NEWSITEMS RECEIVED COVERING OTHER THAN CHILD AND/OR SEXUAL ABUSE
• 2d guilty plea made in corruption case.
Jose Mendoza, a Reading carpenter, admitted lying to a bank about working for a company said to have done repairs at codefendant Corey Kemp's church. [2000s] -- Church of God in Christ.
Philadelphia Inquirer,
www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/cities_neighborhoods/ philadelphia/9401894.htm?ERIGHTS=- 4440908831610272489philly::kashaw@peoplepc.com&KRD_RM= 1impqpknppohhhhhhhhhh oljmp|Kathleen|Y ;
By Emilie Lounsberry, Posted on Sun, Aug. 15, 2004
PHILADELPHIA (PA): A Berks County carpenter yesterday became the second defendant to plead guilty in the sprawling federal corruption indictment that also led to charges against former Philadelphia Treasurer Corey Kemp and lawyer Ronald A. White.
No other guilty pleas are scheduled. The remaining 10 defendants are on a course for trial, now scheduled to begin in January, in U.S. District Court.
Jose Mendoza, 45, pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a bank that he was general manager of a company said to have done repairs at Kemp's church, St. James Chapel Church of God in Christ, in Reading.
"Why do you want to plead guilty?" U.S. District Judge Michael M. Baylson asked.
"I realize I made a big mistake," Mendoza replied.
His defense lawyer, L. Felipe Restrepo, later characterized Mendoza as a "very good man who found himself in a very bad situation" and was now quite remorseful.
Mendoza has agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors in the ongoing investigation. On Thursday, another defendant, lawyer Rhonda M. Anderson, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and agreed to cooperate.
• Anambra Lawmakers: We Swore at Okija Shrine [2004]
This Day,
www.thisdayonline.com/news/20040815news02.html ,
By Collins Edomaruse, Aug 15, 2004
NIGERIA: Majority Leader of Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon. Humphrey Nsofor, yesterday admitted that he and 21 other members of the House were forcefully paraded before the Okija shrine's chief priests, to take an oath of allegiance.
Giving a graphic detail of the exercise over the telephone last night, the lawmaker, however, denied acceding to the terms of the oaths administration as: "I opted to swear with the name of the Almighty God."
The lawmaker who said the exercise, at the instance of their estranged godfather, Chief Chris Uba, was mainly to extract a definite commitment that the members of the House would be loyal to him.
"He cajoled us, at some point, intimidated us, but assured us that if we remained loyal to him, he would ensure that President Olusegun Obasanjo does anything he wants him to do for us in the course of our duty.
"He also told us at the shrine that if we fell short of being loyal to him, the deity would take our lives."
• Pastors must refrain from deceit
GhanaWeb,
www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=64118 , Aug. 16, 2004
GHANA: Reverend Lawrence Sikatse, a Pastor of the International Christian Association on Sunday advised Pastors to refrain from using the banner of Christianity to engage in deceit. He was delivering a sermon at the Dela Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana, at Ho-Kpodzi, in Ho on Sunday.
Rev Sikatse said tricks, which undermine the purpose of Christianity, were as evil as the act of murder.
He said material wealth means nothing in heaven and advised the rich to give to the under-privileged.
• Michigan priest wanted on embezzlement charge [2000s Werra] -- $240,000 missing.
Catholic World News,
www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=31516 , Aug. 16, 2004
KALAMAZOO, Michigan, (CWNews.com) - An arrest warrant has been issued for a Michigan priest who authorities say may have stolen $240,000 from his parishes. Father Bogdon Werra of the Diocese of Kalamazoo faces a charge of embezzlement over $20,000.
Van Buren County Prosecutor Juris Kaps said this week that authorities were working with Werra's attorney to have the 49-year-old priest turn himself in. In a statement, the diocese said it had undertaken a preliminary investigation that "found evidence of financial irregularities in excess of $240,000" at St. John Bosco Parish in Mattawan and St. Margaret Mary Mission in Marcellus.
• Area Priest May Face Charges in Finance Probe [2000s Werra]
Courier Leader,
www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12704840&BRD=2188&PAG=461 &dept_id=414962 &rfi=6 , August 16, 2004
MATTAWAN, MICHIGAN - The resignation of area priest, the Rev. Bogdon Werra, was recently accepted by the local Roman Catholic diocese.
The priest, who serves churches at St. John Bosco Parish in Mattawan and St. Margaret Mary Mission in Marcellus, has been under investigation for alleged financial irregularities at those churches.
Michigan State Police Detective Mike Spring said this week that a report has been turned into the Van Buren County Prosecutor's Office for review.
• Archdiocese: Former pastor mismanaged $271,000 in funds [2000s Axe]
The Cincinnati Post,
www.cincypost.com/2004/08/16/arch081604.html ,
Associated Press, Aug 16, 2004
CINCINNATI (OH): A yearlong church investigation has found that the former pastor at the largest parish in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati mismanaged $271,000 in a church account.
The Rev. Thomas Axe also spent some of the money in the discretionary account on personal expenses, archdiocese officials said, declining to reveal that amount.
Axe, who retired last year, was pastor of the Good Shepherd parish in suburban Montgomery, which has more than 4,000 families and 12,000 members.
The investigation began when a church audit concluded that Axe had spent some of the parishioners' money on himself.
"It is uncontested that Father Axe mismanaged the parish's funds and co-mingled personal expenses with expenses of the parish," the archdiocese and Axe said in a joint statement Sunday.
• Pastor Dives Into River - To Escape Arrest [2004 Watch] -- New Life Fountain Ministry.
GhanaWeb,
www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=64203 , Tues, 17 August 2004
GHANA: Luck eluded the pastor of New Life Fountain Ministry at Obuasi in the Ashanti Region when he dived into the Offin River in a bid to escape arrest.He had to be rescued by the very person he was running away from, together with some residents since he could not swim and therefore found himself drowning.
The pastor, Theophilus Watch, was suspected by one Mr Richard Amoasi, a licensed chemical seller at Dunkwa-on-Offin in the Central Region, to have stolen his electrical gadgets and was therefore going to confront him at his hideout.The pastor who had gone into hiding in a bush near the Offin River after committing the crime, on seeing Amoasi approaching, dived into the river.
Some residents who witnessed the incident and spoke to The Mirror, alleged that the pastor took advantage of Mr Amoasi's absence to rob him of his video deck, VCD and sound system after he had gone to his house to pray for him. They said Pastor Watch had been having prayer sessions with Mr Amoasi at his residence at Dunkwa-on-Offin for some time and for his last prayer visit, he arranged to visit again on a Tuesday.
• Okija Has Foreign Patrons - Priest [2004]
AllAfrica.com ;
http://allafrica.com/stories/200408161473.html ,
Fidelis Okolie, Lagos, August 16, 2004
NIGERIA: One of the arrested priests at the Okija shrine in Anambra State and son of the 90-year-old chief priest of the shrine, in whose custody 10 registers containing names of prominent patrons of the shrine were found, has disclosed that foreigners also patronised the shrine.
Speaking in Abuja, Fidelis said apart from Nigerians who swore on oath at the shrine, some foreigners also visited the shrine to seek retribution against their oppressors.
According to him, aggrieved individuals from Aba, Nsukka, Imo, Lagos, Ebonyi and some African countries also visited the shrine to seek justice or to cement an agreement.
He stressed that the shrine had been in existence for a long time and that every Igbo man and woman knew of its existence.
• Church dispute erupts about pastor, financial records [2000s Reed ] -- Progressive Baptists.
WQAD,
www.wqad.com/Global/story.asp?S=2183392&nav=1sW7PwH2 ,
6:57 AM, Aug/17/04,
DAVENPORT, IOWA (AP) -- The Progressive Baptist Church's board of trustees in Davenport is suing its former pastor, treasurer, financial secretary and two trustees in a dispute highlighted by members calling the police to sit through one Sunday service to keep order.
Vince George, a member of the church's council, told police the congregation is split between those supporting the Reverend Jimmy F. Reed and those opposed. George told police that Reed refused to obey the council's vote to remove him.
Police officers were called to sit through the July 18th church service, but they called the dispute a civil issue and remained only to keep the peace.
In a lawsuit filed in Scott County District Court, the board claims Reed and other defendants have continued denying access to church financial records so they can be audited. It also claims that Reed and the other defendants did not deposit Sunday church collections in a timely manner and had the treasurer keep the collections at her home without accountability.
• Romanian cleric in trouble for long sermon [2004 Rusu] -- Orthodox.
Ananova,
www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1062663.html
ROMANIA: A Romanian orthodox priest is to live in seclusion for a month after delivering a five-hour funeral service.
Agapie Aurel Rusu has also been ordered to live on just bread and water for the month as a punishment.
The case of the long funeral service has also came under the attention of consumer protection authorities after complaints regarding the things he's alleged to have said during the service.
It's reported the priest wanted to get revenge on the 21-year-old dead man's relatives who had wanted another priest to officiate the funeral.
He talked during the sermon about politics, history and even heart surgery. He's also said to have used many poems to illustrate the sermon.
• Police Go After Okija Shrines' Patrons [2004]
AllAfrica.com ;
http://allafrica.com/stories/200408170820.html ,
By MALACHY UZENDU and FELIX UKA, August 17, 2004
ABUJA and AWKA, NIGERIA: Investigations into the Okija shrines matter moved a rung up as police yesterday decided to invite some of the accused patrons of the shrines to Force Headquarters, Abuja.
It was alleged that top politicians and some wealthy businessmen whose identities are being tightly guarded, are among those expected to be invited.
But Deputy Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Ozo Ughamadu (Awka South II), said yesterday that he did not doubt an earlier re-port by the Majority Leader that members of the Assembly were at the Okija shrines, adding, however, that he (Ughamadu) did not take any oath there.
The decision to invite the shrine patrons has already been communicated to Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Ahmed Yusuf, who is co-ordinating investigations of the Okija shrines matter.
• Okija Shrines Register Not Missing, Say Police [2004]
AllAfrica.com ;
http://allafrica.com/stories/200408180630.html ,
By Ndidi Okafor, Malachy Uzendu and Felix Uka, August 18, 2004
ABUJA/AWKA, Nigeria: Fresh controversy now trails the findings at Okija shrines in Anambra State, following a claim sweeping through the area that two of the registers of victims recovered there may have become missing.
Daily Champion learnt that the rumour emanated from public suspicion regarding discrepancies in the number of registers police said they recovered.
But, both Force Headquarters in Abuja and the state police command have denied the claim that any register was missing, saying that the rumour was "a distraction to make the police deviate in its investigations" and "intended to further raise tension".
South-East Traditional Rulers Forum, on its part, said shrines are part of traditional religion all over Nigeria but denounced any killing or maiming of people associated with the worship.
• The bizarre case of Rev. Ryan St. Anne Scott
Renew America,
www.renewamerica.us/columns/abbott/040818 ,
by Matt C. Abbott, August 18, 2004
WISCONSIN: During his tenure in the Diocese of La Crosse, Wis., then-Bishop Raymond Burke - currently the noted Archbishop of St. Louis - had a particularly interesting cross to bear, one might say. That cross was one Ryan Patrick Scott. Father Ryan Patrick Scott, that is.
Or, as he is currently known, Father Ryan St. Anne, O.S.B. You see, Scott is an independent Catholic priest. In Church-speak, he is schismatic, that is, not in communion with Rome. And whether he is/was validly ordained is, well, debatable.
(According to sedevacantist priest Fr. Anthony Cekada, Scott "claims he was ordained a priest by an Old Catholic and then conditionally ordained by the retired Bishop of Peoria who was then suffering from Alzheimer's disease.")
At the USCCB's November 2002 meeting, during the height of the clergy sex-abuse scandal, Father St. Anne gave a presentation at a press conference held by 'The Linkup' organization for survivors of clergy abuse. The following are excerpts:
"On Saturday, October 26, 2002, I stood before Archbishop Timothy Dolan's listening panel for victims of sexual abuse by members of the Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. As I did so, one of the thoughts that ran through my mind was: 'Why am I here, begging you for help?' I wondered if I had sunk so low as to finally seek help from those who abuse and cover-up. My answer was clear: No. I am here because I have hope!
"As you can see, I am a priest. My name is Father Ryan St. Anne. I am a Benedictine Monastic priest, but I am also a victim of sexual abuse by members of the Catholic clergy in an incident that occurred in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
"In 1996 when I brought this forward in a private meeting with diocesan officials [in La Crosse, Wisconsin], the information I provided was used against me in the form of public defamation, denouncement, libel and slander. Because I came forward, the bishop [Burke] had me jailed for 23 days under false charges, and while I was being held, that same bishop obtained a restraining order forbidding me to speak to him for three years.
"In 1998, my confessor, spiritual director, friend and colleague, Rev. Father Alfred J. Kunz, from Dane, Wisconsin, was brutally murdered in his church, just prior to substantiating not only my story, but the scandal itself that is rocking the Catholic Church today.
"In the early fall of 1976, as a young religious, I was brutally gang-raped in the rectory of St. John's Cathedral in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was lured there under false pretenses by a fellow priest and set up for humiliation and bodily harm.."
Does Fr. St. Anne's story hold water? Not according to the Diocese of La Crosse. In an e-mail to me, the diocese's Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia, Father Richard W. Gilles, stated:
"I am very aware of what 'Fr. Scott' has said about Bishop Burke. It is a complete falsehood and is slanderous of the good Bishop's reputation. In the Diocese we have learned one important lesson regarding all of this: have as little to do as possible with Scott. It is best not to engage him in any way, shape or form. All will be quickly distorted and used against you.
"Again, there is no proof whatsoever that Scott was ever validly ordained."
And then there's a story in a September 1999 edition of the La Crosse Tribune. Reporter Gayda Hollnagel wrote:
"Bishop Raymond Burke and two other Diocese of La Crosse officials have been named in a defamation suit filed Wednesday in Dane County Circuit Court.
"The suit was filed by Ryan St. Anne Scott, who is identified in the suit as the senior religious official for the Holy Rosary Abbey Inc., Pocahontas, Iowa.
"Scott, who previously operated Holy Rosary Abbey in Vernon and Crawford counties, also uses the name, Father Ryan St. Anne Scott.
"Scott accuses Burke of defaming him by making public statements saying that Scott is not a validly ordained Roman Catholic priest, that he does not follow the precepts, dogma, sacred teaching and traditions, doctrines, practices and mandates of the Roman Catholic Church.
"Also named in the suit were the Rev. Michael Gorman, diocesan moderator of the curia, and Sister Marlene Weisenbeck, diocesan chancellor.
"James Birnbaum, lawyer for the La Crosse diocese, said the diocese has not yet been served with the lawsuit and that he has not talked with Burke about it. However, he said he received a copy of the claim from a news reporter.
"'There's nothing in there that I believe has legal or factual merit,' Birnbaum said.
"He said the diocese has had previous dealings with Scott and in October 1996 obtained a temporary restraining order against him after Scott threatened Burke.
"Birnbaum said Scott was never a priest of the diocese and had no connection with Burke or the diocese while he operated his Holy Rosary Abbey monastery.
"The diocese in 1996 published an official decree in the diocesan newspaper, the Times Review, disavowing any connection with Scott.
"According to Tribune files, Scott, a former finance officer for Edgerton, Wis., pleaded no contest to felony misconduct in office in Rock County on Feb. 3, 1994, was placed on three years probation. Scott, who lived in Avoca, Wis., at the time, was arrested two months after he quit his job. He was accused of taking a city check for $30 and cashing it for $300.
"Diocesan officials said in 1996 that they were notified of Scott's presence by Erwin G. Clouse, Metropolitan Archbishop of the American Catholic Church, also known as the Reformed Catholic Church of America.
"Scott was a former priest of the group but was excommunicated by its Council of Bishops, according to the information received by the diocese."
Also of note is Scott's reported association with the late Marvin Kucera, an alleged "mystic" who, according to an article on UnityPublishing.com, was "a con artist from the beginning."
In an e-mail, Scott told me the article on that site is a "99 percent fabrication" and that, "I was not Marvin Kucera's 'spiritual director' -- I had only met him on one occasion in Wisconsin for about 15 minutes."
Perhaps the most intriguing unanswered questions have to do with the aforementioned still-unsolved murder of Fr. Alfred Kunz, Scott's alleged spiritual director. (According to Scott, Father Kunz was the one who determined that his ordination was indeed valid.)
In a telephone conversation several months ago, Scott told me he provided to the police all of the names of the priests who had allegedly assaulted him. He also claimed Father Kunz had confronted each of the priests involved in the alleged predatory ring and that none of them denied assaulting Scott.
Scott also gave me the name of an ex-priest whom he claimed had been involved in the ring many years back and who might be willing to talk about the ring's activities.
When I asked, via e-mail, Detective Kevin Hughes of the Dane County Sheriff's Office (who is well aware of Scott), which is investigating the Father Kunz murder, if that ex-priest's name rang a bell, the detective responded, "I cannot answer that."
Father Ryan St. Anne Scott currently resides in Powers Lake, North Dakota, where he has already made the news. In a story in the May 20, 2004 edition of the Minot Daily News, reporter Andrea Johnson wrote:
"A Williston judge approved a restraining order last month meant to keep the administrator of the Shrine of Our Lady of the Prairies and two members of the Shrine's board of directors from coming into contact with one another.
"Abbot Ryan St. Anne, 51, and Roseanna P. Gebvelinger, who was listed as treasurer of the board in a church newsletter last year, sought the restraining order against board members Paul Dobrowski and Jerry Durick in Northwest District Court in Williams County on April 16.
"In his petition for the restraining order, St. Anne alleged that members of the board had made threats against him and threatened to destroy property and financial records at the Shrine. St. Anne also alleged that the Shrine of Qur Lady of the Prairies is the subject of a county, state and federal investigation into its finances prior to St. Anne's arrival at the Shrine more than a year ago..
."He is not recognized as a priest by the Bismarck Catholic Diocese and the church is not considered part of the diocese.
"St. Anne himself has a 1994 felony conviction for misconduct in public office. St. Anne said.those charges were related to certain information he divulged during a public meeting when he served as finance officer of Edgerton, Wis. St. Anne, who was then known as Ryan Patrick Scott, pleaded no contest to the charge.
"Felony forgery charges against him -- related to an accusation that he took a city check for $30 and cashed it for $300 -- were dropped by the judge.
"St. Anne said he feels none of those charge was not really justified.
"He said he was told by the mayor and city manager of Edgerton to divulge that information at the meeting. He also said he called for an audit of city finances in Edgerton and subsequently city board members there were also charged.
"St. Anne was sentenced to three years of probation by a Rock County, Wis., judge, which he served from 1994 to 1997."
Matt C. Abbott is the former executive director of the Illinois Right to Life Committee and the former director of public affairs for the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League. He is also a contributor to Cruxnews.com, RenewAmerica.us, MichNews.com, IllinoisLeader.com, AmericanDaily.com, ChristianNewsToday.com, Catholiccitizens.org, "The Wanderer" Catholic newspaper, TCRNews2.com, Catholic.net, Catholic.org, and CatholicExchange.com. He can be reached at
mattcabbott@CatholicExchange.com
© Copyright 2004 by Matt C. Abbott,
www.renewamerica.us/columns/abbott/040818 #
• 'Satanic priest' at center of manhunt [2000s McDonald] -- bank allegations. "Self-described satanic priest".
El Paso Times,
www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20040819-157364.shtml ,
by Daniel Borunda, Aug 19, 2004
TEXAS: The U.S. Marshals' Service is after several fugitives, including a "satanic priest" believed to be hiding in Juárez, officials said Wednesday.
Peter McDonald Jr. "is a self-described satanic priest" with a pentagram tattoo on his neck. He has been wanted since Jan. 8, 2003, on a bond revocation stemming from a bank fraud charge, said Jerry Payan, supervisor of the fugitive task force. Marshals have received information that the 28-year-old, blue-eyed blond has been involved in occult rituals in Juárez.
McDonald, who also uses the name "Amen," is 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 235 pounds, officials said.
"He is easy to spot if you see him," Payan said.
• Charges weighed in baby's death [2004 McKim] -- Youth pastor left baby in car in heat.
Commercial Appeal,
www.commercialappeal.com/mca/local_news/article/0,1426,MCA_437_3118209,00.html ,
By Clay Bailey, August 18, 2004
TENNESSEE: Stephen McKim already has received a life sentence of guilt. Dist. Atty. Gen. Bill Gibbons's office now will decide if society should hand down further punishment.
The question of criminal prosecution against the 25-year-old father lingers because of issues such as precedent, fairness and equal treatment of such cases.
Bartlett police investigators will likely meet with the attorney general's office this week to discuss their findings in the review of 7-month-old Mia McKim's death. Stephen McKim, a youth pastor at Central North Church who was running late for work Aug. 9, left the baby in a car where temperatures reached at least 115 degrees in the ensuing two hours.
"The attorney general is the one who has to defend this," Bartlett Asst. Chief Mark Hopper said. "We want the attorney general's staff to be comfortable with this, and the best way to do that is let them decide if they want to prosecute."
State prosecutor Thomas Henderson, who will review the case, declined comment this week, citing the ongoing investigation.
• Stuart pastor takes leave amid state fiscal probe [2000s Allen]
Palm Beach Post,
www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/martin_stlucie/ epaper/ 2004/08/19/m1a_mcpastor_0819.html ;
By Pat Moore, Thursday, August 19, 2004
STUART (FL) - The longtime pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church abruptly left the church last month amid a state investigation into a complaint of financial improprieties, a Treasure Coast prosecutor confirmed Wednesday.
The Rev. Alden Christopher Allen, 52, who joined the Stuart church as assistant pastor in 1992 and became its pastor in 1997, said he "decided to take a leave of absence for my own personal reasons."
He denied knowing anything about financial problems at the church.
But Assistant State Attorney Chris Taylor confirmed that his office was investigating a complaint about where contributions were going.
"There was a concern over what was done with the money after it was donated," he said.
• Two Nigerians Arrested in Ireland for Ritual Killing [2004]
This Day,
www.thisdayonline.com/news/20040819news03.html ,
By Moses Jolayemi in Lagos and Charles Onyekamuo in Awka, with agency report,
Aug 19, 2004
IRELAND: Barely one month after the conviction in the United Kingdom of a Nigerian, Kingsley Ojo for the brutal murder of a five year old boy named Adam, police in the Republic of Ireland are questioning two men arrested in Dublin in connection with the murder of the daughter of Malawi's chief justice.
The headless body of Paiche Unyolo Onyemaechi was found last month in the south of Ireland, where she lived with her Nigerian husband and two children.
Her killing may have had a ritualistic motive, according to the police.
Detectives have been keen to trace her husband, Chika, who is currently missing.
The two men being interviewed by police were arrested in Dublin on Tuesday. ...
Meanwhile in Nigeria, Inspector General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun yesterday in Okija, Anambra state, said the chief priests and the over 30 priests of the different shrines of Ogwugwu deity arrested on August 4 would be prosecuted for ritual killings at the end of police investigations.
• Ritual murders: Inside Nigeria's 'evil forest' [2004]
Mail and Guardian,
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=120658 ,
by Joel Olatunde Agoi | Okija ; August 19, 2004
NIGERIA: Two weeks after a police squad raided a group of fetish shrines in the dense jungle of southern Nigeria, dozens of partially decomposed bodies still littered the groves of Okija's "evil forest".
Open wooden coffins lay abandoned in the dense undergrowth as spooked cops continued an investigation that has scandalised Nigeria and prompted a bout of national soul searching.
"It is fearful and dreadful. Ordinary mortals avoid the vicinity of the shrines like a ghost," said 25-year-old Austine Ogbuche, one of a courageous group of villagers who followed Nigeria's police chief into the woods.
"It is only the government and its agents that can dislodge the shrines. Nobody can dare the gods," he said, as inspector general Tafa Balogun and a heavily-armed squad of officers set off into Ogugwu Akpu's dreaded groves.
• More human skulls found as probe continues
IOL,
www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=86&art_id=qw1092994021407N262
AKURE, NIGERIA: Nigerian police have found two human skulls in different locations in south-western Ondo State, which they suspect to be the remains of victims of ritual murders, state police commissioner Nwachuku Egbochuku has told journalists.
The skulls were recovered in Ode-Irele and Ajue, two neighbouring towns in the state, Egbochuku told journalists late on Thursday in Akure, the state capital.
A priest for the local "ayelala" deity and another suspect have been arrested in connection with the find and are being questioned, he said.
The discovery of the two new skulls followed a police raid a fortnight ago on shrines in an "evil forest" in Okija in south-east Anambra state where corpses, skeletons and more than 20 skulls were discovered.
More than 30 people have so far been detained and more arrests have been promised following the discovery of membership lists of the three Ogwugwu shrines.
• Pastor Under Investigation [Cortez] -- Alpha and Omega Church takes rent.
WOAI,
www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=ACDC726B-4834-411F- AD8D-208FA76F9C47 ; Posted By: Karina Cardona,
LAST UPDATE 6:28:10 AM,
Aug/19/2004
SAN ANTONIO (TX): A San Antonio pastor who's drawn a lot of controversy is getting more tonight.
Pastor John Cortez says he runs his northwest side ministry to help the homeless and disadvantaged, but News 4 WOAI'S Amy Davis is uncovering evidence he's more interested in business than the Bible.
There are 9 buildings classified as churches in his ministry within a one mile radius.
The Bexar County Tax Assessor checked her files and found a problem: all churches are tax exempt, but these are actually houses that are free and clear of all property taxes.
People must worship in those houses in order to continue having exemption status, but we found one woman living in one house.
Tenant Linda Sanchez has lived there for three years. She showed Amy Davis receipts that she paid Pastor John Cortez $600 a month for rent. Sanchez also says she's made it clear she wants nothing to do with the church.
Cortez told us last week another tenant offered to pay $200 a month and that's it out of her own kindness.
He also says all of his tenants are missionaries and any money they give goes straight to his church, the "I am the Alpha and the Omega" church on Vance Jackson.
[Posted by Kathy Shaw at 09:44 PM]
• Priest pleads innocent to embezzlement charge [Werra]
> $US240,000
The Detroit Free Press,
www.freep.com/news/statewire/sw102988_20040820.htm , AP,
August 20, 2004
PAW PAW, Mich. (AP) -- A Roman Catholic priest accused of embezzling more than $240,000 from two Van Buren County churches pleaded not guilty.
The Rev. Bogdon Werra turned himself in for arraignment Thursday morning, court officials said. A preliminary examination is scheduled for Sept. 21.
If convicted, Werra, who served at St. John Bosco Parish in Mattawan and St. Margaret Mary Mission in Marcellus, could face up to 10 years in prison.
Werra, 49, is free on a personal recognizance bond, the Kalamazoo Gazette reported Friday.
• Priest charged with embezzlement turns self in [? 2004 Werra]
WOOD,
5:58 p.m., August 20, 2004
MICHIGAN: A Catholic priest from West Michigan who has been charged with embezzling money from churches he served has turned himself in.
Reverend Bogdon Werra pled not guilty. He was arraigned on charges of embezzling more than $20,000.
Werra is a former pastor at parishes in Mattawan and Marcellus. He resigned last month.
• Diocese ex-CFO to get same job in Columbus -- although FBI and insurers are inquiring.
Cleveland Plain Dealer,
www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/10929944 68200422.xml ;
by James F. McCarty, Friday, August 20, 2004
COLUMBUS (OH): The deposed chief financial officer of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese has a new job as the next CFO of the Diocese of Columbus.
Joseph Smith resigned from the Cleveland diocese in January under a cloud of suspicion, accused of accepting more than $750,000 from an accounting firm he had hired to work for the diocese.
The FBI is investigating the payments, and the diocese's insurance company reportedly has filed a claim against Smith to recoup the money - neither of which apparently deterred the Columbus diocese from hiring him as its new finance director.
A Cleveland diocesan official said the Columbus diocese was made aware of the criminal investigation, as well as the circumstances of Smith's leaving after more than 20 years of employment in the state's largest diocese.
"No recommendation concerning employment was requested, and none was provided," said spokesman Bob Tayek, reading from a news release.
Few people involved were willing to talk about Smith's hiring when contacted Thursday.
[Posted by Kathy Shaw at 09:39 PM]
• Columbus diocese hires man who quit previous job amid financial controversy [Smith] -- allegation accepted $750,000.
Beacon Journal,
www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/9462533.htm?ERIGHTS=- 3310265525208997331 ohio::kashaw@peoplepc.com&KRD_RM= 3rrmsojkosqnksjjjjjjjjkjjp|Kathleen|Y ;
Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio - A man who resigned as chief financial officer for the Cleveland Catholic Diocese amid financial controversy has been hired to supervise the finances of the Columbus Catholic Diocese.
Joseph H. Smith, 47, of Avon Lake, near Cleveland, will become the diocese's finance director in October, said diocesan spokeswoman Robin Miller.
Smith resigned from the Cleveland diocese in February after he was accused of accepting about $750,000 from an accounting firm he hired to work for the diocese. Smith has not been charged.
Cleveland diocesan spokesman Robert Tayek said the Columbus diocese has been told that a federal investigation of Smith is ongoing.
Special Agent Robert Hawk of the Cleveland FBI office would not comment on whether there is a probe of Smith.
Miller said she does not know whether the Columbus diocese was told of the allegations. She referred questions about Smith's hiring to Bishop James A. Griffin, who was attending a meeting of bishops and unavailable for comment.
• 12 Okija Priests Wanted - IGP
AllAfrica.com ;
http://allafrica.com/stories/200408200600.html ,
by Malachy Uzendu, August 20, 2004
ABUJA, NIGERIA: Twelve priests of the Okija shrines in Anambra State are being trailed by police.
They are wanted for failing to turn themselves in to the authorities even as 13 others who did, were arrested for questioning.
The revelation came as fresh from Wednesday's fact-finding trip to the shrines in Ihiala council area of the state Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mr. Tafa Balogun, went to brief President Olusegun Obasanjo on the incident.
The President was reportedly shocked that several public functionaries had patronised the shrines.
Also reportedly made available to the President were the registers of clients to the Ogwugwu shrines as well as a list of those whose deaths may have been linked to the place.
The END of Newsitems Received Covering Other Than Child And/Or Sexual Abuse
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