• Priest connected to murder suspect resigns Cape post [CURRENT]. CAPE COD (MA): A suspended priest tied to accused Falmouth killer Paul Nolin has resigned from a Woods Hole church, two weeks after he testified before a grand jury probing the gruesome slaying.
The Rev. Bernard Kelly was suspended by the Fall River diocese after prosecutors questioned him about Nolin and what he knew about the Sept. 20
killing of 20-year-old Jonathan Wessner. He resigned from the diocese this
week, according to his lawyer, Frank O'Boy.
"Certainly there's a lot of wind swirling around him, and he was removed
from the parish. I think you can draw your own conclusions," O'Boy said
yesterday. "It's expected. He's 70 years old."
Kelly was forced to testify two weeks ago before a Barnstable Superior
Court grand jury, despite claiming his conversations with Nolin were
protected by a law shielding defendants' statements to priests.
Prosecutors reportedly believe Kelly had a sexual relationship with Nolin,
a 39-year-old convicted child rapist. Kelly, at the urging of his friend,
the Rev. Donald Turlick, hired Nolin as a handyman at St. Joseph's Church
in Woods Hole. Turlick counseled Nolin in jail and rented him an apartment
in Mashpee when Nolin was released in 2000 after serving 18 years for
raping a 10-year-old boy.
-- Boston Herald,
(http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/kell11142003.htm)
by Dave Wedge, Friday, November 14, 2003
(Posted by Kathy Shaw, Poynter Abuse Tracker)
(This is the first of the Poynteronline Abuse Tracker edition for Friday, November 14, 2003.)
• Cape Cod priest questioned in murder investigation resigns from post [CURRENT].
FALMOUTH (MA): The Rev. Bernard Kelly, the Cape Cod priest entangled in the
investigation into the murder of 20-year-old Jonathan Wessner, has
resigned from his church post.
Kelly, 70, was suspended last month from St. Joseph Parish by Fall River
Bishop George Coleman, as the Cape and Islands District Attorney
questioned him about his relationship with murder suspect Paul Nolin, a
convicted child rapist.
The diocesan paper, The Anchor, announced Friday that Coleman had accepted
Kelly's resignation, effective next Wednesday, the Cape Cod Times
reported. Kelly could not be reached by the Times for comment.
Francis O'Boy, Kelly's attorney, said he wasn't surprised by the resignation.
"I assumed that something like that would happen," he said. "Given the
climate of the times, I don't think they would consider any further
ministerial post for him."
Kelly befriended and employed Nolin, who has been charged in Wessner's
Sept. 20 kidnapping and murder.
Wessner, 20, of Falmouth was last seen leaving a party with Nolin.
Kelly was forced by a judge to testify before a grand jury investigating
the case. The proceedings are secret but O'Boy said Kelly had passed a
polygraph test indicating he knew nothing about Wessner's death.
-- Boston Globe,
(http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/318/metro/Cape_Cod_priest_questioned_in_murder_investigation_resigns_from_post+.shtml)
By Associated Press, Nov 14 2003
• Pope's biographer Weigel sees too much "club" mentality.
WASHINGTON (DC): It is too soon to say the nation's Roman Catholic bishops have succeeded in healing the church's wounds from its sex abuse crisis, two leading Catholic intellectuals said yesterday.
George Weigel, the American biographer of Pope John Paul II, and the Rev.
J. Bryan Hehir, former dean of Harvard Divinity School, said the problems
created by the scandal were too complex to be resolved quickly.
The men were among panelists gathered at the Ethics and Public Policy
Center to discuss the future of American Catholicism, one day after
bishops ended their national meeting in Washington.
Weigel said the bishops have made improvements, such as enacting a
mandatory national policy on responding to abuse claims and disciplining
guilty priests.
However, he said it was "way too soon" to determine whether church
leaders have made sufficient changes in their own thinking to improve
their leadership.
He pointed to a recent event where one bishop praised a group of newly
appointed bishops for being "team players.
"That kind of club mentality -- 'we're bringing people into our club' --
I think needs to be shaken up," Weigel said.
-- Boston Globe,
"A lengthy effort is seen for US bishops,"
(http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/318/nation/A_lengthy_effort_is_seen_for_US_bishops+.shtml)
By Rachel Zoll, Associated Press, Nov 14 2003
• Nun in legal bid for state pardon.
IRELAND:
An application by former nun Nora Wall for a certificate declaring a
miscarriage of justice arising from her quashed conviction on a charge of
rape is expected to be heard by the Court of Criminal Appeal early next
year.
If Ms Wall secures a certificate declaring a miscarriage of justice, she
may then pursue a claim for damages against the state.
Noel Whelan BL, for the DPP, told the CCA yesterday that the DPP would be
filing an affidavit in the case.
However, no indication was given as to what attitude the DPP will adopt
towards Ms Wall's application.
-- One in Four,
(http://oneinfour.org/news/news2003/nunpardon/)
• Removed priest may fight ruling.
SPRINGFIELD (MA): A priest who has been removed from his ministry for sexual
misconduct may seek reinstatement, according to the Most Rev. Thomas L.
Dupre, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield.
Dupre didn't name the priest, but said at a press briefing last week that
a priest has made his intentions known to him that he is probably going to
fight the decision to remove him from all public ministry.
Dupre removed five priests from ministry last year after U.S. bishops
adopted a "zero tolerance" clergy sexual abuse policy. Later, the bishops
amended the policy to include due process provisions for accused clerics.
No priest has sought reinstatement in the Roman Catholic Diocese of
Springfield, but, Dupre said, "It is probably going to happen."
The due process would be sought through the Vatican and require a canon
law judicial procedure, according to Dupre. The procedure would be very
much like a civil judicial hearing with lawyers and a judge presiding over
it, according to Dupre.
-- The Republican,
(http://masslive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1068799522140140.xml?nnmw)
By Bill Zajac,
wzajac@repub.com , Nov 14 2003
• Baptist faces more charges in sex misconduct cases [CURRENT].
SIERRA VISTA (AZ): A Sierra Vista man has been indicted on eight charges
relating to sexual misconduct with minors, Sierra Vista police detective
Sgt. Jim Adams said Wednesday.
Eric K. Craig was arrested Nov. 2 by police and initially charged with
continuous sexual abuse of a child in a case involving a local 12-year-old
boy.
Craig is a former youth pastor at First Baptist Church in Sierra Vista.
During the initial investigation, police said Craig may have been involved
in at least two other allegations of sexual misconduct with children,
including a complaint made by the parents of a 12-year-old girl.
-- Sierra Vista Herald,
"Man faces more charges in sex misconduct cases,"
(http://www.svherald.com/articles/2003/11/13/news/news4.txt)
By Nate Searing, Herald/Review
• Church hierarchy needs work.
ROME: Perhaps the most serious issue facing the next conclave is whether
the present strongly centralized organization of the Catholic Church can
continue. The truth is that it doesn't work very well because the current
structure is "flat." There is in practice no ordered hierarchy leading
down from the pope to the local bishops, and no reliable flow of
information from the local bishops to the pope.
The pope's span of supervision includes several thousand bishops.
Corporate theory argues that the span of supervision of an executive
should be no more that five, and preferably as low as three.
The pope exercises his control with the help of the leaders of the various
curial congregations, the dozen or so members of his Cabinet, but these
men specialize in subject matter (liturgy, the making of bishops, etc.),
not in regions of the world or specific countries. The pope's task is
therefore impossible, both because he is personally responsible for far
too many supervisory tasks and because the flow of information upward --
either through the papal nuncios (men who do not remain in a country long
and whose competence may vary greatly) in the various countries or through
the various curial departments -- is bound to be thin and often
contradictory. Even if it were possible for the pope personally to
supervise every bishop in the world, he does not have the information
about the various individual dioceses on which to base his supervision and
decisions.
The leadership structure of the Church has not changed much since it
supervised only Europe. Now it must supervise the world. Moreover, the
pope reserves the right to reverse decisions made at lower levels. Thus,
even though the local bishops and the nuncio submit ternas (list of three
men who are qualified for a given diocese) and the congregation of bishops
submits the master list of three, the pope still may toss out any or all
of these and make his own choice. That is certainly within his rights
under canon law, but in some instances, such a rejection of the upward
flow of information leads to unhappy results.
-- Chicago Sun-Times,
(http://www.suntimes.com/output/greeley/cst-edt-greel14.html)
By Andrew Greeley
• Judge rejects archdiocese suggestion of impropriety.
CINCINNATI (OH): A judge ruled Thursday that prosecutors did nothing wrong when they
selected a special grand jury to investigate how the Archdiocese of
Cincinnati handled sexual abuse cases.
Church lawyers challenged the selection process Wednesday when they asked
Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Steven Martin to review transcripts of
the secret proceedings for any improprieties.
The lawyers said they were concerned about how prosecutors questioned
prospective grand jurors about their ability to serve.
Martin said such questions are part of the grand jury selection process
and are necessary to ensure that jurors are able to be fair. He noted that
one of the two jurors excused Wednesday was let go because he could not be
fair to the archdiocese, not the other way around.
After reading transcripts Thursday, the judge said he found no problems
with the proceedings.
-- The Cincinnati Enquirer,
(http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/11/14/loc_archdiocese14.html)
By Dan Horn
• Bishops Get Low Ratings in Poll of Catholics.
UNITED STATES: Although the president of the nation's Roman Catholic bishops said this week that they have "turned the corner" on the church's sex abuse scandal,
a poll released yesterday found that rank-and-file Catholics and lay
leaders still give the bishops low ratings and think some should resign.
"If the bishops faced reelection today, they'd be in serious trouble,"
said John Zogby, president of Zogby International, which conducted the
survey.
Geoffrey T. Boisi, a New York investment banker and Catholic
philanthropist, commissioned the nationwide poll of 1,004 ordinary
Catholics and 100 prominent Catholic executives, professors, writers,
foundation heads and government officials.
Eighty-two percent of the ordinary Catholics and 73 percent of the
"opinion leaders" said bishops who knowingly transferred priests to cover
up for sexual abuse of children should be forced to resign. Both groups
overwhelmingly called for greater lay involvement in decision making and
more transparency in church finances, according to the July 21-23 poll,
which had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percent for the general
Catholic population.
Two-thirds of the opinion leaders gave bishops a negative job approval
rating; Catholics in general split evenly, 49 percent positive to 48
percent negative. That accords with a Gallup poll released last week,
which found that support for the bishops among frequent churchgoers has
started to recover, rising from 35 percent in late 2002 to 49 percent this
year.
-- Washington Post,
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38624-2003Nov13.html)
By Alan Cooperman, Page A18;
Friday, November 14, 2003
• Church reforms needed, poll of Catholics shows.
WASHINGTON (DC): Despite higher donations to their church last year by U.S.
Roman Catholics and a recent Gallup Poll finding that 49 percent of
Catholics thought their own bishop was doing a good job, a new Zogby
International () poll has determined that the
American church -- in the words of polling firm President John Zogby --
"is in trouble."
Zogby, himself a Catholic, said he surveyed 1,004 Catholic respondents as
well as 100 Catholic opinion leaders after the church's sex scandal rose
to the national and world headlines this year, and found that there was an
overwhelming demand for church reforms.
In political terms, said Zogby, who often does campaign polling, "there is
not a strong re-elect factor: If the Catholic bishops faced re-election,
more than half of the voters would say no."
The pollster presented his findings yesterday at a forum of the Ethics and
Public Policy Center (http://www.eppc.org/) , which invited theologians
and other experts on religion in America to comment.
-- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,
(http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03318/239685.stm)
By Ann McFeatters, Post-Gazette National Bureau
• Brownsville diocese to settle lawsuit with victim who claims ex-priest molested her.
EDINBURGH (TX): The Brownsville Roman Catholic Diocese will settle a lawsuit
for an undisclosed amount with a female victim who claims a former Rio
Grande Valley priest molested her as a teenager.
"It's time for healing," Edmundo Ramirez, the attorney for the diocese,
said of the lawsuit filed against the diocese and former priest Basil
Onyia. He added that the settlement does not indicate that the diocese
admits wrongdoing.
The settlement amount will be covered by the diocese's insurance,
according to a statement released by the diocese.
"Whatever he (Onyia) did, he did on his own," Ramirez said. "Obviously,
the diocese does not condone this behavior."
The settlement comes on the heels of a trial scheduled to begin Nov. 17 in
Judge Noe Gonzalez's 370th state District Court. Attorneys for the
victimized women had previously indicated Brownsville Bishop Raymundo J.
Peña would be deposed if the case was not settled. A deposition is an
official fact-gathering interview conducted under oath.
The diocese did not follow policy in reporting the sexual abuse, said Juan
Magallanes, an attorney for the victim and her mother, also a party in the
lawsuit.
-- The Monitor,
(http://www.valleystar.com/localnews_more.php?id=50779_0_19_0_C)
By Sarah Ovaska
• Diocese denies claims.
AMARILLO (TX): The Roman Catholic Diocese of Amarillo contends a Gray County woman's
legal claims against the diocese are barred by statutes of limitations.
The suit, filed in 47th District Court last month, claims a former priest
engaged in unspecified wrongful conduct against the woman, identified only
in court documents as Jane Doe.
The suit names former priest Rosendo Herrera, Bishop John W. Yanta, former
Bishop Leroy Matthiesen and the diocese as defendants.
In an answer to the suit filed Wednesday, the diocese also denied all
claims in the woman's suit.
The suit claims that on various times, Herrera was guilty of acts that
were injurious, mentally and physically, to the plaintiff and that he
engaged in wrongful conduct while employed by the Catholic Church.
The suit further alleges that the diocese, Yanta and Matthiesen were
negligent in the performance of their administrative duties.
The woman is suing for personal injuries, past, present and future
psychological pain and suffering, and mental anguish.
-- The Amarillo Globe-News,
(http://www.amarillonet.com/stories/111403/new_diocese.shtml)
By Jim McBride,
jmcbride@amarillonet.com
• Diocese says suit may be its undoing.
BURLINGTON (OH): In a motion seeking a new judge to oversee a class-action
suit against the Covington Diocese, church attorneys claim the diocese's
future is in peril.
Church attorney Mark Guilfoyle of Covington questioned Boone Circuit Judge
Jay Bamberger's impartiality "in this unprecedented class proceeding, in
which the diocese's financial ability to carry out its religious mission
in the future may well be at stake."
Bamberger certified the nation's first class-action lawsuit against a
Catholic diocese in October. Attorneys for plaintiffs say the suit could
involve as many as 500 to 1,000 alleged victims of abuse by priests in the
Covington Diocese since the mid-1950s. The diocese contends the true
number of victims is less than 200.
The motion, which was denied by Bamberger on Thursday, listed three
reasons why he should remove himself.
The motion stated Bamberger cannot be impartial because he went to
Catholic schools, including attending a seminary for a time.
-- The Cincinnati Enquirer,
(http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/11/14/loc_kydiocese14.html)
By Jim Hannah
• Late priest accused of sex abuse in '70s.
NEW HAVEN (CT): A former Guilford man is suing the Archdiocese of Hartford,
claiming that a now-deceased Roman Catholic priest sexually abused him as
an adolescent.
George Tifft, who now lives in the Hartford area, filed the lawsuit
recently in Superior Court in New Haven.
Tifft claims the late Rev. Joseph Buckley befriended him, gave him alcohol
and then sexually assaulted him in Guilford in 1971. Tifft, who is now 46,
was 14 at the time of the alleged assault.
Tifft was never Buckley's parishioner, and the two met when Buckley picked
him up while the youth was hitchhiking in Guilford, according to Tifft's
attorney, Thomas McNamara of New Haven.
When questioned about his client's 32-year delay in filing any legal
action, McNamara said Tifft has finally come to terms with what happened.
"It has been eating at him all these years," McNamara said. "It is a hard
thing to come forward and tell people what happened to you."
-- New Haven Register,
(http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10512477&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept
id=31007&rfi=6)
by Michelle Tuccitto, Nov 14 2003
• St. Joseph questions priest's leaving.
NASHUA (NH): A church's spiritual and physical aspirations often rise or fall
with its pastor.
A vibrant pastor can boost the religious quests of parishioners, and even
help realize their wishes for a more modern house of worship. In turn, an
indifferent or a disagreeable pastor can make a church and its faithful
feel empty.
By many accounts, the Rev. Gerard Desmarais made a constructive difference
at St. Joseph Church before abruptly leaving this month.
For instance, parishioners credit him with making the construction of a
$2.7 million church building on West Hollis Street become a reality two
years ago.
But Desmarais left the church last week with what some consider the
briefest of explanations. He told parishioners that he disagreed with
Bishop John McCormack's managerial practices, but he did not provide
further details, other than that the diocese had hampered his ministry and
that he did not receive pay for a recent six-month leave of absence.
Most of the St. Joseph parishioners interviewed for this story accept
Desmarais' reasoning. Several of them have read a published report that
Desmarais actually left because McCormack refused to allow Desmarais to
live with his male partner. Desmarais denies that claim, but if it's true,
it conflicts with what he told his church.
-- The Telegraph,
(http://nashuatelegraph.com/Main.asp?SectionID=25&SubSectionID=354&ArticleID=93457)
By Albert McKeon, mckeona@telegraph-nh.com ,
Thursday, November 13, 2003
• Preventing Child Sexual Abuse: Some Thoughts on Contested Meanings.
BOSTON (MA): In the wake of the current child sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic
Church, few would disagree that preventing child sexual abuse is a noble,
albeit not easy task. But little attention has been paid to the multiple
contexts in which talk of "prevention" has occurred. The process of
preventing something always implies a context that supplies the values
involved. For instance, some people want to prevent child sexual abuse
through the ordination of women because they see the roots of the problem
in an all-male and celibate clergy. Others want to prevent harm to
children by establishing mandatory criminal background checks for
seminarians and may not assert the need for women's access to ordination.
The term "prevention" can be applied to both situations, even though
different values and interests are involved.
Prevention, further, may have unintended consequences. It is possible we
might prevent something "good" from occurring, like a close and positive
relationship between a priest and a child, in order to prevent something
"bad" from occurring, such as child sexual abuse. No matter which way we
turn as we confront the situation of child sexual abuse, we will need to
recognize, and engage, a multiplicity of values. The way to find a basis
for our prevention focus towards child sexual abuse is to enter the market
of values open-mindedly.
Prevention implies taking action before anticipated problems arise. But
what actually constitutes a "problem" has perhaps never been so debated as
it is today. And aren't some problems more urgent than others? If problems
are constructed in a marketplace where different parties negotiate and
debate the terms of trade and the accuracy of transactions, then the
current marketplace has focused our attention on the sexual abuse of
children by clergy. But other, hard questions remain: is, for instance,
child sexual abuse by priests more noteworthy than abuse by biological
fathers? Merely looking at the extent of the problem, sexual abuse by
fathers seems much more prevalent than the same abuse by priests. However,
there are more biological fathers than spiritual fathers, and the
prevalence rate of clergy sexual abuse has yet to be determined.
-- Boston College,
(http://www.bc.edu/church21/resources/godenzi/)
[COMMENT: There are some "weasel words" in the above article. They're trying to creep back! COMMENT ENDS.]
• Principal knew of allegations earlier in sex abuse case.
KANNAPOLIS (NC): Authorities are investigating whether a Christian school
principal acted properly on allegations that a teacher at the school had a
sexual relationship with a 14-year-old female student.
Kannapolis Police Detective Laura Carden, whose investigation yielded
three charges against Unity Place Academy teacher Kenneth Herring, said
police are now looking into "whether they did things appropriately" at the
school.
Unity Place Principal Sherry Connell acknowledged Wednesday she knew of
the allegations five days before police arrested Herring. But she said she
wanted to determine the validity of the charges before contacting
authorities.
"I didn't know that we had anything to report," Connell said. "... If we
had known there was a reason, we would have done that."
Under state law, a public school principal must report suspected sexual
abuse -- or reports of such conduct made by other school personnel --
immediately to law enforcement. Failure to do so constitutes a
misdemeanor.
Laurie Mesibov, a professor who specializes in public school law at the
Institute of Government, said that in her opinion that statue "would not
apply to a private school principal."
-- Salisbury Post,
(http://salisburypost.townnews.com/articles/2003/11/13/news/13-kann-teacher_charged_folo.txt)
By Scott Jenkins
• Unravelling thousands of pages, under secrecy.
LOS ANGELES (CA): An effort to investigate sex abuse by priests in the
nation's largest Roman Catholic archdiocese has grown into a lengthy and
complex legal battle buried under layers of secrecy.
In a case pending before a California appellate court, the Archdiocese of
Los Angeles is trying to keep out of public view a judge's ruling on
whether a grand jury investigating clergy abuse can see church personnel
records.
A tentative ruling in the matter already has been issued by a retired
judge who is working as a "special master" dealing with some aspects of
the case. But that ruling is sealed - along with all the underlying
documents.
Because the material could eventually be viewed by grand jurors, retired
Superior Court Judge Thomas F. Nuss has ruled that everything relating to
them must be sealed. He also has decided that all hearings in the case
must be conducted in private.
Nuss was appointed by the judge assigned to the case to take over some of
the massive workload created by it. His job has been to review thousands
of pages of church personnel documents, then decide whether they have to
be turned over to the grand jury. By order of the court, he's being paid
$350 an hour by the archdiocese.
-- FortWayne.com , "Religion Today,"
(http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/7254208.htm)
by Linda Deutsch, Associated Press
• Ex-Auburndale priest faces new sex abuse allegations.
BROOKLYN (NY): The child of a former St. Kevin's Roman Catholic Church employee is the latest accuser in the legal actions that have been building against the
Rev. James Smith, who served in several Queens parishes for more than four
decades, and the Diocese of Brooklyn.
On Nov. 4, the 17-year-old and her mother filed a suit alleging that Smith
sexually abused the minor from the time she was 10 and until she was about
14 during his tenure at St. Kevin's in Auburndale.
They are seeking $30 million in compensatory, punitive and pain and
suffering damages from Smith, the diocese, former Bishop Thomas Daily,
Monsignor Andrew Vaccari, Monsignor Otto Garcia and St. Kevin's Roman
Catholic Church, where he was serving at the time the alleged abuse took
place.
In October, 26 others accused Smith of abuse and joined the largest
church-related suit in New York City's legal history. A group of more than
35 accusers filed a $300 million lawsuit in State Supreme Court against
the Diocese of Brooklyn, which covers Roman Catholic churches in Queens.
The Brooklyn Diocese could not be reached for comment.
-- Bayside Times,
(http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10501823&BRD=1079&PAG=461&dept_id=506399&rfi=6)
By Cynthia Koons
• Court could shake up charity law.
MORRISTOWN (NJ): Three appellate court judges heard arguments on the validity
of a law barring lawsuits against charities in a session at the Morris
County Courthouse Wednesday.
Their decision, expected in a few weeks, could open or shut the door to
potentially dozens of lawsuits against charitable organizations, such as
schools and churches.
The law, the Charitable Immunity Act, is meant to protect money sent to
charities. ...
Victims' rights advocates say the law prevents survivors of sexual abuse
from filing lawsuits against charitable organizations and getting justice.
The Morris County chapter of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by
Priests, known as SNAP, held a news conference after the hearing to
support efforts to overturn or weaken the charitable immunity law. Members
contend that a change in the law could have an impact on more than a dozen
people who have claimed they were abused by a former Mendham priest, and
who have not yet filed lawsuits.
-- Daily Record,
(http://www.dailyrecord.com/news/articles/news1-AKappeal.htm)
By Abbott Koloff
(Posted by Kathy Shaw, Poynter Abuse Tracker)
//////////////////// End of www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46, Friday, November 14, 2003
• In the Vineyard, VOTF, for November 03.
UNITED STATES: Reminder - National Representative Council elections for officers - Nominations are due from registered members by November 21. Submit your nominations here. (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M630560825574223830755&iEvent=14456)
VOTF again bears witness at the semiannual bishops' conference in Washington, DC. Nov. 10-13. Read More. (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M630564125574223830755&iEvent=14456)
Parish Voices - "If it is to be, it's up to me!" Who said it and why? Read More. (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M630563325574223830755&iEvent=14456)
Events, Etc.; Tri-state Conference Highlights including Jim Post's address; attendees' vignettes; New York Archdiocesan Synod opportunity; and don't miss out on the Boston College, MA ongoing study of "The Church in the 21st Century. Besides events and lectures, the program offers occasional papers that might jump start many a conversation; AND don't forget your VOTF Christmas cards Read More (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M630563425574223830755&iEvent=14456)
Letters to the Editor; (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M630562325574223830755&iEvent=14456) responses to October's "What Do You Think?"
November's What do you think? Christ was banned, too, but it didn't stop Him or those who heard Him. Read More (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M630568125574223830755&iEvent=14456)
Prayer of the Month - Read More. (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M630561025574223830755&iEvent=14456) Books for your review - Read more (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M630564425574223830755&iEvent=14456) Donate to VOTF (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M628829525574223830755&iEvent=14456) Join VOTF (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M628829625574223830755&iEvent=14456)
Have you received your VOTF quarterly? If not, please call the VOTF office at 617-558-5252 and request the fall issue. Submissions for the quarterly are gratefully considered. Please contact Peggie Thorp at leaderpub@votf.org
REMINDER: To contact an affiliate in your area, just go to VOTF Parish Voice (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M630563125574223830755&iEvent=14456), identify your state by region, click appropriately and you're there. Please send comments and inquiries to leaderpub@votf.org
DEADLINE FOR DECEMBER COPY IS 12/1 Our postal address is VOTF, Box 423, Newton Upper Falls, MA 02464-0002 Voice of the Faithful, VOTF, "Keep the Faith, Change the Church," Voice of Compassion, VOTF logo(s), Parish Voice, and Prayerful Voice are trademarks of Voice of the Faithful, Inc. Voice of the Faithful is a 501(c) 3 tax-exempt organization.
In the Vineyard November, 2003 Volume 2, Issue 12:
The record-breaking response from readers last month to the "What Do You Think" section of this publication underscored again the readiness among us. Coupled with the remarkable success of tri-state conferences (NY/NJ/CT and OH/KY/IND), and galvanized by the work of 190 affiliates around the world, several observations seem inarguable: Catholics want to be asked and are ready to answer the challenging questions of our time; VOTF is here to stay; bishop accountability matters; and prayer heals.
Catholics are asking and seeking. Several attendees at the NY conference asked what might be done about what often appears to be rampant passivity among our fellow Catholics. The answer has always been the same in VOTF's work - engage with as many people as possible, encourage listening to survivors and, as one correspondent told VOTF last month, "Keep on keeping on!" For all the acquiescence so easily evidenced among American Catholics, for all the declining attendance at Mass around the world, for all the frustrations inherent in change, it has always been clear to VOTF that as a People of God we are profoundly touched by ongoing events.
As of the current crisis, Catholics are committed to our faith in ways yet unfolding and not as quantifiable as meeting attendance and affiliate growth. Affiliates from coast to coast as well as Catholics in many other reform movements are nourishing themselves and our shared faith by way of the spate of new and thought-provoking books that face squarely the crisis that is far from over. Theologians and universities, many parishes and small faith and contemplative communities are seeing a new day in their audiences, congregations and gatherings. VOTF conferences continue to draw Catholics who are first-time visitors to a VOTF gathering - they come for community and for shared liturgy with others who feel as they do. Even where VOTF is banned from the use of Church property, Catholics show up. (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M630559925574223830755&iEvent=14456) .
Responses to the VOTF experience vary but each experience is grounded in community. Paul Kendrick of Maine may be the best example to date of growing into this moment in his own way. His letter (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M630560125574223830755&iEvent=14456) reminds us that Christ was banned, too, but it didn't stop Him or those who heard Him from being in each other's company, from "going out." This leave-taking of our places is our common calling - we invite you to tell us about your own journey as we continue to "keep the faith and change the Church." Together, we will continue to honor Mother Teresa's wise vision - "Seek and ask." Please continue to write to VOTF at leaderpub@votf.org (mailto:leaderpub@votf.org) . Peggie L. Thorp, ed.
-- In the Vineyard, online newsletter of Voice of the Faithful, November 2003, received Nov 14 03
########## Poynteronline Abuse Tracker, www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46,
Saturday, November 15, 2003 edition follows:- • Church Counselor Charged in Sex Abuse [2000 onwards].
LONG ISLAND (NY): A counselor at an East End church has been charged with sexually abusing three young girls over the past several years, authorities say.
Vicente Elias Lopez, 44, of Walnut Avenue, East Quogue, has been indicted
on charges of first-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a
child, said Assistant District Attorney Dana Brown. He's accused of
improperly touching three girls. "He's been getting away with it since
2000," Brown said.
But his attorney, Stephen Grossman of Sag Harbor, said Lopez, a mason who
emigrated from Guatemala 20 years ago, has gotten away with nothing.
"He has proclaimed his innocence," Grossman said. "He has consistently
denied any involvement."
At his arraignment Friday in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead, Judge C.
Randall Hinrichs allowed Lopez to remain free with no bail. Brown had
asked for bail of $15,000 cash. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 21
years in prison.
-- Newsday,
(http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/crime/ny-lisex1114,0,3639274story?coll=ny-licrime-headlines)
By Andrew Smith, November 15, 2003
(Posted by Kathy Shaw, Poynter Abuse Tracker)
• Indian residential schools, claims total 13 so far.
PUYALLUP (Washington State): An elderly Puyallup man has been charged with four counts of sexual assault involving offenses that Canadian authorities say occurred more than four decades ago.
David Henry Forde, 71, was a dormitory supervisor at the Alberni Indian
Residential School in Port Alberni, B.C., during the late 1950s and early
'60s when he sexually abused four students, said Cpl. Mike Pacholuk of the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
There is no statute of limitations on serious sexual offenses in Canada so
Forde could face more than a decade in prison, the investigator said
yesterday. ...
The Forde investigation was part of a larger inquiry into allegations of
abuse at 15 church-run residential schools in British Columbia. Led by the
Native Indian Residential School Task Force, the investigation began in
1994 and has resulted in charges against 13 people for physical and sexual
offenses involving hundreds of victims. At least a third of the suspects
are now dead, Pacholuk said.
-- Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "Charges in B.C. sex abuse case,"
(http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/148450_charges15.html)
By Claudia Rowe
• Man affiliated with Gospel Church faces five counts of sexual abuse [CURRENT].
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP): A man who pastored at an eastern Long Island
church pleaded innocent Friday to sex abuse charges after surrendering to
police in Southampton, prosecutors said.
Vicente Elias Lopez, 44, of East Quogue, was arraigned before Suffolk
County Court Judge C. Randall Hinrichs on five counts of sexual abuse and
four counts of endangering the welfare of a child, said Robert Clifford, a
spokesman for the Suffolk County district attorney.
If convicted of the most serious charges, he could be sentenced to between
5 and 15 years in prison.
Lopez, who is known as "Brother Elias," to the members of the
Aqueboque-based Living Waters Gospel Church, allegedly engaged in sexual
activity with three girls all under the age of 11, Clifford said. The
first incident took place in March 2000, but the investigation by
Southampton Police began this past spring.
Stephen Grossman, the attorney for Lopez, insisted that his client was
innocent.
"We have irrefutable evidence that at least one of the complainants lied,"
he said. "And we believe we can show why the other alleged victims are
mistaken."
-- Ithaca Journal,
"Man affiliated with L.I. church faces five counts of sexual abuse,"
(http://www.theithacajournal.com/news/stories/20031115/localnews/648682.html)
• Jury has questions for diocese.
CINCINNATI (OH): A special Hamilton County grand jury will begin putting questions Monday to Archdiocese of Cincinnati officials about their possible cover-up of
allegations of sex abuse.
The special grand jury is the second convened by Hamilton County
prosecutors in the last two years to investigate the issue.
In April 2002, Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk was subpoenaed to appear before
a special grand jury -- empanelled, ironically, after Pilarczyk a month
earlier admitted there were church employees still working for the
archdiocese who had sexually abused kids.
Pilarczyk is a likely candidate to be subpoenaed again because, as head of
the 19-county archdiocese, he has explicit knowledge of how it works, the
complaints of sexual abuse made and how they have been handled.
-- The Cincinnati Post,
(http://www.cincypost.com/2003/11/15/arch111503.html)
By Kimball Perry
• Church to judge: Recuse yourself.
KENTUCKY: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington wants the judge hearing a case
about alleged sexual abuse in the diocese to recuse himself because he is
friends with a consultant in the case and because, as a high school
student, he went on a camping trip with one of the accused priests.
Judge Joseph "Jay" Bamberger, however, refused Thursday to step down from
the class-action suit, arguing that the diocese was simply trying to shop
for a more favorable forum in which to defend itself from the litigation.
The diocese plans to appeal Bamberger's decision to Kentucky Supreme Court
Chief Justice Joseph Lambert. Bamberger gave diocese attorneys until
Wednesday to file notice of the appeal.
Bamberger said that to his recollection, it is only the third time since
he took the Boone Circuit Court bench in 1992 that an attorney has
questioned his ability to be impartial.
The diocese said it wants Bamberger to step down because of his
relationships with some of the parties or participants in the case.
According to the motion filed Wednesday:
--The Kentucky Post,
(http://www.kypost.com/2003/11/14/kdio111403.html)
By Kevin Eigelbach, Nov 14 03
• New pastor brings hope to St. Julia's.
WESTON (MA): One parishioner has called St. Julia's Church the "ground zero"
of the state's clergy sexual abuse scandal.
Under the direction of their new pastor, church members are looking
forward to healing rather than looking back at pain.
The Rev. George P. Evans was formally installed as pastor on Oct. 29, with
the Archdiocese of Boston's new archbishop, Sean P. O'Malley, presiding
over the Mass of Installation. Scores of priests, nuns and seminarians
attended the event, along with friends and relatives of Evans.
But the most important guests, in terms of the healing of St. Julia's,
were the parishioners themselves. Evans takes over a parish where
convicted and murdered pedophile priest John Geoghan served twice, during
much of the 1980s and into the early 1990s.
"Above all, we're hoping for a new sense of a pastoral leader," said Bill
Fallon, coordinator of the St. Julia Healing Group, which was formed late
in the spring of 2002 in response to the sexual abuse crisis.
-- Milford Daily News,
(http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/local_regional/west_stjulias11152003.htm)
By Susan L. Sherwood, Saturday, November 15, 2003
• At a time of controversy, Adamec preaches unity.
HOLLIDAYSBURG (PA): Bishop Joseph Adamec of Altoona-Johnstown Roman Catholic
Diocese returned home this week with a call for unity within a church
stricken by sex abuse allegations against priests.
Adamec returned to Hollidaysburg after a three-day meeting of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington.
While the bishops discussed a range of topics, from stewardship with young
adults, socially responsible investment guidelines and marriage in
relation to same-sex unions, the members talked about a belief of Pope
John Paul II that the Church is a community.
"There was a call to strengthen that particular aspect of the Church --
unity among the clergy, between the clergy and the bishop, between the
clergy and the faithful and, to re-establish it with the victims of sexual
abuse on the part of some priests," Adamec said in a news conference
yesterday. He addressed members of the press corps at the
Altoona-Johnstown Roman Catholic Diocese headquarters here.
But with these efforts to reach out to those allegedly molested by priests
is a sense of frustration, the bishop intimated.
-- The Tribune-Democrat
(http://www.tribune-democrat.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10518720&BRD=2332&PAG=461&dept_id=484742&rfi=6)
By Pete Bosak
• Suit against archdiocese can proceed.
LOUISVILLE (KY): A Jefferson Circuit Court judge has allowed one of 12 lawsuits remaining against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville to move forward,
despite the church's claim that it was filed years too late.
Judge Thomas Wine on Thursday denied the archdiocese's motion for summary
judgment in the case of Kyle Burden, the only plaintiff who opted out of
the $25.7million settlement of sexual-abuse lawsuits. The judge ruled that
the church failed to prove that Burden hadn't filed his lawsuit in a
timely fashion.
Burden said he was ecstatic with the decision and hopes his lawsuit will
bring answers to the questions he has for Archbishop Thomas Kelly. "I want
to know how he could allow this to happen to so many people," he said. "I
want to know how he could let priests who victimized children continue to
operate in the archdiocese."
Burden said he and his attorney, Wallace Rogers, would ask for a trial
date this month with the hope of taking Kelly's deposition in December.
-- The Courier-Journal,
(http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2003/11/15ky/met-7-church11150-4362.html)
By Jason Riley,
jriley@courier-journal.com
• Bishop getting to know diocese.
TOLEDO (OH): Toledo Bishop-designate Leonard Blair, having just returned from a U.S.
Catholic bishops conference in Washington, said yesterday that the church
must continue its diligence in protecting children from sexual abuse, but
said officials should "stay the course" rather than look to radical
changes.
Saying that he is still becoming familiar with the diocese he will lead
starting Dec. 4, Bishop Blair said he saw some positive signs at the
three-day meeting of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"We are making good progress in dealing with this problem," he said of the
sexual-abuse crisis, "but we need to be vigilant and stay the course."
Early next year, the church's National Review Board will release a report
listing 50 years' worth of allegations against priests accused of sexual
abuse against minors.
"The statistics will have to be taken in context," Bishop Blair said.
"Some people could use it unfairly. You have to realize we are talking
about a long period of time, and in context of all the good that priests
have done."
-- Toledo Blade,
(http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031115/NEWS10/111150111)
By David Yonke, Blade Religion Editor, Nov 15 03
• Upset Catholics launch group.
NEW ORLEANS (LA): In varying tones of dismay, anger and hesitation, two dozen Catholics gathered in a convent chapel this week hoping to change their church
through a New Orleans chapter of Voice of the Faithful [VOTF], the national
grassroots movement spawned by the clergy sex-abuse scandal.
The embryonic group adjourned its first full meeting after 90 minutes of
introductions, exploratory conversations and some wrenching testimony from
two of three sexual abuse victims who attended, and the mother of a
fourth.
Their number included two priests, two nuns and a several laypeople who
declined to confirm their names because they said they worried for their
church-related jobs.
In the round of introductions, a common theme emerged: They said they were
Catholics -- some lifelong, some converts and some newly returned to the
church -- who wanted to see some structural changes to make church
governance more accountable to the faithful, and to prevent another
systemic failure like the sex-abuse crisis.
"I'm here because I love my church," said Sister Jane Aucoin, a former
principal of Cabrini High School. "I don't want to change any of its
essentials, but I don't want this ever to happen again."
-- Times-Picayune,
(http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1068879449106810.xml)
By Bruce Nolan
• Victim: Defective priests should not be passed on.
ARIZONA: Richard Rivezzo, a successful executive with the Mattel Toy Co., said that
when he tries to make sense of what happened to him 25 years ago, he
thinks about the toy business.
When a company has a defective product, it makes sure everyone knows about
it, takes the toys back, refunds the money and either fixes the toy or
discontinues it.
It does not deny responsibility and send the toy to another store to risk
harming another child.
From his professional vantage point, he cannot understand why the Roman
Catholic Church has not behaved in the same way.
Rivezzo believes the Rev. Joseph Henn abused him at least a dozen times
when Henn was associate pastor and Rivezzo was an altar boy at St. Mark's
Parish in central Phoenix.
Henn served at St. Mark's from 1978-82.
-- The Arizona Republic, "Victim: Abuse by priest haunting,"
(http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1115rivezzo15.html)
by Michael Clancy, Nov. 15, 2003
• Clergy abuse settlement fuels advice on windfalls.
NEWTON (MA): "What's the first thing we do when we get our money?" a
slightly perplexed man in a dark green fisherman's sweater asked Richard
Colman, a financial planner from Carlisle who was running a recent seminar
for people eligible for the $85 million settlement between the Catholic
Archdiocese of Boston and alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse.
"First, you put it in some place that's safe, like a money market or a
savings account . . . just not under your mattress," Colman replied.
"But it's not safe in the bank," the man said. "I can get to it there."
The exchange illustrates both the opportunity and the danger in payments ranging from $52,000 to $200,000 that more than 500 alleged victims will receive in the coming weeks, after a team of arbitrators hears their claims and awards damages.
While the money may have a strong symbolic value, financial specialists,
lawyers, and counselors who work with alleged victims are stressing that
the money can either be a force for healing or a tool for
self-destruction.
"Money is a magnifier," said Susan Bradley, a certified financial
planner and author of the book "Sudden Money: Managing a Financial
Windfall." Her brother, Jeffrey, is a psychologist who helped organize
the recent seminar at Boston College. "It can magnify the good or magnify
the bad in any situation," she said.
The alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse are like others who may need
help dealing with a large sum of money, such as benefactors of wills or
life insurance policies, recipients of personal injury settlements, or
lottery winners. A cottage industry seeks to help people deal with what is
referred to as "sudden wealth" or "emotional money."
-- Boston Globe,
(http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/319/metro/Clergy_abuse_settlement_fuels_advice_on_windfalls+.shtml)
By Ralph Ranalli, Nov 15 2003
• U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
UNITED STATES:
BOB ABERNETHY, anchor: The nation's Roman Catholic bishops gathered in
Washington this week for their annual fall meeting. Over the past 22
months, the bishops came under sustained attack for their handling of the
Church's sex abuse crisis. Critics said the bishops placed concerns for
abusive priests -- and the Church's reputation -- above the needs of the
victims. The bishops say they've now adopted and implemented policies that
will prevent the situation from occurring again. The crisis was still on
the agenda at this week's meeting -- but for the first time in nearly two
years, it did not completely dominate the proceedings. Kim Lawton has our
report.
KIM LAWTON: Across the country, U.S. Catholic bishops are still facing
fallout from nearly two years of crisis over priestly sex abuse.
Bishop KENNETH UNTENER (Diocese of Saginaw): The terrible things that
happened for whatever reasons in Boston -- it was like a California
wildfire. It spread even though the fire started somewhere else and what
was going on in other dioceses wasn't what went on there. But we were all
caught by it. So it was very, very difficult, and it sucked a lot of
energy.
(http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week711/news.html)
-- Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, Friday, November 14, 2003
• Priest ordered to stand trial on lewd act charges in Fullerton [2003].
FULLERTON, Calif. (AP): A Roman Catholic priest has been ordered to stand trial on charges of committing lewd acts against a 15-year-old girl.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard King ruled Wednesday there was
enough evidence against the Rev. Gerardo Jarencio Tanilong, 72, for the
case to go to trial. Tanilong remains free on $50,000 bail, said Deputy
District Attorney Sheila Hanson.
Although the alleged victim did not take the stand, an Anaheim police
officer who interviewed the teen testified that she was sitting in the
back seat of her family's car with Tanilong on July 12 when he touched her
breast and tried to reach into her underpants.
The family was driving Tanilong to several locations to celebrate Mass,
Hanson said.
Tanilong, who served at Our Lady of Guadaloupe-Delhi Church in Santa Ana,
was placed on paid administrative leave after his arrest and will remain
there until the case is resolved, a diocese representative said.
-- San Francisco Chronicle,
(http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2003/11/13/state1522EST0090.DTL)
Nov 13 03
(Posted by Kathy Shaw, Poynter Abuse Tracker)
//////////////////// End of www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46, Saturday, November 15, 2003
FOR GOOD TEACHINGS TO BE HEEDED, A BIG CLEAN-UP IS NEEDED
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