 |
|
|
Saturday, July 13, 2002
WASHINGTON (DC)
Pr. George's police reopen probe of priest
Two men accuse Lavin of sexually abusing them years ago
Baltimore
Sun
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Prince George's County police said today they were reopening their
investigation into 32-year-old allegations of sexual abuse lodged against a Roman
Catholic priest.
Capt. Andy Ellis said the decision to revisit the case is due in part to similar
allegations raised by a Fairfax County, Va., man who claims the same priest molested
him in 1973.
Rev. Paul E. Lavin, 58, has been suspended from his duties at St. Joseph's Roman
Catholic Church pending the outcome of two police investigations and a separate
inquiry launched by the Archdiocese of Washington.
"We talked to the priest who has strongly denied anything happened, but we put
him on leave in accordance with our policy," said Susan Gibbs, a spokeswoman for
the archdiocese.
But Lavin has refused to talk with police in Maryland about the allegations raised
five years ago by Michael Mollish of Ellicott City.
Mollish, 40, claims Lavin molested him during an outing to Baltimore in 1970.
Mollish says the man he considered a family friend fondled him as they drove home
from a Christian bookstore. Despite the police investigation, prosecutors declined
to pursue the case.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/13/2002
02:56:34 PM BALTIMORE (MD)
Stokes rejects plea deal
Attorney says he'll argue temporary insanity; Charged in priest's shooting; Suspect
claims pastor sexually abused him
Baltimore
Sun
By Laurie Willis
Sun Staff
Dontee D. Stokes was temporarily insane May 13 when he shot the Rev. Maurice J.
Blackwell and is not competent to stand trial, Stokes' attorney said yesterday.
Stokes' legal strategy was unveiled as he pleaded not guilty in Baltimore Circuit
Court to attempted first-degree murder, and turned down a plea deal from prosecutors
offering him a 25-year sentence, without chance of parole for the first five years.
Prosecutors did not immediately respond to defense attorney Warren A. Brown's
assertion that Stokes, 26, is not criminally responsible for shooting Blackwell,
56, a Roman Catholic priest who Stokes says sexually molested him when he was
a teen-ager. Two weeks ago, the state's attorney's office began an investigation
of the sexual abuse allegations.
A trial date was set Oct. 21 for Stokes.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/13/2002
02:52:12 PM BALTIMORE (MD)
Conservative Catholics to meet in Baltimore through the weekend
Group's founder accused of sex abuse; Keeler asked not to take part in event
Baltimore
Sun
By John Rivera
Sun Staff
A conservative Catholic lay movement with close ties to Pope John Paul II will
bring thousands of its members from North America to Baltimore this weekend for
a three-day conference.
The Youth and Family Encounter 2002 at the Baltimore Convention Center is expected
to attract more than 5,000 members of the Legion of Christ, a movement founded
in the 1940s by a Mexican priest, the Rev. Marcial Maciel.
The Legion includes a lay movement, Regnum Christi, which has more than 60,000
members worldwide, and a religious order of priests, the Legionaries of Christ,
which has more than 500 priests, about 60 in this country. The Legion of Christ
is associated with Woodmont Academy, a Catholic elementary school in Woodstock.
Movements like the Legion of Christ and Opus Dei, while criticized by liberal
Catholics for their insistence on strict orthodoxy, have been frequently praised
by Pope John Paul, who sees them as a vanguard in attempts to renew the church...
Keeler's appearance has prompted appeals by two groups, one representing victims
of clergy sexual abuse and the other made up of former Legion members, urging
him to withdraw from the Mass because of sexual abuse allegations against the
founder of the Legion of Christ. Nine former members of the Legion claimed years
ago that Maciel sexually abused them in the order's seminaries in Italy and Spain
during the 1940s, 50s and 60s.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/13/2002
02:48:10 PM
WASHINGTON (D.C.)
Charges vs. priest revisited by police
The Washington
Times
By Jon Ward
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Prince George's County police are re-examining old charges of sex abuse against
the Rev. Paul E. Lavin, pastor of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Northeast, in
light of separate accusations made against Father Lavin this week.
Michael Mollish, 40, of Ellicott City, Md., reported to police in April 1998 that
Father Lavin had sexually abused him in 1970 when he was an 8-year-old altar boy
at Mount Calvary Parish in Forestville, where Father Lavin was then a priest,
said Capt. Andy Ellis, a police spokesman.
The State's Attorney's Office declined to file charges at that time for lack of
evidence.
Prince George's police said they will take a second look at Mr. Mollish's case
now because of new charges made by George Kresslein, 45, of Annandale against
Father Lavin, 58, who was placed on leave Thursday.
Mr. Kresslein filed a report with Pittston, Pa., police last month and met with
a D.C. church official Wednesday to describe the reputed sexual abuse by Father
Lavin in 1973, The Washington Post reported yesterday. Mr. Kresslein, who was
16 at the time, says abuse occurred when Father Lavin took him on a trip to a
seminary in Pennsylvania.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/13/2002
12:09:21 PM
WORCESTER (Mass.)
Bishop denies abuse allegations; diocese levels countercharge
Boston
Globe
By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff
An auxiliary bishop in Worcester yesterday denied that he molested a teenager
four decades ago, and the Worcester diocese accused the complainant of extortion.
Bishop George E. Rueger, 72, said he did not abuse Sime Braio, 52, despite accusations
made by Braio in a lawsuit filed Thursday in Worcester Superior Court...
Diocesan officials said they investigated Braio's allegation and determined it
to be false. They said they also reported it to Worcester District Attorney John
J. Conte. The diocese said Conte did not substantiate the allegation; Conte did
not return two calls seeking comment yesterday.
Diocesan spokesman Raymond L. Delisle said Worcester Bishop Daniel P. Reilly does
not believe the allegation against Rueger. Delisle said the only time Rueger recalls
interacting with Braio was when he once visited him in a hospital, and he said
there has never been another abuse allegation against Rueger during his 50 years
as a Worcester priest.
The diocesan chancellor, Monsignor Thomas J. Sullivan, accused Braio of extortion,
saying that Braio had threatened to talk to the Worcester Telegram unless he was
paid money by the diocese. Sullivan said the diocese reported the extortion allegation
to State Police.
Braio's lawyer, Daniel J. Shea of Houston, said his client did not try to extort
money from the diocese and stands by his allegations.
''I don't believe a single word coming from the mouth of any bishop of the Catholic
Church,'' Shea said. ''We found [Braio] to be a very credible witness.''
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/13/2002
10:24:41 AM
CHICAGO (IL)
Catholic Church Finances
Religion
& Ethics Newsweekly (PBS)
Lawsuits against the Church because of past sexual abuse by priests have raised
the possibility of dioceses having to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to victims.
And that has raised the question, where will the money come from? If insurance
runs out, will the Church be able to pay?
Judy Valente reports on the finances of the Archdiocese of Chicago and its problems
funding the Church's historic mission.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/13/2002
09:14:16 AM
PALM BEACH (FL)
Women tell church: Be merciful yet firm
Florida
Catholic (Palm Beach edition)
By Tom Tracy
Representatives of this diocese's 3,000-member Council of Catholic Women formally
responded to the church scandals recently by saying their faith calls for forgiveness
and compassion but also resolute action.
"Be it resolved that Palm Beach DCCW members be agents of change in support of
the Holy Father's direction to be merciful yet firm to the sinner and compassionate
and empathetic to the victim," reads a recent statement from the organization.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/13/2002
09:09:55 AM
WALNUT CREEK (CA)
3 men say ex-minister abused them
Gary Carson-Hull, who served at a Walnut Creek Methodist church in the '70s, was
arrested in May on molestation charges
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
By Corey Lyons
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
WALNUT CREEK - Three men have told police that they were sexually assaulted by
a youth minister while attending a Methodist church here in the 1970s.
But the alleged victims have so far declined to provide specifics that could lead
to charges against Gary Carson-Hull, said Walnut Creek police Detective Steve
Bertolozzi.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/13/2002
09:06:07 AM
DALLAS (TX)
Convicted priest helped abusers stay in ministry
After assault, he supervised clerics at treatment center
Dallas
Morning News
07/13/2002
By REESE DUNKLIN / The Dallas Morning News
U.S. Catholic leaders have long defended their decisions to let sexually abusive
priests work again by saying they depended on the assurances of treatment centers
that cleared the men for ministry.
One of the men whose recommendations helped some of the church's worst molesters
gain new assignments – where they found more victims – was a priest who had been
convicted in a young woman's sexual assault, The Dallas Morning News has found.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/13/2002
08:56:35 AM LOS ANGELES (CA)
Statute of Limitations Eased in Abuse Cases
Los Angeles
Times
July 12, 2002
By WILLIAM LOBDELL, TIMES STAFF WRITER
Gov. Gray Davis signed a bill Thursday that dramatically relaxes the statute of
limitations in molestation cases.
The bill, drafted in response to the Roman Catholic Church sex scandal, received
unanimous support in the Assembly and Senate and was called "the most progressive
legislation of its kind in the U.S." by one nationally prominent victims' rights
advocate.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/13/2002
07:21:06 AM MINNEAPOLIS (Minn.)
Block Party still rocks, despite bumps in the road
Minneapolis-St.
Paul Tribune
Maria Elena Baca
Star Tribune
The setting sun made soft shadows around the Basilica of St. Mary on Friday night
as the downtown Minneapolis church began its eighth annual Block Party. Revelers
of many ages and denominations swayed as guitars blared from the stage on Hennepin
Avenue and a thousand little conversations percolated around the edges.
It was a good night for a party. That, in spite of the shadow cast by the sex
abuse and coverup charges that have rocked the Roman Catholic Church around the
nation.
Young parishioners, who make up 80 percent of the basilica's membership and most
of the two-day party's attendance, say there's a big difference between the Catholic
Church, with its hierarchy, and their church, with the familiar ritual that feeds
their faith and the community outreach that gives it meaning.
The parish continues to grow -- 150 families have joined in the past year -- and
is now at about 5,000 households. About 2,000 volunteers will staff this weekend's
party, which is expected to sell out to its 15,000-plus capacity.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/13/2002
07:12:04 AM
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL (Minn.)
3 cases of alleged priest sex abuse may be criminally prosecuted, sheriff says
Minneapolis-St.
Paul Star Tribune
The Stearns County Sheriff's Office is investigating three cases of alleged sex
abuse by priests for possible criminal prosecution, said Sheriff Jim Kostreba.
He declined to provide details about the cases but said recently that the investigations
began several weeks ago and that some are related, at least in part, to a recent
lawsuit filed against priests.
St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson, who sued two St. John's Abbey priests on behalf
of two plaintiffs last month, said his clients have reported abuse to authorities.
He believes that the investigations stem from those conversations with authorities.
Anderson's suit claims that the Revs. Dunstan Moorse and Allen Tarlton abused
a former prep school student as late as 1985. Tarlton and Moorse are on restriction
at the abbey for alleged sexual misconduct.
Anderson said another client of his also talked to authorities about a third priest
who is a member of the St. Cloud Diocese. He would not name the priest.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/13/2002
06:59:27 AM
LEXINGTON (KY)
Why are so many victims speaking out now?
Experts say that current surge of revelations prompts others to deal with difficult
memories
Miami Herald
By Mary Meehan
Lexington (Kent.) Herald-Leader
David Hall said that for decades he told his secret to no one. Not his parents.
For a long time, not even his wife. Then he read a newspaper article that said
Lexington Bishop J. Kendrick Williams was denying an allegation of sexual abuse.
He decided to tell the world.
"What really set me off was that he said he didn't even know the boy," Hall said.
Williams could not say the same about Hall, a star basketball player at a small
church school in New Haven where Williams served in the 1960s.
"I just said 'I am not going to let him get away with it,'" said Hall, who called
an attorney. A third man came forward with similar allegations.
Williams, who has denied all of the allegations, resigned as bishop June 11, saying
he was stepping aside so that the "diocese can rid itself of the cloud which hangs
over it and me." He added: "I do not want my resignation to give any credence
to the allegations made against me."
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/13/2002
06:29:36 AM LOUISVILLE (KY)
Kentucky judge won't seal priest-abuse lawsuits
LOUISVILLE ARCHDIOCESE WANTED DOCUMENTS KEPT FROM PUBLIC
Miami Herald
By Lori Burling
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOUISVILLE - A Jefferson Circuit Court judge ruled yesterday that 154 lawsuits
claiming sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church will remain open despite
efforts by the Archdiocese of Louisville to seal the documents.
Judge James M. Shake's ruling came two weeks after oral arguments from attorneys
for the archdiocese, the plaintiffs, the commonwealth's attorney's office and
a newspaper.
"This result is the right result for the right reasons," said William McMurry,
the attorney for nearly all of the plaintiffs who have sued the Archdiocese of
Louisville. "When I first read this statute, contemplating its action to my clients'
lawsuits, it was clear to me that it had nothing to do with my clients. It clearly
only applies to lawsuits against the abusers."
Lawyers for the archdiocese filed a motion in May asking the court to seal the
lawsuits. The plaintiffs claim they were sexually abused by clergy members or
church employees when they were children. The plaintiffs claim church officials
were aware of the abuse but did nothing about it.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/13/2002
06:22:08 AM
KANSAS CITY (Mo.)
Females -- forgotten victims of clergy sex abuse
Miami Herald
By MATT STEARNS and JUDY L. THOMAS
The Kansas City Star
Kansas City lawyer Corinne Corley says she was sexually abused by a priest when
she was a teen-ager. Noting that it was difficult to handle psychologically, she
says it had a profund impact on her.
They are the forgotten victims of clergy sex abuse, neglected by the media and
overlooked by church activists.
Yet many experts estimate that females -- both girls and women -- constitute a
sizable number of all victims of sexual abuse by priests.
The public focus of the sex abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church has been
on predatory homosexual behavior by rogue priests, and the subsequent cover-up
by some bishops.
As a result, female victims say they feel frustrated and isolated as they attempt
to deal with the emotional aftermath of sex abuse.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/13/2002
06:18:19 AM
Sex scandal's aftermath causes turmoil
Washington
Times
By Rachel Zoll
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A month after their historic meeting on sex abuse, some of America's Roman Catholic
bishops have been struggling to implement their sweeping new policy to keep priests
who molest children away from parishioners. Top Stories
A few priests removed from public ministry under the plan have fought back and
appealed to the Vatican for reinstatement — and some rank-and-file Catholics have
supported them. Some bishops also have delayed ousting errant clergy until they
thoroughly review key parts of the policy, such as its broad definition of sexual
abuse.
The new guidelines "raise some real questions about compatibility with our traditions,"
said the Rev. Thomas Green, a church law specialist at Catholic University of
America.
Despite such concerns, many bishops have moved swiftly to carry out the plan.
More than 50 of the nation's 46,000 priests have either resigned from the priesthood
or been permanently removed from ministry under the new policy. Those men cannot
wear the Roman collar, celebrate Mass with parishioners or represent the church
in any public fashion.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/13/2002
06:10:50 AM
WASHINGTON (D.C.)
3rd Man Says Priest Abused Him in '70s
Washington
Post
By Alan Cooperman
Washington Post Staff Writer
A third Washington area man said yesterday he was molested in the early 1970s
by the Rev. Paul E. Lavin, who was placed on leave Thursday as pastor of St. Joseph's
Church on Capitol Hill while the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington investigates
allegations against him.
The latest accuser said he decided to come forward after reading about the other
allegations in yesterday's Washington Post. He said Lavin sexually abused him
on two weekend trips to Pennsylvania during the 1971-72 school year, when he was
a 15-year-old student at Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville and Lavin
was the school's chaplain.
Lavin, 58, did not return telephone calls or e-mail messages yesterday about the
latest allegation. He said Thursday that he "absolutely, categorically" denied
the earlier accusations and that, on the advice of friends, he would not comment
further.
The third accuser spoke on condition of anonymity, saying he feared social ostracism
if co-workers learned that he was sexually abused. He said he had not yet contacted
police but gave his name and a brief report of the alleged abuse to Auxiliary
Bishop Kevin J. Farrell yesterday afternoon and scheduled a face-to-face session
with him for next week.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/13/2002
06:05:06 AM
MONTPELIER (Vt.)
Sorrell: Church stalling on probe
The Times Argus
By WILSON RING The Associated Press
MONTPELIER — Vermont’s Roman Catholic Church hasn’t cooperated fully with the
state’s investigation into abuse allegations against church employees, Attorney
General William Sorrell said Thursday.
While the church is being more forthcoming than it had originally announced it
would be, “we have not gotten everything we’ve asked for,” Sorrell said.
Sorrell said there appeared to be gaps in some of the documents the church has
provided to state investigators looking into sexual abuse allegations against
20 priests.
The state’s investigation is focusing on the six priests who were still active
in May when their names were turned over to the state. All six were suspended
when the investigation began.
It will be some time before the investigation is finished, he said.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/13/2002
05:55:34 AM
GREENFIELD (Mass.)
More civil suits filed against Lavigne
Greenfield Recorder
GREENFIELD - Four more civil complaints alleging child sexual abuse by the Rev.
Richard R. Lavigne and negligence by the Catholic Diocese of Springfield were
filed Thursday in Hampden County Superior Court, bringing a total of seven lawsuits
filed since April by former altar boys, represented by Greenfield lawyer John
J. Stobierski, who say they were molested by the former Shelburne Falls priest
before his 1991 arrest.
Shawn M. Dobbert, 34, of North Adams told reporters at a news conference in Stobierski's
office that he was raped and sexually assaulted by Lavigne from 1976 through 1986,
when Dobbert was between the ages of 9 to 18. Lavigne had served as parish priest
at St. Francis of Assisi Church in North Adams, before serving in Shelburne Falls.
But Dobbert said the priest also abused him at Lavigne's home in Ashfield.
"When he first raped me, after he was done, he literally threatened my life,"
said Dobbert, whose eyes grew teary as he told of his experience with Lavigne.
"This man deserves to be put away. He has no right to be a priest and be paid
and have a house."
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/13/2002
05:41:02 AM
WORCESTER (Mass.)
Bishop denies former altar boy's charges of sex abuse
Boston
Herald
by Robin Washington
An auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Worcester yesterday vehemently denied charges
he sexually molested an altar boy 40 years ago.
``I know that what was alleged . . . just never happened,'' auxiliary Bishop George
E. Rueger said of charges in a lawsuit filed Thursday by Sime Braio, 52, of Shrewsbury.
``I love the priesthood. I could never compromise the priesthood,'' Rueger said.
Braio, who charged Rueger began molesting him when he was an altar boy at Worcester's
Our Lady of Lourdes and continued doing so after the youth was placed at the Lyman
School for Boys in Westboro, claimed he first told the diocese of the abuse 10
months ago. Then, the suit states, ``he was visited by a . . . Monsignor Sullivan,
who offered him $10,000 to buy his silence.''
In a statement, Monsignor Thomas J. Sullivan, chancellor of the diocese, said
he did meet with Braio, but not until May 2002 and ``no offer of money was made
to Mr. Braio by myself or any others.''
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/13/2002
05:34:39 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Power of archdiocese with Law, judge says
Boston
Globe
By Kathleen Burge, Globe Staff
Suffolk Superior Court judge yesterday rebuffed the Archdiocese of Boston's claim
that it could not fund a multimillion-dollar settlement for 86 victims of John
J. Geoghan because the archdiocesan Finance Council refused to fund it, declaring
that the council is not legally recognized under state law.
Instead, Judge Constance M. Sweeney found, the state law that established the
archdiocese in the late 1800s vests the power to make agreements in the archbishop.
In March, Cardinal Bernard F. Law endorsed the tentative agreement. And in May,
he said he would have funded it if his hand-picked Finance Council had not overruled
him.
Speaking from the bench, Sweeney said, ''This court does not believe that what
the Finance Council did or did not do ... has anything to do with the recommendation
of the [archdiocese]. ... I am, at this point, of the position that it does not
make a difference from a legal point of view ... what [Law's] motivation was for
signing or not signing the contract.''
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/13/2002
05:28:16 AM
WORCESTER (Mass.)
Diocese investigation finds charges lack substance
Worcester Telegram
& Gazette
By Bronislaus B. Kush
Telegram & Gazette Staff
WORCESTER-- Pope John Paul II's representative to the United States has agreed
with the findings of an investigation conducted by the Catholic Diocese of Worcester
that cleared Auxiliary Bishop George E. Rueger of allegations he sexually molested
a teen-age boy at Our Lady of Lourdes parish in the early 1960s.
Local diocesan officials said Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo -- the papal nuncio
to the United States -- has maintained an ongoing dialogue with Worcester Bishop
Daniel P. Reilly since Sime J. Braio, a 52 year-old Shrewsbury man, reported earlier
this year that he had been molested by Bishop Rueger.
Vatican officials could not be reached for comment. Diocesan spokesman Raymond
L. Delisle said Archbishop Montalvo -- Rome's highest emissary in the United States
-- agreed there was no substance to the charges.
A civil suit was filed on Mr. Braio's behalf Thursday in Worcester Superior Court
against Bishop Rueger and the diocese. It alleges that the molestation began when
Mr. Braio was 13 and continued when he was older.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/13/2002
05:18:59 AM
Friday, July 12, 2002
Role of Bishops Is Now a Focus of Grand Juries
The New York
Times
Prosecutors across the nation have taken investigations of clerical sexual abuse
before more than a dozen grand juries in recent weeks, stepping up their inquiries
into whether Roman Catholic bishops endangered children by ignoring the crimes,
prosecutors and church officials said.
posted by Tom Fox on 7/12/2002 01:29:23
PM
A meditation in imperfection
The Tidings
By Father Richard P. McBrien
Rembert Weakland, the recently retired Archbishop of Milwaukee, was one of the
most intelligent and pastorally effective bishops in the United States. The circumstances
surrounding his last days in office do not diminish the quality and effectiveness
of his 25-year episcopal ministry.
One should not talk or write about the archbishop now as if he were simply a "case"
to be analyzed and moralized over. He was and still is a priest of enormous dignity,
talent, and dedication.
That he was also shown to have serious faults does not place him in some special
category, reserved to a tarnished few. Each one of us belongs in that same category
-- without exception. It is just that most of us are less well-known than he,
and so, too, are our transgressions. But we are all sinners.
While sin may be universal, the courage to acknowledge our sins and to beg forgiveness
for them, especially in a public forum, is not. Stone-walling and outright lying
are common temptations to which too many of us succumb. Indeed, the current sex-abuse
crisis in the church would not have been so severe had the bishops been more forthcoming
about what they had done or failed to do.
Their malfeasance involved the covering up of criminal behavior, the unconscionable
placing of innocent children in harm's way through the reassignment of known predatory
priests, and the passion for secrecy reflected in the million-dollar settlements
designed not primarily to compensate the victims and their families but to keep
them quiet.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/12/2002
12:47:20 PM
CHICAGO (Ill.)
Victims Group Wants Priest Ousted
WBBM
CHICAGO (AP) -- A group for victims of priest abuse is criticizing what it calls
a delay by the Archdiocese of Chicago in removing an accused priest.
Barbara Blaine, leader of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said the
archdiocese has failed to review the case in a timely fashion. She said the priest,
who is a pastor in a suburban Chicago parish, should have been removed during
the investigation.
Two women have alleged they were abused by the priest decades ago. The first woman
complained in April.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/12/2002
12:42:44 PM
CHICAGO (Ill.)
Victims group wants priest's ouster
Chicago
Sun-Times
BY CATHLEEN FALSANI RELIGION REPORTER
An advocacy group for victims of clergy sexual abuse accused officials of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago on Thursday of stalling the removal from
ministry of a Lake County priest accused of molesting two girls more than 30 years
ago.
Barbara Blaine, president of the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests,
called for the immediate removal of the Rev. Raymond Skriba, pastor of St. Joseph
Parish in Round Lake.
Since April, two women, now in their 50s, have accused Skriba of molesting them
while they were grade-school students at St. Gertrude Parish in Franklin Park
in the 1960s.
"For almost three months, two women who were victimized by Father Raymond Skriba
have waited for action," Blaine said. "They have done everything the archdiocese
has asked, and more, jumping through hoop after hoop.
"The kids continue to be unsafe at that parish, and Father Skriba remains a priest
with unfettered access to children," she said.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/12/2002
12:38:53 PM
CHICAGO (Ill.)
Delay in priest's alleged abuse case questioned
Chicago
Tribune
Almost three months after a woman first complained about abuse she says she suffered
at the hands of a Chicago-area Roman Catholic priest decades ago, the archdiocese
of Chicago has yet to make a decision about the priest's future.
Barbara Blaine, leader of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said Thursday
that the archdiocese has failed to review the case in a timely manner and that
the priest, now a pastor in a suburban parish, should have been removed from ministry
during the investigation.
Archdiocese officials, meanwhile, defended the timing. Until earlier this week,
they say, an independent review board did not have adequate information to make
a decision in the case. And the priest, who has vehemently denied the allegations
saying "she's absolutely lying," was placed under "monitoring" in his parish after
the first woman--and later a second woman--made claims against him, the archdiocese
said.
As part of an archdiocesan policy that has been held up as a model for the nation,
the initial review on a sex abuse allegation is generally expected to begin quickly.
"Ordinarily, the (independent review) Board shall meet within approximately three
to five days after an allegation is made to conduct a First Stage Review," the
policy says.
In this case, a lawyer for the first woman says he faxed her complaint to archdiocese
officials on April 16. On Thursday, the archdiocese said the review board completed
its first stage review on Tuesday--85 days after the fax.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/12/2002
12:35:28 PM
WORCESTER (Mass.)
Diocese says accuser tried to extort $10K from church
Worcester Telegram
& Gazette
By Jay Whearley
Telegram & Gazette Staff
WORCESTER-- A statement issued yesterday afternoon by the Catholic Diocese of
Worcester says that Sime J. Braio tried to extort $10,000 from diocesan officials.
According to the statement, issued by Monsignor Thomas J. Sullivan, the diocesan
chancellor, Mr. Braio said in a Feb. 26 phone call that unless he was paid the
money he would speak to Telegram & Gazette reporter Kathleen A. Shaw about his
claims of sexual misconduct by Auxiliary Bishop George E. Rueger.
The statement asserts that “two other attempts at extortion subsequently were
made,” as well as “an attempt at extortion ... through a local attorney who no
longer represents Mr. Braio.”
Monsignor Sullivan said that “all attempts at extortion” were reported to District
Attorney John J. Conte's office. Mr. Conte said last night that diocesan officials
did inform him of meetings they had with Mr. Braio.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/12/2002
09:29:57 AM Clergy sex abuse of females further complicates an
intricate issue
Kansas City
Star
They are the forgotten victims of clergy sex abuse, neglected by the media and
overlooked by church activists.
Yet many experts estimate that females -- both girls and women -- constitute a
sizable number of all victims of sexual abuse by priests.
posted by Tom Fox on 7/12/2002 07:49:34
AM
MANCHESTER (N.H.)
Lawyer for alleged victims of priests seeks election to change law
Foster's
Democrat
By MIKE RECHT
Associated Press Writer
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — A lawyer for dozens of alleged victims of sexual abuse
by priests is running for office and joined the increasing call to change state
laws that have blocked many prosecutions and civil suits.
"I would abolish the statute of limitation for civil suits," said Peter Hutchins,
who has 60 clients who claim they have been abused by priests dating back to 1949.
The criminal law is more complicated, and there would be more constitutional concerns
because anyone convicted goes to jail, he said.
"It should be clarified and extended" to the maximum the constitution would allow,
he said. "I would have no problem pushing the constitutional envelope."
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/12/2002
06:02:54 AM
MANCHESTER (N.H.)
No new accusations since
McCormack’s arrival cited
The
Union Leader
By KATHRYN MARCHOCKI
Union Leader Staff
State prosecutors have uncovered no accusations of clergy sexual abuse of children
in the Catholic Diocese of Manchester during the nearly four years Bishop John
B. McCormack has been here, a prosecutor said recently.
“We don’t have any allegations of clergy sexual abuse occurring since he has been
bishop,” Senior Assistant Attorney General E. William Delker said.
Whether the diocese’s handling of dozens of priests accused of molesting children
since the 1960s was criminal has been scrutinized by state prosecutors for several
months.
The Attorney General’s Office has received abuse allegations against about 50
priests and religious brothers dating back decades. Individual cases have been
referred to county attorneys and local law enforcement to investigate.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/12/2002
05:59:49 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Bishops face challenges implementing tough new policy on clerical sex abuse
Boston Globe
By Rachel Zoll, Associated Press
A month after their historic meeting on sex abuse, some of America's Roman Catholic
bishops have been struggling to implement their sweeping new policy to keep priests
who molest children away from parishioners.
A few priests removed from public ministry under the plan have fought back and
appealed to the Vatican for reinstatement -- and some rank-and-file Catholics
have supported them. A handful of bishops also have delayed ousting errant clergy
until they review key parts of the policy, such as its broad definition of sex
abuse.
The new guidelines "raise some real questions about compatibility with our traditions,"
said the Rev. Thomas Green, a church law expert at The Catholic University of
America.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/12/2002
05:49:15 AM
GREENFIELD (Mass.)
Four more alleged victims of sexual abuse file suit against Springfield priest
Boston
Globe
By Adam Gorlick, Associated Press
GREENFIELD -- Four men who say they were molested by the Rev. Richard Lavigne
decades before he pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two other boys sued the Roman
Catholic priest and the Springfield Diocese on Thursday.
Their civil suits, filed in Springfield Superior Court, follow three others that
have been filed against Lavigne and the diocese since April. All the plaintiffs
say Lavigne abused them at some point during the 1970s and 1980s when he served
in parishes in Springfield, North Adams and Shelburne Falls.
Shawn Dobbert, who said Thursday that Lavigne molested him countless times between
1976 and 1986, said the cleric also threatened to kill him if he ever reported
the abuse.
"The first time he raped me, he had literally threatened my life by telling me
he could take the air out of my lungs," Dobbert said at his attorney's Greenfield
office.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/12/2002
05:44:12 AM
GREENFIELD (Mass.)
Abuse: 4 new lawsuits filed against Lavigne
Springfield
Union-News
By BILL ZAJAC
GREENFIELD — A North Adams resident said he was emotionally tortured, ridiculed
for being fat and physically threatened while being sexually abused for 10 years
by the Rev. Richard R. Lavigne.
Shawn M. Dobbert, 34, broke down in tears several times as he recounted the abuse
at a press conference after he and three other men filed suits against Lavigne
in Hampden Superior Court yesterday.
Lavigne often became enraged and threatened Dobbert after sexual experiences,
Dobbert said at the press conference at his lawyer's office. Dobbert said he was
abused from 1976 to 1986.
"He would say no one liked me because I was fat and that he was the only one who
loved me. I would beg for forgiveness . . . like I did something wrong," said
Dobbert.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/12/2002
05:37:38 AM WORCESTER (Mass.)
DA's office couldn't support charges
Worcester Telegram
& Gazette
By Kathleen A. Shaw
Telegram & Gazette Staff
WORCESTER-- A civil suit filed in Worcester Superior Court yesterday alleges that
Auxiliary Bishop George E. Rueger of the Catholic Diocese of Worcester sexually
molested a teen-age boy at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in the early 1960s.
Sime J. Braio, now 52, filed suit against the diocese and Bishop Rueger, claiming
that the molestation started when he was 13 and continued when he was older.
“It's all false,” Monsignor Thomas J. Sullivan, diocesan chancellor, said of the
allegations contained in the lawsuit. “We've been working with the district attorney
on this.”
District Attorney John J. Conte said last night his investigators concluded that
Mr. Braio's charges could not be substantiated.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/12/2002
05:20:39 AM PAXTON (Mass.)
Church censures Paxton pastor
Worcester Telegram
& Gazette
By Kathleen A. Shaw
Telegram & Gazette Staff
PAXTON-- The Rev. Donald D. Whitcomb, pastor of First Congregational Church, has
been censured by the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ.
He will retain his standing as a minister in the state's largest Protestant denomination,
but must comply with certain corrective requirements, including submitting to
a psychological evaluation. He also must remove himself from the congregation
for four months.
The deacons of the Paxton church asked the Massachusetts Conference several months
ago to investigate allegations by some members of the church.
The allegations involve sexual inappropriateness, being present where marijuana
and alcoholic beverages were being used by underage youth of the congregation,
barring adults from being present or having parental knowledge of what was done
in certain youth ministry programs; and violating confidentiality.
The conference has barred Rev. Whitcomb from having solitary contact with people
under age 25, and he must attend sexual ethics and professional boundaries programs
by the end of this year. For three years, he must meet at least monthly for ministerial
consultation with a professional and at least once every six months with the ethics
subcommittee.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/12/2002
05:13:40 AM
Some bishops struggling to enact abuse policy
Process delayed wait on Vatican
Louisville
Courier-Journal
By Rachel Zoll
Associated Press
A month after their meeting on sex abuse, some of America's Roman Catholic bishops
have been struggling to implement their sweeping new policy to keep priests who
molest children away from parishioners.
A few priests removed from public ministry under the plan have fought back and
appealed to the Vatican for reinstatement -- and some rank-andfile Catholics have
supported them. A handful of bishops also have delayed ousting errant clergy until
they review key parts of the policy, such as its broad definition of sex abuse.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/12/2002
05:13:12 AM
LOUISVILLE (KY)
Judge won't seal sex-abuse suits
Ruling says law doesn't apply to church cases
Louisville
Courier Journal
By Gregory A. Hall
The Courier-Journal
A Jefferson Circuit Court judge refused yesterday to seal dozens of lawsuits alleging
child sexual abuse by priests and employees within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese
of Louisville.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/12/2002
05:11:59 AM ALBANY (NY)
Bishop's Appeal raises $6.4M
Diocese's annual fund-raiser brings in 8.6 percent more than last year despite
abuse scandal and a tough economy
Albany
Times-Union
By ANDREW TILGHMAN, Staff writer
First published: Friday, July 12, 2002
Despite a faltering economy and widespread scandal, the Roman Catholic Diocese
of Albany said this year's fund-raising drive was better than last year, gathering
pledges and contributions for more than $6.4 million dollars in the annual Bishop's
Appeal that ended this week.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/12/2002
04:55:10 AM
Thursday, July 11, 2002
AMARILLO (TX)
Suit alleges abuse cover-up
Amarillo
Globe-News
From staff reports
A lawsuit filed against Amarillo's Roman Catholic Diocese alleges a former Amarillo
priest fathered a child with a 17-year-old girl he counseled and that diocesan
officials conspired to cover up sexual abuse of young women and children by other
priests.
The suit, filed Monday in 47th District Court by Mr. and Mrs. John Doe and children,
names the Roman Catholic Diocese of Amarillo, Bishop John W. Yanta and former
Bishop Leroy T. Matthiesen as defendants in the lawsuit.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/11/2002
09:21:50 PM
Thursday Evening Update
Ex-seminarian can sue diocese, top court says
Press
of Atlantic City
By PETE McALEER Staff Writer
An Atlantic City man who claims he was sexually harassed while training to be
a priest will have another chance to sue the Diocese of Camden, the State Supreme
Court ruled Wednesday.
Christopher J. McKelvey, 39, sued the diocese in 1999 claiming that he withdrew
from the seminary six years earlier after being subjected to numerous sexual advances
from other priests. McKelvey said the diocese breached an unwritten, implied contract
to provide an educational atmosphere free of sexual harassment.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/11/2002
06:02:25 PM
NORTH ADAMS (Mass.)
Four to file charges against Lavigne
North
Adams Transcript
By Karen Gardner
North Adams Transcript
NORTH ADAMS -- A city man expects to file charges this morning in Greenfield,
along with two other North Adams residents and an individual from Springfield
who all claim they were molested by the Rev. Richard Lavigne.
According to Greenfield Attorney John J. Stobierski of Greenfield Wednesday, the
lawsuit was to be filed first thing this morning.
A 1 p.m. press conference is planned for today, at Stobierski's office.
In addition to Shawn Dobbert, 34, of North Adams, another city man will be identified
at the press conference as an alleged victim of Lavigne's, Stobierski said. The
name of the individual from Springfield also will be released at the press conference,
but the third individual from North Adams is choosing to remain anonymous.
Together, the four are filing a lawsuit against Lavigne, retired Bishop Joseph
F. Maguire, Holyoke priest Robert W. Thrasher, and the Diocese of Springfield,
based upon negligence...
Stobierski said although Thrasher is not being accused as a perpetrator, he allegedly
witnessed another of the Greenfield attorney's clients being abused by Lavigne
in 1972, when he walked into the room.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/11/2002
12:42:12 PM
ALBANY (NY)
Church fund paid abuse settlements
Albany-- Insurance did not cover most of $2.3M paid to priests' victims
Times-Union
By ANDREW TILGHMAN, Staff writer
July 11, 2002
The majority of the $2.3 million the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany has paid
out in confidential settlements with victims of sexual abuse was not covered by
an insurance policy but taken from a "self-insurance" fund created with annual
payments from local parishes.
The diocese liability insurance policy, which covers everything from a slip-and-fall
to a sexual abuse settlement, does not kick in until a payment exceeds $250,000.
Church officials would not provide specific numbers but said the insurance policy
did not cover most of the 11 settlements during the past 25 years, which they
said ranged mostly from $50,000 to $150,000.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/11/2002
08:20:06 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Law ordered deposed if no deal: Judge's ruling shows she wants no delays
Boston
Herald
by Tom Mashberg and Robin Washington
On the day disgraced Rev. Paul R. Shanley pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of rape
and child abuse, the judge in a lawsuit arising from Shanley's alleged acts ordered
Bernard Cardinal Law back to the deposition table within two weeks if there is
no accord struck between the archdiocese and its accusers.
In an 18-page ruling dealing with when written transcripts of Law's deposition
can be made public, Superior Court Judge Constance M. Sweeney said ``the public
has a keen interest in assessing'' what Law knows about the scandal. She also
made clear that as the judge now responsible for a wide range of church lawsuits,
including the Rev. John J. Geoghan molestation suit, she would tolerate no delays
in pushing those cases forward. ``It is my determination that a proper balance
can be struck'' between the rules of civil procedure and the public's ``right
to know,'' Sweeney wrote, ``by ordering the plaintiffs to resume the cardinal's
deposition within two weeks'' - unless there is ``good cause'' not to.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/11/2002
05:41:16 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Shanley pleads not guilty to child rape charges
Boston Globe
By Denise Lavoie, Associated Press
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- A retired priest at the center of the sex abuse scandal in
Boston pleaded innocent Wednesday to charges he removed boys from religion classes
to abuse them, sometimes in a confessional.
The Rev. Paul R. Shanley, who was once known for his street ministry to troubled
and gay youth, was ordered held on $300,000 cash bail. His arraignment lasted
less than a minute after Shanley waived the reading of the indictment on 10 counts
of child rape and six counts of indecent assault and battery.
Shanley, 71, was indicted last month on charges he abused boys from 1979 to 1989
while he was a priest at a church in Newton, a Boston suburb. The boys were between
the ages of 6 and 15.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/11/2002
05:36:55 AM
PORTSMOUTH (N.H.)
Diocese clears up confusion over Portsmouth priest’s name
Foster's
Democrat
MANCHESTER — The Diocese of Manchester today made it clear that the Rev. Edward
J. Kelley, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Portsmouth, is not related
to the Rev. Edward T. Kelley who was named in a recent media report concerning
a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston who was accused of sexual abuse of a minor.
Bishop Francis J. Christian, Auxiliary Bishop and Vicar for Clergy, issued the
clarification and also notified all priests of the Diocese.
"Father Edward J. Kelley of the Diocese of Manchester has served the Church faithfully
as a parish priest and military chaplain in the U.S. Navy for 36 years and his
reputation is without question," said Bishop Christian. "Since the names are so
similar, I want to make it clear that Father Kelley in Portsmouth has no connection
to the priest mentioned in the sexual abuse cases in Massachusetts."
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/11/2002
05:30:28 AM
JEMEZ SPRINGS (NM)
New Mexico retreat once used to treat pedophile priests will close in December
San
Francisco Chronicle
July 10, 2002
JEMEZ SPRINGS, N.M. (AP) -- A center for Roman Catholic priests will close, eight
years after a treatment program for pedophile clergy ended there amid a sexual
abuse scandal.
Future uses for the 7-acre complex in the Jemez Mountains northwest of Albuquerque
were still being decided, the Servants of the Paraclete said.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/11/2002
04:35:41 AM
SACRAMENTO (CA)
Abuse hotline will stay, church official says
Sacramento
Bee
By Dorothy Korber -- Bee Staff Writer
July 10, 2002
The Catholic Diocese of Sacramento is not planning to "pull the plug" on its clergy
sex-abuse hotline despite a lawsuit demanding that the program be discontinued,
Vicar David Deibel said Tuesday.
"My overwhelming response: If we're going to be sued, I'd rather be sued for doing
the right thing," Deibel said. "The hotline was created as a way to reach out
to those who were victimized, to listen and get proper resources to them. It's
an important service."
The lawsuit, filed last week by two women who say they were molested by Sacramento-area
priests, claims that the hotline is an investigative tool of the diocese that
is manned by a lawyer rather than a counselor.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/11/2002
04:33:17 AM
MILWAUKEE (WI)
Abuse victims are waiting
Journal Sentinel
Editorial July 9, 2002
"It's going to take time. This can't be done overnight." Few words are more frustrating
to reformers than those, because they have been used too often by institutions
as a way to avoid making changes. Delay long enough by saying that it can't be
done overnight, and maybe people will come to believe that it can't be done at
all.
So it would be understandable if victims of clergy sexual abuse and advocates
of change within the Catholic Church responded with skepticism to the above quote
from Father Jerome Hudziak, a member of the Milwaukee Archdiocese's nine-person
College of Consultors. He was talking about how quickly the archdiocese will be
able to implement the U.S. bishops' new policy on clergy sexual abuse.
Reformers undoubtedly would have preferred a variation on Nike's "Just do it"
slogan. But there are some good reasons why the archdiocese can't put the policy
into place overnight.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/11/2002
04:30:21 AM
Wednesday, July 10, 2002
Wednesday Evening Update:
VATICAN
Another cardinal says sex abuse scandal results in ‘media campaign of persecution’
National
Catholic Reporter
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Rome
Another Latin American frontrunner to be the next pope has blasted what he calls
a “media campaign of persecution” against the Catholic Church in the United States,
responding to aggressive reporting of sex abuse scandals that have rocked American
Catholicism.
The comments came from Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, 60, of Mexico City, in
an interview with the prestigious Italian Catholic publication 30 Giorni. They
echo remarks made to the same publication by Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez
Maradiaga
LOS ANGELES (CA)
Tough Talk
D.A. Steve Cooley says he'll take his investigation of Cardinal Mahony's pedo-priests
"wherever it leads."
New Times
BY RON RUSSELL
If Cardinal Roger M. Mahony had hoped that the priestly sex-abuse scandal afflicting
the Los Angeles Archdiocese might have blown over by now, he's bound to be disappointed
with the latest pronouncements of L.A. County district attorney Steve Cooley.
In his first detailed interview on the subject since the scandal broke in early
March, Cooley tells New Times that his office intends to go beyond merely prosecuting
a few priests accused of abusing children to pursue criminal misconduct within
the nation's largest Roman Catholic Archdiocese "wherever it leads." Asked if
that means Mahony himself may conceivably become the target of a criminal probe,
the district attorney pointedly replies, "No one is above the law."
CLEARWATER (FL)
Woman claiming sexual abuse sues pastor, Lutheran church
The clergyman retired recently from St. Andrew Lutheran in St. Petersburg.
©
St. Petersburg Times
By WILLIAM R. LEVESQUE, Times Staff Writer
published July 10, 2002
CLEARWATER -- A woman who accuses her Lutheran pastor of repeatedly sexually abusing
her while she was a member of his congregation has filed suit against him, the
church and the denomination.
The woman, in a Pinellas-Pasco lawsuit filed on Friday, accuses William Bruce
Wilder, 65, of sexually abusing or inappropriately touching her from August 1997
to December 1998 as pastor of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in St. Petersburg. Wilder
retired as pastor of St. Andrew on April 7.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/10/2002
07:45:28 PM
SPARTA (N.Y.)
Former Sparta priest removed from position
New
Jersey Herald
By MARY PAOLUCCI
Herald Staff Writer
SPARTA — Although the family whose two boys were abused by Rev. William N. Cramer,
a former Sparta priest, feel that his removal from pastoral care at a Paterson
Hospital is long overdue, local priests feel that this form of punishment is undeserved.
Bishop Frank J. Rodimer of the Paterson Roman Catholic Diocese removed Cramer
from his position as director of pastoral care at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical
Center in Paterson on June 19 as a result of a charter approved the week before.
The charter, approved by a nationwide conference of bishops, bars all priests
ever found to have abused children from working as priests.
Cramer, indicted for molesting two Sparta boys in 1985, was placed on administrative
leave of absence from the pastoral position until final decisions are made about
what to do with him.
St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center’s President Patrick R. Wardell, said he granted
Cramer’s request for a leave of absence, but “would welcome Father Cramer’s return
to St. Joseph’s if it is deemed to be appropriate by the Diocese of Paterson.”
In the meantime, a new director, Father Martin Roone, has been appointed as acting
director of pastoral care.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/10/2002
01:28:32 PM
MIDDLETON (Mass.)
Parish healing wounds year after Reardon plea
Lawrence Eagle-Tribune
By Alan Burke
Eagle-Tribune Writer
It is a storybook church on a winding country road, with a tree-sheltered rectory
like the set for a Bing Crosby movie.
But then St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church in Middleton became something else, the
scene of a sordid crime where helpless young boys were betrayed and abused by
a trusted church worker.
The Rev. John McDonough, who recently took over at St. Agnes Church in Middleton,
sits in one of the pews of the Middleton church on Boston Street.
And even when the worst seemed to be over, it wasn't. Tales of abusive priests
in other parishes began spilling out in lurid national headlines, reopening the
wounds, until St. Agnes looked like Ground Zero for local Catholics.
Some -- no one can say how many -- left the church, seeking safe harbors in other
parishes or quitting Catholicism altogether. In certain cases, the exodus was
a wrenching one, splitting families down the middle.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/10/2002
01:17:11 PM
AUSTIN (TX)
Texas Boy Nearly Beaten to Death by Pastor- Police
Yahoo!
News
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Texas police on Tuesday sought a Baptist pastor and
his twin brother on charges they used a tree branch to beat an 11-year-old boy
nearly to death for misbehaving in a Bible class.
Investigators sought Joshua Thompson, 23, and his twin brother Caleb Thompson
for the July 3 incident, which left the Louie Guerrero in intensive care for four
days after broken blood vessels caused his kidneys to fail, court records say.
Both men are charged with a single count of felony injury to a child, according
to an affidavit filed on Monday.
Court records allege the 90-minute beating was to physically "break" Louie for
lying, Joshua Thompson allegedly told the boy's stepfather afterward.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/10/2002
01:07:08 PM
COLLEGEVILLE (Minn.)
Abbot removes two monks from positions at abbey
Minneapolis-St.Paul
Pioneer Press
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - Two monks living under restrictions at St. John's Abbey
for alleged sexual misconduct have been relieved of their duties at the abbey
by Abbot John Klassen.
Klassen has removed the Rev. Fran Hoefgen as guest master of the abbey's guest
house and the Rev. Allen Tarlton as director of it's Oblate program - a program
in which people devote themselves to the manifestations of the Benedictine faith.
A group which demanded Tarlton's removal had threatened to protest this weekend
during the Oblate retreat.
The Rev. William Skudlarek, abbey spokesman, said Klassen didn't learn of the
protest until after he made the changes.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/10/2002
07:10:14 AM
NEW HAVEN (Conn.)
Priest Wasn't Charged In Baltimore
Pedophile Case There Led To New Haven Firing
Hartford
Courant
By ALLISON KLEIN AND JOHN RIVERA, Special To The Courant
A priest recently fired from a New Haven church because he had sexually abused
boys in a Baltimore parish years ago was never charged with a crime in Baltimore
even though he had confessed, a police report shows.
The 1987 report says the Rev. Robert Victor Newman, who was expelled from Sacred
Heart Church in New Haven over the weekend, was granted "exceptional clearance"
by the Baltimore state's attorney's office despite having admitted to police and
prosecutors that he fondled a 14-year-old boy.
As a condition of the "exceptional" arrangement, Newman was to continue treatment
in a psychiatric hospital rather than face prosecution, the report said. Then,
Maryland law gave prosecutors the option of waiving prosecution if a sex offense
suspect agreed to treatment.
According to the report, written five months after the alleged abuse, the arrangement
was allowed by Olga Bruning, head of the sex crimes unit at the State's Attorney's
Office in Maryland.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/10/2002
06:50:16 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Mediators face questions on Geoghan deal
Boston
Herald
by Tom Mashberg
Two mediators with intimate knowledge of a short-lived settlement in the Rev.
John J. Geoghan sex abuse case will have to answer preliminary questions about
the deal under oath today, the state Appeals Court ruled yesterday.
Also today, the Rev. Paul R. Shanley will be arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court
on charges of sexually assaulting and raping four Newton boys in the 1980s.
Shanley, 71, a former pastor of St. John's Parish in Newton, has been indicted
on a total of 16 counts dating from 1979 to 1989.
The mediators, Paul A. Finn and Sarah E. Worley from Commonwealth Mediation &
Conciliation of Brockton, had asked the court to overturn a Superior Court ruling
issued last week in the Geoghan case by asserting a state confidentiality law
that governs mediators.
But the appelate court found Judge Constance M. Sweeney was right to allow limited
interrogation of the pair by Mitchell Garabedian, the attorney for 86 Geoghan
accusers suing a total of 17 Catholic Church employees, including Geoghan, Bernard
Cardinal Law and several of his former bishops.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/10/2002
06:44:27 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Geoghan judge's mediator ruling upheld
Boston
Globe
By Kathleen Burge, Globe Staff
Two mediators who negotiated a later-rescinded settlement between the Archdiocese
of Boston and alleged sexual abuse victims of former priest John J. Geoghan will
be questioned under oath today after a state Appeals Court judge refused to give
them a last-minute reprieve.
Justice Joseph A. Grasso Jr. upheld a lower court decision to allow limited questioning
of the mediators by attorneys representing 86 alleged victims of Geoghan. He ruled
that Superior Court Judge Constance Sweeney hadn't erred when she ordered the
depositions, rejecting the mediators' claim that they were prohibited from revealing
details of the settlement by a state law that protects the confidentiality of
mediations.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/10/2002
06:41:33 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
"If they knew the madness in me"
The search for the real Rev. Paul Shanley suggests he was part hero, part horror
Boston
Globe
By Sally Jacobs, Globe Staff
It was getting on toward midnight, a night during Holy Week in 1972, and Paul
Shanley was somewhere on Route 78, heading for Harrisburg, Pa., the next stop
on a rambling speaking tour around the country. He was looking for a place to
sleep - and wrestling with his own inner torment.
''I am overwhelmed with loneliness, ashamed at my pleas to God to find a way out
for me,'' Shanley would later write, transcribing his thoughts for ''Notes from
the Road,'' his newsletter. ''Is it really so important for me to go on? The Letters
say so. They warn: `If you give up, so must we. You are our hope.' People shouldn't
put such hope in a mere man, any man. It's almost sacrilegious. If they knew the
madness in me, festering below the surface, they would join the ranks of my accusers.''
At the time he wrote those words, there were already several accusers, young boys
who had privately declared that Father Paul had abused them. But they were far
outnumbered by the letter-writers, the legions of homosexual runaways and their
parents who considered Shanley a hero and his work a kind of blessing.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/10/2002
06:32:11 AM
MANCHESTER (N.H.)
Sex scandal won’t hurt
giving to charities, diocese says
The
Union Leader
By NANCY MEERSMAN
Union Leader Staff
The Diocese of Manchester said yesterday the sex-abuse scandal besetting the church
is not expected to cut into giving to New Hampshire Catholic Charities.
Diocese spokesman Patrick McGee said since the annual fund drive began in May,
parishes throughout the state have been getting out the message that “Catholic
Charities money stays in Catholic Charities” — it is not co-mingled with funds
belonging to the diocese.
But a separate charity, the Bishop’s Fund, could be adversely affected by the
crisis. Bishop John B. McCormack announced this week that he was canceling the
annual summer reception, a tented event on the lawn of the Bishop’s residence
on River Road.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/10/2002
06:21:12 AM
CAMBRIDGE (Mass.)
Retired priest to be arraigned on child rape charges
Springfield
Union News
The Associated Press
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) -- A priest at the center of the sex abuse scandal facing
the Archdiocese of Boston faces multiple counts of child rape and indecent assault
on four boys.
The Rev. Paul R. Shanley was indicted on June 20 for sexually assaulting and raping
four boys from 1979 to 1989, when he was at St. John the Evangelist parish in
Newton, a suburb of Boston.
Shanley was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon in Middlesex District
Court.
The indictment includes 10 counts of child rape and six counts of indecent assault
and battery. The indicted included three earlier counts of child rape for which
he had been arrested in California in May.
Shanley, 71, has pleaded innocent to the original charges, and has been held on
$300,000 bail.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/10/2002
06:17:42 AM
PORTLAND (ME)
Court keeps church safeguard
Sidney man's abuse case likely to be 1st affected by narrow ruling
Portland
Press Herald
PORTLAND — A legal barrier that makes it nearly impossible to sue religious institutions
for the actions of clergy remains intact following a Maine Supreme Judicial Court
decision announced Tuesday. Although the case did not involve the Roman Catholic
Church, the decision is viewed as a defeat for people who say they were sexually
abused by priests, but have not been able sue the church in state courts because
of a legal doctrine which considers the supervision of clergy to be protected
by the Constitution.
In the 4-2 decision announced Tuesday, the court sidestepped constitutional issues
that had been raised in a case that challenged that doctrine. That leaves the
current law in place and means churches are protected from lawsuits.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/10/2002
06:12:06 AM
WORCESTER (Mass.)
Diocese facing another lawsuit
Worcester Telegram
& Gazette
By Kathleen A. Shaw
Telegram & Gazette Staff
A third lawsuit against the Diocese of Worcester has been filed in Hampden Superior
Court by a woman who said she was sexually abused by the Rev. Robert E. Kelley
when he was assigned to Notre Dame parish in Southbridge.
Rev. Kelley, a convicted child rapist, admitted in two previous depositions taken
under oath in the 1990s that he sexually abused Jane Martin in 1972 in Southbridge
when she was about age 8 or 9.
Ms. Martin, 41, who now lives in the Springfield area, said in her lawsuit that
she was molested by Rev. Kelley at least 12 times between ages 8 and 14.
Lawyer Michael Ascher of Springfield said Ms. Martin reported the abuse to the
Rev. Raymond J. Page, who was then Notre Dame's pastor. “He questioned her veracity
and asked how she could suggest such a thing,” he said. “He dismissed it as the
rantings of a 9-year-old,” Mr. Ascher said. The suit said Rev. Kelley proceeded
to molest her for several more years.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/10/2002
06:04:13 AM
AUSTIN (TX)
Accused pastor, brother surrender
Austin police probe possibility other youths abused at church
Houston
Chronicle
By ARMANDO VILLAFRANCA
Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau
AUSTIN -- A Baptist pastor and his twin brother surrendered to police Tuesday
to answer charges that they used a tree branch to severely beat an 11-year-old
boy for misbehaving in Bible class.
The child remained hospitalized at Brackenridge Children's Hospital.
Also on Tuesday, Austin police said they were investigating whether other children
had been abused at the Capitol City Baptist Church, but they could not say for
certain there had been other victims.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/10/2002
05:57:33 AM
Insurance a Worry for Catholic Church
Premiums Skyrocket; Old Policies Unreliable in Sex Abuse Settlements
Washington
Post
By Edward Walsh
Washington Post Staff Writer
In 1990, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Winona,
Minn., were hit with a civil judgment of more than $1 million stemming from the
sexual abuse of a minor by a priest in the 1970s. Quite naturally, the two Roman
Catholic entities turned to their insurance companies to pay the judgment under
the terms of their general liability policies.
But the insurance companies refused, arguing that, because the priest had a 15-year
history of repeated abuse that was known to his superiors, church officials knew
or should have known that he would abuse again. After a six-year legal struggle
that reached the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the insurance companies prevailed.
The dioceses had to pay the judgment themselves.
posted by Jayson Landeza on 7/10/2002
04:53:14 AM
Tuesday, July 09, 2002
Tuesday Evening Update
DALLAS (TX)
Randolph Severson: A true hero emerged from the priest sex scandal
Dallas
Morning News
07/08/2002
By RANDOLPH SEVERSON
I serve on the parish council at St. John's Catholic Church in Ennis, where Rudy
Kos preyed on our children and our community. We approach the 10-year anniversary
of his removal as our pastor. The past 10 years haven't been easy. As a community,
we have suffered. But we not only have endured; we have prevailed.
Indeed, we are thriving – through the leadership of a true servant priest, Father
Fred Caldwell; through a deacon whose homilies and classes regularly soar toward
eloquence; through an almost exponentially expanding ministry by which non-Catholics
join our faith; through numerous other active parish programs; and through a growing
school.
DETROIT (MI)
LOCAL COMMENT:
What if priests could marry?
Letting them embrace natural gift of love could be positive change
Detroit
Free Press
July 8, 2002
BY RON GRIES
I'm Catholic and in many ways glad that I am.
My strict upbringing in the Church gave me a firm foundation in matters of faith
and secular areas. The church and school in Cleveland's inner city were the center
of my life in those formative early years...
Our venerable pastor encouraged me to think about the priesthood. I might have,
especially knowing how proud my saintly mother would have been, but I had one
problem with the proposal: I really liked girls.
And, because of the wonderful example set by my father, I wanted from an early
age to marry and raise a good Catholic family. Sorry, Ron, can't have both.
My story is insignificant in the grand scheme of things. And I may have learned
that I was not cut out for the priesthood. But the fact that I couldn't pursue
marriage and the priesthood is the key.
White House Notebook
For Catholics, a Video Bush Must Suffice
By Dana Milbank
Washington
Post
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 9, 2002; Page A19
Does President Bush like to be seen with leaders of religious charities? Is the
pope Catholic?
When Bush was invited to appear in Chicago on Aug. 4 at the annual conference
of Catholic Charities USA, it seemed like a no-brainer...
Bush has been trying to woo Catholics, who comprise as much as 25 percent of the
electorate, since his ill-fated visit to Bob Jones University during the South
Carolina primary campaign in 2000. Bush narrowly lost the Catholic vote to Al
Gore in the general election, according to exit polls.
But Bush did not leap. White House officials told conference organizers last week
not to expect the president in Chicago.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/9/2002
08:15:37 PM
SACRAMENTO (CA)
Hotline suit targets bishop
Two women claim they were misled by the diocese's advocate.
Sacramento
Bee
By Dorothy Korber -- Bee Staff Writer
Published Tuesday, July 9, 2002
Two women who say they were molested by priests decades ago are suing Sacramento
Bishop William K. Weigand for fraud and negligence, claiming they were misled
and revictimized by the diocese victim's advocate.
The advocate, Nancy Milton, is also named in the suit, which seeks unspecified
general and punitive damages. The crux of the complaint is that Milton, who responds
to callers who use the diocese sex-abuse hotline, is trained as a lawyer, not
a therapist.
SAN FRANCISCO (CA)
S.F. man held on child-rape, drug charges
San
Francisco Chronicle
Chronicle staff and news reports
Tuesday, July 9, 2002
A San Francisco man has been arrested on child-rape and drug charges for conduct
that allegedly involved a teenage girl, authorities said today.
Craig Marine, 45, a reporter for The Chronicle's Sunday magazine, was taken into
custody at 11:30 p.m. Monday at a home in Bernal Heights, said Sheriff's Department
spokeswoman Eileen Hirst. Marine resides in the Excelsior District.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/9/2002
07:48:57 PM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Court says mediators can be questioned about abuse deal
Boston Globe
By Associated Press
BOSTON -- Two mediators who helped broker a deal between the Archdiocese of Boston
and alleged victims of defrocked priest John Geoghan will have to answer questions
under oath, an appeals court ruled Tuesday.
The mediators, Paul A. Finn and Sarah E. Worley, had asked an appeals court judge
to overturn a lower court ruling requiring them to submit to questions, saying
they were protected by confidentiality laws.
But an appeals court judge ruled Tuesday that Superior Court Judge Constance Sweeney
was within her power to order the limited questioning.
The mediators helped the archdiocese and the attorney for 86 alleged victims of
Geoghan in March reach a settlement agreement, worth up to $30 million. The archdiocese
later backed out of the deal, which had been publicly supported by Cardinal Bernard
Law, after its Finance Council said it couldn't meet the terms and pay other victims
of pedophile priests.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/9/2002
03:12:33 PM
AMARILLO (TX)
Ex-bishop doesn't regret hiring priests
Dallas-Fort Worth
Star Telegram
By PATRICK McGEE
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
AMARILLO - The former bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Amarillo said he
does not regret accepting five priests with sexual abuse allegations in their
past, but he said he wishes he had told parishioners about the priests' backgrounds.
Bishop emeritus Leroy Matthiesen said he accepted the priests into the diocese
because each one only had one accusation of molesting a minor, and psychiatrists
told him they saw no reason the priests could not continue with their ministerial
duties.
Matthiesen and current diocese officials said they received no complaints of abuse
about the priests during their time in Amarillo.
Each of the priests came from a different diocese, from as far away as Pennsylvania
and Washington. One had been imprisoned in California for molesting a minor.
"I proceeded with the conviction that a one-time offender who repents, is rehabilitated
and all of that ... can continue working in ministry," Matthiesen said in an interview
in his home Monday, the day he released a statement explaining his actions to
the diocese.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/9/2002
01:31:23 PM
PHILIPPINES
200 priests investigated for sexual abuses in Philippines
Yahoo! News
Some 200 Roman Catholic priests in the Philippines have been investigated for
sexual misconduct over the past 20 years, a church leader said as the clergy apologized
for the abuses.
Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines said late Monday that some of the 200 priests have been dismissed
and most have resigned from the church voluntarily.
He gave no other details.
The abuses led the bishops to formulate a "protocol" addressing the problem of
priests who commit sexual abuses, Quevedo said.
After their annual conference held over the weekend, the CBCP issued an unprecedented
statement Monday apologizing for the "grave sins committed by some leaders on
members of the flock."
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/9/2002
12:45:24 PM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Mediators ask court to block depositions
Boston
Globe
By Kathleen Burge, Globe Staff
Two mediators who helped the Archdiocese of Boston and 86 alleged victims of pedophile
priest John J. Geoghan reach a short-lived settlement last spring are asking a
state Appeals Court judge to call off their depositions, scheduled for tomorrow.
Geoffrey A. Domenico, the lawyer for the mediators, filed the emergency motion
late yesterday afternoon, arguing that state law protecting the confidentiality
of mediations prohibits Paul A. Finn and Sarah E. Worley from answering questions
about their role in the negotiations.
He urged the court to reverse a judge who had ordered the mediators to answer
questions under oath from lawyers representing the alleged victims of Geoghan,
who was convicted in January of molesting a boy. The plaintiffs contend that the
$15 million-to-$30 million settlement with the archdiocese was binding and should
be enforced.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/9/2002
07:47:46 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
'I didn't think there was any activity going on'
Boston
Globe
By Globe Staff and Wires, 7/9/2002
The following are excerpts of Bishop John B. McCormack's sworn testimony on June
4 about his actions involving priests accused of sexual abuse while he was a top
deputy to Cardinal Bernard F. Law in the Archdiocese of Boston. McCormack, now
leader of the Diocese of New Hampshire, was questioned by attorney Roderick MacLeish.
Here MacLeish asks McCormack about confronting the Rev. Joseph Birmingham in 1987
about sexual abuse allegations against him.Q. So even though you were aware of
the multiple allegations against Father Birmingham, and even though you had your
own reservations about making him pastor, you were content to take Father Birmingham's
word on the fact he was ''clean.'' Is that your testimony?
A. Yes.
Q. Well, it turns out that seven weeks earlier there had been a report made by
another parishioner of St. Ann's [in Gloucester] where Father Birmingham was working
to show that he wasn't clean, correct?
A. Correct.
Q. So you were mistaken in taking Father Birmingham's word for it, were you not,
Bishop?
A. Correct.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/9/2002
07:45:10 AM
CINCINNATI (OH)
Special grand jury created
Allegations against priests investigated
The
Cincinnati Enquirer
By Dan Horn
Hamilton County prosecutors convened a special grand jury Monday to investigate
allegations of sexual misconduct by Catholic priests.
The decision to call for a special grand jury suggests that the prosecutors' three-month
investigation into the Archdiocese of Cincinnati has reached a critical phase.
Ultimately, the jury could be asked to indict suspects on criminal charges.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/9/2002
07:36:00 AM
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (N.J.)
Parish begs diocese for return of its pastor
Morris priest moved after sexual allegation
The
Star-Ledger
BY BRIAN DONOHUE
Star-Ledger Staff
More than 100 parishioners of a Morris County church, who lost their pastor in
April after old allegations of sexual abuse against him surfaced, showed up for
an emotional meeting last night with a representative of the Paterson Diocese,
pleading for the priest's return.
Meeting in their parish hall in Schooleys Mountain, Washington Township, members
of Our Lady of the Mountain Church begged the Rev. George Hundt, a representative
of Paterson Bishop Frank Rodimer, for information about the fate of their pastor,
the Rev. Ralph Sodano.
Sodano was placed on administrative leave in April after church officials received
claims of sexual abuse that date back many years. County prosecutors dismissed
the accusations within 24 hours, saying the statute of limitations had expired.
But the Diocese of Paterson temporarily relieved Sodano of his duties and said
he would be evaluated by doctors and psychologists.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/9/2002
07:29:41 AM BALTIMORE (MD)
Ousted priest did not face Md. charges
Pastor expelled in Conn. left Baltimore in '87 after he admitted sex abuse; 'Exceptional
clearance' won; Prosecution was waived by law because he agreed to psychiatric
treatment
Baltimore
Sun
By Allison Klein and John Rivera
Sun Staff
A priest ousted from his Roman Catholic church in Connecticut because he was found
to have sexually abused boys while working as a pastor in Baltimore was never
charged here with a crime, even though he confessed, a police report shows.
The report from 1987 says that the Rev. Robert Victor Newman, who was expelled
from his New Haven church over the weekend, was granted "exceptional clearance"
by the Baltimore state's attorney's office despite having admitted to police and
prosecutors that he fondled a 14-year-old boy.
As a condition of the "exceptional" arrangement, Newman was to continue treatment
in a psychiatric hospital rather than face prosecution, the report said. At the
time, Maryland law gave prosecutors the option of waiving prosecution if a sex
offense suspect agreed to treatment.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/9/2002
07:17:40 AM
LOUISVILLE (KY)
Priest resigns over sex-abuse claim
The
Courier-Journal
By Peter Smith
For the third time this year, a parish pastor has been removed from ministry in
the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville over an allegation of past sexual
abuse.
The Rev. Ron Bohl, pastor of Incarnation Church in southwestern Jefferson County,
resigned late last month at the request of Archbishop Thomas Kelly, according
to Bohl's religious order, the Conventual Franciscan Community.
The resignation came after the Conventual Franciscans informed Kelly of an accusation
made against Bohl in 1986 when he was working in Ohio, according to Brother Robert
Baxter, spokesman for the order.
Baxter said there have been no other allegations against Bohl, who was ordained
in 1980.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/9/2002
07:13:37 AM
HARTFORD (CT)
Police Seize Minister's House, Car
Hartford
Courant
By TINA A. BROWN, Courant Staff Writer
The Rev. Henry L. Price has lost access to his house, car and bank account now
that he is facing new charges of promoting prostitution and racketeering.
Police seized control of Price's property and finances Friday when they accused
him of running a prostitution racket in Hartford while out on bail awaiting trial
on the same charges.
Price, 52, of Hartford, used his home and car to run his prostitution ring, Assistant
State's Attorney Victor Carlucci Jr. told a Hartford Superior Court judge Monday
at Price's arraignment.
"He was so blatant that he continued to do so," despite numerous pending charges
of promoting prostitution, assault and racketeering, which were scheduled for
a jury trial July 15. That trial date was postponed Monday and won't likely proceed
until the new charges are consolidated.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/9/2002
06:58:54 AM
HOPKINTON (R.I.)
A young R.I. man follows his destiny to the seminary
Neil Wallin, of Pawtucket, will be the youngest student at Our Lady of Providence
Seminary this fall.
Providence
Journal
BY S.I. ROSENBAUM
Journal Staff Writer
HOPKINTON -- Neil Wallin is 17 years old. He has never had a girlfriend; he's
pretty good at football, but an average bowler; he listens to Metallica. In the
fall, he will enter Our Lady of Providence Seminary to become a priest.
Neil will take this step in a year that has seen scandal envelop the priesthood.
Priests all over the country have been accused of sexual abuse; last week, a Rhode
Island Superior Court judge ordered the Diocese of Providence to open its records
of what it knew and what it did about priests accused of abuse.
In past months, some Catholics and non-Catholics have called for changes in the
church and in the priesthood. Others have lost faith in the church as an institution.
"Everybody's hurting with it," said Father Marcel Taillone, the Providence Diocese's
vocational priest.
But Neil says he is entering the seminary for a simple reason: he feels that God
is calling him to be a priest.
"It doesn't affect my vocation," he said of the scandals. "The faith remains the
same, and what a priest should be remains the same."
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/9/2002
06:53:53 AM BOSTON (Mass.)
Law aide: I believed priests, not accusers
Boston
Herald
by Robin Washington
A former top deputy to Bernard Cardinal Law admitted accepting the word of two
priests that they had not molested children over repeated allegations by parishioners
and other evidence to the contrary, according to a transcript of a deposition
made public yesterday.
Bishop John B. McCormack, now head of the Manchester, N.H., diocese, told lawyer
Roderick MacLeish in the sworn testimony that he and other church officials chose
to keep allegations against priests secret in part to avoid scandal.
``Our practice was to handle matters . . . confidentially and not to raise it
to the point where it would become so public that, at that time we saw this as
a scandal, and that it would raise it to the level of a scandal,'' McCormack said
in the transcript released by The Associated Press.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/9/2002
06:34:25 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Bishop says he accepted priests' denials of abuse
Boston
Globe
By Stephen Kurkjian and Matt Carroll, Globe Staff
New Hampshire Bishop John B. McCormack acknowledged under oath last month that
he accepted without question the denials of two priests in the Boston Archdiocese
that they had molested youngsters despite receiving repeated sexual abuse allegations
against the men.
McCormack also said he did not think he was obligated to inform authorities about
the allegations against the Rev. Ronald H. Paquin and the Rev. Joseph Birmingham
because as a priest he was not covered by state law at the time requiring reporting
of sexual abuse of minors, according to a transcript of the confidential deposition
obtained by the Associated Press.
McCormack, who served as Cardinal Bernard Law's top deputy for investigating clergy
abuse before being named bishop of Manchester in 1998, was deposed in connection
with a civil lawsuit filed by three men who allege they were sexually abused by
another Boston-area priest, the Rev. Paul R. Shanley.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/9/2002
06:30:23 AM
CONCORD (N.H.)
McCormack’s response to a father’s concern
Foster's
Democrat
By The Associated Press
Bishop John B. McCormack was questioned by lawyers June 4 about a letter he wrote
to a parishioner in April 1987. The man had asked church officials if the Rev.
Joseph Birmingham, who had been assigned to his parish in Gloucester, Mass., until
the previous month, was the same priest he had heard abused children at other
parishes. The man said he was concerned for his 13-year-old son, who was an altar
boy.
McCormack’s letter, dated April 14, 1987, read:
Dear Mr. (name deleted):
His Eminence, Cardinal (Bernard) Law, received your letter and asked me to look
into the matter for him.
I contacted Father Birmingham and asked him specifically about the matter you
expressed in your letter. He assured me there is absolutely no factual basis to
your concern regarding your son and him. From my knowledge of Father Birmingham
and my relationship with him, I feel he would tell me the truth and I believe
he is speaking the truth in this matter.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/9/2002
06:24:13 AM
CONCORD (N.H.)
Excerpts from McCormack’s deposition about informing people about allegations
Foster's
Democrat
By The Associated Press
Lawyer Roderick MacLeish questioned Bishop John B. McCormack at his June 4 deposition.
This exchange deals with efforts by Sister Catherine Mulkerrin, McCormack’s assistant
in Boston, to get him to inform Boston-area parishes that had priests facing sexual
abuse allegations:
Q — And Sister Catherine, because of all of this, wanted to let the parishioners
know, the parishioners who had been served by these priests with credible allegations
against them, she wanted to let the parishioners know?
A — Correct.
Q — And would you agree with me that one of the reasons it would be important
to let the parishioners know was because they might be able to get help for their
children, is that correct?
A — Correct.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/9/2002
06:21:30 AM
CONCORD (N.H.)
N.H. bishop says he often didn’t report abuse
Foster's
Democrat
By J.M. HIRSCH
Associated Press Writer
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — In a deposition last month, Bishop John B. McCormack said
under oath he twice dismissed mounting evidence that two priests had sexually
abused children because the alleged molesters told him they’d done nothing wrong.
McCormack, who was Cardinal Bernard Law’s deputy in the Boston Archdiocese at
the time, also acknowledged there were several times he didn’t report suspicions
of abuse by priests to civil authorities but noted he was not legally bound to
do so.
McCormack was questioned by plaintiffs’ lawyers in Manchester on June 4 as part
of a Massachusetts lawsuit by three men who say they were molested by the Rev.
Paul Shanley in the 1980s. They accuse top church officials in Boston at the time,
including McCormack, of failing to stop the abuse.
At least twice, McCormack said, he dismissed concerns based on priests’ denials,
according to a transcript of his sworn testimony reviewed by The Associated Press.
The transcript has not been made public.
Patrick McGee, McCormack’s spokesman, noted that the deposition is incomplete.
McCormack’s deposition is expected to continue, though no date has been set.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/9/2002
06:19:00 AM
MANCHESTER (N.H.)
Bishop McCormack’s role in
sex abuse scandal questioned
The
Union Leader
As Bishop John B. McCormack nears the end of his fourth year as spiritual leader
to New Hampshire’s Catholics, questions linger about his role in one of the most
explosive crises to beset the church.
Prior to becoming the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Manchester in September 1998,
McCormack was one of Cardinal Bernard F. Law of Boston’s top deputies charged
with handling clergy sexual misconduct cases.
McCormack, 66, was secretary for ministerial personnel in the Boston Archdiocese
from 1984 to 1994.
During that time, he and Bishop Robert J. Banks, then vicar for administration
and now bishop of Green Bay, Wis., shared the handling of clergy sexual abuse
cases, McCormack told The Union Leader in a May interview.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/9/2002
06:15:07 AM SPRINGFIELD (Mass.)
Woman sues priest, diocese in Worcester
Springfield
Union-News
By BILL ZAJAC
SPRINGFIELD — A Hampden woman, the first of at least 17 alleged sexual abuse victims
of a priest who is a convicted rapist, has filed a suit against him and the Roman
Catholic Diocese of Worcester.
Jane Martin, 41, of 30 Crestwood St., filed suit in Hampden Superior Court against
the Rev. Robert E. Kelley and the Worcester Diocese.
She said in the suit that she was sexually molested at least 12 times between
the ages of 8 and 14 while she was a parishioner at Notre Dame Parish in Southbridge,
where Kelley served as a curate. The molestation included digital rape, according
to the suit.
Kelley, who served several years in prison after pleading guilty in 1990 to raping
a Gardner girl, admitted in depositions in 1990 and 1998 that Martin was the first
of at least 17 sexual abuse victims.
Martin's lawyer, Michael P. Ascher of Springfield, said he hopes his client will
receive monetary compensation.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/9/2002
06:05:01 AM
PROVIDENCE (R.I.)
Judge gives R.I. diocese Friday limit
Worcester Telegram
& Gazette
By Kathleen A. Shaw
Telegram & Gazette Staff
The Catholic Diocese of Providence in the mid-1990s retained a former Massachusetts
state trooper to investigate the scope of clergy sexual misconduct in that state.
Judge Robert D. Krause yesterday gave the diocese until Friday to produce the
investigation report, which has never been made public, as well as information
about the former state trooper, Robert McCarthy.
The Providence Diocese had tried to stay the judge's order, issued July 1, that
documents on alleged abuse by clergy assigned to the diocese be released. Mr.
McCarthy's report, according to Judge Krause, includes information on 21 priests,
11 of whom are named in lawsuits alleging sexual abuse.
Some of the documents sought date to the 1960s and include the period when Worcester
Bishop Daniel P. Reilly was chancellor and an administrator of the Providence
dio cese. Bishop Reilly was ordained as a priest of the Providence diocese in
1953, and served there 22 years until he was consecrated bishop of Norwich, Conn.,
in 1975. He served there until 1994, when he was installed as the fourth bishop
of the Diocese of Worcester.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/9/2002
05:50:03 AM
New and improved weekly archives for the Clergy Abuse Coverage Tracker
You'll find them in the column
to your right.
User tip: To search for particular information on any of the archive pages (or
this page), click on EDIT on the toolbar at the top left of your browser and then
FIND. Enter the word or words you're seeking on the page and hit RETURN.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/9/2002
05:48:51 AM
AUSTIN (TX)
Church leaders accused in beating
Boy in intensive care with kidney failure
Houston
Chronicle
By ARMANDO VILLAFRANCA
AUSTIN -- An 11-year-old boy who read the wrong Bible verse at church was severely
beaten with a tree branch by a Baptist pastor and the pastor's brother, the boy's
family said.
The boy suffered kidney failure as a result of the beating and spent the Fourth
of July weekend in the intensive care unit of Brackenridge Hospital sedated with
morphine, according to a police affidavit.
Austin police issued arrest warrants Monday for Joshua W. Thompson, 22, of Austin,
and his twin brother, Caleb D. Thompson. They are wanted on charges of first-degree
felony injury to a child.
Joshua Thompson is pastor of the Spanish-language congregation at the Capital
City Baptist Church. Caleb Thompson is an assistant to the pastors. They are accused
of using an inch-thick tree branch to discipline the boy.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/9/2002
05:39:05 AM
HONG KONG
Former Catholic priest pleads innocent in sex abuse case
Yahoo!
News
Associated Press
Mon Jul 8,11:48 PM ET
HONG KONG - A former Catholic priest pleaded innocent Tuesday to charges of sexually
abusing a 15-year-old boy more than a decade ago.
Michael Lau, 42, who is now an insurance agent, was charged with three counts
of indecent assault and one count of procuring an act of gross indecency between
Dec. 31, 1990 and Jan. 15, 1991.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/9/2002
05:29:49 AM
Monday, July 08, 2002
Monday Evening Update
Catholic Church Scandal Revisited
Religion
& Ethics NewsWeekly
Correspondent Judy Valente visits two Catholic churches in Chicago -- one whose
priest was removed because of sexual abuse allegations, and the other which
is unaffected -- to find out how the new sexual abuse policy is being received.
CONCORD (NH)
N.H. bishop says he often didn't report abuse
Boston
Herald
By The Associated Press
Monday, July 8, 2002
CONCORD, N.H. - Bishop John B. McCormack admitted under oath he twice dismissed
mounting evidence that two priests had sexually abused children because the
alleged molesters told him they'd done nothing wrong.
McCormack, who was Cardinal Bernard Law's deputy in the Boston Archdiocese at
the time, also acknowledged there were several times he didn't report suspicions
of abuse by priests to civil authorities but noted he was not legally bound
to do so.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/8/2002
06:37:01 PM
NASHVILLE (TN)
Catholics must keep up pressure for reforms
Nashville
Tennessean
Column by Tim Chavez
It was apparent from last week's meeting of area Catholic laity responding to
the church's sexual abuse crisis that hearts and minds will have to be focused
on the long term...The local chapter of involved Catholic laity, called Voice
of the Faithful, survived speeches and frustration in its second meeting last
week. Committees were formed, mission goals finally adopted.
...It is my desire to step down from a leadership position with this effort.
But the chapter has asked me to lead one more meeting. I will do what the group
needs to ensure this effort does not die out locally.
We are the church. And we are the leadership to help guide it from this period
of darkness to a new and liberating light.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/8/2002
06:30:30 PM HARTFORD (CT)
Hartford Minister Arraigned On Charges
Hartford Courant
By TINA A. BROWN, The Hartford Courant
HARTFORD -- The Rev. Henry L. Price had his bond reduced from $1 million to
$750,000 today after his arraignment in Hartford Superior Court on charges of
promoting prostitution and racketeering.
A prosecutor said there is a strong case against the Hartford minister and activist
that was built using audio and videotaped evidence and undercover police officers
posing as prostitutes in the city.
A group of city activists were on hand to support Price, who was arrested Friday.
It is the fifth time in two years that he has been charged with similar crimes.
Price, 52, now faces a total of 10 counts of promoting prostitution, one count
of attempting to promote prostitution, four counts of racketeering and one count
of assault.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/8/2002
02:26:59 PM
States add clergy to sex-abuse laws
USA TODAY
By Fred Bayles
USA TODAY
A growing number of state legislatures are responding to the sexual abuse scandal
in the Roman Catholic Church by changing laws to make it a crime when church
officials don't report allegations of abuse of minors.
Since January, four states -- Massachusetts, Illinois, Missouri and Colorado
-- have passed laws that add clergy to the list of professions specifically
required to report abuse to law enforcement authorities. Eleven already had
listed clergy, while 18 had required everyone to report sexual abuse.
Bills are moving forward in several states, and more state legislatures are
expected to take up the subject when they convene this fall or next year.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/8/2002
06:22:41 AM
IRELAND
Retired judge to lead Irish review board
The
Oklahoman
07-06-2000
(Religion News Service) LONDON -- A judge has been appointed by the Irish Roman
Catholic bishops to lead the independent commission it is setting up to look
at the way the church has handled cases of child abuse by clergy.
The bishops named Judge Gillian Hussey, 65, who earlier this year retired after
18 years as a district court judge. She is a mother of three adult children
and is divorced.
Hussey describes herself as "an average Catholic." A recent newspaper profile
described her as "feisty, streetwise, capable, funny, tough, fair and compassionate."
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/8/2002
06:11:52 AM
BOSTON (MA)
Critical but conciliatory: Norwood church protest avoids targeting faithful
Boston
Herald
by Robin Washington
Monday, July 8, 2002
A week after a raucous confrontation with parishioners at a Mission Hill church,
protesters against Bernard Cardinal Law and the Boston archdiocese took a more
conciliatory tone in a demonstration outside a Norwood parish yesterday.
The protesters, who last week held shouting matches with Mission Church congregants,
tempered their message at Norwood's St. Catherine of Siena to berate clerical
leadership responsible for the sex abuse scandal, not parishioners attending
Sunday Mass.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 7/8/2002
06:08:22 AM
LOUISVILLE (KY)
Archbishop's letter asks forgiveness
Catholic homes get statement on sexual abuse
The
Journal-Courier
By Andrew Wolfson
In a letter to all Catholics in the Archdiocese of Louisville, Archbishop Thomas
C. Kelly asked for forgiveness from victims of sexual abuse and from other parishioners
for ''the ways in which the Church has betrayed your trust.''
In the letter, which was sent last week to 70,000 Catholic households, Kelly
wrote, ''We have made mistakes, but we will be different in the future.''
Attached to the letter was a four-page report titled ''Restoring Trust,'' in
which the archdiocese provides some new details on the scope of the crisis but
also tries to put it in context.
According to the report, 458 diocesan priests and hundreds of religious-order
priests have served in the archdiocese since the first alleged incident of sexual
abuse -- about 50 years ago. According to the most recent figures, 21 priests
have been named in the 154 suits filed since April.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/8/2002
06:07:24 AM
DALLAS (TX)
Pastor caught on porn site defended
The Washington
Times
By George Archibald
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The pastor of a Dallas Catholic church harshly criticized orthodox parishioners
over the weekend for "hate and vengeance" in prompting the removal of his homosexual
assistant pastor, who told a pornographic Internet clergy chat room that he
lusted for Hispanic men and youth.
Msgr. Lawrence Pichard of St. Pius X Catholic Church in east Dallas chastised
members of the parish for "hatred" in refusing to forgive the Rev. Clifford
Garner, 36, after he professed sexual desires for Hispanic men, including a
church youth pastor who was his roommate at a national Catholic youth retreat.
"He's no Ricky Martin — but he is Hispanic and we got along — wonderfully. It
was almost like we were meant to be together," Father Garner told St. Sebastian's
Angels, a 60-member homosexual clergy chat room which features nude erotic pictures
of priest members.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/8/2002
05:53:51 AM
NEW YORK (N.Y.)
HIV MAN: MINISTER ASKED ME FOR SEX
New York Post
By CLEMENTE LISI
An HIV-positive Manhattan man has filed suit against a prominent Episcopal minister
and AIDS counselor who he claims propositioned him for sex.
Gregory Harris, 43, a former stockbroker and playwright, said the Rev. Robert
Stafford, the executive director of the Manhattan Plaza AIDS Project, e-mailed
him Feb. 13 to ask if he would be interested in a "sleep-over" and suggested
beginning a sexual relationship with him.
Harris said the proposition came hours after he confided to Stafford that he
was feeling suicidal.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/8/2002
05:41:29 AM
PORTLAND (ME)
Catholic lay groups expected to play major role in reforms
Portland
Press Herald
By GREGORY D. KESICH, Portland Press Herald Writer
Ever since the sex abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church exploded nationally,
two factions have dominated the debate: the people who say they were molested
by priests, and the bishops of the church, whose tradition of closed management
and secret-keeping have been blamed for protecting the guilty.
Their conflict resulted in an unprecedented conference in Dallas last month,
in which the bishops acknowledged the harm caused by some of their priests and
adopted a new policy to govern future revelations of sexual abuse by clergy.
In Maine, Bishop Joseph Gerry met with victims to hear their stories and deliver
his only public statement, saying he felt "humbled" by the scandal.
But the next phase in how the church responds to the crisis is likely to involve
people who don't belong to either group. Organizations of Catholic laity, including
the Boston-based Voice of the Faithful, say they are ready to take on the task
of reforming the church to prevent future abuses like those uncovered in the
sex abuse scandal.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 7/8/2002
05:24:48 AM
MILWAUKEE (WI)
Local friar caught in debate on authority
Messmer president can't lead priests, Vatican says
Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel
By TOM HEINEN
of the Journal Sentinel staff
Milwaukee's Brother Bob Smith is in the front pew of a Roman Catholic Church
debate over how much authority the hierarchy can give to lay people amid priest
shortages and reports of bishops covering up the past sexual abuse of minors
by clergy.
Smith, the president of Messmer High School, recently was elected by his fellow
Capuchin Franciscans to lead their Detroit-based Province of St. Joseph for
a three-year term as provincial minister.
However, the Vatican rejected his selection in late June.
posted by Jayson Landeza on 7/8/2002
03:00:26 AM
BROOKLYN (NY)
Parishes Lack Lay Oversight on Finances
New York
Times
By ANTHONY DePALMA and DANIEL J. WAKIN
As a grand jury investigates the financial irregularities of one Roman Catholic
priest in the Diocese of Brooklyn and church officials try to recover $1.8 million
that was improperly spent by another, diocesan leaders acknowledge that as many
as one out of five parishes lack the basic lay oversight of finances required
by church law.
"I could never do my job unless there was a level of trust," said Msgr. John
J. Bracken, who as vicar for temporalities oversees diocesan finances. "If there
were constant suspicions, it would become us against them."
Trust already has been replaced by confrontation in some parts of a church that
has been battered by five months of scandal brought on by accusations of sexual
abuse by priests.
posted by Jayson Landeza on 7/8/2002
02:24:42 AM
|
|
|