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Saturday, September 14, 2002
WORCESTER (Mass.)
Priests write to Vatican with concerns about charter
The Catholic Free Press
By Tanya Connor
A letter signed by 77 Worcester diocesan priests was sent to the Vatican Monday,
according to Father John F. Madden, one of the signers and pastor of Our Lady
of Jasna Gora Parish in Clinton.
The letter asks the Vatican to remedy “injustices” in the “Charter for the Protection
of Children and Young People,” the sexual abuse policy the United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops approved at the June meeting in Dallas.
Father Madden indicated that they chose to write a letter to the Vatican because
they felt that the charter is now in the Vatican’s hands and that the bishops
themselves are waiting to see what the Vatican will say about it.
“It’s not done as an attack on the bishops as a group or on any individual bishop;”
it is done as loyal opposition, Father Madden said of the letter. He said the
priests are fully aware of the difficult position the bishops were in.
He said the priests faxed Bishop Reilly a copy of the final draft and talked to
him about it before collecting signatures.
“It was out of courtesy,” he said. “We felt it was the right thing to do.” He
said they did not discuss getting his permission to send it.
Bishop Reilly said he told them to do what they have to do as priests.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/14/2002
06:18:44 PM
Catholic bishops' strategy to oust abusive priests may be unraveling
Boston.com
By Rachel Zoll, Associated Press, 09/14/02
The reforms were meant to restore trust and end a crisis.
But three months after America's Roman Catholic bishops promised to aggressively
discipline priests who molest children, resistance to their policy is intensifying
and the plan could be coming undone.
Parishioners are rallying behind accused priests. Clergy are suing alleged victims
and complaining to the Vatican. Experts in church law are questioning whether
the plan violates priests' rights.
Leaders of religious orders have accused the bishops of ignoring Catholic teaching
on redemption and are allowing some abusers to continue their church work away
from children.
"It is unraveling," said the Rev. Richard McBrien, a liberal theologian from the
University of Notre Dame.
"I don't think anybody knows where we're headed," said Philip Lawler, a conservative
and editor of Catholic World Report magazine.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops insists its members are on the
right track. Officials point to dioceses nationwide that have expanded their lay
review boards, hired people to help victims and suspended accused priests.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/14/2002
04:03:10 PM
WORCESTER (Mass.)
Trial to start in sex abuse lawsuit
Worcester
Telegram & Gazette
By Gary V. Murray
Telegram & Gazette Staff
WORCESTER-- A 1996 lawsuit filed by a Webster man who alleges he was sexually
abused as a teenager by a Roman Catholic priest is scheduled for trial next week
in Worcester Superior Court.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday in a civil lawsuit brought by David
Lewcon of Webster against the Rev. Thomas Teczar.
Mr. Lewcon alleges in the suit he was sexually abused by Rev. Teczar in 1971 and
1972, when the priest was assigned to St. Mary Church in Uxbridge and Mr. Lewcon
was a teenage member of the parish.
Rev. Teczar, now 60, has denied in court filings he sexually abused or assaulted
Mr. Lewcon. Although he remains a priest, Rev. Teczar was placed on administrative
leave several years ago and cannot perform any priestly duties. He was living
in Dudley when Mr. Lewcon's suit was filed.
Mr. Lewcon had also named the Catholic Diocese of Worcester as a defendant in
the case, but his claims against the diocese were dismissed about two years ago
after a settlement was reached.
According to the suit, Mr. Lewcon has suffered mental distress and emotional harm
and did not begin to understand he had been damaged by Rev. Teczar's alleged actions
until 1993. Mr. Lewcon, who is represented by the Boston law firm of Brody, Hardoon,
Perkins & Kesten, is seeking unspecified monetary damages.
Rev. Teczar is represented by Worcester lawyers Louis P. Aloise and Michael C.
Wilcox.
Judge Peter A. Velis will preside over the trial.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/14/2002
02:36:50 PM
FREDERICKSBURG (VA)
Pastor Resigns After Porn Complaint
Pastor Resigns After Fellow Priest Complains He Had Gay Porn in Rectory Bedroom
ABCNews.com
The Associated Press
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. Sept. 13 — The pastor of a Roman Catholic parish resigned
after a fellow priest complained he had gay pornographic videos and photos in
his rectory bedroom.
The Rev. Daniel E. Hamilton, pastor of St. Mary's Parish in Fredericksburg, stepped
down Aug. 26, Bishop Paul S. Loverde said this week.
Hamilton, 59, had been pastor of St. Mary's for two years. The diocese would not
make him available for comment.
The allegations against Hamilton were leveled by the Rev. James R. Haley, who
previously worked as an assistant under Hamilton.
The diocese said Hamilton was ordered by the bishop to undergo evaluation and
treatment last fall and cooperated fully.
"Despite these facts, certain persons recently took it upon themselves to publicize
Father Hamilton's past failing," the diocese said in a statement. "Because his
ministry could be negatively impacted, Father Hamilton submitted his resignation
as pastor."
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/14/2002
10:33:35 AM
BALTIMORE (MD)
Bishops' sex-abuse panelist assailed
The Washington
Times
By Brian Witte
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BALTIMORE -- Ever since U.S. Roman Catholic bishops set up a review board this
summer to monitor the church's response to the clerical sex-abuse crisis, victims'
advocates have been voicing concern about a prominent psychiatrist named to the
group. Top Stories
Paul McHugh, a longtime department chairman at Johns Hopkins University, has vowed
to fight child abuse "tooth and nail." But he is being criticized for his opposition
to therapy for sex-abuse victims based on recovered memory.
David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network for Those Abused by
Priests, said his group is troubled by Dr. McHugh, who has testified in court
on behalf of accused abusers he believed were innocent. Mr. Clohessy said Dr.
McHugh's reputation could keep victims from coming forward.
"When people read that — whether it's fair or not — you know people are going
to be tempted to say, 'Well, forget it. The deck is stacked,'" Mr. Clohessy said.
Dr. McHugh replies that "it's pretty ridiculous that people would say that I'm
not on the side of abused children and young people."
The psychiatrist will join other members of the National Review Board for a meeting
Monday in Oklahoma City, where they will discuss ways to evaluate how well dioceses
are complying with the reform policy approved by the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops in June. The board members were appointed by Bishop Wilton Gregory, the
conference president.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/14/2002
10:25:01 AM
Bishops take step back
Chicago
Sun-Times
BY ANDREW GREELEY
Catholic bishops in this country still don't get it. Their credibility has been
devastated by the reassignment of sexual predators and the subsequent failure
to remove bishops who did the reassigning. Yet eight of their number (not all
of whose record on such matters is without fault) have proposed as a follow-up
to the Dallas Conference and its ''zero tolerance'' for sexual abusers, that there
be a ''Plenary Council'' in the American Catholic Church, the first since the
19th century. At such councils, bishops enact laws for the laity and the lower
clergy, though rarely for themselves. The last such council passed a law that
the clergy should wear frock coats, a rule still on the books.
Such a council would ''strengthen priests in teaching the gospel, especially in
regard to sexual morality so that we can give support to the lay faithful in responding
to their call to holiness.'' They would, in other words, pressure priests to try
to re-impose the birth-control ban on the laity.
This goal reflects a conviction among conservative Catholics that the problem
of sexual abuse has arisen in the United States because the married laity practice
birth control and lower clergy do not denounce them. The logic of this argument
is difficult to follow. How does the behavior of the laity in their marriage beds
lead priests with serious personality disorders to prey on the young? How does
the silence of the parish clergy on birth control account for the reassignment
of abusive priests? There is no evidence to support such claims.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/14/2002
07:53:32 AM
SOUTHINGTON (CT)
Insurance Said To Fund Church Settlements
The
Hartford Courant
By KIMBERLY W. MOY, Courant Staff Writer
SOUTHINGTON -- Insurance, not parishioners' contributions, paid for the majority
of $2.5 million in sexual misconduct settlements over the last decade, the Archdiocese
of Hartford said Friday.
The statement answers a question posed four months ago by the pastor of St. Dominic
Church in Southington.
In August, frustrated that he had not received an answer from the diocese, the
Rev. Henry C. Frascadore sent the parish's annual tax on collections to the diocese
under protest. The parishioners, he said then, should know if their donations
were paying for settlements, legal fees and administrative leave for priests accused
of sexual abuse.
Frustrated after a half-dozen follow-up letters and months without an answer,
the St. Dominic Church parish council decided to hold a special forum at the church
at 7 p.m. Sunday to hear what parishioners want to do next.
But an archdiocese representative released a statement Friday saying that insurance
companies paid the majority of $2.5 million in claims of sexual misconduct over
the past 10 years. The remaining money came from the self-insurance portion of
the archdiocese's insurance program, the release says.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/14/2002
07:36:32 AM
HAMPTON ROADS (VA)
New Catholic diocese proposed for Hampton Roads
The Virginian-Pilot
By STEVEN G. VEGH, The Virginian-Pilot
Hampton Roads would be the core of a new Roman Catholic diocese under a proposal,
now being reviewed by the church hierarchy, to split the Diocese of Richmond in
two.
``The time has come, that's the way I feel about it,'' Bishop Walter F. Sullivan
said Friday. He said that Cardinal William H. Keeler of the Archdiocese of Baltimore
-- which includes the Richmond Diocese -- also supports the initiative.
The idea was advanced last year by the Rev. Thomas J. Quinlan, who pastors Church
of the Holy Family in Virginia Beach. It gained the assent of the Diocesan Council
of Priests last fall and subsequently received Sullivan's blessing.
The bishop said the proposal then went to the apostolic nuncio -- the Vatican's
representative in Washington -- who forwarded it up the Catholic hierarchy.
``It's in the funnel. Where in the funnel it is -- Rome, or someone's desk, at
what level the request is -- is speculation,'' said Monsignor Robert M. Perkins,
who is the bishop's representative, or episcopal vicar, for southern Virginia.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/14/2002
07:32:42 AM
VATICAN
Plan on Abuse Is Said to Face Vatican Pitfalls
The
New York Times
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN with FRANK BRUNI
The sexual-abuse policy adopted by America's Roman Catholic bishops contradicts
longstanding church laws and risks being substantially revised by the Vatican,
according to a growing number of canon lawyers and church officials in Rome and
the United States.
After studying the much-heralded new plan at church officials' behest, many of
the lawyers say they are convinced the Vatican will demand fundamental changes,
especially to the "zero tolerance" provisions that require all priests facing
credible accusations of abuse to be removed immediately from ministry.
Some of the lawyers, echoed by some Vatican officials, said they believed that
the American bishops, under intense pressure at their meeting in Dallas in June,
devised a policy that was inflexible, disproportionate and too punitive to priests.
A senior Vatican official said that while no decisions on the policy had yet been
made, the Vatican would probably respond to the bishops by letter around the second
week of October. "The study of the letter is very serious," the official said.
"The real topic of discussion is about how norms for one country fit in with canon
law for the whole church."
Meanwhile, canon lawyers in many dioceses are advising their bishops to hold off
on removing every past offender permanently from ministry until the Vatican responds.
A survey of dioceses by The New York Times in July and August, in fact, found
that while nearly three dozen bishops had suspended priests since the Dallas meeting,
others said they could not act until the Holy See did.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/14/2002
07:16:01 AM
Friday, September 13, 2002
Note to Readers:
Problems with the Blogger software delayed publishing (and e-mailing) today's
edition of the tracker. We appear to be back in business now.
-- Bill Mitchell/Poynter
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/13/2002
04:42:02 PM
Suspended but OKd For Giuliani Mass
Placa led funeral rites for Rudy’s mom
Newsday
By Rita Ciolli
STAFF WRITER
Msgr. Alan Placa, a former top official of the Diocese of Rockville Centre who
was suspended from priestly duties because of sex-abuse allegations, got special
permission from Bishop William Murphy to preside at the funeral Mass Tuesday for
the mother of Rudolph Giuliani.
"It was a one-shot thing because he is such a close friend of the Giuliani family,"
said Joanne Novarro, a spokeswoman for the diocese. Placa, a childhood friend
of the former mayor, appealed directly to Murphy for the temporary reprieve. The
suspension barred him from saying Mass, hearing confessions or administering the
sacraments.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/13/2002
04:38:38 PM
AUSTRALIA
Former Catholic priest sentenced to more than 10 years' prison for child sex
offenses
Boston.com
By Associated Press, 9/13/2002 14:05
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) A former Roman Catholic priest was sentenced Friday to
more than 10 years in prison for sex offenses against teen-age boys, court officials
said.
Vincent Keirin Kiss pleaded guilty last month to 10 charges of indecent assault
and three charges of sexual abuse against four boys during 1966 and 1973.
Kiss, 70, was sentenced to 10½ years in prison and cannot be paroled for seven
years.
The New South Wales state District Court was told Kiss met his victims, then aged
between 13 and 17, while he was a chaplain at a Catholic high school at Albury,
310 miles southwest of Sydney.
Prosecutors said Kiss would take the boys sailing or on trips to Sydney where
he would sexually assault them.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/13/2002
01:50:19 PM MANCHESTER (N.H.)
Priest allegedly assaulted
boy in Manchester
The
Union Leader
From staff and wire reports
A Boston Archdiocesan priest allegedly sodomized a 12-year-old boy in his sister’s
Manchester, N.H., apartment in 1979, church documents made public yesterday reveal.
The Rev. Robert V. Gale, 61, first drove the Quincy, Mass., boy to Camp Fatima
in Barnstead, during February school vacation week, the alleged victim told Roman
Catholic church officials in 1994.
Gale broke into a cabin, but could not get the heat to work, the alleged victim
said. He said the priest then drove him to Gale’s sister’s apartment in Manchester.
Sensing the boy’s apprehension at having to share a pull-out couch with Gale,
the priest allegedly said, “Don’t worry. What do you think I am, gay?”
The alleged victim said Gale sodomized him in bed. He woke up the next morning
bleeding rectally, according to a confidential memo to Bishop John B. McCormack,
who at the time handled clergy sexual abuse allegations for the Boston Archdiocese.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/13/2002
08:59:49 AM
PORTLAND (ME)
Priest records remain closed
Portland
Press Herald
By JOHN RICHARDSON, Portland Press Herald Writer
The state does not have to immediately release records of allegations of sexual
abuse involving Catholic priests who have since died, a judge has ruled.
Kennebec County Superior Court Justice S. Kirk Studstrup said that in six months
he will reconsider whether the records should remain confidential.
But even when the records don't need to be sealed to protect ongoing investigations,
concerns about privacy could still prevent the release of all or some of the allegations,
Studstrup wrote in his four-page ruling.
The decision, at least temporarily, rejects a petition filed by the Blethen Maine
Newspapers, which publishes the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/13/2002
08:41:17 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Rochester priest busted on charges of sex abuse
Boston
Herald
by Robin Washington and Tom Mashberg
A Boston Archdiocese priest previously removed from his Rochester parish after
child sexual abuse allegations was arrested yesterday, while a lawyer made public
files on five other priests facing similar accusations.
The Rev. John P. Lyons, who was placed on administrative leave from St. Rose of
Lima on May 31, was arrested at his Plymouth home on five counts of rape and abuse
of a child between 1987 and 1989, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J.
Cruz said.
``The child was between the ages of 8 and 9 attending CCD classes,'' Cruz said.
He said the abuse occurred in a room between the rectory and the church.
Judge Rosemary Minnehan set bail at $7,500 for Lyons, who pleaded not guilty to
the charges.
Neither Lyons nor his attorney could be reached.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/13/2002
08:35:04 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Priest is arraigned in alleged rape of boy
Boston
Globe
By Matt C Arroll, Globe Staff, 9/13/2002
The Rev. John P. Lyons, who was suspended as a priest in May for allegedly sexually
abusing two altar boys in Brighton, yesterday was arraigned in Wareham District
Court for allegedly orally raping an 8-year-old boy in a classroom at St. Rose
of Lima Church in Rochester.
The unidentified male, who is now 23, was allegedly raped five times between 1987
and 1989, said Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz. Lyons, 73, was arrested
at his home in Plymouth by State Police and was arraigned in Wareham District
Court. Lyons pleaded not guilty. His next appearance in court will be Oct. 3.
Bail was set at $7,500 by Judge Rosemary B. Minehan. The Plymouth district attorney's
office had requested bail of $25,000. As of last night, Lyons had not made bail,
according to Michael Feele, spokesman for the Plymouth Sheriff's Department.
Lyons, who was ordained in 1955, had been under investigation since late August,
said Cruz. The alleged victim said Lyons first fondled him and later orally raped
him in a classroom for religious education between the church and the rectory.
The sentence for rape can range from probation to life.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/13/2002
08:32:23 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Diocese records show more coverups
Boston
Globe
By Michael Rezendes and Sacha Pfeiffer, Globe Staff, 9/13/2002
Bishop Thomas V. Daily matter-of-factly recorded for church files the 1981 arrest
of a priest for lewd conduct in a public restroom at a Sears department store,
and how the priest then contacted a friendly judge. Soon afterward the charge
was dropped - against the priest, the Rev. George J. Rosenkranz, but not against
the man with whom he was arrested.
The same year, when a Waltham family complained to Daily that their son had been
molested by the Rev. Robert V. Gale - two years after Gale had been removed from
a Quincy parish for the same offense - Daily wrote down several options, which
ranged from another transfer to leaving Gale in place.
He chose the latter, writing the family, ''I assure you that decisions are made
for the good of God's people as God gives me the grace to make them.''
Eleven years later, Gale was the subject of fresh allegations that he molested
a boy at Camp Fatima, a church-run camp in New Hampshire.
In more than 200 pages of new documents about five accused priests made public
yesterday, there was fresh evidence that defrocked priest John J. Geoghan's kid-glove
treatment by the Boston Archdiocese was not unusual.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/13/2002
08:30:14 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Complaints on Boston Priests Dated to '79, Documents Say
The
New York Times
By PAM BELLUCK
BOSTON, Sept. 12 — Complaints that the Rev. Robert V. Gale was molesting young
boys first reached the attention of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston in
1979.
There were more reports and concerns raised about sexual abuse in 1981, 1983 and
1987. But according to documents released today, which described the complaints,
it was not until 1991 that the archdiocese removed Father Gale from parish ministry.
Then, Father Gale was allowed to live at another church, where in 1994 more accusations
were made.
The documents are part of 252 pages of church records concerning five priests
who have been accused of sexual abuse. The papers were released today by lawyers
for some 250 people who say they were abused by priests.
In many cases the complaints were handled by some of the highest-ranking archdiocesan
officials, including Bishop Thomas V. Daily, who now heads the Brooklyn diocese;
the Rev. John B. McCormack, who is now bishop of New Hampshire; and Bishop Robert
J. Banks, who is now bishop of Green Bay, Wis.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/13/2002
08:27:41 AM
MILWAUKEE
Dolan accepts report on handling sex abuse
Archbishop says protecting children is key
Milwaukee Journal
By TOM HEINEN
theinen@journalsentinel.com
Promising zero tolerance for abusers, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan on Thursday
accepted an advisory commission's final recommendations for how the archdiocese
should handle sexual abuse of minors by priests.
"I accept this report with immense gratitude and with a real sense of urgent responsibility,"
Dolan said.
He called protecting children his top priority.
"Our policy is sound. Yes, our past implementation of it has at times not been
effective. We will enforce the archdiocesan policy with vigor."
Dolan also announced that the archdiocese was working with community agencies,
survivors of abuse, and victim advocates to hold listening sessions with victims
Oct. 22 and 26 at the Midwest Express Center. Some will be open to the public.
Dolan and Auxiliary
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/13/2002
04:55:40 AM
Thursday, September 12, 2002
You are known by the company you keep
The Pilot
Sept. 6, 2002
Less than three weeks ago James Post, president of Voice of the Faithful, proclaimed
the centrist stances of VOTF. In a letter sent by email to all the group’s members
he confronted media reports which, Post contended, labeled VOTF as “an organization
of ‘dissident’ Catholics.” He also responded to recent decisions by Bishops Edward
Lori of Bridgeport, Conn. and William Murphy of Rockville Center, N.Y., to prohibit
local VOTF chapters from meeting on parish property.
Juxtaposed with Post’s explication of the centrist views of VOTF is an article
in the Sept. 2 edition of The New Yorker in which VOTF receives prominent mention.
In it, Father Walter Cuenin, an early and enthusiastic promoter of the group,
pastor of Our Lady Help of Christians in Newton — one of the flagship parishes
of VOTF — is quoted as making the following statements:
“Priests have been forced to remain silent about the supposedly unassailable prohibitions
on birth control, second marriages, the ordination of married men and women.”
At a crossroads
The Pilot
July 26, 2002
The July 20th Voice of The Faithful (VOTF) Conference confirmed our worst fears.
Overriding an initial “mainstream” position on Church issues, keynote speakers
derided the hierarchical structure of the Church, calling it a “medieval monarchical
model;” asserted the need to “democratize” the Church; to ordain women to the
priesthood; and to withhold contributions to the Church. Also, in clear reference
to Cardinal Law, they called for the resignation of bishops who mishandled sexual
abuse cases in the past.
While the leaders of VOTF have struggled to maintain a moderate image, the assembly’s
boos and cheers left no doubt as to the intention of the convention participants.
Each time Cardinal Law was mentioned, the crowd booed, while the above-mentioned
agenda items received sustained ovations.
Boston reform movement inspired by dissident international group
The Pilot
July 26, 2002
By Antonio Enrique
“We have to tear down the wall which separates the clergy from the laity,” said
Thomas Arens, international coordinator of “We Are Church”, at the July 20 Convention
of Voice of the Faithful. “We have to abolish the two class system in our Church.”
Mr. Arens’ statement was received with a standing ovation.
At his speech, Mr. Arens, who flew in from Germany for the occasion, said that
“the Church has to change to be an authentic representative of the message of
Jesus Christ.” What kind of proposed change was so enthusiastically embraced by
those participating in the convention, or at least by those who invited him?
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/12/2002
08:59:32 PM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Files show church allowed five priests to continue work despite many allegations
Boston.com
By Denise Lavoie, Associated Press, 09/12/02
BOSTON — Personnel files released Thursday show the Archdiocese of Boston was
told about sexual abuse allegations against five priests that dated back four
decades, but waited for years to discipline some of them.
An archdiocese spokesman said all five priests were eventually suspended, but
could not elaborate and the personnel files did not make clear when all of the
priests were disciplined and for what offenses.
The files, released by lawyers representing 250 people who say they were abused
by priests, indicate one of the five, the Rev. Joseph Welsh, was asked to resign
in March. Another, the Rev. George Rosenkranz, was removed from active ministry
and placed on sick leave in 1989, two years after allegations against him were
first reported.
The documents detail several allegations against the Rev. Robert V. Gale, charged
last month with raping a boy at a Waltham parish over four years in the 1980s.
Gale, suspended last month, has pleaded innocent.
Sex abuse allegations are also in the files of the Revs. John Atwater and Richard
Coughlin. All the men except Atwater are named in lawsuits by alleged sex abuse
victims, but Jeffrey Newman, an attorney representing victims, said the information
had not previously been made public.
None of the priests could be reached for comment.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/12/2002
08:32:00 PM
PLYMOUTH (Mass.)
Plymouth priest arrested for rape of child
Boston.com
By Associated Press, 09/12/02
PLYMOUTH, Mass. — Police arrested a Roman Catholic priest at his home Thursday
and charged him with raping and abusing a child on church property in the town
of Rochester.
Rev. John Lyons, 73, pleaded innocent to five counts of rape and abuse of a child
during his arraignment in Wareham District Court. He had been placed on administrative
leave in May after the Boston Archdiocese learned of the allegation.
Lyons is accused of committing the abuse between 1987 and 1989 on the property
of St. Rose of Lima. He has been sued by two former altar boys at a Boston church
who claim they were abused by him in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The archdiocese said in May that the suspension was based on other allegations.
Archdiocese spokesman Rev. Christopher Coyne on Thursday referred all questions
to the district attorney's office.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/12/2002
08:29:19 PM
The reasons for celibacy
The Tidings
By Rev. Richard P. McBrien
More interesting than the history of clerical celibacy are the reasons that have
been offered to justify it.
Jesus indicated that those who freely renounced marriage did so "for the sake
of the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 19:12), but without indicating how or why this
is so. Paul also commended celibacy over marriage, but only because he believed
that the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ were imminent (1 Corinthians
7:29-31). It is important to note that neither Jesus nor Paul presumed to impose
celibacy on anyone else.
The earliest demands for clerical celibacy arose in the fourth century, but they
were based on the Old Testament, not the New. The appeal was to the prescriptions
in the Book of Leviticus, requiring abstinence from sexual relations for at least
a day before the performance of ritual service.
The earliest demands for clerical celibacy arose in the fourth century, but they
were based on the Old Testament, not the New.
The belief was that priests were to maintain a higher standard of purity because
of their role as offerers of sacrifice. But a celibate priesthood was never in
question. On the contrary, marriage was regarded at the time as normal for all
Jews, priests included.
When the council of Elvira in Spain (around the year 306) mandated that even married
priests were not to engage in sexual relations, it did so on the deplorable assumption
that sexual activity was somehow dishonorable. However, since the overwhelming
majority of lay people were married and had normal conjugal relations, that council
in effect reduced them to second-class citizenship in the church.
The tendency to place priests above lay persons in dignity as well as in sanctity
was reinforced a few years later when the Emperor Constantine, in bringing an
end to persecutions, conferred upon the church a privileged political status,
making the clergy the equivalent of civil officials.
By the second half of the fourth century, an increasing number of local synods
and papal decrees were promoting clerical celibacy. The reason was always the
same: because sexual intercourse was unholy, impure, and even sinful, it compromises
the priest's capacity to celebrate the liturgy worthily.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/12/2002
08:20:03 PM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Elders haunted by abuse: Church revelations bring old wounds to the surface
Boston
Herald
by Jack Sullivan and Robin Washington
She had never talked about being sexually abused by a priest - abuse that started
when she was 5 - until the recent barrage of stories about other victims prompted
her to attend a Voice of the Faithful meeting.
But despite the powerful emotions triggered by fellow survivors, Alice couldn't
get her legs to lift her off her seat to talk about the family friend who used
his collar and his trust to violate her childhood.
She did, however, come away from the meeting with a feeling she never had before.
``It made me feel like I'm not the only one and there are hundreds out there and
I never knew it,'' said Alice, who asked that her real name not be used.
But unlike many of the middle-age victims at the meeting, Alice was not molested
20 or 30 years ago. It was in 1936 that a young priest at Sacred Heart parish
in Newton began abusing Alice at her parents home while he was babysitting her.
Alice, now a 70-year-old grandmother, is one of a number of now-elderly victims
who stifled their secret and shame for a half-century or longer who are now feeling
emboldened by the lifting of the veil that for so long covered abuse by clergy.
``Generational (differences) are a big part of it,'' said the Rev. Thomas Doyle,
a former Vatican canon lawyer who dealt with cleric sexual abuse issues and was
one of the first to sound the alarm in the 1980s. ``The culture at the time in
the '30s and '40s and '50s, you didn't criticize the church. You don't hear a
lot about them because a lot of them kept silent.''
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/12/2002
08:17:11 PM
Catholic Church doesn't do enough to screen foreign priests, critics say
South
Florida Sun-Sentinel
By Peter Franceschina
Sun-Sentinel
The Rev. Elias Guimaraes took a circuitous route from Brazil through Los
Angeles and Miami before landing at a mission west of Delray Beach, where he
is alleged to have used a church computer to set up a meeting to have sex
with a detective posing as a 14-year-old boy.
Critics of the Catholic Church said Wednesday that little is done to verify
the personal backgrounds of priests who arrive in the United States from
other countries. And in the case of Guimaraes, the diocese did not perform a
background check.
Diocese of Palm Beach officials relied on a recommendation from the leader of
a religious order who wrote that Guimaraes was a priest in good standing with
no problems in his background.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/12/2002
09:15:51 AM DELRAY BEACH (FL)
Priest accused of soliciting sex from agent posing as teen
South
Florida Sun-Sentinel
By Nicole Sterghos Brochu
and Peter Franceschina Staff Writers
September 11, 2002
DELRAY BEACH · Already in turmoil from a stream of sex scandals, the Diocese
of Palm Beach found new reason for anguish on Tuesday when police here
accused a local priest of soliciting sex from an online chat buddy he thought
was 14 years old.
The Rev. Elias F. Guimaraes, 43, associate pastor at Our Lady Queen of Peace
Mission west of Delray Beach, had served a largely migrant community for
nearly two years when police say he unwittingly set up a sexual rendezvous
with an undercover agent in an America Online chat room.
The agent, posing as a young teen, received a series of sexually graphic
e-mails over a 10-day period starting Aug. 30, with the Brazilian-born priest
boasting of his recent sexual encounters with a 16-year-old and a
14-year-old, Delray Beach Police spokesman Jeff Messer said.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/12/2002
09:13:32 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Church clears Foster of abuse
Monsignor to regain job as canon lawyer
Boston
Globe
By Walter V. Robinson, Globe Staff, 9/12/2002
The Archdiocese of Boston has formally exonerated Monsignor Michael Smith Foster
of charges that he sexually molested a Newton teenager in the 1980s, according
to people involved with the decision. The church's resolution came a week after
Foster's accuser withdrew his lawsuit in the face of serious questions about the
alleged victim's credibility.
Foster, who has been fighting the charges - as well as the archdiocesan bureaucracy
- since the lawsuit by Paul R. Edwards became public on Aug. 16, was informed
of the church's decision in a telephone call late Tuesday evening from Cardinal
Bernard F. Law.
A public announcement is expected today, along with a statement that Foster has
been reinstated as the archdiocese's judicial vicar - the chief canon lawyer.
The archdiocesan review is also expected to clear the Rev. William J. Cummings,
who died in 1994. Cummings was accused in the lawsuit of raping Edwards during
an overnight trip to New York City in 1982 by a youth group from Our Lady Help
of Christians Church in Newton.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/12/2002
07:49:43 AM
BOSTON (Mass.)
Deacon to lead church child advocacy office
Boston
Globe
By Sacha Pfeiffer, Globe Staff, 9/12/2002
The Archdiocese of Boston has named Deacon Anthony P. Rizzuto, executive director
of the office of Catholic cemeteries, to oversee implementation of new child protection
policies adopted by the church in the wake of the clergy sex abuse crisis.
Cardinal Bernard F. Law is expected to officially announce Rizzuto's appointment
today.
As full-time head of the new Office for Child Advocacy, Implementation and Oversight,
Rizzuto will be responsible for carrying out the church's pledge to begin in January
to teach children in parochial schools how to protect themselves from sexual abuse
and to introduce the curriculum in religious education classes offered by the
archdiocese's 362 parishes by fall 2003.
Rizzuto, 53, is also expected to put in place new child protection policies scheduled
to be unveiled Oct. 7 by the Cardinal's Commission for the Protection of Children,
a 15-person volunteer advisory board.
In 1996, Rizzuto was ordained a permanent deacon, a position that allows him to
assist priests in baptisms, weddings, and funerals, but not to celebrate Mass
or hear confessions. Permanent deacons are typically married men who were active
in parish life before their ordination; they cannot marry after being ordained.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/12/2002
07:47:21 AM
Wednesday, September 11, 2002
Priests fighting back Accusers' stories debunked; church law challenged
USA TODAY
By Cathy Lynn Grossman
USA TODAY
The sexual abuse scandal that outraged Catholics and non-Catholics this year has
subsided from the headlines since the dramatic days in June, when the nation's
bishops approved a new policy intended to protect innocent children and punish
guilty priests.
But putting the policy into practice is not so simple, particularly because key
provisions have not yet been approved by the Vatican.
Critics of the new policy say it is vague, Draconian and unenforceable. And some
members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops say they struggle to carry
it out.
The Rev. Reginald Whitt, a church law expert at the University of St. Thomas in
Minneapolis, calls the policy established in Dallas ''ugly and vindictive.''
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/11/2002
11:03:02 AM
SUBURBAN CHICAGO
Abused woman won't give up quest for justice
News
Sun
09/05/02
For 39 years the woman thought about the man who had convinced her that if she
told, no one would believe her. For 39 years she recalled the vile acts she was
forced to perform aboard the Mary Lou, the pleasure craft the man reserved for
his most secret and perverse pleasure. In nearly four decades of silence, in those
times she gave herself over to memory, the woman recalled the man's words: If
you tell your parents, they'll kill you. They won't believe you. They'll believe
me.
The woman is now 53. Her health is failing. She is about to lose her home. She
is still fighting to be believed. She is fighting for a justice she worries may
never come.
The woman, who claims former Round Lake Pastor Rev. Ray Skriba sexually abused
her when she was a young teen, is no longer afraid. She is no longer a victim.
She is a survivor and she is angry. She's angry that the investigation by the
Archdiocese has apparently stalled in the second stage review process, a humiliation
that other alleged victims have not had to endure.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/11/2002
11:01:08 AM
Bishop Quinn exits abuse panel
Cleveland
Plain Dealer
09/10/02
James F. McCarty
Plain Dealer Reporter
Cleveland Catholic Auxiliary Bishop A. James Quinn, who has come under fire for
his handling of clergy sex abuse cases, will no longer be a part of the committee
that decides how to discipline abusive priests.
When the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops restructured its Ad Hoc Committee
on Sexual Abuse last week, Quinn and Bishop John B. McCormack of Manchester, N.H.,
were no longer included among its 15 members.
Both bishops are defendants in lawsuits brought by sex abuse victims.
But diocesan and conference officials said that wasn't why Quinn and McCormack
were dropped from the com mittee, which authored the draft charter on clergy abuse
that the bishops voted on in Dallas in June.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/11/2002
10:57:48 AM
Prairie Village priest placed on leave after he's accused of abuse
KANSAS
CITY STAR
By GRACE HOBSON
The Kansas City Star
The pastor of St. Ann Catholic Church in Prairie Village is on administrative
leave while church officials investigate an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor
in the 1980s.
The Rev. William Haegelin left his home in the church's rectory Monday soon after
being placed on leave, said the Rev. Charles McGlinn, vicar general for personnel
with the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.
McGlinn received the allegation Friday.
Haegelin could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/11/2002
07:02:52 AM
BOSTON
Diocese leaving priests in limbo
Boston
Globe
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Fortunately, the sexual abuse case against the Rev. Michael
Smith Foster has been dropped for lack of evidence (Page A1, Sept. 4). Unfortunately,
the cases of several other priests who have been ripped from their parishes on
the unproven allegations that ''something'' happened 20, 30, 40 years ago remain
unsettled.
The pain, stress, embarrassment, and loss of reputation experienced by Foster
are still a daily reality for those priests left in the limbo of diocesan inefficiency.
Loved and admired by their parishioners, they have been given a ''pack your bags
and leave'' ultimatum by the diocese without even a chance to meet with their
people. Some may be guilty as charged, but who's to know - and when?
REV. STEPHEN E. BURKE
Boston
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/11/2002
06:58:06 AM
DETROIT
Former Detroit priest arraigned on charges of abuse
Detroit
Free Press
September 10, 2002
BY PATRICIA MONTEMURRI
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
The Rev. Edward Olszewski appeared in street clothes and without the collar of
a Catholic priest when he was arraigned Tuesday in Detroit on charges that he
allegedly abused a boy from Detroit St. Cecilia's parish in the 1970s.
Olszewski, 67, traveled to Detroit's 36th District Court from Florida, where the
Detroit-bred priest moved in the late 1970s. Olszewski stood mute at his arraignment
on eight counts of criminal sexual conduct and was released on $10,000 personal
bond, pending his appearance at a Sept. 23 preliminary exam.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/11/2002
06:53:49 AM
Accused Doesn't Mean Guilty
Hartford
Courant
September 10, 2002
EDITORIAL: Hundreds of Roman Catholic priests throughout the country have been
accused this year of sexually abusing children. Common sense, however, suggests
that some complaints will turn out to be bogus.
Sure enough, a Boston man who recently alleged that two priests sexually assaulted
him in the 1980s has withdrawn his lawsuit after a newspaper cast doubt on the
man's credibility and his lawyer withdrew from the case. Prosecutors, as they
should, are reviewing the facts to determine if they will charge him for making
a false claim.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/11/2002
06:49:51 AM
Tuesday, September 10, 2002
PITTSBURGH (PA)
Diocese ruling mulled Top Pa. court eyes damages
The
Tribune-Democrat
By SANDRA K. REABUCK, THE TRIBUNE-DEMOCRAT September 10, 2002
PITTSBURGH – State Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday in an Altoona priest
molestation case that could set precedent on whether employers have to pay punitive
damages for negligence in supervising an employee.
While there was no hint on how they will rule, two justices questioned the victim’s
attorney, Richard Serbin of Altoona, about whether state law permits his client
to collect $1 million in punitive damages from the Altoona-Johnstown Roman Catholic
Diocese.
Serbin contended that appellate rulings allow the punitive damages – designed
to punish a defendant – when there is willful and reckless conduct such as in
this case.
Representing the diocese, Pittsburgh attorney Louis Long maintained that nothing
in Pennsylvania law allows punitive damages in the Hutchison case.
In 1994, a Blair County jury awarded the $1 million to Michael Hutchison Jr. in
addition to $519,000 in compensatory damages for the abuse. About two years ago,
the diocese paid the compensatory damages, which then totaled $1.2 million with
interest and delay penalties.
Hutchison, now 35, told the Blair jury that he was sexually abused in the early
1980s by Francis Luddy a now-defrocked priest who was his godfather. The jury,
in awarding the punitive damages, found the conduct of the diocese and former
Bishop James Hogan was “outrageous” for allowing Luddy to continue to serve as
a priest despite allegations he was a pedophile.
Hutchison’s mother, Mary Hutchison, attended yesterday’s court session and later
told news that she hopes the case is concluded soon. She said that her son believes
“the truth” will win in the end.
Her son lives with her in Akron, Ohio, where he receives intensive psychological
counseling. It was revealed at trial that Mr. Hutchison had suffered psychological
problems resulting from the abuse. The money already paid by the diocese is in
a trust fund to pay for his continued care.
The punitive damages were thrown out by state Superior Court. Hutchison appealed
to the state’s highest court seeking reinstatement of the $1 million award.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/10/2002
03:57:02 PM
ARLINGTON (VA)
ABC 7 Exclusive: Pornography Found in Arlington Churches
WJLA.com
ONLY ON 7 TONIGHT, SHOCKING NEW ALLEGATIONS AGAINST PRIESTS IN THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE
OF ARLINGTON.
AN UNSEALED COURT DOCUMENT REVEALS CONFISCATED PORNOGRAPHIC MATERIAL, IN THE RECTORIES
OF MORE THAN ONE CHURCH.
ABC SEVEN NEWS REPORTER GRETA KREUZ HAS DETAILS.
Story:
A SCATHING SIDEBAR HAS EMERGED FROM THE RECENT DISMISSAL OF A 5-MILLION-DOLLAR
LAWSUIT AGAINST THE ARLINGTON DIOCESE -- A SUIT BROUGHT BY A MAN WHOSE PASTOR
HAD AN AFFAIR WITH HIS WIFE.
A DEPOSITION TAKEN IN THAT CASE OF FATHER JAMES HALEY REVEALS EXPLOSIVE ALLEGATIONS,
NOT ONLY OF WIDESPREAD SEXUAL ACTIVITY AMONG GAY PRIESTS, BUT ALSO OF EXTENSIVE
PORNOGRAPHIC MATERIALS AT LEAST TWO LOCAL PASTORS ALLEGEDLY KEPT IN THEIR LIVING
QUARTERS. ONE INCLUDED GAY MAGAZINES, VIDEOS AND SEX TOYS.
FATHER HALEY TESTIFIED HE WAS SHOCKED, AND WENT TO BISHOP PAUL LOVERDE IN JUNE
OF 2001 WITH SOME OF THE PHOTOS, EXPECTING ACTION.
"SO I GAVE HIM THE KEY TO THE RECTORY AND TOLD HIM TO SEE FOR HIMSELF," HALEY
SAYS, "AND HE REFUSED."
HALEY WAS THEN TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER PARISH, WHERE HE SAYS IT WAS JUST AS BAD.
THIS TIME, HE SAYS, THE PASTOR HOARDED COLLECTIONS OF SADOMASOCHISM, SEXUAL TORTURE,
PORNOGRAPHY INVOLVING SHE-MALES, MATERIALS SOMETIMES MAILED TO THE RECTORY ITSELF.
AGAIN, HE SAYS HE APPEALED TO THE BISHOP, AND THIS TIME "THE BISHOP TOLD ME THAT
I HAD BETTER WATCH OUT, THAT I DID NOT KNOW WHAT HE WAS CAPABLE OF DOING."
GREG MURPHY, FATHER HALEY'S ATTORNEY: "To our knowledge, he's never done anything.
The only he did was punish Father Haley for coming forward with the information."
THE BISHOP WAS UNAVAILABLE FOR COMMENT TODAY, BUT SPOKESWOMAN LINDA SHOVLAIN RELEASED
A STATEMENT SAYING, "THE DIOCESE WILL INVESTIGATE ANY SUCH ALLEGATIONS OF MISCONDUCT
BY PRIESTS THAT COME TO ITS ATTENTION. BISHOP LOVERDE EXPECTS ALL PRIESTS TO LIVE
THEIR PRIESTLY COMMITMENTS."
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/10/2002
03:41:51 PM
CHICAGO (IL)
Major reforms for Maryville
Chicago Sun-Times
BY CHRIS FUSCO AND TIM NOVAK STAFF REPORTERS Advertisement
Illinois' child-welfare chief will meet Friday with psychiatry experts from the
University of Illinois at Chicago to discuss major reforms for Maryville Academy's
troubled City of Youth campus in Des Plaines, the state's biggest refuge for abused
and abandoned kids.
The hope is to bring changes--including having more mental-health professionals
helping Maryville's overburdened staff--in about a month, Illinois Department
of Children and Family Services Director Jess McDonald said Monday. Maryville's
executive director, the Rev. John P. Smyth, is expected to work with DCFS and
UIC in implementing reforms. "I'm going to talk to Father Smyth. We need to move
ahead," McDonald said. "It has to be a partnership."
Smyth angrily is disputing state and Cook County reports that, as recently as
June, cited the City of Youth's environment as "dangerous and anything but therapeutic."
Last week, DCFS Inspector General Denise Kane re-opened her investigation into
a 14-year-old's suicide at the City of Youth after she learned that two Maryville
reports were generated about an incident involving the girl three days before
her death. One report indicated she threatened suicide; the other made no mention
of suicide.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/10/2002
09:09:01 AM
HARTFORD (CT)
Voice Of The Faithful Needs A Dose Of Bravery
Hartford
Courant
Roman Catholic ethicist and Marquette University Professor Daniel C. McGuire has
a warning for Voice of the Faithful: Stick to your mandate and ignore static from
critics, or risk becoming part of the very structural hierarchy you oppose.
"From what I've seen so far, they're much too timid and fearful to do the job
they've set out for themselves," McGuire said. "We keep hearing they're `not dissidents.'
Well, that's the whole point - dissident means you're disagreeing; you have to
be a dissident to the hierarchy that promoted sexual abuse of children."
McGuire said he was amazed that after its smash-hit July convention, VOTF tried
to distance itself from an invited convention speaker: Debra Haffner, sex educator,
author, seminarian and co-director of the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality,
Justice, and Healing in Norwalk www.religiousinstitute.org).
"The fact that they would [disavow] a great Christian like Debra Haffner indicates
that they don't have the right spirit for serious reform," McGuire said.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/10/2002
08:53:58 AM
PORTLAND (ME)
Portland Catholics want more input, finanical records
Portland
Press Herald
Press Herald Staff Reporter
Members of South Portland's two Roman Catholic churches are collecting signatures
on a letter asking Bishop Joseph Gerry to open his diocese's financial books and
allow parishes to elect a lay advisory board.
In addition, the letter requests a "written plan for dealing with the current
crisis in the diocese of Portland."
Members of parishes in Portland and Windham have also sent or are preparing letters
to Gerry, signifying a relatively broad concern among rank-and-file parishioners
about the church's handling of the priest sex abuse scandal.
More than 300 people signed the letter at Sunday Masses at Holy Cross and St.
John the Evangelist churches in South Portland. Those who gathered the signatures
— including the chairman of the joint pastoral council — will collect more next
Sunday and then send the letter to Gerry.
While others have written to Gerry about the priest sex abuse scandal and how
the diocese is handling it, the South Portland letter would be the first to come
signed by members of a parish.
The Roman Catholic church, including the Portland diocese, has come under fire
since last winter for covering up known cases of sexual abuse by priests, transferring
some of those priests to new parishes and failing to support victims of abuse.
Critics have also assailed the church for having a culture of secrecy and hierarchy
that shuts lay Catholics out of decision-making.
Voice of the Faithful, a Catholic reform group with members in many parishes,
sent letters to Gerry in July asking how he will deal with the crisis and demanding
more lay participation in church decision-making.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/10/2002
08:37:49 AM
PORTLAND (ME)
Bishop's fund-raising lagging 2001
Portland
Press Herald
Associated Press
PORTLAND — Fewer people are giving money to Bishop Joseph Gerry's annual fund-raising
campaign for social service and diocese-related programs this year. But those
who are giving are donating more.
Bill Richards, head of the Bishop's Appeal, said the priest sex abuse scandal
has contributed to the 8 percent decline in the number of contributors this year.
He said other factors may include the slow economy and the fall in the stock market.
About two-thirds of the more than 100 people who have written the Roman Catholic
Diocese of Portland with comments said they will not give anything this year to
send a message of displeasure, Richards said.
But others said they were contributing to the campaign to show continued support
for the church despite the scandal.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/10/2002
08:35:22 AM
LOWELL (Mass.)
Lowell priest suspended on sex misconduct report
Boston
Globe
By Douglas Belkin, Globe Staff, Globe Correspondent, 9/10/2002
The Archdiocese of Boston yesterday suspended the Rev. Leonard E. Pelletier from
his duties as pastor of a Lowell parish, citing recently reported allegations
of sexual misconduct more than 20 years ago.
Pelletier, pastor of St. Louis de France Parish, was removed from all his assignments
''in accordance with [the archdiocese] policy for handling allegations of sexual
misconduct with minors by members of the clergy,'' according to a statement last
night from Donna M. Morrissey, spokeswoman for the archdiocese.
Pelletier is the 23d priest to be suspended by the archdiocese since the clergy
sexual abuse crisis began in January.
''I'm very devastated right now. I can't believe it's true,'' said Denise Frechette,
who is involved with religious education at the church. ''I'm still just trying
to straighten this out in my head. I'm having a hard time believing this.''
Frechette said Pelletier had been at the church for eight or nine years. She learned
of the suspension last night at the end of Mass.
Pelletier is the second priest from Lowell to be suspended in recent months. In
March, the Rev. George Spagnolia left the St. Patrick Church rectory after he
was formally relieved of his duties in February over allegations of abuse 31 years
ago.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/10/2002
08:31:30 AM
VATICAN
Cardinal L. Neves, Vatican official, 76
Boston
Globe
By Associated Press, 9/10/2002
VATICAN CITY - Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves of Brazil, once a top Vatican official
considered a possible successor to Pope John Paul II, has died, the Vatican said
yesterday. He was 76.
Cardinal Neves was archbishop of Salvador for 11 years until called to the Vatican
in 1998, when John Paul made him prefect of the influential Congregation of Bishops
and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
He stepped down from both positions in 2000 because of his failing health. Vatican
officials confirmed his death Sunday at a Rome clinic, where he was receiving
treatment.
At one time, Neves had been considered to be ''papabile'' - a possible successor
to the pope. He was a top churchman in the world's largest Catholic country and
was considered a moderate in a sharply divided clergy.
His poor health made him less of a factor in recent years, although he still had
been among those cardinals under age 80 who could have voted for a new pope.
Cardinal Neves was born Sept. 16, 1925 in Sao Joao del Rei, the first of 10 children.
He entered the Dominican order and was ordained a priest in 1950.
John Paul promoted him to archbishop in 1979 and cardinal in 1988.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/10/2002
08:29:36 AM PROVIDENCE (RI)
$13.5m settlement in R.I. clergy abuse
Boston
Globe
By Matt Carroll, Globe Staff, 9/10/2002
PROVIDENCE - Ending a 10-year legal battle, the Diocese of Providence has agreed
to pay $13.5 million to settle lawsuits filed by 36 people who said they were
sexually abused by clergy in various parishes over many years in the nation's
most Catholic state.
The settlements, announced yesterday, covered 11 clergy - 10 priests and one nun
- accused
of acts ranging from fondling to rape. The victims will receive
varying amounts depending on the severity of the case. The largest awards will
go to the two victims whose abuse was most recent and who could, but for the settlement,
have taken the matter to trial.
Addressing an afternoon news conference outside his chancery, the Most Rev. Robert
E. Mulvee, the bishop of Providence, apologized ''with deepest sadness'' to the
victims, some of whom were present and wept as he spoke. ''We must face the reality
that they have been betrayed by such abominable actions.''
''I hope that this action,'' Mulvee added, ''will be helpful to the victims of
abuse and bring them, in some way, closer to closure and reconciliation with their
God, their church, their families, and themselves.''
Some of the victims in the case yesterday spoke less of reconciliation than of
relief that a settlement had finally been reached - and of bitterness that it
took so long. But there was also, for some, a deep response to the bishop's personal
apology.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/10/2002
08:25:18 AM
No need to fear Catholic group
Boston
Globe
THE VOICE of the Faithful does not wish to dismantle the Roman Catholic Church,
as so many uninformed detractors assert. Change, though a slow process, has occurred
many times without a vocal laity and will doubtless continue to do so without
the Voice of the Faithful.
Voice of the Faithful wishes to hear and be heard at the administrative level
of the church, not usurp its hierarchy. The only threat to the church is if it
needs to maintain a lie.
Who among us can know the damage done because of secrecy and still want to protect
the church's need for secrets? We want a voice that will be listened to (''listen''
- as in ''know what I'm thinking,'' not ''do what I say''). We do not demand that
our voices be obeyed; we don't demand a vote. Honest dialogue between clergy and
laity should be nothing to fear.
G.K. Chesterton said, ''A man does not come an inch nearer to being a heretic
by being a hundred times a critic. Nor does he do so because his criticisms resemble
those of critics who are heretics. He only becomes a heretic at the precise moment
when he prefers his criticism to his Catholicism.''
The heart and spirit of Voice of the Faithful is its Catholicism.
PAUL GILMORE
JOANNE NOWAK
Andover
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/10/2002
08:22:56 AM
To Protect Anonymity
Ending Legal Secrecy (September 5, 2002)
The
New York Times
We at Heal the Church, a group of lay Catholics dedicated to clarifying issues
relating to the recent church crisis, understand the general impulse behind ending
secret settlements. However, such a move may harm plaintiffs even more than defendants.
Many, if not most, of the victims and their families in this continuing tragedy
specifically requested anonymity and secrecy in their cases.
To blame judges, defendants' lawyers or the legal system itself — to say nothing
of the Catholic Church — is misguided. Secrecy does not necessarily mean a cover-up.
Anonymity is often a worthy goal in these cases.
VINCENT GIANDURCO
Exec. Dir., Heal the Church
New York, Sept. 5, 2002
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/10/2002
08:20:38 AM
Judge throws out lawsuit against Catholic officials in alleged abuse
The Kansas
City Star
By MATT STEARNS
The Kansas City Star
Citing the statute of limitations, a judge on Monday threw out a racketeering
lawsuit that alleged Bishop Raymond Boland and several Roman Catholic dioceses
and bishops conspired to cover up sexual abuse by another bishop.
An attorney for the man who filed the lawsuit promised to appeal the ruling soon.
The lawsuit, which contended that church leaders "intentionally...maintained a
web of predator priests," was filed in April in St. Louis County by a Massachusetts
man who once lived in Kansas City.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/10/2002
07:27:43 AM ST. LOUIS
Judge dismisses suit against former bishop
St.
Louis Post-Dispatch
By William C. Lhotka
Of The Post-Dispatch
Patricia Rice Of The Post-Dispatch Contributed To This Report.
A judge has dismissed the suit of a man who claimed that he was sexually abused
by former Palm Beach, Fla., Bishop Anthony J. O'Connell and that church officials
in Kansas City, Jefferson City and Knoxville, Tenn., covered it up for decades.
On Monday, St. Louis County Circuit Judge Mark D. Seigel said the clock had run
out on the civil conspiracy, racketeering and sexual abuse suit by the former
seminarian at St. Thomas Seminary in Hannibal, Mo.
Attorneys Patrick Noaker and Jeffrey Anderson of St. Paul, Minn., say they now
will take the case to the Missouri Court of Appeals. Still pending in Marion County
Circuit Court in Hannibal are suits by two other seminarians, who also say they
were abused by O'Connell.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/10/2002
07:24:58 AM
BELLEVILLE (IL)
Abuse investigation may not be possible
Gregory says panel doesn't have specifics
News-Democrat
By George Pawlaczyk
GPAWLACZYK@BND.COM
BELLEVILLE -- Bishop Wilton Gregory said it may not be possible to investigate
a claim of sexual abuse made against a Belleville Diocese priest by a man who
is under investigation for child sexual abuse.
``We don't have an allegation. We have a phone call with some details of the circumstances
but no specifics,'' said Gregory during a wide-ranging interview Monday. The telephone
call, which was made about two months ago, concerned an allegation of abuse that
occurred more than 20 years ago.
The man never told his story because he was advised by a diocesan attorney that
he might face a criminal charge if he kept talking. He was told to call back after
he had obtained a lawyer.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/10/2002
07:22:19 AM
PROVIDENCE (RI)
Abuse settlement: $13.5 million
Providence Bishop Robert E. Mulvee announces the historic settlement and apologizes
to the 36 victims of sexual abuse by members of the clergy.
Providence
Journal
BY JENNIFER LEVITZ
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE -- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence yesterday reached a $13.5-million
settlement in 36 sexual-abuse lawsuits, abruptly ending what is believed to be
the longest stretch of litigation over clergy misconduct in the nation.
Standing next to plaintiffs' lawyers at a news conference at the diocesan headquarters,
Bishop Robert E. Mulvee said of the decade-long legal battle: "This is a day long
sought that brings to an end the difficult and often contentious process of litigation
that has been painful for most concerned."
"I reach out with deep sadness to the victims. Certainly in the name of the church,
I ask their forgiveness and offer an apology for the harm that has been done to
them."
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/10/2002
05:57:17 AM
Civil Rights of Priests
Religion
& Ethics NewsWeekly
Bob Abernethy interviews Fr. Robert Silva, president of the National Federation
of Priests’ Councils, about the civil rights of priests accused of sexual abuse,
and priests who are suing their accusers or filing defamation suits.
BOB ABERNETHY: As the U.S. Roman Catholic Church continues to crack down on priestly
sex abuse, growing concerns about the civil rights of accused priests. Since early
this year, nearly 300 priests have resigned or been dismissed because of abuse
allegations, and some of them say they've been falsely accused.
This week, in Boston, a former altar boy dropped his lawsuit against a priest
after questions arose about the credibility of the allegations. And a priest in
Illinois filed a defamation suit against the Peoria diocese for publishing what
he says are false allegations against him. Priests in at least five other dioceses
have sued their accusers.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/10/2002
05:53:27 AM
Monday, September 09, 2002
Former area priest who admitted abuses loses Michigan job
Agency for elderly dumps social worker who molested altar boys as cleric in ’60s
Toledo
Blade
By MICHAEL D. SALLAH
BLADE NATIONAL AFFAIRS WRITER
A former priest who admitted to sexually abusing altar boys at his cottage near
Lake Erie has lost his job as a Michigan social worker.
Leo Welch, who was accused of molesting the youths at his summer retreat in eastern
Lucas County in the early 1960s, is no longer working for the Senior Alliance
in Detroit.
The 75-year-old social worker’s last day was Aug. 12, said a director of the nonprofit
agency who refused to elaborate.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/9/2002
07:04:40 PM
PROVIDENCE (RI)
Source: Settlement reached in sex-abuse lawsuits against Providence diocese
Boston.com
By Lisa Marie Pane, Associated Press, 09/09/02
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Diocese of Providence has reached a $13.5 million settlement
to settle decade-old lawsuits that accused Rhode Island clergy of sexual abuse
of children.
The settlement covers all but two of the 38 men and women who sued the diocese
in the early 1990s, accusing 11 priests and a nun of abusing them when they were
children.
"This is a day long sought that brings to an end the difficult and often contentious
process of litigation that has been painful for most concerned," said the Most
Rev. Robert E. Mulvee, the bishop of Providence. "I hope that this action will
be helpful to the victims of abuse and bring them in some way closer to closure
and reconciliation with their God, their church, their families and themselves."
"As bishop of Providence, I reach out with deep sadness to the victims," Mulvee
told reporters as several victims sat just a few feet away in a conference room
at the diocese's headquarters. "It is their pain that motivates this" settlement.
It was announced jointly by Bishop Mulvee and lawyers for the plaintiffs. Several
of the victims who attended the news conference said the bishop's apology meant
more to them than the money.
"Listening to him today, I felt he was sincere," said Anita Guilbeault, 43, of
Lincoln, who was abused as a teenager by her parish priest. "I feel emancipated."
Timothy J. Conlon, a lead lawyer in the cases, shook Mulvee's hand as news cameras
captured the moment both sides called "historic." Conlon thanked the bishop for
signing off on the settlement and for apologizing to his clients.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/9/2002
05:40:47 PM
PROVIDENCE (RI)
Providence diocese reaches $13.5M settlement in abuse suits
Providence
Journal
Staff and wire reports
PROVIDENCE / Updated 6:17 p.m. -- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence has
reached a $13.5 million settlement with most of the victims who filed lawsuits
accusing clergy of sexual abuse, church officials said today.
The settlement affects all but two of the plaintiffs and comes about a decade
after 38 lawsuits were filed by men and women who accused 11 clergy of molesting
them while they were children.
"This is a day long sought that brings to an end the difficult and often contentious
process of litigation that has been painful for most concerned," the Most Rev.
Robert E. Mulvee, bishop of Providence, said in a statement.
"I hope that this action will be helpful to the victims of abuse and bring them
in some way closer to closure and reconciliation with their God, their church,
their families and themselves."
The diocese will seek both internal and external financing to cover the cost of
the settlement, and the financing will be paid within 10 to 15 years, church officials
said.
Carl P. DeLuca, a Cranston lawyer representing 32 of the plaintiffs, said in a
statement:
"In addition to the monetary settlements, our clients received something that
victims of sexual abuse hardly ever receive; they received an apology and a chance
for closure.
"They also received a promise that the diocese would continue to pay for their
uncovered therapy costs, and that the process to receive that benefit would be
overhauled to ensure that the claims are processed expeditiously."
"As bishop of Providence, I reach out with deep sadness to the victims," Mulvee
told reporters as several victims sat just a few feet away in a conference room
this afternoon at the diocese's headquarters. "It is their pain that motivates
this" settlement.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/9/2002
05:33:51 PM
LEXINGTON (KY)
3 priests paid fines for exposure
DIOCESE WASN'T AWARE TWO HAD BEEN ARRESTED
HERALD-LEADER
By Frank E. Lockwood
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER
Three Lexington priests have been charged by police in the last four years after
being caught exposing themselves and masturbating in Lexington's Jacobson Park,
court records show.
Yesterday, the Lexington Diocese called the actions of the Revs. Kenneth Waibel
and William G. Poole "scandalous behavior." It said it will investigate and take
"imminent action" against the two priests.
The diocese said it was unaware of the misdemeanor charges against Waibel and
Poole until the Herald-Leader raised questions Thursday about the men's records,
church spokesman Thomas Shaughnessy said yesterday. He acknowledged that the church
had known of a similar 1990 charge against Poole.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/9/2002
12:00:32 PM
LAWRENCE (NJ)
`I feel sorry for her and I pray for her'
The
Times
By KRYSTAL KNAPP
LAWRENCE - The Rev. Bruno Ugliano sat in a hotel room for two months wondering
if he would ever be able to clear his name of sex abuse allegations so he could
return to the priestly life he has known for almost 40 years.
His name was cleared and he was reinstated as the Catholic chaplain at Rider University
last week, but the accusation against him lingers like a faded blood stain on
a white shirt.
"People who know me and care about me understand I'm innocent, but to the rest
of creation I'm Father Bruno, who was accused of molesting a 14-year-old girl,"
he said.
As Ugliano talked about what his life has been like since June when he was accused
of molesting a girl in the early 1980s he repeatedly used the phrases "living
hell" and "horrific nightmare" to describe the experience.
"All of a sudden I was a non-being," he said. "I was alone. I was nothing. My
good name and everything else in my life were taken from me. I was left with nothing
but my faith in God and my belief in my innocence."
Ugliano said he only knew what the allegations were from reading about them in
the newspapers. It wasn't until he was interviewed by prosecutors in Union County
two months later that he was told about the details of the accusations.
He said he was shocked to find that allegations would be made public when nothing
had been proven.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/9/2002
11:56:38 AM
VOICES OF THE FAITHFUL
Some louder than others
Commonweal
By Grant Gallicho
Twenty dollars got you in the door for a day-long conference on reforming a Catholic
Church hobbled by its sex-abuse crisis. Five months ago, Voice of the Faithful
(VOTF) met for the first time in a church basement in a Boston suburb. On July
20, forty-two hundred Catholics showed up at Boston's Hynes Convention Center
for VOTF's first convention. After months of shocking news of clergy sex abuse,
this crowd of mostly white, late-middle-aged suburban lay Catholics was visibly
excited to be doing something positive. By day's end, that excitement would be
tempered by a strenuous challenge to VOTF's agenda issued by victims of clergy
sexual abuse.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/9/2002
10:47:02 AM MILWAUKEE
The fast and the faithful
Dolan quickly goes to radio ads to advocate service to church
Journal
Sentinel
By TOM HEINEN
of the Journal Sentinel staff
Last Updated: Sept. 4, 2002
Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan has burst out of the cathedral into everyday life,
drawing large crowds at parish visits and, on the day after his installation,
launching a radio ad campaign for one of his top priorities: vocations.
Anyone who didn't watch him become Milwaukee's 10th archbishop on live TV eight
days ago or bump into him at one of his public appearances could catch his voice
on more than 140 broadcasts of a 60-second spot on five area radio stations.
"He's moving like a tornado, and I'm just hanging on," Father Bob Stiefvater,
archdiocesan vocations director, said of Dolan's outreach. "I wanted to use the
good news he is creating to further a positive image for the priesthood and religious
life."
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/9/2002
09:39:33 AM
LAWRENCE (KS)
Priest pleads guilty to inappropriately touching Johnson County boy
Kansas
City Star
By DIANE CARROLL
The Kansas City Star
The Rev. Dennis Schmitz
LAWRENCE - Standing before a judge, his hands clasped behind his back, the Rev.
Dennis Schmitz pleaded guilty Thursday to inappropriately touching a 15-year-old
Johnson County boy who shared his bed four years ago.
The 41-year-old Schmitz, a priest for 13 years, will receive probation if Douglas
County District Judge Michael Malone goes along with a plea agreement. The judge
-- who could choose prison instead -- set sentencing for Oct. 18.
For 20 minutes, Schmitz stood composed in front of Malone while the judge asked
over and over whether he understood the implications of a plea. Did he understand
he would be registered as a sex offender? Did he understand the court would ask
for his DNA? Did he understand he was giving up his right to appeal?
"Yes sir," Schmitz answered quietly each time.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/9/2002
09:36:32 AM
DETROIT
Crisis in the church: Priests and sex abuse
Detroit pastor put on leave for sex investigation
Detroit
News
By Edward L. Cardenas / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- The Archdiocese of Detroit has placed the pastor of St. Mary's of Redford
in Detroit on administrative leave as it investigates an allegation of sexual
abuse involving the priest.
The Rev. Ron Williams, 50, went on leave Sunday after the archdiocese received
a sexual abuse allegation involving a minor and Williams dating to the early years
of his priesthood.
The complaint against Williams had been referred to the Wayne County prosecutor's
office, but no action was taken because the statute of limitations had expired
on the case.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/9/2002
09:21:54 AM
Detroit priest on leave in case too old to prosecute
Detroit Free
Press
BY ALEXA CAPELOTO
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
A Catholic priest accused of molesting a minor, but not criminally charged because
of Michigan's statute of limitations, was removed from public ministry Sunday.
The Rev. Ron Williams, a well-known priest with a long record of ministry in the
metro area, is on temporary administrative leave as pastor of St. Mary's of Redford
Catholic Church in Detroit, the Archdiocese of Detroit announced.
Williams, 50, is one of 15 priests who Wayne County Prosecutor Michael Duggan
said he might have charged had their alleged offenses occurred within the statute
of limitations, the archdiocese said. The other 14 already have been removed from
ministry.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/9/2002
09:19:22 AM
CHICAGO (IL)
Maryville's Smyth slams news stories
Chicago
Sun-Times
BY MAUREEN O'DONNELL STAFF REPORTER
The Rev. John Smyth came out swinging at Sunday mass, telling worshippers the
news media have distorted problems at Maryville Academy's City of Youth.
Government reports have portrayed the City of Youth as a troubled institution
overwhelmed by a growing population of severely disturbed children. But Smyth,
Maryville's acclaimed executive director, downplayed news stories.
"They have a barrel of ink, and they can lie, and they can distort the truth,''
Smyth said during mass at a Maryville chapel, where the congregation greeted him
with a standing ovation.
Smyth criticized the Chicago Sun-Times but would not provide details of his complaints
when questioned after mass. The Sun-Times was the first to report on the facility's
troubles. The state's largest haven for abused and abandoned youth is "dangerous''
and key group homes are "in a state of crisis,'' according to government documents
the newspaper quoted.
During mass, Smyth suggested that anti-Catholic bigotry has figured in the airing
of Maryville's troubles and described a past conversation with Cardinal Francis
George.
"I thought he was getting paranoid,'' Smyth said. "'This is the time, this is
the season, for picking on Catholics,' and he said, 'John, they're coming after
you.'"
Smyth told churchgoers that media reports of a riot at Maryville in May were overblown.
"The big riot was five girls and one boy,'' he said.
Police reports tell a different story, describing a "mob action'' in which at
least 40 boys and girls were involved, one armed with a knife and some wielding
fire extinguishers, brooms and metal-buckled belts. Three police departments responded.
Smyth also seemed critical of a Maryville psychiatrist quoted in the Sun-Times
regarding the suicide of a 14-year-old girl at the facility earlier this year.
The psychiatrist, Dr. John Costigan, said he had been told "there may have been
information that wasn't given to me'' about the girl before she hanged herself.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/9/2002
09:18:39 AM
Catholic Church Leader Favors Married Clergy
Los
Angeles Times
The arguments in favor of a married Roman Catholic clergy "are extremely strong,
perhaps overwhelming," an influential British church leader has told the National
Conference of Priests of England and Wales.
The official, Father Timothy Radcliffe, former master general of the Dominicans,
spoke at the group's annual meeting in London.
Radcliffe said his main reservation about married priests is that having a family
would oblige priests to fit into the social system, whereas in his view, one aspect
of the priesthood expresses "the scandalous outreach of God" to those on the edge
of society.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/9/2002
09:15:17 AM
Victims' groups irate over prosecutors' deal with Catholic Church
San
Francisco Chronicle
By Elizabeth Fernandez, Chronicle Staff Writer
To the dismay of victims, an organization of prosecutors in California has been
collaborating with Roman Catholic officials to create statewide voluntary guidelines
on the release of old church records for clergy abuse investigations.
The guidelines determine such matters as how and when alleged victims would be
contacted and what sort of information the church should disclose to law enforcement.
They provide a nonbinding framework under which the dioceses are not expected
to search all personnel files but only those "known" to contain child- abuse allegations.
"It's like trusting the fox to guard the henhouse," says Mary Grant, a leader
of a national group of clergy-abuse survivors. "Special privileges have long been
given to clergy, and this is another example of a privilege that no other institution
would be given."
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/9/2002
09:13:09 AM
Sunday, September 08, 2002
BOSTON (Mass.)
Church demolition fight resumes today
Boston
Herald
by Marie Szaniszlo
Boston Archdiocese officials are scheduled to meet today with parishioners fighting
to prevent them from demolishing Roxbury's oldest Roman Catholic church.
The noon meeting at the school of St. Joseph's Church comes a month before the
city Landmarks Commission decides whether to declare the 157-year-old church
a historic landmark.
``This meeting should have been held before the archdiocese decided to demolish
it,'' said Ken Hyde, who moved to Holliston 10 years ago, but returns to Roxbury
every Sunday to attend Mass.
The church was closed in January because of its failing roof, but has become
a cause celebre in the community.
In July, when the Landmarks Commission ordered a 90-day stay of the demolition,
the commission's director revealed in a letter to the state Historical Commission
that the archdiocese had appealed to state public safety officials for permission
to destroy the building.
Bernard Cardinal Law has ordered the parish be dissolved. And some parishioners
believe the archdiocese wants to sell the property to help pay for settlements
with more than 400 alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse.
The Rev. Walter Waldron, who serves as pastor of both St. Joseph's and nearby
St. Patrick's Church, where parishioners now worship, did not return calls yesterday.
But Donna Morrissey, archdiocese spokeswoman, said there is more to its plans
than parishioners are saying.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/8/2002
07:16:24 PM
Guest column: Clifford Garner
Dallas priest says watchdogs destroyed his name and career
Dallas
Morning News
09/07/2002
By CLIFFORD GARNER
When nearly 300 Catholic bishops met in Dallas June 13-15, I was grateful to
be on the other side of the world. A Roman holiday with parishioners and friends
seemed the perfect antidote to all the media attention that descended upon the
bishops and the city. I felt safely distant following events on Italian television.
While I certainly had my own problems adapting to parish life, I was neither
a pedophile priest nor a bumbling bishop. So I felt no responsibility for the
sins of commission and omission that had plunged the Church into such a crisis.
I returned to Dallas the day the bishops departed. The "Charter for the Protection
of Children and Young People" had been approved, and I was ready to join my
brother priests in the difficult task of restoring the trust and credibility
that had been so badly damaged. I had no idea what awaited me.
A group of parishioners from around the city caught wind of controversy swirling
around me and was determined to embarrass the bishops before their peers and
in the press. Instead, their efforts destroyed my name and reputation and ruined
my career.
It is true that I participated in a Web site for gay priests. It is also true
that I made regrettable remarks in what I considered to be a strictly confidential
setting. Like many priests, soon after my ordination, I experienced an emptiness
I hadn't known before. My life in the seminary, like my life in the military,
had been surrounded by friends and filled with attractions and distractions.
But parish ministry and public life introduced me to a profound sense of loneliness.
I tried to deal with this loneliness by searching for acceptance and encouragement.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/8/2002
05:54:20 PM
LOUISVILLE (KY)
Group to march for molested children
Courier-Journal
Darla Carter
dcarter@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
William H. Bowen of silentlambs, a group for abuse victims in the Jehovah's
Witnesses church, left a stuffed lamb and a flier at Kingdom Hall on Lower River
Road protesting church policies.
An event being billed as the first national march for victims of child molestation
within the Jehovah's Witnesses church was announced yesterday in Louisville
and other cities around the country.
Silentlambs, a victims' support group, will hold the march at the Jehovah's
Witnesses headquarters in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Sept. 27, said William H. Bowen
of Benton, Ky., cofounder of the group.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/8/2002
05:49:10 PM
SEATTLE
'Silentlambs' speak out about sex abuse
Seattle
Times
By Christine Clarridge
Seattle Times staff reporter
Several former Jehovah's Witnesses stood outside a Kingdom Hall church near
Green Lake yesterday with a tiny toy lamb whose mouth was covered with black
electrician's tape.
The symbolically silenced lamb — delivered to the door of the fellowship hall
— represented the 5,000 members of the 6 million-member church who claim to
have been sexually abused by leaders or others in the church. They further claim
to have been silenced or ignored when they sought the church's guidance and
protection.
The news conference was one of about 16 across the country called to bring attention
to "silentlambs," an organization planning a march on church headquarters in
New York on Sept. 27.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/8/2002
05:46:55 PM
NAPLES (FL)
Priest sex abuse cases evade law enforcement
Statute of limitations and wary victims hinder investigation efforts
Naples Daily News
Saturday, September 7, 2002
By ALAN SCHER ZAGIER, aszagier@naplesnews.com
While victims of priest sex abuse and Catholic church members await the results
of a four-month internal investigation by the Diocese of Venice, they're also
waiting to see if any criminal charges surface against two retired Naples priests.
It could be a long wait.
Prosecutors and police say they are hindered by two restrictions: the absence
of formal complaints by victims and the fact that the alleged abuse in some
instances took place decades ago.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/8/2002
05:45:17 PM
A Question of Integrity
Michael Rose and the American College of Louvain
Crisis
By Brian Saint-Paul
It’s a sickening story. In one section of Goodbye, Good Men (pp. 73-78 of the
Regnery Press edition), author Michael S. Rose pulls the curtain back on the
moral corruption at the American College of Louvain, a U.S.-run seminary associated
with the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.
Here’s the gist of it: In 1999, a seminarian named Joseph Kellenyi transferred
to Louvain from Mundelein Seminary in Illinois at the request of his bishop.
There, he came into contact with the homosexual subculture that dominates many
seminaries. Kellenyi, estimating that half of the theology seminarians were
homosexual, immediately felt like an outsider. But things soon took a turn for
the worse. One of the seminarians—unnamed by Rose—made numerous homosexual advances
toward Kellenyi. When those were rebuffed, the gay seminarian was enraged, doing
everything he could to make his target’s life miserable.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/8/2002
05:40:54 PM
ROANOKE
Readers object to coverage on Roanoke priest
THE ROANOKE
TIMES
By RICH MARTIN
THE ROANOKE TIMES
On Aug. 26, the Catholic Diocese of Richmond announced the suspension of the
Rev. Steven "Randy" Rule, pastor of Roanoke's oldest Roman Catholic parish,
after an allegation of sexual misconduct was leveled against him.
The diocese initially refused to say whether the accusation against Rule came
from a male or a female or when the alleged misconduct occurred. Eventually,
the diocese disclosed that the accusation came from an unidentified former student
at an all-male high school where Rule taught from 1975 to 1978.
The allegation and suspension stunned parishioners at St. Andrew's Catholic
Church, which Rule had led since 1993. Many voiced their support for the priest,
and expressed anger at the way the diocese had handled the matter.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/8/2002
05:28:53 PM
Pastor, parish: a first meeting
They're wonderingdispatch, he acknowledges
Richmond
Times-Dispatch
BY PAIGE AKIN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Sep 05, 2002
The Rev. Dennis Murphy won't know until this weekend how his new parish in Charlottesville
is holding up.
"It's hard to know exactly how a parish is feeling when a pastor is removed,"
Murphy said in a phone interview yesterday from his home in Providence, R.I.
"To really pastor a community, you have to look at what people are feeling and
saying and doing. At this point, I only know a very little bit about the community."
Murphy, 54, is replacing the Rev. Julian Goodman, who was pastor at Holy Comforter
Catholic Church until he resigned in August after admitting to sexually abusing
a 14-year-old boy in the 1970s.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/8/2002
05:13:55 PM
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