ABUSE TRACKER

CANADA
The Daily Courier

Sue Bailey The Canadian Press

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Former Newfoundland and Labrador residential school students suing for an apology and compensation listened Tuesday to procedural wrangling that could delay their case for months.

Judge Robert Stack of the provincial Supreme Court said he’ll likely rule Monday on a federal application that derailed what was supposed to be the first day of a two-month trial.

Lawyer Jonathan Tarlton, who’s defending the federal government in five certified class-action lawsuits, raised concerns that pre-trial filings weren’t complete.

Lawyers for the province and former operators of the schools blamed a procedural misunderstanding as they told Stack they weren’t ready.

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

CANADA
CBC News

As the residential school class action lawsuit against Ottawa gets postponed in St. John’s, one survivor says the Labrador school that was supposed to educate her turned into her prison.

Former students of residential schools in Labrador were at Supreme Court on Tuesday, expecting the trial against the federal government to go ahead, but the lawyers representing Newfoundland and Labrador, Moravian Mission and The Grenfell Association were not ready to proceed.

Nora Ford was five years old when she first attended the residential schools in North West River and Cartwright, where she went for 10 years, and says her mother thought she turned her daughter over to be educated and get a chance at a better life — but that’s not what happened.

“There are no words. I can’t describe how it felt — it was just as if I died,” she said. “I wanted to run away from the time I got there.”

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FLORIDA
WSVN

[with video]

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WSVN) — A South Florida teen abused by her former teacher is taking legal action against the school.

Back in June 2013, former Cardinal Gibbons High School teacher, John Farrel, was accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl.

Earlier this year, he was convicted of 20 counts of unlawful sexual activity and sentenced to 20 months in state prison.

Now, the victim is taking action against the school. Her attorneys filed a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Miami and Cardinal Gibbons High School, Tuesday, believing the school should have protected the student

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CHICAGO (IL)
KETV

[with full text of Archbishop Cupich’s homily]

By David Earl

CHICAGO, Ill. —History was made in Chicago Tuesday when a native son of South Omaha, picked by Pope Francis himself, rose to lead more than 2 million people as an archbishop for the church. He assumed leadership of one of the nation’s largest archdioceses, which Cardinal Francis George has headed since 1997.

The Mass marked the first time in the history of this archdiocese that a new archbishop assumed leadership while his predecessor is still alive. The 77-year old George is retiring as he battles cancer.

In front of a packed Holy Name Cathedral, Omaha’s Blase Cupich — the ninth archbishop of Chicago — began by paying tribute to his South 36th Street roots. …

The gospel, the story of Jesus walking on water, turning turbulent seas into a calm ocean, is something Cupich knows a little about after working to tackle the tough issues facing the modern Catholic Church.

“Working together to protect children, to bring healing to victim survivors and to rebuild the trust that has been shattered in our communities by our mishandling is our sacred duty,” said Cupich.

Managing a monumental task like that will go hand-in-hand with Cupich’s style: being a fearless pastor that has never closed a door on someone in need.

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UNITED STATES
Questions from a Ewe

I understand some hearts are aflutter after Cardinal Sean O’Malley’s recent interview on the US television show “60 Minutes.” During the interview Sean hinted that he felt convicted-criminal-for-failure-to-report-child-abuse-and-active-Opus-Dei-bishop-of-Kansas-City, Robert Finn, maybe shouldn’t be an active bishop anymore. Rather than rejoicing, I find myself disillusioned that a) O’Malley is the first of the more than 5,000 worldwide bishops to open his mouth on this…over TWO YEARS AFTER Finn’s conviction and b) this STILL has not been addressed by the pope. Talk about a “no-brainer” action to take…

In Roman Catholic Clergy time, perhaps two years is the equivalent of breaking the sound barrier for speed, but to me, it seems slow and underwhelming. After all, I repeat: Finn is still the active bishop of an entire diocese despite Sean’s groundbreaking public criticism. If Finn had ordained a woman, he would have been relieved of his duties before the sun set on the next day. It doesn’t speak well to papal priorities that the welfare of children is something to ponder for years before acting.

Sean also said the Vatican’s handling of the US nun’s visitation was a “disaster.” Thanks, Sean…Glad you caught on to that one too, albeit a little slower than the Finn situation.

But what really caught my attention were Sean’s statements about women and Jesus. Here’s a synopsis:

Reporter Norah O’Donnell asked if excluding women from the hierarchy was “immoral.” O’Malley replied, “Christ would never ask us to do something immoral. It’s a matter of vocation and what God has given to us.”

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CHICAGO (IL)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Statement by David Clohessy, Executive Director of SNAP ( 314-566-9790 cell, davidgclohessy@gmail.com )

Talking about abuse doesn’t prevent abuse. Acknowledging the obvious isn’t progress. Neither are vague pledges. Only decisive action prevents abuse.

We’ll know Archbishop Cupich is serious about safeguarding kids when he orders all pastors to list all predators in all parish bulletins and posts on his archdiocesan website the whereabouts of at least the living predator priests. And we’ll know he’s serious when he defrocks, demotes, disciplines or denounces several of the current archdiocesan staff who have hidden clergy sex crimes.

The Cardinal, His Men and the McCormack Legacy

We hurt kids, not help them, when we prematurely assume that “the new guy” will somehow automatically be “the new guy” regarding child safety. The only responsible course of action is for all of us to withhold judgment about Cupich and children’s safety until we see tangible decisions – not gestures – that either protect or endanger children.

We urged Cupich to quickly go to a church where Fr. Daniel McCormack worked. We’re glad he is doing this. But this is a symbolic move. In and of itself, it does not safeguard a single child. When he’s there, we hope he goes beyond pablum. He should emphatically beg every single person who may have seen, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes and cover ups to call law enforcement.

Remember: Just weeks ago, Cupich quietly suspended a credibly accused predator priest but told only his flock, not the public. He refused to disclose when the allegations surfaced. He urged other victims to call church officials, not secular authorities. And he made no mention of possible criminal prosecution or of the need for Catholics and citizens to share what they know about the priest with law enforcement. This is disturbing and reckless.

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CALIFORNIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014

Sex abuse victims’ group to hold first support meeting in Stockton
All adults abused in a religious setting, as child or adult, are welcome
Special outreach to 34 survivors who are part of Stockton Diocese bankruptcy
SNAP hopes meeting will “help heal the wounded and protect the vulnerable”

An international self-help organization for men and women who were molested by religious figures will hold its first confidential support group meeting in Stockton on Saturday, November 22nd from 1-3 pm at the Troke Branch Library at 502 W. Benjamin Holt Drive, Stockton. Those who suffered institutional abuse and their families and supporters welcome. But the meeting is not open to the public.

SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the group behind this effort. The mission of SNAP is to support survivors, protect children and raise awareness of sex crimes against children in religious and institutional settings. For 25 years, SNAP has worked to establish a worldwide network of survivors.

Despite the word “priest” in the organization’s name, any adult who was abused in any religious setting, either as a child or as an adult, is welcome to attend the kick-off meeting on November 22nd.

According to Kathleen Conti, the Stockton SNAP leader, the group especially hopes that the 34 victims who recently filed a claim against the Stockton Catholic Diocese with the bankruptcy court will take this opportunity to come together to meet and to form a support network.

“Although I am a survivor of abuse in the Jehovah’s Witnesses, SNAP has become my extended family,” Conti said. “I hope that by starting a group in the Stockton area I can pass that gift along to others.”

Tim Lennon, the SNAP leader from San Francisco, who is helping Conti, added, “We want to reach out all victims who are still suffering in silence. Both victims and their supporters are invited to join us at this meeting. By sharing our stories, we recognize that we are not alone, and we can begin to heal.”

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AUSTRALIA
The Examiner

By ISABEL BIRD Nov. 18, 2014

THE Royal Commission investigating the responses of the Hutchins School into sexual abuse allegations in the 1960s begins today, with 11 witnesses to be called over two weeks.

Tasmania is the last state or territory in Australia to have a public hearing held by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Five former students, one former teacher and two former headmasters of the school will be questioned by the commission regarding the alleged sexual abuse of boys by former headmaster David Lawrence and former French teacher Lyndon Hickman.

The response of the Anglican Diocese of Tasmania will also be examined, with former Anglican assistant bishop Ronald Stone and current Bishop John Harrower called as witnesses.

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SPAIN
Buenos Aires Herald

A few days ago, a young man from Granada, Spain whose real identity remains unidentified, wrote a letter to the pontiff telling him he had been sexually abused by priests. His case got media attention because Daniel – a pseudonym to preserve his real name – on Sunday heard his cell phone rang. It was Pope Francis personally calling him to ask him for forgiveness in the name of the Roman Catholic Church.

Last week, Daniel wrote Francis a five-letter page in which he described in detail everything he went through during his childhood and adolescence.

After reading the letter, the Argentine pope decided to call him.

“I could do nothing else but to feel moved and feel an immense sorrow while reading your story. I want to ask you for forgiveness in the name of all the Church of Christ. Forgive us for this too serious sin and too serious crime you have suffered. Forgive us, my child, for the sorrow that was caused you and for so much you must have suffered,” Francis was quoted as telling Daniel by the Religión Digital newswebsite.

“These wounds make the Church feel completly resentful. You have my full support and the support of the whole Church,” the pontiff reportedly said adding that he was thanking God for Daniel “to keep his faith and continue in the Church.”

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UNTIED STATES
Commonweal

The Editors

Schadenfreude can be a grave temptation and, if not resisted, a serious sin. There are some, both inside and outside the church, who have taken a certain glee in the fate of Cardinal Raymond Burke. Burke, the former archbishop of St. Louis, first made a name for himself as one of the American hierarchy’s most outspoken conservatives and energetic culture warriors. He came to national attention for warning that he would refuse to give Communion to Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry. A canon lawyer, Burke argued that denying Communion to prochoice Catholic public officials was a cut-and-dried issue. He understands most things to be cut and dried. That is not, however, how Pope Francis sees things, and the pope has taken steps to sideline the cardinal. Last year Burke was removed from the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops, and just last month he was relieved of his duties as head of the church’s high court. Instead, Burke has been given the ceremonial title of patron for the Knights of Malta.

Burke has not taken his removal from the centers of influence in Rome quietly. He has been perhaps the most outspoken critic of the recent Synod on the Family, repeatedly charging that the synod’s discussion of homosexuality, cohabitation, and the readmission of some divorced and remarried Catholics to Communion has sown dangerous “confusion” among the faithful. The church under Pope Francis, the cardinal warns, “is like a ship without a rudder.” Burke insists that what the church has taught about homosexuality and marriage is unchanging and unchangeable. Look it up in the Catechism, he urges.

Popes are free to staff the Vatican with whomever they think best suited to steward the church and implement whatever program of retrenchment, stasis, or reform is needed. Burke’s vision for the church calls for a defensive and rejectionist posture toward the modern world. Francis clearly thinks that strategy will result in a further eclipse of the gospel and marginalization of Catholicism. The pope’s aim is to steer the church away from the culture wars and toward a joyful engagement with Catholics and non-Catholics alike. “Joyful” is not the first word that comes to mind when listening to Cardinal Burke. Many find Francis’s openness a promising departure from the last two pontificates, while a vocal, entrenched minority, identifying themselves as the “orthodox,” see papal initiatives like the Synod on the Family as a kind of betrayal. Some, including Burke, speak darkly about the possibility of schism.

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MONTANA
ABC News

HELENA, Mont. — Nov 18, 2014

By AMY BETH HANSON Associated Press

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena has filed a bankruptcy reorganization plan that proposes a $16.4 million settlement for hundreds of people who said clergy members sexually abused them for decades while the church covered it up.

The plan, filed late Monday, calls for the 362 victims identified in two lawsuits filed in 2011 to receive a minimum payment of $2,500 each. An abuse-claims reviewer will determine the actual payment based on the severity and long-term effects of the abuse. The plaintiffs’ attorneys, unsecured creditors and any future abuse claims also will be paid out of the trust.

“As attorneys for the victims, we are relieved that this long battle is finally coming to an end,” Seattle attorney Timothy Kosnoff wrote in an email to The Associated Press on Nov. 14. He expected the plaintiffs to be paid early next year and expressed his “regret that it has taken so long for this modest amount of justice to be brought to them.”

The plan calls for insurance companies to contribute $14.4 million to the trust, while the diocese is asking the court’s approval for a $3.5 million loan so it can contribute $2 million to the trust and cover administrative expenses and operating expenses.

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AUSTRALIA
Armidale Express

By DANNIELLE MAGUIRE Nov. 19, 2014

A FORMER priest has been committed to trial for historic child sex abuse, facing a total of 76 charges.

In a committal hearing yesterday afternoon, Magistrate Karen Stafford ruled there was significant evidence for a jury to convict the defrocked priest of an indictable offence.

The hearing related to three counts of sexual assault of a person under 16-years-of-age and brought five witnesses before the Armidale Local Court.

The witness list included an alleged victim, his mother and a detective senior constable.

The court heard the victim informed his mother and partner of the alledged assault upon hearing a radio program’s segment about the priest and partaking in an interview on the show.

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Spectator

Damian Thompson

In the magazine a couple of weeks ago I asked if we were in the early stages of a Catholic civil war fuelled by confusion over Pope Francis’s apparent willingness to soften the Church’s pastoral approach to divorcees and gay people. Hostilities began during the disastrous Synod of the Family, at which liberal officials gave a press conference implying that the Church was about to admit remarried divorcees to Holy Communion and celebrate the positive aspects of gay unions.

The synod fathers, furious at this hijacking of the proceedings, voted down every liberal proposal – leaving the Pope looking foolish. He has since sacked Cardinal Raymond Burke, the most truculent of the conservatives, from his post as prefect of the Vatican’s supreme court. To say that Burke’s allies are offended is an understatement.

Among the more extreme traditionalists (the label for conservatives attached to the old Latin liturgy) Francis has now become ‘the enemy’. They recognise that he is technically Pope, but their true allegiance is to Benedict XVI. The Pope Emeritus is frail but mentally alert – and worried. He doesn’t regard his successor as any sort of enemy, but he’s not happy. Recently he mounted a defence of the Tridentine Mass that was more outspoken than anything he said as Pope. It appeared to contain a coded tribute to Burke.

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UNITED STATES
Patriot Talon

Posted: Tuesday, November 18, 2014 1

Presley Sanderson

I find few things more sinister than the segregation of children from society, the withholding of information for purposes of indoctrination, and the spread of hostility toward sexuality.

Many religious communities attempt to segregate themselves from society and exempt themselves from secular law.

You may remember the atrocious attempted cover-ups of child molestation under Pope John Paul II, by Cardinal Bernard Law or by Pope Benedict XVI.

These are terrible offenses committed by the Catholic church – habitual rape and torture of children covered up by simply moving the rapists to different congregations, as documented by the Huffington Post and author Christopher Hitchens.

Now, the Orthodox Jewish community of New York has joined the list of offenders against morality.
The following details may be found in a story done by the New Yorker.

Sam Kellner was once a reputable man in his close-knit Orthodox Jewish community located in Borough Park, Brooklyn.

That is, until his son informed him he was molested by a man from the synagogue.

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UNITED STATES
Waiting for Godot to Leave

Kevin O’Brien

It pains me to point out that National Catholic Register, once a fairly solid and trustworthy publication, has become the only mainstream journal (to my knowledge) to buy into the trad hysteria over the removal of one of the worst bishops in the world.

Edward Pentin has been Pent-up too long, it seems. Here he buys into the rallying cry of the extreme right wing in the Church that the bishop of the City of the East in Paraguay was unjustly removed.

Here’s my comment, which I assume will be published at the site …

Livieres handling of Urrutigoity was shameful. He let a known sexual abuser in his diocese, despite having been warned against doing so by Urrutigoity’s former bishop. He made him a monsignor and his vicar general, giving him unfettered access to boys, even after Urrutigoity admitted to sleeping with boys as a form of “spiritual direction”.

It is shameful that NCR is buying into the reactionary hysteria over the removal of an obviously harmful bishop. I’m sure left / right politics entered into this, and the Vatican said Livieres was not removed solely because of Urrutigoity – but a bishop who would enable an abuser like that and make him his vicar general is a bishop who should be not only removed, but tarred and feathered on his way out of town.

In addition, Urrutigoity has been involved in a number of shady financial dealings, has thereby (allegedly) victimized many donors financially, and is clearly (according to a number of people, including many of his bishops and superiors) a dangerous man in many ways.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Philadelphia Inquirer

AMY WORDEN, INQUIRER HARRISBURG BUREAU
POSTED: Tuesday, November 18, 2014

HARRISBURG – A Philadelphia prosecutor asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Tuesday to reinstate a criminal conviction against Msgr. William J. Lynn in a 2012 child sexual-abuse case.

Hugh Burns, chief of the district attorney’s appellate unit, said it was clear that Lynn was culpable because he had supervised priests who oversaw the care of children.

A jury convicted Lynn in 2012 of child endangerment and sentenced him to three to six years in prison for his role in a case involving a priest under his supervision who sexually assaulted a 10-year-old altar boy.

A Superior Court panel overturned the conviction, saying the endangerment law had been misapplied.

Lynn’s attorney, Thomas Bergstrom, argued the allegations predate a 2007 change in state law that for guilt required an individual’s having been been directly involved in supervising a child.

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UNITED STATES
Bilgrimage

William D. Lindsey

At his Christian Catholicism site, Jerry Slevin maintains that if Pope Francis represents “a ray of hope” for the Catholic church, as many Catholics wish to believe, the window of opportunity for hopeful light to enter the church will close, perhaps definitively, if Francis is not prophetic and transparent. Meanwhile, Catholics watch, and are increasingly less convinced by the convenient, shopworn arguments about hierarchical power that have been overused to thwart the open discussion and faithful dissent necessary to maintain a vital church.

And if Francis does not let the light flood through the windows,

The Vatican likely will be unable to contain much longer the cumulative and growing pressure, both internal and external, for change. Well publicized Vatican scandals continue to proliferate before a steadily skeptical world audience that is unconvinced either by the Vatican’s limited efforts so far or by its many public relations diversions. Many Catholics and others are becoming more impatient about protecting innocent victims of continuing Vatican scandals and misguided policies — including millions of poor women, children, couples, divorced persons and gay folks. The building governmental pressures indicate increasingly that the Vatican can change voluntarily or, as has already repeatedly happened in the financial area generally and in the child protection area in Australia, the Vatican will be compelled to change involuntarily.

The crisis through which the church is passing, the worst crisis since the Reformation, Jerry reminds his readers, represents hope in that it points many Catholics back to what is at the foundation of it all, Jerry argues — Jesus and the gospels:

Significantly, the Catholic majority intuitively understands that these risks generated by the present crisis, especially from building governmental pressures on the Vatican, have paradoxically also generated an unprecedented opportunity to restore the Church to an earlier condition — to a Church that Jesus’ first disciples would have recognized as completely consistent with Jesus’ Gospel message of love of God and of neighbors, even of enemies. This will be a welcoming Church again that satisfies the needs of both conservative and progressive Catholics.

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UNITED STATES
New Jersey Jewish News

by Deborah Rosenbloom
November 18, 2014

With all the conversations surrounding the allegations against my congregation’s former rabbi, Barry Freundel, no one is saying what desperately needs to be said — that voyeurism is sexual assault and that eliminating sexual assault in our communities should be the direction of our next steps.

In e-mails, blogs, and articles, the reaction to allegations that Freundel installed hidden cameras in order to view women in the mikva has focused repeatedly on the specific location of the crime, the importance of making mikvot safer, and the abuse of rabbinic authority. But deciding to change who controls the mikva is a narrow perspective on the wider issue of violence against women, and addressing this as an isolated incident would be a mistake. Although considering policies to make our religious spaces safer is certainly worthwhile, it is important that we recognize voyeurism as a form of sexual assault, with its own place on the spectrum of violence against women.

Sexual assault is often thought to be synonymous with rape. But according to the National Institute of Justice, sexual assault encompasses a range of unwanted sexual behaviors, including voyeurism. Whether the perpetrator is peeping through a window, hiding video cameras in locker rooms, posting illegally obtained intimate photographs, or forwarding explicit private photographs intended for one viewer only, he is committing sexual assault.

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VATICAN CITY
GMA News (Philippines)

By PHILIP PULLELLA, Reuters
November 19, 2014

VATICAN CITY – An Italian bank has returned to the Vatican 23 million euros ($28.8 million) that was blocked in a 2010 money laundering investigation, the Vatican bank said on Tuesday, in a sign that the Holy See’s efforts to make its finances more transparent are paying off.

The Vatican bank, whose official name is Institute for Works of Religion (IOR), said in a statement that the move was “a consequence of the introduction of a fully-fledged anti-money laundering and supervisory system”.

A Vatican bank spokesman said the IOR hoped it would mark a turning point and put the IOR on a new footing in relations with Italian financial institutions. The IOR, which was founded in 1942, has been plagued by financial scandals over the decades.

The Bank of Italy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In 2010, as part of a global effort to halt illicit financing, the Bank of Italy ordered Italian banks to improve their anti-money laundering efforts. As part of their response, Italian financial institutions curtailed their dealings with the IOR, waiting for it to improve standards.

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PENNSYLVANIA
The Legal Intelligencer

Max Mitchell, The Legal Intelligencer
November 18, 2014

The attorney representing the first Catholic Church administrative official convicted of endangering the welfare of children abused by other priests argued today before the state Supreme Court that the conviction should not stand because the official did not have any supervisory interactions with the children.

Thomas A. Bergstrom of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney argued before the six justices in Harrisburg that the reason the court should uphold the Superior Court’s decision tossing out the conviction of Monsignor William J. Lynn is that Lynn did not knowingly endanger the child who had been abused by a priest Lynn oversaw.

“He didn’t know this child. He never met this child. He didn’t know this child existed,” Bergstrom said.

Lynn had been convicted under an earlier version of Pennsylvania’s law criminalizing endangerment of the welfare of children, which did not specifically indicate that the law extended to someone who employs or supervises parents, guardians, or supervisors. However, in December 2013, a unanimous three-judge Superior Court panel in Commonwealth v. Lynn reversed the conviction and discharged Lynn, holding that because Lynn was not a direct supervisor of any of the alleged victims, the pre-amended statute did not apply in the case.

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CANADA
Ottawa Citizen

MEGHAN HURLEY

Father Joseph LeClair was released from jail earlier this month after serving almost two-thirds of his sentence for stealing from Sunday collections and church accounts at Blessed Sacrament Parish in the Glebe.

The convicted fraudster was granted a temporary absence by the Ontario Parole Board that began on Nov. 9 and ended Tuesday.

It means, LeClair was released from jail nine days early: He would have been released Tuesday after serving two-thirds of his sentence.

The parole board said in a decision that they granted LeClair a temporary absence for good behaviour from the Central East Region Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Ont.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Berger’s Beat

…A priest who generated controversy at and quickly left a parish here has been quietly put back on the job. Fr. Darrell Mitchell was removed from St. Ambrose parish on The Hill in 2007, when SNAP exposed his presence there. Now, the group has learned Fr. Mitchell is saying mass at a Cathedral parish in Yakima, WA where naked photos of kids had been found on his computer. While in our town, Mitchell also worked at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Clayton.

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NEW MEXICO
The Republic

By RUSSELL CONTRERAS Associated Press
November 18, 2014

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — Five more victims are suing the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and are accusing priests of sexual abusing them as young children and teens decades ago.

The lawsuits filed in New Mexico State District Court in Albuquerque come as more than two dozen victims have made similar claims in recent years against priests in court documents.

According to the latest lawsuits, three of the victims were abused by priests in Las Vegas, New Mexico, in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Court documents say another victim, a female, was abuse by a priest in Albuquerque on a church bus.

The lawsuits seek an unspecified amount in damages.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Houston Chronicle

By MARK SCOLFORO, Associated Press | November 18, 2014

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s highest court is considering whether to reinstate a criminal conviction against a Philadelphia Roman Catholic church official for putting at risk a child who was sexually abused.

The state Supreme Court on Tuesday heard a city prosecutor argue that the crime of endangering the welfare of children applies to Monsignor William Lynn, saying he was supervising the welfare of children even if he wasn’t supervising a particular child victim.

But Lynn’s lawyer says the allegations date back to before the law was changed in 2007. He says that under the law’s older version someone would have to be directly supervising a child to be guilty.

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CANADA
The Telegram

Proceedings began Tuesday in a class-action lawsuit against the Government of Canada on behalf of survivors of residential schools in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Lawyers, class members and reporters poured into Courtroom No. 5 at Supreme Court in St. John’s in the morning. The court continues in session this afternoon.

Ches Crosbie, one of the leading plaintiff lawyers, said during a short break that he expects the trial to be delayed.

The class action was started after Prime Minister Stephen Harper officially apologized to residential school survivors in 2007, but left out survivors in this province. The same survivors were excluded from a massive settlement that was reached.

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CANADA
CBC News

Fred Andersen and other former students of residential schools in Labrador will be in court in St. John’s Tuesday to fight for an apology and compensation from Ottawa.

They’re among just over 1,000 plaintiffs in five certified class-action lawsuits who were excluded from Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s apology in 2008 and a related compensation package.

Lawyers for the federal government deny it was responsible for schools located in St. Anthony, Cartwright, North West River, Nain and Makkovik that opened before the province joined Confederation in 1949.

The International Grenfell Association ran the first three, while the German-based Moravian Missionaries ran the other two.

“We had no choice. We had to go,” Andersen, now 62, said in an interview. He recalled how frightened he was leaving Makkovik, an Inuit community on the Labrador coast, at the age of 13.

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AUSTRALIA
7 News

AAP

November 19, 2014

Tasmania’s Anglican bishop will be among the witnesses giving evidence at the state’s first public hearing of a royal commission into child sexual abuse.

Bishop John Douglas Harrower is one of 11 people – including former students and past and present staff from private Hobart boys’ school, Hutchins – named on the witness list ahead of Wednesday’s opening hearing.

The hearings will spend eight days looking at how the school and the Anglican diocese responded to allegations of sexual abuse against former headmaster David Lawrence and teacher Lyndon Hickman, both now dead.

The alleged abuse dates back to the 1960s.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Sun-Times

By SUE ONTIVEROS November 17, 2014

A great many Catholics thought the naming of Pope Francis meant a new day in our church.

Me? Well, much as I admire his devotion to helping the poor and his desire to be a force who brings people together, I know in reality he’s the guy in the far-away home office. Nice guy, good guy, but he’s quite removed from my Catholic reality.

Anyone who’s ever worked in a satellite office for a big company knows what I’m talking about. Sure, there can be a set of rules sent down from the home office. But how — and if — your manager in the outlying operation where you’re situated decides to follow them can be something entirely different, especially when they’ve been doing things their way for a very long time.

You know, like the guys who run the Catholic Church in the United States, the cardinals and bishops.

But once Pope Francis gets to move in his handpicked team of managers, well things might be a lot different, even so far away from the home office.

Well, now that day could be here for Chicago. Our new archbishop, Blase Cupich, is being installed Tuesday.

My prayer as he takes the reins is a very personal one: please God, let his actions show me I can return to church. I miss going to mass.

Oh, let me tell you, it took a lot for the Catholic Church to finally drive me away.

I hung in despite my utter disappointment with the handling of the priest sex abuse cases in the archdiocese. After all I discovered about the repeated missteps in the situation as I wrote column after column about it, I remained planted in a church pew almost weekly.

Mainly I stayed and put our weekly envelope in the basket because I didn’t want to hurt my own parish, a place I loved.

But then the archdiocese got so vocal in opposition to gay rights in Illinois. That was it for me. No one was saying the Catholic Church had to perform gay marriages. Why, when there were so many pressing issues for the archdiocese to address, did it have to choose to take up this one? I wouldn’t attend mass if I was not contributing, and no way was I going to fund such mean-spirited actions. So, I exiled myself, only returning for funerals.

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VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Register

by Edward Pentin 09/30/2014

There has been increasing disquiet and accusations of injustice over the forced removal of a Paraguayan bishop, ostensibly because of his “difficult” relations with other bishops and priests.

The Vatican has said Bishop Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano was removed last month not so much because he appointed a priest accused of sexual abuse as his vicar general or allegations of embezzlement – as many had thought – but because of internal disagreements.

“The important problem was the relations within the episcopacy and in the local church, which were very difficult,” Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said Sept. 26. Concerns about the former vicar general, Father Carlos Urrutigoity, were “not central, albeit have been debated,” he added. “There were serious problems with his management of the diocese, the education of clergy and relations with other bishops,” Father Lombardi said.

But that being the case, a leaked letter Livieres wrote to Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, still points to a possible injustice. In the letter, Bishop Livieres insisted he had not had an opportunity to defend himself, that other bishops conspired against him, and that he was being “persecuted” for his orthodoxy (in an interview with CNS, he said it was because of his opposition to liberation theology, a claim rebuffed by Father Lombardi as “naive”).

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CHICAGO (IL)
Crux

By Michael O’Loughlin
National reporter
November 18, 2014

CHICAGO — During a ceremony rich with ritual and symbolism, the next archbishop of Chicago was welcomed to his new assignment Monday night as a prelude to his formal installation as head of the nation’s third-largest Catholic community today.

And Blase Cupich, named by Pope Francis to replace ailing Cardinal Francis George, wasted no time in outlining his priorities: the poor, the disadvantaged, immigrants. And he called for more civility in public discourse — including among Church leaders.

Although temperatures plunged to the low teens Monday night, keeping many Chicagoans indoors, there was a decidedly warm atmosphere inside Holy Name Cathedral to greet Cupich.

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IRELAND
Irish Examiner

By Conall Ó Fátharta
Irish Examiner Reporter

The Government was “conscious of the danger” of offering redress for Magdalene survivors just months before setting up the McAleese inquiry to investigate the issue.

The admission is made in a March 2011 Department of Justice draft memorandum for the Government, seeking permission to establish an inter-departmental committee to review a November 2010 Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) report on the Magdalene laundries.

Released under the Freedom of Information Act, it states that the then justice minister, Alan Shatter, was “conscious of the danger” of redress and of Finance Minister Michael Noonan’s view that proposals raised in an earlier memo “would very likely generate pressure for opening redress”.

Mr Shatter felt an inter-departmental committee, which he proposed be headed by his department, would “strengthen the position of the Government in dealing with the ongoing campaign”.

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IDAHO
The Raw Story

ARTURO GARCIA
17 NOV 2014

Despite the deaths of least 12 children from “faith healing” Christian families in their state, lawmakers and public officials in Idaho have refused to challenge a state law providing a religious exemption from manslaughter and murder charges, Vocativ reported.

The childrens’ families belonged to a Pentecostal group known as the Followers of Christ, which punishes members who seek medical care by shunning them from their church. According to state law, parents can substitute prayer as a form of treatment. The religious exemption covers manslaughter, capital murder and negligent homicide charges, but cannot be cited if a parent uses any other form of treatment on top of praying for the child.

“If the parent combines prayer with orange juice or a cool bath to bring down a fever, the parent loses the exemption,” Rita Swan, co-founder of the advocacy group Children’s Healthcare Is a Legal Duty, said.

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IRELAND
Irish Examiner

Initial enthusiasm from campaigners that the inquiry would be as wide ranging as possible, has been replaced by a worried scepticism, writes Conall Ó Fátharta

AS WE await the formation of the Commission to Inquire into Mother and Baby Homes, the private attitude of Government to another related scandal — the Magdalene Laundries — is instructive.

Following the publication of the McAleese report, this newspaper pointed out that Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s two-week delay in offering a formal state apology may have been explained in one simple word: Money.

More than that, it was pointed out that the key concern for Government was about how to handle offering any redress that could open the floodgates “to more compensation schemes arising from other human rights abuses in mother-and-baby homes and psychiatric institutions”.

For the former of these institutions, we have now reached that point.

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CANADA
Metro

By Sue Bailey
The Canadian Press

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Fred Andersen and other former students of residential schools in Labrador will be in court in St. John’s, N.L., Tuesday to fight for an apology and compensation from Ottawa.

They’re among just over 1,000 plaintiffs in five certified class-action lawsuits who were excluded from Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s apology in 2008 and a related compensation package.

Lawyers for the federal government deny it was responsible for schools located in St. Anthony, Cartwright, North West River, Nain and Makkovik that opened before the province joined Confederation in 1949.

The International Grenfell Association ran the first three, while the German-based Moravian Missionaries ran the other two.

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: JEAN HOPFENSPERGER , Star Tribune Updated: November 18, 2014

The Rev. Joseph Jeyapaul faces years-old sex abuse charges from his time in the Crookston Diocese.

A Roman Catholic priest from India facing charges of sexually abusing a teenage girl in the Crookston Diocese 10 years ago has been extradited to Minnesota.

The Rev. Joseph Jeyapaul arrived Monday in Minneapolis — a rare instance of a foreign priest returning to face charges of child sex abuse in the United States.

“We have been waiting for five years,” said Karen Foss, Roseau County attorney, whose office first sought extradition in 2009.

“He was taken into custody [in India] in March of 2012, and has been filing motions to appeal the extraditions since then,” Foss said.

The priest’s arrival in Minnesota came just days after a New Delhi appeals court denied his latest motion to remain in his home country.

Jeyapaul’s extradition is rare, said Patrick Wall, a former priest and investigator for the law firm of Jeff Anderson, which represented Jeyapaul’s victim in a civil case.

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MASSACHUSETTS
South Coast Today

Editorial

SouthCoast’s Roman Catholics have reason to feel pride and reassurance about their connection to their church, the result in part of the humble and effective work of Cardinal Sean O’Malley.

O’Malley revealed in an interview with “60 Minutes” correspondent Nora O’Donnell both the quiet strength and deep commitment to faith and Christian morality that endeared him to Catholics in the Diocese of Fall River, which he led in the early days of the horrible clergy abuse scandal that has rocked the church both in the United States and abroad.

In part because of his effective work in Fall River and then in south Florida, O’Malley was given leadership of the Boston Archdiocese as it sought to deal with the far-reaching scandal that nearly bankrupted the church morally and financially.

In a light moment during his interview with O’Donnell, he referred to the Boston archdiocese as “a fixer-upper” when he succeeded disgraced Cardinal Bernard Law and personally apologized to the victims of clerical sex offenders, then settled hundreds of lawsuits that had been filed against the archdiocese. Those actions and his decision to sell the archdiocese’s palatial estate for $100 million helped begin the process of reformation and healing that continues today.

He also demonstrated moral clarity during the interview when he discussed the Vatican’s handling of a case involving Bishop Robert Finn of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in Missouri. Finn waited six months before notifying police about the Rev. Shawn Ratigan, whose computer contained hundreds of lewd photos of young girls taken in and around churches where he worked.

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NEW HAMPSHIRE
Concord Monitor

By JEREMY BLACKMAN
Monitor staff
Monday, November 17, 2014
(Published in print: Tuesday, November 18, 2014)

A former Concord man with ties to Trinity Baptist Church who is accused of molesting his stepdaughter two decades ago went on trial again yesterday in Merrimack County Superior Court, five months after his first appearance ended in a mistrial.

Daniel Leaf, 55, of Tilton is charged with two counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault. His stepdaughter, Tina Anderson, claims he abused her between 1990 and 1992, beginning when she was about 9 years old. Anderson disclosed the abuse in 2010 during a rape investigation involving a fellow congregant of the Concord church.

County prosecutor Wayne Coull told jurors yesterday that Anderson had tried to come forward when she was young, but she was told by church officials “essentially to shut up.” Leaf’s attorneys counter that he had no contact with Anderson after 1991, and that Anderson has previously denied the abuse.

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NORTH CAROLINA
Port City Daily

November 17, 2014 By Christina Haley

A Gastonia man pleaded guilty to statutory rape in Brunswick County Superior Court on Monday.

Joseph Robert Hall, 62, pleaded guilty to one count of statutory rape of a minor he was at least six years older than before Superior Court Judge Gail Adams. Adams sentenced Hall to 12 to 15 years in the N.C. Department of Corrections.

All other charges in the case were dismissed as part of Hall’s plea agreement, according to Assistant District Attorney Chris Thomas.

Hall was arrested in May, charged with five counts of statutory rape of a minor with the defendant more than six years older than the victim, five counts of statutory sex offense, four counts of indecent liberties with a child, first-degree rape of a child and first-degree sexual offense of a child, according to Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office Spokeswoman Emily Flax.

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NORTH CAROLINA
Gaston Gazette

By Lauren Baheri
Published: Monday, November 17, 2014

A former Dallas pastor pleaded guilty Monday to sexually abusing a young girl from the time she was 12 until she was 16. The abuse took place in Brunswick County, where Joseph “Joe” Robert Hall was a pastor before moving to Gaston County.

Hall, 62, of 2402 Pamela St. in Gastonia, was arrested and charged with the crimes May 28, nearly 20 years after the Brunswick County girl was abused.

He was originally charged with 14 child sex crimes.

On Monday in Cumberland County, Hall pleaded guilty to one statutory sex offense with a minor. He was sentenced to a minimum of 12 years in prison. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

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KANSAS CITY (MO)
KMBZ

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – He heads a group fighting sexual abuse in the Catholic church and is cautiously optimistic the Vatican will act sooner than later.

The Kansas City-St Joseph Diocese was referenced in a segment on “60 Minutes” this past Sunday. Bishop Robert Finn has remained in service, despite repeated calls for him to step down.

David Clohessy, national director for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), says after the program he had a flood of calls from Catholics here and other areas encouraged that the Pontiff will remove Finn, but he says even that wouldn’t be a cure all.

“Even if Finn is removed, that’s no tremendous sign of progress because there are literally hundreds of Catholic officials around the world still on the job, who have done what Finn did, and not been criminally convicted,” said Clohessy.

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NEW HAMPSHIRE
WCVB

[with video]

MANCHESTER, N.H. —A former Episcopal priest will not have to serve any jail time after he admitted he sexually abused a boy decades ago.

Franklin Huntress listened in court Monday as his victim talked about the struggles he has endured and his battle to erase those memories from his life.

Huntress did not apologize for what happened 30 years ago, but his victim and the victim’s mother talked about the damage his actions have caused.

“As a direct result of the defendant’s actions, I have struggled with alcohol abuse, drug abuse, self-harm, relationship issues, sexual issues, flashbacks and suicidal considerations,” said the victim, who is not being identified by News 9.

The victim said he was 14 when Huntress took him from New York to Manchester for an event. Huntress admitted to two assaults that happened in January 1984 and April 1985.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

JOE DOLINSKY, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
POSTED: Tuesday, November 18, 2014

A former Catholic priest convicted of sexually abusing a 10-year-old boy at a Northeast Philadelphia parish from 1998 to 1999 died Sunday, just weeks after an appeal of his conviction was heard before the state Supreme Court.

The Rev. Charles Engelhardt, 67, of Wynnewood, was in the second year of a six- to 12-year sentence at the Coal Township Prison in Northumberland County, stemming from his 2013 conviction.

Engelhardt died at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, the Associated Press reported. He had been battling heart problems and had lost 50 pounds since accusations that he molested an altar boy at St. Jerome Catholic Church first surfaced in 2009.

Engelhardt denied the charges, saying he did not remember the victim, a fifth grader.

“I’ve accepted this injustice, and I will continue to do so until it is righted,” Engelhardt said at his sentencing in June 2013.

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ASIA
UCA News

Fr William Grimm, Tokyo
International
November 18, 2014

When I was a boy, a European Jesuit priest temporarily staying at our parish befriended the altar servers. As he explained to my parents, “The boys will correct my English; you adults are too polite.” It was a bit of wisdom that I verified when my own time came to learn a new language.

Only after he returned to his homeland did I learn that Father was a world-famous mathematician. For us altar servers, he was more important than that. He let us lose. We were at that age when children begin to suspect that the reason they win games with adults is that the adults are losing intentionally. The Jesuit did not condescend to us. He respected us enough to beat us.

One of our after-school activities was to go to the church basement, where Father would have six or so chessboards lined up for us. We kids would then try to stay on the board for more than a few minutes. A Jesuit at the chessboard can be a formidable opponent.

The more I observe Pope Francis in action, the more I wonder if he might be a Jesuit chess player.

He has been Bishop of Rome for just over a year and a half, and in that time has both raised and disappointed expectations. Certainly his humility in asking for prayers from the crowd when he was elected, his friendliness in posing for selfies and his non-judgmental attitude epitomized in his “who am I to judge” response to a question about homosexuals all heartened Catholics and others who hungered for a pastoral papacy.

On the other hand, many observers have been disappointed that he seemed slow to move against bishops who have covered up and even facilitated sexual abuse by priests. During the recent Synod for the Family an interim report indicated new directions in dealing with pastoral problems, but the backlash against that seemed to cause a pullback. The question arises: What is Francis going to do?

Perhaps chess might give some idea of what is happening.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

A Minnesota priest in prison for sexual abuse now faces a charge he sexually assaulted a teenage boy three and a half years ago in Wisconsin.

Prosecutors in Chippewa County have charged the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer with one count of second degree sexual assault.

A 21-year-old man told Chippewa County Sheriff’s Department investigator Chad Weinberger in March that Wehmeyer provided him with alcohol and marijuana while they were on a camping trip in Brunet Island State Park in Estella, Wisconsin.

The man, who was then a teen, woke up to find Wehmeyer in bed with him and touching him sexually, he told the investigator. The incident happened in the summer of 2011, according to the criminal complaint. The two were staying in a camper.

Wehmeyer, 50, is serving prison time in Lino Lakes after he pleaded guilty in November 2012 to criminal sexual conduct and possessing child pornography. He was accused of abusing two boys while he served the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Beta Wired

A Roman Catholic priest died while he was in police custody. The priest went for appeal against conviction for child sexual abuse.

The 67 years old Rev. Charles Engelhardt remained in prison since the day he got convicted last year. According to a religious order the priest was serving a 6 to 12 years jail-term and dies over the past weekend in a hospital. He maintained his innocence and said that he didn’t remember the one who accused him, a policeman’s child who said he was molested by a couple of priests and Catholic school teacher.

Engelhardt said that he accepted the injustice and would continue to do so until authorities make it right. He claimed that he didn’t have any so of interaction with the accuser.

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INDIA
Times of India

Bagish K Jha,TNN | Nov 18, 2014

INDORE: A day after being arrested by police for molesting two 10-year-old girls on the premises of Khajrana Temple, priest of one of the temple on the premises was sent to judicial remand till November 25 by a local court in Indore on Monday.

Pramod Urmalia, 38, priest of Gayatri temple was arrested by Khajrana police and booked for molestation under Section 354 of IPC. Provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012 were also imposed on him on Sunday. He was produced before court on Monday from where he was sent to jail.

According to police officials, priest Urmalia had allegedly molested class V girl students, all residents of Parvati Palace on November 10 when they had gone to Gayatri temple for getting raksha sutra (sacred thread) tied on their hands, while their families were offering prayers during evening arti at the main Khajrana Ganesh temple.

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UNITED STATES
Religion News Service

David Gibson | November 17, 2014

(RNS) When Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley told “60 Minutes” that Pope Francis was well aware of the need to hold Missouri Bishop Robert Finn accountable for shielding a suspected child abuser, it sounded like another bell tolling on Finn’s tenure, perhaps the loudest gong yet since Finn was convicted in 2012.

“It’s a question that the Holy See needs to address urgently,” O’Malley said Sunday (Nov. 16) when asked about Finn, who was found guilty of a misdemeanor for failing to tell police about the Rev. Shawn Ratigan. Ratigan was later convicted of federal child pornography charges.

“There’s a recognition of that,” O’Malley said. Asked if that recognition came directly from Pope Francis, the cardinal said yes: “From Pope Francis.”

O’Malley is known as Francis’ closest confidant among the U.S. bishops and he is part of the pope’s blue-ribbon commission on combating sex abuse by clergy.

But even more important may have been O’Malley’s remarks about the Vatican creating a system for disciplining bishops — establishing a process of accountability that could be used for churchmen beyond low-hanging clerical fruit like Finn.

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NEW YORK
New York Daily News

BY BARBARA ROSS Monday, November 17, 2014

A Brooklyn dad whose allegations of sexual molestation helped put a prominent Hasidic man in jail says he was defamed by The Jewish Forward.

In papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, Sam Kellner says the acclaimed paper became a “Pravda for pedophiles” last November when it accused him of trying to bribe a witness to testify against the convicted molester, Baruch Lebovits, and trying to extort money from the Lebovits family to buy his silence.

The paper also accused Kellner of advising another accused molester of how to avoid prosecution.

Kellner’s lawyer, Niall MacGiollabhui, said the stories were based on illegally obtained tapes — some of which were doctored — that were promoted by the Lebovits family to tar Kellner’s name.

Kellner started the roll of the Brooklyn’s twisted ball of yarn in 2008 after his son was allegedly molested by Liebovits.

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MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Tuesday, Nov. 18

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

A decade after the first allegations against him surfaced, a Catholic priest, has finally been brought back to the US where he faces criminal child sex abuse charges.

[Minnesota Public Radio]

We are deeply grateful to Megan Peterson, the brave young woman who has worked so hard to protect kids from this predator and to the law enforcement officials who have worked so hard to extradite him.

For years, from India, Fr. Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul fought extradition. Even though Catholic officials knew he was accused of and sued for molesting a Minnesota girl, they still let him keep working as a priest in India overseeing dozens of Catholic schools there. And throughout this long ordeal, Fr. Jeyapaul’s Catholic supervisors – in Minnesota and in India – did virtually nothing to help speed up this process or seek out more victims, witnesses and whistleblowers.

[IBN Live]

But finally, he’s being brought to justice in Minnesota. We hope his trial is scheduled quickly and that Crookston Catholic staff – from the diocesan bishop to the parish bookkeepers and everyone in between – will aggressively try to help police and prosecutors by finding others with information about his crimes.

We believe there are current and former church members and employees in northern Minnesota who saw, suspected or suffered crimes by Fr. Jeyapaul or cover ups by Crookston church officials. They need to be prodded to speak up. That’s the job of the Catholic community of Crookston, starting with the bishop and continuing down through the ranks. Remember: centuries of secrecy surrounding clergy sex crimes in the church won’t be effortlessly reversed. It takes widespread and consistent work to cut through the continuing denials and to urge people who could help protect kids and imprison predators to take action.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Philadelphia Inquirer

AMY WORDEN, INQUIRER HARRISBURG BUREAU
POSTED: Monday, November 17, 2014

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments Tuesday over whether to reinstate the child endangerment conviction against Msgr. William J. Lynn.

A Philadelphia jury convicted Lynn in 2012, finding that the former Archdiocese of Philadelphia secretary for clergy ignored credible warning signs in the 1990s about a priest who years later sexually assaulted a 10-year-old altar boy.

Lynn, who for a dozen years supervised clergy assignments and investigations into misconduct by Philadelphia area priests, became the first Catholic Church supervisor found criminally liable for child-sex crimes by a priest. He was sentenced to three to six years in prison.

But he was freed earlier this year after his conviction was overturned last December. A three-judge Superior Court panel agreed with Lynn’s legal team that prosecutors had misapplied the endangerment law.

Lynn’s attorney, Thomas Bergstrom, argued that the law in place when the sexual assault took place in the late 1990s applied only to those who directly supervised children – but that Lynn at the time was a “supervisor of a supervisor.”

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

Amy Forliti, Associated Press St. Paul, Minn. Nov 17, 2014

Authorities say a priest accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in Minnesota has been returned to the U.S. from his native India to face charges.

Roseau County Attorney Karen Foss says the Rev. Joseph Jeyapaul is now in Minneapolis — after a high court in New Dehli, India, dismissed his plea to stay in that country. Foss says Jeyapaul will be transported to Roseau County in northern Minnesota on Tuesday.

The 59-year-old is charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual misconduct. Prosecutors say he sexually assaulted a girl multiple times in 2004 and 2005, starting when she was 14. Jeyapaul was a priest at the Blessed Sacrament Church in Greenbush, near the Canadian border, at the time.

Criminal charges were filed after Jeyapaul returned to India in 2005.

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ARKANSAS
Arkansas Catholic

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor delivered this homily in Russellville, Dardanelle and Danville Sept. 27-28.

In the Gospel for Monday of this week Jesus said: “There is nothing hidden that will not be known and come to light. Take care then how you hear. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.” (Luke 8:17-18)

The most difficult thing I ever have to do as bishop is come to a parish to inform the parishioners that I have received credible allegations of misconduct against their priest so serious as to require his removal from ministry.

Last weekend we received credible allegations of sexual misconduct against Father Melnick and were able to act quickly enough to prevent him from celebrating his last Mass in Danville last Sunday.

Later that day we were able to interview some of his victims and verify multiple acts of sexual misconduct with multiple adult victims during the period of less than a year. Since there were multiple victims, we seem to be dealing with predatory behavior, not romance. Later Father Melnick admitted that this is true. So please do not blame his victims. They are victims. And moreover, they reported violations of the sacrament of reconciliation so serious as to require his permanent removal from ministry: absolution of persons with whom he had previously committed sins against the sixth commandment — and thus incurring grave canonical penalties that can only be lifted by the Holy See.

I know that his misconduct has harmed some of you directly and if you have been a victim of his misdeeds or know someone who has been harmed by him here or elsewhere, I ask that you contact the diocese to report the incident for your own good and for the good of the Church. I would also like to offer you the assistance of the Church in securing help if you could benefit from speaking with a psychologist or counselor to deal with what you have experienced. I sincerely regret the harm you have suffered and in the name of the Church I apologize to you for what Father Melnick has done.

Given what was shared with you today and what Father Melnick has admitted to doing, the Church would never allow a priest in situation like this to ever to function as a priest again. Please pray for him. He needs your prayers, probably more than any of us even realizes. And please pray especially for his victims, for their healing and for their inner peace.

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UNITED STATES
Pitch

Posted By Steve Vockrodt on Mon, Nov 17, 2014

A 60 Minutes report Sunday evening on CBS is the latest bit of circumstantial evidence that suggests Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn is losing, or has lost, his support in the Catholic Church hierarchy.

A segment from Sunday’s television news magazine, which you can watch here, profiled Sean O’Malley, the archbishop of the Boston Diocese and the United States cardinal for the Catholic Church. The CBS report cast O’Malley both as a close adviser to Pope Francis and an ardent reformer of three Catholic dioceses in the United States — Fall River, Massachusetts; Palm Beach, Florida; and Boston — that were racked by child-sex-abuse scandals.

Discussion turned toward a renewed sense of accountability for bishops in the Catholic Church under Pope Francis, so naturally the issue of Bishop Finn, head of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, came up.

CBS reporter Norah O’Donnell brought up Finn’s 2012 misdemeanor conviction (O’Donnell incorrectly described it as a guilty plea) in Jackson County on charges of obscuring child sex crimes committed by imprisoned Catholic priest Shawn Ratigan. Finn was the first bishop in the United States to answer to criminal charges related to the cover-up of sex crimes under his watch.

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UNITED STATES
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: A native of Germany, Egon E. Mallman was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1929, in Woodstock MD. After a short stint as an assistant principal at Bellarmine College in Tacoma WA, he went on to spend more than forty years as a parish pastor on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in MT. In 1977 Mallman moved to Mt. St. Michael’s Ecumenical Center in Spokane WA and the following year to a Seattle parish, where he was in residence. He died in 1980. In 2011 Mallman’s name was included on the Oregon Province’s list of its members who have been identified as perpetrators of sexual abuse.

Ordained: 1929
Died: Aug. 20, 1980

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SPAIN
GlobalPost

AFP

A Spanish court has launched a sexual abuse investigation after a man sent a complaint to the Vatican alleging a group of priests molested him as a boy, officials said Monday.

The alleged abuse happened in the southern Spanish city of Granada and prompted authorities to open a probe targeting 12 people, though it was not clear if all those under investigation are clergyman, a judicial source told AFP.

Pope Francis “forced the opening of an enquiry into abuse in this diocese”, according to religious news site ReligionDigital.com.

According to judicial sources, Criminal Court number four in Granada opened the investigation in the beginning of November.

The Archdiocese of Granada said it had suspended an undisclosed number of priests while it waits for the results of the court probe and has sent the conclusions of its own internal inquiry to the Vatican.

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UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

Thomas C. Fox | Nov. 17, 2014 NCR Today

Cardinal O’Malley is pastoral to the core. He’s also an intelligent person. It’s good he has the ear of Pope Francis. This was the theme of a telling “60 Minutes” segment on CBS last night. During the interview the good cardinal was open and honest, navigating some tough questions by correspondent Norah O’Donnell. But before the interview was over he revealed clearly the increasingly untenable nature of the Catholic teaching that women cannot be ordained priests.

I applaud O’Malley for his candor. This was especially clear when asked about the Vatican crackdown on the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.

First listeners heard this voice over:

“The cardinal’s careful candor isn’t limited to the church’s mishandling of abuse. Take the Vatican doctrine office’s crackdown on American nuns for focusing more on social justice than issues like abortion and contraception — placing the nuns under the supervision of three bishops.”

Then O’Donnell said: “It looked like a crackdown from men at the Vatican on…”

But before she could finish her sentence, O’Malley finished for her: “A disaster.”

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
NBC 10

A Roman Catholic priest from Philadelphia has died in custody while appealing his abuse conviction.
A religious order confirms that 67-year-old Rev. Charles Engelhardt of Wynnewood died Sunday at a Pennsylvania hospital.

An appeal argued last month challenges the young man who lodged abuse claims against Engelhardt, another priest and a teacher.

Engelhardt said at his sentencing last year that he “accepted this injustice” and believed “it will be righted.”

Engelhardt had lost 50 pounds since the accusations surfaced in 2009. He was serving a 6- to 12-year prison term in Northumberland County.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Get Reading

Nov 17, 2014 By David Millward

Reverend Peter Jarvis, 50, faces 12 charges of sexual offences against two teenage girls and two teenage boys

A vicar who counselled vulnerable teenagers asked an under-age girl how much she would charge him to have sex and suggested youngsters send him pictures of themselves undressed, a court heard.

Reverend Peter Jarvis, of Clares Green Road, Spencers Wood, is also alleged to have set up an underage girl with boyfriends and encouraged them to have sex and bought one boy cannabis and asked him to take his trousers down.

The 50-year-old appeared at Reading Crown Court today facing 12 charges of sexual offences against two teenage girls and two teenage boys between June 1, 2008 and October 31, 2011, which he denies.

A jury was told how Jarvis would build up relationships with children he was counselling and meet up with them socially and chat on Facebook.

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UNITED STATES
Bill’s ‘Faith Matters” Blog

Bill Tammeus

It’s hard to know exactly what will happen and when but after last night’s “60 Minutes” interview with Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, it looks for all the world as if the days are numbered for Bishop Robert W. Finn (pictured here) of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.

Bishop-FinnO’Malley said in the interview that Pope Francis knows he must deal with Finn’s situation “urgently.” Finn was convicted in 2012 of a misdemeanor criminal offense of failing to report a suspected child-abusing priest to law enforcement authorties.

But Finn has remained in office despite that stain, injuring not just the local diocese in countless ways but also making it seem as if the church’s hierarchy really isn’t serious about disciplining bishops who tolerated sexual abuse by priests under their purview.

As The National Catholic Reporter first reported recently and notes again in this piece, earlier this fall the Vatican sent a Canadian archbishop to Kansas City to investigate Finn’s leadership.

That plus O’Malley’s comments cannot be reassuring for Finn, assuming he wants to keep his job. And that’s my assumption, given that after his conviction he failed to do the right thing and resign. Another potential bad sign for Finn was the recent demotion of Cardinal Raymond Burke, under whom Finn served for several years when Burke was archbishop of St. Louis. This move against Burke by Pope Francis shows the pontiff’s willingness to make tough personnel decisions. Perhaps Finn’s removal is next.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Big Trial

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2014

By Ralph Cipriano
for Bigtrial.net

The ordeal is over for Father Charles Engelhardt.

The 67-year-old priest died Sunday at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa. following emergency bypass surgery, according to Father James J. Greenfield, provincial of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, Father Engelhardt’s religious order.

“A beautiful and holy man” was how his lawyer, Michael J. McGovern, described him.

At his death, Father Engelhardt was an inmate at the State Correctional Institution in Coal Township, Northumberland County, where he had served nearly two years of a 6-to-12 year-sentence. The priest was convicted on Jan. 30, 2013 of endangering the welfare of a child, corruption of a minor and indecent assault. His accuser, however, was “Billy Doe,” the former altar boy turned heroin addict who had all kinds of credibility issues.

To Father Engelhardt’s family and lawyer, the priest was an innocent man falsely accused and wrongly convicted in a case overflowing with reasonable doubt. When the priest died at the hospital, no family member was present.

Father Greenfield saw Father Engelhardt two days before he died. Despite being handcuffed to a hospital bed and under guard by two armed correctional officers, “Charlie” appeared to be in good spirits, Father Greenfield said.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
News 4

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Roman Catholic priest from Philadelphia has died in custody while appealing his abuse conviction.

A religious order confirms that 67-year-old Rev. Charles Engelhardt, of Wynnewood, died Sunday at a Pennsylvania hospital.

An appeal argued last month challenges the young man who lodged abuse claims against Engelhardt, another priest and a teacher.

Engelhardt said at his sentencing last year that he “accepted this injustice” and believed “it will be righted.”

Engelhardt had lost 50 pounds since the accusations surfaced in 2009. He was serving a 6- to 12-year prison term in Northumberland County.

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SPAIN
Expatica

17th November 2014, Comments

A Spanish court has launched a sexual abuse investigation after a man sent a complaint to the Vatican alleging a group of priests molested him as a boy, officials said Monday. The alleged abuse happened in the southern Spanish city of Granada and prompted authorities to open a probe targeting 12 people, though it was not clear if all those under investigation are clergyman, a judicial source told AFP. Pope Francis “forced the opening of an enquiry into abuse in this diocese”, according to religious news site ReligionDigital.com.According to judicial sources, Criminal Court number four in Granada opened the investigation in the beginning of November.The Archdiocese of Granada said it had suspended an undisclosed number of priests while it waits for the results of the court probe and has sent the conclusions of its own internal inquiry to the Vatican.”As soon as it was reliably informed of the accusation made to the Holy See by a youth from Granada, of having suffered sexual abuse by a group of priests from the diocese, this Archdiocese has scrupulously followed the procedure for these cases,” it said in a statement.”The vast majority of priests exercise their ministry in an exemplary way,” and the archdiocese was “extremely pained by scandals of this nature, whose certainty and scope will ultimately be decided by judicial authorities”.Pope Francis has moved to crack down on priests who sexually abuse children, but critics say the Vatican is moving too slowly to decide the ultimate fate of these priests

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MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Monday, Nov. 17

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

We are grateful that a Minnesota predator priest now faces more child sex charges in Wisconsin. This is important because child molesting clerics often get great defense lawyers who exploit legal technicalities. They often end up with few or no consequences and soon walk free and hurt more children.

We hope this doesn’t happen with Fr. Curtis Wehmeyer.

Twin Cities law enforcement officials seem to have no shortage of excuses as to why they aren’t being more aggressive or successful in pursuing Catholic officials who commit or conceal child sex crimes. But with every passing week, those excuses ring more and more hollow.

We are glad that law enforcement officials elsewhere are doing what Twin Cities law enforcement officials aren’t doing – filing criminal charges against clerics who hurt kids.

We applaud Chippewa County Wisconsin officials who are going after Fr. Wehmeyer. And more important, we applaud the brave victim who is protecting kids by helping police and prosecutors keep a predator away from children.

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OHIO
Norwalk Reflector

A Roman Catholic priest has been placed on administrative leave following allegations of inappropriate relationships with adult women, the Diocese of Toledo announced Sunday.

The Rev. David A. Reinhart, pastor of St. John the Evangelist parish in Delphos and St. John the Baptist parish in Landeck, will not be permitted to exercise public ministry, administer any of the sacraments, wear clerical attire, or present himself publicly as a priest pending the outcome of the investigation.

Bishop Daniel Thomas accepted Reinhart’s resignation from the two parishes.

An announcement regarding the administrative leave and Reinhart’s resignation was made at both parishes this weekend.

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WISCONSIN
LaCrosse Tribune

The Associated Press

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. — A former Minnesota priest incarcerated for molesting two boys from his St. Paul parish is facing new charges in Wisconsin.

Curtis Wehmeyer is accused of having sexual contact with a teenager while the boy was unconscious in Chippewa County. A criminal complaint says the boy told investigators that Wehmeyer gave him alcohol and marijuana during a 2011 camping trip at Brunet Island State Park in Estella. The alleged victim, who was 17 or 18 at the time, says he went to bed and woke up to find Wehmeyer touching his genitals.

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MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN
KSTP

By: Megan Stewart

A former Minnesota priest incarcerated for molesting two boys from his St. Paul parish is facing new charges in western Wisconsin.

Curtis Wehmeyer is accused of having sexual contact with a teenager while the boy was unconscious in Chippewa County.

According to the criminal complaint, the boy told investigators Wehmeyer gave him alcohol and marijuana during a 2011 camping trip at Brunet Island State Park in Estella. The alleged victim, who was 17 or 18 at the time, says he went to bed and woke up to find Wehmeyer touching his genitals.
Wehmeyer is currently serving a five-year sentence in the Lino Lakes state prison.

The 50-year-old pleaded guilty in 2012 to criminal sexual conduct involving two brothers when he was pastor of The Church of the Blessed Sacrament on St. Paul’s East Side. Wehmeyer also pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography that was found on his laptop.

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WASHINGTON
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Monday, Nov. 17, 2014

For more information: David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP Director (314) 566-9790 cell, SNAPclohessy@aol.com

Seattle clergy sex abuse victim publishes memoir
Support group says “honest, searing book” can help with healing

A Seattle woman has published a memoir about her childhood abuse by a priest, her adult years as a nun, her recovery and her advocacy for others who have been victimized. And she will read from it at a “book launch celebration” this Sunday, Nov. 23 at 4:30 p.m. at the University Book Store in Bellevue.

Mary Dispenza wrote “SPLIT: Child, A Priest and the Catholic Church,” in part about the suffering she endured when she was repeatedly molested, starting at age seven, by Fr. George Neville Rucker of the Los Angeles archdiocese. For years, she repressed the memories of that trauma.

A decade ago, as an adult, she sued Catholic officials as one of some 550 victims hurt by Los Angeles priests. It became the largest-ever settlement ever involving the Catholic church, totaling $660 million.

Now, Dispenza is the Seattle area leader of a support group for clergy sex abuse victims called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

Rucker is accused of molesting almost 40 youngsters.

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NEW HAMPSHIRE
WMUR

[with video]

MANCHESTER, N.H. —A former Episcopal priest will not have to serve any jail time after he admitted he sexually abused a boy decades ago.

Franklin Huntress listened in court Monday as his victim talked about the struggles he has endured and his battle to erase those memories from his life.

Huntress did not apologize for what happened 30 years ago, but his victim and the victim’s mother talked about the damage his actions have caused.

“As a direct result of the defendant’s actions, I have struggled with alcohol abuse, drug abuse, self-harm, relationship issues, sexual issues, flashbacks and suicidal considerations,” said the victim, who is not being identified by News 9.

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TEXAS
WOAI

An announcement today from the Vatican opens the possibility of a visit by Pope Francis to Texas in 2015, Newsradio 1200 WOAI reports.

The Vatican says the Pope will travel to the United States in September to attend the ‘World Meeting of Families,’ which is a Catholic Church sponsored event to stress the importance of traditional families. It will be held in Philadelphia.

The Vatican also said the trip will include ‘a stop at the US Mexico border.’

The announcement didn’t indicate which of the four U.S. states that border Mexico will host the Pontiff.

“We have not been contacted by the Vatican and had no indication one way or the other,” Archdiocese Spokesman Deacon Pat Rodgers said.

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MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN
Pioneer Press

By Emily Gurnon
egurnon@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 11/17/2014

Curtis Wehmeyer, the former St. Paul priest serving a five-year prison term for molesting two boys from his parish, has been charged in a separate Wisconsin case.

An investigator for the Chippewa County district attorney’s office interviewed a victim who said he was sexually assaulted by Wehmeyer, 50, during a 2011 camping trip at Brunet Island State Park in Estella, Wis., according to a criminal complaint.

The boy, who was 17 or 18 at the time, said Wehmeyer gave him alcohol and marijuana, the complaint said. He became intoxicated and Wehmeyer walked him to bed after he vomited, the boy said.

Wehmeyer went to a bed on the other side of the camper, but the boy “awoke to Mr. Wehmeyer’s hand down his pants touching (his genitals),” the complaint said.

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UNITED STATES
Minnesota Public Radio

[with audio]

NPR Staff Nov 16, 2014

Protecting young people from sexual predators would seem to be a universally-held value in this country: No state has an age of consent lower than 16.

But in some courtrooms, attorneys argue that children can make decisions about whom they have sex with — and in some cases, those attorneys are winning.

One of those cases is currently under appeal in California. In 2010, a 28-year old middle-school math teacher began a six-month sexual relationship with a 14-year-old female student at his school.

The teacher was convicted in criminal court of lewd acts with a child, and he went to prison. The girl’s family then sued the LA Unified School District in a civil case.

Investigative reporter Karen Foshay pored over court documents and looked at the school district’s line of defense. This past week, she broke the story for NPR member station KPCC. Foshay tells NPR’s Arun Rath that she was amazed by how the school district defended itself in court.

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OHIO
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Monday, Nov. 17

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

Toledo’s top Catholic official has suspended a priest who reportedly sexually exploited adults. But that’s not enough.

Nowhere in Bishop Daniel E. Thomas’ announcement about Fr. David A. Reinhart does the bishop even mention that others with information or suspicions about Fr. Reinhart’s misconduct should step forward.

Isn’t that telling? In nearly all cases of abuse or exploitation by priests, other victims exist. Yet the shepherd of Toledo’s flock apparently doesn’t want to hear from them.

Bishop Thomas should also give more details about when abuse reports first surfaced against Fr. Reinhart, so parishioners and the public know whether church officials addressed the matter promptly or tried to keep it quiet for weeks or months.

And Thomas should disclose where Fr. Reinhart is now, SNAP says. Since he has not yet been defrocked, church law and practice dictates that Thomas must keep paying Fr. Reinhart, the group asserts, so Thomas knows where Fr. Reinhart is now and should make that information public.

In 17 states, it’s illegal for any clergy to have any sexual contact with congregants (adults or children). So it may be possible for Fr. Reinhart to be criminally prosecuted. If not, it’s possible that other Catholic employees might be prosecuted on charges of witness tampering, destruction of evidence, intimidation of victims, obstruction of justice, etc. Is this what Thomas fears? Is this why he’s not urging others who were hurt by Fr. Reinhart to call police?

Regardless, Thomas should beg anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered misconduct by Fr. Reinhart to contact law enforcement, using parish bulletins, church websites and pulpit announcements. This isn’t rocket science. It’s common sense and common decency. Why, after decades of horrific clergy sexual abuse and misconduct by priests and continuing cover ups by bishops, do we have to prod Catholic officials to do even the most simple outreach to others who may be suffering in shame, silence and self-blame?

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WASHINGTON
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Monday, Nov. 17

For more information: David Clohessy 314 566 9790 cell, SNAPclohessy@aol.com, Robert Fontana 509 731 6012, roblori.fontana@gmail.com

Sex abuse victims challenge bishop
Accused priest is reportedly saying masses
He had photos of young naked boys on his computer
In sharply worded letter, group blasts “reckless” approach
SNAP: Cleric had a “desk job” but is now “among suspecting families”

A support group for clergy sex abuse victims is urging Yakima’s Catholic bishop to prevent a stop a priest who is reportedly saying mass and be more “open” about his wrongdoing.

Fr. Darell Mitchell has been seen performing mass recently, with altar boys, and teaching adults at St. Paul Cathedral. He also heads Calvary Cemetery.

In 2004, Fr. Mitchell was suspended twice. One was while he was under criminal investigation for “having photos of nude boys, elementary age to teenagers, on his computer,” the Yakima Herald reported. Later he was also accused of inappropriate relationships with teenaged boys.

No charges were ever filed, and that same year, Fr. Mitchell was sent out-of-state. In 2010, then-Bishop Carlos Sevilla brought Fr. Mitchell back to Yakima, putting him in an administrative position at the diocese headquarters at 5301 Tieton Drive. At that time, Mitchell said that he did not want to have a ministry with children, according to Fr. Robert Siler, Yakima diocesan chief of staff.

But recently leaders of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, learned from two Yakima area Catholics that Fr. Mitchell now works in parishes around families.

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SPAIN
The Local

Published: 17 Nov 2014

The Archbishop of Granada on Monday suspended a number of priests who are among at least twelve people being investigated for suspected sexual abuse. The Pope has personally phoned one of the alleged victims to pledge his support.

The Andalusian city’s high court revealed on Tuesday that it had opened a case against 12 people said to be involved in a ‘network of abuse’.

One of the alleged victims is a university lecturer who reported that he had been molested as a child by priests in Granada.

An internal investigation began which followed the church’s new “zero tolerance for abuse and abusers” guidelines. This led to the Vatican reporting its suspicions to the police.

Online religion website ‘Religion Digital’ reported that the Archbishop of Granada had immediately removed priests named in the investigation from active duty.

According to Spanish daily El Confidencial, the victim received a phone call of support from the Pope himself this week and was invited to visit him in Rome.

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UNITED STATES
Mother Jones

—By Molly Redden | Mon Nov. 17, 2014

When Emily Herx first took time off work for in vitro fertilization treatment, her boss offered what sounded like words of support: “You are in my prayers.” Soon those words took on a more sinister meaning. The Indiana grade school where Herx was teaching English was Catholic. And after church officials were alerted that Herx was undergoing IVF—making her, in the words of one monsignor, “a grave, immoral sinner”—it took them less than two weeks to fire her.

Herx filed a discrimination lawsuit in 2012. In response, St. Vincent de Paul School and the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese, her former employers, countered with an argument used by a growing number of religious groups to justify firings related to IVF treatment or pregnancies outside of marriage: freedom of religion gives them the right to hire (or fire) whomever they choose. But the diocese took one big step further. It is arguing that, in this instance, its religious liberty rights protect the school from having to go to court at all.

“I’ve never seen this before, and I couldn’t find any other cases like it,” says Brian Hauss, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union Center for Liberty. The group is not directly involved in the lawsuit but has filed amicus briefs supporting Herx. “What the diocese is saying is, ‘We can fire anybody, and we have absolute immunity from even going to trial, as long as we think they’re violating our religion. And to have civil authorities even look into what we’re doing is a violation’…It’s astonishing.”

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OHIO
Sandusky Register

MATT WESTERHOLD
NOV 17, 2014

A priest who formerly served the Norwalk, St. Paul parish was placed on leave this past weekend for alleged misconduct with adult females, the Toledo Diocese announced.

Bishop Daniel E. Thomas placed Rev. David A. Reinhart on administrative leave following allegations of inappropriate intimate relationships with adult women, a news release from the diocese states.

“The announcement regarding the administrative leave and resignation of Father Reinhart was made at both St. John the Evangelist Parish and St. John the Baptist Parish this weekend,” the release states. “Bishop Thomas — or his representative, the local dean — was personally present at the weekend Masses to make the announcement, offer Mass, and preach at both parishes.”

While on administrative leave Reinhart “is not permitted to exercise public ministry, administer any of the Sacraments, wear clerical attire or present himself publicly as a priest pending the outcome of an investigation.”

Bishop Thomas accepted Father Reinhart’s resignation as pastor of both St. John the Evangelist Parish, Delphos and St. John the Baptist Parish, Landeck, where he has served since July 2013, according to the news release.

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TOLEDO (OH)
Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo

Sally Oberski, Director of Communications
419-244-6711 ext 648 (o)
419-262-6711(c)
soberski@toledodiocese.org

On Friday, November 14, 2014, Bishop Daniel E. Thomas placed Reverend David A. Reinhart on administrative leave following allegations of inappropriate intimate relationships with adult women in violation of the diocesan Code of Pastoral Conduct(§4.2). While on administrative leave he is not permitted to exercise public ministry, administer any of the Sacraments, wear clerical attire or present himself publicly as a priest pending the outcome of an investigation. Bishop Thomas has accepted the resignation of Father Reinhart as Pastor of both Saint John the Evangelist Parish, Delphos and Saint John the Baptist Parish, Landeck, where he has served since July 2013.

An announcement regarding the administrative leave and resignation of Father Reinhart was made at both Saint John the Evangelist Parish and Saint John the Baptist Parish this weekend (November 15-16). Out of pastoral care for the people, Bishop Thomas—or his representative, the local Dean—was personally present at the weekend Masses to make the announcement, offer Mass, and preach at both parishes.

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ESPANA
Religion Digital

El Arzobispado de Granada admite haber tomado medidas únicamente contra “los sacerdotes directamente acusados de los abusos”

Jesús Bastante, 17 de noviembre de 2014

Roma confirma que el arzobispo de Granada “no está colaborando con lo que se ha pedido”
Francisco fuerza una investigación sobre abusos sexuales en una diócesis española

En una nota oficial, publicada en su página web, la diócesis dirigida por Javier Martínez reconoce que “desde el momento en que se tuvo noticia fehaciente de la acusación presentada ante la Santa Sede por un joven de Granada, de haber sufrido abusos sexuales por parte de un grupo de sacerdotes de la diócesis, este arzobispado ha seguido escrupulosamente el procedimiento previsto para estos casos por la disciplina canónica”.

Según la nota, primero se quiso “verificar si la mencionada acusación tenía verosimilitud”. Tras señalar que la investigación policial “no tiene aún carácter judicial”, la diócesis indica que “impuso las medidas cautelares a los sacerdotes directamente acusados de los abusos, retirándolos del ejercicio del ministerio sacerdotal”.

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ESPANA
El Periodico

[Pope Francis has enforced an investigation into alleged sexual abuse in the Granada diocese. The pope apparently telephoned one of the allege victims. According to the newspaper Religion Digital, after receiving the call from the pope, the victim formalized a complaint to the senior prosecutor of Andalusia who immediately ordered an investigation. Although the case is under a gag order, it has emerged that a dozen people, including priests and lay people, have abused at least five victims in various residences in the Granada province.]

JULIA CAMACHO / SEVILLA
LUNES, 17 DE NOVIEMBRE DEL 2014

El papa Francisco ha forzado una investigación sobre supuestos abusos sexuales en la diócesis de Granada. Al parecer, el propio Pontífice llamó por teléfono para disculparse a una de las presuntas víctimas, un profesor universitario que remitió una carta al Vaticano explicando lo ocurrido.

Según adelanta el diario Religión Digital, tras recibir la llamada del Papa, el joven formalizó la denuncia ante la Fiscalía Superior de Andalucía, que ordenó de inmediato a su delegación en Granada que interpusiera denuncia contra los supuestos abusadores. Aunque el caso está bajo secreto de sumario, sí ha trascendido que se trataría de una docena de personas, entre sacerdotes y laicos, que habrían llevado a cabo sus abusos sexuales entre al menos cinco víctimas en diferentes residencias de la provincia de Granada.

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ESPANA
El Pais

El Arzobispado de Granada ha retirado del ejercicio a varios sacerdotes acusados de haber abusado sexualmente de un joven cuando era menor de edad. El caso fue trasladado por el propio denunciante al Vaticano, aunque está también siendo investigado por el Juzgado de Instrucción 4 de Granada.

Tras tener conocimiento de la información, que adelantó el portal Religión Digital y que publica hoy el diario Ideal, el Arzobispado ha defendido su actuación por los presuntos abusos sexuales por parte de un grupo de sacerdotes de la diócesis que ha consistido en seguir el procedimiento previsto por “la disciplina canónica”, según informa en un comunicado.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

On Saturday, 15 November, the Holy Father: …

– appointed Rev. Fr. Francisco Javier Pistilli Scorzara, J. Sch., as bishop of Encarnacion (area 16,525, population 611,000, Catholics 502,000, priests 52, permanent deacons 1, religious 110), Paraguay. The bishop-elect was born in Asuncion, Paraguay in 1965, gave his religious vows in 1988 and was ordained a priest in 1997. He completed his studies at the theologate of the Capuchin Franciscan Fathers in Munster, Germany, and has served as parish vicar in the Nuestra Senora del Rosario parish in Luque, Asuncion; and master of novices in Tuparanda, San Lorenzo. He is currently regional superior of the Secular Institute of Schonstatt Fathers for Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Nigeria. He succeeds Bishop Ignacio Gogorza Izaguirre, S.C.I. Of Beth, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.

– accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the diocese of Encarnacion, Paraguay, presented by Bishop Claudio Silvero Acosta, S.C.I. Beth, upon reaching the age limit.

– appointed Rev. Fr. Heinz Wilhem Steckling, O.M.I., as bishop of Ciudad del Este (area 29,562, population 795,000, Catholics 783,200, priests 111, permanent deacons 1, religious 198), Paraguay. The bishop-elect was born in Werl, Germany in 1947 and was ordained a priest in 1974. He holds a diploma in theology from the University of Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany. He has served in as provincial of the vice provincia of Pilcomayo e Nord Argentina of the Oblate Missionaries and superior general of his congregation and is currently rector of the major seminary of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate in Asuncion, Paraguay, and consultor for the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples and of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

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UNITED STATES
Presbyteria Church USA

NOVEMBER 15, 2014

Presbyterian News Service

JERRY L. VAN MARTER

LOUISVILLE

A prominent Nashville attorney has been hired by the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board’s (PMAB) Executive Committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the unauthorized establishment of an independent corporation in southern California. The corporation was designed to benefit the 1001 New Worshiping Communities movement of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

George Crawford III—a PC(USA) ruling elder—and relevant partners of the Butler Snow LLP law firm of Nashville will be conducting the investigation. Until their inquiry is complete, the four Presbyterian Mission Agency employees implicated in what the PMAB’s Audit Committee concluded “violated the [PMA] ethics policy” have been placed on paid administrative leave. The four are Roger Dermody, deputy executive director for mission; Eric Hoey, director of Evangelism and Church Growth; Philip Lotspeich, then coordinator for church growth and the staff person directly responsible for the 1001 New Worshiping Communities initiative; and Craig Williams, western regional deployed staff member for the 1001 program, based in San Clemente, California.

Of Crawford, PMAB chair Marilyn Gamm said: “We wanted someone who is familiar with Presbyterianism and whose firm understands complicated corporate matters.” The minutes of the November 14 Executive Committee meeting, where the actions were taken, say the investigation should be completed “by early 2015.” The committee recommended the four suspended staff members cooperate with Crawford’s inquiry.

“We are seeking ways to begin to restore trust in [PMA executive director] Linda Valentine and the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board,” Gamm said. “Since the Audit Committee report went public responses have been mixed, but trust has been broken with a significant part of the church.”

Crawford’s investigation “is not a witch hunt,” Gamm insisted, adding that she doesn’t know if the independent investigator will find anything that the PMAB Executive Committee doesn’t already know.“Mostly, it’s about taking seriously the (PMA) board’s call to seek justice, to build and rebuild trust,to bring clarity to concerns about possible financial misappropriation or loss,” Gamm said, “and to remind the church that no person or program” is more important than abiding by our ethical principles or our financial and moral responsibility.”

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

NOVEMBER 18, 2014

Amos Aikman
Northern Correspondent
Darwin

MORE victims of a convicted sex offender who allegedly abused Stolen Generation and other children at a Darwin missionary home in the 1960s and 70s are afraid to come forward ­because they have lost faith in the legal system, former residents say.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has heard evidence a series of failures by police and the Northern Territory ­Director of Public Prosecutions led to cases against pedophile ­Donald Henderson being dropped.

Henderson, convicted of abusing two boys at a Darwin swimming pool in the 80s, was never prosecuted for sex crimes he ­allegedly committed while working as a “house parent” at Retta Dixon Home, despite at one stage facing more than 80 charges.

Legal representatives of former Retta Dixon children told the commission — which yesterday heard submissions on what it should find — that children in Henderson’s care had suffered a “horror show” of abuse.

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AUSTRALIA
news.com.au

Up to a dozen witnesses are expected to give evidence before the Hobart hearings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses into Child Sexual Abuse which begins tomorrow.

The inquiry will centre on historical allegations made about the exclusive all-male Hutchins School.
Commissioners Jennifer Coate and Andrew Murray will examine the handling of claims against former headmaster David Lawrence and teacher Lyndon Hickman at the boarding school during the 1960s.
It is understood allegations were made to the commission at recent private hearings.

Mr Lawrence resigned after a decade as headmaster in 1970 amid a scandal involving a relationship with a former student.

The hearings will examine the response of the school and of the Anglican Archdiocese of Tasmania to the allegations.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Big Trial

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2014

By Ralph Cipriano
for Bigtrial.net

Father Charles Engelhardt was transported by ambulance from prison to a hospital last week after he experienced dizziness.

The 67-year-old priest is an inmate at the State Correctional Institution in Coal Township, Northumberland County, where he’s serving a six to 12 year-sentence. In a case overflowing with reasonable doubt, a jury on Jan. 30, 2013 inexplicably convicted Engelhardt of endangering the welfare of a child, corruption of a minor and indecent assault. Even though the alleged “victim” in the case was Billy Doe, a former altar boy turned heroin addict whose crazy stories of abuse defied logic and common sense, as well as all known evidence gathered by the district attorney’s own detectives.

Just a week before he was stricken, Father Engelhardt’s lawyer, Michael J. McGovern, was in state Superior Court, arguing that his client deserved a new trial because of judicial errors and prosecutorial misconduct.

Last Tuesday morning, doctors at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa., diagnosed cardiac artery disease and found a blockage in the priest’s heart, said his niece, Tracey Boyle, a registered nurse.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Rome, Italy (November 17, 2014) – In remarks offered today in Rome, Pope Francis formally announced his intention to attend the World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015, set to be held September 22-27, 2015. This visit will mark his first to the United States as pope. He will be only the fourth reigning Pontiff to visit our nation in its history.

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., and a delegation of World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015 organizers were present for the announcement, which the Holy Father made at the opening of the Humanum Colloquium. Also present were Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, Bishop Jean Lafitte, and Monsignor Carlos Simon Vaszquez of the Pontifical Council for the Family, which is the co-sponsor of the World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015, with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Archbishop Chaput said, “I am overjoyed by Pope Francis’ announcement that he will join with us for the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia next year. A hallmark of his papacy has been a keen focus on the many challenges that families face today globally. His charisma, presence and voice will electrify the gathering.”

“As I’ve said many times before, I believe that the presence of the Holy Father will bring all of us – Catholic and non-Catholic alike – together in tremendously powerful, unifying and healing ways. We look forward to Pope Francis’ arrival in Philadelphia next September and we will welcome him joyfully with open arms and prayerful hearts.”

Detailed plans for Pope Francis’ visit have not yet been finalized and are expected to be released in spring or summer of 2015. However, it is expected that the Holy Father will visit Philadelphia September 25 – 27, 2015 to participate in the closing events of the Eighth World Meeting of Families. These events include the Festival of Families, an intercultural celebration of family life around the world, which would be held on Saturday, September 26, and a Papal Mass to be held on Sunday, September 27. Both of these events will take place on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in the heart of Philadelphia and will be open to the public.

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UNITED STATES
Washington Post

By Abby Ohlheiser November 17

“I wish to confirm, according to the wishes of the Lord, that in September of 2015 I will go to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families,” Pope Francis said on Monday. It’s the first official confirmation of the pope’s long-expected visit to the United States, the first of his papacy.

Francis was speaking at a colloquium organized by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. In attendance? The Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles J. Chaput, who has enthusiastically spoken of the Pope’s anticipated visit in the past.

On Monday, Chaput told the Associated Press that he “applauded the loudest” at Francis’s announcement at the conclusion of his address to the conference.

According to the Philadelphia Archdiocese, Francis is expected to arrive on September 25, 2015, NBC Philadelphia reported. Officials are expecting up to 2 million people for a public mass held on the Ben Franklin Parkway two days later, and tens of thousands for the conference itself.

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UNITED STATES
ABC News via Good Morning America

Pope Francis plans to visit Philadelphia in 2015, the pontiff announced today. It would be his first trip to the United States as pope.

The pope made the announcement when he addressed participants at a Vatican conference on traditional marriage.

The trip, expected for late September, would coincide with the World Meeting of Families organized by the Catholic Church, a world event that will take place in Philadelphia that focuses on strengthening family bonds.

“I wish to confirm according to the wishes of the Lord, that in September of 2015, I will go to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families,” Francis, 77, speaking in Italian, told the crowd at the Vatican. “Thank you for your prayers with which you accompany my service to the Church. Bless you from my heart.”

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ISRAEL
Arutz Sheva

Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Safran

The trespass so clear, so disturbing, so defiling that no caring member of the Jewish community can help but feel a deep sense of humiliation and disgust. Whether in Los Angeles or Jerusalem, the behavior of the Washington, D.C. rabbi, caused every Jew to feel a physical revulsion, no less than if they had been members of his particular congregation.

What was his trespass that it brings about such a harsh reaction? A prominent rabbinic leader and scholar desecrated the trust of young Jews and the holiness of the mikvah by videotaping female congregants and converts as they prepared for and immersed themselves in the mikvah.

A transgression of this nature would be profoundly troubling no matter who was responsible. But to discover that a rabbi undermined the trust in his office and his person in such a fundamental way is almost beyond belief. Sadly, as we have come to appreciate only too often when we’ve heard stories of abusive priests and other predatory religious leaders, the damage done to individuals and institutions when religious leaders behave so atrociously is devastating.

By virtue of their learning and leadership, rabbis hold an incredibly powerful position in shuls and Jewish communities. This rabbi acknowledged as much when he stated arrogantly to one of his congregants in the context of a conversation about establishing a mikvah, “I’m the rabbi! You’re just a layman.” (As reported by a Washington Post column written by Michelle Boorstein on November 8th).

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TANZANIA
allAfrica

Tanzania Daily News

FORMER Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam Sixtus Kimaro who was in July 2006 sentenced to 35 years in jail for sodomy and molestation has died.

Kimaro’s relative who preferred anonymity told ‘Sunday News’ in the city on Saturday that the former priest died in Mozambique where he was reported conducting private business.

His body was brought to Dar es Salaam on Saturday and was preserved at Lugalo hospital where relatives and friends are today expected to pay final respects, before it is transported to Rombo district in Kilimanjaro region for burial at Mengwe Division on Monday.

The Secretary of the Archbishop of Dar es Salaam, Father Dennis Wigila, said in Dar es Salaam on Saturday that he was aware that Kimaro had died, and since he was no longer a priest in the diocese, his relatives were taking charge of the funeral arrangements.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

Madeleine Baran St. Paul, Minn. Nov 17, 2014

Nancy Meyers remembers the fear in the priest’s eyes when he spotted her.

It was a Sunday morning in 1990, and Nancy, then 42, and her sister Kate had just arrived at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Lino Lakes to confront the man Nancy says had sexually abused her as a child.

The Rev. Kenneth LaVan was greeting parishioners at the back of the church.

“Can I help you?” a parishioner asked.

“Oh, no,” Kate Meyers said. “We’re here to see Father LaVan, it’s just a quick thing. He knows us. We’re old friends.”

When the sisters got to the front of the line, the priest looked nervous. Kate asked if they could talk privately, and LaVan took them around the corner to a small room. They had just a few minutes before the next Mass.

With the door closed, the sisters confronted LaVan. They were alarmed to find out he was still in a parish, and had wanted to catch him off guard to see what he would say. Nancy said she wanted to understand why LaVan had abused her.

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OHIO
WSPD

A Roman Catholic priest in northwest Ohio is accused of having inappropriate relationships with women.

The Diocese of Toledo says Reverend David Reinhart is on administrative leave and cannot exercise public ministry, administer any of the sacraments, wear clerical attire or present himself publicly as a priest.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
CBS Philly

Mark Abrams

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in Harrisburg from the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office as it seeks the re-instatement of the child-endangerment conviction of Monsignor William Lynn.

Monsignor Lynn, who served as secretary of the clergy for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, was the first high-ranking Roman Catholic church official to be found guilty in a clergy sex abuse case.

That was in July 2012 in Common Pleas Court. He was sentenced to three-to-six years in prison. But his lawyers argued the conviction didn’t meet the standards in the original state child endangerment law.

In December 2013, a three-judge panel at the Superior Court agreed and the cleric was released on bail and remains under house arrest pending the outcome of the DA’s appeal.

Monsignor Lynn’s attorney, Thomas Bergstrom, says the court should concur with the Superior Court

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OHIO
Northwest Signal

TOLEDO — Bishop Daniel E. Thomas Friday placed Rev. David A. Reinhart on administrative leave following allegations of inappropriate intimate relationships with adult women in violation of the diocesan Code of Pastoral Conduct (§4.2).

While on administrative leave he is not permitted to exercise public ministry, administer any of the Sacraments, wear clerical attire or present himself publicly as a priest pending the outcome of an investigation. Thomas has accepted the resignation of Reinhart as pastor of both Saint John the Evangelist Parish, Delphos, and Saint John the Baptist Parish, Landeck, where he has served since July 2013.

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OHIO
Toledo Blade

BY JENNIFER FEEHAN
BLADE STAFF WRITER

A priest who once led the Kateri Catholic School System in Oregon has been placed on administrative leave following allegations of “inappropriate intimate relationships with adult women,” the Diocese of Toledo announced Sunday.

The Rev. David A. Reinhart, who most recently served as pastor of St. John the Evangelist parish in Delphos and St. John the Baptist parish in Landeck, will not be permitted to exercise public ministry, administer any of the sacraments, wear clerical attire, or present himself publicly as a priest pending the outcome of the investigation.

The Most Rev. Daniel Thomas, who was installed as bishop of the Toledo Catholic Diocese last month, accepted Father Reinhart’s resignation from the two parishes.

Delphos, about 85 miles southwest of Toledo, is located in Allen and Van Wert counties. Landeck is in Allen County, southwest of Delphos.

According to a news release from the diocese, an announcement regarding Father Reinhart’s administrative leave and resignation was made at both parishes over the weekend. Bishop Thomas or his representative was present at the weekend Masses at both parishes to make the announcement and preach.

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AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun

Traumatised victims of Eden Park boys home abuse say the Salvation Army should increase compensation

ANDREW DOWDELL, SPECIAL REPORT THE ADVERTISER NOVEMBER 17, 2014

THEY were systematically abused and robbed of their trust in humanity — now victims of the notorious Eden Park boys home say they were short-changed by civil payouts from the Salvation Army.

The depravity and violence exacted upon former residents of the home led to a class action launched in 2007, in which 60 former Eden Park boys were eventually given civil payouts.

However, many victims and the lawyer who handled the cases now say the Salvation Army should have paid more compensation.

Matt de Gregorio from Duncan Basheer Hannon said early settlements were capped at $50,000 and has asked the Salvation Army to consider increasing those amounts already paid.

“Their response has been that they want to await the results of the Royal Commission on the 31st of December, 2017 before they will consider that,” he said.

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UNITED STATES
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: Gordon Keys was an Oregon Province Jesuit ordained in 1955. After teaching high school for a year in Fairbanks AK, he went on to teach and do parish work for seven years on the Colville Indian reservation in WA state. In 1965 he was assigned to Jesuit High in Portland, where he taught for three years. He then spent a few years assisting in a Woodburn parish, followed by a decade at Seattle University. Keys was also a hospital chaplain for many years and a long-time convent chaplain. In 1987 he returned to Jesuit High until 2000, when he retired to the Jesuits’ Regis Community in Spokane. He died in 2005. In 2011 Keys’ name was included on the Oregon Province’s list of its members who have been identified as perpetrators of sexual abuse.

Ordained: June 18, 1955
Died: Jan. 6, 2005

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AUSTRALIA
The Guardian

Australian Associated Press
Sunday 16 November 2014

It was a disgraceful failure of the Northern Territory legal system that a paedophile escaped being tried for sexually abusing a five-year-old girl, a solicitor has told the child sex abuse inquiry.

Mark Thomas, representing the Rev Trevor Leggott, who heads Australian Indigenous Ministries (AIM), said that what happened to children at the Retta Dixon home in Darwin in the 1960s and 70s was “short of killing them, the worst possible example of abuse of a child”.

The royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse sat in Sydney on Monday, taking submissions following a September hearing into the Retta Dixon home.

One of the main alleged perpetrators of abuse at the home, run by AIM, was house parent Donald Henderson, who worked there for 11 years.

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UNITED STATES
CBS News

[with video]

During her interview with Cardinal Seán O’Malley — on a windy rooftop overlooking St. Peter’s Square in Rome — CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell says it was “tough to concentrate” while discussing the topic of child sex abuse.

Tough, O’Donnell says, because as she was talking with the cardinal, she also had to contend with extremely windy conditions, the blaring horns of Rome’s traffic below and the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica ringing out every 15 minutes.

Amidst the noise, O’Donnell kept her focus on the interview: “I’m thinking of not only what I want to ask the cardinal next, I’m thinking about what he’s saying and following up on what he’s saying. I’m thinking: Do I need to re-ask a question because there was a truck that honked in the middle of my question?”

Following O’Donnell’s interview with the cardinal, she talked with 60 Minutes Overtime about her impressions of O’Malley. “It’s clear in talking to him that he’s very close with Pope Francis,” she says.

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BOSTON (MA)
Boston Herald

[with video]

Monday, November 17, 2014

By: Raymond L. Flynn

The world witnessed the humility and greatness of the Catholic Church last night on the nationally celebrated “60 Minutes” news magazine, as Cardinal Sean O’Malley spoke as a new American voice for the Vatican and we must believe for Pope Francis, from St. Peter’s Square.

Addressing a nationwide American audience — in a venue and in a manner that will be noticed by Catholics worldwide — Cardinal Sean reminded us that we must not be only faithful to God, but to each other.

We also witnessed the special role that Boston plays in the Catholic Church in the world today.

Cardinal Sean not only addressed forthrightly the Church’s callous role in its failure to protect innocent children from clergy sex abuse, but for the first time pointed the finger from Rome at a bishop who failed to act to protect children and bring accountability to those Church leaders responsible.

I was particularly moved by Cardinal Sean’s acknowledgement of the future role of religious women in the Church.

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