References cont. (25) — Clergy Child Molesters

•NI priest accused of indecent assault. [1995-96]

NORTHERN IRELAND: A County Tyrone Catholic priest told a teenage parishioner of the difficulties a priest has being celibate before he allegedly touched her breast, a court heard today. Enniskillen Crown Court was told that 36-year-old Father Joseph John Quinn, whose address was given as the Parochial House on the Circular Road in Dungannon, had invited the girl to the house for tea and biscuits before he allegedly indecently assaulted her. Prosecution lawyer Philip Mateer told the jury of six men and six women that just beforehand as they sat on the sofa, Father Quinn had told his alleged victim that she was a beautiful girl and how nice it would be if they could just slip into his bed and make love without anyone knowing. Father Quinn denies a single charge of indecent assault against the girl between July 1995 and January 1996 when the girl would have been around 17 or 18. -- U TV, http://u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?pt=n&id= 32184 , Tuesday May 13 2003 16:57:58. (Poynteronline, Abuse Tracker, Wednesday, May 14, 2003, continued; Posted by Kathy Shaw 3:31:00 PM)

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References: www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethicscontents.htm
Most newsitems are from http://www.poynter.org/ subscribe.to.clergy.tracker/ daily reports •Retired Catholic priest pleads innocent to child molest charges. VENTURA (Calif.): A retired Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually assaulting six boys during the late 1960s and 1970s pleaded innocent to 14 counts of child molestation after a judge denied a defense motion to dismiss the case. The Rev. Carl Sutphin, 70, entered his plea Monday and faces child molestation charges, which involve four victims who were allegedly molested when they were kids in the 60s and 70s. Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, leader of the Los Angeles archdiocese, dismissed Sutphin last April, more than a decade after one of the alleged victims said he notified Church officials that Sutphin molested him and his brother when they were children. Sutphin was a priest at the Saint Mary Magdalen church in Camarillo from 1971 to 1975 and also worked as a priest with Saint John's Hospital in Oxnard from 1975 to 1991. He worked as a chaplain in Los Angeles from 1992 to 1995 and was an associate pastor at St. Vibiana's Cathedral in Los Angeles in 1995, where he worked and lived with Mahony. He had been named an associate pastor at the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels before his dismissal. -- Mercury News (Bay Area, from Gilroy and Santa Cruz to San Francisco), http://www.bayarea.com/mld/ mercurynews/news/local/5848582.htm , Associated Press, Posted on Tue, May 13, 2003
•Retired Catholic Priest Pleads Not Guilty To Child Molestation Charges. VENTURA (Calif.): A retired Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually assaulting six boys in Ventura County 30 years ago pleaded not guilty Monday to 14 counts of child molestation. The Rev. Carl Sutphin, 70, entered his plea after a judge denied a defense motion to dismiss the case. Sutphin allegedly molested the victims in the '60s and '70s. Cardinal Roger Mahony, leader of the Los Angeles archdiocese, dismissed Sutphin last April. Attorneys for Sutphin argued that it is unfair and unconstitutional for the government to file sex abuse charges after so many years. -- NBC 4, http://www.nbc4.tv/news/2199697/detail.html .
•Trial Involving Priest, Sex Ring To Start Thursday. CLEVELAND (OH): Father Daniel McBride waived his right to a jury trial in court Monday, in connection with a prostitution ring involving underage boys. Instead, he will have a bench trial, which only involves a three-judge panel, according to NewsChannel5. The trial, which will also include Martin Lynch, will begin Thursday. Lynch is also a suspect in the case involving underage prostitution. Cuyahoga County prosecutors tied McBride's case to Marshall McCarrons Tavern on Cleveland's west side. The bar was reportedly a haven for prostitution, WEWS reported. McBride's attorney said county prosecutors are using his client as a scapegoat. McBride retired from the priesthood in 1987, but served as senior pastor at St. Barnabas Church in Northfield Township. Lyn Ernsberger, 61, is the third of five suspects involved in a juvenile prostitution ring at the tavern. -- NewsChannel5, http://www.newsnet5.com/news/ 2198028/ detail.html .
•Court overturns one of priest's sex abuse convictions. [1980s] MARYLAND: The Maryland Court of Special Appeals has affirmed one conviction of a former St. James School chaplain convicted last year of sexually abusing two students at the school in the 1980s, while opening the way for a new trial in the second. In April 2002, a Washington County Circuit jury found Kenneth Kirk Behrel, 53, guilty of one count of abusing a Virginia man, now 37, who was a minor in his care at the time of the abuse. That conviction for abuse of a child and 12-year prison sentence were unaffected by last week's decision by the state's second-highest court. But the court ruled in a similar case tried two months earlier that Washington County Circuit Judge John H. McDowell erred when he allowed the Virginia man to testify about other incidents of abuse involving a former student from Frederick, Md., during the February 2002 trial. -- Herald-Mail, http://www.herald-mail.com/?module =display story&story_id=54375&format=html , By Marlo Barnhart, marlob@herald-mail.com . (Posted by Kathy Shaw 11:47:55 AM)
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• Notre Dame Headlines. More than 2,700 students to receive degrees May 18 Full Story & More News, -- University of Notre Dame homepage, www.nd.edu/, sighted May 15 03
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• Ruling backs diocese on assets. BEND (OR): In a decision that could complicate efforts by sexual abuse victims to collect damages from the Roman Catholic Church, an Oregon judge on Wednesday ruled that the Diocese of Baker can transfer millions of dollars in property and cash to its parishes and missions. Deschutes County Circuit Judge Michael Adler said the plaintiffs had not shown the planned transfer to be a fraudulent attempt by the diocese to limit its ability to pay damages in a pending $60 million sexual abuse case. The ruling could leave the individual parishes open for lawsuits, a course the plaintiffs intend to pursue if necessary, their lawyer said Wednesday. Holding individual parishes liable for the misdeeds of priests presents legal challenges, said David Skeel, a Pennsylvania law professor and expert on bankruptcy and fraudulent conveyances. You'd have to prove that in some way each parish was responsible for the actions of the priest, he said. What you'll probably find in these sorts of cases is that maybe one or two parishes might be, but not all of them. Despite that challenge, Skeel thinks Wednesday's ruling will cause other dioceses across the United States to consider incorporating their parishes. -- The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1053000281227650.xml , by Carol McGraw, May 15 03 (Posted by Kathy Shaw 10:18:09 AM)
• Church gets the word out. LITTLE FALLS (NJ): Catholic Church officials can only estimate the number of child sexual abuse cases in their dioceses, but they are committed to finding out everything they can. That's what Kathleen McChesney, a former high-ranking FBI official hired by U.S. Roman Catholic bishops to audit dioceses, told a crowd of 250 people on Tuesday night. The Church doesn't know the numbers, she said. We have to get through to them to get to the root of the problem. McChesney was hired last year after bishops installed harsher policies regarding child sexual abuse by priests. She spent two hours trying to convince the most skeptical of Catholic audiences - the lay reform group Voice of the Faithful - that she would help her new employers understand what made sexual abuse happen and prevent it from recurring. The meeting was held at Our Lady of the Holy Angels Parish, which is in the Diocese of Paterson. Bishop Frank J. Rodimer has allowed VOTF to meet on church property, unlike Newark Archbishop John J. Myers, who has banned the group. Myers recently called McChesney's agreement to talk to VOTF perplexing. But McChesney said she came because it was important to get the word out about the bishops' commitment. -- Herald News, http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzNTcm ZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTYzNzkxMzgmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkz , By Maya Kremen.
• Priest who spoke against Law resigns. [CURRENT, MONEY ?] BOSTON (MA): Monsignor Michael F. Groden, a leading figure in the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston for more than three decades, has resigned under pressure from his posts as head of a key archdiocesan office and as pastor of a thriving urban parish. According to parishioners and church officials, Bishop Richard G. Lennon accused Groden, 63, of financial impropriety because for several years the priest was drawing two salaries, one for his oversight of the church agency that builds affordable housing and another for his oversight of St. Cecilia Church in the Back Bay. The combined salaries totaled less than $40,000 a year, Church officials said. Groden's parishioners, among them a number of Boston movers and shakers, are irate. Some believe Groden has been targeted because he was the only monsignor among the 58 priests who publicly called for Law's resignation last December. Groden has told a supporter that he does not believe he is being punished for signing. Others believe Church officials were uncomfortable with Groden's success as a developer of affordable housing who enjoyed independence from chancery control. -- Boston Globe http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/135/metro/Priest_who_spoke_against_Law _ resignsP.shtml , By Michael Paulson, May 15 03
• Independent Mass draws faithful group. WORCESTER (MA): Independent Masses in the Catholic tradition with priests not under control of a bishop may be here to stay in Central Massachusetts. CITI Ministries of Framingham started a new Sunday Mass with a married priest last Sunday in Framingham. The Rev. David Kerrigan, a priest and certified member of CITI Ministries, has entered his seventh month of holding Masses. The first Mass was held in October at the Ramada Inn, Auburn, and the Masses later moved to the Marriott Courtyard on Grove Street through auspices of Catholics for Christ. Masses are still celebrated at 10 a.m. Sundays at the Marriott. He will celebrate a special healing Mass at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Marriott. A reception will follow. It is also the 32nd anniversary of his ordination to priesthood. Rev. Kerrigan is the first priest not associated with a diocese to start independent Masses in this area. The Rev. Ron Ingalls, a married priest, celebrated Mass in the Catholic tradition for about 50 people at the Elks Lodge in Framingham on Sunday. His wife sat with the congregation. Louise Haggett, who heads CITI Ministries, said her organization will hold a Mass at 9:30 a.m. Sunday at the Framingham Civic League, 214 Concord St. (Route 126). The group has been offered the location for as long as it wants, she said. She said she has received good response from those who attended Sunday and indications are they want the Masses to continue. A number of them remarked about the deep spirituality they sensed as Rev. Ingalls celebrated Mass. Rev. Kerrigan said his Masses attract people who do not want to go into a church of the Worcester Catholic Diocese because of the current clergy abuse scandal, but he also has attracted divorced Catholics and others who may be barred from receiving the sacraments in a church that is in communion with Rome. -- Telegram & Gazette, http://wtnlb.us.publicus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030515/NEWS/305 150497/1007/NEWSLETTERS05 , by Kathleen A. Shaw, Telegram & Gazette Staff, May 15 03
• Former clergyman pleades guilty to sex abuse charges. [1999] QUEENS (New York): A defrocked Greek Orthodox clergyman who founded his own Church in Queens has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy. Pangratios Vrionis, 59, was arrested last April on charges of third-degree sexual abuse and attempted sexual abuse. Prosecutors said that on Feb. 1, 1999, he showed the teenager a pornographic videocassette and touched him sexually. As part of a plea deal, Vrionis pleaded guilty to both charges in Queens Criminal Court Wednesday in exchange for a year of probation. Vrionis refers to himself as the archbishop of his own independent Church, Sts. Fanourios & Gerasimos Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Authorities have said he was defrocked from the Greek Orthodox Church after being convicted of sexually abusing two boys in 1970. -- Newsday (AP), http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--churchabuse0515may15,0,2 032933.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire , May 15, 2003, 5:41 AM EDT
• Ombudsman examines Church abuse claims. AUSTRALIA: The New South Wales ombudsman's office is looking into the way the Catholic Church handled allegations of sexual abuse against a priest from the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese. The claims against James Patrick Fletcher surfaced a year ago, yet he has only recently been removed from ministerial duties. The 62-year-old priest appeared in Maitland court yesterday, charged with eight counts of sexual assault against a child under 16. He has strenuously denied the allegations. The Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle, Michael Malone, says Fletcher was stood down from his ministerial duties in the Branxton parish about two months ago, in line with the Church's 'Towards Healing' policy. -- ABC, Australia, http://www.abc.net.au/news/australia/nsw/metnsw-15may2003-17.htm , May 15 03
• Former priest testifies that he does not recollect alleged abuse. LARGO (FL): A former priest who is accused of sexually abusing a Bradenton boy nearly 20 years ago testified that not only is he innocent, but he has no recollection of the child. Testimony began Wednesday in Robert Schaeufele's trial on two counts of capital sexual battery, both of which carry maximum sentences of life in prison. It did not happen, Schaeufele said. I don't even remember (him), much less doing anything like that. Schaeufele, who resigned as pastor of a Pasco County church last year, also faces three additional rape charges involving three men who allege they were sodomized as children. In all, 22 people have come forward with abuse claims against Schaeufele, who faces no criminal charges in most of those cases because of the statute of limitations. I wanted him never to be able to do it again, said the alleged victim, now 28, in the capital battery cases, whose identity is not being released. And I wanted to get justice for what happened. -- Herald Tribune, http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030515/APN/3051 50638&cachetime=5 , The Associated Press, May 15 03
• Ex-priest: 'It didn't happen'. LARGO (FL): Robert Schaeufele, the jovial former priest everyone called Father Bob, sat calmly as the 28-year-old man testified. The man said the priest sexually abused him nearly 20 years ago, doing things unbefitting a man of God. Robert Schaeufele appeared to shake his head slightly at the worst of the allegations. Schaeufele, his priest's collar and robe long since taken from him, later stood before a jury in sneakers and an over-sized blue suit and swore to God to tell the truth. He spoke words he hasn't said publicly in a year: It didn't happen ... I don't even remember (him) much less doing anything like that. It didn't happen. -- St. Petersburg Times, http://www.sptimes.com/2003/05/15/Tampabay/Ex_priest___It_didn_t.shtml , By William R. Levesque, May 15 03
• Accused priest fights extradition. SAN DIEGO (CA): A priest charged with molesting a boy at a church in Pacific Beach in the late 1970s will fight extradition from his home in Wisconsin to San Diego. At a brief court hearing in Juneau, Wis. yesterday, the Rev. Franklyn Becker said he will fight being returned to San Diego to face the charges, said the Attorney General's Office in California, which filed the case. Becker, 65, was a visiting priest at St. Brigid Catholic Church in Pacific Beach in 1977 when prosecutors contend he molested a 15-year-old boy who worked as a clerk in the church office. -- San Diego Union Tribune, http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20030514-9999_1m14briefs.html , May 14 03
• Bishop must resolve Coonan case. WORCESTER (MA): As Bishop Reilly celebrates his 75th birthday and prepares to retire, he rightfully can feel proud of many accomplishments. However, he also will be remembered for his role in the Church sex abuse scandal. Sadly, Bishop Reilly's original dealings with accused priests were reflective of Church culture. He was part of a system that preferred to hide these crimes and hope for the best rather than hold priests accountable for their behavior. Bishop Reilly's creation of a new diocesan Office for Healing and Prevention in June 2002 was a hopeful moment. Also a positive move was his decision to place seven priests on administrative leave after they were accused of sexual misconduct. In March, District Attorney John J. Conte determined that none of them will f ace criminal charges because the statute of limitations has expired. That same month, Bishop Reilly announced that six of these seven priests will be charged under canon law in Church tribunals. What about the seventh priest? The Rev. Joseph Coonan was a popular priest who discovered his vocation in mid-life. On Sunday evenings he packed St. John's Church on Temple Street in Worcester with his down-to-earth approach, integrating poetry and popular music into sermons and reminding listeners that God's love and forgiveness are immeasurable. Parishioners were stunned in August to find that he had been placed on administrative leave. ... Nearly a year after the pastor was put on administrative leave, the parish is in limbo. The diocese still allows Rev. Coonan to visit the parish weekly. The charismatic priest never developed a parish council, so no structure exists for representative decision-making. The diocese has not named an interim parish administrator, so short of a mutiny there is no means of establishing or legitimizing a new council. In the meantime, anonymous newsletters filled with pro-Coonan prayers and reflections are available each week at the church. -- Telegram & Gazette http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030514/NEWS/30514047 9/1054/OPINION , May 14 03
• Pinellas priest's trial underway. [EARLY 1980s] BAY NEWS (FL): The trial is underway in the case of a former Pinellas County Catholic priest accused of molesting young boys. Robert Schaeufele , a long-time priest with Archdiocese of St. Petersburg, faces five counts of capital sexual battery for several incidents dating back more than 20 years. A jury of six people has been seated and opening statements were scheduled to begin this morning in the case. Last April, Schaeufele was accused of sodomizing a Bradenton boy while serving as a priest at Pinellas Park's Sacred Heart Catholic Church. It's the first of three cases against Schaeufele. All involve alleged victims who were younger than 12 years old in the early ‘80s, when they say they were molested. At least one of those victims is expected to take the witness stand today to detail his alleged abuse. -- BayNews9.com, http://www.baynews9.com/NewsStory.cfm?storyid=18192 .
• Sex case inquiry into Church role. AUSTRALIA: The Catholic Church's handling of child sexual assault allegations against a priest is being investigated by the Ombudsman's office. The Daily Telegraph has learned the Catholic Bishop of Maitland/Newcastle, Bishop Michael Malone, is one of several high-ranking Church officials whose actions are being investigated by the Ombudsman. Detectives yesterday arrested and charged 61-year-old Catholic priest James Jim Fletcher with eight counts of child sexual abuse. Seven of the charges allege he had sexual intercourse with a child under 16 without consent while a further charge alleges he indecently assaulted the same victim. Fletcher appeared in Maitland Local Court where Magistrate Richard Wakely prohibited the publication of any information which might identify the victim, including the dates of the offences and where they occurred. -- Daily Telegraph, http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6437928%25 5E21302,00.html , By Frances O'Shea, 15 May 03
• Judge planning review of Croteau murder files. NORTHAMPTON (MA): A Hampshire Superior Court judge will review two boxes of court documents related to the investigation of the murder of Daniel Croteau in 1972 to determine if the impounded portions should be made public. Judge Peter A. Velis ruled yesterday that enough time has elapsed since two impoundment orders were issued in the mid-1990s to warrant a complete review of the documents related to the murder and the state's successful effort to obtain a blood sample from the Rev. Richard R. Lavigne for testing in the murder investigation. Lavigne is the only publicly identified suspect in the murder of Croteau, a 13-year-old Springfield altar boy whose bludgeoned body was found on the banks of the Chicopee River in Chicopee. It will be at least a month before Velis determines what documents, if any, will be made public. He allowed the Hampden County district attorney's office four weeks to file a memorandum regarding his review. -- The Republican, http://www.masslive.com/news/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1052897508 6410.xml , By Bill Zajac. (Posted by Kathy Shaw 7:28:56 PM)
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• Suffolk vicar to have crisis talks. Embattled Suffolk vicar Father Philip Gray has been asked to discuss his sex scandal with his bosses. It emerged today that Mendlesham's married vicar who fathered the son of his former church organist, has been extended an invitation from two bishops. Last week it was reported primary school teacher Belinda Denton-Cardew claimed the Rev Philip Gray, a married father-of-five, was the father of her son Benjamin. A court ruled Mr Gray, vicar of St Mary's Church in Mendlesham, near Stowmarket, was Benjamin's father despite his denials. He has also been ordered to pay child maintenance for his son's upbringing. The 48-year-old divorced mother-of-three claimed Mr Gray refused to have anything to do with either her or her baby after he was born. She forced Mr Gray, now aged 61, to undergo a paternity test at a hospital in Colchester in April 1999. The tests came back with a 99.999 per cent positive match that Mr Gray was Benjamin's father. She finally secured a declaration of paternity from Cambridge County Court on March 2, 2000, naming Mr Gray as the father and a new birth certificate was issued. Residents have reacted with a mixture of shock and acceptance at the scandal. Mr Gray is technically self-employed, although is paid by Church commissioners. He has lifelong freehold of the parish of Mendlesham, having been appointed in 1974. A spokesman for the Bishops office said today; The Bishops of Dunwich and Richborough remain concerned about the situation. They have invited Father Gray to a meeting with them in the near future. -- The Evening Star, Suffolk vicar to have crisis talks, http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/Content/news/story.asp?datetime=16+May+2003+15%3A57&tbrand=ESTOnline&tCategory=News+&category=News&brand=ESTOnline&itemid=IPED16+May+2003+11%3A57%3A54%3A020 , May 16 03
• Senate calls on G-G to resign; Papal honour awarded to predecessor Deane. CANBERRA, Australia: The Senate passed a motion yesterday calling for Governor-General Peter Hollingworth to resign over his handling of child abuse allegations against clergy while he was Anglican archbishop of Brisbane. It is said that such a resolution was unprecedented in Australia. The Senate also condemned Prime Minister John Howard's handling of the controversy. Sir Guy Green, Governor of Tasmania, was sworn in as Commonwealth Administrator, to fulfil the G-G's duties while he stays "stood aside" over a decades-old sex abuse allegation. On the same day, the Pope has honoured former governor-general Sir William Deane and wife Lady Helen for community service. Both are Catholics. -- Based on The West Australian, "Senate calls on G-G to resign," Fri May 16 03, p 12
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• Sex-abuse suit filed against ex-priest. HONOLULU (HI): A lawsuit charging sexual abuse was filed yesterday in state court against the Rev. Joseph Bukoski III, who was removed from his position as pastor of a Lahaina church last year. Eugene Saulibio's suit is also against Sister Claudia Wong, a Catholic social worker, and The Fathers of The Sacred Hearts. The suit says Bukoski gave Saulibio alcohol and drugs and sexually assaulted him in 1976. At the time, Saulibio was a 15-year-old student at Saint Louis High School in Honolulu, and Bukoski was a priest at The Fathers of the Sacred Hearts center in Kane'ohe. The suit asks for damages to be determined at trial. Bukoski was removed from his position as pastor of Maria Lanakila Church in Lahaina, Maui, last August after allegations of sexual misconduct with two minors more than 20 years ago were made public. In April, Bukoski lost an appeal to Rome, ending any attempt to get his job back as pastor of the church. -- Honolulu Advertiser http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/May/16/ln/ln07a.html , By Allison Schaefers, May 16 03. (Posted by Kathy Shaw 8:41:03 AM)
• Former Pinellas Park priest victorious in court. FLORIDA: The first court battle for a former Bay area Catholic priest has ended in victory for him. A Pinellas County jury found Robert Schaeufele not guilty of two counts of sexual abuse on Thursday, citing lack of evidence. Many of the charges stemmed from Schaeufele’s tenure at the Sacred Heart Church in Pinellas Park. One of Schaeufele's alleged victims was outraged by the jury's decision. It's wrong, said Chris McVafferty. This man needs justice. We're going to take him down. We've got three more to go. Schaeufele, 54, remains in jail, awaiting his next trial involving alleged sexual abuse of young boys during the last 20 years. Schaeufele is facing similar charges in Pasco County, dating back to the 1980s when he served as a priest at St. Rita’s Catholic Church in Dade City. -- BayNews9 http://www.baynews9.com/NewsStory.cfm?storyid=18299 .
• For sale: Bishop's summer home. PROVIDENCE (RI): The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence is selling the bishop's summer home to help pay for the $14.25-million settlement reached in three dozen sexual-abuse lawsuits in September. Real-estate agents who handle properties in the prestigious Watch Hill area of Westerly say the diocese is selling its oceanfront mansion for about $7 million. Westerly Tax Assessor Charles Vacca yesterday said that he also heard the sale was for that amount. Diocesan spokeswoman Karen Davis yesterday said the diocese would not comment on the Watch Hill property until after the deal closes. It's likely that more of the nation's 192 dioceses, hit with settlements during a wave of sexual-abuse lawsuits, will sell property to raise cash, Dean Hoge, a sociologist who studies Church finances at the Catholic University of America, said yesterday. -- Providence Journal, http://www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20030515_church15.3ede3.html , By Jennifer Levitz, May 15 03
• More sex abuse charges filed against Bath evangelist. [CURRENT] GREENVILLE, South Carolina: An evangelist who holds religious tent revivals throughout the Southeast has been charged with sexually abusing two Aiken girls, authorities said. Arrest warrants charge James Wesley McCoy, 31, of Bath, with three counts criminal sexual conduct with a minor and seven counts of lewd conduct with a minor. McCoy, who heads McCoy Ministries, fondled and sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl in her home on seven different occasions between November 2002 and May 2003, said Aiken Sheriff Michael Hunt. McCoy also committed sex acts with a 14-year-old, Hunt said. -- TheState.com, Associated Press http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/5871168.htm .
• Preacher gets new abuse charges. AIKEN (SC): Sexual assault charges continue to mount against a Bath evangelical preacher who made several guest appearances on a North Augusta Christian television station. On Thursday, Aiken County Sheriff Mike Hunt said investigators had secured warrants against 31-year-old James Wesley McCoy in connection with sexual misconduct involving two girls, ages 13 and 14. Mr. McCoy, who operates McCoy Ministries, a traveling evangelical group, has been jailed since Monday in Oconee County, S.C., on a felony charge of criminal sexual conduct with a minor. This is a big shock to everybody, said Dorothy Spaulding, a co-owner of WBPI-TV, a Christian station where Mr. McCoy made an appearance last month on the local evangelical program Club 36. All I heard of him was nothing but good. He's an awesome minister of the gospel. -- Augusta Chronicle, http://www.augustachronicle.com/stories/051603/met_140-7752.000.shtml , By Stephen Gurr | South Carolina Bureau, Web posted Thursday, May 15, 2003
• COURT ALLOWS TRANSFER OF DIOCESAN ASSETS. BEND (Ore.): A judge allowed a Roman Catholic diocese Wednesday to transfer assets to its parishes and missions after plaintiffs in a sexual abuse lawsuit failed to prove that the transfers were illegal. The judge had previously issued a temporary restraining order at the request of David Slader, a lawyer representing 18 men who said they were abused years ago as children by the Rev. David Hazen, who died in 1986. Their suit against the Diocese of Baker and the Archdiocese of Portland seeks $69 million in damages. They contended that the Baker Diocese, in eastern Oregon, was illegally shifting assets to avoid paying potential damages. Slader said Wednesday that the ruling means that the plaintiffs will sue individual parishes, probably within 30 days. --- Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/136/nation/Court_allows_transfer_of_dio cesan_assetsP.shtml , By Associated Press, May 16 03
• Diocesan Statement On Father Daniel McBride. CLEVELAND (OH): Today the diocese of Cleveland has learned that Father Daniel R. McBride, a retired priest of the Diocese of Cleveland, pleaded guilty in an action before the Cuyahoga County Court. This case was a personal matter and was never connected with the exercise of his priestly ministry at any of his assignments since his ordination in the priesthood on April 28, 1951. -- newsnet5.com, http://www.newsnet5.com/news/2206775/detail.html .
• St. Elizabeth’s Trial Shocker: Priest Had Live-In Lover Before. QUEENS (NY): Father John Thompson, the former pastor at St. Elizabeth’s parish in Ozone Park who is on trial for allegedly embezzling thousands of dollars to finance a live-in gay lover at the church, may have done the same thing with a male go-go dancer at a Brooklyn church in the 1980s, according to trial testimony. Louise O’Connor, Thompson’s secretary from 1986-1988 at the Church of the Holy Name in Windsor Terrace, wrote that Thompson knew damn well that what went on here at Holy Name fell nothing short of what went on at St. Elizabeth’s in a letter that was read to the court last Wednesday, according to published reports last week. O’Connor also stated that Thompson bought her underage son a pair of roller skates, which she said was an attempt to target the boy. My son was almost a victim of John Thompson, she said. -- Queens Chronicle http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1860&dept_id=109522&newsid=8023510 &PAG=461&rfi=9 , by Bryan Joiner, South Queens Editor
• A priest's achievements. BOSTON (MA): The Rev. Michael F. Groden was one of the young priests of the 1960s who kept the Archdiocese of Boston anchored in the city as many Catholics moved to the suburbs. Today Groden directs an effective housing development office while tending to the spiritual needs of parishioners at St. Cecilia Church in the Back Bay. His forced resignation from both positions is a blow to any Catholic who favors an innovative, vibrant Church that strives for the inclusion of those on society's margins. The Rev. Christopher J. Coyne, the archdiocesan spokesman, kept quiet about the reasons for Groden's removal yesterday, but the Globe's Michael Paulson reported that it had something to do with excess payment of Social Security taxes. The Church was paying $4,500 a year that ought to have been Groden's responsibility. This apparently was inadvertent and should not have been the cause of his forced resignation as pastor. Groden has transformed St. Cecilia in his 14 years there. He turned it into an urban spiritual center, said Thomas P. O'Neill, the former lieutenant governor and a parishioner. -- Boston Globe http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/136/editorials/A_priest_s_achievements+ shtml , May 16 03
• Ex-priest not guilty in sex trial. LARGO (FL): Two of the men who accused former Catholic priest Robert Schaeufele of sexually abusing them 20 years ago sat silently in the courtroom, their heads in their hands, faces down, eyes closed. One wept. Schaeufele, known as the jovial Father Bob, didn't look at them. He smiled. He shook his attorney's hand, the battle won. Late Thursday, a jury acquitted Schaeufele of two charges of capital sexual battery, both carrying life terms, after deliberating for 7 1/2 hours, nearly longer than all the testimony presented in the case. Some jurors looked nearly as upset as the victims. One woman hung her head, never setting an eye on Schaeufele. None could immediately be reached for comment. The alleged victim, who testified that twice Schaeufele sexually abused him in 1984 when he was 9 years old and then 10 years old, walked out of the courtroom, wiping his eyes, his face red with emotion. He declined to speak to waiting reporters. -- St. Petersburg Times, http://www.sptimes.com/2003/05/16/Tampabay/Ex_priest_not_guilty_.shtml , By William R. Levesque, May 16 03
• Retired Cleveland priest pleads guilty to soliciting sex. [CURRENT OFFENCE] CLEVELAND (OH): A retired Cleveland-area priest, accused of soliciting sex from a 17-year-old runaway, pleaded guilty Thursday to promoting prostitution. The charges against the Rev. Daniel McBride, 76, represent the only criminal case involving a priest to come out of an investigation of sex abuse allegations in the Cleveland Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church. The plea came as McBride's trial was to begin. He could be sentenced to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine June 26. He had no comment after leaving the courtroom. He has pleaded guilty to a felony, but not as a Catholic priest, said defense attorney Niki Schwartz. He was a one-time customer of an almost-18-year-old prostitute. -- Chicago Sun-Times, http://www.suntimes.com/output/religion/cst-nws-rel16.html , May 16, 2003
• Priest admits paying boy, 17, for sex, in 2002. CLEVELAND (OH): Confronted by the prospect of days of embarrassing testimony and a possible stretch in prison, the Rev. Daniel McBride waived a trial and admitted paying a 17-year-old boy for sex last year. McBride, 76, was the only priest indicted after the Cuyahoga County prosecutor's seven-month investigation of child sex abuse in the Cleveland Catholic Diocese ended in December. McBride's lawyer, Niki Schwartz, and a dozen or so friends and family members accompanied the retired priest in court yesterday. McBride, with snow-white hair and a ruddy complexion, spoke forcefully. He pleaded guilty to a charge of promoting prostitution, a third-degree felony, and faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $10,000. -- The Plain Dealer, "Priest admits paying boy, 17, for sex," http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/105307 760478423.xml , by James F. McCarty, May 16 03
• Bishop Reilly asks 7 priests for resignations. WORCESTER (MA): The seven priests removed last year by Bishop Daniel P. Reilly for alleged sexual misconduct are being asked to resign their positions so that permanent replacements can be appointed. Raymond L. Delisle, spokesman for the Worcester Catholic Diocese, said he does not know whether any of the priests have resigned, but he said the bishop has other administrative procedures he can use to remove them if they decline to resign. They are being asked to resign so that the parishes can move forward, Mr. Delisle said.
PRIESTS, PARISHES: The priests and their parishes are: The Rev. John J. Bagley of St. Mary Church in North Grafton; the Rev. Gerard P. Walsh of St. Roch Church in Oxford; the Rev. Chester J. Devlin of St. Bernadette Church in Northboro; the Rev. Peter J. Inzerillo, associate pastor of St. Leo Church in Leominster. Also, the Rev. Joseph A. Coonan of St. John Church, Worcester; the Rev. Lee F. Bartlett of Sacred Heart Church, Worcester; the Rev. Raymond P. Messier of St. Francis Church in Athol and St. Peter Church in Petersham. Rev. Bartlett and Rev. Messier have pending civil suits against them alleging sexual misconduct, but no suits have been filed against the other accused pastors. None has been charged with criminal offenses. Rev. Inzerillo was named in a civil suit that was settled. -- Telegram & Gazette, http://wtnlb.us.publicus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030516/NEWS/305 160432/1007/NEWSLETTERS05 , by Kathleen A. Shaw, May 16 03
• Diocese to sell Watch Hill property for settlement money. PROVIDENCE (RI): The Diocese of Providence is selling its valuable oceanfront property on Watch Hill to help finance a more than $14 million settlement with victims of alleged sexual abuse by clergy. Diocese spokeswoman Karen Davis confirmed Thursday that Watch Hill was on the market, but she would not disclose potential buyers or a possible sale price. We are giving no more information until the deal is done, and the papers are signed, Davis said. Jack Payne, a real estate attorney in Westerly, would not disclose his client or the nature of sale discussions. Several months ago, the diocese agreed to pay $14.25 million to settle claims made by 37 sexual abuse victims, in cases that dated back to 1993. The diocese has set aside $15 million, mostly funded through bank loans, to pay the litigants, according to its annual report for last fiscal year. -- Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/dailynews/135/region/Diocese_to_sell_Watch_Hill_pro:.shtml , By Richard C. Lewis, Associated Press, 5/15/2003 14:27 (Posted by Kathy Shaw 3:17:32 PM)
########## End of Poynteronline, Abuse Tracker, Friday, May 16, 2003
• Progressive European Catholics Demand Action From Vatican On Child Sexual Abuse By Clergy. BRUSSELS: The authorities of the Roman Catholic Church must set up proper procedures to guarantee that sexual abuse of children by clergy is both prevented and dealt with, transparently and honestly. 40 delegates from 24 organisations in 11 European countries, attending the 13th Annual Conference of the European Network Church on the Move in Brussels 1-4 May 2003 also called on the Holy See to submit its overdue report to the United Nations Commission on the Rights of the Child and to include therein a report on sexual abuse by Church personnel as well as indicate the measures taken to protect victims and to prevent further abuse.
The conference was also attended by the co-ordinator of the International Movement We Are Church, which originated in Austria, and the current president of the International Federation of Married Catholic Priests. The European organisation of Catholic For a Free Choice was admitted to membership of the network. The conference was addressed by Terri Light, a founder member of the USA organisation Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP). It was her moving address to the conference that persuaded the network to express its solidarity with victims of clerical sexual abuse.
The conference also devoted one day to studying the subject of democracy and heard presentations by Dr Tony Dhanis, Fr Ignace Berten OP and Professor Rik Torfs, president of the faculty of Canon Law at Leuven University. There is no single Catholic view on the best form of relationship between Church and State, insisted Dr Dhanis, and Fr Berten drew attention to the limitations of democratic practice in modern states. Professor Torfs indicated various ways in which the letter of canon law can be used to overcome apparent difficult ecclesiastical diktats in the interests of 'the salvation of souls' and to encourage the development of democratic procedures in the Church which show the respect for human rights which canon law demands.
The network also decided to continue its work at the Council of Europe and to submit a formal application for participatory status in 2004.
The conference also decided to join various several non-religious European organisations in appealing to the Convention on the Future of Europe to remove article 37 from the proposed European Constitution. This gives Churches a right to intervene in policy-making in the European Union. The European Network fears that the Vatican would use this to promote its illiberal views in such areas as the status of women, homosexuals, the battle against HIV/AIDS and issues of biomedical research.
The EN will let the Convention for the Future of Europe know that, as Roman Catholics and in the interest of a constitution for all Europeans they strongly object to a constitutional reference to God or Christian or religious roots which will tend to be divisive, and to Churches maintaining regular dialogue with the EU institutions under other rules than those of participatory democracy. -- Isaac Wüst, Erasmuslaan 92, NL-1185 BJ Amstelveen, Nederland. tel.: +31-(0)20-441.3339, fax: +31-(0)20-441.3340, mobile: +31-(0)6-1509.2185. e-mail: isaac.wust@wxs.nl .
########## Poynteronline, Abuse Tracker, Saturday, May 17, 2003 edition follows:-
• Woman asks high court to review orders. PROVIDENCE (RI): A Burrillville woman says a Superior Court judge tried to pressure her to settle a civil suit against the Diocese of Providence and a late priest convicted of raping her. Mary Ryan has asked the state Supreme Court to step into the case and review orders issued by Judge Robert Krause, according to court documents. The high court will consider the requests on May 22. Ryan is the only one of 38 alleged victims of sexual abuse in Rhode Island who did not join a $14.25 million settlement with the diocese, announced last September. She turned down a $400,000 offer from the diocese in March to settle her suit. Ryan told Krause then she wanted to continue with her 1995 lawsuit against the diocese and the late Monsignor Louis Ward Dunn. -- Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/137/metro/Woman_asks_high_court_to_review_ordersP.shtml , By Globe Staff and Wires, May 17 2003. (Posted by Kathy Shaw 8:48:03 AM)
• St. Paul sex sting nets two priests groping undercover police. [CURRENT] ST. PAUL (MN): A priest at a Rochester, Minn., parish and the pastor of a Woodbury, Minn., church are among three men charged with groping undercover police officers in a St. Paul park. The Rev. Edward Francis McGrath was put on a leave of absence from his duties as pastor of Pax Christi Church in Rochester on Thursday morning, according to Ivan Kubista, spokesman for the Diocese of Winona. The gross misdemeanor complaints against the three men say the St. Paul police vice unit ran a sting at Crosby Farm Park on May 7 after getting numerous complaints of open sex acts in the park. All three men were charged with fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct, which involves nonconsensual sexual contact. Pax Christi referred calls about McGrath, 48, to the diocese. According to a statement read by Kubista, McGrath would stay on leave until the investigation is finished. -- Duluth News Tribune, St. Paul sex sting nets three men, including two pastors, http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/5882830.htm , Associated Press
• Audit noted monsignor's expense excesses. BOSTON (MA): An Archdiocese of Boston audit of the Church office that develops housing for the needy discovered that Monsignor Michael F. Groden, the office's longtime director, had billed at least $20,000 in personal expenses over three years to a credit card issued by the office, according to several Church officials familiar with the audit findings. Groden reimbursed the archdiocese for the expenses late last year. The audit finding and Groden's repayment were not disclosed earlier this week when it became known that Groden had been forced to resign from the Planning Office for Urban Affairs and as pastor of St. Cecilia's in Boston's Back Bay, where Groden was found to be accepting a second salary in violation of Church rules. Groden's removal by Bishop Richard G. Lennon, the archdiocese's interim administrator, has provoked a firestorm among Groden's many influential friends and by parishioners at a parish that has flourished since he took it over in 1989. -- Boston Globe, http://www.globe.com/dailyglobe2/137/metro/Audit_noted_monsignor_s_expense_excessesP.shtml , By Walter V. Robinson, Globe Staff, Globe Columnist, May 17 2003
• Ex-priest aims to quiz attorney for accuser. BOSTON (MA): With days left in a three-month negotiating break in civil cases involving the Archdiocese of Boston, lawyers for an embattled priest took aim last night at attorneys representing his accusers. Randall E. Ravitz, who helps represent the Rev. Paul Shanley, served papers requiring that one of the lawyers from the firm Greenberg Traurig who represents Greg Ford appear for a deposition next week. In one document, Ravitz demands all non-privileged docments reflecting the fact, date and time of the first contact or communication between Greenberg Traurig LLP and each of Gregory Ford, Paula Ford and Rodney Ford. One legal observer speaking on condition of anonymity said it appears Ravitz is trying to determine whether Greenberg Traurig lawyers inappropriately coached Ford or his parents. Robert Sherman, one of Ford's lawyers, responded angrily to the filing. -- Boston Herald, http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/chur05172003.htm , by Eric Convey, Saturday, May 17, 2003 FOR GOOD TEACHINGS TO BE HEEDED, A BIG CLEAN-UP IS NEEDED Poynter Institute: http://www.poynter.org/ subscribe.to.clergy.tracker/ for daily reports
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