LOS ANGELES
2 Ex-Priests Are Charged in Los Angeles
New York Times
By BARBARA WHITAKER
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 26 — Two former Roman Catholic priests were charged today with molesting children while they served in the Los Angeles Roman Catholic Archdiocese, and a third former priest is being sought.
The arrests of the priests on Wednesday were the first in Los Angeles County since the church became mired in a national sexual abuse scandal earlier this year, and they came after the arrest of a former priest on Tuesday in Orange County, Calif. Several other arrests are expected in Los Angeles as a result of an investigation of abuse by clergymen that began in April.
“Today’s filings are part of the continuing effort to hold accountable those priests who have abused their positions of trust and victimized others,” said Steve Cooley, the Los Angeles County district attorney. “No profession or occupation is immune from civil authority and the operation of the criminal justice system.”
posted by Jayson Landeza on 9/27/2002 04:31:56 AM
BOSTON (MA)
Massachusetts Reveals ID of Accused Priests
New York Times
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
September 26, 2002
BOSTON (AP) — A prosecutor took the unusual step Thursday of releasing the names of Roman Catholic priests who church officials say were accused of sexually abusing children but have not been charged by authorities.
Bristol County District Attorney Paul Walsh gave out the list of 20 names as he announced the indictment of a priest for allegedly molesting a girl from 1965 to 1971.
Civil rights advocates criticized Walsh for encouraging a “witch hunt.” Walsh acknowledged his decision goes against standard prosecutorial policy and appeared to be the first move of its kind by a prosecutor.
“In the normal course of events, we would not identify a suspect in a criminal case who has not been formally charged, but … in this case, I don’t think that policy should be applied,” Walsh said.
posted by Jayson Landeza on 9/27/2002 04:27:51 AM
MINNEAPOLIS (MN)
Abuse victims, St. John’s Abbey settle claims
Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
Paul McEnroe and Pam Louwagie
Star Tribune
Published Sep 27, 2002
Victims of sexual abuse by monks from St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minn., have reached a broad financial settlement with the abbey, attorney Jeff Anderson said Thursday.
Anderson said that the agreement also included “significant noneconomic points that will go towards creating strong safeguards in the future to prevent sexual abuse by abbey monks.”
He declined to say how many victims were included in the settlement and how much money the abbey agreed to pay. At least a dozen victims had sued or brought demands against the abbey in the 1990s, and some of them received small settlements from the abbey at the time of their lawsuits.
posted by Jayson Landeza on 9/27/2002 04:17:43 AM
DETROIT (MI)
Archdiocese says it won’t open list
Detroit Catholic chiefs against Baltimore idea
Detroit Free Press
September 27, 2002
BY ALEXA CAPELOTO
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Detroit Catholic leaders said Thursday they have no plans to follow a bold move by the Archdiocese of Baltimore, which has published the names of 56 priests accused of sex abuse.
The Baltimore Archdiocese posted the list of accused priests, with information about where they served, on its Web site Wednesday. Some of the allegations, which are not detailed and date to the 1950s, have not been independently corroborated.
Some people have hailed the move as a model for dioceses nationwide, but Detroit civil and religious authorities called it a potential infringement on legal rights.
“We’re concerned about fairness, that not all those that are accused are actually guilty,” said Msgr. Walter Hurley, who handles sex abuse issues for the Detroit Archdiocese. “Even here in the state, before someone is added to a sex offenders list, it is my understanding there is a determination of the court.”
posted by Jayson Landeza on 9/27/2002 04:12:05 AM
BALTIMORE (MD)
Priests upset by release of abuse list
Many object to decision to include those who were accused but not convicted; Keeler ‘not surprised’ by anger
Baltimore Sun
By John Rivera
Sun Staff
Originally published September 26, 2002
Baltimore priests responded with sadness and anger yesterday after the release of a detailed account of Roman Catholic clergy accused of child sexual abuse over the past seven decades, expressing concern that the church is trying to quell scandal at the expense of their rights.
More than 100 priests gathered at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church in Linthicum Heights yesterday to hear Cardinal William H. Keeler explain why he was making public the names of diocesan priests and men in religious orders and priests from other dioceses who have been accused of sexual abuse.
“Everyone is very clear that real abuse needs to be dealt with openly and directly, with no attempt to cover up,” said the Rev. William Au, pastor of SS. Philip and James Catholic Church in Charles Village.
“But many priests feel the atmosphere has gone from one extreme to the other,” Au said, “that the bishops’ efforts to regain moral credibility and improve their public image has led them not to show adequate regard for the rights of those who are accused.”
posted by Jayson Landeza on 9/27/2002 03:59:16 AM
BALTIMORE (MD)
Archdiocese’s list of clergy accused of child sexual abuse
Baltimore Sun
Originally published September 26, 2002
The following is a list of priests and brothers who have served in the Archdiocese Of Baltimore and have been accused of child sexual abuse, according to church officials.
The list includes some men who have admitted abusing children, as well as some who have denied any improper conduct. A number of the allegations cannot be corroborated, according to the archdiocese. In a few instances, the archdiocese said, it excluded allegations from the list when an investigation concluded that the facts did not indicate that sexual abuse occurred.
This list also does not include 26 priests and brothers about whom the archdiocese received reports of sexual abuse after their death. Those reports involve two cases of alleged abuse in the 1930s, a number of incidents in the 1940s through 1960s, and one case each from the 1970s and early 1980s. While the archdiocese said it had no reason to disbelieve the victims, officials said they decided not to disclose the names of the accused because the archdiocese cannot question them.
posted by Jayson Landeza on 9/27/2002 03:52:37 AM
LOS ANGELES
Two Former L.A.-Area Priests Are Arrested
Church: They allegedly molested children years ago. A warrant is issued for a third cleric.
Los Angeles Times
By RICHARD WINTON and MEGAN GARVEY, TIMES STAFF WRITERS
Authorities arrested two former Catholic priests Wednesday on charges that they sexually molested children during their tenure in Los Angeles-area churches and issued an arrest warrant for a third priest after unexpectedly discovering the 82-year-old retiree had left the country on a cruise.
The arrests, the first in Los Angeles County since the Roman Catholic scandal that broke nine months ago, signal the start of more than a dozen planned prosecutions of former Los Angeles Archdiocese priests considered by investigators to be the worst offenders.
posted by Jayson Landeza on 9/27/2002 03:36:33 AM
MARYLAND
Crime and Justice
The Washington Post
Friday, September 27, 2002; Page B02
Priest indicted: A priest who served in a Beltsville church has been indicted on charges that he sexually abused a teenage boy in Ocean City a quarter-century ago, prosecutors said.
Police said that the victim reported the incidents on numerous occasions but that law enforcement and church officials were not convinced the abuse occurred.
The Worcester County grand jury indicted the Rev. John Danilak of Lynfield, Pa., on two counts of sodomy, one count of child abuse and 11 counts of perverted or unnatural sex acts. In 1978, Danilak, now 62, was a priest at St. Gregory of Nyssa Byzantine Catholic Church in Beltsville, where the boy, then 15, was an altar boy.
posted by Jayson Landeza on 9/27/2002 03:26:27 AM
BALTIMORE
Editorial: Candor on clergy abuse
Baltimore Sun
September 26, 2002
‘THERE CANNOT be forgiveness without confession and repentance. There cannot be healing without acknowledgement of pain and care for injuries. There cannot be trust without truth.”
Those words, which begin the Baltimore Catholic Archdiocese’s public accounting of the ongoing sexual abuse scandal, reflect an institutional recognition of how the church can begin to heal its fractured relationship with its flock.
Truth is the essential element, and, after several months of review and personal reflection, Cardinal William H. Keeler has opened his heart and church files to Baltimore Catholics. He twinned a personal admission that the church “did not go far enough to protect children” over the years with an accounting of the breadth of sexual abuse allegations in the Baltimore archdiocese – accusations that date to the 1930s and involve 83 priests.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/27/2002 02:59:00 AM
MILWAUKEE
Archdiocese lags behind in annual fund-raiser
Dolan mails special request as shortfall reaches $900,000
Journal Sentinel
By TOM HEINEN
theinen@journalsentinel.com
Sept. 25, 2002
The annual Catholic Stewardship Appeal is nearly $900,000 behind its normal fund-raising pace, prompting Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan to solicit donations in a special letter that was mailed this week to all 217,000 Catholic households in the 10-county Milwaukee Archdiocese.
Some of that shortfall has been blamed on adverse reaction to national and local sex scandals involving the Catholic clergy and minors, paralleling experiences some other dioceses are believed to be having.
But the extent of that backlash is difficult to measure, partly because of the downturns in the stock market and the economy.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/27/2002 02:54:41 AM
Thursday, September 26, 2002
Of popes and their teachings
The Tidings
By Rev. Richard P. McBrien
Some have argued that the root cause of the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church is the “culture of dissent” within the church. The underlying assumption is that, if only Catholics had accepted everything the pope teaches, there would be no problem.
But this begs at least two questions: Which pope? And which teachings?
One has the impression that at least a few commentators are not referring to popes in general, but only to the current pope, John Paul II. Indeed, his authorized biographer, George Weigel, came close to saying that in a recent interview on belief.net, a website that specializes in religious issues.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/26/2002 10:15:13 PM
VATICAN
Vatican leans toward approval of norms
Experimental status of sex abuse policy may prompt conditional OK
The Catholic Free Press
By John Thavis
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican is leaning toward approval of an experimental application of the U.S. bishops’ norms on clerical sex abuse, perhaps after some clarifying language is added, a senior Vatican official said.
“This would not be a rejection by the Vatican, nor would it be a formal ‘recognitio’ of the norms,” the official said Sept. 23. Instead, the Vatican would allow the norms to be applied “ad experimentum” — the Latin phrase signifying temporary or provisional use.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, emphasized that a final decision had not yet been made, and the Vatican response had still not been written.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/26/2002 09:30:39 PM
WORCESTER (MA)
Incomplete witness statement angers diocesan officials
The Catholic Free Press
By Margaret M. Russell
It is a “travesty of justice” that the daily newspaper published an incomplete statement of one witness in a civil lawsuit against the diocese, Bishop Reilly’s secretary said Wednesday.
“The article that appeared in the Telegram & Gazette on Wednesday, September 25, 2002, publicizing the partial deposition of Mr. Glen Alexander, was a travesty of justice, particularly since it represented only one part of a deposition yet to be completed and was not identified as such,” Father Rocco Piccolomini, also vicar for clergy, said in a statement.
The deposition is part of pre-court proceedings in the civil lawsuit of Sime Braio of Shrewsbury against the Roman Catholic Bishop of Worcester and George E. Rueger. The deposition of Glen G. Alexander, taken Sept. 10 at the request of the plaintiff, was incomplete because James G. Reardon Jr., the lawyer representing the diocese, had an appointment in court and did not have time to finish questioning Mr. Alexander.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/26/2002 09:19:31 PM
BOSTON (MA)
Prosecutor angers some by releasing names of accused priests
Boston.com
By Denise Lavoie, Associated Press, 09/26/02
BOSTON — In a controversial move, a prosecutor publicly released the names of 20 priests whom church officials say were accused of sexually abusing children in the 1960s and 1970s, though none of them has ever been charged criminally.
Bristol County District Attorney Paul Walsh gave out the list of names Thursday as he announced the indictment of the Rev. Donald J. Bowen for allegedly molesting a girl while he was a priest at a Norton church from 1965 to 1971.
Civil rights advocates sharply criticized Walsh’s decision, which Walsh acknowledged goes against standard prosecutorial policy and appeared to be the first move of its kind by a prosecutor.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/26/2002 09:02:16 PM Md. Archdiocese Discloses Accused Priests, Expenses
Washington Post
By Caryle Murphy
Thursday, September 26, 2002
Roman Catholic Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore disclosed yesterday that his archdiocese and its insurers have spent more than $5.6 million in the last 20 years on legal settlements, counseling and other expenses stemming from incidents of child sexual abuse by priests.
Keeler also released a list of 56 priests and members of Catholic religious orders who were accused of molesting children while serving in the archdiocese, with some of the allegations dating to the 1950s. Their names were posted on the archdiocese’s Web site yesterday, along with the details about which parishes they served, when their alleged misconduct occurred and how church officials handled the case. Previously, the archdiocese had named 28 priests accused of child sexual abuse.
posted by Larry Larsen on 9/26/2002 01:37:46 PM
Ex-Priest Arrested On Abuse Charges
L.A. Cardinal Knew Of Problem Earlier
Washinton Post
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 26 — A former priest who was moved from parish to parish after admitting to Roman Catholic Cardinal Roger M. Mahony that he molested young boys was arrested today.
Former parish priest Michael Baker was charged with 13 counts of child molestation for incidents involving several victims from 1977 to 1985, Sgt. Dan Scott said.
In 1986, Baker told Mahony that he had molested young boys and was reassigned to several parishes after attending a treatment center.
posted by Larry Larsen on 9/26/2002 01:36:29 PM
California priest who admitted molestations to cardinal arrested
Everything New Jersey – NJ.com
By Sandra Marquez
The Associated Press
Wednesday, September 25, 2002
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former priest who was moved from parish to parish after admitting to Roman Catholic Cardinal Roger Mahony that he molested young boys was arrested Wednesday.
Former parish priest Michael Baker was charged with 13 counts of child molestation for incidents involving several victims from 1977 to 1985, said Sgt. Dan Scott.
In 1986, Baker told Mahony that he had molested young boys and was reassigned to several parishes after attending a treatment center for pedophile priests.
Mahony has since issued a public apology for allowing the former priest to remain in the ministry after admitting his abuse. Baker has said the cardinal sent him to a treatment center in New Mexico without inquiring about the identity of his victims.
posted by Larry Larsen on 9/26/2002 01:33:42 PM
WORCESTER (MA)
Priest’s lawyers dispute testimony
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Thursday, September 26, 2002
By Richard Nangle
Telegram & Gazette Staff
WORCESTER– Lawyers for the Rev. Thomas Teczar yesterday attempted to discredit the Superior Court testimony of a forensic psychologist who is a key witness in the clergy sexual abuse civil suit filed by David Lewcon of Webster.
Dr. John Daignault, a member of the staff of McLean Hospital at Harvard Medical School, said of Mr. Lewcon, “He has lost his soul. His soul has been stripped from him.”
Sexual abuse at the hands of Rev. Teczar when Mr. Lewcon was a teenager, Dr. Daignault said, was to blame.
But one of Rev. Teczar’s lawyer’s, Louis P. Aloise of Worcester, questioned whether other factors might explain Mr. Lewcon’s difficulties in his adult life.
Mr. Aloise noted that Mr. Lewcon, who has been evaluated by several psychologists, carried some scars from his school days. In particular, he keyed on one report that claims Mr. Lewcon annually visits and spits on the grave of a teacher he reviled. Mr. Lewcon said that report was in error. He said that on one occasion when he was visiting a cemetery he happened to walk by the grave of a teacher he disliked. He spat on the grave, he said, but has never returned to do it again.
In either case, Mr. Daignault said, school-related problems would not explain Mr. Lewcon’s many present afflictions.
Mr. Aloise’s questioning of Mr. Daignault focused at times on the possibility that Mr. Lewcon is faking or exaggerating his symptoms. Mr. Daignault discounted that. He said, however, that he did not contact every therapist who evaluated Mr. Lewcon in order to question them about reports that Mr. Lewcon claimed were inaccurate.
Mr. Daignault said Mr. Lewcon will require five to seven years of intensive therapy, two sessions a week, in order to get control of his life. But he said there is no cure for the damage allegedly done to him by Rev. Teczar.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/26/2002 06:35:42 AM
PAXTON (MA)
Schism hits church in Paxton
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Thursday, September 26, 2002
By Kathleen A. Shaw
Telegram & Gazette Staff
PAXTON– Members of the Congregational Church will meet after regular Sunday services on Oct. 6 to decide whether to expel some congregants for alleged “un-Christian” conduct, according to one of the people expected to be relieved of membership.
The split arose when some members of the congregation raised questions about the propriety of certain actions of the Rev. Donald D. Whitcomb, their pastor for nearly 30 years.
Rev. Whitcomb subsequently was censured for his conduct by a committee of ministers and lay people of the Central Area Office of the United Church of Christ. He has been ordered to take four months’ leave from the local church, attend classes on pastoral conduct and boundaries and to meet other requirements. He can lose his ministerial credentials with the denomination if he does not comply.
Church leadership appealed that decision, but Jennifer Roberts, who was on the youth ministry team, said yesterday it appears the appeal has been denied.
Rev. Whitcomb, when reached for a comment yesterday, laughed and said, “We aren’t expelling anyone from membership. There is a meeting to discuss it, and I wouldn’t talk to you if my life depended on it.” He then hung up the telephone.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/26/2002 06:32:38 AM
BOSTON (MA)
Officials to ID scores of accused priests
Boston Herald
by Robin Washington and Eric Convey
The identities of more than 100 Bay State priests accused of child molestation are on the verge of release to the public – some as early as today – the Herald has learned.
In Suffolk County, Superior Court Judge Constance M. Sweeney ordered the Archdiocese of Boston to turn over personnel files of at least 70 living and 15 deceased priests to a lawyer representing alleged victims of the Rev. Paul R. Shanley.
And in Bristol County, District Attorney Paul F. Walsh will announce the indictment of the Rev. Donald J. Bowen, and will release the names of 17 other Fall River Diocese priests accused of child sex abuse who have not been charged criminally, a law enforcement source told the Herald.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/26/2002 06:28:48 AM
BOSTON (MA)
Court tells diocese to release abuse files
Plaintiffs seek to show a pattern of protection
The Boston Globe
By Ralph Ranalli, Globe Staff, 9/26/2002
Superior Court judge has ordered the Archdiocese of Boston to turn over 50 years’ worth of records containing all ”credible claims” of sexual misconduct against priests to alleged victims of abuse, records that lawyers for the victims say will offer an unprecedented and comprehensive look at the church’s practices and policies on dealing with abuse charges.
In a ruling unveiled yesterday, Suffolk Superior Court Judge Constance M. Sweeney ordered lawyers for the archdiocese to turn over records of how it handled claims from parishioners against 87 priests, 15 of whom are now dead.
In the handwritten one-paragraph ruling, Sweeney said only that the requested information is not privileged and is relevant to the plaintiffs’ claims.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/26/2002 06:25:10 AM
LOS ANGELES (CA)
California priest who admitted molestations to cardinal arrested
Boston.com
By Sandra Marquez, Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) A former priest who was moved from parish to parish after admitting to Roman Catholic Cardinal Roger Mahony that he molested young boys was arrested Wednesday.
Former parish priest Michael Baker was charged with 13 counts of child molestation for incidents involving several victims from 1977 to 1985, said Sgt. Dan Scott.
In 1986, Baker told Mahony that he had molested young boys and was reassigned to several parishes after attending a treatment center for pedophile priests.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/26/2002 06:22:16 AM
BOSTON (MA)
Judge orders Boston Archdiocese to turn over abuse documents
Boston.com
By Associated Press, 09/25/02
BOSTON — A judge has ordered the Boston Archdiocese to give lawyers representing alleged victims of the Rev. Paul R. Shanley documents regarding allegations of abuse by 85 priests, the lawyers said Wednesday.
The records include those the Roman Catholic archdiocese turned over to the attorney general’s office earlier this year, as well as any actions taken by the archdiocese, including investigations, said Jeffrey Newman, an attorney for alleged Shanley victim Gregory Ford.
Newman did not know the identities of the priests, 15 of whom are deceased, but the existence of the documents was revealed earlier this year during the deposition of the Rev. Charles Higgins, the archdiocesan delegate for handling sexual abuse allegations against priests.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/26/2002 06:19:49 AM
COVINGTON (KY)
Accused priest seeks defrocking
The Cincinatti Enquirer
By James Pilcher, jpilcher@enquirer.com
The Cincinnati Enquirer
A Northern Kentucky priest under suspension for allegedly abusing a minor in the early 1970s has asked to be defrocked, Diocese of Covington officials said Tuesday.
Mr. Gerhardstein, now 41 and living in Fort Thomas, later settled with the diocese and with Father Holtz in 1997. He made his allegations public last month in the Enquirer.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/26/2002 06:05:22 AM
COVINGTON (KY)
Deal made, but priest still not defrocked
The Cincinatti Enquirer
By James Pilcher, jpilcher@enquirer.com
The Cincinnati Enquirer
He promised to keep quiet about being abused as a boy by a Roman Catholic priest. In return, the priest agreed to be defrocked, or kicked out of the clergy.
But now, Bernard “Bernie” Gerhardstein is breaking his silence, alleging that the diocese and the priest have not kept their word.
Mr. Gerhardstein says that the Rev. Louis J. Holtz sexually abused him over the course of about 1 1/2 years beginning in 1974, about the same time that the priest became close friends with the then-13-year-old boy’s parents in rural Campbell County.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/26/2002 06:01:31 AM
NEW YORK
Columbia president apologizes for anti-Catholic remarks during football game
San Francisco Chronicle
September 25, 2002
NEW YORK (AP) —
The president of Columbia University has apologized for a remark made during a football game against Fordham University that Fordham students said was anti-Catholic.
Lee Bollinger called his counterpart at Fordham, the Rev. Joseph O’Hare, on Tuesday to express regret for the remarks.
The comment, broadcast over a public address system by a marching band announcer at halftime, alluded to the priest sex scandal and involved a double entendre about altar boys.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/26/2002 02:45:25 AM BUENOS AIRES
Archbishop offers resignation following allegations of sexual abuse
San Francisco Chronicle
GRAHAM GORI, Associated Press Writer
September 25, 2002
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — An Argentine archbishop has offered his resignation following accusations that he sexually abused members of a seminary, church officials said Wednesday.
A book published in August accused Archbishop Edgardo Storni, 66, of sexually abusing at least 47 men at his seminary in Santa Fe, 310 miles northeast of Buenos Aires.
Storni has been the archbishop there since 1984.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/26/2002 02:42:15 AM
Wednesday, September 25, 2002
PHOENIX (AZ)
Romley calls diocese slow in sex inquiry
The Arizona Republic
By Bill Hart and Joseph A. Reaves
The Arizona Republic
The Diocese of Phoenix is not living up to its promise to turn over crucial documents in the investigation of sexual abuse by priests, County Attorney Rick Romley said Tuesday.
“This is not what I call cooperation,” he said, noting that he has had to fight repeatedly in court over access to individual items, delaying his inquiry.
“I wanted to work with them and took their promises in good faith. But now it looks like I’ll have to force the pace with a more traditional investigation.”
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/25/2002 08:52:02 PM
WORCESTER (MA)
‘Voice of Faithful’ Defies Attendees, Launches Worcester Affiliate
Massachusetts News
By Ed Oliver
October 2002 Print Edition
About 75 Catholics attended a tumultuous meeting September 18 at Holy Cross College to vote on a motion to establish a “Voice of the Faithful” affiliate for the Worcester Diocese. But despite a vote that failed to approve it, organizers started the affiliate anyway.
Voice of the Faithful is a rapidly-spreading movement of lay Catholics that ostensibly seeks to hold Bishops accountable for their actions. It has received positive reviews in the mainstream media, but critics of the group point out that many of those associated with its leadership espouse radical views not in line with church teaching.
Before the vote was taken in Worcester, organizers explained that according to the rules, the motion needed two-thirds in favor to pass. After a period of shouting and confusion about the goals of the organization, the vote was finally taken and the results were 30 in favor, and 27 against, failing to reach the necessary two-thirds.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/25/2002 10:21:35 AM
WORCESTER (MA)
Deposition mentions Telegram, reporter
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Telegram & Gazette Staff
WORCESTER– In his deposition for the sexual abuse lawsuit filed against Auxiliary Bishop George E. Rueger, Glen G. Alexander was asked about a statement issued by the Catholic Diocese of Worcester that the plaintiff, Sime Braio, had threatened to contact Telegram & Gazette reporter Kathleen A. Shaw if the diocese did not pay him a cash sum.
According to the diocese press release, Mr. Braio called the chancery on Feb. 26 and attempted to “extort the Diocese of Worcester with false claims of sexual misconduct” against Bishop Rueger.
“I happen to have been sitting right in front of him when he made that phone call.” Mr. Alexander said in his deposition.
“Was Kathy Shaw’s name ever mentioned?” Mr. Alexander was asked by Daniel J. Shea, Mr. Braio’s lawyer.
“Not that I recall,” Mr. Alexander responded.
“Was the newspaper ever mentioned?” Mr. Shea asked.
“I don’t believe so,” was the answer.
James G. Reardon, lawyer for the diocese, asked Mr. Alexander the same questions and received the same answers.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/25/2002 10:13:33 AM
BALTIMORE (MD)
Keeler letter reveals abuse
Cardinal says 83 priests accused over 7 decades; ‘Spiritual equivalent of murder’; $4.1 million in settlements go to 8 victims in 20 years
Baltimore Sun
By John Rivera
Sun Staff
Calling the sexual abuse of children by clergy “the spiritual equivalent of murder,” Cardinal William H. Keeler has disclosed that more than 80 priests have been accused of molesting minors in the Baltimore archdiocese over the past seven decades.
In a letter sent today to the 180,000 Catholic households in the archdiocese, Keeler said that since the 1930s, 41 diocesan priests and 42 men in religious orders and priests from other dioceses have been accused of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese Of Baltimore. None of the men is now in ministry, and all the cases have been reported to civil authorities, Keeler said. Twenty- six of the priests died before their accusers came forward.
The cardinal also said that the archdiocese has reached settlements with eight victims totaling $4.1 million over the past 20 years, nearly all of it covered by insurance.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/25/2002 09:05:05 AM VIRGINIA BEACH (VA)
Beach priest expelled over abuse
The Virginian-Pilot
By STEVEN G. VEGH
The Virginian-Pilot
The Rev. Eugene Teslovic of St. Luke Catholic Church in Virginia Beach was expelled from active ministry Tuesday in connection with several sexual encounters with minors during the late 1970s and mid-1980s.
Teslovic is the third priest in two months to be forced into retirement by Diocese of Richmond Bishop Walter F. Sullivan based on his finding that allegations of sexually abusing children were credible.
Teslovic’s expulsion was in line with the recommendations Monday of a Diocesan Review Board established to investigate sexual abuse complaints against clergy and church employees.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/25/2002 08:38:20 AM
VIRGINIA BEACH (VA)
Diocese retires Va. Beach priest
Richmond Times-Dispatch
BY ALBERTA LINDSEY
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Sep 25, 2002
A Virginia Beach Catholic priest has been removed from active ministry because of several alleged incidents of sexual misconduct with minors.
The Rev. Eugene Teslovic, pastor of St. Luke Catholic Church in Virginia Beach for the last 12 years, is the fifth priest in the Diocese of Richmond to be accused of sexual abuse of children.
The Most Rev. Walter F. Sullivan, bishop of the Richmond diocese, placed Teslovic, 55, on restricted retirement yesterday. The priest is prohibited from carrying out any functions as a priest.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/25/2002 08:35:32 AM
CONCORD (NH)
Bishop says Catholics reducing gifts
Foster’s Daily Democrat
By STEPHEN FROTHINGHAM
Associated Press Writer
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Paul Guilderson says withholding donations to the Catholic Church is the only way to get church leaders to hear his concerns about the sex abuse scandals.
“I’ve got no choice but to walk with my feet and my pocketbook,” said Guilderson, a 77-year-old retired state worker from Bow.
“The arrogance, the immoral, criminal behavior — the moral fiber has snapped,” he said.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/25/2002 08:26:00 AM
WORCESTER (MA)
Victims’ symptoms called common
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
By Richard Nangle
Telegram & Gazette Staff
WORCESTER– David Lewcon exhibits many symptoms common in people who were sexually abused in their youth but were in denial until well into their adult years, an expert in forensic psychology connected to McLean Hospital at Harvard Medical School testified yesterday in Superior Court.
Dr. John Daignault said Mr. Lewcon did not know he had been sexually abused by the Rev. Thomas Teczar until he watched a television program about sexual abuse in 1993. Afterward, he said, Mr. Lewcon began to seek out victims of sexual abuse and came to believe that problems in his own life stemmed from the alleged sexual abuse.
“I do not believe he has grasped the depth of the harm he went through,” Dr. Daignault said.
As evidence, he pointed to Mr. Lewcon’s decision to go to lunch with Rev. Teczar sometime in the mid-1980s, about 15 years after the alleged abuse happened. Had Mr. Lewcon realized he had been harmed, Dr. Daignault said, he never would have accepted Rev. Teczar’s invitation.
Mr. Lewcon, 48, of Webster, is suing Rev. Teczar, 61, of Dudley, charging that he was sexually abused by the priest while in high school and a member of St. Mary Church in Uxbridge.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/25/2002 08:19:24 AM
WORCESTER (MA)
Witness against diocese testifies
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
By Kathleen A. Shaw
Telegram & Gazette Staff
WORCESTER– A sworn deposition given earlier this month disputes assertions by Catholic Diocese of Worcester officials that Sime Braio attempted to extort money from the diocese before he filed a lawsuit accusing Auxiliary Bishop George E. Rueger of sexual abuse.
Mr. Braio, 52, filed the civil suit in July against the diocese and Bishop Rueger, alleging that Rev. Rueger, who was then a priest, sexually molested Mr. Braio when he was a teenager.
Glen G. Alexander, who rents an apartment from Mr. Braio, gave a deposition on Sept. 10; he was questioned by Daniel J. Shea, Mr. Braio’s lawyer, and James G. Reardon Jr., lawyer for the diocese.
Mr. Alexander said he was with Mr. Braio when Mr. Braio called the chancery on Feb. 26 to report he had been abused by Bishop Rueger. Mr. Alexander also said he was in Mr. Braio’s apartment on May 10 when Monsignor Thomas J. Sullivan, the diocesan chancellor, arrived there with a black bag.
The conversation he heard, Mr. Alexander said, made it appear that the diocese was more interested in protecting the auxiliary bishop from public exposure than in helping Mr. Braio.
He said he also was present on May 16 when state police assigned to the Worcester District Attorney’s office escorted Mr. Braio from his home for a questioning session that lasted 10 hours.
Mr. Alexander said that over a two-year period Mr. Braio had told him about how, years ago, then-Rev. Rueger would sign him out of the former Lyman School, a state-operated facility for juvenile delinquents, and take him to a house in Scituate. Mr. Alexander said he was not aware of Mr. Braio’s allegations of sexual abuse until he overheard a telephone call the plaintiff made to the chancery.
Asked about his relationship with Mr. Braio, he responded, “Picture two old handicapped guys. They would hang out … 24-7 if given the opportunity, because they’re lonely, right, but they also understand that a person needs their privacy.”
The diocese maintained that Mr. Braio called the chancery on Feb. 26 and attempted to “extort the Diocese of Worcester with false claims of sexual misconduct against Bishop Rueger.”
“I happen to have been sitting right in front of him when he made that phone call,” Mr. Alexander stated in his deposition. He said Mr. Braio first talked with the Rev. Rocco Piccolomini and “laid open his heart and soul to this priest,” telling Rev. Piccolomini that he had been sexually molested and sodomized by Bishop Rueger.
Asked how he knew who Mr. Braio was speaking with, Mr. Alexander responded that “one of Sime’s characteristics is anytime he talks on the phone or reads a newspaper or anything like that, he tends to say what he’s doing out loud.”
He also said that it appeared to him that Mr. Braio carried strong feelings of guilt about his past relationship with Bishop Rueger. “I stayed put because I was afraid he was going to have a heart attack, because I’ve never seen a person so broken up in my entire life,” Mr. Alexander said.
Mr. Alexander said that he heard Mr. Braio say, “This is not about money.”
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/25/2002 08:17:00 AM
VATICAN
Non-U.S. bishops could balk at American abuse guidelines
Boston Herald
by Eric Convey
Wednesday, September 25, 2002
As top U.S. Catholic Church officials eagerly await word on whether the Vatican will approve proposed American guidelines for dealing with priests accused of sex abuse, a lingering question at the center of the debate focuses on the role of bishops, sources said.
“Bishops around the world are looking, they’re watching,” said a highly placed church leader in Rome speaking on condition of anonymity.
U.S. bishops, to the dismay of some peers around the world, agreed to surrender some autonomy and abide by strict guidelines that dictate how priests accused of molestation should be dealt with.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/25/2002 07:53:39 AM
BOSTON (MA)
Archdiocese eyes more legal rights for accused priests
Boston Globe
By Stephen Kurkjian and Matt Carroll, Globe Staff, 9/25/2002
Their voices have grown louder as the clergy abuse scandal has unfolded this year: priests who say they have been falsely accused of sexual misconduct and then languish in legal limbo, hearing little from the church about the charges they face or how they might defend themselves.
On Friday, church officials in Boston plan to offer their first official response to such complaints, authorizing the drafting of a sort of canon law bill of rights that would be made available to all priests.
The Rev. Christopher J. Coyne, spokesman for the archdiocese, said Cardinal Bernard F. Law’s principal advisory group, the Presbyteral Council, will consider a number of ways to address the due process concerns of priests, including how they may challenge a suspension from pastoral duties – now an automatic consequence of a credible accusation of abuse – and whether they can bring a lawyer along should a summons from the chancery come.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/25/2002 07:50:18 AM
MINNEAPOLIS
Priest placed on restrictions after alleged indecent exposure
Star Tribune
Richard Meryhew and David Chanen
Star Tribune
A Roman Catholic priest living in Anoka has been placed on restrictions by his superiors after he was cited for indecent exposure and disorderly conduct last week.
Ed Greiwe, 65, a member of the Crosier religious order, was cited by police after allegedly exposing himself to a male undercover police officer Friday afternoon at Pioneer Park in Blaine.
Greiwe, who has been working in an administrative role at the U.S. Crosier headquarters in Shoreview, is not an active parish priest.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/25/2002 07:38:56 AM ORANGE COUNTY (Ca.)
Sting Leads to Sex Abuse Charge Against Ex-Priest
Catholics: Orange man’s arrest is the first to result from molestation allegations in Southland.
By WILLIAM LOBDELL and CHRISTINE HANLEY, TIMES STAFF WRITERS
Los Angeles Times
Orange County authorities arrested a former Catholic priest Tuesday on suspicion of sexually abusing a teenage girl in the 1970s after the man allegedly confessed to an undercover deputy posing as his out-of-wedlock daughter.
Gerald John Plesetz, 59, of Orange is the first priest to be criminally charged with sexually abusing victims in Los Angeles or Orange counties since the Roman Catholic sex scandal broke nine months ago. Plesetz, who left the priesthood in the late 1970s and works as an administrator for the Orange County Health Care Agency, was charged with three counts of oral copulation with a minor under the age of 16. It’s unclear why prosecutors did not charge him with statutory rape; they accuse Plesetz in court documents of impregnating the girl.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/25/2002 07:37:06 AM
Tuesday, September 24, 2002
VIRGINIA BEACH (VA)
Richmond Diocese Retires Priest Following Investigation
WAVY.com
By MARIA SANMINIATELLI
Associated Press Writer
(AP)-The Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond on Tuesday retired one of its priests from a parish in Virginia Beach, after a monthlong investigation revealed incidents of sexual misconduct with minors.
A diocese spokesman said Bishop Walter F. Sullivan began investigating the Rev. Eugene Teslovic after the priest informed the diocese that someone had recently approached him about a past sexual impropriety. The incident took place in 1977 when Teslovic was a deacon at Resurrection Parish in Portsmouth and allegedly involved a parishioner in his early 20s.
During the inquiry, Sullivan determined that Teslovic had been involved in several incidents of sexual misconduct with minors during the late 1970s and mid 1980s.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 08:27:01 PM
VIRGINIA BEACH (VA)
Va. Beach priest retired due to sexual misconduct with minors
www.WVEC.Com
By WVEC.com
A priest ministering in Virginia Beach has been removed from active ministry.
Until this morning, Teslovic had served as pastor at St. Luke parish on Salem Road in Virginia Beach.
Diocese officials said Teslovic informed them last month that someone had recently approached him about a past sexual impropriety from 1977, when he was a deacon at Resurrection Parish in Portsmouth. The complainant, who was a parishioner at the same time, was then in his early 20’s .
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 08:22:49 PM
HAMPTON ROADS (Va)
Hampton Roads priest removed for sexual misconduct
Pilot Online
© September 24, 2002
A Hampton Roads priest has been removed from active ministry because of “several incidents of sexual misconduct with minors,” Bishop Walter F. Sullivan of the Catholic Diocese or Richmond announced today.
Father Eugene Teslovic has been put on restricted retirement, meaning he is prohibited from carrying out any functions as a priest, according to a diocese news release.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/24/2002 07:35:16 PM
VATICAN
Vatican expected to back bishops
Washington Times
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican is leaning toward giving the go-ahead to the U.S. bishops’ plan to curb sexual misconduct among clergy, accepting the proposals on an experimental basis, a senior Vatican official said yesterday.
Such a move by the Holy See would give Roman Catholic leaders in the United States time to enact their “one strike and you’re out” reform policy without making permanent changes in church law.
In recent weeks the number of reports that the Vatican would reject the policy outright has been growing, embarrassing American bishops as they struggle to deal with the crisis.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 09:12:31 AM
MONTPELIER (VT)
Two priests will avoid charges
Times Argus
By DAVID MACE Vermont Press Bureau
MONTPELIER — Two Catholic priests accused of sexual misconduct weren’t exonerated by an investigation, but they won’t face criminal charges either, Vermont’s attorney general said Monday.
William Sorrell told reporters at a press conference Monday that the investigations into two of six priests active in Vermont’s Catholic Diocese were concluded and that “neither … will be charged with any crime … based on the information we’ve received to date.”
“We cannot say it never happened,” Sorrell said. “We just don’t have the evidence to go forward.”
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 09:04:18 AM
NEW YORK CITY
FORDHAM FUMES OVER COLUMBIA’S CHURCH JOKE
New York Post
By KATE SHEEHY
September 24, 2002 — Columbia University’s marching band hit the Catholic Church below the belt during a weekend football game – by announcing that rival Fordham’s tuition is “going down like an altar boy,” fuming critics charge.
The halftime gibe over the loudspeakers from a wisecracking band leader prompted everyone from the president of Jesuit-run Fordham University to incensed Catholic students to demand a formal apology from Columbia.
“It seems to be a tradition at the Ivy League school that its marching band talk trash and push the envelop on decorum,” Fordham spokeswoman Elizabeth Schmalz said last night. “However . . . it’s never been so blatantly anti-Catholic.”
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 08:58:14 AM
NEW YORK CITY
Columbia sacked
for priest sex joke
New York Daily News
Hundreds of angry Fordham students signed petitions yesterday demanding Columbia University apologize for alleged anti-Catholic taunts made at Saturday’s Columbia-Fordham football game.
“They’re outraged,” said Elizabeth Schmalz, a Fordham spokeswoman.
During halftime at Columbia’s Wein Stadium, the crowd heard an off-color crack about the priest sex scandals over the public-address system.
Then, according to the Catholic League, Columbia’s irreverent band and the crowd began making anti-Catholic jokes.
“The comment that was made at the Fordham-Columbia football game was disturbing, but the crowd’s reaction was more so,” declared Catholic League President William Donohue, who said he got his information from Fordham fans.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 08:53:04 AM
MANCHESTER (NH)
Bishop: Catholics reducing
gifts to church charities
The Union Leader
By KATHRYN MARCHOCKI
Union Leader Staff
Rank-and-file Catholics have shown their displeasure over the clergy sexual abuse scandal by reducing their level of giving this year, Manchester Bishop John B. McCormack acknowledged yesterday.
Collection baskets are coming in lighter at some New Hampshire parishes and fundraising campaigns haven’t been as successful, he said.
“There are some people who express their dissatisfaction by not contributing either to the parish or, this year, to Catholic Charities or other fundraising efforts of the church,” the bishop said.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 08:48:32 AM
WORCESTER (MA)
Alleged abuse victim grilled by defense
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
By Kathleen A. Shaw
Telegram & Gazette Staff
WORCESTER– David A. Lewcon said yesterday that for many years he believed sexual conduct with the Rev. Thomas Teczar was consensual.
He later began to question the relationship after news stories appeared about the Rev. Thomas A. Kane and his House of Affirmation in Whitinsville.
Mr. Lewcon made his admissions under questioning by lawyer Michael C. Wilcox, who is co-counsel for Rev. Teczar with Louis P. Aloise. The jury heard a third day of testimony yesterday in Worcester Superior Court from Mr. Lewcon in his civil suit against Rev. Teczar.
He also said under questioning by Mr. Wilcox that none of the sexual acts with Rev. Teczar were forced by the priest.
The trial will continue at 9:45 a.m. today in Room 18.
Mr. Lewcon alleges that the sexual conduct, which happened when he was 16 years old, was abusive in nature and caused him harm.
Mr. Wilcox went through records with a series of psychologists and psychiatrists from whom Mr. Lewcon received treatment. Mr. Lewcon said in several instances he did not mention abuse by Rev. Teczar.
Mr. Wilcox repeatedly asked questions about the time frame the abuse occurred. Mr. Lewcon had said the incident occurred in 1971, but Mr. Wilcox in analyzing previous depositions in this suit said he was actually talking about 1972, the year Mr. Lewcon graduated from high school.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 08:46:09 AM
WORCESTER (MA)
Subpoena of abuse records withdrawn by Bishop Reilly
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
By Kathleen A. Shaw
Telegram & Gazette Staff
WORCESTER– Bishop Daniel P. Reilly said yesterday he had no knowledge that an insurance company lawyer had subpoenaed confidential records of the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests and said he was rescinding the request.
The subpoena was withdrawn yesterday afternoon, but this action did not entirely impress Philip A. Saviano, New England regional director for SNAP.
Mr. Saviano said the “damage had been done,” meaning the action would have a chilling effect on other victim support groups throughout the country. SNAP will proceed with its actions to quash the subpoena until it gets assurance the diocese will never repeat this request, he said.
Mr. Saviano said he was verbally assured yesterday afternoon by lawyers for the insurance company and diocese that they will drop attempts to get confidential records.
He held a press conference yesterday at Harvard University. He was asked whether he believed that Bishop Reilly had no knowledge of the subpoena. “I have no idea if he knew, but if he did not know then there is a problem,” he said. The bishop, as head of the diocese, should have knowledge of what is going on with the lawsuits affecting his diocese.
Joanne L. Goulka of Stoneham, the insurance company lawyer representing the Worcester diocese in a civil suit filed by five women who say they were sexually abused by the Rev. Robert E. Kelley at St. Cecilia’s parish in Leominster, subpoenaed the records and ordered Mr. Saviano to appear for a deposition.
The subpoena asked not only for records pertaining to the five women’s involvement with SNAP, but for information on any other victims who allege they were abused by Rev. Kelley and for information on all people who claimed they were abused by any priests in the Worcester diocese. The diocesan insurance carrier is Travelers Insurance and Ms. Goulka works for the insurance company in representing the diocese.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 08:43:08 AM
GREENFIELD (MA)
More suits filed against Fr. Lavigne
Greenfield Recorder
GREENFIELD Three men from Heath, Colrain and West Springfield filed civil complaints in Hampden Superior Court last week, accusing former Shelburne Falls priest Richard R. Lavigne of sexually molesting them as children and charging the Springfield Diocese with negligence in failing to supervise Lavigne and restricting his access to young boys. The lawsuit filed on behalf of a 19-year-old Colrain man is the first of 12 complaints filed this summer to name current Bishop Thomas L. Dupre as a defendant, according to Greenfield lawyer John J. Stobierski, who represents the dozen alleged sexual abuse victims. Dupre was appointed vicar general in 1989 and made auxiliary bishop in 1990, according to the suit filed by Stobierski. Stobierski said Dupre had authority to discipline or remove any cleric from duty, including Lavigne.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 08:40:09 AM
GREENFIELD (MA)
Rev. Lavigne faces 3 more lawsuits
Springfield Union-News
By BILL ZAJAC
GREENFIELD — Three more lawsuits have been filed against convicted child molester the Rev. Richard R. Lavigne, including one that also names the current bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield.
It is the first time that the Most Rev. Thomas L. Dupre has been named in any of the 15 suits that have been filed this year against priests for sexual abuse that plaintiffs said occurred in the Springfield Diocese.
Dupre, as well as other diocesan officials, have repeatedly stated, including yesterday, that action was taken after the first accusation was made against Lavigne. That 1986 allegation against Lavigne was the only accusation of abuse that came forward to the diocese before his arrest for molestation in 1991, officials have said. He pleaded guilty in 1992.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 08:38:01 AM
LAWRENCE (MA)
Law absence leaves Fiesta protest-free
The Eagle Tribune
By Yadira Betances
Staff Writer
About 65 picketers lined up in silence yesterday in front of Boston’s Cathedral of the Holy Cross, carrying pictures of young children allegedly abused by priests as part of their campaign to drive Cardinal Bernard F. Law from his post.
It was the largest protest at the cathedral — the seat of the Archdiocese of Boston — in months.
It was also the kind of protest local parishioners were glad was avoided with Law’s absence from yesterday’s Catholic Fiesta on Campagnone Common.
“I’m glad he didn’t come because it would have taken the attention from the Mass and placed the focus on him with people protesting, and why not?” said David Smith of Lawrence.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 08:34:53 AM
BOSTON (MA)
Plaintiffs want priest’s records unsealed
Boston Globe
By Globe Staff and Wires, 9/24/2002
Alleged molestation victims suing the Rev. Paul Shanley yesterday asked a Suffolk Superior Court judge to unseal psychiatric treatment records from his stay in the early 1990s at a treatment facility for priests accused of sexually abusing minors. Shanley’s lawyer argued that the records from the Institute for Living in Hartford are privileged, but attorneys for the victims said he was sent there involuntarily by the Archdiocese of Boston for evaluation and therefore had no expectation of privacy. Superior Court Judge Constance M. Sweeney took the matter under advisement.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 08:32:19 AM
WORCESTER (MA)
Bishop withdraws subpoena for names from victims group
Boston Herald
by Robin Washington
The Diocese of Worcester backed down yesterday from a demand by its lawyers that a sex abuse victims group turn over the names of its members and others who have contacted the organization for assistance.
Citing his “dismay” over the request, Bishop Daniel P. Reilly ordered lawyer Joanne Goulka to withdraw a subpoena that directed Phil Saviano, the New England director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, to surrender the names of everyone who has called the support group for help.
“I was dismayed to learn in news reports on Sunday that our liability insurance company found it necessary to seek records of alleged victims from the support group SNAP,” Reilly said in a statement. “I have contacted the lawyer . . . and instructed that this request be withdrawn.”
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 08:25:33 AM
BOSTON (MA)
Law struggles for explanations in deposition on Shanley case
Boston Herald
by Tom Mashberg
In portions of an August deposition of Bernard Cardinal Law filed yesterday in the Paul R. Shanley abuse case, Law strains to explain why he personally allowed known molesters to resume parish work in the 1980s and early 1990s.
“The difference between 1985 and 2002,” Law says at one point, “is that in the handling of cases . . . there was a tendency to focus on a specific aspect (of a priest’s suspect behavior) at a specific time.
“Looking back . . . how is it we didn’t have a zero toleration policy in ’85?” Law continues, with specific reference to Shanley, who pastored for a decade in Newton, and several other recidivist priests, among them the late Rev. Joseph E. Birmingham of Lexington and the retired Rev. George J. Rosenkranz, formerly of Marblehead.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 08:23:48 AM BOSTON (MA)
Archdiocese may revise policy on priest sex-abuse allegations
Boston Herald
by Eric Convey
Boston Catholic Church officials are considering changing the archdiocese’s strict policy for dealing with sex abuse allegations against clergy to increase protections for priests, even as the Vatican appears poised to allow hard-line national guidelines adopted in June by U.S. bishops.
The Presbyteral Council, chaired by Bernard Cardinal Law, is reviewing confidential proposals to refine the existing rules, which call for immediately suspending any priest against whom a credible allegation has been made and ending the public ministry of anyone found guilty in the church’s eyes.
“They’re refinements, not (major) changes,” said one priest who sits on the council and discussed the situation on condition of anonymity.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 08:20:49 AM
MONTPELIER (VT)
Two Vermont priests won’t be prosecuted
Boston Globe
By Associated Press, 9/24/2002
MONTPELIER – The Vermont attorney general’s office won’t file criminal charges against two suspended Roman Catholic priests accused of sexual impropriety.
The investigations are continuing into allegations made last spring against four other active priests and four more whose names were learned by authorities since the original charges surfaced.
”We have heard some terrible stories,” Attorney General William Sorrell said. ”It has been heartbreaking to be involved with the interviews with people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s” and hear how the conduct has hurt their lives.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 08:18:41 AM
BOSTON (MA)
How child abuse and neglect damage the brain
Boston Globe
By Josh Kendall, Globe Correspondent, 9/24/2002
For 7 -year-old Zachary Risotti, feeling safe and cared about is a new experience.
At 2, Zachary was taken to the emergency room because of a suspicious cigarette burn under his left eye. Six months later, he was back in the hospital with a burn on his right forearm. Suspecting abuse, the state Department of Social Services removed him from his home, but he bounced around three foster homes before he was finally adopted in July 2000.
By then, Zachary already bore psychological scars of child abuse. At 3, he had the communication skills typical of a toddler half his age. He avoided eye contact, fidgeted constantly and expressed his frustration by sitting in a corner and crying.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 08:17:05 AM
VATICAN
Vatican aide says US abuse policy may get trial use
Boston Globe
By Victor L. Simpson, Associated Press, 9/24/2002
VATICAN CITY – The Vatican is leaning toward allowing Roman Catholic bishops in the United States to go ahead with a plan to combat sex abuse among the clergy, accepting the proposals on an experimental basis, a senior Vatican official said yesterday.
Such a move would give the US bishops time to try their controversial reform policy without making permanent changes in church law.
In recent weeks, there have been a number of reports that the Vatican would reject the policy outright, embarrassing the American bishops as they struggle to end the molestation crisis.
The policy ”would not receive formal Vatican approval, but nor would it be a rejection,” the official said in an interview, speaking on condition of anonymity.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 08:14:34 AM
WORCESTER (MA)
Bishop’s priorities skewed
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
By Dianne Williamson
Telegram & Gazette Columnist
Christopher Reeve is sometimes consumed with envy when he watches someone walk across a room.
“I’m thinking, ‘God, how did it happen I can’t even do that?’ ” he said on the documentary, “Christopher Reeve: Courageous Steps,” which aired last week on ABC. “I mean, how can this be my life?”
To glean even an inkling of what it’s like to be paralyzed from the neck down, the former celluloid Superman suggested that we sit perfectly, painfully still for just an hour. No shifting, no nose scratching, not the slightest movement. Such an exercise would be excruciating, and we’d still have no real understanding of the torment and challenges he faces 24 hours a day.
I thought of the courageous Mr. Reeve when I read about the Diocese of Worcester’s annual “Pro-Life” Mass on Sunday at Assumption College, celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop George E. Rueger. At a time when the Catholic Church is consumed by a crisis of credibility — when its terribly skewed priorities have become all too obvious — Bishop Rueger chose to focus on the church’s strict opposition to the scientific promise that gives hope to Mr. Reeve and millions of other disabled Americans — stem-cell research.
As a lead-in of sorts to the theme, the bishop said that the terrorists who flew planes into the World Trade Center Sept. 11 “were not the first or the last people to show disdain for human life.” He then went on to criticize the creation of embryos “only to destroy them.” He touched only briefly on what he called “the crisis in the church” before he segued into the oldie-but-goody call for peace around the world.
How very … disheartening. It’s certainly not news that the church is opposed to the use of embryonic stem cells to cure disease, and its leaders have the right to speak out against whatever they wish. But it’s nothing short of reprehensible for a religious leader to compare the terrorists who claimed lives in a horrific act of violence with heroic, devoted scientists who are trying to improve the lives of those who suffer.
Dr. Robert P. Lanza, medical and scientific development director for Advanced Cell Technology in Worcester, is one of those scientists. He also is a Catholic. Yesterday, he said he believes that the church’s vehement opposition to stem cell research is grounded in ignorance.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 08:09:25 AM
BOSTON (MA)
The escalator of change
Boston Globe
By James Carroll, 9/24/2002
WHEN THE American Catholic bishops met in Washington in the fall of 1968, a crowd of protesters showed up. The meeting was at the Washington Hilton, and what drew the demonstrators was the still boiling furor over ”Humanae Vitae,” the papal encyclical condemning birth control.
Though only a seminarian, I was there in support of the numerous priests and theologians who had boldly signed declarations saying they would not teach that contraception is inherently evil. Some were professors of mine, and some had already been suspended or even fired. Dozens of those priests and their supporters had come to the Hilton demanding to be heard by the bishops.
We were gathered in the large, polished lobby of the hotel, waiting for the bishops to come out of their morning session, which was being held in a conference room one floor up. An escalator joined the two floors. Finally, the bishops began to appear on the moving stairway, bringing them down. Gold crosses and chains gleamed on their black shirtfronts. They were laughing and talking – but their expressions changed when they saw the throng of protesters who were waiting on the first floor.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 08:03:28 AM
BOSTON (MA)
Bishop calls off subpoena
Records at issue in Worcester case
Boston Globe
By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff, 9/24/2002
Facing a barrage of criticism from alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse, Bishop Daniel Reilly of the Diocese of Worcester yesterday ordered church lawyers to withdraw a subpoena that attempted to force a victims support group to turn over the names and records of its members.
In a one-page statement, Reilly said he was ”dismayed” to learn from news reports Sunday that a lawyer for the company that insures the Worcester Diocese ”found it necessary to seek records of alleged victims” from the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP.
Reilly said neither he nor his chancery staff had been told of the legal maneuver, which he said undercuts the church’s efforts to support victims.
”The Diocese of Worcester is committed to the care and support of those who have been victims of child sexual abuse by clergy and I stand unequivocally by that commitment,” Reilly said in the statement.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/24/2002 08:00:53 AM
Church experts say bishops bungling crisis
Diverse observers unite in condemning Catholic hierarchy
San Francisco Chronicle
September 23, 2002
By Don Lattin, Chronicle Religion Writer
Nashville — It’s news when the Rev. Thomas Reese, the Rev. Richard John Neuhaus and layman Tom Fox all agree in their assessment of the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops.
And that’s what happened over the weekend when these well-connected and influential church-watchers were asked how the American hierarchy was handling the church’s burgeoning sex abuse scandal.
Three thumbs down.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/24/2002 07:34:32 AM
Monday, September 23, 2002
Group raises funds to help some priests accused in sex casesDetroit Free Press
BY ALEXA CAPELOTO AND PATRICIA MONTEMURRI
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
The phone calls have rolled in from a dozen states, most beginning with the same question: “Are you the guy who helps priests?”
Joe Maher, surprised by the national reach of work he started in Detroit, finds himself answering, “Yep, I guess I am.”
Three weeks ago, a visiting priest at Maher’s parish, Assumption Grotto Catholic Church in Detroit, was acquitted of raping a choir member. Maher raised $100,000 for the priest’s expenses. Word spread and the calls began.
Now Maher, 42, has quit his job as a financial systems analyst to start Opus Bono Sacerdotii — Latin for Work for the Good of the Priesthood — a financial and spiritual support group for priests who say they are innocent of alleged misconduct or who are repentant and reformed.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/23/2002 01:15:02 PM
ST. LOUIS
Advocacy group for victims of abuse meets here
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
By Phyllis Brasch Librach
Of The Post-Dispatch
The Associated Press Contributed To This Report.
Connie Ross of Denver wrote the Roman Catholic Church claiming she was abused by a priest in Milwaukee, but in 1989 no one showed any interest, she says.
Bill Gately of Boston says that he felt confused and nauseated after he tracked down the priest who he says abused him as a boy.
And as a young teen, Judy Rakestraw of Miami says she became convinced she was the only person in the world who had been abused by a priest.
Ross, Gately and Rakestraw, and several dozen more alleged victims briefly shared their stories of abuse Friday night when leaders of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests met at the Second Presbyterian Church in the Central West End.
About 60 leaders from the organization’s chapters across the country and Canada are in St. Louis this weekend for meetings and workshops.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/23/2002 12:00:58 PM
BALTIMORE
Suspended city priest resigns his position
Allegation of abuse found not credible, archdiocese says; other concern found
Baltimore Sun
By Erika Niedowski
Sun Staff
A priest who was suspended from his duties in July after being accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy has resigned, the Archdiocese Of Baltimore announced yesterday.
The Rev. Alfred Dean, 42, voluntarily stepped down as pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church in East Baltimore last week and has requested a leave of absence from the Josephite Society, said archdiocese spokesman Steve Kearney.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/23/2002 09:27:52 AM
Church faulted on pace of probes
Boston Globe
(By Walter V. Robinson and Stephen Kurkjian, Globe Staff)
It has been more than five weeks since Paul R. Edwards accused Monsignor Michael Smith Foster and the late Rev. William J. Cummings of sexually abusing him in the early 1980s. But in all that time, more than a dozen people who insist they have evidence that will disprove the accusation against Cummings say they have never been contacted by archdiocesan investigators.
Protesters organize at Law’s church
Boston Globe
(By Michael S. Rosenwald, Globe Staff)
With their backs symbolically turned to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, dozens of regular protesters of the Roman Catholic Church declared their unity against Cardinal Bernard F. Law yesterday with a solidarity vigil marking the naming of their new group STTOP!
Vatican reply awaited
Boston Globe
(By Frances D’Emilio, Associated Press)
ROME – The Vatican will soon make known its position on the new guidelines set by US bishops to eradicate sex abuse among clergy. Details of the strategy are expected to raise objections at the Holy See
Victimizing the victims
Boston Globe
(By Adrian Walker, Globe Columnist)
When Cindy Desrosiers learned that the Worcester Diocese was doing battle with SNAP, a support group for victims of clergy sexual abuse, she wasn’t surprised.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/23/2002 09:25:21 AM
BOSTON
Protesters take different approach as they call for removal of Boston Cardinal
San Francisco Chronicle
JENNIFER PETER, Associated Press Writer
BOSTON (AP) — In a more peaceful phase of their campaign to drive Cardinal Bernard Law from his post, protesters lined up in silence with their backs to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and held up dozens of pictures of young children allegedly abused by priests.
The silent observance by about 65 picketers was the largest protest in months at the cathedral, the seat of the Archdiocese of Boston. It was also intended to address concerns that weekly demonstrations at the cathedral by angry protesters with bullhorns had become too confrontational, according to organizer Rick Webb.
posted by Bill Mitchell on 9/23/2002 06:36:14 AM
Sunday, September 22, 2002
VATICAN
Report: Vatican Won’t OK Abuse Plan
Yahoo! News
By FRANCES D’EMILIO, Associated Press Writer
ROME (AP) – The Vatican ( news – web sites) next month will make known its position on the new U.S. bishops’ strategy to eradicate sex abuse among clergy, a policy expected to raise objections at the Holy See.
The Vatican press office on Sunday said it would not comment about a report by the National Catholic Reporter, a liberal, U.S.-based publication, that the Vatican would not grant legal approval to the guidelines, adopted in June at a Dallas meeting of U.S. bishops.
Without Rome’s approval, the bishops’ policy amounts to a gentlemen’s agreement, as opposed to being enshrined in church law and binding on all American dioceses.
posted by Kathy Shaw on 9/22/2002 04:31:23 PM
