Poynteronline Abuse Tracker

Poynteronline Abuse Tracker Sunday, January 26, 2003
• Ousted priest lives lavishly on a hill in Southern Illinois. GOLCONDA, Illinois: From the balcony of a sprawling Mediterranean-style villa high above the Ohio River, ousted Belleville Diocese priest Robert Vonnahmen has a breathtaking view. The 72-year-old priest -- banished in 1993 from active ministry for allegedly sexually abusing minors at a church-run summer camp he once directed -- has been supplied the brand new home for his retirement. It's completely free. He probably won't even have to pay property taxes. Golden Shrine Pilgrimage Inc., a nonprofit group formerly headed by Vonnahmen, runs a religious retreat called San Damiano in deep Southern Illinois where the retirement villa is located. The nonprofit group supplied the cash to build the home. -- Belleview News-Democrat, http://www.belleville. com/ By George Pawlaczyk, gpawlaczyk@bnd.com (Posted by Kathy Shaw 10:10:45 AM)
• Testing the Church's Influence in Politics WASHINGTON (DC): In many ways, this should be a moment of peak political influence for the American Catholic Church. The abortion-related issues it has championed for so long are once again front and center in the new Republican Congress, along with new ethical conundrums, like cloning, posed by the biomedical revolution. The church retains an infrastructure in its parishes and schools that can still produce an impressive grass-roots lobbying campaign, as last week's "March for Life," protesting legalized abortion, demonstrated. Moreover, the Bush administration is solicitous of the church and its leaders, mindful of the size of the Catholic vote. Yet the limits of church power in the secular realm - on issues from abortion to immigration to Iraq - are also apparent

now. While the Catholic laity holds some of the most influential positions in American politics, and Catholic voters continue to be a much sought-after constituency, neither group behaves monolithically. -- The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/ , By Robin Toner, Jan 26 03
• San Bernardino Diocese Publishes Victim's Story of Abuse by Priest. SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.: The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino responded to the church sexual abuse scandal with an unusual step this week, publishing a victim's account and producing a video to raise awareness of abuse. The newsletter and video will be distributed from the pulpit throughout the diocese's 110 churches this weekend. The newsletter includes the words of a 40-year-old San Bernardino County man who described how a priest from another Southern California diocese molested him as a child. The videotape encourages victims to call a church hot line for help. "Victims have said, 'Don't tell us that you're praying for us if you're not prepared to act,' " said Deacon Mike Jelley, who is coordinating the effort. "We're trying to put our words into actions." In California, about 400 lawsuits are expected to be filed this year under a law that extends the statute of limitations for sexual abuse suits. -- The New York Times, By The Associated Press, http://www.nytimes.com , Jan 25 03
• Laymen say bishop cut deal in '97 to go. DALLAS (TX): Five and a half years ago, reeling from weeks of embarrassing testimony about cover-ups and the largest clergy abuse judgment in history, Dallas Catholic Bishop Charles Grahmann cut a secret deal to resign. It wasn't Pope John Paul II forcing his hand, however. It was a group of influential laymen threatening to publicly denounce him -- a group that today, concerned about resurgent scandal

in the diocese and the bishop's refusal to yield to his Vatican-appointed successor, is finally talking. This is not the way things ordinarily work in the hierarchical Catholic Church. "Telling a bishop what to do is very contrary to our mentality spiritually," says the group's leader, D Magazine publisher Wick Allison. But that appears to be happening here and around the country: Lay people are organizing by the thousands, concluding that the men who managed them into moral and financial crisis cannot manage them out of it. Witness last month's events in Boston, where parishioners -- openly backed by some priests -- called successfully for the resignation of the nation's senior Catholic prelate, Cardinal Bernard Law. -- The Dallas Morning News, http://www. dallasnews. com/ , By Brooks Egerton, Jan 26 03
• Catholics fear future priest shortage. BOSTON (MA): The Archdiocese of Boston faces a sudden worsening of its priest shortage over the next few years as the clergy molestation scandal takes its toll. While cautioning that it's too early to know exactly what effects the scandal will produce, church leaders fear they'll be forced to further consolidate parishes. Among the factors that worry archdiocesan officials: More than two dozen priests were removed from parishes in 2002 under a strict new archdiocesan policy for handling allegations of clergy sex abuse. While some may be reinstated, a provision banning even one-time offenders from public ministry is likely to exclude many whose records were clear for decades. "No one expected it," said the Rev. Christopher Coyne, an archdiocesan spokesman. -- Boston Herald, http://www2. boston herald.com/ , Eric Convey, Jan 26 03
• Abuse cases hit snag: Victims' lawyer cut out of mediation talks. BOSTON (MA): A key attorney representing 110 alleged clergy victims expressed anger yesterday at being excluded from recent mediation talks with the church. He said he

would consider suspending his cases only if all lawyers suing the Archdiocese of Boston do the same. "First they were having settlement talks without me when I was supposed to be part of the mediation process," attorney Mitchell Garabedian said. "Now they want me to 'stand down' while other cases get to go forward," he said. "That is not in the best interests of my clients." -- Boston Herald, http://www2. bostonherald.com/ by Tom Mashberg, Sunday, Jan 26 03
• DA dropped '88 abuse case: Clergyman given treatment, not jail. MARLBORO (MA): As files documenting alleged sexual abuse of children by priests filled stacks of boxes last month, three paragraphs stood out among thousands of church papers. The note described a February 1988 meeting between church officials and an attorney from the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office to discuss the legal fate of the Rev. Paul Tivnan. He was a former Sudbury, Needham and Marlboro priest accused of molesting a boy for several years. After that meeting, the district attorney's office decided not to prosecute Tivnan, and the Archdiocese of Boston agreed to give authorities records of the priest's medical treatment, therapy and supervision. In a church scandal that has caused people to wish that more sex abuse allegations had reached legal authorities, this case stood out specifically because it did enter the system and yet didn't result in prosecution. -- Boston Herald, http://www2. boston herald. com/ , by Jennifer Kavanaugh / MetroWest Daily News, Jan 26 03
• Priest lauded for 1985 report on abuse. BOSTON (MA): The report was thorough - almost 100 pages - and its conclusions were stunning: Crisis intervention should begin across the country to stop the damage being done by child-abusing priests. Produced almost 20 years ago by the Rev. Thomas Doyle, then a canon lawyer at the Vatican's Washington embassy, and two colleagues, the report was ignored by

Catholic leaders. Doyle lost his Vatican position, and came to believe that reform would not happen in his lifetime. Yesterday, though, after a year of mounting outrage at decades of abuse that was kept secret and mounting evidence of accused priests who were reassigned, a year in which hundreds of priests were ousted or resigned, Doyle was honored by the church whose crisis he predicted. Now 58 and an Air Force chaplain in Germany, Doyle received the 2003 Isaac Hecker Award for Social Justice during evening Mass yesterday at Boston's Paulist Center, for his "unwavering efforts to bring justice to victim-survivors of clergy sexual abuse," said Donna Stiglmeier, pastoral minister at the center. -- Boston Globe, http://www. boston.com/ , By Jenna Russell, Jan 26 03
• A matter of choice. BOSTON (MA): The Catholic Church cannot extend a pastoral hand to victims of sexual abuse while pummeling them with a legal fist. From the beginning of the sexual abuse scandal, the leadership of the church has insisted on having it both ways. Seeking credit for hiring therapists for parishioners raped by priests while insisting on its right to use those counseling sessions against the victims in court is only the latest example. First came the expressions of remorse that clergymen had raped children. Then came the legal defense that the boys and girls were the ones guilty of neglect for putting themselves in harm's way. -- Boston Globe, www.boston.com/ , By Eileen McNamara, Jan 26 03
• Bishop often sided with priests in abuse cases. BOSTON (MA): A decade ago, when Cardinal Bernard F. Law wanted to reassure Boston Catholics with a new policy requiring that abusive priests be removed from duty, it seemed natural to call on the Rev. John B. McCormack to help craft it. As guardian of his church's most tightly held secrets, McCormack knew more about priests who molested children than almost any other clergyman. But almost immediately, McCormack's

penchant for protecting priests in trouble trumped his new policy. Six weeks after its adoption, he was seeking an exemption for the Rev. Raymond C. Plourde. McCormack thought Plourde should remain as pastor of his Newburyport parish even though he had admitted to molesting a 12-year-old boy. -- Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/ By Thomas Farragher and Matt Carroll, Jan 26 03
• Archdiocese welcomes 3 as new auxiliary bishops. CHICAGO (IL): In a jovial mood after a year of trying news, Cardinal Francis George on Friday announced the appointment of three auxiliary bishops for the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, including the second Latino in its history to hold the title. The bishop designates are Rev. Gustavo Garcia-Siller, head of the U.S. province of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit; Rev. Thomas Paprocki, pastor of St. Constance Parish on the Northwest Side; and Rev. Francis J. Kane, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Wilmette. "They will bring a concern for the Polish and Spanish communities," George said. "I'm very grateful the Holy Father saw our need and responded so well." Three auxiliary bishops are retiring: Bishop Raymond E. Goedert, Bishop John F. Gorman and Bishop Thad J. Jakubowski. The ordination of their replacements is scheduled for March 19. George said he has not decided what positions they will serve. -- Chicago Tribune, http://www. chicago tribune.com/ By Julia Lieblich, Tribune religion reporter, Sat Jan 25 03
• Facts upset conjecture. UNITED STATES: There’s an amazing fact tucked deep within The New York Times recent reporting on the priest sex abuse scandals (see story, Page 9). In dioceses that have voluntarily reported the number of abusing priests, such as Baltimore, and those that have been forced by courts to do so, such as Boston and Manchester, N.H., the percentages of priests credibly accused of abusing children is two to four times greater than in jurisdictions that have made

no such reports. During the last 50 years, according to Baltimore church officials (who took considerable flack for posting the information on their Web site), more than 6 percent of that archdiocese’s priests were guilty of such conduct; the figure is just over 5 percent in Boston and nearly 8 percent in Manchester. -- National Catholic Reporter, http://natcath.org/ , Jan 24 03
• Molest charges against SFPD chaplain. SAN FRANCISCO (CA): The longtime senior Roman Catholic chaplain for the San Francisco Police Department was indicted Thursday on charges that he molested two brothers 40 years ago, authorities said. Monsignor John P. Heaney, 75, served as chaplain to the SFPD for 35 years before he was relieved of those duties by the San Francisco Archdiocese last summer, just before the allegations against him were made public. Heaney was indicted on multiple felony counts, those familiar with the case said. Prosecutors were tight-lipped about details of the indictment, which will be unsealed after Heaney is arrested. Mark MacNamara, spokesman for District Attorney Terence Hallinan's office, had no comment on the case. Heaney's attorney, Jim Collins, said the retired priest will turn himself in next week. -- San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com/ Jan 24 03
• Ex-Chaplain Faces Molestation Charges. SAN FRANCISCO (CA): Msgr. John P. Heaney, longtime chaplain for the San Francisco Police Department, faces felony charges that he molested two brothers 40 years ago. Heaney was relieved of duty last summer. He was indicted Thursday on multiple felony counts. Mark MacNamara, spokesman for the district attorney's office, refused to comment. -- Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes. com/news/ , From Times Wire Reports, Jan 25 03
• Bill Would Lift Time Limits on Abuse Suits. LOUISVILLE (KY): A bill pending in the Kentucky Senate's Judiciary Committee would lift the statute of limitations on child sex abuse lawsuits,

allowing plaintiffs to sue decades after alleged molestation. The bill is aimed at allegations of sex abuse against clergy, its co-sponsor said, and could have an effect on some of the 200 abuse lawsuits pending against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville. -- Los Angeles Times, From Times Wire Reports, http://www. latimes. com/ Jan 25 03
• Lay groups set sights on city. WORCESTER (MA): Lay Catholic groups are turning their attention to the Worcester Catholic Diocese, calling for Bishop Daniel P. Reilly to open personnel records and apologize for reassigning priests accused of sexual misconduct. A local e-mail address -- reillymustgo@yahoo.com -- has been set up for people interested in signing up for a demonstration or showing their support in other ways. ... The Worcester Voice, which advocates for victims of clergy abuse, wrote Bishop Reilly this week to ask him to "stand forth and atone for the sins committed against the innocent in the Diocese of Worcester." ... Meanwhile, members of STTOP -- Speak Truth to Power -- will begin picketing the 10:15 a.m. Sunday Masses at St. Paul's Cathedral in Worcester, beginning Feb. 2, with a demand that all records and personnel files of the diocese be opened to the public. In addition, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests [SNAP] has begun organizing and supporting local victims of clergy sexual abuse. SNAP will hold a meeting from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Worcester Public Library, Salem Square, to launch the local organization. SNAP has been holding meetings in the Boston area for nearly seven years. -- Telegram & Gazette, http://www.telegram.com By Kathleen A. Shaw and Richard Nangle, Sat Jan 25 03
• Lawyers agree to moratorium on clergy abuse trial preparations. BOSTON (MA): Many of the alleged sexual abuse victims suing the Archdiocese of Boston have agreed to a 90-day moratorium halting pretrial preparations while settlement talks progress.

But Mitchell Garabedian, who represents about 110 people with claims against the church, is not among those taking part in the moratorium, he told The Boston Globe. "I do not hold out much hope for settling these cases. I am continuing to litigate," Garabedian said. He would not discuss his reasons for not taking part. The moratorium was first proposed by Bishop Richard Lennon shortly after he became apostolic administrator of the archdiocese, following Cardinal Bernard Law's resignation. At the time, Garabedian said "I simply don't trust the leaders of the Archdiocese of Boston." -- Springfield Union-News, http://www. masslive.com/ The Associated Press, 5:13 AM, Jan 25 03
• Seminarians ready to help archdiocese begin healing. BOSTON (MA): Matthew Williams and Brian Flynn were eager to become priests in the Archdiocese of Boston, but that was before the clergy molestation scandal rocked the church beginning a year ago. Now they're champing at the bit. "The Lord has called me at this time," said Flynn, a college economics major who worked at an automobile dealership before a new parish priest inspired him so much that he eventually entered St John's Seminary in Brighton. That was six years ago. "It has been a difficult year for all of us at the seminary," he said. "Hopefully I can be part of the healing." "We are here to witness what the true meaning of the priesthood is," said Williams, 28, who completed an accounting degree before starting seminary. "I was very saddened by the events of the last year - the church whom we love so much, to see all this going on," he said. -- Boston Herald, http://www2.bostonherald.com/ , by Eric Convey, Sat Jan 25 03
• Sex abuse victims' advocate wins honor. BOSTON (MA): At the Paulist Center in downtown Boston today, the Rev. Thomas Doyle will be honored for his role in bringing the clergy sexual abuse scandal to the world's attention. And at St.

Joseph's Cathedral in Manchester, N.H., tomorrow, he'll make that cry even louder. The co-author of a report on priest-child molestation ignored by the church in the 1980s, Doyle, now a military chaplain in Germany, is praised by victims for his constant advocacy for their plight to an often unlistening church hierarchy. "He's the greatest unsung hero of this whole movement. It takes tremendous courage to take the witness stand against his brother priests in support of victims," said David Clohessy, executive director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, who will join Doyle at the New Hampshire protest, expected to draw hundreds. -- Boston Herald, http://www2.boston herald.com/ by Robin Washington, Sat Jan 25 03
• Bishops' appointee supports depositions. BOSTON (MA): The former FBI official hired by US Catholic bishops to oversee the church's response to the clergy sex abuse crisis yesterday backed the Archdiocese of Boston in its decision to depose therapists and praised the Boston church for its new abuse-prevention training programs at Catholic schools and parishes. Kathleen L. McChesney, making her first official visit to the city where the sex abuse crisis exploded, disappointed victims and victim advocates by suggesting that the archdiocese's decision to depose the therapists of alleged victims who have sued the church, although "sad," was justifiable on legal grounds. Some were also upset that McChesney, who is the executive director of the bishops' Office of Child and Youth Protection, did not meet with victims during her visit to town. Church officials were delighted by McChesney's strong endorsement of two training programs they have launched, one aimed at schools and the other at parishes, that are intended to help prevent future abuse and ensure that if minors are abused, it is caught early and reported to legal authorities. McChesney also praised the archdiocese's efforts to reach out to

victims. -- Boston Globe, http://www. boston.com/ By Michael Paulson, Jan 25 03
• Bishops blocked bankruptcy idea. BOSTON (MA): The Vatican gave the Archdiocese of Boston conditional approval to file for bankruptcy in December, but put the decision on hold after influential US prelates objected that such a step by a major archdiocese would cause grievous damage to the US Catholic Church, according to people familiar with the internal church dispute. With the bankruptcy option temporarily out of reach, the archdiocese is facing initial legal demands for $150 million in damages from the first 390 alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse whose lawyers have filed claims, lawyers involved in the negotiations said yesterday. The claims of an additional 110 alleged victims have yet to be filed. To fund those claims, the church has determined that its insurance carriers are liable for an estimated $60 million to $65 million, although it is by no means certain the insurers will agree. Bishop Richard G. Lennon, the interim leader of the archdiocese, recently disclosed the church is preparing to sell nonparish real estate to fund a substantial portion of the cost of settling the lawsuits. -- Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/ By Walter V. Robinson and Stephen Kurkjian, Jan 25 03
• Rape Trial Ends In Acquittal For Price. HARTFORD (CT): The Rev. Henry L. Price, who had maintained his innocence of the charges for two years, was acquitted of first-degree sexual assault and kidnapping Friday in Hartford Superior Court. The six-panel jury deliberated less than one day. Price, 53, who arrived in the courtroom shortly before noon wearing a cocoa-brown suit and a smile, appeared optimistic Friday when he faced his jury. "A quick verdict," Price said cheerily to his lawyer, Salvatore Bonnano. His instincts were correct. After the verdict, Price whispered thank you to the jury and he reached out to shake the hand

of Senior Assistant State's Attorney Victor Carlucci Jr. Then, he turned to say goodbye to his elderly mother, Phyllis B. Price, who was his only supporter present. But she had left the courtroom overcome with tears of joy. -- Hartford Courant, http://www. ctnow.com/ , By Tina A. Brown, Jan 25 03
• Victims want bishop to lobby for abuse suits. PHOENIX (AZ): Valley victims of sexual abuse by priests want Bishop Thomas O'Brien to support changes in state law that would allow them to file lawsuits for molestations that occurred decades ago. The changes, which have yet to be proposed to the Legislature, would bring Arizona in line with California and other states that have modified or are considering modifying their laws to give molestation victims greater rights. Paul Pfaffenberger, president of a Valley victims support group, said the changes will be outlined in a pair of petitions his organization will circulate outside St. Mary's Basilica in Phoenix on Monday when O'Brien celebrates an annual Red Mass for legislators, judges and attorneys. -- The Arizona Republic, http://www. arizona republic.com/ By Joseph A. Reaves and Kelly Ettenborough, Jan 25 03
• Overseer of Abuse Plan Lauds Boston. BOSTON (MA): The head of a new office that is monitoring how well Roman Catholic dioceses adhere to sexual abuse guidelines praised the Boston archdiocese's efforts today to care for victims of sexual abuse. The official, Kathleen L. McChesney, executive director of the Office of Child and Youth Protection of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, spoke after meeting with Bishop Richard G. Lennon of Boston, the diocese most troubled by the church's sexual abuse crisis. Bishop Lennon became interim head of the archdiocese after Cardinal Bernard F. Law resigned last month over his role in the cover-up of accusations against priests. Ms. McChesney said Boston was putting into effect an "ambitious plan" to protect children faster than many other dioceses. She urged those who have been criticizing

the archdiocese as lagging in its performance to remember that it takes time to train the nearly 400,000 teachers, students, volunteers and employees in the archdiocese. The State Attorney General, Thomas F. Reilly, has chastised the archdiocese for not acting fast enough. -- The New York Times, http://www. nytimes.com/ , Jan 24 03
• Deficit Tripled, Los Angeles Archdiocese Says. LOS ANGELES (CA): The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which cut 60 jobs and pared numerous programs last year in an effort to bridge a $4.3 million budget gap, has released figures showing that the deficit has more than tripled. Officials of the archdiocese, the largest in the country, now

project that the deficit for this fiscal year, which ends on June 30, will reach $13.4 million. One-time costs, including settlements resulting from sexual abuse lawsuits, accounted for $7.7 million of the estimated shortfall. In addition, the diocese said, the operating deficit has grown to $5.7 million, a $1.4 million increase. The total budget is $43.4 million. "Various options are being considered to address the projected deficit, such as the use of reserves," the diocese said in Thursday's report. "The impact of any action is contingent, in part, on the outcome of the current litigation facing the archdiocese." -- The New York Times, http://www. nytimes.com/ , By Barbara Whitaker, Jan 24 03