent months, SNAP has heard from dozens of people, reporting that they were sexually abused by Southern Baptist clergy.

I myself know the soul-murdering impact of such trauma because I was sexually abused by a Southern Baptist minister when I was a teen church girl in Dallas. Another minister knew about it at the time - and eventually swore to that knowledge - but the perpetrator was sent on his way, and I was told not to speak of it. Not until my daughter reached adolescence did I resurrect the horrific memories and begin to deal with them. To my surprise, although my report was readily substantiated, no denominational leader seemed to think it mattered much. In fact, the SBC wrote that it had no record the man was still in ministry. Yet, I found him at a prominent church in Florida.

Posted by kshaw at 08:42 AM

Former T.O. pastor pleads guilty to abusing girl in '80s

CALIFORNIA
Ventura County Star

By Raul Hernandez, rhernandez@VenturaCountyStar.com
October 19, 2006

A former Thousand Oaks pastor pleaded guilty on Wednesday to four counts of sexually abusing a girl at church events and on the church's school grounds in 1988 and 1989.

William Alan Malgren, 52, is facing up to 11 years and four months in prison.

Ventura County Superior Court Judge Bruce Clark set a sentencing for Dec. 5, after a presentencing report is completed.

Malgren, a balding man, is in custody on $1 million bail and appeared in court in a wheelchair.

Posted by kshaw at 08:39 AM

Minister arrested in child porn case

VANCOUVER (OR)
The Oregonian

Friday, October 20, 2006
HOLLEY GILBERT
VANCOUVER -- A Vancouver man who was a nonordained youth minister in Portland was arrested in a nationwide federal investigation that has netted 125 subscribers of a hard-core child pornography Web site, federal authorities announced Thursday.

Michael Scott Norris, 40, who attended Open Bible Church, was arrested Aug. 16 at his northeast Vancouver home. Norris, who worked as a laboratory technician at Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital, is in the Clark County Jail on $900,000 bail.

He is charged with four counts of first-degree rape of a child; two counts of first-degree child molestation; two counts of second-degree child molestation; and two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. All are state charges. Trial is set for Feb. 14.

Posted by kshaw at 08:35 AM

Diocese has abuse record

FLORIDA
The Detroit News

Thomas Hargrove / Scripps Howard News Service

The Catholic diocese in South Florida where former Rep. Mark Foley lived nearly 40 years ago when he said a clergyman sexually abused him has one of the nation's worst records of sexual misconduct by priests and bishops.

The Diocese of Palm Beach in South Florida is the only U.S. diocese to suffer the forced consecutive resignations of two bishops -- Keith Symons in 1998 and Anthony O'Connell in 2002 -- following disclosures of inappropriate sexual contact with boys or young men.

On Thursday, the Rev. Anthony Mercieca, 69, acknowledged he was naked in saunas and went skinny-dipping with Foley when the former congressman was a boy in Florida, but denied they had sex.

Posted by kshaw at 08:30 AM

Diocese to sell school to community group

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Globe

By Charles A. Radin, Globe Staff | October 20, 2006

The Archdiocese of Boston agreed yesterday to sell the former Our Lady of the Presentation School in Brighton to a nonsectarian citizens' group, ending one of the bitterest disputes between the church and a local community that arose from widespread closings of parishes and schools over the past three years.

In an effort to rebuild its tattered relations with the community, the archdiocese put the sales price at $1 million, half the $2 million the citizens group had offered for the school building. The group, the nonprofit Presentation School Foundation, plans to operate an affordable preschool, after-school programs, summer camps, and adult education programs at the site in partnership with the YMCA and the Boston Public Library.

Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, who arranged the reduction in price to less than half the property's market value, told about 120 upbeat, applauding residents of the neighborhood that closings of schools and churches and the clergy sexual abuse scandal deeply wounded the Brighton community. He expressed hope that resolution of the struggle over the Presentation School building would be a step toward healing.

Posted by kshaw at 08:28 AM

A Family's Crusade

WISCONSIN
WKOW

Thu 10/19/2006 -

A Cross Plains family, the O'Connell's, filed the lawsuit in an effort to effect change in the Catholic Church. The suit does not ask for money, but rather, requests the church be more open in naming potential sexual abusers. It names every bishop in the country. But Bishop Morlino says he finds the suit unfair.

“I hardly think that is responsible, to sue every bishop in the , as though we were in some kind of a conspiracy,” he says.

Despite Morlino's belief, the O'Connell family is gaining support in their fight. They began their crusade after a catholic priest murdered a family member. That priest had been confronted with allegations of sexual abuse. Out of that, the O'Connell's developed a five-point-plan of reform.

Posted by kshaw at 08:23 AM

Priest says he touched Foley

WEST PALM BEACH (FL)
Palm Beach Post

By Kathleen Chapman and Michael C. Bender
Palm Beach Post Staff Writers

Friday, October 20, 2006

WEST PALM BEACH — The secret that Mark Foley kept for four decades was finally exposed when a priest admitted he went skinny-dipping and sat naked in a sauna with the future congressman.

The Rev. Anthony Mercieca was a priest at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Lake Worth in 1966 and 1967, when Foley was a teenager. Mercieca now lives on Gozo, a Maltese island off the coast of Italy.

A source told The Palm Beach Post on Thursday that Mercieca's name was the one given to the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office on Wednesday.

Also Wednesday, Mercieca told The Sarasota Herald-Tribune that he loved Foley like a brother and took the former altar boy for overnight trips and skinny-dips in secluded lakes. He said he massaged Foley in the nude and said that one night, he might have gone too far.

Mercieca backed away from some of his statements Thursday, acknowledging to The Associated Press that he was naked with Foley but saying their relationship was not sexual.

The Archdiocese of Miami released a statement late Thursday saying a church attorney had received a priest's name, but the archdiocese did not confirm it was Mercieca's. The statement said church officials will speak publicly as soon as they get clearance from the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office, and they encourage other possible victims of the accused priest to come forward.

Posted by kshaw at 08:19 AM

Abuse revelations lead to removal of memorials to E. Boston pastor

BOSTON (MA)
The Pilot

By Antonio M. Enrique
Posted: 10/20/2006

EAST BOSTON -- New revelations that a long-time pastor at St. Lazarus Church had sexually abused several girls decades ago, rocked an otherwise quiet East Boston congregation Oct. 14.

Father Louis Toma, a Scalabrini priest who oversaw the construction of St. Lazarus Church and served as pastor from 1911 until his death in 1961, sexually abused young girls at the parish, according to Father John J. Connolly, special assistant to Cardinal O’Malley on matters related with sexual abuse.

“The archdiocese received several, independent allegations against Father Toma,” Father Connolly said.

“These people who came forward, came forward independently, without knowledge of one another,” Father Connolly said. “There was no collusion, there was no connection, other than the fact that this is a small parish in terms of geography and people knew of each other.”

Posted by kshaw at 08:16 AM

Some in diocese feel sense of relief after priest comes forward in Foley case

FLORIDA
TCPalm

By AMIE PARNES AND MICHELLE SHELDONE
staff writers
October 20, 2006

The admission of a Roman Catholic priest that he had once fondled former Congressman Mark Foley brought a sense of relief to some in the Diocese of Palm Beach, which was rocked when Foley claimed abuse by a member of the clergy when he was young but would not name the person involved.

Anthony Mercieca, 69, a retired priest who lives on the Maltese island of Gozo, confirmed in a telephone interview with station WPTV Ch. 5 in West Palm Beach he is the clergyman whom Foley accused of sexually abusing him when the disgraced ex-lawmaker was between 13 and 15 years old at Sacred Heart in Lake Worth.

In Palm Beach County, Chris Storch breathed a sigh of relief when she heard about Mercieca.

The Lake Worth restaurant manager was in Foley's class at Sacred Heart, and she and her family were "upset" as they waited in recent days to find out the name of the accused clergyman.

"There were a lot of priests at that parish we were very close to," said Storch, now 51. "They'd come over to our house for dinner and everything. I was hoping, against hope, it wasn't someone who was a dear friend of the family. Thankfully, it wasn't."

Posted by kshaw at 08:11 AM

Abuse is real-life horror flick

St. Paul Pioneer Press

RUBÉN ROSARIO
We've seen this before, from Minnesota to Boston: pedophile priests running amok, a church hierarchy more interested in covering up abuse than protecting children, and emotionally jarring tales from victims.

"Deliver Us From Evil'' has all this in visually haunting buckets. But the documentary, which opens locally Nov. 10, goes one better by having a pedophile priest confess his sins on camera.

The film arrives as clergy abuse once again surfaces on the national radar with the recent disclosure from disgraced Florida congressman Mark Foley that he was abused by a priest as a teenager. Foley waited nearly a month after the revelation before identifying the priest to prosecutors and archdiocese officials in Miami this week.

"Survivors don't disclose unless they are in trouble, until they are in crisis, or they discover it happens to others, or there is some psychological breakdown,'' says Jeffrey Anderson, a St. Paul-based lawyer who appears in the film and has represented more than 1,000 alleged victims of clergy abuse in the past 25 years.

Posted by kshaw at 08:08 AM

Gozitan priest linked to disgraced US Congressman

MALTA
The Times of Malta

Herman Grech

Disgraced American Congressman Mark Foley is claiming he was molested as a boy by a Gozitan priest who was serving in the US.

The 72-year-old priest, who now lives in Gozo, confirmed to The Times last night he was "close friends" with Mr Foley but said his recollection of events was sketchy since they took place when he was suffering a nervous breakdown.

The story has hit the headlines across the US after an interview with the priest first appeared in the Florida-based Herald Tribune yesterday.

The alleged abuse took place over a two-year period about 40 years ago when the Congressman was a teenage altar boy.

Posted by kshaw at 08:03 AM

Priest offers further details about his relations with Foley

FLORIDA
Sarasota Herald-Tribune

By MATTHEW DOIG and MAURICE TAMMAN

matthew.doig@heraldtribune.com
maurice.tamman@heraldtribune.com

Father Anthony Mercieca said Thursday he never had sexual intercourse with former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, but throughout the day offered more details to national media outlets about his intimate relationship with the then-Lake Worth altar boy.

Mercieca told the Washington Post he and Foley once engaged in "light touching" and told CNN he fondled Foley when he was a teen, though he didn't consider the contact abuse because Foley "seemed to like it."

Mercieca told the Associated Press in Rome he and Foley would go into saunas naked when he was a priest in Florida and Foley was a parishioner, but he said "everybody does that." The priest also said he didn't think it was unusual to go on overnight trips with a young boy.

Richard Sipe, a former priest who studies sexuality and the priesthood and has counseled abusive clergy and victims, said abusive priests typically deny that their activities were sexual because they often convince themselves that only intercourse violates their vow of celibacy.

Posted by kshaw at 08:01 AM

Gozo Diocese probing alleged sexual abuse

MALTA
MaltaMedia News

By MaltaMedia News
Oct 20, 2006, 10:43 CET

The Diocese of Gozo is investigating allegations that Fr. Anthony Mercieca, a Gozitan resident, had an “inappropriate” relationship with former United States Republican Congressman Mark Foley in Florida around 40 years ago.

The bishop of Gozo, Mgr. Mario Grech, has instructed a response team to investigate the allegations according to the policies established by the Maltese Ecclesiastical Province with regard to cases of sexual abuse in pastoral activity, and present him with a report.

In a statement the Diocese of Gozo added that Mgr. Mario Grech will also pass all information he receives pertaining to this case to the response team.

Bishop Mario Grech, conscious of the gravity of pedophilia, reiterated that he will cooperate with those responsible for investigating such cases “so that justice is done to the victims, the perpetrators are reformed and the common good is safeguarded”.

Posted by kshaw at 07:59 AM

KID FOLEY'S NUDE REV. ROMPS

WASHINGTON (DC)
New York Post

By GEOFF EARLE Post Correspondent

October 20, 2006 -- WASHINGTON - Disgraced ex-Congressman Mark Foley's childhood priest has come forward and admitted cavorting nude with the boy and giving him massages.

Father Anthony Mercieca, who is now living on an island off the Italian coast, says he doesn't remember how far things got with Foley - although he does recall skinny-dipping with the then-13-year-old and staying naked in the same room with him on trips.

There is one night with Foley that the priest says he can't even recall.

"I have to confess, I was going through a nervous breakdown," he told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. "I was taking pills - tranquilizers. I used to take them all the time. They affected my mind a little bit."

Posted by kshaw at 07:55 AM

Criticized cleric bows out of rights panel

CALIFORNIA
The Orange County Register

By PEGGY LOWE
The Orange County Register

A Catholic priest has pulled his name from consideration for placement on a county board after he became a "distraction" because of his role in the Orange County Diocese's sexual abuse scandal.

Monsignor John Urell on Wednesday asked his sponsor, Supervisor Bill Campbell, to withdraw his reappointment to the county's human relations commission after several days of outrage from abuse victims and politicos.

Urell made the decision "after spending time praying for guidance" and felt the attention would distract from the commission's work, Campbell said.

The move is a quick reversal by Campbell, who earlier in the week defended his choice. Campbell, who attends St. Norbert's Parish where Urell is pastor, said the priest has been hurt by this recent criticism much like he was after he spoke of the diocese's role in the priest-pedophile scandal last year.

Posted by kshaw at 07:53 AM

Gozo Curia investigating abuse allegations

GOZO, MALTA
di-ve news

by Chris Galea, di-ve news

GOZO, Malta (di-ve news) -- October 20, 2006 -- 1215CEST -- Gozo bishop Mgr Mario Grech has contacted the Archdiocese of Miami to ask for information as the Gozo Curia has launched an investigation into the allegations that a Gozitan priest had sexually abused a page boy back in the 1960s while serving in the US.

Media reports have claimed that the Gozitan priest had sexually abused former US Congressman Mark Foley, when he was still a 13-year-old boy.

Mgr Grech has instructed the Curia Response Team to investigate these allegations according to the policies established by the Maltese Ecclesiastical Province with regard to cases of sexual abuse in pastoral activity and present him with a report.

Posted by kshaw at 07:51 AM

Gay priest denies Foley abuse allegations

FLORIDA
Pink News

20-October-2006
Tony Grew

A 72-year-old Roman Catholic priest has admitted to a series of sexual encounters with a teenage Mark Foley, but denied the relationship was abusive.

The Daily Telegraph reports that Fr Anthony Mercieca became close to Foley while he was working as a priest at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Lake Worth, Florida, in the late 1960s.

Disgraced Republican Congressman Foley was forced to resign after his lurid email and instant message contacts with teenage Congressional pages came to light last month.

Posted by kshaw at 07:48 AM

Isle bishop named in suit

HAWAII
Honolulu Star-Bulletin

By Mary Adamski
madamski@starbulletin.com

Honolulu Catholic Bishop Larry Silva is one of 178 American bishops named in a lawsuit that seeks disclosure of the names of 5,000 Catholic priests identified as child molesters, with the action taken against each one by their bishops.

The civil suit was filed in Wisconsin by the family of Dan O'Connell, whose investigation into sexual abuse by a parish priest in Hudson, Wis., allegedly led to O'Connell's murder in February 2002.

Court papers were served on the Honolulu bishop recently, notifying him that he is a defendant in the lawsuit that initially named the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said Tom O'Connell Jr., brother of the slain man.

Posted by kshaw at 07:46 AM

Answering the ‘Call’

America Magazine

Formation and Human Development
By Gerald D. Coleman, S.S.
Liguori. 141p $19.95 (paperback)

The Sulpician priest Gerald D. Coleman is to be commended for this volume. In it he shares with the Catholic community at large not only his long-term experiences as a rector, professor and guide for seminary life, but also his keen insights into the practical needs of priestly formation. Catholic men who are thinking about priesthood, as well as those who are the current evaluators of priestly formation, need to consider this volume in depth.

Catholic Priesthood is well organized, beginning with the theology of a vocational call and with the profile of those who are responding to this call today (Chapters 1 and 2). Coleman then moves to the issue of screening those who believe God is calling them (Chapter 3). On this basis, he looks at a broader picture of human formation and human sexuality (Chapters 4, 5, 6 and 7). This lengthy section is clearly the main part of his volume. To all of this he adds appendices of great practical value. These appendices focus on a candidate’s code of ethics, his sexual history and the signs or cautions regarding possible sexual abuse of minors. This is a book not only for those who believe they have been called to the priesthood, but also for those who share in the discerning of such calls, including bishops, seminary faculties and parish lay leaders.

Posted by kshaw at 07:43 AM

Priest recalls he was naked with Foley, denies sex

ROME
Gainesville Sun

The Associated Press
October 20. 2006 6:01AM

ROME - A priest acknowledged Thursday that he was naked in saunas and went skinny-dipping with Mark Foley decades ago when the former congressman was a boy in Florida, but denied that the two had sex.

The Rev. Anthony Mercieca, 69, speaking by telephone from his home on the Maltese island of Gozo, made his comments after the Sarasota Herald-Tribune published an interview in which he described several encounters that he said Foley might perceive as sexually inappropriate. Mercieca said the Florida newspaper report was "exaggerated."

"We were friends and trusted each other as brothers and loved each other as brothers," Mercieca told The Associated Press in Rome. Asked if their association was sexual, the priest replied: "It wasn't."

Posted by kshaw at 07:40 AM

Church to probe nude Foley claims

ROME
CNN

ROME, Italy (AP) -- The diocese of Gozo said it was opening an investigation after a Roman Catholic priest on the Maltese island said he was naked in saunas with Mark Foley when the former U.S. congressman was a boy in Florida.

The Rev. Anthony Mercieca, 69, also acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press that he went skinny-dipping with Foley, but denied that the two had sex.

Foley, a 52-year-old Florida Republican, resigned from Congress last month after the release of his sexually explicit computer messages to young male pages.

After Foley's resignation from Congress, his lawyer said that Foley was an alcoholic, gay and had been molested as a boy by a "clergyman." Foley's civil lawyer, Gerald Richman, said the alleged abuser was a Catholic priest whose name he shared with Florida state prosecutors.

Posted by kshaw at 07:38 AM

October 19, 2006

Convicted priest hopes to avoid sex-offender treatment

WORCESTER (MA)
Telegram & Gazette

By Gary V. Murray TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
gmurray@telegram.com

WORCESTER— An 82-year-old retired priest about to be released from prison after being convicted of molesting young boys more than 20 years ago is too old and too sick to take part in a sex-offender treatment program as ordered by the court, according to his lawyer.

Rev. Paul M. Desilets, known to his victims as “Father Hands,” was sentenced in May 2005 to 1 to 1 1/2 years in state prison after pleading guilty in Worcester Superior Court to multiple counts of indecent assault and battery on a child, indecent assault and battery and assault and battery.

The sentence was imposed by Judge Timothy S. Hillman after Rev. Desilets admitted to sexually assaulting 18 male victims from 1978 to 1984, when they were altar boys at Our Lady of the Assumption parish in Bellingham and he was associate pastor there.

In addition to imposing the prison term, Judge Hillman, now a federal magistrate judge, placed Rev. Desilets on probation for 10 years following his release from custody. As conditions of probation, the retired Roman Catholic priest was ordered to have no contact with his victims and no unsupervised contact with anyone under age 18. He was further ordered to undergo any sex-offender counseling deemed appropriate by the court’s Probation Department.

Posted by kshaw at 08:46 PM

Desilets doesn't want sex offender treatment

WORCESTER (MA)
Canoe

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) - A retired Roman Catholic priest from Quebec who has spent more than a year in U.S. prison after pleading guilty to molesting boys at a Bellingham, Mass., church more than 20 years ago is asking a judge to excuse him from court-ordered sex offender treatment because he is too old and sick.

Rev. Paul Desilets, 82, plans to return to his religious community, Les Clercs de St. Viateur in Joliette, Que., and is "too elderly and infirm" to participate in counselling, his lawyer, Dennis Kelly said in the motion, scheduled to be heard Friday.

"Father Desilets' advanced age and infirm physical condition render him incapable of participating in a treatment program. Further, sex offender treatment would serve no useful purpose because he will not be in a position to have contact with children at the Les Clercs de St. Viateur infirmary," Kelly wrote in his motion.

Desilets is scheduled to be released from prison Monday.

Posted by kshaw at 08:43 PM

California bishops, law professor clash

CALIFORNIA
Renew America

Matt C. Abbott
October 19, 2006

As reported by the Catholic News Agency, the Catholic bishops of California have publicly criticized America magazine and attorney/law professor Marci Hamilton for a "recent article on clergy abuse in the United States."

According to the CNA story, "the bishops describe Hamilton as 'one of the most vociferous and bitter critics of the Catholic Church' and state that America magazine just provided her with 'a forum to publish a new plaintiffs' brief.'" The bishops assert that Hamilton's article "is skewed and not based on evidence."

In response the bishops' statement, Hamilton sent the following (slightly edited) letter to America:

To the editor: There is little need to respond to Bishop Chaput's or Fr. Blaire's responses to my article, 'What the Clergy Abuse Crisis Has Taught Us' (Sept. 25), because their specious objections to child abuse legislative reform were anticipated and rebutted in the article. Suffice it to say that the Church continues to be the primary obstacle to legislative reform to protect children from childhood sexual abuse. I would, however, invite Fr. Blaire to be more specific he says that my book, God vs. the Gavel, 'makes extravagant claims . . . that are not sustained by the evidence.'

Posted by kshaw at 08:41 PM

Priest denies Foley abuse allegations

ROME
ABC 12

ROME (AP) - - (10/19/06)-- A Catholic priest insists that his relationship with a young Mark Foley wasn't sexual.

But he says the two used to go naked in a sauna.

Reverend Anthony Mercieca tells The Associated Press he was "friends" with Foley when the future congressman was a boy in Florida. Mercieca says they "loved each other as brothers."

While denying their relationship had a sexual nature, he insists it wasn't unusual for a priest and young boy to be naked in a sauna, saying, quote, "everybody does that."

Posted by kshaw at 03:26 PM

'Sarasota' Editor Defends Foley Story In Wake Of Priest's Criticism

NEW YORK
Editor & Publisher

By Joe Strupp

Published: October 19, 2006 3:00 PM ET

NEW YORK The Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune this afternoon stood by its story about a priest who had an intimate relationship with disgraced former Congressman Mark Foley -- after the priest complained to the Associated Press that the paper "exaggerated" the relationship.

Chris Davis, investigations editor for the Herald-Tribune, also criticized AP for initially writing about the priest's reaction to the story without seeking comment from the paper. "I wish they had contacted us first," Davis told E&P. "The tone that comes across in their story might lead you to believe our story was exaggerated when it wasn't. If they had called us first, the tone of their story might have changed."

AP Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll said AP contacted the paper and included comment from Executive Editor Mike Connelly in updated versions of the story today. "It was all breaking this morning," said Carroll. "There may have been some time when it was on the wire without their comment, but they were properly displayed in the story."

She said the first comments from the paper were added in just 50 minutes after the first AP report was released.

Posted by kshaw at 03:12 PM

State prosecutors confirm name of priest

FLORIDA
Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Officials at the Palm Beach State Attorney’s Office confirmed this afternoon that Anthony Mercieca is the priest U.S. Rep Mark Foley says abused him as a boy. Mercieca’s identity was first reported by the Herald-Tribune.

The priest, who now lives in Gozo, an island near Italy, told the Herald-Tribune Wednesday that he had an intimate two-year relationship he had with Foley in the late 1960s.

Foley’s attorneys revealed the name Wednesday evening to Palm Beach prosecutors, but the state attorney’s office did not confirm the name until today.

Legal experts say there is little chance the priest could be criminally prosecuted because the statute of limitations had passed.

Mercieca told the Herald-Tribune that he massaged Foley while he was naked as a boy in Lake Worth. He also said he took Foley on many overnight trips and sometimes was naked in the room with him. The two went skinny dipping together several times, Mercieca said. Today he told the Associated Press and other news outlets that he never had sex with Foley.

Officials with the Archdiocese of Miami said Wednesday afternoon they still had not been told the name by official sources.

Posted by kshaw at 03:08 PM

Newspaper's pursuit of Foley priest took on Watergate trappings

FLORIDA
Times Daily

TAMPA, Fla.
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune's pursuit of a Roman Catholic priest who admitted an inappropriate relationship with a disgraced congressman 40 years ago took on the trappings of the Watergate investigation with a source agreeing to a code that would confirm information.

The newspaper reported Thursday that sources close to former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley's family said Foley had "one sexual encounter that took place when Foley was 12 or 13." The paper did not disclose the identity of its sources.

Matthew Doig, one of the reporters who broke the story, said Thursday that the source would not name the priest, but agreed to confirm the name if the reporters could find the man themselves. He and colleague Maurice Tamman used church records and the Internet to identify about half a dozen priests who might have had contact with Foley decades ago when he attended Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

Tamman then read the names to the source, who agreed to hang up the phone if the reporters hit the right name. The same technique was used by Washington Post reporters to confirm sensitive information and protect sources in the Watergate scandal.

The source hung up when Tamman mentioned the Rev. Anthony Mercieca, Doig said Thursday.

Posted by kshaw at 03:06 PM

Priest admits to relationship with Congressman

MALTA
Malta Media News

Oct 19, 2006, 17:17 CET

A priest who resides in Gozo has admitted to an intimate two-year relationship he had with former United States Republican Congressman Mark Foley around 40 years ago. Speaking to The Herald Tribune Fr. Anthony Mercieca described a series of encounters that he said Mark Foley might perceive as sexually inappropriate. The priest who is now 72, said that he befriended Mark Foley after moving from Brazil to Florida in 1966. The incidents allegedly took place when Foley was an altar boy at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and attended the parish school.

Mark Foley resigned from the US Congress last month after a number of suggestive e-mails to young male pages were uncovered. The former Congressman has said soon after his resignation that he had been molested as a boy by a "clergyman."

Speaking on Tuesday, Foley's civil lawyer, Gerald Richman told reporters the alleged abuser was a Catholic priest whose name he planned to share with the church on Wednesday.

Posted by kshaw at 03:03 PM

Priest admits fondling Foley but denies abuse

FLORIDA
CNN

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- A priest whom former Rep. Mark Foley reportedly has accused of molestation almost four decades ago said Thursday that he fondled the lawmaker as a teen but it wasn't abuse because Foley "seemed to like it."

"Once maybe I touched him or so ... but I didn't -- it's not something you call rape or penetration or anything like that," Father Anthony Mercieca said in a phone interview with CNN affiliate WPTV from his home on the Maltese island of Gozo in the Mediterranean.

Mercieca earlier told The Associated Press that a Florida newspaper "exaggerated" the inappropriateness of his and Foley's relationship.

"He seemed to like it, you know? So it was sort of more like a spontaneous thing," Mercieca told WPTV, a West Palm Beach, Florida, station.

Mercieca, however, rejected the idea that he sexually abused Foley, saying, "See abuse, it's a bad word, you know, because abuse, you abuse someone against his will. But it involved just spontaneousness, you know?"

Posted by kshaw at 02:58 PM

Ex-priest turned expert on sex abuse explains reasoning of Foley priest

FLORIDA
KAIT

The priest who says he was naked in the sauna with a young Mark Foley insists that "everybody does that." And he doesn't think there's anything unusual about going on overnight trips with a young boy.

Why would the Reverend Anthony Mercieca (mur-see-AY'-kuh) say such things? A former priest who studies the sexual practices of priests has an explanation.

According to Richard Sipe, abusive priests often deny their activities are sexual. He says they often manage to convince themselves that only intercourse itself would violate their vows of celibacy.

Sipe spent 18 years as a priest and Benedictine monk. He's gone on to study sex abuse in the church, has testified in trials, and has written books including "Sex, Priests and Power."

Posted by kshaw at 02:55 PM

Priest Acknowledges Intimate Contact With Foley

FLORIDA
Washington Post

By Howard Schneider and Debbi Wilgoren
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, October 19, 2006; 2:00 PM

A retired priest from Malta acknowledged today that he had intimate contact with a youthful Mark Foley that involved nudity and -- on at least one occasion -- "light touching," but denied that he and Foley had "sexual intercourse."

The Rev. Anthony Mercieca, in a telephone interview with The Washington Post from the Maltese island of Gozo, said he was surprised that his long-ago interaction with Foley had become linked to the scandal that erupted last month and cost the former congressman his job .

Foley, who served as an altar boy at the Sacred Heart Catholic church in Lake Worth, Fla., when Mercieca was assigned there in the mid-1960s, resigned from Congress after reports about sexually intimate electronic messages he had sent to Congressional pages. Following his resignation, Foley entered alcohol rehabilitation, said he was gay, and alleged that he had been sexually abused by a member of the clergy as a youth.

This morning the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, citing confidential sources close to Foley's family, identified Mercieca as the priest in question. Though Mercieca confirmed his past ties to Foley to the Herald-Tribune and in the Post interview, the Post could not confirm that Foley was referring to Mercieca in his allegations, or whether there may be another priest involved.

Posted by kshaw at 02:52 PM

Priest denies having sex with Foley

ROME
The Sierra Times

By FRANCES D'EMILIO, Associated Press Writer

ROME - An elderly priest acknowledged Thursday that he was naked in saunas with Mark Foley decades ago when the former congressman was a boy in Florida, but denied that the two had sex.

The Rev. Anthony Mercieca, 69, speaking by telephone from his home on the Maltese island of Gozo, said a report in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune about their encounters was "exaggerated."

"We were friends and trusted each other as brothers and loved each other as brothers," Mercieca said. Asked if their association was sexual, the priest replied: "It wasn't."

His comments came after the Florida newspaper published a story on Thursday in which he described several encounters in the 1960s that he said Foley might perceive as sexually inappropriate. Those included massaging the boy in the nude, skinny-dipping together at a secluded lake in Lake Worth and being nude in the same room on overnight trips.

Posted by kshaw at 02:44 PM

Paper names priest accused of Foley abuse; church not yet notified

MIAMI (FL)
Catholic News Service

MIAMI (CNS) -- Although the Archdiocese of Miami had not yet been given the name of the priest who allegedly abused former Congressman Mark Foley some 40 years ago, a Florida newspaper has identified the priest as Father Anthony Mercieca, 72, who now lives on the Maltese island of Gozo.

Father Mercieca, who served for 38 years in the Archdiocese of Miami, said in an interview with the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald Tribune that he and Foley "loved each other like brothers" when the priest was assigned to Sacred Heart Parish in Lake Worth in the late 1960s.

Although the priest said he was never accused of sex abuse in any of the seven U.S. parishes where he served, he admitted that some of his behavior with Foley might have been considered sexually inappropriate. He said the two had been naked together on overnight trips and skinny-dipped in a Lake Worth lake and that the priest had given massages to a naked Foley when the former congressman was in his early teens.

Posted by kshaw at 02:40 PM

Feds arrest 125 people nationwide in child-porn investigation

NEWARK (NJ)
USA Today

NEWARK (AP) — A Bible camp counselor and a Boy Scout leader were among 125 people arrested nationwide in an Internet child pornography case in which subscribers purchased photos and videos of children engaged in sex acts with adults, federal authorities said Wednesday.

The case originated in New Jersey, but quickly spread to 22 states. The defendants were charged with either possession or receipt of child pornography. Additional arrests were expected.

Prosecutors said the website alerted subscribers that its content was illegal and urged them to be discreet about their purchases.

Posted by kshaw at 02:38 PM

California bishops united in response to “skewed” America article on sex abuse

LOS ANGELES (CA)
Catholic News Agency

Los Angeles, Oct. 18, 2006 (CNA) - The Catholic bishops of California have united to send a sharp letter to the editor-in-chief of the Jesuit magazine America, claiming that attorney Marci Hamilton’s recent article on clergy abuse in the United States is skewed and not based on evidence.

Hamilton is an attorney for the plaintiffs in sex abuse cases and a professor at Yeshiva University in New York. Her article, “What the Clergy Abuse Crisis Has Taught Us”, was published under editor Fr. Drew Christiansen, SJ, in America’s Sept. 25 edition.

In their letter, the bishops describe Hamilton as “one of the most vociferous and bitter critics of the Catholic Church” and state that America magazine just provided her with “a forum to publish a new plaintiffs’ brief.”

Posted by kshaw at 02:35 PM

Former Priest In Court On Sex Assault Charges

GOLDEN (CO)
TheDenverChannel.com

GOLDEN, Colo. -- A former Catholic priest accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year old boy is due to be arraigned in court Thursday.

Timothy Joseph Evans, 43, of Loveland, Colo., is accused of molesting the teen between 1995 and 1997 at Spirit Of Christ Catholic Community Church in Arvada, Colo.

According to a Jefferson County Grand Jury indictment, the teen was questioning his religious beliefs and as part of his research, checked out a book from a local library on the satanic bible. The teen's father, who was active in church, found the book in his backpack and suggested that he meet with Evans.

The teen met with Evans for guidance and counseling and during the meeting, Evans allegedly suggested that he lie on the floor. The teen, who said he was wearing a T-shirt and shorts at the time, told investigators that Evans began touching him and rubbing his chest. Evans commented that the teen had a "barrel chest," and rubbed his chest, arms, thighs and calves, the indictment alleges.

Posted by kshaw at 07:55 AM

D.A.'s Office Officially Drops Charges Against Port Barre Priest UPDATE

LOUISIANA
KLFY

Charges against the Port Barre priest accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from his congregation have been officially dropped.

That's according to St. Landry Parish district attorney, Earl Taylor.

In a statement released Wednesday by Taylor's office, it says prosecutors have officially dropped charges against Father Charles Nicholas Trahan.

Trahan was arrested a week and a half ago by Port Barre police and charged with theft of $56,000 from the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church.

Posted by kshaw at 06:29 AM

Priest cleared in St. Landry theft probe

OPELOUSAS (LA)
The Advocate

By RICHARD BURGESS
Advocate Acadiana bureau
Published: Oct 19, 2006

OPELOUSAS — The St. Landry Parish District Attorney’s Office cleared a Port Barre priest on theft charges Wednesday, saying an investigation has found no evidence against him.

The District Attorney’s Office also issued a statement contradicting accusations by Port Barre police that the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette was uncooperative in the investigation of the Rev. Charles Nicholas Trahan.

“The Diocese of Lafayette initiated and cooperated with the investigation and the record contains no evidence of it or any of its employees or representatives obstructing or impeding that investigation,” First Assistant District Attorney Frank Trosclair said in a written statement.

Posted by kshaw at 06:26 AM

Pedophile priest disappears

CALIFORNIA
Stockton Record

Anna Kaplan
Record Staff Writer
Published Thursday, Oct 19, 2006

This audio file includes quotes from attorney Larry Drivon, who represented two of Oliver O’Grady’s victims and won a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Stockton. He called O’Grady’s interviews with filmmaker Amy Berg “chilling.”

Posted by kshaw at 06:22 AM

Ex-Rev gets 1 to 3 yrs. in molest of a troubled teen

NEW YORK
New York Daily News

BY BARBARA ROSS
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

A defrocked Episcopal priest who molested a teenage boy in Central Park and at a private school where he worked was sentenced to one to three years in prison yesterday - but not before the victim's mother blasted him.

"Bruce Jacques molested my son, an emotionally disturbed 16-year-old," the mother said, describing the "pain and depression" that resulted for her and her child.

The woman, whose name is being withheld to protect her son, said she had searched for a long time to find a school where her son would be comfortable.

"I thought he would be safe there," she said, referring to the Robert Louis Stevenson School on the upper West Side.

Posted by kshaw at 06:20 AM

Defrocked New Milford priest gets 3 years

NEW YORK
News Times

NEW YORK (AP) -- A fired high school administrator and defrocked New Milford, Conn., priest who molested an emotionally disturbed teenage student in Central Park was sentenced Wednesday to one to three years in prison.

State Supreme Court Justice Rena Uviller sentenced Bruce Jacques, 57, on his guilty plea last month to two counts of third-degree criminal sex act, calling him "an exploiter and victimizer of the weak."

Jacques, captured in April after being on the run for months in places as distant as Malaysia, admitted that he performed a sex act on the 16-year-old boy, first in his Manhattan school and hours later in Central Park.

Jacques was dismissed as an Episcopal priest in New Milford for propositioning a 13-year-old boy, said Assistant District Attorney Kerry O'Connell.

Posted by kshaw at 06:17 AM

Priest allegedly stole $200,000

CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Sun-Times

October 19, 2006
BY LISA DONOVAN Staff Reporter
A Chicago Catholic priest has been charged with felony theft for allegedly stealing close to $200,000 from his parish and spending it on European vacations, trips to Neiman Marcus and liquor.

On Wednesday, the Rev. Mark Sorvillo, knowing he was about to be arrested, turned himself in to Chicago Police and was charged, said John Gorman, a spokesman for the Cook County state's attorney's office. Sorvillo was expected to spend the night in the Cook County Jail and make his first court appearance today.

In February, the Archdiocese of Chicago removed Sorvillo as pastor of St. Margaret Mary Church in West Rogers Park over what officials called "misappropriation of funds."

Posted by kshaw at 06:13 AM

Ex-pastor charged in ripping off church

CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Tribune

By Carlos Sadovi and Gerry Doyle
Tribune staff reporters
Published October 19, 2006

The former pastor of a Far North Side church whose financial struggles were highlighted during a round of school closings two years ago has been charged with stealing nearly $200,000 from the parish's coffers to pamper himself, officials said Wednesday.

Rev. Mark Sorvillo, 54, who was pastor of St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, 2324 W. Chase St., until February, took the money between 1998 and February of this year, said John Gorman, a spokesman for the Cook County state's attorney's office.

Sorvillo is charged with felony theft and could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted. He is expected to appear Thursday in Bond Court.

Sorvillo resigned from his post at the parish in February, said Susan Burritt, a spokeswoman for the Chicago archdiocese. Burritt said she does not know Sorvillo's current status as a priest and was not aware of his arrest until a reporter contacted her Wednesday night.

The parish's fiscal troubles first came to light in winter 2004 when Sorvillo told parishioners that the church's school was insolvent and would have to reopen as a charter school, sources said.

Posted by kshaw at 06:08 AM

Priest tells of Foley relationship

FLORIDA
Herald-Tribune

By MATTHEW DOIG and MAURICE TAMMAN

matthew.doig@heraldtribune.com
maurice.tamman@heraldtribune.com

A Catholic priest told the Herald-Tribune on Wednesday about an intimate two-year relationship he had with former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley when the congressman was a teenage altar boy living in Lake Worth.

From his home on the island of Gozo, near Italy, Anthony Mercieca described a series of encounters that he said Foley might perceive as sexually inappropriate.

Among them: massaging Foley while the boy was naked, skinny-dipping together at a secluded lake in Lake Worth and being naked in the same room on overnight trips.

One night, when Mercieca says he was in a drug-induced stupor, there was an incident he says he can't clearly remember that might have gone too far.

Posted by kshaw at 05:57 AM

Youth pastor gets six years in child-porn case

WASHINGTON
Yakima Herald-Republic

By CHRIS BRISTOL
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

Jim Cannel could not hold back the tears as he tried to explain to a federal judge that he's not a predator, despite the way it looked.

Here's the way it looked: youth pastor in Selah. Possession of child pornography. Camp counselor. Dirty talk online with someone in Seattle he knew as Tim. On his church computer.

He thought Tim was 12.

"Your honor, I'm totally appalled by my behavior," Cannel told U.S. District Judge Edward Shea on Wednesday. "I don't know why I didn't see it right away."

"But I would never hurt a child. Never."

To which Shea had this to say: "No man goes into a chat room called 'men4boys' unless he wants to have sex with boys." ...

At his arrest, Cannel told investigators that he had between five and 10 pornographic images on the computer he kept at the church and admitted trading those images over the Internet. He soon resigned his position at Selah Covenant Church, where he had worked for four months.

Posted by kshaw at 05:52 AM

Priest's victims demand church action

CALIFORNIA
Malaysia Sun

Big News Network
Wednesday 18th October, 2006 (UPI)

Alleged sexual-abuse victims are calling on the Catholic Church to find a former California priest who admits in a new movie he molested children.

Oliver O'Grady was deported to Ireland five years ago, but reportedly has left the country amid outrage over the documentary Deliver Us from Evil. In the film, O'Grady freely admits being overly affectionate with young parishioners and apologizes for having offended them.

In the 1970s and '80s, while serving as a parish priest in several central California towns, O'Grady reportedly molested children over and over again, both boys and girls, including, it is reported, a 9-month-old.

Posted by kshaw at 05:46 AM

Foley lawyers say state now knows identity of priest who allegedly abused him

FLORIDA
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

By Scott Travis
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted October 19 2006

Former Congressman Mark Foley's attorneys said Wednesday they turned over to Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer the name of the priest who allegedly abused their client in the 1960s.

Gerald Richman, Foley's civil lawyer, and David Roth, a criminal lawyer, said in a release this was a joint decision after discussions with attorneys for the Archdiocese of Miami.

The statement also said they do not think the clergyman lives in the United States.

WPTV-Ch. 5 reported that the priest lives in Ireland and is not well known in Palm Beach County.

Posted by kshaw at 05:45 AM

Redemption Has Its Place, But Some Wrongs Are Not So Easily Righted

CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles Times

October 19, 2006

Dana Parsons

The plan today was to bat around the question of public redemption.

Who's entitled to it, and who isn't?

I even had my poster boy picked out: Msgr. John Urell, a former influential Orange County Roman Catholic diocesan official inextricably linked to the cover-ups during the 1980s and 1990s surrounding sexually predatory priests. For the last couple of years, Urell has been operating under the radar screen as a member of the Orange County Human Relations Commission, in addition to his day job as pastor at St. Norbert's Catholic Church in Orange.

This week, the radar picked him up again. When Urell's two-year commission appointment came up for renewal, opponents came forward and vehemently spoke against him.

And there was our issue: Did Urell's indisputable role in the conspiracy of silence disqualify him from serving on a public board? Or should he have been allowed to serve and make a public contribution as some sort of payback for his earlier bad judgments?

Posted by kshaw at 05:43 AM

Foley lawyers name priest he accuses

FLORIDA
Miami Herald

BY MARC CAPUTO
mcaputo@MiamiHerald.com

Attorneys for disgraced former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley gave Palm Beach County prosecutors the name of the Catholic priest who allegedly abused their client when he was a boy.

In a one-paragraph written statement issued Wednesday, attorney Gerald Richman said the lawyers believe the priest who committed ''sexual misconduct'' no longer lives in the United States. Richman issued the statement after telephone conversations with attorneys for the Archdiocese of Miami and the Diocese of Palm Beach.

A spokesman for Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer said the office will not release the name of the suspect at this time. Krischer spokesman Mike Edmondson said a criminal case will be tough to prosecute because the statute of limitations on the as-yet-undescribed crime probably has passed.

''In cases of abuse, we need a specific allegation, and we don't have one right now,'' Edmondson said. ``The victim would have to file a complaint, detail what occurred, when it happened and where.''

Posted by kshaw at 05:39 AM

Bringing the Fight for Clergy Child Abuse Victims to an International Arena: Cases Show that California/Mexico Priest Shuffling Also Occurred

CALIFORNIA
FindLaw

By MARCI HAMILTON

Thursday, Oct. 19, 2006

Several weeks ago, Jeff Anderson, a leading clergy abuse litigator, filed a civil suit in southern California against Cardinal Mahony of Los Angeles and Bishop Rivera of Mexico. The 25-year-old plaintiff was the child victim of sexual abuse by a priest under Rivera's and Mahony's watch.

Rivera, the suit alleges, sent the Mexican priest - a known predator - north to California, where Mahony placed him in a position with ready access to children. When it started to become known that this priest was abusing children, Mahony assisted the priest in evading justice, by failing to report the abuse to authorities, thereby helping him to leave the United States before the authorities could arrest him.

The story is not unlike the stories of the shuffling of perpetrator priests within the United States, except that, in this case, the shuffling crossed international lines. But what makes the case extraordinary is the way the Mexican government has treated Anderson; his associate, Michael Finnegan; and theAbuse Tracker Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, David Clohessy.

Posted by kshaw at 05:38 AM

Seeking abuser is no witch hunt

FLORIDA
Herald-Tribune

Tom Lyons

In the wake of the resignation by U.S. Rep. Mark "Chats Dirty With Teen Boys" Foley, the big question in Congress has been who knew what, and when, and yet did nothing.

The Catholic Church should have been facing questions, too, about why it didn't seem very fired up to learn more.

When Foley resigned and apologized, he didn't give many specifics about what he was apologizing for. But he did offer what was widely taken as an attempt at explaining or excusing himself after the exposure of his smutty electronic sex chat with teen boys.

He said he had been molested, at about age 13 to 15. By a clergyman.

Posted by kshaw at 05:35 AM

Archdiocese reaches end of abuse cases

LOUISVILLE (KY)
The Courier-Journal

By Peter Smith
psmith@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville has released its final accounting of more than four years of sexual-abuse related litigation that rocked the church and cost it $29.7 million.

With the last of the abuse-related lawsuits resolved in April, the archdiocese is now -- for the first time since April 2002 -- free of litigation seeking financial damages for abuse by priests and others associated with the church.

(One lawsuit, filed in Wisconsin in August, is pending but seeks no money -- only the names of all abusers throughout the country.)

In an interview this week, Archbishop Thomas C. Kelly downplayed the significance of the accounting milestone.

"I would not use the expression 'closing the books,' " he said. "... I'm hoping that we have reached the victims. They are the primary concern in all of this. I hope we've got them all, but if we haven't, the door is always open and we're always anxious

Posted by kshaw at 05:33 AM

October 18, 2006

Foley lawyers give name of priest to prosecutors

FLORIDA
Miami Herald

BY MARC CAPUTO
mcaputo@MiamiHerald.com
Attorneys for disgraced former congressman Mark Foley say they've just given Palm Beach County prosecutors the name of the Catholic priest who allegedly abused their client when he was a boy.

In a one-paragraph written statement, attorney Gerald Richman said the lawyers believe the priest who committed ''sexual misconduct'' no longer lives in the United States. Richman issued the statement after telephone conversations with attorneys for the Archdiocese of Miami and the Diocese of Palm Beach.

A spokesman for Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer said the office will not release the name of the suspect at this time. Krischer spokesman Mike Edmondson said a criminal case will be tough to prosecute because the statute of limitations on the as-yet-undescribed crime has probably passed.

''In cases of abuse, we need a specific allegation and we don't have one right now,'' said Edmondson. ``The victim would have to file a complaint, detail what occurred, when it happened and where.''

Posted by kshaw at 05:37 PM

PROFILE OF PERFIDY

New York Press

By Jennifer Merin

Deliver Us From Evil

Directed by Amy Berg

Amy Berg’s documentary, Deliver Us From Evil, is a compelling exposé of the Catholic Church’s schemes to cover up its clergy’s rampant child abuse. The film focuses on the history of Father Oliver O’Grady, the notorious pedophile priest who raped and sodomized hundreds of boys and girls aged nine months through adolescence, and one adolescent victim’s mother, over the course of 20 years. During this time, church superiors avoided exposure to scandal by reassigning him from one California parish to another, never punishing him and failing to prevent his ongoing predatory behavior.

O’Grady was eventually tried and incarcerated. He was deported to Ireland after his release from prison, where he now lives comfortably in retirement, still ordained, enjoying his pension, roaming freely.

Berg uses archival footage as well as new interviews to reveal O’Grady’s flippant attitude. Oozing indifference, he’s utterly without remorse about his heinous behavior and the devastation he caused his victims and their families. In contrast, as they recall O’Grady’s actions, the victims and their families erupt with anguish and anger—and enormous frustration that there’s been no prosecution of LA’s Cardinal Roger Mahony who, according to the film, knew of O’Grady’s crimes but did nothing to stop them. And it’s easy to understand their rage: Mahony still rules the LA Archdiocese.

Posted by kshaw at 05:24 PM

Get thee to a monastery

THAILAND
Bangkok Post

The clergy has now found a new culprit for its own weaknesses: The lack of a criminal law to punish stray monks. Before this, newshounds were the usual culprits. It is not uncommon to hear senior monks blasting the media for tainting the clergy's image by sensationalising the sexual misconduct of monks and other temple scandals.

While arguing that stray monks were merely a few rotten apples, the clergy even tried to sponsor a law to punish the media for showing senior monks in a bad light.

They must bite their tongues, however, when such criticism comes from the direction of Privy Councillor Kasem Watanachai.

In a recent public talk, Prof Kasem said that many Thais are now reluctant to go to the temples because they cannot distinguish the good monks from the bad.

Posted by kshaw at 05:20 PM

25 More Catholic Bishops Served in Unprecedented Child Molestation Lawsuit

ST. PAUL (MN)
Yahoo!

ST. PAUL, Minn., Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- 178 Catholic Bishops have been named as defendants in an unprecedented civil child sex abuse lawsuit brought by the family of a murdered Wisconsin man. The following Bishops have recently been served with the lawsuit:

Edwin O'Brien, Archdiocese for the Military Services, U.S.A.
Roger Schweitz, Archdiocese of Anchorage (AK)
Gerald Kicanas, Diocese of Tucson (AZ)
Allen Vigneron, Diocese of Oakland (CA)

Posted by kshaw at 05:16 PM

Convicted priest-abuser in flight?

Catholic World News

Oct. 18 (CWNews.com) - The defrocked California priest who was the central figure in a controversial documentary film about the Church sex-abuse crisis has disappeared, the Sacramento Bee reports.

Oliver O'Grady, a former priest of the Stockton diocese who had been living in Ireland since serving a prison term in California for molesting children, reportedly left his home there, shortly before the opening of a film in which he is the central character.

Posted by kshaw at 11:45 AM

Priest's Victims Demand Action From Church

STOCKTON (CA)
KCRA

STOCKTON, Calif. -- Sex abuse victims are demanding action from the Catholic church following the release of a documentary on a convicted Northern California priest.

Rev. Oliver O'Grady was imprisoned and later deported to Ireland, but he's now missing and it's believed he may be headed to Canada.

O'Grady allegedly molested 25 children, but the number could be as high as 50. Some of his victims have won multimillion-dollar settlements against the church, but most said they just carry the emotional scars.

On Tuesday, members of SNAP -- the Survival Network of those Abused by Priests -- left a letter for Stockton Bishop Stephen Blaire to help with information that could lead to finding O'Grady.

Posted by kshaw at 11:43 AM

Ex-Lodi priest convicted of abuse allegedly fleeing to Canada

CALIFORNIA
Lodi News-Sentinel

By Ross Farrow
News-Sentinel Staff Writer
Last updated: Wednesday, Oct 18, 2006 - 06:34:05 am PDT

Women who say they were sexually abused by former Lodi priest Oliver O'Grady said Tuesday they were outraged and concerned that the priest has reportedly fled Ireland and could be making his way to Canada.

The Irish Independent newspaper reported this week that O'Grady may have left Ireland and possibly went to France on his way to Canada. According to the Independent, Ireland's national police service, known as An Garda Síochána, believes that O'Grady has left the country.

Several women who said they were abused by priests attempted to deliver a letter to Stockton Diocese Bishop Stephen Blaire at his office, but a receptionist said Blaire was in Chicago on Tuesday. He is expected to return to Stockton today. The letter called on Blaire to do whatever he can to help alert parishioners that O'Grady may be returning to North America.

Posted by kshaw at 11:40 AM

Christian Brothers issue an apology

IRELAND
One in Four

The Irish Times

The Irish Christian Brothers have described themselves as "saddened and ashamed" at the treatment of a now deceased former resident at the Letterfrack industrial school in Co Galway, and said they "apologise unreservedly to all who suffered similar hurt".

In a statement to The Irish Times they said the man concerned, Peter Tyrrell, had failed in his lifetime to receive an adequate response from any authorities to issues he raised was "a matter of deepest regret for the Christian Brothers".

They added "the hope in all of this is that all those responsible for the care and education of children today will accord all children the dignity that is their right."

Posted by kshaw at 09:06 AM

Vicar charged with sex offences

UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News

A North Somerset parish priest has appeared in court charged with 15 sex offences against seven boys.

The Rev David Smith, 51, vicar of St John the Evangelist in Clevedon, is alleged to have committed the offences between September 1976 and May 2005.

He faces nine charges of indecent assault, two of gross indecency, one of incitement to gross indecency, one of grooming and two sexual assaults.

Posted by kshaw at 08:30 AM

Shifflett charges split up

CULPEPER (VA)
Star Exponent

Liz Mitchell
Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 17, 2006

In Circuit Court Monday, Judge John R. Cullen separated the seven charges facing Charles Shifflett into four trials.

Shifflett, 55, is pastor of First Baptist Church of Culpeper. He pleaded not guilty last month to charges of physical and sexual abuse against children that allegedly occurred nearly 20 years ago at his former Culpeper church - Cavalry Baptist - and its adjacent K-12 private school.

The first trial is scheduled for Jan. 17. Two other trials will follow in January and the final trial is scheduled for Feb. 28. During court proceedings, the commonwealth moved to combine six of the charges into one case and try the final charge separately.

Posted by kshaw at 08:14 AM

Johnston bound over

MISSOURI
Neosho Daily News

By John Ford / Daily News Associate Editor
Published: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 4:53 PM CDT

After hearing testimony from one witness, Newton County Associate Circuit Court Judge Greg Stremel bound a Granby pastor over for trial.

George Otis Johnston, 63, the pastor of Grandview Valley Independent Baptist Church, faces nine felony counts child sexual abuse charges. A former member of Johnston's church, now 20, alleges the pastor fondled her breasts and genitals at least once a week for several years while she was a child, with some of the alleged contact occurring while he was tutoring the girl in algebra.

“He told me I needed to become one of his angels,” the woman testified. “He said this was a way he would take care of me. He told me not to worry, that the Virgin Mary was not really a virgin when she had the Christ child, that a man of God had impregnated her, and he was a man of God.”

Posted by kshaw at 08:10 AM

Minister indicted for aggravated rape of 11-year-old girl

MANSFIELD (LA)
The Times-Picayune

10/18/2006, 12:19 a.m. CT
The Associated Press

MANSFIELD, La. (AP) — Burchum Paul Warren, 50, pastor of South Oak Grove Assembly of God Church, was indicted Tuesday for the aggravated rape an 11-year-old girl over a period of months, DeSoto sheriff's Lt. Toni Morris said. Warren has been pastor of the church for 15 or more years.

The victim, a relative and church member, reported the alleged abuse to a teacher. As a mandated reporter, the teacher notified the sheriff's office. Child Protective Services and sheriff's investigators jointly interviewed the girl earlier this month.

"This child had the courage enough to approach a teacher at school to report this, Morris said. "One of the things she told her teacher is `No one is going to believe me because of who he is and what he does."

Posted by kshaw at 08:08 AM

DeSoto minister accused of aggravated rape

MANSFIELD (LA)
The Shreveport Times

October 18, 2006

By Vickie Welborn
vwelborn@gannett.com

MANSFIELD "" The pastor of a small country church in the Stanley community was indicted Tuesday for the aggravated rape of an 11-year-old girl.

Burchum Paul Warren, 50, pastor of South Oak Grove Assembly of God Church, is accused of sexually assaulting the girl over a period of six months this year, DeSoto sheriff's Lt. Toni Morris said. Warren has been pastor of the church for 15 or more years.

The victim, a relative and church member, reported the alleged abuse to a teacher. As a mandated reporter, the teacher notified the sheriff's office. Child Protective Services and sheriff's investigators jointly interviewed the girl earlier this month.

"This child had the courage enough to approach a teacher at school to report this. "» One of the things she told her teacher is, "No one is going to believe me because of who he is and what he does,'" Morris said.

The alleged abuse took place from March through September.

Posted by kshaw at 08:06 AM

Who's counting your church's collection plate cash?

FLORIDA
South Florida News-Sentinel

By Lois K. Solomon
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted October 18 2006

Every week, churchgoers drop their money into collection plates, trusting it will pay expenses and help the poor.

The money typically disappears into the hands of an usher, who bags and deposits it in a safe place before volunteers count it.

But who are the volunteers? Who does the counting? Who brings the treasure to the bank? Who makes sure what's deposited is the same as what's collected?

After a former priest at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach told police last month that he misappropriated thousands, possibly millions, from the weekly offertory, some are questioning what happens after they pass that plate through the pews.

"I always trusted the church would take care of my money," said Jackie Fiorenzi, a parishioner of Ascension Catholic Church in Boca Raton. "Now that this has happened, it makes you wonder."

Posted by kshaw at 08:04 AM

Minister Indicted In Alleged Attacks On Juvenile

LOUISIANA
KSLA

A DeSoto Parish pastor has been indicted for the aggravated rape of an 11-year-old girl.

50-year-old Burchum Paul Warren is a pastor at South Oak Grove Assembly of God Church in Mansfield. The victim reportedly told a teacher about the abuse which allegedly happened over a period of months. Investigators seized Warren's laptop, which they say contained sexual images that corroborated the victim's statement.

Posted by kshaw at 07:59 AM

Church officials: Dubuque diocese 'on solid ground' financially

DUBUQUE (IA)
WHO

DUBUQUE, Iowa The Diocese of Davenport may have declared bankruptcy recently, but church officials in the nearby Archdiocese of Dubuque say they have no financial concerns.

The archdiocese' finance officer, Rick Runde, says anything is possible, but that's not likely that Dubuque will have financial problems. He says the archdiocese is on solid ground financially.

The Diocese of Davenport was the fourth U-S Catholic diocese to file for bankruptcy in the face of mounting financial settlements with victims of clergy sexual abuse. So far the diocese has paid more than 10-million-dollars against dozens of claims filed against priests.

In Dubuque, the archdiocese agreed to a five-million-dollar settlement in February with 20 men and women who were abused by diocesan clergy, but there are no sexual abuse claims pending.

Posted by kshaw at 07:52 AM

Man sues Archdiocese of Miami over sexual abuse by two priests

MIAMI (FL)
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

By Lois Solomon
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted October 18 2006

A 39-year-old man sued the Archdiocese of Miami on Tuesday, saying two priests sexually abused him in the early 1980s.

One of the accused priests, the Rev. Gustavo Miyares, was prominent in the Elián González case in 2000. He organized a prayer vigil and said some saw the boy as "the new Christ."

The man, who called himself John Doe in the lawsuit, said he met the priests, Miyares and the Rev. Pedro Jove, at a summer camp at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach when he was 14. The priests gave him alcohol and forced him into sex acts, including fondling, oral sex and sodomy, which took place at the camp, the priests' rectory and a Keys condominium, according to the lawsuit.

Posted by kshaw at 07:47 AM

Foley to meet archdiocese officials to reveal name of alleged abuser

WEST PALM BEACH (FL)
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

By Mike Clary and Peter Franceschina
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted October 18 2006

West Palm Beach · Disgraced former Congressman Mark Foley will reveal to the Archdiocese of Miami the name of the Roman Catholic priest he says abused him almost four decades ago, his attorney said Tuesday.

Gerald Richman, speaking at a West Palm Beach news conference, said Foley will agree to counseling provided through the church as a part of his recovery from alcoholism and sexual abuse.

"This is all part of the healing process for Mark Foley," Richman said.

Posted by kshaw at 07:45 AM

Former Altar Boy Says Two Priests Abused Him

FLORIDA
NBC 6

HIALEAH, Fla. -- A priest resigned Tuesday on the same day the attorney of a former altar boy who claimed he was sexually abused by two priests filed a lawsuit against the archdiocese.

The lawsuit claimed the boy, who once dreamed of being a priest, was abused by two priests when he attended summer camp at the St. Vincent De Paul church in Boynton Beach when he was 14 years old.

"This boy was attending a camp that was designed to attract young kids who might be interested in the Catholic Church, interested in becoming priests," said the alleged victim's lawyer, Jeff Herman. "They invited him to their rooms. They gave him alcohol. Eventually, that led to sexual abuse."

Posted by kshaw at 07:43 AM

Ex-priest says he knows Foley's alleged abuser

FLORIDA
Palm Beach Post

By Jose Lambiet
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

While former U.S. Congressman Mark Foley now says he'll reveal the name of the priest who allegedly molested him, a disgraced former Lake Worth churchman who took pictures of naked altar boys says he's been aware of the abuse for years.

It's just that he could never tell a soul.

Willie Romero, 69, resigned from the Catholic Church three years ago amid rumors of sexual shenanigans with some of the boys who helped him say Mass.

The Archdiocese of Miami paid out $1.5 million to his alleged victims.

One received $135,000.

Enter Romero's nephew, Lake Worth resident Mike Callahan. As Romero struggled with his own scandal, Callahan bought the priest's North K Street home while the padre moved to LaBelle. Callahan says he was cleaning the attic when a set of 20 disturbing Polaroids turned up in a box.

Posted by kshaw at 07:40 AM

Archdiocese: Sex-abuse claim 'credible'

FLORIDA
Palm Beach Post

By Lona O'Connor
Palm Beach Post Religion Writer

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

A former altar boy has accused two Miami-area priests of molesting him at a boys' camp at St. Vincent de Paul Seminary near Boynton Beach in the early 1980s. The accusations are part of a lawsuit seeking $25 million from the Archdiocese of Miami, its Archbishop John Favalora and the Seminary of St. Vincent de Paul.

One of the two accused priests, Gustavo Miyares, was the long-standing pastor of Immaculate Conception parish in Hialeah. He resigned Oct. 6, the same day archdiocesan officials confronted him with the allegations, said archdiocesan spokeswoman Mary Ross Agosta.

She called the allegations against the 59-year-old Miyares "credible."

Archdiocesan officials received a letter outlining the allegations Oct. 4 and phoned the alleged victim within an hour, Agosta said. An archdiocesan official flew to his hometown to meet him and his wife and to offer psychological and spiritual counseling. In his letter and in the face-to-face meeting, the man made no demands and did not mention any plans to sue the archdiocese. Agosta said there was no warning of the lawsuit before she heard about it Tuesday.

Posted by kshaw at 07:38 AM

About Gustavo J. Miyares

MIAMI (FL)
Miami Herald

Gustavo J. Miyares, a Cuban exile whose family fled the island in 1960, was ordained as a priest in the Archdiocese of Miami in 1973.

• His first parish was Our Lady Queen of Peace Mission in Delray Beach. ''Father Gus'' later became a spiritual director at St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami and then served as director of vocations for the archdiocese.

• In 1983, he was assigned to St. Mary's Cathedral in Miami. The following year, he was named pastor of St. Timothy's Church in Southwest Dade County.

Posted by kshaw at 07:34 AM

Suit: Dade priests abused teen in '80s

MIAMI (FL)
Miami Herald

BY JAY WEAVER AND ALFONSO CHARDY
jweaver@MiamiHerald.com

A former altar boy who once wanted to become a Roman Catholic priest claims he was sexually abused by two priests in the Archdiocese of Miami in the early 1980s and that church officials covered up the assaults.

In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, the former South Florida resident -- identified only as ''John Doe No. 25'' because he was a minor at the time -- claims that when he was about 14, the Revs. Gustavo Miyares and Pedro Jove sexually assaulted him at a Palm Beach County seminary, a Miami rectory and a condominium in the Florida Keys.

Miyares, a longtime prominent priest, resigned immediately. Jove, who left the archdiocese two decades ago and formally left the priesthood a dozen years ago, said he had never heard these allegations before.

Posted by kshaw at 07:32 AM

Abuser ex-priest disappears

CALIFORNIA
Sacramento Bee

By Jennifer Garza and Jonathan Pinkerton -
Last Updated 12:16 am PDT Wednesday, October 18, 2006

A former Stockton priest who speaks candidly about molesting children in a new documentary is believed to have left his home in Ireland, and his victims are calling on Roman Catholic Church leaders and law enforcement authorities to help find him.

Oliver O'Grady reportedly has left Ireland, where he had lived the past five years, amid outrage in that country surrounding the documentary "Deliver Us From Evil."

The film, which has rallied victims of clergy abuse and angered church officials, opens Oct. 27 in Sacramento.

"Not knowing where he is is horrible. Thinking of him coming back here, thinking of the people who defend him to this day, saddens me," said Nancy Sloan at a press conference Tuesday in front of the Stockton diocesan headquarters.

Sloan, who says she was abused by O'Grady when she was a child, is now active in Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP.

In "Deliver Us From Evil," O'Grady admits -- and graphically describes -- sexually abusing numerous children throughout the Central Valley during his time as a priest in the Stockton Diocese, where he served for 20 years beginning in the 1970s.

Posted by kshaw at 07:30 AM

Ex-priest gets plea deal in child-sex case

ARIZONA
The Arizona Republic

Jahna Berry
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 18, 2006 12:00 AM

A former parish priest could receive nearly two years in prison for seducing a teenage boy from St. Mary's Catholic Church in Chandler in the 1980s.

Joseph Briceño, 60, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of sexual conduct with a minor on Tuesday.

Under a plea agreement, one count carries a maximum penalty of 1.875 years in prison and the second count carries a maximum penalty of three years' probation. advertisement

Briceño's sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 15.

Posted by kshaw at 07:27 AM

Man says priests abused him, sues Miami archdiocese

MIAMI (FL)
Herald-Tribune

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MIAMI, Fla. -- A man who claims he was sexually abused by two priests in the 1980s sued the Archdiocese of Miami for negligence and concealing the abuse, his attorney said Tuesday.

The 39-year-old man identified as John Doe No. 25 said he met the priests, Rev. Gustavo Miyares and the Rev. Pedro Jove, at a summer camp at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach when he was 14, the lawsuit filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court said.

"These priests took an interest in him and began to groom him," Jeffrey Herman, the accuser's attorney was reported as saying by The Miami Herald. "Ultimately, they invited him to their rooms. They gave him alcohol. Eventually that led to sexual abuse."

The alleged abuse took place at the camp, the priests' rectory and a condominium in the Keys, Herman said.

Posted by kshaw at 07:25 AM

Foley offers abuser name

FLORIDA
Herald-Tribune

By MATTHEW DOIG and MAURICE TAMMAN

matthew.doig@heraldtribune.com
maurice.tamman@heraldtribune.com

An attorney for former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley announced Tuesday that the man he claims abused him as a teenager is a Catholic priest and he plans to reveal the name to the church.

At a press conference, attorney Gerald Richman said Foley intends to work with the Archdiocese of Miami "for the purpose of revealing the name of the particular priest who was involved so that the archdiocese can then deal appropriately with the issue."

Diocese officials said Tuesday night they had not talked to Foley and had not yet received a name. Until they do, they have no plans to investigate the accusations, said spokeswoman Mary Ross Agosta.

"That would be impossible to do," Agosta said. "We hit a wall if we don't have a name."

Posted by kshaw at 07:23 AM

Five cases against priests get 2007 trial dates

CALIFORNIA
Union-Tribune

By Mark Sauer
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
October 18, 2006

Nicki Rister said she was 17 when the parish priest, the Rev. Patrick O'Keeffe, coaxed her into having sex. The year was 1972, and Rister was a member of the choir at St. Adelaide Catholic Church in the San Bernardino suburb of Highland.

Details of the alleged molestation will be revealed in a downtown courtroom beginning Jan. 17. Rister's case against the Diocese of San Diego (of which San Bernardino was once a part) will be the first of five abuse lawsuits against Catholic priests to be tried here.

Superior Court Judge John Einhorn ruled Monday that Rister's case would be followed with three others by men who say they were molested in the 1970s.
The fifth case released for trial after nearly three years of unsuccessful mediation has been assigned to another judge.

Posted by kshaw at 07:19 AM

Vote placing controversial priest on commission delayed

SANTA ANA (CA)
Orange County Register

By PEGGY LOWE
The Orange County Register
SANTA ANA – The Orange County Board of Supervisors postponed a vote Tuesday to reappoint a priest involved in an infamous child abuse scandal to the county's human relations commission.

The nomination of Monsignor John Urell was tabled after the board heard descriptive testimony from one of the victims in the case against the Orange County Diocese. Urell was named as one of the officials accused of covering for the diocese's pedophile priests during the 1990s – a lawsuit that lead to a record $10 million settlement last year.

Urell, who is now pastor at St. Norbert's Parish in Orange, was placed on the commission two years ago by Supervisor Bill Campbell, who is a member of the same church. Earlier this week, Campbell defended his decision to again nominate Urell, saying the priest had done a good job with commission work.

That angered Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, who said she was shocked that the board would consider such a man for the panel.

Posted by kshaw at 07:12 AM

October 17, 2006

Foley To Declare Identity Of Alleged Abuser

FLORIDA
All Headline News

October 17, 2006 8:34 p.m. EST

Josephine Roque - All Headline News Staff Writer
Washington, DC (AHN) - Former Congressman Mark Foley, who alleges he was sexually abused by a Roman Catholic clergyman, will reveal the identity to the Archdiocese of Miami.

Foley's attorney Gerald Richman said criminal charges can no longer be filed because the statute of limitations on sexual assault has already expired. It was the archdiocese that asked for the information.

"We're talking about issues that happened 36 to 38 years ago," Richman said. "This is all part of the healing process for Mark Foley. He thinks it's important to go ahead and bring this information out and hope and encourage other people who have been similarly abused to go ahead and come forward."

Richman said the revelations will silence critics who have said that Foley, 52, fabricated the abuse allegation after he was investigated for the sexually explicit electronic messages he sent to teenage male pages.

Posted by kshaw at 08:08 PM

Foley to reveal name of alleged abuser

WEST PALM BEACH (FL)
Beacon Journal

BRIAN SKOLOFF
Associated Press
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Disgraced former Congressman Mark Foley, who claimed he was sexually abused by a Roman Catholic clergyman when he was a teen, will reveal the man's identity to the Archdiocese of Miami, his attorney said Tuesday.

No criminal charges can be filed because the statute of limitations on sexual assault expired long ago, but the archdiocese requested information about Foley's accusations, attorney Gerald Richman said.

"We're talking about issues that happened 36 to 38 years ago," Richman said. "This is all part of the healing process for Mark Foley. He thinks it's important to go ahead and bring this information out and hope and encourage other people who have been similarly abused to go ahead and come forward."

Posted by kshaw at 08:06 PM

Foley Tells Archdiocese Name of Priest

FLORIDA
Forbes

By BRIAN SKOLOFF

Disgraced former U.S. Congressman Mark Foley has revealed to the Archdiocese of Miami the name of the Roman Catholic clergyman he says abused him as a teenager, a close friend of Foley's said Tuesday.

The name was not made public and it was not immediately clear whether the person was still active in the church or is alive.

Foley's civil attorney Gerald Richman was to make the announcement at a news conference Tuesday evening, the friend told The Associated Press, on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the case.

Posted by kshaw at 08:04 PM

DeSoto minister indicted for aggravated rape

MANSFIELD (LA)
The Shreveport Times

October 17, 2006

By Vickie Welborn
vwelborn@gannett.com

MANSFIELD – The pastor of a small country church in the Stanley community was indicted today for the aggravated rape of an 11-year-old girl.

Burchum Paul Warren, 50, pastor of South Oak Grove Assembly of God Church, is accused of sexually assaulting the girl over a period of months, DeSoto sheriff’s Lt. Toni Morris said. Warren has been pastor of the church for 15 or more years.

The victim, a relative and church member, reported the alleged abuse to a teacher. As a mandated reporter, the teacher notified the sheriff’s office. Child Protective Services and sheriff’s investigators jointly interviewed the girl earlier this month.

“This child had the courage enough to approach a teacher at school to report this. … One of the things she told her teacher is “No one is going to believe me because of who he is and what he does,’” Morris said.

Posted by kshaw at 08:00 PM

Former pastor pleads guilty to sex charge

PHOENIX (AZ)
East Valley Tribune

By Gary Grado, Tribune
October 17, 2006
A former associate pastor at Chandler's St. Mary's Catholic Church pleaded guilty Tuesday to having sex with a teenaged parishioner more than 23 years ago.

Under terms of the plea agreement, The Rev. Joseph Briceno probably won't spend much time beyond his Dec. 15 sentencing day behind bars, his lawyer, Karla Momberger said.

Briceno, who admitted in Maricopa County Superior Court to committing two sex acts on different occasions on a 17-year-old boy in 1983, will be sentenced under laws from that period, which allow for a prisoner's time to be cut in half for good behavior.

The law changed in 1994 requiring convicts to serve 85 percent of their sentences.

Posted by kshaw at 05:38 PM

Priest on trial for sex abuse takes plea deal

PHOENIX (AZ)
KVOA

PHOENIX -- A former Catholic priest being tried on charges that he sexually abused a teen more than 20 years ago reached a plea deal with prosecutors Tuesday.

Joseph Briceno pleaded guilty to two felony counts of sexual conduct with a minor and faces up to 1.8 years in prison on the first count and three years probation on the second count, said William FitzGerald, a spokesman for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. He also will have to register as a sex offender.

The county attorney agreed to dismiss four other counts of sexual conduct with a minor, one count of attempted sexual contact and one count of sexual abuse.

Posted by kshaw at 05:35 PM

Suit claims two priests sexually abused teen

MIAMI (FL)
Miami Herald

BY JAY WEAVER AND ALFONSO CHARDY
jweaver@MiamiHerald.com
A former altar boy who once thought of becoming a Roman Catholic priest claims he was sexually abused by two priests in the Archdiocese of Miami in the early 1980s and that church officials covered up the assaults -- even after the clergy sex-abuse scandal erupted four years ago.

In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, the former Miami-Dade resident claims that when he was a teen, the Revs. Gustavo Miyares and Pedro Jove sexually assaulted him at a Palm Beach County seminary, a Miami rectory and a condominium in the Keys.

The accuser's lawyer scheduled a news conference for this afternoon in front of Miyares' parish.

Miyares, 59, the longtime pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Hialeah, did not return a call for comment and his office referred questions to the Miami archdiocese. A parish receptionist told The Miami Herald that the archdiocese ``has taken him out and he has resigned.''

Posted by kshaw at 02:55 PM

Former Chandler priest pleads guilty in sex case

PHOENIX (AZ)
AZFamily

12:28 PM Mountain Standard Time on Tuesday, October 17, 2006

The Associated Press

PHOENIX -- A new development in the case of a former Catholic priest in Chandler accused of sexually abusing a teenaged boy more than 20 years ago.

Joseph Briceno went on trial last Wednesday on six counts of sexual conduct with a minor, one count of attempted sexual contact and one count of sexual abuse.

Today, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said Briceno pleaded guilty two count counts of sexual conduct with a minor. Under the plea agreement, it says, Briceno faces up a maximum of 21 months in prison when he's sentenced Dec. 15.

Posted by kshaw at 02:52 PM

Synod sends strong message on abuse

AUSTRALIA
ninemsn

Tuesday Oct 17 22:20 AEST
Sydney's Anglican church has sent a strong message to the public on the issue of child abuse and sexual misconduct within its ranks, voting unanimously for a new disciplinary ordinance.

Clergy and laity gathered in Sydney for the diocese's annual synod passed the ordinance, put forward by Diocesan Professional Standards Unit director Phillip Gerber.

The ordinance, born out of a series of recommendations put forward by the national synod in 2004, outlines a series of processes for receiving, investigating and handling complaints of child abuse and sexual misconduct within the church.

Key in the new procedures was the appointment of a non-church member to a committee for reviewing complaints and the workings of the mechanism, Mr Gerber said.

Posted by kshaw at 09:41 AM

Irish bishops in Rome for talks with Pope

IRELAND
One in Four

The Irish Times

Clerical child sex abuse, falling Mass attendance, an ageing clergy and the Northern peace process are likely to dominate talks between Ireland's Catholic bishops, the Pope and senior Vatican officials in Rome during the next two weeks.

The bishops yesterday began their first ad limina visit to Rome in seven years. Between now and October 30th they will report in detail to the Pope and senior Vatican officials on the situation of the church in Ireland.

All Catholic bishops in charge of a diocese are required to make an ad limina visit to Rome every five years.

Posted by kshaw at 07:44 AM

Bishop wants Foley to name priest he claimed molested him

FLORIDA
Boca Raton News

Published Tuesday, October 17, 2006
by By Dale M. King

The bishop of the Palm Beach County Catholic Diocese – already reeling from accusations of grand theft against two Delray Beach priests – has become embroiled in the Mark Foley email sex situation.

Bishop Gerald Barbarito has sent a letter to David Roth, Foley’s attorney, asking him to clarify a comment that Foley made, alleging that a priest in the diocese molested him some 40 years ago.

“Until such time as you identify the alleged perpetrator, all clergy that served in Palm Beach County have been needlessly placed under suspicion,” the bishop said in his letter.

Since the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People was adopted by the United States Roman Catholic Dioceses in 2002, “bishops have encouraged victims of child abuse to come forward [and] identify the alleged perpetrator.”

Posted by kshaw at 07:35 AM

Pastor faces four separate trials

CULPEPER (VA)
The Free Lance-Star

By DONNIE JOHNSTON

The Culpeper minister accused of child endangerment will face four separate trials early next year.

Culpeper County Circuit Court Judge John Cullen yesterday denied a prosecution motion to enjoin six of the seven counts against Charles V. Shifflett into a single trial.

Commonwealth's Attorney Gary Close's office had sought to try the seventh and final charge, which is sexual in nature, as a separate case.

Orange County attorneys Charles Bowman and Sammy Higginbotham, representing Shifflett, were seeking six separate trials, combining only two counts that involved the same alleged incident against the same complainant.

Posted by kshaw at 07:28 AM

Vicar accused of abusing boy

UNITED KINGDOM
Bicester Advertiser

By Andrew French

A VICAR and governor at a primary school in Oxford is facing 20 child sex charges.

Father Michael Wright, 69, vicar of St Barnabas Church in Jericho since 1980, has been suspended by the Oxford Diocese following a police investigation into the alleged offences, which date back more than 30 years.

He also stood down from his role as a governor at St Barnabas Primary School in Jericho. The school in Hart Street is church-aided.

Yesterday, Wright appeared for a preliminary hearing at Reading Crown Court, charged with five counts of a serious sexual offence and 15 counts of indecent assault against a young boy. He was released on conditional bail.

Posted by kshaw at 07:03 AM

Johnston pleads not guilty

MISSOURI
Neosho Daily News

By John Ford / Daily News Associate Editor
Published: Monday, October 16, 2006 5:22 PM CDT

An attorney for George Otis Johnston entered a not guilty plea to eight felony sexual abuse charges during his arraignment this morning.

Andy Wood, defense attorney, said his client wished to waive formal arraignment and entered the plea before Newton County Circuit Court Judge Timothy Perigo. Johnston appeared with his attorney, but did not speak during the brief proceeding.

Perigo then set a pre-trial conference for 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 30, which will be held in his Division I courtroom.

Posted by kshaw at 06:56 AM

Mexico bans St. Paul lawyer for 5 years

MINNESOTA
Minneapolis Star Tribune

Pamela Miller, Star Tribune
Last update: October 16, 2006 – 10:17 PM

Mexico has put out the "not welcome" mat for St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson.
Anderson said Monday that he and two colleagues will fight an order by Mexican immigration authorities banning them from entering the country for five years. Anderson, whose specialty is representing victims in clergy sex abuse cases, learned of the ban Friday.

On Sept. 20, he scuffled with immigration authorities during a Mexico City news conference about a lawsuit that accuses two Roman Catholic cardinals, Norberto Rivera, of Mexico, and Roger Mahony, of Los Angeles, of conspiring to protect a priest accused of sexually abusing dozens of children in Mexico and California. The suit was filed on behalf of a 25-year-old man who claims to have been raped by the priest in 1994.

Anderson was in Mexico with fellow St. Paul attorney Michael Finnegan and David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

Posted by kshaw at 06:53 AM

Catholic Church in focus

IRELAND
The Mayo News

Fr Kevin Hegarty

I like the RTÉ series ‘Reeling Back the Years’. I don’t recall a programme on 1981. I have, however, a clear memory of that year.
There were notable happenings on the Irish and world calendar - the Stardust disaster, Charles Haughey’s first general election as leader of Fianna Fáil, the Long Kesh hunger strike and the failed assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II. It was also the year of that memorable Harp advertisement of the lonely Irish engineer in the Middle East recalling how Sally O’Brien might look at him in the local pub.
In the summer, I and my classmates in the Diocese of Killala were ordained. The event merited no national headlines, only a few paragraphs of purple prose and a photograph in ‘The Western People’! It is only now when ordinations to the Catholic priesthood in Ireland are as rare as calling corncrakes in an Irish meadow field that they generate any national media interest. ...
Since 1981 we have met with realities that were never predicted. We are witnessing the final decay of the old model of Catholicism in Ireland. We have failed, so far, to create a new model that resonates with the needs of our society in the 21st Century, and also challenges its consumerist mores. Since the 1990’s the dark litany of clerical sexual abuse cases has seriously undermined the image of the Catholic priesthood in Ireland.

Posted by kshaw at 06:50 AM

Defrock predator priests, victims tell bishops

CANADA
Ottawa Citizen

Jennifer Green, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Tuesday, October 17, 2006
CORNWALL - Victims of clergy sex crimes have called on the Catholic Church to defrock convicted priests, maintain a public list of their names in the Canadian Catholic Directory and better co-ordinate counselling services.

They made the appeals at a press briefing in Cornwall yesterday, not far from the Nav Canada Centre where Canada's 80 or so bishops are holding their annual meeting this week.

One of the victims brought along a T-shirt printed with a photo of herself as a smiling child of about 10 years old. Beneath the picture, black lettering said: Innocence Betrayed.

Carol Mieras, now 40, is a serious-looking woman who is no longer Catholic; in fact, she does not go to church at all.

She told reporters about the pain and frustration she felt when nobody would listen to her. Ms. Mieras told her elementary school principal when the abuse occurred, and finally two police forces. When she discussed the situation with her bishop, "I was told, 'you seem to be doing OK, so let's not talk about it'."

Posted by kshaw at 06:44 AM

Lawyer: Take priest off county panel

CALIFORNIA
Orange County Register

By PEGGY LOWE
The Orange County Register
A lawyer for victims of priest pedophiles on Monday called for the removal of Monsignor John Urell's re-nomination to a public board because of the priest's "unforgivable conduct" during the sexual abuse scandal.

Urell, who currently serves on the county's human relations commission, was named in the high-profile lawsuit as a leader who helped cover up the Orange County Diocese's pedophile problem in the 1990s. That lawsuit set a record when it was settled for $10 million in May 2005.

Urell is up for reappointment of a two-year term today at the weekly Board of Supervisors meeting and was nominated by Supervisor Bill Campbell. The commission of race, faith and other minorities works on issues like diversity training in the schools.

John Manly, the victims' attorney, sent a letter to Campbell Monday, saying he was "horrified" that Urell serves on a board that interacts with children.

Posted by kshaw at 06:42 AM

St. Paul Lawyer Vows To Fight Abuse In Mexico

ST. PAUL (MN)
WCCO

(AP) St. Paul A lawyer who's been banned from entering Mexico for five years has vowed to keep up his efforts to fight for victims there of sexual abuse by the Roman Catholic clergy.

"In that culture, there is a reverence toward the Catholic Church that makes it a taboo to even speak of a priest abusing, much less a bishop covering up that abuse," attorney Jeffrey Anderson told reporters Monday. "We're here to break that taboo."

Anderson, his colleague Mike Finnegan and a leader of an abuse survivors group were detained in Mexico City last month after announcing a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles alleging that Archbishop Roger Mahony of Los Angeles and Mexican Cardinal Norberto Rivera conspired to protect a priest who had molested a Mexican youth.

Last week, Mexican immigration authorities banned Anderson, Finnegan and David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, saying they violated terms of their tourist entry visas.

Posted by kshaw at 06:40 AM

October 16, 2006

War of words – Maker of film on clergy abuse, cardinal's

WASHINGTON (DC)
Catholic Online

By Mark Pattison
10/16/2006
Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) – The director of a new documentary recounting how a now-laicized priest repeatedly sexually abused children in California has provoked a war of words between the director and the chief spokesman for Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles, who is portrayed in the movie as having ignored the priest's deeds.

This war of words is being played out in that area of the Internet known as the blogosphere, where essays and opinions can be posted at any time.

In one corner is Amy Berg, who wrote and directed "Deliver Us From Evil," which details the abuses by Oliver O'Grady, a former priest of the Diocese of Stockton, Calif. In the other is Tod Tamberg, director of media relations for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Cardinal Mahony headed the Stockton Diocese from 1980-85. He was named to head the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in July 1985, and "it was not until 1993 that accusations were made leading to O'Grady's arrest and eventual sentencing to prison," Tamberg said.

Posted by kshaw at 07:27 PM

Pastor sentenced for sexual relationship with teen

SYRACUSE (NY)
The Advocate

Associated Press

Published October 11 2006

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A Syracuse minister was sentenced to prison Wednesday for having an illegal sexual relationship with a teenage member of his congregation.

Jaree Jones, 30, had pleaded guilty to second-degree rape of the 14-year-old girl. He was sentenced to two to six years in state prison.

Jones led the Refuge Temple Church of Syracuse.

The relationship lasted from October 2004 to March 2005 and took place at his home and at church, where the girl's family attended.

Posted by kshaw at 07:23 AM

Clergymen face extradition

NEW ZEALAND
tvnz

Oct 16, 2006

Two Catholic clergymen have lost their battle to avoid extradition from Australia to face historic sex abuse charges in Christchurch.

The High Court has refused St John of God Clergymen Raymond Garchow and Roger Moloney the right to appeal against their extradition.

Moloney, 71, and Garchow, 58, are alleged to have committed sex offences against young boys in Christchurch between 1971 and 1980.

Posted by kshaw at 07:03 AM

Paedophile ex-priest is 'on his way to Canada'

IRELAND
Irish Independent

GARDAI believe paedophile ex-priest Oliver O'Grady has fled the country, possibly to France, and may be en route to Canada.

One in Four founder, Colm O'Gorman, last night appealed to the Government to cooperate at European and international levels in exchanging information on the movements of sex offenders between national jurisdictions. The head of the child abuse victims' group also wants the Government to make the national sex offenders register more effective.

Last week there was public outrage and alarm here when publicity surrounding an American television documentary showed pictures of him ogling young children in Dublin's Merrion Square and at an unnamed school. On the documentary, 'Deliver of Us from Evil', O'Grady (60) admitted he still gets sexually aroused at the sight of children and showed no remorse for abusing 25 children when he was a parish priest in California.

Posted by kshaw at 06:56 AM

Abuse cases put focus on Jesuits

SEATTLE (WA)
The Seattle Times

By Janet I. Tu
Seattle Times staff reporter

For one victim, compensation came in the form of checks hand-delivered from the highest-ranking Jesuit in the Pacific Northwest.

John McKinley, of Olympia, had contacted church officials about two years ago, saying he had been abused as a boy by a since-deceased Jesuit priest. Over the next months, he talked with the Very Rev. John Whitney.

Whitney gave him an unsolicited check for about $100,000. About a year later, they signed a settlement for another $100,000.

Posted by kshaw at 06:48 AM

Five join lawsuit against Brick church

BRICK (NJ)
Ashbury Park Press

BY KATHLEEN HOPKINS
TOMS RIVER BUREAU

TOMS RIVER — Five more plaintiffs have come forward to accuse a onetime pastor of St. Thomas Lutheran Church in Brick of molesting them when they were boys during the 1970s and 1980s.

That brings to 11 the number of men who are suing the church on Salmon Street and its officials over alleged sexual abuse.

Meanwhile, the clergyman at the center of the multimillion-dollar lawsuit, the Rev. Robert L. Slegel, who resigned as pastor of the church amid scandal in 1993, died Sept. 1 at age 77. He had been living in Southern Shores, N.C., near Kitty Hawk, according to an obituary prepared by Twiford Colony Chapel in Manteo, N.C.

Dover Township attorney Robert R. Fuggi Jr. filed the $30 million lawsuit against the church last year on behalf of six men who said they were molested by Slegel when they were boys in the 1970s. The suit named as defendants the church; two of its former pastors, identified in court papers only by their initials; the New Jersey Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Posted by kshaw at 06:42 AM

Awareness sessions to prevent child sexual abuse to be offered across U.P.

MARQUETTE (MI)
Ironwood Daily Globe

Published Sunday, October 15, 2006 4:35:20 PM Central Time

MARQUETTE -- The Catholic Diocese of Marquette is requiring new clergy, as well as diocesan, parish and Catholic school employees and volunteers who have regular contact with children or youth, or are in a position to observe those who do, to attend an awareness session for the prevention of child sexual abuse.

The free session, called Protecting God's Children for Adults, is being offered at various sites and on different dates throughout the Upper Peninsula from now until February 2007 (the schedule follows by vicariate).

Anyone who plans to work or volunteer with children or youth in the coming year and has not yet taken the training must take it during this time period. Interested persons in the local community are also welcome to attend.

Posted by kshaw at 06:39 AM

Clergy lose fight to avoid extradition on NZ sex charges

AUSTRALIA
Radio New Zealand

Posted at 8:44pm on 16 Oct 2006

Two Catholic clergymen will be extradited to New Zealand to face sex charges after the Australian High Court refused a last-ditch bid to fight their extradition order.

Rodger William Moloney, 71, a brother with the St John of God Catholic order, and Raymond John Garchow, 58, a priest, are alleged to have committed sex offences against young boys at a Christchurch school between 1971 and 1980.

A Sydney magistrate last year ordered their extradition, but the decision was overturned on appeal to a Federal Court judge, who ruled it would be unjust to surrender them. New Zealand authorities then appealed that judgment, and earlier this month the full bench of the Federal Court confirmed the magistrate's extradition order.

On Monday, the men sought special leave to appeal the extradition order in the High Court - their last avenue of appeal - but it was turned down.

Posted by kshaw at 06:33 AM

Egan's critical day

BY MIKE JACCARINO, JIMMY VIELKIND and ADAM LISBERG
DAILY NEWS WRITERS

Msgr. Howard Calkins of Sacred Heart Church in Mount Vernon, greeting child after Mass, says most priests in archdiocese agree with letter criticizing Cardinal Egan.

Prayers for unity echoed through St. Patrick's Cathedral yesterday as embattled Edward Cardinal Egan prepared for today's meeting with aides - and one top monsignor denounced a challenge to Egan's leadership.
But in a nod to angry Catholic clergy throughout the Archdiocese of New York, Egan delayed the meeting time with his Priest Council so it would not conflict with the funeral of a popular priest. ...

Msgr. Howard Calkins of Sacred Heart Church in Mount Vernon told The News a majority of priests agree with the letter's sentiment - which he traced to clerics feeling abandoned by Egan when the sex abuse scandal exploded in 2002.

"The 2002 sexual abuse scandal wounded us and sent us into a tailspin," Calkins said.

Calkins said he believes some of the accused priests were innocent and some were not, but few believed they got a fair hearing from Egan.

Posted by kshaw at 06:31 AM

New era in Catholic leadership for Davenport Diocese

DAVENPORT (IA)
WQAD

By John David

Within historic Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport on Thursday, one era ends.

"The Holy Father has accepted my resignation," said Bishop William Franklin, 76, who is retiring due to his age under church law.

And with a call from the Vatican, a 64-year-old from Ohio currently serving as Auxiliary Bishop in the Diocese of Cleveland will begin a new era as bishop.

"You've been praying for the new bishop," said The Most Rev. Martin Amos. "Now you can pray for him by name."

Welcome prayers as the diocese faces difficult times. There's a full plate of financial and legal issues to consider.

"Certainly the recent decision for bankruptcy is going to have serious implications over the months ahead," Amos said.

When Martin Amos becomes bishop on November 20th, he'll also inherit the dozens of lawsuits alleging priest sex abuse. So far, he's only had the chance to briefly discuss the serious issues with Bishop Franklin.

Posted by kshaw at 06:28 AM

Soens lawsuit a rare legal case

IOWA
Des Moines Register

By SHIRLEY RAGSDALE
REGISTER RELIGION EDITOR

October 16, 2006

If and when Michael Gould gets his day in Scott County District Court, he will have accomplished something that no Catholic short of the pope has managed — calling to account a U.S. Roman Catholic bishop accused of child sexual abuse.

On Friday, Judge C.H. Pelton indefinitely postponed Gould's lawsuit against retired Sioux City Bishop Lawrence Soens and the Diocese of Davenport. Earlier in the week, Pelton dismissed Iowa City Regina Education Center from the lawsuit, the same day the diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. That action precipitated the delay of the trial, which was scheduled to begin Oct. 23.

"The bankruptcy stopped any action in the trial against the diocese," said Craig Levien, Gould's attorney. "The judge continued the case because it would be costly to have two trials, one starting Oct. 23 against Soens and another at a later date against the diocese. We don't disagree with that."

The significance of the lawsuit, however, is not diminished by its delay.

Although about a dozen U.S. Roman Catholic bishops have been accused of sexual impropriety, none have been held publicly accountable in a state district court.

Posted by kshaw at 06:26 AM

October 15, 2006

Davenport Diocese bankruptcy: An inside glimpse at the books

DAVENPORT (IA)
Quad-City Times

By Tom Saul | Sunday, October 15, 2006

Bishop William Franklin offers a succinct promise to contributors on the Diocese of Davenport’s Web site as the organization launches its annual fund drive for $3.64 million to pay for yearly operating expenses.

“We understand that parishioners are concerned about where their Annual Diocesan Appeal donations will be spent,” Franklin said. “Be assured that none of your appeal dollars will be used in lawsuits against the diocese.”

Its 84 parishes in 22 southeast Iowa counties will be expected to kick in $2.57 million of the total of this year’s drive over the next 12 months, the diocese says. That is about 70 percent of its operating budget.

“Money collected in the pledge envelopes is paid to the parish and is deposited into the parish account,” Franklin said in the message. “One-twelfth of the parish goal is sent to the diocese monthly beginning in October of 2006.”

Posted by kshaw at 02:06 PM

Uhde: ‘Victims are not the enemy'

DAVENPORT (IA)
Quad-City Times

By Ann McGlynn | Sunday, October 15, 2006

Michl Uhde stood on the sidewalk outside of Sacred Heart Cathedral in the blustery wind.

It had been five decades since the sex abuse he accused Monsignor Tom Feeney of began in the stately cathedral behind him. It had been three weeks since a jury awarded him $1.5 million for the abuse he suffered at the hands of a priest.

It had been one day since the Diocese of Davenport filed for bankruptcy.

“Victims are not the enemy,” Uhde said while speaking about his reaction to the bankruptcy filing. “We are your sons, your brothers, fathers, uncles, nephews, friends, neighbors. We did not ask for money. We asked for answers. We asked the diocese to help us find out why this happened to us and why the priests and bishops responsible were never punished, but instead in many cases, they were promoted.”

Uhde’s was the first sex abuse case against the diocese to go to trial.

It probably will be the last.

Posted by kshaw at 02:03 PM

Priests' rise is called sign of change, hope

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Globe

By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff | October 13, 2006

Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, declaring yesterday that ``the priestly vocation is in jeopardy," hailed as hopeful signs the decision by Pope Benedict XVI to elevate two local pastors to bishop and the arrival in Boston of the preserved heart of a sainted French priest.

O'Malley said he hopes the examples of the two priests being promoted, the Rev. John A. Dooher and the Rev. Robert F. Hennessey, and of the one who died 137 years ago, St. John Vianney, will inspire others to consider the priesthood. ...

But it was Dooher's history assisting at the chancery that drew criticism from leaders of Bishopaccountability.org, an organization that is compiling an Internet-based archive of the clergy sexual abuse scandal. Dooher is mentioned in a 2003 report by Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly as one of two priests who in the mid-1990s met with pastors in parishes affected by abuse cases. Dooher was named in a deposition by Bishop John B. McCormack as having participated in conversations in the Boston archdiocese in 1994 about where to house abusive priests.

``John Dooher abetted a harmful and immoral coverup for the Boston archdiocese," said Anne Barrett Doyle, codirector of BishopAccountability.org. ``Now he should lead it into an era of unprecedented honesty."

Archdiocesan spokesman Terrence C. Donilon said that from 1993 to 2000, Dooher had assisted the archdiocese in counseling and supporting accused priests and ``some survivors," but that ``at no time was Father Dooher in a position of decision-making authority with regard to accused priests."

Posted by kshaw at 11:48 AM

Fascinating path to a conviction

TOLEDO (OH)
Toledo Blade

By JAVAN KIENZLE
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE

SIN, SHAME & SECRETS. By David Yonke. Continuum. 240 pages. $26.95.
A joke in the publishing industry has it that three ingredients for a bestseller are royalty, sex, and the Church. Which means a sure-fire opening line is "•'Get your hand off my knee!' said the queen to the archbishop."

The subtitle to Blade religion editor David Yonke's evocative Sin, Shame & Secrets is: "The Murder of a Nun, the Arrest of a Priest and Cover-up in the Catholic Church." Is that sure-fire or what?

Sin, Shame & Secrets chronicles the events leading up to the 2006 imprisonment of the Rev. Gerald Robinson, 68, a Toledo Roman Catholic priest currently serving 15 years to life for the 1980 murder of Sister Margaret Ann Pahl.

The nun was killed, in what was described as a ritualistic slaying, on the day before Easter Sunday. Her body was found in the sacristy of the chapel of Mercy Hospital, and suspicion focused on Father Robinson, one of Mercy's two chaplains.

And here the waters get very murky.

Posted by kshaw at 09:40 AM

Rev. suing church seeks new judge

NEW YORK
New York Daily News

BY THOMAS ZAMBITO
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

A Catholic priest who claims he was canned from his job at a parochial school for speaking out against clergy abuse wants to bump a federal judge off his case because of his ties to the Catholic Church.

The Rev. Robert Hoatson wants Manhattan Judge Paul Crotty to recuse himself from Hoatson's discrimination suit against the New York Archdiocese and Edward Cardinal Egan.

Hoatson says Crotty's wife, Jane, is involved in a real estate deal with the archdiocese and his brother Robert is the president of the Guild of Catholic Lawyers of the Archdiocese of New York.

"A Catholic judge whose family has financial and longstanding ties and close relations with a litigant adverse to me should take the reasonable or prudent step of removing himself from this case," Hoatson wrote.

Posted by kshaw at 09:33 AM

Paedophile priest asked victim’s parents to pay bail

IRELAND
One in Four

Convicted paedophile Oliver O’Grady asked the parents of one of his victims to go to their credit union and take out $4000 to pay his bail following his arrest back in 1993. They didn’t know at the time that he had terrorised their little girl from the age of five to 12.

The Limerick-born priest preyed on young boys and girls during the 70s and 80s in the diocese of Stockton in California. He admitted to abusing up to 25 young people. An award-winning documentary telling the story of the priest and his victims airs in the US this Friday.

The mother of one of O’Grady’s young victims, Ann Jyono, recently spoke about the horrific ordeal the Limerick priest put her family through.

Maria Jyono, who has lived in California for most of her adult life, told of how, as a young mother new to the area in 1970, she was thrilled to meet another Irish person at her church and welcomed O’Grady practically into her family.

Posted by kshaw at 07:43 AM

Where are they now?

IRELAND
One in Four

While other states make the location of sex offenders public, Ireland is a safe haven, writes Stephen Rogers

TOMORROW night cinema goers in the US will watch documentary footage of a convicted Irish paedophile priest ogling Irish children in a Dublin playground.

He is Oliver O’Grady. He is in Ireland and he is real threat to our children. He is also one of 971 individuals on this country’s sex offenders register. Do we have the right to be told where they live?

The public in the US are given this information, and, to a lesser extent, so are people in Britain. Many would argue that the public in Ireland should also be informed of where sex offenders live, especially as there are major loopholes in this country’s child protection laws.

However, children in Ireland are being put at a greater risk than elsewhere because our legislation relating to sex offenders is highly inadequate, with no powers to arrest sex offenders from overseas who do not comply with the sex offenders act.

Posted by kshaw at 07:41 AM

School refused paedophile film request

IRELAND
One in Four

Irish Examiner

A DUBLIN school featured in a documentary on paedophile former priest Oliver O’Grady, expressly refused permission for the footage to be included.

Now the unnamed school has had to tell parents it will be broadcast to thousands on cinema screens across America this evening.

‘Deliver Us From Evil’, written by US producer Amy Berg contains accounts from O’Grady and a number of his victims, describing terrible crimes he inflicted on up to 25 children in his trust over almost 20 years.

Posted by kshaw at 07:38 AM

Final bill for abuse in care may be €1.2 billion

IRELAND
One in Four

The Irish Times

The Department of Education has estimated that the final bill for compensation to victims of abuse in orphanages and industrial schools could be €1.2 billion.

The secretary general of the Department of Education, Brigid McManus, told the Dáil Public Accounts Committee yesterday that the average cost of awards made by the Residential Institutions Redress Board was now running at around €63,000.

She said the Department of Education had this year set out a contingency figure of €1.3 billion for the cost of the compensation scheme. However, the average cost of awards had reduced in recent months, and the department now estimated that the final bill would be around €1.2 billion.

Posted by kshaw at 07:36 AM

Deadline for priests to report abuse

IRELAND
Irish Independent

AN ULTIMATUM has been given to Dublin Catholic priests to report previously unrecorded allegations against child sex abusing clerics by today.

This firm deadline was issued by the Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin in a blunt letter to parish priests and their assistants under the seal of confidentiality.

In the letter sent late last month Dr Martin told priests belonging to the largest diocese in Ireland that they were required to disclose any documents in their possession, or on their parish files, about clerical sex abuse claims.

The Archbishop stressed that these notes might be relevant to the work of the Government Commission of Inquiry which has begun its investigation under Circuit Court judge, Yvonne Murphy.

Posted by kshaw at 07:35 AM

Church removes bust of accused priest

BOSTON (MA)
San Luis Obispo Tribune

Associated Press
BOSTON - A bust of the Rev. Louis Toma, an icon at the East Boston church where he served for 50 years, has been removed by the Boston Archdiocese at the request of parishioners who said the late cleric sexually abused children.

About 16 people, including some who said they were victims, watched as the bust was lifted Friday from the grounds of St. Lazarus Church and a bulldozer pushed over its marble pedestal, The Boston Globe reported.

Women complained to Cardinal Sean O'Malley last year that Toma had abused numerous young girls during his decades as pastor and asked that the statue be taken down.

Posted by kshaw at 07:12 AM

Divine justice for priests up on theft charges

IRELAND
The Sunday Times

Sean O’Driscoll, New York

TWO Irish priests accused of stealing $8.6m (€6.8m) from parish funds in Palm Beach, Florida, put some of the cash into an investment company they called Shag.

But in what could be interpreted as a case of divine providence, Shag Inc lost thousands of dollars to a fraudulent mortgage broker, Florida police have discovered.

In a taped confession to detectives Fr John Skehan, 79, admits he bought properties in Ireland under his brother’s name. Originally from Johnstown, Co Kilkenny, Skehan also has a number of bank accounts in Ireland under the same name but refused to identify them and said they contain his own money.

Posted by kshaw at 07:04 AM

Parish oversight difficult to enforce

DELRAY BEACH (FL)
Palm Beach Post

By Lona O'Connor
Palm Beach Post Religion Writer

Sunday, October 15, 2006

No matter how strict the official checks and balances, parish finance ultimately rests on one delicate point: trust.

Despite the rules for financial practices, which the Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach tightened in 2003, two priests are alleged to have misappropriated more than $8 million from St. Vincent Ferrer parish in Delray Beach.

The Rev. John Skehan, pastor of St. Vincent for four decades, was charged late last month with grand theft.

The Rev. Frank Guinan, Skehan's old friend and his successor at St. Vincent, is expected to surrender to police later this month, after completing a vacation in Australia.

The two men are accused of using hundreds of thousands of parishioners' dollars for themselves and friends, for drinking, gambling, real estate investments and travel.

Posted by kshaw at 06:56 AM

Casting Bread

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Globe

After almost 32 years, the Rev. Diane Kessler is retiring from the Massachusetts Council of Churches.
By Michael Paulson | October 15, 2006

You have also worked with Cardinal Bernard Law, who was your friend. How do you think about him now?

One of the things that saddens me about his departure, or the manner in which he departed, is - as often is the case in situations like this - the good that someone does fades from memory, and what people are left with is whatever the disaster was. He did many good things here, and I think that slipped from public view because of the reasons for, and manner of, his departure, and that makes me sad.

Posted by kshaw at 06:51 AM

Priest speaks out on Egan controversy

NEW YORK
Renew America

Matt C. Abbott

In response to the current controversy involving Cardinal Edward Egan, Father Robert Hoatson, whose lawsuit names the cardinal as a defendant, has issued the following statement:

It is heartening to learn that a significant number of clergymen in the Archdiocese of New York have concluded that the future success and holiness of the American Catholic Church rests on their efforts to hold their bishop accountable for the pastoral care of the people of God. The adjectives used to describe Cardinal Egan are the very same words that victims of clerical sexual abuse have used to describe bishops throughout the country as they have sought comfort and consolation for the damage done to them. And good priests who have tried to support victims and promote changes in the ways of bishops have been harassed, retaliated against, and marginalized.

Cardinal Egan has been perceived by his priests as being aloof and absent during the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001. After this tragic event, Cardinal Egan was thought by the priests to have abandoned New York City, leaving Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to become the shepherd of the people.

Posted by kshaw at 06:27 AM

Sex Abuse & Broken Promises - Does a Legal Conspiracy Exist?

OpEd News

by Debby Bodkin

The clergy sex abuse crisis no longer involves "speculation" -- but "facts". The facts are now supported by civil and criminal public court records. Heinous sex crimes were committed against children and vulnerable adults. Soul murder destroyed thousands of lives.

Recently, ongoing media reports reveal broken promises that were made by religious, government and political leaders when the clergy sex abuse crisis erupted in 2002. Does a legal conspiracy exist amongst the politically-connected and the good 'ol boy networks? If so, does a conflict of interest exist? You decide.... recent broken promises...

* Former Rep. Mark Foley's inappropriate conduct toward minor children and the announcement that Foley was a victim of clergy sex abuse as a child. (www.google.com search).

WHEN WILL FOLEY'S ATTORNEY NAME THE SEXUAL PREDATOR, IN THE INTERESTS OF PROTECTING CHILDREN TODAY?

Posted by kshaw at 06:07 AM

Mexico Bars Lawyer After Suit

MEXICO
Los Angeles Times

By John Spano, Times Staff Writer
October 15, 2006

An American lawyer was barred from entering Mexico after he sued the country's Roman Catholic archbishop, saying that he had conspired to protect a pedophile priest.

The five-year exclusion order was issued in Mexico City against Jeffrey Anderson, known for his many lawsuits against the Catholic Church on behalf of alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse.

Last month, Anderson alleged that Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles and Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico conspired to protect a priest who had molested a Mexican youth.

Anderson had been briefly detained in his hotel in Mexico City, where he announced the lawsuit.

Posted by kshaw at 06:04 AM

Misconceptions abound in child sexual abuse

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

By Nancy McVicar
South Florida Sun-Sentinel Health Writer
Posted October 15 2006

The outrage over former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley's actions involving teenage pages in the House of Representatives has focused attention on children's vulnerability to adults who may prey on their trust and inexperience. But experts say the high-profile case involving a gay man and teenage boys may give people the impression that gay men are more likely to be child molesters than other people, which is not the case.

That misconception is one of many that health experts say are frequently reinforced by sex scandals that receive widespread media attention.

The Catholic priest scandals may have given impression that boys are more frequently targets of sexual predators than girls. Widely publicized cases such as the abductions, rapes and killings of two young Florida girls, Jessica Lunsford and Carlie Brucia, may suggest that abusers who prey on children are almost always men.

Posted by kshaw at 05:59 AM

October 14, 2006

Lafayette Diocese rebutting claims of dollar depletion

PORT BARRE (LA)
KATC

The Lafayette diocese is "under-cutting" claims by a retired Saint Mary parish priest that Father Nicky Trahan presided over an 80,000 dollar depletion of his former church's bank account.

Trahan is accused along with Secretary Ramona Speyer of ripping off his Port Barre church to the tune of about 64,000 dollars.

Yesterday KATC spoke with retired priest O'Neil Landry, who was replaced by Trahan in 1999 at Saint Joseph church in Centerville.

Landry said a 200,000 dollar church account was drained by about 80,000 dollars during Trahan's short stint at the church.

Posted by kshaw at 09:01 AM

Port Barre police clear Father "Nicky" Trahan of theft

PORT BARRE (LA)
KATC

Oct 13, 2006 08:21 PM EDT

The Port Barre police department has dropped all charges against Father Nicky Trahan. The Chief says the Diocese isn't cooperating.

Trahan was accused with his secretary of stealing more than 64,000 dollars from sacred of heart of Jesus church. However, none of the witnesses are cooperating. KATC's David D'aquin has more on the surprising twist.

Port Barre police department believes that the door has been shut on any further investigation of father Charles Nicholas Trahan by a more powerful organization.

Port Barre police Chief David Richard says it was the diocese of Lafayette who asked his department to investigate missing funds from the Sacred Heart of Jesus church.

Now he says the diocese has become uncooperative.

Posted by kshaw at 08:59 AM

Skimming cases are blamed on lax accounting

DELRAY BEACH (FL)
Miami Herald

BY ALEXANDRA ALTER
aalter@MiamiHerald.com
When Delray Beach detectives reported this month that two former pastors of St. Vincent Ferrer allegedly embezzled $8.6 million from the church's coffers over 42 years, parishioners were stunned.

How had so much money gone unaccounted for? And, if the accusations prove true, how could the two priests skim millions from church funds to pay for lavish vacations, real estate and women without attracting much attention?

Catholic lay organizations and financial experts point to a lax accounting system that often allows priests and parish administrators to handle large amounts of cash with little oversight.

''It's a sad testimony to financial abuse, how finance abuse occurs in our church and why it occurs,'' said John-Campbell Barmmer, president of the Spirited Lay Action Movement Inc., a Miami-based organization that advocates greater financial transparency in the church.

Posted by kshaw at 08:54 AM

Port Barre priest cleared of theft charges

PORT BARRE (LA)
The Daily Advertiser

Trevis R. Badeaux
tbadeaux@theadvertiser.com

PORT BARRE - Port Barre police announced Friday they will ask 27th Judicial District Attorney Earl Taylor on Monday to drop charges against a local Roman Catholic priest accused of 84 counts of felony theft.

However, the department, Chief David Richard said, will continue to investigate allegations that church secretary Ramona Speyrer stole about $56,000 from Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church between July 2004 and July of this year.

Speyrer, 50, of Arnaudville, was arrested on Oct. 3 and charged with 70 counts of felony theft. She was arrested again on Oct. 6 and charged with an additional 14 counts of felony theft. She was later released on bond.

Speyrer implicated the Rev. Charles Nicholas Trahan, 58, in the theft in an interview following her initial arrest.

Based on her accusations, the chief said, Port Barre police arrested Trahan on Oct. 6 and charged him with 84 counts of felony theft.

Trahan, known by church members and coworkers as "Father Nicky," was appointed to serve as pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus on July 1, 2003.

Investigators could find no further information to substantiate Speyrer's claims, Richard said, so department officials decided to drop the charges against the priest.

Posted by kshaw at 08:52 AM

Teacher arrested in Internet sex sting resigns

KAMMERER (KY)
The Courier-Journal

By Chris Kenning
ckenning@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

A Kammerer Middle School teacher arrested Wednesday on charges of seducing a child through the Internet has resigned, police and school officials said.

Ronald Borman, 59, who taught eighth-grade language arts, is accused of sending pornography to a detective in Clearwater, Fla., who was posing as a child during a sting. ...

Borman was ordained as a Franciscan priest in 1992, but had left the priesthood for unknown reasons by 1998, said Robert Baxter, secretary of a local Franciscan group.

Posted by kshaw at 08:47 AM

Priest to repay local churches $1.4 million

MASSACHUSETTS
Cape Cod Times

By AMANDA LEHMERT
STAFF WRITER
Within a week, Catholic parishes in Woods Hole and Wellfleet will receive checks totaling more than $1.4 million - a long-awaited payment from a disgraced priest.

And the cash comes as good news for Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Wellfleet, which plans to break ground on a new church hall in April.

The payments - an estimated $1.1 million for St. Joseph's in Woods Hole and $300,000 for Our Lady of Lourdes - are part of a $1,445,884 settlement agreement between the Fall River Diocese and the Rev. Bernard Kelly. The settlement includes $72,900 for accounting and legal fees related to the case, according to a diocese spokesman.

Diocese officials sued Kelly in civil court after he admitted to misusing church funds in 2003.

Posted by kshaw at 08:45 AM

VOTF to host seminar

MASSACHUSETTS
SouthCoastToday

FALMOUTH — The Upper Cape and South Coast affiliates of Voice of the Faithful will sponsor the seminar "Protecting Our Children" from 1:30 to 4 p.m. tomorrow at the Morse Pond School, 323 Jones Road.
The panel will consist of five lay people, each an expert in child protection, who will offer their suggestions, experiences and views, and explain the responsibility and challenges all share in protecting children.
The goal is to educate an audience of parents, grandparents, religious education personnel and others involved in the daily lives of children.
Guests include Paul F. Walsh Jr., district attorney of Bristol County; Dr. Larry Finnerty, assistant superintendent of special services in the New Bedford school system; Patricia T. Gomez, a member of theAbuse Tracker VOTF Protecting Our Children Working Group; Arlene A. McNamee of Catholic Social Services; and Cannen L. Durso, a member of the Massachusetts Bar.
The seminar is open to all. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call (508) 457-7565 or (508) 758-9578.

Posted by kshaw at 08:40 AM

D.A. promotes sex-abuse bill

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

By David O'Reilly
Inquirer Staff Writer
Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham yesterday urged the General Assembly to pass a comprehensive sex-abuse protection bill now before the House, saying it is not targeted at the Catholic Church.

"The problem in Harrisburg is that powerful lobbies want to make it look like this is a plan or a program against one institution," Abraham told a conference at Temple University's Beasley School of Law. "But this is about children."

Abraham was followed by a half-dozen other local and national advocates for sex-abuse legislative reform, all of whom called on the Assembly to act before the current legislative session expires next month.

Billed as a "forum on child-abuse legislation," the event was sponsored by the state District Attorney's Association, the state chapter of the Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), the local chapter of the lay Catholic reform movement Voice of the Faithful, and by the new Foundation to Abolish Child Sex Abuse.

Posted by kshaw at 08:37 AM

Diocese’s decisions delivered in message

DAVENPORT (IA)
Quad-City Times

By Deirdre Cox Baker | Saturday, October 14, 2006

The Diocese of Davenport will send a united message to parishioners this weekend about bankruptcy, and the appointment of a new bishop, but how the words are delivered varies according to geography.

North and west of Davenport, priests have penned personal messages for the church bulletin that further explain the historic actions. In the metropolitan area, plans are to deliver two messages from retiring Bishop William Franklin verbally as part of the sermons.

Last Tuesday, the diocese announced it has filed for bankruptcy protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Iowa, Davenport. It is the fourth diocese in the United States to do so in the wake of the child sex abuse scandal.

Subsequently, Franklin learned the retirement he had offered on his 75th birthday in May 2005 was accepted by the Vatican and a successor had been chosen. On Thursday, Bishop Martin Amos of Akron, Ohio, was announced as the eighth leader of the 125-year-old Davenport diocese. He will be installed Nov. 20.

Posted by kshaw at 08:28 AM

Bankrupt Davenport diocese claims assets totaling $4.5 million

DAVENPORT (IA)
Des Moines Register

By ERIN JORDAN
REGISTER IOWA CITY BUREAU

October 14, 2006

The Davenport Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, which filed for bankruptcy this week, claims $4.5 million in assets, including a pastoral center, 26-acre farm, duplex, house, six vehicles and jewelry.

Those assets, listed in an 88-page petition filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, likely will be sold to pay people who say they were sexually abused by priests.

Diocesan possessions listed in the petition range from the sacred (a half-dozen crucifixes, 18-inch ivory statue of Mary and Child and a wooden altar) to the mundane (two push mowers, a set of plaid hand towels and a 10-cup Mr. Coffee). Also among items inventoried were: Two holy water stands, four cases of altar wine, 35 cartons of letterhead and envelopes, 44 computers, 60 phones and more than 3,000 books.

Diocesan jewelry held in a safe-deposit box includes an Episcopal ring from the Vatican II Council, a silver pectoral cross with a diamond, and two watches.

Posted by kshaw at 08:26 AM

Predators do not have ideology

The Pilot

The news is filled with recent reports of adults exploiting minors.

Florida Republican Rep. Mark Foley resigned Sept. 29 after inappropriate electronic messages to a Congressional page were made public. Subsequently, more sexually explicit messages from the ex-congressman and a pattern of improper behavior with young men have arisen.

In Massachusetts, former city councilor David Scondras was arrested Oct. 9 after he arranged to meet someone he thought was a 15-year-old boy through the Internet. However, upon arriving at the pre-arranged meeting spot, he discovered the person behind the online identity was not a youth but a police officer. Scondras, who was reelected five times between 1983 and 1993, was an advocate for civil liberties and a Democratic activist.

Beyond the political arena, in the last few months several teachers in Massachusetts, otherwise highly respected in their local communities, have also been accused of engaging in sexual relations with minors.

The current scandals show how deep this problem runs in our society. Abusers do not belong to a particular ideology or religious creed, but will imbed themselves in any institution that provides cover for their reprehensible behavior.

Sexual abuse of minors remains a societal plague. We in the Catholic Church have painfully learned the terrible consequences this behavior has on the lives of the victims. In many instances the abuse sets the victims’ lives on a downward spiral leading to drug abuse, homosexual behavior and depression, ultimately resulting in prison, and even suicide.

Posted by kshaw at 08:19 AM

Behind the Brotherhood: The Elect Vessel, Bruce Hales

NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand Heald

Saturday October 14, 2006
By Patrick Gower

For Vincent Field, it was the highest honour a boy in the Exclusive Brethren could have - the chance to meet the Elect Vessel, the minister of the Lord in the Recovery, essentially God's man on earth.

So when John Hales graced Vincent's Christchurch congregation, the 10-year-old did exactly what he thought a boy in the Brethren should do.

He waited while other children and followers swirled around the Australian accountant whose face he knew from the pictures up in every Exclusive Brethren church and home. And when he came free, Vincent rushed up and gave him a $20 note.

"He barely even acknowledged me, he just took it and that was that," says Vincent, now 25. ...

The Exclusive Brethren are as closed as their churches when it comes to the media these days, stung by the scrutiny of their secretive foray into politics. Emerging from that scrutiny were allegations this week of covering up sexual abuse.

Posted by kshaw at 08:17 AM

Churches take steps to guard against child sex abuse

NEW JERSEY
Courier-Post

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Colleen Fitch looks like a perfectly respectable church-going woman, the kind of person parents can trust to watch over their children during Sunday services or to help their preschooler use the bathroom.

In fact, she is. And congregants at Sicklerville United Methodist Church know it because of the royal blue lanyard and photo ID card that swings from her neck. That means she has passed the fingerprinting and background check and has been trained to follow the church's new sexual abuse prevention policies.

Churches are often easy targets for pedophiles, said Fitch, a Winslow Township mother of three who is the church's director of children's and family ministries. She has spent the last year making sure her congregation -- and the roughly 125 children who attend Sunday School -- isn't one of them.

"We want to be smart," said Fitch. "We don't want to run scared."

Posted by kshaw at 08:09 AM

Church program fights child abuse

FLORIDA
TCPalm

By MICHELLE SHELDONE
michelle.sheldone@scripps.com
October 14, 2006

The young man felt dirty.

Used.

At one point, he tried to kill himself.

He was a victim of child sexual abuse — and he's portrayed in a video that's part of the "Protecting God's Children" program to promote awareness of child sexual abuse.

The Diocese of Palm Beach has scheduled the program for this month at Holy Redeemer Church in Palm City and St. Peter Church in Jupiter.

It comes on the heels of disgraced former Congressman Mark Foley's recent claim of being molested by a clergyman.

But one has nothing to do with the other, according to the diocese.

"Mark Foley's vague allegation about sex abuse just last week at the hands of 'clergy' has nothing to do with this program," diocese spokesman Alexis Walkenstein responded in an e-mail Thursday. "This program (is) a proactive attempt to generate awareness of issues for protection of God's children ..."

Posted by kshaw at 08:04 AM

Pope to grill bishops on sex abuse

IRELAND
Irish Independent

THE Irish Catholic bishops face a rigorous scrutiny by Pope Benedict XVI and his advisers over the next fortnight as to how effectively they have handled the clerical child-abuse scandals.

The bishops will also be expected to account for how they have addressed national and pastoral issues at a time of unprecedented decline in vocations, Mass-going and public respect for the church in a multi-cultural and more secularised society.

Thirty-two bishops, led by Archbishop Sean Brady of Armagh, will travel to the Holy See this weekend. There they will present individual reports on the state of religion in Ireland to the Pope and the civil-service heads of the Roman Curia.

The interviews, which will take place from Monday until the end of the month, form part of the bishops' five-yearly visit to Rome to give an exhaustive account of their work in Ireland's 26 dioceses.

Posted by kshaw at 07:59 AM

Seattle U exec steps down

SEATTLE (WA)
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

By JOHN IWASAKI
P-I REPORTER

The resignation of Seattle University's vice president amid allegations of sexual harassment a decade ago in California was not prompted by new accusations against him or action by the board of trustees, school officials indicated Friday.

The Rev. Tony Harris said Thursday that he was stepping down because his role in representing Seattle University's mission has been "challenged" by the controversy.

"I do not want to be a distraction from the important work at hand," he said in an e-mail sent to the faculty, staff and students.

The Rev. Stephen Sundborg, the university's president, said in his own e-mail statement that Harris' resignation is "right for him and for the university." Harris will stay for the remainder of the academic year and will help Sundborg on special projects.

Posted by kshaw at 07:53 AM

Church removes bust of ex-pastor

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Globe

By Charles A. Radin, Globe Staff | October 14, 2006

The bust of the Rev. Louis Toma stood for years on the grounds of St. Lazarus Church, a monument to the prominent priest who led the East Boston parish for a half-century.

But yesterday, in a sign of the Catholic church's continuing struggle to deal with sexual abuse of children by priests, workers dragged the bust from its pedestal and carted it away for disposal.

Women had complained to Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley that the priest had abused numerous young girls during his 50 years as pastor of the parish and asked that the statue be taken down.

Barbara Thorp, director of the Victims' Support Office of the Archdiocese of Boston, said Toma and another priest had abused children in the rectory, the sanctuary, the sacristy, and the school of the church, which was renamed St. Joseph-St. Lazarus Parish as a result of a merger with a neighboring parish in 1985.

Posted by kshaw at 07:47 AM

Priest details years in working on sex-abuse cases

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Phildelphia Daily News

By DAVID GAMBACORTA
gambacd@phillynews.com 215-854-5994
Before he knew it, the Rev. Thomas Doyle was in over his head.

It was 1984, and Doyle, then just 40 years old, was working as a canon lawyer at the Vatican's Embassy in Washington, D.C.

It was there that he got involved with a case concerning a priest who sexually abused a minor in Louisiana.

Soon, a few other similar cases popped up, and it fell to Doyle to file a report about the incidents.

"I was pretty green and naive at the time. I thought the Catholic hierarchy would snap to and do the right thing," Doyle said, before letting out a brief sigh. "I was 212 percent wrong on that."

Posted by kshaw at 07:43 AM

Tamaqua church extols its bells

TAMAQUA (PA)
The Morning Call

By Chris Parker Of The Morning Call

Retired Bishop Thomas Welsh elicited giggles from delighted school children Friday as he held a Mass of thanksgiving in Tamaqua's St. Jerome's Catholic Church bell system the church recently purchased.

The $15,000 carillon, which is composed of at least 23 bells , was made possible by a donation from philanthropist brothers Ralph and Daniel Cipko, Lansford natives who for years have donated equipment and money to Catholic schools, churches and municipalities.

Inside the church, Welsh joked with students from the adjacent parochial school, asking questions, bestowing smiles on upturned faces and occasionally touching a child's head or shoulders.

Outside the church, Vince Catizone Jr., 50, of Girardville, asked passers-by to sign his petition to support legislation extending the time child abuse victims have to file criminal charges.

Catizone, along with another Schuylkill County man, Scott Greis, in January 2004 sued the Allentown Diocese when he found out it had transferred some abusive priests to other communities.

Posted by kshaw at 07:39 AM

Top court to hear ex-priest's appeal

KENTUCKY
The Courier-Journal

By Peter Smith
psmith@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

For the first time next month, the Kentucky Supreme Court will hear an appeal on a criminal conviction stemming from the sexual-abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville.

The lawyer for Daniel C. Clark -- who has served three years of a 10-year sentence for molesting two Bullitt County boys -- says the former priest deserves a new trial because a judge allowed testimony that he should have excluded and excluded evidence that he should have allowed.

The lawyer, David Lambertus, also argues that Bullitt Circuit Judge Thomas Waller failed to instruct the jury correctly.

Clark, 58, who was removed from the priesthood in 2004, was one of the clerics at the center of the archdiocese's sexual-abuse scandal.

Posted by kshaw at 07:37 AM

Egan, on the carpet

NEW YORK
The Journal News

(Original Publication: October 14, 2006)

An anonymous letter calling on priests to hold a series of no-confidence votes in New York Cardinal Edward Egan is being taken seriously enough by the leader of the New York Catholic archdiocese that he has called a meeting of his priests council for early next week. Presumably he will seek advice on how to answer charges in a letter, circulated among priests and then via a blog, that Egan's relations with his priests "have been defined by dishonesty, deception, disinterest and disregard.''

The matter naturally is of interest to Catholics and other church observers. It rises to much wider public and community interest because of the sex-abuse scandal that so rocked the Catholic Church, and the subsequent and summary removal by Egan of more than a dozen priests from local parishes without clarification or explanation. In other words, the ousted clerics were dispatched in a manner that painted them all guilty.

While the Catholic Church has its internal procedures for reviewing allegations, when they rise to criminal ones, or present as possible civil court matters, the individuals being accused, including priests, still retain their civil rights and a presumption of innocence. The public retains an interest in the process, and outcomes. Egan himself was criticized throughout the very public ordeal for turning a blind eye toward abuse. The summary dismissals only fueled speculation, about the priests' roles and possible scapegoating.

Four years ago, the nation's Roman Catholic bishops presented to the public a "zero tolerance'' or "one-strike-you're-out'' protocol for priests accused of sexual abuse. In 2002, at least 14 New York priests were removed from posts after accusations against them were lodged. Among them was Monsignor Charles Kavanagh, a major fund-raiser for the Archdiocese of New York, who has vociferously denied any wrongdoing.

Journal News religion writer Gary Stern reported Friday that a letter harshly critical of Egan cites the "cruel and ruthless'' way in which Egan dismissed priests from the faculty of St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers early in his six-year tenure as archbishop, and states that the archbishop is more concerned with financial matters than his priests. An earlier, 2004 letter about Egan, signed by about 75 priests, complained that priests accused of sexual abuse in the archdiocese were not afforded due process.

Posted by kshaw at 07:35 AM

Film details priest's life of abuse

Union-Tribune

By Mark Sauer
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
October 14, 2006

Five years of shocking revelations and nearly $1.5 billion paid out in lawsuits nationwide may have brought on scandal fatigue in the saga of pedophile Roman Catholic priests.

But a documentary film that severely criticizes church officials could rekindle public anger as long-awaited clergy-abuse lawsuits in San Diego and Los Angeles head toward trial this winter.

In “Deliver Us From Evil,” former priest Oliver O'Grady turns confessor, describing in disturbing detail how he sexually abused boys and girls at parishes in Central California from the 1970s to the 1990s.

The film is especially harsh on Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles, who was bishop in Stockton and O'Grady's superior when he learned of the Irish priest's weakness for children.

Posted by kshaw at 07:31 AM

October 13, 2006

Louisville teacher resigns after being charged with trying to seduce child

KENTUCKY
WHAS

04:53 PM EDT on Friday, October 13, 2006

By Renee Murphy

Earlier this week, he was teaching children in a Louisville middle school. Now he is behind bars, charged with trying to seduce a child.

Up until a few days ago, he was an English teacher at Kammerer Middle School. Now 59-year-old Ronald Borman is an inmate. Facing charges of sending child pornography to someone he thought was a child.

“We time and time again they go to great lengths including many, many years of education so they can be around children and we are constantly aware of that,” says Capt. Steve Thompson of Metro Police. ...

Not only did Borman teach at Kammerer, but we did some digging and we found out that he taught at Saint Agnes and was a priest.

Borman was a priest in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. He was transferred by religious order twice and left the priesthood in 1998. He was also a teacher in the Catholic school system in Louisville, teaching at Saint Agnes from 1999-2001, at Saint Polycarp School from 1998-1999 and Holy Spirit School from 1978 to 1985.

We called the Louisville archdiocese, which would only confirm he worked at those schools and wouldn't say anything else about why he left.

Posted by kshaw at 06:57 PM

Kammerer teacher charged with Internet child seduction

KAMMERER (KY)
The Courier-Journal

By Chris Kenning
ckenning@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

A Kammerer Middle School teacher has resigned after he was arrested Wednesday on charges of seducing a child through the Internet, according to police and school officials.

Ronald Borman, 59, who taught eighth-grade language arts, allegedly was caught sending pornography to a detective in Clearwater, Fla., who was posing as a child during a sting.

He will be extradited on felony charges, said Sgt. Gregory Stewart of the Clearwater Police. ...

Borman was ordained as a Franciscan priest in 1992, but by 1998 he had left the priesthood for unknown reasons, said Robert Baxter, secretary of a local Franciscan group.

Posted by kshaw at 06:53 PM

Mexico bans lawyers, activist behind priest abuse suit

MEXICO
International Herald Tribune

The Associated Press

Published: October 12, 2006

MEXICO CITY Immigration officials on Thursday handed down a five-year entry ban on two U.S. lawyers and an activist who filed a lawsuit alleging abuse by a Roman Catholic priest, saying they violated the terms of their tourist visas by pressing the case in Mexico.

Lawyers Jeffrey Anderson and Michael Finnegan and the national director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, David Clohessy, were briefly detained by authorities on Sept. 20 after they appeared at a news conference in the capital with 25-year-old Joaquin Aguilar Mendez, who claims he was abused as a teenager in 1994 by Catholic priest Nicolas Aguilar.

The three have filed a civil lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging that Mexican Cardinal Norberto Rivera and Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony conspired to protect the priest.

They left Mexico without further problems, but on Thursday the country'sAbuse Tracker Immigration Institute said they were all barred for five years.

In a statement, the agency said the three Americans had acted as legal advisers, when their tourist entry visas did not give them "the proper authorization to carry out professional or lucrative activities."

Posted by kshaw at 06:40 PM

Mexico Bans Lawyer Who Sued Archbishop

MEXICO
Los Angeles Times

By John Spano, Times Staff Writer
11:53 AM PDT, October 13, 2006

The government of Mexico has banned an American lawyer who sued the country's Roman Catholic archbishop, claiming he conspired to protect pedophile priests.

The five-year exclusion order was issued in Mexico City against Jeffrey Anderson, known for his many lawsuits against the Catholic Church on behalf of victims of sexual abuse by clergy.

Last month, Anderson alleged that Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of the Los Angeles Archdiocese and Cardinal Norberto Rivera of Tehuacan, Mexico conspired to protect a priest who had molested a Mexican youth.

Anderson had been briefly detained in Mexico City, where he announced the lawsuit.

"I will not be silenced, I will not be intimidated and I will continue to speak out and do what needs to be done to protect those kids," Anderson said today. "I don't know anything about diplomacy. I know I was there lawfully to speak the truth."

Posted by kshaw at 06:38 PM

In Sex Arrests Hailed by Pirro, Little Jail Time

NEW YORK
The New York Times

By SERGE F. KOVALESKI
Published: October 13, 2006
In press releases she issued over six years, Jeanine F. Pirro, the Westchester County district attorney, trumpeted the arrests made in Internet sex stings that her office ran.

By the time she left office at the end of 2005, that undercover pedophile operation had snared 111 men, including a Roman Catholic priest, a private-school headmaster, a New York City detective and a former Brooklyn prosecutor.

Now, as the Republican candidate for attorney general, Ms. Pirro has made her pursuit of these sex predators a central theme. Her campaign Web site says that the sting operation, which she started in the summer of 1999, led to the arrests of “over 100 pedophiles — with a 100 percent conviction rate.”

Posted by kshaw at 04:12 PM

Gale defrocked by Vatican

BRIGHTON (MA)
The Pilot

By Christine Williams
Posted: 10/13/2006

BRIGHTON -- The Archdiocese of Boston announced Sept. 28 that the Vatican has decreed that Robert Gale is no longer in the clerical state. As a result, he will not receive any financial support from the archdiocese, the archdiocese said in a press release.

Additionally, Gale may no longer perform any priestly ministry, with the exception of absolving a person in the danger of death, the archdiocese said. Gale had been on administrative leave since 1994.

Gale pled guilty to sexually abusing a child at St. Jude Parish in Waltham from 1980 to 1985 and was sentenced to four-and-a-half to five years in state prison by a Massachusetts court in 2004. He was also sentenced to an additional 25 years probation.

Posted by kshaw at 04:07 PM

Commentary & News Briefs

WASHINGTON (DC)
Agape Press

...An advocacy group that represents victims of clergy abuse is publicly accusing Catholic church officials of preventing the criminal prosecution of a priest accused of abusing a teen in 2001 and 2002. A civil suit is pending against Catholic priest Aaron Joseph Cote which alleges he abused the teen at St. Dominics parish in Washington, DC, in 2001 and 2002. After the alleged abuse, Cote was transferred to a church in Providence, Rhode Island, where he was working at the time he was sued and then suspended. Attorney Jeff Anderson, who represents the accusing teen and his family, alleges that Cote "remains free to abuse" and that it is not clear where the church has placed the accused priest. "He had been serving in a parish in Providence, Rhode Island, and doing a youth retreat," says Anderson. "And the day that we filed the case in Washington, DC, they removed him from that parish. But we have no confidence that he still doesn't have access to youth." Members of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, are demanding that the church make available information about a witness to an another alleged abuse by the priest in Ohio. [AP]

Posted by kshaw at 04:04 PM

Clerical error

The Phoenix

By: PETER KEOUGH

10/11/2006 10:41:33 AM

Oliver O’Grady, “Father Ollie,” the pastor of a Catholic Church in a bucolic, tight-knit Northern California community, would have felt at home in The Bells of St. Mary’s. Jaunty, with an Irish brogue and brimming with wisdom and cheer, he ingratiated himself into the families of parishioners like the Jyonos, who invited him to stay over, little knowing that while they slept Father Ollie was raping their five-year-old daughter.

This went on for 20 years, at various churches in California, with O’Grady stalking victims male and female, the youngest nine months old and the oldest the middle-aged mother of one of his underage targets, victims numbering perhaps in the hundreds. Whenever unsettling rumors reached the authorities, the Church, specifically Bishop Roger Mahony, later archbishop of Los Angeles, would intervene, not punishing, defrocking, or even removing O’Grady from circulation but merely relocating him in a parish where he wasn’t known. It is a numbingly familiar story for Bostonians. But Deliver Us from Evil should renew the outrage and the incredulity.

The film is painful viewing, in large part because director Amy Berg relates the facts and depicts the victims and the culprits with detached gravity. She follows O’Grady’s trail from parish to parish, intercutting interviews with local law-enforcement officials who investigated him with videotaped depositions by prevaricating members of the Church hierarchy. Putting the latter to shame is the testimony of victims and their families as they tell, with heartbreaking variations, the same tale of trust and betrayal — both by O’Grady and by the Church they believed in.

Posted by kshaw at 02:18 PM

New church sex abuse film rings familiar

The Phoenix

By: TOM MEEK

10/11/2006 4:32:41 PM

In Amy Berg’s haunting new documentary, Deliver Us From Evil, the first-time director gets a convicted pedophile to talk in disturbing detail about the molestation acts he committed during his 22-year span as a priest in the Catholic Church. Yet what amazes beyond Father Oliver O’Grady’s seeming inability to comprehend right from wrong, or the gravity of his crimes, is the fact that he is willing to put his face onscreen at all.

While Berg’s film, focusing on O’Grady and Cardinal Roger Mahony (the head of the Los Angeles Archdiocese who allegedly quelled the rumbling sex-abuse scandal by moving accused priests from one church to an other) is set in California, O’Grady was ultimately brought to light by both the Boston fiasco and Cardinal Bernard Law, who himself employed the moving-around tactic with notorious pedophile John Geoghan.

“I was working at CBS News in LA [as a producer] in 2002,” says Berg, “and when it started to leak out about what was going on in Boston, I was assigned to find local angles.”

In pursuing those angles and later, in producing a more in-depth piece [about priest sex-abuse] at CNN, Berg became acquainted with O’Grady, who had already served jail time and been deported back to his native Ireland. “For five months we would speak on the phone every Sunday and I would record it. He wanted to have his story out there, but wouldn’t go on camera.”

Posted by kshaw at 02:15 PM

Catholic Priest Confesses to His Crimes

ABC News

By DAN HARRIS

Oct. 12, 2006 — "I want to promise myself that this is going to be the most honest confession of my life."

Those are the words of Oliver O'Grady, a former priest and a convicted child molester. In a new documentary out this week, he makes startlingly candid and graphic confessions about his crimes.

"I brought him back into my bedroom again, unbuttoned his pants," O'Grady says in a documentary film called "Deliver Us From Evil," which opens in theaters on Friday. "Looking at his face kinda told me that he was a little uneasy about this. I thought at one point he was gonna cry, you know."

The documentary provides a graphic glimpse into the mind of a pedophile and lays blame on the church hierarchy, including a bishop who is now the cardinal and a leader of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, the largest archdiocese in the United States.

Posted by kshaw at 02:12 PM

'Evil': A harrowing look at a pedophile priest

USA Today

By Claudia Puig, USA TODAY

Deliver Us From Evil is so horrifying it makes Texas Chainsaw Massacre look like a walk in the park.

It chronicles the damnable crimes of one of the most notorious pedophiles in the history of the Catholic Church. Father Oliver O'Grady was convicted of serial child molestation over two decades across Northern California.

O'Grady admits he abused dozens of boys and girls during the 1970s and '80s, including a 9-month-old. When accusations surfaced, church officials simply moved O'Grady to another parish.

The documentary charges that the church ignored reports against O'Grady and lied to law enforcement officers and parishioners to avoid liability and escape scrutiny.

Filmmaker Amy Berg has made an indelible film on a disturbing yet riveting topic. She deftly avoids sensationalism with deliberate pacing and heartbreaking interviews with victims and their emotionally shattered, guilt-ridden parents.

Posted by kshaw at 02:09 PM

'Deliver Us From Evil': Monster Movie, By Kurt Loder

MTV Movies

"Deliver Us From Evil" is an explosive documentary about a depravity so gross, it leaves you appalled and infuriated that the men who enabled it have never been called to account. It's the story of a Roman Catholic priest, Oliver O'Grady, who for 20 years raped and sodomized untold scores of children who had been entrusted to his spiritual care — one of them a baby girl only nine months old. Whenever his predations started to become known, O'Grady was quietly transferred by the Catholic Church's California hierarchy to another parish — and then another, and another. None of these congregations were informed about their new priest's hideous proclivities, and they were thus unaware that they'd officially been selected as a fresh source of victims for this ordained predator.

In a picture that's filled with astonishments, the most astonishing presence in "Deliver Us From Evil" is O'Grady himself, who appears on camera at length, admitting his crimes and even describing them, often with a disconnected smile on his lips and a rote twinkle in his eyes. A native of Ireland, he has the sort of ingratiating Gaelic charm that was once common in Hollywood movie priests — the kind who would warmly mentor wayward youths and attempt to guide them away from the path of delinquency. We immediately understand why parents, and especially children, would like him. But as we watch this man liltingly recount his story, it quickly becomes apparent who, or what, he really is.

Posted by kshaw at 02:02 PM

The Predator Priest

Time Magazine

By RICHARD SCHICKEL

Posted Friday, Oct. 13, 2006
Oliver O’Grady is a slender, soft-spoken man wandering around Dublin in his windbreaker, the very picture of a retiree living on a modestly fixed income with , perhaps, not quite enough useful activity to occupy an intelligent and still active mind. At first glance he appears to be a pretty standard and uninteresting type; you would pass him in the street without giving him a second thought. If you spoke to him, as documentary director Amy Berg lengthily did, you would find him to be rather bland and affectless, not particularly forthcoming about his long and astonishing career...

...As, so far as one can tell, perhaps the most prolific pedophile in the entire history of the Catholic church, a man whose history, just incidentally, includes the abuse of a nine-month old child. The good—if finally cashiered and jailed—father is a little vague about the details, which considering the extent of his depredations is perhaps understandable. That is not true of his victims and their parents, several of whom Berg also interviewed extensively. They remember everything, in scarifying detail. The contrast between their often wailing anguish and his pallid disconnectedness is, perhaps, the most vivid, and heartbreaking, aspect of Deliver Us from Evil. Its most chilling sequence finds O’Grady attempting to write letters to some of his victims. He wants to apologize for his crimes, he says, and he is thinking of asking at least some of them to meet with him—almost, one gathers from his tone, for a reunion, a chance to relive the good old days.

Posted by kshaw at 01:57 PM

Seattle University official quits amid harassment allegations

SEATTLE (WA)
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

By PHUONG CAT LE AND VANESSA HO
P-I reporters

Seattle University vice president who oversees campus ministry has resigned from his post amid allegations that he had sexually harrassed a young seminary student a decade ago.

The Rev. Tony Harris, the university's second-highest ranking Jesuit, resigned Thursday in an e-mail sent to faculty staff and students.

He will stay on for the remainder of the academic year and will work on special projects assisting the university's president, said Barbara Nombalais, a university spokeswoman. Last Friday, the P-I reported that Seattle University hired Harris in 2001 after he had settled a sexual harrasment lawsuit filed by John Bollard.

In that lawsuit, Bollard accused Harris and two other priests of making repeated sexual overtures when he was training to be a priest in San Francisco in the early 1990s.

Posted by kshaw at 01:51 PM

Mass inside, protests outside Tamaqua church

TAMAQUA (PA)
The Morning Call

As retired Bishop Thomas Welsh elicited giggles from delighted school children as he celebrated Mass in St. Jerome's Catholic Church in Tamaqua this morning, Vince Catizone, who says he was molested by a priest in the 1960s, stood across the street, gathering signatures on a petition to support legislation extending the time child abuse victims have to report the crime.

Welsh was offering the Mass of Thanksgiving for the donation of a $15,000 carillon by philanthropist brothers Ralph and Daniel Cipko, Lansford natives who have donated millions of dollars in equipment and money to Catholic schools, churches and municipalities.

The elderly brothers did not attend the Mass due to illness; parishioners prayed for their health.

Inside the church, Welsh joked with the children, who are students at the adjacent parochial school, asking them questions, bestowing smiles on upturned faces and occasionally touching a child's head or shoulders.

Posted by kshaw at 01:48 PM

Woman accuses temple priest of rape

INDIA
Chennai Online

New Delhi, Oct 13: A 40-year-old woman was allegedly raped by a priest inside a temple in a north-west Delhi locality, police said.

The accused, Parvesh (28), priest of Gaurisankar mandir in Mukherjee Nagar has been arrested after the woman lodged a complaint.

According to police, the woman, hailing from Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh, had been living in the temple for the last 20 days.

Posted by kshaw at 09:27 AM

Uproar as school footage used in film on paedophile

IRELAND
Irish Independent

AN American film-maker has sparked outrage after footage of young children from a Dublin primary school was used in a film about the notorious paedophile ex-priest Oliver O'Grady.

The trailer for 'Deliver us from Evil', which is widely available on the internet, clearly identifies children dressed in their blue uniforms from the Dublin primary school.

Yesterday, it emerged that the school had originally granted permission for footage from the school to be used for a documentary on multiculturalism.

When the school was approached subsequently for permission to use the footage for the film about O'Grady, management refused outright.

Posted by kshaw at 09:21 AM

Local auxiliary bishop tapped to lead bankrupt Iowa diocese

CLEVELAND (OH)
Cleveland Plain Dealer

Friday, October 13, 2006
David Briggs
Plain Dealer Religion Reporter

Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday turned to a popular Cleveland auxiliary bishop to take over an Iowa diocese that earlier this week filed for bankruptcy.

Bishop Martin J. Amos, an Akron-based prelate who ministered to the southern part of the Cleveland Diocese, was appointed to replace retiring Bishop William E. Franklin as spiritual leader of the Davenport Diocese.

The Davenport diocese, which has paid more than $10.5 million since 2004 to resolve dozens of sex-abuse claims against priests, on Tuesday became the fourth Catholic diocese in the country to file for bankruptcy. The others are Portland, Ore.; Tucson, Ariz.; and Spokane, Wash.

Posted by kshaw at 09:20 AM

Home of former Cape priest to become animal sanctuary

WOODS HOLE (MA)
Cape Cod Times

By K.C. MYERS
staff writer

The property owned by a priest who embezzled church funds and allegedly had a sexual relationship with a man subsequently convicted of murder has been sold to the Humane Society of the United States.

''We want to have a quiet and safe place for the animals,'' said Robbie Fearn, director of the Cape Wildlife Center, which is part of the largest animal protection organization in the United States.

''We're delighted there's a positive end for the community after a difficult time,'' he said.

Posted by kshaw at 09:16 AM

Former Priest Sells Million-Dollar Home

WOODS HOLE (MA)
TheBostonChannel.com

BOSTON -- A former priest who embezzled thousands of dollars from his parish sold his posh Woods Hole mansion to the Humane Society of the United States for $1.5 million.

Bernard Kelly, 74, former pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Woods Hole, sold the luxurious 4.3-acre Cumdaquid property located on Route 6A on Oct. 3, according to a Cape Cod Times report.

Kelly, who allegedly had an intimate relationship with a male sex offender, Paul Nolin, retired from his parish in 2003 after his relationship with Nolin came to light. Nolin, who Kelly hired as a handyman at the parish, was convicted in the murder of Jonathan Wessner, 20, and is serving a life sentence for the crime.

Posted by kshaw at 09:13 AM

Movie on pedophile priest puts a face on evil

Jewish Journal

by Naomi Pfefferman, Arts & Entertainment Editor

In October 2004, journalist Amy Berg cold-called a defrocked priest she has nicknamed the "Hannibal Lecter of pedophiles." While serving Central California parishes in the 1970s and '80s, the Rev. Oliver O'Grady allegedly molested dozens of children -- boys and girls, infants and adolescents -- according to Berg's new documentary film, "Deliver Us From Evil."

He did so with the knowledge of church officials -- including Los Angeles Cardinal Roger M. Mahony -- who moved him from parish to parish when parents complained, O'Grady alleges.

After months of phone conversations, Berg persuaded the priest to appear in a documentary that "has heightened interest among law enforcement officials ... in considering a criminal case against [Mahony]," The New York Times reported on Oct. 8.

Posted by kshaw at 08:41 AM

The Anthony Muthu Hilary File

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Bishop Accountability

At St. Patrick's church in Manchester NH, just before Christmas in 1995, a woman was sexually assaulted by a priest during confession, while her daughters knelt in a nearby pew. Diocesan files document the attack, its causes, and its callous aftermath. These diocesan documents, which were released by the New Hampshire Attorney General in March 2003, offer a unique case study of the international trade in accused priests. We provide a narrative of the case, followed by a complete table of links to the file.

Rev. Anthony M. Hilary was sent from India to the United States in June 1995 by Bishop Leon A. Tharmaraj, who gave the priest a clean bill of health. But a whistleblowing priest named Rev. Benjamin Sebastian wrote to the Manchester diocese and told them that Hilary was a violent alcoholic who had abused girls in the Indian diocese of Kottar. Despite that letter and a second warning, Hilary immediately found a place with Rev. Nicholas Rogers of St. Patrick's in Manchester, although an alert female administrator questioned Hilary's status in a note to the chancellor. While the bishops of Kottar and Manchester debated the priest's fate by mail and fax for six months, Hilary said Mass, heard confessions, and sexually assaulted a woman—hardly more than a mile from the Manchester bishop's own office.

Posted by kshaw at 08:38 AM

Priest's arrest stuns town

PORT BARRE (LA)
The Daily Advertiser

Trevis R. Badeaux
tbadeaux@theadvertiser.com

PORT BARRE - "Our little community is devastated by this."
That's according to Port Barre Police Chief David Richard, who referred to the recent arrests of the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church pastor and secretary.

Port Barre has 2,400 residents. The church has 2,000 names on its official roll. St. Mary Roman Catholic Church, also in Port Barre, has a reported 555 members.

"It's affected everyone," said Richard, who described the town as a country town with one red light and four gas stations.

Posted by kshaw at 08:36 AM

Diocese faces suit by alleged abuse victims

SANTA ROSA (CA)
San Francisco Chronicle

Jim Doyle

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Eight alleged victims of a fugitive priest have filed a lawsuit that accuses the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa of failing to protect them as minors from incidents of sexual abuse spanning two decades.

The suit, filed Tuesday in Sonoma County Superior Court, contends that diocese officials knew of the alleged sexual misconduct of the Rev. Francisco Ochoa-Perez, but failed to take action to stop him.

The alleged victims, who are now between 11 and 34 years old, include seven former altar boys and a girl. The incidents occurred in Ochoa's living quarters and the children's homes from 1985 until May of this year, the suit alleges.

Ochoa-Perez, who is also known as Francisco Xavier Ochoa, had served as an assistant pastor at St. Francis Solano Catholic Church in Sonoma. The 68-year-old priest is believed to have fled to Mexico in early May. Prosecutors filed a criminal complaint against him in June that charged him with 10 felonies involving sexual assaults and lewd conduct with three minor children.

Posted by kshaw at 08:24 AM

On screen: Truth or dodge

Daily Breeze

BY GILLIAN FLACCUS

The defrocked priest is by turns remorseful and flippant as he recounts in graphic detail a lifetime of sexually abusing children. Then, near the end of "the most honest confession of my life," he turns to the movie camera to wink and smile at his victims.

Oliver O'Grady's confession is the backbone of a deeply disturbing documentary about the Roman Catholic clergy abuse crisis in one rural Northern California diocese -- a tale all the more unsettling because, for the first time, it is told in the words of an abusive priest himself.

O'Grady, 61, was deported to his native Ireland in 2001 after serving seven years in state prison for molesting two brothers. He has admitted abusing at least 25 children, and cost the Diocese of Stockton millions of dollars to settle civil sexual-abuse lawsuits.

Posted by kshaw at 08:16 AM

Priest says fund misunderstood

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Concord Monitor

By ANNMARIE TIMMINS
Monitor staff

October 13. 2006 8:00AM

The Catholic priest leading a collection for needy clergy who've retired, become ill or been removed from ministry for sexually abusing minors responded to critics yesterday, saying his effort was not meant to offend victims of abuse.

In a letter sent to clergy last week seeking donations, the Rev. Michael Griffin sympathized with accused priests as having had to "endure" the abuse scandal.

"All I can say is, look at the Amish," Griffin said in an interview, referring to the forgiveness a Pennsylvania Amish community extended to the man who recently killed several Amish schoolchildren. "They have given us a wonderful example of Christian forgiving."

Griffin of Dover began soliciting donations for needy priests last week by circulating a three-page letter among the diocese's clergy. The effort is the work of a newly formed nonprofit called The Organization of Concerned Priests, which is governed by a board of 12 priests. In his letter, Griffin said the "Mercy Fund" had been started as a way to help priests accused of sexual misconduct, including those jailed and defrocked. It was later expanded to include sick and retired priests. Griffin asked clergy to consider a gift of $1,000.

Posted by kshaw at 08:10 AM

'Deliver us from Evil' exposes sins of a father and church father

Newsday

BY GENE SEYMOUR
Newsday Staff Writer

October 13, 2006

It's possible to imagine audiences of varied faiths and persuasions viewing the prospect of yet another documentary about pedophilia by Catholic priests with any combination of wariness, fatigue or trepidation. Yet "Deliver Us From Evil" deserves their complete attention -- and their absolute respect. It's more incisive than any other film on its subject.

If there is a single priest whose transgressions could cover wide and daunting ground, director Amy Berg found him in Oliver O'Grady. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, "Father Ollie" ingratiated himself with parishioners all over southern California who entrusted him with their children's spiritual care. As both O'Grady and his victims' parents testify here, he was an apparently insatiable sexual predator whose acts of rape, sodomy and abuse of children numbered in the hundreds.

The, soft-spoken O'Grady, now living free in Ireland after serving half of a 14-year jail sentence, not only enjoyed sex with pre-adolescents and teenagers, but with newborn babies. He was also not above seducing parents as a way of getting intimate with their children.

Posted by kshaw at 08:07 AM

Inappropriate Touching

Slate

By Dana Stevens
Posted Thursday, Oct. 12, 2006, at 6:22 PM ET

Deliver Us From Evil
Father Oliver O'Grady is a parish priest straight from an old Bing Crosby movie, an Irishman with a soft brogue and a modest, gentle manner. Those attributes must have helped ingratiate him with the dozens of families whose children—including one 9-month-old baby—he molested over a period of 20 years, as church leaders studiedly turned the other cheek.

Deliver Us From Evil, the first feature-length documentary from director Amy Berg, is not one of your pass-the-popcorn date movies. It's a howl of rage and a keen-eyed study of a subject that, unfortunately, never stops being news: the way institutional power acts as a shield under whose cover the strong can abuse the weak. When Dennis Hastert wakes up Monday morning, there should be a copy of this movie on his desk.

From 1973, when O'Grady's first offense occurred, until he finally went to jail in 1993, he was shuttled from parish to parish in Central California, often after outraged parents were assured that he would be defrocked or at least removed from contact with children. Roger Mahony, the Los Angeles archbishop who oversaw O'Grady's protection for decades, is now a cardinal in the Catholic Church. The film argues persuasively that Mahony orchestrated the O'Grady cover-up to protect his own career.

Posted by kshaw at 08:06 AM

indieWIRE INTERVIEW: Amy Berg, director of "Deliver Us From Evil"

indieWIRE

by indieWIRE (October 12, 2006)
With a background in network television news, "Deliver Us From Evil" director Amy Berg is an Emmy Award winner for her work, tackling such topics as sexual assault, women in prison, clergy abuse, battered women, unsafe public playgrounds, poverty, illegal drug dispersion, illicit medical doctors and toxic pollutants. Last year, she launched Disarming Films to produce theatrical documentaries.

"Deliver Us From Evil" debuted this summer at the Los Angeles Film Festival where she won the Target Documentary Award and a $50,000 cash prize; the film was subsequently acquired by Lionsgate for this week's theatrical release.

"This was a difficult doc to make," Berg said, accepting her prize at the LA Film Festival. "It was even more difficult not to make it."

Posted by kshaw at 08:00 AM

Bishop Franklin steps down; Bishop Amos to be 8th in Diocese history

DAVENPORT (IA)
Quad-City Times

By Deirdre Cox Baker | Thursday, October 12, 2006

TODAY: (Updated 12:18 p.m.) Saying his prayers have been answered, Bishop William Franklin officially announced his retirement this morning before introducing his successor, Bishop Martin Amos of Cleveland, Ohio.

Franklin spoke at a mid-morning press conference at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Davenport. Attending were several dozen people from the local religious community and associated with the diocese.

“I’m now the second-oldest bishop in the United States,” the 76-year-old Franklin said. “I’m the seventh oldest of bishops in the world.”

Posted by kshaw at 07:58 AM

Amy Berg: The Sins of Our Fathers

Yahoo!

Amy Berg
Thu Oct 12, 4:30 PM ET

Much to the chagrin of the Catholic hierarchy, my documentary film, "Deliver Us From Evil" has suddenly caught the attention of the national media. Saturday's New York Times (10/7/06) published a front page story reporting that Los Angeles law enforcements officials are considering a criminal case again Cardinal Roger Mahony. And just last night, ABC's Nightline ran a piece entitled, "The Sins of the Father," which asked, "Will a powerful cardinal now face criminal charges?"

The issue of sexual abuse perpetrated by priests is not going away. A fourth American diocese - Davenport, Iowa - just today filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The New York Times reported, "Like those dioceses and others nationwide, Davenport has been hit hard by accusations that its leaders failed to supervise and discipline priests who engaged in misconduct with young boys and girls." Of course, those who were the hardest hit were the thousands of victims of priest abuse who have yet to receive justice.

One of the most important dimensions of this on-going crisis is the continuing cover-up by the Catholic establishment. And it's not working. The truth will come out and more dioceses and bishops will end up in court and in bankruptcy. Rather than come clean and acknowledge the truth of their past actions, the bishops and their spokespeople continue to deny and evade, hiding behind high-paid lawyers and behaving more like mouthpieces for Enron than for a religious institution that supposedly teaches mercy and compassion.

Tod Tamberg, the spokesperson for the Los Angeles archdiocese, has viciously attacked my film, saying that it rests solely on the credibility of convicted pedophile, Father Oliver O'Grady. Well, DELIVER US FROM EVIL does not depend only on O'Grady's account. I interviewed many others who independently verified that Mahony was aware of O'Grady's behavior and did nothing to stop it, except move the accused priest from parish to parish. There are many letters and even police reports that prove that Mahony, while the Bishop of Stockton, knew about O'Grady's behavior and still took no action to remove him from the priesthood.

Posted by kshaw at 07:56 AM

Priest held for abuse

ITALY
The Mercury

October 13, 2006 Edition 3

ROME: An 81-year-old Italian priest has been arrested for pimping and the sexual abuse of minors in a town near San Marino, on the Adriatic Sea.

Don Giuseppe Giacomoni, who ran a homeless shelter in the town of Cesena, was arrested on Wednesday, along an Italian restaurant owner and a young Romanian man.

Posted by kshaw at 07:54 AM

'Deliver Us,' Close-Up Study

The Wall Street Journal

In "Deliver Us From Evil," a literally stunning documentary by Amy Berg, a former priest and convicted pedophile, Oliver O'Grady, faces the camera and confesses his sins in bland, lilting tones that betray a continued befuddlement with his wayward self. Confession may have been good for his soul, but for no one else's. The spectacle of Mr. O'Grady's obtuseness is horrifying in the context the film provides -- two decades of compulsive, systematic and pitiless predations that went unchecked, though not unnoticed by the church, during his priesthood in Northern California.

In another context -- our current concern with inappropriate sexual behavior in government, and with strengthening safeguards for potential young victims -- the documentary is instructive as well as timely. Split off from the consequences of his actions, Mr. O'Grady, who spent seven years in prison, admits that he did bad things, and claims he "should have been removed, and attended to." But he neither acknowledges nor seems to comprehend that he shattered his victims' lives. "I'm here," he says, speaking of his presence as an interview subject, "because in my life there has been a major imbalance."

Posted by kshaw at 07:52 AM

"Deliver Us from Evil" Real monsters haunt 'Evil'

Framingham TAB

By James Verniere/ CNC Film Critic
Friday, October 13, 2006

The most horrific film of the fall season is not going to be "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning," "The Grudge 2" or "Saw 3." The most horrifying film of the season is easily Amy Berg's stunning documentary "Deliver Us from Evil," a film in which the monsters are all too real. If you're not already mad as hell about the pedophile priest scandal, you are about to be.

A devastating portrait of the victims, the perpetrators and their unindicted enablers, including an up-close-and-personal interview with a madman still on the loose in Ireland, "Deliver Us from Evil" is a skin-crawling experience.

Meet Father Ollie O'Grady, a man who tells us he likes "helping people." Father Ollie is also a pedophile who can't get his head around the idea that what he did for 30 years to children is a terrible crime. Neither, apparently could the church hierarchy, which bounced O'Grady from parish to parish in Northern California in the 1970s without warnings.

The film comprises interviews with O'Grady's male and female victims as well as grief-stricken parents, two of whom allowed O'Grady into their home, where he raped their daughter.

Posted by kshaw at 07:49 AM

Cleveland cleric to lead Davenport diocese

DAVENPORT (IA)
Quad-Cities Online

By Brian Krans, bkrans@qconline.com

The embattled Diocese of Davenport has a new leader now that the Vatican has accepted the resignation of Bishop William Franklin.

Bishop-elect Martin J. Amos, auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland, was appointed to head the Davenport diocese as it begins bankruptcy proceedings brought on by numerous lawsuits alleging sexual abuse at the hands of clergy.

When sending his resignation letter in May 2005, Bishop Franklin said his age was the main factor. He had turned 75, the age at which canon law requires bishops offer their resignation. It is then up to the pope to accept the resignation.

Bishop Franklin, ordained in 1956, led the diocese through arguably its toughest years. He plans to stay in Davenport, assisting the new bishop with social events and confirmations. He will be offered housing in the diocese.

Posted by kshaw at 07:46 AM

A wolf in a cleric's collar

Los Angeles Times

By Kenneth Turan, Times Staff Writer

"Deliver Us From Evil" sounds like the title of a horror film, and in a very real sense that's what this wrenching, difficult to watch documentary is.

Written and directed by Amy Berg, "Deliver Us" examines the nightmare of children sexually assaulted by Catholic priests, through the lens of one specific molester and the young people — now adults — he has admitted to having systematically abused.

This is an angry film, and with reason. It shows us the pernicious effects Oliver O'Grady, once known as kindly "Father Ollie," had on not only these children but on their once religious parents as well. As one distraught father says, "It destroyed our lives."

The cases examined all took place in California, and "Deliver Us" is perhaps angriest of all at Cardinal Roger M. Mahony and the Catholic hierarchy of the state, which the film claims first ignored and then strove to cover up the problem.

Posted by kshaw at 07:37 AM

Youth with family troubles was prey to priest, prosecutor says

PHOENIX (AZ)
Arizona Daily Star

The Associated Press
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.13.2006

PHOENIX — A former Catholic priest in Chandler heard prosecutors tell a jury he was a predator who took a young man with family problems under his wing so he could later sexually abuse him.
But the lawyer for Joseph Briceno said during the first day of his sex-abuse trial Wednesday that the alleged victim was only trying to lay a foundation so he could sue the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix.
Briceno faces six counts of sexual conduct with a minor, one count of attempted sexual contact and one count of sexual abuse.
The case against Briceno comes more than 20 years after the alleged crimes, which happened in 1982 and 1983.

Posted by kshaw at 07:35 AM

Seattle U. official quits as sexual-harassment claims surface

SEATTLE (WA)
The Seattle Times

By Nick Perry
Seattle Times staff reporter

The second-highest-ranking Jesuit at Seattle University resigned Thursday from his post as vice president for ministry and mission after allegations publicly surfaced that he sexually harassed a trainee priest in the 1990s.

The Rev. Tony Harris will relinquish his prominent role immediately but continue working on special projects at Seattle U. through the remainder of the academic year before leaving altogether, said the Rev. Stephen Sundborg, the university's president.

In a letter to faculty and students, Harris said he retains a "deep and abiding love" for Seattle U. but doesn't want his role to become a distraction.

Posted by kshaw at 07:33 AM

Appointment by pope a surprise for bishop

CLEVELAND (OH)
Beacon Journal

By Colette M. Jenkins
Beacon Journal religion writer

Bishop Martin J. Amos didn't know what to think when he heard the message on his voice mail from Pope Benedict XVI's ambassador to the United States.

``I called him back immediately and he wasn't available,'' said Amos, an auxiliary bishop in the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. ``I left a message and started to pace.''

Amos paced in his Akron office for nearly 90 minutes wondering whether the months-long rumor that he would be appointed bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown was about to become a reality.

``I was thinking Youngstown, but (the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Pietro Sambi) said, `Pope Benedict wants to appoint you as bishop of Davenport,' '' said Amos, 65.

That was last week.

Posted by kshaw at 07:31 AM

'Evil' delivers vile indictments

Boston Globe

By Ty Burr, Globe Staff | October 13, 2006

It isn't often you get to meet the devil in all his glory, but here he is in ``Deliver Us From Evil," and his name is Father Oliver O'Grady.

A California priest who raped dozens of children from the 1970s until his arrest in 1993 -- and who now lives in Ireland, a free man -- ``Father Ollie" was consistently protected by the diocese hierarchy, which moved him from one mid-state parish to another whenever complaints arose. Amy Berg's scalding documentary wonders who's the greater sinner: the deeply sick man who couldn't control his impulses or the churchmen who knowingly allowed his reign of destruction to continue.

Maybe you're burned out on tales of pedophile priests after the local events of recent years. Fair enough, but Berg convincingly argues that what happened in California -- where well over 400 Catholic priests have been accused of sexual abuse -- dwarfs what occurred in Boston. The film gives agonized voice to victims and their parents (and their attorneys), to theologians and child-abuse experts, and to the Rev. Thomas Doyle, who in 1985 warned the Vatican about the looming scandal and who has battled uphill on behalf of victims since.

Posted by kshaw at 07:29 AM

Portrait of a preying, and betraying, man

New York Daily News

'Deliver Us From Evil'
Documentary about a pedophile priest who preyed on kids for over 20 years with the protection of the church. Directed by Amy Berg. (1:43) Unrated: Language, disturbing theme. At Angelika.

For more than 20 years, the Catholic Church shunted pedophile priest Oliver O'Grady from one central California parish to another, ignoring accusations against him and allowing him to continue abusing children.

"Deliver Us From Evil," Amy Berg's riveting documentary, tracks O'Grady's predatory trail from San Andreas, Calif., to Ireland, where he is now living on a church pension that was apparently meant to buy his silence.

O'Grady appears in the film, his face showing no sign of shame even as he acknowledges and describes the awful things he did. To understand how sick the man is, his youngest victim was a 9-month-old girl, the oldest a married woman he seduced in order to get to her teenage son.

Posted by kshaw at 07:26 AM

Serious problems await new bishop

DAVENPORT (IA)
Des Moines Register

By SHIRLEY RAGSDALE
REGISTER RELIGION EDITOR

October 13, 2006

The Diocese of Davenport's new bishop, Martin J. Amos, is well equipped to meet the challenges facing the troubled diocese, according to people who know him well.

Amos, who was introduced to his new flock at a Thursday press conference at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport, comes to Iowa after serving since 2001 as auxiliary bishop in Cleveland, Ohio.

Amos, 64, said he is "anxious and at the same time excited about this new path on my journey." He added that he and retiring Bishop William Franklin "briefly discussed ... the serious issues facing the diocese."

Posted by kshaw at 07:24 AM

Priests' letter berates Egan Anonymous letter from priests severely scolds cardinal

NEW YORK
The Journal News

By GARY STERN
THE JOURNAL NEWS

Cardinal Edward Egan will meet with his priests council Monday to discuss an explosive letter circulating from an anonymous group of priests that calls for a vote of "no confidence" in Egan's leadership.

The letter from "A Committee of Concerned Clergy for the Archdiocese of New York" was the talk of the archdiocese yesterday after it was posted by a popular blog that reports news and rumors from across the Roman Catholic Church. ...

This is not the first time that New York priests have critiqued their bishop in a letter. In 2004, about 75 priests signed a letter that protested a lack of due process in New York for priests accused of sexual abuse. As a result, Egan invited the priests of New York to a two-day conference at a Catskills resort later that year.

Posted by kshaw at 07:21 AM

Suspended priest sues, claims he was defamed

MIAMI (FL)
Gainesville Sun

The Associated Press
October 13. 2006 6:01AM

MIAMI- A Roman Catholic priest suspended by the Archdiocese of Miami because of sexual abuse allegations sued one of his accusers Thursday and an attorney who defended the accuser, claiming they defamed him and were involved in a conspiracy.

The Rev. Alvaro Guichard has already filed several lawsuits as a result of the allegations. In January he sued Jeffrey Herman, an attorney who represented the accusers, for defamation.

Guichard also previously filed separate lawsuits against an accuser identified as "John Doe 17" and the mother and brother of another accuser, claiming defamation and conspiracy in each case.

On Thursday Guichard filed another lawsuit in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, this time against Herman and a man he said was previously identified as "John Doe 20" who accused the priest of abusing him in 1980.

Posted by kshaw at 07:16 AM

October 12, 2006

Iowa bishop resigning 2 days after diocese files for bankruptcy amid clergy abuse lawsuits

DAVENPORT (IA)
KOTV

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) _ The Vatican announced the bishop of Davenport's retirement Thursday, two days after the Roman Catholic diocese filed for bankruptcy amid dozens of lawsuits alleging priest sex abuse.

Bishop William Franklin had offered his resignation when he turned 75 in May 2005, as the church requires.

The Vatican said Thursday that his resignation had been approved and that he would be succeeded by Monsignor Martin J. Amos, an auxiliary bishop in Cleveland.

The Diocese of Davenport on Tuesday became the fourth Catholic diocese in the United States to file for bankruptcy amid the national clergy abuse scandal, following the Archdiocese of Portland, Ore., and the dioceses of Tucson, Ariz. and Spokane, Wash.

Posted by kshaw at 12:32 PM

The Diocese of Davenport's recently appointed bishop

DAVENPORT (IA)
KWWL

Information on the Diocese of Davenport's recently appointed bishop:

Monsignor Marti J. Amos, 65, was born in Cleveland, Ohio.

He attended Borromeo Seminary College, Wickliffe, and the St. Mary Seminary in Cleveland. He has a bachelor's degree in classic literature and master's of science degree in education.

He entered the clergy in May 1968 in Cleveland.

Posted by kshaw at 12:30 PM

Akron-area bishop moving to Iowa

AKRON (OH)
WKYC

Chris Hyser

AKRON -- Monsignor Martin Amos will soon say farewell to the Cleveland Catholic Diocese.

Amos, who has served as Auxiliary Bishop in the Akron area, is heading to Davenport, Iowa to serve the church.

The Vatican says Amos will become Bishop there.

His predecessor is retiring as his diocese files for bankruptcy.

Tuesday, the Diocese of Davenport became the fourth Catholic diocese in the U-S to file for bankruptcy amid the national clergy abuse scandal.

Posted by kshaw at 12:28 PM

Iowa bishop's resignation follows bankruptcy filing

DAVENPORT (IA)
Catholic World News

Oct. 12 (CWNews.com) - Bishop William Franklin of Davenport, Iowa, has resigned just two days after his diocese declared bankruptcy.

Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) has named Bishop Martin Amos, a Cleveland auxiliary, to head the Davenport diocese. Bishop Franklin's retirement had been overdue, since he had reached his 75th birthday-- the canonical age for submitted a letter of retirement-- in May 2005.

Posted by kshaw at 12:23 PM

Halt sought to release of victims' names

FRANKFORT (KY)
The Kentucky Post

By Paul A. Long
Post staff reporter

FRANKFORT - Two appellate judges from Louisville seemed to give little sympathy to lawyers seeking to halt an order that the names, phone numbers and address of victims of sexual abuse by priests in the Covington Diocese should be turned over to prosecutors.

But by the end of the proceedings, it appeared that the Court of Appeals panels might be willing to stop or re-write the order to make it more palatable to the victims.

Attorneys who represent the victims said the order from now-retired Senior Judge John Potter would improperly change the terms of the $84 million settlement with the diocese and violates a confidentiality order that all sides had agreed to. The lawyers previously obtained an order to delay the implementation of the order, and during oral arguments on Wednesday asked the three-judge panel to make that stay permanent.

Posted by kshaw at 12:21 PM

It's Time for Reporters to Seek Out the Facts About O'Grady Film

CALIFORNIA
Media Watch

With Amy Berg's "documentary" about abusive former priest Oliver O'Grady opening in theaters this week, we feel compelled to point out a few things. This because Ms. Berg has shown no great respect for the facts, either in her "documentary" or in the various statements she's been making to peddle herself, her film and her various conspiracy theories.

Ms. Berg's message, in the film and in interviews, is simple: O'Grady is a bad guy and the Church, specifically Cardinal Mahony, withheld information and moved O'Grady to one parish after another. We've previously noted that Ms. Berg sees conspiracies in every nook and cranny, and this mind-set is readily apparent in her account of O'Grady's years in Stockton - for only a few of which Cardinal Mahony was bishop there. She alleges that during this time, the Church not only was doing little to protect children from abuse but that there was actually a conspiracy of silence and enabling.

That being the case, it is not at all surprising that her film does not mention the following facts:

Posted by kshaw at 12:19 PM

Moving Pictures

BURLINGTON (VT)
Seven Days

(published 10.11.06)

Susan Green

Emails sent to teen congressional pages have rekindled the issue of pedophilia, a subject the Catholic Church knows only too well. Florida Republican Mark Foley, the alleged predator-politician, contends a clergyman once molested him. So Hand of God, screening Saturday at the Vermont International Film Festival in Burlington, may be more relevant than ever. The 96-minute documentary focuses on a Massachusetts parish priest who abused youngsters four decades ago, including a survivor particularly close to home: director Joe Cultrera’s own brother.

Posted by kshaw at 12:15 PM

A New Documentary Embellishing Evil?

CALIFORNIA
Media Watch

We first encountered Amy Berg a year and a half ago when, as a freelance producer, she was involved in a CNN "news" broadcast about the Archdiocese's response to the clergy sexual abuse scandal. We place "news" in quotation marks because the story turned out to be little more than a hit-piece designed to cast the Archdiocese and Cardinal Mahony in the worst possible light.

A few months later Ms. Berg surfaced again during a demonstration at the Cathedral by members of SNAP, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests. Such demonstrations were nothing new, and the Archdiocese had always respected the organization's right to voice its opinion so long as SNAP respected the worshippers' rights to attend services in a safe and peaceful environment. It was on this issue that this demonstration differed from earlier ones. While Cardinal Mahony was leading the celebration of the Mass, a demonstrator entered the sanctuary and handcuffed himself to the Archbishop's chair, disrupting the service and frightening many worshippers. Amid fears for the safety of both Cardinal Mahony and the worshippers, police officers removed and arrested the demonstrator.

Of course, this sparked a great deal of media interest. Following the handcuffing incident, a spokesperson for the Archdiocese was in the Cathedral's plaza area giving a statement to reporters. As this briefing was underway, Ms. Berg - carrying a SNAP protest sign - led one of the protestors up the stairs from the demonstration area to the plaza. They were stopped by security officers, who informed Ms. Berg she could not enter with the SNAP sign. She insisted she was going to keep the sign with her. At this point, another SNAP protestor took the sign from her and started back down to the demonstration area. After yelling at him not to bend her sign, Ms. Berg then led her protestor the rest of the way up to the plaza. She was accompanied by an entourage that included at least one camera operator documenting events for SNAP.

Posted by kshaw at 10:50 AM

Davenport bishop announces retirement

DAVENPORT (IA)
Press-Citizen

By the Associated Press

DAVENPORT - The Vatican said Thursday it accepted the retirement of Bishop William Franklin, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport.

Franklin, who took the diocese into bankruptcy this week as it faces dozens of lawsuits alleging priest sex abuse, sent a letter in May 2005 offering his resignation. He said age was a chief factor in his decision.

Franklin turned 75 on May 3, 2005. Cannon law requires bishops to offer their resignation upon turning 75.

He said in retirement he planned to stay in Davenport.

The Vatican announced Thursday that Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation and appointed Monsignor Martin J. Amos, an auxiliary bishop in Cleveland, as Franklin's successor.

Posted by kshaw at 09:52 AM

Amos named bishop in troubled Iowa diocese

DAVENPORT (IA)
Beacon Journal

By Colette M. Jenkins
Beacon Journal staff writer
Bishop Martin J. Amos, auxiliary bishop to the southern portion of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, is being introduced this morning as the eighth bishop of the Davenport Diocese in Iowa.

Amos, who has led the more than 150,000 Catholics in Summit, Medina, Wayne and Ashland counties since 2001, is in Davenport for a morning news conference.

On Tuesday, the Iowa diocese filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy, becoming the fourth diocese in the country to seek financial protection to deal with the priest sex abuse scandal.

Like those other dioceses -- Portland, Ore.; Spokane, Wash.; and Tucson, Ariz. -- Davenport has been hit by a series of lawsuits that allege church leaders knowingly allowed priests with histories of sexual abuse to be moved to different assignments.

Posted by kshaw at 09:49 AM

Priest tells how he took millions from the church collection plate

FLORIDA
Irish Independent

ONE of the two Irish priests accused of stealing $8.7m (€6.9m) from a church in Florida has admitted he never put a cent from the church plate collection into a church bank account.

Fr John Skehan, originally from Johnstown in Kilkenny, instead pocketed between $1,000 and $3,000 per week from the plate.

The 79-year-old served at the Catholic Church in Delray Beach, north of Miami, for 40 years.

According to American police reports, the priest was in a confessing mood when he was arrested at Palm Beach International Airport after a holiday in Ireland last month.

Posted by kshaw at 08:11 AM

Child Sex Abuse Case Still Haunts

NEW YORK
ABC News

By ROXANNA SHERWOOD

Oct. 11, 2006 — Retired New York Police Department Det. Pat Kehoe still remembers a phone call she got more than 20 years ago, from a person making allegations that a rabbi was sexually abusing children in his neighborhood.

"I never received a call like that in my whole career in the New York City Police Department. Never," Kehoe told Cynthia McFadden in a recent interview.

"I'll never forget it because unfortunately it was my birthday, November 21 1984. I was working in the Brooklyn Sex Crimes squad and I received an anonymous call from a male who started to say that there was a rabbi and gave the name and he was abusing people on this block," she said.

Rabbi Avrohom Mondrowitz, as he called himself, lived on a tree-lined block in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn. Kehoe and her partner, Sal Catafulmo, went out to the neighborhood where Italians and Hasidic Jews lived side-by-side.

At one of the first addresses they tried, she says a resident told her "Everyone knows Rabbi Mondrowitz. He's good to all our children. He buys them bicycles and takes them away on weekends and things."

Posted by kshaw at 08:09 AM

Devils in Disguise

CALIFORNIA
LA Weekly

By ELLA TAYLOR
Wednesday, October 11, 2006 - 7:00 pm

Of all the hundreds of pedophile priests to be flushed out of the woodwork in recent Catholic Church history, Father Oliver O’Grady has to be one of the most harmless-looking, and the most sinister. Wispy, unremarkable and accommodating, with an ingratiating half-smile playing permanently about his thin lips, Father Ollie, as he was known to the California parishioners who for 20 years fed him, housed him and invariably entrusted him with the spiritual care of their children, was also a wily and ruthless predator who had sex with mothers if that got him close enough to fondle, rape and sodomize their kids, from newborn babies to teenagers. Now, after serving half of a 14-year sentence in the U.S., he lives free as a bird in Ireland, billeted with a family that knows nothing of his past, and reporting to no one — save for the Catholic Church, which has dangled a retirement annuity in front of his nose in exchange for dropping off the planet. Only, Father O’Grady has been shafted by his protectors, and he’s ready to sing like a canary. Among other things, he loves the attention.

When a major distributor like Lionsgate releases a documentary on an inflamed social issue like child molestation, one expects the worst kind of pandering to the public hysteria so skillfully exposed in Andrew Jarecki’s Capturing the Friedmans. But Amy Berg’s Deliver Us From Evil, which begins as a portrait of a damaged monster and skillfully fans out to his many victims and enablers, lifts the subject clean out of private pathology into the realm where it belongs: the rampant and systematic abuse of theological and institutional power. There’s no denying that Father Ollie is a very sick cookie with a criminal record that would have driven many a less well-defended molester to suicide long ago, whose scariest coping device is a habit of dissociation that not only allowed him to continue violating helpless children for so long, but now allows him to become a star witness against himself. We see him in videotaped testimony and with Berg, calmly recounting the where, what and how of his hundreds of conquests — one can’t call them seductions, since by the accounts of his prey, now predictably troubled adults, he simply got them to a quiet place and bent them to his will. Celibacy, currently fingered as the chief culprit in priestly abuse, is neither here nor there in Father Ollie’s case, for he freely admits (that naughty-boy smile again) that nothing in the adult body turns him on as much as the smooth flesh of a tot in a swimsuit.

Posted by kshaw at 08:05 AM

Man stole $96,000 from seminary

CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Sun-Times

October 12, 2006
BY CATHLEEN FALSANI AND ANNIE SWEENEY Staff Reporters
The former comptroller of Chicago's St. Joseph College Seminary pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing $96,000 from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago.

Michael "Dennis" Composto, 66, entered his guilty plea before Cook County Judge Stanley Sachs, ending a two-year investigation into missing funds at the college-level seminary on the Rogers Park campus of Loyola University.

Sachs sentenced Composto to two years probation and ordered him to pay $300,000 in restitution to the archdiocese, said Assistant State's Attorney John Mahoney.

Posted by kshaw at 08:01 AM

Pedophile clergy saga continues on Friday

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Daily News

By DAVID GAMBACORTA
gambacd@phillynews.com 215-854-5994
It's been a year since a local grand jury slammed the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for covering up decades of depravity by protecting pedophile priests.

In the resulting fallout from the scathing three-year grand jury investigation, the archdiocese cried foul over the report while prosecutors complained about a lack of meaningful justice for victims.

Last month, two victims of clergy abuse and the mother of two abused boys told their heart-wrenching tales to Cardinal Justin Rigali and more than 300 priests at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood.

The saga will continue on Friday, when District Attorney Lynne Abraham and a panel of experts and activists will gather for a three-hour forum at Temple University to push for stronger laws to protect kids from child molesters.

The Forum on Child Abuse Legislation will take place at Temple's Beasley School of Law from 9 a.m. to noon.

Posted by kshaw at 07:57 AM

Inquiry finds no criminal conduct by ex-Vianney High president

ST. LOUIS (MO)
Post-Dispatch

By William C. Lhotka and Heather Ratcliffe
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
10/11/2006

A criminal investigation of allegations that the Rev. Robert Osborne, the former president of Vianney High School, molested two students has ended with no criminal charges.

"We reached the conclusion there was no evidence at all of criminal conduct," St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert P. McCulloch said Wednesday.

Osborne, 73, has always denied the accusations. He remains a defendant in a civil suit filed in February by one of the alleged victims. That case is set for trial in April.

Brother Stephen Glodek, head of the Marianist Province of the United States, the Roman Catholic order that operates the boys' school in Kirkwood, said: "We are just very happy that was the resolution of the investigation. We still face the civil suit from the same parties, and we are awaiting that resolution."

Posted by kshaw at 07:53 AM

Davenport Catholics: ‘No one should have the right to sue God”

DAVENPORT (IA)
Quad-Cities Online

By Robin J. Youngblood, ryoungblood@qconline.com

DAVENPORT -- Catholics going to midday Mass Wednesday at St. Anthony's Catholic Church clutched their jackets tightly and bent their head down into the biting wind.

Some shared their feelings about the Davenport Diocese declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy Tuesday while others politely declined. Emotions ranged from anger to sadness, and one person reached toward their own faith for an answer.

"I think people need to forgive and forget," said Chris, of DeWitt. Although he wouldn't give his last name, Chris shared his opinion about the sexual abuse lawsuits that are rocking the Catholic Church.

"In the case of the abuse, it happened 30-some years ago," he said. "You can't put that into money terms."

Posted by kshaw at 07:49 AM

Priests probed over alleged sex crime

FIJI
FijiLive

Thursday October 12, 2006

Two church ministers belonging to one of Fiji's largest religious dominations are being investigated by police over alleged sexual abuse of young girls.

Assistant Police Commissioner Crime, Kevueli Bulamainaivalu said the victims aged between 14 and 18 are from Vanua Levu and the outer islands of Koro and Gau.

Bulamainaivalu said a team of officers from the Nausori Police Station had gone to Vanua Levu to assist with investigations.

The two ministers are understood to have been suspended by the Methodist Church.

Posted by kshaw at 07:45 AM

King turned me to sex machine, witness tells court

NIGERIA
Vanguard

By AbdulWahab Abdulah, Yomi Ologunleko & Bose Awoyemi
Posted to the Web: Thursday, October 12, 2006

COURT officials and audience, including some followers of Emeka Ezeugo (Rev King), Pastor and founder of the Christian Praying Assembly(CPA), who witnessed yesterday's proceedings of the murder charge preferred against the clergy were stunned when a prosecution witness, Miss Kelechi Chike, told the court how the church leader allegedly committed sexual abuse against the church members.

The startling revelation by the witness who was once a member and a Reverend Sister in CPA revealed the alleged atrocity being committed in the church “was unimaginable as I was ordained as a Rev Sister but I was turned into a sex machine by the accused person.”

Posted by kshaw at 07:40 AM

Former T.O. Baptist pastor held in alleged sexual abuse of girl, then 7

THOUSAND OAKS (CA)
Thousand Oaks Acorn

By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

Authorities are trying to determine if other children might have been victims of a former Thousand Oaks pastor arrested in Idaho last week on suspicion of child molestation while at Thousand Oaks Baptist School.

A woman in her early 30s, who now lives out of state, has accused the Rev. William Alan Malgren, 52, of sexually assaulting her from the time she was 7 until she turned 14, according to Ventura County Sheriff's Department Senior Dep. Eric Buschow.

The alleged molestation occurred when Malgren was pastor of Thousand Oaks Baptist Church and the girl was a student at the school that was operated by the church, Buschow said.

According to the woman's report and accounts from eyewitnesses, Malgren was asked to report the group had narrowed the location down to two possible areas. School site council members were leaning heavily toward an area adjacent to the gym. But after additional studies, there was a shift in opinion.

Posted by kshaw at 07:36 AM

Reactions varied as Catholics absorb Diocese bankruptcy decision

DAVENPORT (IA)
WOI

DAVENPORT, Iowa A decision by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to deal with priest sex abuse cases is drawing mixed reaction from many eastern Iowa Catholics.

Bishop William Franklin says the diocese had to file for financial protection to ensure the financial health of the church.

To some, it's a necessary move to preserve the diocese's long-term mission.

Posted by kshaw at 07:31 AM

Temptation, the Priest, the Youth and His Mother

NEW YORK
The New York Times

By ANITA GATES
Published: October 12, 2006

At the start of Edmund De Santis’s “Ascension,” the characters seem perfectly normal. The personable Rev. Calvin Porter (Stephen Hope), who is in line to become a bishop, is in his office, chatting with a parishioner, Agnes Sabatino (Lucy McMichael), about handling the food for a coming church event.

It should probably be a hint of things to come that Agnes is wearing sunglasses indoors and a raincoat three sizes too large. She admires a painting of the crucifixion (“This Christ has a nice body”) and admits to having seen “Ben Hur” 327 times.

And yes, before you know it, Agnes is accusing Father Calvin of sexual abuse. The long-ago victim is her son Lorenzo, who is now grown and suicidal, she says, because of the emotional damage.

Posted by kshaw at 07:26 AM

Nun who bucked bishop is to become the first U.S. saint in 6 years

TERRE HAUTE (IN)
International Herald Tribune

The Associated Press

Published: October 12, 2006

TERRE HAUTE, Indiana A French-born nun once banished from her U.S. congregation by a bishop will be proclaimed a saint on Sunday, providing a model of virtuous life to America's Roman Catholics — even if they find themselves at odds with church leaders.

Pope Benedict XVI will canonize Blessed Mother Theodore Guerin as the first new U.S. saint in six years, a span marked in this country by the scandal over the sexual abuse of minors by clergy.

Posted by kshaw at 07:23 AM

Appeals court rejects ex-nun's bias claims against Pa. college

PITTSBURGH (PA)
Belleville News-Democrat

JOE MANDAK
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH - A federal appeals court is standing by its decision to strike down sexual discrimination claims brought by a former nun who said she was forced to resign from her job at a Catholic university after helping to expose a priest's alleged misconduct.

The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia had ruled last month that the "ministerial exception" barred it from considering claims by Lynette Petruska against Gannon University, a private Catholic school in Erie.

Under the ministerial exception, courts avoid deciding legal disputes between religious institutions and clergy to protect the rights of denominations to govern their affairs according to their beliefs.

Petruska had wanted all the judges on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals to rehear her case. On Tuesday, she was notified the court denied her request.

Posted by kshaw at 07:19 AM

Seattle U. identifies 2nd accused priest

SEATTLE (WA)
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

By SCOTT GUTIERREZ
P-I REPORTER

Seattle University officials have identified a second Jesuit priest and former faculty member who was accused of sexually abusing a minor.

Englebert Axer, who taught at the university from 1956 to 1987 and died in 1989, was accused of abusing a boy during a summer ministry in Northern California in 1956.

The Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus, which also covers Washington, recently notified the university of the allegation, according to a statement sent Tuesday to faculty, staff and students.

Posted by kshaw at 07:16 AM

Diocese run similar to a business

DAVENPORT (IA)
Quad-Cities Online

By Rita Pearson, rpearson@qconline.com

The corporate side of the Davenport Catholic Diocese is similar to other businesses, with a payroll to meet, insurance premiums to pay, and tax obligations.

The Davenport Diocese' filing for reorganization under federal Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings Tuesday offered a rare look into the business of Roman Catholic Church finances and its future options.

The diocese, the administrative arm of the American Catholic Church in southeast Iowa, is structured as a separate corporation from the Catholic schools and parishes, each organized as their own corporation.

The diocese owns property and hires staff to provide mostly educational services to more than 105,000 parishioners in 84 parishes in southeast Iowa.

Posted by kshaw at 07:14 AM

New program aims to boost watchfulness

PHOENIX (AZ)
The Arizona Republic

Michael Clancy
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 12, 2006 12:00 AM

Fred Luebke of Phoenix wanted to accompany his kindergartner on a school field trip to a pumpkin patch.

But under the policies of the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, he had to spend three hours in class first.

Luebke was one of the first of more than 100,000 Catholic school volunteers, educators and church officials who will be part of a newly updated class in the diocese aimed at helping people identify abusers and prevent future incidents. The new class transforms the lecture format into a more interactive video-based one. advertisement

The Phoenix Diocese, like most in the nation, requires training as a result of the sexual-abuse scandal that erupted in 2001. At least 30 priests who have lived or worked in the diocese have been accused of abuse, and dozens of victims have come forward to press their concerns. Many of those concerns have resulted in lawsuits or criminal allegations. The diocese has been sued on abuse matters at least 40 times.

Posted by kshaw at 07:12 AM

Ex-Chandler priest faces trial

ARIZONA
The Arizona Republic

Michael Kiefer
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 12, 2006 12:00 AM

It took 10 years for the victim to come forward and claim he had been sexually abused by his parish priest. It took 10 more years for prosecutors to bring charges against the priest, then two more years for law enforcement to arrest him.

But on Wednesday, Joseph Briceño, a former parish priest from Chandler, went to trial in Maricopa County Superior Court on six counts of sexual conduct with a minor, one count of attempted sexual conduct with a minor and one count of sexual abuse.

According to Deputy County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, the charges stem from Briceño's ongoing relationship with a teenager from St. Mary's Catholic Church in Chandler. The incidents that led to the charges took place in 1982 and 1983; Briceño could not be charged with any incidents that took place after the youth turned 18. In the sexual-abuse charge, Briceño is accused of groping the breast of the youth's sister, who was 20 at the time. advertisement

Mitchell painted a picture of a predatory priest grooming a young man with family problems, taking him on bike rides and inviting him to share his bed in the rectory of a Chandler parish. After the seduction, Mitchell claimed, Briceño assumed a strong role in the young man's family, even helping with finances after the teen's parents divorced.

Posted by kshaw at 07:10 AM

Former parish priest goes on trial for sexual misconduct

PHOENIX (AZ)
KOLD

PHOENIX It's taken a decade for prosecutors to bring a former Catholic parish priest to justice.

Yesterday, Joseph Briceno's trial began in Maricopa County Superior Court on six counts of sexual conduct with a minor, one count of attempted sexual conduct with a minor and one count of sexual abuse.

Prosecutors say the charges stem from Briceno's ongoing relationship with a teenager from St. Mary's Catholic Church in Chandler.

The incidents that led to the charges took place in 1982 and 1983.

Posted by kshaw at 07:06 AM

Bankruptcy enrages activists

DAVENPORT (IA)
Des Moines Register

By SHIRLEY RAGSDALE
REGISTER RELIGION EDITOR

October 12, 2006

About half a dozen activists who stood outside Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport were as harsh in their criticism of church officials as the cold rain that fell on them Wednesday.

The victims of priest abuse and their supporters blasted a decision to file for bankruptcy Tuesday as a response to lawsuits seeking monetary damages for those who say they were sexually abused as children by clergy.

"It seemed the wind was as cold and bitter as the heart of the diocese this morning," said D. Michl Uhde of Davenport.

They criticized Davenport Bishop William E. Franklin for refusing their request to meet with lay Catholics from the diocese's seven regions before filing bankruptcy. They also wanted the diocese to submit to an independent audit of assets before filing.

Posted by kshaw at 07:05 AM

Deliver Us From Evil

CALIFORNIA
Entertainment Weekly

Reviewed by Owen Gleiberman

The central figure in Deliver Us From Evil, Amy Berg's brilliant and psychologically transfixing documentary about child sex abuse within the Catholic Church, is Father Oliver O'Grady, a convicted pedophile who served seven years in jail and now roams free in his native Ireland — a 60ish chap speaking with soft candor about his crimes. With a flash of a smile and a voice of musical Irish eloquence, ''Father Ollie'' has a flowing charm; at first, there's something almost reassuring about him. As he speaks of his desires for young girls and boys, his tone is steady, abashed, sincere, remorseful. For all the headline disclosures of recent years, the scandal of sexually abusive priests — the deeper personal truth of it — remains shrouded in veils of secrecy and shame, and so one is relieved to see a man like O'Grady, who appears to want to own up to what he did.

Yet the more you listen to him, and the more you hear testimony about his behavior (his victims were as young as nine months), it becomes clear that he's a born manipulator who is playing the audience, using the drama of his confession to defuse and soft-pedal his crimes. Berg, a former producer for CBS and CNN, interviews several of O'Grady's victims, whom he molested in the '70s, '80s, and '90s, and they offer some of the most intimate and lacerating testimony to the horror of child sexual abuse that I have ever heard. Their stories, which detail the seduction of whole families, the ''affection'' and violation that O'Grady got away with by preying on their reverence and trust, convey how these children had fissures ripped in their souls — wounds that will likely never heal. ''People gotta understand,'' moans Bob Jyono, a parent of one of the abuse survivors. ''He's not a pedophile, he's a rapist.''

Posted by kshaw at 07:03 AM

Italian priest, 81, arrested for abusing minors, pimping

ITALY
INQ7

Agence France-Presse
Last updated 07:24pm (Mla time) 10/12/2006

ROME -- An 81-year-old Italian priest has been arrested for sexual abuse of minors and pimping in a town near San Marino on the Adriatic Sea, press reports said Thursday.

The priest, who ran a homeless shelter, had two accomplices, an Italian restaurant owner and a young Romanian man, who were also arrested Wednesday in the town of Cesena.

Prosecutors told the daily La Repubblica that illegal immigrants including minors who came to the shelter had to choose between prostituting themselves or being turned in to the customs authorities.

The priest is alleged to have sexually abused a 16-year-old boy for nearly a year before he was "ceded" to the restaurant owner, La Repubblica said.

Posted by kshaw at 07:00 AM

October 11, 2006

Prosecutor won't file charges against former school president

ST. LOUIS (MO)
The Kanas City Star

JIM SALTER
Associated Press
ST. LOUIS - Criminal charges will not be filed against the president of a suburban St. Louis high school operated by the Marianist religious order who was investigated for sexual wrongdoing, St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch said Wednesday.

The Rev. Robert Osborne, 73, resigned in August from Vianney High School. He has not publicly commented but wrote in the school's September newsletter that he stepped down a year before he planned to retire due to "unresolved legal matters."

Osborne was accused in a lawsuit of molesting a student at the all-boys school. A second Vianney student came forward after the suit to also allege inappropriate behavior by Osborne.

Kirkwood police investigated the allegations, as did investigators for McCulloch's office.

Posted by kshaw at 06:25 PM

29 More Catholic Bishops Served in Unprecedented Child Molestation Lawsuit

ST. PAUL (MN)
PR Newswire

ST. PAUL, Minn., Oct 11 /PRNewswire/ -- 178 Catholic Bishops have been
named as defendants in an unprecedented civil child sex abuse lawsuit
brought by the family of a murdered Wisconsin man. The following Bishops
and Archbishops have recently been served with the lawsuit by a county
sheriff:

Posted by kshaw at 06:22 PM

Victim Advocates Blast Collection For Priest Abusers

NEW HAMPSHIRE
WCSH

Web Editor: Matt Bush, Online Content Producer
Created: 10/11/2006 12:07:41 PM
Updated: 10/11/2006 1:30:46 PM

Advocates for victims of clergy sexual abuse are upset that some Catholic priests have started a collection in New Hampshire for priests who've been defrocked for sexually abusing minors.

Carolyn Disco of Merrimack says she has no problem with priests reaching out to other priests, as long as they also reach out to survivors of abuse.

In a letter to the organizers, Ann Hagan Webb, New England coordinator of the Survivor's Network of those Abused by Priests, said the efforts will hurt some victims. She said she would feel better if she knew the money was paying for counseling or other treatment for abusive priests.

Posted by kshaw at 02:49 PM

Alleged Molestation Victims File Suit Against Santa Rosa Diocese

SANTA ROSA (CA)
KTVU

POSTED: 10:26 am PDT October 11, 2006

SANTA ROSA -- Seven alleged victims of child sexual abuse have filed suit against priest Xavier Ochoa and the Santa Rosa Catholic Diocese for alleged abuse stretching back more than two decades.

Two lawsuits were delivered to Sonoma County Superior Court Tuesday on behalf of alleged victims now between the ages of 11 to 34. The allegations portray Ochoa as a sexual predator more extreme than had been previously reported.

Michael Meadows, one of the attorneys representing the alleged victims, said the diocese was negligent in hiring and supervising Ochoa.

Posted by kshaw at 02:47 PM

Victims group asks why priest's name wasn't posted

DUBUQUE (IA)
WHO

DUBUQUE, Iowa A victims support group says it had to publish the name of a priest accused of sexual abuse before the Archdiocese of Dubuque added the name to its list of accused clerics.

The Iowa chapter of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, says it named the Reverend Robert Marcantonio, who died in 1999, in pamphlets handed out in Ames last month. The priest's name showed up on the archdiocese's list five days later.

SNAP is questioning why it took their action to get the archdiocese to post the name on its Web site. The group believes the names of all clerics accused of sex abuse should be made public.

Posted by kshaw at 02:44 PM

Appeals court rejects ex-nun's bias claims against Pa. college

PITTSBURGH (PA)
Times Leader

JOE MANDAK
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH - A federal appeals court on Wednesday struck down sexual discrimination claims brought by a former nun who said she was forced to resign from her job at a Catholic university after helping to expose a priest's alleged misconduct.

The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia ruled that the "ministerial exception" barred it from considering claims by Lynette Petruska against Gannon University, a private Catholic school in Erie.

Under the ministerial exception, courts avoid deciding legal disputes between religious institutions and clergy to protect the rights of denominations to govern their affairs according to their beliefs.

Petruska, the first woman chaplain at Gannon, sued claiming she was demoted in 2002 and forced to resign because of her gender, and because she helped expose an alleged cover-up involving a priest who took a leave of absence due to an alleged affair with a woman.

Posted by kshaw at 02:42 PM

Iowa diocese 4th in U.S. to file for bankruptcy over Catholic clergy sex-abuse suits

DAVENPORT (IA)
Catholic Online

By Barb Arland-Fye
10/11/2006
Catholic News Service

DAVENPORT, Iowa (CNS) – The Diocese of Davenport is now the fourth Catholic diocese in the United States to file for bankruptcy protection because of sex abuse lawsuits it faces.

On Oct. 10, the diocese filed a petition for Chapter 11 reorganization in the Iowa District of U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

The action came 22 days after a jury awarded $1.5 million to a Davenport man who claimed he was sexually abused by a diocesan priest nearly five decades ago.

Demands for settlement of that lawsuit and 25 claims that exceeded $7 million prompted the diocese's decision to go to trial for the first time rather than settle out of court.

The possibility of bankruptcy had been looming large in the diocese since October 2004, when it announced an agreement to settle 37 sexual abuse claims and lawsuits for $9 million. In the past two years the diocese has reached settlements totaling more than $10.5 million. The jury's award Sept. 18 left diocesan leaders with no other option, they said.

Posted by kshaw at 02:40 PM

Collection for abusers angers victim advocates

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Concord Monitor

By ANNMARIE TIMMINS
Monitor staff

October 11. 2006 8:00AM

Lawyers and others who work with victims of clergy sexual abuse said they are upset that a small group of Catholic priests has started a collection for clergy members who've been removed from ministry for sexually abusing minors. Accusations against priests no longer make the news like they used to, they said, but survivors are still coming forward and need encouragement.

"I have no problem with them reaching out to brother priests, provided they reach out to survivors as well," said Carolyn Disco of Merrimack, who advocates on behalf of people abused by clergy members. "I've talked about this (collection effort) with survivors, and I'm hearing negative feedback across the board."

The collection would also benefit financially strapped sick and retired priests who, like accused priests, receive a $1,300 monthly stipend and health care from the diocese each month. Only defrocked priests, of which there are two in New Hampshire, do not receive financial help from the diocese. Imprisoned priests have been receiving regular stipends.

Posted by kshaw at 02:33 PM

Ex-priest seeks leniency in abuse case

TOWSON (MD)
Baltimore Sun

A former Roman Catholic priest and Calvert Hall College High School chaplain has asked the judge who sentenced him in February to 18 months in jail for sexually abusing a former student to release him on home detention or probation, according to court records.

Jerome F. Toohey Jr., known as Father Jeff, pleaded guilty in November to sexually abusing a teenage boy for six months after the high school sophomore came to him in 1987 for counseling.

In his request, defense attorney Andrew Jay Graham wrote that the punishment "was a severe one," considering that the victim "engaged in consensual sexual activities" with Toohey and that "the events in question occurred nearly 20 years before the sentence was imposed and at a point in time when Mr. Toohey's judgment and emotional stability were impaired by extensive and long-term alcohol abuse."

Graham wrote that the former priest's sentence "is particularly onerous" because he must serve it segregated to keep him from being harmed by other inmates.

Posted by kshaw at 02:27 PM

Victim advocates blast collection for priest abusers

CONCORD (NH)
WCAX

CONCORD, N.H. Advocates for victims of clergy sexual abuse are upset that some Catholic priests have started a collection in New Hampshire for priests who've been defrocked for sexually abusing minors.

Carolyn Disco of Merrimack says she has no problem with priests reaching out to other priests, as long as they also reach out to survivors of abuse.

In a letter to the organizers, Ann Hagan Webb, New England coordinator of the Survivor's Network of those Abused by Priests, said the efforts will hurt some victims. She said she would feel better if she knew the money was paying for counseling or other treatment for abusive priests.

Posted by kshaw at 02:22 PM

Foley on the Prowl: 2 Creepy 2 B 4Gotten

Los Angeles Times

October 4, 2006

Steve Lopez

What R U wearing?

Comfy?

Don't get 2 comfy.

Newly resigned Rep. Mark Foley (R-Florida) could be blaming his recent troubles on U, 2.

After getting caught hitting on congressional pages with lurid shorthand e-mails and instant messages, the Florida congressman first blamed his keyboard adventures on alcohol, insulting alcoholics everywhere.

Actually, I shouldn't use the word "blame." Foley, 52, made it clear through his attorney that he accepts responsibility for what he's done, which I guess includes asking a teenage boy: "Do I make you horny?"

There must be a PR manual out there for public figures who find themselves in a jam, and maybe Foley borrowed a copy from actor Mel Gibson.

Take full responsibility, then immediately enter rehab.

Oh, people will say. Must have been the booze.

But Tuesday afternoon, ABC News reported that Foley once interrupted a vote in the House to engage in Internet sex with a former page.

Hard to blame that one on a three-martini lunch. Maybe that's why Foley's attorney went public shortly after the ABC bulletin with a headline of his own. Foley was molested between the ages of 13 and 15, he said, by a clergyman whose name he did not divulge.

Are we to believe him, or might this be another play for understanding, if not sympathy?

I don't know. We're all keenly aware that molestation by a priest is not beyond the realm. As far as I know, however, being molested by a priest doesn't mean you have to become a molester yourself. It could simply be that Foley became a creep all on his own.

But there was a certain symmetry to Foley's latest claim, since it brings us around to another national institution that has failed to keep children out of harm's way.

Here's a strange but convenient coincidence. Who was Foley running against in his congressional race?

Guy's last name is Mahoney.

Which brings us to my favorite priest.

Cardinal Roger Mahony, of our very own Los Angeles Archdiocese, did not exactly distinguish himself as a crusader for justice in the sexual abuse scandal that rocked his own church. In fact, there may be no more dangerous thing for a young male to do than visit Capitol Hill or a monastery.

"The similarities are remarkable," said Mary Grant, a sexual abuse victim who has long criticized Mahony's shuffling of accused priests and is livid at his continued refusal to release church files on suspected pedophiles.

Posted by kshaw at 02:15 PM

Palm Beach Diocese wants Foley to name his abuser

PALM BEACH (FL)
Herald-Tribune

By MATTHEW DOIG, HEATHER ALLEN and MICHAEL A. SCARCELLA
STAFF WRITERS

matthew.doig@heraldtribune.com
heather.allen@heraldtribune.com
michael.scarcella@heraldtribune.com

The Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach publicly called Friday on former congressman Mark Foley to name his alleged abuser and end speculation about the identity of the clergyman he said abused him as a youth.

Foley's attorney, David Roth, announced Tuesday that Foley had been molested by a clergyman when he was 13 to 15 years old. He refused to elaborate.

Diocese spokeswoman Alexis Walkenstein told the Herald-Tribune that conducting an inquiry without a name from Foley would amount to a "witch hunt."

Walkenstein said the church had no plans to start its own investigation and was adamant that her organization had no responsibility to review its records and determine the credibility of Foley's claim.

Posted by kshaw at 02:06 PM

Child abuse prevention training is user-friendly

OAKLAND (CA)
Catholic Online

By Sharon Abercrombie
10/11/2006
The Catholic Voice (www.catholicvoiceoakland.org)

OAKLAND, Calif. (The Catholic Voice) - “Shield the Vulnerable,” a new, 90-minute on-line interactive class, teaches priests, diocesan employees, parish and school staffs and volunteers how to recognize, report and prevent child abuse.

Even computer-phobics will love the user-friendly question and answer format. It’s designed so that it doesn’t have to be completed in one sitting. People can sign off as they choose and when they return, they can pick up on the page where left off.

The program begins with identifying and describing the different types of abuse -emotional, physical and sexual, and then moves into information outlining procedures for making a report to authorities for suspected abuse.

The program provides specific information for both mandated reporters - clergy, teachers and other school personnel, counselors, health care providers, social workers who by law must report suspected abuse - and for ethical reporters who are not required to report by law, but fall into a category of those who nonetheless are concerned about the safety and wellbeing of children. Falling into this category are school volunteers, family members, friends, neighbors and bystanders who suspect that a child is being sexually, physically or emotionally abused, or is suffering from neglect.

Posted by kshaw at 02:04 PM

D.C. mosque alleges embezzlement

WASHINGTON (DC)
Science Daily

WASHINGTON, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- A major Washington mosque has filed a lawsuit alleging its financial manager embezzled more than $300,000 of its funds into his own businesses.

The Islamic Center of Washington suspended longtime financial manager Farzad Darui last month and is suing him in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., The Washington Times reported Wednesday.

The center's director, Abdullah Khouj, said in the suit he approved check requests Darui made since the 1990s but never to the companies that cashed them.

Darui told the newspaper the lawsuit was "factually incorrect," and said his lawyer's written response would be filed in court next week.

Posted by kshaw at 02:01 PM

Judge: Convicted abusive priest can stay mum during appeals

ELKHORN (WI)
Chicago Tribune

By Andrew Wang
Tribune staff reporter
Published October 10, 2006, 9:19 PM CDT

ELKHORN, Wis. -- A Walworth County judge ruled Tuesday that a Chicago Jesuit priest found guilty this year of molesting two boys in the 1960s will not be required to discuss his sexual history with corrections authorities as part of his treatment as a sex offender.

Attorneys for Rev. Donald J. McGuire, 76, who have said they intend to appeal his February conviction on five counts of indecent behavior with a child, argued that statements made during lie-detector tests and sex-offender treatment programs could be used against their client in a retrial.

"Our concern is that ... the father's statements could be used in violation of his 5th Amendment rights against him," said Larry Steen of Elkhorn, one of three attorneys representing McGuire at the hearing.

McGuire, who was wheeled into court in a wheelchair, dressed in a navy blue jumpsuit and orange jail slippers, was sentenced in July to two concurrent 7-year prison terms and three concurrent 20-year probation terms. The prison term was postponed, pending his appeal of the verdict, but the probation started immediately.

Posted by kshaw at 08:04 AM

Port Barre Priest Appears for 72-Hour Hearing

LOUISIANA
KLFY

Father Nicky Trahan, the Port Barre priest charged with stealing $250,000 from his congregation, made his first court appearance Tuesday.

Father Trahan appeared before a St. Landry Parish district court judge for his 72-hour hearing.

The priest has been charged with 84 counts of theft at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church.

Father Trahan was implicated after police arrested church secretary, Ramona Speyrer on 70 counts of theft earlier last week.

Posted by kshaw at 08:02 AM

Priest told cops of schemes, rationale

DELRAY BEACH (FL)
Palm Beach Post

By Lona O'Connor And Stephanie Slater
Palm Beach Post Staff Writers

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

DELRAY BEACH — Father John Skehan was in a mood to confess.

He began talking the moment police picked him up at the airport on his return from a vacation in Ireland.

The Irish-born priest had to be shushed twice so his Miranda rights could be read to him first.

Skehan, 79, was charged Sept. 27 with grand theft in the misappropriation of more than $8 million from St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach, where he was pastor for 40 years. He is free on $40,000 bond.

Frank Guinan, the priest who succeeded Skehan at St. Vincent when he retired in 2003, is scheduled to turn himself in to authorities Oct. 27 on similar charges.

Once Skehan's confession officially began at 11:30 p.m. in an interview room at Palm Beach International Airport, his rambling narrative including both admissions of guilt and numerous justifications of what he had done. The confession is outlined in a search warrant for his safe deposit box at a Delray Beach branch of SunTrust Bank.

Posted by kshaw at 07:59 AM

Seattle U. releases ID of accused priest

SEATTLE (WA)
The Seattle Times

Seattle University on Tuesday released the name of a Jesuit and former professor, Englebert Axer, who has been accused of child sex abuse.

Axer, who died in 1989, is accused of abusing a minor in 1956 during a summer ministry in Northern California.

Axer taught at Seattle University from 1956 to 1987. The university said it removed his name from an endowed chair in the philosophy department, where, according to an old posting on Seattle University's Web site, Axer specialized in ethics.

Posted by kshaw at 07:56 AM

Q & A: Church life will not be affected

DAVENPORT (IA)
Des Moines Register

October 11, 2006

Q. What affect will the bankruptcy filing have on how many churches the diocese operates or on the number of Masses that are celebrated there?

A. None. The day-to-day operations of the parishes will go on without interruption.

Posted by kshaw at 07:52 AM

ABUSE OF GUESTS OF HIS ASSOCIATION, PRIEST ARRESTED IN FORLI

ITALY
AGI

(AGI) - Forli, Oct 11 - An elderly priest, Don Giuseppe Giacomoni, 81 years old, president of the humanitarian organisation Arcobaleno, was arrested this morning by the police of Forli' under the accusation of sexual abuse of minors and exploitation of prostitution.

Posted by kshaw at 07:49 AM

Bishop extends sympathy to victim of clerical abuse

IRELAND
Highland Radio

Oct 11, 12:55 pm
The Bishop of Raphoe has released a statement in the wake of the sentencing of a Donegal priest, expressing his deep sadness and harm caused the victim.

Yesterdays Fr Danny Doherty from Carrigart was sentenced to seven years in prison having been found guilty of the rape and assault of 13 year-old girl over twenty years ago.

Posted by kshaw at 07:47 AM

Documentaries shine in film festival line-up

MOUNT SHASTA (CA)
Siskiyou Daily News

Published: Tuesday, October 10, 2006 6:18 PM CDT

MOUNT SHASTA — This year’s third annual Mount Shasta International Film Festival offers short films, feature films and documentaries by filmmakers from the United States and around the world.

In addition to the documentaries written about previously (Amongst White Clouds, Homeland: Four Portraits of Native Action, Dear Mr. President, The Last Waltz, Sound of Soul and Sisters-In-Law) the following documentaries will round out this film festival category:

Hand Of God

Deeply rooted in the details of growing up in a devout Italian Catholic family in Salem, Massachusetts, “Hand Of God” is both a personal film about one family’s response to abuse by the clergy. In 1964 filmmaker Joe Cultrera’s older brother, Paul, was sexually abused by a priest. What followed were 30 years of silence as Paul grew from potential priest to relentless investigator and critic. Unique and provocative, “Hand Of God” is both narratively and visually compelling. This movie is about a family’s love and healing.

Paul Cultrera, the subject of the film, will be offering a Q&A after the showing of the film.

Posted by kshaw at 07:38 AM

Dead priest added to list of accused

DUBUQUE (IA)
Telegraph Herald

by MARY NEVANS-PEDERSON

The name of a dead Catholic priest was added to the Archdiocese of Dubuque's list of clerics accused of sexual abuse last month, but a victims support group says it was only because it publicized the man's history.

The Rev. Robert Marcantonio, who died in 1999, was accused in several lawsuits of abusing teenage boys in Rhode Island before 1971. That year, the priest enrolled at Iowa State University in Ames.

Former Dubuque Archbishop James Byrne was told of Marcantonio's "problems" but gave his permission for the priest to relocate to the Dubuque Archdiocese and to function as a priest in Ames while he studied at ISU. Marcantonio was to receive therapy from another priest, the Rev. Bernard Du Val, a former psychiatrist who offered therapy to Dubuque archdiocesan priests.

"Now it is known that the recidivism rate for a pedophile is very high, so now we would never take an abusive priest from another diocese," added Monsignor James Barta, vicar general.

Posted by kshaw at 07:35 AM

Priest and Diocese named in lawsuits

SANTA ROSA (CA)
The Press Democrat

By MARTIN ESPINOZA
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Seven alleged victims of child sexual abuse are suing fugitive priest Xavier Ochoa and the Santa Rosa Catholic Diocese for alleged abuse stretching back more than two decades.

The two lawsuits, delivered to Sonoma County Superior Court Tuesday on behalf of alleged victims now between the ages of 11 to 34, paint a picture of a sexual predator more extreme than has been previously reported.

The allegations include Ochoa oral copulating an 11-year-old victim in 2004 and touching the genitals of a 5-year-old victim around 1990.

Michael Meadows, one of the attorneys representing the alleged victims, said the Santa Rosa Diocese, through Bishop Daniel Walsh and prior bishops, was negligent in hiring and supervising Ochoa. The victims are also being represented by Santa Rosa attorney Michael Fiumara.

The suit alleges that church officials allowed Ochoa unsupervised access to victims, enabling his sexual misconduct.

Posted by kshaw at 07:26 AM

Priest's sex abuse destroyed union, ex-wife testifies

CANADA
Ottawa Sun

Wed, October 11, 2006

By CP

CORNWALL -- The former wife of a man sexually abused by a priest told the Cornwall Public Inquiry that the aftermath of the ordeal destroyed her marriage.

Denise Deslauriers said Benoit Brisson left her in 1986 because he was unable to deal with the abuse he suffered at the hands of Gilles Deslauriers (no relation).

"The life I thought I was going to live didn't happen," she told the inquiry yesterday. "We are no longer (together). That is a consequence of what happened."

Gilles Deslauriers pleaded guilty in the fall of 1986 to abusing Brisson and three other Cornwall boys.

Posted by kshaw at 07:23 AM

Warren Jeffs to face another legal battle

ST. GEORGE (UT)
The Spectrum

By PATRICE ST. GERMAIN
patrices@thespectrum.com

ST. GEORGE - In addition to facing charges in criminal cases in Washington County and Mohave County, Ariz., and several civil cases, Warren Jeffs has another legal battle before him.

Jeffs, along with several other former trustees of the United Effort Plan, the financial arm of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, has been served with a complaint by Jeffrey Shields, attorney for Bruce Wisan, the court-appointed special fiduciary assigned to oversight of the UEP trust.

The complaint alleges that Jeffs, along with Truman I. Barlow, Leroy S. Jeffs, James K. Zitting and William E. Jessop, also known as William E. Timpson, and the corporation of the president of the FLDS Church, the corporation of the presiding bishop of the FLDS Church and the FLDS Church misappropriated property intended for the trust.

Posted by kshaw at 07:12 AM

Polygamy: Rape case witness suing Jeffs

UTAH
The Salt Lake Tribune

By Brooke Adams
The Salt Lake Tribune

The woman identified as "Jane Doe" in a rape prosecution of polygamous sect leader Warren S. Jeffs is also "M.J.," the plaintiff who has filed a civil lawsuit against Jeffs, her attorney has confirmed.
Roger Hoole, a Salt Lake City attorney, said Tuesday that his client would hold off on pursuing her lawsuit against Jeffs, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the property trust it once operated while the criminal case proceeds.
Hoole's comments came at a hearing before 3rd District Judge Denise Lindberg on matters related to the property trust.

Posted by kshaw at 07:07 AM

Court cost raises an objection

TROY (NY)
Albany Times Union

By KATE PERRY, Staff writer

First published: Wednesday, October 11, 2006

TROY -- County Attorney Robert Smith simply can't believe it took a special prosecutor 120 hours -- five straight days or three workweeks -- to prosecute a misdemeanor case against John Aretakis.

The county received a $12,750 bill in August for work attorney Timothy Nugent did between October 2005 and July. And Smith promptly sent a letter to Acting Supreme Court Justice Christian Hummel, who appointed Nugent to the case and set the approximately $100 an hour rate.

Smith called it "inexplicable" that it took 120 hours of work to prosecute a violation-level harassment and misdemeanor petit larceny. ...

The case stemmed from a September 2005 incident in which Aretakis allegedly drove his car at process server Robert Wells and stole his briefcase. Aretakis argued the case on his own behalf and was acquitted of both charges in June.

Aretakis represents victims of clergy sexual abuse and was fighting a court order to stay 100 feet from the entrances of Holy Cross Church in Albany, where he and other protesters wanted the pastor removed.

Posted by kshaw at 07:02 AM

Monsignor Battista dies; Rome had dismissed him

WORCESTER (MA)
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

By Mark Melady TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
mmelady@telegram.com

WORCESTER— Monsignor Leo J. Battista, once head of Catholic Charities for the Worcester Diocese and earlier this year permanently barred from priestly duties by the Vatican, died Monday. He was 82.

A former nun filed suit against the diocese, alleging she had been sexually assaulted by Monsignor Battista during the 1970s and 1980s while being counseled by him. Monsignor Battista, a licensed social worker, had surrendered his state license in 1991 after admitting he had sex with a client. In 2004, the Worcester diocese asked the Vatican to defrock Monsignor Battista, a process known as laicization.

A native of Clinton, Monsignor Battista served in several parishes in Central Massachusetts, including Southbridge, South Barre and twice in Leominster, first as a curate in the 1950s and as pastor in the1980s, his last assignment. He also served in Thailand.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which rules on such requests, stopped short of defrocking, instead prohibiting Monsignor Battista “from any type of priestly ministry.” He was told to spend his remaining days in prayer and penance.

Michael Angelini, a Worcester lawyer who represented the monsignor in his civil case, said the church’s action against Monsignor Battista was “overreactive, a terrible wrong.”

Posted by kshaw at 06:57 AM

Regina dropped from suit

IOWA
Iowa City Press-Citizen

By Mike McWilliams
Iowa City Press-Citizen

Regina Catholic Education Center will not be part of an upcoming civil trial involving sexual abuse allegations against one of its former principals, a judge ruled Tuesday.

In a six-page ruling, Judge C.H. Pelton wrote that Iowa law protects schools from liability from claims five years after any alleged conduct took place. Last year, a former male Regina student filed a lawsuit against the school, the Diocese of Davenport and Lawrence Soens, who served as principal at Regina High School from 1958 to 1967.

Pelton's ruling came one day after Regina School Board officials announced the school was preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy should it lose any of the three sexual abuse lawsuits filed against it. Regina remains a defendant in two other sexual abuse lawsuits that include a total 14 claimants.

"It's good news for the school," Regina School Board chairman Lee Iben said of Pelton's ruling. "We've always maintained that Regina should not have been named in this particular lawsuit, and we were preparing ourselves to abide by the letter and intent of the law whatever the judge and jury would have ruled."

Posted by kshaw at 06:54 AM

Area priest says bishop could have prevented diocese bankruptcy

TIPTON (IA)
Quad-Cities Online

By Dawn Neuses, dneuses@qconline.com

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport could have avoided filing for bankruptcy if it, and Bishop William Franklin, had handled claims of priests sexually abusing parishioners differently, a priest said Tuesday.

The first lawsuit was filed against the diocese after the victim went to Bishop Franklin and received no satisfaction, said the Rev. David Hitch of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Tipton.

Instead, Rev. Hitch said, the bishop decided to let diocese attorneys handle the issue.

"If he would have been a bishop in my understanding of a bishop, who leads his flock lovingly, caringly, and when someone comes to him and says 'I'm hurting, I've been abused by a priest,' -- if he had just reached out to them, gathered them together and said 'Let's get to the bottom of this, let's get you healthy again and let everyone in the diocese know it’s not your fault,'" Rev. Hitch said.

"Certainly in my thinking it's not the victims of abuse by priests who caused this. It is caused by the diocesean leadership, mainly the bishop," he said.

Posted by kshaw at 06:46 AM

Survivor tries to break barriers on priest scandal

CALIFORNIA
Ventura County Star

By Stephanie Hoops, shoops@VenturaCountyStar.com
October 11, 2006

At a time when Cardinal Roger M. Mahony already faces a molestation cover-up lawsuit coming out of Mexico and a documentary film about his role in another sexual abuse case, a Ventura County man is putting even more pressure on the Catholic leader.

Eric Barragan, 31, who says he was sexually abused by a priest as a child in his Santa Paula home, is speaking to victims and crowds here and in Mexico, encouraging the exposure of sexual abuse in the Latino community. His activity comes five years after the U.S. Catholic community had its church crisis, and is creating momentum for a similar one in Mexico — one that again places Mahony center stage.

Mahony has been named a defendant to a Los Angeles case, together with the Diocese of Tehuacan, Mexico. It alleges that an international conspiracy between the two dioceses worked to conceal the sexual misconduct of a priest, Nicholas Aguilar, making it possible for him to continue his alleged misdeeds by moving between parishes in Mexico and Los Angeles since the late 1980s.

Mahony's spokesman, Tod Tamberg, calls the allegations "hogwash."

Posted by kshaw at 06:41 AM

Davenport Diocese files for bankruptcy

IOWA
Des Moines Register

BY SHIRLEY RAGSDALE AND ERIN JORDAN
REGISTER STAFF WRITERS

October 11, 2006

The Davenport Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church filed for bankruptcy Tuesday afternoon.

The diocese becomes the fourth diocese in the United States to go to bankruptcy court to protect its church assets from lawsuits and claims by people alleging they were sexually abused as children by priests.

The decision by church officials in Davenport to put the financial fate of the southeast Iowa diocese in the hands of a federal bankruptcy judge comes a month after the Davenport Diocese was ordered to pay $1.5 million to an abuse victim.

The bankruptcy filing was less than two weeks before the diocese was scheduled to go to trial over allegations against the most prominent alleged sex-abuser - the Rev. Lawrence Soens, now retired, a Davenport Diocese priest who went on to become the bishop of the Sioux City Diocese.

Posted by kshaw at 06:35 AM

Suspended sentence for former priest

IRELAND
Kilkenny Advertiser

By Tomas Mac Ruairi

A former priest has been given a five year suspended sentence by Judge Michael White at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for sexually assaulting two young boys in care almost 30 years ago.

Gerard Cleere (46), with addresses at Riverside Drive, Kilkenny and at Chesterton Lane, Gloustershire, England, pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting the boys on dates from February to September 1978.

The victims were then aged nine and six years respectively and Cleere abused them while acting as a teenage 'house person' at the Mount Carmel Orphanage in County Westmeath.

Judge White previously criticised the orphanage authorities and health board officials for not informing An Garda Siochana when the first complaints made in 1988 by one of the victims and after Cleere had admitted his offending to them.

Posted by kshaw at 06:32 AM

Diocese in Iowa Files for Bankruptcy

IOWA
CBS News

IOWA CITY, Iowa, Oct. 11, 2006
By TODD DVORAK Associated Press Writer

(AP) After paying out more than $10.5 million to resolve dozens of sex abuse claims and now facing a new set of lawsuits, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The move Tuesday makes the diocese _ with more than 105,000 parishioners _ the fourth in the nation to seek financial protection to deal with priest sex abuse cases.

Bishop William Franklin said the diocese was left with no other alternative and the move would ensure the financial health of the church.

"The decision to reorganize is the best way in which we will be able to continue the Church's mission," Franklin wrote in a letter to members posted on the diocese Web site.

Since 2004, the diocese has paid more than $10.5 million to resolve dozens of claims filed against priests, including a $9 million settlement reached with 37 victims in fall 2004. Since then, the diocese or former priests under its supervision have been held liable by juries in civil trials.

Posted by kshaw at 06:25 AM

October 10, 2006

Judge dismisses lawsuit against Regina high school

IOWA CITY (IA)
Des Moines Register

SHIRLEY RAGSDALE
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

October 10, 2006

Regina Catholic Education Center officials learned today that the lawsuit they feared would force the school into bankruptcy has been dismissed.

District Court Judge C.H. Pelton ruled that under Iowa law, the
school's liability for claims expired five years after Michael Gould last
attended Regina High School — which was 1972.

Posted by kshaw at 07:34 PM

Davenport Diocese files for bankruptcy in sex-abuse scandal

IOWA
Des Moines Register

SHIRLEY RAGSDALE
and ERIN JORDAN
REGISTER STAFF WRITERS

October 10, 2006

The Davenport Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church this afternoon filed for bankruptcy, delaying pending clergy abuse lawsuits and putting payment of a $1.5 million jury award to an abuse victim in limbo.

"I and the leadership of the diocese believe that, as difficult as this
decision is, it provides the best oportunity for healing and for the just
and fair compesation of those who have suffered sexual abuse by clergy in our diocese," said Bishop William E. Franklin in a written statement.

Franklin has repeatedly threatened to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the diocese, which has been hit by a succession of lawsuits that allege church leaders knowingly allowed priests with histories of sexual abuse of children to be moved to new assignments.

The Davenport Diocese becomes just the fourth Catholic diocese in the United States to filed for bankruptcy since the Catholic Church's sex-abuse scandal burst into the world spotlight several years ago.

Posted by kshaw at 07:31 PM

Paedophile is 'pure evil'

IRELAND
Irish Examiner

By Stephen Rogers
OLIVER O’GRADY is every parent’s nightmare.The notorious paedophile and former priest, who was last seen in the mid-West, has admitted in a shocking documentary that he is still a danger to young children and he still gets sexually aroused by them.

The convicted sex offender watched children in a playground in Dublin as he told of the years of abuse he inflicted on innocent young people while serving as a priest in America.

O’Grady has admitted to molesting as many as 25 children while a parish priest in California. He served seven years in jail for molesting two brothers.

The 60-year-old was deported to Ireland in 2001 on condition that he abide by strict child abuse prevention measures. However, while he is on the sex offender’s register here, his exact location is not known.

The documentary, produced by Amy Berg, which will be released in the US on Friday, describes O’Grady as the “most notorious paedophile in the history of the modern Catholic Church”.

Posted by kshaw at 07:28 PM

Judge frees Catholic school from liability in priest abuse case

IOWA CITY (IA)
Quad-City Times

By The Associated Press | Tuesday, October 10, 2006

BREAKING NEWS: (Updated 2:03 p.m.) IOWA CITY, Iowa — A Roman Catholic school has been dismissed from a civil trial involving a former principal accused of sexually molesting a student more than 40 years ago, according to a judge's ruling filed Tuesday.

Scott County District Judge C.H. Pelton's ruling comes less than two weeks before Regina Catholic Education Center was scheduled to defend itself in the latest priest abuse scandal that also involves the Diocese of Davenport.

The decision also comes a day after Regina school board officials said they were preparing to file for federal bankruptcy protection if the jury found it financially liable in the case.

The school and the diocese are accused of failing to supervise or discipline former Sioux City Bishop Lawrence Soens, who served as Regina's principal in the 1960s, for allegedly molesting students during private meetings in his office.

Posted by kshaw at 07:24 PM

Iowa Diocese Seeks Bankruptcy Protection

DAVENPORT (IA)
Forbes

By TODD DVORAK , 10.10.2006, 07:13 PM

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Tuesday, the fourth diocese in the nation to seek financial protection to deal with priest sex abuse cases.

The filing comes less than two weeks before the diocese defends itself in court against accusations it failed to discipline a former bishop accused of sexually abusing a high school student.

Bishop William Franklin said the diocese was left with no other alternative to settle more than two dozen claims against priests accused of sexual abuse. He said the move would ensure the financial health of the church.

"Today, the Diocese of Davenport is standing in the moment of a historic event," Franklin wrote in a letter to members posted on the diocese Web site. "While providing just and fair compensation to victims/survivors, we also believe that the decision to reorganize is the best way in which we will be able to continue the Church's mission."

Posted by kshaw at 07:20 PM

Judge dismisses Catholic school from liability in priest sex abuse case

IOWA CITY (IA)
WOI

IOWA CITY, Iowa A judge has dismissed an Iowa City Roman Catholic school from a civil trial involving a former principal accused of sexually molesting a student more than 40 years ago.

Today's ruling from Scott County Judge C-L Pelton comes less than two weeks before Regina High School was to defend itself in lawsuit that also involves the Davenport Diocese.

The ruling also comes a day after Regina officials said they were preparing to file for federal bankruptcy protection if the jury found it financially liable in the case.

Posted by kshaw at 03:16 PM

Coach jailed on porn charges

ORLANDO (FL)
Orlando Sentinel

Henry Pierson Curtis | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted October 7, 2006

When deputies showed up at Orlando Christian Prep on Thursday night to arrest a revered coach on possession of child pornography, William "Buck" Lanham told them he was "in love" with the former player shown having sex with him in home movies.

The former player -- who said she started having sex with Lanham when she was 14 and is now 23 -- reported the relationship to the Orange County sheriff's sex-crimes unit in June.

"She didn't want this to happen to any other kids," said Sgt. Rich Mankewich.

Lanham, one of Florida's top high-school coaches, was charged with possession of child pornography and possession of marijuana.

Videotapes of Lanham having sex with the girl, who attended Bishop Moore Catholic High School in Orlando when Lanham coached there in the late 1990s, were seized shortly before his arrest Thursday evening, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Posted by kshaw at 09:29 AM

Coach faces child porn charges

ORLANDO (FL)
Miami Herald

ORLANDO - (AP) -- A high school girls basketball coach was arrested on child pornography charges after detectives found homemade tapes of him having sex with an eighth-grade student in the 1990s, authorities said.

William ''Buck'' Lanham, 47, who has been coaching at Orlando Christian Prep since 2002, was arrested at the school Thursday and charged with possession of child pornography and possession of marijuana, Orange County sheriff's Sgt. Rich Mankewich said.

A phone message left for a William Lanham in Orlando was not returned and efforts to reach Lanham on Sunday were unsuccessful. Lanham is free on $25,000 bond.

A former player, now 23, told detectives in June she began a sexual relationship with Lanham when she was a 14-year-old at St. John Vianney Catholic School in the late 1990s.

Posted by kshaw at 09:26 AM

Coach Accused Of Having Sex With Teen Out Of Jail

ORLANDO (FL)
WESH

The coach accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl is out of jail.

William Lanham is facing child pornography and marijuana charges, WESH 2 News reported.

Investigators said they found a tape of Lanham having sex with a then-14-year-old. She is now 23.

Lanham will be confined to his home while awaiting trial.

School officials will hold a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday for concerned parents at Orlando Christian Prep. Lanham is the school's athletic director.

Before moving to Orlando Christian Prep, Lanham coached at the girls' basketball teams at St. John Vianney Catholic Middle School and Bishop Moore High School.

Posted by kshaw at 09:25 AM

Private Schools Hired Brothers Despite Criminal Past

ORLANDO (FL)
WFTV

POSTED: 6:12 pm EDT October 9, 2006
UPDATED: 6:29 pm EDT October 9, 2006

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Two coaches, who are real-life brothers, were both accused of questionable acts and have arrest records. Eyewitness News has learned Central Florida private schools hired both of them anyway.

One of the schools was meeting with concerned parents Monday night after William "Buck" Lanham was arrested Thursday night for a sex tape, deputies said, he made with a teenage student.

Monday night, the school principal at Orlando Christian Prep was meeting with parents, presumably to answer their questions about the accusations. But Monday, the principal hung up on Channel 9 reporter Jodie Fleischer when she asked about the school's policy on background checks.

Eyewitness News found both coaches were hired despite a long list of run-ins with police. Both brothers are winning coaches, first at Bishop Moore Catholic High School and then later at Orlando Christian Prep.

Posted by kshaw at 09:22 AM

Former Basketball Coach Faces Child Porn Charges

FLORIDA
Central Florida News 13

New revelations were unveiled to Orange County parents about a basketball coach arrested on child porn charges.

Last week, the Sheriff's office arrested Orlando Christian Prep basketball coach William Lanham.

A 23 year old woman told deputies she started a sexual affair with Lanham at the age of 14. The two continued the affair while Lanham coached the girl at Bishop Moore High school.

The sheriff's office found tapes of the two having sex. Back in 1988, a judge sentenced Lanham to three years in prison and 26 years of probation for cocaine use. Parents want to know how Lanham manged to be hired by two different private schools.

Posted by kshaw at 09:20 AM

Port Barre Priest to be Arraigned Tuesday

LOUISIANA
KLFY

The Port Barre priest who has been accused of stealing as much as $250,000 from the church will be going to court Tuesday.

Father Charles Nicholas Trahan is scheduled to appear before Judge Ellis Daigle in St. Landry Parish for an arraignment hearing.

The priest has been charged with 84 counts of theft at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church.

Posted by kshaw at 06:50 AM

No evidence found implicating Port Barre priest

LAFAYETTE (LA)
The Advocate

LAFAYETTE — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette’s internal investigation of embezzlement at a Port Barre church found no evidence implicating the priest whom police booked Friday, according to a statement from the diocese.

Father Charles Nicholas Trahan, 58, faces theft charges in connection with more than $60,000 in missing funds at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church.

He was named as a suspect days after longtime church secretary Ramona Speyer, 50, was booked on theft charges in the investigation, which began when attorneys for the diocese alerted police to the alleged embezzlement.

Posted by kshaw at 06:46 AM

Trial date set in civil suit against Catholic Diocese of Green Bay

GREEN BAY (WI)
Press-Gazette

By Andy Nelesen
anelesen@greenbaypressgazette.com

A civil suit against the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay is scheduled to go before a jury Jan. 29 after the publication of a newspaper article last week scuttled a trial that was to begin Monday.

Brown County Circuit Court Judge Mark Warpinski rescheduled the five-day hearing after a lawyer for the diocese and lawyers for David Schauer, the 28-year-old man abused by a priest in the late 1980s, asked for the adjournment.

A Green Bay Press-Gazette article published Friday detailed a $350,000 settlement rejection outlined in a letter from the defense lawyers to the court. The letter was provided to a reporter Thursday amongst other filings in the case.

The lawyers involved in the case feared that the article could have influenced potential jurors and contaminated the potential jury pool. Warpinski said last week that the court took "full responsibility" for the "inadvertent release."

Posted by kshaw at 06:39 AM

SNAP pushing to keep convicted pedophile priest out of town

CHICAGO (IL)
ABC 7

October 9, 2006 - The Survivors Network of Those Abused By Priests, known as SNAP, is asking Cardinal George to keep a convicted pedophile priest out of the Chicago archdiocese.

Father Donald McGuire was convicted earlier this year of indecent behavior with a child when he taught at Wilmette's Loyola Academy from 1966 to 1970. He is now in a Wisconsin jail for violating his probation.

SNAP representatives went to the archdiocese to deliver a letter asking the cardinal to bar McGuire from living or working in Chicago. They were joined by a man who says he is one of McGuire's victims.

Posted by kshaw at 06:32 AM

Law makes brief appearance in ‘Evil’

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Globe

Cardinal Bernard Law has a brief cameo in Amy Berg's upsetting new movie, "Deliver Us From Evil," which had its Boston premiere last night. "We went to Rome while shooting, and there he was," said Berg, who was in town to introduce the film. "He wouldn't be interviewed, but we did get video of him in all his glory." Named best documentary at the LA Film Festival, the film is about defrocked priest and convicted pedophile Oliver O'Grady, and his relationship with Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony, who transferred O'Grady to another parish even after he confessed to molesting a boy. (Sound familiar?) The film was scheduled to open only in New York and LA, but Berg said Boston was added in part because of work the Globe did to reveal the Roman Catholic clergy abuse crisis.

Posted by kshaw at 06:26 AM

Local priest to take on Sacred Heart Catholic Church work

OPELOUSAS (LA)
The Daily World

By Jacqueline Cochran
jcochran@dailyworld.com

For now, an Opelousas priest has been called to fill the position of Father Charles "Nicky" Trahan, who was arrested for theft of church funds.
Monsignor Robert Romero, who is the parish priest at St. Landry Catholic Church and who lives only 15 minutes by car from the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church congregation, will serve them while Trahan is absent.

"My job is to assure parish life continues," he said.

Trahan, accused of stealing $64,000 from Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Port Barre, was arrested Friday by Port Barre police. He is out of the immediate area and staying with a friend, who is also a priest, until charges brought against him are either proven false or true. He was released on a $25,000 bond after his arrest.

Posted by kshaw at 06:24 AM

Priest accused of theft leaves area

OPELOUSAS (LA)
The Daily Advertiser

Jacqueline Cochran
(Opelousas) Daily World

OPELOUSAS - A Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette priest accused of stealing church funds has left the area and is staying with another priest, according to Monsignor Robert Romero, who was assigned to take over his duties.

The Rev. Nicky Trahan, who was the parish priest at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Port Barre until his arrest Friday, reportedly has left the immediate area until the case is resolved.

Romero, parish priest at St. Landry Catholic Church in Opelousas, said Trahan is staying with a priest friend outside of the Port Barre area.

Posted by kshaw at 06:22 AM

Major Issues Dominate Proceedings of Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas

CHICAGO (IL)
Greek News

Chicago, IL – Twenty-seven canonical hierarchs of the Orthodox Christian Church in the Americas convened in Chicago last week under the chairmanship of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios to “solidify the bond of brotherhood that exists among canonical Orthodox Churches in the Americas and provide the opportunity for the hierarchs to review the work of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas.” The Conference, headquartered at the OʼHare Marriott Hotel is the third such SCOBA Conference, the two previous being held in 1994 and 2001. ...

The presentation on Sexual Abuse and Misconduct by Father Alexander Karlgut informed the hierarchs of the practical aspects of dealing with sexual abuse and misconduct and stressed their ability to lower the risk of misconduct through preventative measures. Also, he said that SCOBA has a unique role to play in coordinating a unified educational approach on sexual abuse and misconduct-workshops in seminaries and for the clergy throughout North America.

Posted by kshaw at 06:19 AM

Brethren victims urged to complain

NEW ZEALAND
tvnz

Oct 10, 2006

Prime Minister Helen Clark says she is concerned about claims of sexual abuse within the Exclusive Brethren church and is urging victims to go to the police.

A former church member earlier revealed on One News how the abuse was covered up for several decades.

And she now has more revelations about her time in the secretive sect.

The Exclusive Brethren church sets its own rules and deals with those who break them in its own way.

But claims some teenagers and children were sexually abused by other church members has caused alarm at the highest levels .

Posted by kshaw at 06:16 AM

Catholic school may seek bankruptcy protection

IOWA CITY (IA)
Quad-City Times

By The Associated Press | Tuesday, October 10, 2006

IOWA CITY (AP) — Board members of the city’s only Catholic school say they are prepared to file for federal bankruptcy protection if a jury finds the school partly responsible for a former priest accused of molesting students 40 years ago.

Regina Catholic Education Center, which has 1,000 students from preschool to high school, is one of three defendants in an abuse trial scheduled to begin in Davenport on Oct. 23.

The lawsuit, filed by a former high school student, also names the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport and former Sioux City Bishop Lawrence Soens, who served as Regina’s first principal and is accused of molesting male students during his tenure in the 1960s. The school also has been named in two other lawsuits involving 14 former students.

Posted by kshaw at 06:13 AM

WHERE FAITH ABIDES, EMPLOYEES HAVE FEW RIGHTS

UNITED STATES
Amherst Times

Written by DIANA B. HENRIQUES
Monday, 09 October 2006

'Mary Rosati, a novice training to be a Roman Catholic nun, was dismissed by her order after she was found to have cancer.'

Jeffrey Heck, a lawyer in Mansfield, Ohio, usually sits on management’s side of the table. “The only employee cases I take are those that poke my buttons,” he said. “And this one really did.”

His client was a middle-aged novice training to become a nun in a Roman Catholic religious order in Toledo. She said she had been dismissed by the order after she became seriously ill — including a diagnosis of breast cancer.

In her complaint, the novice, Mary Rosati, said she had visited her doctor with her immediate supervisor and the mother superior. After the doctor explained her treatment options for breast cancer, the complaint continued, the mother superior announced: “We will have to let her go. I don’t think we can take care of her.” ...

For 28 days last May, Lynette M. Petruska, a former nun who now lives in St. Louis, thought she had finally found judges willing to listen to her complaint against Gannon University, a coeducational Catholic college in downtown Erie, Pa. As it turned out, she was wrong.

Ms. Petruska was educated in Catholic schools from kindergarten to college commencement, graduated at the top of her law school class and practiced law for several years before deciding to become a nun. In 1999, as she was working toward taking her final vows, she became the first woman to serve as Gannon’s chaplain.

Three years later she was demoted and, according to her complaint, effectively forced out. In her lawsuit, she said this action was in response to her having notified the administration of a case of sexual misconduct by a senior university official, resisted efforts to cover up that case and opposed proposals to weaken campus policies on sexual harassment. In 2004, she sued, accusing the university administration of forcing her out simply because she was a woman and because she had opposed the sexual harassment others experienced on campus.



Posted by kshaw at 06:09 AM

Regina could file for bankruptcy because of sex abuse allegations

IOWA CITY (IA)
The Gazette

By: Gregg Hennigan - The Gazette
IOWA CITY, IA - Regina High School is prepared to file for bankruptcy should it lose an upcoming civil trial involving allegations of sexual abuse by the school's first principal, school board members said during a press conference today.

The school, known formally as the Regina Inter-Parish Catholic Education Center, has obtained a bankruptcy lawyer and could file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to protect its assets, such as its property and school building, in the event of an "adverse outcome'' of a trial scheduled to begin Oct. 23, said Patrice Carroll, treasurer of the Regina school board.

But the attorney representing more than a dozen former Regina students who said they were abused by retired Sioux City Bishop Lawrence Soens, who was principal of Regina from 1958 to 1967, called the timing of the announcement "unusual'' and said the school's unwillingness to negotiate could end up costing them more financially.

Posted by kshaw at 06:01 AM

School: Trial loss means bankruptcy

IOWA CITY (IA)
Des Moines Register

BY ERIN JORDAN AND SHIRLEY RAGSDALE
REGISTER STAFF WRITERS

October 10, 2006

Iowa City, Ia. - Leaders of Regina Catholic Education Center say they are ready to go to trial later this month as part of a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse by a former principal.

But if the Iowa City school loses the trial, scheduled to start Oct. 23, it will file for bankruptcy to protect its assets from being seized as part of three pending lawsuits regarding Lawrence Soens, who was principal at Regina from 1958 to 1967, leaders said.

"Our goal is to continue to provide high-quality, Christ-centered education, no matter the outcome," Patrice Carroll, treasurer of the Regina Board of Education, said during a news conference Monday morning.

Craig Levien, the attorney representing 15 men who claim they were sexually abused by Soens, a retired bishop of the Sioux City Diocese, said Regina's talk of bankruptcy is a scare tactic.

Posted by kshaw at 05:58 AM

Sex-abuse cases could bankrupt Regina

IOWA CITY (IA)
The Daily Iowan

Ryan Young - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 10/10/06 Section: Metro

Catholic Education Center announced on Monday that the institution is preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, depending on the outcome of three sexual-abuse cases.

Those civil trials, scheduled to begin Oct. 23 in Davenport, stem from a slew of sexual-misconduct allegations against Bishop Lawrence Soens, who was the Regina principal for nine years. Michael Gould and a collection of 13 other former Regina students have come forward with allegations against Soens. Before passing away, former student Dennis Allen also alleged he was abused by Soens.

Regina School Board Chairman Lee Iben said the action is a cautionary step to protect the school's property, should there be an adverse outcome for the school in the cases.

"It takes a while to actually [file for bankruptcy], but we're getting prepared in case we have to," he said.

Posted by kshaw at 05:56 AM

Deliver Us From Evil Stirs Prosecutor's Interest in Cardinal Mahoney

CALIFORNIA
Cinematical

Deliver Us From Evil, director Amy Berg's scathing indictment of Father Oliver O'Grady, a pedophiliac priest who was transferred around northern California for over 20 years while he preyed on young children in his parishes, has created quite a furor in Los Angles and revived interest in the actions of Cardinal Roger Mahony, who directly supervised O'Grady for five of the years he was actively molesting young children. In the film, O'Grady, who now lives in Ireland after being deported from the United States upon completion of a prison sentence for the molestation of two young boys, says that he was able to abuse children for so long in part because of the actions of Cardinal Mahony, who now heads the Los Angeles Archdiocese -- the largest in the country.

William Hodgman, top deputy of the target crimes division in Los Angeles, said in the report in the New York Times that the doc "will fuel ongoing consideration as to whether Cardinal Mahony and others engaged in criminal activity." Michael Hennigan, an attorney for the archdiocese, fired back that "If Mr. Hodgman is suggesting in any way that the cardinal is the subject of a criminal investigation, he is being irresponsible and in our judgment is committing prosecutorial misconduct."Mahony was bishop in Stockton from 1980-85, and was responsible for transferring O'Grady around Northern California after accusations of sexual misconduct were raised. The film features footage of Mahony in a videotaped deposition for a civil case in which two Stockton brothers (who were involved in a criminal case against O'Grady) also brought a civil suit against the local diocese. The civil suit alleged that the bishops of the diocese, including Mahony, failed to protect the children of the diocese by not ensuring that O'Grady would not have contact with children. Mahony denied knowing that O'Grady was a pedophile. The jury awarded $30 million to the brothers in that case (an amount later negotiated down to $7 million), and jurors at the time told the media they did not find Mahony's testimony credible. Mahony is also shown in a 2004 deposition related to civil trials in Los Angeles stating that a priest expressing sexual urges for a 9-year-old would not be cause for removing him from duty.

Posted by kshaw at 05:52 AM

Wrestling With Ghosts From the Past

SEATTLE (WA)
Inside Higher Ed

Fresh off its announcement that two deceased professors and priests had abused minors, Seattle University last week had to respond to a different sort of sex-related controversy. Its officials found themselves defending a five-year-old decision to hire a vice president whom they knew had been accused of sexually harassing a fellow seminarian in the 1990s.

A Friday Seattle Post-Intelligencer article tied a high-profile sexual harassment case, which had earlier landed on CBS’ 60 Minutes, to the 2001 hire of Seattle’s vice president for mission and ministry. The newspaper reported that the Rev. Tony Harris had been one of three priests accused of sexually harassing John Bollard, a former seminary student at Berkeley’s Jesuit School of Theology. Bollard accused Harris of sending him pornographic cards.

The civil suit was settled in 2000, and the university was fully aware of Father Harris’s past when it hired him the next year, Barbara Nombalais, a university spokeswoman, said.

Posted by kshaw at 05:47 AM

October 09, 2006

Regina prepared to file for bankruptcy

IOWA CITY (IA)
Iowa City Press-Citizen

By Mike McWilliams
Iowa City Press-Citizen

Regina Catholic Education Center is prepared to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy should it come out on the losing end of three sexual abuse lawsuits, one of which is scheduled for trial later this month, school board members said today.

“We are not sitting in judgment of either the plaintiffs or Bishop (Lawrence) Soens,” board treasurer Patrice Carroll told reporters during a press conference at the 2140 Rochester Ave. school. “We weren’t around at that time and we don’t know what actually happened.

“Our only focus is ensuring that we can continue to provide an education in a Christ-centered environment to our children regardless of what the legal outcome is,” Carroll said.

Regina, the Catholic Diocese of Davenport and Soens, who served as Regina High’s first principal from 1958 to 1967, have been named in three lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by Soens during his tenure. Soens, now retired, also served as bishop of the Sioux City Diocese from 1983 to 1998.

Posted by kshaw at 07:16 PM

Court loss could prompt Catholic school to file for bankruptcy

IOWA CITY (IA)
Des Moines Register

ERIN JORDAN
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

October 9, 2006

Iowa City, Ia. -- Leaders of Regina Catholic High School are preparing to file for bankruptcy if they lose a lawsuit alleging a former principal
molested a student in the mid-1960s, school officials announced this morning.

Filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy would allow the school, which has about 1,000 students in preschool through 12th grade, to protect its assets from being seized as part of three pending lawsuits regarding Lawrence Soens, who was principal at Regina from 1958 to 1967.

“Our goal is to continue to provide high-quality, Christ-centered education, no matter the outcome,” said Patrice Carroll, treasurer of the Regina Board of Education.

School officials have hired a bankruptcy attorney who has begun preparing for filing Chapter 11, “in the event of an adverse outcome,” Carroll said.

Posted by kshaw at 07:13 PM

Supporters raise money for priest convicted of killing nun

TOLEDO (OH)
The Beacon Journal

Associated Press
TOLEDO, Ohio - More than 100 people donated a minimum of $15 for a chicken dinner to raise money for a priest convicted of killing a nun.

The money will help pay for the priest's appeal of his murder conviction.

A jury in May found the Rev. Gerald Robinson guilty of choking and stabbing Sister Margaret Ann Pahl while she was preparing a hospital chapel for Easter weekend services in 1980. He was sentenced to a mandatory term of 15 years to life in prison.

Organizers of the fundraiser on Sunday ran out of food and parking.

"I don't know if he is guilty or not. I'm here to support him because he always treated me with respect," said Gary Jankowski, a former altar boy for Robinson. "I want to help support him to mount the best defense he can so the system can work."

Posted by kshaw at 10:22 AM

Former priest gets suspended term for sex abuse

IRELAND
One in Four

The Irish Times

A former priest has been given a five year suspended sentence by Judge Michael White at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for sexually assaulting two young boys in care almost 30 years ago.

Gerard Cleere (46), with addresses at Riverside Drive, Kilkenny and Chesterton Lane, Gloucestershire, England, pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting the boys between February and September 1978. The victims were then aged nine and six years and Cleere abused them while acting as a teenage "house person" at the Mount Carmel Orphanage in Co Westmeath.

Judge White previously criticised the orphanage authorities and health board officials for not informing gardaí when the first complaints were made in 1988 by one of the victims and after Cleere had admitted his offences to them.

Posted by kshaw at 05:59 AM

Deliver Us From Evil

New York Magazine

NEW YORK VIEW
Amy Berg’s terrifying documentary focuses on the stories of a charming priest responsible for molesting hundreds of children, a handful of his victims, and the ensuing church cover-up. This cogent, expertly made film is essential viewing.

Posted by kshaw at 05:40 AM

Priests in sex abuse cases still holding teaching certificates

TOLEDO (OH)
Cleveland Plain Dealer

Monday, October 09, 2006
Associated Press
Toledo- Eight priests who have been convicted or accused of child sex abuse continue to hold state-issued certificates to teach in private and religious schools, a newspaper reported Friday.

Another priest convicted of possessing child pornography and a teacher who is not a priest but was accused of sexually touching a female student also have teaching permits, The Toledo Blade said.

The Ohio Board of Education next week plans to revoke the teaching certificate for Stephen G. Rogers, a former religion teacher at Toledo's Central Catholic High School. He was convicted of possessing child pornography in 2003.

Posted by kshaw at 05:35 AM

Whiting’s teaching license scrutinized

MASSILLON (OH)
Massillon Independent

STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

The Ohio Board of Education is investigating the teaching certificate of Northwest High School business teacher and head football coach Vic Whiting, the Toledo Blade reported Friday.

Whiting, while at St. John’s High School in Delphos, was accused of touching a 15-year-old girl between October and December of 1990. The Diocese of Toledo settled the lawsuit with the victim five years later.

The Blade prompted the investigation when the newspaper made the state aware that nine former of current Catholic priests convicted or accused of child sex abuse, and Whiting, the only active teacher of the group, still held teaching certificates.

Whiting, 50, refused to comment Sunday.

Posted by kshaw at 05:21 AM

Brethren accused of child sex abuse

NEW ZEALAND
tvnz

Oct 9, 2006

A woman who fled the Exclusive Brethren church says she is aware of multiple cases of child sex abuse which were covered up by the religious sect.

Phillipa, who prefers not to give her family name, says the acts took place over several decades and the victims were mainly teenage boys.

She is now prepared to co-operate with any police investigation.

Philippa was encouraged to live her life by The Bible for 40 years, but the former Exclusive Brethren member says when it came to morality, the sect was anything but an open book.

She says sexual abuse by teenagers with other teenage males and children was dealt with by the church underground.

"If it was covered up back then, it's probably still covered up today," she says.

Posted by kshaw at 05:12 AM

Priests raising money to aid defrocked colleagues

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Eagle-Tribune

MANCHESTER - A group of priests in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester is asking fellow priests to contribute money to help those who were stripped of their ministry for sexually abusing minors.

"We began to sympathize with the men involved in the scandal," the Rev. Michael Griffin, president of the newly formed Organization of Concerned Priests, said in published reports. "We could not imagine how we could have coped if we were in their shoes."

Since starting the effort, it has been expanded to include helping sick and retired priests, said Monsignor Thomas Hannigan, pastor of St. Catherine Church in Manchester, who serves on the group's board.

The organization has registered as a nonprofit and sent a letter to all diocesan priests asking them to donate a minimum of $1,000 each to a "Mercy Fund" that would be available to help unassigned priests with legitimate financial needs.

Posted by kshaw at 05:08 AM

Sex abuse has become the excuse

KENTUCKY
Central Kentucky News-Journal

By Richard RoBards, publisher

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. I remember that from a science class I took as a student at St. Joe Prep in Bardstown back in the 60s.

I don't know that I ever fully understood the scientific implications, but in real life scientific gobbledygook is more just a reality check. ...

Child sexual abuse is a serious problem. Just read this newspaper. Hardly a week goes by when there isn't a story about some adult taking advantage of a child.

But instead of being one of society's most serious and disgusting problems, child sexual abuse has become the excuse of choice for those who choose to do their own inexcusable acts.

I could have predicted the response from Mark Foley, the U.S. Congressman embarrassed by the revelation that he sent explicit sexual e-mails to Congressional Pages, who was forced last week to resign.

Basically the devil made him do it. He claims he was abused by a priest when he was a youth.

Posted by kshaw at 05:05 AM

October 08, 2006

Abuse suspected in 2 churches

PINEVILLE (MO)
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

BY MICHELLE BRADFORD

Posted on Sunday, October 8, 2006

PINEVILLE, Mo. — Allegations of sexual misconduct were flying in April when pastor Raymond Lambert summoned select members of his flock for a group reckoning.

Charges of incest and child molestation were about to splinter Lambert’s tight-knit church in southwest Missouri, and the minister, 51, sensed trouble on the horizon.

One of the parishioners whom Lambert summoned on April 26 testified in court last week that Lambert went around the room, requiring each girl and woman to answer questions out loud.

“We all had to say whether we’d ever been naked with Raymond, if we’d had sex with him or if he ever ripped our clothes off,” a 19-year-old woman testified Monday in McDonald County Circuit Court.

Allegations by the 19-yearold and three other women have landed Lambert and other elders at Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church in court.

Posted by kshaw at 08:40 AM

Altoona-Johnstown Catholic Diocese relieved of interest payments

PENNSYLVANIA
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Sunday, October 08, 2006

A judge ruled the Altoona-Johnstown Catholic Diocese does not have to pay additional interest to a man who was awarded $1 million in punitive damages for being abused by a priest in the 1970s.

Blair County Judge Hiram Carpenter issued the ruling Thursday in the case of Michael Hutchison, who was molested repeatedly by the now-defrocked priest, Francis Luddy.

Posted by kshaw at 08:15 AM

Priest's image: underpaid CEO

DELRAY BEACH (FL)
Miami Herald

DELRAY BEACH - (AP) -- A priest who allegedly misappropriated millions of dollars from a Catholic church in Delray Beach told police he saw himself as the CEO of a multimillion-dollar company who wasn't properly compensated, according to a search warrant.

The Rev. John Skehan acknowledged misdirecting money from St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church when police arrested him on grand theft charges at Palm Beach International Airport last month, a warrant released Friday shows.

Authorities charged Skehan and Rev. Francis Guinan with grand theft, alleging they stole more than $400,000 from the parish's donations. An audit conducted by the Diocese of Palm Beach alleges the pair misappropriated $8.7 million.

Skehan is free on $400,000 bond. Guinan is in Australia, and authorities are negotiating with his attorney, David Roth, to have Guinan turn himself in to Florida authorities this month.

Posted by kshaw at 08:03 AM

'Father Nicky,' secretary accused of stealing $64,000 from church

LOUISIANA
Daily World

By William Johnson
wjohnson@dailyworld.com

Despite an internal investigation lasting several weeks, the Diocese of Lafayette found nothing to implicate Port Barre's Fr. Charles Nicholas Trahan, who was arrested on Friday for 84 counts of theft from Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church.

Trahan has been charged with allegedly stealing $64,000 from the church over two years. But according to a statement released by the Diocese, the church was not aware of the evidence that led to Trahan's arrest.

Trahan, 58, who denies the charges, has been released on a $25,000 bond.

The incident came to light earlier this week when Ramona Speyer, the church's longtime secretary, was arrested and charged with 70 felony theft charges.

Posted by kshaw at 07:58 AM

Cardinal could face trial over pervert priest

IRELAND
Sunday Independent

A DOCUMENTARY film featuring an extraordinarily candid interview with an Irish former priest convicted of molesting children may lead to the prosecution of a US cardinal.

US law enforcement officials are now considering a criminal case against Cardinal Roger Mahony, says a prosecutor who has been investigating sexual abuse cases involving priests.

In the documentary, Deliver Us From Evil, the former priest, Oliver O'Grady, describes how he abused young boys and girls across central California for more than 20 years, including a period in the 1980s when Cardinal Mahony was his superior as the Bishop in Stockton.

The former priest, who lives in Ireland, said he was able to continue abusing children in part because of actions by Cardinal Mahony, who now heads America's largest Catholic archdiocese in Los Angeles and is among the church's most influential American leaders.

Posted by kshaw at 07:55 AM

Local Bishop Named In Suit To Reveal Priest Names

RIVERSIDE (CA)
CBS 2

(CBS) RIVERSIDE, Calif. Bishop Gerald Barnes is one of dozens named by the family of a slain Wisconsin man in a lawsuit intended to force church leaders to identify sexually abusive priests.

The lawsuit, described as the first of its kind in scope, was filed in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, and targets all bishops and archbishops who run dioceses in the United States, as well as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. It seeks to compel church leaders to reveal the names and addresses of an estimated 5,000 sexually abusive priest.

Barnes, who leads Riverside and San Bernardino county Catholic churches as head of the San Bernardino diocese, is one of nearly 200 bishops named in the suit.

The suit was filed by relatives of Dan O'Connell, a funeral home owner shot to death in 2002 along with his employee, James Ellison, 22. A judge determined in 2005 that O'Connell's pastor, Rick Erickson, killed the two men after being confronted over suspicion that the cleric was molesting children.

Posted by kshaw at 07:49 AM

Mexican judge orders priest to stand trial on sexual abuse charges

MEXICO
Canton Repository

Sunday, October 8, 2006

MEXICO CITY (AP) - A judge in the central Mexico state of Puebla ordered a Roman Catholic priest to stand trial in the rape of a 9-year-old boy in 1999, Mexican daily Reforma reported Saturday.

The judge, Emma Peralta, was not immediately available to confirm the ruling issued Friday. About 50 parishioners gathered outside the court building to support jailed priest Rafael Perez Sanchez, who was arrested on Sept. 30 in the community of San Rafael Tlanalapan, where he officiated.

A person who answered the phone at the offices of the Archdiocese of Puebla said no one was immediately available to comment on the charges.

Mexican law does not permit bail for those accused of serious crimes; rape is punishable by prison terms of eight to 40 years.

Posted by kshaw at 07:46 AM

October 07, 2006

Colombian priest's confession of abuse ignites claims of Catholic Church cover-up

COLOMBIS
Catholic Online

By Mike Ceaser
10/6/2006
Catholic News Service

BOGOTA, Colombia (CNS) – A Colombian priest's confession that he sexually abused students decades ago has ignited a scandal in the Colombian church, with accusations of wider abuse – including by a bishop – and a church cover-up.

The Colombian bishops said Oct. 4 that they would investigate all accusations and encouraged alleged victims to take their cases to court.

The videotaped confession by Father Efrain Rozo Rincon, 78, was first broadcast Sept. 28 by Bogota radio station W. The tape was made in February, when Father Rozo confessed to U.S. lawyers representing his nephew, Ernesto Rozo, who is suing the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, where some of the alleged abuses occurred.

Father Rozo, who currently lives in a Bogota residence for priests, said in the confession that while assigned to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and working at Loyola Marymount University between 1967 and 1969, he had sexually abused his nephew and had shown him pornography.

Posted by kshaw at 12:56 PM

Accord denies confidentiality dispute with archbishop

IRELAND
One in Four

Irish Examiner

ACCORD, the Catholic marriage advisory and counselling agency, yesterday denied reports it was embroiled in a dispute over files wanted for the investigation into clerical child sex abuse in the Dublin Diocese.

A story in the Irish Catholic newspaper said the agency was forced to defy an order from Archbishop Diarmuid Martin to hand over files in its possession for fear of breaching confidentiality agreements with clients.

The Dublin Diocese said last night, however, that the story was “seriously inaccurate” and there was concern that existing or prospective clients of Accord could be put off availing of the agency’s services as a result.

Posted by kshaw at 11:14 AM

Slain man's family sues bishops

SAN BERNARDINO (CA)
The Press-Enterprise

By MICHAEL FISHER
The Press-Enterprise

The family of a slain Wisconsin man has sued Bishop Gerald Barnes of the Diocese of San Bernardino and 176 other Roman Catholic bishops in an unprecedented lawsuit intended to force the church leaders to reveal the names and addresses of an estimated 5,000 sexually abusive priests.

The lawsuit, described as the first of its kind in scope, was filed in St. Croix County, Wis., and targets all bishops and archbishops who run dioceses in the United States, as well as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Some legal experts question whether a state court would have jurisdiction over church leaders from throughout the country.

Posted by kshaw at 11:09 AM

Q&A sessions at International Film Festival offer viewers more

MOUNT SHASTA (CA)
Mount Shasta Herald

By Rob McCallum
Published: Wednesday, October 4, 2006 3:18 PM CDT

If moviegoers are left wanting more at the Mount Shasta International Film Festival, they'll get it. For the third year in a row, the festival is bringing in directors of highlight films for question and answer periods

On the Saturday of the 3-day festival - October 13th-15th at Coming Attractions Theatre in Mount Shasta and the Ford Theater at College of the Siskiyous - three directors, a writer/actor and a main character will be available for questions from the audience following the showing of their films.

Paul Cultrera, the subject of the documentary “Hand of God”, “American Fusion” director Frank Lin, “Chutzpah, This Is?” writer/actor David Scharff, “Full Disclosure” writer/director Douglas Horn and “Sound of the Soul” producer/director Stephen Olsson will be on hand.

“We mostly sell out when we have these Q&As,” festival director Jeffrey Winters said. “People love asking them questions. It should be pretty fun.”

“Hand of God” is a documentary about Cultrera and his family's response to sexual abuse by a priest in 1964. The director, Paul's younger brother Joe, traces the next 30 years of his life.

Posted by kshaw at 11:02 AM

Priests raising money to aid defrocked colleagues

MANCHESTER (NH)
Boston Globe

October 7, 2006

MANCHESTER, N.H. --A group of priests in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester is asking fellow priests to contribute money to help those who were stripped of their ministry for sexually abusing minors.

"We began to sympathize with the men involved in the scandal," the Rev. Michael Griffin, president of the newly formed Organization of Concerned Priests, told the Union Leader. "We could not imagine how we could have coped if we were in their shoes."

Since starting the effort, it has been expanded to include helping sick and retired priests, said Monsignor Thomas Hannigan, pastor of St. Catherine Church in Manchester, who serves on the group's board.

The organization has registered as a nonprofit and sent a letter to all diocesan priests asking them to donate a minimum of $1,000 each to a "Mercy Fund" that would be available to help unassigned priests with legitimate financial needs.

Posted by kshaw at 10:57 AM

Port Barre Priest Arrested, Placed on Leave

PORT BARRE (LA)
KATC

(KATC) - There is shock and dismay in the Saint Landry Parish town of Port Barre Friday. The priest at Sacred Heart Catholic Church was arrested charged with 84 counts of theft. Father Charles Trahan is accused along with church secretary Romana Speyer of stealing more than 63,000 dollars from church coffers over the last two years. Speyer was arrested earlier this week, and she was re-arrested on Friday.

Posted by kshaw at 08:51 AM

One victim's story

CANADA
London Free Press

By JANE SIMS, FREE PRESS JUSTICE REPORTER

CHATHAM -- All she wanted was his approval.

All she wanted was to be confirmed in the Roman Catholic church.

Instead, she became another bit of young prey to Rev. Charles Sylvestre.

It changed her life forever.

Yesterday, Chatham-Kent Crown attorney Paul Bailey told her story -- along with those of many other victims -- before the retired priest was sentenced to three years in prison.

Using her story as his example, Bailey said during his sentencing submission to Ontario Court Justice Bruce Thomas that her experience reflects the pain and betrayal of the little girls violated by the priest.

Posted by kshaw at 08:46 AM

Nolin appeals to SJC for new trial

BOSTON (MA)
Cape Cod Times

By AMANDA LEHMERT
STAFF WRITER
BOSTON - Nearly three years after Jonathan Wessner's battered body was found under a pile of rocks on a Falmouth beach, his killer's lawyer argued for a new trial before the state's highest court yesterday.

Paul Nolin Jr., 42, was convicted by a Barnstable County jury in 2004 of first-degree murder for stabbing and beating Wessner. He was sentenced to life in prison.

In Massachusetts, murder convictions are automatically appealed.

Before the Supreme Judicial Court in Boston yesterday, defense attorney Leslie W. O'Brien argued that the court should grant Nolin a new trial because Superior Court Judge Margaret Hinkle made an error when she gave instructions to the jury. O'Brien also questioned the use of a taped conversation between Nolin and a friend that was admitted into evidence at the trial to show he acted as if he were guilty. ...

The event spurred a new scrutiny of the state's sex offender registry, which Nolin easily eluded.

It also brought to light an embezzlement case against a Woods Hole priest, the Rev. Bernard Kelly, whom Nolin sought for comfort after Wessner's death.

Kelly is charged with misusing hundreds of thousands of dollars from two Cape churches. His case is set for trial next month in Barnstable Superior Court.

Posted by kshaw at 08:42 AM

Alleged molesters fall through cracks

COLUMBUS (OH)
Toledo Blade

By JIM PROVANCE
BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU

Last of two parts

COLUMBUS — Most have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one.

Their names are not on Ohio’s so-called “Megan’s Law” list of sex offenders checked by the state, school districts, nonprofit organizations, and others when it comes to deciding whom to license, hire, or take on as coaches or volunteers.

They may have been named in civil lawsuits, in newspapers, and, in some cases, by their own bishops, but current and former priests who have admitted to molesting children or whose dioceses have decided that they were most likely guilty of child sex abuse have fallen through the cracks of Ohio’s efforts to track sex offenders.

Nothing in state law authorizes the Department of Education to routinely run background checks on teachers they’ve already licensed, something that would probably have flagged two of 10 people the department is now investigating after they were recently brought to its attention by The Blade.

Posted by kshaw at 08:38 AM

Accused priests put hundreds of thousands in failed scheme

FLORIDA
Palm Beach Post

By Lona O'Connor, Susan R. Miller
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Two priests accused of misappropriating millions from a Delray Beach Catholic church formed a for-profit company with a third priest whose personal life also was troubled.

The corporation, which they named SHAG Inc., invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in a failed mortgage-loan scheme, records show. Formed in 1984, SHAG dissolved in 2004.

The Revs. John A. Skehan and Francis B. Guinan were accused last week of diverting $8.7 million from St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church. Along with financial charges, the police report outlines allegations of heavy drinking, gambling trips, collections of rare coins and romantic affairs for the two men, whose priest duties have been suspended by the Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach.

Their friend and the third partner in SHAG, Michael Hickey, a priest assigned to several parishes in Southwest and Central Florida, had a long history of drunken driving. Hickey racked up five DUI convictions between 1979 and 1999 in Collier, Sarasota and Lee counties, records show. His driver license was revoked permanently in 1999.

Upon arriving at St. Vincent in 2003, Guinan allegedly stalled a routine audit of the parish finances for eight months, arousing suspicions at the diocese and ultimately exposing Skehan, who is accused of misappropriating millions during his 40 years as pastor of St. Vincent.

Posted by kshaw at 08:34 AM

Bishop of Steubenville diocese named in suit

STEUBENVILLE (OH)
The Marietta Times

From staff reports

Bishop R. Daniel Conlon of the Steubenville Catholic Diocese is among 194 Catholic bishops nationwide facing a lawsuit that would require them to release the names of an estimated 5,000 priests who have admitted to their superiors that they committed sex abuse against children.

“Each bishop in every diocese in the U.S. is being served with this lawsuit, and they will have to go to trial,” said Judy Jones, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) in Steubenville.

“They want (Conlon) to publish the names of those perpetrators from this diocese, too,” she said.

Posted by kshaw at 08:31 AM

Judge won't order reporter to testify about ex-priest

WISCONSIN
Green Bay Press-Gazette

By Andy Nelesen
anelesen@greenbaypressgazette.com

Brown County Circuit Court Judge Mark Warpinski ruled Friday that a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter would not have to testify about information she provided to the David Schauer family in 2003 after unearthing a letter from a former priest to a friend in which he admits molesting 14 boys.

Schauer, 28, of Marshfield has sued the diocese, Ss. Peter and Paul School, and Hawkeye Security Insurance Co. alleging that the diocese and school officials were aware that then-Rev. Donald Buzanowski preyed on boys and failed to protect students. Buzanowski was convicted in July 2005 of fondling Schauer during counseling sessions at the school in the fall of 1988.

Lawyers for Schauer and the diocese agreed that a stipulation should be crafted that included statements about the reporter meeting with David Schauer and his family, that the reporter told them that Buzanowski had been allowed to counsel children after the Schauers had been told that he wouldn't and that there was evidence that Buzanowski may have molested other boys.

The stipulation — which appeased both plaintiff and defense counsel — prompted Warpinski to quash the subpoena requiring the reporter to testify.

Posted by kshaw at 08:18 AM

Report shows priest admitted misappropriating church funds

DELRAY BEACH (FL)
Sun Herald

By Jerome Burdi and Chrystian Tejedor
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. - Greeted by police set to arrest him on grand theft charges at Palm Beach International Airport last month, the Rev. John Skehan "blurted out" that he had misappropriated money from St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church, a search warrant released Friday shows.

In fact, Skehan admitted several times that he misdirected money from the church, but told investigators he saw himself as the CEO of a multimillion-dollar company who wasn't properly compensated, the warrant shows.

"Skehan gave his opinion that he was never properly paid by the diocese, he was running a big business and getting nothing for it," the search warrant says. ". . . He took what he had coming to him, as the diocese was cheap and never paid for his education."

In discussing how much was misappropriated, Skehan told police it was a "mountain of money," the document shows.

Posted by kshaw at 08:13 AM

Orem man faces felony sex abuse charges

PROVO (UT)
Deseret Morning News

By Sara Israelsen
Deseret Morning News
PROVO — A former member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir faces felony sex abuse charges.
Robert Matthews, 51, of Orem was charged Friday in 4th District Court with four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and three counts of lewdness involving a child, a class A misdemeanor.
Matthews was arrested Sept. 28 after police investigated allegations that the man swam naked with four young boys and took pictures of the nude swim.
Matthews' attorney John Easton says his client is "absolutely innocent" until proven guilty.

Posted by kshaw at 08:10 AM

Ex-choir member charged with lewdness with minor

PROVO (UT)
The Salt Lake Tribune

Article Last Updated:10/07/2006 01:03:29 AM MDT
PROVO - An ex-Mormon Tabernacle Choir member was charged Friday with four felonies and three misdemeanors for allegedly taking pictures of four nude boys during a July camping trip.
Robert Matthews, 51, is accused of taking video and still pictures with four boys, ages 7, 10, 15 and 18, while camping at the Diamond Fork Hot Springs, court documents state.
Police say that on July 31, Matthews directed the boys into positions while taking pictures and remained nude himself. During a police interview, Matthews allegedly admitted to swimming nude and taking at least two still shots of the boys.

Posted by kshaw at 08:08 AM

Pastor arrested for molestation

CALIFORNIA
KESQ

VENTURA, Calif. A former Thousand Oaks pastor was arrested for allegedly molesting a student at the church school over a seven year period starting when she was 7 years old.

William Alan Malgren was arrested in Idaho this week. He allegedly sexually assaulted the girl, who was a student at Thousand Oaks Baptist School from 1983 to 1989, sheriff's Detective Eric Buschow said.

Malgren was pastor of Thousand Oaks Baptist Church at the time. He was asked to leave the Ventura County church in 1989 after someone reported him acting inappropriately with the girl, Buschow said.

Posted by kshaw at 08:04 AM

Area pastor denies sex abuse charges

SUNLAND (CA)
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Sunland pastor pleaded not guilty Thursday to multiple counts of sexually molesting two young girls from his parish, court officials said.

Joseph Gary Torres, 46, is charged with 12 felony counts of sexual molestation including continuous sexual abuse, sexual penetration by a foreign object, sodomy of a person under 18 and sodomy by the use of oral copulation of a person under 18, officials said.

Torres, pastor at Iglesia Bautista Reformada in Sunland, was arrested Sept. 14 by detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department's Sexually Exploited Child Unit at his parents' home in El Monte.

Posted by kshaw at 08:02 AM

Pastor pleads not guilty in abuse case

THOUSAND OAKS (CA)
Ventura County Star

A Baptist pastor pleaded not guilty Friday to charges that he sexually abused a girl about 20 years ago in Thousand Oaks, officials said.

William Alan Malgren, 52, faces two counts of oral copulation with a child and one count of continuous sexual abuse, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department said.

The alleged victim said she was abused from 1983 to 1989 while a student at the Thousand Oaks Baptist Church's school.

The suspected abuse happened during church events and on school grounds, the Sheriff's Department said.

Posted by kshaw at 07:59 AM

Pastor charged with abuse

JAMES CITY (VA)
Daily Press

BY DANIELLE ZIELINSKI
247-7870
October 7, 2006
JAMES CITY -- James City County police arrested a Williamsburg youth pastor Friday after reports that one child was sexually abused and another was struck with a belt.

Melvin Randall Sr., 36, of Newport News, was arrested about 2 p.m. at his home on Susan Constant Drive, James City Police spokesman Mike Spearman said.

Randall is charged with aggravated sexual battery, a felony, and misdemeanor assault and battery in connection with two separate incidents.

Spearman said a 10-year-old girl was fondled during a church movie outing. The girl was a member of a youth group at Faith Alive Outreach Ministries in Williamsburg, where Randall worked as a youth pastor, he said.

Posted by kshaw at 07:56 AM

Lawsuit names Harrington, 177 others : Family seeks molestation documents from bishops

WINONA (MN)
Winona Daily News

By David Krotz and by Joe Orso | Lee Newspapers

The family of a Wisconsin man whose slaying was linked to a Catholic priest has filed suit against the nation’s 178 Catholic bishops, including Bernard Harrington, the head of the Diocese of Winona.

The list fills nine pages of the suit, which seeks no money but instead the release of all documents regarding the molestation of children by priests or former priests. The suit, filed last week in a Wisconsin circuit court, also seeks to make public the names and locations of all priests accused of molestation.

Harrington was not available for comment Thursday, but Rose Hammes, director of communications for the Winona diocese said she could understand the feelings of the O’Connell family.

“But the suit is a little frivolous and probably a waste of time,” Hammes said. “From what I understand, it doesn’t have much grounds, but we’ll let the court take the case up.”

Dan O’Connell and a co-worker were shot to death at O’Connell’s Hudson, Wis., funeral home in February 2002. A state court later found The Rev. Ryan Erickson of Superior, Wis., likely committed the murders because O’Connell had uncovered information about the priest molesting children.

Posted by kshaw at 07:52 AM

Bishop apologizes to victim's mother

CANADA
Ottawa Citizen

Cornwall Standard-Freeholder
Published: Friday, October 06, 2006
CORNWALL - Nearly 30 years after her son was sexually abused by a priest, a mother was reduced to tears yesterday when a bishop offered a formal apology at the Project Truth inquiry for her family's suffering.

The inquiry is probing the institutional response to, and police investigations of, historical child sexual abuse.

Lyse Brisson had just finished testifying about the abuse her son, Benoit, suffered at the hands of Rev. Gilles Deslauriers over three years in the 1970s when a lawyer for the Alexandria-Cornwall Roman Catholic Diocese came to the microphone and began to speak.

Bishop Paul-Andre Durocher "apologizes for the pain you have suffered at the hands of a priest in whom you put so much trust," said David Sherriff-Scott. "The bishop wants to assure you personally that he and the members of the diocese want to learn from these events."

Posted by kshaw at 07:50 AM

Abusive priest moved closer to victims, mother testifies

CANADA
CBC News

Last Updated: Friday, October 6, 2006 | 10:43 AM ET

A mother finally received an apology at the Cornwall inquiry on Thursday for the sexual abuse of her son by a school chaplain almost 30 years ago.

Lyse Brisson, 73, wept as she testified about the abuse before the Project Truth inquiry, which is examining the way local police and institutions handled scores of child sexual abuse allegations over decades involving prominent people in the eastern Ontario city.

Following Brisson's testimony, a lawyer for the Catholic Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall said publicly that the head of the diocese, Bishop Paul-André Durocher, was sorry for the abuse.

"He apologizes for the pain at the hands of a priest in whom you put so much trust," said Ottawa lawyer David Sherriff-Scott.

Posted by kshaw at 07:47 AM

Questions remain about Foley's claim of abuse nearly 40 years ago

WASHINGTON (DC)
The Florida Catholic

By Nancy Frazier O'Brien, Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Much remains unclear about former Rep. Mark Foley's allegation through an attorney Oct. 3 that he was abused by a member of the clergy when he was a young teen.

Foley, a Republican who had represented Florida's 16th district in the House since 1994, resigned his seat Sept. 29 following reports that he had sent sexually explicit e-mails and text messages to House pages who were minors.

David Roth, Foley's attorney, said at a West Palm Beach, Fla., news conference Oct. 3 that Foley wanted to name the person who had molested him when he was 13 to 15 years old, but was advised not to until he completed a 30-day treatment plan for alcoholism and mental health issues.

"I cannot comment on whether the clergyman was a priest, a minister, an imam or a rabbi," Roth said.

Posted by kshaw at 07:45 AM

3 priests removed from ministry live at Bishop Peterson

MANCHESTER (NH)
Union Leader

Manchester – Three priests permanently removed from ministry for child sexual abuse live at the Bishop Peterson Residence, a health care facility for infirm diocesan priests.

The diocese has not notified neighbors of the 221 Orange St. home that the priests live there.

A diocesan spokesman yesterday would not confirm the Revs. Raymond H. Laferriere, Leo A. Shea and John Poirier live at the 15-unit residence. However, voter registration records list the three as residents. In addition, Shea, who is one of a handful of priests to be criminally convicted of sexually abusing minors, is listed on the state's sexual offender registry as living there.

"It is not our practice to notify the neighbors of where a priest (removed from ministry) lives," said the Rev. Edward J. Arsenault, the bishop's delegate for ministerial conduct.

Arsenault said only diocesan priests who are elderly and infirm are allowed to live at the residence. The house has a nurse manager and 24-hour nursing staff and all residents and visitors are required to sign a log when they come and go, he said.

Posted by kshaw at 07:41 AM

Priests asked to give $1,000

MANCHESTER (NH)
Union Leader

Manchester – A dozen Roman Catholic clergy are reaching out to fellow priests who are sick, retired or were stripped of their ministry for sexually abusing minors, offering support and financial aid to any who need it.

"We do not want to forget them," the Rev. Michael J. Griffin wrote in a letter mailed this week to all priests in the Diocese of Manchester inviting them to join the newly formed Organization of Concerned Priests.

The independent group registered as a non-profit organization and is asking all diocesan priests to donate to a "Mercy Fund" that would be available to these unassigned priests with legitimate financial needs, members said. They ask priests to contribute whatever they can afford, but request a minimum $1,000 donation.

"It's trying to show our solidarity with one another, no matter what one's status is," said Monsignor Thomas J. Hannigan, pastor of St. Catherine Church in Manchester and one of the group's founding board members.

Posted by kshaw at 07:37 AM

Cardinal's sex abuse lawsuit watershed event for Mexico

MEXICO
Houston Chronicle

By MARION LLOYD
Houston Chronicle

MEXICO CITY — When the scandal over pedophile priests rocked the Roman Catholic Church in the United States in 2002, the shock waves barely registered in Mexico.

Now, just four years later, the Catholic Church in Mexico is facing unprecedented scrutiny, its most prominent official has been accused of protecting a convicted sex offender and a raft of criminal suits against alleged pedophile priests are making their way through the courts.

"This is a very key moment," said Elio Masferrer, an anthropologist who has written extensively on Mexico's church. "The victims are starting to become aware of their rights and to demand justice."

Sexual abuse cases against priests were once virtually unknown in Mexico, which is home to the world's second-largest Catholic population after Brazil.

But over the last few years, experts say, at least a dozen alleged victims have pressed charges. In the latest case, police in Puebla state on Monday arrested a priest accused of raping a 9-year-old boy. And judges are increasingly convicting the offenders, including one priest who was sentenced to six years in jail on Sept. 22.

Posted by kshaw at 07:34 AM

Claims against teacher resurface

OHIO
Beacon Journal

By Stephanie Warsmith and Katie Byard
Beacon Journal staff writers
The state is investigating the certification of Vic Whiting, a teacher and head football coach at Northwest High School.

Whiting holds an Ohio teaching certificate, despite being the subject of a confidentially settled lawsuit involving alleged sexual contact with a 15-year-old female student, according to the Toledo Blade newspaper.

Whiting was among 10 men identified in a Blade article on Friday as former or current Catholic priests or teachers being investigated by the Ohio Department of Education because of alleged sexual misconduct. All 10 are certified to teach in Ohio, but Whiting is the only one now teaching, according to the Blade.

The newspaper reported that Whiting was accused in a lawsuit of having sexual contact with a 15-year-old female student on several occasions in 1990, when he worked at St. John's High School in Delphos, near Toledo.

Posted by kshaw at 07:30 AM

Perv priest gets 3 years

CANADA
Toronto Sun

Sat, October 7, 2006

By JANE SIMS, SUN MEDIA

CHATHAM -- In the end, disgraced Rev. Charles Sylvestre wanted to preach a lesson in forgiveness.

Just before the longtime Roman Catholic priest was sentenced to three years in prison -- his estimated life expectancy -- he stood in the courtroom, his hands shaking, and spoke to the judege and his numerous victims of childhood sexual abuse.

"My first words are words of sorrow for causing pain in your lives," Sylvestre, 84, said to the women. "I apologize and ask for forgiveness."

But then, after admitting his shock at their anger, he said he was "praying for you everyday."

He told the victims forgiveness leads to the "experience of love."

Sylvestre had a paperback with him called Forgiveness: God's Gift of Love. He told Chatham Crown attorney P aul Bailey as he was led from court during a break it was "a nice little book" and available at Catholic bookstores.

Posted by kshaw at 07:27 AM

Advocates seek lifting of time limit in abuse cases

ADA TOWNSHIP (MI)
The Grand Rapids Press

Saturday, October 07, 2006
By Charles Honey
Press Religion Editor

ADA TOWNSHIP -- Whether a child is sexually abused by a teacher, a priest or a scout troop leader, to Rosemary Murphy the issue is the same: Abused children deserve justice even as adults.

That is why the Catholic activist favors legislation to repeal Michigan's statute of limitations for the sexual abuse of minors.

She and other members of the church reform group Voice of the Faithful plan a forum Thursday about a law they say discourages some past victims from coming forward and, perhaps, emboldens abusers.

"If perpetrators know the statute of limitations is going to open them up to civil recourse for a number of years, hopefully, that will prevent some abuses," said Murphy, a founder of the local VOTF.

Helen Brinkman, an assistant Kent County prosecutor and circuit judge candidate, and Calvin College psychology Chairman R. Scott Stehouwer are scheduled to speak at the forum. Legislators and Catholic officials have been invited.

Posted by kshaw at 07:24 AM

Palm Beach Diocese wants Foley to name his abuser

FLORIDA
Herald-Tribune

By MATTHEW DOIG, HEATHER ALLEN and MICHAEL A. SCARCELLA
STAFF WRITERS

matthew.doig@heraldtribune.com
heather.allen@heraldtribune.com
michael.scarcella@heraldtribune.com

The Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach publicly called Friday on former congressman Mark Foley to name his alleged abuser and end speculation about the identity of the clergyman he said abused him as a youth.

Foley's attorney, David Roth, announced Tuesday that Foley had been molested by a clergyman when he was 13 to 15 years old. He refused to elaborate.

Diocese spokeswoman Alexis Walkenstein told the Herald-Tribune that conducting an inquiry without a name from Foley would amount to a "witch hunt."

Walkenstein said the church had no plans to start its own investigation and was adamant that her organization had no responsibility to review its records and determine the credibility of Foley's claim.

Posted by kshaw at 07:19 AM

Film on Pedophile Priest Revives Focus on Cardinal

LOS ANGELES (CA)
Herald-Tribune

BY JENNIFER STEINHAUER
NEW YORK TIMES

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 6 A documentary film featuring an extraordinarily candid interview with a former priest convicted of molesting children has heightened interest among law enforcement officials here in considering a criminal case against Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, says a prosecutor who has been investigating sexual abuse cases involving priests.

In the documentary, Deliver Us From Evil, the former priest, Oliver OGrady, describes how he abused young boys and girls across central California over 20 years, including a period in the 1980s when Cardinal Mahony was his superior as the bishop in Stockton.

The former priest, who lives in Ireland, said he was able to continue abusing children in part because of actions by Cardinal Mahony, who now heads the countrys largest Roman Catholic archdiocese, here in Los Angeles, and is among the churchs most influential American leaders. Mr. OGrady says in the film that as bishop in Stockton, the cardinal moved him from parish to parish in the face of abuse accusations.

The film does certainly charge the atmosphere here in Los Angeles, said William Hodgman, the top deputy of the target crimes division of the Los Angeles District Attorneys office, who coordinated prosecutions of priests in Los Angeles.

Posted by kshaw at 07:17 AM

October 06, 2006

Diocese, Victim's Groups Demand Foley Reveal Alleged Abuser

WASHINGTON (DC)
Washington Post

By Alan Cooperman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 6, 2006; 4:00 PM

The Roman Catholic diocese of Palm Beach, Fla., and national sex abuse victims' groups called today for former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) to give police the name of the clergyman who allegedly abused him as a teenager.

"He should absolutely report the perpetrator, living or dead," said David Clohessy, national director of the 5,000-member Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. "He should do it now, not when his civil lawyer says it is convenient. Every day that a molester walks free is a day when he can hurt other kids."

Foley's attorney, David Roth, told reporters Tuesday that the former congressman, who was raised as a Catholic, was molested by a clergyman when he was 13 to 15 years old. But Roth did not name the clergyman, and Palm Beach police said they have not received any report of the abuse.

Alexis Walkenstein, a spokeswoman for the Palm Beach diocese, said Foley has not reported the abuse to local Catholic Church officials, either. "It would be inappropriate to comment because at this time we've only heard a vague allegation. If Mr. Foley was abused within the Catholic Church, we would encourage him to report it to law enforcement," she said.

Posted by kshaw at 03:42 PM

Clergy abuse accusation no excuse for Foley

Baltimore Sun

Jean Marbella

Let's say Congressman Mark Foley indeed was sexually abused as a teenager by a clergyman.

If we've learned anything in the years since clergy abuse was revealed as a pervasive problem that church officials covered up for years, it's that we need to listen when someone claims to have been a victim - even if he is a shamed politician desperately throwing out explanations for some pretty inexplicable behavior.

Joe Radko, like Foley, was once a Catholic altar boy. And - you can see where this is going - he says he was sexually abused by a priest on trips to Ocean City back in 1978.

But when Foley suddenly announced on Tuesday that he was a victim of clergy abuse - four days after he resigned in disgrace over his sexually explicit e-mails to teenage congressional pages - Radko's reaction was: "What does that have to do with anything?"

Posted by kshaw at 12:28 PM

Priest molestation victim rejects settlement

GREEN BAY (WI)
Green Bay Press-Gazette

By Andy Nelesen
anelesen@greenbaypressgazette.com

A man molested by a priest in the late '80s rejected on Thursday a $350,000 settlement offer from the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay and its insurance company, according to a letter filed with the court.

David Schauer, 28, of Marshfield has sued the diocese, Ss. Peter and Paul School, and Hawkeye Security Insurance Co. alleging that the diocese and school officials were aware that then-Rev. Donald Buzanowski preyed on boys and failed to protect students. Buzanowski was convicted in July 2005 of fondling Schauer during counseling sessions at the school in the fall of 1988.

Schauer's decision was included in a letter from the diocese's lawyers updating Brown County Circuit Court Judge Mark Warpinski on recent settlement talks. Efforts to reach Schauer Thursday were unsuccessful.

Posted by kshaw at 08:26 AM

Confessions of priest who went to roam

UNITED KINGDOM
Edinbugh Evening News

STEVE GILHOOLEY

IN August 2004 I took a year out from my position as parish priest of Currie, Balerno and Ratho in order to decide my future. For a number of years up to then I had been suffering the consequences of going public about being abused by clergy at the junior seminary I had attended as a youngster.

Up to that point I have to say that the priesthood for me had been incredible and had taken me down paths I did not expect. Towards the end of the last millennium I was writing a weekly column for the Evening News, commenting on sport, writing for the Catholic Observer, presenting Thought for the Day for BBC Radio, View from Earth for Radio Forth, script-writing for On and Off the Ball with Tam Cowan and Stuart Cosgrove and speaking at numerous events - all during the same period.

Posted by kshaw at 08:15 AM

Victims Say Foley Should Name Abuser

WEST PALM BEACH (FL)
Christian Post

By Brian Skoloff
Associated Press Writer
Fri, Oct. 06 2006 06:52 AM

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Former Rep. Mark Foley's refusal to identify the clergyman he says molested him as a boy is reckless and could put other children at risk, say victims' advocates and a former priest who knows the ex-congressman.

If Foley has information about a child molester, especially one who is still living, he should come forward with that immediately, they say.

"To simply say, `I can't tell you the name,' in my judgment, that's despicable," said William Brooks, a former Roman Catholic priest at Cardinal Newman High School in Lake Worth where Foley was briefly a student in 1969. "It casts a dark cloud of suspicion over all the clergy who worked during those days. I just think it's wrong."

Posted by kshaw at 08:13 AM

Priest jailed for sex abuse

TANZANIA
News 24

10/08/2006 21:38 - (SA)

Dar Es Salaam - A Tanzanian court has jailed a Roman Catholic priest for 30 years for having sex with a 17-year-old boy.

It was the first time a priest has been convicted of a sex crime in the East African country, where having intercourse with an under-age child and a member of the same sex are illegal.

The court rejected pleas from a defence lawyer that Sixtus Kimaro, 38, should be pardoned because he was also a young man.

"That is not a valid excuse for something that is not accepted in society.

Posted by kshaw at 08:10 AM

Restraining order request against priest withdrawn

MANCHESTER (NH)
Union Leader

By PAT GROSSMITH
Union Leader Staff
9 hours, 3 minutes ago

Manchester – A woman who said a Roman Catholic priest sexually assaulted her yesterday withdrew her request for a restraining order against him.

Attorney Brian W. Clickner of Goffstown, who represents the woman, told Manchester District Court Judge Thomas Rappa his client was withdrawing the petition because bail conditions on the criminal charges provide her with the same protections.

He also said withdrawing the petition avoids putting the woman through "the anxiety of questioning today and being cross-examined" by the defense.

The Rev. John Lawani, 40, of 145 Lowell St., was arrested and charged with nine misdemeanor offenses alleging he physically and sexually assaulted the 27-year-old mother of three children.

Posted by kshaw at 08:05 AM

Moms feel the painDescribe abused sons' struggles

CANADA
Ottawa Sun

Fri, October 6, 2006

By MARK BELLIS, OTTAWA SUN

CORNWALL -- Two mothers described yesterday how decades-old sexual abuse haunts their lives.

"My children lost their faith," said Lise Brisson, 73, whose son Benoit was abused by Gilles Deslauriers, a Cornwall priest and chaplain at the local French high school.

Brisson was testifying at the Cornwall Public Inquiry looking at how the city's institutions responded to allegations of abuse.

PRIEST TRANSFERRED

Brisson wept as she told how the truth came out only after her son's marriage broke down in 1986, eight years after the abuse, which happened when he was 16.

Posted by kshaw at 08:02 AM

Priests in sex-abuse cases keep their teaching certificates

COLUMBUS (OH)
Toledo Blade

By JIM PROVANCE
BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU

First of two parts

COLUMBUS — The Vatican defrocked George J. Cooley, 58, in 1998, and he spent 18 months in prison for child molestation.

But the disgraced former Roman Catholic priest from Cincinnati still holds a certificate issued by the state of Ohio to teach in private and religious schools.

Stephen G. Rogers, 58, a former religion teacher and associate pastor at Toledo’s Central Catholic High School, was convicted of possessing child pornography in 2003. He served 18 months of a 21-month federal prison sentence, is registered as a sex offender, and has been barred from public ministry by the Diocese of Toledo.

But he continues to hold a state-issued certificate to teach in private and religious schools.

Anyone using the Department of Education’s online license search engine — including schools, nonprofit organizations, and potential employers inside and outside Ohio — would find no hint of anything amiss.

Posted by kshaw at 07:58 AM

Former Thousand Oaks Pastor Held in Molestation

THOUSAND OAKS (CA)
Los Angeles Times

By Catherine Saillant, Times Staff Writer
October 6, 2006

A former Thousand Oaks pastor was arrested in Idaho this week on suspicion of molesting a young student at Thousand Oaks Baptist School between 1983 and 1989.

William Alan Malgren, 52, is accused of sexually assaulting the girl from the time she was 7 until she turned 14, said Det. Eric Buschow of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department.

At the time, Malgren was pastor of Thousand Oaks Baptist Church and the girl was a student at the church-run school, Buschow said. He was asked to leave in 1989 after a witness noticed him acting inappropriately with the girl, Buschow said.

Now 30 and living in another state, the woman came forward with her story within the last month, Buschow said.

Posted by kshaw at 07:51 AM

Former T.O. pastor suspected of sex abuse

CALIFORNIA
Ventura County Star

By Marisa Navarro, mnavarro@VenturaCountyStar.com
October 6, 2006

A former Thousand Oaks pastor suspected of sexually abusing a girl at church events and on the church's school grounds in the 1980s is scheduled to appear in court today, officials said.

William Alan Malgren, 52, faces two counts of oral copulation with a child and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Department. He is being held in lieu of $1 million bond.

Authorities arrested Malgren on Wednesday in Moscow, Idaho, where he is a pastor at Grace Baptist Church. He is cooperating with authorities and waived his extradition rights, officials said. He was flown to Ventura County on Thursday.

Although the suspected sexual abuse happened decades ago, the female victim contacted the Sheriff's Department in recent weeks, said Detective Eric Buschow. The alleged victim, whose name has not been released, told authorities that Malgren sexually abused her from 1983 to 1989 while she was a student at the now-shuttered school at the Thousand Oaks Baptist Church. The woman was 7 years old when she was first molested, officials said.

Posted by kshaw at 07:40 AM

Lawsuit interest reduced in priest sexual abuse case

HOLLIDAYSBURG (PA)
Altoona Mirror

By Phil Ray, pray@altoonamirror.com

HOLLIDAYSBURG — The Altoona-Johnstown Catholic Diocese must pay $202,191 in interest on punitive damages awarded to a former Altoona man who was sexually molested by a priest about 20 years ago.

The amount is a victory for the church. The attorney representing victim Michael Hutchison asked for $720,000 in interest.

Blair County Judge Hiram A. Carpenter Thursday sided with the diocese, citing a 2004 Commonwealth Court decision.

“We would be less than candid if we did not admit that we are somewhat troubled by this decision,” Carpenter said.

The civil lawsuit involving the church and former priest Francis Luddy was filed in Blair County in 1987. It has been before the state Superior and Supreme courts three times in what Carpenter called “a tortuous route.”

Posted by kshaw at 07:36 AM

Insurer sues to escape abuse claims

COLORADO
Rocky Mountain News

By Sara Burnett, Rocky Mountain News
October 6, 2006
At least 17 times, William Mueller, a former Catholic brother, lured students to private corners of the all- boys Roncalli High School, covered their faces with rags soaked in ether or chloroform, waited for them to pass out and sexually assaulted them, lawsuits filed in Pueblo district court allege.

In all, 21 former students are seeking damages from the Diocese of Pueblo and the Marianist religious order, of which Mueller was a member. All say they were victimized by Mueller, a teacher, between 1966 and 1971 at the now-closed Pueblo school owned and operated by the diocese.

Normally, a diocese's insurance policy would cover most, if not all, such claims. But in U.S. District Court this week, an insurance company the diocese says held its policies at the time of the alleged assaults argued it isn't liable.

Should some or all of the alleged victims and the North River Insurance Co. succeed in court, the Pueblo Diocese could be on the hook for millions of dollars in damages.

Posted by kshaw at 07:32 AM

Seattle U hired VP after sex suit

SEATTLE (WA)
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

By CLAUDIA ROWE
P-I REPORTER

Ten years ago, before he was hired as a vice president at Seattle University, the Rev. Tony Harris was among three priests who made repeated homosexual overtures to a young seminary student, according to allegations in a sexual harassment suit.

John Bollard, then a priest-in-training in San Francisco, said he was 25 when the persistent come-ons began. They lasted six years, until 1996, he said, and involved an invitation from one priest to cruise gay bars. Another wanted to masturbate with him. Harris sent a series of pornographic greeting cards.

"Thought this might inspire some theological thoughts," said one, depicting a fully aroused man.

The Jesuits ultimately agreed to settle the suit out of court six years ago, after the case resulted in a groundbreaking ruling and national coverage on "60 Minutes."

Posted by kshaw at 07:30 AM

Mexico begins to suspect men of cloth of covering up sex abuse

MEXICO
The Dallas Morning News

12:00 AM CDT on Friday, October 6, 2006

By LAURENCE ILIFF Mexico City Bureau

MEXICO CITY – The pedophile priest scandals that roiled the Roman Catholic Church in Dallas, Boston and Los Angeles were seen in Mexico as mostly a U.S. problem, but that's rapidly changing as parish priests and even a cardinal face new legal battles, analysts and victims' advocates say.

A lawsuit unveiled last month in Los Angeles accused Cardinal Norberto Rivera, the highest-ranking church official in Mexico, of covering up abuse in Mexico and the U.S. Since then, a priest in Puebla state has been arrested, another in Guanajuato has been sentenced to prison, and a third in Jalisco has drawn fire because of his past prison term for molesting a child.

Cardinal Rivera, a past papal candidate, has denied any wrongdoing by himself or the church. "I have always condemned these terrible acts," he said in a prepared statement.

But analysts expect a potential avalanche of new abuse cases – and the gradual end to a long tradition in which Catholic priests have enjoyed an informal immunity from prosecution. U.S. activists have identified 45 priests in Mexico who fled the U.S. after abuse allegations, including some from Texas.

"The Norberto Rivera scandal comes at a very favorable moment to show the complicity of the Catholic Church, including on an international level," said Bernardo Barranco, head of the Center for Religious Studies in Mexico, a research organization. "The image people have of priests is changing, and their immunity is disappearing."

Posted by kshaw at 07:25 AM

Court Decides if Priest Fit to Stand Trial

CANADA
CD98.9

47 victims of sexual abuse will find today if a former priest from Port Dover is fit to stand trial. 84 year-old Charles Sylvestre is scheduled to be in court today to receive results from a psychiatric assessment.

Posted by kshaw at 07:21 AM

The Foley Scandal. . .

CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Sun-Times

October 6, 2006
BY MICHAEL SNEED Sun-Times Columnist
Sneed hears rumbles that House Speaker Dennis Hastert has been advised to form an independent oversight committee to investigate the blossoming congressional page sex scandal engulfing former U.S. Congressman Mark Foley.

The oversight committee, which would be patterned after the lay review boards formed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that dealt with the shocking priest sexual abuse scandal involving minors, is being whispered as a possibility by Washington wags. The big question: Sneed hears that former Chicago FBI chief Kathleen McChesney, who headed the investigative unit of the Catholic Church's lay review board, would be willing to lend her expertise to the ongoing probe.

Stay tuned.

Posted by kshaw at 07:20 AM

Pedophile priest to stand trial

SLOVENIA
Makfax

Krsko /06/10/ 08:21

Slovenian court launched a trial of a Catholic priest, charged with pedophilia and sex abuse of underage children, some of the under 15.

Priest Carlo Mostu, the suspected child molester serving at Artice and Sromlje, will face criminal proceedings on 16 sexual assaults.

The victims had been sexually abused in cathedrals, the youngest victim was aged 8.

Posted by kshaw at 07:16 AM

October 05, 2006

Catholic Church in Colombia looks into sex abuse

COLOMBIA
Spero News

Thursday, October 05, 2006

by Martin Barillas

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bogotá, Colombia, has decided to begin a careful investigation into accusations of alleged abuses committed by its priests and gave assurances that in each case “church law will be applied to those who are found responsible” or will “defend the good name of those charged.”

After a meeting in which participated Pedro Cardinal Rubiano, the Archbishop of Bogotá, and his advisors, the archdiocese released a communiqué in which it asserts that “the Catholic Church in Bogotá is party most interested in finding out the whole truth about the deeds that are currently being debated in public and which have been directly linked to certain representatives of the Church.”

The communiqué gave assurances that the Interdiocesan Ecclesiastical Tribunal of Bogotá will be responsible for carrying out the investigation. In recent days there were reports in local media of alleged abuse of minors, supposedly carried out over several decades by a priest identified as Efraín Rozo and other clerics.

Posted by kshaw at 06:58 PM

Questions remain about resigned Rep. Foley’s claim of clergy abuse

WASHINGTON (DC)
Catholic Online

By Nancy Frazier O'Brien
10/5/2006
Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) – Much remains unclear about former Rep. Mark Foley's allegation through an attorney Oct. 3 that he was abused by a member of the clergy when he was a young teen.

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Foley, a Republican who had represented Florida's 16th district in the House since 1994, resigned his seat Sept. 29 following reports that he had sent sexually explicit e-mails and text messages to House pages who were minors.

David Roth, Foley's attorney, said at a West Palm Beach, Fla., news conference Oct. 3 that Foley wanted to name the person who had molested him when he was 13 to 15 years old, but was advised not to until he completed a 30-day treatment plan for alcoholism and mental health issues.

"I cannot comment on whether the clergyman was a priest, a minister, an imam or a rabbi," Roth said.

Posted by kshaw at 04:42 PM

Laity in Mexico express solidarity with priests faithful to mission

MEXICO
Indian Catholic

Mexico City, Oct. 04, 2006 (CNA) - In response to a sexual abuse lawsuit filed against a Mexican priest, theAbuse Tracker Council of Laity (NCL) in Mexico condemned such crimes, but expressed its solidarity with the thousands of priests who generously serve others and have nothing to do with such conduct.

In a statement, the Council expressed is “regret and indignation” over the cases of sexual abuse committed by some priests. Nevertheless, the group said, “Our hearts remain filled with joy and hope at the heroic service and generous commitment of the immense majority of our more than 14,000 priests, who we thank for their ministry and who we encourage and invite to remain faithful in their vocation of service and love to God and the Church.”

The NCL called on Mexicans to denounce cases of sexual abuse “with Christian courage and clarity,” because they are “a terrible assault on the suffering victim” and an attack against the family and all of society. “We insist that this is about a crime, and as such it should be punished according to the law, regardless of the status of the aggressor,” the statement emphasized.

Posted by kshaw at 02:28 PM

Clergy abuse film targets LA cardinal

LOS ANGELES (CA)
The Mercury News

GILLIAN FLACCUS
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - The defrocked priest is by turns remorseful and flippant as he recounts in graphic detail a lifetime of sexually abusing children. Then, near the end of "the most honest confession of my life," he turns to the movie camera to wink and smile at his victims.

Oliver O'Grady's confession is the backbone of a deeply disturbing documentary about the Roman Catholic clergy abuse crisis in one rural Northern California diocese - a tale all the more unsettling because, for the first time, it is told in the words of an abusive priest himself.

O'Grady, 61, was deported to his native Ireland in 2001 after serving seven years in state prison for molesting two brothers. He has admitted abusing at least 25 children, and cost the Diocese of Stockton millions of dollars to settle civil sexual-abuse lawsuits.

In "Deliver Us From Evil," first-time filmmaker Amy Berg uses O'Grady's lengthy narrative to question how much diocese leaders knew about those crimes and the steps they took to stop the charming young priest who was nicknamed Father Ollie.

The unrated film, which won best documentary at the Los Angeles Film Festival, opens in Los Angeles and New York on Oct. 13, with a broader release in at least 10 more markets two weeks later. It has been picked up by Lions Gate Entertainment.

Posted by kshaw at 02:24 PM

Despite campaigner’s charges, the Pope has acted against child abuse

IRELAND
One in Four

Irish Examiner

Whether everyone in the Catholic Church accepts it or not, a debt of gratitude is owed to campaigners for justice like Colm O’Gorman. By revealing their horrific stories, abuse victims have helped the Church to confront, sometimes unwillingly, a festering source of pain and shame.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin spoke for many ordinary Catholics when he declared that stories of child sexual abuse filled him with a “violent anger”.

This abuse caused incalculable damage to children and their families, and it has cost the church much credibility and moral authority. But just as bad as the abuse itself were the cover-ups involved. By bringing embarrassing cases to light a real service has been done for the Church, even if Catholics didn’t always see ti that way.

But despite the good that Colm O’Gorman has done in fighting for justice, his recent initiatives may have damaged his own credibility. In last Sunday’s BBC Panorama programme, he latched onto supposedly secret documents, threw in some stories about priests apparently being sheltered by the Vatican and emerged with a conspiracy theory leading all the way to the desk of Pope Benedict.

Posted by kshaw at 11:15 AM

Insurance company absolves itself of damages in church sex cases

DENVER (CO)
The Pueblo Chieftain

By ROBERT BOCZKIEWICZ
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
DENVER - An insurance company is contending it has no obligation to provide coverage to the Pueblo Catholic Diocese and the Marianists religious order for lawsuits filed by men who allege they were sexually abused.

The North River Insurance Co. of Morris Township, N.J., makes the contention in a new 26-page lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court.

The suit names as defendants the diocese, the Marianists Province of the United States and 22 men who have sued the diocese and the Marianists, a Catholic order which staffed Roncalli High School in Pueblo. The school closed in 1971.

Twenty-one men alleged they were sexually abused years ago by Brother William Mueller, a Roncalli teacher. One man alleged he was molested at St. Pius X Catholic Church by former priest Andrew Burke.

Posted by kshaw at 10:48 AM

New diocese abuse judge 'a breath of fresh air'

COVINGTON (KY)
The Cincinnati Post

By Paul A. Long
Post staff reporter

The new judge in the Diocese of Covington sexual abuse case wasted little time Wednesday in taking control.

Judge Robert McGinnis ordered that attorneys sever the battle over their fees and file a new lawsuit to determine whether Covington lawyer Barbara Bonar is entitled to a share of what's expected to be more than $18 million in payments to lawyers in the case.

"You understand how detestable this is to the public," said McGinnis, who regularly presides in cases in the Kentucky counties of Harrison, Pendleton, Nicholas, and Robertson.

"This gets it out of the limelight of the case. It's a distraction."

Posted by kshaw at 10:45 AM

Civil suit names Listecki, 177 other Catholic bishops

WISCONSIN
La Cross Tribune

By Joe Orso | La Crosse Tribune

The family of a Wisconsin man whose 2002 slaying later was linked to a Catholic priest has filed suit against the nation’s 178 bishops, including Jerome Listecki, the head of the Diocese of La Crosse.

Dan O’Connell and a co-worker were shot to death at O’Connell’s Hudson, Wis., funeral home in February 2002. A state court later found the Rev. Ryan Erickson of Superior, Wis., likely committed the murders because O’Connell had uncovered information about the priest molesting children.

Erickson committed suicide in December 2004 shortly after police questioned him about the killings.

The civil suit by O’Connell’s family seeks no money but demands the bishops disclose the names of about 5,000 clergy who were proven or admitted to committing sexual abuse or were credibly accused.

Posted by kshaw at 10:17 AM

Congress can't be trusted to protect pages

NEW JERSEY
The Star-Ledger

Thursday, October 05, 2006
BY MARK VINCENT SERRANO

Mark Foley is not the only one who should be punished for his predatory behavior in targeting teenagers with sexually explicit conversations online.

While Foley should be the first in line to be fully prosecuted for the actions that led to his resignation from Congress last week, other powerful congressmen who chose to look the other way need to be held accountable, also. Resigning their positions in the congressional leadership would be a start.

The inaction and possible cover-up causes one to suspect the Republican leadership was more concerned with suppressing a scandalous story about one of their own than protecting vulnerable young people who walk the halls of Congress with very powerful men and women.

Just as contemptible, however, are attempts by the opposing Democratic Party to use Foley's victims as pawns for political gain. Because this scandal involves the well-being of young people, it should not be used as a political weapon, yet the Democrats are doing exactly that while a national epidemic of child sexual exploitation continues to worsen. ...

On Tuesday, Foley's attorney announced that the ex-congressman had been sexually abused as an adolescent by a clergyman, and that Foley has never had sexual contact with a minor.

As a sex-abuse victim, Foley, of all people, should know the trauma experienced by victims of sexual assault and exploitation -- most of whom typically inflict harm only on themselves through substance abuse, suicide, and other effects, and would never fathom harming a child.

Posted by kshaw at 10:14 AM

Priest heads to prison after violating parole

DAVENPORT (IA)
Gazette

Published: 10/04/2006 10:25 AM
By: Associated Press

DAVENPORT, IA - A former Davenport-area priest has been sentenced to two months in prison for violating his probation after being released from prison on child pornography charges.

Richard Poster, 41, will also serve 120 days at a halfway house once he is released. He also was ordered to finish 31 months of treatment while being monitored with a locator device.

"I believe he has played games and stretched the rules as far as he can," Chief Judge Ronald E. Longstaff said in U.S. District Court in Davenport.

In 2004, Poster was sentenced to a year in federal prison on a charge of possessing child pornography. He was released in January 2005, and was required to take polygraph tests every six months as part of his supervised release.

Posted by kshaw at 04:49 AM

Former Priest Sentenced for Parole Violation

DAVENPORT (IA)
WHBF

DAVENPORT - A former Davenport priest will spend two months behind bars for violating his probation. 41-year-old Richard Poster was sentenced to a year in prison in 2004 for having child pornography.

After his release in January, 2005, he was required to take polygraph tests every six months. A federal probation officer says Poster gave deceptive answers during at least three of those tests, showing he violated probation.

Posted by kshaw at 04:45 AM

Clergymen to appeal extradition decision

AUSTRALIA
The West Australian

5th October 2006, 15:17 WST
Two Catholic clergymen accused of child sex offences will seek leave to appeal to the High Court after the Federal Court ordered their extradition to New Zealand.

Rodger William Moloney, 71, and Raymond Garchow, 58, are alleged to have committed sex offences against young boys in New Zealand between 1971 and 1980.

Australian Federal Police (AFP) took the pair into custody on Thursday but the men are expected to apply for bail in the High Court next week.

Their barrister, Paul Byrne, SC, indicated to the court that his clients would also seek leave to appeal to the High Court.

Posted by kshaw at 04:41 AM

Behind Closed Doors

DALLAS (TX)
Dallas Observer

By Andrea Grimes
Article Published Oct 5, 2006

As 13 people filed into the jury box of a packed Tarrant County courtroom last August, all eyes shifted from the man at the defense table to the men and women who would decide his fate. Briefly, Bishop Terry Hornbuckle fell out of the spotlight.

Onlookers must have been surprised at what they saw: nine women and four men, all white but for one black man. All middle-aged except for one 20-something woman. This was the panel that would decide if this charismatic black clergyman had raped three women. At its peak, Hornbuckle's Arlington congregation had been much more diverse than this group.

Their ordeal would last nearly five weeks, from jury selection at the end of July to Hornbuckle's sentencing at the end of August. After a record 46 hours deliberation--including the sentencing portion of the trial--they would find Hornbuckle guilty on all three counts of rape, fine him $30,000 and sentence the preacher to 15 years in prison.

Last week, one of the jurors shared her story with the Dallas Observer, providing insight into the grueling process and her struggle with "making a life-altering decision for someone else."

Julie Bice says she showed up for her first day of jury duty wearing a T-shirt that read, "Make love, not war." The 24-year-old didn't expect to make it past the first hot July day. The Fort Worth resident had just been offered a new job in Dallas and planned to move there in mid-August with her husband. But she knew she was in for the long haul when they told her the trial she'd been picked for could last until August 17. In reality, they wouldn't be released from duty until August 28.

Posted by kshaw at 04:35 AM

Pedophiliac ex-priest dies in hospice care

ST. LOUIS (MO)
Post-Dispatch

By Tim Townsend
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
10/04/2006

A former Roman Catholic priest and admitted pedophile from Iowa living in St. Louis died last week in a St. Charles hospice.

David Montgomery, a spokesman for the Davenport diocese, said William Wiebler died Friday of heart complications at 78. Montgomery said Wiebler's body would be cremated in St. Louis today and his ashes would be transferred for burial in his hometown of Fort Madison, Iowa. Wiebler did not want a funeral Mass, Montgomery said. Relatives in Iowa did not return a call for comment.

Wiebler exemplified the difficulty the Catholic church has faced in controlling abusive priests whose crimes against minors occurred beyond the statute of limitations and who refuse to submit voluntarily for treatment.

Posted by kshaw at 04:29 AM

Buddhist priest busted for child prostitution

JAPAN
Mainichi Daily News

NIIGATA -- A Buddhist priest was arrested Thursday for paying girls to have sex with him early last year, police said.

Masashi Ikarashi, 37, a resident of Agano, Niigata Prefecture, is accused of violating the anti-child prostitution and pornography law.

Posted by kshaw at 04:27 AM

Congressman forfeited right to privacy when he crossed the line of decency

FLORIDA
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Howard Goodman

Three years ago, when confronted with "revolting and unforgiving" reports that he is gay, Mark Foley angrily held a news conference to say he deserved to keep his private life private.

"Elected officials, even those who run for the United States Senate, must have some level of privacy," the Republican congressman declared.

And most in the media complied.

Just as leaders in the House of Representatives apparently dealt with "overly friendly e-mails" with, at most, a word of warning.

Hey, no sense disturbing the man's privacy. ...

Foley wants us to know that he was molested as a teen by an anonymous clergyman. But since when does everyone who's molested in turn get to take an unhealthy interest in children?

"It's very rare, actually," said Barbara Blaine, president of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), from Chicago.

"The overwhelming majority of abuse victims hurt themselves, not others," added David Clohessy, SNAP national director, from St. Louis, "through self-destructive behavior, criminal behavior, isolation, addictions and so on."

Posted by kshaw at 04:24 AM

Spokane diocese building sold to raise money to pay creditors

SPOKANE (WA)
The Seattle Times

By John K. Wiley
The Associated Press

SPOKANE, Wash. — The company that owns The Spokesman-Review newspaper was the successful bidder Wednesday on the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane.

Centennial Properties Inc., a wholly owned real-estate subsidiary of Cowles Co., agreed to pay $2.05 million for the three-story building next to the newspaper's parking garage and production plant.

The building, known as the Chancery or Catholic Pastoral Center, houses offices of Bishop William Skylstad. It was sold to help raise money to pay bankruptcy creditors, mainly victims of clergy sex abuse.

The sale is conditional upon approval by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Posted by kshaw at 04:20 AM

Worshipers unveil financial fracas

FLORIDA
Palm Beach Post

By Lona O'Connor
Palm Beach Post Religion Writer

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Parishioners at St. Patrick Catholic Church tried for more than a year in the early 1990s to get diocesan officials to investigate the Rev. Francis Benedict Guinan's management of parish finances, according to correspondence released to The Palm Beach Post. Viewed as a whole, the correspondence paints a portrait of a parish torn by rumor and suspicion.

Ultimately, then-Bishop Keith Symons and his financial officer backed Guinan and told the parishioners to drop the matter.

In 2003, Guinan was transferred from the Palm Beach Gardens church to St. Vincent Ferrer parish in Delray Beach, where he succeeded his close friend, the Rev. John Skehan, as pastor.

Last week, authorities charged Skehan and Guinan with misappropriating nearly $8.6 million from St. Vincent coffers and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on travel, gambling, rare coins and girlfriends. Both men are charged with grand theft. Skehan, St. Vincent's pastor for 40 years, has been released on $40,000 bond; authorities are negotiating Guinan's return to Florida after he completes a vacation to Australia.

Posted by kshaw at 04:18 AM

Priest fit for trial, doctor finds

CANADA
The Windsor Star

Trevor Wilhelm, Windsor Star
Published: Thursday, October 05, 2006
A court-appointed psychiatrist has determined pedophile priest Charles Sylvestre -- once known as Father Feeler in the parishes and school grounds of the London diocese -- is mentally fit to face justice for sexually abusing 47 girls.

But that doesn't necessarily mean he will.

"The victims were told the opinion of the psychiatrist is that Sylvestre is fit," said Chatham-Kent Crown attorney Paul Bailey.

"It doesn't mean he has been found fit.

"I don't know if there will be a fitness hearing."

A court-appointed psychiatrist was asked last month to evaluate Sylvestre, 84, after his lawyer, Andrew Bradie, made the surprise revelation that his own psychiatrist had determined the retired priest was mentally unfit to face criminal proceedings.

Posted by kshaw at 04:14 AM

Pastor pleads guilty to sex abuse charges

PLAINVILLE (IL)
Quincy Herald-Whig

Herald-Whig Staff Writer

The pastor of a Plainville church has pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Greene County and will be sentenced next month.

Jeffrey D. Heberlein, 43, pleaded guilty Sept. 22 to having sexual contact with a girl under the age of 16, three days before his trial was scheduled to begin in Carrollton. The plea came four days after a judge denied a motion to suppress a written statement made by Heberlein when he was arrested on Aug. 10, 2005.

In that statement, Heberlein confessed to fondling and having sexual contact on several occasions with a girl who lived next door. Greene County State's Attorney Matthew Goetten said the incidents occurred in 2003 and 2004, when the girl was 14 and 15.

Posted by kshaw at 04:07 AM

Regina won't close over lawsuits

IOWA
Iowa City Press-Citizen

By Rob Daniel
Iowa City Press-Citizen

Officials at the Regina Catholic Education Center are working to diffuse rumors that payments to settle sexual abuse lawsuits against the school and a former principal could force the school to close.

Regina administrators and board members held informational meetings with parents Tuesday and Wednesday to assure them the Iowa City Catholic school will not be closed. Some parents are concerned the school could be forced to close if a large financial settlement has to be made to settle three lawsuits against Regina High, the Catholic Diocese of Davenport and Lawrence Soens, who served as Regina High's first principal from 1958 to 1967.

"If your kids are going to Regina, you're concerned about the long-term viability of the school," said Lee Iben, chairman of the Regina Board of Education. "Parents are concerned, as they have a right to be. But there's no intent of (the school being closed) happening at all."

Posted by kshaw at 04:04 AM

From Foley To Homophobia

TomPaine.com

Florida Republican Mark Foley made sexual overtures to teenage pages over whom he had authority. To conservatives, this scandal isn't about Foley abusing his position of power or lacking impulse control. This isn't about those who were in a position to stop Foley dismissing his behavior as harmless. This is about Foley being gay. Because straight men never sexually abuse children, never sexually harass subordinates nor use their positions of power for sexual fulfillment (cough, Bill Clinton, cough).

Just like they did when the Catholic priest sexual abuse scandal broke, conservatives are trying to make the Mark Foley scandal into Exhibit A for why homosexuality is immoral. The People for the American Way reports that right-wing morality guru Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council has said of the scandal, “When you hold up tolerance and diversity, this is what you end up getting.” And that the real problem here is “the link between homosexuality and child sexual abuse ... Ignoring this reality got the Catholic Church into trouble over abusive priests, and now it is doing the same to the House GOP leadership."

As was the case with the Catholic Church, Foley's sexual orientation has nothing to do with what he did. First off, what Foley engaged in is not, as many are calling it, pedophilia. A pedophile is sexually attracted to young children. There is no evidence of this pattern of attraction with Foley. (A person attracted to postpubescent youths is more correctly called an ephebophile.) More significantly, there is no evidence to support the dangerous myth that a link exists between homosexuality and sexual abuse of children. Most known sex offenders, even if they engage in same-sex acts, are heterosexual .

Posted by kshaw at 04:00 AM

The Religious Right's Foley Confabulation

U.S. News & World Report

Bonnie Erbe

Of all the reactions to the Foley case, here's my personal favorite: Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, he the leader of the über-right, Onward Christian soldier" league, used the occasion to (what else?) bash gays and promote the "link between homosexuality and child sexual abuse."

Forget about House Speaker Dennis Hastert's characterization of some of the now disgraced former Representative Foley's E-mails to teen male pages as "overly friendly." Forget about former Representative Foley's admission that he was sexually abused by a priest as a young teen. These were not Perkins's most pressing concerns. In fact, he wrote, the GOP leadership's laissez-faire attitude toward Foley E-mail exchanges with House pages wasn't the real issue. The real issue, in Perkins-Land, anyway, is that. Foley's now public E-mail perversions would not have besmirched the Republican Party had Washington not fallen prey to "pro-homosexual activists." Puh-leeze!!!

Posted by kshaw at 03:58 AM

Former Iowa priest, admitted abuser, dies

ST. LOUIS (MO)
Gazette

Published: 10/04/2006 5:34 PM
By: Associated Press - Associated Press
ST. LOUIS, MO - A former Roman Catholic priest from Iowa who had admitted abusing minors, has died at a St. Louis-area hospice, the Davenport, Iowa, diocese confirmed today.

William Wiebler, who had lived in the St. Louis suburb, University City, for the last two years, after voluntarily leaving a Missouri treatment center, died Friday of heart complications, diocesan spokesman Deacon David Montgomery said. He was 78.

He was to be cremated Thursday, his ashes buried in Fort Madison, Iowa, his birthplace, according to his wishes, Montgomery said. He also asked not to have a funeral Mass, a traditional Roman Catholic rite of the dead.

Posted by kshaw at 03:55 AM

Abuse network chief to Foley: Name your attacker

FLORIDA
Miami Herald

BY LARRY LEBOWITZ
llebowitz@MiamiHerald.com
The director of a national network of sexual abuse victims called on disgraced former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley of Palm Beach County to identify his alleged perpetrator to local law enforcement.

''He should contact law enforcement regardless of how long ago the crime took place. Like any victim, there's a civic and moral duty to do this, especially for someone who is a lawmaker. He's a public official,'' said David Clohessy, director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

Attorney David Roth, speaking on Foley's behalf at a West Palm Beach news conference Tuesday, said the former congressman was molested between the ages of 13 and 15 by a clergyman.

Roth said the 52-year-old Foley, now in seclusion for treatment for alcoholism, kept the molestation secret for more than 30 years because of ``shame.''

Roth declined to identify the clergyman or the church.

Posted by kshaw at 03:52 AM

`Secret' Vatican document public

UNITED KINGDOM
The Brunei Times

05-Oct-06

A CLAIM by the BBC that Pope Benedict XVI was implicated in a coverup of child sex abuse by Catholic priests was based on a Vatican document described as ``secret'' in a weekend documentary that was published in the United States in 2003.

American lawyers disclosed the 1962 document, ``Crimen Sollicitationis'' (the crime of solicitation), referred in the BBC's ``Panorama'' program, at a time when the US Roman Catholic Church was rocked by a scandal involving pedophile priests.

The text dating from the papacy of John XXIII called on bishops to investigate ``in the most secret way'' cases of priests taking advantage of their position to commit sexual abuse.

Silence was required of everyone, including victims.

Posted by kshaw at 03:50 AM

The Mark Foley Scandal and the Catholic Church

LOS ANGELES (CA)
The Huffington Post

Los Angeles, October 4, 2006. The following is a statement issued by Amy Berg, director of the film, Deliver Us From Evil:

As the details of the Mark Foley scandal unfold, I am struck by the chilling similarities between the behavior of the Catholic Church and what we are seeing right now with the leadership of the U.S. Congress.

My documentary film, Deliver Us From Evil, will open in theaters in Los Angeles and New York and Boston on October 13, and then nationwide on October 27. The film is the true account of Father Oliver O'Grady, the most notorious pedophile in the history of the modern Catholic Church. Despite warning signs and complaints, the Church played an elaborate shell game for years, moving O'Grady from parish to parish in an effort to avoid liability and responsibility. The consequences of their actions were tragic.

The Catholic Church would like us to believe that the clergy abuse scandals are behind us. "Old news" they say. But with the revelation that Mark Foley was sexually molested as a teenager by a member of the clergy, this issue is clearly not behind us. It is not old news. We don't know the full extent of Foley's abuse as a teenager, but we see clearly how the long term effects of this kind of exploitation, which took place nearly 40 years ago, is causing havoc today in the lives of many people. It may even play a pivotal role in a national election.

Posted by kshaw at 03:48 AM

Former Bishop Offers Apology for Letter

WHEELING (WV)
The Intelligencer & Wheeling News-Register

By MICHELLE BLUM With AP Dispatches

WHEELING — Bishop Emeritus Bernard W. Schmitt said he regrets submitting a letter of support for Wheeling businessman Richard Mansuetto, who was convicted of possessing child pornography.

“I had the best intentions when providing my pastoral opinion about Mr. Mansuetto, but I proceeded with very poor judgment,” Schmitt stated Wednesday. “Even though I was not trying to prove the defendant innocent of his crime, I should have been more aware of the harmful effects that a person in my position could cause due to my letter.”

Schmitt, the retired bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, recently submitted a letter vouching for Mansuetto, 64, who pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing hundreds of images of children engaged in sexual acts.

Schmitt, 78, was among a half-dozen high-profile community leaders who testified or wrote letters on behalf of Mansuetto, who is now battling bladder cancer.

Posted by kshaw at 03:44 AM

Palm Beach diocese has one of nation's worst records

FLORIDA
TCPalm

By THOMAS HARGROVE AND MICHELLE SHELDONE
staff writers
October 5, 2006
The Catholic diocese for Palm Beach County, where former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley lived almost 40 years ago when he said a clergyman sexually abused him, has one of the nation's worst records of sexual misconduct by priests and bishops.

The Diocese of Palm Beach, which includes Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties, is the only diocese in the United States to suffer the forced consecutive resignations of two bishops — Keith Symons in 1998 and Anthony O'Connell in 2002 — following disclosures of inappropriate sexual contact with boys or young men.

Criminal complaints and sex abuse-related lawsuits have named another nine priests who served in the Palm Beach diocese, according to BishopAccountability.org, a Boston group that monitors abuse claims against Catholic clergy.

"Palm Beach is certainly among the most troubled dioceses in terms of clergy sex- abuse cases," said David Clohessy, director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

"Most victims never disclose their victimization. Those who do, often make their disclosure in a crisis," Clohessy said.

Posted by kshaw at 03:38 AM

Congressman Mark Foley's Disgrace and Resignation: What Congress Should Have Learned - And Didn't - From the Catholic Church Clergy Abuse Scandal

UNITED STATES
FindLaw

By MARCI HAMILTON

Thursday, Oct. 05, 2006

On September 30, notoriously, Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) resigned from Congress after evidence surfaced to show that Foley had sent highly inappropriate instant messages to a teenage boy who is a former congressional page.

Foley, of course, isn't the only one in trouble: Congressional leaders are in very hot water too. Neither House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) nor his staff acted on information about Foley's transgression. And others in the Republican leadership who knew Foley was a potential problem, yet failed to act decisively, include House Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-OH); John Shimkus (R-IL), head of the Page Board; Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-LA), whose page was involved; and Rep. Thomas Reynolds (R-NY), chair of the House Republican campaign organization.

Not a single one of these five Republicans did anything more than tell Foley to behave himself - even though they were all hearing reports suggesting the Congressman was conversing with children on the web in disturbing ways. Appallingly, they even allowed Foley to remain as Chairman of the Missing and Exploited Children Caucus.

To its credit, the right-leaning Washington Times has called for Hastert's removal - taking a clear stand that the need to combat pedophilia is a value that transcends petty concerns of political interest. Hastert deserves whatever he gets, as far as I'm concerned, but no one, least of all the Republicans, should think they can get out from under this scandal by scapegoating a few in their leadership.

Posted by kshaw at 03:36 AM

Foley fallout at church

FLORIDA
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

By Lois Solomon and Nancy L. Othón
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted October 5 2006

He never said a priest did it.

Yet Mark Foley's revelation, through his attorney, that a clergyman molested him when he was a teenager naturally led to both speculation about who may have abused him and protests about Foley's failure to say who did it.

The popular and well-known Foley, who resigned from Congress on Friday in disgrace after the disclosure of sexually suggestive online contact with teenage congressional pages, is a devout Catholic who worshiped at Sacred Heart in Lake Worth and attended Cardinal Newman High School for one year. His faith and his relationship with the schools are well established in the community, causing some to wonder where the abuse occurred and whether it was at the hands of priest.

The molestation allegation was broadcast on national television during a news conference Tuesday by Foley's attorney David Roth.

"Let's hypothesize that Mark Foley was abused by a clergyman," said Bill Brooks, a former priest who has known Foley since Foley attended Cardinal Newman in 1969. "Then name him. Why should we cast a cloud of suspicion over the many good people who worked as clergy 35 years ago?"

Posted by kshaw at 03:33 AM

King: It's like priest scandal

WASHINGTON (DC)
Newsday

WASHINGTON BUREAU; J. Jioni Palmer

October 5, 2006

WASHINGTON - Seaford Republican Peter King said Mark Foley's raunchy electronic communications remind him of the sexual abuse scandal that rocked the Catholic Church, in which priests who abused underage congregants were moved from parish to parish rather than dismissed.

"As a member of Congress I feel the same toward what Foley did as I did as a Catholic when I found out what the bishop and priests did," King said.

But King stopped short of calling for House Speaker Dennis Hastert to resign, as have several leading conservative voices, including The Washington Times.

Posted by kshaw at 03:31 AM

The death of manliness

UNITED STATES
WorldNetDaily

Posted: October 5, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern

Hans Zeiger

Mark Foley is a sick man in a sick culture. He apparently was abused by a priest as a child, and then he, too, abused House pages (how extensively is uncertain) before it ruined him. By the way, as his attorney affirmed on Tuesday, Mark Foley "is a gay man."

Aside from the political tides generated by Foley's resignation, there are much larger cultural tsunamis swashing round.

The Foley scandal intensifies the strain on relationships between youth and adults. It is particularly damaging for relations between old men and young men, or between men and boys, or between young men and boys. Not only must we be concerned by the crusty old man getting too close with the delicate young lady, we must now be appalled by a male congressman who sets friendly terms with his male page. Where once a fraternal fellowship was revered in the rise and passage of generations, there is a gap. We must be suspect of a man who wishes to spend time with youth in our age, because he is likely out for abduction.

Posted by kshaw at 03:28 AM

Assertion by Foley Angers Victims of Abuse by Clergymen

UNITED STATES
The New York Times

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: October 5, 2006
Former Representative Mark Foley’s declaration that he was sexually abused as a teenager by a cleric has angered many victims of sexual abuse by clergy members, who say that being victimized as a youth is no excuse for victimizing others.

If Mr. Foley was abused, they said, he has a responsibility to report his abuser to the police immediately and to identify the cleric publicly.

“You certainly don’t wait,” said Peter Isely, a clinical social worker in Minneapolis who was abused by a priest as a teenager and is an official of a national advocacy group for victims. “It’s extremely important that the secrecy be pierced immediately, because there could be kids at risk.”

Posted by kshaw at 03:24 AM

October 04, 2006

Kilkenny cleric lived the high life on parishioners' funds

IRELAND
Kilkenny Advertiser

By Naoise O' Donovan Coogan

A 79 year old Kilkenny priest has been arrested and released on bail following the discovery that he and a clerical friend allegedly embezzled a Florida parish out of 8.6 million dollars, collected in offerings and donations from parishioners over 40 years.

Former priests John Skehan, from Johnstown, County Kilkenny and Francis Guinan (63), from Mounthenry, Birr, Co Offaly were both charged with grand theft of over $100,000.

Father Skehan, who was pastor at St Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach for four decades, was arrested at Palm Beach International Airport as he returned from a trip to Kilkenny just last week.

Newspaper reports claim that both priests, Irish-born and friends for some 30 years, are accused of directing staff to make bank deposits in amounts of less than $10,000 to avoid notice and detection of their scam.

Posted by kshaw at 07:52 AM

Mexican priest detained, accused of raping boy

MEXICO
San Francisco Chronicle

By LISA J. ADAMS, Associated Press Writer

Tuesday, October 3, 2006

(10-03) 19:24 PDT MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AP) --

A Mexican Roman Catholic priest was detained on charges that he raped a 9-year-old boy seven years ago, authorities confirmed Tuesday.

Rafael Perez Sanchez was taken into custody Saturday in the community of San Rafael Tlanalapan in the central state of Puebla, the Puebla state Attorney General's Office said in a news release.

Perez, whose age was not given, is accused of the rape of a minor at the priest's residence over the Christmas holidays in 1999, the news release said.

The boy's mother and father were good friends with Perez, and as a result, the minor initially was afraid to tell them what happened, police said. He finally did in 2003, and his parents immediately filed a complaint.

Posted by kshaw at 07:43 AM

Church Abuse-Lawsuit

WHEELING (WV)
WVVA

WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) -- The nation's Roman Catholic bishops, including West Virginia's Michael Bransfield, have been named in a lawsuit seeking the disclosure of names and locations of clergy accused of molesting children.

The lawsuit was filed in August by the family of a Wisconsin man believed to have been killed by a Roman Catholic priest.

A judge ruled last year there was probable cause that the Reverend Ryan Erickson shot Daniel O'Connell and James Ellison at the O'Connell family's northwestern Wisconsin funeral home.

In the suit, O'Connell's family asked for all documents from the bishops and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops regarding molestation to be released to law enforcement.

Bryan Minor is a spokesman for the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. He says Bransfield was served with the lawsuit last week and that the matter has been referred to diocese lawyers.

Posted by kshaw at 07:39 AM

194 bishops named in lawsuit

PENNSYLVANIA
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

By Paul Peirce
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, October 4, 2006

Relatives of a Wisconsin man who was murdered in 2002 when he planned to confront a Roman Catholic priest about child molestation have sued 194 American Catholic bishops to force public disclosure of accused priests.

Bishop Lawrence Brandt, of the Greensburg diocese; Bishop Joseph Adamec, of the Altoona-Johnstown diocese; and Bishop Kevin Rhoades, of the Harrisburg diocese, are among the first three bishops in the state to be served with the summonses.

The lawsuit, which seeks no monetary damages, was filed in August in St. Croix County Circuit Court, Wis., according to Jeff Anderson, a St. Paul, Minn., attorney handling the case.

The lawsuit was filed by the family of Daniel O'Connell, a Hudson funeral director who was killed along with one of his workers in February 2002. A state court later found that the Rev. Ryan Erickson likely committed the crime.

Posted by kshaw at 07:37 AM

Prelate's service draws protests

HARRISBURG (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

By David O'Reilly
Inquirer Staff Writer
HARRISBURG - Advocates for tougher sex abuse laws picketed the Diocese of Harrisburg's annual "Red Mass" for jurists and lawmakers yesterday, protesting its homilist as a strident foe of legislation that child sex abuse victims are seeking.

The homilist, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver, "is a hero to the bishops but not to us," said Paul Keller, who drove from Boston to carry photos of young abuse victims outside St. Lawrence Chapel near the statehouse.

Three other demonstrators - including two from Philadelphia - handed out literature arguing that Chaput was hostile to victims and their advocates.

In April, Chaput led a strident but successful campaign to thwart Colorado legislation that would have given adult victims of child sex abuse a one-year "window" of opportunity to sue their abusers.

Posted by kshaw at 07:35 AM

Convicted priest in jail for violating probation

WISCONSIN
WBAY

A retired Catholic priest accused of molesting two boys on retreats in southern Wisconsin in the late 1960s is in jail for violating terms of his probation.

State corrections spokesman John Dipko says 76-year-old Donald McGuire violated his 20-year probation by failing to complete "offense related" programs. McGuire was arrested last week. He's currently in the Walworth County Jail.

Dipko says the state plans to file probation revocation papers this week.

Posted by kshaw at 07:24 AM

Ex-choir member is accused in sex case

PROVO (UT)
Deseret Morning News

PROVO — A former member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is accused of sexually exploiting four children.
The Orem man, 51, was arrested Thursday after police completed an investigation into allegations that he took pictures of four boys swimming naked at a hot springs in Spanish Fork Canyon.
He was booked into the Utah County Jail for investigation of sexual exploitation of a child and lewdness involving a child. He was released Friday after posting $25,000 bail.
The man has also been dismissed from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, a world-renowned choir sponsored by the LDS Church.
"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has just learned of the arrest of (a man) who joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in January 2006," said Dale Bills, spokesman for the LDS Church.

Posted by kshaw at 07:21 AM

Church sex case under advisement; Judge to review legal arguments, definitions

PINEVILLE (MO)
Neosho Daily News

By John Ford
Daily News Associate Editor
Published: Tuesday, October 3, 2006 10:25 PM CDT

PINEVILLE - After more than two hours of testimony from two alleged victims, a Newton County judge has taken the case against two McDonald County church leaders accused of child sexual abuse under advisement.

Judge Greg Stremel said Monday afternoon he wanted to review a court transcript of testimony before deciding whether Raymond Lambert, his wife, Patty, and two other leaders of the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church will go to trial.

Stremel said he wanted to hear more arguments from both sides on how sexual offenses were defined by state law during the mid-1990s, when some of the acts allegedly took place.

The hearing was held at 1 p.m. Monday in the McDonald County Circuit Courtroom. The case was reassigned to Stremel from McDonald County Associate Circuit Court Judge John LePage after a request by prosecutors Steve Geeding and Dan Bagley.

Posted by kshaw at 07:17 AM

Deacon’s wife charged in abuse case

SPRINGFIELD (MO)
The Kansas City Star

By MARCUS KABEL
The Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD | The wife of a church deacon has become the sixth person charged in a widening case of alleged sex abuse of young girls at two southwest Missouri church communes.

Laura Epling faces one count of statutory sodomy for allegedly helping a church pastor abuse a girl a few years ago when the girl was 15 or 16 years old. The charge was filed Monday in McDonald County.

Laura Epling is the wife of Tom Epling, one of five leaders of two affiliated church communities who face multiple felony counts including statutory sodomy. Prosecutors allege a pattern of sexual abuse going back to the late 1970s against six girls.

Laura Epling could not be reached Tuesday for comment. No plea had been entered yet. The five other church leaders have all pleaded not guilty.

Posted by kshaw at 07:13 AM

Suit Alleges Jesuits Sat On Sex Abuse Information

CHICAGO (IL)
CBS 2

(STNG) A civil suit filed in Cook County Circuit Court Tuesday claims that the Chicago order of Jesuits took no action on information they had on the sexual abuse of students at Loyola University and Loyola Academy in Wilmette over the past four decades.

The three plaintiffs named in the suit, Victor Bender, Brian Wolff and Diane Ruhl, are all adults who claim they were sexually molested by priests and teachers at the Jesuit-run institutions.

The suit claims the Chicago Province of Jesuits, Loyola University and Loyola Academy all "have information about a number of suspected child molesting agents that it has never disclosed to law enforcement or the public at large, causing people such as the plaintiffs to be harmed as children or vulnerable young adults."

Posted by kshaw at 07:10 AM

Film about ex-Lodi priest arrives in Lodi late October

LODI (CA)
News-Sentinel

By Ross Farrow
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

A documentary about former Lodi priest Oliver O'Grady's life as a pedophile will be shown in Lodi beginning Oct. 27. The movie, "Deliver Us From Evil," will be shown at Lodi Stadium 12, according to a publicist for Lions Gate Entertainment.

Oliver O'GradyThe film, which debuted in June at the Los Angeles Film Festival, features film director Amy Berg's interview with O'Grady, who has lived in his native Ireland since being deported in 2000.

In the interview, O'Grady discusses in graphic terms his years of sexually abusing children, according to the film's Web site.

Berg told Newsweek recently that she talked to O'Grady by phone for five months about discussing his sexual abuse problems on camera. She finally went to Ireland and interview him.

Posted by kshaw at 07:07 AM

Attorney: Foley was molested as a teen

FLORIDA
Palm Beach Daily News

By MICHELE DARGAN
Daily News Staff Writer

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley was molested between the ages of 13 and 15 by a clergyman, his attorney David Roth said Tuesday, but would not say where, when or by whom the molestation took place.

At a late afternoon news conference, Roth said Foley "never had inappropriate sexual contact with a minor." He also said Foley wants everyone to know he is "a gay man."

Roth repeatedly was asked about the religious affiliation, the identity and the location of the person who molested Foley. Roth said Foley never spoke about the incident before because of "shame, shame."

"I cannot comment on whether the clergyman was a priest, a minister, an imam or a rabbi or any of the various religions in the world, which I understand are way more than 300," Roth said.

Posted by kshaw at 07:05 AM

Foley: I was molested

WEST PALM BEACH (FL)
Palm Beach Post

By Brian E. Crowley
Palm Beach Post Political Editor

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

WEST PALM BEACH — Former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley says a clergyman molested him when he was a teenager in the 1960s.

Foley made the announcement Tuesday through his attorney, David Roth, who also said Foley "wants you to know that he is a gay man." It was the first time in nearly 30 years of public life that Foley has declared openly that he is gay.

The twin announcements, made outside the West Palm Beach Library, started another jarring chapter in a saga that began Friday when Foley was forced to resign from Congress in disgrace because of sexually explicit instant messages he exchanged with teenage boys who had worked as congressional pages.

The alleged molestation of Foley took place between the ages of 13 and 15, said Roth, who did not name the clergyman, the denomination or where the sexual contacts took place.

Posted by kshaw at 07:03 AM

Foley's lawyer: Former congressman was molested as teen

FLORIDA
Naples Daily News

Wednesday, October 4, 2006

By Thomas Hargrove, Amie Parnes

Former Congressman Mark Foley was molested by a member of the clergy when he was a teenager but “continues to offer no excuse whatsoever” for sending sexually explicit online messages to teenage boys who worked as congressional pages, his lawyer said Tuesday.

David Roth, Foley’s lawyer, said the disgraced former lawmaker was abused between the ages of 13 and 15 but would not name the clergyman or the church where the molestation occurred.

Roth said Foley “does not blame the trauma he sustained as a young adolescent for his totally inappropriate e-mails” and online messages. “He continues to offer no excuse whatsoever for his conduct.”

The lawyer continued to deny that Foley was a pedophile.

Posted by kshaw at 06:55 AM

Speaking Out On Clergy Abuse

HARTFORD (CT)
Hartford Courant

October 4, 2006
By FRANCES GRANDY TAYLOR, Courant Religion Writer

It felt strange to be standing in front of St. Augustine's Church again, Norm Cormier said Tuesday. More than 30 years ago, Cormier was a student at the Hartford parish's school when the Rev. Daniel McSheffery was the director. Cormier said McSheffery molested him over a two-year period when he was 12 years old, telling him not to tell anyone "because no one will believe you."

After years of silence, Cormier, 47, decided to come forward when he began hearing press reports about others who said McSheffery had molested them. "At that point I realized that I was not his only victim. After living in silence for 34 years, I decided to stand up to this perpetrator and make my voice known."

Cormier recently settled out of court with the Archdiocese of Hartford for an undisclosed amount. On Tuesday, he was joined by several members of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) to urge other victims to come forward, and to call for a change in the law that would lift the statute of limitations on when criminal charges can be brought in cases of sexual abuse of minors.

Posted by kshaw at 06:48 AM

Jesuits urged to give full disclosure on sex abuse

SPOKANE (WA)
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

By JOHN IWASAKI
P-I REPORTER

Elsie Boudreau said she was only 10 when a Jesuit priest, now retired and living in Spokane, first molested her in Alaska.

The abuse ended when she was 19 after "I wrote a letter to him and told him I never wanted to be alone with him," said Boudreau, now 38 and living in Anchorage. "He admitted everything."

Boudreau, who won a $1 million settlement in 2005 after filing a lawsuit for alleged abuse, appeared Tuesday in Seattle with lawyers and other victim advocates to demand that Jesuit authorities in the Northwest "come clean."

Posted by kshaw at 06:46 AM

Abuse victims seek release of accused priests' names

SEATTLE (WA)
The Seattle Times

By Janet I. Tu
Seattle Times staff reporter

At a news conference Tuesday near the entrance of Seattle University, victims of abuse by priests, and victims' attorneys and supporters, urged local Jesuit leaders to disclose the names of all Jesuits in the region with solid accusations of abuse against them.

They called on the leaders, including the Rev. Stephen Sundborg, president of the Jesuit university, and a former head of Jesuits in the Northwest, "to finally, simply, once and for all come clean," said David Clohessy, executive director of the national Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

"We believe this simple step ... will go very far" toward safeguarding children and helping heal those who've been abused, Clohessy said.

Posted by kshaw at 06:43 AM

October 03, 2006

Sex crimes and the Vatican

UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News

A secret document which sets out a procedure for dealing with child sex abuse scandals within the Catholic Church is examined by Panorama.

Crimen Sollicitationis was enforced for 20 years by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before he became the Pope.

It instructs bishops on how to deal with allegations of child abuse against priests and has been seen by few outsiders.

Critics say the document has been used to evade prosecution for sex crimes.

Read the confidential document
Read an interpretation of the document
Read a transcript of the film
Get free help
Send your messages about this film and read those sent by other visitors to the site

Posted by kshaw at 07:11 PM

BBC News

UNITED KINGDOM

Panorama, the BBC program that alleges a Vatican cover-up of sexual abuse of minors, can be seen at this site.

Posted by kshaw at 06:51 PM

Statement concerning sexual abuse of minors by Jesuits

SEATTLE (WA)
Seattle University

October 3, 2006

The act of child sex abuse is a horrible crime. Sexual abuse perpetrated by a priest is a very difficult issue for our community to face and understand, but it is important that we do so with openness, resolve and compassion.

Seattle University will always disclose the names of any priest, living or deceased, whom we have reason to believe has sexually abused minors. Seattle University has zero-tolerance for sexual abuse of a minor. There are no Jesuits on this campus who have been alleged or accused of child sex abuse.

Seattle University is aware of two priests, both deceased who taught at the university, and abused minors: Michael Toulouse, S.J., who was a faculty member from 1950 until his death in 1976, and the other we learned about very recently is a priest who taught at the university and abused a minor in California. Seattle University is in the process of notifying affected parties and we will immediately release his name once the notification is completed.

Posted by kshaw at 06:44 PM

Jesuits urged to divulge names of abusing priests

SEATTLE (WA)
Seattle Times

Seattle Times staff

At a news conference today at the entrance of Seattle University, victims of abuse by priests, and victims' attorneys and supporters urged local Jesuit leaders to disclose the names of all Jesuits in the region who have been credibly accused of abuse.

They asked Jesuit leaders, including the Rev. Stephen Sundborg, president of the Jesuit-run Seattle University, and a former leader of the Jesuit province in the Northwest, "to finally, simply, once and for all to come clear," said David Clohessy, executive director of the national Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

"We believe this simple step "will go very far" toward safeguarding children from abuse now and help heal the wounds of those who've been abused, Clohessy said.

Posted by kshaw at 06:42 PM

Back at you, Santorum

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Globe

By Brian McGrory, Globe Columnist | October 3, 2006

Please allow me to offer Senator Rick Santorum a hearty Boston welcome to the world of the depraved.

It wasn't all that long ago when Santorum, a conservative Republican from Pennsylvania, was blaming our entire city and seemingly every resident within it for the Catholic priest pedophile scandal that was unraveling all across the country.

Those were dark days, here and elsewhere, though we were fortunate enough to have someone like Santorum shed a little bit of his moralistic light. Specifically, here's what he wrote:

``When the culture is sick, every element in it becomes infected. While it is no excuse for this scandal, it is no surprise that Boston, a seat of academic, political, and cultural liberalism in America, lies at the center of the storm."

A Santorum spokesman was kind enough to provide even more clarity last year, telling me, ``It's an open secret that you have Harvard University and MIT that tend to tilt to the left in terms of academic biases. I think that's what the senator was speaking to."

So do I. Priests rape young boys, the church hierarchy hushes it up for years, and academics and other assorted Democrats in Boston are to blame. That fact should be obvious to anyone with half a brain, which I think Santorum may have.

So, of course, I find it surprising -- no, make that shocking -- that the center of the storm has shifted from Boston to, of all places, Capitol Hill, and not just any part of Capitol Hill but specifically the offices of the Republican congressional leadership.

The scandal in Washington so mirrors what's happened in Boston and other Catholic dioceses the nation over to the point of being surreal. A rank-and-file member of an organization does wrong by a minor. The hierarchy, in turn, does nothing. Now, rather than a priest, it's a 52-year-old Republican congressman -- or make that a former congressman, given Mark Foley's resignation on Friday. Foley, by the way, has pulled the Patrick Kennedy defense, checking himself into rehab, as if everyone is supposed to applaud the courage of self-awareness.

Posted by kshaw at 06:34 PM

Foley Says He Was Abused

FLORIDA
National Journal

Former Rep. Mark Foley says he was abused by a member of the clergy at age 13, though he does not blame his current troubles on "the trauma he sustained as a young adolescent," his lawyer, David Roth, told the press today.

"As is so often the case with victims of abuse, Mark advises that he kept his shame to himself," Roth said.

"Mark explicitly reaffirms his acceptance of responsibility and remorse. He reiterates unequivocally that he has never had sexual conduct with a minor."

Posted by kshaw at 06:30 PM

Attorney: Foley was molested as teen by clergyman

WEST PALM BEACH (FL)
Palm Beach Post

By Brian E. Crowley
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

WEST PALM BEACH — Former Congressman Mark Foley was molested by a clergyman from the time he was 13 until he was 15, his attorney said today.

Foley, who resigned from Congress Friday after he was confronted with inappropriate e-mails that he exchanged with a 16-year-old former page, also directed lawyer David Roth to announce publicly for the first time that he is gay.

"Finally Mark Foley wants you to know that he is a gay man," Roth said in the 6 p.m. press conference at Centennial Park in West Palm Beach.

Roth said Foley, who is in treatment for alcoholism, directed him to make the statements as part of Foley's recovery.

"This was a life decision, not a tactical one made by others."

Roth said Foley wanted to announce the name of the individual and the denomination of the church, but upon counseling decided to wait until after his treatment to release those details.

Foley is Catholic and was an altar boy at Sacred Heart Church in Lake Worth.

Posted by kshaw at 06:28 PM

Foley attorney claims client abused as child; no inappropriate sexual contact with minor

WEST PALM BEACH (FL)
The Raw Story

Published: Tuesday October 3, 2006

In a press conference held today in West Palm Beach, Fla., attorney David Roth who represents disgraced Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) insisted that, though the congressman did indeed engage in graphic electronic correspondence with teenage boys, he never had inappropriate physical contact with any of them.

He also announced that Foley’s actions are connected to his own abuse by a Catholic priest as an adolescent boy, and confirmed that the congressman is indeed a homosexual, a fact which was suspected long before the internet sex scandal was made public.

Earlier today, rumors swirled around Washington that a major bombshell would be revealed after 5 pm. Sources originally attributed it toAbuse Tracker Journal, but editors there quickly denied having any inside information to RAW STORY. Shortly after, ABC News promised a "bombshell" coming from a press conference held by Foley's attorney in West Palm Beach.

Posted by kshaw at 06:25 PM

Foley Claims He Was Molested By Priest, Hastert Refutes Critics

WEST PALM BEACH (FL)
WBBM

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (ASP) -- Former Rep. Mark Foley's (R-FL) attorney said Tuesday that his client was molested sometime between age 13 and 15 by a clergyman.

Foley had represented the West Palm Beach district for 12 years and was seeking re-election until his sudden resignation last week after the disclosure of lurid online communications with teenage congressional pages.

``This is part of his recovery,'' Roth said, declining to identify the clergyman or the church.

Roth also announced for the first time that Foley is gay. He insisted Foley never had sexual contact with a minor.

According to reports, Foley interrupted a vote on the floor of the House in 2003 to engage in Internet sex with a high school student who had served as a congressional page, according to new Internet instant messages provided to ABC News by former pages.

Posted by kshaw at 06:20 PM

One more charged in child sex abuse case at Ozarks churches

MISSOURI
News-Leader

Associated Press

The wife of a church deacon has become the sixth person charged in a widening case of alleged sex abuse of young girls at two southwest Missouri church communes.

Laura Epling faces one count of statutory sodomy for allegedly helping a church pastor abuse a girl a few years ago when the victim was 15 or 16 years old. The charge was filed Monday in McDonald County.

Laura Epling is the wife of Tom Epling, one of five leaders of two affiliated church communities who face multiple felony counts including statutory sodomy. Prosecutors allege a pattern of sexual abuse going back to the late 1970s against five girls from the two congregations.

Posted by kshaw at 04:27 PM

BBC has Tried to “Inflict Grave Damage” on Pope says Cardinal

UNITED KINGDOM
Lifesite

By Hilary White

LONDON, October 3, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – News sources around the world are featuring headlines today such as “Pope linked to child abuse cover-up” and “Pope protects pedophile clerics” after this weekend’s airing of a BBC film claiming that Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was personally complicit in a massive cover-up of the abuse of children by homosexual and pedophile priests.

The BBC has come under severe criticism for its Panorama program which relied exclusively on the interpretation of the evidence of two men, Colm O’Gorman, a crusader on sexual abuse by priests, and Fr. Tom Doyle, an American priest well known for his voluble dissent from Catholic teaching.

In a letter of protest to the BBC, England’s Catholic primate, Cormac Cardinal Murphy O’Connor, said the BBC’s program deliberately tried “to inflict grave damage” on the Pope.

“It is quite clear to me that the main focus of the program is to seek to connect Benedict XVI with cover-up of child abuse in the Catholic Church. This is malicious and untrue and based on a false presentation of Church documents,” the Cardinal said.

Posted by kshaw at 04:25 PM

Local Catholic Bishop Named in Unprecedented Child Molestation Lawsuit

SPRINGFIELD (MO)
Yahoo!

SPRINGFIELD, Mo., Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Bishop John Liebrecht, the head of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau (MO) Catholic Diocese, has been served with and named as a defendant in an unprecedented civil child sex abuse lawsuit brought by the family of a murdered Wisconsin man. It was served on local Catholic officials last week by a county sheriff.

Posted by kshaw at 04:22 PM

More Local Catholic Bishops Named in Unprecedented Child Molestation Lawsuit

TEXAS
Yahoo!

SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Archbishop Jose Gomez, head of the San Antonio Catholic Diocese, Bishop John Yanta, head of the Amarillo Catholic Diocese, and Placido Rodriguez, head of the Lubbock Catholic Diocese, have been served with and named as defendants in an unprecedented civil child sex abuse lawsuit brought by the family of a murdered Wisconsin man. It was served on local Catholic officials at the dioceses last week by a county sheriff.

Posted by kshaw at 04:20 PM

Local Catholic Bishop Named in Unprecedented Child Molestation Lawsuit

ATLANTA (GA)
Yahoo!

ATLANTA, Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Archbishop Wilton Gregory, the head of the Atlanta Catholic Archdiocese, has been served with and named as a defendant in an unprecedented civil child sex abuse lawsuit brought by the family of a murdered Wisconsin man. It was served on local Catholic officials last week by a county sheriff.

Posted by kshaw at 04:18 PM

Local Catholic Bishop Named in Unprecedented Child Molestation Lawsuit

LA CROSSE (WI)
Yahoo!

LA CROSSE, Wis., Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Bishop Jerome Listecki, the head of the La Crosse Catholic Diocese, has been served with and named as a defendant in an unprecedented civil child sex abuse lawsuit brought by the family of a murdered Wisconsin man. It was served on local Catholic officials last week by a county sheriff.

Posted by kshaw at 04:16 PM

Local Catholic Bishop Named in Unprecedented Child Molestation Lawsuit

CHARLOTTE (NC)
Yahoo!

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Bishop Peter Jugis, the head of the Charlotte Catholic Diocese, has been named as a defendant in an unprecedented civil child sex abuse lawsuit brought by the family of a murdered Wisconsin man. It was served on Bishop Jugis' attorneys last week.

Posted by kshaw at 04:15 PM

Local Catholic Bishop Named in Unprecedented Child Molestation Lawsuit

GREENSBURG (PA)
PR Newswire

GREENSBURG, Pa., Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Bishop Lawrence Brandt, the
head of the Greensburg Catholic Diocese, has been served with and named as
a defendant in an unprecedented civil child sex abuse lawsuit brought by
the family of a murdered Wisconsin man. It was served on local Catholic
officials last week by a county sheriff.

Posted by kshaw at 04:13 PM

Local Catholic Bishop Named in Unprecedented Child Molestation Lawsuit

JEFFERSON CITY (MO)
PR Newswire

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Bishop John Gaydos, the
head of the Jefferson City Catholic Diocese, has been served with and named
as a defendant in an unprecedented civil child sex abuse lawsuit brought by
the family of a murdered Wisconsin man. It was served on local Catholic
officials last week by a county sheriff.

Posted by kshaw at 04:11 PM

Local Catholic Bishop Named in Unprecedented Child Molestation Lawsuit

PEORIA (IL)
PR Newswire

PEORIA, Ill., Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Bishop Daniel Jenky, the head of
the Peoria Catholic Diocese, has been served with and named as a defendant
in an unprecedented civil child sex abuse lawsuit brought by the family of
a murdered Wisconsin man. It was served on local Catholic officials last
week by a county sheriff.

Posted by kshaw at 04:10 PM

Local Catholic Bishop Named in Unprecedented Child Molestation Lawsuit

WHEELING (WV)
Yahoo!

WHEELING, W.Va., Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Bishop Michael Bransfield, the head of the Wheeling-Charleston Catholic Diocese, has been named as a defendant in an unprecedented civil child sex abuse lawsuit brought by the family of a murdered Wisconsin man. It was served on Bishop Bransfield's attorneys last week.

Posted by kshaw at 04:08 PM

Local Catholic Bishop Named in Unprecedented Child Molestation Lawsuit

KNOXVILLE (TN)
PR Newswire

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Bishop Joseph Kurtz, the head
of the Knoxville Catholic Diocese, has been named as a defendant in an
unprecedented civil child sex abuse lawsuit brought by the family of a
murdered Wisconsin man. It was served on attorneys for the diocese last
week.

Posted by kshaw at 04:07 PM

Local Catholic Bishop Named in Unprecedented Child Molestation Lawsuit

YAKIMA (WA)
Yahoo!

YAKIMA, Wash., Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Bishop Carlos Sevilla, the head of the Yakima Catholic Diocese, has been served with and named as a defendant in an unprecedented civil child sex abuse lawsuit brought by the family of a murdered Wisconsin man. It was served on local Catholic officials last week by a county sheriff.

Posted by kshaw at 04:05 PM

Local Catholic Bishop Named in Unprecedented Child Molestation Lawsuit

MILWAUKEE (WI)
Yahoo!

MILWAUKEE, Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Archbishop Timothy Dolan, the head of the Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese, has been served with and named as a defendant in an unprecedented civil child sex abuse lawsuit brought by the family of a murdered Wisconsin man. It was served on local Catholic officials last week by a county sheriff.

Posted by kshaw at 04:03 PM

Local Catholic Bishop Named in Unprecedented Child Molestation Lawsuit

PUEBLO (CO)
PR Newswire

PUEBLO, Colo., Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Bishop Arthur Tafoya, the head of
the Pueblo Catholic Diocese, has been served with and named as a defendant
in an unprecedented civil child sex abuse lawsuit brought by the family of
a murdered Wisconsin man. It was served on local Catholic officials last
week by a county sheriff.

Posted by kshaw at 04:02 PM

Local Catholic Leader Named in Unprecedented Child Molestation Lawsuit

LITTLE ROCK (AR)
Yahoo!

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Msgr. Gaston Herbert, the head of the Little Rock Catholic Diocese, has been served with and named as a defendant in an unprecedented civil child sex abuse lawsuit brought by the family of a murdered Wisconsin man. It was served on local Catholic officials last week by a county sheriff.

Posted by kshaw at 04:00 PM

Local Catholic Bishop Named in Unprecedented Child Molestation Lawsuit

STEUBENVILLE (OH)
Yahoo!

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio, Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Bishop R. Daniel Conlon, the head of the Steubenville Catholic Diocese, has been served with and named as a defendant in an unprecedented civil child sex abuse lawsuit brought by the family of a murdered Wisconsin man. It was served on local Catholic officials last week by a county sheriff.

Posted by kshaw at 03:58 PM

Local Catholic Bishop Named in Unprecedented Child Molestation Lawsuit

SPRINGFIELD (MA)
Yahoo!

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Bishop Timothy McDonnell, the head of the Springfield in Massachusetts Catholic Diocese, has been served with and named as a defendant in an unprecedented civil child sex abuse lawsuit brought by the family of a murdered Wisconsin man. It was served on local Catholic officials last week by a county sheriff.

Posted by kshaw at 03:56 PM

Local Catholic Bishop Named in Unprecedented Child Molestation Lawsuit

SAN BERNARDINO (CA)
Yahoo!

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Bishop Gerald Barnes, the head of the San Bernardino Catholic Diocese, has been served with and named as a defendant in an unprecedented civil child sex abuse lawsuit brought by the family of a murdered Wisconsin man. It was served on local Catholic officials last week by a county sheriff.

Posted by kshaw at 03:55 PM

Roger Cardinal Mahony Named in Unprecedented Child Molestation Lawsuit

LOS ANGELES (CA)
Yahoo!

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Cardinal Archbishop Roger Mahony, the head of the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese, has been named as a defendant in an unprecedented civil child sex abuse lawsuit brought by the family of a murdered Wisconsin man. It was served on the general counsel for the Archdiocese last week.

Posted by kshaw at 03:53 PM

Canon lawyer denies code silenced sex abuse victims

IRELAND
One in Four

The Irish Times

A Panorama documentary, "Sex Crimes and the Vatican", shown on BBC 1 last night, claimed that a church directive, which was updated by Pope Benedict when he was a cardinal, was being used to silence the victims of clerical sex abuse.

However, this was rejected as "misleading, totally false and wrong" by Irish canon lawyer Dr Michael Mullaney last night. He said it was a "misrepresentation and misuse of the document" and said the claims were "a thinly veiled effort" to malign Pope Benedict.

Colm O'Gorman, director of the One in Four charity for abuse victims, was the reporter on the programme and asked US canon lawyer Fr Tom Doyle about the 1962 directive Crimen Sollicitationis. Fr Doyle said the directive was "indicative of a worldwide policy of absolute secrecy and control of all cases of sexual abuse by the clergy".

Posted by kshaw at 09:00 AM

Man 'abused' by Christian Brothers halted from taking action against State

IRELAND
Irish Independent

A MAN who alleged he was abused by two Christian Brothers more than 40 years ago cannot proceed with an action against the State, the High Court ruled.

Mr Justice John Quirke yesterday granted an application on behalf of the Ministers for Education and Science and Health and Children, and the State, for an order halting the man from pursuing his claim for damages against them.

The judge said he was making the order "in the interests of justice". It would be unfair to allow the case go ahead given the delay by the man, now in his late 50s, in commencing the proceedings, he held.

"It would be absurd to suggest otherwise since almost 50 years have passed between the date of the first alleged wrongdoing and the commencement of these proceedings."

Posted by kshaw at 08:58 AM

O'Gorman rejects criticism of 'sex crimes' TV report

IRELAND
One in Four

The Irish Times

One in Four director Colm O'Gorman has rejected Catholic Church accusations that parts of Sunday night's BBC Panorama programme "Sex Crimes and the Vatican", in which he was the reporter, were "false and entirely misleading".

Archbishop of Birmingham Dr Vincent Nichols said yesterday that part of the programme dealing with the Pope was "false because it misrepresents two Vatican documents and uses them quite misleadingly in order to connect the horrors of child abuse to the person of the Pope".

The documentary examined the Vatican's 1962 Crimen Sollicitationis document, which in practice, it said, could offer "a blueprint for cover-up".

Posted by kshaw at 08:57 AM

Church founder's sex suit set for '07

ATLANTA (GA)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

By GAYLE WHITE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 10/03/06

A sexual misconduct lawsuit against megachurch founder Bishop Earl Paulk will be heard next year, a DeKalb Superior Court judge said Monday.

Judge Mark Anthony Scott said he hopes to schedule the "monumental" trial for March or April. The trial is expected to last a month.

Mona and Bobby Brewer, former leaders in Paulk's Chapel Hill Harvester Church, filed suit last year accusing Paulk of using his role as spiritual leader to coerce Mona Brewer into an affair that lasted fourteen years.

An attorney for Paulk has admitted his client had a brief sexual relationship with Mona Brewer but said she was the initiator.

Louis Levenson, attorney for the Brewers, reported to Scott on Monday that he had questioned Paulk in the suit.

Posted by kshaw at 08:52 AM

Text: Cardinal writes to BBC over Panorama programme

UNITED KINGDOM
Independent Catholic News

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor has expressed his "enormous distress and alarm of the Catholic Community" over the BBC Panorama 'Sex crimes and the Vatican' programme. The text of his letter to Mark Thompson, Director General of the BBC follows below.

Dear Mr Thompson,

In May 2005 I wrote to congratulate the BBC on its coverage of the death and funeral of Pope John Paul II and the election of Pope Benedict XVI.

It is with deep disappointment that I now write to express the enormous distress and alarm of the Catholic community at your decision to broadcast Sex crimes and the Vatican. No-one can deny the devastating effects of child abuse in our society and the damage inflicted on the victims and their families. This is particularly shameful if such abuse is committed by a priest and it is of course legitimate to portray heart-rending elements of this evil.

Posted by kshaw at 08:03 AM

Buckley praises TV report on child abuse

NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

By Alf McCreary

03 October 2006
The Catholic Church will be "dragged kicking and screaming" into a more open way of dealing with child abuse, according to Bishop Pat Buckley of Larne.

He told the Belfast Telegraph that Sunday night's Panorama programme on clerical child abuse in the Catholic Church "was very hard-hitting".

"One of the major problems is that the Catholic Church believes that Canon Law is superior to civil law and one of the clerical priorities is to protect the church"

Bishop Buckley, who broke away from the main Catholic Church some years ago, said: "During my time I have dealt with several kinds of situation including the abuse of children and adults by clerics.

The Bishop said he was more hopeful about the future.

Posted by kshaw at 08:00 AM

In the House, as in Church, perverts live under protection

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Herald

By Margery Eagan
Boston Herald Columnist

Tuesday, October 3, 2006

Why is the congressman and the page story so familiar? Let us count the ways.

Familiarity No. 1: “The parallel is striking” with our own priest abuse scandal, says Anne Barrett Doyle, who collects data on the crisis at BishopAccountablity.org.

Priest abuse is “the rare exception,” said Cardinal Law in the midst of the Father Porter scandal, when he already knew - though we did not - of allegations against Paul Shanley, Joseph Birmingham, Ronald Paquin, Bernard Lane and some 250 other priests.

Meanwhile top House Republicans - including Speaker J. Dennis Hastert - knew for months, in some cases years, about creepy e-mails between ex-Congressman Mark Foley and a former teenage page. They not only downplayed it and did nothing; they also kept him in his job as head of a congressional child abuse caucus.

Posted by kshaw at 07:57 AM

Molester priest is jailed twice

WISCONSIN
Chicago Tribune

By Andrew L. Wang and Deborah Horan
Tribune staff reporters
Published October 3, 2006

A Chicago Jesuit priest convicted in Wisconsin earlier this year of molesting two boys in the 1960s has been jailed for the second time in a month for violating the terms of his probation, said a spokesman for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.

Rev. Donald McGuire, 76, violated a 20-year probation sentence by failing to "complete programming needs" set forth in the terms of his probation, John Dipko said.

Dipko declined to elaborate on the details of the probation violation, but said the department was preparing to ask an administrative law judge to revoke McGuire's probation. If his probation is revoked, Dipko said, McGuire could face up to 30 years in prison for the violation.

McGuire was sentenced to two concurrent 7-year prison terms and three concurrent 20-year probation terms in May after a Walworth County jury found him guilty of five counts of indecent behavior with a child. The prison sentence was postponed, pending his appeal of the verdict, but the probation started immediately.

Posted by kshaw at 07:54 AM

Spokane diocese to sell bishop's office to pay abuse claims

SPOKANE (WA)
KGW

10/03/2006

By JOHN K. WILEY / Associated Press

Hoping to emerge from bankruptcy protection by the end of this year, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane is selling its bishop's office building to raise money to pay victims of clergy sex abuse.

A telephone auction is scheduled for Wednesday after three parties met the minimum offer of $1.7 million for the 28,968-square-foot Pastoral Center downtown, Keen Realty Vice President Michael Mattlat said Monday from his office in Great Neck, N.Y.

A vacant 3-acre parcel owned by the diocese in Spokane Valley, west of Spokane, also will be sold, said Mattlat, whose company specializes in representing companies in bankruptcy.

Proceeds from the sale will go to a fund to pay claims of people sexually abused by priests or other clergy. About 150 people have filed such claims against the diocese.

Posted by kshaw at 07:42 AM

Judge takes testimony under advisement

PINEVILLE (MO)
Neosho Daily News

By John Ford / Daily News Associate Editor
Published: Monday, October 2, 2006 4:55 PM CDT

PINEVILLE - After more than two hours of testimony from two alleged victims, a Newton County judge has taken the case against two McDonald County church leaders accused of child sexual abuse under advisement.

Judge Greg Stremel said this afternoon he wanted to review a court transcript of testimony in a preliminary hearing for Raymond Lambert, pastor of the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church.

The hearing was held at 1 p.m. Monday in the McDonald County Circuit Courtroom. The case was reassigned after a request by prosecutors Steve Geeding and Dan Bagley.

No court date has been set for Raymond Lambert at this time.

Posted by kshaw at 07:35 AM

Women testify against pastor

PINEVILLE (MO)
The Kansas City Star

By KEVIN MURPHY
The Kansas City Star
PINEVILLE, Mo. | Two women on Monday accused the pastor of a southwest Missouri church community of pressuring them into sex for their spiritual fulfillment when they were minors.

The women testified at a preliminary hearing for Raymond Lambert, 51, pastor of the Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church near Powell, Mo. Lambert faces eight counts of sexual abuse, molestation and sodomy.

Charges also are pending against his wife, Patty Lambert, 49, and two church deacons, Paul and Tom Epling, who are Patty Lambert’s brothers. All defendants have denied the charges.

Circuit Judge Greg Stremel delayed a decision Monday on whether to bind the Lamberts over for trial. A hearing on the case against the Eplings was postponed after prosecutors reduced charges late last week.

Posted by kshaw at 07:33 AM

Action delayed in church abuse case

PINEVILLE (MO)
News-Leader

Marcus Kabel
The Associated Press

Pineville-- A judge delayed a decision Monday on whether four southwest Missouri church leaders will go on trial on charges of repeatedly molesting young girls from their Ozarks religious commune.

Prosecutors dropped seven charges against two of the men, brothers Paul and Tom Epling, because of statute of limitations issues and won a continuance for a later preliminary hearing on the remaining five felony counts while they seek more legal guidance.

A preliminary hearing went ahead Monday for the Rev. Raymond Lambert and his wife, Patty Lambert, to determine whether the counts against them should go to trial.

Posted by kshaw at 07:32 AM

Repeatedly abused by pastor as teens, two testify

PINEVILLE (MO)
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

BY MICHELLE BRADFORD

Posted on Tuesday, October 3, 2006

PINEVILLE, Mo. — Two women testified Monday that their pastor repeatedly sexually abused them while they were young members of a rural southwest Missouri church. Raymond Lambert, pastor of Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church in McDonald County, always gave a theological basis for the abuse, the women said.

“He was happy for what we’d done,” one woman, 21, testified in circuit court. “He said he was pleased, therefore God was pleased.”

Lambert, 51, is one of five church leaders charged with sexually abusing young women in their congregations.

His wife, Patty Lambert, 49, is accused of permitting molestation. Her brothers, deacons Tom Epling and Paul Epling, are accused of child abuse dating back to the late 1970 s.

Posted by kshaw at 07:29 AM

Court asked to reinstate abuse suit at Indian school

SOUTH DAKOTA
The Rapid City Journal

By Chet Brokaw, Associated Press Writer
PIERRE - The South Dakota Supreme Court is being asked to reinstate a lawsuit that alleges former students were abused at an American Indian boarding school in eastern South Dakota.

Circuit Judge Bradley Zell of Sioux Falls dismissed the lawsuit earlier this year, ruling that former students at St. Paul's School in Marty waited too long to sue the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls and the religious organizations that ran the school several decades ago.

A similar lawsuit also was filed in state court in Rapid City by former students of the St. Francis Mission School on Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. That case is continuing after a change of lawyers.

A federal lawsuit was filed in 2003 by lawyer Jeffrey M. Herman of Miami, who later also filed the two state-court lawsuits. Herman has now withdrawn, and the cases are being handled by Gregory A. Yates of Encino, Calif., a lawyer who is best-known for winning lawsuits that alleged misconduct by the Los Angeles Police Department.

Posted by kshaw at 07:26 AM

Panorama fails to expose true issues of church sex abuse, says survivors group

UNITED KINGDOM
Ekklesia

The chairperson and founder of the group Minister and Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors, Margaret Kennedy, has said that the BBC Panorama documentary attacking the Catholic Church over child sexual abuse was marred by sensationalism and missed many of the real issues – including the plight of women victims.

She says that a Vatican cover-up of the scandal is “undoubted”, but that the details of this are unclear and the main emphasis needs to be on practical action to change the situation.

Writing in The Guardian newspaper yesterday (2 October 2006), Ms Kennedy declared: “Panorama failed to prove that the Vatican document Crimen Sollitation was solely responsible for the worldwide cover-up of sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy. The fact that bishops and priests may have used the directive - on the ‘seal of confession’ - to justify a cover-up was not the fault of the document.

Posted by kshaw at 07:23 AM

Rosie attacks pope over clergy sex scandal

WorldNetDaily

Posted: October 3, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern

Less than three weeks after she insisted on national TV that "radical" Christians in America are just as dangerous as the Islamic terrorists who perpetrated the 9/11 terror attacks on America, Rosie O'Donnell is now attacking the pope.

O'Donnell, the newest face on ABC's "The View," yesterday accused Pope Benedict XVI of covering up the Roman Catholic Church's clergy sex scandal for the past two decades – an allegation denied as absurd by Catholics.

"The person who was in charge of investigating all the allegations of pedophiles in the Catholic Church from the eighties until just recently was guess who?" said O'Donnell. "The current pope!" Her source, she said, was an upcoming film about a serial pedophile priest, called "Deliver Us from Evil."

But in a press release, William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, said O'Donnell's assertions about the pope in yesterday's edition of "The View" were wildly off-base: "What started as a discussion on the problems facing the disgraced former congressman Mark Foley, quickly digressed into a lengthy conversation about the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. Given the fact that the exchange began and ended with brief comments about Foley, it is obvious that the real target was the Catholic Church."

Posted by kshaw at 07:19 AM

Vatican backs UK bishops’ attack on BBC documentary

VATICAN
Gulf Times

Published: Tuesday, 3 October, 2006, 11:49 AM Doha Time

VATICAN CITY: The Vatican yesterday threw its full support behind British bishops who attacked a BBC documentary alleging a cover-up of child sexual abuse under a system Pope Benedict enforced in his previous job.
Roman Catholic bishops from England and Wales condemned the documentary broadcast on Sunday as “false and misleading”.
The Vatican said it would have no comment of its own for the time being but said it fully endorsed a sternly worded statement by Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Birmingham written on behalf of the British bishops.

Posted by kshaw at 07:15 AM

October 02, 2006

Bishops Defend Pope Against BBC Attack

UNITED KINGDOM
Zenit

LONDON, OCT. 2, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The bishops of England and Wales are accusing the BBC of misrepresenting two Vatican documents that the news organization says Benedict XVI used to cover-up the sexual abuse of minors.

According to the prelates, the program "Sex Crimes and the Vatican," broadcast Sunday by Panorama, the BBC's investigative news show, is unwarranted and misleading.

The program claims to have uncovered secret Vatican documents that imposed silence regarding all claims of child abuse, and accused then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger -- now Benedict XVI -- of shielding priests from investigation in his previous role as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

One document mentioned is "Crimen sollicitationis," (The Crime of
Solicitation, 1962) issued by the Congregation of the Holy Office -- future Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- which was made public in 2003.

Posted by kshaw at 06:54 PM

British documentary alleges pope linked to "child abuse cover-up"

UNITED KINGDOM
Information Clearinghouse

The BBC documentary "Sex Crimes and the Vatican" can be downloaded from this site.

Posted by kshaw at 06:47 PM

Inside or outside church structures, Catholics engage change

UNITED STATES
National

By JOE FEUERHERD
Washington

The Catholic gatherings were separated by 25 miles and five days. In fact, they were worlds apart.

The first meeting, held on a balmy late summer Saturday in a nondescript suburban Washington hotel, had a more narrow agenda if the broader title -- “Catholics: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.” Sponsored by the Brunswick, Maine-based group Celibacy Is the Issue, it drew more than 100 participants, including married priests who once served the institutional church but now offer their sacramental services less formally through the group’s “rent-a-priest” program.

The message: A celibate, secretive clergy is at the root of what ails the church.

“Secrecy is as much a ‘mark of the church,’ as the official four: one, holy, Catholic and apostolic,” Fr. Thomas Doyle told the group. Doyle knows secrets. The Dominican priest and canon lawyer was privy to the clergy sex abuse files at the Vatican Embassy in the mid-1980s. He now testifies frequently on behalf of abuse victims who sue the hierarchy.

The second conference -- “The Catholic Church in America: 2006” -- was a wide-ranging two-day exploration of today’s U.S. church sponsored by The Catholic University of America’s Life Cycle Institute. It included a healthy dose of nostalgia about a church that is no more, and equal parts fear and hope -- based on sociological and demographic data -- of what it might become.

Posted by kshaw at 06:41 PM

Deliver us from Evil and Censoring Sex vs. Violence

CALIFORNIA
The Huffington Post

Amy Berg

I am the director and producer of the film Deliver Us From Evil, a documentary about a pedophile priest who was protected from justice for over 25 years by the Catholic Church under the direct eye of Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony. I have spent the past four years investigating this story as a journalist (at KCBS News and CNN Investigations), and have written and produced numerous stories documenting church cover-up and blatant manipulation of parishioners and innocent Catholic families.

Recently the MPAA shared their decision with Lionsgate, the film's distributor, to disapprove the Deliver Us From Evil trailer for general audiences due to "overt comments about child molestation throughout." They didn't offer any specific feedback about an offending image or word (and indeed there were no graphic images or swear words included), but rather the very idea of child sexual abuse was cited, despite the MPAA having been provided a list of films to be targeted for trailer attachment that included only R rated films. The MPAA would have slapped the trailer with a 'red band' rating, a very rare label that in effect relegates the trailer to art house theaters, as most mainstream exhibitors won't play red band trailers even in front of R rated films for fear of backlash. Because of this, Lionsgate has no real choice but to release the film (and thus the trailer) unrated by the MPAA. It is important to me to tell the truth about this issue and sadly that just wasn't possible within the MPAA's parameters.

Posted by kshaw at 06:40 PM

Bishops, BBC Clash Over Pope Criticism

UNITED KINGDOM
Islam Online

IslamOnline.net & News Agencies

LONDON — Britain's Roman Catholic bishops and the BBC were on a collision course Monday, October 2, over a documentary accusing Pope Benedict XVI of systematically covering up Church child sexual abuse before assuming the papacy.

"This aspect of the program is false and entirely misleading," Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Birmingham said in a statement on behalf of British bishops, reported Reuters.

"It is false because it misrepresents two Vatican documents and uses them quite misleadingly in order to connect the horrors of child abuse to the person of the Pope," he said.

A documentary aired by the BBC's flagship program "Panorama" on Sunday, October 1, claims that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the man elected Pope last year, was implicated in the systematic cover-up of child sex abuse accusations against Catholic priests.

The documentary, "Sex Crimes and the Vatican", examined a 1962 document that set out a procedure for dealing with child sex abuse within the Catholic Church.

The document, called "Crimen Sollicitationis", imposes an oath of secrecy on the child victim, the priest dealing with the accusation and any witness.

Posted by kshaw at 03:45 PM

British cardinal condemns BBC for accusing pope of covering up abuse

UNITED KINGDOM
Catholic Online

By Simon Caldwell
10/2/2006
Catholic News Service

LONDON (CNS) – The president of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales condemned the British Broadcasting Corp. for a documentary which accused Pope Benedict XVI of covering up priest sex abuse against children.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor of Westminster made a formal complaint to the director-general of the BBC about the Oct. 1 documentary. The documentary claimed to reveal how the pope issued a "secret Vatican edict" instructing bishops to put the interests of the church before the safety of children.

In an Oct. 2 letter to Mark Thompson, the director-general and a Catholic, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor expressed the "enormous distress and alarm of the Catholic community" at the decision made by the publicly funded broadcaster to show the documentary called "Sex Crimes and the Vatican."

The documentary said that in 2001 Pope Benedict, who was then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and the head of the doctrinal congregation, issued an updated version of a 1962 Vatican document, titled "Crimen Sollicitationis" ("The Crime of Solicitation") which the documentary said laid down the rules for covering up sexual scandals.

Posted by kshaw at 03:42 PM

The Catholic Church upset with BBC

UNITED KINGDOM
North Korea Times

Big News Network
Monday 2nd October, 2006 (UPI)

England's Roman Catholic Church is outraged with a BBC documentary, which alleges that the pope covered up child abuse by priests.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor is filing a complaint with BBC1's Director General Mark Thompson, about the unwarranted and deeply prejudiced documentary, the Telegraph reported.

Sex Crimes and the Vatican alleges that in 2001 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future pope, created a secret Vatican edict to instruct Catholic bishops to put the interests of the church before the safety of children.

It compared Ratzinger's document to the 1962 Vatican instruction Crimen Sollicitationis -- the Crime of Solicitation -- which, the documentary claimed, laid down the rules for covering up sexual scandal in the church.

Posted by kshaw at 03:40 PM

Lessons from the priest scandal

WASHINGTON (DC)
U.S. News and World Report

What did the House Republican leadership learn from the priest pedophilia scandal? Not much, apparently. Otherwise, Speaker Dennis Hastert et al. would have followed the most basic precepts of public relations: Be honest, be forthcoming, be quick. Otherwise, politicians lose credibility and sink fast.

This weekend it was revealed that not only did Republican leaders know last year that then Rep. Mark Foley, a Florida Republican, was sending sexually explicit electronic messages to a former teenage House page, but that a Republican staff member warned congressional pages five years ago to watch out for Foley, according to the head of the congressional page alumni association.

Now the question is: Who will fare worse from covering up? House Republican leaders or the Roman Catholic Church?

The Rev. Thomas P. Doyle, a lawyer assigned to the Vatican Embassy, tried to warn the Vatican it was facing a potential meltdown over a scandal involving children and allegations of sexual abuse by priests–-not just recently but for the past two decades. Since then, the priest has worked with 2,000 victims of clerical sexual abuse and testified on behalf of victims in 200 court cases. In an eerily prescient report submitted to church leaders in the mid-'80s, Doyle informed them that the media were painting the church as "an organization preaching morality and providing sanctuary to perverts."

Posted by kshaw at 03:36 PM

Many abuse charges against pastors dropped

PINEVILLE (MO)
Columbia Daily Tribune

Published Monday, October 2, 2006
PINEVILLE (AP) - Most of the child-sex charges filed against two southwest Missouri church leaders have been dropped because of the statute of limitations. And a Missouri Supreme Court decision will determine whether the remaining charges will be dropped as well.

Paul S. Epling, 53, and his brother, Tom Epling, 51, were among five church leaders from two affiliated churches accused of abusing young girls from their congregations, sometimes as part of a ritual or ceremony.

The charges initially filed against the Eplings, both deacons of Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church in McDonald County, stemmed from the alleged sexual abuse of two girls from 1976 to 1983.

Posted by kshaw at 03:32 PM

SBC Spokesman Responds to Call to Fight Sexual Abuse

UNITED STATES
Ethics Daily

Bob Allen
10-02-06
A Southern Baptist Convention spokesman suggested leaders are willing to discuss a proposal by a group that drew attention to sexual abuse by Catholic clergy to make the issue a higher priority in America's largest Protestant, and second largest overall, denomination.

Religion News Service reported Friday that Kenyn Cureton, a spokesman for the SBC Executive Committee, said SBC leaders "fully agree" there should be more scrutiny of persons involved in ministry to children and youth.

Cureton said SBC leaders came to that conclusion "long before" representatives of The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) wrote a Sept. 26 letter urging Southern Baptists to adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward sexual abuse by Baptist ministers.

Cureton said SBC leaders will continue to encourage background checks and other safeguards, but cautioned there may be an "apparent misunderstanding" about Southern Baptists' structure.

Posted by kshaw at 03:28 PM

Documentary: Priest and Predator

CALIFORNIA
Newsweek

Oct. 9, 2006 issue - "Deliver Us From Evil," a gripping new documentary opening in theaters next week, profiles Father Oliver O'Grady, a convicted pedophile who spent 22 years molesting children in parishes throughout California, where he served as their priest. In the film, O'Grady describes his sexual attraction to boys and girls, and details how church authorities, including Roger Mahony, now head of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, moved him from parish to parish. Other chilling moments include interviews with O'Grady's victims, their families, and never-before-seen deposition testimony from Mahony, who denies knowing about O'Grady's predilection. Tod Tamberg, spokesman for the L.A. Archdiocese, said in a statement that the film is nothing more than a "hit piece designed to cast the Archdiocese and Cardinal Mahony in the worst possible light." Julie Scelfo spoke with Amy Berg, the film's writer and director, who covered the sex-abuse scandal for years as a freelance investigative producer.

Posted by kshaw at 03:25 PM

Church hits back over BBC claims

UNITED KINGDOM
Sydney Morning Herald

October 3, 2006

LONDON: Catholic bishops in England and Wales have launched a retaliatory strike against BBC TV's Panorama series, saying a program highlighting the cover-up of alleged child sexual abuse by priests is unwarranted and misleading.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, will write to the broadcaster's director-general, Mark Thompson, a practising Catholic, to complain about the program, Sex Crimes and the Vatican.

The program said it had unearthed Vatican documents aimed at preventing the proper examination of claims of child abuse and accused Pope Benedict XVI of shielding priests from investigation in his previous role as enforcer of church doctrinal orthodoxy.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols, of Birmingham, said the BBC should be ashamed of the standard of its journalism: "Viewers will recognise only too well the sensational tactics and misleading editing of the program, which uses old footage and undated interviews. They will know that aspects of the program amount to a deeply prejudiced attack on a revered world religious leader."

The program featured a 1962 statement called Crimen Sollicitationis, concerned with priestly abuse of secrets told during confessions, and a 2001 paper clarifying church law. Archbishop Nichols, who is chairman of the English church's child protection office, said on Sunday that the earlier document was not concerned with sex abuse and that the second was neither a means of covering up accusations nor of hindering police.

Posted by kshaw at 10:52 AM

Archbishop rejects Pope cover-up allegations

IRELAND
IOL

02/10/2006 - 15:51:13

Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin today rejected claims Pope Benedict XVI led a systematic cover-up of child sex abuse by Catholic priests.

Following shocking allegations in a television programme that the Pontiff helped protect paedophile clerics, the Archbishop said investigations had not been hindered.

The documentary claimed the Pope, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, threatened all witnesses to such abuse with excommunication if they reported the crime to state, or other non-Church, bodies.

Posted by kshaw at 10:49 AM

Catholic bishop confronted after mass

ROCKVILLE CENTRE (NY)
Newsday

BY BRANDON BAIN
Newsday Staff Writer

October 1, 2006

Two people who say they were sexually abused by Roman Catholic priests decades ago confronted Bishop William Murphy Sunday after he offered Mass at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre.

Janique Polimine joined Dick Regan as they waited in line with other parishioners and asked Murphy about their cases. The pair said they had hoped for an apology.

Polimine, 39, of Holbrook, who filed a $6 million lawsuit against the Diocese of Rockville Centre on Friday, alleged that she was sexually abused in 1980 by the Rev. William Logan while she was a confirmation student at St. James Roman Catholic Church in Seaford.

After a handshake and brief introduction Polimine asked Murphy, "I want to know why you reinstated William Logan?" Murphy replied, "I already told you," to which Polimine fired back, "No, you didn't. You were not clear in your letter at all," she said.

Posted by kshaw at 09:53 AM

Pope 'led child sex cover-up'

UNITED KINGDOM
The Sun

October 02, 2006

THE Pope led a plot to cover up child sex abuse by priests, a TV documentary claimed last night.

He sent a secret letter to Catholic bishops advising them to keep victims and abusers quiet rather than report crimes to police, said Panorama.

The document, from 2001 when the Pope was still Cardinal Ratzinger, tells bishops to threaten to excommunicate victims who speak out, said the BBC programme.

Some have been given hush money, it claimed.

Posted by kshaw at 09:50 AM

Theft charge bedevils priest's Irish hometown

IRELAND
Palm Beach Post

By Don Melvin
Palm Beach Post-Cox News Service

Monday, October 02, 2006

At Sunday morning Mass in this small Irish town, the Rev. Frank Maher again intoned the Lord's Prayer, the words smooth as polished stones from centuries of use.

But this Sunday, in this town, and especially in this church, they carried an unusual poignancy.

"And lead us not into temptation," Maher intoned, "but deliver us from evil...."

Many who mouthed the words along with the priest were wondering whether it was even remotely possible that one of their own — a quiet, unassuming priest who never forgot his roots — could himself have been led deep into temptation.

But that is what police in South Florida say: that the Rev. John Skehan, 79, and another priest, the Rev. Francis Guinan, 63, misappropriated $8.6 million in church money over more than four decades — taking cash from collection plates to pamper girlfriends, travel the world and buy real estate.

"It's hard to believe," said Tommy Sharkey, the elderly owner of a newsstand and convenience store in Johnstown, who has known Skehan all his life. "He was a nice guy."

Posted by kshaw at 09:35 AM

Catholic Church hits back angrily at BBC documentary

IRELAND
Evening Echo

02/10/2006 - 7:28:03 AM

The Catholic Church has hit back angrily at a BBC documentary accusing the Pope of covering up child abuse.

The Panorama documentary was presented by the Irish child abuse campaigner Colm O'Gorman.

It examined a document which the One in Four founder claims actively encourages secrecy and the protection of priests who abuse children.

Mr O'Gorman claims Pope Benedict was the man responsible for the worldwide cover-up while he was a cardinal.

However, a senior church lawyer in Maynooth responded last night by describing the claims as false, misleading and a thinly veiled effort to malign the Pope.

Posted by kshaw at 09:30 AM

Clergy abuse lawsuit hits bump

ALBANY (NY)
Albany Times Union

By DAN HIGGINS, Staff writer

First published: Monday, October 2, 2006

ALBANY -- A lawsuit aimed at the state attorney general and a counseling service for victims of clergy abuse must be refiled in federal court this month after a judge dismissed portions of it.

Chief U.S. District Judge Norman A. Mordue removed Attorney General Eliot Spitzer as a defendant in the suit, but said many of its claims could proceed once it is amended and resubmitted.

The 2005 suit takes aim at the New York State Dispute Resolution Association, which set up a mediation service at the request of the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese for people who had been abused by clergy. The suit claims the program engaged in fraud because it is not truly independent as it has claimed.

The complaint was filed by attorney John Aretakis on behalf of three men: Randall Sweringen, a 39-year-old former priest who was sexually abused by a priest while a student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; David Wilson; and a man identified as John Doe.

Posted by kshaw at 09:27 AM

Irish locals recall wanted Delray Beach priest as sportsman

IRELAND
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

By Paula McMahon
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted October 2 2006

Mounthenry, County Offaly, Ireland· Until the last few days, the Rev. Francis Guinan was best known in the area where he grew up as a skilled junior sportsman who went to the seminary and made his community proud when he was ordained in 1966.

The news that he is wanted in Delray Beach, along with a retired priest, on charges of stealing thousands of dollars from parish funds did not appear to surprise locals, who remembered him as "a bit of a wild child" who pushed the boundaries as a teenager.

"He was known for saying things that shocked people a bit, but we thought he had calmed down when he entered the priesthood," said one businessman who knew Guinan in his sporting days. The man declined to give his name because he said he did not want to upset Guinan's family.

Posted by kshaw at 09:25 AM

E-mail scandal's fallout rolls up Hill to Hastert

UNITED STATES
Chicago Tribune

Published October 2, 2006

Dawn Turner Trice

Gee, does U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) want to keep a Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. This may be most evident in how the speaker of the House is handling the latest Washington scandal, which focuses on allegations of sexually charged electronic messages that recently resigned U.S. Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) sent to current and former teenage male pages.

At the center of the controversy is Hastert who, if we recall, became speaker during President Clinton's sex scandal, which also claimed some House Republicans. Also at the center is U.S. Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.), a Downstate congressman who heads a panel that oversees the pages. ...

If you have even the faintest knowledge of the priest sex-abuse scandal in the Catholic Church and all the coverups there, this matter should have merited more scrutiny. If you have only vaguely heard about the type of people--we call them pedophiles--who troll the Internet trying to hook up with children, it should have merited greater scrutiny.

Foley resigned ignominiously Friday after ABC News broke the story and the oxidation process got under way. Foley's departure came without the usual rhetoric of vowing to stick around and fight. He apologized and then got out of Dodge.

Posted by kshaw at 09:21 AM

Group calls for Pope to introduce worldwide child protection policy

IRELAND
BreakingNews.ie

02/10/2006 - 13:22:21

Sexual abuse support group One in Four has today called for the introduction of worldwide mandatory child protection policy within the Catholic Church.

Responding to the BBC Panorama film aired last night, One in Four also called on the Vatican to fulfil its obligations as a signatory to the United Convention on the Rights of Children which it signed in 1990.

“The urgent need for such a policy is surely clear to any objective person who watched last nights film and heard about Warley, the then five-year-old boy repeatedly raped in 2003 by a priest known to the church to be an abuser,” said One in Four’s Colm O’Gorman.

Posted by kshaw at 09:17 AM

Bishops Reject BBC Documentary Allegations of Vatican Abuse Cover-Up

UNITED KINGDOM
Christian Today

by Maria Mackay
Posted: Monday, October 2, 2006

Roman Catholic bishops in England and Wales have rejected the allegations of a BBC documentary which said that Pope Benedict XVI imposed a strict system to cover up child sex abuse cases in the Church while in his previous job.

The documentary by “Panorama” was aired late on Sunday evening and based its case on what it described as a secret document written in 1962 that sets out a procedure for dealing with child sex abuse within the Catholic Church.

Under the guidelines of the document, the “Crimen Sollicitationis”, the child victim, the priest dealing with the allegation and any witness must swear an oath of secrecy – the result of breaking the oath being excommunication, claimed Panorama.

"The procedure was intended to protect a priest's reputation until the church had investigated, but in practice it can offer a blueprint for cover-up," the BBC documentary said.

"The man in charge of enforcing it for 20 years was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the man made Pope last year," reporter Colm O'Gorman said in the programme "Sex Crimes and the Vatican".

Posted by kshaw at 09:15 AM

Parishoners Learn Popular Priest Removed From Duties

FAIRHAVEN (MA)
TurnTo10

FAIRHAVEN, Mass. -- A popular priest at St. Joseph's parish in Fairhaven has been removed from duty.

At the end of Mass Sunday, Rev. Thomas McElroy, surprised everyone with an announcement that the church has taken all pastoral duties away from Rev. Chris Santangelo because of unspecified "misconduct."

McElroy would not give any specifics about the allegation other than to say it does not involve a child.

McElroy told NBC 10 that the church and "civil authorities have each started an investigation, with his full cooperation."

Posted by kshaw at 09:13 AM

Martin rejects BBC documentary claims

IRELAND
RTE News

02 October 2006 14:53
Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has rejected an allegation that Pope Benedict XVI was responsible for imposing a vow of secrecy on victims of clerical sexual abuse.

Last night's BBC Panorama programme claimed that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had threatened all witnesses to such abuse with excommunication if they reported the crime to state - or other non-Church - bodies.

The programme alleged that a document which is said to outline a procedure for dealing with child sex abuse was enforced for 20 years by Cardinal Ratzinger.

Posted by kshaw at 09:07 AM

U.K. Catholics Dispute Cover-up Report

UNITED KINGDOM
CBS News

(CBS) The Catholic Church is hitting back after a British magazine news program claimed that, before he became pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI enforced a secret policy effectively covering up child sex abuse cases among priests.

CBS News reporter Vicki Barker in London reports that the BBC claimed that then-Cardinal Ratzinger, in his capacity as guardian of Church doctrine, backed and enforced a document that imposes an oath of silence on abusing priests and their child victims — on pain of excommunication.

Adopted in its original form in 1962, the document first came under public scrutiny during investigations of sex abuse cover-ups in the Church during the last decade.

But the BBC also showed what it claimed was a 2001 update of the original 1962 text. The Vatican says it's still studying a transcript of the show.

Posted by kshaw at 09:05 AM

BBC documentary links pope to 'child sex abuse cover-up'

UNITED KINGDOM
Cape Argus

October 2, 2006

A British documentary has claimed that Pope Benedict XVI was implicated in the systematic cover-up of child sex abuse allegations against Catholic priests.

Before becoming head of the church, the then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger enforced doc-trinal orthodoxy. This included a "secret Vatican decree which seemed to shelter the perpetrators and silence the victims of abuse", the Panorama programme said yesterday.

This was the 1962 document Crimen Solicitationis, which told top churchmen how to deal with priests who "solicit or provoke the penitent toward im-pure and obscene matters", ac-cording to a translation from Latin on the BBC website.

Posted by kshaw at 09:03 AM

The Polygamy Case That Isn't -- and It's a Good Thing, Too: Why the Warren Jeffs Prosecution Is Really About Child Rape

UTAH
FindLaw

By ERIK LUNA

Monday, Oct. 02, 2006

At the end of August, law enforcement finally nabbed Warren Jeffs, the prophet and autocrat of the polygamist Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS). Charged as an accomplice to felony rape of a minor, he had been on the lam for months and was featured on the FBI's Most Wanted list.

Jeffs now awaits trial, detained in the ironically named Purgatory Jail in southern Utah, and a small media circus is ready to begin when the gavel falls. Just this past Wednesday, September 27, a relatively routine ten-minute court session drew national news coverage -- foreshadowing an all-out media blitz for the probable cause hearing scheduled for late November.

Jeffs's prosecution has been spun in the media as a case about polygamy -- the last thing Utah needed. Although the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS Church, not to be confused with the FLDS sect) has long disavowed the practice, the titillating history of plural marriage is rekindled with every new story or pop culture reference. Recently, there's been Jon Krakauer's bestselling book Under the Banner of Heaven and the HBO show "Big Love." And some locals have even contributed to the spectacle with a little self-deprecating humor; for instance, a Park City microbrew called "Polygamy Porter" carries slogans like "why have just one" and "take some home for the wives."

But the Jeffs case doesn't fit into this cultural framework. Rather than being about polygamy, it's really a case about child rape -- an offense which we all can agree merits severe punishment. Jeffs is being prosecuted for alleged criminal misconduct against an underage girl, which in and of itself provides no basis for challenging the ban on plural marriage.

Posted by kshaw at 09:00 AM

BBC alleges pope linked to 'child abuse cover-up'

UNITED KINGDOM
Middle East Times

Katherine Haddon
AFP
October 2, 2006

LONDON -- A British documentary aired Sunday claimed that Pope Benedict XVI was implicated in the systematic cover-up of child sex abuse allegations against Catholic priests.

Before becoming head of the church, the then cardinal Joseph Ratzinger enforced church doctrinal orthodoxy, including a "secret Vatican decree which seemed to shelter the perpetrators and silence the victims of abuse," the Panorama program said.

This was the 1962 document "Crimen Sollicitationis," which told top churchmen how to deal with priests who "solicit or provoke the penitent toward impure and obscene matters", according to a translation from Latin on the BBC website.

It imposed an oath of secrecy on victims, witnesses, and those probing abuse claims and said that anyone breaking this would be excommunicated, the BBC said.

Posted by kshaw at 08:55 AM

Group calls for Pope to introduce worldwide child protection policy

IRELAND
Irish Examiner

Sexual abuse support group One in Four has today called for the introduction of worldwide mandatory child protection policy within the Catholic Church.

Responding to the BBC Panorama film aired last night, One in Four also called on the Vatican to fulfil its obligations as a signatory to the United Convention on the Rights of Children which it signed in 1990.

“The urgent need for such a policy is surely clear to any objective person who watched last nights film and heard about Warley, the then five-year-old boy repeatedly raped in 2003 by a priest known to the church to be an abuser,” said One in Four’s Colm O’Gorman.

Posted by kshaw at 08:45 AM

Pope's child sex cover up denied

Oct 2 2006

UNITED KINGDOM
Birmingham Mail

By Tony Collins, Birmingham Mail

BIRMINGHAM'S top Roman Catholic leader today denied the Pope had tried to hide child sex allegations against the church.

The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Birmingham, launched the blistering attack on BBC Panorama journalists who claimed Pope Benedict XVI had played a leading role in a systematic cover-up of child sex abuse by priests.

Posted by kshaw at 08:42 AM

Priest accused of mishandling bequest

DELRAY BEACH (FL)
Monsters and Critics

DELRAY BEACH, FL, United States (UPI) -- A priest in Delray Beach, Fla., is at the center of an investigation into his handling of a $330,000 bequest by a famed hat designer.

The Palm Beach Post reported that the Rev. John Skehan of St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church was responsible for controlling the bequest left by Lilly Dache after her death in 1989.

The Dache bequest is just one of many of financial transactions handled by Skehan during his four decades at the church, the Post said, and dozens are now being investigated.

Posted by kshaw at 08:40 AM

Church to raise funds for abuse victims

AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun

October 02, 2006 06:44pm

THE Anglican Church in South Australia will consider cuts to programs, axing staff and imposing a levy on parishes to help pay for child abuse compensation claims.

The church has already paid about $4 million to victims after an independent report in 2004 found it was slow to investigate cases of abuse and its first priority was to protect the church.

Now, with a number of claims still to be resolved, it is considering ways to raise more money.

Adelaide Archbishop Jeffrey Driver said spending cuts, changes to programs and asset sales were among measures being considered.

He said the hardest thing was the prospect of cutting staff.

Posted by kshaw at 08:33 AM

Church mulls funding abuse compensation claims

AUSTRALIA
ABC

The Anglican Archbishop of Adelaide, Jeffrey Driver, says asset sales, levies and redundancies will be needed to heal the church as well as the victims of sexual abuse.

The measures will be put to the Synod in Adelaide later this month, as it considers how it can pay compensation claims against the church.

Mr Driver says a 1 per cent levy on individual parishes allows them to be symbolically involved in compensating the victims.

Posted by kshaw at 08:23 AM

Bishops round on Panorama's claims of abuse cover-ups

UNITED KINGDOM
The Guardian

Stephen Bates, religious affairs correspondent
Monday October 2, 2006
The Guardian

Catholic bishops in England and Wales yesterday launched a retaliatory strike against the BBC's Panorama series, claiming that a programme due to be shown last night highlighting the cover-up of alleged child sexual abuse by priests was unwarranted and misleading.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the head of the Catholic church in England and Wales, is to write to the BBC's director general, Mark Thompson - a practising Catholic - to complain about the programme, called Sex Crimes and the Vatican. The programme claimed to have unearthed Vatican documents aimed at preventing the proper examination of claims of child abuse and accused Pope Benedict XVI, in his previous post as enforcer of church doctrinal orthodoxy, of shielding priests from investigation.

In a statement, Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Birmingham said the BBC should be ashamed of the standard of its journalism, and said it had made an unwarranted attack on the pope's integrity.

"Viewers will recognise only too well the sensational tactics and misleading editing of the programme, which uses old footage and undated interviews," he said.

Posted by kshaw at 08:20 AM

British documentary alleges pope linked to

UNITED KINGDOM
The News

LONDON: A British documentary aired Sunday claimed that Pope Benedict XVI was implicated in the systematic cover-up of child sex abuse allegations against Catholic priests.

Before becoming head of the church, the then cardinal Joseph Ratzinger enforced church doctrinal orthodoxy, including a "secret Vatican decree which seemed to shelter the perpetrators and silence the victims of abuse", a programme said.

This was the 1962 document Crimen Sollicitationis, which told top churchmen how to deal with priests who "solicit or provoke the penitent toward impure and obscene matters", according to a translation from Latin on a British news channel's website.

It imposed an oath of secrecy on victims, witnesses and those probing abuse claims and said that anyone breaking this would be excommunicated, it said.

Posted by kshaw at 08:17 AM

The Pope had ordered for concealment of kid harassments

TURKEY
Sabah

According to a documentary broadcasted on BBC, the Pope had concealed some events when he was cardinal. Via Vatican's special directive document, he said to the ecclesiastics: "conceive the victims to remain silent. First comes the interest of the church."

Spiritual leader of Catholic world, the Pope 16th Benedict's prestige was firstly shaken after his statements regarding Islam and Prophet Mohammad; now it will be shaken again with the documentary program of BBC regarding sexual harassment claims in Vatican.

Posted by kshaw at 08:09 AM

Protest at BBC 'attack' on Pope

UNITED KINGDOM
Telegraph

By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent
(Filed: 02/10/2006)

The head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales is to make a formal complaint to the BBC over a documentary which accused the Pope of covering up child abuse by priests.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor is to protest to Mark Thompson, the corporation's director general, about last night's "unwarranted" and "deeply prejudiced" BBC1 Panorama programme.

The documentary, called Sex Crimes and the Vatican, purported to reveal how in 2001 the future pope, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, issued "a secret Vatican edict" to instruct the world's Catholic bishops to put the interests of the Church before the safety of children.

The programme said that by issuing the document the cardinal was advising bishops to encourage alleged victims, the accused and any witnesses to talk to them about the allegations rather than report them to the civil authorities.

It described the document as an updated version of the "notorious" 1962 Vatican instruction Crimen Sollicitationis – the Crime of Solicitation – which, it claimed, laid down the rules for covering up sexual scandal.

Posted by kshaw at 08:06 AM

BBC and Catholic Church in row over child sex abuse

UNITED KINGDOM
Ekklesia

The Roman Catholic Church and the BBC are involved in a furious row over a Panorama documentary programme, 'Sex Crimes and the Vatican', which was broadcast on BBC 1 at 10.15pm last night.

The programme accused the church of systematically covering up the problem, and directly implicated Pope Benedict XVI. But the Church accuses the internationally-renowned broadcaster of gross distortion and misrepresentations.

This morning, the head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in England and Wales, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, wrote to the director general of the BBC, Mark Thompson, protesting about the programme in the strongest terms.

Posted by kshaw at 08:04 AM

O'Gorman 'maligned' the Pope

IRELAND
Irish Independent

A SENIOR church lawyer last night accused Colm O'Gorman, the founder of the One in Four victims' support group, of "maligning" Pope Benedict XVI.

In last night's BBC 'Panorama' programme, Mr O'Gorman named Pope Benedict as the churchman responsible for the Vatican's worldwide cover-up of child-abusing priests.

In an angry reaction, Fr Michael Mullaney, a lecturer on canon law at St Patrick's College, Maynooth, told the Irish Independent: "Mr O'Gorman has made false charges against the Pope, who has taken strong steps to deal with the crime of clerical child abuse.

"Mr O'Gorman has misunderstood and misinterpreted the Vatican's approach to allegations against priests suspected of abusing children. This is a thinly-veiled effort to malign Pope Benedict."

Posted by kshaw at 08:02 AM

Bishop apologizes to parish where priests are accused of theft

DELRAY BEACH (FL)
Pravda

The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach apologized to parishioners of a church where two Irish former pastors allegedly stole and misappropriated US$8.6 million (about Ђ6.8 million) in offerings and gifts.

"I'm truly, truly, truly sorry," the Rev. Gerald Barbarito told parishioners attending Sunday Mass at St. Vincent Ferrer Church.

"Priests are humans and they make mistakes," Barbarito said. "Some make mistakes we can certainly understand. Others, not so. Sexual abuse, stealing money, we cannot understand this. Prayer is our strongest resource. The Lord is the only perfect one, and we rely on his strength."

Monsignor John Skehan, who was pastor at St. Vincent Ferrer for four decades, was arrested Wednesday after returning from his native Ireland. He was released on US$400,000 (Ђ316,000) bond Friday.

Posted by kshaw at 07:59 AM

Bishops reject Vatican abuse cover-up allegations

UNITED KINGDOM
Maylasia Star

By Deborah Haynes
LONDON (Reuters) - Roman Catholic bishops in England and Wales rejected as false and misleading a BBC documentary about what it said was a cover-up of child sexual abuse under a system enforced by Pope Benedict XVI in his previous job.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, head of the Catholic Church in the two countries, plans to write to Mark Thompson, director general of the BBC this week to protest about the programme, aired late on Sunday.

The documentary by flagship current affairs programme "Panorama" examined what it described as a secret document written in 1962 that sets out a procedure for dealing with child sex abuse within the Catholic Church.

The document, called "Crimen Sollicitationis", imposes an oath of secrecy on the child victim, the priest dealing with the allegation and any witness. Breaking that oath would result in excommunication, the BBC said.

Posted by kshaw at 07:57 AM

Bishops reject Vatican abuse cover-up claims

UNITED KINGDOM
ABC

Roman Catholic bishops in England and Wales have rejected as "false and entirely misleading" a BBC documentary about an alleged cover-up of child sexual abuse under a system enforced by Pope Benedict XVI in his previous job.

The head of the Catholic Church in the two countries, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, plans to write to BBC director-general Mark Thompson to protest about the program.

The documentary, by the BBC's flagship Panorama current affairs program, examines what it describes as a secret document written in 1962 that sets out a procedure for dealing with child sex abuse within the Catholic Church.

The document imposes an oath of secrecy on the child victim, the priest dealing with the allegation and any witness.

The BBC says breaking that oath would result in excommunication.

Posted by kshaw at 07:55 AM

BBC claims Pope party to alleged child sex abuse cover-up

UNITED KINGDOM
Daily News

October 02, 2006 Edition 1

LONDON: A British documentary aired yesterday claimed that Pope Benedict XVI was implicated in the systematic cover-up of child sex abuse allegations against Catholic priests.

Before becoming head of the church, the then-cardinal Joseph Ratzinger enforced church doctrinal orthodoxy, including a "secret Vatican decree which seemed to shelter the perpetrators and silence the victims of abuse", the Panorama programme said.

This was the 1962 document Crimen Sollicitationis, which told top churchmen how to deal with priests who "solicit or provoke the penitent toward impure and obscene matters", according to a translation from Latin on the BBC website.

Posted by kshaw at 07:53 AM

Bishop 'sorry' for Palm Beach priest thefts

DELRAY BEACH (FL)
Tallahassee Democrat

By The Associated Press
DELRAY BEACH -- The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach apologized to parishioners of a church where two former pastors allegedly stole and misappropriated $8.6 million in offerings and gifts.

"I'm truly, truly, truly sorry," the Rev. Gerald Barbarito told parishioners attending Sunday Mass at St. Vincent Ferrer Church.

"Priests are humans and they make mistakes," Barbarito said. "Some make mistakes we can certainly understand. Others, not so. Sexual abuse, stealing money, we cannot understand this. Prayer is our strongest resource. The Lord is the only perfect one, and we rely on his strength."

Monsignor John Skehan, who was pastor at St. Vincent Ferrer for four decades, was arrested Wednesday after returning from his native Ireland. He was released on $400,000 bond Friday.

Posted by kshaw at 07:51 AM

Bishops reject abuse cover-up allegation

VATICAN CITY
Reuters

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican on Monday threw its full support behind bishops who attacked a BBC documentary alleging there had been a cover-up of child sexual abuse under a system Pope Benedict enforced in his previous job.

Roman Catholic bishops from England and Wales condemned the documentary, which was aired on Sunday night, as "false and misleading".

The Vatican said it would have no comment of its own for the time being but said it fully endorsed a sternly worded statement by Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Birmingham written on behalf of the bishops.

Nichols, chair of the Catholic Office for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults, said the BBC should be "ashamed of the standard of the journalism used to create this unwarranted attack on Pope Benedict XVI".

The BBC defended the documentary, made by the flagship current affairs programme "Panorama", which examined what it described as a secret document written in 1962 that set out a procedure for dealing with child sex abuse within the Catholic Church.

The document, called "Crimen Sollicitationis", imposes an oath of secrecy on the child victim, the priest dealing with the allegation and any witness. Breaking that oath would result in excommunication, the BBC said.

Posted by kshaw at 07:45 AM

October 01, 2006

Archbishop 'violently angry' at child abuse

IRELAND
Sunday Independent

NICOLA TALLANT

THE Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has described how he felt "violently angry" on hearing stories of priests abusing children.

The former Vatican observer who took over the job in the capital in 2003 says his strict new child protection guidelines for priests are the only way to attempt to regain the trust of parents and bring people back to the church.

Archbishop Martin says he is aware he has angered some priests who say the measures are "over-strict" and often result in clergy being stood aside from ministry when they are innocent.

"The credibility of the Church has suffered. If I talk to parents about child sex abuse, they are horrified to imagine their own child at risk," he says.

"It is now a question of regaining confidence - and you have to earn it. I try to do that by having norms in place to deal with any future allegations. There have been priests taken out of ministry who are innocent. They can be very angry with me and have a right to be angry with me," he said.

Posted by kshaw at 06:44 PM

Church under fire over child abuse in developing world

IRELAND
Irish Examiner

01/10/2006 - 4:13:28 PM

A new documentary is to be released accusing the Catholic Church of repeating policies in the developing world that allowed priests to abuse children in Ireland over the past 40 years.

'Sex Crimes and the Vatican', which is being aired on BBC's Panorama programme tonight was partly made by Irish anti-child abuse campaigner Colm O'Gorman.

He claims thousands of children across the developing world have been abused by priests because of the Church's failure to confront child abuse.

Posted by kshaw at 06:42 PM

Doco claims Pope in child abuse cover-up

UNITED KINGDOM
news.com.au

October 02, 2006 06:20am

A BRITISH documentary claimed today that Pope Benedict XVI was implicated in the systematic cover-up of child sex abuse by Catholic priests.

Over 20 years, the man formerly known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger enforced a secret 1962 document on how bishops should deal with allegations of child abuse which included a code of secrecy, enforceable by excommunication, the BBC Panorama investigation said.

Father Tom Doyle, a canon solicitor reportedly sacked by the Vatican after criticising its handling of the issue, interpreted the document for the BBC and said it was an explicit written policy to cover up cases of child abuse which emphasised total Vatican control and did not mention victims.

The program also claims to have found seven priests facing child abuse investigations living in and around Vatican City.

Posted by kshaw at 06:39 PM

Vincent Nichols statement in full

UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News

Archbishop Vincent Nichols, Chairman of the Catholic Office for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults, has issued the following statement on the BBC Panorama programme Sex Crimes and the Vatican:

The BBC Panorama programme, 'Sex Crimes and the Vatican', makes clear the suffering of those abused in their childhood.

Archbishop Nichols said the BBC should be ashamed

But as a public service broadcaster, the BBC should be ashamed of the standard of the journalism used to create this unwarranted attack on Pope Benedict XVI.

Viewers will recognise only too well the sensational tactics and misleading editing of the programme, which uses old footage and undated interviews.

Posted by kshaw at 06:33 PM

Bishops condemn BBC abuse claim

UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News

The Catholic Church has accused a BBC documentary of a "deeply prejudiced attack" on the Pope over claims of a systematic cover-up of child sex abuse.
Panorama examined a document which allegedly encourages secrecy in dealing with cases of priests abusing children.

It says this was enforced by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before he became Pope.

The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Birmingham, said the claim was "entirely misleading" but the BBC said it stood by the programme.

'Misuse of the confessional'

The document called Crimen Sollicitationis was written in 1962 and apparently instructed bishops how to handle claims of child sex abuse.

Programme makers asked Father Tom Doyle, a former church lawyer who was sacked from the Vatican for criticising its handling of child abuse, to interpret the document.

He said it was an explicit written policy to cover up cases of child abuse, which stressed the Vatican's control and made no mention of the victims.

Posted by kshaw at 06:25 PM

Church plan to pay for past sins

AUSTRALIA
Adelaide Now

COLIN JAMES, LEGAL AFFAIRS EDITOR
October 02, 2006 12:15am

THE cash-strapped Anglican Church wants its Adelaide parishes to pay a special levy to help fund child sexual abuse compensation claims.

The Diocese of Adelaide Synod this month will be asked to approve the payment of 1 per cent of each parish's annual income into the levy for 10 years.

Official papers for the Synod, obtained by The Advertiser, also reveal members will be asked to approve the sub-division of the official residence of the Anglican Adelaide Archbishop, Bishop's Court, at North Adelaide. It has been estimated by the church that it could raise around $2 million by selling off a former tennis court in the mansion's 4ha grounds. That could accommodate four townhouses.

Other proposed cost-cutting measures that up to 200 Synod members will be asked to vote on include the redundancy of several full-time church employees, the possible reduction of chaplaincy services in prisons and hospitals, the end of a long-running housing grants program and the sale of a campsite in the Barossa Valley.

Posted by kshaw at 11:06 AM

Chicago priest jailed for breaking probation

LAKE GENEVA (WI)
The Janesville Gazette

(Published Saturday, September 30, 2006 11:27:53 PM CDT)

By Chris Schultz
Gazette Staff

LAKE GENEVA-A Chicago-area priest out on probation while appealing his recent conviction for molesting two boys in Wisconsin in the late 1960s is now in the Walworth County Jail.

Donald J. McGuire, 76, was brought to the Walworth County Jail on Monday by a Walworth County probation agent after reportedly not complying with the conditions of his probation.

Meanwhile, Illinois representatives of a support group for those abused by priests were leafleting a Lake Geneva neighborhood with news that McGuire was closer to them than they might have thought.

The jail gave McGuire's home address as 30 E. Main St., Waukegan. However, according to Wisconsin's online sex offender registry, McGuire was living at the Lake Geneva Comfort Inn, 300 E. Main St., Lake Geneva.

Posted by kshaw at 10:46 AM

Bishop takes contrition to parish in theft allegations

PALM BEACH GARDENS (FL)
Palm Beach Post

By Jane Musgrave, Eliot Kleinberg
Palm Beach Post Staff Writers

Sunday, October 01, 2006

PALM BEACH GARDENS — In a surprise appearance at Saturday afternoon Mass, Bishop Gerald Barbarito apologized to the congregation of St. Patrick Catholic Church for the alleged behavior of their former priest, who is accused of stealing millions.

The bishop, noting that he himself was a mere teenager 40 years ago when police say money started disappearing from collection plates, emphasized he wasn't apologizing for anything he had done personally. Rather, he said, he was apologizing for any pain Rev. Francis Benedict Guinan and another priest may have caused church members.

"I am the bishop of the diocese, and when there's any misdeeds on the part of priests, and the alleged ones we're looking at, then it's up to me as bishop to apologize," he said.

"We are human and we are going to make mistakes," he continued. "Some mistakes are understandable and some are very hard to understand. These we're looking at today are very hard to understand."

Posted by kshaw at 09:21 AM

O’Gorman lashes pope on BBC show

IRELAND
One in Four

The Star

Child sex abuse survivor Colm O’Gorman has blasted Pope Benedict XVI over decades of heartless Church “cover-ups” in a new TV documentary.

He lashed church leaders for protecting evil paedophile priests across the world.

“This didn’t happen just in Ireland. Children in America and in developing countries everywhere suffered because of a systematic deliberate avoidance of the truth,” Mr O’Gorman told The Star.

“Pope Benedict is the head of the Catholic Church and has presided over years of child suffering. He has absolute responsibility and absolute authority.

Posted by kshaw at 09:10 AM

An Irish village quietly reels from Delray priest scandal

IRELAND
Sun-Sentinel

By Paula McMahon
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted October 1 2006

Johnstown, County Kilkenny, Ireland -- In the small parish church of St. Kieran's, where Father John Skehan celebrated his first Mass decades ago, more than 100 faithful gathered Saturday night for Mass.

This church, this village, is where Skehan, 79, grew up and visited frequently. And while it seemed almost everyone here knows of the charges that Skehan stole millions of dollars from his flock at St. Vincent Ferrer Parish in Delray Beach, it was not a topic to be discussed at Mass -- especially with Skehan's brother among the congregants.

"Those things are better not said," said one parishioner who did not give her name or point out Skehan's brother among those in church. "His poor family -- they're good people."

Posted by kshaw at 08:54 AM

Jury throws out sex-abuse lawsuit against Boys Town

OMAHA (NE)
Omaha World-Herald

BY TODD COOPER
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

A Douglas County jury took a little more than an hour to throw out a sexual abuse lawsuit against Boys Town and a former supervisor there.

After a two-week trial, jurors deliberated for little more than an hour before ruling against John J. Sturzenegger in his bid for $1 million.

Sturzenegger had alleged that, while he was a 14-year-old student at Boys Town, a supervisor, Glenn Moore, had pulled down the boy's pants and fondled him.

Sturzenegger told several variations of the story at trial. And several people, including Moore, testified that Sturzenegger was a liar and a manipulator.

Moore said Friday he was relieved to be vindicated.

Posted by kshaw at 08:51 AM

Witness relates Boys Town turf battle

OMAHA (NE)
Omaha World-Herald

BY TODD COOPER
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

A former Boys Town police chief testified Tuesday that he was frequently frustrated by a Boys Town administrative unit that insisted on doing its own investigations of alleged crimes before reporting them to his Police Department.

Steve Halley, chief of the village's Police Department from 1994 to 1998, testified during the first day of a civil trial over an alleged sexual abuse incident from 1997.

Halley said he couldn't recall specifics about sexual assault investigations in which the delays happened. However, he said, it was an "ongoing issue" between the Police Department and the administrative investigators at Boys Town, which was renamed Girls and Boys Town in 2000.

"The issue was that Boys Town's . . . administrators would frequently conduct their own investigation before (notifying) police," Halley said.

Posted by kshaw at 08:50 AM

Jurors selected for Boys Town trial

OMAHA (NE)
Lincoln Journal-Star

By The Associated Press

OMAHA — A man who says he was abused by a counselor at an Omaha facility for children may seek $1 million in damages, his attorney said Monday.

John Sturzenegger’s lawsuit against Girls and Boys Town and former counselor Glenn Moore began in Omaha on Monday with jury selection.

Both the facility and Moore deny Sturzenegger’s allegations.

Attorney James Sherrets mentioned the $1 million amount during jury selection.

In the suit, Sturzenegger claims he was sexually abused in 1997 while a 14-year-old resident at Boys Town.

Therapy Sturzenegger needs as a result could cost $300,000, his attorney said.

Posted by kshaw at 08:44 AM

Trial In Abuse Case

OMAHA (NE)
WOWT

A jury will decide if a former Girls and Boys Town resident was a victim of sexual abuse or a manipulative liar in search of $1 million.

John Sturzenegger, now 23, is suing Boys Town and his former family teacher Glenn Moore, alleging he was sexually fondled by Moore in 1997.

On one side, attorneys say Boys Town is concerned about Sturzenegger and wanted to help him. The other side says Sturzenegger was a frightened teenager who was fondled for $5.

Sturzenegger may ask for as much as $1 million for a fondling incident he claims happened at Boys Town in 1997.

His attorney, James Sherrets says, "We think it's very brave for coming forth and doing this and he's suffered a lot of injuries as a consequence. There's something peculiar about a sexual injury like this that goes much deeper than other kinds of assaults and the psychiatrist will testify about that."

Posted by kshaw at 08:39 AM

Accused Teacher Testifies

OMAHA (NE)
WOWT

The case against a former Girls and Boys Town teacher continued Wednesday at the Douglas County Courthouse. Glenn Moore is accused of sexually abusing a student nine years ago.

Now 23 years old, John Sturzenegger is suing Girls and Boys Town and his former family teacher for as much as $1 million.

Sturzenegger said in a deposition that nine years ago Moore offered him $5 to run around naked, and then offered him a candy bar if he would touch himself.

Moore testified Wednesday that the alleged incident never happened.

Posted by kshaw at 08:37 AM

Jury throws out Boys Town abuse lawsuit

OMAHA (NE)
Sioux City Journal

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- A Douglas County jury on Friday threw out a sexual abuse lawsuit against Girls and Boys Town and a former counselor there.

The trial lasted two weeks, but jurors deliberated for little more than an hour before ruling against 23-year-old John Sturzenegger, who said he was sexually abused by Glenn Moore in 1997 while a 14-year-old resident at Boys Town. He had sought up to $1 million dollars in damages.

Moore said Friday he was relieved to be vindicated.

"I'm glad it came out the way it did," Moore said. "Finally, I can tell everyone, 'That's not me. That's not my family."'

Moore no longer works at Boys Town.

Posted by kshaw at 08:35 AM

A festival without a name?

MARLBOROUGH (MA)
The Dallas Morning News

12:00 AM CDT on Sunday, October 1, 2006

By KEN MAGUIRE Associated Press

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. – A riches-to-rags story could be unfolding in Horatio Alger's hometown.

In the 1860s, Alger quietly resigned as a Unitarian minister at a church on Cape Cod after he was accused of assaulting two boys – an incident that is old news to literary scholars but came as a surprise to some civic leaders in Marlborough.

"This was an absolute shock to me," said school board member Joe Delano. "That's a sad world, goodness gracious." Mr. Delano, the father of three, said: "I'm confident the city will change the name next year."

Posted by kshaw at 08:32 AM

Diocese has bumpy road to the future

DAVENPORT (IA)
Quad-City Times

By Mary Louise Speer | Sunday, October 01, 2006

Catholics celebrated the diocese’s 125th anniversary Saturday with a Diocese of Davenport Eucharistic Congress that began with an early morning Mass at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, Davenport.

Worshippers prayed for people in all states of life and those affected by abuse. “Everything that we face, everything that we are challenged with goes on this altar,” said the Rev. Robert Gruss, the main celebrant at the morning Mass and diocesan chancellor.

The group left the church and processed to LeClaire Park with Bishop William Franklin carrying the Eucharistic communion host in a gold monstrance, or sacred vessel. The head of the diocese walked accompanied by about 30 priests, deacons and seminarians of many nationalities, Knights of Columbus in plumed hats and 200 lay people.

The celebration comes at a time when diocesan officials are exploring ways to pay for sexual abuse committed decades ago by some priests. A Scott County jury awarded $1.5 million to a victim of sexual abuse on Sept. 18, shortly before the start of the annual Diocesan Appeal. In a recent letter, Franklin asked parishioners to continue their contributions to the diocesan ministries, saying these monies go for operating expenses and not to settle lawsuits.

Posted by kshaw at 08:29 AM

Goodman: Trio's betrayal knocks public's precious trust down another notch

FLORIDA
Sun-Sentinel

Published October 1, 2006

Howard Goodman

Hey, isn't it supposed to be the politicians who get caught stealing money?

And the priests who get accused of misbehavior with boys?

Well, that's not how it goes in Palm Beach County.

In a dizzying couple of days last week, we were hit with back-to-back shockers:

Two priests from St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach stood accused of stealing millions of dollars from collection plates over four decades -- money that parishioners had taken out of their pockets and intended for widows and orphans and good works -- and spending it on condos, gambling trips, girlfriends and other pleasures not usually associated with the priestly life.

And while that was just sinking in, six-term U.S. Rep. Mark Foley abruptly announced his resignation, one day after the emergence of some creepy-sounding e-mails he had sent last year to a 16-year-old congressional page.

Posted by kshaw at 08:25 AM

Children at mercy of system

MISSISSIPPI
The Clarion-Ledger

By Riva Brown
rvbrown@clarionledger.com

The abuse of children leads to lack of stability and loss of productivity when the children reach adulthood and yields to direct and indirect costs of nearly $100 billion, according to two studies on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site.

A 2002 study found children who experience maltreatment are at an increased risk for problems as adults, including smoking, alcoholism, drug abuse, eating disorders, severe obesity, depression, suicide, sexual promiscuity and certain chronic diseases.

A 2001 study found the direct costs - judicial, law enforcement and health system responses to child maltreatment - are estimated to be $24 billion annually. The indirect costs - long-term economic consequences of child maltreatment - exceed an estimated $69 billion annually.

A local law enforcement officer reportedly told the father of a 12-year-old girl that he didn't believe her rape allegations. So the father turned to sheriff's deputies for help. They arrested the man, now 60, who fathered a child by the 12-year-old. He later pleaded guilty.

A then-Hinds County resident who pleaded guilty in November to having oral sex with his 10-year-old daughter was put on house arrest for a year instead of being sentenced to the up to 15 years in prison the law allows.

Child protection officials endangered a prosecution in at least one sexual abuse case, and possibly another, when they arranged for a child to meet with his alleged attacker.

Throughout Mississippi, the state's most vulnerable residents - children - are at the mercy of a system sometimes ill-equipped and, in some cases, unmotivated to protect them, The Clarion-Ledger has found. ...

A Rankin County mother is using the laws on the books now to seek prosecution of her father - a former pastor, youth minister and minister of music - for allegedly abusing her now-9-year-old son. "I want to be able to look my son in the face 20 years from now and say mama did everything she could not only to protect him but to fight for him," she said.

"You worry about teachers at schools and at day care, you worry about your child at other people's houses," the boy's mother said.

Posted by kshaw at 08:22 AM

Charges amended against leaders accused of molesting girls

PINEVILLE (MO)
Sioux City Journal

10:45 PM

PINEVILLE, Mo. (AP) -- The child-sex charges against two of five church leaders accused of abusing young girls from their congregations have been replaced with fewer charges because a statute of limitations has expired.

Paul S. Epling, 53, and his brother, Tom Epling, 51, were among five leaders from two affiliated churches accused of the abuse, which authorities say was sometimes conducted as part of a ritual or ceremony.

Similar charges were filed against the Eplings' pastor and the pastor's wife, as well as the pastor of a church commune in a neighboring county that is an offshoot of the Eplings' church. Those charges still stand.

The charges initially filed against the Eplings, both deacons of Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church in McDonald County, stemmed from the suspected sexual abuse of two girls from 1976 to 1983.

Posted by kshaw at 08:19 AM

Pope 'led cover-up of child abuse by priests'

UNITED KINGDOM
This is London

30.09.06

The Pope played a leading role in a systematic cover-up of child sex abuse by Roman Catholic priests, according to a shocking documentary to be screened by the BBC tonight.

In 2001, while he was a cardinal, he issued a secret Vatican edict to Catholic bishops all over the world, instructing them to put the Church's interests ahead of child safety.

The document recommended that rather than reporting sexual abuse to the relevant legal authorities, bishops should encourage the victim, witnesses and perpetrator not to talk about it. And, to keep victims quiet, it threatened that if they repeat the allegations they would be excommunicated.

Posted by kshaw at 08:13 AM

Court: Don't Reveal Abuse Victims' Names

BURLINGTON (KY)
Guardian Unlimited

Sunday October 1, 2006 12:01 AM

BURLINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Attorneys do not have to give prosecutors the names of victims of sexual abuse by priests in northern Kentucky until a full hearing on the issue, the Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled.

The appeals court on Friday blocked a judge's order that would have forced attorneys in the class-action lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington to give prosecutors the names of their clients and details of the suspected abuse.

The court set arguments for Oct. 11.

Along with names, state Judge John Potter had ordered attorneys to give prosecutors contact information and any allegations of other abuses by the priests. Potter said the names of the victims would not be made public unless necessary.

Posted by kshaw at 08:11 AM

Documentary: Priest and Predator

CALIFORNIA
Newsweek

Oct. 9, 2006 issue - Deliver us from Evil," a gripping new documentary opening in theaters next week, profiles Father Oliver O'Grady, a convicted pedophile who spent 22 years molesting children in parishes throughout California, where he served as their priest. In the film, O'Grady describes his sexual attraction to boys and girls, and details how church authorities, including Roger Mahony, now head of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, moved him from parish to parish. Other chilling moments include interviews with O'Grady's victims, their families, and never-before-seen deposition testimony from Mahony, who denies knowing about O'Grady's predilection. Tod Tamberg, spokesman for the L.A. Archdiocese, said in a statement that the film is nothing more than a "hit piece designed to cast the Archdiocese and Cardinal Mahony in the worst possible light." Julie Scelfo spoke with Amy Berg, the film's writer and director, who covered the sex-abuse scandal for years as a freelance investigative producer.

Posted by kshaw at 08:09 AM

W. Washington priest removed from public ministry

SEATTLE (WA)
The Daily News

SEATTLE - Another priest accused of child sexual abuse has been permanently removed from public ministry by the Vatican, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle said Friday.

The decision on Dennis V. Champagne, 61, brings to nine the number of priests from the archdiocese who have been removed from ministry over sex abuse allegations, spokesman Greg Magnoni said.

Through Dec. 31, 2005, the archdiocese had paid out $26 million in related counseling fees, attorney fees and settlements, he said.

The decision was made by the Vatican, acting on the recommendation of an archdiocesan review board, the archdiocese said in a statement. No other such recommendations are pending, the statement said.

Posted by kshaw at 08:06 AM

State must close loopholes that let pedophiles hide

PENNSYLVANIA
The Morning Call

Bishop Edward Cullen of the Allentown Catholic Diocese conceded before a grand jury in Philadelphia that ''it would be good for society'' if sexual crimes against children had no statute of limitations. He was right. Fortunately, there is a proposal before the Pennsylvania Legislature that would do just that. It is time lawmakers in Harrisburg enacted this and other reforms designed to protect the most vulnerable members of society from both sexual predators and from any institutions that would hide behind statutes of limitations to cover up and enable child abuse.

On Sept. 21, it was one year that the Philadelphia grand jury issued its report on the sexual abuse of children by clergy in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The jurors exposed a pattern that has been found in every diocese nationwide that has been investigated — decades of sexual crimes committed by priests, crimes that bishops and their aides hid, and in important ways, facilitated. It was also one year ago that the same grand jury revealed gaping loopholes in Pennsylvania laws intended to protect children. The jurors found that church leaders had exploited these loopholes to shield predatory priests from prosecution and themselves from liability.

Mobile News | Subscribe Online | Order Reprints Bishop Cullen, before he came to Allentown, was second-in-command in Philadelphia. The grand jury report documents his complicity in decisions that kept numerous sexually abusive priests in ministry. An aide of his in Philadelphia testified that Cullen once reprimanded him for telling a victim who had been raped as an 11-year-old that he believed her accusations against the priest. This priest was well known to Cullen, with a long history of abuse allegations against him.

Posted by kshaw at 08:03 AM

Zeal to defend priest takes wrong turn

GENEVA (IL)
Beacon News

October 1, 2006
There are some things in life you cannot prepare for. Getting married, your first child and Paris Hilton singing fall into that category.

I attended the Sept. 5 City Council meeting in Geneva anticipating outrageous quotes from the anti-Aldi crowd. Even though my newspaper doesn't trust me with press credentials (and I don't blame them), I sat at the media table. To show just how bereft my life can be, it was a thrill sitting with the reporters.

But, it became apparent if I had to attend these meetings on a regular basis my first call would be to Dr. Kevorkian.

Ray Pawlak gave his impassioned oratory and voted against everything. Paul DesCoteaux was at his curmudgeonly best, but usually voting "aye!" Jim Radecki's poignant recognition of the late Herb Granquist was a reminder that even aldermen are human beings.

Then Mayor Kevin Burns said, "Is there any other business?"

Staring straight ahead, gripping papers and trembling with anger, St. Peter Catholic Church parishioner Kim Koechley marched to the dais. Three times she demanded the mayor explain his comments regarding St. Peter Monsignor Joseph Jarmoluk. Each time, Burns explained his personal opinions were not city business, but he would meet with the group outside.

As each attempt to commandeer the meeting was rebuffed, the jeers from the gallery grew louder. When Koechley ignored the mayor and continued the inquisition, the council adjourned to the anguished dismay of the pro-Jarmoluk supporters in attendance.

The question remains, even among parishioners, as to when Jarmoluk knew about former priest Mark Campobello's 1999 sexual abuse of an eighth-grade girl at St. Peter School. Campobello is serving an 8-year sentence after pleading guilty to that crime as well as the abuse of an Aurora Central Catholic High School student.

Posted by kshaw at 07:59 AM