Clergy Child Molesters (102) — References/Chronology

• The Worst Things Yelled At Catholic Sex-Abuse Survivor Joelle Casteix During A Protest -- Roman Catholic Church (RCC). U.S.A. flag; Mooney's MiniFlags 
   Orange County Weekly, www.ocweekly. com/ink/05/07/ best-part4.php#o4 , Vol. 10 No. 07, October 22 - 28, 2004
   CALIFORNIA: 1. Uttered outside Mater Dei: "Shame on you!" This was accompanied by what Casteix peppily refers to as the "Holy Bird."
   2. Said outside our Lady of Guadalupe in Santa Ana's Delhi barrio: "Can't you just let it go?" A couple of minutes later, a man shoved one of Casteix's fellow clerical sex-abuse survivors to the sidewalk.
   3. During a protest outside Holy Family Cathedral in Orange: "Leave the poor priests alone." [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:45 PM] (This is the first of the Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse , for Fri October 22, 2004.)
^ ^  CONTENTS 1   15  Translate  Links  Events  Books  HOME  v v
< < Back  ^ ^  Bravehearts  Irish Survivors  Liberated From Abuse  Bishop Accountability  Celibacy Crept  Non-marital  REFERENCES 56   96  Overview  Outreach  Books  "Fathers"  Religion  Submit  v v   Next > >
INTENTION: A challenge to RELIGIONS to PROTECT CHILDREN
Series starts: www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethicscontents.htm   Visit http://www.ncrnews.org/abuse
   INCOMPLETE LINKS: Refer back to "References 61" for methods of obtaining the URLs.
• After 3 years of abuse crisis, U.S. bishops' head ready for a retreat -- RCC. Vatican / Papal flag; Mooney's MiniFlags  U.S.A. flag; Mooney's MiniFlags 
   Catholic News Service, www.catholicnews. com/data/stories/ cns/0405828.htm , By John Thavis,
   ROME (CNS) -- After dealing with the sex abuse issue for almost his entire three-year term as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Wilton D. Gregory said he's ready for a retreat.
   He will leave to his successor a number of long-term challenges, including renewal of seminary programs, church financial problems, outreach to victims, and review and possible revision of the U.S. sex abuse norms.
   "It will be a healing, strengthening and comforting service that the next president (of the bishops' conference) will have to provide," Bishop Gregory said in an interview with Catholic News Service Oct. 21.
   "I had to be engaged in immediate response," he said. "But the next president will have to come in and look at the long-term structures that need to be put into place."
• Lawyer says ex-priest in abuse case is terminally ill [1960s-70s Porter] -- RCC. 28 victims proven. United States of America flag; Mooney's MiniFlags 
   Anchorage Daily News, www.adn.com/ 24hour/nation/ story/1759044p- 9600398c.html , The Associated Press, October 22, 2004
   NEW BEDFORD, Mass. - A former priest at the center of a notorious molestation case a decade ago has incurable cancer and should not be locked up indefinitely as a dangerous sexual predator, his lawyer said.
   The attorney, Michael F. Farrington, planned to ask a judge to halt civil commitment proceedings against James Porter, who is bedridden and being managed for pain.
   Porter, 69, was convicted in 1993 of molesting 28 children during the 1960s and 1970s while he was a priest in the Fall River Diocese. He completed 11 years in prison in January but has remained in custody while prosecutors sought to have him locked up as a continued threat.
   In a motion filed with the court, Farrington said Porter may have only six months to a year to live because of the "highly aggressive" malignant tumor.
   Prosecutors said they would seek a letter from Porter's doctor verifying his condition.
   According to the defense, the tumor was found after Porter was hospitalized twice last month, first for hip pain and a swollen leg and then for kidney failure caused by dehydration.
• Diocese in compliance with protecting kids from sex abuse -- RCC.
   News-Sentinel, www.fortwayne. com/mld/newssent inel/news/local/99 88278.htm , By Kevin Kilbane, kkilbane@news-sentinel.com
   FORT WAYNE (IN): Bishop John M. D'Arcy of the Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend said an audit found the diocese in compliance with national guidelines established to protect children and young people from sexual abuse.
   D'Arcy also cautioned priests and deacons in the diocese about stating or implying how people should vote in the Nov. 2 election.
   Auditors from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' National Office for the Protection of Children audited the diocese Oct. 11-14, D'Arcy said. The regularly scheduled audit focused on activity in the diocese during the last 14 months, particularly on efforts at the parish level to ensure a safe environment for children.
   "We were found fully in compliance."
   During the audit period, the diocese has been working to screen and perform criminal history checks on all priests, deacons, church staff, school staff and volunteers who might have contact with children, D'Arcy said. The diocese also has designed and started a program to teach children what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior by adults they might encounter at church or school.
Diocese motion denied [1950s onwards] -- RCC.
   Clinton Herald, By Warren Kitts, October 22, 2004
   CLINTON (IA) - A Clinton County District Court judge has issued a ruling which denies a motion to delay a Nov. 1 trial requested by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport. The ruling by Judge C. H. Pelton means the Davenport Diocese could be headed toward bankruptcy as early as today.
   Pelton issued his six-page written ruling late Thursday after the diocese requested a 30-day delay of the trial.
   The Nov. 1 trial is the first of 15 trials which deal with sexual abuse allegations dating back to the 1950s. John Doe 1A filed the first of the similar cases May 19, 2003, and the rest of the plaintiffs filed their cases shortly thereafter.
   Pelton wrote in his ruling Thursday the victims contend the diocese has denied them justice for too long and that the motion to continue is "another in a long succession to delay their day in court."
   Pelton also noted the diocese and its carrier have known since April 15 that the first case is to go to trial Nov. 1 and that the other cases will be tried on a one-per-month basis. Pelton also wrote that a 30-day continuance of the Nov. 1 trial would delay all the other cases.
• Tucson Catholic priest charged with public indecency [2004 Nuñez] -- RCC.
   KVOA - 4, http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=2467243&nav=HMO5SIUG , 12:38PM MST, October 22, 2004
   TUCSON (AZ): A priest in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson is facing charges of public sexual indecency in a city park.
   Diocese officials confirmed Thursday the Reverend Francisco Nuñez has been on administrative leave since August.
   He was arrested by undercover officers in a Reid Park restroom on August 19th.
• Davenport Diocese Deals With Financial Problems -- RCC.
   WHBF, www.whbf.com/Global/story.asp?S=2467911&nav=0zGoSIpz
   DAVENPORT (IA): The first of the sexual abuse trials against the Davenport Diocese is set to begin on November first.
   But victims are worried that if the Diocese files for Bankruptcy they will not be fairly compensated.
   On Thursday, Judge Charles Pelton denied the Davenport Diocese request for a 30 day continuance for the trial set for November first.
   The Diocese was expected to file for bankruptcy on October 22nd, according to the attorney for the Diocese Robert McMongale, to fairly provide for all those who have filed suits against the Diocese. But the Diocese has yet to file for Chapter eleven.
   Attorney Robert McMonagle said, "The concern for the Bishop is that if the first five or ten trials receive judgements sufficient to exhaust the assets of the Diocese none of the other claimants would have anything left to get, the assets would all be gone."
• Judge orders pastor to stand trial on lewdness charges [2004 Bartlett] -- Church not identified. Boys.
   phillyburbs.com ; www.phillyburbs. com/pb-dyn/news/ 111-10212004- 386829.htmls , By HARRY YANOSHAK, Bucks County Courier Times, 5:34 AM, October 21, 2004
   FALLS (PA) - Even without positive identification from the only witness - an 8-year-old boy - a Falls pastor was sent to trial on charges he exposed himself to children at a restroom of a Bucks County park pool.
   The child, who testified in a district justice's office, said he didn't recognize W. Mark Bartlett, 47, of Blue Spruce Lane, as the man who was sitting nude and masturbating in an open stall, county prosecutor Anthony Cappuccio said.
   District Justice Jan Vislosky decided that an alleged confession plus testimony in open court from park rangers were reason enough to uphold charges of lewdness and indecent exposure and sent the case to Bucks County court in Doylestown.
   Authorities said that Bartlett had penned an admission that he had acted on an "uncontrollable urge" to masturbate as he watched boys walk in and out of the restroom at the Oxford Valley Park pool in Falls.
   Park rangers arrested him in the restroom July 8 after the 8-year-old and a 4-year-old boy complained to adults that they had seen a man exposing himself, authorities said.
• Family sues over pastor's alleged affair [2000s Coiro] -- Baptist. Woman.
   Beacon Journal, www.ohio.com/ mld/ohio/news/ 9985058.htm , By Phil Trexler
   OHIO: It started with an alleged affair, a tryst between a Baptist minister and a female church member.
   It ended with a near brawl when the Akron woman's husband stood up in a church service and informed the congregation of their minister's liaison with his wife.
   The husband, Mark Canfora, and his son, Mark Jr., wound up being arrested, but they were eventually acquitted at trial. The minister, the Rev. Gary Coiro, and Canfora's wife ended the alleged affair.
   Since then, Mark Canfora and his wife, Dena, have reunited, and Coiro is no longer a minister.
   On Thursday, the tale came to Summit County Common Pleas Court when Mark Canfora, his wife and his sonfiled a lawsuit against Coiro, his former church and four Lake County police departments.
• Grand jury indicts Baptist pastor in sex case [1990s Johnson] -- Baptist. Girl.
   KATC, www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=2460617
   BATON ROUGE, La. An East Baton Rouge Parish grand jury has indicted a 36-year-old pastor of Gospel Light Baptist Church on charges of illegal sexual contact with a teenage girl.
   Danny "Warren" Johnson Junior was indicted yesterday on one count each of molestation of a juvenile, sexual battery and aggravated crime against nature. Prosecutor Mark Dumaine says Johnson was the girl's youth minister at the time of the alleged sex acts.
   According to the indictment, the alleged offenses occurred during a three-year period in the late 1990s, when the girl was between the ages of 14 and 16 years old.
Maine lawyer joins Catholic reform effort -- RCC.
   Portland Press Herald, By GREGORY D. KESICH, Oct 22, 2004
   MAINE: A prominent Portland attorney will serve on a national board established by Roman Catholic bishops to monitor the church's response to the child sex abuse crisis.
   Ralph Lancaster Jr., 74, has been appointed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to serve on the National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People. He is one of five new members named last week to three-year terms.
   The board was formed in 2002, and has issued reports on the scandal that have been critical of the church's hierarchy. The committee's work has helped quantify the size and scope of the abuse crisis. It also examines the effectiveness of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the bishops' plan to prevent future abuse.
   In a written statement, Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the conference, said that the review board is "vitally important in assisting the bishops of the United States in dealing with crisis of the sexual abuse of minors within the church."
Work of review board reflected on by justice -- RCC. Justice Burke speaks.
   South Bend Tribune, By REBECCA S. GREEN, The Journal Gazette, Oct 21, 2004
   FORT WAYNE (IN) -- Illinois Appellate Court Justice Anne Burke Sunday spoke of her work with the National Catholic Lay Review Board here.
   The board, established by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2002, was charged with addressing the clergy abuse scandal.
   Burke was in Fort Wayne as a guest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend for the annual Red Mass for those in the legal profession at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
   After the Mass, Burke shared her perspective on the work that she and the other members of the review board have done for the past two years, after allegations of child sexual abuse at the hands of clergy rocked the church and drew calls for reform.
   Burke praised Bishop John D'Arcy of the Fort Wayne/South Bend Diocese for his early role in addressing clergy sexual abuse while in Boston during the early 1980s.
• The Legion of Christ -- RCC.
   The Tidings, www.the-tidings. com/2004/1022/ essays.htm , by Rev. Richard P. McBrien, Oct 22, 2004
   There have been several books published on the sexual-abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic priesthood since the original burst of reports in the media nearly three years ago, beginning with the dramatic disclosures in The Boston Globe in January 2002.
   One book stands alone, however, in assigning ultimate blame to the Vatican itself and to the current pontificate: Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II, by Jason Berry and Gerald Renner (Free Press, 2004).
   Berry is the author of five previous books, one of which, Lead Us Not Into Temptation: Catholic Priests and the Sexual Abuse of Children (1992), was among the first to call attention to the growing, but still largely ignored, sexual-abuse problem. Renner was for many years the staff specialist on religion for The Hartford Courant.
   The Berry-Renner book focuses on two key figures as its framework for analyzing the crisis. One serves as the hero of the story: Thomas Doyle, a Dominican priest who once served in the Apostolic Delegation in Washington, D.C. and who has been one of the most dedicated defenders and supporters of victims and survivors of sexual abuse and of their families.
   The other serves as the goat of the story: Father Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the Legion of Christ, which is one of the so-called new movements in the Catholic Church that have received special attention and favor during this pontificate.
   Building upon their copyrighted articles published in The Hartford Courant in 1997, Berry and Renner detail the charge that Father Maciel was himself guilty of sexual abuse in the past by quoting nine victims of his unwanted attentions, all ex-Legionaries. The Legion has denied the allegations but the complaints have never been adjudicated by the Vatican.
   With the encouragement of the papal ambassador to Mexico, a canonical case was filed with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1998, accusing Father Maciel of "absolving the sins" of his victims in confession --- an ecclesiastical crime that has no statute of limitation. In late 1999, however, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation, halted the proceeding without explanation.
   Had Father Maciel been a priest in the United States and accused of sexual abuse by nine former students, he would have been immediately removed from ministry under the U.S. bishops' 2002 charter for the protection of youth.
   Within the Legion and the Vatican, however, the founder's status remains secure. Legionaries take vows never to speak ill of him or their other superiors and to report any member who does. Moreover, the pope personally appointed him as a representative to the Synod for the Americas in 1997 and praised him in 2001 at a sixtieth anniversary celebration of the Legion's founding.
   According to a recent article by Jason Berry in The Los Angeles Times (Sept. 26), Father Maciel continues to host dinners for "Vatican luminaries" from his current base at the Legion seminary in Rome.
   Berry's and Renner's Vows of Silence notes that the Legion has several high-profile champions within a certain segment of the Catholic community in the United States: George Weigel, renowned biographer of Pope John Paul II; William Bennett, a popular spokesman for traditional values, notwithstanding his recent involvement in high-stakes gambling; Richard John Neuhaus, editor of First Things magazine; William Donahue, head of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights; Mary Ann Glendon, a professor at Harvard Law School and a Vatican favorite; and Deal Hudson, who recently resigned as editor of Crisis magazine and as an advisor to President Bush on Catholic matters following an unfavorable story about Hudson in The National Catholic Reporter.
   Berry also cites instances where Legion members have been a divisive influence in some U.S. dioceses and parishes, noting at the same time that it has at least a few powerful episcopal supporters in this country. One, Archbishop John Donaghue of Atlanta, has given the Legion and Regnum Christi, its lay arm, "near carte blanche to teach catechism to Catholic kids who don't attend parochial schools," Berry writes.
   But another bishop took a completely different approach to the Legion back in 2002. When parents in the diocese of Columbus, Ohio, complained about disruptions created in their parochial school by members of Regnum Christi, Bishop James Griffin made a formal visitation to the parish and listened to all sides in the dispute.
   Three weeks later, he publicly barred Regnum Christi from parish property and the Legion of Christ from any role in his diocese.
   Father Richard P. McBrien is the Crowley-O'Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. [Emphasis added.]
• Davenport Diocese may file Chapter 11 -- RCC. 38 complainants.
   Omaha World-Herald, www.omaha.com/ index.php?u_pg= 1638&u_sid=1237539
   DES MOINES (AP) - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, appeared headed toward a bankruptcy filing after a judge on Thursday made a key ruling against the diocese.
   District Judge C.H. Pelton rejected the diocese's request to delay a Nov. 1 trial in the first of several lawsuits dealing with sexual abuse allegations dating back to the 1950s.
   The diocese had asked for one more month to negotiate with its insurance company and with the lawyers for 38 men who say that, when they were minors, they were abused by priests.
   But Pelton, in a six-page ruling issued late Thursday, said church officials did not have a solid reason for asking for more time in the case, which was filed almost a year and a half ago.
   "The court finds 17 months sufficient time for the Diocese to have recognized the insurance coverage dispute and to try to resolve it," he wrote. "These circumstances certainly are not a surprise or an unanticipated event."
• Delay in sex abuse suits denied -- RCC.
   Quad-City Times, www.qctimes.com/ internal.php? story_id=103 7762&l=1&t= Local+News&c= 2,1037762 , By Todd Ruger
   DAVENPORT (IA): A district judge denied Thursday an effort by the Davenport Catholic Diocese to delay a series of trials on allegations of sexual abuse by priests - a delay the diocese said could help it avoid filing for bankruptcy as early as today.
   The diocese had asked District Judge C.H. Pelton to postpone the trials by 30 days so it could work further with insurance companies to reach settlements on behalf of about 40 people.
   But Pelton ruled the diocese had 17 months to recognize and resolve insurance company disputes rather than two weeks before the first trial, which is scheduled to begin Nov. 1.
   "These circumstances certainly are not a surprise or an unanticipated event," Pelton wrote in his ruling. "Whether or when the diocese seeks bankruptcy protection is an issue for the diocese, not for the state trial court."
   The diocese had argued that it only received the total amount of monetary demands from claimants last month.
Event to give abuse-prevention tips -- RCC.
   The Press-Enterprise, By MICHAEL FISHER, 01:01 AM PDT on Friday, October 22, 2004
   SAN BERNARDINO (CA): The Diocese of San Bernardino will host its first-ever Family Safety Fair on Sunday afternoon to educate children and parents on how to recognize and prevent child molestation and abuse.
   The free event, scheduled for 1 to 3 p.m. at the diocese's Pastoral Center at 1201 E. Highland Ave. in San Bernardino, will include age-appropriate games to teach children to recognize abuse and protect themselves.
   The event is part of the diocese's ongoing response to the clergy sex-abuse crisis gripping the U.S. Roman Catholic Church, according to Deacon Michael Jelley, who oversees the diocese's programs to protect children and aid sexual-abuse victims.
   "What we have discovered as time has gone on is how really prevalent in society sexual abuse of children is," Jelley said, explaining that some statistics suggest that one-third of women and one-quarter of men are victims of sexual abuse by the time they leave high school.
   The fair will be run by The KidWise Institute of Oakland, a parent and professional training group that has worked with other California dioceses.
Judge denies diocese's request to delay trial -- RCC.
   Des Moines Register, By SHIRLEY RAGSDALE, REGISTER RELIGION EDITOR, October 22, 2004
   DAVENPORT (IA): Church officials' threat of bankruptcy and plea for more time did not persuade a Clinton County judge to delay a Nov. 1 trial on the first of several lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse against the Davenport Catholic Diocese.
   District Judge C.H. Pelton ruled Thursday that the diocese and its insurance companies knew since April 15, 2003, that the first case would go to trial Nov. 1.
   "Seventeen months is sufficient time for the diocese to have recognized the insurance coverage dispute and to try to resolve it," Pelton wrote.
   "These circumstances certainly are not a surprise or an unanticipated event. Moreover, an insurance coverage dispute can be resolved before, during or after the first trial."
   In a hearing Wednesday, diocese attorney Rand Wonio told the judge that the Nov. 1 trial is not an option. Diocese officials would either settle all the claims before then, he said, or file for bankruptcy, possibly by today. The bankruptcy would temporarily stop legal proceedings, he said.
• DA: Grand jury got Messier info [Messier] -- RCC.
   Telegram & Gazette, www.telegram. com/apps/pbcs. dll/article? AID=/20041022/ NEWS/110220118/ 1008/NEWS02 ; By Kathleen A. Shaw TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF kshaw@telegram.com
   WORCESTER (MA) - District Attorney John J. Conte said yesterday his office presented information regarding an alleged sexual abuse allegation against the Rev. Raymond P. Messier to the grand jury but the grand jury decided not to issue an indictment.
   Mr. Conte said his office received information from the state Department of Social Services and presented it to the grand jury. The grand jury also heard what he called "live testimony" of the complaining witness. The grand jury then issued a "no bill," which means it would not issue an indictment against Rev. Messier.
   No discussions were held with the Diocese of Worcester regarding this issue, he said. The diocese is required by state law and a grand jury subpoena to report any allegations of sexual misconduct, which it did in this case, he added. He said the case was never discussed with anyone in the diocese.
   Boston lawyer Carmen L. Durso on Wednesday released a copy of a letter from a DSS investigator to Rev. Messier stating that the department investigated an allegation of sexual abuse involving him and found support for the allegation.
   Mr. Durso released the letter after a statement made earlier this week by Monsignor Thomas J. Sullivan, diocesan chancellor, stating that the diocese would not pay much money to settle some of the pending civil suits because they lacked as much merit as others and the state has a $20,000 cap on such settlements because of the "charitable immunity law."
   The settlements being offered to victims of sexual abuse in this diocese are the lowest in the country and the world, Mr. Durso said at a press conference held Tuesday in Worcester Superior Court. He said some offers have been $3,000 and $7,500.
   Mr. Durso also said he received a letter from Rev. Messier's lawyer, Robert Casey of Harvard, earlier this week stating the grand jury declined to indict Rev. Messier. Mr. Durso said he did not know whether the "no bill" he was informed of was related to the DSS investigation.
   Mr. Durso, who represents three alleged victims of Rev. Messier, said the cases do have merit based not only on substance of the allegations but also a more recent investigation was done on the priest that had no connection to these alleged victims or lawsuits.
   Rev. Messier was placed on administrative leave by the diocese from his parish assignments at St. Francis of Assisi Church, Athol, and St. Peter Church, Petersham, in 2002 when allegations of misconduct were made. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 05:40 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Fri October 22, 2004
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont102.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

• Catholic teacher admits supplying child pornography. [2002-04 Vella] -- RCC. Pornography supply, possess. Australia flag; Aust. Nat. Flag Assn. 
   The West Australian, "Teacher, 24, spread child pornography," by Gay McNamara, with Australian Associated Press, p 16, Friday, October 22, 2004
   AUSTRALIA: A Catholic primary school teacher was one of five men who pleaded guilty yesterday to charges from Australia's biggest crackdown on child pornography.
   Alan John Vella, 24, of Caversham, admitted in Perth Magistrate's Court supplying child pornography to another person at Eden Hill in 2002.
   The Year 5 teacher at St Brigid's Primary School in Middle Swan, who was stood down without pay, also pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography.
   He will be sentenced in the District Court on November 19.
   Guilty pleas to possessing child pornography were entered by Christopher James Burgess, 24, of Woodvale, to one count, John Raymond Peter Francis, 58, of Newman, to three counts, and Clint Houghton-Smith, 39, of Como, to one count.
   Houghton-Smith said he would plead not guilty to one count and guilty to two counts of possessing indecent or obscene material.
   Colin James Burns, 55, of Victoria Park, pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing child pornography and will appear in the District Court on November 19.
   In Sydney, an administrative worker with the ... Department of Community Services ... 47-year-old man was arrested ... had worked with the department for 28 years ... raided yesterday morning ... suspended ... [Emphasis added] [See March 16, 2005] [Oct 22, 04]
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont102.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Sat October 23, 2004 edition follows:-
Pastor accused of improper sexual contact with teenager [2000s Nichols] -- Church on the Hill. Girl. U.S.A. flag; Mooney's MiniFlags 
   Towanda Daily Review, By: James Loewenstein, Oct/23/2004
   PENNSYLVANIA: The pastor of the Church on the Hill in Ulster Township has been charged with sexually molesting a female parishioner while she was under 16 years of age.
   The pastor, Wesley Allen Nichols, 44, of Milan RR1, has been charged with three counts of corruption of minors, which is a first-degree misdemeanor, and three counts of indecent assault, which is a second-degree misdemeanor.
   Nichols denies wrongdoing, said the church's attorney, Daniel Barrett. The alleged victim is now 16 years old, authorities said.
   The girl told state police on Oct. 13 that for almost three years, Nichols has been kissing and fondling her at various times and locations, according to an affidavit that was filed by state police in Towanda District Court.
   The girl told state police that she considered the relationship between her and her pastor as "boyfriend/girlfriend," state police said.
   She also told state police that she talks on the phone with the pastor very frequently. Later on Oct. 13, state police interviewed Nichols and asked him about the girl's allegations. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 09:32 AM]
• Ex-pastor collapses after accusations [Hendrix] -- Methodist. Daughters.
   The Charlotte Observer, www.charlotte. com/mld/charlotte/ news/9993810.htm , By MELISSA MANWARE AND KAREN CIMINO
   NORTH CAROLINA: A former Lincoln County minister was hospitalized early Friday, just hours after millions of television viewers saw his three adult daughters tell Oprah Winfrey they had been sexually abused by him for years.
   Ted Eugene Hendrix, 66, was scheduled to go to trial Monday on sex abuse charges involving one of the daughters, but the allegations made on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" aired Thursday afternoon went far beyond the criminal charges Hendrix faces in court.
   The three women told Oprah their father abused them most every day for about a decade. Two of them said it started when they were 7 or 8; the other said she was about 12.
   They talked about using safety pins to secure their pajamas and waking up to find his hands in their pants. One of them said she was raped by her father on a church altar and then given communion. ...
   Hendrix was pastor at the 220-member Webbs Chapel United Methodist Church in Denver when the allegations of sexual abuse surfaced. He resigned in August 2003, a month after his daughters went to police.
Pedophile ex-priest Porter said to be dying of cancer [Porter] -- RCC.
   The Pawtucket Times, by Daniel Fowler, 10/23/2004
   NEW BEDFORD (MA): -- An oncologist for convicted child molester and former Diocese of Fall River priest James Porter is scheduled to testify next week that Porter is physically unable to appear in court and has an incurable form of cancer.
   Porter's attorney, Michael Farrington hopes that the information will be enough to get the commonwealth to halt his client's upcoming civil commitment trial.
  Superior Court Judge Robert Kane Friday issued Dr. Denis Derman a summons to appear in court at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Bristol County District Attorney's Office spokesman Joseph DeMedeiros said.
   "Why are we going to waste hundreds of thousands of taxpayers money on this (trial)?" Farrington asked. "He is a very sick guy. He is also (69) years old. As a result of the disease, so far he can't walk. It strikes me what is really of interest is can he possibly be thought of as a dangerous person and that is what it's really all about."
• Davenport Diocese cuts staff after judge's ruling -- RCC.
   Courier, www.wcfcourier. com/articles/2004/ 10/23/news/ breaking_news/ doc417a3c3868 634582450801.txt , Oct 23, 2004
   DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) -- The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport said he would severely cut staff at the diocese headquarters after a judge made a key ruling against the diocese.
   "Two years ago, there were 44 members of the pastoral center staff," Bishop William E. Franklin said in a statement Friday. "In anticipation of a staff reduction, a few members of my staff have submitted resignations in the past weeks. I have made the difficult decision to further reduce my staff to 18. This staff reduction began today and will continue in the next few months."
   District Judge C.H. Pelton on Thursday rejected the diocese's request to delay a Nov. 1 trial in the first of several lawsuits dealing with sexual abuse allegations dating back to the 1950s.
Porter said to have incurable cancer; seeks end to civil case [1960s-70s Porter] -- RCC. 28 victims.
   Boston Globe, By Associated Press, October 23, 2004
   NEW BEDFORD (MA) -- Former priest James Porter has incurable cancer and could die in less than a year, says his lawyer, who plans to ask a judge to halt civil commitment proceedings against the convicted pedophile.
   ''The tumor cannot be treated, and there is no cure for it at this time," defense lawyer Michael F. Farrington wrote in a motion filed in New Bedford Superior Court. ''The prognosis for survival is six months to one year."
   Porter, 69, was convicted in 1993 of molesting 28 children during the 1960s and 1970s while he was a priest in the Catholic Diocese of Fall River.
   He completed his prison sentence in January, but has remained in custody while prosecutors sought to have him locked up indefinitely as a sexually dangerous person.
   A judge ruled in April that there was enough evidence to hold a trial on the matter, but the cancer diagnosis could end the state's attempt to have him civilly committed, the Standard-Times of New Bedford reported. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 09:11 AM]
• Priest placed on leave after August indecency charge [2004 Nuñez] -- RCC. Most Holy Trinity order.
   Arizona Daily Star, www.dailystar. com/dailystar/ allheadlines/ 44623.php , By Stephanie Innes, Oct.22.2004
   TUCSON (AZ): A 39-year-old priest who worked in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson for the past year is on administrative leave because of an arrest on charges of public sexual indecency in Reid Park.
   Officials with the diocese on Thursday confirmed that the Rev. Francisco Nuñez, a priest who had been working at Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Parish, 507 W. 29th St., has been on administrative leave since August pending a criminal case that's under way.
   Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha includes seven different chapels around the city.
   Nuñez was scheduled to return for an appearance in Tucson City Court today.
   Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas said Nuñez, a member of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity religious order, has been living at a house owned by his religious order in Alabama since August, but has not been working in ministry. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 04:33 AM]
• Couple charged with sex offences [2000s] Church not named. Girl. Australia flag; Aust. Nat. Flag Assn. 
   NEWS.com.au ; www.news.com. au/common/story_ page/0,4057, 11141724%5E2 761,00.html , AAP, October 22, 2004
   PERTH, W. Australia: A COUPLE who helped lead a church youth group in Perth's southern suburbs have been charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl over a period of about 18 months, WA police said today.
   The 30-year-old man, from Rockingham, and his now-estranged 26-year-old wife, from Hillman, were arrested and charged by detectives in Fremantle.
   Police allege that at the time of the offences the two were parent leaders at the church youth group.
   Both allegedly engaged in sexual liaisons with the girl at the same time, police said in a statement.
   Police allege the attacks started when the girl was 14 years old and continued until just before her 16th birthday. [...]
   They have not been named to protect the girl's identity.
   The man and woman are due to appear in Rockingham Magistrates Court on on Monday. #
• Davenport Diocese cuts staff after judge's ruling -- RCC. 26 to lose jobs.
   WOI, www.woi-tv.com/ Global/story. asp?S=2468613
   DAVENPORT, Iowa -- The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport says he will severely cut staff at the diocese headquarters after a judge made a key ruling against the diocese.
   Bishop William E. Franklin says that two years ago, there were 44 members of the pastoral center staff. He says some staff have quit in the past few weeks and he has made the decision to reduce the staff to 18.
   District Judge C.H. Pelton on Thursday rejected the diocese's request to delay a November 1st trial in the first of several lawsuits dealing with sexual abuse allegations dating back to the 1950s.
82-Year-Old Monk Faces Rape Charges [~ 1971 Kane] -- RCC. Abbey. Female.
   WHNT, NewsChannel 19's Dianna Gee, dianna.gee@whnt.com , Oct/22/04
   ALABAMA: A would-be nun claims she was raped by a monk at St. Bernard Abbey more than 32 years ago. In documents filed at the Cullman County Courthouse, the grand jury charges Ignatious Kane did engage in sexual intercourse by forcible compulsion.
   The accuser, 52-year-old Anne McInnis, went public with her story two years ago. The rape suspect is now an 82-year-old bedridden polio victim.
   In response to the charges, Abbot Cletus Meagher released this statement:
   "St. Bernard Abbey takes seriously these allegations. Any abuse, especially sexual abuse, is inexcusable. It cannot and will not be tolerated by St. Bernard Abbey."
Priest's case goes directly to trial stage [Liberatore] -- RCC.
   Scranton Times-Tribune, BY BRIAN CLARK, Oct/23/2004
   SCRANTON (PA): Lawyers on both sides of the child molestation case against the Rev. Albert M. Liberatore Jr. agreed this week that taking the matter directly to the trial stage is the right decision.
   Luzerne County District Attorney David Lupas said he was "extremely happy ... that this matter has moved forward for further court action," adding, "The manner in which it was handled allowed us to present our evidence without the necessity of subjecting the alleged victim to testifying at this juncture."
   Defense Attorney Larry Moran said the case's challenges were more appropriate in the Court of Common Pleas.
   "Father Liberatore is an innocent man and there are significant factual and legal deficiencies in the commonwealth's case," Mr. Moran, one of Mr. Liberatore's attorneys, said, adding that "the Court of Common Pleas is the best place to address those problems." [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 04:11 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Sat October 23, 2004
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont102.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Sun October 24, 2004 edition follows:-
• Image of ignorance of Catholic Church -- RCC. U.S.A. flag; Mooney's MiniFlags 
   Newsday, www.newsday. com/news/columnists/ny- nybres24401765 0oct24,0,7389557. column?coll=ny- news-columnists ; by Jimmy Breslin, October 24, 2004
   NEW YORK: At the beginning of the Alfred Smith dinner on Thursday night, an event for Catholics with money and the attitude of money, which means Al Smith wouldn't have been allowed in the door, the cardinal of New York, Edward Egan, strode imperiously into the Waldorf-Astoria towers entrance.
   Mary Ann Perry reports that she attempted to give the cardinal a flier for Catholic teachers, who were picketing across the street.
   Ms. Perry reports, and others report seeing the same thing, that the cardinal walked by her with a cold glance. He was going upstairs, where he would pose gloriously in a red cape and I guess his big ring.
   I am unsure of the precise details because I was across Park Avenue with the crowd of teachers. We were in these metal pens that the police use in an attempt to eliminate free expression by the nonrich. In this case, the pens were erected on behalf of the cardinal and his Catholic Church.
   The people in the pens were distinguished from the church in that they were of the Catholic religion, based on the Life of Christ, and the cardinal's church is a branch of a Roman corporation.
   The scene of the teachers in the darkness in pens across the street and the substantial walking to dinner under bright overhead lights was the most accurate picture of the Roman Catholic Church at this time. It showed the dumb arrogance, the foolish stupidity, the blank indifference of an organization about to lose all.
   They cannot pay their own schoolteachers, but the church bosses want the thrill of dominating a country.
   The Catholic Church has been trying with all its silent might to influence the national election. These old white-haired fat bishops and cardinals want the issue of abortion to determine the leadership of a country. That means vote for Bush.
   Both the Bush and Kerry campaigns are running Tip O'Neill campaigns: All politics is local. They make appearances on local issues and have commercials aimed at specific groups. The Catholic bishops have a national issue, abortion. And this is what they want of a nation that has itself in a war that we appear to be losing. That is some commander in chief, this Bush. It looks like we're losing to Iraq. We come with unlimited bravery and planes and tanks and artillery and the people in Iraq run around in rags and sandals and they are winning. Nobody does well in the other guy's neighborhood. But we are against abortions.
   There have been 39 American soldiers killed since Oct. 10, and who knows how many hundreds had their arms and legs blown off. The cardinal did not make one mention of the carnage. Bush is against abortion, so everything is all right.
   And that is the Catholic example of a leader in time of crisis. Some cardinal. His Al Smith dinner called for white ties and tails. The man who established his church walked in sandals and rags. Some church. The only time Christ showed any anger was when he chased the money changers out of the temple. Now they were having a night devoted to money.
   Meanwhile, the leaflet on Thursday night that the cardinal looked upon with disdain said that the teachers were being offered a 1 percent pay raise. As nearly all the teachers earn $35,000 or thereabouts, the raise doesn't do much for them. The rest of the offer from the cardinal was health care payment adjustments that would cost a teacher $2,400 a year.
   In the Waldorf kitchen, a Local 6 union guy washing dishes from the dinner gets $34,000 a year, with full medical benefits for themselves and family, and a pension of $1,250 a month.
   Over in the pens, Gertrude Zagarella, 70, said she had been teaching Catholic schoolchildren for 49 years and she now earns $43,973. She teaches at St. Paul's on East 108th Street. "First grade," she was saying. "That's all I ever do. I did second grade only one year. We get public school teachers in on Title One. One teaches reading for a couple of hours. She gets $80,000. That's between us and the regular public school job. The other on Title One does math. She gets $69,000."
   "Why do you stay?" I asked her.
   "Love. But they say they have no money to pay us. Where do they get it to pay for these molesters?"
   A woman next to her, Edwina Dunne, 73, said, "I taught 30 years. I get a pension of $583 a month."
   Gertrude Zagarella works in a place where the Catholics are desperately weak. The Catholics usually can't be near anybody of color. She has in her class Latinos, African-Americans, Muslims and maybe even the odd white. The Muslims in first grade come across the smartest, and that is something that will cause whites everywhere to gnash teeth. And Gertrude Zagarella to beam. On the dark street across from the Waldorf, she waved her union placard. Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 05:31 PM]
• Cardinal James Hickey Dies at 84 -- RCC.
   Washington Post, www.washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/articles/ A58599-2004Oct24.html , By Caryle Murphy, Sunday, October 24, 2004
   WASHINGTON (DC): Cardinal James Aloysius Hickey, 84, a champion of orthodoxy in church dogma and a compassionate shepherd of the area's half million Roman Catholics while head of the Washington Archdiocese for 20 years, died this morning at a nursing home in Washington.
   His health had been in decline for the past year.
   The tall, soft-spoken cardinal with Midwestern roots entered the seminary at age 13 and was a priest for more than 50 years. Shunning a high profile, he nevertheless became one of the most influential behind-the-scenes leaders in the American Catholic Church. At his death, he was the second eldest of 14 American cardinals. ...
   The slender, bespectacled cardinal also was one of the first U.S. bishops to recognize the seriousness of the church's problem with clergy sexual abuse of children. Most other bishops ignored the issue, taking action only after child abuse became a nationwide scandal in the church in 2002. But, as early as the late 1980s, Hickey set up policies to heighten awareness of child abuse and catch potential molesters.
   "Hickey was one of the first, I would say perhaps the second bishop I knew of who had mandatory study days and seminars for all of the priests in his diocese . . . on sexual abuse by clergy," recalled the Rev. Thomas P. Doyle, an Air Force chaplain until recently and one of the first to warn church leaders of the hidden abuse problem.
Questions raised over handling of nun abuse [Shaw] -- RCC. Sisters of Charity. Girl.
   Daily Record, By Abbott Koloff, Oct/24/04
   NEW JERSEY: Patricia Cahill says she was sexually abused by a nun when she was a child. As an adult, she says she went to at least a couple of officials with the Morris Township-based Sisters of Charity and told them about the abuse. She says nothing happened for a couple of years.
   Then she called a lawyer.
   More than 10 years after the Sisters of Charity paid her $70,000 in an out-of-court settlement, Cahill said she still is trying to come to terms with her alleged abuse. She said she has battled drug and alcohol addictions much of her life but has been sober for the past year. She has been out of work for the past three years.
   "My life has been in a spiral," said Cahill, 52, who now lives in Lancaster, Pa.
   Eileen Shaw, the nun who allegedly abused her, was removed as principal of a Catholic elementary school in Paramus 10 years ago when the Sisters of Charity say they became aware of the allegations. At first, the order's officials would not say last week what happened to Shaw after that -- until it was pointed out to them that her job description is on their Web site.
   Shaw, 71, is listed as administrator of the Caritas Community in Jersey City, a retirement home for nuns. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 08:57 AM]
• Diocese forces priest to resign [1985+ Coughlin, 1980s-2000 Skinner] -- RCC. Boys.
   Portland Press Herald, http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/041024priest.shtml , By KELLEY BOUCHARD
   SOUTH PORTLAND (ME) - A Roman Catholic priest has been forced to resign after a diocesan investigation found that he failed to report sexual misconduct by a church volunteer and later allowed the man to live in the rectory of St. John the Evangelist Church. Investigators with the Diocese of Portland also concluded that the Rev. Paul Coughlin, 69, had inappropriate physical contact with a minor in 1985 while he was pastor at St. Mary's Church in Bangor.
   Coughlin's resignation was announced at Saturday afternoon Masses at Holy Cross Church on Cottage Road and St. John's on Main Street, where Coughlin had been pastor since 1996.
   Bishop Richard Malone placed Coughlin on administrative leave in early August while church officials investigated his long association with John Skinner Sr., who had been indicted for sexually assaulting a teenager.
   Skinner has since pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two boys he met through youth programs at St. Mary of Lourdes Church in Lincoln, where he volunteered from the late 1980s to 2000.
   Monsignor Michael Henchal, pastor of St. Bartholomew's Church in Cape Elizabeth and administrator of the two South Portland parishes in Coughlin's absence, read a letter from Malone to about 200 parishioners at the 4 p.m. Mass at Holy Cross.
Survivors gather for discussion in Mobile [Bendillo, Sherlock] -- RCC.
  Mobile Register, By STEVE MYERS, Sunday, October 24, 2004
   MOBILE (AL): Across the street from the offices of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile, survivors of clergy sexual abuse and their advocates discussed the disease that has plagued the Catholic Church.
   Though the problem isn't receiving the attention that it did a couple of years ago, author Jason Berry said Saturday he believes the church is still experiencing internal upheaval.
   "I think it's inevitable that this pope or a future pope is going to have to sit down with a roomful of people like you," said Berry, who wrote a book about one of the first publicly known cases of widespread sexual abuse.
   Mobile has had its share of cases and allegations, such as those against Brother Nicholas Paul Bendillo, known as Brother Vic to his students at McGill-Toolen High School. Bendillo was convicted in March of two sex crimes and later pleaded guilty to eight more.
   The Rev. J. Alexander Sherlock resigned after admitting to abuse of three minors. Other priests have been accused of similar abuse, though they have not been charged with crimes.
• Daughters' actions puzzle ex-pastor [1980s Hendrix] -- Methodist. Daughters.
   Charlotte Observer, www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/10001218.htm , By KEN GARFIELD AND KYTJA WEIR
   NORTH CAROLINA: A former Lincoln County pastor told a visitor to his hospital bed on Saturday that he doesn't understand what his three daughters want from him two days after they appeared on national television and said he had sexually abused them for years.
   Ted Eugene Hendrix, 66, was conscious and in stable condition Saturday after being hospitalized just hours after "The Oprah Winfrey Show" aired, hospital officials said.
   "The thing he expresses to me is, 'What is it they want now? My life has been destroyed,' these kinds of things," said the Rev. Hubert Clinard, who serves as interim pastor at Hendrix's former church in Denver, N.C., and who visited Hendrix on Saturday.
   Hendrix was scheduled to go to trial Monday on sex abuse charges involving one of his daughters about 20 years ago.
Editorial: Bishops must maintain policy of zero tolerance -- RCC.
   San Antonio Express-News, Web Posted: Oct/24/2004
   UNITED STATES: When you trust others to show you the right path, you expect them to exercise tremendous vigilance in sticking to that path themselves.
   That includes teachers, coaches, bosses, mentors.
   Most of all, it includes spiritual leaders.
   Rocked by scandals of sexual abuse, U.S. Catholic bishops responded firmly in 2002, adopting a policy that would bar from active ministry any priest who had molested a minor.
   The pledge was the centerpiece of a plan to restore trust in church leadership.
   During the next nine months, Catholic bishops will review the policy, deciding whether any changes should be enacted in the face of a continuing crisis.
Diocese celebrates 20 years of service -- RCC.
   Sun-Sentinel, By James D. Davis, Religion Editor, Posted October 24 2004
   PALM BEACH (FL): The Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach is celebrating its 20th birthday this weekend -- a celebration of faith, service and ethnic diversity.
   But above all, it's a celebration of survival.
   The five-county diocese has weathered the resignation of two bishops who confessed to improper sexual conduct. The faithful have also stuck it out through two hurricanes that damaged more than a dozen schools and church buildings.
   Add a financial squeeze, a rise in ethnic diversity and a doubling of the number of Catholics, and you have a diocese that has learned to tough out tough times.
• Minister Ailing After Daughters on 'Oprah' [1982 Hendrix] -- Methodist. Daughters.
   Wilmington Star, www.wilmingtonstar. com/apps/pbcs.dll/ article?AID=/2004 1023/APA/410230983 &cachetime=5 , The Associated Press
   NORTH CAROLINA: A former Lincoln County minister was hospitalized after his adult daughters went on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and accused him of molesting them.
   It was unclear Saturday whether he would be well enough for Monday's scheduled start of his trial on sex abuse charges involving one of the daughters in Yadkin County Superior Court.
   The program aired Thursday, hours before paramedics were called to the home of Ted Eugene Hendrix, 66, of Denver, N.C. When medics arrived early Friday, they found Hendrix on the floor, breathing but barely able to speak.
   It was unclear whether Hendrix watched the show. A family friend declined to comment for Hendrix and his wife. [...]
   Hendrix, who was pastor of Webbs Chapel United Methodist Church in Lincoln County when the allegations surfaced last year, is charged with second-degree rape, incest, second-degree sexual offense and crime against nature. The charges stem from allegations involving one of the daughters in 1982, according to a police detective.
   Fischer said he hoped to reach a plea agreement in the case.
   On the "Oprah" show, Hendrix's three daughters said their father abused them nearly every day for about a decade. Two of them said it started when they were 7 or 8; the other said she was about 12. [...]
• South Portland priest resigns from parishes [1970s-2003 Coughlin; Skinner] -- RCC.
   MaineToday.com , http://news.mainetoday. com/apwire/D85TCMT 00-296.shtml , Associated Press
   SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine - A Roman Catholic priest has resigned following an investigation into his involvement with a former church volunteer who had been charged with sexual assault.
   The Rev. Paul Coughlin, 69, tendered his resignation at the request of Bishop Richard Malone, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. The resignation is effective immediately and was being announced this weekend at the Holy Cross and St. John the Evangelist Parishes, where he had served since 1996.
   Coughlin was temporarily removed from his position in August while church officials investigated whether he put children at risk by allowing John Skinner Sr. to live with him at the St. John's rectory.
   Skinner had been indicted for sexually assaulting a teenager and has admitted abusing young people from the late 1970s until 2003, according to the diocese. He is now serving a prison term.
   The investigation found that Coughlin failed to follow church policy when he failed to report that he received information in 1989 from a minor who had been sexually abused by Skinner, and that he failed to assist the victim, church officials said. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 12:07 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Sun October 24, 2004
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont102.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

• Did you spend time in an Irish orphanage or industrial school as a child?. -- RCC. Australia flag; Aust. National Flag Assn.  Ireland flag; Mooney's MiniFlags 
   The Sunday Times, Perth, W. Australia, p 23, October 24, 2004
   PERTH: If so, you may be entitled to counselling, compensation and education grants as part of a scheme set up by the Irish Government. If you think you may qualify, please telephone 1300 308 478. [Oct 24, 04]
Did you spend time in an
Irish orphanage or industrial
school as a child?
If so, you may be one of thousands of people who are now entitled to counselling, compensation and education grants as part of a scheme set up by the Irish Government.

The scheme makes awards to people who were resident in industrial schools and orphanages in Ireland.

If you think you may qualify, please call 1300 308 478
in strict confidence for further information.

THE SUNDAY TIMES, OCTOBER 24, 2004             23

[Inserted 08 Dec 04; OCTOBER 24, 2004]
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont102.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Mon October 25, 2004 edition follows:-
N.C. minister's molestation trial on hold as he is hospitalized [1982 Hendrix] -- Methodist. Daughters. U.S.A. flag; Mooney's MiniFlags 
   The Charlotte Observer, Associated Press, Mon, Oct. 25, 2004
   CHARLOTTE, N.C. - A former Lincoln County minister, accused of molestation by his three daughters during their appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," remained hospitalized Monday as his trial on sex abuse charges was scheduled to begin.
   Ted Eugene Hendrix, 66, of Denver, N.C., was listed in good condition at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center. He has been in the hospital since last week, hours after the show aired.
   His trial on sex abuse charges involving one daughter about 20 years ago was scheduled to start Monday in Yadkin County Superior Court. But court officials said it was still not clear when it would begin.
   "It hasn't been determined yet, as far as his trial (beginning)," Assistant District Attorney Leigh Bricker said.
   The Rev. Hubert Clinard, who serves as interim pastor at Hendrix's former church in Denver, visited Hendrix over the weekend. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 09:59 AM]
• Group: Church's legal moves discouraging [Zoghby] -- RCC.
   Mobile Register, www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/109869585695610.xml , By ROY HOFFMAN, Monday, October 25, 2004
   MOBILE (AL) : Members of an advocacy group for victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church said Sunday that legal maneuvers by the Archdiocese of Mobile are discouraging victims from coming forward and seeking help.
   Susan Archibald, national president of The Linkup, held a news conference Sunday evening in a courtyard of the West Regional Branch of the Mobile Public Library. Flanked by a half dozen supporters identifying themselves as survivors of abuse, Archibald objected to recent efforts on the part of the archdiocese to create what she termed "a chilling effect" on those who wished to share their traumatic episodes, in confidence, with The Linkup, a Kentucky-based peer support group.
   The press conference was a response to a subpoena from the Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile to Honey Weiss, director of the Mobile chapter of The Linkup, regarding documents concerning accusations of abuse by the Rev. Paul G. Zoghby.
   Last February, Linda Ledet filed a lawsuit against the archdiocese, claiming, in part, that Zoghby attempted to sexually assault her over several years. A second lawsuit, with claims against Zoghby for sexual advances, was filed in June by Stephanie Hughes.
• Critics say bishop minimized priest's actions [1980s Coughlin] -- RCC.
   MaineToday.com ; http://news.maine today.com/apwire/ D85UF4SO3-298. shtml , Associated Press
   SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine - A co-founder of the church reform group Voice of the Faithful said Roman Catholic Bishop Richard Malone's words have minimized the actions of a priest accused of sexual misconduct in the 1980s.
   The Rev. Paul Coughlin was forced to resign as pastor of Holy Cross and St. John the Evangelist because of "inappropriate physical contact." But Malone left open the possibility for him to return to public ministry.
   "Inappropriate physical contact?" said Paul Kendrick of Voice of the Faithful. "He is minimizing what happened to the child by simply calling it 'inappropriate physical contact.'"
   Coughlin was temporarily removed in August while the diocese investigated allegations that Coughlin let John Skinner Sr., a sex offender, live St. John's rectory in South Portland. While he lived at the rectory, Skinner was certified as a youth minister.
• Former Bangor priest resigns [1985 Coughlin] -- RCC.
   Bangor Daily News, www.bangornews.com/editorialnews/article.cfm?ID=440153
   SOUTH PORTLAND (ME) - A Catholic priest has resigned as head of two South Portland churches after a church investigation into his association with a man now serving a prison term for sexual abuse of a minor. The Rev. Paul Coughlin, 69, was asked to resign by Bishop Richard Malone, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, who informed parishioners in a letter read during weekend Masses at the Holy Cross and St. John the Evangelist churches in South Portland, where Coughlin has served since 1996.
   In his letter, Malone also referred to the church's separate review of a complaint brought two years ago against Coughlin, which alleged sexual misconduct with a minor in 1985.
   "Although no new evidence specifically regarding the 2002 complaint was found, it is now reasonable to believe there was inappropriate physical contact at that time," the bishop said in his prepared statement. "None of Father Coughlin's actions constituted a criminal offense ... However, his actions do represent ethical violations."
• Alleged clergy abuse victim tells story to newspaper [1958-60 Corbin] -- RCC. Boy.
   The Catholic Observer, www.iobserve. org/rn1022c.html , By Father Bill Pomerleau, Observer staff
   SPRINGFIELD (MA) - A Springfield man recently told a story of his alleged abuse by a long-inactive North Carolina priest to a local newspaper, which published an article last week recounting his dissatisfaction with the Springfield Diocese.
   Joseph Dougherty, 55, retired as the city's personnel director on the day he filed a lawsuit against the diocese alleging that it was responsible for harm caused to him by Father André A. Corbin Jr.
   (The Catholic Observer erroneously reported earlier that Dougherty was 59 years old).
   In the Oct. 11 Republican newspaper, Dougherty said that Father Corbin, a Palmer native, abused him when he was between 8 and 10 years old. That placed the alleged abuse between approximately 1958 and 1960.
• Local abuse activist poses as reporter in calls to dioceses [Corbin] -- RCC.
   The Catholic Observer, www.iobserve. org/rn1022a.html . By Father Bill Pomerleau, Observer staff
   SPRINGFIELD (MA) - Warren Mason, an East Longmeadow activist who has been cited as a source by several local and national news media outlets in their coverage of the clergy misconduct scandal, posed as a reporter earlier this month to obtain information from two North Carolina dioceses.
   And he told a spokesman for one of the dioceses that he is collaborating on a book with reporter Bill Zajac of The Republican newspaper.
   Mason contacted the Diocese of Raleigh, N.C., on Sept. 9 with several questions about Father Andre Corbin, an inactive priest of the Diocese of Charlotte, N.C., now living in Palmer.
   "He indicated he was a freelance reporter working on a book about the Springfield Diocese's handling of the abuse crisis. He told me he was working with Bill Zajac," said Frank Morock, spokesman for the Raleigh Diocese.
   Morock told The Catholic Observer that he assumed Mason was who he said he was, as he recalled an earlier call from Zajac about a lawsuit filed against Father Corbin in December.
Activist denies deception [Corbin] -- RCC.
   Republican, By CHRIS HAMEL, Monday, October 25, 2004
   SPRINGFIELD (MA) - When it comes to clergy sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, East Longmeadow resident Warren E. Mason has never shied from criticizing the institution of faith he was reared in.
   Mason, 49, who helped persuade a local priest to protest diocesan financial support of accused clergy, has denounced the church's reaction to the scandal in letters and opinion pieces in various publications. He also has been a source for newspaper articles that have appeared in newspapers ranging from The Republican to USA Today.
   Now Mason, a salesman who also has marketing experience, is the subject of controversy himself, accused of posing as a reporter to obtain information. The issue also has raised questions about his working relationship with the lead reporter for The Republican's groundbreaking coverage of the church scandal.
   The controversy, which was the subject of an article in this week's Catholic Observer, arose last month when a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese in Charlotte, N.C., said that Mason had represented himself as a writer for The Republican and a collaborator on a book with reporter William Zajac on the Springfield clergy abuse scandal.
Bishop's action sparks anger, shock [Coughlin , 1970s-2003 Skinner] -- RCC. Boys.
   Portland Press Herald
   By JOSHUA L. WEINSTEIN, Portland Press Herald Writer
   SOUTH PORTLAND (ME) - Victims' advocates expressed disappointment and anger Sunday at the Roman Catholic Bishop of Portland for the way he has dealt with a priest he acknowledges engaged in "inappropriate physical contact" with a minor. Bishop Richard Malone demanded that the Rev. Paul Coughlin resign as pastor of Holy Cross and St. John the Evangelist parishes, but left open the possibility that the priest will one day be permitted to return to public ministry.
   Paul Kendrick, who lives in Cumberland and is co-founder of Maine Voice of the Faithful, said Sunday he was horrified by the prospect and upset with much of Malone's language.
   "Inappropriate physical contact?" Kendrick said. "He is minimizing what happened to the child by simply calling it 'inappropriate physical contact.' "
   According to a church statement, Coughlin was temporarily removed from ministry this past August, while the Diocese of Portland investigated his association with John S. Skinner Sr., who has admitted to abusing young people from the 1970s to 2003, and is serving a prison sentence for sexually assaulting two boys he met through church programs in Lincoln.
The Death of a Holy Man -- Cardinal Hickey dies.
   National Review, By Peter Robinson
   WASHINGTON (DC): James Cardinal Hickey, who stepped down as archbishop of Washington in 2000, died Sunday morning at 84. Seldom eloquent, too self-effacing to convey a sense of gravitas or presence, Cardinal Hickey possessed a single attribute that made him a critical figure all the same: holiness. ...
   Yet as a prelate, Hickey proved dogged, even fierce. He compelled officials at Catholic University to ensure that those licensed to teach the faith taught the faith, ultimately forcing Fr. Charles Curran, who disavowed Catholic sexual morality, to leave the University. When the Jesuits at Georgetown University began celebrating special masses for "Dignity," a homosexual organization, Hickey forced them to stop, and when Georgetown funded a pro-choice student group Hickey not only insisted that the University to reverse itself but dedicated the masses celebrated throughout his archdiocese one Sunday to reparations to Our Lady for the offense that Georgetown had caused. The abuse of children by priests? When cases came to Hickey's attention, he turned the matter over to law-enforcement officials, making the name of each priest public. And when during the first Gulf War even otherwise clear-minded bishops such as Cardinal O'Connor of New York opposed American intervention, Cardinal Hickey instead applied to the conflict the traditional precepts of the "just war," pronouncing Desert Storm a moral undertaking. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:52 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Mon October 25, 2004
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont102.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Tue October 26, 2004 edition follows:-
• Priest 'exposed himself to child' [1990-92 Horan] -- RCC. Britain flag; Mooney's MiniFlags 
   BBC News, http://news.bbc. co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/ england/london/ 3955159.stm , 12:28 GMT, Tuesday, 26 October, 2004,
   BRITAIN: A priest stripped and exposed himself to a seven-year-old girl in his bed-sit at a church, the Old Bailey has heard.
   Cornelius Horan, 57, of Nunhead, denies gross indecency with a child between 1990 and 1992 in south-east London.
   The prosecution said the child and her mother visited Mr Horan in his room at St Anthony's Church, Penge, to learn about Catholicism.
   On the first day of the trial it was alleged the girl's mother stopped Mr Horan putting her on his lap.
   Frank McGrath prosecuting said that when Mr Horan was arrested in March this year, he admitted to police that he had been naked. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 02:22 PM]
Catholic Priest Accused of Indecency with Child [1991 Horan] -- RCC.
   The Scotsman, By Shenai Raif, PA News, Tue 26 Oct 2004
   BRITAIN:A Roman Catholic priest who disrupted the Olympic Marathon appeared in court today accused of indecency with a child.
   Cornelius Horan, known as Neil, took off a pair of green Y-fronts and romped around naked in front of a parishioner and her seven-old-daughter, the Old Bailey was told.
   But the encounter in his bedsit attached to St Anthony's Church, Penge, south London, led to indecency when the child touched his penis, it was alleged.
   Horan, 57, of Nunhead, south London, allegedly told police he had been naked but denied one charge of indecency with a child.
   The incident is said to have happened in the summer of 1991 when the girl was seven and Horan was an assistant priest at the church.
Money can't buy justice for abuse survivor -- RCC. U.S.A. flag; Mooney's MiniFlags 
   Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, by Bill Janz, Posted: Oct. 23, 2004
   WISCONSIN: People fight for justice, even when it's unattainable, probably because the battle is more important than the result. It defines who they are.
   Mark J. Salmon is one of those people. His business has suffered and so have some of his relationships, but he continues to help people who were victimized the way he was as a child.
   How can any of these people receive justice, though, when they lost their childhoods to evil Catholic priests and teachers, some of whom insisted that it was the will of God that the children permit the abuse?
   Recently, Salmon received $100,000. Is this justice? Nope, just the lottery.
  "I've got a better chance of winning the lottery again than I ever have of receiving justice from this archdiocese," Salmon said.
The diocese should settle [1970s Murray] -- RCC. $US 500,000.
   Orange County Register, Oct 25, 2004
   CALIFORNIA: Last month, the Diocese of Orange quietly announced that it had paid $500,000 to settle a lawsuit against Msgr. Daniel Murray of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Newport Beach, who was accused of molesting a young boy in the 1970s. Unfortunately, the diocese has been far less eager to settle the many other priest-abuse lawsuits that have been filed against the diocese, despite pledges by Bishop Tod Brown to settle the matters quickly.
   Two years ago, the Los Angeles and Orange dioceses - facing scores of lawsuits by alleged sexual- abuse victims - approached plaintiffs' attorneys and asked to negotiate a settlement to avoid litigation. The church claimed to want to settle matters quickly and let victims get on with their lives, but instead it has stonewalled and delayed.
   It has been two years and little has happened. Talks broke down during the summer and negotiations have been at a virtual standstill. Attorney John Manly, who represents 30 sexual-abuse victims, said the church has made no individual offers and has balked at providing necessary personnel information about accused priests.
   It is apparent that the church does not want to settle the cases, certainly not if the settlements mean releasing documents that show the level of culpability by church officials in tolerating and covering up for priests who raped teen-agers and children.
Where in the World is Bishop Thomas Dupre? [Dupre] -- RCC.
   Religious News Online, By Warren Mason, October 25, 2004
   SPRINGFIELD (MA): The recent indictment and subsequent dropping of child rape charges against Catholic Bishop Thomas Dupre certainly points to the inadequacy of Massachusetts laws to deal with such heinous offenses.
   Just as troubling and perhaps more telling is the Catholic hierarchy's ignorance as to the whereabouts of their not-so-good bishop and their apparent lack of concern for what he may still be doing.
   This is a Catholic hierarchy that has come to understand the seriousness of child abuse only after being threatened with criminal action; a Catholic hierarchy that removes the pedophile from ministry, yet continues to harbor him in the name of safeguarding our youth; a Catholic hierarchy that continues to pay the abuser with parishioner's funds and has the gall to call it charity.
   Maybe I've been misinformed, but isn't it charity when you reach into your own pocket and not someone else's?
• Minister accused of abuse to appear in court; Hendrix's daughters told their story on 'Oprah' last week. [1982 Hendrix] -- Methodist. Daughters.
   The Charlotte Observer, www.charlotte. com/mld/observer/ news/local/ 10015423.htm By KAREN CIMINO, Tue, Oct. 26, 2004
   NORTH CAROLINA: A former Lincoln County minister who was hospitalized Friday after his three grown daughters described being abused by him in graphic detail on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" is expected to be in court Wednesday.
   Ted Eugene Hendrix, 66, of Denver was scheduled to go to trial Monday morning in Yadkin County Superior Court on charges of second-degree rape, incest, second-degree sexual offense and crime against nature.
   Judge William Wood left the case open until Wednesday because Hendrix was still being treated Monday at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center, court officials said.
   Hendrix must be present for the trial to begin. Court officials said they were told he would be able to attend court Wednesday. If he cannot, the trial could be left open until he is released from the hospital, or continued to a future date.
• Church failed to act on sex abuse concerns -- RCC. Australia flag; Aust. Nat. Flag Assn. 
   ABC, www.abc.net. au/news/newsitems/ 200410/s1228002.htm , Tuesday, October 26, 2004
   SYDNEY, NSW, AUSTRALIA: The New South Wales ombudsman has revealed a Catholic diocese failed to suspend a priest even though police were investigating sexual assault allegations against him.
   In his latest report to Parliament, ombudsman Bruce Barbour says police had concerns about the risk the priest posed to children and had conveyed those concerns to his employer - who failed to act.
   Mr Barbour says it was only after his intervention that the priest was immediately suspended from his duties by the primary school he was involved with.
   He says the priest's employer had also jeopardised the police investigation by alerting the priest to the pending charges against him. # [Emphasis added]
Weak watchdog raises abuse risk: report
   Sydney Morning Herald, By Adele Horin, October 27, 2004
   SYDNEY, NSW, AUSTRALIA: Failures by the agency that investigates allegations of sexual abuse against teachers and clergy are putting children in Catholic schools at risk, the NSW Ombudsman says.
   The Ombudsman, Bruce Barbour, has called for the disbanding of the Catholic Commission for Employment Relations (CCER) because of its failure properly to carry out its job. It is meant to ensure that Catholic schools, child-care centres, foster carers and other agencies that work with children properly investigate abuse allegations, train staff in child protection laws and notify the Ombudsman of investigations.
   "We have been concerned for some time about the CCER's capacity to meet their obligations," the Ombudsman said in his 2003-04 annual report tabled in Parliament yesterday.
   The report highlights the case of a Catholic priest under police investigation for sexual assault. He was allowed to continue to work in a primary school despite the police having expressed serious concerns about the risks he posed to children. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 09:50 AM]
Synod adopts child protection measures -- Anglican.
   Ninemsn.com ; 17:46 AEST Tue Oct 26 2004
   SYDNEY, NSW, AUSTRALIA: A "significant" sexual abuse claim was being investigated by the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, the welfare arm of the Anglican church said.
   Anglicare Council member, Archdeacon Geoff Huard, said the claim by a former resident of a Sydney Anglican children's home was being processed by the church's professional standards unit.
   However, he did not know further details.
   He said there had been a small number of complaints from people who were in Anglican institutions, and one "significant" claim was being investigated.
   "We are keen for people who have experienced hurt in the past to come and talk to us," Archdeacon Huard said in a statement.
Victims' group denied role in diocese case in Tucson -- RCC.
   Azcentral.com ; Associated Press, Oct. 26, 2004
   TUCSON (AZ) - A federal bankruptcy judge denied a request Monday to allow a national advocacy group for victims of clergy abuse to represent future claimants against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson.
   "My answer is 'No way,' " U.S. Bankruptcy Judge James Marlar told Barbara Blaine, national president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP.
   The judge held a hearing Monday to discuss the appointment of lawyers to represent various present and potential claimants in the diocese's bankruptcy reorganization.
   The judge set a hearing for next week to settle the appointment of lawyers on behalf of those currently identified victims, minors who were victimized and future, still unknown claimants.
McFadden accused in lawsuit [1960s McFadden] -- RCC. Altar boy.
   Sioux City Journal, By Nick Hytrek, Oct 26, 2004
   SIOUX CITY (IA): The number of sexual abuse lawsuits filed against the Catholic Diocese of Sioux City has grown to 22.
   Delno J. Pinney III alleged in a suit filed last week in Woodbury County District Court that he was sexually abused by the Rev. George McFadden in the early 1960s while an altar boy at the now-closed St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Sioux City.
   Of the suits filed against the diocese, 21 also name McFadden as a defendant. Pinney's is similar to the others. He was under age 14 when, he alleges, McFadden had inappropriate sexual contact with him.
   As others who have filed sexual abuse claims, Pinney alleges the diocese knew McFadden had a history of inappropriate sexual behavior but continued to transfer him to other parishes to cover up his actions rather than stop them. Other allegations against the diocese include negligent hiring and supervision, aiding and abetting and conspiracy.
   As a result of the alleged abuse, Pinney said he continues to suffer mental anguish, pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life caused by anxiety attacks, sleeping difficulty, nightmares, loss of self-esteem, loss of trust and a withdrawal from others.
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Tue October 26, 2004
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont102.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Wed October 27, 2004 edition follows:-
• Key changes in bishop's abuse policy review board -- RCC. U.S.A. flag; Mooney's MiniFlags 
   National Catholic Reporter, http://ncronline. org/NCR_Online/ archives2/2004d/ 102904/102904h.php By JOE FEUERHERD, Washington, Issue Date: October 29, 2004
   WASHINGTON (DC): More than two years after the U.S. bishops appointed a lay-run board to oversee implementation of their child-protection plans and investigate the causes of the clergy sex abuse crisis, it is transition time. Key members are leaving the panel, which since its inception has tried to balance its need for information and cooperation from bishops with its desire to be independent.
   On Oct. 15, Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, named five new members to the National Review Board and elevated a current member, Duquesne University Law School dean Nicholas Cafardi, as chairman of the 14-member panel.
   Among the five departing members is Anne Burke, the Illinois Court of Appeal Justice who stepped in as interim chair after the forced departure of former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating.
   Others leaving the board include former White House chief of staff Leon Panetta, E.W. Scripps Co. chairman William Burleigh, and Washington attorney Robert Bennett, who is credited with shepherding to completion the "Bennett Report" on the causes and context of the crisis.
   What makes the personnel changes significant "is not just the fact that we have five new board members, but that the most visible and seemingly active board members are stepping down," said victims' advocate David Clohessy, executive director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
   "Our worry is that it seems to take some time before [board members] become sufficiently skeptical of the bishops. It's not so much a learning curve, as it is a skepticism curve."
   Gregory, meanwhile, is a lame duck as bishops' conference president. His three-year term, dominated by the abuse crisis, expires next month. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 03:21 PM]
• Parkway Voice of the Faithful comes to a cross roads -- RCC.
   TownOnline.com ; http://www2. townonline. com/roslindale/ localRegional/ view.bg?article id=112320 ; By Ray Hainer/ Correspondent, Wednesday, October 27, 2004
   MASSACHUSETTS: With its second birthday just around the corner, the Parkway chapter of the Catholic lay organization Voice of the Faithful [VOTF] convened Monday to discuss the direction the affiliate should follow in the coming year.
   The topic of Monday's meeting at St. John Chrysostom in West Roxbury was "Where do we go from here?"
   To answer that question, about 30 members of the affiliate gathered for a brainstorming session in which they exchanged ideas for future projects and considered strategies for engaging the affiliate in both the church and community.
   In the midst of the clergy sex abuse scandal, 30 Catholics in Wellesley formed Voice of the Faithful in January 2002. The organization's Parkway affiliate was founded a year later, in January 2003, and now comprises around 175 members from the four Catholic parishes in the Parkway.
   The Parkway Voice of the Faithful has arrived at something of a crossroads, according to Rickie Harvey, one of the affiliate's founders and planning board members.
   In addition to holding monthly meetings, the affiliate comprises four committees (known as working groups in Voice of the Faithful parlance) designed to educate members about the church, support survivors of clergy sex abuse and non-abusive priests, and teach affiliate members how to recognize signs of sex abuse in children.
Not so active
   However, with the exception of the education committee, the Parkway working groups "haven't been really active" in the past year, Harvey said. The affiliate's planning board felt a new approach, one that relied less on the committees and more on monthly meetings, was needed.
   And so affiliate members sat down for Monday's brainstorming session to define their priorities for the coming year. Increased involvement in the official structure of the church at both the parish and cluster levels was at the top of the list.
   The Voice of the Faithful's primary mission is to change the structure of the Catholic Church to secure a greater role for the laity in decision-making processes.
   There was a consensus at the meeting Monday that achieving that goal would require affiliate members to participate actively in their parishes, in parish councils, finance committees and in informal parish activities such as holiday fairs.
   Even though roughly half of those in attendance were already actively involved in their parishes in some capacity, some members expressed concern that many in the church and laity alike view Voice of the Faithful as a radical group divorced from the mainstream church.
   "This issue of parish involvement is a very serious one, because we are not separate," said Alice Hennessey of West Roxbury. "If we think of ourselves as separate, that's serious. We are part of a parish and we've got to get involved in various ways."
In parishes
   Participation in individual parishes was seen as crucial, but members also indicated that the affiliate could serve to unite the parishes in the Parkway cluster, which includes Sacred Heart in Roslindale and St. Theresa's, St. John Chrysostom and Holy Name in West Roxbury.
   "The cluster is a very important idea," said West Roxbury resident Nancy Sheehan. "We have four parishes in the cluster, and each one does its own thing. We should be reaching out and doing more things together."
   Members from each of the Parkway parishes agreed to consult with their pastors, and to inquire about the possibility of opening cluster meetings, which are now private, to parishioners.
   Although many of the Parkway affiliate's undertakings are driven by the Voice of the Faithful's three-point mission statement - "to support those who have been abused, to support priests of integrity, and to shape structural change within the Church" - one of the affiliate's main thrusts has been to educate its members in the workings of the church.
   To that end, the affiliate typically invites guest speakers to its monthly meetings to illuminate various aspects of the church. Recent speakers have included authors, and a representative from St. Albert the Great, the Weymouth church where parishioners have held a high-profile "sit-in" since the parish was officially closed by the Boston Archdiocese Aug. 29.
Brown talks
   On Monday, the moderator of the meeting, Mary Celeste Brown, asked for suggestions for future speakers from members. The proposals ranged from a local nun and college professor who is an expert on governance at the parish level to Archbishop Sean O'Malley. ("Why not?" Sheehan said of the latter. "Aim high.")
   West Roxbury resident Paul Kilgarriff suggested inviting someone well-versed in the internal organization of the archdiocese. "We're talking about changing the structure of the church, but the only time we find out about various commissions and committees in the archdiocese is when we read about it in the newspaper," Kilgarriff said. "It might be nice to have somebody come in and talk about the various offices of the chancery, and how the Archdiocese functions."
   The idea of the affiliate sponsoring a guest speaker series as an educational event for the public, rather than simply inviting speakers to their monthly meeting, was also raised.
   With an eye toward the Voice of the Faithful's first stated goal, to support clergy abuse victims, Roslindale resident Peggy Sullivan proposed a letter-writing and telephone campaign to state legislators concerning the statute of limitations for crimes involving child sex abuse. The statute of limitations currently stands at 15 years, but legislation to extend the statue to 30 years was filed last year, and could be considered again in the upcoming legislative session.
   Sullivan urged her co-members to get involved. "Unless they [legislators] think people are interested, they won't put any work into it," Sullivan said.
Community projects
   Various community service projects were also discussed. Brown, noting that some parishioners in her parish had been incarcerated recently, floated the idea for a prison visitation program, and also suggested a program to identify and support victims of clergy abuse who live in the Parkway cluster.
  And finally members considered some recreational activities, such as a half-day retreat for spiritual renewal and a book club.
   Since its inception in 2002, the Voice of the Faithful has swelled from its original 30 members to more than 30,000, and boasts more than 200 affiliates throughout the world. If the enthusiasm and commitment evident among the members at Monday's meeting is anything to go by, the Parkway affiliate seems certain to flourish along with the organization as a whole. #
• Church under fire for gagging abuse victims [1945-55] -- Anglican. Institutions. Australia flag; Aust. Nat. Flag Assn. 
   ABC, www.abc.net. au/news/newsitems/ 200410/s1228 597.htm , Wednesday, October 27, 2004
   SYDNEY, NSW, AUSTRALIA: It has been revealed victims of institutional abuse in Anglican children's homes in northern New South Wales in the 1940s and 50s have been required to sign confidentiality agreements.
   A recent Senate inquiry recommended against the use of confidentiality orders in settlements with people who suffered abuse in children's institutions.
   The settlement signed last year bans a number of men from speaking to the media about abuse they suffered from 1945 to 1955.
   The gag is surprising as the man who perpetrated the abuse in the Coventry Home in Armidale and Ohio Boys Home, in Walcha, was convicted in 1955.
   One of the man's victims, John Hill, says he felt like a lamb to the slaughter last year when he and other former boys went into mediation with the Armidale diocese.
• Abuse victims angered by church confidentiality clauses [1940s-50s Holloway] -- Anglican. Boys.
   ABC, www.abc.net. au/am/content/ 2004/s12287 51.htm , "AM," with Nonee Walsh and TONY EASTLEY, 08:16:00, Wednesday, 27 October, 2004
   SYDNEY, NSW, AUSTRALIA: The use of confidentiality clauses in settlements with victims of abuse in Church institutions is again in the spotlight, with the revelation that an Anglican diocese in New South Wales prohibited about ten men from speaking publicly about their treatment they received in the 1940's and 50's.
   The use of such clauses, described as gag orders by victims groups, has been under attack for several years now.
   Nonee Walsh reports.
   NONEE WALSH: The husband of the matron of Armidale's Coventry Boys' Home and Walcha's Ohio Home was a man called "Sarge". For a decade Albert Horace Holloway subjected boys aged between 5 and 14 to horrific abuse.
   John Hill was there. He says Holloway was brutal and sadistic.
   JOHN HILL: You got twelve with the sandal on your bare backside. At one stage he resorted to putting emery paper on the sandal, gluing it to the sandal, and bashing you at an angle and then rubbing turps on your backside. And you took off out of there like a rabbit with its bum on fire.
   He used to come into the change room, swinging things around, bashing kids – "come on, you mongrels, hurry up!"
   You know, and that's just some of the light side of it.
   NONEE WALSH: In 1955 three boys ran way from the Walcha home – that finally lead to Holloway being convicted of assault, found unfit to work in a boys' home.
   John Hill feels angry at the Anglican Church because he was never contacted about his treatment. Finally he and other men got a lawyer. A settlement was negotiated just last year, but the money came with the gag order.
   JOHN HILL: First thing they want us to do is sign a document of silence. I said "this is not right, this is done after the negotiations."
   NONEE WALSH: Did you question this confidentiality clause with the Bishop?
   JOHN HILL: No. We feel that we were sheep to the slaughter on the day.
   NONEE WALSH: The Chair of the Child abuse Committee, Garth Blake, has expressed surprise that such a stringent confidentiality clause would be used when the church now understand they're not helpful to the healing process.
   The Bishop of Armidale, Peter Brain, says he now regrets the insertion of the clause.
   PETER BRAIN: Looking back at it now, it probably would have been wise for us not to have accepted that. I've talked to one man in particular who has asked me to release him from it. But my only reasoning, I think, is that it just seemed to be the right thing for us to do at the timer.
   NONEE WALSH: Do you feel now, in hindsight, that it is important for people involved in those institutions to be able to talk…?
   PETER BRAIN: I can see that now, and I've been talking with our leadership and our diocese and we're prepared to release people from that agreement, you know, in terms of being able to talk about their past hurts.
   TONY EASTLEY: That was Nonee Walsh reporting. #
Bishop lifts abuse gag order [1945-55] -- Anglican. Institutions. Boys.
   NEWS.com.au ; October 27, 2004
   SYDNEY, NSW, AUSTRALIA: An Anglican bishop today lifted an order which had banned 12 men from talking about their abuse at church-run homes, and admitted it had hindered one victim's recovery.
   The confidentiality order part of a settlement reached with the men, who were abused when they lived at the Coventry Home in Armidale and Ohio Boys Home in Walcha, in NSW, between 1945 and 1955.
   Under the settlement deal, the men were banned from talking to the media about the abuse they suffered.
   But the Bishop of Armidale, the Right Reverend Dr Peter Brain, lifted the order today, saying he "regretted" its inclusion.
• Pastor held for raping nursery school girl [Mohan] -- Girl. India flag; Mooney's MiniFlags 
   India Today (South India's leading English evening newspaper), http://news todaynet.com/26 OCT/LD4.HTM , Oct 26, 2004
   CHENNAI, INDIA:
   A pastor who was working in a nursery school at Adambakkam, a suburb, was today arrested for allegedly raping a four-year-old girl student of the school. Police said the pastor, Mohan, had been working for the last few years as assistant to the person running the school located at Ambedkar Nagar.
   On 20 October, he allegedly took the child to a deserted place in the school and raped her. He later threatened her not to inform anyone about the incident. The traumatised child did not inform anyone at home for a couple of days but soon her parents came to know about [it].
• Minister accused of fondling woman [2004 Brown] -- Potter's House. Hypnosis. Woman. U.S.A. flag; Mooney's MiniFlags 
   Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, http://pittsburghlive. com/x/tribune- review/trib/ pittsburgh/s_ 265873.html , Tuesday, October 26, 2004
   PENNSYLVANIA: A Braddock minister was arrested Monday for allegedly fondling a woman after hypnotizing her during counseling sessions.
   The Rev. Charles N. Brown, pastor of Potter's House church on Camp Avenue, is charged with indecent assault. Police said the incident occurred in the woman's apartment in Monroeville.
   The woman told police Brown, 33, of Penn Hills, began using hypnosis during counseling sessions in May. After she became suspicious that he was touching her inappropriately, the woman set up a video camera in June to record a counseling session.
   The video depicts Brown kissing the woman and later fondling her, according to an affidavit filed by Monroeville police.
   Brown also is a reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He was suspended with pay pending further review of the allegations.
   Brown remains in the Allegheny County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bond while awaiting a preliminary hearing Nov. 9 before District Justice Walter Luniewski Jr. #
Minister/Tribune-Review reporter charged with indecent assault [2004 Brown] -- Potter's House. Woman.
   Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, By Nate Guidry, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Wednesday, October 27, 2004
   PENNSYLVANIA: A minister who also is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter was arrested and charged with indecent assault after he allegedly fondled a woman he was counseling.
   The Rev. Charles N. Brown, 33, of Penn Hills, a pastor at Potter's House Ministries in Braddock, was arrested Monday by Monroeville police.
   He was in the Allegheny County Jail on $50,000 bond.
   A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Nov. 9 before Monroeville District Justice Walter Luniewski.
   Attempts to contact Potter's House were unsuccessful. The Tribune-Review reported yesterday that Brown was suspended with pay pending further review of the allegations. Walt Kopec, the Tribune-Review human resources director, said he could not comment on a personnel matter.
Minister/Reporter Allegedly Fondles Woman Under Hypnosis [2004 Brown] -- Potter's House. Woman.
   ThePittsburghChannel.com ; October 26, 2004
   MONROEVILLE, Pa. -- A Braddock pastor was allegedly caught on tape by a Monroeville woman who suspected he was fondling her during home counseling sessions.
   The Rev. Charles Brown, of Potter's House Ministries, was arrested Monday for an alleged incident at a 28-year-old woman's apartment in Cambridge Square.
   The woman told Monroeville police that Brown, 33, of Penn Hills, used hypnosis during some of their meetings. She set up a video camera to record one session in June, and the tape shows Brown kissing and fondling her while she is apparently in an altered state, according to police.
   The bishop at Potter's House said Brown's resignation has been requested.
   Brown covers eastern suburbs as a beat reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The paper says he is being suspended with pay while the allegations are reviewed.
• Disruptive priest on abuse charge [1991 Horan] -- RCC.