References cont. (31) — Clergy Child Molesters

• [AUSTRALIAN JESUIT LEADER REVERSES POLICY, apologises to victim.]

   Australian Broadcasting Corporation, "7.30 Report," "Mark Raper breaks his silence," www.abc.net. au/7.30/ content/ 2003/ s892572.htm , reporter: David Hardaker, Tue July 1, 2003
   AUSTRALIA: Father Mark Raper, Australian Provincial (i.e., leader) of the Roman Catholic Jesuit Order, has apologised in writing and on this programme to Mr Lucien Leech-Larkin, who was allegedly abused by Mr Colin Fearon. Fr Raper, who has been Provincial for six months, said he had been advised by the Order's lawyer not to apologise. However, he had decided to apologise after seeing the previous "7.30 Report" about the matter.
   A court case will still proceed.
   In 1968, as a 15-year-old, Lucien Leech-Larkin had been sexually abused by a teacher from St Aloysius College in Sydney.
   Lucien's parents told the school, but the boy wasn't believed.
   The teacher, Colin Fearon, was kept on and Lucien was forced out.

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More newsitems from: Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse    LUCIEN LEECH-LARKIN: What they did to me ... I suppose you could say Fearon broke my heart and they broke my mind, the Jesuits.
   DAVID HARDAKER: Over three decades, Lucien Leech-Larkin stumbled through life.
   He had five breakdowns and several suicide attempts.
   But then out of the blue, in 1998, everything changed.
   He read that his old teacher, Colin Fearon, was wanted in New Zealand over child-sex allegations from the mid-1960s. [...]
   DAVID HARDAKER: Lucien took his story to the NSW Police and in 1999 Colin Fearon was charged with child-sex crimes and committed for trial.
   But Colin Fearon got off both sets of charges, with the courts believing he was too sick to stand trial. [...]
   FATHER MARK RAPER: That's a clear legal defence, to attempt to fight this matter at every point, if I understand it, to attempt to block it and until the point either that the complainant gives up from exhaustion or that we win the case or that we lose it.
   DAVID HARDAKER: So do you, as the Provincial, endorse that approach?
   FATHER MARK RAPER: No. Not now.
   I have for six months, while our protocol has been reviewed, but I'm not at all content with that approach at all.
• Split of abuse award of $25.7m among 243 people. LOUISVILLE (KY): A proposal on how to divide a $25.7 million settlement between the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville and 243 people claiming child sexual abuse drew complaints at a hearing Monday. Lawyers representing a fraction of the plaintiffs gave their opinions on how the settlement should be distributed and whether their clients should be assessed fees by the lead attorneys in the class-action case. Jefferson County Circuit Judge James M. Shake scheduled a July 28 hearing to determine the fairness of the settlement and to consider the allocation plan and attorneys' fees. As a class-action case, the settlement must be approved by the judge. Attorney Douglas Morris, one of the lead attorneys in the class-action case, said he hoped the process moves forward quickly. -- The Cincinnati Enquirer, "Split of abuse award explored," www.enquirer.com/ editions/2003/07/01/ loc_wwwloc9 kychurch1.html , By Bruce Schreiner, Associated Press, (Poynteronline Abuse Tracker, Posted by Kathy Shaw, Jul 1 03) Jul 1 03
• McSorley: Suicide not the answer. BOSTON (MA): Patrick McSorley, the alleged clergy abuse victim who almost died June 18, said yesterday his near-drowning in the Neponset River was accidental and urged molestation survivors to reject notions of suicide. "Suicide is out of the question," the 28-year-old Taunton father of two declared. "All people who were victimized by the Catholic Church priests and leadership must be strong and hang in there. What I did was not a suicide attempt and I do not condone it." McSorley spoke after a press conference in which he thanked supporters for their prayers and for hundreds of cards and calls in support. He was on life support for six days and hospitalized a total of 10 days at Boston Medical Center. "It was a miracle," he said. -- Boston Herald, "McSorley: Suicide not the answer," http://www2.bostonherald. com/news/local_ regional/mcso 07012003.htm , by Tom Mashberg, Tuesday, Jul 1, 2003
• Clergy abuse victims cast wary eye. BOSTON (MA): Word that Palm Beach Bishop Sean P. O'Malley appears ticketed for the Archdiocese of Boston energized many area Catholics yesterday, but if he gets the nod he will have ferocious critics as well. "He has a humble, soft-spoken appearance but is not to be trusted," said Frank Fitzpatrick of Cranston, R.I., a victim of the Rev. James R. Porter and organizer of Porter accusers who runs Survivor Connections. "He's a PR man who puts out fires for the church by calming the population and the survivors with money and words." Other clergy abuse victims raised concerns about O'Malley. Some said he was not forthcoming with law enforcement about the names of abusive priests from his Fall River tenure. Others critiqued his Palm Beach, Fla., policy for seeming to urge victims to bring abuse reports to the diocese instead of law enforcement. "We're a little alarmed people are saying he can change things when in fact he doesn't have the best track record," said Ann Hagan Webb, New England co-coordinator for SNAP, the Survivors Network for Those Abused by Priests. Webb recalled how Bristol District Attorney Paul F. Walsh rebuked O'Malley in September, soon after the bishop's Florida departure, for letting 10 years go by before giving police names of 21 Fall River Diocese priests accused of sexual abuse. -- Boston Herald, "Clergy abuse victims cast wary eye," http://www2.bostonherald. com/news/local_ regional/abus 07012003.htm , by Tom Mashberg, Tue Jul 1 03
• Jesuits push law aside in sex abuse U-turn. AUSTRALIA: Australian Jesuit leader Father Mark Raper said on television's "7.30 Report" on July 1 2003 that the Order will ignore legal advice if necessary, in order to work for reconciliation with sex abuse victims on a pastoral level. Protecting assets was not as important as people. In a letter to students, staff and parents of St Aloysius' College, Milsons Point, NSW, Fr Raper said he sincerely regretted that Mr Lucien Leech-Larkin's complaint against the Jesuits has not been resolved after so many years. A lay teacher, not a Jesuit, had been named in the allegation. -- The Record, Perth, Jul 3 03, p 3
• Sex abuse complainant admits lying to get payout, NEW ZEALAND: A key complainant in the St John of God sex scandal in New Zealand has told the police he lied about being abused by religious brothers at a Catholic residential school. Justin Todd Richardson – who appears to have spent a $A83,326 payout he received from the order – has been charged with laying a false complaint. The 34-year-old foundry worker appeared in court yesterday on charges of making a false complaint of sodomy and indecent assault in a written statement to police. Richardson was charged after admitting to police that he fabricated his story. He is one of 18 former boys from Marylands School in Halswell who have made sexual allegations against Bernard Kevin McGrath, a former brother facing 32 sex charges. Police have charged McGrath, 56, with committing sexual offences against boys between 1968 and 1984, the year Marylands closed. Seven other former Marylands brothers, now living in Australia, are also under police investigation. The order has paid $A3.5 million to 56 former Marylands boys, and the same amount to 24 Victorian men who alleged abuse by brothers while in residential care there. "Everything he had said was untrue," said Detective Sergeant Earle Borrell, who heads the Marylands inquiry. "He told me that the worst thing was that he got homesick occasionally, otherwise it was OK. "It makes it very difficult for the other genuine victims." Australasian St John of God head Br Peter Burke said he was "shocked and angry" by Richardson's actions "and that's an understatement".
   SOURCE: stuff.co.nz . LINKS: Priests face extradition over child sex claims (Courier-Mail) www.couriermail.news.com.au , Brothers quizzed on abuse claims (NZ Herald) www.nzherald.co.nz , Brother suspended over sex claims (5 May 02) www.cathnews.com/news , St John of God Brothers to pay out $3.6 million (13 Jun 02) www.cathnews.com/news , Hospitaller Order of St John of God (Australia) www.stjohn.com.au . -- Catholic News (CN), www.cathnews.com/news , Jul 3 2003
• [Sired two sons, leaving R.C. priesthood.] MANILLA, Philippines: Father Oscar Ornopia confessed to his flock at the Talamban parish in the central city of Cebu during Mass that he had sired two children and then announced he was leaving the priesthood. A parish spokesman said that Father Ornopia had fallen in love with a classmate's cousin during his days in the seminary, and continued the affair even after taking the celibacy vow and becoming a priest. -- The West Australian, "Father in father confession," Thu Jul 10 03, p 24
• [Bishop pleads innocent to fatal hit-run driving.] PHOENIX (Arizona): Bishop Thomas O'Brien, former head of the Phoenix Diocese, pleaded innocent at his arraignment July 7 on a felony charge of leaving the scene of a fatal accident. Bishop O'Brien's next court appearance, for a pretrial conference, was set for August 11. He is free on $45,000 bail. If convicted he could face up to 45 months in prison. Prosecutors say the bishop was not impaired by alcohol when he allegedly struck a pedestrian, Jim Reed, on the night of June 14. Reed, 43, was crossing the street in the dark in the middle of the block and tests revealed he had a blood alcohol level more than twice the state's legal limit for driving. Bishop O'Brien, whose car was identified by witnesses at the scene, said he thought he had hit a dog or cat or that someone had hit the car with a rock. Authorities say it is unlikely he would be facing charges if he had remained on the scene. -- The Record, Perth, "Priest pleads innocence," CNS, Jul 17 03, p 12 [FLASHBACK: See newsitems from June 17 about arrest, and from June 18 for comments including "long crime spree". FLASHBACK ENDS] Article: Jul 17 03
• [Tolkien's son abuse case; Church payout.] LONDON: The Catholic Church has reached an out-of-court settlement with a former scout who claimed he had been sexually abused by Father John Tolkien, son of Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien. Christopher Carrie was awarded $36,800 in compensation. The 57-year-old claimed he had been assaulted by the priest in a church in Birmingham, England, more than 40 years ago. The 85-year-old priest, who denied the allegations, died in January. -- The West Australian, "Payout in Tolkien abuse case," Tue Jul 22 03, p 23 [FLASHBACK: See: The Age, Melbourne, "Tolkien son accused of sex abuse," www.theage.com.au/ news/world/2002/01/07/ FFXATFIP3WC. html , 7 Jan 02. FLASHBACK ENDS] Article's date: Jul 22 03
• Prosecutor issues church abuse report; VICTIMS ESTIMATED AT 1,000; charges against leaders unlikely. BOSTON, (Massachusetts): More than 1,000 people were likely sexually abused by clergy and other workers in the Boston Archdiocese over a period of six decades, Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly said in a report issued Wednesday. Reilly’s report suggests changes, but no charges are to be filed against church leaders because child-protection laws in place while abuses were taking place were too weak. Reilly's report, the result of a grand jury investigation that explored whether church hierarchy should be charged criminally for turning a blind eye to allegations of abuse, said the archdiocese received complaints from 789 alleged victims. However, when other sources are considered, the attorney general said, the abuse likely affected more than 1,000 victims from 1940 until today. -- Associated Press, http://stacks.msnbc.com/news/941889.asp?0sl=-33 , Jul 23 03
• 60 YEARS ABUSE, 250 CATHOLIC OFFENDERS -- GOVERNMENT REPORT. BOSTON (Massachussetts): From Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly's opening remarks as he issued his report on sexual abuse by clergy in the Boston Archdiocese, and from the report itself: What we have found . . . through this investigation borders . . . on the unbelievable. The duration of it -- six decades of sexual abuse of children by members of the Catholic clergy -- the magnitude of it is simply staggering. 789 victims have come forward . . . I have absolutely no doubt that the number is far greater. . . . Equally staggering are the number of clergy . . . -- 237 -- and 13 other workers in the church for a total of 250.
Approximately 110 of the 237 priests alleged to have sexually abused children since 1946 graduated from the archdiocese's principal seminary, St John's Seminary, [the other seminary only produced two offenders] . . . there was no evidence that the archdiocese at any time undertook a comprehensive analysis of possible systemic causes . . .
Senior archdiocese managers were advised of allegations of child sexual abuse against Father Joseph Birmingham in 1964, 1970, and again in 1987; Senior managers were aware of abuse allegations involving Father Burns as early as 1982; in 1984, Father Eugene O'Sullivan was convicted of the rape of a child; allegations of sexual abuse by Father Richard Coughlin were presented to senior archdiocese managers in 1985; allegations of sexual abuse of children by Father Robert Gale in the 1970s and early 1980s were provided to senior archdiocese managers in 1979, 1981, 1983, 1987, 1992, and 1994. In 1988, senior archdiocese managers were made aware that Father Daniel Graham had engaged in the sexual abuse of a child. . . .
Sister Catherine Mulkerrin joined [special staff] on August 3, 1992. . . . During her two years in the Office of the Delegate, Sister Mulkerrin's list [of offenders] grew to more than 100 different names, including both archdiocesan priests and religious order clerics that worked within the archdiocese. She repeatedly urged Bishop McCormack to use parish bulletins to ... alert parishioners whenever the archdiocese determined that a present or former priest of the parish may have sexually abused a child . . . Her repeated requests to meet with parishioners were rejected. [The full report is on the newspaper's website in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.] -- The Boston Globe, "Excerpts from attorney general's report on clergy sexual abuse," www.boston.com/globe/ spotlight/abuse/stories4/072403_excerpts.htm , Jul 24 03, page A16
#####-Poynteronline, Abuse Tracker, most of Tuesday, July 29, 2003 edition follows:-
• [Last week Church camp nurse abuses -- accusation.] [CURRENT ACCUSATION] FREETOWN (MA): A criminal complaint has been lodged against a 52-year-old male nurse at the Cathedral Camp for Boys and Girls, alleging he inappropriately hugged and kissed a 7-year-old camper last week. Police have not decided whether to formally charge Wayne Goulet of Taunton, but have found enough evidence to forward the complaint to a Fall River District Court clerk magistrate who will hold a show-cause hearing on the matter in the coming weeks. A camp official told The Herald News that Goulet is no longer working as the nurse at this time. It is unclear whether he was terminated or suspended. All other requests for comment were referred to the Diocese of Fall River, where spokespeople did not return calls on the matter. -- The Herald News, "Complaint filed against camp nurse," http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=9915221&BRD=1710&PAG=461&dept_id=24108&rfi=6 , by Gregg M. Miliote (Posted by Kathy Shaw 9:59:46 AM)
!!!: [Co-author of Anglican sex abuse research was abuser; Bishop acts on interviewees.] AUSTRALIA: Tasmania's Anglican Bishop is urging child abuse victims to contact the church if they are concerned about their interviews for a report into sexual abuse within the diocese. The report's credibility has been brought into question, after admissions of sexual abuse by co-author Michael James Crowley. The psychiatrist and former primary school teacher admitted having sex with a fifteen year old girl. The Right Reverend John Harrower says anyone who feels their interview was conducted inappropriately should contact the church. -- Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Tasmania, "Bishop urges victims to contact church with concerns," http://www.abc.net.au/tasmania/news/200307/s912959.htm Tuesday, 29 July 2003
• More embarrassment for Australia's Anglicans. AUSTRALIA: Australia’s Anglican Church suffered further embarrassment today as it was revealed that the co-author of a report into paedophilia within the church had admitted in court to having sex with a 15-year-old girl. The church has been under fire over claims that clergy and staff at its schools abused children and that senior figures then covered up the abuse. A former Anglican archbishop, Peter Hollingworth, was forced to resign as the Queen’s representative in Australia over allegations he covered up church abuse in the 1990s and a separate claim that he raped a woman more than 40 years ago when he was a young priest. -- Ireland Online, http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=62569240&p=6z5698zx July 29 03
• [Computer child porn on convicted priest's computer.] [CURRENT ACCUSATION] CALIFORNIA: Confusion, anger and sorrow filled four Orange County Catholic parishes Sunday as a priest defended himself against child pornography allegations and worshippers learned that a beloved music director was fired this week over an 18-year-old conviction for molesting a teenager. At St. Joseph Church in Santa Ana, Father Cesar Salazar, accused of downloading dozens of images of pre-adolescent boys having sex with grown men, apologized to parishioners at a packed evening Spanish-speaking Mass "for whatever pain I may have caused you. If I have hurt your trust in me and in the priesthood, I am sorry." Two years ago, Fernando Guido, a former employee of the Orange County diocese, discovered child pornography images on a computer previously owned by Salazar. Many of the images contained computer signatures indicating that Salazar had signed on to Web pages containing the images, said Guido's lawyer, Michael J. Sundstedt. Guido turned the computer over to diocese officials, who referred the matter to Santa Ana police. Though officers recommended that Salazar be prosecuted, the Orange County District Attorney's Office declined to press charges, saying it was impossible to prove Salazar downloaded the images. -- The Orange County Register, "Parishes rocked anew by scandal," http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=49819§ion=LOCAL&subsection=LOCAL &year=2003&month=7&day=29 , By Jim Hinch, July 29 03
• [VATICAN THREATENED EXCOMMUNICATION FOR MAKING SEX ABUSE PUBLIC.]
   Telegram & Gazette, "Vatican document instructed secrecy in abuse cases," <http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030729/NEWS/307290469/1025/NEWSLETTERS08>, by Kathleen A. Shaw, July 29, 2003
   A copy of the directive was sent yesterday to U.S. Attorney Michael J. Sullivan at his Boston office by Mr. Durso, who said he believes the church has been obstructing justice.
   Mr. Durso said it might also explain why Cardinal Bernard F. Law and bishops of the Boston Archdiocese and elsewhere covered up sexual abuse of children by clergy.
   Mr. Durso yesterday asked Mr. Sullivan to find legal grounds under federal laws to prosecute those in the hierarchy who have covered up these sexual abuse cases.
   Houston lawyer Daniel J. Shea provided Mr. Durso with a copy of the Vatican document, called "On the Manner of Proceeding in Cases of Solicitation" (Latin title: "Crimen Sollicitones"). Both lawyers are representing alleged clergy abuse victims in Central Massachusetts.
   Paul Baier, president of Survivors First, a victims' advocacy group, who is also familiar with the document, called the church's action in concealing instances of sexual abuse "a coordinated effort of conspiracy."
   Bryan Smith of Hubbardston, Worcester area leader of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests [SNAP], said people in the church who covered up for priests "should be prosecuted.
   "If it were anyone else, they would be in jail by now," he said.
   Mr. Durso's action came after Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly issued a grand jury report last week that was critical of the hierarchy of the Boston Archdiocese for its failure to protect children from abusive priests. He said he had no grounds for criminal charges. He determined that at least 800 children were sexually abused by 250 priests in the archdiocese dating from 1940.
   "This document may provide the link in the thinking of all of those who hid the truth for so many years," Mr. Durso said. "The constant admonitions that information regarding accusations against priests are to be deemed 'a secret of the Holy Office' may explain, but most certainly do not justify, their actions," Mr. Durso told the federal attorney. "Indeed, the directions regarding both the hiding and the destruction of documents should be evaluated in terms of the crime of obstruction of justice," he said.
   Mr. Durso, accompanied by representatives of various statewide victim advocacy groups, went to Mr. Sullivan's office in Boston, where he hand-delivered the letter.
   The 40-page document, which was obtained by the Telegram & Gazette, was promulgated in 1962 by the Supreme and Holy Congregation of the Holy Office under the pontificate of Pope John XXIII and was printed by the Vatican Press. It is marked confidential and states it is to be stored in the "secret archives" and is to be treated as "strictly confidential."
   [CROSS-INDEX: See also The Eagle-Tribune, "Vatican secret disclosed," <www.eagletribune.com>, By Meg Murphy, Tuesday, July 29, 2003.]
   [DOCUMENT TITLE: There seems to be a slight error in the Latin title given above. Crimen Sollicitationis is the accepted spelling.] Newsitem dated Jul 29, 03
• Abuse victims say lawyers getting 40%.
   LOUISVILLE (KY): Several victims in the sexual abuse cases against the Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville choked back tears yesterday as they pleaded in court for or against the proposed $25.7 million settlement and the 40 percent fee attorneys for most victims would get. The hearing, which lasted more than seven hours, is to resume this morning with the cross-examination of William McMurry, the attorney who filed most of the cases against the archdiocese and who represented the plaintiffs in the settlement. James M. Shake, the chief Jefferson Circuit Court judge, is holding the hearing to determine whether the settlement, which would resolve 243 cases, is fair to the parties. About 15 plaintiffs filed written objections or verbally expressed concerns with all or part of the proposed settlement yesterday. -- The Courier-Journal, "Abuse victims speak out on settlement," http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2003/07/29ky/met-front-settle07290-7128.html , By Gregory A. Hall, ghall@courier-journal.com , July 29 03
• Abuser Geoghan allowed free rein 1979-93 . CHICAGO (IL): Father John Geoghan preyed on children for a long time. The first complaint to his superiors in the Archdiocese of Boston came in 1979. The last one came in 1992. Not until 1993 was he removed from his parish position. His years in the priesthood gave him innumerable opportunities to find victims. In all, some 150 people have accused him of sexual abuse. Last year, he was convicted of fondling a 10-year-old boy in 1991 and sentenced to nine to 10 years in prison. It would be a mistake, though, to put all or even most of the blame on Mr. Geoghan for yielding to his grotesque impulses. He may have acted alone, but he had a lot of help. And while he's in jail, the people who enabled him to commit his crimes are free as a bird. One of those is Robert J. Banks, who for six years was second-in-command to Cardinal Bernard F. Law in the Archdiocese of Boston. Among the findings of a new report by the attorney general of Massachusetts is that Robert Banks performed invaluable services to the abuser. He not only declined to tell authorities about allegations against the priest, the report said, but "was not candid when interviewed during an active criminal investigation." Even after concluding that Mr. Geoghan was a danger to children, Robert Banks left him in his parish ministry for weeks, without supervision. -- Baltimore Sun, "Church's abuse accomplices go scot-free," http://www.sunspot.net/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.chapman29jul29,0,5670851.story?coll=bal-oped-headlines , By Steve Chapman, July 29, 2003
• Mormon Confessed Sex Crimes To Bishop Weeks Before His Arrest. [CURRENT ACCUSATION] GREEN COVE SPRINGS (Fla.): Authorities in the Florida State Attorney's office are investigating whether a Mormon bishop broke the law by failing to report the possible sex crimes of a Clay County church mentor accused of molesting boys in his congregation. Rodney Staley (pictured left) faces 12 counts of lewd battery involving six children. Detectives said Staley confessed his sexual abuse to the Bishop of his church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Orange Park. Police said that confession was made weeks ago, but they did not know about the crimes until last Thursday. Police said Staley's bishop did not follow a new statute that went into effect last June. The statue says that anyone, including church leaders, must report cases of child sexual abuse. This has raised many questions about confidentiality between religious leaders and their congregation. The State Attorney's office said child abuse must be reported even if that breaks confidentiality. "These privileges, including the privileges between a clergy and a church member, are not valid in the case of child abuse," Shauan Wright, from the State Attorney's Office, told Channel 4's Jennifer Waugh. -- News4Jax.com, "Police: Man Confessed Sex Crimes To Bishop Weeks Before His Arrest," www.news4jax.com/news/ 2364252/detail.html , Monday, July 28, 2003
• Documents allege priest, diocese covered up altar boy's drowning. UTICA (N.Y.): The Syracuse Roman Catholic Diocese covered up a priest's negligence in the drowning death of an altar boy in 1968, according to court documents filed in support of a $150 million sexual abuse lawsuit against the priest and diocese. The alleged concealment "is a factor in showing a pattern of misconduct on the part of the defendant diocese to cover up the misdeeds of its priests" and should be considered by the court in rejecting any statute of limitations defense, wrote attorney Frank Policelli. "This incident had a direct effect on my client's mental condition and his not coming forward with this for 30 years," Policelli said Monday. Spokeswoman Danielle Cummings said the diocese would not comment on Policelli's allegations and would respond to the claims "through the appropriate legal channels." In a lawsuit filed in state Supreme Court in May, John S. Zumpano of Utica claimed that he was sexually abused by the Rev. James Quinn from 1963 to 1970 while a student at St. Agnes Church's grammar school and Notre Dame High School. -- Newsday, "Documents allege priest, diocese covered up altar boy's drowning," www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny-- churchabuse0728jul28,0,7669043.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire , 2:34 PM EDT, July 28, 2003.
• Church abuse victims seek federal charges. BOSTON (MA): Alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse are asking federal prosecutors to consider bringing federal charges against church leaders in the Boston archdiocese for covering up child sexual abuse and failing to remove abusive priests. Frustrated by a lack of indictments by state prosecutors, alleged victims on Monday turned to U.S. Attorney Michael J. Sullivan for help. A dozen alleged victims and their advocates held a news conference outside U.S. District Court, where Sullivan has his office, calling on the state's top federal prosecutor to investigate whether federal conspiracy or racketeering charges can be brought against church supervisors who knew children were being abused. "Put them in jail" read a sign carried by one of the alleged victims. "Michael Sullivan, Please Find Justice for the Survivors!" read another sign. "The ball has been dropped by just about every state agency you can imagine," said William Oberle, who said he was abused by a priest as a child. -- Providence Journal , http://www.projo.com/ap/ma/1059428652.htm , By Denise Lavoie, AP Legal Affairs Writer.
!!!: Anglican book on abuse co-written by man who gave girl a baby! AUSTRALIA: The co-author of a landmark report into pedophilia within the Tasmanian Anglican Church yesterday admitted to child sex crimes. Victims of sexual abuse within the church expressed outrage after the Tasmanian Supreme Court heard that at least one Anglican Church representative believed Michael James Crowley, 59, was "still the best person" to compile the report, despite his admission. Crowley, a clinical psychologist and former primary school teacher, yesterday pleaded guilty to child sexual offences committed between August 1974 and May 1975 when his female victim was aged 15 and 16. The court heard Crowley, of Howden, began his "predatory" behaviour when the girl was 13, during which time he told her that he loved her, before later forcing her into a sexual relationship that resulted in her becoming pregnant at the age of 16. -- The Australian, "Pedophile wrote the book on abuse," www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,6829262%5E2702,00.html , By Carol Altmann, July 29, 2003.
• An Abuse Scandal With Nuns as Villains. NEW YORK: When the Scottish actor and director Peter Mullan was growing up in a working-class Roman Catholic family, goodness was embodied in the clergy. It was the clergy of his pious mother, who contended with eight children and an alcoholic husband. It was the clergy of the Hollywood films the Mullan children watched on television: "Boys Town" with Spencer Tracy, "Angels With Dirty Faces" with Pat O'Brien, "Going My Way" with Bing Crosby. Goodness, however, was not apparent in the local priest when the family's electricity was shut off, and Mrs. Mullan sent her son to the church for candles. "The priest got hold of me, and started beating me up," Mr. Mullan recalled over coffee last fall, when he was in town for the New York Film Festival screening of his second feature, "The Magdalene Sisters." "His first reaction was that I'd broken into his house to steal the candelabra. Then he told me that the reason we were so poor was that my father was useless." Through "blinding tears," the 10-year-old boy looked at the priest and thought, "You're no Spencer Tracy." Fast forward to a night in March 1998. By then Mr. Mullan had taught European drama at the University of Glasgow; he had directed community theater with "every group imaginable -- prisoners, murderers, abused men, abused women, unemployed, employed," he said; and he had acted in several films, including Mel Gibson's "Braveheart," Danny Boyle's "Trainspotting" and Ken Loach's "My Name Is Joe" (for which he won the prize for best actor at the Cannes Film Festival). He had also recently directed his first film, "Orphans," a dark comedy, set in Glasgow, about four adult siblings whose pent-up rage explodes the night before their mother's funeral. -- The New York Times, "An Abuse Scandal With Nuns as Villains," www.nytimes.com/2003/07/27/movies/27RAMS.html?ex=1060399734&ei=1&en=40bb4a51dd9552fb , By Nancy Ramsey, Jul 27 03.
• Court weighs church abuse suits. UTAH: In the first case of its kind, the Utah Court of Appeals will determine whether churches can be sued for failing to prevent members from sexually abusing children. At issue is a state law that says child sexual abuse victims can bring a civil lawsuit "only against a living person who intentionally perpetrated the sexual abuse or negligently permitted the sexual abuse to occur." A judge cited the law in dismissing a complaint filed by a Utah woman and her son against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, writing that the church "is clearly not a 'living' person." Although the church asked the Utah Supreme Court to decide the case once it was appealed, the justices earlier this month assigned the case to the lower Court of Appeals. Filed last June, the lawsuit claims convicted child molester George K. Tilson of Salt Lake City abused the mother in 1976 and her son in 1993-1996. The suit alleges that over a span of 39 years, church leaders knew Tilson, then a church member, had sexually abused children in his wards but never reported the abuse to police or warned other church members. -- The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Jul/07272003/utah/78879.asp , By Elizabeth Neff, Jul 27 03.
• New tools to fight abuse. BOSTON (MA): It may be that families will henceforth be so vigilant, that church workers and clergy will be so pure of heart, that the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church will be so sensitized that no harm will come to another child. But one of the toughest lessons out of Attorney General Tom Reilly's report is what happens when we depend not on laws but on men to do the right thing. Lawmakers made that mistake back in 1973 when clergy were exempt from the state's mandated reporting law that would have required church officials to report to the state suspected incidents of sexual abuse. That was corrected in 2002 in the heat of the scandal, but even now the penalty for not reporting is a mere $1,000 fine. Reilly wants to see that increased to $25,000 and a prison term of up to 2 years. A companion bill of rights for victims of sexual abuse would eliminate the current 15-year statute of limitations for sex crimes against children. -- Boston Herald, "New tools to fight abuse," A Boston Herald editorial, http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/opinion/edtc07252003.htm , Friday, July 25, 2003.
• My advice for O'Malley. http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/209/metro/My_advice_for_O_MalleyP.shtml , -- Boston Globe, By Adrian Walker, Globe Columnist, Jul 28 03. BOSTON (MA): The word is this week's installation will be low-key; appropriate both to the style of the man and to the solemnity of the circumstances. But beginning Wednesday, a new chapter unfolds for the Archdiocese of Boston, a chapter with a new main character: Sean Patrick O'Malley, who will be its archbishop. O'Malley, no stranger to some of his new flock, will be looked to for healing on a near-biblical magnitude. Make no mistake, archbishop, most Bostonians hope you succeed. They hope that on general principle, and out of respect for the institution you represent. This is the most Catholic city in America, and even those of us who don't share the faith understand what its moral influence can accomplish. Unfortunately, there is also a darker reason to hope you succeed: because we have spent more than 18 months now gazing slack-jawed at the damage a man in your position can do when he fails.
• To Reilly, faith's no handicap. SPRINGFIELD (MA): When State Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly recited the rosary with his immigrant Irish parents every night while growing up in Springfield, no one would have imagined that someday he would produce a public document highly critical of the Catholic Church. "I was raised in a household that valued its Catholic religion," Reilly said Thursday. He credited his family's religion and faith for holding them together during a stressful period in the early 1940s, which was about the time that the Archdiocese of Boston began keeping secret records of accusations of child sexual abuse by priests. Putting aside his faith and religion last week, the state's top prosecutor released a report detailing sexual abuse that "was so massive and so prolonged that it bordered on the unbelievable." Reilly, who, as a child, attended Mass daily during Lent at St. Michael's Cathedral in Springfield, expressed frustration that he could not prosecute church leaders. -- The Republican, http://www.masslive.com/news/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1059291091176140.xml , By Bill Zajac, July 27 03.
• Hughes' message is read at Mass. NEW ORLEANS (LA): A message from Archbishop Alfred Hughes concerning an investigation of sexual abuse of children by priests in the Boston archdiocese was read from the pulpit of New Orleans-area Catholic churches during Mass on Saturday and Sunday. The message from Hughes was simply a shorter version of what he had already told The Times-Picayune last week, said the Rev. William Maestri, the archdiocese's spokesman. A report from the Massachusetts attorney general last week accused Hughes of withholding information from Boston-area prosecutors preparing to try a priest for child rape when Hughes was a bishop there 11 years ago. But Hughes replied last week that he had cooperated with police in the case. A longer version of what was read from church pulpits over the weekend -- the version Hughes provided to the news media last week -- will be printed in the next edition of The Clarion Herald, the archdiocese's newspaper, Maestri said. A Massachusetts grand jury found that, over six decades, almost 250 priests probably abused more than 1,000 children and were routinely shielded by Boston's church hierarchy. -- Times-Picayune, http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-0/105937182841140.xml , By Dennis Persica, Monday July 28, 2003.
• Report puts focus back on church efforts. NEW JERSEY: A report released last week by the Massachusetts Attorney General revealed that more than 1,000 people were likely sexually abused by more than 250 clergy and church workers in the Boston archdiocese over 60 years. The large numbers have caused more ripples in the continuing nationwide controversy regarding the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests, and may leave local Catholics questioning the status of outreach efforts established by the Diocese of Camden. The Camden diocese -- which serves Catholics in six counties including Salem, Gloucester and Cumberland -- has several elements already in place to aid victims of sexual abuse, including a toll-free number to assist victims who wish to report those cases of abuse. Since its inception in April 2002, the child sex-abuse hotline established by the Diocese of Camden has received 63 calls, according to Andrew J. Walton, spokesman for the Catholic diocese. "There have been no new reports of abuse since the toll-free number has been established," Walton said. "Most of the accusations date back decades, one as long ago as the 1940s." -- Gloucester County Times, http://www.nj.com/news/gloucester/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1059372924290990.xml , By Regina Schaffer
• Archdiocese Confronts Report On Abuse. SHARON, Mass.: In the summer in this comfortable community south of Boston, the Rev. Robert Bullock turns his small, white church into what he calls a "liturgical institute," where worshippers talk about the Scriptures and tackle social issues. On Sunday, the 74-year-old Roman Catholic priest felt he had no choice but to focus on the report issued last week by Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly that examined six decades of sexual abuse by priests in the Boston archdiocese. "Is there a connection between what we do here - how we listen, how we pray, how we gather - and how we respond to this report?" Bullock asked the congregants who filled Our Lady of Sorrows church. "I think there is." Catholics and non-Catholics alike are mulling the meaning of the 76-page report, which followed 16 months of investigation into a scandal with worldwide reverberations. Reilly's conclusion that 1,000 young victims likely had been abused by 250 priests and others in the archdiocese since 1940 followed a grand jury inquiry, hundreds of interviews and exhaustive examination of 30,000 pages of the archdiocese's own records. -- Hartford Courant, http://www.ctnow.com/news/local/hc-priests0728.artjul28,0,6683651.story?coll=hc-headlines-local , By Elizabeth Mehren, Los Angeles Times, July 28, 2003.
• Priest had faith he'd be cleared. SANDUSKY (OH): A Roman Catholic priest allowed to return to the church he has led since 1991 after being accused of molesting a child says his faith and support from his parish helped him retain hope that he would resume his work. The Rev. Philip Feltman was placed on administrative leave in January from St. Mary's after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced. Feltman stayed involved in the parish, but said that it was difficult to not be leading the congregation. "There were funerals of friends, there were weddings of friends, baptisms. I could not participate (as a priest),'' he said. "It was important that I show up, but it was different. I became acutely aware of the loss.'' Feltman resumed his role almost two weeks ago after a Vatican council found that there wasn't enough evidence to support the claims. A woman said Feltman abused her 31 years ago, when she was 9, while he was at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Toledo. The Toledo diocese, which covers 19 counties in northwest Ohio, has removed four other priests from ministry and placed three on leave. The allegation was forwarded to the Vatican after the woman, whose name was withheld by the diocese, declined to appear before the local church inquiry board. -- Beacon Journal, http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/6400403.htm , Associated Press.
• Archdiocese checks religious-order priests. CHICAGO (IL): Officials of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago have reviewed files of more than 900 religious-order priests now serving in Cook and Lake counties, and say they have found none with a record of sexually abusing children. The review of files kept by the archdiocese on all 918 religious-order priests with "faculties," or permission, to serve in the Chicago archdiocese, was conducted in March and April, Jim Dwyer, a spokesman for Cardinal Francis George, said Sunday. Archdiocesan officials examined each priest's file and made sure every priest had a letter from his superior in the religious order certifying that the priest had no allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor against him, Dwyer said. The review of religious-order priests was conducted after the Chicago archdiocese released findings in February of a 10-year review of clergy sexual misconduct involving diocesan priests. That review found 55 cases of clergy sexual misconduct with minors involving 36 priests had been deemed "credible" by the archdiocese since 1993. But the 10-year review did not include information about religious-order priests. According to statistics in the 2003 archdiocesan directory, there are 918 religious-order priests and 874 diocesan priests serving in the Chicago archdiocese. Religious-order priests--unlike diocesan priests, who report directly to their bishop--answer to the superior of their order. -- Chicago Sun Times, http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-priest28.html , By Cathleen Falsani, Religion Reporter, July 28, 2003.
• Accused priests on the move. SACRAMENTO (CA): For the second time in 14 months, the Rev. Gus Krum has packed his bags, left his church and joined the other priests who pose the next pressing dilemma for the Catholic Church: Where to send them? They are the priests accused of sexual abuse. Krum is one. Two weeks ago, he was removed from residence at the St. Francis friary in Sacramento, where he had been living next door to the parish elementary school. Last year, Krum admitted to his religious superiors that he had been involved in sexual misconduct with teenagers while he was a seminarian in the 1970s. After this admission, he was transferred out of the Portland diocese where he was then serving. He could no longer function as a priest. Later, he moved to Sacramento. Because Krum was not working as a priest, the Franciscan order did not tell diocesan officials or St. Francis of Assisi parishioners about him. The priest's past became public, and Krum was on the move again. Franciscan officials will not say where he is. Krum's situation illustrates the difficulties church officials have placing accused priests. And there are more of them than ever before. U.S. Catholic Church leaders, responding to the sexual abuse crisis that has rocked their church, have removed about 435 priests in the past 18 months, according to church experts and victims advocates. -- Sacramento Bee, http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/religion/story/7118220p-8065772c.html , By Jennifer Garza, Published 2:15 a.m. PDT Monday, July 28, 2003.
• Finger-printing caught choir director who moved in 2 years after conviction. BREA, Calif.: Parishioners at a Roman Catholic church in Brea were divided over a zero-tolerance policy that has led to the firing of a longtime choir director. Parishioners at St. Angela Merici in Brea were told during Sunday Masses that John Michael Catanzaro was fired after 16 years. Catanzaro also worked at St. Martin de Porres Church Yorba Linda and St. Joseph Church Placentia. Last week, the choir director was fired after a Los Angeles Times reporter began asking about Catanzaro's conviction 18 years ago for lewd conduct with a minor. The conviction was discovered because of the now-mandatory fingerprinting of Diocese of Orange employees. The diocese also enacted a zero-tolerance policy two years ago that stated that any priest or lay employee with any credible allegation of sexual abuse lodged against him or her will be immediately dismissed. -- The Mercury News, "Brea parishioners divided on dismissal of choir director," www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/6401892.htm , Associated Press. (Posted from Poynteronline by Kathy Shaw)
########## End of Poynteronline, Abuse Tracker, most of edition of Tuesday, July 29, 2003 FOR GOOD TEACHINGS TO BE HEEDED, A BIG CLEAN-UP IS NEEDED
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