ABUSE TRACKER

CONNECTICUT
CT Post

By Michael P. Mayko Tuesday, May 3, 2016

HARTFORD — For Fairfield University and its former chaplain, a federal judge’s ruling dismissing a civil sex-trafficking charge in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit arising out of the abuse of young Haitian street boys represents a victory.

For Mitchell Garabedian, the Boston lawyer for the 50 plaintiffs, the defeat is a small one in a bigger lawsuit.

“The dismissal of the sex-trafficking count does not significantly harm the plaintiffs’ claim,” said Garabedian, whose efforts in exposing sexual abuse of children by priests and the resulting coverup by the Boston Diocese was featured in “Spotlight” — this year’s Oscar winning best picture. “The plaintiffs still have the federal sex-tourism, negligent-hiring, retention and supervision and breach-of-fidicuriary-duties claims pending.”

Garabedian said the 50 pending cases have been consolidated before U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford.

“All of the parties are working diligently in completing their discovery, which should happen in the next 60 to 90 days,” Garabedian 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.

NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque Journal

By Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 4th, 2016

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Victims of sexual abuse by clergy in the Diocese of Gallup soon will receive ballots that will allow them to approve or reject a proposed $24 million reorganization plan in a 30-month-old Chapter 11 bankruptcy case.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David T. Thuma on Tuesday approved a 68-page “disclosure statement” that sets out terms of the proposed reorganization plan, clearing the way for claimants to vote on the plan.

In that statement, the Diocese of Gallup acknowledged that children were sexually abused by “priests or others purporting to do the missionary work” of the church, resulting in “harm and suffering on the children and teenagers of the Diocese.”

Thuma will consider whether to approve or reject the reorganization plan at a hearing scheduled June 21.

James Stang, a Los Angeles attorney who represents 57 claimants in the case, said he anticipates his clients will approve the proposed settlement.

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 Courier

Melissa Cunningham
May 4, 2016

Ballarat’s Catholic diocese is holding a memorial mass for Bishop Ronald Mulkearns who presided over a notorious period of child sexual abuse by clergy which spanned decades.

The Ballarat diocese advertised the mass on its website this week. It described the service as “an opportunity for priests and people from around the diocese to come together to offer mass for Bishop Mulkearns”.

It follows a low-key response from the Catholic Church since Bishop Mulkearns died on April 3 after a long battle with colon cancer. He was 85 years-old.

Ballarat Vicar-General Father Justin Driscoll said he understood members of the community affected by the church’s dark past may be hurt by tribute.

But he quashed speculation the service would “celebrate or honour” Bishop Mulkearns’ life. Father Driscoll told The Courier it would be a “simple and ordinary weekday mass” to allow parishioners to pray for the bishop, as they would for anyone else who died in the community.

“I understand the concerns of people affected,” he said. “But this will not replicate a funeral. It will just be an ordinary mass in which a person who has died is prayed for and mentioned in the prayers of the faithful. It’s more about the practice of praying for people who have died. It’s part of what we do as people of faith, we pray for the living and we pray for the dead.”

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 Dave Sutor
dsutor@tribdem.com
Dave Sutor

The names of 27 priests and one deacon, who had credible allegations of child sexual abuse made against them, were posted at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown’s website on Tuesday.

It also includes the status of every individual.

Bishop Mark Bartchak pledged to compile the list immediately after the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General issued a grand jury report in March, accusing the diocese of carrying out a decades-long coverup to shield predatory clerics.

“This list fulfills a promise that Bishop Bartchak made in response to the grand jury report,” wrote Tony DeGol, the diocese’s secretary for communications, in an email.

“It is just one of many steps we are taking to address the painful issues facing our diocese. As we continue our investigation into various matters, we are being assisted by trained former federal law enforcement officers, a director of child abuse investigations and review from another diocese, and a retired judge in the circuit court system of another state.

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
Business Insider Australia

SIMON THOMSEN
MAY 4, 2016

Expatriate Australian priest Cardinal George Pell will see out his five-year appointment as the Vatican’s financial boss.

The Courier Mail reports that Pell will not step down on his 75th birthday in June, as some speculated, following his appearance at Australia’s royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse and that his continuation in the position has the blessing of Pope Francis.

Under church protocol, priests are expected to tender their resignation when they turn 75, but it does not have to be accepted.

Cardinal Pell said previously that he would not resign following a difficult three days of testimony via videolink from Rome in March, because it would be an admission of guilt.

He will continue for the next three years after being appointed to clean up the Vatican’s finances by the Pope in February 2014.

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/INDIA
InForum

By Adrian Glass-Moore

CROOKSTON, Minn. – The Catholic Church has lifted its suspension of Father Joseph Jeyapaul, a priest convicted last year of sexually abusing a child in Minnesota.

Jeyapaul is back at his home diocese in Ootacamund, India, but he is banned from ministering in parishes and interacting with children, according to church officials here.

“He’s restricted to living in the priest retirement house,” Monsignor Mike Foltz of the Crookston Diocese said. “While it is true that the suspension was lifted, it is not true that he’s been given an assignment.” The Crookston Diocese is where Jeyapaul was stationed in 2004 and 2005. He was accused of sexually abusing two girls during that time. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct in one of the cases while the second was dropped. Then he was deported to India.

Crookston Diocese Bishop Michael Hoeppner wrote a letter to parishioners, to be published in the church newspaper Friday, assuring them that Jeyapaul’s activities in India are tightly restricted:

“I have been in contact with the Bishop in Father Jeyapaul’s home diocese in India and have been assured that he has ordered that Father Jeyapaul has no ministry in parishes. He has further ordered Father Jeyapaul have no ministry with minors. He has directed Father Jeyapaul to live in a home for retired clergy. At no time after he has served his time in jail and returned to India has Father Jeyapaul been assigned to a public ministry.”

Bishop A. Amalraj of the Diocese of Ootacamund lifted his suspension of Jeyapaul after consulting with the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Foltz 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.

AUSTRALIA
The Conversation

David Hamer
Associate Professor of Evidence and Proof, University of Sydney

Former priest John Farrell was sentenced on Monday to a minimum of 18 years’ jail for dozens of sexual offences committed against 12 children, many of them altar boys, in the 1970s and 1980s.

Police may now shift their focus to whether senior clergymen can be prosecuted for an alleged cover-up that may have delayed the investigation and prosecution of Farrell by 20 years or more.

It is difficult to predict what evidence such an investigation will uncover. But some key pieces of evidence are already on the public record.

This includes a letter, dated September 11, 1992, from Father Wayne Peters (who was, until his death last year, vicar-general of Armidale) to Bishop Kevin Manning – now bishop emeritus of Parramatta. The letter outlines Farrell’s detailed confessions of child sexual abuse at a meeting eight days earlier with Peters, Father Brian Lucas (now director of Catholic Mission) and Father John Usher (until last year, Chancellor of Sydney).

Also on the public record are more recent statements made by the four clergymen when the letter came to light and was the subject of a Four Corners report in 2012. It prompted the Catholic Church to respond in the form of a commissioned report.

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
Crookston Times

By Jess Bengtson

Posted May. 3, 2016

Crookston, Minn.

Crookston Catholic Diocese priest Father Pat Sullivan, who has been practicing at St. Elizabeth’s in Dilworth and St. Andrews in Hawley, has been placed on administrative leave after a civil complaint alleges that Sullivan engaged in “unpermitted sexual conduct” with a minor when he was 15 years old, said Rev. Michael Joseph Hoeppner, Bishop of the Diocese of Crookston in a statement.

The priest denies the allegation.

Vicar General of the Crookston Diocese, Monsignor Mike Foltz says they were notified late Friday afternoon of the allegation and Foltz traveled to St. Elizabeth and St. Andrews to notify parishioners.

The alleged misconduct happened in 2008 at St. Mary’s Mission on the Red Lake Reservation. No criminal charges have been filed.

“The Diocese is working with local and federal authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into this matter,” said Hoeppner. “The Diocese takes these accusations very seriously and prays for a swift and just resolution to this matter.”

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.

ILLINOIS
Chicago Tribune

Editorial

“As a 17-year-old boy, I was devastated. … Today I understand that I did nothing to bring this on, but at age 17 I could not understand what happened or why.”

At 53, Scott Cross had waited more than three decades to talk to anyone about the incident in which, he said, his high school wrestling coach sexually molested him. By the time he shared his story — with family, prosecutors and then to a packed courtroom — his alleged sexual abuser, Dennis Hastert, had escaped prosecution.

Yes, the former coach and U.S. House Speaker was prosecuted, but on a relatively minor financial violation — a wrinkle in the high-profile case that has renewed debate in Illinois and other states over the statute of limitations for cases involving sexual abuse of children. U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin addressed the missed opportunity when he sentenced Hastert to 15 months in prison for making illegal bank withdrawals that prosecutors discovered were part of a hush-money agreement with one of Hastert’s victims.

“Because the statute of limitations for your child molestation ran out many years ago, you can’t be charged for that,” Durkin said at the April 27 sentencing. “And I can’t sentence you as a child molester. It’s not what you were charged with, it’s not what you’ve pled guilty to, and any sentence I give you today will pale in comparison to what you would have faced in state court.”

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 TUESDAY, MAY 3RD 2016

HOLLIDAYSBURG — It has been two months since the grand jury report into the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown was released.

One man said Bishop Mark Bartchak isn’t doing enough and there is more corruption in the diocese.

George Foster is a name that might sound familiar. He kept records detailing church sex abuse, long before the grand jury report was issued.

Tuesday, Foster said the abuse allegations are only the tip of the iceberg and is calling on the bishop to do more.

The Hollidaysburg man also recently took out an ad in a local newspaper airing his frustrations.

“I met with this current bishop on more than one occasions and talked to him for several hours about how this problem got here in the diocese . The children molestation that was brought up is only part of the problem, the real problem is the problem of priestly immorality,” Foster 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.

AUSTRALIA
Armidale Express

DANNIELLE MAGUIRE and EMMA PARTRIDGE
May 4, 2016

ARMIDALE Bishop Michael Kennedy has apologised to victims of John Joseph Farrell after the ex-priest was sentenced on Monday to a maximum of 29 years in prison for sexually abusing children.

Nine altar boys and three girls were preyed on by Farrell, also known as “Father F”, between 1979 and 1988 in Armidale, Moree and Tamworth.

He will spend at least 18 years in prison, with a maximum sentence of 29 years.

The former priest was informed of his fate at Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court.

Bishop Kennedy issued his apology in a statement after the sentencing hearing.

“I cannot change past actions and failures, however, I do once more offer all victims of abuse and their families my deepest, heartfelt and unequivocal apology,” he 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.

CONNECTICUT
New Haven Register

By Anna Bisaro, New Haven Register
POSTED: 05/03/16

BRIDGEPORT >> Former New Haven police commissioner Rabbi Daniel Greer is accused in a federal lawsuit of the rape of a student at a Jewish school in the city.

More than 10 years after the alleged abuse, a former student at the Yeshiva of New Haven and The Gan School, Eliyahu Mirlis, now 28, is claiming he was raped by Greer during his sophomore, junior and senior years as a boarding student.

Greer served as the rabbi, school principal, chief administrator, president, director and treasurer of the schools at the time of the alleged abuse, according to the federal complaint filed in U.S. District Court.

“Dozens and dozens of times for a period of years, Greer sexually assaulted and abused a young boy in his care,”said the victim’s attorney, Antonio Ponvert III of the Bridgeport-based firm Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder. “The complaint describes a child molester who, as all child molesters do, preyed on a vulnerable child.”

According to the federal complaint, Mirlis was 15 when the abuse started and Greer was in his 60s.

The complaint alleges that the sexual abuse sometimes lasted entire nights and Mirlis was forced to partake in sexual acts, to watch pornography, and was provided alcohol by Greer. The alleged abuse occurred on school property, in Greer’s bedroom, in motels in Branford and in some rental properties in New Haven owned by the schools, according to the complaint.

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.

CONNECTICUT
CT Post

By Daniel Tepfer

BRIDGEPORT — A New Haven rabbi is accused of sexually assaulting a teenage student in the school he runs, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court.

The lawsuit claims Rabbi Daniel Greer, a former New Haven city police commissioner, sexually assaulted the teen over a three-year period beginning in the fall of 2002.

The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, also names The Yeshiva of New Haven, Inc. and The Gan School, Inc. as defendants.

“Dozens and dozens of times for a period of years, Greer sexually assaulted and abused a young boy in his care,” said the plaintiff’s lawyer, Antonio Ponvert III of the Bridgeport-based firm Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder.

Greer has not been criminally charged. His lawyer, William Ward, denied the allegations levied against his client.

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.

CONNECTICUT
Hartford Courant

Christine Dempsey

BRIDGEPORT — In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, a New Jersey man accuses a prominent rabbi from New Haven of repeatedly sexually assaulting him when he was a teenager.

The target of the allegation is Rabbi Daniel Greer, a well-known member of the Orthodox Jewish community in New Haven and a former member of the city’s board of police commissioners and governor’s commission on school choice. The suit was filed electronically in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport Tuesday morning, a court clerk said.

The suit names as co-defendants two schools run by the rabbi, Yeshiva of New Haven, Inc. and The Gan School, Inc. It accused the schools of “allowing the violent sexual abuse to continue unabated for years.”

It alleges that Greer sexually abused another male student as well.

According to a copy of the lawsuit, the plaintiff was sexually abused over three years, starting when he was 15. The copy was provided by attorney Antonio Ponvert III of Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder.

During this time, the plaintiff was forced to engage in sexual acts and he was frequently given alcohol by Greer, the lawsuit said. It also said Greer showed the plaintiff pornographic films.

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.

CONNECTICUT
PRNewswire

from Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder

BRIDGEPORT, Conn., May 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — A federal lawsuit was filed today against Rabbi Daniel Greer, a prominent member of the Orthodox Jewish community in New Haven and the former New Haven City Police Commissioner.

The other defendants in the lawsuit are Yeshiva of New Haven, Inc. and The Gan School, Inc., both accused of allowing the violent sexual abuse to continue unabated for years. The plaintiff is Eliyahu Mirlis, who as a child attended the Yeshiva and school, where Greer was the rabbi and school principal.

“Dozens and dozens of times for a period of years, Greer sexually assaulted and abused a young boy in his care. He was in his 60’s. The victim was a teenager. The complaint describes a child-molester who, as all child-molesters do, preyed on a vulnerable child,” said the victim’s attorney, Antonio Ponvert III of the Bridgeport-based firm Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder.

“Greer has never been criminally punished. He has never taken responsibility. This lawsuit will force him to answer for his crimes,” Ponvert said.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court because the victim resides in New Jersey.

The lawsuit claims that beginning in the fall of 2002 and continuing for the entirety of the victim’s sophomore, junior and senior high school years, when he was 15, 16 and 17 years old, “Rabbi Greer repeatedly and continuously sexually abused, exploited, and assaulted him.”

Rabbi Greer “forced (the minor) to engage in acts of sex with him, including forced fellatio, anal sex, fondling and masturbation,” the lawsuit says. He frequently gave the youth alcohol and showed him pornographic films at the time of the rapes and assaults, the lawsuit adds.

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.

CONNECTICUT
JTA

(JTA) — A former student of a Connecticut rabbi has claimed the Orthodox leader and yeshiva principal raped and molested him hundreds of times.

In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court, Eliyahu Mirlis, 28, accused Rabbi Daniel Greer of sexually abusing him at a Jewish boarding school in New Haven from 2001 to 2005, The Associated Press reported.

Greer did not return the AP’s messages seeking comment Monday and Tuesday. His lawyer, William Ward, said the rabbi denies the allegations and he asked the public to withhold judgment until evidence is presented.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. Other defendants besides Greer are the Yeshiva of New Haven, a boys high school, and The Gan School, a coed elementary school Greer leads. The lawsuit also accuses Greer, now 75, of sexually abusing at least one other boy at the boarding 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.

CONNECTICUT
New Zealand Herald

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) The Latest on a lawsuit accusing a Connecticut rabbi of sexually abusing a Jewish boarding school student (all times local):

12:15 p.m.

A Connecticut rabbi denies allegations in a lawsuit that he raped and molested a teenager hundreds of times when the boy was a student at a Jewish boarding school in New Haven more than a decade ago.

The lawsuit by Eliyahu (el-ee-YAH’-hu) Mirlis, now 28, of New Jersey, was filed Tuesday in federal court and seeks unspecified damages. It accuses Rabbi Daniel Greer, principal of Yeshiva of New Haven, of sexual abuse. The Associated Press generally doesn’t name people who allege sexual assault, but Mirlis wanted to come forward, his lawyer said.

Greer’s attorney, William Ward, said Greer denies the allegations and is now forced to prove they are false. Ward asked the public to ask for evidence before rushing to judgment.

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.

CONNECTICUT
Wall Street Journal

By JOSEPH DE AVILA
May 3, 2016

A prominent Orthodox Jewish rabbi from New Haven, Conn., was accused in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday of sexually abusing a former student.

The civil lawsuit alleges that Rabbi Daniel Greer, principal of a high school called the Yeshiva of New Haven, repeatedly abused a male student beginning in the fall of 2002, when the plaintiff was 15 years old and a sophomore. The plaintiff alleges that the abuse continued through his senior year.

William Ward, an attorney for Rabbi Greer, said he hadn’t reviewed the complaint and couldn’t comment on specific allegations.

“It only takes a moment to make allegations with despicable indifference to the consequences of the damages they would cause my client, his family and his reputation that he spent a lifetime building within his community,” he said.

“This is a difficult time for my client and his family,” Mr. Ward continued, “but I would remind the public to ask for evidence before rushing to judgment, as my client is now burdened with the task of proving that something did not happen 14 years ago.”

Rabbi Greer, 75 years old, also runs an elementary school in New Haven called the Gan School. He and his family drew national attention in the 1990s, when they were involved in a legal fight over coed dorms at Yale University, which his daughter attended.

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.

CONNECTICUT
Independent (UK)

Feliks Garcia New York @feliksjose

This article contains descriptions of sexual abuse of a minor.

A former student of a Connecticut Jewish boarding school has filed a lawsuit accusing a rabbi of sexually abusing him hundreds of times between 2001 and 2005.

The lawsuit filed by 28-year-old Eliyahu Mirlis seeks damages from the all-boys high school Yeshiva New Haven school, The Gan School, and Rabbi Daniel Greer, 75, who served as principal of both. According to the Associated Press, the suit alleges that the schools enabled the sexual abuse to continue for years.

Mr Mirlis – who expressed his wish to be named by AP and come forward – seeks unspecified damages. He is not pursuing criminal charges, but said he will cooperate with any ensuing criminal investigations, should they arise.

“Rabbi Greer was in his sixties when he forced minor Eli to engage in acts of sex with him,” the lawsuit reads. “Rabbi Greer frequently gave Eli alcohol at the time he raped and assaulted his child victim. Rabbi Greet showed Eli pornographic films.”

Mr Greer is also accused in the lawsuit of abusing Mr Mirlis on school grounds, at the rabbi’s home, at properties managed by the school, and in various motels in Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

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.

CONNECTICUT
Toronto Sun

Reuters

NEW YORK – A former police commissioner in New Haven, Connecticut, who became a rabbi is accused of sexually abusing a teenager in his care from 2001 to 2005, according to a federal lawsuit filed on Tuesday.

Daniel Greer, a well-known member of New Haven’s Orthodox Jewish community, is accused of sexually abusing Eliyahu Mirlis over three years while he was a boarding student at Yeshiva of New Haven and the Gan School, two religious schools operated by Greer.

Mirlis, who is now 28 years old and living in New Jersey, filed the lawsuit against Greer and the schools in U.S. District Court of Connecticut, seeking unspecified damages.

Mirlis’s attorney, Antonio Ponvert, said he planned to speak with New Haven police about the matter, suggesting he may seek criminal charges. Connecticut’s statute of limitations, he said, gives his client 30 years to file his complaint from the time he turned age 18.

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.

ILLINOIS
Aurora Beacon-News

Dan Campana
Aurora Beacon-News

Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon backs a bill seeking to remove a time limit on the prosecution of felony sex crimes involving minors.

Such legislation was introduced in Springfield last week after former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s admission he sexually abused teen boys decades ago.

State Rep. Keith Wheeler, R-North Aurora, sponsored the proposed change to state law which currently allows for felony sex crimes against a minor to be charged, at most, 20 years after the victim’s 18th birthday. Wheeler’s amendment would remove that limitation for felonies, while extending to 20 years the time after a minor victim turns 18 for a misdemeanor sex abuse charge to be filed, according to the bill.

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
Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown

Story Date:
2016-05-03

The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown is committed to publishing on its website a list of Diocesan priests who were the subject of credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors and the current status of each. Click here to view the list. Please note: the list is a working document and will be updated as more information becomes available and is confirmed.

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

By Carolyn Donaldson | cdonaldson@wtajtv.com
Published 05/03 2016

Hollidaysburg, Blair County

The leader of the Altoona/Johnstown Catholic Diocese responds to claims that he and his office aren’t doing enough in the wake of the Attorney General’s investigation.

Bishop Mark Bartchak says allegations that he is ignoring complaints concerning priests who have been accused of sexual abuse of minors is simply false.

The Bishop’s statement in full:

“An allegation has been recently made that I am knowingly ignoring complaints or allegations concerning diocesan priests or religious persons who have been accused of sexual abuse of minors. This is simply false. I remain committed to the protection of children and young people.

In every single case where an allegation of abuse of a minor has been made, an immediate referral to law enforcement has been made and the reporter of the allegation has been encouraged to call the Hotline established by the State Attorney General’s office.

In addition to our immediate reporting, I have and will continue to take action by suspending any member of the diocesan clergy from all public ministry and prohibiting religious from exercising public ministry in our Diocese.
In regard to cases not involving abuse of a minor, the Diocese will continue to take the necessary steps so that those who serve in the Church are suitable for the ministry entrusted to them.”

The Bishop’s office also posted online a list of priests who were the subject of credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors and the current status of each. They note the list is a working document and will be updated as more information becomes available and is confirmed.

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 Altoona Mirror

May 3, 2016

By Russ O’Reilly ( roreilly@altoonamirror.com) ,The Altoona Mirror

A Catholic layman who aided a state investigation into sexual abuse in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown said Bishop Mark L. Bartchak isn’t interested in addressing allegations involving corruption of additional clergy not mentioned in the grand jury report.

“The Attorney General’s report was just the tip of the iceberg,” local businessman George Foster said.

The grand jury report issued by Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane in February states that former Bishop Joseph Adamec largely ignored or downplayed Foster’s reports of priestly misconduct with minors that he gathered from victims of the abuse.

Foster has encountered a similar response from Bartchak, he wrote in a paid advertisement published in Sunday’s Mirror.

Diocese spokesman Tony DeGol said a response to Foster’s allegations will come today.

In the wake of the grand jury report that documented abuses of dozens of priests and religious leaders over the past 40 years, Bartchak promised to “publish a list of priests who have been subject of credible allegations.”

Foster said he has knowledge that Bartchak is choosing not to investigate. And Bartchak’s inaction allows corruption to breed, Foster said.

“The problem we have now, is that the Attorney General’s Office only addressed priests who they had information on at the time who would be a risk to children. They did not address priests who have been misbehaving in the diocese.”

For example, he said, sources have told him about priests in love triangles with clergy who were named in the grand jury report as child molesters though they themselves were not sexually involved with the child in the triangle.

In other cases, priests were to have made online transactions for sex. In another case, a priest allegedly slept with another man who sought counseling from him, “to show him that sleeping with a man is OK,” he said.

“In Catholicism, these are reasons to remove priests and religious leaders. They are criminal activity in the Catholic world, and they are the same people that hide child molesters or participate in that activity, or hide some other things that’s going wrong in the church,” Foster said.

Foster has been stoking a need to purge the diocese of child-molesting and sexually active priests since about 2000 when he began investigating rumors bubbling within the local Catholic community.

Some of those rumors involved Monsignor Thomas Mabon, his wife’s uncle.

Asked whether he treated Mabon any differently than other accused priests, he laughed.

“I have a Mabon file an inch thick. I confronted him. Mabon denied it. I told him, ‘You will be banned from this house if you are lying.'”

Bishop Adamec, he said, even tried to use that family connection to stop Foster’s investigation.

“Bishop Joseph used it as one of his ways to get me to stop. He removed Mabon and said to him ‘This is your nephew’s fault because he won’t stop this.'”

All of Foster’s records that were largely ignored by Adamec, he said, were subpoenaed by the Attorney General.

Investigators also seized archives from the diocesan chancery.

According to the grand jury report, approximately 115,042 documents were removed from administrative offices of the diocese. Those files led investigators to conclude there were at least 50 priests and religious who were child molesters.

But to divide those pages by the 50 priests and others named in the report would mean the diocese had 2,300 pages for each one. And that is not likely, Foster said.

Hidden in those 115,000 pages are likely to be more priests and religious leaders in the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese, inactive and active, who parishioners would not want around their children, Foster said.

On Monday, Deputy Attorney General Dan Dye said he was limited to discussing the investigation because the Office of Attorney General is obligated to investigate violations of criminal law only.

“George Foster’s ad is not a product of our investigation. It is something he has sought to pursue in regards to the diocese,” he said.

“We are tasked with enforcing criminal law. If it falls outside of that, then it’s not something we would be addressing,” he said.

“In any grand jury investigation we are limited to what we can discuss,” he 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.

UNITED STATES
Commonweal

John Gehring
May 3, 2016

Tony Spence, editor-in-chief of Catholic News Service (CNS) for more than a decade, abruptly resigned last month at the request of an official at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The reason? Spence had posted tweets about legislation to protect religious liberty passed in North Carolina, Mississippi, and Tennessee, which would deny legal protections to LGBT people. “Stupid evidently contagious,” Spence wrote in one tweet that linked to a Reuters article about a Tennessee law allowing mental health counselors to refuse treatment to patients on religious grounds. In response to Spence’s tweets, self-appointed Catholic watchdog groups that in the past have targeted other conference officials unleashed a flurry of blog posts accusing the editor of “promoting the LGBT agenda.” This proved too much for the USCCB, which has made religious-liberty issues a priority in recent years and puts significant institutional muscle into promoting its annual anti-Obamacare “Fortnight for Freedom” campaign.

“That was the only imprudent tweet,” Spence told me in an interview last week. “I was so upset because Tennessee was my home state. The legislature lost its mind. But it’s not imprudent to say what has been happening in North Carolina. LGBT rights and other rights just went out the window. It’s just a fact.”

Spence, who in 2010 won the top award given by the Catholic Press Association and has been a consultant in the past to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, said he was “shocked” to be forced out and told to immediately leave his post without the chance to address his colleagues. “I’ve heard from staff and from people all over creation. There’s been a lot of support,” he said. The former editor has observed a growing tension and anxiety among some Catholic leaders. “I think it’s a very tense time in the American church and some things are off limits for discussion in any kind of rational way,” Spence said. “It’s difficult to talk about religious liberty, sexuality, women’s issues. But we don’t live in a Catholic bubble. We’re a country of 320 million people.”

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.

NEW YORK
TWC News

A judge has chosen to throw out one suspect’s guilty plea in a child porn case linked with an elementary school in Syracuse.

Jason Kopp was in court Monday and was expected to admit guilt to his role in the sexual exploitation case.

Defense attorneys say Kopp would not admit to the actions of the second suspect in the case — Emily Oberst. The deal would have made Kopp admit that Oberst sent him illicit photos without a reduction of charges.

The plea was rejected by the judge and both sides will return to court next week.

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.

SOUTH CAROLINA
WBTV

FLORENCE, SC (FOX Carolina) – A NewSpring volunteer is accused of criminal sexual conduct involving a minor.

The Florence Police Department said 20-year-old Leo La Salle Comissiong is accused of kissing and fondling a 15-year-old victim inside the church on North Cashua Drive. The victim told police Comissiong was his volunteer youth group leader.

Comissiong was arrested on Friday and charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

A spokesperson for NewSpring Church released the following statement regarding the case:

On Sunday, April 24, 2016, a NewSpring Church staff member saw Leo La Salle Comissiong III enter an unoccupied room with a 15 year old. The staff member immediately entered the room and questioned Comissiong. Comissiong denied any wrongdoing at that time. Because we take the safety of minors very seriously, we never allow adults to be alone with children or teens while on a NewSpring Campus. NewSpring Church questioned Comissiong again, and at that time removed him from volunteering in any capacity at NewSpring.

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.

NEW YORK
Legislative Gazette

By Michael Pugliese, Gazette staff writer on May 3, 2016

Assemblywoman Margaret Markey and Senator Brad Hoylman are sponsors of a bill that would eliminate the civil statute of limitations for child sexual abuse crimes. The legislation also includes a one-year window during which the statute of limitations is suspended so older victims can seek justice.

Markey will screen the Academy Award winning film “Spotlight,” in the Empire State Plaza this week during a two-day event organized to raise support for the Child Victims Act, The film depicts the true story of how The Boston Globe uncovered a scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese.

The Child Victims Act (A.2872/S.0063A) would eliminate the current statute of limitations, which requires a child abuse victim to file criminal or civil charges by the time they turn 23 years of age. The bill would also create a one-year window during which older victims of previous crimes could come forward to seek justice for the crimes committed against them. The sponsors say the problem with the current system is that there are many child abuse victims who take years, and sometimes decades, to speak about or even tell anybody what happened.

The bill has been adopted in the Democratic-controlled Assembly four times since 2006, but has never made it to the Republican-controlled Senate floor for a vote. Last year, despite having a record number of sponsors, including many Republicans, the bill did not make it through once again.

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.

NEW YORK
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Monday, May 2, 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)

Today, a Syracuse man will likely plead guilty in a child pornography case. Regardless of what happens in court, however, Syracuse Bishop Robert Cunningham has a moral and civic duty to aggressively seek out others who may have suspicions or knowledge of his crimes and beg them to call law enforcement.

Jason Kopp of Liverpool, along with an aide at All Saints elementary school and day care center, helped created child sexual images. The FBI found naked photos of an All Saints child in a school bathroom at the school, according to Syracuse.com. Kopp’s alleged co-conspirator in these crimes was Emily Oberst, who was an aide at the school.

[Syracuse.com]

For the safety of kids and the healing of victims, we hope Kopp gets a long as possible. And we hope that Syracuse Catholic officials, especially Bishop Cunningham, will spread this news and use church bulletins, pulpit announcements, and church websites to aggressively seek out others who he may have hurt. We believe that’s their moral and civic duty.

[BishopAccountability.org]

Bishop Cunningham has a troubling track record in abuse and cover up cases:

[Syracuse.com]

No matter what courts or church officials do or don’t do, we urge every single person who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes and cover ups in Catholic churches or institutions to protect kids by calling police, get help by calling therapists, expose wrongdoers by calling law enforcement, get justice by calling attorneys, and be comforted by calling support groups like ours. This is how kids will be safer, adults will recover, criminals will be prosecuted, cover ups will be deterred and the truth will surface.

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.

NEW YORK
Times Union

By Rick Karlin, Capitol bureau on May 3, 2016

Encouraged by a recent series in the NY Daily News and support of Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, Assemblywoman Margaret Markey on Tuesday renewed her decade-long push to remove New York’s statute of limitations for punishing those who sexually abuse children.

“This is the year to change that deplorable legislation,” Markey said, referring to the state’s current statute which requires victims to come forward by age 23.

With many saying that is too soon for victims to come to grips with what had happened to them, Markey and others have called for lifting the statute of limitations. They note that because of the current law, New York is one of the most difficult states for victims to confront their abusers under the legal system.

Markey. of Queens, was joined by fellow Democrats David Weprin and Linda Rosenthal in the Assemby and Senator Brad Hoylman as well as Jewish and other religious groups in what is planned as a two-day series of events.

That includes a roundtable discussion of on “Sports, schools and youth,” and a talk about the award winning film. “Spotlight,” which chronicled the Boston Globe’s expose of abuse coverups among 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.

AUSTRALIA
The Courier

Melissa Cunningham
May 3, 2016

Pope Francis has confirmed Ballarat born Cardinal George Pell will stay on as the Vatican’s top financial official until at least 2019, despite mounting speculation he would step down after his 75th birthday next month.

Cardinal Pell faced has intense scrutiny across the world for both his role in the Vatican’s financial reform and his response to allegations of child sexual abuse cases as a priest and bishop in Ballarat and Melbourne.

The news reportedly came in a statement from Cardinal Pell’s office in Rome this week.

It followed a visit last week by Pope Francis to the offices of the Secretariat for the Economy, which is the Vatican’s new lead agency for financial administration.

Reports following the visit outlined Cardinal Pell still had Pope Francis’s full support.

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
Valley News Live

May 03, 2016
By: Neil Carlson

CROOKSTON, Minn. (Valley News Live) – The Catholic Church says, claims that Father Joseph Jeyapaul has been reinstated to the ministry in India are false.

Jeyapaul was convicted of sexual abuse at his church in Greenbush, served prison time and return to his native county of India.

Now in a letter to parishioners, after talking with the Bishop in charge of Father Jeyapaul in India, Bishop Michael Hoeppner of Crookston says in part:

“…have been assured that he ordered that Father Jeyapaul have no ministry in parishes…. no ministry with minors. He has directed Father Jeyapaul to live in a home for retired clergy. At no time after he served his time in jail and returned to India has Father Jeyapaul been assigned to a public ministry.”

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
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: Born in Ireland, Charles J. Gormly was ordained for the Cheyenne WY diocese in 1935. He left the diocese in the mid-1940s. His whereabouts until 1960 are unclear, but there are indications he was in the Diocese of Crookston MN for at least some of that time, as well as in treatment at Via Coeli in Jemez Springs NM. Letters written by Bishop Francis Schenk in 1960 and 1961 stated Gormly had a history of molesting small girls and that, despite his poor “record in Crookston,” he wanted to give Gormly “one more chance.” Schenk was bishop in Crookston until 1959, when he was appointed to the Duluth diocese. He allowed Gormly to work under him in Duluth from July 1960 until June 1961, at which time Gormly was removed and sent to a Milwaukee WI hospital for psychiatric treatment. Gormly was thereafter absent on leave. He died in January 1968. In a 2014 lawsuit, Gormly was accused of sexually abusing a girl while assigned to a parish in the Diocese of Duluth during 1960-61.

Ordained: May 26, 1935
Died: January 11, 1968

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

CANADA
Winnipeg Free Press

By: The Canadian Press
Posted: 05/3/2016

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – A lawyer for plaintiffs who attended residential schools in Newfoundland and Labrador says an update on compensation talks is coming May 10.

Steven Cooper says all parties have agreed not to say more until they appear that day before a judge in provincial Supreme Court.

Lawyers for former students alleging abuse and cultural losses have been working with federal lawyers to reach a settlement by the end of May.

Otherwise, Cooper says the lawsuit would go ahead in September.

About 1,200 plaintiffs were left out of a federal apology in 2008 and related compensation package.

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
Liverpool Echo

BY NEIL DOCKING

A paedophile priest who abused three boys while working as a scout leader was jailed for four years.

John Michael Creagh, 79, was handed nine months in prison in 1992 after molesting a boy at a Roman Catholic boarding school in Berkshire.

Today, Liverpool Crown Court heard how the pervert had previously been a scoutmaster in Ormskirk .

He sexually abused three scouts in the 1970s, when he was in his late 30s, but the offences only came to light last year.

Judge Norman Wright said: “For your own selfish sexual desires you have cast a blight over the lives of some of those boys.

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.

NEW YORK
Catholic League

Bill Donohue comments on bills pending in the New York State capital:

No one who purports to be interested in the sexual abuse of minors can be taken seriously if his bill exempts the majority of institutions where the molestation occurs. That is why Assemblywoman Margaret Markey is not an honest broker: her bill lifting the statute of limitations gives the public schools a pass. Indeed, with the exception of 2009, every bill she ever introduced has exempted public institutions. The one time she included them, the public school establishment went bonkers.

There are other bills that make more sense. Sen. Brad Hoylman has amended his bill to cover public entities, and he is to be commended for doing so. Still, the bill introduced by Assemblyman Mike Cusick and Sen. Andrew Lanza is preferable.

Their bill would prospectively extend the age by which victims could bring a lawsuit from 23 to 28. It would also apply equally to both the private and public sectors. What it will not do is to provide a “look-back” period where suits can be filed for alleged abuse occurring decades ago.

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.

CALIFORNIA
PR*Urgent

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOS ANGELES, CA — National advocacy organizations for education and prevention of childhood sexual abuse are leading a protest at the inaugural opening of Whole Foods 365 store, May 25 in Los Angeles.

The protest is in response to Whole Foods co-founder and co-CEO John Mackey’s link to spiritual teacher and former rabbi Marc Gafni, as reported by The New York Times in December. Planning is underway for a coordinated protest at a Whole Foods store in New York City.

SNAP (Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests), NAASCA (National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse), and Peaceful Hearts Foundation (founded by Matthew Sandusky) are backing the protest.

On December 25, 2015, The New York Times reported Mackey’s affiliation with Gafni: “He [Gafni] added, ‘She was 14 going on 35, and I never forced her.'” And, “A co-founder of Whole Foods, John Mackey, a proponent of conscious capitalism, calls Mr. Gafni ‘a bold visionary.’ He is a chairman of the executive board of Mr. Gafni’s center, and he hosts board meetings at his Texas ranch.”

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.

ILLINOIS
Northern Public Radio

By CHASE CAVANAUGH

Legislation introduced in Springfield would remove Illinois’ Statute of Limitations for prosecuting child sex offenders.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan called for the measure last week when former US House Speaker Dennis Hastert admitted to sexually abusing teens. Illinois no longer has a statute of limitations for child sex abuse cases when corroborating physical evidence exists, or when someone legally required to report the crime fails to do so. Thus the new proposal only affects the 20-year cutoff in cases where these circumstances don’t apply.

Madigan says it’s time for the cutoff to end, even if it affects a limited number of cases.

“We’re not saying that by eliminating the Statute of Limitations, we’re going to see a flood of allegations being brought that will result in criminal convictions. But what we are saying, is that there will not be an arbitrary cutoff,” she said.

Madigan says changing the law would not affect cases like Hastert’s, where the Statute of Limitations expired. But in other cases, she says it would give people victimized as children and teens more time to come 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
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Monday, May 2, 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)

Last Friday, a serial predator priest – who worked in Philadelphia and abused kids in Oklahoma – was sentenced to 20-40 more years behind bars for more child sex crimes he committed in Michigan. For the safety of kids and the healing of victims, we hope he stays behind bars for as long as possible. And we hope that Philadelphia Catholic officials will spread this news and use church bulletins, pulpit announcements, and church websites to aggressively seek out others who he may have hurt.

[BishopAccountability.org]

[BishopAccountability.org]

[Detroit Free Press]

[WILX]

We’re grateful that Fr. James Francis Rapp was charged again, pled guilty to more child sex crimes.

Because of his crimes in Oklahoma, Fr. Rapp is already in prison. So it would have been easy for law enforcement to look the other way when more victims surfaced.

But Michigan’s attorney general filed more child sex charges against him for molesting kids at a Catholic high school in Jackson in the 1980s.

Once a child molester is convicted, many people who could be helpful get complacent. They assume his sentence will stand, his appeals will fail, and he’ll be kept away from kids for many years. But often, child molesters – especially clerics – get top notch defense lawyers, exploit legal technicalities, and escape with little or no jail time. Then, when other victims, witnesses and whistleblowers find this out, it’s too late for them to really make a difference.

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.

VATICAN CITY
Crux

By John L. Allen Jr.
Editor May 3, 2016

For the last decade, there was a clear, slam-dunk answer to the question, “Who’s the most important American in the Vatican?” Everyone knew it was Peter Wells, an official of the Secretariat of State who was recently appointed the pope’s new ambassador to South Africa and made an archbishop.

There were other influential Americans over that span, including Cardinal William Levada, who headed the all-important Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under Pope Benedict XVI. Yet because of his smarts and his prodigious work ethic, Wells was the obligatory point of contact for any American who needed something in Rome.

With his departure, however, the question of who the new “go-to guy” is for Americans has become much harder to answer.

One could begin with the three American cardinals who currently hold positions in Rome:

* Cardinal James Harvey, Archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
* Cardinal Raymond Burke, Patron of the Order of Malta.
* Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

Meaning no disrespect, however, no one could confuse those posts with ones where real Vatican policy is set or political muscle is wielded.

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

CANADA
Sherwood Park News

By Ben Proulx, Sherwood Park News
Monday, May 2, 2016

An RCMP investigation into a local-area priest that involved a minor was not the first.

Father Ashok Mascarenhas was withdrawn from duty at Fort Saskatchewan’s Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church (OLA), and was sent back to India after an RCMP investigation explored claims related to potential sexual assault, which did not result in any charges.

Elk Island Catholic Schools confirmed the investigation involved a 15-year-old student. Superintendent Michael Hauptman said the incident did not take place on school grounds, while RCMP noted the complaint involved a priest being “inappropriate,” although they weren’t able to divulge further information.

Hauptman also said that in this most recent instance, EICS was not alerted of the allegations against Mascarenhas.

“Investigations are not public knowledge because what if (they) are found to be unfounded?” asked Const. Sean Morris of the Fort Saskatchewan RCMP. “If someone is investigated and found not guilty, that would not be something we would want to tarnish the individual’s name with.”

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.

NEW YORK
Times of Israel

Manny Waks

It is widely accepted that around 1 in 5 children – 20% of the population – experience some form of sexual abuse before they turn 18. We also know that a very small proportion of victims ever disclose their abuse and that those who do, typically do so more than twenty years after the fact. These alarming statistics highlight the prevalence as well as the long-term and profound impacts of child sexual abuse. But they also emphasise the urgent need to change the way in which the statute of limitations operates in some regions when it comes to cases of child sexual abuse. That upon attaining the age of 23 in New York, a victim loses the right to pursue justice (criminally or civilly) against their abuser, is out of touch with what we now know to be the reality of such cases.

Brave victims and survivors who muster the courage to disclose their abuse must have recourse to justice at whatever time they decide to come forward. Moreover, perpetrators must be held to account no matter how much time has passed after a particular offense, not only for the sake of justice but also to protect other children who might otherwise be vulnerable. It is simply absurd that an offender may receive lifelong immunity from their crimes through the passage of as little as five years and continue to pose a danger to children, while their victims typically spend decades working up the strength to talk about their detrimental life-changing experience, which often accompanies them for a lifetime.

I am therefore pleased that Kol v’Oz, a newly-established Israel-based organisation to address child sexual abuse in the global Jewish community, has assembled a broad and strong coalition of local and international Jewish organisations, leaders and rabbis to support the change to these outdated laws in New York (where the largest Jewish community exists outside Israel), which are considered the worst in the US alongside those in Alabama, Michigan and Mississippi.

I acknowledge and thank the many individuals and organisations – within and outside the Jewish community – who have been working tirelessly on these changes until now. Moreover, I would like to congratulate the numerous legislators who have been addressing this issue, most notably Assemblywoman Margaret Markey who initially proposed the Child Victims Act (also referred to as The Markey Bill) around a decade ago.

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.

NEW MEXICO
Las Cruces Sun-News

Russell Contreras, The Associated Press May 2, 2016

ALBUQUERQUE – A state agency tasked with protecting New Mexico children is launching a campaign Monday with a new website and meetings around the state aimed at getting more parents involved in fighting child abuse.

Featuring slick commercials starring Albuquerque-born UFC fighter Carlos Condit and images of children from New Mexico’s Hispanic neighborhoods and American Indian Reservations, the “Pull Together” campaign seeks to engage parents and create a movement to transform the way residents see child abuse, Children, Youth and Families Department Secretary Monique Jacobson told The Associated Press.

“It’s a call to action to get us all to care about our kids,” Jacobson said. “But we want to do it in a way that’s going to inspire action and inspire actual change.”

New Mexico Catholic leaders on Monday held a news conference to express skepticism about the campaign.

Santa Fe Archbishop John Wester and Las Cruces Bishop Oscar Cantú said state resources should instead be placed toward expanding earlier childhood education and programs fighting poverty.

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
The Detroit News

Robert Sirico May 3, 2016

Stories of betrayal, deceit and scandal related to Vatican finances have a long history. After roiling in years of heightened scandal and innuendo of even darker conspiracies, Pope Benedict XVI subjected the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), also known as the Vatican Bank, to international banking standards throughout 2010 and 2011 in order to force greater transparency and accountability.

After a leak of financial and other documents alleging corruption and scandal in various parts of the Roman Curia, calls for even greater reforms of the IOR and other financial management issues associated with the Holy See intensified.

Enter Pope Francis.

A strong indication of the newly elected pope’s seriousness in changing this was seen in the appointment of Australian Cardinal George Pell as Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy with full oversight of all economic and administrative activities within the Holy See and Vatican City State. The reform efforts proceeded at a steady pace with PricewaterhouseCoopers as external auditors. Their work was complicated by the fact that there is also an Office of Auditor General, an internal office that was set up by the pope last year.

Despite the complexities and overlaps, all of this augured hope. Until last week, that is.

I arrived in Rome to participate in a conference on Catholic social thought one day after Sen. Bernie Sanders departed after a similar engagement. The Democratic presidential candidate’s finger-wagging at Wall Street and his proposed financial industry reforms came to mind as the news broke that the much-touted audit of Vatican finances had been “suspended.”

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.

ARGENTINA/PARAGUAY
La Nacion

[Weeks ago a complaints alleging at least five Argentine priests who in the 1990s were investigated for different acts of sexual abuse that occurs in Argentina took refuge for more than 20 years in Paraguay. Some of them exercised their functions as priests even when the local bishopric had suspended these priests. An investigation by La Nacion in Paraguay was not release because as reported Friday by the Union of Journalists of Paraguay there was censorship. They accused the apostolic nunciature of that country for pressuring the newspaper to stop the series of publications.]

MARTES 03 DE MAYO DE 2016

Semanas atrás, se conoció públicamente parte de una denuncia que involucra a por lo menos cinco curas argentinos que en la década del 90 fueron investigados por diferentes hechos de abuso sexual ocurridos en nuestro país y que se refugiaron durante más de 20 años en Paraguay. Algunos de ellos ejercieron sus funciones aun cuando el obispado local los había suspendido por estas sospechas.

Sólo se difundió un caso, pero el resto de los hechos investigados por el diario La Nación de Paraguay aún no se dio a conocer porque, según denunció el último viernes el Sindicato de Periodistas del Paraguay, hubo censura para la continuidad de la serie “Iglesia oscura”. Algunos periodistas de ese diario y de otros medios paraguayos se movilizaron hasta la nunciatura apostólica de ese país, a la que acusaron de “presionar” para frenar la serie de publicaciones. Esta institución habría negado el hecho.

En una investigación realizada por aquel diario de Paraguay, que consta de varios capítulos, se reveló que los sacerdotes en cuestión habían sido “amparados por la Iglesia local con una llamativa actitud del Poder Judicial”.

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
WBEZ

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert was sentenced to over a year in prison for bank fraud, but he can’t be prosecuted for abusing four teen boys decades ago. That’s because the statute of limitations for those charges lapsed long ago.

Morning Shift dove into the subject of limitations, particularly around crimes involving sexual abuse of children.

Why do we have statutes of limitations?

The point of statutes of limitations is to give both sides of a case a fair chance at gathering evidence to present their case.

“There’s a concern, I think among law enforcement and prosecutors that you wait for a very long time and these crimes are very hard to prove,” said Illinois’ Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who is mounting an effort to abolish the statute of limitations for certain crimes against children.

As of January 2014, Illinois law gives victims of sexual abuse as a child until their 18th birthday, plus 20 years to report the crime, a time period that basically comes out of legislative wrangling.

“The goal is to balance the interests of the defendant against the interests of the alleged victims, and the 20 years represents some attempt to strike that balance appropriately,” explained Hugh Mundy, Assistant Professor at the John Marshall Law School.

Mundy added that when a crime is prosecuted many years after it happened, the conviction may offer the victim a sense of justice, but fails to achieve other goals of prosecution, like the protection of the public and rehabilitation of the perpetrator.

What problems do statutes of limitations cause?

There’s often a delay between when the crime is committed and when it’s reported, particularly around sex crimes against children, said Meg O’Rourke of the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center.

The perpetrator is generally someone the child knows and trusts and that “makes it really hard for the child to come forward,” she 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.

NEW YORK
New York Daily News

BY MARGARET MARKEY SPECIAL TO THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Monday, May 2, 2016

Dedicated advocates who want to see children protected from predators and many others are offended by the persistent cover-up child sex abuse crimes in schools, religious, sports and youth organizations are rallying in Albany for two days this week.

They are calling upon legislators to ask them to reform our statute of limitations laws that prevents most victims of these crimes from ever getting justice. These same too-short statute of limitations also encourages too many organizations and institutions to hide perpetrators and permits them to continue to molest new generations of children.

New York State lawmakers have prevented sex abuse victims from seeking justice as adults.
They want the Child Victims Act to become law to completely eliminate the statute of limitations for child sex abuse crimes. New York is among the very worst states in America for how it treats victims of childhood sexual abuse. The advocates and survivors of abuse who are coming to Albany this week want to change that deplorable situation.

During two days of public programs, we will hear from adults who are survivors of abuse. They will tell their stories of how they were molested as children and the consequences for their lives in a world that permits pedophiles to get away with their crimes. Survivors range from a world champion ice-skater, a teenage hockey player, a budding hip-hop artist, private and parochial school students and some abused by family members and neighbors. What they have in common is that their pleas for help were ignored, and their abusers have been protected by the existing statute of limitations.

We are also devoting a whole day to the message of the Academy Award-winning movie “Spotlight,” which tells about the Boston priest scandal where church hierarchy covered up for a notorious pedophile to continued his evil deeds.

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.

NEW YORK
New York Daily News

Editorial

New Yorkers are soon to discover whether the scarring of child sex abuse counts for a damn in a state capital dominated by money.

Men and women who were prey to adults will walk the Legislature on Tuesday and Wednesday to lobby for relaxation of statutes of limitation that all but rule out prosecutions and civil suits against pedophiles.

They will press their cases alongside pleaders for other legislation — many of whom are accompanied by highly paid, door openers. For starters, they must trust no one. Even lawmakers who claim to be on their side.

Because individual legislators are puppets of the bosses. Commiseration and handshakes are meaningless without the backing for Democratic Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, GOP Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan and Gov. Cuomo.

Democrats will say they support extending or eliminating the statute of limitations only if . . .

Republicans will say they support extending or eliminating the statute of limitations only if . . .

And never will the ifs match.

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.

NEW ZEALAND
Stuff

EMILY SPINK
May 3 2016

A Hollywood film has prompted new disclosures of historical sexual abuse suffered at the hands of religious officials in New Zealand.

Thirty new clients sought the services and support of the Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Trust following the release of Oscar-winning best picture Spotlight.

The film told the true story of a team of journalists from the Boston Globe, who exposed a cover-up of sexual abuse within the Catholic clergy through their Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation.

Trust manager and national advocate Ken Clearwater said the male victims of officials from various religions thought nobody would believe them, so they had not disclosed the abuse that happened to them years earlier.

“The sad part for me about Spotlight, is that people think ‘oh yeah that’s in America’, but it’s exactly the same here in New Zealand. We’ve got this view that things aren’t as bad, but the damage that these priests have done in NZ is just as bad as anywhere else in the world.”

The new clients came from across the country and included a former pupil of St Patrick’s College in Silverstream, Upper Hutt, where disgraced Catholic priest Alan Woodcock had taught.

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.

VIRGINIA
Hopewell News

By ASHLEY McLEOD Staff writer
May 2, 2016, 12:35

A Chesterfield man who volunteered as a youth pastor in a Colonial Heights church was sentenced April 25 on several charges stemming from his sexual abuse of several teens in his youth group.

Jeffrey Dale Clark, 47, appeared in Colonial Heights Circuit Court and Chesterfield Circuit Court on Monday, entering into a plea deal which led to a sentencing of a total of 25 years in prison.

The volunteer youth pastor was accused of sexual assaulting several boys from the youth group where he volunteered during a time period which spanned from 2010 until 2015, when the abuse came to light.

Clark was a volunteer youth pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Colonial Heights, where he had been going for a period of five years before leaving after the allegations of abuse were brought against him.

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.

NEW YORK
Times Union

By Casey Seiler, Capitol bureau chief on May 2, 2016

Attorney John Aretakis won’t get to make a victim impact statement at Tuesday’s sentencing of former Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

The controversial attorney, who has represented several Capital Region residents who brought suit against the Catholic Church for clergy sexual abuse claims, sent a Dec. 15 letter to the court charging Silver with yanking back his support for a bill that would have extended the statute of limitations for victims of such abuse.

Aretakis suggested Silver’s change of heart was a factor of the state Catholic Conference retaining the services of Patricia Lynch Associates, the firm run by Silver’s former top aide. (The letter was sent months before it was revealed that federal prosecutors had what they described as credible evidence that Silver had two extramarital affairs; Lynch was subsequently identified in numerous reports as being one of the women whose names were redacted in the unsealed court document, though she has remained silent on the matter.)

“Send him away for 20 years,” Aretakis wrote. “Victims of sexual abuse as children want Mr. Silver to have sufficient time away to think about how he abandoned victims, to line his own pockets and the pockets of Ms. Lynch, and other lobbyists that fed off Mr. Silver for decades.”

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 Andy Park

The former director of the NSW Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) says there is “clear evidence” the Catholic Church covered up the crimes of a paedophile priest.

John Joseph Farrell, formerly Father “F” under a decades-old suppression order, was sentenced to a minimum 18 years’ jail after being found guilty of 62 counts of child sex abuse in Armidale in the 1980s.

Pressure is mounting on the DPP to investigate the Catholic Church over its role in the cover-up of Farrell’s crimes, with the possibility of further criminal prosecution of senior Catholic Church leaders.

Since 1990, it has been against the law to conceal serious offences under 316 of the Crimes Act.

“I think this is very clear evidence of continuing cover-up,” former DPP director Nicholas Cowdery said.

“I don’t see how you can get away from that.”

Farrell has offered to give evidence against senior Catholic leaders who have repeatedly denied covering up his child sex crimes.

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.

NEW YORK
New York Daily News

BY LARRY MCSHANE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Monday, May 2, 2016

New York’s child sex abuse victims — silenced for decades by state law — will shout their message with a single voice this week to Albany politicians: Do something this time!

“I don’t understand why anybody wouldn’t pass this law,” said Mark Taylor, a victim who plans to join those lobbying for the Child Victims Act. “It’s a law that affects people. There’s no money coming out of the taxpayer’s pockets. Why not pass a bill that protects people?”

Proponents of the long-delayed, oft-rejected bill sponsored by Queens Assemblywoman Margaret Markey and Manhattan state Sen. Brad Hoylman are hopeful the bill will finally become a law. The pair will lead a two-day effort to convince state politicians that the time has come for its passage.

Supporters and victims like Taylor, 50, will arrive Tuesday for the two-day effort.

Taylor was sodomized by his Bronx high school principal, and still suffers from anxiety attacks and posttraumatic stress disorder. His $10 million lawsuit was derailed by state 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.

NEW YORK
New York Daily News

BY MARGARET MARKEY SPECIAL TO THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Monday, May 2, 2016

Dedicated advocates who want to see children protected from predators and many others are offended by the persistent cover-up child sex abuse crimes in schools, religious, sports and youth organizations are rallying in Albany for two days this week.

They are calling upon legislators to ask them to reform our statute of limitations laws that prevents most victims of these crimes from ever getting justice. These same too-short statute of limitations also encourages too many organizations and institutions to hide perpetrators and permits them to continue to molest new generations of children.

New York State lawmakers have prevented sex abuse victims from seeking justice as adults.

They want the Child Victims Act to become law to completely eliminate the statute of limitations for child sex abuse crimes. New York is among the very worst states in America for how it treats victims of childhood sexual abuse. The advocates and survivors of abuse who are coming to Albany this week want to change that deplorable situation.

During two days of public programs, we will hear from adults who are survivors of abuse. They will tell their stories of how they were molested as children and the consequences for their lives in a world that permits pedophiles to get away with their crimes. Survivors range from a world champion ice-skater, a teenage hockey player, a budding hip-hop artist, private and parochial school students and some abused by family members and neighbors. What they have in common is that their pleas for help were ignored, and their abusers have been protected by the existing statute of limitations.

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.

NORTHERN IRELAND
The Irish News

ALLISON MORRIS
03 May, 2016

A PRIEST who was stood down from ministry following allegations of an affair with a parishioner, has been nominated by the Diocese of Down and Connor for a role as prison chaplain, to administer pastoral care to prisoners.

Fr Ciaran Dallat (52) “stepped aside” in 2015 following claims he had a two year affair with a Co Down businesswoman.

If appointed he would be the serving chaplain for all Maghaberry and Magilligan prisons as well as the detention centre at Hydebank Wood that houses both young offenders and female inmates.

A spokesman for the diocese confirmed yesterday that Fr Dallat had been “nominated” for the role. However, his appointment will depend on the Northern Ireland Office who are considering his appointment.

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
WDAY

Crookston, MN (WDAY TV) – A local priest is under investigation for sexual misconduct of a minor allegations.

The Crookston Diocese was notified Friday afternoon regarding the accusations against Father Pat Sullivan.

The attorney for the victim, who was 15 at the time – says the alleged acts happened in 2008 at St. Mary’s Mission in Red Lake.

Monsignor Mike Foltz says Father Sullivan was put on administrative leave from St. Elizabeth in Dilworth and St. Andrew’s in Hawley during the investigation.

He adds that Father Sullivan claims to be innocent.

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.

NEW YORK
The Journal News

Jonathan Bandler, jbandler@lohud.com May 2, 2016

State police are investigating a video purporting to show a school principal in close physical contact with a young boy in the Orange County village of Kiryas Joel.

The video was widely circulated on the internet Monday.

The video camera appears to have been in the ceiling of the principal’s office. An 11-minute version of the video shows a man sitting down at a desk and drawing the young boy to him. As the boys stands between the man’s legs, the man appears to stroke the boy’s face and kiss him several times, shaking him occasionally and pulling him closer. Both remain clothed.

An administrator at the ultra Orthodox Jewish school, United Talmudical Academy, could not be reached. A call to the principal was not returned.

“We have received the video. We have looked at it,” Major Joseph Tripodo, commander of New York State Police Troop F in Middletown said. Tripodo said state police investigators have been looking into the matter along with the District Attorney’s Office and the Orange County Child Abuse Unit. He said it was premature to say whether a crime was committed.

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.

NEW YORK
New York Daily News

BY REUVEN BLAU NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Monday, May 2, 2016

Child advocates in the Jewish community spread a video through social media that appears to show a Hasidic school staffer forcibly touching and kissing a young male student.

The video, which surfaced on Facebook early Sunday and had 20,000 views by Monday afternoon, was prompting calls for a criminal investigation and stern rebukes by advocates who have repeatedly complained about the lack of transparency and oversight at private religious schools.

The yeshiva official works at the United Talmudical Academy in Kiryas Joel, N.Y., according to multiple sources.

The footage from an overhead camera shows the educator sitting directly in front of the young boy, who at one point clasps his hands over his pelvic area. At the end of the encounter, the school staffer opens the desk drawer, gives the child a candy, grabs the boy’s arms and then appears to put them near the man’s crotch, the video shows.

The school worker also seems to be kissing the child on the face for several seconds.

New York State police are looking into the circumstances of the video, a source familiar with the case 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.

NEW ZEALAND
Newstalk ZB

The Catholic Church has unreservedly apologised for the actions of a former priest who raped and indecently assaulted four young girls.

Peter Hercock, a former Chaplin at Sacred Heart College in Lower Hutt, was jailed by Judge Bill Hastings yesterday for six years and seven months after earlier admitting two charges of rape, one of attempted rape and four of indecently assaulting a girl aged between 12 and 16.

The offending happened in the 1970s and 1980s in the Hutt Valley, Wellington, against four Sacred Heart pupils.

Archbishop of Wellington Cardinal John Dew stated that these crimes should never happen.

“It brings shame on the church,” he said. “We would certainly want to apologise to them, and say how deeply sorry we are that they’ve suffered this terrible trauma.”

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
InForum

CROOKSTON, Minn.—A Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy on the Red Lake Reservation in 2008 has been removed from his present assignment as a pastor at St. Elizabeth Church in Dilworth and St. Andrew’s Church in Hawley, according to a Crookston Diocese official.

Jeff Anderson & Associates, a St. Paul law firm representing the boy, notified church officials Friday that the boy was accusing the Rev. Patrick Sullivan of sexual misconduct and was planning to sue the diocese, said Monsignor Mike Foltz, vicar general of the diocese.

Foltz said that when the diocese learned of the allegation, Sullivan was placed on administrative leave. “That means he cannot function as a priest until this is resolved,” Foltz said, adding that the church plans to investigate the matter.

Sullivan denies any wrongdoing, Foltz said. Sullivan has been a pastor in Dilworth and Hawley for seven years, and he previously spent 12 years as a priest in Red Lake, the vicar general said.

Mike Finnegan, the boy’s attorney, said the abuse happened at St. Mary’s Mission Church in Red Lake. Finnegan declined to divulge details of the 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.

MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Monday, May 2, 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)

Another accused Crookston predator priest has been suspended because of credible reports of child sex crimes. That makes at least seven publicly accused Crookston area child molesting Catholic clerics (according to BishopAccountability.org)

Bishop Michael Hoeppner should spread the word about this move far and wide and aggressively seek out others who may have seen, suspected or suffered the cleric’s crimes.

Over the weekend, Fr. Pat Sullivan was temporarily suspended for abuse that happened eight or nine years ago. He recently worked in Dillworth and Hawley.

[KVRR]

As best we can tell, Bishop Hoeppner told the fewest people possible about this troubling new abuse report: just Fr. Sullivan’s current parishioners. That’s self-serving and irresponsible.

Bishop Hoeppner did not, as best we can tell, inform the public about it. But the US bishops’ national abuse policy purportedly mandates “openness” in clergy sex abuse and cover up cases. Why is Bishop Hoeppner being so secretive?

A genuinely compassionate leader would have held a news conference, so police, prosecutors, parishioners, parents and the public would and promptly know about Fr. Sullivan and could do what they can to keep him away from kids and from destroying evidence, intimidating victims, threatening witnesses, discrediting whistleblowers or fleeing the country.

Or, Bishop Hoeppner should have sent a news release to Minnesota media and posted a notice on his diocesan website.

Instead, he did the absolute bare minimum. Shame on him.

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.

NEW YORK
Frum Follies

A very disturbing video was leaked onto WhatsApp of a school principal abusing a pre-pubescent boy who appears to be about eight years old. The viral video was taken from a hidden camera planted in the ceiling of the office of the principal of the Satmar (Aron faction) lower school (cheder) in Kiryas Joel, NY (KJ). Rabbi Moshe Hirsch Klein, the principal, is seen seated with the boy forced between his legs and with body and pelvic motions suggestive of masturbation. He uses his hands to alternately caress the boy’s body and face, and to pull him back as he repeatedly tries to get away. At times he also seems to be kissing the boy on his lips. The boy is obviously upset. Thankfully, the boy’s face is not visible and his identity is not disclosed through this video.

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.

NEW YORK
News 12

KIRYAS JOEL – A new video has sparked allegations of child sex abuse allegedly from inside an ultra-Orthodox Jewish school in Orange County.

The video was reportedly leaked from someone inside one of the largest yeshivas in Kiryas Joel and given to News 12 by concerned members of the Hasidic community.

The video seems to show a young Hasidic boy being held, jerked, caressed and seemingly kissed while between a man’s legs for 15 minutes. The boy is repeatedly seen trying to get away, and at one point appears to wipe tears from his eyes.

Hasidic education activist Naftuli Moster says the video was leaked by a frustrated staff member inside a Kiryas Joel yeshiva.

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
KVRR

TJ Nelson, 6 & 9 PM News Anchor / Producer / Reporter, tjnelson@kvrr.com

CLAY COUNTY, Minn. –
A Catholic priest with the Crookston Diocese is accused of sexual misconduct with a minor.

Father Pat Sullivan serves St. Elizabeth’s in Dilworth and St. Andrews in Hawley.

He has been in the Crookston Diocese since he was ordained in 1982.

He has been relieved of his duties while the investigation is underway.

The alleged sexual misconduct occurred about 8 years ago.

No criminal charges have been filed.

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.

NEW YORK
New York Daily News

BY LAURA BULT NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Updated: Monday, May 2, 2016

New York is “a national shame” when it comes to getting justice for victims of child sex abuse, say people who helped change the antiquated law in other states.

The Empire State lags behind states like Georgia, Massachusetts, Florida and Utah, all of which in the past several years have passed bills that lengthened the time victims have to bring their cases to court.

As New York Assemblywoman Margaret Markey and Sen. Brad Hoylman gear up for a two-day lobbying effort in Albany to support the Child Victims Act — which would eliminate statutes of limitations in child sex abuse cases — the people responsible for changing laws in other states are demanding that New York follow their lead.

COALITION OF JEWISH LEADERS BACKS CHILD VICTIMS ACT

“I don’t understand, frankly, what New York is waiting on,” blasted attorney Michael Dolce, a victim of sexual assault when he was a boy who won a six-year crusade to change statutes of limitations laws in 2010 his home state of Florida.

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.

NEW MEXICO
SFGate

Russell Contreras, Associated Press Monday, May 2, 2016

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Latest on a New Mexico campaign aimed at tackling child abuse (all times local):

3:45 p.m.

New Mexico Catholic leaders are expressing skepticism about a new “Pull Together” state campaign aimed at tackling child abuse.

Santa Fe Archbishop John Wester and Las Cruces Bishop Oscar Cantu said Monday that state resources should instead be placed toward expanding earlier childhood education and programs fighting poverty.

The new state-funded campaign features slick commercials and a new website to draw residents to revamped Children, Youth and Families Department programs like foster care and parenting tips.
Wester says the campaign underestimates the lack of internet access for people living in poverty.

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.

ILLINOIS
WAND

SPRINGFIELD – A bill is scheduled to be heard by the Illinois Senate’s Criminal Law Committee that would remove the statute of limitations for felony criminal sexual abuse and sex crimes against children.

Statute of limitations restricts the time during which authorities can charge someone with a crime.

The legislation is being introduced by State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) and was prompted by last week’s developments involving former Republican U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert. Hastert admitted in court that he sexually abused teenage boys when he was a wrestling coach in Yorkville.

In court last week, Judge Thomas Durkin noted Hastert avoided serious consequences because of the current statute of limitations in Illinois’ state courts.

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.

NEW YORK
Syracuse.com

By John O’Brien | jobrien@syracuse.com

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A Liverpool man admitted today that he sexually exploited three children to make child pornography, but wouldn’t acknowledge a prosecutor’s detailed accounting of the crimes.

James Kopp, 40, entered guilty pleas to 22 counts of sexual exploitation of a child and child pornography in a court appearance before U.S. District Judge Glenn Suddaby.

Then the judge asked Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Fletcher to state the evidence the government would’ve presented against Kopp at trial. She read a lengthy “offer of proof,” going into detail about Kopp’s alleged crimes.

Suddaby asked Kopp if he admitted to everything Fletcher read. Kopp’s lawyer, Randi Bianco, said he was still willing to plead guilty, but would not admit to the details.

Suddaby would not allow Kopp’s guilty plea to stand without a full admission of guilt.

“He either did it or he didn’t,” the judge said. “Or we can set a trial date.”

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.

MAINE
Portland Press Herald

BY BETTY ADAMS KENNEBEC JOURNAL
badams@mainetoday.com | 207-621-5631

AUGUSTA — A former co-director of a youth ministry program in Canaan accused of sexually abusing a child was in court Monday, the same day an affidavit released for the first time indicated multiple allegations of abuse.

Lucas Savage, 27, of Clinton, appeared at the Capital Judicial Center accompanied by the lawyer of the day, Andrew Dawson, rather than Savage’s attorney, Pamela Ames.

Savage told Judge Eric Walker that he understood the charge of unlawful sexual contact, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

According to the complaint, the offense occurred Sept. 1 -Oct. 31, 2014, in Clinton and involved a child younger than 12. The alleged victim was identified in court only by initials.

The judge said he would not be asking for Savage to enter a plea on the charge Monday.

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.

MAINE
WABI

MAY 2, 2016

BRANDON DOYEN

A Youth Pastor in Canaan charged with unlawful sexual contact made his first court appearance today in Augusta.

37-year-old Lucas Savage is accused of sexually abusing a young girl.

He was arrested last month.

Savage is the Director of Ministries for the Youth Haven Ministry.

According to court documents, the abuse took place at his home and other places.

Savage is free on bail.

Today the judge amended Savage’s bail conditions because he has a child on the way.

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.

MAINE
Seattle PI

CANAAN, Maine (AP) — Court documents indicated a youth minister’s wife was present when he allegedly sexually abused a girl.

Lucas Savage, who made his first court appearance on Monday, is charged with unlawful sexual contact of a child under the age of 12.

Police say the abuse happened in Savage’s home in Clinton.

WCSH-TV reports that an affidavit indicates his wife was sometimes in the room when Savage inappropriately touched his victim. The document mentioned the possibility of other victims, as well. The couple and a lawyer who has represented Savage did not immediately return telephone messages.

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.

NEW YORK
JTA

By Debra Nussbaum Cohen
May 2, 2016

NEW YORK (JTA) – Advocates for sexual abuse victims in the Orthodox Jewish community will be descending on New York’s state capital on May 3 to lobby the legislature to eliminate the statute of limitations for child sex abuse offenses.

A bill to change the statute of limitations has languished for years in a state legislative committee committee, due in large part to opposition from the Catholic Church and Agudath Israel of America.

The bill, known as the Child Victims Act, would “completely eliminate the civil statute of limitations for child sex abuse offenses in the future,” according to SOL Reform, an advocacy group that is sponsoring a series of panels and news conferences May 3 and 4.

It would also suspend the civil statute of limitations for one year, during which time the accuser could bring a civil lawsuit against a private educational organization no matter how far back the alleged abuse dates.

While the bill passed the New York State Assembly, it has been blocked in the State Senate in the decade since it was introduced.

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.

HAWAII
Courthouse News Service

by NICHOLAS FILLMORE

HONOLULU (CN) — Victims of childhood sexual abuse filed a spate of last-minute civil suits in Hawaii state court this past week, ahead of the Hawaii Legislature’s latest deadline to reenact the statute of limitations for sex-abuse cases.

In all, some 150 people have filed complaints in the four years since the Aloha State suspended the statute of limitations on noncriminal proceedings against sex offenders.

The lawsuits involve various parties as defendants, including the Roman Catholic Church of Hawaii, Kamehameha Schools, Boy Scouts of America, medical facilities, and state agencies. One case names the State Child Protective Services, which the plaintiff says removed him from an abusive home environment only to deliver him into the hands of a predatory foster father.

The original bill to set aside the statute of limitations in sex-abuse cases was set to expire in 2014, but compromise legislation authored by state Sen. Maile Shimabokuro kept the window for filing open another two years. The compromise came after former Gov. Neil Abercrombie vetoed a measure that would have eliminated the statute of limitations altogether.

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.

CALIFORNIA
Huffington Post

A top aide to the Los Angeles County sheriff has resigned over emails he sent mocking several different groups of minorities, including Muslims and Latinos.

Sheriff Jim McDonnell announced the departure of Tom Angel, his chief of staff, in a statement posted to Facebook on Sunday. He called the messages, which also made light of the Catholic child sex abuse scandal, “inappropriate and unprofessional.”

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
KFGO

Monday, May 02, 2016 by Don Haney

CROOKSTON (KFGO-AM) – Allegations of sexual misconduct of a minor by a Catholic priest who serves parishes in Clay County is under investigation.

The Crookston Catholic Diocese identifies the priest as Father Pat Sullivan. He serves St. Elizabeth’s in Dilworth and St. Andrews in Hawley. The priest denies the allegation.

Vicar General of the Crookston Diocese, Monsignor Mike Foltz says the Diocese was notified Friday afternoon of the allegation by an attorney representing the person making the claim and immediate action was taken to relieve Father Sullivan from his duties at both churches while the investigation is underway. The process could take several months or longer.

Monsignor Foltz says, “the process is all about coming to the truth.”

The alleged sexual misconduct occurred about 8 years ago. At this time, he would not identify where it allegedly occurred. He has been in contact with law enforcement but no criminal charges have been filed.

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.

OKLAHOMA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: May 2, 2016

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

Last Friday, a serial predator priest – who worked in Oklahoma and abused two Duncan boys – was sentenced to 40 years for more child sex crimes he committed in Michigan. For the safety of kids and the healing of victims, we hope he stays behind bars for as long as possible. And we hope that Oklahoma Catholic officials will spread this news and use church bulletins, pulpit announcements, and church websites to aggressively seek out others who he may have hurt.

[BishopAccountability.org]

[BishopAccountability.org]

[Detroit Free Press]

[WILX]

We’re grateful that Fr. James Francis Rapp was charged again, pled guilty to more child sex crimes.

Because of his crimes in Duncan, Fr. Rapp is already in prison in Oklahoma. So it would have been easy for law enforcement to look the other way when more victims surfaced.

But Michigan’s attorney general filed more child sex charges against him for molesting kids at a Catholic high school in Jackson in the 1980s.

Once a child molester is convicted, many people who could be helpful get complacent. They assume his sentence will stand, his appeals will fail, and he’ll be kept away from kids for many years. But often, child molesters – especially clerics – get top notch defense lawyers, exploit legal technicalities, and escape with little or no jail time. Then, when other victims, witnesses and whistleblowers find this out, it’s too late for them to really make a difference.

So we’re glad Michigan AG Bill Schuette was prudent, pro-active and successful here. Now, the odds that Rapp will ever walk free are even slimmer. And more of his victims feel vindicated.

There are two important lessons. First, these days, police and prosecutors are often more aggressive and creative about pursing child predators, even in older cases. (The old adage “where there’s a will, there’s a way,” fits here.) More law enforcement officials should follow Schuette’s example and consider going after even elderly child molesting clerics.

Second, no victim, witness or whistleblower should ever assume ‘it’s too late’ to seek justice. It’s our job to share what we know and suspect about possible child sex crimes. It’s the job of law enforcement to determine whether anything can be done. If we stay silent, we’re helping those who commit and conceal child sex crimes.

So if you saw, suspected or suffered any crimes or cover ups related to Fr. Rapp, it’s time to find the courage to speak up, so that the vulnerable can be protected, the wounded can be healed, the truth can be exposed and cover ups can be deterred.

Besides Michigan and Oklahoma, Fr. Rapp worked in four other states: Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York and Utah. Since for decades he was part of the Toledo-based Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, we strongly suspect he also spent time in Toledo.

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
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Monday, May 2, 2016

For more information: David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, davidgclohessy@gmail.com), Barbra Graber (540-214-8874, mennonite@snapnetwork.org), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003, bdorris@SNAPnetwork.org, Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, bblaine@snapnetwork.org)

Ten sex-offending church workers are listed on website

They’re from CA, PA, VA, OH, KS, OR, IN and Manitoba, Canada
Each is an admitted, convicted or credibly accused clergy or church employee
Group vows to “expose more who commit sex crimes & misdeeds against kids & adults”
Victims challenge Mennonite officials: “Burden of stopping predators shouldn’t fall on us”

A support group for survivors of sexual abuse is adding five more names to their recent on-line posting of what they call “sexual predators” in Anabaptist Mennonite institutions. The organization promises to keep expanding the list “for the protection of others.”

http://www.snapnetwork.org/mennonite_map

Called the Mennonite Abuse Prevention (MAP), their posting includes names and photos of Anabaptist Mennonite clergy and church workers who have been proven guilty of, have admitted to or been credibly accused of sexual misconduct, abuse, assault, and/or harassment.

Members of the Anabaptist Mennonite Chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org) have posted the list because, they say, Mennonite officials are not taking “meaningful action to effectively stop predators, or make this information easily available to church members or the public.”

Seven of them have been criminally charged and five of them pled guilty. Six of them worked in schools and five were ordained ministers. One of them has been sued civilly and the employer of another one, a high school, was sued for enabling crimes.

The whereabouts of two are unknown. One now works as a Christian counselor.

Of the five “new” names, one is a photographer in Virginia, one is a travel agent in Kansas, one will soon get out of prison in Oregon and two—in Pennsylvania and Ohio—may not be working now.

The newest names added include:

–Paul G. Landis of Pennsylvania who offended against several women while he was President of Eastern Mennonite Missions in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

–Tony Okuley of Bluffton, Ohio, a former business professor at Bluffton University, who filmed students and was convicted on child porn charges in 2007.

–Fernando Marroquin who molested a female babysitter while he was a Spanish professor at Goshen College in Indiana. He now has a photography business in Virginia Beach.

–Matthew David Yoder of Oregon who pled guilty to three counts of second-degree sex abuse in March 2014. One of his students at Western Mennonite High School in Salem, Oregon filed a civil suit against the school and the Pacific Northwest Mennonite Conference in March of 2015.

–David Rhodes who was a choir director at Hesston College in the 1980s and nineties and was accused of abusing male students. He resigned in the early 90s, and still lives in Hesston where he has run a travel agency.

The first group of five offenders are listed below, with their last known location:

Andrew Eggman, Porterville, CA

David B. Eller, Mt. Joy, PA

Marco Funk, Gretna, Manitoba, Canada

Steven J. Geyer, Reading, PA

Jess Jay McCall, Portland, OR

“While some offending Mennonites have been named once or twice, mostly in small church publications or smaller news outlets, their names are not easily accessible to parents or the public,” said SNAP Mennonite member Stephanie Krehbiel of Lawrence, KS. “The MAP list protects the vulnerable by making the small print larger. It heals the wounded by helping them see and understand that they are not alone. It also creates transparency around sexual violence in Mennonite communities, which will ultimately help those who want to understand and prevent more sexual violence and cover ups in the future.”

Anabaptism began during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, and today includes a complex network of churches and communities including Mennonites, Church of the Brethren, and the Amish. Known for their belief in pacifism and non-violence, there are more than one million Anabaptists worldwide in loosely affiliated denominations and conferences that vary in the conservatism of their faith. While the MAP list currently lists primarily Mennonite offenders, its creators are seeking information on offenders from other Anabaptist groups as well.

Hosted on the international SNAP website SNAPnetwork.org, the MAP list follows a model already established by similar websites that document sexual abuse and cover ups in other faiths, including BishopAccountability.org, Pokrov.org, and Protectjewishkids.com.

To be placed on the MAP list, offenders must have been named elsewhere through established media sources, internal institutional documents or court records.

“We want Mennonites to understand that the closed and secretive way that officials are handling the most recent abuse allegations [regarding Luke Hartman/Lindale Mennonite/Eastern Mennonite University], is part of a much larger pattern of predatory Mennonite church workers and complicit institutions,” said Krehbiel.

“Where there is secrecy, denial, and lack of transparency, sexual violence thrives,” said SNAP Mennonite leader Barbra Graber of Harrisonburg, Virginia. “Despite growing evidence that such approaches re-traumatize victims and enable further abuse, most Mennonite churches and institutions still attempt to manage abuse situations quietly, internally, and at risk to public safety. The health and wellbeing of Mennonite faith communities will be better served when information about who is committing that abuse and how it is being addressed becomes accessible to the public.”

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.

VATICAN CITY
Crux

By Crux Staff
May 2, 2016

Despite speculation that Cardinal George Pell might step down shortly after his 75th birthday on June 8, Pell’s office said Thursday that Pope Francis has confirmed the Australian prelate as the Vatican’s top financial official until at least 2019.

The news came in a statement from Pell’s office in Rome, after a Thursday visit by Pope Francis to the offices of the Secretariat for the Economy, the body created by the pope in 2014 to be the Vatican’s new lead agency for financial administration.

Saying the pontiff had spent an hour in “a friendly and lively discussion” with the staff of the secretariat, the statement indicated that Pell’s status also had been addressed during the session.

“Cardinal Pell will also be continuing with his current role for the full five-year term,” it 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.

DEUTSCHLAND
Die Tagespost

[Pope Francis spoke freely when he demanded severe penalties for abusers. At midday prayer on Sunday, he described the sexual abuse of children as a “tragedy”. “We can not tolerate these abuses,” he then shouted into the microphone: “We need to protect minors and severely punish the abusers.”]

Von Anna Sophia Hofmeister

Papst Franziskus sprach frei, als er harte Strafen für Missbrauchstäter forderte. Beim Mittagsgebet Regina Coeli am Sonntag bezeichnete er den sexuellen Missbrauch von Kindern als „Tragödie“. „Wir dürfen diese Missbräuche nicht tolerieren!“, rief er dann in das Mikrofon: „Wir müssen die Minderjährigen schützen und die Missbrauchstäter streng bestrafen.“

In der Tat. Die Zahlen sind erschreckend. Allein in Deutschland sind neuen Schätzungen zufolge mehr als eine Million Kinder von sexueller Gewalt betroffen. Die enorme gesellschaftliche Dimension von sexuellem Missbrauch an Kindern und Jugendlichen bestätigt sich auch im internationalen Vergleich. Missbrauch findet überall statt. Vor allem in der Familie, in der Nachbarschaft, in Institutionen, durch digitale Medien. Auch in Flüchtlingsunterkünften oder durch organisierte Kriminalität. Nationale und internationale Hell- und Dunkelfeldstudien zeigen eine immens hohe Zahl an Betroffenen – in der Regel sind Mädchen häufiger als Jungen Opfer von übergriffigen Handlungen. Studien, die gleichzeitig mehrere Formen von Kindesmisshandlung erfassen, zeigen außerdem, dass sexuelle Gewalt kein isoliertes Phänomen ist, sondern die Betroffenen oft gleichzeitig verschiedenen Formen physischer und psychischer Gewalt, Vernachlässigung und Traumatisierung ausgesetzt sind, und zwar weltweit.

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.

DEUTSCHLAND
Hamburger Abendblatt

[Vorwürfe hinsichtlich Grenzverletzungen und sexuellen Missbrauchs im Internat Damme – Kloster St. Benedikt Damme]

[A Catholic Benedictine priest is accused to abusing several students at the monastery school in Damme, whichis under the Munsterschwarzach Abbey near Wursburg. The suspected “sexual boundary violations and physical violence” have been confirmed, according to the spokesman of a working group trying to resolve the case. The priest died in 2005.]

Damme. Ein katholischer Benediktiner-Pater hat offenbar zwischen 1966 und 1974 mehrere Internatsschüler in Damme im Kreis Vechta missbraucht. Der Verdacht “sexueller Grenzverletzungen und körperlicher Gewalt” habe sich bestätigt, sagte der Sprecher einer Arbeitsgruppe, die den Fall aufklären soll. Der unter Verdacht stehende Pater sei bereits 2005 gestorben. Das Kloster Damme untersteht der Abtei Münsterschwarzach bei Würzburg.

Die Arbeitsgruppe zur Aufarbeitung und Prävention sexueller Gewalt habe rund 80 frühere Schüler des Internats zu einem Treffen eingeladen, zum dem 17 gekommen seien. In den Gesprächen hätten mindestens fünf Teilnehmer bestätigt, selbst Opfer des Paters zu sein, sagte der Sprecher der Arbeitsgruppe, Staatsanwalt a.D. Rainer Gündert aus Bamberg. Die Arbeitsgruppe respektiere den Wunsch der Betroffenen, “weder ihre Namen noch die seinerzeitigen Vorgänge oder die nun zu ergreifenden Maßnahmen” in irgendeiner Weise publik zu machen.

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.

DEUTSCHLAND
Rhein-Erft Rundschau

[Pastor from Efferen: Case of sexual abuse raises many questions.

Hürth –
Der Fall eines ehemaligen Pfarrers aus Hürth-Efferen, der sich in den 1970er-Jahren des sexuellen Missbrauchs schuldig gemacht haben soll, wirft bei den Gläubigen Fragen auf. Warum wurde der Fall erst jetzt, mit dem Ende des kirchenrechtlichen Verfahrens, bekannt?

Bereits 2011 war eine Untersuchung eingeleitet worden, nachdem sich ein Betroffener beim Erzbistum Köln gemeldet hatte. „Unsere Richtlinien sehen vor, dass ein Pfarrer mit der Eröffnung eines solchen Verfahrens suspendiert werden muss“, erklärte Christoph Heckeley, der Pressesprecher des Erzbistums.

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.

DEUTSCHLAND
Rhein-Erft Rundschau

[A former Catholic priest from Huerth confessed to abuse and proceedings in Rome were finished after five years. He was declared guilty but was not defrocked because he was retired.]

Hürth –
Gegen einen früheren katholischen Pfarrer aus Hürth ist ein kirchliches Strafverfahren wegen sexuellen Missbrauchs abgeschlossen worden. Dies teilt das Erzbistum Köln mit. 2011 hatte sich demnach ein Betroffener gemeldet, der in den 1970er-Jahren von dem Pfarrer sexuell missbraucht worden war. Laut Erzbistum hat der Beschuldigte dies im eingeleiteten Verfahren zugegeben.

Das Urteil hat die Glaubenskongregation in Rom nun endgültig bestätigt. Demzufolge ist dem Geistlichen künftig die öffentliche Feier der Eucharistie und die Sakramentenspendung untersagt. Kinder- und Jugendeinrichtungen sowie Schulen des Erzbistums Köln darf er nicht mehr betreten, er muss zudem eine Geldstrafe zahlen. Weiterhin darf er den Titel „Pfarrer in Ruhe“ nicht mehr tragen.

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.

DEUTSCHLAND
Regensburg Digital

[45 years ago Regensburger students publicly denounced “terrorism” in the church board school. A spiritual director denied the allegations and rose a few months later to be director of board at the Regensburg Domspatzen.]

Von Robert Werner in Nachrichten, Überregional

Vor 45 Jahren prangerten Regensburger Schüler öffentlich „Terror“ an. In der von ihnen im Jahre 1971 verteilten Broschüre „terror regensburger heimen“ kritisierten sie gewalttätige Übergriffe und autoritäre Strukturen, vor allem in kirchlichen Internaten. Die Verantwortlichen der Heime wiegelten damals ab. Ein geistlicher Direktor bestritt die Vorwürfe barsch und stieg wenige Monate später zum Direktor der Internate der Regensburger Domspatzen auf.

Im Januar 2015 hat auch der Regensburger Bischof Rudolf Voderholzer von „Terrorsystem“ gegen Heimzöglinge gesprochen und dieses verurteilt. Mit dieser Bewertung leitete er einen überfälligen Kurswechsel im Umgang mit Gewaltopfern ein. Allerdings beschränkt sich seine Wahrnehmung auf die Einrichtungen der Regensburger Domspatzen in Etterzhausen und Pielenhofen. Die Gewaltopfer und Täter anderer kirchlicher Einrichtungen scheinen für Voderholzer kein Thema zu sein. Die Anfrage unserer Redaktion blieb unbeantwortet. Ein aufschlussreicher Rückblick.

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.

MAINE
WGME

AUGUSTA (WGME) — A youth pastor accused of sexually abusing a young girl made his first court appearance.

Lucas Savage did not enter a plea Monday at his initial court appearance. He’s charged with a Class B felony for unlawful sexual contact, which is punishable by up to 10 years behind bars.

Investigators say the 37-year-old sexually abused a girl who is younger than 12-years-old.

Court documents indicate a series of alleged abuse incidents happened from September 2014 until the end of October 2014.

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.

ILLINOIS
Religion News Service

By David Gibson and Emily McFarlan Miller | April 30, 2016

(RNS) Gay students, supporters and alumni at Wheaton College, a top evangelical Christian school that counts former House Speaker Dennis Hastert among its most famous grads, have told the administration they are “stunned” the college has not condemned the sexual abuse of boys that Hastert admitted committing when he was sentenced last Wednesday for fraud in trying to cover up the abuse.

In an open letter dated and released Saturday (April 30), the group, OneWheaton, said “we are stunned that Wheaton College has not issued a stronger statement of condemnation and grief over damage done by someone whose image has been so strongly connected to Wheaton College.”

The college had named a major center on economics and government after the Republican leader, who retired from Congress — and his position as second-in-line to the presidency — in 2007.

After reports first emerged a year ago that Hastert was under investigation for bank fraud (he had sought to hide $3.5 million in transfers to pay one of the boys he abused more than 30 years ago while a wrestling coach) Wheaton said in accepting Hastert’s resignation from the advisory board of the center that it “respects Mr. Hastert’s distinguished public service record.”

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.

NEW YORK
Catholic League

Bill Donohue wrote a full-page ad, published today in the Albany Times-Union, on the anti-Catholic efforts underway in the New York capital this week. Lawmakers will consider bills to lift the statute of limitations on the sexual abuse of minors, the real target being the Catholic Church, not the public schools. Anti-Catholic activists will push their agenda on May 3-4, devoting all day Wednesday to attacks on the Church.

To read the ad, click here.

We will provide contact information for select lawmakers over the next two days.

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
Somatosphere

By Stephanie Krehbiel

This case begins with an unsettling email. It came from a powerful man of the church, a Mennonite executive, and it was a response to an email from me, in which I told this leader that he was perpetuating violence against queer people.

I was an ethnographer writing about the Mennonite movement for queer justice, and I also was a Mennonite, at least by background. In the interviews I was doing with LGBTQ Mennonites around the country, I kept hearing the word violence: rhetorical violence, spiritual violence, institutional violence, systemic violence. The violence they spoke of was often quiet and subtle, invisible to many. It happened in the wording of denominational statements, in all the ways in which LGBTQ identities were cast as worldly distractions from more important church work; it happened in families, inherited patterns of sexual shame that thrived on the specter of a monstrous sexual outsider. It happened most particularly in the process of what Mennonites call “discernment.”

Mennonites have little in the way of doctrine. What they do have are committees, some of which are called “discernment groups.” Listening committees are a regular feature of Mennonite discernment, particularly in the realm of LGBTQ people, who in the course of the forty-year history of their organizing within Mennonite contexts have often been invited to “share their stories” in front of appointed listeners. I will return to discernment, but for the moment, I will say two things about it.

One, I don’t believe I know any LGBTQ Mennonites for whom the word “discernment” fails to produce groans, eyerolls, and other expressions of deep cynicism. For them, discernment about whether they are acceptable to the church has rarely yielded anything more than promises for more discernment. Two, the powerful church leader whose email I am about to quote has written a book about discernment and its role in understanding God’s will.

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.

NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

By Victoria O’Hara
PUBLISHED
02/05/2016

Former PSNI Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde has faced criticism after he called for less money to be spent on historical child abuse cases, and more on safeguarding children now.

Sir Hugh described it as a “back to front” way of using limited resources.

However, campaigners said there is “no cut-off date for the suffering caused by sexual and other abuse in childhood. Nor should there be a cut-off date for justice”.

In an interview with Sky News, Sir Hugh said: “You fully resource a historical investigation, yet you don’t fully resource a current day investigation. That is back to front.”

He said the focus should be on people who need protection now.

Sir Hugh was Chief Constable between 2002 and 2009.

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.

NEW YORK
Syracuse.com

By John O’Brien | jobrien@syracuse.com

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – A Liverpool man is scheduled to plead guilty this morning to accusations that he and an elementary school aide sexually exploited three children to make child pornography.

Jason Kopp, 40, is on U.S. District Judge Glenn Suddaby’s calendar for an 11 a.m. change of plea, an indication that he will plead guilty.

Kopp and Emily Oberst, 23, of Syracuse, were indicted last month on charges of sexually exploiting three children to make child pornography. The victims were a 16-month-old girl, a 4-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy, according to a federal indictment.

One of the victims was a student at All Saints elementary school and day care center, where Oberst worked as an aide, according to sources. The FBI found naked photos of that child in a school bathroom at the school, the sources said.

All Saints fired Oberst after her arrest last month.

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.

NEW JERSEY
NJ.com

By Star-Ledger Editorial Board

For the third time in four years, our lawmakers will soon be required to pick a side: They can continue to give legal protection to child predators and their enablers against civil suits, or they can try to bring some comfort to sex abuse victims whose lives are forever shattered.

Some New Jersey legislators actually call this a dilemma, but we call it a conscience-cleansing, soul-searching no-brainer – you go to your church, we’ll go to ours – and it should be illuminating to learn how many make this choice with the care and compassion it demands.

Once again, Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex) is proposing legislation that would expand the statute of limitations for civil suits pertaining to childhood sex crimes from two years to 30, which provides more time for victims to sue their abusers and the institutions that harbored them – not only the Catholic Church, but all religious organizations, along with state and local governments and schools.

Throughout the country, this kind of legislation has faced rigorous opposition from the Church, which buttonholes lawmakers and uses powerful lobbyists to protect its interests, even as it has incurred $4 billion in costs related to the clergy sex crime crisis in the U.S.

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.

NEW ZEALAND
One News

[with video]

Ryan Boswell
ONE News Reporter

Ann-Marie Shelley has finally conquered her demons – after years of abuse at the hands of Catholic priest Peter Joseph Hercock.

As her attacker goes to jail, the 60-year-old asked the court to lift her name suppression and sat down with ONE News for an interview.

Ms Shelley first met Hercock at Lower Hutt’s Sacred Heart College in 1970.

She was just 14 – and he was the school’s chaplain and counsellor.

“I came to completely trust him and talk to him about everything that was going on in my life,” Ms Shelley told ONE News.

“It became quite easy to not notice the things that were kind-of going on in the periphery.”

Within a year he’d begun indecently assaulting her, at first rubbing her back and thighs.

Three years later, Ms Shelley was training to be a nurse when she fell pregnant and was considering adoption.

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
news.com.au

Benedict Brook
news.com.au
@BenedictBrook

A PAEDOPHILE priest, who raped one of his victims on the church’s altar, has been sentenced to almost three decade behind bars.

At Sydney’s District Court on Monday Judge Peter Zahra said former Catholic priest John Joseph Farrell “disregarded and took advantage” of his victims who he groomed over long periods of time.

Last month, Farrell was found guilty of 62 offences involving rapes and indecent assaults against three girls and nine boys over nearly a decade in the northern NSW towns of Moree and Tamworth.

As well as the 62 historical sexual crimes against children, a further 17 offences were taken into account when he was handed down a sentence of 29 years, with a non-parole period of 18 years.

He will not leave prison until 2033 at the earliest.

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
news.com.au

MAY 2, 2016

By Sophie Tarr
AAP

A depraved former priest was able to carry out a decade-long reign of abuse against three girls and nine boys because he was protected by the Catholic Church, a Sydney judge says.

Loud applause broke out in court on Monday as John Joseph Farrell was led from the dock after being sentenced to 29 years behind bars for his crimes in Moree and Tamworth, in country NSW.

Victims and their loved ones packed into the courtroom at Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court to watch the 62-year-old face sentencing for dozens of historical sexual crimes committed against children between 1979 and 1988.

The disgraced ex-priest sat with his eyes closed as Judge Peter Zahra told how he preyed on his victims, grooming the children, cultivating the trust of their parents and exploiting his powerful position as a priest.

“This allowed him to offend whenever and wherever he chose,” Judge Zahra said.

“The offender created situations where he was confident he would not be detected even where his sexual abuse was, at times, brazen in the extreme.”

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.

NEW YORK
Times Ledger

By Bill Parry

In her push to eliminate the statute of limitations for child sex abuse crimes, state Assemblywoman Margaret Markey (D-Maspeth) and supporters of the Child Victims Act will lobby the Legislature in Albany for passage of the reform bill. The CVA has been adopted in the Assembly four times in various forms since 2006, but has never made it to the floor of the Senate.

“New York is among the very worst states in America for how it treats victims of childhood sexual abuse,” Markey said. “We rank right at the very bottom among the 50 states along with Alabama and Mississippi. This is the year to change that deplorable situation. Now the CVA has more than 60 co-sponsors in the Assembly and visitors are coming to tell legislators in both houses they want to see the law changed this year.”

The two-day lobby effort will include a roundtable forum Tuesday, May 3, which will be moderated by Benjamin Cardozo Law Professor Marci Hamilton, a national advocate for statute-of-limitations reform. Participants will include Olympic speedskater Bridie Farrell, who has accused speedskater Andy Gabel of molesting her in 1997, when she was just 15. Farrell was unable to pursue criminal prosecution or a civil lawsuit against Gabel because New York’s statute of limitations bars victims from proceeding with cases after their 23rd birthday.

Abuse victims are often very slow to come to grips with what happened to them, some not until middle age or even later in life, according to Markey.

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.

NEW ZEALAND
Newstalk ZB

Jimmy Ellingham, NZ Herald, Publish Date Monday, 2 May 2016

UPDATED: 4.31PM She went to him for help, counselling and support, but instead the chaplain at a Catholic girls’ school raped the vulnerable young teenage girl.

He raped her with his “wretched Leonard Cohen” album playing in the background and his priestly robes hanging in the presbytery room.

Ten years later he raped her in a Women’s Refuge safe house as her children slept next to her.

More than 40 years ago, when attending Sacred Heart College in Lower Hutt, Ann-Marie Shelley turned to Peter Joseph Hercock, 72, for help.

Instead, he groomed her, always joking “I’ll see you in pieces” rather than the usual “I’ll see you in peace”.

Today, Ms Shelley said she got her own back: “I’ll see you in pieces” she said to Hercock, as he stared gun-barrel straight ahead while standing in the Wellington District Court dock, avoiding eye contact with those recalling the effects of his crimes.

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
Bath Chronicle

By JamesCrawley | Posted: May 02, 2016

A church worker from Saltford, found guilty of committing 13 sex crimes on a child, has continued to protest his innocence, reports the Bristol Post.

Christian youth worker Philip Stephen Barlow, 33, denied the sexual abuse charges and has claimed his trial was mishandled by a “biased” judge.

Married father Barlow walked a free man despite being sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail in April 2015 having already spent the equivalent time behind bars when he was awaiting his trial.

Barlow, of Raleigh Close in Saltford, near Bath, had been facing a second trial, having previously had convictions overturned by the Court of Appeal.

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.

NEW ZEALAND
Stuff

[with video]

SHANE COWLISHAW AND TALIA SHADWELL

GRAPHIC WARNING: Some content in this story may upset some people

In the dimly-lit room of a Wainuiomata presbytery bedroom, priestly robes lay strewn across the floor.

Background music plays softly on a record player, while on the bed a drunk teenager is about to be raped by her priest.

The girl can’t feel her legs and has no idea what’s happening.

“I’ll always remember that bloody horrible Leonard Cohen album.”

The year is 1974 and the 18-year-old is Ann-Marie Shelley.

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 Nick Dole

Former priest John Joseph Farrell has been sentenced to a minimum of 18 years for a string of sexual assaults on children in the 1970s and 80s in New South Wales.

Farrell, 62, who has previously been known as “Father F”, was convicted earlier this year of 79 offences against 12 victims.

The assaults were committed against boys and girls, around Moree, Tamworth and Armidale.

Many of the victims were altar boys, but three of the victims were girls.

In the NSW District Court, Farrell was sentenced to a total of 29 years in prison with a non-parole period of 18 years.

The court heard the offences were committed at a public pool, on church property, during car trips and in private homes, sometimes with the victims’ relatives just metres away.

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.

NETHERLANDS
Dutch News

The chairman of the Catholic church committee set up to investigate sexual abuse claims pressured victims not to call for a parliamentary inquiry, according to radio current affairs show Argos at the weekend.

Former Christian Democratic party chairman Wim Deetman headed the commission set up by the church in 2010 after the sexual abuse scandal broke in the Netherlands.

The commission report said in 2011 at least 800 Roman Catholic priests and monks were involved in abusing children in their care between 1945 and 1985.

Argos reported at the weekend that in March 2012, Deetman had pressured members of the victims lobby group Klokk not to call for a parliamentary inquiry, arguing that the issue had been ‘researched sufficiently’.

His secretary Bert Kreemers had also sent emails to Klokk members saying that parliament is ‘not a research institute’ and that hearings under oath were ‘a farce’.

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.