ABUSE TRACKER

AUSTRALIA
Canberra Times

June 17 2016

Christopher Knaus and Cydonee Mardon

A former Catholic brother has pleaded guilty to repeatedly molesting a child at a school in Wollongong, where he was allowed to teach despite two prior complaints of abuse, including one at St Edmund’s College.

The first known complaint about John Vincent Roberts, now 73, was made in Christian Brothers schools in NSW at some point before 1978, when he moved to the order’s ACT school, St Edmund’s.

Here, he allegedly abused another student during his five-year stint in Canberra between 1978 and 1983.

Roberts was allowed to continue teaching, and he moved to Wollongong, where he taught at the prestigious Edmund Rice College.

He again abused a child in Wollongong, this time repeatedly molesting a 12-year-old boy in the late 1980s.

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.

GUAM
Pacific Daily News

Haidee V Eugenio, Pacific Daily News June 17, 2016

For the second time in two weeks, the attorney for at least three of Archbishop Anthony Apuron’s accusers is pressing the Guam Catholic church for answers related to its ability to conduct an impartial investigation into multiple child molestation allegations against Apuron.

Attorney David J. Lujan informed the local Catholic Church’s sexual assault response coordinator Deacon Larry Claros that he now also represents Walter Denton and Doris Concepcion, mother of Joseph “Sonny” Quinata, in addition to Roy Quintanilla.

Claros leads a group in the local Catholic Church charged with reviewing sexual abuse allegations involving the clergy and other church officials and personnel.

Lujan’s June 13 letter was sent two days prior to the public accusation against Apuron by a fourth individual, Roland Sondia.

Claros and the Archdiocese of Agana were sought for comment on Lujan’s letter, but hadn’t commented as of early Thursday evening.

When allegations against Apuron came out in recent weeks, the archbishop and his representatives threatened to sue individuals they said were spreading malicious and calumnious lies. Thus far, no lawsuit has been filed or has become publicly known.

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NEW YORK
Queens Chronicle

Posted: Thursday, June 16, 2016

by Christopher Barca, Associate Editor

Assemblywoman Marge Markey (D-Maspeth) has been catching hell in recent days over her claim that Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, head of the Diocese of Brooklyn, tried to bribe her in 2007 to end her support of legislation to extend the statute of limitations for lawsuits over child sex abuse allegations.

“She’s definitely anti-Catholic,” Tony Nunziato, Markey’s two-time Assembly race opponent, said at the Juniper Park Civic Association last Thursday. “Her attack against the bishop was horrendous.”

The assemblywoman — who for a decade has been fighting to pass reforms to the statute of limitations regarding child sex abuse crimes — told the Daily News last Tuesday that DiMarzio offered her $5,000 to drop her support for such legislation

However, the clergyman denied the allegation in a June 7 letter to Markey and in a letter last weekend to the diocese, calling it “patently false.”

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PENNSYLVANIA
Catholic Philly

By A.B. Hill • Posted June 16, 2016

The Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee hosted a hearing this week regarding the legality and constitutionality of House Bill 1947. The measure, passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in April, proposes to remove the criminal statute of limitations (SoL) for childhood sexual abuse and raise the civil SoL from age 30 to 50 moving forward.

It also retroactively opens the civil SoL from survivor’s age 30 to age 50.

Experts on Pennsylvania’s constitution presented their opinions to Judiciary Committee members with a particular focus on the retroactive provision of the bill.

“The purpose of today’s hearing is not to hear about those facts (that child abuse occurred),” said committee chairman Sen. Stewart J. Greenleaf (R-Bucks, Montgomery). “These matters are highly complex and I expect that this committee will require ample time to carefully consider today’s testimony and weigh each side.”

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GUAM
Pacific Daily News

Shawn Raymundo, sraymundo@guampdn.com June 17, 2016

In the wake of a fourth person accusing Archbishop Anthony Apuron of child molestation, Sen. Frank Aguon Jr., D-Yona, on Thursday released a statement apologizing to all victims of sexual abuse for not coming to their aid sooner.

“After a great deal of prayer and consideration over the current state of affairs — which have been profoundly painful for everyone — I sincerely apologize for not immediately coming to the defense of the alleged victims of child sexual abuse,” he said.

On Wednesday, Roland Paul L. Sondia became the fourth person to publicly accuse Apuron of sexual abuse. Sondia, 54, alleged that Apuron molested him when he was 15-years old during a sleepover at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church rectory in 1977.

Sondia and two other former altar boys of the Agat church have recently given similar accounts of Apuron, when he was the parish priest, sexually abusing them during sleepovers at the rectory back in the 1970’s.

Doris Concepcion also alleged that Apuron molested her son, Joseph Quinata, when he was an altar boy in the 70s. Quinata briefly told his mother of the incident shortly before he died 11 years ago.

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VATICAN CITY
Crux

John L. Allen Jr.June 14, 2016
EDITOR

On Tuesday, the Vatican released its latest reflection on what German Cardinal Gerhard Müller amusingly has called the “unplanned pregnancies” of the Catholic Church, meaning its sprawling galaxy of new lay movements, most of which have been born in the last 100 years and have had their real growth since Vatican II.

One has to say “latest” because this is hardly the first time various departments and officials in the Vatican have issued documents, released interviews, given talks, organized meetings, etc., on the relationship between the hierarchy and what English-speakers often call the “new movements.” …

For the movements, what they gain out of a healthy working relationship with the hierarchy is access to dioceses, institutional support, and long-term viability. For the bishops, what they gain, aside from the fresh blood of gung-ho lay missionaries and a reliable way to boost Mass attendance, is a degree of quality control and a way to handle problems when they arise.

A recent story out of Peru illustrates why that’s important for both sides. As documented in Crux by Austen Ivereigh, a large movement there called the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae has been rocked by an abuse scandal involving its founder, Luis Fernando Figari.

Ivereigh reported that a local church tribunal tried for four years to get the Vatican to act on those allegations before anything happened. Had there been a more cooperative relationship, it’s possible the problems could have been flagged and resolved earlier.

Probably, that story should also be a wake-up call for bishops with new movements in their own backyards to take a closer look, in the spirit of trying to defuse a possible bomb before it goes off.

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PENNSYLVANIA
SOL Reform

Marci A. Hamilton
Academic Director and Chairman, Board of Directors
CHILD USA
(215) 746-4165

Resident Senior Scholar
Program for Research on Religion
Co-chair, Common Ground for the Common Good Project
Fox Leadership Program
University of Pennsylvania
3814 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 353-8984 (cell)
hamilton.marci@gmail.com

Sen. Stewart J. Greenleaf
Chair
PA Senate Judiciary Committee
Main Capitol, 19 EW
Harrisburg, PA 17120
June 13, 2016
RE: Constitutionality of HB 1947

Dear Sen. Greenleaf and Members of the Committee:

Thank you for asking me to testify at this hearing on the constitutionality of HB 1947, which modestly amends Pennsylvania’s statutes of limitations (SOLs) for child sex abuse.

I am a Resident Senior Fellow in the Program for Research on Religion in the Fox Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania; a co-chair of the Common Ground for the Common Good project; and the Academic Director of CHILD USA, an interdisciplinary think tank on child abuse and neglect. After 26 years of full-time teaching, I now hold the Paul R. Verkuil Research Chair at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University. My book, Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Its Children (Cambridge University Press 2008, 2012), and website, www.sol-reform.com, are the leading resources on child sex abuse statutes of limitations, and I have researched, written, and testified on the issue in many states and abroad. The views expressed in this testimony are solely my own.

The issue this Committee has asked me to focus on is whether the revival of a civil SOL for child sex abuse is consistent with the Pennsylvania Constitution. The short answer is that along with a majority of the states, it is constitutional in Pennsylvania to revive an expired civil SOL.

HB 1947 does not violate due process under the Pennsylvania or Federal Constitution.

Let me first set aside the due process issues in this arena. It is unconstitutional to revive a criminal SOL, because it violates the Ex Post Facto Clause. Stogner v. California, 539 U.S. 607, 610 (2003). At the same time, it is not a due process violation and, therefore, it is constitutional to revive a civil SOL. Landgraf v. USI Film Prods., 511 U.S. 244, 267 (1994). Under the federal Constitution, revival of a civil SOL is constitutional if two due process requirements are met: (1) clear legislative intent and (2) the change is to a procedural element, like a statute of limitations. See Republic of Austria v. Altmann, 541 U.S. 677, 692-93 (2004); see also Landgraf, 511 U.S. at 267-68; Chase Sec. Corp. v. Donaldson, 325 U.S. 304, 311-15 (1945); Campbell v. Holt, 115 U.S. 620, 6 S. Ct. 209 (1885).

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TEXAS
Liberal America

By Darrell Lucus on June 13, 2016

In case you missed it, two weeks ago Baylor University announced it was firing head football coach Art Briles in the wake of overwhelming evidence that his program had utterly mishandled allegations that players had raped and sexually assaulted women. Well, a flurry of activity on Monday revealed just how far gone Baylor’s football culture had become. A small, misguided, and mind-blowingly stupid cabal of Baylor donors has been angling to bring Briles back as head coach.

When the Baylor Board of Regents announced that Briles was out, it officially characterized the move as an indefinite suspension with intent to terminate him as soon as it was legally possible to do so. However, USA Today reported that a small minority of Baylor donors are pushing for a compromise–have Briles sit out the 2016 season and allow him to return in 2017. According to KCEN-TV in Waco, some Baylor players have been briefed on the proposal.

However, according to USA Today, such moves are “unlikely to result in any action.” There’s very good reason to think this is a wasted effort. The findings of fact from an independent investigation into Baylor’s response to sexual assault so unnerved university officials that they immediately forwarded the report to the NCAA and Big 12 Conference. Bringing back a coach who, at best, was disengaged from how disciplinary issues were handled wouldn’t exactly allow Baylor to look good with the NCAA, and would all but assure heavy sanctions.

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IRELAND
Irish Times

Patsy McGarry

Catholicism in Ireland is being abandoned to obsessive extremists and a religious media more anxious to protect its pockets than engage with realities of faith in the world, a leading priest has said.

“If bishops or priests or intelligent ‘lay’ Catholics are not prepared to reflectively engage in the public market-place then that space is left open to obsessive Catholic extremists who seek to psychologically bludgeon anyone who doesn’t agree with them – and do untold damage to the Catholic faith in Ireland – and to religious media who often seem more anxious to protect their pockets than to engage with the realities of faith in the world,” said Fr Brendan Hoban.

Co-founder of the Association of Catholic Priests, Fr Hoban was commenting on recent remarks by the Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin bemoaning the dearth of Catholic intellectuals in Ireland.

“Diarmuid Martin has pointed us in the right direction,” Fr Hoban said, but “the difficult truth is that there is little institutional support for intellectual debate in the Catholic Church – as distinct from cheer-leaders”.

He said: “For example, there is little or no respect for theologians in the upper reaches of the Irish Church, by which I mean theologians of the calibre of Enda McDonagh, Gabriel Daly, Sean Fagan, Vincent McNamara and others rather than those others of whom great things were expected but who now seem often to use every opportunity to ingratiate themselves with church authorities, with an eye to promotion.”

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TENNESSEE
The Commercial Appeal

By Kayleigh Skinner of The Commercial Appeal

A Cordova pastor was named the new president of the Southern Baptist Convention in St. Louis, on Wednesday.

Pastor Steve Gaines of Bellevue Baptist Church was elected after the first vote resulted in a tie between Gaines and North Carolina pastor J. D. Greear of The Summit Church of Raleigh-Durham.

Of the 5,784 ballots cast, Gaines received 44.1 percent; Greear received 44.97 percent, according to a statement from the convention. A second runoff election produced similar results.

To avoid another runoff election Wednesday morning, Greear withdrew the race Wednesday and Gaines was elected by acclimation.

Gaines agreed to accept the presidency after a talk with Greear, saying “we need to leave St. Louis united,” according to the statement.

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MICHIGAN
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, June 16, 2016

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

A Detroit Catholic school official charged in 2014 with child sex crimes continues to win delay after delay after delay. For the safety of kids, the healing of victims and the health of the church and its schools, we urge judges and prosecutors to speed up this case.

[C & G Newspapers]

It’s been more than a year and a half since a Ray Township teacher at Austin Catholic Academy first faced allegations that he sent sexually graphic emails to a child.

We call on Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron to personally visit the school where the alleged predator worked, begging victims, witnesses, employees, former employees, alumni, students, staff and whistleblowers to call law enforcement if they have any information or suspicions about the alleged crimes.

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GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Jun 16, 2016

By Ken Quintanilla

A bill that would lift the statute of limitations in cases involving child sex abuse will go up for a public hearing on June 27. Introduced by Senator Frank Blas, Jr., Bill 326 was referred to Senator Frank Aguon Jr.’s committee. Aguon says he is working with Blas to strengthen the measure.

The hearing on the 27th gets underway at 10am at the Guam Legislature in Hagatna.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Nick McLaren

An Illawarra MP has spoken of his sadness after his former school admitted it had let one of its students down by failing to protect him from a paedophile Christian Brother.

Stephen Jones is the Federal Member for Whitlam and a former school captain and dux at Edmund Rice College in West Wollongong.

The conviction, and likely jail sentence, of a former Christian Brother has prompted the catholic MP to reflect on his own personal experience at the school.

John Vincent Roberts, aged 73, yesterday pleaded guilty to 11 of 21 charges relating to the historical sex abuse of a 12-year-old boy at the school.

Police only became aware of the abuse as a result of hearings before the royal commission into child sexual abuse last year.

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AUSTRALIA
Canberra Times

A former St Edmund’s College brother has pleaded guilty to repeatedly molesting a child at a school in Wollongong, where he was allowed to teach despite prior complaints of abuse.

The first known complaint about John Vincent Roberts, now 73, was made in Christian Brothers schools in NSW at some point before 1978, when he moved to the order’s ACT school, St Edmund’s.

He allegedly abused another student during his five-year stint in Canberra between 1978 and 1983.

Roberts was allowed to continue teaching, and he moved to Wollongong where he taught at the prestigious Edmund Rice College.

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TEXAS
Times Record News

By Times Record News

A former preacher in Young County has been arrested on charges of child pornography.

A news release from the Texas Rangers stated Dennis Harmon Bell was first arrested on March 17 on one count of possession of child pornography from his residence in Graham. On June 8, a Young County grand jury indicted Bell on five counts of possession of child pornography.

Bell was arrested Tuesday and charged with the four new counts. His total bail was set at $87,500 and he was not in Young County Jail on Wednesday afternoon.

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IRELAND
Irish Examiner

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Jack Power

Justice for Magdalenes Research and Adoption Rights Alliance have launched a pro-bono legal initiative to assist witnesses drafting statements to the state commission of inquiry.

The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes will not provide any legal advice to affected individuals who wish to submit a witness statement to the body.

Speaking yesterday, Maeve O’Rourke, of Justice for Magdalenes, said legal advice would be crucial to people or relatives of those affected by abuse in Mother and Baby homes.

“It is something that people should have been provided with,” she said, given the potential major legal implications of the of the commission’s findings. The statements compiled with the help of the Clann initiative could be used by individuals as the basis to take action seeking compensation from the

Ms O’Rourke stated that future reparations could come in many forms for potential victims, from financial compensation, to access to medical records and the identification of the whereabouts of remains.

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GUAM
Pacific News Center

Written by Janela Carrera

Archbishop Hon’s decree also rescinds another decree. However, details of that decree are not being released to the public.

Guam – Archbishop Savio Tai Fai Hon made perhaps his first big move since taking over the helm at the Archdiocese of Agana.

He rescinded a general decree that threatened catholics with harsh consequences if they associated with the group Concerned Catholics of Guam.

Archbishop Hon rescinded the decree, which is numbered 2016-028, a day after CCOG wrote to Pope Francis with demands for the decree to be rescinded and for an apology from the author of the decree, Archbishop Anthony Apuron.

Archbishop Apuron, who’s administrative authority was removed earlier this month by Pope Francis, has not issued an apology.

Meanwhile, Archbishop Hon also rescinded another decree, namely, decree number 2016-022. That decree was never made public and in a statement to the media, Archbishop Hon’s assistant, Father Ted Novak said the second decree pertains to a private matter and details of the decree will not be released to the public.

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GUAM
KUAM

[with video]

Updated: Jun 16, 2016

By Krystal Paco

It appears the island’s interim archbishop doesn’t agree with Archbishop Anthony Apuron’s last orders. Just hours before the Vatican placed Apuron on leave last week, Apuron issued decrees intended to place gag orders on those he alleged were part of a malicious smear campaign to oust him.

The Concerned Catholics of Guam organization doesn’t need the church’s blessing after all. In a release dated June 15, Vatican-appointed apostolic administrator Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai rescinded a previous decree issued to the CCOG. The decree was intended for local Catholics to cease any contact with the CCOG and alleged the organization was instigating and soliciting a malicious smear campaign to oust Apuron. The decree was published online on the Archdiocese of Agana website, but removed shortly after.

According to CCOG president Gregory Perez, part of the decree called for the CCOG to publicly retract all their allegations against Apuron. “He wanted us to something to apologize to him. Apologize for what? For being Catholics and standing up for what we believe is true? For truth and justice and accountability and transparency? So that’s why I didn’t view the decree as anything important or anything to worry about – because that decree was challenging my right and everyone else’s right as a Catholic to stand up and ask,” he shared with KUAM News.

Archbishop Hon’s work doesn’t stop there. Hon goes on to rescind a second decree that was never made public. According to Father Tadeusz Jan Nowak, the second decree rescinded pertains to a private matter and was not published by the archdiocese. KUAM News, however, has confirmed the decree was a gag order issued to Deacon Steve Martinez. Martinez was a former sexual abuse response coordinator for the Archdiocese of Agana until 2014, when he says he was dismissed for speaking up about a conflict in church policies. In a previous interview with media, Martinez clarified that church policy currently reads that the archbishop is responsible for determining what sexual abuse allegations get investigated, even if he stands as the accused.

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GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Jun 16, 2016

By Krystal Paco

Roland Sondia and his wife Frances thank the community for their support. The couple appeared on KUAM Radio this morning On Wednesday, Sondia publicly accused Archbishop Anthony Apuron of molesting him decades ago, when he was only 15 years old. Although Apuron has denied child sex abuse allegations and blames such allegations for the growing divide in the church, Sondia hopes his story can help make the local Catholic Church whole again.

“I’m not going to destroy the church,” he said on KUAM Radio this morning. “My effort is to bring the church back together – to unify the church and make it whole again. He divided the church, and the church is the people, of course. We’re just approaching the individual. We want this individual to acknowledge what he did and apologize to all the Catholic faithful here on the island.”

Sondia and his wife Frances were guests on Isla63-AM’s talkradio with Jess Lujan.

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GUAM
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — The Latest on accusations that Guam Archbishop Anthony Apuron sexually abused minors when he was a parish priest in the 1970s (all times local):

3:30 p.m. Thursday

A Catholic Church official has rescinded a recent decree that was aimed at preventing Catholics from associating with a group that calls for the removal of Guam Archbishop Anthony Apuron, amid allegations of sexual abuse.

Three men have accused Apuron of sexually abusing them while they were minors in the 1970s and Apuron was a parish priest.

Apuron — who has not been charged with any crime and has denied the allegations — issued the decree opposing association with Concerned Catholics of Guam on June 5.

As the allegations began surfacing, the Vatican this month appointed Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai as temporary administrator.

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GUAM
Pacific Daily News

Gaynor Dumat-ol Daleno, gdumat-ol@guampdn.com June 16, 2016

The whistleblower group Concerned Catholics of Guam is officially no longer a “prohibited society” in the eyes of the Guam Catholic church’s leadership.

Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Agana, issued a decree Thursday rescinding Archbishop Anthony Apuron’s June 5 decree banning Concerned Catholics and its supporters from local churches.

Apuron issued the decree shortly before the Vatican clipped his administrative powers at the archdiocese in light of mounting allegations he sexually abused minor altar boys when he was a priest at a parish in Agat decades ago. Apuron hasn’t been charged with any crime.

Apuron’s ban on Concerned Catholics was supposed to go into effect June 14, but the archdiocesan leadership under Hon placed it under review.

Hon stated in his June 16 decree he rescinded and annulled Apuron’s decree “after seven days of consultation and reflection, with deep concern for the best interests of the Archdiocese of Agana, particularly for the promotion of reconciliation and deeper communion of all members of this particular church.”

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OREGON
Dalles Chronicle

By Neita Cecil
As of Wednesday, June 15, 2016

The mother of a sex abuse victim has sued First Christian Church in The Dalles for $5 million, alleging the church did not adequately supervise the youth leader who abused her teen daughter.

This is the second leader from First Christian to be convicted of sexually abusing church youth in the last three years.

The victim from that earlier criminal case sued the church in 2013 and reached an undisclosed settlement in 2014.

Later in 2014, youth leader Michael Cele Stephens, now 20, began abusing girls he met through youth group at the church, said attorney Peter Janci, whose firm has brought both lawsuits against the church.

The latest suit, filed last Thursday in Wasco County Circuit Court, alleges the church was negligent in failing to investigate warning signs involving Stephens, who was recently sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually abusing six teen girls.

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MAINE
Foster’s

Ellen W. Todd
Sanford News Writer

PORTLAND — A Roman Catholic priest who once served at the former St. Ignatius Parish in Sanford has been dismissed by the Vatican following a charge of sexual abuse.

Antonin R. Caron, who retired in 1994, was an ordained priest for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland and was an associate pastor at St. Ignatius Church in the 1970s. He was transferred to Waterville in 1978.

The Portland Diocese received a complaint regarding sexual abuse of a minor by Caron from an individual in November of 2012. The complainant reported that the sexual abuse occurred in the early 1980s.

After receiving the complaint, the Diocesan Office of Professional Responsibility conducted a full investigation and, as with every report of possible sexual abuse of a minor by a church representative, immediately notified public authorities. Upon completion of the investigation, the case was referred to the Diocesan Review Board, an independent review entity comprised mostly of lay people, which confirmed the findings of the Office of Professional Responsibility that the claim of abuse was substantiated, according to a news release from the diocese.

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NEW YORK
The Villager

BY MICHAEL OSSURGUINE | The Omnibus Child Victims Act, or Senate Bill S6367, is the latest effort from state Democrats to reform the statute of limitations on victims of child sexual abuse. The bill, though still in committee, has momentum in the Senate as victims are stepping forward and Senate Democrats are arguing against entrenched opposition.

State Senator Brad Hoylman introduced the Senate version of the bill with several co-sponsors, including Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the leader of the Democratic Conference.

The proposed act amends the Criminal Procedure Law and the Civil Practice Law to eliminate the statute of limitations, and offers a one-year “civil window” during which civil suits that were previously barred could be filed. Versions of the Child Victims Act have won significant bipartisan support in the Assembly, but the Senate’s G.O.P. majority has so far kept the act from coming to the floor for a floor vote.

“I have spoken to several Republican colleagues that say they support the general concept of the bill,” Hoylman said, adding he hopes to bring it to the floor before the end of this year’s legislative session on Thurs., June 16.

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ROME
The Guardian (UK)

Dan Collyns in Lima and Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Rome
Thursday 16 June 2016

Only the faint sound of shuffling feet could be heard behind the heavy wooden door of the apartment in Rome where Luis Fernando Figari has lived since 2010. And then, silence.

Close by, another tenant in the upscale apartment building – which sits a short walk from Campo de’ Fiori in the centre of the city – vaguely recognised a picture of Figari taken decades ago, which showed him standing beside Pope John Paul II. She had seen him around, but only rarely.

What residents don’t know is that the now frail, bearded man who lives in their building founded a Catholic sect in Peru which answers only to the Vatican and which he once ran like a new age guru.

Figari – who is a layman, not a priest – is now considered persona non grata within the group, the Sodalitium of Christian Life, following allegations by former followers that he physically, emotionally and sexually abused them.

But he is also considered legally untouchable, both in Peru and the Vatican – even though the new leader of the sect has said Figari is guilty of many of the allegations that have been lodged against him.

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MINNESOTA
Duluth News Tribune

By Lisa Kaczke

HIBBING — A Hibbing priest accused of sexually abusing four girls was “grooming” the girls and their families by befriending them, St. Louis County prosecutor Jeff Vlatkovich told jurors Wednesday.

“Any time he saw an opportunity to get what he wanted, he took it,” Vlatkovich said in his opening statement as the criminal sexual conduct trial of Brian Michael Lederer began in State District Court in Hibbing.

A 12-year-old girl was the first of the alleged victims to take the witness stand in the trial that is expected to last five days. She recounted the surprise she felt when Lederer allegedly touched her inappropriately several times at Assumption Catholic School in Hibbing, while her father recalled in his testimony the shock he felt on the day his daughter told him about the touching.

“You always think it’ll happen to someone else, in some other town. You don’t think it’ll happen in your family,” the girl’s father said.

However, Lederer’s defense attorney, Peter Wold of Minneapolis, said the allegations are the result of an infatuation the girls had with Lederer, who was described as a young priest beloved by Assumption students. The touching occurred at times when other adults and students were in the room and were nothing more than misperceived and misunderstood moments, possibly caused by hard feelings of rejection and jealousy over Lederer, Wold said. Once two sisters came forward with allegations, it snowballed into four girls making allegations, three of whom were classmates, he said.

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TEXAS
The Monitor

LORENZO ZAZUETA-CASTRO | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — The former priest accused of killing a McAllen teacher and beauty queen was back at the scene of the alleged crime Tuesday during a walkthrough with his attorney.

Feit’s attorney O. Rene Flores and the state’s attorney, Michael Garza, inspected the grounds of the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle on Tuesday, where John Bernard Feit once lived and where the state alleges he hid Irene Garza’s body before dumping it in a nearby canal.

Flores on Wednesday declined comment on what he and his staff looked at and reviewed during the walk-through.

The Edinburg-based attorney said he and Garza were not permitted to speak to the media regarding the walk-through.

The 83-year-old former priest is accused in the April 1960 death of Irene Garza, a schoolteacher and beauty queen who was last seen going to confession at McAllen’s Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Her body was found five days later after it was dumped in a canal.

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MEXICO
Latin American Herald Tribune

GUADALAJARA, Mexico – The house used until 2001 to rehabilitate Catholic priests accused of being pedophiles in Mexico is an open secret that no dares to discuss, Cardinal Emeritus Juan Sandoval Iñiguez said.

The Alberione house in San Pedrito, a town outside the city of Tlaquepaque, is located in a poor area between Pemex and Alba streets.

The property, which has large gardens, a two-story house and another building, is under the care of sisters from the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master, an order founded by Santiago Alberione.

In response to questions from EFE, the women said they did not know of the rehabilitation program’s existence and said the property was used by Kairos, a “full training” program for nuns described on the order’s Web site.

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UNITED STATES
Forward

Sam Kestenbaum
June 15, 2016

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey is standing by his friend Marc Gafni, a controversial New Age guru and former rabbi accused of abuses of power through his career, including molestation of a teenage girl.

Mackey until recently sat on the board of Gafni’s think-tank, Center for Integral Wisdom. Activists have been pushing Mackey to publicly denounce Gafni.

In a recent statement given through a publicist Mackey said he did not condone sexual assault — but would believe Gafni was innocent until he was proven guilty, and that he would remain loyal to his friend.

“Loyalty and the presumption of innocence are important values to me, so I will not join those who are condemning him,” Mackey said. “I am, at once, presuming Marc’s innocence and firmly standing against what he’s accused of.”

The statement appeared first in a LinkedIn post by Nancy Levine, a recruiter in Marin County who has been blogging regularly about Gafni. Julie van Amerongan, director of programs and events of Conscious Capitalism a business ethics group at which Mackey is a board member, emailed the statement and verified it in a later exchange with the Forward.

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UNITED STATES
Christianity Today

Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra
POSTED 6/15/2016

In an unusually contested race, Southern Baptist messengers elected Tennessee pastor Steve Gaines as their next president this morning.

Gaines replaces Ronnie Floyd, who has served the maximum two consecutive terms. SBC presidents are elected one year at a time; the post is largely honorific, except for its ability to fill certain leadership positions.

The SBC actually meant to elect a new president yesterday. But a rare tight race between the top two out of three candidates—North Carolina pastor J. D. Greear (45%) and Gaines (44%)—led to a runoff vote. (A candidate must receive just over 50 percent of the vote to win.)

Yesterday’s runoff vote was also too close to call, with Gaines receiving 49.96 percent of the votes and Greear receiving 47.8 percent. (More than 100 ballots were disqualified, yet were included in the determination of the total number of votes needed for a victory.)

This morning, in a surprise move, Greear pulled out.

“I spent a good amount of time last night praying, and believe that for the sake of our convention and our mission we need to leave St. Louis united,” he told the messengers. “In this room, we have various minor points of difference between us … but we are united by a gospel too great and a mission too urgent to let any lesser thing stand in our way. And one of the candidates leaving the convention with a 51 to 49 victory on a third ballot is just not going to serve our mission well. So I am respectfully withdrawing my candidacy as president.”

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MISSOURI
Christian Examiner

by Joni B. Hannigan | 15 June, 2016

ST. LOUIS (Christian Examiner) –Steve Gaines, 59, pastor of the Memphis area Bellevue Baptist Church was elected by acclamation as the new president of the Southern Baptist Convention today following a historic and unprecedented delay the first day of the June 14-15 SBC annual meeting.

The surprise announcement came at the start what was to be a third vote for president at the end of the June 15 morning session.

North Carolina pastor J.D. Greear withdrew his nomination to lead the largest non-Catholic denomination in America after two inconclusive votes, but then made a motion to elect Gaines by acclamation.

“I’ve said from the beginning it is tricky to lead the SBC,” Greear said. “I’ve spent a good amount of time praying and I believe for the sake of our convention and our election we need to leave St. Louis united. … We are united by a Gospel too great, and a mission too urgent, to let a lesser message stand in our way. I am respectfully withdrawing my candidacy as president.”

When a first vote split three ways between the three nominees for president – Gaines; Greenville, North Carolina pastor J.D. Greear; and New Orleans pastor David Crosby – failed to secure a 50 percent vote for any candidate, a second vote was cast.

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UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, June 15, 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)

We’re disappointed that the Southern Baptist Convention just elected Bellevue Baptist pastor Steve Gaines as president. He covered up abuse by minister Paul Williams for at least six months.

[Christian Examiner]

[SNAP]

No matter what church officials do or don’t do, we urge every single person who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes and cover ups in Baptist 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.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Boston News

Joanne Rowe, Reporter

A CHURCH youth leader who sexually abused two young girls has been jailed for eight years.

Michael Higson began abusing his first victim when she was just 14 years old, persuading her to undress for him over a webcam and taking her to his work office in Bolton for sex.

Bolton Crown Court heard how 33-year-old Higson’s distorted thinking led him to believe he was in a relationship with the girl.

But when she ended the secret relationship after six years, he turned his attentions to a second 14-year-old girl.

Karen Brooks, prosecuting, told the court how Higson’s offending only came to light in February this year when the girl’s mother spotted a text message from him on her daughter’s phone reading “Night … I love you x.”

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IRELAND
Solicitors Journal

International firm Hogan Lovells is to provide pro bono support to mothers and adopted people giving evidence to an independent investigation into Irish Mother and Baby Homes.

Working in collaboration with the Adoption Rights Alliance (ARA) and Justice for Magdalenes Research (JFMR), Hogan Lovells lawyers will assist in the preparation of witness statements to be sent to Ireland’s Commission of Investigation.

The Hogan Lovells team will also use the documents and information gathered to create an archive of the experiences of various stakeholders, and assist ARA and JFMR in making submissions to the commission.

In 2015, the Irish government announced the formation of the commission to investigate Mother and Baby Homes in Ireland, following concerns about the deaths of children at a home in Tuam, County Galway.

Many unmarried mothers and children born out of wedlock experienced trauma resulting from their treatment at various institutions across Ireland. Even today, many continue to experience difficulties in accessing records and discovering their identities and family histories.

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WASHINGTON (DC)
PRNewswire

NEW YORK, June 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — When Rabbi Bernard “Barry” Freundel, a nationally recognized authority in Jewish law, and the longstanding rabbi of Georgetown Synagogue-Kesher Israel Congregation was arrested in October 2014 on charges of voyeurism, the news made national headlines and generated two proposed class action suits. Yesterday, in a significant move forward, the D.C. Superior Court issued an omnibus order establishing a series of deadlines for vigorous prosecution of several proposed class actions arising out of Freundel’s voyeuristic and criminal acts. The order set dates for the filing of a consolidated class action complaint, specifies deadlines for the close of fact and expert witness discovery, and directs that any motion for class certification be submitted on May 12, 2017, with a hearing on class certification to be held on June 13, 2017. In another important move, the Court appointed Sanford Heisler, LLP as interim class counsel.

The lawsuit arose from a shocking betrayal of trust by Bernard Freundel. Early in 2015, Freundel plead guilty, in a criminal proceeding before the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to numerous counts of illicitly filming women as they used the “mikvah”- a Jewish ritual bath frequently used by married Orthodox women as well as by women undergoing conversion to Judaism.

The D. C. law firm of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. filed one of the original class actions. “We are honored to be working with Sanford Heisler to bring relief to the women who were so terribly abused by Bernard Freundel’s illegal conduct,” said Ira Sherman, founding partner of Chaikin Sherman, who is collaborating with Sanford Heisler on this matter. “It’s a team effort we are proud of and I am confident that together we can achieve some measure of justice for the victims in this case.”

After briefing and argument, Judge Brian F. Holeman of the D.C. Superior Court appointed Sanford Heisler as lead interim counsel. The Court stated that Sanford Heisler Chairman David Sanford’s “willingness to follow the Court’s directions and his succinct presentation on behalf of [Sanford Heisler] demonstrates that [the firm] possesses the understanding, knowledge, experience, and capability to perform the required work on behalf of the putative class Plaintiffs.” The court also praised Mr. Sanford’s candor, experience, and foresight in proposing a definitive timeframe for pre-certification discovery. Judge Holeman emphasized that Sanford Heisler has been recognized by various courts for excellence in class action litigation and representation. Based on all of these factors, Judge Holeman concluded that Sanford Heisler is “capable of exercising the managerial functions required of lead interim class counsel.”

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CANADA
The Telegram

Barb Sweet
Published on June 15, 2016

A New Mexico forensic psychologist in Newfoundland Supreme Court this morning called the boys at Mount Cashel as vulnerable as they could be when they were horribly wronged at the orphanage.

William Foote was qualified this morning at the Mount Cashel civil trial as an expert on the long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse. The request was made on behalf of the former residents from the 1940s to ’60s who say the Catholic Church should be held liable for physical and sexual abuse perpetrated by certain members of the lay order Christian Brothers.

The church contends it wasn’t involved in the orphanage’s operation.

For more coverage from this case click here

Foote also commented on the sexual sadism practised by certain Christian Brothers at the orphanage, noting everyone agrees it was a toxic place where boys were also humiliated and degraded through physical abuse.

The boys were at Mount Cashel usually because of a loss of a parent and Foote said during testimony on how research indicates children from a loving home life tend to fare better in recovering from sexual abuse. At the orphanage, the Brothers were in a position of trust in the boys’ lives.

Under questioning by former residents’ lawyer Will Hiscock, Foote said the fact that some boys were given penance when they confided in clergy about the abuse amounted to blaming the victim. (The court has already heard of instances of boys telling of abuse in confession).

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PENNSYLVANIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release, June 14, 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)

It is the job of judges to decide if those laws pass constitutional muster. Pennsylvania legislatures must put the safety of kids first, above all other considerations.

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TEXAS
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, June 15, 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)

We call on top US Baptist officials to denounce a plan being discussed by some Baylor alums to keep a controversial coach who has been ousted for turning a blind eye to rapes.

[SportsDay]

The annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention is being held now in St. Louis. We urge delegates and officials to introduce and pass a resolution condemning the suggested retention of Coach Art Briles.

It’s tough to deter rapists. It’s not tough, however, to deter their enablers – colleagues and supervisors who ignore or hide rapists’ crimes. All it takes is harsh discipline. That’s what Briles deserves. That’s what will protect college students and others from sexual violence.

Even discussing a lesser punishment for Briles rubs salt into the already deep and still fresh wounds of many victims of sexual violence. It tells us “Baylor football is more important than your pain.” It’s extraordinarily callous. And speaking of deterrence, such irresponsible and cold-hearted discussion deters others who’ve been assaulted from reporting criminals, helping police, and stopping more sexual violence.

No matter what university 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 Baptist churches or institutions – especially at Baylor – 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.

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GUAM
Pacific New Center

Written by Janela Carrera

Roland Paul Lizama Sondia says Archbishop Anthony Apuron molested him when he was an altar boy in Agat.

Guam – Yet another victim has come forward with sex abuse claims against Archbishop Anthony Apuron. Roland Paul Lizama Sondia says he was molested by Archbishop Apuron in 1977.

Sondia is now the fourth victim to publicly accuse the archbishop of sexual assault.

Like the three other alleged victims, Sondia says it happened at the rectory of the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Agat. Sondia was 15 years old in the summer of 1977 and one night he and a few other altar servers were sleeping over at the rectory.

“I was awakened when I felt someone tapping on my shoulder and calling my name,” says Sondia. “I looked up and it was Father Anthony Apuron.”

Sondia says Apuron gestured him to come into his bedroom. While inside, Sondia says Apuron propositioned him.

“He put his right arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer saying, ‘Do you want to try me?'” recalls Sondia. “Before I could do anything he started rubbing my privates. I loudly asked him, ‘What are you doing?’ I told him to stop but he didn’t. Instead he continued on and this time squeezing my penis and kept saying, ‘Just try me.'”

Sondia says he eventually managed to break free and run toward the door.

“I remember glancing back and he was just sitting there at the edge of his bed with his head down,” says Sondia.

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GUAM
Guam Daily Post

Louella Losinio | Post News Staff

Roland Sondia yesterday became the fourth Agat resident since mid-May to accuse Archbishop Anthony Apuron of sexual abuse. He made the accusation yesterday, June 15 during a press conference in front of the Pastoral Office at the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica in Hagåtña.

“When I was an altar boy almost 39 years ago, at the age of 15, I was molested by then-parish priest Anthony Sablan Apuron. This was a man who I trusted and had a lot of respect for,” Sondia said.

According to Sondia, the incident occurred in 1977 when he was an altar boy at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Agat.

“In the middle of the night, I was sexually molested by Apuron,” he said. “It was around 1 a.m. in the middle of the week when a couple of altar boys and I were asleep on futons on the living room floor at the Mount Carmel rectory. I was awakened when I felt someone tapping on my shoulder and calling my name.”

Sondia said he looked up and Apuron was asking for his help and gestured to follow him to the bedroom. In the dark, Sondia said Apuron put his arms around his shoulder, pulled him closer and asked, “Do you want to try me?” Before he could do anything, Sondia said Apuron started “rubbing my privates.” Sondia asked, “What are you doing?” and told Apuron to stop. However, Sondia said Apuron continued and kept saying, “Just try me.”

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IRELAND
CLANN Project

Press Release, 15th June 2016

Launch of major project to assist with Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation

Justice for Magdalenes Research (JFMR) and Adoption Rights Alliance (ARA) are delighted to announce the launch of a major project which will offer support to those who wish to make a statement to the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and Certain Related Matters.

The project will provide individuals with free witness statement drafting assistance and it has been endorsed by Philomena Lee and her daughter Jane Libberton. It will be known as Clann: Ireland’s Unmarried Mothers and their Children: Gathering the Data (Clann) and it will be delivered in association with global law firm Hogan Lovells.

JFMR and ARA believe firstly that it is crucial that those who wish to give evidence to the Commission of Investigation have access to legal assistance at no cost, and secondly that the putting in place of such assistance will help ensure that the Commission of Investigation conducts the most comprehensive investigation possible and that it makes appropriate findings and recommendations.

Everyone who compiles a witness statement with Hogan Lovells’ assistance will retain a copy and will be free to use it for any other purpose, including making a written submission to the Commission should they wish not to appear in person. The Clann project has also created a Guide to the Commission of Investigation as a resource.

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IRELAND
irish Independent

Catherine Devine
PUBLISHED
15/06/2016

Women who lived in mother and baby homes in Ireland will now be able to avail of free legal assistance to make a witness statement.

Justice for Magdalene Research (JFMR) and Adoption Rights Alliance (ARA) have launched the new plan known as “Clann”.
.
The project will provide free legal assistance to allow individuals in the homes to draft witness statements.

The project aims to help ensure that the Commission of Investigation conducts the most comprehensive investigation possible into the treatment of unmarried mother in the homes.

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CANADA
Out in the Open

Angela Kennedy, chair of the Toronto Catholic School Board, got in touch with Out in the Open after listening to last week’s episode on The Sex Talk, to explain why her thinking on the subject had changed after she learned that one of her adult sons, Brian, had been sexually abused at age 11.

As a trustee for the Catholic board last year, she was critical of Ontario’s sex-education curriculum. She called for a delay on the implementation of the plan, and released a statement last year, reading in part, “Catholic schools shouldn’t be forced to teach a program that doesn’t ground the expression of sexuality in love and marriage.”

She no longer feels that way. “That’s the Church’s position, but my position has changed,” she told Out in the Open host Piya Chattopadhyay.

“My position has changed because of what happened to Brian. A very sensitive and disturbing revelation to us has caused me to pause and to reflect on my own attitudes.”

Brian Kennedy, now a 30-year-old teacher at Toronto Catholic secondary school, told his story in the online article, “Tough Enough To Talk.”

“I’m a living example that we need more dialogue around sexual health, not less,” Brian wrote. “We need to encourage boys and girls to ask questions, or risk that they’ll bury them, like I did.”

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PENNSYLVANIA
The Morning Call

Bill White

Here are answers to some claims about statute of limitations reform

I’ve been writing — here and here — about the way the Catholic Church is working hard to convince its faithful to exert pressure on state lawmakers over a bill that would extend statutes of limitations in cases of child sex abuse.

House Bill 1947, which easily passed the House in April, would eliminate the statute of limitations for criminal cases of child sexual abuse and extend the statute for civil cases until the victim reaches age 50, retroactively, from the present age 30.

It also would partially lift sovereign immunity protection shielding public entities such as public schools, although the retroactive provision wouldn’t apply in those cases because experts say it would be illegal.

As I watched comments unfold after I posted the link on Facebook, it occurred to me that I should address some of the concerns raised by the Philadelphia Archdiocese in the letters being read from the pulpit, sent to the parents of Catholic schoolchildren and posted in church bulletins and church websites. We may also be seeing a commercial before long, if advance publicity for a recent Catholic gathering was correct.

The blog post I linked to above included a letter from Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput that lays out many of the church’s arguments. I encourage you to check it out.

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GUAM
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agana

The Most Reverend Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, S.D.B.
Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples,
Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Agana

On behalf of the Holy Father, I wish to thank the clergy, religious, and lay faithful of Guam for their openness, trust, and prayers as I carry out the duties that our Holy Father has entrusted to me as the Apostolic Administrator, sede plena, of the Archdiocese of Agana effective June 6, 2016.

It has been just seven days since I arrived on Guam Wednesday, June 8 with Rev. Fr. Tadeusz Jan Nowak, O.M.I., who has been assisting me.

During the past week, we have met with various Archdiocesan Councils and I have met individually with many priests. We have visited a few parishes and celebrated Mass with the People, including a Vigil service on Saturday evening and Sunday Mass at the Cathedral-Basilica. In all of these encounters we have found the priests, deacons, religious, and lay faithful to be very collaborative and helpful in promoting the good of the diocese. They have displayed a deep love for Christ and for His Church.

I ask for the people’s patience and trust as we continue this process of consulting, reflecting, and promoting the unity, harmony, and stability of the Church in Guam.

+ Savio Hon Tai Fai, SDB

Apostolic Administrator
Archdiocese of Agana

14 June 2016

Download Full Statement

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GUAM
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agana

This morning Mr. Roland Paul Lizama Sondia, a resident of Guam presented to the public media accusations against the Archbishop of Agana, namely, that when he was an altar boy at Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in Agat, he was molested by the then Father Anthony Sablan Apuron. The Archdiocese of Agana, taking into serious consideration the allegations presented to the public this morning, will take the necessary steps to present the matter to the Holy See, which has final authority in cases related to Bishops. In the mean time, I am earnestly praying for all those concerned in this matter, without prejudice to both the alleged victim and the accused and ask for the prayers and support of the entire Church community.

Most Rev. Savio Hon Tai Fai, SDB

Apostolic Administrator
Archdiocese of Agana

June 15, 2016

Download Full Statement

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GUAN
Clay Center Dispatch

HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — Another former altar boy has come forward to publicly accuse Guam’s archbishop of sexual abuse.

The Pacific Daily News reports (http://bit.ly/21mlTr9) that 54-year-old Roland Paul L. Sondia said Wednesday that he was a 15-year-old altar boy when Archbishop Anthony Apuron sexually abused him during a sleepover in a church rectory. That was in summer 1977, when Apuron was a parish priest.

Sondia says he has tried to put the abuse behind him but felt that he should come forward when childhood friends began sharing similar stories in May.

Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, a temporary administrator appointed by the Vatican, said in a statement that the Guam archdiocese will take the allegations into “serious consideration.”

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NEW YORK
New York Daily News

KENNETH LOVETT
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Monday, June 13, 2016

ALBANY – With three days left in the state legislative session and their chances fading, advocates for a bill to make it easier for child sexual assault victims to seek justice are hoping for a miracle.

And they’ll need it.

Gov. Cuomo sent a letter to the Legislature Monday outlining six end-of-session issues he believes can be achieved – and the Child Victims Act was not among them. Allowing restaurants to sell booze on Sundays before noon, made the list as did improving safety at rail crossings, and ethics and campaign finance reform.

“It’s not in the letter, so obviously he’s not pushing for it,” Gary Greenberg, an upstate investor and a child sex abuse victim, said. “If he was, it would be in the letter. By not including it, the message to the Legislature is they don’t have to pass it.”

State lawmakers, meanwhile, have reached a tentative deal to allow bars and restaurants to begin selling liquor at 10 a.m. Sunday morning, sources told the Daily News.

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IRELAND
RTE News

Women who lived in mother and baby homes across Ireland can now avail of free legal assistance to make a witness statement.

The project, which will be known as Clann, has been set up by Justice for Magdalenes Research and the Adoption Rights Alliance.

They say the initiative will ensure the commission conducts the most comprehensive investigation possible.

The new project will provide women who lived at any of the country’s mother and baby homes with free legal assistance in drafting witness statements.

Those behind the project say it will allow women to make a comprehensive statement to the commission which is investigating how unmarried mothers and their babies were treated at 14 State-linked religious institutions.

They say that it will ensure that women can still give evidence even if they do not wish to do so in person.

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ITALY
The Local

An Italian priest, arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of sexually abusing a minor, allegedly told his victim that he would go to hell if he spoke out about the abuse.

The 55-year-old, from Corna di Darfo parish near the Lombardy city of Brescia, allegedly abused the boy, of foreign origin, from when he was aged 12 until he reached 14.

The priest, who has been suspended from the parish, is alleged to have said to the child that if he told anyone about the abuse then he would go to hell.

The boy, who attended the parish in order to be baptized, eventually confided in a priest in Milan, who told him to tell police.

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DEUTSCHLAND
RP

Nettetal. Die Initiative gegen Gewalt und sexuellen Missbrauch an Kindern und Jugendlichen hegt den Verdacht, dass die Kirche die Missbrauchsvorwürfe gegen Georg K. aus Südafrika nicht aufklären möchte Von Marc Schütz

Johannes Heibel ist wütend auf die katholische Kirche. Diese hat den aus Willich stammenden Georg K. zwar jetzt aus dem Priesteramt entlassen, weil er wegen teilweise schweren Missbrauchs von Minderjährigen Anfang 2015 zu sechs Jahren Haft verurteilt wurde.

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ROM
Jesuiten

[The Jesuit Pontifical Gregorian University has graduated its first class of people who completed a course in protection of minors.]

Rom (KNA) – Am Kinderschutzzentrum der Päpstlichen Universität Gregoriana haben die ersten 19 Teilnehmer den Studiengang “Schutz von Minderjährigen” erfolgreich absolviert. Die Studierenden aus vier Kontinenten erhielten am Dienstag ihr Abschlusszeugnis vom Leiter des Kinderschutzzentrums, P. Hans Zollner SJ. Das einsemestrige Qualifikationsprogramm bildet internationale Studenten geistlicher und säkularer Fachrichtungen zu Präventionsfachleuten für den Schutz von Minderjährigen vor sexuellem Missbrauch aus.

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AUSTRALIA
Illawarra Mercury

Cydonee Mardon
June 15, 2016

A former Catholic Brother has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a young male student at Edmund Rice College in the late 1980s.

John Vincent Roberts was a teacher at the single-sex school when he repeatedly molested and raped the 12-year-old boy while on school grounds.

Roberts, now aged 73 and living in Sydney, was arrested after voluntarily attending Redfern Police Station on December 14 at the request of investigating officers.

He was charged with 21 offences in total, including multiple counts of homosexual intercourse (teacher of pupil) and indecent assault where the victim was under his authority.

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TEXAS
Wall Street Journal

By BRAD REAGAN and REBECCA DAVIS O’BRIEN
June 14, 2016

A small group of powerful Baylor University alumni are pushing the school to reconsider its plan to fire football coach Art Briles, a move that threatens to inflame the controversy over the Baptist school’s handling of sexual violence on campus.

The issue was discussed Monday night in a teleconference between members of the Baylor board of regents but no action was taken, according to people familiar with the matter.

Based in Waco, Texas, Baylor three weeks ago forced out its president, Kenneth Starr, and suspended Briles in response to an outside law firm’s report concluding that the school turned a blind eye to sexual assaults and other incidents involving members of the football team. The board’s actions drew national attention because they implicated Starr, whose prosecution of former President Bill Clinton led to his impeachment, and Briles, a beloved figure among many alumni for revitalizing the football program.

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WALES
Advertiser

Published date: 14 June 2016 | Published by: Daniel Heald

A PRIEST, who had been arrested on suspicion of historical child sexual abuse, committed suicide at his home near Oswestry, a coroner has ruled.

Father Ernest Sands, 67, was found dead inside a shed on April 11 near his home at Hirnant on the day he was due to answer bail set by Lancashire Police.

Last year, Fr Sands was arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing five boys aged from 11 to 15 at a Catholic seminary in the late 1970s and 1980s.

The alleged offences were believed to have occurred during Fr Sands’ time as a teacher at St Joseph’s Roman Catholic College, Upholland, Lancashire.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Times Herald

By Kathleen E. Carey, kcarey@21st-centurymedia.com, @dtbusiness on Twitter
POSTED: 06/14/16

The head of the state Senate Judiciary Committee was labeled “biased” and his oversight at a hearing on extending the statue of limitations for child sex abuse victims to file civil lawsuits called “legislative ethics at its worst” because of his law firm’s representation of Catholic interests contesting a similar statute in Delaware.

State Sen. Stewart J. Greenleaf, R-12, of Willow Grove, headed the Judiciary Committee hearing on HB 1947 Monday. He chairs that committee. The bill would extend the time child sex abuse victims can file civil lawsuits 20 years to when they are 50 years old.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia launched an aggressive campaign earlier this month urging its members to oppose the proposal because of the potential financial peril it could pose to parishes and services.

Thomas S. Neuberger of the Wilmington, Del., law firm that represented more than 110 child abuse victims under the Delaware Child Victims Act of 2007, said Greenleaf has “an irreconcilable conflict of interest” in this matter and called for him to step down.

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GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Jun 15, 2016

By Krystal Paco

Archbishop Anthony Apuron has denied the allegations of sex abuse and instead claims he is a victim of a malicious smear campaign to oust him. But retired social worker Zita Calvo believes the accusers are telling the truth. Calvo was a social worker for 20 years with Child Protective Services.

A part of CPS’s mission is to provide immediate intervention and help to children who are victims of abuse. Additionally, the organization conducts investigations into allegations of child abuse and neglect.

Calvo said she does not know any of Apuron’s alleged victims, adding, “Everything that’s going on – these men wouldn’t have come out if these allegations weren’t true. And I believe every single one of them and their allegations against Apuron. What makes them so credible is they each came out and they were very detailed in what transpired during the time when they were with Apuron.”

Calvo says it’s not unusual for victims to wait so long to share their stories. In this case, she notes the victims were hesitant to tell an adult because Apuron was a man of the cloth and trusted by the community.

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GUAM
Pacific Daily News

The Vatican needs to resolve the allegations against Archbishop Anthony Apuron as quickly as it is able, and must ensure it’s completely open with this community about information relating to its investigation and findings.

In recent weeks, Apuron has been accused, by three individuals, of sexually assaulting young boys when he was a priest at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel church in Agat in the 1970s. Apuron has said he is innocent and is the victim of a smear campaign. He hasn’t been charged with any crime.

The Vatican recently appointed Archbishop Savio Tai Fai Hon to oversee Guam’s Catholic church while the allegations are investigated. Apuron remains Guam’s archbishop.

The majority of Guam residents are Catholic, and the accusations are troubling to many, given Apuron’s status in the church.

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GUAM
Pacific Daily News

Haidee V Eugenio, Pacific Daily News June 15, 2016

Another person came forward Wednesday morning to publicly accuse Guam’s Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron of sexual abuse.

The accuser, Roland Sondia, said Apuron sexually abused him when he was a 15-year-old altar boy during a sleepover at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church rectory in Agat where Apuron was parish priest in the summer of 1977.

“When I was an altar boy almost 39 years ago, at the age of 15, I was molested by Anthony Sablan Apuron. This was a man who I trusted and had a lot of respect for,” Sondia told the media during a press conference outside the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica in Hagåtña.

He is the fourth person to accuse Apuron of sexual abuse of altar boys in recent weeks starting in May.

The archbishop that the Vatican sent to temporarily administer the Archdiocese of Agana, Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, issued a statement to the media hours after Sondia came out.

“The Archdiocese of Agana, taking into serious consideration the allegations presented to the public this morning, will take necessary steps to present the matter to the Holy See, which has final authority in cases related to Bishops,” Archbishop Hon said. “In the mean time, I am earnestly praying for all those concerned in this matter, without prejudice to both the alleged victim and the accused and ask for the prayers and support of the entire Church community.”

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GUAM
KUAM

[with video]

Updated: Jun 15, 2016

By Krystal Paco

Roland Sondia was only 15 years old when he had an unforgettable encounter with then-Father Anthony Apuron. Like the other alleged victims, Sondia was an altar boy at Mount Carmel Church. That brings the count of Apuron’s accusers up to five to date. A press conference was held earlier today at the steps of the Agana Cathedral Pastoral Center detailing the graphic events.

It’s enough pain to bring a grown man to tears. Like the others, Sondia was an altar boy in Agat when he alleges he was molested by Apuron. That summer night in 1977, the boys were sleeping on the rectory living room floor. In the middle of the night, Apuron came to Sondia asking for help, as he recalled, “I didn’t think anything of the situation because we were there to help the priest.

“He then started to say that of all the altar boys, that I was the only one that he could trust. And I was the only one he could rely on the most.”

In the bedroom alone, Apuron allegedly asked Sondia, then a teen, for sex. “He put his right arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer and asked, ‘Do you want to try me?’. Before I could do anything he started rubbing my privates. I loudly asked him, ‘What are you doing?’ I told him to stop, but he didn’t.”

Sondia was able to break free and cried all the way home. “I was in shock. I was confused. Offended. Humiliated. And disappointed that the man I looked up to had just asked me if I wanted to have sex with him,” he shared. “I know there are other boys who were victims of this man. I hope and pray that they also will come forward.”

While decades have passed, Sondia’s wife Frances says today marks the first day of healing for her husband. “I wish that the archdiocese would take this seriously. To take Roy [Quintanilla], Walter [Denton], Doris [Concepcion], and my husband seriously. And I pray that the others will come out,” she announced.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

By Allan Preston
PUBLISHED
15/06/2016

The Kincora whistleblower and abuse survivor Richard Kerr has said he will no longer give evidence to the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, calling the process “grossly unfair”.

Richard Kerr was among a number of boys abused in the notorious Kincora children’s home in east Belfast after he became a resident in 1974.

The HIA inquiry, led by retired High Court judge Sir Anthony Hart, is investigating long standing claims that a high-ranking paedophile ring preyed on vulnerable boys during the 1970s.

Further claims have been made that UK security services knew about the abuse but did nothing to stop it, instead blackmailing the high profile offenders who were said to include politicians, judges, civil servants and police officers.

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GUAM
KUAM

[with video]

Updated: Jun 15, 2016

By Krystal Paco

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests is calling out Pope Francis and Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai to act. In a release from SNAP western regional director Joelle Casteix, she states “Pope Francis has promised quick action to remove and punish clerics – including bishops – who have abused children or covered up abuse. Now is the time.”

SNAP also commends the bravery from each of the victims, most recently with Roland Sondia, who today publicly accused Archbishop Anthony Apuron of molesting him when he was 15 years old.

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NEW YORK
New York Daily News

MICHAEL O’KEEFFE
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Neal Huff was waiting in line at a Westchester post office earlier this year when a clerk recognized him as the actor who played dogged victim advocate Phil Saviano in “Spotlight,” the Academy Award-winning film about The Boston Globe’s investigation into the Catholic Church sex-abuse scandal.

The clerk had a big smile on his face as he announced that he was a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. Huff said that kind of openness is necessary to change laws that prevent victims from seeking justice.

“That is the only hope this issue has, if people talk about it,” the actor said. “Awareness is the tool we need to change these laws, because the laws will not get changed without public outcry. It is mind-boggling to think of how far back New York is on this issue.”

Huff has teamed up with Saviano to ensure the public outcry sparked by “Spotlight” doesn’t wane once the closing credits end.

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GUAM
Guam Daily Post

Archbishop Savio Tai Fai Hon – in his role as Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Agana – responded today to the newest accusation of sexual abuse by Archbishop Anthony Apuron.

In a press release, Archbishop Hon said: “This morning Mr. Roland Paul Lizama Sondia, a resident of Guam presented to the public media accusations against the Archbishop of Agana, namely, that when he was an altar boy at Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in Agat, he was molested by the then Father Anthony Sablan Apuron. The Archdiocese of Agana, taking into serious consideration the allegations presented to the public this morning, will take the necessary steps to present the matter to the Holy See, which has final authority in cases related to Bishops. In the mean time, I am earnestly praying for all those concerned in this matter, without prejudice to both the alleged victim and the accused and ask for the prayers and support of the entire Church community.”

This is Hon’s first public statement addressing a specific allegation of sexual abuse against Apuron.

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NEW YORK
Western Queens Gazette

By Liz Goff

A Brooklyn pastor is charged with repeatedly molesting a 6-year-old girl his wife was babysitting in an apartment at the Woodside Houses, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
James Lowe, 45, pastor of New Mount Zion Baptist Church in Bushwick, molested the girl in the Woodside apartment on March 7, touching her genitals over her clothing, a criminal complaint alleges.

Lowe repeated the act on June 7, then rubbed his genitals against the girl’s genitals, between their clothing, tried to put his hand under her clothing, exposed himself to the girl and placed her hand on his genitals, Brown said.

Investigators arranged a phone call between the mother and Lowe after the woman reported the abuse to police on June 7, according to the complaint. Low denied the charges.

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CANADA
The Telegram

Barb Sweet
Published on June 14, 2016

Archbishop Martin Currie expressed regret on the witness stand in Newfoundland Supreme Court Tuesday for the abuse boys suffered at the hands of Christian Brothers at Mount Cashel several decades ago, but two John Does say he stopped short of an apology.

“You feel the hurt of these young men who were there in trust of the Brothers — men who were there to love and care for them — and they betrayed them,” Currie replied to church lawyer Mark Frederick when asked if he had anything to say to the men he heard give testimony about their experiences at Mount Cashel.

“I am sure their spiritual life was shattered. There was a breach of faith, a breach of trust, so this caused great pain to them.

“I see the sadness and I regret very much this happened and I have great sympathy for the suffering which they have endured at the hands of the church.”

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MINNESOTA
Post-Bulletin

Kay Fate, kfate@postbulletin.com

WINONA — The man who abruptly resigned as vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Winona continues to say Mass and celebrate the sacraments, despite what the church’s own law says about suspended priests.

The Rev. Msgr. Richard Colletti, 63, tendered his resignation a week ago after the Post-Bulletin discovered he admitted under oath in the early 1990s that he had a sexual relationship with a college freshman whom he was counseling.

The relationship lasted for more than a year, according to court documents obtained by the Post-Bulletin, and included a pregnancy scare.

The vicar general is the second-highest ranking position in the diocese. Colletti also resigned from his position as administrative chaplain for the Winona Newman Center.

Bishop John Quinn said June 1 that “it would have been within my role to (terminate Colletti), but before I even began that discussion, Monsignor informed me that he wished to resign.” The resignation was effective that day.

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GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Jun 14, 2016

By Sabrina Salas Matanane

During a press conference held in front of the Archdiocese of Agana’s Pastoral Center this morning, Roland Sondia of Agat alleged he was sexually molested by Archbishop Anthony Apuron. The alleged incident occurred when Sondia was an altar boy at Mt. Carmel Church in Agat where Apuron was a priest at the time.

In the summer of 1977, Sondia said he along with other altar boys were spending the night at the Mount Carmel Rectory. He alleges Fr. Tony (Apuron) walked in, tapped him to wake him up and told him he needed help. He said he brought him into his bedroom and asked him if he wanted to try him. Sondia alleges Fr. Tony then began squeezing his penis. Sondia said he was in shock and asked him what is he doing and left.

Sondia’s attorney David Lujan said two more alleged victims will be coming forward “soon”. Archbishop Apuron has denied allegations of sexual abuse. This is the 5th person to have come forward alleging sexual abuse by Archbishop Apuron when he was a priest.

The other four that have come forward:

1 – John Toves: He alleged his cousin was sexually abused by Apuron. Toves said his cousin was a seminarian at the time. Because his relative never came forward it was not investigated.

2 – Roy Quintanilla: He alleges he was molested by the Archbishop when he was a priest at Mt. Carmel Church in Agat. Quintanilla was an altar boy and was 12-years-old.

3 – Walter Denton: He accused Apuron of raping him when he was 13-years-old. He also was an altar boy and Apuron was a priest at Mt. Carmel

4 – Doris Concepcion: She alleges her son, Joseph “Sonny” Quinata on his death bed told her he was molested by the Archbishop Apuron also when he was a priest in Agat. Quinata was also an altar boy. His ashes were brought to Guam and laid to rest by his family on Tuesday.

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RHODE ISLAND
Rhode Island Public Radio

By ELISABETH HARRISON

House lawmakers have scheduled a committee hearing Wednesday on a bill that would add schools to Rhode Island’s mandatory child abuse reporting law.

The bill was filed in response to a sexual abuse scandal at St. George’s School in Middletown, after it became clear the school had failed to report numerous allegations of sexual abuse. The incidents span several decades and involve several former faculty members and one current employee.

Although the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office says state law already requires school to report suspected abuse to the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), advocates for survivors of abuse say they want to clarify the law.

The move came after Rhode Island Public Radio reported a different interpretation of the statute at DCYF. The agency says it has never had the authority to investigate claims of sexual abuse in a school or educational setting. If the agency received a call about a school, it would be referred to law enforcement.

The proposed amendment would remedy that by explicitly requiring schools to report abuse suspected of their employees, and requiring DCYF to initiate an investigation. The agency would also be expected to notify law enforcement of the allegations.

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MINNESOTA
Northlands News Center

By Ramona Marozas

Hibbing, MN (NNCNOW.com) — A five-day jury trial of a Hibbing, Minn., priest, who is currently on administrative leave, began on Tuesday.

Jurors were selected for the case in which Brian Lederer faces six charges of criminal sexual conduct, as well as a charge of possession of child pornography.

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Three of the 30-year-old’s alleged victims were under 13, and another was under 16, according to the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office.

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VATICAN CITY
ANSA

(ANSA) – Vatican City, June 14 – PR expert Francesca Chaouqui, a defendant in the so-called Vatileaks 2 trial into the leaking of classified Holy See documents, gave birth to a son on Tuesday, her defence lawyer Laura Sgrò said.

“Baby and mother are well,” Sgrò said.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi welcomed the birth of Pietro Elijah Antonio in a statement.

“Welcome! Best wishes to him and his parents!” Lombardi said.

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VATICAN CITY
Times of India

Vatican City, June 14, 2016 (AFP) –
Final hearings in the Vatican’s controversial leaks trial of journalists and others will be held next month in a finale to over nine months of courtroom drama that has embarrassed the Holy See.

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said Tuesday that final arguments and sentencing requests would be made July 4-6.

A panel of judges will then have to decide if any of the five defendants should face prison sentences for their role in exposing waste and financial mismanagement at the top of the Church based on leaked classified documents.

The Vatican also announced that Spanish monsignor Lucio Vallejo Balda, who has been held in a police cell for much of the trial, had been released from custody on Saturday and was now in a state of “semi-liberty.”

Balda admitted earlier in the trial to leaking classified documents to journalists but claimed he did so under pressure from a female former colleague after she made advances to him culminating in a “compromising” encounter in a hotel room.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Lexology

Bolt Burdon Kemp

Marlon Ellis
United Kingdom June 14 2016

Following on from a number of preliminary hearings held in March as part of its investigations into Greville Janner, the Church of England, Lambeth Council and Rochdale, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has announced that it will hold a number of further preliminary hearings over the course of July.

On 26 July the Inquiry will hold another preliminary hearing in relation to allegations of sexual abuse involving Greville Janner as well as institutional responses to these allegations. This will be followed by three preliminary hearings on 27 July which will again look at the Church of England, Lambeth Council and sexual abuse in Rochdale. The purpose of these hearings is to consider what progress has been made since the initial hearings in March and to provide further directions for the investigations going forwards.

On 28 July, the Inquiry will hold an initial preliminary hearing as part of its investigation into Child Sexual Abuse within the Catholic Church. The investigation is set to look at numerous case studies starting with a look at the English Benedictine Congregation which has faced numerous reports of child sexual abuse perpetrated by members of the Order and within institutions and schools which it ran. The Inquiry is currently seeking applications for Core Participants for this investigation. Those who wish to apply for Core Participant status will have until 4pm on 24 June to submit their application.

Also on 28 July, the Inquiry will hold a preliminary hearing in relation to the Protection of Children Outside the United Kingdom. This investigation will consider whether institutions and organisations based in England and Wales have taken their responsibility to protect children outside the United Kingdom from sexual abuse seriously. The investigation will look at institutions such as the armed forces and Foreign and Commonwealth Office which have recruited individuals to work abroad who have gone on to abuse children.

Finally, on 29 July the Inquiry will hold a preliminary hearing as part of its investigation into Accountability and Reparations for Victims of Child Sexual Abuse. This promises to be an interesting strand of the inquiry which will examine support services and legal remedies available to victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. The Inquiry has stated that it will look at reports of obstructive insurance companies who are reluctant to pay compensation to survivors of child sexual abuse and whether our current civil justice system delivers genuine reparation.

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GUAM
Guam Daily Post

Johanna Salinas | Post News Staff

On June 14, the Concerned Catholics of Guam wrote a letter to Pope Francis responding to Archbishop Anthony Apuron’s June 5 decree of banning the group. The letter was sent by Tim Rohr, blogger of Jungle Watch, and was addressed to Pope Francis.

Apuron’s decree titled “Concerning the group so-called ‘Concerned Catholics of Guam’” accused the CCOG of various acts against the church. Apuron labeled them “a prohibited society” for the archdiocese because of their protests against the church hierarchy.

In the CCOG’s letter, Rohr defended the group’s protests. “The Catholic faithful are not obliged to preserve communion with an Ordinary who has violated the trust of the Catholic faithful not just by what is enumerated supra, but by his public threats to take legal action against those who have accused him of sexual molestation rather than provide the duty of care already expressly asked for and required by the Church,” Rohr wrote.

In the letter, Rohr also addressed the ongoing sex abuse allegation made against Apuron. “This Ordinary has violated his own archdiocesan sex abuse policy mandating a duty of care to persons claiming to have suffered sex abuse at the hands of clergy, namely the Ordinary himself; and this Ordinary has threatened all Catholics of this archdiocese with legal action should they publicly join their voices in support of those persons accusing this Ordinary of the sexual molestation of minors,” Rohr wrote.

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VATICAN CITY
Reuters

The trial of five people charged over the leak of sensitive Vatican documents was adjourned on Tuesday until early next month, when court officials said it is expected to end.

The case centres on the publication last year of two books based on leaked documents that depict a Vatican plagued by graft in which Pope Francis faces stiff resistance to his agenda.

Lawyers for a key defendant, Francesca Chaouqui, 35, told the court that she had given birth to a boy on Tuesday morning.

The birth was one of the reasons the trial was adjourned until July 4. It is expected to wind up on July 6 after three consecutive sessions, the court said.

Chaouqui, a public relations consultant, is on trial along with Spanish Monsignor Angel Lucio Vallejo Balda, his assistant Nicola Maio, and two Italian journalists, Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi.

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VATICAN CITY
Washington Post

By Nicole Winfield | AP June 14

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican’s criminal trial over leaked documents took a complicated but expected turn Tuesday with the birth of a baby named Pietro.

Francesca Chaouqui, a flamboyant public relations expert and member of a papal reform commission, gave birth just as the trial in which she is a defendant resumed.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, announced the birth with a “Benvenuto!” (Welcome!) and sent his best wishes for the arrival of the 3.7-kilo (8.16-pound) baby boy.

The Vatican has accused Chaouqui as well as a Vatican monsignor and his assistant of leaking confidential documents exposing Vatican greed and mismanagement to two journalists. The journalists are also on trial, accused of breaking Vatican law by publishing confidential information.

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CANADA
The Telegram

Barb Sweet
Published on June 14, 2016

A parish priest at Mount Cashel in the 1950s would have been aware of an option to deal outside the secrecy of confession with a boy’s report of sexual abuse by a Christian Brother, an expert on canon law agreed in court this morning.

Fr. Francis Morrissey of Ottawa concluded his testimony at the civil trial in Newfoundland Supreme Court before the lunch break.

While being cross-examined by former orphanage residents’ lawyer Geoff Budden, Morrissey confirmed the seal of confession is so strong if someone confessed to poisoning the communion wine, a priest would have no choice but to serve the wine, short of dropping it.

However, when asked about an agreed statement of facts, in which a Mount Cashel boy reported in confession to the parish priest on the orphanage site he had been sexually touched by a Brother, Morrissey agreed there was an option.

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SCOTLAND
BBC News

A Catholic priest has been jailed for 10 months for stealing £96,000 from his parish in North Ayrshire to fund an online gambling habit.

Fr Graeme Bell, 41, embezzled the cash from St Mary’s (Our Lady, Star of the Sea) in Saltcoats between March and May 2015 to play online roulette.

He left the parish in June last year after financial irregularities were reported to police.

Bell, of Kilwinning, was jailed after he admitted a charge of embezzlement.

‘Breach of trust’

Sentencing him at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court, Sheriff Alistair Watson told the priest: “This is a very significant breach of trust and a substantial amount of funds.

“All the difficulties you have did not remove your free will – as an intelligent being you deliberately undertook the actions you undertook.

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SCOTLAND
Scotsman

RORY CASSIDY
Tuesday 14 June 2016

A priest was jailed for ten months today for stealing nearly £100,000 from church funds to pay for an online ­gambling problem.

Father Graeme Bell, 41, was parish priest at Our Lady Star of the Sea church, in Saltcoats, Ayrshire.

He embezzled the ­money between March and May 2015 and used it to play online ­roulette while “paralysed” by his gambling addiction, ­Kilmarnock Sheriff Court heard.

Last month, Fr Bell pleaded guilty to embezzling £96,000 from the parish and sentence was deferred for him to be assessed by social workers on the most appropriate way of dealing with him.

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KENTUCKY
WKMS

By LISA AUTRY

The Catholic Diocese of Owensboro has suspended the pastor of a Union County church. The priest is accused of sexual misconduct decades ago.

The Reverend Freddie Byrd has been suspended as pastor of St. Ann Catholic Church in Morganfield. A complaint issued this month accuses Byrd of inappropriate sexual contact with a 17-year-old juvenile in 1983. According to a statement from the diocese, Byrd was not a priest at the time of the alleged sexual abuse.

The diocese says it is conducting its own investigation and has notified law enforcement. The Messenger-Inquirer reports Byrd’s name was mentioned in a suicide letter left by an Owensboro man who shot himself outside of Blessed Mother Catholic Church in 2008.

The church was led by Byrd at the time of the death. The letter discussed sexual abuse, but never accused the pastor of misconduct.

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ROME
Catholic News Agency

By Ann Schneible

Rome, Italy, Jun 14, 2016 / 11:38 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The first graduates of an international diploma course on safeguarding minors received a special greeting from Pope Francis, who encouraged the students and faculty to be courageous in their work against sexual abuse.

“I want to thank you and all your faculty for this commitment to the prevention of sexual abuse of minors,” the Pope said in a letter to the director of the Centre for Child Protection (CCP), the initiative that spearheaded the diploma course.

“You have undertaken great efforts for the prevention and healing of minors who have been sexually abused,” the Roman Pontiff said.

Addressing the new graduates, who received their diplomas June 14 at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University, Francis wished them “courage and patience; be brave and committed. I assure you that you will receive many signs of gratitude. I pray for you and I ask you to do the same for me.”

The aim of the one-semester diploma course is to educate international student to be experts in preventing sexual abuse of minors.

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
Gallup Independent

Published in the Gallup Independent, Gallup, N.M., May 28, 2016

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Independent correspondent
religion@gallupindependent.com

GALLUP – With the Diocese of Gallup’s Chapter 11 confirmation hearing slated for June 21, the diocese will take a huge step forward to receiving a final confirmation order for its plan of reorganization.

The plan’s monetary provisions will create a fund that is expected to range from more than $21 million to nearly $25 million. Once the professional fees in the case are paid – now listed at over $3.6 million – the balance will go to compensate 57 clergy sex abuse survivors who filed claims in bankruptcy court. Some of those abuse claimants are expected to receive settlements that may approach $300,000. In addition to the monetary settlements, many of the abuse claimants in the case are looking toward the implementation of 17 non-monetary provisions by the diocese. Those provisions — drawn up in negotiations between attorneys for the Gallup Diocese and attorneys and representatives for clergy sex abuse claimants — outline measures to help prevent clergy sexual abuse in the future.

Some of the non-monetary provisions have been the subject of previous articles. For example, Bishop James S. Wall will personally sign letters of apology to all abuse claimants and/or, if requested, to their immediate family members. Wall will also visit and speak at each operating Catholic parish or school in which abuse occurred or where identified abusers served.

New policies

The list of non-monetary provisions also includes the implementation of the following new policies or programs.

* The Gallup Diocese “shall prominently and visibly display a plaque (no smaller than 8.5 inches by 11 inches)” in each of its operating Catholic parishes and schools. The plaques will state: “This Parish (or school) is strongly committed to the emotional, physical, spiritual and moral wellbeing of all of its members. Abuse of any kind will not be tolerated.

* Representatives of the Gallup Diocese must no longer refer to clergy sex abuse claimants as “alleged” claimants, “alleged” victims or “alleged” survivors.

* The diocese will provide counseling “without delay” for all abuse claimants in the bankruptcy case.

* The diocese “will provide a mechanism for survivors to tell his or her story” if requested by the abuse survivor.

* Abuse claimants in the bankruptcy case will be provided a method of viewing their abuser’s personnel file electronically, but will not be allowed to duplicate any document from the file.

* Copies of the personnel files of the abusers, available for viewing by abuse claimants, will be destroyed one year after the effective date of the plan of reorganization.

* The list of non-monetary provisions must be posted on the diocesan website’s homepage for five years.

* The diocese must provide semi-annual reports to the plan’s trustee for two years regarding compliance of these non-monetary provisions. According to court documents, Omni Management Acquisition Corporation will act as trustee.

Continuation of policies

The list of non-monetary provisions also includes the continuation of the following policies the Gallup Diocese has previously had in place:

* The diocese will continue to “require and fund annual mandatory report training” for all its clergy and employees in active ministry.

* The diocese “shall comply with all applicable laws regarding the reporting of abuse” within its territory.

* The diocese shall not only “comply with all policies and procedures regarding child abuse and vulnerable person abuse” prevention, but the diocese must post those policies and procedures on its website. It was not stated if the diocese must post its Code of Ethics policy for clergy, employees and volunteers; the diocesan website used to post that information but no longer does.

* The diocese will publish a statement in its in-house publication, Voice of the Southwest, urging victims of sexual abuse to report their abuse to law enforcement and diocesan officials.

* The diocese will “identify and retain a person responsible for assisting victims of sexual abuse,” and that assistance will be offered in a timely manner. The current person is victims assistance coordinator pro tem Elizabeth Terrill.

* For at least 10 years after the plan’s effective date, the diocese must post on its website a list of credibly accused sexual abusers associated with the Diocese of Gallup. Currently, the diocese’s list of 31 names does not include four priests who worked in Gallup that have been named as credibly accused by other dioceses and religious orders; several clergy members named as abusers by claimants in the bankruptcy case; and several priests accused of sexually assaulting, harassing or propositioning adult victims.

* The diocese “shall continue to comply” with Article 3 of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People that states dioceses shall not require a confidentiality provision in settlement agreements, unless requested by the survivor. Although the charter was approved in 2002, the Diocese of Gallup has since signed an untold number of settlement agreements featuring confidentiality provisions.

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
Gallup Independent

Published in the Gallup Independent, Gallup, N.M., June 9, 2016

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Independent correspondent
religion@gallupindependent.com

GALLUP – Two more Navajo individuals have filed lawsuits against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints alleging they were sexually abused as children in the church’s now defunct Indian Student Placement Program.

The two lawsuits were filed recently in Window Rock District Court on the Navajo Nation by attorney William Keeler, of Gallup. Keeler, along with attorney Craig Vernon, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Patrick Noaker, of Minneapolis, filed a similar lawsuit in March on behalf of two Navajo siblings, a brother and sister, who said they were both sexually abused in Mormon foster homes in Utah while enrolled in the church-sponsored placement program, also known as the Lamanite Placement Program.

“Religious organizations and programs should be places where children are safe from harm, not places that protect sexual predators,” Noaker said in a news release last week that was followed up with a news conference by Keeler and Vernon in Salt Lake City Tuesday.

Stories of abuse

With these latest filings, three personal injury lawsuits have been filed in Navajo tribal courts against the church on behalf of four plaintiffs, two women and two men.

The third plaintiff, identified in court records only as BN, said she entered the program in the fall of 1964, when she was in the fifth grade. She alleges she was sexually molested and raped the next school year by her foster father in River Heights, Utah. The following school year, she said, she was raped in a church facility during a medical exam by a health care provider hired to examine Native American students in the placement program.

Finally, BN alleges, she was repeatedly raped during her senior year of high school by her foster brother in a home in Orem, Utah. BN said she reported those sexual assaults to her foster parents and to LDS church officials.

The fourth plaintiff, LK, is a Navajo man living in Utah. According to LK’s lawsuit, he was baptized into the LDS Church in 1976, at the age of 9, in order to enroll in the placement program. He attended school during fifth and sixth grade in the program without incident. During his seventh-grade year, LK alleges, his foster father in Roy, Utah, repeatedly sexually molested him.

Although LK said he reported the abuse to his placement program caseworker over the Christmas break, LK was not removed from the home. During that school year, LK alleges, he was also subjected to “physical, emotional and cultural abuse” by his foster mother and father, including “being pushed down stairs, being struck in the face, having his face slammed into a countertop, being whipped with a belt, and being pushed into wooden shelves.”

In addition to seeking monetary damages, the lawsuits seek a change in church policy regarding the reporting of abuse allegations and the implementation of measures to bring healing to Navajo people harmed in the placement program.

Jurisdiction dispute

Within days of BN’s lawsuit being filed, attorneys for the church filed an amended motion for a temporary restraining order in U.S. District Court in Utah.

One of the church’s attorneys, David J. Jordan, of Salt Lake City, a former U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah, argued, “These claims far exceed the well-established jurisdictional limits of tribal courts. Simply put, because the claims involve nonmember activity outside the reservation, the tribal court has no jurisdiction.”

Because of that, Jordan also asserted the church “will suffer irreparable harm if forced to litigate” in Navajo Nation courts.

Jordan also emphasized that placement decisions took place in Utah – not the reservation – and students participated in the program “voluntarily with the agreement of their families.”

In a phone interview Tuesday, Keeler said attorneys for the alleged abuse survivors disagree with Jordan’s views about jurisdiction. Keeler, who along with Noaker filed three clergy abuse lawsuits against the Diocese of Gallup in tribal courts, cited decisions by the Navajo Nation Supreme Court as laying out the criteria for such suits.

“Under that case, we believe the court does have jurisdiction,” Keeler said.

In the news conference Tuesday, Vernon said the lawsuits were not filed in Utah because of the state’s statute of limitations.

“We would file it,” he said, “and it would be thrown out of court before the ink even got dry.”

Vernon said all the plaintiffs were recruited to the placement program while living as children on the Navajo Nation, and some of the abuse disclosures were made to LDS placement caseworkers on the reservation.

Church’s response

When contacted Wednesday , the church’s media office released a lengthy statement, attributed to church spokesman Eric Hawkins, that is being distributed to the media in response to questions about the Navajo lawsuits.

Promising to “examine the allegations and respond appropriately,” the statement’s first sentence – “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has zero tolerance for abuse of any kind and works actively to prevent abuse” – and first paragraph were almost identical to the statement the church released when the first lawsuit was filed in March.

Church officials did not answer specific questions regarding whether the church had background checks to screen families who volunteered to host children in the Indian Student Placement Program, if the program had a system to investigate complaints, and when the church implemented a policy to respond to sexual abuse allegations.

Church officials also did not say if the church has made settlement agreements in the past with Native Americans who have claimed they were sexually abused in the placement program.

Officials pointed to a statement from its Newsroom resource page: “When the Church has faced claims of child abuse at the courthouse, the great majority of these claims occurred decades ago, when society and the Church understood far less about abuse. The Church has always been concerned for the welfare of children: and as awareness of the scourge of child abuse has grown in society, the Church has been at the forefront of efforts to combat it.”

David Clohessy, the director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, also attended the news conference Tuesday. Clohessy offered his support to Native American abuse survivors and also offered his perspective of the Indian Student Placement Program.

“Quite frankly,” he said, “the program, while no doubt well-intentioned, would have to be considered a pedophile’s dream.”

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
Gallup Independent

Published in the Gallup Independent, Gallup, N.M., May 28, 2016

As part of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy settlement that is reaching a conclusion between the Diocese of Gallup and clergy sex abuse claimants, Bishop James S. Wall will have to do something officials have refused to do in the past — apologize.

Under non-monetary provisions of the settlement being proposed, Wall would have to send a letter of apology to all the abuse claimants in the bankruptcy case and/or, if requested, to immediate family members unless the claimant requests that no letter be sent.

Wall would also have to personally visit each Catholic parish or school in which “abuse is alleged to have occurred or where identified abusers served.” He would also be required to publicize the visit and invite those who have been abused and be available to address questions and comments.

Our suspicion is that if these non-monetary provisions make it to the final settlement agreement, Wall will find these requirements even more onerous than any money the diocese will have to pay the claimants and their attorneys.

Wall has not shown himself to be someone comfortable with apologies. He is also not a leader who keeps his word. When Wall first took over this diocese, he promised to be open and transparent about sexual misconduct and abuse that has occurred here. He has not lived up to that promise.

In recent years, we have seen an awakening within the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church at the Vatican to encourage bishops to be open and transparent to regain the trust of members of the church. The Gallup bishop apparently didn’t get that memo. He has been as secretive as any of the bishops of old, giving out information only when it seems he has no other choice.

But if there was any time in the history of the Gallup Diocese that we need to see a change in the attitude of the bishop, it is now. And the key to this may be in the way of bringing harmony of K’e back to the people of the Navajo Nation. Under Navajo tradition, things can’t be made whole until the party who has done wrong admits wrongdoing and apologizes for his or her action. This sets the stage for those who have been injured to put the incident behind them and move forward in their life. This tradition shares some basic reconciliation principles with Christianity.

Perhaps Pope Francis realized the importance of this principle when, during a tour of South America in July, he apologized to the people of North and South America for the crimes the church committed against Native Americans.

Pope Francis apologized for what he called grave sins that were committed in the name of the Catholic Church during the colonization period. His apology was sincere and genuine and it resolved many of the negative feelings that native people have had toward the church.

Wall needs to do this within the Gallup Diocese. Native and non-native residents in Arizona and New Mexico must feel that the crimes of clergy sexual abuse have been recognized by the diocese and that church leaders are sincerely sorry for the suffering that has been experienced here, not only by abuse victims and their families but by everyone living in communities across this large, rural diocese.

If Pope Francis has the humility to apologize for misdeeds and crimes done in the name of the Catholic Church, so should the bishops who serve under the pope. And it should start with Wall.

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KENTUCKY
ABC News

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
OWENSBORO, Ky. — Jun 14, 2016

The Catholic Diocese of Owensboro has suspended a pastor after allegations that he sexually abused a juvenile in the 1980s.

The Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer ( http://bit.ly/1topael ) reports that the diocese suspended the Rev. Freddie Byrd after being notified of the allegation June 2. The Diocesan Review Board reviewed the complaint and recommended the suspension.

The diocese said in a statement Monday that the complaint accused Byrd of engaging in inappropriate conduct with a then-17-year-old in 1983. Byrd was not a priest at the time. Diocese spokeswoman Tina Kasey says the diocese has no connection with the alleged incident.

The diocese added that it is conducting its own investigation and has alerted law enforcement about the allegations.

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ITALIA
Il Messaggero

Il parroco di una parrocchia di Darfo, in Valle Camonica, nel Bresciano è stato raggiunto da un’ordinanza di custodia cautelare si trova ora agli arresti domiciliari. È accusato di violenza sessuale. La vittima sarebbe un ragazzino del quale il sacerdote avrebbe abusato per due anni, dai 12 ai 14 anni. L’inchiesta della procura, coordinata dal pubblico ministero Ambrogio Cassiani, è stata condotta dai carabinieri che in mattinata hanno arrestato il sacerdote.

È don Angelo Blanchetti, parroco della parrocchia di Corna di Darfo, nel Bresciano, il sacerdote agli arresti domiciliari con l’accusa di violenza sessuale su un ragazzino. I fatti sarebbero relativi a quando il minore aveva 12 anni e le violenze sarebbero proseguite per due anni.

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ITALY
ANSA

(ANSA) – Brescia, June 14 – A northern Italian priest was arrested Tuesday for allegedly sexually abusing a minor.

Father Angelo Blanchetti of the parish of Corna di Darfo near Brescia was arrested for allegedly abusing a boy from when he was 12 until he was 14.

Father Blanchetti has been suspended.

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UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

Michael Sean Winters | Jun. 14, 2016

As the bishops of the United States gather this week for their annual spring meeting and retreat, I invite them to ask themselves some questions that pertain to their place in the public square. I hope they will be honest with themselves about the answers to these questions because some of us believe that our country and our culture desperately need the voice of the church, and especially the insights of her social doctrine, at this moment in history, and that hope is endangered by the bishops’ inability or unwillingness to consider honestly if their public stance is effective and if it is true to the fullness of the Gospel. In other words, I pose these questions not as someone who hates the church, but someone who is worried that her leaders have gone down a wrong side street in many ways, been pulled further to the right than they seem to realize themselves, and are less and less relevant to the culture they are called to evangelize. After each set of questions, I shall offer a brief lesson.

Religious liberty

Since you formed an Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty, have your actions furthered that cause or harmed it? Has the Fortnight for Freedom achieved anything tangible or has it been a colossal waste of funds? Who has made money from all those expenditures? Which consultants and which PR companies? Were the promises for success or goals for your various religious freedom campaigns, those coming from your own staff, were these born out by the facts? When the Republican Governor of Georgia vetoes a religious liberty bill, do you think that marks the success of your efforts or not?

Do you think that the video prepared by the Knights of Columbus and highlighted on the USCCB website is well done? Do you think the decision to highlight former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in that video, for no apparent reason, will make it more likely or less likely that you will be able to get a fair hearing from her should she be elected next November? Do you think the contraception mandate is really like the beheading of Christians in the Mideas, or do you think the equation of the two qualifies as emotional blackmail?

Will you denounce Donald Trump’s anti-Muslim statements and proposals with the same vehemence with which you denounced the Obama administration’s contraception mandate? Or do you think the requirement of filing a form to register your objection to the mandate is an equal or greater infringement of religious liberty than being barred entry to the country in the first place? Have you participated in a public event with Muslim leaders to highlight their concerns?

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Irish Times

Amanda Ferguson

A man who was physically and sexually abused at Kincora Boys’ Home in Belfast has withdrawn as a participant in the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry in Banbridge as he does not have access to a range of documents.

Richard Kerr said he had agreed to be involved in the inquiry despite having reservations about taking part on the grounds that the inquiry did not have powers to compel witnesses and because he felt it did not have sufficient powers to investigate allegations of British state collusion.

His decision to participate was on the basis that his legal representatives would be given a proper opportunity to represent him and his interests at the inquiry but as he feels this has not happened he has no confidence in proceedings and will no longer take part.

Mr Kerr, who is based in the US, was invited to be a core participant at the inquiry after being advised by the chairman Sir Anthony Hart that his participation in the investigations would be of assistance.

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IRELAND
Breaking News

14/06/2016

Former “singing” priest Tony Walsh has been convicted of sexually abusing a young boy.

Anthony Walsh (aged 62), currently serving a sentence for sexual offences against a number of other children, denied ever knowing the boy and said he had never assaulted him.

During cross examination by the prosecution in the current trial, Walsh had said: “I think we are all victims”, when he was asked who he thought the victim was in this case.

“If I knew him I would have pleaded guilty years ago,” Walsh told the court as he gave evidence on his own behalf.

Walsh, who was a member of the All Priests Show, was asked by his counsel how he felt towards the children he had assaulted.

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VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter

Joshua J. McElwee | Jun. 14, 2016

VATICAN CITY
The Vatican’s congregation for religious life is contacting about 15 U.S. orders of Catholic sisters to clarify “some points” following the controversial six-year investigation of American communities of women religious, the head of the congregation said in a brief interview Tuesday.

Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, the prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, said the conversations involve “listening to what they say in a transparent way, without fear, without judging.”

“What I have liked most is that the climate of this dialogue is very serene,” Braz de Aviz said. “There is listening on both sides. There is a rapport.”

The cardinal spoke to NCR after his congregation requested that the leaders of the Kentucky-based Sisters of Loretto, one of the major orders of U.S. Catholic women religious, come to Rome in October.

As Global Sisters Report first reported, Loretto president Sr. Pearl McGivney has been asked to explain “ambiguity” in the order’s adherence to church teaching and its way of living religious life.

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IRELAND
Irish Times

Former “singing” priest Tony Walsh has been convicted of sexually abusing a young boy.

Walsh (62), currently serving a sentence for sexual offences against a number of other children, denied ever knowing the boy and said he had never assaulted him.

“If I knew him I would have pleaded guilty years ago,” Walsh told the court as he gave evidence on his own behalf.

Walsh, who was a member of the All Priests Show, was asked by his counsel how he felt towards the children he had assaulted. “I am sorry it happened. It should never have happened. It was as near to illness as you can have without being sick,” he replied.

Walsh, formerly of North Circular Road, Dublin 7, had pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to five counts of indecently assaulting the boy on dates between January 1980 and December 1982.

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UNITED STATES
Business Standard

Press Trust of India | New York
June 14, 2016

Bobby Brown was afraid to tell his mother a priest attempted to molest him as a child, because he was afraid of how she would react.

The former “New Edition” star was temporarily placed in child services after his mother was arrested. The social service agency was run by a Catholic charity and one of the priests tried to molest him while he was at the facility.

However, he punched the clergyman and ran off.

The 47-year-old doesn’t reveal when he finally opened up to his mother about the incident, but he explains he told his brother first.

“It took a minute because I felt I was supposed to be at a place where they were supposed to take care of me and I was supposed to trust these people,” he said during a US chat show “The View”.

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GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Jun 14, 2016

By Sabrina Salas Matanane

The Apostolic Administrator appointed by the Pope to temporarily manage the local archdiocese asks for patience. A media release issued this afternoon, states that in the past seven days since arriving to Guam Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai has met with various Archdiocesan Councils and has met individually with priests.

He says that in all of his encounters he’s found the priests, deacons, religious, and lay faithful to be very collaborative and helpful in promoting the good of the diocese. Archbishop Hon asks for the people’s trust as they continue the process of consulting, reflecting and promoting the unity, harmony, and stability of the Church in Guam.

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MINNESOTA
Mesabi Daily News

HIBBING — The Hibbing priest charged with sexual misconduct and possession of child pornography is slated for trial this week before Judge David E. Ackerson in St. Louis County District Court in Hibbing.

A pretrial hearing was held for Brian M. Lederer, 30, Monday. Jury selection is expected to get under way today.

Lederer is charged with four counts of criminal sexual conduct in the second degree, two counts of criminal sexual conduct in the fourth degree and possession of pornographic work. All are felony level charges.

Lederer was arrested and charged in May 2015. The criminal complaint was amended in August 2015 when a charge of possession of pornography and another charge of criminal sexual conduct were added.

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AUSTRALIA
Hitz 939

A former Anglican priest aged in his 80s will fight five historical sex offence charges at a trial in Perth later this year.

A former Anglican priest charged with five sex offences, including one dating back to 1963, will face trial in Perth.

Raymond Sydney Cheek was 83 last November when he pleaded not guilty to four charges, including two counts of indecent dealings with a child under 14.

Police say the abuse took place while he was a priest at a town in WA’s South West region in 1985.

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NEW YORK
Buffalo News

By Melanie Blow

New York cannot both protect children and those who sexually abuse them. That’s why a fifth of New York’s children are sexually abused while only one in 10 abusers ever see a day behind bars.

There is no effective way to prosecute child sexual abuse while abusers are protected by a statute of limitations on the crime. Research proves survivors need an average of 21 years before they can talk about their abuse. Child sexual abuse is usually committed by someone the victim knows and trusts. That relationship allows the abuser to manipulate the child into years or decades of silence.

Child sexual abuse cases are often hard to prosecute, meaning justice in civil court is as important. Successful lawsuits create documents that can block sex offenders from working with children. They ignite conversations within families, where half of child sexual abuse happens. The threat of lawsuits ensures institutions working with children adopt best practices that protect them.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the cost of surviving child abuse at $210,000 per victim. Child sexual abuse is a stressor so intense it changes the way a child’s brain, endocrine system and DNA develop, making abuse survivors more likely to develop cancer, diabetes and heart disease later in life, along with a host of mental illnesses. Currently, taxpayers shoulder most of this burden. Transferring the cost to guilty parties makes sense.

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CALIFORNIA
Santa Maria Times

April Charlton acharlton@leecentralcoastnews.com

A Santa Maria youth pastor and aspiring Christian rapper charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl numerous times pleaded guilty Monday and will be sentenced to eight years in state prison for his crimes.

Daniel James Moreno, 25, pleaded guilty to a single count of continuous sexual abuse of a child and a count of lewd and lascivious acts with a child, according to prosecuting attorney Brandon Jebens.

Moreno must serve 85 percent of his sentence before he’s eligible for parole. Both counts also are “strikes,” meaning if he ever were to commit another serious felony and be convicted of a “strikeable” offense, he would automatically face life in prison without parole.

He was arrested at his home in the early hours of March 28 on suspicion of the continual sexual abuse and booked into Santa Barbara County Jail, where he remains in custody. Prosecutors believe Moreno started having sex with the 14-year-old girl in September 2015.

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GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Jun 13, 2016

By Krystal Paco

“I’m glad he’s home,” said Greg Babauta. “Now I’ve got a place to come and visit him.” Choking back tears, Babauta remembers his childhood best friend, Joseph Anthony Quinata, better known as “Sonny” or “Chico.” Babauta recalled, “Sonny was always a jokester. Growing up we were constantly together. We hung out together. We grew up in Agat. If there’s one thing that can describe Sonny, he was a jokester. Anything and everything to make people laugh, and that was his big thing.”

Sonny is one of the alleged victims of Archbishop Anthony Apuron. On his deathbed back in 2005, he told his mother, Doris Concepcion, he was molested by then-Father Anthony Apuron. Concepcion kept her son’s secret until most recently when she came forward and joined other Apuron accusers. In recent weeks, Roy Quintanilla came forward alleging he too was molested, and Walter Denton who alleges he was raped. Each of the boys were altar boys in Agat, and so was Babauta, although he was not targeted by Apuron.

Babauta says he never knew his best friend’s secret, adding, “It’s hard. We served together. I was also an altar boy. But growing up we weren’t aware of those situations. The boys actually kept it locked away and now that all these allegations are coming out, it’s kind of hard for us to hear our friends talk about it. And for me, I support them. Because for me personally, there’s no other reason why they would say or make these accusations other than the truth.”

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