• Archdiocese Abuse Report.
ANCHORAGE (AK): As many as 16 priests serving in the Catholic Archdiocese of Anchorage have committed sexual misconduct.
The results of a special commission report are released, detailing misconduct since the beginning of the Archdiocese in 1966.
The Erwin Commission committee, made up of three people, completed the difficult task of reviewing all files of more than 80 priests who have served in the Archdiocese.
The result of their nine month investigation was made public Wednesday.
The Erwin commission was created in February 2003 to review personnel
files of the Anchorage Archdiocese.
"This review was meant to help me understand past cases of child sexual
abuse or sexual abuse of a criminal nature by clergy and religious who
have served in the Archdiocese," said Archbishop Roger Schwietz.
It's findings show 16 priests committed sexual misconduct served in the
Archdiocese at some point.
Seven priests committed those acts against minors and five of those cases occurred here in Alaska.
-- KTVA,
(http://www.ktva.com/Stories/0,1413,163~6882~1731704,00.html)
By Heidi Loranger
(Posted by Kathy Shaw, Poynter Abuse Tracker)
(This is the first of the Poynteronline Abuse Tracker edition for Thursday, October 30, 2003.)
• A predator in her town.
MASHPEE (MA): Jennifer McDonald knew a sexual predator lived in her
neighborhood, but she didn't know his name or address.
That uncertainty made her rush home from work in fear that her 6-year-old
son would be alone when he got off the school bus.
Now she knows who presented that threat and she is angry. Angry at the
Rev. Donald Turlick, a Catholic priest who quietly brought Paul Nolin into
her neighborhood. Angry that the state's sex offender registry board could
not warn her of Nolin's presence.
Nolin, 39, who served 18 years for raping an 11-year-old Lowell boy, is
now accused of kidnapping and murdering Jonathan Wessner, 20, of Falmouth.
-- Cape Cod Times
(http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/apredator30.htm)
By Amanda Lehmert.
• Disgraced priest finds home in secretive sect.SAN ISIDRO de GRECIA, COSTA RICA: It's a twisted trail that leads from
Texas to this Central American village, and along it stretches the strange
and disturbing odyssey of Father Alfredo Prado.
Prado's path is an errant one. Stripped of his priestly authority by the
Oblate Fathers in Texas under accusations of sexually molesting
children -- which the 73-year-old cleric vehemently denies -- Prado has
now become a fugitive from his order and the chief celebrant for a
reputedly violent doomsday cult in Costa Rica.
Prado is now an embarrassment to the Oblate Fathers in the United States
and an annoyance to church and government officials in Costa Rica. Since
his arrival in Costa Rica in January, his presence has managed to pit an
international child welfare organization against the Catholic Church, the
Catholic Church against the cult and the cult against just about everyone.
At first glance, Alfredo Prado is anything but imposing. Short, stocky,
aging, he regards his visitors with what appears to be a startled glare,
until it becomes clear that the gaze is the result of a form of partial
blindness known as macular degeneration.
Seated in his quarters at the back of the "sanctuary" in San Isidro de
Grecia, clothed in black vestments, Prado gives every appearance of being
what he claims he is -- a priest.
Only one element seems askew: Prado's new home is a cult compound, an
elongated strip of several acres on which a large house and several
outbuildings house a handful of adults and eight or 10 teenage boys.
"I'm here because my Blessed Mother asked me to come," Prado said,
referring to the Virgin Mary.
-- Houston Chronicle
(http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/printstory.hts/front/2178259)
By Evan Moore
• Church sets hard line on abuse trials.
BOSTON (MA): If alleged sexual abuse victims of the Rev. Paul R. Shanley take their
civil cases to court instead of opting to participate in the historic $85
million settlement agreement, the Archdiocese of Boston will insist that
the cases be tried separately and will oppose any effort to merge them, a
lawyer for the men and a spokesman for the archdiocese said yesterday.
According to lawyers for alleged victims, only 10 claimants out of 552 --
all alleged victims of Shanley or their family members -- are expected to
reject the proposed settlement. The deadline for opting into the agreement
is today.
All 10 of those claimants have sued over alleged abuse by Shanley at St.
Jean's Parish in Newton in the early 1980s.
Four of the 10, all men, are alleged victims; the other six are their
relatives who have sued for loss of consortium.
Only the Ford family of Newton, who allege that their son, Gregory, was
abused by Shanley, has come forward publicly to say that they would reject
the settlement offer.
Roderick MacLeish Jr., a lawyer for Shanley's alleged victims, said he
spoke with lawyers for the archdiocese yesterday in an effort to have the
cases consolidated. MacLeish said consolidation would prevent the
plaintiffs, who would probably testify for each other, from being
subjected to multiple trials and would allow the jury to see a pattern of
abuse by Shanley.
-- Boston Globe,
www.boston.com ,
By Ralph Ranalli, Oct 30 2003
• Shanley accusers refuse settlement with archdiocese.
BOSTON (MA): With the deadline today for plaintiffs to opt into the $85 million
Archdiocese of Boston clergy sexual abuse settlement offer, the lawyer for
four accusers in one of the scandal's most high-profile cases said they
have turned down the deal.
And with virtually no chance of striking a separate agreement, the case
appears headed to court, where, both sides said, they're confident of
victory.
"We're back in litigation," said Roderick MacLeish Jr., the attorney for
Gregory Ford, Paul Busa, Anthony Driscoll and a fourth man, all of whom
claim to have been raped by the Rev. Paul Shanley in Newton in the 1980s.
"There's no chance for a (separate) settlement on either part," MacLeish
said, asserting that Ford's parents, who are suing for loss of consortium
with their son, are obligated to defend attacks on their character by
church lawyers.
Conversely, sources familiar with the church's legal strategy said its
lawyers are more than prepared, if not eager, to take on the suit, citing
contradictory filings in the plaintiffs' assertions of facts and their
reliance on recovered memories.
-- Boston Herald,
(http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/chur10302003.htm)
by Robin Washington, Eric Convey and Tom Mashberg
Thursday, October 30, 2003
• Priest pals may be forced to testify.
Cape grand jury probing murderFalmouth man [CURRENT].
FALMOUTH (MA): Cape prosecutors will ask a judge tomorrow to force accused killer Paul Nolin's two priest pals to tell a grand jury what they know about last
month's slaying of an aspiring Falmouth golf pro, according to a source
close to the case.
Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe will file a motion to
force the Rev. Bernard Kelly and the Rev. Donald Turlick to testify before
a grand jury about the Sept. 20 killing of 20-year-old Jonathan Wessner.
Kelly, who gave Nolin a job at St. Joseph's Church in Falmouth, appeared
before the grand jury in Barnstable this week but refused to testify,
claiming his conversations with the convicted child rapist were
privileged, a source said.
Turlick, 68, is reportedly in Florida but authorities believe he too will
refuse to testify, according to the source. Turlick counseled Nolin while
Nolin was locked up for the 1982 rape of a 10-year-old boy and rented him
an apartment when he was released from jail in 2000.
Kelly, 70, and Nolin, 39, were allegedly involved in a sexual
relationship, which could hinder Kelly's claims that their conversations
were protected by the rules of the church. Nolin's attorney, Robert Nolan,
denies any sexual relationship between the two.
-- Boston Herald,
(http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/falm10302003.htm)
by Dave Wedge, Thursday, October 30, 2003.
• Pregnant housekeeper says not being cared for.
SPRINGFIELD (MA):
The woman who says a Lee priest is the father of her unborn
child lashed out at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield for saying
it is addressing all her needs.
"What do they mean by all my needs?" said Josephine DiZoglio, adding that
the diocese has offered little help and has misrepresented some
information she has provided.
DiZoglio, who is pregnant, also expressed misgivings about the role of the
diocese's victim outreach coordinator and the diocese's Misconduct
Commission.
The Rev. Paul C. Laflamme of St. Mary Mother of the Church parish in Lee
was removed from ministry two weeks ago after he admitted having a sexual
relationship with DiZoglio. She had worked as a rectory housekeeper at
Laflamme's parish, according to the diocese.
Laflamme's pastor, the Rev. Gary M. Dailey, is accused by DiZoglio of
preventing her from contacting Laflamme, keeping her from attending
church, firing her while she was in the hospital after a suicide attempt
in the wake of a sexual encounter with Laflamme and encouraging her to
have an abortion. Dailey denies harassing her and suggesting an abortion.
-- The Republican, "Woman says diocese claim misleading,"
www.masslive.com ,
By Bill Zajac,
wzajac@repub.com
• Critics: Church reforms lacking.
INDIANA: Indiana's Roman Catholic bishops are taking steps to root out child abuse
in their dioceses and remove potential predators from staff and
volunteers, but critics say the reforms do not go far enough.
Critics both outside and within Indiana's largest denomination say the
reforms fall short of dealing with the problem of sexual abuse of children
by priests that prompted American bishops to adopt a child protection
charter in Dallas in June 2002.
The critics say the reforms lack accountability and do little to restore
the trust that the scandal has cost the bishops.
The first national audit of how each U.S. diocese has complied with the
Dallas charter is due to be completed by Nov. 21 and will be made public
in January, said Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops. Bishops also will hear an update on the
scandal when they meet Nov. 10-13 in Washington.
-- Indianapolis Star
(http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/2/088052-1132-009.html)
Associated Press, October 30, 2003
• Ex-Priest Again Is Target in 2 Lawsuits.
CALIFORNIA: Two lawsuits filed against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange on
Wednesday claim that the former principal of Mater Dei High School
repeatedly molested two boys around 1980, at times in his office.
The accusers are the latest to lodge sexual abuse allegations against
Michael Harris, once a popular priest known as "Father Hollywood" to
students. He headed Mater Dei in Santa Ana for nearly a decade starting in
1978 before leaving to be founding principal of Santa Margarita High
School in south Orange County.
In 2001, the dioceses of Orange and Los Angeles paid Ryan DiMaria, a
former Mater Dei student, $5.2 million to settle a molestation suit
against Harris. That case included testimony from four others who said
they had been sexually abused by the priest.
Harris, who left the priesthood as part of the settlement, has denied the
previous allegations.
Neither he nor diocesan officials could be reached for comment Wednesday
on the new claims.
In another development, a molestation victim will ask the Orange County
district attorney today to start a criminal investigation into the actions
of the Diocese of Orange and its handling of sexual abuse cases.
-- Los Angeles Times,
www.latimes.com ,
By William Lobdell, October 30, 2003
• Seven priests abused children.
ANCHORAGE (AK): Five Catholic priests sexually abused minors within the Anchorage
Archdiocese since 1966, the archdiocese announced in a special report
Wednesday. Two more priests abused minors before they came to Alaska, the
report says.
Archbishop Roger Schwietz would not disclose the names of the priests at a
news conference nor any information about the extent of the abuse.
However, he acknowledged that one of the five priests was Monsignor
Francis Murphy, who left Alaska in 1985, and the Rev. Timothy Crowley, who
came to Alaska in 1995 from Michigan, was one of the two. Schwietz said he
wished to protect victims who wanted to remain anonymous, and naming the
priests could lead to the victims' identification, he said.
None of those priests are believed to be in Alaska now, Schwietz said.
Some are dead, he said.
The report was commissioned by Schwietz in February, when he appointed an
independent three-member panel to re-examine past allegations of sexual
abuse. The panel included former Alaska Supreme Court justice Robert
Erwin; Mark Rowland, a retired Superior Court judge; and Elaine Christian,
executive director of the Providence Foundation. Only Erwin is Catholic.
The 12-page report also laid out a dozen recommendations on improvements
the church can make in dealing with reports of sexual abuse among its
clergy. Schwietz said he would begin addressing those recommendations and
report which actions he takes to Erwin.
-- Anchorage Daily News
(http://www.adn.com/front/story/4281177p-4291832c.html)
By Nicole Tsong, Published: October 30, 2003
• Diocese audited for compliance with misconduct procedures.
SPRINGFIELD (MA): Auditors from the Gavin Group, a Boston-based firm founded
by former FBI agents, came to the Diocese of Springfield earlier this
month to confirm that it is complying with the U.S. bishops‚ "Charter for
the Protection of Children and Young People."
The audit, commissioned by the U.S. bishops‚ national office for Child and
Youth Protection for all the nation's dioceses, was conducted here Oct.
13-16.
"I think they were very pleased," said Laura Failla Reilly, victim
outreach advocate for the diocese.
Reilly would not immediately specify recommendations that may have been
made about the diocese‚s procedures for preventing and treating sexual
misconduct, since dioceses across the country have largely agreed to await
the issuance of a detailed national report about the audits early next
year before discussing the situations in their dioceses.
-- Iobserve ,
(http://www.iobserve.org/rn1028a.html)
By Father Bill Pomerleau, Observer staff.
• Father Scahill deposition details interactions with abuse victims.
SPRINGFIELD (MA): A prominent critic of the Diocese of Springfield's treatment
of sexual misconduct victims once ordered a priest who had been abused by
Father Richard Lavigne out of his rectory because he would not discuss the
abuse, and later opted not to report other abuse allegations to civil or
church authorities, according to a recent legal deposition.
Father James J. Scahill, pastor of St. Michael Parish in East Longmeadow,
testified Sept. 29 in a case brought by Susan F. Morris against Father
Lavigne, Retired Springfield Bishop Joseph Maguire, Father Robert Thrasher
and the diocese.
A transcript of his testimony was obtained by The Catholic Observer and at
least one other local news outlet late last week.
An Oct. 29 article in The Republican reported only on an exchange the
outspoken priest had with Springfield Bishop Thomas L. Dupré before 120
priests at a 2002 clergy convocation, and on Father Scahill's belief that
he has been threatened with suspension for his stand.
Those topics have been widely discussed by clergy and lay Catholics for
months.
But the main thrust of Father Scahill's deposition was his lengthy
explanation of the circumstances that led him to suggest to his parish
last year that it withhold its 6 percent cathedraticum from the diocese to
protest diocesan policies on sexual misconduct.
-- Iobserve ,
(http://www.iobserve.org/rn1029a.html)
By Father Bill Pomerleau, Observer staff
(Posted by Kathy Shaw, Poynteronline)
//////////////////// End of www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46, Thursday, October 30, 2003
########## Poynteronline Abuse Tracker, www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46,
Friday, October 31, 2003 edition follows:- • Child abuser released early.
MARYLAND: A suspended Carroll County priest who admitted molesting two boys was
released from jail yesterday after serving a little more than nine months
of a 15-month sentence.
Brian M. Cox left the Carroll County Detention Center yesterday, not long
after a judge agreed to his request for an early release.
Explaining why he granted the request, Carroll Circuit Judge Michael M.
Galloway said that Cox's conduct was "not to be tolerated" but that he had
been adequately punished and holds the potential to do more good outside
of jail than in it.
"In my short time on the bench, this is probably the case that has caused
me to do more soul-searching in fashioning a sentence than any other,"
Galloway said in court. "I believe the defendant will contribute to
society and to the community by doing the things he's apparently done for
much of his life."
-- Baltimore Sun,
www.sunspot.net ,
By Athima Chansanchai, October 31, 2003
(Posted by Kathy Shaw, Poynteronline)
• Judge: Open Croteau files A Greenfield lawyer.
SPRINGFIELD (MA): A Hampden Superior Court judge has ruled that impounded
documents in the investigation of the murder of a Springfield altar boy in
1972 can be released to the public. However, the release of the documents
could be delayed as the Hampden County district attorney's office appeals
the decision.
Judge Peter A. Velis issued a ruling yesterday lifting the impoundment
order that remained on some of the murder investigation documents,
including an autopsy and chemical report on the body of murder victim
Daniel Croteau, several investigators' reports, a laboratory report and
summaries of statements.
The ruling includes the proviso that all names of witnesses and their
addresses will be redacted, or blocked out.
Croteau, 13, was killed in Chicopee. The Rev. Richard R. Lavigne of
Chicopee wasn't publicly identified as the prime suspect in the murder
until the 1990s when the investigation was reopened after he pleaded
guilty in two cases of child molestation.
Velis is expected to rule today on a motion by the district attorney's
office to stay the release of the documents pending an appeal of his
decision.
"It's a huge victory for the victims of clergy sexual abuse. It's a
victory for openness over secrecy," said Greenfield lawyer John J.
Stobierski, who represents 21 people who have filed clergy sexual abuse
suits against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, including at
least 10 who said they were victimized by Lavigne as children. Previously
the diocese settled 17 suits by those who said Lavigne abused them.
-- The Republican,
www.masslive.com ,
By Bill Zajac, wzajac@repub.com .
• DA will contest priest's silence.
BARNSTABLE (MA): The question of whether the Rev. Bernard Kelly can remain
silent on what he knows about the murder of a young Falmouth man will be
put to the test today.
Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe is expected to file a
motion with a Superior Court judge seeking to force Kelly, a Roman
Catholic priest, to testify before a Barnstable County grand jury
investigating the murder of Jonathan Wessner.
Kelly, 70, is a pivotal figure in the investigation of the Sept. 20
killing of Wessner, 20, whose body was found hidden beneath rocks on a
secluded beach in Woods Hole.
First Assistant District Attorney Michael Trudeau declined comment
yesterday about the motion that will be filed today.
"I can confirm we will be in court tomorrow in the matter of a case that
is of ongoing interest to the grand jury," he said. "But, due to the
nature of grand jury proceedings, which are secret, I cannot comment on
particulars."
-- Cape Cod Times,
(http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/dawill31.htm)
By Karen Jeffrey.
• Pervert Church of England vicar loses appeal [early 1980s].
BRITAIN: A Retired vicar who carried out a four-year campaign of abuse on two "vulnerable" young girls in his parish deserved every day of his jail term, Appeal Court judges have ruled.
The offences, which included an attack in his own church vestry, went back 20 years when Robin Nigel Everett was the vicar of St Edward King and Martyr Church in Castle Donington.
Everett (69), of Severnlands Drive, Boulton Moor, was jailed for five years on July 18 after being convicted by a jury at Leicester Crown Court on seven counts of indecent assault.
The girls were aged between eight and 15 when the assaults happened in the early 1980s, said Mr Justice Mitting, sitting at London's Court of Appeal with Lord Justice Dyson and Judge Fabyan Evans.
Everett's solicitor-advocate, Steven Newcombe, argued he should have received a lesser jail term because the attacks happened before the passing of the 1985 Sexual Offences Act, which increased the maximum term for these type of crimes.
Dismissing the appeal, Mr Justice Mitting said the court would have had sympathy with this argument if there had been just one assault or a series of assaults committed over a shorter period.
But Everett's attacks on the vulnerable girls amounted to a gross breach of trust, he said.
-- Evening Telegraph, "Pervert vicar loses appeal,"
www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk • Polygamist Jeremy Kingston pleads guilty to incest.
SALT LAKE CITY (UT):
Jeremy Ortell Kingston, a member of Utah's polygamous Kingston clan, has pleaded guilty to incest.
Kingston was 24 when he took a 15-year-old cousin, LuAnn Kingston, as his
fourth wife in 1995. She also is his aunt.
Jeremy Kingston said after his court appearance Thursday that he had no
ill feelings toward LuAnn Kingston and that he loved all of his children,
including hers. Family members say he has at least 17 children.
Under terms of the plea bargain, the third-degree felony will be reduced
to a misdemeanor if he successfully completes probation. The prosecution
also agreed to recommend that he not be sentenced to more than a year in
jail or prison. The judge is not bound by the recommendation, and the
crime is punishable by a possible prison sentence of zero to five years.
...
The Kingston clan, called the Latter-Day Church of Christ, includes an
estimated 1,200 members. The secretive group has amassed a $150-million
business empire, running companies throughout northern Utah.
-- Star-Tribune, (AP)
(http://www.trib.com/AP/wire_detail.php?wire_num=302186)
• Archdiocese workers to get background checks.
NEW YORK: In response to the sex abuse crisis that rocked the Roman Catholic Church
last year, the Archdiocese of New York plans to begin mandatory background
checks next month on all paid and volunteer staffers who work with
children.
ChoicePoint, a Georgia-based company, has been contracted to perform
checks on thousands of parish employees, youth ministers, Catholic school
teachers, religious education instructors, custodians, coaches and anyone
else who has contact with children.
But the union that represents 3,600 Catholic school teachers throughout
the archdiocese has not yet agreed to the plan.
"That's something that was not part of our contractual agreement," said
Mary-Ann Perry, president of the Staten Island Federation of Catholic
Teachers. "We have not yet agreed to it; we'll be meeting over it."
An informational meeting is set for next week. Ms. Perry said the union
will seek reassurances that "people's privacy is absolutely protected."
-- Staten Island Advance,
www.silive.com ,
By Leslie Palma-Simoncek
• Spirit lives on in closed-down Anglican B.C. diocese.HULUS (B.C.) CANADA:
Nearly two years ago, the diocese of Cariboo in British Columbia suspended
operations, financially wounded by lawsuits concerning a former Indian
residential school.
A landmark court decision had found the Anglican
church 40 per cent liable and the federal government 60 per cent liable
for the sexual and physical abuse that occurred at St. George's school in
Lytton, B.C.
It was the first time a Canadian Anglican diocese had closed
its office, but the 17 parishes and 45 congregations continued in
operation. The Journal reports on how the one-time diocese is faring.
Anglicans in the central region of B.C. have regrouped into a new
entity, the Anglican Parishes of the Central Interior (APCI), and are
seeking a bishop, even as they cope with continuing uncertainty.
Set among the pine-covered mountains and valleys of south-central
British Columbia , the APCI entity is financially healthy, but has seen
considerable clergy turnover and continues to find relationships with
native communities challenging in the wake of the residential school
legacy.
Leadership is an issue as the region's senior bishop, who now
oversees APCI, intends to retire in a couple of years. Also under
discussion is what form the former Cariboo will take: a diocesan revival,
merger with another diocese or establishment as an area in a larger
diocese.
-- Anglican Journal, "Spirit lives on in erstwhile B.C. diocese,"
(http://www.anglicanjournal.com/129/09/canada03.html)
by Solange De Santis
• Sedgley Anglican Home victims sought.AUSTRALIA: The team set up to investigate abuse at the Anglican Church-aligned
Sedgley Home has placed newspaper advertisements calling for information,
while in another twist in the reports of abuse at Masterton children's
homes, a man has spoken out in support of his time at the Salvation Army's
Whatman Home.
The Sedgley Home inquiry team has placed advertisements in metropolitan
newspapers and the Wairarapa Times-Age seeking information from former
residents as it investigates allegations of sexual abuse at the boys home
over 40 years ago.
News broke of sexual abuse at Sedgley when the Anglican Archbishop of
Wellington, Thomas Brown, made a public apology in September on behalf of
the church for the abuse one man said he had suffered at the home. Another
man then came forward saying he was also abused.
Inquiry spokeswoman Lisa Rossiter said there were still just two formal
complaints. A "few handfuls" of people had already called the inquiry and
others had written in. She said the advertisements were an attempt to make
sure everyone who might want to talk came forward.
The five-member Sedgley inquiry team is due to make an interim report to
the Sedgley board in December.
-- Wairarapa Times-Age, "Sedgley victims sought,"
(http://times-age.co.nz/news2003/031031a.html)
By Colin Marshall
• Victims: Church still ignoring us.
FALL RIVER (MA): The man who initiated the investigation into sexual abuse
allegations against former St. Stanislaus Church Pastor Robert S.
Kaszynski is hoping to finally get his chance to sit down with diocesan
leadership and is passing out a petition aimed at removing a plaque from
the church grounds dedicated in Kaszynski's honor.
But according to the Diocese of Fall River, the plaque was removed shortly
after the matter was brought to its attention late last month.
Paul Krupa, who said he witnessed Kaszynski abuse four young girls during
the 1960s and 1970s, also says he has been ignored by Bishop George W.
Coleman.
Krupa said he has sent numerous letters and placed several phone calls to
the diocese about setting up a meeting with Kaszynski, Coleman and the
victims, but has been ignored.
"The bishop is stonewalling us again. They have to realize they have to do
something," Krupa said. "The church is back in its old style of ignoring
things until they just go away."
-- The Herald News,
www.heraldnews.com ,
by Gregg M. Miliote
• Critics fault Indiana Catholic reforms.
INDIANA: Indiana's Roman Catholic bishops are taking steps to root out child abuse
in their dioceses and remove potential predators from staff and
volunteers, but critics said the reforms do not go far enough.
Critics both outside and within Indiana's largest denomination said the
reforms fall short of dealing with the problem of sexual abuse of children
by priests that prompted American bishops to adopt a child protection
charter in Dallas in June 2002.
The critics said the reforms lack accountability and do little to restore
the trust the scandal has cost the bishops.
The first national audit of how each U.S. diocese has complied with the
Dallas charter is due to be completed by Nov. 21 and will be made public
in January, said Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops. Bishops also will hear an update on the
scandal when they meet Nov. 10-13 in Washington.
The Evansville Diocese this week held training for youth protection
coordinators to serve in each of its parishes and schools. The sessions
that ended Wednesday included a presentation by a state child protection
worker and a discussion of creating safe environments for children.
-- The News-Sentinel,
(http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/news/local/7141886.htm)
by Ken Kusmer, of The Associated Press
• Sexual abuse law in Illinois faces battle.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill: Battle lines are being drawn in court over Illinois'
new law that makes it easier to sue for child sexual abuse, with two
Catholic groups claiming the law's statute-of-limitations rules are
unconstitutionally vague.
The revamped law, which went into effect in July, allows people who
believe they were abused as children to file suit for up to a decade after
turning 18 - or up to five years after "the date the person abused
discovers . . . that the act of childhood sexual abuse occurred and that
the injury was caused by (the abuse)."
Defense lawyers in pending lawsuits against Catholic entities in
Springfield, Ill., and Chicago - including a sexual abuse suit against the
St. Louis estate of a now-deceased priest - say the law is
unconstitutionally vague and should be overturned.
Advocates for the prevention of sexual abuse point out that recovering
memories of abuse often takes years, and it is sometimes years more before
victims understand how the abuse has injured them. If the law doesn't
stand up in court, they say, it could make it difficult for future
child-abuse victims to get justice.
-- St. Louis Post-Dispatch,
www.stltoday.com ,
By Kevin McDermott, Post-Dispatch Springfield Bureau, Oct 30 2003
• Diocese follows national rules.
SHREVEPORT (LA): National auditors declared the Catholic Diocese of Shreveport in
compliance with national rules meant to protect children and handle
allegations of sexual abuse by priests.
In a review of all current policies and procedures, the auditors - both
formerly with the FBI - only had minor recommendations for the diocese.
"I was pleased" with the report, Bishop William Friend said. "I was very
impressed with the auditors. They were very thorough."
Every diocese in the nation will be audited to find out if they are
following the rules laid out in the Charter for the Protection of Children
and Young People. The national report is expected in January.
The charter was approved in summer 2002 after accusations of sexual abuse
by priests flooded the church. The diocese of Shreveport has one case of
sexual abuse since it was created in 1986. That priest was dismissed in
the late 1980's and has since died.
Changes in the Shreveport diocese have cost about $36,000 and included
written codes of conduct for priests and all volunteers who work with
children, criminal background checks on all employees and volunteers and
the establishment of a training program for all employees and volunteers.
• Priest, Davenport diocese face another lawsuit.
IOWA: A Scott County man filed a lawsuit Tuesday that claims three priests in
the Catholic Diocese of Davenport repeatedly sexually abused him for years
beginning about 40 years ago, when he was younger than 14.
The former altar boy and a confirmed Catholic, identified only as "John
Doe III," seeks unspecified emotional and punitive damages from The Rev.
James Janssen, The Rev. Francis Bass, Theodore Geerts and the Diocese of
Davenport.
It is the third sexual abuse lawsuit filed against Janssen and the fifth
against the Diocese of Davenport in the wake of numerous cases of past sex
abuse by Catholic priests that surfaced nationwide since last year,
causing American Catholic bishops to revise the church's sex abuse
policies.
Bass and Geerts are not named in any other lawsuits filed in Iowa, court
records show.
"The three priests do not have any diocesan duties," Diocese spokesman
David Montgomery said in a press release Thursday in response to media
inquiries. "The Diocese is reviewing the complaint. It would not be
appropriate to discuss this matter while it is in litigation."
-- Quad-City Times,
www.qctimes.com ,
By Todd Ruger.
• Davenport diocese most-sued in Iowa.
DAVENPORT (IA): The Davenport Diocese has become the most-sued diocese in the state on the issue of priest abuse. The financial effect on the diocese because of the
lawsuits is hard to estimate, although one expert doubted it would mean
Catholics in the diocese will have to tithe more.
The lawsuit filed Oct. 28 by a Scott County man, identified as John Doe
III, names the Reverends James Janssen, Francis Bass and Theodore Anthony
Geerts as his abusers. It is the fourth lawsuit naming Janssen, the second
naming Bass and the first against Geerts.
The Davenport Diocese acknowledged the lawsuit Thursday, noting that the
abuse took place 30 years ago and that the three priests do not have any
diocesan duties.
"The diocese is reviewing the complaint," said David Montgomery, a
Catholic deacon and diocese spokesman. "It would not be appropriate to
discuss this matter while it is in litigation."
Dozens of multimillion-dollar sexual abuse lawsuits are being settled by
Catholic dioceses across the nation. The potential liability for dioceses
varies, according to experts.
-- DesMoines Register
(http://www.dmregister.com/news/stories/c4788993/22641207.html)
By Shirley Ragsdale, Register Religion Editor
Oct 31 2003.
• Judge agrees to open documents in altar boy's murder.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP): A judge has ruled that closed court documents
pertaining to the unsolved 1972 murder of a Springfield altar boy can be
made public.
Hampden Superior Court Judge Peter A. Velis' ruling on Thursday lifts the
impoundment order on several investigation documents, including an autopsy
and chemical report on the body of victim Daniel Croteau, several
investigators' reports, a laboratory report and summaries of statements.
As part of Judge Velis' order, names and addresses of witnesses will be
blacked out.
Release of the documents was sought by The Republican newspaper in
Springfield and a Greenfield lawyer for a man who has filed a suit against
the Rev. Richard Lavigne and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield.
The man claims he was sexually molested by Lavigne as a boy.
The priest was the only publicly identified suspect in Croteau's slaying.
The 13-year-old Springfield boy's bludgeoned body was found on the banks
of a Chicopee river in 1972, but Lavigne was not identified as a suspect
until the 1990s when the investigation was reopened after he pleaded
guilty to molesting two children.
The Hampden County district attorney's office had argued against the
release of the documents because the investigation into Croteau's death
remains open. District Attorney William M. Bennett said earlier this year
that he had re-submitted evidence for DNA testing because today's methods
are more sophisticated than they were in the 1990s. DNA tests then didn't
tie Lavigne to the death.
-- Providence Journal,
(http://www.projo.com/ap/ma/1067588596.htm)
The Associated Press, Thursday, October 30, 2003
• Priest's Alleged Victim Speaks About Closure.
BOSTON (MA): NPR's Anthony Brooks reports on the case of Paul Edwards, a 34-year-old
paraplegic who says he was the victim of a priest's sexual abuse in the
Boston Archdiocese of the Catholic Church. While a proposed financial
settlement to alleged victims is aimed at closure, those close to the case
say the settlement doesn't reveal the truth of what happened.
-- NPR,
(http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1485231)
Oct. 30, 2003
• Years after, molester still used priestly collar; now serving 275-year sentence.
BOSTON (MA): The year was 1992, and Phil Saviano had yet to become a prominent leader
in the movement for legal justice for victims of clergy sexual abuse. Back
then, the Jamaica Plain resident was having trouble just leading his life.
An AIDS patient, Saviano had grown emaciated and anemic. And although he
was taking the antiviral drug AZT, he was biding his time. He had planned
a funeral and drawn up a will. He had even procured a bottle of sleeping
pills -- in case he wanted to "check out."
Amid this tango with mortality, he experienced a life-changing moment. On
December 17, 1992 -- Saviano remembers the date as if it were yesterday --
he was reading the Boston Globe when he spotted something that startled
him: an article about a former Massachusetts priest molesting children in
New Mexico.
The news brought Saviano back to 1964, when he was an 11-year-old boy
attending catechism classes at St. Denis Church, in East Douglas. That was
the year Saviano lost his innocence. It was the year St. Denis's pastor,
Father David Holley, repeatedly forced Saviano to perform oral sex on him.
Three decades later, Holley was accused of raping children under his
priestly care in New Mexico, in the 1970s. (Holley is currently serving an
unprecedented 275-year prison sentence for child molestation.)
Saviano never forgot his childhood abuse at the hands of this Catholic
priest. At the same time, he never imagined that his perpetrator would
still be using the collar to prey on children. "It was unbelievable," he
recalls. The revelation sent Saviano down a path that hundreds of
clergy-sex-abuse victims have traveled since the Boston scandal came to
light, in 2001 -- a path that Saviano blazed in 1992. As he puts it, "I saw
that I had the opportunity to do one last thing with my life."
And so, he went public with his story. He sought legal help from Boston
attorney Eric MacLeish, who now represents 250-plus alleged victims of
clergy abuse. And he filed the first priest-abuse lawsuit in Massachusetts
against the Worcester diocese, in which Holley had been a priest at the
time of Saviano's abuse. By 1995, the diocese had offered to settle the
suit for $15,500. But on one condition: Saviano couldn't talk about the
abuse ever again. Even his therapist had to agree to keep silent. Saviano
refused. "I couldn't sign the agreement without feeling guilty about being
part of the Church's big secret."
-- Boston Phoenix, "Founder of the local Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests,"
www.bostonphoenix.com ,
BY KRISTEN LOMBARDI
(Posted by Kathy Shaw, Poynter Abuse Tracker)
//////////////////// End of www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46, Friday, October 31, 2003
• Catholic Archbishop of Hobart in alleged cover-up.AUSTRALIA: Information was given about allegations that the R.C. Archbishop of Hobart failed to immediately suspend a clergyman who had been accused of abusing two boys.
(By courtesy of Broken Rites, Australia)
-- Nine Television Network, "A Current Affair,"
Friday, October 31 03.
FOR GOOD TEACHINGS TO BE HEEDED, A BIG CLEAN-UP IS NEEDED
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ANCHORAGE (AK): As many as 16 priests serving in the Catholic Archdiocese of Anchorage have committed sexual misconduct.