Saturday, June 08, 2002

Cardinal criticizes US press coverage
Boston Globe
(By Philip Pullella, Reuters)
ROME - A leading Latin American cardinal considered a possible successor to Pope John Paul II has attacked the American media for what he called Stalinist and Nazi tactics against the Catholic Church in the coverage of the sexual abuse scandal.

Law Promises to End Church Abuse
Associated Press
Fri Jun 7,11:29 PM ET
By JAY LINDSAY, Associated Press Writer
BOSTON (AP) - Cardinal Bernard Law assured a special church panel Friday the Roman Catholic Church would end the problem of sexual abuse while the panel offered new suggestions to better protect children.

REPORT DELAY
Law has draft of abuse policy
Boston Globe
(By Kevin Cullen and Thomas Farragher, Globe Staff)
The commission charged with improving the way the Archdiocese of Boston handles sexually abusive priests gave Cardinal Bernard F. Law a draft report to take to next week's US bishops conference in Dallas, but said the final report expected yesterday will be delayed until September so the panel can consult victims' groups and others.

DECISION
Judge delays public release of Law depositions
Boston Globe
(By Michael Rezendes and Sacha Pfeiffer, Globe Staff)
After a legal showdown involving more than a dozen lawyers for the Catholic Church, alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse, and the news media, Appeals Court Judge Gordon L. Doerfer yesterday delayed the public release of written transcripts and videotapes of depositions given by Cardinal Bernard F. Law and Manchester, N.H., Bishop John B. McCormack.

Sexual abuse civil suit filed against Rev. Bartlett, Worcester diocese
Worcester Telegram and Gazette
Saturday, June 8, 2002
By Kathleen A. Shaw
Telegram & Gazette Staff
WORCESTER-- A civil suit was filed in Worcester Superior Court yesterday against the Rev. Lee F. Bartlett and the Catholic Diocese of Worcester in connection with alleged sexual abuse of two men when they were in their early teens.
Joseph P. Cote, now of New Hampshire, and Kevin A. Donnelly, now of California, said they were forced to participate in what they called the “Greek Olympics” while at Cape Cod with the priest.

Rev. Messier removed from pastor assignments
Worcester Telegram and Gazette
Saturday, June 8, 2002
By Kathleen A. Shaw
Telegram & Gazette Staff
The Rev. Raymond P. Messier, who has been the subject of investigation by the Catholic Diocese of Worcester, was removed yesterday from his assignments as pastor in Athol and Petersham...Rev. Messier is the sixth priest that Bishop Daniel P. Reilly has removed from an active parish assignment since February in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct.

Church reformers face uphill battle
Boston Globe
OPINION By Richard A. Hogarty, 6/8/2002
AS LAY CATHOLICS, we can ill-afford to ignore the damage done to our church.
No one can defend the despicable crimes that were committed by predator priests. No one can defend the equally despicable coverup that was intended to conceal scandal. Nor can one reconcile the irreparable injury - both physical and emotional - done to the victims of sexual abuse.

Group's lawsuit seeks to eliminate secrecy from clergy settlements
Associated Press
(By Associated Press)
ST. PAUL, Minn. - A victims' group is suing to eliminate the secrecy provisions in settlements signed by people who say they were sexually abused by Roman Catholic priests

Priest is sentenced to 7 years in sex case
Associated Press
(By Associated Press)
SANTA ROSA, Calif. - A Roman Catholic priest who molested a 13-year-old girl in a church rectory two decades ago was sentenced to seven years in prison yesterday.

Theologians call for wider debate
Boston Globe
(By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff)
NEW ORLEANS - Members of the world's largest association of Catholic theologians, gathering on the eve of an unprecedented meeting of bishops struggling to bring the clergy sexual abuse crisis under control, yesterday called on the Catholic Church to re-explore its power structure, its priesthood, and its teachings about sexuality.

Vatican takes cautious view of US bishops' proposals
Associated Press
(By Victor L. Simpson, Associated Press)
VATICAN CITY - The Vatican has reacted cautiously to proposals by US bishops to stamp out sex abuse but is making it clear that it is not ignoring the scandal.

Law was `close friends' with Mississippi abuser
Boston Herald
by Tom Mashberg
Bernard Cardinal Law confirmed under oath yesterday that he became ``close friends'' in the seminary with a Mississippi priest who was accused of abusing boys in the 1970s - at a time when Law was the priest's supervisor, witnesses at his deposition said.

Tough abuse policy crafted: Law backs panel's call to institute zero tolerance
Boston Herald
by Eric Convey
Saturday, June 8, 2002
Bernard Cardinal Law will head to a national bishops' meeting in Dallas next week with what members of a special panel expect will be the country's toughest policy against clergy sexual abuse.

Herek victim still in pain
Omaha World-Herald
JOSEPH MORTON
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
A former altar boy abused by Daniel Herek testified Thursday that he has contemplated suicide as recently as this week. He also described how his relationships with other people have been affected by his involvement with the former Omaha priest.

Pastor of Catholic church in Eagle being monitored
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
By TOM KERTSCHER
of the Journal Sentinel staff
Last Updated: June 7, 2002
A Waukesha County pastor who inappropriately touched two teenagers more than 20 years ago has admitted that he is one of six priests in the Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese who are being monitored while continuing to work in the ministry.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 6/8/2002 08:43:04 AM

Friday, June 07, 2002

Friday Evening Update

Victims' groups, clergy to meet
Dallas Morning News
Cardinals, Catholic sex-abuse panel to talk about predatory priests
06/07/2002
By JEFFREY WEISS and SUSAN HOGAN/ALBACH / The Dallas Morning News
Representatives of two victims' groups said Thursday that they will meet with American Catholic leaders before next week's meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Dallas.
Three cardinals are scheduled to meet Wednesday with members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) and the Survivors of Clergy Abuse Linkup, leaders of the two groups said. In a separate meeting, the abuse victims will talk with members of the conference's Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse.

The 'Outing' Of a Bishop
Washington Post
COLUMN By Richard Cohen
Friday, June 7, 2002; Page A27
Back in 1997, the FBI arrested some Washington cops for what is known as "fairy shaking" -- an odious term, but an even more odious scheme. It entailed blackmailing married men who led secret lives as homosexuals -- often by staking out gay gathering spots and then noting which men had cars with infant seats. Time moves on, and now we are into something a bit different. With apologies to the D.C. cops, I call it "prelate shaking."

Why Didn't the Church Call the Cops?
Washington Post
COLUMN By Charles Krauthammer Page A27, Jun 7, 2002
Some 40 years ago in Hobart, Australia, a rapist on the run from the police sought refuge in the house of his parish priest. Father Rogers let him in. The man asked for sanctuary. Father Rogers's ministry began with a well-placed punch that knocked the man cold. Rogers then called the police and held the man until they arrived

posted by Bill Mitchell on 6/7/2002 08:21:22 PM Policy on abuse evolving
Worcester Telegram and Gazette
Friday, June 7, 2002
By Kathleen A. Shaw
Telegram & Gazette Staff
WORCESTER-- Bishop Daniel P. Reilly acknowledged yesterday that the scandal of priest abuse in the Catholic Church is far worse than he had imagined.
He said that over the years he had accepted the rationale that a few priests committed these crimes, but now he understands the issue differently.

Judge hears arguments on unsealing of priest files
Chicago Tribune
By David Heinzmann
Tribune staff reporter
Published June 7, 2002
Lawyers for the Catholic Diocese of Joliet argued Thursday that unsealing court records of church officials' handling of sexual abuse allegations against priests would embarrass victims and tar the reputations of priests who were questioned about the actions of their accused colleagues.

posted by Bill Mitchell on 6/7/2002 09:42:36 AM

Experts say Law rejected advice
Boston Globe
(By Kevin Cullen, Globe Staff)
Under pressure, Cardinal Bernard F. Law implemented so-called zero tolerance and mandatory reporting policies for sexually abusive priests earlier this year, but a group of specialists on sexual abuse who met with Law in 1993 at his invitation say he dismissed advice they gave him then to adopt such measures...As Carol Nadelson recalled, ''What struck me was that the cardinal and the other clergy kept talking about what to do about the priests, not the children. What had been done to the children just didn't enter into their equation. I felt they were there dealing with themselves, that they didn't realize what was happening. They were people who had no connection with children, people who didn't have families. They didn't have a clue.''

Judges stand in contrast on release of Law's testimony
Boston Globe
(By Michael Rezendes and Matt Carroll, Globe Staff)
Suffolk Superior Court Judge Constance M. Sweeney said yesterday she will not allow the public release of Cardinal Bernard F. Law's pretrial testimony taken in connection with civil suits filed by alleged victims of former priest John J. Geoghan until Law's deposition is complete and he is given 30 days to review a transcript of his testimony.

School says abuse alleged
Boston Globe
(By Sacha Pfeiffer, Globe Staff)
Central Catholic High School in Lawrence has notified all students, faculty, parents, and graduates that two former faculty members, both Marist Brothers, have been accused by three former students of sexual misconduct dating to the late 1950s and 1960s.

SJC justice refuses to lower $300,000 Shanley case bail
Boston Globe
(By John Ellement, Globe Staff)
A single justice of the state Supreme Judicial Court yesterday refused to lower the $300,000 bail set for the Rev. Paul R. Shanley, the retired priest charged with raping a boy inside a Newton church in the 1980s.

Second Miss. priest eyed in abuse: Both clerics served while Law was vicar
Boston Herald
by Robin Washington
JACKSON, Miss. - A day after Bernard Cardinal Law's admission that he allowed a priest accused of child sexual abuse to remain at a parish here 30 years ago, a second Mississippi priest has been identified as an alleged molester whose activities also went unchecked by Law.
http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/miss06072002.htm

Ruling: Depositions of Law, McCormack will be made public
Boston Herald
by Eric Convey and Tom Mashberg
A superior court judge newly assigned to handle all sex abuse cases involving employees of the Archdiocese of Boston yesterday refused Bernard Cardinal Law's effort to block release of his videotaped deposition, which lawyers say could come as soon as today.

Published Earlier:

Champaign (Il.) priest knows all 7 priests asked to step down; (also critiques coverage)
News-Gazette
By LYNDA ZIMMER
Published Online May 31, 2002
Copyright 2002 The News-Gazette
CHAMPAIGN – Monsignor Albert Hallin of Champaign was once the supervisor of two of the seven Peoria Diocese priests who were asked to step down from the priesthood.
"I was their superior when I was in Ottawa," Hallin said. When asked if he had heard any complaints about the two priests, Hallin said, "Not a thing."
...Hallin said talking about the sexually related scandals from the pulpit is not a good medium, but he has written a seven-page opinion titled "About Those Problems Out East" that he will send to parishioners who ask for it. He wrote:
"Totally innocent priests, falsely accused, have decided to cease giving priestly service rather than to live with the burden of suspicion. That this is a convenient weapon with which to destroy the Catholic priesthood, I have no doubt. AND THAT THIS IS THE OBVIOUS GOAL OF THE MANIPULATORS AND THE CURRENT MANAGERS OF THE PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA, HAVE NO DOUBT!!! "

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posted by Bill Mitchell on 6/7/2002 09:30:56 AM

Thursday, June 06, 2002

Talk of charges may violate legal ethics
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
By TOM KERTSCHER
of the Journal Sentinel staff
Last Updated: June 5, 2002
Making a baseless threat to seek criminal charges could violate the attorneys' code of conduct, but merely raising the possibility of such charges would not, experts in legal ethics say.

Michael Kelly / Syndicated columnist
Church's latest effort spares the missing guilty
Seattle Times
"Their last chance to get this right," is how the editor of the Jesuit magazine, America, has characterized the Catholic Church's new proposal to deal with its greatest existential crisis since the Reformation. The chance, it appears, will be missed...Certainly, the men who raped boys need to be defrocked, not to mention tried, convicted and jailed. But what about the men who let the men rape boys? Why do they still hold high office? Why indeed do they still wear clerical collars? If two rapes are enough to get a priest defrocked, shouldn't looking the other way from a few decades' worth of rapes be enough to defrock a bishop?

Editorial: Sex abuse reforms
Baltimore Sun
GATHERED in a Northeast Baltimore parish hall recently to talk about the clergy sex abuse scandal, 165 parishioners of St. Matthew's Catholic Church couldn't wait to get started...But the idea that some priests may get a second chance should be debated at this meeting. What has sometimes been forgotten in the recounting of scandalous and sordid tales of abuse is that this is a faith that seeks justice and preaches forgiveness. Should the priest who acted inappropriately with a teen receive the same punishment as the serial abuser who preys on children? Can the church afford a "one is one too many" policy given the dearth of vocations? Does the membership demand it?

Church Hierarchy Critical of Plan for Abuse Cases
New York Times
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Several prominent cardinals, archbishops and bishops said yesterday that the new proposals offered by a committee of Roman Catholic bishops to deal with sexual abuse by priests did not go far enough because they failed to remove from the ministry all priests who had ever abused children.

Some European Catholics Find Fault With U.S. Bishops' Proposal on Abuse Problem
New York Times
By JOHN TAGLIABUE
ROME, June 5 — The Vatican had no formal reaction to the American bishops' proposals for dealing with sexual abuse by clergy members, saying the text presented on Tuesday was a working draft. But church officials here and in other European countries indicated today that at least some of the proposals were expected to be viewed critically here, including requirements that bishops inform law enforcement officials and that the pope be called upon to defrock priests who abuse minors.

Abuse Scandal Spreads Ripples Over Functions of the Church
New York Times
By DANIEL J. WAKIN
The priest sex abuse scandal has taken its toll on the men who run the Archdiocese of New York, which tends to 2.4 million Roman Catholics but also runs a school system, a hospital network and a bevy of social services.

Safire Column: What Else Are We Missing?
New York Times
By WILLIAM SAFIRE
WASHINGTON — For years I used to drive up Massachusetts Avenue past the vice president's house and would notice a lonely, determined guy across the street holding a sign claiming he'd been sodomized by a priest. Must be a nut, I figured — and thereby ignored a clue to the biggest religious scandal of the century.

Geoghan judge to handle all cases of clergy abuse
Lawyers who sought consolidation of cases applaud decision
Boston Globe
(By Walter V. Robinson, Globe Staff)
With several judges issuing sometimes conflicting rulings in civil cases involving alleged sexual abuse by priests, Superior Court Chief Justice Suzanne DelVecchio yesterday ordered all of the cases, more than 200, assigned to one judge.

Deposition probes Law's role in abuse case in early '70s
Victim says Law knew of abuse case
Boston Globe
(By Michael Rezendes and Sacha Pfeiffer, Globe Staff)
In a downtown law firm packed with lawyers, church officials, and alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse, Cardinal Bernard F. Law yesterday acknowledged in sworn testimony that his exposure to the church's longstanding practice of shuffling priests accused of sexual misconduct from one parish to another dates to his days as a young diocesan administrator in Mississippi.

Cardinal Read Accusatory Letter in '85, 3 Say
New York Times
By PAM BELLUCK
BOSTON, June 5 — Answering questions in the case of a priest accused of repeatedly molesting boys, Cardinal Bernard F. Law acknowledged in a deposition today that he had read a letter from 1985 that complained that the priest was advocating sex between men and boys, two plaintiffs and a lawyer who attended the deposition said.

Miss. case dogs Law: Cardinal admits inaction on priest
Boston Herald
by Tom Mashberg and Robin Washington
Thursday, June 6, 2002
Bernard Cardinal Law admitted under oath yesterday that as the No. 2 prelate in Mississippi in 1973, he allowed a priest to remain in a parish despite credible allegations the cleric was molesting boys, witnesses at Law's deposition said. Law was confronted during his five-hour testimony in the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal with an affidavit from Kenneth P. Morrison, a 37-year-old ex-Mississippi man who alleges he was abused repeatedly as a boy by the Rev. George L. Broussard in the early 1970s.

Records: Molesters advised other abusers
Boston Herald
by Tom Mashberg
Thursday, June 6, 2002
Hundreds of documents freed up in the Archdiocese of Boston abuse scandal reveal that known clerical molesters were often in a position to oversee or assign other priests with abusive pasts.

Syracuse diocese facing three sexual abuse lawsuits
Allegedly failed to stop molestation by school principal
Associated Press
The Associated Press
UTICA - A Catholic high school principal is accused of sexually abusing three teen-age boys over several years while diocese officials did nothing to stop his "predatory and exploitive actions," according to three $20 million lawsuits.
The lawsuits contend that Syracuse Roman Catholic Diocese officials knew of the abuse by Monsignor H. Charles Sewall in 1988 when they entered into a secret settlement with one of the victims.
The diocese "took no steps to investigate the misconduct or prevent further sexual abuse by Msgr. Sewall. . . . In fact, throughout the time he was abusing boys, Msgr. Sewall was being promoted within the ranks of the Catholic hierarchy," the lawsuits said.

Discussion:

Your take on anonymous account by priest offender?
---Read the priest's story in the National Catholic Reporter.
A reader asks: Who has statistics on victims, perps?

Man tells of Herek's betrayal of trust
Omaha World-Herald
BY TODD COOPER
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
A former altar boy abused by Daniel Herek tearfully testified Wednesday of being betrayed by two fathers - his own and the priest who became his "surrogate father."
The victim, now 23, described in great detail the methodical way in which Herek, the former Omaha priest, gained his trust and stole his innocence from 1992 to 1997.

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posted by Bill Mitchell on 6/6/2002 06:43:28 AM

Wednesday, June 05, 2002

Sex offense: one part of his story
National Catholic Reporter
Following is an account by a priest who asked to remain anonymous. We are assured that, though a few details have been slightly altered to preserve anonymity, the account accurately reflects one priest’s experience. It is rare that NCR allows a piece to be published anonymously, but the editors believe the content warrants the exception.

Child sex abuse proposal lacking, say some Catholics
San Francisco Chronicle
Don Lattin, John Koopman, Chronicle Staff Writers Wednesday, June 5, 2002
Roman Catholics ranging in power from cautious cardinals to angry abuse victims spoke out Tuesday against provisions in a proposed national church policy that stops short of "zero tolerance" for all past acts of child sexual abuse by priests.

Church offers abuse draft
Dallas Morning News
Catholic reaction mixed to policy allowing some accused priests to stay
06/05/2002
By JEFFREY WEISS and SUSAN HOGAN/ALBACH / The Dallas Morning News
A draft policy released Tuesday for how the Catholic Church should deal with sexually abusive priests is not enough to pull Claudette Allen back to her Ennis parish – not yet.
In 1989, she was a youth minister who reported the activities of pedophile priest Rudolph "Rudy" Kos to the Dallas Diocese. Her warnings weren't heeded then, she said, and Catholic leaders will need to prove that they're serious about the policies contained in the new proposals.

Alleged victim says getting rid of abusers not enough
Nashua Telegraph
By STACY MILBOUER, Telegraph Staff
milbouers@telegraph-nh.com
It’s not that the man doesn’t think the report by the Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse has some good in it. It’s just that he thinks it might be too little, too late and that too much has happened for victims like him to believe that right will truly be done by the Catholic Church.

Hospital ousted priest with history of abuse
Albany Times Union
Albany -- Diocese posted chaplain in '90; his past wasn't known until '96
By ANDREW TILGHMAN, Staff writer
First published: Wednesday, June 5, 2002
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany acknowledged Tuesday that a longtime Capital Region priest with a history of sexually abusing boys was assigned to Glens Falls Hospital, a disclosure that highlights the church's quiet -- and now mostly discontinued -- practice of posting problem priests to hospital ministries.

Mom felt guilty that son was abused
Omaha World-Herald
BY TODD COOPER
The mother of a former altar boy abused by Daniel Herek has suffered extreme shame and guilt about turning over her son to a priest who later molested him, her psychologist testified Wednesday.
The mother's fellow parishioners at St. Richard Catholic Church wrote her letters saying she would go to hell for betraying Herek. Her parents strongly objected to her suing the Omaha Archdiocese. And her son, the abuse victim, believed he was Judas for betraying Herek.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 6/5/2002 08:28:39 PM

Panel Recommends Dismissing Priests in New Abuse Cases
New York Times
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
WASHINGTON, June 4 — After five months of unrelenting revelations about sexual abuse by clergy members, a committee of Roman Catholic bishops today proposed a mandatory set of procedures that would obligate American bishops to remove from the priesthood anyone who abuses a minor in the future.
But the proposals stopped short of the "zero tolerance" policy that many victims of sexual abuse have called for, allowing for some leeway in old cases where there is a single instance of abuse.

THE REACTION
Prelates' Proposal Draws Praise and Skepticism
New York Times
Prominent advocates for people who have been abused by priests said yesterday that the bishops' draft plan for responding to the crisis of clerical misconduct included some positive approaches. But several also scorned the plan's failure to include sanctions for bishops who have transferred priests from parish to parish, and their criticisms suggested that the plan would not calm protests by victims' groups, which have been growing.

Text of Report From Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse
New York Times
o Promote Healing and Reconciliation with Victims of Sexual Abuse of Minors
Article 1.
Dioceses will reach out to victim/survivors and their families and communicate sincere commitment to their spiritual and emotional well-being. The first obligation of the Church with regard to the victims is for healing and reconciliation. Each diocese is to develop such an outreach to every person who has been the victim of sexual abuse by anyone acting in the name of the Church, whether the abuse was recent or many years in the past.

Detroit Cardinal: Change church and punish priests, too
Detroit Free Press
June 5, 2002
BY DAVID CRUMM AND PATRICIA MONTEMURRI
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
After six weeks of silence on the sex abuse crisis rocking his church, Detroit Catholic Cardinal Adam Maida on Tuesday unveiled his own road map for resolving the scandal.
Maida released a 17-page draft of a plan that the nation's Catholic bishops will debate in Dallas next week -- and promised to push for amendments that will make even more extensive changes in church policy to combat abuse.

Bishops Call for Abuse Crackdown
Los Angeles Times
Religion: National group will consider a proposal to oust new offenders but allow one molestation in the past.
By LARRY B. STAMMER, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON -- Roman Catholic leaders called Tuesday for unprecedented national safeguards to protect minors from sexual abuse by priests, but stopped short of an across-the-board zero-tolerance policy.

Bishops' proposals are seen as starting point for debate
Boston Globe
By Michael Paulson and Thomas Farragher, Globe Staff
A child protection plan proposed by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops sparked heated debate across the church yesterday, as bishops, lay activists, and scholars said they would push for changes when the bishops vote on the policy next week in Dallas.

An answer to abuse
Boston Globe
(A Boston Globe Editorial)
THE UNITED States Conference of Catholic Bishops has prepared a policy statement which, if followed by all American dioceses, will go far to resolve the crisis of child abuse in the Catholic Church. With two possible exceptions, the recommendations are straightforward, comprehensive, and sound.

Abuse allegations known, files show
Law is linked to reassignment of two priests
Boston Globe
By Michael Rezendes, Globe Staff
Church documents released yesterday show that top officials of the Boston Archdiocese had extensive knowledge of allegations of sexual misconduct by several priests who were allowed to remain in active ministry, despite complaints dating as far back as the 1960s.

Selection of documents released yesterday.

Memos reveal trail of charges
Boston Globe
By Sacha Pfeiffer, Globe Staff
The departure was sudden, but if parishioners asked what had become of their parish priest, church officials had a tidy explanation ready: The Rev. Joseph E. Birmingham had been ''working too hard'' and ''needed a rest,'' according to a three-page, handwritten Nov. 4, 1964, memo by a high-ranking Chancery official.

Asked to help, priest allegedly abused
Boston Globe
By Kevin Cullen, Globe Staff
Scott Coon was the fortunate one. He got away. After the Rev. Paul M. Desilets, a priest at Assumption Parish in Bellingham, had allegedly molested him from the age of 8 until he was 17, Coon told the church's pastor, the Rev. Richard O. Matte, what had happened. But instead of comforting him, internal church documents released yesterday show, Matte told him to take his clothes off. Coon ran out of the rectory.

Inaction followed charges of abuse
Boston Globe
By Thomas Farragher and Matt Carroll, Globe Staff
Senior archdiocesan officials in Boston reacted to charges that priests were abusing children with a bureaucratic nonchalance in the years before the current scandal broke, newly released documents show.

Lost truth: Records show Church hid four decades of abuse
Boston Herald
by Tom Mashberg and Jack Sullivan
Documents on 10 suspended clerics released yesterday put Bernard Cardinal Law, three subordinates and even the late Richard Cardinal Cushing at the center of a broad effort to hide the truth about clergy abuse from parishioners, victims and the public.

Portraits of a cover-up
Boston Herald
by Eric Convey
Ten frightening portraits of alleged abuse, denial and cover-up flow from archdiocese documents released yesterday. The following are alleged events in the careers of the priests:

Bishops propose reforms
Boston Herald
by Franci Richardson
Bishops nationwide yesterday proposed defrocking priests who prey on children in the future while avoiding punishing all priests ever accused of abuse, but Boston's Bernard Cardinal Law wants more teeth in the new rules.

Former Hub cleric deposed by lawyer
Boston Herald
by Robin Washington
Speaking under oath in a day-long grilling by lawyers, Bishop Robert Banks admitted yesterday he knew John J. Geoghan was a suspected pedophile when he reassigned the now-defrocked priest to parish ministry, witnesses at the deposition said.

Cardinal Law to undergo more searing questioning
Boston Herald
by Tom Mashberg and Eric Convey
Bernard Cardinal Law returns to the hot seat today for a second deposition in the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal - this time to face scathing and detailed questions about his direct oversight of a dozen alleged clerical molesters.

Child porn found at home of ex-priest
Denver Post
By Kirk Mitchell
Denver Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 04, 2002 - A former Episcopal priest and foster parent who allegedly molested a 10- and 12-year-old boy also had pornographic pictures of about 20 young boys in his home, a Denver police officer said.

Storm Over Pedophiles Shakes Church in Asia
Reuters
Tue Jun 4,12:38 PM ET
By Ruben Alabastro
MANILA, Philippines (Reuters) - Elsa, a physical therapy teacher in a Philippine school, says she was about 7 years old when a priest in her hometown groped her breast and thighs. It happened in her house not once, not twice, but many times over...Now 35, married and freed from her past after counseling by a nun, Elsa is one of an unknown number of victims of pedophiles in priest's robes in Asia's largest Roman Catholic country. Her story, like those of others elsewhere in Asia, has come to light in the wake of a sex abuse scandal which has shaken the Catholic church in the United States.

Former Hong Kong priest to appear in court on sexual abuse charges
Associated Press
Wed Jun 5, 2:03 AM ET
HONG KONG - A former priest has been charged with sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy in 1994 and will appear in court on Thursday, a police spokeswoman said.
Michael Lau, 42, is the only suspect so far to be arrested in a child sex abuse scandal that has engulfed Hong Kong's Roman Catholic church with at least eight cases allegedly involving pedophile priests. The others are still under investigation.

posted by Bill Mitchell on 6/5/2002 06:24:56 AM

Tuesday, June 04, 2002

Bishops Move to Crack Down on Sexually Abusive Priests
New York Times
By DAVID STOUT
WASHINGTON, June 4 — Expressing deep sorrow and contrition, a committee of Roman Catholic bishops said today that from now on any priest who sexually abuses a minor should be defrocked.
The committee said past repeat offenders should be removed. But in a recommendation sure to be hotly debated when bishops from across the country hold their national meeting in Dallas on June 13 to 15, the panel recommended that priests who molested a minor only one time in the past might continue in the ministry under certain conditions.

Documents detail Boston archdiocese's handling of abuse cases
Associated Press
By Justin Pope, Associated Press, 06/04/02
WASHINGTON -- Nearly 1,000 pages of priest personnel files made public Tuesday painted the most detailed picture yet of how the Boston Archdiocese handled sex abuse allegations. A plaintiffs' lawyer claimed they showed church officials knew not only of claims but that in many cases priests had admitted to the abuse.

Financial stakes high in suits against church
Louisville Courier Journal
By Peter Smith
psmith@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
The 104 people now suing the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville over allegations of past sexual abuse by priests have to clear tall legal hurdles to win their cases.
The entire pile of lawsuits could collapse, for example, if the courts reject the plaintiffs' argument for suspending the statute of limitations -- state laws that normally would bar lawsuits alleging decades-old abuse.
But if the plaintiffs' claims are borne out, the archdiocese could face tens of millions of dollars in damages -- based on the experience of other Catholic dioceses in the United States.

posted by Bill Mitchell on 6/4/2002 09:35:50 PM
Bishops to issue draft policy today
Dallas Morning News
Proposal would mandate reporting clergy sex abuse cases to civil authorities
06/04/2002
By SUSAN HOGAN/ALBACH and JEFFREY WEISS / The Dallas Morning News
America's Roman Catholic bishops on Tuesday will reveal a first official glimpse of a proposed national policy on clergy sexual abuse that will include a mandatory reporting requirement opposed by several Vatican officials, according to bishops familiar with the proposal.

US bishops to propose ousting abusive priests
Draft precedes Dallas meeting
Boston Globe
By Michael Paulson and Thomas Farragher, Globe Staff
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops is proposing to ask the pope to defrock every priest who sexually abuses a minor in the future, as well as any priest who has abused more than one minor in the past, according to a draft policy to be released today.

'We express great sorrow and profound regret'
Excerpt From U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
The following are excerpts from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops' ''Draft Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People'' that is scheduled to be released today...

SCANDAL'S AFTERMATH
Bishop offers apology to parents of a Shanley accuser
Boston Globe
By Matt Carroll, Globe Staff
MANCHESTER, N.H. - Bishop John B. McCormack apologized yesterday to the parents of a Newton man who allegedly was abused by the Rev. Paul R. Shanley, a onetime Newton pastor who was investigated by McCormack for making past statements endorsing sex between men and boys.

Reading for reform
Boston Globe
By James Carroll, Globe Staff
THE CRISIS in the Catholic Church has broad relevance - and not just for Catholics. Will the church survive as an engine for progressive social change, a moral voice for the poor, an alternative vision to free market capitalism?

Victim’s family: McCormack
sided with accused priests
Manchester Union Leader
By KATHRYN MARCHOCKI
Union Leader Staff
Paula Ford and her husband, Rodney, talk about their family's pain yesterday. (Bob LaPree/Union Leader)
Manchester Bishop John B. McCormack repeatedly sided with priests over their accusers when he handled sexual abuse complaints for the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, the parents of an alleged victim said yesterday.

Bishop: Church brass hid sex scandal
Boston Herald
by Eric Convey and Tom Mashberg
MANCHESTER, N.H. - A bishop who served as Bernard Cardinal Law's top personnel aide for a decade testified yesterday that Archdiocese of Boston leaders kept a wave of clergy abuse allegations secret because telling the faithful in the affected parishes might have created ``a scandal.''

Lawyer set to hit cardinal with '93 letter about abuse
Boston Herald
by Tom Mashberg
Tuesday, June 4, 2002
A lawyer set to depose Bernard Cardinal Law twice this week will confront him with a 24-page legal memo mailed to Law's counsel in 1993 that detailed the alleged abuses of 15 now-notorious priests and urged the church to ``establish explicit pastoral outreach'' to their numerous likely parish victims.

Documents detail stream of warnings about Herek
Omaha World-Herald
BY STEPHEN BUTTRY AND JOSEPH MORTON
COPYRIGHT © 2002 OMAHA WORLD-HERALD
Again and again and again, officials of the Omaha Archdiocese heard warnings, complaints or accusations about Daniel Herek and his behavior with altar boys. Again and again and again, the Catholic archdiocese moved the priest from parish to parish to parish without warning parents that their sons might be in harm's way.

Related coverage from the World-Herald (See box)

Archdiocese too slow to react to abuse claim, attorney says
Chicago Tribune
Retired priest removed from job at nursing home
By Aamer Madhani, Tribune staff reporter. Tribune staff reporter Todd Lighty contributed to this article
Published June 3, 2002
The day after the Chicago archdiocese announced the removal of a Wheeling chaplain over allegations of sexual misconduct with two minors, an attorney for one of the victims said the archdiocese moved too slowly on the complaint.

FORMER LOUISVILLE STUDENT FILES LAWSUIT
Lexington Herald-Leader
By Art Jester
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER
Bishop J. Kendrick Williams of Lexington's Catholic diocese has been accused for the second time of sexual abuse that allegedly occurred years ago.

Haunted by Wounds of the Church
Man Describes Abuse by Md. Priest, Anguish Afterward
Washington Post
By Robert E. Pierre
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 3, 2002; Page A01
He remembers idolizing Maurice J. Blackwell, a smooth-talking Catholic seminarian who wore an Afro and a dashiki and was everything he wanted to be: self-assured, proud and important.

Australian archbishop 'knew of cover-up allegations'
Sydney Morning Herald
By Kelly Burke, Religious Affairs Writer
June 4 2002
The Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Rev George Pell, was told of serious accusations about his role in an alleged sexual abuse cover-up as early as 1997, despite his claims to the contrary over the past two days, it has been claimed.

Money talks: when hush comes to shove
Sydney Morning Herald
Analysis by Kelly Burke
June 4 2002
At what point does compensation become hush money? A thorough statement from the Melbourne archdiocese's Vicar-General, Monsignor Christopher Prowse, was circulated through the media last Saturday, in an effort to clear up the false impression that compensation paid to victims of abuse by archdiocesan employees was tied to some form of confidentiality. Consequently, the Sunday print media - at least in Sydney - made no reference to "hush money" in reports.

Pell under pressure: a Flash special
Flash presentation of audio and photographs of Australian archbishop.

Australian Catholic Church should expose cover-ups: Senator
The Age
June 4 2002
The Catholic Church would restore some credibility if it exposed child sex abuse cover-ups within the church and dealt with those involved, a Labor senator said today. Senator George Campbell was non-committal on whether a royal commission should be held into allegations of sex abuse within the church.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 6/4/2002 06:49:02 AM

Monday, June 03, 2002

Years later, some charge sexual abuse by nuns
Boston Herald
by Robin Washington
Monday, June 3, 2002
A half-century after his Catholic school boyhood, John Kerrigan says he is still haunted by the memories: a figure draped in the mantle of the church, finding sexual gratification through his fearful 12-year-old body.
Though his story echoes countless others in the ever-widening church molestation scandal, it differs in that the alleged abuser was not a priest.
Rather, it was a nun.

Law quiet on scandal as protests escalate
Boston Herald
by Eric Convey
Monday, June 3, 2002
In contrasting scenes at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross yesterday, Bernard Cardinal Law scaled back his public mention of the molestation scandal while some protesters outdoors ratcheted up their antics.
Departing from recent practice, Law, scheduled to be deposed Wednesday and Friday, made no direct reference to the scandal.

Publishers Are Wary of Books on Church Scandal
New York Times
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
Like every unfolding national drama from Watergate to Enron, the sexual abuse scandal engulfing the Roman Catholic Church in America is about to become the subject of at least a half-dozen new books.
But as they begin shipping the first new books to stores this week, publishers are proceeding with trepidation, worried that a story of bungling bishops and pedophilic priests, may, in fact, repel the core Catholic audience.

Australian Archbishop denies buying victims' silence
The Age
Sydney Catholic Archbishop George Pell today said he misleadingly told a TV program sex abuse victims were bound by confidentiality if they received church compensation.
Last night, Dr Pell told Channel Nine's 60 Minutes program victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy were not allowed to disclose the offences if they received compensation. But today Dr Pell said the victims who received compensation did not have to agree to keep quiet.

Church unlikely to get tough with all abusive priests
USA TODAY
OPINION
By Mark Vincent Serrano
In today's 24/7 news-consuming society, buzzword phrases can have a powerful impact, good or bad. One of the latest is the U.S. Catholic bishops' proposed ''one strike, you're out'' child sexual-abuse policy for priests. It is certainly a powerful phrase, intended to demonstrate that church leaders have begun to understand that child sexual abusers are immoral and criminal -- something they have largely denied until now. It also is a powerfully deceiving expression.

Cover story: Vatican prelates oppose move to report priests
National Catholic Reporter
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Rome
Four senior Catholic leaders, including two Vatican officials and a cardinal widely viewed as a leading candidate to be the next pope, have opposed policies that would require bishops to report sexual abuse charges against priests to the police.
Taken together, the comments suggest that if the U.S. bishops adopt a strong “automatic reporter” policy at their June meeting in Dallas, it could face opposition, not merely in Rome, but from prelates in other countries.

Cover story: Italian church rocked by its own scandals
National Catholic Reporter
By John L. Allen Jr.
While in some circles the sex abuse crisis has been styled an “American problem,” that perception is under strong challenge here as the Italian Catholic church confronts the issue on multiple fronts.
In Sicily, the case of Fr. Margarito Reyes Marchena, a Honduran immigrant accused of sexually abusing four minor Italian children, has generated criticism of local church officials who defended him.

Cover story: Viewpoint: To save the church, make its problems our own
National Catholic Reporter
By David O'Brien
Catholics, myself included, surely do love their church. Love accounts for the anxiety we feel as we pick up each day’s paper, for months now, and for the deep sadness that informs our conversations about the evil of clerical sexual abuse those papers report. Angry as we are at the lifelong suffering inflicted on so many innocent children and young people, few of us will “leave the church.”

Additional coverage from the National Catholic Reporter

Critical eye cast on sex abuse lawyers
Boston Globe
Confidentiality, large settlements are questioned
By Sacha Pfeiffer, Globe Staff, 6/3/2002
To many of his clients, Roderick MacLeish Jr., who estimates he has represented 400 alleged victims of sexual abuse by priests in the past decade, is nothing less than a hero...But MacLeish's work and that of other attorneys who handle church molestation cases have also come under public criticism.

Victims then, priests later
Chicago Tribune
By Bonnie Miller Rubin
Tribune staff reporter
Published June 3, 2002
CLOVERPORT, Ky. -- Rev. Gary Hayes can't remember a time when he didn't want to be a priest. As a kid, he and his four brothers would play "mass" the way other boys played "army."
"We used to make vestments out of bedsheets and use NECCO Wafers as the host," Hayes, 49, recalled from his modest red-brick church near the Ohio River.
But between those innocent days and his ordination 12 years ago, something dark intruded. Starting at age 15, Hayes said, he and other boys in his southern New Jersey parish were sexually exploited by two priests who plied their young charges with alcohol before molesting them. Hayes reported it to the Camden diocese, which didn't believe him.

Archives: Previous coverage linked since March 17, 2002.

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posted by Bill Mitchell on 6/3/2002 07:55:40 AM

Sunday, June 02, 2002

Why priests forced to resign rarely face complete ouster
Seattle Times
By Janet I. Tu and Ray Rivera
Seattle Times staff reporters
Two weeks ago, as the Rev. John Cornelius resigned from active ministry amid allegations that he had molested at least 12 boys decades ago, questions arose: If Cornelius could no longer wear the collar, represent himself as a priest or preside at Mass, why should the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle pay his living expenses? Why would he — and others found guilty or facing credible allegations of sexual molestation of minors — not be removed from the priesthood altogether?

Catholic scandal recalls Salem witch trials
OPINION: Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Friday, May 31, 2002
By HUBERT G. LOCKE
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER
I have a friend of blessed memory who was a professor of English at a Midwestern university and a devout Roman Catholic layperson who called himself a "post-Auschwitz Christian." It was his way of declaring how much of his life and thought had been shaped by the catastrophe that befell European Jewry during World War II. It was also his way of criticizing his church for what he believed was its failure to act more aggressively on behalf of that doomed populace. I've thought of my friend often during the past several months as the public has been treated to a cascade of revelations regarding incidents of sexual misconduct by members of the Catholic clergy.

Beleaguered church calls in a panel of experts
Team usually reviews allegations against individual priests
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Friday, May 31, 2002
By VANESSA HO
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Despite the resignation last week of a prominent priest, problems continue for the Seattle Roman Catholic Archdiocese. An independent panel of experts that reviews individual cases of abuse allegations is expected to convene today. Earlier this week, six former altar boys filed a lawsuit against the archdiocese, alleging that a now-retired priest molested them in the 1970s.

Cooley Targets Church Records
Litigation: Grand jury may be used to obtain personnel files of priests accused of sex abuse. Clerics' attorney says documents are private.
Los Angeles Times
By RICHARD WINTON and BETH SHUSTER, TIMES STAFF WRITERS
The Los Angeles County district attorney's office is preparing to use a grand jury to force the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles to turn over documents about priests accused of sexually abusing minors, law enforcement officials said Friday.

Ordination Is Symbol of Faith-and Change
Carmelite's rigorous training reflects the order's effort to develop healthy priests.
Los Angeles Times
By TERESA WATANABE, Times Staff Writer
In the humble stucco church of St. Raphael in South-Central Los Angeles, a bishop laid his hands on Paul Henson's head in an ancient ritual complete with sacred oil, promises of obedience and prayers of consecration. With that, Henson became both a priest and a symbol Saturday. His journey represented a joyful affirmation of faith to a scandal-plagued Roman Catholic Church, new vitality to an aging priesthood and pride to his fellow Latinos, who constitute 70% of the Los Angeles Archdiocese's 5 million Catholics.

Abuse Victims Willing to Tell Their Stories
Church: With experiences locked inside for decades, many who were molested by priests are beginning to shed their private shame.
Los Angeles Times
By ELIZABETH MEHREN, Times Staff Writer
WORCESTER, Mass. -- First Tom Blanchette poured his heart out, recalling terrible events from more than 40 years ago. Phil Saviano took the microphone next, disclosing with no small satisfaction that the priest who had molested him in the sixth grade is now in prison for 275 years. Bill Gately came forward, then Bernie McDaid and Susan Brenehan, whose abuse began with an unwanted kiss from a priest when she was 11 years old.

About Kids and Sex
Many would recoil, but some scholars are urging more open discussion of children's sexuality.
Los Angeles Times
By STEPHANIE SIMON, Times Staff Writer
Their theories are explosive, even subversive. They are also a very hard sell, especially now, when the horror of predatory priests rumbles ever louder.
Nonetheless, a handful of maverick writers and academics are calling for a cultural revolution when it comes to children and sex. They argue that we protect our children too much. They insist that much of what we fear as "abuse" is actually healthy sexual expression.
They are kicking up quite a debate.

The Problem With 'Consent'
At the time they may have felt grown up, but youngsters who had sexual encounters with adults look back with mixed emotions.
Los Angeles Times
By STEPHANIE SIMON, Times Staff Writer
Christine thought she had it good. She was 13, just going into ninth grade, and no boy had ever so much as flirted with her. Then this man walked up to her, smiling, as she hung out with her friends on a Friday night. He was 23. He talked with her. He teased. Soon they were kissing. And then doing more than that.

What's Taught, What's Not
Los Angeles Times
By BENEDICT CAREY, Times Staff Writer
With church scandals, Internet porn and teenage romance, sex education could be one of the most wide-ranging and important subjects taught in middle and high school, some child psychologists say. Yet for better or worse, most of the nation's sex-ed classes focus on a handful of subjects--including anatomy, abstinence, AIDS--and offer little guidance to boys and girls trying to cope with a host of physical and emotional changes.

Los Angeles' Cardinal Mahony bears dual reputation as reformer, spin master
Associated Press
By SANDRA MARQUEZ, Associated Press Writer Sunday, June 2, 2002
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Returning in April from the Vatican summit of American bishops, Roman Catholic Cardinal Roger Mahony said he wanted his archdiocese, the nation's largest, to be at the head of the church's efforts to deal with the nationwide sex abuse scandal. The archdiocese already had a "zero tolerance" policy toward alleged abusers and shortly before the Vatican meeting released a list of proposals to help victims and prevent future abuses.

Australian archbishop admits offering payment in priest abuse case
Associated Press
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- A Roman Catholic archbishop said Sunday he offered $28,000 to buy a family's silence about the alleged sexual abuse of its children by a local priest. The Nine television network's "60 Minutes" program said the offer by Sydney Archbishop George Pell, the church's most senior clergyman in Australia, was made to a family who claimed their two girls were sexually abused for six years by a local priest beginning in 1987.

Ex-seminarian's perspective on scandals
San Francisco Chronicle
Don Lattin Sunday, June 2, 2002
Thomas Moore, author of the mega-selling book "Care of the Soul," was in San Francisco to talk about his latest literary offering. Unfortunately, I was required by the sacred code of pack journalism to talk about the Story. The Story, at least in my little world, is the current scandal about priests who sexually abuse children and teenagers, and all those bishops and cardinals who tried in vain to sweep that nasty business under the rectory rug.

THE PRESS
S.F. Conference
Jimmy Breslin tweaks journalists
N.Y. columnist laments 'boring' writing, liquor-free lifestyles
(And compares the Church to the FBI in covering up the truth)
San Francisco Chronicle
Julian Guthrie, Chronicle Staff Writer
Jimmy Breslin is full of it. Charm and insight. Rants and irreverence. The legendary 71-year-old Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, speaking in San Francisco on Saturday, took aim at the FBI, the Catholic Church, President Bush and abstemious living. He even dared to say, speaking from experience, that not all grandparents like children.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 6/2/2002 09:18:40 PM

Bishops May Let Victims of Abuse Talk at Meeting
New York Times
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
The nation's Roman Catholic bishops are negotiating with groups representing victims of sexual abuse by priests over whether to allow victims to speak at the bishops' annual meeting in Dallas this month, church officials say.

Archbishop Weakland: For a pillar of strength, outer courage crumbles in face of inner weakness
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
By BRUCE MURPHY
of the Journal Sentinel staff
Last Updated: June 1, 2002
Father James Brady lived for years at close quarters with Archbishop Rembert Weakland and saw him as a rock of stability.

With Weakland gone, abuse victims hopeful voice will be heard
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
By MEG KISSINGER
of the Journal Sentinel staff
Last Updated: June 1, 2002
On the night Rembert Weakland made his last public appearance as Milwaukee's archbishop, the night before his scandal was revealed to the world, organizers of a victims' rights group met in the basement of Plymouth Church on Milwaukee's east side and tried not to gloat.Just six months earlier, Peter Isely, the group's organizer, couldn't get a reporter to return his phone calls or answer his e-mails. Now, three television reporters jockeyed for a chance to get one of the seven victims on camera as two newspaper reporters scribbled vigorously.

Accused Priest Advising Bishops
Washington Post
By Caryle Murphy
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, June 2, 2002; Page C01
A priest who admitted molesting six youths while working in parishes of the Baltimore Archdiocese from 1969 to 1986 has been employed for 16 years by a Washington-based commission that advises the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on liturgical matters.

Bishop on abuse committee under fire
Chicago Tribune
By Flynn McRoberts and David Heinzmann
Tribune staff reporters
Published June 2, 2002
PEORIA -- The grim news spilling from this central Illinois river town in recent weeks has carried all the hallmarks of the American Catholic Church's present nightmare: Priests ousted from the ministry after allegations of sexual misconduct. Apologies to angry victims. The belated creation of a committee that includes lay professionals to better deal with abusive pastors. Lost in the familiarity, though, is the fact that the man who until recently led those priests and victims is now one of eight prelates charged with mapping a way out of the church's crisis.

A wary church tightens screening of new priests
Boston Globe
By Michael Paulson and Thomas Farragher, Globe Staff, 6/2/2002
When the Rev. Kevin M. Russeau recalls the first steps that led to his ordination, his memories do not invoke the sweet smell of incense, soaring voices from an angelic choir, or a regimen of daily prayer.
Instead the 27-year-old priest remembers a battery of psychological tests in which he was asked if he heard voices in his head, if he believed strange people were following him, and when he began to masturbate.

Naming of abuse victims puts lawyer in hot seat
Boston Herald
A Marblehead lawyer representing clerical-abuse plaintiffs is facing criticism for releasing sensitive Catholic church files to the public without first editing out the names of numerous molestation victims.