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Saturday, August 17, 2002
WORCESTER (Mass.)
Church scandal filled with anger, fairness and charity
Worcester
Telegram & Gazette
By Kenneth J. Moynihan
Telegram & Gazette Political Columnist
What did the bishops think was going to happen if they knowingly allowed men who
were sexual abusers to work in parish settings? That was the part I found most
difficult to comprehend when the controversy involving sexual abuse by Catholic
priests was getting under way early this year. Presumably they wanted to protect
the church, yet they took what seemed to be enormous risks that scandal would
break out.
Some people at that time pointed me toward what they called “clericalism,” which
roughly means a culture of self-importance among Catholic priests that leads them
to place an extremely high priority on protecting one another and the priestly
caste. Other readers settled on the idea that priests turn to one another as substitutes
for the family life they have voluntarily given up in order to pursue their ministry.
People place a high priority on helping and protecting family members, so bishops
place a high priority on protecting their fellow priests.
However you might explain it, the tendency of bishops to focus on the welfare
of priests at the cost of compassion and justice toward the victims of priests
has been identified as a grievous mistake and condemned by all parties, including
the bishops.
However, we are all discovering that it is easier to agree on what should not
be done with guilty priests than it is to agree on what should be done with them,
and both of those are different from the question of how to deal with priests
who have been accused but not convicted of sexual abuse.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
01:31:02 PM
SAN BERNARDINO (CA)
Diocese now regrets withholding information
Inland
Valley Daily Bulletin
By CHRIS T. NGUYEN
STAFF WRITER
School director asked about allegations, but was reassured about abusive priest
The Diocese of San Bernardino said Friday it should not have withheld reports
of sexual misconduct about a priest it had fired and ordered into counseling when
asked about the man by his new employer, an Orange County parochial school.
Monsignor Patrick J. O'Keefe, recently charged in San Bernardino County with 15
counts of sexual activity with a female minor 30 years ago, was hired in 1994
as director of religious education at St. Anne School in Laguna Niguel.
O'Keefe took the job after he was fired by former San Bernardino Bishop Phillip
F. Straling and stripped of his rights to perform priestly duties after three
women complained of sexual misconduct by O'Keefe in the 1970s and 1980s, a diocese
spokesman said.
But Tim Busch, chairman of St. Anne's board of directors, said the diocese never
told him about those allegations even though asked about them.
In 1997, Busch said he wrote a letter to the Diocese of San Bernardino asking
why O'Keefe didn't have his ''priestly faculties,'' meaning he was no longer able
to preside over Mass, weddings or baptisms.
''We were told by the diocese that there was no reason he shouldn't be'' working
at the school, Busch said Friday. He declined to identify the official he wrote
to but said, ''I was told that there wasn't any reason I would be concerned.''
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
11:39:39 AM
NEW YORK CITY
Catholic group calls for penance in St. Patrick's sex case
Newsday
By LARRY McSHANE
Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK -- A Catholic group, infuriated by a couple allegedly having sex inside
St. Patrick's Cathedral during a live broadcast by two shock jocks, called Friday
for the government to impose a heavy fine on the DJs' employer and revoke their
station's broadcasting license.
The Virginia couple was arrested after they had sex in a vestibule just a few
feet from worshippers praying in the landmark midtown Manhattan church, police
said.
The encounter was described live on the air Thursday during the "Opie and Anthony"
show on WNEW-FM; the man who provided the description was arrested, too.
On Friday, WNEW issued an apology _ although the two DJs were back on the air
less than 24 hours after the arrests. The encounter was part of a regular feature
on the show where couples can win prizes for having sex in risky places.
"WNEW regrets the unfortunate incident that took place," station vice president
and general manager Ken Stevens said in a statement. "We apologize to anyone who
has been offended, and have taken measures to ensure that it does not happen again."
But Lou Giovino, director of communications for The Catholic League, said the
35,000-member group found Stevens' statement lacking.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
10:33:41 AM
TULSA (OK)
Bishop forms panel to assess abuse issues in Tulsa diocese
The
Oklahoman
By Larry Levy
The Oklahoman
TULSA -- The Roman Catholic bishop for eastern Oklahoma has formed a sexual abuse
review board in response to allegations against three priests in the Tulsa diocese.
Bishop Edward J. Slattery announced the creation of the eight-member board in
the diocese newspaper, Eastern Oklahoma Catholic, that was distributed Friday
to Tulsa parishes.
The 32-page publication includes a 12-page special section called "Seeking the
Light," the diocese's response to "public allegations of sexual abuse of minors
by priests."
The section, in addition to announcing the formation of the board, has two articles
in the main section discussing allegations of sexual abuse within the church in
Oklahoma.
The purpose of the board, which conforms with a decision made in May at the Dallas
meeting of U.S. bishops, is to assess allegations of sexual abuse by clergy, diocese
employees and volunteers, and determine their credibility, according to the publication.
Named to the board were: John Donnelly, an attorney and deacon; Charles Eckelt,
a psychotherapist; the Rev. Patrick Gaalaas; John Gaberino, vice president and
general counsel of ONEOK; Robert J. LaFortune, former mayor of Tulsa and uncle
of Tulsa Mayor Bill LaFortune; Mark Sadler, a psychologist; Stan Swagerty, an
FBI agent; and Cathy Webster, a public school teacher in Pryor.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
08:07:13 AM
FRANKFORT (KY)
Lexington Diocese appeals ruling
Church wants to keep portion of sex-abuse lawsuit sealed
The
Courier-Journal
By Peter Smith
psmith@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
FRANKFORT, Ky. -- The Diocese of Lexington is asking the Kentucky Supreme Court
to overturn two lower court rulings and seal portions of a lawsuit that accuse
five Catholic priests of ''disturbing and distressing'' sexual misconduct.
Diocesan lawyer John Famularo said church officials are not trying to keep secret
the identities of the priests accused of sexually abusing the five people bringing
the lawsuit.
In fact, those identities were made public last week after a Court of Appeals
ruling in the case.
But Famularo said the public should not have access to part of the lawsuit that
a Fayette Circuit Court judge has ruled irrelevant -- allegations of noncriminal
sexual misconduct by other priests.
The plaintiffs' lawyer, Robert Treadway, included those claims to bolster his
argument that the diocese failed to discipline predatory priests.
''We have contended all along that the underlying lawsuit can and should be open,''
Famularo said. ''What we opposed from the very beginning was the inclusion of
material that the court said had no relevancy and should never have been placed
in the complaint.''
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
08:00:21 AM
CHICAGO (IL)
Half of Catholic clergy sees a gay presence in priesthood
Chicago
Tribune
By Darlene Gavron Stevens
Tribune staff reporter
Attempting to bring hard data to a persistent rumor in the Catholic Church, researchers
said Friday in Chicago that more than half of U.S. priests say they perceive a
gay subculture in their diocese or religious institute, with 19 percent saying
it clearly exists.
The long-standing debate over homosexuality and the priesthood heated up this
year as a result of the church's sexual abuse scandal. Bishop Wilton Gregory,
leader of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, complained of the church's
"ongoing struggle to make sure that the Catholic priesthood is not dominated by
homosexual men," and a papal spokesman said people with "these inclinations just
cannot be ordained."
The comments angered many who said church leaders were trying to pin the scandal
on homosexuality and deflect blame from leaders who allowed known abusers to continue
as priests. They stressed that researchers have found no link between homosexual
orientation and sexual abuse.
But controversy over gay priests predates the current crisis, and some critics
have argued that a gay subculture has a negative impact on seminaries, possibly
even deterring some men from joining the priesthood.
The survey, conducted last year, found that 55 percent of priests say such a subculture
"clearly" or "probably" exists in their diocese or religious institute. Forty-one
percent of priests said a homosexual subculture clearly or probably existed in
the seminaries they attended.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
07:57:11 AM
IRELAND
Diocese buys a €m house for retired Bishop Comiskey
Irish
Independent
THE Diocese of Ferns has paid €234,000 for a retirement bungalow for its former
bishop, Dr Brendan Comiskey who resigned in April amid controversy over his handling
of allegations of child sexual abuse against the late Fr Sean Fortune.
The secluded property at Curracloe has been purchased in the name of the diocese
and is to be available to Bishop Comiskey during his lifetime.
The bishop is also to receive a pension, jointly funded by the Diocesan Retirement
Fund and the Bishops' Conference Pension Fund. While the amount has not been disclosed,
a diocesan spokesperson said provisions for the welfare of a retired bishop are
laid down in the Code of Canon Law.
The Code states that a bishop whose resignation is accepted, retains the title
and can retain a place of residence in the diocese if he so desires unless provisions
have been made by the Apostolic See, due to special circumstances.
The pension has been described as a "modest retirement pension" and the arrangements
are said to be similar to those made in other dioceses for retired bishops.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
07:48:58 AM
RICHMOND (VA)
Bishop circumvented sex-abuse inquiry, panelist says
The Virginian-Pilot
By STEVEN G. VEGH, The Virginian-Pilot
By gathering his own evidence in the case of a Henrico County priest accused of
sexual abuse, Bishop Walter F. Sullivan created a private record that allowed
him to clear the Rev. John E. Leonard without input from a panel created by the
diocese to review such cases, a lawyer who quit the panel said Friday.
``If this bishop, or any bishop, has the prerogative to conduct his own investigation
rather than accept the recommendation of the lay panel, then the sexual abuse
panels are a mere facade,'' said Dennis O. Laing of Richmond.
In a written statement Friday, Laing said he resigned from the Diocese of Richmond
Sexual Abuse Panel Aug. 2 in frustration that Sullivan disregarded its members
just days after a national meeting of Catholic bishops in Dallas had stressed
the need for lay involvement in weighing abuse allegations.
Laing said that after Sullivan received a report from a two-person ``assessment
team'' charged with investigating the Leonard case, ``the bishop consulted others
outside the mandated process -- in essence, creating his own record upon which
to base his decision.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
07:38:13 AM
VATICAN
Vatican Studies U.S. Sex Abuse Plan
The Virginian-Pilot
By VICTOR L. SIMPSON
Associated Press Writer
KRAKOW, Poland (AP) — The Vatican said Saturday that it is still studying proposals
by U.S. bishops to combat sexual abuse by priests, and that it hopes to have a
response soon.
``No decision has been taken yet, because the document is still being evaluated,''
said Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls, who is traveling with the pope in
Poland.
``We hope to be able to communicate soon to the (U.S.) bishops the answer to their
requests,'' he said.
Navarro-Valls was responding to reports that the Vatican had decided to reject
at least some portions of a U.S. proposal to stamp out sex abuse among the clergy.
The bishops drafted the guidelines at a tumultuous meeting in June forced by months
of scandal in which at least 250 priests have resigned or been suspended because
of misconduct claims.
Vatican canon law experts as well as officials from three Vatican congregations
are involved in studying the guidelines, which includes a policy to keep priests
who molest children away from parishioners. Some at the Vatican are said to be
worried that innocent priests could be removed by overly zealous bishops.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
07:35:57 AM
WASHINGTON (D.C.)
U.S. priests report a homosexual subculture
The Washington
Times
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Many U.S. Roman Catholic priests say there is a homosexual subculture in their
dioceses, religious orders or seminaries, according to a survey released yesterday.
Nineteen percent said there was "clearly" a homosexual subculture in their dioceses
or religious orders, and 36 percent said there "probably" was, when responding
to a mail survey of 1,279 priests conducted last year by researchers at Catholic
University of America.
Asked the same question about the seminaries they attended, 15 percent said "clearly"
and 26 percent "probably," Jacqueline Wenger yesterday told Catholic sociologists
at a Chicago convention of the Association for the Sociology of Religion.
Miss Wenger, of Catholic University, and colleague Dean R. Hoge conducted the
study for the National Federation of Priests' Councils.
The extent of homosexuality in the priesthood has become a matter of increased
debate this year because of the clerical sex-abuse scandals.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
07:32:36 AM
NORWICH (CT)
March to support Norwich Diocese
Norwich
Bulletin
NORWICH -- In the wake of sex abuse incidents involving clergy in the Roman Catholic
Church, area Catholics are holding a "March of Solidarity" in support of the priests
of the Diocese of Norwich.
The march will be held today, beginning at Saints Peter and Paul's Church at 3:30
p.m.
The march will finish at the Cathedral of Saint Patrick on Broadway at 5 p.m.
where participants will attend Mass.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
07:28:14 AM
HARTFORD (CT)
Lawsuit Accuses Priest
Hartford
Courant
By DAVE ALTIMARI, Courant Staff Writer
A former state police chaplain and current priest in the Hartford Archdiocese,
accused of molesting a teenage boy more than 20 years ago, allegedly enticed his
victim by taking him to accident scenes and promising to help him become a state
trooper, according to a lawsuit filed Friday.
The suit against the Rev. Stephen C. Foley was filed in Hartford Superior Court
by an unnamed man who claims he was sexually molested starting in 1977, when he
was a 15-year-old attending St. Robert Bellarmine Roman Catholic Church in Windsor
Locks.
"Over a period of a year there were multiple instances of sexual contact in various
places instigated by Father Foley," said attorney Robert Reardon of New London,
who is representing the plaintiff, who is now 40.
Reardon said that the man wants to be known as John Doe because he has a family
and a good job in the Hartford area, and fears being stigmatized by publicity
from his allegations. His lawsuit was filed under the newly revised state statute
that extended the deadline for minor victims of sexual abuse to press civil suits
from age 35 to 48.
Besides being the pastor at St. Robert Bellarmine, Foley also has served as director
of a local Catholic youth basketball league and as chaplain for fire departments
in several towns, including Hartford. Although he has continued to function as
a chaplain in recent years, Foley has not been permitted to work "in public ministry"
since 1993, according to the archdiocese.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
07:24:35 AM
NEW YORK CITY
DUNCE DUO IN HOT WATER
New York Post
By PHILIP MESSING, GILL SMITH and ERIC LENKOWITZ
August 17, 2002 -- Outraged Catholics called for the fine and suspension of radio
rogues Opie and Anthony - a day after an outrageous sex-inside-St. Pat's radio
stunt orchestrated by the tawdry twosome led to the arrest of a Virginia couple
and a show producer.
The couple - dubbed "The Juicy Lips" - was trying to win the "Sex for Sam" contest
run by WNEW's "Opie and Anthony" show, where points were given for sex in public
places.
"Not only was a crime committed, this stunt was a textbook case of how obscenity
and blasphemy track each other," Catholic League president William Donahue said.
"It also speaks volumes about the moral delinquencies of WNEW officials."
Donahue called the stunt an "assault on human decency" and vowed to press the
FCC into "seeking maximum penalties."
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
07:18:19 AM
NEW YORK CITY
Static for radio show
Call to pull license after St. Patrick's sex stunt
New York
Daily News
By KERRY BURKE and DON SINGLETON
DAILY NEWS WRITERS
Brian Florence and Loretta Harper leave community court house yesterday.
A couple's sleazy tryst inside St. Patrick's Cathedral prompted outrage yesterday
among prominent Catholics - and silenced the radio shock jocks who aired the event.
The couple, Brian Florence, 37, and Loretta Harper, 35, both of Virginia, were
arrested Thursday after taking part in a WNEW-FM contest aired on "The Opie and
Anthony Show" to see who would have sex in the riskiest place.
They - and the radio station - clearly got more than they bargained for. The Catholic
League for Religious and Civil Rights wants WNEW's license revoked, filing a formal
letter of complaint with the Federal Communications Commission.
Gregg (Opie) Hughes and Anthony Cumia would not return calls for comment. Nor
would they say much on their program.
Can't talk about it
As their show began at 3 p.m. yesterday, one of the hosts said he had been forbidden
by "the lawyers" to discuss "our little event yesterday."
"We're here to do a radio show and we can't talk about the biggest thing to do
with this radio show," he complained.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
07:13:50 AM
WORCESTER (Mass.)
Father, son allege priest sex abuse
Worcester
Telegram & Gazette
By Kathleen A. Shaw
Telegram & Gazette Staff
WORCESTER-- The Rev. John J. Szantyr, who had been assigned to Our Lady of Czestochowa
parish, left the parish 15 years ago after Worcester police were notified he might
have molested a boy in the parish.
Richard Chesnis of Worcester, father of alleged victim Michael Chesnis, said he,
his former wife and the boy went to the police station and met with officers of
the sexual assault unit.
“He fled while we were in the station. I don't know who told him,” Mr. Chesnis
said.
District Attorney John J. Conte said yesterday the allegation is under investigation
by his office and the Worcester Police Department. He declined to discuss the
investigation further.
The statue of limitations may not have expired if it is determined that the priest
left the state.
Mr. Chesnis said he believes Rev. Szantyr went to Connecticut, because he is a
native of Waterbury. A spokeswoman for the Bridgeport Diocese said Rev. Szantyr
is not a priest of that diocese, although his brother is assigned there.
Mr. Chesnis said the subject of the alleged abuse arose when he and his son were
driving to Auburn Mall one day. The son asked his father whether it was “OK” for
two males to have genital contact.
“It came right out of the blue,” Mr. Chesnis said. “I asked him why he would ask
the question and he replied, 'I did it with Father John.' ”
Daniel J. Shea, a lawyer in Houston and Worcester, is representing Michael Chesnis
and not the father. He said he recently wrote a letter to Mr. Conte inquiring
about the status of the investigation.
Mr. Shea said that when he first contacted the Police Department, the report of
the incident was not available. It was found the following day.
Sgt. Gary Quitadamo, spokesman for the Police Department, said the report was
made on paper and was not in a computer file. Police found the report after going
into the archives, he said.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
06:51:42 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Some bishops, parishes barring Catholic reform group
Springfield
Union-News
The Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) -- An increasing number of Roman Catholic dioceses and parishes are
voicing opposition to Voice of the Faithful, a Catholic lay reform group formed
in response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis.
This week, Bridgeport, Conn. Bishop William E. Lori banned Voice of the Faithful
from meeting in parishes in his diocese. His action follows that of Rockville
Centre, N.Y. Bishop William F. Murphy, who has barred the group from meeting on
church property in the Long Island diocese.
In Boston, Cardinal Bernard Law has refused to accept money raised by the group
and individual pastors in Carver, Kingston and Plymouth have prevented it from
meeting in churches. Some pastors in the Diocese of Portland, Maine have also
refused to allow the group to meet on church property.
Lori this week issued a statement claiming Voice of the Faithful supports an Austria-based
group, We Are Church, which endorses eliminating the mandatory celibacy requirement
for priests and the ordination of women to the priesthood.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
06:48:45 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Six Reardon victims settle with YMCA
Boston
Herald
by Tom Mashberg
Six victims of convicted child rapist Christopher J. Reardon of Middleton settled
claims against the Danvers YMCA, site of some of Reardon's crimes, lawyers for
the victims said yesterday.
In announcing the settlements, the financial terms of which were not made public,
the attorneys praised the YMCA and attacked the Archdiocese of Boston and Bernard
Cardinal Law for failing to settle its Reardon-related lawsuits.
Reardon, a former Roman Catholic Church youth worker at St. Agnes Parish in Middleton,
pleaded guilty in 2000 to 75 of 129 criminal counts involving abuse of 29 boys
at the church and in Danvers. He is serving 40 to 50 years.
The archdiocese is seeking to depose one Reardon victim, a 13-year-old, as part
of its defense of lawsuits against the archdiocese and the suspended pastor of
St. Agnes, the Rev. Jon C. Martin, for negligent supervision of Reardon.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
06:44:28 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Alleged victim's lawsuit targets vicar
Boston
Herald
by Eric Convey and Tom Mashberg
A top canon lawyer for the Archdiocese of Boston and a deceased priest whose battle
with AIDS inspired his congregation are the latest targets of sexual abuse allegations
against the Catholic Church in Greater Boston.
Msgr. Michael Smith Foster, who oversees marriage tribunals as judicial vicar
of the archdiocese, is accused of sleeping with and fondling an altar boy in Newton
from 1980 to 1985, according to a lawsuit filed this week. He becomes the highest-ranking
archdiocesan official formally accused of abuse.
The alleged victim, Paul R. Edwards, 35, of Winchendon, a paralympic athlete and
member of the 1998 U.S. Disabled Ski Team that went to Nagano, Japan, also asserts,
in a suit filed in Suffolk Superior Court, that Foster failed to protect him from
another priest, the late Rev. William J. Cummings.
Cummings, who was pastor of St. John's Parish in North Cambridge at the time of
his death from AIDS in 1994, at age 52, gained fame after founding the Singing
Priests in the 1970s to raise money for charity. A showman, he was nicknamed Broadway
Bill.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
06:41:48 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
The Cardinal's oath
Boston
Globe
CARDINAL BERNARD F. Law, in the video transcript of his testimony released this
week, compared the questioning he was undergoing to a trial. The testimony was
a deposition in a civil lawsuit. But, of course, the cardinal is on trial - in
the court of public opinion - and his standing among Catholics is so diminished
that he can no longer lead the archdiocese effectively....
The cardinal in his testimony said he left personnel isues to his subordinates.
Their decisions to shield accused sexual abusers accurately reflected his longstanding
views. Law did not act on an allegation of abuse early in his career, when he
was a diocesan official in Mississippi. He consistently maintained a policy of
secrecy until early this year, when public outrage after several Boston Globe
articles forced him to change his policy...
When WorldCom and other corporations find themselves in deep financial trouble
because of unethical practices, the chief executive is expected to resign or be
fired, in part to reassure stockholders that the behavior of the company will
change. The Catholic hierarchy has made no move to encourage Law to resign, even
though his presence in Boston weakens the church. For the sake of the institution
to which he has devoted his life, Cardinal Law should make the decision to resign.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
06:37:38 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Lawsuit alleges abuse by 2 priests
Boston
Globe
By Walter V. Robinson, Globe Staff, 8/17/2002
A Winchendon man alleged in a lawsuit filed this week that he was sexually molested
as a Newton teenager by two priests during the same period - one a monsignor and
canon lawyer who is the judicial vicar of the Archdiocese of Boston and the other
a priest who has since died of AIDS.
Paul R. Edwards, 35, asserted in the lawsuit that Monsignor Michael Smith Foster,
who was then a newly ordained priest at Sacred Heart Church in Newton, molested
him numerous times between 1980 and 1985 in Foster's room at the rectory and that
he and Foster slept together in the room.
The 47-year-old Foster, in his role as the archdiocese's chief canon lawyer, has
been called upon this year to advise Cardinal Bernard F. Law on canon law issues
related to the sex abuse scandal.
In the lawsuit, filed in Suffolk Superior Court, Edwards also alleged that he
was anally raped during a youth group trip to New York City in December 1982 by
the Rev. William J. Cummings. In 1993, Cummings told his congregation at St. John
the Evangelist Church in Cambridge, where he was pastor, that he had the virus
that causes AIDS. He died a year later.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
06:34:16 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Push is on to quell Voice of Faithful
Boston
Globe
By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff, 8/17/2002
Voice of the Faithful, a national Catholic lay reform group founded in Wellesley,
is facing growing opposition from conservative corners of the Catholic Church,
as well as from a few bishops who are kicking the group off church property.
This week, Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport banned Voice of the Faithful from
meeting in parishes in the southwest Connecticut diocese. His action followed
that of Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, who barred the group from
meeting on church property in the Long Island diocese.
In Boston, Cardinal Bernard F. Law has refused to accept money raised by the group
and individual pastors have prevented the group from meeting in churches in Carver,
Kingston, and Plymouth, according to Voice of the Faithful officials and press
reports. Some pastors in the diocese of Portland, Maine, have also refused to
allow the group to meet on church property.
An increasing number of conservative Catholics, meanwhile, are taking aim at Voice
of the Faithful, which has avoided positions on the controversial issues that
divide Catholics, but has not defined the ''structural change'' it is seeking.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
06:31:16 AM
PORTLAND (ME)
Workshop brings abuse victims together to heal
Portland
Press Herald
By MICHAEL REAGAN, Staff Writer
While many of the four women and three men participating in the three-day workshop
already receive counseling, Dr. Kate Hudgins said she and a group of five other
colleagues would focus on healing the emotional pain from sexual abuse.
"Trauma doesn't go away if you don't treat it," said the clinical psychologist
from Virginia.
"There is hope. People can heal from sexual abuse."
Hudgins spoke from experience, since she was sexually abused by a godfather when
she was a child. Author of "Experiential Treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder:
The Therapeutic Spiral Model," she said the workshop emphasizes individual strengths
before participants talk about their losses and how they would like to confront
them, such as through role-playing.
"You can say what you need to say," she said. "You get free within yourself."
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/17/2002
06:27:38 AM
Confessions of a Married Priest
Modern
Maturity
One of America's few married Roman Catholic clergymen warns that marriage won't
solve the church's problems
By Father Thad Rudd as told to Frank Gannon
I'm a married Catholic priest. It sounds like a contradiction, or a punch line,
but that's what I am. There are only 80 or a hundred of us in the country. We
live our lives, love our wives, and tend to our flocks. And we receive bizarre
looks and double takes from nearly every stranger we meet.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 8/17/2002
06:09:42 AM
RICHMOND (VA)
Church fight grows
TIMES-DISPATCH
BY ALBERTA LINDSEY
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Aug 17, 2002
Richmond's Catholic bishop has come under fire again for reinstating the Rev.
John E. Leonard without input from the Diocesan Sexual Abuse Panel.
Former panelist Dennis O'Connor Laing, a Richmond lawyer, said he and other members
of the panel repeatedly requested access to a report by the investigative team
that looked into sexual misconduct allegations against Leonard. The requests were
denied by the Diocese of Richmond, he said.
Laing issued a five-page statement yesterday outlining why he resigned two weeks
ago from the 10-member panel. He is among five lay people who stepped down to
protest Bishop Walter F. Sullivan's handling of the case. The remaining panelists
are either employed by the diocese or are priests.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 8/17/2002
06:06:41 AM
JOLIET (IL)
Catholic 'watchdog' wants Imesch out
Herald
News
By Joe Hosey
STAFF WRITER
A fringe Roman Catholic "watchdog" group has called for Joliet Bishop Joseph Imesch's
resignation, claiming the diocese's top man "harbored known abusers of young boys."
The Petersburg group Roman Catholic Faithful released this statement Monday evening,
after the diocese offices had closed.
Sister Judith Davies, spokeswoman for the diocese, could not be reached for comment.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 8/17/2002
06:00:30 AM
JOLIET (IL)
Abuse cases: First salvo almost ready
Herald
News
By Charles B. Pelkie
STAFF WRITER
Local lawsuit: Initial legal battle to focus on Joliet Diocese's Carroll Howlin
JOLIET — A local attorney is putting the finishing touches on what could be the
first of many civil lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests serving
in the Joliet Diocese.
Attorney Keith Aeschliman announced Thursday that he intends to file a lawsuit
Monday on behalf of Michael Powers, a 44-year-old man who alleges that he was
molested in 1975 by a priest who taught at the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 8/17/2002
05:57:23 AM
Friday, August 16, 2002
SAN BERNARDINO (CA)
Priest indicted on sex charges
Patrick O'Keeffe faces 15 felony counts for allegedly abusing girl in 1972; Sheriff's
Department seeks help locating him.
Los
Angeles Times
By Joanna Corman, Inland Valley Voice
A former Roman Catholic priest in the San Bernardino Diocese was indicted on charges
of felony sexual assault with a minor in a case dating back 30 years, authorities
announced Thursday.
Patrick O'Keeffe, 67, faces 15 counts of felony sex acts with a minor. San Bernardino
County sheriff's deputies say O'Keeffe abused a 17-year-old girl in 1972 when
he was pastor at St. Adelaide parish in Highland.
Prosecutors waited several weeks to announce the indictment because O'Keeffe's
whereabouts is unknown.
O'Keeffe served in several parishes, including Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Rancho
Cucamonga, 1970-71; St. Peter & St. Paul in Alta Loma, 1977-83; and St. Margaret
Mary in Chino, 1989-92.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/16/2002
12:35:54 PM
SAN BERNARDINO (CA)
Warrant issued for S.B. priest
Inland
Valley Daily Bulletin
By FELISA CARDONA
STAFF WRITER
A Catholic priest has been charged with 15 felony counts of oral copulation with
a 17-year-old girl who was a parishioner at St. Adelaide's Catholic Church in
Highland 30 years ago while he served there.
An arrest warrant was issued for the Rev. Patrick J. O'Keefe, 67, on July 18,
along with the criminal complaint.
Sheriff's investigators said they don't know where O'Keefe is. He is a native
of Ireland. His last known address was in Laguna Niguel.
The alleged victim contacted the Florida Bishop's Conference in April and said
that she had been sexually abused by O'Keefe, according to the Rev. Howard Lincoln,
spokesman for the Diocese of San Bernardino.
The complaint subsequently was turned over to the Diocese of San Bernardino and
then to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
Sheriff's spokesman Chip Patterson said they have more than the woman's statements
that the crimes actually took place.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/16/2002
12:33:15 PM
SAN FRANCISCO (CA)
Cop chaplain suspended, investigated
Brothers say they were molested decades ago
San
Francisco Chronicle
Jaxon Van Derbeken, Chronicle Staff Writer
The San Francisco Catholic Archdiocese has placed San Francisco's senior Police
Department chaplain on leave from the church while authorities investigate allegations
that he molested two brothers some 40 years ago.
Monsignor John P. Heaney, 74, who for 35 years has served as chaplain to the SFPD,
was relieved of his clerical duties as of Aug. 11.
His suspension, which was met with disbelief by the police community, came after
the San Francisco archbishop learned of a complaint lodged with the city's Child
Protective Services unit, a report now being investigated by the San Francisco
police juvenile division and the district attorney's office.
While relieved of his duties by the church, Heaney will retain his unpaid police
chaplainship designation, awarded to him by the Police Commission, pending the
outcome of the investigation.
posted by Jayson Landeza on 8/16/2002
11:29:20 AM
WASHINGTON (D.C.)
Priest Survey: Gay Cliques Exist
Some Catholic Clergy Call Seminary 'Subculture' Divisive
Washington
Post
By Hanna Rosin
Washington Post Staff Writer
More than half of all Roman Catholic priests identified a "homosexual subculture"
in their diocese or seminary in a study released today, the first attempt to quantify
what has remained a persistent rumor about the church.
The existence of gay priests, and especially gay cliques in seminaries, has been
revived as a focus of contention. Some church conservatives and seminary rectors
argue that gay cliques in schools that train priests alienate heterosexual candidates
and tend to disregard church teachings on sexuality.
Until now, the church's position on ordaining gay priests has remained ambiguous.
Pope John Paul II's spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, recently said of gays: "People
with these inclinations just cannot be ordained." But it was an offhand response
to a question, and it generated controversy, because church policy does not necessarily
forbid ordaining gay men.
The survey of 1,200 priests was sanctioned by the American bishops and conducted
by sociology professor Dean R. Hoge of Catholic University, for the National Federation
of Priests' Council. The group has measured the attitudes of priests periodically
since 1970, although this is the first time they included questions about homosexuality.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/16/2002
11:26:10 AM
NORWICH (CT)
Bishop Hart faces Mass. complaint
He failed to handle properly a sexual assault complaint against a priest, a newspaper
says.
Norwich
Bulletin
Staff and wire reports
BOSTON -- For the first time since the sexual abuse scandal in the Archdiocese
of Boston began, the Most Rev. Daniel A. Hart, bishop of Norwich, has been named
for improperly handling a priest abuse complaint during his 20-year tenure there.
Hart, an auxiliary bishop in Massachusetts at the time, treated a female parishioner
with hostility when she complained that a parish priest sexually abused her, according
to a published report in the Boston Globe.
In a 1984 letter to Cardinal Bernard Law, archbishop of Boston, Gregory B. Nash
said he and his wife received humiliating treatment from the Rev. Henry P. Boivin
and Hart, then head of the Brockton region of the Boston Archdiocese, when Nash
and his former wife complained that the Rev. Anthony J. Rebeiro twice sexually
assaulted her.
Rebeiro was accused by Nash's wife of exposing himself and masturbating in front
of her in a rectory office. Nash's wife also claims that the priest tried to force
himself on her during an unsolicited visit to her home.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/16/2002
10:01:30 AM
NEW YORK CITY
Cardinal Egan Defends Record in Abuse Cases
The
New York Times
By DANIEL J. WAKIN
Cardinal Edward M. Egan yesterday defended his handling of priest sexual abuse
cases while he was bishop of Bridgeport and said his leadership of the New York
archdiocese during the past seven months of crisis was not getting the credit
it deserved.
"I think we handled the matters properly," Cardinal Egan said. "I think we're
handling them properly now."
In his first extensive interview since the sexual abuse scandal began enveloping
the Roman Catholic Church nationwide, the cardinal described the past year as
the most difficult of his life. He said Sept. 11, the scandal and other crises,
including a school strike, forced him to delay his major initiatives for the archdiocese
of 2.4 million Catholics. They include plans to reach out to immigrant groups
and possibly to close parishes.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/16/2002
07:33:43 AM
NEW YORK CITY
ST. PAT'S SHOCK-JOCK INTER-LEWD
New York Post
By PHILIP MESSING, MARIANNE GARVEY and HASANI GITTENS
August 16, 2002 -- A Virginia couple was arrested yesterday for public lewdness
after allegedly having sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral as part of an "Opie and
Anthony" radio stunt that outraged parishioners and church officials.
Also arrested was comedian Paul Mercurio, 40, who provided a running on-air commentary
of the sex act, which took place just five feet away from worshippers praying
on the Feast of the Assumption, a holy day of obligation for Catholics.
Mercurio, who told cops he was a producer for the radio duo, was charged with
acting in concert with public lewdness.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/16/2002
07:30:14 AM
NEW YORK CITY
WOMAN MUGGED AT CATHEDRAL
New York Post
By HASANI GITTENS and PHILIP MESSING
August 16, 2002 -- As cops and security guards handled the case of two people
having sex live on the radio in St. Patrick's Cathedral yesterday, a Queens woman
was mugged outside, police said.
Patricia Fitzpatrick tried to enter a side door of the cathedral hoping to buy
a Mass card.
A man at the door told her he worked there, and that the entrance was elsewhere.
After leading his victim to a terraced area behind the church, the suspect grabbed
Fitzpatrick.
"He put me in a headlock . . . then he twisted my arm and I started to scream.
He pulled at my rings, then ran away."
Fitzpatrick said police told her the fuss over the radio show kept them from responding
quickly.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/16/2002
07:28:33 AM
NEW YORK CITY
3 busted in
St. Pat's sex stunt
New York
Daily News
By TAMER EL-GHOBASHY,
MARTIN MBUGUA
and LEO STANDORA
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
A man and woman having sex in a vestibule at St. Patrick's Cathedral - a sleazy
prank broadcast live on the shock jock Opie and Anthony radio show - were arrested
yesterday after an usher spotted them, police said.
Fans of Dumb and Dumber - Gregg (Opie) Hughes and partner Anthony Cumia - heard
the collar over WNEW (102.7 FM).
Charged with public lewdness were Brian Florence, 37, and Loretta Lynn Harper,
35, both of Virginia. Comic Paul Mercurio, who was acting as the couple's lookout,
also was busted, charged with acting in concert.
The sexual high jinks at the city's most well-known sacred site came on the Feast
of the Assumption, one of the Catholic Church's holy days of obligation.
Joe Zwilling, spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York, said church offices were
closed for the feast day, so he hadn't heard about the episode.
"But if it's true, it's disgusting, and that's all that needs to be said," he
said.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/16/2002
07:25:06 AM
MANCHESTER (N.H.)
McCormack deposed for second day in Shanley lawsuit
Foster's
Daily Democrat
By J.M. HIRSCH
Associated Press Writer
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Lawyers for four men who accused a Massachusetts priest
of molesting them said Thursday they will question Bishop John B. McCormack several
more days about what he knew of the alleged abuse.
Bob Sherman, one of the lawyers, questioned the bishop for five hours Thursday
on behalf of the men, who say they were sexually assaulted by the Rev. Paul Shanley
during the 1980s. It was McCormack’s second day of questioning.
"We intend to continue the questioning until we are assured that a full and complete
recitation of the facts concerning Paul Shanley comes out," Sherman said.
The alleged victims, all now in their mid-20s and from Newton, Mass., have filed
lawsuits in Massachusetts, accusing Shanley of molesting them starting when they
were about 6 years old while he was assigned to St. Jean Parish in Newton.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/16/2002
07:20:25 AM
MANCHESTER (N.H.)
McCormack recounts
role in Shanley case
The
Union Leader
By KATHRYN MARCHOCKI
Union Leader Staff
Manchester Bishop John B. McCormack underwent hours of intense questioning yesterday
about how the top echelon of the Boston archdiocese dealt with Catholic priests
accused of molesting children.
McCormack’s four-to-five hours of testimony centered on his involvement with retired
priest Paul R. Shanley, one of the most notorious clerics in the Boston archdiocese
accused of molesting children.
The 67-year-old bishop was Shanley’s handler when the priest went on sick leave
in California in 1990 and is one of several former top aides to Law to be deposed
as part of lawsuits brought by alleged victims of priests.
“This is the hierarchy of the archdiocese. And, again, what they knew and when
they knew it is something . . . that is a central theme to our case,” said attorney
Robert Sherman, who questioned McCormack under oath yesterday.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/16/2002
07:16:44 AM
MANCHESTER (N.H.)
Diocese sends priest
packing, keeps it quiet
The
Union Leader
By KATHRYN MARCHOCKI
Union Leader Staff
A 62-year-old Capuchin priest was stripped of his priestly faculties and sent
packing from a Manchester parish in May after church leaders learned he was accused
of sexual misconduct with a minor 16 years ago.
A letter read to parishioners at Blessed Sacrament parish explained the Rev. Gabriel
Massaro’s abrupt departure.
But nothing was said to the general public until yesterday, when allegations against
the friar were published by Newsday, a New York newspaper.
“It was nothing that happened in New Hampshire,” said Pat McGee, spokesman for
the Catholic Diocese of Manchester.
“It had to do with his religious order and we just wanted to make sure he didn’t
have any faculties here and he was taken back to his order,” he said.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/16/2002
06:58:40 AM
PORTLAND (ME)
Victims speak of their pain to bishop
Portland
Press Herald
By TOM BELL, Portland Press Herald Writer
Copyright © 2002 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
Six men and women who say they were sexually abused by Roman Catholic priests
got a long-awaited chance Thursday evening to tell their stories to Portland Bishop
Joseph Gerry.
The private meeting lasted two hours, and was the second time the leader of Maine's
Catholics sat down with a group of abuse victims from around the state. Three
victims told news reporters afterward that the meeting was emotional and healing.
"I felt a little more calm and peaceful," said Sylvia Merry of Biddeford, who
said she was abused when she was 8 and 9 years old in 1963 by a Portland priest
who is now deceased.
Earlier in the day, Gerry emerged after a day of prayer and fasting to lead the
state's Catholics in prayer for people who have been sexually abused by priests
and church leaders.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/16/2002
06:46:40 AM A troubling time for bishop's flock
The Virginian-Pilot
Editorial: Maybe he knows something the rest of us don't.
Maybe Bishop Walter F. Sullivan, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond,
is privy to information about one of his priests, the Rev. John E. Leonard, that
truly merited his return June 18 as pastor at a Glen Allen church.
Or maybe not.
Maybe Sullivan is in such a defensive mode to protect Leonard that he discounts,
negates and dismisses any fair assessment of a man who's known as an ``extraordinary''
priest. The accusations of sexual impropriety against Leonard stemmed from his
days on staff at St. John Vianney Seminary in Goochland during the 1970s.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 8/16/2002
06:24:40 AM
BOSTON
Just name your price
Boston
Globe
By Brian McGrory, Globe Columnist
What's it going to take, Cardinal? What's it finally going to take?
Every week, along comes news of another moral outrage, another abrogation of social
responsibility, another grotesque illegality. None of it seems to shock anymore,
because nearly eight months into revelations of decades of scandal, it's just
what's expected of the Catholic Church in Boston. And that's the saddest part
of all.
POLAND
Pope returning to homeland avid for his inspiration
Boston
Globe
(By Brian Whitmore, Globe Correspondent)
KRAKOW, Poland - When an ailing Pope John Paul II arrives in Poland today for
what many think will be his last trip home, the pontiff will find a deeply disillusioned
nation longing for him to provide spiritual guidance and inspiration.
BOSTON
Ruling protects church in priest suit
Decision by SJC in Episcopal case
Boston
Globe
(By John Ellement, Globe Staff)
The state's highest court yesterday ruled that an Episcopal priest cannot sue
his church for publicly accusing him of immoral conduct, a decision that could
effectively insulate the Archdiocese of Boston from defamation claims for identifying
clergy members accused of sexual abuse.
BOSTON
An option for Catholics
Boston
Globe
Letter to the Editor: JOAN VENNOCHI articulately presents the dilemma that some
Catholics face regarding whether or not to boycott Sunday Mass, as suggested by
Frank Keating, chairman of the national panel on the sexual abuse crisis in the
church (''Sinner vs. sinner: Whose is bigger?'' op ed, Aug. 13).
There is one option that Vennochi didn't present: attending a different church.
There are many Protestant churches (Episcopalian, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Church
of Christ, to name a few) that warmly welcome Catholic worshippers.
MEXICO CITY
Group decry film depicting Mexican priests' misdeeds
Boston
Globe
(By Marion Lloyd, Globe Correspondent)
MEXICO CITY - Priests who have affairs with parishioners, take money from drug
traffickers, and harbor leftist guerrillas are the subject of Mexican director
Carlos Carrera's controversial new film, ''The Crime of Father Amaro,'' which
opens today amid heated protests from Catholic groups.
Vatican to KO bishops' plan
Boston
Herald
by Eric Convey
The Vatican will reject the sex abuse response plan crafted by U.S. bishops at
their June meeting in Dallas, according to a respected Web site specializing in
Catholic affairs.
The proposed rules ``will require substantial changes'' if they expect to get
the Vatican's stamp of approval, the Catholic World News Web site wrote, citing
unidentified
BOSTON
Franciscan held on $10G bail in child-rape case
Boston
Herald
by Robin Washington
A Franciscan brother was held on $10,000 bail yesterday after arraignment on 11
counts of child rape, attempted rape and indecent assault and battery on four
boys at an East Boston parish three decades ago.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 8/16/2002
06:21:42 AM
Bishops in Dallas: A remake of Frankenstein
By GILL DONOVAN
National Catholic Reporter
In a 4,500-word essay, a noted Catholic church observer has compared the bishops’
creation of their new “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People”
to the remaking of Frankenstein.
Eugene Kennedy, a professor emeritus of psychology at Loyola University in Chicago
and a former Maryknoll priest, predicted in his essay titled “Dallas: The Latest
Remake of Frankenstein” that by “attempting to fashion something human by transmitting
a force they do not understand (for Frankenstein, Lightning; for the bishops,
the Law) into ill-matching body parts,” the bishops have created a monster that
will turn on them, stalk them and destroy them.
According to Kennedy, the bishops’ credibility about human sexuality has “bumped
into negative territory.” Now, “by what they had done and by what they had failed
to do” the clergy sex abuse scandal has become “the greatest crisis ever suffered
by the American church.”
Group of bishops calls for U.S. plenary council
National Catholic Reporter
By PAT MORRISON
The last time a plenary council was held in the United States -- in Baltimore
in 1884 -- the bishops, among other matters of business, mandated publication
of a national catechism (popularly known as “the Baltimore Catechism”), established
the Roman collar as obligatory clerical dress and addressed growing pastoral needs
in the young nation, calling for “care of Negroes and Indians.” That latter item
was an expansion on their previous council that called for segregated churches
for black Catholics.
In the wake of the clergy sex abuse crisis in the United States and the bishops’
post-Dallas efforts, eight bishops believe the time is ripe to dust off the idea
of a plenary council -- spelled out in canon law -- and once more convene such
a gathering, “this most solemn common act of teaching and governing” by a nation’s
bishops.
Web site sheds light on media fascination with abuse crisis
National Catholic Reporter
By THOMAS C. FOX
At 6 a.m. with the sun still rising, Bill Mitchell, a chipped yellow Detroit Free
Press coffee mug in right hand, is already at his home computer scanning the Internet
for the latest clergy abuse stories to appear in morning papers across the nation.
It’s only been eight hours since he last searched, shortly before going to bed.
Finding them, he dutifully copies their headlines, adds the name of publication,
the first few sentences, and links each to a Web site he runs called the “Clergy
Abuse Tracker.” It is hosted by the Poynter Institute, a school for journalists
in St. Petersburg, Fla., where Mitchell is online editor/marketing director.
African bishops call for oversight of nuns’ formation
National Catholic Reporter
More than a year after reports of sexual abuse of nuns by priests in Africa and
elsewhere first became public, an association of bishops’ conferences from central
Africa has recommended creating commissions to oversee the formation of female
religious, and to protect the autonomy of women’s diocesan religious communities.
Inadequate formation and the dependence of diocesan communities upon local clergy
were two factors cited in a series of reports documenting the sexual abuse of
nuns by priests, first reported in NCR (March 16, 2001). Such abuse was cited
in 23 nations, but the bulk of the personal testimony came from Africa.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 8/16/2002
05:24:22 AM
SPRINGFIELD (IL)
Former bishop investigated
Church panel reviews charge he solicited sex from teen
State Journal-Register
By LISA KERNEK
STAFF WRITER
Newly public allegations that retired Catholic Bishop Daniel Ryan solicited sex
from a 15-year-old boy in 1984 have prompted the Springfield Diocese to refer
the case to the Sangamon County state's attorney and to an independent review
board of laypeople.
The detailed allegations, which surfaced in court papers filed last month, also
accuse Ryan of making sexual advances toward a priest in the mid-1980s. The priest
is named in the documents.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 8/16/2002
05:21:53 AM
Thursday, August 15, 2002
BOSTON (Mass.)
Cardinal Gets Break From Testifying
Law Deposed By Attorneys For Four Men
TheBostonChannel.com
BOSTON -- After two more days of testimony, Cardinal Bernard Law is getting a
break in depositions.
Law was deposed by attorneys for four men who claim in lawsuits that they were
sexually abused by jailed priest Paul Shanley between 1984 and 1990.
Law's deposition is expected to resume after Labor Day, said Roderick MacLeish,
an attorney for the plaintiffs.
Neither MacLeish nor attorneys for the Boston Archdiocese would discuss the details
of the depositions, but MacLeish did take issue with the archdiocese's characterization
that settlement talks were ongoing.
MacLeish is trying to show that the mishandling of Shanley by church officials
was part of a pattern of negligence, not an isolated mistake.
Shanley is charged with 10 counts of rape of a child and six counts of indecent
assault and battery on a child.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/15/2002
12:23:40 PM
LONG ISLAND
Friar Faces Allegations
Will remain a priest but loses right to minister publicly
Newsday
By Rita Ciolli
STAFF WRITER
A popular Capuchin Friar who spent the past two decades preaching at retreats
in local parishes can no longer function publicly as a priest because of allegations
that he molested several boys, including one from Long Island and another from
Queens.
However, the friar, Gabriel Massaro, 62, will remain a priest because he is a
member of a religious order, an offshoot of the Franciscans. Order priests, whose
superiors report directly to Rome, do not come under the zero tolerance policies
adopted by the nation's Catholic bishops in June. About one-third of the nation's
45,000 priests are in this category.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 8/15/2002
11:32:35 AM
MANCHESTER (N.H.)
Bishop McCormack questioning resumes in Manchester
Boston
Herald
Associated Press
Thursday, August 15, 2002
New Hampshire Bishop John McCormack began a second day of questioning by lawyers
this morning about what he knew of alleged sexual abuse of three boys by a Massachusetts
priest.
McCormack already was questioned for the case in June. At that time, he told the
boys' lawyers he twice dismissed evidence in the 1980s that two priests had sexually
abused children because the alleged molesters told him they had done nothing wrong.
The alleged victims, all now in their mid-20s and from Newton, Massachusetts,
have sued in Massachusetts, accusing the Reverend Paul Shanley of molesting them.
The men also claim that church officials in Boston, including McCormack, failed
to protect them. McCormack was in the Boston diocese at that time.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/15/2002
11:06:18 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Law testifies for a fourth day in Shanley deposition
Boston
Herald
Associated Press
Thursday, August 15, 2002
BOSTON - As Cardinal Bernard Law continued answering questions this week about
how the Roman Catholic Boston Archdiocese dealt with sexual abuse allegations
against retired priest Paul Shanley, he was also asked about his handling of a
complaint against another priest who was accused of sexually assaulting a woman.
Three days after Law became archbishop of Boston in March 1984, a parishioner
from Franklin wrote Law a letter alleging that a parish priest had twice sexually
assaulted his wife, The Boston Globe reported.
In the letter, Gregory B. Nash asked Law to meet with him and his wife and help
them deal with the alleged assaults by the Rev. Anthony J. Rebeiro.
In a letter of response on April 3, 1984, Law wrote, ``After some consultation,
I find that this matter is something that is personal to Father Rebeiro and must
be considered such.''
Last week, Rebeiro was suspended from his chaplain's post at the Quigley Memorial
Hospital and Soldiers' Home in Chelsea following new accusations that he had abused
a child at St. Linus Church in Natick in the early 1970s.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/15/2002
11:04:54 AM
LOWELL (Mass.)
Catholic brother arrested in Lowell: Charges include rape of Hub altar boys
Boston
Herald
by Robin Washington
Thursday, August 15, 2002
A Catholic brother who was assigned around the world after he allegedly molested
four altar boys at an East Boston parish decades ago was arrested yesterday in
the Lowell home of his sister, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley
said.
Brother Fidelis DeBerardinis, 75, of Clearwater Beach, Fla., will be arraigned
in Suffolk Superior Court this morning on a grand jury's indictment of 11 counts
of child rape, attempted rape and indecent assault and battery of the boys at
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church from 1968 to 1973.
``At the time of the alleged crimes, the children were altar boys under Brother
DeBerardinis' direction. Their trust was betrayed, their innocence was stolen
from them by a predator, who because of his position they were taught to respect
and obey,'' Conley said of the alleged victims.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/15/2002
11:03:19 AM
FORT WORTH (TX)
Bishop didn't reveal priest's past
He told young man his molestation allegation was first despite '98 report of misconduct
The
Dallas Morning News
08/15/2002
By BROOKS EGERTON / The Dallas Morning News
© 2002 The Dallas Morning News
After the nation's Catholic bishops pledged a new openness this summer in dealing
with clergy sexual abuse, the head of the Fort Worth Diocese wrote to a young
man who had recently accused a priest of molesting him as a boy.
"Your complaint against him is the first that I know of that involves misconduct
with a minor," Bishop Joseph Delaney wrote in a letter.
Yet The Dallas Morning News reported four years ago that the priest, who served
in the Fort Worth Diocese from 1988 to 1993, had been convicted in Massachusetts
of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and supplying him alcohol. The Rev.
Thomas Teczar also had been suspected of abuse while training to be a priest in
the 1960s and at parish jobs after ordination, and had been forced into a treatment
center in the 1980s, the paper reported.
At the time of The News' 1998 report, Bishop Delaney acknowledged that he had
known about the delinquency matter and the treatment center stay when he let Father
Teczar transfer to Fort Worth from the Diocese of Worcester, Mass., in the late
1980s. The bishop – who declined to be interviewed for this story – has said he
was not told about the rest of the priest's history, although church documents
show that other bishops who considered hiring Father Teczar were advised.
A top Worcester diocesan official wrote to one such bishop in 1986, for example,
that the priest had left "a trail of damaged youngsters" in one Massachusetts
town, where "police threatened to find a reason to arrest him if he returned."
A spokesman for Bishop Delaney said Wednesday that the bishop did not wish to
hear questions from The News. In a brief written statement, the bishop said there
had been no previous abuse complaints stemming from Father Teczar's work in Texas.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/15/2002
10:19:40 AM Editor's Note: Problems with the Blogger software
have delayed updates to the Tracker over the last couple of days. We're working
on a publishing system for Poynter Online that will eliminate our dependence on
third-party software for such features as the Tracker.
All in the family
Chicago
Tribune
August 13, 2002
Editorial: It's a bad sign when a conference about sexual abuse of children devotes
an entire day to closed meetings with lawyers but only three hours discussing
what to do for the victims--and then refuses to meet with a group representing
them.
It's an even worse sign when the keynote speaker, in this case the Rev. Canice
Connors, a Franciscan priest and president of an organization of Catholic religious
orders, delivers a presidential address laced with inappropriate one-liners. In
his opening remarks he referred derisively to "gut-wrenching victim narratives"
and asked the audience: "Are we having fun yet?"
Fun?
So it went at the Conference of Major Superiors of Men that closed on Saturday
in Philadelphia, where about 125 representatives of Roman Catholic religious orders
gathered to discuss the sex abuse scandals that have tarred the church for the
past several months.
INDIANAPOLIS
Catholic lay board to protect children
High-profile panel will help keep local archdiocese honest about abuse charges.
Indianapolis
Star
By Judith Cebula
judith.cebula@indystar.com
Two months after the nation's Catholic bishops adopted a landmark policy on clergy
sexual abuse, the Indianapolis archdiocese is unveiling a new review board to
ensure the protection of children.
Today, Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein will make public the names of six people
he's turning to for help in keeping the 39-county archdiocese honest about abuse
allegations.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 8/15/2002
09:18:44 AM
KANSAS CITY (MO)
Priest to plead guilty in sex abuse case
The Kansas
City Star
By MATT STEARNS
The Kansas City Star
The Rev. Dennis E. Schmitz will plead guilty next month to a sexual abuse charge
involving a teen-age boy, the priest's attorney said Wednesday.
As a result, Schmitz and the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas will begin procedures
to permanently remove him from the priesthood, an archdiocesan spokesman said.
Schmitz, who will formally enter his plea Sept. 5, is the only priest in the Kansas
City area to face criminal charges in the sexual abuse scandal that has swept
through the Roman Catholic Church in recent months.
Schmitz was ordained in 1989 and served many Johnson County parishes during his
career. At one time he led priest recruitment for the archdiocese. He was charged
in Douglas County in June with lewd fondling of a child under the age of 16. The
alleged abuse occurred between June 1998 and May 1999, when the boy was 15.
"He is extremely remorseful," said Stephen Mirakian, Schmitz's attorney, after
a court hearing in Douglas County.
"He feels horrible about what's happened. He's done enormous good during his years
as a priest. But he understands he violated a trust. He harmed a young man who
should not have been harmed, and he'll have to live with that for the rest of
his life."
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/15/2002
09:00:26 AM
LOS ANGELES (CA)
Camp Ped
Long after Roman Catholic leaders knew pedo-priests couldn’t be cured, Cardinal
Roger Mahony kept packing off his worst offenders to a notorious New Mexico rehab
center.
Los
Angeles New Times
BY RON RUSSELL
To know Father Michael Baker was to love him. Handsome, articulate and charismatic,
he practically oozed trust. The parents of altar boys adored him for the special
attention he gave their sons. Of course, they had no idea how special. The boys
Baker zeroed in on also adored him. Unfortunately, he couldn't resist manipulating
them for sex. In December 1986, after deciding to confess some of his sexual sins,
his secret weakness was about to cost him big-time. Or so he thought. Baker didn't
turn himself in to just anyone. He went straight to Roger Mahony, then as now
the titular head of the nation's largest Roman Catholic archdiocese, fully expecting
to be drummed out of the priesthood after confessing to having had sex with "two
or three" of his altar boys.
There had apparently been others.
But, astonishingly, Mahony wasn't inquisitive. The archbishop and then soon-to-be
cardinal seemed more concerned with damage control. To Baker's relief, Mahony
-- a close friend and confidante -- squelched the idea of turning him over to
police. Neither were unsuspecting parishioners at the L.A.-area churches where
his admitted abuses had occurred informed that a predator was among them. Far
from being over, his priestly career was merely sidetracked. Instead of notifying
the cops, Mahony -- in typical fashion -- quietly packed his pal off to a remote
corner of New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo Mountains. There, near the village of
Jemez Springs, at a secluded retreat operated by a little-known Roman Catholic
religious order called the Holy Servants of the Paraclete, Baker joined other
priests receiving "therapy" for pedophilia. It was an exercise that Mahony --
and, indeed, fellow bishops from coast to coast -- already knew, or should have
known, was a sham.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/15/2002
08:55:04 AM
HARTFORD (CT)
Minister Near Guilty Plea
Deal On Prostitution Charges Against Price Unexpectedly Postponed
Hartford
Courant
August 15, 2002
By TINA A. BROWN, Courant Staff Writer
A prominent city minister, who for two years has vehemently denied allegations
that he operated a prostitution business, seemed poised Wednesday to plead guilty
to reduced charges.
The possibility that the Rev. Henry L. Price might plead guilty on Wednesday,
reported by sources close to the case, created a buzz through the third-floor
courtroom at Hartford Superior Court.
About 10 Hartford vice and narcotics detectives and state investigators gabbed
in the back of the courtroom while waiting for more than an hour for a plea bargain
to be announced.
But unexpectedly, both sides agreed to postpone the public announcement of the
plea bargain until Aug. 27, when Price is expected to reappear before Superior
Court Judge Elliot Solomon. Negotiations will continue, and Price, 52, could accept
or reject the proposal at that time.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/15/2002
08:44:08 AM
RICHMOND (VA)
Report urged removal of priest
The Virginian-Pilot
By STEVEN G. VEGH, The Virginian-Pilot
© August 15, 2002
A Diocese of Richmond investigative team reported 10 weeks ago to Bishop Walter
F. Sullivan that sexual abuse allegations against the Rev. John E. Leonard were
credible and that the Henrico County priest should be removed from parish duty
to receive ``extended'' inpatient psychological treatment.
The team sent its report to Sullivan on June 7. Sullivan, who had put Leonard
on leave pending the inquiry, reinstated him as the pastor at St. Michael Church
in Glen Allen on June 18.
According to a copy of the report obtained by The Virginian-Pilot, four men testified
to six incidents of ``sexual abuse or misconduct'' by Leonard in the 1960s and
1970s while they were students at St. John Vianney Seminary high school.
A fifth self-described victim alleged ``repeated abuse over an eight-year period
(1969-1977),'' the report stated.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/15/2002
08:40:16 AM
MANCHESTER (N.H.)
McCormack questioning
continues in lawsuit
The
Union Leader
By KATHRYN MARCHOCKI
Union Leader Staff
Manchester Bishop John B. McCormack today faces a second day of questioning about
his handling of Boston archdiocesan priests accused of child sexual abuse, specifically
a retired priest charged with child rape.
The deposition is part of a Massachusetts lawsuit brought by three men who say
there were molested by the Rev. Paul R. Shanley in the 1980s.
McCormack, 67, was questioned under oath June 3 by the attorney representing the
three alleged victims. The men, all now in their mid-20s, accuse Shanley of molesting
them when he served at St. Jean Church in Newton, Mass.
Shanley also faces criminal charges for allegedly raping one of the boys. He was
arrested May 2 in San Diego.
McCormack was a top deputy to Cardinal Bernard F. Law of Boston from 1984 to 1998,
when he became bishop of Manchester.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/15/2002
08:34:36 AM
Editor's Note: Problems with the Blogger software have delayed updates
to the Tracker over the last couple of days. We're working on a publishing system
for Poynter Online that will eliminate our dependence on third-party software
for such features as the Tracker.
CHICAGO
Cardinal, bishops gather to pray for forgiveness
Service symbolizes church atoning for past abuse
Chicago
Tribune
By Donna Freedman
Tribune staff reporter
Cardinal Francis George joined Catholic leaders nationwide Wednesday to pray for
forgiveness and healing in the wake of the sexual abuse of children by priests.
The cardinal and his seven auxiliary bishops conducted the public prayer service
Wednesday evening at Holy Name Cathedral.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 8/15/2002
08:30:30 AM
NORTH ANDOVER (Mass.)
Catholic voices rise in concern
The Eagle-Tribune
By O'Ryan Johnson
Staff Writer
NORTH ANDOVER -- The Voice of the Faithful turned into the opinions of the discordant
at a meeting of the Catholic lay group last night at St. Michael's Parish.
John Cronin, a St. Michael's parishioner, set the tone at the outset by questioning
the agenda of the leaders of the lay movement that grew out of the church's clergy
sex-abuse scandal.
"I don't believe in rebellion," Cronin said. "In the old church we were taught
to turn to God in times of crisis. You got people here that believe in abortion.
They believe in gays in the church. They don't know what sin is."
Cronin and two other St. Michael's parishioners prompted the discord when they
put fliers on parishioners' windshields after last Sunday's Mass, asking: "Do
we really want 'Voice of the Faithful' in St. Michael's Parish."
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/15/2002
08:29:54 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Accuser's criminal past questioned in abuse charge
Boston
Herald
by Tom Mashberg
Thursday, August 15, 2002
A suspended Cambridge priest pleaded not guilty yesterday to two counts of oral
rape of a minor dating back 15 years, even as his family and friends questioned
the motives of the jailed bank robber and career felon behind the allegations.
``You have a guy who's in trouble, who has been in trouble all his life, making
these kinds of accusations 14 years later,'' said Daniel Hurley of Medford, brother
of the Rev. Paul W. Hurley, 59, of Sandwich.
``Why is this person coming forward now?'' he said. ``I've heard he's doing this
to get home to be with his friends and family, or his friends at least. They'll
keep him around here until they go to trial.''
Accompanied by supporters and clad in his clerical garb, Rev. Hurley responded
``not guilty, not guilty'' in Middlesex Superior Court at his morning arraignment
before Judge Geraldine Hines.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/15/2002
08:27:33 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Franciscan brother charged with molesting four alter boys
Boston
Globe
By John Ellement, Globe Staff, 8/15/2002
An elderly Franciscan brother was arrested yesterday on charges that he molested
four altar boys 30 years ago inside Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in East Boston
and a nearby friary.
The criminal charges against Brother Fidelis (Francis) DeBerardinis, 75, of Clearwater,
Fla., come a decade after the Franciscan order settled a civil suit filed by one
of the same altar boys.
He was quietly arrested by Boston police at his sister's apartment in Lowell and
is scheduled to be arraigned today in Suffolk Superior Court on two counts of
rape of a child, four counts of assault with intent to rape a child, and five
counts of indecent assault and battery on a child, according to Suffolk District
Attorney Daniel F. Conley.
Conley said DeBerardinis was assigned from 1968 to 1973 to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel,
a Franciscan priory, where his duties included oversight of the altar boys.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/15/2002
08:24:56 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Priest pleads not guilty
Boston
Globe
By John Ellement, Globe Staff, 8/15/2002
CAMBRIDGE - During his first court appearance since he was charged last week with
paying a teenager for sex during the 1980s, the Rev. Paul W. Hurley pleaded not
guilty yesterday and said he's eager to prove his innocence and resume his priestly
duties.
''I believe in the priesthood,'' said Hurley, who was ordained in 1970 and has
been placed on administrative leave by the Archdiocese of Boston.
Hurley, 59, of Sandwich, said he is ''stunned'' by the charges and misses active
ministry. ''It makes you feel empty. It really does,'' he said. ''I do still say
Mass, but privately.''
Wearing his clerical collar, Hurley pleaded not guilty in Middlesex Superior Court
to two counts of child rape for assaults that allegedly took place in 1987 and
1988 when he was assigned to the Blessed Sacrament Church in Cambridge.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/15/2002
08:23:05 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Woman's alleged abuse by priest 'personal,' Law wrote
Boston
Globe
By Stephen Kurkjian and Sacha Pfeiffer, Globe Staff, 8/15/2002
Three days after Bernard F. Law became archbishop of Boston in March 1984, an
anguished parishioner from Franklin wrote Law a detailed letter alleging that
a parish priest had twice sexually assaulted his wife and that the parish's pastor
and the local auxiliary bishop then treated the couple with hostility when they
complained.
In the letter, Gregory B. Nash implored Law to open his ''shepherd's heart'' to
meet with him and his wife and help them deal with the alleged assaults by the
Rev. Anthony J. Rebeiro.
But Law did neither.
In a terse letter of response on April 3, 1984, labeled ''Confidential,'' Law
said only this about the sexual allegations: ''After some consultation, I find
that this matter is something that is personal to Father Rebeiro and must be considered
such.''
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/15/2002
08:21:26 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Another Boston Priest Arrested on Charges of Molesting Boys
The
New York Times
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
BOSTON, Aug. 14 — A Franciscan brother was arrested today on charges of sexually
abusing four altar boys at a Roman Catholic church in the East Boston section
of the city three decades ago.
The accused is Brother Fidelis DeBerardinis, 75, who is charged with molesting
the boys at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church at various times from 1968 to 1973.
The boys, 8 to 13 years old, were abused in various places in the church or the
rectory, including Brother DeBerardinis's bedroom and a room designated as a "club"
for altar boys, said David Procopio, a spokesman for the Suffolk County district
attorney, Daniel Conley.
Brother DeBerardinis was indicted on 11 counts, including rape and attempted rape
of a child, on Aug. 6. But, Mr. Procopio said, the indictment was sealed because
the authorities wanted the defendant in custody before announcing it, and he was
living out of state, at a friary in Clearwater Beach, Fla.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/15/2002
08:17:00 AM
Wednesday, August 14, 2002
BOSTON (Mass.)
Law testifies for a fourth day in Shanley deposition
Sandwich priest arraigned; Franciscan brother arrested
Boston.com
By Denise Lavoie, Associated Press, 08/14/02 BOSTON — Cardinal Bernard Law spent
a fourth day answering questions Wednesday about how the church handled sexual
abuse allegations against retired priest Paul Shanley, as another priest accused
of raping a 15-year-old boy in the 1980s denied the charges in court.
Law was questioned by civil attorneys for four men who claim in lawsuits that
they were sexually abused by Shanley between 1984 and 1990. Law's testimony was
expected to continue until 4 p.m.
In the first two days of his deposition, Law testified he never looked at Shanley's
personnel file before he promoted him in 1984 to pastor at a Newton church where
the men who have filed lawsuits claim they were taken out of catechism classes
by Shanley and raped in the church confessional and other locations.
In Shanley's file were letters from people who had heard Shanley advocating sex
between men and boys and blaming children for seducing adults. There was also
an allegation that Shanley had molested a boy in 1966.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/14/2002
02:47:52 PM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Uncle Bernie's recollections shed vague light on case
Boston
Herald
by Howie Carr
Wednesday, August 14, 2002
Bernard Cardinal Law - henceforward he will forever be known as ``Uncle Bernie,''
the way the molested Morrison kid down in Mississippi referred to him.
``I certainly don't recall being Uncle Bernie,'' Uncle Bernie protested during
his deposition June 5.
Poor Uncle Bernie. It couldn't have been fun. Here's this wrinkly old man, so
full of himself, taking a good solid beating from a lawyer.
Uncle Bernie is not used to being pushed around. You do not do that to His Eminence,
my son. Not if you wish to go to heaven when you die.
It's an odd yarn that Uncle Bernie spun, or attempted to spin. You know, whenever
there's some new development involving medicine - be it cloning, say, or abortion,
or euthanasia, or DNA research - the church bigshots instantly have an infallible
opinion even though they know less than nothing about the subject at hand.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/14/2002
02:39:34 PM
CAMBRIDGE (Mass.)
Father Paul Hurley arraigned for child rape
Boston
Herald
Associated Press
Wednesday, August 14, 2002
The Reverend Paul Hurley pleads innocent to two counts of rape of a child.
Hurley, of Sandwich, was arraigned today in Middlesex Superior Court on the sexual
assault of a 15-year-old boy.
Authorities say Hurley sexually assaulted the boy in the rectory of Blessed Sacrament
Parish in Cambridge.
The Boston Archdiocese says Hurley is on administrative leave and is restricted
from practicing any public ministry.
A judge released him on personal recognizance.
The 59-year-old Hurley was not currently assigned to a parish.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/14/2002
02:37:45 PM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Law resumes deposition amid clash over case
Boston
Herald
by Robin Washington and Tom Mashberg
Wednesday, August 14, 2002
As Bernard Cardinal Law resumed a grueling stretch of depositions in the Catholic
Church sex abuse scandal, disagreement broke out yesterday among opposing attorneys
over whether there was any chance of settling the cases.
While church lawyers said talks continued as recently as Monday night, counsel
for plaintiffs in lawsuits involving a half-dozen priests said they and their
clients were gearing up for a ``full-blown trial.''
``We haven't had any settlement talks with these guys for weeks,'' attorney Roderick
MacLeish Jr. said after deposing Law for about five hours in a case against the
Rev. Paul Shanley, accused of raping young boys at a Newton parish nearly two
decades ago.
``We never close the door, but our clients are very upset now and they want a
jury verdict,'' MacLeish said.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/14/2002
02:35:20 PM
Vatican may ease bishops' 1-strike rule
Church experts say Rome worried that abuse policy too harsh
Dallas
Morning News
By SUSAN HOGAN/ALBACH / The Dallas Morning News
Vatican officials are almost certain to demand modifications to the sexual abuse
policy adopted by U.S. Catholic bishops two months ago in Dallas because American
bishops and religious orders disagree over what to do with predator priests, church
authorities said.
The bishops adopted a one-strike rule that permanently removes from ministry priests
or deacons who abuse minors. Leaders of religious orders agreed Saturday in Philadelphia
to follow the policy but continue to voice opposition that it's too harsh on abusers.
Wife of molested man gives out fliers on ex-Dallas priest
Dallas
Morning News
Aug. 12
Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS - The wife of man molested by a former Dallas Catholic priest came
here Sunday to warn neighbors of the former priest about his past.
Mindi Galland spent the afternoon passing out fliers telling people about Robert
Peebles Jr., who worked in the Diocese of Dallas.
"He has damaged the lives of many people, including my husband," Mindi Galland
said.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 8/14/2002
01:00:25 PM
LUSAKA, ZAMBIA
NEW CHURCH POST FOR WEDDED PRIEST
New York Post
August 14, 2002 -- LUSAKA - A senior Zambian bishop who publicly embarrassed the
Vatican last year by marrying will return to faith-healing in Italy when he finishes
a one-year retreat, a church official said yesterday.
Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo scandalized the Catholic Church when he wed acupuncturist
Maria Sung in a mass ceremony organized by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Unification
Church in May 2001. Catholic priests may not marrying.
"The archbishop has been given a church by one bishop in Italy from which he can
minister and continue with his healing ministry; he has been given an apartment
where he will live with two priests as secretaries and companions," Dennis de
Jong, a spokesman for Roman Catholic bishops in Zambia, told reporters.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/14/2002
07:40:13 AM
RICHMOND (VA)
Criminal probe overdue in alleged rape by priest
The Virginian-Pilot
Criminal investigators will now handle the allegations of possible sexual assault
by a Roman Catholic priest. The decision by Bishop Walter F. Sullivan, head of
the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, to request the aid of the Goochland County Commonwealth
Attorney's Office is a good one. As Sullivan noted: ``The Diocese of Richmond
is not a detective agency. I therefore call upon law enforcement to thoroughly
investigate the claims . . . . May the truth win out.''
This step probably should have been taken in 1996. That's when Bruce Jeter, a
former student at the St. John Vianney Seminary in Goochland, told the bishop
about the alleged abuse from the 1970s. In a case where the bishop is not necessarily
an impartial arbiter in claims against priests, it's another reason for law enforcement
authorities to investigate.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/14/2002
06:59:26 AM
CONCORD (N.H.)
TV pastor arrested again on sex charges
Police: He lured girls using the Internet
Concord
Monitor
By STEPHANIE HANES
Monitor staff
Charles Gravenhorst, the self-described pastor who once preached his fringe Christian
ministry on Concord Community TV, was arrested again yesterday, this time by federal
agents for allegedly sending obscene material over the Internet and for using
the Internet to induce teenage girls to engage in sex acts.
Gravenhorst, 45, was charged earlier this year with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old
girl in her Windham, Maine, home. The police said that he had met the girl over
the Internet.
Gravenhorst has been out on bail and living in Concord since May, the Windham
police said.
The Concord Community TV board suspended both Gravenhorst's access to the television
studio - located in Concord High School - as well as his show, The Main Thing
(XXX), soon after the Maine charges became public.
Gravenhorst, who wore sunglasses and chewed cigars as he threatened late-night
CCTV viewers with damnation, has denied the allegations. He said in federal court
yesterday that he would let federal agents transport him to Maine to face charges,
said Stephen Monier, U.S. Marshal for the district of New Hampshire.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/14/2002
06:48:07 AM
CONCORD (N.H.)
Former Concord cable TV host facing sexual assault charges
Foster's
Daily Democrat
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A man who once preached his fringe Christian ministry on
public access television has been accused of using the Internet to seduce teenage
girls.
Charles Gravenhorst, 45, was banned from Concord Community TV and its studio at
Concord High School in March when he was charged with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old
in Windham, Maine.
He was arrested again Monday and charged with sending obscene material over the
Internet and trying to arrange sexual encounters with four teenage girls.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/14/2002
06:44:20 AM
NORTH ANDOVER (Mass.)
Voices of local church rising in contention
The Eagle-Tribune
By Yadira Betances and Kathie Neff Ragsdale
Staff Writers
A controversy that is tearing at Roman Catholic parishes throughout the United
States may rear its head during a meeting at St. Michael's Church Hall in North
Andover tonight.
The parish's fledgling chapter of Voice of the Faithful, a lay reformist group
that grew out of this year's church sex scandal, has invited members of an opposition
group to its 7 p.m. meeting.
The opposing group distributed fliers to parishioners during the six Masses at
St. Michael's this weekend questioning whether the parish needed a chapter of
the organization.
Nationally, Voice of the Faithful has called for reforms within the church to
make it more democratic, and has started an alternative charitable fund so that
Catholics who wish to contribute to religious charities may do so without going
through standard church channels.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/14/2002
06:37:05 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Faithful Catholics have a hard time staying silent
Boston
Herald
by Joe Fitzgerald
At the age of 65, nine times a grandmother, having taught kids and directed a
choir at Holy Family Church in East Lynn where ``I was born, baptized and will
be buried,'' Josephine Mahoney candidly confessed, ``I don't know what it means
to be a `good Catholic' anymore.''
Frank Mazzaglia, 60, a Grafton resident, admits he, too, wonders, the difference
being that he's troubled by Catholics who rebuke their church while she's troubled
by Catholics who don't.
As much as any readers who've been moved to call, Mazzaglia and Mahoney personify
the degree to which the Boston archdiocese is fast becoming the proverbial house
divided against itself.
A Boston College grad with a Ph.D. from Harvard, where he did his dissertation
on Catholic higher education, Mazzaglia is an educator who dabbles as an occasional
columnist for a chain of suburban papers.
``I used to write on general topics,'' he explained. ``It wasn't the kind of stuff
that evoked great response, which was OK. I tend to keep my head tucked in. But
what's been happening to the church has been so outrageous, so damn unfair, that
I found it impossible to remain silent.''
Neither was he subtle.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/14/2002
06:31:31 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Law resumes deposition amid clash over case
Boston
Herald
by Robin Washington and Tom Mashberg
As Bernard Cardinal Law resumed a grueling stretch of depositions in the Catholic
Church sex abuse scandal, disagreement broke out yesterday among opposing attorneys
over whether there was any chance of settling the cases.
While church lawyers said talks continued as recently as Monday night, counsel
for plaintiffs in lawsuits involving a half-dozen priests said they and their
clients were gearing up for a ``full-blown trial.''
``We haven't had any settlement talks with these guys for weeks,'' attorney Roderick
MacLeish Jr. said after deposing Law for about five hours in a case against the
Rev. Paul Shanley, accused of raping young boys at a Newton parish nearly two
decades ago.
``We never close the door, but our clients are very upset now and they want a
jury verdict,'' MacLeish said.
Minutes earlier, Wilson D. Rogers Jr., chief counsel for the Archdiocese of Boston,
said, ``The subject of settlement is active and being pursued in this case to
the extent it would be in any case.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/14/2002
06:29:08 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Excerpts From Cardinal's Deposition
The
New York Times
Following are excerpts from the June deposition of Cardinal Bernard F. Law of
the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston in a lawsuit over sexual abuse by a priest.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/14/2002
06:24:49 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Cardinal Told How His Policy Shielded Priests
The
New York Times
By PAM BELLUCK
BOSTON, Aug. 13 — Hours of videotaped testimony of Cardinal Bernard F. Law were
released today, detailing his responses to sexual abuse accusations against numerous
priests and questions about actions he failed to take to prevent further abuse.
In seven hours of deposition in June as a defendant in a lawsuit over accusations
against the Rev. Paul R. Shanley, Cardinal Law testified that he had allowed priests
accused of sexual abuse — and even those who admitted the abuse — to return to
parish ministry without informing parishioners of the accusations or admissions.
"I did not, as a matter of policy, in 1984, '85, '86, '87, '88, '89, '90, '91,
'92, '93, '94, '95, '96, '97, '98, '99, 2000, 2001, go to parishes on the occasion
of dealing with a priest against whom an allegation of sexual abuse of a child
had been made," Cardinal Law testified. "I see now that that should have been
done, but we did not do that."
He added, "Did I think that I should have informed the parish and then not done
it? No. I simply didn't have that as part of our response to these cases."
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/14/2002
06:21:20 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Excerpts of Law testimony over two days
Talk of 'the social implications of a sin'
Boston
Globe
By Globe Staff, 8/14/2002
The following excerpts were taken from a two-day deposition of Cardinal Bernard
F. Law by Boston lawyer Roderick MacLeish Jr., beginning June 5 and completed
June 7. The deposition was taken in connection with civil lawsuits filed against
Law by three alleged victims of the Rev. Paul R. Shanley.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/14/2002
06:00:53 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
No love lost among lawyers in the case
Thinly-veiled barbs underscore struggle to reach settlement
Boston
Globe
By Michael Rezendes, Globe Staff
Although the transcripts of Cardinal Bernard F. Law's pretrial testimony contain
a healthy number of muddled questions and answers, they also make one thing abundantly
clear: The lawyers in the case would rather take it outside.
Through two days of questioning in early June, lawyers for the church, the cardinal,
and the alleged victims of the Rev. Paul R. Shanley frequently stopped Law's deposition
to hurl legal barbs and thinly-veiled insults at one another.
The tone was set early when Roderick MacLeish Jr., the lawyer for the families
suing Law, attempted to instruct archdiocesan lawyer Wilson Rogers Jr. on the
rules of conduct during pretrial testimony.
''If the cardinal doesn't understand my question, he's free to indicate that,
and I will rephrase the question so he understands it,'' MacLeish said. He added
pointedly, ''I'd urge you to look at the rules and particulary the reporters'
notes on conduct during depositions.''
Rogers retorted, ''If I am going to take advice in how to conduct the deposition,
you wouldn't be on the list of those I'd come to.''
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/14/2002
05:58:05 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Tapes show Law keeping his composure
Boston
Globe
By Mark Jurkowitz, Globe Staff
Those expecting fireworks may have been disappointed as Cardinal Bernard F. Law's
videotaped deposition made for long stretches of droning daytime television yesterday.
But the spectacle of the head of the Boston Archdiocese being systematically grilled
about sexually abusive priests under his charge was, nonetheless, inherently dramatic.
The tapes of Law's June deposition in civil lawsuits stemming from charges against
the Rev. Paul Shanley were aired for about five hours yesterday on the New England
Cable News network; other stations relied on highlights to lead their regular
newscasts.
The most heated engagement occurred when Law's laywer, J. Owen Todd, interrupted
questions to the cardinal by lawyer Roderick MacLeish Jr. by snapping that ''these
sermons and preaching to us [are] unnecessary.''
''This is a very serious case, Mr. Todd,'' countered MacLeish.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/14/2002
05:55:31 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Bishops are behind curve
Boston
Globe
By Eileen McNamara, Globe Columnist
The Voice of the Faithful might want to stock up on throat lozenges.
The organization of reform-minded Catholics will need to stage regular public
readings of documents from the Second Vatican Council that make the case for a
broader role for the laity in the church. It can no longer assume that US bishops
have read them, and it might well presume that it could take decades for the bishops
to read and digest their meaning.
This week, in an extraordinarily delayed reaction, the US Conference of Bishops
declared that it is theologically unsound for Catholics to try to convert Jews
to Christianity. The principle that Judaism has not been supplanted by, but coexists
with, Christianity was first expressed almost 40 years ago in Nostra Aetate (In
Our Time), a Vatican II document that explored the relationship of Catholicism
to other religions.
Noting ''the spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews,'' the synod urged
''mutual understanding and respect which is the fruit above all of biblical and
theological studies and brotherly dialogues.'' The council instructed further
that '' Jews should not be presented as repudiated or cursed by God, as if such
views followed from Holy Scripture.''
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/14/2002
05:52:47 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Law says he didn't give scrutiny to priests' files
In deposition, tells of relying on aides' advice
Boston
Globe
By Thomas Farragher and Michael Rezendes, Globe Staff, Globe Correspondent
When Cardinal Bernard F. Law was asked under oath in June whether he read a letter
in 1985 about the Rev. Paul R. Shanley's advocacy of sex between men and boys,
he said he probably had. But two days later, Law reversed course, saying that
it is likely he had not seen it.
According to a transcript of that testimony that was made public yesterday, Law
also acknowledged that he had promoted Shanley to serve as pastor of a Newton
parish without consulting the priest's personnel file, which included a 1966 allegation
of abuse and other letters complaining of Shanley's unorthodox sexual views. Consulting
such files was not his practice, he said. Instead, he relied heavily on advice
from aides in personnel decisions.
Also, after an initial denial, Law said he first confronted sex abuse charges
against another priest 30 years ago, when he accepted the priest's assurance that
the victim's family was not upset.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/14/2002
05:48:46 AM
Tuesday, August 13, 2002
BOSTON (Mass.)
In testimony, Law defends McCormack's handling of Shanley complaint
Boston.com
By J.M. Hirsch, Associated Press, 08/13/02
CONCORD, N.H. -- Bishop John B. McCormack was right to believe the explanation
of a Boston priest accused of speaking favorably about sex with children, Cardinal
Bernard Law said in testimony made public Tuesday.
"There was no reason to suspect," Law testified in June during a deposition in
civil lawsuits filed against the Rev. Paul Shanley. "There was no reason for him
to be suspicious."
"And as I recall the response of Father McCormack, he felt that the explanation
was convincing, and that what he (Shanley) had said was misunderstood," Law said
responding to questions by attorney Roderick MacLeish Jr.
In April 1985 a Rochester, N.Y., woman wrote to Law complaining that Shanley in
a speech had said: "When adults have sex with children, the children seduced them,"
and the children "are the guilty ones."
The woman, Wilma Highs, also said she had some of the comments on audiotape.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/13/2002
04:00:09 PM
A Tangled Web: New Media and the Catholic Scandals
How the Internet has influenced a change in news judgment
Online Journalism Review
By Stephen O'Leary
Aug. 6, 2002
The successive waves of revelations in recent months regarding the sexual and
financial misdeeds of Catholic priests and bishops may be the most important religious
news story of this generation. How has the Web responded to the challenge? Is
it possible that the Internet has fundamentally altered the power balance that
formerly governed the reporting of religious news?
There is something odd about the current frenzy of reporting on clerical sins.
The stories that are now getting sustained and sometimes sensationalistic attention
from the media are not new.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 8/13/2002
03:33:14 PM
BOSTON (MA)
Text of Cardinal Law's deposition
Boston.com
June 5, 2002, Suffolk County Superior Court
The following is the text of the deposition of Cardinal Bernard Law in Suffolk
County Superior Court on Wednesday, June 5, 2002.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/13/2002
01:26:02 PM
OAKLAND (CA)
Sentencing delayed of minister guilty of molesting girl, 15
Sex offender faces one to two years in jail, restitution to victim
Oakland
Tribune
By Chauncey Bailey
Staff Writer
OAKLAND -- An East Oakland Baptist minister who was convicted of having sex with
a 15-year-old girl in his congregation will be sentenced next month.
The Rev. Charles Thomas, 56, formerly of Foothill Missionary Baptist Church, appeared
in Alameda County Superior Court Monday, facing a one- to two-year jail term for
having sex with the girl. However, sentencing was postponed until Sept. 20 because
Judge Jon Rolefson was out of town.
Deputy District Attorney Theresa Ortega said under the terms of a plea bargain
reached May 7, Thomas could serve up to a year in county jail or two years in
state prison and be placed on probation.
posted by Jayson Landeza on 8/13/2002
12:33:38 PM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Law says Quincy priest returned
to parish after abuse claim
Boston.com
By Denise Lavoie, Associated Press
BOSTON — Cardinal Bernard Law acknowledged he allowed a priest to return to his
parish in Quincy after the priest admitted he had sexually abused a boy, according
to videotaped testimony made public Tuesday.
Law, testifying in June during a deposition in civil lawsuits filed against the
Rev. Paul Shanley, said he allowed the Rev. Daniel Graham to return to his church
in 1988 with no restrictions on his activities.
"He was allowed to continue, yes, after intervention by a medical source," Law
said, responding to questions by attorney Roderick MacLeish Jr., who represents
alleged sexual abuse victims of Shanley.
Law sat Tuesday for a third day of questioning in the Shanley case as the videotape
and written transcripts of his first two days of questioning were made public
for the first time.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/13/2002
10:18:33 AM
LOS ANGELES
Catholic archdiocese hit by budget crunch
Sacramento
Bee
August 12, 2002
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has been hit
so hard by stock market losses and the prospect of settling sexual abuse claims
that it plans to cut its budgets for ministry and education by as much as 30 percent
and leave some jobs unfilled.
"We're in 2 1/2 years of not just zero return but minus return," Cardinal Roger
M. Mahony told the Los Angeles Times. "We not only didn't get a dollar, we lost
huge amounts of money. So while we did have a reserve fund to get through one
or two rainy years, I'm very alarmed."
Archdiocesan spokesman Tod Tamberg said the nation's largest archdiocese still
does not have a budget and has not reported unspecified losses from the stock
market.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 8/13/2002
07:35:10 AM
BOSTON
Sinner vs. Sinner: Whose is bigger?
Boston
Globe
Column By Joan Vennochi
ANOTHER SUNDAY. Another mortal sin. It feels odd, but also oddly peaceful. No
rushing around. No chasing everyone into the car. No slinking in through the back
of the church when the chasing fails to promote a timely departure. No poking
an openly bored and yawning teenage boy. No ugly looks - his or yours - shot at
his squirming younger sister...
Lack of moral authority continues to be Law's problem. If he didn't understand
it before, he should after reading Sunday's New York Times. There on Page 1, Jack
Connors, chief executive of Boston's Hill Holiday advertising firm, a devoted
Catholic and daily Massgoer, said he sent money to Voice of the Faithful right
after Law refused to accept contributions from that group. ''I think he has a
classic tin ear. I think he doesn't particularly care what people think.... Everybody
has lost faith in this cardinal,'' Connors said about Law.
BOSTON
Church seeks to depose kin of alleged Shanley victim
Boston
Globe
(By Michael Rezendes, Globe Staff)
On the eve of Cardinal Bernard F. Law's continued deposition in the case of the
Rev. Paul R. Shanley and the public release of two days of his prior pretrial
testimony, the Boston Archdiocese yesterday foreshadowed a period of intensified
legal battling by seeking to depose the mother of one of Shanley's alleged victims.
The church and foreign policy in US
Boston
Globe
Column By James Carroll
WHAT EFFECT will the collapse of American Catholic moral authority have on US
foreign policy? Some might dismiss that as the question of an obsessive Catholic
who sees everything through the narrow lens of a parochial church problem. Indeed,
the media's preoccupation with the Catholic scandal can seem a distraction from
the more grievous problem of George W. Bush's warmongering. But in fact, the issues
are related. American Catholicism's confrontation with its own flawed character
can mitigate a broader American self-righteousness to the benefit of the world.
BOSTON
BCTV's Callahan reconsidering new job
Boston
Globe
By Carol Beggy and Stephanie Stoughton, Globe Staff
SWITCHING STATIONS? We hear that international Catholic network EWTN is wooing
Gene Callahan, programming director with Cardinal Bernard Law 's Boston Catholic
Television. When we called Callahan about our tipster's report, he confirmed he
had met with EWTN about a job. He says his decision to consider new opportunities
had little to do with the crisis in the Catholic Church. Rather, it was about
salary and funding issues. BCTV general manager Jay Fadden and operations director
Richard Mosley, for instance, each made more than $90,000 in salary and other
compensation in the fiscal year ending June 2000, according to the nonprofit station's
federal tax return. Callahan won't disclose his salary, but we hear he makes much
less than his pals. Callahan says he isn't getting a big raise from BCTV, and
his operating budget is suffering. He wouldn't elaborate, but we wonder whether
BCTV is having budget troubles. Donna Morrissey, a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese
of Boston, said BCTV relies on an endowment. And the endowment's investments have
been hurt by the stock market's slump. When asked whether BCTV had trimmed costs,
she said she wasn't aware of any reductions.
Catholics reject evangelization of Jews
Boston
Globe
By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff
The Catholic Church, which spent hundreds of years trying forcibly to convert
Jews to Christianity, has come to the conclusion that it is theologically unacceptable
to target Jews for evangelization, according to a statement issued yesterday by
organizations representing US Catholic bishops and rabbis from the country's two
largest Jewish denominations.
BOSTON
Correction
By Globe Staff, 8/13/2002
Correction: Because of an editing error, a story in yesterday's City & Region
section about a Chelsea priest accused of child sexual abuse misstated the number
of priests suspended by the Archdiocese of Boston since February. The latest case
brings the total to 19.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 8/13/2002
06:52:32 AM
AMARILLO (TX)
Bishop listens to opinions
Amarillo
Globe-News
By DON MUNSCH
dmunsch@amarillonet.com
Walt Kelley offered opinions about the scandal that has affected the Roman Catholic
Church during a town-hall type meeting Sunday evening at St. Thomas the Apostle
Church, and then he requested something from Bishop John W. Yanta of the Diocese
of Amarillo.
"When our diocese is in trouble, please be here. Don't be in Europe or Canada.
You're our leader and we need you here," parishioner Kelley said to Yanta, drawing
applause from many of the approximate 70 people who attended Yanta's listening
session. Kelley was referring to how Yanta was unavailable to comment immediately
after some priests resigned this summer.
The session's objective was to hear parishioners' concerns and questions about
how the sexual abuse crisis has affected the local diocese. Yanta, who plans to
attend other listening sessions in the diocese this week, said at the end of the
evening's session that he had been out of town on planned trips and could not
comment on the resignations.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 8/13/2002
06:32:49 AM
JOLIET (IL)
Cloak of secrecy
Men alleging they were abused by Joliet diocese priests step forward with their
stories
Suburban
Chicago Newspapers
August 11, 2002
By By Ted Slowik
STAFF WRITER
JOLIET — The Cathedral of St. Raymond runs one of the finest schools, public or
private, in Joliet. Three generations have been educated there, and most graduates
fondly recall memories of class trips, sporting events and other school functions.
But several men in their 30s and 40s know a different side of St. Ray's, one where
priests preyed on boys to satisfy their sexual desires. Some who were abused as
boys are breaking the silence, and their stories indicate that sexual abuse of
minors by clergy was much more widespread than diocesan officials are willing
to admit.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 8/13/2002
06:28:35 AM
LOUISVILLE (KY)
Archbishop seeks to comfort abuse victims
The
Courier-Journal
By Deborah Yetter
dyetter@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
Louisville Archbishop Thomas C. Kelly, in his most direct public comments since
the child-sexual-abuse scandal began unfolding within the Roman Catholic Church,
said yesterday that he wants to ''beg forgiveness'' from victims of priests.
''I have dealt with the victims and I have met them,'' Kelly said. ''I don't know
how they can be healed. My heart breaks for them.''
Kelly, speaking at a special ''Service of Atonement'' at the Cathedral of the
Assumption in downtown Louisville, said that the scores of lawsuits have kept
him from direct contact with many victims. More than 170 people have sued the
archdiocese since April, alleging sexual abuse by priests and other church workers,
the most such lawsuits in the country.
''I hope that when all this is over, I may have an opportunity to apologize personally
and beg forgiveness from each of these victims,'' Kelly said. ''I long for a chance
to beg forgiveness as I beg for it from God.''
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/13/2002
05:59:12 AM
RICHMOND (VA)
Priest faces police review
Richmond
Times-Dispatch
BY ALBERTA LINDSEY
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Aug 13, 2002
The Goochland County commonwealth's attorney will supervise an investigation into
complaints of sexual abuse lodged yesterday against the Rev. John E. Leonard.
Edward K. Carpenter said two people contacted him alleging that Leonard committed
acts of sexual misconduct against them at St. John Vianney Seminary in Goochland
in the 1970s.
Carpenter said investigators from the Goochland sheriff's office and the Virginia
State Police have been assigned to investigate the charges and any others that
may arise.
Leonard, 63, now pastor of St. Michael Catholic Church in Glen Allen, joined the
St. John Vianney faculty in 1968 and served as rector from 1974 until the all-male
high school closed in 1978.
Four of Leonard's former students have made allegations in the media that the
priest sexually abused them. The most recent was Bruce Jeter, 44, of Norfolk,
who told the Virginian-Pilot that Leonard drugged and raped him 28 years ago.
Leonard denied the allegations made by all four former students.
Carpenter declined to say who made yesterday's complaints, when the alleged incidents
occurred or to give specifics about the type of abuse. He also declined to say
whether the people making complaints to his office had made statements to the
media.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/13/2002
05:41:07 AM
VIRGINIA BEACH (VA)
Catholics gather to pray for their church
The Virginian-Pilot
By JOHN WARREN, The Virginian-Pilot
VIRGINIA BEACH - The organizers of a Catholic rally at Mount Trashmore on Monday
night aren't willing to simply pray Rome will do the right thing.
They want to push Rome to do the right thing, if necessary.
``That's what good prayer is; we pray to change ourselves,'' said Candice Neenan,
one of the event's organizers, and a parishioner at St. Nicholas Catholic Church
in Great Neck.
``The laity has a big place in this church, and we've got to decide we're not
going to receive blindly what comes out of Rome.''
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/13/2002
05:37:52 AM
RICHMOND (VA)
Prosecutor enters priest case
The Virginian-Pilot
By CHRISTINA NUCKOLS, The Virginian-Pilot
RICHMOND -- Law enforcement officials said Monday they have begun a criminal investigation
of the Rev. John E. Leonard based on accusations by two people that he sexually
abused them.
Edward K. Carpenter, commonwealth's attorney for Goochland County, did not identify
the two accusers. He said the two called him separately Monday morning to report
incidents that occurred at St. John Vianney Seminary, a Catholic boys high school
in Goochland that closed in 1978. Carpenter said the Goochland County Sheriff's
Department and the Virginia State Police will work together on the investigation
of Leonard, who is now a priest in the Richmond suburb of Glen Allen. The prosecutor
said both of the alleged victims will be interviewed this week.
``I think it is important for these cases to be investigated fully by law enforcement
officers rather than being investigated through the press,'' Carpenter said.
Bruce Jeter, a 44-year-old Norfolk man, told The Virginian-Pilot on Saturday that
he was drugged and sexually assaulted as a teenager by Leonard. Jeter could not
be reached for comment Monday, and it is unclear whether he is one of the two
people who have contacted Carpenter. Jeter is at least the third ex-Vianney student
to publicly accuse Leonard of sexual abuse.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/13/2002
05:35:11 AM
SAN JOSE (CA)
San Jose, Calif., Roman Catholic diocese to put windows in some confessionals
Boston.com
By Associated Press
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose plans to install
windows in some confessionals to safeguard against sexual abuse and protect priests
from false accusations.
Bishop Patrick J. McGrath ordered windows installed over the next year in so-called
modern confessionals in all 52 parishes. The windows will allow others to see
inside while parishioners reconcile their sins.
Such confessionals, also called reconciliation rooms, allow confessor and priest
to sit face-to-face. Traditional confessional booths, in which priest and parishioner
are separated by a screen or other barrier, won't be altered.
The initiative is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, although
new and renovated Catholic churches in Europe have windows and glass walls in
some confessionals.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/13/2002
05:14:42 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Law deposition transcripts in Shanley case to be released
Boston.com
By Denise Lavoie, Associated Press
BOSTON -- The Boston Archdiocese plans to depose three people, including a 13-year-old
victim of a former church worker convicted of sex abuse, in defending itself against
civil lawsuits.
In court papers filed last week and served Monday to attorneys for alleged victims
of Christopher Reardon and the Rev. Paul Shanley, archdiocese lawyers wrote that
they intend to depose Paula Ford, the mother of an alleged Shanley victim, and
two other people.
The two others to be deposed are a 13-year-old victim of Reardon and the victim's
mother, according to attorney Roderick McLeish, who presents alleged victims of
both Shanley and Reardon.
"So much for the new sensitivity that keeps being trumped around," MacLeish said.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/13/2002
05:12:02 AM
Monday, August 12, 2002
RICHMOND (VA)
Va. State Police to investigate allegations against Father Leonard
WVEC.com
WVEC.com and Associated Press
The Goochland Sheriff's Office and the Va. State Police will investigate charges
of sexual misconduct more than two decades ago against a Richmond-area priest.
Goochland Commonwealth's Attorney Edward Carpenter announced the State Police
will investigate Father John Leonard.
That announcement came Monday afternoon from Commonwealth's Attorney Edward K.
Carpenter after he was asked by the Catholic Diocese of Richmond to investigate
allegations that Father John Leonoard sexually abused students at a parochial
school.
In a written statement, Carpenter said, "Today, complaints were made to this office
by two persons alleging that the Rev. Leonoard committed acts of sexual misconduct
against them at St. John Vianney Seminary in Goochland Co."
Carpenter also said the Richmond diocese requested an investigation into any and
all allegations of sexual misconduct against Rev. Leonard. He said the Sheriff's
Office and Va. State Police would investigate any and all charges that arise in
the course of their investigation. "I would say it's very difficult.Obviously,
over time, memories tend to fade. It is 25 years old. We suspect that there will
be noi physical evidence and so I anticipate the investigation will be very much
on what the victims have to say and anything that any witnesses might have to
add to that," said Goochland Co. Sheriff Jim Agnew.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/12/2002
06:37:33 PM
RICHMOND (VA)
Prosecutor to investigate priest
The Virginian-Pilot
By CHRISTINA NUCKOLS, The Virginian-Pilot
GOOCHLAND -- Two accusations of sexual misconduct were made today against the
Rev. John E. Leonard, Goochland County law enforcement officials said.
Edward K. Carpenter, Goochland County's commonwealth's attorney, said he has asked
the Goochland Sheriff's Office and State Police to investigate the charges.
Carpenter said he would not identify the people who made the accusations against
Leonard.
He said the two people are alleging that the sexual misconduct occurred at St.
John Vianney Seminary in Goochland County.
The complaints filed with law enforcement officials follow public accusations
by at least three ex-Vianney students, who accused Leonard, a faculty member at
Vianney from 1968 to 1978, of sexual abuse.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/12/2002
05:35:36 PM RICHMOND (VA)
Criminal investigation possible into Father Leonard abuse allegations
WVEC.com
Associated Press
(Richmond-AP) -- The Catholic Diocese of Richmond Monday asked the Goochland County
commonwealth's attorney to investigate allegations that a priest sexually abused
students at a parochial school in the 1970s.
A diocese spokesman, the Reverend Pasquale "Pat" Apuzzo , said the diocese will
turn over all information in its own investigation to Goochland County prosecutor
Edward Carpenter.
Commonwealth's Attorney Edward Carpenter will discuss the request Monday afternoon
at 4:00 p.m.
The announcement followed a weekend newspaper report that Bruce Jeter of Norfolk
has alleged that he was drugged and sexually assaulted as a teenager 28 years
ago by Leonard, who was recently cleared by the diocese of other allegations of
sexual impropriety.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/12/2002
02:30:58 PM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Law deposition transcripts in Shanley case to be released
Boston.com
By Denise Lavoie, Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) Paula Ford has been waiting more than two months for the public to
see how Cardinal Bernard Law answered questions about the Archdiocese of Boston's
handling of sexual abuse allegations against the Rev. Paul Shanley.
Ford, the mother of an alleged abuse victim who has filed a civil lawsuit, will
get her wish Tuesday, when written transcripts and videotapes of the first two
days of Law's deposition are scheduled to be released. Also on Tuesday, Law is
expected to be questioned for a third day in the civil cases against Shanley,
which accuse Law and other church officials of negligence in failing to protect
children.
Law was sharply criticized after church personnel records released publicly in
April revealed that he moved Shanley around from parish to parish and wrote him
a positive retirement letter even though the archdiocese had received complaints
about him dating back to 1967.
Shanley was described in archdiocese documents as a ''very sick person'' and as
a proponent of sex between men and boys.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/12/2002
02:21:29 PM
RICHMOND (VA)
Criminal investigation of area priest sought
Richmond
Times-Dispatch
BY ALBERTA LINDSEY
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Aug 12, 2002
Richmond's Catholic bishop will ask the Goochland County commonwealth's attorney
today to conduct a criminal investigation into allegations of sexual abuse by
the Rev. John E. Leonard.
The Diocese of Richmond is not a detective agency, the Most Rev. Walter F. Sullivan
said yesterday. "I therefore call upon law enforcement to thoroughly investigate
the claims in all their various forms."
The bishop's decision came after a Norfolk man went public with allegations that
Leonard drugged him and then had anal sex with him 28 years ago.
Bruce Jeter, 44, is the fourth former St. John Vianney Seminary student to accuse
Leonard of abuse during the 1970s when Leonard was a faculty member at the now-closed,
all-male high school in Goochland County.
The diocese recently cleared Leonard of separate allegations by three other former
students.
Jeter told The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk he was abused during his freshman year
at the seminary.
Leonard denied Jeter's allegation. "The incident was thor- oughly investigated
in'96," he said last night. "The diocese had me go through a lengthy psychological
evaluation, and the results were that there is nothing in my psyche that indicates
I would do this."
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/12/2002
06:28:48 AM
RICHMOND (VA)
Priest again accused of abuse
The Virginian-Pilot
By STEVEN G. VEGH, The Virginian-Pilot
NORFOLK -- A Norfolk man said he was drugged and sexually assaulted as a teenager
28 years ago by the Rev. John E. Leonard, a Richmond priest who in June was cleared
by Bishop Walter F. Sullivan of recent allegations of abuse.
Bruce Jeter, 44, said Saturday that he was repeatedly abused during his freshman
year at St. John Vianney Seminary, a Catholic high school in Goochland. He is
at least the third ex-Vianney student to publicly accuse Leonard of committing
abuse during the 1970s, when he was on the faculty.
``I was drugged by Father (Leonard) and abused,'' Jeter said during an 80-minute
interview at the office of his therapist, Norfolk psychologist Susan A. Garvey.
Jeter, accompanied by his wife, Donna, described a series of incidents that prompted
him to leave the school after his first year.
Jeter, a Norfolk native who attended Saint Pius X School as a boy and now works
as a commercial diver, said he reported the abuse to the Diocese of Richmond in
1996.
Sullivan investigated the allegation and exonerated Leonard, saying a witness
Jeter named did not corroborate the abuse. The diocese also said that Leonard
had denied wrongdoing and that psychological tests indicated he was not an abuser.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/12/2002
06:26:10 AM
SEATTLE
Oregon man files fourth suit against Seattle clergyman
Seattle
Times
By Ray Rivera
Seattle Times staff reporter
An Oregon man sued the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle and the Rev. James
McGreal yesterday, alleging the retired priest molested him in 1981 during a weekend
visit intended to teach the then-12-year-old about "priestly life."
The lawsuit, filed in King County Superior Court, seeks unspecified damages and
accuses the Seattle Archdiocese of not taking action for years despite having
overwhelming evidence that McGreal was a sexual predator.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 8/12/2002
06:24:02 AM
RICHMOND (VA)
Bishop to ask for investigation
The Virginian-Pilot
By STEVEN G. VEGH, The Virginian-Pilot
Bishop Walter F. Sullivan announced Sunday that he will ask a county prosecutor
to investigate whether a Richmond-area priest sexually abused students at a Catholic
boys high school in the 1970s.
In a news release, Sullivan said he was responding to a Virginian-Pilot article
Sunday in which Bruce Jeter, a Norfolk man, accused the Rev. John E. Leonard of
drugging and abusing him when he was a teenage student at St. John Vianney Seminary,
a Catholic high school in Goochland County, in 1974.
Jeter is at least the third ex-Vianney student to come forward publicly with allegations
of sexual abuse by Leonard, who was a faculty member at Vianney from 1968 to 1978.
The school closed in 1978.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/12/2002
06:23:10 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Some question fairness of church's zero-tolerance
Boston
Herald
by Robin Washington
When Boston Archdiocese spokeswoman Donna Morrissey announced the removal Saturday
of the Rev. Anthony J. Rebeiro from his Chelsea hospital chaplaincy over a decades-old
sex charge, she cautioned it did not mean he was guilty of anything.
``Any action taken in the course of an investigation is not to be construed as
an implication of guilt,'' Morrissey said in a statement - words she has repeated
often with the removal of 19 local priests this year.
But to many, the mere mention of a priest in a child sex allegation is tantamount
to conviction, raising questions about how carefully church officials, victims
advocates and lawyers weigh claims before going public with them.
And more than just negative public opinion, those charges can mean the end of
a priest's career under the zero-tolerance policy adopted by U.S. bishops in June
- even if no criminal charges are ever brought against the cleric.
``Once they're put on leave, that part of their lives is so much over,'' said
Worcester Diocese spokesman Ray Delisle.
``Even if he's cleared, it doesn't affect him. It's only big, high profile cases
that ever get that kind of exoneration.''
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/12/2002
06:15:30 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Orders' decision vs. mandated defrocking sparks fury
Boston
Herald
by Robin Washington
Victims of sexual abuse by priests belonging to religious orders blasted this
weekend's decision by an order leadership group for not mandating the defrocking
of clerics who molest children.
The Conference of Major Superiors of Men, an umbrella association of groups such
as the Bendictines, Jesuits and Salesians, agreed to keep abuser priests from
their ranks away from children, but not to toss them from the priesthood.
The policy is less restrictive than the zero-tolerance edict adopted by diocesan
bishops in June.
``Just as a family does not abandon a member convicted of serious crimes, we cannot
turn our backs on our brother,'' the group said in a statement at the conclusion
of its Philadelphia meeting yesterday.
That action has sparked outrage from alleged victims of order priests.
``Orders will say they're more like a family. And when they're dysfunctional,
they act like dysfunctional families,'' said Susan Gallagher of Medford, who received
a $250,000 settlement from the Salesians in 1998 for alleged abuse at the hands
of the Rev. Frank Nugent in New York and New Jersey 20 years ago.
Gallagher and other victim advocates said the orders already posed a greater danger
of hiding abuser priests because they are more secretive than dioceses and, with
branches all over the world, have the capacity to move molesters almost anywhere.
``They're sent to South America, Thailand, all over the world,'' she said.
Earlier this year, the Herald reported on one former Bay State order priest, the
Rev. Mario Pezzotti, was relocated to Brazil by the Xaverian Fathers after settling
abuse cases at a preseminary in Holliston.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/12/2002
06:13:17 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Chelsea priest denies allegation
He says he was not yet at Natick parish
Boston
Globe
By Jack Healy, Globe Correspondent
CHELSEA - The latest Boston-area priest to face allegations of child sexual abuse
said yesterday that he did not molest a child while working at St. Linus Catholic
Church in Natick in 1972.
The Rev. Anthony J. Rebeiro, 71, was placed on administrative leave from the Chelsea
Soldiers' Home Saturday after accusations surfaced that he sexually abused a child
30 years ago, Boston Archdiocese spokeswoman Donna Morrissey said.
Rebeiro, chaplain at the Chelsea Soldiers' Home and the adjacent Quigley Memorial
Hospital, was removed from all assignments as the archdiocese investigates the
allegation, Morrissey said. Rebeiro is the 22d archdiocese priest suspended since
the clergy sexual abuse scandal broke in January. He will continue receiving a
salary and medical benefits.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/12/2002
06:09:17 AM
ORANGE COUNTY (CA)
Pedophilia is understudied, underfunded foe
Rehab is unavailable to inmates who prey on children.
Orange County Register
By MAYRAV SAAR
The California Department of Corrections spends $181 million a year to treat inmates
with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other mental-health problems. But it
doesn't spend a dime to treat pedophilia in the more than 7,000 prisoners diagnosed
with the disorder.
One reason is that little is known about how to effectively treat pedophiles.
Many therapists believe the disorder is manageable with the proper treatment,
but a core group of researchers only began studying it 20 years ago.
So rehabilitation is not available for inmates, and once criminals who prey on
children are released, they are no less able to control their impulses than they
were before they were convicted, researchers and therapists said.
An unsettling trend of pedophilia cases in recent months has shined a light on
the mental-health disorder: Priests molesting children. The kidnapping, molesting
and killing of 5-year-old Samantha Runnion. The abduction and rape of two Lancaster
teens Aug. 1.
posted by Jayson Landeza on 8/12/2002
01:57:33 AM
SAN JOSE (CA)
A visible step to reassure Catholics
Bishop orders windows for confessional boxes
San Jose Mercury
News
By Richard Scheinin
Mercury News
Bent on restoring public confidence amid national scandal, the Roman Catholic
Diocese of San Jose is bringing light to what traditionally has been a dark place:
the confessional box.
Bishop Patrick J. McGrath has ordered all 52 Catholic parishes in the diocese
to install windows in confessionals, to reduce the chances of sexual misconduct
occurring inside as parishioners unburden themselves of sin. The policy, apparently
the first of its kind in the nation, ensures that those lining up outside confessionals
-- and other rooms or offices where priests and church staffers counsel or minister
to parishioners -- will be able to look inside.
posted by Jayson Landeza on 8/12/2002
01:50:44 AM
Sunday, August 11, 2002
The Purification and the Spring: Another Look at Our Current Crisis
Catholic Online
Deacon Keith A Fournier
I woke up to a horrible headline in our local newspaper: “Virginia Priest Again
Accused of Abuse.”
My heart sank.
I went to Sunday Mass knowing that something probably had to be said in the
homily about the current situation in this Diocese- even though I just wanted
to hear the scriptures broken open so that I could be refreshed for the coming
week of work.
However, any preacher or pastor HAD to mention this horrible news. After all,
in the last weeks alone two priests have been forced to resign over past sexual
abuse with young boys in this Diocese. Now, this headline uncovering another
allegation, this time an allegation of a priest drugging a seminarian and raping
him!
The priest/homilist did a good job. He tied the events into the Biblical readings
and led the faithful back to a response of faith. I could tell how burdened
he was by all of this just by observing his demeanor. So, when we left the sanctuary,
I greeted him and tried to encourage him—as best I could.
“It’s Clergy Reform father, Mark 4: 22—nothing is hidden that will not be revealed…
God loves His Church” I said. He smiled a slight, hardly detectable smile -the
kind of expression that people make when they are actually not comfortable with
what you have said but do not know quite how to respond.
“This is not the first time in our history that this has happened. The purification
is a necessary part of the Spring-time!” I continued, with a tone of encouragement
and consolation in my voice, “…we will get through it all.” I walked away from
him knowing that I needed to add him to my growing prayer list this week.
Though I am a deacon of this Diocese, I do not serve in this parish. I returned
here two years ago after having spent three years in a neighboring diocese while
studying and advising a political campaign. I knew when I returned that this
diocese was going through a lot of struggles. I wanted to help.
Little did I realize how profoundly the events of our current crisis would move
those struggles into a kind of fourth gear. What is happening in this Diocese
is only now beginning to unfold… and unfold it must. I believe that the words
of the gospel text are particularly appropriate “…what was spoken in secret
will be shouted from the housetops”.
Truth is the greatest antidote to the poison of sin and the light is the greatest
way to expose the darkness.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/11/2002
04:00:01 PM
HARTFORD (CT)
A Predatory Trail, A Futile Pursuit
Prominent Hartford Archdiocese priest Felix H. Maguire allegedly abused teenage
boys for more than two decades, but police investigations were aborted and his
only trial took place in secrecy.
Hartford
Courant
By EDMUND H. MAHONY And DAVE ALTIMARI, Courant Staff Writers
On a sunny Saturday in the spring of 1995, the Rev. Felix H. Maguire climbed
to the dais of the Hartford Civic Center and urged the 1,700 assembled graduates
of Central Connecticut State University to make the world a better place.
Appointed by two governors to the state university system's board of trustees,
the wealthy, well-connected priest from the Hartford Archdiocese appeared to
be a model of stature and achievement for his fresh-faced audience.
But 40 miles to the south, in a sealed-off New Haven courtroom, a different
portrait of Maguire was emerging. There, he was accused of repeatedly sexually
molesting a 15-year-old, learning-disabled boy, whose struggling single mother
had rented one of the priest's two waterfront homes in Guilford. The civil suit
claimed Maguire "visited" the boy after his mother left for work, assuring him
that "God would understand."
The jury did not understand. It rendered a $262,803 judgment against Maguire.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/11/2002
03:51:47 PM
HARTFORD (CT)
5 men allege abuse by ex-priest, newspaper reports
Boston.com
By Associated Press, 08/11/02
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Sexual abuse claims by five men have surfaced against a retired
Connecticut Roman Catholic priest in alleged cases dating to the 1960s, The
Hartford Courant reported Sunday.
In addition, the Hartford Archdiocese knew of accusations against the Rev. Felix
H. Maguire in 1984, but transferred him to Derby and North Haven, the paper
reports.
In his career that began in 1961, Maguire also served at parishes in Guilford,
Marlborough, West Haven and Wolcott.
The alleged victims were often troubled youths, some involved in drugs and in
need of cash, which several said Maguire provided in exchange for sex, The Courant
reports.
Maguire, 76, was diagnosed with colon cancer and took a medical retirement in
1993 and lives in Stuart, Fla., the paper reports. He denies the allegations.
Archbishop Daniel A. Cronin informed Maguire in 1994 that he may no longer say
Mass or wear a cleric's collar, the newspaper reported.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/11/2002
03:48:27 PM
Jehovah's Witnesses face claims of sex abuse
The
Wichita Eagle
BY LAURIE GOODSTEIN
New York Times
William Bowen always considered himself a devout Jehovah's Witness. As a child,
he felt it was his duty to go door to door passing out the church's magazine,
The Watchtower. Later, as an elder in his Kentucky congregation, he said he
saw it as his duty to inform church officials that a fellow elder had abused
a child.
But when Bowen contacted the church's headquarters in Brooklyn, N.Y., he says,
he was rebuffed. Frustrated by the church's inaction and by its confidentiality
provisions, which he said prevented him from sharing the information with others,
Bowen resigned as an elder in December 2000. A year later, he started a group
to monitor child sexual abuse in the church.
Late last month, Bowen, 44, was excommunicated from the church. Behind a locked
door, with plastic bags taped over the windows to ward off onlookers, he said,
three church elders meeting at the church's Kingdom Hall in Draffenville, Ky.,
found him guilty of "causing divisions."
The punishment was "disfellowshiping" -- complete shunning.
In the past three months, four other people have been expelled from the Jehovah's
Witnesses after accusing it of covering up the sexual abuse of children by its
members.
Expelled Witnesses say the church's own policies and culture conspire to conceal
abuse. A panel of church elders, all men, meets in secret to decide each case,
a procedure that critics say prevents members from knowing there is an abuser
in their midst. To prove an accusation, a child must have a witness to the incident.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 8/11/2002
01:57:42 PM
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