ABUSE TRACKER

NEDERLAND
Friesch Dagblad

De christelijke kerk heeft geen meerderheid in Nederland. En eigenlijk is dat geen verkeerde zaak nu blijkt dat macht door bepaalde personen zo slecht is gebruikt. Het is nu tijd om een vitale minderheidskerk te worden.

Frank Bosman

Het is de opinie van prof. dr. Jozef Wissink, die daarmee een verwijzing maakt naar het rapport van de commissie-Deetman over het misbruik in rooms-katholieke instellingen. Wissink neemt per 1 februari afscheid als hoogleraar Praktische Theologie aan de Tilburg School of Theology. Daarom werd vrijdag in Tilburg een symposium gehouden onder de titel De toekomst van de katholieke kerk. Hoe die toekomst eruit ziet werd vanuit verschillende standpunten belicht.

Prominent spreker was bisschop Gerard de Korte: ,,Dat de Katholieke Kerk, of eigenlijk de christelijke kerken, in Nederland het zwaar heeft, dat weet iedereen. De kerk kampt met de gevolgen van globalisering, democratisering en individualisering.” Het is echter geen zaak zondebokken aan te wijzen, aldus de bisschop van Groningen-Leeuwarden, maar juist ,,om de kerk te vernieuwen”.

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NEDERLAND
NZG

HENGELO (Novum) – Op het plein voor de Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk in het Overijsselse Hengelo komt een monument voor slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik binnen de rooms-katholieke kerk. Het beeld wordt op tweede paasdag onthuld, zegt een woordvoerder van de parochie maandag.

Vorig jaar maakte de commissie-Deetman haar onderzoek naar seksueel misbruik in katholieke instellingen tussen 1945 een 1981 openbaar. Daaruit bleek dat er tussen de tien- en twintigduizend kinderen zijn misbruikt.

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NEDERLAND
Metro

Op het plein voor de Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk in het Overijsselse Hengelo komt een monument voor slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik binnen de rooms-katholieke kerk. Het beeld wordt op tweede paasdag onthuld, zegt een woordvoerder van de parochie maandag.

Vorig jaar maakte de commissie-Deetman haar onderzoek naar seksueel misbruik in katholieke instellingen tussen 1945 een 1981 openbaar. Daaruit bleek dat er tussen de tien- en twintigduizend kinderen zijn misbruikt.

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NEDERLAND
RTV Oost

Het monument voor slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik binnen de katholieke kerk, dat in Hengelo komt te staan, kan misschien een landelijk monument worden.

Dat zeggen vertegenwoordigers van de Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk. Binnen de parochie is het initiatief genomen voor een monument, dat op Tweede Paasdag wordt onthuld bij hun kerk. Het beeld, Madonna met daarvoor enkele kinderen, wordt gemaakt door kunstenaar Frans Houben uit Ootmarsum. Houben is zelf slachtoffer van seksueel misbruik en heeft onder meer een boek geschreven over zijn ervaringen.

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UTAH
The Salt Lake Tribune

By Lindsay Whitehurst

The Salt Lake Tribune
First published Jan 23 2012

A judge has granted a permanent restraining order barring polygamous sect leaders loyal to Warren Jeffs from a large school building used as a church by followers of a rival prophet.

In a hearing Monday, 3rd District Judge Denise Lindberg ordered the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints not to “interfere” or “harass” people using the Holm School Building. FLDS attorneys did not appear at the hearing.

The ruling comes after a high-tension December standoff over growing divisions in the community and control of the sect’s property trust, which was taken over by the state of Utah in 2005.

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UNITED STATES
The Tennessean

Written by
Bob Smietana
The Tennessean

Jesus has a message for America, say leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Let Warren Jeffs go.

That claim is made in published copies of the polygamist sect leader’s jailhouse revelations, being sold by his followers for $1 to $10. Jeffs’ followers are promoting the message through tens of thousands of dollars of paid ads placed in national and regional newspapers, including two in The Tennessean. Students of charismatic leaders like Jeffs said it’s not unusual for them to claim God will rescue them after they get in trouble with the law.

The ads claim that Jesus is coming back soon to judge America for its sins, including abortion and persecuting Jeffs, who is serving a life sentence plus 20 years in a Texas prison for sexually assaulting two young girls.

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ZIMBABWE
New Zimbabwe

by Tendai R. Mbofana and Tinta Mbofana

IS TODAY’S Christian church truly the body of Christ, which was established by the original apostles in the New Testament, or is merely a man-made establishment that has been founded on man-made rules seeking self- aggrandisement?

Are we truly making disciples of all nations and leading people to Christ and salvation, or are people being misled from one evil world into another?

Are churches obeying everything Christ commanded (Matthew 28:18-20), or have they become collection points for money, instead of predominantly teaching the gospel?

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UNITED STATES
The New York Times

By RONI CARYN RABIN

Published: January 23, 2012

Keith Smith was 14 when he was raped by a driver who picked him up after a hockey team meeting. He had hitchhiked home, which is why, for decades, he continued to blame himself for the assault.

When the driver barreled past Hartley’s Pork Pies on the outskirts of Providence, R.I., where Mr. Smith had asked to be dropped off, and then past a firehouse, he knew something was wrong.

“I tried to open the car door, but he had rigged the lock,” said Mr. Smith, of East Windsor, N.J., now 52. Still, he said, “I had no idea it was going to be a sexual assault.”

Even today, years after the disclosure of the still-unfolding child abuse scandal in the Catholic Church and the arrest of a former Pennsylvania State University assistant football coach accused of sexually abusing boys, rape is widely thought of as a crime against women.

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CANADA
The Chronicle-Herald

By AARON BESWICK Truro Bureau

PORT HAWKESBURY — If Dave Mantin gets your cell number, you’d better have a good service plan.

If he doesn’t have it yet and you are a possible tool in his campaign to haul sexual abusers to justice, he’ll have it soon.

And he will call you and call you and show up at your work­place and your house, if neces­sary.

“I used to be submissive and I’d get the run-around from people in authority, like other victims,” said Mantin. “No more.”

The maritime director of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) was in Port Hawkesbury on Monday meet­ing with victims of sexual abuse, as well as Mayor Billy Joe Mac-Lean, Cape Breton-Canso MP Rodger Cuzner and Richmond MLA Michel Samson.

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CANADA
Nunatsiaq News

Roman Catholic priest Father Eric Dejaeger, who faces nearly 40 charges, most of them related to the sexual molestation of children, made a brief appearance in the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit Jan. 23.

Prosecutor Scott Hughes said the Crown’s intention was to file an indictment against Dejaeger Jan. 23.

But he said his office is still waiting for some statement transcripts from the investigation and that they were not quite prepared to file.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Daily Mirror

by Paul Byrne, Daily Mirror 24/01/2012

A priest exploited his “revered and trusted” status to sexually abuse young boys, a court was told yesterday.

Alexander Bede Walsh, 58, allegedly attacked eight victims from 1975 to 1994.

Prosecutors claim he gave one of them a strong ­alcoholic cocktail, saying it was the “blood of Christ”, before abusing him.

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NEW MEXICO
The New York Times

By DENNIS HEVESI

Published: January 23, 2012

Archbishop Robert F. Sanchez, who as the nation’s first Hispanic archbishop fought discrimination within the Roman Catholic Church, but who resigned in 1993 while facing accusations that he had had sex with several women when they were teenagers, died on Friday in Albuquerque. He was 77.

The Archdiocese of Santa Fe, which he led for nearly two decades, said he died in a nursing home for Alzheimer’s patients.

Appointed by Pope Paul VI in 1974, Archbishop Sanchez was a descendant of the first Spanish settlers in New Mexico, the archdiocese said. …

Archbishop Sanchez resigned amid a rising tide of complaints about sexual abuse by priests around the country. He made the announcement in March 1993, two days before a “60 Minutes” report on CBS was to name three women who said he had had sex with them when they were teenagers, in the 1970s and early ’80s. He released a statement expressing regret for his actions, without specifying what they were.

Earlier that month, The Albuquerque Journal reported that the women had gone public after the archbishop told reporters that he could not remember complaints from parents about priests molesting their children. At the time, more than a dozen lawsuits were pending against the archdiocese alleging sexual abuse by priests.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Daily News

BY MENSAH M. DEAN
Philadelphia Daily News
deanm@phillynews.com 215-854-5949

JUST TWO altar boys are alleged to have been sexually assaulted by three Philadelphia Catholic priests who will stand trial in March with a church official accused of enabling the crimes by covering them up.

But the misdeeds of those priests and of Monsignor William Lynn ensnared a much larger pool of child victims, according to city prosecutors who spent much of yesterday trying to persuade a judge to let a jury hear about those incidents.

The “prior bad acts” hearing before Common Pleas Judge M. Teresa Sarmina is scheduled to resume this morning at the Criminal Justice Center.

Lynn, 61, a former top administrator for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, is charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Also to be tried are priest James Brennan, 48, charged with raping a 14-year-old boy in the summer of 1996 at his West Chester apartment while on leave from Springfield’s Cardinal O’Hara High School; priest Charles Engelhardt, 65, and defrocked priest Edward Avery, 69, both of whom are accused of raping a boy at St. Jerome Parish in the Northeast beginning in 1998, when the boy was 10.

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UNITED STATES
McDermott, Will & Emery

January 23, 2012
The provision of financial assistance to victims of clergy sexual abuse seeking to obtain mental health counseling and treatment may result in civil liability for religious and other organizations undertaking such aid if precautions are not observed. This newsletter highlights how Pennsylvania law has recently been applied and issues organizations in every state should consider before stepping into the role of Good Samaritans.

On September 29, 2011, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania issued a decision in Unglo v. Zubik, No. 1749 WDA 2010, 2011 PA Super 207 (Sup. Ct. PA Sept. 29, 2011), addressing the issue of whether a religious organization that gratuitously undertakes to provide financial assistance to a victim of clergy sexual abuse, and then unilaterally terminates that assistance is liable for damages incurred by the victim after the termination of the assistance. The court held that an entity that provides financial assistance is not obligated to continue that aid indefinitely. Rather, that assistance may be discontinued as long as the recipient is not left in a worse position than when the aid began. The Unglo case raises questions about the nature of so-called Good Samaritan laws and the liability implications for religious organizations that voluntarily undertake to provide financial assistance for mental health counseling and treatment to victims of clergy sexual abuse.

Factual Background

Michael Unglo was a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of a Catholic priest from 1982 to 1985, while he was a student at All Saints School and an altar boy at All Saints Church. In June 2008 Mr. Unglo attempted to take his life. In response to outreach by Mr. Unglo’s family in December 2008, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh committed to pay for counseling and treatment services for Mr. Unglo. This decision was based in large part on the fact that there was no question surrounding the credibility of Mr. Unglo’s allegations against the priest whom he named as his abuser. The priest was known to the diocese as a pedophile and had previously been convicted of molesting another boy. Despite the diocese’s commitment to Mr. Unglo’s treatment, he again attempted suicide in June 2009.

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Sentinel

CATHOLIC priest Alexander Bede Walsh befriended boys ‘in awe’ of his position before sexually abusing them in swimming pools and at their family homes, a court heard.

The 58-year-old, pictured right, is on trial accused of 27 counts of sexual abuse on eight boys over a 20-year period.

Some of the boys were as young as seven when the incidents allegedly took place between July 1974 and December 1994.

Walsh served as a priest in Cheadle for 14 years.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Coventry Telegraph

by Helen Thomas, Coventry Telegraph
Jan 24 2012

A FORMER Coventry priest has gone on trial accused of sexually abusing eight boys over a 20-year period.

Alexander Bede Walsh denies 23 counts of indecent assault, two counts of serious sexual assaults and two of gross indecency.

The alleged offences were committed against boys aged eight to 16 between 1975 and 1994, with most taking place in the 1980s.

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COLORADO
KJCT

Associated Press

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.– — A Colorado Springs priest has been placed on administrative leave amid allegations of sex abuse involving a child.

The Colorado Springs Archdiocese announced Monday that church officials placed Rev. Charles Robert Manning on administrative leave and called police following a Jan. 4 report of sex abuse allegations. Officials also suspended Manning’s duties as a priest. He was serving as pastor of St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church.

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MARYLAND
The Baltimore Sun

[letter to parishioners\

By Mary Gail Hare and Alison Knezevich, The Baltimore Sun

6:38 p.m. EST, January 23, 2012

The Archdiocese of Baltimore has launched its own investigation into a Towson priest arrested this month on charges of indecent exposure at an adult store.

Mark Stewart Bullock, 47, is scheduled for a March 6 court appearance in District Court in Harford County on misdemeanor charges that carry a maximum fine of $1,000 and three years in prison. Church officials have removed “all his faculties to function as a priest,” said Sean Caine, archdiocese spokesman.

“The archdiocese is doing its own investigation and will be speaking to anyone who might help us understand what is happening in his life,” Caine said. “We need to understand what circumstances led to this incident. In the meantime, he is not allowed to present himself as a priest.”

Those who attend the Immaculate Conception parish in Towson called Bullock — who had entered the priesthood when he was middle-aged — a thoughtful preacher with a beautiful singing voice. He had been serving as associate pastor.

Known as “Father Stew,” Bullock was ordained in 2006 with six others, the largest group of candidates in the past decade. He was 41, the oldest of the group, and had run a floral business before entering the seminary. His first assignment as an associate pastor was at St. John the Evangelist parish in Severna Park. He came to the Towson parish in July 2010.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
The Associated Press

By MARYCLAIRE DALE, Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Prosecutors on Monday accused the Archdiocese of Philadelphia of being an “unindicted co-conspirator” in a clergy sex abuse case and said the Roman Catholic Church fed predators a steady supply of children.

The comments came in a key hearing before the March trial of a high-ranking church official, a priest and a former priest.

Monsignor William Lynn, 61, is charged with conspiring with priests and church officials to keep priests accused of sex abuse in ministry and parishioners in the dark.

Common Pleas District Judge M. Teresa Sarmina must decide how much the jury will hear about the archdiocese’s overall handling of sex abuse complaints.

Lynn’s lawyer, Thomas Bergstrom, called it “nutty” and “dangerous” for prosecutors to bring in allegations that came before or after Lynn’s stint as secretary for clergy. Lynn served in that role from 1992 to 2004, most of it under retired Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, who’s now 88 and in failing health.

Assistant District Attorney Mark Cipolletti compared the accused priests to live bombs that Lynn left in a room without defusing.

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MISSOURI
Catholic Culture

January 23, 2012

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) has cooperated with plaintiffs’ lawyers in publicity campaigns against the Catholic Church, charges The Media Report.

In a Missouri case, the lawyers for an accused priest have persuaded the court to subpoena documents from SNAP and require testimony from the group’s executive director, David Clohessy. Documents filed by the accused priest’s lawyers show that public statements issued by SNAP show that the group had prior knowledge of the plaintiff lawyer’s plans. The court had forbidden lawyers from issuing their own public statements. The priest’s lawyers charged: “Plaintiff’s counsel, in violation of this court’s prior Order precluding extrajudicial statements, has assisted SNAP in issuing press releases that prejudice both Father Tierney and the Diocese.”

SNAP’s public statements showed an insider’s knowledge of the plaintiff lawyer’s plans, the court documents show. On one occasion SNAP issued a detailed press release about a lawsuit before the suit was filed.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
The Catholic League

The Philadelphia Archdiocese was named an “unindicted co-conspirator” today by prosecutors in a case involving clergy sexual abuse. At the pretrial hearing, Assistant District Attorney Mark Cipolletti made accusations against a defrocked priest, Edward Avery, and the archdiocese. Cipolletti said “the archdiocese was supplying him [Avery] with an endless amount of victims.” Msgr. William Lynn will also face trial in March. He is charged with covering up incidents of sexual abuse for the archdiocese.

[The article by John P. Martin of the Philadelphia Inquirer is the source of the remarks attributed to the parties in this dispute.]

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments as follows:

Attorney Thomas Bergstrom, who is representing Msgr. William Lynn, calls Assistant District Attorney Mark Cipolletti’s remarks “nutty.” He does so by citing the fact that all but one of the seven allegations made against Edward Avery were made after Lynn had left his post in the archdiocese where he was responsible for dealing with these cases. Bergstrom notes that the prosecutors are conceding this issue—they know that Lynn wasn’t aware of these cases—yet they continue to hammer away.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

Jan. 23, 2012

While evangelicals debate whether Mormons are Christian, Jesus Christ Himself apparently is speaking through a disgraced fundamentalist Mormon leader, or so he says.

Warren Jeffs, the imprisoned president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who’s been mailing bizarre prophesies to public officials and media in recent months (I got a few), is now taking out quarter-page ads touting a revelation from Jesus Christ in newspapers around the country — including Milwaukee. …

Jeffs is serving a life sentence in Texas for sexually assaulting two girls he married as “celestial brides” when they were 12 and 14. He’s retained leadership of the fundamentalist sect while in prison, excommunicating hundreds of “unworthy” members and passing on a litany of apocalyptic revelations, including a tsunami on the East Coast, earthquakes and volcanoes in Utah and Arizona, and the melting of Idaho into a sea of fire. Harsh.

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MARYLAND
The Catholic Review

By Matt Palmer
mpalmer@CatholicReview.org

Father Joseph Barr, pastor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Towson, confirmed in a Jan. 22 letter to parishioners that associate pastor Father Mark Stewart Bullock has been removed from ministry and will no longer reside at the parish rectory after being arrested Jan. 16 in Harford County.

According to public case information from the District Court of Maryland, 47-year-old Father Bullock was charged with indecent exposure stemming from a Jan. 16 incident.

Ordained by Cardinal William H. Keeler June 24, 2006 at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland, Father Bullock is a formal floral designer and was a lifelong parishioner of St. Clare in Essex.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
CBS Philly

By Tony Hanson

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Much of the case against five men (three priests, a monsignor and a lay teacher) in the priest sex abuse, but today KYW Newsradio got a remarkable look inside. The judge is considering whether to allow certain evidence that the prosecution wants to admit to present at trial.

The prosecution wants to present evidence of alleged prior bad acts by the defendants. In some cases, the acts go back decades and the allegations are stunning.

The prosecution has detailed evidence alleging defendant Edward Avery, who is charged with one count of rape, has sexually assaulted over a half dozen boys since the early 1970’s. And, prosecutors have presented evidence of countless inquiries, reports or notice to the archdiocese by victims, their family members, other parishioners, even clergy of alleged abuse or rumor of abuse.

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KANSAS CITY (MO)
National Catholic Reporter

Jan. 23, 2012
By Joshua J. McElwee

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Attorneys seeking the deposition of the director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) argued the group had colluded with an attorney representing an abuse victim in violation of a court gag order, and also worried that the advocacy group could be “routinely advising” victims to evade statutes of limitations, according to court filings.

The documents, dated Nov. 18 but first reported yesterday in a blog post by author Dave Pierre, relate to a county court case involving allegations of sexual misconduct against Kansas City diocesan priest Fr. Michael Tierney.

The case made headlines earlier this month when it became the first where lawyers sought the deposition of a SNAP leader, and requested that the organization hand over some 23 years of internal records, correspondence and email.

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CONNECTICUT
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A veteran special agent assigned to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in New Haven was honored today by U.S. Attorney David B. Fein, District of Connecticut. Special Agent Rod Khattabi received the U.S. Attorney’s Award for Exceptional Contributions to Law Enforcement, in recognition of his leadership to protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.

“Throughout his law enforcement career, Rod has exhibited courage, passion and persistence,” said U.S. Attorney Fein. “With his strength of character, determination and humanity, he has given voice and brought justice to those who are among the weakest and most vulnerable members of any society. Because of his work, children are safer in our country and in other countries, and many individuals who have preyed upon the most innocent among us have been brought to justice.”

“All of us at ICE HSI are proud of the professionalism and unselfish dedication Special Agent Khattabi has given to protecting our children – both at home and abroad,” said Bruce M. Foucart, special agent in charge of ICE HSI in Boston. “My office prioritizes child exploitation cases with a firm commitment to provide the highest level of investigative support necessary to successfully prosecute them. The efforts of Special Agent Khattabi exemplifies the unwavering determination to bring these cases to justice.”

In 2006, Khattabi began working on child exploitation cases in Connecticut, an enforcement area he continues to focus on. Over the last few years, his cases have involved the trafficking and sexual abuse of a four-year-old girl in rural Nicaragua, of over 20 street children in Cap Haitien, Haiti, and several girls as young as three at an AIDS center in South Africa. In each case, Khattabi led a team into the country where the abuse occurred and faced – and overcame – seemingly insurmountable challenges. Khattabi and his team navigated through complicated logistics and issues involving international law and statesmanship to gather evidence that could be utilized in U.S. federal court and to locate and conduct child forensic interviews of oftentimes homeless children who live in poverty-stricken conditions.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Rutland & Stamford Mercury

Published on Monday 23 January 2012

A priest from Staffordshire perpetrated a catalogue of sexual abuse against young boys who were in awe of his “revered and trusted” status within the community, a court has heard.

Jurors at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court were told that Alexander Bede Walsh abused eight boys while working at Roman Catholic establishments in Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Coventry between 1975 and 1994.

Walsh, of Church Lane, Abbots Bromley, near Rugeley, Staffordshire, denies a total of 27 offences of indecency, buggery and indecent assault.

Opening the case against the 58-year-old, prosecutor Robert Price alleged that one of the victims was abused after being plied with alcohol during what purported to be a private communion ceremony.

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CANADA
CBC News

A man who faces more than 30 sex-related charges stemming from his time as a priest in Igloolik, Nunavut, appeared briefly in an Iqaluit courtroom Monday morning.

Dejaeger was to be arraigned Monday on the new charges against him but Crown prosecutors asked the court for more time. They said they want to continue collecting statements before filing an indictment.

Dejaeger will appear in court again on Feb. 6.

The charges against Erik Jose Dejaeger, 64, deal with incidents that allegedly happened when he was a Roman Catholic priest in Igloolik between 1978 and1982.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Newsday

Published: January 23, 2012 1:56 PM
By The Associated Press MARYCLAIRE DALE

PHILADELPHIA – (AP) — Prosecutors are calling the Archdiocese of Philadelphia an “unindicted co-conspirator” in a clergy sex abuse case — and say the Catholic Church fed predators a steady supply of children.

The comment comes in a key pretrial hearing Monday before the March trial of a high-ranking church official, a priest and an ex-priest.

Monsignor William Lynn is charged with conspiring with priests and church officials to keep accused priests in ministry and parishioners in the dark.

To prove a conspiracy, prosecutors want to tell jurors about dozens of priests accused in a 2005 grand jury report. No charges were filed.

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MARYLAND
Newser

By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 23, 2012

(Newser) – Father Mark Stewart Bullock went from priest at the Church of the Immaculate Conception to creepy guy standing around pants-less in a porn shop, Baltimore cops say. Police say they responded to complaints of indecent exposure and found Bullock, nude from the waist down, inside a movie theater at the store. He has since been removed from duty at his church, the Sun reports.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

By John P. Martin
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

A prosecutor on Monday described in graphic detail how a former Archdiocese of Philadelphia priest allegedly molested seven altar boys and was shuffled from parish to parish for two decades before being removed from ministry.

When the former Rev. Edward Avery was rebuffed by one of the boys he allegedly assaulted in the late 1990s, he didn’t pursue the boy “because the archdiocese was supplying him with an endless amount of victims,” assistant District Attorney Mark Cipolletti said. Avery was finally defrocked in 2006.

The account marked the opening salvo in a critical pretrial hearing for Avery, two current priests accused of child-sex abuse and Msgr. William Lynn, the former ranking church official charged with covering up or enabling their attacks. The four men face a trial in March. All have pleaded not guilty.

Monday’s daylong hearing focuses on an issue both sides say could shape the case like no other: Prosecutors want Common Pleas Court Judge M. Teresa Sarmina to let them introduce evidence of dozens of attacks over the decades by other archdiocesan priests or former priests who haven’t been charged in the case. They planned to spend hours recounting for the judge details of abusive priests across the region and how Lynn and other church officials handled the allegations against them.

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CHICAGO (IL)
WBBM

[with audio]

CHICAGO (CBS) — Members of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests were handing out leaflets outside Holy Name Cathedral on Sunday.

As WBBM Newsradio’s Dave Marsett reports, the group is upset because the Rev. George Klein, 78, celebrated mass on Jan. 1 at St. Philip the Apostle Roman Catholic Church, at 1962 Old Willow Rd. in Northfield.

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

UNITED STATES
Digital Journal

By Nancy Houser
Jan 23, 2012

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput has been ordered to close a massive numbers of Catholic schools, privately recommended to him against his wishes. But Philadelphia is just one city that is being forced to close Catholic schools for many reasons.

As head of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for only three months, Archbishop Chaput had requested permission from the priest’s council to put off the large number of Catholic school closings that had been assigned to him.

“So I took the question to the priests’ council,” Chaput said in an interview after Friday’s news conference that unveiled the closings, “and I asked them if we should postpone it for a year.” His advisory body of senior priests answered no, Chaput said. “They told me, ‘Don’t postpone. We have to do this now.’ So I’m taking the advice of the priests’ council,” reported Philly.com.

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.

MONTANA
Indian Country Today Media Network

By Heather Steinberger
January 23, 2012

A law firm based in Yakima, Washington, has filed a 12-page legal complaint in Montana’s Eighth Judicial District Court on behalf of a Northern Cheyenne tribal member who is seeking justice for years of sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of a priest. This tribal member, now in her 60s, claims the abuse occurred from the mid-1950s to the early 1960s at St. Labre Indian School in Ashland, Montana.

This in itself might not be exceptionally newsworthy in an era where headlines frequently blare abuse allegations against priests, teachers, employers and sports coaches. But this case is different; the accused priest, Fr. Emmett Hoffmann, is a legendary figure on the 444,000-acre Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, located in remote southeastern Montana.

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AUSTRIA
Austrian Independent

A parish priest who encouraged clergymen to be “disobedient” towards the Vatican plans to go international.

Helmut Schüller of the Preachers’ Initiative said yesterday (Sun) that “2012 will be the year of internationalisation”. Schüller – who previously headed Caritas Austria – said the Austrian Roman Catholic Church should “finally take members seriously”.

Schüller criticised the Vatican due to its conservative approach towards key topics of the 21st century and said the institution resembled an “absolutist monarchy”. The head of the parish of Probstdorf in the province of Lower Austria stressed that his initiative “receives a lot of approval from Catholic reform movements all over the world.”

Schüller claimed some weeks ago that the Preachers’ Initiative currently consisted of 370 members. He said yesterday there were no plans for further talks with the highest representative of the Roman Catholic Church of Austria, Viennese Archbishop Christoph Cardinal Schönborn. The archbishop condemned the word disobedience as a “term of fight” last month. Schönborn said it was “burdened with a negative connotation”.

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.

IRELAND
Irish Examiner

By Seán McCárthaigh

Monday, January 23, 2012

The European Court of Human Rights has awarded damages of €8,500 to a Dublin priest who was acquitted in 2010 of charges of sexually assaulting a teenager after it ruled his human rights had been violated by the excessive length in bringing the case to trial.

The ECHR has ordered the Government to pay the damages to Fr Maeliosa Ó Haullacháin after his legal team successfully argued that the 13 years and seven months taken to conclude proceedings against him represented a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Fr O Haullacháin sought damages of €100,000 from the state and €48,000 in legal fees.

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

UNITED KINGDOM
This is Staffordshire

Former Roman Catholic priest Alexander Bede Walsh is set to go on trial today after denying sexually assaulting seven boys over a 20-year period.

The 57-year-old has previously entered not guilty pleas to all 25 charges put to him.

He denied 23 charges of indecently assaulting a male and two further charges of sexual assault.

It is alleged he indecently assaulted boys aged between seven and 16 on dates between July 1974 and December 1994.

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MARYLAND
WBAL

Monday, January 23, 2012
Phil Yacuboski

[letter to parishioners]

A Catholic priest serving at a church in Towson has been relieved from his duties after being arrested and charged with indecent exposure and disorderly conduct while inside of an adult book store and movie theater.

While investigating complaints of illegal activity at the Bush River Adult Book Store and Movie Theater, Harford County Sheriff’s Deputies found Father Mark Stewart Bullock naked from the waist down.

Police make the discovery on January 16, just before midnight.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
The Republic

MARYCLAIRE DALE Associated Press
First Posted: January 23, 2012

PHILADELPHIA — Monday could prove a key day in court for a Philadelphia monsignor charged with endangering children by transferring predator priests

Monsignor William Lynn will ask a judge to limit testimony at the March trial to evidence about his three co-defendants — two priests and a former teacher charged with raping the same boy.

Prosecutors want to include accusations made against many other priests to show Lynn routinely kept child molesters on the job.

The 61-year-old Lynn is the first U.S. church official ever charged criminally for his administrative actions. He faces more than a decade in prison if convicted.

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

NEW MEXICO
KRQE

[with video]

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – It was a legacy riddled with corruption.

Now an advocacy group hopes the death of former New Mexico Archbishop Robert Sanchez will provide healing for those still living with hidden secrets.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests or SNAP hopes recent media coverage of the archbishop’s death will give victims abused by priests under his watch the courage to come forward.

“I’ve spoken to hundreds of victims, and what they tell me is it’s like living their abuse all over again,” said Mike Knellinger New Mexico’s SNAP leader. “The ones that haven’t come to terms with it and come forward to confront it, are the ones that have a particularly difficult problem. ”

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CHILE
La Nacion

Consciente y estabilizado se encuentra el ex párroco de la iglesia de El Bosque, Fernando Karadima, en el Hospital Clínico de la Universidad Católica, lugar donde está internado desde el sábado pasado.

La información fue entregada por el departamento de comunicaciones de dicho recinto asistencial.

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CHILE
La Segunda

El ex sacerdote de El Bosque, Fernando Karadima, se encuentra estable y consciente, luego que sufriera una descompensación producto de la diabetes que padece.

El ex párroco, quien fue condenado por abuso de menores por el Vaticano y la Justicia, ingresó la noche del sábado al Hospital Clínico de la Universidad Católica tras presentar un “shock glicémico”.

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.

MISSOURI
Bilgrimage

William D. Lindsey

The SNAP website has a good media statement from last week addressing the unprecedented demand in two Missouri cities, Kansas City and St. Louis, that SNAP open its files to the scrutiny of lawyers hired by Catholic officials to defend priests accused of sex crimes with minors. As the press release notes, a judge has just unsealed the six-hour deposition that David Clohessy of SNAP was required to make in Kansas City recently, and it will be uploaded to the SNAP site when it’s available.

The media statement also notes that the demands for disclosure being made in both Kansas City and St. Louis are sweeping, and represent an entirely new tactic in the Catholic hierarchy’s battle to defend priests accused of sex crimes against children. SNAP is not involved in either of the suits in which these demands are being made, and Catholic officials are demanding access to private communications involving thousands of individuals who have never met either of the parties in the two lawsuits for which disclosure is being demanded, and who have nothing at all to do with either case.

SNAP’s conclusion about what’s going on (and this conclusion is echoed in the National Catholic Reporter editorial supporting SNAP to which the second link above points):

It’s a cynical, shrewd legal maneuver to deter victims, witnesses, whistleblowers, police, prosecutors, journalists and others from exposing predators, protecting kids and seeking help from SNAP.

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UNITED STATES
PR.com

Roswell, NM, January 22, 2012 –(PR.com)– Three important books from psychologist Dr. Lynn Daugherty, including her award-winning bestseller, “Why Me? Help for Victims of Child Sexual Abuse (Even if they are adults now),” are now published as ebooks by Cleanan Press, Inc. on iTunes. This self-help book, and her other two ebooks, “Child Molesters, Child Rapists, and Child Sexual Abuse” and “Child Molestation Stories: Voices of Survivors,” have been available for Kindle (readable on Mac, PC, Android, Blackberry, etc) for over a year, where they remain consistently near the top of several bestseller lists. All are also available on NOOK and Kobo.

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ALABAMA
The Birmingham News

By Carol Robinson — The Birmingham News

Jason Lee wakes up every day and has to remind himself that he is worth something.

The 36-year-old former Homewood resident constantly measures himself against those around him and, in his own mind, always comes up short.

“I feel,” Lee said, “like I am less than.”

This is no pity party. It’s his way of life — a tragic mindset instilled in the throes of adolescence when, in the wake of his parents’ divorce, someone he looked up to as a father figure took his complete trust and twisted it into tragedy.

“The bottom line is,” he said, “I was just a kid and he used me as a sex toy.”

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ZIMBABWE
TrustLaw

BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE – Dorcas Mbvuto, 32, was raped by a spiritual leader in her church in April 2010 on the outskirts of Queens Park West, a Bulawayo suburb. Three months later, the quiet woman was shocked when she discovered that she was pregnant with his baby, says one of her sisters, who declined to be named.

Mbvuto is a member of the African Apostolic Church, commonly known in Zimbabwe as “Mapositori,” which means “apostles” in the local Shona language. One day, she requested a prayer from her church prophet, a spiritual leader believed to possess the powers to heal the sick and break evil charms and spirits. He told the tall and slim Mbvuto to come to the shrine late in the evening for the prayer.

During the prayer session, the prophet ordered her to take off her clothes so that he could cleanse her of the “evil spirits” that he had divined were the source of her problems, her sister says. The prophet then raped her.

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MISSOURI
TheMediaReport

Dave Pierre

Newly released court documents in Missouri have exposed an alarming practice by which the advocacy group SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), abuse attorneys, and the media conspire against the Catholic Church.

These documents reveal that plaintiff attorneys have utilized SNAP to issue press releases about lawsuits that have yet to be publicly filed in court.

Defense attorneys for an accused Kansas City priest have chronicled an eye-opening series of events from last October. Please take note of the times:

October 20, 2011, 8:14 a.m.: SNAP issues a press release announcing a lawsuit against a priest and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. The press release stamps the accused cleric as a “predator priest who still walks free now.” The release lists David Clohessy, SNAP’s national director, as the contact person, and it provides his email address and cell phone number.

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.

COLORADO SPRINGS (CO)
KRDO

[with video]

LINDSAY WATTS
KRDO NewsChannel 13
Twitter: @LindsayAWatts

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The head pastor at St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church is on leave as police investigate an allegation of child sex abuse.

The church announced in all of it’s weekend services that Rev. Charles Robert Manning was accused of sexually abusing a minor. Father Rafael Torres-Rico told KRDO Newschannel 13 that the allegation was promptly reported to Colorado Springs Police after it was reported on January 4, and Manning was asked to “step back from the ministry.”

“It’s important to remember that in civil law and canon law that Manning is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” said Torres-Rico, in his statement to the congregation.

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COLORADO SPRINGS (CO)
Colorado Connection

by Rachel Welte

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. — The Diocese of Colorado Springs has placed one of its priests on administrative leave, after it received an allegation of possible sexual abuse of a minor.

According to a statement released by the diocese Sunday, officials there received the allegation on Jan. 4, and immediately reported the matter to the Colorado Springs Police Department.

The statement said Fr. Robert Manning, a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Louis who was serving as the pastor of St. Gabriel Church in Colorado Springs, was promptly placed on leave.

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.

IRELAND
Irish Independent

By Lynne Kelleher

Monday January 23 2012

A MISSIONARY priest who has saved hundreds of children from a life of sexual abuse has described celibacy in the Catholic Church as a “business arrangement” that will soon be a thing of the past.

Fr Shay Cullen has earned three Nobel Peace Prize nominations during his 40 years fighting to save small children from paedophiles on the streets of the city Olongapo in the Philippines.

“Celibacy is only a practice mostly to keep property out of the hands of married couples,” he said. “It’s more sort of a business type of arrangement.

“All of the other Christian churches manage very well and many Anglicans who were married and had family and children and came over to the Catholics and were warmly accepted.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
KMOV

The Survivors Network of those abused by priests says Father C. Robert Manning, who worked at St. Lawrence the Martyr in Bridgeton and St. John’s in Imperial, has been charged with sexually abusing a child in Colorado.

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.

COLORADO SPRINGS (CO)
KKTV

[with video]

Parishioners in Colorado Springs were stunned to learn about a sex allegation against their priest, an accusation reportedly involves a minor.

The accused is a priest at St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church, near Research and Powers. Father Robert Manning has been temporarily suspended from his duties as a priest while the investigation is underway.

The diocese says the allegation surfaced earlier this month. Officials say they immediately reported it to police. Church members got the news at mass over the weekend, and many were very surprised to hear about the allegation of sexual abuse of a child.

“If you met Father Manning–you think no way, it’s not possible,” parishioner Craig Simonsgaard.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Staffordshire Newsletter

A CATHOLIC priest accused of sexually abusing young boys in Staffordshire is set to go on trial today.

Alexander Bede Walsh – who has pleaded not guilty to 23 indecent assaults and two serious sexual assaults – will appear at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

The 57-year-old was arrested following a lengthy investigation by detectives and the Crown Prosecution Service into his work at a North Staffordshire church.

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IRELAND
Irish Central

By
PATRICK COUNIHAN,
IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Monday, January 23, 2012

A leading missionary priest has claimed that celibacy will soon be a thing of the past – and described it as a ‘business arrangement’ for the Catholic Church.

Fr Shay Cullen has earned three Nobel Peace Prize nominations for his work saving hundreds of children from a life of sexual abuse in the Philippines.

For the past 40 years he has worked with the children in a Filipino city of Olongapo.

Speaking to legendary Irish broadcaster Gay Byrne on state television station RTE, Fr Cullen predicted celibacy will soon be outdated.

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.

IRELAND
The Journal

AN IRISH PRIEST whose trial for alleged sexual abuse crimes took over 13 years to come to completion has won €8,500 in damages at the European Court of Human Rights.

The priest, named only as ‘O’ in the proceedings, was accused of abusing a teenager in the early 1980s. The allegations were made in the mid-1990s, and charges were brought against him at a District Court in June 1997.

The case was then transferred to a Circuit Criminal Court, where in 1998 the trial was adjourned amid complaints of a conflict of interest by the trial judge, and a delay in releasing psychiatrist’s records relating to the priest’s alleged victim.

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ALABASTER (AL)
The Birmingham News

By William Thornton — The Birmingham News

ALABASTER, Alabama — About 100 people are attending a forum on child safety at Alabaster’s Westwood Baptist Church this afternoon.

Several panelists spoke to attendees about signs to look for to spot child predators, how to talk to children about abuse and recognizing signs of abuse.

Daniel M. Acker Jr., suspected of multiple counts of child sex abuse, served as Westwood’s youth minister from 1990 to 1994. None of the cases Acker has been charged with involved Westwood.

Russell Bedsole, with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, said child predators can come from every social class or income, and cases go vastly unreported. He said parents need to spend time with their children and ask questions.

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ALABASTER (AL)
The Republic

Associated Press
First Posted: January 22, 2012

ALABASTER, Ala. — More than 150 people attended a forum Sunday at an Alabama church to discuss a former teacher who’s accused of abusing students.

The gathering took place in the 800-seat worship center at Westwood Baptist Church in Alabaster. The meeting was meant to provide a public forum to both answer questions about molestation and help the community cope with the allegations.

Danny Acker, who’s charged with molesting four female students during his 25-year career as a fourth-grade teacher, also served as a youth pastor at the church.

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ILLINOIS
Chicago Tribune

By Manya A. Brachear, Chicago Tribune reporter

6:49 p.m. CST, January 22, 2012

A retired priest has been reminded that he is restricted from public ministry at a Northfield parish until the Archdiocese of Chicago can substantiate an allegation of sexual misconduct dating to the 1970s.

The Rev. George Klein, the retired priest in residence at St. Philip the Apostle Roman Catholic Church, has been restricted since the summer, pending the investigation of a complaint that he acted inappropriately with a young woman more than 40 years ago when he was principal of St. Benedict High School on Chicago’s North Side.

Klein, 78, now lives in the rectory of St. Philip the Apostle. The archdiocese said the priest mistakenly thought his restrictions had ended and celebrated Mass on Jan. 1, but he has been corrected.

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ISRAEL
Haaretz

By Oz Rosenberg

Rabbi Mordechai Elon conceded Sunday that he might have indeed kissed and hugged two of his students – both of them minors – but denied doing so for sexual pleasure, but rather as a way to console and encourage the students.

Lawyers for Elon, one of the leaders of religious Zionism, told the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court that it was his habit to hug his students, as part of his educational methods. Elon was not present at court.

Elon is charged with sexually abusing two students. A 17-year-old student at the time claimed that during a private consultation Elon put his foot between the student’s legs, seated him on his knees, hugged him, patted his stomach and knees and kissed his face. The student claimed Elon repeated the actions twice, after summoning the student.

Another student, also aged 17 at the time, complained that on two different occasions Elon hugged him, made him lie face-down, caressed and kissed him. Both students claimed that Elon recited the Priestly Blessing after his acts.

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MARYLAND
ABC 2

ABINGDON, Md. –

A priest at a Towson Catholic church has been charged with indecent exposure for exposing himself at a Harford County porn shop.

According to a police report, Mark Stewart Bullock, an associate pastor at Immaculate Conception Church, was arrested on January 16 th at the Bush River Book Store in Abingdon on charges of indecent exposure and disorderly conduct.

A police spokesperson said that at around 11:40 p.m. deputies found Bullock in a theater at the back of the store sitting on a couch with no underwear on and his pants down. Police said he was sitting in an area where the public could see him. Bullock was advised to get dressed and was arrested for indecent exposure and disorderly conduct.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
KMOV

(KMOV) – The Survivors Network of those abused by priests says Father C. Robert Manning, who worked at St. Lawrence the Martyr in Bridgeton and St. John’s in Imperial, has been charged with sexually abusing a child in Colorado.

The Colorado Springs Gazette is reporting the allegations were brought to police at the beginning of the month.

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PENNSYLVANIA
CNBC

Penn State’s Joe Paterno, who became the winningest coach in big-time college football but saw his legacy tarnished by a child sex abuse scandal, died on Sunday at age 85.

Here are some reactions to Paterno’s death: …

MARCI HAMILTON, LAWYER FOR AN ALLEGED SANDUSKY
VICTIM IN A CIVIL CASE

“I honestly don’t think it (Paterno’s death) will have much impact on the civil or criminal cases.”

“So few people have ever talked with a child who has been sexually abused, they just don’t connect with the depth of the suffering.”

PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR TIM CORBETT:

“His legacy as the winningest coach in major college football and his generosity to Penn State as an institution and to his players, stand as monuments to his life.”

DAVID CLOHESSY, DIRECTOR OF SURVIVORS NETWORK OF
THOSE ABUSED BY PRIESTS, A SUPPORT GROUP:

“I hope … the controversy surrounding Sandusky will deter other people, especially powerful people, from covering up child sex crimes. Frankly, we believe that . even decades of professional achievement should not obscure dreadfully reckless and callous inaction that results in child sex crimes.”

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CHICAGO (IL)
WLS

Demonstrators gathered outside Holy Name Cathedral Sunday while mass was being held, protesting the archdiocese and its handling of a priest accused of abuse.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests wants Cardinal George to take more forceful action against Father George Klein.

In a letter, church officials say they’ve determined Klein’s conduct with a girl in the 1970’s was inappropriate but did not constitute sexual abuse of a minor.

SNAP leaders say the church is splitting hairs.

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TOWSON (MD)
Washington Post

By Associated Press, Updated: Sunday, January 22

TOWSON, Md. — A Catholic priest has been removed from duty at a Baltimore County church after being arrested on indecent exposure charges at an adult book store.

The Baltimore Sun reports ((http://bsun.md/zVsqHo) ) that Harford County sheriff’s deputies investigating complaints of indecent exposure at Bush River Books & Movies in Abingdon on Jan. 16, found 47-year-old Mark Stewart Bullock nude from the waist down in a shop movie theater where customers could see him.

Bullock was charged with indecent exposure, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum fine of $1,000 and three years in prison.

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MARYLAND
The Baltimore Sun

By Tricia Bishop, The Baltimore Sun

3:34 p.m. EST, January 22, 2012

A Towson priest has been removed from duty at the Church of the Immaculate Conception after being arrested last week on indecent exposure charges.

According to a police report of the incident, Mark Stewart Bullock, 47, was at Bush River Books & Movies, an Abingdon adult store on the 3900 block of Pulaski Highway, the night of Jan. 16, when two deputies, investigating complaints of indecent exposure, discovered him nude from the waist down in a movie theater inside the shop.

Bullock was sitting on a couch with “his pants completely off,” stated the report, which went on to state that “Bullock was not wearing any underwear and [was] exposing his penis.” He was sitting in a public area where store customers could see him, sheriff’s deputies said.

The deputies instructed Bullock to get dressed and charged him with indecent exposure, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum fine of $1,000 and three years in prison, police said.

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

NEW MEXICO
Renegade Catholic

Voice from the Desert

Jay Nelson

The tenth Archbishop of Santa Fe, the Most Reverend Robert Fortune Sanchez, who resigned in disgrace for gross mishandling of clergy abuse among his priests while taking sexual advantage of a number of young women, has died. And so, we are led to believe, ends the crisis here.

The crisis, maybe, but not the mystery. One of his close associates, Fr. Arthur J. Perrault, a notorious perpetrator that Sanchez covered up for and gave repeated “second chances” to, fled just before being publicly accused and his location is still unknown. Sanchez’ own 760-page deposition under oath, taken over four days, has still not been fully released, even after lawsuits by news media. Why? What secrets still lurk?

What has been revealed indicates that as a shepherd of his flock, the archbishop knew little and cared less. The beloved and charismatic leader admitted under oath that he asked no questions, launched no investigations, never looked in anyone’s personnel files, and never once tried to minister to victims, victims’ families, or parishes where accused priests had been removed. The single time he ever spoke to civil authorities was once when they called him: he simply felt he had no responsibility whatsoever to report anything to anyone.

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BELGIE
RKnieuws

BRUSSEL (RKnieuws.net) – Volgens de franstalige Brusselse krant Le Soir wil de Brusselse onderzoeksrechter Wim De Troy (foto), die van de week een reeks huiszoekingen liet uitvoeren in de bisschopshuizen van alle Belgische bisdommen in het kader van zijn onderzoek naar pedofiele misdrijven door leden van de geestelijkheid, bewijzen dat de Kerk een criminele organisatie is.

De Brusselse krant stelt in een artikel op haar voorpagina dat de onderzoeksrechter nagaat of de katholieke Kerk een weloverwogen doofpotpolitiek heeft gevoerd in verband met seksueel misbruik door geestelijken. In dat geval kan zij vervolgd worden als een criminele organisatie.

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NEDERLAND
Tubantia

Volg @tctachterhoek op twitter

BORCULO – Er zijn zeker 31 afzonderlijke gevallen bekend van seksueel misbruik op de voormalige Leo-Stichting en de bijbehorende tuinbouwschool.

Dat blijkt uit het meer dan achthonderd pagina’s tellende rapport van de commissie Deetman. Een onderzoek dat in opdracht van de rooms-katholieke kerk is uitgevoerd. Op de acht vestigingen van de fraters van Utrecht neemt de Leo-Stichting de helft van alle cases (in totaal 62) van seksueel misbruik voor zijn rekening.

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NEDERLAND
CDA

Deze week hield de Tweede Kamer, naar aanleiding van het rapport van de Commissie Deetman over seksueel misbruik door de Katholieke Kerk, een hoorzitting. Daarbij kwamen, naast de heer Deetman zelf, ook de slachtoffers en vertegenwoordigers van de Katholieke Kerk aan het woord, alsmede het Openbaar Ministerie en de Stichting die nu de klachten behandelt en schadevergoeding toekent. Namens het CDA woonde Madeleine van Toorenburg deze bijeenkomst bij. Van Toorenburg vond het een indrukwekkende bijeenkomst: ‘Het is belangrijk geweest dat wij, na het verschijnen van het eindrapport, hierover nu zelf, in de Tweede Kamer, de slachtoffers hebben kunnen horen. De Kerk heeft aangegeven dat zij de verplichting voelt om de slachtoffers te helpen en wij zullen haar aan die afspraak houden.’

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BELGIE/NEDERLAND
Kerknet

Rik Torfs, de Vlaamse hoogleraar kerkelijk recht en senator voor het CD&V (de Vlaamse evenknie van het CDA) verwijt premier Rutte een “gebrek aan morele moed”. In het programma Gesprek op 2 zegt Torfs tegen Paul Rosenmöller ‘geschokt’ te zijn over de reactie van premier Rutte op het rapport Deetman over seksueel misbruik binnen de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk.

Onmiddellijk na het uitkomen van dat rapport pleitte Rutte voor het oprekken van de verjaringstermijn van seksueel misbruik, om daders alsnog te kunnen straffen. Torfs: “Dan denk ik: het is toch wel flinterdun, die bescherming van de rechtsstaat. Hij had moeten zeggen: verjaard is verjaard en er is een verschil tussen recht en moraal. Je kunt die verjaring verlengen, maar niet met terugwerkende kracht. Politici zouden leiders moeten zijn. Ze hadden dan misschien minder stemmen, maar het is uiteindelijk wel hun taak om mensen tegen te spreken.”

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NEDERLAND
RKnieuws

TILBURG (RKnieuws.net) – De Kerk moet helder en hartelijk zijn. Dat heeft mgr. Gerard de Korte vandaag gezegd op een symposium bij het afscheid van prof. Wissink van de Uvt.

Het christendom, en meer bijzonder het rooms- katholicisme, heeft het in ons land niet gemakkelijk. Bijna alle kerkelijke gemeenschappen hebben in snel tempo te maken met een flinke en voortgaande krimp. Families, vaak al eeuwen kerkelijk, moeten constateren dat de overdracht faalt. Alleen evangelische gemeenten lijken tot groei in staat. Maar bij nadere beschouwing gaat het hier vaak om een “recycling of the saints”, een overgang van de ene naar andere christelijke gemeenschap.

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NEDERLAND
Nieuwsbank

Paul Rosenmöller praat met de Vlaamse hoogleraar kerkelijk recht Rik Torfs over het seksueel misbruik in de kerk. Torfs brengt de aandacht voor het misbruik in verband met het hedendaagse ‘slachtofferdenken.’ Wat heeft het populisme met die toenemende aandacht voor het slachtoffer te maken? En komt het misbruik door het celibaat of speelt er (nog) iets anders? Rik Torfs is ook een bekend mediafiguur in België.

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BELGIE
Vandaag

Op maandag 30 januari treedt de nieuwe wet op seksueel misbruik in werking. Deze wet is het eerste resultaat van de Kamercommissie Seksueel Misbruik in de Kerk, die pedofilie in de Kerk bestudeerde. De wet staat vandaag in het staatsblad.

Wat zegt die wet?

* De verjaringstermijn om klacht in te dienen voor seksueel misbruik van minderjarigen gaat van 10 naar 15 jaar. De termijn start pas als het slachtoffer 18 jaar wordt. Dat betekent dat de dader nog tot 30 jaar nadat zijn slachtoffer 18 werd voor de strafrechter kan komen.

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AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

Aja Styles
January 19, 2012

The leader of a now-defunct Perth Christian group has been charged with groping the breasts of five women who were among his congregation that he led for 30 years.

Sex assault squad detectives charged Kevin Gerard Byrne Horgan, 68, of Mt Lawley, with seven counts of indecent assault.

Police will allege that while Mr Horgan was the leader of the Bethel Convenant Community in West Leederville from 1979 to 2008, he indecently assaulted five women.

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AUSTRALIA
The West Australian

SEAN COWAN, The West Australian
Updated January 19, 2012

The leader of a Perth Christian group with strong links to the Catholic Church has been charged with molesting several female members of his flock.

After a four-year campaign by the alleged victims, police from the sex assault squad issued a summons to Kevin Gerard Byrne Horgan yesterday and he is expected to appear in Perth Magistrate’s Court next month.

It will be alleged the offences occurred when Mr Horgan, 68, was the leader of the Bethel Covenant Community, which closed in 2008 after several women started an internal revolt against him.

At the time, _The West Australian’s _ exclusive reports revealed the complaints about Mr Horgan dated back to the 1990s and were detailed in reports prepared by senior Bethel members.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Sunday Mercury

Jan 22 2012 by Jonny Greatrex, Sunday Mercury

A GRANDAD who was abused by a paedophile priest when he was a child has told how he gained the courage to give evidence against his abuser at court.

Geoff Smith was targeted by evil James Robinson when the convicted cleric was living in Walsall in the 1960s.

Geoff, aged 61, kept the abuse he suffered secret for 50 years.

He broke his silence after reading newspaper reports that Robinson had been extradited from the US to finally face the child sex charges against him in August 2009.

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PENNSYLVANIA
WPVI

[with video]

PLYMOUTH TWP., Pa. – January 12, 2012 (WPVI) — A Montgomery County middle school teacher has been charged with inappropriately touching a number of former students.

Colonial Middle School teacher William Schellinger, 41, of Gilbertsville, is facing a number of charges including indecent assault and corruption of minors. …

During the investigation, police say they also uncovered similar incidents while Schellinger as a teacher at Father Judge High School in Philadelphia before he came to Colonial Middle School.

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ISRAEL
Haaretz

By Oz Rosenberg

Prominent Rabbi Mordechai ‘Moti’ Elon denied on Sunday the charges against him that he sexually abused two male students.

Elon, until recently considered one of the spiritual leaders of religious Zionism, is the former head of Yeshivat HaKotel in Jerusalem, went on trial at Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court in December last year on charges of forcible sexual assault against the two students, who had sought his emotional support.

Responding to the indictment against him, which details the charges of sexual assault against a 17-year-old male, identified as A., and another 17-year-old male identified as B, Elon said that his contact with the students was not sexual in nature.

According to Elon’s lawyer, meetings with A. and B. did not take place in the way that is presented by the prosecution.

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ISRAEL
YNet News

In response to charges of indecent acts against minors, prominent Religious Zionism rabbi tells court he has behaved similarly with all those who sought his ‘advice, encouragement’ over the years

Aviad Glickman Published: 01.22.12

Prominent Religious Zionism figure Rabbi Mordechai Elon, who was charged last November with committing indecent acts against two minors, filed his response to the indictment with the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court on Sunday.

In his response, Elon denied the charges and claimed that if he indeed met the complainants, it was not with the purpose of deriving sexual satisfaction.

The indictment claimed Elon exploited his position as an educator and molested two male teenagers on various occasions in 2003 and 2005.

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UNITED STATES
CBS News

(AP) NEW YORK — The Boy Scouts have labored for decades to curtail sexual abuse of scouts by adult volunteers. But when their name was evoked in a lawsuit linked to the Penn State abuse scandal, the reference was not to problems — it was acknowledgment that the Scouts’ current prevention policies are considered state of the art.

While the local youth charity in the Penn State case has been accused of lax policies, experts in abuse prevention say most of the national organizations serving young people — such as the Boy Scouts of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the YMCA, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America — have performed commendably in drafting and enforcing tough anti-abuse policies even as they’re sometimes faced with wily and manipulative molesters.

“I’d give them all an A-plus,” said Portland State University psychologist Keith Kaufman, who has studied and treated child sex abuse victims.

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COLORADO SPRINGS (CO)
The Denver Post

COLORADO SPRINGS — Those in the congregation of St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church were left in silence Saturday night after they learned their pastor has been accused of sexually abusing a child.

The Gazette reported the 1,100-member church was told during the 5 p.m. Mass that the Rev. Charles Robert Manning is being investigated by Colorado Springs police for “sexual abuse of a minor.”

No other details of the allegations against Manning were shared with the congregation.

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COLORADO SPRINGS (CO)
The Gazette

January 21, 2012

RYAN MAYE HANDY
THE GAZETTE

After learning their pastor has been accused of sexually abusing a child, the shocked congregation of St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church was left in silence Saturday night.

The Rev. Rafael Torres-Rico told the packed, 1,100-member church during the 5 p.m. Mass that The Rev. Charles Robert Manning is being investigated by Colorado Springs police for “sexual abuse of a minor.”

No other details of the allegations against Manning were shared with the congregation, some of whom were in tears by the end of Torres-Rico’s announcement.

“It is important to remember that in both civil and canon law Father Manning is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” Torres-Rico told the church.

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MASSACHUSETTS
The Milford Daily News

By Julia Spitz/Daily News staff
MetroWest Daily News

The people Barbara Hansen seeks are the ones most would shun.

“This is my purpose in life, to reach out to the underdogs and addicts,’’ she said, sitting in her living room in a Milford neighborhood that’s “a completely opposite world’’ from the crack houses and prisons she has visited.

While she hasn’t traveled the road of alcohol or drug abuse personally, she feels a kinship with “that part of society people don’t want to deal with,’’ and sees a common thread in many of their stories: abuse.

Oftentimes it’s the kind of abuse she knew as a young girl growing up in upstate New York and Texas.

“Listen to the Cry of the Child: The Deafening Silence of Sexual Abuse,’’ her book about the pain of being molested by her grandfather, and later a pastor at a religious camp, and her path to healing, was published in 2003.

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EL PASO (TX)
El Paso Times

by Diana Washington Valdez \ El Paso Times
Posted: 01/21/2012

The El Paso Catholic Diocese will pay $1.6 million to settle a lawsuit involving allegations of sexual impropriety against a former Cathedral High School principal, a law firm announced Friday.

Officials of the law firm of T.O. Gilstrap said the lawsuit alleged that Brother Samuel Martinez abused or molested numerous boys, including the two plaintiffs who filed the suit. It states that the incidents occurred during Martinez’s tenure at the school. He was principal from 1976 to 1985.

Cathedral is a top private Catholic high school for boys in the El Paso region.

The Brothers of the Christian Schools, District of New Orleans-Santa Fe (NOSF), was under contract to run the school at the time.

“The lawsuit, which was filed in Santa Fe in the 1st Judicial District Court of New Mexico, alleged that Brother Martinez sexually abused the plaintiffs while they were students at Cathedral in the late 1970s and early 1980s,” said S. Clark Harmonson, one of the lawyers with the T.O. Gilstrap firm.

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UNITED STATES
Newser

By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 21, 2012

(Newser) – You probably wouldn’t think of “religious leader” as a job that would bring in big bucks, and for the most part, you’d be right: Catholic priests make just $25,000 to $30,000 per year, and the average Protestant pastor brings in $40,000. But get a big enough following, and you can certainly live the good life, as the Huffington Post points out in its list of the 10 best-paid pastors in America. Some of the highlights:

• Kenneth Copeland: This televangelist’s campus includes a private airstrip and hangar, both of which it needs because the ministry also owns a $17.5 million jet and unspecified “other aircraft.” The most recent salary information, from 1995, puts his annual wages at $364,577 and his wife’s at $292,593.

• Creflo A. Dollar: Yes, that’s his real name—and it fits. As pastor of one of the biggest churches in the US, he drives a Rolls-Royce, flies around in a private jet, and owns one $1 million Atlanta home and another $2.5 million New York City apartment.

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WASHINGTON
Herald

By Diana Hefley, Herald Writer

EVERETT — A Snohomish man is being accused of sexually assaulting the daughter he and his wife adopted after she was removed from what is described as a “polygamous clan” in Utah.

The criminal investigation into the allegations also has resulted in a complaint to the state Department of Health against a therapist who reportedly recommended that the defendant, his wife and the then-15-year-old girl all sleep in the same bed as a way to bond.

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CANADA
The Telegram

Published on January 21, 2012

Pam Frampton

“Welcome to the church of what’s happening now. Head straight through – it costs nothing but change.”

– Lyrics from “The Church of What’s Happening Now,” by Sia

One positive development stemming from the sexual abuse scandal that has cast a pall over the Roman Catholic Church is that churches in this province are getting better at talking about it.

When Bishop Raymond Lahey was sentenced recently for importing child pornography, Archbishop Martin Currie spoke publicly about the matter in St. John’s, sending a letter to parishes, giving media interviews and posting his message on the archdiocese’s website.

“Raymond Lahey has requested to be removed from the clerical state,” he wrote. “The church will impose this or other penalties.”

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IRELAND
Assocation of Catholic Priests

Western People

You may remember that last year a number of Cardinals and Archbishops visited Ireland to investigate the Irish Catholic Church. They were asked to report to the Pope on what reforms were needed in the Irish Church in the wake of the child abuse scandals and how they were handled.

The word now is that their first report – on Irish seminaries – has beenreceived, though it has not been published officially. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York investigated Irish seminaries and from developments in Maynooth it would seem that his wish is that a distinctive community be created whereby seminarians can be differentiated from other students on the Maynooth university campus.

Already, it seems, the Maynooth authorities have taken steps in implementing this approach. Doors have been installed to partition the seminarians’ quarters from the rest of the campus; a separate entrance has been constructed at the rear of the seminary building; and there are proposals to build a separate dining hall. Back to the cloister?

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ROME
Vatican Insider

Magistrates inspect the crypt of St. Apollinaris, where De Pedis, the leader of Banda della Magliana, is buried. According to Pietro Orlandi “that shameful burial is the true knot of the interlacing of State, Church and Crime”

Giacomo Galeazzi
Vatican City

The door that keads onto the piazza is closed off. From the courtyard of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, students come in dribs and drabs for Eucharistic adoration, and the rector of the basilica, Fr. Pedro Huidobro, has just put on his vestments. It is the first time in 29 years that Pietro Orlandi has set foot in the church that may hold the secret of the disappearance of his 14-year old sister. Buried inside the crypt is Banda Magliana boss Renatino De Pedis, and the Public Prosecutor of Rome has given the Vicariate “clearance” to inspect the tomb. It had already taken DNA from Pietro and the other family members of the girl from the Vatican City who vanished in front of the church assigned to Opus Dei, just a few steps from Piazza Navona and the Senate.

“The burial of the boss De Pedis in a place intended for popes and cardinals is, I think, the true knot of the interlacing between Church, State, and the criminals that took away my sister Emanuela 28 years ago,” says Pietro. The Acting Public Prosecutor of Rome, Giancarlo Capaldo, has met twice with the rector of St. Apollinaris, who has been very cooperative about opening the tomb which an anonymous tip said contains traces of Emanuela. “I am with you and your family, for you the doors of this church will always be open,” assured Father Huidobro, who is also a coroner, to Pietro Orlandi, who this afternoon will lead a demonstration in front of the basilica. “Like you, I also want the grave opened and want to shed light on this matter,” the rector added, expressing “respect and closeness for people who have suffered so much.”

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BELGIEN
L’essentiel

ARLON – Als Jugendlicher wurde Joël Devillet von einem Priester regelmäßig missbracht. Es dauerte 15 Jahre, bis der Täter verurteilt wurde. 0 Kommentare

In seiner Jugend wurde der 38-jährige Joël Devillet in seiner Zeit als Messdiener regelmäßig vom Priester seiner Gemeinde Aubange missbraucht. Vor Kurzem wurde nach 15 Jahren Prozessdauer das Urteil gesprochen. Der Geistliche Gilbert Hubermont wurde für schuldig befunden und muss seinem Opfer 70 000 Euro zahlen. «Ich bin erleichtert, dass endlich seine Schuld anerkannt wurde», sagt Joël Devillet, der heute in Brüssel lebt. «Aber ich habe ihn nicht des Geldes wegen juristisch verfolgt. Ich wollte, dass jeder weiß, was er getan hat und er selbst seine Taten zugibt.»

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UNITED STATES
Pope Crimes & Vatican Evils…

Paris Arrow

Updated January 20, 2012

96,000 postcards were sent to Ireland’s prime minister protesting the closing of country’s Embassy to the Holy See…so what? Will these same fanatic Catholics be willing to pay out of their own wallets the 1.25 million euro to maintain an Irish Embassy in Rome? Or are they going to force Irish secular people to pay for it ? According to Wikipedia, the population of Ireland is approximately 6.4 million. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland and just under 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland. therefore 96,000 is barely 1% of the population.

The Taoiseach, Prime Minister Edna must keep his words as a man of integrity when he officially declared within the chambers of the Irish Parliament and before the world – that “the Cloyne Report excavates the dysfunction, disconnection, elitism….the narcissism that dominate the culture of the Vatican to this day.

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BELGIQUE
Le Soir

RICARDO GUTIERREZ

jeudi 19 janvier 2012

Chaque évêché semble devoir y passer. L’un après l’autre. Méthodiquement. Le juge d’instruction bruxellois Wim De Troy, sanctionné voici peu pour ses méthodes de cow-boy, semble opérer, cette fois, dans les règles de l’art. Et sous le contrôle permanent du procureur fédéral, Johan Delmul.

Reste que les perquisitions à répétition de ces trois derniers jours interpellent. Des catholiques s’en émeuvent. Ils y voient comme un acharnement judiciaire, accusent le juge de « vouloir faire le procès de l’Histoire », d’un passé révolu.

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BELGIQUE
L’Avenir

Samuel SINTE

NAMUR – Curé à Flawinne dans les années nonante, il reconnaît des attentats à la pudeur commis sur de jeunes garçons en âge de confirmation.

Les faits remontent à 1992-1993. Si l’affaire arrive seulement aujourd’hui devant le tribunal correctionnel, c’est parce que la plainte à la base du dossier est intervenue tardivement.

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UNITED STATES
America’s Most Wanted

Cops: Con Man Posed as Pastor

Charismatic and cunning, Las Vegas Pastor Otis Holland is on the run after members of his church between the ages of 13 and 16 accused him of sexual abuse. The revelation of Holland’s relationship with his young parishioners has opened a Pandora’s box that has left Holland’s entire congregation stunned and shamed. Police say this is not a case of a man of the cloth falling from grace.

“He was a con man, and he used the church front for his schemes,” said Kevin Abernathy of the Henderson Police Department, the lead investigator on the case. “In the 19 years that I’ve been on the job, I would rank this as probably the worst case I’ve dealt with as far as a predator identifying and abusing victims.” said Abernathy.

Trusted Minster becomes Alleged Predator

Otis Holland’s journey from trusted minister to alleged predator started in the late 1990s, when he founded United Faith Church. Holland broke off from a ministry headed by his mother. That’s also where he found his first members. Karla Grajeda was among a group of teenagers who looked to Holland for guidance.

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IOWA
KCCI

PELLA, Iowa — A former Pella pastor accused of sexually assaulting and exploiting women in his congregation is slated to go on trial this spring.

The Des Moines Register says a May 14 trial is set for 42-year-old Patrick Edouard in Dallas County District Court. Eduard’s trial, which was moved from Marion County, had been scheduled to start this week.

Edouard is charged with three counts of sexual abuse and four counts of sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist. Documents say the alleged crimes occurred from 2003 to 2010.

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UNITED STATES
The Salt Lake Tribune

Lindsay Whitehurst

With the news that followers of Warren Jeffs are taking his revelations to the people in the form of quarter-page ads in newspapers (including this one) all over the country, I thought it would be a good time to launch something I’ve been working on a while.

The big Warren Jeffs revelations calendar. Take a look at it here. (switch it to month view to get the full effect).

I’ve read through all the packets received by the Utah Attorney General’s Office (the same ones that have been sent out to the thousands of government officials, librarians, and other people from Missouri to Boston).

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LAS VEGAS (NV)
8 News Now

By Nathan Baca, Investigative Reporter

LAS VEGAS — Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs is making what former members of his church call a “last ditch” effort to raise money as he serves time in prison.

An advertisement appeared in Friday’s Review-Journal which gives southern Nevadans the opportunity to buy church proclamations ranging in price from $3 to $10.

Leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, known as FLDS, did not return 8 News NOW calls.

Church membership is estimated to be between 10,000 and 15,000 members. The I-Team talked to a member of the Child Protection Project who was a child bride in the FLDS church before leaving.

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IDAHO
Idaho Statesman

Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012

Faithful followers of imprisoned polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs are making his apocalyptic writings available to the public through the ads, The Associated Press reported.

Where did they appear? In Friday editions of The Washington Post, The New York Times, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, The Salt Lake Tribune and other newspapers, including the Idaho Statesman. The ads will run again in the Statesman on Sunday.

Why publish them? “We did not make the decision to run this ad lightly, but we do support and believe in free speech and freedom of religion,” said Travis Quast, Statesman sales and marketing vice president. “While we may not all agree with this group and what they believe, we found nothing offensive in their ad that would have kept us from publishing it.”

How did readers respond? A dozen called or emailed the Statesman with concerns about the ad; two canceled their subscriptions.

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SANTA FEE (NM)
KOB

By: Joe Vigil, KOB Eyewitness News 4

People prayed in the hometown of former Santa Fe Archbishop Robert Sanchez Friday night.

A small group gathered outside San Miguel Mission Church in Socorro to remember the 77-year-old who passed away on Friday.

Sanchez was baptized there and performed many baptisms at the church.

Gene Romero said her daughter was baptized by Sanchez in 1960.

Friday night Romero told KOB Eyewitness News 4, “My daughter was getting baptized when he first came back from Rome. And we named her after him. His name is Robert and we named her Roberta. She was 19-days-old at the time. He is going to be very well missed and I’m fortunate to have known him.”

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NEW MEXICO
Santa Fe New Mexican

1934: Born in Socorro, N.M.

1959: Ordained as priest after studying at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Santa Fe and the Pontifical North American College in Rome, where he earned degrees in philosophy and theology.

1974: Appointed archbishop of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe to succeed Archbishop James Peter Davis. At the time, Sanchez was serving as parish priest at San Felipe de Neri Church in Albuquerque. He was the first Hispanic archbishop in the U.S. and, at the age of 40, one of the youngest.

1970s: Begins having sexual relationships with at least three women sometime after becoming archbishop.

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