• Oahu men who accused priest of sex assault settle lawsuit [1986 De Otero]
Monterey Herald,
www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/9220220.htm ,
Associated Press, Posted on Thu, Jul. 22, 2004
HONOLULU (HI): Two Oahu men who accused a former Hawaii Catholic priest of sexually abusing them in 1986 when they were altar boys have settled their lawsuit against the Catholic Diocese of Hawaii.
The men accused the Rev. Roberto de Otero of kissing them and touching their genitals while they were altar boys at St. John the Baptist Church in Kalihi.
Diocesan records show de Otero left Hawaii in 1987 and lives in California.
The settlement was filed with Circuit Judge Sabrina McKenna last month but no details will be made public, according to attorneys for both sides.
"All I can tell you is it has been resolved," said David Gierlach, attorney for Darick Agasiva and Fa'amoana Purcell.
[Posted by Kathy Shaw at 09:23 PM]
(This is the first of the Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker,
www.ncrnews.org/abuse ,
for Thu July 22, 2004. )
INCOMPLETE LINKS: Refer back to "References 61" for methods of obtaining the URLs.
• Kueng begins papal investigation in St. Poelten [Krenn]
Die Presse,
www.diepresse.at/Artikel.aspx?channel=&ressort=ee&id=434103 ,
Printed Edition, 22.July.2004
ST. POELTEN, Austria: St. Poelten Bishop Kurt Krenn, who has faced repeated calls to resign since reports of a child porn scandal at a priests' training college emerged in his jurisdiction, met on Tuesday evening with Bishop Klaus Kueng, who has been sent by the Vatican as a papal investigator or apostolic visitor in the case.
Bishop Kueng will be staying at a monastery near Herzogenburg while he conducts his investigation, a place he described as a "calm workplace" in conversation with journalists.
• Attorney: Confession will clear priest -- someone else downloaded porn.
KATC 3,
http://katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=2075784&nav=EyAzP4tK , July 22, 2004
ARNAUDVILLE, La. (AP) - The lawyer for a priest who has been suspended pending an Internet pornography probe says someone else has confessed to downloading the images onto a church computer.
The Rev. Jules Arceneaux, pastor of St. Francis Regis Catholic Church in Arnaudville, was placed on administrative leave last weekend by the Diocese of Lafayette after federal investigators, acting on a tip from an informant, seized a church computer.
Richard Greene, diocese spokesman, declined to comment Thursday on statements by Arceneaux's attorney, William Goode, that there had been a confession.
Goode said Thursday he knows for "an absolute fact that somebody else has confessed ... to downloading the offensive material on the computer."
• Former youth pastor gets six months in jail for abuse charge [Broberg] -- Baptist
Duluth News Tribune,
www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/9219406.htm ,
Associated Press, Thu, Jul. 22, 2004
OWATONNA, Minn. - A former youth pastor who pleaded guilty to having sex with a 16-year-old girl he counseled was sentenced Thursday to six months in jail.
Scott Alan Broberg, 36, of Pine Springs, also was placed on 15 years probation and fined $5,000.
Broberg was employed by Bethel Baptist Church of Owatonna in June of 2002, when the alleged incident happened.
• In depositions, bishop defends hesitation to act on abuse allegations [Urrutigoity]
Grand Forks Herald,
www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/state/9219186.htm ,
By DAVID B. CARUSO, Associated Press, Thu, Jul. 22, 2004
PHILADELPHIA (PA) The Diocese of Scranton learned in early 1999 that it might have a problem with a young priest who had been living at a Catholic boarding school for boys.
In a letter marked "Confidential," a senior church official in Switzerland warned that the Rev. Carlos Urrutigoity had twice been accused of sexual misconduct before transferring to northeast Pennsylvania.
The first allegation had gotten Urrutigoity thrown out of a seminary in Argentina. The second complaint had been made by a seminarian in Minnesota, who accused Urrutigoity of twice trying to grope him in his sleep.
But after investigating, Scranton Bishop James Timlin decided not to take action. Urrutigoity insisted - and continues to maintain - that he was innocent, and a diocesan review board couldn't decide whether the charges were true.
"There was nothing that I could do at that point," the now-retired Timlin explained in a legal deposition. "There was no way I could inflict any penalty or all of that because he hasn't been proven guilty. And so that was the end of that ... We felt we did all we could."
Timlin's account of his handling of the case, included in hundreds of pages of records made public this month as part of a civil lawsuit, portray the diocese as willing to investigate allegations of sexual impropriety, but hesitant to take action against accused priests.
Urrutigoity remained in an active ministry until 2002, when a man filed a lawsuit alleging that Urrutigoity and another priest had pressured him into sex while he was a teenage student at St. Gregory's Academy, a boarding school in Elmhurst.
• Three men file suits against priest [1980s Sicoli] -- repeated transfers.
Monterey Herald,
www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/nation/9219295.htm ,
BY RON GOLDWYN, Knight Ridder Newspapers, Thu, Jul. 22, 2004
PHILADELPHIA (PA) (KRT) - The Rev. David C. Sicoli's Sea Isle City beach house was the lair for the priest to sexually molest teenage boys, three Levittown men charge in suits filed Thursday.
The molesting, fueled by alcohol the priest bought for the youths at a nearby Wildwood bar, occurred in the early 1980s, the suits in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court allege.
At the time, Sicoli served at Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church in Levittown, where the teens had been altar boys and students.
The suits claim that Sicoli's abuse of boys in the parish was known and reported to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia by the principal or other Immaculate Conception officials but that no parents or children were ever warned about it. The suit said Sicoli repeatedly was transferred from parish to parish after his ordination in 1975.
• All Aboard the Pedo-Train! [1980s Krumm, McFarland] - RCC.
Orange County Weekly,
http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/04/46/news-arellano.php ,
by Gustavo Arellano, ~ July 22, 2004
CALIFORNIA: Father Gus Krumm officiated over Mass at St. Simon and Jude from 1988 to 1998. He arrived at the Huntington Beach parish thanks to a previous association with then-Bishop Norman McFarland, who oversaw Krumm at the Diocese of Reno when McFarland was bishop there during the early 1980s. McFarland accepted Krumm into the Reno diocese shortly after Krumm sexually molested a boy in California.
If this scenario sounds familiar, it's because it is. A recent Weekly investigation has identified Krumm as the second pedo-priest whom McFarland allowed to serve in county parishes despite knowing of the molester's crimes while both served in Reno in the early 1980s.
In 1982, McFarland-then the bishop of the Diocese of Reno-accepted Krumm from St. Anthony's Seminary in Santa Barbara shortly after Krumm was accused of molesting a boy there. McFarland had Krumm placed at St. James the Apostle Church in Las Vegas, where he stayed until 1985. Krumm wasn't associated with a parish again until 1988, when McFarland - by now bishop at the Orange Diocese-shuffled Krumm over to St. Simon and Jude.
• Healing is a step-by-step process The Catholic Telegraph,
www.catholiccincinnati.org/tct/july2304/072304stepprocess.html ,
By Eileen Connelly, OSU, July 23, 2004
CINCINNATI (OH): Archdiocese - All of us have times in our lives when we need to heal, forgive and move forward. Sandy Keiser, a community education specialist and consultant with Catholic Social Services of Southwestern Ohio, who presents workshops on these and other topics, shared her insights on the healing process with The Catholic Telegraph.
The first step toward healing, said Keiser, a licensed social worker, is for people to identify the losses that are connected to whatever issue they are struggling with. "It's important to name what the loss is, determine its meaning and ask, 'how does this affect my relationship with God and the church?' "
She stressed that it is perfectly acceptable for Catholics to feel anger and sadness about not only personal issues but regarding the church as a whole. What is essential for people to remember, Keiser said, is that the church is a human organization, made up of people who make mistakes.
By keeping this in mind, she explained, Catholics can examine how to forgive the mistakes that have been made.
Because grieving, healing and forgiveness don't happen overnight, besides identifying the source of the hurt, it is also critical for people to be patient with the process, discuss the issue with others and seek support in working toward resolution, Keiser added. Also necessary, she said is for people to take a step back and try to look at the issues objectively.
In her ministry, Keiser said she has seen the ripple effects caused by the sexual abuse crisis. Whether people have impacted the crisis directly or indirectly, she has found it has brought other old hurts to the surface that have caused Catholics to question their faith. Keiser has found one meaningful and effective way to respond to those in this position is simply to say, "I'll keep you in my prayers.' " People have been really appreciative of this," she said
• Foster parent arrested on sexual abuse charges [2004 Schaper] -- Mormon
KATU 2,
http://www.katu.com/news/story.asp?ID=69440 , ~ July 22, 2004
ALOHA, ORE. - An Aloha man is under arrest on charges he sexually abused three foster children that he and his wife were caring for.
Police arrested 31-year-old David Schaper on multiple charges in the case, which involves three girls ranging in ages from two years old to nine years old.
The girls, who are siblings, have since been placed in another foster home.
While detectives say they have no reason to believe there are additional victims, they are concerned because Schaper had unsupervised contact with a number of children.
Not only was he the leader of a Cub Scout troop, but he was also a youth pastor with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints [Mormon].
• Diocese OKs $7 million clergy abuse settlement -- RCC. Two properties to be sold. 46 victims.
Republican,
www.masslive.com/metrowest/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1090533817256980.xml ,
By BILL ZAJAC, wzajac@repub.com , Thursday, July 22, 2004
SPRINGFIELD (MA): Concluding more than two years of legal wrangling, a more than $7 million settlement was struck between 46 alleged clergy sexual abuse victims and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield today.
A memorandum of understanding, outlining the settlement, was signed by lawyers representing both sides this afternoon.
The deal, which includes $7 million in cash and proceeds from future sale of two diocesan properties, has a variety of non-monetary provisions.
The 46 alleged victims, all of whom are represented by Greenfield lawyer John J. Stobierski, have 14 days to decide whether to enter into binding arbitration that will determine individual settlement amounts, according to a diocesan statement issued last night. If they choose not to enter the binding arbitration, they could pursue individual suits in court.
• Reaching out to Catholics who left church The Catholic Telegraph
http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/tct/july2304/072304reaching.html ,
By Eileen Connelly, OSU, July 23, 2004
CINCINNATI, Ohio: Archdiocese - Although the sexual abuse crisis has certainly caused some Catholics to question their faith, others say their issues with the church also have to do with past hurts, misunderstandings and frustrations.
Christy Brown is one example. The mother of two teenagers, Brown was baptized and raised Catholic. Her husband is Jewish. At one time, Brown was extremely active in her parish, teaching CCD and assisting with the annual festival.
She last attended Mass in 2003, after Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk pleaded no contest on behalf of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati to charges of failing to tell authorities about sex abuse allegations.
That incident, along with other issues Brown felt were relevant, including the city's racial tensions, were never addressed at her parish. She feels they should have been.
"I left in the middle of Mass," Brown recalled. "It was the straw that broke the camel's back."
• New Catholics say their faith is holding The Catholic Telegraph
http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/tct/july2304/072304catholics.html ,
By Eileen Connelly, OSU, July 23, 2004
CINCINNATI, Ohio: Archdiocese - Catholics who are new to the church say their faith has not been deterred by the sexual abuse crisis. Rather, they are enthusiastic about the journey that led them to Catholicism and open to the possibilities that lie ahead.
Although she was raised in the Evangelical Church of God, Heidi Miller had the opportunity to attend Mass several times as a child, courtesy of her Catholic father. Her call to Catholicism came, said Miller, directly over the radio, as the then-bedridden young woman listened to programming on Sacred Heart Radio. "Sometimes God has a funny way of calling," said Miller, who is coping with a congenital abnormality of her spine.
After listening to Sacred Heart Radio and hearing about the history and teachings of the church, Miller was inclined to learn more. She began attending Mass at St. Monica-St. George Parish in Clifton Heights and, after a year and convincing her Protestant husband it was the right thing to do, she took the next step and began the RCIA process. Miller was received into the church at Easter Vigil.
• Ex-priest named in suit [O'Brien]
Examiner
http://www.examiner.net/stories/072204/new_072204017.shtml ,
By Cherryh Cluckey, July 22, 2004
MISSOURI: Two Missouri men have filed a civil suit against a former Independence priest and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, saying they were sexually abused when they were 12.
The men claim Monsignor Thomas J. O'Brien, Kansas City, molested them when they were members of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin parish in Independence.
The suit alleges O'Brien gave the boys alcohol, while drinking himself, and that he groped, molested, skinny dipped and propositioned them in Independence and on a weekend trip to Lake Viking in Danes County.
Other defendants named are Bishop Raymond Boland, a representative of the diocese, and Vicar General Father Patrick Rush, who is responsible for investigating allegations of sexual abuse by priests.
• Civil, church law may come in conflict in church's bankruptcy filing Catholic News Service
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0404046.htm ,
By Ed Langlois, ~ July 22, 2004
PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) -- The bankruptcy filing by the Archdiocese of Portland is almost certain to place church law and civic law in conflict.
The two legal systems have met before in Oregon, and churches have often prevailed.
In one instance, Catholic hospitals worked for the right to opt out of physician-assisted suicide, which was legalized in Oregon in 1997. In another, after Lane County officials tape recorded a murder suspect's sacramental confession in the mid-1990s, the courts eventually ruled the act an undue state intrusion.
The debate even goes back to the 1920s, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned an Oregon law that would have closed down Catholic schools.
Judges dealing with the first bankruptcy filing in history by a U.S. Catholic diocese will need to consider canon law against bankruptcy law and First Amendment rights of freedom of religion.
• Austrian Catholics welcome apostolic visitation [2004]
Catholic World News,
http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=31014 ,
Jul. 22, 2004
VIENNA, Austria (CWNews.com) - Austrian Catholics are welcoming the announcement of an apostolic visitation to the St. Pölten diocese.
"The decision by John Paul II has been received with great satisfaction," said Archbishop Georg Zur, the apostolic nuncio in Austria. "This measure is an important step toward cleaning up the problem."
Erich Leitenberger, a spokesman for the Austrian bishops, added that the Pope's move has been applauded both by Church leaders (led by the country's most prominent prelate, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna) and by public opinion generally. Leitenberger observed that the call for an apostolic visitation, a move that is "very rare in the universal Church," showed that the Vatican is determined to address the problem energetically.
Bishop Kurt Krenn, the embattled head of the Austrian diocese, has posted an announcement on the diocesan web site "welcoming the appointment of an apostolic visitor." The diocesan site says that the apostolic visitor, Bishop Klaus Kung, "commissioned by the Pope, will submit the diocese and the seminary to a full, diligent, and objective test."
• RICO suit filed against Tucson diocese, Lavender Mafia [Keeler] -- RCC. Whistleblower prevented from being ordained.
Cruxnews,
http://www.cruxnews.com/rose/rose-23july04.html, July 23, 2004
TUCSON, Arizona -- A former Catholic seminarian is suing the Diocese of Tucson, its bishops, and Bishop Wilton Gregory, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops among other high-ranking American prelates. The suit alleges a pattern of racketeering activity exemplified by fraud and obstruction of justice.
Attorney Ivan Abrams filed the case under provisions of federal RICO - Racketeering Influence and Corrupt Organizations - statutes. The federal RICO law is a set of statutes that was initially directed at shutting down organized crime. Over the past two years, however, RICO has been used by some plaintiffs who argue that the Church cover-up of the clergy abuse crisis falls under RICO's provisions.
Philip A. Hower was studying at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, when he was ousted from the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania by now-Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore. Hower claims he was essentially
'fired' and later blackballed from ordination in other dioceses because he
'blew the whistle' on the homosexual activities of priests with whom he resided as a priest candidate.
According to the federal lawsuit, filed in Tucson on July 16, Hower had satisfactorily fulfilled all seminary requirements to be ordained a transitional deacon, the final step on the path to ordination to the Catholic priesthood. In the summer of 1985, prior to completion of his Master of Divinity degree, Keeler assigned Hower to a parish in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania to complete his required pastoral internship under the supervision of Father John G. Allen.
• Vatican 'complicit in abuse cover-up' -- secrecy ordered 40 years ago
The Australian,
www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,10219144% 255E2702,00.html
By Peter Shadbolt, Religious affairs writer, July 23, 2004
AUSTRALIA: US lawyers claim a 40-year-old secret Vatican document offers explosive evidence the Vatican sanctioned the relocation of church workers accused of sexual abuse and promoted a culture of secrecy in dealing with the cases.
The papal instruction, a process critics allege the Salesian order followed closely to move alleged pedophiles from post to post, was issued in 1962.
But Houston-based lawyer Daniel Shea, who is acting for church abuse victims there, believes the order was still in force as recently as 2001.
Mr Shea said a May 2001 letter to bishops from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger - one of the most powerful figures in the Vatican after the Pope - clearly states the document was still church law.
Tasmanian-based child abuse campaigner Denise Cripps saw the Vatican document earlier this month.
"I was absolutely, incredibly shocked when I read it -- that after all these years the victims are still not being consulted and that it has been going on for so long," said Ms Cripps, of the Hobart-based group Survivors Investigating Child Sexual Abuse. [Emphasis added]
[COMMENT: Search Engines would have revealed at http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/crimineextracts.htm and at other websites' previous webpages that the 1962 secrecy Instructio or Instruction was revealed on or around August 11, 2003. It is named
Crimen Sollicitationis, Crime of Solicitation, dated March 16, 1962, approved by Pope John XXIII.
The Vatican incorrectly claimed on August 7, 2003 that it had been superseded after the Second Vatican Council. The fact that it was quoted in 2001 as still binding is in the Papal Epistula or Letter, probably referred to in the above article, Epistula Graviora Delicta of May 18, 2001, which was revealed by an Irish newspaper on August 27, 2003. The Latin wording of this Letter and links to original webpages are at
http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/crimineepistula.htm .
Further proof that the 1962 Instruction still stands was given in the CLSA December 2002 Newsletterwww.clsa.org/news/dec02/dec02.htm , of the Canon Law Society of America.
There it was stated that on February 7, 2002 the 1962 document was included in the discussions about child abuse, held by the US visitors at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in Rome.
( By courtesy of: www.laurencesweeney.com/visit.htm .)
The relevant paragraph is copied at http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethicscontents7.htm .
Well might all who read this be "absolutely, incredibly shocked". The pity is that the majority of the public couldn't care less!
COMMENT ENDS.]
• The Vatican's big secret -- the 1962 secrecy order was leaked (but 'heresy' documents are missing)
The Australian,
www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,10215795^28737,00.html ,
By Peter Shadbolt, July 23, 2004
AUSTRALIA: The Vatican has never been ashamed about keeping secrets - after all, its repository of confidential documents is called the Vatican Secret Archive.
Housing almost the entire history of the Western church - with the exception of pre-8th century heretical texts that at some point mysteriously disappeared, Name of the Rose-style - the library has 50km of shelves with more than 35,000 volumes on an incomplete catalogue.
Its name is largely historical and it has been guardedly open to accredited scholars since the 19th century, but there's no browsing in this library. Researchers have to know in advance which document they want to see and even whether it exists at all. Many volumes are simply lost.
But, as secrets tend to do, some come bobbing to the surface like corks.
In August last year, a German-based chaplain with close ties to the Vatican found and leaked a 42-year-old papal instruction to US lawyers who say it is explosive evidence of a Vatican "ratline" to shield accused child abusers.
"This document really shows that nothing has changed," says Tasmanian child abuse campaigner Denise Cripps. It also proves, she says, that there is a strong case for instituting the "zero-tolerance" policies of US dioceses in Australia and mandatory reporting of church abuse.
• Church's awareness of sex abuse examined -- Brothers knew in the 1930s
One in Four organisation,
http://oneinfour.org/news/news2004/aware ,
by Patsy McGarry, Religious Affairs Correspondent - Irish Times, ~ July 22, 2004
IRELAND: The investigation committee of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse was asked yesterday to investigate when the Catholic Church first became aware of child sex abuse involving members in the current module of its hearings. The committee is now inquiring into how abuse emerged as an issue.
Mr Colm O'Gorman of the One in Four agency, which supports people sexually abused as children, said international research indicated the church had such awareness, and had structures in place to deal with it, long before secular institutions.
He later said evidence by the Christian Brothers to the committee indicated they were aware of the issue at least since the 1930s, and that already then Canon Law structures were in place to deal with it.
He recalled that evidence to the committee by Government officials indicated the State first became aware of child sex abuse in institutions, in 1977. Mr Justice Ryan said the committee would be happy to conduct such an inquiry if it came within its terms of reference.
• Priest gets 5 years' probation [Kuhn]
Cincinnati Enquirer,
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/07/22/loc_priestsentence22.html ,
By Sharon Coolidge, July 22, 2004
DAYTON, Ohio - Saying she saw no remorse, no acknowledgement that he had done anything wrong, a judge sentenced the Rev. Thomas Kuhn to spend five years on probation and pay a $10,500 fine.
Kuhn, 63, was convicted last month for providing alcohol to minors and engaging in public indecency at his home in suburban Dayton.
Probation was better than the alternative sentence - a maximum of 18 months in jail - because authorities could keep a closer eye on Kuhn and force him to seek treatment, Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Mary Katherine Huffman said.
"You just don't get this," Huffman told Kuhn, a former principal at Elder High School in Price Hill. "You impacted a huge community at Incarnation (Catholic Church in Dayton), St. Henry (Church in Dayton) and Elder (High School). You sent those communities into turmoil, yet it's all about you.
"That is a great concern to me."
• Parishioners Petition For Priest [Arceneaux]
KATC,
http://katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=2072790&nav=EyAzP3OT
ARNAUDVILLE (LA): Church members in Arnaudville are standing behind their priest. The Lafayette Diocese removed Father Jules Arceneaux while the FBI investigates pornography found on a church computer. Members at St. Francis Regis Catholic Church are petitioning to get Father Arceneaux back.
Despite the investigation, Chester Broussard and so far at least 90 other petitioners are signing their names asking the bishop to bring their priest back. "He's a man of God, he would not do anything like that," Velma Blanchard says.
Broussard walked door-to-door collecting signatures. Deacon Davis, at neighboring St. Catherine Church signed right away. "Knowing him, I don't think he is culpable of anything," Davis says.
They believe when the investigation reveals what really happened, Father Arceneaux will not be at fault. Broussard says there are several church computers many people, besides the priest, use. "Not only him, because other people have access too," Broussard says. It's torn us apart. Arnaudville didn't need this," he says.
• Diocese wins ruling in lawsuit [Trautman, Murphy] -- alleged defamation
GoErie.com ;
www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040722/NEWS02/107220397 ,
By Ed Palattella,
ed.palattella@timesnews.com , July 22, 2004
ERIE (PA): The Catholic Diocese of Erie has won a second straight court ruling in a defamation suit filed against Bishop Donald W. Trautman and retired Bishop Michael J. Murphy.
The state Superior Court upheld a previous dismissal of the suit, which also named the 13-county diocese as a defendant.
The ruling by a three-judge panel of the intermediate appeals court means that the three women who filed the suit have one last chance to keep it alive: They need to win an appeal before the state Supreme Court.
The three women, all from Erie County, claimed Trautman and Murphy defamed them in comments the bishops made in the Erie Times-News in April 2002 in a controversy over a diocesan priest arrested on charges that he possessed child pornography.
Erie County President Judge William R. Cunningham dismissed the women's suit in September, saying that the statements of Murphy and Trautman did not rise to the level of defamation, though he also said Trautman's statements were "unnecessarily harsh."
The women - Anna Caro, Helen Rusnak and Sally Beres - claimed that the bishops' statements characterized them as liars.
• Vatican Names Austrian Seminary Inspector -- he's a bishop. [2004]
The Mercury-News,
www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/9215307.htm?ERIGHTS=- 7604291314962306005mercurynews::kashaw@peoplepc.com&KRD_RM= 4nrnolomtsptrnrkkkkkkkkloo|Kathleen|Y ;
By WILLIAM J. KOLE, Associated Press
VIENNA, Austria - Moving to contain a scandal that has deeply embarrassed the Roman Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II appointed a special inspector Tuesday to investigate a seminary where authorities uncovered 40,000 pornographic photos, including child porn.
The pope named Austrian Bishop Klaus Kueng as an "apostolic visitor" for the embattled diocese of St. Poelten and its seminary.
Austrian authorities have launched a separate criminal investigation into the recent discovery of some 40,000 photographs and numerous videos at the seminary about 50 miles west of Vienna.
Kueng will have "comprehensive authority" to review all operations at the seminary and within the St. Poelten diocese, and will report directly to the pope, the Archdiocese of Vienna said. He was to begin his inquiry Wednesday.
• Honolulu diocese settles abuse suit Honolulu Star-Bulletin,
http://starbulletin.com/2004/07/22/news/story2.html ,
By Mary Adamski, madamski@starbulletin.com , July 22, 2004
HAWAII: Two Oahu men who claimed a priest sexually abused them when they were altar boys in 1986 have reached a settlement agreement with the Honolulu Catholic diocese.
No information will be made public about the settlement, which was filed with Circuit Judge Sabrina McKenna last month, attorneys from both sides said yesterday.
"All I can tell you is it has been resolved," said David Gierlach, attorney for Darick Agasiva and Fa'amoana Purcell.
"The settlement is confidential at the request of plaintiffs," said Stephen Dyer, attorney for the diocese.
He said the civil suit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be filed again.
"If it were the diocese's choice, you would know everything," said local church spokesman Patrick Downes.
• Man guilty in sex assault on 2 girls [1999 Hendrickson] -- stopped when joined a Church
The Journal News,
www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/072204/b0322hendrickson.html ,
By JONATHAN BANDLER, July 22, 2004
NEW YORK: A Yonkers man was convicted yesterday of sexually assaulting two girls in a case that developed from allegations that child members of a storefront church were beaten when they violated church tenets.
Theodore Hendrickson, 37, watched with no obvious emotion as the jury forewoman pronounced him guilty on all charges related to the rape of a teenage girl and the sodomy of an 11-year-old girl.
Westchester County Judge Lester Adler ordered him held at the county jail to await sentencing on Sept. 13, when he faces up to 25 years in state prison on each of the four top counts of first-degree rape and sodomy.
The girls testified that the abuse occurred in 1999 and that Hendrickson never abused them again after he joined God's Healing Cathedral at the end of that year and they told the church pastor, his wife, Hendrickson's wife and other church members of the abuse.
• Alleged 'past activities' detailed [Peckham] -- Methodist and other sects
The Joplin Globe,
www.joplinglobe.com/story.php?story_id=122487 ,
by Jeff Lehr, July/22/04
MISSOURI: The Rev. Donald Peckham opened the envelope that had arrived by mail at his home in Sarcoxie in January 2001, according to the man who wrote it.
Perhaps he sensed the anger and the anguish of the letter it contained in its opening words. Perhaps he did not.
Peckham, then 68, was the much-respected pastor of the Jubilee Christian Fellowship Church in Sarcoxie and the married father of three adult daughters.
He was a man of the cloth who had served at numerous churches of multiple denominations in Missouri and Kansas. He was a man another Sarcoxie pastor has described as the kind of guy who would buy groceries for members of his congregation, help them pay their bills and find them jobs.
The missive addressed to him said:
"My name is Buddy Hollis (Walter O. Hollis). I live in Wichita, Kansas. I am age 53.
"When you were pastor at the Towanda United Methodist Church in Towanda, Kansas, I was a member of that church, too. My stepfather's name was Harold Hull.
"I set up an appointment with you, as did two other boys who were scouts in Troop 232. We were working on our 'God and Country Award' and each of us had appointments to discuss obtaining this award with your help. We were each 11 years old.
[Can't get the next part, due to Internet problems - 23 July 2004]
• Former pastor signs plea agreement to sexual exploitation [Hollingsworth] -- Baptist
WQAD
www.wqad.com/Global/story.asp?S=2073342
BURLINGTON, Iowa: A former pastor of Danville's First Baptist Church has agreed to plead guilty to an aggravated misdemeanor charge of sexual exploitation by a counselor, but the alleged victim says the offer is too lenient.
Harry Hollingsworth was arrested March 23rd on a felony warrant for sexual abuse by a counselor or therapist. District Judge Cynthia Danielson has reset a pretrial conference for August 23rd and scheduled a sentencing for that date.
The 57-year-old Hollingsworth faces up to two years in prison and a 5-thousand dollar fine on the aggravated misdemeanor charge, but the plea agreement calls for the prosecution to recommend two years probation and not resist if Hollingsworth requests a deferred judgment.
• Springfield Diocese settles lawsuit on sexual abuse [1973-80 Weerts]
Belleville News-Democrat,
www.belleville.com/mld/newsdemocrat/9211108.htm ,
From staff and wire reports
SPRINGFIELD (IL): The Catholic Diocese of Springfield recently settled a lawsuit brought by eight men who said they were sexually abused, some at a Granite City apartment, by a former priest in the 1970s.
Diocese spokeswoman Kathie Sass said Wednesday the men will share $1.2 million.
Five of the men filed suit against the diocese in Edwardsville in September. The lawsuit alleged abuse by former priest Walter Weerts between 1973 and 1980 when he was pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Villa Grove. Three other men were added during the mediation process.
The five men alleged in the original lawsuit that Weerts took them on weekend getaways from their parish in Villa Grove, about 25 miles south of Champaign, to an apartment he owned in Granite City. It was there that Weerts abused them, they alleged.
Weerts, ordained in 1960, was known for his lavish lifestyle. The former priest drove a Mercedes and used a private plane to fly boys in his parishes on trips throughout Southern Illinois and around the country, according to the plaintiff's attorney, Jeffrey Anderson.
• More Allegations In Priest Abuse Case -- of girls [1950s-60s MacArthur]
Keloland.com ;
www.keloland.com/NewsDetail2817.cfm?Id=22,33478
SIOUX FALLS (SD): A former Sioux Falls priest is accused of abusing half a dozen children. Now, a lawyer representing the alleged victims says at least ten more South Dakota women have come forward with claims that Father Bruce MacArthur sexually abused them.
Court papers show MacArthur lead several churches South Dakota between 1959 and 1967, including Milbank, Platte, Yankton, Mellette, Ramona, Britton, Gettysburg, Seneca and McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls.
The Florida woman who was first to accuse Father Bruce MacArthur says she can sympathize with new victims who've recently come forward.
Judy DeLonga says MacArthur used family's respect for the Catholic Church to gain control of their children, "He was part of our family, came to our home daily and ate dinner with us."
• $1.2 million will be paid in abuse suit [16 years, impregnated 1977, Niebrugge; 1973-80 Weerts]
SJ-R.com ;
www.sj-r.com/sections/news/stories/30663.asp ,
By LISA KERNEK
SPRINGFIELD (IL): The Catholic Diocese of Springfield has agreed to pay $1.2 million to eight men who alleged that a priest sexually abused them as youths in the 1970s.
And in a separate case involving the diocese, a Madison County judge last month dismissed a lawsuit in which a Georgia woman accused a priest of abusing her as a child. The woman, Virginia Galloway, filed court papers last week indicating she will appeal.
Neither of the priests serves in the diocese any longer. The Rev. Richard Niebrugge, Galloway's alleged abuser, died in 1983. The lawsuit claimed that Niebrugge sexually abused her for 16 years and made her pregnant in 1977.
The eight men who settled with the diocese accused the Rev. Walter Weerts of abusing them between 1973 and 1980.
• Suit raises new allegations of sex abuse by priest [Urrutigoity, Ensey]
Scranton Times,
www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12433853&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id= 416046&rfi=6
By Chris Birk, TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER, July/22/2004
SCRANTON (PA): Additional accounts of sexual abuse by the Rev. Carlos Urrutigoity, one of two Society of St. John priests accused of misconduct in a John Doe lawsuit, appear in court documents filed this week.
Father Urrutigoity and the Rev. Eric Ensey are set to face trial in September for allegedly molesting a former St. Gregory Academy student between 1997 and 2000. The Diocese of Scranton, then Bishop James C. Timlin, the society and two other groups are also named in the suit.
The former student's attorney, James Bendell, has accused Bishop Timlin and the diocese with negligence regarding the two priests, their backgrounds and the investigations into alleged abuse.
In a sworn statement from July 9, another former St. Gregory's student -- now living in Virginia -- claims that while sleeping in the same bed with Father Urrutigoity, he woke up to find the priest's hand on his abdomen. Father Urrutigoity, the student said, then worked his hand down and grabbed his penis.
• Confession may clear accused Arnaudville priest [Arceneaux] -- another person confessed to porn download.
The Opelousas Daily World,
www.dailyworld.com/html/9E8510B9-CF43-4D6A-AD63-CB6A1EB1E17B.shtml ,
by Stephanie Kirk, Posted on July 22, 2004
ARNAUDVILLE (LA): The attorney for the Rev. Jules Arceneaux made a statement on KLFY TV 10 that may clear the priest's name.
Attorney William Goode of Lafayette said Wednesday someone else confessed to downloading images on the church's computer.
Arceneaux, pastor of St. Francis Regis Catholic Church in Arnaudville, was placed on administrative leave pending a federal investigation into pornography discovered on a church computer just days ago.
Kenneth Wyatt, a longtime member of St. Francis Regis Catholic Church of Arnaudville, said he knew that was not in the character of the priest at his church.
The priest's administrative leave was announced to church members at a Saturday Mass. According to a July 18 Daily World article, officials with the Diocese of Lafayette said a computer was seized July 13 from the church rectory on Pine Street by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Diocese officials said the move was made to protect the flock from the possibility of any inappropriate behavior, in keeping in line with the diocese's policy established by Bishop Michael Jarrell.
• Local Pastor Charged With Raping Daughter [1980s for 11 years Melton] -- Baptist
NBC 13,
www.nbc13.com/news/3562148/detail.html ,
POSTED: 7:22 pm CDT, July 21, 2004
WESTOVER, Ala. -- A local pastor charged with raping his daughter went before a Chilton County judge Wednesday morning for a preliminary hearing.
Ralph Randall Melton faces sexual assault allegations that go back 20 years. His daughter, now in her 30s, is the alleged victim.
She claims Melton raped her over an 11-year period beginning when she was 4 years old.
Melton was not a minister during that time. He's now the pastor of the Prospect Baptist Church in Westover.
• Court upholds dismissal of defamation lawsuit against Erie bishop, diocese by whistleblowers [1999 Bower]
Times Leader,
www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/news/local/9211173.htm ,
Associated Press
ERIE, Pa. - The state Superior Court has upheld the dismissal of a defamation lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie, Bishop Donald Trautman and retired Bishop Michael Murphy.
Three women - former diocesan secretary Sally Beres, Ann Caro and Helen Rusnak - alleged that church officials began a defamation campaign against them when they complained about former priest Robert F. Bower.
Bower resigned in 2002 after a newspaper report that he had been arrested for possession of child pornography in 1999. Those charges were dropped, prosecutors said, because police mishandled evidence and it could not be used at trial.
In their lawsuit, the women said Trautman, who replaced Murphy, directed some priests to sermonize against them from the pulpit and characterized the women as liars in a letter he released to the public in 2002.
In September 2003, Erie County President Judge William R. Cunningham dismissed the women's suit, saying that while Trautman's letter was "unnecessarily harsh," his statements and those of Murphy didn't rise to the level of defamation.
• Tri-State Priest Sentenced For Serving Alcohol To Minors [Kuhn]
ChannelCincinnati.com ;
www.channelcincinnati.com/news/3560923/detail.html
CINCINNATI (OH): A local priest was sentenced Wednesday on 11 charges involving public indecency and serving alcohol to minors.
The Rev. Thomas Kuhn faced a possible 18 months in prison, but was sentenced to five years of probation instead, WLWT Eyewitness News 5's Courtis Fuller reported Wednesday.
Kuhn's probation carries the following requirements:
* Daily Alcoholics Anonymous meetings
* Gambling addiction counseling
* Sexual abuse counseling
* 500 hours of community service
Another stipulation forbids Kuhn from working in any capacity with anyone 20 years old or younger, Fuller reported. Kuhn, 63, also was fined $10,250.
[Posted by Kathy Shaw at 01:36 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker
www.ncrnews.org/abuse ,
Thu July 22, 2004
Religions' sex abuse Chronology, visit: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont90.htm
• Priest who made Christ comparison avoids accusers by transfer overseas and to Rome. [Fox]
The Age (Melbourne),
"Priest criticised for Christ comparison,"
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/21/1090089223757.html?oneclick=true ,
By Martin Daly, July 22, 2004
MELBOURNE (Victoria), Australia:
A mother who attributes her son's drug-related serious illness and life punctuated by imprisonment to sex abuse by a Salesian priest criticised the accused Catholic cleric yesterday for comparing his case to that of a wrongly accused Jesus Christ. "It is an insult to God, never mind Catholics," said the woman, who asked not to be identified. Her son received a $35,600 settlement from the Salesians in 2000, with denial of liability, over alleged abuse at the Salesians' Rupertswood college in Sunbury during 1978 and 1979. "How dare he compare himself to Jesus . . . I find the whole thing extraordinary," she said. The woman said all Christians should be outraged by the use of Christ's name in the abuse scandal. She also condemned the Salesians in Rome for giving the accused priest, Father Julian Fox, a job at their headquarters. "He obviously has delusions of greatness," she said, accusing Salesians in Rome of protecting the priest. "It is mind boggling," she said, particularly as the head of the order in Australia, Father Ian Murdoch, had done so much to combat abuse and had made a stand against Father Fox returning to Australia as a priest unless he agreed to adhere to certain conditions.
Father Fox, who for six years was head of the 115-member Salesian order in Australia and the Pacific, and was rector of the Salesians in Fiji, was reported in The Age yesterday as denying any abuse. He said he could not recall the alleged victims when the names were told to him. Asked why he would have become the target of false allegations, he said Jesus was probably asking himself the same question on the cross. "It is the same situation . . . to be falsely accused," he said. Father Fox's job in Rome as a member of the executive of the Salesian World Commission for Social Communication and secretary to the commission's general counsellor has been welcomed elsewhere. A website containing a Salesian bulletin describes Father Fox's appointment as a loss for the Australian province but "the worldwide society's gain". The alleged abuse victim whose mother spoke out yesterday first went to Rupertswood in 1978. The boy did not tell his Catholic parents about any abuse. Later, he rebelled against adult authority and engaged in anti-social and self-damaging activities, according to sources familiar with the case. The alleged victim became addicted to drugs and was jailed. The details of the alleged abuse emerged after he had confided to a counsellor, who took the matter up with the Salesians. But he was not believed, a response described as "tragic" by Father Murdoch, who later signed the out-of-court settlement with the alleged victim and flew to Fiji to confront Father Fox. (By courtesy of Broken Rites, Australia)
[Jul 22, 04]
• Speedy response to Austrian sex scandal reflects seriousness.
CathNews,
http://www.cathnews.com/news/407/121.php , July 22, 2004
VATICAN CITY:
An official has revealed that the seriousness of the circumstances are reflected in the unusual haste with which the Vatican appointed an apostolic visitor (or investigator) to go to the Austrian seminary where prosecutors charged a 27-year-old Polish seminarian with possession and distribution of child pornography. Catholic News Service quotes an unnamed official who said the seized photographs "show widespread corruption within the seminary," and that the Holy Father must have been horrified" The agency reports that the appointment of the apostolic visitor came less than a week after Bishop Krenn announced he had established a commission to investigate what had occurred at the seminary and only one day after Austrian prosecutors charged a 27-year-old Polish seminarian with possession and distribution of child pornography. Pope John Paul II's speed in ordering a special investigation into an Austrian diocese and its seminary reflects the seriousness of the allegations of sexual misconduct there as well as the formal request of the Austrian bishops' conference, Vatican officials said. "There was an internal investigation, and both the investigator appointed by the local bishop and the Austrian bishops' conference requested the nomination of an apostolic visitor," said Passionist Fr Ciro Benedettini, Vatican spokesman. The Vatican announced on Tuesday that Pope John Paul had named Austrian Bishop Klaus Kung of Feldkirch to conduct an apostolic visitation of the diocese and, particularly, the seminary. Earlier, a spokesman said Bishop Kurt Krenn of Sankt Polten had begun his own investigation of the situation. Earlier an an Austrian magazine published pictures of priests and students kissing and fondling each other. Austrian authorities said the images had been found along with more than 40,000 photos and videos -- including child pornography -- on seminary computers. A Vatican official, who asked not to be named, said the publication of photographs showing members of the seminary staff and students engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior "is scandalous in the most literal sense."
Meanwhile in ongoing publicity associated with revelations of alleged sex abuse by members of the Salesian order, The Age reports today that a mother who attributes her son's drug-related serious illness to sex abuse by a former Salesian Provincial yesterday criticised the priest for comparing himself publicly with the wrongly accused Jesus Christ. "It is an insult to God, never mind Catholics," said the woman, who asked not to be identified.
Her son received a $35,600 settlement from the Salesians in 2000, with denial of liability, over alleged abuse at the Salesians' Rupertswood college in Sunbury during 1978 and 1979. "How dare he compare himself to Jesus . . . I find the whole thing extraordinary," she said, praising the actions of current Provincial Fr Ian Murdoch. "It is mind boggling," she said, particularly as the head of the order in Australia, Fr Ian Murdoch, had done so much to combat abuse and had made a stand against Fr Fox returning to Australia as a priest unless he agreed to adhere to certain conditions. Fr Fox, who for six years was head of the 115-member Salesian order in Australia and the Pacific, and was rector of the Salesians in Fiji, was reported in The Age yesterday as denying any abuse. He said he could not recall the alleged victims when the names were told to him. Asked why he would have become the target of false allegations, he said Jesus was probably asking himself the same question on the cross. "It is the same situation . . . to be falsely accused," he said. Fr Fox's job in Rome as a member of the executive of the Salesian World Commission for Social Communication and secretary to the commission's general counsellor has been welcomed elsewhere. A website containing a Salesian bulletin describes Fr Fox's appointment as a loss for the Australian province but "the worldwide society's gain".
SOURCES: Vatican: Speedy response to Austrian sex scandal reflects seriousness (Catholic News Service 21/7/04) Priest criticised for Christ comparison (The Age 22/7/04) LINKS: Pope names bishop to look into scandal at Austrian seminary (CathNews 21/7/04) Other Pontifical Acts (Vatican Information Service 20/7/04) Vatican sends investigator to Austrian diocese (Catholic World News 20/7/04) Pope Names Investigator for Austrian Sex Scandal (Reuters 20/7/04) Vatican Enters Austria Seminary Dispute (The Guardian/Associated Press 20/7/04) Austrian chancellor incensed by priest sex scandal (Reuters 17/7/04) Austrian bishops await Vatican move on scandal (Catholic World News 16/7/04) St. Pölten and Gomorrah? (Weinerzeitung.at 20/7/04) Vatican investigates Austrian child porn scandal (Associated Press/MSNBC 20/7/04) Austria probes seminary sex claims (CathNews 13/7/04) Priests 'In Orgy' at Seminary (The Scotsman 12/7/04)
Another top Salesian speaks to The Age (CathNews 21/7/04) Salesians ponder big picture (The Age 20/7/04) Salesian provincial speaks on sex-abuse scandal (Catholic World News 19/7/04) Mission to defrock sex abuser (The Age 19/7/04) Salesian Provincial breaks silence on sex abuse (CathNews 19/7/04) Salesian principal faces abuse claim (CathNews 15/7/04) Allegation causes principal to stand aside (ABC North & West SA 14/7/04) Salesian priest leaves Samoa (CathNews 9/7/04) Salesian Works in Samoa: Moamoa Theological College Convicted priest continues direct contact with children (Samoa News/Tala Nei News) Shelter for the shamed? (The Australian 6/7/04) Abuser 'not moved to avoid police' (CathNews 1/7/04) Priest warned students of perils ahead (The Age 1/7/04) Probe into sex abuse of wards (Daily Telegraph 1/7/04) Samoa considers deporting priests (The Age 30/6/04) Salesians 'knew of Klep allegations' (CathNews 29/6/04) Salesian arrested at Melbourne Airport (CathNews 28/6/04) Counting the cost of a priest's bad faith (The Age 26/6/04) Father Klep refused bail (ABC Radio PM 25/6/04) Father Klep back in Australia (ABC Radio The World Today 25/6/04) Priest charged with sex offences (AAP/The Age 25/6/04) Paedophile priest refused bail (Herald-Sun 25/6/04) HAVE YOUR SAY">Click here
[Emphasis added] [Jul 22, 04]
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker,
www.ncrnews.org/abuse,
Fri July 23, 2004 edition follows:- • Brazil's child sex abusers feel the heat [Filho]
Aljazeera,
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/979854FF-D028-4958-A7CE-FBDEAFC0C288.htm ,
By Gibby Zobel in Sao Paulo, 17:27 Makka Time, 14:27 GMT, Saturday 17 July 2004,
BRAZIL: More than 250 members of the Brazilian elite - politicians, judges, priests and businessmen among others - have been put on notice by an extraordinary national investigation into child sex rings.
The inquiry accuses 20 serving politicians, including a federal deputy, two state deputies and three city mayors. Thirty businessmen are implicated, as are five priests.
"Sexual exploitation in Brazil is a crime which has reached epidemic proportions," says federal deputy Maria do Rosario, the author of the parliamentary inquiry report. ...
Another important point, according to Senator Saboya, "is that a lot of religious leaders, of the Catholic church, Evangelical and
Afro-Brazilian religions, are using their power in the community to
sexually exploit children".
One of the accused is the evangelical pastor Davi Moreira Filho of the God and Love Church in Sao Paulo.
[Posted by Kathy Shaw at 10:32 PM]
• Pastor hides in tree News 24,
www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_1561046,00.html ,
by Riot Hlatshwayo, 15:18 - (SA), 21/July/2004
BURGERSFORT, South Africa - A Limpopo pastor hid in a tree when police arrived at his house on Tuesday night to charge him with raping a 13-year-old girl.
The 57-year-old pastor from Bothashoek village near Burgersfort jumped out of the tree when he thought the police had left, but they saw him and arrested him.
"The girl said she'd been raped in a ditch about 17:00 that day while on her way to fetch relish for her mother," said investigating officer, Inspector Mahlathini Ngele on Wednesday.
He said the girl knew the pastor well as he'd previously prayed with her and her friends.
• Diocese reaches tentative agreement with 46 alleged abuse victims [Lavigne, Meehan, Lavelle, Welch, Huller; $US7m 'global' offer]
iobserve,
www.iobserve.org/rn0723a.html ,
By Father Bill Pomerleau, Observer staff,
SPRINGFIELD (MA): The Diocese of Springfield has reached a tentative agreement with 46 individuals who say that they were sexually abused by five diocesan priests.
According to a memorandum of understanding signed the afternoon of July 22, the diocese has offered a global amount of $7 million, plus the proceeds from the eventual sale of two diocesan properties, to a pool that that would settle claims by the clients of Attorney John Stobierski.
The agreement also guarantees lifetime, outside counseling to those bringing accusations, and access to other outreach services provided through the diocese.
The agreement covers allegations of abuse by former priest Richard Lavigne, Fathers Richard F. Meehan and Francis P. Lavelle, the late Msgr. David P. Welch, and the late Father E. Karl Huller.
• 3 Bucks men sue priest, allege abuse [1978-83 Sicoli]
Bucks County Courier Times
www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-07232004-336103.html ,
By HARRY YANOSHAK, July 23, 2004
PENNSYLVANIA: Three Bucks County men filed separate lawsuits alleging they were sexually abused by a former assistant pastor at Immaculate Conception BVM Church in Bristol Township.
Filed in Philadelphia Thursday, the lawsuits seek not only damages from the accused priest, the Rev. David Sicoli, but also from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Cardinal Justin Rigali and/or Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua.
Attorneys for the men on Wednesday filed lawsuits in Lehigh and Schuylkill counties on behalf of a woman and two men who alleged sexual abuse by priests in the Diocese of Allentown.
In the Bucks County cases, Matthew Woodruff, 39, of Middletown and two unnamed Levittown men, both 38, each claim that Sicoli supplied alcohol and molested them several times during sleepovers at his beach house in Sea Isle City, N.J.
The priest also allegedly took them to a bar in Wildwood, where they were served alcohol.
The reported abuse occurred between 1978 and 1983, while Sicoli served as an assistant pastor at Immaculate Conception. The men were 14 or 15 when the abuse started to occur, the lawsuits claim.
• Lawyer predicts most claimants will accept proposed settlement with diocese [1971; $US7m]
Gainesville Sun,
www.gainesvillesun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040723/APN/407230597 ,
By TRUDY TYNAN, Associated Press Writer, July 23, 2004
SPRINGFIELD, Mass.: The lawyer for 46 alleged victims of abusive priests said Friday that he expects the "vast majority" of them will accept a proposed settlement of more than $7 million with the Diocese of Springfield.
"It does justice," John Stobierski said outside the county courthouse. "It gives credit to what these survivors have gone through and we applaud the diocese for coming to the table in this matter."
Under the proposed deal, each of the claimants would receive a minimum of $80,000, with the individual awards to be determined by an arbitration panel.
The amount they receive will depend on the type of abuse - ranging from fondling to rape - and how long the abuse lasted, with an average award expected to be around $165,000.
Several of Stobierski's clients said money alone would not heal the wounds.
"You can't put a price tag on what my family and I went through, but I do think this is an acknowledgment by the diocese of what happened," said Marty Bono, a Chicopee man who said he was molested by a priest in 1971.
"It doesn't make you happy," said Tom Martin of Springfield, another alleged victim. "It doesn't take away the pain. It doesn't bring back your childhood. It is really only one step on the healing process."
• Attorneys Fear About Church Insurers -- could delay 700 settlements
philly.com ;
www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/9228156.htm? ERIGHTS=-8519421270616297823philly::kashaw@ peoplepc.com&KRD_RM= 1impqpknppohhhhhhhhhholjmp|Kathleen|Y ;
By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (CA): Attorneys for both alleged victims and Roman Catholic dioceses in Southern California say they're increasingly concerned that insurance companies could hold up settlements in nearly 700 lawsuits that accuse clergy of sexual molestation.
Plaintiffs attorneys and church officials say insurers are the main obstacle to settling nearly 100 Orange County claims, despite intense negotiations recently in the Diocese of Orange. Attorneys fear the same thing could happen in the Los Angeles Archdiocese and the dioceses of San Diego and San Bernardino, where talks are not as far along.
"The carrier is essentially saying ... you can't settle these cases and if you settle these cases we're going to argue that we're not bound by any settlement you agree to," said Ray Boucher, a plaintiffs' attorney. "That's the threat that's being held over the head of Orange County and to a lesser extent over the head of Los Angeles."
The role of insurers has been an important one throughout the U.S. clergy abuse crisis, now in its third year. The insurers often argue that by shielding employees accused of criminal activity, dioceses have breached their contract and are therefore not eligible for reimbursement. Many dioceses have blamed insurers for defense tactics that victims have called unfair and hurtful; insurers choose the lawyers and require dioceses to aggressively defend themselves or forgo coverage.
[Emphasis added]
• Attorney asks judge to force disclosure of Diocese documents WHO,
www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2082464
IOWA CITY, Iowa: Plaintiffs suing the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport over sexual abuse charges want a state judge to force the release of documents church officials have fought to keep private for more than a year.
The plaintiffs, citing growing impatience and frustration, requested that District Judge C.H. Pelton require the diocese to hand over priest files and documents. That's according to a motion filed this week in Scott County District Court.
The request marks the third time attorneys for the plaintiffs have sought judicial leverage in obtaining the papers. Pelton initially ordered the documents released to the plaintiffs last fall and an appeal of that ruling by the diocese was denied by the Iowa Supreme Court.
• Federal Complaint Alleges Racketeering By Roman Catholic Church KOLD,
www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=2082806&nav=14RTP8T2 ,
By Jim Becker, KOLD News 13 Reporter, Posted July-23-04
TUCSON (AZ): It's a new take in the sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church. A Tucson man is suing the Catholic Church claiming it's involved in racketeering.
As a seminarian, Philip Hower claims he spurned a priests sexual advances.
"He made two passes at me sexually. He's known among his brethren as a homosexual and a pedophile priest," said Hower.
He claims he was forced to leave the seminary, and he alleges the Church covered up for the offending priest, something Hower and his attorney say is part of a pattern within the Church, worldwide.
An expert on criminal law at the University of Arizona, Jack Chin, says Churches cannot use the first amendment to protect themselves from racketeering laws. In other words Churches can't sell drugs and expect to be protected.
• Abuse charges settled, Springfield Diocese agrees to pay $7M
[1960s-70s]
Daily Hampshire Gazette,
www.dailyhampshiregazette.com/cspstory.cfm?id_no=7230177
SPRINGFIELD (MA)(AP) - No amount of money ever will heal the pain Andre Tessier feels.
He says he was abused by a Catholic priest growing up in Springfield in the late 1960s and early 1970s, abuse that has caused him 30 years of "guilt and shame," made him feel abandoned by the religion he was raised in and almost cost him his marriage.
But in an effort to move on, the Connecticut man said Thursday, he will accept his slice of a more than $7 million settlement agreed on between the Springfield Diocese and 46 people who accused priests of molesting them.
"I can't deal with them anymore. I don't care if I get $10," said Tessier, 45, who said he no longer is a Catholic.
• Austrian bishop silenced during apostolic visitation [Krenn]
Catholic World Report,
www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=31045 ,
Jul. 23, 2004
VIENNA, Austria Vienna, (CWNews.com) - During an apostolic visitation of his St. Pölten diocese, the embattled Bishop Kurt Krenn has been ordered to refrain from public statements, and to obtain approval of the Vatican's investigator, Bishop Klaus Kung, for any significant pastoral decisions, Austrian media reports have disclosed.
The restrictions on Bishop Krenn will remain in place for the length of the apostolic visitation-- which, according to a spokesman for Vienna's Cardinal Christoph Schønborn, is expected to last 6-8 weeks.
• Foster father faces sexual abuse charges -- Mormon (?), also, leader of Church-sponsored Cub Scouts
The Oregonian,
www.oregonlive.com/metrowest/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/metro_west_news/ 1090584166164360. xml ;
By JOHN SNELL and MELISSA NAVAS, Friday, July 23, 2004
ALOHA (OR): A foster father to three sisters ages 2 to 9 will be in court today to face charges that he sexually abused the girls while they lived in his Aloha home.
In addition to his role as a foster parent, David Henry Schaper had extensive contact with children as leader of a church-sponsored Cub Scout troop and through a day-care center that his wife, Michelle, operated in their home.
Schaper, 31, was arrested July 16 on charges of sodomy, sex abuse, sexual penetration and criminal mistreatment -- all felonies. He is being held in Washington County Jail in lieu of $1.25 million bail. ...
David Schaper also worked with children at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Aloha. James said he was a youth pastor at the church.
However, Steven Dalton, president of the Beaverton Oregon West Stake of the Mormon church, said the church has no such position.
• Priest used drink on boys: victim -- settlement to keep it secret
The Age,
www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/23/1090464864785.html?oneclick=true ,
By Martin Daly, July 24, 2004
AUSTRALIA: Boys at a school run by the Catholic Salesian order were allegedly given drugs, alcohol and cigarettes and shown pornographic movies by a pedophile priest who was later jailed.
The account comes from a victim of David Rapson, a priest who earlier this year was defrocked by the Pope for what the Australian superior of the order, Father Ian Murdoch, has described as horrible offences.
The Tasmanian victim, who was 14 and 15 at the time of the abuse, was paid $80,000 by the Salesians in connection with repeated abuse during 1983 and 1984 by Rapson at the Salesians' St Dominic's College in Hobart.
He alleges the Salesians wanted to settle to keep the abuse secret and later protected Rapson from him by declining to provide contact details.
Former clerical brothers with the order and many former students have confirmed to The Age a culture of extreme physical violence and some sexual abuse at a number of Salesian institutions in the past and say that, in cases, young boys were given alcohol by sexual predators. [More details given below]
• Band director charged with soliciting boy [Meagher]
The Patriot-News,
www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1090574462232020.xml ,
BY THEODORE DECKER, Friday, July 23, 2004
PENNSYLVANIA: As Bishop McDevitt High School band director Randall Meagher described it to detectives, the "stages" were the steps needed to ready a marching band for a performance, police said.
Derry Twp. police charge that when it came to one 14-year-old male student, Meagher's "stages" were steps on the path toward child molestation.
After a monthlong investigation, police have charged Meagher, 43, of Lemoyne with six criminal counts, ranging from corruption of a minor to criminal solicitation to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.
He was arraigned before District Justice Dominic Pelino yesterday and released on $5,000 unsecured bail. He will remain free until a September hearing as long as he abides by the conditions of his release, including having no contact with children other than his own, Pelino said.
Phone messages left for Meagher yesterday were not returned.
[Posted by Kathy Shaw at 08:46 AM]
• Talks with diocese stalled -- 50 victims
The Orange County Register,
www.ocregister.com/ocr/2004/07/23/sections/local/local/article_177150.php ,
By ANN PEPPER and RACHANEE SRISAVASDI, July 23, 2004
CALIFORNIA: Year-long settlement talks between attorneys for the Diocese of Orange and those representing approximately 60 victims of sexual abuse by clergy appear to have broken down, lawyers said Thursday.
But a Diocesan spokesman said a mediated settlement remains a possibility.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Peter Lichtman could recommend next week that attorneys start taking depositions - a step that sets the stage for trial, said plaintiff's attorney Raymond P. Boucher.
"As far as I'm concerned we're at an impasse," he said. "The insurance carriers are continuing to refuse to participate in good faith and the diocese is not coming up with the kind of money ... to compensate the victims."
The Rev. Joseph Fenton said the diocese was continuing to evaluate what financial settlement it could offer. "We are still hoping to settle this through mediation," he said.
• Pastor resigns after being in car with prostitute [2004 Lisowski]
Daily Southtown,
www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/yrtwn/south/231syt7.htm ,
By Allison Hantschel, Friday, July 23, 2004
CHICAGO (IL): The pastor of St. Bede the Venerable Catholic Church resigned last week after Chicago police found him in his car with a prostitute.
The Rev. Brian Lisowski was questioned by Chicago police but not arrested, according to the Archdiocese of Chicago. Officers saw him on the West Side of the city conversing with a woman known to have a warrant for her arrest.
"There was no evidence that he did anything illegal," archdiocese spokesman Jim Dwyer said. "However, it was inappropriate behavior for a priest, and he offered his resignation. The cardinal accepted it."
Retired auxiliary Bishop John Gorman informed the Scottsdale neighborhood parish Sunday. A new pastor has not been named.
Dwyer said Lisowski was driving his personal vehicle, not a parish car, and he was not aware of any prior incidents of inappropriate conduct.
Lisowski, who also acknowledged to the archdiocese that he had an alcohol abuse problem, is now living away from the parish, Dwyer said.
"He admitted that he had fallen back into the pattern of abuse and that he couldn't continue like this," he said. "He said that he had hurt his credibility as a priest."
Lisowski was named pastor of St. Bede, which has more than 2,000 families, in 1999 after the illness and death of longtime parish leader the Rev. Jeremiah Duggan. Lisowski was ordained in 1981. #
• Aretakis sues Fox 23 for negligence
Capital News 9,
www.capitalnews9.com/content/your_news/capital_region/default.asp?ArID=85496 ,
3:24 PM, July/22/2004,
By: Capital News 9 web staff
ALBANY (NY): Attorney John Aretakis has made his name by representing alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse, but now a client of his is suing local TV-news station Fox 23 and its parent company, Clear Channel Communications.
Aretakis alleged, in a series of stories aired in 2002, the station acted negligently by allowing one of its reporters to show the face and name of one his clients without Aretakis' permission.
"This suit is about a reporter's aggressive pursuit of a victim of clergy sexual abuse. So aggressive, in fact, that the reporter lied to the victim and followed the victim, and then exposed that victim's name, face and story on television despite an agreement to the contrary," he said.
• Lawyer talks of case against TV station Albany Times Union,
www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=268983& category=REGIONOTHER &BCC ode=&newsdate=7/23/2004 ;
By BRIAN NEARING,
Friday, July 23, 2004
ALBANY (NY): A lawyer engaged in a long-running battle with the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese over clergy sexual abuse went public Thursday over a long-simmering dispute with a local television news program for allegedly outing the identity of a victim.
John Aretakis said he sued WXXA Ch. 23 and its corporate owners, Clear Channel Inc., in June 2003 for duping his client Peter F. Murphy into giving an on-air interview after earlier agreeing to keep Murphy's identity secret.
The lawsuit seeks $3 million in damages. Aretakis, who has been engaged in a high-profile fight for the last two years with the Albany Diocese over clergy abuse, said he hadn't publicized the lawsuit earlier out of concern for Murphy.
But this month, lawyers for Clear Channel got the case moved out of state Supreme Court in New York City and into U.S. District Court in Albany, making eventual media coverage inevitable, Aretakis said.
• Diocese settles sex-abuse suit, but details remain confidential Honolulu Advertiser,
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Jul/23/ln/ln20a.html ,
By Mike Gordon, Friday, July 23, 2004
HONOLULU (HI): The Catholic Diocese of Hawai'i has settled a sex-abuse lawsuit that said two boys were molested by a priest.
Details of the settlement, filed in Circuit Court in June, will not be made public, however.
"The settlement agreement specifically says that the parties can only state that the case was settled and that the lawsuit will be dismissed with prejudice," said Stephen Dyer, attorney for the diocese.
The suit had been filed in May 2002 on behalf of Darick Agasiva and Fa'amoana Purcell, who said that the Rev. Roberto de Otero sexually molested them in the mid-to-late 1980s in the rectory at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church.
Attorney David Gierlach, who represents the two Hawai'i men, would not say if his clients were happy with the settlement.
• Priest will not be reinstated during investigation [2004 Arceneaux]
The Advertiser,
www.theadvertiser.com/news/html/4B054170-1886-4F5A-9A85-D011C7466149.shtml ,
Richard Burgess, rburgess@theadvertiser.com , July 23, 2004
LAFAYETTE (LA): Church officials said Thursday that an Arnaudville priest removed during an Internet pornography investigation will not be reinstated while federal officials review the case, despite a petition from parishioners and a statement from the priest's attorney that someone else has admitted to downloading images found on a church computer.
The Rev. Jules Arceneaux, pastor of St. Francis Regis Church in Arnaudville, was removed from his post last week pending an investigation of alleged pornography found on a computer in the church's rectory.
Parishioners in the heavily Catholic community began circulating a petition to reinstate Arceneaux after they were informed of his removal at a Saturday Mass. They have garnered more than 100 signatures in support of the priest.
Monsignor Richard Greene, a diocese spokesman, said the church has no plans to consider reinstating Arceneaux until the federal investigation is complete.
• Sex crime task force targets commune -- polygamous Mormon breakaways
Calgary Sun,
www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/CalgarySun/News/2004/07/23/553569.html , Fri, July 23, 2004
VANCOUVER, Canada -- Police are putting together a team to investigate allegations of crimes against children at the polygamous Bountiful commune near Creston, B.C. Attorney General Geoff Plant announced yesterday. "There are allegations of child abuse, there are allegations of forcible marriage, of sexual exploitation," Plant said.
The commune is part of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints, a Mormon breakaway sect.
Debbie Palmer, who at 15 was assigned to be the sixth Bountiful bride of a 55-year-old man, called Plant's announcement overdue.
• Minister pleads innocent [1958-72, 1996 Peckham] -- Methodist, Christian Fellowship
The Joplin Globe,
www.joplinglobe.com/story.php?story_id=122562 ,
by Mike Pound, July/23/04
MISSOURI: A Sarcoxie minister pleaded innocent Thursday in Jasper County Associate Circuit Court to a charge of second-degree statutory sodomy.
Donald Peckham, 71, the pastor of the Jubilee Christian Fellowship, was accompanied by an attorney from the public defender's office. He appeared before Associate Judge Richard Copeland, waived a formal arraignment and entered the plea. His next court appearance is set for Aug. 4.
Prosecutors allege that Peckham molested a 14-year-old boy in 1996. Since his arrest, leaders of the United Methodist Church in Kansas have said they investigated allegations that Peckham sexually abused children while serving at four Kansas churches from 1958 to 1972.
The Jasper County prosecutor's office said earlier this week that it is looking into allegations that Peckham may have sexually abused others in Missouri.
• O.C. Talks on Abuse Settlement Collapse Los Angeles Times,
www.latimes.com/news/local/orange/la-me-priests23jul23,1,1673169.story?coll=la-editions-orange ;
By Jean Guccione and William Lobdell, July 23, 2004
CALIFORNIA: The Orange County bishop's effort to negotiate a multimillion-dollar settlement with people who say they were molested as children by Roman Catholic priests broke down Thursday, possibly ending 19 months of mediation between the parties, according to lawyers for both sides.
After a day of closed-door talks, lawyers for the 60 plaintiffs asked Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Peter D. Lichtman to let them begin preparing to take those cases to trial.
"We didn't get anywhere," said Raymond P. Boucher, the court-appointed liaison for attorneys representing more than 700 alleged victims of priestly abuse in Southern California. "It doesn't look like we're going to get anywhere short of … litigation."
The mediation involved cases brought last year by people who alleged they were sexually abused by priests in Orange County since the Diocese of Orange was created in 1976. The collapse is not expected to affect settlement talks involving more than 500 claims against the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
The breakdown comes a month after lawyers for both sides were openly optimistic that a settlement was near.
• Ex-youth leader faces abuse charges [White] -- Episcopal
Morning Sentinel,
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/840025.shtml ,
By BETTY JESPERSEN, Friday, July 23, 2004
RANGELEY (ME): A former youth leader at the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Rangeley who was accused of having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl from the church was arrested Tuesday after he turned himself in to police.
Kenneth E. White, 58, of Rangeley was arraigned in Rumford District Court Thursday on three counts of sexual abuse of a minor, a felony. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years on each count and is a felony because the girl is younger than 16 and White was more than 10 years older than her.
Assistant District Attorney James Andrews had requested $1,000 cash bail with conditions that White not be allowed to return to Rangeley and have no contact with the victim or anyone under 18, which White had agreed to.
The prosecutor told Judge John McElwee that said since Rangeley is a small, close-knit community, he was concerned there could be incidental or third party contacts between White and the girl.
• Ex-principal gets house arrest over teen sex [1997-2000 Smith]
Times Leader,
www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/9220925.htm ,
By KEVIN OWEN KEARNEY, kkearney@leader.net , Fri, Jul. 23, 2004
WILKES-BARRE (PA): The former Bishop Hafey High School athletic director and one-time principal was sentenced to six months of house arrest and two years of probation after pleading guilty Thursday to sexually assaulting a student.
Richard Gregory Smith, 37, of Wilson Drive, pleaded guilty to a single count of statutory sexual assault. The sentence was handed down by Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Senior Judge Gifford Cappellini, who also ordered Smith to undergo counseling.
Prosecutors said Smith had sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old sophomore girl in his principal's office as well as in his home and vehicle. The incidents happened more than a dozen times between 1997 and 2000.
Smith, who had friends and family in the courtroom, acknowledged his wrongdoing prior to being sentenced, said Assistant District Attorney Ingrid Cronin, who handled the case.
Smith's lawyer, Frank Nocito, said he believes the sentence was appropriate and his client cooperated with investigators from the onset.
• Plaintiffs' lawyers unhappy with talks in OC priest abuse cases -- < 100 cases
The Tribune (San Luis Obispo),
www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/politics/9220509.htm ,
Bu GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press, Thu, Jul. 22, 2004
LOS ANGELES (CA): Lawyers representing alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse on Thursday asked a judge overseeing settlement negotiations to allow them to start moving toward trial in nearly 100 cases against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, a lead attorney said.
The move came amid an apparent setback in negotiations that have been under way for nearly two years. The plaintiffs' attorneys claimed that there was an impasse precipitated by the diocese's insurers, but a diocesan spokesman said they were not aware of any breakdown in talks and were ready to continue.
Raymond Boucher, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said they asked Judge Peter Lichtman to be allowed to proceed to the process of discovery, hoping it would put pressure on the diocese and its insurers.
"The feeling is right now it doesn't make sense to have discussions short of discovery," Boucher said in a telephone interview. "It's at that point they have to fish or cut bait."
Diocesan spokesman Rev. Joe Fenton said in an interview that the diocese expected plaintiffs to ask for discovery and weren't surprised at the development.
Fenton said, however, that the diocese would continue to negotiate in good faith.
• Former priest faces new abuse lawsuit [1982 O'Brien]
The Wichita Eagle,
www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/state/9221411.htm ,
Associated Press, Fri, Jul. 23, 2004
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A former Kansas City priest is the target of another civil lawsuit alleging that he molested two young boys in the 1980s.
Two Independence men filed the lawsuit Thursday against Thomas J. O'Brien, alleging that he abused them on a summer trip in 1982. The lawsuit also names the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Bishop Raymond J. Boland and Vicar General Patrick Rush.
O'Brien, who retired from the priesthood in 2002, already faces three lawsuits in Jackson County, each alleging that he abused boys.
Darren Wahwassuck, 36, of Independence, said that he and a childhood friend filed the lawsuit because the church did not seem to be taking the allegations seriously. The friend decided to remain anonymous, Wahwassuck said.
Wahwassuck knew O'Brien while the priest served at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Independence in 1982 and 1983.
O'Brien's attorney, Gerald F. McGonagle, said O'Brien "categorically and strongly" denies the allegations.
• Order reaches out to accusers [Lammers] [Mary Camilla Donahue, Mary Ann Powers ] -- Sisters of Charity.
The Courier-Journal,
www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2004/07/23ky/B1-sisters07230-6840.html ,
By Peter Smith, psmith@courier-journal.com
LOUISVILLE (KY): In their mission statement, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth say they want "to help people all over the world who are oppressed," working on behalf of battered women, the homeless, runaway teens and others.
So to be accused of committing the very acts of oppression they try to prevent has been "heartbreaking," their American leader said yesterday.
"Justice and peace are integral to our life," said Sister Susan Gatz, leader of the order's Western (or American) Province, based outside Bardstown, Ky. "...As we are moving through this situation, which is very new for us, we are trying to be faithful to who we are."
Her comments came in the order's most extensive response yet to a growing lawsuit accusing the order of tolerating sexual and physical abuse in its operations.
The dozen plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which expanded yesterday with new allegations, allege abuse by nuns and a resident priest decades ago at the now-closed St. Thomas-St. Vincent Orphanage in Anchorage, and at two schools.
"We are making every effort to seek the truth with regard to the allegations in front of us, and to treat everyone involved with great reverence," Gatz said at a news conference yesterday.
Gatz said the sisters are struggling to reconcile the allegations with their own positive memories of accused nuns.
"Our values and our policies call us to respond with compassion to those who are accusing, while at the same time remembering that those who are accused are innocent until proven guilty," she said.
Gatz offered to help any people who believe they suffered abuse at the orphanage. That could include meeting with the order's leaders and receiving help from a counselor, she said. "If recourse to law is not a process that would be healing for you, please know that the Sisters of Charity are open to having you contact us, and we will walk with you and work with you," she said, giving the order's office phone number: (502) 348-1510.
Gatz, speaking before yesterday's filings, said the order had no record of complaints against any of the three nuns named up to that point, although the archdiocese informed the order in recent weeks that it had heard from some accusers.
She acknowledged that the order's records from the orphanage are limited mainly to the personnel files of nuns who lived there because the order did not own the orphanage at the time.
The order administered and staffed the orphanage, but it was owned by the Archdiocese of Louisville through its Catholic Charities agency.
The longtime head of Catholic Charities, Monsignor Herman J. Lammers, lived at the orphanage and worked as its chaplain, Gatz said. Nine of the women in the lawsuit alleged they were sexually abused by Lammers, who died in 1983.
Gatz said the recent allegations have been especially difficult for longtime nuns who worked at the orphanage.
"That's a ministry that for years was extremely special to us," she said.
Many children have reported "that their experiences there were very influential and very positive to them," she said. "To hear that there are people who had traumatic experiences, painful experiences, that is hard for us to hear. We very much want to be a part of whatever healing can happen."
Gatz oversees about 450 nuns working in 16 states from Massachusetts to California.
The sisters' work with the orphanage dates back to 1832, when Mother Catherine Spalding established the St. Vincent Orphan Asylum. The St. Vincent girls' orphanage merged with the St. Thomas boys' home in Anchorage in 1952, where it stayed until its closing in 1982, according to the Sisters of Charity.
Attorney William McMurry, representing the plaintiffs, amended the lawsuits yesterday with several new allegations.
Two plaintiffs, Deborah Ferguson, 47, and Monica Aubrey, 55, said they were sexually molested by Lammers and by nuns.
Aubrey accused two nuns who were previously named in the lawsuit - Mary Camilla Donahue and Mary Ann Powers - and are now deceased.
Ferguson also accused a "Sister Mary." Sisters of Charity spokeswoman Barbara Qualls said the name was common for nuns and she couldn't identify her. Ferguson also alleged that she reported to the "Mother Superior" that she witnessed Lammers rape a young girl, and that the superior called her a liar and locked her in a closet.
Another plaintiff, Phyllis Kelly, 49, said she was molested by nuns working at two schools in the 1960s and 1970s.
She said she was abused by a Sister Caroline Mary Schneider, who worked at Most Blessed Sacrament, a parish school. She also alleged she was abused by a Sister Mary Jane and a Sister Jean, who worked at Presentation Academy.
Qualls confirmed that there were nuns with these names at the schools at the time. Schneider has died, while the other two are still living, she said. #
• Sisters offer to help accusers -- Sisters of Charity of Nazareth
Lexington Herald-Leader,
www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/state/9222528.htm ,
Associated Press, Fri Jul 23, 2004
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The American leader of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth is offering to help anyone who believes they were abused at a now-closed orphanage in Anchorage.
Sister Susan Gatz, leader of the order's Western (or American) Province, based outside Bardstown, said the sisters are struggling to reconcile allegations with their own positive memories of accused nuns.
"Our values and our policies call us to respond with compassion to those who are accusing, while at the same time remembering that those who are accused are innocent until proven guilty," she said Thursday.
A lawsuit accuses the order of tolerating sexual and physical abuse in its operations. The dozen plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which expanded Thursday with new allegations, allege abuse by nuns and a resident priest decades ago at the St. Thomas-St. Vincent Orphanage in Anchorage, and at two schools.
The offer to help accusers could include meeting with the order's leaders and receiving help from a counselor, Gatz said.
• More sexual abuse lawsuits filed against Allentown Diocese
[McNelis, Fromholzer, Graff; diocese total 13 suits, 9 priests]
The Morning Call,
www.mcall.com/news/local/all-b5_5diocese- rjul23,0,6236388.story?coll=all-newslocal-hed ;
By Kathleen Parrish, Jul 23, 2004
ALLENTOWN (PA): The Allentown Catholic Diocese is the target of three new lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by priests, two of whom were accused in previous actions and one who has died in a Texas prison.
The new suits - two filed in Lehigh County and one in Schuylkill County - bring the total number of lawsuits against the diocese to 13, involving nine priests.
Named in the suits are the Rev. Francis J. McNelis, who retired in 2002 and is residing in Holy Family Villa in Bethlehem; the Rev. Francis Fromholzer, who taught at Allentown Central Catholic High School; and the Rev. Edward R. Graff, who left the Allentown Diocese in 1988 and was jailed in Texas in October 2002 on charges of molesting a teenage boy.
Graff died in jail a month later.
The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys Jay Abramowitch of Wyomissing, near Reading, and Richard Serbin of Altoona, who also filed four new suits against the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. All the new suits were filed Wednesday. The two represent about 75 people across the state in similar complaints.
• Diocese, accusers OK deal [$US 7m +]
Republican,
www.masslive.com/hampfrank/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-1/109057096097141.xml ,
By BILL ZAJAC, wzajac@repub.com , Friday, July 23, 2004
SPRINGFIELD (MA): Concluding more than two years of legal wrangling, 46 alleged clergy sexual abuse victims and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield struck a more than $7 million deal yesterday to settle claims.
A memorandum of understanding, outlining the settlement, was signed by lawyers representing both sides late yesterday afternoon.
The deal includes $7 million in cash, proceeds from the future sale of two diocesan properties worth at least an estimated $585,000 and non-monetary provisions for the alleged victims.
The alleged victims will be provided lifetime counseling and continue to have access to other services provided through the diocese. An alleged victim will be named to the Diocesan Review Board.
Alleged victims will be required to sign waivers that prevent direct relatives from filing claims against the diocese except in cases that the relative was sexually abused themselves by a member of the clergy.
• Suit claims Diocese of Allentown covered up abuse
[Graff, Fromholzer, McNelis]
The Express-Times,
www.nj.com/news/expresstimes/pa/index.ssf?/base/news-12/109057356110560.xml ,
By PRECIOUS PETTY, Friday, July 23, 2004
ALLENTOWN (PA): Three victims of alleged sexual abuse filed lawsuits Thursday against the Diocese of Allentown in Lehigh and Schuylkill County courts.
One woman and two men claim three former priests sexually assaulted them between 1965 and 1978.
All three clergymen accused -- Edward Graff, Francis Fromholzer and Francis McNelis -- have been accused of molesting children before and served in Northampton County and Lehigh County parishes during their careers.
The lawsuits also claim the diocese and its top clergymen concealed ongoing sexual abuse of children by priests.
Bishops Edward P. Cullen and Thomas J. Welsh reassigned the priests to positions where they'd have access to children, despite evidence the men were pedophiles, according to the lawsuits.
The lawsuits don't call for a specific amount of compensation from the diocese, and the plaintiffs' attorney, Jay N. Abramowitch, said his clients aren't interested in money.
[Posted by Kathy Shaw at 06:19 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker
www.ncrnews.org/abuse ,
Fri July 23, 2004
Religions' sex abuse Chronology, visit: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont90.htm
• Tasmanian Marists plead not guilty to sex offences; Catholic schoolboy charged with sex abuse. [Ferguson, Bellemore]
CathNews,
"Marist Fathers plead not guilty to sex offences,"
http://www.cathnews.com/news/407/131.php , Jul 23, 2004
TASMANIA, Australia:
Two priests formerly from Burnie's Marist Catholic College in Tasmania's north-west have pleaded not guilty to alleged sex offences.
ABC Tasmania reports that Gregory Lawrence Ferguson, 66, and Roger Michael Bellemore, 68, both now live in Sydney and were not required to appear in the Burnie Magistrates Court this morning. Pleas of not guilty were entered on their behalf by defence counsel Greg Walsh. Bellemore is charged with three counts of maintaining a sexual relationship with a young person and one of indecent assault, while Ferguson is charged with five counts of indecent assault, one of attempted indecent assault and one of maintaining a sexual relationship with a young person. The charges date back to the late 1960s and early 1970s. The cases were adjourned for committal proceedings in November.
Meanwhile a Catholic schoolboy was remanded in custody yesterday charged with sexually assaulting a five-year-old boy in a shopping centre. The 16-year-old Year 11 student, who cannot be named, went to police on Wednesday night. Hours earlier, police released closed-circuit TV footage of a child being led away at Big W in Chullora Marketplace, in Sydney, before being sexually assaulted in a public toilet. The court heard that the accused should not be released as he may re-offend.
SOURCES Former priests plead not guilty to sex offences (ABC Tasmania 22/7/04) Boy sex attacker 'may re-offend' (The Courier Mail 23/7/04) LINKS: The Vatican's big secret (The Australian 23/7/04) Schoolboy denied bail (Daily Telegraph 23/7/04) Vatican 'complicit in abuse cover-up' (The Australian 23/7/04) Austrian Catholics welcome apostolic visitation (Catholic Weekly 22/7/04) Survey finds Catholics skeptical of bishops' handling of sex abuse (Catholic News Service 21/7/04) Church source: Austrian investigation could last through September (Catholic News Service 21/7/04) Austria Grateful for Papal Action for Sankt Poelten (Zenit 21/7/04) Speedy response to Austrian sex scandal reflects seriousness (CathNews 22/7/04) Marist priests front court over alleged sexual offences (CathNews 12/5/04) Marist Regional College Marist Fathers HAVE YOUR SAYClick here
[Jul 23, 04]
#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker,
www.ncrnews.org/abuse,
Sat July 24, 2004 edition follows:- • Sheriff's Department Joins Daycare Investigation -- Baptist
WLBT 3,
www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=2082909&nav=2CSfP8YI ,
By Gene Adams, gene@wlbt.net , July/23/04
MISSISSIPPI: There are new developments Friday night in the investigation
