ABUSE TRACKER

MASSACHUSETTS
Crux

By Teresa Hanafin
Editor March 11, 2016

Hello loyal Crux readers,

I have some sad news to impart. The Boston Globe has made the difficult decision to stop supporting Crux as of the end of March, focusing its efforts instead on other initiatives within the company.

But the good news is that John Allen plans to continue the site, with assistance from Inés San Martín, our Vatican correspondent. National reporter Michael O’Loughlin, columnist Margery Eagan, and our stable of freelancers will find other places for their work. I’ll move over to BostonGlobe.com.

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MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Globe

By Hiawatha Bray GLOBE STAFF MARCH 11, 2016

The Boston Globe said Friday that it will shut down Crux , the newspaper’s online publication devoted to news and commentary on the Roman Catholic Church. Crux will halt publication on April 1, and several employees will be laid off.

In a memo sent to Globe employees Friday, Globe editor Brian McGrory wrote “we’re beyond proud of the journalism and the journalists who have produced it, day after day, month over month, for the past year and a half.” But McGrory added, “We simply haven’t been able to develop the financial model of big-ticket, Catholic-based advertisers that was envisioned when we launched Crux back in September 2014.”

McGrory said that the Crux site will be handed over to associate editor and columnist John Allen, a veteran reporter on Catholic affairs. McGrory said that Allen “is exploring the possibility of continuing it in some modified form, absent any contribution from the Globe.” Crux editor Teresa Hanafin will stay in the newsroom, probably at bostonglobe.com, the paper’s online home.

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MASSACHUSETTS
The Atlantic

EMMA GREEN

Eighteen months ago, The Boston Globe announced a radical experiment: The newspaper would launch a vertical specifically dedicated to coverage of the Catholic Church, betting that it could support this coverage with ad sales. Crux was born, led by the veteran reporter John L. Allen Jr. and staffed by a handful of experienced writers and editors. The section consistently broke news related to Pope Francis and the Vatican, but it also ran stories from across the U.S. and around the globe, covering everything from religious-freedom conflicts in the American Midwest to poverty in Africa.

Eighteen months later, The Boston Globe has bailed. In a letter to staffers, the Globe’s editor Brian McGrory announced that the paper is shutting down the vertical on April 1st, a move which will involve two to three editorial layoffs and one business layoff, according to a spokesperson. In an email, McGrory wrote, “I loved Crux. We all did. It was a terrific idea, a noble mission, and very well executed by a small, deeply experienced, hard-working staff. We made the words work, but not the numbers. They simply didn’t add up. So we decided, quite literally, to cut our losses and focus on the core of our business.” In a few weeks, the paper plans to turn the site over to Allen, who says he is “determined to make sure that Crux continues. How exactly we’re going to engineer that remains to be seen.”

From the beginning, the business model the Globe envisioned for Crux seemed tenuous. The pitch was twofold. First, the paper has been a leader in coverage of the Church, which is a huge cultural and political institution in Boston. Fresh off its Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation into widespread clergy sex abuse—an effort that was recently featured in the massively popular, Oscar-winning film Spotlight—the Globe anticipated a big local and national readership for in-depth coverage of the Church. Second, it was betting that there was an untapped market for advertisers who would want to be associated with this coverage—from Catholic hospitals and charities to companies that were looking to appeal to a specifically Catholic readership.

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AUSTRALIA
Dubbo Photo News

March 11, 2016

Written by Tony Webber

Surely god has to take some responsibility.

George Pell has been suitably castigated by his interrogators at the Royal Commission into child abuse.

His description of the church’s behaviour towards child rapists within the ranks, and his place in that institutional behaviour, won him few plaudits.

Often his testimony was directly contradictory.

Pell maintained that he was not aware of specific offenders and the complaints made against them.

Yet he also described the times, and one particular diocese in Ballarat, as lousy with “crimes and cover ups.”

How can you know about crimes, and efforts to conceal them, yet be largely ignorant of their existence at the same time?

He variously explained the fact that this crime and cover-up did not come his way because he was not terribly interested in that aspect of daily life, and also because he was an outspoken lion of truth who would have exposed any wrongdoing if it was revealed to him, except that it wasn’t.

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MASSACHUSETTS
Washington Post

By Julie Zauzmer March 11

If a Catholic news website could work anywhere, at any time, it should have been Boston this year.

With a wildly popular and frequently controversial pope who traveled to the United States for the first time this year, plus an Oscar-winning film treatment of the Globe’s own investigation into abuse by Catholic priests, the Boston Globe’s Catholic-focused site Crux had plenty to cover.

But on Friday, just 18 months after launching the site, the Globe announced that it was giving up on it.

Crux will continue, its associate editor John L. Allen Jr. vowed on Friday. The Globe gave Allen the site for free when it announced it was washing its hands of it. He says he will keep it going, along with the site’s Vatican correspondent Inés San Martín. But he hasn’t yet figured out who will fund it. And in the meantime, the site’s journalists — national correspondent Michael O’Loughlin, San Martín and Allen himself, who has covered the Church for almost 20 years — are all out of jobs.

“We lost our sugar daddy. We’re not shutting down. We intend to continue,” Allen said to the Post on Friday afternoon. “Big picture, it’s not really a surprise. I knew going in that it was kind of a novel venture for a mainstream outlet in the United States.”

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LOUISIANA
KATC

A former Calcasieu priest has been sentenced to 250 years in prison for sexually abusing altar boys.

In February, Mark Broussard was found guilty of aggravated rape (two counts), aggravated oral sexual battery and molestation of a juvenile.

On Friday, he was sentenced to two life sentences, one for each count of aggravated rape. He also was sentenced to 20 years for aggravated oral sexual battery; 15 years for oral sexual battery and 15 years for molestation of a juvenile, the District Attorney’s office said.

The sentences are to run consecutive to each other, for a total of 250 years, the DA’s office said.

Broussard has been in jail since his conviction last month.

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CANADA
The News Watch

THUNDER BAY — The inquest into the deaths of seven First Nation students in Thunder Bay heard some shocking statistics on youth suicides Tuesday.

The head of the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority says at least one hundred of those deaths, can be blamed on one sexual predator.

Jim Morris is also a former NAN Grand Chief and was the first witness at the inquest Tuesday morning.

Morris points to convicted serial offender Ralph Rowe, who was an Anglican priest and Boy Scout leader who sexually abused young boys from numerous First Nations communities in the 1970’s.

Morris says the first suicides in the 1990’s involved young men, aged 15-to-21. He adds that it kick-started the youth suicide crisis that continues today.

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PENNSYLVANIA
WNPV

March 11, 2016
by Joseph Lecompte

A recent grand jury that exposed the Altoona-Johnstown Catholic Diocese for the sexual abuse of hundreds of children by more than 50 priests over 40 years, has again set in motion a proposed law for abuse victims.

The law would empower victims to take action, even though the statute of limitations expired.

“Many of these victims have not come forward and the reason is, why would they. The statute of limitations has expired, they can’t charge their abuser criminally, they can’t go after the abuser in a civil action. So what do they do, they suffer in silence. They suffer in their own pain and humiliation.”

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TEXAS
Valley Central

Former Priest John Feit will face a judge Monday morning.

State District Judge Luis Singleterry will hold an arraignment hearing for John Bernard Feit, 83, of Scottsdale, Arizona, at 9 a.m. Monday. Feit is charged with murder, a first-degree felony.

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UNITED STATES
Bilgrimage

William D. Lindsey

Several days ago, I published an essay here by the distinguished Mennonite scholar and abuse survivors’ advocate Ruth Krall, responding to her erasure from the record of Mennonite scholarship and activism regarding the legacy of John Howard Yoder in a recent National Catholic Reporter article about these matters. Today, I’m delighted to add to this discussion an excellent essay written by a young Mennonite scholar, Stephanie Krehbiel, who strongly defends Ruth and her contribution to the discussion of Yoder’s legacy, noting,

If Krall were some sort of fringe player in the Yoder drama, . . . younger scholars could be forgiven for glancing over her name. But—for the love of the historical evidence, people, please!—Krall has been at the center of the struggle to make people take Yoder’s abuse seriously for almost forty years. There’s no excuse for ignoring her work.

Here’s Stephanie’s essay:

There was something refreshing about reading the opening line of Kyle Lambelet and Brian Hamilton’s recent NCR piece, “Engage Survivors More, and Yoder Less.” Right there at the outset, they write,

Over the course of his acclaimed career, Christian theologian and ethicist John Howard Yoder (1927-97) stalked, harassed and sexually assaulted more than a hundred women.

The language in this sentence is evidence of a feminist victory. For years, survivors’ advocates in the Mennonite church pushed back against the sanitized and indistinct language that people used to talk about what Yoder did to women. “Misconduct.” “Boundary crossing.” There may be times when that kind of non-specific language is necessary, but for the women who knew how violent John Howard Yoder actually was, it added another layer of abuse to the violations already committed.

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UNITED STATES
The Virginia Gazette

The award-winning movie “Spotlight” follows The Boston Globe ‘Spotlight Team” as they investigate widespread child sex abuse in the Boston area by numerous Catholic priests. Their work brought the issue to the fore, not just in Boston, but around the world. Their diligence as journalists was a major catalyst in bringing about accountability within the church but also on shining a light on the devastation that resulted in the lives of the victims.

The movie is based on a series of stories by the actual Spotlight team that earned the Globe the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. As the movie unfolds we see the factual basis of the ongoing cover-up by the Boston Archdiocese. The team, through persistent, careful research, uncovered many incidents of abuse; the number of priest abusers and victims far greater than even they had originally thought. If these veteran reporters were shocked, and saddened, think of the impact on the general population and especially the millions of Catholic faithful whose faith in their church and its leaders was put into serious question.

The investigative team was well aware that congregations within the church, especially members of a strong lay ministry, would dispute their findings, hence the intense checking and double checking of facts. There were numerous legal documents filed with the court in Boston that the Archdiocese, guided by Cardinal Bernard Francis Law, intercepted to prevent them from becoming public record. Priests who were discovered to be abusive were simply moved to another parish, some many times; unwittingly the church supplied more victims. The public image of the Catholic Church took precedence over the heartache and devastation of the victims.

The Catholic Church would wish us to believe that the issue has been resolved. Certainly they have been forced to pay out millions of dollars in restitution, forced being the operative word, as they still require a signed victim-confidentiality agreement at the time of payment. Anyone who thinks that the number of lives affected by this is minimal needs to revisit the factual findings of this whole disgraceful scandal. Cases continue to be filed, but there remains within the church hierarchy an attitude of concealment and denial. Even “good priests” wishing to comment publicly find themselves relocated to a Mission area, where media exposure is less available. Cardinal Law was forced to resign but was reassigned a comfortable position in Rome, under the protective cloak of the Vatican. A general, blanket statement with regard to the abusing priests being required to undergo counseling was supposed to reassure the faithful that all was under control. No actual facts about consequences for any church individual were released and no follow up for further information was considered. The repercussions for those abused are innumerable. Victims struggle in their lives going forward, trying to recover from the defilement by a person shrouded in a sacred position of trust.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, March 11, 2016

Statement by David Clohessy, director of SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

With lightning speed, Altoona Bishop Mark Bartchack recently removed a couple of church banners, a nearly-meaningless gesture. But with glacial speed, he talks but won’t move on pressing and practical steps that will protect kids.

[The Morning Call]

In the whole 147 page report, perhaps the most disturbing fact is that the jurors are “concerned the purge of predators is taking too long.”

[Cincinnati.com]

That fact was made public ten days ago. Since then, Bartchak has not exposed or suspended even one predator priest. This is very troubling. He must act now. What could possibly be more important that warning parents, parishioners, police, prosecutors and the public about credibly accused child molesters and getting them out of ministry? Every day a child molester stays hidden gives him more chances to assault kids, destroy evidence, intimidate victims, threaten witnesses, discredit whistleblowers and even flee to evade prosecution.

Bartchak also refuses to

–discipline even a single wrongdoer identified in the grand jury,
–fire a nun who deals with victims and was blasted in the grand jury report,
–replace his review board members who the report called “biased,”
–even oust ONE review board member who refused to answer questions by grand jurors,
–discipline or even denounce a priest who verbally attacked police, prosecutors and jurors,
–alert bishops in Florida, South Carolina, Colorado, West Virginia into whose dioceses Altoona predator priests were quietly sent (and may still be living), or
–aggressively beg victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to call police, using pulpit announcements and church websites and parish bulletins.

And he’s dragging his feet on posting predators’ names on his website, which he’s promised to do. (He could put up a partial list in an hour if he tried.)

We’re reminded of the famous fast food ad of years past that popularized the phrase “Where’s the beef?” In this case, it’s “Where’s the action?” The short answer is: In Altoona, it’s sorely lacking.

The grand jury concluded “Nothing has changed” in the Altoona diocese with respect to abuse reports. And nothing will change unless Altoona citizens and Catholic insist that Barchak stop the words, apologies, promises and excuses and start showing leadership, and begin by speeding up the purge of predators from parishes.

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MINNESOTA
Advocate Tribune

By Scott Tedrick
News Editor

Posted Mar. 11, 2016

New information has come to light indicating that at least two additional cases of sexual abuses have been perpetrated in Granite Falls by pastors assigned to St. Andrew Catholic Church by the New Ulm Diocese, including one ‘credibly confirmed’ case involving Fr. Gordon Buckley.

Furthermore, the information indicates the New Ulm Diocese was aware of three area cases of abuse prior to at least one of the pastor’s assignments at St. Andrew.

Last month Parishioners of St. Andrew Church received a pair of letters by New Ulm Diocese Bishop John Levoir, dated February 5 and February 11, informing them of two priests with a history of sexual abuse who were placed in the parish during back-to-back assignments in the 60s and 70.

In 2010, the first of the now three cases of reported sexual abuse, was brought to the surface following a CNN Special Report on a report of sexual abuse of a local child perpetrated by Fr. Francis Markey during an approximately three month period in which he was assigned as interim pastor for the church in the spring of 1982.

Markey would die in jail in 2012 while awaiting charges of raping a 15-year old in Ireland over 40 years ago.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
The Legal Intelligencer

Max Mitchell, The Legal Intelligencer
March 11, 2016

The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office has asked the state Supreme Court to determine whether the Superior Court overstepped its bounds when it overturned the conviction of monsignor William J. Lynn, the first Catholic Church administrative official convicted over conduct by other priests.

The District Attorney’s Office filed an appeal with the justices Friday in Commonwealth v. Lynn, arguing that the front-line appeals court had usurped the trial court’s power when it determined late last year that too much “other-acts” evidence had been allowed at trial. That decision from the Superior Court vacated Lynn’s conviction and ordered a new trial.

However, the appeal, filed by Hugh Burns Jr., chief of the District Attorney’s appeals unit, said the evidence was necessary and properly admitted, and the Superior Court should not have re-weighed it.

“As set forth in the dissenting opinion by Judge (now Justice) [Christine] Donohue, the majority analysis authored by President Judge Emeritus [John] Bender does not identify any abuse of discretion by the trial judge. Rather, it usurps the trial court’s discretion and reweighs the evidence,” the 33-page filing said. “Further review is warranted.”

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Newsweek

BY RALPH CIPRIANO ON 3/11/16

I don’t remember.

I really don’t remember.

I honestly don’t remember.

That’s what former Philadelphia altar boy Daniel Gallagher had to say when questioned about the numerous and contradictory allegations of sex abuse he’s made over the years to doctors, drug counselors and social workers. During a confidential deposition over two full days in May and June 2014, Gallagher claimed he couldn’t remember more than 130 times.

The skinny, tattooed, 27-year-old former drug addict and admitted dealer was the Philadelphia district attorney’s star witness at two criminal trials in 2012 and 2013. Gallagher’s testimony about allegedly being repeatedly raped when he was an altar boy sent three priests and a Catholic schoolteacher to jail.

Since then, however, Gallagher’s credibility is unraveling under the scrutiny of expert witnesses, and the criminal convictions resulting from his testimony have been the subject of two successful legal appeals, with more challenges on the way.

In his deposition transcript obtained by Newsweek, Gallagher stated he couldn’t remember telling his doctors and drug counselors he’d been: sexually abused by a friend at age 6; sexually abused by a neighbor at 6; sexually abused by a teacher at age 7; sexually molested at 6 (or 8) by an unknown assailant; sexually molested at 8 (or 9) by a friend; and sexually abused at 9 by a 14-year-old boy.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Newsworks

BY BOBBY ALLYN

Philadelphia’s District Attorney Seth Williams is urging the state’s highest court to consider an appeal of Msgr. William Lynn’s case, arguing that an appeals court decision ordering a new trial was “embarrassingly unjustified” and that the reasoning “simply makes no sense.”

Williams has been on a losing streak in state appeals courts, and the latest filing to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court represents the last chance he has to keep the conviction of Lynn, who was the first Catholic Church official nationwide to be convicted for covering up sexual abuse by clergy.

In December, a three-judge appellate court ordered a new trial for Lynn because of what the majority said was bad evidence presented at trial. In particular, the judges found most of the prosecutors’ 21 examples of the Philadelphia Archdiocese covering up child sex abuse had nothing to do with Lynn. In fact, some of the evidence dated back to the 1940s, decades before Lynn became a church official in charge of priest assignments. Some of the other priests prosecutors cited were not under the direct supervision of Lynn. The court found that he was being unfairly blamed for systemic corruption.

That couldn’t be farther form the truth, Williams wrote in the new filing.

“In no instance did he take any steps to require a relocated sexual predator to be kept separated from children,” Williams and staff in his office wrote.

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MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Business Journal

Craig Douglas
Managing Editor
Boston Business Journal

The Boston Globe has ended its brief foray as a publisher of the stand-alone Catholic news site Crux.

In a letter to newsroom staff, Globe Editor Brian McGrory said the company made the “deeply difficult decision” to shutter the online news site, effective April 1. The move will include an unspecified number of layoffs. McGrory’s memo also confirmed that another stand-alone news operation, the technology-focused BetaBoston, will be rolled behind the Boston Globe’s online paywall and absorbed into its main news operation.

Crux launched in September 2014 and marked one of the Globe’s first major product innovations following its $70 million acquisition by Boston Red Sox owner John Henry in 2013. The online publication, which aimed to break news and provide analysis that catered to Greater Boston’s Catholics as well as like-minded advertisers, was edited by Teresa Hanafin and included a handful of high-profile columnists such as former Vatican reporter John Allen and one-time Boston Herald opinion writer Margery Eagan.

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CANADA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release Friday, March 11

Statement by Barbra Graber, Leader, Anabaptist-Mennonite Chapter of SNAP, 540-214-8874, mennonite@SNAPnetwork.org

We are grateful this brave woman has filed a lawsuit alleging the Mennonite church “fostered a climate that aided in the abuse of children.” Brian Douglas Porinsky, a former pastor with the Mennonite Brethren Church of Manitoba pleaded guilty to sexual assault and is serving time in prison.

Children are safer when predators are held accountable for their crimes; but it is vital that those who enable, shield and protect those predators are also held accountable. Too often Mennonite church officials take matters into their own hands and allow the risk of harm to continue, putting the reputation of the institution ahead of the safety of children and vulnerable adults.

[Winnipeg Sun]

When congregants, and especially children, are taught that pastors are chosen representatives of God on earth, a very dangerous situation is created. Time and time again we have seen children sexually groomed and assaulted because they felt they could not say no to a man of God.

We hope this lawsuit will force church officials of all denominations to become more vigilant in their hiring of pastors, to use their resources to educate the congregation about abuse prevention and to work with civil authorities in reporting and prosecuting these crimes.

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LOUISIANA
American Press

By Crystal Stevenson / American Press

Former Lake Charles priest Mark Broussard, who was convicted in February of five counts of sexual abuse — including two counts of aggravated rape — was sentenced Friday to two life sentences, plus an additional 50 years in prison.

Broussard was convicted of molestation of a juvenile, oral sexual battery, aggravated oral sexual battery and two counts of aggravated rape against two men who both served as altar boys in the late 1980s and early ‘90s. Aggravated rape carries an automatic life sentence without parole.
“Victims hurt for years and years,” said prosecutor Cynthia Killingsworth after Broussard’s conviction. “This was a way to get their story out and … maybe lead to closure.”

During the trial, which was often standing room only, the first victim testified he was an 8-year-old altar boy when the abuse began. He said Broussard molested him in the St. Henry Catholic Church altar boys’ changing room, the confessional and in a car and raped him in the church rectory.

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

MARCH 12, 2016

Gerard Henderson
Columnist

The evidence suggests that Justice Peter McClennan QC, AM, chairman of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, has undergone a legal conversion sometime during the past quarter of a century.

In 1991, Peter McClellan QC barrister at law (as he then was) wrote an article titled “ICAC: A Barrister’s Perspective”, in the journal Current Issues in Criminal Justice. This was a critique of the operation of the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption in particular. However, the barrister extended his comments to cover royal commissions in general.

McClellan wrote: “In recent years there has been an increasing trend in government to invoke royal commissions of inquiry to investigate particular problems. The frequency of such inquiries and the sensational reporting which they have attracted has tended to create a belief in some people that this is an appropriate method of handling any matter of public controversy. This is a view expressed by the press.”

While recognising that “royal commissions may affect great community good”, McClellan argued that they might “cause considerable harm to persons unfairly trapped by the blaze of sensationalist publicity which can be created”. He concluded by maintaining that commissions of inquiry should accept “that persons should only be convicted after due process in the relevant court”.

That was 1991. Last week McClellan presided over Cardinal George Pell’s evidence to the royal commission’s case studies into the Catholic diocese of Ballarat and archdiocese of Melbourne.

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CANADA
National Post

Kelly McParland | March 11, 2016

It has been 14 years since the sexual abuse scandal hit the Catholic church, yet the revelations keep coming. While the church maintains it is disgusted and appalled and is working doggedly to make things right, the charges accumulate faster than the apologies can be issued.

In Australia this month, a royal commission has been hearing testimony from Cardinal George Pell, Pope Francis’s finance minister and one of the Vatican’s most powerful figures. Earlier in his career, he was a key figure in a diocese where some of Australia’s most notorious abuse cases occurred.

Pell was ordained a priest in Ballarat, near Melbourne. Dozens of victims have launched charges of abuse against 14 priests from the diocese, from the 1960s to the 1990s. At one time, as many as five priests preyed on children at the same time, a situation Pell dismissed as a “disastrous coincidence.” Several victims committed suicide.

The worst offender was Gerald Ridsdale, accused of more than 100 cases of abuse, including against his own nephew. Pell once shared living quarters with Ridsdale, but says he noticed nothing unusual. He also served as a consultant to Ballarat bishop Ronald Mulkearns, who moved Ridsdale from parish to parish for years. Pell says he remained in the dark about rampant abuse, even as he rose through the ranks to archbishop of Melbourne and later as archbishop of Sydney. Ridsale’s nephew says Pell once told him: “I want to know what it will take to keep you quiet.” Pell denies this.

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UNITED STATES
Religion News Service – Spiritual Politics

Mark Silk | Mar 11, 2016

A couple of days ago, the AP’s Nicole Winfield reported that Pope Francis’ tribunal to judge bishops who covered up abuse of minors by priests “is going nowhere fast.” It was nine months ago that the pope’s nine-member cardinal advisory board agreed to establish the tribunal as a special disciplinary section within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Thus far the promised secretary for the tribunal has not been appointed and procedures for handling cases have not been promulgated.

Unless and until the tribunal is up and running, the Vatican cannot claim to have addressed the abuse crisis.

The United State Conference of Catholic Bishops’ “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” adopted in Dallas in 2005 and revised twice since then, promulgates excellent rules for bishops to deal with allegations of sexual abuse of minors. But as the cases of Bishop Robert Finn in Kansas City and Archbishop John Nienstedt in St. Paul have recently demonstrated, excellent rules are meaningless if bishops don’t play by them. And while there can be no ironclad guarantees, the best assurance that they will do so is a judicial process where allegations of episcopal misconduct are brought, investigations conducted, trials conducted, and verdicts rendered.

No doubt there are difficult procedural questions to be resolved. Who will have standing to bring complaints? Will there be a statute of limitations? Can cases be brought against retired bishops? Should there be a range of sanctions? How open will the proceedings be?

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ALTOONA (PA)
PennLive

Written by Attorney Richard M. Serbin to:
– Catherine Miller, Assistant DA of Blair County
– Karen Arnold, Assistant DA of Center County
– David Tulowitzki, DA of Cambria County

Dated September 25, 2002
Released on March 9, 2016

[See also Cambria County judge among senior officials who ignored reports of sex abuse in Altoona diocese, by Ivey DeJesus, PennLive, March 8, 2016; and now-Judge Tulowitzki’s statement.]

Dear Counselors:

You asked that I provide you with additional details regarding information previously provided. A substantial amount of information was obtained in the discovery proceedings and the actual trial of the Hutchison v Luddy, Bishop Hogan and Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown case. As you can imagine, the Luddy file is quite extensive.

The task of finding specific details was made more difficult by the fact that the information that we received in litigation came in a piecemeal fashion. Originally, the record was filed under seal and the Diocese was not required to provide us with the names of any of the victims. As court rulings were made in our favor, the Diocese provided successive responses to multiple sets of discovery. You should be aware that the Blair County Courts limited our discovery of information maintained by the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown regarding pedophile priests to a specific time frame that ended in December of 1984. Therefore, the information we secured directly from the Diocese per Court order is not up to date. Current information regarding the priests identified below and other pedophilic priests should be secured directly from the Diocese.

Additionally, with respect to individuals who have recently contacted us for representation regarding their sexual abuse, their permission to disclose this information had to be secured. That being said, I will try to provide you with those details I was able to garner from my review of both the file and other sources available to me.

As to Monsignor [Francis B.] McCaa, in approximately the mid 1980s, at least five altar boys, ages 13-15 complained of being molested by Monsignor McCaa while he was assigned to Holy Name Church in Ebensburg. I have no real details of these five cases other than that contained in the Cambria County dockets. The files were sealed by the Court. Recently, however, I was contacted by [Redacted] who lives in Pittsburgh. [Redacted] advised that he was molested beginning at age 9, by Monsignor McCaa from approximately 1981-1985, while serving as an altar boy. Monsignor McCaa was transferred by the Diocese of Altoona Johnstown to a position in West Virginia after the above cases were filed.

With regard to Father [Dennis] Coleman, we received information that he had molested a number of boys from as early as 1979 to the mid 1980s. These victims included …

[The letter next discusses Fr. Leonard Inman, Fr. Joseph Gaborek, Fr. Joseph Bender, Fr. William Kovach, Fr. Robert Kelly, Fr. Harold Biller, Fr. Bernard Grattan, and Fr. Francis E. Luddy. See the PDF of the letter.]

Several of the aforesaid priests have left Pennsylvania after complaints were filed. I as well as several of my clients, all of whom are now adults, would be interested in learning whether criminal complaints can still be filed, given their absence from the jurisdiction of Pennsylvania Courts.

It is my hope that this information will assist the District Attorneys’ offices. If you would like to discuss any of these cases further, please feel free to contact me.

Very truly yours,
Richard M. Serbin

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.

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Globe

MARCH 11, 2016

The Boston Globe’s 2001-2002 investigation into sexual abuses by clergy in the Catholic Church resulted in more than 600 stories, with eight Globe reporters playing key roles. The first history-changing report was the work of Spotlight editor Walter V. Robinson, and reporters Sacha Pfeiffer, Michael Rezendes, and Matt Carroll. As the scope of the story widened, four other reporters joined the effort: Stephen Kurkjian, Thomas Farragher, Michael Paulson, and Kevin Cullen.

Here is a sampling of their work:

1. This Globe column by Eileen McNamara got the investigation rolling when new Globe editor Martin Baron read it in July 2001 and asked the Spotlight Team to pursue a wider look at abusive priests and what the church leadership knew.

2. The story that changed everything: The Spotlight Team’s first major report, published Jan. 6, 2002.

3. A few weeks later, the Spotlight Team widened the horrifying picture to include scores of priests.

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TEXAS
National Catholic Reporter

Brian Roewe | Mar. 10, 2016

A lawsuit against the Legionnaires of Christ approaching trial in Texas alleges one of its priests attempted to extort, via text message, an additional $94,000 from a Houston-area developer as contingent to closing a land deal between the parties.

The suit, filed in Harris County State District Court, names the Legionnaires of Christ, Legionary Fr. Daniel Massick, former president of Northwoods Catholic School, in Spring, Texas, and Northwoods Educational Foundation as defendants. Robert Pinard, the developer and president/CEO of Pinard Development LLC, is suing for fraud and breach of contract.

At the center of the case is a claim that Massick supposedly texted Pinard that he would need to provide an additional $94,000 donation for an upcoming school gala in order to secure the priest’s signature on the paperwork finalizing an 8.5-acre land deal.

The suit, filed March 3, was the third revision for a case first brought in April 2015. Pinard is seeking an unspecified monetary amount, though the suit claims $3 million in lost profits. A trial is tentatively set for July 25.

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VIRGINIA
WVEC

[with video]

NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) — A former rabbi is on trial for sex charges that span back decades in Norfolk.

73-year-old Eric Silver is charged with three felony counts of taking indecent liberties with a child.

The victim testified Thursday in court and said the sexual abuse started when she was four years old and living with Silver in Norfolk more than 40 years ago.

She first reported it to a high school guidance counselor when she and Silver were living in Canada, then reported it to Norfolk police in 2014.

The victim stated the abuse lasted until she was about 18-years-old.

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VIRGINIA
The Virginian-Pilot

By Jonathan Edwards
The Virginian-Pilot

NORFOLK

The daughter of a former Navy chaplain and retired rabbi testified Thursday that her father molested her in the 1960s and ’70s and tried to cleanse her by rubbing hydrogen peroxide on her genitals.

Eric Aaron Silver, 73, of Cheshire, Conn., sat through the first day of his trial Thursday as his now 52-year-old daughter told the court he started fondling her at their house in the 5400 block of Barnhollow Road when she was 4.

The abuse continued over the next 12 years, she said, even as their family moved among four states and Canada.

“I was humiliated,” she said. “I thought I was the only girl whose father ever did this.”

The Virginian-Pilot normally does not name alleged victims of sex crimes, but Rachel Silver agreed to be identified.

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UNITED STATES
TakePart

[with video]

MAR 10, 2016

Celeste Hoang is the Film & TV Integration Editor for TakePart.

As Spotlight captures the unraveling of the Catholic Church’s sex-abuse cover-up, survivors and families have come forward to talk about the decades-long scandal.

TakePart is sharing a series of five interviews, including survivors’ reactions to the film and an interview with Boston Globe reporter and survivor advocate Mitch Garabedian. (Disclosure: Spotlight was produced by TakePart’s parent company, Participant Media.)

“I went 40 years without talking about this,” survivor Jim Scanlan says in one of the interviews. “Matter of fact, I went 40 years avoiding this topic. For the first time in my life since the movie came out, I’ve really come out of the shadows.”

The film follows the newspaper’s Spotlight team of investigative reporters as they delve into allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church, eventually revealing a cover-up at the highest levels of the Archdiocese of Boston that touches off a wave of revelations around the world.

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UNITED STATES
New York Times

Nicholas Kristof MARCH 10, 2016

We as a society derided the Roman Catholic Church as an accessory to child sexual abuse, and we lambasted Penn State for similar offenses.

Yet we as a society are complicit or passive in a similar way, by allowing a popular website called Backpage.com to be used to arrange child rape. Consider what happened to a girl I’ll call Natalie, who was trafficked into the sex industry in Seattle at age 15.

“It was every parent’s nightmare,” Natalie’s mother, Nacole, told me. “It can happen to any parent. Fifteen-year-olds don’t make the best choices. I dropped her off at school in the morning, I was expecting to pick her up after track practice in the afternoon, and then I didn’t see her for 108 days.” The girl ran off to a bus station, was found by a pimp, and within days was being sold for sex on Backpage.

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VATICAN CITY
Town Hall

By Philip Pullella and Tom Heneghan

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Three years after the election of Pope Francis, Roman Catholic conservatives are growing increasingly worried that he is quietly unraveling the legacy of his predecessors.

Francis’ popularity with most Catholics, and legions of non-Catholics, has given him the image of a grandfatherly parish priest who understands how difficult it sometimes is to follow Church teachings, particularly those on sexual morality.

Conservatives worry that behind the gentle facade lies a dangerous reformer who is diluting Catholic teaching on moral issues like homosexuality and divorce while focusing on social problems such as climate change and economic inequality.

Interviews with four Vatican officials, including two cardinals and an archbishop, as well as theologians and commentators, highlighted conservative fears that Francis’ words and deeds may eventually rupture the 1.2 billion member Church.

Chatter on conservative blogs regularly accuses the Argentine pontiff of spreading doctrinal confusion and isolating those who see themselves as guardians of the faith.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Handelsblatt

[One problem with the pope’s planned tribunal to discipline bishops who cover-up abuse is that responsibility was given to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which has a questionable past. Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Mueller, who heads CDF, as bishop of Regensburg went against norms then in place and put a pedophile priest back into parish work.]

Zuständiger Präfekt setzte selbst Pädophile als Pfarrer ein

Aber solch eine Art der Problemlösung bewirke wenig, um den „Skandal zu beheben und die Gerechtigkeit wieder herzustellen“, meint Martens. Dieses sollte eigentlich das kirchliche Strafsystem eigentlich sichern. „Das ist fast, als könnten sich Schuldige ihre Strafe aussuchen und sind dann aus dem Schneider“, so der Gelehrte.

Dabei sei es nicht immer so leicht, einen Bischof freiwillig zur Amtsaufgabe zu bewegen, merkt der amerikanische Kirchenrechtler Nicholas Cafardi an. In dieser Hinsicht könnte das spezielle Tribunal eingreifen, wenn der Druck aus dem Vatikan nicht ausreiche. „Die Forderung nach einem Rücktritt hat damit mehr Substanz hinter sich. Das ist ein wichtiger Effekt hinter den neuen Maßnahmen, der nicht unterschätzt werden sollte“, so Cafardi in einer E-Mail.

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VATICAN CITY
NDTV

AFP

VATICAN CITY: Many words, little action: three years after Pope Francis’s election, victims of priest sex abuse are bitter and disappointed, accusing the Church of having failed to punish guilty clerics and end a culture of complacency on the issue.

The recent Australian Royal Commission hearings of Vatican number three George Pell and a preliminary criminal probe into accusations that Lyon’s archbishop, Philippe Barbarin, covered up for a paedophile priest has put the question of Church complicity in abuse back at the top of the Vatican agenda.

Francis came to power promising a crackdown on cover-ups and a zero tolerance approach to abuse itself.

But victims still feel they are not been listened to, that bishops are still failing to hand criminal priests over to the appropriate authorities and that a conspiracy of silence remains the order of the day, right up to the top of the Vatican hierarchy.

The growing discontent with Francis’s record on ridding the Church of the taint of paedophilia is in sharp contrast with how he has performed in other areas.

As he prepares to celebrate Sunday’s third anniversary of his election, the Argentinian pontiff boasts genuine star status around the world thanks to his charismatic, simple style, his defence of the world’s poor and efforts to reform the Church and bring it closer to ordinary believers.

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AUSTRALIA
Affairs Today

His Eminence, Cardinal George Pell, the Australian Catholic leader who holds the third most powerful position in the Catholic Church, was finally interrogated last week by the Australian Royal Commission into Child Sex Abuse. One thing is clear from the appalling revelations made over the two year old investigation: the Catholic Church’s tenure as a moral standard bearer in Australia is over. The systematic cover up that is enshrined in their guidelines, practices and culture is best epitomised by Pell’s role in the now infamous ‘Melbourne Response’.

When Frank Little was Archbishop of Melbourne, in the early 1990’s, there was a “growing awareness” of the child sex abuse that was taking place. Testimony from Bishops to the Royal Commission show that Little addressed the scandal by manoeuvring the priests, covering their tracks and remaining “blind” to the issue. In 1996, Little resigned for health reasons and George Pell was promoted from auxiliary Bishop to Archbishop of Melbourne by Pope John Paul. Three months into his tenure he engineered the ‘Melbourne Response’ for child sexual abuse victims. Pell publically called for victims to come forward and have their cases assessed by Independent Commissioners. If the abuse was deemed to have occurred, the Catholic Church would then call for an independent investigation into the allegations and provide the victims with ex gratia payments as compensation along with free counselling. The program was widely lauded as independent, fair and humane. It certainly seems like a win for all, doesn’t it?

The truth, unfortunately, is that the program was entirely self-serving. Firstly, it is estimated that the Melbourne Response saved the Church at least $62 million as the ex gratia payments were capped at $50,000[i] – with an average payment of $46,000[ii]– despite Pell saying payments were made “based on justice”. When comparing these payments to those who reached settlements in court, averaging at $270,000[iii], it is astonishing that only 14 of 335 victims in Melbourne chose the legal route[iv].

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CANADA
Winnipeg Sun

BY DEAN PRITCHARD, WINNIPEG SUN
FIRST POSTED: THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2016

A Winnipeg woman sexually assaulted by a former Mennonite pastor has filed a $2 million lawsuit, alleging his church fostered a climate that aided in the abuse of children.

Brian Douglas Porisky, a former pastor with the Mennonite Brethren Church of Manitoba pleaded guilty to sexual assault and was sentenced last October to six months custody.

Porisky, 53, admitted to kissing and fondling the then 14-year-old girl and taking her out for “romantic” dinners in 1996 while a youth pastor at The Meeting Place church.

The woman alleges much more serious transgressions in the lawsuit, including repeated incidents of intercourse and oral sex at church functions and at Porisky’s home. Those allegations have not been proven in court and Porisky is considered innocent.

Porisky was sentenced to an additional 2 1/2 years in prison last October after admitting to sexually molesting an 11-year-old girl in 2005, six years after he had been fired from the church. Court heard Porisky had been sexually molested for years as a child.

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IOWA
Catholic Globe

This article appeared in Intermountain Catholic, and was written by Msgr. M. Francis Mannion.

The movie “Spotlight” (which I saw last week, and thought remarkably fair – not at all expressive of the familiar media attacks on the Catholic Church) has again opened up discussion about the issue of child abuse in the Catholic Church. The movie portrays the disastrous handling of sex abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston over a number of decades.

“Boz” Tchivividjian (don’t ask me how to pronounce the name) offered an insightful commentary, titled “Spotlight: It’s Not Just a Catholic Problem,” in a Religion News Service blog last week. Tchivividjian, a former child abuse prosecutor, the founder and executive director of ABUSE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment), and a professor of law at Liberty University (and I would guess a Baptist) argued that child sex abuse is just as prevalent in the Protestant churches as it is in the Catholic Church.

Regarding the movie “Spotlight,” Tchivividjian writes: “Some may be tempted to watch this film with disgust at the Catholic Church and a sigh of relief for Protestants.”

But, he says, “such relief would be unfounded and misplaced” for the reason that over a number of years the three companies that insure most Protestant churches reported receiving approximately 260 reports per year of minors being sexually abused by church leaders and members. This compares to the 228 ‘credible accusations’ a year of child sexual abuse reported by the Catholic Church.”

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PENNSYLVANIA
Lancaster Online

Elizabeth Eisenstadt-Evans | Columnist

The legacy of the sexual abuse scandals and revelations of coverups that shook this nation’s Catholic church to its foundations is a mixed one.

There’s definitely been progress in redressing the wrongs done to young victims and in ensuring that they don’t recur, even if the progress has been painful and slow.

Such crimes, committed by some priests and hidden by some bishops, are far less likely to happen again, or to be tolerated if they do occur. Victims (though not all; many continue to suffer silently) have been helped. Thanks to procedures implemented in the wake of the sex abuse scandals, children are now much more likely to be safe in Catholic parishes and educational institutions.

“There are very few current cases (of alleged child abuse) in process,” said Charles Zech, who directs Villanova University’s Center for Church Management and Business Ethics.

“The current crop of priests has gotten the word of how wrong this is — and that they will be prosecuted. If they are caught now, the bishops won’t protect them.”

But in ways both obvious and subtle, the American Catholic Church is still paying for the sins of fathers long gone — and the denomination’s determined effort, in many cases, to silence victims.

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

UNITED STATES
National Catholic Register

NEWS ANALYSIS: Exposure of clerical abuse has been beneficial, but the Church has received far more attention than other institutions afflicted with the same problem.

by FATHER RAYMOND J. DE SOUZA 03/10/2016

After Spotlight won “Best Picture” last month at the annual Academy Awards, Catholic voices rained down hosannas upon the film, which celebrated The Boston Globe’s coverage of the sexual-abuse scandal in Boston in 2001 and 2002.

L’Osservatore Romano rushed into print to clarify that the film was not anti-Catholic, Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston saluted the work of the Globe, and the estimable Kathryn Jean Lopez of National Review was grateful: “Thank God for The Boston Globe!”

That view is so widely shared today that it could be considered the party line. And I agree with it — the Catholic Church is better for having the scandalous behavior exposed. Children are safer, victims have experienced a greater measure of healing, the Church is less corrupt, and it has led to what St. John Paul II hoped for back in the spring of 2002 — a “holier priesthood, a holier episcopate and a holier Church.”

But the Oscar for Spotlight, the decision by the Royal Commission on sexual abuse in Australia to make Cardinal George Pell — one of the earliest reformers on sexual abuse — into a scapegoat and the grand-jury report in Altoona-Johnstown, Pa., do pose again the question: Why does the Catholic Church seem to get disproportionate attention — even if that attention can be salutary?

The first response might be a theological one. The Church as the body of Christ does what Christ did for the world, namely to offer an expiatory suffering. The scourge of sexual abuse touches every part of society, but mostly remains hidden. The very public exposure of the Church might well serve the broader need for justice and repentance, for the Church herself and for society as a whole.

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PENNSYLVANIA
PennLive

By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com

The words “statute of limitations” are mentioned five times in the 427-page final report issued by the Pennsylvania Task Force in Child Protection.

But in any of those mentions, did the task force call for changing these expiration dates for bringing civil litigation or criminal prosecution in child sexual abuse cases or leaving them alone?

Based on statements issued in the aftermath of the recent accusations about the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown concealing the sexual abuse of hundreds of children, it seems the task force recommended both.

Auditor General Eugene DePasquale issued a statement on Wednesday calling on the General Assembly to “muster the courage” to pass legislation to reform the state’s laws to remove the criminal and civil statute of limitations on child sexual abuse and urged the governor to promptly sign it into law.

“It is absolutely criminal that this legislation has not yet been passed, given that it was proposed – in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky scandal – by the General Assembly’s own Pennsylvania Task Force on Child Protection,” DePasquale’s statement said.

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PENNSYLVANIA
The Altoona Mirror

March 11, 2016

By Phil Ray (pray@altoonamirror.com) , The Altoona Mirror

District attorneys from Blair, Cambria and Centre counties sent letters to Bishop Joseph Adamec of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown in May 2002 informing him of the laws involved with the sexual abuse of minors and outlining the procedures he should follow in reporting allegations so they could be investigated and prosecuted.

Blair County District Attorney Richard A. Consiglio said Thursday he came across the letters when he was asked by a statewide grand jury to provide whatever information his office had about sexual abuse by priests or employees of the diocese.

The Blair DA said his office cooperated with the grand jury.

He also gave testimony before the grand jury concerning what his office knew about sexual abuse of minors by clergy or other members of the church.

On Thursday, he searched his records at the request of the Mirror after his predecessor, Dave Gorman remembered a meeting concerning representatives from the Blair, Cambria and Centre county district attorney offices in which they discussed the handling of child sexual abuse cases involving church personnel.

A letter written by Gorman on May 30, 2002, instructed the bishop to relay to the prosecutor’s office the name of the victim involved in any allegations, the nature of the incident and a contact person.

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NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque Journal

By Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writer
Thursday, March 10th, 2016

SANTA FE, N.M. — An 83-year-old former priest extradited to Texas this week to stand trial in the 1960 murder of a teacher and former beauty queen was an administrator in the 1960s at the Servants of the Paraclete facility in Jemez Springs, where he oversaw priests sent there for counseling.

Several of the priests John Feit supervised at the Jemez Springs compound in northern New Mexico were later accused of sexually abusing New Mexico children while serving in parishes here, according to court records.

Among the priests Feit oversaw was James Porter, who pleaded guilty in 1993 to molesting 28 children during his time as a priest in the 1960s and early 1970s in the Fall River (Mass.) Diocese.

Porter was sent to the Servants of the Paraclete in Jemez Springs in 1967 and, from there, was transferred to St. Alice Church in Mountainair, N.M., where he allegedly abused more children. Porter died in prison in 2005.

Texas authorities allege that Feit, when he was a 27-year-old priest, killed 25-year-old teacher Irene Garza on April 16, 1960, after hearing her confession at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, Texas.

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WORCESTER
Telegram & Gazette

By Steven H. Foskett Jr.
Telegram & Gazette Staff

Posted Mar. 10, 2016 at 6:06 PM

WORCESTER – A priest who pleaded guilty in court last year to stealing nearly $240,000 from St. Bernadette Parish and School in Northboro is returning to limited ministry.

According to the Diocese of Worcester, Bishop Robert J. McManus has granted the Rev. Stephen M. Gemme permission for limited pastoral ministry effective immediately. He will celebrate Mass and other sacraments at Crozier House and other non-parish settings. Crozier House is a residential facility operated by Catholic Charities for men recovering from addictions, according to the diocese.

The bishop removed Rev. Gemme from ministry in July 2013 after being advised by a member of a school advisory board of financial irregularities in one of the school accounts.

The bishop said he met with Rev. Gemme the next day, and the priest admitted to a gambling problem. He pleaded guilty last year in Worcester Superior Court to two counts of larceny of more than $250 by a single scheme, and was placed on probation for 5 years.

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OHIO
Dayton Daily News

By Lynn Hulsey
Staff Writer

HUBER HEIGHTS — UPDATE @ 8:15 p.m.: Father Simone, the former St. Peter’s pastor, did plead guilty to one count of aggravated theft in an agreement with the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office that was accepted by the court.

According to the agreement, Simone agreed to a five-year prison sentence, waive all appeal rights, repay $1.9 million he admitted stealing and assist in the prosecution of anyone else involved.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 22. He is free on bond until then.

While the criminal charge reads “theft of over $1.5 million,” the investigation by Huber Heights police and county Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr.’s office found that Simone stole approximately $1.92 million.

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NEW YORK
WNYC

[with audio]

Newsweek Senior Editor Elijah Wolfson investigated new allegations of physical and sexual abuse within the Chabad school system in his cover story, “The Chosen.” Wolfson spoke 80 people for the story, primarily in Brooklyn, to understand how abuse has become a systemic issue within the school system and what’s being done to address it.

Event: Chaim Levin organized an event at Ohlei Torah (667 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn) on March 20th at 6 p.m. to protest the alleged abuse of students.

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.

PENNSYLVANIA
We Are Central PA

[with video]

One of the victims abused by a priest named in a grand jury report is now speaking out publicly for the first time.

WTAJ News traveled to Philadelphia to meet with Kevin Hoover for this exclusive interview.

Hoover was just nine-years-old when he first became victim to Monsignor Francis McCaa’s repeated sexual abuse.

He sought accountability from Bishop Joseph Adamec years later and is now speaking for other victims.

“Even now, thirty some years later, it’s still very difficult to verbalize that I was sexually abused by Monsignor McCaa.”, said Hoover.

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VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Register

BY EDWARD PENTIN 03/10/2016

If media reports are correct, Pope Francis is expected to appoint a close ally, the apostolic nuncio to Mexico, as his new ambassador to the United States.

Veteran Vaticanist Sandro Magister reported today on his blog Settimo Cielo that French papal diplomat, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, is to be “imminently” promoted to the nunciature in Washington D.C., replacing the current apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, who has reached the usual retiring age of 75.

The appointment of “Bergoglian” Archbishop Pierre, 70, is a crucial one given the influential role of the apostolic nuncio in helping to select bishops of the country he serves.

Although the Vatican has yet to make any official announcement, Magister has had a number of accurate and well-sourced stories lately, including correctly predicting the historic meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill last month, and obtaining a draft text of a letter signed by 13 cardinals and sent to the Pope during last year’s Synod on the Family.

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The Irish News

Martin O’Brien
11 March, 2016 01:00

THE significance of the movie ‘Spotlight’ winning the Oscar for best picture should not be lost on anyone.

Least of all on those in the Roman Curia who are impeding the best efforts of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors to ensure that the Catholic Church worldwide learns every possible lesson from the clerical sex abuse scandals that have shamed the Church in recent decades.

There is arguably no more powerful a medium for shaping public opinion than a blockbuster movie that has won the ultimate accolade for its brilliant production values and praise for speaking truth to power.

Spotlight, which tells the riveting story of how the Boston Globe newspaper finally uncovered the scale of clerical sex abuse in the region and its systematic cover-up, has put the spotlight back on the Church’s handling of the scandals.

This at a time when Dublin woman, Marie Collins, a survivor of clerical sex abuse from the age of 13 and a member of the pontifical commission has revealed that the Curia is blocking the implementation of some of the commission’s key recommendations that have been approved by Pope Francis.

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PENNSYLVANIA
York Daily Record

Brandie Kessler, bkessler@ydr.com March 10, 2016

A week after a grand jury report publicized decades of child sex abuse by priests in the Altoona-Johnstown diocese, 150 calls were made to a hotline for victims to call to report that abuse.

Still, the lead investigator in the Altoona-Johnstown case says more can be done.

“With more information, we can do more,” said Daniel J. Dye, deputy attorney general.

Choosing to report abuse is an intimate decision that victims must decide for themselves, Dye said. But for those victims who want to report now, there is someone willing to listen.

The hotline established by the attorney general’s office is being manned by investigators who worked directly on the Altoona-Johnstown investigation. Although that line was opened as a result of the Altoona-Johnstown investigation, Dye said no callers will be turned away.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Wall Street Journal

By KRIS MAHER
March 10, 2016

Lawmakers in Pennsylvania are trying to join other states in rewriting laws to facilitate prosecutions for sexual abuse, spurred by a grand jury report last week that found a Catholic diocese there hid child sex abuse by priests for four decades.

Statutes of limitations in Pennsylvania often bar victims of abuse and prosecutors from pursuing legal action against perpetrators. One bill in the state would remove criminal statutes of limitations for new incidents. Another bill would create a two-year window waiving statutes of limitations for civil cases, so victims could file lawsuits against abusers who committed crimes many years earlier. A number of states have already put such temporary waivers in place.

Similar bills in Pennsylvania stalled in recent years, but they are now gaining traction in light of the grand jury report, which said the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown hid abuse by more than 50 priests dating back to the 1950s. Many of the priests named in the report have since died, and the alleged incidents are too old for prosecutors or victims to pursue against living priests or the diocese.

“The current statutes are still not enough. Victims take a long time to come forward,” said state Rep. Mark Rozzi, one backer of the bills. Rep. Rozzi, a 44-year-old Democrat, said he was abused by a priest when he was 13. Two friends he said were abused by the same priest have since committed suicide, he said.

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PENNSYLVANIA
WJAC

BY KODY LEIBOWITZ THURSDAY, MARCH 10TH 2016

EBENSBURG, CAMBRIA CO. — It has been a week since the Grand Jury report shed light on decades of abuse at the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.

Now, 6 News Investigates is looking into a claim that former prosecutors knew of allegations against priests more than a decade ago.

Letter from 2002 sent to former prosecutors.

In September 2002, Altoona attorney Richard Serbin sent this letter to three prosecutors. He claimed rampant sexual molestation of children by priests in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.

He named 10 priests in total in the letter, including a civil lawsuit he took against Father Francis Luddy. Nine of the clergymen are named in last week’s Grand Jury report of sexual abuse by at least 50 priests and religious leaders at the Diocese.

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NEW YORK
The Jewish Week

03/10/16
Gary Rosenblatt
Editor And Publisher

The Riverdale Jewish Center board and its embattled Rabbi, Jonathan Rosenblatt, have reached an agreement about his departure from the synagogue he has served more than 30 years.

Pending approval by a vote of the membership scheduled for March 17, Rabbi Rosenblatt will step down from his pulpit and become a private citizen, with no title, according to Meyer Koplow, the rabbi’s attorney.

“The desire is for him to remain in the community and remain accessible to those in the congregation who wish to use his services,” Koplow told The Jewish Week.

As a life member of RJC, the rabbi may be called on by individuals to officiate at lifecycle events or deliver a shiur (lecture).

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MASSACHUSETTS
WGBH

Earlier this month, “Spotlight”—the film based on the real-life team of Boston Globe investigative reporters who exposed patterns of sexual abuse by priests within the Catholic Church—won the Oscar for Best Picture.

Reporter Michael Rezendes and lawyer Mitchell Garabedian are two of the real-life ‘characters’ depicted in the film (by actors Mark Ruffalo and Stanley Tucci, respectively.) Both stopped by WGBH’s studios to check in with Jim Braude and Margery Eagan about how their lives have changed since the film’s release and how their work to bring sexual abuse to light continues.

To hear from Rezendes and Garabedian, tune in to Boston Public Radio above. See the trailer for ‘Spotlight’ below.

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UNITED STATES
Catholic Culture

By Phil Lawler Mar 10, 2016

After simmering for more than a decade, could the sex-abuse scandal within the Catholic Church be ready to boil over once again? There are signs that it could.

No, I am not referring to the release of a scalding grand-jury report about the Diocese of Altoona, Pennsyvlania earlier this month. That report was disturbing, but the facts were not fresh; the criticism focused on two retired bishops, one of them deceased. There was no evidence in the report about current problems, or any alleged criminal acts were not covered by the statute of limitations.

Nor do I mean the grueling interrogation of Cardinal George Pell by an Australian royal commission. The questioning was undoubtedly hostile, and the media in Australia vilified the cardinal mercilessly. But when the ordeal ended, there was no clear evidence of wrongdoing by Cardinal Pell: only very clear evidence that his accusers has abandoned the presumption of innocent-until-proven-guilty and that members of the royal commission saw themselves as inquisitors rather than investigators.

Finally, I do not mean the rave reviews for Spotlight, and the Oscar-night calls for changes in the Church. The movie is also looking back as past clerical misconduct; it is not an indictment of current practices.

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VATICAN CITY
Telegraph (UK)

By Nick Squires, Rome 10 Mar 2016

Pope Francis launched a stern crackdown on the murky, secretive process of canonisations on Thursday, months after a scandal engulfed a Vatican department nicknamed “the Saints’ Factory”.

The Pope imposed strict new regulations demanding much greater transparency and accountability in the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, which handles the complex, opaque world of promoting worthy Catholics to sainthoods.

The 23 new rules included a warning that disciplinary measures will be taken against anyone suspected of abusing the system.

The new regime was introduced after leaked Vatican documents published last year revealed that the process was rife with waste, nepotism, favouritism and corruption, with wealthy patrons spending hundreds of thousands of pounds to have their favoured candidate made a saint.

A process designed to elevate worthy candidates to the highest pedestal in the Catholic firmament was found to be anything but saintly in the way that it carried out its business.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, March 10

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, 314 645 5915 home, davidgclohessy@gmail.com)

Representative Mark Rozzi is right. Every PA diocese should be investigated. Virtually every grand jury has uncovered the same awful continuing pattern of deception and recklessness. If prosecutors use their bully pulpits, and beg victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to come forward we are confident that some recent cases will emerge.

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PERU
Peru Catolico

[Statement of the Bishops of Peru about alleged sexual abuse in the north.]

Los Obispos del Perú emitieron un comunicado señalando el rechazo ante los abusos sexuales en la Iglesia del Perú y agregaron que se lleve a profunda investigación. Esto se debió a que seminaristas y jóvenes señalaron que un sacerdote abusó de su confianza.

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FRANCE
Famille Chretienne

Le parquet de Lyon a ouvert une enquête préliminaire pour « non-dénonciation de crime » et « mise en danger de la vie d’autrui » à l’encontre du cardinal Philippe Barbarin, de plusieurs responsables du diocèse de Lyon, et du cardinal Müller, préfet de la Congrégation pour la doctrine de la foi. Cette enquête fait suite au dépôt de plusieurs plaintes par l’association « La Parole libérée », regroupant des victimes du Père Bernard Preynat, soupçonné d’agressions sexuelles sur des scouts entre 1986 et 1991. Elles reprochent à l’Église de ne pas avoir dénoncé à la justice les agissements de ce prêtre.

Prenant acte « avec gravité » de cette enquête, le cardinal Barbarin a rappelé dans un communiqué « qu’il n’était pas archevêque de Lyon à l’époque des faits et qu’il n’a jamais couvert aucun fait de pédophilie ». Le 19 février, le porte-parole du Vatican avait estimé que le cardinal Barbarin avait agi avec « extrême responsabilité ». Preuve de sa fermeté, le cardinal Barbarin avait ordonné en mai 2014 la suspension immédiate d’un prêtre mis en examen pour « corruption et atteinte sexuelle sur mineur »

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ITALIA
Il Giornale

[The pastor of the Evangelical Church of Quarto Oggiaro was preparing girls who were to be baptized but raped them.]

Anna Rossi – Mar, 08/03/2016

A Milano è stato arrestato un sacerdote che abusava sessualmente delle bambine durante il corso della preparazione al battesimo.

È il padre di una chiesa evangelica, rispettato e stimato da tutti. Il 50enne, di origini sudamericane, violentava le minorenni che si apprestavano a ricevere il battesimo. I corsi erano singoli e si tenevano in appartamento privato a Quarto Oggiaro. Il pastore spiegava alle bimbe che con la sua benedizione sarebbero state liberate dal diavolo. Secondo quanto ricostruito dagli inquirenti, l’uomo faceva camminare le vittime dicendogli di poggiare i loro piedi sui suoi e le portava verso il letto per poi abusarne. Le indagini sono iniziate dopo la confessione di due bambine di nove e undici anni.

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DEUTSCHLAND
BR

[Abuse of boys at the Regensburg Domspatzen has been in the headlines for years. Victims have been waiting a long time for recognition of the pain they suffered. So what makes the work-up at the world-famous boys choir so hard?]

Als einer der größten Missbrauchs- und Misshandlungsfälle in einer katholischen Einrichtung sind die Regensburger Domspatzen schon seit Jahren in den Schlagzeilen. Doch lange Jahre warteten Opfer vergebens auf Anerkennung des ihnen zugefügten Leids. Was macht die Aufarbeitung bei dem weltberühmten Knabenchor so schwer?

Von: Eckhart Querner, Christian Wölfel

“Er setzt sich ans Bett, flüstert, um dir zu sagen, wie toll du seist. Und dann fasst er unter die Bettdecke, berührt dich, zieht dir die Schlafanzughose runter.” Alexander Probst kann sich noch genau an den Präfekten W. im Internat der Domspatzen in Regensburg erinnern. Im Schuljahr 1970/71 kam der damals zehnjährige Probst nach Regensburg. Zuvor hatte er schon zwei Jahre die Vorschule des Knabenchors in Etterzhausen vor den Toren der Stadt besucht.

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OSTERREICH
Nachrichten

[The Austrian Catholic Church in the last six years has acknowledged 1,550 cases of sexual abuse and violence.]

LINZ, WIEN. 1550 Fälle von sexuellem Missbrauch und Gewalt hat die katholische Kirche Österreichs in den vergangenen sechs Jahren anerkannt.

Dafür zahlte sie finanzielle Entschädigungen in Höhe von 20 Millionen Euro, entweder direkt oder in Form von Psychotherapien.

Mit diesen Zahlen zog Opferschutzanwältin Waltraud Klasnic nun bei der Bischofskonferenz in Linz über ihre Arbeit Bilanz. Seit sechs Jahren leitet die ehemalige VP-Landeshauptfrau der Steiermark jene Kommission, die entscheidet, ob Opfer anerkannt werden und wie viel Geld sie erhalten. Lediglich 95 Fälle wurden abgelehnt, die laut Klasnic nicht glaubwürdig waren. Je nach Dauer und Schwere des Deliktes erhielten Opfer 5000, 15.000 oder 25.000 Euro. “In wenigen Fällen zahlten wir darüber hinaus.”

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AUSTRALIA
John Menadue: Pearls and Irritations

Posted on 10/03/2016 by John Menadue

Cardinal George Pell must now be regretting not having come back to Australia to give his evidence to the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in the relatively small town of Ballarat in the State of Victoria. By claiming that his medical condition did not allow him to travel, and offering to give video evidence in Rome, he has turned his performance in the witness box into a media feast that otherwise might have gone unnoticed in the international press.

First there was the Tim Minchin song that went viral, “Come Home Cardinal Pell”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtHOmforqxk . Then the extraordinary donations by Australians of some $A 200,000 to pay for abuse survivors to attend at the Quirinale Hotel in Rome to watch Pell give evidence.

Pell’s performance in the witness box ensured an even greater media coverage. It was repeatedly put to him by counsel assisting the Commission that his claim of lack of knowledge of child sexual abuse in Ballarat was “implausible”, which gives you some idea of the findings that are likely to be made against him in the Commission’s Report. Ever since the Erebus Royal Commission in New Zealand, the Commission is obliged to put to parties being investigated a likely finding to allow them to respond. Pell’s responses only made such a finding more likely.

After the completion of his evidence, Pell met with the survivors in Rome. Survivor David Nagle said that they talked about “the future”, and what Pell could do in his position in the Catholic Church.

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ITALIA
Rete L’Abuso

[Pedophilia of Holy Mother Church]

Lui si è spostato davanti a me e mi ha sfilato una gamba dei calzoni. Non riuscivo a muovermi. Ero sotto shock. Lui si era messo a pregare e io lo seguivo. Tremavo. Non ero in grado di reagire.» Chinandosi sul corpo del ragazzo, padre Geoghan gli praticò sesso orale. « D’improvviso Geoghan balzò in piedi. Un prete spalancò la porta e cominciò a urlare: “Jack, non ti avevamo detto di non farlo più, qui?”»

Partendo da testimonianze come questa, tra il 2001 ed il 2002, lo Spotlight Team, la squadra di giornalisti investigativi del Boston Globe, ricostruì una rete, impressionantemente vasta, di storie di bambini ed adolescenti, appartenenti a diverse parrocchie, che avevano subito molestie o stupri da parte degli stessi preti, nell’area metropolitana di Boston.

L’inchiesta, ricostruita nel film da Oscar Il caso Spotlight e vincitrice del Premio Pulitzer nel 2002, ha rivelato l’esistenza di un consolidato sistema di connivenza, omertà, insabbiamento da parte dei vescovi e totale mancanza di protezione e moralità nei confronti delle vittime: gli abusi sessuali in America erano una prassi frequente e addirittura documentata, di cui i vertici di ciascuna diocesi erano a conoscenza

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DEUTSCHLAND
BR

[Christmas week was opened in 2010 and the pontiff then was faced with the scandal involving sexual abuse by Catholic priests. The unimaginable extent of the scandal had shaken the pope and the church. Benedict spoke in Rome at the traditional Christmas reception for the Curia. Minors were deeply hurt and damaged for life. The church must use these events as a call for truth and for renewal, the Pope made clear. The pope had not spoken on the abuse and was overtaken by his own past. At archbishop of Munich and Freising in 1980 he approved relocation of a pedophile priest from Essen to Upper Bavaria where he again abused children. This case ignited a fierce debate on how much Joseph Ratzinger knew and how great was his personal responsibility.]

“Sprich nur ein Wort, so wird meine Seele gesund.” Diese Formel aus Gottesdiensten bekommt durch den Missbrauchsskandal neue Bedeutung: Die Katholiken warteten bei dem Thema lange auf ein Wort des Stellvertreters Christi auf Erden.

Erst am 11. Juni 2010 – vier Monate nach dem Bekanntwerden der ersten Missbrauchs- und Misshandlungsfälle in der katholischen Kirche – gab es eine Art “Mea Culpa” von Benedikt XVI. Der Papst bat die Opfer bei einer Messe auf dem Petersplatz in Rom um Vergebung.

“Wir bitten Gott und die betroffenen Menschen inständig um Vergebung und versprechen zugleich, dass wir alles tun wollen, um solchen Missbrauch nicht wieder vorkommen zu lassen.”

Die Weihnachtswoche 2010 eröffnete der Pontifex dann mit einem Rückblick auf den Skandal um den sexuellen Missbrauch durch katholische Priester. Das unvorstellbare Ausmaß des Skandals habe Papst und Kirche erschüttert, sagte Benedikt in Rom auf dem traditionellen Weihnachtsempfang für die Kurie. Minderjährige seien tief verletzt und für ihr ganzes Leben geschädigt worden. Die Kirche müsse diese Vorkommnisse als einen Aufruf zur Wahrheit und zur Erneuerung nutzen, machte der Papst deutlich.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Catholic League

Bill Donohue comments on a proposal by Pennsylvania Rep. Mark Rozzi:

Pennsylvania lawmaker Mark Rozzi’s colleagues ought to call him out immediately for his demagoguery: he wants to use the taxpayer’s money to investigate every diocese in the state for possible sexual abuse crimes. He does not want to target any other institution—just the Catholic Church. If he were seriously concerned about the issue of sexual abuse, he would call for an investigation of all public and private institutions. His real interest, however, is sticking it to the Catholic Church, not protecting minors.

Rep. Rozzi’s grandstanding is inspired by a grand jury’s revelation that the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown improperly dealt with past cases of priestly sexual abuse. Not surprisingly, this expedition started because of alleged abuse at a Catholic high school in that diocese. This alone merited a sweeping look at abuse dating back to World War II.

Anyone who knows anything about the subject of the sexual abuse of minors knows that there is not a single demographic group, or institution, that has not had a lousy record of dealing with this problem. Swimming coaches, camp counselors, Boy Scouts, psychologists, public school teachers, rabbis, ministers, Hollywood producers—all have a sordid past. So why is it that only the Catholic Church is fingered?

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

Child sexual abuse survivors from Ballarat who flew to Rome to watch Cardinal George Pell give evidence at the child abuse royal commission want the Prime Minister to commit to a redress scheme.

The Victorian group arrived home on Sunday after a crowdfunded trip to Rome.

“A lot of people might think this is the end of our journey. It’s not,” abuse survivor Andrew Collins told reporters at Melbourne Airport.

He said clerical abuse in Ballarat – including that by Australia’s worst paedophile priest, Gerard Ridsdale – and its long-term effects on victims highlighted the importance of supporting survivors.

“We call on the Turnbull Government to put into place the redress scheme that the royal commission has put forward,” Mr Collins said.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Lancaster Online

SAM JANESCH | Staff Writer

A Berks County Democrat is calling for every district attorney in Pennsylvania to expand efforts to track child sexual abuse by priests.

In the wake of a grand jury investigation into abuse within the Altoona-Johnstown diocese, state Rep. Mark Rozzi said Wednesday he’d like to see a stronger effort to address the abuse in every part of the state.

“I honestly believe that every diocese should be investigated and opened up with a grand jury,” Rozzi said during a news conference Wednesday, according to WITF. “That’s my own personal opinion. We should look at every single one. As a Catholic, as a victim, I want to know the answer.”

Rozzi, who says he was sexually abused by a priest when he was a teenager, said his office has received dozens of calls from victims of abuse over the years.

“I get so many emails and calls from victims out there looking for justice,” said Rozzi, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Rozzi asked district attorneys to open hotlines in their counties to take calls from victims. He also reiterated his push to extend the civil statute of limitations for child abuse victims.

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UNITED STATES
York Daily Record

Susan Blum, Guest Writer March 10, 2016

The recent cover story on child sex abuse and the statute of limitations struck a raw nerve. Obviously, Gerald Grimaud must never have been a victim himself if he can state that “testimony becomes less trustworthy over time.”

I wonder if he remembers where he was and what he was doing when he heard the towers in New York went down? Don’t you? If older, don’t you remember what you were doing when you heard Kennedy was assassinated?

My violation was my own personal 9/11.

I remember the smallest details, the smell of cigarettes on his clothes, the unique clerical collar and receding hairline, how he stood first to my left, the pressure of the wall against my back as he leaned on me and fondled me during the first attack. The details of the other incidents play like videotape of a horrible accident. The tapes have played in my head for 48 years and have fed my nightmares. I only wish I could get them to stop!

Why did I wait to speak up, knowing for 45 years I had been abused? Because of embarrassment (a child thinks it must be their fault). Because I thought I was the only one. Because I didn’t equate heavy fondling with molestation. (I thought you had to be raped to be violated and only told several people that “once someone tried to attack me.”)

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MISSOURI
Berger’s Beat

A CONVICTED JESUIT PRIEST who is mentioned in several scenes in the film, “Spotlight,” new lives in a Catholic facility called the Vianney Center in Dittmer, MO. He is Fr. James Talbot. He reportedly admitted abusing 89 victims.

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CANADA
CJN

By Guila Benchimol – March 10, 2016

In the last few weeks, two men currently and formerly living in Toronto’s Jewish community have been arrested and charged with crimes of a sexual nature.

Stephen Joseph Schacter, who taught at Eitz Chaim Schools between 1986 and 2004 as well as at United Synagogue Day School (now Robbins Hebrew Academy) from 2004 to 2006, was charged with one count of gross indecency, one count of sexual interference, one count of sexual exploitation and two counts of sexual assault. This follows upon his arrest in December 2015, when he was charged with possession of child pornography.

Meanwhile, David Prashker, the former director of Leo Baeck School, was arrested in California in February and charged with possession and distribution of child pornography. In 2008, Prashker resigned from Leo Baeck after it was discovered that he had authored violent and sexually explicit poetry and posted it online.

These two individuals have worked with minors in the Jewish community. And yet, there has not been a community-wide response to these charges and allegations thus far.

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UNITED STATES
Huffington Post

Matthew Ebert
Writer, agrarian, rural proponent, artist, and activist.

I tried to boycott the Oscars, but boycotting the Oscars is like boycotting the rise of Donald J. Trump — it can’t be done. Guilt is not a stand-in for entertainment. So, in 2016, I boycott the Oscars, but they refused to boycott back.

I knew Spotlight would win. There was no suspense. I should have bet money on it. All my cinephile friends bet on The Revenant or Mad Max. But I said no, it’ll be Spotlight. Spotlight is the kind of film the Academy loves in 2016 — the “Pat-Yourself-on-the-Back” Best Picture of the Year.

I boycott the Oscars because I did not want to hear the producer of Spotlight say what I knew he would say: “This film gave a voice to survivors…” I am here to tell you, Spotlight did not give voice to the survivors, unless the survivors are a group of Pulitzer Prize winning journalists.

I am one of those “survivors”. Watching Spotlight, I got the sinking feeling that we were props — scratching track marks, heads bowed, all your shame personified. We were gay, straight, male, female, white, non-white–we were even priests. Never to rise up, never to be anything other than suicidal, shredded, hysterical, clutching a picture of a priest while screaming: “Justice for the VICTIMS!” — we were stereotypes.

“Go get these guys.” One of the victims begged you. We beg you, we assure you — the embodiment of your guilt and horror at doing nothing for so long. “Go get these guys.” We implore you to do our work. We need you to save us. But the truth lies elsewhere — we don’t need you, or your Spotlight on sexual abuse. We don’t need the myth of Pope Francis as a balm for our suffering. There is nothing the church can do now that the secrets of the Vatican are out. That is the truth. Cue Gaga and the crowd of long term survivors — sing ‘Melancholy Baby’ and launch — close-up on Kate Winslet crying in the aisles. This is what we are to you–human Kleenex dispensers.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, March 10, 2016

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, 314 645 5915 home,davidgclohessy@gmail.com)

A once high-ranking Altoona priest is publicly blasting jurors and law enforcement personnel. His boss, Altoona’s bishop, should demote or at least discipline him. And the bishop should order all church employees to resist the temptation to blame others for wrongdoing by church staff.

Msgr. Michael Servinsky told a newspaper that “the grand jury did quite a hatchet job on Bishop Joseph (Adamec) – they did him in.”

[The Guardian]

How bizarre. Msgr. Servinsky pled the fifth before the grand jury. Yet now, he publicly attacks the impartial citizens who did their civic duty by sitting for grand jury duty and the unbiased law enforcement staff who spent two years investigating the reckless, callous and deceitful Altoona Catholic officials.

(Msgr. Servinsky also implied that locking up child molesters doesn’t really help and that police and judges – not church officials – took the initiative to hid clergy child sex crimes: “ I know situations where police and judges would collar him and say: ‘Get that guy out of here and we will not prosecute.’” He also made a sweeping and certainly false generalization “Most of the victims who came to us were not interested in taking it to law enforcement. They didn’t want to testify.”)

Shame on Msgr. Servinsky. And shame on Bishop Mark Bartchak for tolerating this priest’s mean-spirited and wrong-headed and self-serving remarks.

Msgr. Servinsky isn’t just any priest. For years, he worked in the Altoona diocesan headquarters as vicar general, a prominent and powerful position directly under the bishop.

It’s bad enough that Catholic officials in Altoona and elsewhere sometimes attack victims, their supporters and their attorneys. It’s distressing that they sometimes attack journalists, whistleblowers and witnesses. We’ve long grown accustomed to such inappropriate attacks from men who claim to be “shepherds.”

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VATICAN CITY
Columbus Dispatch

March 10, 2016

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has imposed new financial accountability regulations on the process for making saints after gross abuses were revealed.

Francis issued norms Thursday that require external vigilance over the Vatican bank accounts created for canonization causes as well as regular budgeting and accounting to make sure donations are being used correctly.

The reforms come after two blockbuster books based on confidential Vatican documents revealed that the Vatican’s saint-making machine brought in hundreds of thousands of euros for each saintly candidate but had virtually no financial oversight.

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MINNESOTA
WDAZ

By Matt Henson on Mar 9, 2016
Crookston, MN (WDAZ-TV)

Should the Catholic Diocese of Crookston be forced to pay up?

A judge is deciding whether or not the diocese is financially responsible for a pedophile priest in one of its parishes.

The Diocese of Crookston does not deny it.

“The Diocese of Crookston deeply regrets that anyone was harmed at the hands of any clergy member,” commented said Susan Gaertner the lawyer for the diocese

That includes Father Vincent Fitzgerald who died in 2009. Doe 19 claims he was sexually abused by the priest as a ten year old while he was an altar boy at St. Anne’s in Naytahwaush back in the mid-1980s.

“The Diocese of Crookston knew for decades that there were priests abusing kids in this diocese, but continued to keep that from the public and keep those secrets,” said Doe 19’s lawyer Mike Finnegan.

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UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, March 9, 2016

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

We’re grateful that accused murderer and ex-priest John Feit is back in Texas but worry that many are feeling complacent instead of acting vigilantly in this case. Though prosecutors say they have new evidence, no one should rest easy or stay silent. Every single person who has any knowledge of or suspicions about Feit must come forward now if he is to be successfully kept locked up.

We’re also sad that Brownsville Bishop Daniel Flores is trying to distance himself from this horrific crime while apparently doing nothing to help solve it.

We hope that Catholic bishops in five states (TX, IA, NM, AZ, and MO) will show leadership and do outreach to any others who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes by Feit. We especially hope Feit’s former church colleagues and supervisors will call law enforcement and that officials at the Phoenix Catholic charity where he worked will aggressively seek out anyone among their staff and clients who may have been hurt by Feit.

We are still hoping that at least one current or former Catholic official will answer a simple but crucial question. Feit pled no contest to assaulting one young woman. He was suspected to have murdered another one. So how can Catholic officials justify giving him a job at a Phoenix church charity and access to thousands more young women, especially vulnerable, needy ones who went there seeking help?

Remember, Feit wasn’t even given a desk job. He had a training position. He was given a leadership role that mandated his involvement with perhaps thousands of individuals.

Instead of praising those who exposed or investigated or warned others about Feit, Bishop Flores stressed that the case “dates back to 1960.” How’s that help? What purpose does that already-widely-known fact serve other than promote complacency?

This is what bishops do in child sex abuse and cover up cases. They emphasize how long ago the crimes happened, in a blatant attempt to mollify their flocks. Instead, they should be motivating their flocks and staffs to help law enforcement resolve these cases.

We predict that bishops in every place where Feit worked or lived will do nothing to be helpful. So we hope that other current and former church staff in those states will honor their moral and civic duty by doing all they can to find other victims, witnesses and whistleblowers who can enable law enforcement to successfully prosecute Feit.

Accused priests often get top notch lawyers who exploit legal loopholes, evade justice, and get little or no jail time even if convicted. So now is not the time to get complacent. It’s the time to work harder to find and help those with information or suspicions about clergy crimes and cover ups in Texas, Missouri, Arizona or New Mexico.

So Santa Fe Archbishop John Wester, Phoenix Bishop Thomas Olmsted, Dubuque Archbishop Michael Jackels, San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller (where Feit went to seminary), and church staff in the Springfield MO diocese (where there is no bishop now) and Flores, get busy. Act like the shepherds you purport to be.

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.

WEST VIRGINIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, March 9, 2016

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, 314 645 5915 home, davidgclohessy@gmail.com)

A serial Pennsylvania predator priest – who was described by law enforcement officials as a “monster” who may have “molested hundreds” – was quietly sent to work in West Virginia, according to a just-released grand jury report.

We want West Virginia’s Catholic bishop to alert his flock about this pedophile, Fr. Francis McCaa. (Links below)

We strongly suspect he also hurt kids in West Virginia.

For the healing of victims, we call on West Virginia Bishop Michael Bransfield – and every Catholic church employee and church member in the state – to aggressively reach out to anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes by Fr. McCaa or cover ups by his colleagues or supervisors.

Church staff should use diocesan websites, church bulletins, and pulpit announcements to warn his flock about living predator priests and educate them about deceased predator priests. That’s the way kids can be protected, victims can be healed and the church can move forward.

In 2004, Altoona Catholic officials paid $3.7 million to settle 21 cases of abuse against 11 priests, including Fr. McCaa. Fr. McCaa, now deceased, was at one time the chancellor of the Altoona diocese.

In 2003, Fr. McCaa reportedly lived in West Virginia. He died in 2007.

According to a Pennsylvania newspaper: The report calls McCaa “a monster” who groped and “fondled the genitals of numerous children” who attended or served at Holy Name Church, Ebensburg; “Numerous former altar boys reported that McCaa would make them take their pants off under their cassocks” and then “reach under their religious vestments to touch and squeeze their genitals”; one boy reported the abuse to his mother, who slapped him and said the priest “was just being friendly”; the grand jury identified as many as 15 victims, and said McCaa was “a formidable figure and the boys felt like there was no escape”; the report accused Bishop Hogan of having full knowledge of McCaa’s action.

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

UNITED STATES
Variety

Brent Lang
Senior Film and Media Reporter
@BrentALang

A little Oscar love goes a long way.

Fresh off its best picture victory at this year’s Academy Awards, “Spotlight” has gotten a box office boost both domestically and in foreign markets, where a talky drama about a sex abuse investigation would otherwise be a hard sell. Stateside, ticket sales enjoyed a 140% uptick, taking in $1.8 million last weekend and pushing the North American total to nearly $42 million. That’s particularly impressive considering that “Spotlight” has been available on home entertainment platforms since Feb. 23.

“It’s a movie that a lot of people want to see in theaters,” said Jason Cassidy, chief marketing officer at Open Road, the indie label that had domestic rights. “It’s a profoundly emotional experience that people respond to when they see it on a big screen.”

He added that the film was the best performing picture or second best performing picture in several complexes. “Spotlight,” an account of the Boston Globe’s Pulitzer Prize-winning reports on the Catholic Church’s cover-up of wide spread sexual abuse by its priests, also won a best original screenplay Oscar. Its victory over “The Revenant” in the top category was seen as a major upset.

Overseas, box office has also been robust. The picture closed the weekend with another $5.8 million in the bank, an increase of more than 100% from the previous weekend. “Spotlight’s” foreign total stands at $33.2 million.

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

AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Laura Gartry

A man charged with raping a seven-year-old girl at a Christian mission in West Australia’s South West in the 1970s has faced Bunbury Magistrates Court.

Philip Howard Street, 74, was charged last month by a specialist police taskforce.

It is alleged Street, who is from Albany, sexually assaulted the young girl multiple times while he was employed at the Roelands Christian Mission in 1974 and 1975.

The man made a brief appearance in court charged with two counts of rape and four counts of indecent treatment of a child under 14 years of age.

He was not required to enter a plea and was granted bail to reappear in court on May 23.

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

FRANCE
RTL

[Pedophile priest scandal: “Maybe I was wrong … Let justice to tell me,” proclaimed Cardinal Philippe Barbarin.]

Le cardinal Barbarin dans la tourmente… L’archevêque de Lyon, accusé d’avoir couvert un prêtre pédophile, se défend sans totalement convaincre. Difficile en effet de persuader quand on affirme, comme il le fait dans Le Parisien : “Il y a 25 ans, on était dans une autre mentalité par rapport à la pédophilie”. Aujourd’hui, deux victimes du père Bernard Preynat portent plainte contre Philippe Barbarin. Ces anciens scouts affirment qu’il avait été alerté dès 2007 sur ces faits des années 80. Pourtant, il a fallu attendre l’année dernière pour que le prêtre soit suspendu et sanctionné. Malgré cela, Mgr Barbarin reste droit dans ses bottes.

“Quand j’ai rencontré le père Preynat, il y avait déjà des bruits qui courraient. Je l’ai appelé pour lui demander : ‘Comment de telles choses sont possibles ?’. Il m’a répondu que je ne comprendrais pas”, rapporte le cardinal. Ce dernier assure ensuite avoir demandé au prêtre s’il s’était passé la moindre chose avec des enfants. Devant la réponse négative et certaine du prêtre, le cardinal a préféré ne pas donner suite à l’affaire tout en ajoutant “mais peu-être ai-je eu tort, que la justice me le dise”.

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FRANCE
BFM

[Cardinal Phillippe Barbarin said Father Bernard Prenat assured him he had never abused minors.]

Le cardinal Barbarin, accusé d’avoir couvert en 2007 un prêtre mis en examen en janvier dernier pour des agressions sexuelles sur des enfants, se défend ce jeudi sur RMC. L’archevêque de Lyon explique qu’il a fait confiance au père Preynat, qui lui a assuré que les bruits qui courraient sur ces actes commis dans les années 80 n’étaient que des rumeurs malveillantes.

Le cardinal Barbarin a-t-il couvert le père Preynat, qui a reconnu des d’agressions sexuelles sur des scouts de Sainte-Foy-les-Lyon (Rhône) entre 1986 et 1991 ? Non, répond ce jeudi sur RMC l’archevêque de Lyon, qui s’est peu exprimée sur cette affaire depuis sa mise en cause pour “non-dénonciation de crimes”. Il est pointé du doigt par plusieurs victimes qui l’accuse depuis 2007 d’avoir caché ce prêtre pédophile, ses agissements et de l’avoir laissé en poste, toujours auprès d’enfants, dans diverses paroisses de la région sous son autorité, malgré les soupçons de pédophilie.

Le père Bernard Preynat, qui a quitté ses paroisses du Roannais fin août 2015 après avoir été relevé de ses fonctions par le diocèse, a été mis en examen le 27 janvier après avoir reconnu les faits d’agressions sexuelles sur moins de 15 ans. Il a également été placé sous le statut de témoin assisté pour des viols qu’il a avoués en garde à vue.

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

UNITED STATES
Victoria Advocate

By Joe Friar
March 9, 2016

This year’s Oscar-winning Best Picture, “Spotlight” focused on a team of reporters who exposed a coverup of pedophile priests by the Catholic church.

In one scene from the film, a Boston Globe reporter discovers a group home for defrocked priests accused of sexual abuse in his own neighborhood.

The troubling revelation causes the journalist to place his own kids on high alert as he warns them to stay away from the home.

Chilean writer-director Pablo Larrain explores similar territory in his chilling new film, “The Club,” as four defrocked priests and a former nun take residence in a seaside home located in La Boca, Chile.

The two-story house serves as a rehab facility where the former clergy do penance for their sins while mostly avoiding the general public. Sister Monica (Antonia Zegers) serves as the caretaker and warden of the disgraced priests, but later in the film, its revealed that she also has a sordid past that involves the abuse of a child, physical not sexual.

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

AUSTRALIA
Daily Advertiser

March 10, 2016

Andrea McCullagh
Mosman Daily

THE principal of a Catholic boys’ school has hit out at child abusers and those that covered up for them.

St Aloysius’ College principal Mark Tannock made his feelings clear in a newsletter to parents in light of the Royal Commission.

“The extent of this abuse … shames the church and all (including me) who love it,” he wrote.

“The criminal deeds of the past deserve to be exposed by the Royal Commission and, if sustained by the burden of proof in a criminal court, the perpetrators should be called to account by the law.”

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

UNITED KINGDOM
Premier

Thu 10 Mar 2016
By Hannah Tooley

A 66-year-old man has been charged with a number of historical sexual offences in children’s care homes and a church.

Philip Temple, of no fixed address, was charged by the Metropolitan Police with 27 counts of historical sexual assault and two counts of perjury.

Mr Temple was remanded in custody until later in April, when he will appear at Croydon Crown Court.

Scotland Yard has said that the sexual assault charges relate to allegations of abuse against 12 victims, who were all aged under 16 at the time of the alleged offences.

The alleged offences are thought to have taken place between 1971 and 1998 in children’s care homes managed by Christ the King Monastery on Bramley Road in Southgate, Wandsworth local authority and Lambeth local authority, according to police.

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

AUSTRALIA
The Canberra Times

March 9 2016
Alexandra Back

The Canberra-Goulburn Archdiocese’s new expert body to deal with child sexual abuse is a “huge step” towards transparency, but it cannot address the core problems of the Catholic Church, a child sex abuse campaigner says.

The archdiocese’s Institute for Professional Standards and Safeguarding is headed by former NSW police detective Matt Casey and former lawyer Jane Cronan.

Mr Casey, the institute’s director, said the body was charged with investigating allegations of child sex abuse from anywhere in the archdiocese.

“There was a tendency, within not just the church in our archdiocese but in other organisations, to minimise things and to not recognise the objective seriousness of the behaviour that was being complained about,” he said.

“With the institute, there will always be a level of expertise that enables us to respond to the objective seriousness of any complaint that comes to us.”

He said the institute would start with a presumption in favour of the complainant.

The institute would not facilitate compensation, which would be organised through the survivor and the church’s legal representatives.

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

UNITED STATES
Huffington Post

Rosanna Savone
CEO | Attorney | Best Selling Author | Screenwriter

Felt let down by Spotlight too?

Being reared in the Roman Catholic religion, I was particularly interested in watching the film since it’s release in theaters back in November.

I personally left the church the first moment I could at the age of eighteen largely because of its antiquated, sexist and unequal treatment of women.

My decision was affirmed just a few years later, when the Boston Globe literally shined a “spotlight” on the dysfunction that embodies this religious institution and its hierarchy of ecclesiastical rulers.

After all, who else but dysfunctional men would knowingly put as many as 5,000 children into harm’s way to protect their own reputation? And these are the guys that claim to know something I don’t about God?

But I wasn’t the only one particularly interested in seeing Spotlight.

My monthly film club gathering of four women (including myself) had readily agreed (twice in a row, which is a record) on the same movie.

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.

PENNSYLVANIA
The Morning Call

Steve EsackContact Reporter
Call Harrisburg Bureau

HARRISBURG — Breathing deeply to control his anger and shame over his childhood rape, a state lawmaker called on prosecutors and the Legislature to use the power of their offices to safeguard children and punish the Catholic Church and other institutions that protect sex abusers they employ.

For decades, the Catholic Church has shielded predatory priests, said Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, a victim of clergy abuse. The most recent evidence of those “systematic cover-ups,” Rozzi said, is outlined in last week’s state grand jury report that accuses two bishops overseeing the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown of allowing at least 50 priests and other religious leaders to sexually abuse hundreds of children for decades.

It must end now, Rozzi said at a news conference Wednesday in the state Capitol.

Rozzi, along with Rep. Tim Murt, R-Montgomery, called on the state’s 67 county district attorneys to conduct grand jury investigations into their local Catholic dioceses and set up phone hotlines to allow victims to step forward.

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.

PENNSYLVANIA
Tribune-Review

BY THOMAS MURT | Wednesday, March 9, 2016

First, it was Penn State. Then it was the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Now, just when you think that scandals involving the sexual abuse of children can’t get any worse, we learn about yet another one.

After a prolonged and extensive investigation, authorities have uncovered literally mounds of evidence of child sexual abuse and cover-ups by Roman Catholic Church officials. The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown reportedly protected priests who were known child molesters. The diocese, through church connections and pathetic public officials, protected the child-molesting priests from law enforcement and prosecution.

Perhaps the worst crime the diocese committed was never taking subsequent action to protect children from these child-molesting priests. When a priest was found to have sexually abused a child, the normal protocol was to simply move the priest to another parish, offer a cash payment to the family and/or send the child-molesting priest on retreat, only to have him returned to ministry in the future.

As ugly and painful as the latest clergy sex-abuse scandal is, this is not the last one about which we will hear. While many victims are finding the strength to come forward, we have yet to hear from the thousands of child sex-abuse victims who are still hiding in shame and humiliation. The true shame and humiliation, however, is not theirs at all. That belongs to Pennsylvania’s legislators who still collectively refuse to take action to reform the statute of limitations as it relates to child sex abuse.

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.

PENNSYLVANIA
Tribune-Review

BY BRAD BUMSTED | Wednesday, March 9, 2016

HARRISBURG – Lawmakers are divided over legislation that would grant adults who were sexually abused as children a two-year window, beginning when the law takes effect, to file civil lawsuits against people who they allege assaulted them decades ago.

“Memories fade, the evidence changes, or there may be no more witnesses,” said Stephen Miskin, a spokesman for House Republicans, highlighting concerns about the constitutionality of reviving charges that expired under the state’s statute of limitations.

The House in the next few weeks is likely to take on stalled legislation to extend the limitations on such offenses in a move made a week after a statewide grand jury report found at least 50 priests abused hundreds of children for more than 40 years in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.

“The Judiciary Committee plans to work expeditiously to move legislation to strengthen our laws already in place and send it to the House floor for a full vote,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Ron Marsico, R-Dauphin County, wrote in a statement.

“We, in the legislature, will always fight to protect children, and I certainly support doing more to continue to support the victims of these horrendous crimes,” Marsico said. “While there are only a very few states with a longer window for their civil statute of limitations, I support fully abolishing the criminal statute of limitation for future criminal prosecutions.”

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

MINNESOTA
Independent Review

Thursday, March 10, 2016

By Andrew Broman editor@independentreview.net

A new lawsuit against the Diocese of New Ulm alleges a priest years ago sexually abused a boy while at St. John’s Church in Darwin, the first time a sex abuse case has been linked to a Meeker County parish.

Parishioners at St. John’s received a letter from the diocese last month stating a priest at the church from 1965 to 1969 has been accused of sexual abuse.

The priest, Charles Stark, retired in 1987 and died in 1991, according to the diocese.

The lawsuit alleges Stark abused an 11-year-old altar boy, who helped Stark with day-to-day church activities, including Mass, funerals and weddings. The boy was a Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, or CCD, student, and he was also paid to do “odd jobs” like mowing the lawn and edging sidewalks, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit alleges Stark in 1969 “engaged in unpermitted sexual contact” with the plaintiff, who is not identified in the suit.

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.

OHIO
WDTN

[with video]

By Kelley King
Published: March 9, 2016

HUBER HEIGHTS, Ohio (WDTN) — A court date has been set for a former priest who served at St. Peter Catholic Church in Huber Heights.

Rev. Earl Simone is scheduled to appear in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Thursday afternoon before Judge Dennis Langer.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati told 2 NEWS they fully cooperated with investigators in this case and will not comment on the matter until after Thursday’s proceedings.

St. Peter came under investigation for financial irregularities after the Archdiocese of Cincinnati received an ethics complaint in February 2015.

“We move forward as the church has always moved forward. We look to the future rather than to the past. It’s unfortunate that this happened but it is in our past. They survived through the whole thing. As I just said, ministry has only increased even with money going out,” said Father Tony Cutcher, current pastor of St. Peter.

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.

TEXAS
San Antonio Express-News

By Aaron NelsenMarch 9, 2016

EDINBURG — A former priest accussed of killing a McAllen beauty queen nearly 56 years ago is being extradited to Texas and is expected to be booked into the Hidalgo County jail as early as Wednesday.

John Feit, 83, was arrested in Scottsdale on Feb. 9 and charged with the 1960 murder of Irene Garza, a 25-year-old elementary school teacher.

“Why,” asked Noemi Sigler, who was 10 years old at the time of her cousin Garza’s death. “That question just kept going through my head, ‘why, why.’ Now maybe we’ll know why that happened to Irene.”

Hidalgo County District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez said during a news conference Wednesday that investigators had uncovered new evidence in the decades-old murder, but he declined to comment on what was presented to the grand jury.　

Garza disappeared after going to confession at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen on April 16, 1960. Authorities allege that Feit, who was a 27-year-old priest at the church, murdered Garza after her confession. Her body was discovered days later in a canal. She had been beaten, raped while unconscious, and asphyxiated.

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.

ARIZONA
ABC 15

AP

PHOENIX – Authorities said Wednesday they used new evidence to help revive a more than half-century-old murder case in which an 83-year-old former priest is accused of killing a Texas teacher and ex-beauty queen, but they declined to give details.

John Feit , who had been jailed in Phoenix since his arrest last month, was turned over to Texas authorities earlier Wednesday and was headed back to South Texas, Hidalgo County District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez said. He will be held in the county jail.

“Today we can say that after a long wait of approximately 56 years, is the beginning of bringing justice to … the victim and the community,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez and other officials at a news conference declined to comment on what evidence was presented to grand jurors to indict Feit, only saying “we do have new facts and evidence.” Rene Guerra, the former longtime Hidalgo County district attorney who had previously investigated the murder but never brought charges, has said there was no DNA evidence.

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.

PENNSYLVANIA
WJAC

BY LAUREN HENSLEY WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9TH 2016

It’s been one day since a sexual abuse victim’s advocacy group held an open forum in Blair County. Now they are making plans to start a permanent support group in the area. SNAP, the Survivor’s Network of those Abused by Priests has been vocally critical about the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, since the release of a gut-wrenching grand jury report.

Tuesday afternoon, supporters of SNAP held a rally on the lawn of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. This mini-protest was meant to inspire people to attend their open forum that was held Tuesday night.

“It was heartwarming to see that people feel like there was a place they could go,” said Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest associate director.

Jones said nearly a dozen people showed up to the forum. SNAP respectfully requested that no media be present to allow a safe space for any potential victims to come forward. And they did. Later, 6News spoke with one survivor who said he was abused all throughout high school.

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

UNITED KINGDOM
Pike’s Peak News (US)

A City of London priest who asked a vulnerable male for a lewd act of fellatio and then tried to prosecute his victim for publicly revealing the embarrassing fact has had his complaint thrown out, after the cleric was said to have “lied and lied and lied and lied”.

Rev. William Campbell-Taylor who is also a councilor in the London City Hall had claimed he had been caused “distress and alarm” because of the embarassment of his victim talking publicly in the British Parliament about his abuse experience at the hands of the priest. But after multiple flaws of Campbell-Taylor’s truthfulness came to light before trial, the public prosecution service (equivalent of the DA’s office) decided to “offer no evidence” – and the charges were dismissed by the Court.

In what has been claimed by groups representing victims of clergy abuse as “a victory for the free speech of survivors”, the Court while partially restraining future contact between the parties at the same time positively upheld the right to free debate in public meetings.

Campbell-Taylor, who has an openly bisexual history, denied the abuse with the vulnerable male, and rejected any suggestion that he had any close personal relationship with the victim. But the untruthfulness of the priest was demonstrated when dozens of letters from the cleric to the victim since came to light in which Campbell-Taylor signs off messages with kisses and “love, William” and “W x” or “yr brother Muffin”. The victim writes to Campbell-Taylor challenging him about “your sexuality and past experience that has wreaked havoc in our personal relationship” and asks about the time “you said [to me] ‘How about a b**w job then?’”. In response, the priest evades the question and strangely writes back “you have been on my mind today because I know it is your birthday” and “I would like to be in a position to stand in solidarity in public with you as a friend” and again signs off “love William”. The victim further referred to characteristic phrases used by the priest such as “a stirring in the loins”.

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.

MISSISSIPPI
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, 314 645 5915 home, davidgclohessy@gmail.com)

Mississippi Bishop William Houck died today. He headed the Jackson diocese until 2003. We hope his passing brings some comfort and closure to those who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes or cover ups during his years in office.

[Washington Times]

For immediate release: Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, 314 645 5915 home, davidgclohessy@gmail.com)

Mississippi Bishop William Houck died today. He headed the Jackson diocese until 2003. We hope his passing brings some comfort and closure to those who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes or cover ups during his years in office.

[Washington Times]

During Houck’s tenure, a number of out-of-state predator priests were quietly welcomed into Mississippi, including Fr. William Wiebler, a notorious Iowa child molesting cleric and Brother William Leimbach of Rhode Island.

Though Houck’s successor claims he’s “reformed” how Catholic officials deal with abuse reports, we are skeptical. We believe those with knowledge of or suspicions about clergy sex crimes and cover ups should speak up but inform secular authorities, not church officials.

During Houck’s tenure, a number of out-of-state predator priests were quietly welcomed into Mississippi, including Fr. William Wiebler, a notorious Iowa child molesting cleric and Brother William Leimbach of Rhode Island.

Though Houck’s successor claims he’s “reformed” how Catholic officials deal with abuse reports, we are skeptical. We believe those with knowledge of or suspicions about clergy sex crimes and cover ups should speak up but inform secular authorities, not church officials.

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.

PENNSYLVANIA
PennLive

By Ivey DeJesus | idejesus@pennlive.com

Fallout from the findings of a grand jury report released last week showing that the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese for decades knew and concealed the sexual abuse of hundreds of children at the hands of priests spilled into the Capitol on Wednesday.

Three state legislators called on all district attorneys across the commonwealth to aggressively pursue abusive Catholic priests.

They also took their gloves off after years of fighting to reform laws designed to empower victims of child sex abuse and vowed to once and for all advance reform legislation.

At a news conference in the state Capitol, state Reps. Mark Rozzi (D-Berks) and Tom Murt (R- Montgomery/Phila.) urged district attorneys throughout the state to pursue every possible lead that may lead to evidence in the investigation and prosecution of abusive priests.

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.

PENNSYLVANIA
WCBC

March 9th, 2016

A spokesman for Bishop Mark Bartchak had few answers Tuesday for demands pushed by demonstrators outside the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown offices. Carrying photos of children who reported abuse by priests, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests demonstrators called for the removal of the diocese victim advocate and the entire Allegation Review Board. The Tribune Democrat reports that during a hastily-called press conference Tuesday, diocese spokesman Tony DeGol was asked if any additional clergy would be removed as a result of a grand jury report. “I can’t comment on that because it’s a ongoing investigation,” DeGol said.

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

TEXAS
KRGV

MCALLEN – Hidalgo County officials announced there are new facts and evidence in the 1960 murder of Irene Garza.

During a press conference this afternoon, Hidalgo County District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez said the information will be presented at the appropriate time in court.

Garza’s body was found in a canal in April 1960. She was last seen five days earlier at Sacred Heart Church in McAllen. John Feit was a priest at the time. He was long considered a person of interest.

Two people claim Feit confessed to killing Garza. Last month, an Hidalgo County grand jury indicted him in the case.

In today’s press conference, McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez said, “We have been very clear at the city of McAllen Police Department that we’ve always believed there was probable cause for John Feit to face charges in the death of Irene Garza.”

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.

TEXAS
The Monitor

STAFF REPORTS | Posted: Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Hidalgo District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez and law enforcement officials did not take questions during a news conference Wednesday in Edinburg regarding the extradition of John Feit.

Feit, a former priest with Sacred Heart Catholic Church, was arrested by the Texas Rangers, Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office investigators and McAllen police last month in Arizona to face murder charges in the death of 25-year-old beauty queen Irene Garza in 1960.

Feit did not fight extradition to return to Texas.

Wednesday, law enforcement officials would not say when or where Feit would return to the Rio Grande Valley, but he is expected to land in the Valley on Wednesday.

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.

PENNSYLVANIA
Tribune-Democrat

By Randy Griffith
rgriffith@tribdem.com

HOLLIDAYSBURG – A spokesman for Bishop Mark Bartchak had few answers Tuesday for demands pushed by demonstrators outside the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown offices.

Carrying photos of children who reported abuse by priests, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests demonstrators called for the removal of the diocese victim advocate and the entire Allegation Review Board.

During a hastily-called press conference Tuesday, diocese spokesman Tony DeGol was asked if any additional clergy would be removed as a result of a grand jury report.

“I can’t comment on that because it’s an ongoing investigation,” DeGol said.

DeGol gave the same response when asked why the diocese did not contact law enforcement about suspected abuse under Bartchak’s predecessor, Bishop Joseph Adamec.

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.

PENNSYLVANIA
York Daily Record

Editorial

The allegations contained in a grand jury report about child sexual abuse in the Altoona-Johnstown Catholic Diocese are beyond appalling. They are horrifying.

For decades, the grand jury found, priests in the diocese sexually abused hundreds of children. Two bishops covered up the abuse, transferring priests accused of abusing children to other parishes. The grand jury found a shocking, and documented, pattern of criminal behavior that is simply unimaginable. That an institution that claims moral authority would behave so immorally is more than unsettling. It is terrifying.

And yet, that wasn’t even the worst of the grand jury report. The worst is that, despite the evidence, authorities and victims had no recourse. The statute of limitations has expired for prosecuting any of the cases and for victims to seek recompense in civil court.

In short, the cover-up worked. Yes, the alleged crimes have been exposed, but there is nothing that can be done to dispense any measure of justice in these cases.

For that reason, the grand jury recommended abolishing the criminal and civil statute of limitations in child sexual abuse cases and establishing a two-year window for previous victims to seek justice in civil court.

Those recommendations make a lot of sense, especially when you consider the circumstances.

In cases of child sexual abuse, experts say, it often takes years for victims to come to terms with what happened to them and muster the courage to come forward. In cases involving powerful institutions – be it the Catholic Church or Penn State – that process takes even more time because victims are intimidated into silence by the institution’s power.

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.