Clergy Child Molesters (82) — References/Chronology

• Ex-bishop standing behind ousted clergy -- Roman Catholic Church (RCC).

   The Dallas Morning News, www.dallasnews. com/shared content/dws/ news/city/ dallas/stories/ 052304dnmet Bishop.277ad. html ; By STEVE McGONIGLE, Saturday, May 22, 2004
   AMARILLO (TX): Life has a definite moral clarity for Leroy Matthiesen.
   Whether protesting nuclear weapons, lobbying to spare a nun's killer, saying Mass for gays and lesbians or providing second chances for fallen priests, the retired Catholic bishop of Amarillo does not anguish over his choices.
   "I told somebody I seem to have a knack for creating some problems and difficulties," the 82-year-old said, breaking into a trademark squinty-eyed smile and impish chuckle. "I just say I gotta be me."
   His unpretentious persona and steadfast devotion to principles have endeared "Bishop Matt" even to those who criticize his worldview or find him profoundly tone deaf. "He's like a disciplined Mr. Magoo," one ally quipped.
   But even true believers are wincing at Bishop Matthiesen's latest social justice cause.
   He has sent letters around the sprawling Panhandle diocese soliciting funds for three priests who were removed from their rural parishes two years ago because Catholic bishops banned alleged sex offenders from ministry. In the last few months, the diocese has slashed its financial support for the three former pastors to $100 per month. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 10:53 PM] (This is the first of the Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse , for Sat May 22, 2004. )

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INTENTION: A challenge to RELIGIONS to PROTECT CHILDREN
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   INCOMPLETE LINKS: Refer back to "References 61" for methods of obtaining the URLs. • Winona Group Seeks Healing after Priest Abuse -- RCC.
   KARE, Minneapolis, St. Paul, USA, www.kare11.com/news/news-article.asp?NEWS_ID=64201 , Associated Press, 5/22/2004
   WINONA (MN): A Winona Catholic group hopes their organization will help the area heal from the priest sex abuse scandal.
   The Winona Voice of the Faithful plans to hold a Mass for Healing Sunday at St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish to pray for healing in the church.
   Group co-chairman Mary Sherman says the scandal hurt clergy who have been faithful to their vows. She also says some people want to put the abuse behind them, but argues that it's not possible without change.
   The Reverend Daniel Dernek will celebrate the Mass. In a church-bulletin essay, he encourages victims to begin healing by talking about their abuse.
• Two cases dismissed in Jackson diocese abuse allegations [1974-84] -- RCC.
   Sun Herald, www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/8733332.htm , Associated Press, Sat, May. 22, 2004
   JACKSON, Miss. - A Hinds County judge has dismissed two lawsuits against the Catholic Diocese of Jackson alleging priest sexual misconduct.
   Circuit Judge Bobby DeLaughter had dismissed an earlier case last year.
   DeLaughter ruled Friday the two plaintiffs gave up their rights to seek an exception to the statute of limitations when they entered into a settlement with the Diocese in 1994. Details of the 1994 settlement weren't disclosed.
   DeLaughter is considering a motion to dismiss the claims of the two remaining plaintiffs on the same statute of limitations issue.
   State law provides that if an offense occurred before 1989 involving a minor, he or she had six years from their 21st birthday to file their lawsuit.
   The four plaintiffs, referred to as John Does 6, 7, 8 and 9 in court files to conceal their identity, filed a lawsuit in 2002 claiming they were sexually abused by a priest at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Shelby and at St. Therese Catholic Church in Jackson between 1974 and 1984.
• Egan short-circuiting reform, critics say
   Newsday, www.nynewsday.com/news/local/bronx/nyc-egan0523,0,5431403.story?coll=nyc-manheadlines-bronx ; May 22, 2004
   UNITED STATES: The head of a national lay group charged with investigating the sexual abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church said Saturday that several prelates, including Cardinal Edward Egan of New York, are attempting to short-circuit reforms passed two years ago.
   Illinois Appellate Judge Anne Burke, interim chairwoman of the National Lay Review Board, expressed particular concern about the fate of an annual audit that tracks whether church leaders are fulfilling promises to protect children.
   "We have to do the audits or we'll be back to business as usual," Burke told about 500 members of Voice of the Faithful, a national reform group, in a meeting at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Manhattan. "There is no denying the magnitude of the crisis that has loomed into the life and spirit of the church."
   At issue, Burke said, is backpedaling by some bishops on promises they made in Dallas in June 2002, at the height of the sex abuse scandals. Under enormous pressure from Catholics in the pews, they agreed then to take specific steps to protect children. And to ensure accountability, they also agreed to annual reports that would be based on an audit of every diocese in America.
   But Burke said that no audit is being done for 2004 after several bishops, including Egan, urged a delay until the bishops could discuss the audit process at their next business meeting in November.
"Delaying an audit until late November would effectively kill it," Burke said, because 195 dioceses could not be visited in one month.
• J'accuse [Badaoui]
   The Observer, Britain, http://observer.guardian.co.uk/focus/story/0,6903,1222719,00.html , Sunday May 23, 2004
   FRANCE: The Tour de Renard housing estate stands like a pristine Lego block. The balconies on its three white towers have been painted red and blue. The stairway walls are powder yellow. Its two basketball courts have been given fresh lines and nets. Dotted around the perfect lawns are swings and climbing frames. It looks like a playground paradise. The trouble is, there are no longer children in the Tour de Renard.
   Four years ago, the estate - in Outreau, on the outskirts on Boulogne - was racked by a series of sensational allegations of child abuse. A total of 17 adults were dragged into what was believed to be France's worst-ever paedophilia case, involving chains, video porn, bestiality with alsatians and murder.
   Then last week, in an equally spectacular turn of events, the key witness - 37-year-old mother of four Myriam Badaoui - retracted all the accusations she had made against her neighbours, many of whom had spent two years in custody. 'I am a sick woman and a liar,' she told the Assizes Court in St Omer. ...
   Priest and former neighbour Dominique Wiel, 67, has been behind bars for two-and-a-half years. His imprisonment led to the creation of a support committee with 1,000 backers.
   'People say that because he lived opposite Badaoui he must have known about the abuse and must be guilty of molesting children because he did not denounce his neighbours to the authorities,' said Patrice Gence, a member of the committee. 'But Dominique would not want to denounce people he cared for. He lived among the most unfortunate people in our society. He wanted to help them.'
• Archdiocese of Miami settles with sexual abuse victim [1976 Romero, $US 135,000]
   Bradenton Herald, www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/8733168.htm , Associated Press, Sat, May. 22, 2004
   NAPLES, Fla. - A former altar boy will collect $135,000 from the Archdiocese of Miami to settle a sexual misconduct lawsuit against a defrocked Catholic priest.
   The settlement against Miami Archbishop John C. Favalora and former priest William Romero was reached earlier this month, said Ted Zelman, the victim's attorney. Archdiocese leaders initiated the settlement, he said.
   The victim - identified in court papers only as "A.B." - accused Romero of initiating "inappropriate conduct" in 1976, when the boy was 12, first at the child's home and later on an overnight stay at the St. Ann rectory.
• Bands of angels strive to save reviled outcasts [Gallienne] Anglican
   Ottawa Citizen, www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=6dc35619-c7e4-4255-a224-e1fbcd0a84f4 ; by Don Butler, May 22, 2004
   CANADA: For the past decade, a band of angels has been watching over John Gallienne.
   But these angels are mortal -- flesh-and-blood Samaritans who volunteer with circles of support and accountability that operate out of St. John's Anglican Church on Elgin Street.
   Mr. Gallienne is that most reviled of outcasts, a pedophile who sexually abused 13 choirboys when he was choirmaster and organist at an Anglican church in Kingston. He moved to Ottawa in 1994 after serving four years of a six-year prison sentence.
   He was back in the public eye this week after news reports that he plays the organ and conducts an adult choir at St. John's, in defiance of a ban imposed 10 years ago by Ottawa's Anglican diocese. Bishop Peter Coffin, who heads the local diocese, is now considering whether Mr. Gallienne should be allowed to retain those roles.
   That such a furore would erupt now, after Mr. Gallienne has been living in the community without incident for a decade, speaks to the fear and loathing that adheres to pedophiles like a stain no solvent can expunge.
   All of which makes the willingness of a select few Canadians, often from faith communities, to befriend sex offenders like Mr. Gallienne all the more remarkable.
   It would be easy to dismiss them as bleeding hearts, these volunteers -- naive do-gooders who see the world, and its manifest evils, through the rosiest of coloured glasses. Except that there is compelling evidence that circles of support and accountability, which began in Canada in 1994, are keeping all of us safer.
• Sex abuse lawsuit against former St. Ann's priest settled [1976 Romero, $US 135,000]
   Naples Daily News, www.naplesnews.com/npdn/news/article/0,2071,NPDN_14940_2905520,00.html ,    NAPLES (FL): A former St. Ann Catholic School student will collect $135,000 from the Archdiocese of Miami in the first settlement among a spate of sexual misconduct lawsuits against William Romero, an ex-Naples priest.
   A deal in the civil suit against Romero and Miami Archbishop John C. Favarola was reached earlier this month, said Ted Zelman, the victim's attorney. Archdiocese leaders initiated the settlement, he said.
   "They were apologetic," said Zelman. "It was clear they weren't disputing that something bad had happened."
   Southwest Florida was part of the Miami archdiocese until 1984, when Catholic churches in Collier, Lee, Sarasota and seven other counties became part of the new Diocese of Venice. That's why the lawsuit was filed in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court.
   Zelman's client - identified in court papers only as "A.B." to protect his identity - accused Romero of initiating "inappropriate conduct" with the victim in 1976, when the boy was 12, first at the child's home through a game of leapfrog and later on an overnight stay at the St. Ann rectory.
• Priest on trial in Roman Catholic court
   Big News Network, http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=d383346d86edbddf , Saturday 22nd May, 2004
   CHICAGO (IL): The Roman Catholic Church has been holding a secret trial in Chicago of a priest accused of sexual misconduct with minors, the Sun-Times reported Friday.
   The priest's identity was not disclosed, nor was the location of the trial revealed.
   It is the first of what could be as many as 12 such trials of priests from the Chicago archdiocese accused of sexual misconduct with minors.
   Sometime after the first of the year a special tribunal of three canon law judges, responding to an order from the Vatican, began its formal inquiry into the alleged offenses of the accused priest.
• Diocese faces another sex abuse lawsuit [1960s McFadden]
   SIOUX CITY (IA): Sioux City Journal, www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2004/05/22/news/local/a88c2823c0f266a386256e9c00185a6c.txt ; By Nick Hytrek
   A 15th lawsuit alleging sexual abuse by a Catholic priest has been filed against the Diocese of Sioux City.
   Kim Henshaw, formerly known as Kim Pinney, alleges that the Rev. George M. McFadden had sexual contact with her in the early 1960s when she was under the age of 14. The alleged abuse occurred at St. Francis of Assisi parish, which is now closed.
   The suit, filed Thursday in Woodbury County District Court, is similar to the others filed against McFadden and the diocese. It accuses both of sexual abuse, intentional infliction of emotional distress, assault, negligent supervision and conspiracy.
   As in the other suits, Henshaw alleges that the diocese knew McFadden had sexually abused boys and girls at other parishes but covered up his actions by transferring him to other churches.
   Most of the suits against McFadden concern his actions while at St. Francis. Other lawsuits allege sexual abuse by McFadden at Sioux City's Immaculate Conception parish and St. Joseph's in Jefferson.
   As a result of the alleged abuse, Henshaw said in the suit that she suffers anxiety attacks, sleeping difficulty, nightmares, loss of self-esteem, loss of trust and withdrawal from others. She is seeking damages for past and future medical expenses, mental anguish, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and legal costs.
• Chesley subpoenas priests to testify [12+ include Gallenstein, Schuhmacher, Holtz; possibly plus Hughes]
   The Kentucky Post, www.kypost.com/2004/05/22/diocese05-22-2004.html , By Paul A. Long,
   COVINGTON (KY): Lawyers seeking to show what they say is a 50-year cover up of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington have subpoenaed more than a dozen current or former priests to testify.
   The subpoenas, issued by attorneys Robert Steinberg and Stan Chesley, call on the priests to give depositions in the on-going case in Boone County.
   Several of the priests were suspended by the diocese -- one is no longer a priest -- after they were accused of sexual abuse. But Steinberg would not give specifics about why testimony was being sought from those particular priests.
   "We're going to question them about the subject matter of our case," he said.
   None of the depositions has been scheduled yet, partly because many of the priests are being represented by their own attorneys, rather than the lawyers for the diocese.
   Diocese spokesman Tim Fitzgerald confirmed that the priests had hired their own attorneys.
• Foys suspends two priests [1979 Reinersman, Steidle]
   The Kentucky Post, www.kypost.com/2004/05/22/priest05-22-2004.html , By Kevin Eigelbach, 05-22-2004
   COVINGTON (KY): Covington Bishop Roger Foys has placed two priests, including his second-in-command, on administrative leave while the diocese investigates allegations against them of sexually abusing minors.
   The priests are the Rev. Gerald Reinersman, vicar general for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington, and the Rev. Mark Steidle, parochial vicar of Blessed Sacrament Church in Fort Mitchell.
   Both men have denied the allegations, and this is the first accusation against either, Foys said in a letter published Friday in the diocesan newspaper, The Messenger.
   A Lexington man accused Reinersman of abusing him in 1979 at Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary Church in Lexington.
   The alleged victim said he had repressed his memory of the abuse and identity of the perpetrator until several years ago.
   In a statement published in the Messenger, Reinersman called the accusation completely unfounded.
   "From the first day of my priesthood, twenty-five years ago, I have remained faithful to my promise of celibate chastity," he wrote. "My conscience is clear as I stand before God and any person."
• Catholic aid group for abused asks funds
   Lexington Herald-Leader, www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/news/state/8730018.htm , By Ellen R. Stapleton, ASSOCIATED PRESS, Sat, May. 22, 2004
   LOUISVILLE (KY): After months of lining up support from Roman Catholic bishops, the founders of a national retreat center for victims of sexual abuse by priests are launching public fund-raising efforts.
   The Farm, which began operating in Crestwood outside Louisville in April, has received donations from 20 religious orders and 30 bishops so far, said Susan Archibald, head of The Linkup, the advocacy group that runs the center.
   Donors included Archbishop Harry Flynn of St. Paul and Minneapolis, head of the national bishops' Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse, and the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, an umbrella organization for religious orders in the United States.
   Four bishops didn't send church funds but wrote personal checks instead, Archibald said.
   Archibald didn't want to disclose the amounts of individual contributions, but she said the total was $100,000. She thinks a $1 million annual budget for The Farm would be ideal.
   "We're used to operating on a shoestring," Archibald said. "But the more we have, the more we can do."
• A new direction for area Catholics?
   Daily Press, www.dailypress.com/news/local/dp-15435sy0may22,0,4790825.story?coll=dp-news-local-final ; BY MICHAEL D. WAMBLE, 247-4737, May 22, 2004
   RICHMOND (VA): Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo is still trying to get to know Virginia.
   Days after arriving in Richmond from Hawaii, where he served as Honolulu's bishop for nearly 10 years, he's shaken off his jet lag but is still getting used to his new home.
   He's keeping a map folded in the inside pocket of his jacket. "DiLorenzo, Lewis and Clark," the bishop joked after a Friday press conference in Richmond.
   On Monday, DiLorenzo, 62, will be installed as the leader of more than 213,000 Catholics of the Diocese of Richmond, a diocese that covers three-fourths of Virginia and all of Hampton Roads. ...
   Though DiLorenzo believes that the matter of priest sexual abuse hasn't weakened the church call to speak out with moral authority on abortion, "disappointment," he said, may have lessened the number of people listening. "Some people may not make the distinction that we are a church of saints and sinners," he said. Believing the Catholic Church is just a church of saints, he said, could lead to further disappointment.
   That doesn't excuse lapses by the diocese to adhere to a charter signed by the nation's bishops on the removal of abusive priests and how to prevent future instances of abuse, a document DiLorenzo said he's committed to follow.
• Church service to help heal wounds of priest abuse
   The Courier-Journal, www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2004/05/22ky/B1-cath05220-6040.html , By PETER SMITH, psmith@courier-journal.com , Saturday, May 22, 2004
   LOUISVILLE (KY): Victims of priest abuse will join Roman Catholic Archbishop Thomas C. Kelly and others tomorrow in a reconciliation service that one organizer says is meant to "heal some wounds."
   The service will be held at Holy Spirit Church, one of the hardest hit by the abuse crisis in the Archdiocese of Louisville. The event grew out of a proposal by a support group of sexual-abuse victims who meet regularly at the Lexington Road parish. [. . .]
   Archbishop Thomas Kelly will attend the service, at Holy Spirit Church on Lexington Road, to build trust. "We are called to be agents of healing and reconciliation," he said.
   If you go... The Service of Healing for Survivors of Abuse will be held at 2:30p.m. tomorrow at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 3345 Lexington Road. The public is welcome.
• Predator priests hide in plain sight; Living secret lives in our communities
   The Patriot Ledger, http://ledger.southofboston.com/articles/2004/05/22/news/news01.txt , By CASEY ROSS, cross@ledger.com , Transmitted Saturday, May 22, 2004
   MASSACHUSETTS: Law enforcement officials say priests accused of sexual abuse constitute the largest group of unregistered sex offenders in the nation, and some are warning that they have no way to prevent more children from being abused.
   "We ask where they are now, and (church leaders) say, ‘We don't know where they go after they've been removed from ministry'," Bristol County District Attorney Paul Walsh said this week. "It's as if they're saying, ‘they're your problem now, not ours'."
   Two years after prosecutors began reviewing lists of priests accused of sexual abuse, only a handful of those priests have been criminally charged, and dozens more are living in Massachusetts communities without the knowledge of neighbors or police.
   Prosecutors say they could not bring charges against most priests because the statute of limitations had run out on their alleged crimes. In other cases, they were unable to locate witnesses.
   The Romney administration was warned of the building threat posed by accused priests this week by Catholic lay groups who spoke during a meeting of the governor's commission on domestic violence and sexual abuse.
   While acknowledging the danger, an official with the Executive Office of Public Safety said the administration will not force the release of names without legal proof that priests have abused in the past.
   "There is a delicate balance that needs to be struck to make people safe without erroneously maligning potentially innocent people," spokeswoman Katie Ford said. "The administration is open to seeing a proposal on any changes that need to be made. We're always looking for ways to make the law stronger."
• Judge: 2 have no case against diocese
   The Clarion-Ledger, www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040522/NEWS01/405220338/1002 , By Jimmie E. Gates, jgates@clarionledger.com , May 22, 2004
   JACKSON (MS): The statute of limitations bars two of four plaintiffs in a lawsuit to proceed with their case against the Catholic Diocese of Jackson over alleged sexual abuse by a priest, a judge ruled Friday.
   Hinds County Circuit Judge Bobby DeLaughter granted a summary judgment motion on behalf of the Catholic Diocese to dismiss the claims.
   DeLaughter said the two plaintiffs gave up their rights to seek an exception to the statute of limitations when they entered into a settlement with the Diocese in 1994.
   Details of the 1994 settlement weren't disclosed during the hearing.
   DeLaughter took under advisement a motion to dismiss the claims of the two remaining plaintiffs based on the statute of limitations having expired.
   According to state law, if an offense occurred before 1989 involving a minor, he or she had six years from their 21st birthday to file their lawsuit. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:30 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Sat May 22, 2004
Religions' sex abuse Chronology, visit: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont82.htm
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Sun May 23, 2004 edition follows:-
• A Cardinal's Sin [Law, Daily]
   New York Post, www.nypost.com/postopinion/editorial/24456.htm, May 23, 2004
   UNITED STATES: Clergymen are meant to instruct on matters of morals, but you'd think the American Catholic church would approach this duty with at least a modicum of humility. Wrong.
   James Francis Cardinal Stafford, a senior American Vatican cardinal, charged the United States with "moral failure" and "deception" because of its Iraq policy and the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.
   Well, not to be too flip, but when it comes to "moral failure" and "deception," this appears to be a case of "takes one to know one."
   Cardinal Stafford served as head of the Denver archdiocese from 1986 to 1996. That was a period when - as has only been revealed in recent years - abuse of young boys and men by Catholic priests occurred across the nation.
   Many of Stafford's bishops actively covered up the abuse and transferred abusive priests to other, unknowing, parishes - permitting the same thing to occur with a whole new set of victims.
   The impact of the revelations continues to cause ripples, ending otherwise distinguished careers (such as those of Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law and Brooklyn's Bishop Thomas Daily) in ignominy and suspicion, and bringing the Boston archdiocese to the verge of bankruptcy because of multiple lawsuits. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 11:57 AM]
• Secret trials of priests won't help church build credibility
   Chicago Sun-Times, www.suntimes.com/output/commentary/cst-edt-edits23.html , May 23, 2004
   CHICAGO (IL): The Roman Catholic Church has always struck a special balance between the openness of parishioners declaring their faith and the secrecy of them confessing their sins. But in trying priests charged with sexual abuses against minors, its tribunals operate exclusively in secrecy. At a time when so many people need to have their belief in the church restored, we wonder if that's the best approach.
   The issue is raised by news that an ecclesiastic court recently began a formal inquiry into the alleged sexual misconduct of an unidentified priest from the Chicago archdiocese, the first of what may be a dozen such cases -- 12 being the number of Chicago priests removed from ministry for sexual abuses since 2002. The name of the accused priest, as well as the names of the tribunal's three judges and even the location of the hearing, fall under the strictures of a "pontifical secret." By forbidding the divulgence of details from these trials, the Vatican means to protect the rights of the accused and accuser.
   That's an admirable goal, one that shares the basic "innocent until proven guilty" standard of civil law, which treats these abuse cases separately. But in the wake of a scandal that has led to the removal from ministry of about 700 priests nationwide, rocking the faithful and muddying the reputation of the church, shifting from a policy of containment to one of greater openness would be of benefit to everyone concerned. Cardinal Francis George, who has it in his power to ask the Vatican to waive the pontifical secret, would do well to consider that option.
• Sex-abuse review at crossroads
   The Journal News, www.nyjournalnews.com/newsroom/052304/a0123faithful.html , By GARY STERN, May 23, 2004
   NEW YORK: A majority of the nation's Catholic bishops probably remain committed to eliminating sexual abuse by clergy, but an influential minority of bishops may still seek to block the church's ongoing review process, a top lay official said yesterday.
   Anne Burke, the interim chair of a National Review Board appointed by the bishops, said that she's hopeful that the nation's bishops will decide next month to begin a second audit of how dioceses are complying with a new church policy on sexual abuse.
   "In my heart of hearts, I think that most want to move ahead," said Burke, a justice on the Illinois Court of Appeal. "But I don't know that for a fact. I don't know what the silent majority of bishops are thinking. I am still disturbed that a number of bishops made a concerted effort to derail the process of getting the audit done."
   Burke discovered in March that several bishops, including Cardinal Edward Egan of New York, had sought to put off the review process until bishops could meet again in November. She wrote in a March 30 letter to Bishop Wilton Gregory, head of the U.S. bishops conference, that her 13-person review board felt "manipulated" and that the bishops risked backsliding on their commitment to stop abuse.
   The bishops conference has since decided to discuss the audit at a closed-door conference next month.
   In an interview before she addressed members of the lay group Voice of the Faithful, Burke said delaying a 2004 audit of all 195 dioceses could allow abuse and other injustices to go undiscovered. It would also allow the church to lose its momentum in fighting abuse, which started with the bishops' approval in 2002 of a get-tough policy, a "Charter on the Protection of Children and Young People."
• Settlement helps victim move on [1976 Romero]
   News-Press, www.news-press.com/news/local_state/040523priest.html , By GRANT BOXLEITNER , gboxleitner@news-press.com , Published by news-press.com on May 23, 2004
   FLORIDA: The attorney for a former Lee County man who sued the Archdiocese of Miami and a defrocked priest for sexual misconduct says his client can finally move on with life following a recent settlement.
   William Romero, 67, who retired as a priest from the diocese in 1995, was accused of abusing the former altar boy while at St. Ann Catholic Church in Naples in 1976. The plaintiff, who recently moved from Lee County to California, sued Romero and Miami Archbishop John C. Favarola on Oct. 3.
   Naples attorney Ted Zelman, who represents the plaintiff, said lawyers from the archdiocese wrote a letter to him, asking if his client would be willing to settle the case. The archdiocese agreed to pay the plaintiff $135,000 in the settlement reached earlier this month, Zelman said.
   Archdiocese spokeswoman Mary Ross Agosta and archdiocese attorney Kevin Fitzgerald could not be reached for comment.
   "I’m not talking," Romero said when reached at his LaBelle home Saturday night.
   Bringing the case to court would have stressed out siblings and parents of the victim listed in court papers as "A.B.," his attorney said.
   "They weren’t contesting that the abuse actually took place," Zelman said. "Obviously, it’s something that’s pained him a lot these last 28 years. The pain he had gone through was suddenly acknowledged.
• 2 priests deny abuse allegations [1979 Reinersman, 1994 Steidle]
   The Cincinnati Enquirer, www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/05/23/loc_kypriests23.html , By Dan Klepal and Matt Leingang, Mar 23, 2004
   COVINGTON (KY): Two priests in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington - including the second-in-command behind Bishop Roger Foys - are on administrative leave while they are investigated over allegations of sexually abusing minors.
   The Rev. Gerald Reinersman, vicar general for the diocese who served on the diocese's Committee for Addressing Sexual Misconduct, is accused of abusing a Lexington teenager in 1979. At that time, he was a pastor at Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary Church. As vicar general, Reinersman stands in for the bishop.
   The Rev. Mark Steidle, a pastor at Blessed Sacrament Church in Fort Mitchell, is accused of inappropriately touching a minor in 1994 at Marydale Retreat Center.
   Both men have denied the allegations.
   The investigations were announced Friday by Foys, in a letter to the diocesan newspaper. The bishop said the leaves of absence are in accord with diocesan policy, which mirrors a policy adopted by the U.S. bishops at a national conference in 2002. That says accused priests should be placed on leave to protect members of the parish.
• Corrupted by The Church
   MSNBC, http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5039859
   SPAIN: Newsweek International, May 31 issue - Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar has long been known for his colorful, touching and often hilarious tales of people on the fringe: transvestites, neurotic actresses, drug addicts and wayward nuns.
   In his latest picture, "Bad Education," which opened the Cannes Film Festival last week, Almodovar tackles one of the greatest taboos of all: sexual abuse by priests. Set in a Roman Catholic boys' boarding school in Spain-much like the one Almodovar himself attended-"Bad Education" recounts the love that the literature teacher has for one of his students-a love that turns into sexual abuse. Ten years later, the tortured boy has become a drug-addled transvestite, desperate to go clean and become a woman.
   It is a poignant and disturbing film, one of Almodovar's finest. Last week in Cannes, the director spoke to journalists, including NEWSWEEK's Dana Thomas, about faith and his disgust with the Catholic Church. [Excerpts follow in the article.]
• The Farm Trying To Raise Money Outside Of Catholic Groups
   Lexington Herald-Leader, www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/news/8735798.htm , By Ellen R. Stapleton, ASSOCIATED PRESS
   LOUISVILLE (KY): After months of privately lining up support from Roman Catholic bishops, the founders of a national retreat center serving clergy sexual abuse victims are launching public fund-raising efforts.
   The Farm, which began operating in Crestwood in April, has received donations from 20 religious orders and 30 bishops so far, said Susan Archibald, head of The Linkup, the advocacy group that runs the center.
   That includes key church officials such as Archbishop Harry Flynn of St. Paul and Minneapolis, head of the national bishops' Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse and the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, an umbrella organization for religious orders in the United States. Four bishops didn't send church funds but wrote personal checks instead, Archibald said.
   Although Archibald didn't want to disclose the amounts of individual contributions, she said funds from all sources total about $100,000. She thinks a $1 million annual budget for The Farm, which provides a sanctuary and recovery programs for victims, would be ideal.
   "We're used to operating on a shoestring," Archibald said. "But the more we have, the more we can do."
   The money will be used to pay for programs and staff at The Farm, and the rest will fund scholarships for victims to travel there.
   The Linkup will continue to solicit donations from the 195 dioceses in the United States, Archibald said. A parish in Chicago took a collection specifically for The Farm at a Mass this month, she said. Bishop Ronald Gainer in the Diocese of Lexington, which covers 50 counties in Central and Eastern Kentucky, has encouraged individual parishes to invite Linkup members to visit.
   "In his contact with The Linkup leadership, he's been positively impressed with their efforts to aid victims in their healing and help them reconnect with the church," said Tom Shaughnessy, a diocesan spokesman.
• Aftershocks Of Abuse Ripple [Clark]
   Mercury News, www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/8737515.htm?1c , By Brandon Bailey
   FREMONT (CA): Some parishioners were upset this spring when Fremont's Corpus Christi Church took down a sign naming the parish center in honor of a long-dead priest. But it wasn't the first time.
   Two years ago, Roman Catholic officials quietly removed a sign at Holy Spirit, another Fremont church, bearing the name of another pastor who had led that church decades ago. The two signs were removed for the same reason: The priest being honored had been accused of molesting children.
   The nationwide scandal over sexual abuse has hit especially hard in Fremont, where at least five priests are accused of molesting children in the 1970s. Taken together, the cases make Fremont an especially powerful example of the continuing aftershocks caused by clergy sexual abuse.
   Victims struggle to overcome emotional wounds. Longtime parishioners try to reconcile shocking allegations with their memories of beloved religious leaders. A woman reflects on her decision to avoid being married by a controversial pastor. A man wonders if the church had an unspoken policy of sending problem priests to what was then a blue-collar town, away from more affluent parishes in the Diocese of Oakland.
   "It seems as if this was a dumping ground," said Dan McNevin, a 44-year-old real estate developer and one of three former Corpus Christi altar boys who have sued the diocese, alleging they were abused by the Rev. James Clark at the historic old church in Fremont's Niles district. Clark died in 1989.
• Church may face second wave of clergy sex abuse lawsuits [1970s Lane]
   Boston Herald, http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=29020 , By Laura Crimaldi/ MetroWest Daily News, Sunday, May 23, 2004
   BOSTON (MA): Five months after the Boston Archdiocese settled a lawsuit with the nation's largest known financial payout over clergy abuse, the groundwork is being laid for more legal action against the church by dozens of new alleged victims in the sex-abuse scandal.
   Lawyers representing an estimated 40 to 50 new clients who are alleged victims of sex abuse by priests plan to meet June 2 to discuss how to proceed with legal action against the archdiocese, according to Boston attorney Carmen Durso.
   Earlier this month, Durso sent an e-mail to lawyers who represented 540 victims of clergy sex abuse in an $85 million settlement paid out in December.
   Victims' attorneys are trying to determine the magnitude of a second wave of lawsuits against the archdiocese and how they should be handled, Durso said.
   "These are people who did not just come out of the woodwork. They've always been there," said Durso, who represented 40 alleged victims during the first round of negotiations.
   Many of his clients say they were abused by the Rev. Bernard J. Lane during his tenure as head of the Alpha/Omega youth treatment center in Littleton in the 1970s.
   Nance Lyons, a Boston attorney who also represented victims of Lane in the first lawsuit, has one new client who claims abuse at Lane's hands.
   "I'm very shocked that I haven't received additional calls from (victims of) Bernard Lane," Lyons said.
• Parishioners back accused pastor [1980s McLaughlin]
   Boston Globe, www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/144/city/Parishioners_back_accused_pastor+.shtml , By Pat Healy, 5/23/2004
   SOMERVILLE (MA): Parishioners of St. Benedict Church in Somerville are rallying to defend the Rev. John E. McLaughlin, who last week agreed to accept a voluntary administrative leave pending the investigation of an allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor in the 1980s.
   The alleged incident only recently came to the attention of the Archdiocese of Boston, and the identity of McLaughlin's accuser is being kept confidential, according to church officials.
   St. Benedict's was packed with parishioners last Monday night as the congregation began sorting out a mix of emotions on the matter.
   "There were probably over 1,000 people there," said Julia Pollard, who has been attending Mass at the church for more than 30 years. Faith is keeping the parish together right now, she said, but most are praying for the pastor's quick return.
   "I know the authorities have a job to do, and as parishioners we need to continue with what Father McLaughlin left us with, which is to be good to each other, be spiritual, pray, and go to church," she said. "But we want him to come back to us." [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 08:26 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Sun May 23, 2004
Religions' sex abuse Chronology, visit: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont82.htm
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Mon May 24, 2004 edition follows:-
• Bishop says church credibility 'zilch' if abuse audits were to stop
   Catholic News Service, www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/20040524a.htm , By Tracy Early, May-24-2004
   NEW YORK (CNS) -- Auxiliary Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan of Brooklyn said May 21 that if the bishops do not continue with their sexual abuse audits "our credibility will be zilch."
   He noted that some bishops thought the audits, undertaken as part of the implementation of the 2002 "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People," were too burdensome and wanted to end them now.
   One audit has been completed. The U.S. bishops' Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse and the National Review Board reached an agreement May 17 on proposals for conducting a second diocesan audit of child sex abuse prevention policies and on doing a study of the causes and context of the crisis.
   The bishops will discuss the proposals during their June 14-19 meeting in Denver. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 03:28 PM]
• Hollingworth's long, hard road to realisation [ex-Anglican archbishop]
   The Age, Melbourne, www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/05/24/1085389333736.html , May 24 2004
   AUSTRALIA: One year after he resigned as governor-general, Peter Hollingworth stepped tentatively into the spotlight yesterday to elevate the issue that cost him his job.
   The occasion was the launching of a book with a title that seemed as apposite for him as it was for author Barbara Biggs: The Road Home, What Price Redemption?
   Dr Hollingworth revealed that much of his time and energy in the past 12 months had been devoted to the issue of child abuse and its many painful ramifications.
   "Too few of us fully understand or really comprehend the terror, the trauma and the awful long-term side effects of child abuse, especially sexual abuse," he said.
   "I, for one, took far too long to fully comprehend these things, but I am learning... "
   A year ago today, Dr Hollingworth resigned as governor-general over his mishandling of child sex abuse allegations while archbishop of Brisbane, particularly allegations against a pedophile priest in 1993.
   [COMMENT: Few fully understood? "Now whoso shall trip up one of these little ones ... millstone were hanged about his neck ... depth of the sea." Matthew 18:6, and see Mark 9:42. That's not too hard to understand, is it? COMMENT ENDS.]
• Former student at Holy Cross alleges sex abuse by ex-nun [1960s, 70s Rhoads; Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary]
   The Daily Times, www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1675&dept_id=18171&newsid=11778472&PAG=461&rfi=9 , From Staff and Wire Reports, 05/24/2004
   PENNSYLVANIA: A former student of Holy Cross Catholic Grade School in Springfield has filed a lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond, Va., and the Immaculate Heart of Mary sisters in Virginia Beach, contending they failed to warn parents that a woman suspected of sexually abusing students was teaching at Holy Cross.
   In the suit, the woman alleges that she was abused for nearly six years by Eileen M. Rhoads, a former nun who taught as a lay person at Holy Cross until 1994, while the woman was attending the elementary school. She is seeking $10 million in damages.
   The woman is the fourth former Holy Cross student to file a civil lawsuit connected with alleged abuse by Rhoads who is now 64 and living in the Drexel Hill section of Upper Darby. Rhoads was named in lawsuits filed on the behalf of two men in March and another man on May 11 against the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and former Archbishop of Philadelphia Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, alleging they allowed known sexual abusers to work with children.
   In March, the plaintiffs, who now live in Springfield and West Chester but declined to be identified, alleged that Rhoads molested them repeatedly between 1974 and 1974 [sic; error on website]. On May 11, Francis Meehan, now 40, of Clifton Heights, alleged that he was molested by Rhoads while in sixth grade at Holy Cross.
   Rhoads was criminally charged in February with sexually assaulting a 10-year-old boy while she was Sister Francis Theresa at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Grade School in Virginia Beach, Va., during the 1969-1970 school year.
   She was arrested at her Drexel Hill home in February and remains free on $25,000 bond. Her trial is scheduled for July. Virginia, unlike Pennsylvania, has no statute of limitations on felonies.
   The alleged Virginia Beach victim also is suing Rhoads in civil court for damages.
   In the latest civil lawsuit involving a Holy Cross student, the plaintiff alleges that officials for the Richmond diocese and the nun's former order, the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, "knew or should have known" that Rhoads was suspected of abusing the 10-year-old boy at the Virginia Beach school, yet still allowed Rhoads to teach at Holy Cross.
   Rhoads, who is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, had suddenly resigned from the sisterhood before leaving Virginia Beach.
   The complainant said she was 12 years old and in the sixth grade when she met Rhoads at Holy Cross. She alleges Rhoads gave her drugs and alcohol to win her trust, then began sexually abusing her. She said the abuse continued until she was 18.
   Neither Rhoads nor a spokesperson for the Richmond diocese could be reached for comment on Sunday. A recorded statement reached via the Richmond diocese telephone number said that the diocesan offices would be closed today for the installation of the Most Rev. Francis Xavier DiLorenzo as the 12th bishop of Richmond. #
• Accused priests defended [Reinersman, Steidle]
   The Cincinnati Enquirer, www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/05/24/loc_priests24.html , By Reid Forgrave, Monday, May 24, 2004
   COVINGTON (KY): Parishioners at Catholic churches in the Diocese of Covington share a common belief about the recent allegations of sexual abuse against two priests in the diocese: Allegations are just that, and people should wait for a verdict before pronouncing guilt.
   The accusations against the Rev. Gerald Reinersman, the diocese's second-in-command behind Bishop Roger Foys, and the Rev. Mark Steidle, a pastor at Blessed Sacrament Church in Fort Mitchell, are the latest in a series of priest sex-abuse scandals to rock the Catholic community in Greater Cincinnati.
   But several local Catholics pleaded Sunday for the public not to indict these priests for sexual abuse before the investigation is completed.
   "With these men's reputations, I have no doubt these are false accusations," said Leo Greis, a Fort Mitchell man who has been a parishioner at Mother of God Church in Covington for 38 years. "But now they're going to be reminded of this for the rest of their lives, even though they're not guilty."
• "Talk of the Town" Am radio talk show to address clergy abuse crisis in Worcester.
   Worcester Voice, http://worcestervoice.com/Current%20news.htm , May 24, 2004
   WORCESTER (MA): Mary T. Jean, director of the Worcester Voice, will be live on "Talk of the Town" with Bill Coleman at 6 p.m. Friday, May 28 on WORC (1310 AM) radio. Worcester Voice is an advocacy organization that supports victims of clergy abuse.
   We look forward to the new opportunities we have in this Diocese as we await an answer from Bishop Robert McManus on our request to meet with him.
   We pray that he follows the lead of Archbishop Sean O'Malley and replaces the diocesan lawyers, removes the insurance company from the equation and offers fair and adequate settlement to the victims. Reparative justice for victims of injustice is official Catholic teaching for the faithful and is discussed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which has full approval and was signed by Pope John Paul II.
• Child Sex Investigations Haunt Wash. Town [False accusations of the past]
   Fort Worth Star-Telegram, www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/breaking_news/8743629.htm?1c , By JOHN K. WILEY, Associated Press, Mon, May. 24, 2004
   WENATCHEE, Wash. - It's been a decade since this placid town of alpine lakes and apple orchards first came to be haunted by whispers of a pastor and his flock taking children to the church basement and forcing them to take part in sex orgies.
   The prosecutions of scores of Wenatchee-area residents tore the community apart and brought it international notoriety before children began to recant - and most of the accused were freed.
   While the spotlight has dimmed, the bitterness lingers for those who say they were falsely accused.
   "Some way or another, I want an apology out of this community ... for what they've done to us and all these other innocent people," said Rev. Robert "Roby" Roberson, who in 1995 was acquitted with his wife, Connie, of leading the alleged sex ring.
   An apology is unlikely anytime soon, given the dozens of civil lawsuits filed against local authorities and the lead investigator. Many of those involved declined to be interviewed, or did not want to comment while lawsuits are pending.
   Along with other local officials, Chelan County Prosecutor Gary Riesen, whose office prosecuted many of the cases, declined to comment.
   "I think it's all been said," he said.
• Clergy And Abuse Victims Work To Heal The Wounds [$US 26m]
   WAVE, Louisville, Ky., www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=1888544&nav=0RZFNLdB , By Frances Kuo, 6:20 p.m., May 23rd, 2004
   LOUISVILLE (KY): Decades after abuse cases rocked the Archdiocese of Louisville, Sunday was a day of reconciliation. Healing the wounds was a tall order for some of the victims who turned out. Last year, more than 200 abuse victims settled a lawsuit with the Archdiocese for $26 million dollars. But the harder task is healing the psychological wounds. As WAVE 3's Frances Kuo reports, this service was meant to be a first step.
   Church often represents healing. But for dozens of members of Holy Spirit Church, that healing doesn't come so easily.
   "It was a little of a struggle, you have to face your demons," said Bernie Queenan, a victim of clergy abuse.
   The demons are from decades ago when the church was hard hit by the sexual abuse scandal. This was meant as a moment of reconciliation, not just for the victims, but even those who weren't.
• "We wished it could have happened sooner."
   WHAS, www.whas11.com/topstories/stories/WHAS11_TOPSTORY_HEALINGSERVICE.1efb54354.html , By Chloe Friedman / WHAS 11 News, 10:07 PM EDT on Sunday, May 23, 2004
   LOUISVILLE (KY): It was called a special service of healing.
   On Sunday, at Holy Spirit Catholic, many were invited to come together and pray for the victims of sexual abuse. Many say it is a moment, they have been waiting years for.
   Out of respect for victims, TV cameras did not capture the service. For many, this may have been the first time they have confronted their abuse. Those who did speak on camera called the service a tremendous step toward repairing a fractured relationship with the Archdiocese of Louisville.
   "For some, I think this will be an ending, but for others a beginning," says Cal Pfeiffer. He was a victim of priest abuse but told WHAS News he has not turned his back on his Catholic faith. That is why he says Sunday afternoon was historic.
• Ex-bishop raising money for ousted priests [Matthiesen; 25% of priests outsted]
   Houston Chronicle, www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2588616 , Associated Press, May 24, 2004,
   AMARILLO (TX): A former Catholic bishop has sent letters around the Panhandle diocese soliciting funds for three priests who were removed two years ago over sexual abuse allegations.
   Leroy Matthiesen, the outspoken retired bishop of Amarillo who gained national acclaim in the early 1980s for his stance against nuclear weapons, said that he could not turn his back on the ousted priests.
   "These are my friends," the 82-year-old told The Dallas Morning News for its Sunday editions. "There's no way I would even consider the idea of not helping them."
   In the last few months, the diocese has slashed its financial support for the three former pastors to $100 per month. The three are among a group of eight priests admitted by Matthiesen into the Amarillo diocese from 1980 to 1997 who had undergone treatment for alleged sexual misconduct.
   Matthiesen's successor, Bishop John Yanta, removed all eight, costing the diocese nearly a fourth of its active priests.
• Sex abuse priest appeals sentence -- Anglican [1974 - 1980s Hawkins]
   The Age (Melbourne, Victoria), www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/05/24/1085377477739.html , May 24, 2004
   AUSTRALIA: A former Tasmanian Anglican priest jailed for sexually abusing teenaged boys has appealed against the severity of his sentence.
   Garth Stephen Hawkins, 58, sat silently in the Hobart Court of Criminal Appeal as lawyer Peter Tree outlined his case.
   Hawkins was sentenced last November to seven-and-a-half years' jail with a non-parole period of four-and-half-years for a "chilling litany of devious sexual abuse" committed from 1974 to the early 1980s at Anglican parishes around the state.
   In sentencing, Justice Peter Underwood said three victims were only 13 when Hawkins first attacked them, three were 15 and one was 17.
   Mr Tree told the court while he did not seek to trivialise the offences as "anything other than abhorrent", the length of the sentence was outside the range of what was reasonably available.
   He said the appellant had not reoffended in almost 20 years and his rehabilitation should be taken into account.
• Dozens of abuse victims gather for service [1950s 1960s Miller]
   Lexicon Herald-Leader, www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/8742712.htm , Associated Press, Mon, May. 24, 2004
   LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Dozens of sexual-abuse victims assaulted at one Louisville parish decades ago gathered there Sunday for a service dedicated specifically to them.
   The Service of Healing for Survivors of Abuse at the Holy Spirit Catholic Church was organized jointly by the Archdiocese of Louisville and by a support group of those who were abused in the 1950s and 1960s by the Rev. Louis E. Miller, who is now in prison.
   "This is what this service is about - healing young, good people, robbed of their faith by a man of the cloth, a prolific abuser, a man who was to be respected, loved and most of all a man of trust," said Jim Cecil, one of the victims, in a statement that drew applause.
   More than 200 people, including at least 30 priests in clerical garb, gathered at the church.
   Archbishop Thomas Kelly walked through the sanctuary and sprinkled holy water on the worshippers and on doorways to the sacristy and school where Miller accosted his young victims.
• Lawyers ready claims of more clergy abuse [40 or 50 new victims; $US 85m in last payout]
   Boston Globe, www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/05/24/lawyers_ready_claims_of_more_clergy_abuse ; By John McElhenny, May 24, 2004
   BOSTON (MA): Eight months after the Archdiocese of Boston agreed to pay a record $85 million to 541 people to settle claims of sexual abuse, lawyers for other alleged victims are preparing legal action against the embattled archdiocese.
   Boston lawyer Carmen L. Durso, who represented 40 victims in the $85 million settlement, said eight or nine lawyers representing 40 or 50 new clergy sexual abuse victims will meet in Boston on June 2 to discuss new legal actions.
   Durso, who represents 12 alleged victims who were not part of the initial settlement, said the number of claims would rise even further when victims from the last 10 to 15 years who are still struggling to face their abuse come forward.
   "There will always be another wave of people," Durso said yesterday.
   Another lawyer, Mitchell Garabedian, is representing more than 30 other alleged victims who were not part of the original settlement. Garabedian does not plan to attend the meeting on June 2 because of his concerns of a conflict of interest by another lawyer participating in the case.
   The clergy abuse scandal has staggered the Archdiocese of Boston, which with 2 million adherents is the largest religious institution in Eastern Massachusetts. Last month, to help pay off the financial cost of sexual abuse by priests, the Archdiocese agreed to sell most of its headquarters in Brighton to neighboring Boston College for $107.4 million.
   An archdiocesan spokesman said yesterday that the church's lawyers had been in close contact with those bringing the new allegations. "Our desire has been from the very beginning to settle these lawsuits as equitably and justly as possible," said the spokesman, the Rev. Christopher J. Coyne.
   He disputed the idea that new waves of allegations dating from the last 10 to 15 years would continue to surface because, he said, most of the allegations concerned a small number of priests who were removed long ago.
• Diocese puts two on leave amid claims of sex abuse [1979 Reinersman, 1994 Steidle]
   The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky), www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2004/05/24ky/B4-priests0524-4067.html , Associated Press, Monday, May 24, 2004
   COVINGTON, Ky. - A high-ranking official in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington and another priest have been placed on administrative leave amid allegations that they sexually abused minors.
   One of the priests under investigation is the Rev. Gerald Reinersman, who is second-in-command under Bishop Roger Foys in the diocese. As vicar general, Reinersman stands in for the bishop. He also served on the diocese's Committee for Addressing Sexual Misconduct.
   Reinersman is accused of abusing a Lexington teenager in 1979. At that time, he was a pastor at Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary Church.
   The Rev. Mark Steidle, a pastor at Blessed Sacrament Church in Fort Mitchell, is accused of inappropriately touching a minor in 1994 at Marydale Retreat Center. Both men have denied the allegations.
• Service seeks healing for abuse victims
   The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky), www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2004/05/24ky/A1-healing0524-9725.html , By PETER SMITH, psmith@courier-journal.com , Monday, May 24, 2004
   LOUISVILLE (KY): Bernard Queenan stood holding an altar candle yesterday at the back of Holy Spirit Catholic Church - near the doorway where a priest had molested him more than 40 years ago - and marched solemnly to the front with two other victims of sexual abuse.
   Following them was Archbishop Thomas Kelly, who then knelt silently for several moments in front of the altar. The gestures began a service for the dozens of victims of sexual abuse at this parish and the many others affected by the scandal throughout the Archdiocese of Louisville.
   The Service of Healing for Survivors of Abuse was organized jointly by the archdiocese and by a support group of those who were abused at Holy Spirit Church in the 1950s and 1960s by the Rev. Louis E. Miller, who is now in prison.
   "This is what this service is about - healing young, good people, robbed of their faith by a man of the cloth, a prolific abuser, a man who was to be respected, loved and most of all a man of trust," said Jim Cecil, one of the victims, in a statement that drew applause. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 03:36 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Mon May 24, 2004
Religions' sex abuse Chronology, visit: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont82.htm
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Tue May 25, 2004 edition follows:-
• Ionia County priest arrested during Internet sting [2004 Beas]
   WOOD TV, www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1894462&nav=0RceNP6D , 5:12 p.m., May 25, 2004
   IONIA COUNTY, Michigan: An associate pastor at an Ionia County Catholic church is facing charges he tried to solicit sex from a girl over the Internet.
   Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox is charging Father Shamaun Beas of St. Patrick's Church in Portland with using a computer to accost a minor and commit a crime.
   The Grand Rapids Diocese says Father Beas is a Pakistani priest who's currently serving an internship as an associate pastor at St. Patrick's Church in Portland, which is eastern Ionia County. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 05:41 PM]
   And see the Detroit News, "Priest arrested in child sex case; Cleric, another man face online predator charges in suburbs," www.detnews.com/2004/religion/0406/14/b01-164469.htm , By Edward L. Cardenas, Wednesday, May 26, 2004
   WARREN -- A Catholic priest from western Michigan and a convicted sex offender from Oakland County are the first two people to be arrested under a new statewide initiative to crack down on Internet predators.
   The Rev. Shamaun Beas, a visiting associate pastor at St. Patrick’s Church in Portland, was arraigned Tuesday in 37th District Court in Warren on charges he used a computer to set up a meeting with a child to engage in sexual activity. He was held in the Macomb County Jail on a $5 million bond.
   Ned Hilburn Fauth, who was sentenced in 1999 for sexual assault in Genesee County, was arrested at his New Hudson home and was arraigned Tuesday on similar charges. [Found by Google] [May 26, 04]
• Catholic Dioceses Struggle Financially
   Ledger-Enquirer, www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/nation/8757069.htm , Associated Press
   UNITED STATES: Some examples of financial problems faced by U.S. Roman Catholic dioceses in recent years. Church leaders generally blame a weak economy, higher insurance costs and lower returns on investments for the troubles, along with expenses related to the clergy sex abuse crisis and, in some dioceses, a drop in donations:
   _ ARCHDIOCESE OF MILWAUKEE: Blamed an expected $1 million deficit in the next fiscal year mainly on costs related to the abuse scandal, including attorney and mediation fees, outreach to victims and training for church workers on identifying and preventing abuse.
• Abuse Victims and Diocese Working on Settlement
   WWLP, www.wwlp.com/news2004/topstory.html?artID=53845
   SPRINGFIELD (Massachusetts) (WWLP) - There could be a possible settlement between the Catholic Diocese of Springfield and those who claim to be abused by clergy members. But the amount being discussed isn't sitting well with some victims. Because they're still in the mediation process, neither the church nor the lawyer representing the 46 alleged victims, will confirm the dollar amount. But some victims say the diocese is offering $7 million and say that's not enough. Both Tom Martin and his childhood friend Steven Block say they were abused by former priest Richard Lavigne as children. And they believe Lavigne is responsible for the death of their other friend, alter boy Danny Croteau. That's what made them come forward in the first place. Although the diocese won't comment on the details of the settlement offer, they did issue a statement expressing optimism for a successful end to the negations. The statement reads in part: we remain hopeful that a settlement will be achieved so that the healing process can continue for all involved. But for Tom and Steve, whatever money the church ultimately produces, it will only go so far. If $7 million is in fact the settlement amount, it would average out to about $150,000 per person.
• Corrections from The Virginian-Pilot
   The Virginian-Pilot, http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=70785&ran=168448
   VIRGINIA: A story and headline in Saturday’s Hampton Roads section about a sexual-abuse lawsuit misstated the defendants in the case. Eileen M. Rhoads, a former nun accused of abuse, is not a defendant. The defendants are the Catholic Diocese of Richmond and Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Also, the lawyer for the woman who filed the suit said the story should have said the diocese knew or should have known about Rhoads’ alleged behavior but did not tell parents.
• New vicar named at Fort Mitchell church [Steidle, Reinersman]
   The Kentucky Post, www.kypost.com/2004/05/25/priest052504.html Post staff report, May 25, 2004
   KENTUCKY: A priest who was ordained three days ago will replace Rev. Mark Steidle as parochial vicar at Blessed Sacrament Church in Fort Mitchell, after Steidle was accused of sexually abusing a minor 10 years ago.
   Rev. Phillip DeVous, 27, will take over immediately as parochial vicar or assistant pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church.
   Steidle is one of two priests put on administrative leave by the Diocese of Covington while allegations of sexual abuse of a minor are investigated. The leaves were announced last week.
   The other priest placed on administrative leave, Rev. Gerald Reinersman, vicar general for the diocese and the second in command under the bishop, had been scheduled to be named pastor of a parish in July. His replacements as vicars general had already been announced and became effective immediately. They are Rev. Michael Due and Rev. Gilbert J. Rutz. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 05:30 PM]
• Text of Archbishop O'Malley's remarks on church closings
   Milford Daily News, www.milforddailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=48669 , By Associated Press, Tuesday, May 25, 2004
   BOSTON (MA): Today is not an easy day for the people of the Archdiocese of Boston. This morning all of our pastors and parishes were notified of the results of the reconfiguration process. Many parishes received the news that they would be remaining open and welcoming people from other parishes in the months ahead.
   As a result of this process there will be 65 less parishes, but this translates into the closing of 60 churches since five of the former parish churches will continue as worship sites. Although this reconfiguration responds to the very special needs of the present, a radical reconfiguration of the archdiocese has been discussed for many years.
   Changes in population, the movement of people from the cities to the suburbs, the decrease in the number of active Catholics have all contributed to the present predicament. At this time, over one third of our parishes are operating in the red, the deterioration of our parish buildings and churches (that in the city of Boston alone would cost over 100 million dollars to repair), and the aging clergy (130 pastors are over 70 years of age) have forced us to make the hard decisions that we have announced today. ...
   In addition, I want to assure the people of the archdiocese that the decision to close parishes is in no way connected with the need to finance the legal settlement with the victims of clergy sexual abuse. The sale of the Brighton property of the former archbishop's residences and surrounding land has raised the $90 million dollars needed to do so.
   No money from the future sale of parish assets will be used to pay for the settlement. What these funds will do is allow us to financially support as needed the parishes and schools that do remain in the archdiocese as well as to recapitalize our pension and medical funds. This process of reconfiguration is directed not towards the past, but towards the future mission of the Church. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 05:27 PM]
• Boston Archdiocese to Shut 60 Churches, O'Malley Says (Update3)
   Bloomberg, http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=aLtUXmdftAvg&refer=top_world_news, May 25, 2004
   BOSTON (MA): (Bloomberg) -- Boston's Roman Catholic archdiocese will close 60 churches in eastern Massachusetts over the next four months and reduce the number of its parishes from 357 to 292, the most extensive cutbacks in the U.S. in at least three decades, Archbishop Sean O'Malley said.
   The cuts announced today don't include at least 10 parishes targeted for closure last year in the cities of Lawrence and Lowell, an archdiocesan statement said. When added to other previous and announced closings, the Boston area will have lost 122 parishes since 1985, surpassing the 78 Chicago eliminated from 1975 to 1995.
   "I am profoundly aware of the emotion the announcement of the closing of a parish evokes," O'Malley 59, said at a news conference at the archdiocese compound in Boston. "I am asking the Catholics of the archdiocese to lay aside their anger and disappointment, to cast off their sadness and join hands with brothers and sisters across the archdiocese."
   The cuts, driven by financial needs and a priest shortage, reflect a shift in the Catholic church in the U.S. Northeast and Midwest from serving mostly large families in urban areas to a more suburban, gentrified version of itself, said Bernard F. Swain, a management consultant who worked with eight groups of Boston-area parishes during the closing process.
• Boston Archdiocese To Close Dozens Of Parishes [60 churches to be sold]
   TheSanDiegoChannel.com ; www.thesandiegochannel.com/news/3345129/detail.html , May 25, 2004
   BOSTON (MA): It's another piece of the fallout from the clergy sex abuse scandal.
   It was a tense morning for parishioners at Catholic churches across the Boston area as the Boston Archdiocese announced a list of churches that will be closed as part of a consolidation plan. The restructuring comes amid shrinking attendance at Mass, and smaller weekly collections -- caused partly by the sex abuse scandal.
   Churches started receiving letters Tuesday from Archbishop Sean O'Malley indicating whether the parish will be closed. Of the 357 churches in the Boston Archdiocese, 143 churches were on a list as recommended for closure, but less then half of them will close. It will be the largest sale of church property in the history of the Catholic Church in the United States.
   "As a result of this process, there will be 65 less parishes, which translates into the closing of 60 churches since five will continue as worship sites," O'Malley said.
   O'Malley said the archdiocese must close the churches because of dwindling Mass attendance, fewer donations, a shortage of priests and aging buildings that would cost millions to repair or renovate. He said that more than one-third of the parishes were operating in the red.
   "I want to assure the people of the archdiocese that the decision to close parishes is in no way connected with the need to finance the legal settlement with the victims of clergy sexual abuse. The sale of the Brighton property of the former archbishop's residences and surrounding land has raised the $90 million needed to do so. No money from the future sale of parish assets will be used to pay for the settlement," O'Malley said.
   The clergy sex abuse scandal began more than two years ago and has contributed to financial problems plaguing the archdiocese. Church officials reached an $85 million agreement last fall to settle lawsuits filed by more than 500 victims of clergy sex abuse.
• Priest At Michigan Church Arrested In Cyber Sex Sting [2004 Beas]
   ClickonDetroit.com ; www.clickondetroit.com/news/3344603/detail.html , May 25, 2004
   PORTLAND (MI): A priest at Saint Patrick's Church in Portland, Mich., was arrested by Warren police Monday after he allegedly arranged a meeting with someone he thought was a teenage girl.
   Rev. Shamaun Beas, from Pakistan, is a visiting priest at Saint Patrick's. Police say he drove from Portland to Warren where he arranged a sexual encounter with an undercover officer who posed as the girl.
   Warren police were waiting for Beas when he arrived.
   Beas was arrested as part of Attorney General Mike Cox's new effort to crack down on child predators who use the Internet.
   "The goal of this project is to strike fear into those who would think to use the Internet to prey upon children," said Cox.
   Cox said the sting is an effort to protect children when they're online, but he said authorities will need assistance from parents.
   "These arrests show the absolute need for parents to be on guard, to be aware of what their children are watching on the Internet and know who they're communicating with. With all the benefits the Internet provides, it also provides new dangers," said Cox.
• Timeline of abuse allegations [Years of complaints, Janssen]
   Des Moines Register, Timeline of abuse allegations www.dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?SearchID=73172631342658&Avis=D2&Dato= 20040525&Kategori=LIFE05&Lopenr=40524004&Ref=AR ; 05/25/2004
   IOWA: Court documents obtained by The Des Moines Register detail allegations of sexual misconduct by priests James Janssen, Francis Bass and Theodore Anthony Geerts, and the Davenport Diocese's response. The documents were drawn from material obtained from the diocese by attorneys for people who have sued alleging abuse, some of which were found in a locked safe in the basement of the diocese's office.
   The documentation of Janssen's career thins in the last years of Bishop Ralph L. Hayes tenure and after Bishop Gerald F. O'Keefe was appointed on Oct. 20, 1966.
   According to Rand Wonio, the Davenport diocese attorney, Hayes "kept everything" and O'Keefe wasn't much of a paper pusher.
   The first warning letter was placed in Janssen's file soon after his ordination in 1948.
• Iowa church officials for years hid allegations of sexual abuse [Still scout chaplain until 1990, Janssen]
   Des Moines Register, www.dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?SearchID=73172631342658&Avis=D2&Dato= 20040525&Kategori=LIFE05&Lopenr=405250391&Ref=AR ; By SHIRLEY RAGSDALE, REGISTER RELIGION EDITOR, 05/25/2004
   IOWA: Iowa Catholic Church leaders for more than 40 years kept secret repeated allegations of sexual abuse by the Rev. James Janssen while they moved him from job to job.
   Janssen, 81, accused in numerous lawsuits of molesting boys, was recommended for defrocking earlier this year.
   Documents in Scott County District Court show that the bishop of Davenport and other priests, including a future bishop of Des Moines, worried greatly about public disclosure of the accusations as early as 1958, yet continued to allow Janssen to work with boys until 1996. He was a Boy Scout chaplain as late as 1990.
   Church watchdogs say it is a pattern common around the country, made public only in the past three years as numerous cases emerged of sexual abuse by priests.
   "It is consoling to know that no general notoriety has arisen, and I pray none may result," then-Davenport Bishop Ralph L. Hayes wrote in 1958, after three years of allegations, including that Janssen had been caught in "highly inappropriate acts" with two boys at the Newton YMCA.
• Priest abuse probe unresolved [Accused, but altar boys still attending Quinn]
   The Observer-Dispatch, www.uticaod.com/archive/2004/05/25/news/33340.html , By ELIZABETH COOPER, Tue, May 25, 2004
   UTICA (NY): More than a year after a former Utica priest was accused of molesting a minor, the Syracuse diocese has not completed its investigation.
   The pace is proving frustrating to the priest, to the accuser's attorney and to the parent of an altar boy who now serves with the Rev. James Quinn at St. Ann's Catholic Church in Manlius.
   The Catholic Church's 2002 policies for protecting children and youth require that priests be removed from active duty as a precaution if a preliminary investigation finds the charges may be valid.
   But because the diocese has yet to conclude its preliminary investigation, Quinn continues to perform Masses in which altar boys assist at St. Ann's.
   Bishop Thomas Costello, the diocese's No. 2 official, said the church's investigation has been delayed because of a related civil case, but he declined to give further details.
   In May 2003, John Zumpano, now 55, accused Quinn of sexually abusing him repeatedly in the mid-to-late 1960s when the priest served at St. Agnes Church in East Utica and as area director for the Catholic Youth Organization.
   Although the civil lawsuit brought by Zumpano was dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired, the judge said he believed the charges had merit.
• Diocese seeks to settle claims for $7 million [Lavigne]
   Republican, http://masslive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1085471480278420.xml?nntn , By BILL ZAJAC, wzajac@repub.com, Tuesday, May 25, 2004
   SPRINGFIELD (MA): The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield has offered $7 million to settle the largest group of clergy sexual abuse claims against it, according to several of the 46 people who are weighing the offer.
   Although neither the diocese nor the lawyer representing the 46 alleged victims would comment on the specifics of the ongoing mediation, several of the alleged victims expressed disappointment with progress.
   "Next week marks the new bishop being in office two months and we have not reached a settlement. I expected something better by now," said Thomas M. Martin, 43, of Springfield, who filed suit against the diocese more than two years ago, saying he was abused as a minor by defrocked priest Richard R. Lavigne.
   The diocese issued a three-sentence statement expressing optimism for a successful settlement.
• Bishop Aymond Returns From Visit With Pope
   AUSTIN (TX): KXAN, www.kxan.com/Global/story.asp?S=1892485&nav=0s3dNO0s
   President Bush is scheduled to meet with Pope John Paul II in Rome next week. Here at home, Austin Bishop Gregory Aymond just returned from a meeting with the head of the Catholic Church.
   It's a meeting that can ultimately shape the future of what happens here in Central Texas.
   The war in Iraq, gay marriage and a sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church -- they are among the most controversial issues and all subjects Bishop Gregory Aymond talked about during a visit last week with the pope. ...
   The Vatican praised the Austin Diocese for its program designed to combat and prevent the sexual abuse of children in the church and in society.
   "The Vatican and the holy father are very concerned that we reach out to victims. Secondly, they are very concerned we work with those priests accused and if those accusations are true that we make sure they're not in ministry," Aymond said.
• Lawyer: Ex-priest sentenced to prison many challenge law [Feeney]
   San Luis Opisbo Tribune, www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/politics/8751451.htm , Associated Press
   APPLETON, Wis. - A former priest sentenced to 15 years in prison on sexual assault charges may challenge why Wisconsin's statute of limitations did not apply in his case, his lawyer said.
   Attorney Gerald Boyle of Milwaukee has filed a notice to seek post-conviction relief - a notice usually preceding an appeal - in the case of John Patrick Feeney.
   The six-year statute of limitations for filing the charges against Feeney didn't apply because it didn't include the time when he was outside the state.
   Feeney left Wisconsin in 1983. He was arrested on the Wisconsin charges in September 2002 at his apartment in Los Angeles.
   Boyle said Monday he was "troubled" by the statute of limitations question.
   "I just don't think that it was fair then and I don't think it is fair now to prosecute someone so many years later for something that was known to law enforcement," he said.
• Former priest sued, past abuse alleged of Spokane girl
   Seattle Times, http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001937766_spokaneabuse25m.html , By Seattle Times staff
   SPOKANE (WA): A lawsuit has been filed in Spokane County Superior Court alleging past sexual abuse of a girl by a former Spokane priest who now is a civilian employee of the Seattle Police Department.
   The plaintiff claims in the suit that she was abused in the 1970s at Spokane's Assumption Parish and School, starting when she was about 12 years old. The suit says a church official was informed of the alleged abuse but didn't report it to authorities and instead blamed the girl.
   The priest, who left the ministry, currently works as a victims advocate for the Seattle Police Department, which has placed him on administrative assignment while it investigates the allegation.
   The department issued a statement late last week noting the employee has an unblemished 14-year career with the department. He "vehemently denies the allegations," said his attorney, Anne Bremner of Seattle.
   The Seattle Times is not naming him because he is accused of criminal activity in a civil case that is unresolved.
   In its statement, the Seattle Police Department said it had been notified by Spokane media in 2003 that the employee was the subject of an allegation of sexual molestation of a minor, stemming from his time as a priest.
• Alleged abuse victims weigh settlement offer from diocese [$US 7m offer to 46]
   Providence Journal, www.projo.com/ap/ne/1085481085.htm , The Associated Press
   SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) - The Springfield diocese has offered $7 million to settle lawsuits from 46 alleged Roman Catholic clergy abuse victims, who are now considering the offer.
   Neither the diocese nor the lawyer representing the alleged victims would comment on the specifics of the ongoing mediation, but several alleged victims expressed disappointment with progress.
   "Next week marks the new bishop being in office two months, and we have not reached a settlement. I expected something better by now," Thomas M. Martin, 43, of Springfield, told The Republican of Springfield. He filed suit against the diocese more than two years ago, alleging that defrocked priest Richard R. Lavigne abused him when he was a minor.
   The diocese issued a brief statement stating in part:
   "We remain hopeful that a settlement will be achieved, so that the healing process can continue for all involved." [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:00 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Tue May 25, 2004
Religions' sex abuse Chronology, visit: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont82.htm
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Wed May 26, 2004 edition follows:-
• Text of Rev. Scahill's letter
   The Republican, www.masslive.com/news/topstories/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1085557671300911.xm Wednesday, May 26, 2004
   SPRINGFIELD (Mass): The following is the text of a letter written yesterday by the Rev. James J. Scahill, pastor of St. Michael's parish in East Longmeadow, to Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell.
   Dear Bishop McDonnell, I am dismayed by a remark attributed to you as is quoted in today's paper from Tom Martin. I know Tom Martin and his family and find him to be a reliable and truthful person.
   "You would settle in a minute if you had land to sell." There are acres of unused land owned by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield - right here behind St. Michael's Church, East Longmeadow. There is no way we can staff and maintain St. Joseph's Mission on Vineland Avenue, East Longmeadow - this is prime sellable land owned by the R.C. Bishop of Springfield. What about the rectory of St. Paul's Parish in Springfield, the former school and its property of St. Joseph Parish, Springfield, and its lucrative location across from the Basketball Hall of Fame and property owned by the diocese on Tinkham Road in Wilbraham??
   The victims I believe are seeking $14.5 million and they should not be compromised, ongoingly maligned, manipulated and abused by an institution that placed them in harms way and covered up its protection of pedophiles and abusers of minors.
   At the current $7 million offer the victims will receive far less than the church has given over 12 years to Richard Lavigne (approx $300,000). Other violators will in their lifetime receive more from this Church than the victims they so atrociously violated in heart, spirit, and body.
   By the way you and I know that you never really apologized to me over your comparison of me to Lavigne and you surely have not come close to doing that publicly.
   I am watching closely now how you are treating the victims and their families and what will be done about Richard Lavigne come May 31. Sincerely, Rev. James J. Scahill [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 09:25 PM]
• In pews of Our Lady shock, anger and tears
   The Sun (Lowell, Massachusetts), http://www.lowellsun.com/Stories/0,1413,105~4746~2173486,00.html By ROBERT MILLS, Sun Staff, Wednesday, May 26, 2004
   CONCORD Pastor Austin Fleming addressed his congregation at the Our Lady Help of Christians parish last night poignantly and simply.
   "Oh my God, you are beautiful," he said, earning 30 seconds of roaring applause from parishioners.
   Just hours before, those same faces some in tears and some grimaced in anger learned their parish would be one of 65 closed under a downsizing announced by the Archdiocese of Boston.
   Our Lady Help of Christians and Concord's other Catholic parish, St. Bernard's, will both be closed and a new parish will be formed on the site of St. Bernard's.
• Sexual sin in the spotlight; Act of contrition.
   Boston Phoenix, www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/this_just_in/documents/03866764.asp BY KRISTEN LOMBARDI, Wednesday, May 26, 2004
   BOSTON: A new play by Michael Murphy brings the Boston clergy-sexual-abuse scandal to the stage. Sin: A Cardinal Deposed turns an unflattering eye on Bernard Cardinal Law, the former Boston archbishop who came to epitomize the Catholic Church’s negligent handling of its pedophile priests.
   Law, of course, resigned in 2002 without admitting any guilt in the scandal. Now, his words have found new life on stage, as Sin takes all its dialogue verbatim from Law’s pretrial depositions in lawsuits filed by clergy-abuse victims. Previously produced by Chicago’s Bailiwick Repertory Theatre, the play will be making its local debut in June.
• 'This in no way diminishes ...'
   National Catholic Reporter, http://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2004b/052804/052804x.htm , By EUGENE KENNEDY, May 28, 2004
   UNITED STATES: Perhaps not since biblical scholars assigned the designation Q to the 235 verses found in Matthew and Luke but not in Mark, have Catholics encountered such compelling evidence of a common source for the themes of influential documents. And perhaps not since the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls acquainted us with the practices of the Jewish sect, the Essenes, have official papers introduced us to the methods of such a distinguished group as America’s Catholic bishops.
   The Essenes "abstain from marriage ... speak only in turn. They are completely governed by the officers of the community," wrote the late Jesuit Fr. John L. McKenzie in his Dictionary of the Bible. "They must take solemn oaths to observe the rules of the community and to conceal its secrets."
   Opening their packets for their March meeting, many members of the administrative board of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, including Archbishop Harry Flynn, chair of their Ad Hoc Sex Abuse Committee, learn for the first time that they will vote on deferring any discussion of the National Review Board’s report and its associated projects until November.
   Not even Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George has been informed that a coup de main is underway against the National Review Board and the Office of Child and Youth Protection and its associated projects. He abstains when the question is finally called.
   Although the episcopal letters are filled with boilerplate commitment ("We affirm," Mansell avers, "our commitment to the Charter for the Protection of Children ... ") their vote effectively quashes the investigative recommendations made that day by the National Advisory Council, the Office of Child and Youth Protection, the Ad Hoc Committee on Sex Abuse and the National Review Board: to approve an on-site audit by the end of 2004 by the Office of Child and Youth Protection, to approve funding for the National Review Board’s request for a proposal to implement the already approved study of the causes and context of the sex abuse problem, and that the conference of the bishops continue to deal with "fraternal correction," bishops disciplining bishops who failed to bar priest sex abusers from parish work.
All about us
   The gods of irony smile when, trying to hide part of the truth about themselves, men reveal the whole truth instead. Melancholy themes of self-reference, self-pity and condescension are particularly striking in the letters to Justice Anne Burke, interim chair of the National Review Board, after she reacted to the administrative board’s action (NCR, May 21). Though subsequent publicity has apparently forced the bishops to reconsider the matter, their wish to be done with the board and its requirements is evident in the language of their letters.
   Denver’s Archbishop Charles J. Chaput writes on April 2 of Burke’s questioning this preemption of the committee’s work: "Please note that the June 2004 bishops’ meeting is a quadrennial retreat. ... This in no way diminishes the continuing importance of the NRB, the Dallas Charter, or issues relating to the sexual misconduct scandal. But neither can we as bishops neglect other vital matters, including calls for a plenary council. ... Our problems with your letter lie elsewhere. The matter of ‘fraternal correction’ among bishops has canonical implications that go well beyond the NRB’s competence. ... It is not the NRB’s duty to interpret the Charter. ... Finally, Justice Burke, we were embarrassed by the tone of your letter. ... Your language is designed to offend. ... Whatever its goals, your letter diminishes the credibility of the NRB and invites resistance."
   The closing line is offered like a ring to kiss, "Be assured of our good will and prayers nonetheless ... "
   Bishop David L. Ricken of Cheyenne, Wyo., provides a coda April 16, " I do believe that, after such a storm for two years, the bishops need a bit of a break [emphasis added] to reflect on all that has happened so that we can move ahead, thoughtfully and prayerfully ... " And, of course, " ... wishing you a happy Easter Season, I remain ... "
   Then there is the idiosyncratic Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz claiming that bishops cannot share their "sacred power" with anyone (interview, Catholic World News) while he attacks such review board members as Leon Panetta, who "was devoted to promoting and fostering and permitting the heinous practice of abortion. What makes him qualified to be on this board, and to be in this capacity?" And psychologist Michael Bland? "I don’t think ... that he has ever been canonically laicized. ... I don’t think Michael Bland is in good standing in regard to the church." And Alice Hayes? "When she was at the University of San Diego, she put a known homosexual man in charge of religious studies; she also, as I understand it, had a Gay and Lesbian Club on her campus ... "
What’s missing?
   We can all understand that the bishops have an audience of one, Pope John Paul II, and what they say is designed to please him, not their people. Still, it takes unrelieved self-absorption to involve themselves in the assault on their own charter without making a single mention of the victims of sex abuse. It is People magazine-size self-investment to refer to "the church" without ever mentioning their own people or acknowledging that these men and women are the church and that they themselves are their servants rather than, as it seems in these letters, their masters. Seldom in relationships that are not official or institutional, most bishops have little experience of having to change themselves to make such relationships flourish or to restore them when they are shattered.
   As a result, they relate to the people with whom they broke faith in the sex abuse crisis by being pompously official rather than by being simply human. Their "poor us" self-absorption blinds them to the still suffering victims whom they wound again by dishonoring the Dallas charter that was supposed to make it safe for Catholics to go back to church again.
   Do bishops think magically of a plenary council because it would be all about them, publicly reasserting and restoring their authority? They must earn that back for themselves, less as self-preoccupied functionaries and more as self-forgetting pastors to their people. They could begin by keeping their Dallas promise to establish and support an Office for Child and Youth Protection and a National Review Board.
   (Eugene Cullen Kennedy is emeritus professor of psychology at Loyola University, Chicago, and author of The Unhealed Wound: The Church and Human Sexuality, published by St. Martin’s Press.)
• Audit agreement to be tested in Denver
   National Catholic Reporter, USA, http://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2004b/052804/052804z.php
• The fringe captures the spotlight
   www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/todaystake
• Appellate court rules priests' records aren't sacred
   Daily Herald (suburban Chicago), www.dailyherald.com/kane/main_story.asp?intID=38133359
• Victims rights group wants priests' names
   St Louis Today, www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/St.+Louis+City+% 2F+County/45663B29858DE49B86256EA0000E4FB0?OpenDocument&Headline=ST.+LOUIS&highlight= 2%2Csurvivors%2Cnetwork%2Cof%2Cthose
   BELLEVILLE, USA: A national victims' rights group on Tuesday called on Belleville Bishop Wilton D. Gregory to publish on the diocese Web site, in its newspaper and parish bulletins the names of 12 area priests removed a decade ago for abuse.
   Members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests [SNAP] also renewed complaints about what they labeled the diocese's "hardball legal tactics" used to keep documents sealed, delay cases and defend priests in abuse cases.
   "As leader of the Catholic Bishop's Conference (Gregory) should be the most compassionate," said SNAP director David Clohessy, one of 10 protesters who gathered in front of the Belleville chancery.
   Church officials could not be reached for comment.
   The group also criticized Gregory saying he failed to offer counseling to at least one abuse victim, James Wisniewski, despite church promises to do so.
   Wisniewski, speaking in public for the first time about the abuse, called on the church to accept responsibility for its actions, offer an explanation and meet its obligations to victims.
• Sales net diocese $2.7 million
   The Republican, http://masslive.com/news/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1085557657300910.xml , By BILL ZAJAC, wzajac@repub.com , Wednesday, May 26, 2004
   SPRINGFIELD - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield has netted a profit of $2.7 million in property sales and purchases in the past few years, and a maverick priest says more properties could be sold to settle clergy sexual abuse claims.
   But the diocese said most of the properties sold were parish-held, and their sales have benefited parish communities, not the diocese at large. [...]
   The Rev. James J. Scahill, an outspoken critic of the church's handling of clergy sexual abuse, sent McDonnell a letter yesterday suggesting unused or little-used properties that could be sold in East Longmeadow, Wilbraham, Springfield and elsewhere to fund settlements.
   A diocesan spokesman said possible property sales have been investigated as a way to help in any potential settlements, but most of Scahill's suggested properties, as well as most other church properties in the diocese, are parish-owned. . . .
• Church must give up papers; Diocese of Rockford: Appellate justices order diocese to turn over its records in priest sex case
   Suburban Chicago Newspapers, www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/top/e26priest.htm , By Nathaniel Zimmer, mailto:nzimmer@scn1.com , 05/26/04
   ELGIN, USA: The Illinois 2nd District Appellate Court has ruled that the Catholic Diocese of Rockford must turn over documents relating to its investigation of former priest Mark A. Campobello, who earlier this month pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two teenage girls.
   The unanimous decision, filed Friday, saw the court wade into waters largely uncharted in Illinois, as it concluded that the diocese must provide records of its investigation to 16th Circuit Court Judge Timothy Sheldon, despite a state law, known as the clergy member's privilege, that bars clergy from having to divulge certain information.
   That privilege "extends only to information that an individual conveys in the course of making an admission or confession to a clergy member in his capacity as spiritual counselor," Appellate Judge Jack O'Malley wrote on the court's behalf.
   The diocese contended that any information obtained by its misconduct officer and a 16-member investigation team consisting of both priests and lay Catholics is protected by the clergy privilege. [...]
   O'Malley, a former Republican Cook County state's attorney, noted that compelling the diocese to turn over its records will force it to violate its own canon law, which holds that records of investigations into clergy wrongdoing must be kept secret. But he argued that the law in question, canon 489, is not rooted in a "religious value."
   And in a pointed aside, he stated that the diocese's attempt to use canon 489 to shield itself from the state's subpoena is "difficult to reconcile with the lofty civic spirit of the Charter" for the Protection of Children and Young People.
   The charter was adopted by the U.S. Conference of Bishops in 2002. In it, the church vows to comply with civil law and cooperate with investigating authorities in cases of alleged abuse. . . .
• Disappearing parishes
   Boston Globe, www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2004/05/26/ disappearing_parishes ; May 26 2004
   BOSTON, Mass.: PARISHIONERS are responding with understandable anger and sadness to Archbishop Sean O'Malley's announcement yesterday that 65 of the 357 parishes in the Boston Archdiocese will close. Although O'Malley tried to put the closures in a spiritual perspective, he sounded at times like a chief executive officer trying to reposition an ailing company.
   Demographic shifts, deteriorating buildings, declining attendance at Mass, and, most important, the drop in the number of priests necessitate some parish closings. But the fatalistic approach of church leaders dating back to last January is driving much of the disappointment. Parishioners in many of the affected churches were eager to discuss ways to save their places of worship, such as lifting the workload of priests so they could serve more than one parish and expanding the role of deacons. But the leadership of the archdiocese limited meaningful lay involvement to just one area -- recommendations for closures in their regions.
   At times, declining parishes can revive under creative leadership. Many of the parishes targeted for closure deserve a chance to prove their viability. The archdiocese's appeals process, however, does nothing to encourage such rebirths. Leaders of closed parishes can appeal only to Archbishop O'Malley or the Vatican. Yet the vicars, regional bishops, and 24-member central committee that ruminated for months on the closures are the ones with the deepest levels of knowledge. They deserve a place in the appeals process.
   There was evidence of compassion in yesterday's announcement. The plan appeared to save many urban and rural parishes that will require subsidies. That development fits with the archbishop's concern for protecting the poor. Efforts were also made to ensure that no community would be left devoid of church life. While parishes in Lincoln, Stow, and Rochester will close, their buildings will remain open for Sunday Mass. At an afternoon press conference, O'Malley, who served as a bishop in the West Indies, spoke of the destruction of churches by Hurricane Hugo and the renewal that took place afterward. But the problems of the Boston Archdiocese do not stem from acts of God. The sexual abuse scandal and the failure of Cardinal Bernard Law to confront the crisis promptly led to last fall's $85 million settlement with more than 500 victims. It is disingenuous for O'Malley to claim that the closures and anticipated property sales are unrelated to that crisis. Technically, the sale of church property in Brighton, including the residences, will cover the abuse claims. But the proceeds could have been used to shore up struggling parishes if Law and other church leaders had acted responsibly. . . .
!!!: Priest asked boy to undress so he could correct his kneeling, 50 years ago. [Malone] Franciscan
   Priest Abuse Claim Settled after 50 Years, www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=5272D50E-AA8A-4AFD-8C7E-5ED9FCEB10DE , Posted By Walker Robinson, WalkerRobinson@woai.com , 6:48:56 AM, 5/26/2004
   SAN ANTONIO: A man who claims he was molested by a Catholic priest more than 50 years ago is finally receiving a settlement. A religious order of priests in San Antonio plans to pay the man a large sum of money.
   Lorenzo Limon says the priest molested him inside St. Joseph's Catholic Church on the south side when he was just 11-years old.
   Limon says Franciscan Father Emmitt Malone sexually assaulted him under the premise of teaching him to kneel and pray.
   "He told me to remove my clothes so he could better see how I'm kneeling," Limon said," then he molested me."
   Franciscan leaders in St. Louis, Missouri, say they wanted to reach out to Limon. [... ]
   The Franciscans say they plan to compensate Limon by making monthly payments for the rest of his life.
• A&E's 'American Justice' outlines Geoghan's 'Sins'
   The Boston Herald, http://theedge.bostonherald.com/tvNews/view.bg?articleid=29371 , By Sarah Rodman, Wednesday, May 26, 2004
   MASSACHUSETTS: As Catholic churches around the state prepare to close their doors partly due to the financial consequences of the clergy abuse scandal, A & E spotlights defrocked priest John Geoghan tonight at 9.
   The latest installment in the network's "American Justice" series, "Sins of a Priest: The John Geoghan Story" documents the now-familiar pattern of a pedophile priest being shuffled from parish to parish by the Archdiocese of Boston to outrun allegations of sexual abuse. [...]
   For anyone playing catch-up, however, "Sins" does a straightforward job of presenting the chronology of Geoghan's crimes against his young parishioners - as many as 140 during the course of several decades - in such areas as Saugus, Hingham and Jamaica Plain. It allows some of those victims and their parents to speak out, sometimes graphically, about how Geoghan abused them and then told them, "God wants you to keep this a secret."
   The explosion of the scandal, the resignation of Bernard Cardinal Law and Geoghan's trial, conviction and murder at the hands of a white supremacist are explored through video, newspaper headlines and commentary from the likes of Middlesex County District Attorney Martha Coakley and victims' attorney Mitchell Garabedian.
   Aside from a defense attorney who questions Geoghan's sentencing, the predatory priest's lone defender is fellow priest and close friend Joseph Casey, who talks about Geoghan's devotion to his work. But as viewers are told of Geoghan's repetitive patterns of molestation and his outright confessions - including the abuse of seven boys from one family - it's hard to stomach Casey's statement that "I personally think he should be remembered as a saint."
• Arrested priest tapped for job [2003 Ashmore, public indecency; now promotion]
   The Indianapolis Star, www.indystar.com/articles/6/149839-2976-009.html , By Diana Penner and Rebecca Campbell, diana.penner@indystar.com , May 26, 2004
   INDIANAPOLIS: A Catholic priest arrested a year ago on a charge of public indecency is in line to lead three rural churches, a proposal the archbishop of Indianapolis says is about forgiveness but which some criticize as reckless and insensitive.
   In a letter to members of the three parishes, Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein emphasizes that no final decision has been made on the appointment of the Rev. Ronald M. Ashmore as administrator and sacramental minister of the churches.
   Buechlein said he wanted comments from the parishioners to be collected by the parish councils, which are to meet today with two priests involved in the staffing issue.
• Rockford diocese loses records ruling
   Chicago Tribune, www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/nearwest/chi-0405260362may26,1,3933303.story? coll=chi-newslocalnearwest-hed , [Can't log in]
• 65 parishes will close in Boston area
   Chicago Tribune, www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0405260268may26,1,998871.story?coll=chi-news-hed , [Can't log in]
• Cardinal warns against gay-rights protest at mass
   Chicago Tribune, www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0405260340may26,1,3180154.story? coll=chi-newslocalchicago-hed [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:08 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Wed May 26, 2004
Religions' sex abuse Chronology, visit: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont82.htm
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Thu May 27, 2004 edition follows:-
• Mediator hired in class-action lawsuit against Covington diocese
   Lexington Herald-Leader, www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/8776344.htm , By ELLEN R. STAPLETON, Associated Press, Thu, May. 27, 2004
   LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The administrator of the government fund for Sept. 11 victims has been tapped to mediate the nation's first class-action lawsuit against a Roman Catholic diocese over claims of sexual abuse by its priests, court documents said.
   Attorneys on both sides have filed a joint report in Boone County Circuit Court saying that Kenneth Feinberg will facilitate out-of-court talks between the Diocese of Covington and the plaintiffs in the class.
   Feinberg will finish his job as special master of the Sept. 11 victims' compensation fund by June 15, court documents said.
   The filing was in response to an order from Senior Judge John Potter asking attorneys for a plan to resolve the case out of court. The lawsuit, certified as a class action by another judge in October, was filed on behalf of alleged molestation victims since 1956 and claims the diocese mishandled their accusations. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:32 PM]
• Closed hearing requested in parental abuse case
   Puerto Rico Wow!, puertoricowow.com/html/general-detail.asp? amaspHidden_listActive=true&amaspField_newshd=Closed%20hearing%20requested%20in% 20parental%20abuse%20case&amaspHidden_newshd_dataType=string
• Statement Regarding Appointment of Cardinal Law to Rome Position
   The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests [SNAP], http://snapnetwork.org/snap_statements/052704_law_appointment.htm , by David Clohessy, SNAP National Director, May 27, 2004
   UNITED STATES: "Why can't Vatican officials see that any position or honor afforded to Law will inevitably and needlessly cause more pain to hundreds who have been abused and have already suffered enough? The insensitivity of top church leaders in Rome continues to be alarming.
   We understand that many in the hierarchy consider Law a smart man with some skills. We also know, however, that many in the pews consider Law a near criminal with major liabilities.
   For the sake of hundreds of wounded abuse victims and thousands of devout Catholics, he should not be given or accept any further responsibilities in the Catholic church."
• Boston Ex-Archbishop Named to Rome Post
   www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/sports/football/nfl/minnesota_vikings/8775717.htm ,
• Vatican appoints former Boston archbishop head of a Rome basilica [Law]
   Boston Globe, www.boston.com/dailynews/148/region/Vatican_appoints_former_Boston:.shtml By Jay Lindsay, Associated Press, 5/27/2004
   BOSTON (AP): The pope's appointment of Cardinal Bernard Law to a ceremonial but highly visible post in Rome was met with both outrage and enthusiasm in the archdiocese Law left in disgrace at the height of the clergy sex abuse scandal.
   Law will have the title archpriest of St. Mary Major Basilica, a post often given to retired prelates.
   Pope John Paul II's announcement Thursday came two days after the Boston Archdiocese said it would lose at least 65 parishes as it grapples with declining collections, a shortage of priests and continuing fallout from the scandal.
   The Rev. Bob Bowers from St. Catherine's Church in Charlestown said he was astounded the Vatican would "reward" Law so soon after announcing church closings caused in part by what he considers mismanagement of the archdiocese.
   "It's an utter disgrace and the people of the archdiocese are being burdened by this," he said.
   Jack Shaughnessy, a Boston businessman and longtime friend of Law, said he was delighted by the appointment, adding that Law has borne too much blame for the scandal, in which church officials nationwide, including Law, shifted pedophile priests between parishes for decades while keeping allegations of sexual misconduct a secret.
   St. Mary Major is one of four basilicas under direct Vatican jurisdiction. It has an international staff of priests for the many tourists who visit the city. Law visited the basilica with Vatican officials Thursday afternoon, walking in a side door without commenting to an Associated Press Television crew.
   Law, 72, was named in hundreds of lawsuits accusing him of failing to protect children from known child molesters. After 18 years leading the nation's fourth-largest archdiocese, Law resigned in December 2002 in an effort to diffuse the scandal. Ten months later, Law's successor, Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley, helped broker an $85 million settlement agreement with more than 550 victims of clergy sex abuse.
   A report by the state attorney general concluded that about 1,000 victims were molested by hundreds of priests within the Boston Archdiocese dating back to the 1940s.
   O'Malley released a statement Thursday saying he was praying for Law as he takes up his new ministry.
   Since his resignation, Law has served as resident chaplain at a convent in Maryland. Law has kept close ties with Rome, serving on nine Vatican congregations and councils. He also retained the title of cardinal, leaving open the possibility that he could take another church post and retaining the right to vote in papal elections until he turns 80.
   "There's no question Cardinal Law is held in high esteem and affection by the Holy Father," Shaughnessy said. "This (appointment) gives public affirmation of that."
   Boston attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who represents more than 130 alleged victims of sexual abuse by priests, said that's exactly the wrong message.
   "He apparently is being transferred to a position that is comfortable and appears to be some sort of reward," Garabedian said. "The Vatican either doesn't understand the problem of clergy sex abuse, or it doesn't care."
   Jim Post, head of the lay reform group Voice of the Faithful, said the pope should have censured Law, not elevated him, adding that loyalty appears more important than accountability to the Vatican.
   "Cardinal Law, acting as a church leader, failed thousands of children and millions of Catholics," he said. "To make this appointment is to magnify the problem."
   David Clohessy, spokesman for the sex abuse victim's advocacy group SNAP, said the appointment shows alarming insensitivity by Vatican leaders.
   "We understand that many in the hierarchy consider Law a smart man with some skills," he said in a statement. "We also know, however, that many in the pews consider Law a near criminal with major liabilities."
   Clergy sex abuse victim Jamie Hogan, who said he was molested by the Rev. Joseph Birmingham in Salem in the late 1960s, said Law's appointment didn't bother him, as long as Law is just a figurehead with no power to make decisions like those "that ruined our lives" in Boston.
   "It keeps him in Rome, it keeps him out of the country and away from all the people who suffered," he said. "Maybe he can do some good from what he knows now."
   (Associated Press writer Victor Simpson contributed to this story from Rome.)
• Chicago cardinal defends lay-led sex abuse panel
   http://nationalcatholicreporter.org/update/bn052604.htm
• O'Malley lays out plan for church closings for priests
   www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040527/APN/405270871
• Massive church closures in Boston
   BBC, Britain, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3754669.stm
• Pastors Meet With O'Malley About Church Closings
   www.thebostonchannel.com/news/3352865/detail.html
• Closings were a long time coming
   www.townonline.com/saugus/news/local_regional/sgs_newsaomalleysspc05272004.htm
• Boston's Former Archbishop Bernard F. Law Is Reassigned to Rome
   http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=agoEPvbgmsmM&refer=us
• Springfield Diocese ends support to pedophile priest
   www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040527/APN/405270853
• Letter highlights new schism
   www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040527/COLUMN01/405270356/1010
• Bishop Says Parishioners Don't Have Complete Information On Abuse
   www.thewmurchannel.com/news/3352573/detail.html
• No. 2 bishop rebuts state abuse case
   www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040527/REPOSITORY/405270383/1031 , May 27 2004
• Olmsted starts for Rome to meet pontiff
   www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0527phxrometrip27.html , May 27 2004
• Soul searching over church sins
   www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040526/CATHOLIC26/ Entertainment/Idx
• The long, tough road from abuse victim to survivor
   www.masslive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-0/108564424563500.xml?cnts
• Diocese pressed on land sales
   www.masslive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-4/108564419563500.xml?nnae
• Two more men sue over abuse at school
   www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/108564939056440.xml
• Man sentenced in clergy sex abuse case
   http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040527-080815-6479r.htm , May 27, 2004
• Mediator to tackle church lawsuit
   www.cincypost.com/2004/05/27/dioc052704.html , May 27, 2004
• Catholic officials take offense at Galvin comments
   http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=29561
• Rockford Diocese ordered to turn over records about abusive priest
   www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-priest27.html
• Vatican appoints former Boston archbishop head of a Rome basilica
   www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040527/APN/405270673 , May 27, 2004
• Boston's Ex-Cardinal Law Gets New Job in Rome
   http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=870409&tw=wn_wire_story
• Parish properties seen worth $400m
   www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/148/metro/Parish_properties_seen_worth_400m+.shtml
• Cardinal Law Reassigned To Rome
   www.thebostonchannel.com/news/3351864/detail.html?treets=bos&tml=bos_7am&ts=T&tmi=bos_7am_2075_06000105272004
• Mothers Of Two Teens Sue Former Youth Minister
   www.wbbm780.com/asp/ViewMoreDetails.asp?ID=39837
• Diocese Property Sales
   www.wwlp.com/news2004/story.html?artID=54399
• Church To Sell Property For Sex Abuse Settlement
   www.turnto10.com/news/3349885/detail.html
• 5/27/2004 EDITORIAL
   www.lufkindailynews.com/news/newsfd/auto/feed/news/2004/05/27/1085633939.02632.9092.4 223.html;COXnetJSessionID=A1Vuca4L8OSDecD3q55VHcnE7ZdS5AtBJ2sbS415sm8zdxinZHDt!- 887342970?urac=n&urvf=10856420945440.7752804518669052 ; May 27 2004
• Diocese must be open with parishes
   www.berkshireeagle.com/Stories/0,1413,101~6267~2174846,00.html
• Judge to review priest's files
   www.rrstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040527/NEWS0107/405270331 , May 27 2004
• Former organist sues diocese
   http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20040526-101405-4103r.htm [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 02:11 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Thu May 27, 2004
Religions' sex abuse Chronology, visit: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont82.htm 0
• German child molester granted freedom in WA.
   The West Australian, www.thewest.com.au , Perth, W. Australia, by Sean Cowan, page 1, Thursday May 27 2004
   PERTH: A convicted child molester who raped a WA girl is walking free in a small coastal town because authorities have failed to have him deported to Germany, the country of his birth.
   The Federal Government has been trying to deport 52-year-old Kaschimier Cisinski, who is not an Australian citizen, for seven years but has been unable to find a home for him in Germany, Poland or Israel.
   After becoming eligible for parole on an 11 1/2-year jail sentence in 1997 for a range of sex crimes perpetrated on a young WA girl, he was held in custody awaiting deportation until 18 months ago when a Federal Court judge ordered he be set free pending a hearing of his case.
   Considered by the judge to be a stateless person, Cisinski now lives in Elleker, a small town near Albany, where he must report three times a week to police.
   He also admitted having a criminal conviction for "sexual violation" in Germany, but in February 1982, before he could be jailed, he fled for Australia. [...]
   Cisinski told The West Australian ... corrupt police officers had set him up. [...]
   At his court appearance on Monday of last week, Justice Malcolm Lee indicated he would consider quashing an order to detain Cixinski. He also suggested Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone could revoke the order, which could then be reinstated if a place could be found to which Cisinski could be deported.
   Cisinski has also been convicted of cultivating and possessing cannabis with intent to sell or supply. [...]
   ... had ... a robbery conviction when he left Germany after his marriage, which bore two children, was dissolved.
   Cisinski ... was born to a Polish father who was living in Germany after World War II. He married an Australian in 1982 and was refused citizenship in 1984, but was refused citizenship in 1984, but in 1989 he was granted permanent residency. [...]
   Fewer than 120 people live in the Elleker townsite, 15km from Albany.
   Deportation or jail were the only immediate options, residents said. ... [May 27, 04]
• 'Devious' sex offender's young victim lives in constant fear.
   The West Australian, page 1, Thursday May 27 2004
   PERTH: The mother of the young girl who was raped by a German immigrant is angry her daughter's attacker was ever allowed into the country.
   ... the woman said Kaschimier Cisinski had ruined her daughter's life.
   "We still live in fear," she said. "She has got problems that would never have happened if she had not had contact with someone like him in the first place. If there is a noise at night time she will jump and someone rings and then hangs up she will call me straight away. She is in constant fear.
   ... the entire family had gone into hiding after Cisinski was convicted of five counts of aggravated sexual assault, two counts of sexual assault and one count of rape in 1992.
   Cisinski, a martial arts expert, was a patient but violent man who would reoffend, she said. [...]
   In sentencing Cisinski ... in 1992, Justice Paul Seaman said ... I have the clearest impression of you as a devious, dominant and bullying person ..." [May 27, 04]
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Fri May 28, 2004 edition follows:-
• 'Church should have done more' to monitor priest
   www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-15/1085755648270690.xml [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 05:11 PM]
• Mediator wants to listen
   www.kypost.com/2004/05/28/mediator052804.html
• Priest's Attorney Fights Back
   http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=348&NewsID=550978&CategoryID=7227 &show=localnews&om=1
• He was 'jolly,' compassionate
   http://archives.pottsville.com/archives/2004/May/19/E633057A.htm
• Diocese cuts off funds to ex-priest
   www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/149/metro/Diocese_cuts_off_funds_to_ex_priest+.shtml
• Church files lawsuit over audit delay
   www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040528/REPOSITORY/405280363/1031
• Diocese settles lawsuits
   www.tribune-democrat.com/articles/2004/05/28/news/news01.txt , May 28 2004
• Diocese cuts loose defrocked priest
   www.berkshireeagle.com/Stories/0,1413,101~6283~2177322,00.html
• Abuse scandal to cost diocese $3.7 million
   www.centredaily.com/mld/dailytimes/8783007.htm
• Pastor charged with sex abuse
   www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=164174&r=0&Category=11&external=&newCookie=yes&userID= 81292
• State, diocese clash over sex abuse audit cost
   www.theunionleader.com/articles_showa.html?article=38313
• Heed: auxiliary bishop hasn't changed attitude about clergy sexual abuse
   www.projo.com/ap/ne/1085707388.htm
• Boys raped by church officials, barrister says
   www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1118567.htm
• AG to bishop: Adjust attitude
   www.theunionleader.com/articles_showa.html?article=38309
• Sexual abuse victims outraged over Vatican appointment
   www.abc.net.au/am/content/2004/s1118029.htm
• Organist loses abuse suit involving church vs. state
   http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20040527-103627-1473r.htm , May 27 2004
• Pope names Law to ceremonial position in Rome
   www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/05/28/pope_names_law_to_ceremonial_position_in_rome , May 28, 2004
• Abuse Cases Crimp Diocese Budget
   Abuse Cases Crimp Diocese Budget www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/cal/la-me-ocdiocese28may28,1,6371086.story?coll=la-news-politics-california ; May 28, 2004
• Thief wasn’t known to McSorely
   www.tauntongazette.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1711&dept_id=24232&newsid=11815118&PAG=461 &rfi=9
• School for Scandal
   www.oxfordstudent.com/2004-05-27/ox2/1 , May 27 2004
• 9-11 mediator appointed to settle diocese abuse cases
   www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/05/28/loc_kydiocese28.html , May 28 2004
• Mediator named in clergy sex abuse suit
   www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2004/05/28ky/B5-mediator0528-3337.html
• Law’s Roman holiday: It's home sweet basilica for the disgraced cardinal
   http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=29727
• Law chosen to lead basilica in Rome
   www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/8782282.htm?1c
• Cardinal Law given plum post in Rome
   www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/nation/8783733.htm
• Priest considered for administrative job
   www.tribstar.com/articles/2004/05/27/news/news03.txt , May 27 2004
• Clergy abuse victims group urges sensitivity training for priests
   www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/peninsula/8777442.htm?1c
• Activists try to meet with bishop
   www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article? ID=/20040528/NEWS/405280430/1008/NEWSLETTERS02 [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:15 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Fri May 28, 2004
Religions' sex abuse Chronology, visit: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont82.htm
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Sat May 29, 2004 edition follows:-
• In New Jersey, an Archbishop Conservative and Controversial
   The New York Times, www.nytimes.com/2004/05/30/nyregion/30bishop.html?pagewanted=print , By DAVID KOCIENIEWSKI, May 27, 2004
   NEWARK, N.J., - As a young priest who studied in Rome while the Second Vatican Council was redefining Catholicism, John J. Myers began his clerical career in the late 1960's as part of a progressive wave of clergymen determined to modernize the church's rigid doctrines.
   Yet today, Archbishop Myers is one of a handful of outspoken bishops whose conservatism has become controversial, even in a church which has for a generation been moving toward a stricter adherence to doctrine under the prodding and direction of Pope John Paul II.
   Since becoming archbishop of Newark in October 2001, his assignment to one of the country's most liberal states has led to an assortment of public conflicts that often seem part religious, part cultural.
   Archbishop Myers won the loyalty of many New Jersey priests with his engaging one-on-one style, his eloquent and forceful writing about spiritual issues and a pay raise. But his forceful campaign against abortion frustrates some clergy members, as does his management style, which they say can come across as elitist.
   He has strengthened the archdiocese's finances and initiated an assortment of programs to reach out to New Jersey's burgeoning immigrant communities. But his 2001 ban of eulogies at funeral Masses, which he said were sometimes long and inappropriate, was so unpopular that he had to quickly reverse himself.
   In handling the sexual abuse crisis that has roiled the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, Archbishop Myers has publicly vowed to remove any abusive priests. Yet he has been accused by some in his former diocese in Peoria, Ill., of showing indifference or even antagonism to those who have claimed to be victims of abuse.
   During the past month, Archbishop Myers made national headlines by publishing a pastoral letter declaring that Catholic elected officials who support abortion rights should not receive holy communion. In New Jersey, where polls consistently find that voters have liberal views about abortion, his letter caused an uproar, prompting the State Senate majority leader to say he was leaving the church and causing Gov. James E. McGreevey to announce that he would no longer seek communion during public services. Archbishop Myers's action gave Mr. McGreevey a badly needed lift in public opinion polls.
• Former church volunteer faces new sex abuse charges [Monn]
   Lexington Herald-Leader, www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/8794073.htm , Associated Press
   CATLETTSBURG, Ky. - A former church volunteer already facing more than 100 counts of child sex abuse charges is now facing more charges.
   A Boyd County grand jury indicted Jeffrey Bryan Monn on Thursday on 10 counts of first-degree sexual abuse.
   Boyd County Commonwealth's Attorney J. Stewart Schneider said seven of the charges are new. The other three will replace charges in the original indictment, which had to be dismissed for "technical reasons," he said.
   Monn, 31, now faces a total of 135 sex abuse charges.
   He was first indicted Feb. 11 on 60 counts of first-degree sodomy, 10 counts of attempted first-degree sodomy and 58 counts of first-degree sexual abuse.
• Mediator in church abuse case to begin work soon
   Beacon Journal www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/8793961.htm , Associated Press
   COVINGTON, Ky. - The mediator hired to help settle the nation's first class-action lawsuit against a Roman Catholic diocese over claims of sexual abuse by its priests said his first task will be to meet separately with both sides.
   Kenneth Feinberg, currently the administrator of the government fund for Sept. 11 victims, said he hopes to hold those meetings over the next few weeks. His duties with the Sept. 11 fund end June 15.
   Feinberg has successfully mediated legislation involving Agent Orange, silicone breast implants, heart valves, tobacco and asbestos before being chosen to facilitate out-of-court talks involving the Diocese of Covington.
   Feinberg said he believes his experience with the Sept. 11 fund led to his selection.
   Both cases involve emotional issues, he said. He said he doesn't know the details of the case against the diocese, but he may have a perspective that others don't.
   "The biggest obstacle to the Sept. 11 fund was the emotion of the families," he said. "We overcame it - over 98 percent of eligible families signed in."
• Ex-priest convicted in Aurora and Geneva sex cases begins prison term [1999-2000 Campobello]
   The Courier News, www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/city/e29priest.htm , FROM STAFF REPORTS
   ST. CHARLES TOWNSHIP, ILLINOIS - Former Aurora priest Mark Campobello surrendered to police Friday, two weeks after being convicted of sexually abusing two teenage girls in Geneva and Aurora.
   Campobello was sentenced May 13 to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. He is expected to serve about half that time.
   On Friday, Campobello turned himself in to police before 16th Circuit Judge Timothy Sheldon, as several dozen people watched. He is being held at the Kane County Jail and will be transferred into Illinois Department of Corrections custody early next week, Kane County prosecutor Jody Gleason said.
   In his plea agreement, Campobello admitted to sexual abuse involving penetration and touching sex organs.
   Prosecutors alleged that he repeatedly molested a 14-year-old Geneva girl in early 1999 while he was an associate pastor at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Geneva. The victim was an eighth-grader enrolled at the church's parochial school. The girl, who is now 19, reported the abuse four years later, and Campobello was charged in December 2002.
   That allegation led to charges that Campobello also abused a student at Aurora Central Catholic High School, where he was a teacher and administrator. Prosecutors alleged that he abused the 16-year-old Central student from November 1999 until March 2000.
   Campobello, who was ordained in 1991, was stripped of his duties by the Diocese of Rockford after his arrest. He had served since 2001 as parochial minister at St. James Catholic Church in Belvidere.
• Church cuts ties to Lavigne [40 victims]
   Republican, http://masslive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1085751480202570.xml?nncic , By BILL ZAJAC, wzajac@repub.com , Friday, May 28, 2004
   SPRINGFIELD (MA): Thirty-eight years after Richard R. Lavigne was ordained a Catholic priest in the Springfield diocese and after he allegedly sexually abused at least 40 minors, the final tie between Lavigne and the diocese was severed yesterday.
   The diocese's one-sentence statement yesterday that it will end financial support of Lavigne on May 31 was welcomed by Lavigne's alleged victims and celebrated by St. Michael's Parish in East Longmeadow, which will hand over to the bishop almost $60,000 it had been withholding in protest of the diocese's financial support of Lavigne.
   The parish wants the money used in any future settlements with clergy sexual abuse victims.
   Lavigne, who lives with his mother at 86 Haven Ave., Chicopee, has been receiving a monthly stipend and health and dental benefits since he was removed from ministry in 1991 after his arrest on child molestation charges. The stipend is currently $1,030 monthly, and health benefits are $8,800 annually.
   St. Michael's pastor, the Rev. James J. Scahill, has estimated Lavigne has received $300,000 in benefits in the past 12 years, during which time the diocese settled sexual abuse suits with 17 of his accusers for $1.4 million in the 1990s. It is nearing settlement with 22 of his alleged victims. A $7 million offer is on the table for 46 alleged clergy sexual abuse victims.
   "I am happy to finally learn that a measure of justice has been taken," said alleged Lavigne abuse victim Paul R. Babeu, a patrolman on the Chandler, Ariz., police force.
• Victims' families offered support
   Republican, http://masslive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1085816806182610.xml?nnae ,
   By BILL ZAJAC, wzajac@repub.com , Saturday, May 29, 2004
   SPRINGFIELD (MA): Sandra L. Tessier had often felt isolated dealing with her anger and frustration as the mother of an alleged clergy sexual abuse victim.
   A support group the Springfield resident started several months ago has helped ease her pain.
   Realizing others in the Springfield Diocese may feel as isolated and in need of support, she and other group participants are expanding the group beyond a home setting in the hope that others can be helped.
   The group, which is open to all family members of clergy sexual abuse victims, will hold its first open meeting Tuesday in the community room of the convent behind Sacred Heart Church on Chestnut Street in Springfield.
   "We have all helped each other. Only moms, dads, sisters, brothers and grandparents of clergy sexual abuse victims know how abuse ripples through a family and leaves scars," said Tessier.
   Anonymity of group participants is expected, according to Maryann Lord, a licensed clinical social worker who has been serving as the home group's facilitator.
   "Family members are often fearful of coming forward because there is a fear of jeopardizing the privacy of the victim," said Lord.
• Group Claims Rampant Abuse in Children's Homes [Holy Hedwig Sisters]
   Deutsche Welle Radio, www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1430_A_1220276_1_A,00.html , May 29, 2004
   GERMANY: Nuns, priests and educators in German children's homes systematically abused the young people there, according to a recently-formed lobbying group. It's now demanding a public apology.
   When Marion Zagermann looks back on her childhood, she doesn't remember carefree days playing with friends and being surrounded by loving adults.
   Instead, often through tears, she remembers being chained to a bed at night, to a chair during the day, and being held under cold water until she lost consciousness. In short, she remembers abuse, even torture - all at the hands of people of the church.
   Now Marion and others are coming forth with their stories of abuse in church-sponsored children's homes across Germany. Their association, which hopes to be a forum and interest group for people who spent parts of their childhood in institutions, is meeting in the city of Kassel on Saturday.
   The group's goals are to bring together people with similar abusive pasts in children's homes and set up a databank of their experiences. Members also want to bring the perpetrators, or at least the organizations where they were active, to account.
   "We demand a public apology for the harm that was done to us in these institutions," Jean-Pierre de Picco, chairman of the victims' association, told reporters.
Tales of horror
   According to him, there were around 3,600 children's homes in Germany in the 1950s and 60s, and while abuse did not take place in all of them, the horrific stories of mistreatment are not isolated cases. Of the cases of abuse reported thus far, 90 percent happened in Catholic children's homes.
   "We were beaten and whipped bloody by the nuns, even for the smallest of infractions," Picco said.
   Now an artist and historian for the city of Hamlin, Picco, 46, lived at the "Holy Hedwig Sisters" Catholic boarding school from 1963 to 1972, which has since been closed.
   He describes nine years of fear due to continual physical and psychological abuse, including beatings with thorny branches, immersions in hot water until his skin was red and burnt, and sexual abuse. Fridays were especially bad for the young Picco, since fish, which he hated, was served in the cafeteria on that day. Usually he threw up on the tray and was forced to eat it all again. For decades afterward he wasn't able to talk about his experiences and it was only in the mid-1990s that the repressed memories exploded on the surface. "I cried rivers," he said. After the newsmagazine Der Spiegel reported his story some 500 people contacted the publication with similar stories. It was then that he decided to create a formal organization to represent children abused in homes from 1945 to1985. At the founding in January of this year in the largely Catholic city of Paderborn, it counted 70 members. "What happened to us, must have happened to hundreds of thousands of others," he told reporters, the results often being addictive behavior, panic attacks, recurrent nightmares and depression as adults.
Taliban regime
   Gisela N. was one of the thousands. At the age of 15 she was placed in a home in the city of Dortmund where she was kept virtual prisoner, unable to leave the house, for two years and spent much of the time in solitary confinement, once because she sang an Elvis song. The 58-year-old compares the administration at the children's home as a Catholic "Taliban regime" and like most of the abuse kids, left the church long ago. She kept her story to herself for years and only came forward after seeing the 2003 film "The Magdalene Sisters," based on the real experiences of Irish girls sent to work in abusive conditions in laundries run by a religious order. "It was a terror regime, a combination of Nazi ideology and fanatical Catholicism," she said. While there were a few nuns, priests and teachers who were kind, they were quickly driven off by the abusers. Picco says a public apology from the Catholic church would help victims work through the mistreatment. His association would also like a one-time compensation payment. So far, however, there Catholic church has kept silent about the accusations. For Marion Zagermann, that silence has to be broken and lessons have to be learned. Her coming forward is part of the first step. "I never want to hear again people saying 'times back then were just like that'," she said. DW staff (jam) #
• Ironbound native likely to head Paterson diocese
   Star-Ledger, www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-15/1085812218122210.xml , BY JEFF DIAMANT, Star-Ledger Staff, Saturday, May 29, 2004
   PATERSON (NJ): The Roman Catholic diocese of Paterson is likely to announce Tuesday that its next bishop will be Arthur J. Serratelli, now an auxiliary bishop in the Newark archdiocese, a church source said yesterday.
   Serratelli, 60, a native of Newark's Ironbound neighborhood, is the Newark archdiocese's vicar general -- its second-highest position -- and has been a respected professor of sacred scripture at Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University.
   He could not be reached for comment yesterday, and no one would publicly confirm his naming as Paterson bishop. Appointments of bishops come from the Vatican and are kept secret until the last minute. ...
   The Paterson Diocese is home to New Jersey's most notorious case in the clergy sex abuse scandal. At St. Joseph's in Mendham, more than a dozen people accused the former Rev. James Hanley of having molested them as children.
   Rodimer's reputation as a fair-minded and pastoral bishop was tarnished by the sex abuse scandal that rocked the Catholic church.
   The diocese forced Hanley to retire in 1988, but it was not until last year that Hanley was removed from the priesthood. Rodimer has acknowledged he underestimated the seriousness of the allegations until it was too late to prosecute.
   Buddy Cotton, head of the New Jersey chapter of the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests, said he had a positive experience with Serratelli in 2002.
• Priest charged with child porn [2003 Kornacki]
   The Morning Call, www.mcall.com/news/local/all-b1_2priestmay29,0,6654846.story?coll=all-newslocal-hed , By Steve Wartenberg, May 29, 2004
   PENNSYLVANIA: One of five people indicted by a Philadelphia federal grand jury on child pornography charges Thursday is a Catholic priest who spent six-plus years at a Quakertown church.
   The Rev. Matthew Kornacki, 57, is charged with one count of possessing digital images of child pornography on his computer while he lived at the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Montgomery County, in July.
   Kornacki served as assistant pastor of Quakertown's St. Isidore's Church from November 1985 to June 1992.
   The Rev. Fred Riegler, pastor at St. Isidore's, said he has known Kornacki for years and was shocked by the charges.
   "He had a great reputation as a hard-working priest and people love him," said Riegler, who came to St. Isidore's in 1998. "When he left here , I heard they had a reception and used the school gym - and it was packed. That gives you an idea of how well-liked he was."
   Prosecutors didn't release details of Kornacki's case, but said the images were discovered July 16.
   If convicted, Kornacki faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
• Group protests priest's possible appointment [2003 Ashmore]
   Indianapolis Star, www.indystar.com/articles/7/150754-3157-009.html , May 29, 2004
   INDIANAPOLIS (IN): A handful of people demonstrated Friday outside the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis to protest the possible appointment of the Rev. Ronald M. Ashmore to three rural Indiana churches.
   Ashmore, 59, was pastor of St. Margaret Mary Church in Terre Haute when he was arrested a year ago on allegations that he solicited sex from an undercover police officer. The church placed him on administrative leave.
   Seven members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests held signs outside offices at 1400 N. Meridian St. They said they are concerned that Ashmore is being considered for administrator and sacramental minister of churches 65 miles southeast of Indianapolis.
• Ex-priest begins sentence for abuses [Campobello]
   Chicago Daily Herald, www.dailyherald.com/kane/main_story.asp?intID=3813665 , By Tona Kunz, Posted Saturday May 29, 2004
   ILLINOIS: Former Geneva priest Mark Campobello traded in his clerical collar for handcuffs Friday to begin his eight-year prison sentence.
   The 39-year-old turned himself in to Kane County Judge Timothy Sheldon and was transported to the Kane County jail after being handcuffed in front of his victims and close to two dozen people from the community he had vowed to shepherd.
   "It's good to have closure," said Geneva Police Detective Joe Heinrich as he left the courtroom.
   Campobello declined to answer questions from the media and didn't make eye contact with crowd in the courtroom. Instead, his eyes darted about and he wiped sweat from his brow while he waited his turn before the judge.
   He pleaded guilty May 13 to counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against a 14-year-old from St. Peter's School Elementary School in Geneva and a 16-year-old from Aurora Central Catholic High School.
   He faces eight years in prison, but could get out earlier with time off for good behavior.
   "Is it enough? No. It probably isn't enough," said Assistant State's Attorney Jody Gleason. "The girls were happy with it. We are happy with it. But I don't know if you can ever put a number on what happened to these girls."
• Father Sam at ease a year into priesthood
   The Salt Lake Tribune, www.sltrib.com/2004/May/05292004/saturday/saturday.asp , By Peggy Fletcher Stack, May 29 2004
   MIDVALE (UT): It's 6:30 a.m. on Monday and the Rev. Samuel Dinsdale gulps down his morning coffee and heads for early morning Mass at the Carmelite Monastery across town. There may be only six cloistered nuns and a few others there, but Father Sam can't be late. He's in charge.
   At precisely 7:30, Father Sam strolls to the front of the small chapel, kisses the altar, and leads the sleepy believers scattered around the pews in a cappella hymn-singing. ...
   Setting boundaries: At Father Sam's ordination, Bishop George H. Niederauer told him that a priest's private life and personal relationships must be consistent with "the sacred actions he performs."
   Alluding to more than 1,200 U.S. priests accused of sexual misconduct, Niederauer said, "They led double lives, betrayed their calling, and the church has suffered grievously for their sins."
   In 2002, U.S. bishops adopted a strict zero tolerance rule for priests, and at seminary, the candidates were grilled repeatedly and warned about inappropriate sexual behavior.
   Despite the large-scale media coverage of the sexual abuse scandal, Father Sam says most St. Therese parishioners are still very trusting. He works hard to maintain personal boundaries. He does not invite them to his house or socialize with them.
   "I am not their friend. I am 'Father Sam,' " he says.
   At confession, he hears some of their deepest secrets, problems and fears. They talk of abuse or addiction, which may have social and psychological roots, yet many Latinos attribute these conditions to the presence of "demons."
   "They sometimes want an exorcism," he says. "They don't prepare you for that in seminary."
• Priest's Attorney Fights Back [Imming]
   Alva Review Courier, http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=348&NewsID=550978&CategoryID=7227&show=localnews&om=1 ; By Helen Barrett, 05/28/04
   OKLAHOMA: Enid attorney Stephen Jones has filed a motion with the Oklahoma County District Court asking for a sanction against Philip Schovanec and his counsel for statements made against Jones' client, Father David Imming.
   In the original case filed by Schovanec against Imming, the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and Reverend Eusebious J. Beltran, Schovanec accused Imming of misconduct involving alcohol and sexual abuse of minors.
   Jones' motion requests the Court to order limiting and restricting disclosure of discovery materials and extrajudicial statements by the plaintiff and his counsel.
   The May 14 motion cites press releases sent to three states from Wendle Turley's office, one of the plaintiff's counsel, which Jones states contain untrue claims.
   "Three of the most egregious misstatements in the press release were the allegations that Father Imming had admitted to misconduct involving alcohol and sexual abuse of minors," Jones stated. "He never made such admissions to anyone. The claims are untrue and false."
• Pentecostal Pastor Convicted Of Stealing $1.2 Million [Martin]
   WWLP, www.wwlp.com/news2004/story.html?artID=55441
   SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS (AP) - A Pentecostal pastor from Springfield is convicted of stealing $1.2 million. Paulette Martin was convicted in US District Court in Springfield yesterday. Prosecutors say she bilked the money from people who thought they were helping out a man in need in Trinidad. Martin will be sentenced in August. Her roommate, Renee Smith, pleaded guilty in March to taking part in the scam. Smith will be sentenced next month.
• Man accused of boys' abuse [Hogan]
   Beacon Journal, www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/8789405.htm?1c By Kymberli Hagelberg
   CANTON (OH): A Canton man who has worked as a pastor, coach and teacher at churches and religious schools in Stark County has been charged with molesting young boys.
   Mark John Hogan, 32, has been charged with one count of felony sexual battery.
   On Friday, Hogan remained in the Stark County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bond. He is scheduled for arraignment June 4.
   Police are investigating assaults on eight other teen-age boys, ages 14 to 17. Investigators expect to find more victims. They hope news of Hogan's arrest will help others come forward.
   Although all of the cases thus far are in Canton, police think there may be victims in Akron and surrounding areas as well.
   "Through the years, he has worked all over, and also served as a basketball coach," said Canton police Capt. Thomas Ream, head of the investigative department. "His jobs gave him access to large numbers of juveniles, from a mentoring perspective, that he then took advantage of."
• Bishop says church serious about getting rid of abusive priests
   Catholic News Service, www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/20040528.htm , By Cindy Wooden, May 28 2004
   ROME (CNS) -- An international group of English-speaking bishops is serious about ridding the church of sexually abusive priests and is committed to making the Catholic Church a model safe environment for children, said an Australian bishop.
   Archbishop Philip Wilson of Adelaide was the organizer of a May 24-27 meeting in Rome of 30 bishops, religious superiors and church child protection officers from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Great Britain, Ireland, the United States, Canada and Jamaica.
   The bishops are committed to acknowledging the problem, making sure "people who do this are stopped, that the laws of the land are fulfilled and that the victims and those associated with them are cared for and looked after," the archbishop told Catholic News Service May 28.
   "At the same time," Archbishop Wilson said, "it is not enough just to look back at things that have gone wrong, but we must work out a way in which the church can be a light to others by the way that it takes up the issue of child protection."
• Charges grow in Australian sex abuse case [Brandenburg] Anglican
   Big News Network, http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=96461e5e46df28a5 , Saturday 29th May, 2004
   ADELAIDE (SA) AUSTRALIA: Anglican church officials in Australia have been accused in a sexual misconduct case of raping and drugging young boys.
   The charge against the church's Adelaide diocese comes from a lawyer for a group of people suing over child sex abuse, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. said.
   The suit originated last year on behalf of 26 men who claimed they were sexually abused by Anglican Church youth leader Robert Brandenburg.
   Brandenburg committed suicide after being charged with sex crimes.
   Barrister Susan Litchfield says since the action was launched another 29 people have come forward with similar allegations.
• Aretakis wants to meet in public [Hubbard]
   Capital News 9, www.capitalnews9.com/content/headlines/?ArID=76751&SecID=33 , By Edward Muir, 6:50 PM, 5/28/2004
   ALBANY (NY): Attorney John Aretakis talked about Mary Jo White and her investigation into sex abuse allegations against Bishop Howard Hubbard. Aretakis and White have been trading nasty letters about where and when they might meet. Aretakis insisted he will only meet White in public with the media present.
   "They're just absolutely afraid to meet with me in public, and I don't know what's wrong with in public because if I do ask her something about the investigation, she would say I can't answer that because it's part of the investigation, and of course I would abide by that," Aretakis said.
   White was hired by the Diocesan Sexual Misconduct Review Board to look into sexual abuse claims against Bishop Hubbard involving Thomas Zalay, who committed suicide in 1978, and Anthony Bonneau. She is paid $770 an hour by the diocese, and Aretakis said she therefore cannot conduct an impartial investigation. Zalay's brother, Andrew, agreed.
   "The Bishop hired and retained Mary Jo White to clear Bishop Hubbard. Because that is her purpose and is why she was hired, she is not independent and has conflict of interest," Zalay said.
• Portland Archdiocese faces 4 suits [Sullivan, Larkin, Joseph (Price), 1960s-80s Laughlin]
   The Oregonian, www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/108574573688130.xml , By ASHBEL S. GREEN, Friday, May 28, 2004
   PORTLAND (OR): Four new lawsuits accuse three Roman Catholic priests and a nun of sexually abusing children.
   The suits, which seek a total of more than $15 million, name Gregory Sullivan, John Larkin, Theresa Joseph and Thomas Laughlin.
   Sullivan was a priest in the Portland Archdiocese from 1979 to 1984, according to Bud Bunce, a church spokesman.
   Larkin was ordained as a diocesan priest in 1931. He died in 1995, Bunce said.
   Joseph also was known as Dolores Price, according to the lawsuit. Bunce said he did not know who she was.
   Laughlin was ordained in 1948. He worked in various capacities as a priest and a teacher in Portland and Corvallis until he was convicted of molesting two boys in 1983. Laughlin, who spent about six months in jail, later resigned from the church, according to Bunce. More than 20 people have accused him of molesting them between 1960 and the early 1980s.
• Rome perch wrong message [Law]
   Boston Herald, http://news.bostonherald.com/opinion/view.bg?articleid=29660 , By Boston Herald editorial staff, Friday, May 28, 2004
   BOSTON (MA): The Archdiocese of Boston is forced to sell off its 43-acre Lake Street property and shutter dozens of parishes. Victims of clergy sexual abuse continue to wrestle with their own private demons even with a cash settlement in hand.
   And the man most responsible for all of that needless pain, Bernard Cardinal Law, is going off to Rome. Now that's some message from the Vatican!
   Virtually forced into retirement, Law had been leading an appropriately quiet life as resident chaplain at a Maryland convent. But yesterday Vatican officials announced that Pope John Paul II had named Law archpriest of St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome. While the position is largely ceremonial, it is nevertheless an honor -- an honor for a man who dishonored his church and the people it serves.
• Bills aim to make clergy 'fess up
   Troy Record, www.troyrecord.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11815863&BRD=1170&PAG=461&dept_id=7021&rfi=6 ; By James V. Franco, 05/28/2004
   ALBANY (NY): The Senate's latest version of a bill mandating clergy to report allegations of sexual abuse could be voted on as early as Tuesday, but the bill is still a bit different from the one passed by the Assembly in January.
   "From my point of view, I would like to see two extremely similar bills passed by both houses, then let the public and those with a vested interest decide," said Assemblyman Jack McEneny, D-Albany, the bill's sponsor in that chamber. "I am comfortable with what we already passed."
   Sen. Steve Saland, R-Poughkeepsie, did tighten up his bill by putting age limitations on who "people of authority" are, but many feel it is still too broad and would scare young people away from seeking treatment from doctors or counselors.
   The so-called "high school sweetheart" glitch emerged from the fear that a 17-year-old would not seek treatment if he or she was sexually active with an 18-year-old partner, which is technically considered statutory rape and would have to be reported by a counselor or doctor.
   In the latest version, Saland answers the dilemma by requiring any of some two dozen professions that are mandated reporters to report abuse to law enforcement if it is committed by a person over 19 years old against a person younger than 14, or if the abuse is committed by someone over 21 years old against someone younger than 16.
• White to move on without Aretakis [Hubbard]
   Troy Record, www.troyrecord.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11815913&BRD=1170&PAG=461&dept_id=7021&rfi=6 , By Robert Cristo, 05/28/2004
   ALBANY (NY): Attorney Mary Jo White is prepared to move forward in her investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against Albany Bishop Howard Hubbard without any potential evidence from clients of attorney John Aretakis.
   White this week issued Aretakis an ultimatum that if she did not hear from him by Thursday, she would take it to mean he is declining to cooperate with her investigation.
   White was hired in February by the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese Review Board at more than $700 an hour to issue a public report on widespread homosexual allegations against Hubbard. She was looking to conduct interviews with Aretakis' clients Andrew Zalay and Anthony Bonneau.
   Zalay claimed a sexual relationship his brother had with Hubbard caused him to commit suicide in 1978, while Bonneau contends he encountered Hubbard while working as a male prostitute in Albany in the 1970s.
   White was asking Aretakis to allow her to perform forensic testing on the original suicide note written by Thomas Zalay to determine its authenticity.
   "It is regrettable that the parties who have publicly accused Bishop Hubbard have declined to be interviewed or to permit the independent testing of the original typed document made public by Andrew Zalay," said White in a release.
• Deal fueled by desire to avoid trial [$US 3.7m to 21]
   Altoona Mirror, www.altoonamirror.com/news/story/0529202004_new01settle.asp , By Phil Ray
   PENNSYLVANIA: The settlement of priest sexual abuse lawsuits against the Altoona-Johnstown Catholic Diocese came about to avoid a lengthy, traumatic court battle that could have lasted years, spokesmen for both sides said.
   Bishop Joseph Adamec said the church's money is better spent compensating the individuals who say they were molested by priests instead of funding a lengthy court battle.
   The diocese will pay $3.7 million to 21 adults in a settlement announced Thursday, ending 13 cases rolling toward trial.
• Wineke: Church's response to sex scandal defies logic [Law, 550 perpetrators, $US 85m, 65 closures]
   Wisconsin State Journal, www.madison.com/wisconsinstatejournal/features/75292.php , Bill Wineke, 5/28/04
   UNITED STATES: Ever wonder what the Vatican thinks about the sex-abuse scandal in the church?
   Pope John Paul II gave the answer Thursday: He appointed the American bishop most associated with the cover up of pervert priests to a new, prestigious job in Rome.
   Cardinal Bernard Law, 72, who resigned as Archbishop of Boston in 2002 after investigations showed he covered up the sins of some of the worst abusers in the nation, will be the new archpriest of St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome.
   The post is, apparently, largely ceremonial, but it restores Law to a position of honor and puts him in Rome, where his status as a cardinal will assure him a voice in all sorts of Vatican policies. When the day comes that the pope dies, Law will be one of those handful of men who pick his successor.
   Sometimes I think I should stop writing about this subject. Nothing ever changes. When things - like the sexual-abuse scandal - pop up that embarrass the church's leaders, they mouth pieties, pass resolutions, and then go back to business as usual.
   But every revelation these days seems to be more eye-popping than the one that preceded it.
   Cardinal Law's job announcement came a day after the Archdiocese of Boston announced it was closing at least 65 parishes. That's one-fifth of the 375 parishes that make up the Boston church. It came a few months after the diocese agreed to pay $85 million to victims of some 550 pedophile priests, most of whom thrived during Law's tenure. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 01:11 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Sat May 29, 2004
Religions' sex abuse Chronology, visit: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont82.htm
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Sun May 30, 2004 edition follows:-
• Slaughter of innocence
   U.S. Catholic, www.uscatholic.org/2002/06/featc0206.htm , by Clarissa Pinkola Estés
   UNITED STATES: When King Herod the Great learned from the Magi that they were seeking a newborn child who would become king over all, he ordered a slaughter of the innocents. Herod, then 75 years old, was not new to murderous revenges - and he would eventually kill his own grown son. Rather than risk losing his estate, he instead ragefully ordered that all of Bethlehem's precious boy babies under 2 years of age be murdered in their cradles.
   Pick up your Bible, and surely the very page weeps blood as you read, "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more" (Matt. 2:18).
   The anguished Rachel is awakened again today. Who here cannot hear the terrible weeping for the children of our own time? Lord, hear our prayer. Awaken us. May the slaughter of innocents never be allowed again.
   But today we have to do more than just pray. Let us learn the harsh facts and not turn away. Let us act, link arms across the world to better protect all children. I think I speak for many Catholics when I say we could not be one ounce more heartsick and strewn with ashes than we are right now over hearing of some priests using children for sexual gratification. Let this be our prayer, forever and always: Awaken. Be awake. Remain awake. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:09 PM]
• State, diocese clash over sex abuse audit cost
   The Union Leader, www.theunionleader.com/articles_showa.html?article=38313 , By SCOTT BROOKS, Union Leader Correspondent
   NASHUA (New Hampshire) - The state and the Catholic Diocese of Manchester are headed to court to resolve a dispute over a series of long-awaited audits of the church’s sexual abuse policy reforms.
   The diocese’s law firm - Nixon, Peabody LLT of Manchester - filed suit yesterday in hopes of expediting the audit process. The motion in Hillsborough County Superior Court asks Judge Carol Ann Conboy to order the state to perform the first audit as mandated in a 2002 agreement between the state and the diocese.
   Under the agreement, the first audit was due at the end of last year. The agreement calls for a total of five audits, ending Dec. 31, 2007.
   In Nashua last night, Attorney General Peter Heed said the state and the diocese disagree over who should foot the bill for the audits.
   The agreement is not specific on this point, but Heed, who addressed the issue with members of Voice of the Faithful last night at Millette Manor, said the state has always believed the diocese should pay.
• Woman faces 20 years for stealing from Congregational church [$US 140,000]
   Rockford Register Star, Woman faces 20 years for stealing from church www.rrstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040527/NEWS0107/405270318&category=NEWS0107 , By CORINA CURRY, May 27, 2004
   ROCKFORD (IL): A Pecatonica woman faces up to 20 years in prison for embezzling at least $140,000 from Second Congregational Church from August 2000 to July 2003.
   Jannine McKee, 36, the church's former financial secretary, pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Rockford to the criminal charge of wire fraud stemming from her unauthorized use of the church's credit card.
   As part of her plea agreement, McKee admitted that she used the church's American Express business card to purchase clothing, food, vacation lodging, entertainment, gifts, pet supplies and gas, all for personal use.
   The church, founded in 1849 at 318 N. Court St., has about 900 members.
   "The people of Second Congregational Church ... acknowledge that we have unfortunately joined the long list of churches and other community organizations that have suffered financial loss due to employee misconduct," church leadership said in a prepared statement released Wednesday morning.
• Bubba Ginsberg- Redneck Picaso of Southern English [Lavigne]
   Bubba Ginsberg, http://bubbaginsberg.com , July 28, 2004
   MASSACHUSETTS: Yesterday was a banner day for a group of New England Catholics. Their efforts finally paid off when Bishop Timothy McDonnell awoke from his slumber and ended all financial support to laicized priest, convicted pedophile and suspected murderer Richard Lavigne. After many years and millions of dollars it is way past the time to cut off Chester the Molester and close the filthy book on his sorry a*s. Lavigne is the perfection of rottenness and is a postule on society's rump that needs to be lanced and washed away. Or in Southern terminology, he needs to be tarred and feathered. But I digress.
   Kudos to Bishop McDonnell for finding his conjones' and doing the right thing after f*rting around with it for as long as he could. Now, if he will only apologize to Father James Scahill, (the one who has been a man of courage, character and integrity all along), for his comparison of Scahill to Lavigne. McDonnell gives the impression that he will not be told what to do and that no apology is forthcoming. Padre, stop acting liking a horses' a*s and apologize, you were wrong, it happens and it is up to you to make it right.
   And if my story for today ended right there it would be a good one. Unfortunately that is not the case. As always, the hierarchy of the Catholic Church has thrown a propitious little caveat into Mon's story, one which will try the soul of the most patient of saints which we all know, I ain't.
   Let us go back a little in history, not too far, but a few months. In Boston, located in the Gay State, Cardinal Bishop Law was fighting tooth and nail to keep his lofty position as Cardinal in the Boston Archdiocese. Almost everyone in America watched this Legend in his Mirror flit around like a pouter pigeon, ignoring those who had been abused by perverted priests, choosing instead to be a protector and enabler of the sodomites under his supervision. Not a big surprise there nor is it the first time this has happened, but Law was, in my opinion, by far the most arrogant and obnoxious of the pack of wild beasts parading as Priests, Bishops and Cardinals.
• Files handed over in nun's murder case [1980 Robinson]
   Cleveland Plain Dealer, www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1085477529183842.xml , Associated Press, Tuesday, May 25, 2004
   TOLEDO (OH): Prosecutors turned over documents and a videotaped interview to lawyers representing a priest accused of killing a nun 24 years ago in a ritualistic slaying.
   Both sides met in Lucas County Common Pleas Court for a brief pretrial hearing on Monday.
   Prosecutors gave defense lawyers 107 pages of documents along with a videotape of an interview authorities conducted with the Rev. Gerald Robinson.
   Robinson, who was not at the hearing, is charged with strangling and stabbing Sister Margaret Ann Pahl over Easter weekend in 1980. He has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder.
   Robinson, long a suspect in the death of Pahl, 71, was arrested April 23. Pahl's body was discovered in a chapel at Mercy Hospital, covered by an altar cloth. Investigators have described the killing as ritualistic.
   Investigators reopened the murder case in December after the county prosecutor's office received a letter, prosecutors said. They would not say who sent the letter or what it said.
• Murder trial of priest unlikely to occur in '04
   Toledo Blade, www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040525/NEWS02/405250353/-1/NEWS , May 25 2004
   TOLEDO (OH): Gary Cook, an assistant Lucas County prosecutor, says it's unlikely a Roman Catholic priest indicted for the 1980 aggravated murder of a nun will stand trial before the end of the year.
   Before a pretrial hearing in Lucas County Common Pleas Court yesterday, prosecutors gave the defense team for the Rev. Gerald Robinson 107 pages of documents and a videotaped interview with the priest. Judge Patrick Foley set another hearing for July 13. The judge said a trial date might be set then.
   Mr. Cook said afterward he doesn't know when the trial will start, but it might be difficult to begin it before year's end.
• Preliminary hearing for priest delayed [Liberatore]
   Scranton Times Tribune, www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11783471&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=416046&rfi=6
   SCRANTON (PA): The Rev. Albert M. Liberatore Jr.'s preliminary hearing on indecent contact and corrupting-a-minor charges, scheduled for Monday, has been delayed at least a month.
   The delay is to allow prosecutors in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties to decide what charges should be filed and where, First Assistant District Attorney Gene Talerico told District Justice John J. Mercuri.
   The current charges arise from an incident in Rev. Liberatore's office at St. Thomas Hall at the University of Scranton when he was 38 and his alleged victim was 17.
   However, the Luzerne County district attorney's office is investigating allegations of contact with the boy in Duryea when he was 15.
• Activists target embattled judge, priest
   The Citizens' Voice, www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11764009&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=455154&rfi=6 , By Elizabeth Skrapits, 05/21/2004
   PENNSYLVANIA: A parents advocacy group known for its protests against Monroe County Judge Mark Pazuhanich is planning to speak out against him again Saturday, but the embattled judge won't be the group's only target.
   Heads Held High also intends to tackle the issue of a Scranton priest accused of indecent assault.
   Heads Held High Chairman Bruce Bayer said Pazuhanich would be one target at a civil rights rally to start at noon Saturday in front of the Monroe County Courthouse in Stroudsburg.
   For the last two months, Heads Held High has been circulating a petition to Gov. Ed Rendell, asking for indecent assault on a child to be upgraded from a misdemeanor to a felony. The petition will be available for signatures at the rally.
   The statewide petition drive was inspired by Pazuhanich, as was the creation of Heads Held High. The group has previously staged rallies at the Stroudsburg courthouse.
• Judge denies detox for alleged thief [Blames RCC, yet attacks Baptist church as well]
   The Taunton Gazette, http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&edition=us&ie=UTF-8 &scoring=d&q=raped+priest&btnG=Search+News , By R.J. HALLIDAY, 05/26/2004
   TAUNTON (MA): A Boston man was charged yesterday with robbing and vandalizing two city churches last weekend.
   Gerard Cribbie Jr., 36, of Boston, was arraigned yesterday in Taunton District Court on charges he allegedly stole two donation boxes holding about $250 from St. Anthony’s Church on School Street Saturday night and allegedly broke into and vandalized Winthrop Street Baptist Church Sunday night. Cribbie is also suspected of stealing a combination VCR/DVD player from the New Testament Baptist Church on Rt. 140 in Norton Saturday night.
   Cribbie, an admitted drug addict and alcoholic, claims to have a grudge against the Catholic church because his late friend was driven to suicide earlier this year after he was allegedly molested by a notorious pedophile priest.
   Cribbie told police he was targeting churches to "avenge the death of his friend Patrick McSorely," said Assistant District Attorney Garrett R. Fregault.
   According to his defense attorney, John Dingee, Cribbie claims to have been "a good friend" of the late McSorely, one of more than 100 men who alleged to have been fondled or raped by Father John Geoghan.
• Bishop spin: Christian discredits church again
   The Union Leader, www.theunionleader.com/articles_showa.html?article=38377
   NEW HAMPSHIRE: The deceit continues to flow from the Diocese of Manchester.
   Last week Auxiliary Bishop Francis Christian infuriated many and drew a pointed rebuke from the state attorney general. While speaking at St. Mark Church in Londonderry, (ironically, on the subject of moral choices) the bishop was confronted with questions about the child sex abuse scandal. He hotly responded: "You are acting on information that is partial and not complete. There are many, many complicating facts here that you do not know."
   He went on to say that the state attorney general’s report on the abuse scandals was based on "what perpetrator priests said," and that made it a slanted account of what happened.
   The attorney general’s report is based on much more than "what perpetrator priests said," as Christian well knows. It contains priest personnel files and other internal church documents, as well as interviews with victims.
   Whatever holes the report has are largely the fault of Christian and his boss, Bishop John McCormack, who deceived victims and investigators, and stonewalled the state’s attempts to get information on the crimes.
• A reforming group spawned from scandal [Muller, Nobel Peace Prize, anti-nuclear reformer, founded VOTF]
   Indianapolis Star, www.indystar.com/articles/6/150597-7896-021.html , May 29, 2004
   INDIANAPOLIS: Dr. James Muller is an Indianapolis native who helped found International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. He is also the founding president of Voice of the Faithful (VOTF), a controversial organization founded in suburban Boston when the sex abuse of children by Catholic priests and the cover-up by Boston archdiocesan officials were first revealed.
   Keep the Faith, Change the Church is an account of the founding of this organization in a church basement in 2002. It has since become a national organization with a membership in excess of 30,000, with 200 affiliates from Florida to Alaska. Along the way it has met considerable opposition from conservative Catholics and from the Catholic Church's hierarchy.
   Muller did not expect this opposition. He was convinced that VOTF was a legitimate organization of dedicated mainline Catholic lay men and women whose only goal was to rebuild and improve the church after the sex-abuse tragedy. He was typical of the devout Catholics who were angered by the scandal. He graduated from St. Joan of Arc Grade School and Cathedral High School in Indianapolis before attending the University of Notre Dame and then Johns Hopkins Medical School.
   The book's title is VOTF's motto. The organization has three goals: be responsive to the sex-abuse survivors, support clergy of integrity, and shape structural change within the church. The first two goals were not controversial, but the third was. Although members emphasized that they wanted to change only the way the church conducts its business -- "changing structure, not doctrine" -- it was this goal that provoked opposition.
   Muller and co-author Charles Kenney, a former Boston Globe reporter and editor, detail Cardinal Bernard Law's antagonism toward VOTF as well as the cold treatment members of the organization received when they attended a meeting of the U.S. Catholic bishops.
• 2 parishes say they'll fight to stay open
   Boston Globe, www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/05/30/2_parishes_say_theyll_fight_to_stay_open , By Joanna Massey, May 30, 2004
   MASSACHUSETTS: St. Susanna in Dedham and St. Albert the Great in Weymouth are among 15 parishes south of Boston to be closed under a consolidation plan announced by Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley on Tuesday.
   The closings will reduce the number of parishes in the 41 communities in the south region of the archdiocese from 80 to 65. Overall, the archdiocese is slated to shrink from 357 parishes to 292.
   Parishioners at St. Albert, one of five Catholic parishes in Weymouth, say they plan to file an appeal with the archdiocese and are considering a court injunction to halt the closing.
   Mary Akoury, a member of the Parish Council, said a letter will be distributed to all parishioners during today's Masses outlining details of the appeal process, which she said allows 30 days for a response from the archdiocese.
   "We've already set things in motion to gather as much information as possible to support the appeal," Akoury said. "We're going to explore every avenue."
   At St. Susanna in Dedham, the Rev. Stephen Josoma and members of the Parish Council sent a letter of appeal to the archdiocese the day the closings were announced.
   Like their counterparts at St. Albert, they say they believe their priest and parish were targeted: Josoma for signing a letter calling for the resignation of Cardinal Bernard F. Law following the sex abuse scandal, and parishioners for participating in an outspoken chapter of the lay group Voice of the Faithful.
   "I have no doubt that this is a strike against him and us," said parishioner and Voice of the Faithful leader Elizabeth Murray. "Here we have a man who speaks the truth. They want to rein him in."
   Last week, Murray and her husband, Jim, wrote a letter to O'Malley, urging him to "give the true story behind these closings."
   "Bishop Sean, when you chose to make the Cathedral your home . . . it was a hopeful sign that you would be in touch with the faithful of this archdiocese," the letter reads. "Sadly, this doesn't seem to be so. As our bishop, it is your role to be accountable to all of us who make up this church."
• Church tackles sex abuse issue
   Beacon Journal, www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/local/states/ohio/counties/summit_county/8797664. htm?ERIGHTS=2047966239814456438ohio::kashaw@peoplepc.com&KRD_RM= 3rrmsojkosqnksjjjjjjjjkjjp|Kathleen|Y
   OHIO: Gail Angeletti was less than thrilled at having to attend a recent training session at St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church in Coventry Township to learn about the sexual abuse of children.
   "I didn't really think I would get anything from this training," said Angeletti, a mother of four daughters from Summit County's Franklin Township. "I thought I knew everything I needed to know."
   But at the end of the three-hour program, she had a different view.
   "I've always figured that my children were surrounded by safe people," she said. "After this, I'm not so sure. I know now that I need to go home and talk with them."
   Angeletti was at the VIRTUS program because she works as an accountant at Catholic Social Services and volunteers as Sunday school preschool coordinator at St. Francis De Sales.
   Some 40,000 employees and volunteers in the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, which includes Summit, Medina and Wayne counties, are now taking the VIRTUS course, called Protecting God's Children.
• Rome's new cardinal sin [Law]
   BOSTON (MA): Boston Globe, www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/05/30/romes_new_cardinal_sin , By Eileen McNamara, Globe Columnist, May 30, 2004
   Talk about the Death of Irony.
   It wasn't enough to evict parishioners from 65 churches in the scandal-stained Archdiocese of Boston? The Vatican had to choose the same week to install the chief architect of this disaster in a Roman basilica?
   Set aside the fundamental depravity of rewarding an unindicted coconspirator in serial child rape with a plush posting to the Eternal City. How much clearer a signal could the Roman Catholic Church send to the faithful that it administers justice in two tiers, one for the laity and another for its clerics?
   Before the Rev. Christopher Coyne, the archdiocesan spokesman, calls to remind me of the central role of forgiveness in Catholic theology, how about a review of the concept of repentance? It was still a prerequisite for forgiveness the last time I checked my Baltimore Catechism.
   Saying the occasional Mass for five nuns in a suburban Maryland convent, between regular jaunts to Rome, earns Cardinal Bernard F. Law absolution for enabling and then covering up decades of crimes against children? Why didn't his confessor just tell His Eminence to say three Hail Marys and call it even?
   The layer of frosting on this hierarchical hypocrisy was the pronouncement from Pope John Paul II on Friday that the United States is "a society increasingly in danger of forgetting its spiritual roots."
• Inquiry clears Monroe priest [OBrien]
   The Seattle Times, http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001942957_dige30m.html
   SEATTLE (WA): A Roman Catholic priest in Monroe has been returned to active ministry after a church inquiry found a sexual-abuse allegation against him to be not credible.
   The Seattle Archdiocese announced yesterday that the Rev. Michael C. OBrien would resume his pastoral duties at St. Mary of the Valley Parish in Monroe.
   The archdiocese had placed OBrien on administrative leave last month while it investigated an old allegation that the priest had sexually abused a minor.
   OBrien, who denied the allegation, was accused in 1993 of sexually abusing a teenage boy during a canoe trip.
   At the time, the archdiocese placed OBrien, then pastor of St. John's Catholic Church in Vancouver, Wash., on leave and reported the allegation to civil authorities.
   A subsequent investigation by Mason County authorities was dropped for reasons that are unclear, said archdiocesan spokesman Greg Magnoni.
• Sex abuse mediator plans negotiations
   The Courier-Journal, www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2004/05/30ky/B3-abuse05300-3591.html , Associated Press
   COVINGTON, Ky. - The mediator hired last week to help settle a class-action lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington over claims of sexual abuse by its priests said his first task will be to meet separately with both sides.
   Kenneth Feinberg, who is currently the administrator of the government fund for victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, said he hopes to hold those meetings over the next few weeks. His duties with the Sept. 11 fund end June 15.
   Feinberg also successfully mediated litigation involving Agent Orange, the Dalkon Shield, silicone breast implants, heart valves, tobacco and asbestos before being tapped to facilitate out-of-court talks between the Diocese of Covington and the plaintiffs. Feinberg said he believes his experience with the Sept. 11 fund led to his current assignment.
   Both cases involve very emotional issues and victims of horrific crimes, he said. He said he doesn't know the details of the case against the diocese, but he may have a perspective that others don't.
• Priest considered for administrative job [2003 Ashmore]
   Tribune Star, www.tribstar.com/articles/2004/05/27/news/news03.txt , Associated Press, May 27 2004
   INDIANAPOLIS (IN): The Roman Catholic archbishop of Indianapolis has proposed naming a priest who was charged last year with indecent exposure at a highway rest stop to lead three southeastern Indiana churches.
   Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein said in a letter to parishioners that he wanted to hear their opinions before deciding whether to appoint the Rev. Ronald M. Ashmore as administrator at St. Maurice in Napoleon and as sacramental minister at two smaller parishes.
   Ashmore, 59, was arrested in May 2003 on a charged that he exposed himself to an undercover state police officer at a rest stop along Interstate 70 about 15 miles west of Indianapolis.
   The charges were later dropped under an agreement Hendricks County prosecutors offered to Ashmore and most of the 23 other men arrested in the two-week sweep. Under terms of the deal, Ashmore agreed to avoid interstate rest stops in Indiana and Illinois for a year and undergo tests for sexually transmitted diseases. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 07:34 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Sun May 30, 2004
Religions' sex abuse Chronology, visit: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont82.htm
• Regret over abuse. [1987-88 Dever] -- RCC teacher. Girls
   The Catholic Leader (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia), "Around the Schools; Regret over abuse," with Karl Brien, p 22, May 30, 2004
   BRISBANE, Australia: Marymount College, Burleigh Waters has offered its "immense regret" to two former students who were abused by a teacher who was employed by the school.
   Former teacher, Julian Dever, pleaded guilty to seven counts of unlawful and indecent dealing with persons under 16 years of age when he appeared in Southport District Court on May 20. He is expected to be sentenced in July.
   The offences related to a period from mid-1987 until the end of 1988.
   Mr Dever ceased employment at Marymount College in 1992 and is not employed by any other Catholic school.
   He has not been an employee of Catholic education in Brisbane archdiocese in any permanent capacity since 1992.
   Marymount principal Bob Peacock said the offences did not occur at the college or during the discharge of Mr Dever's teaching duties.
   "On behalf of the Marymount College community, I wish to convey our immense regret to the two young women involved that such a situation occurred involving this person's unlawful behaviour," he said.
   "I also wish to assure the Marymount College community that government legislation and public awareness, as well as procedures implemented by the college and Catholic education in recent years, should ensure that such a shameful situation does not occur again at Marymount or any of our schools.
   A spokesman for Brisbane Catholic Education said it also extended its sympathy to the victims. [Emphasis added]
   [COMMENT: Read the sentence "He has not been ..." Why not say straight out how many weeks or months he had been employed as a casual teacher since 1992? Read "I also wish to assure ..." So, a Church that is supposed to be without "spot or wrinkle" is relying on laws operated by fallible sinful politicians, police and court officials, instead of being able to rely on the teachings of Jesus! COMMENT ENDS.] [CONTACT: 143 Edward St, Brisbane, 4000; GPO Box 282, Brisbane, 4001; Editorial 07 3336 9100; Fax 07 3236 4897. E-mail editor@www.catholicleader.com.au . Trustees of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane. END.] [May 30, 04]
Religions' sex abuse Chronology, visit: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont82.htm
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.ncrnews.org/abuse, Mon May 31, 2004 edition follows:-
• PANES OF CHURCH CLOSINGS: Closing jeopardizes stained-glass images and other artifacts
   The Patriot Ledger (south of Boston news, Quincy, Mass., USA), http://ledger.southofboston.com/articles/2004/05/30/news/news09.txt , By MARK FONTECCHIO, mfontecchio@ledger.com , Transmitted Saturday, May 29, 2004
   WEYMOUTH - When the Hajjar family attends Mass at St. Albert the Great, they try to sit on the east side of the church, near the back. From there they can see a stained-glass window with a picture of St. Bartholomew, one of the Twelve Apostles . At the bottom is this inscription:
   "In memory of Antoon and Tom Hajjar. Gift of Tillie, Phil and Zako Hajjar and family."
   The Hajjar family bought the window for $2,825 in 2001, and donated it to the church. Every time they sit by it, family members think of Antoon Hajjar and his son, Tom. Six years ago, the two died within three months of each other.
   Now the church is scheduled to close and the Hajjar family, along with dozens of others who bought stained-glass windows, are worrying about what will happen to the windows and the memories they represent.
   "What are we going to do about it?" said Tillie Hajjar, Antoon's feisty 83-year-old widow. "We're not going to let them take it. I want to get it." [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 08:45 PM]
• Attorney claims diocese refuses to settle abuse case
   Capital News 9, www.capitalnews9.com/content/headlines/?ArID=77217&SecID=33 , 4:55 PM, 5/31/2004
   ALBANY, USA: There are more allegations of sexual abuse in the Albany Diocese. Attorney John Aretakis and his client, Joseph Woodward, spoke to the media Monday.
   Aretakis claims the Albany Diocese is refusing to settle a sexual abuse case with Woodward. He said last year the diocese settled another case with almost the exact same set of circumstances.
   Woodward claims that Father Dozia Wilson abused him in the Albany area as well as on trips to Boston, which also occurred in the case that was settled.
   Aretakis said, "What we want to know and what Joe Woodward is here to know, is why is he is treated completely opposite from that evidently compassionate action."
   An Albany Diocese spokesman said this is not new to the diocese. The suit became public in late April. He also said Wilson was removed from the ministry 13 years ago because of complaints back then.
• Anglican Church 'failed' victims of sexual abuse [Owers, King, Brandenberg]
   The Advertiser (Adelaide), Church 'failed' victims of sexual abuse, www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9712867%255E26462,00.html , June 1, 2004
   ADELAIDE, South Australia: The Anglican Church had an uncaring attitude towards victims of sexual abuse and was more concerned with the effects such allegations had on itself and its clergy, an independent report has found.
   The damning Board of Inquiry report into how the church handled allegations of sex abuse also says victims were often viewed as mischievous, were threatened with defamation and, in many cases, their complaints were simply dismissed.
   Anglican Archbishop Dr Ian George last night said the church was ashamed and apologised for its systemic failure to assist abuse victims.
   However, Dr George refused to resign following the release of the 94-page report, despite calls for him to go. "Clearly, at times, our response was sub-standard," he said. "As Archbishop, I accept my own part in our systemic failure and I apologise."
   The highly critical report says the Diocese has been more concerned with legal and insurance responsibilities than the care of those who were sexually assaulted. [...]
   The Board of Inquiry, which comprised retired Supreme Court Judge Trevor Olsson and senior lecturer from the School of Social Work and Social Policy at the University of South Australia, Dr Donna Chung, was ordered by the Anglican Church last May.
   It followed widespread allegations of sexual abuse and pedophile networks in the church, revealed by Anglican priests Reverend Dr Don Owers and Reverend Andrew King. [...]
   The key findings of the Board of Inquiry say that:
   TACTICS used by child sex perpetrators to gain the victim's trust and the trust of the victim's family to help maintain the victim's silence were not recognised, enabling abuse to continue.
   OFTEN, the church's first priority seemed to be one of protecting itself at all costs, even to the extent, on some occasions, of warning complainants that they could be sued for defamation if their complaints could not be proved.
   THERE appeared to be an attitude that a member of the clergy simply would not sexually abuse another person and that any person, particularly a younger person, who made such a claim was at best being mischievous.
   CHURCH worker Robert Brandenberg had probably abused about 80 boys over many years.
   A MAJOR focus of church management had tended to be on handling claims and dealing with the insurance and budgetary implications of those claims, rather than towards the needs of victims.
   Tabling the report in Parliament yesterday, Premier Mike Rann said the Anglican Church had "failed those who most deserved support and care".
   "There was a breach of trust and a betrayal of the church's obligations to pastoral care," he said.
   "It is clear that there was a failure over decades on the part of the church as an institution, and by some individuals within the church, to put the interests of the victims ahead of the perceived interests of the Anglican Church."
   Mr Rann had been asked by the church to table the report "in the public interest" and to ensure it was subjected to "full and rigorous public debate".
   Mr Rann said the report made for disturbing reading and he had referred it to both the Police Commissioner and the Acting Director of Public Prosecutions for investigation and consideration. "The church failed some of its children. he said.
• Church clears priest of abuse
   The Columbian, www.columbian.com/05312004/clark_co/150647.html , from The Columbian and wire services, Monday, May 31, 2004
   UNITED STATES: A former Clark County priest has returned to active ministry at a Monroe parish after a church inquiry cleared him of a sexual-abuse allegation from the 1990s. The Rev. Michael C. OBrien, who left St. John's Catholic Church in 1999 after 20 years in Clark County, was warmly welcomed by parishioners as he celebrated Mass Sunday at St. Mary of the Valley Church, KOMO-TV News in Seattle reported.
   In April, St. John's current priest, Father Armando Perez, read a letter to parishioners announcing OBrien's suspension. On Sunday, Perez read another letter during services, this time announcing that OBrien had been reinstated.
• Cardinal Law's new appointment
   National Catholic Reporter (Kansas City, MO, USA), www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/todaystake , By Tom Fox, NCR publisher, May 29, 2004
   UNITED STATES: The U.S laity comprises 99.99 percent of the U.S. church, but has less influence than an old holy card in a Baltimore Catechism.
   That was the seemingly intended message in Pope John Paul's appointment May 27 of Cardinal Bernard Law as archpriest of St. Mary Major basilica in Rome.
   Law was the only prelate driven from his diocese by the collective outrage of its people in the wake of the clergy sexual abuse scandals. Law came to signify a clerical indifference to victims’ sufferings. Finally, civil authorities forced him to reveal archdiocesan documents, and the documents showed patterns of facilitation of abuse that made it untenable for Law to stay.
   Law's departure was a measurable sign to the laity that at least one bishop was forced -- however reluctantly -- to take responsibility for the scandals. One prelate was to be held accountable ... but not fully.
   While Law left Boston in disgrace after the pope reluctantly accepted his resignation in December 2002, Law kept his powerful positions inside the Vatican. He was never asked to cede power or prestige. He has held nine Vatican offices including, incredibly, one that helps pick bishops and another that guides the handling of clergy abuse case.
   Now the former Boston prelate has received a new honor. The New York Times reports that with the appointment comes a $12,000 monthly stipend and a palatial apartment next to the basilica. (NCR’s Rome Bureau Chief, John Allen, reports that the Mary Major stipend might be might lower, perhaps less than half that amount. This story is still developing.) More salt in lay wounds.
   Was this Pope John Paul’s personal decision? It is difficult to believe it could happen without his awareness.
   If it was his decision, then one is reluctantly led to think that the pope still does not get it, that somehow he still does not share the enormous pain of victims and their families and he still does not understand the outrage and hurt of the wider communities of U.S. Catholics.
   Or possibly worse … he gets it and dismisses it in order to make a larger point. Is the intended message here that he, alone, runs the church?
   It was not supposed to be this way. Four decades ago, the world’s bishops gathered in Rome for the Second Vatican Council. Responding to galloping advances in the education of the laity and acknowledging the rising call worldwide for participatory government, the bishops at the council began edging Catholicism ever so gently away from monarchal authoritarianism, an antiquated church governance model.
   The council fathers meanwhile introduced two ideas that also had roots in early church history: collegiality and subsidiarity. The former meant bishops would share decisions; the latter that those decisions would be made as locally as possible.
   The bishops called for the opening of the "The Age of the Laity." Those advances never really happened. While the council’s progressive voices had carried the day advocating the advances during three years of council deliberations, conservatives reasserted control in the years that followed. Soon more traditional notions of governance took hold once more. Central to these was the clear distinction between clergy and laity.
   Was it simply the fear of some bishops of losing perks and power? From the lay point of view -- those who make up 99.99 percent of the church -- the reasons mattered less than the results of the decisions upon their lives. Laity was to be marginalized once again.
   From a women’s perspective, the lay marginalization was a double-edged sword. The new reassertion of clerical control involved theology that relegated women permanently to second class, or more properly third class, citizenship. Women were to be marginalized by classification and gender.
   In dioceses where clergy and lay collaboration had been encouraged, bishops were replaced with hard liners. Where parish councils had become collaborative governing instruments, priests were forced to change procedures. Where women religious had come to work in harmony with clergy, the teams were forced to shut down. Where lay men and women had come to share the Word and life experiences in reflections during Mass, the practices were stopped. Where seminaries had welcomed lay women and men as teachers and counselors, they were told to leave.
   The distinction between clergy and lay person, between decision-maker and decision-receiver has become the crown once again in a dysfunctional church governance ideology that has nothing to do with the basics of Catholic dogma. It is an ideology that is being enforced at all costs -- even at the price of healthy Christian community.
   The Law appointment to the Mary Major basilica is the latest assertion of this unhealthy fixation. It calls for all to forget lay wishes, feelings, beliefs, and hurts. It grows out of an apparent need by the pope to make a point: It is he, not the laity, who has the final say.
   Pope John Paul’s statement, however, comes with a large price tag. It reveals a sad disconnection between the pope and U.S. Catholics. Despite a quarter century of shared faith life, it casts the pope an impenetrable figure.
   Clerical sexual abuse has already become a dark shadow on Pope John Paul’s legacy. The shadow has grown longer.
Tom Fox is NCR publisher. He can be reached at tfox@natcath.org
• Diocesan assistance for Lavigne to end
   Catholic Observer (Springfield, USA), www.iobserve.org/rn0528a.html , By Father Bill Pomerleau, Observer staff
   SPRINGFIELD – Church financial assistance to Richard Lavigne, a former priest long at the center of the sexual misconduct scandal in the Diocese of Springfield, will end at the end of May, Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell announced this week.
   In a prepared statement released May 27, the Diocese announced that all financial assistance will end on May 31. Bishop McDonnell said that he had consulted with various parties, including canon lawyers, before reaching his decision.
   Reaction from most was positive. In a prepared statement, Father James Scahill, pastor of St. Michael Parish in East Longmeadow said, "During his first two months with us, Bishop McDonnell has taken several important steps to clean house, and has now made a truly significant gesture toward healing this diocese." In other media reports, Father Scahill pledged to send in diocesan funds that his parish was holding in protest. The amount was reported to be $60,000.
   The normally critical national abuse victims’ organization, SNAP, also had positive comments about this development. "We hope that today's news brings some degree of healing and closure to Lavigne's victims and their families," said SNAP national director David Clohessy of St. Louis. "Any step, however small or belated, toward closure for abuse victims is welcome news."
• Anglican child sex abuse shame [143 victims, 58 offenders, so far]
   The Age (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/05/31/1085855496594.html , May 31, 2004
   ADELAIDE, Australia (AAP): Adelaide's Anglican Church was more concerned with protecting itself from child sex abuse claims than healing victims, an independent report has found.
   The report, tabled in the South Australian parliament on Monday, was damning in its criticism of the church's handling of up to 200 alleged cases of sex abuse, along with claims of a paedophile network within the church.
   The church's first priority when confronted with sex abuse claims was often "protecting the church at all costs," said the report by former Supreme Court judge Trevor Olsson and senior social lecturer Dr Donna Chung.
   The church was "more concerned with its legal and insurance responsibilities than the healing of those who have been abused," they said.
   The report was ordered by Adelaide's Anglican Archbishop, the Most Reverend Ian George, after two clergymen went public with claims of up to 200 cases of child sex abuse within the church. [...]
   A South Australian police taskforce formed in May last year to investigate the allegations has so far found 143 victims of child sex abuse and 58 possible offenders.
   The church's Adelaide diocese board was initially defensive when confronted with sex abuse claims, the report said.
   "Often, its first priority seemed to be one of protecting the church at all costs," it said.
   "Even to the extent, on some occasions, of warning complainants that they could be sued for defamation if their complaints could not be substantiated."
• Defendant to show his handwriting [2003 Bounds]
   Rockford Register Star, www.rrstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040531/NEWS0107/405310311/1004/NEWS , By Mike Wiser, May 31, 2004
   ROCKFORD -- A Winnebago County Circuit Court judge ordered a former youth pastor to submit handwriting samples to the court as part of his sexual- abuse case.
   Bradley Bounds, 29, is charged with two counts of sexual abuse for allegedly fondling and allowing himself to be fondled by a 17-year-old female member of his youth group at Rock Church between May 1 and July 31, 2003.
   Bounds turned himself in to authorities Nov. 3 after an investigation by the Winnebago County Sheriff's Department and the state Department of Children and Family Services.
   According to court records, Bounds gave the girl several letters, magazine clippings and at least one handwritten note that have been turned over to authorities. The samples Bounds has to submit are likely to be used for comparison with the writing on the note.
   The Rev. John D. Sprecher, the church's senior pastor, and Deputy Chief Kurt Ditzler said at the time of the arrest that a consenting relationship had apparently developed between Bounds and the girl.
   In Illinois, the age of consent varies, depending on the activity. In most cases, it is 17. But when the alleged offender is older than 17 and in a position of authority over the victim, the age of consent rises to 18.
   Bounds, who has hired Rockford attorney Paul Gaziano and pleaded not guilty, is next due in court at 9 a.m. Wednesday for a status hearing.
• St. Susanna Parish Council meets Tuesday: Parishioners stand behind Josoma, will fight closing
   www.dailynewstranscript.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=34336
   [Took too long to appear on WWW (03 Jun 04)]
• Anglican archbishop "ashamed" over abuse
   The Daily Telegraph (Brisbane), Archbishop "ashamed" over abuse, http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1274&storyid=1408107 , May 31, 2004
   ADELAIDE, South Australia (AP): ADELAIDE'S Anglican archbishop today apologised for his church's substandard handling of child sexual abuse allegations.
   The Most Reverend Ian George said he was sorry for the church's response to hundreds of claims of sexual abuse over the past 50 years.
   An independent report into the church's handling of the claims was detailed in parliament today, after two clergymen raised allegations of a paedophile network operating within the church in past decades.
   The report found "the church's attitude was uncaring towards victims and, at times, had the result of undermining the character of victims and their families".
   The report criticised the Adelaide diocese with being "more concerned with legal and insurance responsibilities than the healing of those who had been abused".
• Australian Anglican Church 'sorry' for abuse
   British Broadcasting Corporation, Australian Church 'sorry' for abuse, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3763559.stm , 10:59 GMT, Monday, 31 May, 2004
   AUSTRALIA: One of Australia's most senior Anglican churchmen has apologised for the way his diocese handled sexual abuse complaints over the past 50 years.
   Adelaide's Archbishop Ian George said his diocese was "devastated" by the findings of an independent inquiry into its response to some 200 claims.
   The inquiry said the "Church's attitude was uncaring towards victims" and also undermined the character of the abused.
   On Monday, the report was tabled in the state parliament of South Australia.
• 'Damning' Anglican sex abuse report revealed [> 80 offenders]
   Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1119910.htm , Monday, May 31, 2004
   SOUTH AUSTRALIA: An independent inquiry into the Anglican church's handling of child sex abuse allegations in South Australia has found the church was uncaring towards victims.
   The inquiry was conducted by retired Supreme Court justice Trevor Olsson and social work lecturer Donna Chung, after claims that a former youth worker abused up to 200 boys.
   The report says evidence relating to more than 80 complaints of sex abuse were received and it has called for the church to improve reporting procedures and the documentation of complaints.
   While tabling the report in Parliament on Monday afternoon, Premier Mike Rann said it contained some damning findings. [...]
   But unhappy with the church's response, child protection expert Freda Briggs has called for Archbishop George to resign.
   Ms Briggs, who co-wrote a similar report in Queensland, says the Archbishop's response is pathetic and he should resign.
   "It would appear to me that there is more criticism of Ian George in this report than there was of [former governor-general] Peter Hollingworth," she said.
   "He still seems to be dismissing the seriousness of the complaints within the report."
   Archbishop George has denied claims that he advised a paedophile chaplain to flee the country, rather than face the police.
   The allegation is contained in the report tabled in Parliament this afternoon.
   "I refute any suggestion that either the headmaster or the school or myself told this priest that he must leave the country," Archbishop George said.
   Whistleblower priest Reverend Don Owers says the report is a vindication for the victims: "This outcome provides a way of healing and perhaps justice for survivors and that was what we were looking for."
   The SA Government has referred the report to police. #
• Priest returns to post after church clears him in sex-abuse case
   Gazette Times, www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2004/05/31/news/the_west/monwst02.txt , The Associated Press, Monday, May 31, 2004
   SEATTLE, USA: A Roman Catholic priest has returned to active ministry at a Monroe parish after a church inquiry cleared him of a sexual-abuse allegation from the 1990s.
   The Rev. Michael C. OBrien was warmly welcomed by parishioners as he celebrated Mass Sunday at St. Mary of the Valley Church, KOMO-TV News reported.
   The Seattle Archdiocese announced Saturday that he was cleared to resume pastoral duties, The Seattle Times reported Sunday. He had been placed on administrative leave last month while an investigation was reopened into a claim that he had sexually abused a teenage boy on a canoe trip 13 years ago.
   OBrien, now 64, has denied the allegation. "Sexual abuse against minors is such a terrible thing … the error in the past has been to not recognize it and that's an additional abuse to people who are abused because when it's denied, that hurts them all the more," he told KOMO.
   OBrien said the time he spent on leave is "a small price to pay for the protection of children."
• Faithful at doomed churches look for anything but closure
   The Boston Herald, http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=30017 , By Brian Ballou, Thomas Caywood and Max Heuer, Monday, May 31, 2004
   BOSTON, Massachusetts: In the first Sunday Masses since Catholic parish closures were announced last week, pastors and parishioners of doomed churches vowed not to go quietly.
   "The closing of this parish is a violation of my conscience," said the Rev. Robert Bowers of St. Catherine of Siena in Charlestown, who read his appeal letter aloud to his heavy-hearted congregation.
   In South Boston, the Rev. Stephen Zukas of St. Peter's Lithuanian Parish said he also planned to appeal his church's closing, although he wasn't especially optimistic of a reprieve.
   "I expect the archbishop to read our appeal with an open mind and heart," Zukas said.
   In Dedham, St. Susanna Parish's pastor, the Rev. Stephen Josoma, told his flock that Archbishop Sean O'Malley has agreed to visit the church and personally explain his decision to close it.
   "I'm not sure that it will change anything but we're ready to give it a try," Josoma told the Sunday congregation of about 500. [...]
   In Charlestown, after listening solemnly as their pastor read aloud his letter of appeal, parishioners at St. Catherine saluted Bowers with a standing ovation. He wiped away tears as the thunderous applause echoed under the century-old church's soaring vaulted ceiling. . . .
• Adelaide archbishop leads Rome abuse meeting
   Catholic News, www.cathnews.com/news/405/161.php
   ROME: Archbishop Philip Wilson [of Adelaide, South Australia] last week presided over an international group of officials from English-speaking countries in a Rome meeting aimed at working out a strategy of preventing further clergy sex abuse.
   The meeting of 30 bishops, religious superiors and church child protection officers from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Great Britain, Ireland, the United States, Canada and Jamaica, took place from Monday to Thursday.
   Archbishop Wilson told Catholic News Service that the group resolved that the problem would be acknowledged, and they would make sure "people who do this are stopped, that the laws of the land are fulfilled and that the victims and those associated with them are cared for and looked after."
   "At the same time," Archbishop Wilson said, "it is not enough just to look back at things that have gone wrong, but we must work out a way in which the church can be a light to others by the way that it takes up the issue of child protection."
• A Divisive Issue for Catholics: Bishops, Politicians and Communion
   The New York Times, www.nytimes.com/2004/05/31/national/31catholics.html , By DANIEL J. WAKIN, Published: May 31, 2004
   UNITED STATES: The Roman Catholic bishops who have recently suggested that Catholic politicians who support access to abortion are not fit to receive the sacrament of communion are few in number. But their words have stirred strong passions among Catholics far and wide, prompting discussions that raise questions about the meaning of being both an American and a Roman Catholic.
   In interviews with two dozen Catholics, plenty of anger streamed toward the church's hierarchy for what was seen as meddling in politics. But there was also a sense of comfort among some that bishops were taking a stand on an issue - abortion - that has become so firmly fixed in the American landscape.
   The effects of the clergy sexual abuse scandal on the current debate were inescapable, with a number of people faulting the bishops for cracking down on politicians while looking away from the sexual assaults of minors by some priests.
   "I mistrust the bishops so much that I'm kind of cynical," said Daniel W. Sexton, 41, a lawyer in Jersey City. He described himself as strongly opposed to abortion and as an orthodox Catholic who attends a traditional Latin Mass. "We've got enough problems of our own."
• Local Priest Cleared Of Sexual Abuse Accusation [OBrien]
   KOMO, www.komotv.com/stories/31505.htm , By Brian Calvert, May 30, 2004
   SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Washington - A Monroe priest is speaking out one day after sexual abuse allegations against him were dismissed.
   On Sunday hundreds of parishioners at Saint Mary of the Valley hugged and kissed an old friend as their pastor, Father Michael OBrien, returned from administrative leave.
   Father OBrien has been missing the last several weeks, as the church looked into allegations raised a decade ago. A teen claimed he was molested by OBrien.
   Police cleared the priest back then, and after a second investigation, the church also cleared him.
   "Abuse, sexual abuse, against minors is such a terrible thing," said Father OBrien. "The necessity is to really be careful. The error in the past has been to not recognize it. And that's an additional abuse to people who are abused because when it's denied that hurts them all the more."
   While it's nice to come back, Father OBrien had some hesitation. "It's wonderful, but nervous not knowing what the reaction would be." [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 12:19 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.ncrnews.org/abuse , Mon May 31, 2004
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