Clergy Child Molesters (115) — References/Archive/Blog

• Priest sentenced for sex abuse back in Ohio. [1980s Jablonowski] - Roman Catholic Church. Boy.

   Casper Star-Tribune, www.casperstar tribune.net/articles/ 2005/08/01/news/ wyoming/4072c0 ad672449ec8725704 f00830840.txt , By TOM MORTON, Monday, August 01, 2005
   WYOMING-A Catholic priest recently released from prison after serving time for molesting a child in Guernsey in the 1980s has returned to Ohio as he intended, his attorney said last week.
   Anthony Jablonowski, 68, was released from the Wyoming Honor Farm in Riverton two weeks ago after serving the lower end of a 15-month to seven-year prison sentence, his attorney Dallas Laird said.
   In April 2004, Jablonowski pleaded no contest to taking indecent, immodest or immoral liberties with a minor who was a 17-year-old boy in the 1980s.
   In February, he waived a scheduled parole hearing.
   In March, another man filed a civil lawsuit against Jablonowski alleging he sexually abused him as a teen.
   After his release two weeks ago, Jablonowski registered as a sex offender in Wyoming and in Ohio, Laird said. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:16 AM] (This is the first of the Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse , for Monday, August 01, 2005.)

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INTENTION: A challenge to RELIGIONS to PROTECT CHILDREN
Series starts: www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethicscontents.htm Visit http://www.ncrnews.org/abuse . These are digests of and links to mass media coverage of clergy abuse. Get fuller details by trying the link. • Abuse lawyer seeks lien on church property. [Burlington Diocese] - RCC. 10 new claimants.
   The Boston Globe, www.boston.com/ news/local/vermont/ articles/2005/08/01/ abuse_lawyer_seeks_ lien_on_church_ property/? rss_id=Boston+Globe +--+City%2F Region+News ; Associated Press | August 1, 2005
   BURLINGTON, Vt.-A lawyer representing 10 new clients who say they were sexually abused by priests wants the court to place liens on $30 million worth of church property.
   Jerome O'Neill, a former federal prosecutor, settled two cases with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington last year. Those cases ended with the diocese agreeing to cash payments of $150,000 and $120,000.
   This time O'Neill is asking the court for a legal claim to diocesan buildings and land in case the diocese can't come up with cash.
   "We expect to seek attachments in the $2.5 million range in all of the cases we have filed, for a total of around $30 million," O'Neill said.
   If successful, O'Neill's clients would have a claim on church holdings if the diocese couldn't pay court judgments.
   "We believe the information we have is sufficiently compelling that seven-figure verdicts are quite likely," O'Neill said. "We want to make sure that there are sufficient assets available if we are successful in our actions. The diocese doesn't have insurance, but it has $65 million of appraised property in the city of Burlington alone."
• SNAP Petitions Parishioners. [Vosen] - RCC.
  WKOW, www.wkowtv. com/index.php /news/story/p/ pkid/21880 , Sun July/31/2005
   MADISON (WI) - A Madison survivors group is urging the bishop to stop one of his priests from going to court.
   The group SNAP, which stands for Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests handed out fliers outside of St. Patrick's church Sunday, urging parishioners to contact Bishop Robert Morlino.
   They're upset that Father Vosen, who had been removed from his post for allegations of sexual abuse, is counter-suing a victim for defamation. The group says the Bishop should stop this lawsuit because it could discourage victims from coming forward
• Priest, accuser head to trial . [Vosen] - RCC. Boy.
   Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Associated Press, Posted July 31, 2005
   MADISON (WI) - A Catholic priest's defamation lawsuit against a man who says the priest abused him as a boy heads to trial today in Janesville.
   The case will pit supporters of the priest, Father Gerald Vosen, against advocates for victims of clergy sexual abuse who say the lawsuit is retaliation against a victim.
   Although hundreds of people have sued priests during the Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis over the past few years, observers say it's unusual for a priest to sue - especially when a church investigation has called the allegation credible.
   Vosen, on administrative leave from his job as pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Baraboo, and his supporters have disputed the abuse allegation and say they look forward to proving it false in court. The lawsuit names the man and his parents and says their allegation ruined his reputation.
   "I hope to get my name cleared," Vosen told The Associated Press in a phone interview from his Merrimac home.
• Enough is enough: Catholic Church needs to heal itself. [1960s White] - RCC. "Illness".
   The Denver Post, By Jim Spencer, ~ August 01, 2005
   DENVER (CO) - Scandalous. That's what a former superior of the Rev. Harold Robert White called Eric Gorski's reports.
   Last week, Gorski, The Denver Post's religion writer, revealed alleged sexual assaults by White on a series of young parishioners roughly 40 years ago.
   Gorski also detailed what appear to be failures of Denver's Roman Catholic Archdiocese to properly react when told of White's supposed abuse.
   Several alleged victims say they complained to church authorities, but church officials let White continue to minister.
   Scandalous. No question about it. It makes members of the church hierarchy accomplices after the fact to felonies.
   Unfortunately, that wasn't the scandal the Rev. James E. Kane saw when he talked to Gorski last week.
   "I am a good friend of Father White's," Kane told Gorski. "And I personally like Father White, and I personally think this publicity is scandalous because I feel if a person has an illness, whatever it should be, what we should do for these people is pray for them and not criticize them."
• Latest resolved complaints dealt with by the PCC. Religion not stated.

   HoldtheFrontPage , By HoldtheFrontPage staff, August 01, 2005
  BRITAIN - The majority of complaints made to the Press Complaints Commission, which raise a possible breach of the Code of Practice, are resolved directly between the Commission's staff, editors and complainants.
   These are either settled to the express satisfaction of the complainant following some remedial action by the editor or are not pursued by complainants following an explanation or other response from the publication. ...
   Express and Echo (Exeter)- Peter Richards of Kent complained that an article had inaccurately portrayed his deceased father who was a witness in the trial of a priest convicted of sexual abuse against children. (Clause 1)
   Resolution: The complaint was resolved when the newspaper published a second article which made clear that the complainant's father was not at fault.
• Santorum blasts Mass. senators over church scandal. - RCC.

   The Boston Globe, By Michael Kranish, August 1, 2005
   WASHINGTON (DC) -- Senator Rick Santorum, Republican of Pennsylvania, yesterday alleged that Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry of Massachusetts "did nothing" about sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in 2002.
   "They spoke nothing. They sat by and let this happen," Santorum said.
   Kennedy and Kerry blasted Santorum's comments in statements issued by their aides. Santorum's comments yesterday escalated the controversy about a 2002 article he wrote saying it was "no surprise" that the abuse scandal occurred in what he called the liberal bastion of Boston.
   "Senator Santorum's partisan, hate-filled comments do a disservice to the victims of abuse," said Kerry spokeswoman April Boyd. "He's never failed to inject politics into these deeply personal and trying issues for Catholics everywhere. He owes an apology to the families of abuse victims and to the faithful who fill the pews of Massachusetts churches every Sunday."
   Kennedy spokeswoman Laura Capps said of Santorum: "First, he blames the people of Boston, and now he blames the senators from Massachusetts. When is he going to realize that while attempting to score political points, he causes further damage to the thousands of families across the country who have suffered enough from these tragic crimes?"
   The spokeswomen for Kennedy and Kerry said the senators would not go beyond their prepared statements in responding to Santorum's accusation that they "did nothing."
• Former San Bernardino bishop named in sex-abuse lawsuits. [Reno Diocese] - RCC. 150 complainants.
   The Desert Sun, The Associated Press, August 1, 2005
   RENO (NV) - Former Bishop Phillip Straling of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Reno has been named as a key witness in more than 150 lawsuits in Southern California against priests accused of molesting children, a newspaper reported Sunday.
   The suits allege Straling should have known that some priests were having sex with children in his former Diocese of San Bernardino but did nothing to stop them, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal.
   Some suits accuse Straling of negligence but don't identify him by name, saying only that the bishop either knew or should have known about the abuse and failed to act.
   "We don't know if Straling knew anything, but as leader, all knowledge of employees is imputed to him," said William Light, a Riverside lawyer who's handling some of the suits.
• Mixed Reviews on Area Church Reconciliation. - RCC.
   WJLA, www.wjla.com/ news/stories/0805/ 248265.html , 7:14am, Monday August 01, 2005
   WASHINGTON (DC) - Capital area dioceses say they have done their best to respond to the Catholic church's three-year-old charge to reconcile with sexual abuse victims.
   Some say church leaders need to do more.
   The Arlington diocese's victim assistance coordinator Patricia Mudd tells the Washington Post that Arlington has celebrated ten masses over the past year where priests publicly atone on behalf of the church.
   But victims-group leader Bill Casey says the diocese only announces the masses in the diocesan newspaper, which doesn't reach enough victims.
   Washington's Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has reportedly met one-on-one with abuse victims. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:39 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Mon August 01, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Tue August 02, 2005 edition follows:-
• Accused deacon has bail reduced. - RCC.

   The Maui News, www.mauinews .com/story.aspx? id=11104 , By LILA FUJIMOTO, Staff Writer, ~ August 02, 2005
   WAILUKU, HAWAII -- With dozens of parishioners of St. Ann Church in Waihee filling a courtroom gallery Monday, a judge reduced bail to $100,000 for Deacon Ron Gonsalves, who is charged with multiple counts of sexually abusing a boy.
   "He has tremendous support in the community, as evidenced by many members of the congregation of St. Ann's here today who love him and care for him," said defense attorney Philip Lowenthal, who argued for bail to be reduced from $790,000.
   He said Gonsalves' family was prepared to post $100,000 in cash bail.
   Following the court hearing, Gonsalves, 68, was released on bail from the Maui Community Correctional Center. He had been jailed since his arrest Wednesday, when he turned himself in at the Wailuku Police Station.
   The Wailuku resident has pleaded not guilty to 62 counts of sexual assault of the boy over a three-year period ending in June. The boy was 12 when the alleged sexual assaults began, occurring at Gonsalves' home and at the church, police said. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 08:51 PM]
• Priest Says Abuse Never Happened. [Sewar] 0 RCC.

   WHAM, by Chalonda Roberts, August 02, 2005
   ROCHESTER (NY) - Reverend Dennis Sewar says he is not guilty in the charges of molesting a 14-year-old boy, and offered no comment as he left court Tuesday. His attorney said the charges of sexual abuse will be defended vigorously.
   Sewar's attorney John Speranza said, "He denies the charges...indicates that they never happened."
   In court documents, the teen boy claims he met Sewar while Sewar was a priest at the Church of the Annunciation on Norton Street in Rochester. He said they became friends during a church trip to the Hard Rock Cafe in Canada.
   The teenager claims that after the trip, Sewar invited him to his room in the rectory.
   In a statement to police the accuser wrote: "After a few weeks Fr. Dennis would rub my hand as we sat on a double sized recliner. At first I felt okay but after a couple of weeks I became uncomfortable with this and would pull my hand away from him. Sometimes he would let me be, but other times he would grab my hand back and continue to rub it." The youth went on to say that later in the year Sewar fondled him.
   Sewar's attorney questions why the alleged victim took so long to come forward.
• Santa Fe code of conduct urges 'fraternal correction' among priests. - RCC.

   Catholic News Service, ~ August 02, 2005
   ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (CNS) -- A new code of conduct for the priests of the Santa Fe Archdiocese encourages them to use "fraternal correction" to help fellow priests overcome personal problems hindering their ministry.
   The code also encourages newly ordained priests to seek a mentor in an older priest who can help them develop the personal and pastoral skills needed to deal with people.
   The code, dated Aug. 1, was drafted by the archdiocesan priests' council and approved by Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan of Santa Fe. This document is in addition to the archdiocese's written policy on sexual misconduct and harassment by clergy and church employees.
• Portland Archdiocese Names Parishioners As Defendants In Sex-Abuse Bankruptcy Case. [Portland Archdiocese] - RCC.
   Life Site, August 2, 2005
   PORTLAND, Ore., (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a rare legal maneuver the Portland Archdiocese has named 389,000 registered lay Catholic parishioners as defendants in its ongoing bankruptcy case.
   The Portland diocese was the first in the United States to file for bankruptcy protection after facing hundreds of sex-abuse lawsuits. In its bankruptcy petition the diocese claimed a likely $400 million in legal damages while listing only $19 million in assets.
   The lawyers of the sex-abuse victims, however, are arguing that the diocese owns the property and buildings of its 124 parishes, estimated at a worth of $600 million. The diocese, on the other hand, claims that the church property belongs to the parishioners and the parishes and not the diocese as a whole.
   If the court finds that the Portland parishes do belong to the diocese then the diocese may become the latest of the US dioceses forced to sell and close parishes and schools to pay legal settlements. The Portland bankruptcy court agreed to allow the nearly 400,000 parishioners to serve as defendants in the hope that it could settle once and for all the disputes over the ownership of the diocese's parishes.
   [COMMENT: Laypeople to face insolvency too! See, it isn't just Bible stories that are hard to believe! COMMENT ENDS.]
• I'm staying in US, says priest accused of abuse. [1970s-80s Robinson] - RCC priest defies archbishop. 3 boys.

   Ic Birmingham , By Emma Pinch, Religious Affairs Reporter, Aug 2, 2005
   BRITAIN - West Midlands Police is to consider extraditing a priest accused of abusing children after he snubbed a request by the Archbishop of Birmingham to return to Britain.
   Father James Robinson moved to the US in 1985 amid allegations he had abused several young boys during the 70s and 80s.
   He was alleged to have systematically abused youngsters while training at Oscott College, Sutton Coldfield, as parish priest at St Elizabeth's in Foleshill, and then again at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Cradley Heath.
   It has emerged that three Midland men are now suing the Archbishop of Birmingham and the archdiocese's trustees in the High Court for failing to protect them against Robinson. [Emphasis added]
!!! Minister Misconduct? [2000s Howard] - Baptist. Hypnosis attempt. Woman.

   WREG, www.wreg.com/ Global/story. asp?S=3668634 , ~ August 02, 2005
   MEMPHIS, TN -- The woman accusing a Memphis Minister of trying to hypnotize her into performing sex acts is speaking out to News Channel 3. She agreed to talk with us as long as we hide her identity.
   Jane, as we'll call her, says she sought counseling from Minister Charles Howard of Broadmoor Baptist Church. She says she met up with him at a Germantown Waffle House to speak about her marriage problems. "I went to him because I was having problems, not to add to them," she says.
   Jane says Howard asked her to sit in his car after they ate dinner. She agreed, and once inside the car she says he tried to hypnotize her, telling her to be still and to listen to God.
   "When he would put his hand on my shoulder, even though it would be him talking, it would be God's voice I would be hearing, and I would obey all the commands given to me," she says.
   Jane says one of Minister Howard's commands was to touch him after he unzipped his pants. "I know that if he did that to me, as smooth and as practiced as he is, I'm not the only one."
• Maui deacon released on $100,000 bail. [2000s Gonsalves] - RCC. Boy.

   Honolulu Star-Bulletin, By Gary T. Kubota, gkubota@starbulletin.com , ~ August 02, 2005
   WAILUKU, HAWAII - The Catholic deacon accused of sexually assaulting a male minor on Maui was released yesterday after posting $100,000 bail.
   James Ronald Gonsalves, 68, of Wailuku will be required to stay within his home in Wailuku, except when making authorized visits to his attorney's office, under a court order issued by Maui Circuit Judge Shackley Raffetto.
   Raffetto reduced Gonsalves' bail yesterday to $100,000 from $790,000.
   Gonsalves, 68, was arrested Wednesday after a Maui grand jury indicted him on 62 charges, including 30 counts of first-degree sexual assault involving a male juvenile.
   He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
   At the request of Deputy Prosecutor Robert Rivera, Raffetto also ordered Gonsalves to remain away from minors and a mile from St. Ann Church in Waihee, where he served as the administrator.
   Gonsalves family and scores of church members who supported him attended the bail hearing yesterday in Maui Circuit Court in Wailuku.
• Priest's lawyer points out inconsistencies . [? 1980s Vosen] - RCC. Boy.

   Janesville Gazette, By Mike DuPre', Published 11:15:06 AM CDT Tuesday, August 2, 2005
   WISCONSIN - The Rev. Gerald Vosen is trying to prove in Rock County Court that a 26-year-old Janesville man's accusations of sexual assault were false and defamed him.
   On Monday, Vosen's attorney, Patrick McDonald of Janesville, tried to point out inconsistencies between earlier letters and sworn statements made by the man's parents and their testimony in court before Judge John Roethe and a jury of 13, one of whom is an alternate.
   McDonald is a parishioner at St. John Vianney Church, the Roman Catholic parish where Vosen was pastor and where the boy and his family were deeply involved in parish life.
• Priest pleads not guilty to sexual abuse of 14-year-old boy. [Sewar] - RCC. Boy.
   Democrat & Chronicle, by Jeffrey Blackwell, August 2, 2005
   ROCHESTER (NY)-A Spencerport priest was arraigned this morning on charges that he sexually abused a 14-year-old boy while he was a pastor at the Church of the Annunciation in northeast Rochester.
   The Rev. Dennis Sewar, 54, was arraigned in Rochester City Court this morning on misdemeanor charges of third-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
   Sewar declined comment this morning. John Speranza, his attorney, said he will investigate the charges and intends to mount a defense for his client.
   "He is strong," Speranza said of Sewar. "He denies the charges in that they never happened."
• Bail posted in Maui deacon's sexual assault case. [Gonsalves] - RCC. Boy.

   KPUA, www.kpua.net/ news.php?id= 5879 , By Associated Press, August 2, 2005
   WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) -- A Roman Catholic deacon on Maui who is accused of sexually assaulting a boy posted bail today.
   James "Ron" Gonsalves was freed after Circuit Judge Shackley Raffetto reduced the bail amount from 790-thousand dollars to 100-thousand dollars.
   Members of James "Ron" Gonsalves' family and parishioners from St. Ann Church were in court as a show of support when Raffetto imposed a number of bail conditions.
   The 68-year-old Gonsalves is required to stay inside his home, except when he's authorized to visit his attorney's office. He must stay away from minors and at least one mile away from the church.
• Lay Group Says Diocese Not listening On Sex Abuse Issue. - RCC.

   The Day, By BETHE DUFRESNE, Aug/2/2005
   EAST LYME (CT) -- Charging that their bishop won't listen to them, Voice of the Faithful members went public Monday to declare their unhappiness with the way the Roman Catholic Diocese is protecting children from sex abuse, and to present their own plan.
   Safeguards promised in the wake of a nationwide scandal over sex abuse by priests and church coverups have not been fully implemented here, Robert Marrion of East Lyme said at a press conference called by the southeastern Connecticut chapter of VOTF.
   Marrion said VOTF had tried and failed to engage the Most Rev. Michael R. Cote, Bishop of Norwich, on this issue and concluded that "the Bishop's lack of leadership in making this crisis a top priority is clear."
   An example was cited by Kay Isleib, a child advocate for the St. Agnes parish in Niantic, who said some parishes have gotten exemptions from providing sex abuse prevention programs. Instead, said Isleib, parishes have been allowed to turn that responsibility over to public school programs such as Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or DARE.
   What's missing, said Grace Marrion, Robert's wife, is the Christian imperative. Public schools can't include prayer, she said. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 08:31 AM]
• Parishioners at Maui church attend first mass after deacon arrest . [2002-05 Gonsalves] - RCC. 62 charges. Boy.

   KPUA, www.kpua.net/ news.php?id= 5867 , By Associated Press, ~ August 02, 2005
   HONOLULU, HAWAII (AP) -- Parishioners at Saint Ann's Church outside Wailuku today attended their first mass without Deacon James "Ron" Gonsalves since he was arrested for sexual assault last week.
   Gonsalves remains in jail on charges he sexually assaulted a boy for three years starting from when the child was 12 years old.
   He pleaded innocent last week to 62 counts of first- and third-degree sexual assault.
   Parishioner Agnes Cocke says she wholeheartedly supports Gonsalves.
   She says he's a wonderful person with a big heart and she couldn't understand how anyone could accuse him of such crimes.
   Kahele Apo, who worships at the church, says it would be up for the Lord to judge Gonsalves.
   The indictment alleges Gonsalves sexually abused the boy from June 2002 until last month at church and at Gonsalves' home. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 02:33 AM]
• Maui Deacon Accused Of Molesting Boy Bails Out. [2002-05 Gonsalves] - RCC. 62 charges. Boy.
   TheHawaiiChannel.com , www.thehawaii channel.com/news/ 4796249/detail.html , UPDATED 2:43 pm HST August 1, 2005
   HONOLULU, HAWAII-A Maui judge Monday reduced the bail amount for a Roman Catholic church deacon charged with sexually assaulting a boy.
   Circuit Judge Shackley Raffetto Monday decreased the bail for James "Ron" Gonsalves to $100,000, down from $790,000.
   The judge also imposed several conditions if Gonsalves is released on bail. Gonsalves would be required to stay within his home except when he is authorized to visit his attorney's office. He was also ordered to stay away from minors and one mile away from St. Ann Church, which he administered until June 22, when he was placed on administrative leave.
   "He has tremendous support in the community as evidenced by many members of the congregation of St. Ann's here today, who love and care for him," defense attorney Philip Lowenthal said in court.
   Gonsalves pleaded not guilty last week to 62 counts of first- and third-degree sexual assault. He's accused of sexually assaulting the boy for three years starting when the child was 12 years old.
   The most recent count allegedly happened in June.
• Judge Reduces Bail for Deacon. [2002-05 Gonsalves] - RCC. 62 charges. Boy.
   KGMB, http://kgmb9.com/ kgmb/display.cfm? storyID=5584 , by Alan Lu, alu@kgmb9.com , ~ August 02, 2005
   HAWAII - Wearing a prison outfit and handcuffs, Catholic church Deacon James Gonsalves looked very much alone in a Maui Circuit Court room Monday.
   However, the 68-year-old administrator of St. Ann Church in Waihe'e, Maui was not alone. Dozens of supporters sat in the audience to watch the proceeding.
   Gonzalves is charged with 62 counts of sexual assault against a teenage boy.
   "The last charge occurred at St. Ann Church right there on the premises on June 14th of this year," claimed deputy prosecutor Robert Rivera.
Gonsalves has pleaded "not guilty" and asked a judge to lower his bail from $790,000 to $100,000.
   "He's not a flight risk or a danger to the community and the amount of cash that can be posted is up to $100,000, which is a huge amount of money," said defense attorney Philip Lowenthal.
• Accused Priest Sues Alleged Victim For Defamation. [? 1990-92 Vosen] - RCC. 3 altar boys.

   NBC 15, http://nbc15. madison.com/news/ headlines/ 1760197.html , by Zac Schultz, Updated 6:43 PM Aug 1, 2005
   JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN: Father Gerald Vosen looked on calmly, backed by a courtroom full of supporters bussed in from his former parishes in Reedsburg, Janesville and Baraboo.
   "I really believe our presence here as a group is a very large prayer," says supporter Gretchen Roltgen.
   Roltgen was the music director under Father Vosen for 9 years at St. Joseph's in Baraboo. "We firmly believe in Father Vosen's innocence. We believe that truth and justice need to be served."
   Vosen was first accused of sexually abusing a child in September of 2003. Soon after, two other former altar boys came forward alleging abuse.
   Vosen has been on administrative leave since then, and the Catholic Diocese is in the middle of a confidential internal investigation.
   The man Father Vosen is suing brought his allegations to the Diocese of Madison. NBC 15 is not revealing his identity due to the unproven nature of the allegations. The defendant told the church that Father Vosen molested him from 1990 to 1992, when he was an altar boy in Janesville.
• Ridsdale faces charges. [1970s-80s Ridsdale] - RCC. 9 complainants, 63 more charges.

   Wimmera Mail-Times, Tuesday, 2 August 2005
   AUSTRALIA - FORMER Wimmera priest Gerald Ridsdale faced 63 new child abuse charges in Ballarat Magistrates Court last week.
   The 71-year-old convicted paedophile faced 59 counts of indecent assault and four counts of b*ggery allegedly committed against nine victims during the 1970s and 1980s.
   Ridsdale appeared by video link from Ararat prison.
• Convicted priest moves back to Ohio . [Jablonowski (founder: Carmelite Missionaries of Mary Immaculate)] - RCC. Boy.

   Billings Gazette, August 02, 2005
   CASPER, WYOMING -- A Catholic priest who was sent to prison for molesting a child in Guernsey has moved back to Ohio to live with a lay religious order he founded more than a decade ago.
   Anthony Jablonowski, 68, has registered as a sex offender in Waterford, Ohio, according to the state's Electronic Sex Offender Registration and Notification Web site. The address listed is the same as that of the Carmelite Missionaries of Mary Immaculate, a group Jablonowski founded in Wyoming, then moved to Ohio.
   A man who answered the phone at the Carmelite Missionaries on Monday would not give his name. He confirmed that Jablonowski was on the premises, but would not say whether Jablonowski lived there.
   Jablonowski was released two weeks ago from the Wyoming Honor Farm, a minimum-security facility where he was held for 15 months after he pleaded no contest in April 2004 to taking indecent liberties with a 17-year-old boy.
• Peek at file guides inquiry. [Dominguez] - RCC. 58 charges.

   The Press-Enterprise, By MICHAEL FISHER / 11:51 PM PDT on Monday, August 1, 2005
   CALIFORNIA - Riverside County prosecutors said Monday that they intend to seek documents from a defrocked priest's personnel file, which they examined last month as part of an agreement with the Diocese of San Bernardino.
   The file, which remains sealed before a Riverside County judge, was confiscated Jan. 25 when authorities served a search warrant at the diocese's San Bernardino headquarters as part of an investigation into Jesus Armando Dominguez, a former priest now facing 58 child-molestation charges. The diocese encompasses Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
   The search has been challenged by the diocese, which described some of the seized records as privileged and confidential.
   The district attorney's office and diocesan officials acknowledged Monday that they had struck an accord that allowed prosecutors to review Dominguez's file on July 12 to see what, if anything, might be useful in locating the former priest, now believed to be Mexico, or prosecuting him.
   Both sides had previously declined to discuss the agreement. [Bolding added]
• Local Attorney's Lawsuit Against Vatican Has Another Hurdle To Clear. [Miller] - RCC. Chldren.

   WAVE, www.wave3.com/ Global/story.asp? S=3667548 , By David McArthur, ~ August 02, 2005
   LOUISVILLE (KY)-A Louisville attorney and the Vatican are at odds the over Catholic sex abuse crisis. Late Monday afternoon Bill McMurry filed his response to the Vatican. The church wants the court to drop his class action lawsuit. WAVE 3's David McArthur investigates.
   Abused in the parish, covered up in the diocese, but linked to one ultimate authority-that's the case attorney Bill McMurry wants to argue in U.S. Federal Court against the Vatican.
   "I think the Vatican was well aware of Father Louis Miller's pedophilia," McMurray, said, and he believes it is ultimately responsible for the actions of Father Miller and all abusive priests.
   McMurray filed the lawsuit in June 5th, and since then attorneys for the Catholic church have argued that the case is flawed, saying the Vatican is a sovereign nation, and that the lawsuit was not properly filed.
   Vatican officials have also raised questions about the translation of the lawsuit into Latin, but McMurry says the message is clear. "We are convinced the condition in this country, the pervasive child sexual abuse problem within the Roman Catholic Church, came about as a result of the directive of the Pope to U.S. Bishops to keep this contained."
• Sex abuse victims meet with Gallup's review board. [1970s Hageman] - RCC. Boy.

   Independent, By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola, August 01, 2005
   GALLUP (NM)-Two representatives of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests met on Saturday for the first time with members of the Gallup Diocesan Review Board for Juvenile Sexual Abuse.
   Steve M. Rabi, director of New Mexico SNAP, and Joseph Baca, director of Northern Arizona and Western New Mexico SNAP, met with the review board at the chancery office of the Gallup Diocese.
   Rabi, of Albuquerque, N.M., is not a sexual abuse victim from the Diocese of Gallup. According to Rabi, he was abused in his home state of New Jersey, but he has been a New Mexico resident for many years. He retired from the Bernalillo Sheriff's Department, he said, after a career in law enforcement.
   Baca, of Phoenix, Ariz., says he was sexually abused in the early 1970s in the Diocese of Gallup by the late Father Clement A. Hageman, who was then assigned to a parish in Winslow, Ariz. Baca has received a settlement from the Gallup Diocese, but he and diocese officials have declined to share with The Independent the amount or details of that settlement.
   According to Rabi and Baca, review board members in attendance at Saturday's meeting included Board Chairwoman Margie Trujillo of Farmington, N.M. and members Floyd Kezele and Dr. Steve Heath of Gallup, and Father Jerry Herff of Kayenta, Ariz.
• Bishop silent as priest's suit goes to trial. [Vosen] - RCC. Boy.
   The Capital Times, By Cristina Daglas, August 1, 2005
   MADISON (WI) - As parishioners filed out of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in downtown Madison on Sunday, they were handed leaflets detailing a trial that was beginning in Janesville today in which a priest is suing a 26-year-old man for defamation.
   The man has accused the Rev. Gerald Vosen of sexually abusing him as a boy when Vosen was pastor at St. John Vienny parish in Janesville. Vosen, who is on administrative leave from his job as pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Baraboo, says the allegations are false and, in an unusual move, has filed suit against his accuser and his accuser's parents.
   "I hope to get my name cleared," Vosen told The Associated Press in a phone interview from his Merrimac home.
   The family's attorney, John Casey of Milwaukee, recently told the Baraboo News Republic the jury will find the man's testimony believable enough to rule in the family's favor. Casey did not return a call for comment Saturday from the AP.
• Defamation lawsuit under way. [1989-91 Vosen] - RCC. Altar boy.
   Janesville Gazette, By Sid Schwartz, Published Monday, August 1, 2005
   WISCONSIN - A Rock County jury will be asked to decide this week whether a former Janesville priest sexually assaulted a former altar boy between 1989 and 1991.
   The Rev. Gerald Vosen in March 2004 filed a defamation lawsuit against a Janesville man, now 26, who told Catholic Church authorities that Vosen sexually assaulted him when he was in fifth and sixth grade at St. John Vianney Catholic School in Janesville.
   Vosen, 71, was pastor at St. John Vianney from June 1989 to December 1994.
   A three-day jury trial on Vosen's lawsuit was scheduled to start this morning in front of Rock County Judge John Roethe.
• Archbishop Levada deposition postponed until January. [Portland Archdiocese] - RCC.

   KGW, www.kgw.com/ sharedcontent/ APStories/stories/ D8BNB97O0.html , By JOSEPH B. FRAZIER / Associated Press, Aug/01/2005
   PORTLAND (OR) - A federal bankruptcy judge has agreed to postpone the deposition of Roman Catholic Archbishop William Levada in the Portland Archdiocese sex abuse bankruptcy case until January.
   Levada was the Archbishop of Portland from 1986-1995.
   He now heads the Vatican-based Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which enforces Catholic doctrine. It is the post held by former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before his election as Pope Benedict XVI.
   U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Elizabeth Perris, in an order signed last Friday, agreed to allow Levada to give a deposition in Portland Jan. 12, 2006, rather than this month.
   Court papers stipulate that Levada agree to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the court and to waive any diplomatic immunity he may have or acquire because of his elevated status in the Vatican, a sovereign state.
• Woman collapses in witness box during sex abuse case. [Sisters of Mercy; Wellington Archdiocese] - RCC. Girl.

   Stuff, www.stuff.co.nz/ stuff/0,2106,3364 999a12855,00.html , 02 August 2005
   NEW ZEALAND - A woman suing the Catholic church over alleged physical and sexual abuse collapsed in the witness box at the High Court in Wellington today, halting the hearing.
   Earlier the woman hurled a folder of documents toward a lawyer and screamed, swore and cried under questioning.
   The 45-year-old woman is claiming $550,000 in a civil suit against the Wellington Catholic Archdiocese, Catholic Social Services, The Sisters of Mercy (Wellington) Trust Board, and St Joseph's Orphanage Trust Board over alleged abuse.
   The respondents' lawyer had been questioning her about her alleged rape by a male member of a foster family approved by the church, she had stayed with in the mid-1970s.
   The woman began screaming when asked when and where she stayed with the family,
   She yelled: "Jesus ... I'm not an animal." [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 01:56 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Tue August 02, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Wed August 03, 2005 edition follows:-
• Attorneys Seek Change Of Venue In Church Abuse Case. - Hosanna Church.

   TheNewOrleansChannel.com , www.theneworleans channel.com/news/ 4804465/detail.html , UPDATED: 12:33 pm CDT August 3, 2005
   AMITE, La.-Attorneys for two men charged with raping children are asking for access to the evidence against their clients and a change of venue because of pretrial publicity in the case against the Hosanna Church members.
   The judge in the case has not ruled on those requests, but did set bond at $350,000 for Austin Bernard. The other accused man appearing in District Judge Doug Hughes' courtroom, Allen Pierson, was released last week after posting $300,000 bail.
   Attorneys for both men indicated that their request to change the location of the trial because of the intensive media coverage of the investigation is premature, but they asked the judge to take the request under consideration. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:14 PM]
• Priests lose appeal . [1968-77 McGrath + (St John of God Order)] - RCC.

   Stuff, 04 August 2005
  NEW ZEALAND - Former St John of God brothers fighting prosecution for child-sex abuse have lost their Supreme Court bid to have the charges thrown out.
   Bernard Kevin McGrath and another former Catholic priest with name suppression appealed to the Supreme Court to overturn charges, alleging the evidence against them was too old to allow them a fair trial, a court judgment said.
   But Supreme Court Justices Gault and Tipping said the men must go to trial before they could appeal against any charges.
   The former priests were committed to trial on numerous charges of sexual offending against boys aged under 16 between 1968 and 1977, according to the Supreme Court judgment.
   Appeals by the men relating to the age of evidence in both the High Court and the Court of Appeal were dismissed before they made their plea to the Supreme Court.
• Philly D.A. rips off Church and taxpayers. [Philadelphia Archdiocese] - RCC.

   Catholic League, August 3, 2005
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) - In today's Philadelphia Inquirer, there is a front-page story on the release of a 500-page report by a grand jury investigation looking into sexual abuse charges that have taken place over the last few decades by priests in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Catholic League president William Donohue addressed this issue today:
   "Philadelphia D.A. Lynn M. Abraham has managed to abuse her office in two ways simultaneously: a) she launched a witch-hunt against the Archdiocese of Philadelphia three years ago and b) she ripped off the taxpayers in Philadelphia by having them pay for her wild-goose chase. Now the final tally is in, and not one criminal charge has been recommended by Abraham's office. That's because the statute of limitations has run out on any alleged cases of abuse, something Abraham knew from the very beginning. And for all her work, she winds up with one arrest.
   "How disappointing it must be for Abraham to learn that the grand jury investigation could not find a single instance where the Archdiocese transferred a known abuser to another parish. Literally three months after the news stories broke in January 2002 on the sexual abuse scandal in Boston, Abraham began her crusade in Philadelphia. And at the time, she had the audacity to say that she would investigate 'all allegations involving priests whether they are dead, dismissed or retired.' The woman has no shame nor sense of fairness.
• Abuse claimant tells of deprivation . [1960s-70s] - RCC. Girl.

   Stuff, 04 August 2005
   NEW ZEALAND - A woman suing Catholic authorities for $550,000, alleging a deprived and abusive upbringing, was also a debutante who wore stolen knickers, a court has been told.
   "Fancy being presented as a debutante when no one wants you," she laughed in the High Court at Wellington yesterday. And then she began crying. "And I am doing it so my brothers and sisters could be together."
   Catholic Social Services paid for the dress and ticket and she and her foster family shared the cost of a pre-ball party. She and her six siblings were reunited for the occasion, she said.
   Four Catholic organisations are denying her claims of physical, emotional, verbal and sexual abuse in the late 1960s and 1970s.
   The children were placed in care after their parents separated. Nuns mistreated and assaulted her and several men, including a priest, sexually abused her, she said.
• Priest's accuser tearful on stand. [Vosen] - RCC. Boy.

   Janesville Gazette By Mike DuPre', Wednesday, August 3, 2005
   WISCONSIN - The man being sued for allegedly defaming a Catholic priest by charging him with sexual abuse wept on the witness stand Tuesday.
   The priest's attorney, Patrick McDonald of Janesville, was questioning the 26-year-old man, who now lives in Milwaukee, about how he has felt threatened by the priest, the Rev. Gerald Vosen.
   "I've been harmed more now in so many ways by this than when it actually occurred," the man said, referring to the lawsuit in a breaking voice.
   McDonald asked the man why he felt more harmed by the trial than the assaults.
   "Because now my parents are going through it with me," the man replied, tears running down his cheeks. "Before it was just me. Now I see them in pain."
• Faithful Furious Over Tactic. [Uribe] - RCC. When is "father" not a father? Female.
   Los Angeles Times, By William Lobdell, August 3, 2005
   OREGON - In 1994, then-Archbishop of Portland William Levada offered a simple answer for why the archdiocese shouldn't have been ordered to pay the costs of raising a child fathered by a church worker at a Portland, Ore., parish.
   In her relationship with Arturo Uribe, then a seminarian and now a Whittier priest, the child's mother had engaged "in unprotected intercourse ... when [she] should have known that could result in pregnancy," the church maintained in its answer to the lawsuit.
   The legal proceeding got little attention at the time. And the fact that the church - which considers birth control a sin - seemed to be arguing that the woman should have protected herself from pregnancy provoked no comment. Until last month.
   That's when Stephanie Collopy went back into court asking for additional child support. A Times article reported the church's earlier response. Now liberal and conservative Catholics around the country are decrying the archdiocese's legal strategy, saying it was counter to church teaching.
   "On the face of it, [the argument] is simply appalling," said Michael Novak, a conservative Catholic theologian and author based in Washington, D.C.
• Former church leader sentenced to 30 years for abusing boys. [1995-2004 Murphy] - RCC. 3 boys.
   ABC 13, http://abclocal. go.com/ktrk/news/ 080305_APlocal_ teacher.html , The Associated Press, Aug/03/05
   HOUSTON (TX) - A former Catholic Church choir director was sentenced to 30 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting three brothers over the past decade.
   Stuart Murphy, 57, pleaded guilty Tuesday to five felony sexual abuse charges.
   The judge sentenced Murphy to 30 years on each of two aggravated sexual assault charges and 20 years on each of three indecency with a child charges. He will serve the sentences concurrently and will be eligible for parole after 15 years.
   Murphy met the victims at Annunciation Catholic Church in Houston, where he began working in 1993. He befriended the boys and their family and began molesting the oldest child 10 years ago when he was 12 and the youngest when he was 6, prosecutor Denise Oncken said.
• How Other Cities' Probes Ended. - RCC.
   Philadelphia Inquirer, ~ August 3, 2005
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) - Around the nation, prosecutors have wrapped up inquiries similar to Philadelphia's by issuing scathing grand-jury reports on clergy sexual abuse of minors without bringing criminal charges. In three cases, however, prosecutors extracted admissions from church leaders in court.
   Here is how several of the probes ended:
   In 2003, following a 16-month inquiry, prosecutors investigating the Boston Archdiocese issued a 76-page report that said 250 priests and church workers had abused at least 789 children. But they did not indict Cardinal Bernard F. Law or any other church officials.
   Investigators in Long Island and New York City concluded that too much time had elapsed since the abuse to prosecute - but criticized the church for shielding abusers.
   Cincinnati's archbishop appeared in court in November 2003 to plead no contest on behalf of his diocese to five misdemeanor counts of failing to report abuse to authorities.
• Diocese sale worries residents. - RCC. $US 35m.
   Sacramento Bee, By Will Evans, Page A1, Published 2:15 am PDT Wednesday, August 3, 2005
   SACRAMENTO (CA) - Gayle Clark's late husband had told her it would be a great place to live if she were left alone.
   Everyone said not to worry about the future of the Lakeview Village mobile home park in Citrus Heights. The Catholic Diocese of Sacramento owns it.
   But the diocese notified residents last weekend that it intends to sell the upscale 130-acre park to help pay for the $35 million settlement it reached in June on 33 claims of sexual abuse by priests.
• Gallup Diocese publishes updated list of sexually abusive priests. - RCC. 10 of 18 priests named.
   Independent, By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola, ~ August 3, 2005
   GALLUP (NM) - The Gallup Diocese has published an updated list of priests associated with the diocese who have credible allegations of clergy sexual abuse; however, the updated list omits two names of men who have been publicly identified in the past as abusers.
   When Joseph Baca of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests met with Bishop Donald E. Pelotte of the Diocese of Gallup in May 2005, he presented the bishop with a list of 18 names of priests who had been associated with the diocese and were thought by SNAP to be possible abusers.
   Pelotte agreed to print the names of priests with credible allegations.
   In the June 2005 issue of The Voice of the Southwest, the official diocesan newspaper, ten of those names were listed as men with credible clergy abuse allegations.
   Nothing was said about the omitted names. And surprisingly, one of the omitted names was of a priest who had been publicly identified by the diocese as an abuser and whose alleged victim was paid a substantial settlement in the 1990s.
• Group complains Idaho Catholic Church uses lawyer to counsel abuse victims. - RCC.
   Corvallis Gazette-Times, By JOHN MILLER, Associated Press writer, August 3, 2005
   BOISE, Idaho - An advocacy group for victims of sex abuse by Catholic clergy has criticized Idaho's bishop, saying he didn't adequately disclose that a church official responsible for helping potential victims is also a lawyer.
   Bobbi Dominick, the lawyer, has worked as the Catholic Diocese of Boise's victim assistance coordinator for children, youth and adults, as well as being the diocese's human resources director, for two years, church officials said.
   The group, Chicago-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, said Bishop Michael Driscoll's decision to have a lawyer work with potential victims violates the trust of those seeking help because some fear she'd share what she learns with other church lawyers to help them defend the church against potentially costly lawsuits.
   "Victims need and deserve to speak with a compassionate, pastoral person, not a defense lawyer, when they're first disclosing and dealing with horrific childhood abuse and potentially dangerous predators," said David Clohessy, SNAP national director in St. Louis. "When victims call expecting to talk with a counselor or social worker, and end up with an attorney, that makes already wounded victims feel hurt and betrayed again."
• Priest pleads innocent to sexual abuse charges. [1999-2001 Sewar] - RCC. Boy
   Star-Gazette, By JEFFREY BLACKWELL, Gannett News Service, August 3, 2005
   ROCHESTER (NY) - A suburban Rochester priest is accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy 50 times over nearly two years while he was a pastor at the Church of the Annunciation in northeast Rochester.
   The Rev. Dennis Sewar, 54, of Spencerport, pleaded innocent Tuesday in Rochester City Court to misdemeanor charges of third-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child. Sewar declined comment following the hearing.
   But John Speranza, his attorney, said he will investigate the charges and intends to mount a defense to clear his client.
   "He is strong," Speranza said of Sewar. "He denies the charges in that they never happened."
   The alleged abuse occurred between October 1999 and August 2001, according to court documents. The young man told police that he and Sewar would watch baseball on Sewar's big-screen television in his private living quarters at the church rectory.
• Grand jury: No clergy abuse charges. [Philadelphia Archdiocese] - RCC. 50 priest suspects.
   Philadelphia Inquirer, By Nancy Phillips, Mark Fazlollah and Craig R. McCoy, ~ August 3, 2005
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) - The grand jury investigating sex abuse in the Philadelphia Archdiocese has prepared a report that documents decades of assaults on children by more than 50 priests - but calls for no new criminal charges.
   The report, more than 500 pages long, harshly criticizes church leaders for shielding abusers.
   Drafted by prosecutors in District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham's office, the report is now in the hands of the Common Pleas Court judge overseeing the secret probe.
   The report is expected to be made public next month, completing the nation's longest-running investigation into clergy sex abuse.
   Prosecutors and grand jurors have spent more than three years gathering evidence and hearing often-wrenching testimony from hundreds of witnesses. They also heard from priests and church leaders, including Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua, who headed the archdiocese from 1988 to 2003.
   To date, the probe has resulted in a single arrest: that of a priest who pleaded guilty this year to repeatedly assaulting a 15-year-old boy.
   Detectives from the District Attorney's Office fanned out across the region on Friday, delivering letters to alleged abusers, alerting them that the report would soon make public accounts of their alleged attacks on minors, and giving them a chance to challenge the grand jury's account.
• Priest pleads not guilty to sexual abuse of boy. [1999-2001 Sewar] - RCC. Boy
   Democrat & Chronicle, by Jeffrey Blackwell, August 3, 2005
   ROCHESTER (NY) - A Spencerport priest is accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy 50 times over nearly two years while he was a pastor at the Church of the Annunciation in northeast Rochester.
   The Rev. Dennis Sewar, 54, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Rochester City Court to misdemeanor charges of third-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child.
   Sewar declined comment after the hearing. But John Speranza, his attorney, said he will investigate the charges and intends to mount a defense to clear his client.
   "He is strong," Speranza said of Sewar. "He denies the charges in that they never happened."
   The alleged abuse occurred between October 1999 and August 2001, according to court documents. The alleged victim told police that he and Sewar would watch baseball on Sewar's big-screen television in his private living quarters at the rectory on Norton Street.
• Transparency still lacking in Catholic sex-abuse scandal. [Seattle Archdiocese] - RCC.
   Seattle Times, By Terrence Carroll, Special to The Times, ~ August 3, 2005
   SEATTLE (WA) - Having completed service last year as chairman of the Archdiocese of Seattle board that reviewed allegations of the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests, I remain concerned about the direction of matters since our case-review board's report was made public last fall.
   I write in the hope that the bold promises of the Dallas Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People - published by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and containing the guidelines that led to the creation of case-review boards across the country - are completely realized.
   I acknowledge the progress that has been made by our archdiocese, but believe that more needs to be done.
   To begin with, secrecy continues to shadow the process we were led to believe would be open and transparent. Some cases reviewed by the Seattle board in 2003 still have no final resolution. Because the archdiocese has decided to wait on these cases until the Vatican acts (whenever that might be, and behind closed doors), the victims who came forward and all Parishioners must continue to wait.
• Bishop turns 75 today, submits resignation. - RCC.
   Burlington Free Press, By Andy Netzel, Wednesday, August 3, 2005
   BURLINGTON (VT) - Roman Catholic Bishop Kenneth Angell will turn 75 years old today, and in accordance with church law he will submit his resignation to the pope.
   Angell, whose Burlington diocese covers Vermont, will remain bishop until Pope Benedict XVI accepts the resignation. That could be as soon as weeks or as long as years.
   The Rev. Wendell Searles, vicar general of the diocese, said the workings in Vatican City are unknown.
   "There's no way of knowing what the timeline is apt to be," he said.
   Searles said Tuesday that the bishop was in good spirits as he prepared to submit his letter of resignation.
   Angell has served the diocese since 1992. He has led Vermont's 148,000 Catholics through the sexual abuse scandals and the creation of civil unions.
• Blind eye toward abuse. - RCC. Gifts received.
  Toledo Blade, August 3, 2005
   TOLEDO (OH) - WEEKS after he was appointed Toledo police chief in June, 1956, Anthony A. Bosch got a respectful gift from fellow members of the local Knights of Columbus council - a specially designed solid-gold badge, emblazoned with his name and a three-quarter carat diamond. Three years later, the state council of the Catholic fraternal organization, of which he was an officer, gave him a new Cadillac.
   These incidents help explain why Chief Bosch, a devout Catholic who headed the police department for 14 years, turned a blind official eye to continued sexual abuse of children by Toledo-area priests, as documented in a report Sunday by Blade reporters Mitch Weiss and Joe Mahr.
   This was not, by any means, a policy of benign neglect, no matter how Chief Bosch, who died in 1982, may have rationalized it in his own mind. Rather than prosecuting criminal acts by priests, police and other civil authorities quietly and systematically shuffled aside cases of abuse, leaving them to be dealt with by the church.
   The church hierarchy, in turn, did its utmost to keep the abuse quiet, usually by sending offenders away for "treatment" or - worse - transferring them to another, unsuspecting, parish, where they were free to molest more children.
   As we know now, this conspiracy of silence only magnified, inflamed, and perpetuated a malevolent cycle of abuse, denial, and grudging acceptance of responsibility by the church for wrongdoing committed by its messengers of God.
• Vosen suit continues. [1989-1991 Vosen] - RCC. Boy.
   Baraboo News Republic, ~ August 3, 2005
   JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN - Father Gerald Vosen's defamation of character suit against a Janesville man and his family over sexual abuse allegations is expected to continue through Thursday, Rock County Circuit Court staff said.
   Vosen, former pastor at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Baraboo, is suing Peter L. Arnold and his parents, Leland and Nancy Arnold. They told church authorities in 2003 Vosen abused Peter in 1989-1991 while Vosen was pastor at Janesville's St. John Vianney Catholic Parish.
   Vosen says in court documents he never had sexual contact with Peter Arnold.
• The Morning Read: Revealing secrets. - RCC. Ex-Benedictine's offer ignored. Patrick Wall story.
   The Orange County Register, By CHRIS KNAP, ~ August 3, 2005
   CALIFORNIA - In bright sunlight, Patrick Wall walked in darkness.
   Lost in the secular world.
   After 11 years as a Benedictine monk - six as a priest - he had renounced his vows and left St. John's Abbey.
   Disheartened by sexually abusive monks, restricted by rigid superiors and convinced his vow of celibacy would fail, Wall finally won his freedom from the Rule of Benedict.
   It was the scariest possible outcome for a man who once considered the abbey his life.
   At St. John's, everything was provided: food, clothing, health care, cars. Now he had none of those.
   His training was in Latin and Italian, in divine texts and church history. Now, it seemed of little use.
   "When you leave the monastery you are completely disconnected," Wall says. "You have no idea where you are going to go, what you are going to do or even if you can fit in."
   At first, he wiped bottoms in a Minnesota hospital. He came to California and shuffled paper in a county office.
   One Sunday, Wall read a newspaper commentary by a lawyer who had won a $5 million sexual-abuse settlement from the Diocese of Orange.
   Attorney John Manly blasted Catholic bishops for "act(ing) more like the tobacco industry than like the successors to the apostles that they are supposed to be."
   The next day, Wall called Manly's office, introduced himself as a former priest and offered to help penetrate the secrecy of the church.
   Manly did not call back.
• Newspaper: Report documents assaults on children by priests. [Philadelphia Archdiocese] - RCC. 50 clergy. Cover-up.
   NEPA News, The Associated Press, August 03, 2005
   PENNSYLVANIA - A grand jury documented assaults on children by more than 50 priests, but, hampered by legal issues, called for no new criminal charges, a published report said.
   The more than 500-page report, now in the hands of a Common Pleas judge overseeing the secret probe, harshly criticized church leaders for shielding abusers, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Wednesday.
   The decision not to recommend criminal charges reflected legal and factual hurdles facing prosecutors, including the expiration of the statute of limitations in virtually every case, the newspaper said.
   The report, drafted by prosecutors in District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham's office, is expected to be made public next month. People named in the report will have until Aug. 31 to write a rebuttal, and the archdiocese also has been given a chance to respond before the report becomes public.
   A spokeswoman for Abraham declined to comment Tuesday, citing grand jury secrecy. An attorney for the Philadelphia Archdiocese, C. Clark Hodgson Jr., also declined to comment.
• Nuns may sue RTE over sex abuse claim on radio show. [Sisters of Our Lady of Charity] - RCC. Girl.

   Irish Independent, ~ August 3, 2005
   IRELAND - AN order of nuns is considering suing RTE after the Vincent Browne show carried an interview with a woman who claims to have been physically and sexually abused while in a Magdalene laundry, a claim denied by the order in question.
   The Sisters of Our Lady of Charity has confirmed that it has asked lawyers to examine the transcript of the interview with Vincent Browne as well as the contents of the book, 'Kathy's Story', on which the interview is based.
   Meanwhile, it has forwarded a complaint about the interview to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission.
   The move by the order is the latest in a series of disputes it has had with Ms Kathy O'Beirne (45) who says she was in the order's now closed Magdalene laundry at High Park, Dublin, from the age of 12 to 14.
   Ms O'Beirne has said that while in the laundry, she was repeatedly raped and became pregnant. She claims she was also resident at a Magdalene laundry on Sean McDermott St. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 08:18 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Wed August 03, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Thu August 04, 2005 edition follows:-
• Judge dismisses suit against man's parents . [Vosen] - RCC. Boy.

   Janesville Gazette, www.gazetteextra. com/vosen_side 080405.asp , By Mike DuPre', Thursday, August 4, 2005
   WISCONSIN - The defamation lawsuit filed by a Catholic priest against the parents of a young man who accused the priest of sexual abuse was dismissed early Wednesday afternoon.
   However, the civil trial against the young man continued and was to resume this morning.
   Judge John Roethe granted defense attorney John Casey's motion for a directed verdict of dismissal. Roethe found that the parents had acted within the conditional privileges allowed by the law to make defamatory statements.
   In his suit, the Rev. Gerald Vosen alleged that the 26-year-old Milwaukee man and his parents, who are Janesville residents, made false and defamatory statements to the Diocese of Madison that Vosen had sexually assaulted the man when he was a student at St. John Vianney School and Vosen was pastor of the parish.
   After Vosen's attorney, Patrick McDonald of Janesville, rested his case, Roethe ruled in the parents' favor.
   Roethe explained that people are allowed to make defamatory statements under certain conditions, such as reporting sexual abuse, because in those circumstances the statements could be made for some higher purpose, such as protecting society.
• Young man's claims 'devastating': Priest. [1990-92 Vosen] - RCC. Boy.
   Janesville Gazette, By Mike DuPre', Thursday, August 4, 2005
   WISCONSIN - A young man's allegations of sexual abuse were devastating, said the Catholic priest against whom the charges were made.
   "It was very devastating to realize that your name, your person was now mired in the deplorable situation within the church of clergy sexual abuse. It's hard to put into words," the Rev. Gerald Vosen said Wednesday in Rock County Court.
   Vosen is suing the 26-year-old Milwaukee man and his parents for allegedly making false and defamatory statements about him to the Diocese of Madison.
   The man reported to diocese officials that Vosen repeatedly sexually assaulted him during 1990-'92 when he was 11 and 12 years old and in the fifth and sixth grades at St. John Vianney School in Janesville.
   Vosen was then pastor of the parish.
• Attorney says abuse claims concocted to justify sex orientation. [Vosen] - RCC. Altar boy.
   Duluth News Tribune, By RYAN FOLEY, Associated Press, August 04, 2005
   JANESVILLE, Wis. - A 26-year-old man who claims he was sexually abused by a priest when he was an altar boy concocted the story to explain to his parents why he was gay, the accused priest's attorney argued Thursday.
   Attorney Patrick McDonald urged Rock County Circuit Court jurors to award compensatory and punitive damages to the Rev. Gerald Vosen, for what McDonald said were the false accusations made by the man.
   In a two-hour closing argument, McDonald said the Milwaukee man made up the story about being abused in fifth and sixth grade at St. John Vianney School in Janesville to justify to his parents his sexual orientation.
   "That's why he made up this lie," McDonald said. "Little did he suspect this was going to mushroom and have a devastating effect on so many lives."
   McDonald said the man's parents quickly reported the allegations against Vosen to the Diocese of Madison, and that the man was forced to stand by what he had said.
• Victims' group calls on diocese to explain cover-up with police. [1980s Gray; Diocese] - RCC. 12 boys +?
   Toledo Blade, By JOE MAHR, August 04, 2005
   TOLEDO (OH) - After revelations the Catholic diocese worked with law enforcement to conceal sex-abuse cases for 50 years, a priest and a local victims' advocacy group are demanding church leaders answer questions about the diocese's role in the cover-up.
   The local chapter of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests plans to deliver a letter to church headquarters today, calling on Bishop Leonard Blair and others to explain, in a public forum, how the diocese handled the sexual-abuse crisis.
   "We think he owes us - all of us - nothing less than the full, unabridged truth, from start to finish, and we haven't gotten that," said Claudia Vercellotti, co-leader of the Toledo SNAP chapter.
   The Rev. Stephen Stanbery, a past critic of the diocese's handling of the sex-abuse crisis, singled out Auxiliary Bishop Robert Donnelly and the Rev. Michael Billian, the Episcopal Vicar for Administration, for their handling of the case of former priest Dennis Gray, accused by a dozen boys of raping and abusing them in the 1980s.
   "If they're not prepared to submit to questions, they should resign," said Father Stanbery, who called previously for the pair's resignation after revelations of what the diocese knew about the Gray case.
• Local says he was molested by priest. [White] - RCC. Altar boy.
   The Aspen Times, By John Colson, August 4, 2005
   ASPEN (CO) - A former priest who is being investigated over allegations that he molested minors in various Colorado parishes has been accused of molesting at least one boy in Aspen while working here.
   That altar boy, who is an adult working in Aspen today and asked not to be identified, confirmed this week that the Rev. Harold Robert White came to his house one day while working as pastor at St. Mary Catholic Church in Aspen and "inappropriate behavior" took place.
   "I'd rather leave the details out of it," said the man, who was in his late teens at the time the incident took place.
   The victim, who still is a Catholic, said he told his parents immediately and that his parents talked with other parishioners about the matter then contacted the Denver Archdiocese to report the incident.
   "He was gone within the week," the man said of White. "I never saw him again. For me, it's never been a big deal. I'm not going to sue the church for millions." [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 08:06 AM]
• Lawmaker pushes to end statute of limitations in sex abuse of minors. - Petition and ballot possible.
   The Boston Globe, www.boston.com/ ews/local/mass chusetts/articles/ 005/08/04/lawmaker_ pushes_to_end_statute_ of_limitations_in_ sex_abuse_of_ minors ; By Raphael Lewis | August 4, 2005
   MASSACHUSETTS - Frustrated that the Legislature has yet to act in the wake of the clergy sexual abuse scandal, state Senator Steven A. Baddour and 10 Merrimac Valley residents launched an effort yesterday for a 2006 ballot referendum that would abolish the statute of limitations in criminal and civil cases involving sexual abuse of minors.
   Baddour, a Methuen Democrat, said the abuse allegations that rocked the Catholic Church in 2002 demonstrated that current laws, which limit the time victims have to file criminal charges and civil claims, often allow pedophiles to escape accountability.
   "They shouldn't be able to hide behind the statute of limitations," Baddour said. "In the Catholic Church scandal, they scared these kids for decades."
   State Representative Ronald Mariano, a Quincy Democrat, filed a similar bill in December 2003, but it went nowhere. It was filed again in December 2004 but has yet to get a hearing.
   For the measure to appear on the ballot, backers must gather roughly 66,000 signatures this fall. If the Legislature doesn't approve it by May 2006, supporters would have to gather about 11,000 additional signatures for it to appear on the ballot that November.
• Former area priest pleads not guilty. [1999-2001 Sewar] - RCC. Boy.
   Finger Lakes Times, By CRAIG FOX, cfox@fltimes.com , ~ August 04, 2005
   WATERLOO (NY) - A former St. Mary's Church priest plans to fight allegations that he sexually abused a teenage boy 50 times over two years while the two watched baseball in the rectory of a Rochester church.
   The Rev. Dennis Sewar, 54, who served at St. Mary's in 1997 and 1998, pleaded not guilty in Rochester City Court Tuesday to misdemeanor charges of third-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child for the alleged incidents at the Church of the Annunciation in northeast Rochester.
   Court records say the incidents occurred between 1999 and 2001 while the boy visited the rectory to watch baseball on a big-screen television in the priest's private living quarters.
   The documents say the two sat in a double-size reclining chair and that the incidents began with Sewer holding the boy's hands. The victim's deposition says Sewar ultimately touched his genital area "on 50 different occasions over the two years."
   "I was uncomfortable with this, but I was afraid to tell him to stop," the victim says in his deposition.
• Don't Cover Up Abuse of Children. [1950s-84 Police] - RCC.
   The Intelligencer, ~ August 04, 2005
   TOLEDO (OH) - Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of reports that Toledo police helped the Catholic Church cover up allegations of sexual abuse by priests is the appearance that, for many years, the nauseating practice had widespread acceptance.
   From the 1950s through at least 1984, police helped the Catholic Diocese of Toledo cover up sexual abuse of boys by a few priests, the Toledo Blade reported. In at least five situations, police refused to even investigate complaints that priests were abusing children.
   Toledo police officials and the diocese say that priests no longer receive any preferential treatment. That's good - but it is long, long overdue. No one who molests children should escape punishment.
   According to the Blade's investigation, Anthony Bosch, who served as Toledo police chief from 1956 to 1970, had an "unwritten rule" that priests would not be arrested. But failure to protect young victims appears in some ways to have been part of the police department's basic culture for many years.
   One officer who arrested a priest for sexually abusing a boy in 1984 said that, after breaking the "unwritten rule," he received harassing telephone calls from other officers.
• Editorial | Grand Jury Report on Predator Priests. [Philadelphia Archdiocese, legal system] - RCC. > 50 clergy. Cover-up.
   Philadelpia Inquirer, Editorial, ~ August 04, 2005
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) - The kids are not all right. And it's the grown-ups' fault.
   In the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, many children were abused by predators into whose pastoral care they were placed.
   Then the children were failed by church higher-ups who ignored and, in some instances, helped hide reports of abuse by moving clergy without alerting authorities.
   Now it appears that these victims have been failed by the legal system.
   That's the disheartening disclosure from a Philadelphia grand jury investigating sex abuse by Roman Catholic clergy.
   As reported yesterday by The Inquirer, the grand jury - following nearly three long years of work - will detail abuses by more than 50 priests. Out of all those cases, though, not one new criminal charge will be pursued.
   The grand jury report by District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham's staff won't be out for some weeks. It's important to reserve judgment until then on whether the decision to file no charges was sound.
   To the extent that the grand jury report may document how church officials shielded abusers, and blast them for that, it could provide some justice for sex-abuse victims. Goodness knows, those victims are due at least that vindication.
• Philly archdiocese escapes charges. [~ 50 yrs Philadelphia Archdiocese, legal system] - RCC. > 50 clergy. Cover-up.
   Centre Daily Times, By Maryclaire Dale, The Associated Press, ~ August 04, 2005
   PHILADELPHIA (PA)-After hearing from hundreds of witnesses, a grand jury reportedly will conclude that no criminal charges can be brought against the Philadelphia Archdiocese for its supervision of Roman Catholic priests who sexually abused children.
   The grand jury's report documents assaults on children by more than 50 priests, but state laws, including legal time limits, prevent prosecutors from filing charges, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Wednesday.
   "Unfortunately, the message the church receives by no indictments is that they're above the law," said nurse Diane Freedman Drinker, 45, of Conshohocken, who told the panel she was sexually assaulted by a Philadelphia-area priest from the age of 10 until she was 16.
   At least 11 grand juries nationwide have completed investigations of dioceses in the last three years, but none resulted in criminal charges against bishops concerning their management of priest-abuse cases. They include panels in Los Angeles, Boston and Arizona.
• Sex abuse charges: Curry priest says he's innocent. [Colleary] - RCC.

   Sligo Champion, Exclusive by Jim Gray ~ August 04, 2005
   IRELAND - The Sligo priest who has won a High Court challenge against his extradition to Arizona to face sexual abuse charges has proclaimed his innocence but has said he is resigned to the fact that his life as a priest "is over".
   In an exclusive interview with The Sligo Champion, Fr. Pat Colleary, also told how the support and prayers of his family and community in the tightly-knit South Sligo area of his native Curry helped him through what he described as a "surreal ordeal".
   "I am absolutely innocent, and my knowledge of that innocence has helped to keep me going through this.
   "I have also been greatly strengthened by the support of my family and the local community in Curry, particularly the local GAA club. I have never been ostracised from the community, I have been made to feel part of it. That support, that belief in my innocence, has helped me through. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:52 AM] [Bolding added]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Thu August 04, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
• New code for priests. - RCC.

   The Record (Western Australian Roman Catholic newspaper), p 9, August 4, 2005
   ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., USA: A new code of conduct for the priests of the Santa Fe Archdiocese encourages them to use "fraternal correction" to help fellow priests overcome personal problems hindering their ministry.
   The code also encourages newly ordained priests to seek a mentor in an older priest who can help them develop the personal and pastoral skills needed to deal with people.
   The code, dated August 1, was drafted by the archdiocesan priests' council and approved by Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan of Santa Fe.
   This document is in addition to the archdiocese's written policy on sexual misconduct and harassment by clergy and church employees.
   The archdiocesan headquarters is in Albuquerque. [Aug 4, 05]
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Fri August 05, 2005 edition follows:-
• Man Warns Neighbors of a Pedophile. [Janssen] - RCC. Boy.

   WHBF, www.whbf.com/ Global/story.asp? S=3686897&nav= 0zGoczyJ , ~ August 05, 2005
   DAVENPORT (IA) - Defrocked Davenport Priest James Janssen was found guilty of sexually abusing his nephew, James Wells, in a civil court in May. But since Janssen was found guilty in a civil court and not on criminal charges, his name isn't on the sex offender registry. On Thursday Wells went out to warn Janssen's neighbors that they are living next to a pedophile. But the reaction Wells got from neighbors and Janssen himself was more explosive than he imagined.
   Seventeen-year-old Paula Lisenbee was upset when she went out to her car and saw a flyer on her windshield claiming that her neighbor, James Janssen, was a pedophile.
   "I mean who wants to wake up in the morning, got out to their car and see this (flyer of Janssen) is a sexual predator? You need to protect your children?" says Lisenbee.
   Paula Lisenbee has lived in the same building as Janssen for three years. She says he's always been a gentlemen and that posting notices saying he's a sexual predator is nothing but a glorified witch hunt. James Janssen himself promptly started taking fliers, displaying his face, off of cars. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 09:26 PM]
• Parishioners React To Vosen Verdict. [? 1980s Vosen] - RCC. Altar boy.
   WKOW, www.wkowtv.com/ index.php/news/ story/p/pkid/ 21931 , Fri Aug/05/2005
   WISCONSIN - At Saint Joseph's Catholic Church parishioners say they have nothing to celebrate.
   Their cherished priest, Father Gerald Vosen, once stood at the pulpit there, but now they say their priest is being crucified by false accusations of sexual abuse.
   "There are not enough good words to describe him", said parishioner Laura Stanek. "He is a holy man a wonderful man, nothing but goodness", she added.
   Laura Stanek's eyes fill with tears as she talked about her friend and priest.
   She says this church is not the same without him.
   A Rock County jury ruled against Vosen in a defamation lawsuit this week, believing the accuser over the priest.
   That accuser, 26 year old Peter Arnold, says Vosen raped him when he was an altar boy more than 15 years ago. Vosen was a priest in Janesville at that time.
• Compo for abuse victim. [1950s + Shearman] - Anglican. $100,000+. Girl and woman.

   The Border Mail (Albury), www.bordermail. com.au/newsflow/ pageitem?page_ id=1021872 , Sat, Aug 06, 2005
   AUSTRALIA - THE Anglican Church has offered a six-figure compensation deal to the woman whose claims of child sexual abuse against a priest brought down a governor-general.
   Beth Heinrich, now aged in her 60s, says she was sexually assaulted by Anglican priest Donald Shearman while a 15-year-old school girl boarder at a hostel at Forbes in the 1950s.
   Just before his appointment as governor-general, Ms Heinrich approached then Brisbane Anglican archbishop Peter Hollingworth for help.
• Jury Decides Against Priest In Defamation Case. [Vosen] - RCC. Altar boy.

   TheMilwaukeeChannel.com , UPDATED: 7:01 pm CDT August 5, 2005
   JANESVILLE, Wis.-Jurors in Rock County have decided against a Catholic priest who said he was falsely accused of sexual abuse by a former altar boy.
   After two hours of deliberations, the jury rejected claims that the 26-year-old man had concocted the story and that he had defamed Father Gerald Vosen, of Baraboo.
   Vosen had sued the man claiming the allegations were false. His attorney asked jurors to award the priest more than $1 million in punitive damages.
• Oakland diocese to settle abuse cases for $56 mln. [1962-85 Oakland Diocese] - RCC. $US 56.3 m. 56 cases.
   Reuters, 9:28 PM ET, Fri Aug 5, 2005
   SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA (Reuters) - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland, California, agreed on Friday to pay $56.3 million to settle 56 cases of sexual abuse of children by priests from 1962 to 1985, lawyers and the church said.
   Plaintiffs' lawyer Rick Simons said the settlement represented all abuse cases against the Oakland diocese, with the amounts per victim ranging from a few hundred thousand dollars to $2 million.
   "This news is a great relief to those Catholic children who silently suffered for years with the pain and harm of sexual abuse by their priest," he said.
   The Catholic Church in the United States has faced hundreds of lawsuits in recent years involving charges of pedophilia by some priests.
   Oakland Bishop Allen Vigneron again expressed his regret about the crimes dating back decades.
   "I renew my apology to victim-survivors, to their families and to the whole community for the great harm that has been done by those priests who have sexually abused minors," he said in a statement. "It is my heartfelt hope that reaching this resolution will help victim-survivors move forward ever more securely along the path of healing."
• Father Sewar pleads not guilty to charges. [1999-2001 Sewar] - RCC. Boy.
   Catholic Courier, By Rob Cullivan, Aug-05-2005
   ROCHESTER (NY)-During an Aug. 2 arraignment in City Court, Father Dennis R. Sewar pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of third-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child.
   According to court documents, the alleged incidents of abuse took place between the end of October 1999 and August 2001, during which time Father Sewar was pastor of Rochester's Church of the Annunciation. Court documents state that the alleged victim was a teenage boy who claimed the priest repeatedly touched him in an inappropriate manner, and that the alleged abuse stopped when the boy turned 16.
   Father Sewar, a diocesan priest who has been on administrative leave since mid-June, was arrested on the charges July 22.
   City Court Judge John E. Elliott ordered Father Sewar to have no contact with his accuser. The priest is slated to appear in court again on Aug. 17. If convicted, he could face up to a year in prison on each charge, according to his attorney, John F. Speranza.
• Trial Date Set for Maui Deacon. [Gonsalves] - RCC. 62 charges. Boy.

   KHNL, ~ August 05, 2005
   WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) - Trial for a Roman Catholic deacon on Maui accused of sexually assaulting a boy has been rescheduled to November 18th.
   James "Ron" Gonsalves has pleaded innocent to 62 counts of first- and third-degree sexual assault of a minor.
   Maui Circuit Judge Shackley Raffetto also granted a defense motion yesterday to allow the 68-year-old Gonsalves to visit his mother at Maui Memorial Medical Center with an escort from his attorney's office.
   Gonsalves was released Monday, after posting $100,000 bail under provisions that kept him confined to his home in Wailuku, except when visiting his attorney's office.
• Oakland diocese settles remaining suits with victims alleging abuse. [Oakland Diocese] - RCC. >50 victims.

   San Francisco Chronicle, By KIM CURTIS, Associated Press Writer, (08-05) 16:28 PDT San Francisco (AP) Friday, August 5, 2005
   OAKLAND (CA) (AP) - The Oakland Diocese has agreed to settle its remaining lawsuits filed by more than 50 alleged victims of priest sexual abuse, the plaintiffs' lawyers announced Friday.
   The settlement - no dollar amount was released - is a series of individual settlements with each remaining victim who alleged abuse by Oakland priests, according to a press release from the lawyers. The negotiations took more than four months and were overseen by an Alameda County Superior Court judge.
   Messages left seeking comment Friday from a diocese spokesman were not immediately returned.
   "There is no amount of money that can ever bring back the stolen innocence and destroyed faith that sexual molestation by a child's priest causes," said Larry Drivon, a Stockton lawyer who represents half of the alleged victims. "These settlements are adequate and fair."
   The settlements mean at least 15 trials set to begin in upcoming months were canceled, the lawyers said.
• Oakland diocese settles with 56 victims of clergy sexual abuse. [Oakland Diocese] - RCC. 56 survivors.
   Mercury News, By Dan Hull, ~ August 05, 2005
   OAKLAND (CA) - The Diocese of Oakland has agreed to settle with 56 survivors of sexual abuse by its priests, ending four months of intense legal negotiations that were supervised by Alameda County Superior Court Judge David Hunter.
   The $56 million settlement, announced today, is remarkable because each individual case was negotiated separately.
• Gonsalves trial set for Nov. 14. [3yrs Gonsalves] - RCC. 62 charges. Boy.

   The Maui News, ~ August 05, 2005
   WAILUKU, HAWAII - A Nov. 14 trial was set in 2nd Circuit Court for Deacon Ron Gonsalves, who is charged with sexual abuse of a boy over a three-year period.
   Gonsalves, 68, has pleaded not guilty to 62 counts of sexual assault.
   He was released from jail Monday after posting $100,000 bail.
   As a condition of his release on bail, Gonsalves has been ordered not to go within one mile of St. Ann Church in Waihee and to have no contact with minors.
• New Reports Of Abuse Against Former Colorado Priest. [1960s + White] - RCC. 13 boys.

   TheDenverChannel.com , www.thedenver channel.com/news/ 4816662/detail.html , POSTED 4:58 pm MDT, August 5, 2005
   DENVER (CO)-A former Roman Catholic priest now living in Denver faces a growing number of claims he sexually abused boys when he served in Colorado parishes between 1960 and 1993.
   Twelve men so far this year have told The Denver Post they were abused by H. Robert White, 72, when they were children. Some told the newspaper they reported the allegations as early as the 1960s, only to watch White move to other parishes.
   Lynn Boersma of Steamboat Springs said Friday that her brother, Marlin Black, was a 13th victim who was abused in the early 1960s when White was a pastor in Denver. Black died last year.
   White could not be located for comment; there is no telephone listing for him and a woman reached at a home where he had been living said he had left. He has told the Post he does not remember the alleged victim who was the first to speak with the newspaper, and has declined to answer whether he was ever accused of abuse.
   The Archdiocese of Denver does not comment on assault allegations, but has said it addresses complaints seriously, offers counseling and reports cases to law-enforcement officers. White has not been a priest since 1993, a decade before the nation's priest abuse scandal erupted.
• Group: Take priest off bulletin. [Placa] - RCC.
   Newsday, BY RITA CIOLLI, August 5, 2005
   GREAT NECK (NY) - A Catholic lay group is asking Bishop William Murphy to remove the name of Msgr. Alan Placa, a suspended priest at the center of diocese's abuse scandal, from the parish bulletin of St. Aloysius in Great Neck.
   Listing Placa as "in residence" implies he is a priest in good standing, charges a letter sent yesterday to the Diocese of Rockville Centre by Voice of the Faithful. The group said Murphy is not honoring his promise that no priest with a credible allegation of sexual abuse would serve in pastoral ministry.
   Sean Dolan, a spokesman for Murphy, said Placa was abiding by the terms of his suspension by not celebrating Mass in public or wearing his Roman Catholic collar. "He is not presenting himself as a priest in public," Dolan said. He noted that the bishop has given Placa permission to say some funeral Masses.
   However, Voice of the Faithful argues the front-page listing, with a phone number under his name, invites the public to contact him. "How is that not representing himself as an active priest and how is that not representing himself as being active in ministry?" said Dan Bartley, the group's co-director.
   Placa, a former vice chancellor, founded the "intervention team" that handled the internal investigations of complaints against priests. A 2003 Suffolk County grand jury report said he was the architect of a scheme to shuffle offending priests and trick victims into keeping quiet. Placa, who has denied any wrongdoing, was unavailable for comment, as was Msgr. Brendan Riordan, pastor of the parish where Placa lives in the rectory.
• Ex-town priest admits sex assault charges. [1970s-80s Carroll (Benedictine)] - RCC. 20 charges.

   Times & Star, Aug/05/2005
   BRITAIN - FORMER Workington priest Father Gregory Peter Carroll has admitted 15 charges of indecent assault and five counts of gross indecency.
   The victims were all under 14 at the time and were connected to private school Ampleforth College in Yorkshire, where Fr Carroll was based between 1973 and 1983.
   Fr Gregory spent 14 years at Workington's Our Lady and St Michael's Church from 1987.
   The charges were brought after a 12-month police probe into Ampleforth Abbey, attached to an independent school run by Benedictine monks.
   Fr Gregory appeared at York Crown Court and he pleaded guilty. He will be sentenced on September 19.
• Priest used lurid advances 'to put men on the right path'. [2000s] - ? Orthodox. Males

   Cyprus Mail, By Leo Leonidou, ~ August 05, 2005
   CYPRUS - A PRIEST has landed himself in hot water after allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards young men, in which he allegedly expressed his willingness to provide them with any sexual services they wanted.
   According to Phileleftheros, the propositioning would be expressed through phone calls and text messages in which the priest would go into sordid sexual details.
   When asked why he had behaved in this manner, the priest apparently told the newspaper, "I did it with the aim of bringing the men closer to the Church."
• Diocese won't comment on Vosen verdict. [Vosen] - RCC.

   Janesville Gazette, By Mike DuPre', Friday, August 5, 2005
   JANESVILLE (WI) - Because the Rev. Gerald Vosen soon will be tried by the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Madison, the diocese's leader, Bishop Robert Morlino, said he was not allowed to comment on a verdict reached Thursday afternoon in Rock County.
   A Rock County jury unanimously decided in a civil trial that accusations of sexual abuse against Vosen were true.
   Morlino issued a press release soon afterward to say he was barred from comment.
   Addressing the case's background, the bishop said:
   "With the advice of the diocesan review board, I placed Father Vosen on administrative leave and reported the matter to the Holy See (Vatican) in accord with church law. The Holy See has instructed that a canonical (church) trial take place to determine Father Vosen's guilt or innocence. Thus any personal judgment in the matter is of no consequence because the matter will be resolved by a canonical tribunal of which I am not a member.
• Diocese Wants To Sell Senior Mobile Home Park. [Sacramento Diocese] - RCC.
   KCRA, UPDATED: 8:45 am PDT August 4, 2005
   CITRUS HEIGHTS, Calif.-Strapped by a recent $35 million sexual abuse settlement, the Sacramento Catholic Diocese has come up with a plan to raise some money that has some seniors outraged.
   The diocese wants to sell the 130-acre Lakeview Village mobile home park in Citrus Heights.
   Park residents were recently mailed a letter notifying them of the possible sale, which has many of them concerned.
   "The biggest concern is that it would be sold to some organization who would want to convert it to something completely different than a mobile home park ... lord only knows what," resident Bill Sweeney said.
• Group seeks resignation of 2 over diocese abuse cover-up. [Toledo Diocese, law officers] - RCC. 50 years concealment.
   Toledo Blade, August 05, 2005
   TOLEDO (OH) - The leader of a local victims' advocacy group is urging Bishop Leonard Blair of the Toledo Catholic Diocese to ask for the resignations of Auxiliary Bishop Robert Donnelly and the Rev. Michael Billian, episcopal vicar, for allegedly concealing crimes of child sexual abuse by priests.
   "We believe that you will never be viewed as an agent of healing and change while you are surrounded by the very same leadership who actively participated in the concealing of these crimes from the court system," Claudia Vercellotti said in a letter to Bishop Blair.
   She also asked Bishop Blair to end the diocese's business relationship with the law firm of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick.
   Ms. Vercellotti, local co-coordinator of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said she faxed the letter to the Catholic Center yesterday, but as of 6:30 last night, it had not arrived at Bishop Blair's office, according to Sally Oberski, director of communications for the diocese.
   "The bishop cannot respond to a letter that he has not read yet," Ms. Oberski said.
   The SNAP letter was sent four days after The Blade published an article detailing cases dating back 50 years in which the diocese worked with law-enforcement officials to conceal sex-abuse crimes by priests.
• Former altar boy speaks out about sex abuse. [? 1960s Feeney] - RCC. Altar boy.
   WQAD, By Kelly Hessedal, ~ August 05, 2005
   DAVENPORT (IA) - Tonight a Davenport man relives painful memories of a former pastor he says abused him when he was a child.
   Michael Uhde recently filed a lawsuit against the Davenport Diocese and Msgr. Thomas Feeney. He says the abuse began while he was an altar boy at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. He says Feeney took him on bird watching outings at Credit Island Park and molested him.
   "I'd buried it, put it away for all those years," said Uhde. "It's ruined my life in a lot of ways, robbed my childhood innocence, my dreams."
   "It's a very painful thing for anyone to go through," he added.
   Painful - even though Feeney passed away in 1981-and Uhde's now 55 years old. He says he filed a lawsuit against the diocese after he requested an independent investigation into Feeney's career and was denied. He says he's looking for answers to many questions.
• Group warns: Defrocked priest living in the area. [1954-62 Janssen] - RCC. $US 1.89 m. Boy.
   Quad-City Times, By Thomas Geyer, ~ August 05, 2005
   DAVENPORT (IA) - He only has lost a lawsuit in civil court and is not required to register as a sex offender in Iowa.
   But a group known as Catholics for Spiritual Healing distributed fliers Thursday evening in the 400 block of West Columbia Avenue in Davenport to warn people that defrocked priest James Janssen is allegedly living nearby.
   Janssen's nephew, Jim Wells, who won a $1.89 million judgment in May against his uncle for nine years of sexual abuse that ended in 1962, was among the group. "This is not revenge," Wells said. "If we can protect one child, this was well worth the effort."
   About 12 people went door to door in the area putting the fliers on car windows and front doors or handing them to area residents. Janssen came out of one of the apartment buildings and took at least one flier off a car window.
   The Rev. David Hitch, a member of the group, tried to talk to Janssen. He later said Janssen merely said to him, "How can you be so cruel," before heading back indoors.
• Priest loses defamation litigation. [Vosen] - RCC. Altar boy.
   Appleton Post-Crescent, The Associated Press, ~ August 05, 2005
   JANESVILLE (WI)- A jury on Thursday decided against a Catholic priest who said he was falsely accused of sexual abuse by a former altar boy, concluding the allegations were substantially true.
   After two hours of deliberations, the jury rejected claims the 26-year-old man had defamed the Rev. Gerald Vosen of Baraboo by concocting the story of abuse to explain to his parents why he was gay.
   John Casey, the man's attorney, said his client's credibility was attacked for more than a year, but it took a jury only two hours to substantiate his claims that the priest abused him while an altar boy and student at a Catholic elementary school in Janesville.
   "My client has been vindicated. Now the public knows he is not a liar," Casey said.
   Vosen, 71, had sued the man last year claiming the allegations were false. His attorney asked jurors to award the priest $1.1 million in punitive damages. Vosen's attorney, Patrick McDonald, said the jury may have been prejudiced by news coverage of the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal.
• Suit claims sexual abuse of priest in Los Gatos. [? 2000s Jesuit Order] - RCC. Priest victim.
   Mercury News, By Brandon Bailey, ~ August 05, 2005
   LOS GATOS (CA) - The family of a Jesuit priest who committed suicide last year has filed a wrongful death lawsuit claiming that his religious superiors failed to protect him from sexual abuse at a Los Gatos residential center for retired clergy.
   Jesuit officials have denied the allegations in the suit. But the case raises echoes of a scandal that rocked the Roman Catholic religious order three years ago, when the Jesuits paid $7.5 million to settle a lawsuit by two developmentally disabled men who were molested by two members of the order while living at the same facility.
   Now the family of the late Rev. James Chevedden says that one of the same molesters groped Chevedden's genitals while he was in a wheelchair recovering from an earlier suicide attempt.
   "They didn't protect this guy," said Robert L. Mezzetti II, a San Jose attorney who represents Chevedden's family. "They put an invalid who had mental and emotional problems in the custody and care of a sex offender."
   The order's top official for California, the Rev. Thomas Smolich, refused to discuss the lawsuit's specific allegations. While expressing sympathy for Chevedden's family, Smolich called the lawsuit "groundless and without merit."
• Jury rules against Vosen . [Vosen] - RCC. Boy.
   Baraboo News Republic, By Ryan J. Foley (Associated Press) and Molly Borgstrom (News Republic), ~ August 05, 2005
   JANESVILLE (WI) - Supporters of suspended Baraboo priest Gerald Vosen cried and took turns hugging him in back of the courtroom Thursday after Vosen lost a defamation suit against a man who claims the priest sexually abused him as a child.
   Vosen said he does not know what to do now that his attempt to clear his name in court failed.
   "I'm just very surprised and very disappointed," he said.
   The priest didn't react during the reading of the verdict but seemed shaken as he stood among his attorney and supporters for about 15 minutes afterward.
   The decision also stunned Vosen's supporters, who had attended the four-day trial in support of the long-time priest. They filled the courtroom to stand behind the man they described as gentle and caring.
• Church victim offered compensation. [1950s + Shearman] - Anglican. $100,000+. Girl and woman.

   The Courier-Mail, Aug 05, 2005
   AUSTRALIA - THE Anglican Church has offered a six-figure compensation deal to the woman whose claims of child sexual abuse against a priest brought down a governor-general.
   Beth Heinrich, now aged in her 60s, says she was sexually assaulted by Anglican priest Donald Shearman while she was a 15-year-old schoolgirl boarder at a hostel in Forbes, western New South Wales in the 1950s.
   Ms Heinrich approached then Brisbane Anglican Archbishop Peter Hollingworth for assistance, just prior to his appointment as governor-general, but he apparently fobbed her off, suggesting she had in fact instigated the abuse.
   Dr Hollingworth's comments led to public outcry, a church inquiry and his subsequent resignation in 2003.
   Law firm Slater and Gordon, acting for Ms Heinrich, confirmed a six-figure offer had been offered, and was expected to be formalised very soon.
• Priest called actions "the will of God," godson says. [1960s White] - RCC. Boy.

   Denver Post, By Eric Gorski, ~ August 05, 2005
   COLORADO - Harold Robert White invited many Catholic boys to his family's cabin in Grand Lake over the years. Delbert C. "Skip" Nielsen III was among the chosen ones.
   Nielsen was no ordinary parishioner, either. He was White's godson.
   He went alone with White to the mountains and no one gave a thought to it. He was 10 or 11.
   On that night in the mid-1960s, Nielsen said, his godfather the Roman Catholic priest crawled into bed with him.
   "He groped me, fondled me, told me it was the will of God," Skip Nielsen told The Denver Post this week. "He said that he was one of God's disciples, that it was OK, that it was normal."
   White did not respond Thursday to messages seeking comment. He has previously refused to answer questions about allegations of child sexual abuse against him. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:33 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Fri August 05, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Sat August 06, 2005 edition follows:-
• Arrest Shocks Catholic School. [Iazzetti (Marist)] - RCC. 2 men.

   The Ledger, www.theledger.com/ apps/pbcs.dll/article? AID=/20050806/ NEWS/50806 0388/1004 , By Diane Lacey Allen, August 06, 2005
   LAKELAND (FL)-News that Santa Fe Catholic High Principal Anthony Michael Iazzetti has been charged with soliciting two men to commit lewdness shocked the school's community Friday.
   Iazzetti, a 61-year-old Marist Brother who took over the Crimson Hawks' helm last year, was arrested Thursday at Saddle Creek Park, which is located down the road from the high school on U.S. 92.
   Iazzetti solicited two male undercover detectives to commit a lewd act on each other, a misdemeanor, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. He was released Friday on a $250 bail.
   Iazzetti's arrest comes as the school appeared to be bouncing back from troubles in 2003, when the Diocese of Orlando threatened to close Santa Fe because of low enrollment and low funds. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 09:10 AM]
• Some major settlements in Catholic clergy sex abuse cases. - RCC. $US 1 billion so far.
   KUTV, http://kutv.com/ nationalwire/Church Abuse-List-aa/ resources_ news_html , Saturday August 06, 2005
   UNITED STATES - Sexual abuse by U.S. Roman Catholic priests has cost the church more than $1 billion. Some of the largest known payouts to victims in the past three years:
   Jan. 29, 2002 Diocese of Tucson, Ariz., pays an estimated $15 million to settle 11 lawsuits. Declares bankruptcy two years later in the face of more claims.
   Sept. 9, 2002 Diocese of Providence, R.I., pays $13.5 million to settle 36 claims.
   Sept. 19, 2002 Boston Archdiocese settles with 86 victims of former priest John Geoghan for $10 million.
• Deacon's alleged sex acts revealed. [2002-04 Gonsalves] - RCC. Boy.

   Honolulu Star-Bulletin, By Gary T. Kubota, gkubota@starbulletin.com , August 06, 2005
   WAILUKU, HAWAII - A Catholic deacon charged with 60 counts of sexual assault of a minor allegedly had oral sex with a boy nearly once a month for more than two years, according to an indictment that was unsealed yesterday.
   James Ronald Gonsalves, 68, is accused of 30 counts of first-degree sexual assault for the alleged oral sex incidents, and 30 counts of third-degree sexual assault, which are described in the indictment only as sexual contact with the boy.
   He is also accused of two counts of attempted first-degree sexual assaults for alleged incidents in 2002 and 2003, according to the grand jury indictment.
   Gonsalves, who is on leave as a paid deacon and administrator at St. Ann Church in Waihee, has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
   He has been freed after posting $100,000 bail pending trial on Sept. 26 and must remain in his Wailuku home except when visiting his attorney's office or his mother, a patient at Maui Memorial Medical Center.
   Details in the indictment were scant but indicated that the alleged first- and third-degree sexual assaults occurred nearly once a month from June 2002 until last December. The indictment also alleges he had oral sex with the boy twice this year, the last time on June 14.
   Maui police have alleged that the June 14 assault occurred at St. Ann Church and that the assaults happened when the boy was ages 12 to 15.
• Out of the shadows. [? 1960s Monsignor Feeney] - RCC. Altar boy.

   Quad-City Times, By Ann McGlynn, August 06, 2005
   DAVENPORT (IA) - He grew up a block-and-a-half away from Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport, the oldest of 12 from a Catholic family in a neighborhood of Catholic households.
   He was baptized and confirmed at the church, served as an altar boy and attended the parochial school there. He began early in his childhood to dream of becoming a priest.
   The reality is that Michl Uhde, now 55, is in his third marriage. He works in sales.
   And he is the victim of a pedophile priest, the Davenport resident said.
   Uhde is the second person to file a lawsuit against the Catholic Diocese of Davenport since its settled with 37 sexual abuse victims for $9 million in October.
   His lawsuit states that he suffered sexual and physical abuse for years at the hands of Monsignor Thomas Feeney, a priest who rose to the post of vicar general, or second-in-command of the diocese, before dying in 1981.
• Oakland diocese settles sex suits. [Oakland Diocese] - RCC. $US 56.4m. 56 survivors.
   Oakland Tribune, By Josh Richman, ~ August 06, 2005
   OAKLAND (CA) - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland has agreed to a $56.4 million settlement with 56 childhood sexual abuse survivors, capping three years of litigation and four months of intense negotiation.
   This ranks among the largest settlements reached by U.S. dioceses in the abuse scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church in recent years.
   The Oakland Diocese - serving half a million Catholics in Alameda and Contra Costa counties - will pay about $25.3 million itself, with the rest covered by its insurers, to end all existing sex-abuse lawsuits naming it as a defendant.
   Bishop Allen Vigneron issued a statement expressing his "heartfelt hope that reaching this resolution will help victim-survivors move forward ever more securely along the path of healing."
   He and all East Bay priests will do all they can to make it so, he added, renewing his apology to victims and his commitment to ensuring children's safety.
• Diocese settles abuse suits. [Oakland Diocese] - RCC. $US 56.4m. 24 clergy. 56 victims.
   Mercury News, By Bruce Gerstman, CONTRA COSTA TIMES, ~ August 06, 2005
   OAKLAND (CA) - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland announced Friday that it had settled lawsuits with 56 victims of sex abuse for a total of $56 million.
   The settlements come after about four months of negotiations and ends all such suits against the diocese.
   "My clients are relieved that they can finally bring this to closure," said attorney Rick Simons, who represented about half of the plaintiffs. "They can be satisfied that they have done something concrete to make sure the sex abuse they experienced is never repeated."
   The individual settlements range from $200,000 to more than $2 million, Simons said.
   The Oakland diocese, which encompasses churches in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, is tied to about a third of Northern California sexual abuse cases, involving 24 priests. Northern California dioceses have been involved in more than 150 sex abuse lawsuits.
• Priest tells of a 'surreal ordeal'. [? 1970s Colleary] - RCC. Altar boy.

   Belfast Telegraph, By Anita Guidera, August 06, 2005
   IRELAND - An Irish priest who has successfully challenged extradition proceedings against him in the USA to face child sex abuse charges is protesting his innocence - but he has admitted that his life as a priest is over.
   Fr Pat Colleary (55), a native of the village of Curry in Co Sligo, was facing two counts of sexual conduct with a minor and one count of attempted sexual conduct with a 10-year-old altar boy in Phoenix, Arizona, where he had worked as a priest since his ordination in 1974.
   Colleary returned to Ireland in January, 2003, on legal advice after a warrant had been issued for his arrest by the Maricopa County Attorney's office and later became the subject of extradition proceedings.
   But last week he won a High Court case in which he challenged those proceedings on the grounds of the time delay in reporting the alleged offence and the bail regime in Arizona which the High Court ruled would amount to an infringement of his constitutional right to liberty.
   Speaking to the Sligo Champion newspaper from his rural south Sligo home near the Mayo border, Colleary praised the local community which had supported him throughout what he described as "a surreal ordeal".
• Calif. Church Settles Abuse Suits for $56M . [Oakland Diocese] - RCC. $US 56m. 56 victims.

   Norman Transcript, By KIM CURTIS, The Associated Press, ~ August 06, 2005
   SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland has agreed to pay $56 million to settle lawsuits filed by 56 alleged victims of priest sexual abuse, the diocese said.
   The agreement is a series of individual settlements with each remaining victim who alleged abuse by Oakland priests, according to plaintiffs' attorneys. Negotiations took more than four months and were overseen by an Alameda County Superior Court judge.
   The diocese did not say how much each alleged victim would receive.
   "It is my heartfelt hope that reaching this resolution will help victim-survivors move forward ever more securely along the path of healing," Diocese of Oakland Bishop Allen Vigneron said in a statement Friday. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 08:37 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Sat August 06, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Sun August 07, 2005 edition follows:-
• Behind a Priest's Suicide. - Roman Catholic Church . Jesuit abused Jesuit.

   New Zealand Herald, www.nzherald.co. nz/index.cfm?ObjectID= 10339584 , By Angela Gregory, Aug.08.05
   NEW ZEALAND - A Tokelau church pastor who admitted raping his stepdaughter but was never charged is now under scrutiny after intervention from New Zealand.
   Pastor Iosua Faamoni sexually abused the 12-year-old while she was living with him on the Atafu atoll in the Tokelau group in 1992.
   The girl spoke out about the offence six years later, although she never made a formal complaint, and Faamoni fled to Australia.
   But he has since returned to Atafu and shocked some of the small community of about 500 when he resumed preaching and started asking for girls to be sent to live with him.
   A New Zealand doctor who had worked in Tokelau, Peter Adam, told the Herald he was horrified when he returned last September to discover Faamoni back on the atoll.
   Dr Adam said he knew the pastor's history of sexual abuse as the victim, who now lives in Australia, had first complained to the wife of a friend of his.[...]
   A three-person delegation of the Congregational Church (from New Zealand, Australia and the neighbouring atoll of Fakaofo) was in Atafu consulting the village council and the Atafu branch of the church.
   "It is expected that a decision will be taken then on the way ahead."
   Mr Walter said there seemed to be a general acceptance that the offence did occur.
   "It has been reported to me that there was a public confession of wrongdoing by the pastor on his return to Atafu last year, and that this was followed by a pardoning by the church community."
   Mr Walter said the village process of forgiveness and reconciliation had not been accepted by everyone.[...] [Emphasis added]
• Law lags in tackling sex abuse in schools. - RCC. [2000 Mr Provanzana] 2 girls. [? 2005 Ms Geisel] Boy.

   Poughkeepsie Journal, www.poughkeepsie journal.com/apps/ pbcs.dll/article? AID=/20050807/ NEWS05/508070341 , The Associated Press, August 07, 2005
   ALBANY, NEW YORK- Nicholas Provanzana was the kind of teacher administrators, fellow teachers and students at Washingtonville High School loved - "the coolest teacher alive," according to one music student's Internet posting in 2003.
   They didn't know he had pleaded guilty to "offensive touching" of a minor in New Jersey after a night of heavy drinking and sex games in 2000 with two female students, according to New York state records. He served 60 days in jail and was on five years probation when he began teaching at Washingtonville, Orange County, state education records revealed.
   Provanzana was among at least 77 men and women school employees, from New York City to the smallest rural districts, who lost their licenses over the past five years for sexual misconduct involving students, according to records obtained under the state Freedom of Information Law. ...
   Last week, a former English teacher at the all-boys Christian Brothers Academy in Albany was charged with rape for allegedly having sex with a student. Sandra Geisel, 42, was charged with two counts of third-degree rape and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, police said.
   Educator abuse in public schools costs taxpayers millions of dollars in lawsuits and settlements - New York City alone paid $18.7 million in five years ending in 2001 to sexually abused students.
• Child molesters aren't necessarily strangers. - Episcopal.
   St. Petersburg Times, By KATHERINE SNOW SMITH, Times Correspondent, Published August 7, 2005
   FLORIDA - I'd been dreading the required training for close to a year.
   Though I actually had conflicts every time the three-hour class was offered, I also thought it was a huge waste of time. Why did I need to take a class about sexual child abuse awareness? I certainly have no tendencies toward such horrible actions, and I seriously doubt that any of the other volunteers at our church do either. Furthermore, if my children were ever targeted by a molester, they would tell me right away, and that would be the end of it.
   I thought the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida was being overly paranoid to require the course for any church member who teaches or comes into regular contact with children. But when I finally took the class on a recent Saturday morning, I actually found it eye-opening.
   Sadly, I learned, a cute, normal-seeming 15-year-old volunteer or the beloved, longtime youth director can be the child molester we all fear but picture more as the creep hanging out at the park.
   Research shows that only 10 percent of abuse is perpetrated by strangers, 30 percent is by a family member and 60 percent is someone else who the child and often the family knows. Furthermore, even the best parent-child relationship can be compromised by a cunning abuser who learns to gain children's trust and control them or threaten them to keep them from blowing the whistle.
• Child slavery, no less. [Christian Brothers] - RCC. Maltese child migrants.

   Malta Independent, http://217.145.4. 56/ind/news.asp? newsitemid=19780 , by Marisa Micallef, ~ August 07, 2005
   MALTA - In the 1950s and 1960s, difficult as it may seem to us parents now, hundreds of Maltese children (not orphans as I had previously thought) were sent to Australia to be educated by the so called Christian Brothers. Instead, these children were exploited, made to work for 14 hours a day, suffered terrible emotional and sometimes sexual abuse, and generally received no education at all. But more about their ordeal later.
   This group of children, now adults, who suffered so abominably, are asking that Malta commemorates their plight with the following proposed wording inscribed on a plaque:
   "This plaque commemorates the 310 child migrants who travelled to Australia in search of a better life between 1950 and 1965
   "We respect their achievements. We rejoice in their success. We regret any unintended consequences of child migration."
   They're not asking for much are they? It's hardly asking us to go down on bended knee in shame for the crimes of our predecessors. Why do we find it so easy to praise ourselves but never to say sorry? This county is littered with plaques of various politicians opening up this, that and the other with our taxes.
   This country is littered with plaques, statuettes and God knows what else celebrating the achievements of our political classes and their sycophants. As a country we delight in composing self-congratulatory prose and text. Why is it so difficult to commemorate real suffering and sacrifice? Why is it so difficult for both the Church and the State to make an apology on behalf of their predecessors?
   None of the people involved are in power now so there should be no reluctance at all in this matter! But then this is a country where the freezing of two fused cells in a test tube creates more, or as much, moral outrage as children allegedly being abused by priests in Church homes, by millions of children starving to death in Africa, or any of the real problems children face here and elsewhere.
• Diocese needs to do more than promise. - RCC. Film 'Twist of Faith'. Story of Tony Comes.

   Toledo Blade, by Russ Lemmon, ~ August 07, 2005
Five super-size Lemmon Drops:
   TOLEDO (OH) - I watched Twist of Faith again last week.
   After reading the article in last Sunday's paper about the Toledo Catholic diocese working with law enforcement to conceal sex-abuse cases for 50 years, I felt compelled to watch the Oscar-nominated documentary a second time.
   For those not familiar with Twist of Faith, it chronicles the life of Toledo firefighter Tony Comes around the time he went public with allegations of sexual abuse by a former priest, Dennis Gray.
   My reaction after watching it on HBO in June: It's a shame what the leadership of the diocese has put Mr. Comes through in recent years.
   My reaction after watching it on tape last week: It's a damn shame what he's been put through.
   The diocese's leaders seem incapable of owning up to what took place.
   Their stall-and-deny strategy, as detailed in the documentary, left me with a profound sense of sadness. It's not something you would expect from one of society's pillars.
• Sex, age consent and the courts. [Ms Geisel] - RCC. 4 boys.
   Albany Times Union, By MATT PACENZA, Sunday, August 7, 2005
   NEW YORK - In Vermont, Sandra Beth Geisel would not be a rape suspect. Sex there between an adult and a 16-year-old is not considered a crime.
   But in New York, the former teacher faces up to four years in a state prison if convicted of third-degree rape for having sex with a Christian Brothers Academy student.
   The explosive revelation that Geisel, the estranged wife of a prominent local banker, allegedly had sex with at least four teenage students shines a light on a controversial area of law and social norms.
   Rape laws presume teens under a certain age which varies from state to state can't offer informed consent. In New York, teens younger than 17 are victims of rape if they have sex with someone older than 21, regardless of whether it is forced, coerced or desired.
   Such laws are necessary, prosecutors assert, because such encounters are inherently traumatic and are likely to cause long-term harm to the underage victims.
   But interviews with experts, research on adult-teen sex and the facts of the Geisel case itself complicate that analysis, raising questions about the appropriateness of the very words at the heart of the case: rape, abuse, trauma, victim.
   The case comes at a time when the issue of priest sex abuse has focused attention on pedophilia, even as criminologists report that the frequency of child sex abuse is decreasing.
• Priest: Silence ordered on abuse. [1980s Brzyski] - RCC. Boys. Rev. Gigliotti whistleblower.
   Philadelphia Inquirer, By Nancy Phillips, Mark Fazlollah and Craig R. McCoy, ~ August 07, 2005
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) - When the Rev. James Gigliotti told church officials in the early 1980s that a Northeast Philadelphia priest was molesting boys, he remembers receiving a stern warning.
   "This comes from the highest authority: You're to keep your mouth shut," Gigliotti said an assistant chancellor told him.
   The Philadelphia Archdiocese quickly removed the accused priest, the Rev. James J. Brzyski, from his parish in the Fox Chase section.
   But the archdiocese did not tell parishioners the reason. Nor did it report Brzyski to police.
   With his conduct a secret, Brzyski remained a welcome guest in parishioners' homes. A former altar boy said this meant Brzyski kept abusing him - for years. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 08:20 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Sun August 07, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
• Behind a Priest's Suicide. - RCC. Jesuit abused Jesuit. Fr. Chevedden's story.

   Los Angeles Times, www.latimes.com/ news/local/la-me- chevedden6aug06, 0,4748732,full.story , By Glenn F. Bunting, August 6, 2005
   Father Chevedden 's family says his reports of sexual abuse by a fellow Jesuit were brushed aside. The church cites his mental problems.
   SAN JOSE (CA) - On the day he was to report for jury duty, Father James Chevedden said the 11 a.m. Mass at the Sacred Heart chapel in Los Gatos before catching a ride downtown.
   Shortly after jurors were dismissed on that breezy spring afternoon, security guards at a nearby transit authority building saw something falling from the six-story courthouse parking garage in San Jose.
   At 4:48 p.m., paramedics found Chevedden's body face up on a patch of dirt. He died on his 56th birthday.
   Although no suicide note was found, authorities say the Jesuit priest took his own life. He had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, and he had severely injured himself at least once before.
   An obituary in the National Jesuit News reported that Chevedden jumped to his death May 19 last year "after a long struggle with mental illness."
   His fatal leap "was not an act of a person in possession of his rational capacities," wrote Father John Martin, Chevedden's superior at the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center.
   But his therapist and distraught family members were puzzled. Chevedden seemed to be functioning well with prescribed medications and regular psychiatric treatment. He was active in the Bay Area, teaching catechism to children, leading Bible study groups and happily studying Judaism, Hebrew and Eastern Christianity.
   It wasn't Chevedden's illness that had precipitated his death, they decided; it was something that had happened to him at Sacred Heart.
   "In retrospect, I can understand that he just felt like there was no way out," said psychiatrist George Maloof. "It's a very sad tale."
   James Norman Chevedden was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the Ladera Heights area. He and his three brothers served as altar boys at St. John the Evangelist Church and graduated from Loyola High, the all-male prep school run by the Society of Jesus, an elite order within the Roman Catholic Church commonly known as the Jesuits.
   Chevedden enrolled in a Jesuit seminary at age 18. He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., and a master's degree from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley.
   Inspired by his mentor, Father Francis Rouleau, a Jesuit scholar and longtime missionary, Chevedden spent several years studying Chinese in Hsinchu and theology at Fu Jen University in Taipei, Taiwan. He was ordained a priest in 1978.
   For nearly two decades, he held various positions in Taiwan, from director of a dormitory for high school boys to pastor in a remote mountain village. He enjoyed playing piano and composed liturgical music in Chinese.
   "He was kind of a quiet, humble guy who was genuine and honest," recalled David Hammons, a Bay Area physician who went to high school with Chevedden. "I know that Jim really enjoyed being a priest."
   The first indication of a psychiatric problem surfaced in summer 1995 during a series of rambling phone calls placed from Taiwan to his parents and to Jesuit superiors. Chevedden said he was fearful of being followed and killed, according to medical reports.
   "He didn't seem rational," said his father, Ray, a retired aerospace engineer.
   The priest, then 47, was admitted to a psychiatric ward at St. Mary's Medical Center in San Francisco and placed on a legal hold as a "danger to self," records show. Doctors at the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kan., diagnosed him as suffering from an anxiety disorder that was probably exacerbated by his missionary duties in Taiwan.
   "Under times of increased stress, Father Chevedden can feel depleted, and his anxiety can escalate quickly into panic with paranoia," wrote Dr. John R. Whipple.
   By 1996, Chevedden had become disillusioned with the Jesuit order and began looking for a teaching position in Los Angeles outside the Catholic school system. Under a temporary leave, the Jesuits provided a used Geo Prizm vehicle and $1,000 a month. Like all Jesuits who take a vow of poverty, he had no savings or retirement benefits.
   Unable to land a job, Chevedden resumed his ministry in the Bay Area, where he developed a loyal following among Chinese Catholic families.
   "He was loved by us as if he were a member of our own family," said Yvonne Chow, who pursued Bible studies with Chevedden. "He was always so willing to give. He rarely said no to others."
   But his psychiatric problems persisted.
   On Aug. 19, 1998, Chevedden jumped from a window-washing scaffold on the Sacred Heart grounds. His injuries included two fractured feet that required extensive surgery.
   Accounts of why he jumped vary.
   "He told us he was feeling so good about his own condition that he had stopped taking his medicines," said Paul Chevedden, his twin brother. "From then on, he recognized that he absolutely needed them."
   Father Martin, the superior at Sacred Heart, told authorities last year that Chevedden had tried to commit suicide in the 1998 incident.
   But the Jesuit in charge of the California Province described Chevedden as having had "a paranoid psychotic break." Said Father Thomas H. Smolich: "He was not intending to take his life."
   After surgery, Chevedden was transferred to the infirmary at Sacred Heart. Confined to a wheelchair with casts on both feet, he was escorted around the retreat on many days by a fellow Jesuit, Brother Charles Leonard Connor.
   During this recovery period, Chevedden said, Connor sexually molested and physically abused him. The alleged misconduct is described in reports that Chevedden submitted to Jesuit superiors, in notes of counseling sessions with his psychiatrist and in private e-mails to family members.
   Chevedden said Connor occasionally massaged his shoulders. One day, after Connor had pushed Chevedden in his wheelchair to a third-floor computer room, the brother allegedly placed one hand inside the priest's pajama bottoms and touched his penis.
   Chevedden told family members that he was taken aback by Connor's actions and resisted any further advances. Days later, Chevedden alleged, Connor retaliated by ramming his wheelchair into a barrier, causing excruciating pain to both feet.
   "I judge these acts of Brother Connor to be particularly cruel, because I was so vulnerable at the time," Chevedden wrote.
   Connor, now 84, has denied the accusations.
   Chevedden did not immediately report Connor's alleged improprieties to Jesuit superiors, because he was embarrassed and did not think they would believe him, he later told relatives and his psychiatrist.
   At the time, Chevedden had no way of knowing that Jesuit leaders had received complaints dating to 1995 alleging that Connor had sexually assaulted a mentally disabled dishwasher at the Sacred Heart facility. The Jesuits did not refer the matter to authorities. Acting on a tip in June 2000, police executed a search warrant at Sacred Heart and found internal memos incriminating Connor in the abuse.
   At the insistence of authorities, the Jesuits transferred Connor away from his victim at Sacred Heart.
   He was convicted of a felony sex crime in 2001 and ordered to serve six months of home detention, register as a lifetime sex offender and refrain from any contact with mentally disabled adults or minors.
   In March 2002, The Times reported that the Jesuits had concealed the initial sexual abuse allegations against Connor from law enforcement.
   Throughout the summer, the Jesuits negotiated a $7.5-million settlement with the dishwasher and another mentally disabled victim, both in their 50s, who said they had been sodomized and sexually assaulted by Connor and another elderly Jesuit at Sacred Heart.
   It was during this period that Chevedden complained about Connor to his superiors.
   "But when I found that they seemed to take no notice of it, I put a statement in writing," Chevedden said in a June 27, 2002, e-mail to his family. "Now I believe that they will investigate the matter."
   Jesuit leaders sought to quietly resolve Chevedden's complaints, internal records show. Smolich, who oversees one of 10 Jesuit provinces in the U.S. and reports directly to Rome, arranged to meet privately with Chevedden and Connor "to get this squared away person to person," he wrote on Sept. 10, 2002.
   "I am somewhat nervous about this meeting," Chevedden told family members in an e-mail. "But I will just present the truth of my two accusations. Please pray for me."
   The session proved a disappointment to Chevedden.
   "Brother Connor not only said he did not remember the two incidents, he categorically denied the accusations," Chevedden wrote. "I was unhappy that Father Smolich, while trying to appear even-handed, sided more with Brother Connor."
   Smolich said Chevedden's allegations "were investigated and could not be proven credible. Both incidents took place in public, there were no actions of overt sexual behavior and there was no suggestion that either incident was a prelude to additional inappropriate activity."
   He added: "In all likelihood, Father Chevedden's fears, combined with publicity about Brother Connor's past misconduct, could have created for him a reality which did not exist."
   But a San Francisco psychiatrist, whom the Jesuits paid to treat Chevedden, said he is convinced that the priest told the truth about Connor.
   "He had paranoid delusions," said Maloof, 65, who considers himself an orthodox Catholic and counseled Chevedden for two years before his death. "But I have no doubt that Father Chevedden was accurate in what he described. He was very precise in detailing and documenting what transpired."
   Maloof has practiced psychiatry for more than three decades and is president of the San Francisco Guild of the Catholic Medical Assn., an organization of doctors devoted to preserving the principles of their faith in the practice of medicine. He said he met at Smolich's request with Chevedden and Martin, the superior at Sacred Heart, on Sept. 26, 2002, at the Jesuits' Loyola House in San Francisco.
   According to Maloof's notes, Martin conceded that Connor may have had a memory lapse about the alleged molestation.
   "Father Martin just laid it out, [saying], 'We're in this together. We don't want any more lawsuits. So, we've got to work something out here,' " Maloof recalled in an interview.
   The purpose of the meeting, according to the psychiatrist, was to keep the allegations from becoming public. He said Jesuit leaders appeared far more interested in "exerting damage control" than in caring for his client.
   "They didn't want another case involving Brother Connor," Maloof said. "They were determined to quash any further disclosures of abuse."
   Smolich responded: "It isn't as simple as Dr. Maloof is portraying." He declined to elaborate.
   Martin declined to be interviewed for this story. He said in an e-mail response that Chevedden "was much appreciated, encouraged and supported in every way possible" by the Jesuits.
   Frustrated by his superiors, Chevedden was determined to notify police about Connor's actions and make his allegations public. "He was ready to blow the whistle," Maloof said.
   But the psychiatrist, noting that the Jesuits controlled priest assignments and living conditions, persuaded Chevedden that he had to keep quiet about the allegations and work out an acceptable compromise with his superiors if he wanted to remain with the Society of Jesus.
   "I was the one who put the brakes on it," Maloof acknowledged. "If I have any regret, it is that I did that."
   Smolich added: "If Jim wanted to go to the police, we would never have stopped him."
   Jesuit leaders and Chevedden agreed on a set of restrictions for Connor. He was ordered not to initiate any contact with Chevedden, not to go near Chevedden's room and to avoid sitting at a table in the Sacred Heart dining hall if Chevedden was present, according to Smolich. Those restrictions were not always followed, Chevedden told his psychiatrist and family.
   When Chevedden jumped to his death last year, he became another tragic statistic - one of at least 55 alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse who have killed themselves in the U.S. since 1990, according to research by the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests.
   Chevedden's allegations would not have come to light if "he had not jumped off that building," said Robert L. Mezzetti II, a San Jose attorney who represents the priest's family and helped negotiate the settlement for Connor's mentally disabled victims.
   "The Jesuits keep saying that they've learned their lesson, and they keep apologizing," Mezzetti said, "but they don't change their ways."
   After the Catholic clergy sex abuse scandal erupted in 2002, at least five Jesuit members of the California Province who had been convicted of sex crimes or accused of molesting minors were transferred to the Sacred Heart facility. The picturesque retreat in the Santa Cruz Mountains provides a haven and support for Jesuit sex offenders.
   The reassignments meant that Brother Connor, who had been sent away from Sacred Heart in 2000, and Father Chevedden would once again share the same residence - an arrangement that the priest's psychiatrist said he warned Jesuit leaders was a big mistake.
   "I told them from my experience [that] to put a victim and a perpetrator together in a very loose environment is completely unsupportable," Maloof said.
   Although Chevedden lodged no further complaints of abuse, he made several requests to separate himself from Connor.
   He was sent back to Taiwan, but returned to Sacred Heart within weeks when his assignment became too stressful.
   He sought a transfer to Chinese Catholic parishes in New York and Boston. He asked to live at the Jesuit community at Santa Clara University.
   And, shortly before his death, he made plans to study at the University of Notre Dame "to get away from" Sacred Heart, according to his psychiatrist's notes.
   "He didn't mind being at Sacred Heart," Maloof said. "He just couldn't stand being with the sex molesters, especially Brother Connor."
   Jesuit superiors said they kept Chevedden at Sacred Heart because the residence was best suited for him.
   "None of the communities he requested were able to provide the necessary level of support and supervision for a man with significant mental health issues," Smolich said.
   Relatives contend that Jesuit leaders have exploited Chevedden's sickness in an effort to sidestep any responsibility for his death.
   "The Jesuits have disseminated half a story, while burying the other half," Paul Chevedden said. "They are engaged in a campaign of cover-up and spin that places all the blame on Jim."
   In May, attorneys for the Chevedden family filed a lawsuit seeking $10 million in damages from the Jesuits.
   While declining to discuss pending litigation, the Jesuits maintain that the lawsuit has no merit. But Smolich said the Jesuits remained willing to negotiate "a just and fair closure" to the case.
   "Death is never easy for family and friends," he said. "A self-inflicted death leaves all with questions and a desire to understand what happened. Unfortunately, in Father Chevedden's case that will likely not occur." #
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Mon August 08, 2005 edition follows:-
• Bill would force church to disclose its finances. - RCC.

   BOSTON (MA) - The Boston Globe, www.boston.com/ news/local/mass achusetts/articles/ 2005/08/08/bill_ would_force_church_ to_disclose_ its_finances ; By Frank Phillips | August 8, 2005
   The Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, still dealing with the fallout from the clergy abuse crisis and upheaval over church closings, faces a major battle on Beacon Hill this week as lawmakers push for an unprecedented measure to force the church to open its books to the public.
   The legislation, authored by state Senator Marian Walsh and backed by 32 other lawmakers, is being considered at a time when the church faces deep skepticism and in some cases open hostility from politicians on Beacon Hill and at City Hall. Some lawmakers who champion the bill, which will be brought up at a hearing Wednesday, previously stood side by side with church leaders on policy issues like abortion.
   The legislation, which would require all religious organizations to file annual financial reports and a list of real estate holdings with the attorney general's charities division, is opposed by the Catholic Church and major mainline Protestant denominations. It is being watched as a test of how much clout the archdiocese still retains with the state's political establishment. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 12:37 PM]
• Priest: Church silenced abuses. [1980s Brzyski; 1980s Graf] - RCC. Fr J. Gigliotti spoke out, silenced. Boys.
   Centre Daily Times, The Associated Press, ~ August 08, 2005
   PHILADELPHIA (PA)-A Roman Catholic priest who reported to a church official in the early 1980s that a fellow priest was molesting boys said he was told that the Philadelphia Archdiocese's "highest authority" warned that he should keep quiet.
   The Rev. James Gigliotti told The Philadelphia Inquirer for Sunday's edition that he received a stern warning after he reported the accusations against the Rev. James J. Brzyski.
   "This comes from the highest authority: You're to keep your mouth shut," Gigliotti said an assistant chancellor told him.
   Gigliotti is the first priest to say publicly that the archdiocese told him to keep quiet.
   "I take full responsibility for this, but those words, 'You're to keep your mouth shut,' made a big impression on me because it came from high authority," said Gigliotti, 57, who now leads a parish in Arlington, Texas.
   Gigliotti identified the man who warned him as the Rev. John W. Graf, an assistant chancellor under then-Cardinal John Krol. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:14 AM]
• Levada says farewell at Mass. - RCC. Silent vigil 'Stop the coverup'.
   San Francisco Chronicle, by Julian Guthrie, Monday, August 8, 2005
   SAN FRANCISCO (CA) - Thousands of the faithful filled St. Mary's Cathedral on Sunday to hear the last Mass offered in San Francisco by Archbishop William Levada before he becomes the highest-ranking American in Vatican history.
   Levada, a fourth-generation Californian appointed to the San Francisco post 10 years ago in October, plans to resign Aug. 17. He will be in charge of resolving questions around faith and morals for the world's 1.1 billion Catholics.
   Levada's farewell celebration at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption was marked by the adoration of hundreds who waited in long lines for a brief individual blessing from Levada. In his homily, Levada spoke lovingly about San Francisco, from its poorest residents to those with the most.
   The occasion was tempered by a silent vigil for those who have been abused by priests. Dozens of protesters, standing in a long line in front of the church on Geary Boulevard, wore T-shirts that read, "It's a Sin. Stop the Coverup."
• New motion planned in pastor's child molestation case. [1996 Brown] - RCC. Boy.
   The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, By DAVID SIMPSON, Aug/08/05
   GEORGIA - Lawyers for Troy Brown plan to file a motion today to try to restore a short-lived appeals court victory for the Lithonia minister, who is serving a 70-year prison sentence for molesting a 15-year-old boy.
   A three-judge panel of the Georgia Court of Appeals reversed Brown's conviction on July 8, but the same judges reconsidered the case and upheld the conviction July 28.
   Defense lawyer Greg Lohmeier said Brown will ask the court to consider the case for a third time in a motion today. If that motion fails, Brown will appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court, Lohmeier said.
   The Court of Appeals rulings hinged on the testimony of a witness who said Brown sexually assaulted him when he was 15 in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1996. The man was one of four who accused Brown of abuse and were called by prosecutors to support the claim of the 15-year-old in the 2002 trial.
   Defense lawyers argued Superior Court Judge Cynthia Becker should not have prevented them from cross-examining the witness about whether he might have lied about Brown to cover up a prior homosexual relationship. Becker ruled such questions were barred by Georgia's rape shield law, which prevents the use of the sexual history of rape victims.
• Becoming a volunteer not easy. - RCC.
   Cincinnati Enquirer, By William Croyle, August 08, 2005
   KENTUCKY - Public and private schools in Kentucky and Ohio need and want parents to volunteer in classrooms, as coaches and as chaperones.
   But for a parent to just show up at school one day and expect to help immediately oftentimes isn't going to happen.
   "Every district has its own policies on what has to be done before you can volunteer," said Shirley Henderson, past president of Kentucky Coalition of School Volunteer Organizations. "You're better off to get on a school's volunteer approved list as soon as possible." ...
   The Diocese of Covington requires every volunteer to go through a three- to four-hour class, known as Virtus (a Latin word meaning "moral strength"), on how to prevent child sexual abuse. Those classes are generally offered a couple times a month.
   This has been a requirement since 2002, after the priest sex abuse scandal was addressed at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
   Volunteers must also read monthly electronic newsletters on preventing child sex abuse and undergo a background check like the public school volunteers in Kentucky.
• Priest-abuse allegations build. [Emerson] - RCC.
   Post-Tribune, www.post-trib.com/ cgi-bin/pto- story/news/z1/ 08-08-05_z1_ news_02.html , By Jon Seidel, Aug. 8, 2005
   INDIANA - The Rev. Richard Emerson of Michigan City is facing further allegations of sexual misconduct.
   New claims have been made against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gary priest who is already facing an investigation by the Catholic Church, the Rev. Brian Chadwick, the diocese's spokesman, said.
   The allegations have been found to be credible, Chadwick said, and therefore the parishes Emerson has served were notified this weekend, as have the police.
   "This is not a finding of guilt," Chadwick said.
   Chadwick said he did not know where the incident purportedly occurred nor whether the victim was a minor.
   The Rev. Michael Yadron on Sunday, though, passed along information about the accusations to his congregation at St. Thomas More in Munster.
• Protesters rally as archbishop leads final Mass in S.F.. - RCC. Sex-abuse silent vigil; summons.
   Mercury News, By Julie Sevrens Lyons, ~ August 08, 2005
   SAN FRANCISCO (CA) - Just 10 minutes before Archbishop William J. Levada gave his farewell Mass in San Francisco on Sunday, about 3,000 supporters loaded their cameras with film and eagerly filled up every one of the more than 200 pews in St. Mary's Cathedral.
   Outside, his detractors staged a silent vigil, and one helped serve the embattled church head with a subpoena-ordering him to appear in a Hayward law office on Friday to discuss his handling of sex abuse cases involving clergy members while he was the archbishop of Portland, Ore.
   The end of Levada's 10-year reign as the leader of the San Francisco Archdiocese did nothing to end the controversy that has swirled around the man who goes to Rome later this month to fill the highest Vatican position ever held by an American.
• Protest over sexual abuse clouds bishop's departure. - RCC. Subpoena.
   The Desert Sun, by Garance Burke, The Associated Press, August 8, 2005
   SAN FRANCISCO (CA) - Roman Catholic Archbishop William Levada, soon to be the highest ranking American at the Vatican, celebrated his last Sunday Mass here before thousands of admiring parishioners.
   But the event also drew critics. And minutes before Levada began the procession to the altar at St. Mary's Cathedral he was handed a subpoena to testify concerning sex-abuse cases again clergy members.
   Levada, a native of Long Beach, will leave later this month for his new appointment as head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the post held by former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before he was elected Pope Benedict XVI.
• Protests and Praise Mark Archbishop's Departure. - RCC. > 100 protesters. Subpoena.
   Newsday, By Donna Horowitz, Special to The Times, August 8, 2005
   SAN FRANCISCO (CA) - Archbishop William Levada said goodbye Sunday to 3,500 enthusiastic supporters who filled St. Mary's Cathedral while more than 100 clergy sexual-abuse protesters stood vigil in front of the church.
   Levada, 68, is heading off this month to become the chief guardian of Catholic doctrine for Pope Benedict XVI, the highest post to be held by an American at the Vatican.
   Although this was supposed to be a day of celebration, a drama quietly played itself out behind the scenes before Levada celebrated his farewell Mass in the archdiocese.
   Levada was served with a subpoena ordering him to be deposed on behalf of about 250 plaintiffs in sexual-abuse lawsuits against the Portland Archdiocese in Oregon.
   When Levada balked at accepting the subpoena, Cookie Gambucci, who runs a court support services company in nearby Martinez, said she told him he could receive it then or that it would be served on him at the altar during the service.
   She said Levada accepted the subpoena, but told her: "This is a disgrace to the church." [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:48 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Mon August 08, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Tue August 09, 2005 edition follows:-
• Emotions high as archdiocese, 68 plaintiffs begin crucial talks. [1960s Grammond, Rudin, 1960 Dezurick] - RCC. Altar boys.

   The Oregonian, www.oregonlive. com/news/oregonian/ index.ssf?/base/ front_page/11234 94947191810.xml &coll=7&thispage=1 ; By STEVE WOODWARD, Monday, August 08, 2005
   OREGON - James Devereaux, then a 13-year-old altar boy in Oakridge, says the late Rev. Maurice Grammond coerced him 40 years ago into engaging in various sexual acts, including oral sex. Devereaux is suing for $25.8 million.
   Kenneth Nail, then a 16-year-old inmate at what was then known as the MacLaren School for Boys, says the late Rev. Remy Rudin forced him to have anal intercourse. Nail is suing for $10.8 million.
   And Peter Carlich, then a 16-year-old altar boy in Tillamook, says the late Rev. Gerald Dezurick molested him in about 1960, then fabricated a story that persuaded his parents to commit the boy to a mental institution to cure homosexuality. Carlich is suing for $10.2 million.
   Today, Carlich, a 59-year-old marine contractor from Lincoln County, echoes other plaintiffs when he says it's not about the money.
   "I seek justice, a closure," says Carlich, who recently decided to go public with his 45-year-old secret. "Yes, I know there will be some money out of it. But at this point in my life, that's not a huge deal. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 08:25 PM]
• Man wants priest abuse lawsuit opened up . [Priest] - RCC. Boy.
   Daily Herald, By Christy Gutowski and Tia Jones, Posted Tuesday, August 09, 2005
   JOLIET (IL) - A Glen Ellyn man's lawsuit against the Diocese of Joliet alleging a priest molested him decades ago has survived the usual legal death knell sounded in such cases and is forcing church leaders to take notice.
   For at least the second time in 26 years of leading the diocese, Bishop Joseph Imesch will be deposed Thursday in a videotaped interview as part of the lawsuit.
   The deposition will be held behind closed doors, which is routine, but the accuser and his advocates argue church records and related evidence, such as the videotape, should be open for public inspection.
   On Monday, DuPage Judge Stephen J. Culliton ruled he will evaluate each piece of evidence individually rather than issue a blanket edict. The diocese had requested the court file be sealed from public view - a move that prompted criticism.
• Judge orders review of Church files. [Joliet Diocese] - RCC.
   The Herald News, By Ted Slowik, ~ August 09, 2005
   WHEATON (IL) - A judge will review documents concerning sexual abuse allegations against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet before deciding whether to make the information available to the public.
   DuPage County Judge Stephen Culliton on Monday granted the diocese's request for a protective order, but indicated that he would enforce it at his discretion. Culliton said he would personally inspect all documents related to a lawsuit against the diocese and former priest Ed Stefanich.
   Culliton said he would place documents in the case's public file, but still take steps to shield the identities of alleged victims and respect others who had an expectation of privacy.
   "I will decide what or what not will be part of the public record," Culliton said in court. "I see a distinction between materials disclosed to another party and things filed on the record. "(The protective order) won't be a blanket one, but there may well be portions (of documents) deleted," he said.
• Deadline set for abuse claims. [Covington Diocese] - RCC.
   Cincinnati Post, By Paul A. Long, August 09, 2005
   COVINGTON (KY) - Those who were abused by priests or other workers in the Diocese of Covington over the past 50 years have until Nov. 10 to make their claim, according to official claim forms now available.
   Anyone who fills out the form will be added to a class-action lawsuit settlement reached after years of negotiations with the diocese.
   The settlement calls for claimants to be paid up to at least $40 million - and up to $120 million if the diocese is successful in a lawsuit seeking to make its insurance carriers responsible for damage claims.
   The forms, available online or by mail, ask people to name their abuser, and when and where the abuse occurred. Attorneys for the class stress that the information will remain confidential.
   They also stress, however, that simply filing out the form will not guarantee a person will receive money from the settlement.
• Priest sentenced to three to 23 months for embezzlement. [2000s Yarrosh] - RCC. $US 23,629 embezzled. Child pornography.
   NEPA News, The Associated Press, August 09, 2005
   PENNSYLVANIA - A Roman Catholic priest who acknowledged owning hundreds of child pornography photos, magazines, videotapes and DVDs - as well as embezzling more than $23,000 from the church - was sentenced Tuesday to three to 23 months in jail on the theft charge.
   The Rev. Ronald J. Yarrosh, 57, formerly an assistant pastor at St. Ambrose Church in Schuylkill Haven, will also serve 10 years' probation on the child sex abuse charges.
   Yarrosh pleaded guilty in April to charges of theft, receiving stolen property, criminal use of a communication facility and three counts of sexual abuse of children. He was also ordered to pay $23,629 in restitution.
• Catholics struggle to get house in order. [Levada] - RCC. 'Unprotected intercourse' caused lady's pregnancy problem.
   The Oregonian, by Steve Duin, Tuesday, August 09, 2005
   PORTLAND (OR) - The chief executive is on vacation and can't be reached for comment. The lawyers and PR guys insist he never saw the incriminating document issued under his name. There's a confidentiality agreement to ensure that the sordid details never see the light of day.
   Another Enron brief? Another corporate scandal update from WorldCom?
   No, just a telling glimpse of Archbishop William J. Levada, recently tapped by Pope Benedict XVI as chief defender of Catholic doctrine worldwide.
   Eleven years ago, Levada, then the archbishop of Portland, tendered a logical, rational response as to why his archdiocese should not be liable to pay child support for a kid fathered by a seminarian in the Holy Redeemer parish.
   The foolhardy mother, Levada's minions argued in a court brief, had participated "in unprotected intercourse . . . when (she) should have known that could result in pregnancy."
   That argument is petty and self-serving, to be sure, but understandable . . . except for one damning detail. Levada is a standard bearer of a church that holds that the preventive measures the legal brief was advocating for responsible sex partners are "intrinsically evil."
• Lawyer asks bishop to let lawsuit proceed. [1971 Monsignor Bowles] - RCC. Boy.
   News Journal, by Kristen Rasmussen, August 09, 2005
   PENSACOLA (FL) - An attorney for a Pensacola man who claims he was abused by a priest more than 30 years ago asked Bishop John Ricard on Monday to restore his client's faith by allowing a lawsuit to proceed despite the statute of limitations running out.
   The Catholic Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee and Ricard filed a motion on Aug. 2 to dismiss a civil lawsuit brought by Pensacola resident Paul Tugwell, who claims he was abused by Monsignor Richard Bowles in 1971.
   But in a direct appeal to Ricard on Monday, Tugwell's attorney, Joseph Saunders of Pinellas Park, asked the bishop to "repudiate" the motion, which argued that the case should be dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired.
   Saunders wrote Ricard that the bishop was "charged with the care of souls," including the soul of Tugwell whose faith was "shattered" after he was abused "by a priest whom he admired and trusted."
• Schuylkill priest gets 23 months in child porn case. [? 2000s Yarrosh] - RCC. Child pornography, theft $US 23,629.
   The Morning Call, August 09, 2005
   PENNSYLVANIA - A Schuylkill County Catholic priest who admitted owning hundreds of child pornography photos, magazines, videotapes and DVDs, and embezzling more than $23,000 in church money will serve up to 23 months in jail on the theft charge and pay $23,629 in restitution.
   He will also serve 10 years of probation on child sex abuse charges.
   But, despite the volume of child pornography that the Rev. Ronald J. Yarrosh possessed, he was determined to not be a sexually violent predator by the state Sexual Offenders Assessment Board, said District Attorney Frank R. Cori.
• Lawmakers pick fight with Catholic church over financial records. - RCC.
   Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, USA), By THEO EMERY, Associated Press Writer, August 09, 2005
   BOSTON (MA)- When the clergy sexual abuse scandal broke in early 2002, lifelong Roman Catholic Don Pachuta told himself he wouldn't give another nickel to the Boston Archdiocese until the church opened its books and showed him where his money had gone.
   More than three years later, he's still waiting.
   An increasing number of Catholics like Pachuta, as well as members of other religious denominations, are backing a legislative proposal to make churches, mosques and synagogues in Massachusetts subject to the same reporting requirements as secular charities and non-profits.
   And in a sign of the shift in influence by the once-powerful Catholic church in a heavily Catholic state, some lawmakers appear more willing to force reforms on the archdiocese.
   The measure, which is backed by about 30 lawmakers, would require most churches and religious institutions to file the same annual reports with the attorney general's office as other charities and nonprofit organizations.
   They would also have to report their real estate holdings, and the rules would also apply to related organizations and businesses that they own, whether for-profit or nonprofit. Most states with reporting requirements exempt churches, but some do require religious institutions to file financial information.
   The Roman Catholic Church, as well as Protestant and Orthodox denominations, are lining up to oppose the legislation, saying that it would allow the government to intrude on private affairs of the church.
• Alleged sex acts occurred monthly. [2002-04 Gonsalves] - RCC. Boy.

   Honolulu Advertiser, By Timothy Hurley, Advertiser Maui County Bureau, August 09, 2005
   WAILUKU, Maui, HAWAII - A recently unsealed criminal indictment against a Roman Catholic deacon states that the 68-year-old man engaged in monthly sex acts with a boy during a two-year period, and that alleged assaults took place over a three-year period.
   James "Ron" Gonsalves, who is on leave as deacon and administrator at St. Ann Church in Waihe'e, has been charged with 30 counts of first-degree sexual assault and 30 counts of third-degree sexual assault.
   Gonsalves also is accused of two counts of attempted first-degree sexual assault.
   Gonsalves has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He remains free on $100,000 bail while awaiting a Nov. 14 trial.
   The indictment, unsealed Friday, alleges that Gonsalves had "sexual contact" with the boy at least once a month between June 2002, when the boy was 12, and May 2004. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 09:06 AM]
• Sex abuse answers needed.
   Reno Gazette-Journal, Editorial, Posted 10:34 pm, Aug/8/2005
   NEVADA - What can be done to ensure that sexual offenders don't have the chance to create new victims?
   Answering that long-standing, extremely difficult question has become critical in recent months as a series of high-profile cases around the nation - including a kidnapping in Fernley - has raised new concerns about our ability to protect ourselves and, more important, our children from sexual predators.
   That's why a summit planned by area law enforcement agencies in October is so important. Meeting in Reno, the groups hope to discuss what is and isn't working and to brainstorm ideas for making the system better. It's a worthwhile undertaking. Everyone should hope that they can develop workable strategies for dealing with this tough, increasingly troubling problem.
   For many, the answer is simple: One strike and you're out.
• Pedophile posed as psychiatrist. [Berg] - Orthodox. Boys.

   The Advertiser (Adelaide, S. Australia), www.theadvertiser. news.com.au/common/ story_page/0,5936, 16196859% 255E421,00.html , By Kevin Meade, Aug 09, 05
   AUSTRALIA - VINCENT Berg, the bogus psychiatrist employed by Queensland Health for 12 months at the Townsville Hospital, is a convicted pedophile.
   The impostor, whose phony medical qualifications were exposed at the Morris inquiry last week, was sentenced to three years' jail in the Soviet Union in 1987 for indecent dealing with boys.
   Berg was also deported from the US in the early 1980s after he was accused of stealing church ornaments. He was later defrocked in his home country as a Russian Orthodox priest, according to a Russian newspaper report.
   Berg was convicted in the People's Court in Kaluga, Russia, of indecent dealing with children in February 1987 and sentenced to three years' jail with hard labour. He was released after serving nine months in prison. [Emphasis added]
   [COMMENT: This is another bogus medical practitioner to be unmasked in the Queensland public hospital service in 2005. Another one was Dr Patel at Bundaberg. The head of the health service has "resigned" since the Patel case was unveiled through the brave actions of some nurses. COMMENT ENDS.]
• 'Sadhu' held for rape of minor. [2005 Rajput] - Hinduism. 2 girls.

   The Times of India, TIMES NEWS NETWORK, 11:24:21 PM, MONDAY, AUGUST 08, 2005
   SURAT, INDIA: A man who posed as 'sadhu' of a temple at Reliance Nagar at Katargaam in Surat was arrested by the Bhavnagar police for allegedly raping a minor girl and having sexual relationship with her elder sister. The minor subsequently got pregnant.
   The accused allegedly committed the act with the consent of the girl's parents, who were also arrested. The three were transferred to Surat city police and a case was registered at Katargaam where the incident had occurred.
   According to the police, Gopal Moradia, a diamond worker and father of the two girls, had left her daughters in the custody of Himmat Rajput (27), as an 'offering'. The accused, Rajput, was a priest at Reliance Nagar then.
   Police said residents had recently evicted Rajput and the two girls from the colony as they suspected something fishy. The three ran away to the residence of Moradia in Bhavnagar.
• Convicted Pedophile From Russia Bluffs His Way Into Australian Psychiatry - Report. [2000 Berg] - Orthodox.

   MosNews, Created 11:44 MSK (GMT +3), Aug. 09.2005
   AUSTRALIA - Queensland police are investigating allegations a Russian refugee Vincent Berg who faked his qualifications to work as a psychiatrist is also a convicted pedophile, the Australian daily reports.
   Police investigators last week heard Vincent Berg forged qualifications to work for a year at Townsville hospital in 2000 and that Queensland Health had covered the matter up.
   The Australian, has reported Vincent Berg was allegedly convicted as a pedophile in the Soviet Union, deported from the United States for stealing church ornaments and de-frocked as a Russian Orthodox priest. [Bolding added]
• Feeney dismissed from clerical state. [1970s Feeney] - RCC. Child.

   Press-Gazette, ~ August 09, 2005
   GREEN BAY (WI) - Former priest John Feeney, who was sentenced to a 15-year prison sentence in 2004, has been officially dismissed from the clerical state, according to Bishop David Zubik of the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay.
   Zubik announced Monday that he had received official word from the Vatican. The decision is in response to a request filed in 2004 by Zubik.
   In April 2004, Feeney received a 15-year prison sentence in Outagamie County Court for sexual assault of a child in the late 1970s.
• Eliminating sexual abuse is top priority. - RCC. Bishop answers.
   The Reno Gazette-Journal, by the Reverend Phillip F. Straling, SPECIAL TO THE RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL, Posted 10:37 pm Aug/8/2005
   RENO (NV) - I will not question the motives behind the article published on July 31 ["Bishop Straling and the Catholic Church abuse scandal," Page A1] but rather, in the interest of fairness, will utilize this space to address the aggressive steps I have taken in the Diocese of Reno to protect against child abuse by diocesan personnel and volunteers.
   Perhaps the most troubling element of your story was that local readers might have reached an incorrect conclusion - by unsubtle insinuation - that I have ever been ambivalent about abusive behavior. That is absolutely not true.
   I like to think of myself as a patient man. However, the article admittedly tested that patience. It also strengthened my resolve. As I have always counseled others, the healing process requires openness, transparency and honesty.
   Child abuse is wrong. Sexual misconduct is wrong. Both are sins. Both are crimes. Once again, I will address this vitally important issue of the day and call upon all of us to protect our children. As a starting point, let us review what we have done to create a safe environment in the Diocese of Reno
• Diocese will pay settlement with loan. [13 priests] - RCC. $US 56.3m. 56 victims.
   Contra Costa Times, By Randy Myers, ~ August 09, 2005
   OAKLAND (CA) - The Oakland Diocese will borrow to pay its portion of a $56.3 million settlement of 56 sex abuse lawsuits, a church spokesman said Monday.
   On Friday, the diocese announced it had reached a settlement in the mostly decades-old cases involving 13 diocesan priests, seven of whom are dead.
   It was one of the largest settlements in the nation, but fell short of the $100 million awarded in 2004 by the Diocese of Orange to settle 87 cases and the $90 million the Archdiocese of Boston paid in 2003 to settle 550 plaintiffs' claims.
   The diocese will be responsible for paying $25.3 million with insurance carriers covering the rest, said the Rev. Mark Wiesner, Oakland Diocese spokesman.
• Priest faces new molestation claim. [1990s Emerson] - RCC. Boy.
   Orlando Sentinel, The Associated Press, Posted August 9, 2005
   ORLANDO (FL) - A Catholic priest accused of molesting a boy in Orlando more than a decade ago has been named in a second credible allegation of sexual misconduct, officials in Indiana said.
   Officials wouldn't say whether the second alleged incident happened in Florida or Indiana, where the Rev. Richard Emerson most recently served.
   The new allegation against Emerson was found to be credible, prompting the Diocese of Gary to notify his former northwest Indiana parishes last week, along with law-enforcement authorities, diocesan spokesman the Rev. Brian Chadwick said.
   "It's not a finding of guilt," he said.
   The alleged victim was a minor, Chadwick told the Herald-Argus of LaPorte for a story published Monday.
• Indictment Against Deacon Unsealed. [2002-04 Gonsalves] - RCC. Boy.

   KGMB, by Alan Lu - alu@kgmb9.com , ~ August 09, 2005
   HAWAII - For three years, a Maui Catholic church deacon allegedly abused a boy again and again. The accusations were part of an unsealed indictment that contained graphic details.
   The indictment, released Friday, claims the abuse began when the child was under the age of 14. In June 2002, deacon James Gonsalves allegedly began having "sexual contact" with the boy, including oral sex.
   Maui prosecutors said the assaults continued for the next three years and the boy was molested almost every month.
• Ex Catholic charity boss charged in Zagreb paedophile scandal. [2000s Ms Brajsa] - RCC. Orphan children.

   WebIndia, http://news.webindia 123.com/news/ showdetails.asp? id=105041&cat= World , 10:55:13 AM IST, August 09, 2005
   ZAGREB, CROATIA - A senior member of the Catholic charity Caritas was indicted Monday by a Zagreb court for covering up sexual abuse of children in orphanages.
   Croatian news agency HINA said Monday that Zagreb County prosecutor charged Jelena Brajsa, head of the charity's Zagreb branch, with "obstruction of collecting evidence", relating to sexual and physical abuse of children in Zagreb's Brezovica orphanage. If found guilty, she faces one year in jail.
• Romney backs church disclosure. - Religions generally.

   The Boston Globe, By Frank Phillips | August 9, 2005
   BOSTON (MA) - Governor Mitt Romney promised yesterday to give close consideration to a controversial bill that would require the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and other churches in Massachusetts to make their financial statements public. During a press conference, Romney stopped short of endorsing the bill, but called it a "very important area of inquiry."
   Romney's comments, coming before a legislative hearing on the measure tomorrow, could boost its chances of passage.
   Romney said that he strongly believes that nonprofit organizations should be required to disclose their assets and financial details and indicated he was open to arguments that religious organizations should be subject to the same requirements as charities overseen by the attorney general's office.
   "Clearly, nonprofit organizations should be subject to a level of disclosure which is consistent with the tax treatment they receive," Romney said. He said the filings, made to the attorney general's office, allow the public to "make sure that money is being properly spent." ...
   The proposal is driven in large part by lawmakers' frustrations with the Catholic Church, which has for several years been dealing with the fallout from the clergy sexual abuse crisis and now faces protests over church and school closings. Many see the Walsh bill as a test of how much clout the archdiocese retains among the state's political establishment.
• New Code Of Conduct Established For Archdiocese. - RCC.
   TheNewMexicoChannel.com , POSTED 1:27 pm MDT August 8, 2005
   SANTA FE, N.M.-The Archdiocese of Santa Fe has a new code of conduct.
   Archbishop Michael Sheehan said the code improves a simplified code that was written in 1993 to deal with a sexual abuse scandal that involved priests.
   The Albuquerque Journal reported Monday that the new code advocates mentorship of newly ordained priests.
   The code also encourages striving to live chastity and celibacy to the full. And the code calls for "fraternal correction," meaning priests must be attentive to the needs of fellow priests.
• A Huddle For Righteousness. - Novel by Marsh Reggie White
   The Open Press, www.theopenpress. com/index.php?a= press&id=2948 , August 9, 2005
   UNITED STATES - (OPENPRESS)-It seems whenever we turn on our televisions, we are bombarded with stories about the sexual abuse and/or misconduct of a priest and clergyman against innocent victims. Due to the number of abuse cases being reported today, US religious leaders are going through one of the most traumatic periods in religious history.
   In his timely new novel, A Huddle for Righteousness (AuthorHouse, May 2005, $12.95 paperback, 1-4208-1587-3), Marsh Reggie White presents a dramatic and creative story involving a Priest's fall from grace and God's justice for him and, ultimately, for us all.
   A Huddle for Righteousness is a narrative taken from the lives of biblical characters from Hebrews Chapter 11, and the hall of fame of faith. It involves a court room scene played out in heaven whereby Joshua, a High Priest, has been caught in a sinful act by Satan. God presides over the proceedings, Satan is the prosecuting attorney, and the Angel of Jehovah is the defense counsel.
   As both attorneys give moving and challenging arguments for and against Joshua, there is a "huddle for righteous" as the audience sits patiently awaiting God's verdict for Joshua; a verdict which in essence will affect the lives of all mankind.
   Earthy and spiritual in style, Marsh Reggie White's writing seeks to bring a new perspective and enlightenment on teachings from the Bible.
• Defrocked priest still saying mass . [1980s Benjamin] - RCC. Minor.
   Detroit Free Press, BY DAVID CRUMM and PATRICIA MONTEMURRI, August 9, 2005
   MICHIGAN - Wayne County prosecutors began investigating Monday how a former Detroit Catholic priest, convicted in 2003 of sexually abusing a minor in the 1980s, wound up celebrating mass recently for a gay-rights group in Virginia.
   Prosecutors are concerned that Harry Benjamin might have come into unsupervised contact with minors, a potential violation of the terms of his probation in Michigan.
   Benjamin's return to the altar, though not sanctioned by the Catholic Church, underscores the difficulty of monitoring hundreds of men accused of sexual misconduct and removed from the ministry, including more than 40 in Michigan since 2002.
   Prosecutors and church officials say they didn't expect a defrocked priest to resurface celebrating mass for Dignity-USA, the leading Catholic gay-rights group that often operates outside church rules and, in Virginia, worships in an Episcopal church.
   On Monday, Maria Miller, spokeswoman for Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, said, "We're investigating what he has been doing in terms of his activities with Dignity, whether he's been conducting masses and is in the presence of minors."
• Judge seals sex abuse case files . [1970] - Religion not named. Boy.
   Chicago Sun-Times, BY DAN ROZEK, August 9, 2005
   ILLINOIS - Documents filed in a civil lawsuit accusing a former suburban priest of sexually abusing a teenage boy more than 30 years ago won't be made public unless a judge agrees first to release them.
   The ruling by DuPage County Judge Stephen Culliton saddened the 48-year-old suburban man who filed the suit in 2003, alleging he had been sexually abused by a priest at his Lombard parish while a teenager in 1970.
   "It was a little bit of a disappointment," the alleged victim said of the ruling.
• Pope removes Feeney from the priesthood. [1978 Feeney] - RCC. 2 boys.
   The Post-Crescent, ~ August 9, 2005
   GREEN BAY (WI)- Pope Benedict XVI officially has dismissed a former Freedom priest from the clerical state because of the ex-priest's conviction for child sexual abuse.
   John P. Feeney, 78, whose most recent address was Los Angeles, was sentenced in April 2004 to 15 years in prison for three counts of attempted sexual assault of a child and one count of sexual assault of a child. He is being held at the Fox Lake Correctional Institution.
   The charges stemmed from Feeney's tenure as pastor of St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Freedom in 1978.
   The victims, two brothers, were 12 and 14 years old at the time.
   Green Bay Bishop David Zubik announced Monday that he has received official word from the Holy See that Feeney has been dismissed from the clerical state. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:20 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Tue August 09, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Wed August 10, 2005 edition follows:-
• Priest gets probation for groping ex-altar boy. [2002 Liberatore] - RCC. Boy.

   Newsday (New York), www.nynewsday.com/ news/local/manhattan/ nyc-sent0811,0, 241586.story? coll=nyc-moreny- headlines ; BY KAREN FREIFELD, August 11, 2005
   NEW YORK - A Catholic priest from Pennsylvania was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years probation for taking a 17-year-old former altar boy to a Greenwich Village hotel and groping him.
   The Rev. Albert Liberatore, 41, of Lackawanna, apologized in State Supreme Court in Manhattan and accepted responsibility for inappropriate behavior, his attorney, Robert Gottlieb, said Wednesday.
   "He admitted he knew he crossed the line," Gottlieb said. "He cared very much for and about the boy and his family."
   In June, Liberatore pleaded guilty to attempted sexual abuse and admitted he groped the boy at the Washington Square Park Hotel in May 2002
   Liberatore, who has been suspended as a priest, was charged with first-degree sodomy and sexual abuse. He could have received 15 years in prison if convicted at trial. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 10:03 PM]
• Shock, charges of hypocrisy as priest accused of affair. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married woman secretary.
   Newsday By LUIS PEREZ, JEFF KEARNS, JENNIFER KELLEHER and CAROL EISENBERG, August 11, 2005
   NEW YORK - He is a conservative stalwart-a priest who could be counted upon to preach orthodoxy from the city's highest-profile Roman Catholic pulpit. He has condemned gay relationships as "truly sinful," railed against a "sex saturated" culture and defended priestly celibacy.
   So the accusation that Msgr. Eugene V. Clark, rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral, has been having a longterm affair with his married secretary has exploded like a bomb on scandal-weary Catholics, who thought they were hardened against such revelations. The charge comes from the woman's husband as part of an ugly divorce.
   "This is devastating not just because he's a power player in the Catholic community, but because he's such a well-known champion of orthodoxy," said William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.
   A spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York confirmed Wednesday that it is investigating the claim of a sexual relationship between Clark, 79, and his longterm secretary, Laura DeFilippo, 46, of Eastchester, made in court papers recently filed by DeFilippo's husband, Philip, in Westchester County Family Court.
   The spokesman, Joseph Zwilling, said Clark denied the allegations to senior archdiocesan officials in conversations over the past 24 hours. He declined to say whether Cardinal Edward Egan, who made Clark rector of St. Patrick's four years ago, had spoken directly with the priest.
• New bishop likely to keep files of accused priests sealed. [8 clergymen, Fort Worth Diocese] - RCC. Children.
   Star-Telegram, By Darren Barbee, ~ August 10, 2005
   FORTH WORTH (TX)-Newly ordained Bishop Kevin W. Vann, leader of the Fort Worth Roman Catholic Diocese, signaled during a recent interview that he will continue efforts to keep sealed the files of eight clerics accused of sexual misconduct with children.
   A hearing is scheduled Friday in state District Judge Len Wade's Fort Worth courtroom on whether the records should be made public.
   Sex abuse victims have said the information in the files could be crucial to their healing. Vann said in a July 27 interview that he had been briefed on the files but had not reviewed them.
   "At this point, being brand new here, I'll just work closely with the attorneys and the advice I'm given on all this," said Vann, who was ordained July 13.
   Vann declined to say specifically whether he would change course on the release of the files. But he will be out of the country on Friday when Wade hears arguments on the matter.
• St. Pat's shock. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married woman secretary.
   New York Post, By DAN MANGAN, August 10, 2005
   NEW YORK - A Westchester man has accused the rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral with having an affair with his wife, who has worked as the clergyman's longtime personal secretary, The Post has learned.
   Philip DeFilippo says his wife, Laura DeFilippo, and the rector, Eugene Clark, have spent many weekends together at the cleric's Amagansett, L.I., home and exposed his 14-year-old daughter to their romantic relationship.
   DeFilippo has sued his wife for divorce in Westchester Family Court and has produced photos that show Clark, 79, and Laura DeFilippo, 46, entering a Hamptons motel together, then leaving together a few hours later.
   Time stamps on the photos, obtained by The Post, indicate they were taken July 21, with Clark and DeFilippo going into the motel at about 1:30 p.m. and leaving at about 7:03 p.m.
   By the time the pair had left, the priest had changed his shirt.
   Clark is the former rector of the Church of the Annunciation in the Westchester community of Crestwood - where he married the couple 20 years ago.
   His boss, Edward Cardinal Egan, was told Monday night about the photos.
• Sex scandal for NYC priest, secretary. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married woman.
   The Washington Times, 11:16AM, Aug. 10, 2005
   NEW YORK - Allegations a senior 79-year-old New York City priest had an affair with his 46-year-old secretary have rocked the Archdiocese of New York.
   Police and court records say Monsignor Eugene Clark of St. Patricks Cathedral allegedly romanced Laura DeFilippo at his Hamptons home and a Long Island motel, the New York Daily News reported Wednesday.
   The accusations against Clark were brought by DeFilippo's husband, Philip, who had an investigator tail the duo to a Hamptons motel. He videotaped them last month arriving together and then checking out five hours later wearing different clothes.
• Church deacon assaulted boy on a regular basis, indictment says. [2002-04 Gonsalves] - RCC. Boy.

   The Maui News, ~ August 10, 2005
   WAILUKU, HAWAII - An unsealed criminal indictment charges that Deacon Ron Gonsalves began to sexually assault a boy in June 2002 with the assaults occurring at least once every month until May 2004 and continuing intermittently until June.
   Gonsalves, 68, of Wailuku is charged with 62 counts of sexual assault while he was administrator of St. Ann Church in Waihee. He was placed on administrative leave June 22.
   The indictment was unsealed last week after the name of the victim was blackened out with a marking pen. Prosecution and the defense attorneys had asked that the boy's name be omitted as well as the specific sexual acts alleged.
   Gonsalves pleaded not guilty to 30 counts of first-degree sexual assault, 30 counts of third-degree sexual assault and two counts of first-degree attempted sexual assault. Gonsalves' trial is scheduled for Nov. 14.
   He was released from jail Aug. 1 after posting $100,000 bail.
• Levada agrees to federal jurisdiction in deposition. - RCC.

   San Luis Obispo Tribune, By WILLIAM McCALL, Associated Press, ~ August 10, 2005
   PORTLAND, Ore. - San Francisco Archbishop William Levada agreed Wednesday to waive diplomatic immunity and answer questions about sex abuse by Roman Catholic priests after he takes over the Vatican post formerly held by Pope Benedict XVI.
   Levada, 69, is heading to Rome to take over as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the official guardian of Catholic doctrine. He replaces German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who held the post for 24 years before he became pope in April.
   During a farewell Mass last Sunday in San Francisco, Levada was served with a subpoena to take his deposition on Friday.
   But Erin Olson, a Portland attorney who represents Oregon victims of alleged priest sex abuse, said Wednesday that Levada has agreed to accept U.S. Bankruptcy Court jurisdiction over his deposition after he assumes his Vatican post. [Emphasis added]
• Former youth pastor arraigned on child porn charges . [2005 Cannel] - Selah Covenant Church. Porn, 'boy'.

   KGW, Associated Press, Aug/10/2005
   YAKIMA (WA) - A former youth pastor was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Yakima on child pornography charges.
   James Cannel, 45, was charged in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in May. The indictment includes charges that Cannel received and distributed child pornography and received and distributed obscenity.
   A third count seeks the forfeiture of a camera, computers, and compact discs sized from Selah Covenant Church when Cannel was arrested by Seattle police on Feb. 25.
   Each count is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
   Cannel worked at the church for about four months but resigned shortly after his February arrest. Officers said he used a church computer to try to arrange sex with a detective posing as a 12-year-old boy.
• Ex-priest indicted in Daytop sex abuse. [2004 Mieliwocki] - RCC. 4 boys.
   Daily Record, BY PEGGY WRIGHT, August 10, 2005
   NEW JERSEY - A former Roman Catholic priest whose whereabouts were unknown to the Archdiocese of Newark for a decade was indicted Tuesday on charges of sexual misconduct with four male teenagers he counseled as a social worker last year at Daytop-NJ in Mendham.
   A Morris County grand jury handed up an indictment that charges Madison resident Richard J. Mieliwocki, 58, with three counts of child endangerment and five counts of criminal sexual contact that all relate to alleged sexual interaction Mieliwocki had with four youths between the ages of 16 and 18 at the prestigious, in-patient substance abuse rehabilitation facility.
   While entrusted with counseling the youths-including three who were on court-ordered probation-Mieliwocki asked three about the size of their genitals and whether they masturbated. He allegedly touched the buttocks of one youth, the genitals of a second, and got a third teenager to remove his clothing and then spanked the boy's bare buttocks, court documents state.
   The encounters spanned from March 8 to Dec. 6, 2004. Mieliwocki was arrested on Dec. 28 after Daytop's vice president and Executive Director, Rev. Joseph Hennen, personally called Morris County Prosecutor Michael M. Rubbinaccio to report information about inappropriate conduct by Mieliwocki during one-on-one counseling sessions. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 09:08 AM]
• Expert on love & marriage . [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married woman.
   New York Daily News, www.nydailynews. com/news/local/ story/336021p- 287022c.html , August 10, 2005
   NEW YORK - It's not the sex, it's the hypocrisy.
   It's not whether Msgr. Eugene Clark had an affair with his married secretary.
   It's whether he did so even as he sought to blame the decline in marital fidelity largely on a Hollywood he imagines to be dominated by gays and those who tolerate them.
   "A whole generation of Americans has been solicited...by American popular culture which is Hollywood and the media, Hollywood taking the most advanced step in this," Clark says in one of a series of radio talks titled "Relationships with Monsignor Eugene Clark."
   The priest who currently is the rector at St. Patrick's Cathedral goes on, "Hollywood is not a Christian place at all, at all, at all. Most of the writers, the creative people are homosexually inclined or homosexually recruited."
   Clark declares these homosexuals and their recruits to be "the enemy of Christian marriage and Christian falling in love and all the tenderness that goes with that....They are saying, 'Don't pay attention to that business of permanence and fidelity'."
   [COMMENT: Eugene, Hollywood isn't a Christian place. But millions of people don't think your Church is, either. Ever thought of that? COMMENT ENDS.]
• Priest among arrested. [2005 Patterson] - RCC. Men.
   Courier & Press, By JIMMY NESBITT, 464-7501, nesbittj@courierpress.com , August 10, 2005
   INDIANA - The Newburgh Locks and Dam Overlook is known for its scenic view of the Ohio River and secluded trails. In cyberspace, the Overlook's public bathrooms and dense woodland are known as a destination point for men seeking random and often unprotected sex with other men, Warrick County Sheriff Marvin Heilman said.
   Last week, undercover officers arrested eight men in the park, including a Henderson, Ky., minister. A ninth man, 51-year-old Roger Rice of Newburgh, was arrested Tuesday on a charge of public indecency. The problem is out of control, Heilman said. "For years, it's had a reputation of a place where gay men congregate and engage in sexual misconduct," he said. "It's meant to be a wonderful place for people to enjoy with families. Unfortunately, it's grown into a place I certainly wouldn't ... want to take my family."
   Ralph E. Patterson, 47, an associate pastor at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Henderson, was charged last week with public indecency. Police say he exposed himself after a conversation with an undercover officer.
   Also arrested in the Aug. 1-2 sting were Edwin Odom, 54, of Owensboro, Ky., on a charge of public indecency; Kim Myrick, 49, and Richard Baumberger, 41, both of Newburgh on charges of public indecency and resisting arrest; Michael Derr, 62, James Gregory, 46, Raymond Reising, 45, all of Evansville, and Clay Volkmann, 42, of Newburgh on charges of battery. The men charged with battery touched the undercover officers in a sexual manner, Heilman said.
   The park is open daily from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. The bathroom is located near a gazebo, swings and a slide where children frequently play. The Newburgh McDonald's had its summer picnic at the Overlook on Tuesday. "We haven't had any problems," said Shirley Regener, restaurant manager.
• Leading voice of orthodoxy. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Slated those against celibacy. Married woman.
   New York Daily News, BY CORKY SIEMASZKO, ~ August 10, 2005
   NEW YORK - Three years ago, Msgr. Eugene Clark denounced "the campaign of liberal America against celibacy" from the pulpit and called the U.S. "probably the most immoral" country in the Western Hemisphere.
   Now the 79-year-old archconservative Catholic cleric stands accused of breaking his own priestly vow of celibacy - and with a married woman, no less.
   Clark - who frequently stands in for Edward Cardinal Egan at St. Patrick's Cathedral, and who has been a political power in the New York Archdiocese for decades - denied the claims yesterday.
   New York born and bred, Clark, who said he was called to the priesthood as a child, was trained at St. Joseph's, the archdiocesan seminary in Yonkers. He was ordained in 1951 at age 26.
   Rising rapidly through the clerical ranks, Clark was tapped to be the private secretary to Francis Cardinal Spellman, and then the official spokesman for Terence Cardinal Cooke and John Cardinal O'Connor.
• Affair charge rocks cleric. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Slated "sex-saturated society". Married woman secretary.
   New York Daily News, BY BARBARA ROSS, ADAM LISBERG and CORKY SIEMASZKO, August 10, 2005
   NEW YORK - The Archdiocese of New York is looking into explosive allegations that a top priest who publicly railed against our "sex-saturated society" had a long-term affair with his married church secretary.
   Msgr. Eugene Clark allegedly romanced 46-year-old Laura DeFilippo at his Hamptons home and a Long Island motel, according to police and court records.
   Questioned yesterday by a Daily News reporter at a Montauk restaurant where Clark and DeFilippo have been seen noshing, the 79-year-old rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral denied he and DeFilippo were lovers.
   "Not true," Clark said outside the Surfside Inn.
   The accusations against Clark were brought by DeFilippo's husband, Philip, who had an investigator tail the duo to a Hamptons motel - videotaping them last month arriving together and then checking out several hours later.
   [GLOSSARY: Look up "noshing." ]
• Attorney: Priest is 'hiding from us'. [Emerson] - RCC. Boy.
   Post-Tribune, By Jon Seidel / Aug. 10, 2005
   GARY (IN) - A Florida attorney who has filed a civil lawsuit against a Roman Catholic Diocese of Gary priest has tried to serve him with papers for months.
   The Rev. Richard Emerson, however, can't be found.
   "He's hiding from us," Joseph H. Saunders said.
Saunders represents an unidentified Florida man who says Emerson sexually assaulted him when he was a minor in Florida.
   Emerson served temporarily as a priest at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Orlando.
   The lawsuit was filed in January, and Saunders has been trying to serve Emerson ever since.
   "It's kind of silly," Saunders said. "They're playing games with us. He was the chancellor. I can't believe they don't know where he is."
   [COMMENT: The Church officials not only know where he his, they know how to get his wages to him! They have in other reported cases. COMMENT ENDS.]
• Civil suit alleges Fairbanks pastor molested 10-year-old. [1978 McCaffrey (Jesuit)]- RCC. Girl, too.
   Fairbanks News-Miner, By MARY BETH SMETZER, Aug. 10, 2005
   ALASKA - A woman raised in Tununak, a village on Nelson Island, filed a civil lawsuit against a Jesuit priest Tuesday, saying he molested her several time over a yearlong period starting in 1978 when she was 10 years old.
   The lawsuit, filed in Bethel Superior Court under the name June Doe, names the Rev. Richard L. McCaffrey as the molester.
   McCaffrey, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Fairbanks, was named publicly and put on administrative leave more than two months ago by Bishop Donald Kettler, head of the Fairbanks Catholic Diocese, in response to a different allegation that McCaffrey sexually abused a minor about 25 years ago.
   At the time, the bishop said suspending McCaffrey from pastoral duties is required when a cleric is accused of abuse.
• Let the sun shine in. - RCC.
   The Boston Globe, By Thomas P. O'Neill III and Steven Krueger | August 10, 2005
   MASSACHUSETTS - "SUNLIGHT IS the best disinfectant" is a credo that has shaped public policy over the past century, primarily in the private sector and most recently with the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation. Following that trend, last year Congress held hearings to curb abuses in the charitable services sector. Ultimately, sunlight protects constituents of an organization from breaches of trust that will inevitably occur through human administration, from Enron to the Catholic Church. Legislation proposed by state Senator Marian Walsh of West Roxbury seeks to provide that sunlight, and, in the end, protection for donors of religious organizations.
   The legislation would require tax-exempt religious organizations to meet the same reporting requirements, filed with the attorney general's office, as all other charitable organizations-from the American Cancer Society to your local Little League. This change to the existing law does not increase the regulatory authority the attorney general currently has in protecting the legitimate interests of donors to religious organizations, and is, in effect, neutral in its treatment of them. Additionally, it would require that all nonprofit tax-exempt organizations disclose their real estate holdings. The legislation does not, however, regulate in any way the religious freedom of religious organizations.
   The need for financial transparency in religious organizations is becoming apparent-the financial crisis that the Catholic Church faces both in Massachusetts and nationwide is only the most recent example of questions connected to the temporal affairs of a religious institution. Over a decade ago, scandals connected to the misappropriation of funds brought down prominent tele-evangelists. More recently, the financial relationship between Islamic charities and terrorist networks were called into question.
   As these examples demonstrate, the potential for financial mismanagement-or worse - within religions is inherent to all religious institutions since they are-after all-human institutions in the exercise of their administrative affairs.
   The financial crisis confronting the Catholic Church demonstrates the negative consequences of the current exemption for religious organizations. The clergy sexual abuse crisis shined a light on the ruinous consequences of secrecy. Catholics in the Archdiocese of Boston have curtailed giving to the Church because they feel they can no longer trust the institutional management and hierarchy. Moreover, in the past year, we have witnessed a questionable downsizing of parishes for financial reasons never disclosed and against the intent of generations of donors, as well as legitimate questions concerning the disposition of donations to the clergy retirement fund.
• Former priest says he was shuttled around after abuse allegations. [1970s Rodrigue] - RCC. Transferred when accused. Children.
   San Luis Obispo Tribune, Associated Press, August 10, 2005
   SAN DIEGO (CA) - A former Roman Catholic priest claims church officials shuttled him to new parishes after he was accused of molesting children in the 1970s, according to a newly filed court document.
   The declaration by Edward Anthony Rodrigue supports allegations that bishops knew priests were molesting children but covered up the crimes by shifting accused clergy elsewhere. Rodrigue has been convicted of molestation twice and is serving a 10-year term at Corcoran state prison.
   "There is overwhelming evidence that the church was well aware of the sexual misconduct of these priests," said Raymond P. Boucher, lead attorney for hundreds of people who are suing the church.
   J. Michael Hennigan, the attorney for the San Diego diocese, said it's difficult to evaluate old claims.
   "We're not contending that it's impossible," Hennigan said. "Do I have to take the word of a convicted felon?"
• Suit alleges former Alaska priest molested girl in '70s. [1978-79 McCaffrey] - RCC. Girl.

   Anchorage Daily News, By LISA DEMER, Last Modified: August 10th, 2005 at 01:49 AM
   ALASKA - The Rev. Richard L. McCaffrey, a Catholic priest who served decades in Alaska, is accused of sexually abusing a girl in the village of Tununak in 1978 and 1979, when she was 10 and 11.
   A lawsuit filed Tuesday in Bethel Superior Court names as defendants McCaffrey as well as the Diocese of Fairbanks and the Society of Jesus, Oregon Province. The church organizations knew or should have known about McCaffrey's sexual misbehavior and hid his acts from scrutiny and investigation, the suit filed by Anchorage attorney Ken Roosa contends.
   The priest invited the girl, identified in the suit only as June Doe, into his sleeping quarters, took off her clothes and had her masturbate him, the complaint alleges.
   "During this molestation, Father McCaffrey would tell Plaintiff that their actions were 'pure,' like those acts of Adam and Eve, in order to make Plaintiff believe that this molestation was normal," the suit states.
   June Doe is now married with a family in Western Alaska, Roosa said. She has suffered great pain, humiliation, spiritual theft, loss of trust in priests and other troubles, the suit said.
• Molester Says Church Shifted Him to Other Parishes. [1970s Rodrigue] - RCC. Priest-molester speaks. Children.

   Los Angeles Times, By Jean Guccione, August 10, 2005
   LOS ANGELES (CA) - A former Roman Catholic priest said San Diego church officials transferred him to other parishes after parishioners complained that he had molested altar boys and other youth in the 1970s, according to newly filed court documents.
   Edward Anthony Rodrigue was convicted in 1979 of sexually assaulting two boys in Ontario. Rodrigue made the statements in a court declaration at Corcoran state prison, where he is serving 10 years on a second molestation conviction.
   The declaration, which was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in San Diego, supports one of the main allegations in the clergy sexual abuse scandal: that bishops knew priests were molesting children, but covered up by shifting them elsewhere.
   "There is overwhelming evidence that the church was well aware of the sexual misconduct of these priests," said Raymond P. Boucher, lead attorney for hundreds of people who are suing the church.
   Attorney J. Michael Hennigan, who is representing the San Diego diocese in this case, said he did not know whether officials covered up for those priests. The issue, he said, is whether the church can properly investigate claims after so many years.
• Churches and state to face off over finances. - Various Churches.
   Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, USA), http://telegram. com/apps/pbcs.dll/ article?AID=/2005 0810/NEWS/5081 00739/1116 , By Kathleen A. Shaw, kshaw@telegram.com , August 10, 2005
   The churches are being asked by some legislators to render unto Caesar, and they are not happy about it.
   MASSACHUSETTS - Representatives of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, which represents the four Massachusetts bishops, and the Massachusetts Council of Churches, which represents mainline Protestant churches and the Eastern Orthodox churches, plan to attend a hearing at 1 p.m. today at the Statehouse to oppose a bill that would require them to file public financial reports similar to what is required of the state's nonprofit charities.
   The bill would also require that churches make public their real estate holdings.
   The legislation is sponsored by Sen. Marian D. Walsh, D-Boston; the 32 co-sponsors include Sens. Robert A. Antonioni, D-Leominster, and Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, who are Catholics.
   The bill has the support of Secretary of State William F. Galvin, also a Catholic, who is expected to testify today. Gov. Mitt Romney, a former leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said on Monday he would consider the bill if it passes.
   Timothy L. Lyons, spokesman for Ms. Walsh, said yesterday that the bill is an offshoot of the clergy abuse scandal that engulfed the Roman Catholic Church, but the legislation would require the same reporting of all religions in the state.
   Ms. Walsh, a graduate of Newton College of the Sacred Heart, filed the bill after she was contacted by parishioners from St. Susanna Parish, Dedham. Their parish was one of many in the Boston Archdiocese being closed while money was needed to pay settlements to victims of clergy sexual abuse, Mr. Lyons said Ms. Walsh told him. They were seeking greater financial openness, he said.
   Among those expected to testify for the bill are members of Voice of the Faithful, a group of Catholics that formed in the Boston area as the sex abuse scandal began to unfold in 2002. One of the group's goals is financial openness within the church.
   Laura Everett, program associate for the Massachusetts Council of Churches, said in a statement that she will testify for the council. She will discuss what she sees as impropriety in using legislation "to deal with a recent internal dispute in one denomination, in this case the Roman Catholic Church."
   Ms. Everett said some people believe the bill would affect only one religious tradition, but the legislation will "affect every synagogue, mosque, church and other religious institutions in the state."
   Edward F. Saunders, who heads the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, said he will attend the hearing but is not expected to speak. None of the Massachusetts bishops are expected to be there. The "lead testifiers" will be from the Massachusetts Council of Churches, he said.
   The organizations believe requiring public reporting of church finances paves the way for further intrusion into religious matters by government.
   "It breaks down separation of church and state," Mr. Saunders said yesterday. He said passage of the legislation - Senate Bill 1074 - would further allow the state's attorney general to intervene in church issues and go to court to get church documents.
   He believes the bill to be unconstitutional because it tinkers with First Amendment rights to free exercise of religion, free of government intrusion. The churches, now exempt from reporting requirements required of the state's charities, are different from these other charitable organizations, Mr. Saunders said. He believes the legislation was put in place to monitor fund raising by organizations that may or may not be charities.
   Mr. Saunders added that churches have their own committees and subcommittees that monitor finances and the information would be available internally to those who were seeking it, he said. "The transparency does exist," he said.
   According to information from Ms. Walsh's office, the bill is constitutional and does not interfere with separation of church and state but would bring about financial openness. Having to file the required forms would not burden small religious communities and would not create a hardship. A hierarchal church, such as the Catholic church, would need to file only one form for the diocese, and each parish will not be required to file.
   The change in the law is not aimed at setting the religious groups up to later pay taxes, she said.
• Priest sentenced for embezzlement. [2000s Yarrosh] - RCC. Porn and $US23,000.
   The Morning Call, By Chris Parker, August 10, 2005
   PENNSYLVANIA - A Schuylkill County Catholic priest who admitted owning hundreds of child pornography movies and photos and embezzling more than $23,000 from a church has been sentenced to three to 23 months in prison and 10 years' probation.
   As a sex offender, the Rev. Ronald J. Yarrosh, 57, will have to register his address with state police for 10 years after he is released from prison under Megan's Law. If he had been found to be a sexually violent predator he would have had to register with police for the rest of his life.
   But Yarrosh can never have another church assignment, Allentown Diocese spokesman Matt Kerr said.
   "He will never be in active ministry again," Kerr said.
   Any action to remove Yarrosh from the priesthood would have to be made by the Vatican, Kerr said.
   Yarrosh was sentenced Monday by Schuylkill County President Judge William Baldwin and immediately taken to county prison.
• Life or meth. [1977 Priest] - RCC. Boy.
   The Press-Telegram, By Jenny Marder, ~ August 10, 2005
   PALM SPRINGS (CA)- David Guerrero sucks in a shallow gasp as the ground rapidly recedes below him.
   The 37-year-old Long Beach man is inside an aerial tramway, 3,000 feet above Palm Springs, and he's starting to panic. He grabs a waist-high rail with one hand and a metal pole with another. He turns away from a window that frames the tiny buildings below.
   "I can't look back," he says.
   Around him, couples and families huddle, taking in the scenery. Outside, a Sonoran desert cliff gives way to a sheer granite face.
   The tram is halfway up the mountain, but Guerrero has seen enough.
   Shakily, he lowers his 5-foot-11 frame onto the floor and eases into a cross-legged position. The trolley jolts and shudders as it hits a bump in the rails.
   "Oh my God," he whispers, and reaches again for something to hold onto. ...
   Addiction ran in Guerrero's family. His father was a heroin addict and his grandfather an alcoholic. But it was being repeatedly molested by his priest when he was 9 that he says most likely pushed him over the edge. The priest was later convicted of child molestation and committed suicide. The whole experience, Guerrero said, left him hollow, and looking for something to fill the void.
• Husband of Priest's Aide Accuses Her of an Affair. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married woman.
   The New York Times, By ANDY NEWMAN, Published August 10, 2005
   NEW YORK - A Westchester County man claims in court papers that the rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Midtown has been having an affair with his wife, the rector's longtime personal secretary.
   The man, Philip DeFilippo, says that his wife, Laura DeFilippo, and the rector, Msgr. Eugene V. Clark, have taken many vacations together, spent many weekends at Monsignor Clark's house on the South Fork of Long Island and exposed the couple's teenage daughter to their romantic relationship.
   The claim of a sexual relationship is contained in an application for a temporary order of protection filed in Westchester County Family Court, where Mr. DeFilippo sued for divorce last week. The protection order application claims that Ms. DeFilippo has threatened her husband and seeks to bar her from the family home. Mr. DeFilippo said that a judge granted the order on Monday.
   Mr. DeFilippo, in his filings, says he has a videotape showing Monsignor Clark, 79, and Ms. DeFilippo, 46, at a Long Island motel.
• Editorial: Opacity lingers in church's abuse policy. [1980s] - RCC. Boys.
   The Daily Times, ~ August 10, 2005
   PENNSYLVANIA - Adults who were sexually abused by priests when they were children have maintained in civil lawsuits and through support groups that officials in the Roman Catholic Church are, in essence, conspirators in the crimes because they covered them up. More to the point, church officials have long handled abuse complaints internally.
   In the past, they apparently transferred priests out of the parishes where they were accused of abuse to another assignment where they often would still have access to children. Sometimes they sent them to the church's own treatment facilities with the false hope that these pedophiles would be cured.
   What church officials apparently did not do, is tell parishioners why their priests were being transferred nor did they report the accused abusers to law enforcement authorities.
   The futility of this approach was painfully illustrated recently when a Philadelphia newspaper reported that, in the early 1980s, a priest claims he was instructed by officials in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to remain silent when he informed them that another clergyman was molesting boys in Northeast Philadelphia. They said they would take care of it.
• Church settles abuse lawsuit. [Crespin] - RCC. $US 56.4m.
   The Argus, By Jonathan Jones, ~ August 10, 2005
   OAKLAND (CA) - Less than three months after the Diocese of Oakland found "insufficient evidence" to support allegations of sexual abuse against a former Union City priest, the diocese agreed to pay $600,000 to the plaintiff who accused him, according to attorneys involved in the case.
   The Diocese of Oakland agreed to settle the case against the Rev. George Crespin last week as part of a $56.4 million "global settlement" with victims of childhood sexual abuse by priests.
   Despite the settlement, church officials said this week that the 69-year-old Crespin, who is now in retirement, is permitted to celebrate Mass and hear confessions at St. Joseph the Worker Church in Berkeley, where he has lived and worked for 24 years.
   "The decision was made when the person decided to go ahead and sue after the diocese and a third party determined there was insufficient evidence to remove Father Crespin," said the Rev. Mark Wiesner, a diocese spokesman. "The bishop was interested in reaching a global settlement. ... It was important to settle these cases for the victims." [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 05:26 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Wed August 10, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Thu August 11, 2005 edition follows:-
• Clergy victims group tries again for civil suits against dioceses. [? 1970s 6yrs Widera] - RCC. Boy.

   Janesville Gazette, By Juliet Williams, Associated Press, Thursday, August 11, 2005
   MILWAUKEE (WI) - A man who claims he was sexually abused by a Roman Catholic priest for six years sued the Milwaukee Archdiocese for fraud Thursday in the latest attempt by victims to overturn Wisconsin's ban on lawsuits against religious groups.
   Wisconsin courts have upheld a decade-old ruling that prevents alleged victims from seeking damages. It is the only state in the country with such a law.
   Victims' groups hope evidence obtained in a recent suit in California might persuade a judge to hear the case.
   The man, now 44 and identified in court records only as John Doe, claims high-ranking officials in the archdiocese knew for years that the Rev. Siegfried Widera was sexually abusing children, yet transferred him between schools to cover it up. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 08:43 PM]
• Vatican: Diocese Can't Automatically Seize Parish Assets. - RCC.

   TheBostonChannel.com , UPDATED 6:22 pm EDT August 11, 2005
   BOSTON (MA)-Opponents of the church closing plan in the Archdiocese of Boston have found an unlikely ally-the Vatican.
   NewsCenter 5's Amalia Barreda reported Thursday that a ruling from Rome said Archbishop Sean O'Malley does not have the authority to seize financial assets from churches he's shut down.
   Mt. Carmel Church in East Boston has been in vigil since last October. An appeal to the Vatican is pending, following an order from the Archdiocese of Boston to shut down and send its members to Sacred Heart Parish about a mile away.
   Members say the Vatican's declaration that millions of dollars in assets from certain parishes that have been ordered closed cannot be taken by the archdiocese is a decision that should apply to Mt. Carmel.
   [COMMENT: What would a parish say if it got the accounts for all the costs of the predator priest who served some years there? This "parish rights" claim is another trick to avoid paying the compensation, and to delay justice. COMMENT ENDS.]
• St. Patrick's rector, named in divorce case, resigns. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married secretary.

   Newsday, August 11, 2005, 2:42 PM EDT
   NEW YORK (AP) - A 79-year-old monsignor named as "the other man" in a Westchester County divorce case resigned Thursday as rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral, the New York archdiocese said.
   Cardinal Edward Egan accepted Msgr. Eugene Clark's resignation despite Clark's denials that he has been carrying on an affair with his 46-year-old private secretary, the church said.
   "He offered his resignation for the good of Saint Patrick's and the Archdiocese," the statement said. "He will not be celebrating Mass or the sacraments publicly until this matter has been resolved."
   Clark was named in divorce papers filed in Family Court in White Plains by Philip DeFilippo, 46, of Eastchester, who claimed that a private investigator taped his wife, Laura, and the monsignor entering and leaving a hotel in Amagansett, on Long Island. The videotape was shown Monday to New York City newspapers.
   DeFilippo also claimed that the DeFilippos' teenage daughter was exposed to the relationship.
• Vatican stops diocese in taking parish assets. - RCC. Pastors now asked to sign over parish assets.

   The Boston Globe, By Michael Paulson | August 11, 2005
   BOSTON (MA) - The Vatican, in a blow to the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, has concluded that archdiocesan officials erred in claiming the financial assets of closing parishes and must now ask pastors to voluntarily turn over millions of dollars in bank accounts and real estate holdings that the archdiocese had planned to take.
   The archdiocese said yesterday that it is working with the Vatican and with local priests and finance council members to limit the repercussions of the development and said the Vatican is otherwise supportive of the process of closings pursued by the archdiocese and of the individual closing decisions made by Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley. But the archdiocese acknowledged that the decision is unwelcome and poses a complication in O'Malley's effort to restore the troubled archdiocese to financial health.
   Critics of the parish closing process said the development vindicates their argument, put forward in several lawsuits in civil courts, as well as in appeals to the Vatican, that the archdiocese has mishandled the overall closings process and is violating church and civil law by taking as much as several hundred million dollars in cash donated and real estate funded by faithful Catholics over many generations.
   The archdiocese acknowledged the Vatican's decision in response to questions from reporters. ...
   Three American dioceses-Portland, Ore., Spokane, Wash., and Tucson-have filed for bankruptcy and have tried to limit the assets that can be claimed by creditors by arguing in court filings that the assets of parishes belong to parishioners and not to the dioceses. Several Boston-area parishes sent appeals to the Vatican, arguing that it was unreasonable for O'Malley to claim ownership of parish assets at the same time Western bishops were claiming they don't control parish assets.
   It is not clear whether a desire to help protect the bankrupt dioceses prompted the Vatican to insist that the Archdiocese of Boston does not control the assets of its closed parishes, but Boston church officials and pastors said that, in the past, the archdiocese here has closed parishes and taken their assets without objection. They also said the Vatican has helped design the solution of asking pastors to sign money over to the archdiocese, which would comply with canon law but also allow the archdiocese the use of the funds.
• Motel hoppin' in Hamptons . [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married woman.

   New York Daily News, BY BARBARA ROSS, ADAM LISBERG and CORKY SIEMASZKO, ~ August 11, 2005
   NEW YORK - The Beauty and the Priest insist they did not have sex, but she appears to have told at least one lie - and there's a damning videotape to prove it.
   On the day Laura DeFilippo was caught on camera with Msgr. Eugene Clark at a Hamptons motel, she allegedly had told her husband they were heading to a storage facility 30 miles away in Riverhead, L.I., to sort through some books.
   Instead, the telltale tape made by her husband's private eye reveals DeFilippo picked Clark up at the St. Patrick's Cathedral rectory - and drove to the White Sands Motel in Amagansett, L.I., on July 21.
   They made only one stop - to pick up some fast food for the road, the investigator told the Daily News.
   When they got to the motel at 11:07 a.m., the tape showed the 79-year-old rector of St. Pat's walking into the motel office while his leggy companion sat in the van and reapplied her lipstick.
• Suspended priest charged with molesting four boys. [1980s, 90s + Mieliwocki] - RCC. 4 more boys.
   The Morning Call, ~ August 11, 2005
   MENDHAM (NJ) | A priest who was suspended after allegations he molested two youths in the 1980s and 1990s faces new charges of molesting four boys at a drug treatment program where he became a counselor.
   The Rev. Richard Mieliwocki, 58, was suspended nearly two years ago by the Archdiocese of Newark. Arrested in December, he was indicted Tuesday on charges of child endangerment and criminal sexual contact.
   Authorities said he improperly touched and made sexual comments to the boys, ages 16 to 18, during therapy sessions at Daytop Village last year.
   "I'm very happy they indicted him," said the Rev. Joseph Hennen, Daytop's executive director. "That kind of conduct is absolutely intolerable."
• Priest is 1 of 9 arrested in sting. [2005 Patterson] - RCC. Men.
   Indianapolis Star, Associated Press, August 11, 2005
   NEWBURGH, Ind.-Police officers arrested nine men, including a Roman Catholic priest, during an undercover operation at a public bathroom in a park overlooking the Ohio River.
   The Rev. Ralph E. Patterson, 47, associate pastor at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in nearby Henderson, Ky., was among eight men arrested last week by undercover officers. A ninth man was arrested Tuesday on a charge of public indecency.
   Five of the men, including Patterson, were charged with public indecency and four with battery. The men charged with battery touched the undercover officers in a sexual manner, said Warrick County Sheriff Marvin Heilman.
   Heilman said Newburgh Locks and Dam Overlook has become a destination for men seeking sex with other men, but the problem has grown out of control.
• Accused EWTN priest stays on air. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. 'Relationships' programme remains on TV. Married woman secretary.
   Birmingham News, By GREG GARRISON, Thursday, August 11, 2005
   ALABAMA - An Alabama-based worldwide Catholic television network has no plans to drop a program hosted by a New York priest who has been accused of having a sexual relationship with a married woman.
   Monsignor Eugene V. Clark, the pastor of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, has a program on Irondale-based EWTN called "Relationships."
   Clark, 79, has been having an affair with his longtime personal secretary, Laura DeFilippo, 46, according to her husband, Philip DeFilippo. Stories in several New York newspapers have carried accounts of DeFilippo's accusations in his divorce filing.
• Parishioners defend, support priest . [Emerson] - RCC. Male.
   Post-Tribune, By Mary Fox / Post-Tribune correspondent, Aug. 11, 2005
   MICHIGAN CITY (IN) - Some parishioners from the Rev. Richard Emerson's former church think the priest's reputation is being tarnished in the media.
   They're also supporting him financially even in the wake of a new allegation announced Sunday.
   Nancy and Tom Henry are among Notre Dame Church parishioners who are still in Emerson's corner, despite the allegations against him.
   On Sunday, new allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor were deemed credible, according to the Diocese of Gary.
   Emerson has been on administrative leave since December, after charges by a Florida man were deemed credible.
• Priest accused of affair with aide. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married woman secretary.
   The Journal News, By JONATHAN BANDLER, jbandler@thejournalnews.com , August 11, 2005
   WHITE PLAINS (NY)- The rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral is embroiled in a Westchester divorce case, as an Eastchester man alleges that his wife had an affair with the 79-year-old Roman Catholic priest while working as his secretary.
   Philip DeFilippo filed for divorce from his wife, Laura, in Westchester Family Court, and claimed in court papers that she was romantically involved with Monsignor Eugene Clark, a longtime family friend who married the couple two decades ago, when he was rector at the Church of the Annunciation in Yonkers. Both DeFilippos are 46, and they have two children.
   DeFilippo alleges that a private investigator captured his wife and the priest on videotape entering and leaving a hotel on Long Island and that his wife frequently vacationed with Clark.
   The allegations have stunned parishioners from some of the many stops of Clark's career.
   "Not the Monsignor Clark that I know. I would never expect that from him. I would never expect for him to do something like that," said Diane Vezza, a longtime Annunciation parishioner who recalled Clark as a "spectacular" rector. "The priest I know is an upstanding man."
• No on church disclosure bill. - $US 85m payout. RCC.
   The Boston Globe, By John Garvey | August 11, 2005
   MASSACHUSETTS - CATHOLICS in Boston have had a hard time the last few years. The clergy sexual abuse scandal and the parish closings have involved a lot of heartbreak. And a lot of money. The abuse settlement cost $85 million. The parishes scheduled for closing are worth more than that. Some Catholics are unhappy with the church's handling of these matters. Some blame the closings on the abuse settlement. (Not so. It was paid for by sale of the church's Brighton headquarters.)
   Others contend that the wrong parishes were slated for closing. The archdiocese tried to anticipate these concerns by involving the laity in the initial closing recommendations. And canon law allows people to appeal closings within the church's legal system. Some have already done this.
   State Senator Marian Walsh of West Roxbury has proposed a law that would enlist the attorney general on the side of unhappy Catholics. The law would require religious organizations to file detailed financial statements with the Division of Public Charities. The statements would include sources of income, expenses, bank accounts, real estate, compensation paid to employees and professional consultants, and so on.
   Churches have never been required to file such statements, though other charities do. Walsh maintains that the law would equalize their treatment. Besides, she argues, her constituents have given donations to their churches, and they are entitled to see that their money is wisely spent.
   The attorney general has expressed some skepticism about the proposal. And well he might. The Division of Public Charities (a branch of his office) performs a useful service in supervising charities-seeing that they meet donors' expectations, and that charity officials are loyal and careful in the management of charitable assets
• Vatican/Anticlericale.Net: Demonstration For Sexual And Conscience Liberty. [2001 Ratzinger] - RCC. Pope's secretiveness alleged.

   Radicalparty.org , http://coranet. radicalparty.org/ pressreleases/ press_release. php?func=detail& par=7750 , Aug/11/2005
   ROME, 10 August 2005 - During the week long celebration of World Youth Day in Cologne, the Radical Association Anticlericale.net will organise a demonstration to take place at 8 p.m. on the 16th August in S. Peter Square. Anticlericale.net has been at the forefront in the struggle for a secular state and institutions, and for religious freedom, primarily for Catholics. This demonstration will support sexual freedom and freedom of conscience and denounce paedophiles, corrupt priests and paedophilic organisations.
   By taking advantage of the status of sovereign state enjoyed by the Vatican City since 1962, [? 1932] the highest Vatican hierarchies have planned and carried out something whose true magnitude has been revealed only today: a protective cover for paedophilic priests which allows the diffusion and, for many of them, the repetition of offences perpetrated for years in absolute impunity.
   The Vatican is well aware of the existence and spread of such crimes, and so has approved new strict provisions with a view to "governing" the scandal - by means of an Instruction issued by the Supreme Holy Congregation of the Saint Office. In order to avoid that the facts to become public, excommunication is possible. Such provisions were confirmed in 2001 by the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, Joseph Ratzinger at the time, Pope Benedict XVI today. [Bolding added]
   [OTHER INFORMATION:
   The 2001 document mentioned in the 3rd paragraph above might be the "Letter" called Epistula Graviora Delicta signed by "JOSEPHUS Card. RATZINGER, Praefectus" of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, dated 18 May 2001, and approved by Pope John Paul II, which is "mirrored" on the WWW in Latin at Epistula.
   It mentions a classic document threatening excommunication for revealing some of the Church's sex secrets, which was unearthed by whistleblower/s and reporter Kathy Shaw in USA. It is an "Instruction" called Crimen Sollicitationis (Crime of Solicitation), 16 March 1962, signed by Cardinal A. Ottaviani, and approved by Pope John XXIII. Visit Crimen Extracts in English, or full text in English at Crime of Solicitation, or in Latin at Crimen Sollicitationis .
   Also in 2001 the Vatican issued a Moto Proprio document named Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela on a similar subject signed by Pope John Paul II, dated April 30, 2001. Visit the Vatican website for it at www.vatican.va/ holy_father/ john_paul_ii /motu_proprio/ documents /hf_jp-ii_ motu-proprio_ 20020110_ sacramentorum- sanctitatis-tutela_ lt.html?GRAB_ID= 111\&EXTRA_ ARG=\&HOST_ ID=42\ &PAGE_ ID=13634304 .
   It was quoted approvingly and as having force in the CLSA December 2002 Newsletter, Canon Law Society of America, www.clsa.org/ news/dec02/ dec02.htm , December 2002 issue.
   The Vatican's August 7 2003 denial that Crimen Sollicitationis was still operative was made by Archbishop Julian Herranz, president of the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts. The report by Cindy Wooden WAS showing on the Catholic News Service, at www.catholicnews. com/data/storie s/cns/20030807.htm , until around July 2004, but didn't display on August 16, 2004. It was mirrored, so visit "Vatican official says 1962 norms on solicitation no longer apply" at "No Longer". INFORMATION ENDS.]
   [COMMENT: To deny in 2003 that the 1962 Crimen was still operative was a serious crimen itself, especially since reporters have been able to find confirmations of its supposed authority TWICE in 2001, and again in 2002. We presume that an insider like the archbishop would have been able to find several more confirmations that it had not been put aside.
   There has been no apology for the August 7, 2003 attempted deception, nor for the reduction of faith of thousands of Roman Catholics who have rejected such deceit. Such evasions have led some of them to realise that canon law administration is not the clear truth, and that current claims, such as that parish assets don't belong to the diocese or archdiocese, are deceitful evasions. ENDS.]
   [DOCTRINE: Jesus said: You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. Also: Let your Yes be Yes, and your No be No. He also said: I am the way, the truth and the life. Also: By their fruits you shall know them. ENDS.]
• Archdiocese skips hearing, stirs ire. - RCC. Accounts may be opened up. Objections to closing nearly 25%.

   The Boston Globe, By Michael Levenson, Globe Correspondent | August 11, 2005
   MASSACHUSETTS - No one from the Boston Archdiocese spoke at a packed Beacon Hill hearing yesterday on legislation that would force all religious groups to open their books to the public.
   The absence angered lawmakers who said they had hoped to discuss the Catholic Church's finances, real estate holdings, and efforts to restore parishioners' confidence.
   To cheers from the audience, Republicans and Democrats voiced their support for the bill in forceful, often emotionally charged testimony that touched on the clergy sexual abuse crisis and the rebellion over parish closings in Greater Boston.
   The hearing was an extraordinary demonstration of shifting attitudes on Beacon Hill, as lawmakers who had stood with the Catholic Church on issues such as abortion criticized its treatment of lay Catholics during the abuse scandal and its plan to close nearly one fourth of the parishes in the archdiocese.
   Years ago, "we were fearful of bringing issues of this nature up," Thomas P. O'Neill 3d, a former lieutenant governor and state representative, told members of the Judiciary Committee. "It is historic."
• Tampa school gets another sexual abuse suit. [1982 2 Brothers (Salesians of Don Bosco)] - RCC. Boy.
   St. Petersburg Times, www.sptimes.com/ 2005/08/11/ Hillsborough/ Tampa_school_ gets_ano.shtml , By SAUNDRA AMRHEIN, Published August 11, 2005
   TAMPA (FL) - Joining a string of other allegations in three years against Tampa's Mary Help of Christians School, a former student sued the school Wednesday, saying he was sexually abused by two Salesian brothers while he was a seventh-grader in 1982.
   The suit is the sixth since 2002 accusing a priest or teacher at the school of sexually molesting a boy in his care.
   The school at 6400 E Chelsea St., which stopped housing residential students in 1996 and became coed in 2000, is run by the Salesians of Don Bosco religious order. The order is devoted to helping children, especially the poor and disadvantaged, according to its Web site.
   The suit says that the plaintiff, born in 1969, was enrolled at the Catholic boarding school as a seventh-grader in 1982 because he had failed seventh grade at his other school. His mother, the suit says, hoped the Salesians who operated Mary Help of Christians School could help instill the discipline and structure the victim needed at that point in his life.
• Incoming Rome Prefect Agrees to Deposition. - RCC.

   Los Angeles Times, From Associated Press, ~ August 11, 2005
   PORTLAND, Ore. - Archbishop William Levada agreed Wednesday to waive diplomatic immunity and answer questions about sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests after he takes over as the church's guardian on doctrine - the Vatican post formerly held by Pope Benedict XVI.
   Levada, 69, who officially steps down as archbishop of San Francisco next week, is heading to Rome to take over as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger held the post for 24 years before he became pope in April; he appointed Levada to his old job a month later.
   During a farewell Mass on Sunday in San Francisco, Levada was served with a subpoena to be deposed on Friday. But with his agreement to accept the jurisdiction of U.S. courts - amounting to a waiver of diplomatic immunity - Levada will now be deposed in January. He had previously refused to agree to jurisdiction and other conditions.
   Lawyers for abuse victims want to question Levada as part of the bankruptcy case of the Archdiocese of Portland. Last year, Portland became the first Roman Catholic diocese in the nation to file for bankruptcy protection, citing sex abuse lawsuits seeking more than $155 million in damages.
   Levada led the Portland Archdiocese from 1986 to 1995, when he became the archbishop of San Francisco.
   "He now has personally signed acceptance of receipt of the subpoena and he has agreed that U.S. courts will have jurisdiction and that the subpoena will be legally enforceable," said Eric Olson, a lawyer representing abuse victims.
• How Senator Rick Santorum, In Acting for His Church, Persistently Fails to Consider the Larger Public Good. - RCC.

   FindLaw, http://writ. news.findlaw. com/hamilton/ 20050811.html , ~ August 11, 2005
   UNITED STATES - Senator Rick Santorum has been in the news recently, touting his faith-based views on public policy. (Santorum's faith is Roman Catholicism).
   In my recent book, God vs. the Gavel: Religion and the Rule of Law, I document the harm that comes from elected representatives acting according to the dictate of religious lobbyists, without consideration of the larger public good. This is a severe defect in our representative government-and Santorum is the best modern example. ...
   There was an abiding belief, at the Convention and among the Framers, that representatives should be "filters" of factions-including religious factions, of which there was quite a variety at the time of the framing-within the society, not simply stand-ins for such interests.
   The Framers' view was that only if factions, including religious factions, were filtered-refocusing all requests to encompass serious inquiry into the public good-could the system produce good laws and good government.
   Rick Santorum is no filter, as the following concrete examples will illustrate.
   The Roman Catholic Clergy Abuse Crisis in Boston
   Across the country, the Roman Catholic Church has been under fire from prosecutors, litigators, and childhood sexual abuse victims for its "handling" of its pedophile clergy. It is now well-documented that bishops, archbishops, and cardinals did not report known pedophiles to police. Instead, they moved pedophiles between parishes within their dioceses, or traded these men between dioceses - not only allowing the abuse to continue, but ensuring that pedophiles could start afresh with new trusting parents, and new potential child victims.
   An uncontroverted fact is that the failure to report the abuse meant that the vast majority - 98% of the predators - avoided conviction due to the short statutes of limitations. In most cases, by the time the victims were ready to come forward, in adulthood, the limitations periods, set by the various state statutes of limitations, had long passed. Imagine how different the world would have been, had the Church timely reported these terrible crimes to the police, as soon as it learned of them.
• Ex-youth minister accused of molesting teen girls. [2003-04 Rizzo] - RCC. 2 girls.
   Shreveport Times, By Francis McCabe, francismccabe@gannett.com , ~ August 11, 2005
   SHREVEPORT (LA) - A former youth minister at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Shreveport is accused of inappropriately touching girls ages 15 and 16 when he worked at the church at Patton at Anniston avenues in 2003 and 2004, police said.
   And investigators believe there may be more victims out there, Caddo Assistant District Attorney Hugo Holland said.
   Antonio J. Rizzo, 30, of Lafayette was arrested in Lafayette and brought back to Shreveport late Tuesday, where he was booked into Caddo Correctional Center on two counts of molestation of a juvenile, police spokeswoman Kacee Hargrave said. His bond is set at $70,000.
   This is not the first time Rizzo has caught the attention of law enforcement. In March 2004, he was arrested on three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile for allegedly giving alcoholic beverages to teen girls and making sexual advances toward them.
• Ex-priest's words could aid lawsuits. [1970s + Rodrigue] - RCC. Predator Rodrigue exposes bishops.
   The Press-Enterprise, By MICHAEL FISHER / 12:50 AM PDT on Thursday, August 11, 2005
   CALIFORNIA Former Inland priest Edward Anthony Rodrigue said he met with San Diego's bishop in 1976 to discuss a letter from 10 parents who accused the parish cleric of sexually abusing altar boys, according to papers filed in federal court this week.
   Rodrigue, a twice-convicted child molester, said in a sworn declaration from state prison in Corcoran that he and Bishop Leo Maher, now deceased, discussed the complaints before Rodrigue was briefly reassigned to Our Lady of Soledad Church in Coachella in 1976. Rodrigue was then sent to a Massachusetts treatment center for troubled clergy members.
   In the court papers, Rodrigue, 68, said the San Diego Diocese and, later, the San Bernardino Diocese, paid for his therapy for years as he was transferred to treatment centers in Massachusetts, New Mexico and Cherry Valley in between his assignments at churches in Ontario and Loma Linda.
   The declaration is among court papers filed Tuesday by attorneys who are trying to show that the San Diego Diocese knowingly transferred abusive priests among parishes. The court documents mention Rodrigue and three San Diego-area priests.
• North Jersey ex-priest faces sex-abuse charges. [1980s-90s, 2004 Mieliwocki] - RCC. From predator priest to counsellor! 6 boys.
   Philadelphia Inquirer, Associated Press, ~ August 11, 2005
   MENDHAM, N.J. - A priest officially suspended nearly two years ago on allegations that he molested two boys in the 1980s and 1990s faces charges of molesting four teens at a drug-treatment program in Morris County where he became a counselor.
   Arrested in December, the Rev. Richard Mieliwocki, 58, was indicted Tuesday on charges of child endangerment and criminal sexual contact. Authorities said he improperly touched and made sexual comments to four males, ages 16 to 18, during therapy sessions last year at Daytop Village in Mendham.
   "I'm very happy they indicted him," said the Rev. Joseph Hennen, Daytop's executive director. "That kind of conduct is absolutely intolerable."
   The priest's lawyer, Thomas C. Pluciennik, said Mieliwocki might have employed "cutting-edge" therapy techniques but was not guilty of a crime.
   Mieliwocki was removed from his priestly duties in February 1994 after church officials said they found evidence to support the claims of two men who said he had abused them at Our Lady of Sorrows in South Orange, N.J., beginning in 1988.
• Defrocked priest says church covered up molestations. [Rodrigue] - RCC moved him from place to place.
   Daily Bulletin, By Brad A. Greenberg, ~ August 11, 2005
   CALIFORNIA - A defrocked Catholic priest who served in Loma Linda and Ontario claims church leaders protected his pedophilic behavior by passing him among parishes.
   Edward Anthony Rodrigue, an admitted serial molester, claims in court papers that he was allowed to continue working at churches despite numerous complaints of sexual abuse.
   His statements were filed by plaintiffs' lawyers Tuesday in U.S. District Court in San Diego. Another declaration by a former police officer claimed the Rev. John Daly was moved to San Bernardino County in exchange for prosecutor's keeping secret his sexual indiscretion.
   Both statements, and those made by countless people who claim they were sexually abused, support lawyers' claims that, for decades, Catholic bishops have protected deviant priests, further endangering children.
   J. Michael Hennigan, lawyer for the San Diego diocese, said Rodrigue's statements were disturbing and cast a pall over former Bishop Leo Maher, who died in 1991.
• Catholic priest sentenced to probation for attempted sex abuse. [2002 Liberatore] - RCC. Altar boy.
   Times Leader, Associated Press, ~ August 11, 2005
   NEW YORK - A Pennsylvania priest who pleaded guilty to attempted sexual abuse for groping a former altar boy on an overnight trip to New York City was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years probation, authorities said.
   Albert Liberatore Jr., of Scranton, Pa., admitted groping the boy in a hotel room in May 2002.
   The Roman Catholic priest had earlier pleaded guilty in Pennsylvania to sexually assaulting the same boy and was sentenced in June to five years probation.
   The victim told police he became involved with the priest when he was an eighth-grade altar boy at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Duryea, Pa. Investigators said the victim said he met the priest for dinners, slept at the rectory and went with him on trips to New York.
• Archbishop set to give answers on sex abuse. [Portland Archdiocese] - RCC. 250 plaintiffs.
   Detroit Free Press, BY WILLIAM McCALL, ASSOCIATED PRESS, August 11, 2005
   PORTLAND, Ore.-Archbishop William Levada agreed Wednesday to waive diplomatic immunity and answer questions about sexual abuse by Catholic priests after he takes over as the church's guardian on doctrine-the Vatican post formerly held by Pope Benedict XVI.
   Levada, 69, who will officially step down as archbishop of San Francisco next week, is heading to Rome to take over as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger held the post for 24 years before he became pope in April; he appointed Levada to his old job a month later.
   Attorneys for abuse victims want to question Levada as part of the bankruptcy case involving the Archdiocese of Portland. Last year, Portland became the first Catholic diocese in the nation to declare bankruptcy, citing sexual-abuse lawsuits seeking more than $155 million in damages. Levada led the archdiocese from 1986 to 1995, when he became the archbishop of San Francisco. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:08 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Thu August 11, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
• Archbishop critical of legal stunt; Archbishop prepares to leave San Francisco, is served with subpoena. [Portland Archdiocese] - RCC. 250 plaintiffs.

   The Record (Western Australian RC newspaper), CNS, p 8, August 11, 2005
   SAN FRANCISCO (CA): More than 3,000 people gathered at the Cathedral of St Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco on August 7 to bid farewell to Archbishop William J. Levada as he prepared to start a new chapter in his life as the highest-ranking US official at the Vatican.
   The 68-year-old archbishop, named in May by Pope Benedict XVI as head of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, told the crowd at the cathedral that his 10 years as archbishop of San Francisco had been "a significant part of my life as a man, a priest and a bishop."
   He said he measured his success by asking "if in these days I have helped God's people as their shepherd here in the archdiocese to grow closer to the Lord. ... Only God knows the answer to this question."
   "I firmly believe that what I have experienced in my ministry among God's people here in the Archdiocese of San Francisco has been a great grace for me, and has enriched me for the new service to the universal Church to which our Holy Father Pope Benedict has called me now," Archbishop Levada added.
   Shortly before the Mass, Archbishop Levada was served with a subpoena ordering him to be deposed in relation to clergy sex abuse lawsuits filed by some 250 plaintiffs against the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, which the archbishop headed from 1986 to 1995.
   Maurice Healy, director of communications and outreach for the San Francisco Archdiocese, confirmed on August 8 that the subpoena had been served in the cathedral sacristy before the Mass, but he criticised the timing of the move.
   He said the archbishop, who "walks to work" and is a "very public person," could have been served with the subpoena on several other, less public occasions.
   Healy said remarks made by several plaintiffs' attorneys in Portland following the Vatican announcement of Archbishop Levadas new post had convinced him that the lawyers wanted to "seize the opportunity created by his appointment to embarrass the Church."
   The Los Angeles Times reported that Cookie Gambucci, who served the subpoena, said she told the archbishop she would serve it to him on the altar if he did not accept it before the Mass. Gambucci said Archbishop Levada accepted the subpoena but told her, "This is a disgrace to the Church."
   Healy said the archbishop was misquoted and had said not to Gambucci but to an aide, "This is a disgrace to the legal profession."
   Archbishop John G. Vlazny, current head of the Portland Archdiocese, announced in July 2004 that the archdiocese was filing for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code.
   Archbishop Levada was scheduled to leave for Rome on August• 17, four days after a farewell gala! at the Marriott Hotel in downtown j San Francisco.
   Among those scheduled to attend the gala were representatives of local parishes, members of the clergy, Catholic lay leaders, interfaith religious leaders, civic and community leaders and other guests.
   Bishop Wester will serve as apostolic administrator of the San Francisco Archdiocese after Archbishop Levada's departure until a new archbishop is named.#
   [COMMENT: And the reason? It's mentioned once in the fifth paragraph. COMMENT ENDS.] [Aug 11, 05]
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Fri August 12, 2005 edition follows:-
• Church Abuse Liens.

   TheChamplainChannel.com , www.thechamplain channel.com/editor ials/4842401/ detail.html , Friday, August 12, 2005
   There's a problem...but this isn't the answer.
   VERMONT - Priests, sexual abuse, the Catholic Church...those words are lumped together far too often. That's true in Burlington, as well as elsewhere. The diocese has settled some, and is dealing with others.
   One attorney--Jerome O'Neill--has ten clients suing the Burlington diocese. And he wants court action before their cases are even heard.
   He's asking the court to put liens on church property. His theory: His clients could get so much money the Church wouldn't have the cash to pay up. The property is like insurance...his clients are covered.
   We say...stop. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:20 PM]
   [COMMENT: Liens (a temporary halt on land dealings) seem a reasonable move by the lawyer. The RCC is the Church that has tried the defence that the Constitution prevents courts penalising Churches for moving serial paedophiles from place to place. The same Church in some places in the USA is saying that the bishop does not own parish properties, and in other places says the bishop does own them. In States that have laws granting immunity to "nonprofits" including Churches, the RCC has not waived that immunity in order to open the courts to justice for the sex-abuse survivors. Yes, Attorney O'Neill, FPP says "Well done!" COMMENT ENDS.]
• Lawyers for Spokane Diocese cheered by Vatican ruling. [2005 Spokane Diocese] - RCC.

   Seattle Post Intelligencer, By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS, ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER, ~ August 12, 2005
   SPOKANE, Wash.-A recent Vatican ruling that the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston is not automatically entitled to the assets of closed parishes is being closely watched in Spokane, where sex abuse victims are demanding the church sell parishes to pay claims.
   Spokane Bishop William Skylstad has argued in court that he does not control individual parishes within the Diocese of Spokane, and cannot sell them to raise money for people who were molested by priests.
   U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Patricia Williams is expected to rule by Sept. 1 on whether the parishes belong to the diocese, but the Vatican decision is encouraging, said Shaun Cross, an attorney for the Spokane Diocese.
   "It reaffirms the position of Bishop Skylstad in that he does not own the parishes," Cross said. "He has no unfettered discretion to deal with parish assets."
   [COMMENT: Pull the other leg, Mr Cross! Nobody has "unfettered discretion" in this world, and in addition bishops have sworn obedience to the Pope. Similarly, each priest swears obedience to the bishop. So, a bishop with court-ordered debts is duty bound to use any of the Church's assets under his control, and to order sufficient priests and parishes to hand over the properties until his diocese's debts are paid. In Australian law each bishop is established, usually by statute, as a "corporation sole," meaning a one-man corporation, and has all the rights of an owner of all the parishes in his diocese. The property of the religious orders is not part of his diocesean property, so is outside his control. Probably a similar system is in place in the United States. COMMENT ENDS.]
• Parishes told to protect rights. [Boston Archdiocese] - RCC. 3 parishes have sued Archdiocese!

   The Boston Globe, By Michael Paulson | August 12, 2005
   BOSTON (MA) - One day after the Archdiocese of Boston acknowledged that it had erred in attempting to take the property of closed parishes, parishioners, pastors, and reform groups attempted to take stock of the implications of the unexpected development for parishes that have already closed and those that might close in the future.
   The lay reform organization Voice of the Faithful issued a statement calling on all parishes around the country to appeal any closing decisions to the Vatican, warning that one lesson of the Boston situation is that parishes need to file appeals to protect their rights.
   A lawyer representing three parishes that have sued the Archdiocese of Boston over closing decisions said the development bolsters those suits, in which parishioners made the argument that the archdiocese did not have the right to take the assets of their closing churches.
   In a positive development for the archdiocese, a pastor contacted by the Globe said he expected to voluntarily turn over the assets of a closing parish - worth millions of dollars in his case - to the archdiocese.
• Rites & wrongs. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married secretary.
   New York Daily News, ~ August 12, 2005
   NEW YORK - Msgr. Eugene Clark, still denying allegations that he has been canoodling with his longtime secretary, Laura DeFilippo, nevertheless did the right thing yesterday and resigned from his post as rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Neither will he celebrate Mass nor the sacraments in public, according to the Archdiocese of New York.
   This is as it should be; a monsignor is someone around whom there ought not be even a whiff of scandal. But this particular monsignor's conduct - at best, questionable - has invited the heaping of scandal upon his head and that of the church. Scandal and mockery.
   That is what happens when a 79-year-old cleric checks into a motel with his much younger, married female employee and spends more than five hours there, with both emerging wearing different clothes than when they went in, and then claims the only reason all this happened was that the lady was a bit sleepy. (Hey, c'mon, anything is possible.)
• Defiant Msgr. steps down. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married secretary.
   New York Daily News, By BARBARA ROSS and CORKY SIEMASZKO, ~ August 12, 2005
   NEW YORK - Laura DeFilipo's motel moment with Clark means he may have presided at his last Mass at St. Pat's.
   The motel-hopping monsignor accused of having an affair with his married church secretary resigned in disgrace yesterday as rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral.
   But Msgr. Eugene Clark didn't admit to an affair with Laura DeFilippo - even after a videotape showed them checking into a Hamptons motel.
   "Although Msgr. Clark continues to deny the allegations against him, he offered his resignation for the good of St. Patrick's and the archdiocese," archdiocesan spokesman Joseph Zwilling said in a statement.
   Clark was not defrocked, but Zwilling said the 79-year-old priest would "not be celebrating Mass or the sacraments publicly until this matter has been resolved."
   The Eternal Word Television Network also pulled the plug on Clark's weekly "Relationships" television show. During the half-hour broadcast, Clark often lectured about marital fidelity and railed against Hollywood, homosexuals and others he deemed "the enemy of Christian marriage."
• He's gone, sex debate lingers. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married secretary by preacher against 'liberal' America.
   New York Daily News, By RICH SCHAPIRO and BILL HUTCHINSON, ~ August 12, 2005
   NEW YORK - As news of a scandalous resignation circulated about St. Patrick's Cathedral yesterday, Msgr. Eugene Clark's presence still loomed large.
   Visitors entering the famed cathedral saw that Clark's name still graced two welcome boards in the foyer - a visceral reminder of the latest scandal to rock the Catholic Church.
   "Before you cast stones you better be damn sure you're doing the right thing," parishioner Dorothy Clune, 50, of the Bronx, said of the silver-haired Clark, who has railed against the immorality of "liberal America."
   But visitors to the landmark church suggested the litany of libido-driven scandals in the Catholic Church would end if priests were given the green light to have sex and marry.
   "I think something's going to have to change and until that time I think this nonsense is going to keep happening," said Clune.
• New Safe Touch program will 'empower students'. - RCC.
   St. Louis Review, by Barbara Watkins, ~ August 12, 2005
   ST. LOUIS (MO) - Beginning this fall, local Catholic elementary schools and parish schools of religion will implement Safe Touch, a program to educate their students about child sexual abuse.
   The goal is to teach children the difference between safe and unsafe touching and to let children know that if anything happens that makes them feel uneasy, they should tell another adult, said Thomas Lemp, one of the program's creators.
   "It is about children learning that it is their body and they can set the boundaries about how their body is touched and dealt with," Lemp said. "And if there is a problem, let somebody know, and we will make sure it stops."
   Lemp and Saundra Barker, both of Catholic Family Services, developed Safe Touch in conjunction with the Archdiocesan Child Safety Committee and the Catholic Education Office.
• Catholic Church Another scandal. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married secretary.
   Morocco Times, 5:45 pm | Aug/12/2005
   NEW YORK - The high-profile Roman Catholic priest, allegedly romanced his married secretary, resigned in disgrace Thursday as rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan, the New York Daily News reported Wednesday.
   Philip DeFilippo, the secretary's husband, who filed for divorce, accused Monsignor Eugene Clark of having an affair with his wife, Laura DeFilippo, 46. The priest has denied the allegations.
   DeFilippo, in his filings, says he has a videotape provided by a private detective showing the priest and DeFilippo's wife at a Long Island hotel.
   "Although Msgr. Clark continues to deny the allegations against him, he offered his resignation for the good of St. Patrick's and the archdiocese," archdiocesan spokesman Joseph Zwilling said in a statement, reported NY Daily.
• Rev.'s Secret 'Love' Shack. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married secretary.
   New York Post, By SELIM ALGAR, JENNIFER FERMINO and DAN MANGAN, August 11, 2005
   NEW YORK-St. Patrick's Cathedral's top priest and his longtime leggy assistant turned a quaint Hamptons hideaway hotel into their personal love nest - keeping their tryst so hush-hush, they didn't even use their own names in the registry, sources told The Post yesterday.
   An employee of the White Sands Resort Hotel, a secluded oceanfront inn nestled in the dunes, said neither Monsignor Eugene Clark, 79, nor his married gal pal, Laura DeFilippo, was listed as a guest on July 21.
   That's when the two were secretly videotaped entering the hotel to rent a room in the early afternoon. They left about 5 1/2 hours later with their heads bowed, wearing different clothes - she in sexy short-shorts.
   The videotape was shot at the behest of her private-eye husband, Philip, who was collecting evidence for a bitter divorce battle in which he charges his wife had a long-term affair with the respected monsignor.
   A clerk at the upscale, 20-room hotel said it's no wonder a couple would choose to canoodle there. Its seclusion and don't-kiss-and-tell policy make it very popular with celebrities.
• 'Randy' Rev Casts Himself Out. [2005 Monsignor Clark; 2005 Cardinal Egan] - RCC. Married secretary; Gave order to sack secretary.
   New York Post, By JEANE MacINTOSH, HEIDI SINGER and DAN MANGAN, August 12, 2005
   NEW YORK-The monsignor at the center of a steamy sex scandal stood by his woman yesterday - resigning his high-ranking post at St. Patrick's Cathedral after the church told him to fire his leggy longtime assistant, The Post has learned.
   Clark, 79, thumbed his nose at Edward Cardinal Egan's request Wednesday to relieve Laura DeFilippo, the $100,000-a-year secretary with whom he was videotaped checking into a secluded and romantic Hamptons motel, an insider said.
   Sources said the Catholic cleric then abruptly quit after realizing the scandal made it impossible to continue running St. Pat's, a source familiar with the situation said.
   The source said, "He wouldn't fire her because he claimed he didn't do anything" with her at the motel in Amagansett, where the two were videotaped July 21 at the behest of DeFilippo's husband.
   In a statement issued by his lawyer, Laura Brevetti, Clark said, "It appears to me that events and circumstances have been portrayed in such a false and sensational manner that I will no longer be able to effectively serve the archdiocese." [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 04:23 PM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Fri August 12, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
• Roleystone vet remanded on sex, manslaughter charges [20yrs, 1999] - No religion link reported.

   The West Australian, By DAVID DARRAGH, p 38, Friday, August 12, 2005
   PERTH: A Roleystone veterinarian accused of the manslaughter of David Spry, 17, was remanded in custody yesterday after making a brief appearance in Armadale Magistrate's Court.
   Police have alleged 57-year-old Marcel Christiaan-Rauch groomed troubled teenagers to whom he offered odd jobs at his sprawling Hills property then sexually abused them over almost two decades.
   Mr Christiaan-Rauch was not required to plead to 54 charges, including indecent dealing with a child under the age of 14, sexual penetration without consent, stupefying with intent to commit an indictable offence and supplying heroin, morphine and pethidine.
   The charges relate to nine alleged victims, including a manslaughter charge related to the death of Roleystone teenager David Spry in 1999.
   Defence lawyer Andree Horrigan told the court Mr Christiaan-Rauch declined to make a bail application and wanted the case adjourned for a week. Mr Christiaan-Rauch is due to appear in court again next Friday.
   Outside court, Ian Spry said his family was finding it hard to come to terms with the circumstances of his son's death. # [Aug 12, 05]
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Sat August 13, 2005 edition follows:-
• Challenge stalls diocese dispute. [Teczar, Tu and 6 other priests] - RCC. $US 4.15m compensation. Children.

   Star-Telegram, www.dfw.com/ mld/dfw/news/ local/states/ texas/northeast/ 12371191.htm , By Ellena F. Morrison, ~ August 13, 2005
   FORT WORTH (TX) - An effort to unseal records of Fort Worth Diocese priests accused of sexual misconduct stalled Friday after an attorney for one of the priests challenged the request.
   The Star-Telegram and The Dallas Morning News filed a court motion this spring seeking the names of eight priests and related documents that had been sealed by a judge as part of a lawsuit against the Fort Worth Diocese.
   The files of one of the priests, the Rev. Thomas Teczar, have already been made public as part of the sexual abuse lawsuit, which the diocese settled for $4.15 million.
   State District Judge Len Wade heard arguments from both sides Friday, but delayed making a decision until H. Allen Pennington Jr. of Fort Worth, attorney for the Rev. Joseph Tu Ngoc Nguyen, can present evidence. A date for that hearing has not yet been set.
   Tu, a Dominican order priest in Houston, is the only one of the eight priests who is still in active ministry. "All 16 pages constitute medical, personnel and employment records that anyone would assume were private," Pennington told the judge Friday in arguing that Tu's files should remain sealed. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:09 PM]
• Truth and Polygraphs, Yes! Confidentiality Agreements, NO!. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married woman staffer.
   The Conservative Voice, By Michael J. Gaynor, 03:25 PM EST, August 13, 2005
   NEW YORK - Section 2489 of The Catechism of the Catholic Church, pertaining to respect for the truth, states:
   "Charity and respect for the truth should dictate the response to every request for information or communication. The good and safety of others, respect for privacy, and the common good are sufficient reasons for being silent about what ought not to be known or for making use of a discreet language. The duty to avoid scandal often commands strict discretion. No one is bound to reveal the truth to someone who does not have the right to know it."
   BUT, one IS bound to reveal the truth to someone who DOES have the right to know it.
   For example, when a cleric has sexually abused a child, or had an illicit relationship with a subordinate or a parishioner, or an employee of a Church institution or agency has sexually abused a child or sexually harassed a co-employee, there ARE people who DO have a need and a right to know, particularly those in a "zone of danger" and prospective employers.
   What the Church needs to do is to ascertain the truth in much the same way as a court does, without prejudgment and with respect for safeguards, such as the right to confront an accuser, and then reveal it appropriately rather than to disregard it as long as possible and then quietly accept and/or force resignations and agree to cover up as fully as possibly.
   Monsignor Eugene Clark, 79, and suddenly suspected of an illicit relationship with his attractive and much younger secretary, a married woman and mother of a 14-year old daughter, issued the following statement through his attorney:
   "It appears to me that events and circumstances have been portrayed in such a false and sensational manner that I will no longer be able to effectively serve the archdiocese."
   "Consequently, I have submitted my resignation [as rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral]. I thank all the many people who continue to offer me their prayers and consoling messages."
• Pope defrocks abusive priest. [1970s Aube] - RCC. Boy.
   Foster's Daily Democrat, By BRUNO MATARAZZO Jr., bmatarazzo@fosters.com , ~ August 13, 2005
   DOVER (NH)-The Roman Catholic Church has defrocked Rev. Paul Aube, the former priest with ties to Rochester who nearly 30 years ago was caught by Nashua police while engaging in a sex act with a teenage boy in a car.
   The Manchester Diocese announced in a two-sentence press release on Friday that Pope Benedict XVI dismissed Aube from the priesthood back in May. It's unclear exactly what led the pope to dismiss the former longtime priest. Neither Bishop John McCormack nor other diocese representatives could be reached for comment.
   The move brings an end to the career of a priest who ended up helping the state Attorney General's Office in its investigation into the diocese's mishandling of clerical sex abuse cases.
   In 2002, Aube made himself available to the Attorney General's Office and was a key witness in exchange for limited immunity from prosecution.
   "I'm willing to die for the church," Aube told The Associated Press in 2003, "but I had a moral responsibility, as the church teaches, to cooperate. I had a moral responsibility to participate with the civil authorities and that's what I did."
• Monsignor & Missus lying low. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married secretary.
   New York Daily News, By BARBARA ROSS and CORKY SIEMASZKO, ~ August 13, 2005
   NEW YORK - The beauty and the Priest went underground yesterday and tried to ride out the storm over their alleged affair.
   Accused adulteress Laura DeFilippo was at her dad's pad in the Bronx. And a day after he resigned as rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral, her alleged lover, Msgr. Eugene Clark, was lying low in the parish rectory.
   "He's not available," the receptionist said.
   The Archdiocese of New York drew a veil over the priest and his reputed paramour, who deny any affair even though they were videotaped checking into a Hamptons motel.
   Spokesman Joseph Zwilling would not answer how long the 79-year-old priest would be allowed to live at the Madison Ave. rectory. Nor would he elaborate on the church probe of the alleged affair.
   "I said yesterday that we're going to get to the bottom of this and I'm not commenting beyond that," Zwilling said.
   As for whether DeFilippo, a 46-year-old mother of two, would be allowed to keep her job as Clark's secretary, Zwilling said, "I don't comment on the status of the lay employees in the 413 parishes of the archdiocese."
• Mass. lawmakers press Church to open books. - RCC.
   RedNova , www.rednova.com/ news/general/ 204866/mass_ lawmakers_press_ church_to_ open_books , By Jason Szep, Reuters, ~ August 13, 2005
   BOSTON (MA) (Reuters) - A group of Massachusetts lawmakers are trying to force the Catholic Church to open its financial books, an unprecedented step in a state at the heart of a scandal over pedophile priests.
   Under the proposed law, the state's churches would need to disclose the health of their finances, a move resisted by religious leaders who say it contravenes the separation of church and state enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.
   The proposal, debated this week in the chambers and corridors of Boston, the state capital, follows a sexual abuse crisis that erupted in 2002 when many U.S. bishops were found to have moved priests known to have abused minors to new parishes instead of defrocking them or reporting them to authorities.
   Since then, some U.S. dioceses have been forced to file for bankruptcy protection from lawsuits by abuse victims seeking millions of dollars.
   The Boston Archdiocese, squeezed by the cost of settlements with nearly 1,000 sex-abuse victims, has shut more than 60 churches to raise money, triggering protests by churchgoers and raising questions over how the Church is using its donations from Sunday Mass and other sources.
   "We want to know what they do with the donations, what property they own, and what is their debt?" Marian Walsh, a lawmaker who drafted the proposal, told Reuters on Thursday, a day after presenting it to the state's legislature.
• Ex-Evangelist Pleads Guilty to Sex Abuse of Boy. [1996 Enersen] - Assembly of God. Boy.
   The Ledger, By Jason Geary, ~ August 13, 2005
   BARTOW (FL)-A former Wahneta evangelist pleaded guilty Friday to sexually abusing a 6-year-old Polk County boy in 1996.
   With his trial looming Monday, Robert Enersen, 54, accepted a deal with prosecutors.
   Enersen pleaded guilty to three counts of lewd molestation in exchange for 18 years in prison and 10 years' sex-offender probation. Enersen also would be declared a sexual predator.
   Judge Roger Alcott scheduled sentencing for Aug. 19.
   In December, Enersen was arrested in Arizona after the Polk County boy, now 15, told sheriff's detectives about the abuse. The boy told detectives that he was molested multiple times in late 1996.
   At that time, Enersen was serving about two months as an evangelist at New Life Assembly of God in Wahneta.
   "It just blew us away," said Sonja Farrer, the church's business administrator. "We could not believe that it happened."
• Molesting NH priest defrocked by Pope. [Aube] - RCC. 3 boys, 1 girl.
   The Union Leader, By MARK HAYWARD, ~ August 13, 2005
   MANCHESTER (NH)- Roman Catholic priest Paul L. Aube, who gave special crucifixes to boys he sexually assaulted, has been defrocked by Pope Benedict XVI, church officials announced yesterday.
   Aube is the second diocesan priest to lose his collar in light of the priest sex-abuse scandal in New Hampshire. The decision means Aube is no longer bound to the obligations of the priesthood, cannot act as a priest and has been returned to the lay state, the diocese said in a press release.
   In 1994, Bishop Leo E. O'Neil permanently removed Aube from ministry, but Aube still kept his status as priest until the Vatican's action, which took place on May 20.
   "He was one of the bad ones. He was one of the targets of the Attorney General's investigation," said Peter Hutchins, a Manchester lawyer who successfully sued the Manchester diocese on behalf of dozens of clients.
   Four of his clients - three males and one female - were abused by Aube, Hutchins said.
• Priest to get day in court first. [2005 Englert] - RCC. Male.
   Courier & Press, By PHILIP ELLIOTT and BRYAN CORBIN, 461-0783 or elliottp@courierpress.com , 464-7449 or corbinb@courierpress.com , August 13, 2005
   EVANSVILLE (IN) - The Diocese of Evansville will wait until accusations against a suspended priest are resolved in criminal court before taking any further action.
   The Rev. Wilfred "Fred" Englert, 52, of Jasper, Ind., is accused of sexually molesting a 19-year-old mentally disabled man. Englert, the priest at Jasper's St. Joseph Catholic Church, has been suspended with pay by the Diocese of Evansville. It remains unclear what the diocese's next step will be, given new church rules on abuse and the criminal case unfolding in court documents.
   In the criminal case, Englert faces charges of engaging in sex acts with the mentally-disabled man between April and July. Court documents cite a mental-health expert who evaluated the young man and concluded that because of retardation, the 19-year-old has the academic functioning of a 9-year-old. Prosecutors thus contend the young man could not legally give consent to sex, despite his age.
   When questioned by an Indiana State Police investigator, Englert reportedly admitted some of the man's allegations of sexual contact.
   Prosecutors in Dubois and Orange counties filed formal charges against Englert on Tuesday. Englert turned himself in Thursday, posted bond and was released.
• Lawyer: Church knew of danger. [1984 Garcia-Rubio] - RCC. Boy.
   Miami Herald, BY ELINOR J. BRECHER, ebrecher@herald.com , ~ August 13, 2005
   MIAMI (FL) - A 38-year-old Broward County man, who says a Catholic priest raped him when he was a young illegal immigrant, has obtained church records that he claims will bolster his bid for punitive damages against the priest and the Archdiocese of Miami.
   "Juan Doe" sued the Archdiocese and the Rev. Ernesto Garcia-Rubio in 2002, claiming the one-time pastor of Our Lady of Divine Providence in Sweetwater raped him once in 1984.
   Garcia-Rubio was defrocked in the late 1990s after allegations that he had raped a young parishioner and sexually abused four Central American refugees.
   Last year, the Archdiocese agreed to pay $3.4 million to settle almost two dozen lawsuits against various priests, including Garcia-Rubio. But the Juan Doe case is still being fought in Miami-Dade Circuit Court.
   In court papers filed Friday, Fort Lauderdale lawyer Russell Adler claims that he has obtained documents that now prove the Archdiocese knew Garcia-Rubio was a danger to young boys many years earlier and did nothing to stop it.
   He argued that the evidence, including a letter written 36 years ago, enables his client to seek punitive damages.
• Former Nashua priest removed . [Aube, Corriveau] - RCC. Sex abuse.
   Nashua Telegraph, By ANDREW WOLFE, wolfea@telegraph-nh.com , Saturday, Aug. 13, 2005
   NASHUA (NH) - A former pastor at St. Louis de Gonzague Church has become the second New Hampshire priest to be defrocked as a result of his role in the church's sex abuse scandal.
   The Diocese of Manchester's Office of Canonical Affairs and Tribunal announced the action against the former Rev. Paul Aube on Friday.
   "On May 20, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI decreed that Paul Aube was dismissed from the clerical state," the announcement states. "By virtue of this decree, Paul Aube is no longer bound to the obligations of the sacred priesthood, has no faculties to act as a priest, and has been returned to the lay state."
   The diocese stated that officials would make no comment beyond the written announcement. Aube is not listed in New Hampshire, and could not be reached Friday.
   Two months ago, the diocese announced that Pope John Paul II had defrocked Ronald Corriveau on March 21, just 12 days before the pontiff died. Corriveau served seven parishes in 28 years before he was put on leave in 2002, following allegations of sexual abuse.
• Diocese faces another abuse suit. [6 yrs Widera] - RCC. Boy.
   Post-Crescent, The Associated Press, ~ August 13, 2005
   MILWAUKEE (WI)- A man who claims he was sexually abused by a Roman Catholic priest for six years sued the Milwaukee Archdiocese for fraud Thursday.
   It was the latest attempt by victims to overturn Wisconsin's ban on lawsuits against religious groups.
   Wisconsin courts have upheld a decade-old ruling that prevents alleged victims from seeking damages. It is the only state with such a law.
   Victims' groups hope evidence obtained in a recent suit in California might persuade a judge to hear the case.
   The man, now 44 and identified in court records only as John Doe, claims high-ranking officials in the archdiocese knew that the Rev. Siegfried Widera was sexually abusing children, yet transferred him to cover it up. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:46 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Sat August 13, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Sun August 14, 2005 edition follows:-
• Husband's No Saint, Either. [2000s-2005 Monsignor Clark] - Roman Catholic Church. Married secretary.

   New York Post, www.nypost.com/ news/regionalnews/ 51213.htm , By SUSAN EDELMAN, HEATHER GILMORE and BRAD HAMILTON, August 14, 2005
   NEW YORK - The man accusing his wife of having a torrid affair with St. Patrick's Cathedral rector Eugene Clark has fibbed about his work history, quit a job as a cop after three days, sued NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly, and gotten hauled into court on charges he swiped a toaster.
   And when Philip DeFilippo - who showed his face yesterday for the first time since the scandal broke - needed work as a private eye, he turned to the high-profile priest he now claims bedded his wife.
   DeFilippo used Clark in a NYPD gun-permit application when he wanted to expand his business, Revelation Investigations, into New York City. The monsignor vouched for DeFilippo, his secretary's husband, saying in a letter that he had hired him in his parishes.
   But the NYPD didn't buy it, saying there "wasn't sufficient need" for a gun-toting investigator in the church.
   DeFilippo, 46, also told the NYPD, "I am a former Connecticut police officer."
   The Post learned he was employed as a cop in Norwalk, Conn., for just three days. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 08:39 AM]
• The father and the bride . [2000s-2005 Clark] - RCC. Married secretary.
   New York Daily News, ~ August 14, 2005
   NEW YORK - Here is the exclusive photo from 20 years ago, when Laura DeFilippo was a blushing bride and Msgr. Eugene Clark was presiding over her wedding to Philip DeFilippo - not allegedly trying to break up their marriage. Radiant in white and flushed with love for her handsome beau, DeFilippo looks up in gratitude at Clark, who is uniting them in holy matrimony at Annunciation Church in Yonkers.
   It was DeFilippo's second try at matrimony - Clark pulled some strings to get her first unhappy union annulled, sources say. But she looks as eager as any first-time bride, and her future husband beams at the beauty who will take his name and bear their two children.
• Men (of cloth) will be men. But I can't join in the kicking. [2000s-2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. $US2m holiday home. Married secretary.
   New York Daily News, Neil Steinberg, ~ August 14, 2005
   NEW YORK - A bad week for local adulterers. New York-born four-star Gen. Kevin Byrnes was kicked out of the Army, months before retirement, for an affair with a civilian. Laura DeFilippo, the married secretary of Msgr. Eugene Clark, saw her life go splat all over the front pages. And Clark, who insists he's innocent, is quitting St. Patrick's anyway, to ... ah ... avoid the taint of ... ummm ... a wrongly accused man.
   A good week, however, for the media jackal pack. We thrive on this sort of thing. My role, at this point in the scandal, would be to try to find an unbruised spot on the monsignor's reputation so I could deliver a fresh kick - my inclination would be to wonder just how a priest ends up with a $2 million vacation home in Amagansett, L.I., which seemed to have slipped under the outrage radar (ignoring the vow of poverty just doesn't raise eyebrows the way ignoring the vow of chastity does).
   But frankly, my heart isn't in it. A complex mechanism, the human heart, and not just because it has all those valves and chambers. Things happen. Mistakes are made.
   The strict no-fun clauses of Catholic doctrine - no contraception, no marriage for priests, no foolin' around for everybody else - is normally ignored or mocked in the media. But let a priest stray from holy writ, and suddenly we're the Spanish Inquisition, checking souls and passing judgment. It doesn't make sense.
• For this actor, 'The Tricky Part' is learning to accept and forgive. - RCC. Book and Play.
   The Boston Globe, By Louise Kennedy | August 14, 2005
   BOSTON (MA) - Martin Moran radiates an almost palpable light. He seems filled with joy, with generosity, with what a person from his Catholic schooling can only call grace. And he seems this way even as he is talking about the most torturously complex events of his life: the three years, beginning when he was 12, when he was sexually involved with a Colorado camp counselor named Bob, who was more than twice his age.
   In a memoir recently published by Beacon Press and in a play that opens at Shakespeare & Company on Tuesday-both called "The Tricky Part"-Moran talks about the damage this relationship caused, the kind of damage that has received wide attention with the Catholic Church's sexual abuse scandal. But he also explores the ways in which, even as it wounded him, it shaped him into the person he is now.
   The play - like the story, the history, the life itself - is complex. And in its complexity lies a deep and troubling kind of truth.
   "The journey toward trying to figure it out is the complicated journey toward forgiveness," Moran says. Then he offers a definition of forgiveness that he heard somewhere along the path of his own journey: "Forgiveness is the complete letting go of the hope of having had a different or a better past."
• Mayor Rings Farewell Tribute To Archbishop Levada. - RCC. Reveal offenders' names plea.

   KTVU, www.ktvu.com/ news/4849786/ detail.html , POSTED 1:03 am PDT August 14, 2005
   SAN FRANCISCO (CA)-Indicating a cable car bell he was offering as a gift, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom told outgoing Catholic Archbishop William Levada Saturday night to think of the City by the Bay whenever he hears the bells of St. Peter's in Rome.
   The mayor was one of some 2300 admirers gathered for a final tribute dinner in a ballroom of the Marriott Hotel to wish Levada farewell before he leaves to become the highest-ranking American ever at the Vatican. Videotaped messages included tributes from President Bush and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
   Levada, 69, will leave this month for his new appointment as head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the post held by former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before he was elected Pope Benedict XVI. In his role, Levada will help shape Catholic doctrine and play a major part in determining the church's response to claims of sexual abuse by priests.
   The sold-out fundraising dinner cost patrons $150 a plate. The proceeds will go to the Alliance of Mission District Catholic Schools.
   Protesters held a brief press conference outside to demand Levada reveal the identities of clergy members accused of sexually abusing children.
   Levada said before the dinner that most Catholics were pleased with the way the archdiocese has handled sex abuse allegations. "On the whole, I can leave San Francisco with a good conscience," he said.
• San Francisco archbishop prepares for Vatican post.
   RedNova, www.rednova.com/ news/general/207026/ san_francisco_ archbishop_ prepares_for_ vatican_post , By Leonard Anderson, Reuters, ~ August 14, 2005
   SAN FRANCISCO (CA) (Reuters) - Archbishop William Levada bid goodbye to San Francisco on Saturday as he heads for Rome, where he will take over the No. 2 post in the Roman Catholic Church, while victims of sexual abuse by priests called for action against clergy facing abuse lawsuits.
   Outside the San Francisco hotel where Levada was to be feted by 2,300 guests at a $150-a-plate dinner, a small group of protesters from SNAP, a U.S. sexual abuse victims group, urged Levada to show that he wants to protect children from abuse.
   "We have done our best to reach out" to the victims of abuse, Levada said at news conference before the dinner, praising the work of his diocese staff. "I leave San Francisco with a good conscience."
• Tax exemptions face challenge. - RCC. Property taxes next?

   Republican, By BILL ZAJAC, wzajac@repub.com , Sunday, August 14, 2005
   MASSACHUSETTS - Local assessors may join counterparts from the eastern part of the state in levying taxes on unused Catholic Church-owned properties, saying they no longer qualify for tax-exempt status because they aren't being used for worship or religious instruction.
   The move represents just one of two financial challenges the church faces. The Legislature on Wednesday began considering a bill that would remove existing religious exemptions in the state laws governing charities and require all churches to file annual financial reports and a list of real estate holdings as about 300,000 other charities are required to do.
   John M. Bowen of Longmeadow, who heads the East Longmeadow affiliate of the Voice of the Faithful, testified before the Judiciary Committee Wednesday that the Catholic Church needs state oversight because it continues to operate in secrecy despite its claims of transparency.
• Toledo film needs a Toledo showing. - RCC. 'Twist of Faith'
   Toledo Blade, http://toledoblade. com/apps/pbcs.dll/ article?AID=/ 20050814/ COLUMNIST34/ 508140339/- 1/NEWS10 , by Russ Lemmon, Sunday, August 14, 2005
Five super-size Lemmon Drops:
   TOLEDO (OH) - It's an Oscar-nominated documentary set in Toledo, yet no local theater will show it.
   If I hadn't seen the story unfold with my own eyes (via reports in the local media), I wouldn't believe it.
   People in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Tucson, and Portland, Ore., have had the opportunity to see it. And before the end of the month, so will those in Seattle, St. Louis, and Indianapolis.
   Amazingly, Twist of Faith can't get a public screening in northwest Ohio.
   Could we be any more small-minded?
   Twist of Faith chronicles the life of Toledo firefighter Tony Comes around the time he went public with allegations of sexual abuse by a former priest, Dennis Gray. It has drawn rave reviews from film critics across the country.
   If the Maumee Indoor Theater refuses to show it, then it behooves the Toledo Catholic diocese to do so.
   The diocese should follow the lead of the Rev. Chris Carpenter, who showed Twist of Faith inside Christ the King Catholic Church in Mesa, Ariz. It was one of seven works he recruited for the first Catholic Film Festival, held May 20-21 in the Phoenix suburb. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 08:07 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Sun August 14, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Mon August 15, 2005 edition follows:-
• Egan skips Mass . - RCC. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married secretary.

   New York Daily News, www.nydailynews. com/front/story/ 337489p- 288211c.html , By NICOLE BODE, ~ August 15, 2005
   NEW YORK - Edward Cardinal Egan skipped Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral yesterday, staying out of the public eye amid the resignation of scandal-scarred rector Eugene Clark.
   Egan "did not celebrate a public Mass. He celebrated privately," his spokesman Joseph Zwilling said yesterday, adding, "He is in New York."
   New York's top Catholic cleric has remained mum about Msgr. Eugene Clark, 79, who stepped down as St. Patrick's rector on Friday following allegations he had an affair with his secretary, Laura DeFilippo, 46.
   Clark has denied the affair despite being caught on tape last month ducking into a Hamptons motel with the married mother of two. The duo emerged hours later wearing different outfits. Through her lawyer, DeFilippo also has denied any hanky-panky.
   By yesterday's Mass, Clark's name had been stripped from the church's welcome signs. Egan has not given any public indication of whom he would appoint to take Clark's place. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:14 AM]
• Priests fall from grace if their pride gets too big. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married secretary.
   Newsday, by Sheryl McCarthy, Aug 15, 2005
   NEW YORK - Once again the mighty have fallen with a big ugly splat. If there ever was a case of poetic justice in the tumbling to Earth of a powerful guy, it was in the crash of Msgr. Eugene Clark, the rector of New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral and Cardinal Edward Egan's right-hand man.
   Clark's career imploded in an extramarital sex scandal after a wily husband caught him on tape, having an alleged sexual tryst with the man's wife. In pictures plastered all over the news, the portly, 79-year-old priest was seen entering and leaving a motel in the Hamptons with his much younger secretary, giving further credence to the saying that there's no dog like an old dog.
   And there was the irony of it all. Clark was a grandstanding, judgmental, self-righteous man who blamed the recent sex scandal of the Catholic Church not on its own arrogance, self-servingness and immorality, but on homosexuals, a sex-saturated culture and liberals who campaign against celibacy. Yet here he was preaching one thing and apparently doing another. When the Bullies of Morality are brought down by their own vices, they deserve whatever public flogging they get.
   Clark's outing as a hypocrite is a continuation of the Catholic Church's priest sex scandals. Pedophiles were allowed to prey on the innocents of the church because of a culture of priestly infallibility, institutional arrogance and contempt for ordinary believers. But these were mostly ordinary parish priests - sad sacks like Revs. John Geoghan and James Porter. Msgr. Clark isn't accused of molesting children, but belongs to a long line of priests who've had illicit sexual affairs with women. And he's a really big fish, who ran the most prestigious Catholic cathedral in the country.
• Apply, interview, fingerprint.
   Wisconsin State Journal, by Gary Fields, The Wall Street Journal, Aug/15/05
   UNITED STATES - The green light on the fingerprint scanner glows, indicating it's time to place Kelli Mattingly's right hand on the glass. The procedure is repeated with her left hand. In less than a minute, her prints are ready to be sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a criminal- background check.
   Mattingly is a would-be volunteer for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, which anticipates no problems in taking her on. Rather, the archdiocese, based in Hyattsville, Md., is one of many private employers trying to comply with a patchwork of new state and federal laws requiring background exams with fingerprint checks.
   Once a rarity for job applicants, fingerprints are now required in myriad locales for those seeking positions in a host of fields. Applicants for the janitor's job at Bruggenmeyer Memorial Library in Monterey, Calif., must be screened with prints, as must liquor-store owners in Telluride, Colo., and school-bus drivers throughout Illinois. What's more, insurers are requiring some companies to conduct background checks, including fingerprints, of workers.
   The laws requiring fingerprints have spawned a cottage industry of electronic fingerprint capturers, companies that gather prints by computer or those that convert the old-style fingerprint cards to electronic images. Once taken, most of the prints are sent to state authorities, which pass them on to the FBI fingerprint center in Clarksburg, Va. Last year, the FBI performed 9 million checks for private employers, up from 3.5 million in 1992. In fact, half of the FBI's fingerprint checks today are employment-related.
• Clergy crowd sexual misconduct seminars. - Anglican.

   Anglican Communion News Site, www.anglican communion.org/ acns/digest/index. cfm?years=2005& months=8& article=440&pos= , August-15-2005
   AUSTRALIA - When she speaks, they listen - Jenni Woodhouse along with Lisa Watts handing out essential advice to Sydney ministry workers on how to keep children safe from the perpetrators of sexual abuse.
   As chaplain of the Archbishop's Professional Standards Unit (PSU), Jenni Woodhouse has already spoken to almost all of Sydney's Anglican clergy at meetings across the diocese, including the one held at St James', Croydon yesterday.
   The event was one of 13 seminars taking place between May and September alerting clergy and ministry workers to the importance of the Faithfulness in Service code.
   The national code, outlining appropriate behaviour for those in pastorial ministry, has been adopted by the Sydney and General Synods.
   PSU director Philip Gerber is pleased with the overwhelming response of Sydney's ministry workers to the seminars.
   'With three to go, well over 95 per cent of clergy have already attended,'Mr Gerber says.
• Boston Catholics Learn a Few Lessons. - RCC.

   Washington Post, By David A. Fahrenthold, Page A03, Monday, August 15, 2005
   BOSTON (MA)-Lessons of 11 months of sanctuary sit-ins: The altar boys' room makes an excellent office. A confessional booth can be turned into a spacious linen closet. It is not comfortable to sleep on a pew.
   And now, an especially surprising lesson. The leaders of the Archdiocese of Boston-which once dominated the moral and political life of this heavily Catholic city-will reverse themselves, if you are willing to sit still long enough to make them.
   Since last spring, three churches slated for closing and occupied by protesting parishioners have won reprieves. Another was spared by the archdiocesan leadership after its members threatened to hire a married priest. ...
   It was not the best timing. The Rev. J. Bryan Hehir, O'Malley's cabinet secretary for social services, said that the church had eroded trust among Catholics during the sex abuse scandal-and then asked them to trust that it was doing the right thing by closing churches.
   "Closing a military base is a piece of cake compared to closing a parish," Hehir said. "Nobody gets buried in a military base."
[Picture] Maria DelVecchio has slept among the statues in Boston's Our Lady of Mount Carmel church to keep the vigil going and the parish open. (Photos By David A. Fahrenthold-The Washington Post)
   O'Malley had not been archbishop at the height of the scandal. He replaced the imperious Cardinal Bernard F. Law, who resigned during the backlash from many parishioners, and O'Malley quickly won praise from victims' advocates for his responsiveness. Still, the laity had a different view of the hierarchy after the scandal, and when O'Malley announced the parish closings, there was a new willingness from people in the pews to push back.
• Levada Supporters, Opponents at Dinner. - RCC.

   KRON, Posted August 14, 2005 at 10:10 p.m.
   SAN FRANCISCO (CA) (KRON)-While 2,300 Catholic and other civic leaders took part in a weekend dinner to honor San Francisco Archbishop William Levada, a small group of protesters rallied outside the San Francisco Marriott.
   Levada is leaving San Francisco to become the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. That's one of the highest ranking Vatican jobs. His predecessor in the position is now the Pope.
   The protesters say they believe the Archbishop is hiding information about priest sexual abuse cases. Levada told reporters he believes the Church is handling the situation appropriately.
   "By and large the people in our parishes," Levada said, "the priests tell me they think that the steps the Bishops of this country have taken have done a great job and are meeting the crisis. We're doing a great educational outreach program trying to prevent abuse by clergy or anyone else."
• Abuse suit deadline today. [Jackson Diocese] - RCC.
   The Clarion-Ledger, By Jimmie E. Gates, jgates@clarionledger.com , August 15, 2005
   MISSISSIPPI - Mississippi may soon hold its first civil trial against the Catholic Church in connection with alleged sexual abuse by priests, an attorney for plaintiffs says.
   Two Hinds County Circuit judges, in separate cases, have set deadlines for the Diocese of Jackson to exchange evidence with the plaintiffs' attorneys.
   "Once we get the documents, we will then take depositions and then, hopefully a trial date will be set," said attorney John Hawkins, whose firm represents plaintiffs in both lawsuits. One deadline is today and the other is Sept. 1.
   "The Catholic Diocese of Jackson is fully complying with all trial court and Supreme Court orders concerning discovery of documents and information in the Morrison lawsuit as well as other pending lawsuits," the diocese said in a statement.
• Conscience clear, Levada heads to Rome. - RCC.

   San Francisco Chronicle, by Julian Guthrie, Monday, August 15, 2005
   SAN FRANCISCO (CA) - Archbishop William Levada said he will leave San Francisco for the Vatican with a clear conscience.
   He believes that he was able to restore order and direction to an archdiocese that was reeling from church closures and clergy misbehavior. He defended his handling of sexual abuse cases and is proud of having reopened some closed parishes and reconfigured others.
   "I wasn't filled with dread when I came here but I knew there were problems I would have to address," Levada said. "I knew I was going into a very concentrated center that had some hot-button issues."
   He also acknowledged areas where he would have liked to have spent more time, notably visiting with priests and parishioners.
   Levada, a fourth-generation Californian named archbishop of San Francisco 10 years ago, will resign on Wednesday to become the highest-ranking American in Vatican history. He will be in charge of resolving questions around faith and morals for the world's 1.1 billion Catholics.
• Religious scandals come in many colors. Greek Orthodox and RCC.

   Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, BY BILL TAMMEUS, Knight Ridder Newspapers, ~ August 15, 2005
   (KRT) - Now and then I want to take some people of faith and slap them around. What in God's name can they be thinking?
   This angry thought occurred to me again recently as I read an account of what one writer called "a gaudy explosion of scandal" that has rocked the Greek Orthodox Church in Athens and Jerusalem in the last year or so. As an Athens newspaper said in an editorial, "The Greek public can only watch dumbfounded as the country's bishops humiliate themselves on television, tossing barbs at each other and trading accusations of forgery, blackmail, dissolute living, even drug trafficking."
   If that's reality TV in Greece, it sounds more interesting than what America has.
   One bishop in Greece has been charged with embezzling about $376,000 from a monastery. Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, the peers of the Greek Orthodox patriarch there have voted him out of office for unauthorized real estate dealings, but he has refused to leave. The church's synod were to meet in Jerusalem on Monday to elect a new patriarch. What a holy mess.
   The Greeks, of course, are not alone in producing religious scandal. The Catholic church in America continues to struggle to find its sea legs after the disgusting scandal over priests sexually abusing children and the further outrage of some bishops covering that up at the expense of the victims.
   It was a breathtaking example of a faith community's leaders losing their way and intentionally wounding the very people they were sworn to protect. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:36 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Mon August 15, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Tue August 16, 2005 edition follows:-
• Pope Lawyer Seek Immunity in Texas Case. [2005 Vatican] - RCC. 3 boys.

   Los Angeles Times, www.latimes.com/ news/nationworld/ world/wire/sns-ap- vatican-pope-sued, 1,6786355.story? coll=sns-ap-world- headlines , By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Writer, ~ August 16, 2005
   VATICAN CITY-Lawyers for Pope Benedict XVI have asked President Bush to declare the pontiff immune from liability in a lawsuit that accuses him of conspiring to cover up the molestation of three boys by a seminarian in Texas, court records show.
   The Vatican's embassy in Washington sent a diplomatic memo to the State Department on May 20 requesting the U.S. government grant the pope immunity because he is a head of state, according to a May 26 motion submitted by the pope's lawyers in U.S. District Court for the Southern Division of Texas in Houston.
   Joseph Ratzinger is named as a defendant in the civil lawsuit. Now Benedict XVI, he's accused of conspiring with the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston to cover up the abuse during the mid-1990s. The suit is seeking unspecified monetary damages.
   In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Gerry Keener, said Tuesday that the pope already is considered a head of state and automatically has diplomatic immunity. Keener said Benedict doesn't have to ask for immunity and Bush doesn't have to grant it.
   International legal experts said Tuesday it would be "virtually impossible" for the case to succeed because the pope, as a head of state, had diplomatic immunity. "There's really no question at all, not the vaguest legal doubt, that he's immune from the suit, period," said Paolo Carozza, an international law specialist at the University of Notre Dame Law School.
   Nevertheless, lawyers for abuse victims say the case is significant because previous recent attempts to implicate the Vatican, the pope or other high-ranking church officials in U.S. sex abuse proceedings have failed-primarily because of immunity claims and the difficulty serving top Vatican officials with U.S. lawsuits.
   "It has gone further than any suit before, and it should be instructive to the church that if evidence of their continued handling of these matters keeps coming to light and is inconsistent with fair play, that lawyers are going to pursue it," said Stephen Rubino, a New Jersey lawyer who is not involved but has handled hundreds of other cases of church sex abuse. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:41 PM]
   [COMMENT: Is that why the last Pope would not retire, even though he ought to have gone to a nursing home? To stop the courts being able to question him and his agents about hiding crimes from the authorities and the courts? COMMENT ENDS.]
• Abuse charge in Teresa home. [2000s Brothers Contemplative] - RCC. Mother Teresa home blamed.

   The Telegraph, from OUR CORRESPONDENT, Aug. 16, 2005
   NEW DELHI, INDIA - At a Gurgaon orphanage founded by Mother Teresa, children are tortured by monks and sexually abused by older inmates, the Vatican has been told.
   Italian neurologist Dr Franco, who worked as a volunteer at the home, has attached photographs that show the alleged abuse with his letter to the Pope's office and the Apostolic Nunciature in New Delhi, the Vatican's embassy.
   The orphanage, Deepashram, is managed by the Missionaries of Charity's male wing, Brothers Contemplative. It is home to over 75 mentally challenged orphans of various ages from across India.
   "Teenage inmates of the ashram are put into hardship by the friars (and) the elder (children) in the ashram are also involved in sexual activities with (younger) children, who are helpless in retaliating," Dr Franco's complaint says.
   "This fact was known to Father Damien, the in-charge of the ashram."
• Ellicott Creek exposure: Waclawek pleaded guilty. [2005 Waclawek] - RCC. Men.

   Tonawanda News, by Mark Lindsay, Tuesday, August 16, 2005
   NEW YORK - Calling his actions "a terrible mistake," Newfane Middle School Principal Frank Waclawek Jr. elected for a quick end to criminal charges stemming from an undercover sting in Ellicott Creek Park. He also chose to end his 10-year reign as principal.
   Waclawek pleaded guilty Monday morning in Tonawanda Town Court to reduced charges of second-degree harassment and exposure, both violations, and, through his attorney, announced that he would be resigning his administrative position with the district.
   Waclawek, 46, 5216 Randolph St., Sanborn, was arrested and charged July 26 by Town of Tonawanda Police with third-degree sexual abuse and public lewdness after police said he exposed himself to an undercover police officer and then grabbed him in the groin area while the two were in a bathroom at the park.
   Waclawek was a eucharistic minister, sat on the parish council and served as an elector for St. Christopher's Roman Catholic Church in Tonawanda.
• Another lawsuit accuses former Sioux City bishop of sexual abuse. [Bishop Soens] - RCC. Boys.
   KWQC, www.kwqc.com/ Global/story.asp? S=3730285 , ~ August 16, 2005
   IOWA CITY, Iowa - A former student at a Roman Catholic high school in Iowa City filed a lawsuit today (Tuesday) accusing the former principal of sexual abuse.
   The lawsuit marks the second time this year that Lawrence Soens has been accused of molesting students during his tenure as principal at Regina High School in Iowa City.
   The lawsuit also names the high school and the Davenport Diocese.
   The diocese oversees the school and last fall paid nine-million-dollars to settle 37 lawsuits that accused several of its priests of molesting children at parishes across eastern Iowa in the last 50 years.
   The lawsuit was filed in Scott County District Court. It accuses the diocese and church officials of failing to take proper disciplinary action against Soens and engaging in a pattern of covering up the improper conduct of priests.
• I-Team: Diocese Requests Background Checks On Employees. - RCC.
   NBC 10, www.turnto10. com/news/4859 935/detail.html , UPDATED 6:39 pm EDT August 16, 2005
   PROVIDENCE (RI) - The NBC 10 I-Team has learned that criminal background checks have been requested for more than 10,000 employees of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, including priests.
   In addition, the I-Team has uncovered a new allegation of sex abuse of a minor by a Catholic priest.
   Following the most recent Conference of Catholic Bishops in Dallas in June, sweeping changes were made for checking the criminal backgrounds of priests.
   The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence is the second-largest private employer in the state, with more than 10,000 workers, including priests and deacons. For the first time, men of the cloth will be checked for previous crimes.
   "Article 13 of the charter expanded that also to include priests and bishops and deacons," Providence Diocese Monsignor John Darcy said.
   Darcy said following the sex abuse scandals of the past-especially in Boston and Providence-the criminal background checks will go a long way to restore the faith of the doubting faithful in their priests and deacons.
• Hubbard decides not to defrock abusive priests. [18 paedophile priests, Albany Diocese] - RCC. Allowed to receive Church pensions.
   WNYT, By ABIGAIL BLECK, Aug. 16, 2005
   ALBANY (NY) - A group that calls itself the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests ( SNAP) is demanding the Vatican-not the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany-determine the future of local priests accused of sexual misconduct.
   Eighteen priests have been removed from ministry in the Capital Region. They aren't allowed to be active in the Church but will receive pensions and health insurance benefits until they die.
   That's not the case in other parts of the country.
   The laicization process utilized by other dioceses completely secularizes a priest found guilty of abuse, taking away all ecclesiastic control and benefits. In other words he would no longer be a priest.
   The Albany Diocese calls its discipline measure one step below laicization. It removes offending priests from Church service requiring them to live a withdrawn life of penance and, says Bishop Howard Hubbard, is "adequate protection for the community."
• Diocese reaches settlement in priest abuse claim. [1984-90] - RCC. Boy.
   The Boston Globe, August 16, 2005
   PORTLAND, Maine-Maine's Roman Catholic diocese has agreed to settle a lawsuit by a Sidney man who claimed he was abused by a priest during a seven-year period beginning at age 13, the two sides announced Tuesday.
   The terms of the settlement with Michael Fortin, 34, were not made public and neither Fortin's lawyers nor a spokeswoman for the Diocese of Portland would elaborate.
   In a brief written statement, Fortin and Bishop Richard Malone said confidentiality was neither required by the diocese nor requested by Fortin.
   However, it added, "... both parties have agreed that it is in their interests to put this matter behind them, and both sides, therefore, have agreed to let this statement stand without further elaboration as their only public comment on this matter."
   The Catholic reform group Voice of the Faithful praised the diocese for coming forward to reach a settlement, calling it a welcome change from legal tactics of the past that added to the suffering of innocent victims and abuse survivors.
• Former priest jailed for child pornography offences. [2004 Crump] - Anglican. Child pornography.

   The Age, By Stephen Moynihan, Magistrates Court Reporter, August 17, 2005
   AUSTRALIA - A former Anglican parish priest was yesterday sentenced to at least seven months in jail after he pleaded guilty to child pornography offences.
   John Martin Crump, 59, of Mount Waverley, appeared in Ringwood Magistrates Court to face two charges of producing child porn and one of possessing child porn.
   Crump was the vicar of St Philip's Anglican church in Mount Waverley when he was arrested and charged by police last September during the nationwide Operation Auxin, targeting child porn producers and users.
   After his arrest Crump made full admissions, resigned from the church and is now working as a truck driver.
• Racketeering claim dismissed against priest and diocese. [4 yrs Tressic] - RCC. Man.

   Newsday, August 15, 2005
   UTICA, N.Y.-A federal judge has dismissed racketeering claims against an upstate priest, Bishop Howard Hubbard and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany by a man who claims the priest sexually abused him.
   U.S. District Judge David Hurd ruled Monday that Steven Hall failed to prove a pattern of extended racketeering activity that caused him injury. The suit also named a state trooper, two attorneys and the priest's secretary.
   Hall, who described himself as a former homeless drug addict, had accused the Rev. David Tressic of molesting him several times over four years when he worked as a church custodian.
   Tressic, who has denied the allegations, served at Sacred Heart Church in Gloversville, 40 miles northwest of Albany. The priest, then 60, took a leave of absence in August 2003 after the allegations were made public.
   Hall was indicted on an extortion charge two months later. Fulton County Court Judge Polly Hoye threw out the felony count, saying no money was extorted. She also wrote that the evidence was not overwhelming.
• Pastor gets 15 years for rape. [2002 Manamela] - Revival of Faith. Woman.

   Sunday Times (South Africa), 06:01 - (SA) , Tuesday August 16, 2005
   SOUTH AFRICA - A pastor from the Revival of Faith congregation in Hammanskraal has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for raping a member of his flock three times in one night.
   The 21-year-old woman claimed her pastor promised her a Bible if she kept quiet about the incident which happened in 2002 at his Hammanskraal home.
   The 28-year-old pastor, Elias Manamela, admitted to having sex with the woman but he said she gave consent.
   The woman earlier testified that she was visiting Manamela and she was in his bedroom, when he pulled her onto the bed and raped her. She insisted that she did not give consent, although she did not shout for help. She said she trusted her pastor and told him she was tired and that she wanted to go home.
• St. Pat extort twist. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married woman secretary.

   New York Post, EXCLUSIVE, August 16, 2005
   NEW YORK - Lawyers for the reputed randy rector of St. Patrick Cathedral's and his sexpot assistant were set to meet with Manhattan prosecutors to file a criminal extortion complaint against her jealous hubby over his alleged threat to disclose a video of the pair at a Hamptons motel, sources said yesterday.
   But the pair's proposed preemptive strike to go to the Manhattan DA was ditched after their lawyers learned that the husband had shown reporters the video.
   The complaint - by Monsignor Eugene Clark and his aide, Laura DeFilippo - would have detailed how Laura's husband, Philip, allegedly threatened to release the video if his wife didn't cave in to his financial demands as part of a divorce settlement.
   Philip DeFilippo, 46, wanted the family house, full custody of their two children, alimony and other monetary considerations, the sources said.
   Philip DeFilippo first issued his threat soon after a private eye working for him shot a video of Laura, 46, and her 79-year-old boss, Clark, entering the cozy Amagansett motel on July 21, several sources said. The pair also was filmed leaving almost six hours later wearing different clothes.
   After Laura rebuffed his threat, Philip allegedly contacted Clark and threatened to tell his boss, New York Archdiocese chief Edward Cardinal Egan, and the media about the video if he did not pressure Laura to meet his demands, the sources said. Clark also refused to bow to the threat.
• Priest jailed for rape. [2002 Manamela] - Revival of Faith. Woman.

   IOL, by Zelda Venter, 09:28AM, August 16 2005
   SOUTH AFRICA - Clutching his Bible in cuffed hands, a Hammanskraal priest on Monday walked down to the holding cells at the Pretoria High Court to start serving his 15-year jail term for raping a member of his flock three times in one night.
   But there may be hope for the 28-year-old Elias Manamela after Judge NK Ranchod gave him leave to appeal against his triple rape conviction. It emerged during the trial that the night in question was not the first time in which the 21-year-old victim and her pastor had sex. The victim, however, persisted that she did not give Manamela permission to have sex with her in 2002.
   She also said he offered her a Bible to keep quiet.
   Manamela, a priest at the Revival of Faith Congregation in Hammanskraal, said the sex took place with her consent. He had even walked her home later that night to ensure her safety. But a victim impact report stated that she was traumatised.
• Details of clergy abuse case revealed. [1970s John G. Allen] - RCC.

   Renew America, www.renewamerica. us/columns/ abbott/050816 , by Matt C. Abbott, August 16, 2005
   UNITED STATES - The following are reprints of two recent articles from a publication titled Concerned Catholics Courier. They were written by Diane Levero, who can be reached at CatholicCourier@aol.com .
   HARRISBURG MAN AWARDED IN PRIEST SEX ABUSE CASE
   Charges back allegations against priest named in RICO suit
   Cardinal William Keeler named defendant in both cases
   A 44-year-old Harrisburg man has received a settlement in a lawsuit alleging that a priest in the Harrisburg diocese, Fr. John G. Allen, sexually abused him repeatedly when he was a teenager in the 1970s.
   The resignation of Fr. Allen as pastor of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Church in suburban Harrisburg, following a credible allegation of sexual misconduct, received wide news coverage at the time it occurred, in April, 2002.
   But the subsequent lawsuit filed by William J. Hill against the Diocese of Harrisburg, Cardinal William Keeler and Bishop Nicholas Datillo, and the resulting settlement in 2004 were not reported by the media.
   In June, however, Mr. Hill revealed information to Concerned Catholics Courier regarding the lawsuit and settlement.
   Mr. Hill's allegations against Father Allen, which the Diocese of Harrisburg found credible, support allegations made in a federal lawsuit filed by former seminarian Philip Hower charging priestly sexual misconduct and subsequent cover-ups by various bishops, including Cardinal Keeler.
   Mr. Hower's suit, filed August 4, 2004, in U.S. District Court in Arizona, alleges, under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), a conspiracy to block his ordination to the priesthood by a number of dioceses and their bishops, because he was a whistleblower who reported the homosexual misconduct of various priests. [...]
   Bill Hill's Story
   TROUBLED YOUTH WAS TARGETED BY PREDATOR PRIEST
   William Hill is a tall, tanned, lanky guy who loves to go hunting, sports Dale Earnhardt tags on the front of his silver Ford Ranger, and brags about his three kids.
   But his cheerful demeanor and ready grin belie a childhood beset with troubles that rendered him a vulnerable target for a serial priest predator.
   Born in Harrisburg in 1961, Bill was one of six children in an unhappy family headed by an alcoholic father.
   When he was 10, he, an older sister and a younger brother were taken from their parents by Dauphin County Child Care Services and placed in the Sylvan Heights Catholic Home in Harrisburg. [...]
   Shortly after he began living there, on an orphanage bus trip, the 10-year-old boy had drowsed off to sleep covered by a blanket. He awoke to find himself being sexually molested by a 19-year-old female house parent. [...]
   "John" was dressed in regular clothing Bill didn't learn until several months later, when he happened to see John Allen in his clericals, that he was a priest.
   By that time, Father Allen had introduced the teenager to homosexual sex. [...]
   He regularly attends Sunday services at the River of God Pentecostal Church in Enola, Pa., and mows their 16-acre property every week.[...] [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:41 AM] (Fuller versions are below)
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Tue August 16, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
• More to life than fun, says Pope. - RCC.

   The West Australian, p 13, Tuesday, August 16, 2005
   VATICAN: Pope Benedict has urged young people to see Christianity as fresh nourishment for modern living rather than as a stale spiritual meal warmed up repeatedly for 2000 years.
   Speaking in his first interview since being elected in April, the German-born pontiff said he understood young people wanted to live life to the full and had little time for a religion that seemed to be made of rules and bans.
   But real faith focused on key questions of human existence, which young people asked once they saw that life was more than just having fun or buying things, he said on Vatican Radio.
   "It's not stale food we've had for 2000 years and warm up again and again," said the Pope, who on Thursday travels to Cologne for a World Youth Day festival expected to attract about 800,000 young people.
   "I want to show them it's beautiful to be a Christian," he said. "Many people think Christianity is a bunch of rules, prohibitions and dogmas you have to follow and therefore it's a heavy load.
   "The wisdom of faith is not concerned with knowing lots of details ... but knowing above and beyond the details what life is all about, how to live it and how to shape the future."
   The pontiffs comments, made in a relaxed interview with the German-language service of the Catholic Church's official radio, sounded like a practice for the first World Youth Day without its charismatic founder, the late pope John Paul.
   The former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was known as a stern defender: of the faith when he was the Vatican's top doctrinal authority, but he has shown a friendlier and more pastoral side of his personality since becoming Pope.
   Pope Benedict, 78, said modern life in rich western societies often led young people away from Christianity, reminding him of the Gospel parable of the Prodigal Son who left home and squandered his money but was welcomed by his father when he returned.
   "I think the realisation is growing among young people that all this amusement and fun, all you can do and buy and sell, is not everything," he said.
   "There's more to life than that." #
   [COMMENT: There's more to life than fun, says Pope. What a pity that the paedophile clergy have not heeded and are not heeding this sort of teaching! COMMENT ENDS.] [Aug 16, 05]
• Details of clergy abuse case revealed. [1970s John G. Allen] - RCC.

   But the subsequent lawsuit filed by William J. Hill against the Diocese of Harrisburg, Cardinal William Keeler and Bishop Nicholas Datillo, and the resulting settlement in 2004 were not reported by the media.
   In June, however, Mr. Hill revealed information to Concerned Catholics Courier regarding the lawsuit and settlement.
   Mr. Hill's allegations against Father Allen, which the Diocese of Harrisburg found credible, support allegations made in a federal lawsuit filed by former seminarian Philip Hower charging priestly sexual misconduct and subsequent cover-ups by various bishops, including Cardinal Keeler.
   Mr. Hower's suit, filed August 4, 2004, in U.S. District Court in Arizona, alleges, under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), a conspiracy to block his ordination to the priesthood by a number of dioceses and their bishops, because he was a whistleblower who reported the homosexual misconduct of various priests.
   The suit alleges that the defendant bishops and dioceses deprived Hower of a livelihood and defrauded him, as they did other members of the Roman Catholic Church, by using their contributions to obstruct justice, perpetrate additional fraud, and maintain and support a criminal enterprise.
   The lawsuit claims that Mr. Hower's troubles began when he was a seminarian in the Diocese of Harrisburg.
   Hower had received his Bachelor's degree from the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, and was studying for his Master of Theology degree there when, as part of his pre-ordination training, he was assigned to St. Pius X parish in Selinsgrove, Pa., to work as a summer intern under the supervision of the pastor, Fr. John G. Allen.
   During his internship, the suit claims, Hower was ordered by Allen to vacate the rectory on a regular basis.
   Mr. Hower learned from parishioners and from the permanent deacon of the parish, John Rocco, that Allen engaged in inappropriate behavior with the young men from the local university, located across the street from the rectory, during those times when he was barred from the rectory, the suit states.
   Hower complained to then-Bishop of the Harrisburg Diocese and now Cardinal of the Baltimore Archdiocese, William Keeler, through appropriate channels, that Allen was committing various sexually related acts and possible criminal acts within the rectory, the suit continued.
   Keeler responded to Mr. Hower's concerns in a manner that has come to typify the responses of the Defendants herein to the receipt of reports that they and their friends and associates have been seen and observed in engaging in sexual debauchery, the suit charges; that is, Keeler contacted the Josephinum and ordered that Mr. Hower be dropped from the educational career path for priests and directed that Plaintiff leave the Diocese of Harrisburg so that he could contemplate his commitment to God and to the Church.
   In essence, Plaintiff Philip A. Hower was fired from his job and banished.
   The suit charges that The Roman Catholic Church in North America has become a haven for sexually perverted men who seek and obtain employment in it as priests and other officials, so as to be provided with a steady supply of potential targets for their sexually depraved and abusive conduct while earning an income of some substance with minimum effort.
   The allegations in William Hill's lawsuit, which he filed in May 2002, corroborate Hower's portrait of Father Allen as an habitual homosexual predator of adolescent boys and young men.
   According to Hill's suit, in 1971, at the age of 10, William was placed in the Sylvan Heights Catholic Home in Dauphin County, Pa., an orphanage owned and maintained by the Diocese of Harrisburg.
   That same year young William was allegedly sexually fondled by a female house parent from the orphanage while on a bus tour.
   Subsequently, the suit states, house parents and other adults forced the boy to participate in a séance, in which they attempted to contact his recently deceased grandfather.
   From time to time, according to the suit, other female residents older than William would force him into having sexual relations.
   The boy was released from the orphanage to his parents when he was 14 years old.
   At age 15, the suit states, Hill met Fr. John Allen, a Catholic priest in the Harrisburg Diocese.
   At that first encounter Father Allen allegedly told Hill that he was employed by the Harrisburg Diocese and that his job was to help children free themselves from drugs and alcohol.
   Father Allen then seduced the youth, the suit states, beginning with hugging and kissing and gradually escalating to mutual masturbation and penetration.
   Hill allegedly was sexually abused by Father Allen on numerous occasions in the rectory of St. Patrick's Cathedral, on St. Patrick's School grounds, the rectory of St. Francis of Assisi Church, in Father Allen's vehicle, and in other locations.
   Diocesan Defendants knew of the sexual abuse of minors by a number of Diocesan priests, including Fr. John Allen, Fr. Augustine Giella, Fr. Thomas Lawler, Fr. James Noel, Fr. Joseph M. Pease and others, the suit states, and that such abusive behavior was a longstanding problem within the Diocese.
   But, the suit charges, the primary concern of the Diocesan Defendants has been the protection of its priests, including Fr. John Allen and others like him.
   To this end, the defendants concealed the danger that predator priests presented by misrepresenting them as priests in good standing, enabling their continued unrestricted access to minors, transferring the priests to other parishes, and failing to report their misconduct to authorities, the suit alleges.
   The defendants employed a closed, secret system of internal reporting of sexual misconduct by their servants, including the use of code words, the suit charges.
   Information as to the known criminal conduct of Diocese priests was kept secret and confidential in secret archive files within the exclusive control of Keeler, Datillo and their predecessors, the suit states.
   The active involvement of Keeler, Datillo and others acting on behalf of the Diocese in creating a safe and protected environment for known predator priests, including Father Allen, was not discovered by the Plaintiff until various stories began appearing in the media in early 2002, the suit states.
   Mr. Hill's suit was settled out of court on May 5, 2004. He received $150,000 in damages.#
Bill Hill's Story
TROUBLED YOUTH WAS TARGETED BY PREDATOR PRIEST
   William Hill is a tall, tanned, lanky guy who loves to go hunting, sports Dale Earnhardt tags on the front of his silver Ford Ranger, and brags about his three kids.
   But his cheerful demeanor and ready grin belie a childhood beset with troubles that rendered him a vulnerable target for a serial priest predator.
   Born in Harrisburg in 1961, Bill was one of six children in an unhappy family headed by an alcoholic father.
   When he was 10, he, an older sister and a younger brother were taken from their parents by Dauphin County Child Care Services and placed in the Sylvan Heights Catholic Home in Harrisburg.
   Located on a hill overlooking the Susquehanna River, the orphanage may have had a bucolic setting, but it was replete with Dickensian horrors with a sordidly modern twist.
   Shortly after he began living there, on an orphanage bus trip, the 10-year-old boy had drowsed off to sleep covered by a blanket. He awoke to find himself being sexually molested by a 19-year-old female house parent.
   To his bewildered protests, the young woman warned him, "Don't say nothing to nobody, or I'll deny it."
   The following year, when Bill's grandfather passed away, the same young house parent told him, "We're going upstairs to play some games."
   Bill followed her upstairs to a darkened room, lit by candles, where other house parents and adults, their faces covered by veils, were seated around a table.
   "Do you want to speak to your grandfather?" the young woman asked the frightened boy.
   The grown-ups proceeded to chant his grandfather's name in eerie voices. Suddenly, Bill felt strangely enveloped by waves of hot and cold air.
   Terrified, he bolted from his chair, ran out of the room and down the stairs.
   Supervision of the children at the orphanage was woefully lax. After his sexual encounter with his young house mother, Bill said, other female residents in the home, 15- and 16-year-old girls, came after him.
   "I had sex with quite a few girls in that home," he recalled. "Down in the swimming pool, in the woods . . ."
   Bill remembers a nun who was his dorm leader who kept a picture of swimmer Mark Spitz, with his crotch area circled, on the wall in her room.
   With supervision so negligent, it was an easy matter for neighborhood kids, who came into the orphanage to play football and other sports, to bring in cigarettes, marijuana and alcohol.
   When Bill was 14, he was returned to his parents.
   One night, when he was about 15, he was hanging around with some kids on Second Street in downtown Harrisburg when he was approached by a man who, although a stranger to him, knew his name.
   "He waited until I was by myself," Bill recalled. Then he said, "Hi, Bill, my name is John. I work with the diocese, trying to help kids that are on the street off drugs and alcohol."
   "I think he knew who I was through the orphanage," Bill speculated. "He knew I was drinking and getting high on marijuana and LSD."
   "John" was dressed in regular clothing Bill didn't learn until several months later, when he happened to see John Allen in his clericals, that he was a priest.
   By that time, Father Allen had introduced the teenager to homosexual sex.
   The priest began with hugging, progressed to fondling and then to full homosexual acts.
   He told me, "Don't tell anybody, because nobody will believe you," said Hill.
   "When I found out he was a priest, I started having sex with other men," he said. "Most of them were Catholic. I met them through him."
   "The usual meeting place for these assignations was on State Street, right in front of the Cathedral," he said.
   On August 30, 1977, Hill was attacked in downtown Harrisburg by an unknown assailant who stabbed him several times in the back.
   He was in intensive care for several days.
   He never saw Father Allen after his stay in the hospital until many years later.
   Bill dropped out of school in the tenth grade, and supported himself with construction work.
   When he was 19, he joined the Army Reserves. He remembers the date well: March 19, 1980.
   "I wanted to get away from the things I was into," he explained. "And I love my country. The Army helped me out a lot."
   Bill volunteered for two 3-week tours in Honduras in 1988.
   "It was a hostile situation; Honduras was being threatened by Nicaragua," he explained.
   During his first tour, in April, guarded by the Honduran military, Bill helped to install 60-inch diameter culvert storm pipes in record time, for which he received the Army Achievement Medal.
   On his second Honduran tour, in June, he was off-loading lumber from a dump truck in the rain. While he was climbing down from the truck, the vehicle jerked, and he lost his balance.
   "I landed on my butt - that hurt!" he said.
   The next morning, when he stood up to leave the mess hall, the L-4 disc in his lower back "popped completely out of my backbone. It was really painful."
   He spent two weeks at Kimbrough Army Medical Center in Ft. Meade, then, for four months, was encased in a cast from his chest to his waist.
   By 1996 he was receiving full disability payments.
   That same year he spent six weeks in a VA hospital for drug and alcohol treatment.
   He credits his wife Robin, whom he met in junior high school, for standing by him through all his problems.
   "I thank God for her. She has been through hell with me," he said. "If it wasn't for her, I'd probably be in the gutter."
   He had not seen Father Allen since 1977.
   But in the late 1980s, out drinking with friends, he spotted the priest across a horseshoe bar.
   "Father Allen!" he exclaimed.
   The startled priest angled up close to him and muttered, "I'm John, not Father Allen."
   "So he was still cruising the bars," Hill concluded contemptuously.
   In the spring of 2002, the Boston priest sex abuse scandal broke in the news. For Bill, it resurrected painful and disturbing memories.
   The nurse at the VA clinic where he was going for back treatment could see that he was extremely upset about something.
   He had never told anyone about the sexual abuse he had undergone as a boy. But now, under her concerned questioning, he revealed the cause of his agitation.
   She urged him to go to the police and to an attorney.
   "The district attorney's office said because of the statute of limitations, there was nothing they could do; they could not charge him criminally," he said.
   A suit against the diocese for civil damages was another matter.
   While the suit was proceeding, the diocese paid for Bill's outpatient psychological treatment. Six months of treatment enabled him to face the fact of his abuse courageously and employ effective means of coping with the distress and anxiety engendered by memories of the abuse.
   Today, with the help of pain medication for his back injury, Bill employs his time in a number of rewarding activities.
   He regularly attends Sunday services at the River of God Pentecostal Church in Enola, Pa., and mows their 16-acre property every week.
   He also helps out a friend on his 600-acre farm. As a member of a private hunting club, he hunts deer, turkeys and bears on Duncannon Mountain.
   Any mention of Fr. John Allen today brings a quick, angry reaction.
   "I don't ever want to see that son-of-a-bitch," he snaps. "Father Allen is a lying, scheming man!"
   "Our church tries to teach forgiveness, but I can't forgive him for what he done."
   "I came from a broken home. He was supposed to help! Why did he want to make it worse?" # [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:41 AM]
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Wed August 17, 2005 edition follows:-
• Creep of the Week: Monsignor Eugene Clark. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married woman secretary.

   PrideSource, www.pridesource. com/article.shtml? article=15398 , By D'Anne Witkowski, Originally printed Aug/18/2005 (Issue 1333 - Between The Lines News)
   Monsignor Eugene Clark
   NEW YORK - There's a saying religious folks use to keep each other from getting too high and mighty. In fact, Jesus first said it to a group of townsfolk all hot to stone a woman accused of adultery. When Jesus said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone," the mob backed off. It's one of the many teachings of Jesus that right-wingers who call themselves Christian seem to frequently, and conveniently, forget.
   This week's Creep, and Division I Stone Casting Champ, is Monsignor Eugene Clark, former rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. Clark has made a career out of flinging stones with one hand while, well, banging his secretary with the other (metaphorically of course). But hey, when you're a Catholic Priest, you live by rules which can be summed up in layman's terms using MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This." [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 05:59 PM]
• False memory or the real thing? Debate swirls over possible false accusations. - RCC.
   Spirit Daily, www.spiritdaily. com/falsmemory feedback.htm ~ August 17, 2005
   UNITED STATES - There were quite a few reactions on both sides of the debate when it came to our recent concern that at least some of the abuse claims against Catholic priests may be false. We hold this concern at a time when the devil is very active (and certainly likely to target priests before anyone).
   This would be in keeping with persecution. And if only five or ten percent of the abuse charges are false (or exaggerated), it's certainly worth bringing to light. Can you imagine being a priest for fifty years and then having someone come out of the blue to say that you abused him or her three decades before-and you didn't?
   It certainly is enough to keep men out of the seminary.
   But that's hardly to downplay the crisis. Not since the Middle Ages (or the Russian Orthodox Church during Communist rule) has the Church seen such a demonic infiltration. That's the other way the devil has worked-infiltration-and for five years now, we have carried as many stories about such abuse charges as nearly any major Catholic news site. We have not tried to hide it.
   For it has been nothing short of a disaster. And it keeps rolling on. Just last month, 44 priests were implicated in the Philadelphia area (of events since the 1950s) and this month Oakland had to shell out $56 million in claims - about half what some dioceses elsewhere have had to pay.[...] [A longer version is given at the end of this CSAT edition.]
• Coach charged with videotaping girls in school locker room. [2005 Shields] - RCC. Filming girls dressing.
   Pennsylvania News (comprising Burlington County Times, Bucks County Courier Times, and The Intelligencer), www.phillyburbs. com/pb-dyn/news/ 103-08172005- 528976.html , The Associated Press, August 17, 2005
   POTTSVILLE, Pa. - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown has suspended a high school gym teacher charged with videotaping partially clad teenage girls in the school locker room.
   Daniel M. Shields Jr., a longtime teacher and track coach at Nativity BVM High School in Pottsville, was charged Tuesday after police received a videotape that showed three Nativity students in various stages of undress.
   The tape had Shields' handwriting on it, and was labeled with the names of the girls and dated "5/25/05," according to police.
   Detective Steven Guers told a district judge at Shields' arraignment Tuesday that the tape was made "surreptitiously" and had both Shields' voice and image on it.
   One of the girls on the tape told about it when she learned of its existence, according to court papers.
• Pope immunity request won't stop abuse case - lawyer. [Trainee priest] - RCC. 3 boys.

   Reuters, By Shasta Darlington, 2:55 PM ET, Wed Aug 17, 2005
   ROME (Reuters) - A U.S. lawyer said on Wednesday he will press ahead with a lawsuit alleging Pope Benedict conspired to cover up the abuse of three boys by a seminary student in Texas, despite the Pontiff's request for diplomatic immunity.
   "This diplomatic move has stopped the suit right in its early stages," Daniel Shea, who represents one of three plaintiffs in the unprecedented civil suit, told Reuters.
   "But there are various avenues we can go down depending on what the (U.S.) State Department does next," he said, adding that he hoped to take a deposition from the Pope as early as the end of this year.
   The Vatican's embassy in Washington filed a request in May for the U.S. government to declare immunity for Pope Benedict as a head of state, according to documents provided by Shea.
   Shea called a news conference in Rome on Wednesday to announce that he would pursue the case. On Tuesday, he took part in a demonstration organized by Italy's Radical Party urging President George W. Bush to refuse the Pope's immunity request.
• Ex-priest is indicted for sex abuse. [2004 Mieliwocki] - RCC. Transferred twice before. 4 teenage males.

   Observer-Tribune By MARIA VOGEL-SHORT, Aug/17/2005
   MENDHAM (NJ)-The lawyer for an indicted ex-priest said charges against his client of child abuse and endangerment have been "misinterpreted," while the head of the Daytop drug treatment program where the priest was employed said Monday he is grateful the former cleric was "stopped in his tracks."
   The former priest, the Rev. Richard Mieliwocki, 58, was indicted by a Morris County grand jury in Morristown on Tuesday, Aug. 9, for criminal sexual contact and child endangerment at Daytop Village between March and December of 2004.
   The indictment alleges that Mieliwocki abused four male residents of Daytop, age 16 to 18. Daytop is a residential drug rehabilitation program in Mendham.
   Mieliwocki was arrested on Dec. 28, 2004, after Daytop director the Rev. Joseph Hennen notified the Morris County Prosecutor's of alleged improper behavior by Mieliwocki during counseling sessions..
   Mieliwocki had been suspended from his priest post almost two years ago by the Archdiocese of Newark after allegations of sexual abuse were made, dating back to 1994, according to a spokesman for the Newark archdiocese.
   The state Department of Community Affairs suspended his license as a social worker for alleged improper behavior in 1999 at Clifton Mental ...
• Seeking justice, closure. [Dezurick] - RCC. $US 10.2m sought. Boy.
   The News Guard, By JOE HAPP, Published: August 16, 2005
   LINCOLN CITY (OR) - "I'm not trying to bring down the church," said Tidewater resident Peter Carlich. "I'm looking for closure, for justice."
   Carlich, 59, is one of 68 men currently making claims of sexual abuse by priests against the Archdiocese of Portland. He is seeking $10.2 million in damages and alleges he was molested as a sophomore at the now-defunct Tillamook Catholic High School by the late Rev. Gerald Dezurick, a local parish priest. The claims are now in crucial settlement talks that are expected to run through the middle of September.
   Carlich's lawsuit was merged with the others after the archdiocese declared bankruptcy in July of 2004.
   "We're not even litigants any more; we're creditors," he said, with a note of bitterness creeping into his voice.
   Carlich said he decided to sue the archdiocese after sex abuse charges against priests in the Boston Archdiocese surfaced a few years ago. Unlike many men he knows who have similar histories, he said he has no trouble being open about it.
• Father Sewar back in court. [1999-2001 Sewar] - RCC. ? boy.
   NBC 10, www.10nbc.com/ news.asp?template= item&story_id=15911 , Aug/17/05
   ROCHESTER (NY) - A Rochester priest charged with sexual abuse involving a child returned to court Wednesday. Father Dennis Sewar and his attorney John Speranza asked a judge to adjourn the case. Speranza also says he needs more time to file motions.
   Court papers show that the accuser says Father Sewar placed his hand on and near the accuser's genital area. Sewar's accuser says the incidents happened between 1999 and 2001 while Sewar served at the Church of Annunciation in Rochester.
• Albany Diocese Comes Under Fire. [Albany Diocese] - RCC. 13 priest offenders still supported by RC Church contributions.
   WTEN, www.wten.com/ Global/story.asp? S=3730338 , posted 8:00pm, August 16th, 2005
   ALBANY (NY) - The Albany Catholic Diocese is defending itself for providing pensions and health benefits to priests removed from ministry because there was evidence they abused children.
   Thirteen priests who have been removed from the ministry are being supported by pensions funded by donations from Catholics. The diocese has said retired priests collect $1500 a month in pension benefits.
   Over the course of a year that means $234,000 out of the diocese's pockets, not including health benefits. A statement released Tuesday does not reveal the total value of pension and benefits for the defrocked priests.
• Ex-Redemptorist priest is accused of sex abuse. [1974-79 Thiel (Redemptorist)] - RCC. Boy.
   Post-Dispatch , www.stltoday. com/stltoday/ news/stories. nsf/stlouiscity county/story/ 138B4F4C0817 CD2D862570 600018E2F7? OpenDocument ; ~ August 17, 2005
   ST. LOUIS (MO) - A Missouri man sued the St. Louis Archdiocese and a former Redemptorist priest Tuesday, alleging he was sexually abused and given a sexually transmitted disease at a St. Louis church when he was a boy.
   Suing as "John Doe," he says in the suit that the Rev. James Thiel sodomized him repeatedly at the St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic Church, 1118 North Grand Boulevard, from 1974 to 1979. The plaintiff, now 42, discovered the disease in high school and was successfully treated, said Susan Carlson, one of his lawyers.
   The suit claims the church and the Redemptorists' Denver Province concealed prior abuse accusations against Thiel.
   The archdiocese said it was told by the Redemptorists years ago that the Vatican removed Thiel from the order, thus forbidding him from functioning as a priest. The lawyer for the Redemptorists, based in Colorado, could not be reached.
• Lawsuit names dead priest. [1960s Lesniak] - RCC. Boy.
   Tribune-Review, By David Hunt, Wednesday, August 17, 2005
   GREENSBURG (PA) - A priest who died more than a decade ago is at the center of another lawsuit facing the Diocese of Greensburg.
   Altoona lawyer Richard M. Serbin filed the 33-page civil action in Westmoreland County court on behalf of an unidentified man referred to as John Doe. A signed affidavit filed with the paperwork indicates the man wants to keep his identity from the public record. Named as defendants in the suit are the diocese and retired Bishop Anthony G. Bosco.
   According to the suit, Doe was a parishioner of St. Stanislaus Church in Calumet when he was sexually abused by the Rev. Francis Lesniak. Doe was between 12 and 13 years old at the time of the alleged abuse and is now 52. Lesniak died in 1991.
   In the mid-1960s, the suit states, Doe was invited to stay overnight at the rectory when Lesniak was transferred from St. Stanislaus to St. Anne Church in Rostraver Township. The court document says Doe woke up while Lesniak fondled him. The priest allegedly then forced the boy to fondle him in return, according to the lawsuit.
• Bamberg chaplain suspended during sexual assault probe. [2004-05 Arflack] - RCC. Soldiers.

  Stars and Stripes, www.estripes.com/ article.asp?section= 104&article=30980 , By Steve Liewer, Stars and Stripes, European edition, Wednesday, August 17, 2005
   GERMANY - A military chaplain in Bamberg, Germany, has been suspended from his duties while the Army looks into allegations that he forced himself sexually on soldiers, a 1st Infantry Division spokesman said Monday.
   Military prosecutors preferred charges last week against Capt. Gregory Arflack, 44, a Roman Catholic priest with the Bamberg-based 279th Base Support Battalion, in connection with incidents that took place March 21, 2004, in Doha, Qatar, and July 29 and 30, 2005, in Bamberg, said Maj. Bill Coppernoll.
   The accusations include three counts of forcible sodomy, three counts of indecent acts, two counts of fraternization with enlisted soldiers, two counts of disobeying orders, one count of indecent assault, and one count of conduct unbecoming an officer, according to a 1st ID news release.
   Coppernoll said Arflack is accused of fraternizing and other rules violations with three male enlisted Marines last spring in Qatar. The Bamberg incidents in July involved alleged acts of forcible sodomy with three male enlisted soldiers, one of whom reported them to his chain of command.
• Man sues Greensburg diocese over alleged abuse 40 years ago. [1960s Lesniak] - RCC. Boy.

   Times-Leader, Associated Press, ~ August 17, 2005
   GREENSBURG, Pa. - A man has accused a priest who died more than a decade ago of sexually abusing him, according to a lawsuit filed against a diocese and a retired bishop.
   The 52-year-old man, whose name wasn't revealed in the lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County court, accused the late Rev. Francis Lesniak of abusing him in the mid-1960s, when the man was a 12- or 13-year-old boy.
   According to the lawsuit, the abuse happened when Lesniak worked at the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg's St. Stanislaus Church in Calmut and the boy was a parishioner.
   The boy was invited to stay overnight at the rectory, and Lesniak allegedly fondled him while he slept, the lawsuit said. When the boy woke up he was allegedly forced to fondle Lesniak in return, according to the lawsuit.
   Lesniak died in February 1991.
• Diocese Reaches Settlement In Priest Abuse Claim. [1984-90 Priest] - RCC. Boy.

   WMTW, UPDATED 6:17 am EDT August 17, 2005
   PORTLAND, Maine-A lawsuit by a Sidney man who claimed he was abused by a priest over a seven-year period starting at age 13 has been settled. Terms of the settlement between Maine's Roman Catholic diocese and Michael Fortin, 34, were not made public, and neither Fortin's lawyers nor the Diocese of Portland would elaborate.
   In a brief written statement, Fortin and Bishop Richard Malone said confidentiality was neither required by the diocese nor requested by Fortin. It added, however, that both parties want to put the matter behind them and agreed to let the statement stand without further comment.
   The lay Catholic reform group Voice of the Faithful in Maine praised the diocese for coming forward to reach a settlement, calling it a welcome change from legal tactics of the past that added to the suffering of innocent victims and abuse survivors.
• Diocese settles priest abuse claim. [1984-90 Priest] - RCC. Boy.
   Portland Press Herald, By TREVOR MAXWELL, August 17, 2005
   PORTLAND (ME) - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland has settled a lawsuit by a man from Sidney who claimed that church leaders failed to protect him from abuse.
   Terms of the settlement, announced Tuesday by the law firm representing Michael Fortin, were not disclosed. While neither side signed a confidentiality agreement, they withheld public comment except for a brief statement.
   "Both parties have agreed that it is in their interests to put this matter behind them," said part of the statement from Lipman, Katz & McKee of Augusta. "They have achieved a compromise that will enable them to move forward without the burden of further litigation."
   The settlement ends a four-year court saga that reached the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and set a legal precedent.
• Lawyer asks for church counseling aid after third suicide by sex-abuse claimant. [Portland Archdiocese] - RCC. 66 claimants.
   The Oregonian, By STEVE WOODWARD, Wednesday, August 17, 2005
   OREGON - One of the 66 clergy sexual-abuse claimants now in mediation with the Archdiocese of Portland shot himself to death, prompting his lawyer to ask the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to free up money for emergency counseling for the others.
   Larry Lynn Craven, a 49-year-old Marion County man who had been identified in court records only as John Doe or L.C., died on July 21, according to the county's vital statistics office. Daniel J. Gatti, his lawyer, said he shot himself.
   Craven's case was scheduled for mediation Aug. 29.
   "This isn't a case about money," Gatti said. "It's a case about healing."
   Craven's suicide is the third among sexual-abuse plaintiffs in recent months. Peter Ryan, 44, of Portland, who received a $1 million settlement for abuse by the late Rev. Maurice Grammond, committed suicide in February. Steven D. Colvin, 43, of Portland, who had accused the Rev. Michael Sprauer of abusing him when he was a teenage inmate of MacLaren School for Boys, killed himself in December.
   Gatti's motion asks U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Elizabeth Perris to allow the archdiocese to pay for counseling for any claimants who are at risk for harming themselves or others.
• Vatican rules on parish assets. [Boston Archdiocese, Vatican] - RCC.

   The Oregonian, By STEVE WOODWARD, Wednesday, August 17, 2005
   OREGON - In a preliminary decision with overtones for the Catholic Church in Western Oregon, the Vatican has told the Archdiocese of Boston that it had erred in seizing and selling hundreds of millions of dollars in parish assets.
   The recent decision, in essence, means that the Vatican considers parish real estate and investments to belong to the parishes, not the archdiocese.
   The Vatican's finding echoes the argument used by the Archdiocese of Portland to protect parish property from being sold to pay off millions of dollars in child sexual-abuse claims. The dispute over Western Oregon's parish property is being fought in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, where 124 parishes and nearly 400,000 parishioners have found themselves named as defendants in a class-action lawsuit to determine property ownership.
   "We have not seen (the) decision from the Vatican," the Portland archdiocese said in a statement, "so we are unable to specifically comment on it. However, as Archbishop (John G.) Vlazny stated on July 6, 2004, 'under canon law, parish assets belong to the parish. I have no authority to seize parish property.'
   "This is what we have stated all along in the bankruptcy proceedings."
   As a practical matter, it remains to be seen whether the Vatican action has any impact on the Portland proceedings.
• Bishop grants mercy to disgraced. [Albany Diocese] - RCC. 13 molesters still on RC pensions.

   Albany Times Union, By MICHELE MORGAN BOLTON, First published: Tuesday, August 16, 2005
   ALBANY (NY)-Three years after the clergy sex abuse scandal exploded into the public consciousness, dozens of priests have finally been stripped of their duties by the Vatican in recent months.
   Those defrocked, which means they cannot act as a priest or receive financial support from the church, include four clergy in Boston, six from the Rockville Center Diocese downstate and another nine in Philadelphia.
   But here in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, none of the 13 surviving priests of the 20 removed from ministry will have his case reviewed by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
   Bishop Howard Hubbard contends that laicization is too harsh. His decision means the men will continue to draw pensions and health insurance benefits until they die.
   "I believe, after reflection and consultation with the misconduct board and my canonical advisers, that the formal and public removal from ministry is sufficient punishment for the priest and adequate protection for the community," he said.
• Bishop defends policy. [Albany Diocese] - RCC. 13 molesters still on RC pensions.
   Capital News 9, www.capitalnews9. com/content/your_ news/capital_region/ default.asp?ArID= 145051 , Updated 10:32 PM, Aug/16/2005
   ALBANY (NY) - Thirteen priests removed from ministry after allegations of sexual abuse are still receiving pension and healthcare-courtesy of the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese.
   The Diocese stands by its decision, and points out that Bishop Howard Hubbard hasn't wavered from his Zero Tolerance policy in clergy abuse cases.
   A statement released by the Diocese said "Formal and public removal from ministry is sufficient punishment for the priest and adequate protection for the community." Critics, including a local attorney who represents dozens of alleged victims of clergy sex abuse, said not enough is being done.
   Attorney John Aretakis said, "If these men were in any other industry in the country, and had sex with children, on the job, I'm sure they would not only be terminated, but lose their pensions, their fringes, and any other benefits they accrued."
• Retired bishop faces allegation. [Bishop Soens] - RCC. Boys.
   Quad-City Times, By Barb Ickes, August 17, 2005
   IOWA - A long-time Catholic priest who served for more than 15 years in the Quad-City area before being named bishop of the Sioux City Diocese is being sued for the second time in three months under sexual abuse allegations.
   The Catholic Diocese of Davenport and a Catholic high school in Iowa City also are named in a seven-count lawsuit filed this week in the Iowa District Court for Scott County by Dennis Allen, identified only as a resident of Iowa.
   In the lawsuit, Allen claims he was the victim of the Rev. Lawrence D. Soens, who used his principal's office at Iowa City Regina High School to sexually abuse male students.
   A Florida man filed a similarly worded lawsuit in June, alleging sexual abuse by Soens and naming the Davenport Diocese and Regina High as co-defendants.
• Davenport bishop sued for sexual abuse of boys. [1966 + Bishop Soens] - RCC. Boys.
   Quad-Cities Online, ~ August 17, 2005
   IOWA - The former bishop of the Sioux City Diocese was accused in a civil lawsuit of sexually abusing boys while holding several Catholic offices, some in Davenport.
   Retired Bishop Lawrence D. Soens has been accused of "harmful, illegal, immoral and sadistic sexual contacts with numerous minor aged boys attending Iowa City Regina High School," according to the seven-count lawsuit filed Monday in Scott County District Court.
   Attorneys Craig Levien of Davenport and Patrick Noaker of St. Paul, Minn., filed the lawsuit against Bishop Soens, Iowa City Regina High School and the Diocese of Davenport on behalf of their client, Dennis Allen of Johnson County, Iowa. The two attorneys have filed other sexual abuse lawsuits against the Diocese.
   The lawsuit alleges the abuse began in 1966, when Bishop Soens was principal at Regina High, a Roman Catholic high school under the direct supervision of the Davenport Diocese.
   According to the lawsuit, Bishop Soens engaged in "repeated harmful and illegal sexual contact" with Mr. Allen while fondling him in the principal's office as reprimand for Mr. Allen's alleged misconduct.
• Another lawsuit accuses former Sioux City bishop of sexual abuse. [1966 Bishop Soens] - RCC. Boys.
   Sioux City Journal, August 17, 2005
   IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP)-A former student at a Roman Catholic high school in Iowa City filed a lawsuit Tuesday accusing the former principal, who later became bishop at the Sioux City diocese, of sexual abuse.
   The lawsuit marks the second time this year that former Bishop Lawrence Soens has been accused of molesting students during his tenure as principal at Regina High School in Iowa City.
   The lawsuit also names the high school and the Davenport Diocese. The diocese oversees the school and last fall paid $9 million to settle 37 lawsuits that accused several of its priests of molesting children at parishes across eastern Iowa in the last 50 years.
   Soens is accused of ordering the student, who at the time was under 18, to report to a private meeting at the principal's office, where the improper sexual conduct occurred.
   The lawsuit claims Soens arranged the meeting because he was investigating an incident of student misconduct, a similar claim made in the first lawsuit naming Soens.
• A roundup of news from across Iowa.. [1968 + Bishop Soens] - RCC. Boys.
   Des Moines Register, August 17, 2005
   IOWA - A Johnson County man has filed a lawsuit against retired Sioux City Bishop Lawrence Soens, Iowa City Regina High School and the Davenport Diocese, alleging that Soens subjected him and other male students to repeated sadistic sexual acts.
   Dennis Allen alleges that the abuse began in 1968, when Soens was principal of the Catholic high school.
   According to the lawsuit, which was filed Monday in Scott County District Court, Soens called Allen to his office using the false pretext of discipline and abused the boy while berating him for nonexistent misconduct.
   Soens' lawyer, Timothy Bottaro, declined to comment Tuesday.
• Four more say they were abused by priests . [1971-72 Nawn, Llorente] - RCC. 3 males, 1 female.
   Anchorage Daily News, By LISA DEMER, Last Modified 04:45 AM August 17th, 2005
   ALASKA - Three more men and a woman say they were sexually abused as children by Catholic priests in Western Alaska, joining a lawsuit filed in December in Bethel that accuses the Revs. Francis X. Nawn and Segundo Llorente of abuse.
   Both men spent years as priests in rural Alaska and are deceased. Llorente also served a term in the Alaska Legislature.
   The plaintiffs aren't named. The new ones, added Tuesday, are called only Jack Doe 7, 8 and 9, and Jackie Doe 1.
   One man remembered attending Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Scammon Bay in 1971 and 1972 when he was age 5 to 7. Nawn sexually abused him when he was a first-grader and then gave him hard candy as a treat, the suit filed by Anchorage attorney Ken Roosa said.
• More victims added to priest abuse lawsuit. [1960s-70s Llorente, Nawn (Jesuits)] - RCC. 10 more complainants.
   Fairbanks News-Miner, By MARY BETH SMETZER, August 17, 2005
   ALASKA - A lawyer has filed four more civil sexual abuse lawsuits against two now-deceased Catholic priests who served in Western Alaska, bringing the total to 10 complaints.
   One plaintiff, a man, filed an abuse claim against the Rev. Segundo Llorente, while two men and a woman filed claims accusing the Rev. Francis Nawn of molestation. Llorente and Nawn were both Jesuit priests.
   The latest legal paperwork, filed Tuesday in Bethel Superior Court, pushes the total number of complaints to more than 85 that have been filed in little more than two years against Catholic clergy and affiliated staff by Anchorage attorney Ken Roosa.
   Two of the men and a woman accuse Nawn of molesting them as children during the 1960s and '70s in Sheldon Point, now known as Nunam Iqua, or in Scammon Bay.
   The amended complaint now lists 10 plaintiffs--Jack Doe 1-9 and Jackie Doe 1--two with allegations against Llorente and nine against Nawn. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:47 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Wed August 17, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
• False memory or the real thing? Debate swirls over possible false accusations. - RCC.

From the mailbag:

FALSE MEMORY OR THE REAL THING? DEBATE SWIRLS OVER POSSIBLE FALSE ACCUSATIONS

   Spirit Daily, www.spiritdaily. com/falsmemory feedback.htm ~ August 17, 2005
   UNITED STATES - There were quite a few reactions on both sides of the debate when it came to our recent concern that at least some of the abuse claims against Catholic priests may be false. We hold this concern at a time when the devil is very active (and certainly likely to target priests before anyone).
   This would be in keeping with persecution. And if only five or ten percent of the abuse charges are false (or exaggerated), it's certainly worth bringing to light. Can you imagine being a priest for fifty years and then having someone come out of the blue to say that you abused him or her three decades before - and you didn't?
   It certainly is enough to keep men out of the seminary.
   But that's hardly to downplay the crisis. Not since the Middle Ages (or the Russian Orthodox Church during Communist rule) has the Church seen such a demonic infiltration. That's the other way the devil has worked - infiltration - and for five years now, we have carried as many stories about such abuse charges as nearly any major Catholic news site. We have not tried to hide it.
   For it has been nothing short of a disaster. And it keeps rolling on. Just last month, 44 priests were implicated in the Philadelphia area (of events since the 1950s) and this month Oakland had to shell out $56 million in claims - about half what some dioceses elsewhere have had to pay.
   In Canada, one diocese announced that it had to sell all of its property - every parish!
   In the U.S., churches have been closed or will be closed because of these scandals, especially in Boston, and in some cases sumptuous chanceries are also for sale (which may be a good thing). Most recently, the rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City stood accused, a priest who in a terrible irony appeared nationally speaking on the topic of relationships (albeit in this case it was not a homosexual involvement with a youngster, which we find about as vile a sin as one can commit; unfortunately, at least two other media priests have lost their priestly faculties due to such violations).
   Can we ignore this? Of course not. But should it destroy the image of an entire network?
   Of course not - no more than the abuse crisis as a whole should destroy the image of the entire Church.
   There are phenomenal priests out there.
   But it certainly hurts, and there is no denying that a large number of cases are real, that the devil has infiltrated the priesthood - and seminaries - in a horrendous way.
   We are not trying to say otherwise. Our main concern has always been for the young victims who can never be the same.
   But we are also concerned about the potential innocence of accused priests, and we are very concerned about the "repressed-memory" cases: those instances where someone suddenly recalls "abuse" by a priest decades after it allegedly happened - way back in childhood, events these accusers say they "blocked" out of their recollections.
   It seems some such cases do exist, but we have to be very cautious with them. It would be in this area of the mind, and in the realm of hypnosis and psychology (which often have been at odds with religion), that Satan would most likely play.
   If even five or ten percent of priests are innocent, it is worth our acute attention. That's our argument. Like anyone else, a priest should be viewed as innocent until proven guilty.
   But even one abuse case would have cast a shadow on the Church, and there are hundreds of valid claims, some so lurid the details are not printable; these we have kept off the website. As we have said repeatedly, there is nothing worse than the violation of a child.
   But what about the possibility of false claims?
What did readers have to say?
   "I was sexually abused by a Catholic priest 'thirty years ago,' in 1973-75 to be exact in Glendale, California," writes a viewer who like most will remain nameless for the purposes of this piece. "I have never forgotten what happened to me. My parents and I have sent letters and made claims of this abuse since 1975. I saved every letter, note, and photograph from that horrible three years and I truly do not understand the lack of information, details, or memory that people have from their abuse which suddenly showed up in 2002. It is hurtful for me, because it is invalidates my real abuse, and the real abuse of many - although I do not believe all - claimants. We won't even discuss the damage their actions have on good, innocent and holy priests. I do believe that the 'devil is in the details' and as a paralegal for 30-plus years, it has been my experience that this old adage is true! You just don't ever forget the guilt, the pain, the fear of being sexually abused by a person in power. My life has been altered forever because of it, and my family and God keep me on a straight and positive path.
   "Thank you for writing a great article that does not imply that all priests are good and all claimants of abuse are bad - and I hope the SNAP organization will read your letter and know that it is only common sense that there will be those who find the need to jump on a money-wagon without care or concern of their own dishonest actions. Thank you for your article … it is a major concern I have as well and I believe there are a number of clergy abuse cases, at least in the Southern California areas, that have been highly exaggerated or, in fact, are completely false."
   "There is no doubt a crisis in the priesthood today," writes a priest. "Yes, there are some priests who have abused children. Some of these men are ill and should be removed from active ministry. However, all accused priests should be considered innocent until proven beyond a reasonable doubt to be guilty. Can you imagine the injustice of being removed from the priesthood after 25 or 30 years of faithful service on an accusation that may or may not be true? Yet, thanks to the policy of the U.S. bishops, in practice an accused priest is presumed guilty until proven innocent. Even if proven innocent, his reputation is destroyed.
   "It is interesting to note that the U.S. bishops have exempted themselves from the 'zero tolerance policy.' Unlike priests, accused bishops are not ejected from their rectories, but continue to celebrate Mass, hear confessions, confirm, and carry on their ministry. They also have the benefit of diocesan funds at their disposal to pay for legal defense, which priests do not. This injustice has demoralized many in the priesthood. It is now clearly understood that the U.S. bishops consider priests expendable, and have 'sold them down the river' to protect themselves and their assets. Is it any wonder that young men do not want to enter the priesthood?"
Notes another viewer:
   "I was surprised to see your article on false memory syndrome a couple of weeks ago. I was hesitant to write you, but after discerning for awhile, I feel I must.
   "False-memory syndrome is, at the very least, suspect, and at the worst, completely contrived by the devil to harm the healing process of abuse survivors and protect abusers. False-memory syndrome was coined by members of the False Memory Syndrome Foundation, founded by parents of a woman who claims the father abused her as a child. Everything about this foundation is suspect. Many of the board members are people who have been accused of abuse. The parents have crossed every normal boundary of ethics and respect in trying to defame their daughter. The foundation deals mainly in propaganda, and their information is not based on proven psychiatry or psychotherapy."
And another:
   "I agree with the majority of what you are saying, especially when someone is influencing another to 'remember.' I am 53 years old, the oldest of five siblings. All of us have been married and divorced, sometimes more than one time. We have a lot of problems with relationships, intimacy (the real meaning), and self-esteem. In the past, I have been critical and judgmental about my siblings and their behaviors. However, in more recent years I've started to look closer and try to understand.
   "About two years ago it occurred to me that all of us blatantly exhibit symptoms of childhood sexual molestation. I cannot remember an actual incident regarding myself, but feel that something must have happened, at least once. Sometimes I get flashes of it. I do not try to remember, nor do I dwell on it. My intention is to understand certain behaviors within myself and become healed through faith and prayer. Two months ago, a sibling admitted suicidal thoughts to me, and revealed that an older sibling had sexually abused two of our siblings over a three-year period when they were little, innocent, and vulnerable. Even though no one had ever discussed or mentioned this before now, I had developed this strong intuition over 35 years later.
   "I recommended counseling and prayer to my suicidal sibling. Fortunately, the sibling took this advice. My point is that there might be times when these memories are real. Though my experience is mostly intuitive rather than an actual memory, I feel we should not totally discount sudden memories many years later. Each case should be taken at face value, on an individual basis."
We agree: each must be individually evaluated.
   "There is no professional diagnosis called 'false-memory syndrome,'" notes a professional in the field. "It is not recognized by the American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association, or any legitimate mental health organization. It is a term that was invented by a few parents who have been accused of child abuse. The conscious blocking of trauma is however recognized by most legitimate professionals and it listed in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It is called 'dissociative amnesia.' There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of studies which support the reality of repressed memories.
Comments another in the same vein:
   "I did read your article and I do agree with you that so many people are harmed and hurt by bad therapy and human stupidity. My question that seems obvious and I wonder why no one has ever mentioned it is this: I have heard very often that traumatic events are remembered and etched into memory more so than other events during childhood. Examples come quickly to my mind of my own childhood of things that perhaps seemed innocuous to an adult but are burned into my memory forever, sights, smells, sounds, etc.
   "I do understand about repression and the myriad defense mechanisms our minds use to protect us from traumatic memories, but why has no one brought up this scientifically proven fact about memory? Traumatic events etch themselves into our memories much more so than daily events. Trauma seems to 'brand' itself onto our brains and I wonder why that wouldn't be an argument for those who use the repressed memory syndrome theory."
   "Bravo Mr. Brown," is another e-mail from a woman named Angela. "I, too, know a priest who has been accused from 1964! Accused by a known embezzler, and no one has taken notice. The priest is out, abandoned by his diocese with no regard to forty years of faithful and exemplary service. This guy and his brother thought it would be easy money, that the diocese would cave. They never figured on the cost of accusations that were valid. This priest has been out in the cold for three long years waiting for the case to wind its way through the court system. It's more than disheartening."
However, noted an alleged victim:
   "When I was 12 years old I was abused by a priest and I still haven't come forward publicly. The man was charged by another woman about four weeks ago in the paper. He is 77 years old now. False memory I think not. I remember every detail about it. I could draw you a picture of the room we were in and the car he drove. I prefer to let the Lord handle him when he dies, and he stands in judgment. I have every right to walk away from my faith but I believe the Lord has me by the seat of my pants telling me not too. I won't let go from my Faith, God, and My Church. Pray for those victims I know I do. There are more of us out there. Believe it."
And added reader Susan Sweet of Oswego, New York:
   "As much as I can appreciate your article in defending priests that may have been falsely accused, I also know Satan can also use false compassion as a tool," "The late great Bishop Sheen had a wonderful program on the subject warning about a world where there seems to be a trend toward more compassion for the one who victimizes than the victim. Prepubescent abuse is a vast subject and I know from experience first hand. I am a very devoted catholic mother and grandmother and commissioned youth minister who led a 10-year investigation in the Syracuse diocese that exposed the systematic abuse of children by a priest pedophile ring. This was well before the Dallas and Boston incident. This abuse took place over the last fifty years. I would spend days crying and vomiting over the agony of truth. Information on 38 priests were eventually brought to the Bishop James Moynihan. His vice-chancellor recently told me that the info brought to them was all true even though I told him some of the information was hearsay.
   "Priests that have been falsely accused in this diocese have been rare and the Diocesan Task Force has openly acknowledged two cases (reason being that only one victim has come forward in both cases). Please understand that I think the world of you know that you are truly and instrument of God. I have just suffered the pains of catholic denial of this kind of evil even to the point I was told many times I was going to hell. I am not part of SNAP or any other kind of group and I live every day praying for mercy for all involved - including myself!
   "I felt in reading your article that you were tending to put more trust in psychiatry than you were in God's possible plan for renewal. I believe Our Lord's passion was the labor pains for the birth of His church that flowed forth from His side. This pain inside the church today is what I believe is the labor pains for the return to that pure Church instituted on Calvary. Recently, I have discovered that one of my closest confidants (a priest) throughout my ordeal turned himself in for an abuse issue. He consistently lied to me by saying he was going on sabbatical, etc., until I went to the diocese and asked to be told the truth. Without details, it was revealed that he had abused and had been removed from active duty two years ago. I know how you feel about the priest you met. The pain never ends." # [~ Aug 17, 05]
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Thu August 18, 2005 edition follows:-
• Lawsuit will claim church coverup. [? 1960s+ White] - RCC. 15 boys.

   Denver Post, www.denverpost. com/news/ci_ 2951333 , By Eric Gorski, ~ August 18, 2005
   COLORADO - The godson of former Catholic priest Harold Robert White intends to file a lawsuit today seeking more than $10 million in damages from the Archdiocese of Denver, the first legal volley since child-molestation allegations against White were made public last month.
   In a copy of the complaint to be filed in Denver District Court, Delbert C. Nielsen III alleges that the archdiocese knew about abuse claims against White in the 1960s and chose secrecy over protecting children.
   "Somebody's got to be accountable for their actions," Nielsen, 52, of Carlsbad, N.M., said Wednesday. "I'm a little upset with the archdiocese and the fact that all they've ever done is sweep it under the carpet and move him from place to place."
   Nielsen is among 15 men who have told The Denver Post that White fondled or molested them between the early 1960s and early 1980s. Between his 1960 ordination and 1993, White served in 11 parishes across the state. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:56 PM]
• Newark Episcopal Diocese Settles Sex Suit. [? 2000s Rose] - Episcopal. 2 women.
   1010 WINS, 4:25 pm US/Eastern, Aug 18, 2005
   NEWARK (NJ) (1010 WINS)-The Episcopal Diocese has agreed to pay $80,000 to two female employees who claimed the diocese failed to address their complaints that they were repeatedly sexually harassed by a priest.
   The diocese did not admit any wrongdoing, but agreed to create policies on discrimination and retaliation, as well as complaint procedures, under a settlement announced Thursday with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
   The agreement resolves a lawsuit filed in March by the EEOC on behalf of Michelle Wilson and Maxine Gooden charging that the Rev. Dana Rose regularly made "sexually explicit, insulting and derogatory" comments to the women.
   The suit also charged that Rose, who was a vicar of Trinity Church in Irvington at the time, would attempt to grab the women by their arms, waists or breasts.
• Advocacy group wants more information on Straling's role in abuse cases. [Reno Diocese] - RCC.
   KRNV, www.krnv.com/ Global/story. asp?S=3740292 &nav=8faOdVFS , 08:37 PM, Aug 18, 2005
   RENO (NV) - An advocacy group is demanding action from the Reno Catholic Church regarding sex abuse.
   The group is called "SNAP," The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
   There are two things SNAP is trying to accomplish. It's trying to get officials with the Reno Catholic Church to be proactive in finding molestation victims. They also want the church to come clean about retired bishop, Phillip Straling and his alleged role in dozens of abuse cases in California.
   Thursday, SNAP members hand delivered a letter to church officials at the diocese headquarters in Reno, requesting just that.
   According to a report published in the Reno Gazette-Journal earlier this month, Straling has been named as a key witness in more than 150 lawsuits in Southern California against priests accused of molesting children.
   The suits allege Straling should have known that some of the priests were having sex with children. Leaders of SNAP believe action on the part of the church could help victims heal and make kids in today's church safer.
• Former Priest's Godson Sues Denver Archdiocese. [1963-1980s White] - RCC. 15 boys.
   TheDenverChannel.com , www.thedenver channel.com/ news/4868105/ detail.html , UPDATED 12:48 pm MDT, August 18, 2005
   DENVER (CO)- A lawsuit has been filed against the Archdiocese of Denver by the godson of a former priest.
   Delbert C. Nielsen III, 53, is seeking $10 million, claiming that the archdiocese covered up allegations against Rev. Harold Robert White for years.
   The archdiocese said it cannot comment on pending litigation.
   According to Nielsen's attorneys, White began to sexually abuse Nielsen in 1963, when he was just 10 years old.
   Nielsen is among 15 men who have told The Denver Post that they were abused by White from the early 1960s through the early 1980s.
• Anti-Gay St. Patrick's Rector Resigns in Sex Scandal. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married woman secretary.
   Gay City News, By ANDY HUMM, ~ August 18, 2005
   NEW YORK - Schadenfruede was at high tide, especially in the gay community, after Monsignor Eugene V. Clark, 79, rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral and longtime grand inquisitor of the Archdiocese of New York, resigned after being named as the "other man" in a divorce suit.
   Clark, who in 2003 famously blamed the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic priesthood on gay people, was alleged to be having an affair with his $100,000-a-year secretary, Laura DeFillippo, 46, married and the mother of two.
   In divorce papers, Phillip DeFillippo, her husband, includes an affidavit from their 14-year old daughter who wrote that she "found my mom and her boss [Clark] together on the couch, her sitting on his lap wearing a satin teddy with her arms around him making out." Mr. DeFillippo also had the couple trailed by a private investigator who caught them on videotape entering a motel room at midday in the Hamptons and exiting five hours later wearing different clothes.
   Clark and Mrs. DeFillippo deny, through their lawyers, having a sexual relationship. And they are charging that Mr. DeFillippo threatened to expose the affair if his wife did not agree to his terms in their divorce settlement.
   But from all appearances, Clark and his secretary had a close personal relationship that included taking vacations together in St. Bart's and weekends at the priest's $2 million home in Amagansett in Eastern Long Island. As a diocesan priest, Clark is entitled to keep any personal fortune he has, but all Catholic priests promise to be celibate, which strictly speaking means remaining unmarried. Clark has repeatedly preached on the value of celibacy and chastity from the pulpit of St. Patrick's and on the Eternal Word Television Network.
• Should the cabinets be kept shut?. [2005 Forth Worth Diocese] - RCC. Privacy latest pretext.
   Star-Telegram, By Linda P. Campbell, ~ August 18, 2005
   FORT WORTH (TX) - Could the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth have chosen a more ironic argument for keeping secret the files concerning eight priests accused of sexual abuse than this: the victims' privacy is at stake?
   Certainly, those who accused the priests have a privacy interest in records that a Tarrant County court might make public. But forgive me for wondering whether the diocese ought to be entrusted with protecting the best interests of those individuals.
   During a hearing last week, lawyers representing the diocese, one of the priests and the Star-Telegram and The Dallas Morning News debated whether the files should be made open to the public-a lingering issue in a lawsuit that the diocese settled in the spring for $4.15 million plus $994,000 in legal fees.
   Paul Watler, representing the newspapers, made several legal arguments on which the case might turn.
   For instance, privacy rights belong personally to individuals. As such, the diocese has no legally recognized privacy rights of its own, and it has no legal standing to argue for protecting the privacy rights of others, either the victims or the priests. Besides, he said, the newspapers aren't interested in the victims' identifying information, just other details in the documents.
• Priest's case adjourned to Sept. 15 . [1999-2001 Sewar] - RCC. Boy.
   Catholic Courier, By Rob Cullivan / Catholic Courier, ~ August 18, 2005
   ROCHESTER (NY)-The case of Father Dennis R. Sewar, who has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of third-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child, has been adjourned to Sept. 15, according to the priest's attorney, John F. Speranza.
   Father Sewar, a diocesan priest who has been on administrative leave since mid-June, was arrested on the charges July 22.
   Following Father Sewar's Aug. 17 appearance before City Court Judge John E. Elliot, Speranza said he plans to file various legal motions before the priest's next court appearance.
   According to court documents, the alleged incidents of abuse took place between the end of October 1999 and August 2001, during which time Father Sewar was pastor of Rochester's Church of the Annunciation.
   Court documents state that the alleged victim was a teenage boy who claimed the priest repeatedly touched him in an inappropriate manner and that the alleged abuse stopped when the boy turned 16.
   In a July 24 statement, the diocese said it had received information in late April about the alleged incidents and immediately notified the Rochester Police Department in accordance with sexual-abuse guidelines set forth by the diocese and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop's Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. Per its policy, the diocese has declined to comment on the case while it is pending.
• CBS 2 Exclusive: The Monsignor's Side Of The Story. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married woman secretary.
   CBS 2, http://wcbstv. com/topstories/ local_story_ 229174639.html , Tony Aiello Reporting, ~ August 18, 2005
   (CBS) NEW YORK-CBS 2 has learned exclusive details of what may have happened between a high-profile monsignor and his secretary at a Long Island motel.
   Monsignor Eugene Clark has kept a low profile since the scandal broke last week, but now says nothing improper happened in that hotel room.
   You'll recall that Clark, the former rector at St. Patrick's Cathedral, is accused of having a long-running affair with his secretary, Laura DiFilippo.
   In July, the two of them spent five hours together at the White Sands Motel in Amagansett, caught on video by a private eye hired by Laura's husband. But a source tells CBS 2's Tony Aiello that Clark insists nothing improper went on, saying they merely stopped to rest after a long lunch before the drive back to Manhattan.
   The source says they wanted to catch some rays at the motel's private beach, but were told they had to register to use it, so they did just that.
   Clark disputes a report he registered using a phony name.
   He says DeFilippo worked on her tan and napped outside, while he worked on some papers. Clark claims he spent only a few minutes inside the room with his secretary. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 11:18 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Thu August 18, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Fri August 19, 2005 edition follows:-
• Sex-Abuse Case Used as Ploy to Downgrade Vatican Status at United Nations. [1990s seminarian, Ratzinger] - RCC. 3 boys.

   LifeSite, www.lifesite. net/ldn/2005/ aug/05081906. html , August 19, 2005
   ROME, (LifeSiteNews.com) - A US lawyer, Daniel Shea, is leading an effort to have the US State Department diplomatically de-recognize the Holy See using a sex-abuse lawsuit. The suit names then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, at the time head of the Catholic Church's doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, accusing him of involvement in a conspiracy to cover up the sexual assault against three boys by a seminarian in Texas in the mid-1990's.
   Shea, himself a former seminarian educated in law at Catholic University of America, has demanded that the US waive the Pope's diplomatic immunity as head of state in the suit, a move that has been characterized as absurd by international legal experts.
   He told reporters in Rome that, should the Bush administration decide to "grant" the Pope immunity, he would launch a constitutional challenge to have the US de-recognize the Holy See as a sovereign state. Shea's anti-Catholic biases were revealed at the press conference at which he made this announcement which was held under the aegis of the Italian Radical Party, a branch of one of Europe's most openly anti-Catholic organizations. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 09:08 PM]
   [COMMENT: Does the universal patriarch at Constantinople (Istanbul), or the Archbishop of Canterbury (England) have United Nations representation? They both are at the apex of hundreds of millions of Christians. Muslims and Hindus likewise. COMMENT ENDS.]
• Paedophile plans to sue church over priest abuse allegations . [priest] - RCC. >£1m so far. Boy.

   The Scotsman, By STEPHEN MCGINTY, ~ August 19, 2005
   BRITAIN - A CONVICTED paedophile is to sue the Catholic Church in England and Wales for thousands of pounds in damages, claiming that the abuse he suffered as a teenager at the hands of a priest turned him into a sex offender.
   In a civil case which will be the first of its kind in Britain, the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is blaming the Church for beginning a cycle of abuse that led to him being sentenced to five years for sexually abusing three children.
   If successful, the legal action could set a precedent, and open the doors to other lawsuits. In recent years the Catholic Church in England and Wales has paid out over £1 million in compensation to the victims of sexual abuse by priests.
   However the Church has dismissed the threat of legal action and insisted that a police investigation into the man's claims was dropped following a four-month inquiry. The priest also was subject to a risk assessment by the diocese where he is still performing his duties.
   The convicted paedophile said: "I too had become an abuser of the worst kind - a paedophile. I groomed my victims in the same way as a Catholic priest groomed me. I know that this man has other victims simply because I'm a paedophile, just like he is."
• Cases in Spokane, Portland could influence church abuse lawsuits in Denver. [White] - RCC. Priest-shuffling. Asset-shuffling. Boys.

   KGW, www.kgw.com/ sharedcontent/ APStories/stor ies/D8C37 JDO1.html , By COLLEEN SLEVIN / Associated Press, Aug/20/2005
   DENVER (CO) - With two sexual-abuse lawsuits already filed against the Archdiocese of Denver and more threatened, church leaders and the alleged victims will likely take an interest in the legal wrangling over financial assets that followed similar abuse allegations in Portland, Ore., and Spokane, Wash., church observers said Friday.
   Two men filed lawsuits against the Archdiocese of Denver this week, with one seeking at least $10 million, and their attorneys said more were likely to come. Both men claim they were abused by former priest Harold Robert White and that the archdiocese knew about other victims at the time but protected White by shuffling him around between parishes.
   The Denver archdiocese has declined to comment on the cases, the first it's faced since the sexual abuse scandal broke in 2002.
   Since then, church officials in Portland, Spokane and Tucson, Ariz., have filed for bankruptcy protection because of sex abuse claims. Tucson reached an agreement with the alleged victims but the cases in Spokane and Portland are still pending, with parishes in Oregon trying to limit the claims of the alleged victims by arguing that their assets don't belong to the archdiocese.
   It is an argument likely to come up in Denver if the lawsuits are successful: What church assets are at stake? Does a diocese own all its individual churches and related property or just a few buildings and bank accounts?
• Departed archbishop served with subpoena. [Johnston, Levada] - RCC. Not on the menu. Boy.

   The Oregonian, By STEVE WOODWARD, Friday, August 19, 2005
   PORTLAND (OR) - For the second time in less than a week, the Vatican's top-ranking American has been served a subpoena commanding him to testify in cases involving the Archdiocese of Portland.
   On Saturday, a process server dressed in a borrowed Armani suit sneaked past police and protesters into a celebrity-studded tribute dinner for Archbishop William J. Levada in San Francisco. His goal: to hand Levada legal papers calling for his deposition in January in a case alleging, among other things, intentional infliction of emotional distress by a Portland parish priest and a parish school principal.
   In that case, Paul and Deborah DuFresne allege they and their son, a former student at St. Thomas More School in Southwest Portland, suffered emotional distress because of "secret meetings" the Rev. Michael Johnston held with him. They feared the potential for child sexual abuse, according to their lawsuit.
   Archdiocese lawyers have said the boy was expelled from school for bullying other students.
   The DuFresnes' suit was frozen when the Portland archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July 2004. Earlier this month, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Elizabeth Perris granted the DuFresnes' request to depose Levada.
   On Saturday, the DuFresnes' process server, Chris Williamson, said he bought a $150 dinner ticket and, after listening to three hours of accolades for Levada, quietly handed him the subpoena.
• Breaking the silence. [White] - RCC. Boys.

   The Aspen Times, By Roger Marolt, August 19, 2005
   COLORADO - The recent spate of molestation charges around the state against Father Robert White are more than allegations to me. As teenagers here, five friends of mine and I lived perilously close to being pulled through the thin, dark veneer that hid his sphere of horror for decades.
   As the story broke in The Denver Post last month, I read with eerie recognition. Victims told of being groped by Father White while wrestling. They recounted sexual encounters during ski trips with the priest to his cabin in Frisco and youth group swim outings to the Glenwood Hot Springs. They told of Father White allowing them to drive his new Buick while he slid his hand along their thighs from the passenger seat, and much worse. It was a synopsis of our own local youth group under his purview.
   There were signs about his perverse proclivities early on. Once, we missed Sunday Mass due to a weekend camping trip. Father White offered to say a special "makeup" Mass for us. During the offering of peace, Father White hugged me tightly for a long time while rubbing his hand up and down my back. It felt wrong.
   Afterward, we boys reservedly talked about it. We hashed out the "creepy" feeling it gave us. We decided that Father White was just a "touchy-feely" kind of priest. It never occurred to us that he might be a pedophile.
• Paedophile sues Catholic Church. [1970s priest] - RCC. Boy.

   BBC News, ~ August 19, 2005
   BRITAIN - A convicted paedophile is taking legal action against the UK Catholic Church, claiming abuse he suffered from a priest turned him into a sex offender.
   The man, who was jailed for five years for abusing three children, says he was abused by a priest in the early 1970s.
   He said this abuse left him sexually and mentally damaged. Police dropped a criminal investigation into the claims following a four-month inquiry.
   The Church denies wrongdoing, saying officials followed correct procedures.
   It is believed the priest was allowed to remain in the clergy after a risk assessment.
• Sex-abuse case focuses on name. [Larger] - RCC. Boy.

   Cincinnati Enquirer, By Dan Horn, ~ August 19, 2005
   CINCINNATI (OH) - The man who claims the Rev. Raymond Larger abused him when he was a child asked a judge Thursday to punish the priest's lawyer for revealing his name.
   The accuser used the name "John Doe" when he filed his lawsuit last month against Larger and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, a common practice in clergy abuse cases.
   But when Larger filed a counterclaim a few weeks later, his lawyer used the accuser's real name several times. Larger contends the man is lying about the abuse in hopes of winning a settlement payment from Larger and the church.
   "The plaintiff's complaint is frivolous, without merit and filed against this defendant solely for the intentional purpose of extorting money," Larger stated in his claim.
   Larger's lawyer, Bruce McIntosh, could not be reached Thursday. But the accuser's lawyer, David Washington, asked a judge to throw out Larger's claim and fine McIntosh for revealing the name.
• Denver man sues ex-Catholic priest for abuse. [1963+ White] - RCC. Boy.
   Reuters, http://today. reuters.com/ news/newsArticle. aspx?type=domes ticNews&story ID=2005-08-19 T024325Z_01_ HO909825_RTRIDS T_0_USREPORT- CRIME-PRIEST- DC.XML ; By Keith Coffman, 10:44 PM ET, Thu Aug 18, 2005
   DENVER (CO) (Reuters) - A man who says he was sexually abused by his godfather, a now-defrocked Catholic priest, sued the Archdiocese of Denver for $10 million on Thursday, claiming that church officials covered up three decades of sexual misconduct by the man.
   Delbert C. Nielsen III, 52, alleges that Harold Robert White molested him multiple times over several years, beginning in 1963. White, 72, is not named as a defendant in the Denver District Court lawsuit.
   Nielsen's attorney, Jeffrey Herman, said the archdiocese shuffled White around to various parishes even though complaints about him surfaced shortly after he became a priest in 1960 and continued until he was removed from active ministry in 1993.
   "The archdiocese knew Father White was a child molester and instead of protecting the children, they provided a safe haven so this could happen again and again," Herman said.
• Suits claim sex abuse by priest. [1960s White] - RCC. 2 boys.
   Rocky Mountain News, By Karen Abbott, August 19, 2005
   COLORADO - Two men who grew up Catholic in Colorado sued the Archdiocese of Denver on Thursday, contending a priest sexually abused them for years when they were children in the 1960s and that church officials knew he was a child molester.
   Delbert C. Nielsen III, now in his 50s and living in New Mexico, and Tom Koldeway, now in his 40s and living in Alaska, filed their separate lawsuits in Denver District Court.
   They accuse the archdiocese of covering up the activities of the priest, the Rev. Harold Robert White, for decades by repeatedly transferring him from parish to parish after receiving complaints that he had molested children.
   Both lawsuits said the archdiocese kept its knowledge about White secret in order to protect itself from liability.
   "We obviously do not comment on issues that are under litigation or pending litigation and at the moment we haven't even had an opportunity to read the complaint," said Fran Maier, chancellor for the Denver archdiocese.
   "That's the only response we're going to be making today."
   White, ordained in 1960, was removed from the priesthood last year.
• Man sues Denver Archdiocese. [1960s-80s White] - RCC. 15 boys.
   The Aspen Times, By Colleen Slevin, The Associated Press, August 19, 2005
   DENVER (CO) - A man who alleges he was sexually abused by a Denver priest who spent time in Aspen filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking more than $10 million from the Archdiocese of Denver, claiming officials knew about other allegations against the priest but only transferred him to new parishes.
   Delbert Nielsen III, 53, of Carlsbad, N.M., alleges that Harold Robert White abused him during the 1960s. He is among 15 men who have told The Denver Post they were abused by White from the early 1960s through the early 1980s.
   "It's just horrifying that the archdiocese would know this and continue to give him a fresh start with new victims," said Jeffrey Herman, Nielsen's attorney. Herman, based in Miami, specializes in representing sexual assault victims.
   White, a former pastor at St. Mary Catholic Church in Aspen, was in Aspen from 1978 to 1981, according to a timeline published recently in The Denver Post.
• Victims' group targets retired bishop. [Reno Diocese] - RCC.
   Reno Gazette-Journal, by Martha Bellisle, Posted 12:40 am, Aug/19/2005
   RENO (NV) - Members of a group that supports people who have been sexually abused by priests delivered a letter Thursday to the office of retired Reno Bishop Phillip Straling, calling for him to "come clean" about abuse by clergy he worked with in Southern California.
   "We are very disturbed by the sheer number of sex abuse cases to which Bishop Straling is linked," members of the national Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, said in their letter.
   "We are also upset that, in spite of a troubling track record on abuse, the bishop has publicly patted himself on the back for allegedly 'aggressive steps' he has taken on this issue, while at the same time, refusing to publicly discuss his involvement in or knowledge of sex crimes by some of California's most notorious predator priests."
   Straling was not at the diocese office but is attending the World Youth Day celebrations with Pope Benedict XVI in Cologne, Germany, said Brother Matthew Cunningham, diocese chancellor.
• "Twist of Faith": Facing the demons of clergy abuse. [Gray] - RCC. Docufilm.
   Seattle Times, By Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times movie critic, ~ August 19, 2005
   SEATTLE (WA) - The painful documentary "Twist of Faith" follows Tony Comes of Ohio as he confronts the priest who sexually abused him as a child.
   "Twist of Faith," Kirby Dick's devastating documentary about one man's struggle to come to terms with childhood sexual abuse at the hands of a priest, is only at the Grand Illusion for two days, presumably because it's been shown (and will be repeated) on HBO.
   But if you haven't caught it on cable (or in its local premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival earlier this summer), it's worth making the time this weekend: Dick's film puts a human face on a churchwide scandal that sometimes seems too big to comprehend.
   That face belongs to Tony Comes, a sad-eyed firefighter in his early 30s who lives with his wife and small children in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio. He's a gentle man, with a sweet rapport with his children, and as Dick began his filmmaking, Comes had just made a soul-wrenching decision: to go public as part of a lawsuit against the Toledo diocese, one of many sexual-abuse complaints filed against a local priest named Dennis Gray.
• Lawsuit claim: Church knew of sex abuse back in 1950s, '60s. [1950s-60s Roach, 2000s Dubuque Diocese] - RCC. Denial. Priest and seminarian victims.
   Des Moines Register, By SHIRLEY RAGSDALE, REGISTER RELIGION EDITOR, August 19, 2005
   DUBUQUE (IA) - Despite Dubuque Catholic officials' adamant claims that the archdiocese had no reports until the 1990s of a former chancellor's sexual misconduct, court documents reveal that priests and former seminarians told other priests in the 1950s and '60s they had been assaulted by the chancellor.
   The Rev. William Roach, who served as chancellor and vicar general of the archdiocese, and lived for a time in the home of Archbishop Leo Binz, is the subject of a lawsuit against the archdiocese.
   Several early reports of sexual misconduct and sexual assault are summarized in court documents filed this week by attorneys for James Cummins, a Dallas, Texas-based correspondent for NBC News. Last year, Cummins sued the archdiocese, alleging he was sexually assaulted by Roach when he was 17 in the early 1960s and an altar boy at Immaculate Conception church in Cedar Rapids.
   Roach retired from active ministry in 1990 and died in an alcohol-related car accident in 1997. At the time, archdiocesan documents show church officials couldn't suppress reports that Roach "was over the legal limit of alcohol" at the time of the crash.
• Paedophile sues Catholic Church for abuse. [1960s priest] - RCC. Boy.

   The Times (London), By Sam Knight, Times Online, ~ August 19, 2005
   BRITAIN - A convicted paedophile is suing the Roman Catholic Church of England and Wales, claiming that he suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a priest more than thirty years ago.
   The paedophile, who has not been named, claims that his life was ruined and his own crimes were shaped by the abuse that was inflicted on him by a Catholic priest, who he says is now a senior figure in the Catholic Church with responsibilities for child protection.
   The case will be the first brought against the Catholic Church by a convicted sex offender.
   The Catholic Church has denied the allegations in strong terms. A statement from the Diocese where the priest currently works and issued by the Church's solicitors said: "These allegations are untrue and are totally denied."
   The paedophile decided to bring his case in the civil courts, where the burden of proof is lower, after a four-month police inquiry collapsed last year because the alleged offences were committed so long ago. The paedophile said he initially sought an apology from the Catholic Church, but was never given one. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:06 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Fri August 19, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Sat August 20, 2005 edition follows:-
• Msgr. got 280G for a side job. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. 5hr motel visit with married woman secretary.

   New York Daily News, www.nydailynews. com/news/local/ story/338927p- 289487c.html , BY BARBARA ROSS and ADAM LISBERG, ~ August 20, 2005
   NEW YORK - The motel-hopping monsignor of St. Patrick's Cathedral had a full-time job running the nation's most prominent church - but he also got a little something on the side.
   Former Msgr. Eugene Clark made $280,000 in the last six years as vice president of the Homeland Foundation, an upstate charity that gives grants to Catholic causes, according to the foundation's tax returns.
   Clark's married secretary, Laura DeFilippo, with whom he is accused of carrying on a long affair, also did work for the Homeland Foundation - making up to $15,000 a year, a foundation source said.
   DeFilippo's estranged husband has said she earned $70,000 to $100,000 per year, supplementing her church salary with payments from the Homeland Foundation and other nonprofit groups connected to Clark.
   The 79-year-old Clark resigned from St. Pat's in disgrace Aug. 11 as allegations emerged about his relationship with DeFilippo, 46.
   They have denied having an affair, but a private eye caught them on video checking into a Hamptons motel, then emerging 5 1/2 hours later in different outfits. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 09:47 AM]
• Doctrine watchdog hounded by lawsuit. [Uribe, Levada] - RCC. Ought to use condom. Female.
   Religion News Service, By William Lobdell, Religion News Service, ~ August 20, 2005
   PORTLAND (OR) - In 1994, then-Archbishop of Portland William Levada offered a simple answer for why the Oregon archdiocese shouldn't have been ordered to pay the costs of raising a child fathered by a church worker at a parish.
   In her relationship with Arturo Uribe, then a seminarian and now a priest in Whittier, Calif., the child's mother had engaged "in unprotected intercourse . . . when [she] should have known that could result in pregnancy," the church maintained in its answer to the lawsuit.
   The legal proceeding got little attention at the time. And the fact that the church - which considers birth control a sin - seemed to be arguing that the woman should have protected herself from pregnancy provoked no comment.
   Until last month.
   That's when the woman, Stephanie Collopy, went back into court asking for additional child support. A Los Angeles Times article reported the church's earlier response. Now liberal and conservative Roman Catholics around the United States are decrying the archdiocese's legal strategy, saying it was counter to church teaching.
• Nearly naked inmates move to new jails. [Colleary] - RCC. Child.

   The Arizona Republic, by Carrie Watters, Aug. 20, 2005
   ARIZONA - Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and hundreds of deputies on Friday moved 3,400 inmates who wore nothing but flip-flops and county-issued pink boxers.
   Arpaio said the move was the largest in state history. The inmates are moving from other jails into the Fourth Avenue and Lower Buckeye jails, the two newest facilities.
   The Estrella jail now houses only women.
  The nearly naked men faced seven TV cameras as they got off a bus at the Fourth Avenue Jail. Some inmates reacted with a grin. Others tried to turn away.
   An administrator with the County Attorney's Office blasted Arpaio's unusual methods and suggested he could potentially hinder extradition of criminals to the Valley. The Irish courts cited a similar inmate move by Arpaio in April as one of the reasons they refused to return Catholic priest Patrick Oliver Colleary to Arizona to face charges of sexual misconduct.
   "If pink underwear is going to hinder international law, than something is wrong," Arpaio said Friday.
• Minister guilty of sex assault. [6yrs Hill] - Baptist. Female.

   Bloomington Pantagraph, By Dave Hinton, dkhinton2003@yahoo.com , August 20, 2005
   PAXTON (IL)-A former Gibson City minister accused of molesting a woman for more than six years was convicted Friday in a Ford County jury trial.
   The Rev. Danny Hill, 54, of 614 S. Lott Blvd., former pastor of First Baptist Church, Gibson City, was convicted of two counts of criminal sexual assault.
   He faces four to 15 years in prison and up to a $25,000 fine for each count when he is sentenced Sept. 26.
   Jurors heard recordings police made of telephone calls between the victim, now 22, and Hill. In the calls, she confronted Hill and he appeared to admit his guilt.
• Suicides raise alarm in diocese abuse cases. [2004-05 Portland Archdiocese] - RCC. Lawyers paid, not counsellors. Suicides.
   Statesman Journal, August 20, 2005
   PORTLAND (OR) - In the 13 months since the Archdiocese of Portland declared bankruptcy, it has run up millions of dollars in legal fees. Its bill since then for counseling victims of clergy sex abuse: zero.
   That's because the archdiocese needs the bankruptcy court's permission now to take on certain expenses. Although the legal situation is murky, bankruptcy Judge Elizabeth Perris must find a way to allow the church to resume its former practice of providing counseling for some people who have filed sexual-abuse claims against the church.
   In the past few months, three sexual-abuse plaintiffs have committed suicide. The most recent was a 49-year-old Marion County man whose case was to come up for mediation late this month. A 44-year-old Portland man who received a $1 million settlement killed himself in February. A 43-year-old Portland plaintiff committed suicide in December.
   Would a trained counselor have made a difference for any of these men? There is no way to know, but if credible victims are distraught and unable to afford mental-health care, the court must see that they get it.
• Law And Order: Man sues archdiocese, claims sex abuse in '60s. [1963 Christian] - RCC. Boy.
   Post-Dispatch, ~ August 20, 2005
   ST. LOUIS (MO) - A Virginia man sued the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis Friday, claiming a priest sexually abused him in 1962 and 1963 under the guise of talking to him about joining the priesthood.
   The suit says Rev. Norman H. Christian took the then-youth into the basement of St. Peter's Church in Kirkwood in the fall of 1962, showed him pornography then fondled him.
   The abuse continued through the spring of 1963, the suit says.
• Attorney, Group Blast Bishops over Sex Ed. - RCC.
   The Conservative Voice, By Matt C. Abbott, August 19, 2005
   ARIZONA - Since the onset of the clergy sex abuse scandal, there has been much debate in certain circles over "safe environment" programs for children-something critics assert is nothing more than immoral sex education.
   Catholic attorney Sheila Parkhill and the Tucson, Ariz.-based Holy Family Society have written a lengthy letter to Tucson Bishop Gerald Kicanas and the USCCB, critiquing the "safe environment" programs and criticizing the bishops who support them.
• Video lecture at Millette Manor. - RCC. Fr. Tom Doyle's 20 years explaining.
   Nashua Telegraph, ~ August 20, 2005
   NASHUA (NH) - "Clericalism and Catholicism," a video lecture by the Rev. Thomas P. Doyle O.P., JDC will be the subject of the monthly meeting of The Voice of the Faithful at 7 p.m. Thursday at Millette Manor, 72 Vine St., Nashua.
   Fr. Doyle is a Catholic priest and cannon lawyer who has extensive experience in the problems of sexual abuse, its effect on the survivors and its effect on the Catholic church. Doyle sacrificed a diplomatic career with the Vatican to seek justice for sex-abuse victims.
   Over a period of 20 years, he was there, writing reports, warning bishops, briefing cardinals, standing up for values of justice, then casting his lot with victims of sexual of abuse and their attorneys, helping journalists and in the process, rewriting the meaning of his life. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 09:21 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Sat August 20, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Sun August 21, 2005 edition follows:-
• Pedophile transfer defended. [1958-78 Smith] - Salvation Army. 39+76 offences. Boys. [Darcy-Searle] [Jones]

   Queensland Sunday Mail, www.thesundaymail. news.com.au/ common/story_ page/0,5936,163 34753%255 E421,00.html , August 21, 2005
   AUSTRALIA - A NOTORIOUS pedophile who moved from Western Australia to Victoria under a parole transfer scheme will be carefully monitored, Corrections Commissioner Kelvin Anderson said today.
   Charles Alan Smith, now in his 70s, was released from a Perth jail in February after serving less than eight years of a 15-year sentence. He was convicted of 39 sexual offences against boys aged 10 to 17 between 1964 and 1978.
   The move, which has raised the ire of Victoria's opposition, comes just a week after revelations another convicted pedophile from WA, Otto Darcy-Searle, was paroled to live with relatives in the northern NSW town of Banora Point, after serving five years of an 11 year term.
   The case sparked a major row between the New South Wales and WA governments, and in the outcry that followed, Darcy-Searle volunteered to return to WA where he is now back in jail while the parole board is reviewing his future.
   The Smith and Darcy-Searle cases followed the release of convicted serial child rapist Brian Keith Jones, known as Mr Baldy.
   Jones, 58, was electronically tagged and subjected to strict parole conditions when he was released last month, including a curfew and a ban on contact with children. On August 8, Jones agreed to a court-imposed 15-year extended supervision order.
   Smith, a former Salvation Army major who ran a house for homeless boys, had earlier pleaded guilty to a further 76 charges relating to offences committed between 1958 and 1977.
   Commissioner Anderson has confirmed Smith's parole was transferred to Victoria from WA earlier this year. Reports suggest he may have moved in with his son and daughter-in-law. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 08:25 PM]
• Child sex fiend to stay. [1964-78 Smith] - Salvation Army. 39 offences. Boys. [Darcy-Searle]
   Herald Sun (Melbourne), by Peter Mickelburough, state politics reporter, Aug 22, 05
   AUSTRALIA - A SEX predator sent to live in Victoria from interstate to serve out his parole will not be sent home.
   Corrections Commissioner Kelvin Anderson said he had no plans to ask West Australian authorities to take back notorious Perth pedophile Charles Alan Smith.
   Last week another WA pedophile, Otto Darcy-Searle, 63, was sent back to Perth after community outcry over his transfer on parole to live with his family in NSW.
   Smith, 72, arrived in Victoria in May to live with his daughter after the sister he had been living with in the west since being paroled in February was diagnosed with cancer.
   The former Salvation Army major was released after serving less than eight years of a 15-year sentence for 39 offences against boys aged 10-17 between 1964 and 1978.
   Corrections Minister Tim Holding, who turned 33 yesterday, was unavailable for comment, sparking Opposition claims he was in hiding after last week's police files fiasco.
• Anger as another pedophile moves states. [1964-78 Smith] - Salvation Army. 39 offences. Boys.
   NEWS.com.au , www.news.com. au/story/0,10117, 16337215-2,00.html , By Natasha Robinson and Amanda Banks, August 22, 2005
   AUSTRALIA - THE Victorian Government yesterday admitted it could not guarantee children would be safe from one of the nation's worst serial child-sex offenders who has been allowed to relocate from Western Australia to Victoria.
   Former Salvation Army captain Charles Alan Smith's Perth-based relatives, who believe he is still a danger, have warned he is even more likely to reoffend since being allowed to move to Victoria under a parole transfer scheme.
   "He is such a slimebucket," said one relative, who refused to be named.
   Smith, now in his 70s, was released from a Perth jail earlier this year after serving less than eight years of a 15-year sentence for 39 sex offences committed against boys aged 10 to 17 between 1964 and 1978.
   Victoria's Corrections Commissioner Kelvin Anderson acknowledged there was no certainty the pedophile would not reoffend.
• SNAP protest continues for 14th week. [Maher] - Roman Catholic Church. 2 survivors.

   Capital News 9, www.capitalnews9 .com/content/top_ stories/default.asp? ArID=145711 , By Capital News 9 web staff, 12:42 PM, Aug/21/2005
   ALBANY (NY) - For the 14th week in a row, advocates for victims of clergy abuse gathered in front of the Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church in Albany.
   Members of the group SNAP-Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests-are calling for the removal of Father Daniel Maher. Father Maher has been accused of sexually abusing two church members.
   Bishop Howard Hubbard has refused to remove Father Maher as pastor. SNAP said that because of the bishop's decision, children in the parish are now in danger.
• Can we talk?. - RCC. "Twist of Faith" docufilm.
   Post-Dispatch, By Deb Peterson, Aug/21/2005
   ST. LOUIS (MO) - Look for St. Louis' top prosecutor, Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce, to be among those who will join therapist Mike Pollard and the Rev. Steve Robeson, pastor of St. Simon of Cyrene Catholic Church, at a panel discussion after a screening of Kirby Dick's Academy Award-nominated documentary "Twist of Faith," on Aug. 31 at Webster University.
   The film tells the story of a Toledo, Ohio, firefighter who confronts the trauma of boyhood sexual abuse by a Catholic priest. St. Louis members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, including national director David Clohessy, make brief appearances in the film.
• As lawsuit looms, Catholic Church transfers ownership of properties. [? 2000 2005 Nashville Diocese] - RCC. Shifting ownership.
   Tennessean, www.tennessean. com/apps/pbcs. dll/article?AID=/2005 0821/NEWS03/ 508210391/ 1017/NEWS , By SHEILA BURKE, August 21, 2005
   TENNESSEE - The Catholic Church has shifted ownership of nine Midstate properties, an action critics say was calculated to protect assets from the kinds of huge settlements that have been awarded to victims of priest abuse.
   Diocese of Nashville officials filed paperwork so that eight churches and one school would be owned by the parishes or school instead of the bishops who had owned the properties for decades.
   The diocese is being sued for $68 million by two victims of abuse. The parishes are not named as defendants.
   The lawsuits were filed in January 2000 and later merged, and the nine property transfers all have taken place since.
   Seven of them happened in the past 15 months, during which time the state Supreme Court was considering reviving the lawsuit, which had been dismissed by a lower court. The suit was revived in January.
   Officials with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville say the church is not doing anything untoward. They say the diocese has been engaged in an effort to ensure that property deeds accurately reflect the true owners of the property.
• Priest affair? Yes, I do care. [Clark, Law, Daily] - RCC.
   New York Daily News, by Denis Hamill, ~ August 21, 2005
   NEW YORK - Who cares?
   That was my first reaction to "The Beauty and the Priest" sex scandal between Msgr. Eugene Clark, the rector of St. Patrick's, and Laura DeFilippo, his "leggy," "shapely," "attractive" - take your pick, dudes - secretary.
   Whatever happened between DeFilippo and Clark, at least it was between consenting adults, and not another 11-year-old altar boy rape story.
   Still, I was curious about how Clark came to own a $2 million home in Amagansett while I'm still taking my kid down Coney. But the church has taken a vow of silence on this one.
   But, hey, Clark isn't the first clergyman to get rich. God works in mysterious ways.
   Cardinal Law of Boston, who covered up for child rapists, was punished for his sins with a life sentence in a luxury condo on St. Peter's Square, where he was allowed to say Mass at the Pope's funeral.
   Bishop Thomas Daily, who also had a veiny hand in the Boston coverup, was given a fine stone house in Brooklyn, where he smugly presided over the collapse of the Catholic school system.
   Talk about ash and sackcloth.
• Book Review: Opus Dei by John L. Jr Allen. - RCC. Book review.
   Monsters and Critics, http://books.monsters andcritics.com /nonfiction/reviews/ article_1042647. php/Book_ Review_Opus_ Dei_by_John_L._ Jr_Allen , By Kirkus, 23:00 GMT, Aug 20, 2005
   UNITED STATES / VATICAN - Its defenders characterize Opus Dei, that ultra-Catholic movement, as a knitting circle, its detractors as a dangerous cult. Allen, Vatican correspondent for National Catholic Reporter, finds middle ground.
   Opus Dei, or "God's Work," a conservative service organization founded in 1928 by the Spanish cleric (and now saint) Josemaría Escrivá, is resolutely closed to outsiders, and it takes work indeed to get in.
   Allen, whose Conclave (2002) was a prescient guide to the recent papal election, likens the organization to Guinness Stout in a world of Bud Lite, inasmuch as "it makes no apologies for either its many calories or its high alcohol content."
   Critics hold that its doctrine can be a little content-free, mistrustful of ideas and long on pat solutions, and, thanks at least in part to Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, Opus Dei has a slightly sinister connotation to outsiders. Several controversies surround it. Does Opus Dei recruit? Do its leaders demand blind allegiance? Does it have an anti-Semitic element?
   Allen wanders through the orbits of the faithful and some of the fallen away to address such questions, chalking up good points (for instance, no Opus Dei priest has ever been accused of sexual abuse) while assessing weaknesses, including a body of doctrine that can seem confused, as when Escrivá declared in a homily that freedom entails absolute devotion "to the service of the truth which redeems, when it is spent in seeking God's infinite love which liberates us from all forms of slavery."
• Woman says church warned. [? 1994, ? 2004 Moran] - RCC. Women.
   The Roanoke Times, By Laurence Hammack, 981-3239, ~ August 21, 2005
   VIRGINIA - Eleven years ago, a parishioner accused a Catholic priest of sexually abusing her in the confessional of their Covington church.
   Earlier this year, Moran was leading another parish - and facing another allegation of sexual misconduct.
   Although both cases involve adult victims and murky details, some say these incidents mirror the way the Roman Catholic church has handled priests who molested children, which sparked a national controversy.
   David Clohessy of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), a Chicago-based victims advocacy group, said Moran's case appears to fit the pattern: priests accused of sexual abuse being moved from one parish to another by a church unwilling to recognize the scandal's wide scope.
   "I warned them, and now there's another victim," said the woman who accused Moran of assaulting her at the Covington parish. "If they had done what they promised to do, that person would not have been victimized."
   In March, Moran was temporarily suspended from the ministry for sexual misconduct with an adult woman, said Steve Neill, spokesman for the Catholic Church's Diocese of Richmond. Moran could not be reached.
• Accused priest was frequently reassigned. [Emerson] - RCC. Children.
   Northwest Indiana Times www.thetimesonline. com/articles/2005/08/21/ news/lake_county/ 852997 b6fdd1f88286 2570 64000 831e8.txt , BY MARC CHASE, mfitton@nwitimes.com , 219.662.5330, August 21, 2005
   This story ran on nwitimes.com on Sunday, August 21, 2005 12:53 AM CDT
   INDIANA - Reviewing the work history of a region priest accused of sexual abuse, two former Catholic monks turned victims advocates and one priest turned whistle-blower said they picked up on a familiar set of patterns.
   A timeline compiled by The Times of the Official Catholic Directories during the Rev. Richard A. Emerson's 26-year career in the priesthood shows nine different moves to various parishes or other diocesan assignments, an average of about one move every three years.
   Emerson's timeline shows extensive contact with youth during his career, including four years as head administrator of Schererville's Hoosier Boys' Town-a home for troubled youth now called Campagna Academy-and six years as the Diocese of Gary liaison for the Boy Scouts.
   And throughout his career, Emerson has held high positions of authority within the Diocese of Gary, including a three-year stint at the diocesan chancellor - or chief administrator - and as a consultant on policy to the diocese and its bishop.
• Shepherd of the diocese. - RCC.
   Miami Herald, BY ALEXANDRA ALTER, aalter@herald.com , ~ August 21, 2005
   MIAMI (FL) - Monsignor John Gerard Noonan - prankster priest, seminary rector and the next auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Miami - seems more like your favorite uncle than a No. 2 man at the Archdiocese.
   He cleans up the cafeteria alongside his students at St. John Vianney College Seminary, brings coffee to his secretary and often stashes his white plastic priest's collar in his shirt pocket, complaining it's too stuffy.
   "He sweats the big stuff; he doesn't sweat the small stuff," said the Rev. José Alvarez, dean of students at St. John Vianney. ...
   Q: What should the archdiocese do in the wake of the scandal to regain lay people's trust?
   A: The biggest thing I can do right now is to make sure these young men are prepared to be good priests and to let them know the church can't tolerate anything like this anymore. . . . For a young man to come into the seminary, there's a whole barrage of psychological testing.
   It's not that we have all the answers, but we have a lot more checks and balances, a lot more education. . . . We were probably very nave across the board. Things happened that should never have been allowed to happen.
   Q: What has the archdiocese done to ensure that abuse gets reported and pedophile priests are removed?
   A: All those guidelines come from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. We're evaluated on those things; we have no choice. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 08:29 AM[
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Sun August 21, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
• Search on for Perth home. [Darcy-Searle] - Born-again Christian. Child/ren.

   The Sunday Times (Perth, W. Australia), www.sundaytimes. news.com.au/ common/story_ page/0,7034,163 30579%255 E2761,00.html , By TONY VERMEER, p 4, August 21, 2005
   PERTH: CHURCH friends in Perth will try to find a suitable WA home for convicted pedophile Otto Darcy-Searle, his family said yesterday.
   After his forced return from northern New South Wales, Darcy-Searle faces serving another two years in jail unless he can meet strict parole conditions.
   His brother-in-law said Darcy-Searle, a born-again Christian, was willing to be chemically castrated to ensure he was safe to return to the community. He was relying on fellow church members to help find him a home.
   "What has happened is not fair and there are many aspects that people don't know about," said the brother-in-law, who asked not to be identified. "He is full of remorse and would not have been released if there was any possibility he would re-offend. He underwent full psychological testing."
   Darcy-Searle, who served five years of his sentence, was paroled to stay in NSW with his sister and her husband because his parents were dead and his daughters had children, so he could not stay with them.
   "We were thoroughly checked out to ensure we were a safe and secure place," the brother-in-law said. "Everything was done properly and it was wrong for the NSW Government to look for scapegoats. They were totally informed about what was going on.
   "Based on what happened, the whole parole system is in jeopardy."
   He said Darcy-Searle's presence should never have been revealed to the Banora Point community.# [Aug 21, 05]
• Why did my life have to change? Victim tells of pain while rapist enjoys freedom [< 1970s, 1982 Thomas] - No religion reported. Multiple victims.
   The Sunday Times (Perth, W. Australia), www.sundaytimes. news.com.au/ common/story_ page/0,7034,163 30577%255 E2761,00.html , p 4, August 21, 2005
   LAST Sunday, The Sunday Times broke the story on WA rapists and pedophiles being released without proper psychiatric assessment. Today, we speak exclusively to the victim who was forced to change her identity and relocate so the man who raped her could be set free. Our investigative team compiled these reports:
   PERTH: THE last known victim of notorious rapist Douglas "Peg-Leg" Thomas has broken her silence, telling how she was forced to change her identity when the serial sex offender was released from prison.
   "Mary" changed her name, moved house and uprooted her children from school before Thomas was paroled in July 2002.
   Thomas was given an indefinite sentence after raping and sodomising her in 1982, but the Parole Board and Attorney-General Jim McGinty authorised his release after 20 years.
   Mary, who is still significantly traumatised by the horrific attack, is angry that her life was changed to accommodate the release of a serial rapist.
   In a secret deal revealed in last week's The Sunday Times, Mr McGinty agreed in 2002 to demands by Mary's former local MP, Phillip Pendal, to assist her with a new identity and housing.
   "He (Thomas) was on an indefinite sentence so they didn't have to let him out," she said this week. "I feel I was put into a corner. Regardless of whether I made an agreement with (the Justice Department) or not, they were going to let him out."
   Mary is angry that she did not receive official notification when, only a month after her change of identity, Thomas was released.
   "The first I knew for sure was when I read it in The Sunday Times," she said. "They should have told me where he was living, so I could avoid the area."
   Last week she visited police, who promised extra patrols around her home.
   Thomas, who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident as a youth, has a long history of violence and prison escapes in several states. Before he raped Mary in 1982, he had been released from a previous indefinite sentence in the mid-1970s for dousing two 15-year-old girls with petrol and raping them while threatening to set them alight.
   Mary's ordeal, in a deserted farmhouse outside the Mid-West town of Geraldton, was violent and degrading.
   After bursting into her home, Thomas tied and stripped the young woman before raping and sodomising her repeatedly.
   He caused significant injuries and Mary, who was 12 weeks pregnant, miscarried.
   Recalling the incident, the mother of two cannot hide her pain.
   "My unborn child was killed," she said. "He said he was going to kill me. I've been in prison for 23 years."
   When the Justice Department first notified Mary that Thomas was eligible for parole in 1997, she approached Mr Pendal and started a campaign to keep the rapist in jail.
   A heartfelt letter and representations to the then-Court Government succeeded, but within a year Mary had a nervous breakdown.
   "It was almost like I was back there again," she said. "I was reliving it. I needed to stay alive and nobody could hear me. Nobody could help."
   Her marriage "melted" under the strain. "(My husband) stood by me, but it broke his head and his heart," she said. "It completely killed our relationship."
   Happily married to her second husband, Mary wants to take on the justice system.
   She believes that indefinite prison sentences should be just that - indefinite.
   "Mr Pendal and I managed to stop him getting out in 1997 and the next time he came up, we stopped him again. But then the last time, I had to bow down," she said.
   "We were saying, 'Don't let him out', but they just wanted to push him on through.
   "They weren't looking after the victims, they were looking after the system and Thomas."
   Mary wants other victims to pressure the Government to keep indefinite-sentence repeat offenders behind bars.
   "We have to change the power balance so we are safe," she said.
   "I will never be convinced he's been rehabilitated. I don't care if he's 68 or 98. The department has a lot to answer for."
   Mr McGinty said he had great sympathy for Mary and did not regret assisting her identity change and relocation, which cost the state about $1700.
   He said Thomas had completed parole in June last year.
   "If prisoners on indefinite sentences still pose a significant threat to the community they will not be released," he said.
   "But the truth is, the bulk of these people have always been released and will be in the future.
   "The simplest thing would be to leave people in jail, but I would be breaching my oath if I took the simple political option rather than applying my mind to the whole circumstances."
   Mr McGinty said most indefinite-sentence prisoners were murderers who were unlikely to re-offend.
   But there were a handful of serial sex offenders like Thomas and a couple of serial murderers who were also detained "at the Governor's pleasure". # [Aug 21, 05]
• IGNORED: The rape victim's letter that didn't make a difference. [Thomas] - 3 escapes, kill threats. 13 female victims.
   The Sunday Times (Perth, W. Australia), www.sundaytimes. news.com.au/ common/ story_page/0,7034, 16334081%255 E2761,00.html, p 42, August 21, 2005
   PERTH: This is a letter written by rape victim "Mary" to the Parole Board in 1997, pleading for Douglas "Peg-Leg" Thomas never to leave jail. He was ultimately released from his indefinite sentence in 2002.
   IT has been 15 years since the offence and still I live in fear of repercussions, due to the vicious way that Thomas attacked my life.
   His parting words to me were: "If you dob me in for this, if I don't get you I have friends who will. It doesn't matter where you are, who you are with. You will be blown away."
   For 15 years I have lost my security in my home, my workplaces and society in general. Constantly my head is turning to see who may be following, who may be standing at my doorway to my home – it may be the last time I answer it.
   I have two daughters aged (in their teens). Not so long ago, I thought I could protect them from the possibility of Thomas or one of his cohorts taking them from me.
   Running with two little girls tucked under my arms never seemed to be an impossible feat but now they are older, and so am I. I cannot run with these children any more, which horrifies me.
   How can I protect them knowing that one day Thomas will be out there among the unknowing and his attack will be fatal?
   Why take my children's freedom away and (make us) live in fear of their lives?
   My thoughts and heart go out to the other victims of Thomas, (particularly) the two women who had petrol poured over them with Thomas standing there, threatening them with a cigarette lighter, telling them to succumb to his degrading and humiliating acts or be torched.
   I think about the four-year-old girl who was forced to watch her mother being raped by Thomas. What trauma that mother and child endured, only God and they will know.
   These are only two of the cases, but I am number 13.
   For 15 years I have endured the never ending nightmares of the attack. The sound of a motorbike that may travel down my street on a rare occasion sends chills down my spine and the memories come flooding back like it was yesterday.
   The trauma I endured during the rape and sodomy of my body at my home by a habitual sexual offender, still stays etched in my mind today, every waking moment of my life.
   My freedom was taken away from me and I still pay taxes to keep a low-life such as Thomas behind bars for the rest of his life.
   He violated his rights to freedom a long time ago. Ask the New South Wales judiciary system for records of the offences that he committed over there and the sentences that were imposed on him. Contact our judiciary and look at the times he offended in our own state and ask yourselves if he is worthy to be released into our society.
   It was brought to my attention in a letter from the Victims Mediation Unit that he was being considered for parole. (The contact person) told me that Thomas has been doing a course to rehabilitate himself for the past nine months.
   I ask, why has it taken him so long to consider this? I have the answer: the only reason he would do this is to get out of jail.
   Remember, this inmate escaped from jail twice during his sentence for his sexual abuse of me. A detective had to come to my home to remove my two children and myself for our safety, as the word had been passed on that he was out to get even with me.
   The second time he escaped, I fortunately was at a safe place that hopefully he would not find.
   The third time he attempted to escape was from Fremantle Prison. Fortunately, this attempt was foiled by a prison officer who found him in a disused part of the prison under the floorboards.
   One mistake was made that day: they didn't leave him to rot in his hiding hole.
   Are you prepared to guarantee the safety of society if this criminal is given a further chance?
   Obviously, after as many chances as Thomas has had, the only way to cure his crimes against women is permanent incarceration.
   To my way of thinking, it is not if, but when, Thomas offends again – and this time with fatal results.
   Are you prepared to accept this responsibility?
   I will not stand by idly and allow this habitual sex offender to slip through the justice system and once again be a threat to myself, my children and the previous and prospective victims of his vile attempts at self-gratifying power through gross and humiliating acts of indecency.
   I appeal to the releasing authorities, to consider this.
   This is in your hands.
   Let compassion, humility and common sense prevail.# [Bolding added] [Aug 21, 05]
• WA sex abuser freed. [20yrs Smith] - Salvation Army. Boys.
   The Sunday Times (Perth, W. Australia), www.sundaytimes. news.com.au/ common/story_ page/0,7034,1633 0282%255E27 61,00.html , By IAN HABERFIELD, p 5, August 21, 2005
   PERTH: NOTORIOUS Perth pedophile Charles Alan Smith has been secretly relocated to Victoria.
   Smith, a former Salvation Army major, is one of Australia's worst serial child-sex predators.
   He was released from a WA prison in February after serving less than eight years of a 15-year term for sexually abusing boys aged 10-17 over two decades.
   Within days of his release he had become a regular visitor to his sister's house, near a suburban primary school.
   Schoolteachers, parents and local police were not told Smith was just metres away until notified by Smith's relatives.
   Smith's family fears he will strike again.
   Despite this and Smith's appalling child-abuse record, Victorian authorities agreed to allow Smith to complete his parole in Melbourne.
   The Victorian Government yesterday refused to explain how he was being monitored. [Aug 21, 05]
• Transferred paedophile 'complying with law' [Smith] - Boys. [Darcy-Searle] - No religion reported.
   Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), www.abc.net. au/news/newsitems/ 200508/s144 2505.htm , 11:00am (AEST) , Sunday, August 21, 2005
   AUSTRALIA: Victoria's Corrections Commissioner Kelvin Anderson has confirmed that a serial child sex offender has been transferred to Victoria from Western Australia.
   Perth paedophile Charles Alan Smith moved to Victoria earlier this year after serving eight years in jail for offences against boys.
   The Victorian Opposition has criticised the transfer, saying Victoria is becoming a dumping ground for other states' sex offenders.
   Mr Anderson says Smith was moved under a national parolee transfer program and is living with members of his family. However, he would not say where Smith is.
   He says Smith is being closely monitored and is complying with all conditions.
   "This case was assessed on its merits and bearing in mind that this parolee is to live with family and that we can provide the supervision required, we accepted the transfer," he said.
   The Opposition's criticism echoes a dispute between New South Wales and Western Australia last week.
   In that case, convicted paedophile Otto Darcy-Searle was sent to live with family in northern NSW while on parole.
   However, the 61-year-old is now back in jail in WA after protests by local residents and NSW Government ministers.
   Western Australia's Attorney-General Jim McGinty says he is not aware of Alan Charles Smith's case and that the Victorian Government has not been in touch with him to discuss it.
   Mr McGinty says decisions about approving prisoners for parole is made by independent parole boards and not governments.# [Emphasis added]
   [COMMENT: The ABC radio news said that Smith had misused his position with the Salvation Army to sexually abuse children.
   (Also read The West Australian, "Sex offender loopholes exposed as police hunt paedophile," p 12, Monday, July 11, 2005. Darcy-Searle was a soccer coach (no religion link reported) who allegedly abused four boys in the period 1978-82). [Aug 21, 05]
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Mon August 22, 2005 edition follows:-
• Abrupt Resignation Of Bishop Rocks Argentine Catholic Church. [? 2000s Maccarone] - RCC. Man.

   All Headline News, www.allheadline news.com/cgi-bin/ news/newsbrief. plx?id=22494 74402&fa=1 , by Hector Duarte Jr., 3:00 p.m. EST, August 22, 2005
   BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (AHN) - The resignation of bishop Juan Carlos Maccarone, shakes Argentina's church hierarchy after a published report alleges the move was triggered by an improper relationship.
   Church officials reported the resignation on Friday, but did not give a reason why Maccarone was leaving the central Argentinean diocese.
   On Sunday, the major newspaper Clarin ran a front-page story citing sources, which say a video containing "compromising images" has been received by church officials, linking the bishop to a 23-year-old man.
   The paper says its report is based on authoritative sources it did not identify by name. Church officials have no immediate comment on the report.
   Local news agency Diarios y Noticias say the local church denies the report and claim health reasons as the motive for the bishop's departure.
   The 64-year-old has not been seen in public since the announcement Friday, and he has not offered a reason for his resignation. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 09:23 PM]
• Argentine bishop resigns amid reported sex scandal. [? 2000s Maccarone, priest] - RCC. Man.
   Leading the Charge, Staff and agencies, By Kevin Gray, 45 minutes ago, 22 August, 2005
   BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - A prominent Argentine Roman Catholic bishop has resigned amid media reports that he was involved sexually with a young man, the latest in a series of such scandals involving church officials.
   The Argentine Episcopal Conference, the governing body of the church in this predominantly Catholic country, said Juan Carlos Maccarone, 64, bishop in the northwestern province of Santiago del Estero, had stepped down.
   La Nacion and Clarin newspapers said Maccarone had resigned because of a sexual relationship with a 23-year-old man which had been captured on videotape.
   Clarin said Maccarone asked his closest collaborators to forgive him "for damage inflicted on the Church."
   In 2002, Argentine courts opened an investigation of a leading priest on charges of sexual abuse of minors after a book linked him with several cases. Archbishop Edgardo Gabriel Storni denied the charges, but the investigation continues.
• Paper: Bishop resigns over 'compromising images'. [? 2000s Maccarone] - RCC. Man.
   CNN, Posted 8:17 p.m. EDT (00:17 GMT), Monday, August 22, 2005
   BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP)-The resignation of a leading bishop, Juan Carlos Maccarone, shook Argentina's church hierarchy as a published report alleged his departure was triggered by an improper relationship.
   Church authorities on Friday reported the resignation of the bishop of Santiago del Estero, but did not give a reason why he was leaving his diocese in central Argentina.
   On Sunday, the prominent newspaper Clarin ran a front-page story citing sources as saying a video containing "compromising images" had been received by church officials that purportedly linked Maccarone to a 23-year-old man.
   The paper said its report was based on authoritative sources it did not identify by name. Church officials had no immediate comment on the report.
   Local diocesan church authorities have denied the report and said the churchman was leaving due to health reasons, local news agency Diarios y Noticias reported.
• Pastor arrested again. [to 2004 Hornbuckle] - Agape Christian Fellowship. Bribery, etc. 5 women.

   Star-Telegram, By Anthony Spangler, ~ August 22, 2005
   FORT WORTH (TX) - Bishop Terry Hornbuckle is being held without bail, accused of violating conditions of his release for a second time since his arrest in March on sexual assault charges.
   Hornbuckle, 43, is accused of sexually assaulting five parishioners of Agape Christian Fellowship in Arlington, where he serves as senior pastor. On Friday, he was arrested at his Colleyville home late Friday by Tarrant County sheriff's deputies.
   "We were given arrest warrants for violations of his bond, but I cannot say anymore about it because of the gag order issued in the case," said Terry Grisham, spokesman for Tarrant County Sheriff's Department.
   It is the fourth time Hornbuckle has been arrested.
• Trial Begins for Sunday School Teacher Accused of Sex Abuse. [2004 Montoya] - Latter Day Saint (Mormon). Girl.
   KSL, www.ksl.com/ ?nid=148&sid= 97495 , Sandra Yi Reporting, 5:19pm, August 22nd, 2005
   OGDEN (UT) - The trial began today for the Sunday school teacher accused of sexual abuse. The man was a primary teacher in his LDS congregation. Today the young victims testified in court.
   A six-year old girl who was in kindergarten when the alleged abuse happened last year, told the court her primary teacher touched her in class while she was coloring a picture of Jesus. She said her teacher, Aaron Montoya, came up behind her and put his hand under her skirt and touched her privates. She used a doll to show the jury how he did it.
   She said Montoya touched her a lot of times in the church classroom. Prosecutors asked, "Are you here because he really did or because someone told you to say that?" "He really did," she said.
   The girl's brother also testified. He said he overheard his sister and another little girl talk about the alleged abuse while on the school bus. The boy then told his mother.
• Pastor accused of sexual abuse is removed from ministry. [McCaffrey] - RCC.
   Anchorage Daily News, The Associated Press, Last Modified 11:25 AM, August 22nd, 2005
   FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) - A priest accused of sexual abuse was removed from ministry in Fairbanks, according to a letter read at Sunday services to parishioners throughout the diocese.
   The reading of the letter announcing the removal of the Rev. Richard L. McCaffrey from Immaculate Conception Church was followed by absolute silence, said Donna Gavora, a 45-year member of Immaculate Conception and its organist.
   "It was a very sad moment. It was hard on people," Gavora said. "Some people are very upset. I am really disappointed, too."
   Bishop Donald Kettler read his letter to the congregation at Immaculate Conception and priests around Fairbanks read the bishop's message at other churches.
   Kettler said in the letter that he made the decision after reviewing the diocese's internal investigation, which included testimony from McCaffrey.
• Catholic Diocese Confirms Priest Sex Abuse. [1960s Lepine] - RCC. 2 females.
   WLUC, ~ August 22, 2005
   MICHIGAN - The Catholic Diocese of Marquette has validated charges of sex abuse against an Ishpeming priest who died five years ago.
   The complaints against Father Clement Lepine date back more than 30 years. The abuse was committed against two females, whose names were not released.
   The charges have been under investigation for months.
   Father Lepine served as pastor at St. Josephs from 1957 to 1986.
   At the request of the victims, the priest's name and picture have been removed from the church's main hallway. "If there are any other victim survivors of sexual abuse by a church officials out there, we want them to come forward also," says Loreene Zeno Koskey of the Diocese.
• Argentine bishop resigns amid reported sex scandal. [? 2000s Maccarone] - RCC. Man.

   Reuters, By Kevin Grey, 12:39 AM BST, Tue Aug 23, 2005
   BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (Reuters) - A prominent Argentine Roman Catholic bishop has resigned amid media reports that he was involved sexually with a young man, the latest in a series of such scandals involving church officials.
   The Argentine Episcopal Conference, the governing body of the church in this predominantly Catholic country, said Juan Carlos Maccarone, 64, bishop in the northwestern province of Santiago del Estero, had stepped down.
   The statement, issued on Monday, did not give the reason.
   La Nacion and Clarin newspapers said Maccarone had resigned because of a sexual relationship with a 23-year-old man which had been captured on videotape.
   Clarin said Maccarone asked his closest collaborators to forgive him "for damage inflicted on the Church."
   Repeated calls to Maccarone's office went unanswered.
• Apostolic visitation of all U.S. seminaries to start this fall. - RCC.

   Catholic News Service, By Jerry Filteau, ~ August 22, 2005
   WASHINGTON (DC) (CNS)-The Vatican-run apostolic visitation of U.S. Catholic seminaries and houses of priestly formation will begin late this September.
   Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, who will coordinate the visits, announced details of the plan Aug. 19.
   Sparked by the sexual abuse crisis that hit the U.S. church in 2002, the visitations will pay special attention to areas such as the quality of the seminarians' human and spiritual formation for living chastely and of their intellectual formation for faithfulness to church teachings, especially in the area of moral theology.
   The Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education, which oversees seminary formation around the world, has appointed 117 bishops and seminary personnel as visitors. They are to visit each college- or theology-level institution, working in teams of three for smaller programs or four for the larger ones.
   [COMMENT: Unless the "apostolic visitation" is controlled by and staffed by non-USA people, it might end up a failure, like the previous one that failed to detect and correct what was wrong with the RC Church seminaries around the 1980s. COMMENT ENDS.]
   [DOCTRINE: ... to avoid fornication every man ought to have his own wife and every woman her own husband. ... You must not deprive each other, except by mutual consent for a limited time, to leave yourselves free for prayer, and to come together again afterwards, otherwise Satan may take advantage of any lack of self-control to put you to the test. ... It is better to be married than to be burnt up. (1 Corinthians 7: 2, 5, 9). (Even more pointed are 1 Timothy 3:2-7 and Titus 1:5-9.) DOCTRINE ENDS.]
• Lawsuit against now Pope Benedict XVI, waiting to proceed.. [1990s Patino-Arango] - RCC. 3 boys.

   Worcester Voice, http://worcester voice.com/pope_ benedict_xvi_ indicted.htm , ~ August 22, 2005
   WORCESTER (MA) - In an unprecedented move, Attorney Daniel Shea, of Huston Texas went to Rome this week in an attempt to move the prosecution of Joseph Ratzinger (in his individual capacity) forward.
   The three boys, identified in court documents as John Does I, II and III, allege that a Colombian-born seminarian on assignment at St. Francis de Sales Church in Houston, Juan Carlos Patino-Arango, molested them during counseling sessions in the church in the mid-1990s.
   Then-Cardinal Ratzinger, who headed the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith before becoming pope, was involved in a conspiracy to hide Patino-Arango's crimes and to help him escape prosecution.
   Attorney Shea at his press conference gave a slide presentation of 38 pages outlining the events surrounding the sexual abuse of children.
   The slide presentation is now available in PowerPoint version.
• Court call for mom in scandal . [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Stab threat alleged. Married woman employee.

   New York Daily News, BY BARBARA ROSS and ADAM LISBERG, ~ August 22, 2005
   NEW YORK - The nasty divorce case that exposed an alleged romance between the rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral and his married secretary will be back in court today.
   A court-appointed law guardian is set to tell a Westchester Family Court judge whether secretary Laura DeFilippo should be let into her home and allowed to see her kids.
   DeFilippo, 46, was caught on tape last month spending 51/2 hours at a Hamptons motel with her boss, Msgr. Eugene Clark, 79. They have denied having an affair, but soon after the video became public, Clark resigned his post running St. Pat's.
   DeFilippo's estranged husband, Philip, filed for divorce this month. He also got an order of protection barring her from their Eastchester home after telling cops that she threatened to stab him when he confronted her about the tape.
• Trial starts in Montoya case. [? 2000s Montoya] - Latter Day Saints (Mormons). 3 girls.
   Standard-Examiner, By Loretta Park, lpark@standard.net , Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau, Monday, August 22, 2005
   OGDEN (UT) - A weeklong Davis County trial, with a Davis County judge, Davis County prosecutors and Davis County witnesses, begins today in Weber County.
   A jury pool of 70 Weber County residents will be whittled down to eight people, with one alternate, to decide the fate of Aaron Marcos Montoya, 33, of Syracuse.
   Montoya is charged in Davis County with eight counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and with two counts of the first-degree felony in Weber County.
   He will be tried this week on four of the Davis County charges, which involve three girls and stem from incidents prosecutors allege occurred while Montoya taught a Syracuse Primary class for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• Anti-gay priest resigns in disgrace. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Married woman secretary
   Houston Voice, By JAMES WITHERS | Aug 21, 2005
   NEW YORK - The Catholic Church leader who once blamed Hollywood and gays for the country's supposed moral decay is accused of not practicing what he's been preaching.
   A series of articles in the New York Post and elsewhere have turned into a public relations nightmare for Monsignor Eugene Clark. The 79-year-old rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral is accused of having an affair with his secretary, 46-year-old Laura DeFilippo.
   Her husband, Philip DeFilippo, gave news outlets a video tape taken on July 21. It shows Clark and Laura DeFilippo entering into a motel on the East End of Long Island and leaving five hours later wearing different clothes. In court papers filed Aug. 8, Philip DeFilippo said the relationship between the monsignor and his wife is one of the reasons why he wants a divorce.
   Clark and his secretary have both denied the charges; however, Clark resigned as rector of St. Patrick's on Aug. 11, apparently as a result of the allegations. Many have also questioned Clark's owning a house in Amagansett, one of the most expensive communities in the Hamptons and reportedly valued at $2 million.
• Fired pastor sues church and sibling. [? 2000s Sabolick] - Calvary Chapel. Money, etc.
   Science Daily, UPI, Aug. 21, 2005
   LAGUNA BEACH, Calif., (UPI) - The former pastor of Calvary Chapel of Laguna Beach is suing his brother and former church for defamation.
   Pastor Joe Sabolick was fired by his handpicked church board, which included his older brother, amid allegations that he embezzled money and was "fixated" on the wife and daughter of an assistant pastor, the Los Angeles Times reported.
   Sabolick and the assistant pastor now oversee a Calvary Chapel in Northern California, and are suing Sabolick's brother and the church, claiming that church officials spread false rumors of wife-swapping and pedophilia.
• Pastor removed from ministry. [McCaffrey] - RCC.
   News-Miner, By MARY BETH SMETZER, ~ August 22, 2005
   FAIRBANKS (AK) - Catholic Bishop Donald Kettler announced Sunday he has removed the pastor of Immaculate Conception Church from ministry in the Fairbanks diocese following an investigation of sexual abuse allegations.
   Kettler read a letter about the removal of the Rev. Richard L. McCaffrey to Immaculate Conception parishioners at both services Sunday morning. Priests around Fairbanks read the letter at other churches.
   Donna Gavora, a 45-year member of Immaculate Conception and its organist, said Kettler's reading was followed by absolute silence in the church.
   "It was a very sad moment. It was hard on people," Gavora said. "Some people are very upset. I am really disappointed, too."
   Kettler did not return phone calls but has scheduled a news conference at 2 p.m. today. He said in the letter that he made the decision after reviewing the report of an investigation conducted by former Alaska State Trooper James McCann, which included testimony from McCaffrey. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:12 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Mon August 22, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Tue August 23, 2005 edition follows:-
• Jewish groups wary of disclosure bill. - Judaism

   The Jewish Advocate, www.thejewish advocate.com/ this_weeks_ issue/news/ ?content_id=129 , BY TED SIEFER, Tuesday August 23 2005
   BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – Synagogue leaders are expressing alarm over a bill debated at a State House hearing last week that would require churches and synagogues to make the same public financial disclosures required of nonprofit charities.
   Jewish groups have yet to take an official position on the bill, although the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts shares many of the concerns raised at the Aug. 10 hearing by leaders of Protestant churches.
   They argued that the bill stems from specific disputes with the Catholic Archdiocese and would impose an unfair administrative burden on smaller, independent religious denominations and would encroach on freedom of religion. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 05:53 PM]
• Vatican Investigation of US Seminaries to be Led by Strongly Pro-Life Bishop. - RCC.
   LifeSite, August 23, 2005
   WASHINGTON, (DC) (LifeSiteNews.com) - Catholic News Service has announced that Rome is set to start its long-awaited "apostolic visitation," or systematic investigation and evaluation of the formation offered to prospective priests in seminaries. With many bishops studiously ignoring what has become the ecclesiastical equivalent of the elephant in the drawing room, Rome may be planning to force the issue at last.
   The last Vatican-led visitation was seven years in duration beginning in 1981. The report given to Pope John Paul II, according to some observers, amounted to a whitewash in which the theological and moral dissent being taught was deliberately ignored or hidden.
   This time, after years of mounting sexual abuse scandals in which certain bishops were implicated in a massive cover-up, and after some dioceses have declared bankruptcy and closed parishes to pay off settlements, Catholics may be hopeful that the real issues will at last be addressed. The Vatican has named Edwin F. O'Brien, Archbishop for the Military Services, as the coordinator for the project.
   [COMMENT: Jesus taught that he was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Unless the RCC and other afflicted Churches return to what we know of His teachings on matters such as the necessity of and dignity of marriage, and the removal of the wicked from among the leadership, they will not be addressing the real issues. COMMENT ENDS.]
• Another lawsuit for archdiocese. [1960s White] - RCC. Altar boy.
   Denver Post, By Erin Gartner, The Associated Press, ~ August 23, 2005
   DENVER (CO) - Attorneys for a man who claims he was sexually abused by a priest said today they will file another multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Denver.
   It would be the third lawsuit claiming the archdiocese knew of allegations that the priest, Harold Robert White, was sexually abusing young boys but only transferred him to different parishes.
   White has since left the priesthood.
   The latest suit will allege that White abused Greg Roberts of Fort Collins beginning in the late 1960s while Roberts was an altar boy at a Roman Catholic Church in Sterling, according to a draft of the suit provided by Herman & Mermelstein, a Miami-based law firm specializing in sexual abuse cases.
• Former Priest, Denver Archdiocese Face More Sex Abuse Lawsuits. [White] - RCC. 3 more boys.
  TheDenverChannel.com , ~ August 23, 2005
   DENVER (CO) - Three more men are coming forward with sexual abuse allegations involving the Archdiocese of Denver, and defrocked priest Harold Robert White.
   A news conference is set for Tuesday outside church headquarters regarding a civil lawsuit two of the alleged victims plan to file. A Miami firm representing the third man said it'll also sue.
   All three claim White sexually abused them as children in Sterling, Loveland and Eagle, and that church officials who knew about such incidents simply moved him from parish to parish.
• Another lawsuit planned against Archdiocese. [1960s White] - RCC. 5 boys.
   Rocky Mountain News, August 23, 2005
   DENVER (CO) - Three men who say they were sexually abused by a former priest when they were youths have joined two others in suing the Archdiocese of Denver.
   Brandon Trask, now 49 and living in California, and another 49-year-old man identified as "John Doe" filed separate lawsuits in Denver District Court Tuesday, alleging they were molested by the priest, Harold Robert White.
   And another man who claims he was abused by White also is suing the archdiocese. That suit alleges that White abused Greg Roberts of Fort Collins beginning in the late 1960s while Roberts was an altar boy at a Roman Catholic Church in Sterling, according to a draft of the suit provided by Herman & Mermelstein, a Miami-based law firm specializing in sexual abuse cases.
   Archdiocese chancellor Francis Maier said he could not comment because church officials had not seen the complaints.
   "The plaintiffs have put us in a position where they know we can't say anything," he said.
• Diocese Criticized for Sex Abuse Pamphlets. - RCC.
   WREX, Author: Marissa Alter, Posted On Monday, August 22, 2005
   ROCKFORD (IL) - A national group speaks out against a pamphlet the Rockford Catholic Diocese gives to employees and volunteers. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, is outraged over the diocese's guidelines on how to report suspicions of sex abuse. Diocese administrators argue the people who got the pamphlet already know the proper procedures.
   The document spells out how Rockford Diocese workers should report suspicions of sex abuse. While it provides a diocese's phone number and mailing address, there's no mention of calling the police. David Clohessy, the National Director of SNAP says, "It looks like one more attempt by Catholic Church officials to handle sex crimes in-house instead of turning to the independent professionals in law enforcement."
   But Owen Phelps, the Diocese's Communication Director, argues that's not the case. Phelps says the pamphlet was sent as supplemental material to volunteers and staff. Those people were previously briefed and know they're supposed to report all incidents of sexual abuse to legal authorities. Clohessy says, "Whatever else might be written in some other publication or said in some other format, there's no excuse for not having it in the official diocesan written sex abuse material, the strong admonition to call police and prosecutors. There's no excuse for that."
• Abuse victims should get Tucson Diocese checks before year's end. [Tucson Diocese] - RCC. $US 7m to victims.
   KOLD, ~ August 23, 2005
   TUCSON, Ariz. - Attorneys in the Tucson Roman Catholic Diocese's bankruptcy say victims of priestly sex abuse authorized to receive payments should get their checks between October and year's end.
   At a brief hearing, Bankruptcy Court Judge James Marlar approved previously announced settlements totaling more than 5 million dollars from three insurance companies and 2 million dollars from the diocese's parishes.
   They'll go into a pool of more than 22 (m) million dollars that the diocese will make available to cover claims under its reorganization plan finalized in July.
   Marlar entered a written order Aug. 1 approving the reorganization plan and settlements. The soonest checks could be issued would be 60 days later.
• Keeping faith in troubled times; Take a hike. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC.
   New York Daily News by Denis Hamill, ~ August 23, 2005
   NEW YORK - This is a story about a Brooklyn guy who will take a 33-mile hike from one end of Fire Island to the other on Saturday to raise money for the sick children helped by Make-a-Wish Foundation of Metro New York.
   I read the E-mail about this noble trek just minutes after I'd read one from a guy responding to a column I'd written about yet another priest scandal. The former wondered rhetorically how one was to keep his spiritual life alive amid the collapse of our religious institutions.
   Listen, I'm the last guy anyone should consult on matters of faith and morals. My closet has more skeletons than Green-Wood Cemetery.
   I only care that these scandalous headlines may cut off the flow of money to great Catholic charities that help the poor, the sick, the infirm, the hungry, the homeless, the mentally challenged, the orphaned and the forgotten.
   Some people think Msgr. Eugene Clark should turn in the collar. I don't. I think maybe he should see a priest, fess up and as penance go take a hike.
   He should go take a hike like a guy named Theo Davis, a lawyer from Park Slope, who in the predawn hours this Saturday will be ferried to the eastern tip of Fire Island at the Moriches Inlet, where he will paddle an inflatable dinghy to shore in the first rumor of dawn.
• Man sues archdiocese and defrocked priest. [1977-78 Straub] - RCC. Boy.
   Post-Dispatch, ~ August 23, 2005
   ST. LOUIS (MO) - A Missouri man filed suit against a former Catholic priest, the St. Louis Archdiocese and Archbishop Raymond Burke late Friday, claiming a priest sexually abused him almost 20 years ago.
   The suit says Donald Straub fondled the plaintiff from about 1977 to 1978 while Straub worked at St. George Parish in Affton.
   The man has suffered emotional distress, trauma, depression and other effects of the abuse, the suit says.
   The Vatican defrocked Straub in January. He was ordained in 1975.
• Church lady to see kids . [2005 Clark, DeFilippo] - RCC. Priest / Married woman employee.
   New York Daily News, BY BARBARA ROSS and BILL HUTCHINSON, ~ August 23, 2005
   NEW YORK - The leggy church lady mired in a St. Patrick's Cathedral sex scandal was granted permission yesterday to visit her children, but she and her estranged husband must first undergo alcohol and drug testing.
   Laura and Philip DeFilippo sat 6 feet apart and never looked at each other during yesterday's hearing in Westchester Family Court.
   It was the first time the couple had been in the same room since he had her barred from their Eastchester home for threatening to stab him when he confronted her about an alleged affair with St. Patrick's rector Msgr. Eugene Clark.
   Laura DeFilippo worked as Clark's secretary, reportedly earning as much as $100,000 a year.
   Philip DeFilippo served his 46-year-old wife with divorce papers earlier this month after he had a private eye videotape her and the 79-year-old priest entering and leaving a Hamptons motel.
• Allegations of affair with priest hang over custody battle. [2005 Monsignor Clark, Mrs DeFilippo] - RCC. Priest / Married woman employee.
   The Journal News, By BILL HUGHES, whughes@thejournalnews.com , August 22, 2005
   WHITE PLAINS (NY) - A Family Court judge partially lifted an order of protection against the Greenburgh woman at the center of a bitter divorce case involving allegations that she had an affair with the former rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral.
   Laura DeFilippo had been barred from entering the home she shared with her husband, Philip, and seeing the couple's two children after he filed court papers earlier this month claiming she threatened him after he told her he had videotaped her and the priest at a motel together.
   Family Court Judge Kathie Davidson modified the order she issued, saying a court appointed law guardian had met with the couple's children and had approved limited visitation for Mrs. DeFilippo. Davidson also awarded temporary custody to Mr. DeFilippo and ordered both parents to refrain from discussing each other and their divorce case with their children.
   Monsignor Eugene Clark, a 79-year-old Catholic priest and former pastor of the Yonkers church where the couple married, stepped down from his post as rector of the most influential parish in the country in the wake of the scandal. Both Clark and Mrs. DeFilippo have released statements denying that they had an affair.
• Girl takes stand, alleges sex abuse. [2000s Montoya] - Mormon. 3 girls.
   The Salt Lake Tribune, By Elizabeth Neff, ~ August 23, 2005
   OGDEN (UT) - Furrowing her brow and pausing, the tiny, blond 6-year-old said she was coloring a picture of Jesus when it happened.
   Her Mormon church teacher, she said, came up from behind and touched her "privates."
   Although it made her feel "mad," she said she didn't tell anyone about the abuse. When she eventually did, her frantic mother drove to the home of a friend and then to the home of another girl who made the same claim. On the drive over, she pulled the car over to pray for guidance.
   The first day of trial for a former Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teacher accused of child sexual abuse began Monday against a backdrop of religion and sin in the small community of Syracuse.
   Prosecutors argue Aaron Marcos Montoya fondled three kindergartners in a church class he taught with his wife. Two of the three girls testified Monday, sitting on top of a folded blanket so those in the packed courtroom could see their faces above the witness box. The alleged abuse might never have come to light had it not been for the older brother of the first girl to testify.
   The 12-year-old boy said he told his mother he had overheard his sister and a friend talking about "something serious" on the school bus.
   The boy testified a girl who had recently moved into the neighborhood asked his sister, "Does he touch you like this?" and grabbed her crotch. His sister, he said, replied affirmatively.
• Swaying the masses . [Maciel] - RCC.

   Daily News (South Africa), www.dailynews. co.za/index.php? fSectionId=541& fArticleId=2847548 , August 23, 2005
   ROME - Benedict XVI passes his first big test, but internal reform matters more than drawing crowds, writes Damian Thompson in London.
   By attracting a million people to his open-air Mass outside Cologne - and effortlessly holding their attention - Pope Benedict XVI has passed the first big test of his pontificate. But this public relations triumph probably matters far less to him than the task of internal reform that lies ahead.
   He knows how stage-managed these events are - and he has no intention of attending as many of them as John Paul II. Underlying this pope's quiet charisma is a determination to rejuvenate an institution that, throughout the West, has been gravely damaged by sexual scandal, episcopal incompetence, ugly services and falling mass attendance.
   Hence his admission at a prayer vigil on Saturday night that there was "much that could be criticised" in the church. "We know this and the Lord himself told us so: it is a net with good and bad fish," he said.
   The worst of those bad fish are, of course, sexual abusers. Will Benedict deal with claims of abuse more swiftly than John Paul?
   "We shall soon find out: sitting on the Pope's desk is a file of allegations against Fr Marcial Maciel, 85, Mexican founder of one of the most powerful new orders in the church, the conservative Legionaries of Christ.
   If Maciel is found guilty and the Pope immediately punishes him, the shock to the church will be immense. [Emphasis added]
• Representative seeks to get deal on sex-abuse law.

   Toledo Blade, By JIM PROVANCE, BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU, August 23, 2005
   COLUMBUS (OH) - Both sides of a controversial bill allowing victims of child sexual abuse as long as 35 years ago to file lawsuits have been meeting over the summer in an attempt to hammer out a compromise.
   But both sides so far appear to be firm in their positions on the most controversial aspect of the bill which, although affecting all forms of sexual abuse, is squarely aimed at the Catholic Church.
   Rep. John Willamowski (R., Lima), chairman of the Ohio House Judiciary Committee, said he doesn't plan to hold hearings on the bill until he believes the talks have gone as far as they can.
   "I don't want to bring emotion into it until it's time to bring emotion in," he said. "As soon as we start having hearings, sides will be drawn, and we won't make progress."
   The Senate unanimously approved the bill in March following emotional testimony in committee by victims of past abuse. This occurred in a Republican-controlled chamber that has moved in recent years to close the door to litigation, not open it.
   The bill would extend the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits involving all child sex abuse cases to 20 years beyond the point at which the victim turns 18. The current limit is two years.
• Fairbanks Diocese calls abuse claims 'credible'. [McCaffrey (Jesuit)] - RCC. 3 girls.
   KTUU, www.ktuu.com/ CMS/templates/ alaska_news/ master.asp? articleid= 14824& zoneid=4 , by Sean Doogan, Monday, August 22, 2005
   ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Bishop Donald Kettler, the Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks, said accusations of abuse against one of the Interior priests are credible. The priest has been removed from the Fairbanks diocese. Three women claim they were abused by Rev. Richard McCaffrey when they were children.
   A civil suit has been filed by one of the women in Bethel district court. During Monday's announcement, Kettler said the Fairbanks sexual abuse review board had been working with retired Alaska State Trooper investigator Jim McCann to review the claims.
   "I have determined that they were credible, I have taken away what we call the faculties from Father McCaffrey, that he cannot function as a priest in our diocese, everything else now rests in the hands of the Jesuits," said Kettler.
   Kettler says officials with the Diocese of Portland know of McCaffrey's presence there, and say he won't be allowed contact with the public during his stay at the Society of Jesus, Oregon Province.
• Argentine Bishop Resigns Amid Reported Sex Scandal. [? 2000s Maccarone] - RCC. Man.

   ANTARA News, www.antara.co. id/en/seenws/? id=5852 , 12:37, Aug 23, 2005
   Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA (ANTARA News) - A prominent Argentine Roman Catholic bishop has resigned amid media reports that he was involved sexually with a young man, the latest in a series of such scandals involving church officials.
   The Argentine Episcopal Conference, the governing body of the church in this predominantly Catholic country, said Juan Carlos Maccarone, 64, bishop in the northwestern province of Santiago del Estero, had stepped down.
   The statement, issued on Monday, did not give the reason.
   La Nacion and Clarin newspapers said Maccarone had resigned because of a sexual relationship with a 23-year-old man which had been captured on videotape.
   Clarin said Maccarone asked his closest collaborators to forgive him "for damage inflicted on the Church."
   Repeated calls to Maccarone's office went unanswered.
• Suits filed against priest. [1970s Paquette] - RCC. 4 minors.

   Republican, By BILL ZAJAC, wzajac@repub.com , Tuesday, August 23, 2005
   SPRINGFIELD (MA) - A Westfield man who was barred from serving as a Catholic priest after being accused of sexually abusing minors in three dioceses has been accused of sexually abusing four minors in Vermont in the 1970s in suits filed recently in Chittenden County Superior Court in Burlington.
   Edward O. Paquette Jr., of Belleview Drive, who was previously accused by two men of abusing them as minors in Vermont in suits filed in 2004, refused comment yesterday on the recently filed suits.
   In all the suits, the plaintiffs have listed the Diocese of Burlington as defendants.
• Bishop says no ministry for priest. [McCaffrey] - RCC. Alleged sexual abuse.
   Anchorage Daily News, The Associated Press, Published August 23rd, 2005
   FAIRBANKS (AK) - A priest accused of sexual abuse was removed from ministry in Fairbanks, according to a letter read at Sunday services to parishioners throughout the diocese.
   The reading of the letter announcing the removal of the Rev. Richard L. McCaffrey from Immaculate Conception Church was followed by absolute silence, said Donna Gavora, a 45-year member of Immaculate Conception and its organist.
   "It was a very sad moment. It was hard on people," Gavora said. "Some people are very upset. I am really disappointed too."
   Bishop Donald Kettler read his letter to the congregation there, and priests read the message at other churches around Fairbanks.
   Kettler said in the letter that he made the decision after reviewing the diocese's internal investigation, which included testimony from McCaffrey.
• McCaffrey denies abuse. [1970s-80s McCaffrey (Jesuit)] - RCC. 3 complainants.
   News-Miner, By MARY BETH SMETZER, ~ August 23, 2005
   FAIRBANKS (AK) - The former pastor of Immaculate Conception Church continues to deny any sexual abuse misconduct, his Jesuit superior said Monday.
   The Rev. John Whitney, provincial of the Society of Jesus, Oregon Province, said the Rev. Richard McCaffrey denies all allegations leveled against him.
   McCaffrey was recently removed from ministry in the Fairbanks Diocese by Bishop Donald Kettler, who made his decision known in a letter read to parishioners Sunday at churches around the diocese.
   Whitney said he has not yet received any of the materials related to the diocese's investigation of sexual abuse allegations made against McCaffrey by three people who claim they were molested in the 1970s and early 1980s. One of those people has filed a civil suit against the priest, the diocese and the Jesuits.
   "I know the bishop believes that these are appropriate charges at this point. I trust him and he has the authority to do this," Whitney said.
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Tue August 23, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Wed August 24, 2005 edition follows:-
• Church founder admits to 22 counts of rape. [2001-04 Kin] - Seishin Chuo Kyokai Church. 7 girls.

   Mainichi Daily News, http://mdn. mainichi-msn. co.jp/national/ news/20050823 p2a00m0na0 13000c.html , ~ August 24, 2005
   KYOTO, JAPAN - Tamotsu Kin, a Kyoto Prefecture church founder facing charges of raping and indecently assaulting young girls at the church admitted to the charges against him as the second hearing in his criminal trial opened in the Kyoto District Court on Tuesday.
   Kin faces charges of violating seven young girls in 22 incidents, including one attempted incident, between March 2001 and September 2004, in locations including the pastor's office at the Seishin Chuo Kyokai church in Yawata, Kyoto Prefecture.
   Questioning Kin over the attacks, Presiding Judge Takeshi Uegaki asked him, "Is it right you are not going to argue about the 22 incidents and the seven (victims)?" Kin replied, "Yes."
   In the opening hearing of his trial on June 21, Kin would neither deny nor confirm the facts of the charges against him. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 08:36 PM]
• Pastor Indicted on Child Sexual Assault Charges. [1993 + Hammons] - Alpha Joy Temple. 2 girls.

   WOAI, Posted By Maritza Nunez, LAST UPDATE 7:40:04 PM, Aug/24/2005
   SAN ANTONIO (TX) - A former San Antonio pastor convicted of having sex with a minor was indicted on similar charges early this month. The accusations involve a different woman who was a child at the time of the alleged assault.
   Just three months ago, former Alpha Joy Temple pastor Duane Hammons was convicted of sexual assault of a child. The incident happened in 1993, when his victim was only 15 years old.
   She says Hammons would make her skip school and would take her to motel rooms to have sex.
• Man sues seminary that graduated pastor later convicted of molestation. [~ 1988+ Warnshuis]- Evangelical Free Church. Boys.
   Fort Worth Star-Telegram By Darren Barbee, ~ August 24, 2005
   DALLAS (TX) - Aaron Babb believes a single phone call to police 17 years ago would have changed his life: he might never have been sexually abused, attempted suicide or been awakened by his own screams.
   If Dallas Theological Seminary officials had alerted authorities in 1988 - when they learned that one of their students, Jon Gerrit Warnshuis, was accused of sexually molesting a 12- or 13-year-old boy - Warnshuis might have gone to prison then.
   Instead, Warnshuis was allowed to graduate from the seminary in 1992 and later became pastor of an Argyle church. In 2001, he was sentenced to prison for molesting Babb and other boys for years at Oak Hills Evangelical Free Church.
   On Monday, Babb, 22, will seek to hold the seminary accountable in a Fort Worth courtroom. The case will test whether an institution that knew of his past abuse but granted Warnshuis a master's degree in theology is responsible for his actions.
• Youth pastor pleads not guilty to molesting boys. [2005 Fouts] - Peninsula Covenant Church. 2 boys.
   The Daily Journal, By Michelle Durand, ~ August 24, 2005
   CALIFORNIA - The former Redwood City youth pastor accused of molesting two teenage boys earlier this summer pleaded not guilty yesterday to five felony charges of molestation and returns to court next month to set a preliminary hearing date.
   Christopher Fouts, 26, waived his right to a speedy preliminary hearing and returns Sept. 22 to pick a date.
   Fouts, free from custody on a $100,000 bail bond, is also linked to at least two other victims but they are outside the jurisdiction of San Mateo County prosecutors.
   The charges stem from two boys, ages 13 and 14, that Fouts allegedly met through his role as director of Middle School Ministries at Peninsula Covenant Church on Farm Hill Boulevard in Redwood City. The incidents occurred between January and June, according to the prosecution.
   If convicted of just the five current felonies, Fouts faces a maximum of 13 years and four months in prison. No prior convictions are alleged against him. Fouts would also be required to register as a convicted sex offender.
• Don't blame church for hiring convicted child molester. [- 2005 Darrell] - Bright Temple AME Church. Girls, boy.

   Royal Gazette, By Tricia Walters, ~ August 24, 2005
   BERMUDA - A victim of paedophile Christopher Winslow Darrell has spoken out in defence of the church that hired the convicted child molester.
   The mother of two, who did not want to be identified, said yesterday that if it had not been for the church, she would never have recovered from the traumatic and horrific rape in 1999 – when she was only 16.
   In recent weeks, Darrell made headlines after he was hired by Bright Temple AME Church in Warwick as a musical director.
   The church gave Darrell the position even though it was aware of his previous convictions because the pastor wanted to give Darrell a "second chance".
   He was given the position with restrictions to stay away from the girls in the church because of his history of molesting young girls.
   However, in June Darrell fondled a 13-year-old boy during a music lesson and was subsequently arrested.
   The pastor was quoted in the Press as saying that it was hoped the Lord would step in and help Darrell change his ways, but everyone understood now that it was hard for someone like Darrell to control themselves around children.
• Christian pastor admits to rape and indecent assault. [2001-04 Kin] - Seishin Chuo Kyokai Church. 7 girls.

   American Chronicle, www.american chronicle.com/ articles/view Article.asp? articleID=2052 , By Newswire Services, August 23, 2005
   JAPAN - The Japanese founder of a church has admitted to charges of raping and indecently assaulting young girls, the Mainichi Shimbun reported Tuesday.
   Tamotsu Kin faces charges of violating seven young girls in 22 incidents, including one attempted incident, between March 2001 and September 2004, in locations including the pastor's office at the Seishin Chuo Kyokai church in Yawata, Kyoto prefecture.
   Questioning Kin over the attacks, the presiding judge in Kyoto District Court asked, "Is it right you are not going to argue about the 22 incidents and the seven (victims)?" Kin replied, "Yes."
   In the opening hearing of his trial June 21, Kin would neither deny nor confirm the facts of the charges against him.
• Pastor arrested over urine test. [? 2000s Hornbuckle] - Agape Christian Fellowship. 3 females.

   WFAA, By HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News, 10:01 AM CDT on Tuesday, August 23, 2005
   FORT WORTH (TX) - An Arlington pastor accused of sexually assaulting three women was arrested again last week after failing to provide a urine test.
   The Rev. Terry Hornbuckle, who founded the Agape Christian Fellowship Church in Arlington, was booked into the Tarrant County Jail on Friday.
   Mr. Hornbuckle was indicted in March on four counts of sexual assault. Two of the women, one of whom was 17 at the time, said Mr. Hornbuckle gave them a date-rape drug.
• Two Church Congregations Deal with Allegations. [Myers] - Bible Way Church. Girl. [2002 Atkinson] - First Baptist Church. Girl.
   WLTX, www.wltx.com/ news/news19. aspx?storyid= 29929 , ~ August 24, 2005
   SOUTH CAROLINA - Two Midlands church congregations are dealing with allegations that some may say are hard to believe.
   Theodore Myers, Pastor of Bible Way church in Gadsden is charged with inappropriately touching and exposing himself to a seven-year old girl. Earlier this month, Kenneth Atkinson III, a youth minister at First Baptist Church in Columbia was charged in the alleged rape of a teenaged girl in 2002.
   Many may be wondering when something like this happens to a church how does the congregation survive?
   Dr. Roy King from Columbia International University has spoken to more than 600 churches across the nation dealing with hurt and betrayal. He says it takes time and that congregations should allow themselves time to accept the situation and grieve.
• Ex-CBA Teacher Geisel Waives DWI Hearing, In Jail. [? 2000s Geisel] - RCC. Woman teacher's sex with boy.
   The Empire Journal, ~ August 24, 2005
   ALBANY (NY) - The former Christian Brothers Academy instructor charged with the rape of a 16-year old student waived her right to hearing Tuesday on the findings of the breathalyzer test which sent her back to jail Friday after Albany police charged her for driving while intoxicated.
   Sandra "Beth" Geisel, 42, had been free on $20,000 on charges of felony third degree rape and endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly having sex several times with a 16-year-old CBA student including once in the press box at the school.
   Geisel had been scheduled to appear in Albany Police Court Tuesday morning for a review of the alcohol test results but her attorney, Donald T. Kinsella, notified the court that she was waiving her right to the hearing.
   Her bail had been revoked after arrest on Friday and she is incarcerated at the Albany County Jail. Albany District Attorney David Soares has stated that he will oppose any new bail application by Geisel.
• Primary Teacher Denies Inappropriate Touching of Girls. [2004 Montoya] - Latter Day Saints (Mormon). 3 girls.
   KSL, 7:41am, August 24th, 2005
   OGDEN, Utah (AP) - Aaron Marcos Montoya took the stand and denied putting his hand up the dresses of three young girls in his church Primary class.
   Montoya, 33, of Syracuse, was the last witness to testify on the second day of his trial in 2nd District Court on four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child. The charges stem from allegations about his actions in a Syracuse Primary class for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2004. He faces additional charges involving alleged misconduct on outings and at his home.
   Montoya said he and his wife, Angela, were asked by church leaders to teach the class of 5- and 6-year-olds, and they took turns teaching.
   "I didn't think I was a very good teacher," Montoya said.
   The last class he taught was on Dec. 12, 2004. Montoya said he tied the bow on the dress of one of the two girls in class that day. Earlier in the year, he grabbed the ankle of another girl and put her foot on the floor because she had her feet on her chair, making her underwear visible, he said.
• Former priest abused minors, investigation finds. [1960s-70s LePine] - RCC. 2 girls.
   Detroit Free Press, August 24, 2005
   MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) - An investigation has determined that a longtime Upper Peninsula priest who died five years ago sexually abused minors, the Catholic Diocese of Marquette said.
   A review board validated allegations regarding the Rev. Clement LePine, the diocese said in a statement this week. It said members of St. Joseph Parish in Ishpeming, where LePine was pastor for nearly 30 years, were informed of the findings after masses last weekend.
   Two women reported earlier this year that LePine had abused them as young children during the 1960s and 1970s, the statement said.
   The Diocesan Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People assisted Bishop James Garland in studying the complaints. The board is composed of two priests and six lay persons, including three social workers and a psychiatrist.
• Pay to Pray . - Religion generally.
   East Bay Express, By Chris Thompson, Wednesday, August 24, 2005
   CALIFORNIA - Thank God for child-molesting priests, I always say. On August 5, the Oakland diocese of the Catholic church announced it will pay $56.3 million to victims of sexual abuse, and sell $25.3 million in property to finance the deal. All that land will go back onto the tax rolls-and it's about damn time.
   Ever since the founding of the republic, religious groups have ducked paying their fair share of property taxes, forcing the rest of us to carry those pious pikers. All you taxpayers sick of shelling out dough for cops and firefighters while bishops and ministers laugh all the way to the bank finally get a little payback.
   Let's say all the land about to be sold were located in Oakland, which just barely avoided firing librarians and park rangers to settle a $32 million budget shortfall. That would score the city an extra $330,000 in annual property taxes, enough to hire a fleet of librarians.
   Or take Acts Full Gospel, the largest church in the East Bay, whose Oakland headquarters is assessed at $4,579,330. Two years ago, Bishop Bob Jackson led a mob down to City Hall and demanded the city do something about the homicide epidemic.
   If his church had paid the same taxes we all pay, Oakland would have about $59,000 in extra cash every year-roughly a police officer's salary. Instead, Acts Full Gospel pays just $1,270 in parcel taxes and special assessments.
   Hey, we could go down the list all day. Berkeley's Congregation Beth El, which is about to move into a new home on Oxford Street, should be paying more than twenty grand. It pays $1,478.
   Have I mentioned that Berkeley faced a $10.5 million deficit this summer? The headquarters of Concord's Calvary Temple megachurch is valued at $9,502,310, which should put church leaders on the hook for $105,790. They pay only $13,492.
• Sex-abuse lawsuits multiply. [1960s White] - RCC. 5 boys.
   Denver Post, By Eric Gorski, ~ August 24, 2005
   DENVER (CO) - Three more men filed lawsuits Tuesday alleging that the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver covered up for former priest Harold Robert White despite being warned that he had been accused of molesting boys.
   At a news conference across from archdiocesan headquarters, Brandon Trask's hands shook as he recounted how difficult it was to break 30 years of silence and publicly accuse White. He and another man, identified only as John Doe, filed a complaint in Denver District Court against the archdiocese for unspecified damages.
   Earlier Tuesday, a Miami lawyer filed a $10 million lawsuit on behalf of 52-year-old Greg Roberts of Fort Collins. The former altar boy says he was 14 or 15 when White molested him at church and a social hall in the mid-1960s.
   So far, five men have filed lawsuits against the archdiocese for its handling of White, who in less than a month has become the archdiocese's biggest challenge involving clergy sex abuse since the U.S. church was struck by scandal in 2002.
   "We take these suits very, very seriously," said Fran Maier, chancellor of the Denver archdiocese. "We take the claims seriously and the people behind them very seriously. We're committed to the safety of our families, and we are also committed to pursuing the life of the church, and one is not going to interfere with the other."
• Church in a state. [Maccarone] - RCC.

  Buenos Aires Herald, www.buenosaires herald.com/ editorial/ editorial_ english.jsp? idContent= 198212 , ~ August 24, 2005
   ARGENTINA - The downfall of Santiago del Estero Bishop Juan Carlos Maccarone should be seen firmly within the context of a problem affecting the Church around the world.
   Some attempts to substitute the religious for the political standpoint almost turn out making the erring bishop seem a martyr but nothing can justify the basic inconsistency between his calling with its vows of celibacy and his conduct.
   Pleading a sinister political manoeuvre by the Carlos Juárez clan in Santiago del Estero to entrap the progressive bishop; making the right to privacy the issue; arguing that the virtues of his pastoral work over the past six years in that backward province outweigh his vices; saying "To err is human"; pointing to double standards if the judge Norberto Oyarbide retains his bench to this day after a very similar video of sex with a youth - none of this alters the basic fact that Maccarone has lost all his credibility to continue as a bishop (as he himself recognized).
• Sex abuse at orphanage. [2000s Mother Teresa's order] - RCC. Children.

   Hindustan Times, by Sanjeev K Ahuja, August 23, 2005
   GURGAON, India - The Deepashram orphanage at Gurgaon - for mentally and physically challenged children - has found itself in a controversy after an Italian neurologist complained to the Vatican Embassy about sexual abuse of children at the home.
   The neurologist, Dr Franco, had worked as a volunteer at Deepashram, established by Mother Teresa in 1995, for six months a couple of years ago. Brothers Contemplative - the male wing of Missionaries of Charity - manages the home, which has 66 boys aged between 12 and 26.
   Franco registered his complaint at the Apostolic Nunciature, Chanakyapuri. Second secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature, Father Tomasz Grysa, said they received the "communication from Dr Franco" in February this year. The case has been referred to the hierarchical superiors of the Missionaries of Charity Brothers, Father Grysa said.
   At the orphanage, volunteers did not rule out the possibility of sexual abuse of younger inmates by the older ones. Brother Benedict, a volunteer from Rome, said: "If any case of this kind is reported to us, the guilty boys are punished."
• Suit claims abuses at former school. [Yukon Diocese] - Anglican. Indigenous children.

   Whitehorse Daily Star, www.whitehorse star.com/auth. php?r=39241 , By Candice O'Grady, ~ August 24, 2005
   CANADA - A member of Teslin Tlingit First Nation is bringing the Anglican Church and the federal government to court for sexual, mental and physical abuse he says he suffered at a former residential school in Carcross.
   The school was run by the Anglican Church, specifically the Diocese of the Yukon, under contract from the federal government.
   The student was emotionally, mentally, physically and sexually abused by staff and clergy who were there to "care for and educate" the native children placed at the Carcross school, he alleges.
   There is currently at least one other suit filed in the Yukon Supreme Court against the Anglican Church and the Government of Canada for alleged abuse at the residential school in Carcross.
   The other suit claims the plaintiff was forced to do unpaid work, which "amounts to slave labour."
   This suit does not name labour without pay; however, the plaintiff in this case says he was sexually assaulted throughout his time at the school.
• Tucson diocese nears start of claim settling. [Tucson Diocese] - RCC. $US 22m.

   The Arizona Republic, Associated Press, Aug. 24, 2005
   TUCSON (AZ) - Victims of sexual abuse by clergy could start receiving settlement checks [= cheques] from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson as early as October, attorneys said Tuesday.
   The payments stem from the diocese's bankruptcy case and will be limited to victims whom a bankruptcy judge had previously authorized to receive them.
   During a brief court hearing Tuesday, Judge James Marlar approved previously announced settlements totaling more than $5 million from three insurance companies and $2 million from the diocese's parishes.
   The money will go into a pool of more than $22 million that the diocese will make available to cover claims under its reorganization plan finalized in July. The diocese was the second in the nation to file for Chapter 11 protection in the face of litigation stemming from alleged sexual abuse by priests.
   Marlar entered a written order Aug. 1 approving the reorganization plan and settlements, and the soonest that checks could be issued would be 60 days later.
• More Allegations Made Against Denver Archdiocese. [1960s White] - RCC. Altar boy.
   CBS 4, ~ August 24, 2005
   DENVER (CO) (AP) - Attorneys for a man who claims he was sexually abused by a priest said Tuesday they will file another multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Denver.
   It would be the third lawsuit claiming the archdiocese knew of allegations that the priest, Harold Robert White, was sexually abusing young boys but only transferred him to different parishes. White has since left the priesthood.
   The latest suit will allege that White abused Greg Roberts of Fort Collins beginning in the late 1960s while Roberts was an altar boy at a Roman Catholic Church in Sterling, according to a draft of the suit provided by Herman & Mermelstein, a Miami-based law firm specializing in sexual abuse cases.
• 3 more sue, alleging priest abuse. [1960s White] - RCC. 5 boys.
   Rocky Mountain News, By Fernando Quintero, August 24, 2005
   COLORADO - Three men who say they were sexually abused by a former priest when they were youths have joined two others in suing the Archdiocese of Denver.
   Brandon Trask, now 49 and living in California, and another 49-year- old man identified as "John Doe" filed separate lawsuits in Denver District Court on Tuesday, alleging they were molested by the priest, Harold Robert White.
   Another new suit alleges that White abused Greg Roberts of Fort Collins beginning in the late 1960s while Roberts was an altar boy at a Catholic church in Sterling, according to a draft of the suit provided by a Miami-based law firm specializing in sexual abuse cases.
   Lawyers for Trask and Roberts released their names in news releases.
• Abuse and accountability. - Churches.
   The Seattle Times, By Norton R. Nowlin, Special to The Times, ~ August 24, 2005
   SEATTLE (WA) - The trust of a child is a very delicate matter, creating a tremendous burden of responsibility for the adult caregiver. This burden is also an explicit duty, both moral and legal, to assure that the child's trust is not misplaced by allowing a sexual predator to covertly abuse that boy or girl.
   Of all the places you would not expect to find such people lurking, waiting for an opportunity to molest, is a Christian church where the words of Jesus are commonly enshrined, "Suffer the little children to come unto me, for such is the kingdom of heaven."
   But there are presently some religious denominations whose ecclesiastical policies inadvertently permit supposedly repentant pedophiles to repeat their dirty work under a shield of the priest-counseling privilege. Why these churches routinely protect their identity is incomprehensible.
   These allegedly penitent sex offenders satisfy their cravings until their young victims finally cry abuse to their parents. In most cases, these confused pre-adolescents seriously believe they are the ones to blame and continue into adulthood laboring under a severe burden of guilt.
   [COMMENT: Child sex abuse is not brought into the light of day the way this writer states. COMMENT ENDS.]
• A 'voice for social justice' dies. [1960s ?+ Cole] - RCC. 5 girls.
   The Courier-Journal, By Paula Burba, pburba@courier-journal.com , August 24, 2005
   LOUISVILLE (KY) - Monsignor Alfred F. Horrigan, a well-known Louisville human-rights advocate and founding president of what is now Bellarmine University, died yesterday after a long illness at age 90.
   Horrigan lived his last days at Nazareth Home, a healthcare facility overlooking the Bellarmine campus that he nurtured from its founding in 1949 as an all-male Catholic university and led for the next 23 years as president. ...
   Horrigan did draw some criticism after the sexual-abuse scandal erupted in the Archdiocese of Louisville in 2002-well after his retirement. Horrigan testified in a deposition then that he took no action against a priest accused of molesting a girl.
   He acknowledged that the girl's parents had accused the Rev. Kevin Cole, then a Bellarmine professor, of molesting their daughter in the early 1960s and that he took no action after Cole assured him that he had an appointment with a psychiatrist. Cole went on to molest at least four other girls, according to lawsuits filed against the archdiocese. Cole died in 1991.
• Jesuits review abuse claims. [~ 1980 McCaffrey (Jesuit)] - RCC.
   News-Miner, www.news-miner. com/Stories/0, 1413,113~7244~ 3023934,00.html , By MARY BETH SMETZER, ~ August 24, 2005
   FAIRBANKS (AK) - The priest in charge of the Jesuit ministry in Alaska said the order will conduct its own investigation of allegations the former pastor of Immaculate Conception Church sexually abused minors while serving in Alaska.
   If the claims are credible, the Rev. Richard McCaffrey would be permanently removed from of all priestly ministry for the rest of his life.
   "We take very seriously any allegations like this and make sure everyone is given just treatment, including Father McCaffrey," said the Rev. John Whitney, provincial of the Oregon Province.
   McCaffrey is in residence and under restriction at the Portland, Ore., Jesuit community until three recent claims of sexual misconduct can be sorted out.
   Fairbanks Diocese Catholic Bishop Donald Kettler put McCaffrey on administrative leave in May after a woman came forward saying the priest molested her about 25 years ago when she was 10 years old and living in western Alaska. Kettler removed McCaffrey from ministry in the Fairbanks diocese last week, a move he announced to the diocese in a letter read during Sunday services.
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Wed August 24, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
• Church acknowledges alleged abuse. [1969 Feely (Franciscan)] - RCC.
   The Rockford River Times, www.rockriver times.com/index. pl?cmd=view story&id=10969 , By Melissa Wangall, Part 5 of a 5-part report, Aug. 24-30, 2005 issue
   Editor's note: This article contains sexually explicit material that may not be suitable for all readers. Reader discretion is advised.
   All non-clergy members' names have been changed due to the graphic nature of the alleged abuse and the age of the victim at the time of the alleged abuse.
   ILLINOIS - Thomas White wishes religious affiliations had come forward with their knowledge of sexual abuse sooner. He feels things may have been different for him.
   "I think the biggest part is that your whole childhood is stolen," White said. "I went from preadolescence into adulthood. I think the biggest thing they stole was what could have been."
   White was allegedly sexually abused by Father Theodore "Ted" Feely, assistant pastor at St. Anthony's Church in Rockford, in the summer of 1969 while on a trip to the Wisconsin Dells. White was 13 at the time of the alleged abuse, Feely 38.
   White now feels disenfranchised with the church, and hasn't regularly attended mass since 2002.
   "I have more respect for organized crime," White said. "At least they admitted what they were. They never denied what they did.
   "It only makes sense for a bishop to come forward if he listens to his heart and says we have a perpetrator; and to also let the victims know there's help available," White added. "That's the Christian thing to do. Will they do it? That's what's frustrating."
   White is also angry the church never issued an apology. "I never got an apology from them [the church], only from the scribe [who took down details of White's abuse]," he said.
   Bishop Thomas Doran of the Rockford Diocese wrote in a letter to "the people of the Rockford Diocese" in January 2004: "I am especially sorrowful when the abuser is someone affiliated with the Diocese of Rockford - be they priest, deacon, religious, lay minister or volunteer. We reach out to each and every victim in sorrow for the sins of our brethren. We fervently pray and hope that God will help you heal."
   Bishop Doran's letter is viewable online at www.rockford- diocese.org/audit/ BishopLtr.htm . [Not displaying 17 Sep 05]
   The Rev. Monsignor David D. Kagan, a vicar general and moderator of the Curia of the Rockford Diocese, did not return phone calls for comment on this series.
   Father Luke Poczworowski, present pastor of St. Anthony's, said in a recent phone conversation: "I was surprised [about allegations against Feely made in 2002]. I was not aware of that [alleged abuse during 1969]. ... We have given them [survivors/victims] counseling. The case is closed.
   "To my knowledge, Feely was moved four times," Poczworowski added. "When he went to California, I lost contact with him."
   The Conventual Franciscan Order of St. Bonaventure, to which St. Anthony's priests belong, used to have one province, including Wisconsin, Michigan, California, Illinois, and Iowa. After Feely's move to California from Rockford, the province was split into two provinces, and Feely decided to join the California district.
   Anne Curley, who handles public relations for the Franciscans, assured the church "had absolutely no idea [alleged] abuse was going on [in 1969]… It was impossible to have a thorough investigation [in 2002, due to Feely being deceased]."
   When asked why Feely was moved around so often, Curley said: "There was no awareness of any problem at that point. It was just a normal rotation in terms of St. Anthony's."
   The provincial of the California Conventual Franciscan Friars said Feely's personnel file did not look different when compared with others of his status during that time. There were more priests than available assignments, so priests were pulled as needed. Written reasons for movement are not available, as notations were not kept at the time, and provincials from Feely's era are deceased, although Friars from Feely's era were also surprised allegations were made against him. None had "suspected any problems," Curley said.
   White insists Feely gave him a $100 bill every day of the four days spent in the Wisconsin Dells. He said he believes the money came from the church's general fund.
   Curley explained: "Franciscans take a vow of poverty...and are paid a monthly stipend divvied from donations and clergy's salary."
   Money is also budgeted for church programs and other expenses per needs.
   "The assumption was made they [Franciscans] would do what they could for anyone who came forward that indicated they had a problem," Curley said.
St. Anthony's goes public
   The following is from a June 25, 2002, Rockford Register Star article by Geri Nikolai and Edith C. Webster:
   The Rev. Luke Poczworowski informed parishioners at weekend Masses that two men [one being Thomas White] have made claims of abuse by the Rev. Ted Feely, who was at St. Anthony from 1968 to 1972. Both men were minors at the time of the alleged abuse.
   "I wanted to be proactive," Poczworowski said. "I have always been up front with my parishioners, and I don't want that to change."
   Poczworowski said he conferred with Bishop Thomas Doran of the Rockford Diocese and his parish council before going public with the news.
   In a follow-up letter to church members, Poczworowski asked anyone who has been victimized by a Franciscan to call the order's regional headquarters in Chicago at 800-230-5774. He told parishioners some of them may be able to help by providing information to Franciscan investigators.
   The Catholic Diocese issued the following statement to the media in 2002 following the revelation of the allegations: "We are deeply saddened by the allegations of sexual abuse of minors that have been made against a priest who was assigned to St. Anthony Parish in Rockford between 1968 and 1972. Because the priest was a Franciscan friar and because the parish was owned and served by the Conventual Franciscans of St. Bonaventure, based in Chicago, they have begun an investigation of those allegations.
   "Our first concern, of course, is for the victims of any abuse. The Franciscans have asked anyone with information relevant to their investigation to contact them or the Winnebago County State's Attorney, and we concur with that recommendation.
   "The parish was not under the control of the Diocese at the time, so the Diocese is not involved in the investigation. However, we want to express our deep sorrow for any cases that have occurred anywhere, and we extend our deepest sympathy and apologies to all victims of sexual abuse. Sexual abuse of anyone, but especially of minors, is a grave evil. We deplore it and are committed to doing all that is humanly possible to prevent it from occurring in the future."
   Bishop Doran himself issued the following statement to the press in 2002: "Let me be clear: Sexual abuse by anyone - but most especially innocent children - is both an unspeakable sin and a serious crime. I find it despicable and repugnant. It is both a travesty and a tragedy, and any perpetrator will have to answer to his or her God for such a truly awful and horrible breach of trust and faith."
   Dr. Owen Phelps, Rockford Diocese communications director, said in an Aug. 12, 2005, e-mail that his "records indicate that the bishop has commented on the issue of sexual abuse in his column in The Observer, the Diocese's weekly newspaper, at least 11 times since the start of January 2002 - basically in the same vein as the statement above."
   Phelps added, "All employees and volunteers for the Diocese are required to attend special training in prevention of sexual abuse of minors, and many thousands have taken that course."
Rockford Diocese's sexual abuse report
   In 2002, Rockford Diocese released a report concerning allegations of sexual abuse occurring in the Diocese from 1950 to 2002. "Six priests from religious orders were turned over to the superiors of their respective religious orders for resolution," according to the "Report on the History of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Priests in the Diocese of Rockford." Priest and order names were not released.
   The Rockford Diocese did not employ the priests on the list at the time allegations were made. Some alleged instances were not reported until decades after the incident.
   "There is no clergyman in parish ministry in the Diocese of Rockford today who has ever had an allegation made against him," the report states.
   The report also explains that anyone wishing to make an allegation is advised to call local authorities and the Diocese of Rockford victim abuse line at 815-962-9347. A victim assistant coordinator is also available.
   The Diocese has had an intervention team to deal with allegations of sexual misconduct by priests since 1987, and is taking more steps to prevent future sexual abuse by clergy.
   According to the Rockford Diocese Web site, the Diocese screens and tests candidates for the priesthood and deaconate (including background checks, psychological tests, and one-on-one interviews). It also conducts ongoing training and education (focused on detection and prevention), and responds promptly and decisively to allegations of sexual abuse.
   The Diocese also removes clergymen from ministry when the allegations against them are credible. Diocesan children are also involved with a "Personal Safety Program," offered by Carrie Lynn Children's Center in Rockford. This program helps kids in kindergarten through sixth grades identify abuse, avoid abuse, and know what to do if they are abused.
   "The Rockford Diocese is compliant with all articles of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, implemented in 2002," the Diocese Web site reads. "Since the last compliance audit, the Diocese has not received any allegations of sexual abuse wherein the victim is still a minor. The Diocese has not transferred any priest or deacon who has had a credible allegation of sexual abuse made against him to another ministerial assignment since the last audit."
   The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People reads, "Offending priest or deacon is to be permanently removed from ministry and, if warranted, dismissed from the clerical state."
   Before the implementation of the charter in 2002, the church had taken other steps against sexual abuse against minors.
   Phelps said, "No priest found guilty of sexual abuse would be sent to another parish where he would be in contact with children."
   Many people question the motives behind allegations made against clergy members. Is it money accusers are after?
   In a Feb. 3, 2005, article by Michael Fisher of The Press-Enterprise newspaper in southern California, Robin Woolsey, a former parishioner of Queen of Angels Church in Riverside, Calif., said: "It's an opportunity to make a buck by leveling charges that really can't be defended."
   Woolsey used to meet Feely before the school and church were opened.
   "I was alone with him many, many times, and never once did anything happen or did I feel uncomfortable," Woolsey said.
   Former altar boy Rob Meier echoed Woolsey's comments by saying: "We [him and his brother] were in and out of the rectory all the time, and we never experienced anything like that."
   White responds by saying: "…typical response of a Catholic with blinders on. They don't want to believe their pastor could be capable…of molesting a 13-year-old boy.
   "You are fortunate if it didn't happen to you or your children. I consider you blessed," White added.
   Julie Barthels, Rockford Sexual Assault Counseling (RSAC) clinical director, said: "If other persons come forward and deny any abuse by a charged clergy, this doesn't mean the priest didn't abuse someone else. Offenders usually choose someone they perceive as vulnerable, which can lead to questions [from the abused] such as ‘Why me?' and thoughts such as ‘There must be something wrong with me since no one else was abused.'"
   Barthels added: "Telling someone it's [sexual abuse] in the past, and to just put it behind them is going to set them back."
   Determining if Father Feely, a Franciscan Friar, did sexually abuse minors is one thing we may never know - he passed away in September 1991.
   White said telling his story might bring him some peace as well as help others.
   "A lot of them [abused people] take their secret to the grave," White said. "[But] the meetings do help. Anyone who was abused, go to the SNAP [The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests] Web site [www.snapnetwork.org]. They're anonymous. Please come forward. They can point you in the right direction."
   White has been affiliated with this organization for the past year. It is a support group aimed at helping sexual abuse survivors and victims of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. White has benefited, but is also angry the church never told him these groups existed, even though SNAP holds demonstrations against clergy who cannot or will not fess up to past and present sexual misconducts.
   The Web site of www.ncrnew.org/abuse offers links to sexual abuse information, and www.survivorsfirst.org has a database of clergy alleged or convicted of sexual abuse.
   "There's always hope things will get better," Barthels said. "And I've watched it happen. If I didn't see it, I wouldn't be able to keep this job." Barthels has 20 years of experience and has worked at RSAC for nine years.
   Thomas White has not filed a legal complaint against St. Anthony's Church, but has legal counsel. His attorney, Jeff Anderson, is credited with representing more than 700 cases of sexual abuse by clergy.
   In a recent e-mail, Thomas White wrote: "I remember so many times just praying to die but always hoping to live to tell the truth in my heart. That time has come."
   Bishop Doran wrote in his January 2004 letter to the "people of the Rockford Diocese": "My heart aches and my prayers rise to heaven for anyone who has ever been abused by anyone. Any abuse that has ever happened at the hands of someone in the priesthood or religious life is a terrible crime and an unspeakable sin, and it truly breaks my heart. It is tragic that any priest trusted by people to act in the person of Christ has failed in that trust." # [A brief version is with the rest of this series in the CSAT for September 12, 2005] [Aug. 24-30, 05]
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Thu August 25, 2005 edition follows:-
• Protecting children a priority at parishes, schools, seminaries. - RCC.

   Catholic Sentinel, www.sentinel. org/articles/ 2005-34/14164. html , by Archbishop John Vlazny, Aug/25/2005
   PORTLAND (OR) - This past June at the spring assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which was promulgated in 2002, was updated based on the experiences of dioceses across the country over the past three years.
   Here in the Archdiocese of Portland we have been greatly challenged by the multiple allegations of child sexual abuse by some of our own priests in years past and our ongoing efforts to reach a resolution to these claims, now with the help of the bankruptcy court. These crimes have alienated many people, and true reconciliation will be achieved only with the help of prayer and God's grace. But we must do our part by compensating victims for their suffering and supporting them by our prayers and care.
   The revised Charter also commits us to creating a safe environment within our church for people and young people. This is a responsibility we have taken seriously. Our archdiocese continues to implement the Charter more fully and has been found in full compliance during the previous audits of October 2003 and October 2004. Another on-site audit is scheduled for late October and early November of this year.
   Our Ministry Review Board meets regularly and has advised me on a variety of issues related to archdiocesan policies and practices concerning child abuse and the assurance of a safe environment for all in our churches and schools. By way of example, recently we received some warnings about predators in churches from Washington County authorities. In response to a suggestion from the Review Board, we sent notice to every parish to monitor its restrooms and to encourage parents to accompany their children to the restrooms, even if that meant some disturbance to church services. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:23 PM]
• Support group asks victims to speak out. [20yrs White] - RCC. 12 boys.
   Rocky Mountain News, By Felix Doligosa Jr., August 25, 2005
   COLORADO - A group that supports victims of sex abuse by clergy took to the streets of Harold Robert White's former Catholic church's neighborhood this morning to encourage people to speak out about sexual assaults by priests.
   The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) handed out flyers near the Good Shepard Catholic Church telling potential victims how to reach out for help and to report abuse.
   The effort comes on the heels of five lawsuits filed against the Archdiocese of Denver in recent weeks against White, who was a former Catholic priest at the church. The lawsuits accuse White of molesting more than a dozen boys over a 20-year period.
   SNAP suggests people talk about their experiences with family, friends and police, but not members of the church. It does not matter how long ago the assaults occurred.
• Catholics: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow - A Public Forum. - RCC. Fr Tom Doyle to speak.
   ArriveNet , ~ August 25, 2005
   BROOKLINE (MA) - A public forum for Catholics and other interested parties will be held on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2005 at the Holiday Inn, 1200 Beacon Street, Brookline, Massachusetts, on the outskirts of Boston proper. Its purpose will be to review Canon Law (the body of laws of the church), especially those relating to celebrating Mass. It will explore the alternate worshipping styles that have taken place for many Catholics who no longer attend Sunday Mass in a traditional church building. There will also be a discussion regarding one's spiritual growth in the face of a crisis in faith.
   CITI Ministries/Rentapriest.com, a free referral service of married Catholic priests, is sponsoring the day that will feature as keynote speaker, Fr. Tom Doyle, a Canon Lawyer and recent recipient of several Priests of Integrity awards for his many years of work in behalf of clergy sexual abuse victims. Fr. Doyle's topic will be, "Canon Law: Whom does it work for in today's church?"
• Signorile Views: A Monsignor's Closet. [2005 Monsignor Clark] - RCC. Says homosexuals destroying marriage; allegedly himself destroying a marriage.
   Windy City Times. by Michelangelo Signorile, Aug-24-2005
   NEW YORK - When last we heard from the rector at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Monsignor Eugene Clark, it was April of 2002, when he made headlines amid the priest sexual abuse scandal, practically calling for a new Spanish Inquisition, this time directed solely at homosexuals.
   Standing in one Sunday for the befuddled and hiding Cardinal Egan - under attack for having ignored abusive priests - Clark, rector at what is arguably the seat of the Catholic Church in America, ranted that homosexuality is a "disorder" and said it was a "grave mistake" to allow gays into the priesthood, blaming them for the sex abuse scandal. Clark has long upheld the Vatican belief that homosexuals - and the liberals who support them - are bringing down society, and, of course, want to destroy the institution of marriage. He also attacked those who are critical of celibacy.
   Now here is Monsignor Clark, three years later, at the age of 79, exposed as engaging in an adulterous affair with a married women 30 years younger, proving that the greatest threat to marriage is in fact pompous, hypocritical, heterosexual men who can't keep their dicks to themselves even as they become octogenarians.
   There is a God!
• Boys ranch sued over abuse. - RCC. [Weitensteiner and others] - RCC. Boys.
   Seattle Post-Intelligencer. http://seattlepi. nwsource.com/ local/aplocal_ story.asp?category= 6420&slug= WA%20Boys%20 Ranch%20Sex , THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, ~ August 25, 2005
   SPOKANE, Wash. - The Morning Star Boys' Ranch, a Catholic-run institution for troubled boys, is being sued by two former residents who claim they were sexually abused by counselors.
   The lawsuit filed in Spokane County Superior Court on Wednesday contended that in one incident, two counselors forced several boys to pose for photographs with flowers protruding from their rectums.
   The lawsuit, the latest in a string of abuse allegations against the ranch, said those photographs were circulated among the staff and residents at Morning Star, and were kept in the desk of the Rev. Joseph Weitensteiner, the ranch's revered director.
   "It was a joke to them," the former resident, identified in court documents as W.K., said in a July interview with The Spokesman-Review newspaper.
• Settlement Reached in Church RICO Case. [3 dioceses] - RCC. Hower case.
   The Conservative Voice, www.theconservative voice.com/articles/ article.html?id=7772 , By Matt C. Abbott, August 25, 2005
   UNITED STATES - In July 2004, former seminarian Philip Hower filed a RICO suit against several Catholic bishops and dioceses, alleging that his ordination was blocked because he had blown the whistle on the activities of certain corrupt clergy. (See: www.cruxnews. com/rose/rose- 23july04.html )
   A settlement in this case was reached on August 18, 2005. The exact terms of the settlement have not been released.
   Hower's attorney, Ivan Abrams, issued the following statement (edited):
   "After years of litigation, opposition, and frustration, plaintiffs Philip A. Hower and his mother, Meta Hower, settled their racketeering (RICO) lawsuit against the Dioceses of Tucson, Harrisburg, Columbus, and others, as well as against a number of prominent bishops, including Keeler and Kicanas.
   "The suit alleged that the Roman Catholic Church in North America has conducted itself for years through a pattern of racketeering activity based upon fraud and obstruction of justice. These activities were designed according to the suit, to protect the Church from the ramifications of the sexual perversions and assaults committed by some of its priests. Documents filed in court set forth a scheme where pervert priests were transferred from diocese to diocese, provided with stipends and never turned over to the police or civil authorities.
• Boy Sex Victim: "Gilpin Abused Me". [1960s Gilpin] - RCC. Boys.
   News Manatee, www.news manatee.com , ~ August 25, 2005
   BRADENTON, Florida (NMT) - Joseph Gilpin was the Assistant Principal of Manatee County's Haile Middle School and a long-term school district employee. He resigned last year amid allegations of sexual abuse by the man whose story you are about to read and of students here in Manatee County. A complaint was filed with the Sheriff's Office at one point. The school district already knew of Gilpin's alleged past.
   "In February 2002, then Superintendent Dan Nolan and school district attorney Rob Shapiro were informed of a civil suit filed in Massachusetts alleging the former Haile assistant principal molested a boy while he was a Catholic seminarian in the late 1960s," two staff writers for Bradenton's Herald Today wrote earlier this year. The paper was then called The Bradenton Herald.
   But the Manatee County students who were allegedly molested and the man who filed the Massachusetts civil suit aren't the only ones to complain about Gilpin.
   Around the year 1967-68, when Gilpin was still a seminarian, he was transferred from Boston to St. Mary's Parochial School in Biddeford, Maine. According to one person, now a man of 50 years, but then only 12, Gilpin was teaching students of the 5th grade at the school when he allegedly became "friendly" with the young boy whose younger brother was in Gilpin's 5th grade class.
   Harvey Rene' Paul was young and pretty. And, he was an altar boy. He was a perfect victim for sexual abuse by a member of the clergy so inclined. This is Harvey Rene' Paul's story, in his own words, as told exclusively to NewsManatee. Unwilling to come forward before, he now tells all. Nothing has been edited out. Nothing has been added. It is long enough to tell in two parts. This is Part One. It is not salacious, but it is open and frank - nothing was held back.
• Montoya guilty. [2000s Montoya] - Latter-day Saints (Mormon). 3 girls.
   Standard-Examiner, By Loretta Park , Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau, Thursday, August 25, 2005
   OGDEN (UT)- Several jurors wiped away tears as the court clerk read four guilty verdicts Wednesday, bringing to an end an eight-month case against Aaron Marcos Montoya, a former LDS Primary teacher.
   Montoya, 33, of Syracuse, was visibly shaken as bailiffs took him into custody following the verdicts that took four men and four women three hours to reach Wednesday at Ogden's 2nd District Court.
   Montoya was charged with four counts of first-degree felony aggravated sexual abuse of a child. Three girls took the stand during the two days of testimony and said Montoya inappropriately touched them while they prayed or colored pictures in 2004 in a Syracuse Primary class for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
   "This is certainly a victory. It got a serial pedophile off the streets," the father of one of the girls said after the hearing.
• Ex-Primary teacher guilty of sex abuse. [2000s Montoya] - Latter-day Saints (Mormon). 3 girls.
   Deseret Morning News, By Joseph M. Dougherty, ~ August 25, 2005
   OGDEN (UT)-An eight-person jury found Aaron Marcos Montoya guilty Wednesday of four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child to conclude a three-day trial where the children testified they were abused in their church Primary class.
   The former Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office employee was taken into custody after the four men and four women returned the guilty verdict. Montoya now faces a five years to life prison sentence, which is standard for a first-degree felony conviction.
   2nd District Judge Thomas Kay scheduled a sentencing on Sept. 26 after Montoya's wife, Angela, stood and asked the judge to change an earlier date so the sentencing wouldn't take place on their son's birthday.
   Meanwhile, sobs and gasps came from Montoya's family members after the verdict was read.
• Church teacher guilty of fondling. [2000-05 Montoya] - Latter-day Saints (Mormon). 5 girls.
   The Salt Lake Tribune, By Kristen Moulten, ~ August 25, 2005
   OGDEN (UT) - Aaron Marcos Montoya, his face ashen and body stiff, would not turn and face his former fellow LDS ward members Thursday as he was handcuffed and led from the courtroom after being convicted of fondling their young daughters in primary class.
   Montoya, who exchanged a long look with his crying wife, Angela, was shocked by the jury's verdict after just three hours of deliberation, said his attorney, Ed Brass. "He's not doing real well."
   Montoya, 33, faces as much prison time as he would if he had committed murder. The 10-year employee of the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office is to be sentenced Sept. 26 in Farmington's 2nd District Court on four counts of aggravated child sexual abuse.
   The former court bailiff also faces six counts involving other alleged victims in Davis and Weber counties. At least five girls ranging from 4 to 11 were abused over the past five years, charges filed in those cases allege.
   Detective Sgt. Mark Sessions, of Syracuse, said he hopes Montoya will plead guilty to the other charges and spare the girls from testifying.
• Former choir director charged after being seen with children. [1991+ Trepinski] - RCC. 2 children.
   Sun Herald, August 25, 2005
   FLORIDA - A former Port Charlotte church choir director, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 1993 for sexually abusing a boy, was arrested Tuesday after being seen around children at an amusement park.
   Richard James Trepinski, 68, 4437 Parmely St., Charlotte Harbor, was charged with violating conditions of his probation by being found in an area where children congregate when someone reported seeing him at Kid Star Park on Aug. 19.
   Trepinski, the former choir director at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, pleaded no contest to molesting at least two children in the choir in April 1993. He received a 20-year prison sentence, but was released in April 2001.
   Trepinski was charged with molesting one boy during a choir trip through the western United States in the summer of 1991. Following the trip, Trepinski continued molesting the boy until he threatened to tell a year later, according to court records.
• White: Sex Abuse Allegations Contain 'Half-Truths'. [20yrs White] - RCC. 12 boys.
   CBS 4, ~ August 25, 2005
   DENVER (CO) (CBS4) - Harold White, once a member of the Denver archdiocese and now the focus of lawsuits by five men contending they were sexually abused, spoke exclusively to CBS4 News on Thursday and said he feels "rotten."
   White still wears a St. Christopher medal around his neck. He has a clock in his family room that chimes like church bells on the hour. The lawsuits seek damages from the Denver Archdiocese, not White. The alleged victims contend church leaders knew White molested children and did nothing to stop him.
   White, who cannot face criminal charges because the statute of limitations for any crimes he may have committed has expired, spoke to CBS4 against the advice of his attorneys. While he didn't deny the allegations against him, he did say the lawsuits contain half-truths.
   "I don't want to say lies, but...." Harold Robert White said as CBS4's Katherine Blake stood outside his open apartment door. "There's a lot of, half truths.
• Accused priest: 'I feel rotten'. [20yrs White] - RCC. 12+ boys.
   Rocky Mountain News, By Tillie Fong, August 25, 2005
   DENVER (CO) - Harold Robert White, a former Catholic priest who has been accused of molesting more than a dozen boys in his parishes over a 20-year period, said he is upset over the allegations raised in lawsuits filed by some of the victims in the past week.
   "I feel rotten," he told CBS 4 News on Wednesday, while standing behind the front door to his apartment.
   When asked if he felt if he was wrongly accused, White said, "There's a lot of half-truths and, I don't want to say, lies, but ... "
   White apparently took issue with some of the statements that attorneys for the victims made about the timeline of the cases.
   "This all ended in 1981," he told CBS 4 News, but declined to explain what "this" meant.
   White also appeared to be puzzled about why the allegations are surfacing at this time.
• The Drive to Create Pedophile-Free Zones: Why It Won't Work - And What Will Work. - Roman Catholic Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, and others.
   FindLaw, http://writ.news. findlaw.com/ hamilton/2005 0825.html , By MARCI HAMILTON, hamilton02@aol.com , Thursday, Aug. 25, 2005
   UNITED STATES - Towns in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and elsewhere are currently considering whether to create what I will call "Pedophile-free Zones." The usual gambit is to prevent convicted sex offenders from living within 1,000 or even 2,500 feet of a school, playground, or other area where children might be.
   The lawmakers' motives are pure, but this approach will not work. Indeed, it would create the dangerous illusion of safety, while leaving our children right where they are now - at an unacceptable level of risk. Fortunately, however, there are other, far more effective means of protecting our children. ...
   There are ten legal reforms that need to be put into place if we are to ensure that children will be safer tomorrow than they are today, and they have nothing to do with zoning. They are as follows:
   1. The law should require that professionals with access to children turn abusers in. We must make all professionals (doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, teachers, and clergy) strictly liable - that is, subject to liability regardless of proof of fault-if they fail to report suspected child abuse.
   While the rest of us were ignorant of the scope of childhood sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, the Jehovah's Witnesses, and other congregations, the religious leaders were lobbying to be exempt from reporting child abuse. Now that we know the facts, it is irresponsible for any state to exempt clergy from these reporting requirements: They are often the only ones who know about child abuse, and, it turns out, are utterly ineffective in stopping it; indeed, they may end up acting to, in effect, shield the perpetrator, allowing him to strike again and again. It cannot be said often enough: Self-policing does not work.
   (A fuller version is below.)
• 6 allege abuse at Catholic home. [~ 1960s Madonna Manor] - RCC. 6 boys.
   The Times-Picayune, By Bruce Nolan, Thursday, August 25, 2005
   NEW ORLEANS (LA) - Half a dozen men have filed lawsuits alleging they were sexually molested, beaten and frequently humiliated 40 years ago by nuns, priests and civilian staff members at Madonna Manor, a Catholic home for troubled children in Marrero.
   The six lawsuits represent the largest concentration of complaints involving a single institution or individual in the Archdiocese of New Orleans' three-year experience in dealing with complaints of past sexual abuse.
   The suits are based on plaintiffs' experiences between the ages of 4 and 14. In many cases they name staff members and recount specific beatings or episodes of rape or sexual molestation.
   A few also allege abuse by adult strangers whose identities the plaintiffs hope to learn as the lawsuits' investigative process unfolds. Other complaints are more generalized, describing a climate of physical and psychological abuse in which nuns beat them severely and told them they were worthless, or that no one loved them.
   In response, the archdiocese has been poring over old records to reach its own assessment of conditions at Madonna Manor during the 1960s, when the allegations are clustered, said the Rev. William Maestri, the archdiocese's spokesman.
• Frail priest accused of rape to know his fate. [? 1980s Priest] - RCC. Child.

   IOL, www.iol.co. za/index.php ?click_id=13&art _id=vn2005082 5072903195 C280177&set_id= , by Tania Broughton, 08:58AM, August 25 2005
   SOUTH AFRICA - An elderly Roman Catholic priest, who is accused of raping a child more than 25 years ago, will know in October whether or not he will have to stand trial.
   And should the trial proceed, there were indications on Wednesday that one of the witnesses could be Cardinal Wilfrid Napier himself.
   The Durban priest, 76, who cannot be named until he formally pleads to the rape charges, made an application in the Durban magistrate's court more than a year ago for a stay of prosecution, arguing prejudice should he be forced to answer to the charges.
   The application, made by advocate Rob Mossop, has been postponed several times because the priest has been too ill to come to court. It is believed he recently had heart surgery.
• Sexual abuse suit filed against former KC priest. [1970s Bishop Hart] - RCC. Boy.

   The Kansas City Star, By STEVE ROCK, ~ August 25, 2005
   KANSAS CITY (MO) - A Kansas City-area man on Wednesday filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against a former local priest, calling the priest's alleged actions "utterly repugnant."
   The plaintiff, identified in court papers as "John Doe E.K.," alleged he was sexually abused by the Rev. Joseph Hart on at least two occasions in the early 1970s at St. John Francis Regis church.
   The suit was filed in Jackson County Circuit Court.
   Hart, who served at several parishes in Kansas City, is now a retired bishop in Wyoming. Hart's attorney, Larry Ward, said Wednesday he had not read the lawsuit but that Hart "absolutely, categorically" denied any wrongdoing.
   The lawsuit was revealed at a sidewalk news conference just outside the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph chancery in Kansas City. The news conference was organized by a Chicago-based organization called Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
• Retired bishop faces new allegation. [? 1970s Bishop Hart] - RCC. 5 complainants.
   Star-Tribune, By ROBERT W. BLACK, Star-Tribune capital bureau, Thursday, August 25, 2005
   CHEYENNE (WY) - Following new allegations of sexual abuse by now-retired Bishop Joseph Hart, a support group for victims of clergy abuse on Wednesday asked Roman Catholic Church officials in Wyoming to remove Hart's name from a wing at St. Joseph's Children's Home in Torrington.
   "It sends the wrong message when we name an institution like that after someone like Bishop Hart," said Barbara Blaine, president and founder of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, which is based in Chicago.
   She also called on Bishop David Ricken, leader of Wyoming's 50,000 Catholics, to work harder to reach and help anyone who might have been assaulted by Hart.
   "We are extremely concerned for other victims who are out there and other children who may be at risk in the state of Wyoming," she said.
   Five people have now filed suit against Hart, who has repeatedly and adamantly denied the prior accusations. Attempts to reach him and his attorney Wednesday were unsuccessful.
• Diocese settles sexual-abuse lawsuit. [Harrisburg Diocese] - RCC. The Hower case.
   The Patriot-News, BY MARY WARNER, Thursday, August 25, 2005
   PENNSYLVANIA - An $18,000 settlement has ended a federal suit in Arizona that accused the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg and 23 other defendants of protecting sexual abusers.
   The diocese was ready "to defend vigorously against this lawsuit," said the Rev. William King, judicial vicar, but "it would be more costly to pursue even a pretrial dismissal" than to join the settlement. The diocese's contribution was $4,500.
   In the 2004 suit, Philip Hower, 46, of Tucson, claimed that he was blocked from the priesthood for reporting priests' sexual advances toward him and to others in Pennsylvania and Arizona.
   Six dioceses and 18 clergy were defendants-including Cardinal William Keeler and Bishop Wilton Gregory, former president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Most of the suit involved the Tucson diocese. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:31 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Thu August 25, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
• The Drive to Create Pedophile-Free Zones: Why It Won't Work - And What Will Work. - Roman Catholic Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, polygamy sects, and others.

   FindLaw, http://writ.news. findlaw.com/ hamilton/2005 0825.html , By MARCI HAMILTON, hamilton02@aol.com , Thursday, Aug. 25, 2005
   UNITED STATES - Towns in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and elsewhere are currently considering whether to create what I will call "Pedophile-free Zones." The usual gambit is to prevent convicted sex offenders from living within 1,000 or even 2,500 feet of a school, playground, or other area where children might be.
   The lawmakers' motives are pure, but this approach will not work. Indeed, it would create the dangerous illusion of safety, while leaving our children right where they are now - at an unacceptable level of risk. Fortunately, however, there are other, far more effective means of protecting our children. ...
   There are ten legal reforms that need to be put into place if we are to ensure that children will be safer tomorrow than they are today, and they have nothing to do with zoning. They are as follows:
   1. The law should require that professionals with access to children turn abusers in. We must make all professionals (doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, teachers, and clergy) strictly liable - that is, subject to liability regardless of proof of fault-if they fail to report suspected child abuse.
   While the rest of us were ignorant of the scope of childhood sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, the Jehovah's Witnesses, and other congregations, the religious leaders were lobbying to be exempt from reporting child abuse. Now that we know the facts, it is irresponsible for any state to exempt clergy from these reporting requirements: They are often the only ones who know about child abuse, and, it turns out, are utterly ineffective in stopping it; indeed, they may end up acting to, in effect, shield the perpetrator, allowing him to strike again and again. It cannot be said often enough: Self-policing does not work.
   The problem with the reporting statutes has been inadequate enforcement, but the tools are there if legislators care enough about children to enforce reporting. State legislators ought to adopt a stair-step approach: First, any professional who knew about child abuse and failed to report it, at any time, must pay a mandatory fine of $500 and do 300 hours of community service. Two failures to report child abuse ought to require a $5,000 fine, and 1000 hours of community service. Three failures, and those professionals who are licensed by the state lose their licenses, those who are employed by government (such as public school teachers) lose their jobs, and all serve a mandatory minimum 30 days in jail.
   2. All states must abolish the statute of limitations on childhood sexual abuse. As I have discussed in a previous column, this is a crucial measure that must be taken so that these predators can never rest assured that they have gotten off scot-free.
   3. All states ought to create incentives for existing victims to out their perpetrators, who are in all likelihood still abusing children. On average, a pedophile will victimize hundreds of children. States should retroactively abolish the statute of limitations on childhood sexual abuse - so perpetrators cannot use the passage of time as an excuse to avoid accountability.
   I am suggesting a permanently opened window. Relatively short "windows" of retroactivity (lasting one year), in which suits can be brought even though the statute of limitations has expired, have been created for child abuse victims in states like California and Illinois, because groups like the Catholic Conference in the states often lobby against such liability. There should, however, be permanent retroactivity - in other words, abolition -- of the statutes of limitations on childhood sexual abuse, in order to stop already-active predators from striking again. (The Supreme Court's decision in Stogner v. California makes it impossible to create retroactivity in the criminal context, unfortunately, but in the civil context, it is clearly permissible.)
   This would create a class of child abuse victims that has been given the power to sue the perpetrators, and those who aided the perpetrators - and to educate the rest of us on the secret pedophiles. The result would be that perpetrators who abused in the past can be stopped from abusing now or in the future.
   4. All states should raise the age of marriage and statutory rape to at least 16, and educate our young people on the law. Recently, a girl in Nebraska was impregnated by a much older man. That is a violation of the statutory rape laws. Yet the family permitted the man to take the child across state lines to Kansas, where he legally married her. He should be in jail, not married, and Nebraska is right to prosecute him.
   5. States should enact mandatory life sentences for childhood sexual abuse involving rape or sodomy. The same sentence should be mandated for the third conviction on lesser childhood sexual abuse crimes.
   6. States, and the federal government, should take away tax-exempt status from nonprofits that fail to report abuse and then hide it. They should also take away corporate tax advantages enjoyed by for-profit corporations that do the same thing.
   7. The federal government should create an Office of Child Safety within the Department of Justice. The primary job of that office should be to prosecute Mann Act violations - that is, crimes defined by the movement of children across state lines for sex -- and to investigate the cover up of child abuse by organizations. The Mann Act is scandalously underenforced with respect to clergy crossing state lines for sex (they often, for instance, take their victims to "vacation" homes or on "special" trips; polygamous organizations cross state lines to exchange young girls, often blood relatives, as wives).
   The Office should also oversee a national registry of convicted sex offenders. And it should maintain a public database of names of those perpetrators found liable in tort for childhood sexual abuse.
   Why haven't steps like these already been taken? The answer may be, in part, that former Attorney General John Ashcroft was more interesting in aiding religious entities - for the purpose of which he created a new position within the Department - than aiding child victims. (The Office of Child Safety ought to be clearly separated from the office of whoever holds this new position, due to a clear conflict of interest.)
   The Department has been like the three see-no-evil, hear-no-evil, and speak-no-evil monkeys - even in the face of the revelations that have been forthcoming since 2002 about the extent of clergy abuse in a number of religious organizations. It is now clear that there are thousands of children who have been abused in the United States by clergy, and whose religious organizations covered up their abuse, and the DOJ has treated the problem with dead silence.
   8. Congress should pass spending legislation that stops Medicare and welfare funding to states unless they enact serious reforms (see above) to stop and deter childhood sexual abuse. The cost to the health care and welfare systems of childhood sexual abuse is staggering - its toll is taken not only in physical harms, but also in addictions, mental illness, and broken families. All taxpayers are paying those costs, and it is unconscionable that states continue to receive such funds, if they are not doing everything possible to deter the harm from occurring in the first place. God vs. the Gavel, front cover

   9. Every citizen needs to take it upon himself or herself to protect the children they believe are at risk. Police departments can make this easier by instituting and publicizing nontraceable child abuse hotlines for people to report suspected child abuse to authorities. In my recent book God vs. the Gavel: Religion and the Rule of Law, I tell Jennifer Chapin's horrific story of suffering years of ritualistic and sadistic abuse by a priest. Her parents did not suspect, but a neighbor did. If that neighbor had had the option of calling an anonymous child abuse tip line, Jennifer might still have been a victim, but she might not have been a victim for years. Such a tip line would also be a means for an abused child to report their own abuse without fear of having the report traced back to them, or for their friends and family to do the same. Even a professional afraid of repercussions within his or her organization could use the tip line, as well.
   10. In the next election cycle, candidates need to be made to understand that they better have a position on stopping, and deterring, childhood sexual abuse. From prosecutors, to elected judges, to state and federal representatives, they all need to be grilled on what they will do to make this country a safer place for children and why their proposals will be an improvement on the past. Both political parties must include in their platforms a plank for the children. And any official running for political office who is soft on the protection of children, should be subject to journalistic investigation to figure out which lobbying organization got to them, so that we can all learn who are the true enemies of children's safety.
   Pedophiles do not have organized lobbyists, but religious organizations and insurance companies do. Both have been effective bulwarks against reforms that will protect children. They need to be forced to account for their subjugation of children's interests to their interest in money and preserving their public image.
   Make no mistake about it -- there are ways to protect children, and if elected officials' feet are held to the political fire, we will create a country that is better for our children. Unfortunately, zoning them out of our cities simply will not work.
   What Do You Think? Message Boards
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Fri August 26, 2005 edition follows:-
• Judge: Spokane diocese to pay victims. [2005 Spokane Diocese] - RCC.

   Macon Telegraph, www.macon.com/ mld/macon/news/ nation/12488 039.htm , By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS, Associated Press, ~ August 26, 2005
   SPOKANE, Wash. - A federal bankruptcy judge ruled Friday that all the parish churches, parochial schools and other property of the Catholic Diocese of Spokane can be liquidated to pay victims of clergy sexual abuse.
   The decision, expected to have ramifications for dioceses across the nation, is a major defeat for Spokane Bishop William Skylstad, who had argued he did not control individual parishes and thus they were not available to cover settlement costs.
   "It is not a violation of the First Amendment to apply federal bankruptcy law to identify and define property of the bankruptcy estate even though the Chapter 11 debtor is a religious organization," U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Patricia Williams wrote.
   Skylstad said he will appeal the decision "because we have a responsibility, not only to victims, but to the generations of parishioners ... who have given so generously of themselves in order to build up the work of the Catholic Church in Eastern Washington."
   David Clohessy, national director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said the decision should make other bishops think twice about trying to protect assets by filing for bankruptcy. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 09:14 PM]
• Man arrested on pornography charges. [2002+ West] - Faith Baptist Church. Sending pornography to minors.
   Tallahassee Democrat, ~ August 26, 2005
   FLORIDA - The Leon County Sheriff's Office assisted the Bradford County Sheriff's Office in arresting Aaron D. West, 49, a former pastor of the Faith Baptist Church in Lawtey, for possessing or transmitting pornography to a minor.
   West had relocated to Tallahassee approximately one year ago and was working at the Wal-Mart on Thomasville Road at the time of his arrest.
   Bradford County investigators received information from Wisconsin authorities that a person in their area was sending pornography to minors since 2002. A search warrant was obtained identifying West as the suspect.
   Investigators interviewed West and he admitted to the allegations. Investigators also have information West collected child pornography. West allegedly told investigators he had attempted to meet with the children he communicated with but no such meeting took place.
• Pastor pays woman compensation for sexual abuse. [? 1980s Pastor] - Girl.

   Japan Today, 07:15 JST, Saturday, August 27, 2005
   NARA, JAPAN - A 55-year-old pastor has paid 5 million yen in compensation to a 33-year-old woman for childhood sexual abuse in accordance with a court ruling, her lawyer said Friday.
   The Osaka High Court ordered the pastor in March to pay the money to the woman, overturning a lower court rejection of the compensation. The high court ruled that she has developed posttraumatic stress disorder from the abuse from when she was a fourth-year elementary school student through the years until she graduated from junior high school, the lawyer said.#
• Judge Rules Against Diocese, Church Promises Appeal. [2005 Spokane Diocese] - RCC.

   KXLY, www.kxly.com/ common/getStory. asp?id=44856 , ~ August 26, 2005
   SPOKANE (WA) - Spokane Bishop William Skylstad says he will appeal a bankruptcy judge's decision that he controls all the parish churches and Catholic schools in the Spokane Diocese.
   Skylstad said he has an obligation to generations of parishioners to protect the assets they have built.
   A judge in Spokane Friday ruled that all the parish churches and other assets of the Spokane Diocese are available to be sold to raise money for victims of sexual abuse by priests.
   Advocates for victims hailed the decision.
   David Clohessy, national director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, says the decision should make other bishops think twice about trying to protect assets by filing for bankruptcy.
   With many Catholic dioceses across the nation facing lawsuits from victims of sex abuse, this decision was being closely watched.
• Double shot at judge . [2000, 2005 Craig] - Sex assault, kidnap attempt.
   New York Daily News, www.nydailynews. com/front/story/ 340757p-290777c. html , By CHRISENA COLEMAN and ADAM LISBERG, ~ August 26, 2005
   NEW YORK - The bottle let Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Donna Mills down twice yesterday - as a state panel censured her for drinking and driving and her boyfriend was labeled an irrational drunk by his own lawyer.
   The Rev. Lawrence Craig was arraigned yesterday on charges that he barged into a Bronx apartment over the weekend and tried to snatch a 4-year-old boy. But his lawyer argued Craig was "obviously drunk or high."
   "He appeared to be drunk and didn't know what he was doing," attorney Steven Young said in Bronx Criminal Court, where Craig stood quietly with a clerical collar around his neck and his hands behind his back. ...
   His attorney claimed yesterday that Craig went to the home because he needed help and was drawn to the cross on the door.
   The $2,500 bail outraged the Bronx boy's father, especially since Craig has a prior sexual assault conviction for fondling a Wisconsin girl in 2000.
   "All his cases, he's been fined and gotten off," said Richard Lewis, 38. "I don't think he was here just by accident. There were kids running around here all day. I really think this guy's a sexual predator."
   Craig, a fourth-generation preacher, also is an accomplished opera singer who has performed on Broadway in "La Boheme." But he has struggled with drugs and alcohol. He plans to check into rehab this morning, his lawyer said.
   "This is a high-profile case and some of the pieces of the puzzle are missing," said the Rev. Harold Williams of Williams Institutional Church in Harlem, who posted the cash bail. "I'm his pastor. I know he didn't do that." #
• Judge Rules Parishes, Other Assets, Available To Abuse Victims. [2005 Spokane Diocese] - RCC.
   KOMO, www.komotv.com/ stories/38788. htm , By KOMO Staff & News Services, August 26, 2005
   SPOKANE (WA) - A federal bankruptcy judge ruled Friday that all the parish churches, parochial schools and other property of the Catholic Diocese of Spokane can be liquidated to pay victims of sexual abuse by priests.
   The decision, expected to have ramifications for dioceses across the nation, is a major defeat for Spokane Bishop William Skylstad, who had argued that he did not control individual parishes and thus they were not available to cover settlement costs.
   "It is not a violation of the First Amendment to apply federal bankruptcy law to identify and define property of the bankruptcy estate even though the Chapter 11 debtor is a religious organization," U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Patricia Williams wrote in a 50-page decision.
   "The disputed real property constitutes property of the estate," she wrote.
• Another victim of clerical abuse. - RCC.
   Press-Telegram, ~ August 26, 2005
   CALIFORNIA - In his 2004 book, "The Church That Forgot Christ," Jimmy Breslin pays homage to some "good" priests. One thing that made them good was the fact that they were not real.
   Breslin was referring to movie priests; Bing Crosby as Father O'Malley in "Going My Way," Pat O'Brien as Father Duffy in "The Fighting 69th," Spencer Tracy as Father Flanagan in "Boys Town."
   These films played in that seemingly innocent era when priests were revered and pedophilia was a word many of us could not begin to define. Later, we learned the era was not all that innocent. Children were being molested in parish after parish by men capitalizing on the trust that comes with wearing a clerical collar.
   The film priests, however, did no wrong. Sure, Padre Flanagan once resorted to fisticuffs, but his antagonist had it coming. And, yes, Father Fitzgibbon, the elderly pastor played by Barry Fitzgerald, did keep a hidden "drop o' the crature." But that was for medicinal purposes and to help put him to sleep as Bing sang, "Toora Loora Loora." Father Good Guy
   Breslin's book was much as I had expected; a chronicle of real-life stories in which priests violated their young charges. But what brought me up short was his contrasting portrait of a Brooklyn priest named Father John Powis.
   Reading Breslin's sketch of Powis, I kept waiting for the priest to fall as so many others in the book had fallen. But he did not fall. ...
   In short, Powis did all the things priests did back when there were three or four of them per parish. And did them in a diocese reduced to 187 priests for 217 parishes.
   Reading that touching portrait of Powis, it came to me that there were two sets of victims in the scandal that has rocked the Catholic church over the last decade. The first victims, of course, were those who were violated, plus their families who lived through those horrors.
   The other victims were the "goo"' priests, now viewed with suspicion because of the crimes of others. One warning now passed among Catholics is: "Never leave your child alone with a priest." It has come to that.
• Former Lawtey Pastor Accused Of Sending Porn To Teen Girls. [2002+ West] - Faith Baptist Church. Sending pornography to girls.
   News4Jax, POSTED 11:34 am EDT, August 26, 2005
   FLORIDA - A former pastor of the a Lawtey church was arrested Friday for allegedly possessing or transmitting pornography to a minor.
   Aaron D. West, 49, was arrested at a Tallahassee Wal-Mart, where he was working after relocating from Bradford County.
   Bradford County Sheriff Bob Milner said West had been communicating with two girls ages, age 14 and 15, in Manitowoc, Wis., since late in 2002. He was pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Lawtey at that time.
   Deputies began investigating West after a detective from Wisconsin notified them that someone from the area was sending nude photos of a man and regularly communicating with the girls.
• Sarnia police investigate retired priest. [1950s-60s Sylvestre] - RCC. Girls.

   London Free Press, By KELLY PEDRO, Free Press Crime Reporter, Aug-26-2005
   CANADA - An 82-year-old retired priest, who has been charged in Chatham with sex offences dating back 30 years, is at the centre of a probe by Sarnia police after four similar complaints.
   Chatham-Kent police charged Charles Henry Sylvestre of Belle River in July with three counts of indecent assault, one count of rape and one count of sexual intercourse with a female under 14. Rape is a Criminal Code charge that was replaced by sexual assault.
   Sarnia police said they have received four to five allegations dating back to the late 1950s and early 1960s involving young females. The complaints were made to police after media reports about the Chatham charges, he said.
   "Occasionally we get historical complaints. It is kind of unique," said Const. Bill Baines.
   He said investigating a complaint dating back 50 years can be "very difficult."
• Former priest says molestation allegations have "half-truths". [1960s-80s White] - RCC. Boys.

   Denver Post, ~ August 26, 2005
   DENVER (CO) - A former Roman Catholic priest accused of molesting boys across the Denver Archdiocese told a Denver TV station Wednesday that there were "half-truths" in the allegations and suggested that his accusers' attorneys are out for money.
   In an interview with KCNC-Channel 4 outside his Denver apartment, Harold Robert White said he felt bad upon learning about the allegations against him. In the past month, 17 men have told The Denver Post that White molested them from the early 1960s to early 1980s.
   "I'm just sorry that these guys are all going through this right now," said White, 72. "I feel they might be just doing it to themselves. Or their lawyers are doing it because lawyers are all out for money, and I don't have any money."
• Archdiocese is named in 2 sex abuse suits. [? 1960s Beine] - RCC. Boy. [1953-56 Poepperling] - RCC. Girl.
   Post-Dispatch, ~ August 26, 2005
   ST. LOUIS (MO) - A Florida man filed a civil lawsuit in St. Louis circuit court against former St. Louis priest James Beine on Thursday. The man, 53, who filed his lawsuit as "John Doe," said he was abused by Beine at St. Monica in Creve Coeur when he was in the sixth and seventh grades. The lawsuit also named the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis and Archbishop Raymond Burke.
   The Missouri Supreme Court ordered Beine released from prison in June after overturning an indecent exposure conviction. The archdiocese recently said it has settled nine civil lawsuits for more than $400,000 alleging sexual improprieties or abuse by Beine.
   A 56-year-old California woman also filed a lawsuit in St. Louis circuit court Thursday against the archdiocese and Burke. Peggy Nicholson said she had been abused at Holy Guardian Angels Church by the Rev. William Poepperling for four years beginning when she was 4 years old, according to the lawsuit.
• Boy Sex Victim: "Gilpin Abused Me". [Gilpin] - RCC. Boys.
   NewsManatee, http://news manatee.com , ~ August 26, 2005
   ~ Part Two ~
   (Part One can be found on our Past Headline News page)
   MANATEE (FL) - "Mr. Gilpin invited myself and my older brother to his house for an overnight visit. We were no sooner through the door when he offered us something to drink. I am not sure what the libation was (usually Bacardi and Coke), but it was certainly something off limits for adolescents. Feeling like big shots, we drank with him. My brother got so drunk that he burned a hole in his couch while playing with a candle. Mr. Gilpin put my staggering brother to bed in one room, and guided me into the other room. Evidently, he and I were going to share a bed. I went to bed wearing only my underwear, and cannot recall whether he had his on to start or not. Regardless, in short order, we were naked. I will not describe what went on after that.
   Suffice it to say that you cannot overuse your imagination. These types of things occurred with great frequency over the course of his time in Maine. Today I would think it strange that a not small container of Vaseline was on the night stand, but at the time I thought nothing of it.
   The house was a small beachfront cottage of less than 1000 square feet, with the kitchen directly in front of the door from the drive, which was to the left of the house as one drove in. There was a waist high dividing wall between the kitchen and the living room, on the left of the front door. The bedrooms were at the opposite corners, both left and right as you stand in the doorway. There were French doors that opened from the living room onto the beach, facing Monument and Wood Islands. The heating system consisted of a below-floor unit that had a large grate, situated in the living room near the bedrooms. I thought this was neat as I had never seen one before, and hence never forgot it.
   For the complete story, logon to NewsManatee.com
• Argentine cleric caught on tape. [? 5yrs 2005 Maccarone] - RCC. Man.

   Chicago Tribune, By Colin McMahon, Tribune foreign correspondent, Published August 26, 2005
   BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA - Part morality play, part conspiracy tale and part soap opera, the resignation of a Roman Catholic bishop over his sexual encounter with a young man has Argentines both dismayed and riveted.
   The scandal broke over the weekend with newspaper reports that the Vatican had received a copy of a videotape showing Juan Carlos Maccarone, 64, the bishop of the poor northern province of Santiago del Estero, having "intimate relations" with a 23-year-old chauffeur.
   Now Maccarone and other church officials say the bishop was set up. They suspect Maccarone was targeted for his work on behalf of the poor and his opposition to the clan of a former governor who ran the province much like a private fiefdom for nearly 50 years.
   "Everything points to . . . political revenge," said Rev. Guillermo Marco, a spokesman for the Buenos Aires archbishop.
   The chauffeur, Alfredo Serrano, said he made the video to get back at Maccarone for failing to help his family and find the young man a good job.
   At first Serrano said he was not paid for the cassette but then he said a television station had paid for it. He won't say how much. In various interviews with Argentine media, Serrano's versions also vary of how long he and Maccarone had been sexually involved, from a few years to as many as five.
• Jury finds ex-coach guilty of raping girl. [12yrs Engelke] - Sect not named in report. Girl.

   The Patriot-News, www.pennlive. com/news/patriot news/index. ssf?/base/news/ 1125049340263130.xml& coll=1 , BY JOE ELIAS of Our Carlisle Bureau, Friday, August 26, 2005
   NEW BLOOMFIELD (PA) - The jury foreman recited "guilty" 14 times in the Perry County Court case against a self-described church evangelist and former gymnastics coach accused of raping and sexually assaulting a girl over a period of more than 12 years.
   Anthony P. Engelke, 39, of Miller Twp., was found guilty on three counts of rape and other charges including simple assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated indecent assault and corruption of minors.
   The jury of seven men and five women deliberated for three hours before returning the verdicts.
   Even after a two-day trial filled with graphic and emotional testimony, highlighted by the victim's tear-filled account of the abuse that started when she was 5 years old, the reading of the verdicts was dramatic.
   The victim, now 17, clutched a small stuffed horse to her chest and broke down in tears as each guilty verdict was read.
   She then was escorted from the courtroom by members of the county victim witness program who said she had no comment.
   Engelke's wife, one of his young daughters and several other family members also broke down in tears and left the courtroom while the verdicts were read.
   Friends and some members of Engelke's family said they were stunned by the verdicts and kept repeating to each other, "we know the truth." [...]
• St. Mary's School goes public with advertising. - RCC.
   Daily Star, By Jake Palmateer, ~ August 26, 2005
   ONEONTA (NY) - St. Mary's School in Oneonta's East End is, like other area schools, getting ready for the return of students.
   Classrooms have been decorated, the halls are spotless, and a janitor was making final adjustments Thursday.
   But as summer recess comes to a close, St. Mary's, which has 180 students in preschool through eighth grade, is doing something a little different to help drum up school pride and attract students.
   A short distance from the private Catholic school on busy state Route 7, a large billboard promoting the 81-year-old institution will greet westbound travelers for the next month. ...
   She said the billboard idea was conceived in part because of the clergy sexual abuse controversy within the Roman Catholic Church.
   LaMonica said a small minority of priests nationwide had damaged the credibility of the church and its affiliated parochial schools.
• Three more lawsuits filed against retired priest. [1960s, 1971-75, 1979 O'Brien] - RCC. 3 more boys.
   Belleville News-Democrat, Associated Press, ~ August 26, 2005
   KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Three more lawsuits have been filed claiming sexual abuse by a retired priest who is a defendant in three other lawsuits filed last year.
   The plaintiffs, two of them anonymous, sued the Rev. Thomas J. O'Brien and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph on Wednesday. The lawsuits, filed in Jackson County Circuit Court, claim the diocese knew as early as 1969 that O'Brien was prone to abuse but did nothing to keep him from working with children.
   No damages were specified in any of the actions.
   The two anonymous plaintiffs claim they were molested by the priest at his cottage northeast of Kansas City. Craig Wilkerson, of St. Joseph, alleges that O'Brien began molesting him in 1979, when he was 12.
   One anonymous plaintiff's lawsuit claimed he was molested from 1971 to 1975, that O'Brien gave him marijuana and other drugs and that the priest shared his bed at the cabin with a number of boys.
• Three men sue retired priest, alleging sexual abuse. [1979 O'Brien] - RCC. 3 more boys.
   The Kansas City Star, By KEVIN MURPHY, ~ August 26, 2005
   KANSAS CITY (MO) - Three men have filed lawsuits in Kansas City alleging that a now-retired priest, the Rev. Thomas J. O'Brien, sexually abused them in the 1970s and gave them alcohol and pornography.
   Craig Wilkerson of St. Joseph and two anonymous plaintiffs separately sued O'Brien late Wednesday in Jackson County Circuit Court, seeking unspecified damages. The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph was named as co-defendant.
   Wilkerson alleges O'Brien sexually molested him starting in 1979 when he was 12 and worked at the rectory of St. Elizabeth Parish in Kansas City.
   Plaintiffs identifying themselves as John Doe H.G. and John Doe L.T. said O'Brien molested them on trips to a cottage O'Brien had at Lake Viking, about 70 miles northeast of Kansas City.
   O'Brien also is accused of sexual abuse of minors in three lawsuits filed in 2004. Those cases are pending.
• Millard accusers plan HC protest. - RCC priest Robert Hoatson (victim too) joins protesters
   Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, USA), By Kathleen A. Shaw, kshaw@telegram.com , ~ August 26, 2005
   WORCESTER (MA)- The Rev. Robert M. Hoatson, a Catholic priest from New Jersey, will lead leafleting and a small demonstration Tuesday on public property outside the main gates of the College of the Holy Cross.
   He expects to be at the main gate by 9 a.m. and will pass out leaflets throughout the day. Rev. Hoatson said he also expects to be joined by representatives of Voice of the Faithful, including Daniel E. Dick and Marjorie Dick of Worcester, and George "Skip" Shea of Uxbridge, a clergy abuse survivor.
   Rev. Hoatson said David A. Lewcon of Uxbridge, a clergy abuse survivor, may attend with his "Cross of Shame," a large wooden cross that bears the names of area priests accused of sexual misconduct and others that Mr. Lewcon believes covered up or enabled abuse.
   The issue is the college's refusal to rename the Millard Art Center on campus; Rev. Hoatson and a Lancaster, Pa., woman say the art center is named for who they called a "serial pedophile."
   Patricia Anne Cahill, a niece of the late Rev. Daniel F. M. Millard, has said she was sexually abused repeatedly by the priest when she was a child. She received $6,000 for counseling from the Diocese of Camden, N.J., after reporting the alleged abuse. Ms. Cahill is ill and will not attend the demonstration, Rev. Hoatson said.
   Members of the Millard family deny that Rev. Millard abused Ms. Cahill and they have declined to rename the art center. The college, after consultation with the Millard family, said that while the college takes allegations of sexual abuse seriously, the name will remain the same. Ellen M. Ryder, spokeswoman for the college, said yesterday they would not comment at this time on the planned demonstration.
   Rev. Hoatson, who said he was sexually abused as a young man by two members of the Irish Christian Brothers, said his impetus for holding the demonstration for Ms. Cahill is that he is founder and president of Rescue & Recovery International Inc., a nonprofit organization which provides assorted direct services to survivors of clergy sexual abuse.
   The intent of standing outside the gates of Holy Cross is to make returning students and their parents aware of the issue involving the art center, he said. "They should know that the building is named for a serial pedophile," he said.
   Rev. Millard, who has been dead for more than 30 years, is a Holy Cross graduate. The Millard family, including the late Charles E. F. Millard, the priest's brother, were benefactors of the art center. Mr. Millard was at one time a Holy Cross trustee. The building contains a bronze plaque with the likeness of Rev. Millard. Ms. Cahill said the college should at least remove the plaque if it does not want to change the name.
• Ex-altar boy struggles to cope. [20yrs White] - RCC. > 12 boys.
   Rocky Mountain News, http://rocky mountainnews. com/drmn/local/ article/0,1299, DRMN_15_4031 443,00.html , By Felix Doligosa Jr., August 26, 2005
   DENVER (CO) - As a former altar boy walked up the steps of a Denver home Thursday to pass out fliers about clergy abuse, he also took the first strides to accepting his past.
   "This is a start," said Frank, who says he was a victim of Harold Robert White and who asked that his last name not be used. "You don't know where to go until you find people who have been in your shoes."
   Frank, with the help of a group that supports victims of sexual abuse by members of the clergy, took to the streets of White's former Catholic church's neighborhood to encourage people to speak out about sexual assaults by priests.
   The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) handed out fliers near Good Shepherd Catholic Church, telling potential victims how to find help and report abuse.
   Five lawsuits have been filed recently against the Archdiocese of Denver for covering up White's alleged actions while he was a priest at several Colorado parishes.
   The lawsuits accuse White, 72, of molesting more than a dozen boys over a 20-year period.
• Giving justice time. [1960s-70s White, Denver Archdiocese] - RCC. 17 boys.
   Denver Post, By Eric Gorski, ~ August 26, 2005
   DENVER (CO) - As allegations of child sex abuse build against a former priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver, at least two Colorado legislators are crafting bills that would loosen or do away with statutes of limitations for child sexual abuse.
   Democratic State Sen. Joan Fitz-Gerald, the Senate president and a Catholic, has filed paperwork to introduce a bill in 2006 that would give adults victimized as minors more time to file civil lawsuits. One strong possibility, she said, is legislation mirroring a California law that opened a one-year window for child sex-abuse lawsuits regardless of how long ago the incidents took place.
   State Rep. Rosemary Marshall, D-Denver, said she will introduce a bill that would eliminate the statute of limitations for criminal charges involving sexual offenses against children. Courts have held that such laws can apply only to future cases and not be retroactive, so victims from decades ago would not be able to bring charges.
   Both legislators said they were motivated by the clergy sexual-abuse scandal that has plagued U.S. Catholic dioceses since 2002. In Colorado, 17 men have told The Denver Post in recent weeks that former priest Harold Robert White molested them over a 20-year period beginning in the 1960s.
   Evidence has surfaced showing the Denver archdiocese knew about complaints and continued to move him from parish to parish. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:54 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Fri August 26, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Sat August 27, 2005 edition follows:-
• Vatican plan to block gay priests. - RCC.

   The Observer (Britain), http://observer. guardian.co.uk/ international/ story/0,6903, 1558063,00.html , by Jamie Doward, religious affairs correspondent, Sunday August 28, 2005
   VATICAN - The new Pope faces his first controversy over the direction of the Catholic church after it was revealed that the Vatican has drawn up a religious instruction preventing gay men from being priests.
   The controversial document, produced by the Congregation for Catholic Education and Seminaries, the body overseeing the church's training of the priesthood, is being scrutinised by Benedict XVI.
   It been suggested Rome would publish the instruction earlier this month, but it dropped the plan out of concern that such a move might tarnish his visit to his home city of Cologne last week.
   The document expresses the church's belief that gay men should no longer be allowed to enter seminaries to study for the priesthood. Currently, as all priests take a vow of celibacy, their sexual orientation has not been considered a pressing concern. ...
   The instruction was drawn up as part of the Vatican's response to the sexual abuse scandal that surfaced in the American church three years ago, which has seen hundreds of priests launch lawsuits against superiors whom they accuse of abusing them.
   As the former head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican body charged with looking into the abuse claims, Benedict, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, was made acutely aware of the scale of the problem. He is thought to have made clearing up the scandal one of the key goals of his papacy. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 08:59 PM]
   [RECAPITULATION: In the past, because all priests take vows of celibacy, sexual orientation was not an issue. ENDS.]
   [COMMENT: The reporter has been fed a diet of untruths. For more than 1000 years ordinary diocesan priests and bishops did NOT promise celibacy, and "vows" are not taken to this day. In addition, the RCC's Eastern Rites have the custom of married clergy. "Sexual orientation" might not have been known to the early Church, but she did ban pederasty, expelling them from the Church. Refer to the Didache, quoted elsewhere on this website. These rules were later softened, and by the Middle Ages any monk who had sex with a boy was locked up on bread and water for months or years. Obviously the departure from early rules has become more serious in recent centuries, and the main rule now seems to be secrecy, cover up, and transfers.
• Spokane churches can be sold to pay debt, judge rules. [2000s Spokane Diocese] - RCC.

   The Seattle Times, By Janet I. Tu and Jonathan Martin, August 27, 2005
   WASHINGTON - A federal bankruptcy judge yesterday ruled that churches and schools in the Catholic Diocese of Spokane are owned by the diocese and can be sold to pay settlements to sex-abuse victims, a decision that evoked both triumph and disappointment.
   The decision - the first of its kind in the nation - is considered a victory for victims and a loss for the diocese and its 80-plus parishes, which had argued that the properties belong to individual parishes, not to the diocese, and therefore were not subject to liquidation.
   The ruling likely will be watched closely by other dioceses around the country as they, too, resolve claims of people who were sexually abused by priests.
   "This is a big victory," said attorney Michael Pfau, who represents many of the plaintiffs in Spokane, where one in five residents is Catholic. "It's simply a devastating ruling for the diocese."
• Lawsuit alleges sex abuse at Chaminade. [1996 Triulzi (Marianist)] - RCC. Boy.
   St. Louis Post-Dispatch, www.stltoday.com/ stltoday/news/ stories.nsf/ stlouiscitycounty/ story/43081E04849 B82CA8625704B00 12E061?OpenDocument ; ~ August 27, 2005
   MISSOURI - An Indiana man filed suit in St. Louis against the Chaminade College Preparatory School in Creve Coeur and a former teacher Friday, alleging that he had been sexually abused by a teacher when he was a student there in 1996.
   The suit says that Father Daniel A. Triulzi fondled the student on "many occasions" at Chaminade. The suit names Triulzi and the Marianist Province of St. Louis.
   The Rev. Ralph Siefert, Chaminade's president, said he was not aware of any allegations or complaints against Triulzi.
   "I have never heard anything that would even make me suspicious," he said. [For list of "Publicly Accused St. Louis Area Catholic Clerics," visit www.snapmidwest. org/htm/Publicly Accused.htm ]
• Archdiocese, abbey settle abuse claims. [? 1970s Forrester (Benedictine)] - RCC. $US 2.6m.
   The Seattle Times, http://seattletimes. nwsource.com/html/ localnews/2002454 045_church27m.html , The Associated Press, ~ August 27, 2005
   SEATTLE (WA) The Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle and an abbey in Kansas have settled seven decades-old sex-abuse claims against the late Rev. John Forrester for a total of $2.6 million.
   Forrester, a priest of St. Benedict's Abbey in Atchison, Kan., died in 2002. He served in the Seattle archdiocese at Holy Rosary in Seattle from 1974-75 and at All Saints in Puyallup from 1975-78.
   In a statement released yesterday, the Seattle archdiocese said the Benedictine Order has agreed to pay $1 million of the settlement and that the remaining $1.6 million will be paid through the archdiocese's insurance policy.#
• Church could have prevented molestations, lawsuit claims. [< 1987+ Gregory] - Apostolic Faith Church. 2 girls.
   Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, By SHEILA B. LALWANI, slalwani@journalsentinel.com , Posted Aug. 26, 2005
   WISCONSIN - A year after a convicted child molester was sentenced to prison again for molesting two girls that he met through a church, the victims have filed a lawsuit, claiming the crime could have been prevented by the church, its pastor and members of its board of directors.
   In a case that could turn the legal focus on the responsibilities churches have to protect members, Apostolic Faith Church in Caledonia is accused of failing to warn congregants that former Sunday school teacher assistant Timothy P. Gregory was a convicted child molester. The lawsuit says Gregory helped his wife, Kimberley A. Gregory, teach Sunday school at the church, where the plaintiff were members.
   The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. Gregory is serving a 150-year prison sentence at the Green Bay Correctional Institute for molesting two sisters. Apostolic Faith disputes the claims of the lawsuit and says the parents failed to supervise their children. The lawsuit filed in the Racine County Circuit Court alleges members of Apostolic Faith first met Gregory as part of the church's prison ministries around 1990 when he was serving time in the Racine Correctional Institute. Members of the church continued to minister to Gregory until he was released in 1993 and helped him lease an apartment.
   The lawsuit alleges that some members of the church knew of Gregory's past but failed to inform the congregation that Gregory was convicted in 1987 for molesting a girl in Outagamie County.
• By Sam Verhovek and Jean Guccione, Times Staff Writers.
   [This looks like a mixup. Attempting to clear it up - 28 Aug 2005]
   The Press-Enterprise, By SONJA BJELLAND / Saturday, August 27, 2005
   CALIFORNIA - A former youth pastor and onetime volunteer coach for Corona Centennial High School will get a new trial after a judge said his attorney was "hopelessly unprepared."
   A Riverside County jury convicted Joseph Mario Arredondo Jr., 30, in March of 15 felony counts that involved sexual abuse of two teenage girls who were members of Norco's New Beginnings Christian.
   Superior Court Judge Russell Schooling said he did not want to put the victims through the pain of testifying again but felt there was no other solution. After 30 years on the bench, Schooling said, he could not remember ever granting a motion to a new trial.
   "We can go on with a litany of the ways that he failed to represent his client," Schooling said. "... I've never seen such an egregious lack of representation by an attorney before me."
   After the hearing, Arredondo's friends and family who had filled half the courtroom cried and hugged each other.
   [For report of jury conviction on March 29, 2005, visit PE.com at http://www.pe. com/breakingnews/ local/stories/PE_ News_Local_D_ pastor30.f4b4. html ]
• Spokane Judge Lifts Diocese's Bankruptcy Shield. [2005 Spokane Diocese] - RCC.
   Los Angeles Times, By Sam Verhovek and Jean Guccione, August 27, 2005
   SEATTLE, WASHINGTON STATE - Handing a major legal victory to victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests, a federal bankruptcy judge said Friday that churches, parochial schools and other assets belonged to a diocese - not individual parishes or trusts - and thus could be liquidated if necessary to pay victims.
   The ruling applied specifically to the bankrupt Diocese of Spokane, Wash., which is facing settlement of lawsuits brought by 58 people who said they were sexually abused by priests.
   The diocese said it would file an immediate appeal. But if the ruling is upheld, it could have broad implications for other dioceses staggering under the weight of sexual-abuse lawsuits, because it undercuts the Roman Catholic Church's claim, reiterated in a Vatican finding this month, that most assets in individual dioceses cannot be put up for sale to settle claims.
   The Vatican said investments and real estate such as churches and schools belonged to individual parishes.
   But in Friday's ruling, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Patricia Williams of Spokane appeared to take issue with that claim.
   [COMMENT: Because of the promise of obedience to Church authorities, in every diocese all RCC parish assets, except those owned by religious orders, are liable to be used by the "Ordinary", which usually means the bishop or archbishop, as he deems best for the Church's mission. No matter what parts of RCC canon law are quoted, the obedience rule means that if a bishop orders his clergy, they are supposed to obey. Lawyers can try to hoodwink courts, but no RC person who has been soundly instructed and has access to the right books can be hoodwinked on this subject. To persist with legal manoeuvres that disgrace the Church and give scandal to very well-instructed Catholics is a sign that something is radically wrong at the higher or highest levels. . COMMENT ENDS.]
• Diocese plaintiffs win ruling on assets. [2005 Spokane Diocese] - RCC.
   The Oregonian, By STEVE WOODWARD, Saturday, August 27, 2005
   OREGON - In a decision with potentially major implications for Roman Catholics in Western Oregon, a Spokane bankruptcy judge made 32 Eastern Washington parishes available to pay off clergy sexual-abuse claims against the Diocese of Spokane.
   If the Archdiocese of Portland is hit with a similar ruling, Catholic churchgoers in 124 Oregon parishes could see more than $500 million in parish assets opened up to claims from sex-abuse plaintiffs seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
   "It is a difficult decision for any Catholic parishioner to read," said Portland lawyer Douglas R. Pahl, who represents parishes, parishioners and others who claim a stake in parish property in Western Oregon. "It expressly rejects many aspects of Catholic faith that Catholics have come to rely on for generations."
   [COMMENT: Well, trying to pretend that the parish assets are not under the control of the diocese is rejecting one aspect of Roman Catholicism, that is, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." Regarding the fact that the bishops and other Church leaders transferred and are still transferring serial child abusers, another aspect of faith is the teaching of Jesus that anyone who corrupted one of the children, it would be better if a millstone were tied around his neck, and he were drowned in the depths of the sea. Jesus did NOT teach that he ought to be sent off to another area to find new children to lead into sin! COMMENT ENDS.]
• Bankfrupt diocese could sell churches; Judge in Spokane case says property can be sold to pay abuse victims; bishop plans to appeal. [2005 Spokane Diocese] - RCC.
   King County Journal, by Nicholas K. Geranios, Associated Press, Aug-27-2005
   SPOKANE (WA) - A federal bankruptcy judge ruled Friday that all the parish churches, parochial schools and other property of the Catholic Diocese of Spokane can be liquidated to pay victims of sexual abuse by priests, a decision that may prompt other dioceses across the nation to avoid filing for Chapter 11 protection.
   Spokane Bishop William Skylstad, who had argued that he did not control and could not sell individual parishes to pay victims, said he will appeal.
   "We appeal this decision because we have a responsibility, not only to victims, but to the generations of parishioners ... who have given so generously of themselves in order to build up the work of the Catholic Church in Eastern Washington," said Skylstad, who is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
   "Let me assure everyone that ministry will continue in Eastern Washington," Skylstad said in a statement.
   The Spokane Diocese serves about 90,000 Catholics in 13 Eastern Washington counties, from Metaline Falls on the Canadian border to Walla Walla on the Washington-Oregon line. It filed for Chapter 11 protection in December, listing assets of $11.1 million and liabilities of $81.3 million. Most of the liabilities are sexual abuse claims.
• Bill Aims To Extend Statute Of Limitations In Child-Sex Case.
   TheDenverChannel.com , POSTED 11:05 am MDT, August 26, 2005
   DENVER (CO) - Amid molestation allegations against a former priest, at least two state lawmakers are drawing up bills that would extend or eliminate the statute of limitations in cases of alleged sexual abuse of children.
   State Sen. Joan Fitz-Gerald, D-Golden, the Senate president, plans to introduce a bill next year to give adults victimized as minors more time to file civil lawsuits.
   State Rep. Rosemary Marshall, D-Denver, said she will introduce a bill to eliminate the statute of limitations for criminal charges involving sexual offenses against children.
   Both said they were motivated by a clergy sexual-abuse scandal that has plagued U.S. Catholic dioceses since 2002.
• Church settles with more abuse accusers; $2.6 million will be paid to 7 ex-altar boys who cited same priest. [1970s Forrester (Benedictine)] - RCC. $US 2.6m added to $US 19.6m. 7 altar boys.
   Seattle Post-Intelligencer, http://seattlepi. nwsource.com/ local/238274_ settle27.html , By TRACY JOHNSON, 206-448-8169, tracyjohnson@seattlepi.com , Saturday, August 27, 2005
   SEATTLE (WA) - Seven men have reached a $2.6 million settlement with the Seattle Archdiocese and a Kansas religious order over accusations that a priest sexually abused them in the 1970s when they were altar boys.
   The Rev. John Forrester was accused of molesting four of the boys while he was serving at Holy Rosary in Seattle and the other three while serving at All Saints in Puyallup, according to their attorneys.
   The settlement is believed to wrap up all known allegations involving Forrester, who is dead, though the Seattle Archdiocese still faces dozens of other sexual abuse claims.
   The Seattle Archdiocese has now settled 197 such claims for $19.6 million since the late 1980s, according to its attorney, Michael Patterson.
   Forrester was accused of molesting the boys on camping trips or other outings -- some of them once and some repeatedly over the course of months or years.
   Attorney Michael Pfau, who represents three of the alleged victims, said he believed his clients were glad to settle the matter, although "they understand that no amount of money will right the wrong."
   Attorney James Rogers, who represents the other four, said the men were devastated by the abuse and are now "looking forward to going on with their lives as best as they're able."
   The Seattle Archdiocese said its insurance would pay $1.6 million of the settlement, which concludes lawsuits filed in King County and Pierce County superior courts; the additional $1 million will come from the Benedictine order in Kansas.
   Forrester was a priest of St. Benedict's Abbey when he was sent to serve in Washington, Patterson said.
   In a written statement, Archbishop Alex Brunett said that he was "gratified that the Benedictines have acknowledged their responsibility for one of their own who served in this archdiocese."
   He said that while no amount of money could alleviate the men's pain, he was "hopeful that this settlement will enable the healing to begin." # [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 08:39 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Sat August 27, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
• [Midland priest allegedly ruined their son's life] [1983 Quirk (Franciscan)] - RCC. Boy.

   The West Australian, "A death in the family," by Ron Banks, pages 6-7 of "Weekend Extra" section, Saturday, August 27, 2005
   PERTH, (W. Australia) - Seduced by a friar at the age of 11, Nathan Murdoch could not shake off what had happened to him, and he suicided at the age of 33.
   It started with meeting the friar during his work, then having him to family meals, then taking the sons to the cinema, then games of chess at the friary.[...]
   Archbishop Hickey's response to Craig Murdoch's letter was swift - it came back by return mail. "I have received your letter about your son Nathan and the tragic end caused by persistent memories of vile actions by a Franciscan priest. I can only imagine your grief and anger at such a betrayal," he wrote.
   "As this is is the first time I have heard Fr Ray Quirk's name linked with child sexual abuse it came as a shock, particularly because there are probably other victims of him out there that have not come forward."

A death in the family

   The West Australian, pages 6-7 of "Weekend Extra" supplement, Saturday, August 27, 2005
   Twenty-two years was not long enough to shelve the horror of a paedophile priest's attacks on a man who finally ended it in suicide. Ron Banks reports.
A few weeks ago Craig Murdoch's son Nathan killed himself in his father's flat. He was 33 years old.
   It was a death that Mr Murdoch had been dreading, but the possibility that Nathan might end his life had been part of the family's fears for nearly two years.
   In August 2003 Nathan had made an attempt on his own life and had been committed to the Bentley psychiatric hospital. It was while undergoing psychiatric treatment that Nathan revealed to his psychiatrist the events in his life that had led him to try to end it.
   When released into his father's care, Mr Murdoch tried to find out from the psychiatrist who had treated him what was eating away at his son's self-esteem and destroying his capacity to live a normal life. The psychiatrist refused to divulge Nathan's confessions, saying there were questions of privacy involved with an adult son and that only Nathan could tell his father what had happened. "Nathan came back to live with me after his suicide attempt and then one night he finally broke down sobbing and told me his story," says his father. At the age of 11, Nathan had been molested and sexually abused by a Catholic priest who had become a family friend.
   As a funeral director for 25 years in the Midland district for the firm Bowra and O'Dea, Craig Murdoch had become accustomed to death and grieving and often shared the consolation duties with the friendly priest who introduced himself as Ray Quirk. Mr Murdoch had got on well with Father Quirk and invited the priest home for family dinners.
   "He was very friendly with both my boys and when he first asked me if he could take them to the pictures, of course my wife and I said we didn't mind."
   But Father Quirk soon turned his attention only to the elder boy, Nathan, after he discovered that the boy was good at chess. He asked his parents if he could invite the 11-year-old back to the Midland friary for a game or two. It was here that the sexual abuse began and continued over several weeks. Not a very long period, it might be thought, to ruin a life but the seeds of Nathan's lifelong inability to cope were sown.
   But Nathan never told anyone that he was the victim of a sexual predator. He kept his secret from his family and friends for 22 years. Even the young woman he married in his 20s was unaware of his past.
   When Craig Murdoch finally heard his son's story, at which the depressed 33-year-old lashed out at his father for introducing Father Quirk into the family circle, he was "completely flattened" by the news.
   As parents who had also battled to understand why their son was so depressed, both Craig and Celia felt guilty. But it was more the guilt of ignorance - that they had never thought to suspect that the Catholic priest with whom they had been so friendly would have been the cause of their son's distress. "It was like a cancer that got into Nathan's soul," said Mr Murdoch. "When I had asked him why he had never told me when he was a little boy, he told me it was because I had been too strict."
   Like most victims of paedophilia, Nathan had felt ashamed that this had happened to him, and had also been threatened by Father Quirk if he told anyone. When Nathan had unburdened himself of his childhood secrets, Mr Murdoch said he hoped his son might have been able to put the pieces of his life together. "We would talk about it in my flat while he was with me but Nathan told me that although his first suicide attempt had failed, he would try again," he said. "I remember him saying, 'Dad, if I want to do it, I will, and you won't be able to stop me'."
[Picture] Craig Murdoch: "completely flattened" when told by his son of abuse by priest. [And three other pictures.]
   Nathan refused further psychiatric help and seemed to slip even deeper into depression. "He would stay in his room the entire week," said Mr Murdoch. "The only time he would come out would be for a cigarette but he would never talk much.""
   Both parents looked for any signs of improvement in their son's condition. There was a good deal of optimism when Nathan began seeing an old girlfriend again.
   "We really thought at the time that Nathan might have turned the corner and was recovering," Mr Murdoch said. But their hopes were dashed the night that Nathan took an overdose of sleeping pills to make himself woozy, then took a chair into the bathroom and looped a rope around a fixture. A mate who came round to see him the next morning discovered his body.
   After the funeral Craig Murdoch sat down to write the most difficult letter of his life. It was addressed to Perth's Catholic Archbishop Barry Hickey. Both he and his former wife wanted the Church to know that their son's life had been ruined by a paedophile priest from St Brigid's Church in Midland.
   They also did not want Nathan's death to go unnoticed and hoped that by speaking about their distress, they might alert other parents to the possibility that abuse in early childhood can have terrible consequences in adult lives.
   "Over the past 22 years Nathan had bottled up the problems that led to his death," the letter to the Archbishop explained. "A once vibrant, happy boy with a keen sense of humour, who was doing so well at Morley Senior High School, changed to a moody, depressed, unhappy and unco-operative little boy.
   "His grades at school went down, he played 'hooky' from school and was able to copy his mother's signature to say he was sick etc... he was obtaining alcohol when he could and seemed to have become quite streetwise and violent."
   The letter also explained how the parents considered that Nathan might be running with the wrong crowd, and that changing schools to the Catholic system might be the answer. But the Murdoch family had been brought up as Methodists, with Craig's own father and mother stalwarts of the Wesley Church in central Perth. Craig's father Ken had been a brilliant musician, a saxophonist who played concerts in the Wesley Church and at services.
   Craig and his wife considered their lack of a Catholic background might make it difficult to enrol Nathan in St Mark's College so they turned to their good friend, Father Quirk, for help. With his assistance both boys were enrolled in St Mark's.
   "This man was instrumental in getting our boys into St Mark's," says the letter to the Archbishop.
   "It was then that Nathan's behaviour spiralled to an all-time low. His mother and I had brought our boys up in a decent and loving home with all the love and support they could ever ask for. We tried so hard to get to the bottom of Nathan's behaviour, but to no avail. The one thing that we did not consider was that he had been sexually abused by this so-called Man of God."
   Mr Murdoch also reflects in his letter with a sense of bitterness that when Father Quirk died in Queensland some years ago, the Church rang him to inform him of the priest's death. His name was among those on the list of people to be informed.
   Before leaving for Queensland, from where he had originally come, Father Quirk had suffered heart attacks and Mr Murdoch remembers visiting him in hospital while he was recovering from one of his illnesses.
   The letter to the Archbishop reveals how Nathan eventually told his father the lurid details of "this disgusting animal's requests for oral sex, masturbation and sodomy" which Nathan had to perform - with threats of what would happen to Nathan if he was to tell anyone. "He was very convincing. But I'm sure you've heard it all before and how it works," wrote Mr Murdoch.
   He continued: "Nathan sat on this for some 22 years and confided in no one. Not his mother, or his close friends. He was married about 11 years ago and his wife was never aware. He had attempts at other relationships; all failed. Over the years Nathan used alcohol and drugs to try and blot out his nightmares. He had some minor run-ins with the police, but luckily nothing serious."
   The conclusion to the letter is a bitter summation of his motives as a parent: "I am writing to inform you of this tragedy that has destroyed the life of our beautiful son. It has also destroyed my love of life and also (that) of his mother and his brother, who are absolutely devastated.
   "I just wonder how many other children from the Midland parish had been molested by this vile person before he mysteriously disappeared to Queensland."
   Nathan had also left a suicide note, which Craig Murdoch included in his letter to the Archbishop. The note was in the form of a poem, in which Nathan expressed his desire to be free of "the frightening thoughts from my stolen childhood".
Why can't I ever be free of this life I have been forced to endure
I don't see any hope - no future - no cure.
   Archbishop Hickey's response to Craig Murdoch's letter was swift - it came back by return mail. "I have received your letter about your son Nathan and the tragic end caused by persistent memories of vile actions by a Franciscan priest. I can only imagine your grief and anger at such a betrayal," he wrote.
   "As this is is the first time I have heard Fr Ray Quirk's name linked with child sexual abuse it came as a shock, particularly because there are probably other victims of him out there that have not come forward."
   Archbishop Hickey went on to say the Church would investigate the conduct of the late Fr Quirk and nominated Peter Messer, the executive officer of the Church's Professional Standards Group, as the investigating officer.
   Archbishop Hickey concluded: "I can only express my profound distress that your son's life was destroyed by one of the clergy."
   Craig Murdoch takes some consolation from the Church's prompt reply to his letter but is left wondering what would have happened 22 years ago if Father Quirk's behaviour had come to light. In those days paedophilia among the clergy was rarely discussed in public, and even less frequently exposed and punished. If it had been exposed, Nathan's parents feel they would have known how to help their son recover from the feelings of guilt.
   When contacted by Weekend Extra, Mr Messer said that preliminary investigations had not revealed anyone else had complained of Father Quirk.
   "We will continue our investigations, which may take some time. But it is difficult after so many years to find corroborative evidence, particularly since both people in the case are now dead. However, if the story does help bring evidence to light that can only be a good thing." # [Aug 27, 05]
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Sun August 28, 2005 edition follows:-
• Pope studying document on gay priests. - Roman Catholic Church.

   Science Daily, UPI, Aug. 28, 2005
   VATICAN CITY (UPI) -- Pope Benedict XVI reportedly is now studying a proposed instruction that would ban the ordination of homosexuals as Roman Catholic priests.
   The Observer said that the instruction written by the Congregation for Catholic Education and Seminaries would, for the first time, make heterosexuality a requirement in selecting candidates for seminaries. In the past, because all priests take vows of celibacy, sexual orientation was not an issue.
   The instruction has gone through three drafts without being released, and the pope could still decide to withhold it. Barring homosexuals from the priesthood could lead to an even greater shortage of candidates in the church. ...
   The document is a response to the scandal about sexual abuse in the United States, because, in addition to complaints of pedophiliac priests, some priests claimed they had been abused or sexually harassed by superiors. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 02:41 PM]
• "Twist Of Faith". - RCC. Documovie.

   Times Newspapers, by Don Corrigan, August 26, 2005
   MISSOURI - "Twist of Faith" follows the story of a Toledo firefighter who is forced to confront earlier years of sexual abuse.
   An award-winning documentary on clergy sexual abuse and a panel exploring such crimes "happening in our own backyard" is slated for 8 p.m., Aug. 31, at Webster University's Moore Auditorium.
   "The film is quite powerful," said David Clohessy, who will represent Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) on the panel following the film. "It's great that St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Jennifer Joyce will be on the panel.
   "Her presence can remind us that clergy abuse is a serious crime," said Clohessy. "It needs to be brought to the police. Most Catholics agree that this stuff should not be covered up; it should not be swept under the rug. It needs to be cleaned up."
   The film, "Twist of Faith," follows the psychological journey of Tony Comes, a firefighter from Toledo, Ohio, who has buried his past of being abused by a priest. A constant barrage of news related to sexual abuse, coupled with a disturbing discovery in his personal life, forces Tony to confront his demons.
   "The film is important because it shows what the pain is about, what the aftermath of clergy abuse is all about," said Clohessy. "Here is a fireman, Tony, who buys his dream house for his family, only to find that the priest who molested him lives down the street."
• Victim works to halt abuse. [2 family members] - Christians. Girl
   The Daily Item, By Bevin Milavsky, August 28, 2005
   PENNSYLVANIA - A woman who was sexually abused as a child is working for legislative change to stop the cycle of abuse and bring justice to others who have been victimized.
   Tammy Lerner, of New Tripoli, is co-director of the Lehigh Valley chapter of SNAP (Survivor's Network of those Abused by Priests), and for the past three years her main focus has been serving as legislative director.
   Ms. Lerner's abuse began when she was 4 or 5 and growing up in Mifflinburg. She said the abuse was committed by two members of her extended family.
   Ms. Lerner's grandfather was a non-denominational minister who held church services in his home every Sunday.
   Although her grandfather was in no way involved in her abuse, she said the very strict, conservative nature of the religion engendered secrecy, much like what shrouded the Catholic clergy abuse scandals.
• Priest abuse panel puts off ruling. [Monsignor Hebert] - RCC. Boy.
   The Times-Picayune, By Bruce Nolan Saturday, August 27, 2005
   NEW ORLEANS (LA) - A lay-dominated review board that advises Archbishop Alfred Hughes said it does not have enough information to evaluate a Harvey man's allegation that a Marrero priest molested him as a child, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of New Orleans said Friday.
   "The data available to the review board is not sufficient at this time for the board to render a judgment," said archdiocesan spokesman the Rev. William Maestri.
   The archdiocese, as distinct from its advisory panel, continues to believe that Monsignor Raymond Hebert is a victim of mistaken identity, Maestri said.
   The review board sent the complaint back for more investigation and asked that it not be resubmitted until a fuller picture is available, he said.
   The decision means that Hebert may continue his 53-year career in public ministry.
• Judge: Diocese owns assets, not parishes. [2005 Spokane Diocese] - RCC.
   Boston Herald, By Marie Szaniszlo, Sunday, August 28, 2005
   BOSTON (MA) - A federal bankruptcy judge has ruled that churches, parochial schools and other assets belong to a diocese, not to individual parishes and trusts - a major victory for clergy sexual abuse victims suing for damages, and a potential blow to Boston-area parishioners suing to reopen closed churches.
   By rejecting its argument that the assets of parishes belong not to the diocese but to parishioners, Judge Patricia Williams undermined the Spokane, Wash., diocese's attempt to limit the assets creditors could seize to settle lawsuits brought by 58 people who say they were abused by priests.
   The diocese plans to appeal. But if the ruling is upheld, it could have broad implications for dioceses attempting to fend off lawsuits by sex-abuse victims by claiming that parish assets belong to parishioners.
   It would likewise affect the Boston Archdiocese, which is making a mirror-image attempt to foil lawsuits by parishioners at churches it has closed by claiming parish assets belong to the archdiocese.
   "If this decision is upheld after appeals, it is of landmark importance for the Catholic Church in America," said Peter Borre, a spokesman for the Council of Parishes, a group opposed to Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley's decision last year to close roughly one-quarter of the archdiocese's 357 parishes, largely due to dwindling donations in the wake of the clergy sex-abuse scandal.
• Mass-goers quizzed on abuse fund . - RCC.

   BBC News, ~ August 28, 2005
   NORTHERN IRELAND - One of Londonderry's Catholic parishes has started consulting on how to meet its commitment to a fund compensating victims of clerical sex abuse.
   Mass-goers who attend St Eugene's Cathedral are being asked to give their views on how the parish should raise £40,000 for the Stewardship Trust Fund.
   Fr Michael Canny, the administrator, said it was important the University of Ulster survey was independent.
   He said he was "prepared to abide" by whatever the findings were.
   "The university are asking them (the Mass goers) on my behalf to express their preferences as to how we might meet our commitments," he said.
• Another suit is filed against former priest. [1978, ?1960s Beine] - RCC. 2 boys.

   St. Louis Post-Dispatch, ~ August 28, 2005
   MISSOURI - A former student at New Haven High School has filed a civil lawsuit against former St. Louis priest James Beine in St. Louis Circuit Court.
   The former student, called John Doe in the lawsuit, said he was sexually abused by Beine several times beginning in 1978 at the high school, where Beine was a counselor. The lawsuit, filed Friday, also named the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis, Archbishop Raymond Burke and the school district.
   The suit was the second filed against Beine in as many days. On Thursday, a Florida man, now 53, filed a civil lawsuit saying he was abused by Beine at St. Monica Catholic School in Creve Coeur when he was in the sixth and seventh grades.
• Center will keep Bishop's name. [1970s Hart] - RCC. 3 minors.
   Star-Tribune, By ROBERT W. BLACK, Star-Tribune capital bureau, Sunday, August 28, 2005
   CHEYENNE (WY) -- A victims' advocacy group has been rebuffed in its attempt to have the name of retired Roman Catholic Bishop Joseph Hart removed from a residence hall at a Torrington youth home.
   Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, based in Chicago, on Wednesday urged Wyoming Catholic leaders to strip Hart's name from a building at St. Joseph's Children's Home, which is affiliated with the church.
   The request came following the third lawsuit filed against the bishop alleging sexual abuse in the 1970s when he was a priest.
   Bishop David Ricken, who succeeded Hart as spiritual leader of Wyoming's Catholics in 2001, issued a statement Friday saying there was no reason to change the name of the Hart Children's Center.
   "In this wonderful country, a person is innocent until proven guilty," Ricken said. "I am sure any one of us would welcome the protection of the law and the presumption of innocence if we had been accused.
• Local Catholic churches, schools may be at risk after ruling. [2005 Spokane Diocese] - RCC.
   Walla Walla Union-Bulletin By Union-Bulletin staff with Associated Press reports, ~ August 28, 2005
   WASHINGTON - A federal bankruptcy judge has ruled that all the parish churches, parochial schools and other property of the Catholic Diocese of Spokane can be liquidated to pay victims of sexual abuse by priests.
   The decision - which includes six parishes in Columbia, Garfield and Walla Walla counties and two Catholic schools in the region - may prompt other dioceses across the nation to avoid filing for Chapter 11 protection.
   But Spokane Bishop William Skylstad, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said he will appeal the decision announced Friday.
   "We appeal this decision because we have a responsibility, not only to victims, but to the generations of parishioners...who have given so generously of themselves in order to build up the work of the Catholic Church in Eastern Washington," Skylstad said in a prepared statement.
   "Let me assure everyone that ministry will continue in Eastern Washington," he said.
• Column on 'Twist of Faith' stirs reader's anger. - RCC. Docufilm. The Tony Comes story.
   Toledo Blade, http://toledoblade. com/apps/pbcs. dll/article?AID=/ 20050828/ COLUMNIST34/ 508280327/- 1/NEWS , by Russ Lemmon, rlemmon@theblade.com , (419) 724-6122, Sunday, August 28, 2005
   TOLEDO (OH) - A hand-written letter -- a true rarity these days -- caused me to change plans for today's get-together.
   Originally, I was not going to write about Twist of Faith, the Oscar-nominated documentary set in Toledo. After all, I had mentioned it the three previous weeks.
   But I was taken aback by the tone of Martin's one-page correspondence. I've received my share of "hate mail" through the years, but his ranks among the most vile.
   In this space two weeks ago, I said we were small-minded because Twist of Faith couldn't get a public screening here. If I were to build a case in support of my statement, Martin's letter would be Exhibit A.
   The film chronicles the life of Toledo firefighter Tony Comes around the time he went public with allegations of sexual abuse by a former priest, Dennis Gray. I don't see how it's possible to watch it and not have heartfelt sympathy for Mr. Comes.
   Martin, however, might be the exception.
   "Media creep, phony Tony Comes, the $50,000 Hollywood crybaby, has gotten enough out of this," he wrote, making reference to the $50,000 settlement Mr. Comes received from the Toledo Catholic diocese.
   All I could do is shake my head over his astonishing lack of compassion.
   Martin wasn't finished. He spewed his remaining venom at me.
   "Why don't you be a man and admit all of this obsession with our Church is not really about sex abuse? It is all about hatred for our Catholic faith -- abortion, gay marriage, women's ordination, etc. You hate the authority of the Church and are frustrated Catholics refuse to leave it.… You are just a sour Catholic-hating liberal lemon with a chip on your shoulder."
   Sigh.
   Actually, Martin, my obsession, if you want to call it that, is with social justice. I don't understand why our community is willing to look the other way.
   Twist of Faith is part of the solution, folks, not part of the problem.
• Vatican papers spark debate. [1962-2003 Roman Catholic Church] - Sex secrecy document Crimen Sollicitationis

   Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, USA), http://telegram. com/apps/pbcs. dll/article?AID=/ 20050828/NEWS/ 508280674/1116/ NEWSREWIND , By Kathleen A. Shaw, kshaw@telegram.com , August 28, 2005
   WORCESTER (MA) -- The 1962 Vatican document called Crimen Sollicitationis that first surfaced in Worcester two years ago has made its way around the world, causing controversy and sparking debate on whether the Roman Catholic hierarchy intended this document as a plan to hush up sexual abuse of children.
   The name is taken from the first words of the original Latin version, which mean "crime of solicitation." It outlines procedures to be followed when a priest is accused of sexual abuse. Houston lawyer Daniel J. Shea said the document is relevant because it shows that the church hierarchy has conspired to keep quiet child abuse.
   Reading through the Crimen protocol for handling abuse cases, Mr. Shea said, it is evident that the intent is to absolve the offending priest and send him on what the document calls a "pious pilgrimage" but what he called a "vacation," and to shut up the complainant.
   He and other civil lawyers in this country are also introducing the document into lawsuits in an attempt to show that an international conspiracy is involved in covering up abuse by priests.
   He went to the gates of the Vatican two weeks ago to press his argument that Pope Benedict XVI has actively conspired to keep cases of clergy sexual abuse under wraps. He bases his claim on the Crimen document and a letter that the pope wrote in 2001, when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, instructing church officials on how to handle these cases. Crimen was footnoted in the 2001 document.
   Crimen Sollicitationis has also shown up in Louisville, Ky., where the Vatican has been named in a lawsuit filed by men alleging clergy sexual abuse.
   Mr. Shea, who also practices in Massachusetts, settled several sexual abuse cases in Worcester Superior Court, but has named the pope in a lawsuit he is handling for three men in the Houston area who said they were sexually abused by a priest there who later fled back to his native Latin America.
   Crimen was introduced into a court suit in Springfield brought by Jane Martin, who said she was sexually abused as a child by the Rev. Robert E. Kelley, a priest of the Worcester Diocese. The judge did not allow introduction of the document because it had not been authenticated and was not seen as being relevant.
   Mr. Shea's campaign has attracted public notice. Articles about his quest have appeared in newspapers in Britain, Ireland, Italy and the United States.
   The Rev. Thomas Doyle, the canon lawyer who first called attention to the burgeoning sexual abuse scandal in the church in the mid-1980s, said he understands that an even earlier document dealt with how to handle clergy sexual abuse issues, but he has been unable to find the entire document. Dated June 8, 1922, it is written in Latin and called "De modo procedendi in causis sollicitationis."
   Rev. Doyle does not agree with Mr. Shea that the 2001 memo implicates the pope in obstruction of justice. The memo was intended to be an internal church document and no one at the Vatican at the time was thinking in terms of obstructing justice. He does not believe that Crimen Sollicitationis was an intentional act by the church hierarchy to cover up abuse but said it shows a 1960s "mindset" of the hierarchy, which intended these things to be kept confidential.
   The document, which was marked "confidential," was drawn up by Cardinal Alfred Ottaviani and approved by Pope John XXIII. Rev. Doyle said the pope may not have read the document presented to him for approval by the cardinal, but he would have known of its existence. According to the preamble to Crimen, it was to be "diligently stored in the secret archives of the Curia as strictly confidential."
   Rev. Doyle, as a canon lawyer, worked at the Vatican embassy in Washington, D.C., during the 1980s and a lot of church documents involving allegations of clerical sexual abuse crossed his desk. This is where he got his first inklings of the scope of the problem, which until recently remained largely hidden. He has also served as an expert witness in civil lawsuits involving allegations of sexual abuse by priests and has seen even more documents.
   He said that although Crimen does not appear to be operational in all Catholic dioceses, he has seen documents that show it was used in some of them.
   He believes the American bishops, none of whom would have been involved in the writing of Crimen Sollicitationis, from the mid-20th century onward turned their energies to sending offending priests to treatment places. The first such retreat was operated by the Servants of the Paraclete in New Mexico, he said. In the late 1940s and 1950s, the founder of that order was warning bishops that none of the priests sent to "the Paracletes should be in active ministry," he said. The bishops did not heed that warning, he said.
   The House of Affirmation in Whitinsville, which was opened in the 1970s, received a number of offending priests, but experts in the treatment field had told Rev. Doyle that they did not believe the House of Affirmation was equipped professionally to treat sexually abusive priests. "But bishops continued to send priests to the House of Affirmation," he said. The House of Affirmation closed in the late 1980s amid a financial scandal.
   Rev. Doyle said Catholics in general understand that the hierarchy needs to take a good look at how they operate if there is to be an end to clerical sexual abuse. He said he was recently involved in a court case in which a bishop, whom he declined to name, did not tell the truth about destruction by his diocese of subpoenaed documents, although the bishop had knowledge that his predecessor had the documents destroyed. "He violated a court order and he violated an oath," Rev. Doyle said.
   Bishops react as organizations react, he said. "They come to see their needs as the needs of the institution," he said. Rev. Doyle added that the church will not come to grips with the sexual abuse problem unless it takes a look at its own views on sexuality. Rev. Doyle said he has seen files on many abusive priests and was struck by how sexually immature they were. "In seminary, you did not talk about sex. It was a sin," he said.
   Rev. Doyle added that the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which was approved by the American bishops, is not the panacea that many hope it is. "I have a lot of issues with the charter," he said. For one thing, he said, he does not believe the church can "self-audit" compliance with the charter. The language of the charter is so broad that abuse can be construed in many different ways.
   Other people interviewed recently had a variety of views on the documents and what needs to be done to deal with the clergy sexual abuse scandal.
   Gerald Renner of Connecticut, a retired religion writer for the Hartford Courant who with Jason Berry wrote "Vows of Silence," has investigated the allegations that Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the Legion of Christ, had sexually molested boys and that the Vatican hushed it up.
   Mr. Renner said he believes the "resurrection" of Crimen after more than 40 years is "not a blueprint for a cover-up regardless of what Mr. Shea or others say." He said it is an internal church document "that applies to ecclesiastical law, not to the broader civil law in the U.S. or anywhere else. It is a straw which civil lawyers have grasped to open the Vatican to liability for the cover-up."
   Timothy P. Staney, a former Worcester resident who now lives in the Tampa, Fla., area, has made the Crimen available to anyone who want to download it from the Internet. He got a copy of the document, which is more than 30 pages long, and put it on his Web site. It got 800 hits the first week and the document then began to appear on other sites. A Google search shows the file, criminales.pdf, showing up in more than 90 sites. References to Crimen show up in more than 650 places on the Web and articles about it appear in a number of different languages, showing a worldwide reach.
   Crimen deals with how the hierarchy should act if a priest is turned in for sexual abuse. The answer is, "It never happened," Mr. Staney said.
   Mr. Staney, who settled a lawsuit alleging he was sexually abused by the Rev. Jean-Paul Gagnon and Raymond Tremblay, a former religious education teacher, said he believes it is unimportant whether Catholics view the document as irrelevant or an urgent directive of protocol. "It is indisputable that this document was released to the highest ranks of the church under the secret of the Holy Office with draconian security instructions and was never meant to fall into the hands of lay people, moreover the media," he said.
   Mr. Staney sees Crimen as a "smoking gun" of a cover-up and noted the language of the document is "concisely sexual." While some argue the document refers only to sexual abuse involving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Mr. Staney questions why it makes reference to sexual acts involving "brute animals."
   "They were obviously concerned about something more than sacramental protocol," he said.
   Daniel E. Dick, victim support coordinator for Worcester Voice of the Faithful, said he believes Crimen was used by the bishops "and those above them in rank" to avoid having to face their role in the "whole, awful mess of sexual abuse by any and all church personnel."
   "The release of Crimen Sollicitationis in 1962 was originally limited to cover only improper advances a confessor might make to a young male in the confessional. Supposedly, according to its canon lawyer defenders, the intent of Crimen Sollicitationis was later expanded to convey the church's recognition that the abuse of another person by a member of the clerical caste was also a crime. This covers (religious) such as deacons, brothers and sisters in religious orders, seminarians, priests, bishops and archbishops, cardinals, and popes who have been guilty of sexually soliciting and abusing another person," Mr. Dick said.
   "The document does not cover those who aid and abet in the crime of obstructing justice," he said. A person who knowingly puts a child molester in a position to abuse more children "is also aiding and abetting a crime," Mr. Dick said.
   "The most notorious example of such an exclusion is the horrific record of Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston who did knowingly and habitually shield and transfer many, many pedophile clergy and religious from one post to another where they could continue their criminal ways. His case was considerably compounded by the actions of both Pope John Paul II and then Cardinal Ratzinger who had Law whisked away to Rome where they ensconced him in a cushy pastorate of a wealthy church there. Then, after being elected pope, Rev. Ratzinger had the further gall to invite Law to say the Mass of mourning for the late John Paul II," Mr. Dick said.
   Pauline Salvucci of Maine, a former religious sister who now advocates for church reform and accountability through Voices of Outrage, said the document may be controversial but she would rather see people focus their energies on bringing real reform to the Catholic church and to begin to prosecute those of the church hierarchy who have shielded priests.
   "The way to change the church won't be through this document from Rome, but rather through a grass-roots political movement in truth and justice," she said. She sees the goals as changing the statutes of limitations to hold priests and bishops accountable for sexual abuse, holding Congressional hearings into diocesan cover-ups that have been documented around the country, removing the non-profit status of churches and dioceses that refuse to cooperate with investigations and having a federal RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) investigation into the cover-ups.
   George "Skip" Shea of Uxbridge, who settled a suit alleging abuse by Rev. Thomas H. Teczar, said it is "hard to believe" there was not an active conspiracy with orders from Rome. He referred to a recent suit against the Fort Worth, Texas, and Worcester dioceses by two men who said they were abused by Rev. Teczar, who migrated to Texas from Worcester. "It was evident in the letters between Worcester and Fort Worth, where (the late) Bishop (Joseph Patrick) Delaney assumed all legal and financial responsibility for Father Teczar if he was to be sent there. He knew the risks. He jeopardized the safety of those children," he said. "Clearly, the results of the recent lawsuits have proven that. Yet publicly he denied everything."
   George Shea said that Cardinal Law knowingly moved abusive priests "while publicly denying it." Mr. Shea, who is not related to the Houston lawyer, said, "The fact that two leaders of the church, 2,000 miles apart, exhibiting the same behavior and responses to the crisis, leads one to believe they are taking the same orders."
   The Rev. Bruce Teague, a College of the Holy Cross graduate who is a priest of the Springfield Diocese, said bishops attempted to avoid scandal, particularly at the local level, and did not need Crimen to do it. "Most American bishops, unless they were canon lawyers, would not understand Crimen. It would have had to be interpreted to them by their chief canon lawyers," he said.
   Rev. Teague said bishops did not view sexual abuse of minors as a criminal issue but thought it was best handled by sending the priest to treatment. "Their behaviors were similar to Nixon in Watergate and Clinton in the Monica Lewinsky case. Their efforts and their diagnosis proved to be disastrous and destructive to victims and the church," he said.
   Canon law dealt with the issue of abusive priests, but American bishops did not even follow church law, Rev. Teague said. He said bishops still fail to hold themselves accountable for the harm they caused. "Unlike, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the Dallas norms fail to hold bishops accountable themselves," he said. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 09:13 AM] [A shorter version is above.]
   [For links about Crimen ... see footnotes to July 11, 2005 newsitem "Vatican/Anticlericale.Net: Demonstration For Sexual And Conscience Liberty."]
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Mon August 29, 2005 edition follows:-
• Priest's trial could serve as test case on old abuse charges. [1970s+ Graham] - RCC. Boy.

   The Kansas City Star, www.kansascity. com/mld/kansascity/ news/local/1250 7718.htm , Associated Press, ~ August 29, 2005
   ST. LOUIS (MO) - A trial of a Roman Catholic priest accused of sodomizing a teenage boy in the 1970s began Monday in a case that could test how well sexual abuse charges hold up decades after the alleged crime.
   Rev. Thomas Graham, 71, faces one count of sodomy against a teenage boy at the rectory of St. Louis' Old Cathedral in the late 1970s.
   Graham is being tried in St. Louis court. The St. Louis Archdiocese said it investigated the allegation in 1994 but could not substantiate it based on the information it had.
   Graham has maintained the charge is untrue, the archdiocese said, but he was removed from active ministry when charged in November 2002. He has been living in a monitored residence.
   Many Missouri prosecutors think the case could show the effectiveness of a sodomy charge decades after an alleged sex abuse crime. Standard child molestation laws require charges to be filed relatively quickly. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:42 PM]
• Vatican Prepares To Ban Gay Priests. - RCC.

   365Gay.com , www.365gay.com/ newscon05/08/ 082805priests.htm , by Malcolm Thornberry, 365Gay.com European Bureau Chief, Posted 4:00 pm ET, August 28, 2005
   VATICAN CITY - The Vatican is preparing to bar gays from entering the priesthood and is considering removing those gays who are already priests.
   The new regulations for the priesthood were prepared by the Congregation for Catholic Education and Seminaries - the body that oversees all Catholic seminaries.
   The document was delivered to Pope Benedict earlier this month but was not made public because the Vatican did not want it to conflict with the papal visit to Cologne.
   It is the latest attempt to lay blame for the child abuse scandal that for the past several years has rocked the church, particularly in America, at the feet of gays.
   In the past the church has been silent on the issue of gay priests, believing the vow of celibacy that all priests take, was sufficient.
• Church: Accused Bishop's Name To Stay On Children's Home. [Hart] - RCC.

   KGWN, Associated Press, ~ August 29, 2005
   CHEYENNE (WY) - A residence hall at the Saint Joseph's Children's Home in Torrington will continue to bear the name of former Wyoming Bishop Joseph Hart.
   That's the word from current Bishop David Ricken. He says accusations made last week in a lawsuit against Hart are not enough by themselves to warrant taking Hart's name off the youth center.
   Last week, a former parishioner of Hart filed a lawsuit in Missouri, alleging that Hart had molested him when he was 12 years old. It was the fifth such lawsuit against Hart.
   Hart has not responded to this most recent allegation, but has repeatedly denied any sexual misconduct.
• Dallas Theological Seminary, molestation victim reach settlement. - Nondenominational seminary. Male.
   Forth Worth Star-Telegram, By Martha Deller, ~ August 29, 2005
   DALLAS (TX) - On the eve of what could have been an emotional trial, Dallas Theological Seminary reached a out-of-court settlement with a Trophy Club resident who blamed the seminary for his abuse by one of their graduates.
   Jury selection was set to begin Monday in Tarrant County's 17th District court in Aaron Babb's lawsuit against the seminary, where a man now imprisoned for molesting Babb graduated in 1992.
   But attorneys for Babb and the seminary said Monday the case was settled late Friday, with all terms to remain confidential.
   "Our client is pleased with the terms of the settlement," said Babb's attorney, Thomas McElyea. "He was prepared to go to trial, but we believe it is in the best interest of all parties to solve the lawsuit amicably."
   Thomas Brandon Jr., who represented the 80-year-old nondenominational seminary, agreed.
   "The matter was settled to the satisfaction of all parties involved," Brandon said. "My personal hope is that this will help promote healing for Mr. Babby and for the seminary."
• Diocese to appeal bankruptcy court decision that parishes are assets. [2005 Spokane Diocese] - RCC.
   Catholic News Service, By Catholic News Service, ~ August 29, 2005
   SPOKANE, Wash. (CNS) -- Citing the "national consequences," Bishop William S. Skylstad of Spokane said he will appeal a federal bankruptcy court's ruling that parish properties must be included in the Spokane diocesan assets used to settle millions of dollars in clergy sex abuse claims.
   U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Patricia Williams of Spokane ruled Aug. 26 that civil property laws prevail in a bankruptcy proceeding despite any internal church laws that might bar a bishop from full control over parish assets. Diocesan lawyers had argued that in church law parish assets belong to the parish itself, not to its pastor or to the bishop. They said that, while the diocesan bishop was nominally the owner in civil law, even in civil law he only held those properties in trust for the parishes themselves.
   "It is not a violation of the First Amendment," Williams wrote, "to apply federal bankruptcy law to identify and define property of the bankruptcy estate even though the Chapter 11 debtor is a religious organization."
   Her ruling, if upheld, would vastly increase the diocesan assets subject to the abuse claims and would up the ante nationwide for any other diocese considering that approach to resolving sexual abuse claims against its clergy.
• County must pay back property taxes to Catholic foundation. - RCC.
   KVOA, ~ August 29, 2005
   TUCSON (AZ) - In the settlement of a lawsuit, the Pima County Assessor's Office must give back all but $5,000 of the nearly $50,000 in property taxes that had been paid on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson's downtown headquarters in the 2004 tax year.
   The lawsuit was filed last year by the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Tucson, which argued that as a charitable entity it should be completely exempt from paying property taxes on the headquarters.
   The settlement was signed by Pima County Superior Court Judge Carmine Cornelio late last month.
   Under state law, properties of charitable institutions are exempt from taxation if the institutions and property aren't used or held for profit. ...
   The diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization last year in the face of 22 lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by local clergy.
• Priests ask Massgoers how best to compensate victims of clerical abuse. - RCC. €1.46m.

   One in Four, ~ August 29, 2005
   NORTHERN IRELAND - MASSGOERS were yesterday asked to participate in a survey to assess views on how their parish should contribute to the compensation fund for victims of clerical sex abuse.
   The request was made by the Administrator of St Eugene's Cathedral in Derry, Fr Michael Canny, who said that the survey would be conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Ulster.
   Earlier this year the Bishop of Derry, Dr Seamus Hegarty, said the diocese was committed to paying £1m (€1.46m) over a five-year period to the Stewardship Trust Fund, which was set up by the Catholic Church in Ireland to pay compensation to people who were sexually abused by priests.
   Fr Canny said that his parish's commitment to the fund was £8,000 (€11,700) a year for five years.
• Visitors to Holy Cross to receive leaflets on pedophile issue. - RCC. Priest to distribute anti-seduction leaflets outside college. [1950s Millard] - RCC. Girl.

   Worcester Voice, ~ August 29, 2005
   WORCESTER (MA) - Tuesday morning August 30, The Rev. Robert M. Hoatson, a Catholic priest from New Jersey and supporters of clergy abuse victim Patricia A. Cahill will assemble to provided leaflets to visitors at the main gates of the College of the Holy Cross.
   Ms Patricia A. Cahill, a Lancaster, Pa., resident and the niece of the late Rev. Daniel E. Millard, a 1947 Holy Cross graduate for whom the Millard Art Center is named, alleged that her uncle sexually abused her when she was between the ages of 5 and 13. She said the abuse occurred during the 1950s while she was growing up in New Jersey.
   The Millard Art Center was dedicated in 1993 and the building contains a bronze plaque bearing the name and a likeness of Rev. Millard. A major benefactor was Mrs. Ferrara's father, Charles Millard of the class of 1954. The former president, CEO and chairman of the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of New York died in 2003 after a lengthy term as a Holy Cross trustee.
• Sex-abuse mediations shadowed by suicides. [Portland Archdiocese] - RCC. 66 complainants, 1 suicide.
   The Oregonian, By STEVE WOODWARD Monday, August 29, 2005
   OREGON - A week before he died, Larry Lynn Craven called his lawyer, as he often did, to say that he could no longer live with the demons of his childhood sexual abuse.
   "He had called me, crying and depressed and saying that he wanted to commit suicide," Daniel J. Gatti recalls. "I kept saying, 'God will get us through this.' "
   A week later, on July 21, the Brooks man was dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, making him the third clergy sex-abuse plaintiff to commit suicide or apparent suicide in the past nine months.
   The deaths are a disturbing undercurrent in the crucial mediations now under way between 66 sex-abuse plaintiffs and the Archdiocese of Portland, and they have prompted Gatti to ask a federal judge for help in preventing more suicides.
   "Over the past several months," Gatti wrote in an affidavit filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Portland, "I have fielded several calls from clients who, with a drink in one hand and a gun in the other, have threatened to commit suicide, and, but for divine intervention and a great deal of talk, I believe that they would have, in fact, committed suicide."
   The mediations have stirred up dormant emotions that are rooted in abuse that plaintiffs say took place decades ago.
• Catholics Disappointed With Court Ruling . [2005 Spokane Diocese] - RCC.
   KXLY, www.kxly.com/ common/get Story.asp? id=44871 , ~ August 29, 2005
  SPOKANE (WA) - Local churches are reacting to a federal ruling that could force the Spokane Catholic Diocese to sell churches, schools and all parish property to pay victims of priest sexual abuse.
   The ruling came Friday, after the diocese began seeking Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection, saying it could only pay $10 million for victims of priest abuse. Victims argued the diocese could pay more if the church sold schools and other parish property.
   Local Catholics News4 spoke with are upset and sad. Before the 11am mass at the Cathedral of our Lady Lourdes, a few Catholics said they understand the victims have suffered, but they don't think they should too. One women says she does not want the current Catholic population to pay for sins that happened decades ago.
   Victims of clergy abuse have said they do not want to see churches or schools sold, they just want a resolution and the church to be held accountable.
• Judge: Diocese's assets to pay sex-abuse victims. [2005 Spokane Diocese] - RCC.
   The Boston Globe, By Michael Levenson, Globe Correspondent | August 29, 2005
   BOSTON (MA) - A decision by a federal bankruptcy judge in Spokane, Wash., who ruled that the assets of the Catholic diocese could be liquidated to pay victims of sexual abuse by priests, could have far-reaching implications for dioceses across the country, including in Boston, leaders of two lay reform groups said yesterday.
   Peter Borre, cochairman of the Council of Parishes, a group that is assisting parishioners who oppose the closing of their parishes, said he believes the ruling might encourage more victims of clergy sexual abuse to come forward and file suit against church officials, two years after about 550 parishioners in Boston settled their claims with the archdiocese.
   "We are going to see a significant surge in claims because, to put it a bit crassly, sexual-abuse victims and their attorneys will now see much larger sums of money available for settlement," he said. "Everything within the diocese is now potentially on the table if it comes to Chapter 11 proceedings."
   Terrence C. Donilon, spokesman for the Boston Archdiocese, said he did not want to comment directly on the ruling because church lawyers have not had a chance to review its details. But he said he wanted to point out differences between the Boston Archdiocese and the Diocese of Spokane, which filed for bankruptcy in December, claiming assets of $11.1 million and liabilities of $81.3 million. Most of those liabilities were sexual-abuse claims.
   "We're not in bankruptcy, we're in a process of reconfiguration, so we're in a significantly different environment from Spokane," Donilon said.
• Parishioners surveyed on abuse fund. [2000s McCloskey, 2000s Derry Diocese] - RCC.

   Belfast Telegraph, By Sarah Brett, 29 August 2005
   NORTHERN IRELAND - A priest in Londonderry is surveying his parish on how cash should be raised for a controversial fund which compensates victims of paedophile priests.
   Father Michael Canny has asked a team of researchers from the University of Ulster to confidentially canvass those who worship in and financially support St Eugene's Cathedral on how the parish might "meet its obligation" to the Stewardship Trust Fund.
   The move follows a double scandal in the diocese earlier this year when it emerged that Dungiven curate Fr Andy McCloskey was allowed to become a sex abuse counsellor despite facing two serious sexual allegations and paying a £19,000 out of court settlement to an alleged victim.
   Within weeks it was also revealed that Bishop Of Derry Seamus Hegarty had on one occasion channelled money from parish contributions into the Stewardship Trust Fund without telling parishioners.
• Law's validity, attempt to prove cover-ups of abuse are at issue. - RCC. 140 cases.

   Union-Tribune, By Onell R. Soto, August 29, 2005
   SAN DIEGO (CA) - Lawyers for the Roman Catholic Church and for people who say they were abused by priests are using a case in San Diego federal court to do what they can't do in state court.
   Church officials are trying to invalidate the 2002 state law that lifted the statute of limitations for bringing decades-old civil claims of sexual abuse.
   The lawyers for people who say they are victims are using it to expose sometimes graphic allegations of abuse and what they call cover-ups in a series of recent declarations.
   Such arguments can't be made in state court because lawyers on both sides agreed to seek mediation for about 140 lawsuits filed against the church in San Diego after a nationwide scandal prompted the change in the law.
   None of the cases filed in San Diego has gone to trial. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:58 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Mon August 29, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Tue August 30, 2005 edition follows:-
• Testimony Begins In Priest Sex Abuse Trial. [1970s+ Graham] - RCC. Boy

   KSDK, www.ksdk.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=84045 , By Erin O'Neill, ~ August 30, 2005
   ST. LOUIS (MO) (KSDK) - Opening statements began Tuesday in the trial of a former Roman Catholic priest accused of molesting a teenage boy at the Old Cathedral. Thomas Graham is accused of repeatedly molesting the boy starting in the 1970s.
   The jury consists of 10 women and two men. Father Graham was in the courtroom seated next to his attorney. He was wearing a black suit with a blue shirt.
   Opening statements wrapped up in the morning. The alleged victim was the first person to take the stand. He is now 43 years old and lives in St. Louis. He says the sexual abuse by Father Graham began when he was a young boy in St. Mary's where Father Graham was an Associate Pastor at the time.
   The alleged victim described in detail to the court how Graham allegedly fondled him on several occasions as a young boy while riding in a car and again at the Old Cathedral years later when he was a teenager. He described Father Graham as a close family friend. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:44 PM]
• Albany Prosecutor Was Right; Underage Rape Case Unprosecutable. [Ms Geisel] - RCC. Male teenager.
   The Empire Journal, By June Maxam, ~ August 30, 2005
   ALBANY (NY) - If Peter Torncello was still an assistant prosecutor in the Albany County District Attorney's office, maybe DA David Soares and the office would have a different perspective about the case of the ex-Christian Brothers Academy teacher charged with having sex on several different occasions with a 16-year-old male student.
   Soares has charged Sandra 'Beth' Geisel with third degree rape and endangering the welfare of a child.
   The charges are never going to hold up in court and that's why Soares hasn't taken the case to a grand jury. His star witness - the 16-year-old male student - can't stand the scrutiny and will be easily impeached should the case ever go to trial, a highly unlikely event.
   On Thursday, 23-year-old trucker James Bradley who had also been charged with third degree rape and endangering the welfare of a child for traveling cross-country with a 15-year old California girl, was acquitted of all charges in Albany County Court.
   That should have sent a real strong message to Soares.
• Priest Resigns Amid Investigation. [? 2005 Catuela] - RCC. Defalcation, gambling, pornography. Boy.
   KDKA, 4:08 pm US/Eastern, Aug 29, 2005
   ELLWOOD CITY (PA) (KDKA) - An Ellwood City priest has resigned while authorities are investigating serious allegations into his conduct.
   The Rev. Mauro Catuela, former pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish, is facing allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a teenage boy, and spent thousands of dollars of church money on gambling and buying pornography.
   The Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese contacted the Lawrence County District Attorney's office as soon as they received the allegations, according the Rev. Ron Lengwin, spokesman for the Diocese.
   "People made the allegations, we met with them, we met with father Cateula who denied all of the allegations, and then we turned the matter over to the district attorney, and then we began our own process to determine suitability," Lengwin said.
   The case is now in the hands of state police and the Lawrence County District Attorney's Office.
   The diocese is doing its own investigation as well to ascertain whether Catuela is "suitable" to pastor at another parish, according to Lengwin.
• Catholic diocese on trial. [Fargo Diocese] - RCC.
   The Forum, By Dave Forster, Published Tuesday, August 30, 2005
   NORTH DAKOTA - The Catholic Diocese of Fargo could face "devastating" allegations of priest misconduct this week at a trial for employee discrimination, its attorney said Monday.
   The lawyer for Melissa Enebo, a former secretary for the diocese, said he wants to include evidence of misconduct by priests to show the diocese treated them differently than Enebo. Enebo claims gender discrimination in her lawsuit because she said she was fired in 1999 for getting pregnant outside of marriage.
   Benjamin Thomas, the diocese attorney, argued at pretrial motions Monday in Cass County District Court that priests aren't considered employees of the diocese.
   Only the Vatican can appoint and remove priests, Thomas said. Also, it is the Code of Canon Law, not state labor laws, that dictate how priests are disciplined, he said. Therefore, priests don't provide a fair comparison in Enebo's case, Thomas said.
   Enebo's attorney, Robert Schultz, pointed out later that some priests are considered employees of the diocese and are under the bishop's oversight.
• Druce lawyer, DA seek copies of macabre tape. [2003 Druce]
   Boston Herald, By Michele McPhee, Updated: 06:10 AM EST, Tuesday, August 30, 2005
   MASSACHUSETTS - Prosecutors and defense lawyers were flabbergasted yesterday to learn of an explosive prison video in which grandstanding killer Joseph L. Druce pantomimes the brutal 2003 murder of an infamous pedophile priest.
   But a Department of Correction official said his agency does not have the video, images from which appeared in yesterday's Herald.
   "We are looking into the matter of the tape being released," said DOC spokesman Paul Henderson.
   Druce's defense attorney, John H. Lachance, and Worcester County District Attorney John J. Conte both said they would demand copies of the macabre video from the DOC.
   Conte said he had not seen the tape, and asked DOC officials about it yesterday. "Our office has certainly not seen it," he said. "Basically, we just want to get this case to trial. That has been our purpose for quite a while now."
   Druce, who is serving life in an unrelated case, is expected in court Thursday for a hearing in the murder of John J. Geoghan, the defrocked Weston pastor accused of abusing scores of young children. Lachance said yesterday he plans to file a motion today aimed at obtaining the Druce video, and would argue that motion at the hearing Thursday.
   "I don't have that tape," he said. "All I have seen of that is what is in the newspaper."
• Whistleblower priest's lawsuit dismissed. - RCC. Rev. Andrew Dowgiert case.
   Renew America, by Matt C. Abbott, August 29, 2005
   MIAMI (FL) - A May 2005 lawsuit filed on behalf of the Rev. Andrew Dowgiert against the Archdiocese of Miami was dismissed on August 25. The suit alleges that Dowgiert was terminated for complaining to the archdiocese about sexual and financial improprieties allegedly committed by certain archdiocesan clergy.
   To read the text of the lawsuit, click on the following link: www.renewamerica. us/columns/ abbott/050521 .
   Sharon Bourassa, an attorney representing Dowgiert, sent the following e-mail on August 29 to the priest's supporters (slightly edited):
   "At the hearing ... the court dismissed Fr. Dowgiert's case against the archdiocese. The court said that it did not want to get involved in a Church dispute. This means that Fr. Dowgiert will have to make the decision to appeal the lower court's ruling.
• Victim hopes sex case changes church. [1982-85 Palmer] - Jehovah's Witness. Daughter.

   London Free Press, www.canoe.ca/ NewsStand/London FreePress/News/ 2005/08/30/ 1193447-sun.html , By COLIN PERKEL, CP, 01:48:54, Aug-30-2005
   TORONTO, Canada -- A Jehovah's Witness who sexually abused his daughter was sentenced yesterday to two years less a day, to be served in the community, in a case that cast a spotlight on how the church handles sex-abuse complaints within its ranks.
   The victim, Vicki Boer, said the sentencing of her father validates her allegations and should force the church to face up to its shortcomings in handling her abuse complaint.
   "For the first time, somebody believed me," Boer said of the judge.
   "It makes (the elders) accountable. They've never had to be accountable," she said in an interview from Fredericton.
   In June, Gower Palmer pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault in Ontario Superior Court in Orangeville, about 100 kilometres northwest of Toronto.[...]
   While identifying sexual abuse victims is normally prohibited, Boer wanted the public to know her name.
   "This is a battle that I'm fighting for not even just myself but for other kids," she said.
   Now a married woman with three pre-teen daughters, Boer said she hoped her criminal and civil battles would force changes to how Jehovah's Witnesses deal with sexual abuse within their ranks.
   Boer, 34, was sexually assaulted by her father between the ages of 11 and 14.
   She claimed in an earlier civil suit that church elders told her not to report the abuse. She said they forced her to confront her dad to allow him to repent his sins as outlined in Matthew 18:15-18, a process she said was abusive and traumatic.#
• Carolyn Disco: NH bishops - Forgive us, father, for mistakes were made. - RCC.

   The Union Leader, Guest Commentary, By CAROLYN DISCO, ~ August 30, 2005
   NEW HAMPSHIRE - THE INTERCESSIONS published on the Diocese of Manchester's Web site for Mass this past Sunday asked Catholics throughout New Hampshire to pray for reconciliation with those "who have been in leadership roles and have unwittingly allowed" sexual abuse to happen - a thinly veiled reference to Bishop John McCormack and Auxiliary Bishop Francis Christian.
   Slipped in amongst mention of those who were abused and those who were the abusers, this clever effort to exonerate our bishops of their shameful records deserves rebuttal.
   "Bless me Father, for mistakes were made" is their version of confession instead of "Bless me Father, for I have lied, deceived, covered up sexual abuse, and endangered children." Bishop McCormack's habitual turn to euphemisms about "mistakes and inadequacies" cannot obscure the plain, simple truth. What they say now about what they did then reveals a clerical mindset bent more on damage control than honesty. The continuing spin, like these intercessions, is what is so wounding to the Body of Christ. Where are the bishops who speak truth from the heart and do not practice deceit?
   The documents exposed by legal order make clear the bishops were hardly oblivious. While they pretend they have done nothing legally or morally wrong, they have left behind countless children who were abused in body and soul. It just happened. It was "unwittingly allowed." From the chancery there is no mention of criminal negligence that endangered minors, no obstruction of justice, no accessory after the fact, no failure to report abuse, no perjury. Statutes of limitations, weak laws and a plea bargain kept them from criminal prosecution, so they can boast of no indictments.
• Ellwood priest resigns. [Cautela] - RCC. Allegation not specified.
   Beaver County Times, www.timesonline. com/site/news. cfm?newsid=15112 431&BRD=2305& PAG=461&dept_id= 478569&rfi=6 , by Mary Anne Caputo, Calkins Media, Aug/28/2005
   ELLWOOD CITY (PA) - The Rev. Mauro Cautela has resigned as pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish, Ellwood City, amidst serious allegations of impropriety.
   According to the Rev. John R. Rushofsky, director of clerical personnel for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, Cautela has been placed on administrative leave, though he would not say what the allegations against Cautela are.
   The official statement from the diocese was read at the 6 p.m. Mass Saturday in Holy Redeemer Parish and was to be read after all Masses today.
   Additional diocesan personnel will be on hand after the noon Mass today at the church to answer any questions they can within the confines of the confidential nature of the matter.
   The statement made no further reference to the specifics of the allegations, but said, "When allegations of this nature have been made, church law mandates that specific procedures must be followed. In response to this requirement, a preliminary investigation has already begun. This action does not imply guilt but is intended to find the truth while preserving the rights of everyone involved, including both the person against whom an allegation has been made and the alleged victim. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:06 AM]
• Parishioners seek answers about priest. [Cautela] - RCC. Allegation not stated.
   Beaver County Times, Michael Pound, Aug/29/2005
   ELLWOOD CITY (PA) - Sunday's noon Mass at Holy Redeemer Parish in Ellwood City was like a noon Mass on any other Sunday.
   But after Mass at Blessed Virgin Mary Church, was completed, about 120 parishioners stayed behind, hoping to hear more about the accusations that led the Rev. Mauro Cautela, pastor of the Ellwood City parish, to resign last week.
   And although officials from the Diocese of Pittsburgh met with parishioners for about an hour Sunday afternoon, there were few new details about Cautela and his future with the church.
   The diocese announced at services Saturday that Cautela had been placed on administrative leave by the diocese earlier last week. Cautela resigned from his position on Wednesday, so a new pastor could be appointed before the lengthy investigation was complete.
   After the post-Mass meeting, some parish members said they were disappointed by the lack of information.
   "They didn't tell us a whole lot that we didn't know already," said John Takacs, an Ellport resident. "We're going to have to wait and see what happens like everyone else."
• Lawrence County priest removed. [Cautela] - RCC. Allegation not specified.
   Pittsburgh Post-Gazette By Ann Rodgers, Tuesday, August 30, 2005
   PENNSYLVANIA - The Rev. Mauro Cautela, a parish priest in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh since 1974, has been removed from public ministry while state police investigate what the diocese termed "serious allegations of improprieties."
   While details are unavailable, the allegations appear to be both financial and sexual in nature.
   Cautela, 57, had been pastor of Holy Redeemer in Ellwood City since 1992 and served as dean of all Lawrence County parishes. According to the Rev. Ronald Lengwin, spokesman for the diocese, allegations were first brought to the diocese Aug. 17. On Wednesday, Cautela was placed on administrative leave and resigned as pastor of Holy Redeemer, and diocesan officials gave the allegations to Lawrence County District Attorney Matthew Mangino.
   "The diocese came to us and we have asked the state police to look into the matter," Mangino said yesterday.
   The state police would not comment because they said the investigation was ongoing.
• Jury selection opens in Catholic priest's sexual abuse trial. [~ 1980s Graham] - RCC. Boy.
   Post-Dispatch, www.stltoday.com/ stltoday/news/ stories.nsf/ stlouiscitycounty/ story/CB5B02FAD 691E0B38625706 D00182067?Open Document , By Robert Patrick, Aug/29/2005
   ST. LOUIS (MO) - The criminal prosecution of a Catholic priest charged with performing oral sex on a teenage boy in the Old Cathedral more than 25 years ago started Monday in St. Louis Circuit Court.
   The prosecution of the Rev. Thomas Graham, 71, is being seen by some Missouri prosecutors as the test case that will determine if they can pursue decades-old sex charges.
   Graham is being prosecuted under a 1969 law that did not provide a statute of limitations for "abominable and detestable crimes against nature."
   If convicted of sodomy, Graham could face up to life in prison.
• Children's home marks 75 years. [1970s Bishop Hart] - RCC. Sex abuse.
   Star-Tribune, By DENISE HEILBRUN, Star-Tribune correspondent, Tuesday, August 30, 2005
   TORRINGTON (WY) -- What began in 1930 as an orphanage, and is now operated as a treatment center for severely emotionally disturbed children, is celebrating 75 years of service to Wyoming youth.
   St. Joseph's Children's Home will hold an open house and tour on Thursday to enable the public to see what is "behind those walls."
   "I think there's a mystery of the institution when people drive by," said Bob Mayor, executive director of St. Joseph's. "There's a curiosity of people of 'What are these new buildings like, what are the old buildings like? What do they really do back there?'" ...
   The youth home was in the headlines last week after a victims' advocacy group called for the name of retired Roman Catholic Bishop Joseph Hart to be removed from a residence hall, the Hart Children's Center. Three lawsuits have been filed against the bishop alleging sexual abuse in the 1970s in Kansas when he was a priest.
   That request was rejected by Bishop David Ricken, who noted that Hart was president of the youth home's board of directors for 25 years and that the accusations against him have not resulted in criminal charges.
• New lawsuits allege 1950s sexual abuse by priest. [1950s Hoppe] - RCC. 2 boys.
   The Kansas City Star, By KEVIN MURPHY, ~ August 30, 2005
   MISSOURI - Two men have sued the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, contending they were sexually abused in the 1950s by the Rev. Sylvester Hoppe, who died in 2002.
   Gary Lee Smith of Topeka and Hank Talbot, who lives in northwest Missouri, filed lawsuits late last week in Jackson County Circuit Court. The lawsuits said the diocese "ignored, covered up and concealed" Hoppe's behavior.
   In a written statement released Monday afternoon, the Rev. Robert A. Murphy, vicar general of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, said the diocese had no record of complaints from Smith or Talbot.
   Still, he expressed regret for the harm done by a few priests. "The diocese is deeply sorry for what has happened to innocent children due to the abuse perpetrated by some priests," Murphy's statement said.
• Pope "considering gay priest ban". - RCC.

   Gay.com , by Eric Johnston, Gay.com/PlanetOut.com Network, Tuesday 30 August, 2005
   VATICAN - Pope Benedict XVI is said to be considering a controversial new policy of excluding gay men from becoming priests.
   News of the possible policy change came from the Observer newspaper and sources close to the Vatican.
   According to the report, the pope is currently reviewing a draft report produced by the Congregation for Catholic Education and Seminaries, which includes a recommendation that gay men should be excluded from entering seminaries where priests are trained. The policy would also raise questions about how to determine who is gay and who is not.
   According to the Observer, the proposed document was drawn up in response to the sexual abuse scandal involving priests in the United States, which included allegations of sexual harassment of priests by their superiors. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:49 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Tue August 30, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
• Well done for discussing sex abuse film - Regarding film "Twist of Faith" and RCC cover-up and promotion of Law
   E-mail to Russ Lemmon, columnist, , Toledo Blade, USA, August 30, 2005
   AUSTRALIA: Well done for your discussions about the "Twist of Faith" docufilm !
   Martin wrote to you ( http://toledoblade. com/apps/pbcs. dll/article?AID=/ 20050828/COLUMNIS T34/5082803 27/-1/NEWS ) that "You hate the authority of the Church and are frustrated Catholics refuse to leave it". Well, here's a man from Western Australia who is continually ashamed by the seemingly endless line of clergy being uncovered - a new name almost every month or so - as having sexually abused, corrupted, seduced, shamed, and "downed" boys and girls. A small number have taken advantage of adult women and men, too.
   And the sexual corruption (the word "abuse" is a weak euphemism) has been covered up by those who Martin would say have been given the Holy Spirit to guard and guide the Faithful. In addition police and district attorneys have taken part in covering up.
   And our Church even has a secret document -- secret no longer -- called Crimen Sollicitationis, ordering Catholics, under pain of mortal sin and excommunication, not to tell anyone else about the crime of solicitation misusing Confession.
   When our Church promoted Boston's infamous Cardinal Law to St Mary Major, Rome, I sent a letter to my Ordinary dissociating myself from that action. To add insult to injury, Cardinal Ratzinger allowed Law to follow a tradition and say a Requiem Mass for the late Pope John Paul II, RIP.
   But think -- why didn't Cardinal Law have the decency to have a "diplomatic illness" and get someone else to say that Mass? And why did he and other sex transferrers have the sinful audacity to go into the Conclave for the election of the next Pope?
   I dissociate myself from these actions, too. Russ, you deserve praise, not criticism, from every well-informed Catholic. [Aug 30, 05]
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Wed August 31, 2005 edition follows:-
• Lobby group set to sue over religious accused. - RCC. Order members says some falsely accused.

   One in Four, www.oneinfour. org/news/news 2005/groupset , ~ August 31, 2005
   IRELAND - A lobby group representing religious, who say they have been falsely accused of sexually abusing children, is planning to take legal action against the State on behalf of those "falsely accused" before the Residential Institutional Redress Board (RIRB).
   The Love (Let Our Voices Emerge) group, said yesterday it was calling on "all of our members who are going through or have gone through the RIRB" to get in contact "if they want to take part in our seeking legal help in getting an apology and/or compensation".
   Love describes itself as a charity dedicated to providing "support for all people, including the religious, of integrity who state that they are innocent of allegations of child abuse being made against them".
   The lobby group says it has cases the State must address. It goes on to cite cases in Nova Scotia in 2002, where the Canadian state offered 179 employees of youth detention centres, who had been cleared of child abuse allegations, settlements of between $5,000 (€4,925) and $40,000 (€32,735) each. The offers were made to staff accused of child abuse but cleared by tribunal. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:13 PM]
• Jury Finds Priest Guilty Of Child Molestation. [1970s Graham] - RCC. Boy.

   KSDK, ~ August 31, 2005
   ST. LOUIS (MO)(KSDK) - A jury has found Father Thomas Graham guilty of molesting a teenage boy at the Old Cathedral. Graham was accused of repeatedly molesting the boy starting in the 1970s.
   The jury of 10 women and two men took less than two hours to decide a verdict.
   Opening statements wrapped up in Tuesday morning. Graham testified Wednesday morning and the case went to jury at 1:30 p.m.
   The alleged victim was the first person to take the stand Tuesday. He is now 43 years old and lives in St. Louis. He says the sexual abuse by Father Graham began when he was a young boy in St. Mary's where Father Graham was an Associate Pastor at the time.
   The alleged victim described in detail to the court how Graham allegedly fondled him on several occasions as a young boy while riding in a car and again at the Old Cathedral years later when he was a teenager. He described Father Graham as a close family friend.
• Priest faces life in prison. [1970s Graham] - RCC. Boy.
   Post-Dispatch, By Robert Patrick, Aug/31/2005
   ST. LOUIS (MO) - The Rev. Thomas Graham was found guilty of a decades-old sodomy charge by a St. Louis jury Wednesday afternoon, meaning the 71-year-old now faces up to life in prison.
   When Circuit Judge Angela Turner Quigless read the verdict, Graham showed little response. Several of the group of Graham’s friends, family and parishioners that had been in court all week hung their heads.
   The victim’s family cried and hugged each other.
   Jurors deliberated a little over two hours before finding Graham guilty.
• Topekan files claim against diocese. [1950s Hoppe] - RCC. 2 boys.

   Topeka Capital-Journal, http://cjonline. com/stories/ 083105/loc_ diocese.shtml , The Associated Press, August 31, 2005
   KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Two men have filed lawsuits alleging a late Roman Catholic priest sexually abused them in the 1950s.
   Gary Lee Smith, of Topeka, and Hank Talbot, who lives in northwest Missouri, made the allegations against the Rev. Sylvester Hoppe in lawsuits filed against the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph last week in Jackson County Circuit Court.
   The lawsuits, which seek unspecified monetary damages, claim that the diocese "ignored, covered up and concealed" Hoppe's behavior. He died in 2002.
   The diocese had no record of complaints from the men, said the Rev. Robert A. Murphy, vicar general of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, in a written statement released Monday afternoon. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:22 AM]
• Woman testifies against diocese. - RCC.
   The Forum, By Dave Forster, Published Wednesday, August 31, 2005
   FARGO (ND) - Six years after the Catholic Diocese of Fargo fired her, Melissa Enebo said she still feels embarrassed, insecure and constantly worried about losing her next job.
   "Everyone wants to know what awful thing you did to get fired from a church," she said Tuesday.
   Enebo, 40, testified during the first day of her Cass County trial against the diocese. She claims the diocese discriminated against her because of her gender, pregnancy and marital status when it fired her in 1999 after she gave birth out of wedlock.
   Benjamin Thomas, the attorney for the diocese, had only about 15 minutes to cross-examine Enebo Tuesday. But in that time, he made it clear that Enebo, a Lutheran, knew about the diocesan policy regarding behavior inconsistent with Catholic teaching.
   The diocesan handbook says actions that can lead to firing include "conduct that is not harmonious with the teaching of the Catholic Church." Enebo said one of her duties as a finance assistant was to make sure each new employee received that policy.
• Charges say Army chaplain sexually assaulted Marines. [2004-05 Arflack] - RCC. Soldiers.

   Courier & Press, www.courierpress. com/ecp/news/ article/0,1626, ECP_734_4043 242,00.html , By PHILIP ELLIOTT, 461-0783 or elliottp@courierpress.com , August 31, 2005
   OWENSBORO (KY) - A Diocese of Owensboro, Ky., priest faces charges he sexually assaulted three Marines in Qatar and Germany, where he serves as an Army chaplain.
   The Rev. Gregory Arflack, a captain with the 279th Base Support Battalion in Bamberg, Germany, remains on administrative leave from his chaplain duties while military prosecutors decide if they will court-martial the 44-year-old priest.
   The Army lists the charges as three counts of forcible sodomy, three counts of indecent acts, two counts of fraternization with enlisted servicemen, two counts of disobeying orders, one count of indecent assault and one count of conduct unbecoming of an officer.
   Military prosecutors say the events took place March 21, 2004, in Doha, Qatar, and July 29 and 30 of this year in Bamberg. Prosecutors filed a preference for charges - similar to an indictment in civilian court - on Aug. 11.
   "All of Father Arflack's duties have been relieved," said the Most Rev. John Kaising, auxiliary bishop for chaplains with the Archdiocese of the U.S. Military.
   An officer has been assigned to conduct a pretrial investigation, which is comparable to a civilian grand jury hearing, to determine if officials have enough evidence to recommend a court-martial.
• FARGO DIOCESE: Attorney in diocese lawsuit seeks to introduce priest allegations. - RCC. Pregnant outside marriage, dismissed.

   Grand Forks Herald, Associated Press, ~ August 31, 2005
   FARGO (ND) - The attorney for a woman accusing the Roman Catholic Diocese here of discrimination is seeking to introduce the issue of priest misconduct during the trial in her case.
   Robert Schultz, the lawyer for Melissa Enebo, a former secretary for the diocese, said he wants to include evidence of misconduct by priests to show the diocese treated them differently from Enebo.
   In her gender discrimination lawsuit, Enebo says she was fired in 1999 for getting pregnant outside of marriage.
   Benjamin Thomas, the diocese attorney, told East Central District Judge John Irby at a pretrial hearing Monday that allowing allegations of priest misconduct as evidence would confuse jurors and "invite a media circus."
• Roman Catholic military chaplain charged with sexual assaults . [2004-05 Arflack] - RCC. Soldiers.

   Grand Island Independent, By JONATHAN M. KATZ, Associated Press Writer, August 30, 2005
   WASHINGTON (DC) - The Army is investigating a Roman Catholic military chaplain on multiple charges of forcible sodomy and assault.
   Capt. Gregory Arflack was suspended both by the Army and his dioceses pending the results of the investigation.
   Arflack, 44, is a chaplain with the 279th Base Support Battalion. The unit performs administrative functions at its post in Bamberg, Germany, which also houses the 1st Infantry Division.
   The Army is investigating 12 charges: three counts each of forcible sodomy and indecent acts, two counts each of fraternization with enlisted service members and disobeying orders, and one count each of indecent assault and conduct unbecoming an officer, said Maj. Bill Coppernoll, a 1st Infantry Division spokesman.
   The Army did not discuss specifics about the alleged assaults, except to say they occurred while Arflack was stationed in Doha, Qatar, in March 2004 and in Bamberg on July 29 and 30 of this year.
• Sex abuse and accountability. - RCC.

   Philippine News, by Ludy Ongkeko, Aug 31, 2005
   PHILIPPINES - Before proceeding any further, I would like to make this clear: I am a Catholic. Therefore, this column is not one meant to put down the faith nor the creed all practicing Catholics are bound to uphold.
   Since the sex abuse "scandals" broke out, I have been asked to write about the controversy facing my Church, and causing divisions among my friends. One Catholic I know now calls himself a "dropout," no longer "practicing," and thinks the cover-ups are "unacceptable." Another Catholic who remains a "practicing follower" said the sex abuse behind the pulpit has a history that goes back centuries ago.
   Some of my relatives have fallen off the wayside, so to speak. They proclaim themselves "no longer practicing Catholics." Although I was initially appalled by their disclosures, I respect their belief and decision. Until the Church accepts full accountability for all its offenders, the issue will not disappear, they say.
   I believe that "accountability" should extend to those who have stood by silently and knowingly and not done anything. The news stories about the "good ol' boys' cover-up" are totally inexcusable; it has caused untold suffering for the many scarred victims.
   The amounts of "settlements" the Catholic Church has had to cough up have been staggering, and yet they can never erase the emotional and psychological trauma suffered by the victims. Those diocesan headquarters whose priests lost their cases had to make payments, no matter what their financial situation is. It was pathetic to see old churches and rectories close down because money had ran out.
• Former pastor, church face civil lawsuit from sexual abuse victim. [? 2000s Bounds] - Rock Church. Girl.

   Rockford Register Star, By CORINA CURRY, August 31, 2005
   ROCKFORD (IL) -- A civil lawsuit has been filed against a pastor who had a sexual relationship with a teenage girl in his youth group. The suit also names the church's senior pastor and the church as defendants.
   The Winnebago girl, who is now an adult, claims that her former youth pastor, Bradley Bounds of Rockford, "exploited and perverted his position of trust" by engaging in a consensual romantic and sexual relationship with her when she was 17.
   Bounds, then 28, was married with a 2-year-old son.
   She also claims that Rock Church, the Rockford church that she attended from age 7 to 17, and the church's senior pastor, John Sprecher, did not do enough to protect her from Bounds and was negligent in hiring and training him.
• Testimony in Clergy Sex Cases to Be Made Public. [Los Angeles Archdiocese] - RCC. > 500 cases.
   Los Angeles Times, By Jean Guccione, August 31, 2005
   LOS ANGELES (CA) - Los Angeles Cardinal Roger M. Mahony failed Tuesday to persuade a judge to seal sworn testimony by priests and other witnesses about allegations of decades-old child molestations by Roman Catholic clergy.
   Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Haley J. Fromholz overruled arguments from Mahony's lawyers that the release might prejudice potential jurors against the church.
   "Allegations of clergy abuse have given rise to much anguish in the community," the judge wrote. "This anguish has been exacerbated by allegations that the church concealed information relating to the abuse. Further concealment of information from the public is thus ill-advised."
   The first of the testimony over the last four months about hundreds of claims that Los Angeles priests abused children could become public in the next few weeks. In one deposition, an accused priest testified that his religious order transferred another priest at least twice after he too was accused of molesting children, Santa Barbara attorney Tim Hale, who represents alleged victims, said in court Tuesday.
   Critics have contended that the Archdiocese of Los Angeles covered up the alleged abuse by shuffling accused priests from parish to parish, without notifying church members or calling law enforcement authorities.
   Talks are continuing in attempts to settle more than 500 negligence suits filed against the archdiocese over the clergy sexual abuse scandal.
• Priest testifies in his defense. [< 1994 Graham] - RCC. Boy.
   Post-Dispatch, By Robert Patrick, Aug/30/2005
   ST. LOUIS (MO) - The Rev. Thomas Graham testified Tuesday that he "fell apart" when officials of the Archdiocese of St. Louis told him in 1994 that he had been accused of sexually abusing a young boy.
   "I knew my life was over with because of this allegation," Graham told St. Louis Circuit Court jurors in his criminal trial.
   Church officials investigated the allegation and "based on available information, did not find it to be substantiated," according to a statement released Monday.
   But they removed Graham from active ministry in 2002 after he was indicted by a grand jury on a single charge of sodomy.
• Lawsuit accuses ex-local priest of repeatedly abusing altar boy. [1979 Cawley (Vincentian)] - RCC. Altar boy.

   Courier & Press, By PHILIP ELLIOTT, 461-0783, elliottp@courierpress.com , August 31, 2005
  EVANSVILLE (IN) - A Vincentian priest who once worked with Evansville's Daughters of Charity faces a civil suit alleging he sexually abused a 10-year-old altar boy while serving in Hong Kong two decades ago.
   The Rev. Thomas S. Cawley, of Independence, Mo., cared for elderly and sick Evansville sisters in 2002 and 2003. He now is accused of molesting the youth while assigned to missionary work in 1979.
   "Cawley told the plaintiff that the sexual abuse was a form of God's punishment that the young boy needed," according to the court filing.
   The lawsuit, filed Friday in St. Louis County Circuit Court, also names the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong and the Congregation of the Mission, Midwest Province, commonly known as the Vincentians.
   Because the order is based in St. Louis, the suit was filed there, said Rebecca Randles, an attorney for plaintiff Michael Johnson of Kansas.
   Cawley was assigned to a parish in Johnson County, Kan., where Johnson had begun attending services and recognized Cawley, Randles said. [Emphasis added]
• Holy Cross is asked to remove a plaque. [? 1960s Millard] - RCC. Girl.

   The Boston Globe, By Maria Cramer | August 31, 2005
   WORCESTER (MA)- At 52, Patricia Cahill hopes she can finally get past the years of sexual abuse she said she endured as a young girl.
   But to start her recovery, Cahill said she needs something she cannot get from therapy. She wants the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester to take down a plaque on campus bearing the name of her alleged abuser, her uncle, the late Rev. Daniel Millard.
   Yesterday, Cahill's supporters gathered outside the college with leaflets and posters calling on college officials to rename an art studio now known as the Millard Art Center. School officials have refused to change the name because Cahill's relatives dispute her allegations of abuse. Millard, who was in his late 40s when he died in 1973, was never charged with abusing Cahill.
   "I just want to get back to living a normal life," said Cahill, who lives in Lancaster, Pa., and did not attend yesterday's small protest because of lingering health problems she blames on the abuse.
   "I don't even know what a normal life is," she said.
   Cahill said Millard sexually abused her from the time she was 5 until she turned 13. She said the abuse, which allegedly occurred in New Jersey, was so traumatizing she became dependent on alcohol and drugs. Cahill said she even contemplated suicide.
• Law's Rome secretary on archdiocese payroll. [1900s-2000s Cardinal Law, 2004 Vatican, 2005 Boston Archdiocese] - RCC.
   Boston Herald, http://news. bostonherald. com/localRegional/ view.bg?article id=100378 , By Marie Szaniszlo, Updated 02:44 AM EST, Wednesday, August 31, 2005
   BOSTON (MA) - The Boston Archdiocese is still paying one of Cardinal Bernard Law's closest friends to study church law and serve as Law's secretary in Rome.
   Boston Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley, who took over Law's post after he resigned in 2002 at the height of the clergy sexual abuse scandal, mentioned Monsignor Paul B. McInerny's appointment in the April 1 edition of The Pilot, the archdiocese's weekly newspaper – but not that McInerny would remain on the payroll.
   Asked why the archdiocese is paying one of its priests to be secretary to the disgraced ex-archbishop, archdiocese spokesman Terrence C. Donilon said, "I would only deduce nothing more than monsignor's desire to resume his studies in Rome and the fact he has worked with the cardinal previously."
   O'Malley is closing roughly one-quarter of the archdiocese's parishes because of a shortage of priests and a financial crisis caused by plummeting donations in the scandal's wake.
• Abuse records ordered opened. [2005 Roman Catholic Church] - Hundreds of cases
   San Bernardino Sun, http://www2. sbsun.com/news/ ci_2986897 , by Brad A. Greenberg, ~ August 31, 2005
   SAN BERNARDINO (CA) - Testimony in clergy sexual-abuse lawsuits here and in the Inland Empire was ordered unsealed by a judge Tuesday, despite the Roman Catholic Church's argument that doing so would undermine its defense.
   Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Haley J. Fromholz ruled against keeping depositions of 13 witnesses sealed, saying "there is a great deal of public interest" in the hundreds of cases against the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the dioceses of San Bernardino and San Diego.
   Evidence should not remain secret, he said, whether it supports someone claiming abuse or exonerates an accused priest.
   But an attorney for the archdiocese decried releasing witness statements and "discussing evidence in the press.'
   "They are trying to influence the jury pool and maintain a level of anger in the community that is inappropriate in civil proceedings,' said Donald Woods, an attorney for the archdiocese.
   Fromholz did not specify when the witnesses' statements will be released. Names will be redacted from the documents.
• Pickets pressure Holy Cross to rename its new art center. [Millard, Teczar, Szantyr] - RCC. Father Hoatson in campaign.
   Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, USA), By Kathleen A. Shaw, kshaw@telegram.com , August 31, 2005
   WORCESTER (MA) - The Rev. Robert M. Hoatson, a Catholic priest from New Jersey, and three local people quietly demonstrated and handed out leaflets yesterday morning in their quest to have the College of the Holy Cross rename its Millard Art Center.
   The demonstration, which involved holding signs and handing out leaflets, was held on behalf of Patricia A. Cahill of Lancaster, Pa., who said she was sexually abused by the priest for whom the center was named. Ms. Cahill received a settlement for counseling from the Camden, N.J., diocese after she reported the alleged abuse by the Rev. Daniel F. M. Millard, who was her uncle.
   Joining Rev. Hoatson in front of the main gate with signs were George "Skip" Shea of Uxbridge, an alleged victim of the Rev. Thomas Teczar; Daniel E. Dick of Worcester, victim support coordinator for Worcester Voice of the Faithful; and Richard Chesnis of Worcester, who has alleged his son was sexually abused by the Rev. John Szantyr.[...]
   The Holy Cross administration, after speaking with other members of the Millard family, said recently that the college takes seriously allegations of sexual abuse, but they will not change the name. The priest's brother, the late Charles E. F. Millard, and family members, donated money for the building. Other members of the family have denied Ms. Cahill's assertion that she and other family members were abused by Rev. Millard, who died in 1973. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 04:59 AM] (A fuller version is below.)
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Wed August 31, 2005
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont115.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
• Pervert paid to teach children [? 2005 Name not published.] - No religion link reported. Boy.
   The West Australian, [Page One lead, but not found on the newspaper's website.] by LUKE ELIOT, Page One, Wednesday, August 31, 2005
   PERTH: A convicted paedophile who was paid by the Department for Community Development to teach piano to a teenage ward of the state was charged yesterday over an alleged sexual relationship with the boy.
   DCD executive director Lex McCulloch described the case as "unacceptable and unbelievable", saying the 40-year-old Dianella man would never have been allowed to tutor the boy if his case worker had carried out a routine police check.
   That check would have shown the music teacher had been convicted of indecent dealing in 1997.
   "It was just bad practice basically, we should have done the police check," Mr McCulloch said.
   Child protection squad detectives raided the man's Alexander Drive home about 6am yesterday and later charged him with one count of having a sexual relationship with a child under the age of 16, an offence that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years jail.
   Del-Sen. Const. Andrew Kerr said it would be alleged the offences occurred almost every time the boy went to the home for a piano lesson, which was at least once a week.
   "The victim is alleging that over a six-month period he attended for piano lessons, sometimes once, sometimes more, and on many of those occasions he was offended against," Sen. Const. Kerr said.
   The teacher, who was trained at a conservatorium, denied all allegations.
   "This city is filled up with bureaucracy and hypocrisy," he said, before blowing reporters a kiss from the back of an unmarked police car and mouthing the words "au revoir".
   Sen. Const. Kerr said it was believed the man currently taught up to 10 adults and children.
   Bail conditions would 'probably ban him from contacting his students, including the alleged victim.
   Mr McCulloch denied the department was incompetent and said staff would ensure that all tutors and mentors had been checked.
   The department paid the man $755 for 22 piano lessons between June and December.
   "We are obviously very concerned and very sorry that this has happened," Mr McCulloch said.
'It was just bad practice - we should have done the police check.' LEX MCCULLOCH
   He said the case worker, a qualified social worker, left the DCD several months ago for a career outside the public service. Case workers handled an average of 15 cases at a time, which was an acceptable figure.
   Community Development Minister Sheila McHale said the matter was unacceptable and the case worker's current employer would be notified.
   Opposition spokeswoman Robyn McSweeney said she found the matter absolutely appalling and grossly negligent.
   "I believe the department is in crisis and the Minister is not putting enough checks and balances in that department," she said.
   The teacher was remanded in custody and is due to appear in Perth Magistrate's Court today. [Aug 31, 05]
• Pickets pressure Holy Cross to rename its new art center. [Millard, Teczar, Szantyr, Monsignor Ryan] - RCC. Father Hoatson in campaign.
   Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, USA), By Kathleen A. Shaw, kshaw@telegram.com , August 31, 2005
   WORCESTER (MA) - The Rev. Robert M. Hoatson, a Catholic priest from New Jersey, and three local people quietly demonstrated and handed out leaflets yesterday morning in their quest to have the College of the Holy Cross rename its Millard Art Center.
   The demonstration, which involved holding signs and handing out leaflets, was held on behalf of Patricia A. Cahill of Lancaster, Pa., who said she was sexually abused by the priest for whom the center was named. Ms. Cahill received a settlement for counseling from the Camden, N.J., diocese after she reported the alleged abuse by the Rev. Daniel F. M. Millard, who was her uncle.
   Joining Rev. Hoatson in front of the main gate with signs were George "Skip" Shea of Uxbridge, an alleged victim of the Rev. Thomas Teczar; Daniel E. Dick of Worcester, victim support coordinator for Worcester Voice of the Faithful; and Richard Chesnis of Worcester, who has alleged his son was sexually abused by the Rev. John Szantyr.
   Ellen M. Ryder, spokesman for Holy Cross, said the college will not comment on the demonstration other than what officials there have said in the past.
   The Holy Cross administration, after speaking with other members of the Millard family, said recently that the college takes seriously allegations of sexual abuse, but they will not change the name. The priest's brother, the late Charles E. F. Millard, and family members, donated money for the building. Other members of the family have denied Ms. Cahill's assertion that she and other family members were abused by Rev. Millard, who died in 1973.
   The demonstration "went very well," Rev. Hoatson said. They had a number of "thumbs up" signs from workers going onto the Holy Cross campus, he said. Founder and president of Rescue & Recovery International, Rev. Hoatson said he expects to be at the college each week until the name of the art center is changed.
   Rev. Hoatson, who said he was sexually abused by two Irish Christian Brothers, drives weekly from New Jersey to Boston where he has been supporting people who say they were sexual abused by Monsignor Frederick J. Ryan when they were students at Catholic Memorial High School. He also stopped Monday night in Northampton to deliver a check to a survivor of clergy sexual abuse and regularly visits with a clergy abuse survivor who is currently incarcerated at the federal prison at Devens. The organization provides direct support to survivors, he said.
   Rev. Hoatson worked at Catholic Memorial before entering seminary when he was in his 40s. Monsignor Ryan was a chaplain at the school. Now a priest of the Newark, N.J., diocese, Rev. Hoatson holds a Ph.D. from Fordham University.
   "Why do they allow themselves to be embarrassed like this?" Mr. Dick said of the college administration as he sat on the sidewalk outside the main gate. He said changing the name would be the proper thing to do. Mr. Shea said he was impressed that a priest was willing to "stand with the victims," which brought him out in support of the attempt to change the name of the art center.
   "It's a huge sign of hope to me," he added.
   Ms. Cahill could not attend yesterday but in a statement said survivors of clergy abuse "want justice, restorative justice" and justice is born of truth.
   "As long as the Catholic Church refuses to make amends to the survivors of sexual abuse by their priests and nuns, restorative justice is denied the survivors and the abuse is continued. Holy Cross is a perfectly imperfect example of this type of re-victimization," she said.
   Speaking out on the issue has been "a terrifying experience," she said. But she hopes if her efforts can influence "just one nun, or one priest to keep their hands to themselves and maybe one child will be spared. I wish someone had done this for me."
   John Aretakis of Albany, N.Y., who is Ms. Cahill's lawyer, said since Massachusetts is considered to be "ground zero" in the clergy sexual abuse scandal, Holy Cross needs to show more sensitivity to victims and be "on the side of the victims." [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 04:59 AM] FOR GOOD TEACHINGS TO BE HEEDED, A BIG CLEAN-UP IS NEEDED
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