References cont. (44) — Clergy Child Molesters

• Priest critical of process for allegations.

JOLIET (IL): A Joliet Diocese priest accused of sexually abusing young boys questioned the credibility of his accusers and criticized the diocese's process for reviewing allegations.
   Church officials on Oct. 4 announced that the diocese's review board had determined that abuse allegations about the Rev. Arno Dennerlein were credible and that Joliet Bishop Joseph Imesch would continue to keep the priest on temporary administrative leave.
   Dennerlein was suspended as pastor of Sacred Heart parish in Lombard in February after two Joliet brothers told Joliet police that Dennerlein engaged in inappropriate conduct with them when the priest was at St. Patrick's Church during the 1970s.
   On Oct. 6, Dennerlein wrote a letter addressed to all priests of the Joliet Diocese. He told his colleagues that he denied the allegations and urged them to be cautious about the lack of due process afforded clerics accused of misconduct.
   "The Diocesan Review Committee's processes lacked even a semblance of fairness," Dennerlein wrote. "The worst criminal in this country is afforded rights that I was denied ... This same kind of injustice can be visited upon any other priest in this diocese."
   Those rights include presumed innocence and the ability to confront accusers, the priest said in the letter. He further objected that a review committee member who had a say in determining his fate also served as lead investigator for the case. -- The Herald News, Priest critical of process for allegations, (http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/top/j17diocese.htm) By Ted Slowik. (This is the first of the Poynteronline, Abuse Tracker, edition for Friday, October 17, 2003.)
   [COMMENT: I wonder if the Reverend, who talks of the rights of the "worst criminal," has been carrying placards up and down to have the hundreds of prisoners of war at Guantanamo Bay repatriated, or given the rights of criminals? COMMENT ENDS.]

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Most newsitems are from http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46 • Boro priest pilfered $80K from collection plate: DA. NEW YORK: A Jackson Heights priest who served in several Queens parishes in the 1960s was arrested and charged last week with criminal possession of more than $80,000 in cash allegedly stolen from a Long Island church, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. The Rev. John Johnston, 64, also allegedly had an unlicensed .38-caliber revolver in his apartment at 78-12 35th Ave. in Jackson Heights, the DA said. His bail was set at $1,500 at his arraignment in Queens Friday. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison, a spokeswoman for the DA said. The defendant allegedly took the cash from the Sunday collections at St. Martin of Tours Church in Bethpage, L.I., where he had said mass for the past 25 years, Brown said in a release. -- Times Ledger, Boro priest pilfered $80K from collection plate: DA, (http://www.timesledger.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10323835&BRD=1079&PAG=461&dept_id=170338&rfi=6) By Nicole Flatow.
• Priest Charged In Church Thefts. LONG ISLAND (NY): A Roman Catholic priest who told police he stole about $100 a week for more than 20 years from the collection baskets at St. Martin of Tours church in Bethpage was arraigned in Nassau District Court in Hempstead yesterday. The Rev. John Johnston did not enter a plea before Judge Scott Fairgrieve after he was charged with one count of second-degree grand larceny, a felony, for stealing about $86,000 over a 20- to 25-year period. Fairgrieve set cash bail at $10,000. Johnston is due back in court Monday. He made no reply when asked for comment yesterday as he arrived at police headquarters in Mineola from the jail on Rikers Island. Johnston, 64, now faces criminal charges in three jurisdictions, all stemming from his arrest last week on charges of making harassing telephone calls to Bishop McLoughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn. When city police traced the call to his Jackson Heights apartment, they found three handguns, one with a lapsed license, as well as Nazi helmets and daggers and pornographic videos and magazines. -- Newsday, (http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/crime/ny-limart173498306oct17,0,139171.story?coll=nyc-topheadlines-left) By Rita Ciolli, October 17, 2003
• Three priests to face court charges over abuse of minors. [CURRENT] MALTA: Three priests are expected to be arraigned in court soon and charged of abuse on minors in their custody. The abuses allegedly were perpetrated against 11 boys in three separate properties of the Missionary Society of St Paul's. The three indicted clergymen are Fr Charles Pulis, Fr Francesco Godwin Scerri and Fr Joseph Bonnett. They will be accused of abuse on minors on July 11 2003 and before. Some of the cases go way back to the early 1990's. Fr. Francesco Godwin Scerri alone will be accused of violent rape. The police had been investigating the cases since last August, a few weeks before the cases were exposed to the public with revelations in the media. -- MaltaMedia, Three priests to face court charges over abuse of minors, (http://www.maltamedia.com/cgibin/news03/print.pl?article=3740) written by MM-News, 14 Oct, 2003
• Sexual offences charges filed against clergymen. MALTA: Police yesterday filed charges against a priest over allegations of rape and defilement of minors, and against another two members of the clergy over defilement alone. The summons are addressed to Fr Charles Pulis, Fr Francesco Godwin Scerri and Bro. Joseph Bonnett, who are charged with the defilement of minors, while Scerri alone is charged with one count of rape. -- The Times (http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=137555)
• Late church official named in suit alleging girl's rape. SAN DIEGO (CA): A former chancellor of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego and administrator at the University of San Diego was named in a civil suit yesterday alleging he raped a schoolgirl in 1972. Monsignor I.B. Eagen, who died of cancer in 1997 at age 67, was included in the latest of what is expected to be close to 100 lawsuits charging sexual abuse by members of the clergy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego. The suit, filed on behalf of a now 45-year-old woman, also alleges abuse by a nun who worked at a boarding school called Nazareth House that for years operated near the San Diego Mission in Mission Valley. The suit also says the woman was abused by a caretaker at Nazareth House, identified as Richard Gordon, and later at University High School by a priest, Father Robert Buchanan, who served as a counselor at the school in San Diego. The defendants in the suit are the diocese, University High School and Nazareth House. That facility, now a home for retired clergy, was once a boarding school and residence for children whose impoverished families placed them there for care and education. -- Union-Tribune, (http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20031016-9999_6m16eagen.html) By Greg Moran, October 15, 2003
• Curia knew about priest's alleged sex abuse history since 1993. MALTA: A priest who is now facing charges of rape and sexual abuse of a child at St Joseph's Home in Santa Venera had already faced charges of child sexual abuse that he allegedly committed while in Canada between 1983 and 1987, before he allegedly abused children in Malta. According to a Canadian paper, the Maltese Curia was informed about the charges by Canadian authorities. Fr Godwin Scerri, 67, a member of the Missionary Society of St Paul, was reported by Canadian newspaper The Windsor Star on 24 June 1993 as facing "sexual assault charges if he ever returns to Canada" following a warrant of arrest issued by the Ontario Provincial Police. The report carrying the title, "Accused priest remains in Malta", had said that Fr Scerri was wanted by the Canadian authorities in connection with charges of sexual abuse filed by a 22-year-old man. The man had alleged that he was sexually abused by Fr Scerri while the priest was in Emeryville and on Pelee Island between 1983 and 1987. Fr Scerri was a priest at St William's Church in Emeryville at that time. The Ontario Provincial Police had said back then that they issued a warrant for the arrest of Fr Scerri after London diocese officials said they couldn't force Fr Scerri to return to Canada from Malta. The Windsor Star report said that the Maltese Curia had been informed of the charges, including sexual assault and gross indecency, adding that Fr Scerri had refused to return to Canada. Only three months after The Windsor Star's report, KullHadd picked up the story and published the charges against Fr Scerri in a front-page report on 5 September 1993. -- The Malta Independent (http://www.independent.com.mt/daily/newsview.asp?id=21606) by Karl Schembri.
• Judge Awards Brothers $26 Million In Priest Sex Abuse Case. LOS ANGELES (CA): A judge has ordered a priest to pay $26 million to two brothers who said they were sexually abused by him as altar boys, though a lawyer for the two said he doubted they would receive the money. The brothers, now in their 30s, were previously paid $4.2 million by the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino and the missionary group which ordained the priest, Edward Ball. But William Light, attorney for the brothers, said the new award ordered by Superior Court Judge Bob Krug on Wednesday was unlikely to result in additional money. "Of all the vows that Father Ball took -- chastity, obedience and poverty -- it appears he actually kept only one: poverty," Light said. However, he added: "It's a moral victory, which doesn't make it an empty victory." The brothers, identified in court documents as Troy T. and David T., alleged that Ball molested them thousands of times at a local church from about 1979 to 1986. Ball, 64, was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading no contest in 1999 to 31 counts of child molestation related to the brothers. He was released after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state law allowing criminal prosecution of decades-old molestation offenses. -- NBC 4. (http://www.nbc4.tv/news/2561468/detail.html)
• Nurse testifies in church defamation suit. BARNSTABLE (MA): A registered nurse being sued for allegedly defaming a former Cape pastor and his wife admitted in court yesterday to providing false information to a reporter, sending letters to people about the couple and speaking with patients about the leadership at her former church. Rona Hart took the stand yesterday as a witness for Cynthia Hinckley, who in 2000 sued former Osterville Baptist Church Rev. Michael Rowe, his wife and a deacon claiming they slandered and libeled her. Hinckley's lawsuit claimed the trio were part of a concerted effort to ruin her reputation after she tried to talk with Michael Rowe and other church members about a kiss that allegedly happened between the two after a beachside baptism in 1997. In response, the Rowes and Deacon Paul Gage countersued claiming defamation of character and intentional infliction of emotional distress. They named Hinckley, Hart and Tori Packer in the lawsuit. -- Cape Cod Times, (http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/nursetestifies17.htm) By EMILY C. DOOLEY.
• Wessner was stabbed, beaten in boathouse. WOODS HOLE (MA): Jonathan Wessner's killer stabbed and beat him to death in a small boathouse 50 feet from the secluded beach where his body was found, according to a source close to the police investigation. Accused murderer Paul R. Nolin, a convicted child rapist, was familiar with the area because he worked nearby as a plumber's assistant, the source said. Nolin, 39, of Falmouth, has pleaded innocent to kidnapping and murdering the 20-year-old East Falmouth man. He is being held without bail. As more details of the murder surface, so are the frustrations of police as they try to question local priests who had befriended the sex offender. When questioned by investigators two weeks ago, the Rev. Bernard Kelly of St. Joseph's cited the priest-penitent privilege, according to the source. Shortly after that, Kelly was suspended from the Woods Hole parish by Fall River Diocese Bishop George Coleman. -- Cape Cod Times, (http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/wessnerwas17.htm) By AMANDA LEHMERT.
• Suit alleges abuse during inmate shakedown. SHIRLEY (MA): The MCI-Shirley shakedown of 2000 that critics alleged was "whitewashed" by one of the three panel members probing ex-priest John J. Geoghan's murder has resurfaced with a lawsuit filed yesterday on behalf of 25 inmates who were injured. Mark Reilly, a Department of Correction investigator appointed to the Geoghan panel by the state Department of Public Safety, found no fault with the way a special operations team conducted itself with inmates while looking for drugs and guns in 2000. But the lawsuit filed yesterday in Suffolk Superior Court alleges 25 inmates - 21 of them black - were abused by guards during a several-day "free-for-all." "(The commander) would have a magnet and he'd put the magnet on top of the doorframe and that meant, 'go in and get him' to the tactical team," said a former DOC employee who witnessed several hours of what he called a "free-for-all" beating. -- Boston Herald (http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/jail10172003.htm) by Franci Richardson, Friday, October 17, 2003
• Lawyer says abuse settlement near. BOSTON (MA):A lawyer representing hundreds of clergy sexual abuse victims said yesterday that 80 percent of the 542 eligible people have accepted the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston's proposed $85 million settlement offer, meaning that the deal could soon become official. Roderick MacLeish Jr., a lawyer for the Boston firm of Greenberg Traurig, which represents more than 260 alleged victims, said the deal has not become official because all of the signed consent forms from victims have not been sent to Thomas H. Hannigan Jr., the lead attorney for the archdiocese. MacLeish urged the other 56 lawyers representing victims to send the consent forms to Hannigan as soon as possible. "I know for a fact that 80 percent of the agreements have been executed," MacLeish said. "We need to move forward. People's lives are on hold. We should start the arbitration process right away." Under the tentative pact reached last month, once 80 percent of the abuse victims covered by the settlement offer sign on, lawyers and arbitrators can begin working on an intensive, three-month process of evaluating each of the more than 500 expected settlement claims to determine how much each victim will receive. Lawyers representing victims have said for weeks that they expected to easily achieve the 80 percent threshold and that they expect the eventual participation rate to be as high as 98 percent, with as few as a dozen or so clients choosing to go to trial. -- Boston Globe, (http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/290/metro/Lawyer_says_abuse_settlement_near+.shtml) By Ralph Ranalli, Oct 17 2003
• Catholic church to pay £13 million over abuse. BRIDGEPORT (CT): A Roman Catholic diocese in America has reached a £13 million settlement involving 40 claims of sexual abuse against priests. The diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut, agreed to pay that amount to the 40 people who allege that 16 diocese priests abused them when they were children. "This settlement represents vindication for all the survivors of clergy sex abuse and is an acknowledgment of their very personal ordeals," said Cindy Robinson, another lawyer representing the victims. All the priests involved are inactive and most of the cases alleged the abuse happened in the 1960s and 1970s, said Joseph McAleer, a spokesman for the diocese. -- Ananova (http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_829499.html)
• New Clergy Abuse Settlement Is Announced in Bridgeport. BRIDGEPORT (Conn.), Oct. 16: The Diocese of Bridgeport announced an agreement on Thursday to pay $21 million to 40 people who claim they were the victims of sexual abuse in cases involving 16 local priests. With this agreement, the diocese said, it will have paid a total of $37.7 million to settle 89 claims involving 22 priests and will have resolved most of the outstanding claims against it concerning sexual misconduct. "With all my heart, I apologize and ask forgiveness," said Bishop William E. Lori, who took over the diocese two years ago. Bishop Lori noted that four people have opted out of Thursday's settlement and will have their claims mediated separately. In a departure from its past practice, the diocese also furnished some details in an effort to address questions raised by critics over how these settlements have been financed, and to what extent donations from parishioners are being used. -- The New York Times, (http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/17/nyregion/17ABUS.html?ex=1066968000&en=4d0738714c8831d3&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE) By ALISON LEIGH COWAN, Published: October 17, 2003
• The pope's darkest, silent hours. Canada, United States of America, Malta, South Africa, France, Germany, Britain, Ireland, Austria, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Poland, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, El Salvador and Chile. TAPEI, Taiwan: John Paul II entered the Vatican as a liberation figure of sorts, a Polish patriot who represented budding resistance inside the communist block that would eventually pull down the Iron Curtain. But since the 1960s, another liberation movement was underfoot, one of human rights and sexual frankness that would eventually lead to one of John Paul's darkest hours -- revelations of how Catholic priests around the world had sexually abused children for decades while bishops looked the other way. It began most publicly in Ireland during the 1990s, when thousands of adults testified about being raped and abused by Catholic priests in state-funded institutions. Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern apologized to victims. By the middle of this year, the state was facing up to US$1.2 billion in compensation payouts to victims. The scandal washed to American shores, where court cases revealed how Boston Cardinal Bernard Law and his predecessors had protected nearly 100 pedophile priests who raped and otherwise sexually assaulted hundreds of young children, and moved the culprits to new postings without informing the new parents. A flood of similar public revelations followed in at least 16 countries -- in France, Germany, Britain, Ireland, Austria, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Poland, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, El Salvador and Chile. -- Taipei Times, DPA, "The pope's darkest, silent hours," (http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/edit/archives/2003/10/17/2003072161) Friday, Oct 17, 2003, Page 9 (Posted by Kathy Shaw 8:51:49 AM) [COMMENT: Publicity had been hot in 1985 in Louisianna, USA, and was high in Newfoundland earlier than "Ireland during the 1990s". COMMENT ENDS] Oct 17 03
• Diocese to pay $21 million for sex abuse. BRIDGEPORT (CT): Bridgeport Bishop William Lori apologized Thursday to sexual abuse victims and asked for forgiveness as he announced a $21 million settlement with 40 people who said they were molested by priests. Lori said the settlement was an effort by the Roman Catholic diocese to "do what is right, just and compassionate." "Let me express my personal remorse and the remorse of the entire diocese for the harm that was caused in the lives of so many individuals," he said. "With all my heart I apologize and I ask for forgiveness." The settlement involves 42 claims by 40 people who allege that 16 diocese priests abused them when they were children. -- New Haven Register, (http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1281&dept_id=31007&newsid=10333258 &PAG=461&rfi=9)
• Gray County woman sues Diocese of Amarillo. AMARILLO (TX): An unnamed Gray County woman is suing the Roman Catholic Diocese of Amarillo, alleging a former priest engaged in unspecified wrongful conduct that harmed her. The suit, filed Wednesday in a Potter County court, names former priest Rosendo Herrera, Bishop John W. Yanta, former Bishop Leroy Matthiesen and the diocese as defendants. The suit claims that on various times Herrera was guilty of acts that were injurious, mentally and physically, to the plaintiff and that he engaged in wrongful conduct while employed by the Catholic Church. The suit also alleges that the diocese, Yanta and Matthiesen were negligent in the performance of their administrative duties, which allowed the events to take place and resulted in injuries to the plaintiff. The woman, identified only as Jane Doe, is suing for personal injuries, past, present and future psychological pain and suffering, and mental anguish. -- Amarillo Globe-News, (http://www.amarillonet.com/stories/101703/new_graywomansues.shtml) By JIM McBRIDE, jmcbride@amarillonet.com , Oct 17 03
• Bridgeport diocese settles abuse cases.[to early 1990s] BRIDGEPORT, (Conn.): The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport announced yesterday a $21 million settlement with 40 alleged victims of sexual abuse by 16 priests, its second major settlement in two years. Most of the involved cases date back to the 1960s and 1970s. One is from the late 1980s and early 1990s, when now-Cardinal Edward Egan was bishop of Bridgeport. Lawyers for the alleged victims contend that Egan, who served as bishop from 1988 to 2000 and now heads the New York Archdiocese, allowed several of these priests to continue serving in parishes, despite knowing that they had been accused of abuse. Egan was named as a defendant in three of seven cases related to the settlement. Current Bridgeport Bishop William Lori, who succeeded Egan, stressed at a press conference yesterday at diocese headquarters that the diocese is committed to protecting children. He repeatedly apologized for past mistakes. "Let me express my personal remorse and the remorse of the entire diocese for the harm that was caused to the lives of so many individuals," he said. "I have become more and more aware of the damage that sexual abuse brings about in people's lives. With all my heart, I apologize and ask for forgiveness." -- The Journal News, (http://www.nynews.com/newsroom/101703/a0117priests.html) By GARY STERN, Original publication: October 17, 2003.
• Canada had issued a warrant for the arrest of Maltese priest on sexual abuse. CANADA/MALTA: October 17 2003, 0930CET: Ontario's provincial police in Canada had issued a warrant for the arrest of a Maltese priest on allegations of sexual abuse of minors on a boy before he allegedly abused children in Malta. Journalist Joe Mifsud said that the mandate for the arrest of Fr Godwin Scerri was issued after a Canadian youth alleged that this Maltese priest used to abuse him sexually. This youth alleged that the abuses commenced when he was twelve years old and took place between 1983 and 1987. Fr Scerri at the time used to carry out a pastoral mission in Emeryville. When the warrant had been issued, the priest was not in Canada. It seems that when these allegations were known against Fr Scerri, he was working in Malta at San Domenico Savio Oratory at Birkirkara and at St Joseph Institute, Sta. Venera. Both the Curia and the Missionary Society of St Paul knew about these allegations against this priest since 1993. At the time the Missionary Society of St Paul, declared that it had carried out its preliminary investigations and it resulted that the priest in question had always denied these allegations. He is now facing charges of rape with violence. Fr Scerri is expected to appear in court on 28th October 2003 together with Fr Charles Pulis and Br Joseph Bonnett who are only accused of paedophilia. -- di-ve news, by di-ve news , (http://www.di-ve.com/dive/portal/portal.jhtml?id=111193&pid=23) Oct 17 03
• Inmate: Priest gave me stolen funds. WORCESTER (MA): A Rhode Island man serving a state prison sentence for child rape told state police a priest accused of stealing $250,000 from a Fitchburg church gave him some of the money. The Rev. Donald C. Ouellette was indicted last month on charges of stealing $250,000 from Immaculate Conception Church in Fitchburg, where he was pastor before being placed on leave by the Catholic Diocese of Worcester earlier this year. The thefts allegedly occurred between March 15, 2001, and Jan. 2 of this year and involved money raised by parishioners for an elevator at the church. Assistant District Attorney Richard L. Greco, who is prosecuting the larceny case against Rev. Ouellette, filed a motion Wednesday in Worcester Superior Court seeking court permission to summon certain "financial/bank" records maintained by the state Department of Correction. The prosecutor is seeking any records relating to money deposited with the correction department for the benefit of inmate William Lamontagne, 43, formerly of North Kingstown, R.I. On Dec. 22, 1989, Mr. Lamontagne was sentenced to 12 to 15 years in state prison after being convicted of child rape and indecent assault and battery on a child in Worcester Superior Court, according to court records. According to Mr. Greco's motion, Mr. Lamontagne gave a statement to state police indicating that he "received some of the misappropriated money from Donald Ouellette while he was incarcerated at MCI Concord." The motion does not say what Mr. Lamontagne told investigators his relationship with Rev. Ouellette was or how much money he alleged he was given. District Attorney John J. Conte declined to comment on Mr. Lamontagne's allegations. Rev. Ouellette and his lawyer, Michael P. McEvilly, could not be reached by telephone for comment. Mr. Greco asked that the requested records be delivered to the court clerk's office and be made available only to the lawyers in the case. -- Telegram & Gazette, (http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031017/NEWS/310170421/1007/NEWSLETTERS05) by Gary V. Murray, Oct 17 03 (Posted by Kathy Shaw 8:33:36 AM)
########## End of www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46, Friday, October 17, 2003
########## Poynteronline Abuse Tracker, www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46, Saturday, October 18, 2003 edition follows:-
• Lee priest on leave for sex with worker.[CURRENT] SPRINGFIELD (MA): A parish priest in Lee has been placed on administrative leave after admitting that he had a sexual relationship with a female employee who is now pregnant. The woman said that the Rev. Paul Laflamme is the father of her unborn child. Paternity has not yet been medically established, according to officials from the Springfield Diocese. Mark Dupont, a spokesman for the diocese, said the sexual relationship was consensual. "We're not expecting any criminal charges," he said. "Not at all." Laflamme, who was ordained in 1998, has served as the parochial vicar of St. Mary's Parish in Lee since earlier this year. Church officials said the former employee is receiving support from the church, and Laflamme will undergo counseling while his long-term status as a priest is determined. Bishop Thomas Dupre also is considering taking action against St. Mary's pastor, the Rev. Gary Dailey, who is accused of keeping the former employee from contacting Laflamme with her allegation. -- Berkshire Eagle, AP, (http://www.berkshireeagle.com/Stories/0,1413,101~7514~1706903,00.html)
• Priest pulled from ministry. SPRINGFIELD (MA): A Roman Catholic priest was removed from ministry by the Springfield Diocese yesterday after the housekeeper at the rectory where he lived accused him of fathering her unborn child. The Rev. Paul C. Laflamme, who admitted to a sexual relationship with her, has been placed on indefinite administrative leave, according to a diocesan statement. Laflamme, who formerly worked in Springfield, had been assigned to St. Mary Mother of the Church parish in Lee since January. "He will undergo counseling while his long-term status as a priest is determined," the statement read. "While the paternity has not yet been established through medical tests, Fr. Laflamme has admitted to the relationship," the statement said. Calls to Laflamme over the past several days were not returned. The Most Rev. Thomas L. Dupre, the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, took the action upon the recommendation of the Misconduct Commission. -- The Republican, (http://www.masslive.com/news/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1066462288226761.xml) By BILL ZAJAC, wzajac@repub.com , Oct 18 2003.
• Mansell may move up to archbishop spot. BUFFALO (NY): The Most Rev. Henry J. Mansell, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, could be headed to the Archdiocese of Hartford. Much of the talk about a successor to Hartford Archbishop Daniel A. Cronin, who is retiring, has centered on Mansell, the Hartford Courant reported today. An announcement could come as soon as this weekend. Mansell's imminent departure "is being widely discussed among priests" in the Diocese of Buffalo, said one priest, who asked not be identified. Calls to the diocesan spokesman, Kevin Keenan, and the bishop's secretary, the Rev. David LiPuma, were not returned Friday night. The diocesan chancellor, Monsignor Robert J. Cunningham, declined to comment. Mansell, 66, has been bishop of the Buffalo Diocese since 1995. Despite rumors early in his tenure here that he was being groomed to lead a larger diocese, he maintained that he expected to remain in Buffalo for a long time. -- Buffalo News, (http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20031018/1000889.asp) Oct 18 03
• Announcement expected soon about next Hartford archbishop. HARTFORD (Conn.): The announcement of the next archbishop of Hartford is expected soon, possibly this weekend, The Hartford Courant reported. Archbishop Daniel A. Cronin, 75, submitted his resignation to Pope John Paul II in November when he reached the age of mandatory retirement. The pope will choose his successor. -- The Advocate, www.stamfordadvocate.com , Associated Press, October 18, 2003.
• Diocese fingerprint program resisted. SANTA ROSA (CA) : The Santa Rosa Catholic Diocese's move to fingerprint church employees and volunteers to weed out sex offenders is hitting resistance from some pastors, the diocese's new sexual abuse victims assistance coordinator said. But any volunteers whose fingerprints have not been checked and cleared by the state Department of Justice and the FBI by Dec. 1 will be excluded from church programs. That's the deadline imposed by Julie Sparacio, a former Southern California school counselor hired April 1 by Bishop Daniel Walsh to the coordinator's position, a job created as a result of the sex abuse policy adopted last year by U.S. bishops. The policy, adopted under orders from the Vatican and pressure from the American public, required all dioceses to develop a system for responding to sex abuse victims' complaints and dealing with accused clergy. -- The Press Democrat, (http://www.pressdemocrat.com/local/news/18diocese_a1empirea.html) By GUY KOVNER, October 18, 2003
• Geoghan death spurs review. BOSTON (MA): Former state Attorney General Scott Harshbarger was chosen yesterday by Gov. Mitt Romney to head a commission to review current operations of the state Department of Correction following the murder of former priest John J. Geoghan at the Souza-Baranowski prison. Mr. Harshbarger, a Democrat, will serve with current and former correction officials, community leaders and criminal justice experts. Two legislators will be appointed later by the state Senate president and the House speaker. Mr. Harshbarger, a two-term attorney general who was the 1998 Democratic nominee for governor, said he was honored. A large part of his career has been in law enforcement and criminal justice and he welcomes the opportunity to review the correction department, he said. The former priest, who was serving a prison term in connection with the sexual molestation of a boy in the Boston area, was slain Aug. 23 at the state prison, which is on the Lancaster-Shirley line. His conviction in 2002 was a major catalyst in setting off the current worldwide sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. He had served as a priest of the Boston archdiocese for more than 30 years and later was defrocked. Joseph L. Druce, who was serving a life term for murdering another man, has been charged with the murder of Mr. Geoghan. Leslie Walker, director of Massachusetts Correctional Legal Services, said the selection of Mr. Harshbarger to head the commission "is a terrific choice." She said she found the news that the former attorney general would head the commission "very reassuring." Her agency, which represents interests of prisoners in the state correctional system, has been looking into complaints that Mr. Geoghan was being harassed by prison guards in the months before his murder. -- Telegram & Gazette, (http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?SearchID=73150632498755&Avis=WT&Dato=20031018&Kategori=NEWS&Lopenr=310180344&Ref=AR) by Kathleen A. Shaw, Oct 18 03.
• Doubt that brothers, $4.2m received, will ever receive $26m in latest abuse case. SAN BERNARDINO (CA): A judge has ordered a priest to pay $26 million to two brothers who said they were sexually abused by him as altar boys, though a lawyer for the two said he doubted that they would receive the money. The brothers, now in their 30s, were previously paid $4.2 million by the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino and the missionary group that ordained the priest, Edward Ball. But William Light, attorney for the brothers, said the new award ordered this week by Superior Court Judge Bob Krug was unlikely to result in additional money. "Of all the vows that Father Ball took -- chastity, obedience and poverty -- it appears he actually kept only one: poverty," Light said. However, he added: "It's a moral victory, which doesn't make it an empty victory." The brothers, identified in court documents as Troy T. and David T., alleged that Ball molested them thousands of times at a local church from about 1979 to 1986. Ball, 64, was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading no contest in 1999 to 31 counts of child molestation related to the brothers. He was released after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state law allowing criminal prosecution of decades-old molestation offenses. -- Contra Costa Times, "Brothers awarded in abuse case," (http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/news/7044467.htm) ASSOCIATED PRESS.
• Pregnant housekeeper (evicted) causes priest's suspension in Lee. [CURRENT] LEE (MA): The Catholic Diocese of Springfield yesterday suspended a priest who has admitted to a sexual relationship with a Lee rectory housekeeper who is now pregnant, church officials said. Disciplinary action may follow against a second priest, the pastor of the Lee parish, whom the woman has accused of harassing her and telling her to "fix the problem," according to church officials and the woman. Josephine Dizoglio, in an interview with the Globe this week, said that the emotional abuse she endured from the pastor, the Rev. Gary Dailey, while working in the rectory of St. Mary Mother of the Church Parish in Lee left her vulnerable to the sexual advances of the other priest in the rectory, the Rev. Paul Laflamme, who was suspended yesterday. Dizoglio, 34, alleges that after she learned she was pregnant, Dailey fired her, had her evicted from her apartment, barred her from church property, and refused to allow her to speak with Laflamme, even threatening her with a restraining order at one point. "I feel that my life was taken away from me, that my spirit was taken away from me," she said in a recent interview at the Greenfield office of her lawyer, John J. Stobierski. "This is an abuse of power." Dailey declined to talk to a Globe reporter yesterday. Laflamme did not comment after a call was placed to St. Mary parish yesterday. A statement released yesterday by Bishop Thomas Dupre confirmed that Laflamme, who was ordained in 1998 and held he title of parochial vicar at St. Mary, did not deny having a sexual relationship with Dizoglio. -- Boston Globe, "Priest is suspended in Lee," (http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/291/metro/Priest_is_suspended_in_Lee+.shtml) By Ralph Ranalli, Oct 18 2003.
• Governor sets review of prisons. BOSTON (MA): Governor Mitt Romney launched a "top to bottom review" of the state correction system yesterday, saying that initial inquiries into the prison slaying of defrocked priest John J. Geoghan had uncovered systemic problems. Romney named former state attorney general Scott Harshbarger to head a 15-member panel with a broad mandate to investigate correction issues, including internal prison investigations, prisoner discipline, and classification of inmates by the level of security threat they pose. The governor said he was acting on the recommendation of a three-member panel established Aug. 25 to investigate lapses that allowed a fellow inmate to strangle Geoghan while both were in protective custody at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley. That panel -- made up of a State Police major, a top Department of Correction official, and a private correction consultant whose company has worked in Massachusetts prisons -- had come under fire from legislators and prisoners' advocates. Those critics called the committee too closely tied to the correction system to objectively weigh allegations that prison guards' abuse of Geoghan led to his transfer to the higher-security prison where he was killed. But Public Safety Secretary Edward A. Flynn said the smaller panel had done its job by identifying problems in the prison system that were beyond the scope of its probe into the specific circumstances of Geoghan's death. "There has been some criticism regarding the objectivity of this investigation," Flynn said yesterday, standing beside Romney and Harshbarger as the governor announced formation of the volunteer commission at a State House press conference. "I hope these preliminary findings are accepted as evidence to the contrary." -- Boston Globe, (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2003/10/18/governor_sets_review_of_prisons/) By Anne Barnard and Sean P. Murphy, Oct 18 2003.
• Gov't Cuts Abuse Funding. IRELAND: The ongoing dispute over the child-abuse scandal in Ireland looks set to escalate after the revelation that One in Four, the charity set up to help victims of abuse, is in danger of closing after the government reneged on funding commitments it had given to the organization. The group, which is headed by Colm O'Gorman, had been highly critical of the government's handling of the Laffoy affair which saw a High Court judge resign her position as chairperson of the inquiry set up to investigate abuse in residential institutions. This week O'Gorman claimed that prior to the funds being cut, he had been privately warned that his "personal saber rattling" with church and state was angering sections of government, and he claims it was suggested that he should not be "biting the hand that fed him." Health Minister Micheal Martin has denied any knowledge of the threat and has said he is willing to meet with the organization in the coming days. -- Irish Voice, (http://www.irishabroad.com/news/irishinamerica/news/abuse161003.asp) Oct 16 03.
• U2 pop music group rescues sex abuse charity. DUBLIN, Ireland (Reuters): Irish rock group U2 have come to the rescue of a sex abuse charity facing closure because of a funding crisis. Together with manager Paul McGuinness, the band have made a cash donation to keep the Irish branch of the One in Four support group going. "The members of U2 and their manager have offered to provide to One In Four 40,000 euros (27,000 pounds) to enable this wonderful organisation to continue its vital and important work for a further month, while the government gets it together to do the right thing," the group's management said in a statement. Charity officials said the cash would keep the support group ticking over for the time being. One in Four campaigns on behalf of people who were sexually abused as children. Ireland has been rocked in recent years by numerous revelations of child abuse by priests. -- Reuters, "U2 rescue sex abuse charity," (http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=entertainmentNews& storyID=389624§ion=news) 2003 11:41 BST, Fri 17 October.
• U2's Reign Of Do-Gooding Continues. IRELAND: It's not unusual for U2 to be in the news for reasons other than their music. Bono especially pokes his nose into political and social concerns whenever he can. Now, the band has provided salvation to a sex abuse charity in their home country that was to be closed due to funding problems. The Irish branch of the One In Four support group, an organization that fights on behalf of people who suffered sexual abuse as children, has been rescued by U2 and their manager Paul McGuinness, who donated cash to keep the charity going. According to Billboard.com, charity officials said the monetary donation will keep One In Four up and running for the time being. Although it is unknown how long the cash will help keep the charity in business, the band 's management issued a statement outlining the goal of the donation. "The members of U2 and their manager have offered to provide to One In Four 40,000 Euros (US $46,360) to enable this wonderful organization to continue its vital and important work for a further month, while the government gets it together to do the right thing," the statement read. -- ChartAttack.com , (http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2003/10/1701.cfm) By: ChartAttack.com Staff, 02:00 PM, Friday October 17, 2003
• Kobe's Case Scares Assault Victims. GREELEY (Colo.) (AP): Sexual assault reports have plummeted at a university once attended by the woman who accused Kobe Bryant of rape, prompting speculation that the high-profile case has made victims fearful of coming forward. Bryant's attorneys have attacked the woman's credibility by questioning her sexual history and bringing out evidence indicating she had sex with another man shortly before the alleged attack. "If I were a victim of sexual assault, and I heard and saw things going on in the media with Kobe Bryant, it would certainly make me think twice about reporting it," University of Northern Colorado Police Chief Wendy Rich-Goldschmidt said this week. "These cases are tough enough already and if you throw something high profile on top of it, it becomes explosive." .. Nationally, well-publicized sexual assault cases like those involving the Roman Catholic Church are credited with raising the average reporting rate from the 30 percent range in the 1990s to 52 percent in 2002, the most recent federal figures available, said Jamie Zuieback, a spokeswoman for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. Allegations in those cases were taken seriously and the victims' reputations were not smeared, she noted. -- KRON 4., (http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=1487250) (AP).
• Gesu bookkeeper faces charges of taking $500,000 from church. MILWAUKEE (WI): Those of faith believe the Lord will provide. In the case of a bookkeeper at Gesu Church, the provisions turned out to be more than $500,000, stolen to feed a gambling habit at the Potawatomi Bingo Casino, alleges a criminal complaint filed Friday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court. Rebecca Piekarski, 37, is charged with one count of theft and one count of fraud, according to the complaint, which alleges she embezzled $518,659 from church collections from mid-2001 through February 2003. The complaint says bank records show Piekarski made consistent and large withdrawals from an ATM machine in the casino over that time. In a brief phone conversation Friday, she admitted the money fed her gambling habit. -- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, (http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/oct03/178156.asp) By TOM HELD, theld@journalsentinel.com , Last Updated: Oct. 17, 2003.
• Where Victims of the Clergy Try to Talk It Out. BOSTON (MA) Oct. 17: A lighthouse is meant to guide travelers safely on their way. To some, the Lighthouse, a gathering place for those who say they were abused by priests, has done just that, offering a place for them to talk over coffee and cookies. The tiny storefront office five minutes from the beach, they say, helps them overcome loneliness and move forward. But to others who say they were abused, the drop-in center reminds them of an experience they do not want to relive. They say it hinders change and impedes growth. With its white lighthouse-printed curtains and wicker welcome mat, the center looks like the kitchen of a seaside cottage plunked between a pool hall and Chinese restaurant. There are no therapists, only people who say they were abused by clergymen and their supporters. Phil de Albuquerque, who volunteers his time as an advocate for victims, started the center because, he said, opening a meeting place was "the right thing to do." "Really, that's the bottom line," Mr. de Albuquerque said. "It was something that was desperately needed." He added: "I wanted to make sure I wasn't closed-minded or closed-hearted to their pain." He and his wife, Lauren, who live in Taunton, 40 miles away, used $5,000 of their savings for a down payment on a storefront in the Orient Heights neighborhood, a hardscrabble part of East Boston better known for its airport and horse tracks than its beach. -- The New York Times, (http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/18/national/18RELI.html?ex=1067140800&en=01a3a4e88f2847b8&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE) By KATIE ZEZIMA, Published: October 18, 2003
• Church Celibacy Debate Centers On Local Churches. SYRACUSE (NY): As Pope John Paul celebrates 25 years as the leader of the Catholic church, a debate continues to brew from within. The church has been unchanged on it's stance about a celibate priesthood, but could that change when the pope's successor is chosen? Bishop James Moynihan, of the Syracuse diocese, isn't sure what the outcome will be. "We know that celibacy is a law that can be changed. I don't know if it will be," said Moynihan. Many lay members of the church are vocal about supporting a celibate priesthood, saying it's better for the church. "I don't feel we should have married priests. I will go along with whatever the church says, but I feel a priest is married to the church," said Laurie Faiola, of Syracuse. Clergy and laymen alike say that if the church decided to let priests get married, they would side with the church. Some say the change is a possibility, though unlikely. But most Catholics in central New York still seem to have their preference. -- WSTM, (http://www.wstm.com/Global/story.asp?S=1486993&nav=2aKDIb3G)
• Judge approves settlement for church abuse victims. LOUISVILLE (KY): A Jefferson Circuit Court judge today approved a plan for splitting up more than $25 million among the 243 victims who settled their sexual abuse cases against the Archdiocese of Louisville. Judge James M. Shake approved the plan devised by Cincinnati attorney Matthew Garretson, who the judge had appointed to oversee the distribution of the settlement. At an Oct. 9 hearing, almost 30 plaintiffs objected to some or all of Garretson's proposal, which places victims into one of three categories based on the severity of abuse. Other suggestions ranged from equally distributing the money among all victims to developing five-tier plan. Some plaintiffs who spoke for themselves in favor of Garretson's plan said they just wanted the matter resolved as quickly as possible. -- The Courier-Journal, (http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2003/10/17ky/mid_church.html) By Gregory A. Hall, ghall@courier-journal.com , Oct 17 03
• Douglas priest gets five years. BISBEE (AZ): The former pastor of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Douglas was sentenced to five years in prison for sexually abusing an 11-year-old altar boy during confession in 1982. The Rev. Julían Sanz, a priest with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson and the founder of an orphanage in Mexico, was handcuffed and led out of the Cochise County Superior Court courtroom here Thursday morning. Sanz's sentencing marked the third time this year that a priest who once worked in the Tucson Diocese was sent to prison for sexually abusing a young parishioner. The diocese said Thursday that Sanz, a native of Spain, will never again be allowed to act as a priest. Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas said he plans to begin the process for defrocking Sanz, which would mean a permanent removal from the priesthood. The diocese will also stop sending Sanz a monthly paycheck. "We pray for those who have been harmed by the misconduct of Rev. Sanz, for Rev. Sanz and for the Catholic community of Douglas. Our prayers are for peace of mind and heart and for healing and reconciliation," Kicanas said in a prepared statement. -- Fox 11, (http://www.fox11az.com/news/local/stories/KMSB_local_priest_101703.1082c85c.html) By Stephanie Innes, © 2003 Arizona Daily Star.
• Prison panel formed after defrocked priest's murder. BOSTON (MA) Oct 17 (Reuters): Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney named a blue-ribbon panel on Friday to review the state's prison system following the jailhouse slaying of John Geoghan, a defrocked priest at the heart of a clergy sexual abuse scandal. Former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger will chair the commission, which includes current and former corrections officials, community leaders and state lawmakers, Romney said. "Although the Geoghan investigation continues, the initial review indicates there are issues in our corrections system that could benefit from improved standards, training and new guidelines," Romney said in a statement. The announcement was welcomed by prisoners' rights advocates, who had called for a broad review of the state corrections system following Geoghan's murder on Aug. 23. A fellow inmate, Joseph Druce, has been charged in the slaying. "The choice of Harshbarger is fantastic and we think he's a perfect person for the job," Leslie Walker, executive director of Massachusetts Correctional Legal Services, told Reuters. -- Reuters, (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N17210904.htm) Oct 17 03.
• Challenge to Abuse Law Questioned. CALIFORNIA: Two people who say they were molested by a Roman Catholic priest asked church lawyers Thursday to drop their challenge to the constitutionality of a new law that opened California courthouses to hundreds of similar victims. Daniel Howard and Cristin Perez urged the Diocese of Stockton to withdraw the legal challenge to their lawsuit. "We simply ask that the courts be able to hear our cases and render justice based on the merits," Perez wrote in a prepared statement distributed by a victims' group. Other alleged victims of clergy abuse also urged bishops in Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino to embrace the law. They said the Stockton dioce se was attempting to avoid responsibility for sexual assaults on children. "It sends a terrible message to sexual abuse survivors, and Catholics across California, that a Catholic bishop is more concerned with legal maneuvering and overturning a strong public mandate instead of working with survivors to provide prevention, justice and health," states a letter delivered Wednesday to Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles from members of the Survivor Network of Those Abused by Priests. -- Los Angeles Times, (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-priests17oct17,1,2147750.story) By Jean Guccione, Oct 17 03
• Don't let church predators off hook. CALIFORNIA: The Corona del Mar marketing consultant has a lawsuit pending against the Diocese of Orange over abuse allegations. Most people would not think twice about demanding financial and civil accountability from an auto company that knowingly sold defective vehicles that killed or injured children. And now, clergy abuse survivors in California have the right to demand civil and financial accountability from agents of the Roman Catholic Church - agents who (according to court records) allowed the sexual molestation of children and then covered up the crimes of known and suspected molesters. Survivors should not think twice about the importance of asserting this right. SB 1779, signed into law in July 2002, lifted the civil statute of limitations on childhood sexual abuse in California. The law provides victims with a one-year window - from Jan. 1, 2003, to Dec. 31, 2003 - to file civil cases against their abusers and the agencies that allowed the abusers to victimize them. The hierarchy of the Catholic Church in California is now legally accountable for the pain and suffering inflicted on thousands of innocent children across the state. But for the church to be punished to the fullest extent of civil law, survivors must come forward and assert their rights before Dec. 31. Civil suits are the only way for many people to demand responsibility from the church and to protect vulnerable children from sexual molestation. There are currently more than 200 civil cases pending in Southern California - and both the Diocese of Orange and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles are actively seeking mediation. This is a good and a bad thing. The church's willingness to mediate shows the validity of the allegations and the fact that the church acknowledges horrible crimes were committed. Unfortunately, because the mediation is out of the media spotlight, the general public and reticent survivors have no idea how large this issue is. Survivors who have not yet come forward still believe that they are alone in their struggle. It is actually quite the opposite. -- The Orange County Register, http://www2.ocregister.com , By Joelle Casteix, Oct 17 03
• Roman Catholic bishops accuse BBC of bias. VATICAN CITY (AP) - A Roman Catholic bishops group accused the British Broadcasting Corp. on Friday of having an anti-Catholic bias, pointing to recent programs on contraception, abortion and clergy sex abuse. The Roman Catholic bishops' conference of England and Wales, which has been holding talks in Rome, criticized two BBC programs as offensive in a statement distributed in the Vatican's daily bulletin. One program was an Oct. 13 documentary, "Panorama - Sex and the Holy City," that investigated how the world has been affected by the church's teaching on contraception and abortion. The bishops said the documentary unfairly argued that "while the pope preaches peace and life, his teachings and the actions of the Catholic Church (in opposing abortion and contraception) bring about widespread poverty and death." The second program was "Kenyon Confronts," which aired Oct. 15 and was about cases of clergy abuse more than 20 years ago. They said that program "regrettably persisted in using a single, uncorroborated source of proven unreliability as the basis for serious allegations against the Church." The BBC denied being anti-Catholic. It said both programs examined serious issues of public interest and that it was "entirely legitimate for the BBC to investigate and report them." -- News Observer, By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, (http://newsobserver.com/24hour/world/story/1030409p-7232197c.html)
• Voice of the Faithful protests bishop's ban. 'Now we feel kind of like outcasts. We can't have our own Mass Sunday in one of our churches. We have to rent Sandwich High.' Joan Kelly, Marstons Mills. CAPE COD (MA): The Voice of the Faithful is heard in the churches of the Boston Archdiocese, but the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River has clamped down on the group on Cape Cod and the rest of Southeastern Massachusetts. In response, VOTF ran an ad in Sunday's Standard Times of New Bedford and the Cape Cod Times challenging Bishop George W. Coleman to withdraw a May 22 order to ban the group's news from church bulletins, not permit members to meet in church buildings, and cut off any conversations with local priests. "We are very angry because Voice of the Faithful has been banned from meeting in our own churches for no apparent reason," said Patricia Casavant of Osterville, whose husband Arthur was one of more than 100 signatories to the open letter. "We supported the church. We paid for these buildings with our own donations over the years." John Kearns, assistant director of communications for the Diocese, was away at a conference this week. A message left Wednesday with the office's director, the Rev. Msgr. John F. Moore, was not returned by press time. On Oct. 14, the Standard Times reported that Coleman told a staff writer inquiring about the Diocese's relations with VOTF that he would have "no comment about that matter whatsoever." -- Barnstable Patriot, (http://www.barnstablepatriot.com/10-17-03-news/voicefaithful.html) By Edward F. Maroney, Oct 17 03
• Catholic bishops attack "hostile" BBC. VATICAN CITY (Reuters): English and Welsh Catholic bishops have attacked the BBC, saying its recent religious affairs programmes are biased, hostile and offensive to the Church. A statement issued on Friday by the bishops, who are currently in Rome, was made even more forceful because it was issued through the Vatican press office. It said the BBC's reputation for fairness and objectivity was proving to be "increasingly tarnished" and that there were "elements within the BBC" who were hostile to religion. The statement, very blunt by Church and Vatican standards, specifically attacked two recent programmes, "Sex and the Holy City" Panorama programme aired on October 12, and a Kenyon Confronts programme broadcast on October 15. It said the Panorama programme had asserted that while Pope John Paul preaches peace and life, his teachings and the actions of the Catholic Church in opposing abortion and contraception bring about widespread poverty and death. -- Reuters, Catholic bishops attack "hostile" BBC, (http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=389732§ion=news) By Philip Pullella, 14:31 BST Fri 17 October, 2003
• U2 to donate €40,000 to One in Four. IRELAND : The rock group U2 is to donate about €40,000 to the One in Four organisation, which provides counselling for victims of sexual abuse. Earlier this week, the group's founder, Colm O'Gorman, announced that he would have to shut it down because it had failed to secure additional State funding for its counselling service. It is estimated that the money from U2 will enable One in Four to continue for another month. One in Four representatives were due to meet Department of Education officials this afternoon. -- One in Four, (http://www.oneinfour.org/news/news2003/1u2/) From RTE Online (http://www.rte.ie/news/2003/1016/abuse.html), Oct 16 03
• Abuse support group gains key financial life line. IRELAND: A Support group for victims of abuse has been promised a financial life line into the future by the Government – the same day as the charity got a €40,000 windfall and a glowing tribute from rock band U2, and their manager Paul McGuinness. Health Minister, Michael Martin, last night promised to fund services run by the support group, One in Four, into next year. There is to be a signed service agreement between the group and the Department of Health, outlining what services the department is funding, the department said last night. Both sides are to meet again shortly to discuss the group's current financial difficulties. The charity has been asked to outline its service plan for next year. One in Four had announced on Monday that it was to close from the end of the month, because of a financial constraints, and a broken promise on funding from the Government. -- One in Four, (http://www.oneinfour.org/news/news2003/lifeline/) By Neans McSweeney, From The Examiner, (http://www.examiner.ie/pport/web/ireland/Full_Story/did-sgSC4SMdNwGD6sgdq-nXlDAyFE.asp)
• Hopes rise for survival of One in Four. IRELAND: Abuse support group One in Four received were given renewed hope today that it would remain open following talks with the Minister for Health, Mr Martin today. One in Four announced it was to close at the end of the month due to lack of Government funding but earlier today it received a bosst when it was revealed staff had offered their services for no pay and the rock group U2 had donated €40,000. Staff made their offer to allow adequate time to support their clients to come to terms with the shut down of the organisation. -- One in Four, (http://www.oneinfour.org/news/news2003/hopes/) By Piaras Murphy, From The Irish Times, (http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2003/1016/breaking27.htm). (Posted by Kathy Shaw, Poynteronline)
########## End of www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46, Saturday, October 18, 2003
• Child porn raids in SA, NT and WA. AUSTRALIA (AAP): Police have seized tens of thousands of hardcore pornographic images of children in a joint operation spanning two states and a territory. A 69-year-old man was arrested in Adelaide following simultaneous raids on properties in Darwin, Adelaide and Rockingham in Western Australia overnight, police said. . . . It followed the arrest in Darwin on Wednesday of a 63-year-old man after police allegedly found 12,000 hardcore images and more than 400 pornographic movies of children. Darwin Magistrates Court yesterday heard the images included pictures of children in bondage and torture-type situations, and infants and toddlers being sexually penetrated. -- The Daily Telegraph, Child porn raids in SA, NT and WA, AAP, (by courtesy of www.mako.org.au ) , October 18, 2003 FOR GOOD TEACHINGS TO BE HEEDED, A BIG CLEAN-UP IS NEEDED The POYNTER INSTITUTE is a Journalism School, based at St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.A.
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