Priests in 4 U.S. States removed; 10 sex suspects
WASHINGTON (CNS): -- As the scandal of clergy sexual abuse of minors continued to rock the U.S. church, more priests were removed from posts or told to resign.
Among them were priests in New York, North Carolina, Michigan and Illinois.
Following a two-month review of personnel files, Bishop Matthew H. Clark of Rochester, N.Y., asked for and received the resignations of three pastors on May 2. He told them and three other priests that they would no longer be allowed to engage in priestly ministry, wear clerical clothing, or live in any parish or diocesan building.
The pastors -- Fathers Thomas Burr of Horseheads, Foster Rogers of Chili and David Simon of Rochester -- had been accused in the mid-1970s of sexual abuse involving teenagers.
Because of an abuse allegation that surfaced recently against Father Robert O'Neill, who retired last June for health reasons, he has been barred from exercising any priestly ministry.
Fathers William Lum and Thomas Corbett, both accused of abuse during the 1990s, had been removed from ministry at the time, but subsequently were returned to work in marriage tribunal posts at the diocesan pastoral centre, with no pastoral ministry duties.
Bishop Clarke said that after extensive reading about the issue and conversations with victims, he concluded that the diocese can no longer follow past practices of returning priests to ministry, following a creditable accusation of sexual abuse of a minor. "It did not leave people at peace," he said.
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[Picture of a baldish man in clerical garb, speaking in front of microphone]
Bishop Wilton D. Gregory, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He said bishops will meet in Dallas in June to form policy related to clergy sexual abuse.
Photo: CNS/Bob Roller
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He said the diocese continues to investigate two new allegations of abuse received in March, concerning alleged incidents more than 10 years ago, and a new abuse claim first reported in late April. The bishop also announced a new policy of reporting all such allegations to civil authorities, saying his discussions with victims have led him to conclude that such reporting is necessary.
In Raleigh, North Carolina, Bishop F Joseph Gossman removed three priests in April under allegations of sexual misconduct.
-- Father James J. Behan of Immaculate Conception Parish in Wilmington, an Oblate of St Francis de Sales, was placed on administrative leave after a man from Florida called the diocese to say Father Behan had molested him 25 years ago, when he was a minor. The priest had also undergone counselling for six months in 1981 after he was arrested for sexual conduct involving adults in a public park.
-- Father Thomas Watkins of St. Eugene Parish in Wendell was also placed on administrative leave after an attorney notified the diocese that a client had claimed the priest made an inappropriate sexual advance on him 20 years ago in Ohio, when the client was 18. A Marianist at the time, Father Watkins left his order to become a priest of the Raleigh Diocese in 1996.
Read the other 1/2 page in "More US priests removed" The Record, 23 May, 2002, p 12
-- Father Francis A "Drew" Perry, who headed a parish in Burgaw and a mission in Wallace, was placed on leave after the diocese learned he had lied on his seminary application. He said he had no previous record of arrests or of civil or criminal complaints for child abuse, although he had been arrested and charged with taking indecent liberties with a minor.
Bishop Gossman said the diocese was investigating two other recently received complaints, both for incidents that allegedly occurred decades ago. One came from a 60-year-old man concerning a priest who died more than 30 years ago. The other concerned a religious-order priest who no longer lives in the diocese, who is now in his late 70s and suffering dementia.
In Illinois, Bishop Wilton D. Gregory of Belleville announced May 1 that he has placed Father Edward Balestrieri of St Mary Parish in Sesser on administrative leave because of a complaint that he had engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor around 1975 when he was a pastor in Asbury Park, N.J. Father Balestrieri, then a Trinitarian priest, left his order to join the Belleville Diocese in 1985.
The Record, Perth, "More US priests removed," 23 May, 2002, p 12
The Record, Perth, at www.therecord.com.au ,
587 Newcastle St (near Loftus St), West Perth, WA, 6005;
P.O. Box 75, Leederville, WA, 6902, Australia, Tel. 08 9227 7080, Fax 9227 7087, cathrec@iinet.net.au
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FURTHER READING, continued
@: Priest was evil one, says victim
, Fr Paul Shanley said cardinal abused him in seminary, hierarchy allowed Fr Shanley access to youth from 1967, cardinal's secret Rome trip, 8 U.S. cardinals off to Rome, Victim's lives broken;
The Weekend Australian April 20-21 02
@: Sex priest Paul Shanley in blackmail threat against Cardinal Humberto Madeiros; one-time US motorcycle 'street priest' ran inn with homosexual clients;
The West Australian Apr 29 02
@: Priest sex video sent to flock by blackmailing homosexual ex-lover; Fr Eladio Ocana Serrano, Spain West Australian Apr 30 02
@: Accused US priest
Paul Shanley may be jailed for life for rapes in confessional; Boston diocese backs out of settling for $A75m for 86 John Geoghan victims (already paid $28m for 40), other victims cited;
The Sunday Times, Perth, May 05 02
@: Ten priests in U.S. States removed; suspected sex abusers
The Record Perth May 23 02
@: BOOKS about carnal abuse by Church clergy; P & B Press, P.O. Box 81, Como, WA, 6952; pbpress@iinet.net.au
Perpetrators List of Australian campaigner Clare Pascoe Henderson www.pip.com.au/~chenderson/perplist.htm
Broken Rites religious abuse claimants' support group, Australia http://brokenrites.alphalink.com.au
The Linkup, Survivors of Clergy Abuse, N. America www.thelinkup.com
Call to Action (U.S.A.) to clean up the Catholic Church: www.cta-usa.org/responses/sexabuse_resources.html
Advocates for Survivors of Child Abuse (A.S.C.A.), Australia:
www.asca.org.au Tel 1300 657 380
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(FLAGS by courtesy of http://www.edwardmooney.com/miniflags ADDED)
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