ABUSE TRACKER

PENNSYLVANIA
TheCenterSquare.com

November 24, 2019

By Kim Jarrett

Gov. Tom Wolf is expected to sign three bills addressing child sexual abuse passed by the Legislature. A fourth bill will require a constitutional amendment and another vote by lawmakers next year.

Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Temple, sponsored House Bill 962, which eliminates the statute of limitations for prosecuting childhood sexual abuse.

House Bill 1051, sponsored by Rep. Todd Stephens, R-North Wales, clarifies who is required to report suspected child abuse and what the penalties are for not reporting.

Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Hazleton, said she sponsored House Bill 1171 in honor of a woman who was molested by her priest and forced to have an abortion but felt she could not report the abuse because she signed a nondisclosure agreement. Victims will not be prohibited from talking to law enforcement because they signed a nondisclosure agreement.

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.

ROCHESTER (NY)
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

November 24, 2019

By Michael Kilian

“It’s time, Robby. They knew and they let it happen! To kids! This coulda been you, it coulda been me, it could have been any one of us.”

— Mark Ruffalo, playing Boston Globe reporter Mike Rezendes, in “Spotlight”

If you’ve never seen the Academy Award-winning film “Spotlight” from 2015, I highly recommend you watch/stream it at home this winter.

Featuring stellar performances from Rachel McAdam and Mark Ruffalo and from old pro Michael Keaton, this film is riveting in exploring how The Boston Globe unearthed an extensive cover-up by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boston of sexual abuse of children by priests and other religious figures.

It wasn’t a story the substantially Irish-Catholic community of Boston necessarily wanted to hear in 2002. It certainly wasn’t a story the church wanted revealed, after decades of shifting abusing priests from parish to parish without repercussions.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Associated Press via News 10 (NBC-TV affiliate)

By Mark Scolforo

November 24, 2019

“We need to open the window and allow the light of truth to shine in this dark place. Anything less is justice denied”

The Pennsylvania House sent the statute-of-limitations bill to Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf with a 182-5 vote, along with a measure that invalidates secrecy agreements in lawsuit settlements that prevent child sexual abuse victims from talking to investigators.

“This has been a long and trying process, and we are finally at the finish line,” the statute-of-limitations bill’s prime champion, Berks County Democratic Rep. Mark Rozzi, told fellow lawmakers. “Justice is coming.”

Wolf’s office said he intends to sign the bills and a third measure that increases and clarifies penalties for mandated reporters who do not report suspected child abuse.

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

BROOKLYN (NY)
New York Daily News

November 23, 2019

By Larry McShane

Pope Francis stunned long-time Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio by mentioning the sexual abuse allegations leveled against the New York priest when the pair met last week in the Vatican.

The 75-year-old DiMarzio recounted the unexpected encounter in a column for the Brooklyn Diocesan newspaper The Tablet, and once again asserted his innocence against the charge of abusing a Jersey City altar boy in 1974-75.

“I was amazed that the false accusation made against me was already known to him,” wrote DiMarzio. “(He) expressed his hope that the matter presented against me would be cleared up quickly for the good of the Diocese of Brooklyn.”

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.

BROOKLYN (NY)
Tablet (diocesan newspaper)

November 20, 2019

During the last two decades, we have learned more about sexual abuse than we ever expected or wished to know. The suffering that victims and their families endured has been twofold — the abuse itself and the trauma of being silenced or ignored.

Much has changed in the church since the adoption of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People (the Dallas Charter) in June 2002, but the pain continues.

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio understood the gravity of the crisis early on and responded quickly. A statement last week from the Diocese of Camden, N.J., shows that even before the Dallas Charter, Bishop DiMarzio created protocols to protect children and help victims.

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

BROOKLYN (NY)
New York Post

November 23, 2019

By Sara Dorn

This papal visit took an awkward turn.

Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio was with his boss, Pope Francis, when allegations surfaced last week that he abused a New Jersey altar boy in the 1970s.

DiMarzio divulged details of the uncomfortable meeting in a Wednesday op-ed in the Brooklyn Diocese’s Tablet newspaper.

“As we left the meeting, I was amazed that the false accusation made against me was already known to him,” DiMarzio wrote, referring to the pontiff.

DiMarzio, 75, faces claims that he and another priest abused then-11-year-old Mark Matzek at St. Nicholas Church in Jersey City between 1974 and 1975.

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.

LANCASTER (PA)
Lancaster Online

November 24, 2019

By the LNP Editorial Board

More than a year after a landmark grand jury report detailed a decadeslong cover-up of child sexual abuse in six Pennsylvania Roman Catholic dioceses, the Republican-led state General Assembly finally has passed statutes of limitations reform that offers relief to victims of such abuse. As The Associated Press reported last week, the state Senate passed House Bill 962 on Wednesday, and the House passed it Thursday, sending it to the desk of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, who is expected to sign it early this week, his spokesman, J.J. Abbott, said.

This is not a complete victory for victims of child sexual abuse, but it is a significant one.

Under current law, victims have only until their 30th birthday to file civil claims against those who abused them and those who enabled their abuse.

That’s not nearly enough time, as we’ve argued repeatedly. It can take decades before a victim is able to understand what was done to him or her during childhood. Because of the terrible trauma involved, delayed reporting in such cases is normal.

Under this new law, victims will have until they turn 55 to file civil claims.

That will apply only, however, to victims of childhood sexual abuse for whom the civil statute of limitations has not yet expired.

And the existing criminal statute of limitations will be eliminated, but only for future cases. Nevertheless, this is an important change.

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.

GREENSBURG (PA)
TribLive.com

November 23, 2019

By Deb Erdley

Pennsylvania should consider abolishing the kind of grand jury report that detailed extensive allegations of child sexual abuse among Catholic clergy, a task force of lawyers, judges and legal scholars said.

In the report released last week, the result of a two-year review of the state grand jury system also recommended beefing up the secrecy surrounding state and county grand jury proceedings, including conducting sessions in buildings where witnesses could enter and leave without public scrutiny.

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GREENSBURG (PA)
TribLive.com

November 23, 2019

By Megan Guza

Don’t ask Josh Shapiro what’s next. There’s work to do right now.

Shapiro, three years into his first term as Pennsylvania attorney general, has risen in profile since taking office. That’s due in no small part to the explosive 2018 grand jury report accusing a half-dozen Catholic dioceses across the state, including the ones in Pittsburgh and Greensburg, of covering up decades of child sexual abuse by priests.

In that regard, there is more to do. The abuse hotline set up in the aftermath of the report has gotten nearly 2,000 reports in just over a year. Those must be investigated.

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.

PISCATAWAY (NJ)
Diocese of Metuchen

November 22, 2019

The former pastor of Our Lady of Mount Virgin Parish in Middlesex, Fr. Patrick J. Kuffner, identified on the list of names of clergy currently under investigation by civil authorities as released by the Diocese of Metuchen in Feb. of this year, was arrested Nov. 20 by the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department on three counts of sexual assault of a minor that date back more than three decades to when he was a layperson and while in Massachusetts.

“First and foremost, our prayers are with the person who came forward last year with these allegations, after many years of carrying this burden, and all those who are survivors of sexual abuse,” said Anthony P. Kearns III, Esq., spokesperson and chancellor of the Diocese of Metuchen. “While the alleged crimes date back to the early 1980’s, more than 35 years ago, and involve an incident from before Fr. Kuffner was a priest or even a seminarian, the charges are nevertheless shocking and are being taken seriously by the Diocese of Metuchen,” he said.

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

MIDDLESEX (NJ)
News12.com

November 23, 2019

[VIDEO]

A former pastor in the Diocese of Metuchen was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor.

Father Patrick Kuffner was on a list released earlier this year of clergy under investigation.

Kuffner served as a pastor at Our Lady of Mount Virgin parish in Middlesex.

He faces charges that date back to more than three decades, before he was a priest.

The Diocese said in a statement, “While the alleged crimes date back to the early 1980’s, more than 35 years ago, and involve an incident from before Father Kuffner was a priest or even a seminarian, the charges are nevertheless shocking and are being taken seriously by the Diocese.”

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.

CASPER (WY)
Casper Star-Tribune

Nov. 23, 2019

By Seth Klamann

Cheyenne police say they have no plans to reexamine that year’s most high-profile sexual abuse investigation. In April 2002, recently retired Wyoming Bishop Joseph Hart was accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy in Cheyenne in the 1970s. The Cheyenne police investigation that followed lasted two months before the allegation was declared unfounded because of a lack of victim cooperation.

Nor is there interest by either of the two men who followed Hart as bishops of Wyoming to look backwards. David Ricken, now a bishop in Wisconsin, and Paul Etienne, now the archbishop in Seattle, both said they couldn’t investigate Hart during their respective reigns atop Wyoming’s Catholic church. The victim wouldn’t cooperate, they said. Neither answered when asked by email if they regretted how they handled the matter. Throughout both of the men’s tenures, Hart’s alleged victims were coming forward in Kansas City, all alleging abuse. The church settled lawsuits with 10 of them.

A spokesman for the Denver archdiocese, which oversees Wyoming, declined to comment when asked if the church would look into why nothing was done about Hart for so long.

Over the past two years, the investigation has been reignited. The unfounded claim has turned into the basis for a Vatican trial and a criminal case in Wyoming that now awaits a decision by prosecutors that could prove to be historic. The victim who wouldn’t cooperate has now spoken with civil and church authorities. His account has been deemed substantiated by the church.

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.

KANSAS CITY (MO)
Associated Press

Nov. 22, 2019

By Margaret Stafford

The bishop of the Kansas City-St. Joseph Roman Catholic diocese, who was recently appointed chairman-elect of the U.S. Catholic church’s national committee for protecting abuse victims, should lead an effort to change boards that review abuse allegations to make them more transparent, inclusive and willing to publicly identify predator priests, an advocacy group said Friday.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests sent a letter to Bishop James Johnston Jr., Friday criticizing the current methods of the review boards, which were mandated in dioceses across the country in 2002 after allegations of widespread sexual abuse by priests began to surface. Johnston was appointed last week as chairman-elect of the church’s Committee on Protection of Children and Young People, although he won’t become chairman for a year.

SNAP was reacting to an Associated Press report on Thursday that found the review boards repeatedly failed to support abuse victims and to oust abusive priests. Instead, review boards appointed by bishops and operating in secrecy often intimidate victims, reject sex abuse claims and help the church avoid payouts, the AP reported.

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LONDON (ENGLAND)
Premier

Nov. 23, 2019

By Ruth Sax

The Vatican has been accused of harbouring a bishop wanted for alleged sex abuse offences, as Pope Francis railed against the evils of sexual exploitation on a visit to Thailand.

Prosecutors in Argentina have issued an international arrest warrant for Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta, who is accused of sexually abusing young trainee priests, known as seminarians. He denies the charges.

Bishop Zanchetta, 55, who is close to his fellow Argentine Pope Francis, lives in the Vatican.

He reportedly resides in Casa Santa Marta, an accommodation block in the shadow of St Peter’s Basilica where Francis has lived ever since his election six years ago.

Argentinian prosecutors have complained that the bishop has failed to respond to repeated emails and telephone calls about the abuse allegations, which were made last year by two young seminarians. The trainee priests also accused him of mismanagement of the diocese’s finances and abuse of power.

If convicted, the bishop would face up to 10 years in prison, but there is no extradition treaty between Argentina and the Vatican and for now he seems to be safely ensconced in Rome.

The stand-off emerged as Pope Francis made an impassioned speech in Bangkok on behalf of victims of sex trafficking, prompting accusations of a double standard in the Catholic Church’s stance on sex crimes.

“Despite being suspended from ministry, the Vatican has argued that Zanchetta’s ‘daily work’ requires him to be in Rome instead of facing trial in Argentina. This decision is at best questionable and at worst a Vatican-sponsored opportunity for Zanchetta to flee from justice,” said Zach Hiner, the executive director of victims’ pressure group SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

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BUENOS AIRES (ARGENTINA)
Buenos Aires Times

Nov. 22, 2019

By Carly Graf

Victims of alleged sexual and emotional abuse at the hands of priests and educators at the Instituto Antonio Próvolo in Mendoza may finally find justice Monday.

After nearly three months of gruelling closed-door testimony, plaintiff lawyers from the Mendoza-based human rights organisation Xumek asked Tuesday for the maximum sentence possible under Argentina’s current penal code for those in the dock.

If judges agree, that could see sentences of 50 years in jail for 61-year-old Argentine Horacio Corbacho, and up to 15 years for Nicola Corradi, an 83-year-old Italian priest who ran the institute, and the site’s former gardener Armando Gómez, 50.

Collectively, they are accused of rape, sexual abuse, the corruption of children and mistreatment at a Catholic school for deaf children.

In total, the priests face a total of 28 charges. Victims total around 20 minors.

A fourth person was charged, 57-year-old administrator Jorge Bordón. He agreed to a plea deal just over a year ago, trading an acknowledgment he’d participated in at least 11 acts of abuse for a shorter trial and a 10-year sentence.

Though trials started in August, the wait for victims and their families has been much longer. The first victims came forward in 2016, leading to the prompt arrest of Corradi, but according to Sergio Salinas, one of the plaintiff’s attorneys, the abuse dates back at least to the previous decade.

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.

ASBURY PARK (NJ)
Asbury Park Press

Nov. 22, 2019

By Joshua Chung

The sexual assault charges against a New Jersey priest arrested Wednesday in Ocean County involve incidents that happened more than 35 years ago before the man was a priest, according to the Diocese of Metuchen.

Patrick J. Kuffner, 72, is facing three counts of sexual assault of a minor between the ages of 13 and 16, according to court records. But in a statement, the Diocese of Metuchen said that Kuffner — the former pastor of Our Lady of Mount Virgin Parish in Middlesex — said the incidents took place in Massachusetts more than 35 years ago, and before Kuffner was a seminarian or ordained as a priest.

“First and foremost, our prayers are with the person who came forward last year with these allegations, after many years of carrying this burden, and all those who are survivors of sexual abuse,” said Anthony P. Kearns III, spokesperson and chancellor of the Diocese of Metuchen, noting that the incident took place in the 1980s.

“The charges are nevertheless shocking and are being taken seriously by the Diocese of Metuchen,” Kearns said.

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WASHINGTON (DC)
NBC Channel 4

Nov. 22, 2019

By Chris Glorioso and Evan Stulberger

A vast survey of the Roman Catholic Church workforce in America shows the people who know best how the church is run – the employees themselves – are deeply split on key issues facing parishes across nation. The survey reveals diocesan priests are far more likely to view clergy abuse as a problem of the past, while nuns and other religious employees often consider sex abuse and misconduct to be major problems even today. And just as Pope Francis considers expanding the role of married men and women in the church, the survey highlights vivid differences in how female and male employees view a host of religious reforms under the Vatican’s consideration.

NBC Owned Television stations around the nation distributed the survey to more than 32,000 employees listed in the Official Catholic Directory. 2,700 members of the church workforce responded (see methodology here), including nearly 500 priests and deacons, more than 280 religious sisters and brothers, along with nearly 1,900 lay employees – everyone from educators to administrative staff. Among the survey’s most striking findings are:

1 in 3 Catholic Employees Say Sex Abuse/Misconduct “Still a Major Problem”

While national headlines often involve clergy abuse dating back decades, about 39% of the church employees who responded to the survey said they believe abuse or misconduct “is still a major problem” in today’s parishes and Catholic organizations. That compares with just under 14% who said abuse or misconduct “is no longer a major problem.” About 46% percent of respondents said abuse or misconduct was never more of a problem in the Catholic Church than it is in other fields that involve the care of minors.

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ERIE (PA)
Diocese of Erie

November 21, 2019

[See also: News Release – Bishop Lawrence Persico Heading to Rome]

Summary: This Quinquennial Report tracks the period from January 1, 2011 – December 31, 2018. The key events in the Diocese of Erie during this time were the ordination of Bishop Lawrence Persico as the 10th bishop of the Diocese of Erie on October 1, 2012; the initiation in 2014 of the ongoing comprehensive Pastoral Planning process; and the diocese’s response to the sexual abuse crisis together with the release of the 2018 Pennsylvania Grand Jury report.

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BOSTON (MA)
Archdiocese of Boston

November 22, 2019

[Click here to see the report of the inquiry into St. John’s that was published today. The inquiry was commissioned by Boston archbishop Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, OFM Cap.]

The Archdiocese of Boston today announced the completion of the independent inquiry into St. John’s Seminary following allegations published on social media last year by two former seminarians. The allegations included claims that the Seminary tolerated illicit sexual behavior and excessive alcohol consumption on the part of seminarians and faculty.

The inquiry began in October 2018 and was conducted by former U.S. Attorney Donald K. Stern, with the assistance of Attorney Doug Salvesen and others at the firm Yurko, Salvesen & Remz. The process was extensive, including more than 80 interviews of current or former seminarians, faculty members, staff and Trustees. The inquiry found no evidence of criminal behavior or any sexual activity between seminarians and faculty members. It did conclude that “the Seminary had inadequate (and sometimes absent) leadership and oversight. This contributed to a lack of robust financial controls, a low tolerance for dissenting views, and insufficient attention paid to the seminarians’ human formation.” In addition it discovered only isolated incidents of sexual conduct and alcohol use that are inappropriate in a seminary setting.

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VANCOUVER (CANADA)
The Globe and Mail

Nov. 22, 2019

By Wendy Cox and James Keller

A painstaking examination of 70 years worth of files by a task force formed by the Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver has uncovered instances of sex abuse by 36 priests, 25 of them involving children.

The document identifies only nine of the 36 priests whose names have been made public through court documents or lawsuits, but the archdiocese said it is working to find a way to release more, those “who have not been convicted, but of whose guilt we are morally certain.”

Ian Bailey reports that the archdiocese explains in its report that privacy rules prevent it, as the employer of the priests, from disclosing more.

But the spare details of the nine cases are chilling if familiar.

They include the case of Paul Blancard, who was accused of the sexual assault of a girl, aged six or seven, in St. Helen’s Parish in Burnaby in 1967 or 1968. No charges were laid, but he later pleaded guilty in 1992 to abusing six- and seven-year-old children while he was a priest in the Diocese of Victoria. He served a year in prison and has not been active in the priesthood since.

John McCann, who died last year, was charged and convicted in 1991 of six counts relating to sex abuse of girls under 16 in the 1970s. The abuse happened at two diocese churches and he was defrocked. But unbeknown to the Archdiocese, he was able to serve as a priest on Salt Spring Island in the Diocese of Victoria and in the Archdiocese of Ottawa.

Lawrence Cooper began a relationship with a 15-year-old girl when he was a 27-year-old seminarian and the relationship became sexual several years later. Similar complaints were made against him after he transferred to the Archdiocese of Portland. A civil lawsuit against him was settled out of court in 2012.

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WASHINGTON (DC)
FOX 5 DC

Nov. 22, 2019

A Catholic priest has been sentenced to 15 years in prison on Friday after he was found guilty of sexually abusing two young girls at his Northwest DC parish.

Father Urbano Vazquez’s supporters broke down in tears as the sentenced was handed down Friday afternoon. Vazquez also received 15 years of supervised release following his prison sentence and will be required to register for the rest of his life as a sex offender.

Vazquez was found guilty on all counts in a nine-day long trial back in August after two girls testified that 46-year-old priest groped them and kissed them on the mouth when one was 9 years old and the other 13.

One of the girls said Vazquez cornered her in an office and groped her breast. The assaults took place inside the Shrine of the Sacred Heart church complex – including near the church confessionals, in the church basement, and in the church sacristy – in Northwest D.C. in 2015 and 2016.

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ROME (ITALY)
The Telegraph

Nov. 22, 2019

By Nick Squires

The Vatican has been accused of harbouring a bishop wanted for alleged sex abuse offences, as Pope Francis railed against the evils of sexual exploitation on a visit to Thailand.

Prosecutors in Argentina have issued an international arrest warrant for Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta, who is accused of sexually abusing young trainee priests, known as seminarians. He denies the charges.

Bishop Zanchetta, 55, who is close to his fellow Argentine Pope Francis, lives in the Vatican.

Not only that, he reportedly resides in Casa Santa Marta, an accommodation block in the shadow of St Peter’s Basilica where Francis has lived ever since his election six years ago.

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NAGASAKI (JAPAN)
Japan News

November 22, 2019

A female Catholic in Nagasaki Prefecture has lodged a complaint that she was sexually harassed by a priest in the prefecture, Jiji Press learned Friday.

The Archdiocese of Nagasaki has suspended the priest but failed to disclose the scandal to other followers, informed sources said.

The archdiocese, the second-largest diocese in Japan in terms of the number of followers, cited medical treatment as the reason behind the absence of the priest.

A source expressed concern, saying, “If we don’t bring problematic behavior to light, we can’t prevent a reoccurrence.”

Sexual abuse by clerics is a problem seen around the world. Systematic cover-ups of such crimes by church authorities have been criticized.

Pope Francis, set to visit Japan from Saturday, issued in May an order obligating the clergy to report any sexual abuse by clerics to the Vatican.

In May 2018, the priest in his 40s allegedly told the woman to come to a church where he serves in Nagasaki and committed indecent acts, including hugging her and touching her body, according to informed sources.

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NEW YORK (NY)
CNN

Nov. 22, 2019

By Richard Roth, Samantha Tapfumaneyi and Sebastian Shukla

The United Nations has temporarily suspended its work with the Central African Republic branch of Caritas Internationalis after it emerged that the director of the Catholic charity there was a convicted pedophile.

The decision by the UN comes a day after CNN reported that Father Luk Delft was appointed to a key role in Caritas despite a prior conviction for abusing children in Europe. He was only removed from his post after CNN revealed the new accusations against him to his superiors in the Salesians of Don Bosco, a religious order established specifically to protect children.

Jens Laerke, the UN’s Humanitarian agency deputy spokesperson, told CNN on Friday that work with the aid organisation in the CAR was on hold while investigations into Delft continued.

“The Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) is aware of the serious allegations of abuse against minors by the former Caritas Director in CAR,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network

Nov. 22, 2019

A local Houston church has invited a Catholic deacon to speak about traditional Latin masses, but that deacon was at one time suspended from ministry, reportedly for “failure to comply with the vow of celibacy.”

Prince of Peace Church in Houston, TX, has invited Dom. Alcuin (Scott) Reid to speak on November 23. However, the cleric, who is described on the parish’s website as an “author and foremost expert in liturgical studies,” had his faculties as a deacon removed in 1991 by the Archdiocese of Melbourne. According to at least one source, the deacon “made repeated inappropriate and sometimes aggressive sexual advances while in the seminary.” The Australian Church apparently “strenuously and repeatedly urged Scott [Alcuin] Reid to seek laicization,” but he refused to do so. Dom Reid has countered that he asked for a leave of absence. A French bishop later reinstated him as a deacon.

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NEW YORK (NY)
New York Post

Nov. 22, 2019

By Emily Saul

Two cousins from Mississippi claim in a new lawsuit they were sexually assaulted by two Franciscan missionaries — and then pressured into taking a measly settlement designed to silence their allegations.

La Jarvis Love and Joshua Love allege in their Manhattan federal suit that they were repeatedly abused by Brother Paul West sometime in the mid-1990s in Mississippi, where they attended Catholic school, in New York in a Manhattan hotel and en route to Camp Alvernia in Centerport.

The court papers accuse West of “raping and sexually assaulting [the cousins], making them perform sex acts on him, and encouraging them to perform sex acts on each other.”

The Loves first reported their abuse to the Catholic Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, according to the complaint, filed Thursday. The lawsuit does not specify when the alleged abuse occurred.

Joshua Love met with Franciscan Rev. James Gannon and Valerie McClellan, the victim assistance coordinator for the Jackson Diocese, last year and was pushed to settle his claim for $10,000, the suit says.

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BERGEN (NJ)
Bergen Record

Nov. 22, 2019

By Deena Yellin

Just a week before state law may unleash a torrent of new priest abuse lawsuits, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of the Newark Archdiocese said the church is working hard to rebuild trust with the more than 1.3 million Catholics under his watch.

The church’s credibility was “shot” after a series of scandals came to light last year, Tobin said in an interview Friday. But the archdiocese has taken steps to inject more transparency, he added, including pressing local pastors to address the abuse issue from the pulpit and making financial audits public.

Getting back trust “is not easy or instantaneous,” Tobin told NorthJersey.com and the USATODAY Network New Jersey. “We have to act like we’re trustworthy.”

Tobin, leader of the archdiocese covering Bergen, Union, Hudson and Essex counties, unveiled a six-point “Forward in Faith Together” initiative earlier this year focused on increasing protection for minors and seminarians, education of priests and support for parishioners, among other goals.

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BUENOS AIRES (Argentina)
Associated Press

Nov. 21, 2019

The spokesman for an Argentine bishop close to Pope Francis who has been accused of sex abuse criticized Argentine prosecutors for requesting an arrest order, saying the release of information in the case hurt his image and his presumption of innocence.

Spokesman Javier Belda denied that Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta was in “rebellion” for not responding to calls or messages, as Argentine prosecutor María Soledad Filtrín asserted this week. Belda said Zanchetta had cooperated with judicial authorities throughout the case.

Zanchetta has been formally accused of “aggravated continuous sexual abuse” of two seminarians, charges that carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The alleged abuse began in 2016 in Oran, about 1,600 kilometers northwest of Buenos Aires. He has denied the charges.

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

Nov. 22, 2019

A Franciscan brother who was the subject of a major AP News investigation for his abuse of three young boys in Mississippi has been served a federal lawsuit. The case against Br. Paul West was filed in the United States District Court in Southern New York.

As a survivor and an advocate I am encouraged by this case being filed federally because of the interstate transport of the victims when they were small children. These brave men were denied the opportunity to have a normal healthy childhood by Br. West. They were further harmed after coming forward as adults by the Church leadership.

I am hopeful they can receive justice and reach some closure to a lifetime of fear, doubt and shame. They deserve to be heard and understood as to the magnitude of injustice they have endured. As the local leader for SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests in Mississippi I will stand with them as they go forward.

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WASHINGTON (DC)
NPR Morning Edition

Nov. 22, 2019

By Laura Benshoff

Following the 2018 grand jury report in Pennsylvania, Catholic dioceses launched reparations programs. Hundreds of people have now received more than $50 million, but not all are satisfied.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Catholic Philly

Nov. 22, 2019

By Matthew Gambino

Since the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church broke open in 2002 in the United States and intensified globally last year, responses to it have focused on legal matters and administrative reforms.

But theologians and other faithful thinkers are focusing now on a higher dimension, and the question of where God is calling his people at this moment.

Villanova University launched the first in a series of four conferences on the theological perspectives of the sexual abuse crisis Nov. 1. Some 20 Catholic scholars from around the world heard a dozen presentations on the topic in a day-long seminar, according to Villanova professor Massimo Faggioli, a lead organizer of the series. (Read more about the series here.)

In a keynote talk to cap the first conference, Father Richard Lennan said the long-term response of the Christian community to the crisis should be an inner conversion of heart and fearless self-criticism — and not only among bishops and clergy, but all members of the church.

A professor of theology at Boston College and a priest of the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle in Australia, he told 25 people, including scholars and visitors from the community, why conversion is critical at this time.

“A theological response to the abuse crisis recognizes that (it) is not simply an issue of governance, formation for ministry or pastoral practice. The sexual abuse crisis gnaws at the faith,” he said. “It casts a pall of suspicion over belief in a capacity of any human instrument, let alone the church, to mediate grace.”

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BANGOR (ME)
WMTW TV

Nov. 22, 2019

By Renee Clark

A Catholic priest, the friend of a Hampden woman who was murdered in July of last year, took the stand Thursday in the trial of the man accused of killing her.

The prosecution has rested its case against Philip Clark, 56. He’s pleaded not guilty to the murder of Renee Clark.

Defense witnesses include Rev. Anthony Cipolle. Cipolle was living at the same home as Renee Clark during the months leading up to her murder, but says he was renting a separate space from her.

The defense questioned Cipolle about his relationship with Renee Clark. He said she was his best friend.

When questioned if it was a romantic relationship, he said no. The defense considers Cipolle one of the key witnesses in the trial.

Cipolle testified to a physical altercation between him and Philip Clark the night that Clark allegedly shot Renee 10 times.

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SYRACUSE (NY)
Post Standard

Nov. 22, 2019

Two impoverished Mississippi men who say they were sexually assaulted by Franciscan missionaries filed a federal lawsuit Thursday claiming that Catholic officials pressured them into signing settlements that paid them little money and required them to remain silent about the alleged abuse.

The lawsuit, filed in New York, claims the church officials drew up the agreements a year ago to prevent the men from telling their stories or going to court — a violation of a 2002 promise by American bishops to abandon the use of nondisclosure agreements, as part of an effort to end the cover-up of sexual abuse within the church.

“The confidentiality provisions contained in the disputed agreements were intended to silence” the two men “in direct contradiction” to the U.S. Catholic Church’s Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the lawsuit says.

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DENVER (CO)
Crux

Nov. 22, 2019

By Charles Collins

A children’s rights group is warning that a “Third Wave” of clerical sex abuse scandals is hitting Latin America, with revelations showing how the Catholic Church has continued to try and hide the extent of the crisis.

The London-based Child Rights International Network (CRIN) released The Third Wave: Justice for survivors of child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in Latin America on Nov. 20. It looks at the scale of abuse and cover-up by the Church in every Latin American country, as well as reviewing whether national laws on child sex crimes adequately protect children.

CRIN says the first wave of abuse scandals took place in Ireland and North America, with the second taking place in Oceania and continental Europe.

“There is a growing global wave of demands for accountability of the Catholic Church for the sexual abuse of children, especially now in more Catholic majority countries,” said Leo Ratledge, CRIN’s legal and policy director.

The report says the Catholic Church in Latin America has systematically tried to suppress abuse complaints and scandals in a number of ways that will seem familiar to many U.S. Catholics who lived through the clerical abuse crisis of the past 20 years.

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MEMPHIS (TV)
News Channel 3

Nov. 21, 2919

By Nina Harrelson

As the number of priests and clergymen accused in the Catholic church sex abuse scandal grows, one survivor is sharing his story and hoping it will encourage others to come forward.

More than 40 years have passed, but for Ger Prendergast, not even decades can heal the emotional scars left behind from the sexual abuse he endured as a young boy in Ireland.

“I can’t even remember how many times, to be honest,” he said. “‘In the church or in his house. It happened in the school a couple times.”

He said a priest enticed him with little packets of heart candies with messages on them — “which I’ve never eaten since, can’t stand them,” he said — a slice of marble cake and a red apple.

He recalls the moment his priest hand-picked him from the classroom, at just 9 years old, asking for a volunteer.

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WASHINGTON (DC)
Catholic News Service

Nov. 21, 2019

By Carol Glatz

Caritas Internationalis, the Vatican-based confederation of 165 national Catholic charities, has expressed sadness and outrage over incidents of child abuse by a Belgian Salesian priest who had been the national director of Caritas in the Central African Republic.

Caritas Internationalis in Rome released a written statement Nov. 21, the same day CNN published an investigative report outlining new accusations against Father Luk Delft, including his 2012 conviction in Belgium of two counts of child abuse and of possession of child pornography.

“Caritas Internationalis is assisting the local Caritas in the Central African Republic as it investigates the allegations, strengthens its safeguarding mechanisms and offers care and support to any possible victims and their families,” the statement said.

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LONDON (ENGLAND)
Catholic Herald

Nov. 20, 2019

By Jordan Bloom

Archbishop José Gómez of Los Angeles was elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) at the bishops’ general assembly in Baltimore last week. He received the votes of 176 other bishops, making him the overwhelming favourite. Archbishop Gómez, who was born in Monterrey, Mexico, becomes the first Latino bishop to hold the position.

“The election to @USCCB president is an honor – not only for me, but also for @lacatholics and for every Latino Catholic in the country,” the archbishop said in a tweet. “I promise to serve with dedication and love, and to always try to follow Jesus Christ and seek his will for his Church here in the US.”

Archbishop Gómez is an outspoken supporter of immigration reform – a fact the media took notice of following his election. “The choice, on the same day that the Supreme Court heard the Trump administration’s argument to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, reflects the increasing importance of immigration as a moral and political issue for the church,” the New York Times wrote. “It also is a sign of the Church’s future: nearly 40 per cent of American Catholics are Hispanic.”

In a statement prior to DACA’s Supreme Court hearing, the archbishop said: “In this great country, we should not have our young people living under the threat of deportation, their lives dependent on the outcome of a court case.”

Archbishop Gómez is the author of Immigration and the Next America: Renewing the Soul of Our Nation, which was favourably reviewed by Michael Sean Winters of the National Catholic Reporter and by a Catholic Worker publication, suggesting that his appeal extends beyond conservative circles in the US Church, which regard the Opus Dei archbishop as a reliable defender of doctrine.

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HARRISBURG (PA)
Patriot News

Nov. 21, 2019

By Ivey DeJesus

After years of fierce opposition and constitutional hurdles, Pennsylvania lawmakers on Thursday passed measures that will ease up restrictive child sex crime laws and give victims of sexual assault more time to file lawsuits against their abusers.

One measure – an amendment to the state Constitution – would give victims long barred from taking legal action against predators the opportunity to file civil lawsuits. Voters must ultimately approve the constitutional amendment.

Gov. Tom Wolf is expected to sign the measures, which could be on his desk as early as today pending sign-off from both chambers of the Legislature.

“Governor Wolf is eager for the grand jury recommendations to be implemented and looks forward to signing the three bills into law,” J.J. Abbott, a spokesman for Wolf, said in a statement. “He thanks the brave victims that made these changes possible by sharing their stories and fighting for justice.”

Rep. Mark Rozzi, who had for years shepherded measures to reform the laws but consistently met with defeat, stood to a standing ovation from House members. Rozzi is a victim of clergy sex abuse.

The House approved Rozzi’s bill (House Bill 962) to revise the statute of limitations by a 182-5 vote.

“Justice is coming,” Rozzi said. “On behalf of victims of sexual abuse across this Commonwealth, thank you.”

The provisions of House Bill 962 and House Bill 963 will open a pathway for adults who were sexually abused as children to seek legal recourse. The measures, which had been stalled in the Legislature for years, broadly reform the statute of limitations and address the recommendations made by the scathing 2018 grand jury report into clergy sex abuse in the Catholic Church statewide.

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NEW YORK (NY)
CNN

Nov. 21, 2019

By Nima Elbagir, Barbara Arvanitidis, Katie Polglase, Bryony Jones and Alex Platt

A pedophile priest was sent to work for an aid organization helping vulnerable families in an African country, even though his Catholic order knew he had been convicted of abusing children years earlier in Europe, a CNN investigation has found.

Father Luk Delft is accused of abusing at least two other boys in the Central African Republic (CAR) while in a key role at Caritas, a leading Catholic charity.

The 50-year-old priest, from Belgium, was only removed from the post after CNN revealed the new accusations against him to his superiors in the Salesians of Don Bosco, a religious order established specifically to protect children.

For years, the Salesians covered up Delft’s abuse, moving him from post to post, and sending him to work in some of the world’s most troubled places.

Despite the allegations he faced, and being convicted of abuse, he was allowed to maintain a high profile — even receiving the sacrament at a service presided over by Pope Francis at the Vatican this year.

Delft’s case also raises serious questions about the vetting process at one of the world’s largest Catholic non-governmental organization (NGO) networks, and comes as the church struggles to turn the page on decades of sexual abuse scandals involving members of the clergy.

Alban Alain, now 17, and his family told CNN that Delft repeatedly sexually abused the teenager when they met at a camp for internally displaced people (IDP) in Kaga-Bandoro, CAR, four years ago.

“It’s a horrible thing that he did to me,” Alban, who was 13 when the alleged abuse began, told CNN.

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BUENOS AIRES (ARGENTINA)
Reuters

Nov. 21, 2019

By Cassandra Garrison

An Argentine criminal prosecutor has requested the arrest of a Catholic bishop after officials said he ignored repeated calls and emails about an investigation of sex abuse allegations against him.

The prosecutor in charge of gender violence and sex crimes for Oran, in the northern province of Salta, called for the arrest of Gustavo Zanchetta. The official request would need to be made by an Argentine judge, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office said on Thursday.

Zanchetta, the former bishop of Oran, told Argentine officials that he lived in Vatican City, where he previously held a position in a top financial department, but could not be reached, according to a spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office.

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

Nov. 21, 2019

Both the St. Louis archdiocese and the Kansas City diocese come under fire in a lengthy and alarming new Associated Press investigation into secretive, internal church panels that supposedly ‘investigate’ abuse reports. We call on bishops in both places to immediately revamp their boards and be more honest about who’s on them and how they operate.

In St. Louis, members of Archbishop Robert Carlson’s ‘review board’ are not public identified. So it’s possible a fearful abuse victim could walk into a meeting and see their boss, neighbor or next door neighbor on that panel. This scares and discourages many victims from ever reporting the priest, nun, bishop, seminarian, brother or monk who sexually assaulted them. And that, in turn, keeps kids in harm’s way.

In Kansas City, members of Bishop James Johnston’s ‘review board’ “didn’t always tell the review board about complaints against priests or give members all the evidence, according to an outside report commissioned by the diocese in 2011,” the AP reports. “Such failures enabled one priest (Fr. Shawn Ratigan) to stay on duty for several months after church workers found child pornography on his computer. In the end, he was caught again with more pornography and arrested, and Bishop Robert Finn was convicted of a misdemeanor charge of failing to report child abuse to secular authorities.”

The KC board now includes a nun, a priest and two lawyers. We have little or no faith that meaningful reforms have been taken by Johnston or his hand-picked panel.

We believe the flaws identified in the AP report are not accidental, isolated ‘mistakes’ or ‘oversights.’ Bishops and their lawyers are smart. They intentionally set up these panels to help with public relations and legal defense. They deliberately give the panels little power or access to information. Their goal is to give the appearance of change, rather than making actual change.

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

Nov. 20, 2019

A new investigation by the Associated Press has shared with the public a disappointing and depressing truth that survivors and advocates have been talking about for years: that internal church review boards too often put the reputation of the institution above care for survivors and the protection of children. Now that this report has been widely published, we hope the public will join our calls for dramatic change into how dioceses handle allegations of abuse.

Diocesan review boards ostensibly exist to be a tool for church officials to investigate and respond to allegations of clergy abuse. But the report by the AP contains numerous experiences of survivors who felt like the review board existed to do the opposite and instead investigate the survivor who brought the claims forward and not the accused priest. Some boards do not even bother to hear from the survivor directly before dismissing their claims as “not credible” or “unsubstantiated,” terms that vary wildly from diocese to diocese.

Making matters worse, review board members are often kept secret from the public, allowing church officials to stack the boards with people who are sympathetic to the church. In some cases, priests accused of abuse have themselves served on these boards. It is no wonder then why so many survivors leave the review board process feeling victimized instead of validated. Similarly, keeping the identities of review board members secret means far fewer victims will step forward. What victim will report abuse fearing they may see their boss or next door neighbor or biggest customer sitting on that church panel when they walk into the room?

As the new head of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for The Protection of Children and Young People, Kansas City Bishop James Johnston must take steps to reform these boards immediately. He can start by demanding that all dioceses around the country make their review board rosters public. He can follow that demand up by creating clear evidentiary standards, uniform across every diocese, that emphasize a focus on the credibility of the person coming forward and making an allegation, not adhering to some arbitrary number of accusers in order for an allegation to be “substantiated.”

Review board have long been a problem and we are grateful for this report for drawing attention to the many problems that exist with boards today. We hope that this pressure from the public and the media will finally make church officials recognize these problems and take steps to fix them. And we urge anyone who is considering reporting their abuse to make sure and report to secular law enforcement officials first.

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Patheos blog

Nov. 29, 2019

By Gabriel Blanchard

Let’s start with some suggestions for reforming authority structures in the Church, shall we? The power to avoid, dissemble, conceal, and reassign responsibility turned what might have been a series of local tragedies into a nationwide epidemic. The authority structure that enabled that needs to be checked, if not dismantled completely.

Now, I am not a professional canonist any more than I am an expert theologian, so some of the details and terminology in the following proposals may be off. I hope that doesn’t obscure any genuine value they have.

I. Reforms of Authority

1. A permanent papal legate (legatus a latere) shall be established, with authority over every diocese in the country. This office is not to be confused with the nunciature, an essentially diplomatic function; his office is closer to that of the apostolic visitor, but permanent. His principal task will be overseeing the conduct of the clergy, authorizing the immediate laicization of offending priests without further recourse to the Vatican, and the deposition of offending bishops and heads of religious communities with the Vatican’s confirmation. The idea here is both to place a check on bishops and religious, who have thus far shielded themselves pretty effectively from enduring any consequences either for abuses they have committed or for protecting guilty priests, and to accelerate the laicization of offenders in order to help protect victims and potential victims.

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NEW YORK (NY)
Associated Press

Nov. 21, 2019

By Reese Dunklin, Matt Sedensky and Mitch Weiss

Facing thousands of cases of clergy sex abuse, U.S. Catholic leaders addressed their greatest crisis in the modern era with a promised reform: Mandatory review boards.

These independent panels with lay people in each diocese would review allegations fairly and kindly. And they would help bishops ensure that no abusive priests stayed in ministry.

But almost two decades later, an Associated Press investigation of review boards across the country shows they have broadly failed to uphold these commitments. Instead, review boards appointed by bishops and operating in secrecy have routinely undermined sex abuse claims from victims, shielded accused priests and helped the church avoid payouts.

The AP also found dozens of cases in which review boards rejected complaints from survivors, only to have them later validated by secular authorities. In a few instances, board members were themselves clergy accused of sexual misconduct. And many abuse survivors told the AP they faced hostility and humiliation from boards.

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NEW YORK (NY)
National Review

Nov. 21, 2019

By By Tobias Hoonhout

An Associated Press investigation of the U.S. Catholic Church’s independent review boards for clergy sexual abuse found that they “broadly failed” to uphold accountability and fairness– by undermining abuse claims, protecting accused priests, and helping the Church avoid payouts.

The investigation “checked all the roughly 180 dioceses in the U.S. for information, reviewed thousands of pages of church and court records, and interviewed more than 75 abuse survivors, board members and others to uncover a tainted process where the church hierarchy holds the reins of power at every stage.”

Of the roughly 80 review boards it inspected, the AP found at least 40 bishops who created potential conflicts of interest by appointing “high-ranking aides and attorneys who defended the church or its priests in sex-assault cases.”

The AP found “dozens” of cases reviewed by independent diocesan boards that were later affirmed by secular authorities. It also found three cases of clergy serving on boards despite being accused of sexual misconduct themselves.

While many bishops contacted by the AP did not respond to requests for comment, several bishops defended the review boards as proof of the Church’s ability to reform. Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore acknowledged potential improvements, but said his diocese’s board “inspires confidence in the process.”

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PITTSBURGH (PA)
Post Gazette

Nov. 20, 2019

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday authorized the release of the name of a Catholic priest accused in a grand jury report of sexual abuse, but it kept a seal on references to his mental-health records.

The court voted 6-1 to grant the request of the petitioner, which it identified by initials as RML, to keep his mental-health history redacted, citing strict statutory restrictions on the release of mental-health medical records. The court prothonotary has 14 days to unseal the name of the priest and other details not pertaining to his treatment.

The ruling involved unfinished business from the mammoth 2018 grand jury report alleging sexual abuse by 300 Catholic priests from six dioceses across seven decades.

A small group of priests had petitioned successfully last year to the Supreme Court to keep their names redacted entirely, saying the accusations violated their right to reputation under the Pennsylvania Constitution.

RML, however, was not challenging the report for including his name, only for including information from his mental-health treatment. The court kept his name confidential while it considered that petition.

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NEW YORK (NY)
New York Post

Nov. 20, 2019

By Priscilla DeGregory

A Pennsylvania man claims that a gay Irish priest — who is celebrated for his work advocating for LGBT and AIDS causes — abused him 40 years ago at a Bronx Catholic high school, according to a new lawsuit.

The 57-year-old, who filed the court papers anonymously, says he was 16 when Campus Chaplain Bernard J. Lynch sexually abused him after Christian Club meetings at Mount St. Michael Academy in the Bronx in 1978 and 1979, a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court Wednesday alleges.

The accuser brought the case against the archdiocese, the high school and several other religious orders for negligently failing to look into why Lynch had “frequent transfers between assignments,” the court papers say.

The suit claims the school should have warned the teens family about Lynch.

“Defendants further breached their duties by hiding a pedophile and engaging in a cover-up of abuse perpetrated by Fr. Bernard Lynch,” the court documents charge.

The alleged victim has filed the suit in the wake of the Child Victims Act that went into effect in August, which allows people who were abused as kids to bring claims that have already passed outside the statute of limitations.

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

Nov. 20, 2019

The Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee has advanced several reform bills aimed at increasing protections for children and supporting survivors of sexual violence. We are grateful for the continued attention to this critical issue and hope that Pennsylvanian stakeholders and victims can find a reform solution that works for all.

One of the bills, HB 962, would amend the state’s archaic statute of limitations law to allow victims until age 55 to file a lawsuit. Another bill, HB 963, would give survivors in Pennsylvania a two-year “window to justice,” allowing those victims whose claims were previously barred by statute of limitations an opportunity to bring their cases forward. However, the vehicle for this reform – using a constitutional referendum – is a controversial one. House Bill 1171 would clearly state that confidentiality agreements cannot prohibit someone from speaking to law enforcement. All three bills implement the recommendations made by last year’s grand jury, who uncovered horrific cases of clergy sexual abuse and cover-up in six Pennsylvania dioceses.

But while HB 963 addresses a critical need, it unfortunately does so in a way that most survivors and advocates do not favor. Since it is an attempt to reform the state constitution, HB 963 will lead to a protracted process, one that will involve years of work and could still potentially fail. While we are supportive of the goal of this reform, we believe that legislators in Pennsylvania should be acting to reform those laws today, not kicking the can down the road. Consequently, victims are divided as to whether or not they should support this bill. Ultimately, however, we simply want to see this much needed reform get across the finish line.

These are critically needed bills that would put Pennsylvania’s laws more in line with the realities of sexual violence – many survivors suffer in silence for years due to shame, self-guilt, or fear of being disbelieved. The average age of a victim coming forward is 52. Due to these factors, reforming these laws is the only way that many survivors can have their day in court. Additionally, these lawsuits would bring to light previously hidden information about abusers and their enablers. Getting this documentation into the hands of parishioners and parents can help to protect children and the vulnerable in the present time.

Statute of limitations reform has been a challenging fight in Pennsylvania, and Catholic officials in the state have spent much money and energy working against these new laws. We hope that Church leaders will use their funds in other ways and stop working to prevent survivors from having their day in court.

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

Nov. 20, 2019

Six months after raiding diocesan offices, investigators with the Dallas Police Department have had their attempts to review files stymied by diocesan lawyers and legal technicalities.

Once again it feels like Catholic officials treat transparency as a buzzword to be trotted out for the media but not followed. It is disappointing to learn that the records seized by the DPD have yet to be seen by investigators, and frustrating to know that Church leaders in Dallas are still impeding the efforts of law enforcement.

Six months ago, when investigators first raided his diocese, Dallas’ Bishop Edward Burns defiantly told the press “and so we say, by all means, look.” If Catholic officials really believed in transparency and wanted the public to be informed, they would let the DPD do their job. But by quietly operating behind the scenes they show that they care more about their reputation than the truth.

Church leaders claim that files were taken at random and that the police took too many documents during the raid. Yet multiple secular investigations – from Pennsylvania to Oklahoma to Colorado – have shown that allegations of abuse can be scattered throughout various files and kept in odd places, so Dallas’ Catholic officials request to the judge that files “that do not involve allegations of abuse” be returned seems counter to the public statement of “by all means, look.” More to the point, how will investigators at the DPD even know which files are related to abuse and which are not unless they are able to review the files themselves?

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

Nov. 20, 2019

A formerly high-ranking Alaskan Catholic official – once accused of molesting and threatening to kill a ten year old – just dodged criminal charges. We call on every current and former Alaska church employee to take steps to help police and urge others who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes by the cleric so he might be charged again, convicted and kept away from children and the vulnerable.

Last year, Fr. Timothy Crowley was arrested and charged with eight counts of child sexual abuse. Last month, however, citing the statute of limitations, a judge reluctantly said those charges had to be dropped.

Abusers commonly have more than one victim and we believe that there are likely others who were hurt by Fr. Crowley and could pursue new charges against him. Catholic church staff now have a moral duty to help find and support those other victims.

First, Juneau BishopAndrew Bellisario (Alaska’s highest ranking church official and the temporary head of the Anchorage archdiocese) should lead this effort and encourage his flock help. He can start by posting a list of credibly accused child molesting cleric on their diocesan website and including Fr. Crowley on that list. Many survivors suffer in silence but seeing the name of the person who abused them listed publicly as an abuser can encourage them to come forward, make a report, and seek help.

But other church workers can’t passively and irresponsibly sit back waiting – perhaps fruitlessly – for the church hierarchy to act responsibly. They must do all in their power to spread the word about the case against Fr. Crowley so that the full truth about his wrongdoing can be told. Action helps justice happen. Inaction helps predators escape justice.

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CHARLESTON (WV)
Legal Examiner

Nov. 20, 2019

A man who volunteered at a Charleston church’s Vacation Bible School has been accused of sexually abusing a child at the school. 50-year-old Rhett Aaron Bowen is charged with first-degree sexual abuse.

Police have accused Bowne of engaging in sexual contact with an underage boy while working as a volunteer for the Vacation Bible School. It is not clear when this alleged abuse is believed to have taken place.

According to the Charleston Police Department, more victims have contacted the department to report that they were also sexually abused by Bowen. According to a press release, Bowen is suspected of frequenting locations in Kanawha City where children often congregate.

Anyone with information related to this case has been asked to contact the Charleston Police Department Criminal Investigation Division at 304-348-6480.

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FRESNO (CA)
ABC 24 News

Nov. 15, 2019

The Merced County District Attorney’s Office has decided to not file criminal charges against Monsignor Craig Harrison.

Officials said in a news release on Friday, that its investigation into allegations of inappropriate touching by Monsignor Harrison was conducted by the Merced Police Department and was started after a confidential victim came forward in April. All of the incidents that witnesses detailed allegedly happened in Merced County in 1987 and 1988, officials said.

In July, The Bakersfield Police Department closed an investigation on Monsignor Craig Harrison involving allegations of misdemeanor sexual battery that happened in the early 1990s. The department claimed that the case does not meet established standards for a recommendation for filing of criminal charges.

According to the release from the Merced County District Attorney’s Office, officials determined, “that all available evidence and leads had been identified and exhausted” in October. The district attorney’s office added, “Based upon the factual circumstances of this case, the filing of charges is prohibited by the applicable statute of limitations; therefore, no charges will be issued.”

In September, Monsignor Harrison filed a second slander lawsuit over sexual misconduct accusations made against him by alleged victims.

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ALLENTOWN (PA)
Morning Call

Nov. 20, 2019

By Ford Turner

A pair of bills that would open new legal avenues in Pennsylvania for action by survivors of child sexual abuse ― sponsored by two lawmakers who are themselves survivors ― have moved ahead in Harrisburg this week as the result of a bipartisan deal.

Both measures were approved by the state House in April and by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday. They received a preliminary approval Tuesday from the full Senate. A final vote could come Wednesday.

Berks County state Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Democrat who is prime sponsor of one of the bills and who has pushed for legislation on behalf of victims since his 2012 election, said a deal with Republican legislative leadership allowed the bills to progress.

In it, Rozzi agreed that instead of seeking a change in state law to carry out a key component ― the opening of a two-year window for civil lawsuits by victims regardless of when they were abused ― proponents would seek a change in the state constitution.

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DETROIT (MI)
Fox 2 Detroit

Nov. 20, 2019

A Detroit Catholic priest was sentenced to jail time and probation Wednesday after pleading guilty to aggravated assault while his sex crime charge was dropped.

Officials say 55-year-old Patrick Casey of Archdiocese of Detroit was initially charged with one felony count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. That charge was for allegedly performing oral sex on a man during confession “while acting as the victim’s spiritual counselor,” according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Casey, who was a priest at St. Theodore of Canterbury Parish in Westland, took a plea to a lesser charge after the jury came back hung in his October trial. Prosecutors dropped the criminal sexual conduct charge, while he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.

On Wednesday, Casey was sentenced 1-year probation with 45 days in jail.

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BUENOS AIRES (ARGENTINA)
Buenos Aires Times

Nov. 20, 2019

Verdicts against Próvolo priests accused of sexually abusing deaf children due Monday
Lawyers ask for sentences of up to 50 years in the ‘Próvolo’ abuse case, in which two priests and a gardener are accused of rape and sexual assualt of minors at institute for deaf children in Mendoza.

Sentences in the so-called ‘Próvolo’ abuse case, in which two priests and a gardener stand accused of sexually abusing deaf children in their care, will be handed down next week as the curtain begins to close on a case that has sent shockwaves through Argentina’s Catholic Church.

Priests Nicola Corradi, an 83-year-old Italian, and 61-year-old Argentine Horacio Corbacho, as well as former gardener Armando Gómez, 51, are accused of sexual abuse, corruption of children and mistreatment at a Catholic school for deaf children, for which they could face up to 50 years in jail. Criminal Court No. 2 of Mendoza, led by judges Carlos Díaz, Aníbal Crivelli, and Mauricio Juan, will hand down their verdict on Monday.

The case relates to the alleged abuse of around 20 children from the Próvolo Institute in the western town of Mendoza, founded in 1995, which Corradi headed until his arrest in November 2016. The priests have been charged with 28 alleged crimes, including rape and sexual abuse, aggravated by their positions as guardians of minors.

A fourth person was charged, 57-year-old administrator Jorge Bordón. Just over a year ago, he broke his silence to acknowledge participation in at least 11 acts of abuse. In a shortened trial, he was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in jail, after lawyers for the defence and the prosecution agreed a plea deal.

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LANSING (MI)
Fox 17 News

Nov. 20, 2019

One of six Catholic priests charged in an investigation by the attorney general’s office received his sentence Wednesday.

Patrick Casey, 56, will serve 45 days in jail, one year of probation and have to register as a sex offender after pleading guilty to a charge of aggravated assault in October.

Charges came amid Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s investigation of clergy abuse. Prosecutors say Casey coerced a man who came to him for counseling into performing sexual acts in 2013, which was reported to the Archdiocese in Detroit in 2015.

He has been barred from priestly ministries while his case is under review at the Vatican.

Two priests from West Michigan have also been charged in the probe: Brian Stanley of Coloma and Jacob Vellian of Benton Harbor.

Stanley is charged with one count of false imprisonment for allegedly wrapping a teen boy in plastic wrap and holding him against his will in the janitor’s room at St. Margaret’s Church in 2013.

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PITTSBURGH (PA)
Tribune Review

Nov. 20, 2019

By Tom Davidson

Two former alter boys have accused a priest of more than three years of almost daily sexual abuse in the 1980s, according to a 27-page lawsuit filed against the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Bishop David A. Zubik and St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in McDonald.

The diocese has yet to be served with the suit, filed Tuesday in Allegheny County court, according to spokeswoman Ellen Mady, who said she couldn’t comment on pending litigation.

The suit was filed on behalf of two men who live in McDonald who are represented by Texas-based attorneys.

The Rev. Francis Pucci is the priest accused of the abuse, which allegedly started in 1981 when the boys were 11 and 13. Pucci groomed both boys and others who served as altar boys at the church, according to the lawsuit.

Pucci’s alleged actions were mentioned in a grand jury report of priest sexual abuse in Pennsylvania released in 2018 and was said to be part of a ring of predatory priests who preyed on children in the Pittsburgh Diocese, according to the lawsuit.

In 1988, abuse by Pucci was investigated but not prosecuted because the statute of limitations had expired, according to the lawsuit. Pucci retired in 1992 and died in 2002.

Pucci, who was ordained in 1957 and served as a priest for 30 years, was transferred to different parishes 13 times in his career and spent the last five years of his priesthood on what the church called medical leave. The lawsuit states that leave was treatment for sexual disorders.

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NEW YORK (NY)
Daily News

Nov. 19, 2019

By Larry McShane

A newly-filed sexual abuse lawsuit recounts how a former Poly Prep high school football star was allegedly kissed, groped and rubbed by a predatory Episcopal priest teaching at the scandal-scarred Brooklyn school in the mid-1970s.

The plaintiff, identified only as John Doe, was “filled with confusion, anxiety and self-loathing,” read the 16-page Brooklyn Supreme Court suit filed Tuesday. “He had suicidal thoughts as a way to make the pain and shame stop … He was haunted by the fact that the first person that ever kissed him was (his teacher).”

The accuser, now more than 60 years old, was just 15 when he was first targeted over a two-year period, according to the lawsuit. He told no one about what happened for decades, but finally filed his suit 43 years after graduation as part of the Child Victims Act look-back period.

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WASHINGTON (DC)
WTOP TV

Nov. 20, 2019

By Neal Augenstein

A Catholic priest who faces more than 45 years in prison when he’s sentenced Friday for sexually abusing two girls is maintaining his innocence, telling a judge he “was too busy to do a crazy thing.”

Urbano Vazquez, 47, was found guilty of child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances for sexually assaulting two girls from his parish — 13 and 9 years old — between 2015 and 2017, while Vazquez was an assistant pastor at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Northwest D.C.

On Friday, Vazquez will be sentenced by Circuit Judge Juliet McKenna, who oversaw his jury trial.

In a pre-sentencing memo, defense attorney Robert Bonsib asked McKenna to consider Vazquez’s lack of previous criminal record, years of service in the religious community, as well as punishment already endured.

The defense’s plea included a nine-page handwritten note from Vazquez to the judge. In the letter, Vazquez detailed his life story: from being born in Mexico, participating in volunteer work and his religious training to being ordained a priest five years ago in Pittsburgh.

After being transferred to Sacred Heart, located at the junction of the Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights neighborhoods, his duties include leading wedding masses, funerals, first communions, confirmations and hearing confessions.

However, Vazquez’s note made no mention of his victims, or the crimes he was convicted of committing.

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LANARKSHIRE (SCOTLAND)
Motherwell.Times

Nov. 20, 2019

Supporters of a Roman Catholic priest suspended after making gay bullying claims have staged a protest outside their bishop’s residence in Bellshill.

More than 60 demonstrators, many holding placards, demanded the reinstatement of Fr Matthew Despard who is from Motherwell.

The protest was held exactly six years after the priest was suspended from his parish position in Blantyre.

Fr Despard, 54, was disciplined after writing and publishing ‘Priesthood in Crisis’ .

The book made claims of sexual bullying within the church.

It was withdrawn after a church tribunal ruled the contents were defamatory.

Fr Despard was suspended in 2013.

He formally quit his role at St John Ogilvie Church three years ago.

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BUFFALO (NY)
WIVB TB

Nov. 19, 2019

By Chris Horvatits

A Western New Yorker is taking his fight against clergy sex abuse overseas. James Faluszczak, a critic of how the abuse crisis has been handled by the Church worldwide and in the Diocese of Buffalo is visiting Japan and Rome this month.

“I will stand in solidarity with victims in Japan and in Rome,” Faluszczak said.

Faluszczak, a former priest now working locally as an advocate for victims, has frequently stood outside the Catholic Center in Buffalo in protest of the diocese and Bishop Richard Malone. Now, he’s preparing to stand side-by-side with victims in Japan, 6,000 miles away, where Pope Francis will be visiting later this week.

“I hope to draw greater attention to the Church’s internal proceedings of secrecy that govern the investigation of priests and bishops,” Faluszczak said.

Pope Francis left Rome Tuesday for his Asian tour, which will also include a stop in Thailand. Faluszczak will then follow the pope back to Rome, where the bishops of Pennsylvania and New Jersey will make an “ad limina” visit, similar to the one the bishops of New York State, including Malone, made last week.

On Monday, Malone said he had a brief discussion with Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops, while he was in Rome. Malone said the congregation is currently in possession of a report prepared by Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas Dimarzio, who was sent to Buffalo on an Apostolic Visitation by Pope Francis in October.

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ROCKLAND COUNTY (NY)
Rockland/Westchester Journal News

Nov. 19, 2019

By Frank Esposito

A former youth sports coach is accused of molesting a student at Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Scarsdale in a Child Victims Act case filed earlier this month.

Edwin Gaynor, of Ossining, was accused of fondling David Fox and possibly others during gym class during the early 1960s, according to a case filed in Westchester County civil court.

The suit also accuses that the Archdiocese of New York knew about the abuse and instead of dealing with the issue, moved Gaynor to other schools. No other schools are mentioned in the lawsuit.

The moving of Gaynor from facility to facility was consistent with a practice called “move the trash,” said plaintiff attorney Barbra Hart of White Plains-based Lowey Dannenberg in the lawsuit.

This latest lawsuit is one of more than 1,000 cases filed under the New York Child Victims Act, a law which allows people to sue for abuse regardless of the statute of limitations.

The final Mass at St. Mary’s Church in Haverstraw, during the Feast of the Assumption, was held Aug. 15, 2015. The church is being merged with nearby St. Peter’s Church under the Archdiocese of New York’s “Making All Things New” plan. The church was founded in 1898.

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KANSAS CITY (MO)
National Catholic Reporter

Nov. 20, 2019

By Tom Roberts

Jason Berry loves character-driven narrative. He’s good at writing it, sending wonderfully drawn figures, whether wretches of the clerical sort or zany, colorful Louisianans, on journeys along a tight weave of data and history.

And himself? Berry, who recently turned 70, is a character who’s bounced between those poles, the weave supporting him a mix of his intense examination of the ugliest side of Catholic reality and the soul-restoring gumbo of Louisiana life, particularly his hometown New Orleans.

NCR has run tens of thousands of Berry’s words on our pages in the past three-plus decades, but we’ve never spoken to him or about him much in these spaces. This is a stab at doing that, a gathering up of conversations that have gone on for years and, more recently, during the months since the release of his latest work, City of a Million Dreams: A History of New Orleans at Year 300.

Full disclosure is warranted: Berry and I count each other as friends, meeting first as deliverer and recipient, respectively, of pitches for stories about the Catholic clergy sexual abuse scandal; then as writer and editor going round for round over the words, the data, the characters, the numbers; and spending hours on conference calls with lawyers vetting stories that delivered the details of ecclesial corruption — sexual and financial.

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PARIS (FRANCE)
LaCroix International

Nov. 19, 2019

By Lucie Sarr

La Croix Africa conducted a survey to find out how Pope Francis’ motu proprio, Vos estis lux mundi (You are the light of the world), has been received in Africa and how the African bishops’ conferences have absorbed its message to tackle sexual abuse in the Church.

“Our local culture is sometimes a culture of shame. If there are subjects we are not sure about, we do not know how to talk about them,” Burkinabe Jesuit Father Paul Béré, a teacher at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, said in June.

The 2019 Ratzinger Prize winner analyzed the resistance in Africa to the issue of sexual abuse in the Church. He also felt that the binding nature of Pope Francis’ motu proprio, published in May, would be an opportunity for Africa to overcome the cultural barriers to managing sexual abuse.

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CINCINNATI (OH)
WCPO TV

Nov. 19, 2019

By Paula Christian, Craig Cheatham and Dan Monk

The month after the Vatican removed Pater from priestly ministry, a small Episcopal Church in Lincoln Heights hired him as the director of music. He played the organ there for more than five years and prepared choir music.

It’s part of a disturbing pattern in which local Catholic church officials failed to track priests accused of abuse, didn’t disclose to the public all of the names of priests with credible allegations and still refuse to answer questions about why more information isn’t available.

In a three-month investigation the WCPO I-Team also discovered more than 50 Roman Catholic priests and brothers with ties to the Tri-State who had accusations of sexual abuse, but do not appear on any local list published by church leaders.

“The Catholic church has still not developed any mechanism for following these priests,” said attorney Konrad Kircher, who has represented 90 alleged abuse survivors in lawsuits against the church in Ohio.

Attorney Konrad Kircher has represented 90 survivors in lawsuits against the Catholic Church.
As a young priest, Pater worked at St. Charles in Kettering from 1979 to 1982, where he started a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl who was grieving over the sudden death of her brother.

From there Pater joined the Vatican diplomatic corps, serving in Africa, Australia, India and Rome. When he returned home on vacation, the abuse survivor, who is known as Jane Doe in court filings, claimed Pater continued a sexual relationship with her.

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LOS ANGELES (CA)
LAist

Nov. 19, 2019

By Aaron Shrank

A Filipino American woman from Hollywood who says she was abused by a Catholic priest in Gardena as a child is suing the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The case may be the first civil suit to target the country’s largest Catholic diocese since California passed a law last month extending the statute of limitations for child abuse survivors.

Aimee Galicia Torres, 34, says Fr. Honesto Bayranta Bismonte, who she knew as ‘Lolo Nes’ or ‘Grandpa Nes’ began sexually abusing her in 1993, when she was 8. The abuse allegedly continued until Torres was 12.

Torres’ civil lawsuit, filed in L.A. County Superior Court last week, alleges the abuse took place at her aunt’s house while Bismonte was serving as a priest at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Gardena.

“No matter how much I tried, he was always stronger — pulling me closer and groping me harder,” said Torres, at a news conference Tuesday announcing the suit. “I had always wished my aunt would come through the door and stop what was happening to me. I carried this big secret for years. I came from a very strict Filipino Catholic upbringing, so how could I tell my family what was going on?”

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

Nov. 19, 2019

By Vinny Vella

A defrocked priest from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will head to court next month, accused of fondling two altar boys at a Bucks County church more than 20 years ago.

Francis Trauger, 74, faces charges of indecent assault and corruption of minors for allegedly fondling two preteen altar boys at St. Michael the Archangel parish in Tullytown, his last assignment before being defrocked in 2005. The incidents took place in the late ’90s and early 2000s, according to investigators.

During a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, District Judge Robert L. Wagner Jr. held Trauger’s case for trial on all charges. Wagner rejected a motion from Trauger’s attorney, Brian McVan, that the prosecution is improper and violates federal law.

McVan acknowledged that filing charges against Trauger was permissible under state law because of recent extensions to the statute of limitations, but said federal courts have ruled that judges should apply the law that was in place at the time of the alleged crimes.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
The Villanovan

Nov. 19, 2019

By Thomas Hughes & Emily Cox

After conducting basic research on the Board of Trustees, we stumbled upon an allegation of sexual abuse against a member of the University’s Board of Trustees, Reverend Peter G. Gori O.S.A., JCD. Last April, Rev. Gori was accused of sexual abuse against a minor by a man over allegations of abuse from the late 1980s and early 1990s. The man alleged that the abuse occurred when he was ten years old. Following the reports of this abuse, the Archdiocese of Boston announced that Gori was placed on administrative leave at his Andover Church.

“The Archdiocese immediately informed law enforcement as well as forwarded the matter to his religious provincial, the Augustinian Order of St. Thomas of Villanova,” the Archdiocese of Boston said in a statement. “The Augustinian Province will be responsible for investigating the case involving Fr. Gori,” the statement continued.

After Gori’s dismissal, he wrote a letter to his parishioners in which he denied the allegation. “I assure you, as I assured the provincial, the accusation is false,” Gori wrote. “I cannot live in the parish rectory, and I cannot publicly celebrate the sacraments without special permission. So, you will not be seeing me for a while, and I appreciate your prayerful support.”

Earlier this year, additional allegations of verbal abuse were also levied against Gori from a former member of his parish from incidents that had allegedly occurred over 25 years ago. In response to the allegation of verbal abuse, he issued a statement to the Boston Globe saying that he is “forbidden to comment on any matters pertaining to any specific annulment cases” but insisted that be had “acted with professional skill, integrity and compassion at all times.”

Gori has sat on the Board of Trustees at Villanova since 2013. When asked for comment on the matter, the University provided The Villanovan with the following statement:

“This past spring, the University was made aware of allegations made against Father Peter Gori, an Augustinian priest and member of our Board of Trustees. The Augustinian Order directed that an independent investigation be conducted regarding the allegations. While that investigation was proceeding, Fr. Gori was on leave from the Board. The investigation was recently concluded, and the Augustinian Order informed us that the investigation found the complaint to be unfounded and exonerated Fr. Gori, who has now returned to the Board of Trustees.”

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LACROSSE (WI)
WIZM Radio

Nov. 19, 2019

By Brad Williams

A Catholic monsignor from La Crosse is scheduled to go on trial next year on a 4th-degree sexual assault charge.

A trial date of April 17th has been set for Bernard McGarty, who’s accused of trying to pay a woman for sex outside the La Crosse Public Library.

McGarty will turn 95 in January.

He entered a plea of ‘not guilty’ back in June.

Besides allegedly offering a woman money for sex, McGarty is accused of putting the woman’s hand on his genitals.

Police say the incident happened earlier this year, on a park bench outside the library on Main Street.

The monsignor was placed on leave by the La Crosse Diocese after he was charged.

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PITTSBURGH (PA)
WTAE TV

Nov. 19, 2019

Two men who were formerly altar boys at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in McDonald, filed a 28-page lawsuit on Tuesday, alleging sexual abuse by a priest at the church in the 1980s.

Named as defendants in the lawsuit are the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, current bishop David Zubik and St. Alphonsus Catholic Church.

An attorney for the men writes the abuse began in the early 80s, with his clients joining St. Alphonsus Catholic School when they were 11 and 13 years old. Both soon became altar boys.

Both claims they were abused by Rev. Francis Pucci, who, according to the lawsuit, was ordained in May 1957 and transferred 13 times in his 30-year career.

Pucci retired in 1992 and died in 2002.

The lawsuit alleges the boy who was 11 when he joined the school was groomed by Rev. Pucci, who allegedly used information about the boy’s desire for a girlfriend to make him feel closer to the priest.

The boy who was 13 when he joined the school said the sexual abuse by Rev. Pucci included molestation on trips outside the church.

Rev. Pucci was named in the Pennsylvania grand jury report that came out in August 2018 that named 300 members of clergy in the state who were connected to or involved in sex crimes.

According to the attorney for the plaintiffs, the report established

a long history and pattern of child sex abuse by catholic clergy, include Rev. Pucci, as well as the practice of hiding and protecting priests who were accused or suspected.

The plaintiffs in the case are demanding a jury trial.

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SYRACUSE (NY)
Post Standard

Nov. 20, 2019

By Geoff Herbert

A Central New York priest has been placed on administrative leave amid new sex abuse allegations in a lawsuit.

The Utica Observer-Dispatch reports Rev. Paul Angelicchio, a pastor at St. John the Baptist Church and Transfiguration Church in Rome, has been accused of child sexual abuse between 1980 and 1981 in a new civil lawsuit. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse announced this week that Angelicchio is taking a voluntary leave while the church investigates the allegations.

Additional details of the allegations have not been disclosed, but the diocese notified the district attorney in Onondaga County, where the abuse allegedly took place.

According to NewsChannel 9 WSYR, the unidentified accuser is seeking monetary damages relating to the alleged abuse.

Angelicchio was previously accused of child sexual abuse in 2016, but Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said his office found no proof, evidence or corroborating witness to back up the allegation. Angelicchio was similarly placed on administrative leave during the investigation.

Before coming to Rome in 2011, Angelicchio was pastor of Our Lady of Pompei/St. Peter Church in Syracuse for eight years and served as pastor of Holy Family Church in Syracuse. He also was a parish priest at Our Lady of Lourdes Church on Valley Drive in Syracuse during the 1980s.

From 1977 to 1999, he also served as police chaplain for the city of Syracuse.

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NEW YORK (NY)
First Things

Nov. 19, 2019

By Philip Lawler

During the most significant debate of last week’s meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia rose to decry any suggestion that the American bishops are at odds with Pope Francis, “because that isn’t true.” That interpretation of the relationship between the U.S. and Rome “sets up an artificial battle between the bishops’ conference of the United States and the Holy Father which isn’t true,” he said. He rejected a brother bishop’s argument, based on that interpretation, “because it isn’t true.”

In the space of less than 30 seconds, Chaput said three times that a popular narrative “isn’t true.” Was he stating a fact, or voicing a plaintive hope? Or was he protesting too much?

The perception of tensions between the USCCB and the Roman pontiff might be traced back to the pope’s remarks during an in-flight interview in September, when he told a New York Times reporter: “For me it’s an honor that Americans attack me.” (To be fair, the pope was not then referring to the American bishops; he was speaking about a new book, How America Wants to Change the Pope, in which author Nicolas Seneze posits an American media campaign to subvert papal authority.) Father Antonio Spadaro, the pope’s close Jesuit adviser, has on several occasions complained that Americans are leading the opposition to the papal agenda.

Or the tensions could date back to last year’s USCCB meeting, when the Vatican intervened at the eleventh hour to stop the American bishops from voting to hold bishops accountable for negligence in handling sex-abuse complaints—and then hinted to reporters, inaccurately, that the American prelates had not given the Vatican proper notice of their plans.

Or the tensions could reflect the “great frustration” that Cardinal Sean O’Malley reported last week, as he told his fellow Americans that the Vatican was still not ready to produce a long-overdue explanation of Rome’s involvement in the rise of Theodore McCarrick.

Then, on the eve of the bishops’ meeting in Baltimore, the leadership of the USCCB felt compelled to issue a highly unusual negative appraisal of a book about the pope. Wounded Shepherd, by Austen Ivereigh, “perpetuates an unfortunate and inaccurate myth that the Holy Father finds resistance among the leadership and staff of the US bishops’ conference,” lamented the USCCB’s administrative board. It is noteworthy that the same book was reviewed favorably by the Vatican News Service.

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

Nov. 19, 2019

A three-month investigation into cases of clergy sex crimes and cover ups by Cincinnati journalists has revealed disturbing facts and secrets, including that more than half of the accused priests in the tri-state area have never been publicly listed by Catholic officials.

Once again, secular investigations have resulted in more transparency and openness than has been shown by Church officials. The WCPO investigation clearly demonstrates that children and vulnerable adults are still at risk in southern Ohio and northern Kentucky because Catholic leaders still put their convenience and reputation ahead of keeping communities informed and children safe.

According to WCPO, at least 92 priests who worked or lived in the Diocese of Covington KY or Archdiocese of Cincinnati OH have been publicly accused of abuse. Yet Catholic officials in the two dioceses have less than half of that number listed. And making matters worse, WCPO has discovered at least 12 of those clergymen are neither monitored nor known to the public, echoing findings from investigations by USA Today and the AP.Catholics in Covington should demand that their Bishop, Roger Foys, immediately release a list of proven, admitted and publicly accused child molesting clerics. This step has been taken by most of the bishops in the US and it is inexcusable that this information was released by journalists before it was released by the Church officials who ordained, trained, and then quietly moved those priests accused of abuse.

Similarly, Catholics in Cincinnati should demand that Archbishop Dennis Schnurr not only update his list of accused clerics, but should also publicly explain the discrepancies between his list and that released by WCPO. Especially in the light of the Fr. Geoff Drew scandal earlier this year, it seems to us that Church officials in Cincinnati have a lot of explaining to do.

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

Nov. 18, 2019

Three Jesuit priests in New Mexico have been named in newly filed lawsuits for clergy sexual abuse. One of them was still an active clergyman until this complaint was filed. We applaud the brave survivors who brought forth these claims and hope the news inspires other victims, witnesses, and whistle-blowers to come forward to police and prosecutors.

All three cases allege abuse while the victims were parishioners at Immaculate Conception Church in Santa Fe and involve allegations ranging from 1968 up to 2011. In the latter case, the survivor claims that he was abused by Fr. Patrick Hough and that Jesuit officials knew the priest was interested in teenage boys. In the former case, the victim alleges that she was plied with alcohol and abused by two priests, Fr. Gerald Armstrong and the Fr. Alvin Pilie, beginning when she was in the first grade at a nearby school.

This is the first allegation made against Fr. Hough. Church officials have known of the claims against Fr. Armstrong and Fr. Pilie since at least 2009 when it was first reported but determined that the report was “not credible” through an internal investigation.

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

Nov. 19, 2019

A formerly high-ranking Alaskan Catholic official – once accused of molesting and threatening to kill a ten year old – just dodged criminal charges. We call on every current and former Alaska church employee to take steps to help police and urge others who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes by the cleric so he might be charged again, convicted and kept away from children and the vulnerable.

Last year, Fr. Timothy Crowley was arrested and charged with eight counts of child sexual abuse. Last month, however, citing the statute of limitations, a judge reluctantly said those charges had to be dropped.

Abusers commonly have more than one victim and we believe that there are likely others who were hurt by Fr. Crowley and could pursue new charges against him. Catholic church staff now have a moral duty to help find and support those other victims.

First, Juneau Bishop Andrew Bellisario (Alaska’s highest ranking church official and the temporary head of the Anchorage archdiocese) should lead this effort and encourage his flock help. He can start by posting a list of credibly accused child molesting cleric on their diocesan website and including Fr. Crowley on that list. Many survivors suffer in silence but seeing the name of the person who abused them listed publicly as an abuser can encourage them to come forward, make a report, and seek help.

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HARRISBURG (PA)
Fox 43 News

Nov. 18, 2019

By Chelsea Koerbler

Four bills that will reform statute of limitations laws for child sex abuse survivors are headed to the senate for a vote. The bills were unanimously voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday afternoon.

Just moments before the vote, State Rep. Mark Rozzi, a democrat from Berks County, long time fighter for reform, sponsor of one of the bills, and a child sex abuse survivor himself address the committee.

“I believe it’s time we protect little Mark Rozzi in the future,” said Rozzi. “That it never happens to another child in the Commonwealth again.”

All three child sex abuse reform bills based the Senate Judiciary Committee. Following the votes Representatives Rozzi and Jim Gregory embraced as their partnered bills now head to the Senate floor.

“To be able to speak and make a difference for the people who are joining mark and I thrivers,” said Rep. Gregory, a republican from Blain County. “We were victims and survivors but now we want to thrive.”

Rozzi’s bill would eliminate the criminal statute of limitations and raise the age a child sex abuse survivor can file a civil suit to 55-years-old. Gregory’s bill would create a ballot question to amend the state’s constitution to allow survivors a two-year window to sue their abuser.

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ALTOONA (PA)
Altoona Mirror

Nov. 19, 2019

By Kay Stephens

Travel conditions are to be revised for the pair of Franciscan friars sentenced in May 2018 to five years’ probation on a child endangerment misdemeanor count in connection with a fellow friar and suspected child predator.

Senior Judge Jolene G. Kopriva said Monday that she would prepare an order, with input from the Blair County Adult Parole and Probation Office, to address travel-related requests from Robert D’Aversa, 72, and Anthony Criscitelli, 65, of Hollidaysburg.

Attorneys for both friars asked in court Monday for their clients’ probation to be modified in ways that will make it easier for them to travel.

The attorneys did not ask for the probation to be terminated early as reported incorrectly in Saturday’s Mirror. Early termination, however, may be an option about a year from now when D’Aversa and Criscitelli finish half of their five-year probationary sentences, as long as they remain in compliance with all probationary conditions.

In support of their request, attorney Robert Ridge, on behalf of D’Aversa, and attorney James Knaus, on behalf of Criscitelli, referred to travel-related issues their clients have been encountering while on probation.

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PITTSBURGH (PA)
Tribune Review

Nov. 19, 2019

By Tom Davidson

The Pittsburgh Diocese can’t use an $8 million trust fund intended to help needy boys to pay victims of clergy sexual abuse, an Allegheny County judge has ordered.

Judge Lawrence O’Toole issued a three paragraph order last week dismissing the diocesan request to use the 120-year-old Toner Trust that’s valued at more than $8 million to pay claims filed with the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program on the diocese.

Diocesan spokeswoman Ellen Mady and its attorney, Robert Ridge, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

The attempt to use the trust fund to settle abuse claims was opposed by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro in Allegheny County Orphan’s Court.

“The Pittsburgh diocese unlawfully attempted to use the Toner Trust to avoid transparency and accountability. Clergy abuse victims deserve better. That’s why we went to court to stop the diocese and successfully block this unlawful misuse of charitable funds,” Shapiro said in a statement.

The trust was left to the diocese by Westmoreland County farmer and politician James L. Toner of Derry Township.

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WASHINGTON (DC)
Washington Post

Nov. 15, 2019

By Sarah Pulliam Bailey

Despite public concerns about religious groups and a loss of respect for clergy in general, a new poll from the Pew Research Center suggests many Americans still see religion generally having a positive role for Christianity.

Christianity has been rapidly declining in the United States while the number of Americans who are religiously unaffiliated is growing. Gallup polls have found a massive, three-decade fall in confidence in “organized religion” from as high as 66 percent in the mid-1980s to 36 percent in 2019. Pope Francis’s image has declined in multiple surveys in the wake of new revelations about sex abuse scandals.

But Pew’s survey, published Friday, finds that Americans hold more positive views of religion’s role overall and concerns about it declining. Fifty-five percent say churches and religious organizations do more good than harm in society (compared with 20 percent of people who think it does more harm than good). Similar majorities say religious organizations strengthen morality in society (53 percent), and 50 percent say they bring people together.

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HARRISBURG (PA)
WHTM TV

Nov. 19, 2019

By Matt Heckel

The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously passed three bills aimed at reforming the state’s statute of limitations law on Monday.

House Bill 962 would allow victims of childhood sexual abuse until the age of 55 to file a lawsuit against their abuser. The current law gives them until age 30. The bill would also eliminate the criminal statute.​

The bill was amended to allow payment for counseling to be paid from the victims’ compensation fund.​

House Bill 1171 would clearly state that confidentiality agreements cannot prohibit someone from speaking to law enforcement.​

House Bill 963 would amend the state constitution to allow older sexual abuse survivors a two-year window to retroactively file lawsuits against their offenders and organizations. It would have to pass in two consecutive sessions before voters decide whether to pass it.​

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HARRISBURG (PA)
Pennsylvania Capital Star

Nov. 18, 2019

By Elizabeth Hardison

A year after it dealt a devastating blow to survivors of sexual assault who wanted more time to bring their predators to court, Pennsylvania’s state Senate is poised to vote on a bill that would overhaul the Commonwealth’s statute of limitations on certain childhood sex crimes.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Monday to advance a bill sponsored by Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, that would eliminate the time limits for victims of childhood sexual abuse to press criminal charges against their offenders and extend the timeframe for them to bring civil lawsuits.

The committee also approved a proposed amendment to the state Constitution, which would create a two-year retroactive window in which survivors of sexual abuse could bring civil suits against offenders in old cases.

The amendment is sponsored by Rep. Jim Gregory, R-Blair, who, like Rozzi, was sexually abused as a child.

Both measures were recommended in a 2018 grand jury report that uncovered decades of child sexual abuse and coverup in six of Pennsylvania’s Catholic dioceses.

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VANCOUVER (CANADA)
Vancouver Sun

Nov. 18, 2019

By Susan Lazaruk

The Vancouver headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church is expected to release 31 recommendations on Friday to locally address what it calls “the worldwide crisis” of sexual abuse by priests.

The recommendations were submitted by a committee that reviewed church records to determine the extent of clerical abuse in the archdiocese of Vancouver, which presides over 443,000 parishioners in Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, Powell River and parts of the Interior and northern B.C.

Vancouver Archbishop Michael Miller appointed the 13-person committee after news in 2018 of a grand jury naming 300 priests accused of abusing 1,000 victims in Pennsylvania. The Vancouver committee, which included “highly respected lawyers,” a psychologist and four abuse survivors, reviewed 36 sexual abuse cases dating to 1950.

Miller didn’t respond to an interview request.

“The archdiocese of Vancouver will be publishing all 31 recommendations of the case review committee, our response to each recommendation and our future commitment with respect to supporting victims and survivors,” said spokeswoman Melissa Godbout in an email.

The committee submitted its recommendations in the summer and the archdiocese “has been working determinedly to implement these recommendations,” said Godbout.

She wouldn’t say whether or not the archdiocese would name offending priests, as called for by advocates for the survivors.

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TULLYTOWN (PA)
CBS3 TV

Nov. 19, 2019

A former Catholic priest faces a preliminary hearing Tuesday on child sexual abuse charges. Authorities say 74-year-old Francis Trauger sexually assaulted two altar boys, ages 11 and 12, while he was assigned at Saint Michael the Archangel Church in Tullytown from 1993 to 2003.

Trauger was also named in a 2005 grand jury report detailing abuse allegations against 63 Archdiocese of Philadelphia priests. Now, years after the abuse was reported, Trauger is finally being tried under the law.

In announcing the charges, Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said the abuse happened during the robing process prior to mass.

“He abused his position of power in the name of God and the Catholic church to molest these young men,” Weintraub said.

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WILKES-BARRE (PA)
WNEP TV 16

Nov. 19, 2019

By Brittany Lovette

A Catholic priest from Pottsville accused of groping a teenager pleaded guilty to indecent assault.

Father Kevin Lonergan lives in Pottsville but worked at a church in Allentown.

He was removed from the ministry last year.

Lonergan is set to be sentenced early next year.

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HARRISBURG (PA)
Fox 43 News

Nov 18, 2019

There have been mounting concerns over child sexual abuse within certain institutions in Pennsylvania, particularly the Catholic Dioceses, going back several years. Because of this, victims and victim advocates have been calling for changes to state law so those victims can pursue justice against their abusers. The vast majority of those victims cannot pursue criminal or civil charges, because of the state’s statute of limitations. The push to reform the state’s statute of limitations for victims of child sexual abuse began following multiple investigative reports detailing abuse by clergymen.

The first investigation began in September of 2001 when a grand jury began investigating allegations of child sexual abuse by clergymen in the Philadelphia Archdiocese. Members of that grand jury expected to hear testimony about a series of isolated incidents spanning several decades, and the Philadelphia Archdiocese had released a statement saying it had “received credible allegations of child sexual abuse against a total of thirty·five priests,” according to court documents submitted in September 2003.

13 years later, on March 1st, 2016, another grand jury reported on its investigation into Clergy sexual abuse in the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese. Like the report in Philadelphia, this one detailed alleged abuse by predator priests going as far back as 1955.

Details in those reports not only showed abuse, but also cover ups by the dioceses. Pennsylvania’s Statute of limitations for child sex abuse victims does not allow accusers sue their alleged abusers or the institutions that covered up the alleged abuse. Under current law, someone who was sexually-abused before their 18th birthday has until age 30 to file a civil lawsuit against their abuser. If they want to press criminal charges, they have until age 50 to do so.

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DALLAS (TX)
Morning News

Nov. 18, 2019

By Jennifer Emily and David Tarrant

Six months after Dallas police raided Dallas Catholic Diocese offices for records related to allegations of sexual abuse by priests, the investigation appears stalled.

Attorneys for the diocese and the city of Dallas are sorting through the records seized in the May 15 raid on diocesan property to determine which ones involve the five priests named in the search warrant, according to documents obtained by The Dallas Morning News.

State District Judge Brandon Birmingham, who signed the search warrant for the records, ordered that Dallas police must return all records that are not related to the investigation or any record that “exceeds the scope of the search warrant as written,” court records show. Some records are exempt from disclosure because they are protected by attorney-client privilege.

Dallas police officials carry cardboard boxes Wednesday into the Catholic Diocese of Dallas as they continued to gather evidence. Dallas police on Wednesday morning raided several Dallas Catholic Diocese offices after a detective said church officials have “thwarted” his investigations into allegations of sexual abuse by priests. Dallas Bishop Edward J. Burns said at an afternoon news conference that the diocese had given personnel files “for all the priests named in the warrant” and had been has been cooperating with the police requests.

The court said the diocese and the police have until Dec. 6 to complete their review of the seized documents.

Annette Taylor, spokeswoman for the Dallas diocese, said some records have already been returned.

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LOS ANGELES (LA)
Hollywood Gossip

Nov. 18, 2019

By Tyler Johnson

Strange news out of Arkansas today, as an anonymous source claims that Counting On reality star/pariah Josh Duggar’s home was raided by the FBI on Saturday night.

The report originated on Facebook and was later reported on the Patheos website.

And what was the alleged cause of this visit from federal agents in Arkansas?

Well, that’s not entirely clear at the moment, but not surprisingly, there’s been a good deal of conjecture on social media, most of it related to Josh’s controversial past.

Here’s what we know about the situation thus far:

1. Josh’s Shame
An insider claims that Josh Duggar’s home in Arkansas was raided by the FBI on Saturday, November 17. Details are scarce at the moment, but if the rumors are true, this would be quite an embarrassing situation for his famous family.

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NEW YORK (NY)
Crux

Nov. 18, 2019

By Christopher White

Following his return from Rome this weekend, Buffalo’s Bishop Richard Malone says Pope Francis is aware of the difficult situation that both he and the diocese are facing.

In a statement released on Monday, he said that “In a few words spoken privately to me, it was clear that the pope understands the difficulties and distress we have here in Buffalo, and I personally, have been experiencing. He was very understanding and kind.”

Malone was in Rome last week with bishops from New York state for regularly scheduled ad limina meetings with the Roman Curia and Francis. Malone’s diocese has been engulfed in scandal for over year following accusations that he has covered up for priests accused of abuse.

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ONTARIO (CANADA)
Law Times News

Nov. 18, 2019

By Anita Balakrishnan

A sexual abuse victim’s victory against church leaders shows the “catharsis” offered by trial — despite the common belief that settlement is the best course for a client, says one lawyer.

“I think there’s a lesson for all of us in the legal world: Trials are necessary for the good of the client and the good of society. That does not always hold true, but sometimes in the most egregious circumstance, the trial serves a positive purpose for the plaintiff,” says London, Ont. lawyer Rob Talach, a partner at Beckett Personal Injury Lawyers who has filed 395 suits against the church. “This is a perfect example of what trials do. The ultimate outcome here is an appellate level approval of half a million dollars in punitive damages in cases of insitutions that are complicit in sexual abuse. That makes a big difference in society.”

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HAGATNA (GUAM)
Pacific Daily News

Nov. 19, 2019

By Haidee Eugenio Gilbert

A federal judge reduced by 7% or about $23,218.67 the legal fees and reimbursable costs in the Archdiocese of Agana’s bankruptcy case, after finding duplicate, inconsistent and erroneous billing entries.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood approved a $302,164.20 payment, down from $325,382.87, to Idaho-based Elsaesser Anderson Chtd., the archdiocese’s bankruptcy counsel.

The archdiocese sought bankruptcy protection in January, under the weight of clergy sex abuse claims totaling more than $1 billion.

Efforts to settle the cases, however, have recently collapsed and parties await direction from the court.

This is Elsaesser Anderson’s first professional fee application filed, for services rendered between Jan. 16 and July 31 this year.

“The compensation sought in the First Fee Application, as adjusted at the November 8, 2019 hearing, is reasonable compensation for actual and necessary services that benefited the estate,” the judge wrote in her order.

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ONTARIO (CANADA)
CBC Radio

Nov. 18, 2019

The Catholic Church cannot be trusted or relied upon to address clerical sex abuse within their ranks in Canada, says a lawyer who has worked on more than 400 sex abuse-related cases.

“Why do we keep looking to the church to solve this problem?,” asked Rob Talach, a lawyer based in London, Ont.

“I’ve been at this almost two decades and … if I was holding my breath for the Catholic Church to change on this issue, I’d be a very rich hue of purple right now,” he told The Current’s interim host Laura Lynch.

“I just don’t understand why they can’t do something bold and definitive here, and [instead] always find a reason, a rationale, an excuse not to do the right thing.”

A CBC investigation has obtained the results of an internal review of cases of clergy sexual abuse in the Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver, dating back to the 1950s.

The documents show the archdiocese was aware of 36 cases of abuse by clergy under its jurisdiction, including 26 involving children. The review also found three of their priests had fathered children.

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ERIE (PA)
Times News

Nov. 18, 2019

By Cody Carlson

A package of Bills aimed at changing the Statute of Limitations laws in Pennsylvania is making its way through the Legislature. Four Bills were voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday and will now head to the Senate Floor.

“It’s time that we get something passed here. It’s time that they pass something that gives victims the right to go into a court of law,” said Rep. Mark Rozzi ( D-Berks) following a public hearing on the statute of limitations Bills in October.

Rep. Rozzi is the sponsor of House Bill 962. That Bill, along with House Bills 963, 1051, and 1171 were voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday morning. House Bill 962 would extend the civil statute of limitations for child victims to 55. House Bill 963 would call for a constitutional amendment that would open a two-year window for child victims to seek justice. Advocates say these Bills will help victims heal, and increase public safety.

“We’re going to know who’s in our community. We’re going to know what coach, what schoolteacher, what priest, what parishioner, is a pedophile. They’re all being hidden right now by the cloak of this silence and the statute of limitations,” explains Jennifer Storm, the Commonwealth Victim Advocate.

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OTTAWA (CANADA)
Ottawa Citizen

Nov. 18, 2019

By Gary Dimmock

Disgraced former Catholic priest Barry McGrory skipped his sentencing at the Ottawa courthouse Monday morning.

Superior Court Justice Michelle O’Bonsawin has issued an arrest warrant for the convicted sex predator, believed to be living in Toronto.

McGrory, 85, showed no emotion back in June when the same judge found him guilty of sexually abusing two teenage boys in historic crimes dating back to the late 1960s. McGrory molested the boys in a church rectory.

McGrory used his position as a parish priest to exploit vulnerable and naïve young men for his own sexual satisfaction, the judge ruled.

The now-defrocked priest used booze and drugs to groom his victims

“He infiltrated their families and used their faith in him to take advantage of the complainants,” the judge said in June.

The complainants came forward to Ottawa police in 2016 after this newspaper published a story in which McGrory admitted to sexually abusing three young parishioners at Holy Cross Parish in the 1970s and 80s.

In a May 2016 interview with reporter Andrew Duffy, McGrory said that as a young priest, he was a sex addict who suffered from a powerful attraction to adolescents. McGrory said he told then-archbishop Joseph-Aurèle Plourde about his sexual problems in the mid-1980s, and asked for treatment.

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WAUSAU (WI)
Wausau Daily Herald

Nov. 18, 2019

By Laura Schulte

The Catholic Diocese of Superior has released new details about convicted sex offender Thomas Ericksen’s time as a priest in northern Wisconsin.

The Catholic Herald, which is published by the diocese, on Thursday put out a story addressing the former priest’s time with the diocese and his sentencing in September.

The article also said the Superior diocese has hired a law firm to review allegations of sexual abuse by other priests, and expects to release that information next year.

Ericksen was sentenced on Sept. 26 to 30 years in prison for molesting young boys in the 1980s. He pleaded no contest to two charges of abuse, but, in all, at least 11 men claimed they were abused by him, either by filing reports with police or in speaking with USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.

He is serving his sentence at the Dodge Correctional Facility in Waupun, where he was moved from the Sawyer County jail in Hayward on Oct. 22, according to Wisconsin Department of Corrections records.

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BUFFALO (NY)
WGRZ S TV

Nov. 18, 2019

Back from a trip to the Vatican for less than a day, Buffalo Bishop Richard Malone Monday released a video statement addressing the trip.

In it, the leader of WNY’s Roman Catholic diocese says the report put together on the Buffalo Diocese priest sex abuse scandal has been handed over to the Holy See. Malone would only say he would have more information on that at a later time.

By releasing a video, Bishop Malone was able to share his thoughts about his trip without taking questions from reporters.

When Bishop Malone returned to Buffalo on Sunday following his “ad limina” visit to the Vatican, protesters and the media were waiting for him at the Buffalo airport.

He never encountered those protesters or our cameras. Instead, Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) officials whisked the bishop away, unseen, through a side door upon his arrival following a weeklong visit to the Vatican.

The bishop’s return to Western New York comes days after a report said Bishop Malone was on the verge of resigning.

The Diocese of Buffalo last week denied that report.

Christopher Lamb, the Rome correspondent for The Tablet, a Catholic international weekly publication, tweeted on the morning of November 13 that he heard from sources that Bishop Malone’s resignation was in the hands of Pope Francis.

The next day Diocese spokesperson Kathy Spangler, speaking for the bishop, said the resignation tweet was “false.” At the time, Spangler added that he would talk about his trip “next week.”

Bishop Malone was in Rome for a weeklong “ad limina” visit to the Vatican, which ended on Friday with meeting among all the bishops from New York State and Pope Francis.

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DUBLIN (IRELAND)
Irish Times

Nov. 18, 2019

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has expressed his support for Co Cavan priest Fr Oliver O’Reilly for “offering moral leadership in a difficult time” after it emerged that Seán Quinn complained about him to the Vatican.

In a homily in September, Fr O’Reilly, who is based in Ballyconnell, condemned the attack on Quinn Industrial Holdings (QIH) director Kevin Lunney.

Fr O’Reilly denounced the “barbaric and horrific” assault, as well as condemning “the paymaster or paymasters” responsible for the attack.

In a letter to the Vatican, which was first reported in the Sunday Independent, Mr Quinn again denied any affiliation to the attack.

“I and my family have also been frightened and intimidated by my being falsely accused of complicity in the attack from the altar in public, by my own local priest,” the letter said.

In a statement on Monday evening, the Taoiseach said that Fr O’Reilly’s homily “spoke from the heart and the head”, adding that he “offered leadership to a distressed community”.

“He offered moral guidance to his community, he condemned the savagery of the kidnapping and the ongoing campaign of intimidation, and called on everyone to cooperate with the authorities,” Mr Varadkar said.

“I believe that Fr O’Reilly showed considerable courage in giving this homily and I commend him for doing so.”

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KEY WEST (FL)
Crux

Nov. 17, 2019

By John L. Allen Jr.

Since last summer’s twin eruptions of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury report and the scandals surrounding ex-cardinal and ex-priest Theodore McCarrick, many Catholics have found themselves wondering if anything’s truly changed in the Church vis-à-vis the clerical abuse scandals.

After decades of crisis and repeated vows of reform, they ask, is it possible the Church still doesn’t get it?

Over the last fortnight, a constellation of events spanning different continents and time zones has issued a reminder that the answer to that question is messy, complicated and classically Catholic – it’s both/and, yes and no. In other words, we’re probably living right now, as generations of Catholics before have on other fronts and in other circumstances, in both the best and the worst of times.

Those recent events which have helped tell the tale include:

A Nov. 6-8 workshop on the abuse scandals in Latin America organized by CEPROME, an interdisciplinary center for child protection in the Pontifical University of Mexico.

A Nov. 13 forum at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend featuring Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, the Vatican’s point man on the clerical abuse issue.

A Nov. 14-15 international conference on “Promoting Digital Child Dignity,” held at the Vatican under the auspices of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, as a follow-up to a 2017 summit on child protection in the digital realm held at Rome’s Jesuit-run Gregorian University.

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TORONTO (CANADA)
The Catholic Register

Nov. 16, 2019

By Bishop Thomas Dowd

The fall meeting of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops brought with it an unexpected invitation. The group SNAP (Survivor’s Network of those Abused by Priests) organized a viewing in Cornwall of the documentary Prey, a film that sheds light on the predatory actions of Hod Marshall, a now-deceased Basilian priest who was convicted for sexually abusing minors.

I first saw Prey at its premiere in Toronto in April. I had been invited to attend by Mike, a victim of clergy sexual abuse. He had reached out to me not long after one of our own priests in Montreal had been sentenced for the crime of abuse. Mike had gotten my name through the media coverage surrounding that judgment.

My experience of Prey involved more than watching a film. More than 200 people, including victims of clergy sexual abuse, their families and others connected with the cases, attended the viewing at the TIFF theatre.

Mike and I were joined by his wife, and over supper we shared our own stories. People came over to our table at the restaurant to say hi to Mike, people whose faces I would soon see in the documentary itself. I realized that this was more than a film: I was being given a chance to share the experience of a community of survivors.

Given its subject matter, Prey is, of course, hard to watch. More than once, something would be said that I found jarring, even disagreeable. But I could not deny the raw authenticity on the screen, including scenes expressing trauma, anger and also hope. I tried to keep my heart open to everything being revealed. It was the only way I could think of to honour the moment.

After the premiere ended there was a brief but intense Q&A. Mike introduced me to the audience and the spontaneous reactions of some was quite negative.

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ALLENTOWN (PA)
The Morning Call

Nov. 18, 2019

By Laurie Mason Schroeder

An Allentown Diocese priest faces up to two years in jail after admitting in Lehigh County Court Monday that he groped a 17-year-old Allentown Central Catholic High School student and sent her nude photos.

Rev. Kevin Lonergan, 31, of Pottsville also will be a registered sex offender under Megan’s Law for at least 15 years. He’ll be sentenced in about 90 days and remains free on $50,000 unsecured bail.

Lonergan was charged in August 2018 with indecent assault and corruption of minors, just days after a statewide grand jury report that outlined widespread clergy abuse.

Lonergan and the teen met at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Allentown. Chief Deputy District Attorney Matthew Falk said Lonergan sent the teen at least two nude photos through the Snapchat app, and grabbed her buttocks in a church hallway following a confirmation service.

Longeran pleaded guilty to indecent assault, a misdemeanor, before Judge Maria L. Dantos. The plea occurred just before a jury was to be seated for Lonergan’s trial.

Falk praised the victim, referred in court as “Jane Doe,” for speaking up about the abuse.

“I think Jane Doe is very brave for coming forward. It’s amazing that she was able to do that,” Falk said.

Lonergan did not testify and declined to comment as he left the courtroom with his attorney.

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BURLINGTON (VT)
VTDigger

Nov. 17, 2019

By Kevin O’Connor

When Vermont’s Catholic Church recently came clean about its half-century-long history of child sex abuse claims against 10% of its clergy, many wondered how much money the state’s largest religious denomination had on hand to deal with a potential new wave of lawsuits.

The statewide Diocese of Burlington’s latest public financial statement lists $16 million in unrestricted net assets.

But that figure doesn’t include an estimated $500 million in property that church leaders stashed into trusts more than a decade ago to protect those assets from priest abuse settlements.

In the spring of 2006, then-Bishop Salvatore Matano began to see how much the scandal, first exposed by the Boston Globe, would cost the church.

The Vermont diocese had paid one accuser $20,000 to drop his court case in 2003. A year later, two more men demanded $120,000 and $150,000 respectively before they agreed to settle. In 2006, the church, facing a six-figure debt and a seemingly endless series of civil lawsuits, saw individual settlement claims rise to nearly $1 million.

That’s when Matano hatched an idea. The bishop told his attorney to place each of the diocese’s local parishes — some 130 at the time — into separate trusts whose holdings could only be tapped for “pious, charitable or educational purposes,” shielding the property from potential multimillion-dollar jury verdicts.

“In such litigious times, it would be a gross act of mismanagement if I did not do everything possible to protect our parishes and the interests of the faithful from unbridled, unjust and terribly unreasonable assault,” Matano wrote in a private letter to concerned Catholics.

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