[O'Hearn / O'Hern -NEW*, Peter Brock -NEW*] - Roman Catholic Church (RCC).
ABC News,
www.abc.net. au/news/ stories/ 2008/06/02/ 2262101.htm ,
for June 02, 2008
AUSTRALIA -- The Catholic diocese of Maitland-Newcastle is refusing to disclose why the parish priest at Nelson Bay has been stood down while it investigates his conduct.
Father David O'Hearn is the second priest in the diocese to face a professional conduct investigation in the past year.
He was stood down last week from St Michael's Parish at Nelson Bay pending an investigation by the diocesan child protection and professional conduct unit.
A statement by the vicar-general of the diocese, Tom Brennan, was read to parishioners at services yesterday.
The statement obtained by the ABC says Father O'Hern will not be involved in his usual parish ministry and will live privately while the investigation is carried out.
It says the matter has been discussed with Bishop Michael Malone, who is currently on pilgrimage in Greece.
Monsignor Bill Fuller has been appointed to look after the parish in the meantime.
Last September, Father Peter Brock - who administered eight lower Hunter Catholic parishes - was also stood down while a professional conduct investigation was carried out. The church says it is still investigating him. #
[Posted by Kathy Shaw at 9:13 PM]
(This is the first item ofAbuse Chronology:
http://www. multiline. com.au/~ johnm/ethics/ ethcont149. htm ,
and of the Clergy Sex AbuseTracker,
www.bishop- accountability. org/ abusetracker ,
A Blog by Kathy Shaw,
for Sunday, June 01, 2008.)
[2008 Pfleger -NEW*] - RCC. Mimicked presidential candidate Clinton.
Chicago Sun-Times,
By CAROL MARIN cmarin@suntimes.com , ~ June 01, 2008
CHICAGO (IL) -- Barack Obama had no choice Saturday but to resign from the church he loves.
I'm so mad at Mike Pfleger. The prophetic pastor of St. Sabina Catholic Church is a genuine man of God, a fine priest even if the Chicago Archdiocese never thought so, and someone who has made a vast difference in the lives of people in this city.
That having been said, what the heck was he thinking when he went to preach at Trinity United Church of Christ last Sunday? When he mocked Hillary Clinton, parodying her voice to say, "I'm white, I'm entitled. There's a black man stealing my show." …
Pfleger has been fearless in critiquing the church for its own politics. And for its handling of the pedophile crisis. The church, which has inexplicably rewarded Boston's disgraced Cardinal Bernard Law with one of the largest basilicas in Rome, hasn't been able to countenance this rebel with a cause.
[≤ 2007 Covarrubias*] - RCC. Adult.
LocalNews8,
Associated Press - 8:04 PM ET, June 1, 2008
MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho (AP) - The Roman Catholic Diocese in Boise says a priest from Mountain Home has returned after an eight-month absence from Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish and told parishioners he engaged in sexual misconduct with an adult.
Diocese officials in a press release say Rev. Raul Covarrubias, 63, returned Saturday. Officials gave no information about the other adult.
Covarrubias served as pastor at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Mountain Home since 1992. He was placed on paid leave in September after the allegations surfaced.
[Posted by Kathy Shaw at 9:46 PM]
[LOOK BACK for example to ~ January 03, 2008]
- RCC,
WFMZ,
June 01, 2008
[with video]
PENNSYLVANIA -- Some Catholic Churches in the Lehigh Valley are closing their doors due to a lack of priests. The restructuring comes after a two year planning process. WFMZ's Stephanie Esposito joins us live in Allentown with the story. Stephanie Esposito: The Diocese of Allentown officially announced today that they'll be closing 47 parishes. The one behind me is not one of them. This is the hub of the ministry. The Bishop of the Allentown diocese says it wasn't an easy decision.
- RCC.
PennLive,
Posted by Colin McEvoy 16:54PM, June 01, 2008
PENNSYLVANIA -- Due to the Diocese of Allentown's restructuring program, 54 pastors or diocese employees are being reassigned to a different church building, eight more employees are being assigned new jobs in their current churches and 11 are retiring.
In all, the 73 changes account for the largest amount of clerical reassignments in the diocese in recent memory, diocese spokesman Matt Kerr said.
"It's certainly more than usual," he said. "It's all part of the restructuring. When you're putting a new parish together. sometimes it's best to have someone new there."
Monsignor Michael Chaback will leave Sts. Cyril and Methodius Parish, the Bethlehem city church he has served for 16 years, to become director of the Office of the Permanent Diaconate.
"I've known these people, I've grown up with them," he said. "No pastor wants to leave the people he's been close to in that situation, but all the way around, it's the best decision."
- Hildegard, Joan of Arc, and Guerin cited.
Voice from the Desert
~ June 01, 2008
Recived by email from Roberta Meehan. Thanks, Roberta.
For immediate release
From Roman Catholic Womenpriests,
www.romancatholicwo menpriests. org
CONTACT: Bridget Mary Meehan: (703) 283-2929 (cell), 703-671-6712,
sofiabmm@aol. com
Roman Catholic Womenpriests’ Response to Vatican Decree of Excommunication
Roman Catholic Womenpriests reject the penalty of excommunication issued by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stating that the “women priests and the bishops who ordain them would be excommunicated ‘latae sententiae”. Roman Catholic Womenpriests are loyal members of the church who stand in the prophetic tradition of holy disobedience to an unjust law that discriminates against women.
We hold up heroic women in the church’s tradition like Hildegard of Bingen, Joan of Arc and St. Theodore Guerin who obeyed God, followed their consciences and withstood hierarchical oppression including interdict, excommunication and death.
- RCC.
Voice from the Desert,
From the British weekly The Tablet,
by Robert Mickens, May 31, 2008
Where have all the thinkers gone?
The Tablet Interview BRITAIN and BELGIUM -- Progressive Catholics might think that Belgian Cardinal Godfried Danneels, who is 75 next week, would be concerned that the Church is moving away from the ideals of Vatican II. But what really concerns him, he tells Robert Mickens, is the scarcity of intellectuals among bishops.
- RCC hasn't disciplined the bishops.
Voice from the Desert,
From the Whispers in the Loggia blog, May.28.2008.
A tip of the hat and a grateful thank you to Dick Regan, who brought this outrageous propaganda piece to my attention.
It’s pure Vatican: complete with exquisite double-talk, white smoke, black smoke, deflection, minimization, dissembling, fabrication, distortion, lying, prevarication, deception, and plain ol’ BS.
Archbishop Sambi could teach advanced graduate courses in the fine art of the verbal rope-a-dope to White House press secretaries. UNITED STATES -- “The Sense of Liberation”;
In a recent chat with Our Sunday Visitor, the “Super-Nuncio” Archbishop Pietro Sambi – shown above on the steps of 3339 Massachusetts with Big Boss – offered some notable comments on the backstory behind the PopeTrip and B16’s approach to the visit’s Big Story.
OSV: During his meeting with the U.S. bishops, the pope, quoting Chicago Cardinal Francis George [president of the U.S. bishops’ conference], noted that some U.S. bishops had handled badly some of the sexual abuse cases. Many people in the media, who were skeptical before the pope, were very pleased by the trip. But they still thought, “Why haven’t any of these bishops who handled cases badly been disciplined in a pubic way?”
How would you respond to a question like that?
Archbishop Sambi: You need to read what is written. The pope quoted a phrase of Cardinal George referring to the past. There is a phrase to the priests in St. Patrick’s in New York in which the pope, already responding to this kind of rumor, said to the priests to be in solidarity with their bishops, who will continue to repair the damage created by the sex scandal and to renovate the Church on this aspect.
- BOOK. Lawsuits opened up the RCC.
Priests, Celibacy, and Sexuality,
Review by Richard Sipe, ~ June 01, 2008
Holding Bishops Accountable: How Lawsuits Helped the Catholic Church Confront Clergy Sexual Abuse.
Author: Timothy Lytton. Harvard University Press, 2008.
[See also the webpage for Holding Bishops Accountable.]
LA JOLLA (CA) -- Just when I think I have read the final word on the clergy child abuse crisis an important book pops up that focuses on a new facet of the whole ordeal. What a great job law professor Tim Lytton has done to explain part–an important part–of the response to the crisis that confuses many lay folk (and some lawyers); the persuasive value of the tort system.
In 1988 I reviewed 1,800 letters and reports from men and women who alleged that they had been sexually abused by a Catholic priest, bishop, or member of a Catholic religious order. Not one–not a single person–was asking for money. What they were seeking was recognition of their suffering, validation of the facts in their case, and belief in their word against a powerful person and structure that denied, defied, and at times humiliated and abused them further. An apology would have been comforting and healing. Their pleas were not heard.
Timothy Lytton’s title says it all–how lawsuits helped the Catholic Church. What some people think is only a money-driven effort is rightly exposed in the sex abuse crisis as fundamentally a reform-driven tool. I was a consultant on a number of cases where the victim asked for modest sums to finish their education only to be denied. When the case was litigated the plaintiff was awarded several millions of dollars. The victim then was in a position to demand conditions to assist other victims.
- Various religions, and government.
BBC News,
~ June 01, 2008
CANADA -- A truth and reconciliation commission examining what Indian [Amerind] leaders call one of the most tragic and racist chapters in Canada's history has begun.
The commission will study Canada's decades-long policies that removed Indian children from their families to force Christianity upon them.
The state-funded religious schools were often the scenes of horrific physical and sexual abuse.
The commission has a five-year mandate to detail the abuses.
- RCC.
The Morning Call,
By Paul Muschick and Chris Parker | ~ June 01, 2008
PENNSYLVANIA -- Parishioners who didn't get the word last night at Masses learned this morning whether their Catholic churches would close, consolidate or be spared from the Allentown Diocese restructuring plan.
The diocese expects to close nearly one-third of its churches in the next year.
The six churches in Lansford and Coaldale will merge into a new parish to be called St. Katharine Drexel. It will be housed in the former St. Michael the Archangel Church building on Abbott Street in Lansford.
This morning, parishioners at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Lansford applauded as the Rev. Monsignor Lawrence J. Bukaty announced he would be staying to lead St. Katharine's.
Parishioner Suzanne Rackham said she has confidence in the Diocese's decisions.
"The church knows what's best for the church," she said. "The Holy Spirit will guide us."
[COMMENT: Is He back from a long vacation? ENDS.]
- RCs defending their local church.
The Times-Picayune,
By Bruce Nolan, Sunday, June 01, 2008
NEW ORLEANS (LA) -- New Orleans Archbishop Alfred Hughes celebrated Mass on Saturday in an Uptown parish he has ordered closed in a few months, then stayed to absorb a barrage of civil but passionate criticism during dozens of one-on-one encounters with tearful, angry and skeptical parishioners who have vowed to resist his decision.
Even as Hughes stood surrounded by members of St. Henry Church in their gymnasium after Mass, many others stuffed cash in buckets marked for contributions to a parish legal defense fund.
Alden Hagardorn, a parish lay leader, said parishioners have retained a church lawyer to try to reverse Hughes' decision to close St. Henry, in the 800 block of Gen. Pershing Street, before the end of the year.
[≤ 2007 Covarrubias*] - RCC. Adult
2 News,
By Adam Rodriguez, ~ June 01, 2008
MOUNTAIN HOME (ID) -- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise said Father Raul Covarrubias returned to Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish Saturday after an eight-month absence.
Covarrubias was put on leave last September after allegations the priest sexually abused a minor. An investigation found Covarrubias had broken no laws. The priest told parishoners he was involved in sexual misconduct with an adult.
At a parish meeting on Saturday, Bishop Michael Driscoll acknowledged the hurt caused by Covarrubias.
"… his misconduct has had a major impact on the ministry," Driscoll said.
- RCC.
The Morning Call,
By Daryl Nerl | June 1, 2008
PENNSYLVANIA -- The Allentown Diocese is expected to close nearly a third of its parishes in the next year, leaving small boroughs like Coaldale without a Catholic church and reducing the number of churches in south Bethlehem from five to one, the faithful learned at Saturday night Masses.
The announcement was not entirely unexpected, coming at the conclusion of a three-year process in which church and lay leaders discussed how to restructure a diocese that has seen attendance drop and its clergy dwindle. But it was nonetheless painful.
Many learned that they would lose a house of worship where they had been baptized, confirmed and married. At ethnic, or so-called "national parishes," people learned they would lose the church that grandparents had built decades ago after immigrating to America.
- RCC.
The Republican & Herald,
From Staff Reports, 8:15 PM EDT, Published: Saturday, May 31, 2008
[with map and list of affected parishes]
PENNSYLVANIA -- According to information obtained by The Republican & Herald, the following parish restructuring plans were announced by the Diocese of Allentown at Masses Saturday evening. The restructuring plans are the culmination of a 2 1/2 year process begun in response to a growing priest shortage. Restructuring plans for a number of Deanery Regions are still being developed.
A number of priests have also been re-assigned due to the restructuring. The new priest assignments for Schuylkill County are listed below the restructuring plans.
Tell us what you heard at your Mass this evening, and share your reaction in the "Reader Comments" section below.
- RCC.
The News Item
TIMES SHAMROCK STAFF REPORTS
June/01/2008
PENNSYLVANIA -- The shepherd wants his flock to pray.
Across the Catholic Diocese of Allentown, priests read letters during Saturday Masses from the bishop, the Most Rev. Edward. P. Cullen, announcing a restructuring plan which includes the closing of 32 churches, more than half of those in Schuylkill County.
Of the county’s 62 parishes, at least 39 will be eliminated, while seven new parishes will be created from some of those closed. Two parishes will absorb others through consolidation.
Four will not be affected.
“Our efforts of prayer must be even more fervent. We must pray so the reconfiguring are not harmful to the unity of faith in the diocese,” Cullen wrote.
[COMMENT: Bad recruitment selections, bad supervision, and bad men seduced children, helping to cause the huge financial losses. Didn't RCs pray in the previous 50 or 100 years? ENDS.]
- RCC.
WIVB
~ June 01, 2008
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - The final list is out.
The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo has revealed the last of the church sites to be part of its restructuring plan in western New York.
This final round (listed below) affects more than 60 parishes.
The "journey" started three years ago.
In response to a shortage of priests, aging communities, and financial concerns.
- RCC.
WGRZ,
Posted by Thea Tio, Reporter, ~ June 01, 2008
BUFFALO (NY) -- The Diocese of Buffalo announced Saturday that a number of parishes in the Vicariate of Southeast Buffalo (South Buffalo and Kaisertown-Sloan Clusters), the Vicariate of Northern Erie, and the Vicariate of Eastern Erie will be restructured as part of the "Journey in Faith and Grace," a parish-based strategic planning and spiritual revitalization initiative launched in June 2005 by Bishop Edward U. Kmiec, bishop of Buffalo.
These changes represent the final in a series of decisions to reimagine parish life throughout the eight counties of Western New York in response to changing times and emerging needs.
Announcement of the mergers is being delivered to affected parishioners at this weekend’s Masses.
Bishop Kmiec said the announcement of the pastoral restructuring phase of the journey is now 100-percent complete as decisions have been made on all of the 275 weekend worship sites in the diocese when the process began in 2005.
[COMMENT: "Reimagine" -- now that's a word to respect! ENDS.]
- RCC.
WBEN,
WBEN Newsroom
12:15 AM
Sunday, June 1, 2008
BUFFALO, NY (WBEN) - The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo has completed the "Journey in Faith and Grace," a multi-year effort to reduce the number of worship sites, to better allocate the diocese's dwindling supply of clergy and resources.
According to a statement from the Diocese, "These changes represent the final in a series of decisions to reimagine parish life throughout the eight counties of Western New York in response to changing times and emerging needs."
Parishioners are learning the news at Masses this weekend.
- RCC.
Buffalo News,
By Andrew Rafferty and Brian Hayden, NEWS STAFF REPORTERS, 6:48 AM,
June/01/08
BUFFALO (NY) -- Twenty-five Catholic parishes will feel the pinch of the final round of church mergers, the Diocese of Buffalo announced Saturday.
As part of Bishop Edward U. Kmiec’s “Journey in Faith and Grace,” more parishes will either merge or link, and others will no longer be used for weekend services.
Members of 64 parishes throughout Erie County found out their church’s fate during Saturday Masses.
While the Diocese said this is the last in a series of church mergings, the final plan leaves the door open for more closings if some parishes are not able to improve their finances.
- RCC.
Burlington Free Press,
By William Cleary, June 1, 2008
VERMONT -- Why did a Vermont jury hit the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington with not only damages for the person its priest molested, but also $7.75 million to punish the diocese?
We need only look at how the diocese handled the verdict. The first thing Bishop Matano did was to try to influence the next jury. He claimed the diocese was poor and then brought out the head of the diocese's child-abuse prevention program to talk about what the diocese has done.
I talked about this with David Clohessy, the head of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests). He thought it untrue and misleading. The Burlington diocese, he reminded me, has known since the '60s that several of its priests were molesting children. Nonetheless, the diocese apparently never really voluntarily reported abuse by its priests.
Did someone say the abuse of children by priests is no longer going on? One of the bishop's lawyers made that claim. But how could anyone know that? The same root causes are still in existence, however uncertain these are.
Retired bishop Geoffrey Robinson just wrote a book saying the Catholic Church needs to change 2,000 years of wrong teaching on sex, but he was instantly condemned.
[COMMENT: The Roman Catholic Church has only existed since it broke away from most of the Churches of the East, so it is NOT right to say it has had 2000 years of wrong sex teaching. In fact, some correct teachings went on for many centuries, but having broken the links it was almost certain the RCC would move further into apostacy. ENDS.]
- RCC.
California Catholic Daily,
By Christopher Zehnder, ~ June 01, 2008
It has been 14 years since Pope John Paul II issued his controversial apostolic letter, Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, declaring that the Church has no authority to ordain women as priests. Though the pope issued the letter “in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance,” doubt about women’s ordination continues unabated. It still seems a matter open to debate.
The decree issued last week by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will do little to still the debate. The decree – that “both he who has attempted to confer holy orders on a woman, and the woman who has attempted to receive the said sacrament, incurs in latae sententiae excommunication, reserved to the Apostolic See” – is an important and welcome sign that the Holy See is exercising its role as pastor as well as teacher. However, it will be perceived in many circles as just another exercise of a raw, despotic, “patriarchal” power by the Church, to keep women down.
- RCC.
California Catholic Daily,
~ June 01, 2008
ROME -- In response to a report in the Italian daily La Repubblica that Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna, could become the new prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a spokesman for the archdiocese has told Stephanscom Austrian Radio the rumor is unfounded.
On May 25, La Repubblica published an article by Marco Politi in which he offered a “general analysis” of the General Assembly of the Bishops’ Conference of Italy. Commenting on the rumor about Cardinal Schönborn, Politi said a personnel change at the Vatican was possible but that “until the Pope has signed off” on any changes, “everything is subject to question.”
The German daily Der Standard, picking up on the report in La Repubblica, said that if Cardinal Schönborn were to take the post, Cardinal William Levada, former Archbishop of San Francisco, would have to return to the United States.
- Commission likely to raise unrealistic hopes.
The Edmonton Journal,
by Lorne Gunter, ~ June 01, 2008
CANADA -- Given past experience with federal commissions on aboriginal Canadians, I could reel off a hundred reasons why Ottawa's five-year, $60-million Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) on abuse of aboriginals in residential schools will fail to find truth or reconcile anyone to anyone else.
The odds are decidedly against the TRC serving as a catharsis for native Canadians that leads to a healing of their animosity towards whites, or as a bridge between native and non-native Canadians.
If I had to bet, I'd put my chips on the commission making things worse by June 2013, when it is slated to wrap up.
Rather than being a salve for jagged aboriginal views of non-native society, of history and of land claims, I am predicting the commission will serve as an amplifier for First Nations' discontent.
[Dr Reardon] - RCC. 1970 photo remembered. Dishonest cover-up.
Hartford Courant,
By KEVIN HUNT | Courant Assistant Features Editor, June 01, 2008
HARTFORD (CT) -- On a Sunday afternoon in March 1970, Dr. George Reardon photographed me in degrading, sexually provocative poses in his office at St. Francis Hospital.
It was just another day for the doctor. Afterward, he stopped at Arthur Drug on Farmington Avenue for a pack of cigarettes and The New York Times.
Here's what he didn't expect: When I got home, I told my mother what he did to me. She got a lawyer and filed a formal complaint. The medical authorities assured us Reardon would be stopped. They lied. …
For virtually his entire professional life, Reardon hid behind the protective cloak of St. Francis and its close ties to the Catholic Church. And just in case, police say, he carried a handgun for protection. He lived his life in fear. Yet no one – adult victim, parent, brother or uncle – apparently ever sought revenge. He never spent a day in court, much less a day in prison.
- FLDS.
Houston Chronicle,
By JANET ELLIOTT, Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau, ~ June 01, 2008
AUSTIN, TEXAS – In the early days of the state's raid on a West Texas polygamist sect's compound, child welfare officials insisted that they were going by the book in removing children from a potentially dangerous living situation.
Only the numbers made the case unusual, representatives for Child Protective Services repeatedly insisted.
But that rigid professional compass may have prevented agency officials from thinking about the various "what ifs" in the case and now many people are second-guessing CPS.
- RCC.
San Mateo County Times,
By Christine Morente, Article Created 05:38:32 PM PDT,
May/31/2008
MENLO PARK (CA) – In the quiet morning light, Mike Quinn and Jerry Murphy hold their Bibles close to their hearts and do the sign of the cross.
They pray in hushed tones, and they take turns reading from the holy book's passages inside the comfort of Quinn's bedroom at St. Patrick's Seminary.
Each phrase is marked with conviction and longing.
"Oh God, you are my God," said Quinn, the image of the Virgin Mary not too far from his gaze. "For you I long, for you my soul is thirsty. My body pines for you."
This is the life the two men have chosen.
Not yet ordained in the Roman Catholic priesthood, Quinn and Murphy say they are destined to a life dedicated to God.
Quinn can now joke that he once helped people maintain riches when he was an accountant. But as he became involved with the church, he started questioning what wealth really means.
Quinn decided. "Real wealth is Christ."
The 55-year-old is expected to be ordained next year. Quinn would join a new breed of older priests who have staved off their callings long enough to have other careers, to date women and even get married.
The priesthood has evolved and much of it has to do with the years of child abuse and rape that have plagued Catholic churches across the nation.
These new priests have passed a tough round of background checks, a battery of psychological testing, and training to prevent sexual abuse.
But the stigma remains attached to a vocation that has always been grounded in trust and reverence.
[COMMENT: Read more literature from the Middle Ages, please. ENDS.]
- RCC.
Burlington Free Press,
By Sam Hemingway, June 1, 2008
VERMONT -- Dorothy Whiston was upset when she first learned in 2006 that her Roman Catholic diocese in Davenport, Iowa, was filing for bankruptcy.
The Midwestern diocese announced it was taking the step after concluding it lacked the funds to resolve a mounting number of lawsuits filed by dozens of victims of clergy sexual abuse, including one claim that a former bishop had molested boys.
"It was very painful," recalled Whiston, a regular attendee at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Iowa City, Iowa.
Today, a month after a federal judge approved a bankruptcy reorganization plan for the Davenport diocese and the 105,000 parishioners it serves, Whiston sees things differently.
[Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:55 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker
www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker ,
Sun June 01, 2008
Abuse Chronology:
http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
[~ 2000s Mr Opoku -NEW*] - "Winners Chapel." Money.
Ghana News,
~ June 02, 2008
GHANA -- The Statesman newspaper on Monday reported that a former accountant of Winners Chapel Ghana, Daniel Opoku, is alleged to have embezzled at least GHc 11,200 from Heritage Academy, a school belonging to and run by the church, as well as several thousands of cedis pilfered from church coffers, usually after church service, when the offertory had not been properly sorted and counted.
The act, according to the paper, is much against admonitions of the Biblical Ten Commandments against covetousness.
In separate operations, Opoku is alleged to have forged the signature of the head of the church, Bishop George Agyeman, and that of his Associate Pastor, Maxwell Tweneboa-Kodua, to withdraw GHc15,000 from the church's account at Prudential Bank. That incident is still under investigation.
- Roman Catholic Church (RCC).
6 ABC,
By Walter Perez, (WPVI), June 2, 2008
[with video]
ALLENTOWN (PA) -- Catholics attending dozens of churches around the Lehigh Valley will have to find new places to worship.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown is closing dozens of parishes.
Most Catholics who spoke with Action News in the Lehigh Valley say they understand why this decision was made, but it doesn't take away from the emotional impact.
The parish where John Kospiah has been a member since 1956, St. Joseph's, is among those marked for closure.
[Posted by Kathy Shaw at 9:00 PM]
- FLDS.
The Associated Press,
By MICHELLE ROBERTS, ~ June 2, 2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) – More than 400 children taken from a polygamist sect's ranch two months ago began returning to the arms of their tearful parents Monday, hours after a judge bowed to a state Supreme Court ruling that the seizure was not justified.
"It's just great day," said Nancy Dockstader, whose chin quivered and eyes filled with tears as she embraced her 9-year-old daughter, Amy, outside a foster-care center in Gonzales, about 65 miles east of San Antonio. "We're so grateful."
Her daughter and four other children were among the roughly 430 children ordered released after two months in state custody, much of it spent in foster care centers. Because siblings were separated at facilities hundreds of miles apart, it will probably take several days for all the families to be reunited.
- FLDS.
USA Today,
~ June 2, 2008
UNITED STATES -- Hours after children began returning to their parents, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints announced it would now allow girls to marry only if they can consent legally in the state where they live.
Willie Jessop, an elder of the polygamist sect, said the church will not sanction marriages of underage girls and will counsel its adult members against such unions. But he said that marriages among church members have always been consensual and that the Mormon offshoot has been misunderstood.
Baptist Press
Posted by Michael Foust
on Jun 2, 2008
[with link to the special report]
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--The June/July issue of SBC Life features an eight-page pull-out special report on child sexual abuse aimed at urging churches -- and assisting them in doing so -- to take steps in protecting children from sexual predators.
The section consists of seven stories, including a heartbreaking testimony from a woman who was sexually abused as a child, a testimony from a former social worker who worked on child abuse cases and an article from the co-founder of a ministry that seeks to educate churches about the problem.
In addition, the special report -- titled "Protecting Our Children: Accepting the Responsibility, Embracing the Privilege" -- includes practical advice for churches and church members on how to prevent sexual abuse within their congregations -- and what to do if it does occur.
The special report amplifies resources already available, including one -- www.sbc.net/localchurches/ministryhelp.asp -- that includes a list of ways to prevent child sexual abuse.
[COMMENT: But, but -- wasn't harming children forbidden by Jesus of Nazareth about 2000 years ago? What changed? ENDS.]
- FLDS.
The Salt Lake Tribune,
By Brooke Adams, Article Last Updated 04:26:29 PM MDT,
Posted: 4:37 PM, June/02/2008
ELDORADO, Texas -- Hours after signing an order releasing FLDS children from state custody, 51st District Judge Barbara Walther arrived at the Schleicher County Courthouse in Eldorado to swear in a grand jury that may be considering indictments related to the polygamous sect.
By the end of the day, 18 indictments had been issued, although no details were immediately available. The number was more than the usual; it is more typical for five to 15 indictments to be returned, a court clerk said.
Walther arrived at at the Eldorado courthouse at 12:30 p.m., accompanied by two bailiffs and her court clerk. She left an hour later.
Allison Palmer, the deputy district attorney for Tom Green County who has been leading the office's investigation into the sect and appearing at related hearings, also was at the courthouse.
- RCC.
Catholic News Service,
May 27, 2008
WASHINGTON (DC), (CNS) -- Two educators, a district court judge, a psychologist and a civic association leader will begin three-year terms on the National Review Board June 1. A judge and another psychologist also have been named to the board for terms beginning June 1, 2009.
Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, announced the appointments May 22.
Established by the bishops in 2002, the board reviews diocesan compliance with the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People," oversees diocesan audits on child protection policies and practices, and recommends ways to ensure child protection to dioceses and church-based agencies.
Joining the boards June 1 are: Ana Maria Catanazaro, an associate professor, director of public health programs and director of La Salle Neighborhood Nursing Center at La Salle University in Philadelphia; Ruben Gallegos, executive director of International Educational Services Inc., a Los Fresnos, Texas-based child care association for unaccompanied minors from Central America; Al Notzon III, recently retired as the director of the Alamo Area Council of Governments in Texas and chairman of the San Antonio Archdiocesan Review Board; Thomas Plante, professor of psychology at Santa Clara University and adjunct clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine; and Judge Geraldine Rivera of the second judicial district of New Mexico's District Court.
Charles Handel, a psychologist who practices in Cincinnati and is an adjunct professor of psychology at Xavier University, and Anna Moran a judge on the Kenai, Alaska, Superior Court's third judicial district will begin their terms in June 2009.
- FLDS.
PR-Inside,
~ June 02, 2008
VICTORIA, British Columbia, CANADA (AP) - British Columbia's top lawyer on Monday appointed a special prosecutor to look into allegations of sexual misconduct within the polygamous community of Bountiful in western Canada.
Attorney General Wally Oppal said lawyer Terrence Robertson has been appointed to assess the likelihood of criminal convictions in the community, a breakaway Mormon sect of about 1,500 people that practices polygamous marriages long ago abandoned by the mainstream church. The community includes about 500 U.S. citizens. At least one teenager from Bountiful was apprehended by U.S. authorities in April when a sister polygamous community in Texas was raided.
Oppal has said there have been allegations of sexual misconduct in Bountiful but that nobody has agreed to testify in court. The community was previously investigated in a three-year review that was launched in 2004.
- RCC.
KWMU,
~ June 02, 2008
[audio]
UNITED STATES -- A discussion about Jason Berry's documentary on clergy sex abuse and the issues it raises.
Guests -
John Shemleffer,
Judical Vicar, Archdiocese of St. Louis.
Jason Berry,
Reporter
Author and Director of the documentary "Vows of Silence"
Author of the books "Vows of Silence" and "Lead Us Not Into Temptation"
Mary Ellen,
Member, Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests and Voice of the Faithful
[≤ 2007 Lewis] - Christian.
KXLY,
~ June 02, 2008
SPOKANE (WA) - Preaching on Sunday. Doing drugs on Monday.
That's how former Spokane preacher Herman Lewis admitted to living his life up until a 2007 arrest following a bizarre rampage at Shari's restaurant.
The admission comes from a taped confession given by Lewis where he admits to using the church as a business tool to get free money and free women.
- Baptist.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitutuion,
By STEVE VISSER, June/02/08
GEORGIA -- The Georgia Supreme Court ruled Monday that a Fulton County judge violated rules of judicial conduct and violated a man's rights by sentencing him to 20 days in jail without letting him defend himself.
Superior Court Judge Craig Schwall became an "advocate" and took on a prosecutorial role by conducting his own private inquiry into a case involving $47,000 missing from a southwest Atlanta church, the high court ruled.
The ruling arose from a 2007 dispute involving the finances and control of the Macedonia Baptist Church of Atlanta, a 200-member church in southwest Atlanta.
[1970s Lenihan] - RCC. Girl.
Orange County Weekly
Posted by Gustavo Arellano in Ex Cathedra, 5:33 AM,
June 2, 2008
ORANGE COUNTY (CA) -- Under the reign of Orange Bishop Tod D. Brown, the Catholic Diocese of Orange has lied, spun, hid, dismissed, excused, and ignored its shameful sex-abuse scandal--no surprise there. But never in my four years of reporting on the story have I ever encountered such a ridiculous action as the one I'm about to explain.
Look closely at the picture to the left of this post. It's from the Orange diocese's new history of itself, which I reviewed this week. Pay special attention to the space between the lady and the guy on the farthest right.
Now, click at the jump to see the original photo!
Notice anything different? You see that guy where once there was nothing? None other than John Lenihan, one of Orange County's most notorious rapist padres and my childhood priest.
That's right: the Orange diocese PHOTOSHOPPED A FREAKING PICTURE SO READERS WON'T KNOW THAT IT LET LENIHAN STAY AROUND LONG AFTER HE ADMITTED TO HIS RAPES.
The snapshot was taken in 2001, when Lenihan was serving as an adviser for the then-developing JSerra High School in San Juan Capistrano.
Brown didn't seek to laicize him until spring of 2002--almost a decade after he admitted to molesting a 15-year-old girl during the 1970s.
[Shanley] - RCC. What is the NCRJ?
City of Angels
By Kay Ebeling, ~ June 02, 2008
BOSTON (MA) -- Robert Costello was steaming mad as he sat behind Paul Shanley in court last week. Not only that the court would consider a retrial for one of the worst pedophile priests in the country, not only at the line of NAMBLA types, "creepy guys" in the row behind him who Costello recognized as Shanley supporters from the criminal trial. The thing that induced rage in Costello was the hearing aid, where was Shanley’s hearing aid.
He and other victim advocates would joke during breaks in Shanley’s 2005 trial, Maybe he just has his hearing aid turned off. Now he’s in prison and taxpayers have apparently paid for surgery on his ears.
“The church protected him as a priest when he was getting away with serial pedophilia in Massachusetts and California. Now why is it up to the victims once again to monitor him, pay attention to what he’s doing.”
Shanley’s new attorney only seems to have come out of nowhere but the National Center for Reason and Justice is paying at least in part for Shanley's Defense. NCRJ say they are “An innocence project for people wrongly accused or convicted of crimes against children.”
[O'Hearn / O'Hern*, Peter Brock*] - Roman Catholic Church (RCC).
Sydney Morning Herald,
by Linda Morris, June 3, 2008
AUSTRALIA -- THE Catholic diocese of Maitland-Newcastle has stood down a second parish priest to face a professional conduct investigation.
Father David O'Hearn, of St Michael's parish, Nelson Bay, was stood aside last Wednesday. He is the second priest to be suspended from duty since September. Parishioners at St Michael's Church were told on the weekend that their priest of four years would "not be involved in his usual parish ministry at this time". His suspension concerned a matter that required "independent investigation".
The diocese is refusing to specify why Father O'Hearn is under investigation, or how long the investigation will take.
- RCC.
GetReligion,
Posted by tmatt, ~ June 02, 2008
One of the biggest problems that your GetReligionistas face week after week can be stated this way: We know that many problems on the religion beat would vanish if reporters had more time to write and were given longer story lengths.
Trust me, as a columnist who has for 20 years written to a plus-or-minus 10 words assigned length, I know that having room for one or two extra paragraphs of background information would really help.
That’s why it’s important to note when reporters – even with short, short stories – manage to avoid words that are wrong and use words that are as right as possible, given the realities of daily journalism.
So how does that apply to the whole issue of covering the Womenpriests movement and its fight with the Roman Catholic Church?
[Porter] - RCC.
Boston Herald,
By Jessica Heslam, Monday, June 2, 2008
BOSTON (MA) -- Legendary Channel 4 I-Team reporter Joe Bergantino has left after 22 years at WBZ-TV, the latest iconic news figure to exit the cash-strapped CBS-owned station.
Bergantino, whose last day was Friday, was the head of WBZ’s storied investigative unit.
“I wasn’t fired, wasn’t laid off, didn’t resign. We began conversations and in the end they offered the option of taking what is essentially a buyout and that’s where it’s at,” Bergantino said this afternoon. …
In 1992, Bergantino broke the story of former Fall River priest James Porter, who was accused of molesting dozens of children in the 1960s and eventually went to prison. Porter admitted to Bergantino on the phone that he had assaulted nearly 100 children.
The Porter case triggered hundreds of clergy sex abuse lawsuits against the Boston archdiocese. The station’s I-Team spent much of 2002 reporting on those cases.
- FLDS.
The Salt Lake Tribune,
By Brooke Adams, Posted: 1:12 PM,
Article Last Updated June/02/2008
SAN ANGELO, Texas -- The fiduciary overseeing a polygamous sect's trust wants access to documents seized from the YFZ Ranch -- and to see documents related to its 2003 purchase.
Bruce R. Wisan, who has overseen the United Effort Plan Trust under a judge's order since May 2005, has filed a motion in Texas that would allow him to look at the ranch documents once a criminal investigation ends.
Wisan believes the documents may contain information related to UEP assets. A hearing on that request is set for Wednesday before Judge Ben Woodward. Wisan is being represented in the Texas action by San Angelo attorney Sam Allen.
"We've been told it's a treasure trove of information," Wisan said in a telephone interview.
- FLDS.
The Times (United Kingdom),
from Chris Ayres in San Angelo, Texas, ~ June 02, 2008
TEXAS -- More than 400 children from a Texas polygamist sect were preparing to make their way back to a self-sufficient compound outside the town of Eldorado today, after a court brought an end to the largest child custody case in US history.
An order signed by the Texas District Judge Barbara Walther allowed parents in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) – whose “prophet”, Warren Jeffs, allegedly married a 12-year-old girl – to pick up their children from state foster care facilities around the state immediately.
The children were taken from the Yearning For Zion Ranch almost two months ago, after a woman claiming to be a teenage sect-member called an abuse hotline. It is now thought the call might have been a hoax.
- RCC.
The News,
~ June 02, 2008
POLAND -- Father Henryk Jankowski, a controversial priest from Gdansk, is to close down his institute.
According to Dziennik, the decision was made after pressure from the new metropolitan bishop of Gdansk, Slawoj Leszek Glodz, who forced Jankowski to do so after scandals connected to the institution.
Head of the Father Henryk Jankowski Institute, Ryszard Walczak, confirmed that Father Jankowski has decided to withdraw his patronage from the institution, which is to be closed down by August.
According to the daily, the Metropolitan Bishop Glodz became fed up with the ‘immoral conduct’ of the young employees of the institute. The allegations are connected to the previous head of the institution, the 26-year-old Mariusz Olchowik.
After some initial success with launching the Jankowski brand of mineral water, Olchowik became entangled in economic failures and scandals. Media reported that some employees of the institute allegedly frequented expensive brothels.
- RCC.
Buffalo News,
By Brian Hayden, 6:41 AM, Updated: June/02/08
NEW YORK -- The telltale signs of area parishes in decline came long before the Diocese of Buffalo’s final announcement of mergers and closings.
Parishioners at Mother of Divine Grace in Cheektowaga first heard rumors of their church shuttering several years ago.
St. Bonaventure and St. William in West Seneca shared a common weekly bulletin for the last two years.
And at St. John the Evangelist in South Buffalo, the church pew fixtures that once held worshippers’ hats and purses in a more vibrant era now contain “Journey in Faith and Grace” prayer cards that encourage parishioners to be “thankful for the gifts of yesterday” and for strength and courage in the times ahead.
- Abp. Milingo resumes liturgy, healing sessions.
AllAfrica,
The Times of Zambia (Ndola), by Anthony Mulowa, June 2, 2008
ZAMBIA -- ARCHBISHOP Emmanuel Milingo yesterday conducted his first mass in Zambia since being excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church two years ago and immediately started holding healing sessions expected to last up to Wednesday.
And the 77-year-old prelate has urged priests who have been excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church to join him and start serving the people.
Speaking to journalists after the interdenominational mass held at Masiye Lodge in Lusaka, Archbishop Milingo said priests who had been forced out of the Catholic Church should come out in the open and continue serving the Lord.
- RC priests, nun, embezzle.
Buffalo News,
By Jay Tokasz, 6:37 AM, June/02/08
[with link to a compilation of parish and school thefts in Western New York since 2004]
NEW YORK -- White-collar thefts uncovered since 2004 have cost a combined $1.7 million in four Catholic parishes and a Catholic school in Erie County.
The parish pilfering isn’t limited to Western New York. Church leaders across the country are wrestling with how to prevent what once was thought of as an unthinkable crime.
One study suggests that embezzlement of funds has cost churches nationwide millions of dollars over the past five years.
The Archdiocese of Omaha, Neb., has experienced a string of five major thefts since 2006, including two by priests and one by a nun, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
- Indigenous children.
The Ottawa Citizen,
Published: Monday, June 02, 2008
Re: PM to apologize for residential schools, May 16.
CANADA -- As the prime minister prepares to apologize to Aboriginal peoples for the multi-generational harms of residential schools, it is an opportunity for the Ottawa Citizen to re-publish the article authored by Dr. Peter H. Bryce, Health Officer for the Department of Indian Affairs, that appeared in the Citizen on Nov. 15, 1907.
Dr. Bryce surveyed the health of Aboriginal children in 15 residential schools and found that about one in every two students were dying at the schools from preventable spread of disease.
Despite Dr. Bryce's articles and his continued advocacy for over 20 years, the federal government did little to improve the situation for First Nations children and the deaths continued. There is no doubt the federal government knew of the deaths -- and the historical record says they did almost nothing to stop it. There is also no doubt that Canadians should celebrate the many Aboriginal peoples who advocated to stop the deaths and abuses and non-Aboriginal people like Dr. Bryce who joined them in the struggle.
Today, there are three times the number of First Nations in child welfare care than there were at the height of residential schools. The cause is neglect fueled by poor housing, poverty and caregiver substance misuse, often linked to the residential schools and complicated by the fact First Nations children and young people get far fewer government and voluntary sector services than other Canadians.
- RCC.
The Express-Times,
Monday, June 02, 2008
PENNSYLVANIA --The following are clerical reassignments affecting parishes in Lehigh and Northampton counties. For the complete list of all of the reassignments announced by the Allentown Diocese visit LehighValleyLive.com.
The Rev. Msgr. William T. Baker from pastor, St. Lawrence and St. Andrew, Catasauqua, to pastor, Incarnation of Our Lord, Bethlehem.
The Rev. Richard C. Brensinger from assistant pastor, St. Ann, Emmaus, to pastor, All Saints, McAdoo.
The Rev. Msgr. John S. Campbell from pastor, St. Bernard, St. Joseph and St. Michael, Easton, to pastor, Queenship of Mary, Northampton.
- RCC.
The Express-Times,
By COLIN MCEVOY, Monday, June 02, 2008
PENNSYLVANIA -- Monsignor Michael Chaback was born and raised in the Ss. Cyril and Methodius Parish. His grandparents on both sides of his family were married there.
After serving 16 years as pastor of the Bethlehem church -- one of eight in Northampton County to be closed due to diocese restructuring -- Chaback said he is sorry to leave but it was the right move.
"I've known these people, I've grown up with them," he said. "No pastor wants to leave the people he's been close to in that situation, but all the way around, it's the best decision."
Chaback is one of 54 pastors or diocese employees being reassigned to a different church building due to the Diocese of Allentown's restructuring program.
- Public schools, Bible school, accused.
Tulsa World,
By NORA FROESCHLE, June/2/2008
OKLAHOMA -- During the 2007-08 school year, at least 11 Oklahoma school employees, many of them teachers and coaches, were charged, sentenced or ordered to stand trial for inappropriate sexual conduct with students.
Most recently, the principal of Bible Fellowship School, 4915 S. Waco Ave., was charged May 21 with second-degree rape of a 17-year-old student, and on Thursday, a Jennings High School teacher's aide was charged with second-degree rape of a 16-year-old student.
Investigations of possible sexual misconduct by two Vian Public Schools teachers are ongoing, and a Drumright High School teacher was recently suspended and is being investigated by police over accusations that he had sex with a 17-year-old student.
Fred Berlin, an associate professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, has researched sexual disorders and also treated patients who have engaged in inappropriate sexual relationships with minors. Berlin has served on commissions appointed by the Archdiocese of Boston examining the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic church.
- RCC.
Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA),
By Bronislaus B. Kush, bkush@telegram.com , ~ June 02, 2008
WORCESTER (MA) – Some members of St. Casimir Church have formally asked Bishop Robert J. McManus to reconsider his decision to close their parish and may take their appeal to the Vatican, if a reprieve by the chancery is not granted.
“It’s a gorgeous church and the parish is very active,” said 92-year-old Anna Leseman, a member of Friends of St. Casimir Parish, a group of parishioners trying to keep the Providence Street church open. “I can’t believe the bishop wants to shut us down.” …
“We’re not interested in attending St. John’s or any other parish, for that matter,” said Barbara Thompson, another Friends member. “St. Casimir’s is our home.”
Members of Friends of St. Casimir wrote a letter May 27 asking Bishop McManus to rethink his decision. The group has also been meeting regularly to discuss ways to keep the parish open.
The bishop is scheduled to meet with parishioners following the 10 a.m. Mass next Sunday. …
Peter Borre, a member of the Council of Parishes, a group of Catholics that formed to help parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston that were threatened with “suppression” or closure, warned the Friends at a meeting at Maironis Park in Shrewsbury yesterday that the Congregation of Clergy generally rubberstamps the decisions made by bishops.
[Shanley]
MetroWest Daily News,
By Sister Maureen Paul Turlish / Guest columnist,
GHS, Posted 12:15 AM, Jun 02, 2008
MASSACHUSETTS -- The Rev. Paul R. Shanley is an archetypal figure, a product of the clerical system that spawned, enabled and protected him.
He speaks to the tragic need to change all states' inadequate childhood sexual abuse statutes for the protection of children.
To even consider that Shanley remained a priest for 43 years after the first credible and official complaint was made to the Archdiocese of Boston in 1961 is appalling.
Moreover, that he will remain a priest forever, even though he was officially laicized by the Holy See in 2004, because the church teaches that there is some indelible priestly character taken on by the soul during ordination is even more distressing.
It is insulting to the priests I know, especially those I have met across the country who attempt to minister to two and even three parish communities in rural areas of Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana and Minnesota. These men, these priests, represent the spiritual underpinning of the church I know.
[Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:26 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker
Mon June 02, 2008
Abuse Chronology:
http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.
[2007-08 McGuigan -NEW*]- Methodist. Guilty. Internet "girl."
Erie Times-News,
BY TIM HAHN, tim.hahn@timesnews.com , June 03, 2008
MEADVILLE (PA) -- A minister who was once in charge of two Conneautville-area Methodist churches faces up to 28 years in prison after admitting he sent sexually explicit comments and photos online.
Steven R. McGuigan, 39, of Conneautville, pleaded guilty Monday afternoon in Crawford County court to two counts each of criminal use of a communication facility and unlawful contact with a minor-obscene and other sexual materials and performances. Each of the third-degree felony charges is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
Agents with the state Attorney General's Office Child Predator Unit filed the charges in early March after accusing McGuigan of sending sexually explicit materials online in December and January. McGuigan thought he was communicating with a 13-year-old girl named Brianna in a Yahoo Messenger chat room between Dec. 10 and Jan. 22, according to the criminal complaint filed by agent David K. Frattare of the Child Predator Unit.
[20yrs Bearinger -? NEW*] - Mennonite. Boy.
Sexual Abuse Claims Blog,
Posted by John McKiggan on June 3, 2008
CANADA -- A founding member of a Mount Forest Mennonite community has been ordered to pay compensation to a man that he sexually abused as a child.
CTV news has reported that 84 year old Amsey Bearinger is currently serving a two year sentence after being convicted of sexually abusing 17 children over two decades.
[2007 Costa (39) - NEW*] - RCC. Woman (72).
Newsday,
June 3, 2008
HACKENSACK, NEW JERSEY -- A Roman Catholic priest in Bergen County is accused of inappropriate sexual contact with an elderly parishioner.
Prosecutors say that after a Nov. 15 church service at St. Anne's Parish in Fair Lawn, Father Edson Fernando Costa forced a 72-year-old woman to touch him in a sexual manner.
The Archdiocese of Newark placed the 39-year-old Costa on paid leave and reported the incident to authorities.
[Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:28 PM]
[2007 Unnamed priest -NEW*] - RCC. Child porn.
PR-Inside
~ June 03, 2008
BERLIN, GERMANY (AP) - A prosecutor says a Roman Catholic priest in Germany is under investigation after child pornography was found on the hard drive of his computer.
Prosecutor Reinhard Baumgart said Tuesday an investigation of the 49-year-old was opened in December and he has been suspended by the church.
He confirmed a report in the regional daily Westfalenblatt that some 250 pornographic images of children were found on the man's hard drive. The priest from the northwestern city of Bielefeld was not identified.
[1988-95 Oswald -NEW*] - Roman Catholic Church (RCC) Sexual abuse. Boy.
Record-Bee,
By Tiffany Revelle--Record-Bee staff, Article Last Updated 09:18:52 PM PDT,
June/02/2008
LAKE COUNTY (CA) -- An investigation is under way after a civil complaint alleging sexual abuse was filed against Father Ted Oswald, according to a Monday press release from the Lakeport Police Department (LPD).
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa reported to the LPD in late May that it had been served with the civil complaint alleging that Oswald committed sexual abuse between 1988 and 1995, according to the release. Oswald served as chaplain for the LPD for two years, and for 11 years at the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
"This was a civil law suit. A civil complaint is a civil law suit. There was no crime alleged here," Lake County Sheriff Rodney Mitchell said Monday.
- RCC.
Pink News (United Kingdom),
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk - 10:54, May 23, 2008
POLAND -- The Roman Catholic Church has helped set up a rehabilitation centre in Poland that attempts to 'cure' homosexuality.
Last week as countries around the world marked the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) the Polish rehabilitation centre 'Odwaga' opened its doors to the media.
Among the centre's activities are football lessons for men and cooking classes for women.
[Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:48 PM]
- RCC.
WCAX,
June 2, 2008
[with video]
COLCHESTER, Vermont -- Camp Ta-Kum-Ta is located on the shores of Lake Champlain in Colchester. It operates on nearly 30-acres of prime real estate, which is owned by the Catholic Diocese. But now the Church may have to sell it.
The church says it must terminate a lease with Camp Ta-Kum-Ta because it's looking at properties that can be sold to pay for lawsuits against the church. This is one of them.
- RCC.
Bellville News-Demcrat,
~ June 03, 2008
[with link to the letter that Bishop Braxton and the Executive Committee sent to priests]
BELLEVILLE (IL) -- Bishop Edward K. Braxton and priests will begin a series of meetings this summer in an effort to improve communication.
Priests in the Belleville Diocese said it was a failure to communicate that led to a recent request by more than half the priesthood for Braxton to step down.
The meetings will include participation by The Reid Group, a non-profit that bills itself as "…a consultation and mediation service which specializes in assisting Catholic organizations transform challenges into opportunities."
- RCC.
Chicago Tribune,
Associated Press, 10:24 AM CDT, June 3, 2008
BELLEVILLE, Ill. - The Roman Catholic bishop of the Belleville diocese plans to begin meeting privately this summer with the diocese's priests in hopes of smoothing communication.
Bishop Edward Braxton says in a letter to priests that the goal of the discussions is to improve dialogue and move beyond was has been contentious relations.
Dozens of the diocese's priests recently requested that Braxton step down, among other things citing the lack of communication.
[2007 Edson Costa* (39)] - RCC. Woman (72).
The Star-Ledger,
by Russell Ben-Ali / 3:03 PM, Tuesday June 03, 2008
FAIR LAWN (NJ) -- A priest at a Fair Lawn Catholic church was arrested today and charged with criminal sexual contact after he was accused of forcing a 72-year-old female parishioner to touch him, authorities said.
Rev. Edson Fernando Costa, 39, of West Orange, surrendered to Fair Lawn police today after detectives obtained a formal statement from his alleged victim, Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli said today in a statement.
The victim reported the incident first to her pastor at St. Anne's Parish in Fair Lawn and later to the Archdiocese of Newark, Molinelli said. She accused Costa of taking her hand and forcing her to touch him in a sexual manner, the prosecutor said.
Catholic World News,
~ June 03, 2008
CALIFORNIA -- The OC Weekly's Gustavo Arellano is no friend of the Catholic Church, but in this instance it's hard to dismiss as bigotry the mortar shell he lobs into the lap of the local bishop.
It concerns a newly published history of the California diocese now headed by Bishop Tod Brown, titled, Diocese of Orange: Learning, Loving, Living Our Faith.
In the published history, according to Arellano, the photo below appears in illustration of some event in the life of Junipero Serra High School in San Juan Capistrano.
[2007 Unnamed priest*] - RCC. Child porn.
Top News (India),
~ June 03, 2008
BIELEFELD, Germany -- Catholic authorities disclosed Tuesday the suspension of a 49-year-old priest, who is expected to face criminal charges after police found child-sex photographs on his computer.
The clergyman was removed in November, following complaints, a month before a police raid on the man in December, said Aegidius Engel, a spokesman for the Catholic archdiocese of Paderborn in the north of Germany.
National Survivor Support Working Group
For release: Tuesday, June 3, 2008
UNITED STATES -- What:
It's about protecting our children, not money; and
It's about reaching out to those injured and silenced by sexual abuse; and
It's about knowing who the abusers are, where and when they preyed on children; and
It's about empowering the survivors to speak and teach about the life long damages from sexual abuse.
Who:
Survivor support group salutes brave and inspirational abuse survivors for securing significant non-monetary mandates as part of Davenport Diocese bankruptcy settlement.
Will more dioceses establish similar mandates?
The National Survivor Support Working Group ( NSSWG ) praises the courage, perseverance, and community-focused good sense of the Davenport Iowa survivors of clergy sexual abuse for securing precedent-setting non-monetary mandates as part of the recent $37 million Diocese of Davenport bankruptcy settlement. ( Des Moines Register )
These mandates will enhance the safety of future generations of children, raise the visibility in the Catholic community of the horrifying nature of sex abuse of children by Catholic clergy, and help prevent future abuse.
- FLDS.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
By BILL HANNA,
bhanna@star-telegram.com , ~ June 03, 2008
TEXAS -- Even as children continue to stream back home to the Yearning for Zion Ranch near Eldorado, Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran predicted today that numerous criminal charges will eventually be returned against followers of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS).
"I believe when all of the criminal charges come forward it is going to be very hard to practice their beliefs within the state of Texas," Doran said. "I believe there are numerous criminal investigations going, and a number of charges will eventually come out of those investigations."
A grand jury was convened Monday in Schleicher County, but Doran said that panel is only dealing with local issues and is not taking up cases related to child abuse allegations at the sect's compound. He said the Texas Rangers, who are the lead agency in the investigation, are moving deliberately.
[2000s Deal*] - Christian. Internet "child," etc.
The Enquirer,
by Trace Christenson, June 3, 2008
MICHIGAN -- His lower lip began to quiver and Troy Deal wiped away tears as a judge told him what his prison sentence meant.
"If you commit a crime and get convicted of it, you have to pay the price," Calhoun County Circuit Judge Stephen Miller said Monday. "And it's sad for you and your wife and your children."
Not only will the sentence mean Deal is imprisoned, the judge said, but it will deprive him of seeing his children grow and it will place a hardship on his wife, trying to keep the family together.
But, Miller said, because Deal was convicted he must spend between four and 20 years in prison.
Deal, 35, was sentenced Monday on 11 counts of using a computer to solicit a child for sexually abusive material, distributing sexually abusive material and communicating with a child for immoral purposes.
- RCC.
News Item (ZWire),
BY MARK GILGER
mark_g@newsitem.com
June/03/2008
PENNSYLVANIA -- The heartaches and challenges now being experienced with the consolidation of parishes in the Diocese of Allentown were very real emotions for area Catholics 13 years ago when churches in the Shamokin and Mount Carmel area were merged.
Local priests who went through the process in 1995 shared their thoughts about the impending closing of 32 Catholic churches in Schuylkill County.
“It’s a difficult process, but realities have to be faced,” said the Rev. Raymond Orloski, pastor of Holy Angels Church in Kulpmont since 1995. “Change is frightening and closing churches is definitely a traumatic change in people’s lives. But Catholics must realize that they will still have a church and priest who serves them.”
Orloski is a native of the former St. Casimir Church in Kulpmont, which was part of the consolidation process that the Harrisburg Diocese underwent which led to the formation of Holy Angels Church.
- RCC.
The Morning Call,
June 3, 2008
PENNSYLVANIA -- By the numbers, the restructuring plan announced on Sunday by the Catholic Diocese of Allentown makes sense. With about 272,000 members, Catholics are the largest single religious group in the Lehigh Valley, comprising almost one quarter of the population in four counties. But, the number of priests available to minister to them and to look after the churches, schools and related groups can no longer carry the load. The number of priest in the diocese by this time next year is expected to be 115, or 100 fewer than when the diocese was founded in 1961, and a number too small to maintain the current number of parishes.
Most dramatically affected are what are called the "national" or ethnic parishes. This is especially so in Carbon and Schuylkill counties, and, in the Lehigh Valley, in South Bethlehem, where five churches will become one. The presence of churches identified as Italian, Slovak or Irish reflects a broader stream of history and Pennsylvania -- that this is a place and nation that welcomed immigrants. Joseph McShea, founding bishop of the Allentown Diocese, wrote in 1961, "All through the 19th century, vast numbers of Catholics poured into the five-county area of this Diocese in a steady flow of immigration from Ireland, Germany, Eastern Europe, and the Mediterranean shores. They came seeking a new livelihood, new freedom, both political and religious. Those faithful Catholic immigrants were already fused in the solidarity of their Catholic faith and in the warmth of the charity of Christ which burned in their hearts. Tenaciously, they have adhered to this sacred legacy through the generations."
- RCC.
The Morning Call
By Chris Parker and Daniel Patrick Sheehan | Of The Morning Call,
June 3, 2008
PENNSYLVANIA -- Churches tend to be quiet neighbors, so the impact of losing nearly 50 of them across the five-county Catholic Diocese of Allentown might not be immediately obvious to anyone outside the circle of faithful.
But the massive church consolidation unveiled over the weekend is more than a Catholic story. Many downtowns, some of them already distressed, will see prominent buildings go dark. The downtrodden will lose places of refuge. Merchants will lose business. Historians and preservationists will lose living museums, places where generations marked milestones of life.
"This is the unsung part of their greatness," said Gregory Lloyd of the National Coalition of Clergy and Laity in Whitehall, pointing to the central place of houses of worship, Catholic or otherwise, in the life of a town. They have historically been recognized as neighborhood anchors and as sanctuaries in times of trouble.
- RCC.
Albany Times Union,
By MARC PARRY, Tuesday, June 3, 2008
TROY (NY) -- St. Peter's, known as the "mother of Troy parishes," is one of two churches that would close under a plan expected to be presented to the Albany Catholic Diocese this month, according to a person close to the process.
The plan would merge three of the city's historically Irish parishes -- St. Peter's, St. Paul the Apostle and St. Patrick's -- into one.
St. Paul's and St. Peter's would close, said the person, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity, with St. Patrick's remaining as the merged parish's worship site.
- Churches, Government, and others.
CNW,
June 2, 2008
TORONTO, CANADA /CNW/ - In a letter sent to Stephen Harper, The United Church of Canada has urged the Prime Minister to ensure that the June 11 apology to residential school survivors and their families is an occasion that will be experienced as a defining moment in the healing of our nation.
The church's letter also echoes the concerns raised by the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Phil Fontaine, in an open letter on April 22. In that letter Chief Fontaine lamented the absence of direct consultation with Aboriginal leaders and survivors about the content of the
national apology.
