Clergy Child Molesters (180) – References/Archive/Blog – 2011

• Jailed paedophile priest slashed in face on way back from prison Mass

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Wed January 05, 2011 edition:

• Abuse Victims' Attorneys Question Archdiocese Assets

  [2011 Milwaukee Archdiocese -NEW*. RCC. Stating that RC schools, parishes and hospitals are financially independent!]  
   TMJ4, By Tom Murray, ~ January 05, 2011
   MILWAUKEE (WI) - John Marek, treasurer and chief financial officer for the archdiocese, testified about the organization's finances. He said Catholic schools, parishes and hospitals are independent and are not part of archdiocese finances.
   David Leibowitz, an attorney representing clergy abuse victims, told TODAY'S TMJ4 after the hearing that victims may argue schools, parishes and charities should be included in the assets.
   "Certain things like this have come up in other archdiocesan cases in other parts of the country, so I would not be surprised to see that happen here," Leibowitz said.
   A judge may determine how much those victims are paid and the scope of archdiocese assets will impact the amount received. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 9:22 PM
   [COMMENT: The judges would be rather "green" if they accepted the specious argument that the various arms of the RCC are financially independent.  Still, judges accepted slavery for a long time, in spite of the U.S. Constitition saying that all men (and women understood) had the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  Oh, beg pardon.  The Webmaster forgot the unwritten part - "unless you are an American Indian or an African slave, etc." ENDS.]

• Victims group pushes support for archbishop off Web

  [2011 Freedom of speech attacked by victims' group -NEW*]  
   The Globe and Mail, ROBERT MATAS, From Thursday's Globe and Mail, ~ Jan 05, 2011
   VANCOUVER, CANADA – A U.S.-based victims group has successfully appealed to Canadian religious leaders to stop a Vancouver parish from soliciting support for an archbishop in Canada charged with sexual assault.
   However, a move to close down the parish's Web-based fundraising campaign was not enough, Cappy Larson, a spokesperson for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said Wednesday in an interview from San Francisco.
   The leadership of the Orthodox Church in America's Canadian archdiocese should take the next step and make a genuine effort to reach out to victims, said Ms. Larson, whose group claims more than 10,000 members, including hundreds in Canada. "They are just trying to protect themselves. They knew the parish could be a problem for them." Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 9:11 PM

• Former pastor found guilty of sexual abuse

  [2010 June-September. Ex-Pastor Daniel Monk -? NEW* (47). Pentecostal. Girl (16)]  
   Newark Advocate, Written by JESSIE BALMERT, Jan 05, 2011
   NEWARK (OH) - Despite attempts to delay, a 47-year-old former pastor was found guilty Wednesday of having sex with a 16-year-old congregant.
   Daniel L. Monk, last known address 1025 Kelly Drive, Hebron, pleaded no contest and was found guilty of two counts of sexual battery, each a third-degree felony, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a first-degree misdemeanor. He could face up to 10 years in prison and a $21,000 fine for the offenses.
   Between June and September, Monk had sex with a 16-year-old girl who was a congregant at Soul's Harbor Pentecostal Church, 12180 Lancaster St., Millersport, at her Hebron residence, Licking County Assistant Prosecutor Dan Huston said. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 2:12 PM]

• Canada child sex priest Eric Dejaeger held in Belgium

  [~ 1970s Fr Eric Dejaeger (63) -? NEW*. "Christian." Inuit (i.e., Eskimo) children.]    
   BBC News, ~ Jan 05, 2011
   BELGIUM / CANADA - Belgian authorities are seeking to expel a Canadian priest accused of sexually abusing Inuit children.
   The Reverend Eric Dejaeger, a Belgian native, is wanted in Canada on warrants involving alleged crimes against Inuit children more than 30 years ago.
   Father Dejaeger, a 63-year-old Canadian citizen, was arrested and charged in Belgium with overstaying a visa. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 9:18 PM

• Canadian priest arrested

  [~ 1970s Eric Dejaeger* (63). "Christian." Inuit (i.e., Eskimo) children.]    
   Toronto Sun,
   CANADA / BELGIUM - Belgian media is reporting a priest wanted by Nunavut authorities for allegedly abusing Inuit children in Canada's North was arrested Monday in Bruges.
   Igloolik authorities and Interpol issued an arrest warrant in 2002 for Eric Dejaeger, a 63-year-old Belgium native also has Canadian citizenship, for "crimes against children."
   Dejaeger is accused of abusing children in Igloolik, a remote settlement in Nunavut. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 9:14 PM

• The Evolution of the Sex Abuse Scandal: A Multiplication of Wrongs

   
   UNITED STATES Catholic Culture
   By Christopher Mirus | January 05, 2011
   It will be interesting to see what turn the sex abuse scandal will take now that stories are emerging which provide a more comprehensive view of the interpretive possibilities, not of abuse itself but of its aftermath.
   For example, there may be an alternative to Diocesan bankruptcy in the wake of a continuous stream of abuse allegations. In the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, , there is an ongoing lawsuit with an insurance carrier to try to make the insurance carrier cover the claims (as one would ordinarily expect that it would). How this will play out should be very interesting. While courts have held in some instances that insurance carriers are not liable for sexual abuse damages, this is by no means a foregone conclusion. Undoubtedly attitudes toward the Catholic Church will play a role in the ultimate decisions, but the avenue is worth pursuing to protect Church assets for the Church's own mission.
   Even more interesting are two recent stories which suggest that there is far more at work in the financial dispositions following the scandal than immediately meets the eye. Nobody with any experience of the ridiculous settlements attendant upon lawsuits in America will be surprised by this. But just this week, one attorney in California filed a report to the effect that a huge number of sex abuse complaints are fraudulent and, in fact, have been triggered by the easy money to be had from an institution which is generally disliked by those who sit in judgment (see False abuse accusations against priests common, lawyer argues). Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 9:08 PM

• Group decries website that appeared to help raise funds for charged bishop

  [Archbishop Storheim. Orthodox.]  
   Winnipeg Free Press, By Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press,
   CALGARY, CANADA - A victims' advocacy group is upset that an Orthodox parish in Vancouver appeared to be using its website to help raise funds for an archbishop who is accused of molesting children.
   Kenneth William Storheim, who headed the Canadian archdiocese of the Orthodox Church in America, was charged in late November with "historical" assaults on two individuals in Winnipeg and then given a three-month leave of absence from his position.
   Police had been investigating the case since June. Storheim, who is 64, has denied any wrongdoing through his lawyer.
   The national arm of the church has a directive on its website that says any fundraising for the archbishop is to be done privately and church resources are not to be used. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 9:06 PM

• Archbishop of Boston to meet victims of clerical sex abuse during Irish visit

       
   The Irish Times, PAMELA DUNCAN,
   IRELAND - VICTIMS OF clerical abuse in the Dublin diocese will meet the Archbishop of Boston in the coming months as part of the work of a delegation sent to Ireland by Pope Benedict.
   Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said Cardinal Seán OMalley had already visited Dublin at the beginning of December and would be returning this month and next month when he would mainly be meeting victims of clerical abuse in Ireland.
   Cardinal Seán Brady said the former archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-OConnor, had visited the archdiocese of Armagh before Christmas. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 7:52 PM

• Motions fly in Bishop Eddie Long case

  [2000s "Bishop" Eddie Long* (married, 4 children). "New Birth Missionary Baptist" megachurch. Anti-homosexual negro leader. (Rev Martin L. King Jr's daughter is a pastor at Atlanta.) 4 youths.]  [Matrix Capital. Pay $1500 to cheapen mortgage -> evictions.]    
   The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, By Shelia M. Poole,
   GEORGIA - Lawyers for both sides in the sexual misconduct case against Bishop Eddie Long continue to wrangle over the deposition schedule.
   Judge Johnny Panos last month signed an order requiring all parties to agree on a mediator no later than Jan. 31 or the court would appoint one. Mediation of the case would begin during the week of Feb 14, according to the order.
   Now at issue is who will give a sworn deposition first. Lawyers for the defendants requested the men, who have accused Long of using his influence, trips and gifts to entice them into sexual relationships, be deposed first. But B.J. Bernstein, who represents the plaintiffs, wants Long and church members to also be deposed early in the process.
   "We just want a fair and balanced deposition schedule," Bernstein said Wednesday "Not just one side." Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 7:49 PM

• No bishops were harmed in the bankrupting of this Archdiocese

 
   MILWAUKEE (WI) The Provincial Emails
   My temptation is to ask how our Archdiocese of Milwaukee can be filing for bankruptcy (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, New York Times) when only weeks ago Bishop Richard Sklba said in the print version of this Catholic Herald interview,
   "My temptation is to say 'Tell me what we did wrong.' In that time and place. 'Tell me what we did wrong,'" he said.
   His claim is that our Archdiocese's handling of abuse cases was state of the art, and those who say otherwise are unfairly applying hindsight.
   I assume his challenge to be told otherwise was not merely rhetorical. Peter Isely and Jim Smith in The Sexual Abuse of Children in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee include this case.
   It was an "open secret" that Fr. Dennis Pecore, a priest with the Society of the Divine Savior religious order who was assigned to Milwaukee's Mother of Good Counsel parish and grade school, was sexually abusing boys at the parish and the school. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 7:43 PM

• Pedofiele priester naar De Refuge gebracht

  [~ 1970s Eric Dejaeger* (63) (Oblate). RCC. Inuit (i.e., Eskimo) children.]    
   RKnieuws,
   BRUSSEL, BELGIE / CANADA (RKnieuws.net) - De pedofiele pater Eric Dejaeger uit Roeselare, die verbleef bij de paters Oblaten in Blanden bij Leuven, is opgepakt. Hij is overgebracht naar de gesloten instelling De Refuge in Brugge, in afwachting van zijn gedwongen uitwijzing naar Canada.
   Daar was Dejaeger, die ook de Canadese nationaliteit heeft, sinds de jaren 70 missionaris. Hij werd er veroordeeld omdat hij verschillende Eskimo-kinderen had misbruikt. Na nieuwe klachten vluchtte hij in de jaren 90 naar België, met een onrechtmatig verkregen paspoort. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 7:39 PM

• Man accused of child sex abuse suspended

  [Cimmino -NEW*]  
   Braintree Forum, Wicked Local Braintree, By Robert Aicardi, Posted Jan 05, 2011
   BRAINTREE (MA) – The Boy Scouts of America and the Archdiocese of Boston have suspended a volunteer Braintree reident who is accused of sexually abusing a child.
   Michael J. Cimmino, 54, of 400 Commercial St. was arrested on the afternoon of Jan. 1 after police investigated a report from a minor child known to Cimmino that he was touched inappropriately while at Cimmino's home shortly before the disclosure, Deputy Chief Russell Jenkins said.
   When Cimmino was arraigned in Quincy District Court on Jan. 3, he pleaded innocent to eight counts of indecent assault and battery on a person under the age of 14 and single counts of assault with intent to rape a child and kidnapping. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 7:36 PM

• Retired Episcopal priest charged with sexual abuse

  [Belcher ?NEW*. Episcopalian. Child.]
   NECN,
   BALTIMORE, MARYLAND (AP) – Episcopal Church and Montana officials say a retired priest is facing child sexual abuse charges and is awaiting extradition to Maryland.
   The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland issued a statement Wednesday saying the Rev. Donald Belcher, who now lives in Yaak, Mont., had been indicted by a Maryland grand jury on child sexual abuse charges.
   Crystal Byington, deputy court clerk in Lincoln County, Mont., said Belcher appeared in court Dec. 29 on a Maryland extradition warrant for a sexual assault charge. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 7:33 PM

• Former Harford priest indicted for child sex abuse

 
   MARYLAND Baltimore Sun
   A priest who served as vicar of a Harford County church from 2001 to 2007 has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of child sexual abuse, the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland said Wednesday.
   The church has initiated the process of barring the Rev. Donald Belcher from exercising any priestly functions, the diocese said. The church has opened an investigation to determine whether the allegations are true and to determine whether pastoral care is needed for victims.
   Belcher, 82, served as vicar of the Church of the Holy Cross in Street from 2001 to 2007, according to the diocese. He was ordained in Montana in 1997 and served parishes there before coming to Maryland. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 7:30 PM

• Rik Torfs niet mals voor commissie Seksueel Misbruik

   
   De Standaard,
   BELGIE - Senator Rik Torfs verwijt sommige leden van de bijzondere Kamercommissie Seksueel Misbruik dat ze handelen uit 'profileringsdrang' en 'persoonlijke rancune'.
   Dat zegt hij in een interview met het blad Kerk & Leven. 'Sommigen gedragen zich als echte inquisiteurs. (…) Er zijn leden die een eigen agenda nastreven en die de waarheid ondergeschikt vinden aan hun persoonlijke rancune', zegt Torfs.
   'Een commissie kan slechts functioneren als er haast klinisch wordt nagegaan wat er aan de hand is, anders is het beter de reguliere rechtbanken hun werk te laten doen.' Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 4:37 PM

• Vlaamse katholieken vinden Léonard ongeschikt als aartsbisschop

 
   De Standaard,
   BELGIE - Drie vierde van de Vlamingen vindt André Léonard ongeschikt als aartsbisschop. Dat blijkt uit een enquête van het vtm-magazine Telefacts (iVox). Ook het vertrouwen in de kerk zit op een absoluut dieptepunt.
   Op de vraag of Léonard het seksueel misbruik in de kerk goed heeft aangepakt, is de Vlaming vernietigend, 84 pct vindt van niet. Meer dan drie kwart (77.3 procent) van de overtuigd katholieke Vlamingen vindt Léonard bovendien niet geschikt als aartsbisschop. 78 procent van de wekelijkse kerkgangers is van oordeel dat Godfried Danneels een betere aartsbisschop was dan Léonard.
   Ook het vertrouwen in de kerk zit op een absoluut dieptepunt, blijkt uit het onderzoek. Slechts 10 procent van de Vlamingen noemt zich nog overtuigd katholiek, maar slechts 6 procent gaat wekelijks naar de kerk. Meer dan drie kwart van de Vlamingen heeft geen vertrouwen meer in de katholieke kerk. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 4:33 PM

• Milwaukee Archdiocese files for bankruptcy protection over abuse claims

   
   Catholic News Service, By Brian T. Olszewski, Catholic News Service
   ST. FRANCIS, WISCONSIN (CNS) -- A year to the day after his installation as the 11th archbishop of Milwaukee, Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki announced Jan. 4 that he had directed archdiocesan attorneys "to file a petition for a Chapter 11 reorganization of its financial affairs under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code."
   Milwaukee is the largest archdiocese to file for Chapter 11. The Archdiocese of Portland, Ore., with approximately 390,000 Catholics, filed for bankruptcy in July 2004. In February 2007, the Diocese of San Diego, with nearly 900,000 Catholics, filed for Chapter 11 protection.
   The archbishop said in a letter to the Catholic community and at a news conference at archdiocesan headquarters in St. Francis that Chapter 11 reorganization is the best way to achieve two goals. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 4:28 PM
   [COMMENT:  REORGANISE? But, surely if the successors of the Apostles have been in charge of the Milwaukee archdiocese ever since it was founded, no reorganisation would be necessary, would it?  Isn't that what being under the guidance of the Holy Spirit means? ENDS.]

• Pedophile Priest Who Escaped Authorities Dies In Martinique

  [1960s-70s Fr Laurence (or F.X.) Brett. RCC. Students.]      
   The Hartford Courant, By Dave Altimari, daltimar@courant.com , 2:37 p.m. EST, January 5, 2011
   CONNECTICUT - Former Bridgeport priest Laurence F.X. Brett, one of the most notorious pedophiles uncovered during the priest-abuse scandal, has died on the French island of Martinique, where he apparently has been living under an alias for the past several years.
   While the details surrounding Brett's death are sketchy, a French newspaper confirmed through government officials that Brett died on Christmas day. He was 73.
   Brett was living in an apartment and apparently fell down the stairs and hit his head, according to a friend of his who contacted The Courant. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 4:24 PM

• Bucks man who stole more than $100,000 from archdiocese to be sentenced

  [McDonnell -? NEW*]   
   The Trentonian By ARTEMIS COUGHLAN, Staff Writer
   DOYLESTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA - Sentencing is set for tomorrow for the Bucks County social worker who said he stole $100,000 from the Catholic church because he was abused by a priest as a boy and needed the money to buy implants for his girlfriend's breasts.
   Michael W. McDonnell, 42, of Bristol, Pa., pleaded guilty in October to charges including theft, receiving stolen property, forgery, criminal use of a communications facility and bad checks, according to the website of Bucks Court of Common Pleas.
   Before pleading out, McDonnell intended to argue that he was mentally ill because of abuse by some pedophile priest. McDonnell worked for the Philadephia Archdiocese for years as the coordinator of the Bucks County Council on Alcoholism. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 4:19 PM

• Grecco needn't appear: judge

   
   The Intelligencer, By Jason Miller,
   CANADA - An area judge has questioned why the Crown is seeking to bring a convicted child molester back to the Quinte region when had already served time for his bail violation.
   Former Roman Catholic priest Donald Grecco, who is currently serving an 18-month jail term after he was sentenced by a Hamilton judge in December, was not present in Picton court Wednesday when Justice Geoff Griffin addressed the bail violation.
   Grecco was scheduled Wednesday to appear in the Picton provincial court for breaching his residency requirements while he was released on bail on the child molestation charges. He was ordered to remain at a Prince Edward County address to await his sentencing after he pleaded guilty in March to three counts of gross indecency. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 4:13 PM

• San Jose Minister Arrested On Molestation Charges

   
   Fox Reno,
   SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A volunteer youth minister from San Jose was in a Las Vegas jail Tuesday night after being arrested for reportedly molesting two young boys.
   Robert Michael Klatt, 32, worked with junior-high-school aged boys at a San Jose church.
   Investigators charged him with "lewd and lascivious acts with a minor" involving two boys from the youth group. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 2:46 PM

• Catholics Respond To Bankruptcy

 
   WTMJ By Charles Benson
   OAK CREEK, WISCONSIN - Archbishop Listecki tells TODAYS TMJ4 the bankruptcy filing won't impact Catholic schools, churches, hospitals and charities. They're legally independent.
   But Catholics worry about what the bankruptcy will mean to them. Some hope it will help make the church stronger in the future while others blames the past. Parishioners at Saint Stephen's in Oak Creek were surprised but not shaken by the bankruptcy news. Pat Kunde is a life long catholic Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 2:43 PM

• Del. priest abuse lawsuit settled for $1.7 million

 
   NECN,
   WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) – A Delaware man has reached a $1.7 million settlement in church sexual abuse case.
   Attorneys for Joseph Curry announced the settlement Wednesday. Joseph Curry claimed he was abused for several years in the 1980s by the late Rev. Edward Carley at St. Dennis' Church in Galena, Md. The parish is part of the Diocese of Wilmington, which publicly identified Carley in 2005 as a priest who had sexually abused children.
   Opening statements in the trial of Curry's lawsuit against the parish had been scheduled for Wednesday. Curry also sued the diocese, but that portion of the lawsuit was delayed after the diocese declared bankruptcy. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 2:39 PM

• Milwaukee Archdiocese Files For Bankruptcy Over Child Sex Abuse Lawsuits

 
   Lez Get Real, by Bridgette P. LaVictoire, Jan/06/11
   UNITED STATES - The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is seeking bankruptcy protection over pending lawsuits regarding the sexual abuse of children by priests whose crimes were later covered up by the Church. It is feared that this filing may be little more than a delaying tactic, according to the lawyer who filed many of the suits, and that this is a way to avoid opening its records for public scrutiny. This tactic has been used in other locations to do just that. Archbishop Jerome Listecki, however, feels that the bankruptcy protection will allow the church to continue its work while making sure that other victims receive their compensation. He also expressed deep shame over the abuse.
   Listecki has said:
   "In my installation homily on Jan. 4, 2010, I spoke of the devastation of sin and its effect on us personally and as a community. We see the result of that sin today. This action is occurring because priest-perpetrators sexually abused minors, going against everything the church and the priesthood represents."
   It has been pointed out that many within the hierarchy, and especially Pope Benedict, have spent almost no time with the victims of abuse, and that they continue to cover up the crimes of priests who molest children often with abrupt movement of priests from one assignment to another. In Ireland, the Vatican pushed to have the names of child molesting priests expunged from various reports. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 2:36 PM

• Church relieved by priest's return

   
   COLORADO - Highlands Ranch Herald By Peter Jones Published: Jan.05.11
   South metro area Catholics are rejoicing at news that a priest who served for nine years at St. Thomas More Church in Centennial has been cleared of sexual abuse charges by the Denver Archdiocese.
   Father Mel Thompson, St. Thomas More's assistant pastor, was removed from service last April one day after an unnamed man alleged that the priest had abused him at an undisclosed church in the mid-1970s.
   The Archdiocese referred the matter to Denver police, but no criminal investigation was launched due to the statute of limitations. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 2:32 PM

• Le prêtre pédophile Eric Dejaeger a été interpellé

  [~ 1970s Eric Dejaeger* (63) (Oblate). RCC. Inuit (i.e., Eskimo) children.]    
   7Sur7,
   BELGIQUE - Eric Dejaeger, un prêtre suspecté d'avoir commis des abus sexuels sur des enfants au Canada, a été interpellé lundi par la police belge.
   Le suspect qui possède maintenant la nationalité canadienne, a été transféré au centre fermé pour réfugiés de Bruges, indique P-Magazine mercredi sur son site internet."Dejaeger a été enfermé à Bruges dans l'attente de son rapatriement au Canada", a indiqué une porte-parole de l'Office des étrangers, à P-Magazine. Cette arrestation ne serait pas liée au mandat d'arrêt à son encontre au Canada.
   Fuite
   Eric Dejaeger, originaire de Roulers, était parti dans les années '70 au Canada. Il a été condamné le 5 avril 1990 à cinq ans de prison pour le viol de huit enfants inuits. L'homme a passé quelques mois en prison et immédiatement après sa libération conditionnelle, il a récidivé. Les Pères Oblats en Flandre ont fait en sorte qu'il puisse fuir le Canada. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 2:30 PM

• Pedofiele priester Eric Dejaeger zit in gesloten illegalencentrum Brugge

  [~ 1970s Eric Dejaeger* (63) (Oblate). RCC. Inuit (i.e., Eskimo) children.]
   De Morgen,
   BELGIE - Eric Dejaeger, de pedofiele priester die in Canada verdacht wordt van het seksueel misbruik van eskimokinderen, is maandag opgepakt door de politie. Dejaeger, inmiddels Canadees, is overgebracht naar een gesloten instelling voor vreemdelingen in Brugge, omdat hij illegaal in ons land verblijft. Dat bericht P-Magazine op zijn website.
   "Dejaeger werd in Brugge opgesloten met oog op zijn repatriëring naar Canada", zei Katrien Jansseune, de woordvoerster van de Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken, aan P-Magazine. De arrestatie zou los staan van het aanhoudingsbevel van Canada.
   De pater-oblaat ging in de jaren 70 naar Canada om er eskimo's te bekeren tot het christendom. Hij vergreep er zich aan acht kinderen, waarna hij in april 1990 veroordeeld werd tot vijf jaar cel. Nadat er zich begin 1995 negen nieuwe slachtoffers meldden, vluchtte hij terug naar België. In 2001 verspreidde Interpol een eerste opsporingsbericht, maar omdat Dejaeger de Belgische nationaliteit had, kwam het nooit tot een uitlevering. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 2:27 PM

• Pedofiele pater opgepakt met oog op uitwijzing

  [~ 1970s Eric Dejaeger* (63) (Oblate). RCC. Inuit (i.e., Eskimo) children.]
   Knack,
   BELGIE - Eric Dejaeger, de pedofiele pater die in Canada verdacht wordt van het seksueel misbruik van eskimokinderen, is opgesloten in een gesloten instelling voor vreemdelingen in Brugge in afwachting van zijn repatriëring naar Canada.
   Dat zegt de woordvoerster van de Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken in het recentste nummer van P-Magazine.
   De pater heeft in Canada verschillende kinderen misbruikt toen hij daar als missionaris werkte. In 1990 werd hij daarvoor veroordeeld tot vijf jaar cel, waarvan hij maar anderhalf jaar moest uitzitten. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 2:25 PM

• Canadian priest wanted on child-sex charges detained in Belgium

  [~ 1970s Eric Dejaeger* (63) (Oblate Father). Roman Catholic. Inuit (i.e., Eskimo) children.]
   The Globe and Mail,
   CANADA / BELGIUM - Belgian officials say they plan to expel a Canadian priest facing sex charges involving Inuit children in Nunavut.
   Eric Dejaeger remains wanted in Canada on warrants issued in 2002 for alleged sex crimes in Igloolik about 30 years ago.
   Mr. Dejaeger was originally Belgian, but took out Canadian citizenship in 1994. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 2:23 PM

• Belgian police arrest Father Eric Dejaeger

  [~ 1970s Eric Dejaeger* (63) (Oblate Father). Roman Catholic. Inuit (i.e., Eskimo) children.]
   Nunatsiaq News,
   CANADA / BELGIUM - Police in Belgium arrested Father Eric Dejaeger Jan. 3 and will hold him at a facility in the city of Bruges pending an immigration hearing, Joris van der Aa, a Belgian crime journalist, reported in his blog Jan. 5.
   Dejaeger, 63, who worked as an Oblate missionary in Igloolik and Baker Lake between the late 1970s and the early 1990s, still faces six sex charges related to the sexual molestation of Inuit children in incidents alleged to have occurred in Igloolik in the early 1980s.
   The Igloolik allegations were investigated by RCMP Cpl. Tom Power in 1993 and 1994, but Dejaeger never appeared in court to face the charges. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 2:20 PM

• Fugitive Canadian priest in Belgian custody

  [~ 1970s Eric Dejaeger* (63) (Oblate). RCC. Inuit (i.e., Eskimo) children.]    
   CBC,
   CANADA / BELGIUM - A Canadian Catholic priest who is wanted on charges of sex crimes against children has been taken into custody in Belgium, where he has been living for over 15 years.
   Rev. Eric Dejaeger, 63, was detained this week because he has overstayed his legal residency in Belgium, an official from the Belgian Foreign Affairs Ministry told CBC News on Wednesday.
   Dejaeger is on Interpol's list of wanted fugitives based on an arrest warrant issued by the Nunavut Court of Justice in 2002. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 2:16 PM

• Md. parish, Del. priest abuse victim reach $1.7 million settlement

  [Curry. RCC.]  
   The News Journal, By SEAN O'SULLIVAN, January 5, 2011
   WILMINGTON, MARYLAND / DELAWARE – A small Maryland parish that is a part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington has settled with priest abuse victim Joseph Curry for $1.7 million.
   Curry's attorney Tom Crumplar announced the settlement in a statement today, adding that Curry has agreed to defer accepting $1.63 million of the settlement to give the Diocese of Wilmington time to set up a fund to compensate all survivors as part of a revised bankruptcy plan.
   However, Crumplar said if the diocese does not "do the right thing" and live up to a previous promise to pay all victims an average of $1.2 million, he will "execute on the judgment and sell the parish for the remaining $1.35 million" in addition to any award he may get from his parallel claims against the diocese in bankruptcy court. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 2:09 PM

• Pope John Paul II Closer to Sainthood, Though Sex Abuse Critics Disagree

   
   Politics Daily David Gibson
   VATICAN CITY - Vatican experts have attributed a miraculous healing to the intercession of the late Pope John Paul II, a ruling that appears to push the beloved Polish pontiff a crucial step closer to sainthood even as criticisms of his lengthy reign have mounted since his death in 2005.
   A leading Vatican-watcher, Andrea Tornielli of the Italian daily Il Giornale, reported this week that medical and theological experts with the Vatican congregation charged with overseeing the canonization process have affirmed that a French nun was cured of Parkinson's disease -- an affliction similar to the one that claimed John Paul's life -- and there was no medical explanation.
   The experts at the Congregation for the Causes of Saints determined that the cure was a miracle and resulted from the nun's prayers for the intercession of John Paul. Cardinals and bishops on the committee are to meet in mid-January to vote on the report from the experts before sending it to Pope Benedict XVI for final approval, and no delay is expected. Church policy decrees that two verified miracles are required before someone's sainthood is formally confirmed. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 2:05 PM

• Milwaukee eighth diocese to file for bankruptcy

  [8th RC diocese seeks protection of civil law. Fraud by leaders likely cause.]
   National Catholic Reporter (USA), By Tom Roberts, Jan. 05, 2011
   MILWAUKEE (WI) - The Archdiocese of Milwaukee Jan. 4 became the eighth U.S. diocese to file for bankruptcy, claiming financial hardship because of payouts to people claiming to have been sexually abused by priests as children.
   Archbishop Jerome Listecki made the announcement a year to the day following his installation as head of the country's 21st largest diocese, with some 640,000 Catholics. Listecki, who said the move was necessary so that the church could continue to function while negotiating with alleged victims, recalled his installation homily.
   "I spoke of the devastation of sin and its effect on us personally and as a community. We see the result of that sin today," he said. "This action is occurring because priest-perpetrators sexually abused minors, going against everything the church and the priesthood represents."
   Atty. Jeffrey Anderson, who represents plaintiffs in some of the cases, disputes the archdiocese's version of things. He said the action was taken to place a hold on fraud cases that were advancing. Anderson said he was scheduled to take a deposition tomorrow of retired Bishop Richard Sklba, who was described by former Archbishop Rembert Weakland as has "go-to guy" in matters of clergy sex abuse. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 11:33 AM

• Twenty-one US bishops could retire for age reasons in 2011

 
   UNITED STATES Catholic News Service
   By Nancy Frazier O'Brien Catholic News Service
   WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Five U.S. cardinals and 16 other U.S. bishops could retire because of age this year.
   There are 12 active U.S. bishops, including three cardinals, who have already turned 75. Two cardinals and seven other bishops will celebrate their 75th birthday in 2011.
   At age 75, bishops are requested to submit their resignation to the pope.
   Cardinal Bernard F. Law, archpriest of St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome and a cardinal since 1985, turned 75 Nov. 4, 2006. A former bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Mo., he was archbishop of Boston from 1984 until his resignation from that post in 2002 in the wake of controversy over his handling of cases of clergy sex abuse there. He was named to his Rome post in 2004. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 11:00 AM

• Priest, Professor Calls Archdiocese Bankruptcy "Watershed Moment"

 
   MILWAUKEE (WI) Milwaukee Public Radio
   { with audio}
   By Bob Bach January 5, 2011 | WUWM | Milwaukee, WI
   The Milwaukee Archdiocese has filed for bankruptcy reorganiziation. Archbishop Jerome Listecki says the move is necessary to fairly compensate victims of past clergy abuse while the church continues its mission. Marquette University Professor Fr. Steven Avella says he was saddened to hear the news yesterday. He spoke with WUWM's Bob Bach. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 10:23 AM

• Assualt Survivors Network, SNAP, hits Milwaukee archdiocese Chapter 11

 
   MILWAUKEE (WI) Veterans Today
   Statement by David Clohessy, SNAP director: It's always distressing when supposed 'shepherds' act like callous CEOs.
   This is about protecting church secrets, not church assets. The goal here is to prevent top church managers from being questioned under oath about their complicity, not 'compensating victims fairly.'
   Under this scheme, Listecki, Sklba and Weakland win and Catholics, citizens, parents, victims and kids lose. The three prelates win because they dodge embarrassing depositions and courtroom cross-examinations that reveal just how corrupt they are. Everyone else loses because the identities and misdeeds of men who ignored and hid child sex crimes remain hidden.
   It's a victory for those who value recklessness and selfishness and a loss for those who value honesty and safety. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 10:17 AM

• With "bankruptcy" gambit, Listecki launches last ditch effort to shield Sklba, church sex abuse secrets

 
   MN SNAP, Statement by Peter Isely, SNAP Midwest Director, 414.429.7259,
   MILWAUKEE (WI) - As anticipated and scripted, Archbishop Jerome Listecki of Milwaukee today announced he will try to argue before a federal judge that the archdiocese is somehow bankrupt, although no judgments have been made against it, no debt declared, and no trials scheduled. Why, then, is Listecki saying the archdiocese is bankrupt and, apparently, fully guilty of the fraud they are being sued for? One has to go no further then to see whose deposition was scheduled for this month and now, because of Listecki's announcement, postponed indefinitely into a legal quagmire.
   The deposition, of course, is of bishop Richard Sklba. Sklba has already been directly identified, in the cases where church documents have been court ordered for release, literally driving the getaway car for some of the archdiocese's most notorious sex offenders, including Fr. Lawrence Murphy, who abused some 200 deaf boys at St. John's School for the Deaf.
   Indeed, Sklba, according to former archbishop Rembert Weakland, was the "go to guy" on the abuse cover up for at least two decades. It was Sklba who kept victims quiet, misled authorities, and moved sex offending priests into new assignments. In other words, it is Sklba, even more than Weakland, who has the all the damaging details concerning the pattern and practice of fraud and cover up. It is Sklba who was dispatched to parishes and schools to scheme with other clerics as to what to do with the child molester in the rectory. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 9:44 AM

!!!: Belgian man alleges abuse by nuns at foster home

  [RCC]  
   Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests Statement by Lieve Halsberghe, SNAP Belgium Leader, +32 475 910 918 SNAPBelgium@gmail.com
   BELGIUM - Abuse by nuns is widely under-reported, so we applaud this brave man for stepping forward and disclosing his pain.
   Children in church-run and state-run institutions have been and are even more vulnerable than other children to predators.
   We hope other victims come forward, but not to Stella Maris or church officials, but to law enforcement. No institution can effectively police itself, least of all one associated with a rigid, ancient church hierarchy with a horrific track record of ignoring and concealing child sex crimes. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 9:13 AM

• Clergy sex victims challenge "Fr. Oprah" on abuse

  [~2007-2009 Feb.  2010 Ordained Espiscopalian. 2009-10 Married lady, expecting baby. 2010 BOOK. Fr Alberto Cutié / Cutie*. Ex-RCC, now Episcopalian. Audience was tens of millions. 2009 Feb Carousing with bikini-clad divorcee Ms Ruhama Canellis.]    
   Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, (314 566 9790, SNAPclohessy@aol.com),
   FLORIDA - We publicly challenge Cutie to share what he knows about corruption – sexual, financial and otherwise - with law enforcement, rather than just criticize hierarchy and walk away.
   It's easy, and smart marketing when promoting a book about your priesthood, to talk about sex and corruption in a huge, secretive institution. But talk doesn't protect kids, help police, expose wrongdoing, warn parents or stop misdeeds. Action protects kids.
   So we urge Cutie to share whatever he knows or suspects about clerical misconduct – however slight, old or seemingly insignificant – with law enforcement. That's a duty every one of us has. It's certainly a duty he, as a former church insider, had and still has. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 9:10 AM

• Judge reconsiders former Germantown youth pastor's sex offense probation

  [2001-02 Rev. Aaron Cote (59) (Dominican). RCC. Altar boy.]  
   Gazette, http://www.gazette.net/stories/01052011/gaitnew193646_32537.php , by Jen Bondeson | Staff Writer, ~ Jan 05, 2011
   MARYLAND - A judge has changed the terms of probation for a former Germantown youth pastor who was found guilty in 2009 of sexually abusing an altar boy, after prosecutors found the priest was not meeting the original terms.
   The Rev. Aaron Joseph Cote, 59, will now take polygraph tests. Montgomery County Circuit Court Associate Judge Louise Scrivener granted Maryland State Police the ability to issue the tests.
   During a Monday hearing, Assistant State's Attorney Karla Smith asked for the tests "for the protection of the community." Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 7:45 AM

• Beccles priest withdraws from ministry following allegation

  [(Benedictine)]  
   UNITED KINGDOM EDP 24 By Emily Dennis 10:56 AM Wednesday, 5 January, 2011
   A high-profile priest in Beccles has withdrawn from all active ministry work following an allegation, which is being investigated by police.
   Dom Antony Sutch, 60, a Benedictine monk and broadcaster, who was parish priest at St Benet's Church in the town, has returned to Downside Abbey, a Roman Catholic monastery, near Bath.
   Fr Sutch is a former headmaster of Downside School, an independent Catholic co-educational boarding and day school for pupils aged 11 to 18, and a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 7:42 AM

• Group: Ex-Rummel Teacher Has Long List Of Abuse

 
   LOUISIANA WDSU
   NEW ORLEANS -- A former Catholic high school teacher, who faces allegations of sexual abuse in four states, has a lengthy track record of assault, a group said.
   Bob Schwiderski, of the Minnesota's Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said he is familiar with Brother Raimond Rose, who taught at the Archbishop Rummel High School in Metairie.
   Schwiderski said at least 21 of Rose's former students from schools in California, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin have come forward accusing Rose of sexual molestation in claims that date as far back as 1966. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 7:39 AM

• Ook vrouw beticht zusters Stella Maris van misbruik

  [Stella Maris. RCC.]  
   De Morgen,
   BELGIE - Nadat twee mannen de voorbije dagen al in de openheid traden over seksueel misbruik in het voormalige Kortrijkse weeshuis Stella Maris, meldt Het Laatste Nieuws dat het ook weet heeft van een 64-jarig vrouwelijk slachtoffer dat aarzelt om naar de rechter te stappen.
   De Kortrijkse vrouw vertelde aan onze collega's dat ze op haar veertiende is lastiggevallen "door zuster P." tijdens de wekelijkse douchebeurten. De feiten dateren eveneens van begin jaren '60
   Zuster punaise De vrouw verbleef in Stella Maris met haar twee jaar jongere zus. "Mijn moeder had een ernstige besmettelijke ziekte en moest langdurig in therapie. Wij werden door de burgemeester geplaatst in het weeshuis in 1962. Ik heb er geen goede herinneringen aan overgehouden", zegt de vrouw. Vooral de wekelijkse douchebeurten zitten in haar geheugen gegrift. "Zuster P. -we noemden haar ook 'zuster punaise' omdat ze zo brutaal was- kwam ons elke vrijdag lastigvallen toen we een douche moesten nemen. We moesten ons uitkleden voor haar en ze wilde ons altijd wassen. Ze wreef dan op een ongezonde manier over onze intieme delen. Ze beleefde er zichtbaar zelf plezier aan. Ik was toen 14, mijn zus 12. We konden toen al best onszelf wassen." Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 7:34 AM

• Ook in Dinant wordt kindermisbruik door geestelijken onderzocht

 
   HLN,
   BELGIE - Het parket van Dinant heeft vanavond bevestigd op de hoogte te zijn van twee zaken die draaien rond kindermisbruik en geestelijken. De dossiers bevinden zich momenteel in het stadium van vooronderzoek. Volgens het parket hebben de betrokken mensen geen contact meer met kinderen.
   De Franstalige tv-zender RTL-TVi toonde vanavond de getuigenis van de 60-jarige Richard. Op tienjarige leeftijd zou de man in Yvoir (Namen) door nonnen misbruikt zijn geweest. De feiten zouden hebben plaatsgevonden in de school Notre-Dame de Lourdes tussen 1950 en 1953. Het misbruik vond plaats in de eetzaal.
   Op 18 oktober 2010 schreef Richard een brief aan aartsbisschop Léonard. Die antwoordde hem op 2 december dat hij zich moest richten tot het burgerlijk recht. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 7:28 AM

• Vaccine trial victims in court bid to lift veil on experiments

  [Orphanage children used as "guinea pigs" to text vaccine]    
   Irish Independent, By Patricia McDonagh, Tuesday January 04 2011
   IRELAND - VICTIMS of controversial vaccine trials are taking a High Court case to get confidential records on the medical experiments carried out on them as children in the care of the State.
   A Dublin-based solicitor is preparing the action on behalf of Mari Steed (50), now living in the US city of Philadelphia, and Christopher Kirwan (50), from Cork, the Irish Independent has learned.
   Vincent Shannon, of Shannons Solicitors, is planning to apply to the High Court for an order of discovery this month to acquire all the victims' documents from four organisations at the centre of the scandal. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 7:24 AM

• Sexuelle Gewalt in der Kirche: Verziehen, vergangen, vorüber?

  [RCC]    
   Die Presse, Gastkommentar,
   OSTERREICH - Unter den Lehrveranstaltungen, die ich in diesem Wintersemester an der Universität Graz anbiete, ist ein Seminar zum sexuellen Missbrauch von Kindern und Jugendlichen in der katholischen Kirche. Diese Lehrveranstaltung wird in englischer Sprache gehalten. Ich möchte die Studierenden dazu ermutigen und dabei unterstützen, wichtige Publikationen aus dem angloamerikanischen Raum, in dem der Missbrauchsskandal bisher am umfassendsten und kompetentesten analysiert und diskutiert wurde, in der Originalsprache zu lesen.
   In dem Seminar sitzen elf Studierende, neun davon sind Frauen. Einer der beiden (männlichen) Studenten ist ein katholischer Geistlicher aus Nigeria. Es nimmt kein einziger Priesterseminarist an der Lehrveranstaltung teil.
   „Nur durch die sorgfältige Prüfung der vielen Faktoren, die zum Entstehen der augenblicklichen Krise geführt haben", erklärte Papst Benedikt XVI. in seinem Hirtenbrief an die irischen Katholiken, „kann eine klare Diagnose ihrer Gründe unternommen und können wirkungsvolle Abhilfemaßnahmen gefunden werden." Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 7:21 AM

• Milwaukee Diocese Bankrupt over Sex Abuse Lawsuits : a content selection { United States}

   
   startpagina
   UNITED STATES - Compiled by drs. Pieter Schultz, information professional, web editor, theologian (master thesis: conflict & religion; point of view: social psychology)
   Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee
  

Fact Sheet on Documents and Files { US; Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee} http://alturl.com/8tcyy

Fact Sheet on Release of Perpetrator Names { US; Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee} http://alturl.com/b4287

Financial Overview { US; Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee} http://alturl.com/5dyj3 Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 7:18 AM

• Het misbruik ontwijdt de katholieke kerk

  [RCC]  
   Trouw
   NEDERLAND - Door de berichten over seksueel misbruik verliest de kerk haar heilig aureool. Wierook is niet meer alleen maar vroom.
   Van huis uit katholiek, en tegenwoordig post-katholiek, geen kerkganger, heb ik nog dat respect voor de cultuurschat: rituelen en symbolen, mij geschonken door 'onze moeder, de heilige kerk'. Helaas schonk zij, met klare wijn, ook droesem.
   Toen ik dezer dagen het zoveelste geruchtmakende seksschandaal las over een pastoor, lid van de orde der Salesianen – van de kindervriend Don Bosco – die jarenlang leerlingen heeft misbruikt, herinnerde ik mij eigen pijnlijke ervaringen; meer nog die van mijn broertje. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 7:15 AM

• 'Geen strengere wetten voor de kerk'

   
   RKnieuws
   BRUSSEL, BELGIE (RKnieuws.net) - 'De Bijzondere commissie seksueel misbruik focust nu sterk op de kerk, maar haar onderzoek moet zich ook meer verruimen naar andere beroepscategorieën. Volgens mij is het dringender te zoeken waar seksueel misbruik nu voorkomt. Het kan niet onze bedoeling zijn alleen aanbevelingen voor de kerk te formuleren om dan tot de vaststelling te komen dat er zich ernstige misdrijven afspelen in crèches, zoals onlangs in Amsterdam is gebleken. We mogen ons niet laten leiden door politieke spelletjes. Soms lijkt het erop dat niet de zwakste centraal staat, maar wel het beschadigen van de kerk".
   Dat zegt kamerlid Raf Terwingen (CD&V), lid van de betrokken commissie in een gesprek met het christelijk weekblad Tertio dat vandaag verschijnt. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 7:12 AM

• Bisdom in geldnood door misbruik

   
   Spits (Nederland)
   MILWAUKEE (WI) - Het aartsbisdom van Milwaukee in de Amerikaanse staat Wisconsin heeft uitstel van betaling aangevraagd. De kosten van de schadevergoedingen voor slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik lopen te snel op voor de kerk. Dat meldt The New York Times.
   Aartsbisschop Listecki meldt dat slachtoffers weer een schadevergoeding kunnen krijgen als het bisdom er financieel beter voor staat. Het bisdom heeft de afgelopen tijd dertig miljoen dollar uitgekeerd aan slachtoffers van misbruik vanwege enkele grote misbruikschandalen. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 7:10 AM

• 'Belgische nonnen zaten ook aan meisjes'

   
   De Telegraaf
   KORTRIJK, BELGIE - Nadat twee mannen de voorbije dagen al in de openbaarheid traden over seksueel misbruik in het voormalige Kortrijkse weeshuis Stella Maris, meldt Het Laatste Nieuws woensdag dat het ook weet heeft van een 64-jarig vrouwelijk slachtoffer dat aarzelt om naar de rechter te stappen.
   De Kortrijkse vrouw vertelde aan de redactie van de Belgische krant dat ze op haar veertiende is lastiggevallen „door zuster P." tijdens de wekelijkse douchebeurten. De veronderstelde feiten dateren eveneens van begin jaren 60.
   „Ze betastte mijn intieme delen. Ik durfde me niet te verzetten, want ik had schrik van haar", aldus het slachtoffer. „Die non probeerde ook mijn 12-jarige zusje aan te randen, maar zij weigerde de deur van de douche open te doen." Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 7:07 AM

• Archbishop Acknowledges Abuse Survivors' Concerns on Bankruptcy Filing

   
   WBAY, By Matt Smith
   {Video: Archbishop Addresses Concerns Over Bankruptcy}
   MILWAUKEE (WI) - In the holiest of places, the price of sin has carried its burden.
   "Many Catholics may feel disheartened or frustrated by this development," Archbishop Jerome Listecki said as he announced the archdiocese was filing for Chapter 11 reorganization on Tuesday.
   After spending millions of dollars, selling property, and liquidating its savings, the Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee says there's no more it can do to stay solvent in the face of claims that exceed the archdiocese's means. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 7:02 AM

• Obligations remain

 
   MILWAUKEE (WI) Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
   Given its financial constraints, the Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee's decision to file for bankruptcy protection was probably its best legal option. But it still has a moral obligation to victims and parishioners to be as forthcoming as possible about what happened.
   The financial reorganization of the archdiocese should not preclude a full accounting of the actions of those who molested children and of authorities in the archdiocese who may have covered up for or abetted the molesters. The reorganization also should do what it can to accord victims appropriate compensation.
   At the same time, the archdiocese and the courts should do what they can to make sure that Catholic parishes and schools are protected from this decision so that they can continue with their good works. Programs for the needy, teacher pensions and parish ministries should be protected from the consequences of the handful of priests and others who preyed on children. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 6:59 AM

• Catholic schools feel funds are safe from Chapter 11 filing

 
   MILWAUKEE (WI) Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
   By Amy Hetzner of the Journal Sentinel
   Jan. 4, 2011
   Falling enrollments and changing demographics have forced closures, mergers and increased reliance on parish funds for the survival of southeastern Wisconsin's Catholic elementary and secondary schools over the last decade.
   Now, the schools face more uncertainty with the archdiocese's filing on Tuesday for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.
   Archbishop Jerome Listecki said Tuesday that parishes and schools would not be affected by the legal maneuver, given their status as separate corporate entities. Even high schools with long-term leases on buildings owned by the archdiocese should not be affected, he said.
   However, courts in other states have split on whether individual parish and school property could be counted as part of their affiliated archdiocese's assets and liquidated in bankruptcy proceedings. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 6:56 AM

• Pursued by St. Paul attorney, Milwaukee Archdiocese files for bankruptcy protection

 
   MILWAUKEE (WI) KARE
   By Boyd Huppert MILWAUKEE, Wisc. - The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist has stood like a rock in Milwaukee for 150 years. But based on an announcement made Tuesday, its financial foundation is shaking.
   The Archdiocese is filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
   Jerome Listecki, the archbishop of Milwaukee, said the Archdiocese that is home to more than 160,000 Catholics can no longer remain solvent as it pays its obligations to clergy sex abuse victims.
   "Over the past 20 years we have spent more than 29 million dollars to cover costs associated with the tragedy," said Listecki. "Since 2002 we have sold property, liquidated savings and investments, eliminated ministries and services, cut archdiocesan staff by nearly 40 percent and put all available real estate on the market in order to free up resources." Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 6:53 AM

• Archdiocese of Milwaukee Files For Bankruptcy As a Result of Abuse Litigation

 
   MILWAUKEE (WI) JD Supra
   { with links to court documents}
   Contributor: Randall Reese netDockets.com
   SUMMARY: On Tuesday, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin became the latest in a string of Catholic Dioceses to file for chapter 11 protection as a result of costs associated with clergy abuse litigation. The Milwaukee Archdiocese was established in 1843 as a diocese (elevated to an archdiocese in 1875 by Pope Pius IX) and serves over 650,000 registered Catholics in its 4,750 square mile region. The Archdiocese also provides services to 210 parishes, 114 elementary and middle schools, 13 high schools, five colleges and nine hospitals located in its region. It employs over 175 people and has an annual operating budget of $24 million.
   Court filings assert that this bankruptcy is unique from other earlier-filed diocesan bankruptcies because of the legal organization of the parishes in the area. In earlier cases for Catholic dioceses in Spokane, Tuscon, Portland, San Diego and Fairbanks, the parishes were unincorporated associations existing as part of the diocese's civil corporation (meaning that the diocese held title to all of the parishes' property), which created a "central issue" in the bankruptcy cases of "whether property of the parishes was included within the diocese's bankruptcy estate." Court filings claim, in contrast, that the Milwaukee Archdiocese "does not hold title to any of the property" of parishes within its region. The parishes have not filed for bankruptcy protection. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 6:51 AM

• Attorney: Milwaukee archdiocese bankruptcy a cover-up plot

 
   MILWAUKEE (WI) WXOW
   MILWAUKEE (WXOW) -- An attorney representing alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse says he believes the Milwaukee archdiocese is filing for bankruptcy in order to protect secret files and delay pending lawsuits.
   The Milwaukee Archdiocese said Tuesday it had filed for bankruptcy protection because it cannot pay debts incurred in sexual-abuse lawsuits.
   Attorney Jeff Anderson of St. Paul, Minn., represents 23 people who are suing the archdiocese. He says the archdiocese is trying to protect the names of the priests and other church officials who covered up the crimes. Anderson says bankruptcy would allow the archdiocese to keep these names secret. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 6:44 AM

• Delaware Diocese to Raise Offer to Pay Victims to End Sexual Abuse Cases

 
   DELAWARE Bloomberg
   By Steven Church - Jan 4, 2011
   The Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, which oversees churches in Delaware and part of Maryland, will increase its offer to pay victims of sexual abuse by priests under a new plan to exit bankruptcy.
   The maximum payout would exceed $349,000, on average, for the 157 adults who claim to have been molested as children, church lawyer Anthony Flynn said in an interview today. The exact range will be disclosed next week when the diocese files a new reorganization plan, church attorney Robert Brady told the judge overseeing its bankruptcy in Wilmington, Delaware.
   "You can expect the average to be higher, much higher," Flynn said after the hearing. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 6:42 AM

• Milwaukee archdiocese declares bankruptcy and blames priest sexual predators

 
   MILWAUKEE (WI) Minneapolis City Pages
   By Hart Van Denburg, Tue., Jan. 4 2011
   ?The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has been beset in recent years by its connections to pedophile priests who sexually abused children left in their safe keeping. Now it's paying the price. Today, the archdiocese declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and flatly laid the blame for its predicament where it belongs: "This action is occurring because priest-perpetrators sexually abused minors."
   In one case, a diocese priest sexually abused about 200 boys at a suburban school for deaf students for 24 years, starting in 1950.
   The diocese has also created an entire section on its website devoted to dealing with the bankruptcy and its cause. The filing was the only way the archdiocese felt it could fairly address the unresolved claims of sex abuse victims, while at the same time keeping the doors open on ministries, service, parishes, schools, and charities. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 6:39 AM

• Priest sex abuse victim's lawyers claim most of his $900,000 settlement

 
   OREGON The Oregonian
   By Aimee Green, The Oregonian
   A man who was molested as a child by a Portland priest -- then secured a $900,000 settlement from the church -- has yet to see a penny more than seven years after the church paid out the money.
   In a lawsuit filed this week in Multnomah County Circuit Court, the man alleges that attorneys who represented him in the case managed to claim $877,000 of the settlement, leaving him with no more than $23,000. Yet the man, identified only by his initials, G.B., hasn't seen a check for any amount.
   According to the suit, G.B. has been living off $400 to $500 a month in Social Security disability payments. Little else has been disclosed about G.B., other than he's suffered a lifetime of damage because of the abuse, which occurred while he was a student at All Saints School in Northeast Portland by the Rev. Thomas Laughlin. Laughlin was kicked out of the priesthood in 1983 after being convicted of molesting boys. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 6:36 AM

• Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese Files for Banruptcy

 
   Milwaukee Public Radio, {with audio}, By Erin Toner | WUWM | January 5, 2011
   MILWAUKEE (WI) - The Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese announced Tuesday it will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. Officials say pending sexual abuse lawsuits have left the archdiocese with legal claims that exceed its means. As WUWM's Erin Toner reports, church leaders say the filing lays the groundwork for a new beginning.
   Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki said after careful consideration, planning and prayer, the archdiocese decided to take the drastic step of filing for Chapter 11. The announcement came on the one-year anniversary of Listecki's installation as the head of Milwaukee's Catholic Church.
   "In my installation homily on January 4, 2010, I spoke of the devastation of sin and its effect on us personally and as a community. We see the results of that sin today. This action is occurring because priest-perpetrators sexually abused minors, going against everything the church and the priesthood represents," Listecki says. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 6:34 AM

• US Archdiocese files for bankruptcy

 
   Times LIVE (South Africa),
   UNITED STATES - The US Roman Catholic archdiocese of Milwaukee has filed for bankruptcy protection to help it meet weighty financial obligations brought on by the child sex abuse scandal that has rocked the church for decades.
   Bankruptcy protection would allow the US midwestern archdiocese, where a priest has been accused of molesting hundreds of deaf boys from the 1950s to the 1970s, to "fairly and equitably fulfill obligations" to victims of abusive clergy and to parishioners, Archbishop Jerome Listecki said.
   The Wisconsin-based archdiocese will "use available funds to compensate victims with unresolved claims in a single process overseen by a court, ensuring that all are treated equitably," Listecki said. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 6:31 AM

• Clergy abuse in Delaware: Diocese says victims will be paid more

 
   The News Journal, By SEAN O'SULLIVAN, January 5, 2011
   WILMINGTON (DE) - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington will be submitting a new bankruptcy plan to a judge Monday that it is promising will be more generous to victims of sexual abuse by its priests.
   An attorney representing abuse victims, however, expressed skepticism, saying promises to be more generous to victims have been made in the past and have gone unfulfilled.
   The diocese's amended plan comes on the heels of a $3 million jury verdict last month against St. Elizabeth Parish in a case brought by John Vai. Attorneys said it was the first time a jury held an individual parish - not a diocese - responsible for the actions of a pedophile priest. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 5, 2011 6:28 AM
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Wed January 05, 2011
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont180.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Thu January 06, 2011 edition:

• Archdiocese Bankruptcy Could Seal Documents

   
   TMJ4,
   MILWAUKEE (WI) - Michael Sneesby received a $75,000 settlement from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, but says what he really wants is personnel files on his alleged abuser Father Frederick Bistricky
   "These documents definitely could help," Sneesby said.
   The archdiocese says it filed for bankruptcy this week because it essentially ran out of money settling clergy abuse lawsuits. After the bankruptcy process, no more victims can sue. It will further limit access to archived paperwork. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 9:30 PM
   [COMMENT: Can these "bankrupt" dioceses delay paying their just dues until the Last Trumpet sounds?  "And they shall pay to the last farthing." (Yes, it's a Bible quote.  Sorry to keep bringing religion - real Jesus religion - into the comments about such "Christians."!) ENDS.]

• No charges for priest in Sitka computer incident

     
   KRBD, Ed Ronco, 06 Jan 2011
   SITKA, ALASKA - The former pastor of the Catholic Church in Sitka will not face criminal charges in connection to questionable material found on Parish computers in November.
   The Rev. Edmund Penisten was removed from his job as pastor of St. Gregory's Catholic Church in mid-November after software programs alerted church officials to possible pornographic material on computers at the Parish.
   Sitka police Lt. Barry Allen says investigators at a state-run computer forensics lab did not find anything on the hard drives that would warrant criminal charges. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 9:25 PM

• No charges files after computers seized from Sitka church

 
   News-Miner, The Associated Press, Fairbanks Daily News Miner
   SITKA, Alaska - Sitka police say an investigation of computers seized from St. Gregory's Catholic Church will result in no charges against a former priest.
   Lt. Barry Allen tells the Daily Sitka Sentinel that no material found on the computers would be deemed illegal. He says the case is closed.
   The Diocese of Juneau had called Sitka police when computer monitoring software alerted church officials to a possible child pornography offense. Sitka police seized the computers Nov. 16 and they were analyzed in Anchorage. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 9:22 PM

• Diocese decision to file for bankruptcy fraught with risks

   
   Green Bay Press-Gazette By Michael Louis Vinson, Gannett Wisconsin Media, January 6, 2011
   APPLETON, WISCONSIN – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay, facing civil lawsuits tied to sex abuse by a former priest, could follow the Archdiocese of Milwaukee's lead and file for bankruptcy protection to inoculate itself from bank-breaking damages.
   But the strategy is fraught with risks and could backfire, possibly inflicting a catastrophic toll on Catholic parishes, schools and hospitals throughout the Fox Valley.
   This week the Archdiocese of Milwaukee joined at least seven other U.S. Catholic dioceses in seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection amid fraud lawsuits fueled by sex abuse cover-ups. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 9:17 PM

• PETA offers to pay Milwaukee Archdiocese to "Go Vegan" with statue

 
   Fox 6 WITI-TV, Milwaukee
   MILWAUKEE (WI) – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is offering the Milwaukee Archdiocese cold hard cash to display its "Blessed Are the Merciful" statue. The statue depicts Jesus holding a lamb and has the inscription, "Blessed Are the Merciful - Go Vegan."
   In a letter to Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki, PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich cites the church's recent financial woes as a reason for the Milwaukee Archdiocese to accept the deal.
   "Factory farms and slaughterhouses are hell for animals," says Friedrich, a Roman Catholic. "We're asking the archbishop to do the Christian thing and encourage members of the archdiocese to live a healthier, more humane life and show the ultimate mercy to God's creations by going vegan." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:42 PM

• Defrocked priest who escaped law for years dies in Martinique

  [1960s-70s Fr Laurence (or F.X.) Brett. RCC. Students.]      
   The Baltimore Sun, By Yeganeh June Torbati,
   UNITED STATES - The saga of Laurence Brett, a defrocked priest and teacher who eluded law enforcement for years and frustrated the attempts of his accusers to bring him to justice for alleged sex crimes, appears to have come to an end, with his reported death on a Caribbean island during the holiday season.
   A prominent figure at Calvert Hall College High School revered by students for his charisma and brilliance, the man known as Father Brett readily earned the trust of those who came to him for guidance. But dozens of his former students have come forward in the past 30 years with accusations that Brett sexually abused them during the 1960s and 1970s, in his posts as teacher and chaplain at the Baltimore Catholic school and other schools and parishes around the country.
   Upon hearing news of his death Christmas Day on the island of Martinique at age 73, those who say they survived Brett's abuse had conflicted reactions of satisfaction, shock and disappointment. Brett's death was first reported by a French newspaper and confirmed by French government officials, according to a Wednesday story by the Hartford (Conn.) Courant. The newspaper reported that Brett fell down a flight of stairs in his apartment, hitting his head. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:39 PM

• Legionaries to begin series of 'community reflections' in February

  [1940s-90s - Fr Marcial Maciel Degollado*. RCC. US $10-15m. Money bought influence. ≥ 8 male seminarians (10-16), mistress/es, own children. Massages from young nuns. May have fathered 6.]         
   Catholic News Agency By Alan Holdren, Rome Correspondent, 05:08 pm, Jan 6, 2011
   VATICAN CITY and ROME, Italy, / (CNA/EWTN News).- The Legion of Christ is not yet back on its feet, but signs are coming from Rome that a slow and certain renewal is taking place.
   The religious congregation founded by Father Marcial Maciel in 1941 in Mexico City is known for its regimented brand of Catholicism and enthusiastic evangelization. After decades of building a large and respected international presence, the Legion has been reeling in recent years from revelations of its founder's "double life" – including grave sexual and financial abuses.
   Next month, the Legion will begin a new phase in its ongoing rehabilitation under the watchful eyes of Cardinal Velasio De Paolis, a Vatican delegate specially appointed last July by Pope Benedict XVI. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:30 PM

• Bucks County church thief with big-breasted girlfriend gets up to two years in prison

  [Mr McDonnell (42). Stole US $101k from RCC. Said RC priest abused him.]  
   The Trentonian
   DOYLESTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA - A sentence of up to two years in prison was handed today to the drug and alcohol counselor who bought breast implants for his girlfriend with some of the $101,000 he stole from the Catholic Church.
   Michael W. McDonnell, 42, of Bristol, Pa., who said he stole the money because a pedophile priest had abused him as a youth, could be released from custody in 364 days under the sentence given him by Bucks County Common Pleas Court Albert Cepparulo.
   "You preyed on the weakest and poorest people in our society at a time when they need help the most," Cepparlo said in dressing down McDonnell, who worked for years for the Buck County Council on Drug Abuse and Alcoholism. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:23 PM

• Ex-priest held in Northwest MT on sex abuse charges

 
   KPAX,
   LIBBY (MT) - A former priest who is now living in remote Northwest Montana faces child sex abuse charges in another state.
   The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland says a grand jury indicted 82-year old Reverend Donald Belcher who is now in the middle of the legal process to send him back to that state to face charges.
   He currently lives in the Yaak and appeared in court in Libby at the end of December for his extradition hearing. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:18 PM

• Predator priest in custody - abuse victims respond

  [~ 1970s Eric Dejaeger* (63) (Oblate). RCC. Inuit (i.e., Eskimo) children.]    
   Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, Statement by Barbara Dorris, outreach director for SNAP, 314 862 7688, SNAPdorris@gmail.com ,
   BELGIUM / CANADA - We applaud law enforcement in both Canada and Belgium for working to take Fr. Eric Dejaeger into custody. Dejaeger has already served time in a Canadian prison for assaulting children but has been allowed to live and function as a priest in Belgium. Children are safe when predators are behind bars.
   We hope that church officials will voluntarily turn over all documents regarding Dejaeger and work with law enforcement to ensure that this predator will no longer have access to children.
   We encourage anyone who has been harmed by Dejaeger to come forward and seek help. That anyone who has seen or suspected these crimes will call the police. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 4:11 PM

• Notorious serial predator priest dies; Sex abuse victims respond

  [1960s-70s Fr Laurence (or F.X.) Brett. RCC. Students.]      
   Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, Statement by Barbara Blaine of Chicago, president of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (312-399-4747, SNAPblaine@gmail.com),
   CONNECTICUT - We're grateful that never again can Laurence Brett hurt another child. We hope Brett's death will bring some closure to the dozens of individuals he sexually assaulted.
   At the same time, we hope someday that the current and former Catholic officials who ignored and concealed his crimes will be brought to justice. And we hope that every single person who was hurt by Brett finds the courage to come forward, get help, expose wrongdoing and start healing. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 4:08 PM

• Getting cute with Father Cutie

  [~2007-2009 Feb.  2010 Ordained Espiscopalian. 2009-10 Married lady, expecting baby. 2010 BOOK. Fr Alberto Cutié / Cutie*. Ex-RCC clergyman, now Episcopalian minister. Audience was tens of millions. 2009 Feb Carousing with bikini-clad divorcee Ms Ruhama Canellis.]    
   GetReligion,
   UNITED STATES - Remember Father Alberto Cutie, a.k.a. "Father Oprah"? He was the, ahem, "hunky" and popular Miami priest and media personality who was caught in some rather compromising tabloid photos gallivanting on a beach with one of his parishioners. It was a big scandal at the time – it even made the New York Times. Well, guess what – he's back!
   Cutie is now married to that parishioner, the two have a child and he's now an Episcopal priest. And for our purposes, he's got a book out about his ordeal that's generating a fair amount of media coverage.
   His regional fame notwithstanding, a major reason why Cutie's story blew up was that issues of celibacy in the Roman Catholic church have been under a good deal of scrutiny as a result of the ongoing pedophilia scandals. While there were a few things to be desired about the coverage of Cutie's initial indiscretion, tmatt [sic] noted at the time that the issues of celibacy were treated as a serious issue with two opposing sides by some important news outlets. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 4:06 PM

• Some Church stories to watch in 2011

  [RCC]  
   The Irish Catholic Michael Kelly,
   IRELAND - Here are some stories that will be important for the Church in Ireland over the next 12 months. They are listed in no particular order of importance:
   1. Cloyne Report:
   The Catholic Church in Ireland has been reeling for more than 15 years now amid revelations of Church mishandling of abuse by priests and religious. 2011 will see more fallout from the crisis.
   Firstly, there will be the report of the Murphy Commission into the handling of allegations of sexual abuse in the Diocese of Cloyne. A previous inquiry by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church (NBSCCC) led to the resignation of Bishop John Magee after that report revealed Dr Magee has presided over inadequate child protection measures that the board labelled "dangerous".
   The report is likely to detail some Church mishandling of allegations in Cloyne. It may also prove embarrassing for the former Bishop of Limerick Donal Murray (who resigned following the Murphy Report into the Dublin Diocese) as Limerick and Cloyne shared a child protection committee. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 3:57 PM

• Milwaukee Catholic Archdioces Gets Bankruptcy Filing Extension

 
   MILWAUKEE (WI) WHBL
   MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WTAQ) - The Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese will get more time to submit financial documents as part of its request for bankruptcy.
   The church filed for Chapter 11 re-organization on Tuesday.
   Wednesday, Bankruptcy Judge Susan Kelley granted the church's request for a 20 day extension to file statements about its financial condition. That deadline is now February 7th. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 2:37 PM

• Priest finds new love with wife, loses love for church

  [~2007-2009 Feb.  2010 Ordained Espiscopalian. 2009-10 Married lady, expecting baby. 2010 BOOK. Fr Alberto Cutié / Cutie*. Ex-RCC, now Episcopalian. Audience was tens of millions. 2009 Feb Carousing with bikini-clad divorcee Ms Ruhama Canellis.]    
   Episcopal News Service, By Kevin Eckstrom, January 06, 2011
   UNITED STATES - {Religion News Service} The Rev. Albert Cutie saw a lot of things in his 14 years as a Catholic priest while church officials looked the other way: priests who got caught with prostitutes, priests who lived with their gay partners, and men of the cloth who kept one bed in the rectory and another with their mistress.
   "In the Roman Catholic Church, a scandal is not really a scandal until it becomes public," Cutie writes in his new book, "Dilemma: A Priest's Struggle with Faith and Love," which hit stores Jan. 4.
   Yet when he was caught by paparazzi canoodling with his girlfriend on a Miami beach in 2009, Cutie was booted from his rectory, dropped from his insurance plan and told he would no longer receive a paycheck. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 2:33 PM

• Updated | Priests in MSSP abuse claim breach of their right to fair hearing

   
   Malta Today, By Karl Stagno-Navarra,
   MALTA - Priests accused of sexually abusing youths file constitutional case claiming a breach of their right to fair hearing due to publicity on their case.
   Four priests who stand charged of sexually abusing a number of youths entrusted in their care during the 1980s, have filed a Constitutional case alleging they were denied a fair trial due to the publicity given to their pending case.
   The priests – Fr Joseph Bonnett, Fr Godwin Scerri, Fr Charles Pulis and Fr Conrad Sciberras – all belonging to the Missionary Society of St Paul (MSSP), stand charged before a criminal court with sexually abusing a number of victims at St Joseph's Home, Sta Venera. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 2:29 PM

• Portland Priest Molestation Victim Claims Lawyers Took $877K of $900K Settlement

  [Lawyers got lion's share, and more!]  
   The Daily Weekly, By Curtis Cartier, Thu., Jan. 6 2011
   OREGON - How much might it cost to sue a defrocked Catholic priest for molesting you after he's already been convicted of the actual crime? That depends how many greedy, backstabbing lawyers you can cram into the case.
   The case in question involves a Portland man identified as "G.B.," a former priest named Thomas Laughlin who was convicted in 1983 of molesting dozens of boys; and four lawyers: Michael "Mickey" Morey, Frederick T. Smith, Jeffrey Boly and Jaculin Smith.
   According to a report in the Oregonian on Wednesday, G.B. sued the Catholic Archdiocese in 2001 for failing to protect him from sexual abuse at the hands of Laughlin. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:09 PM

• Disaffected Belgian Catholics unhappy with Archbishop Leonard

  [RCC]  
   Catholic Culture, January 06, 2011
   BELGIUM - Belgian Catholics are generally dissatisfied with the country's new Catholic primate, Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard, according to a new public-opinion survey.
   The poll found that 77% of Flemish respondents were unsatisfied with Archbishop Leonard. An almost identical number (78%) expressed a preference for his predecessor, Cardinal Godfried Danneels, who retired last year.
   The poll showed particular dissatisfaction with Archbishop Leonard's response to the sex-abuse crisis, with 84% saying that he had not handled the subject well. Ironically Cardinal Danneels, whose public approval rating was higher, was one focus of a police investigation into the hierarchy's handling of sex-abuse complaints. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:02 PM

• Saying bishops 'scared,' panelists urge laity to take lead

  [RCC]  
   National Catholic Reporter (USA), By Jerry Filteau
   UNITED STATES - Panelists at a recent Woodstock forum in Philadelphia urged lay Catholics to grab the reins and set the course for the church's future.
   "We are becoming a do-it-yourself church" for the laity, said Jesuit Fr. Thomas J. Reese, one of three senior fellows of the Woodstock Theological Center in Washington who spoke at "The Future of the Church: A Woodstock Forum on Sources of Hope," held at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia Dec. 5.
   The U.S. Catholic hierarchy today is fearful and defensive, a far cry from the collaborative, pastorally transformed hierarchy that emerged during and after the Second Vatican Council, said Dolores R. Leckey, former longtime head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat for Laity, Family, Women and Youth, and a noted writer on spirituality.
   It's up to the laity to take responsibility for where the church goes in the years to come, Leckey, Reese, and Fr. Raymond Kemp, a Washington diocesan priest and director of Woodstock's "Preaching the Just Word" program, said during the two-hour session with nearly 300 Philadelphia-area Catholics. (This reporter did not attend the forum but later requested and was given access to a video recording of it.) Posted by Kathy Shaw at 12:57 PM

• JUST ONE CHILD

 
   National Survivors Advocates Coalition, Editorial
   UNITED STATES - January 6, 2002 was the first day a Boston Globe story ran in what was to become a volcano of news coverage by the Globe on sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy accompanied by intense national media interest unfolding on a nearly daily basis for three months and continuing at full tilt through June 2002 when the Bishops of the United States met in Dallas, Texas.
   The date is the traditional feast of the Epiphany.
   Since January 6, 2002, the founders of the National Survivor Advocates Coalition (NSAC) as well as our readers, we believe, have passed through many epiphanies, some personal and totally individual, some within a community of believers, and other which we suspect have been the most intense within the community of survivors.
   We do not mean to suggest that the journey of the survivors in any way began or was confirmed on January 6, 2002. To do that would be to deny the suffering of the Cajun children of Louisiana, the Kos victims, the Porter victims and all of the survivors those who courageously broke their silence before January 6, 2002 including those children who were abused by priests, nuns, authority figures, relatives and strangers in the generations and centuries before us where they were locked in the dungeons of silence. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 10:56 AM

• Jeffrey Anderson accuses bankrupt Wis. archdiocese of concealing abusers' names

 
   MILWAUKEE (WI) Minneapolis City Pages
   By Hart Van Denburg, Thu., Jan. 6 2011
   Jeffrey Anderson, the St. Paul attorney tracking down Catholic priest sex abusers, says the Milwaukee Archdiocese's recent declaration of bankruptcy is an attempt to avoid being forced to reveal the abusers' names.
   "My office represents all 23 of the cases against the Milwaukee Diocese and in the mediation the number one priority was getting the Archdiocese to open their files," he said after the archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 protection.
   "Incredibly, the Archbishop's announcement left out the most important reason they filed for bankruptcy: To delay the legal process so they don't have to reveal the names of the "priest-predators" and the Church officials who covered up the "priest-predators'" crimes." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 10:53 AM

• Sex offender slashed paedophile Walsh 'to pay off jail debt'

     
   Herald, By Charlie Mallon, Thursday January 06 2011
   IRELAND - A NIGERIAN sex offender is the chief suspect for a slash attack on paedophile priest Tony Walsh in jail.
   Prison officials have identified a suspect for the assault on the defrocked priest after Mass at Midlands Prison last Sunday.
   The Herald has learned that a fellow sex offender is the only suspect for the attack carried out inside the jail. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 10:49 AM

• Grass Roots: How far does cost of Milwaukee Archdiocese bankruptcy reach?

   
   Madison.com , PAT SCHNEIDER | The Capital Times | pschneider@madison.com ,
   WISCONSIN - Are Madison-area Catholics affected by the announcement that the big Catholic corporation across the state is filing for bankruptcy protection to protect assets from damage claims from victims of sexual abuse by priests?
   Depends how you add it up. Financially, no. But does the legal move signal a deeper bankruptcy that reaches beyond the geographic and legal boundaries of the archdiocese? Is the distrust of the church aroused by the bankruptcy news corrosive to the church and the faith of Catholics everywhere?
   It sounds, at first, like a draw-dropping development in the long nightmare of priest child sex abuse in Wisconsin. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee, with $98.4 million in assets, announced Tuesday it was filing for bankruptcy because of the financial burden of looming pay-outs in priest sex abuse claims. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 10:09 AM

• Archdiocese gets until Feb. 7 to file financial data

 
   MILWAUKEE (WI) Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
   By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel
   Jan. 5, 2011 The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has until Feb. 7 to file financial statements required as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
   U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Susan V. Kelley granted the archdiocese's request for a 20-day extension to file its schedule of assets and liabilities and its statement of financial affairs, which together provide a snapshot of the archdiocese's financial position at the time of the bankruptcy filing.
   The archdiocese, which faces more than a dozen lawsuits over its handling of clergy sex abuse cases, filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, saying it was necessary to fairly compensate victims and to continue the "essential ministries" of the church. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:50 AM

• Jury trial set for Salinas priest accused of molesting teen

  [≤ 2009 Apr 16. Fr Antonio Cortes.]
   The Californian BY SUNITA VIJAYAN, svijayan@thecalifornian.com , January 6, 2011
   CALIFORNIA - A Monterey County judge on Wednesday set a jury trial date for a Salinas priest accused of sexually assaulting a teenage boy.
   The trial for the Rev. Antonio Cortes of St. Mary of the Nativity Church is scheduled to begin April 18.
   Attorneys are still trying to resolve the case without having to proceed to a trial, and have set another hearing for Feb. 23.
   Cortes, 42, was ordered to stand trial on felony charges of sodomy with a minor and misdemeanor counts of possession of child pornography. He was placed on paid administrative leave after his arrest on April 16, 2009. His arrest came two days after a boy made the molestation claims to Salinas police. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:46 AM

• MD Predator priest violates parole; Sex abuse victims respond

 
   MARYLAND Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
   Statement by Barbara Blaine of Chicago, president of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (312-399-4747, SNAPblaine@gmail.com)
   We're grateful a judge is ordering a predator priest to take lie detector tests. But we're disappointed she won't insist that he seek a licensed counselor. We're even more upset that Catholic officials are unwilling to pay for a child molesting cleric to see a licensed counselor. It is arrogant, stubborn and reckless for the Dominicans to insist that this criminal get counseling from an unlicensed individual.
   It's the 'same old, same old.' Cote is just doing what predators have always done - violate rules and boundaries at every opportunity. And his church supervisors are doing what Catholic officials have always done – refuse to take simple, common sense steps to protect kids.
   Shame on all of them. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:20 AM

• St. Dennis settles w/ survivor for $1.7 million

 
   MARYLAND / DELAWARE - WDEL By Amy Cherry
   St. Dennis Parish in Maryland, that's part of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, settles a priest sex abuse claim to avoid trial.
   "There's not enough money in the world to compensate for the loss of my family."
   That's survivor Joe Curry, who says he was abused hundreds of times on a weekly basis by the now-deceased Father Curley. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:15 AM

• Ex-Bridgeport priest at center of pedophila scandal reportedly dies

  [1960s-70s Fr Laurence (or F.X.) Brett. RCC. Students.]      
   CT Post,
   CONNECTICUT - A former Bridgeport priest and notorious child abuser in the 1990s who had escaped federal authorities apparently has died on the Caribbean island of Martinique.
   The Rev. Laurence Brett died on the island where he was living under an alias, The Hartford Courant reported, citing a French newspaper and government sources.
   Brett had been a central figure in a string of pedophilia allegations that rocked the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport. Many of those allegations resulted in lawsuits in the 1990s, often for incidents that stemmed from the 1960s and '70s. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:09 AM

• "Prospect of a lucrative pay-off"

   
   California Catholic Daily,
   Attorney says many accusations of sexual abuse against priests are false claims spurred by Church's deep pockets; victims' advocacy group calls his claims "outrageous and hurtful"
   LOS ANGELES (CA) - An attorney who represents some Catholic priests of the Los Angeles archdiocese once accused of sexual misconduct with minors has filed a declaration with Los Angeles Superior Court alleging that as many as half of the abuse allegations are either "entirely false" or "greatly exaggerated."
   The 10-page declaration, filed by attorney Donald H. Steier, comes as a hearing is pending before a judge who will decide whether archdiocesan personnel files and psychological records of priests accused of sexual misconduct will be released to the public. …
   Steier's declaration provoked a swift reaction from the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), a national abuse victims advocacy group.
   "SNAP considers Steier's remarks to be among the most outrageous and hurtful ever made by a church defense lawyer and is filing a formal California Bar Association complaint against him," said a statement issued by SNAP. "(It's the first time SNAP has ever done this in its 22 year history.) The group also wants Cardinal Mahony to denounce Steier's claims and to disclose how much archdiocesan money has been paid to Steier."
   "Steier's legal maneuver is the latest in a long series of moves by him and Catholic officials to block the disclosure of thousands of pages of long-secret files concerning hundreds of LA-area child molesting clerics," said SNAP's statement. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:00 AM

• Boston Cardinal O'Malley will meet Irish abuse victims

       
   Irish Central, By CATHY HAYES,
   IRELAND - Archbishop of Boston, Sean O'Malley will meet with the victims of abuse in the Dublin diocese over the coming months as part of the apostolic visitation sent to Ireland by Pope Benedict XVI.
   Cardinal O'Malley visited Dublin at the beginning of December and will return this month and in February to meet with the victims of clerical abuse in Ireland.
   The delegation is visiting Ireland to explore how the clerical sexual abuse of children in Ireland was handle. They will also be looking at the effectiveness of the procedures in place to prevent abuse in the Church. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:56 AM

• Retired Episcopal Priest Charged With Sexual Abuse

  [Rev. Donald Belche -? NEW*. Episcopalian. Child]  
   WUSA
   BALTIMORE, MARYLAND (AP) - Episcopal Church and Montana officials say a retired priest is facing child sexual abuse charges and is awaiting extradition to Maryland.
   The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland issued a statement Wednesday saying the Rev. Donald Belcher, who now lives in Yaak, Mont., had been indicted by a Maryland grand jury on child sexual abuse charges.
   Crystal Byington, deputy court clerk in Lincoln County, Mont., said Belcher appeared in court Dec. 29 on a Maryland extradition warrant for a sexual assault charge. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:53 AM

• Report: Priest abuse victim hasn't seen penny of $900K settlement

 
   KOMO,
   PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A man molested as a child by an Oregon priest is suing three of his former attorneys, saying they gave him bad legal advice and left him with no part of a $900,000 settlement paid by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland nearly eight years ago.
   In the lawsuit filed this week in Multnomah County Circuit Court, the man identified only by the initials G.B. says his former lawyers managed to claim most of the settlement - $877,000, The Oregonian reported.
   That still should have left him with $23,000. But G.B. says he has not been paid a penny so far and has been living off Social Security disability payments of about $400 to $500 a month. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 6, 2011 6:51 AM

• Fundraising for accused priest irks group

 
   CANADA CBC News
   A victims' advocacy group is upset that an Orthodox parish in Vancouver appeared to be using its website to help raise funds for a former Winnipeg priest accused of molesting children.
   Kenneth William Storheim, who headed the Canadian archdiocese of the Orthodox Church in America, was charged in late November with historical assaults on two individuals in Winnipeg.
   He has been on leave from his religious duties since October, before charges were laid. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 6, 2011 6:49 AM

• For sex abuse victim, more pain

 
   OREGON The Oregonian
   By The Oregonian Editorial Board
   It's hard to imagine the pain brought to a man who suffered sexual abuse by a former Portland priest whose behavior was so egregious that the church would pay him $900,000 to make his complaint go away.
   It's harder yet to imagine how the man saw none of the money. Lawyers did.
   And now there's a new lawsuit and an ethics complaint to square things, as if to extend and spread pain as widely as possible.
   This is a deeply painful outcome that isn't quite yet an outcome -- if everyone's meter keeps running until fairness is declared in court, the victim could end up owing money. That's a double indemnity not even Raymond Chandler would likely have fathomed. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 6, 2011 6:46 AM

• Clergy abuse in Delaware: Maryland parish victim settles

  [Another US $1.7m going. RCC.]
   The News Journal, By SEAN O'SULLIVAN, January 6, 2011
   WILMINGTON, DELAWARE - Priest abuse victim Joseph Curry settled a lawsuit against a small Maryland parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington for $1.7 million Wednesday.
   The case had been set to go to trial this week in New Castle County Superior Court and would have been the first priest abuse case to reach a courtroom since plaintiff John Vai received a $60 million jury award from a pedophile priest last month, with St. Elizabeth Parish required to pay $3 million of the award.
   Curry's attorney Tom Crumplar said his client agreed to defer $1.63 million of the settlement until the bankruptcy case involving the diocese is resolved so all victims can be compensated fairly. However, Crumplar said if the diocese does not "do the right thing" and live up to what Crumplar said was a promise by the late Bishop Michael Saltarelli to pay all victims an average of $1.2 million, he will "execute on the judgment" and seek the entire sum from the parish. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 6, 2011 6:43 AM

• Belgians hold Canadian priest wanted on sex-abuse charges

  [~ 1970s Eric Dejaeger* (63) (Oblate Father). Roman Catholic. Inuit (i.e., Eskimo) children.]    
   Winnipeg Free Press,
   CANADA - POLICE in Belgium have arrested Canadian priest Father Eric Dejaeger and will hold him in Bruges pending an immigration hearing, Belgian government officials confirmed Wednesday.
   Officials told Postmedia News Dejaeger was arrested Monday and is being held in a detention centre for people in the country illegally.
   Officials said he is awaiting his eventual expulsion to Canada but were not able to provide a timeline. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 6, 2011 6:38 AM
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Thu January 06, 2011
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont180.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Fri January 07, 2011 edition:

• GERMANY: PASTOR RAPES WOMAN IN CHURCH, SACKED

  [? 2011 Pastor Michael G (49) -NEW*. Christian. Woman.]  
   AGI (Italy),
   Berlin, Germany (AGI) - A priest in Germany got a parishioner drunk and then raped her between the pews. The incident was reported in the weekly 'Bild' magazine, which names 49-year old Michael G., a married father of three, as the perpetrator. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 9:00 AM, January 07, 2011

• NAKED PRIEST SUSPENDED - Tribunal upholds complaint that St Anne's cleric David Gilmore walked in on sex couple

  [2009 Dec. Rev. David Gilmore -NEW*. Christian.]  
   West End Extra, by JOSH LOEB, Published 07 January 2011
   UNITED KINGDOM - A PRIEST was suspended after an ecclesiastical tribunal upheld a complaint that he walked in naked on two guests having sex in the rectory at his Soho church.
   Father David Gilmore was accused of holding uninvited conversations of a sexual nature with two guests he was hosting in the West End at the request of a friend.
   Four members of a London Diocese dis­ciplinary tribunal accepted evidence that he had walked naked into their room in December 2009 knowing that they were involved in sexual activity and "impulsively" began masturbating himself. Fr Gilmore denies this. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:54 AM, January 07, 2011

• Belgian proponent of liberation theology under investigation for sexual abuse

  [~ 1980s. Fr Francois Houtart -NEW*. Touched private parts of cousin (8)]    
   Catholic News Agency, Rome, Italy; 05:10 pm, Jan 7, 2011
   BELGIUM / (CNA).- Fr. Francois Houtart, a strong promoter of Marxist liberation theology, has admitted to sexually abusing a minor.
   The Belgian priest, currently living in Ecuador told the newspaper Le Soir on Dec. 29 that he "touched the private parts" [of] his eight-year-old cousin nearly 40 years ago.
   He said that the abuse occurred on two different occasions.
   The attorney general in Lieja, Cedric Visart de Bocarme, told the Belgium daily L'Viv/L'Express that an investigation into the case has been opened to determine if there were other victims of abuse by Houtart. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:42 PM, Jan 07, 2011
   [QUESTION: Is liberation theology really Marxist?  Other reform movements such as Henry George's economic theory and Cliff Douglas's money theory were labelled Socialist at one time or another, but they aren't. ENDS.]

• Confession of sin necessary for 'new beginning'

   
   Superior Telegram, By Mike Nichols, Jan 07, 2011
   WISCONSIN - About the same time the Archdiocese of Milwaukee filed for bankruptcy the other day, Archbishop Jerome Listecki apologized to victims who were sexually abused by priests and stated that he is deeply ashamed.
   I think we have to take him at his word.
   He stated that he wants to do as much as he can to compensate those who have been abused. As a Catholic who grew up in the pews and still sits in them, I'd badly like to believe that as well. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:48 PM, Jan 07, 2011

• Expert on bankruptcy filing by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee

  [RCC]
   University of Wisconsin - Madison; by Stacy Forster, Jan. 7, 2011
   WISCONSIN - This week, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it deals with multiple lawsuits over clergy sex abuse cases.
   The University of Wisconsin-Madison's Jonathan C. Lipson, a professor in the University of Wisconsin Law School and an expert on bankruptcies in the Roman Catholic church, is available to answer questions about the implications of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee's bankruptcy. Lipson is the author of the leading scholarly paper on Catholic church bankruptcies, "When Churches Fail: The Diocesan Debtor Dilemmas" and is frequently interviewed and quoted on these cases.
   Lipson says it's likely that the plaintiffs' lawyers' claims about the reason for the bankruptcy – to hide assets and records – are wrong, as bankruptcy usually leads to greater judicial and public scrutiny of a debtor. Nevertheless, he said, "these cases present many difficult choices for bankruptcy courts, because it is hard to balance sensitivity to the religious mission of the churches with the need to assure creditors that they receive payment." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:45 PM, Jan 07, 2011

• Picking the brain of the U.S. bishops' thinker-in-chief

  [RCC]   
   National Catholic Reporter (USA), All Things Catholic, by John L Allen Jr, on Jan. 07, 2011
   UNITED STATES - In his first interview since stepping down in mid-November as president of the U.S. bishops' conference, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago looked back this week at the pivotal moments during his three-year term: The election of Barack Obama; a bruising debate over health care reform; chronic tensions over the authority of the bishops; and a massive new wave of the sexual abuse crisis.
   I sat down for the exclusive conversation with George, who celebrates his 74th birthday later this month, on Wednesday in his office at the Archbishop Quigley Center in downtown Chicago….

He asserted the church has been "true to its promises" on sex abuse, weeding out predators and creating a safe environment. He expressed hope that as time goes on, the "zero tolerance" policy can be balanced against protecting priests from false accusations -- some of whom, he said, have been "severely damaged" by the experience.

George conceded that while bishops are now punished just like priests if they abuse, there's not the same degree of accountability for bishops who covered up abuse or failed to prevent it. He said more work may need to be done, while insisting there is a growing "informal" spirit of accountability in the church. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:36 PM, Jan 07, 2011

• Avella Calls for Investigation Into Sex Offender Volunteering at Queens School

  [Joseph Denice. RCC. 2010 June Sentenced for sex abuse. ? 2010 Facebook contact with child.]
   Douglaston Patch, By Nathan Duke,
   NEW YORK - State Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, said his office and the Queens district attorney were investigating allegations that a convicted sex offender had contacted a minor on Facebook while working at a school in Flushing.
   Joseph Denice, of Whitestone, has been volunteering for the past three years at Flushing's Saint Mel School, the senator said.
   On June 1, Denice pleaded guilty to sexual abuse and attempted forgery, a spokeswoman for Queens DA Richard Brown said. The defendant was sentenced to six months in jail and five years probation on June 21. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:34 PM

• NY1 Exclusive: Queens Catholic School Releases Volunteer Who Was Registered Sex Offender

 
   NY1, By Tina Redwine,
   A volunteer who is a registered sex offender was let go this week from a Queens Catholic school after allegedly making inappropriate contact with a child. NY1's Tina Redwine filed the following exclusive report.
   NEW YORK - Joseph Denice, 24, was a volunteer religious instructor at the Saint Mel School in Flushing.
   He allegedly used Facebook to contact a minor, which is against school policy.
   The child's parent contacted school officials on December 31 about the alleged contact, and Denice was let go on Monday.
   The Queens district attorney's office says Denice is a registered level-one sex offender who now lives on 15th Avenue in Whitestone. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:31 PM

• Women Take On Gender Apartheid in the Catholic Church

  [Women ordained are expelled, no seducing priest has been excommunicated!]      
   The Huffington Post Angela Bonavoglia
   UNITED STATES - If doubts remained about the relationship between the Catholic Church's spectacular failure to address the clerical child sex abuse crisis and the church's glaring system of gender apartheid, the Vatican put them to rest in July. Engendering a firestorm of criticism, their new canonical guidelines for handling and punishing the most "grave crimes" in church law revealed just how enraged the hierarchy is at women who dare to challenge them. Along with the crimes of sexually molesting children and developmentally disabled adults, and of using and distributing pornography, the Vatican listed "the attempted sacred ordination of a woman."
   In other words, the two greatest problems the Catholic hierarchy faces are women and children.
   In reality, this action is yet another desperate response by the Catholic hierarchy to the small but highly visible movement by Catholic women -- sisters and lay women -- to defy the church's ban on women's ordination. The first woman to publicly step up to the altar was Mary Ramerman, a wife and mother, ordained a Catholic priest in 2001 in a theater in Rochester, New York, before 3,000 jubilant supporters. A year later, seven more women were ordained, on a boat on the Danube River between Austria and Germany.
   So threatening was the Danube event that one month after, Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, publicly denounced and excommunicated all seven women. That is a sanction he has never issued -- even now, in the new canonical guidelines -- against a single cleric who raped or sodomized a child or a single bishop who aided and abetted such crimes. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:25 PM

• US priest accused of pedophilia dies in Martinique

  [1960s-70s Fr Laurence (or F.X.) Brett (73). RCC. Students.]       [Ex-Fr Laurence Brett -? NEW*. Died 2011. RCC. > 24 boys.]
   Washington Post, The Associated Press, Friday, January 7, 2011
   FORT-DE-FRANCE, Martinique - Laurence Brett, a former priest who vanished twice amid accusations that he sexually abused more than two dozen children in the U.S., has died in the French Caribbean island of Martinique, a hospital official said Friday.
   Brett died at the Pierre Zobda Quitman hospital in the capital of Fort-de-France on Christmas Eve, said Joelle Louisor, a hospital administrator.
   Louisor said she did not know the cause of death. But the Hartford Courant newspaper in Connecticut reported he apparently fell down some stairs and hit his head. The Courant said he was 73. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 12:17 PM

• Senator Punts Televangelist Inquiry For "Self-Reform Within The Community"

  [Six televangelists under financial microscope]  
   Religion Dispatches, Post by Sarah Posner,
   UNITED STATES - Late yesterday Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee who three years ago launched an investigation into the finances of six leading televangelists, released staff reports detailing the results of its probe into the ministries. While the probe was initially launched to examine whether the ministries had abused their tax-exempt status by using tax-exempt funds for personal enrichment, Grassley is not recommending any changes to the tax law to prevent such abuse, but rather a review by the Evangelical Council on Financial Accountability, which was formed in the 1970s.
   According to a statement from Grassley's spokesperson, the EFCA will be forming a Commission on Accountability and Policy for Religious Organizations to review Grassley's staff reports. (The reports, released late yesterday, are lengthy and I haven't had a chance to read them in detail, but scanning them they appear to extensively document the business dealings of the six televangelists - Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Eddie Long, Joyce Meyer, Paula White, and Creflo Dollar.)
   Grassley, whose term as ranking member of the Finance Committee is coming to an end because of Republican term limits, had been under pressure from allies of the targeted televangelists not to encourage more government regulation of their activities. Copeland, for example, who submitted incomplete responses to Grassley's inquiry, has enjoyed the support of Mike Huckabee, and has said he wouldn't turn over information about his ministry to Grassley because "it belongs to God." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 10:52 AM

• Televangelists escape penalty in Senate inquiry

 
   The Associated Press,
   NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (AP) – A senator's high-profile investigation of spending by televangelists wrapped up after more than three years Thursday with no penalties for the pastors who refused to cooperate and no definitive findings of wrongdoing.
   The report released by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley raises questions about the personal use of church-owned airplanes, luxury homes and credit cards by pastors and their families, and expresses concern about the lack of oversight of finances by boards often packed with the televangelists' relatives and friends.
   However, the senator draws no specific conclusions about whether the ministries violated IRS rules that bar excessive compensation for leaders of religious nonprofits. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 10:50 AM

• PETA offers Archdiocese of Milwaukee financial aid

  [RCC]
   Milwaukee Journal Sentinel By Jackie Loohauis-Bennett Jan. 7, 2011
   MILWAUKEE (WI) - The fund-strapped Archdiocese of Milwaukee has been offered a new financial partnership from an unexpected source: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
   PETA sent a letter to the archdiocese Thursday offering to "pay a reasonable sum, which will help a bit as the diocese restructures its finances."
   But there's a catch. In return for the unspecified amount of money, PETA would require the archdiocese to erect a statue of Jesus holding a lamb with the inscription: "Blessed Are the Merciful - Go Vegan." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 10:47 AM

• Official statement from the Archdiocese of Baltimore on death of defrocked priest Laurence Brett

  [1960s-70s Fr Laurence (or F.X.) Brett. RCC. Students.]      
   Catholic Review From the Archdiocese of Baltimore
   BALTIMORE (MD) - Through media reports the Archdiocese of Baltimore learned today (Jan. 6) of the apparent death of Laurence Brett, a former priest of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut, who was defrocked after several individuals reported they were sexually abused by Brett when they were children in the early 1970s.
   Today, the prayers of the Archdiocese are with the victims of Laurence Brett and with all victims of sexual abuse. The Church reiterates its fervent belief that there is no place in the priesthood for anyone who would harm a child and reaffirms its commitment to protecting children and promoting healing for victims of sexual abuse. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 10:04 AM

• Sex auf der Kirchenbank

   
   Bild, Von THOMAS KNOOP,
   Hamburg, Deutschland – Er soll für Gläubige ein Vorbild an Tugend und Willensstärke sein. Doch dieser Hamburger Pastor nahm es mit Gottes Geboten offenbar nicht so genau.
   SÜNDENFALL IM GOTTESHAUS!
   Weil er angeblich sturztrunken mit einer Gläubigen Sex in der Kirche hatte, wurde der Pastor Michael G. (49, verheiratet) jetzt gefeuert. Sogar der Staatsanwalt ermittelt gegen den dreifachen Familienvater…
   Es passiert ausgerechnet am Buß- und Bettag, dem 17. November 2010. Der Geistliche hält einen Abend-Gottesdienst in seiner Kirche in Hamburg-Altona. In der Predigt zitiert er ein Sprichwort aus der Lutherbibel: „Was du nicht willst, dass man dir tu, das füg' auch keinem andern zu." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 9:19 AM

• Vatican's ploy to thwart criticism of its nefarious Bank is yet another scam

  [I.O.R. RCC. €23m seized]        
   National Secular Society By Terry Sanderson
   UNITED KINGDOM - In a desperate attempt to pre-empt the findings of an investigation by Italian authorities, the Vatican has rushed through new procedures which it claims will make its notoriously opaque banking activities "more transparent".
   In September, Italian prosecutors announced that they had put Mr. Gotti Tedeschi chairman of the Vatican's bank and the bank's director general under investigation for alleged noncompliance with Italy's anti-money-laundering rules. They also impounded 23 million euros of the bank's cash.
   Now the Vatican has announced with great fanfare that it has created a watchdog to supervise financial transactions and new laws against financial crimes. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 9:15 AM, January 07, 2011

• 'Beschuldigde broeders toch aan het werk'

   
   MSN Nieuws,
   NEDERLAND (Novum) - Drie werknemers van de katholieke instelling Don Bosco die van seksueel misbruik zijn beschuldigd, zijn weer aan het werk. De leiding zei in april nog dat het trio niet meer zou werken zolang de commissie-Deetman het misbruik binnen de katholieke kerk onderzoekt. Dat schrijft NRC Handelsblad donderdag.
   Een van de drie, een ex-broeder van Don Bosco, is volgens de krant actief in het jeugd- en jongerenwerk van de congegratie in Assel bij Apeldoorn. Een tweede verdachte, de 74-jarige pater Adri M., zou nog altijd penningmeester zijn van de jeugdstichting Don Bosco.
   Een 63-jarige oud-broeder is beschuldigd van seksueel misbruik op het internaat Don Rua in 's-Heerenberg. Hij zou sinds september weer aan het werk zijn als secretaris van de stichting Assel Don Bosco Centrum, een ontmoetingscentrum voor tieners en jongeren. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:51 AM

• "We hebben Torfs aangeboden om dossiers in te kijken"

   
   HLN,
   BELGIE - De Werkgroep Mensenrechten in de Kerk heeft aan senator Rik Torfs (CD&V) aangeboden om haar dossiers in te kijken. Dat zegt priester op rust Rik Devillé van de Werkgroep. Devillé reageert daarmee op uitspraken van Torfs in Kerk & Leven woensdag. Torfs zei dat de dossiers van Devillé voor hem een "groot raadsel" waren.
   Devillé zegt dat daags nadat kardinaal Godfried Danneels voor de bijzonder commissie seksueel misbruik getuigd had, hij dossiers liet inkijken aan advocaten en andere diensten van het aartsbisdom. Daaruit moest blijken dat Danneels wel degelijk klachten van seksueel misbruik kreeg van de Werkgroep, in tegenstelling tot wat hij beweerd had. "Ook aan Torfs hebben wij aangeboden die in te kijken. Namen van daders en slachtoffers worden echter nooit getoond, tenzij aan bevoegde personen die allen beroepsmatig verplicht zijn zich te houden aan het beroepsgeheim."
   Partijgenoten?
   Devillé zegt dat de Werkgroep vierhonderd dossiers van seksueel misbruik door clerici kreeg, en dat die allemaal werden overgemaakt aan bisschoppen en oversten, en aan het gerecht. "Een deel van deze documenten zijn trouwens overgemaakt aan de Kamercommissie seksueel misbruik. Waarom vraagt Torfs niet aan zijn partijgenoten die lid zijn van de parlementaire commissie, hem te informeren over de documenten die onze werkgroep heeft geleverd?" Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:48 AM

• Broeders opnieuw actief na schorsing misbruik

   
   Nrc,
   NEDERLAND - Een salesiaan van Don Bosco en twee ex-broeders van deze rooms-katholieke congregatie die in april na beschuldigingen van seksueel misbruik op non-actief waren gezet, zijn weer actief. Een van de ex-broeders werkt in het jeugd- en jongerenwerk van Don Bosco in Assel, bij Apeldoorn. Dit nieuws brengt redacteur Joep Dohmen vandaag in NRC Handelsblad.
   In april zei de leiding van de salesianen nog dat de drie zich, hangende het onderzoek van de commissie-Deetman, „met onmiddellijke ingang" zouden terugtrekken „uit hun bestuurlijke en andere functies". Het was voor het eerst dat een congregatie in Nederland maatregelen nam.
   Een van de drie is voormalig salesiaan-broeder Lejo W. (63). Hij wordt door oud-leerlingen van internaat Don Rua in 's-Heerenberg beschuldigd. In het actualiteitenprogramma Nova zei hij: „Ik vind het verschrikkelijk beschamend. Ik moet diep door het stof." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:45 AM

• Dominee ontslagen na overspel in kerk

   
   Hbvl,
   DUITSLAND - De dominee van de protestantse kerk in het Duitse Hamburg is de laan uitgestuurd. Volgens de tabloid Bild zou de 49-jarige geestelijke een vrouw hebben dronken gevoerd in zijn kerk. Nadien had hij seks met haar.
   Het 32-jarige slachtoffer, dat deel uitmaakt van de kerkenraad, zegt dat de dominee haar na een kerkdienst in november enkel glazen rode wijn had opgedrongen.
   Eens na middernacht - toen alle andere aanwezigen naar huis waren - rook de predikant, een getrouwde man met drie kinderen, zijn kans. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:40 AM

• An unseemly, unwise haste to canonise John Paul II

  [1940s-90s - Fr Marcial Maciel Degollado*. RCC. US $10-15m. Money bought influence. ≥ 8 male seminarians (10-16), mistress/es, own children. Massages from young nuns. May have fathered 6.]             
   Guardian, guardian.co.uk , Catherine Pepinster, Friday 7 January 2011
   UNITED KINGDOM - It was during the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005 that the campaign for his canonisation began. "Santo subito!" said Italian posters held up in the crowd. "Make him a saint straightaway!" Investigations into his cause have continued ever since and now, six years on, the veteran Vatican-watcher Andrea Tornelli has suggested that an alleged miracle linked to the intervention of the Polish pope has been confirmed as true by the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Tornielli, writing in the Milan paper Il Giornale, says that the congregation's medical panel has accepted that a French nun's recovery from Parkinson's disease was caused by John Paul's intercession. The miracle now has to be approved by a commission of bishops and cardinals before John Paul could be first beatified and then canonised.
   There's always been unseemly haste about the canonisation of John Paul II. The church usually has a five-year "cooling-off" period following someone's death before they can be considered for sainthood – a sensible approach, given the emotions that surround someone's passing – but Pope Benedict waived this in the case of his predecessor.
   Might he now rue the day? While John Paul's place in history is assured, given his role in the fall of communism, his remarkable efforts to improve the relationship between the Catholic church and Jews, his globetrotting showmanship and his ability to say sorry for past papal mistakes, there is one particular giant blot on his papacy which casts doubt for many, including Catholics, on his holiness: his relationship with Father Marcial Maciel Degollado, who founded the Legion of Christ movement for priests and its lay organisation Regnum Christi. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:24 AM

• Court: Priests accused of sexual abuse file Constitutional case in court

   
   Malta Independent,
   MALTA - Four priests being charged with sexually abusing boys at the St Joseph residence years ago, have filed a case before the Constitutional Court, claiming a breach of their right to a fair hearing as a result of publicity to their case.
   Lawyer Gianella Caruana Curran, who is defending the priests, confirmed with this newspaper the case has been filed.
   The application is against the Attorney General, the Police Commissioner, and the Court Registrar. The priests are contending they are being tried by the media as their case is being given over-exposure when it has not yet been decided. Sections of the media are already passing judgements on them when the case is still sub-judice, they added. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:22 AM

• Leading Laestadian figure charged with serious sex crimes

  [? ~ 2000s. Unnamed man -NEW*. Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church. Girl relative]  
   Helsingin Sanomat,
   FINLAND - A middle-aged man, who has been a key figure in the Conservative Laestadian revival movement inside the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church, has been charged with aggravated sexual abuse of a child and aggravated rape.
   The alleged victim is a girl who is a close relative of the suspect.
   The suspect has served as chairman of a large Laestadian congregation in the south of Finland, and has held an important position in the Central Committee of Conservative Laestadian Congregations. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:19 AM

• German prosecutors investigate sex abuse in church

  [? 2011 Unnamed Pastor -NEW*. Christian. Woman.]  
   Reuters,
   GERMANY (Reuters) - German prosecutors are investigating a complaint against a Hamburg pastor for sexually abusing a woman in the pews of his church after an evening of drinking, the Hamburg state prosecutor said on Friday.
   State prosecutor Wilhelm Moellers said his office had launched an investigation into the pastor after receiving a complaint from the church.
   "A female adult member of the church fell asleep on a church pew after drinking alcohol and there was allegedly sexual abuse committed," Moellers said. "We're investigating the complaint of sexual abuse against a person unable to defend herself." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:15 AM

• View sex abuse cases in the proper context

   
   MILWAUKEE (WI) - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
   It's no secret that the Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese has been plagued by a wave of child sex abuse claims and lawsuits in recent years. In the past, Archbishop Emeritus Rembert Weakland reportedly shredded reports of sexual abuse. In 2010, Milwaukee was at the center of a decades-old scandal many tried to pin on Pope Benedict XVI. And according to Archbishop Jerome Listecki, the archdiocese has paid more than $29 million in costs associated with sexual abuse cases over the past 20 years.
   Grim, right? Yet too many take the lapsed-Catholic route, as if the sins of individual priests affect the doctrine itself. In truth, it's only fair to examine the problems of the Milwaukee Archdiocese - and the Catholic Church in the United States - in its proper context.
   For starters, despite cloak-and-dagger stories and all the claims of "secrecy," the Catholic Church has been the only religious organization to release its own information about abuse. A 2010 Newsweek report ranked a study by John Jay College, authorized and funded by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, as "the only hard data that has been made public by any denomination." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:10 AM

• Church has moral obligation to reveal truth in sex abuse scandal

 
   MILWAUKEE (WI) Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
   By The Rev. James Connell
   Jan. 6, 2011
   Every act of sexual abuse of a minor by a priest is a crime, both in civil law and in Catholic Church law. Indeed, from teenage years onward, people know that sexual activity between an adult and a minor is both legally and morally wrong. So, in discussing sexual abuse of minors by priests, we are not talking about the actions of a schoolyard bully. We are talking about the actions of a criminal.
   Certainly, the church is well-positioned nowadays to respond to allegations of sexual abuse by priests as a crime and has been so for many years. Yet the issue at hand is not about current protocols. It's about the response of the church in the early years of the priests' sexual abuse crisis and how the response in those years continues to impact life today for some victims/survivors, as well as for the entire church community and for civil society.
   What was the mind-set of church leaders in those early years? The answer is not clear. But some people hold that from the beginning the church accented: 1) the preservation of the church's image; 2) the protection of the reputation of persons; and 3) the security of assets. Of course, without having access to the records and files, who can say for sure?
   This apparent lack of dealing with allegations as crimes in the early years has caused people to ask whether subsequent cases of priest sexual abuse of a minor could have been prevented. In other words, did overlooking the reality of the crime actually contribute to further, yet avoidable, acts of sexual abuse by priests? The speculation is that a failure to treat each allegation as a reported crime, rather than simply a matter of a priest needing treatment, made it easier to shift known abuser priests to assignments where there was access to children. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:08 AM

• Bucks man who cited clergy abuse gets jail for stealing from Philly archdiocese

 
   PENNSYLVANIA Philadelphia Inquirer
   By Bonnie L. Cook Inquirer Staff Writer
   A Bucks County man who cited sexual abuse by clergy as one reason he stole a total of $112,226 from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and an addiction-treatment center where he worked is going to jail.
   Michael W. McDonnell, 42, removed his glasses and wiped his eyes as Judge Albert J. Cepparulo sentenced him to 11 to 23 months in jail, five years' probation, and payment of restitution.
   The ruling during a hearing in Doylestown bars McDonnell, a former employee of the Southern Bucks Recovery Center, from ever handling a nonprofit's funds again. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:05 AM

• Priest-author, SNAP 'answer' Chicago monsignor

 
   UNITED STATES Renew America
   By Matt C. Abbott
   In a recent bulletin, Monsignor Dan Mayall, pastor of Chicago's Holy Name Cathedral, wrote the following (excerpted; emphasis mine):
   'December 29, Wednesday, the Church remembers St. Thomas Becket, an interesting character made popularly famous by the 1964 movie Becket starring Richard Burton as Becket & Peter O'Toole as King Henry I of England which, I think, met with great applause because Becket seemed a likeable and principled hero opposing an autocratic civil authority-the stuff of hit movies of the 1960s, the Age of Aquarius.
   'Thomas Becket (1118-1170) was a gifted ally of Henry I, a monarch with great need to throw his authority around. On recommendation of Church leaders, Henry appointed Becket the powerful Chancellor of England. Subsequently, Henry sought to thwart Rome's authority over the Church (and its priests) by having Becket ordained the Archbishop of Canterbury, the most powerful figure in ecclesiastical England. In that role, Becket strongly challenged Henry's authority over the Church and priests. The Benefit of the Clergy that exempted them from civil discipline as opposed to Church discipline was defended by Becket. Eventually, frustrated by the dual, Henry either purposely or inadvertently ordered the murder/martyrdom of Becket by his loyal noblemen. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:03 AM

• Catholics respond to Archdiocese bankruptcy

 
   WISCONSIN - The Northwestern By Sharon Roznik, Gannett Wisconsin Media, January 7, 2011
   Parishioners at Holy Family Catholic Parish will be watching a video message at Mass on Sunday from Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki.
   Fond du Lac's Catholic parishes and schools are being assured that the Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee's recent filing of Chapter 11 bankruptcy will not impact them.
   "Any bankruptcy has a bad connotation in the minds of most people, but given the circumstances and goal of the archdiocese to provide financial compensation to all of the (sexual abuse) victims and at the same time protect its limited resources and be able to function as a church – I think that will all be spelled out by the archbishop," said the Rev. Vic Capriolo, priest moderator at Holy Family. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:58 AM, Jan 07, 2011
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Fri January 07, 2011
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont180.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Sat January 08, 2011 edition:

• Grim truth: Abuse was the cause

   
   Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Patrick McIlheran, ~ Jan 08, 2011
   MILWAUKEE (WI) - The Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese is in bankruptcy court because, said Archbishop Jerome Listecki in a message to be played at churches Sunday, "priest-perpetrators sexually abused minors."
   Listecki spent the past week saying that repeatedly, in speeches, to reporters, all over the archdiocese's website. It is an admission of a grim truth many bishops for years were loath to speak, though they seem over that now, with repeated apologies from the pope, from other bishops and from Listecki for what abusing priests did. "I am ashamed because of these actions," Listecki said in that message.
   But it is more than admission. Listecki points out a key truth, perhaps the key truth of the sex-abuse scandal: Terrible things happened because people - priests, no less - did wrong, "going against everything the church and the priesthood represents." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:38 PM

• Those greedy lawyers

 
   GetReligion Posted by Brad A. Greenberg
   UNITED STATES - There are two basic fee arrangements for legal services: pay by the hour or pay based on a percentage of the judgment you hope to secure.
   The former is quite costly and is primarily available to those already wealthy enough to slug it out in court. The latter fee arrangement, known as a contingent fee, is paid out only upon the plaintiff's victory and help less wealthy litigants bring socially important lawsuits; it also can lead to a pretty big windfall for the plaintiffs' litigators, whom pay all the up front costs in exchange for that equity interest.
   Contingent fees are a double-edged sword. (Quick disclosure: This summer I will be working for a shareholder litigation firm that represents under such a fee arrangement.) The good is that contingent fees are the primary vehicle for most civil rights and mass torts claims. The bad is that, like class-action lawsuits, they can leave individual plaintiffs with a lot less to show for their suffering. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 2:48 PM

• Versteylen maakte mogelijk drie slachtoffers

   
   De Standaard,
   BELGIE - Pater Luc Versteylen zou mogelijk drie jongeren hebben misbruikt, meldt de vzw Viersel - Leven in de Brouwerij. Tot nog toe is er één klacht binnengelopen bij het parket van Antwerpen.
   Bij het bezinningscentrum dat door Versteylen werd opgericht, hebben zich drie personen gemeld die mogelijk misbruikt zijn door de pater.
   'Er is een anonieme brief toegekomen bij de vzw waarin in heel gedetailleerde bewoordingen verwezen wordt naar feiten die gepleegd werden tussen 1985 en 1995', zegt woordvoerder Walter Lever. Het is de vzw zelf die op basis van een anonieme brief melding maakte bij het parket. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 2:45 PM

• Klacht wegens seksueel misbruik tegen pater Versteylen

 
   Knack,
   BELGIE - Er is een klacht wegens seksueel misbruik ingediend tegen pater Luc Versteylen. Dat heeft het parket van Antwerpen zaterdag bevestigd. Het misbruik zou zich hebben afgespeeld in het bezinningscentrum 'Leven in de brouwerij' in Viersel, dat werd gesticht door Versteylen.
   Volgens de woordvoerder van de vzw achter het bezinningscentrum hebben zich drie personen gemeld die mogelijk misbruikt zijn door de bekende pater Luc Versteylen, die aan de wieg stond van de groene beweging Agalev. De vzw heeft zelf in een brief een en ander gemeld aan het parket Posted by Kathy Shaw at 2:42 PM

• Biografie Luc Versteylen

 
   Het Nieuwsblad
   BELGIE - Luc Versteylen is een 83-jarige jezuïet en priester. Hij raakte bekend vanaf de late jaren zestig als activist en later als stichter van de groene beweging Agalev. Na een paar jaar brak hij met Agalev en trok hij zich terug in de Brouwerij van Viersel, een oord van bezinning.
   Versteylen raakte ook bekend als de bezieler van het witte kinderbos, dat ter nagedachtenis van vermiste en verongelukte kinderen op de middenberm van de E19 Antwerpen-Brussel werd aangeplant. Versteylen heeft al bijna veertig jaar een levensgezellin, Mieke. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 2:39 PM

• Zaak-Versteylen: Geysels en Vogels willen dat gerecht werk doet

 
   Gazet van Antwerpen
   BELGIE - Jos Geysels en Mieke Vogels, twee boegbeelden van het voormalige Agalev, reageren verrast op het bericht dat er een klacht voor seksueel misbruik is ingediend tegen pater Luc Versteylen, die destijds de groene beweging oprichtte.
   "Net als bij de misbruikverhalen van de kerk van de afgelopen maanden, is mijn oordeel dat het gerecht zijn werk moet doen", is de enige commentaar die Jos Geysels kwijt wil. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 2:36 PM

• Abus sexuels: plainte contre le jésuite Luc Versteylen

  [RCC]
   RTL
   BELGIQUE - Une plainte pour abus sexuel a été déposée vendredi, a indiqué le parquet anversois, qui ne fait pas d'autres commentaires. La VRT avait auparavant indiqué que les faits se seraient produits il y a vingt ans et auraient duré un certain temps. Luc Versteylen, â;gé aujourd'hui de 83 ans, démissionnerait également de son poste au sein du conseil d'administration du centre de réflexion "Leven in de brouwerij", qu'il a fondé à Viersel. Il a écrit une lettre aux membres du conseil d'administration de l'asbl. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 2:23 PM

• Klacht tegen pater Luc Versteylen wegens seksueel misbruik

  [Fr Luc Versteylen - ? NEW*]  
   Gazet van Antwerpen,
   BELGIE - Er is een klacht ingediend tegen pater Luc Versteylen wegens seksueel misbruik. Dat bevestigt het parket van Antwerpen. Versteylen heeft inmiddels via een brief gereageerd.
   Volgens VRT gaat het om misbruik van 25 jaar geleden. Er zouden minstens twee slachtoffers betrokken zijn, die op het moment van de feiten tussen 15 en 20 jaar waren.
   Pater Luc Versteylen is vooral bekend als de stichter van Agalev, de groene beweging die de voorloper was van Groen!. Daarnaast richtte hij ook het bezinningscentrum 'Leven in de brouwerij' op in Viersel. Daar zou het misbruik hebben plaatsgevonden. De 83-jarige Versteylen stapt uit de raad van bestuur van de vzw.
   {summary}
   A sexual abuse complaint has been made against Father Luc Versteylen. The abuse, which is alleged to have involved two victims, is said to have happened 25 years ago. Eylen is best known as found [er] of CVP, part of the "green" movement. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 2:17 PM

• 'Ik heb mijn verlangens altijd onderdrukt'

 
   De Standaard,
   BELGIE - Verbazing alom toen begin deze week ook bij de zusters van Stella Maris in Kortrijk een zaak van misbruik aan het licht kwam. Door vrouwen, dan toch. Vrouwen die zacht en teder horen te zijn, maar die deze week niet zo anders dan mannen bleken. Met driften en verlangens dus. Maar wat doe je daarmee als je ze niet mag benoemen? Als je niet eens verondersteld wordt ze te hebben? Drie (ex-)zusters over intimiteit en emoties in het klooster.
   'Ik zie het nog zo voor me, het moment waarop ik mijn kleren als burgermeisje moest afgeven en een nieuwe outfit kreeg: zwarte jurk, zwarte sluier, zwarte kousen en schoenen. Mijn moeder huilde toen ze me zag. Omdat ze wist waaraan ik begonnen was. Zelf had ik nog geen besef, ook niet toen de novicemeesteres - de zuster die ons opleidde - 's avonds met klem benadrukte dat onze tandenborstel altijd met de haren naar boven in het potje moest staan. Ik vond het vreemd dat net dát het eerste was wat we leerden, maar pas later heb ik beseft dat het daar al begonnen is. De regeltjes, de wetten, het systeem dat elk initiatief onmogelijk maakte. En waarvan ik steeds meer de gevangene zou worden.' Posted by Kathy Shaw at 2:14 PM

• Het leven zoals het was in een nonnenweeshuis

 
   Het Nieuwsblad
   ZELEM, BELGIE - Met de getuigenissen over het Kortrijkse weeshuis Stella Maris kregen we voor het eerst te horen over nonnen die zich aan kinderen vergrepen. 'Maar ook zonder de aanrandingen was opgroeien bij nonnen in de jaren 50 weinig benijdenswaardig', getuigen twee mannen die opgroeiden in het Limburgse Sint-Vincentiustehuis. Het leven zoals het was in elk nonnenweeshuis, waar macht en willekeur het pad konden effenen voor seksueel misbruik.
   'Ik herinner me nog haarscherp het moment waarop ik als vijfjarige door de grote deur van het weeshuis werd geduwd', vertelt Jos Herbots (64) uit Herk-de-Stad. 'Er werden wat papieren ingevuld, de ambtenaar knikte naar de zuster, en de deur sloeg dicht. De klap van de grendel die neerviel, ging dwars door me heen. Ik zou er acht jaar lang niet meer buiten komen.' Posted by Kathy Shaw at 2:08 PM

• Reacties: 'Versteylen zou beter duidelijkheid creëren'

   
   Het Nieuwsblad,
   BELGIE - Voormalig Groen!-voorzitster Mieke Vogels laat weten dat ze het nieuws over de klacht rond seksueel misbruik tegen pater Luc Versteylen met grote verbazing heeft vernomen. 'Het gerecht moet zijn werk doen, of het nu gaat om Roger Vangheluwe of Luc Versteylen', aldus Vogels.
   Ook voormalig Agalev-voorzitter Jos Geysels is van oordeel dat deze klacht grondig onderzocht moet worden door het gerecht. 'Maar Versteylen zelf, zou beter nu al duidelijkheid creëren.' Posted by Kathy Shaw at 2:00 PM

• Maltese abuse victims complain to Pope Benedict about justice delay

  [RCC]
   Monsters and Critics,
   Valletta, Malta - Seven Maltese men who claim they were sexually molested by priests in the 1980s have written to Pope Benedict XVI complaining about delays in justice.
   The Maltese Church has failed to take action against three priests, even though, in 2003, they admitted wrongdoing, the men said in their letter, which was made public Saturday.
   The priests also stand charged in a criminal court with sexually abusing boys, aged 13 to 16, at an orphanage in the 1980s. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:50 PM

• Accused priests insist on media ban

   
   MALTA - Times of Malta Juan Ameen, Matthew Xuereb
   Three priests charged with sexually abusing children in their care at the St Joseph's Home have asked the Constitutional Court to enforce a 2003 press ban on their case, claiming their trial was being prejudiced by media coverage.
   In a second application filed yesterday, the priests also asked for the ban to apply to the constitutional case they had just filed.
   The priests argued the media publicity on the case violated their human right to a fair hearing and people, both in the media and elsewhere, were not respecting the ban. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:46 PM

• Oh no Hugh don't

   
   SCOTLAND - Sun By NICK SHARPE
   THE SFA has told three staff sacked over the Pope email row that they can return to their jobs - but there was no reprieve for refs' chief Hugh Dallas.
   The trio successfully appealed against a controversial decision to axe them.
   They were among five employees - including Dallas - given the boot in November for allegedly forwarding a photograph linking the Pope to child abuse on the same day the church leader visited Scotland. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:00 AM

• Prominent N.Va. Anglican church says priest fired after surfing porn sites

  ["Puritan" Anglican in internet porn allegation.]   
   Washington Post By Michelle Boorstein and William Wan Saturday, January 8, 2011
   VIRGINIA - A longtime priest at one of the country's largest and most prominent conservative Anglican churches has been fired for repeatedly using a church computer to surf for pornography, an official at the Fairfax City church said.
   The Rev. Marshall Brown was associate rector at Truro Church, whose clergy members helped lead 14 Virginia parishes to break away from the Episcopal Church after the 2003 election of the denomination's first openly gay bishop.
   With more than 1,200 members, Truro was one of the biggest parishes in the Episcopal Church, the American province of Anglicanism. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:44 AM

• Tax-Exempt Ministries Avoid New Regulation

  [Television evangelicals]
   The New York Times By LAURIE GOODSTEIN Published: January 7, 2011
   UNITED STATES - A three-year investigation into financial improprieties at six Christian ministries whose television preaching bankrolled leaders' lavish lifestyles has concluded with the formation of an independent commission to look into the lack of accountability by tax-exempt religious groups.
   Senator Charles E. Grassley, an Iowa Republican and the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued a report saying that "self-correction" by churches and religious groups is preferable to legislative or regulatory solutions.
   But his report found that only two of the six ministries cooperated with his investigation and volunteered to institute reforms. The others continued to hide behind tax laws that allow religious organizations to operate tax-free with little transparency or public accountability – a status that sets them apart from other nonprofit groups and charities that must file detailed annual reports of expenditures to the Internal Revenue Service. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:40 AM

• Vaticaan neemt 'eerstdaags' beslissing over Vangheluwe'

     
   Het Nieuwsblad
   BELGIE - Het Vaticaan neemt binnenkort een beslissing over de laïcisering van Roger Vangheluwe, de voormalige bisschop van Brugge die moest aftreden nadat bekend was geraakt dat hij jarenlang zijn minderjarig neefje seksueel had misbruikt. Volgens radiozender Radio 2 West-Vlaanderen zou de uitspraak van het Vaticaan 'eerstdaags' volgen. Als straf zou Vangheluwe kunnen worden teruggezet in de lekenstaat, waardoor hij dus niet meer als geestelijke door het leven zou gaan.
   Onder meer kerkjurist en senator Rik Torfs (CD&V) had Vangheluwe vorig jaar in september al opgeroepen om zelf die laïcisering aan te vragen. Maar daar ging Vangheluwe, die zich ophoudt in het verborgene, niet op in. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:31 AM

• Archdiocese assets to be put under microscope

   
   MILWAUKEE (WI) - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel Jan. 8, 2011
   When the Archdiocese of Milwaukee announced Tuesday that it would seek bankruptcy protection to deal with its clergy sex abuse claims, Archbishop Jerome Listecki was adamant it would involve only the assets of the archdiocese itself.
   Parishes and schools are protected, he said, because they're separately incorporated. Endowments and trusts - holding everything from the $105 million Faith in Our Future campaign funds to money meant for the perpetual care of cemeteries - he insisted, cannot be tapped.
   But a look at Catholic Church bankruptcies across the country suggests that every one of those - every account, every asset, every legal contract that controls them - is likely to be scrutinized, litigated and negotiated as lawyers try to hammer out a settlement in which the archdiocese would compensate victims and emerge from bankruptcy intact.
   In the end, if cases elsewhere are an indication, the ramifications will be felt for years - by victims, the dioceses and Catholics in the pews. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:28 AM

• Keep faith in the truth

 
   UNITED STATES U.S. Catholic
   A commitment to the truth keeps Justice Anne M. Burke fighting for the church that she wants to see emerge out of the sex abuse scandals. Guest blog by Anne M. Burke
   Truthfulness is as critical a component of my professional life in the legal system as it is an indispensible part of my everyday life. This virtue and value comes from my family and my faith growing up, and it sustains me today in the light of the sex abuse crisis.
   Truthfulness, I learned growing up Catholic, is more than not lying. It is a way of engaging the world with sincerity and honest realism. The Sacrament of Penance enabled us take an honest look at our life. The sin was not about just saying a bad word; it was not caring about the feeling of others. I was not just speaking true words, I was being honest about my intentions and motives. That was pretty heady material when you start at seven years old. I thought about that every time I walked up the aisle to Holy Communion. I was uncomfortable with short cuts; half-truths; and fibbers. I did not want them around me. I still don't.
   Since I left the National Review Board, I have found it difficult to distance myself from the clergy abuse issue. Every time I hear the Holy See make a botched attempt to clear things up or see the half-hearted attempt by bishops to appear forthright on the subject, I am confronted by the anger of ordinary Catholics to such mis-starts and un-truths. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:24 AM

• Interview: Cecil Murphey, Best-Selling Author and Esteemed Pastor

 
   UNITED STATES Seattle PI
   By CLAYTON PERRY BLOGCRITICS.ORG
   Cecil Murphey is the best-selling and award-winning author of more than 100 books and 700 articles. Although best-known for his collaborative projects with notable individuals, like Franklin Graham (Rebel With a Cause) and Ben Carson (Gifted Hands), Murphey also spends a considerable amount of time ministering to the public as a full-time pastor and public speaker. His topics of interest include: faith, spiritual balance and strategies to cope with tragedy, trauma and abuse.
   Since October 2006, Cecil Murphey has been a permanent fixture on the New York Times bestseller list, due to the massive success of 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life, which has sold more than 5 million copies and been printed in 40 languages. His most personal project, however, would come four years later. Bearing his heart and soul in an honest, therapeutic text, Murphey offers guidance and solace with the Kregel publication of When a Man You Love Was Abused: A Woman's Guide to Helping Him Overcome Childhood Sexual Molestation. …
   As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, at what point did you truly come to terms with your abuse?
   I was fifty, fifty-one when the memories started returning. And I shared with my wife. And she said to me: "I don't understand this, but I'm with you." And as soon as she said that, I thought: "That's right. I don't want you to fix me. You can't. You don't understand this. But what I do need is for you to be with me." And that's when I made that connection. In fact, I said to her shortly after that, and I don't think this is in the book: "You know, if you don't stand with me, when I'm through with this and I feel I'm healed, we'll still be married, but you won't know who I am."
   Upon entering your fifties, you found the strength and courage to revisit the pain of your childhood. Why do you think it's so hard, or what do you think is the barrier that keeps the majority of men from revisiting their own childhoods?
   Well, when you think about it, Clayton, in our culture, men don't become victims. We're the victors. We overwhelm other people. And you know, you're a child. You can't reason that out. But as you start to grow up, you think: "You know, if I were a real man, I would have punched him in the mouth, or I would have done something or other." I think that this is an unrealistic attitude. A second point: we live in such a homophobic culture that we're afraid that if we talk about it, other people will think we're gay, when we're not. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:18 AM

• Vermont diocese sells its HQ to settle abuse claims, while Milwaukee files for bankruptcy protection to avoid its responsibilities

 
   UNITED KINGDOM National Secular Society
   The Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington in Vermont has been forced to sell its headquarters building in order to pay compensation claims for sexual abuse in about two dozen lawsuits. The diocese has to raise $17.65 million to satisfy out-of-court settlements in these cases and several others that were being appealed in various courts.
   The building went for $10 million – substantially less than was hoped. The 32 acre property includes a 77,000 square foot four-story structure that once housed St. Joseph Orphanage.
   The diocese reached a $17.65 million out-of-court settlement in May in respect of 26 lawsuits alleging child molestation by priests in the state. The diocese also agreed to pay undisclosed amounts to settle three cases that were on appeal to the Vermont Supreme Court. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:15 AM

• Accused priest who fled prosecution reported dead in exile

  [1960s-70s Fr Laurence (or F.X.) Brett. RCC. >p; 30 boys.]      
   Catholic Culture, January 07, 2011
   MARTINIQUE - A former priest who fled the US after being accused of sexual abuse has been reported dead in Martinique, where he had lived in hiding to escape prosecution.
   Laurence Brett, who had been accused of molesting more than 30 boys in Connecticut and Maryland, reportedly died after a domestic accident. Once a priest of the Bridgeport, Connecticut, diocese, he had been laicized after multiple charges of sexual abuse. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:11 AM
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Sat January 08, 2011
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont180.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Sun January 09, 2011 edition:

• Leader of Missouri Baptists resigns for 'immoral behavior'

  [? - 2011 Jan. Executive Director Rev. Dr David Tolliver -NEW*. Southern Baptist. Woman.]  
   St. Louis Post-Dispatch, BY TIM TOWNSEND, ttownsend@post-dispatch.com , ~ Jan 09, 2011
   MISSOURI – The executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention resigned Friday "due to immoral behavior with a woman," according to a statement from the organization.
   The Rev. David Tolliver, had led the 600,000-member state arm of the Southern Baptist Convention since February 2009. He had worked for the Missouri Baptist Convention as an associate executive director since 2005.
   Jay Hughes, the organization's associate executive director of support services, will serve as acting interim executive director, according to the statement. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 10:50 PM

• Tolliver resigns as MBC executive director

 
   Missouri Baptist Convention
   JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI -The Missouri Baptist Convention issued the following press release at approximately 1 p.m. Friday:
   "With deep regret we announce, Dr. David Tolliver has resigned as Executive Director of the Missouri Baptist Convention due to immoral behavior with a woman. His resignation is effective immediately. Jay Hughes, Associate Executive Director of Support Services, will serve as acting interim executive director until a permanent Interim executive director is named by the Executive Board." Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 10:47 PM

• Baptist leader resigns over 'immoral behavior'

 
   ST. LOUIS (MO) The Kansas City Star
   The Associated Press
   ST. LOUIS | The Missouri Baptist Convention says its executive director has resigned because of what it describes as "immoral behavior with a woman."
   The Rev. David Tolliver had led the 600,000-member state arm of the Southern Baptist Convention since February 2009. The organization said in a news release Friday that his departure is immediate.
   The release said that one of the organization's leaders, Jay Hughes, will fill in as executive director until a permanent replacement is named. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 10:44 PM

• Back to square one

 
   MALTA Times of Malta
   Alison Bezzina
   Last week, the priests who back in 2003 were accused of allegedly sexually abusing children in their care, asked the Constitutional Court to enforce a press ban on the whole case.
   A press ban means that the media would not be allowed to report nor comment on the case until it is concluded. It would not be able to mention names, report on developments, or in this case the lack of them. Technically this blog would not be published, and the victims would be gagged.
   There's already undeniable proof that with a media ban the case would be forgotten and allowed to drag on and on and on. You see, the priests had initially asked for this ban back when the case was initiated in 2003, and for seven long years there was hardly any mention of it. Most of us had no idea what was going on, we didn't know that the accused priests were still roaming our streets, and still dressed as priests. Most had no idea what the alleged victims where claiming to have been put through, and little did we know that the priests had already admitted their wrongdoings to the police. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 10:41 PM

• Maltese Catholic church to set up tribunal into child sex abuse after victims write

  [20yrs ago. RCC. Orphan boys.]   
   Winnipeg Free Press By George Cini, The Associated Press
   VALLETTA, Malta - The Maltese Catholic Church will set up a special tribunal to deal with claims that three Maltese priests abused boys at an orphanage 20 years ago – but critics said the church is still moving too slowly.
   Victims of the alleged abuse have repeatedly urged quicker action, most recently in a Dec. 27 letter to the Vatican in which they said church authorities and courts were taking too long to deal with the case. Local courts have been holding closed-door hearings on the allegations for seven years.
   The Maltese curia said the tribunal will be set up following instructions from the Vatican. No date was set. Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said Sunday that those instructions had already been sent over Christmas. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 10:36 PM

• Abuse victims complain to pope over lack of sanctions

  [1980s-90s Fr Pulis, Fr Sciberras, and Bro. Bonnett. RCC.]       
   The Irish Times, PADDY AGNEW in Rome
   VATICAN CITY - SEVEN MALTESE clerical sex abuse victims have written to Pope Benedict XVI to complain about the church's failure to impose sanctions on the priests accused of abusing them, according to Italian and Maltese media reports last weekend.
   The seven victims, who were among a group of survivors who met Pope Benedict in a much publicised private encounter during his pastoral visit to Malta last April, complain that eight years after criminal charges were filed against three priests, neither clerical nor state judicial authorities have yet to impose sanctions.
   In October 2003, criminal charges were filed against three priests – Fr Charles Pulis, Fr Conrad Sciberras and Br Joseph Bonnett – accusing them of sexually abusing young boys in their care at the St Joseph's Home in Santa Venera, Malta, during the 1980s and 1990s. The case, which has not concluded, received huge international attention last April when, on the eve of the pope's visit, the victims chose to speak out about their ordeal. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 10:34 PM

• Listecki addresses 'sinful and criminal' priest sex abuse

   
   Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, By Meg Kissinger of the Journal Sentinel,
   Jan. 9, 2011
   MILWAUKEE (WI) - Catholics in the Milwaukee Archdiocese heard a recorded message from Archbishop Jerome Listecki played at most weekend Masses explaining the decision last week to file for financial reorganization and repeating his apology to victims of clergy abuse.
   "I want to be very clear that this reorganization is happening because priest perpetrators sexually abused minors going against everything the church and the priesthood represents," Listecki said.
   Lawyers for the archdiocese filed a petition for financial reorganization on Tuesday under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 4:05 PM

• Commentary: Bishops' Actions Damage Catholic Church's Credibility

 
   WISCONSIN Channel 3000
   By Bill Wineke Special to Channel 3000
   Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki says he is "deeply ashamed" of events in his church that led the archdiocese to file for bankruptcy last week.
   He ought to be.
   Not personally, of course. Listecki has been head of the 640,000-member archdiocese for only a year. He did not personally cover up the 200 or so incidents of priestly sex abuse the church has already settled in Milwaukee. Nor did he personally approve the $29 million in church funds used to make those settlements.
   But he is head of the diocese, and he is part of a world-wide hierarchy that seems incapable of comprehending that it has conspired for decades to undermine the moral authority of the Roman Catholic Church. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 4:02 PM

• Ook Adriaenssens kreeg klacht over Versteylen

  [RCC]  
   De Redactie,
   BELGIE - Ook bij de commissie-Adriaenssens, die diende als meldpunt voor kindermisbruik in de kerk, is een klacht binnengelopen over pater Luc Versteylen. Dat schrijft het Nieuwsblad op Zondag en is bevestigd door Peter Adriaenssens.
   Die klacht -1 van de 476 klachten die de commissie ontving- ging wel niet over het persoonlijke gedrag van Versteylen, maar wel over het opvoedingsmodel dat hij gebruikte in zijn bezinningscentrum "Leven in de Brouwerij" in Viersel.
   Gisteren bleek al dat er bij de vzw achter het bezinningscentrum twee of drie klachten waren binnengekomen over seksueel misbruik van de pater. De feiten zouden zich afgespeeld hebben in het bezinningscentrum, tussen 1985 en 1995. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 3:59 PM

• Weer Belgische geestelijke in opspraak

 
   Spits
   BELGIE - De Belgische justitie is een onderzoek begonnen naar seksueel misbruik door de bekende pater Luc Versteylen (83). Hij is de oprichter van de milieubeweging Agalev, de voorloper van de partij Groen! Frappant is dat hij daarnaast streed tegen kindermisbruik.
   Justitie in Antwerpen bevestigde dat er een klacht is ingediend over misbruik tussen 1985 en 1995. De pater heeft mogelijk meer personen misbruikt, meldden Belgische media zaterdag. De slachtoffers zouden ouder dan vijftien zijn geweest. Het is de jongste onthulling over seksueel misbruik door katholieke geestelijken in België.
   Versteylen is ook oprichter van het bezinningscentrum Leven In De Brouwerij in Viersel. Hier zou de ontucht hebben plaatsgevonden. De pater is inmiddels opgestapt uit de raad van bestuur van het centrum. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 3:57 PM

• Princeton Grad Student Commits Suicide after Childhood Sexual Abuse: Implications for Catholic Discussions

  [RCC.]  
   Bilgrimage, William D. Lindsey,
   UNITED STATES - The tragedy of Bill Zeller's suicide should sound a warning bell for all those apologists for the current Catholic hierarchy who want to attack the credibility of testimony by survivors of childhood clerical sexual abuse. Survivors of such abuse have spent much of the last decade desperately trying to educate the Catholic community about the long-lasting, destructive effects of such abuse in the lives of those who have endured it. Bill Zeller's suicide note illustrates the lifelong, soul-destroying pain with which many people sexually abused as children live. It also underscores the damage that religious fundamentalists (like his own parents) do, when they put the needs of a religious institution above the needs of children abused by pastoral figures in that institution.
   The ongoing attempt of apologists for the Catholic hierarchy to insinuate that most of those reporting such abuse within the Catholic context are lying in order to win lucrative lawsuits, and/or have a malicious intent to destroy the church, is obscene. It's evil. It needs to stop.
   As Bishop Geoffrey Robinson notes, the entire Catholic church owes a tremendous debt to survivors of childhood clerical sexual abuse who have had the courage to speak out and to demand justice. Robinson says that listening to victims of clerical sexual abuse is the most profound spiritual gift he has received in the last 25 years, and observes, "If a better church one day emerges from this crisis, it is they alone who must take the credit for creating it" (Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church: Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus {Dublin: Columba, 2007}, p. 225). Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 3:52 PM

• Vatican tells Curia to set up abuse tribunal

  [1980s. RCC.]  
   Times of Malta, Herman Grech,
   MALTA - The Vatican has instructed the Maltese Church to set up a tribunal to conduct the judicial process into allegations that three priests sexually abused boys at an orphanage two decades ago.
   Judges from the Metropolitan Tribunal will be involved in the tribunal, which will be set up in a few days' time, a Curia spokesmanyesterday told The Sunday Times.
   The latest development is a major step towards the conclusion of Church proceedings against three priests accused of molesting children, aged 13 to 16, while in their care at St Joseph's Home in St Venera in the late 1980s. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 10:40 AM

• They want to gag us all

 
   MALTA Malta Independent
   by Daphne Caruana Galizia The priests (former priests?) who are being tried for grave crimes against children in their care have come up with yet another bald attempt to stave off what I hope is the inevitable prison sentence that hangs over their head.
   Seven years into the proceedings, they have gone to the Constitutional Court, claiming that their fundamental human right to a fair trial has been breached by the media coverage of the graphic accounts of abuse, given by the men who say they were their victims. Their lawyer Giannella Caruana Curran – let's give her the benefit of the doubt; she may be doing it pro bono because she is a committed Roman Catholic and these are men of the Church – has asked the Constitutional Court to safeguard their right to a fair trial by upholding a court-decreed ban on reportage of the proceedings of the case. She might not have noticed that nobody is actually reporting on the proceedings of the case because the trial is being held behind closed doors. Instead, we are discussing what those who claim to be the victims have told us. There can be no ban on that, and if one is somehow obtained, then we can all flood the Constitutional Court ourselves with our own claims for violation of our right to freedom of expression.
   Within 24 hours, the priests went to the Constitutional Court once more, this time to ask for an extension of the press-coverage ban to cover the constitutional case they had just filed. Their nerve is unbelievable, but then desperate times probably mean desperate measures. When Dr Caruana Curran was contacted by reporters (or perhaps it was the other way round, because you never know), she refused to release a copy of her clients' application to the Constitutional Court, citing – oh dear, oh dear – the 'ban on media coverage'. But there isn't a ban on media coverage of the Constitutional application, is there, because her priests have only just asked for one and the Constitutional Court has not yet pronounced itself. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 10:38 AM

• Versteylen bood Vangheluwe onderdak aan

  [RCC]  
   Het Nieuwsblad,
   VIERSEL, BELGIE - Toen ex-bisschop Roger Vangheluwe zich na zijn verblijf in de abdij van Westvleteren terugtrok 'in het verborgene', was Luc Versteylen er als de kippen bij om Vangheluwe onderdak te bieden. 'Als hij in de Brouwerij wil komen uitrusten, is hij welkom', zei hij toen op de radio. 'Ik heb te doen met die man, ook al is hij grof in de fout gegaan.' Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 9:01 AM

• 'De-baptism' in Belgium in wake of child abuse scandal

  ["De-baptism" spreading. RCC.]  
   AFP, By Philippe Siuberski,
   BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (AFP) – The child abuse scandals rocking Belgium's powerful Catholic Church are also shaking the faith of followers, with more and more people asking to be struck off baptism registers -- a global movement known as "de-baptism".
   "When you don't agree with an organisation that you never chose to join in the first place, the healthiest thing to do is to leave," Damien Spleeters told AFP.
   In this mainly Catholic country of 10 million people, the 24-year-old is among a growing crowd exasperated by church policy on issues such as AIDS, and angered by revelations last year of massive child abuse by priests and lay workers. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 8:08 AM

• Abuse victims in renewed appeal to Pope

   
   The Malta Independent by CHIARA BONELLO
   MALTA - Seven of the alleged priest abuse victims who grew up at St Joseph's Institute in Sta Venera have launched an urgent appeal to Pope Benedict XVI, asking that the priests accused of abusing them to be dealt with by the clerical authorities.
   They have also complained that they remain in the dark as to whether it is the Archdiocese of Malta or the Vatican that is to have the final say on the priests' future as far as their clerical standing is concerned.
   "We are very disappointed that these priests are still going about in clerical clothes," the victims said in their letter to the Pope, seen by The Malta Independent on Sunday, which called on the Pontiff to help them close this ugly chapter in their lives. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 8:06 AM

• Clergy sex victims leaflet church

 
   Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
   TAMPA (FL) – WHAT: As parishioners leave mass, clergy sex abuse victims and supporters will hand out leaflets. The fliers will urge local Catholics to

ask loved ones about three predator priests accused of sexual misdeeds who worked here, and

prod their Catholic officials to be more forthcoming about clergy sexual misconduct.
   The group will also urge the Tampa-St. Pete bishop to

permanently post all the names of Tampa area child molesting clerics on his diocesan website. And

aggressively reach out to anyone with information about possible abuse by church employees.
   They will also beg anyone who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes or cover ups to call police, get help, expose wrongdoers, protect others and start healing.
   WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 9 at 11:30 a.m.
   WHERE: Outside Christ the King Catholic Church, 821 South Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, FL (813) 876-5628 …
   2) Dozens of men in the Netherlands have accused Father Jan Sanders, a Dutch Jesuit, of molesting them as boys. Sanders also worked at Christ the King. Weeks ago, Christ the King's current pastor put an announcement in his parish bulletin about the allegations against Sanders. (SNAP believes Sanders also later worked in a child care center for abandoned and poor vulnerable children in Santiago, Chile.) Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 8:01 AM

• Ook klacht tegen Versteylen bij commissie-Adriaenssens

  [RCC]  
   De Morgen,
   BELGIE - Een van de 476 klachten die bij de commissie-Adriaenssens zijn binnengelopen over seksueel misbruik in de kerk, gaat over pater Luc Versteylen. Dat berichten de Coreliokranten. Gisteren bleek al dat er bij de vzw achter het bezinningscentrum Leven in de Brouwerij in Viersel (Zandhoven) drie klachten waren binnengekomen over seksueel misbruik van de pater. De feiten zouden zich afgespeeld hebben in het bezinningscentrum, dat gesticht werd door Versteylen. De Coreliokranten vernamen uit "verschillende bronnen" dat er nog een klacht was binnengelopen over Versteylen bij de commissie-Adriaenssens, die onderzoek heeft gedaan naar seksueel misbruik in de kerk. De getuigenis zou losstaan van de drie andere klachten, die de vzw te horen kreeg. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 7:56 AM

• A demon's death in paradise

  [1960s-70s Fr Laurence (or F.X.) Brett. RCC. >p; 30 boys.]        
   The Baltimore Sun, Dan Rodricks, January 9, 2011
   UNITED STATES - The aiding and abetting of the pedophile priest and fugitive, Laurence Brett, continued long after his days at Calvert Hall College in Towson, and it wasn't monsignors and bishops who gave him cover. Even in exile in the Caribbean, this old abuser – described by the newspaper that hunted him down as "a predator blessed with charm" – got some help from friends, including at least two other priests, as well as a Maryland businessman and a Baltimore psychologist.
   Father Larry, as he was known, seduced teenage boys, but he apparently could get grown men to do things for him, too.
   Mr. Brett, who reportedly died on the island of Martinique on Christmas Eve, merits Top 10 standing among the most notorious American figures in the Catholic Church's gone-global priest-abuse scandal. He was a serial abuser. Years ago, his superiors moved him from assignment to assignment – from Connecticut to New Mexico, California and Mexico – and apparently never dealt with accusations as they surfaced. What to do with a priest who molests boys? Send him to an all-boys school. He was the chaplain at Calvert Hall from 1969 to 1973, and he served some Maryland parishes during that time as well. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 7:48 AM

• A New Post-Catholic State of Awareness: Has Public Discussion of Catholicism Reached a New Moment?

   
   America Magazine, Author: Tom Beaudoin, Posted at: Saturday, January 08, 2011
   UNITED STATES - I am currently reading, and inspired and challenged by, Mary Gail Frawley-O'Dea's remarkable psychoanalytic study of the Catholic abuse crisis, Perversion of Power: Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church (Vanderbilt University Press, 2007). Many America readers will recall that Frawley-O'Dea was selected to give a presentation on abuse to the Catholic bishops at their crucial meeting in Dallas in June 2002, and many as well will remember how important was her presence and presentation at that watershed event.
   Among many poignant, subtle, and arresting arguments in Perversion of Power -- a great deal of which has to do with untangling the relationship between sexuality and clerical narcissism in the governance structures of the church -- I was also moved by her declaration at the beginning of the book, in the "Personal Preface", that after a painful search, Frawley-O'Dea has left Catholicism for the Episcopal Church, a move she discusses frankly. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 7:43 AM

• Church Should Stand With Abuse Victims

  [1960s-70s Fr Laurence (or F.X.) Brett. RCC. >p; 30 boys.]        
   The Hartford Courant, Helen Ubiñas, January 9, 2011
   CONNECTICUT - Certainly there is some finality in the recent death of former Bridgeport priest Laurence Brett.
   At least now, the notorious pedophile can't hurt anyone else.
   But that's not the end of it – not by a long shot.
   Left behind is a trail of victims from Connecticut to California whose lives were irrevocably damaged by a priest who was allowed to abuse dozens of young men – that we know of. And then evade justice in the Caribbean until his death on Christmas. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 7:40 AM

• Former Upton priest facing sexual abuse lawsuit

 
   Milford Daily News, By Brian Benson / Posted Jan 09, 2011
   UPTON (MA) – A former priest at the Holy Angels Church in Upton is facing a lawsuit after he allegedly assaulted and abused a boy between 1979 and 1982.
   The boy, who is now in his late 30s and lives in Worcester County, filed a complaint in Worcester Superior Court last week against Ronald Provost and the Diocese of Worcester.
   The complaint alleges that Provost sexually assaulted and abused the man in Provost's van in Worcester between 1979 and 1982, when the victim was 8 to 11 years old.
   Provost was assigned to Holy Angels from 1986 to 1988, according to BishopAccountability.org, a Massachusetts nonprofit organization that maintains a website containing a collection of public documents on abuse cases in the Catholic church. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 9, 2011 7:36 AM
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Sun January 09, 2011
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont180.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Mon January 10, 2011 edition:

• Gay priest sacked for 'lurid' conduct

  [NEW*. Church of England.]  
   London Evening Standard Felix Allen, Josh Loeb and Miranda Bryant 10 Jan 2011
   UNITED KINGDOM - A West End parish priest was sacked after he plied two guests with wine, made "lurid" comments and walked into their room naked.
   The Rev David Gilmore, rector of St Anne's Anglican Church in Soho, was removed from office a week before Christmas after church authorities received complaints.
   An ecclesiastical tribunal found him guilty of "conduct unbecoming or inappropriate to the office and work of a clerk in Holy Orders". Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 10, 2011 8:36 AM

• Cardinal to hold public meeting in Drogheda

       
   The Irish Times, PATSY McGARRY, Religious Affairs Correspondent, Jan 11, 2011
   NORTHERN IRELAND – THE FORMER archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor will attend the first public meeting of his apostolic visitation to the Armagh archdiocese in Drogheda this evening.
   In a statement on the Armagh website, he says: "People, religious and priests of the archdiocese are all welcome to attend these public meetings." This evening's meeting takes place at the Westcourt Hotel in Drogheda and begins at 7.30pm. It is the first of four such meetings planned for this week.
   Tomorrow's meeting will take place at the Carrickdale Hotel, Carrickarnon, Co Louth. On Thursday evening it will be at the Armagh City Hotel in Armagh and at the Glenavon House Hotel in Cookstown, Co Tyrone on Friday evening. All meetings will begin at 7.30pm. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 10, 2011 9:43 PM

• Pedophile priest arrested

  [~ 1970s Eric Dejaeger* (63) (Oblate Fathers). ? Roman Catholic. Inuit (i.e., Eskimo) children.]    
   Northern News Service, Jeanne Gagnon, Northern News Services, Published Monday, January 10, 2011
   IGLULIK, CANADA - A priest charged with sex crimes in Iglulik was arrested in Belgium because he is living as an illegal immigrant there, a Belgian official confirmed.
   Eric Dejaeger has been held in the city of Bruges in a centre for illegal aliens since Jan. 3, said an official who did not want to be identified.
   "He is not held for any criminal act committed on Belgian territory. He did not respect Belgian legislation on residence for non-Belgians," he stated via e-mail. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 10, 2011 9:37 PM

• Nevada man: MN diocese knew of Irish priest's past

  [Markey. RCC. Boy (8).]    
   Chicago Tribune, Associated Press, 6:05 p.m. CST, January 10, 2011
   MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – A Nevada man who claims he was sexually abused by an Irish priest has sued the Diocese of New Ulm, saying it didn't warn parents or children that the Rev. Francis Markey had been accused of abuse before.
   The lawsuit filed Monday in Minnesota says Markey abused the plaintiff in 1982 at St. Andrew's parish in Granite Falls.
   The plaintiff is not identified by name. The lawsuit says he was 8 years old at the time. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 10, 2011 9:33 PM

• Anderson joins London-based solicitor…

  [Mainly RCC]        
   Star Tribune, Posted by Rose French, Last update: January 10, 2011
   MINNESOTA – St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson, one of the most prominent attorneys representing victims of clergy sex abuse in the U.S., is going international.
   At a news conference in London Tuesday morning, Anderson and London-based solicitor of England and Wales Ann Olivarius will announce the launch of a new legal practice formed to advocate for victims of clergy abuse in the UK.
   Also to be announced at the conference is the firm's first lawsuit, filed in federal court in Minneapolis. Among the defendants named in the lawsuit are Irish priest Fr. Francis Markey, the Diocese of Clogher in Ireland and the Diocese of New Ulm in Minnesota. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 10, 2011 9:27 PM

• Lawyer with 20 years experience suing paedophile priests in US comes to UK

 
   UNITED KINGDOM Guardian
   Riazat Butt, religious affairs correspondent guardian.co.uk, Monday 10 January 2011
   A leading US litigator who has spent more than 20 years suing US-based paedophile priests and the church officials who moved them from parish to parish is joining a new legal practice dedicated to rooting out clerical sexual abuse in the UK.
   Jeff Anderson has filed more than 1,500 lawsuits against the Catholic church in the US and thousands more against individuals and organisations, including those belonging to other Christian denominations.
   His Minnesota firm says it is "aggressively committed" to child protection through civil litigation and he believes there is significant scope to expand this activity in the UK. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 10, 2011 8:00 PM

• Duty and prejudice

     
   Times of Malta,
   MALTA - The British Attorney General recently issued a warning to newspaper editors in Britain not to prejudice any future trial in relation to the callous murder of a 25-year-old female architect in the Bristol area.
   He felt the need to make such a statement after various newspapers and social networking websites began to probe every aspect of the life of a man police had arrested in connection with the crime. As one newspaper editor said, the suspect "might look a bit odd, but he has not yet been charged with anything".
   The presumption of innocence is obviously important and the lengths some go to in newspapers, though these days more particularly on the internet, is way beyond what should be acceptable in society. In just a few days the privacy of this so far innocent man – who is no longer being held by police – was exposed before a world audience. This is highly undesirable. …
   However, there are a few pertinent factors to consider. One, what amounts to effectively rendering that presumption useless? …
   But the media have another role. They can serve to generate publicity about a case where information is scant as well as highlighting the plight of individuals who have been denied justice.
   The latter has certainly been the driving force behind a collective effort on behalf of the Maltese media to provide coverage for the men who allege they were victims of sexual abuse while they were boys at an orphanage in St Venera two decades ago.
   It is possible to go one step further than that: Had the media not taken up the complaints of these alleged victims, their case could well have been forgotten – given that they first made their official complaint in 2003, and neither the Church's Response Team, nor our justice system, has to date provided them with a remedy. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 10, 2011 5:03 PM

• Milwaukee bankruptcy filing masks the truth

  [RCC]
  National Catholic Reporter (USA), Examining the crisis, by Maureen Paul Turlish on Jan. 10, 2011
   WISCONSIN - In a Jan. 4 letter to the members of the Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki explained why he felt forced to file for bankruptcy, explaining "priest-perpetrators sexually abused minors, going against everything the church and the priesthood represents."
   This is true as far as it goes, but it is hardly enough to address what many experts have described as the most significant crisis in the Roman Catholic Church's over-2,000 year history, possibly even eclipsing the Reformation.
   This evil emanated not only from the sexual violations of innocent children by predatory priests, but also from the failures of enabling bishops to protect them. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 10, 2011 4:59 PM

• Minnesota attorney launches London firm to pursue sex-abuse claims

 
   UNITED STATES/UNITED KINGDOM Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
   By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel
   Jan. 10, 2011
   Jeff Anderson, the Minnesota attorney whose firm has pursued more than 1,000 sex-abuse cases against the Catholic Church in the United States - including several in Wisconsin - is launching a new London-based firm to pursue similar litigation in the United Kingdom, where revelations of abuse exploded last year.
   The new practice, a collaboration with London-based solicitor Ann Olivarius, will announce its first lawsuit, filed Monday in federal Court in Minneapolis. The lawsuit names as defendants the Diocese of Clogher in Ireland and Father Francis Markey, an Irish priest who is accused of molesting children in Ireland, England and the U.S. Markey was extradited from the U.S. to Ireland last year.
   "This touches on the international movement of these guys - not just from parish to parish but state to state, and that's the problem," Anderson said by telephone from London on Monday. "It's a global problem." Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 10, 2011 4:46 PM

• 'Versteylen zou jongeren misbruikt hebben'

  [Versteylen. RCC.]  
   Het Nieuwsblad, Auteur: Pieter Huyberechts; zondag 09 januari 2011
   VIERSEL, BELGIE - Het Antwerpse parket is een onderzoek gestart naar mogelijk seksueel misbruik van drie minderjarigen door de bekende Antwerpse pater en stichter van Agalev Luc Versteylen (83). In zijn bezinningscentrum 'Leven in de Brouwerij' zou hij tussen 1985 en 1995 drie jongens gedwongen hebben om te masturberen. Versteylens naam dook ook al op in de dossiers van de commissie-Adriaenssens. PieterHuyberechts
   De feiten zouden zich afgespeeld hebben in het door Luc Versteylen opgerichte bezinningscentrum 'Leven in de brouwerij' in Viersel. Het doet al decennia dienst als een alternatief christelijk toevluchtsoord waar mensen in moeilijkheden komen herbronnen. De bal ging enkele maanden geleden aan het rollen na een anonieme brief. 'In die brief werd pater Versteylen in zeer gedetailleerde bewoordingen beschuldigd van seksueel misbruik', zegt Walter Lever, woordvoerder van de vzw van de Brouwerij. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 10, 2011 1:44 PM

• Catholic Scandal and the Third Reich: Rise and Fall of a Moral Panic

       
   Spero News, By Gordon MacRae,
   "The great mass of people … will more easily fall victim to a big lie than to a small one." Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, Vol. 1, Ch. 10 (1925)
  UNITED STATES - Eight months ago, I posted a tribute to Saint Maximilian Kolbe on the April 28th anniversary of his ordination. I made a controversial point in that post: Almost without exception, the typical claims of abuse by Catholic priests so roiling the news media were alleged to have happened thirty to forty years ago.
   "Go back just another thirty to forty years," I wrote, "and you will find yourself right in the middle of the Nazi horror that engulfed Europe and claimed the lives of six million Jews and millions of others." I suggested that Catholics should not accept what some would now impose: that the Catholic Church is to be the moral scapegoat of the Twentieth Century. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 10, 2011 1:41 PM
   [COMMENT: Well, the Vatican authorities signed a deal with Adolf Hitler, ordered a German Catholic political party to disband, and kept honouring Hitler's birthday.  This writer is keen to absolve the Vatican's Church from its child-seduction crimes, but he ought to have learnt his 1930s-40s history before using the Nazis as an example.  The Vatican had also signed a deal with Fascist Benito Mussolini in Italy.  The Catholic cardinal of Austria welcomed the Nazi German takeover of Austria.  In addition, a Catholic priest was the dictator of the puppet state "Croatia" that the Nazis set up as a symbolic breaking up of Yugoslavia.
   And the statement that most of the sex abuse that is "roiling the news media" happened 30 to 40 years ago overlooks the fact that there is a "shame overhang" that delays reporting of people who interfere with children's private parts.  In other words, the few current ones now coming to light are only part of present-day child seductions by clergy etc.  And guess what, the sins are "roiling" the victims, their families, and spouses too, not just the news media.  And they are roiling people who as a result of all these grievous sins see all the time and money they put into their Church was propping up devils rather than angels.  Some of the former faithful are feeling empty and cheated. ENDS.]

• Unie van Religieuzen voor vergoeding

   
   RKnieuws,
   BRUSSEL, BELGIE (RKnieuws.net) - De Unie van Religieuzen in Vlaanderen (URV) voelt vanuit evangelische waarden aan dat een tegemoetkoming naar slachtoffers, wanneer alle burgerlijke en strafrechterlijke procedures zijn uitgeput, onder één of andere vorm gestalte moet krijgen. Dat stelde URV-voorzitter Erik De Sutter vandaag in de bijzondere commissie Seksueel Misbruik van de Kamer. Hij werd er met zijn collega van de Franstalige vereniging COREB, Daniel Sonveaux, gehoord.
   Beide voorzitters benadrukten dat hun organisaties niet boven de verschillende ordes en congregaties staan en er ook geen bevoegdheid over hebben. URV en COREB staan in voor coördinatie, samenwerking, belangenbehartiging en vertegenwoordiging van de ordes en congregaties in organisaties en overlegorganen in kerk en maatschappij. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 10, 2011 1:38 PM

• Ex-priest facing sexual abuse lawsuit

 
   My Fox Boston
   UPTON, MASSACHUSETTS (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - A former priest at the Holy Angels Church in Upton is facing a lawsuit after he allegedly assaulted and abused a boy between 1979 and 1982, according to the Milford Daily News .
   The boy, now in his late 30s, filed a complaint in Worcester Superior Court last week against Ronald Provost and the Diocese of Worcester.
   The complaint alleges that Provost sexually assaulted and abused the man in Provost's van in Worcester between 1979 and 1982, when the victim was 8 to 11 years old. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 10, 2011 8:24 AM

• Versteylen zou jongens van 15 tot masturbatie gedwongen hebben

   
   Gazet van Antwerpen
   BELGIE - Het Antwerpse parket onderzoekt drie klachten wegens seksueel misbruik van 15-jarige jongens door jezuïetenpater Luc Versteylen, de oprichter van Agalev (nu Groen!).
   Versteylen zou in de brouwerij tussen 1985 en 1995 drie jongens gedwongen hebben tot masturbatie en naakte strelingen. Ze beschuldigen hem verder van manipulatie en lichamelijk contact.
   "De drie jongens waren ongeveer 15 jaar toen ze tijdens hun verblijf in de brouwerij door Luc zouden zijn benaderd. Allebei beschreven ze hoe ze van hem te horen kregen dat ze zijn uitverkorene waren en hoe ze zich lieten manipuleren tot lichamelijke contact. Ze geloofden echt dat ze de enige waren voor hem, tot ze er nadien achter kwamen dat het niet zo was. Dat is wat zij verklaren en wat het gerecht nu moet onderzoeken", aldus Walter Lever van de vzw Leven in de Brouwerij. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 10, 2011 6:53 AM

• Maltese Kerk gaat pedofiele priesters berechten

  [1980-90]  
   RKnieuws
   VALLETTA, MALTA (RKnieuws.net) - De katholieke Kerk van Malta heeft afgelopen weekeinde medegedeeld dat zij na recente richtlijnen van het Vaticaan een rechtbank gaat installeren om te oordelen over drie priesters die verdacht worden van seksueel misbruik van kinderen in de jaren 1980-1990.
   De installatie van de rechtbank zal de komende dagen gebeuren, zei een woordvoerder van de Maltese Kerk.
   De Maltese Kerk liet in oktober jongstleden weten dat de klachten van slachtoffers van pedofiele priesters in het weeshuis van Santa Venera, nabij Valletta, gegrond zijn en dat de dossiers aan het Vaticaan zouden worden overgemaakt. Het onderzoek gebeurde door een gepensioneerde rechter die een onderzoeksopdracht van de Kerk had gekregen. Acht van de twaalf slachtoffers hebben de paus ontmoet tijdens zijn bezoek aan Malta in april 2010. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 10, 2011 6:50 AM

• Milwaukee archbishop apologizes for clergy abuse

   
   Madison.com
   MILWAUKEE (WI) - The archbishop of Milwaukee is bluntly admitting "sinful and criminal" behavior by priests who sexually abused children in a recorded message played for area Catholics at most weekend Masses.
   The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports Archbishop Jerome Listecki used the six-minute message to explain the archdiocese's decision last week to file for bankruptcy protection.
   The archdiocese says it took the step because pending sexual-abuse lawsuits would leave it with debts it couldn't afford. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 10, 2011 6:46 AM

• Burlington, VT Diocese Sells Headquarters To Pay For Sex Abuse Settlements

 
   VERMONT Lez Get Real
   01/09/11-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire Vermont has been the scene of one of the more major disputes over the child sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the Roman Catholic Church of late. Unlike the Milwaukee Diocese, though, the Burlington Diocese has not declared bankruptcy to get out of dispositions or out of paying those who have sued the Church over past sexual abuses. The diocese has had to sell its headquarters in order to pay those compensation claims that stem from some two dozen lawsuits. In total, the Church owes some $17.65 million, though that may change as some cases are still undergoing appeal, and this sum only reflects those cases that have been settled.
   The building was sold for $10 million to Burlington College. The sale has created something of a snag for a residential home that serves almost twenty special needs adults. The sale to the college included that building known as Lakeview Community Care. While the college does have other plans for the building, the Howard Center, which leases the building, will not be evicted. There had been plans to move the residents to St. Marks, a former convent in New North End. Unfortunately, that deal went through according to WCAX.
   According to Bill Bick of the Howard Center "We do treat individuals who are living in communal situation differently than we do for example a large family that would move in next door but its understandable that some people have some concern." Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 10, 2011 6:41 AM

• Woman who survives sexual abuse in the Catholic church stands up for others

 
   TAMPA (FL) ABC Action News
   {with video}
   By: Sarina Fazan TAMPA - Barbara Blain doesn't attend Christ the King Catholic Church. She doesn't even live in Tampa.
   But on this Sunday, she met with any parishioner who would listen.
   "If anyone has information to speak up, report it," Blain said.
   She makes it easy. She passes out these flyers with numbers and websites where victims can turn. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 10, 2011 6:38 AM

• St. Stanislaus scrum is going to trial today

 
   ST. LOUIS (MO) St. Louis Post-Dispatch
   BY TIM TOWNSEN
   A trial that could finally end the battle over the control of St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church begins today in St. Louis Circuit Court.
   It's been a long time coming.
   Judge Bryan Hettenbach will revisit the emotions that have swirled around the St. Stanislaus story for six years, in what are expected to be three weeks of arguments.
   He will hear about how members of the parish's lay board were separated from the Eucharist for eliminating the authority of the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy from their bylaws and entering into schism. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 10, 2011 6:35 AM

• Archdiocese recording explains bankruptcy during area Masses

 
   RACINE (WI) Journal Times
   LINDSAY FIORI lindsay.fiori@journaltimes.com JournalTimes.com | Posted: Sunday, January 9, 2011
   RACINE – Parishioners who attended Catholic Masses on Sunday heard a regretful yet hopeful message about the Milwaukee Archdiocese's bankruptcy filing, which was announced last week.
   On a prerecorded audio CD sent to churches and played Saturday and Sunday during Masses, Archbishop Jerome Listecki explained the bankruptcy resulted from costs relating to sexual abuse lawsuits. Listecki apologized profusely to victims of sexual abuse by clergy and then called the bankruptcy a chance for the archdiocese to start fresh.
   "While a bankruptcy is a drastic step, it is a process to develop both resolution and closure," said Listecki, archbishop for about one year. "Like baptism, where we experience a rebirth in the Lord, our Church and the Archdiocese can and will experience the same rebirth." Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 10, 2011 6:31 AM
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Mon January 10, 2011
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont180.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Tue January 11, 2011 edition:

• Zweven in de Brouwerij

   
   De Standaard
   BRUSSEL, BELGIE - Luc Versteylen wou met zijn Brouwerij een rustpunt bieden. Maar hij predikte er ook een nieuwe seksualiteit. Grensverleggend, of grensoverschrijdend?
   De Brouwerij heet een toevluchtsoord of 'bezinningscentrum' te zijn waar mensen komen om in 'soberheid, stilte en samenhorigheid' bij elkaar te zijn. Ivo Mechels, de woordvoerder van Test-Aankoop, passeerde er verschillende keren met zijn kinderen na de dood van zijn eerste vrouw in 2005. Hij heeft de grootste bewondering voor Versteylen. 'We zijn daar met veel warmte, begrip en geborgenheid opgevangen.' Voor Mechels is de jezuïet 'iemand die zijn tijd ver vooruit is geweest'. 'Hij is de eerste die aandacht had voor het milieuprobleem. En hij heeft de eenzaamheid in grootsteden aangekaart. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:46 PM, January 11, 2011

• Sex abuse lawyer to sue Diocese of Clogher

       
   The Irish Times, PADDY AGNEW in Rome,
   IRELAND - THE DIOCESE of Clogher is to be sued in the US by clerical sex abuse specialist, lawyer Jeff Anderson, in connection with allegations of child sexual abuse in the early 1980s by a former Clogher priest.
   Announcing the formation of a new London-based law firm, set up in partnership with solicitor Ann Olivarus, Mr Anderson said yesterday that the firm's first joint case would be taken in Minnesota against a retired priest from the Diocese of Clogher.
   The priest, now in his 80s, is alleged to have been a serial abuser who molested children in Ireland in the 1960s and 1970s and then in the US from the 1980s. In the case in question, taken in the US because the "John Doe plaintiff" is an American citizen, Mr Anderson is likely to argue the Diocese of Clogher is guilty of fraud because it sent the priest to a US diocese, despite knowing of his extensive history of child molestation in Ireland. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:40 PM, January 11, 2011

• Zusters Stella Maris reageren met verstomming

   
   De Standaard,
   BELGIE - De Zusters van het Geloof reageren diep geschokt en met verstomming op het nieuws van het seksuele misbruik in Stella Maris in de jaren vijftig en zestig. Daarmee reageren de zusters voor het eerst sinds de verhalen over misbruik in het voormalige weeshuis vorige week in de media opdoken.
   De congregatie speelde alle namen van de zusters die in die periode in de instelling verbleven of werkten, aan het parket door en hoopt dat de waarheid zo snel mogelijk aan het licht zal komen. Tot dusver liepen bij het Kortrijkse parket drie meldingen van misbruiken in Stella Maris binnen.
   Verdrietig
   Het nieuws raakt de zusters van de congregatie in Tielt diep. 'We vinden de vermeende feiten beschamend en zijn er zeer verdrietig om, vooral voor de slachtoffers', luidt het in een persmededeling. 'We nemen deze gegevens ernstig.' [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:34 PM, January 11, 2011]

• Austrians left Church in record numbers amid abuse scandal

  [87,400 Austrian RCs left RCC.]  
   Monsters and Critics, ~ January 11, 2011
   VIENNA, Austria - A record number of Austrians turned their back on the Catholic Church in 2010, the Church said Tuesday, pointing to the abuse scandal as the main reason.
   The number of believers who left jumped to 87,400, up 39 per cent compared to 2009 figures.
   'The main reason is the considerable rise of secessions after the Church abuse cases became public, with numbers reaching a record since 1945,' the Church's news agency Kathpress said.
   Amid a wave of revelations about mostly sexual abuse by clergy across Europe, more than 1,000 people contacted Austrian help lines last year to report cases. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 11, 2011 7:11 AM

• In honest language, Benedict nailed church crisis and in the process turned 'prophetic'

  [RCC. Repressed memories not real: claim]    
   Spirit Daily,
   UNITED STATES - In a stunning ten-page declaration recently submitted to the Los Angeles County Superior Court, an attorney named Donald H. Steier reportedly asserted that his investigations into claims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests had uncovered "vast fraud," revealing that many accusations against our clergy, during the past decade, have been completely false, we note from a blog.
   Steier, who was said to have played a role in over one hundred investigations involving Catholic clergy in Los Angeles, quoted one retired F.B.I. agent who investigated such cases as estimating that as many as half of the claims made in clergy cases were either "entirely false" or "so greatly exaggerated that the truth would not have supported a prosecutable claim for childhood sexual abuse."
   The figure of half seems much too high, but we have long warned that "repressed memories" - by which many priests have been accused -- is an extremely doubtful phenomenon and recently a number of cases against priests have been thrown out precisely on that premise. Most bizarre are memories that suddenly pop up of abuse that "occurred" decades ago - say, back in the 1950s! These are doubtful indeed. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 11, 2011 8:10 AM

• Diocese of New Ulm Sued For Alleged Priest Sex Abuse

     
   KSTP
   MINNESOTA - A Nevada man who claims he was sexually abused by an Irish priest has sued the Diocese of New Ulm, saying it didn't warn parents or children that the Rev. Francis Markey had been accused of abuse before.
   The lawsuit filed Monday in Minnesota says Markey abused the plaintiff in 1982 at St. Andrew's parish in Granite Falls.
   The plaintiff is not identified by name. The lawsuit says he was 8 years old at the time.
   The diocese says it is reviewing the allegations. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 11, 2011 7:56 AM

• Priest banned from church for propositioning servicemen

   
   Pink Paper Stacey Cosens
   UNITED KINGDOM - A priest working in London's Soho has been banned from working for two years after he was found guilty of sexually propositioning two servicemen.
   A church disciplinary tribunal by the Diocese of London said Father David Gilmore, of St Anne's Church, was accused of conduct "inappropriate for a clergyman" including making sexual propositions to two men who were staying overnight in his rectory in December 2009.
   According to a story published by the Press Association, the rector asked the men to sleep with him in his bed and entered one of the servicemen's rooms naked, when it was "unnecessary" for him to do so and when he knew that sexual activity was taking place between the two men. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 11, 2011 7:52 AM

• Atheists urge SFA to give Dallas his job back

   
   Scotsman By Stephen McGinty Published Date: 11 January 2011
   SCOTLAND - THE National Secular Society has demanded the Scottish Football Association reinstate Hugh Dallas, the referee sacked for sending a "gratuitously insulting" e-mail about the Pope.
   While the Catholic Church described the e-mail as "deeply offensive" and supported the sacking of the SFA's head of referee development in November, the National Secular Society insisted yesterday that it was "a light-hearted joke"
   It called on the SFA to give Mr Dallas and another employee who was also sacked their jobs back. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 11, 2011 7:48 AM

• Secular group backs Hugh Dallas over 'Pope e-mail row'

   
   BBC News
   SCOTLAND - A group which fights the influence of religion is backing a referees' chief who was sacked for sending a joke e-mail about the Pope and child abuse.
   The National Secular Society (NSS) said the Scottish Football Association (SFA) had acted disproportionately in sacking Hugh Dallas and four others.
   Three were reinstated by the SFA last week after an appeal. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 11, 2011 7:46 AM

• APOSTOLIC VISITATION TO TUAM TO RESUME

       
   Galway Bay January 11, 2011
   IRELAND - The Apostolic Visitation to the Archdiocese of Tuam will resume on March 6th.
   Archbishop of Ottawa, Terence Prendergast is reviewing the Archdiocese, run by Dr. Michael Neary, at the request of Pope Benedict.
   The root and branch review of 4 Irish archdioceses was initiated in the wake of the Murphy and Ryan reports into abuse in the Catholic Church. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 11, 2011 7:43 AM

• Preying on Haiti's children

   
   UNITED STATES The Final Call
   By Charlene Muhammad -National Correspondent- | Last updated: Jan 10, 201
   (FinalCall.com) - Once praised for good deeds, a U.S. charity worker goes to jail for raping boys who needed help. A Haitian activist and lawyer declared December 21 "a good day for justice and decency" after a federal judge sentenced convicted pedophile Douglas Perlitz to almost 20 years in prison for molesting eight boys in Haiti.
   Mr. Perlitz opened the Project Pierre Toussaint School for homeless children in Cap-Haitien in 1997, and it was there, under the guise of providing food, shelter, and clothing for children on the streets, that he had unlimited access to about 300 boys and sexually abused children between 11- and 12-years-old, according to Ezili Dantò, human rights activist lawyer and founder of the Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network.
   "Haiti's victories are bitter sweet," she said during a phone interview with The Final Call. In her presentation during sentencing, Attorney Dantò urged the judge to levy the maximum sentence allowed as a message of deterrence to others who would sexually abuse children and betray public trust. …
   The network worked to send Judge Arterton letters on behalf of the Haitian children because Mr. Perlitz had many in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church supporting him throughout sentencing, Attorney Dantò said.
   "The newspapers are not getting it right. I myself was in court. … What the judge said was that Mr. Perlitz was a serial rapist who used good work to molest children," despite his attorneys' pleas that he should somehow get credit for doing good works, she said. The judge likened that claim to building a water well, poisoning the well, and seeking credit for building it, she continued.
   According to Attorney Dantò, Mr. Perlitz's crimes surfaced when the children started writing on the graffiti boards of Cap-Haitien, saying he was a homosexual and molesting them at night. The exact number of victims is unknown because the children were ashamed of the stigma attached, she said, but one of the victims said in open court that he believed Mr. Perlitz had molested some 60 children. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 11, 2011 7:38 AM

• Jezuïetenorde legt Versteylen spreekverbod op

 
   BELGIE RKnieuws
   BRUSSEL (RKnieuws.net) - Het is niet dat Luc Versteylen niet wil praten over de pedofilieklachten die tegen hem zijn geformuleerd. "Hij mág er niets over zeggen", aldus zijn partner Mieke Van Hoof. "Maar verdorie, nu heb ik eigenlijk al te veel gezegd." Kreeg Versteylen een spreekverbod? "Dat moet u aan zijn overste vragen." Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 11, 2011 7:28 AM

• Commission formed to review financial accountability policies of churches

 
   UNITED STATES The Underground
   A new panel was formed by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability to lead an independent, nationwide effort to study ways by which policies can be set in place for churches to have more accountability of its finances.
   The panel was formed at the request of US Senate Finance Committee member Charles Grassley of Iowa, after he had completed his report on six media-based Christian ministries, the ECFA website said.
   The report is a product of three years' work and listed areas of concern that they wanted ECFA to address. ECFA is a 1,487 national accreditation organization for churches and other religious groups, according to Atlanta-Journal Constitution. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 11, 2011 7:24 AM

• Boston and NY archbishops among papal delegation to Ireland

       
   IRELAND - Irish Emigrant By Amanda Tullos
   Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Sean O'Malley, will visit the Dublin archdiocese to meet with clerical sexual abuse victims over the coming months, as a part of a delegation initiated by Pope Benedict as promised in his Pastoral Letter to the Catholics of Ireland last March.
   Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan, also part of the nine member panel, will visit Irish seminaries such as St. Patrick's College, Maynooth; Saint Malachy's College, Belfast; All Hallows College, Dublin and Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy, Dublin.
   The delegation will explore how abuse cases were handled by the Catholic Church in Ireland, and will gauge the effectiveness of current measures in order to prevent further abuses. The Vatican has specified that the delegation will complete its work by May. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 11, 2011 7:15 AM

• Diocese raises offer to victims

   
   The News Journal By SEAN O'SULLIVAN, January 11, 2011
   WILMINGTON (DE) – Officials with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington released an amended bankruptcy plan late Monday that they say allows for an average settlement of $750,000 to $3 million for survivors of priest sexual abuse.
   Under the new plan, a total of $74 million will be available to be divided among the approximately 150 priest-abuse victims with claims pending against either the diocese or one of its parishes, compared with about $28 million that was offered in a bankruptcy plan filed in September.
   Under the September plan, the average settlement was estimated at $285,000 to $489,000 by diocese attorney Anthony Flynn. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 11, 2011 7:04 AM

• A history of abuse

 
   DELAWARE The News Journal
   January 11, 2011
   2002 A scandal erupts nationwide over how the Catholic Church handled accusations of child sexual abuse against hundreds of priests. The Vatican outlines a new policy defining abuse and outlining how bishops should deal with allegations.
   January 2003 The Diocese of Wilmington says it has received credible allegations of sexual abuse of children against 18 priests dating to 1952. Three are named: two who had resigned and one who had been relieved of his duties. The diocese refuses to release the names of the remaining 15 priests, saying seven were dead and none was in active ministry.
   January 2004 The diocese acknowledges that 60 people have accused priests of abuse in the past 50 years, and that the diocese has paid $1.6 million to victims and families. The diocese says substantiated claims had been made against one now-deceased priest, bringing the total to 19. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 11, 2011 7:01 AM
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Tue January 11, 2011
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont180.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Wed January 12, 2011 edition:

• Youth held for attempting rape

  [2011 Unnamed priest (23) -NEW*. Temple religion. Girl.]  
   MSN News, Jan 12, 2011
   Muzaffarnagar, India (PTI) – A 23-year-old youth has been arrested for allegedly trying to rape a girl at Shukartal in the district, police said today.
   The accused Kunwarpal, a temple priest, entered into the house of the girl yesterday and allegedly attempted to rape her, they said. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 9:54 AM, January 12, 2011

• Former priest turns on sex abuse accuser

   
   CathNews, Jan 12, 2011
   BANGLADESH - A prominent human rights activist today began a legal defense of her allegations of sexual abuse lodged against a former US priest living in Bangladesh.
   Former Marianist William A. Christensen, who was last year stripped of his priesthood and expelled by his congregation, is suing Rosaline Costa, coordinator of Church-based Hotline Human Rights Bangladesh (HHRB), who accuses him of sexual abuses of young boys in Bangladesh over a period of many years.
   He claims Costa has defamed him and is claiming damages of 100 million taka (US$1.4 million). Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:26 AM, January 12, 2011

• Bankruptcy Could Force Milwaukee Archdiocese To Put Insurance Tapping on Hold

   
   WHBL,
   MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WTAQ) – The Milwaukee Archdiocese might have to wait until it emerges from bankruptcy before it can try again to tap insurance to pay off victims of priest molestation.
   The Catholic church filed an appeal 2 days before Christmas, asking the State Supreme Court to reverse an appellate court decision from November. But the case was put on hold after the archdiocese filed its petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week.
   The church said part of the reason for the bankruptcy was that the church could not use insurance money to pay claims filed by those sexually abused by priests a number of years ago. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:28 PM, January 12, 2011

• Former Chaminade priest defrocked – SNAP wants apology

  [30 children.]      
   KMOX,
   ST. LOUIS (MO), (KMOX)– A Marianist priest who once taught at Chaminade – Father William Christensen – is accused of molesting boys connected to a charity where he worked in Bangladesh.
   The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests today picketed outside the Central West End headquarters of the Marianists. SNAP is upset that a Vatican decision to defrock Christensen was not announced locally.
   "Not once have Catholic officials anywhere in this country told people that he's accused of molesting thirty kids in Bangladesh, and that he's been formally defrocked by the Vatican," Clohessy said. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:25 PM, January 12, 2011

• Sexual abuse survivors rally outside of Archdiocese of Baltimore headquarters

  [1960s-70s Fr Laurence (or F.X.) Brett. RCC. >p; 30 boys.]        
   The Baltimore Sun, By Jessica Anderson,
   BALTIMORE (MD) - Braving strong winds and holding signs that read "Protect Kids, Not Predators," several people rallied outside the Archdiocese of Baltimore headquarters Wednesday, imploring the church to take a more active role in aiding sexual abuse victims.
   Members of the advocacy group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, gathered on the front steps of the archdiocese building on Cathedral Street to deliver a letter asking Archbishop Edwin O'Brien "to clearly alert Catholics and citizens" of the death of defrocked priest Laurence Brett, who faced numerous allegations of sex abuse in Baltimore and elsewhere.
   Brett "was one of the worst predators," said Frank Dingle of the Baltimore chapter of SNAP. "The church should've stepped forward." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:22 PM, January 12, 2011

• Diocese Offers Abuse Victims $74M In New Plan

  [Bankruptcy.]  
   Wall Street Journal, By Rachel Feintzeig,
   WILMINGTON (DE) - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington debuted a new bankruptcy plan this week, hoping to woo creditors with a bigger pot devoted to sexual-abuse claims.
   Anthony Flynn, a Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor attorney representing the diocese, Tuesday called the proposal - a revamped version of the Delaware diocese's initial plan, introduced in September - an "unusual two-headed plan." It gives creditors a choice between sharing a $74 million trust, funded by both the diocese's assets and assets from other Catholic institutions, and a smaller, diocese-only trust that could amount to as little as $15 million.
   In order to tap the larger pot, creditors would have to agree to abandon litigation against the diocese, including their individual sexual-abuse claims and a lawsuit by the unsecured creditors committee in the case aimed at the diocese's pooled investment account. In return, abuse victims would see an average payout of $750,000, according to the diocese. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 4:46 PM

• "The Champions"

 
   MN SNAP, {with videos},
   MINNESOTA - KFAI, the historic volunteer-based community radio station in the Twin Cities, broadcasts information, arts and entertainment programming for an audience of diverse racial, social and economic backgrounds. KFAI provides a voice for people ignored or misrepresented by mainstream media with a mission to increase understanding between peoples and communities, while fostering the values of democracy and social justice.
   Social justice demands improved knowledge about the needs for recovery from and the prevention of childhood sexual abuse.
   KFAI in collaboration with the Minnesota Chapter of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, MN SNAP, presents "The Champions," a 3 part audio/video to increase social knowledge and awareness of the injury's and damages of childhood sexual abuse. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 4:38 PM

• Discrimination suit against Chicago archdiocese dismissed

 
   Chicago Tribune By Manya Brachear,
   CHICAGO (IL) - A judge has dismissed a federal lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago claiming the church discriminated against minority victims of sexual abuse.
   Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman ruled Monday that even if the plaintiffs' allegations were true, they didn't violate the U.S. Constitution or federal anti-discrimination laws.
   The suit was filed in December 2009 by Seattle attorney Phillip Aaron on behalf of 41 men and eight women. It accused church officials of trying to silence the claims of African-American and Latino victims and proposing smaller settlements than those offered to white victims. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 4:34 PM

• The possibility of generosity

 
   MILWAUKEE (WI) Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
   By Patrick McIlheran of the Journal Sentinel Jan. 12, 2011
   Filing for bankruptcy protection, says Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki, protects any victims of clergy sex abuse who haven't yet filed suit: If current lawsuits eat up the archdiocese's resources, later claimants are out of luck, he says.
   There's reason to believe him: The church already has sold off real estate it owned for future parishes, and it's been trying to sell its headquarters. It laid off about 40% of its staff. These things suggest an organization out of money; we'll find out once the bankruptcy court sees the books.
   By contrast, lawyers suing the archdiocese on behalf of the church simply make claims that its pot of money is "vast and unknown," as one, Jeffrey Anderson, put it. Perhaps he's imagining some priceless art off in the Vatican might be auctioned – though the Vatican, separate from its dioceses, is perpetually penniless as well, since it's in the same fix as the Milwaukee Public Museum was a few years back, in possession of museum-quality treasures but unable to sell them to raise money because of museum-world ethical taboos. Or perhaps Anderson's thinking of selling off parishes' real estate, though as Listecki correctly pointed out, parishes are separately incorporated in Wisconsin. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 4:30 PM

• Milwaukee archdiocese bankruptcy documents available online

 
   MILWAUKEE (WI) Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
   By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel
   Jan. 12, 2011
   {document site}
   Before it's over, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee bankruptcy is likely to produce many thousands of pages of legal documents - motions, affidavits, schedules, transcripts, the list goes on and on.
   Now, anyone ravenous enough to read that much can access most if not all for free without setting foot in the federal courthouse.
   The records are being made available online by Kurtzman Carson Consultants, a Los Angeles firm hired by the archdiocese with the court's approval to serve notices of every official development in the case on the 2,700 potential creditors or parties of interest. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 4:25 PM

• Milwaukee archdiocese's appeal of insurance decision on hold

 
   MILWAUKEE (WI) Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
   By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel
   Jan. 12, 2011
   The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has appealed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court a decision absolving its insurers of liability in pending clergy sex abuse cases. But the appeal was put on hold this week because of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.
   The bankruptcy, filed last week, essentially stays all related civil actions, including the fraud cases now pending in Milwaukee County Circuit Court and the Dec. 23 appeal by the archdiocese on the insurance issue.
   In that filing, the church asked the high court to review a November Court of Appeals decision, which absolved its insurers of liability because the acts alleged in the fraud lawsuits were intentional rather than accidental. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 4:23 PM

• Wis. priest an unlikely ally to sex abuse victims

 
   MILWAUKEE (WI) Washington Post
   By DINESH RAMDE The Associated Press Wednesday, January 12, 2011
   MILWAUKEE -- When a group of clergy sex-abuse victims held a news conference recently, it was the quiet man standing in the background who delivered the loudest message.
   Although the Rev. James Connell said little, his mere presence spoke volumes. It's not every day that a Roman Catholic priest and archdiocesan vice-chancellor stands in support as angry protesters demand his superiors stop hiding secrets about abusive priests.
   Connell, 68, is an aide to Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki and runs two Wisconsin parishes, including one where a priest was convicted in 1993 of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy. Another priest in Milwaukee County was accused of abusing some 200 boys at a school for deaf students from 1950 to 1974. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 4:19 PM

• TRC to visit nine Nunavut, Nunavik communities

 
   CANADA Nunatsiaq Online
   SARAH ROGERS
   The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada announced Jan. 12 that it will hold northern hearings in 19 communities across the north - eight of them in Nunavut and Nunavik – starting March 2011, to ask people to talk about their experiences at aborginal residential schools.
   The northern hearings begin in Inukjuak, March 15.
   "The northern hearings are intended as an opportunity for {northern} residential school survivors to able to speak up, to be heard and to have their statements recorded," said TRC Chair Justice Murray Sinclair in a Jan. 12 press conference. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:59 PM

• TRC ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR NORTHERN HEARINGS IN 19 COMMUNITIES LEADING UP TO INUVIK NATIONAL EVENT JUNE 28 - JULY 1, 2011

 
   CANADA Digital Journal
   YELLOWKNIFE, Jan. 12 /CNW/ - The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) today announced it will hold northern hearings scheduled in 19 communities throughout the regions of Nunavik, Nunavut, Northwest Territories and the Yukon. The northern hearings begin on March 15 in Inukjuak, Quebec and end in Watson Lake, Yukon on May 27, 2011. (See full schedule below.)
   "The northern hearings are an opportunity for Residential School survivors, who might not otherwise be able to come to us, to speak up, be heard and inform the Commission and Canadians of the unique experiences of children who attended Residential Schools in Canada's North," said TRC Chair Justice Murray Sinclair.
   The TRC intends to inform the public about the Commission's work and statement gathering process, and provide survivors with time to reflect and share their experiences in lead up to the TRC's second National Event to be held in Inuvik, NWT on June 28 - July 1, 2011. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:52 PM

• Oslo Bishop accused of hiding sexual misconduct

 
   NORWAY The Foreigner
   The Norwegian church is involved in a possible sex scandal after a priest put his hand down the blouse of a woman in her 70s.
   The victim alleges the misconduct took place at her home one-and-a-half years ago during a visit by the chaplain, whom she had known for 12 years.
   She subsequently wrote to him, expressing her deep disappointment at his actions following long-term spiritual guidance, and received a reply shortly afterwards. The clergyman apologised but did not refer to the incident, reports VG. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 12:53 PM

• Bankruptcy filing could hurt tithing, priests fear

 
   WISCONSIN Brookfield Now
   By ALAN HAMARI
   Posted: Jan. 12, 2011
   The Rev. Ken Knippel wasn't surprised when the Milwaukee Archdiocese announced last week it was filing for bankruptcy protection.
   "I'm pretty certain no one's shocked by this news because we heard that there were financial difficulties," said Knippel, the pastor at St. John Vianney parish in Brookfield.
   It's the reason for the filing - ongoing expenses associated with clergy sex abuse claims - that has Knippel troubled.
   "It's not really about the parish or about the good work that we're doing," he said. "It's about a very unfortunate situation from years back that we're still paying the price for and trying to manage the best we can." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 12:08 PM

• De schijnzekerheid van het preutse bestaan

   
   De Standaard
   BELGIE - De verschillende klachten over seksueel misbruik tegen pater Luc Versteylen moeten grondig onderzocht worden. Ondertussen, schrijft RIK TORFS, lijkt een puriteinse levensorde weer de kop op te steken.
   Pater Luc Versteylen in het midden van de storm. Het zoveelste bewijs van het falen van de kerk, gnuift iemand. Seksueel misbruik, ook bij de groenen, spot een ander. Of de beschuldigingen kloppen, zal het gerechtelijk onderzoek uitwijzen. Ondertussen geniet de bezieler van de groene beweging een vermoeden van onschuld, een echt vermoeden van onschuld dan. Ver verwijderd van de suggestieve taal die Versteylens vroegere medestandster Mieke Vogels dit weekend schaamteloos hanteerde: 'Het gerecht moet zijn werk doen, of het nu gaat om Roger Vangheluwe of Luc Versteylen.' Een fijnzinnige vergelijking voorwaar, het vermoeden van onschuld spat er zo van af.
   Maar soit. Gaat de huidige discussie in Vlaanderen alleen over seksueel misbruik? Ik denk het niet. Er is meer aan de hand. We bevinden ons op een keerpunt van de geschiedenis, waarbij de puriteinse levenshouding die wij verlaten achtten, weerom de kop opsteekt. Want hoe ging dat ook alweer, de laatste halve eeuw? Posted by Kathy Shaw at 10:15 AM, January 12, 2011

• "Ich konnte nicht mehr damit leben"

  [RCC]  
   DerStandard, 11. Jänner 2011
   OSTERREICH - DerStandard.at sprach mit einigen österreicherInnen darüber, wieso sie der Katholischen Kirche 2010 den Rücken gekehrt haben87.393 Personen traten im vergangenen Jahr aus der Katholischen Kirche in österreich aus. derStandard.at fragte einige von ihnen, wieso sie ihrer Kirche den Rücken gekehrt haben, warum genau im Jahr 2010 und unter welchen Bedingungen sie sich eine Rückkehr vorstellen könnten.
   Anna: "Ich bin 2010 aus der Kirche ausgetreten, nachdem ich einen Erlagschein der Kirche erhalten habe, mit der Aufforderung meinen Mitgliedsbeitrag der vergangenen Jahre nachzuzahlen - flankiert von der Warnung, dass sonst mit weiteren Schritten zu rechnen sei. Da ich zu dem Zeitpunkt Studentin war, habe ich sie erstens darüber informiert (schließlich müssen Studenten nicht zahlen), zweitens nachgefragt, ob sie das für die richtige Form der ersten Kontaktaufnahme ergo für die richtige Taktik halten und bin drittens aus der Kirche ausgetreten.
   Ausgetreten bin ich allerdings nicht nur aufgrund des Mitgliedbeitrags für etwas, womit ich mich in keinster Weise identifizieren kann, und der patzigen Aufforderung zur Zahlung ebendieser, sondern weil ich mich zu keinem Zeitpunkt meines Lebens der Kirche zugehörig gefühlt habe. Die meisten Geschichten, die ich in meinem Familien- und Freundeskreis gehört hatte, waren gelinde gesagt negativ, die nach außen gedrungenen Missbrauchsfälle und vor allem der heuchlerische Umgang der Kirche damit waren dann der endgültige Entschluss zu diesem Schritt." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 9:48 AM, January 12, 2011

• Signs of life in disgraced Order

  [1940s-90s - Fr Marcial Maciel Degollado*. RCC. US $10-15m. Money bought influence. ≥ 8 male seminarians (10-16), mistress/es, own children. Massages from young nuns. May have fathered 6.]         
   The Record, By Alan Holdren, Catholic News Agency, Wednesday, 12 January 2011
   ROME, Italy - The Legion of Christ is not yet back on its feet but signs are coming from Rome that a slow and certain renewal is taking place.
   The religious congregation founded by Fr Marcial Maciel in 1941 in Mexico City is known for its regimented brand of Catholicism and enthusiastic evangelisation. After decades of building a large and respected international presence, the Legion has been reeling in recent years from revelations of its founder's "double life" - including grave sexual and financial abuses.
   Next month, the Legion will begin a new phase in its ongoing rehabilitation under the watchful eyes of Cardinal Velasio De Paolis, a Vatican delegate specially appointed last July by Pope Benedict XVI.
   February will see the launch of a series of detailed "community reflections," in Legion communities, the congregation's Rome-based spokesman, Father Andres Schoggl, told CNA. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:52 AM, January 12, 2011

• Henderson Pastor Accused of Sexual Assault

   
   8 News Now,
   HENDERSON, Nev. - A Henderson pastor is behind bars accused of sexually assaulting a young girl.
   Otis Holland is accused of molesting the girl several times over a two-year period. He is the pastor at United Faith Church.
   In a police report, it reveals the victim came to Holland in 2008 for counseling which is when the first assault allegedly took place. The victim also told officers Holland took her to a secret room where a video camera was hidden in the couch and he assaulted her. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:43 AM, January 12, 2011

• Pastor charged in molestation of teenage girl

 
   NEVADA Las Vegas Review-Journal By BRIAN HAYNES LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
   Posted: January 12, 2011 A pastor of a small Las Vegas church has been charged with molesting a teenage girl from his congregation.
   Otis Holland, 54, faces one count of sexual assault with a minor under 16 and two counts each of sexual assault with a minor under 14 and lewdness with a child under 14. All of the charges involve the same girl.
   Holland ran the United Faith church in the lobby of a tax service at 2425 E. Hacienda Ave., near Tropicana and Eastern avenues, when the molestation is alleged to have begun in spring 2008, according to his arrest report. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:40 AM

• Again, abuse victims who meet with Pope end up dismayed

 
   MALTA Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
   Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com)
   For the second time in recent years, carefully chosen clergy sex abuse victims who met with Pope are ending up disappointed.
   It happened to a handful of US victims in 2008. Now it's Malta victims who are dismayed.
   According to the Irish Times, victims complain that "eight years after criminal charges were filed against three priests, neither clerical nor state judicial authorities have yet to impose sanctions." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:38 AM

• Abuse inquiry panel moving to Armagh

       
   NORTHERN IRELAND - BBC News
   The Apostolic Visitation set up by the Pope last year will cross the border into Northern Ireland on Thursday night.
   Pope Benedict announced the Visitation in March last year in a pastoral letter to Catholics in Ireland.
   It followed the publishing of reports into abuse in Catholic institutions and in the Dublin archdiocese.
   Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor will visit the City Hotel in Armagh on Thursday night. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:35 AM

• U.S. clerical abuse survivor sues U.S. and Irish dioceses along with treatment centres

 
   Irish Central By CATHY HAYES, IrishCentral.com Staff Writer Published Wednesday, January 12, 2011
   IRELAND - A U.S. clerical abuse survivor, who was abused by an Irish priest, Reverend Francis Markey, is suing the Diocese of New Ulm, Minnesota, the Diocese of Clogher, County Tyrone and medical facilities in the U.S. and Europe for fraud and conspiring to conceal a priest['s] pedophilic activities.
   The survivor, from Nevada, said that all of these groups concealed Reverend Markey's history and medical diagnosis although he was likely to reoffend.
   The Las Vegas Sun reports that the lawsuit stated "Defendants knew that upon transfer to the Diocese of New Ulm, it was almost predetermined that Fr. Markey, a predator always hunting for children to abuse, would continue to sexually abuse minors." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:31 AM

• New Belgium nun child sex abuse case

 
   BELGIUM News 24
   Brussels - Belgian prosecutors on Tuesday said they had opened a judicial inquiry after a fresh claim of sexual abuse in an institution for children run by nuns.
   The latest probe follows a claim by a 63-year Belgian man to have been the target of sexual abuse in the 1950s in the Sint-Vincentius de Halen orphanage in the northeast region of Limbourg.
   A separate inquiry was opened earlier this month after claims of abuse several decades ago in a school run by nuns at the other end of the country, in northwestern Courtrai. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:26 AM

• Church Members Accused Of Sex Crimes

 
   JACKSONVILLE (FL) News4Jax
   JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Prosecutors said what two men did behind the sacred walls of Greater Refuge Temple in Northwest Jacksonville is deeply disturbing.
   Paul Groover and his brother-in-law Darrell Moore are charged with sex crimes against teenage members of their own church.
   Groover is not only the son of the church's pastor, but also the long-time custodian at the church.
   According to court documents, the molestation and sexual battery had been going on for a decade, but nothing was done about it. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:23 AM

• US sex abuse attorney extends practice against Catholic Church overseas

 
   ST. PAUL (MN) Catholic News Agency
   St. Paul, Minn., Jan 12, 2011 / 02:17 am (CNA).- Attorney Jeff Anderson, who claims to have won more than $60 million from the U.S. Catholic Church in clerical sex-abuse lawsuits, has extended his practice to the U.K.
   Anderson – a lawyer based in St. Paul Minnesota – has filed more than 1,000 sex-abuse cases against the Catholic Church in the U.S. and is starting a new firm in London in the hopes of continuing lawsuits aimed at the Church. The new practice will involve London-based solicitor Ann Olivarius.
   The lawyer told the U.K newspaper The Guardian on Jan. 10 that he was "deeply concerned" and had "every reason to know" that the Church was "recycling offenders" – moving them from parish to parish – and failing to turn in abusive priests to authorities. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:21 AM

• Pastor Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Girl

 
   NEVADA Fox 5
   HENDERSON, Nev. -- The pastor of a small southern Nevada church is accused of sexually assaulting a young parishioner, according to Henderson police.
   Otis Holland, 54, is charged with two counts of sexual assault of a minor under 14. Holland is the pastor of United Faith Church.
   Church members congregate in the offices of a tax business at Hacienda and Eastern avenues. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:18 AM

• Evangelical pastor rapes girl (13) in church

 
   SWAZILAND Times of Swaziland
   By SIZWE MAZIYA on January 12,2011
   NHLANGANO - A pastor has been arrested and charged for having allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl inside his church.
   Pastor Timothy Fana Mngometulu (68) of Hlengela Evangelical Church around Hluthi is charged with rape which he is said to have committed on December 18, 2010.
   The name of the sexually abused girl, who is in Grade VI, will not be revealed as she is a survivor of sexual abuse. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:16 AM

• Judge dismisses sex-abuse suit against archdiocese

 
   CHICAGO (IL) Chicago Tribune
   January 11, 2011
   A judge has dismissed a federal lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago that claimed the church discriminated against minority victims of sexual abuse.
   Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman ruled Monday that even if the plaintiffs' allegations were true, they didn't violate the U.S. Constitution or federal anti-discrimination laws. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:10 AM

• New chapter opened in sex abuse claims

     
   MINNESOTA - Star Tribune By ROSE FRENCH, Star Tribune Last update: January 11, 2011
   A man who alleges he was sexually abused by an Irish priest in Granite Falls, Minn., when he was 8 years old is suing Catholic dioceses in Minnesota and Ireland. It's the first lawsuit brought by St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson in a new venture to take on clergy sex abuse cases in Europe.
   Anderson and Ann Olivarius, a London-based solicitor, held a news conference on Tuesday in London to announce the launch of a legal practice to advocate for victims of clergy abuse in the United Kingdom.
   Anderson, who for the past 27 years has taken on thousands of clergy sex abuse cases in the United States, said Olivarius approached him about a partnership. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:59 AM

• Scant follow-up of Belgium priest abuse

   
   BELGIUM Sydney Morning Herald
   January 12, 2011
   AFP
   As fresh revelations of child sex abuse continue to emerge in Belgium's Catholic church, an official church report shows most priests implicated were not prosecuted.
   The report, handed by the church to a parliamentary inquiry late December and released by the daily Le Soir on Wednesday, details 134 cases of alleged abuse by priests over several decades.
   "The document highlights very distinct policies of prosecution and sanctions from one diocese to the next," the paper said. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:53 AM

• Priest abuse ignored by Belgium church

 
   BELGIUM Press TV (Iran)
   An official report by Belgium's Catholic Church shows less than one out of six priests implicated over child sex abuse has ever faced prosecution.
   The report, handed by the church to a Belgian parliamentary inquiry late December, details 134 cases of abuse by priests over several decades.
   According to the documents released by the daily Le Soir on Wednesday, the Belgian church or the judiciary had received complaints in 70 percent of the cases.
   However, less than one abuser out of six was inflicted the maximum penalty, which is definitive suspension, the report says. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:50 AM

• Clergy abuse in Delaware: Victims say diocese's new plan falls short

  [RCC]
   The News Journal, By SEAN O'SULLIVAN, January 12, 2011
   WILMINGTON (DE) - Survivors of sexual abuse and attorneys representing them blasted the latest Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington bankruptcy plan on Tuesday, describing it as insincere and insufficient, both in terms of the compensation offered to victims and disclosure of information related to abuser priests.
   They also charged the plan will prolong the dispute and suffering on all sides.
   On Monday, the diocese filed an amended plan with U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Sontchi, increasing the fund to be divided among abuse survivors from about $28 million to $74 million. Diocese attorney Anthony Flynn said the new plan should result in an "average payout" to survivors in the range of $750,000 to $3 million. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:48 AM

• St. Paul attorney takes priest abuse fight to Europe

 
   Minnesota Public Radio, {with audio}, by Laura Yuen, Minnesota Public Radio, January 12, 2011
   ST. PAUL (MN) – After filing more than 1,500 lawsuits against alleged pedophile priests in the United States, St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson is now setting his sights on Europe.
   Anderson has opened a law office in London, taking him even closer to the gates of the Vatican.
   This week, the joint practice between Anderson and UK attorney Ann Olivarius brought forward its first case. The suit alleges that nearly 30 years ago, Catholic officials from Minnesota to Ireland conspired to keep one priest's history of sexual abuse a secret. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:43 AM
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Wed January 12, 2011
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont180.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Thu January 13, 2011 edition:

• Priest should be reinstated at St. Leo in Bonita Springs, group of parishioners says

   
   News-Press By Christina Cepero, ccepero@news-press.com , 5:53 P.M., January 13, 2011
   BONITA SPRINGS (FL) - A defense trust has been set up by a group of supporters for Rev. Stan Strycharz, who was placed on administrative leave with pay last July by Bishop Frank Dewane.
   Strycharz had served as the administrator at St. Leo Catholic Church in Bonita Springs since 2005, overseeing a $21 million expansion.
   This week, the Diocese of Venice named Rev. Teofilo Useche as the church's administrator. Useche came from Holy Cross Parish in Palmetto. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:55 PM

• Malta priest accused of sex abuse dies …

  [Bro. Joe Bonet (now died). Children.]  
   The News (Canada),
   VALLETTA, Malta - A Roman Catholic priest on trial for allegedly molesting children in his care has died just days after Maltese church officials announced a special church tribunal would consider canonical penalties against him as well.
   Brother Joe Bonet had suffered from bone cancer. The 63-year-old Bonet died at a home for elderly priests, according to the Times of Malta.
   He was one of three clerics on trial for seven years, accused of molesting children who lived at the St. Joseph's Home decades ago. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:52 PM

• Coach Cleared to Return to Work at Steubenville Catholic Central High School

 
   STEUBENVILLE (OH) WTRF
   The Diocese of Steubenville released a statement Thursday.
   STEUBENVILLE,Ohio -- This is a statement from the Diocese of Steubenville : Gregg M. Bahen will be permitted by the Diocese of Steubenville to return Jan. 18 to Catholic Central High School, Steubenville, as a coach and teacher.
   Bahen had been placed on paid leave Dec. 16, after a Catholic Central High School student alleged incidents of physical abuse against him.
   At that time, acting under the Diocese of Steubenville's "Decree on Child Protection," diocesan Vicar General Kurt H. Kemo had determined that there was a semblance of truth to the allegation. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:46 PM

• Bahen set to return Tuesday to classroom

 
   STEUBENVILLE (OH) Herald-Star
   January 13, 2011 - By DAVE GOSSETT Staff writer
   STEUBENVILLE - Catholic Central High School head football coach and social studies teacher Gregg Bahen will return to his classroom teaching duties Tuesday.
   Bahen had been placed on administrative leave with pay on Dec. 16 after Monsignor Kurt Kemo, vicar general of the Catholic Diocese, announced allegations of physical abuse had been filed against the coach.
   The diocese announced today Bahen will be permitted to return to the school as a coach and teacher. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:42 PM

• Diocese denies sex abuse cover-up

 
   ST. PETERSBURG (FL) My Fox Tampa Bay
   Peter Linton-Smith FOX 13 News Pasco County reporter
   TAMPA - A group that speaks out for the victims of sexual abuse is accusing the Catholic Church of a cover-up. They say the St. Pete diocese tried to hide information about a lawsuit accusing a priest of abuse. But the church says the group's facts are wrong.
   The abuse is alleged to have happened in the early 1980's at Christ the King Catholic Church in Tampa. In July of last year, the diocese of St. Petersburg agreed to pay the former church member $75,000 to settle a civil lawsuit.
   A group called SNAP, that speaks out for sexual abuse victims, complains the church should have notified every Catholic in the Bay Area about the out-of-court settlement.
   "They are to publish those in the bulletins and announce from the pulpit in all the parishes in which that perpetrator served and that was not done," insisted Martha Lorenzo of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP). Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:38 PM

• Sexual controversies embroil St. Pete Catholic diocese

 
   ST. PETERSBURG (FL) WTSP
   {Letter on behalf of Thomas Prendergast}
   {Dec2010 Letter to parents from St. Jude}
   {Jan2011 Letter to parents from the Diocese of St. Pete}
   {Notary letter}
   St. Petersburg, Florida - In front of the Diocese of St. Petersburg headquarters, Martha Jean Lorenzo displays photos of young people from across the nation that she says were sexually abused by clergy. Lorenzo counts herself among the victims and she's a member of SNAP (The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), a national support group.
   SNAP works to publicize cases of sexual abuse and today Lorenzo outlined new allegations against a former Tampa priest Msgr. Norman Balthazar. Lorenzo says Catholic church leaders should have told people about a $75,000 settlement reached with a local man, who says Balthazar abused him when he was 17. "There was sexual abuse, absolutely-molestation," says Lorenzo, who has spoken with the man.
   Diocese spokesman Frank Murphy confirms the settlement, but says it in no way implies wrongdoing by Balthazar. He says the church did not inform parishioners about the settlement, because the allegations did not involve a child. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:30 PM

• Catholic diocese forced to deal with more allegations

 
   ST. PETERSBURG (FL) St. Petersburg Times
   By Waveney Ann Moore, Times Staff Writer Posted: Jan 13, 2011
   The Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg is again being forced to respond to allegations of misconduct in its clerical ranks.
   Thursday afternoon a representative of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, gave a news conference in front of the diocese's headquarters to talk about a $75,000 settlement with an alleged victim of sexual abuse by a longtime priest. The group also spoke about alleged abuse by two other priests who are now deceased. The three priests, the group pointed out, all served, at one time or another, at Christ the King Catholic Church in Tampa.
   SNAP, which says its members include more than 10,000 victims in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe, also took the opportunity Thursday to address the ongoing controversy at the Cathedral School of St. Jude in St. Petersburg. Parents are upset about the way they say a priest handled the sacrament of confession with their children in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:27 PM

• SNAP urging Holy Cross sex abuse victims to step forward

 
   DOVER (DE) Dover Post
   By Brian Citino, Staff Writer GateHouse Media Posted Jan 13, 2011 Dover, Del. – Following the release of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington's Amended Plan of Reorganization with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, SNAP, or the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, has taken up a presence in the First State in recent days, bringing their message to Dover last week.
   Joelle Casteix, western regional director for SNAP, set up outside Church of the Holy Cross the morning of Jan. 13, to draw attention to the accusations that the parish has been home to eight priests alleged of sexual abuse in years ranging from 1966 to 2000.
   SNAP also is asking for full transparency of documents related to sexual abuse cases from the Diocese, as the Amended Plan of Reorganization includes a settlement for the 150 victims with pending suits. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:24 PM

• Retired priest charged with sexual assault

 
   CANADA Hamilton Spectator
   A retired Catholic priest charged with sexual assault by Guelph police also served in parishes in Hamilton, Burlington and Oakville throughout his career.
   The charge against Reverend James Boudreau stems from an alleged incident in 1984, while he was an associate pastor at St. John the Baptist Catholic Parish in Guelph. He was arrested Wednesday.
   "On behalf of Bishop Douglas Crosby, who is out of the country at this time, I want to express our sadness and our concern," Monsignor Vincent Kerr, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton said in a statement. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:22 PM

• Former Guelph priest faces sexual assault charge, church 'scandalized'

 
   CANADA Guelph Mercury
   January 13, 2011 Drew Halfnight, Mercury staff GUELPH – A retired, former Guelph priest known for his enthusiastic personality and strong sermons was arrested and charged with sexual assault on Wednesday.
   The 67-year-old served as pastor at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, on Victoria Road North, from 1978 to 1985.
   He later worked at six other Ontario churches, including St. John's Catholic Church, in Kitchener. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:19 PM

• Attorney claims as many as half of priest abuse accusations are 'fraudulent or entirely false'

 
   LOS ANGELES (CA) LifeSite
   by Thaddeus Baklinski Thu Jan 13, 2011
   LOS ANGELES, January 13, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - LA attorney Donald H. Steier has filed a declaration with the Los Angeles County Superior Court stating that a large number of sex abuse claims against priests are false or heavily exaggerated, according to a report by TheMediaReport (http://www.themediareport.com/jan2011/special-steier-declaration.htm)
   In his declaration Mr. Steier states: "One retired F.B.I. agent who worked with me to investigate many claims in the Clergy Cases told me, in his opinion, about ONE-HALF of the claims made in the Clergy Cases were either entirely false or so greatly exaggerated that the truth would not have supported a prosecutable claim for childhood sexual abuse." (emphasis is Mr. Steier's)
   "In several cases my investigation has provided objective information that could not be reconciled with the truthfulness of the subjective allegations. In other words, in many cases objective facts showed that accusations were false," Mr. Steier writes. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 4:16 PM

• Priests' lawyer pledges to prove media ban violation

 
   MALTA Times of Malta
   Waylon Johnston
   The lawyer of three priests accused of sexually abusing children at the St Joseph's Home promised they would produce press cuttings to prove there was need for a press ban to ensure a fair trial.
   Speaking at the first hearing of a Constitutional case on a request to enforce and extend a 2003 court press ban, lawyer Therese Comodini Cachia said she would be personally researching the articles that appeared on the case and if that were possible she would bring the authors to testify.
   Dr Comodini Cachia said besides exhibiting the cuttings, she would summon a number of witnesses, including some who already had testified behind closed doors in the Magistrates' Court. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 2:02 PM

• Former Guelph pastor charged with sexual assault

 
   CANADA Toronto Star
   The Canadian Press GUELPH – Police in Guelph have charged a former pastor with a sex assault alleged to have taken place more than two decades ago.
   James (Jim) Boudreau, 67, was arrested Wednesday and charged with one count of sexual assault.
   Police say the charge stems from an incident alleged to have happened in 1984. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 2:00 PM

• Outrage over sex offender in Flushing

 
   NEW YORK Queens Chronicle by Liz Rhoades, Managing Editor 01/13/2011
   Parents and elected officials say it's time to change the law after a convicted sex offender from Whitestone allegedly was up to his old tricks at St. Mel's School in Flushing.
   Joseph Denice, 24, of 15th Avenue was paroled in September after serving part of a six-month sentence for forging documents and sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy. Unnamed sources corroborated that the youth attended IS 25 in Flushing, where Denice was an intern, but also knew him from St. Kevin's Church, where the sex offender also volunteered in an after-school program.
   Denice admitted to abusing the boy from July to September 2009 and was sentenced in June 2010 as a Level 1 registered sex offender. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:56 PM

• Sex assault charged laid against former priest of Guelph Catholic church

 
   CANADA Guelph Mercury
   January 13, 2011 Mercury staff
   GUELPH – Guelph Police have charged a man with sexual assault in connection with an investigation into a complaint against a Catholic priest's actions in the city in 1984.
   The 67-year-old suspect was a priest at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church at the time of the alleged crime.
   He has also been a priest at several other parishes in the region, according to police. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:53 PM

• PHOTOS: Supporters rally around embattled Bonita Springs priest

 
   BONITA SPRINGS (FL) Naples Daily News
   BONITA SPRINGS – The ousted priest from St. Leo's Catholic Church in Bonita Springs has a growing defense team of parishioners rallying for his reinstatement.
   Rev. Stan Strycharz was placed on involuntary administrative leave by Bishop Frank J. Dewane of the Diocese of Venice on July 23. An increasingly organized group of supporters say the move was unjust.
   Dewane cited Strycharz's fathering of a child, parishioners' reports of financial concerns and disobedience by not firing two church employees as the cause. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:13 PM

• Former pastor faces assault charge from 1984 incident

 
   CANADA CTV
   Date: Thursday Jan. 13, 2011
   Guelph police have charged a former pastor with a sexual assault that allegedly happened in 1984.
   James (Jim) Boudreau, 67, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with one count of sexual assault. Police say the charge comes from an incident that was alleged to have occurred when he was a pastor of St. John The Baptist Catholic Church in the city's north end.
   Boudreau was released on undertaking with conditions and is due to return to court on March 1. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:09 PM

• In eigener Sache: Noch keine Entscheidung im Rechtsstreit mit Diözese Regensburg

 
   DEUTSCHLAND Regensburg-Digital
   +++Update am 12. Januar, 19 Uhr: Gegenüber dem Bayerischen Rundfunk hat die Mutter des Missbrauchsopfers heute die Einschätzung unserer Redaktion zu den Geldzahlungen der Diözese bestätigt. Leider dürfen wir angesichts der Einstweiligen Verfügung nicht zitieren.++++
   Darf man ungestraft anderer Meinung sein als die katholische Kirche? Der erste Verhandlungstermin vor dem Landgericht Hamburg am Dienstag brachte noch keine Klärung in dieser Frage. Im Rechtsstreit zwischen der Diözese Regensburg und unserer Redaktion haben wir nun noch einmal vier Wochen Zeit, um die uns derzeit untersagte Einschätzung eines Stillschweigeabkommens der Diözese mit einem Opfer des pädophilen Priesters Peter K. (Viechtach/ Riekofen) nochmals darzulegen. Am 25. Februar will das Gericht eine Entscheidung verkünden.
   Peter K. hatte 1999 in Viechtach einen Jungen sexuell missbraucht. Damals wurden zwischen der Familie und der Diözese Stillschweigen und Geldzahlungen vereinbart. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:06 PM

• In eigener Sache: Diözese Regensburg ./. regensburg-digital.de am 11. Januar

 
   DEUTSCHLAND Regensburg-Digital
   Noch werden Schriftsätze hin und her gesandt, doch mittlerweile steht der Verhandlungstermin fest: Am 11. Januar, 13.30 Uhr, treffen sich regensburg-digital.de und die Diözese Regensburg vor dem Landgericht in Hamburg (Az 325 O 153/10).
   Derzeit ist es unserer Redaktion bei einer Strafandrohung von bis zu 250.000 Euro (ersatzweise bis zu zwei Jahren Haft) untersagt, in Zusammenhang mit einem Missbrauchsfall in der Diözese Regensburg und der daraufhin getroffenen „Entschädigungsregelung" einen bestimmten Eindruck zu erwecken (für den in unseren Augen allein die Diözese gesorgt hat).
   Konkret wurden wir wegen eines Kommentars vom 7. März 2010 zunächst von der Diözese abgemahnt; eine andere Formulierung, die wir daraufhin als Kompromiss unterbreitet haben und welche die Aussage noch deutlicher als Meinungsäußerung kennzeichnet, traf ebenfalls nicht auf das Wohlwollen der Diözese. Stattdessen erhielten wir vom Landgericht Hamburg eine Einstweilige Verfügung, über die nun am 11. Januar verhandelt wird (Mehr darüber). Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:03 PM

• Priest from St. Louis area accused in Bangladesh

     
   St. Louis Post-Dispatch, BY TIM TOWNSEND, ttownsend@post-dispatch.com ,
   ST. LOUIS (MO) - A former St. Louis priest and teacher who was ordered removed from the priesthood by the Vatican after being accused of sexually abusing as many as 30 teenagers in Bangladesh is taking his accuser to court.
   The priest, the Rev. William Christensen, has appealed the Vatican ruling, and has filed a lawsuit in Bangladesh seeking $1.4 million in damages against his accuser, a former nun, Rosaline Costa.
   Christensen, a priest in the Society of Mary, or Marianists, taught at Chaminade College Preparatory School in the 1970s. The U.S. leader of the order confirmed Wednesday that Christensen was laicized on Oct. 29 by the Vatican after it had investigated several accusations of sexual abuse against the priest in Bangladesh and "judged the accusations to be credible." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 12:57 PM

• Inkomsten katholieken liepen in 2010 terug

  [RCC]  
   ND,
   UTRECHT, NEDERLAND - De inkomsten van de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk zijn afgelopen jaar voor het eerst teruggelopen.
   Waarschijnlijk heeft het grootste kerkgenootschap van Nederland twee procent minder inkomsten dan in 2009. De cijfers zijn nog voorlopig omdat nog niet alle resultaten binnen zijn. De inkomsten van de Protestantse Kerk in Nederland zijn in 2009 nog enkele tienden van procenten gestegen. De verwachting is dat dit ook voor 2010 geldt.. Dat bleek donderdag tijdens de presentatie van de cijfers, bij de start van geldwervingsactie Kerkbalans.
   Daarmee is een feit wat er al jaren zat aan te komen. De afgelopen jaren stegen de inkomsten van de kerken nog steeds - minder leden brachten meer op. Duidelijk was dat dit niet lang meer kon duren. Voor de rooms-katholieken is de daling nu ingezet; de protestanten zullen naar verwachting over niet al te lange tijd volgen. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 12:54 PM

• Groot risico op valse aangiftes misbruik

 
   ND
   ZEIST, NEDERLAND - In het onderzoek naar misbruik binnen de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk is het risico groot dat de commissie-Deetman stuit op valse beschuldigingen.
   Dat zegt emeritus hoogleraar Willem Wagenaar naar aanleiding van een artikel van historicus Ton van Schaik in de Volkskrant van maandag. Hierin stelt hij dat bisschop Jan ter Schure ten onrechte wordt beschuldigd van seksueel misbruik. De inmiddels overleden geestelijke zou zich in de periode van september 1948 tot 1 februari 1953 hebben vergrepen aan een oud-leerling van Huize Don Rua te Ugchelen. Volgens Van Schaik bevond bisschop Ter Schure zich toen in Italië.
   De historicus stelt dat de historische en geografische feiten van de aanklacht niet kloppen. Rechtspsycholoog Wagenaar voegt daar het menselijk geheugen als onzekere factor aan toe. Voor alles moet een grondige reconstructie van de feiten plaatsvinden. 'Op z'n minst mag je eisen dat de in een aanklacht genoemde feiten, niets meer dan herinneringen aan het verleden, verifieerbaar zijn. Anders worden priesters op een heel gemakkelijke manier in de problemen gebracht. Die feiten moeten wel kloppen.' Posted by Kathy Shaw at 12:52 PM

• Looking for answers on disgraced priests

  [1960s-70s Fr Laurence (or F.X.) Brett. RCC. >p; 30 boys.]        
   CT Post,
   CONNECTICUT - Integrity is an oft-used word with highly important meaning for individuals who serve as leaders of institutions of all kinds. Competence is another word of great importance in assessing institutional leadership. When the two words are used to describe leadership behavior, something positive for those served is generally happening. Where the two words fail to describe leaders' behavior we often stumble upon troubled or failing institutions.
   This week we learned of the death of former Bridgeport priest Laurence F.X. Brett at age 73. Brett was an incardinated priest of the Diocese of Bridgeport under Bishops Curtis, Egan and Lori. His sexually abusive actions in the Bridgeport Diocese as early as 1964, and later in New Mexico and Maryland, were known to church and civil authorities in multiple locations. For a time he had been on the FBI's fugitive task force list.
   Brian Wallace, spokesperson for the Diocese of Bridgeport, was quoted as saying that Bishop William Lori laicized Brett in 2002 after he was found living on St. Maarten's. This is not true. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 12:40 PM

• Former Granite Falls resident alleging sexual abuse by interim priest in 1982 sues New Ulm D

  [1982 Fr Francis Markey -?NEW*. RCC. Male.]  
   Advocate Tribune (GLEN FALLS, MN), By Scott Tedrick, Editor, Advocate Tribune, Posted Jan 13, 2011
   GRANITE FALLS, Minn. – A former Granite Falls man who claims he was sexually abused by St. Andrew Catholic Church former interim priest Fr. Francis Markey is suing the Diocese of New Ulm, according to an article by the Associated Press.
   The article states that the lawsuit filed in federal court in Minnesota accuses the Diocese of New Ulm of fraud and conspiracy for failing to disclose what it knew about past abuse allegations against Markey and neglected to warn parents and children.
   The lawsuit also names other defendants including, the Diocese of Cogher in Ireland and facilities in the U.S. and Europe where Markey received psychiatric treatment. It claims that the defendants conspired to conceal Markey's activity from the public, despite the likelihood that Markey would reoffend, according to the article. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 11:42 AM

• Another predator priest abused child in Tampa

   
   Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests,
   TAMPA (FL) – WHAT: Holding signs at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims will disclose that

a recently-retired Catholic monsignor was accused of molesting a child,

a settlement was paid to one of his alleged victims, and

Tampa/St. Pete church officials kept silent about both facts, violating (victims say) the national church abuse policy which mandates "openness" in child sex cases.
   The victims will also

criticize the local bishop for his "secrecy," and

urge him to permanently post all the names of all local child molesting clerics on his diocesan website (whether they are diocesan or religious order clerics),
   They will beg anyone who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes or cover ups to call police, get help, expose wrongdoers, protect others and start healing.
   WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 13 at 1:00 p.m.
   WHERE: Outside the Catholic diocese headquarters ("chancery office"), 6363 9th Avenue N., St. Petersburg, FL Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:34 AM

• Eight predators worked at this parish: victims offer consolation

 
   Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests,
   DOVER (DE) - WHAT: Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims will criticize a new Chapter 11 plan submitted this week by Delaware's bishop. They will also

offer sympathy and help to parishioners at a church where eight accused predator priests worked,

urge church goers there to ask their loved ones if they were hurt by any of the clerics, and if so, urge them to call police, get help, expose wrongdoing and protect kids.
   They will also prod Delaware's bishop to publicly disclose and post on his website the names, whereabouts and work histories of all credibly accused child molesting clerics who have worked in the Wilmington diocese, including those who belong or belonged to religious orders.
   WHEN: TODAY, Thursday, Jan. 13, 10:00 a.m.
   WHERE: Outside the Holy Cross Catholic Church, 631s State St. in Dover, DE (302 674 5787) Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:31 AM

• Cathedral School of St. Jude parents meet to discuss priest's actions

 
   St. Petersburg Times, By Waveney Ann Moore, In Print: Thursday, January 13, 2011
   ST. PETERSBURG (FL) – Dozens of parents from the Cathedral School of St. Jude met behind closed doors Wednesday night to discuss concerns about how a priest handled the sacrament of confession with their children in the weeks before Christmas.
   The meeting came one day after Father Joseph L. Waters, 49, addressed the matter in a letter to the school community, referring to what he called a recent controversy that "continues to disturb the peace of our school."
   Olimpia Calandra, who spoke on behalf of the group of parents, issued a written statement after the meeting at the Seminole Lanes bowling alley.
   "We came together tonight to gather information and to discuss incidents that we feel compromised the safety of our children participating in the Sacrament of Penance," the statement said. "We have reported these incidents to the appropriate personnel within the Diocese of St. Petersburg and the responses we have received to date we believe are insufficient and do not substantially address the issue regarding the leadership of our parish." …
   In a followup letter sent to parents Tuesday, he said it was tempting to defend himself against the "baseless and false denunciations" of his sacred ministry.
   "Even if these unfortunate accusations were true: That a priest asked about the appropriate use of the Internet or about involvement in sins against the sixth commandment of the Decalogue; what would be so shocking about that? These are real spiritual challenges for our youth," he wrote, citing the commandment referring to adultery in the Catholic faith. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:28 AM

• Marcial Maciel Degollado Refuses to Go Away

 
   Coffeetoday,
   ROME - Marcial Maciel Degollado refuses to go away. At a time when the Vatican outlines the beatification of John Paul II, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints makes a clarification that rejects the past related to the late priest can disturb the process. The case of the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, blamed for several crimes and banned by the Church of Rome, however, no impact on the process of beatification of John Paul II, Vatican revealed confidential documents.
   The Congregation for the Causes of Saints, responsible for the "road to the altar" of Karol Wojtyla, dismissed a possible involvement of the Pope in immoral acts committed by the Mexican priest, vetoed by the Legionaries of Christ through a decree that ordered an end to all public references to the founder of the congregation.
   A document, approved by the papal delegate Velasio De Paolis, calls to remove from the centers of the Legion and Regnum Christi lay movement all the pictures of the priest in which he finds himself alone or with Pope John Paul II. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:20 AM

• Peter van Straaten wint Inktspotprijs 2010

   
   Kerknieuws
   NEDERLAND - Met zijn spotprent over seksueel misbruik in de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk heeft tekenaar Peter van Straaten de Inktspotprijs 2010 gewonnen. Van Straaten kreeg de prijs voor de beste politieke spotprent van het afgelopen jaar voor de vierde keer in zijn carrière. Dat gebeurde dinsdag bij de opening van de tentoonstelling Politiek in Prent in het Haagse perscentrum Nieuwspoort.
   De tekening toont een geknielde en biddende jongen met een christelijk kruis in zijn achterwerk. De prent stond op 20 maart 2010 in Vrij Nederland, het blad waar Van Straaten al sinds 1968 aan levert.
   "De tekening is letterlijk en figuurlijk treffend, pijnlijk komisch en wrang: zij brengt tegelijkertijd een traan en een lach teweeg. De combinatie van de vredige pose van de jongen met de wrede aanslag op zijn lichaam blijft in je hoofd hangen", oordeelde de jury. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:17 AM

• Case against man from Jeffs' sect isn't dismissed

   
   Newsvine Jennifer Dobner, Associated Press
   SALT LAKE CITY (UT) - A Utah judge has refused to dismiss a rape charge against a man whose 2001 spiritual marriage to an underage girl was the basis for the state's criminal prosecution of polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs.
   In a ruling made public Wednesday, Fifth District Court Judge G. Rand Beacham said defendant Allen Glade Steed has not proved that a decision by prosecutors to delay filing the case prevents him from getting a fair trial.
   Steed, 29, was charged with rape in September 2007, one day after a jury convicted Jeffs of two counts of rape as an accomplice and six years after the alleged crime. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:14 AM

• Salesianen willen therapie slachtoffers betalen

  [(Salesians of Don Bosco). RCC.]  
   Vandaag,
   De Vlaamse Salesianen betalen zelf de therapeutische kosten van misbruikslachtoffers terug. De scholen of internaten waarin het misbruik gebeurde, springen financieel bij als een veroordeelde dader de schadevergoeding van zijn slachtoffer niet zelf zou kunnen betalen.
   BELGIE - De Kamercommissie Seksueel Misbruik in de Kerk hoorde woensdag de oversten van een aantal religieuze ordes. Als eerste spreker beet Jos Claes, de provinciale overste van de Vlaamse Salesianen (de volgelingen van Don Bosco) de spits af. Zij beheren nog twee internaten, o.a. in Haacht.
   Claes had weet van vijf gevallen van seksueel misbruik van minderjarigen door zijn paters en broeders sinds de jaren vijftig van vorige eeuw. Hij zei dat de grote baas van zijn orde in 2000 een richtlijn rondstuurde over hoe seksueel misbruik moet worden afgehandeld. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:12 AM

• Hoogleraar geeft advies over misbruik

   
   De Echo,
   KRALINGEN, NEDERLAND - Siewert Lindenbergh, hoogleraar privaatrecht aan de Erasmus Universiteit, gaat de katholieke kerk in Nederland advies geven over hoe het beste om te gaan met de 1800 aanklachten van seksueel misbruik. Onder leiding van Lindenbergh zal een comissie uitzoeken hoe het zit met een aantal belangrijke juridische kwesties als bijvoorbeeld verjaring en het hanteren van de bewijsregels Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:06 AM

• Gerecht handelde niet veel beter dan Kerk

   
   De Standaard,
   BRUSSEL, BELGIE - Sinds de jaren 60 zeggen alle bisdommen weet te hebben van 134 pedofiliedossiers. 32 priesters werden veroordeeld. 22 werden definitief geschorst.
   Als de bijzondere Kamercommissie seksueel misbruik de voorbije weken één iets duidelijk maakte, dan is het dat alle bisschoppen in het verleden pedofiliedossiers naar believen hebben behandeld.
   Op vraag van voorzitster Karine Lalieux (PS) heeft elk bisdom nu een overzicht gegeven van alle dossiers over pedofiele priesters dat het (vooral sinds de jaren zestig) heeft gekend en wat daarmee is gebeurd, zowel op het niveau van het gerecht als dat van de Kerk. Het document lekte gisteren al uit in de krant Le Soir. Ook De Standaard kon het inkijken. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:50 AM

• Frans C. dringt zich op in Kortrijk

 
   Het Nieusblad,
   KORTRIJK, BELGIE - De pedofiel die van voormalig bisschop Roger Vangheluwe een kaartje kreeg na zijn vrijlating uit de gevangenis, profileert zich in Kortrijk op zeer opdringerige wijze. Frans C. schuimt recepties af en wil in het kader van de openbaarheid van bestuur persmomenten van de stad bijwonen. Hij maakt ook foto's en stuurt ze naar de stadskrant, wat hem het alibi geeft om te zeggen dat hij medewerker is van de stad Kortrijk.
   'Ik heb in principe niets tegen de man', zegt waarnemend burgemeester Lieven Lybeer (CD&V). 'Hij heeft zijn straf uitgezeten. Maar zijn opdringerige stijl stoot veel mensen tegen de borst. Ik neem het woord stalking net niet in de mond. Ik heb hem uitgenodigd voor een gesprek om hem dat duidelijk te maken. Openbaarheid van bestuur heeft ook zijn grenzen. Wij organiseren vaak persconferenties om dossiers te verduidelijken, maar dat betekent mijns inziens niet dat iedereen die zomaar kan bijwonen.' Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:46 AM

• Schmerzensgeld oder Schweigegeld?

  [RCC]  
   BR,
   Im Streit zwischen der katholischen Kirche und dem Journalisten, der im Internet über die Missbrauchsfälle von Riekofen berichtet hatte, meldete sich erneut die Mutter eines der Opfer zu Wort. Sie habe eine Zahlung der Kirche eindeutig als Schweigegeld empfunden. Das Bistum Regensburg sieht das anders.
   DEUTSCHLAND - Der Sprecher des Bistums Regensburg, Clemens Neck, wies im Bayerischen Rundfunk die Vorwürfe zurück, bei dem Geld, das die Diözese an die Familie eines Missbrauchsopfers gezahlt habe, habe es sich um Schweigegeld gehandelt. Wenn der Kirche Dinge vorgeworfen werden, die nicht stimmen, müsse man auf der Wahrheit bestehen. Bei dem gezahlten Geld an die Viechtacher Familie habe es sich um Schmerzensgeld, nicht aber um Schweigegeld gehandelt.
   Den Begriff Schweigegeld hatte der Regensburger Journalist Stefan Aigner in einem Kommentar über diesen Fall benutzt. Der Kommentar wurde in der Internetzeitung "Regensburg Digital" veröffentlicht. Gegen diese Formulierung geht die Diözese gerichtlich vor. Das Hamburger Landgericht hatte dem Journalisten bei Androhung eines Ordnungsgeldes von 250.000 Euro untersagt, diese Formulierung zu wiederholen. Aigner will das nicht hinnehmen. Ein Urteil soll am 25. Feburar fallen. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:37 AM

• Former altar boy who killed and dismembered paedophile vicar …

   
   Daily Mail, By Daily Mail Reporter,
   UNITED KINGDOM - A former altar boy who killed and dismembered a paedophile vicar has been arrested on suspicion of murdering another man after handing himself into police.
   Christopher Hunnisett, 27, spent eight years in prison for the murder of Ronald Glazebrook, 81, before the conviction was quashed at a retrial last September.
   That followed an earlier trial, in 2002, where he was found guilty of the murder. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:34 AM

• Bistum Regensburg geht gegen einen Journalisten vor

   
   Sueddeutsche,
   Regensburg, Deutschland - Der Fall eines pädosexuellen ehemaligen Geistlichen, der in den vergangenen Jahren das Bistum Regensburg aufgewühlt hat, kommt an diesem Dienstag vor Gericht: Vor der Pressekammer des Landgerichts Hamburg wehrt sich das Bistum gegen einen Zeitungsartikel, der das Verhalten der Kirche im Fall Peter K. als Vertuschung und Schweigegeldzahlung einordnete.
   Pfarrer Peter K. war im Jahr 2008 zu drei Jahren Haft wegen schweren sexuellen Missbrauchs verurteilt worden. Bereits im Jahr 2000 hatte ein Gericht einen Strafbefehl gegen den Geistlichen erlassen. Und im Jahr 1999 hatten das Bistum, der Pfarrer und Angehörige eines Opfers eine Vereinbarung unterschrieben, in der unter anderem von Schmerzensgeld und einer Entschuldigung die Rede war. Aber auch davon, dass über die Angelegenheit auf Wunsch der Eltern Stillschweigen bewahrt werden solle. Der Regensburger Journalist Stefan Aigner, der die Internetseite regensburg-digital.de betreibt, hat diese Vereinbarung in einem Kommentar aufgegriffen und als 'Schweigegeld' bezeichnet.
   Das sei eine falsche Tatsachenbehauptung, sagt Bistumssprecher Clemens Neck. Aigner allerdings blieb im Wesentlichen bei seiner Darstellung, was eine Unterlassungsklage nach sich zog. So muss nun das Gericht klären, wie weit die Meinungsfreiheit in diesem Falle reicht. Womöglich werden die Umstände von 1999 noch einmal aufgerollt. Nach Angaben des Bistums sind wegen ähnlicher Angelegenheiten auch Verfahren gegen den Spiegel und den Springer-Verlag anhängig. 'Es ist wichtig, das komplett zu machen, weil die Journalisten sich aufeinander beziehen und falsche Behauptungen lange halten', sagt Neck. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:29 AM

• Court: Constitutional case of priests accused of sexual abuse begins

  [RCC]  
   Malta Independent,
   MALTA - The constitutional case filed by the four priests, claiming a breach of their right to a fair hearing as a result of publicity to their case, started yesterday before Mr Justice Joseph R. Micallef.
   The first sitting of the constitutional case will be heard on 2 February.
   The application is against the Attorney General, the Police Commissioner, and the Court Registrar. Lawyers Sarah Vassallo and Noel Bartolo appeared for the Attorney General's office while Police Inspector Louise Calleja represented the Police Commissioner. Dr Patrick Valentino appeared parte civile. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:24 AM

• Geen enkele pedopriester definitief geschorst in Limburg

  [RCC]  
   Gazet van Antwerpen,
   BELGIE - In het bisdom Hasselt werd er de afgelopen decennia geen enkele priester definitief geschorst wegens seksueel misbruik. Dat staat te lezen in het rapport van de Bisschoppenconferentie. Clem Vande Broek, woordvoerder van het bisdom Hasselt, nuanceert de cijfers wat: "Van de 26 meldingen waren er slechts enkele bekend voor de bekentenissen van Roger Vangheluwe en er werden wel degelijk priesters preventief geschorst".
   Op vraag van de parlementaire Commissie Seksueel Misbruik bracht de Bisschoppenconferentie vorige maand het misbruik in ons land in kaart. Er werden 134 priesters geïdentificeerd. Zij hadden voornamelijk minderjarigen aangerand, maar vooral in Limburg werden ze niet meteen hard aangepakt.
   "Preventieve schorsingen"
   Bij het bisdom Hasselt kwamen (vooral) sinds de jaren zestig in totaal 26 meldingen binnen van seksueel misbruik door een priester. Geen enkele werd definitief geschorst. "Maar een aantal werd wel preventief geschorst", legt Vande Broek uit. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:21 AM

• The Marist Brothers apologised regarding Brother Bertinus – and then they praised him

  [Praise now for Brother Bertinus, the subject of previous apologies.]    
   Broken Rites, By a Broken Rites researcher
   AUSTRALIA - Marist Brothers newsletters in Australia say that on Sunday 11 July 2010 a large crowd gathered to "praise and congratulate" six long-serving Brothers – including "Brother Brendan (Bertinus) Feehan, or Bert as he is affectionately known". A few months earlier, the Marist Brothers' Australian administration had apologised to several ex-pupils for an encounter which each of them allegedly had with Brother "Bertinus" many years ago in their school days.
   Two of the ex-pupils received the apology in 2009:
   Eoin Cameron encountered Brother Bertinus in a Marist boarding school in South Australia in the 1960s at the age of 12. In September 2009, when he was aged 58, Eoin was interviewed on a West Australian radio program and announced that he had recently received an apology from the Marist administration.
   And Broken Rites can reveal that the Marists have also apologised to another ex-pupil, John Kelly, who encountered Brother Bertinus a few years earlier at a different Marist boarding school (in Victoria) at the age of 14. John received his apology in February 2009, when he was aged 63. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:18 AM
   [COMMENT: And Catholic apologists state that they can't understand why the Church's critics just DO NOT believe most statements by Church leaders. ENDS.]

• These victims in this diocese have defeated the church's cover-up

     
   Broken Rites By a Broken Rites researcher
   AUSTRALIA - Catholic Church sex-abuse victims in one part of Australia – the Newcastle region, north of Sydney – have been so successful in demanding justice that their local bishop is longing for early retirement. Bishop Michael Malone says that publicity about multiple abuse cases in his diocese has left him "disillusioned".
   Bishop Michael John Malone was born in October, 1939. He was appointed head of Maitland-Newcastle Diocese (with headquarters in the city of Newcastle) in 1995 aged 56 and, since then, he has been kept busy, trying to cope with the public's alarm about high-profile church-abuse cases.
   This does not mean that the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese is different from Australia's thirty other Catholic dioceses. It merely indicates that Maitland-Newcastle victims have been particularly active in reporting these crimes to the police, instead of remaining silent. The police investigations – and the court convictions – have been reported frequently in the local daily newspaper, the Newcastle Herald. Thus, the Maitland-Newcastle victims have shattered the church's traditional cover up of these crimes. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:15 AM

• Beste politieke prent van Peter van Straaten

   
   NOS,
   NEDERLAND - Tekenaar en schrijver Peter van Straaten heeft de prijs voor de beste politieke spotprent, de Inktspotprijs 2010, gewonnen. Hij kreeg de prijs in Den Haag uitgereikt door juryvoorzitter Stine Jensen.
   Van Straaten, die de prijs voor de vierde keer won, tekende een geknielde biddende jongen die seksueel misbruikt wordt door een christelijk kruis. De tekening stond in maart vorig jaar in Vrij Nederland.
   Wrede aanslag
   "De tekening is letterlijk en figuurlijk treffend, pijnlijk komisch en wrang: hij brengt traan en lach tegelijkertijd teweeg", vond de jury, die naast Jensen bestond uit de fotograaf Vincent Mentzel en kunsthistoricus Frank Welkenhuysen. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:11 AM

• Danneels in cassatie tegen arresten Operatie Kelk

  [RCC]  
   HLN,
   BELGIE - Kardinaal Godfried Danneels gaat in cassatie tegen twee arresten van het Brusselse hof van beroep over Operatie Kelk. Dat schrijft Gazet van Antwerpen.
   Danneels pikt het niet dat het hof van beroep onderzoeksrechter Wim De Troy niet van het onderzoek heeft gehaald wegens partijdigheid. De kardinaal wil ook dat de huiszoekingen in het aartsbisdom Mechelen-Brussel en in zijn woning nietig worden verklaard. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:05 AM

• Closed churches' appeal to Vatican unsuccessful

   
   The Patriot Ledger, By Jack Encarnacao, Posted Jan 13, 2011
   MASSACHUSETTS - Though it has exhausted appeals to the Vatican, a council of closed parishes – including ones in Quincy and Scituate – has vowed to pursue a separate set of appeals of any effort to sell the former churches.
   Sean Glennon, co-chairman of a group fighting the closure of Mary Star of the Sea parish in Squantum, said the group remains ready to appeal any move by the Archdiocese of Boston to sell the church.
   "If (the archbishop) can't sell it, than we're hopeful that might persuade him to reopen, because then it's of no use to him," Glennon said. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:00 AM

• U.S lawyer opens practice in UK to specialize in lawsuits against the Catholic Church

     
   UNITED KINGDOM Irish Central
   By MOLLY MULDOON, IrishCentral.com Staff Writer
   A lawyer based in Minnesota has co-founded a London law firm which will specialize in bringing sex abuse cases against the Catholic Church.
   Throughout his 25-year career, Jeff Anderson has spear-headed more than 1,500 lawsuits against the Catholic Church.
   His new firm, which he has co-founded with Ann Olivarius marks one of the first attempts to create a cross-Atlantic practice, which will be dedicated to initiating legal actions on several continents, using his litigation tactics that have awarded his client's victories for more than two decades in the U.S. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:57 AM

• Gardai failed to pass on abuse complaint to HSE

   
   IRELAND The Irish Catholic
   Michael Kelly
   The State inquiry into the handling of allegations of clerical abuse in the Cloyne diocese has allegedly been hampered by a lack of co-operation between State authorities.
   Previously published documentation, including an audit of the management of abuse complaints in the diocese, found that the Gardaí had failed to inform childcare authorities about at least one allegation of sexual abuse for more than two years after they had been told about the alleged incident.
   Now, a report in The Sunday Business Post newspaper alleges that the Bishop of Cloyne, John Magee, informed a senior garda in December 2005 about a complaint which came to the bishop's attention. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:54 AM

• Religion: The Catholic Church still needs priests

 
   UNITED STATES The Republic
   By TERRY MATTINGLY - Scripps Howard News Service As a regular part of his ministry, Archbishop Edwin O'Brien of Baltimore says Masses on behalf of Catholics who have left the church.
   The unique element of these rites is that he offers his prayers for anyone he has -- during his 45 years as a priest, with or without knowing it -- driven away from Catholic pews and altars. …
   The priesthood has faced many crises during the past generation or two and O'Brien offered no easy solutions.
   Obviously, he couldn't ignore three decades of scandals caused by the sexual abuse of thousands of children and young people by priests and bishops. O'Brien also discussed the hierarchy's problems finding new priests, yet avoided the stark statistics that are so familiar to American Catholics. In 1965, they had 58,000 priests. Now there are about 40,000 and, if trends stay the same, there will be 31,000 in a decade, with most over 65 years of age. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:51 AM

• Babies often tortured by fundamentalist polygamists: Witness

 
   CANADA Montreal Gazette
   By Daphne Bramham, Postmedia News January 12, 2011
   VANCOUVER – Water torture of babies is one way some members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day instil fear of authority, a former member testified Wednesday.
   "It's quite common," Carolyn Blackmore Jessop told the constitutional reference case to determine whether Canada's polygamy law is valid.
   "They spank the baby and when it cries, they hold the baby face up under the tap with running water. When they stop crying, they spank it again and the cycle is repeated until they are exhausted."
   It's typically done by fathers and it's called "breaking in." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:41 AM
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Thu January 13, 2011
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont180.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Fri January 14, 2011 edition:

• Creditors to question archdiocese

  [RCC]  
   Milwaukee Journal Sentinel By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel, ~ Jan 14, 2011
   MILWAUKEE (WI) – Creditors, including victims of clergy sex abuse, will have their first chance to question the Archdiocese of Milwaukee about its financials at a meeting Feb. 11 at the federal courthouse.
   The first meeting of creditors - called a 341 meeting for the section of the bankruptcy code that requires it - will be 11:30 a.m. in the offices of Assistant U.S. Trustee David Asbach, according to electronic court records.
   Often uneventful, the procedural meetings can become a forum for creditors to raise concerns about the debtor, and the meeting may shed light on some of the issues that are likely to be raised in the bankruptcy proceedings, legal experts said. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:32 PM, January 14, 2011

• Archdiocese bankruptcy will benefit Milwaukee-area lawyers

 
   The Business Journal,
   MILWAUKEE (WI) - The recent bankruptcy filing by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee will bring a payday to several Milwaukee-area law firms.
   The Archdiocese, a division of the Catholic Church, has petitioned the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Milwaukee to retain five local firms at an estimated $1.45 million in fees. That's in addition to legal fees for attorneys representing creditors, including victims of the clergy sex abuse scandal.
   The organization filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Jan. 4 after failing to reach a settlement with abuse victims. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:29 PM

• Home denies sex abuse allegations

  &nbs
   Free Malaysia Today, Athi Shankar | January 15, 2011
   GEORGE TOWN, MALAYSIA : An internal probe conducted by St Joseph's Home found no evidence that the inmates, mainly boys and girls, had been sexually abused.
   It concluded that the allegations of sexual abuse made by a social activist on Wednesday were baseless and unfounded.
   The chairman of the home management board Eustace Anthony Nonis told the press today that following a police report lodged by the 41-year-old businesswoman, the board had instantly conducted an internal probe.
   "I would say that we found no evidence whatsoever to substantiate the claims made by this volunteer," said Nonis, 68 Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:23 PM

• Catholic Diocese of Green Bay: We're on solid financial ground

   
   Press-Gazette, {with copy of the letter}, BY STEVE CONTORNO, scontorno@greenbaypressgazette.com , January 14, 2011
   GREEN BAY (WI) - In a letter recently distributed this week to its parishes, the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay stressed that it is on sound financial footing and is not planning to file for bankruptcy.
   The diocese also noted in the letter with Thursday's date that it is not facing any liability judgments.
   The letter comes after a Gannett Wisconsin Media story questioned whether the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay could follow a similar path as the Milwaukee's Archdiocese, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this month amid fraud lawsuits fueled by sex abuse cover-ups. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 5:31 PM

• protecting children--from what?

 
   Catholic Culture, By Phil Lawler | January 14, 2011
   ST. PETERSBURG (FL) - Father Joseph Waters, the rector of the cathedral is St. Petersburg, Florida, seems to have an unfortunate knack for exposing himself to criticism. But leaving aside past controversies, the latest round of criticism – coming from parents who are upset about what the priest might have said to their children during confessions – appears wholly unjustified, even dangerous.
   According to the unhappy parents, Father Waters asked questions about masturbation and pornography when he heard the confessions of middle-school students at the Cathedral School of St. Jude. Some parents say these questions endanger "the safety of our children."
   Father Waters is quite rightly refusing to reveal anything at all about what took place in the confessional, but he insists that he was fulfilling his duty as a confessor. The diocese supported him, expressing "the utmost confidence" in the priest. The parents remain unsatisfied. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 5:27 PM [COMMENT: Why was Fr Waters asking questions about masturbation?  It is not condemned in the bible, but only forbidden by the man-made rules of the Roman Catholic and some other Churches.  There is some justification for trying to steer young and other people away from pornography. ENDS.]

• Being an Instrument of Peace

 
   UNITED STATES The Garden of Roses: Stories of Abuse and Healing
   Virginia Jones
   …And then I think about my area of interest -- abuse in the Catholic Church.
   Yesterday, I had Facebook message exchanges with two different people -- both people wounded by abuse. One woman was abused by a nun. She was older and frail and unable to travel. She felt alone. I referred her to someone I knew abused by a nun. She told me she had tried contacting that person without success. She was afraid to tell her story alone, because she was afraid of what the Church might do to her. She said she felt like ending her life because she felt so alone and uncared for. She lives afar away so I cannot go to her.
   Catholics cringe when they hear criticism of their Church like this. They hurt, but the abuse survivors hurt much more. How can we bring healing to this issue? How can we care for people such as this nun abuse survivor who feels so alone that she wants to end her life? How can we address the fears of Catholics who feel wounded by criticism? They know in their hearts the abuse happened, but they don't know what to do so they shut down and do nothing -- which perpetuates the problem. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 5:22 PM

• Religious in child abuse case dies

 
   MALTA Times of Malta
   Matthew Xuereb, Mark Micallef
   Brother Joe Bonett, one of the three clerics charged with abusing children in his care at St Joseph Home has died, The Times has learnt.
   Bro. Bonett, 63, passed away at 4 a.m. yesterday at Dar tal Kleru, in Birkirkara, where he was receiving care for the past year. He was terminally ill with bone cancer.
   Bro. Bonett was for some time responsible for the Home. In the 1980s, he was also involved in the Depiro Youth Centre, where he helped organise the football nursery. In 1987, when based at St Joseph Home, Bro. Bonett helped set up the St Venera football club nursery and remained involved until the early 1990s. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 5:19 PM

• Vatican: 'Cardinal nominated as head of new financial watchdog'

  [I.O.R. RCC. €23m seized]        
   AKI, 14 Jan., 2011
   VATICAN CITY (AKI) - The Vatican has nominated Cardinal Attilio Nicora as the head of its new financial authority, sources said. The watchdog is part of a drive to comply with new European banking standards amid accusations that the Vatican had been breaching international norms on money laundering.
   Nicora, formerly the Archbishop of Verona, will retain his post as president the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, which has a roles similar to those of a government treasury department and a central bank.
   The Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See will be answerable to the new financial authoritity created last month by new rules signed into law on 30 December by Pope Benedict XVI. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 5:16 PM

• Nun Charges Paisios Abused Her Daughter

 
   UNITED STATES Pokrov
   Author: Theodore Kalmoukos Date Published: 1/13/2011 Publication: National Herald online
   BOSTON - Nun Chrysovalantou Myrou, in an interview with The National Herald, has charged that Metropolitan Paisios of Tyana, caught up in a swirling scandal involving allegations of sexual conduct in an Astoria, N.Y. monastery he ran, sexually abused her daughter. With tears in her eyes and her voice trembling, she said, "I never thought that Paisios would come to this point to hurt my child," and added that, "I talked to her now that all these things became public and she did not deny anything. She did not say 'Mama all these are lies.'" TNH called Metropolitan Paisios in his home in Athens to provide him the opportunity to comment on the interview, but he hung up when he heard who was calling.
   Patriarch Bartholomew has also refused a request from the TNH to grant an interview on the Paisios issue, which concerns the Greek American Community and belongs directly under his jurisdiction. Bartholomew declined the request for an interview through his Chief Secretary by saying it "will not be honored."
   For almost 10 years Nun Chrysovalantou has found refuge in the Cathedral of St. Marcella of GOH (Genuine Orthodox Christians) in Astoria under Metropolitan Pavlos (Stratigeas.) She said that Metropolitan Paisios expelled her from the St. Irene Chrysovalantou Monastery he ran "Because," as she said, "I was telling him that it was not right for girls to go into his room." She and her then 9-year-old daughter, whose name is being kept confidential, lived in the Monastery. When Sister Chrysovalantou became a nun she was 45 years old and had separated from her husband because of the Old Calendar issue. She said, "The early days it was all good. I trusted my child in the hands of Paisios. He had told me that he would be her protector and lead her close to Christ." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 5:12 PM

• Patriarch Bartholomew Gets Letter of Complaint on Paisios Conduct

 
   UNITED STATES Pokrov
   Author: Theodore Kalmoukos Date Published: 1/13/2011 Publication: The National Herald online
   BOSTON - A letter charging that the former Abbot of the Chrysovalantou Monastery in Astoria, N.Y., Metropolitan Paisios of Tyana, had sexually abused their client was sent to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and to the members of the Holy Synod by The Zalkin Law Firm New York, which also said Church officials did nothing to prevent alleged sexual misconduct or help the victims. "This letter is written on behalf of Andrew G., survivor of repeated acts of sexual abuse inflicted your brother and servant Metropolitan Paisios Loulourgas," stated attorney Irwin M. Zalkin in his letter dated January 10, 2011. It also added that "Andrew has already shared the details of the abuse in a letter to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. Andrew also met with the Patriarchal Exarchy team headed by Metropolitan Nikitas that was sent to New York to investigate allegations against Metropolitan Paisios."
   Patriarch Bartholomew faces a dilemma in the growing scandal surrounding the Chrysovalantou Monastery in Astoria, N.Y. where charges of sexual abuse have led to a possible civil claim of damages against the Church.
   The letter further alleges that Andrew had been traumatized by the alleged abuse the lawyer said had been committed by Paisios, who has repeatedly refused to take calls from The National Herald on the burgeoning scandal nor make any comments. The Patriarchate has similarly refused to talk about the case in which Bishop Vikentios, who worked with Paisios at the Monastery, charged that the former Abbott was involved in sexual misconduct. A former nun at the monastery also went to the police and FBI to make similar charges, but so far no criminal charges have been filed, although the law firm's letter sets up the possibility of civil claims that could seek significant damages against the church. The monastery is under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 5:08 PM

• SBC Execs Have the Power

 
   UNITED STATES Stop Baptist Predators
   Christa Brown
   At the end of 2010, I was looking back at some of the year's big Baptist stories, and I paused over Morris Chapman's remarks about the Southern Baptist Convention's Great Commission Resurgence Task Force.
   The Great Commission Resurgence Task Force pushed proposals that they claimed would make Southern Baptists more effective in "winning the world" for Christ and that created a new revenue category called "Great Commission Giving." The proposals were adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention at-large, and the net effect resulted in a drop in the budget for the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee.
   Morris Chapman, the former president of the Executive Committee, opposed the proposals and published his reasons. This is where it gets interesting.
   Morris Chapman went on at some length about the "enormous responsibilities" and "enormous importance" of the Executive Committee. He explained that the Executive Committee was "a standing committee empowered to function (when appropriate) on behalf of the SBC."
   Compare these remarks to what was said in 2008 when the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee refused to implement safeguards for the protection of kids against Baptist clergy predators. The Executive Committee claimed it had "no authority to bar known perpetrators from ministry or start an office to field abuse claims." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 5:05 PM

• Ex-priest accused of taking lewd photos faces more allegations

 
   Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA), By Gary V. Murray, gmurray@telegram.com ,
   WORCESTER (MA) – A former Barre priest previously convicted of taking semi-nude photographs of 10-year-old boy has been accused in a civil lawsuit of sexually assaulting another boy decades ago.
   The plaintiff, identified in public court documents only as John Doe No. 801, alleges in a suit filed Oct. 14 in Worcester Superior Court that the Rev. Ronald D. Provost sexually assaulted and abused him in the priest's van on various occasions from about 1979 to about 1982. The plaintiff was between 8 and 11 years old at the time of the alleged assaults, which were said to have occurred in Worcester, according to the lawsuit.
   Rev. Provost, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester and 10 unidentified individuals referred to as Michael Moe Nos. 1 through 10 were named as defendants in the suit. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 5:01 PM

• Martha MacCallum Pimps Pope John Paul II Sainthood

  [RCC]    
   News Hounds,
   UNITED STATES - Martha MacCallum is yet another member of the mythical Fox "fair & balanced" news team. But she's also a Catholic who just gushes over books by Catholic author and Vice-Chair of the radical anti-choice group "Priests for Life" Anthony DeStefano. Anti-choice zealot Jill Stanek praised MacCallum for her rebuttals to "fallen" Catholic Phil Donohue in a discussion about President Obama's speech at Notre Dame in which MaCallum, according to Stanek, was on "our side." So it wasn't surprising to see Martha positively overflow with effusive validation for Washington DC's Catholic Cardinal Wuerl's effusive commentary about why Pope John Paul II is on the fast track to Catholic sainthood. As a very conservative Catholic prelate who was active in the fight against same sex marriage in DC (now the law), Wuerl is perfect for Fox "News" and Ms. MacCallum certainly gave him a pulpit from which to promote the candidacy of John Paul II for sainthood. And despite MacCallum's supposed commitment to "fair & balanced" news, she didn't offer anything in the way of rebuttal when Wuerl made some statements that certainly deserved at least some skepticism. But then Fox News (Vatican Media?) is very faith based so I can understand why none was forthcoming. …
   MacCallum began by making the debatable claim that JPII was "one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century." She reported that he is rapidly proceeding on the path to sainthood. She introduced Cardinal Wuerl who had "a close relationship" with the late pontiff. She gushed that "it was a real honor" to have him on the show. Wuerl said that "everybody recognizes" what an "exciting moment this is." (Sorry padre, non Catholics don't really care). Wuerl continued "everyone saw in him that he truly was a man of God." Now this would have been a perfect opportunity for MacCallum to have said that "SNAP" (The Survivors of Those Abused by Priests) claim that this Pope took few steps towards protecting children. But no, Wuerl continued to praise JP II. MacCallum smiled beatifically and aske Wuerl to explain about the process of sainthood which includes requisite miracles one of which, according to the church, has been confirmed. More pope praise from Wuerl who said that the sainthood process has been speeded up because "everybody has recognized, in Pope John Paul, his sanctity, his holiness, his closeness to God…" More pope praise. More pope gushing from MacCallum.
   Comment: While Pope John Paul II was obviously a well respected person, not everybody is thrilled about the "fast track."  "The National Catholic Reporter," in an article titled "Madness In Rome" cautions against moving too fast as there "remains an open question as to how Pope John Paul II dealt with the clergy sex abuse." There are still questions about the Pope's good friend, Father Marcel Maciel, founder of the Legion of Christ, whose bad behavior (including sexual abuse) was problematic for the Vatican. So while Wuerl is entitled to praise the pontiff, MacCallum might have alluded to some impediments to the process. But then she might have had to have said an "act of contrition" to Roger Ailes so it's all good. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 4:56 PM

• Former Aid to Cardinal Law Named Aux Bishop Of Indianapolis

  [Vatican appoints Cardinal Law's spokesperson as bishop.]    
   Lez Get Real 01/14/11-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
   INDIANAPOLIS (IN) - Pope Benedict has named Reverend Christopher Coyne to be the auxiliary bishop of Indianapolis, a move that would mean that Coyne is in line to become bishop there when Archbishop Daniel Buechlein, who has lymphatic cancer, either retires or passes away. This would not be news except that Coyne was the spokesman for Cardinal Bernard Law in 2002 when the child sexual abuse scandal erupted. Law resigned his position after the courts unsealed records relating to his inaction regarding child molesting priests.
   Coyne became the face of the scandal while serving as Law's primary spokesman.
   Coyne has served as a priest in the Archdiocese of Boston for nearly twenty-five years. Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston said of Coyne "Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein is indeed blessed to receive one of Boston's finest priests." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 2:05 PM

• Deceased Pope moving toward sainthood; Sex abuse victims respond

 
   UNITED STATES Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
   Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com)
   Little can be done by Catholic officials to erase the pain of hundreds of thousands of deeply wounded men, women and children who have been sexually assaulted by clergy. But the church hierarchy CAN avoid rubbing more salt into these wounds by slowing down their hasty drive to confer sainthood on the pontiff under whose reign most of the widely-documented clergy sex crimes and cover ups took place.
   We urge Vatican officials to move cautiously in their haste to honor Pope John Paul II.
   There's a reason we usually move slowly in honoring public figures. Often, some of their unsavory actions and inactions surface years later. That's slowly happening with Pope John Paul II. The prudent course is to slow down this unwise and frantic rush. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:58 PM

• Controversial Boston priest promoted to bishop, SNAP responds

 
   INDIANAPOLIS (IN) Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
   Statement by David Clohessy Executive Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. 314 566 9790 SNAPClohessy@aol.com
   It's irresponsible and callous for the Pope to promote one of disgraced Cardinal Bernard Law's top aides to be a bishop. It's thumbing your nose at the hundreds of men, women, and children who were sexually assaulted by Catholics clergy in Boston and Indianapolis.
   A Boston Globe columnist calls Coyne "Law's chief spokesman during the abuse scandal." A mediocre track record with public relations doesn't make for a promising bishop. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:55 PM

• SNAP on John Paul II's sainthood & Cardinal Law's aide's promotion

     
   Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, Statement by Barbara Blaine President of SNAP 312 399 4747 SNAPBlaine@gmail.com
   UNITED STATES - Today, in an astonishing move, the Pope made one of Cardinal Bernard Law's top aides a new bishop.
   The message ambitious clerics will get is: Defending and shilling for an extraordinarily callous and deceitful prelate will help your career. …
   Statement by Joelle Casteix Western Regional Director of SNAP 949 322 7435 JCasteix@gmail.com
   Today, Pope John Paul II moved closer to being named a saint, despite taking virtually no steps to protect even a single vulnerable child from devastating child sex crimes or exposing even a single complicit cleric who ignored or concealed such crimes.
   Time and time again, the Catholic hierarchy honors and promotes clerics with little or no consideration being given to hundreds of thousands of individuals who are still suffering the life-long impact of childhood violation at the hands of priests, nuns, seminarians, and bishops. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:53 PM

• Tulsa bishop loses at OK Supreme Court on pedophile case

   
   Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, SNAPclohessy@aol.com );
   {Dourt ruling}
   OKLAHOMA - Today, we learned that the Oklahoma Supreme Court will not hear an appeal by Tulsa's Catholic bishop in a clergy sex abuse and cover up case involving an alleged predator priest, Fr. Ken Lewis.
   We're grateful that Bishop Slattery's far-fetched legal maneuvers aren't working. We're glad this brave, wounded victim is one day closer to being able to expose Catholic clergy crimes and corruption in court.
   As it should this case now moves toward trial. Just as crucial, now top Tulsa Catholic officials will have to face tough questions under oath about their complicity in Lewis' crimes, including how much they knew and how little they did to stop him and protect kids. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:50 PM

• Trial date set for Troy priest charged with sexual assault in Pittsfield

 
   PITTSFIELD (MA) WNYT
   PITTSFIELD, Mass. - A trial date has been set for a former priest from Troy, charged with sexual assault in Pittsfield.
   Gary Mercure's trial is set for Jan. 31. He is accused of raping two boys, one in 1986 and the other in 1989.
   The alleged victims were 11 and 13 years old at the time.
   Mercure's lawyer says his client voluntarily gave a sample of his DNA. He says it doesn't match DNA found on clothing worn by one of the victims. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:47 PM

• Parents object to priest's sex questions during confession

 
   ST. PETERSBURG (FL) TBO
   MARK DOUGLAS News Channel 8
   Published: January 14, 2011
   ST. PETERSBURG - Dozens of parents from the Cathedral School of St. Jude say they are shocked and upset that a priest questioned their seventh- and eighth-graders about sexual matters during pre-Christmas confessions in December.
   An officer in the school's parents association, Diane Donnelly Myers, said she's heard several parents complain that the priest broached the subject of masturbation and pornography during student confessions Dec. 15.
   "We love this school," Myers said. "That's why everyone is so fired up. I'm very proud of all of those parents stepping up – especially the parents of victims." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:44 PM

• Pope John Paul II to Be Beatified May 1

 
   VATICAN CITY The New York Times
   By RACHEL DONADIO Published: January 14, 2011 VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI moved his beloved predecessor one step closer to sainthood on Friday, confirming a miracle by John Paul II and setting May 1, the first Sunday after Easter, as the date of his beatification.
   Sainthood would follow after the confirmation of one more miracle. …
   But some dark clouds still hang over his papacy. John Paul was supportive of the Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, a Mexican priest who founded a wealthy and powerful religious order, the Legionaries of Christ, who was found to have abused seminarians and fathered several children.
   During the height of the abuse scandal last spring, defenders of Benedict said that when he was head of the Vatican's doctrinal and disciplinary office, Benedict wanted to open an investigation into Father Maciel, but that cardinals close to John Paul blocked him.
   The Vatican reopened an investigation into the Legionaries of Christ in 2004, when John Paul was in serious decline. Last May, the Vatican strongly condemned Father Maciel, who died in 2008, and placed the Legion under Benedict's direct control. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:36 PM

• SNAP urging Holy Cross sex abuse victims to step forward

 
   DOVER (DE) Dover Post
   By Brian Citino, Staff Writer GateHouse Media Dover, Del. – Following the release of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington's Amended Plan of Reorganization with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, SNAP, or the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, has taken up a presence in the First State in recent days, bringing their message to Dover last week.
   Joelle Casteix, western regional director for SNAP, set up outside Church of the Holy Cross the morning of Jan. 13, to draw attention to the accusations that the parish has been home to eight priests accused of sexual abuse in years ranging from 1966 to 2000.
   SNAP is demanding full transparency of documents related to alleged sexual abuse cases from the Diocese, as the Amended Plan of Reorganization, released Jan. 10 by the Most Rev. W. Francis Malooly, Bishop of Wilmington, includes a settlement for the 150 victims with pending suits. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:31 PM

• Sex Offender Manager Of Scott Lively's Coffee House Arrested

 
   SPRINGFIELD (MA) Lez Get Real
   01/14/11-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
   Pastor Scott Lively does not like lesbians and gays, but it appears that he has no problem with straight pedophiles such as Michael Frediani, the now likely former manager of Holy Grounds Coffee Shop in Springfield, Mass. Frediani was a volunteer manager of the coffee shop, which apparently took donations but did not actually charge for their coffee. He was arrested and jailed in New York for the sexual abuse of an eleven year old girl in 1995, according to the police, who have since arrested him for failing to register as a Level 2 sex offender in Springfield. Frediani also lived in an apartment above the store. Lively is denying that he knew that Frediani was a sex offender, but given the youth appeal of his coffee shop, that just proves that he is remiss in not checking on those who volunteer or work for his store.
   Frediani has claimed that he is a Born Again Christian and a 'minister of Jesus', but also knew that he could be caught for not registering in Massachusetts as a sex offender and gave his name as Michael Free during an interview last week. He is currently being held in the Springfield police lock-up. In New York he is listed as a Level 3 sex offender which is someone who is considered to be the most likely to be a repeat offender. He moved to Springfield on 1 January.
   In 1996, he was convicted of sexual abuse in the first degree and aggravated sexual abuse in the second degree by a court in New York. The offense was described by the New York police as "deviate sexual intercourse". Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:21 PM

• Indianapolis archbishop introduces auxiliary bishop-designate

 
   Indianapolis Star Robert King
   INDIANAPOLIS (IN) - UPDATE - Vatican names auxiliary bishop for Indianapolis archdiocese
   Pope Benedict XVI has named a Massachusetts priest to be the first auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis in nearly 77 years.
   The Vatican today announced the Rev. Christopher J. Coyne, pastor of St. Mary Margaret Parish in Westwood, Mass., would become auxiliary bishop of Indiana's largest Roman Catholic diocese. It has more than 230,000 members.
   In a news conference called today by Indianapolis Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein, it was announced Coyne will be ordained as a bishop in a March 2 ceremony in Indianapolis. …
   David Clohessy, executive director of Chicago-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said in a statement:
   "It's irresponsible and callous for the Pope to promote one of disgraced Cardinal Bernard Law's top aides to be a bishop. It's thumbing your nose at the hundreds of men, women, and children who were sexually assaulted by Catholics clergy in Boston and Indianapolis." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:15 PM

• Ex-Cardinal Law aide to be Indy auxiliary bishop

 
   INDIANAPOLIS (IN) Boston Herald
   By Associated Press Friday, January 14, 2011
   INDIANAPOLIS – Pope Benedict XVI named a former aide to disgraced Cardinal Bernard Law of the Archdiocese of Boston as auxiliary bishop of Indianapolis on Friday, making him the heir apparent to the ailing, aging archbishop of Indiana's largest Roman Catholic diocese.
   The director of a group representing people who had suffered sexual abuse by priests immediately labeled the appointment of Rev. Christopher Coyne "irresponsible and callous." …
   Executive Director David Clohessy of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, condemned Coyne's impending elevation to bishop.
   "It's irresponsible and callous for the Pope to promote one of disgraced Cardinal Bernard Law's top aides to be a bishop. It's thumbing your nose at the hundreds of men, women, and children who were sexually assaulted by Catholic clergy in Boston and Indianapolis," Clohessy said. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:12 PM

• Appellate Justices Uphold $5-Million Verdict to Former St. Theresa Catholic Church Altar Boy

 
   BELLEVILLE (IL) WJBD
   The Fifth District Appellate Court has upheld a five-million dollar jury award against the Diocese of Belleville to a former altar boy at St. Theresa's Catholic Church in Salem who claimed he was sexually abused by a priests.
   The appellate justices upheld a 2008 verdict favoring James Wisniewski, who now lives in Champaign. Wisniewski sued in 2002 in St. Clair County, alleging the Reverend Raymond Kownacki sexually abused him for five years in the 1970's beginning when he was 13. The lawsuit also claimed the diocese concealed Kownacki's suspected behavior and quietly shuffled him among parishes. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:07 PM

• Court Upholds $5 Million Sex Abuse Judgment Vs. Belleville Diocese

 
   BELLEVILLE (IL) Riverfront Times
   By Chad Garrison, Fri., Jan. 14 2011
   ?An Illinois appellate court has upheld the ruling of a 2008 St. Clair County jury that awarded a man $5 million in a lawsuit versus the Belleville Diocese.
   The 2008 trial alleged that Rev. Raymond Kownacki sexually molested James Wisniewski of Champaign when Wisniewski served as an altar boy in the church in the 1970s. The Belleville Diocese appealed the jury's $5 million judgment for Wisniewski on grounds that the case should never have gone to trial. Their argument: the statute of limitation had long since expired when the lawsuit was filed.
   As the Belleville News-Democrat reports today, the appellate court didn't see it that way. In a 2-1 decision the judges sided with the jury and dismissed the statute of limitations claim after finding "fraudulent concealment" on the part of the diocese. Why? Because the diocese knew of other charges of Kownacki abusing other children yet failed to warn parishioners or Wisniewski. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 1:04 PM

• Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese Files Bankruptcy, Survivors of Clerical Sexual Abuse Call Foul

 
   WISCONSIN - Bilgrimage William D. Lindsey
   Following in the footsteps of a number of other U.S. Catholic dioceses, the diocese of Milwaukee has declared bankruptcy as survivors of childhood sexual abuse by Catholic clerics demand justice from the Catholic church. Leaders of the group Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priest (SNAP), an organization with a long history of following carefully the actions of the hierarchy in response to abuse claims, decry the Milwaukee archdiocese's bankruptcy filing as a ploy to shield the records of the archdiocese--to shield the names of priests who have abused minors, and to prevent for as long as possible legal testimony by church officials who have protected these priests.
   SNAP's Midwest director Peter Iseley notes that the Milwaukee bankruptcy filing is curious, indeed, when no legal judgments have been made against the archdiocese, no debts declared by the archdiocese, and no trials scheduled. Iseley notes that Bishop Richard Sklba of the Milwaukee archdiocese had been scheduled to testify this month, and this testimony will now be postponed indefinitely by the bankruptcy proceedings. Iseley notes that Sklba "was the 'go to guy' on the abuse cover up for at least two decades," who has the most detailed and comprehensive view of the cover-up in this diocese, and of the names of priests involved in the abuse situation. According to Iseley, Sklba was directly involved in protecting the notorious serial pedophile of the Milwaukee diocese, Fr. Lawrence Murphy, who has been credibly accused of abusing more than 200 deaf boys over the years.
   David Clohessey, SNAP's national director, and Barbara Dorris, outreach director, have also issued statements about the Milwaukee diocese's bankruptcy ploy. In Clohessey's view, in taking the bankruptcy route, Milwaukee archbishop Jerome Listecki is acting like a callous CEO rather than a good shepherd. Clohessy concludes that the bankruptcy proceedings are "about protecting church secrets, not church assets. The goal here is to prevent top church managers from being questioned under oath about their complicity, not 'compensating victims fairly'." Posted by Kathy Shaw at 12:57 PM

• Anne Burke's Advice for Catholic Laity as New Year Begins: Keep Faith in Truth

 
   UNITED STATES Bilgrimage
   William D. Lindsey
   Given our short attention span and truncated memories, I'm not sure many of us in the U.S. recall some of the most significant revelations of the past decade, when it comes to the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic church. Do many of us remember, I wonder, the shock of learning, as the U.S. Catholic bishops met in Dallas in 2002 when the abuse cases in Boston were breaking wide open, that two-thirds of sitting bishops had knowingly shielded a credibly accused priest who had molested minors?
   And then, as the legal discovery process in the Boston cases showed that, even if that archdiocese was the epicenter of the abuse crisis, the crisis implicated bishops and dioceses across the nation, do we recall the bishops' attempt to deal with the crisis by creating a national review board with Oklahoma's Republican governor, Frank Keating, as its chair? Keating's journey of discovery as head of the review board is fascinating, as a journey towards dark truths he did not expect to find when the bishops appointed him head of this board.
   As Keating told members of SNAP at their 2009 annual meeting, he began his service on this board sympathetic to the bishops, persuaded that allegations of an episcopal cover-up were misplaced and due to anti-Catholic media bias. But he ended his term of service being asked by the same bishops who had chosen him to head the review board to step down, after his interaction with many U.S. Catholic bishops had convinced him that many bishops had engaged in criminal behavior, and that some were capable of acting like members of the Mafia, rather than as pastoral leaders. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 12:54 PM

• RK-kerk naait zichzelf met misbruik

   
   Spits,
   NEDERLAND - De negatieve publiciteit speelt de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk parten. De inkomsten over 2010 vertonen een daling vergeleken met voorgaande jaren, zij het een lichte daling. Dat laten de voorlopige cijfers van Actie Kerkbalans zien. De publiciteit omtrent het seksueel misbruik in de kerk wordt aangeduid als slechts een van de oorzaken. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 12:51 PM

• Misbruikverhalen effect op inkomsten RK-Kerk

  [RCC]
   Elsevier,
   UTRECHT, NEDERLAND (ANP) - De inkomsten van de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk (RKK) over het jaar 2010 zijn licht gedaald ten opzichte van het jaar daarvoor. Eén van de redenen van die daling is de negatieve publiciteit over het seksueel misbruik binnen rooms-katholieke instellingen.
   Dat blijkt donderdag uit voorlopige cijfers van de Actie Kerkbalans, de jaarlijkse 'geefmonitor' van de christelijke kerken in Nederland. De verwachting is dat de opbrengsten van de RKK uit de actie Kerkbalans in 2010 met 2 procent zullen dalen, tot een bedrag van 59,7 miljoen. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 12:49 PM

• Ex-Cardinal Law aide to be Indy auxiliary bishop

   
   Chicago Tribune, By KEN KUSMER, Associated Press,
   INDIANAPOLIS (IN) – Pope Benedict XVI named a former aide to disgraced Cardinal Bernard Law of the Archdiocese of Boston as auxiliary bishop of Indianapolis on Friday, making him the heir apparent to the ailing, aging archbishop of Indiana's largest Roman Catholic diocese.
   The director of a group representing people who had suffered sexual abuse by priests immediately labeled the appointment of Rev. Christopher Coyne "irresponsible and callous."
   The 52-year-old was Law's spokesman in 2002, when the sexual abuse scandal erupted in the Boston diocese. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 12:41 PM

• Pope Names Rev. Christopher J. Coyne Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis

 
   Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston,
   BOSTON (MA) - Pope Benedict has named Rev. Christopher J. Coyne, pastor of St. Margaret Mary in Westwood, as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Following is the Cardinal's statement on Bishop-elect Coyne's appointment and the official announcement released earlier today by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops following the Vatican's announcement.
   Cardinal Sean's statement It is with great joy that I received the news that our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI has named Fr. Christopher J. Coyne as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, Indiana. Bishop-elect Coyne has served as a Priest of the Archdiocese of Boston for almost twenty-five years, and during this time he has continued to demonstrate tremendous skill as a pastor and leader within the Archdiocese. Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein is indeed blessed to receive one of Boston's finest priests.
   Bishop-elect Coyne has served the needs of the Archdiocese of Boston in many ways: as professor of Sacred Liturgy and Homiletics, as well as director of the Pre-Theology Program at St. John's Seminary, Brighton; as Archdiocesan Director for the Office of Worship as well as Cabinet Secretary for Communications and Archdiocesan Spokesman for the Archdiocese of Boston. And most recently as Pastor of Saint Margaret Mary Parish in Westwood, MA, Bishop-elect Coyne has continued to demonstrate the skills and abilities that led our Holy Father to recognize in him a good candidate for the office of Bishop. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 9:09 AM

• Rev. Coyne, once the face of Boston Archdiocese, gains promotion

 
   The Boston Globe, By Globe Staff,
   BOSTON (MA) - A Westwood pastor has been elevated by Pope Benedict XVI to a new post as auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
   The Rev. Christopher J. Coyne, who served the Archdiocese of Boston as a spokesman during the height of the multiple investigations into abuse of children by priests, has most recently been assigned to Saint Margaret Mary parish in Westwood.
   "Bishop-elect Coyne has served as a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston for almost 25 years, and during this time he has continued to demonstrate tremendous skill as a pastor and leader within the Archdiocese," Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley said in a statement this morning. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 9:06 AM

• OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

  [RCC]    
   Vatican Information Service, 14 JAN 2011
   VATICAN CITY (VIS)– The Holy Father: - Appointed Fr. Christopher J. Coyne of the clergy of the archdiocese of Boston, U.S.A., pastor of the parish of St. Margaret Mary in Westwood, as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Indianapolis (area 35,768, population 2,550,000, Catholics 242,000, priests 257, religious 791), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in Woburn, U.S.A. in 1958 and ordained a priest in 1986.
   - Appointed Msgr. Mark L. Bartchak of the clergy of the diocese of Erie, U.S.A., judicial vicar, as bishop of Altoona-Johnstown (area 17,279, population 663,000, Catholics 107,000, priests 201, permanent deacons 29, religious 154), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in Cleveland, U.S.A. in 1955 and ordained a priest in 1981. He succeeds Bishop Joseph V. Adamec, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
   - Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese Rotterdam, Netherlands, presented by Bishop Adrianus Herman van Luyn S.D.B., upon having reached the age limit. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 9:03 AM

• Police arrest manager of Holy Grounds Coffee House - operated by anti-gay pastor Scott Lively - as unregistered sex offender

   
   The Republican, By Peter Goonan,
   UPDATE, 2:44 p.m.: Pastor Scott Lively tells The Republican he didn't know that Michael Frediani was a sex offender. A new story is available.
   SPRINGFIELD (MA) – A local man who served as manager of the Holy Grounds Coffee Shop on State Street - a cafe operated by anti-gay pastor Scott Lively that serves free coffee and offers conversation to teenage visitors - is a sex offender from New York who was imprisoned for the sexual abuse of an 11-year-old girl in 1995, according to police.
   Police detectives on Thursday arrested Michael Frediani, 38, of 453 State St., for failing to register as a Level 2 sex offender in Springfield. He was living in an apartment above the coffee house. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:49 AM

• Group backs ousted Bonita priest

 
   News-Press BY CHRISTINA CEPERO, ccepero@news-press.com , 1:10 A.M. January 14, 2011
   BONITA SPRINGS (FL) – A group of parishioners of St. Leo Catholic Church in Bonita Springs believes the Rev. Stan Strycharz should be reinstated.
   They've set up a defense trust for Strycharz, who was placed on administrative leave with pay July 23 by Bishop Frank Dewane.
   Strycharz had served as St. Leo administrator since 2005, overseeing a $21 million expansion.
   This week, the Diocese of Venice named the Rev. Teofilo Useche as the church's administrator. Useche came from Holy Cross Parish in Palmetto. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:44 AM

• Former altar boy arrested after 'Duke of Edinburgh's friend' found bludgeoned to death

  [? Church of England]  
   Daily Mail By Daily Mail Reporter, Last updated at 8:26 AM on 14th January 2011
   UNITED KINGDOM - A former altar boy who killed and dismembered a paedophile vicar has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a man believed to have been a friend of the Duke of Edinburgh.
   Peter Bick, 57, who shared a love of carriage racing with Prince Philip , was bludgeoned to death in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
   He told neighbours he had on occasions driven for the Duke, although there are no records to support his claim. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:40 AM

• Catholic priest issues warning over church future

 
   UNITED KINGDOM The Journal
   by Alastair Craig, The Journal Jan 14 2011
   FEARS the Catholic church could diminish in the region over the next decade have emerged in a new study.
   Leading North East priest Father Paul Zielinski, of the Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, has warned of potential widespread closures and dwindling clergy cover at Mass attendances, if trends from the last 10 years continue.
   The worrying scenario facing deaneries in Newcastle and Hexham were on the agenda at a crucial Bishop's Council meeting which began last night. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:33 AM

• Number of Austrian Catholics leaving church increase to a record high since 1945

 
   AUSTRIA The Canadian Press
   By Rafael Gurbisz (CP)
   VIENNA – More Roman Catholics left the church in Austria last year than at any time since 1945, church officials announced Tuesday, linking the trend to disgust over recent cases of sexual abuse of minors by the clergy.
   Figures published by the Austrian Bishop's Conference said 87,000 Austrian Catholics left in 2010. That's a 64 per cent increase over the 53,000 who formally had their names struck from church registries in 2009.
   The group – which speaks for all of Austria's bishops – said the largest exodus came in the aftermath of recent sex abuse scandals in Austria, and Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn also suggested this was the case. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:27 AM

• Pope signs off on miracle needed for John Paul II to be beatified, ceremony to be May 1

 
   VATICAN CITY The Canadian Press
   By Nicole Winfield
   VATICAN CITY – The pope on Friday approved a miracle attributed to Pope John Paul II's intercession and set May 1 as the date for his beatification, an event that will be a major morale boost for a church reeling from a wave of violence against Christians and fallout from the clerical sexual abuse scandal.
   Pope Benedict XVI declared in a decree that a French nun's recovery from Parkinson's disease was miraculous, the last step needed for the beloved pontiff's beatification. …
   John Paul was adored by Catholics, but he did not escape scrutiny, since many of the thousands of sexual abuse cases that emerged last year concerned crimes or coverups that occurred under his watch. Vatican officials have said there was nothing in John Paul's record that called into question his path to beatification. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:12 AM

• Former Arcata pastor accused of sex abuse sent back to jail; prosecution alleges he's been in contact with one of his alleged minor victims

   
   CALIFORNIA The Times-Standard
   John Driscoll/The Times-Standard Posted: 01/13/2011
   A former Arcata pastor accused of molesting two girls in his care was shackled and sent back to jail Wednesday by a Humboldt County judge after a prosecutor claimed he'd violated court orders by repeatedly contacting one of his alleged victims.
   Deputy District Attorney Kelly Neel told the court that Dino Cardelli had used a throw-away cell phone and a "false" Facebook page to contact the minor girl. Neel asked Judge Bruce Watson to put Cardelli back in jail and said that new criminal charges should be expected for his alleged actions.
   Cardelli, 49, a former pastor for Calvary Chapel in Arcata, was arrested in September and charged with one count of recurring sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14, Jane Doe 1, one count of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor and two counts of oral copulation with a minor. In October, three more charges were filed, alleging committing a lewd and lascivious act with a child under 14 years old, Jane Doe 2. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:09 AM

• Pastor Scott Lively of Holy Grounds Coffee House says he did not know his manager is a convicted sex offender

 
   The Republican By Peter Goonan,
   SPRINGFIELD (MA) – Scott Lively, the controversial, anti-gay pastor and operator of the Holy Grounds Coffee House on State Street, said Thursday that he did not know that his volunteer manager is a convicted sex offender. {Related story}
   The manager, Michael J. Frediani, 38, of 453 State St., located above the coffee house, was arrested Thursday morning by Springfield police at his apartment for failing to register as a Level 2 sex offender in this city.
   Frediani, who went by the alias of Michael Free, was imprisoned in New York from 1996 to 1999, for sexual abuse in the first degree involving an 11-year-old girl, according to New York state criminal records. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:06 AM

• Sex assault charged laid against former priest of Stoney Creek Church

  [1984 -? NEW*]  
   Stoney Creek News
   CANADA - Guelph Police have charged a long-time priest with sexual assault in connection with an investigation into a complaint against a Catholic priest's actions in Guelph in 1984.
   The 67-year-old suspect was a priest at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church at the time of the alleged crime.
   He has also been a priest at several other parishes in the region, according to police.
   Rev. James M. Boudreau was the parish priest at Our Lady of Assumption Church in Stoney Creek from 1989 to 1996. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:00 AM

• Belleville diocese loses appeal in sex abuse lawsuit; $5 million verdict stands

 
   BELLEVILLE (IL) Belleville News-Democrat
   BY GEORGE PAWLACZYK - News-Democrat In a decision made public Thursday, the 5th District Appellate Court in Mount Vernon rejected arguments by the Catholic Diocese of Belleville that a 2008 civil trial jury verdict that awarded $5 million to a former altar boy allegedly sexually abused by a priest should be overturned
   In an 85-page decision, of which nearly half was dedicated to a summary of decades of sexual abuse against boys and at least one girl allegedly committed by the Rev. Raymond Kownacki and repeated coverups of this activity by former diocese officials, the three-member panel of judges voted 2-1 to uphold the verdict.
   Kownacki was removed from priestly duties in 1995 by a diocesan review board after numerous articles in the News-Democrat about sexual abuse by local priests. Kownacki, who has stated he will not comment, lives in Dupo. Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:53 AM
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Fri January 14, 2011
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont180.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Sat January 15, 2011 edition:

• Court told celibacy drove priest to look at child porn

  [- 2010 June. Fr John Shannon (58) -?NEW*. Child pornography.]  
   Cambridge-News, ~ January 15, 2011
   UNITED KINGDOM – A Catholic priest who blamed his celibacy for his compulsion to look at child pornography on the internet has been jailed for eight months.
   Father John Shannon, 58, of The Elms, Chatteris, downloaded 740 indecent photographs of children as young as nine.
   At the time, the East Anglian priest was a part-time lecturer at Ushaw College, near Durham City. He retired from ministry after his arrest and has since resigned.
   Durham Crown Court heard yesterday police were called in by the college authorities last June because someone had made attempts to access restricted websites. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 15, 2011 7:39 PM]

• Priest on child-rape charge

  [2005-2010 Unnamed temple head priest -NEW*. Temple religion. Girl (14 +).]  
   Times LIVE, ~ January 15, 2011
   SOUTH AFRICA - A Chatsworth priest has been accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old devotee.
   The 58-year-old temple head is alleged to have raped and sexually assaulted the teenager and exposed her to pornographic material from 2005 until last year.
   He appeared in the Chatsworth Magistrate's Court on Friday, when the case was transferred by Magistrate LS Nielson to the Durban Regional Court. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 15, 2011 5:44 PM

• The Pope's unholy alliance with the dictator

         
   The Observer http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/16/belarus-catholic-church-the-pope ; Nick Cohen, The Observer, Sunday 16 January 2011
   UNITED KINGDOM – Scandal is too mild a term to describe the abuse of children at the hands Roman Catholic priests. But whatever word you fix on – "atrocity", "obscenity", I can't find the right one – you cannot doubt that rape was all about power, as the feminists of the 1970s once said. The power of the old to groom and force themselves on the young was complemented by the power of the Vatican to protect rapists from justice and cover up their crimes.
   If the church believed its own doctrine, one might have expected the papacy to show a smidgen of contrition and to seek repentance. After presiding as Cardinal Ratzinger over a parallel justice system in which there was one law for his church and another for everyone else, however, Pope Benedict XVI is showing that he will forgive his own sins but learn nothing from them.
   It is not too hyperbolic to say that the dictatorship of Alexander Lukashenko is raping Belarus. From the moment crowds gathered in Minsk to protest about last month's rigged elections, secret policemen have been forcing themselves on their victims. They have arrested and assaulted hundreds, jailed seven of the nine opposition candidates for the presidency and beaten unconscious one of them, Vladimir Neklyayev, as they dragged him from a hospital where he might have found sanctuary. […]
   So it was with a little hope that opposition leaders asked to meet Archbishop Martin Vidovic, the papal nuncio in Belarus. They carried a letter to the Pope, which said: "Today Belarus is enshrouded in darkness. Arrests of activists, raids and pogroms at independent websites and newspaper offices, searches of apartments continue. The authorities are blackmailing the political prisoners using their little children. We are seeking your help." The nuncio refused to meet them. Later he relented, but Ratzinger has not protested against the oppression or promised to break diplomatic relations with the outlaw state.
   The Vatican that still claims to be a force for good is staying silent because it is seeking a concordat with a state that still has a KGB and statues of Lenin on its streets, just as it sought accommodation with Nazi Germany in the 1930s.
   The advantages for the papacy are hard to judge, because the terms of concordats are secret, but we can assume it wants what it has always wanted: public money and control of children's schooling. The advantages for Lukashenko are easier to grasp.
   It is an error to suppose that dictators do not need to worry about public opinion. At a minimum, they want to secure the passive acquiescence of the subject population and to demoralise their opponents. In return for agreeing to cut a deal with Rome, a grateful Lukashenko has heard Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, do both.
   The absurd cardinal praised Belarus for allowing "freedom of religion", and denounced sanctions against the regime as "unacceptable". Belarus has a large Catholic minority and the Pope has cold-bloodedly sought to legitimise the dictator in its eyes, not just with his political interventions, but also by inviting Lukashenko to an audience at the Vatican.
   Last year, I met Natalia Koliada, founder of the Belarus Free Theatre, a centre of intellectual dissent to Lukashenko. She was fizzing then; filled with the hope that maybe life in her country was about to get better. Last week when I phoned her, the formerly dynamic woman was too depressed to talk. […] [Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 15, 2011 7:34 PM]

• Gary Mercure's molestation trial to begin Jan. 31

  [1980s Fr Gary Mercure. RCC. 2 boys.]  
   Troy Record, By Dave Canfield, Jan 14, 2011
   PITTSFIELD, Mass. – A former Troy priest will stand trial Jan. 31 on charges alleging he molesting a pair of boys while leading a Massachusetts church in the 1980s.
   Gary Mercure was serving at churches in Troy when he was suspended from duty when allegations of misconduct surfaced in January 2008. Later that year, he was defrocked by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, which found reasonable belief the priest had abused a child locally decades ago, and charged with crimes in Massachusetts soon after.
   Mercure, who spent time at Sacred Heart and St. William's in Troy, was accused in 2008 of abusing children locally in the 1980s. Numerous victims came forward to tell their tales of alleged abuse, but no charges could be filed locally due to the statues [statutes] of limitations on the applicable charges. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 15, 2011 5:50 PM

• Priest jailed for downloading indecent photos

 
   UNITED KINGDOM The Journal
   by Neil McKay, The JournalJan 15 20111
   A SHAMED Catholic priest was beginning an eight-month prison sentence last night for downloading hundreds of vile images of indecent photos of children onto his computer.
   John Terence Paul Shannon, 58, was a respected lecturer at St Cuthbert's Seminary, at Ushaw College, near Esh, County Durham, when he was downloading "shocking" images of children as young as nine at his accommodation within the college grounds.
   Authorities were alerted by staff at the college, where Shannon was a part-time lecturer to trainee priests. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 15, 2011 2:53 PM

• Norwich and UEA Catholic priest jailed over child porn charges

 
   UNITED KINGDOM Norwich Evening News
   by BEN KENDALL, Crime correspondent Saturday, 15 January, 2011
   A former Norwich Catholic priest has been jailed after admitting downloading child pornography
   Father John Shannon, who served at Our Lady and St Walstan's Church in Costessey and a chaplain at the University of East Anglia before his arrest, blamed his celibacy for his compulsion to view the images of children as young as nine when he appeared at Durham Crown Court yesterday.
   The 58-year-old downloaded 740 indecent photographs of children and was last night starting an eight-month jail sentence.
   At the time of the offences the priest was a part-time lecturer at Ushaw College, the 200-year-old seminary at Esh, near Durham City. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 15, 2011 2:44 PM

• St. Judes parents want to talk to the bishop about a priest's actions with their children

 
   ST. PETERSBURG (FL) St. Petersburg Times
   By Waveney Ann Moore, Times Staff Writer In Print: Saturday, January 15, 2011
   ST. PETERSBURG – A group of parents at the Cathedral School of St. Jude, dissatisfied with the way the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg is handling their concerns about a priest's actions, are requesting a meeting with the bishop.
   "We have been requesting all along to meet with him and the time frame he gave us was six to eight weeks. That's too long for us," said Olimpia Calandra. "It's about these kids feeling secure."
   Meanwhile the brickbats continue to fly.
   In a letter sent to all parents, the group said that during confession a few weeks ago, Father Joseph L. Waters, 49, asked at least eight children – boys and girls – questions "pertaining to looking up inappropriate things on the internet and whether or not they masturbated." Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 15, 2011 2:38 PM

• New Twists in the Vatican Investigation of American Nuns

 
   UNITED STATES - The Huffington Post Maureen Fiedler
   On Jan. 4, Cardinal Franc Rode resigned as head of the "cabinet office" in the Vatican that deals with religious orders, including communities of nuns worldwide. It's called the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life. He is being replaced by a Brazilian, Archbishop Joao Braz de Aviz. And the new second in command is an American, Archbishop Joseph Tobin.
   American nuns and Vatican-watchers wonder what's afoot. Rode, by all accounts, is an arch-conservative with an archaic view of religious life that resonates with the 18th century, rather than the 21st. His most famous (or infamous, depending on whom you ask) project was a formal "investigation" of all active orders of nuns in the United States, formally announced at a press conference in January 2009. A month later, the Vatican announced a "doctrinal investigation" of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the organization representing the collective leadership of about 90 percent to 95 percent of all nuns in the United States.
   These investigations came out of the clear blue sky, without any allegations of wrongdoing that usually prompt official probes. And they brought howls of protest from nuns themselves and many in the laity. Typical was the comment of a friend of mine: "Now … let me get this straight. Some priests committed sex abuse. Bishops covered it up. And so they're investigating nuns?" The investigation of nuns has nothing to do with sex abuse, of course, but that scandal led some to ask if this is an attempt to deflect attention away from the sex abuse debacle. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 15, 2011 8:18 AM

• Sex-abuse victims rip promotion for pastor

 
   BOSTON (MA) Boston Herald
   By Natalie Sherman Saturday, January 15, 2011
   The controversial spokesman for the Boston archdiocese during the sex-abuse scandal has been promoted to auxiliary bishop in Indianapolis, the Catholic Church announced yesterday.
   The Rev. Christopher J. Coyne, 52, was spokesman from 2002-2005, during the height of the scandal and during hotly debated church closings.
   In 2005, he replaced a popular Newton priest at Our Lady of Help of Christians, serving only six months before the uproar over his appointment among parishioners caused him to seek reassignment. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 15, 2011 8:10 AM

• Archbishop gets a helping hand

 
   INDIANAPOLIS (IN) Indianapolis Star
   Robert King
   The Rev. Christopher Coyne stood at the altar of his new home church -- the regal surroundings of St. John the Evangelist Church in Downtown Indianapolis -- cracking jokes about his mother and the pope, about the New England Patriots' football coach and his life before the priesthood when he was a bartender.
   Introduced as the new auxiliary bishop of Indianapolis, Coyne had an audience of about 40 priests, Catholic Church leaders and local college students eating out of his hand, laughing at his one-liners. He even had 72-year-old Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein -- whose health woes necessitated Coyne's arrival -- seemingly at a loss for words to keep up with the youthful, free spirit at his side.
   It was a far cry from the tense news conferences and unfriendly audiences that Coyne often faced during the height of the priest sex abuse scandal in Boston. For three years, starting in 2002, Coyne was the voice of the scandal-ridden Boston archdiocese. He was called upon frequently to speak on behalf of Boston's vehemently unpopular Cardinal Bernard Law, who eventually resigned in disgrace. …
   Terence McKiernan, a Boston-area Catholic and president of bishopaccountability.org, a website devoted to tracking pedophile priests and the bishops who protected them, said Coyne's appointment was evidence that Law, now stationed in the Vatican on a committee that nominates bishop candidates to the pope, had rewarded one of his own.
   McKiernan said Coyne was among those reluctant to release church documents on the scandal. He also said Coyne was "not a very gracious person" in dealing with victims hurt by the church. "He really didn't show the necessary sensitivity," McKiernan said. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 15, 2011 8:02 AM

• A rush toward sainthood for John Paul II?

 
   VATICAN CITY The Christian Century
   Jan 14, 2011 by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI has recognized a miracle attributed to Pope John Paul II, bringing the late pontiff one step from sainthood a mere six years after his death, the Vatican announced on Friday (Jan. 14).
   By signing a decree accepting the miracle, Benedict completed one of most rapid beatifications in the modern history of the Catholic Church. Another miracle attributed to John Paul's intercession will be required before he can be declared a saint.
   The process leading to beatification and sainthood ordinarily does not begin until at least five years after death. But during John Paul's funeral in April 2005, crowds repeatedly called out "santo subito!" (Italian for "a saint at once!"). Benedict waived the required waiting period less than two months later.
   "From a strictly PR point of view this is a big gamble for the Vatican," said John L. Allen, Jr., senior correspondent for the U.S.-based National Catholic Reporter. "John Paul was obviously a wildly popular pope and this could be a way to revive memories of his bold, self-confident style." Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 15, 2011 7:57 AM

• John Paul is a step closer to sainthood

 
   VATICAN CITY Philadelphia Inquirer
   By Henry Chu and Livia Borghese Los Angeles Times
   VATICAN CITY - The news reached Maria Helena Pambo as she stood in line at St. Peter's Square to pray at the tomb of Pope John Paul II.
   On a gloriously sunny afternoon, Pambo heard that the late pontiff is to be beatified this spring, barely six years after his death - the quickest anyone has been bestowed the honor in modern times. The Vatican announced Friday that his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, had approved the move.
   "It's a day of joy," said Pambo, 34, a nun from Peru. "I never met John Paul II, but now that I live in Rome, every two or three days when I have some time off, I come to pray at his tomb. I ask him for help." …
   But there are critics, too, who note his strong opposition to female priests, abortion, and gay rights, and the fact that many of the cases of sexual molestation or physical abuse of minors by priests occurred during his 27-year papacy.
   "The church hierarchy can avoid rubbing more salt into these wounds by slowing down their hasty drive to confer sainthood on the pontiff under whose reign most of the widely documented clergy sex crimes and cover-ups took place," Barbara Dorris, spokeswoman for Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said in a statement from St. Louis. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 15, 2011 7:53 AM

• Another step on saintly road

   
   National Post, Father Raymond J. de Souza, National Post, Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011
   CANADA - The long-awaited beatification of Pope John Paul II will take place on May 1. Except it is not long-awaited at all: Karol Wojtyla will be declared "blessed," the penultimate step to sainthood, in r ecord time.
   It only seems long-awaited because the immense crowds who came to Rome after his death began speaking of him as "St. John Paul the Great" immediately. Those crowds, dominated by young people waiting more than 12 hours in line to pray before his body, already knew he was holy. They arrived at the funeral Mass with their signs and their chants: " Santo subito!" (Sainthood immediately!). In April 2005, the Church had already made up its mind John Paul would be raised to the honours of the altar. It took six years to do the paperwork.
   In the painstaking business of declaring saints, six years and one month is rather immediate. First of all, the exhaustive investigation of a candidate's life cannot even begin until five years have passed since death. Pope Benedict XVI waived that rule for John Paul, as John Paul himself had done for Mother Teresa. She was beatified six years and six weeks after her death, meaning John Paul will hold the modern record. In early medieval and ancient times, saints were declared within even a few years of death if the reputation for sanctity was widespread. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 15, 2011 7:50 AM

• Priest abuse survivors group pans pope naming ex-aide to Cardinal Law an Indy auxiliary bishop

   
   INDIANAPOLIS (IN) The Republic
   INDIANAPOLIS – Pope Benedict XVI named a former aide to disgraced Cardinal Bernard Law of the Archdiocese of Boston as auxiliary bishop of Indianapolis on Friday, making him the heir apparent to the ailing, aging archbishop of Indiana's largest Roman Catholic diocese.
   The director of a group representing people who had suffered sexual abuse by priests immediately labeled the appointment of Rev. Christopher Coyne "irresponsible and callous."
   The 52-year-old Coyne was Law's spokesman in 2002, when the sexual abuse scandal erupted in the Boston diocese. Law resigned months after a judge unsealed court records in January 2002 that showed he had allowed priests with confirmed histories of molesting children to continue working in parishes. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 15, 2011 7:48 AM

• Pastor Dino Cardelli faces new charges in sex abuse case

 
   CALIFORNIA The Times-Standard
   Posted: 01/15/2011
   New charges of dissuading a victim or witness from testifying and of violating a court order have been brought against a former Arcata pastor facing sex abuse charges.
   Dino Cardelli was arrested in September and charged with one count of recurring sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14, Jane Doe 1, one count of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor and two counts of oral copulation with a minor. In October, three more charges were filed, alleging committing a lewd and lascivious act with a child under 14 years old, Jane Doe 2. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 15, 2011 7:44 AM

• Bellelville Diocese loses appeal in sex abuse case

  [5yrs in 1970s Fr Raymond Kownacki. RCC. US $5m judgement upheld. Altar boy (13yrs+).]
   St. Louis Post-Dispatch, ASSOCIATED PRESS, www.STLtoday.com ,
   MOUNT VERNON, ILL. - A Southern Illinois appeals court panel has refused to overturn a $5 million jury award against the Diocese of Belleville to a former altar boy who claimed he was sexually abused by a priest decades ago.
   The 5th District Appellate Court, in a 2-1 ruling made public Thursday and first reported by the Belleville News-Democrat, rejected the diocese's challenge of a 2008 verdict favoring James Wisniewski of Champaign, Ill.
   Wisniewski sued in 2002 in St. Clair County, alleging that the Rev. Raymond Kownacki sexually abused him for five years in the 1970s beginning when he was 13. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 15, 2011 7:41 AM

• Priest jailed over indecent images

  [2010 Fr John Shannon*. RCC. 8mos prison. Pornography while lecturing trainee clergy. 2011 Claimed celibacy compelled him.]  
   Northern Echo, By Mark Summers, Saturday 15th January 2011
   UNITED KINGDOM - A CATHOLIC priest who claimed his celibacy compelled him to view child pornography was yesterday jailed for eight months.
   Father John Shannon, 58, downloaded 740 indecent photographs of children as young as nine last year while a lecturer at the 200-year-old St Cuthbert's Seminary, at Ushaw College, near Durham City. Durham Crown Court heard police were called last June when officials uncovered attempts to access restricted websites from their new computer system.
   Jane Mitford, prosecuting, said analysis of Shannon's home computer revealed there were 521 pictures of level one seriousness (the lowest) 133 at level two, eight at level three, 75 at level four and three at level five – the most serious category. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 15, 2011 7:33 AM

• Catholic priest from Fenland who viewed children pornography jailed for eight months

  [2010 Fr John Shannon*. RCC. 8mos prison. Pornography while lecturing trainee clergy. 2011 Claimed celibacy compelled him.]
   Cambs Times,
   UNITED KINGDOM - A CATHOLIC priest from Fenland who claimed his celibacy compelled him to view child pornography was yesterday jailed for eight months.
   Father John Shannon, 58, of The Elms, Chatteris, downloaded 740 indecent photographs of children as young as nine last year while he was a lecturer at the 200-year-old St Cuthbert's Seminary, at Ushaw College, near Durham City.
   Durham Crown Court heard yesterday that police were called last June when officials uncovered attempts to access restricted websites from their new computer system. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 15, 2011 7:29 AM

• Joel McNally: No relief for Catholic Church's moral bankruptcy

  [RCC wealth in Florence, Italy]    
   The Cap Times, JOEL McNALLY | state columnist madison.com
   WISCONSIN - An unforgettable trip to Florence, Italy, about a decade ago gave me my first real appreciation for the almost incomprehensible wealth of the Roman Catholic Church. After visiting the domed Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, completed in 1436, I could only compare it to the most stunning natural site I had ever seen. I wrote the thing was like the Grand Canyon turned upside down.
   Such vast cathedrals with their gold-and-jewel-laden altars are really impressive until you stop and think about how primitive the living conditions for the church's parishioners must have been outside those walls at the time.
   That's the larger context in which Archbishop Jerome Listecki publicly announced the Milwaukee Archdiocese would file for bankruptcy to try to protect assets of the local church from lawsuits brought by childhood victims of sexually predatory priests.
   The moral questions about the honesty of the church, from top to bottom, continue to mount.
   Listecki should not have been able to keep a straight face when he claimed the reason for filing for bankruptcy was to enable the church to fairly compensate victims. If Listecki had any interest at all in fairly compensating victims, he would not be trying to shield the overwhelming majority of the archdiocese's $98.4 million in claimed assets from being used to pay those victims. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 15, 2011 7:23 AM
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Sat January 15, 2011
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont180.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Sun January 16, 2011 edition:

• Vatican edict in 1997 rejected calls to report priests who abused

       
   The Irish Times, http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0117/1224287680501.html , PATSY McGARRY, Religious Affairs Correspondent,
   IRELAND – A 1997 VATICAN directive rejected a recommendation by the Irish Catholic Church that priests who abused children should be reported to the civil authorities, it has emerged.
   The disclosure is made in an RTé documentary to be broadcast tonight, which also reports that an Irish bishop described the Vatican directive as "a mandate … to conceal the reported crimes of a priest".
   The Would You Believe documentary, Unspeakable Crimes, is broadcast on RTé One television at 10.35pm.
   In a January 1997 letter to each Irish bishop, marked "strictly confidential", the Vatican said it would support the appeal of any priest defrocked by the Irish church in connection with child sex abuse. It did so in a number of cases, leading to a threat of resignation by one Irish archbishop. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 16, 2011 10:44 PM

• Rome told bishops not to report abuse

     
   Irish Examiner, By Lynne Kelleher and Stephen Rogers, Monday, January 17, 2011
   IRELAND - A LETTER sent to Irish bishops in 1997 shows that the Vatican secretly blocked attempts to report paedophile priests to gardaí.
   In the letter, the bishops are urged not to report clerical abuse as a criminal offence.
   A documentary to be aired tonight reveals the contents of the letter and also claims that, on at least two occasions, the Vatican stepped in and stopped attempts by Irish bishops to defrock abuser priests.
   Last month, details of one of those occasions was made public when a High Court order finally allowed the full publication of a previously censored chapter in the Murphy Report on the Dublin Archdiocese. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 16, 2011 10:39 PM

• Similarities between the women's movement and addressing sexual violence in Jewish communities.

  [Judaists.]  
   UNITED STATES - The Awareness Center, By Vicki Polin - Founder/CEO The Awareness Center, Inc.,
   Addressing sexual violence in Jewish communities internationally has not been an easy task. It's often very lonely and frustrating. Many of us connected to The Awareness Center (professionals and survivors) have been harassed, spit at, and shunned by community members, etc.
   Unfortunately, too many "authority" in the Jewish orthodox world have been spreading all sorts of rumors regarding myself and those connected with our organization. The goal has been to divide and separate orthodox Jewish survivors from The Awareness Center and also from getting appropriate help from those who REALLY have the education, training and experience.
   At first one would think it makes sense that the cultural differences in the orthodox world would need to address sex crimes differently then anyone else. What the religious leaders neglect to tell survivors is that The Awareness Center is made up of many survivors and professionals who are from orthodox backgrounds. It's true, I did not grow up in an orthodox home and that I am no longer observant -- yet what many of those who attack The Awareness Center fail to mention is that I did spend just under 10 years of my life living in the orthodox world. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 16, 2011 10:36 PM

• 'Kerk moet standaard bepalen en niet schade beperken'

   
   RKnieuws,
   BRUSSEL, BELGIE (RKnieuws.net) - Bij de passage van de bisschoppen in de Kamercommissie seksueel misbruik stelde priester en ethicus Bert Vanderhaegen vast dat ze het seksueel misbruik vooral juridisch bekijken. Hij roept hen in het christelijk opinieweekblad Tertio op de evangelische kant van de zaak niet te vergeten en de kans te grijpen een standaard te bepalen voor hoe je zoiets aanpakt.
   Sinds de publieke bekentenis van Roger Vangheluwe waren het voor de kerk in België al barre tijden: voor de gelovigen, voor wie werkt in het pastoraat, voor de priesters en voor de bisschoppen. Die laatsten kregen de afgelopen weken bakken kritiek over zich bij hun verschijnen voor de parlementaire commissie. Als je de nieuwsuitzendingen bekijkt en de krantencommentaren leest, kun je je niet van de indruk ontdoen dat de kerk in België bij monde van haar bisschoppen minstens de indruk geeft vooral de juridische kant van de zaak te bekijken. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 16, 2011 10:33 PM

• Seksueel misbruik: 822 nieuwe daders begeleid

 
   Gazet van Antwerpen,
   BELGIE - In 2009 startten de justitiehuizen 822 nieuwe begeleidingen van daders van seksueel misbruik van minderjarigen. In 2010 waren er dat (tot einde oktober) 549. Dat blijkt uit een vertrouwelijke nota die aan de leden van de Kamercommissie Seksueel Misbruik werd bezorgd.
   De grootste groep zijn mensen die probatievoorwaarden kregen opgelegd bij een straf met uitstel: (386 in 2009 of 46,9%), daarna volgen aangehouden personen die vrijgelaten zijn onder voorwaarden maar nog moeten veroordeeld worden (187 of 22,7%).
   In 2009 ondersteunden de justitiehuizen ook 2082 slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik (in 2010: 2166 tot 8 december). Maar in 2009 waren er slechts 7 slachtoffers van pedofilie en nog eens 13 van incest (voor 2010 zijn deze cijfers: 8 en 14) bij. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 16, 2011 10:30 PM

• Child sex abuse and church failures 'great scandals'

   
   The Irish Times, PATSY McGARRY, Religious Affairs Correspondent,
   IRELAND - THE CRIMES of clerical child sex abuse and the failure of church authorities to respond adequately to them "are both great scandals", Archbishop of Toronto Thomas Collins said in Thurles yesterday.
   Speaking at a service of penitence and healing in the Cathedral of the Assumption there, he asked: "What does the most persistent journalist who reports priestly evildoing have in common with St John Vianney, the holy Curé of Ars, patron of parish priests? They both expect priests to be holy."
   Archbishop Collins is leading the apostolic visitation to Cashel and Emly archdiocese. It began last Wednesday and is expected to continue to the end of this month. He is accompanied by Joan Breech of the child protection committee in Toronto's archdiocese and his assistant Fr Edward Curtis. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 16, 2011 10:26 PM

• Adding spirituality to fight against abuse

   
   NEW YORK - The Buffalo News By Emma D. Sapong NEWS STAFF REPORTER
   Adia Tyson's mother would sit in the church's pews, decked out in her Sunday best, and – on some occasions – sporting a black eye.
   The faithful churchgoer's pastor expressed heartfelt sympathy and offered prayers to end the beatings from her alcoholic husband. But the attacks continued for years.
   Some of Tyson's friends also were victims of domestic violence, or were being molested, she said, and after counseling sessions with their religious leaders, they, too, languished in their abusive relationships.
   "A lot of people around me were suffering and feeling like they had no voice," Tyson said. "Their pastors would tell them to keep praying for their spouses and go back home. However, they had no practical application or knowledge of what to tell victims from the Christian position." Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 16, 2011 9:25 AM

• Three Nuns involved in 2005 exorcism case in Romania released from prison

 
   ROMANIA Focus Information Agency
   Bucharest. Three of the four nuns from the Tanacu Monastery in eastern Romania, convicted for homicide after a young woman died during what they said was an exorcism ritual, have been released from prison, Romanian Mediafax news agency reports.
   In 2005, the four nuns together with priest Petru Corogeanu, nailed a young woman to an improvised wooden cross in an attempt to exorcise her. The woman died. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 16, 2011 7:57 AM

• "Versteylen had seksueel getinte contacten met tiental pubers"

   
   De Morgen,
   BELGIE - Pater Luc Versteylen heeft minstens "een tiental" seksueel getinte contacten gehad met jongens en meisjes, die op het moment van de feiten vijftien tot achttien jaar oud waren. Dat blijkt uit een interview met twee getuigen, dat dinsdag in het weekblad Humo verschijnt. Volgens de getuigen heeft Versteylen wel degelijk grenzen overschreden.
   "Het zoeken in de zeventiger jaren naar een nieuwe lichaamsbeleving was zeker wel grensverleggend, maar nooit grensoverschrijdend", zo liet pater Versteylen vorige zaterdag in een brief weten, als reactie op de beschuldigingen van seksueel misbruik. Maar volgens de getuigen, die in het weekblad vertellen over hun ervaringen met Luc Versteylen, heeft de pater wel degelijk grenzen overschreden.
   Wassen en zoenen
   Een eerste getuige, die op het moment van de feiten 15 of 16 jaar was, zegt dat de toen circa 65-jarige Versteylen zijn hand in zijn broek had gestoken. Getuige 2 (toen 16 of 17 jaar oud) vertelt hoe hij en Versteylen samen in bad waren gekropen, elkaar hadden gewassen en vervolgens hadden gezoend. Hij maakt ook melding van "een tiental tienerjongens en -meisjes" die tussen 1985 en 1995 seksuele contacten hadden met Versteylen. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 16, 2011 7:52 AM

• Ook levensgezellin Luc Versteylen beschuldigd van misbruik

 
   Het Nieuwsblad, Auteur: Eline Bergmans en Yves Barbieux; zondag 16 januari 2011
   BELGIE - Ook de levensgezellin van pater Luc Versteylen, Mieke Van Hoof, wordt nu in een brief van een 43-jarige vrouw beschuldigd van misbruik in het bezinningscentrum Leven in de Brouwerij. Het misbruik zou gebeurd zijn toen de vrouw als meisje van 16 wou praten over een traumatische seksuele ervaring.
   Het bezinningscentrum dat pater Luc Versteylen in Viersel heeft opgericht, zit in het oog van de storm sinds op 7 januari de eerste getuigenissen over misbruik van minderjarigen opdoken. Die storm lijkt niet meteen te luwen. 'De meldingen blijven binnenlopen', geeft Walter Lever, de woordvoerder van de vzw Leven in de Brouwerij, toe.
   Een van die meldingen is een brief van acht pagina's, waarin een 43-jarige vrouw beweert dat Mieke Van Hoof, de levensgezellin van Luc Versteylen, haar in de brouwerij misbruikt heeft toen zij 16 jaar was. 'Ik was destijds heel naïef en onschuldig, zeker wat het lichamelijke betrof', schrijft ze. 'Ik hunkerde naar iemand die me lief vond. Luc was en is heel charismatisch. Ik denk dat ik verliefd was op Luc. Ik deed heel erg mijn best om door Luc en Mieke lief te worden gevonden.' Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 16, 2011 7:47 AM

• Untimely hesitation

   
   The Malta Independent, by Charles Flores,
   MALTA - Considering the bad press the Vatican and the Catholic Church have had to face and continue to face around the world with regard to the issue of paedophile priests, it is indeed strange to see the few Maltese victims of such horrendous acts being treated so shabbily. Our hopes soared when none other than Pope Benedict himself, during his visit to the island, made point of meeting them and tried to assure them of his and the Church's genuine concern.
   What has happened since then is an obvious attempt by someone somewhere in the Vatican, or elsewhere, who wants to apply the brakes to the Church's healing process. Many people were ready to forgive and forget once the Church gave the distinct impression that it was accepting the reality and eagerly looking to start a new chapter by admitting past shameful scandals – some people call them sins, as if it were just a matter of going to confession and seeking spiritual pardon – but the way things have developed since has only created more doubt.
   This untimely hesitation on the part of some Church authorities or hidden power brokers makes one even angrier. It was at first frustrating even getting some sort of response to the worldwide accusations, with the late Pope John Paul II seemingly more interested in keeping the affairs within the echoing corridors of the Vatican than facing up to the truth. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 16, 2011 7:44 AM

• Child-porn arrest: Oviedo man also accused of sex attacks on missionary kids in Africa

  [Samuel Warlick*. Presbyterian. 1980s Children. ? 2010-11 Child pornography.]      
   Sun-Sentinel, By Amy Pavuk, Orlando Sentinel
   FLORIDA - An Oviedo man with past ties to church missions in Africa was arrested by the FBI on child-pornography charges Friday.
   The arrest of Samuel Shamba Warlick comes three months after the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) published a report unrelated to the FBI case accusing Warlick of sexually abusing children at a housing facility for missionary families in the Congo in the late 1980s.
   Warlick, 39, made an appearance Friday afternoon in Orlando federal court and was ordered to be jailed until a hearing next week. He faces charges of possessing and distributing child pornography, and could be sentenced up to 30 years in prison if convicted. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 16, 2011 7:40 AM

• Belgian report shows that hundreds of abusive priests went unpunished

  [84% accused priests went free. RCC. < 500 victims. 13 victims suicided.]  
   National Secular Society (United Kingdom),
   BELGIUM - Only 16% of priests involved in 134 cases of child abuse in the Belgian Catholic Church have been prosecuted, a new report shows.
   The report, which was handed to the Government in December, was reported in the daily Le Soir this week. It details 134 cases of alleged abuse by priests over several decades.
   The report, compiled by the secretary of Belgium's episcopal conference, Etienne Quintiens, indicated that ninety priests are still alive involved with 134 cases of alleged child sex abuse. A further 50-odd complaints not yet on the list have been lodged since a church-backed commission last September revealed nearly 500 cases of abuse by priests and church workers since the 1950s, including 13 victims who committed suicide. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 16, 2011 7:37 AM

• Abuse hurts and so does the truth

     
   Juneau Empire By Bishop Edward J. Burns | A Bishop's Perspective
   ALASKA - As a relative newcomer to Alaska, I have been impressed by the priority that Governor Parnell has given to addressing domestic violence and sexual abuse in our state. The subject of physical and sexual abuse, especially of children and young people can, at times, be shrouded behind silence and denial.
   Unfortunately there are reasons why victims of physical and sexual abuse remain afraid to speak out about the harm done to them. Some victims and survivors remain silent because of fear. They may be afraid of their abuser; afraid that no-one will believe them; afraid that someone will blame them for the abuse; afraid that the situation may get worse. This fear can be gripping and lead to silence. Denial can cause a family or a society to remain silent about domestic violence and sexual abuse. It is devastating to learn that someone from our own family or community could harm an innocent child or young person in this way. Some who speak up are subject to even more abuse and intimidation. But for the sake of the victims of abuse we cannot remain silent. Even though it hurts to reveal the truth, it is nothing compared to the pain that society, communities, families and individuals will endure for generations to come if we do not face the truth today. Abuse hurts, and so does the truth. While the silence of the victims and survivors, tragic as it is, is understandable, our own silence as a society is inexcusable.
   I say this knowing full well the harm caused within my own beloved Catholic Church by silence and denial about sexual abuse of children and young people. For too many years sexual abuse by Catholic clergy was denied and covered up by those in authority in our Church and as a Church we failed to protect our children. In St. John's gospel, Jesus says: "You will know the truth and the truth will set you free." (8:32) The truth about the scandal of clerical sexual abuse has been very painful for everyone in the Catholic community, but I am grateful that the victims and survivors of clerical sexual abuse have finally been able to speak openly about what happened to them. Their courage to speak and to be heard has helped in their receiving the assistance and support they deserve. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 16, 2011 7:35 AM

• Sale of Catholic church properties to cover abuse settlements goes on

   
   The Chronicle-Herald, By MONICA GRAHAM, Sun, Jan 16, 2011
   PICTOU, CANADA – "We have to raise it, there's no question," a Roman Catholic said Saturday.
   Gerald McGuire, of Stella Maris Parish in Pictou, was referring to the $18 million pledged by the Diocese of Antigonish to settle with victims of sexual abuse allegedly committed by priests.
   Parishes have already forwarded any available cash to the fund, McGuire said. Now a disused convent in the parish has been sold. It was listed for $50,000, but church officials haven't released the purchase price.
   The convent is one of 18 church-owned properties in northeastern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton being sacrificed to help cover a $15 million class-action settlement brokered by former Bishop Raymond Lahey, who is facing trial in May on charges of importing and possessing child pornography in 2009. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 16, 2011 7:32 AM

• A Priest and an Altar Boy, Hah, Ha, Ha

   
   American Thinker By Randall Hoven
   UNITED STATES - This past June, Pope Benedict XVI said the church must promise "to do everything possible" to ensure that the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests "will never occur again."
   But the president of the Survivor Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) was not satisfied. She said, "Right now, kids are being assaulted by priests and bishops are concealing the crimes. And the pope continues taking no action to stop this." She said that the pope still ignores the main problem: "the ongoing recklessness, deceit, and callousness of bishops who, even now, protect predators instead of children."
   The executive director of the Women's Ordination Conference had an answer to the problem. "We believe that if women had a say in the church, if there was more accountability and more transparency, {then} the men would have been held more accountable."
   The issue of sexual abuse by Catholic priests is so commonplace that it is the subject of late-night "humor." Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 16, 2011 7:25 AM
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Sun January 16, 2011
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont180.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Mon January 17, 2011 edition:

• Sikh priest on Glasgow temple sex charge

  [Sikh -NEW*. Girl (12)]  
   BBC News, ~ Jan 17, 2011
   SCOTLAND - A Sikh priest has appeared in court charged with sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl at a temple in Glasgow.
   Surinder Singh is alleged to have touched the girl and tried to kiss her at the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in the city's Otago Street on Saturday.
   The 52-year-old, who is visiting Scotland from India on a visa, denied the charge at Glasgow Sheriff Court. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 1:22 PM

• Diocese cancels abuse 'strategy' meeting with no explanation

   
   IRELAND – Irish Examiner By Claire O'Sullivan, Tuesday, January 18, 2011
   THE DIOCESE of Cloyne has refused to disclose why it suddenly cancelled a meeting in Cork aimed at discussing potential "strategies" once the Murphy Commission report into clerical abuse in the diocese is published.
   All priests in the North and East Cork diocese were invited to the meeting late last week. However, the night before the gathering was due to take place, priests were informed that the event would not be going ahead.
   A spokesman for the diocese refused to tell the Irish Examiner why the meeting was cancelled, describing it as an "internal meeting" and "it would therefore not be appropriate to discuss reasons". Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 8:28 PM

• Filipino priest suspended for alleged misconduct

 
   PHILIPPINES - CathNews,
   A Catholic religious order has suspended a priest from ecclesial duties because of alleged misconduct and demanded he change his ways or be kicked out.
   Father Romeo Tena, a confrere of the Society of African Missions, is barred from celebrating the Holy Eucharist and all the Sacraments for continuing to breach an order from his superiors not to celebrate Mass, ucanews.com reports.
   Father Tena's suspension was announced by Father Alan De Guzman, SMA Superior-Philippines, in a Jan. 13 letter to Monsignor Juanito Figura, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 7:45 PM

• Le victimes de prêtres abuseurs se liguent

  [RCC]  
   20 Minutes par Raphaël Pomey
   SUISSE - Une association de personnes abusées au sein de l'Eglise catholique lance sa campagne de recrutement.
   « Ne vous laissez pas réduire au silence: rejoignez-nous!» Mardi et samedi prochain, cet appel publié dans divers journaux devra attirer les victimes d'ecclésiastiques auprès du Groupe SAPEC (Soutien aux Abusé-e-s par des prêtres de l'Eglise Catholique).
   Méfiants vis-à-vis de la réponse de l'Eglise
   Présidée par Jacques Nuoffer, un psychologue victime de sévices au début des années 60, le groupe demande notamment une réparation financière pour les abusés. Autre but, obtenir des infos précises sur les auteurs de délits sexuels. L'association se veut une réponse à l'inefficacité supposée de la commission anti-pédophile « SOS prévention», mise sur pied en 2008 par le Diocèse de Vaud, Fribourg et Genève. « Les curés agresseurs sont systématiquement couverts au nom de la protection de leur sphère privée», peste Jacques Nuoffer.
   Des critiques incomprises
   Présidente de la commission, l'ancienne juge d'instruction Franç çoise Morvant ne comprend pas cette critique: « Que voulez-vous, les faits rapportés chez nous ont souvent 40 à 50 ans, ils sont archi-prescrits!» Un autre collaborateur de l'Eglise assure qu'il y a une vraie volonté de « faire le ménage» au sein de l'Institution.
   Spécialiste des questions religieuse à la TSR, André Kolly précise qu'un dédommagement financier des victimes à l'américaine, tel que présenté comme modèle par le SAPEC, n'a pas été accepté par tous les diocèses de l'Oncle Sam. Selon lui, le travail de la Commission « SOS Prévention» est « sévère» et aurait été mené avec un grand sérieux, du moins lors de ses premiers mois d'activités. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 7:39 PM

• Pédophilie, les commissions d'enquête ne peuvent tout résoudre

   
   La-Croix,
   Dans de nombreux pays européens, des instances ont été mises en place pour faire le point sur les abus sexuels. Celles créées par l'église catholique dans un but « pastoral » soulèvent des questions
   En septembre, la commission créée par l'église catholique belge et pilotée par le pédopsychiatre Peter Adriaenssens rendait son verdict : en six mois, elle a reç çu 475 plaintes pour abus sexuels, identifié 186 prêtres abuseurs, dont 91 encore vivants, et appris le suicide de 13 victimes. Depuis, c'est une autre commission, composée de parlementaires, qui, après avoir auditionné les évêques en décembre, reçoit depuis le 10 janvier les supérieur(e)s de congrégations religieuses mises en cause.
   En Allemagne également, auditions, rapports et propositions se succèdent : le 1er décembre, la « table ronde » gouvernementale a annoncé à la fois un programme de recherche sur le moyen de prévenir ces abus et un durcissement de la loi. Et chacun se souvient de Mgr Diarmuid Martin, archevêque de Dublin, éprouvé, tenant à la main l'un des fascicules du volumineux rapport rendu par la juge Murphy en novembre 2009 … Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 7:35 PM

• Belgique: nouvelle plainte pour abus sexuel sur enfants par des religieuses

  [? RCC.]  
   AFP,
   BRUXELLES, BELGIQUE – La justice belge a annoncé mardi avoir ouvert une enquête à la suite d'un témoignage faisant état d'abus sexuels commis sur des enfants dans les années 1950 par des religieuses dans l'est de la Belgique, une semaine après la mise en cause de nonnes à l'autre bout du pays.
   La nouvelle enquête a été ouverte à la suite d'un témoignage d'un Belge de 63 ans, qui a expliqué sur une radio néerlandophone avoir été abusé dans les années 1950 par des religieuses dans l'orphelinat Sint-Vincentius de Halen, dans la province du Limbourg (nord-est).
   L'homme a ensuite porté plainte, lundi, auprès du parquet fédéral, a précisé l'agence de presse Belga. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 7:33 PM

• Eglise: Eric de Beukelaer est l'invité de Matin Première

  [RCC]
   Rtbf
   BELGIQUE - Il y a tout juste un an, le Vatican décidait de nommer André Léonard comme archevêque de Malines-Bruxelles. Cette première année de mandat aura été plus que mouvementée : scandales des prêtres abuseurs, polémiques nées de déclarations du nouvel archevêque, église en perte de vitesse au sein de la population… Arnaud Ruyssen fait le bilan ce lundi matin avec Eric de Beukelaer, l'ex-porte-parole des évêques de Belgique. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 7:30 PM

• Commissie Seksueel Misbruik hoort gerechtelijke politie

 
   De Morgen,
   BELGIE - Elk kind dat zich aanmeldt met een klacht over seksueel misbruik, zou automatisch een opgenomen audiovisueel verhoor moeten ondergaan. Dat stelde Peter De Waele, hoofdinspecteur bij de cel pedofilie van de federale gerechtelijke politie van Brussel. Hij werd samen met directeur-generaal Paul Van Thielen van de federale gerechtelijke politie en de Brusselse directeur Glen Audenaert en de Brusselse directeur operaties gehoord door de bijzondere commissie Seksueel Misbruik van de Kamer.
   De Waele wees erop dat het seksueel misbruik in een pastorale relatie eerder een zaak is van de lokale politie; de federale politie houdt zich voornamelijk bezig met grote criminaliteit en netwerken. De gerechtelijke politie van Brussel is de enige in het land die over een cel pedofilie beschikt. Er werken vijf mensen, maar als er twintig zouden zijn, zou er voor hen ook voldoende werk zijn, aldus Peter De Waele.
   Een aantal gevoelige onderwerpen verkoos hij achter gesloten deuren te beantwoorden, zoals de druk die er vanuit de politieleiding, de kerkelijke overheid of het gerecht op politiemensen wordt uitgeoefend in dossiers van seksueel misbruik door geestelijken. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 7:26 PM

• Tiental klachten over seksueel misbruik door geestelijken in Hasselt

 
   HLN
   BELGIE - Het parket van Hasselt onderzoekt een tiental klachten over seksueel misbruik door geestelijken. Met die mededeling reageert het parket vandaag op mediaberichten dat het Limburgse gerecht laks zou zijn in de aanpak van seksueel misbruik door priesters. Er wordt geen informatie gegeven over concrete gevallen.
   "Eerst kijken we of de klachten vervolgbaar zijn", aldus aldus Sofie Delbroek van het parket. "Er is al één dossier geseponeerd, omdat de dader overleden is. Van iedere klacht wordt het bisdom Hasselt vervolgens op de hoogte gebracht. Het bisdom onderzoekt de klachten ook en kan dan eventueel een beslissing rond een schorsing nemen." Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 7:22 PM

• MLK brings thoughts on moderate Baptists

  [Baptists.]  
   Stop Baptist Predators, Christa Brown
   UNITED STATES - From a Birmingham jail cell, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter to the "moderate" religious leaders of his day. He told of how "gravely disappointed" he was in them.
   Of course, King had always known better than to expect support from men such as Bull Connor, but for a time, King apparently held some hope that "moderates" would stand with him and other black Americans in their struggle for justice. However, in his letter from the Birmingham jail, King said that he had almost reached the conclusion that the greatest stumbling block was "not the Ku Klux Klanner but the white moderate who is more devoted to 'order' than to justice."
   "Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will," wrote King.
   As I have watched so many clergy abuse survivors struggle against the dehumanizing effect of Baptists' institutionalized injustice, I have often pondered the words of King's letter. And I too have grown to the conclusion that, in Baptistland, the "moderates" may be the most frustrating of all. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 3:09 PM

• Priest removed from North Little Rock parish

 
   LITTLE ROCK (AR) Roman Catholic Diocese of Little Rock
   The Diocese of Little Rock announced Friday, Jan. 14 that Father Charles Kanu, a Nigerian priest who has been working in Arkansas since 2005, has been removed as administrator of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in North Little Rock (Marche). Father Kanu has also served at parishes in Helena, Marianna, Mountain Home, Tontitown and Huntsville. Bishop Anthony B. Taylor celebrated the weekend Masses at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church Jan. 15-16 to make the announcement. Effective Jan. 25, retired Msgr. Bernard Malone will temporarily serve Immaculate Heart of Mary Church until a new pastor or administrator is named. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 1:19 PM

• Priest removed from North Little Rock parish

 
   LITTLE ROCK (AR) Arkansas Catholic
   Published: January 17, 2011
   The Diocese of Little Rock issued the following announcement Friday, Jan. 14 about Father Charles Kanu, a Nigerian priest who has been working in Arkansas since 2005. Father Kanu has served at parishes in Helena, Marianna, Mountain Home, Tontitown and Huntsville.
   Bishop Anthony B. Taylor celebrated the weekend Masses at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in North Little Rock (Marche) Jan. 15-16 to make the announcement.
   "On Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011, credible allegations of professional misconduct were lodged against Rev. Charles Kanu, presently the administrator of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Marché, regarding actions that were alleged to have occurred at locations other than his present assignment in Marché. None of the allegations involve misbehavior with minors. The procedures of the Diocese of Little Rock for handling allegations of non-criminal professional misconduct were followed. The preliminary investigation undertaken on Friday, Jan. 14, 2011, regarding the allegations of profession misconduct was inconclusive, but in the course of this preliminary investigation it came to light by Father Charles' own admission that he had failed to comply with certain conditions that were placed on his continuing ministry in Arkansas. Bishop Anthony B. Taylor, following diocesan policy, has suspended Father Charles' faculties to function as a priest effective today, Jan. 14, 2011, and has removed him from Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish pending a more complete investigation. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 1:15 PM

• John Paul II Beatification Set for May 1 as Vatican Confirms Miracle

 
   UNITED STATES Politics Daily
   David Gibson
   The late Pope John Paul II, whose death in April 2005 prompted a global outpouring of grief and demands that he be made a saint on the spot -- "Santo Subito!" as mourners cried -- will move a step closer to canonization when he is beatified on May 1, the Vatican announced Friday.
   As expected, Pope Benedict XVI affirmed the judgment of Vatican medical experts and theologians that a French nun's neurological disorder had been miraculously cured after she prayed to the memory of John Paul in June 2005. …
   Some have raised questions about the healing of the nun, Sister Marie Simon Pierre, and others say recent revelations about the John Paul's poor management of the clergy sexual abuse crisis should cause Rome to go slow on sainthood for the Polish pope.
   "This is madness," wrote Michael Sean Winters, a columnist for National Catholic Reporter, a leading Catholic periodical. "After years of being frustrated at the slow pace with which the Vatican embraces change, in this one instance where haste could spell disaster, they appear to be rushing."
   And Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP (the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), said pushing ahead with John Paul's beatification would be like "rubbing more salt into these wounds" of sexual abuse by clergy that was covered up during John Paul's reign. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 1:02 PM

• Vatican asked Irish bishops not to report clerical abuse to the police

     
   Irish Central,
   IRELAND - A letter sent by the Vatican to Irish bishops in 1997 shows that they blocked attempts to report pedophile priest to the police. A new documentary reveals the contents of the letter and claims that, on two occasions, the Vatican intervened and stopped attempts made by Irish priests to defrock pedophile priests.
   Bryan Maguire, abuse survivor and spokesperson for the Voice of the Faithful organization said the letter changes the way he feels about the clerical abuse. He said "It certainly puts a different complexion on the way in which the Irish bishops acted and points a finger right back to Rome.
   "At root what we've got is not just abusive priests and bishops that cover up, but an entire system that has enabled and facilitated those bishops and priests. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 9:00 AM

• SURVIVAL OF OUR PARISH (Effects of sexual abuse cases)

   
   St. Catherine of Siena Parish,
   WILMINGTON (DE) - This past Sunday, Trustees were chosen to represent our Parish, Dan Barr and Dick Burnett. Monday, Fr. Hynes, the Trustees and other concerned parishioners met to discuss the actions that must be taken to protect our Parish and our rights as citizens in light of the three to 6,000,000 judgment against St. Elizabeth parish and schools. They will briefly speak this weekend after all Masses on the potential negative effects of SB 29, basis of the suit. You will be informed of the specific actions that we will be taking and we are seeking parishioners assistance and input in this endeavor. A handout with details of this matter will be given after all Masses. A more informative talk will be given after all Masses next weekend (1/22 & 1/23). A petition to alter the law will be available to sign, along with other means of action for you to choose. Thank you for your anticipated support.
   You are probably aware from the newspaper of the recent trial in which St. Elizabeth's parish was found responsible for sexual abuse by a priest against a student in 1968-70. The penalty leveled was $3,000,000. It appears the parish will have to pay this, and probably further similar penalties by selling its property, i.e., the school and possibly the Church. This is of course being appealed. What are we to think? Similar suits, by the very same mechanism, have been filed against at least 6 other parishes, including St. Catherine's. Here are my thoughts and convictions.

The negligence in assigning abusive priests belongs to the diocesan authorities, not the parishes.

If parishes are to be held accountable by courts, it must be shown, by evidence, that the parish authorities, i.e., the pastor, knowingly covered up or allowed such abuse to take place.

Since over 40 years have passed since the above events occurred, the key witness, i.e., the pastor, is dead, and contradictory "memories" were cited. This very fact shows the hazard of revoking statues of limitations; can there be a fair trial after so much time has passed? Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 8:56 AM

• Delaware parish announces effort to overturn Child Victims Act

 
   DELAWARE Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
   Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com)
   Today at St. Catherine of Siena's parish in Wilmington Delaware, the pastor announced a drive to overturn Delaware's Child Victims Act which has enabled deeply wounded child sex abuse victims to publicly expose wrongdoers who commit, conceal and ignore heinous crimes against boys and girls. (See bulletin announcement below.) It's wrong-headed and mean-spirited. Bishop Malooly should stop this move to put the secrets and cash of one institution above the safety and well-being of many children and victims.
   We feel no malice toward Delaware parishioners. While their actions are short-sighted and parochial, we understand their pain. They love their parish and fear it will lose lots of money. Their concerns are understandable, if misguided.
   Our beef is with Delaware's Catholic officials who put parishioners in this tough spot by concealing crimes, transferring predators, deceiving parishioners, silencing witnesses, shunning victims, and endangering kids. Then, they exploited legal maneuvers (like the Chapter 11 process) to basically blame the parishes for the bishops' wrongdoing in a selfish move to protect one another and avoid responsibility for horrific crimes and cover ups. Finally, adding insult to injury, top Catholic staffers refuse, even now, to 'come clean' and talk honestly with their flock about who's to blame for decades of shattered children's lives. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 8:53 AM

• 'Priesters die trouwen, dat zal nooit bestaan'

   
   De Standaard,
   BELGIE - Priesters die trouwen, dat heeft nooit bestaan en dat zal nooit bestaan." Dat zegt aartsbisschop André-Joseph Léonard in een interview met het weekblad Humo.
   "Getrouwde mannen die later tot priester worden gewijd, zoals in de oosterse kerken gebruikelijk is: dat zou kunnen, al vind ik het zelf niet opportuun. Het is geen goede oplossing voor het priestertekort."
   Léonard stelt verder in het interview dat ook vrouwelijke priesters voor hem geen optie zijn. "Een priester is niet alleen een ambtenaar van het sacrale, hij vertegenwoordigt ook Christus als bruidegom van de mensheid en de kerk." Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 8:44 AM

• Unspeakable Crimes

   
   RTE Television - Would You Believe,
   IRELAND - Just when the Irish bishops were beginning to come to grips with how to deal with the clerical sexual abuse problem, Rome intervened and tried to enforce Vatican policy which put the interests of the priest, not the victim, first.
   In a strictly confidential letter seen by WYB, the Vatican threatens the Irish bishops that if they follow their new child protection guidelines it would support the accused priest if he were to appeal to its authority.
   The letter tells the Irish bishops that the Vatican has moral reservations about their policy of mandatory reporting and that their guidelines are contrary to canon law. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 8:34 AM

• Priest for court over alleged sex attack on girl

  [2011, Jan. Unnamed man* (52). Sikh. Girl.]  
   Evening Times, Caroline Wilson, 17 Jan 2011
   SCOTLAND - A girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by a priest during a religious service in Glasgow.
   It has been claimed the girl was attacked during an evening service at the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in Otago Street, Kelvinbridge.
   Other members of the Sikh congregation passing by heard screams and called police and the priest was arrested.
   A 52-year-old man was expected to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court today in connection with the attack. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 8:29 AM

!!!: Belgium opens inquiry into nun child sex abuse claim

  [1965-70. Unnamed women -? NEW*. RCC. Children.]  
   Expatica,
   BELGIUM - Belgian prosecutors on Monday said they had opened a judicial inquiry into claims of sexual abuse at an institution for children run by nuns in the southwestern town of Kortrijk.
   The inquiry followed allegations of abuse by an "anonymous witness" from 1965 to 1970 in the Stella Maris home, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office told AFP.
   The inquiry is in its early stages with investigators attempting "to identify the persons who may have committed the acts", the spokeswoman said. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 8:26 AM

• This bishop helped the career of Cardinal George Pell

  [RCC]      
   Broken Rites, By a Broken Rites researcher, (Article posted 17 January 2011)
   AUSTRALIA - Australia's Cardinal George Pell has acknowledged that his early career was helped by a generous mentor – the late Bishop James Patrick O'Collins.
   Research by Broken Rites has shown that Bishop O'Collins also helped certain other priests, whom we will discuss later in this article. But, first, let us recapitulate the story of O'Collins and Pell.
   The rise of George Pell
   In 1941 George Pell was born in the city of Ballarat in the state of Victoria. In that same year, James O'Collins became the new bishop of the Ballarat Catholic diocese, which covers the western half of the state of Victoria. …
   Previous research by Broken Rites has shown how, while O'Collins was the bishop of Ballarat (1941-71), a number of priests and religious Brothers were committing sexual offences against children in this diocese. The most notable examples are:
   Monsignor John Day, who was promoted by O'Colllins to the second most senior position in the diocese; and
   Father Gerald Ridsdale, who was eventually jailed for child-sex crimes.
   In the Ballarat diocese, the church's traditional cover-up was exposed after victims from this diocese began contacting Broken Rites in 1993 onwards. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 8:19 AM

• 'Ik voel niet dat ik je heb misbruikt, zei hij'

   
   De Standaard
   VIERSEL, BELGIE - Zeventien jaar geleden werd Jelle D'Hulster (32) door pater Luc Versteylen misbruikt. Eén keer, en een trauma was het niet. Maar nu anderen wél getraumatiseerd blijken en Versteylen blijft ontkennen, zwijgt hij niet langer. 'Ja, ik heb mij gemeld bij het parket. Anders was ik een lafaard geweest.'
   Van onze redactrice
   Drie meldingen van misbruik door pater Luc Versteylen kreeg het parket van Antwerpen zo'n tien dagen geleden: één van een anonieme briefschrijver, twee van trouwe Viersel-gangers die zich wel met naam en toenaam wilden melden. Voor de buitenwereld bleven ze liever anoniem, maar vandaag doet één van hen in De Standaard zijn verhaal: Jelle D'Hulster, 32, en bewoner van het huis dat bij de brouwerij van Viersel hoort. Een Bruggeling, die twee jaar geleden met vrouw en kinderen naar Viersel verhuisde - op vraag van Luc Versteylen zelf. 'Luc en Mieke werden zelf te oud om elke dag naar Viersel te komen, en ze vonden ons geschikt om het werk hier voort te zetten.' Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 8:15 AM

• 'Versteylen stak zijn hand in mijn broek'

 
   Het Nieuwsblad,
   BELGIE - Zeventien jaar geleden werd Jelle D'Hulster in Viersel misbruikt door pater Luc Versteylen. Al die tijd zweeg hij daarover, zelfs tegen zijn vrouw. Hij dacht dat het een eenmalige misstap was. Maar nu de meldingen van andere slachtoffers opduiken, komt hij naar buiten. 'Als ik mijn mond hou, doe ik hetzelfde als die pausen en bisschoppen.' GrietPlets
   Drie meldingen van misbruik door Luc Versteylen kreeg het parket van Antwerpen zo'n tien dagen geleden: een van een anonieme briefschrijver, twee van trouwe Vierselgangers die zich wel met naam en toenaam wilden melden. Voor de buitenwereld bleven ze liever anoniem, maar vandaag doet één van hen voor onze krant zijn verhaal: Jelle D'Hulster, 32, en bewoner van het huis dat bij de brouwerij van Viersel hoort.
   Een Bruggeling, die twee jaar geleden met vrouw en kinderen naar Viersel verhuisde - op vraag van Luc Versteylen zelf. 'Luc en Mieke werden zelf te oud om elke dag naar Viersel te komen, en ze vonden ons geschikt om het werk hier voort te zetten.' Jelle en zijn vrouw kwamen al sinds hun tienerjaren in Viersel en vonden de filosofie van Versteylen bevrijdend, ook zijn visie op seksualiteit. 'In Viersel konden we onze verlangens en vragen naar elkaar schrijven. Bleken die wederzijds, dan konden jongeren aan de groep de avond vragen om elkaars lichaam te ontdekken. Het moest een beschermende omgeving zijn, waar je die lichaamsbeleving gegund werd.' Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 8:10 AM

• Léonard is 'homofoob van 2010'

 
   Metro Time,
   GENT, BELGIE - Holebivereniging Cavaria geeft haar 'Fobieprijs 2010' aan aartsbisschop André-Joseph Léonard (foto). De aartsbisschop krijgt de prijs « omdat hij hiv een « vorm van immanente gerechtigheid noemde», aldus Cavaria. De titel wordt jaarlijks uitgereikt aan wie « de strijd voor holebi- en transgenderemancipatie verhindert». Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 8:07 AM

• PROFIEL. Wim De Troy

 
   De Standaard
   BELGIE - Wim De Troy (45) wordt door collega's omschreven als een integere magistraat, die niet over één nacht ijs gaat.
   Hij behaalde zijn diploma rechten aan de Katholieke Universiteit in Leuven. In 1989 ging hij aan de slag als advocaat, hij werkte ook als bedrijfsjurist. In 2004 trad De Troy toe tot het Brusselse parket. Op 3 april 2007 werd hij tot onderzoeksrechter benoemd. De Troy leerde het vak bij de huidige procureur Bruno Bulthé, toen die nog onderzoeksrechter was.
   Enige bekendheid kreeg hij in 2006 tijdens het onderzoek naar de dood van Joe Van Holsbeeck, die in het Centraal Station in Brussel was neergestoken om zijn mp3-speler. De Troy was toen nog substituut-procureur. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 8:05 AM

• De Clerck vindt optreden De Troy in Sint-Gillis "buiten verhouding"

   
   Vandaag,
   BELGIE - Federaal minister van justitie Stefaan De Clerck reageert op het incident aan de gevangenis van Sint-Gillis zondagavond. Hij vindt het optreden van onderzoeksrechter De Troy "buiten proportie"
   De politie heeft zondagavond een van de directeurs van de gevangenis van Sint-Gillis opgepakt. De directeur, een vrouw, had onderzoeksrechter De Troy, bekend van de Operatie Kelk naar seksueel misbruik in de kerk, de toegang tot de gevangenis ontzegd. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 8:00 AM

• Child abuse won't happen again: Pope

       
   Belfast Telegraph,
   IRELAND - A senior Vatican investigator into clerical child sex abuse scandals in Ireland yesterday spoke of the Pope's determination that such evil does not happen again.
   But Archbishop of Toronto Thomas Collins warned the congregation in Thurles Cathedral, Co Tipperary, that "even one priest gone wrong" caused immense harm, and that throughout the world priests had done unspeakable evil, sometimes at church events.
   Archbishop Collins has been instructed by Pope Benedict XVI to conduct an inquiry into the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, and to submit a report on his findings to the Pontiff by Easter. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 7:53 AM

• $5 Million Priest-Abuse Award Upheld

   
   Courthouse News Service (BELLEVILLE, IL), By JOE HARRIS,
   MOUNT VERNON, Ill. (CN) - A state appeals court refused to overturn a $5 million jury award against the Diocese of Belleville in a sexual abuse case. In a 2-1 decision, the 5th District Appellate Court rejected the diocese's challenge to the 2008 award to a former altar boy from Champaign.
   James Wisniewski claimed he was sexually abused by a priest for five years, beginning when he was 13, in the 1970s.
   The diocese claimed that Wisniewski's allegations were past the statute of limitations. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 17, 2011 7:48 AM
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Mon January 17, 2011
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont180.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Tue January 18, 2011 edition:

• Vatican warned Irish bishops not to report abuse

  [1996-2011 Vatican rejected Irish RC leaders' reforms]      
   Miami Herald The Associated Press, January 18, 2011
   DUBLIN, Ireland - A newly revealed 1997 letter from the Vatican warns Ireland's Catholic bishops not to report all suspected child-abuse cases to police because that would violate the church's canon laws.
   The letter, obtained by Irish broadcasters RTE and provided to The Associated Press, documents the Vatican's 1997 rejection of an Irish church initiative to begin helping police identify pedophile priests.
   In the letter, the Vatican's diplomat in Ireland says a church panel in Rome, the Congregation for the Clergy, has decided that the new Irish policy of "mandatory" reporting of abuse claims conflicts with canon law.
   The Vatican has not formally accepted any of the Irish church's three major documents on child protection since 1996. All emphasize mandatory reporting of suspected offenses. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 18, 2011 8:06 AM

• Orthodox church slammed after blaming women for rape

  [Russian Orthodox comment on modesty.]  
   The Moscow News, by Andy Potts, 18/Jan/2011
   RUSSIA - A church call for a national dress code has provoked a furious response after a senior cleric claimed wearing a miniskirt could provoke a rapist.
   In an argument which Western feminists thought had been resolved decades ago, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, head of the Orthodox Church's Synodal Department for Church and Society, suggested that a drunk woman in a miniskirt had no right to be surprised if she was raped.
   "If a woman wears a miniskirt, it can be provocative," Chaplin said at a recent round table, Interfax reported. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 18, 2011 8:48 AM

• Politie onder druk gezet in pedo-onderzoeken

   
   RKnieuws
   BRUSSEL, BELGIE (RKnieuws.net) - De politie ervaart soms druk van hogere instanties in hun zoektocht naar pedoseksuele misdrijven binnen de Kerk. Dat vertelden drie topspeurders gisteren achter gesloten deuren aan de Kamercommissie Seksueel Misbruik.
   De commissie hoorde de politiedirecteurs Glenn Audenaert en Paul Van Thielen en pedofielenspeurder Peter Dewaele. Deze laatste hamerde erop dat elk slachtoffer van seksueel misbruik meteen zou onderworpen moeten worden aan een audiovisueel verhoor, om alle misverstanden en interpretaties te vermijden. Klachten van slachtoffers zouden in eerste instantie moeten worden behandeld door de lokale politie. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 18, 2011 8:48 PM

• A life destroyed

   
   Ulster Gazette, Thursday, 20 January 2011
   NORTHERN IRELAND - A MARKETHILL woman pleaded with Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor and his colleagues to go back and think of their religion during last Thursday evening's public meeting on clerical abuse in Armagh.
   Reatha Hassan OBE said the life of her friend Dr Rosaleen Rogers, who just minutes earlier had given a personal account of her abuse, was destroyed as a child.
   "I think religion is very important in times of trauma," she said.
   "I'm treated like a piece of dirt - those are the words Rosaleen constantly used," Ms Hassan revealed. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 18, 2011 8:45 PM

• Vatican Warned Irish Bishops Not to Report Abuse

       
   The New York Times, {1997 letter}, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Published: January 18, 2011
   DUBLIN, IRELAND (AP) – A 1997 letter from the Vatican warned Ireland's Catholic bishops not to report all suspected child-abuse cases to police – a disclosure that victims' groups described as "the smoking gun" needed to show that the church enforced a worldwide culture of covering up crimes by pedophile priests.
   The newly revealed letter, obtained by Irish broadcasters RTE and provided to The Associated Press, documents the Vatican's rejection of a 1996 Irish church initiative to begin helping police identify pedophile priests following Ireland's first wave of publicly disclosed lawsuits.
   The letter undermines persistent Vatican claims, particularly when seeking to defend itself in U.S. lawsuits, that Rome never instructed local bishops to withhold evidence or suspicion of crimes from police. It instead emphasizes the church's right to handle all child-abuse allegations and determine punishments in house rather than give that power to civil authorities. …
   Joelle Casteix, a director of U.S. advocacy group Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, described the letter as "the smoking gun we've been looking for."
   Casteix said it was certain to be cited by victims' lawyers seeking to pin responsibility directly on the Vatican rather than local dioceses. She said investigators long have sought such a document showing Vatican pressure on a group of bishops "thwarting any kind of justice for victims." Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 18, 2011 5:39 PM

• 'Smoking gun' letter reveals official Vatican cover-up of child sex abuses

 
   Raw Story, By Stephen C. Webster, Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
   IRELAND - A letter written by a Vatican official in 1997, marked "strictly confidential," warned Irish bishops to avoid reporting the sexual abuse of children in the church, in hopes of avoiding public fallout from the scandals that were sure to ensue.
   Victims' groups the world over were calling the letter - first obtained by Irish broadcaster RTE - the "smoking gun" which proves institutional complicity in untold thousands of reported sexual abuses.
   The church has long maintained that it did not and would never instruct its bishops to engage in a cover-up of such heinous crimes: a claim that appeared to be false. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 18, 2011 5:26 PM

• Vatican office ordered Irish bishops not to report abuse, report shows

 
   Catholic Culture News Analysis January 18, 2011
   IRELAND - In 1997, the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy directed the Irish bishops not to enforce their new policy calling for mandatory reporting of priests who molested children, an Irish television documentary has reported.
   The report "Unspeakable Crimes," aired on January 17 by the RTE network, contains many inaccuracies and skewed interpretations of Church policies. But it also sheds new light on disagreements within the Vatican on the proper responses to sex-abuse allegations. The documentary also offers strong support for an Irish prelate who has been the target of savage criticism, and puts a new perspective on the efforts of the Irish hierarchy in general.
   In 1996, the Irish bishops had devised a new set of policies for handling such allegations, including a mandate to inform law-enforcement officials of all credible reports of abuse. But in January 1997 the apostolic nuncio serving in Ireland, Archbishop Luciano Storero, sent a letter to the Irish bishops, conveying the decision of the Congregation for Clergy that the policies should not be carried out. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 18, 2011 5:24 PM

• Vatican Warned Bishops Not to Report Child Abuse

         
   The New York Times, {the letter}, By LAURIE GOODSTEIN, Published: January 18, 2011
   IRELAND - A newly disclosed document reveals that Vatican officials instructed the bishops of Ireland in 1997 that they must not adopt a policy of reporting priests suspected of child abuse to the police or civil authorities.
   The document appears to contradict Vatican claims that the hierarchy in Rome never determined the actions of local bishops in abuse cases, and that the church did not impede criminal investigations of accused child abusers.
   Abuse victims in Ireland and the United States quickly proclaimed the document to be a "smoking gun" that would serve as important evidence in lawsuits against the Vatican.
   But a spokesman for the Vatican said that the document, while authentic, only serves as further proof that past missteps on handling sexual abuse allegations were reformed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was a top official in the Vatican even before he became the current pope, Benedict XVI. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 18, 2011 5:19 PM

• The 1997 letter: Vatican message sent to Irish church

  [RCC]      
   The Globe and Mail (Canada), http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/europe/the-1997-letter-vatican-message-sent-to-irish-church/article1874546 ; {with copy of the letter}, ~ January 18, 2011
   IRELAND - This image shows a copy of a newly revealed 1997 letter from the Vatican, obtained by Irish broadcasters RTE and provided to The Associated Press, warning Ireland's Catholic bishops not to report all suspected child-abuse cases to police, a disclosure that victims groups described as "the smoking gun" needed to show that the Vatican enforced a worldwide culture of cover-up. The letter documents the Vatican's rejection of a 1996 Irish church initiative to begin helping police identify pedophile priests following Ireland's first wave of publicly disclosed lawsuits. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 18, 2011 4:09 PM

• Priest returning to Nunavut to face sex charges

  [~ 1970s Fr Eric Dejaeger* (63). Roman Catholic. Inuit (i.e., Eskimo) children.]    
   CBC, January 18, 2011
   CANADA - A Canadian priest is being sent back from Belgium to face a new set of charges of sex assault against Inuit children.
   RCMP confirm that Rev. Eric Dejaeger, who has allegedly been living illegally in Belgium for years, will return to Nunavut where he will be taken into custody.
   RCMP would not say when Dejaeger is arriving, but Belgian media report he will leave that country Wednesday. Posted by Kathy Shaw on January 18, 2011 4:04 PM

• Vatican letter told Ireland's Catholic bishops not to report child abuse

  [RCC]      
   Guardian (United Kingdom),
   IRELAND - A letter to Ireland's Roman Catholic bishops has been revealed by the broadcaster RTE tha