• Prosecutor says Catholic abuse victims numerous. MOBILE, Ala.: A criminal investigation of sexual abuse by priests in the Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile has generated calls from more victims and friends of victims, a Mobile County prosecutor said. Assistant District Attorney Steve Giardini said it's too early to say exactly how many victims there are in the area because the tips will need to be compiled. Not every case of alleged abuse will result in prosecution, he said. Under Alabama law, sex crimes that involved victims under 16 and occurred before Jan. 7, 1985, cannot be prosecuted. "We're looking at those hard, too. Even if they're not necessarily charged in those cases, we're trying to get a full picture of what went on," Giardini told the Mobile Register for a story Sunday. -- Mobile Register, "Prosecutor says church abuse victims numerous," www.al.com/ , Associated Press, Apr 27 03
References at: www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethicscontents.htm
• In Boston, church seeking a savior could get Twin Cities' Archbishop Flynn. BOSTON (MA): The Archdiocese of Boston is a Catholic church community in search of salvation. It faces a criminal grand jury investigation, more than 500 sex-abuse lawsuits that could cost $100 million to settle, plummeting church attendance and giving, and its finances are in shambles. It has mortgaged the chancery and the cardinal's residence, will sell 11 properties and is considering bankruptcy protection. Many of its 2.1 million members live between hope and despair as they spar with their leaders four months after Cardinal Bernard Law resigned as archbishop in disgrace over his acknowledged mishandling of sexually abusive priests. "Whoever the Vatican picks to replace Cardinal Law, he'll have the toughest job in the Catholic Church," worshiper James O'Malley said after a mass at Holy Cross Cathedral in Boston. "What we need is a strong CEO with the patience of a saint and the heart of Christ." -- Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune, "In Boston, church seeking a savior could get Twin Cities' Archbishop Flynn ," www.startribune.com/ , by Warren Wolfe, (Poynteronline Apr 28 03)
• Tasmanian Premier backs national sex probe; Anglican victims now in Tasmania. HOBART (Tasmania, Australia): Premier Jim Bacon has supported a call by former Tasmanian Anglican cleric Phillip Aspinall for a national inquiry into child sex abuse. The support comes at a time when the Anglican Church in Tasmania is battling to deal with a series of complaints lodged against it by people alleging they were abused by clergy and church officials. Dr Aspinall, Archbishop of the strife-torn Diocese of Brisbane and a former director of Anglicare in Tasmania, has been calling for more than a year for a national inquiry across all institutions including the Anglican Church. Queensland's Labor Premier Peter Beattie also wants a national inquiry, saying pedophilia is not contained by state boundaries. Mr Bacon said child abuse was an extremely serious problem across the entire community. "Obviously it is a very difficult issue for the Anglican Church to deal with internally," he said. -- The Mercury, "Bacon backs sex probe," www.themercury.news.com.au/ , By Ellen Whinnett, Apr 28 03
• Call for women priests is cheered CAMBRIDGE (MA): Ida Raming's defiance is not new. Last year, she joined with six other women in an ordination ceremony in Europe, after which they were excommunicated by the Vatican. But yesterday, Raming, a German theologian, had a receptive audience of 100 people who turned out to hear her call for allowing women to become priests. Some of the supporters said their desire for change was stirred by a year of turmoil in the church. In that year, some joined a lay group that led efforts to withhold donations to Catholic charities as the church was swept up in the clergy sexual abuse scandal. Mary Beth Clayton, who traveled from her home in Fairfield, Conn., to hear Raming at the Harvard Divinity School yesterday, said supporting women as priests is part of a larger effort to reclaim power from the current church leadership. "The coverup is the reason I think we're so offended by the church right now," said Clayton, who joined Voice of the Faithful [VOTF] last year. "The laity of the church realizes the hierarchy is not the church. We're the church." --Boston Globe, "Call for women priests is cheered," www.boston.com/ , By Wendy Davis, Globe Correspondent, (Poynteronline, Posted by Kathy Shaw Apr 28 03), Apr 28 03
• Church abuse victim of Joe Birmingham became sick when abuse stories appeared. SUDBURY (MA): Victims of abuse by priests continue to tell their stories at local churches, and yesterday, Gary Bergeron, 40, of Lowell, came to St. Anselm's Church to talk about his experience with the Rev. Joseph Birmingham. "I had never ever spoken of my past, never told my best friend, never told my wife," Bergeron said. "The abuse that I suffered for three years, I never thought twice about it. I thought I was one of the lucky guys, I thought I got away from it and it didn't affect my life at all." Bergeron's talk followed two other recent forums where alleged victims have discussed their experiences with Birmingham, a former pastor in Sudbury, Lowell and Gloucester. He died in 1989. A year ago, as stories about Birmingham appeared in the press at the height of the priest abuse scandal coverage, "I was sick to my stomach," Bergeron said yesterday. "I was nauseous, I literally got up and got sick in the bathroom, and I felt like I was 11 or 12 years old again. Nobody knew anything, my parents didn't know, my friends didn't know, and I decided that I had to do something, but I had no idea what I was going to do." -- MetroWest Daily News, "Church abuse victim speaks in Sudbury," www.metrowestdailynews.com/ , By Michael Wyner, Mon Apr 28 03
• Lawyer concludes church leaders used SW Florida as 'dumping ground' NAPLES (FL): Like other spiritual leaders across the country, Bishop John J. Nevins returned from a landmark meeting in Dallas last summer vowing to rid all wayward priests from the ranks of Southwest Florida's Roman Catholic parishes. But 17 years earlier, Nevins agreed to accept a Kentucky priest -- whom he likely knew had admitted to molesting a 15-year-old boy -- to lead a Lee County congregation, according to documents released in a series of lawsuits filed in Louisville. "The bishops have promised to deal decisively with members of the clergy . . . who sexually abuse minors," he said. "The Catholic faithful must be assured of the Church's commitment to protecting all those entrusted to our care, to ensuring that no one who has abused a child in the past, present or future is permitted to continue in ministry." (The article goes on with details of offender after offender who was sent to the area priest.) Ted Zelman, a Naples attorney representing a former St. Ann student who has charged a priest with abuse, said his work on the case has led to a troubling conclusion: Catholic leaders in Miami used Southwest Florida as a "dumping ground," sending their troubled priests to the other side of the state before the Diocese of Venice was created in 1984. -- Naples Daily News, "Lawyer concludes church leaders used SW Florida as 'dumping ground'," , by Alan Scher Zagier, aszagier@naplesnews.com , (Poynteronline, Posted by Ann Brentwood Apr 28 03), Mon Apr 28 03
########## Poynteronline, Abuse Tracker, Tuesday, April 29, 2003 edition follows:-
• Lawyer Wants John Doe Named In Boys Town Abuse Case ( http://www.theomahachannel.com/news/2164805/detail.html ) TheOmahaChannel.com: OMAHA (Neb.): One of the men who has filed a lawsuit alleging he was sexually abused when he was a resident at Boys Town should not be allowed to proceed under the fictitious name John Doe. So said attorney James Martin Davis, the Omaha attorney representing Boys Town. Davis filed a motion Monday in Douglas County District Court asking that the lawsuit be dismissed. It is one of three that has been filed against Boys Town alleging sexual abuse. Davis said plaintiffs in Nebraska must use their real names unless the case involves a minor having an abortion or when the defendant agrees to the plaintiff maintaining anonymity.
• Up to Code ( http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2003/001/5.43.html ) Christianity Today: UNITED STATES: Scandal among Catholic clergy is forcing all ministers to reconsider practices—not just in working with children, but in setting ethical standards in all areas. Pastors are finding it's time to dust off the code of ethics, and in light of recent social and technological developments, it's time to rewrite. Or for those without, it's time to draft one. Many denominations have such a code in place. For their pastors, adopting the code is mandatory. Some in the free church tradition have resisted adopting a national or regional standard, because of issues of authority and autonomy. The Baptist General Convention of Texas is considering, for the first time in its history, adopting a model code of ethics for ministers. The recommendation came from Joe Trull, editor of Christian Ethics Today, the author of several books on ministerial ethics, and a Texas pastor.
• Preacher's sex offense stirs protest at Newark church ( http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-3/105159821591341.xml) NEWARK (NJ): Star-Ledger: BY WILLIAM KLEINKNECHT, Star-Ledger Staff: After a search of more than a year, the elders at Newark's Shiloh Baptist Church hired the Rev. Chavalis T. Williams, a charismatic young Floridian known for spellbinding sermons, to be their new pastor. The church is planning a series of special events next month to mark Williams' installation, including a banquet, choir performances and sermons by visiting Baptist preachers. But not everyone at the church is celebrating. Shiloh's leadership hired Williams last month and put his one-year, $45,000 contract to a vote before the congregation without telling members that he was a convicted sex offender in Florida, according to church members. Williams, then known as Chavalis Bonsell, pleaded guilty in May 1999 to arranging for two teenagers to have sex in front of him and others while working at the Daniel Memorial facility for troubled youth in Jacksonville, according to Libby Senterfitt, director of the special assault unit in the Florida State Attorney's Office in Jacksonville.
• Church proposes $25M settlement ( http://www2. bostonherald. com/news/ local_ regional/ chur0429 2003.htm ) .
Boston Herald: by Robin Washington and Tom Mashberg, Tuesday, April 29, 2003: BOSTON (MA): Emboldened by a recent Supreme Judicial Court ruling and new developments in a major clergy sexual-abuse lawsuit, lawyers for the Archdiocese of Boston are toughening their negotiating position by proposing a $25 million deal to settle hundreds of molestation cases, a source close to the process told the Herald yesterday. Specifically, church lawyers are proposing the amount to close out some 400 current cases, leaving another 100 to be handled differently. "The $25 million would be a compromise the (church's) insurance companies could live with," the source said, adding the amount could go up and the archdiocese also would add several million dollars from the sale of property and other means. Multiple sources said church lawyers were heartened by recent events in the Rev. Paul R. Shanley civil case, in which documents have emerged suggesting plaintiff Gregory Ford of Newton may have been molested by someone else, and by the SJC's ruling in a suit against Brigham and Women's Hospital, in which the court upheld a $20,000 liability cap against charitable institutions.
• Archdiocese Reporting $25 Million Sex Abuse Settlement ( http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/2165277/detail.html ) TheBostonChannel.com: BOSTON (MA): The Boston Archdiocese is reportedly proposing a $25 million deal to settle hundreds of sexual molestation cases. Sources told the Boston Herald that lawyers for the archdiocese were buoyed by a couple of recent legal developments. They say a recent Supreme Judicial Court ruling upholding a $20,000 liability cap against charitable institutions may help the church's case. Lawyers are also heartened by the release of documents in a case against the Rev. Paul Shanley, which indicated a plaintiff may have been molested by someone else.
• Hackers attack Web site for clergy-abuse victims ( http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?SearchID=73133428408625&Av is=WT&Dato=20030429&Kategori=NEWS&Lopenr=304290430&Ref=AR) Telegram & Gazette: by Kathleen A. Shaw: WORCESTER (MA): The Web site of the Worcester Voice, an advocacy organization for victims of clergy sexual abuse in the Worcester Catholic Diocese, was hacked into over the weekend and files were destroyed. Mary T. Jean, leader of Worcester Voice, said most of the site was operating again by Sunday night, because most data had been saved on a backup system. Paul Baier of SurvivorsFirst, another advocacy organization, offered technical assistance to Mrs. Jean. He said hack attacks have been made in the past on his SurvivorsFirst Web site, which contained a national database of accused priests, and the national site of Voice of the Faithful. Mrs. Jean, a Leominster resident who launched the site several months ago, said the site was damaged by a hacker and she does not know who did it.
• Bishop, group spar over signs ( http://goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Site=GE&Date=20030429&Category=FR ONTPAGE&ArtNo=104290392&Ref=AR) GoErie.com: By Ed Palattella, ed.palattella@timesnews.com : ERIE (PA): A regional group formed in response to the clergy sexual abuse scandal has taken its education campaign to the front doors of Roman Catholic schools throughout Erie County. The group posted a total 24 signs on the front doors and other spots at nine schools and a campus center, urging people to come forward if they know of anyone abused by a priest. The group had no authorization to post the signs on church property. Erie Catholic Bishop Donald W. Trautman denounced the signs, saying they were meant to scare children. The posters also state the group's support for three Erie women who filed a slander suit against the Catholic Diocese of Erie two weeks ago.
• Stokes lawyer asks to help prosecute Blackwell case ( http://www.sunspot.net/news/local/bal-md.brown.29apr29,0,2032743.story?co ll=bal-local-headlines) Baltimore Sun: By Allison Klein, Sun Staff, BALTIMORE (MD): Warren A. Brown, the loquacious litigator and City Council hopeful, grabbed air time on 60 Minutes and space in major American newspapers last year in his successful defense of Dontee D. Stokes, the Baltimore man who shot a priest Stokes said had molested him as a teen-ager. Yesterday, Brown requested a temporary move to the other side of the courtroom. In a hyperbolic letter to the city state's attorney's office, Brown asked to help bring sex abuse charges against Maurice J. Blackwell, the priest shot by Stokes in May. While the state's attorney's office and legal scholars deem the move a clear conflict of interest, Brown advocates the unusual legal maneuver on simple grounds: "Poetic justice." "My request is by no means an indictment of your office or its ability to prosecute high-profile cases," Brown wrote in a hand-delivered letter to State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy. "It is more accurately an appropriate means of poetic justice. Your office obviously employs a number of more than qualified attorneys. However, no attorney has the depth of understanding nor the panoramic insight relative to this case that I do." Originally published April 29, 2003:
• Charges may be filed against priest injured in shooting (http://www.zwire.com/ site/news. cfm?newsid= 7848948&BRD= 2101&PAG= 461&dept_id= 392169&rfi=6) The Star Democrat: BALTIMORE (MD): Baltimore city prosecutors are close to seeking sex abuse charges against a former priest shot by a man who accused the clergyman of molesting him as a teen, law enforcement officials said. The officials said the sex abuse case against the Rev. Maurice Blackwell is likely to go to the grand jury in a few weeks. Dontee Stokes attracted national attention four months ago when he was acquitted of attempted murder in the shooting of Blackwell. Warren Brown, Stokes' attorney, said prosecutors have told him they want to interview Stokes. The state's attorney spokeswoman has declined to talk about the investigation. "The thrust of it is that they're trying to take it into the grand jury," Brown said. "I'm confident they will take it in. They want to wrap this up quickly." Blackwell denies abusing Stokes, said Kenneth Ravenell, Blackwell's lawyer. (AP)
• Beast priest caged ( http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/gravesham/display.var.723101.index.beas t_priest_caged.html) BRITAIN: News Shopper: A former Catholic priest has been jailed for six years after pleading guilty to abusing youngsters at a children's home. David Murphy was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court after pleading guilty to eight counts of indecent assault at the St Mary's children's home in Gravesend more than 30 years ago. The 56-year-old, who was placed on the sex offenders' register for life, committed the offences on three boys and three girls aged between five and 11-years-old. A second priest Michael McConville, aged 52, of Walworth, escaped prison despite being found guilty of indecent assault and gross indecency.
• Priest faces 5 more charges for misusing church funds ( http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/38607/1/.html) NewsChannelAsia.com: By Johnson Choo: SINGAPORE: Five more charges have been brought against a 54-year-old priest who is alleged to have misused church funds. The Commercial Affairs Department had a surprise for Father Joachim Kang when he appeared in court on Tuesday. Five more charges were made against him for amounts totalling $800,000. Father Kang is now facing a total of 19 charges, and he is alleged to have misused $5.14 million of church funds.
• Priest faces sex abuse complaint ( http://www.charleston.net/stories/042903/sta_29priest.shtml ) The Post and Courier: by Dave Munday, Of The Post and Courier Staff: CHARLESTON (SC): A former Charleston priest is facing a civil complaint from a man accusing him of sexual abuse. The complaint was filed last week against the Rev. Basil Congro, 57, who was pastor of Jesus, Our Risen Savior Catholic Church in Spartanburg until he was suspended in September. Bishop Robert Baker of the Catholic Diocese of Charleston said he became aware of the allegation last June after the man claiming to be a victim contacted the diocese. Baker said he suspended Congro after the Diocesan Sexual Abuse Advisory Board determined the allegation was credible.
• Church settlement unmatched ( http://www.cmonitor.com/stories/news/state2003/church042703_2003.shtml ) Concord Monitor: State remains out front in handling of abuse case, Sunday, Apr 27, 2003; By Daniel Barrick, Monitor staff: MANCHESTER (NH): No other state has managed the kind of deal the New Hampshire attorney general struck with the Diocese of Manchester. Some observers say that's just as well. When the state attorney general's office announced its settlement with the Diocese of Manchester last year, prosecutors across the country stopped and listened. From California to Massachusetts, Arizona to Illinois, officials investigating sexual abuse by clergy thought New Hampshire might have designed a template to guide them in their own cases. But so far, the New Hampshire model has been a tough act for others to follow. One year after the abuse scandal erupted, New Hampshire remains the only state to successfully conclude an investigation of a Catholic diocese on charges of child sexual abuse. Monday, April 28, 2003
//////////////////// End of Poynteronline, Abuse Tracker, Tuesday, April 29, 2003 edition
########## Poynteronline, Abuse Tracker, Wednesday, April 30, 2003 edition follows:-
• Donte Stokes Meets with Prosecutor. http://wjz.com/localstories/local_story_120073638.html , WJZ: Apr 30, 2003 7:20 am US/Eastern: BALTIMORE (MD): Donte Stokes met with a prosecutor Tuesday to discuss his allegations of sexual abuse against former Baltimore priest Maurice Blackwell. According to Stokes' lawyer Warren Brown, this meeting could be a sign that prosecutors are getting ready to take the case before a grand jury. The Baltimore State's Attorney's Office would not comment on the meeting.
• Philly Priest Accused of Sex Crimes http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/news/04302003_nw_phillypriest.html , WPVI: PHILADELPHIA (PA): April 30, 2003: The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia is seeking to temporarily remove a priest accused of sexual abuse from ministry in the mountains of Peru, where he has been working with homeless children since the early 1990s. Archdiocese spokeswoman Catherine Rossi said the church had "requested that the Diocese of Abancay, Peru, release Father Donofrio from his current ministry pending an investigation." The Rev. Michael J. Donofrio was accused in a civil lawsuit filed Monday in Philadelphia of abusing a 12-year-old boy several times two decades ago while in ministry at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in South Philadelphia. Rossi said it was the first complaint the archdiocese had received about Donofrio.
• Priest Suspended Amid Corruption Probe http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2659484 , (Reuters): QUITO, Ecuador: The Roman Catholic Church in Ecuador suspended a fugitive priest on Tuesday after he was accused of leading a corruption ring at a local customs office that cost the country $10 million. The Rev. Carlos Flores, who was named head of Quito's customs office as part of an anti-corruption drive in 2000 due to his honest reputation and political connections, has been missing since last week when police sought to detain him for his alleged role in the corruption ring. Monsignor Vicente Cisneros, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference in Ecuador, told local reporters that Flores would not be allowed to celebrate Mass or administer sacraments while the suspension was in place. Flores owns beachfront property and an expensive car, according to prosecutors. Police found slot machines during a raid on one of his homes.
• Mom of priest's victim helping others to heal http://reviewjournal.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&expire=&urlID=6153510&fb=Y&partnerID=565 , Review Journal, LAS VEGAS (NV): When her youngest son asked whether he could trust her family's new priest, Debbie Tullgren did not know how to answer the boy. "I had to tell him, 'I don't know,' " she said. Tullgren's oldest son was sexually abused by his priest, Mark Roberts, in 1996 when he was a teenager. "I feel like I failed my son," said Tullgren, who has formed a local support group for other abuse victims. "I guess I'm just trying to protect as many kids as possible." About a month ago, Tullgren started a local chapter of the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. On Tuesday, she and members of the group handed out fliers at the Clark County Courthouse urging a harsh sentence for Roberts. "We're pushing for the maximum possible sentence because, in the past, sentences (for priests) have been very light," said Tom Bara, the group's national treasurer.
• Tougher Guidelines for Clergy http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=1256008&ClientType=Printable , WCAX: MONTPELIER, Vermont - April 29, 2003: The Vermont Senate unanimously backed a plan to add clergy to a list of people who have to report child abuse and neglect. The legislation is the result of allegations of child sexual abuse involving some Catholic priests in Vermont. Under current law a number professions including teachers and day care workers are required to report suspicions of child abuse to the state. The new bill now adds clergy to the list. "We must especially look to our communities and to our spiritual leaders to assist all of us in ensuring that there is zero tolerance of any abuse of our children and those that are charged with the spiritual values of our lives not only be teachers of those values, but they do nothing to harm our children either directly or by omission," said Senator Jim Leddy, D-Chittenden Count.
• Jehovah's Witness Sex Scandal
CBSNews.com ; "Another Church Sex Scandal", http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/04/29/eveningnews/main551557.shtml , April 29, 2003
SOUTHERN MINNESOTA (CBS): Like any mom, Heidi Meyer fixes boo-boos, serves up breakfast and even reviews some math homework. But every day is a fight for this mom to overcome her past.
"Basically any way that he could put his hands on me, he did," she told CBS News Correspondent Jane Clayson.
From the time she was 10, until she turned 13, Heidi, a Jehovah's Witness, says she was molested by a member of her congregation. Finally, she turned to the leaders of her faith.
And what did they say? "They asked me, do you think this could be a misunderstanding? And I said, no. No, I'm very sure of how his hands were on my body and there's no way to misunderstand that," Meyer said.
But the elders dismissed her plea for help and sent her away with a warning: "You need to keep quiet about this. You don't want to drag his name through the mud. You don't want to drag the name of Jehovah's organization through the mud."
• Reform group calls for assembly of archdiocese http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/apr03/137339.asp , Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: MILWAUKEE (WI): The local chapter of a national Catholic reform group created in the wake of the clergy sexual abuse scandals has asked Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan to hold an archdiocesan-wide synod to plan for the future, re-establish trust and unify the faithful. Such an assembly would include many lay people. Terry Ryan, regional coordinator of Voice of the Faithful, Southeastern Wisconsin Affiliate, sent a letter to Dolan on Monday asking him "to convoke a synod that would gather people from all areas of the archdiocese to discuss issues and establish goals for the good of the church in southeastern Wisconsin."
• Clergy added to list of mandatory reporters http://timesargus.nybor.com/Regional_News/Story/64654.html , Times Argus: April 30, 2003: By Darren M. Allen, Vermont Press Bureau: MONTPELIER (Vermont): Lawmakers on Tuesday moved closer to adding priests and other clergy to Vermont's 22-year-old list of people required to report suspicions of child abuse to civil authorities. Shortly after the House Judiciary Committee granted an 11-0 nod to a mandatory reporting requirement for clergy, the full Senate unanimously gave its preliminary approval to a similar measure. The votes capped weeks of often emotional and tearful testimony from prosecutors, legal experts, religious leaders and abuse victims. While the bills differ slightly in their language and penalties for noncompliance, both exempt clergy from reporting suspicions of abuse that come to light during a confession or other similar exchange between a person and a religious representative. Such an exemption is granted in all but 10 of the states that require clergy to tell police or social services agencies that they have “reasonable cause” to believe a child has been abused or neglected.
• Krishna temples urge victims of abuse to make formal claim http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/120/nation/Krishna_temples_urge_victims_of_abuse_to_make_formal_claimP.shtml , Boston Globe: By Larry B. Stammer, Los Angeles Times, 4/30/2003: LOS ANGELES (CA): The six Hare Krishna temples in California, along with several other Krishna organizations here and in West Virginia, took steps yesterday to identify minors who may have been sexually abused or mistreated at boarding schools during the 1970s and '80s. A lawsuit over the alleged abuse prompted the Krishna movement, known officially as the International Society of Krishna Consciousness, to file for bankruptcy last year to protect its assets and, the group said, to prevent closing of temples and other facilities across the United States. As part of the bankruptcy process, the Krishna temples plan to publish legal notices today in major newspapers and magazines and on websites, urging victims to make claims if they want to be compensated under a proposed bankruptcy reorganization plan. The move is the latest development in a three-year legal battle over the abuse allegations. In charges that echo the sexual-abuse scandal in Roman Catholic dioceses across the United States, plaintiffs allege they were raped or otherwise physically and emotionally abused while living in Krishna boarding schools away from their parents.
• Denomination Thwarts Bankruptcy http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/005/14.25.html , Christianity Today: CANADA: The Anglican Church of Canada has made a deal with the Canadian government that leaders hope will keep the denomination from bankruptcy. The agreement, signed on March 11, caps the church's financial responsibility at $25 million for lawsuits alleging physical and sexual abuse in Indian residential schools (CT, Jan. 7, 2002, p. 20). The Anglican Church will be responsible for 30 percent of compensation awarded in validated cases of abuse; the federal government will pay the other 70 percent. Although only 11 dioceses ran schools, all 30 are taking responsibility for compensating victims. "I'm very pleased and, in a way, amazed that dioceses so quickly could mobilize themselves to make decisions," said Archdeacon Jim Boyles, the church's general secretary and chief negotiator. The agreement puts pending court cases into an alternative dispute resolution process. This will include counselling, pastoral care, therapy and legal advice, says Anglican Archdeacon Larry Beardy, a member of the negotiating team.
• Church abuse report goes public http://townsvillebulletin.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,6361573%255E421,00.html , Townsville Bulletin, By Paul Osborne, 30apr03: BRISBANE (Australia): An Anglican Church report into the handling of sexual abuse complaints will be made public after Queensland Premier Peter Beattie agreed to table it in state parliament tomorrow. Concerns had been raised by child protection advocates that much of the inquiry report would be kept secret. But Mr Beattie said today he had agreed to a request from Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane Dr Phillip Aspinall to table the report, which was sparked by concerns over former Archbishop and now Governor-General Peter Hollingworth's handling of complaints. Dr Aspinall has also asked Prime Minister John Howard to table the report.
• Judge is asked to suspend sex suits http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2003/04/30ky/met-front-abus04300-4649.html , The Courier-Journal, By Gregory A. Hall, ghall@courier-journal.com , The Courier-Journal: LOUISVILLE (KY): Attorneys for most of the plaintiffs alleging they were sexually abused by Catholic priests and others and defense lawyers yesterday asked a Jefferson Circuit judge to suspend most activity in the more than 200 pending cases for 90 days to allow time for negotiations on a possible settlement. Jefferson Circuit Judge James M. Shake is expected to rule today on whether the plaintiffs can be considered a class for the purpose of settlement discussions. On the plaintiffs' side, attorneys led by William McMurry, who represents 214 plaintiffs in the 247 cases filed since last April against the Archdiocese of Louisville, are pushing for mediation. Proposing mediation from the defense are attorneys for the archdiocese and a Southern Indiana-based province of Franciscans that is the target of 19 of the lawsuits.
• Voicing Catholic concerns http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0430votf30.html , The Arizona Republic, by Michael Clancy, Apr. 30, 2003 12:00 AM: PHOENIX (AZ): A small group of Valley Catholics has started meeting with hopes of reforming the church in light of the clergy sex-abuse scandal. While the local chapter of Voice of the Faithful is made up of practicing Catholics, it is not part of, or sanctioned by, the Phoenix Diocese. The organization first arose in Boston in response to the sex-abuse crisis there. It was very vocal shortly before Cardinal Bernard Law decided to step down. Sandy Simonson, 32, of Phoenix, is a typical member. She grew up in the church in Pinetop. Now a mother and an executive at a local bank, she still makes time for religion. She has read Scripture during Mass, helped distribute communion, worked with youth, even sung in the choir.
• Date Set For New Robichaud Trial http://www.thechamplainchannel.com/wnne/2166846/detail.html , TheChamplainChannel.com: LACONIA (NH): A new trial for a Lakes Region priest charged with raping a 15-year-old boy in 1985 is scheduled for July. Earlier this month, a jury could not reach a verdict in the trial of George Robichaud, 59, and the judge declared a mistrial. The new trial is scheduled to start July 7. Tuesday, April 29, 2003
• Priest accused of embezzling $800,000 more in church funds
The Straits Times, http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,4386,186152,00.html , By Chong Chee Kin:
SINGAPORE: Joachim Kang Hock Chai, the priest charged with embezzling money from his church, was back in the dock yesterday after being released on bail only last Friday. This time, the 54-year-old Catholic priest faced five more charges involving $800,000, bringing the total he allegedly took from the Church of St Teresa to $5.1 million. In all, Kang allegedly made 19 transfers of sums ranging from $4,638 to $1 million from the church's account to his own, between July 1994 and February last year. Yesterday, Kang was accused of allegedly taking:
• Victims of Abuse Discuss Punishment for Former Henderson Priest http://www.kvbc.com/global/story.asp?s=1255101&ClientType=Printable , WKVB.com: April 29, 2003: LAS VEGAS (NV): He once had the trust of hundreds of local church members. But soon, former Catholic priest Mark Roberts will learn his sentence for abusing that trust. For many years, Father Roberts was a priest at Saint Peter of the Apostle Catholic Church in Henderson. He's since been relieved of duty -- and earlier this year -- pleaded guilty to abusing five boys at the church. Today, some of the priest's victims plan on being on the steps of the Clark County courthouse to rally for a strong sentence against Father Mark Roberts. Last night, a flood of emotions poured out at a support group meeting of priest abuse victims and their family members. Debbie Tullgren's son was among the children abused by Father Mark Roberts. She says, he deserves to be punished -- just like anyone else.
• Corrections and clarifications http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1051622712231870.xml , The Times-Picayune: NEW ORLEANS (LA): Priest's address wrong: An article in Saturday editions misstated the New Orleans address where Brother Nicholas Paul "Vic" Bendillo is living while awaiting the outcome of sexual abuse charges filed against him in Mobile, Ala. Bendillo lives in a residence belonging to the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in the 1100 block of City Park Avenue, Bendillo's superior said.
• Lorch, church face suit http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/79279p-72910c.html , New York Daily News, By Michael O'Keeffe and T.J.Quinn, Daily News Sports Writers: NEW YORK: A former basketball player who says he was sexually abused 20 years ago by Riverside Church basketball program founder Ernest Lorch filed a lawsuit yesterday in Newark federal court against Lorch and the church. Robert Holmes, 35, says he continues to suffer from severe psychological and emotional pain from sexual abuse by Lorch that began when Holmes was 12 and continued for three years. "As the head of the program and as his coach, Lorch had a duty to protect Robert from harm," said Lawrence Luttrell, Holmes' attorney. "Instead, he took that as an opportunity to engage in offensive conduct against him."
• South Carolina priest named in NY abuse complaint http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030429&Category=APN&ArtNo=304290799&Ref=AR&cachetime=5 , Sarasota Herald Tribune, The Associated Press: LONG ISLAND (NY): A Roman Catholic priest who served in South Carolina for the past decade has been named in a lawsuit accusing him of sexually abusing a young man in a Long Island, N.Y., parish in the 1980s. The Rev. Basil Peter Congro, most recently priest at Jesus, Our Risen Savior Catholic Church in Spartanburg, took administrative leave last fall. He is still a priest but may not be at his parish, wear clerical garb or perform public priestly duties, a spokeswoman for the diocese said. A plaintiff in a civil suit filed April 14 claims the priest abused him in the 1980s when Congro was priest at St. Mary's Catholic Church in East Islip, N.Y. The plaintiff is a man who now lives in Florida. Congro moved to South Carolina in the early 1990s, serving as pastor of St. Patrick and Our Lady of Mercy in Charleston, St. Mary on Yonges Island, Saints Frederick and Stephen on Edisto Island, and St. Anthony in Florence.
• Lawyer rebuts church motion http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=129542&category=PS&BCCode=PRST , Albany Times Union, By Andrew Tilghman, Staff writer, First published: Tuesday, April 29, 2003: ALBANY (NY): A Rensselaer County judge will have to decide whether a lawsuit accusing the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese of manipulative therapy services violates the Constitution's separation of church and state. Acting state Supreme Court Justice Christian Hummel on Monday received a 58-page response to the church's motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed in December. Hummel is expected to rule in coming weeks on whether the lawsuit proceeds. The case could lead to disclosure of church records and sworn statements by Bishop Howard Hubbard, one of the defendants. Church lawyers cite the First Amendment's church-and-state clause, maintaining that this lawsuit raises "the specter of excessive entanglement with religion." The lawsuit, filed by attorney John Aretakis, claims the church manipulated Curtis Oathout last year to prevent him from hiring an attorney or speaking publicly about his alleged abuse by the Rev. David Bentley. Apr 29 03
• Millville church seeks new pastor http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Site=WT&Date=20030429&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=304290462&Ref=AR&Profile=1008&SectionCat=NEWS02 , Telegram & Gazette, Kathleen A. Shaw: MILLVILLE (MA): Two women from St. Augustine parish are enlisting support of their fellow parishioners to preserve their community of faith and to keep the parish alive in the absence of a permanent pastor. Lois Salome and Margaret Carroll, retired elementary school teachers, have worked to get more than 400 people in the parish and the town to send letters and postcards and to make personal telephone calls to Bishop Daniel P. Reilly and other chancery officials asking for a permanent pastor. The mail is going to the chancery at 49 Elm St., Worcester, and to the bishop's home, also in Worcester. "We are in a vacuum," said Ms. Salome, who with Ms. Carroll is active in the parish. However, the struggle goes beyond the women. Others from the parish have gotten involved to focus efforts on saving the parish. The church was rebuilt 25 years ago after a fire destroyed the old church. The parish is debt-free, Ms. Carroll said. "We are very proud of that. We care about our parish." The Rev. Jean-Paul Gagnon, their pastor for several years, took personal leave last fall after a civil suit was filed alleging that he sexually abused Timothy P. Staney of Worcester when he was a teenager. Bishop Reilly responded to their call for help by holding a Holy Thursday service for them in their church, and said he will return to meet with parishioners, the women said. St. Augustine was the church of 450 families before Rev. Gagnon left the parish. Attendance at Mass has dropped dramatically, they said. Parish life is not as it should be, they added. The women said their issue is with maintaining their faith community. They said the issue of Rev. Gagnon has been left to others. They called a meeting of parishioners April 6 that was intentionally held away from parish property. Fifty people showed up. People were invited to tell their concerns about the parish since their pastor departed. They promised to include everything in a letter to Bishop Reilly. When the letter was made available to parishioners for signing recently, people were amazed that everything was included. "We are only stating facts and not feelings," Ms. Carroll said. The letter that went to Bishop Reilly was a group letter that managed to include what everyone was thinking.
• Lawyer Wants John Doe Named In Boys Town Abuse Case http://www.theomahachannel.com/news/2164805/detail.html , TheOmahaChannel.com: OMAHA, Neb.: One of the men who has filed a lawsuit alleging he was sexually abused when he was a resident at Boys Town should not be allowed to proceed under the fictitious name John Doe. So said attorney James Martin Davis, the Omaha attorney representing Boys Town. Davis filed a motion Monday in Douglas County District Court asking that the lawsuit be dismissed. It is one of three that has been filed against Boys Town alleging sexual abuse. Davis said plaintiffs in Nebraska must use their real names unless the case involves a minor having an abortion or when the defendant agrees to the plaintiff maintaining anonymity.
//////////////////// End of Poynteronline, Abuse Tracker, Wednesday, April 30, 2003 edition
References at: www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethicscontents.htm
Overview at: www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/minilist.htm
Buy Fidelity magazine www.j23.com.au Australia
Prayer of St. Germaine Cousin, Patroness of victims of child abuse: Saint Germaine, watch over those children who suffer abuse as you did. Help us to give them the love and protection you only got from God. Give us the courage to speak out against abuse when we know of it. Help us to forgive those who abuse the way you did, without sacrificing the lives of the children who need help. Amen. Visit http://saints.catholic.org/ saints/germainecousin.html
The POYNTER INSTITUTE is a Journalism School, based at St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.A.
From January 1, 2004, CLERGY SEX ABUSE TRACKER is at: www.ncrnews.org/abuse
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Doc. 238-16 ethicscontents16.htm