• Lavigne's status raises questions.
- Roman Catholic Church (RCC).
SPRINGFIELD (MA): Andre P. Tessier, who said as a child he was abused by the Rev. Richard R. Lavigne, said he doesn't understand why Lavigne remains a priest a year after the head of the Catholic church here announced he was
seeking the cleric's defrocking.
"Considering what he has been accused of, it seems like it is an open and
shut case," said Tessier, who is one of more than 30 people to accuse
Lavigne of abusing them when they were minors.
The Vatican has yet to decide whether Chicopee resident Lavigne should
lose his status as a priest even though it's been more than a decade since
officials of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield stripped him of his
right to present himself publicly as a cleric.
While some are puzzled that Lavigne remains a priest, the Most Rev. Thomas
L. Dupre, the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, said
last week he is not surprised the Vatican hasn't announced anything yet.
"Just as in our own American legal system, there is a great emphasis in
church law on due process to protect the rights of all parties involved,
as well as a thorough and fair review of all relevant fact," Dupre said in
a statement.
-- Republican, "Lavigne's status raises questions,"
http://masslive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-5/10718235051174519.xml?nnch ,
By Bill Zajac,
wzajac@repub.com .
(Posted by Kathy Shaw, Poynter)
(This is the first of the Poynteronline Abuse Tracker edition for Monday, December 22, 2003.)
INCOMPLETE LINKS: Refer back to "References 61" for methods of obtaining the URLs.
• Appeal seeks to unseal files in Croteau slaying [1972].
BOSTON (MA): The Republican filed an appeal yesterday with the state's top
court seeking to overturn a Massachusetts Appeals Court ruling last month that has kept impounded the investigation files into the 1972 murder investigation of Daniel Croteau.
Boston lawyer Jonathan M. Albano, who filed the appeal with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on behalf of the newspaper, said action by the court could be taken within the next month or so.
"Usually a single justice holds a hearing within 30 days of filing," Albano said.
A single justice could grant or deny the appeal, or that justice could decide that the appeal be heard by the seven-judge court, Albano said.
Larry A. McDermott, publisher and chief executive officer of The Republican, said he believes the public deserves access to the files.
-- The Republican,
http://masslive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-1/10718235041174523.xml?nnae ,
By Bill Zajac,
wzajac@repub.com
(Posted by Kathy Shaw, Abuse Tracker)
• Man meets with priest he accused.
DENVER (CO): A Virginia man met Saturday with a now-retired Jesuit priest he accused of sexually abusing him more than 30 years ago in St. Louis.
In October, Kevin O'Connor, 50, received $185,000 for therapy and an
apology from the Missouri Province of the Jesuits to settle his claim. The
man he accused of abuse, the Rev. Jack Campbell of Denver, neither
confirmed nor denied the allegations. He was never charged with a crime.
O'Connor said he and his sister Kathy O'Connor-Long visited Campbell, who
is now in his 80s, at the Xavier Jesuit Residence Center near Regis
University where he lives.
O'Connor said Campbell apologized to him.
"He looked me right in the eye and apologized," O'Connor said. "I look at
it as an admission. You can't apologize if you haven't done anything."
-- Rocky Mountain News,
http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_2522759,00.html ,
By Associated Press
December 22, 2003
• Sex allegations follow ex-priest to Denver area.
DENVER (CO): The Catholic clergy abuse scandal belatedly spilled into a Denver-area
neighborhood Sunday when a 50- year-old man in a business suit handed out
fliers warning residents that a "serial molester/predator" lives in their
midst at a retirement home for priests.
Kevin O'Connor is one of 13 men whose claims of sex abuse at the hands of
the Rev. John J. "Jack" Campbell have been found to be credible, according
to the regional office of the Jesuit religious order, to which Campbell
belongs.
O'Connor said he confronted the retired priest, now 83, on Saturday night
with the anguish he says was inflicted on him starting more than 30 years
ago in St. Louis.
O'Connor said he received an apology from Campbell, who lives with 20
other men at the Xavier Jesuit Residence Center, just north of the Regis
University campus.
-- Denver Post,
Link,
By Eric Gorski and Sean Kelly.
• Grappling with pastor's sexual misconduct.
INDIANA: Bishop Dale Melczek told parishioners of St. Mary Catholic Church on
Sunday as soon as their pastor Monsignor Don Grass recovered enough from a
recent hospitalization to be confronted, he admitted to sexually molesting
a child more than 30 years ago
"Father Grass mentioned to me he had long ago made things right with God.
He also told me there were no other victims," Melczek said.
Melczek said because Grass wasn't working actively in ministry due to his
illness and because he admitted to the charges there was no need for him
to be placed on administrative leave while an investigation was conducted.
Melczek said he knows people are feeling traumatized by the news that
Grass, who has been pastor at St. Mary's since 1983, admitted that he
abused one child while he was an associate pastor at Holy Angels Cathedral
in Gary in the late 1960s.
"It's a painful time for all of us. We're a faith community and when one
person suffers we all suffer," Melczek said. "We feel for the victim and
Father Grass."
The Rev. Pat Kalich, who has been administrative pastor of St. Mary's
since Grass fell ill, said there is a profound sadness in the parish for
Grass and the victim. He spoke to Grass on Saturday.
-- Times,
http://www.nwitimes.com/articles/2003/12/22/news/top_news/5d411675591dbd4286256e04001544ae.prt ,
BY ELIZABETH EAKEN.
• Bishop defrocks longtime priest.
CROWN POINT (IN): For the first time in Northwest Indiana history, a Roman
Catholic priest has been removed from duties following admission that he
sexually molested a minor more than 30 years ago.
Monsignor Don Grass, who has been pastor of St. Mary Catholic Church in
Crown Point since 1983, admitted that he committed the abuse which
occurred while he was an associate pastor at Holy Angels Cathedral in Gary
in the late 1960s, according to Bishop Dale Melczek.
Following an investigation of the allegations and conversations with the
victim and Grass, Melczek removed Grass late last week from his parish
responsibilities.
Melczek, who visited all five of the parish's weekend masses, released a
statement Saturday.
Grass, 67, of Crown Point, who has been ill and immediately lost his
residence at the parish, could not be reached for comment.
-- Times,
http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2003/12/21/news/top_news/3263cff0e98fb6d886256e030018dc94.txt ,
BY CARMEN McCOLLUM
• Activists: Church settlement inadequate.
BOSTON (MA): A day after 541 people who said they were abused by priests learned how
much compensation they will receive from the Archdiocese of Boston, a
group of victims' advocates yesterday urged lawyers for both sides to go
back to the bargaining table and close a series of loopholes in the
settlement.
"Just because (the plaintiffs) got cash doesn't mean their mental
health is restored," Paul Baier said outside the office of Mitchell
Garabedian, the attorney for 120 of the plaintiffs. "The lawyers didn't
have any monetary incentive to make sure this was in the agreement."
Baier and other members of Survivors First called for a four-point
addendum to the $85 million settlement, including a written guarantee of
lifetime reimbursement for therapy by a licensed therapist. Instead, the
agreement says plaintiffs will be "eligible to participate in the
continued therapy and healing program" offered by the church.
Survivors First also called for an admission of guilt and an apology
by Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley to each plaintiff; full disclosure about
priests accused of sexual abuse, their whereabouts and the archbishop's
plans for them; and independent oversight, as called for by state Attorney
General Tom Reilly. Right now, a board of lay people and one priest
performs this function.
-- Boston Herald,
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/localRegional.bg?articleid=716 ,
By Marie Szaniszlo,
Monday, December 22, 2003
• Parishes confront dismissal of priests [allegations 1981].
PHILADELPHIA (PA): After the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's announcement that it had dismissed four priests accused of sexual misconduct with teenagers, pastors in two
parishes where two of the priests had worked used their weekend pulpits to
formally inform parishioners and offer counseling services for those who
needed them.
A pastor at St. Michael the Archangel in Levittown, Bucks County,
addressed the issue Saturday and yesterday before dozens of the faithful
at morning and evening Masses.
It was at St. Michael where the Rev. Francis X. Trauger, 58, served as an
assistant pastor before he was dismissed Dec. 1, after the archdiocese
deemed the 1981 allegations credible.
"The Archdiocese of Philadelphia continues to make every effort to comply
with the spirit and mandate of the charter" for the protection of children
and young people, Msgr. Richard T. Powers said yesterday, reading a
prepared statement at the church on Levittown Parkway.
-- Philadelphia Inquirer.
Link,
By Dwayne Campbell
(Posted by Kathy Shaw 9:05:44 AM)
• Sex abuse claims and $750m insurance fraud through Vatican bank loom in 2004.
WASHINGTON (DC), December 22, 2003: The sexual abuse scandal that rocked
the Catholic Church in 2003 will be viewed as a minor disturbance compared
to the looming financial and legal crisis about to break upon the Catholic
Church in 2004 according to California attorneys Tom Easton and Jonathan
Levy. A trend which has started with a $70 million settlement in the
Boston Archdiocese for sexual abuse victims will accelerate in 2004
according to the attorneys who represent Holocaust survivors suing the
Vatican Bank and Franciscan Order for post Second World War money
laundering of the proceeds of concentration camps and Nazi looting.
The Vatican faces a tough year in 2004 with continuing class action
lawsuits filed by sexual abuse victims and ongoing revelations of Church
sanctioned cover-ups. But according to Levy these actions are dwarfed by
the little-known $750 million [dollar] racketeering lawsuit pending in a
Mississippi court by five states seeking the return of hundreds of
millions of dollars stolen by the criminal mastermind Martin Frankel with
the help of the Vatican Bank and three top Vatican Cardinals including the
Vatican Secretary of State and two former Papal Nuncios to the United
States. "The Vatican has done a great job of hushing the case up since at
least two of the Cardinals who conspired with Frankel to steal tens of
billions of dollars from the US insurance industry are mentioned as future
candidates for Pope."
-- Press World, A Legal Christmas Card: Vatican Facing Financial Landmines in 2004
Link,
Dec 22, 03
• 69 priests question cardinal's treatment of clergymen accused of sex abuse.
NEW YORK (New York-WABC, December 21, 2003): Edward Cardinal Egan
under fire this morning for not supporting priests accused of sexual
abuse. Dozens of priests want a face to face meeting with the New York
Archbishop.
It is very rare that a priest ever questions the authority of his bishop.
But that seems to be the case at the Archdioceses of New York.
Sixty-nine priests have apparently signed a petition that they are
presenting to Cardinal Egan. They say that morale among the priests in the
Archdiocese is at an all time low.
In the Bronx on Saturday, a group of 300 parishioners supported their
priest who is also being accused in sex scandal.
Msgr. Charles Kavanagh, Suspended Priest: "My integrity is in place. I
will be vindicated."
Monsignor Charles Kavanagh defended his record and tried to clear his
name. Hundreds of people showed up to celebrate his 40 years of service to
the church and to stand by him.
-- ABC 7,
Priests Demand Audience With Cardinal to Discuss Treatment of Clergymen Accused of Sex Abuse,
Link,
By Ken Rosato, Dec 21, 2003
• Sex-abuse woes dog diocese, still harbouring secrets.
ARIZONA: As 2004 begins with 17 pending lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by clergy
members, the nearly 2-year-old scandal involving priest abuse in the Roman
Catholic Diocese of Tucson is not going away.
Also, efforts to laicize one priest, Monsignor Robert C. Trupia, whom
diocesan officials have called a "serial predator," have so far been
unsuccessful. Diocesan officials say they continue to try.
"What's really clear is that the system is broken, and it won't get fixed
until the hierarchy comes clean," said John Manly, a Costa Mesa, Calif.,
attorney who has 85 pending lawsuits against Roman Catholic Church
dioceses in the United States, including five against the local diocese,
and maintains Catholic officials are still harboring secrets about sexual
abuse from worshippers. "It's not just a Tucson problem. It's an American
church problem," he said.
Yet now that 2003 is drawing to a close, Tucson diocesan officials say
they have made tremendous progress in combating the scandal. Over the past
six months, for example, three priests who once worked in the diocese were
sent to prison for sexual abuse, and two of those cases followed
investigations initiated by the local diocese.
-- Arizona Daily Star, Sex-abuse woes still dog diocese,
Link,
By Stephanie Innes
//////////////////// End of www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46, Monday, December 22, 2003
########## Poynteronline Abuse Tracker, www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46,
Tuesday, December 23, 2003 edition follows:- • Supporters walk for Vosen.Link,
BARABOO (WI):
Baraboo News Republic
By Brian Bridgeford
Parishioners and supporters of suspended Baraboo priest Father Gerald
Vosen gathered in prayer and held a quiet march Monday to take a stand in
support and love for him.
More than 85 people of all ages gathered at St. Joseph Catholic Church
Monday about 11 a.m. They spoke of their affection for Vosen, who was
suspended in September after a Sun Prairie woman told a state legislative
committee he had sexually abused her brother decades ago. The brother has
denied any abuse occurred.
The Vosen supporters held a brief service of prayer and singing in the
church. Then they began a quiet march around the church grounds and
neighboring school carrying brightly-colored balloons and hand-made signs.
Sentiments expressed on the signs included: "Father Vosen, we believe in
you," "Give the gift of justice to Father Vosen" and "Father Vosen, we
love you very much."
(Posted by Kathy Shaw, Poynter)
• Bid to avoid payout taxes may still cost abuse victims.
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/localRegional.bg?articleid=749 ,
BOSTON (MA)
Boston Herald
By Robin Washington
Tuesday, December 23, 2003
As checks go out this week to hundreds of clergy sexual abuse victims in
the $83 million Archdiocese of Boston settlement, some claimants who fear
the funds may be taxable are joining a trust to delay payments until the
beginning of the year.
While that week-and-a-half extension will defer the tax question
until April 2005, it comes at a cost: One percent of the net settlement
amount, after lawyer's fees, to be paid by the claimant.
"I decided not to participate. It just didn't feel right," John
Harris of Norwood said.
His lawyer, Carmen Durso, who like other plaintiffs' attorneys wrote
checks to his clients after receiving payment from the church yesterday,
said the deferral would give lawyers time to resolve the tax issue with
Congress and the Internal Revenue Service.
At issue are recent changes in the tax law allowing claims for
emotional distress to be taxed, but not physical injury. While some
plaintiffs are receiving compensation for rape, others endured fondling or
lesser physical abuse, a gray area under the law.
• Group To Hold Up Posters Naming Accused Child Molesters.Link,
SAN DIEGO (CA)
TheSanDiegoChannel.Com
SAN DIEGO - Victims of alleged sexual abuse by clergy Monday will reveal
the names of six current and former Southern California priests and a
church employee who have been or will be accused of sexual abuse in civil
lawsuits .
It will be the first time most or all of the names have been publicly
disclosed, according to a statement from the Survivors Network of those
Abused by Priests.
The group will hold up posters naming the accused child molesters outside
the San Diego archdiocesan chancery office in San Diego.
They also will publish the names on two of the group's Web sites,
SNAPnetwork.org Link, and Sandiegosnap.org
Link.
SNAP also will urge church leaders to "come clean" and release the names
of all known and suspected abusive priests before a Dec. 31 statute of
limitations deadline for victims of abuse to file lawsuits.
• 21 Lawsuits To Be Filed Against San Diego Diocese.Link,
SAN DIEGO (CA)
NBCSandiego.com .
Nearly two dozen lawsuits will be filed in San Diego Superior
Court Tuesday against the San Diego Diocese, alleging abuse by priests,
NBC 7/39 reported.
The lawsuits will be brought by 21 San Diegans who say priests sexually
abused them. The lawsuits allege sexual abuse by 15 priests in the San
Diego Diocese from 1961 through 1980.
One of the accused priests, Father Franz Robier, who has since died,
allegedly abused children while assigned to the Holy Spirit Church in Oak
Park.
Dec. 31 is the deadline for victims to take legal action after California
lawmakers suspended the statute of limitations for one year. If victims
don't file by then, they may never be able to.
Nationwide, there have been hundreds of lawsuits against the church. By
the end of this year, the San Diego Diocese alone reportedly will be
facing about 100 cases.
• Ex-foster son sues Key West priest convicted of sexual abuse.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/miami/sfl-dpriest23dec23,0,1223771,print.story?coll=sfla-news-miami ,
MIAMI (FL)
Sun-Sentinel
By Noaki Schwartz
Miami Bureau
December 23, 2003.
The former foster son of a Key West priest has filed a civil suit
against Father Edward Olszewski, who was convicted of molesting him last
year.
Albert Green, 45, said Olszewski started abusing him in 1971, when the
priest was working in Detroit. At the time, Green's mother was ill, and
social services sent the then-11-year-old and his two brothers to live
with the priest temporarily. Green said Olszewski became like a father to
him, gave him marijuana and alcohol, and abused him into adulthood.
"I was 11 years old, poor and fatherless," said Green, adding that the
attention made him feel like "the special one." "He said he loved me and
that the sex was normal, and all fathers and sons have sex like that."
It wasn't until 2002 that Green realized the relationship was abusive,
after he saw someone on television claiming to be molested by a priest.
Green reported the abuse and Olszewski - who was by that time working at
St. Justin Martyr in Key Largo - was put on leave by the Miami
Archdiocese.
• Bishop handled abuse case well.
http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2003/12/23/opinion/times_editorials/9eac9b23e47c5a0f86256e050012a040.prt , [1960s]
CROWN POINT (IN):
Times
Our opinion: Since this case came to light, it has been handled quickly,
effectively and compassionately.
The priest sex abuse scandals that have reverberated around the nation hit
home last weekend.
Monsignor Don Grass has been removed from his duties at St. Mary Catholic
Church in Crown Point after his admission of having abused a child in the
late 1960s at Holy Angels Cathedral in Gary.
Bishop Dale Melczek dealt with this matter in a manner that exemplified
how such cases should be handled.
After an investigation of the allegations, the bishop late last week
removed Grass from his parish responsibilities.
Melczek visited all five of the Crown Point church's weekend Masses and
held a question-and-answer session Sunday afternoon at the church.
• Judge recuses himself from case against ex-priest.
ILLINOIS: A Mercer County judge recused himself Monday from a criminal case
involving his former priest.
Gregory J. Plunkett, 58, of 404 S. 6th St., New Windsor, was scheduled to
appear in Mercer County Circuit Court Monday to face a sexual-abuse
charge. He previously headed the congregation at St. Catherine's Catholic
Church in Aledo.
In a statement entered into Mr. Plunkett's file, Circuit Judge James G.
Conway said to "avoid even the appearance of impropriety" he was
recusing, or disqualifying, himself from involvement in the case because
of his, "his parents' and siblings', uncles', first and second cousins'
and ancestors' membership in St. Catherine's, St. Anthony's (in
Matherville), St. John's Parish (in Viola)."
Instead, Chief Circuit Judge Jeffrey O'Connor will preside over the case,
according to a note in the file.
-- Quad-Cities Online, Judge recuses himself from case against ex-priest,
http://www.qconline.com/archives/qco/sections.cgi?prcss=display&id=178280 ,
By Jason M. Rodriguez, Staff writer
• Catholic diocese could face additional plaintiffs.Link,
-- Union-Tribune,
By Greg Moran
11:37 p.m. December 22, 2003
SAN DIEGO (CA): In a new wrinkle in the clergy abuse scandal, two attorneys representing people who contend they were abused by priests filed a class action
lawsuit against the Roman Catholic dioceses of San Diego and San Bernardino on Monday.
The class action suit, if allowed to go forward, would cover people who
claim they were abused, but have not yet filed suit and would not meet the
Dec. 31 deadline to file such lawsuits, according to attorney Irwin
Zalkin.
Lawyers across the state have been racing to meet that deadline,
established by the Legislature as part of a special law aimed at the
church and alleged abuse victims.
The law lifted the legal time limit for bringing claims, as long as the
civil suits were filed by Dec. 31. That has allowed scores of people to
sue, alleging they were molested as long as 60 years ago.
• Accused Jesuit priest was moved away to Denver -- without licence.
DENVER (CO): The Rev. John "Jack' Campbell, a Jesuit priest who was moved to Denver 15 years ago after a credible allegation of child sexual abuse against him in
St. Louis, never petitioned the Denver archdiocese to work as a priest in
Colorado, a necessary step for a religious order priest to do any public
ministry, the archdiocese said Monday.
"If Father Campbell did ever act as a priest here, it was without our
knowledge or approval,' Denver Catholic Archbishop Charles Chaput said via
e-mail. "That would concern us and, I'm sure, his Jesuit superiors, very
seriously.'
Over the weekend, a 50-year-old Virginia man who says Campbell abused him
more than 30 years ago confronted the retired priest, now 83, at a Jesuit
home for senior priests near Regis University. The man, Kevin O'Connor,
also distributed bright yellow leaflets warning neighbors that a "serial
molester/predator' lived near them.
O'Connor is one of 13 people who have won settlements from the Jesuits
after their claims of abuse against Campbell were found to be credible. No
allegations have surfaced from Campbell's time in Denver, according to the
Denver archdiocese and the Jesuit order.
-- Denver Post,
Accused priest doesn't worry diocese
Link,
By Eric Gorski,
Denver Post Religion Writer
• Miami Archdiocese Hit With New Civil Suit.Link,
MIAMI (FL)
NBC 6
Monday, December 22, 2003.
The Archdiocese of Miami has been hit with a new civil
molestation lawsuit.
The suit claims the Rev. Edward Olszwesky molested a man for 33 years.
The alleged victim, Albert Green, said he lived on and off with the priest
form 1971 through 2002, considering him a father figure.
Green said didn't realize until recently that their relationship was
abusive.
Green said the priest asked him to perform "sexual favors" and that the
alleged abuse has caused him to have a number of "personal problems."
Olswesky was convicted of sexual abuse several years ago. He is listed as
a registered sex offender in Michigan.
• Editorial: Needless controversy.Link,
KENTUCKY
The Kentucky Post
It happened in a roundabout way, but the appointment of a new judge to
preside over the class-action lawsuit in Boone Circuit Court against the
Diocese of Covington is something to celebrate and not just if you're on
the church's defense team.
John W. Potter, a former Jefferson Circuit Court judge who now handles
cases as a senior judge, replaces Boone Circuit Judge Jay Bamberger, who
announced recently he planned to retire effective Jan. 5.
Bamberger was embroiled in a nasty legal battle with church attorneys, who
wanted him to step off the case because of his close friendship with a
jury consultant working for attorneys suing the church. Accusing the
church of "forum shopping," Bamberger had fought the attempts and
threatened to hold its attorneys in contempt for their tactics.
• Inmate, priest in prison romance?
http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/Stories/0,1413,106~4992~1846733,00.html ,
BRIDGEWATER (MA)
Fitchburg Sentinel
By Matt O'Brien
BRIDGEWATER - Convicted sex offender William Lamontagne says he had a
romantic relationship with a Fitchburg priest who allegedly funneled
stolen money to him.
"He came before everybody in my life," Lamontagne told the Sentinel &
Enterprise during an interview inside the Massachusetts Treatment Center
for the Sexually Dangerous. "I told my family if they were going to accept
me, they'd have to accept him, too. And then he did this."
Investigators have charged the Rev. Donald Ouellette, pastor of the
Immaculate Conception Parish in Fitchburg, with stealing more than
$250,000 from the church.
He faces 18 counts of larceny over $250 and is free on bail while awaiting
trial.
Ouellette, 49, grew up in Leominster and has served in the Worcester
Diocese since his 1990 ordination.
"I just hope that people in the Immaculate Conception parish know I know
that they're hurting," Lamontagne said. "I really feel sorry for those
people. I felt in some way that I was sharing their pain. But on the other
side, I was sharing what he did to them."
//////////////////// End of www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46, Tuesday, December 23, 2003
• Nuns give gifts to sex abuse claimants .
NEW ZEALAND: Nuns have donated cars, overseas trips, home appliances and other gifts to victims who claim they were abused as children in two New Zealand orphanages.
The gifts are part of an undisclosed settlement reached by the Sisters of Nazareth with 17 complainants who allege physical and sexual abuse while in the nuns' care at Nazareth House and St Joseph's home in Christchurch. The complaints span from the 1930s to the 1960s.
14 women and three men confronted the sisters, who were visiting from Australia, in a two-week mediation which ended last month.
Lawyers continued to negotiate compensation until a settlement was reached. Claimants have received apologies for their "unhappy experiences" under the sisters' care, as well as gifts.
The nuns, whose charity work in Christchurch dates back nearly 100 years, are not disclosing what the total package is worth. Unlike the St John of God Order which has been offering big cash payouts for historic abuse complaints, the nuns' allocations were made on a needs basis.
Some claimants had their mortgages and other debts repaid. One woman asked for a new kitchen. A fund was set up to cover future medical expenses as the claimants age. ...
SOURCE:Nuns give gifts to sex abuse claimants (The Press/stuff.co.nz 24/12/03) LINKS:Ex-priest on sex charges to face court (AAP/Yahoo 23/12/03);
Accused Sister of Nazareth denies abuse claims (CathNews 18/9/02);
Catholic paedophilia scandals hit Ballarat (ABC Radio The World Today);
Sisters of Nazareth shield accused sister (3/9/02); Abuse spotlight on Sisters of Nazareth (29/8/02);
Sisters of Nazareth;
Breach of Faith (The Bulletin);
Brothers face extradition to NZ to face abuse charges (CathNews 1/12/03);
Order head says give abuse victims benefit of doubt (CathNews 14/10/03);
John of God Order condemns tactics of NZ law firm (6/8/03); Sex abuse complainant admits lying to get payout (3/7/03);
Priests face extradition over child sex claims (Courier-Mail);
Brothers quizzed on abuse claims (NZ Herald);
Brother suspended over sex claims (5/7/02);
St John of God Brothers to pay out $3.6 million (13/6/02);
Hospitaller Order of St John of God (Australia)
-- Catholic News, "Nuns give gifts to sex abuse claimants,"
http://www.cathnews.com/news/312/138.php ,
Dec 24, 2003
########## Poynteronline Abuse Tracker, www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46,
Wednesday, December 24, 2003 edition follows:- • Response to Bill Donohue & Catholic League Criticism of The Tracker.
UNITED STATES:
Dear Bill:
Although the creation of the Tracker was prompted by the abuse story
involving Catholic priests, we've done our best to link to news accounts
about various forms of abuse, including clergy of other faiths and others
in authority positions. We're not aware of failing to post any links sent
by the Catholic League, and invite you (and anybody else) to send
suggested links to Kathy Shaw, who does the posting on the Tracker, at
kashaw@peoplepc.com As for my NCR affiliation, this is hardly something that I'm only now
"admitting," as you put it.
I pointed out my dual roles in the About the Tracker page
(http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=62&aid=58331) in June of 2002.
NCR disclosed my role in an article about the Tracker
(http://www.natcath.org/crisis/081602g.htm) in August 2002.
In retrospect, it would have been a good idea for me to link from last week's announcement
(http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46&aid=58415) to those earlier
articles.
Is it fair to suggest it would have been a good idea for you to avoid
making assumptions when attacking someone's integrity?
Thanks for linking to my response. I trust you see we published your entire news release (http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46&aid=58031) on the Tracker the same day it was issued.
Bill Mitchell/Poynter.
-- Poynter Institute, St Petersburg (Florida),
"Response to Bill Donohue & Catholic League Criticism of The Tracker."
[Posted by Bill Mitchell 9:19:10 AM]
• Catholic diocese could face additional plaintiffs.Link,
Union-Tribune,
By Greg Moran, December 23, 2003
SAN DIEGO (CA) -- In a new wrinkle in the clergy abuse scandal, two attorneys representing people who contend they were abused by priests filed a class action
lawsuit against the Roman Catholic dioceses of San Diego and San
Bernardino yesterday.
The class action suit, if allowed to go forward, would cover people who
claim they were abused, but have not yet filed suit and would not meet the
Dec. 31 deadline to file such lawsuits, according to attorney Irwin
Zalkin.
Lawyers across the state have been racing to meet that deadline,
established by the Legislature as part of a special law aimed at the
church and alleged abuse victims.
The law lifted the legal time limit for bringing claims, as long as the
civil suits were filed by Dec. 31. That has allowed scores of people to
sue, alleging they were molested as long as 60 years ago.
(Posted by Kathy Shaw 6:35:22 AM)
• Klein (now suspended) investigated Bierman in 1961 and in late 1980s -- cover up alleged. COVINGTON (KY): A Catholic priest who investigated allegations of sexually abusive priests in the Diocese of Covington is himself suspended from the priesthood for
molesting young boys, according to a new complaint in a class-action
lawsuit against the church.
Father Robert Klein investigated charges against Father Earl Bierman as
early as 1961, and again in the late 1980s. But, according to the lawsuit,
he told boys who had been sexually abused "not to let it happen again and
to pray for Father Bierman."
"He took no further action on behalf of the diocese, thus participating in
the cover-up of Bierman's conduct," attorneys Stanley Chesley and Robert
Steinberg said in their latest motion, filed Monday in Boone Circuit
Court.
Klein was suspended from the priesthood in 2002, the lawsuit says.
The allegation against Klein is one of several new complaints filed on
behalf of seven additional class representatives in the class-action
lawsuit. The accusations say that abusive priests, as well as other
diocesan officials, not only knew about the abuse and did little to stop
it, but actively covered it up.
-- The Kentucky Post,
"Lawsuit: Molester investigated abuse,"
Link,
By Paul A. Long, Dec 23, 2003
(Posted by Kathy Shaw 6:28:48 AM)
• Diocese wants high court to hide 50 years of complaints.
DAVENPORT (IA): The Diocese of Davenport made a final-hour request to the Iowa Supreme Court to appeal a Clinton County judge's order to provide records of
sex-abuse allegations against priests for the past 50 years.
Attorneys with Lane & Waterman in Davenport, who represent the
diocese, overnight-mailed the 18-page document Monday, the last day they
could appeal Clinton County District Judge C.H. Pelton's Nov. 26 civil
court ruling.
The diocese claims in the appeal that Pelton's order would force church
leaders to reveal identities of people who came forward with sex-abuse
complaints they thought would remain confidential.
Meanwhile, the Clinton County man known only as "John Doe" who filed the
civil lawsuit against the diocese and the Rev. James Janssen, a retired
priest, remains anonymous in court proceedings.
-- Quad-City Times,
Diocese asks high court to hear appeal,
(http://www.qctimes.com/internal.php?story_id=1022090&t=Gateway&c=30,1022090)
By Kay Luna
(Posted by Kathy Shaw 6:26:01 AM)
• SNAP representatives meet with new Green Bay bishop. GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP): The new bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of
Green Bay met Tuesday with representatives from the Survivors Network of
those Abused by Priests to discuss concerns about clergy sexual abuse and
outreach to victims.
It was the first meeting between the group and the Green Bay Diocese, said
Peter Isely, SNAP's Midwest Regional Director. Isely and a Green Bay SNAP
member met with Bishop David A. Zubik and Sister Mary Bride Grubbs, the
diocesan victim assistance coordinator, for about two-and-a-half hours.
"We were trying to open a dialogue with the new bishop," Isely said
Tuesday night. "The bishop was very cordial and very engaged in the
conversation."
Zubik was installed Dec. 12 as the 11th bishop of the 135-year-old
diocese, which includes 16 counties in northeast Wisconsin and serves more
than 381,000 Catholics in 186 parishes.
-- News-Chronicle,
SNAP representatives meet with new Green Bay bishop,
Link,
Associated Press
• Ex-Fr. James Beine lent the porn CDs to a friend, police case overturned! [2000s]
ST. LOUIS (MO) (AP): An appeals court Tuesday overturned the federal conviction of a defrocked Roman Catholic priest for possessing child pornography, ruling that investigators illegally seized key evidence.
The ruling sets aside a nearly five-year federal prison sentence, but does
not affect the 12-year state prison sentence imposed in September on James
Beine, for exposing himself to three boys while working as an elementary
school counselor.
Beine, 61, was to begin serving the federal sentence after the state
term.
In its decision, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel said that
investigators lacked a warrant in seizing compact discs [CDs], later found to
contain child pornography, from a friend of Beine's.
-- Sacramento Bee,
Appeals court overturns St. Louis priest's child porn conviction,
Link,
By JIM SUHR, Associated Press,
Last Updated 9:06 p.m. PST Tuesday, December 23, 2003
(Posted by Kathy Shaw 6:16:52 AM)
• Court overturns ex-priest's conviction on possession of porn. ST. LOUIS (MO): A federal appeals court in St. Louis announced Tuesday it had overturned the conviction of former Catholic priest and St. Louis public school
counselor James Beine on charges of possessing child pornography.
The action does not affect Beine's conviction in state court of exposing
himself to students at Patrick Henry School, where he worked.
But if federal authorities do not retry and convict Beine, Tuesday's
ruling might spare him considerable prison time. That's because the nearly
five years in prison he got for that case was expected to run
consecutively with his 12-year state term, said St. Louis Assistant
Circuit Attorney Ed Postawko.
The appellate judges ruled that St. Louis police detectives violated
Beine's rights by failing to obtain a search warrant before examining CDs
he had left with a friend. Officials said one contained child pornography.
-- Post-Dispatch,
Court overturns ex-priest's conviction on possession of porn
www.stltoday.com ,
By PETER SHINKLE, Dec 23, 2003
• Mons Don Grass admitted molesting in 1960s, police act now. GARY, Ind.: Gary police have agreed to investigate a Roman Catholic
priest who church officials say admitted sexually abusing a minor more
than 30 years ago.
Police Chief Garnett Watson said Tuesday that the department would
investigate Monsignor Don Grass, who was removed from priestly ministry by
the Gary Diocese this month. The investigation was requested by Lake
County Prosecutor Bernard Carter.
Grass has admitted committing the abuse while he was an associate pastor
at Holy Angels Cathedral in Gary in the late 1960s, the diocese said. No
further details of the misconduct, including the age and gender of the
victim, have been disclosed.
-- Indianapolis Star, Priest faces police investigation,
Link,
Associated Press, December 24, 2003
(Posted by Kathy Shaw 6:12:24 AM)
• Plea deal admission of sexual misconduct, now wants trial [1978-79]. ARIZONA: One of six priests indicted earlier this year asked a Yavapai County judge Tuesday to let him out of a plea deal that would have sent him to prison
on two felony counts of sexual misconduct.
Lawrence Joseph Lovell, who ended up in a Prescott jail in July after
being released twice in California, also asked Judge Thomas B. Lindberg to
allow him to replace his court-appointed attorney, who he argued had been
ineffective.
Lindberg ordered the Yavapai County Public Defender's Office to take over
Lovell's defense, but set a 2 p.m., Jan. 21 hearing on whether the former
priest can dump his plea deal and go to trial.
Lovell signed the deal Oct. 23, admitting to two felony counts of sexual
misconduct that occurred in Yavapai County in 1978 and 1979. Under the
deal, he could be sentenced from 63 months to 14 years in prison.
-- The Arizona Republic,
Priest asks judge to toss out plea deal, wants to go to trial,
(http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1224lovell24.html)
by Carol Sowers and Joseph Reaves,
12:00 AM Dec. 24, 2003
• Fr Gallagher 'destroyed my spiritual belief' -- accuser. PHILADELPHIA (PA): On the eve of Christmas Eve, after three decades of silence, Rocco Parisi yesterday sued his former parish priest, the South Philadelphia church
where he once worshiped, and local church leaders, claiming sexual abuse.
"I can forgive him, but I can't let this happen to anyone else," said
Parisi, referring to Joseph P. Gallagher, the former priest whom Parisi
claims gave him gifts and took him on trips in order to seduce him.
Parisi alleges that Gallagher sexually abused him numerous times when
Parisi was a teenager and a member of St. Monica's Church, 17th and Ritner
streets.
Parisi told reporters that the priest had "destroyed my spiritual belief."
-- Philadelphia Daily News,
S. Phila. man sues ex-priest, charging abuse,
Link,
By JIM SMITH,
smithjm@phillynews.com .
(Posted by Kathy Shaw 6:07:58 AM)
• 30 years ago Fr Gallagher used alcohol and marijuana for molesting. PHILADELPHIA (PA): Rocco "Rocky" Parisi Jr. bit his fingernails and stared at the floor.
Shifting uncomfortably, the 44-year-old man could barely bring himself to
talk privately about what he says his parish priest did to him three
decades ago.
But yesterday, Parisi stepped before a throng of reporters and cameras and
announced that he and his attorney were suing the priest and the Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia for alleged sexual abuse.
"I felt it was my duty to come forward... . I can forgive him, but I can't
let him do this to anyone else," Parisi said.
Parisi, of South Philadelphia, claims that the Rev. Joseph P. Gallagher
repeatedly plied him with alcohol and marijuana in the mid-1970s, when
Gallagher was a parish priest at St. Monica Roman Catholic Church in South
Philadelphia. Parisi said that when he was half-conscious, the priest
would grope and perform sex acts on him.
-- Philadelphia Inquirer, Man accuses priest of abuse 30 years ago,
Link,
By Jacqueline Soteropoulos.
• Police open case on priest's abuse.
(http://www.post-trib.com/cgi-bin/pto-story/news/z1/12-24-03_z1_news_15.html)
Post-Tribune,
By Michael Puente
GARY (IN) -- The Gary Police Department will open an investigation into a claim of
sexual misconduct more than 30 years old that recently led to the removal
of a respected Catholic priest.
Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter confirmed Tuesday that Gary Police
Chief Garnett Watson has assigned a detective to look into the abuse
claim, which happened at the Cathedral of the Holy Angels in Gary in the
late 1960s.
Late last week, Monsignor Don Grass was removed from performing priestly
duties by the Diocese of Gary. A local woman recently came forward and
reported sexual abuse when she was a pre-teen at the hands of Grass.
Grass, according to church officials, has admitted to the sexual
misconduct.
Posted by Kathy Shaw 6:03:28 AM
Tuesday, December 23, 2003
• Ferns inquiry set to pass deadline.Link,
One in Four,
By Neans McSweeney in the Irish Examiner www.examiner.ie/ .
IRELAND -- An Inquiry into clerical sexual abuse in a Wexford diocese will take more than a year, with an interim report most likely to be published in March,
its secretary has estimated.
As the Ferns Inquiry winds up for this year, Marian Shanley said its focus
will move towards St Peter's College, a seminary and boarding school
believed to have been plagued by abuse throughout the 1970s and '80s.
However, evidence from incidents in Monageer, Poulfour and other parishes
in Wexford will continue to be heard.
"It's been a big task, but we've not encountered any delays or problems so
far. We've been up and running since March and we've never not had a full
day's work to do," said Ms Shanley.
• Man sues priest, charging abuse in early 1970s.
(http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10706602&BRD=2212&PAG=461&dept>id=465812&rfi=6)
PHILADELPHIA (PA)
NEPA News
In a 1974 snapshot, a beaming Dora Parisi squeezes between her sweet-faced
15-year-old son and her young parish priest.
The Rev. Joseph P. Gallagher, who appears sans clerical garb, in a
short-sleeve sport shirt, was a trusted friend and regular guest at the
family's South Philadelphia home.
According to the son, Rocci Parisi Jr. _ now a troubled 44-year-old man on
disability _ Gallagher had long been sexually abusing him by the time the
picture was snapped.
"He would take me to movies, we'd go to shoot pool, go bowling," said
Parisi, who with his lawyer announced the filing Tuesday of a civil
lawsuit against Gallagher and church officials.
The abuse stretched from 1973 to 1976 and included fondling and oral sex,
lawyer Stewart Eisenberg said.
Posted by Kathy Shaw 7:37:21 PM
• Law and order: Federal appeals court sets aside child-porn sentence against Beine. Post-Dispatch,
www.stltoday. com/ stltoday/news/ stories. nsf/News/St. +Louis+City+% 2F+County/81 BF759CBB5D 624686256 E05001C6713? OpenDocument &Headline= Law+and+ord
er% 3A+Federal+ appeals+ court+sets+ aside+ child-porn+s ;
Dec/22/2003
ST. LOUIS (MO), (AP) -- A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday overturned a defrocked Roman Catholic priest's federal conviction of possessing child pornography
and the ensuing prison sentence of nearly five years, ruling that
investigators illegally seized key evidence against him.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel's ruling does not affect the
12-year state prison sentence imposed in September on James Beine, also
known as Mar James, for exposing himself to three boys while working as an
elementary school counselor.
Siding with Beine, the 8th Circuit ruled that investigators lacked a
warrant needed to seize 10 compact discs, later found to contain child
pornography, from Beine's friend Michael Laschober.
When approached at his Jefferson County home, Laschober gave investigators
a sealed, brown envelope addressed to Mar James, saying he believed the
enclosed discs entrusted to him by Beine contained church and financial
records.
• Cops to investigate Ind. priest.
(http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-031223priest,1,6778851.story?coll=chi-news-hed)
Chicago Tribune,
The Associated Press, December 23, 2003
GARY, Ind. -- Gary police have agreed to investigate a Roman Catholic
priest who church officials say admitted sexually abusing a minor more
than 30 years ago.
Police Chief Garnett Watson said Tuesday that the department would
investigate Monsignor Don Grass, who was removed from priestly ministry by
the Gary Diocese this month. The investigation was requested by Lake
County Prosecutor Bernard Carter.
Grass has admitted committing the abuse, which occurred while he was an
associate pastor at Holy Angels Cathedral in Gary in the late 1960s, the
diocese said. No further details of the misconduct, including the age and
gender of the victim, have been disclosed.
"We will investigate that case and we will also investigate any other
allegations that come forward, if there are any," Watson said.
• Priest cleared of abuse charge.
(http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=200275&category=ALBANY&BCCode=&newsdate=12/23/2003)
ALBANY (NY) --
Albany Times Union, By BRIAN NEARING,
First published: Thursday, December 18, 2003.
The Albany Roman Catholic Diocese on Wednesday said it has cleared a
priest of a decades-old allegation of soliciting sex from teenage boys.
The announcement came just hours after the alleged victims' lawyer accused
the diocese of dragging out its investigation.
In a written statement, the diocese said it twice found no reasonable
grounds to substantiate allegations against the Rev. Robert LeFevre,
pastor of St. Peter's Church in Saratoga Springs.
LeFevre "remains a priest in good standing in the Albany Diocese and will
remain at his current assignment," the diocese said.
The diocese's Sexual Misconduct Review Board rejected allegations by two
brothers who said LeFevre unsuccessfully propositioned them for sex on
separate occasions in 1969, while he was a priest at St. Margaret's parish
in Rotterdam Junction. The brothers, who asked to remain anonymous, were
15 and 17 at the time.
(Posted by Kathy Shaw, Abuse Tracker)
//////////////////// End of www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46, Wednesday, December 24, 2003
########## Poynteronline Abuse Tracker, www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46, Christmas Day, Thursday, December 25, 2003 edition follows:- • The Catholic Response To Scandal. This address given at the Milwaukee Wanderer Forum, December 6-7,
2002, Co-sponsored by the St. Gregory VII Chapter of Catholics United for the
Faith Wanderer Forum Foundation, & Living Catholic Seminars. Published Dec 12 2003.
WISCONSIN: Introduction.
December, 2002 - What has happened in the last eleven months in the life
of the Church in our nation is something that I could never have imagined.
Having grown up in the Catholic faith, in a family which has always loved
the Church and had the deepest respect and affection for her pastors, it
has been most difficult for me to comprehend the seemingly unending
stories of the sexual abuse of children and young people by Catholic
priests and bishops, recounted in the newspapers and through the other
communications media.
It has been equally difficult to comprehend the
reports of the callous manner of handling such abuse on the part of
certain Church authorities. What has been a scandal for so many in the
Church has also been a scandal for me as a bishop of the Church. I have to
confess to times of profound anger with individuals who have perpetrated
such crimes and with bishops who have not taken appropriate action to
discipline the perpetrators and to protect children and young people from
such profound harm.
Having met and spoken with a number of victims of sexual abuse by members
of the clergy, I have painfully come to understand more and more the
long-term and devastating effects of the breach of the most sacred trust
between a child and his or her spiritual father. It has been
understandingly difficult, at times, to respond with the attitude of
Christ, with the attitude which our Catholic faith teaches us and in which
our Catholic faith forms us, to the scandal which you and I have suffered.
* * * [A much longer version is in date order of publication, Dec 12 2003. It is a speech given about a year previous at a forum on December 6-7, 2002.]
-- Catholic Citizens,
The Catholic Response To Scandal,
www.catholiccitizens.org,
By Bishop Raymond Burke, R.C. Bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin, at the
Wisconsin - Milwaukee Wanderer Forum, December 2002
(Posted by Kathy Shaw, Abuse Tracker),
Published Dec 12, 2003
• Davenport Diocese will appeal ruling to hand over documents. WQAD News Channel 8,
http://www.wqad.com/Global/story.asp?S=1576684&nav=1sW7JqeH ,
Davenport Diocese will appeal ruling to hand over documents DAVENPORT, IA, (AP): The Diocese of Davenport has appealed an order to
provide records of sex-abuse allegations against priests going back 50
years.
A Clinton County district court judge made the order in a civil case
brought by an alleged victim of sexual abuse by a diocese priest.
But the diocese says in its appeal that the order would force the church
to reveal the identities of people who came forward with abuse
complaints -- but thought they would remain confidential.
The lawyer suing the diocese on behalf of the alleged victim and five
other plaintiffs in similar cases says his case hinges on the content of
the requested court documents.
-- WQAD,
Link
(Posted by Kathy Shaw 8:50:32 AM)
• Catholic Clergy's Clothes Industry a Bit Threadbare. ROME: Encircling the Gothic church where Inquisition trials were held in Rome four centuries ago is the Catholic clergy's very own garment district.
Here popes get their button-down cassocks, cardinals their crimson
birettas and nuns their gray habits. Items, costing a few dozen to a few
thousand euros, hang in windows decked with chalices and candlesticks. But
Christmas sales aren't what they used to be.
The ranks of the priesthood are diminishing. The number of American
priests has fallen 20% since 1965 to 45,000, according to the index of
leading Catholic indicators by Kenneth C. Jones. Vestment sales to U.S.
clergy have declined as church contributions dropped and the dollar
tumbled to a record low versus the euro, reducing revenue from overseas
sales.
"This is not a booming market," said Mathias Slabbinck, chief executive of
a century-old Belgian company whose vestments are sold in shops in Rome
and around the world. "I wouldn't recommend anybody get into it. Church
attendance might be up one day, but we cannot simply hope that will
happen. We have to have a plan."
Slabbinck, 36, said his company, which bears his family name, received
orders from parishes such as St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York and Our
Lady of Guadalupe Church in Charlotte, N.C.
Yet U.S. churches now draw lower contributions from parishioners, he said,
after lawsuits by victims of sexual abuse resulted in costly legal
settlements. The archdiocese of Boston is paying $84 million to settle 552
sexual-abuse lawsuits.
Some vestment makers are fighting the slump by branching out into home
furnishings and uniforms.
-- Los Angeles Times,
www.latimes.com ,
By Farah Nayeri, Bloomberg News
(Posted by Kathy Shaw 6:56:45 AM)
• Providing help during a tumultuous two years. UNITED STATES: The end of the year is often a time for reflection. This is surely the case for me as I prepare to leave the presidency of Catholic Charities USA
after two years in order to return to Boston at the request of Archbishop
Sean O'Malley. There, I will serve the archdiocese as cabinet secretary
for social services and president of the local Catholic Charities.
During these eventful two years of my tenure, the people of Catholic
Charities have worked to fulfill their ministry in the face of historic,
sometimes tragic, events. The searing catastrophe of Sept. 11, 2001, gave
the Catholic Charities network a challenging role to play as disaster
response agencies. To that end, local agencies have offered responsible
stewardship of the funds entrusted to us while assisting the short-term
and extended needs of thousands of individuals and families.
The sexual abuse scandal within the Catholic Church had a multi-faceted
impact on our ministry. Many Catholics, angered by the actions or
inactions of dioceses, turned to Catholic Charities as a place to offer
funds so that the work among the poor could continue. And as the work of
recovery from the scandal continues, our network continues to be a bulwark
of support for the wider church.
-- The Tidings,
www.the-tidings.com,
By Father J. Bryan Hehir
• Sex-abuse failure leads to sale of archbishop's four-storey mansion. BOSTON (MA): The Archdiocese of Boston announced earlier this month that it plans to sell one of its most symbolic properties, the cardinal's residence on
Boston's Commonwealth Avenue and 28 acres of surrounding land. The sale is
designed to help pay the $85 million settlement with some 540 victims of
sexual abuse by members of the Boston clergy.
The new archbishop, Sean O'Malley, decided not to use the four-story
mansion as his personal residence, but instead has taken a third-floor
suite in the generally run-down cathedral rectory in the city's South End.
The announced plans to sell the official residence fulfills a pledge that
Archbishop O'Malley made when he came to Boston last summer, namely, that
no parish assets or funds from the archdiocese's annual appeal and capital
campaigns would be used to pay legal settlements connected with the
sexual-abuse scandal.
Apart from some neighbors worried about how the land might eventually be
developed, the announcement was greeted favorably even by some of the
strongest critics of the archdiocese's previous administration. Others
viewed it in bittersweet terms.
-- The Tidings, The costs of failure,
Link,
By Rev. Richard P. McBrien
[COMMENT: "And Jesus saith to him: The foxes have holes and the birds of the air nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." (Bible, Matthew 8:20, Luke 9.58 -- Douay R.C. version) COMMENT ENDS.]
• Priest Murder Suspect in Court.Link,
LEXINGTON (KY) --
WKYT
The man charged with the murder of a Lexington priest appeared in court
today. Jason Anthony Russell, 26, was arrested in Ironton, Ohio last week.
Lexington police obtained an arrest warrant for Russell last week from
Fayette County District Court. Russell is charged with the murder of
78-year-old Joseph Pilger, who was found dead in his southeast Lexington
home on Dec. 5. The Fayette County Coroner's office ruled Pilger died from
multiple blunt force trauma injuries.
Police say Russell had stayed with Pilger at some point, but didn't know
if Russell was living with the priest at the time of the murder. Russell,
who was convicted in Henderson County in July 1997 of second-degree
robbery and first-degree criminal conspiracy to commit robbery, finished a
prison sentence on Oct. 13, state Department of Corrections spokeswoman
Lisa Lamb said. Police recovered Pilger's car, which was reported missing,
on Dec. 5 in the area in southern Ohio near where Russell was arrested.
Pilger pleaded guilty to sexual abuse in 1995 for abusing three brothers
and their cousin in 1968 and 1969, when he was their pastor in Morganfield
in western Kentucky. The victims were younger than 15 and serving as altar
boys at the parish.
• Church has new pastor.
(http://www.townonline.com/hudson/news/local_regional/hs_newsnewpastor12242003.htm)
Hudson Sun,
By Carolyn Kessel, Wednesday, December 24, 2003
HUDSON (MA) -- Saint Michael parishioners are looking for healing and
resolution now that their pastor has retired, according to the man chosen
to replace the Rev. Tom Curran.
Last week, Archbishop Sean O'Malley named the Rev. Walter A. Carreiro as
the new pastor of Saint Michael Parish. He was given a six-year
assignment.
Carreiro, originally from Fall River, is a former teacher who is fluent in
Portuguese and has been the church's administrator since Curran was
removed by the Archdiocese in August 2002. Curran was accused of sexually
abusing a boy in the 1970s and retired this week, citing health reasons.
Carreiro, 49, said he is looking forward to the challenge of his first
post as pastor. ...
Curran and his lawyer, Russell B. Higley of Cambridge, have denied claims
that he sexually abused a teen-age boy in the 1970s at St. Mary's Parish
in Cambridge. Church documents detail an interview with a man now
imprisoned for rape of a boy who claimed Curran raped him and introduced
him to the Rev. Paul Shanley, who further abused him and encouraged him to
prostitute himself.
Curran defended himself in his letter to his parishioners.
• More ask to join church suit.Link,
BURLINGTON (KY) --
The Cincinnati Enquirer
By Jim Hannah
Seven more people have come forward to say they were sexually
abused by priests in the Covington Diocese since the 1950s.
The people, who have not been identified, have asked to be added to a
class-action suit against the diocese after an original plaintiff settled
and made statements that he believed the class action was not the best way
to handle the accusations.
"By doubling the original number of class representatives, plaintiffs wish
to further demonstrate the widespread long-term, continuous and very
serious abuse of boys and girls by defendant's agents, which is deserving
of class treatment," attorneys Stan Chesley and Bob Steinberg wrote in
their latest motion, filed Monday in Boone Circuit Court.
This is the first significant court document filed in the case since
Senior Judge John Potter of Louisville was appointed Friday to take over
the case. Boone Circuit Judge Jay Bamberger, 61, recused himself earlier
this month after announcing his retirement.
• Clergy sex abuse crisis pushes O'Malley to close churches.Link,
BOSTON (MA):
National Catholic Reporter
By CHUCK COLBERT,
Boston.
At a much anticipated meeting with the presbyterate here, Archbishop Sean
P. O'Malley told as many as 600 diocesan priests that consolidation of the
archdiocese's 357 parishes will be "a painful undertaking."
The meeting, which was closed to the public and the media, took place on
the campus of Boston College Dec 16. The Boston Globe reported that the
college's Robsham Theatre Arts Center was packed, with standing room only.
Announcements of some church closings could come as early as June 1, O'
Malley said. Previously, decisions to close churches have taken years. But
O'Malley said he hopes to make parish-closing decisions and announce them
within a year.
"The upside of closing parishes is that surviving parishes should be
stronger," he said after meeting with priests, at a separate press
briefing held across the street from the campus at nearby St. John's
Seminary.
(Posted 6:28:23 AM by Kathy Shaw, Abuse Tracker)
//////////////////// End of www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46,
Christmas Day, Thursday, December 25, 2003
########## Poynteronline Abuse Tracker, www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46,
Friday, December 26, 2003 edition follows:- •
Retired city official sues diocese,
Republican,
http://masslive. com/search/ index.ssf?/ base/news- 6/107242853 9118972.xml? nnse ,
By BILL ZAJAC, wzajac@repub.com , Friday, December 26, 2003
SPRINGFIELD (MA): Recently retired Springfield Personnel Director Joseph Dougherty has filed a suit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield that accuses a priest from Palmer of sexually abusing him. Dougherty accuses Andre A. Corbin Jr. of abusing him when he was a minor, according to a suit filed last week in Hampden Superior Court. It is unclear whether Corbin, who once served in the Raleigh, N.C., diocese, had any relationship with the Springfield diocese. Dougherty does not state in the suit where or when the alleged abuse occurred. Springfield lawyer Raipher D. Pellegrino, who represents Dougherty, said neither he nor his client would comment. Corbin had no comment when contacted at his Palmer home. The Most Rev. Joseph F. Maguire, bishop emeritus of the Springfield Diocese, is named as a defendant in the suit as well as Corbin and the Springfield diocese. The suit states that Maguire knew Corbin had abused other boys before Corbin molested Dougherty.
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=58472 , posted
12/26/2003 9:28:20 AM By Kathy Shaw
•
Baptist Appeals nixed in sexual assault cases [1999, 2001]
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner,
"Appeals nixed in sexual assault cases,"
http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7244~1853591,00.html
By DAN RICE
ALASKA: The Alaska Court of Appeals rejected the appeals of a former Baptist pastor and his son who were both convicted of sexual crimes in separate cases.
Opinions released on Christmas Eve rejected the appeals of Richard Cook, 51, and James Thunderhawk, 22.
Cook was convicted in a 1999 case of 11 counts of sexual abuse of a minor for the molestation of an adopted teenage girl while he was serving as a pastor in Ruby.
Thunderhawk was convicted in a 2001 case of four counts of first-degree sexual assault and two counts of third-degree assault for the rape of a teenage girl at knifepoint in a Fairbanks residence.
Cook is serving a 15-year prison sentence and Thunderhawk a 19-year term.
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=58469
• Masses to be held for victims of sex abuse,
SignOnSanDiego.com ,
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/uniontrib/thu/currents/news_1c25mass.html ,
By Sandi Dolbee,
RELIGION & ETHICS EDITOR,
December 25, 2003
SAN DIEGO (CA): As the second year of the priest abuse scandal draws to a close, Christ the King Roman Catholic Church in San Diego will focus its Saturday evening Mass this weekend on victims and others affected.
The church will "pray for healing and repair and reconciliation for all those hurting from the clergy sexual abuse scandal," said Father Joe Spieler, Christ the King's pastor.
Spieler said this seemed like an appropriate time to include this focus during a church service. This weekend is when Catholics observe the Feast of the Holy Innocents, commemorating the biblical story of the killing of the children by King Herod after the birth of Jesus. It's also a time when the focus is on contemporary children's issues.
After the Mass, there will be a time of sharing, Spieler said. The service will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the church, which is at 29 N. 32nd St. near Imperial Avenue.
"This is our parish, not a diocesan thing," Spieler said. "We're not wanting this to be a big thing, but it is open to Catholics who want to come."
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=58466
•
Swales family, diocese await judge's ruling [1970s]
London Free Press,
a href="http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2003/12/26/296999.html ,
by PETER GEIGEN-MILLER, pgeigenmiller@lfpress.com , Dec 26, 2003
CANADA: After sitting through weeks of often heart-wrenching testimony, members of a London family are waiting to learn if they'll be compensated for sexual abuse by a priest in the early 1970s. John, Guy and Ed Swales, their sister Melody Legacy and parents Bob and Donna Swales are seeking damages from the Roman Catholic Diocese of London and Rev. Barry Glendinning, a retired priest.
The diocese has brought a counterclaim against John Swales, claiming he's responsible for a portion of the damages because he sexually abused his siblings after being abused by Glendinning.
The Swales have testified their family life was devastated by abuse inflicted by Glendinning, who became a trusted family friend after meeting the Swales brothers at a 1969 summer camp.
The civil suit in the Superior Court of Justice has heard stories of how Glendinning participated in masturbation, body painting and nude massage with the Swales brothers and other children between 1969 and 1974.
The activities took place on camping trips and in Glendinning's quarters at St. Peter's Seminary in London, witnesses testified.
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=58463
//////////////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker
www.ncrnews.org/abuse ,
December 26, 2003
########## Poynteronline Abuse Tracker, www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46,
Saturday, December 27, 2003 edition follows:- • Victims of sex abuse start to receive money,
The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky;
http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2003/12/27ky/met-front-abuse12270-4101.html ,
By GREGORY A. HALL,
The 243 victims in the $25.7 million settlement of sexual abuse cases against the Archdiocese of Louisville are beginning to receive their checks [cheques].
Ross Turner, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs who reached the settlement with the archdiocese last summer, said victims began getting their money about a week ago, and the process is ongoing.
The settlement was made in connection with more than 250 cases filed, beginning in April 2002, alleging a cover-up of sexual abuse by priests and others affiliated with the archdiocese.
Jefferson Circuit Court Judge James M. Shake approved the settlement in August. In October, he approved a plan for allocating the money based on the level of a plaintiff's abuse. Cincinnati attorney Matthew Garretson, who developed the allocation plan, was appointed by the judge to evaluate the claims and determine what each person would get. [...]
Six plaintiffs fell in the first category, which included sexual comments, lewd behavior, nongenital touching and victims who were adults at the time of the abuse. Awards in that category are between $20,000 and $30,000 and the average is $26,666, Turner said.
The range for the 160 people in the middle category, which included fondling and genital touching, is $70,700 to $91,500, and their average is $82,622, Turner said.
The 77 people in the third category, which included rape, sodomy and digital penetration, are receiving between $141,316 and $163,051, with an average of $153,510, Turner said. ...
Plaintiff James B. Corcoran Jr., a victim of the Rev. Louis E. Miller at Holy Spirit, declined to specify the amount of his award, but said he will not appeal.
Corcoran said he "was never in it for the money. I really just wanted peace with this whole thing."
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=58493
• Las Cruces Diocese Cleared
KTSM ,
http://www.ktsm.com/news/story.ssd?c=47bed0a4a0d64b67
Friday, December 26, 2003
LAS CRUCES (NM) Every Catholic Diocese in the nation was audited over the past two years and the results show Las Cruces is in good standing. Auditors from a separate, private group examined the diocese's screening process of seminarians who wish to be priests and conducted background checks of all employees and volunteers who work with children. Auditors also looked into how the church handles allegations of abuse and the legal right of perpetrators. The audit showed the Las Cruces Diocese is completely in compliance with the child protection charter adopted by the bishops of the United States. Not all dioceses reported full compliance. The reports for the El Paso Diocese and the Santa Fe Diocese which covers northern New Mexico is expected to be released January 6th.
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=58490
• Las Cruces Bishop Releases Results Of Investigative Audit Albuquerque Journal,
http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/apdiocese12-26-03.htm ,
The Associated Press, December 26, 2003
LAS CRUCES (NM): The Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces is in full compliance with national standards adopted by the church for addressing child abuse allegations, according to the results of an audit released by the diocese Friday.
The audit was part of a nationwide effort to determine dioceses' compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops overwhelmingly adopted the charter last year in response to a series of child abuse allegations. Compliance audits have been conducted in 195 dioceses nationwide, and those results will be announced Jan. 6. ...
"We want victims to know that they are not alone and that the Catholic church and this diocese have not abandoned them," Ramirez said. "I extend my hand in apology for what has happened in the healing spirit of Jesus Christ."
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=58487
• Geoghan report nearly complete ,
Boston Globe,
www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2003/12/27/geoghan_report_nearly_complete/ ,
By Sean P. Murphy, 12/27/2003
BOSTON (MA): As the official investigation into the murder of defrocked priest John J. Geoghan nears completion, state officials are warning that some parts of the long-expected report will probably not be disclosed.
"We want to release as much as possible, but we have to be careful of certain restrictions," said Christine Cole, deputy chief of staff to Edward A. Flynn, state public safety secretary. "My gut tells me there will be material in there that is not appropriate for release."
Cole said she was intentionally trying to temper expectations that the full report, a month overdue, would be released. "It is clear to me that people have [that] expectation," she said, "but I don't know what the actuality will be, and I don't want people to have unrealistic expectations."
She cited concerns for the privacy of the state Department of Correction officials whose roles in supervising Geoghan have been a focus of the four-month investigation. She also said that "witness statements" will be omitted from the report, because publication of those statements could compromise the prosecution of Joseph L. Druce, the prisoner accused of beating and strangling Geoghan on Aug. 23.
Asked whether Flynn's office was trying to avoid criticizing other state officials, Cole said, "That is not anyone's intent."
Leslie Walker -- director of Massachusetts Correctional Legal Services, which represents inmates -- said that anything short of full release of the report would leave doubt about whether top managers will be held accountable.
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=58484
• Pasadena woman alleges St. Apollinaris monsignor of molestation nearly 40 years ago [~1970s]
,
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=58481
posted 12/27/2003 5:00:12 AM By Kathy Shaw
//////////////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker
www.ncrnews.org/abuse ,
December 27, 2003
//////////////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker
www.ncrnews.org/abuse ,
Tuesday, December 30, 2003
• Priestly celibacy rule 'is ignored'. The Guardian, Britain,
www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1113375,00.html ,
by Stephen Bates, religious affairs correspondent.,
Monday December 29, 2003
BRITAIN: Priestly celibacy in the Roman Catholic church has largely broken down in many parts of the world, Father Timothy Radcliffe, former master general of the Dominican Order, which has 200,000 members worldwide, said last night.
Fr Radcliffe, now a monk in Oxford but tipped by some as a future leader of the Roman church in England, said the church might have to consider ordaining married priests.
On the BBC Radio Four programme Analysis, broadcast last night, he said: "It is clearly the case that in many parts of the world celibacy has actually largely broken down - in many countries in Latin America, parts of Africa, to some extent in the United States...
The Pope blames the decline in new priests and the steady exodus of others to marry on moral decadence and indiscipline in the western world. . . .
(by courtesy of and see www.cathnews.com/news/401/4.php , Jan 2 2004).
December 29, 2003
########## Abuse Tracker,
www.ncrnews.org/abuse,
Wednesday, December 31, 2003 edition follows: •
Lawsuits, public exposure and rebellion by the faithful before silent shocking policy changed.
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031231/OPINION01/212310406
MANCHESTER, USA:
The real test of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester's new policy to stem sexual misconduct against minors by church personnel will be in the follow-through.
Bishop John McCormack announced the new policy on Monday. The 17-page document implements all the recommendations of a 12-member task force that issued its report in January, along with modifications to reflect the diocese's 2002 agreement with the state attorney general's office and requirements of civil and canon law.
As a new year debuts in a few hours, Catholic church officials and other personnel will have clear guidelines on reporting and dealing with reports of sexual misconduct, especially incidents involving children.
Much will depend on the honesty and willingness of church personnel to report allegations of sexual abuse, and on the aggressiveness with which diocesan officials investigate allegations and promptly take corrective measures if they are found to be true.
The policy is a long time in coming in a church that over so many decades silently and shockingly allowed sexual abuse of children by clergy members. In the process, many people were psychologically damaged and the church's credibility went down the drain.
The policy includes creation of a Diocesan Review Board that will include members of the laity to assess allegations of misconduct. And it provides for spiritual and emotional counseling for victims of abuse and other people affected by such misconduct. Personnel in Catholic schools also will come under the new rules.
With this new policy in effect, church members and officials will no longer have an excuse to look the other way when child molestation is suspected. They will have an obligation to report suspected misconduct, and diocesan officials will have a clear mandate to check it out and take action.
More importantly, church personnel inclined to abuse children will have notice that they can't expect to get away with such conduct in the future.
It took lawsuits, public exposure and rebellion by the faithful to get the church to seriously take steps to end the shameful subculture of child abuse in its midst.
Let's be watchful that the new policy does what it's intended to do, that sexual misconduct will become rare, and dealt with severely when it does occur.
-- Nashua Telegraph, Success of diocese's abuse policy depends on strong enforcement,
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031231/OPINION01/212310406 ,
Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2003
(Posted by Kathy Shaw at 04:18 PM)
•
Man Charged In Former Priest Murder In Court,
http://www.wkyt.com/Global/story.asp?S=1582998&nav=4CALJvvL
KENTUCKY, USA:
For the second time in a week, a man charged with killing a former Lexington priest returned to court.
Jason Anthony Russell is charged with beating Joseph Pilger to death. His body was found in his Pleasant Pointe Drive home earlier this month.
Russell was extradited back to Kentucky from Ohio two weeks ago.
Pilger was a convicted sex offender found guilty of sexual abuse while a priest in the 1960's.
-- WKTY, http://www.wkyt.com/Global/story.asp?S=1582998&nav=4CALJvvL
(Posted by Kathy Shaw at 10:46 AM)
•
Alleged sexual misconduct at St. John's Prep ,
http://www.townonline.com/danvers/news/local_regional/dan_newdhbrotherco12312003.htm , Dec 31, 2003
UNITED STATES:
Brother resigns in wake of accusation.
A high-profile member of the staff at St. John's Preparatory School has resigned after an allegation of inappropriate sexual conduct was made recently by a former student.
Director of Student Activities Brother George Donnelly, who has been on the staff for 20 years in both the history and guidance departments, submitted his resignation Dec. 29 to Headmaster Albert "Skip" Shannon.
Jamie Vetro, a 1988 graduate and good friend, described Donnelly as having a very good rapport with students. Vetro did not believe the accusation.
Donnelly denied the allegation of misconduct, which was supposed to have occurred 10 years ago, in a letter dated Dec. 29 sent to parents, students and colleagues.
Headmaster Shannon sent a letter with Donnelly's letter, dated Dec. 30, detailing the steps that are being taken by the private school in light of the allegations.
. . .
-- Danvers Herald,
by Michelle P. Mastronardi, Mmastron@Cnc.Com ,
(Posted by Kathy Shaw at 09:23 AM)
Wednesday, December 31, 2003
•
Report: 26 minors accuse 18 Lafayette diocese priests of sex abuse, http://www.whas11.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D7VPDD7O2.html
UNITED STATES:
Eighteen Roman Catholic priests serving in north-central Indiana's Diocese of Lafayette have been accused of sexually abusing 26 minors since 1950, Bishop William L. Higi said Wednesday.
Accusations against nine of the priests were deemed credible and they were removed from the ministry, Higi said in an article published in The Catholic Moment, the diocesan newspaper.
Higi apologized to people in the diocese.
"All Catholics, I believe, grieve deeply that victims and their families and loved ones have suffered so deeply because of this intolerable sin and betrayal," Higi said in a statement accompanying the report. "Those of us who are priests also grieve. It is my prayer people will not condemn us, the vast majority of priests, for the egregious acts of the few."
None of the priests have been charged criminally, he said. Two lawsuits were filed, one of which was dismissed, he said.
Higi said one non-ordained church employee and one volunteer also had been accused of sexual abuse by minors.
. . .
Higi was criticized in 1997 following a series by The Indianapolis Star and News detailing sexual misconduct among his diocese's priests.
That three-day series alleged that at least 16 current and former priests in the diocese were accused of sexual abuse or misconduct over the previous 25 years. It also said diocese officials admitted to 12 troubled priests and as many as 40 victims in the previous dozen years.
The report issued Wednesday did not identify any priests, but said all of the abuse charges deemed credible occurred before 1986. Higi said he prays for all those involved.
. . .
Higi said detailed financial records of money spent on sexual abuse allegations do not exist prior to 1988. Since then, the diocese has spent $555,586, he said.
That includes $147,201 for medications and therapy for victims; $324,007 for medications and therapy for the alleged perpetrators; and $84,378 for attorney fees.
No legal settlements have been paid, he said.
On the Net: Lafayette Diocese: www.dioceseoflafayette.org .
-- WHAS.11 (Indiana news),
By TOM COYNE, Associated Press,
Dec 31, 2003
(Posted by Kathy Shaw at 09:20 AM)
•
Cardinal's Sex Abuse Testimony Becoming A Play,
Cardinal's Sex Abuse Testimony Becoming A Play;
New Play Called 'Sin: A Cardinal Deposed';
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/2734714/detail.html;
BOSTON -- It was dramatic enough when it happened: a prince of the church coming face to face with the secular justice system, questioned by lawyers in a scandal over child sex abuse by priests.
Now the story of Cardinal Bernard Law's depositions in the Boston Archdiocese clergy sex abuse cases is coming to the stage.
A new play, "Sin: A Cardinal Deposed", to be produced by a small Chicago theater company uses Law's testimony in a series of depositions for dialogue.
"I think people will leave the theater full of questions, full of comments, full of wanting to discuss it more. To me, that's the best kind of theater ... and that's what this piece can do," said David Zak, artistic director of the Bailiwick Repertory Theater.
The play, written by Michael Murphy, a 46-year-old playwright with several off-off-Broadway shows to his name, is set to open March 1 for a six-week run through mid-April.
. . .
He said Law in the depositions is "very much a match for these attorneys. He was well-prepared. He was no foolish country priest."
But he also said he didn't make any attempt to show another side of Law.
"Some people will feel, defenders of Cardinal Law will feel, it's not fair. It is, I think, a reflection of what happened in the deposition," he said.
. . .
-- The Boston Channel,
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/2734714/detail.html ,
Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press
POSTED December 31, 2003,
UPDATED: 8:07 AM EST December 31, 2003.
(Posted by Kathy Shaw at 09:10 AM)
•
Teacher resigns over accusation: Ex-student claims abuse at St. John's, [1993]
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/localRegional.bg?articleid=912
BOSTON:
A beloved St. John's Prep teacher and student mentor has resigned from the prestigious school amid allegations he molested a student 10 years ago, the Herald has learned.
"He has voluntarily resigned from St. John's Prep," school headmaster Albert J. "Skip" Shannon said of Brother George Donnelly.
Donnelly, a respected social studies teacher and guidance counselor at the Danvers high school since 1984, stepped down Monday after a former student alleged the Xaverian brother molested him in the school in 1993. The alleged victim made the allegation Dec. 17 in a phone call to school officials, who notified the Archdiocese of Boston and the Essex District Attorney's Office.
Donnelly has not been charged with a crime, said William Melkonian, spokesman for Essex DA Jonathan Blodgett. Archdiocese officials did not return a call.
A fixture on the Danvers campus for two decades, Donnelly announced his resignation in a candid letter to students, parents and faculty that was obtained by the Herald.
"It is with great sadness that I inform my Prep family of my decision to withdraw from St. John's effective immediately," Donnelly wrote. "While I proceed through the process of clearing my name of the allegation I have decided to take my Community's offer to go on sabbatical to rest and re-evaluate my future."
. . .
-- The Boston Herald,
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/localRegional.bg?articleid=912
By Dave Wedge,
Wednesday, December 31, 2003
(Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:03 AM)
• Former East Chicago Baptist pastor Mulligan faces sex charges [1997-2001].
http://www.indystar.com/articles/1/106993-2391-093.html
CROWN POINT, Ind.: The former pastor of an East Chicago church faces two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor for allegedly having sex with a teenage girl.
Authorities allege that Chester Mulligan, 58, now of Fort Sill, Okla., first had sexual intercourse with the girl, then 14, in July 1997. They say the abuse continued until June 2001.
The woman, now 20, told police Mulligan gave her money and gifts and when she tried to stop having sexual relations with him he would give her more money, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Mulligan, who is in custody in Comanche County, Okla., awaiting extradition to Indiana, resigned from the Central Baptist Church in December 2001, a secretary at the church told The Times of Munster for a story today.
-- IndyStar,
"Former East Chicago pastor faces sex charges,"
http://www.indystar.com/articles/1/106993-2391-093.html ,
Associated Press, December 30, 2003
(Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:43 AM)
•
Dubuque spent $1.1m for abuse of 12 girls and 55 boys; apology; past archbishops' mistaken policies. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier,
Waterloo & Cedar Falls, Iowa;
"Dubuque Archdiocese issues church abuse report,"
http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2003/12/30/news/metro/da099d47158d145986256e0c0051299f.txt , By The Associated Press,
Tuesday, December 30, 2003
DUBUQUE: Twenty-six Roman Catholic priests in the Dubuque archdiocese were accused of sexually abusing children over the past 50 years, according to a diocesan report issued Monday.
Details of the report, which covers accusations made from 1950 through 2002, were included in a letter sent to all Catholic households in the 30 counties comprising the archdiocese, including Black Hawk County.
"I am sorry and apologize for what those priests did to you," Archbishop Jerome Hanus said in the letter. "I apologize also for the inaction of some archbishops and for their mistaken decisions to continue allowing abusive priests a place of authority and respect when they did not deserve it."
The report tallies 67 victims of sex abuse by priests: 12 girls and 55 boys.
The letter also outlines steps taken by the archdiocese to prevent sexual abuse under a new policy that took effect July 1, including more rigorous background checks of priests, deacons, pastoral administrators, teachers and principals.
. . .
The archdiocese spent $1,119,000 from 1950 to 2002 in settlements and counseling for victims. The expenses were covered by insurance and by money from the priests themselves.
Allegations have been received against six other priests, but due to vague information, anonymous reporting or the person not giving permission for their name to be used, adequate evaluation has not been possible, the report said. One case investigated by civil authorities was rejected for insufficient evidence.
Currently, there are no criminal proceedings in process against any of the accused priests, but there are a few civil cases in progress, the report said.
. . .
(Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:35 AM)
•
Springs diocese to train 2,000 against child abuse
UNITED STATES:
The Colorado Springs Roman Catholic diocese will provide child sexual abuse prevention training to an estimated 2,000 church volunteers by the end of February to fully comply with national standards adopted in response to the clergy abuse scandal, a diocese official said Tuesday.
The training was established in response to a recommendation from a team of investigators that spent last fall auditing U.S. dioceses' compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, adopted by U.S. bishops in June 2002.
The findings of the national audit are to be released Tuesday, but some dioceses have shared their results in advance. Sergio Gutierrez, spokesman for the Denver archdiocese, which includes 368,000 registered Catholics in 24 northern Colorado counties, said the archdiocese will wait until the national results are made public.
. . .
Gaffney said the Colorado Springs diocese has been training clergy and staff members in that area since 1991, when it first put a sexual misconduct policy in place. The charter also requires training of volunteers who have regular contact with children and youths.
. . .
-- The Denver Post,
Springs diocese to train 2,000 against child abuse,
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~1861651,00.html ,
By Eric Gorski, Denver Post Religion Writer, Wednesday, December 31, 2003
(Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:33 AM)
• If you're not a “nice guy” ...
Crux News,
If you're not a "nice guy"...
www.cruxnews. com/articles/ jackson- 31dec03.html ,
by Jeffrey Jackson, December 31, 2003
UNITED STATES: Searching for one's vocation in life is a most daunting task. This is especially true given that society today is not only apathetic, but perhaps hostile, to the meaning of the word "vocation." It is no longer within the standard definition of the term "success" to have found a vocation. Oftentimes, a man of faith searching for his vocation, perhaps with lack of encouragement from his family and certainly no help from society, will turn to his diocesan vocation office for much needed wisdom and guidance on these critical matters. The expectation is to find spiritual fulfillment there -- not officials with agendas seeking uncritical conformists. It was to a degree my misfortune to have taken this path, for being a critical thinker, my critical thought led me to fully embrace the truths of Catholicism as taught by the Magisterium. My loyalty is unswerving, particularly when confronted with the shifting whims of the world.
This was my position as a seminary applicant in a place that has long since abandoned its Catholic identity -- the State of Rhode Island, which, ironically, has the highest percentage of Catholics, both practicing and non-practicing, of any state in the nation. I was confronted with certain grim realities upon applying to the seminary formation program in the Diocese of Providence (Rhode Island) a few years ago, when I would join several applicants in recent years in that Diocese and elsewhere to be rejected for an outward embrace of orthodoxy. It is time for me to speak out about this experience, and about the state of my home diocese.
A Novel Approach? I do not stand in opposition to media campaigns on the part of dioceses for recruiting vocations, so long as the media venue is appropriate, and the advertising does not take precedence as the recruiting method. However, Providence is a novelty, because it advertises on the Music Television Network (MTV), a soft-porn channel that epitomizes the cultural, moral, spiritual, and intellectual degeneracy of today's youth. Any diocese that makes a point of pitching priestly vocations to the lowest common denominator, which comprises the better part of MTV's audience, opens itself up to particular scrutiny. The basic message of the Providence Diocese's commercials was and is: Hey, come be a priest; it's cool. The Diocese also expanded its ad campaign in 2002 to include ads for priestly vocations in the preview portion of popular films, specifically those that appeal to young adults (and I don't mean G-rated ones).
Such recruitment tactics are definitely not in line with the time-tested methods that successful, orthodox dioceses utilize in their recruitment strategy. Given all this novelty, it is the right of anyone to question the caliber and spiritual health of those recruited for seminary as a result of these campaigns. Some have mentioned to me that they believe this media campaign is not a bad thing in itself, if only because it perhaps represents the "New Evangelization" -- i.e., is consistent with the Pope's mandate to use all means to evangelize. But this is completely beside the point. I have no problem with using all avenues of the media to evangelize, and in doing so reaching all populations with basic tenets of the Truth. But here's the rub: Many in Rhode Island, myself included, have a major problem with advertising on MTV for vocations, because it opens the gates of a priestly formation program to potential candidates who, chances are, have not even been evangelized. Nor will they have reformed themselves, in many cases, of what are flagrantly deviant lifestyles and habits -- particularly those promoted by MTV. A seminary is not a place to conduct CCD -- or Al-Anon or any other such cleansing period.
Applying to the Diocesan Seminary Much of the discussion of the Diocese of Providence and its MTV commercials now centers around Vocation Recruiter Fr. Marcel L. Taillon (the Vocation Director is someone else). The matter of the MTV commercials was dealt with in four paragraphs in a column by Michael S. Rose in the NOR (Feb. 2002), although Fr. Taillon was not mentioned by name. It was also dealt with in four paragraphs in Rose's Goodbye, Good Men, where Fr. Taillon was mentioned, but only by way of his defending the MTV commercials.
The issue did not become a cause célèbre -- with Fr. Taillon as the focus of attention -- until The National Catholic Register carried a lengthy article (June 30-July 6, 2002) by Features Editor David Pearson, a self-proclaimed "personal friend" of Fr. Taillon's who heatedly defended Fr. Taillon in very personal terms.
Pearson claimed that Rose, in both the column and the book, accused Fr. Taillon of "offenses against orthodoxy," but Rose did no such thing (and Fr. Taillon wasn't even mentioned in the column). Pearson also claimed that Rose, in both the column and the book, injured the "reputation" of Fr. Taillon. But Fr. Taillon wasn't even mentioned in the column, and if Fr. Taillon's reputation was injured in the book, Fr. Taillon did it to himself in his quotes defending the MTV blitz. (For the ensuing controversy, see the Sept. 2002 NOR, pp. 20-33, and the March 2003 NOR, pp. 20-22, 24).
Because of Pearson's overreaction, Fr. Taillon became the epicenter of the controversy. Actually, I do not hold Fr. Taillon personally culpable, for his role in the MTV commercials has been greatly exaggerated. Given his role as Vocation Recruiter, Fr. Taillon is directly responsible to the bishops. He must receive their approval prior to promoting an ad campaign, which the bishops enable and likely fund -- at least in part -- just as they set the standards for the matriculation of seminarians. This is particularly the case in Providence, where the Auxiliary Bishop, the Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, also bears the title and assumes the responsibilities of Bishop-Rector of Our Lady of Providence (Minor) Seminary.
While I wish to assure David Pearson that I do not question Fr. Taillon's orthodoxy or character, there are nonetheless major problems that have yet to be addressed.
When I initially met Fr. Taillon, just prior to applying to the Diocese, I did not feel uncomfortable in expressing my orthodoxy. In our early conversations, he seemed accepting of it to a degree, that is, until we began discussing various pastoral approaches. It was then, when I approvingly told him about a priest I know of who had given a firm exhortation about mortal sin and Hell to a younger crowd in his parish, that I felt rebuffed. Fr. Taillon told me that a priest speaking that way to people under any circumstances is "not cool," that it causes "great harm" by "hurting people's feelings," and would drive people away from the love of the Church by being so "pre-Vatican II," "extreme," and "judgmental."
I would continue to meet Fr. Taillon, as well as other prospective seminary applicants, at the periodic Associates meeting held at Our Lady of Providence (Minor) Seminary. There, Fr. Taillon would lead the group in evening prayer. I recall much of the group laughing over and celebrating the MTV commercials, in addition to partaking in more solemn periods of Eucharistic Adoration.
Through the early stages of discerning my vocation, while applying to the diocesan formation program, I had been attending Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I., a university run by the Religious Sisters of Mercy, a progressive order of sisters specializing in educational ministries. But spirituality of any kind on campus was about nil. Only about 15 out of the more than 2,000 students attended weekly Mass in the campus chapel. In fact, there was not even a priest chaplain assigned to the campus for one of the two academic years I was there (1998-1999). Curiously, the President of the institution, Mercy Sister M. Therese Antone, continuously boasted that she is personally acquainted with (former) President Bill Clinton. She personally introduced students to Clinton at a function in Newport some years ago (I was present), and she is pictured with the then-President at the White House on the University's website (salve.edu/pellcenter/about.html).
It was perhaps during my fourth meeting with Fr. Taillon, a self-described "moderate," for the purpose of assessing my spirituality, that I made reference to the difficulties of spiritual life at Salve Regina. Upon which Fr. Taillon proceeded to chew me out, admonishing me that being critical of the sisters that run the University for any reason was inappropriate behavior for a seminarian or a priest -- especially in this case, he said, because Bishop McManus is a good friend of Salve Regina's President.
According to the Our Lady of Providence Seminary website, "The college seminarian ordinarily attends Providence College" -- another local Catholic institution of higher learning. Certainly this college designated by the Diocese for college and pre-theology seminary studies would be a far cry from Salve Regina, right? Wrong. For the second year in a row this past spring, during the Holy Season of Lent, Providence College stood among the good number of Catholic colleges and universities in the U.S. (including Salve Regina) that hosted the vulgar and pro-lesbian Vagina Monologues.
The Administration of Providence College, consistent with its usual masquerade of conservatism, published its official "disapproval" of the play in the Cowl, the main house-organ of the campus, claiming to have not granted approval for the play and disclaiming any role whatsoever in its production. With this superficial nod to the institution's bygone Catholic identity, the play, according to the Cowl, "could only be represented [sic] by a faculty department in the name of academic freedom," whereby "eight academic departments are behind the performance…." The last time I checked, academic departments receive their funding directly from and otherwise answer directly to the college administration. Not surprisingly, years ago some seminarians told me that they doubted the authentic Catholic identity of Providence College, especially since it is considered by many to be a "party school," a label denoted in some popular college guides.
With regard to seminarians' enrollment at Providence College, the Seminary website states, "The college seminarian is responsible for the cost of tuition, room and board." In other words, the seminarian himself must shell out $22,500 per year directly to Providence College (aptly known as PC) along with another $4,000 per year to the Diocese in order to live at the Seminary. This represents a departure from the practice of most dioceses, who cover most, if not all, essential seminary educational expenses for the seminarians they sponsor, and certainly the expense of room and board in the diocese's own seminary residence. I'm sure it's difficult, though, considering that Rector-Bishop McManus presumably opted to burn much of the denoted seminary funding on the MTV commercials he is intent on producing, instead of funding education for his college seminarians.
It's Up to the Shrinks A couple of months later, I was given the standard psychological evaluations. These began with an interview with a gentleman who would administer the psychological survey. Over the course of the following week, at the end of which I was scheduled to return for an additional interview with a woman psychologist, I became engrossed in the then-popular new book, What Went Wrong With Vatican II? by renowned philosopher and writer Ralph McInerny. According to a book review in First Things (Jan. 1999), the book "explain[s] that the Council's teachings (with which, [McInerny] takes pains to say, nothing whatsoever is wrong) were hijacked by theologians who mis-characterized, deliberately or otherwise, the ‘spirit of Vatican II.'" In other words, the book tells how the liberals hijacked the Council, and what the result of this has been, especially the loss of Catholic identity, especially among the post-Conciliar generation.
The meeting with the woman psychologist would be quite telling. She made inquiries such as "What is your sexual preference?" When I replied that I am unequivocally straight, she pompously barked, "And how do you know this?" Her queries were certainly appropriate, but, in retrospect, it seemed to me that her problem with my answer was not with "straight," but with "unequivocally." Shrinks like her seem to prefer people who are conflicted and ambiguous over those who are definite and unequivocal.
The questions would become more open-ended, allowing me to elaborate on my personal understanding of the Church and Christ's priesthood. In doing so, I naïvely figured that I would speak about the Vatican II book then fresh in my mind and my understanding of the priesthood in light of the current struggles the book describes. Since the woman had not heard of the book or even (amazingly) its author, I gave a synopsis as she inquired about my own personal impressions of the situation in the Church. I told her about the liturgical flippancy that is so common, with guitar Masses and celebrants' vestments that look tie-dyed. Continuing on this thread, I mentioned the
