ABUSE TRACKER

NEW YORK (NY)
New York Times

February 6, 2019

By Jason Horowitz and Elizabeth Dias

Pope Francis has said the Roman Catholic Church has faced a persistent problem of sexual abuse of nuns by priests and even bishops.

This is the first time he has publicly acknowledged the issue.

Catholic nuns have accused clerics of sexual abuse in recent years in India, Africa, Latin America and in Italy, and a Vatican magazine last week mentioned nuns having abortions or giving birth to the children of priests.

But Francis has never raised the issue until he was asked to comment during a news conference aboard the papal plane returning to Rome from his trip to the United Arab Emirates.

“It’s true,” Francis said on Tuesday. “There are priests and bishops who have done that.” The pope’s admission opens a new front in the long-running scandal of sexual abuse by priests, recognising nuns who have tried for years to call attention to their plight. With the #MeToo movement going strong, and Francis under pressure for neglecting the victims of child abuse, the nuns’ pleas have gained traction.

In November, the organisation representing the world’s Catholic women’s religious orders, the International Union of Superiors General, publicly denounced the “culture of silence and secrecy” that contributed to abuse, and urged nuns to report abuse to law enforcement.

A top official in the Vatican office that handles sexual abuse allegations resigned last month after a former nun accused him of making sexual advances during confession. The official, the Rev. Hermann Geissler, chief of staff in the Vatican’s doctrinal office, denied the allegation, the Vatican said.

An article last week in Women Church World, the women’s magazine of Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, blamed the abuse on the outsize power of priests. “The abuse of women results in procreation and so is at the origin of the scandal of imposed abortions and children not recognized by priests,” wrote the article’s author, Lucetta Scaraffia, a feminist intellectual and editor-in-chief of Women Church World.

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NEW YORK (NY)
Newsweek

February 6, 2019

By Kashmira Gander

The former employee of a shelter for immigrant children groped a boy at the facility and tried to ply others with candy for sexual favors, according to police.

Edgar Alexander Campos, 23, is said to have put his hand down a 16-year-old’s shorts on August 2018 and touched his genitals at the St. Michael’s Home for Children, in Houston, Texas, the Houston Chronicle reported, citing an affidavit. The boy had asked Campos if he could use his cell phone to call his family in Guatemala before the incident, according to court documents seen by Click2Houston.

That night, Campos is said to have entered the boy’s bedroom at the Catholic facility at 2900 Louisiana Street, and touched his genitals again while the child was asleep. Surveillance camera footage revealed the worker had entered the boy’s room after hours on at least four occasions.

Campos was arrested on February 1, and booked into Harris County Jail over charges of indecency with a child involving sexual contact, sheriff office records show. His bond was set at $30,000.

The 23-year-old was in charge of supervising around 32 kids at the organization.

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NEW LONDON (CT)
The Day

February 5, 2019

By Joe Wojtas

A group of people who say they were abused by Diocese of Norwich priests but are barred from filing lawsuits due to the statute of limitations are calling on Bishop Michael Cote to meet with them and establish a victims compensation fund.

In an open letter to Cote, John Timothy McGuire of New London said that while Pope Francis recently has instructed bishops to seek out victims, he and the others have not heard from him.

“We need to meet. Not for your ‘understanding’ of what happened to us, or to hear you again say you are sorry for us being abused. We are all aware of your efforts against future abuse within the Norwich diocese, and the zero tolerance policies the diocese has in place now.”

Instead, McGuire said the meeting “is for the diocese to directly address the need for justice and recompense.”

“We will settle for nothing less than a compensation program for us and all victims, not just for being sexually assaulted by its clergy but also for the role the diocese played in enabling the continuance of said crimes,” McGuire wrote, referring to the failure of the diocese to report accused priests under the state’s mandatory reporter law and transferring them to other parishes, where they sexually assaulted more children and teens.

McGuire told Cote that “your priests used the ultimate force to sexually molest children. God.”

The diocese did not respond to a request for comment about McGuire’s letter.

McGuire has alleged that on four occasions when he was an 8-year-old altar boy at St. Joseph’s Church in Noank, the late Rev. James Curry took him into the room next to the altar, where the priest undressed the boy and they fondled each other’s genitals. Afterwards, McGuire said he had to confess to Curry that he tempted the priest. On the fifth occasion, when McGuire told Curry he was not going to do it anymore, Curry allegedly told McGuire, “Then you’re not what God is looking for. You’re never going to be an altar boy.”

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NEW ORLEANS (LA)
The Advocate

February 5, 2019

By Andrea Gallo

The list of abusive clergymen the Diocese of Baton Rouge produced last week did not include a Marist priest who was the pastor of St. Joseph Church in Paulina three decades ago and who was later credibly accused of sexual abuse in Arkansas.

Timothy Francis Sugrue is the second Marist priest who served in St. James Parish who was publicly accused of sexual abuse. The other one was included on the Diocese of Baton Rouge’s list of credibly accused clergy, but Sugrue was not. Diocese of Baton Rouge spokesman Dan Borné said Tuesday evening that the diocese was still researching Sugrue’s record and would report back to The Advocate once officials have more definitive information.

The newspaper’s archives show that Sugrue worked in Paulina, on the east bank of the Mississippi River, between 1980 and 1987 and possibly longer, and that he celebrated scores of local weddings and funerals during that span. After Sugrue left the Diocese of Baton Rouge, he and the Marist order faced a lawsuit in 1992 regarding alleged sexual abuse. A woman in Alabama said Sugrue had sexually abused her in 1978, when she was 8 and he was a military chaplain at the now-closed Eaker Air Force Base in Blytheville, Arkansas.

The alleged abuse happened before Sugrue moved south to Louisiana. The attorney who represented the woman who alleged abuse by Sugrue told The Advocate that he believes it’s likely the priest has victims elsewhere.

Morgan “Chip” Welch, now a state judge for the 6th Judicial District Court in Arkansas, said in an interview Tuesday that when he asked Sugrue about abuse in a number of cities, the then-priest alternated between invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and denying that he had abused anyone.

“His pretrial deposition was a game of`Connect the Dots,’” Welch said.

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DALLAS (TX)
CBS DFW Channel 21

February 5, 2019

The Dallas County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday it has discovered one of the names on the list of priests with credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors since 1950s, was also a service provider/volunteer at the Dallas County Jail.

The Catholic Diocese of Dallas released the list last week.

Robert Crisp was a listed Religious Service Provider representing the Catholic Diocese from 2015 until 2018.

His volunteer duties included accepting confessions from the inmates behind a glass window in a controlled visitation environment. No other services were performed by Crisp.

The Dallas County Sheriff’s Department said it conducts background checks for outstanding warrants and criminal history on all their volunteers. The Sheriff’s Department also conducts a re-check of the information provided every 6-8 months to insure no criminal cases or warrants have been brought against a volunteer.

In a news released, the department said Tuesday, “Due to no criminal history information having been found, Crisp was allowed to volunteer as a religious service provider. His last clearance was in July 2018 where his information was again checked and verified by the jail’s religious services staff. His last visit to the jail was for confessionals with inmates that had requested a visit in September 2018. No complaints were reported to the Sheriff’s Department about Crisp.”

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BETHESDA (MD)
Rewire News

February 5, 2019

By Mary Hunt

Pope Francis’ agenda for the highly anticipated February 21-24, 2019 meeting in Rome with presidents of the national bishops’ conferences around the world is really about branding and market share despite public focus on sexual abuse and coverups. The Roman Catholic brand is in tatters, its market share shrinking by the minute.

The advertised theme of the ill-fated gathering is “The Protection of Minors in the Church,” with the explicit goal “that all of the Bishops clearly understand what they need to do to prevent and combat the worldwide problem of the sexual abuse of minors.” This is a losing proposition from the outset. The meeting is being held at the wrong time with the wrong people about the wrong issues.

Virtually any other global corporate board with such a serious product problem and as profound a public relations disaster would have met months ago. The Pennsylvania Grand Jury report that exposed hundreds of priest abusers and thousands of cases of abuse, and the extraordinary exploits of the alleged serial abuser Cardinal Theodore McCarrick broke in late summer of 2018. High-ranking Vatican official Australian Cardinal George Pell was found guilty of sexually abusing young boys in December of 2018. How long does it take to get a plane ticket to Rome? Why not convene a Zoom meeting to save time, money, and face? Any PR flack knows that step one is to put out the fire ASAP.

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NEW YORK (NY)
America Magazine

February 5, 2019

By Michael J. O’Loughlin

Catholics attending Mass in the Archdiocese of Chicago this weekend heard a recorded message from Cardinal Blase Cupich, updating them on a meeting to be held at the Vatican later this month that is expected to address clergy sexual abuse. The cardinal also apologized to the faithful who have been let down by some of its leaders.

“I know how hard these past few months have been for you,” said the cardinal, who is helping to plan the Feb. 21-24 meeting. “I understand the anger and disappointment many feel as the church suffers from the scandal of clergy sexual abuse, and the mishandling by some church leaders.”

Cardinal Cupich: “I understand the anger and disappointment many feel.”

In September, following months of revelations about the ongoing sexual abuse crisis in the United States and elsewhere, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had summoned the heads of bishops’ conferences in 130 countries to the Vatican for this month’s meeting.

The pope has urged caution from those who hope the meeting will yield new policies and protocols related to preventing abuse. But expectations for the meeting have been heightened, in part by church officials who have long pushed for church leaders to take abuse more seriously.

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LONDON (ENGLAND)
BBC Radio

February 5, 2019

Pope Francis has admitted that clerics have sexually abused nuns, and in one case they were kept as sex slaves.

He said in that case his predecessor, Pope Benedict, was forced to shut down an entire congregation of nuns who were being abused by priests.

It is thought to be the first time that Pope Francis has acknowledged the sexual abuse of nuns by the clergy.

He said the Church was attempting to address the problem but said it was “still going on”.

Sex abuse and the Catholic Church
Pope Francis made the comments on Tuesday to reporters while on a historic tour of the Middle East.

He admitted that priests and bishops had abused nuns, but said the Church was aware of the issue and “working on it”.

“It’s a path that we’ve been on,” he said.

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LEAVENWORTH (KS)
Ft. Leavenworth Lamp

February 5, 2019

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation announced Tuesday it has initiated an investigation into reports of sexual abuse by clergy at the four Catholic dioceses of Kansas.

The agency is asking victims to step forward with information about abuse inflicted by clergy members, church employees or church volunteers.

Last month, the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas released the names of 22 clergy members who have substantiated claims of sexual abuse involving a minor. An advocacy group, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said the list is incomplete.

SNAP member David Clohessy said he was grateful for the KBI efforts, and he encouraged witnesses and whistle-blowers to report abuse, as well.

“It’s very tough for abuse victims to trust authority figures, especially victims who’ve been assaulted by clergy and betrayed by bishops,” Clohessy said. “Still, we join the KBI in begging anyone who may have suffered, seen or suspected abuse or coverups to step forward. Children are depending on us to help safeguard them by exposing those who commit and conceal these heinous crimes.”

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, writing in the archdiocese’s publication last month, thanked those who have come forward with allegations “in order to prevent someone else from being victimized, as well as to assist with the progress of their own healing process.”

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CHARLESTON (SC)
Post and Courier

February 5, 2019

By Angie Jackson

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston is delaying its release of names of priests credibly accused of sexually abusing minors in South Carolina dating back to 1950.

The diocese originally planned to make the names public by mid-February, but it now plans to do so by the end of March.

Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone said the delay is due to the time it’s taking time to review priest personnel records from 2007 through today.

“When we release the list of names, we want it to be accurate to the best of our knowledge. We owe that to the victims, the faithful and the public,” Guglielmone said in a news release.

The diocese previously reviewed files dating to 1950 in connection with a class-action settlement. In 2007, the diocese agreed to pay up to $12 million to nearly 150 people — victims born before Aug. 30, 1980, who were sexually abused by priests and diocese employees, and victims’ eligible family members. Those payouts ranged from $13,000 to $425,000 each.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests urged Guglielmone to immediately release the names of priests who have already been deemed credibly accused of abusing children, and then add to that list later. The peer support group said victims continue to suffer when the names of predators remain hidden.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

February 5, 2019

A former Maine Catholic priest was deemed ‘credibly accused’ last week and put on a list of abusive priests by Catholic officials in Texas. Now, Maine church staff should aggressively reach out to anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered his crimes.

Fr. Paul M. Clogan was a Maine diocesan priest who spent two years in Waterville at Holy Spirit parish and in Machias at Holy Name parish and at the University of Maine at Machias.

He was arrested in 2005 in Texas and charged with groping a 16 year old boy in a movie theater. In 2008, his criminal trial ended in a mistrial before a jury was seated. A new trial was to be held in 2008 but never took place.

But last week, the Austin diocese disclosed that he was credibly accused of child sex abuse.

Given this determination, as well as bishops’ pledges to be transparent and put care for survivors first, we believe that Bishop Robert P. Deeley of Portland must seek out anyone who may have been hurt by Fr. Clogan while the priest spent time in the Diocese of Portland. Bishop Deeley should use all tools at his exposure to reach out to potential victims, including parish bulletins, church websites and pulpit announcements.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

February 2, 2019

Knowledgeable church observers and veteran journalists predict that Cardinal Theodore McCarrick will very soon be disciplined by Vatican officials.

We are grateful that McCarrick will soon face justice for the abuse he is alleged to have committed and we hope this long over due move will bring a measure of validation to all the vulnerable boys and young men McCarrick so deeply hurt. At the same time, we believe that every Catholic official who knew of or suspected his crimes and misdeeds should also be exposed and punished. That’s the only way to stop the cover ups.

This case remains a painful reminder of a dangerous reality that persists in the church today: a willingness to act on abuse only when forced to do so by external pressure. Our hearts ache, not only for McCarrick’s victims, but for the thousands of victims of less prominent but equally devastating predators, whose cases languish for years in chancery offices and Vatican bureaucracies.

One example: In November, Jefferson City, MO Bishop Shawn McKnight disclosed that there are 18 pending abuse reports his staff is looking into. Six months have gone by but there’s been no update on those cases. Surely, some of those cases have been substantiated by now and should be disclosed.

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.

ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

February 5, 2019

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has opened an investigation into cases of clergy sex abuse and cover-up in the state’s four Catholic dioceses.

We are grateful that law enforcement is taking this much-needed step. We know that institutions cannot police themselves and that it is critical for independent professionals to get involved in order to understand the scope of the problem in Kansas and to prevent future cases of abuse and cover-up.

SNAP recognizes that it is very tough for abuse victims to trust authority figures, especially those who have been assaulted by clergy and betrayed by bishops. Still, we encourage all survivors to come forward and make a report to the KBI.

No matter when the abuse occurred, and even if it has been previously reported, anyone who has been hurt by a priest, nun, deacon, brother, bishop or any other church staff or official should make a report by calling 1-800-KS-CRIME or by sending an email to ClergyAbuse@kbi.ks.gov.https://bit.ly/2SwCden

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WASHINGTON (DC)
Religion News Service

February 5, 2019

By Mark Silk

On his flight home from Panama last week, Pope Francis told reporters he wanted to deflate what he perceived to be “inflated expectations” about the summit for presidents of bishops’ conferences on clerical sexual abuse to be held in Rome later this month. As far as I can see, however, the media’s expectations have been anything but inflated.

Back on December 9, for example, Crux’s John Allen wrote a column headlined “A reality check on expectations for February child abuse summit.” Or take my RNS colleague Tom Reese, who stuck in the needle a couple of weeks ago with “Five Reasons the pope’s clergy sex abuse meeting will fail.” Ouch.

Still, I’m sticking with my hopeful scenario. I predict that the meeting will move the Church significantly forward in dealing with the greatest challenge to its moral credibility since the Reformation.

For starters, let’s note how the pope himself explained what he meant by needing to puncture inflated expectations: “Because the problem of abuse will continue. It’s a human problem.”

Well, sure. If anyone imagines that a four-day meeting at the Vatican will put an end to all sexual abuse by priests and others in responsible positions in the church, they need to be disabused.

So what did Francis say will take place at the meeting?

First, the heads of the bishops’ conferences will be given a “catechesis” in child abuse. They will, in other words, be instructed in the nature and consequences of sexual abuse the way the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church lays out church doctrine.

Then they will receive a set of “protocols” for dealing with abuse cases. These will set the terms for “general programs” that each bishops’ conference will develop to address abuse, including “what the bishop must do, what the archbishop who is the metropolitan must do, what the president of the episcopal conference must do.”

“But,” said the pope, “it must be clear in that…that they are—let’s say it in terms [that are] a little juridical—that there are protocols that are clear. This is the main thing.”

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RAPID CITY (SD)
NBC News Center 1

February 5, 2019

By Megan Murat

The Rapid City priest appeared in court Tuesday to change his plea to guilty after reaching an agreement with state prosecutors.

John Praveen, 38, answered, “yes” in his native language to the question of “did you have sexual contact” with a child under the age of 16.

A translator, present via speakerphone, dictated Tuesday’s hearing to Praveen.

Praveen was originally facing two counts of sexual contact with a child under 16 years of age, each offense punishable up to 15 years in jail and/or a $30,000 fine.

In exchange for a plea of guilty, count 1 against Praveen was dropped and count 2 will carry as stands. Praveen may also be ordered to pay restitution if the court finds it appropriate.

Count 1 refers to an offense occurring on Sept. 3 and the count 2 refers to an offense in Sept. 28.

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DENVER (CO)
Crux

February 5, 2019

By Inés San Martín

Pope Francis on Tuesday acknowledged the problem of Catholic nuns being sexually abused by priests and bishops, saying the Church needs to do more to address it. He also said that the killing of those who refuse to convert to Islam, including Christians, is unfortunately “our daily bread.”

The pope spoke to journalists aboard the plane carrying him back to Rome following a Feb. 3-5 visit to the United Arab Emirates, the first-ever papal outing to the Arabian Peninsula.

Francis was asked about a series of articles in the women’s magazine of the Vatican’s newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, objecting to the reality that religious sisters often have no protection from sexually abusive priests who force themselves on them and, if they become pregnant, often compel them to have an abortion.

The matter was raised in Women, Church, World, a monthly supplement. Such reports have circulated at least since the late 1990s, when the National Catholic Reporter published several internal documents from women’s orders detailing the problem, which tends to be especially pronounced in the developing world.

The Vatican article claimed that nuns have been silenced for years by fear of retaliation against themselves or their orders.

“Mistreatment of women is a problem,” Francis said in reply. “I would say that humanity still hasn’t matured. Women are treated as second class. It’s a cultural problem … in some countries, the mistreatment of women goes as far as femicide.”

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STAFFORD (TX)
Ft. Bend Star

February 5, 2019

By Joe Southern

Last week Catholic dioceses across Texas identified 286 priests who were credibly accused of sexually abusing minors, dating as far back as 1941.

That list includes four priests with connections to Fort Bend County. None are currently active and two are deceased.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Galveston-Houston Archdiocese said Texas bishops listed the names to help victims heal and rebuild trust. He issued a statement in which he apologized and urged people to report any abuse.

“The crime of sexual abuse of minors is a grave crisis in the Church,” DiNardo said. “These sins have done great harm to the victims of the abuse and have deeply wounded the body of Christ, the Church. Those victimized by the clergy over the years need and deserve our prayers, outreach, and support.”

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LONDON (ENGLAND)
The Tablet

February 5, 2019

By Ruth Gledhill

A Catholic priest has been jailed for two years and two months for abusing four boys in front of their parents, one as young as seven.

Father Francis Simpson, now aged 71, and who pleaded not guilty at Bolton Crown Court, was a priest at St Jude’s, Wigan in the 1980s when the abuse took place.

He was brought to justice after a survivor shared what had happened to him on Facebook.

A spokesman for the NSPCC said: “Simpson may have thought he had got away with the shocking abuse of these boys, whose trust in him was so cruelly exploited. But by speaking out they have helped bring him to justice, and have shown that victims do not need to suffer in silence.”

A spokesman for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool said: “At the conclusion of a trial at Bolton Crown Court last month Francis William Simpson was found guilty of the charges he was facing and today he has been sentenced for his crimes.

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BUCKINGHAMSHIRE (ENGLAND)
Bucks Free Press

February 5, 2019

By Stephanie Wareham

A Roman Catholic priest accused of sex crimes against six girls and boys was “sex mad”, a jury heard today.

Father Francis McDermott, now 75, had a locked cabinet by his bed at his High Wycombe home that contained pornographic magazines, one of his alleged victims claimed at his trial at Aylesbury Crown Court this week.

The man, who is now in his late 50s, said his family were friends with Francis McDermott when he was training to be a priest in North London in the early 1970s.

He said: “Both my parents were Roman Catholic. My mum was of Irish descent and they both thought a lot of Frank. He was born in Ireland.

“My mother was very honoured that she had a future priest as a close friend of family.

“I adored him. He was my best friend. I think I loved him more than I loved my parents. He had a lot of time for me. He took me to a lot of places.”

The man, who gave evidence behind a screen at the court, said: “He stayed over (at the family home in London) on a regular basis – twice a week.

“He stayed over in my bed. My parents would allow this and I thought it ok. It would be top and tail. One at top and one at bottom of the bed.”

But he told the jury of five women and seven men that Frank sexually abused him on a regular basis. “I was still in primary school. He asked me to touch his penis and said my mother asked him to tell me factors of life,” he said.

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JOHNSTOWN (PA)
Tribune Democrat

February 5, 2019

By Dave Sutor

Two of Pennsylvania’s most prominent voices for victims of child sexual abuse plan to be in Vatican City and Rome when presidents of the Catholic bishops’ conferences of the world meet with Pope Francis later this month.

Shaun Dougherty, a Westmont resident, and state Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, want to use the event as a way to bring attention to the legislator’s proposal to modify commonwealth law by creating a two-year retroactive window for past victims to file claims even if the statute of limitations has already expired.

A version of his bill has previously passed the state House, but failed to get through the state Senate with the Catholic Church and insurance industry in opposition.

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[Trial begins for friar accused of abusing a minor and her disabled cousin on the Camino de Santiago]

SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA (SPAIN)
El País

February 5, 2019

By Silvia R. Pontevedra

El fiscal, que pide 17 años para el franciscano, afirma que pagaba a sus víctimas tras las agresiones

El sueño recurrente de Laura y su hermano Luis (nombres ficticios) era el de que una limusina blanca venía a recogerlos a la puerta de su casa, en la pobre, diminuta y apartada aldea del Ayuntamiento de Pedrafita do Cebreiro (Lugo) que habita su familia. El larguísimo vehículo aparecería un buen día de primavera en que ya se hubiera derretido la nieve, maniobraría a duras penas en el estrecho camino y se los llevaría de allí “para siempre”. “Para no volver”, confesaba sus deseos el mayor de los dos hermanos a este diario en 2015. No hacía un mes que todo el municipio se había quedado helado con una noticia que afectaba a Laura, a un primo de esta y al más célebre de los frailes franciscanos del Camino Francés a Santiago. La Guardia Civil se había llevado detenido a José Q. A. del santuario de O Cebreiro acusado de abusar repetidamente de la muchacha, entonces de 16 años, y de su pariente, de 20 y con una discapacidad mental, a cambio supuestamente de sucesivas entregas de dinero que los agentes creían procedente del cepillo de este templo mítico en la ruta jacobea.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

February 5, 2019

Survivors and advocates push Steubenville Diocese on abuse

They want expanded list of ‘credibly accused’ clerics

SNAP: the names of 5 men publicly accused of child sexual abuse missing

Each of them spent time in Steubenville area

A support group for clergy sex abuse victims is prodding the Steubenville Diocese to add five names to its list of 16 ‘credibly accused’ childmolesting clerics.

Each of the clerics has been publicly accused elsewhere, but have ties to the Ohio diocese, according to SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

“It’s an absolute fact that these potentially dangerous men spent time in the Steubenville area,” said Judy Jones, SNAP Volunteer Midwest Leader. “They may have already hurt Steubenville kids, might live nearby now or might come back to visit former parishioners. Parents, parishioners and the public need to be warned about them.”

“We know that are survivors who are suffering in silence and shame in the Steubenville area, and adding these names are one way that the Stuebenville Diocese can help those survivors,” said Zach Hiner, SNAP’s Executive Director. “When they sees the name of their abuser on the list, they will know that they’re not the only one, that it wasn’t their fault, and will begin to heal. ”

“To the child being raped, it makes no difference who signs a pedophile priest’s paycheck or who ordained him or who transferred him,” concluded Jones. “Adding these names to the list helps survivors who may be suffering alone and in silence, as well as preventing further abuse.”

The publicly accused clerics SNAP says were left off that list are:

— Deacon Rosendo F. “Ross” Decal, a Cuba native and “renaissance man” who worked in the Pittsburgh Diocese and was charged with “child pornography, unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of communications” in April of 2018. In 1960s and ’70s Deacon Decal taught at Steubenville Catholic Central High.

— Fr Carl Anthony Peltz, a Steubenville priest who also worked as a Navy chaplain from 1983-1990 and who was later “incardinated” and worked in theKalamazoo Diocese. In 1985 in Iceland, Fr. Peltz allegedly forced a 12 year old boy to drink whiskey and raped him. A civil suit filed in 1991 in federal court charged that Steubenville Church officials should have known the priest had a drinking problem, yet it certified him as fit for service. That case settled for $25,000 in 1993. Fr. Peltz died in 2015.

— Fr John Patrick Bertolucci, an Albany NY, priest who worked at Steubenville University for at least nine years, from 1979-1988. The priest admitted sexually abusing teenagers in the 1970s. Church officials permanently removed his facilities in 2002. A lawsuit that same year alleged that Fr. Bertolucci told the parents of the alleged victim that “I was very proud of your son the way he repeatedly fought off my sexual advances most of the time.”

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.

HOUSTON (TX)
Houston Public Media

February 5, 2019

By Eric Stone

On January 31, the Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston released the names of 42 clergymen with “credible accusations” of sexual misconduct with minors, dating back to 1950.

The archdiocese’s website lists the accused clerics’ church assignments over the span of their careers. To make it easier to understand which alleged-abusers served at churches near you, News 88.7 put together an interactive map.

Many of the 42 alleged abusers were shuffled around from parish to parish, serving at over 100 churches in areas spanning from Freeport to Palestine. Some of those named served at college Catholic centers, including at Prairie View A&M, Texas A&M Galveston, and Texas Southern University.

Each entry lists the accused cleric’s name, date of birth, date of death (if not still alive) and their status within the Catholic Church. Bishops can remove clerics from public ministry – stripping priests and deacons of their rights to celebrate Mass, for example – pending the outcome of a Church-led investigation, according to a document from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. If found guilty, a priest may be voluntarily or involuntarily removed from the priesthood as part of a penalty sometimes called laicization.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

February 4, 2019

A new investigation reveals that Jesuit officials are still hiding the names of accused abusers. It’s another reminder that secretive institutions can’t police themselves and that parents and parishioners must stay vigilant and demand change.

Public records obtained recently by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle show that McQuaid school had received at least three independent accusations against former teacher John J. Tobin, the school eventually admitted to a reporter that it had in fact fired Tobin for what was described as “incidences of inappropriate behavior” during a class trip to Europe, yet Tobin was still omitted from a list of accused clerics and staff recently put out by the the Jesuits.

The newspaper also reports that additional accusations against two other Jesuit teachers at the school had been reported to Brighton police in 2003.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

February 4, 2019

A Catholic priest who teaches at the St. Louis Priory School has been arrested and charged with stalking and resisting arrest. According to reports, Fr. Michael McCusker was allegedly looking into the windows of a fellow Priory teacher. The cleric was reportedly caught hiding in the bushes outside the home.

Given the nature of the allegations against Fr. McCusker, we believe it is possible that there may be others who were victimized by him. We beg anyone who may have experienced, observed or suspected such behavior to contact law enforcement immediately.

All three parties – the Priory School, the Benedictines who run that school, and the archdiocese that oversee the area – should also assist in the police investigation by using student mailings, parish bulletins, church websites and pulpit announcements to reach out to those who might help shed light on these allegations and urging them to call the authorities directly.

Stalking is a serious and traumatic crime. We are grateful that police responded quickly and effectively to the Richmond Heights woman’s call.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

February 4, 2019

The Diocese of Charleston, which covers the entire state of South Carolina, is delaying the release of information regarding priests that have been accused of abuse.

We believe that every day a predator’s name remains hidden, victims continue to suffer and children remain at risk. Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone can and should immediately reveal, today, those priests who have already been deemed “credibly accused” of hurting children. Then, days, weeks, months, or even years later, he can add to that list. That is what a loving and caring shepherd would do to protect his flock.

Secrecy is a criminal’s best friend. It gives those who commit or conceal child sex crimes ample time to intimidate victims, threaten witnesses, discredit whistle blowers, destroy documents and flee the area, sometimes even overseas. Given everything that the world has learned about clergy sex abuse and cover-ups in the past six months, especially the revelations that bishops continue to carefully curate lists and keep the names of the accused hidden, we would think that Church officials in South Carolina would be stepping all over themselves trying to demonstrate their “transparency” to parishioners and the public.

We beg anyone with information or suspicions of child sex crimes in South Carolina to call the independent professionals in law enforcement and make a report. We also urge all concerned citizens in the state to press their attorney general to institute an investigation into clergy sex abuse and cover-ups in the state. Finally, we hope that parishioners in South Carolina will start demanding the openness and transparency from their Bishop that is critical to helping survivors heal as well as preventing future cases of abuse and keeping today’s children safe.

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SAN ANTONIO (TX)
Rivard Report

February 5, 2019

By Rick Casey

The Archdiocese of San Antonio has released a list of 55 clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse.

The list of credible sexual abuse cases listed by the Archdiocese of San Antonio last week was long and depressing. It was also incomplete.

It included the names of 54 priests and one deacon whose alleged crimes ranged from six decades ago to recent. The details were sterile. They did not include accounts of the actual abuses, but the bare bones of where the men served and how they were dealt with: sent to Mexico for treatment, suspended from priestly duties, or in a very few cases, referred to law enforcement and prosecuted.

Missing was any account of how bishops and other church authorities actively covered up sex crimes involving minors, often leaving the perpetrator to victimize more children.

Yet these church authorities are as responsible for the devastation of lives that now confronts the church as the perpetrators themselves. And they should be held just as accountable.

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HARTFORD (CT)
Fox 61 News

February 4, 2019

By Matt Caron

The Catholic Church is rooted in faith but mired in accusations of some priests preying on children. Victims are now coming forward claiming clergy violated their most sacred trust.

For many religion is their moral compass for a mortal life. You confess your sins — and now, church leaders are seeking a repentance of their own. “To be frank, the Archbishop knows that he is going to get what he is going to get.”

Fox 61 sat down for a candid conversation with the retired judge Antonio Robaina. He’s leading the independent investigation into clergy sex abuse. We asked, “How can hired and independent go together? “ The condition of the hiring is independence. It says in the agreement that we have that we are working independently and have no supervision and no restriction,” explained Robaina.

He’s been granted unprecedented access to church records. Robaina will be pouring through documents dating back to 1953.

Q: How do you plan on approaching your investigation?
ROBAINA: “Well that’s a great question because the immediate problem is a logistical one the volume of records is huge.”

This crisis of faith is affecting the church financially. They’ve paid out 51-million to settle 140 lawsuits involving credibly accused clergy.

Q: “How are you going to define the term credibly accused in your investigation.”
ROBAINA: “I think we’ll have to cross that bridge when we get to it. I’m not committed to adopting the churches own term or their own criteria.”

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BATON ROUGE (LA)
WAFB TV

February 4, 2019

By Kevin Foster

Nearly a week after the Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge released the names of clergy members who have faced credible accusations of sexual abuse involving children, the city is still processing the shocking details of some accusations.

The information below is adapted from The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priest’s website, which published it as a resource for community members struggling to reconcile with the priest abuse revelations.

1) Remain open-minded. The natural human instinct is to recoil from alleged horror, and immediately assume that the allegations are false. In every case, the proper response is to remain open-minded, SNAP says.

2) Allow those impacted to feel whatever emotions arise. Those close to the situation may feel angry, betrayed, confused, hurt, worried and sad. These are all natural, “typical” responses to an allegation of sexual abuse. None of these feelings are inappropriate or “bad.

4) Remember that abuse, sadly, is quite common, SNAP says.

5) Don’t try to “guess” or figure out who the accuser is. Abuse victims, like rape victims, need their privacy to recover from their trauma. Openly speculating about who is alleging abuse is essentially gossiping, and helps to create a hostile climate that will keep other victims (even those abused by non-clerical perpetrators) from coming forward.

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OAKLAND (CA)
Bay Area News Group

February 4, 2019

By Matthias Gafni

When Oakland diocese officials issued a news release before dawn Thursday announcing that Rev. Alex Castillo, who headed the faith formation and other programs, had been placed on administrative leave for inappropriate contact with a minor, they had not yet alerted police.

It would take another five hours after the 5:14 a.m. press statement for an official from the Oakland diocese to call Oakland police to investigate one of its high-ranking priests, according to a police spokeswoman. Sources say the allegations involve a victim who was a minor in 2016 when the alleged crime occurred.

The diocese has not said when it first learned of the allegations against Castillo, but spokeswoman Helen Osman said Monday that Castillo was told at the end of the day Wednesday that he had been placed on leave, at which point Chancery staff and priests were also informed. She did not immediately answer questions as to why police were not notified until Thursday morning, but survivor advocates Monday criticized the diocese over the delay.

“A police report is the very first thing that should be done when the Church receives an allegation of child sexual abuse,” said Melanie Sakoda, a Bay Area leader of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP). “This should have happened as soon as the report was received, not after notifying diocesan clergy of the charges, or putting out a press release about them. This delay could give a cleric, particularly one from another country, the opportunity to flee.”

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WASHINGTON (DC)
Catholic News Service

February 4, 2019

The 15 Catholic dioceses of Texas releasing the names of 278 clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse dating back to 1950 acknowledges that the stories of victims are being heard, said Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston.

“That’s one thing they (victims) want. They want their stories heard. That’s really important,” Cardinal DiNardo told Houston’s KPRC-TV in an interview that was broadcast in several segments Jan. 31 as the list was released.

“Some of the victims have thought that no one paid attention to them. I think that this archdiocese has paid attention to them,” said Cardinal DiNardo, who also is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “We can certainly do more. But that’s what they (victims) want to hear.”

The plan to coordinate the release of the names of 278 priests emerged in a Sept. 30 meeting among the Texas bishops. The Texas Catholic Conference announced in October that jointly releasing the names, was part of “ongoing work to protect children from sexual abuse” and “promote healing and a restoration of trust” in the Catholic Church.

“We publish it for the Gospel. We publish it because of the young people who were harmed. The church is indeed wounded badly by this,” Cardinal DiNardo added.

And while the list is comprehensive, he said there may be some clergy who were not included in the disclosure.

“I want to indicate though that we’re very serious about this. We have worked on this very long and hard with a lot of laity and we think we’ve done OK. Can we expect there may be someone who might come by (who is not on the list)? Sure, that might happen. But we present our list as complete as we can at this time,” he explained.

The disclosure also serves to recognize the anger and hurt that Catholics in the pews as well as priests across the state feel in the wake of the abuse crisis, he added.

The cardinal also told the television station that the release of the names signifies that the church wants to become more transparent about its workings and that it serves as a step to rebuild trust in the church.

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SAGINAW (MI)
WNEM TV 5

February 4, 2019

By Brianna Owczarzak and Rachel McCrary

Bishop Walter Hurley was appointed administrator of the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw following the death of Bishop Joseph Cistone in October.

Hurley is leading the diocese until the pope names a permanent replacement.

In an interview with TV5, Hurley released new details about the diocese’s handling of sexual misconduct allegations following the charges against Father Robert DeLand and the overall state of the diocese.

Hurley said the diocese has cut ties with the judge who Cistone appointed to oversee allegations of sexual abuse within the Catholic diocese.

Cistone appointed Judge Michael Talbot of the Michigan State Appeals Court to be a special independent delegate last April.

Under Cistone, Talbot was to assume full authority within the diocese with regards to all matters involving the alleged sexual abuse of minors and sexual misconduct by clergy

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BEAUMONT (TX)
Beaumont Enterprise

February 4, 2019

By Kaitlin Bain

Bishop Curtis Guillory has reaffirmed the Diocese of Beaumont’s position regarding sexual abuses by members of the clergy after a statement from a pastor this weekend that questioned the criminal nature of the acts.

“Any act of sexual abuse of a minor is a heinous crime and it is a sin,” Guillory said, echoing his public letter of apology issued Thursday. “It’s a grave sin.”

The bishop said he spoke with Monsignor William Manager on Monday morning regarding comments during a Saturday service, during which Manger said the small number of clergy members arrested for sexual acts tells him what they did was not to “an intense criminal standard.”

Guillory said Manger corrected the statement during Sunday’s services. Manger also told the Enterprise on Sunday he shouldn’t have brought up the issue and wasn’t clear on the offenses that 13 local clergy members were said to have committed. Their names were made public as part of a statewide counting of “credibly accused” priests for actions committed over the decades.

Guillory said he does not expect Manger to address the issue further and no disciplinary action will be taken. However, the bishop said he’s asked members of the clergy and staff in the nine-county diocese to be “very sensitive to the victims.”

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CHICAGO (IL)
WLS TV

February 4, 2019

After releasing their own investigations last year, former Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Pennsylvania’s Attorney General Josh Shapiro said it’s time for the Vatican to come up some clear policies on how dioceses should handle past, present and future sexual abuse cases.

When it comes to sexual abuse allegations, the Catholic Church is not capable of policing itself, Illinois’ former Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Pennsylvania’s Attorney General Josh Shapiro have concluded. The University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics brought both together to talk Monday about their scathing investigations into the sex abuse scandal and what’s next for the church.

“They have failed to react properly, they haven’t put in place the policies, they haven’t put in place procedures, they haven’t admitted what has happened,” Madigan said.

Before leaving office, Madigan released a report accusing all six Illinois dioceses of withholding the names of more than 500 priests accused of abuse. Madigan launched her investigation after Shapiro released a grand jury report last August accusing more than 300 Pennsylvania priests of abuse. The report also accused the church of a cover-up.

“Contained in the files of these predator priests were words like “horseplay” that was used to describe the rape of an 11-year-old boy,” Shapiro said.

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HOUSTON (TX)
Houston Chronicle

February 4, 2019

By Nicole Hensley

The Houston Police Department’s Special Victims Division is investigating two allegations of inappropriate touching involving Catholic clergy, just days after the local archdiocese released the names of dozens of priests “credibly abused” or under investigation for child sexual abuse, police and church officials said Monday.

And the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said Monday it is taking another look at a 2015 complaint alleging “inappropriate conduct” by another unidentified Catholic priest, an allegation that did not result in criminal charges at the time, said Jason Spencer, sheriff’s spokesman.

Details were not available from police and sheriff’s officials about when the alleged abuse occurred or where.

Houston police spokesman Victor Senties would say only that investigators were made aware of the complaints through a third party and are reaching out to the victims. No police reports have yet been filed.

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LONDON (ENGLAND)
The Guardian

February 4, 2019

By Owen Bowcott

The pope’s representative in Britain, archbishop Edward Adams, has been accused of “cowering behind his diplomatic immunity” for not providing crucial evidence to the child sexual abuse inquiry.

David Enright, a prominent lawyer representing victims of abuse in Catholic schools, has written to Theresa May, urging the prime minister to expel Adams, who is the papal nuncio, the Vatican’s diplomatic representative in the UK, if he does not cooperate.

Enright, a solicitor with the London law firm Howe and Co, raised the question of the archbishop’s position after the inquiry was told on Monday that the senior cleric had been slow to respond to repeated requests to hand over documents about mistreatment of children at Ealing Abbey and St Benedict’s school in west London.

Riel Karmy-Jones QC, counsel to the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA), confirmed that a series of letters had been sent to Adams since November.

Prof Alexis Jay, chair of the IICSA, has powers to call evidence, including enforcing imprisonment of those who defy a request. The dispute between church and state, however, is complicated because the archbishop is also a diplomat.

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HOUSTON (TX)
KPRC2 TV

February 4, 2019

By Sofia Ojeda

Miguel Prats said the Catholic Church has done a lot for victims, but it can still do so much more.

Prats is a victim and said he was sexually abused by a priest. He spoke to KPRC2 on Monday.

“Just being touched and groped inappropriately, I have the same reactions as those who were raped. I lost my faith. I lost my anchor. I lost my way,” Prats said.

Prats is a practicing Catholic and has lived in Houston all his life. He said he was abused by a Catholic priest as a teenager when he visited St. Louis, Missouri. He said the Catholic Church knew about the abuse for 22 years and did nothing.

“The church thinks they have apologized, but they need to apologize more and they need to give people a resource to turn to,” Prats said.

Prats is the original founder of SNAP, the Survivors’ Network of those Abused by Priests in Houston.

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LONDON (ENGLAND)
The Times

February 4, 2019

By Sean O’Neill

The Vatican’s ambassador to Britain is refusing to give evidence to a public inquiry investigating decades of sexual abuse at a leading Roman Catholic private school, a hearing was told today.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) has made repeated efforts to obtain information from the papal nuncio, Archbishop Edward Adams, the diplomatic representative of Pope Francis in Britain.

The Vatican’s embassy — the Apostolic Nunciature — was directly involved in the Church’s response when The Times exposed widespread sexual abuse at Ealing Abbey and St Benedict’s School, west London, in 2010 and 2011.

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DILI (EAST TIMOR)
Catholic News Service

February 4, 2019

By Michael Sainsbury

After accusations of sex abuse, the Vatican has laicized American Richard Daschbach, a former Divine Word missionary who ran orphanages in East Timor for 27 years.

Accusations surfaced early in 2018 that Daschbach, who arrived in the country in 1966, had been sexually abusing young girls who were in his care in the enclave of Oecusse, which sits separate of the rest of East Timor and is surrounded by Indonesian territory.

The case is now under investigation by local police.

Fr. Jovito Rego de Jesus Araujo, episcopal vicar for pastoral care in the Diocese of Dili, told Catholic News Service that this is the first time a case of sexual abuse of minors by a member of the Catholic clergy has come to light in East Timor.

Divine Word Fr. Yohanes Suban Gapun, the order’s Dili-based regional superior, told Tempotimor.com: “In the orphanage of Kutet, girls were allegedly sexually abused by Daschbach.”

The two orphanages in Oecusse are currently home to about 120 children, and hundreds more have passed through their doors over the years.

Gapun said that in early 2018, the Vatican received the accusations. In March, the order sent Gapun to Oecusse to return Daschbach to Dili.

The former priest resisted for several days, Gapun said. He was suspended and forbidden to perform his priestly celebrations while the order conducted its investigation on behalf of the Vatican. The police were informed shortly afterward.

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WASHINGTON (DC)
The Hill

February 4, 2019

By Tim Hale

The passage of New York’s Child Victims Act, the result of a long-fought war for childhood sexual abuse survivors and an important precedent for other states to follow, provides a narrow window of opportunity for survivors to come forward. In 2003, I was one of the attorneys who led civil litigation for a precedent-setting case after California opened a one-year window lifting the statute of limitation for claims against private institutions. During that litigation, hundreds of clergy abuse victims came forward, including 25 who united to end decades of child-endangering secrecy by the Roman Catholic religious order known as the Franciscan Friars. The litigation forced the publication of secret files documenting abuse by Franciscan priests and brothers.

Despite the Catholic Church fighting all the way to the California Supreme Court to prevent the release of those files, we persisted and prevailed. This groundbreaking battle through the trial and appellate courts became the basis for similar institutional releases of perpetrator files around the country. In California alone, this civil litigation and discovery process led to the public identification of hundreds of perpetrators, as well as church hierarchy members who concealed the perpetrators’ crimes from law enforcement and the public.

A one-year window is short. I often wonder how many children were saved from sex crimes as a result of California’s one-year window. Then I’m reminded of the victims who came forward too late, after the window closed, and were denied their chances to obtain justice.

California is one of the only states to have opened a one-year window. This precedent offers valuable lessons that can inform New York’s survivor, legal and social service communities, including the benefits of victims coming forward quickly. Many survivors have fought through embarrassment and shame fueled by the mistaken belief that the abuse they suffered was somehow “their fault,” and that they were their perpetrator’s only victim. When they spoke out, they empowered others to do the same. Often, they proved their perpetrator was a serial abuser. Survivors who speak their truth not only obtain justice for themselves, but protect others from falling victim to perpetrators in institutional cultures of hidden sexual abuse.

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OKLAHOMA CITY (OK)
Enid Eagle

February 4, 2019

By James Neal

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City is completing a report, scheduled to be released Feb. 28, detailing allegations of abuse by clergy dating back to 1960.

Archbishop Paul Coakley commissioned the report last August through the Archdiocesan Review Board, which was created in 2002 as part of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The charter was established by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to address child sexual abuse allegations.

According to an archdiocese press release from last August, the report was commissioned to identify “instances where credible allegations of child sexual abuse were reported, substantiated, prosecuted or admitted to among priests serving in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.”

The process has included a review by the office of Archdiocese Chancellor Michael Scaperlanda of files for every priest who has served in the archdiocese since 1960.

Diane Clay, director of communications for the archdiocese, said the review board will continue examining priests’ files dating before 1960 after the initial report is released. She said the initial report was limited to cases since 1960 to publish those cases “in a more timely fashion.”

Clay said the current review is focused solely on ordained clergy and does not include non-ordained church or school staff members in the archdiocese.

The archdiocese has retained the services of Oklahoma City law firm McAfee & Taft to examine all files containing any allegations of sexual abuse by clergy, Clay said.

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Vanishing Predators blog
February 4, 2019

By Daniel Carlson

The Rosetta Stone is an ancient artifact that, once discovered, allowed researchers to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics that had previously been unintelligible. With the release, last week, of information about Catholic priests “credibly accused” of child sex abuse in Texas, many Catholic faithful likely experienced a “Rosetta Stone Moment” in their struggles to make sense of the sketchy and piecemeal data with which they were presented.

This much anticipated release of the names of 286 Catholic clergy alleged to have engaged in the most reprehensible of crimes as far back as the 1950s, came about as a joint undertaking in the thirteen Dioceses and two Archdioceses in Texas. And though some applaud this effort as a step toward greater transparency, many others believe this sordid list raises more questions than it answers.

For example … how many accusations were made against each individual named priest? In which parishes did these individuals serve, and when were they there? What does the term “credibly accused” mean? Why did it take so long for this information to be released? And how many accusations must be made before a priest is relieved of his duties?

This last question is an important one for it seems … incredibly … that one clergyman in the Houston area was actually permitted to say Mass on the morning his name was released as being among the “credibly accused.” It is important to note that the Archdiocese had been informed of an accusation against this priest in November, 2018, with a second victim coming forward within the past month.

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BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News

February 4, 2019

By Jay Tokasz

Retired Buffalo Bishop Edward U. Kmiec is being criticized for his handling of a clergy sex abuse allegation during his time as bishop of the Nashville Diocese.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests of Tennessee said that Kmiec allowed the Rev. James A. Rudisill to retire as a priest in good standing and remain in ministry, despite the priest’s alleged admission in 1994 that he had molested a 12-year-old girl in the 1950s.

Kmiec was Nashville bishop from 1992 to 2004, and Buffalo bishop from 2004 until his retirement in 2012. He is now bishop emeritus of Buffalo and resides in the area.

A call to his residence was referred to Buffalo Diocese spokeswoman Kathy Spangler, who did not comment on the criticism of Kmiec.

The abuse is alleged to have happened in a closet of a Catholic school gymnasium in Nashville. The accuser is now 77 and lives in Kentucky, said Susan Vance, leader of SNAP Tennessee.

The woman wrote a brief summary of her experiences on a website maintained by SNAP, called HopeChronicles.org. She did not identify herself in the essay, in which she described meeting with Kmiec and the Nashville Diocese chancellor.

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[Bilbao’s City Council urges investigation of abuses among Salesians of Deusto]

MADRID (SPAIN)
El País

February 4, 2019

By Julio Núñez

Todos los grupos políticos condenan los delitos de pederastia y trasladan su apoyo a las víctimas

Todos los grupos políticos con representación en el Ayuntamiento de Bilbao han pedido este lunes que “las instituciones y organismos competentes” realicen las investigaciones pertinentes ante las denuncias de abusos sexuales y maltrato que ocho exalumnos del colegio salesiano de Deusto (Bilbao) presentaron la semana pasada contra el exreligioso José Miguel San Martín, conocido como “don Chemi”, durante los ochenta. La declaración, firmada por los portavoces de PNV, EHBILDU, PSE, PP, UDALBERRI y GOAZEN, llega después de que EL PAÍS destapase una decena de casos de pederastia en el centro educativo, lo que llevó este sábado a la orden a pedir perdón por los posibles delitos y por “no haberlos detectado”. Las denuncias hacen referencia a tocamientos, besos, violaciones y maltrato físico a menores entre ocho y 10 años, tanto en las instalaciones del colegio como en campamentos organizados por el mismo.

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HARTFORD (CT)
Hartford Courant

February 4, 2019

It is appropriate that The Courant’s editorial board calls for investigations into abusive conduct by Connecticut Catholic priests [Feb. 3, Opinion, “Connecticut must investigate the crimes committed within the Catholic Church”].

The stunning scope of predatory behavior has been revealed repeatedly, yet the response from the church is often a call for prayer, special masses and appeals for public forgiveness. These responses pale in comparison to the psychological and emotional damage imposed upon abuse victims.

Why should the obligation to determine the truth fall to victims of priest abuse? Where are the civic entities on whom we should rely for redress of such moral and legal grievances?

Whenever any clergy in a role of authority receives a claim of improper conduct, there should be one inviolable rule: Call the local police, report the claim, and place the search for truth into the hands of those whose mission is to serve and protect our citizens.

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[Old altar boys accuse priest Pere Llagostera of abuse in Constantí]

TARRAGONA (SPAIN)
El País

February 4, 2019

By Marc Rovira

El batería del grupo catalán Els Pets dice que él fue una de las víctimas

Pere Llagostera ejerció de párroco durante casi 30 años en Constantí, un pequeño municipio pegado a Tarragona. El cura, canónigo honorario de la catedral de esa ciudad, murió en 2017 con 86 años. Ahora, dos años después de su muerte, algunos monaguillos que estuvieron a sus órdenes han denunciado los abusos sexuales a los que los sometió el sacerdote. Entre las víctimas se encuentra el músico Joan Reig, batería de la banda Els Pets. Reig ha confesado que la canción Corvus, que se incluye en el último álbum de la banda, trata sobre aquellos episodios de abuso sexual. Mediante un comunicado, el arzobispado de Tarragona ha respondido que no le consta “ninguna denuncia ni ningún indicio” de prácticas libidinosas realizadas por Pere Llagostera.

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ANDERSON (SC)
Anderson Independent

February 4, 2019

By Mike Ellis

South Carolina’s top Catholics have delayed the public naming of of priests credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors.

The state’s diocese, the Catholic Diocese of Charleston, now expects to release the names by the end of March. In a December statement, the diocese had expected it to be public no later than mid-February.

Dioceses throughout the country are planning to release names of credibly accused priests this year and more than 50 dioceses have already released at least 1,250 names. More than a dozen dioceses in Texas released names last week.

The new South Carolina information would cover years from 2007 to present, according to the South Carolina diocese.

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[The fall of Eugenio Valenzuela, the former provincial who was a father-figure among Jesuits]

CHILE
La Tercera

February 4, 2019

By María José Navarrete and Juan Manuel Ojeda

El sacerdote acumula tres investigaciones previas en su contra y al menos cuatro denunciantes. En dos de estas indagatorias al religioso no se le pudo imputar ningún delito eclesiástico y solo ha recibido sanciones internas. Esta es la historia de quien formó a un cuarto de los jesuitas que hoy están en ejercicio.

Hace más de tres años que el nombre del exprovincial de la Compañía de Jesús en Chile Eugenio Valenzuela había pasado a segundo plano hasta agosto del año pasado. Ese mes llegó una nueva denuncia en su contra. Se trataba de otra víctima, un hombre adulto, quien acusaba haber sufrido abusos por parte del sacerdote y una redeclaración de otro denunciante que ya había notificado los abusos en 2013.

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PHILDELPHIA (PA)
Catholics For Change

February 3, 2019

It was deja vu when the Archdiocese of Philadelphia recently announced that Msgr. Joseph Logrip would be placed on administrative leave while being investigated for an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor. Logrip was first placed on administrative leave for an earlier investigation in 2011, along with 26 other Archdiocesan priests. He was reinstated in 2014.

Along with this second investigation, a related mystery has reemerged. When a priest is found unsuitable for ministry or placed on administrative leave, the Archdiocese includes that priest’s assignments in the removal announcement. But Logrip’s decades-spanning involvement with St. Aloysius Academy for Boys is missing in BOTH the 2011 and 2019 removal announcements.

Located in Bryn Mawr, St. Aloysius Academy is an all-boys, private, Catholic school for grades K through 8. It’s administered by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Logrip seems to have served as the school chaplain for many years. A book published in 1995, celebrating the Academy’s 100th anniversary year, reveals the following:

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

February 4, 2019

By Kristin E. Holmes

A Northeast Philadelphia priest has been placed on administrative leave following an allegation of sexual abuse, according to a statement by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

The Rev. Steven J. Marinucci, 71, who served at St. Matthew Roman Catholic Church since 2010, is accused of sexually abusing a minor in the late 1970s.

Marinucci has denied the allegation, which was received by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in late January and shared with parishioners during weekend services at St. Matthew, 3000 Cottman Ave. It is the only allegation the Archdiocese has received against Marinucci, the statement said.

The matter has been referred to law enforcement, and the archdiocese will also investigate.

Ordained in 1974, Marinucci has served at parishes including St. Bernard (1974-78), St. Bartholomew (1978-83), St. Clement, (2000-01), and St. Agatha/St. James (2001-10), all in Philadelphia, as well as Our Lady of Fatima in Bensalem (1983-85), St. John the Evangelist in Morrisville (1985-1990), and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood (1990-2000). He worked at schools including St. Hubert Catholic High School for Girls (1975-79), and Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls (1980-83), both in Philadelphia.

The allegation was reported less than three weeks after the Philadelphia Archdiocese announced that two area priests had been found “not suitable for ministry” following an investigation by church officials of sexual-abuse allegations against them in the early 1980s. The Rev. John F. Meyers had most recently served as interim rector at Malvern Retreat House. The Rev. Raymond W. Smart is retired and has been on leave because of failing health since 1995.

Another priest, Msgr. Joseph L. Logrip had been placed on administrative leave after a sexual-abuse allegation was made against him for conduct in the early 1980s, the archdiocese also announced at the time. Logrip earlier had been cleared of similar allegations that surfaced after a 2011 grand jury report.

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Patheos blog

February 4, 2019

By Barry Duke

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, who leads the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, has drawn criticism from the advocacy group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) for allowing allowed a Houston priest who has been ‘credibly’ identified as an abuser to celebrate Mass last week at the Prince of Peace Catholic Church.

According to this report, Rev John T Keller celebrated the Mass the same day his name was among those released on a list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse by the Galveston-Houston Archdiocese

DiNardo told Keller on Wednesday evening that he would be placed on administrative leave the next day, the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston said in a statement on Friday.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

February 2, 2019

A new reveals that Jesuit officials are still hiding the names of accused abusers. It’s another reminder that secretive institutions can’t police themselves and that parents and parishioners must stay vigilant and demand change.

Public records obtained recently by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle show that McQuaid school had received at least three independent accusations against former teacher John J. Tobin, the school eventually admitted to a reporter that it had in fact fired Tobin for what was described as “incidences of inappropriate behavior” during a class trip to Europe, yet Tobin was still omitted from a list of accused clerics and staff recently put out by the the Jesuits.

The newspaper also reports that additional accusations against two other Jesuit teachers at the school had been reported to Brighton police in 2003.

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JEFFERSON CITY (MO)
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

Another cleric suspended for “sexual misconduct”

The high-ranking Catholic official was just promoted

He helped handle abuse allegations against his peers

SNAP: Bishop should warn his African colleagues about a 3rd cleric

WHAT
Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims will blast mid-Missouri Catholic officials for being vague about new sexual misconduct allegations against a high ranking priest, and the work histories of 35 credibly accused child molesting clerics. They will also call on the Jeff City area’s bishop to warn his African colleagues about an accused priest who’s still working as a priest

WHEN
Monday, February 4 at 1:00 p.m.

WHERE
On the sidewalk outside St. Peter’s Catholic Church, 216 Broadway in Jefferson City

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BALTIMORE (MD)
Baltimore Sun

February 3, 2019

By Vincent DeGeorge

Pope Francis in late August appointed Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori to lead an investigation into the alleged “sexual harassment of adults” by former Catholic bishop Michael J. Bransfield of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, which comprises all of West Virginia. However, Archbishop Lori’s own record and actions seem to demonstrate a church “protectionism” that comes at the expense of transparency and accountability.

In 2002, when he was Bishop of Bridgeport, Conn., Archbishop Lori participated in writing the Dallas Charter, the U.S. Catholic Church’s most substantial accountability policy document on clerical sexual abuse which purports “zero tolerance.” However, here Archbishop Lori contributed to removing bishops from accountability under this document saying that the drafting committee “would limit it to priests and deacons, as the disciplining of bishops is beyond the purview of this document.”

Archbishop Lori also fought a multi-year legal battle to keep hidden Bridgeport clerical sex abuse records, some dating back as far as the 1960s, instead of readily complying with a state order to make them public. Archbishop Lori’s containment efforts finally ended in 2009 when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to block the release of documents.

Last month, Archbishop Lori hosted all of the U.S. Catholic Bishops in Baltimore for their annual fall meeting, the most significant news from which was the conference’s inaction regarding abuse which resulted from newly materializing tension with the Vatican over how to respond to clerical sex abuse.

What’s more, Archbishop Lori, as interim administrator of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, last week released a list of the names of West Virginia Catholic clergy who have been “credibly accused” of sexual abuse of minors. Michael Bransfield was not on that list, despite having been accused of abusing a minor in 2012.

“The omission of Bishop Bransfield has us wondering what other claims were deemed by the diocese to not be ‘credible,’” Judy Jones, the Midwest regional leader for SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), told the Charleston Gazette-Mail newspaper. She called for an independent investigation by law enforcement professionals — “given that we have seen church officials deem accusations not credible only to be proven horribly wrong later.”

Finally, Archbishop Lori has appointed former Baltimore State’s Attorney Gregg Bernstein to the team currently investigating allegations of sexual misconduct by former Bishop Bransfield. As a defense attorney in 2002, Mr. Bernstein represented former Catholic priest Rev. Michael J. Spillane, who was facing new claims of wrongdoing after having admitted a decade earlier to sexually abusing six Baltimore-area children. After that admission, Rev. Spillane continued to work with the church for 16 years in Washington, D.C., as executive director of the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions, a job he took, Mr. Bernstein told The Baltimore Sun, in part because it was administrative and away from children.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

February 4, 2019

By Michael J. Iafrate and Jeannie Kirkhope

All eyes are on several high-profile cases of abuse and its cover-up in the Roman Catholic Church. Many of them include bishops and priests from the Washington area—former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, disgraced Opus Dei priest John McCloskey, the now-retired Cardinal Donald Wuerl, and so on. And yet, what is happening in the seemingly isolated and “unimportant” Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in West Virginia is also important to watch.

The investigation of former Bishop Michael Bransfield, who resigned in September and is now accused of sexually harassing adults, is wrapping up. Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, who is currently in charge of the West Virginia diocese and the investigation, appointed five laypeople to investigate Bransfield and tapped a layperson to oversee daily operations of the diocese as a move toward greater “transparency” and “lay involvement.” Yet, instead of full transparency and thorough truth-telling, Lori’s investigation remains tainted by the hierarchy’s habitual secrecy.

For example, the Baltimore Sun confirmed that one of the five investigators is a Baltimore lawyer who defended abuser priests for Lori’s archdiocese. His presence raises questions about the investigation’s credibility, as do reports that Bransfield has been in regular contact with West Virginia clergy and diocesan officials despite his banishment from the state during the investigation. Bransfield has also been calling and texting diocesan seminarians, the very group he is alleged to have harassed. And although Lori has promised to meet with local Catholic reform groups to hear concerns, these meetings have not materialized. Rather, Lori has prioritized closed meetings with the diocesan finance council and seminarians over open consultations with laity, suggesting a desire to keep the future inheritors of the clerical caste system happy, loyal, and quiet.

Most troubling is that while Lori has urged investigators to “follow the truth wherever it leads,” it is unclear to what extent they will probe older allegations from Bransfield’s history in Philadelphia and Washington. At last count, reports state that “more than 75 calls have come in, alleging misconduct in West Virginia, Washington, and Philadelphia that stretches back decades.” Additionally, the current investigation takes place just six years after allegations surfaced that Bransfield abused minors decades ago in Philadelphia, allegations that Cardinal Justin Rigali reportedly chose not to disclose to his archdiocesan abuse review board.

Bransfield and other diocesan officials have denied those allegations. However, since the opening of the present investigation, the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese released a list of credibly accused clergy, and Bransfield’s glaring absence from that list prompted questions about whether the Philadelphia allegations were fully resolved. In their defense, diocese officials stated that any questions about the allegations should be forwarded to Philadelphia, implying on jurisdictional grounds that the West Virginia diocese had no further responsibility to investigate. But many questions remain about how those allegations were handled, both internally by the archdiocese and by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, which reportedly reopened its own investigation in 2012. In a recent conversation, a West Virginia official could not recall how they were deemed “non-credible” or who precisely had deemed them such.

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Patheos blog

February 3, 2019

This weekend, in lieu of a homily, we listened to a recording by Cardinal Cupich telling us how very much he cared about victims of sexual abuse and how very saddened he was at all the bad things that had happened and how very hard he was going to work to fix everything. (I cannot find a link to a transcript.) It was a very “message: I care” sort of speech, given in that soothing, man-of-God manner of speaking that may or may not be his natural tone of voice vs. something deliberately adopted, and the ostensible impetus for it was to update Chicago Catholics on the upcoming worldwide meeting of bishops on the topic during which Cupich has a major leadership role.

But it clearly wasn’t. There were no specifics, no updates, just the same statements we’ve heard from him plenty of times before.

In other news, the Annual Catholic Appeal is almost here. The archdiocese has already sent out donation requests to everyone on their mailing list. Two weekends from now, we’ll be hearing our pastors preach about how we should donate, and three weekends from now, we’ll listen to Cupich’s recorded voice, followed by a request to fill out pledge cards in the pew.

Cupich must take us for fools if he thinks we won’t connect the dots. They’re worried that Catholics unhappy with what he’s up to will choose not to donate — and, so far as I understand, the way the Archdiocese of Chicago runs things, the Appeal is genuinely voluntary, as parishes are held harmless if they don’t reach their goal, and are just incentivized to promote the appeal because money in excess of the goal is refunded to the parish.

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BONN (GERMANY)
Deutsche Welle

February 3, 2019

Eight religious thought leaders have urged Cardinal Reinhard Marx for more tolerance towards gays and a change to celibacy rules. Allegations of sexual abuse by Catholic bishops continue to fuel modernization demands.

The head of the Catholic Church in Germany on Sunday faced fresh calls for “courageous reforms” in the wake of a sex-abuse scandal that has implicated nearly 1,700 clerics.

Eight well-known theologians and Catholics wrote an open letter to Cardinal Reinhard Marx urging the Church to “free diocesan priests to choose their own way of life,” in other words, recommending a relaxation of strict celibacy rules.

The letter, published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper, also called for a limitation of church powers, the extension of full priesthood to women, and a “reasonable and just evaluation of homosexuality.”

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
KYW Newsradio

February 3, 2019

By Andrew Kramer

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has placed a longtime priest on administrative leave.

Steven Marinucci is accused of sexually abusing a child in the late ’70s.

He denied the allegation. Authorities are investigating.

Marinucci has served at Saint Matthew Parish in the Northeast since 2010.

Before that he served at more than a half-dozen parishes in Philadelphia and at two all-girls high schools — St. Hubert and Little Flower.

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BROWNSVILLE (TX)
KRUV Radio

February 4, 2019

By J. Salinas

With the release of the names of local clergy who’ve been credibly accused of child sexual abuse, the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office says it will now launch in inquiry into the alleged crimes. District Attorney Luis Saenz says the inquiry will determine what criminal justice actions may need to be taken.

The Catholic Diocese of Brownsville last Thursday released the names of 14 priests, former priests, and deacons credibly accused of sexually abusing children. A criminal case had already been brought against the sole deacon on the list, Rolando Mitchell Chavez.

Chavez pleaded guilty to molesting an altar boy in 2012 while assigned to San Cristobal Magallanes and Companions Church in Mission, and is serving a 7-year prison sentence. That leaves seven priests subject to criminal charges. None is currently active in the Brownsville Diocese. The six other priests on the list have died.

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HOUSTON (TX)
Houston Chronicle

February 3, 2019

By Sarah Smith

Cheryl Hunter was not entirely surprised to read her priest’s name on the list of those credibly accused of child abuse, because she’d heard his version of the story in the pews a few months back.

Father John Keller of Prince of Peace Catholic Community Church — one of the 42 priests named by the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston on Thursday — had told the story at mass several months ago, she said. In the version Hunter heard, he’d been falsely accused and undergone an extensive investigation and been vindicated.

“He was very believable,” said Hunter, 68. “He got a large ovation and support from the congregation.”

Keller gave one final mass Thursday, the day the archdiocese released the list that spanned decades. On the first Sunday since dioceses across Texas named nearly 300 clergymen as credibly accused of sexual abuse, the Prince of Peace parking lot was so full that congregants parked in fire lanes and on side streets.

Auxiliary Bishop George Sheltz addressed the congregation during its 10:45 a.m. Mass, acknowledging the hurt in the church and promising the archdiocese would take special care of Prince of Peace.

“Father has only been alleged he did something,” he said of Keller. “The system has to work itself out.”

Sheltz received applause from the pews.

Priests across Texas addressed the list of alleged abusers from the pulpit with a similar message: Pray for the victims, pray for the priests and don’t leave the Catholic Church because of the abuse allegations.

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MOBILE (AL)
WKRG TV

February 3, 2019

By Peter Albrecht

Mobile County District Attorney Ashley Rich says no one has come forward to make a criminal complaint against any of the surviving clergy members listed by the local Catholic church as likely child molesters. In addition, Rich says she’s received no cooperation from the local archdiocese.

In December, Mobile Archbishop Thomas Rodi released a list of 29 priests, deacons, brothers and other church officials “credibly accused of sexual misconduct with a child” since 1950 in an effort to put the church’s sexual abuse scandal to rest.

“We have zero tolerance,” the Archbishop said. “No one with a credible accusation is going to serve in the Archdiocese of Mobile.”

Of the 29 priests and others named, however, only two ever went to prison for crimes committed here. Brother Vic Bendillo a teacher at McGill-Toolen for almost 40 years was convicted in 2004 of abusing a boy and served 28 months. Deacon Robert Nouwen who served at St. Vincent’s in Tillman’s Corner was convicted of possessing child porn in 2013 but was not charged with the rapes of two children, which he admitted to federal prosecutors.

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BUFFALO (NY)
The Spectrum

February 4, 2019

By Isabella Nurt

Father Roy Herberger, a priest at UB’s Newman Center, returned to active ministry in December.

He returned to a warm welcome in light of a six-month suspension, caused by a sexual abuse claim.

“The only way that I could say mass was by myself in my residence,” Herberger said. “Because if I went into a church, someone could recognize me and say ‘Oh there is that priest, why is he allowed to be here in the pews where we have children?’”

Bishop Richard Malone suspended Herberger after a sexual abuse claim surfaced in June, according to Herberger. A person, whose name was not released by the Buffalo Diocese, claimed that Herberger assaulted him when he was a student at St. Anne’s Parish in Buffalo during the 1980s. No lawsuit was filed, but the Buffalo Diocese conducted an internal review.

The Diocese lifted the suspension after reviewing investigative reports.

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DENVER (CO)
Crux

February 4, 2019

By Charles Collins

Allen Hebert was 12-years-old in 1981, when he met Father Adrianus Johannes Willemsen – “Father Andy” – a Dutch priest serving in the Diocese of Austin.

The priest became friends with Hebert’s family, and his parents had no suspicions about the close friendship the cleric was forming with their son.

Soon, the priest began manipulating the adolescent, and told him that he was helping him explore his sexuality as he molested him.

“I never felt intimidated or threatened, rather I was gently led into a very abusive relationship. The relationship continued even after I stopped the physical aspects of it. It was only much later in my life that I recognized my relationship with Father Andy as abusive,” Hebert relates on his website.

Willemsen was one of 22 priests named by the Diocese of Austin on Jan. 31 as having a credible accusation made against him. In all, over 300 clerics and religious have been named by the 15 dioceses in Texas as having been credibly accused of abuse – 14 dioceses released their lists with 286 names on it on Jan. 31; the Diocese of Fort Worth began publishing credibly accused clergy and religious on its website in 2007, and its list currently has 17 names.

Hebert told Crux that he is happy that the list was published, but finds the information on the Austin and Galveston-Houston websites – the two Texas dioceses in which Willemsen served – to be “clinical, hard, [and] cold” due to a lack of details about the assignments of the alleged abusers. He compliments the Archdiocese of San Antonio for being “much more comprehensive,” adding their website “reads like you are speaking with someone who cares and knows that a victim wants to know about their abuser and put their lives back together after having gained some closure to that chapter.”

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ALBANY (NY)
CNHI News Service

February 3, 2019

Paul Barr, who says he was molested by a Catholic priest 38 years ago, finally felt exonerated last week when New York lawmakers strengthened the state’s Child Victims Act after years of refusing to do so.

“It means vindication,” said Barr. “Now we get to stick up for the children we were and confront those who abused us or let us be abused.”

The 53-year-old Niagara Falls advocate for sex abuse victims said holding accountable bad priests and their superiors who looked the other way will now be far easier throughout New York.

With only three lawmakers objecting, the state legislature voted last Monday to establish a one-year window for adults who claim they were victims of child sexual assault to file civil lawsuits against their abusers.

Criminal charges under the Child Victims Act won’t be retroactive but changes to the law would extend to 10 years the current five-year limit for future prosecution of felony sexual abuse crimes. That clock starts when a victim turns 18.

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BEAUMONT (TX)
Beaumont Enterprise

February 3, 2019

By Kaitlin Bain

A pastor at St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Beaumont walked back public comments he made during Mass Saturday questioning the criminal nature of abuse allegedly committed by members of the clergy.

“I probably shouldn’t even have gone into it at all,” Monsignor William Manger told the Enterprise on Sunday. “I don’t know what the offenses were.”

Referencing the fact that only one priest from the Diocese of Beaumont clergy members faced prosecution as a result of sexual assault allegations, he told congregants at the 5 p.m. Saturday service that, “What that tells me is that what they did was not to an intense criminal standard.”

Manger said Sunday he was simply trying to quote facts from Bishop Curtis Guillory’s letter, released two days earlier, that accompanied a list of names of 13 priests believed to have molested minors. It was part of a coordinated public naming by 14 Texas dioceses of nearly 300 “credibly accused” members of the clergy statewide of acts committed over the past several decades.

Manger initially tried to explain his comments. He said, for example, that someone suspected of rape will go straight to jail, but in lesser forms of “inappropriate touching,” a prosecutor may not go forward with charges.

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HOUSTON (TX)
KPRC 2 TV

February 3, 2019

By Sally Mamdooh

Horrifying details once again plague St. Michael’s Home for Children after a worker is accused of indecency with a child.

According to court documents, 23-year-old Edgar Alexander Campos, a chaperone at St. Michael’s Home, a home for refugee children, was charged with indecency with a child.

Court documents revealed Campos was responsible for chaperoning 32 kids, one of whom claims Campos asked for a sexual favor in return for giving the 16-year-old boy his phone to call family in Guatemala.

When the boy returned the phone to Campos, court documents say Campos inappropriately touched the boy. Later that evening, Campos went into the boy’s room and touched him inappropriately once again.

Court documents revealed it wasn’t the first time Campos entered the boys’ rooms after hours. Investigators said at least four different times, Campos was seen on a surveillance camera going into the bedrooms after hours, which is against regulations.

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[The abbot of Montserrat apologizes to sexual abuse victims]

MONASTERIO DE MONTSERRAT (SPAIN)
El País

February 3, 2019

By Oriol Güell

Las víctimas de la pederastia en la Iglesia celebran su primer acto de protesta en el monasterio

El abad de Montserrat, Josep Maria Soler, ha pedido en la homilía de este domingo por la mañana perdón a las víctimas de abusos sexuales cometidos por un monje de la congregación benedictina, el hermano Andreu Soler, que han sido denunciados en las últimas semanas. “Estos hechos han conmovido a todo el mundo y de una manera muy especial a nuestra comunidad”, ha asegurado Soler.

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[Joaquín Silva, dean of theology at the UC: “There is still a fear of thinking critically before the ecclesiastical authority”]

CHILE
La Tercera

February 2, 2019

By Carla Pía Ruiz Pereira

El académico revela que el arzobispo Ezzati consideró en su minuto como un “acto de imprudencia” la invitación a James Hamilton y Juan Pablo Hermosilla, que gatilló la confesión de Marcela Aranda, denunciante de Renato Poblete.

“Uno quisiera que hace mucho rato esto se hubiese acabado, pero todavía hay mucho que aprender”, reconoce Joaquín Silva. El decano de la Facultad de Teología de la UC aborda el caso de Marcela Aranda, profesora de esa unidad y la primera persona que denunció públicamente al sacerdote Renato Poblete por abuso sexual, de conciencia y poder. Su confesión se dio en un contexto que no estuvo exento de cuestionamientos, explica la autoridad académica.

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WASHINGTON (DC)
National Public Radio

February 3, 2019

The Catholic Church has released the names of priests accused of child sex abuse in Texas and Pennsylvania. NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro asks Father Alek Schrenk of Pittsburgh for his reaction.

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BATON ROUGE (LA)
Crux

February 3, 2019

By Debbie Shelley and Bonny Van

In a show of openness, transparency and a hope for healing, Bishop Michael G. Duca of Baton Rouge released Jan. 31 the names of all priests, a former bishop of the diocese, and one former seminarian “against whom there are credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors and/or vulnerable adults in the Diocese of Baton Rouge.”

It also includes the names of individuals accused of credible allegations within the territory of the Baton Rouge Diocese before it was created in 1961 that were later reported to the diocese; as well as, those who served the Archdiocese of New Orleans in what is now Baton Rouge diocesan territory.

The bishop on the list is Bishop Joseph Sullivan, who guided the Baton Rouge Diocese from 1974 until his death in 1982. A Catholic high school that once bore his name was changed to St. Michael the Archangel High School in 2005 after an allegation against Sullivan became known.

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DERBYSHIRE (ENGLAND)
Derbyshire Times

February 1, 2019

By Helen Kreft

The victim of a paedophile priest who was abused as an altar boy in Burton has told how sitting through public inquiry into the Catholic church’s handling of such cases has brought his nightmare ordeal flooding back.

Eamonn Flanagan, who has agreed to reveal his identity, said he had ‘no words’ after sitting through the hearing which he watched via a live feed from his home in Australia, and that he had been left in shock remembering the abuse he suffered as a young boy in the town in the 1970s at the hands of Father Samuel Penney.

Penney was the priest at St Mary and St Modwen Church in Guild Street at the time and was later jailed for seven and a half years in 1993 after admitting 10 offences of indecent assault against children, including assaulting Mr Flanagan.

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SAN ANTONIO (TX)
Express-News

February 2, 2019

Photo of Elaine Ayala

When a Colorado man heard that the Archdiocese of San Antonio would release its list of priests “credibly accused” of the sexual abuse of minors last week, he was ready to click on the document as soon as it went online.

His own “predator priest” — who he said molested, kissed and fondled him over the course of 10 years, stalked him and finally sexually assaulted him — was there for the public to see: Father Galeb Mokarzel.

The entry was short, easy to overlook in a report that covered almost 80 years and 150 sex-abuse accusations against 54 priests. But it offered some relief — now 70, the man had only recently begun to grapple with what happened to him half a century ago as a high school student, he said.

As with several victims who spoke to the Express-News after the long-awaited report was released, the Colorado man’s story takes longer to tell than its simple summary: “In 2019, a survivor alleged that as a minor teenager he was sexually abused by Mokarzel in the 1960’s.”

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HARTFORD (CONNECTICUT)
Hartford Courant

February 3, 2019

The Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford recently released a list of dozens of priests against whom it found “credible accusations” of sexually abusing minors. The archdiocese should be commended for its efforts to be transparent about a past that for too long was hidden in shadows.

The Hartford archdiocese and the Bridgeport diocese have both hired well-respected judges to review how allegations were handled in the past. That too is a positive step.

But serious questions remain unanswered, and despite their efforts at transparency, church officials are not law enforcement.

This was a crime of unthinkable proportions, and nobody knows the extent of it. Was there an active cover-up? Or was it more a matter of tacit complicity? Who outside of the church knew about the ongoing sexual abuse of children? Did teachers know? Was the Department of Children and Families ever involved? What about the state Judicial Department?

Even though a federal investigation is underway into parishes across the country — possibly looking into whether the church committed a criminal conspiracy — the state of Connecticut has a role to play as well.

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BOISE (IDAHO)
Idaho Statesman

February 2, 2019

By Katy Moeller

The Rev. William Thomas Faucher is appealing the 25-year prison sentence imposed on him by 4th District Judge Jason Scott on Dec. 21.

The 73-year-old retired priest was charged with 24 crimes: 21 counts of sexual exploitation of a child (possession and distribution of child pornography) and three counts of drug possession (marijuana, LSD, ecstasy). He pleaded guilty to five felonies.

Scott sentenced Faucher to 25 years in prison, without the possibility of parole.

Faucher’s notice of appeal to the Idaho Supreme Court was filed with the Ada County Clerk’s Office on Friday morning. According to the document, the issue on appeal is: “Did the presiding judge abuse his discretion in imposition of the sentence?”

Faucher is exempt from fees associated with filing the appeal, the transcript fee and the preparation of the records because he is indigent, according to the filing.

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NAIROBI (KENYA)
February 2, 2019

By Harun Kutosi

A 60 year old priest was on Friday sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of sexually assaulting four young female parishioners one of whom was nine when the offences began.

The sentence is quite lenient being that he would have faced up to 10 years in prison.

The defilement which proceeded even after three of the victims were adults happened between 2001 and 2016.

The priest is also accused of embezzlement of funds to pay one of the ladies for sexual favors.

One of the young ladies now 29 years old received more than 240,000 euros from the cleric. She was charged with “concealment and breach of trust” but was acquitted as it could not be proven that she knew the source of the money she was receiving.

The hearing was held behind closed doors in north east France at the request of the victims who were minors at the start of the offences.

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GUAM
Guam Daily Post

February 2, 2018

Concerns of clergy sex abuse have spread to the Federated States of Micronesia, which includes the island states of Chuuk, Pohnpei, Yap and Kosrae. The recent publication of a list of Jesuits against whom “credible” allegations were filed was followed shortly by a call from a local attorney with ties to the FSM for survivors.

Earlier this month, the Jesuits USA Northeast Province listed 50 priests, four of whom served in the FSM, who have one or more credible allegations of abuse of a minor after 1950. According to the list, “an allegation is deemed ‘credible’ if there is a “preponderance of evidence that the allegation is more likely true than not after investigation.”

• Father John Doolan: He worked at Xavier High School in Chuuk from 1957 to 1960 and served at the church in Chuuk from 1965 to 1973. He was removed from ministry in 2006 and died two years later. He admitted to “abuse of minors” in the 1960s and 1970s. Documents state that abuse was reported in 1999 but don’t specify how many allegations were lodged against him.

• Father John Garvey: He taught at an unspecified educational institution in Chuuk from 1968 to 1971, worked in Pohnpei from 1974 to 1977, and worked in Kitti Island in Pohnpei from 1977 to 1978. He died in 2011. The accusations of “abuse of minor” from 1978 to 1979 were found to be credible after investigation. The allegation was reported in 2013.

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NAUGATUCK (CT)
Republican-American

February 2, 2019

By Michael Dooling

Arthur J. Perrault, a former priest who once served at St. Francis Church in Naugatuck, has a trial date of Feb. 25 for various sexual abuse charges in U.S. District Court in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

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AUSTIN (TX)
KXAN TV

January 31, 2019

By Phil Prazan

Thursday, Catholic churches across Texas released names of clergy credibly accused of child sex abuse. State law constrains the Texas Attorney General from launching an investigation, as Pennsylvania’s attorney general did.

Several state lawmakers now want to give the Texas Attorney General the power to investigate those crimes without being called upon by a district attorney.

“If our state’s head law enforcement officer does not have the authority to investigate these crimes, I would support legislation that gives the Texas Attorney General the authority that he or she needs to protect Texas children and shine light on institutional cover-ups of such heinous, illegal activity,” said Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin.

“Of course the state should investigate any crimes committed against children or anyone else, for that matter,” said Rep. Celia Israel, D-Austin, “Priests and other religious leaders are not exempt from the law and no institution should get away with hiding criminal activities.”

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IRONDALE (AL)
National Catholic Register

February 2, 2019

By Msgr. Charles Pope

The summit on clerical sexual abuse called by the Holy Father is scheduled for Feb. 21-24. While no meeting of four days can be expected to fully resolve such a devastating scandal, a central goal must be to begin the very long process of restoring credibility to Church leaders in Rome and around the world. The needle on the credibility gauge is currently near zero. For this meeting to have a credibility of its own and to begin restoring credibility in the wider Church, a number of things must be forthrightly addressed. Let’s look at three.

(1) The summit must focus on more than the sexual abuse of minors. Unfortunately, a recent Vatican communiqué does not seem to envision this; it titles the meeting “The Protection of Minors in the Church”. While the Church should certainly speak to this issue and have clear policies protecting minors, much of the recently reported abuse has involved predation on vulnerable and/or subordinate adults. Seminarians as well as younger priests and religious have come forward in significant numbers in a kind of ecclesial version of the #MeToo movement. Unwanted sexual attention, abuse, and attempted seduction by bishops, priests, seminary faculty, religious superiors, and others in positions of authority must be addressed. There have also been numerous cases of clergy using their status to sexually seduce or abuse those in their pastoral care (for example, here and here).

In the secular world there is a growing recognition that relationships among adults are not always equal. Doctors and therapists, for example, are not on equal footing with those who seek their help, and it is unethical for them to use their status to exploit those in their care. Such clients, though adults, are often vulnerable to the sexual advances of influential professionals in their lives; a body of law is developing to protect them and others in subordinate roles (e.g., in the workplace). A similar dynamic can set up with priests and Church leaders if safeguards are not in place.\

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McALLEN (TX)
The Monitor

February 2, 2019

By Cristina M. Garcia

The Cameron County District Attorney’s Office announced its plans Friday to launch an “inquiry” into the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville’s list of 13 priests the church deemed “credibly accused” of sexually assaulting children in Hidalgo and Cameron counties.

“Our office will be conducting an inquiry into this matter to determine what criminal justice actions may or need to be taken in response to this disclosure,” Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz said in a statement, adding his office reviewed the diocese’s list of clergy members who “have been accused of sexual abuse of children while they served in the Rio Grande Valley.”

The Brownsville diocese, encompassing the Rio Grande Valley, released its list of clergy members Thursday, an action taken simultaneously with all other Catholic dioceses in Texas.

All of the seven living priests on the list were assigned to churches in Hidalgo and Cameron Counties. The six other priests on the list have died.

An investigation would mean the district attorney’s office can subpoena testimony or records in the Catholic Church’s possession in preparation for a potential criminal case against the accused priests, according to Patti Koo of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priest, or SNAP, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting victims.

“This is exactly what we want,” Koo said.

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FRESNO (CA)
KGPE CBS 47

February 1, 2019

By Connie Tran

The Diocese of Fresno may soon release the names of local priests who’ve been accused of sexual misconduct. Bishop Armando Ochoa said they have a process in place to release the names, but it takes time.

Diocese spokesperson Teresa Dominguez believes the list may be released within a year.

“We are broken hearted, we are bruised, we are hurting,” prayed Ochoa on Friday.

It was a prayer for all those who have been sexually abused by the Catholic Church clergy. “Send your healing spirit to our brothers and sisters who have endured pain and abuse…”

Ochoa announced a plan is now in place to review clergy files within the Diocese of Fresno – which spans eight counties that include Fresno, Tulare, Madera, Kings, Merced, and Mariposa.

Dominguez, who is a survivor of abuse too, stated, “Our files date back to 1922, and that’s a lot of material to go through.”

Ochoa and Dominguez explained how the process will begin this Spring. After that, they will format a list of names of accused clergy.

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AUSTIN (TX)
Spectrum News

February 1, 2019

By Jeff Stensland

Thursday’s public release by the Roman Catholic Church listing almost 300 former Texas priests was a long time coming for clergy sexual abuse survivors like Carol Midboe, who came forward years ago and now volunteers with the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP.

“It’s vital for people’s sense of well-being and to know they are not alone,” she said.

Midboe’s still waiting to hear from new survivors to come forward. She said a priest abused her as a child, which she said caused more than just physical or emotional trauma.

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[Eight alumni of Salesian school accuse “Father Chemi” of abuse]

BILBAO (SPAIN)
El País

February 2, 2019

By Julio Núñez

Las víctimas acusan al entonces religioso de maltrato físico, tocamientos y violación

Ocho antiguos alumnos del colegio salesiano de Deusto (Bilbao) han denunciado a lo largo de esta semana ante la Ertzaintza al exsalesiano José Miguel San Martín, conocido como don Chemi, por abusos sexuales y físicos durante la década de los ochenta. Los denunciantes, de varias promociones escolares, decidieron denunciar los casos de pederastia después de que a comienzos de este año EL PAÍS publicase el relato de otra supuesta víctima, José Antonio Pérez (que también se ha unido como denunciante), donde narraba cómo San Martín abusó de él entre 1978 y 1980 en las instalaciones del centro.

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WASHINGTON (DC)
Christian Post

February 2, 2019

By Meredith Harbman

“Use it well,” Albus Dumbledore says to Harry Potter in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” These words accompany his gift of an invisibility cloak to young Harry. Dumbledore knows that the cloak is a tool that Harry will have the opportunity to use responsibly… or not.

The Catholic Church has had the opportunity, recently, to think about the tools it wields as a church—and whether or not it is using them well. Nicholas P. Cafardi, a Catholic expert in canon law, recently said, “When it came to handling child sexual abuse by priests, our legal system fell apart.”

Cafardi was talking about the waves of sexual abuse reports that have rolled over the Catholic Church in recent decades. His sentiment came from the early 2000s, but the past six months have shown its continued truth: the Catholic Church has a long way to go when it comes to handling the sexual misconduct of its priests.

The Catholic Church has a long way to go because, historically, its bureaucracy and hierarchy have enabled abusive priests and clogged the lines of communication for people who wanted to report abuse. A confusing slew of instructions within canon law shows how any chain of command can allow depravity to continue.

Some might use this as an argument against institutional hierarchy, arguing that it encourages evil to take root. However, studies show that sexual abuse occurs at a rate of six percent in the general public, which is just as often as it does in the Catholic Church. There’s nothing worse happening within Catholicism than there is in the outside world, we just expect more of a religious institution.

As a public, we are just as shocked in 2018 as we were almost twenty years ago. At first, we were appalled that such widespread abuse could happen at all, but now we’re horrified that bishops could know about the abuse and choose to cover for their priests—and vice versa.

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OAKLAND (CA)
The Oakland Voice

February 2, 2019

By Albert C. Pacciorini

A lively, respectful group of about 100 people met with two representatives of the Diocese of Oakland to discuss the issue of clergy sexual abuse and its coverup at St. Joan of Arc Church in San Ramon the evening of Jan. 22.

Steve Wilcox, chancellor of the diocese, and Rev. Jayson Landeza outlined the historical issues of clergy sexual abuse while saying the evening would be mostly questions from the audience.

Repeatedly, audience members drove home a theme: people, especially the young, are avoiding the Church in vast numbers, older people are falling away. They see the Church as unresponsive in meeting the needs of the gay and transgender community and not doing enough to end clergy sexual abuse.

We’ve heard all this before, many said: People’s lives have been ruined. Families are ruined. We’re tired of the apologies and repetition. Do something now.”

Wilcox said he hopes the diocese can release its list of credibly accused clergy on Feb. 18. While many will be familiar names, there may be one or two not previously widely known.

Rev. Ray Sacca, St. Joan of Arc pastor, opened the evening with prayer, and noted Catholics are expressing outrage at the renewed abuse revelations.

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[Defense requests that a court definitively dismisses case against accused priest]

CHILE
BioBioChile

February 2, 2019

By Felipe Díaz and Fabián Polanco

En una audiencia pública la Corte de Apelaciones de Concepción resolvería si confirma el sobreseimiento de la investigación contra el sacerdote Hernán Enríquez, acusado de violación por el padre de un ex seminarista. Mientras, respecto de la arista canónica no hay un pronunciamiento oficial aún.

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COLMAR (FRANCE)
Agence France-Presse

February 2, 2019

A French priest Friday sentenced to five years, two without parole, on Friday for sexually assaulting four young female parishioners, one of whom was just nine when the offenses started, and embezzling 100,000 euros ($115,000) to pay one of his victims.

The trial was held behind closed doors at Colmar Criminal Court, in northeast France, which publicly announced the sentence late Friday.

The 60-year-old cleric, who will have to spend at least two years behind bars and be under restrictions for the rest of his term, could have faced up to 10 years in prison.

The priest will also have to undergo psychological treatment, which he has already started, according to his lawyers.

Under the judgement, he is forbidden from contacting his victims or any activity involving minors. He is also barred from staying in the Alsace region, where the offenses were committed.

His sentence was lighter than that sought by the public prosecutor, who had asked for four years in prison followed by three years under a supervision order.

The trial was held behind closed doors at the request of three of the four victims, who were minors at the start of the offenses.

The attacks, which continued after three of the victims were adults, took place between 2001 and 2006 and between 2011 and 2016.

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ROME (ITALY)
Associated Press

February 2, 2019

By Nicole Winfield

Pope Francis is ruling out any lifting of the celibacy requirement for priests but says there’s reason to consider ordaining older, married men in remote communities where priests are in short supply.

Francis said he believes priestly celibacy is a gift for the Catholic Church and opposes a blanket change to make it optional. But he said “pastoral necessity” might justify alternative options in certain parts of the world.

“I think the problem should be opened in this sense: Where there’s a pastoral problem because of a lack of priests,” he said. “I’m not saying it should be done, because I haven’t reflected or prayed enough about it. But theologians must study it.”

Francis’ comments, to reporters on the way home Sunday from Panama, open the way for discussion about celibacy in the run-up to a big meeting of bishops from the Amazon at the Vatican in October. Brazil’s bishops have long pushed for the church to consider ordaining so-called viri probati, older married men of proven virtue, to minister in remote parts of the Amazon where the faithful can go months without Mass and evangelical and Pentecostal churches are making inroads as a result.

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[Court orders the dismissal of four priests of “La Familia” in Rancagua]

CHILE
Soy Chile

February 1, 2019

El año pasado otros tres sacerdotes también fueron sobreseídos en el caso.

El Tribunal de Garantía de Pichilemu decretó el sobreseimiento de cuatro sacerdotes implicados en el denominado caso “La Familia” sobre la existencia de una supuesta red de abusos al interior de la Iglesia en la región de O’Higgins. La investigación en contra de los sacerdotes se llevaba a cabo por denuncias de conductas impropias.

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[Opinion: Father Renato Poblete]

CHILE
La Tercera

February 2, 2019

By Percival Cowley V.

No es una novedad que la Iglesia pase por momentos de crisis. Las ha habido en su larga historia y las seguirá habiendo. Con todo, esa misma historia sigue ofreciéndose como pedagoga de su desarrollo y tarea temporal.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

February 1, 2019

Despite pledging to remove priests from ministry following accusations of abuse, a priest from the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston was left in position up to the day the Texas bishops released lists of accused priests throughout the state.

Fr. John Keller was allowed to say mass the very morning that his name was released as a “credibly accused” cleric. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, the leader of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, had been informed of accusations against Fr. Keller back in November. Moreover, a second victim came forward just last month.

It takes only seconds for an abuser to hurt a child or a vulnerable adult which is why the 2002 promise from Church officials to remove those accused of abuse was so critical to the prevention of future cases. But if the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops can openly flaunt the provisions of the Dallas Charter, what hope do survivors have?

The answer is a lot of hope. The actions of secular officials in the justice system across the country have generated renewed optimism for justice and accountability. We hope that AG Ken Paxton listens to the news – and the hopes of the hundreds of survivors that have reached out to his office – and begins an independent investigation into Cardinal DiNardo’s handling of abuse cases immediately.

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SHERMAN (TX)
KTEN News

February 1, 2019

By Brittany Breeding

Now that sexual abuse allegations have been publicly raised against three former Sherman clergymen, the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office is prepared to hear from anyone who wants to file a report.

On Thursday, the Catholic Diocese of Dallas issued a list of church personnel with credible allegations of sexual abuse of children. That list included three men with links to St. Mary’s Catholic Parish in Sherman:

Jeremy Myers, a fixture at St. Mary’s for more than two decades, was removed as a priest last year.
John Duesman died in 1984.

Michael Flanagan died in 2008.

Sheriff Tom Watt said there are no known cases involving Myers in Grayson County, but that is subject to change now that the names have been made public.

“I know the churches are trying to encourage people if they feel they need to make a report to please come and make a report,” said sheriff’s office spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Bigham. “That way the information can be looked into by law enforcement.”

Abuse allegations are being handled by Lt. Heath Wester at 903-813-2216.

The Dallas Diocese provided a copy of its list to police agencies, and the Catholic community seems to be supportive of this decision.

“I think it’s very, very positive that this is happening,” said parishioner Mary Walker of Denison. “Change is good for everyone, including the Catholic church or any church, any religious forum.”

The priests who were investigated by the Diocesan Review Board date all the way back to 1950.

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[Opus Dei faces first complaint of priest abusing minors in Chile]

CHILE
La Tercera

February 1, 2019

By María José Navarrete

Las acusaciones contra Patricio Astorquiza, hoy de 82 años, mencionan “acoso persistente en el tiempo y abuso de conciencia, ambas con posible connotación sexual”.

La creciente serie de denuncias por presuntos abusos en la Iglesia Católica alcanzó ahora en Chile a otra de sus organizaciones más emblemáticas. El Opus Dei informó que uno de sus sacerdotes, Patricio Astorquiza (82), enfrenta acusaciones por presunto acoso que se remontan a hace aproximadamente 20 años.

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DALLAS (T)
Morning News

February 1, 2019

Kevin Krause, Dana Branham, Sarah Sarder, LaVendrick Smith and Charles Scudder

After the Catholic Diocese of Dallas released the names of 31 clergy members deemed “credibly accused” of sexually abusing kids since 1950, Danny Blonien went to church.

Blonien, 57, has been a parishioner of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in East Dallas for 27 years. He’s a member of the church’s choir.

In the 1990’s, he and his wife had counseling sessions with Jeremy Myers, one of the accused priests on the list released Thursday.

Blonien said late Thursday that the news stunned him. The Myers he knew on a first-name basis was warm and engaging and could connect biblical Scripture to contemporary times with ease. He never suspected that Myers, who the diocese said was “suspended” from service in 2018, could be accused of sexual abuse.

“It’s kind of a shock. It’s visceral,” Blonien said. “That’s not consistent with the man that I knew, but you know, people shock you all the time. You think you know them.”

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BEAUMONT (TX)
The Enterprise

February 1, 2019

By Haley Bruyn

The Catholic clergy sex scandal, subject of lawsuits, movies and countless works of journalism, became suddenly personal in Southeast Texas this week after the Diocese of Beaumont released the names of 13 priests found to have been credibly accused of abusing minors over the last half-century.

“I was just devastated,” said Angela Mazzola-Burleigh of Orange after learning that former priest Earl Mudd, who married her parents and baptized her oldest sister, was among the presumed violators.

“When I saw his name on that list, he went from priest to predator in my mind,” she said.

It was a scene played out in an uncountable number of Catholic households, here and across the state, following the coordinated release of nearly 300 names from 14 Texas dioceses. It was one of the largest such reckonings in the nation.

Hilda Arisco of Nederland recounted her experiences with another accused priest, Henry Drouilhet, during his time at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Beaumont.

“He was mean,” she said. “I wasn’t surprised to see his name on there. He hated girls but was always nice to the boys.”

Arisco recalled picking up her daughter from catechism class and finding her and the other girls in her class outside. They said Drouilhet had made all of them wait outside while the boys stayed indoors.

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HOUSTON (TX)
Houston Chronicle

January 31, 2019

By Anastasiya Zavyalova

It’s a TV image so common we barely pause to look up: a hive of uniformed law enforcement officers swarming onto a crime scene. But the target of this SWAT-type strike was groundbreaking.

Unfolding on air over a “developing story” banner in November, the surprise targeted the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Instead of contraband or drugs, law enforcers were seeking records linked to a diocese priest, recently released on bond, accused of sexually abusing children.

Unfolding on air over a “developing story” banner in November, the surprise targeted the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Instead of contraband or drugs, law enforcers were seeking records linked to a diocese priest, recently released on bond, accused of sexually abusing children.

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BATON ROUGE (LA)
The Advocate

February 1, 2019

By Andrea Gallo

Before Clarence Biggers came to the Diocese of Baton Rouge in 1964, multiple girls told their parents that the Marist priest had kissed them, fondled them and exposed himself to them at St. Joseph Catholic School in Marietta, Georgia.

One of their mothers typed up a letter to Marist officials about his abuse. But instead of removing him from ministry, the Marist order transferred the priest to the Diocese of Baton Rouge, where he worked at St. Joseph Church in the tiny town of Paulina in St. James Parish on the east bank of the Mississippi River.

The Diocese of Baton Rouge named 37 clergymen this week who were credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor, and Biggers was among them. While some of those on the list had previously been targeted by lawsuits and featured in media accounts, 19 of them had never had their misconduct exposed.

Biggers was one of those.

The Diocese reported that Biggers continued to abuse children after he got to Paulina, saying that they received multiple reports in 2000 of abuse that occurred between 1964 and 1967. Dan Borne, a spokesman for the Baton Rouge Diocese, said Friday that they had no records indicating that Biggers sexually abused a minor before he came to Baton Rouge. The Marist order transferred Biggers back to Atlanta in 1967, where he worked at another church parish before he joined a monastery and died in 2009.

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BAKERSFIELD (CA)
Bakersfield Californian

February 1, 2019

By Jose Gaspar

For the first time the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno will publicly name the names of San Joaquin Valley priests accused of sexual misconduct.

About time.

But don’t expect it to happen anytime soon. It’s going to take awhile for investigators to review voluminous archives.

“To ensure that this task is objectively completed in a timely manner, we will undergo an extensive review of our clergy in the spring of 2019,” said Bishop Armando Ochoa, speaking at a news conference at Diocese headquarters in Fresno on Friday.

The Catholic Church is still in crisis because of its mishandling of scores of cases in which priests abused minors.

Why is the Diocese of Fresno just now coming around to taking this action?

After last year’s horrific revelations that more than 300 priests in Pennsylvania sexually molested children, coupled with the resignation of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and credible allegations that he too sexually abused others, the Diocese was finally spurred to action.

“It shook all of us very deeply and emotionally,” said Dioceses spokeswoman Teresa Dominguez.

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HOUSTON (TX)
KTRK TV

February 1, 2019

By Shelley Childers

The stories of abuse within Houston-area Catholic churches continue to be shared in the wake of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston releasing a list of 42 clergy credibly accused of child sex abuse.

“It’s very difficult to get a phone call from a 65-year-old man weeping and crying about this,” said Michael Norris, the local leader of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP). “That’s the kind of pain that survivors are going through.”

Norris held a press conference at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Thursday, an hour after the list was released.

His public announcement was to offer support for victims in the wake of the list being released.

“Shortly after the press conference yesterday, I got a phone call,” said Norris. “I got my first phone call, so it was quick.”

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HOUSTON (TX)
Catholic News Service

February 1, 2019

By James Ramos

In a step to restore trust in the Catholic Church, dioceses in Texas released their lists of priests against whom credible allegations of sexual abuse of a minor have been determined.

The 15 dioceses disclosed Jan. 31 the names of 278 individual clerics who have such credible allegations in Texas. The statewide disclosure removed duplication of clerics who appear on multiple diocesan lists.

The Diocese of Fort Worth, which made public its list in 2007, has continued to update its disclosure on its website. It identifies 15 priests, one permanent deacon and one religious brother.

Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller of San Antonio repeatedly called the release “the just and right thing to do,” and that it is a “move forward in building a healthier community, a healthier society.”

The lists were compiled separately by each individual diocese. Many dioceses worked in cooperation with diocesan lay review boards, with some also working with independent consultants.

The release includes the Galveston-Houston and San Antonio archdioceses and the Austin, Amarillo, Beaumont, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Laredo, Lubbock, San Angelo, Tyler and Victoria dioceses. The oldest diocese is Galveston-Houston, established in 1847, with San Antonio founded next in 1874. Since 1950 nine additional dioceses have been established, resulting in a total of 15 dioceses. Laredo is the most recent to be established, that being in 2000.

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