Clergy Child Molesters (149) — References/Archive/Blog

• Church investigates second priest

[O'Hearn / O'Hern -NEW*, Peter Brock -NEW*] - Roman Catholic Church (RCC).

   ABC News, www.abc.net. au/news/ stories/ 2008/06/02/ 2262101.htm , for June 02, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- The Catholic diocese of Maitland-Newcastle is refusing to disclose why the parish priest at Nelson Bay has been stood down while it investigates his conduct.
   Father David O'Hearn is the second priest in the diocese to face a professional conduct investigation in the past year.
   He was stood down last week from St Michael's Parish at Nelson Bay pending an investigation by the diocesan child protection and professional conduct unit.
   A statement by the vicar-general of the diocese, Tom Brennan, was read to parishioners at services yesterday.
   The statement obtained by the ABC says Father O'Hern will not be involved in his usual parish ministry and will live privately while the investigation is carried out.
   It says the matter has been discussed with Bishop Michael Malone, who is currently on pilgrimage in Greece.
   Monsignor Bill Fuller has been appointed to look after the parish in the meantime.
   Last September, Father Peter Brock - who administered eight lower Hunter Catholic parishes - was also stood down while a professional conduct investigation was carried out. The church says it is still investigating him. # [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 9:13 PM] (This is the first item of Abuse Chronology: http://www. multiline. com.au/~ johnm/ethics/ ethcont149. htm , and of the Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abusetracker , A Blog by Kathy Shaw, for Sunday, June 01, 2008.)

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INTENTION: A challenge to RELIGIONS to PROTECT CHILDREN
Series starts: www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethicscontents.htm Visit http://www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker . These are digests of and links to mass media and other coverage of clergy abuse. Get fuller details by clicking the links.

• Gospel of derision sullies rebel priest

[2008 Pfleger -NEW*] - RCC. Mimicked presidential candidate Clinton.

   Chicago Sun-Times, By CAROL MARIN cmarin@suntimes.com , ~ June 01, 2008
   CHICAGO (IL) -- Barack Obama had no choice Saturday but to resign from the church he loves.
   I'm so mad at Mike Pfleger. The prophetic pastor of St. Sabina Catholic Church is a genuine man of God, a fine priest even if the Chicago Archdiocese never thought so, and someone who has made a vast difference in the lives of people in this city.
   That having been said, what the heck was he thinking when he went to preach at Trinity United Church of Christ last Sunday? When he mocked Hillary Clinton, parodying her voice to say, "I'm white, I'm entitled. There's a black man stealing my show." …
   Pfleger has been fearless in critiquing the church for its own politics. And for its handling of the pedophile crisis. The church, which has inexplicably rewarded Boston's disgraced Cardinal Bernard Law with one of the largest basilicas in Rome, hasn't been able to countenance this rebel with a cause.

• S. Idaho priest back at parish following sexual misconduct

[≤ 2007 Covarrubias*] - RCC. Adult.
   LocalNews8, Associated Press - 8:04 PM ET, June 1, 2008
   MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho (AP) - The Roman Catholic Diocese in Boise says a priest from Mountain Home has returned after an eight-month absence from Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish and told parishioners he engaged in sexual misconduct with an adult.
   Diocese officials in a press release say Rev. Raul Covarrubias, 63, returned Saturday. Officials gave no information about the other adult.
   Covarrubias served as pastor at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Mountain Home since 1992. He was placed on paid leave in September after the allegations surfaced. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 9:46 PM] [LOOK BACK for example to ~ January 03, 2008]

• Local Catholic Churches Learn Fate.

- RCC,
   WFMZ, June 01, 2008
   [with video]
   PENNSYLVANIA -- Some Catholic Churches in the Lehigh Valley are closing their doors due to a lack of priests. The restructuring comes after a two year planning process. WFMZ's Stephanie Esposito joins us live in Allentown with the story. Stephanie Esposito: The Diocese of Allentown officially announced today that they'll be closing 47 parishes. The one behind me is not one of them. This is the hub of the ministry. The Bishop of the Allentown diocese says it wasn't an easy decision.

• Diocese of Allentown restructuring leads to many clerical reassignments

- RCC.

   PennLive, Posted by Colin McEvoy 16:54PM, June 01, 2008
   PENNSYLVANIA -- Due to the Diocese of Allentown's restructuring program, 54 pastors or diocese employees are being reassigned to a different church building, eight more employees are being assigned new jobs in their current churches and 11 are retiring.
   In all, the 73 changes account for the largest amount of clerical reassignments in the diocese in recent memory, diocese spokesman Matt Kerr said.
   "It's certainly more than usual," he said. "It's all part of the restructuring. When you're putting a new parish together. sometimes it's best to have someone new there."
   Monsignor Michael Chaback will leave Sts. Cyril and Methodius Parish, the Bethlehem city church he has served for 16 years, to become director of the Office of the Permanent Diaconate.
   "I've known these people, I've grown up with them," he said. "No pastor wants to leave the people he's been close to in that situation, but all the way around, it's the best decision."

• Roman Catholic Womenpriests Respond to Vatican Decree of Excommunication

- Hildegard, Joan of Arc, and Guerin cited.
   Voice from the Desert ~ June 01, 2008
   Recived by email from Roberta Meehan. Thanks, Roberta.
   For immediate release From Roman Catholic Womenpriests, www.romancatholicwo menpriests. org CONTACT: Bridget Mary Meehan: (703) 283-2929 (cell), 703-671-6712, sofiabmm@aol. com
   Roman Catholic Womenpriests' Response to Vatican Decree of Excommunication
   Roman Catholic Womenpriests reject the penalty of excommunication issued by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stating that the "women priests and the bishops who ordain them would be excommunicated 'latae sententiae". Roman Catholic Womenpriests are loyal members of the church who stand in the prophetic tradition of holy disobedience to an unjust law that discriminates against women.
   We hold up heroic women in the church's tradition like Hildegard of Bingen, Joan of Arc and St. Theodore Guerin who obeyed God, followed their consciences and withstood hierarchical oppression including interdict, excommunication and death.

• The Scarcity of Intellectuals Among Bishops

- RCC.

   Voice from the Desert, From the British weekly The Tablet, by Robert Mickens, May 31, 2008
   Where have all the thinkers gone? The Tablet Interview
   BRITAIN and BELGIUM -- Progressive Catholics might think that Belgian Cardinal Godfried Danneels, who is 75 next week, would be concerned that the Church is moving away from the ideals of Vatican II. But what really concerns him, he tells Robert Mickens, is the scarcity of intellectuals among bishops.

• Super-Nuncio, Super-Suck-Up, Super-BSer

- RCC hasn't disciplined the bishops.

   Voice from the Desert, From the Whispers in the Loggia blog, May.28.2008.
   A tip of the hat and a grateful thank you to Dick Regan, who brought this outrageous propaganda piece to my attention.
   It's pure Vatican: complete with exquisite double-talk, white smoke, black smoke, deflection, minimization, dissembling, fabrication, distortion, lying, prevarication, deception, and plain ol' BS.
   Archbishop Sambi could teach advanced graduate courses in the fine art of the verbal rope-a-dope to White House press secretaries.
   UNITED STATES -- "The Sense of Liberation"; In a recent chat with Our Sunday Visitor, the "Super-Nuncio" Archbishop Pietro Sambi – shown above on the steps of 3339 Massachusetts with Big Boss – offered some notable comments on the backstory behind the PopeTrip and B16's approach to the visit's Big Story.
   OSV: During his meeting with the U.S. bishops, the pope, quoting Chicago Cardinal Francis George [president of the U.S. bishops' conference], noted that some U.S. bishops had handled badly some of the sexual abuse cases. Many people in the media, who were skeptical before the pope, were very pleased by the trip. But they still thought, "Why haven't any of these bishops who handled cases badly been disciplined in a pubic way?"
   How would you respond to a question like that?
   Archbishop Sambi: You need to read what is written. The pope quoted a phrase of Cardinal George referring to the past. There is a phrase to the priests in St. Patrick's in New York in which the pope, already responding to this kind of rumor, said to the priests to be in solidarity with their bishops, who will continue to repair the damage created by the sex scandal and to renovate the Church on this aspect.

• Book Review: Holding Bishops Accountable by Timothy Lytton

- BOOK. Lawsuits opened up the RCC.

   Priests, Celibacy, and Sexuality, Review by Richard Sipe, ~ June 01, 2008
   Holding Bishops Accountable: How Lawsuits Helped the Catholic Church Confront Clergy Sexual Abuse. Author: Timothy Lytton. Harvard University Press, 2008.
   [See also the webpage for Holding Bishops Accountable.]
   LA JOLLA (CA) -- Just when I think I have read the final word on the clergy child abuse crisis an important book pops up that focuses on a new facet of the whole ordeal. What a great job law professor Tim Lytton has done to explain part–an important part–of the response to the crisis that confuses many lay folk (and some lawyers); the persuasive value of the tort system.
   In 1988 I reviewed 1,800 letters and reports from men and women who alleged that they had been sexually abused by a Catholic priest, bishop, or member of a Catholic religious order. Not one–not a single person–was asking for money. What they were seeking was recognition of their suffering, validation of the facts in their case, and belief in their word against a powerful person and structure that denied, defied, and at times humiliated and abused them further. An apology would have been comforting and healing. Their pleas were not heard.
   Timothy Lytton's title says it all–how lawsuits helped the Catholic Church. What some people think is only a money-driven effort is rightly exposed in the sex abuse crisis as fundamentally a reform-driven tool. I was a consultant on a number of cases where the victim asked for modest sums to finish their education only to be denied. When the case was litigated the plaintiff was awarded several millions of dollars. The victim then was in a position to demand conditions to assist other victims.

• Canada hears pain of Indian abuse

- Various religions, and government.

   BBC News, ~ June 01, 2008
   CANADA -- A truth and reconciliation commission examining what Indian [Amerind] leaders call one of the most tragic and racist chapters in Canada's history has begun.
   The commission will study Canada's decades-long policies that removed Indian children from their families to force Christianity upon them.
   The state-funded religious schools were often the scenes of horrific physical and sexual abuse.
   The commission has a five-year mandate to detail the abuses.

• Diocese releases list of parish closings, priest reassignments

- RCC.

   The Morning Call, By Paul Muschick and Chris Parker | ~ June 01, 2008
   PENNSYLVANIA -- Parishioners who didn't get the word last night at Masses learned this morning whether their Catholic churches would close, consolidate or be spared from the Allentown Diocese restructuring plan.
   The diocese expects to close nearly one-third of its churches in the next year.
   The six churches in Lansford and Coaldale will merge into a new parish to be called St. Katharine Drexel. It will be housed in the former St. Michael the Archangel Church building on Abbott Street in Lansford.
   This morning, parishioners at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Lansford applauded as the Rev. Monsignor Lawrence J. Bukaty announced he would be staying to lead St. Katharine's.
   Parishioner Suzanne Rackham said she has confidence in the Diocese's decisions.
   "The church knows what's best for the church," she said. "The Holy Spirit will guide us."
   [COMMENT: Is He back from a long vacation? ENDS.]

• Hughes visits closing church

- RCs defending their local church.
   The Times-Picayune, By Bruce Nolan, Sunday, June 01, 2008
   NEW ORLEANS (LA) -- New Orleans Archbishop Alfred Hughes celebrated Mass on Saturday in an Uptown parish he has ordered closed in a few months, then stayed to absorb a barrage of civil but passionate criticism during dozens of one-on-one encounters with tearful, angry and skeptical parishioners who have vowed to resist his decision.
   Even as Hughes stood surrounded by members of St. Henry Church in their gymnasium after Mass, many others stuffed cash in buckets marked for contributions to a parish legal defense fund.
   Alden Hagardorn, a parish lay leader, said parishioners have retained a church lawyer to try to reverse Hughes' decision to close St. Henry, in the 800 block of Gen. Pershing Street, before the end of the year.

• FIRST ON 2: Mt. Home Priest returns after allegations of sexual misconduct

[≤ 2007 Covarrubias*] - RCC. Adult
   2 News, By Adam Rodriguez, ~ June 01, 2008
   MOUNTAIN HOME (ID) -- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise said Father Raul Covarrubias returned to Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish Saturday after an eight-month absence.
   Covarrubias was put on leave last September after allegations the priest sexually abused a minor. An investigation found Covarrubias had broken no laws. The priest told parishoners he was involved in sexual misconduct with an adult.
   At a parish meeting on Saturday, Bishop Michael Driscoll acknowledged the hurt caused by Covarrubias.
   "… his misconduct has had a major impact on the ministry," Driscoll said.

• DIOCESE CLOSING DOZENS OF CHURCHES

- RCC.
   The Morning Call, By Daryl Nerl | June 1, 2008
   PENNSYLVANIA -- The Allentown Diocese is expected to close nearly a third of its parishes in the next year, leaving small boroughs like Coaldale without a Catholic church and reducing the number of churches in south Bethlehem from five to one, the faithful learned at Saturday night Masses.
   The announcement was not entirely unexpected, coming at the conclusion of a three-year process in which church and lay leaders discussed how to restructure a diocese that has seen attendance drop and its clergy dwindle. But it was nonetheless painful.
   Many learned that they would lose a house of worship where they had been baptized, confirmed and married. At ethnic, or so-called "national parishes," people learned they would lose the church that grandparents had built decades ago after immigrating to America.

• BREAKING NEWS: Diocese announces restructuring plans, priest re-assignments: Comments welcome

- RCC.
   The Republican & Herald, From Staff Reports, 8:15 PM EDT, Published: Saturday, May 31, 2008
   [with map and list of affected parishes]
   PENNSYLVANIA -- According to information obtained by The Republican & Herald, the following parish restructuring plans were announced by the Diocese of Allentown at Masses Saturday evening. The restructuring plans are the culmination of a 2 1/2 year process begun in response to a growing priest shortage. Restructuring plans for a number of Deanery Regions are still being developed.
   A number of priests have also been re-assigned due to the restructuring. The new priest assignments for Schuylkill County are listed below the restructuring plans.
   Tell us what you heard at your Mass this evening, and share your reaction in the "Reader Comments" section below.

• Some Schuylkill County churches learn their fates

- RCC.
   The News Item TIMES SHAMROCK STAFF REPORTS June/01/2008
   PENNSYLVANIA -- The shepherd wants his flock to pray.
   Across the Catholic Diocese of Allentown, priests read letters during Saturday Masses from the bishop, the Most Rev. Edward. P. Cullen, announcing a restructuring plan which includes the closing of 32 churches, more than half of those in Schuylkill County.
   Of the county's 62 parishes, at least 39 will be eliminated, while seven new parishes will be created from some of those closed. Two parishes will absorb others through consolidation.
   Four will not be affected.
   "Our efforts of prayer must be even more fervent. We must pray so the reconfiguring are not harmful to the unity of faith in the diocese," Cullen wrote.
   [COMMENT: Bad recruitment selections, bad supervision, and bad men seduced children, helping to cause the huge financial losses. Didn't RCs pray in the previous 50 or 100 years? ENDS.]

• Catholic Diocese completing major changes

- RCC.
   WIVB ~ June 01, 2008
   BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - The final list is out.
   The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo has revealed the last of the church sites to be part of its restructuring plan in western New York.
   This final round (listed below) affects more than 60 parishes.
   The "journey" started three years ago.
   In response to a shortage of priests, aging communities, and financial concerns.

• Diocese of Buffalo Announces Final Parish Restructuring

- RCC.
   WGRZ, Posted by Thea Tio, Reporter, ~ June 01, 2008
   BUFFALO (NY) -- The Diocese of Buffalo announced Saturday that a number of parishes in the Vicariate of Southeast Buffalo (South Buffalo and Kaisertown-Sloan Clusters), the Vicariate of Northern Erie, and the Vicariate of Eastern Erie will be restructured as part of the "Journey in Faith and Grace," a parish-based strategic planning and spiritual revitalization initiative launched in June 2005 by Bishop Edward U. Kmiec, bishop of Buffalo.
   These changes represent the final in a series of decisions to reimagine parish life throughout the eight counties of Western New York in response to changing times and emerging needs.
   Announcement of the mergers is being delivered to affected parishioners at this weekend's Masses.
   Bishop Kmiec said the announcement of the pastoral restructuring phase of the journey is now 100-percent complete as decisions have been made on all of the 275 weekend worship sites in the diocese when the process began in 2005.
   [COMMENT: "Reimagine" -- now that's a word to respect! ENDS.]

• Diocese Completes Downsizing; 8 More Sites Close

- RCC.
   WBEN, WBEN Newsroom 12:15 AM Sunday, June 1, 2008
   BUFFALO, NY (WBEN) - The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo has completed the "Journey in Faith and Grace," a multi-year effort to reduce the number of worship sites, to better allocate the diocese's dwindling supply of clergy and resources.
   According to a statement from the Diocese, "These changes represent the final in a series of decisions to reimagine parish life throughout the eight counties of Western New York in response to changing times and emerging needs."
   Parishioners are learning the news at Masses this weekend.

• Mergers announced by diocese

- RCC.
   Buffalo News, By Andrew Rafferty and Brian Hayden, NEWS STAFF REPORTERS, 6:48 AM, June/01/08
   BUFFALO (NY) -- Twenty-five Catholic parishes will feel the pinch of the final round of church mergers, the Diocese of Buffalo announced Saturday.
   As part of Bishop Edward U. Kmiec's "Journey in Faith and Grace," more parishes will either merge or link, and others will no longer be used for weekend services.
   Members of 64 parishes throughout Erie County found out their church's fate during Saturday Masses.
   While the Diocese said this is the last in a series of church mergings, the final plan leaves the door open for more closings if some parishes are not able to improve their finances.

• My Turn: Church should be ready to pay more

- RCC.
   Burlington Free Press, By William Cleary, June 1, 2008
   VERMONT -- Why did a Vermont jury hit the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington with not only damages for the person its priest molested, but also $7.75 million to punish the diocese?
   We need only look at how the diocese handled the verdict. The first thing Bishop Matano did was to try to influence the next jury. He claimed the diocese was poor and then brought out the head of the diocese's child-abuse prevention program to talk about what the diocese has done.
   I talked about this with David Clohessy, the head of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests). He thought it untrue and misleading. The Burlington diocese, he reminded me, has known since the '60s that several of its priests were molesting children. Nonetheless, the diocese apparently never really voluntarily reported abuse by its priests.
   Did someone say the abuse of children by priests is no longer going on? One of the bishop's lawyers made that claim. But how could anyone know that? The same root causes are still in existence, however uncertain these are.
   Retired bishop Geoffrey Robinson just wrote a book saying the Catholic Church needs to change 2,000 years of wrong teaching on sex, but he was instantly condemned.
   [COMMENT: The Roman Catholic Church has only existed since it broke away from most of the Churches of the East, so it is NOT right to say it has had 2000 years of wrong sex teaching. In fact, some correct teachings went on for many centuries, but having broken the links it was almost certain the RCC would move further into apostacy. ENDS.]

• Neither despotic nor patriarchal – just faithful

- RCC.
   California Catholic Daily, By Christopher Zehnder, ~ June 01, 2008
   It has been 14 years since Pope John Paul II issued his controversial apostolic letter, Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, declaring that the Church has no authority to ordain women as priests. Though the pope issued the letter "in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance," doubt about women's ordination continues unabated. It still seems a matter open to debate.
   The decree issued last week by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will do little to still the debate. The decree – that "both he who has attempted to confer holy orders on a woman, and the woman who has attempted to receive the said sacrament, incurs in latae sententiae excommunication, reserved to the Apostolic See" – is an important and welcome sign that the Holy See is exercising its role as pastor as well as teacher. However, it will be perceived in many circles as just another exercise of a raw, despotic, "patriarchal" power by the Church, to keep women down.

• "No basis in reality"

- RCC.

   California Catholic Daily, ~ June 01, 2008
   ROME -- In response to a report in the Italian daily La Repubblica that Cardinal Christoph Sch�nborn, Archbishop of Vienna, could become the new prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a spokesman for the archdiocese has told Stephanscom Austrian Radio the rumor is unfounded.
   On May 25, La Repubblica published an article by Marco Politi in which he offered a "general analysis" of the General Assembly of the Bishops' Conference of Italy. Commenting on the rumor about Cardinal Sch�nborn, Politi said a personnel change at the Vatican was possible but that "until the Pope has signed off" on any changes, "everything is subject to question."
   The German daily Der Standard, picking up on the report in La Repubblica, said that if Cardinal Sch�nborn were to take the post, Cardinal William Levada, former Archbishop of San Francisco, would have to return to the United States.

• Too early to write off the TRC

- Commission likely to raise unrealistic hopes.

   The Edmonton Journal, by Lorne Gunter, ~ June 01, 2008
   CANADA -- Given past experience with federal commissions on aboriginal Canadians, I could reel off a hundred reasons why Ottawa's five-year, $60-million Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) on abuse of aboriginals in residential schools will fail to find truth or reconcile anyone to anyone else.
   The odds are decidedly against the TRC serving as a catharsis for native Canadians that leads to a healing of their animosity towards whites, or as a bridge between native and non-native Canadians.
   If I had to bet, I'd put my chips on the commission making things worse by June 2013, when it is slated to wrap up.
   Rather than being a salve for jagged aboriginal views of non-native society, of history and of land claims, I am predicting the commission will serve as an amplifier for First Nations' discontent.

• Reardon Victim Goes Public, Blasts St. Francis Hospital

[Dr Reardon] - RCC. 1970 photo remembered. Dishonest cover-up.

   Hartford Courant, By KEVIN HUNT | Courant Assistant Features Editor, June 01, 2008
   HARTFORD (CT) -- On a Sunday afternoon in March 1970, Dr. George Reardon photographed me in degrading, sexually provocative poses in his office at St. Francis Hospital.
   It was just another day for the doctor. Afterward, he stopped at Arthur Drug on Farmington Avenue for a pack of cigarettes and The New York Times.
   Here's what he didn't expect: When I got home, I told my mother what he did to me. She got a lawyer and filed a formal complaint. The medical authorities assured us Reardon would be stopped. They lied. …
   For virtually his entire professional life, Reardon hid behind the protective cloak of St. Francis and its close ties to the Catholic Church. And just in case, police say, he carried a handgun for protection. He lived his life in fear. Yet no one – adult victim, parent, brother or uncle – apparently ever sought revenge. He never spent a day in court, much less a day in prison.

• Critics say CPS failed to foresee nuances

- FLDS.
   Houston Chronicle, By JANET ELLIOTT, Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau, ~ June 01, 2008
   AUSTIN, TEXAS – In the early days of the state's raid on a West Texas polygamist sect's compound, child welfare officials insisted that they were going by the book in removing children from a potentially dangerous living situation.
   Only the numbers made the case unusual, representatives for Child Protective Services repeatedly insisted.
   But that rigid professional compass may have prevented agency officials from thinking about the various "what ifs" in the case and now many people are second-guessing CPS.

• PRIESTHOOD EVOLVES IN RESPONSE TO CRISIS

- RCC.
   San Mateo County Times, By Christine Morente, Article Created 05:38:32 PM PDT, May/31/2008
   MENLO PARK (CA) – In the quiet morning light, Mike Quinn and Jerry Murphy hold their Bibles close to their hearts and do the sign of the cross.
   They pray in hushed tones, and they take turns reading from the holy book's passages inside the comfort of Quinn's bedroom at St. Patrick's Seminary.
   Each phrase is marked with conviction and longing.
   "Oh God, you are my God," said Quinn, the image of the Virgin Mary not too far from his gaze. "For you I long, for you my soul is thirsty. My body pines for you."
   This is the life the two men have chosen.
   Not yet ordained in the Roman Catholic priesthood, Quinn and Murphy say they are destined to a life dedicated to God.
   Quinn can now joke that he once helped people maintain riches when he was an accountant. But as he became involved with the church, he started questioning what wealth really means.
   Quinn decided. "Real wealth is Christ."
   The 55-year-old is expected to be ordained next year. Quinn would join a new breed of older priests who have staved off their callings long enough to have other careers, to date women and even get married.
   The priesthood has evolved and much of it has to do with the years of child abuse and rape that have plagued Catholic churches across the nation.
   These new priests have passed a tough round of background checks, a battery of psychological testing, and training to prevent sexual abuse.
   But the stigma remains attached to a vocation that has always been grounded in trust and reverence.
   [COMMENT: Read more literature from the Middle Ages, please. ENDS.]

• Diocese faces complex choices

- RCC.
   Burlington Free Press, By Sam Hemingway, June 1, 2008
   VERMONT -- Dorothy Whiston was upset when she first learned in 2006 that her Roman Catholic diocese in Davenport, Iowa, was filing for bankruptcy.
   The Midwestern diocese announced it was taking the step after concluding it lacked the funds to resolve a mounting number of lawsuits filed by dozens of victims of clergy sexual abuse, including one claim that a former bishop had molested boys.
   "It was very painful," recalled Whiston, a regular attendee at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Iowa City, Iowa.
   Today, a month after a federal judge approved a bankruptcy reorganization plan for the Davenport diocese and the 105,000 parishioners it serves, Whiston sees things differently. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:55 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Sun June 01, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Mon June 02, 2008 edition:

• Accountant accused of pilfering church offertory

[~ 2000s Mr Opoku -NEW*] - "Winners Chapel." Money.

   Ghana News, ~ June 02, 2008
   GHANA -- The Statesman newspaper on Monday reported that a former accountant of Winners Chapel Ghana, Daniel Opoku, is alleged to have embezzled at least GHc 11,200 from Heritage Academy, a school belonging to and run by the church, as well as several thousands of cedis pilfered from church coffers, usually after church service, when the offertory had not been properly sorted and counted.
   The act, according to the paper, is much against admonitions of the Biblical Ten Commandments against covetousness.
   In separate operations, Opoku is alleged to have forged the signature of the head of the church, Bishop George Agyeman, and that of his Associate Pastor, Maxwell Tweneboa-Kodua, to withdraw GHc15,000 from the church's account at Prudential Bank. That incident is still under investigation.

• Diocese of Allentown closing churches

- Roman Catholic Church (RCC).

   6 ABC, By Walter Perez, (WPVI), June 2, 2008
   [with video]
   ALLENTOWN (PA) -- Catholics attending dozens of churches around the Lehigh Valley will have to find new places to worship.
   The Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown is closing dozens of parishes.
   Most Catholics who spoke with Action News in the Lehigh Valley say they understand why this decision was made, but it doesn't take away from the emotional impact.
   The parish where John Kospiah has been a member since 1956, St. Joseph's, is among those marked for closure. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 9:00 PM]

• Families separated by raid on sect are reunited

- FLDS.
   The Associated Press, By MICHELLE ROBERTS, ~ June 2, 2008
   SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) – More than 400 children taken from a polygamist sect's ranch two months ago began returning to the arms of their tearful parents Monday, hours after a judge bowed to a state Supreme Court ruling that the seizure was not justified.
   "It's just great day," said Nancy Dockstader, whose chin quivered and eyes filled with tears as she embraced her 9-year-old daughter, Amy, outside a foster-care center in Gonzales, about 65 miles east of San Antonio. "We're so grateful."
   Her daughter and four other children were among the roughly 430 children ordered released after two months in state custody, much of it spent in foster care centers. Because siblings were separated at facilities hundreds of miles apart, it will probably take several days for all the families to be reunited.

• Polygamous church to forbid marriages of underage girls

- FLDS.
   USA Today, ~ June 2, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- Hours after children began returning to their parents, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints announced it would now allow girls to marry only if they can consent legally in the state where they live.
   Willie Jessop, an elder of the polygamist sect, said the church will not sanction marriages of underage girls and will counsel its adult members against such unions. But he said that marriages among church members have always been consensual and that the Mormon offshoot has been misunderstood.

• SBC Life special report tackles problem of child sexual abuse

   Baptist Press Posted by Michael Foust on Jun 2, 2008
   [with link to the special report]
   NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--The June/July issue of SBC Life features an eight-page pull-out special report on child sexual abuse aimed at urging churches -- and assisting them in doing so -- to take steps in protecting children from sexual predators.
   The section consists of seven stories, including a heartbreaking testimony from a woman who was sexually abused as a child, a testimony from a former social worker who worked on child abuse cases and an article from the co-founder of a ministry that seeks to educate churches about the problem.
   In addition, the special report -- titled "Protecting Our Children: Accepting the Responsibility, Embracing the Privilege" -- includes practical advice for churches and church members on how to prevent sexual abuse within their congregations -- and what to do if it does occur.
   The special report amplifies resources already available, including one -- www.sbc.net/localchurches/ministryhelp.asp -- that includes a list of ways to prevent child sexual abuse.
   [COMMENT: But, but -- wasn't harming children forbidden by Jesus of Nazareth about 2000 years ago? What changed? ENDS.]

• Texas grand jury may be hearing evidence against polygamous sect

- FLDS.
   The Salt Lake Tribune, By Brooke Adams, Article Last Updated 04:26:29 PM MDT, Posted: 4:37 PM, June/02/2008
   ELDORADO, Texas -- Hours after signing an order releasing FLDS children from state custody, 51st District Judge Barbara Walther arrived at the Schleicher County Courthouse in Eldorado to swear in a grand jury that may be considering indictments related to the polygamous sect.
   By the end of the day, 18 indictments had been issued, although no details were immediately available. The number was more than the usual; it is more typical for five to 15 indictments to be returned, a court clerk said.
   Walther arrived at at the Eldorado courthouse at 12:30 p.m., accompanied by two bailiffs and her court clerk. She left an hour later.
   Allison Palmer, the deputy district attorney for Tom Green County who has been leading the office's investigation into the sect and appearing at related hearings, also was at the courthouse.

• Seven named to seats on U.S. bishops' National Review Board

- RCC.
   Catholic News Service, May 27, 2008
   WASHINGTON (DC), (CNS) -- Two educators, a district court judge, a psychologist and a civic association leader will begin three-year terms on the National Review Board June 1. A judge and another psychologist also have been named to the board for terms beginning June 1, 2009.
   Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, announced the appointments May 22.
   Established by the bishops in 2002, the board reviews diocesan compliance with the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People," oversees diocesan audits on child protection policies and practices, and recommends ways to ensure child protection to dioceses and church-based agencies.
   Joining the boards June 1 are: Ana Maria Catanazaro, an associate professor, director of public health programs and director of La Salle Neighborhood Nursing Center at La Salle University in Philadelphia; Ruben Gallegos, executive director of International Educational Services Inc., a Los Fresnos, Texas-based child care association for unaccompanied minors from Central America; Al Notzon III, recently retired as the director of the Alamo Area Council of Governments in Texas and chairman of the San Antonio Archdiocesan Review Board; Thomas Plante, professor of psychology at Santa Clara University and adjunct clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine; and Judge Geraldine Rivera of the second judicial district of New Mexico's District Court.
   Charles Handel, a psychologist who practices in Cincinnati and is an adjunct professor of psychology at Xavier University, and Anna Moran a judge on the Kenai, Alaska, Superior Court's third judicial district will begin their terms in June 2009.

• Prosecutor appointed to investigate Canadian polygamous community

- FLDS.

   PR-Inside, ~ June 02, 2008
   VICTORIA, British Columbia, CANADA (AP) - British Columbia's top lawyer on Monday appointed a special prosecutor to look into allegations of sexual misconduct within the polygamous community of Bountiful in western Canada.
   Attorney General Wally Oppal said lawyer Terrence Robertson has been appointed to assess the likelihood of criminal convictions in the community, a breakaway Mormon sect of about 1,500 people that practices polygamous marriages long ago abandoned by the mainstream church. The community includes about 500 U.S. citizens. At least one teenager from Bountiful was apprehended by U.S. authorities in April when a sister polygamous community in Texas was raided.
   Oppal has said there have been allegations of sexual misconduct in Bountiful but that nobody has agreed to testify in court. The community was previously investigated in a three-year review that was launched in 2004.

• May 29, 2008 - Clergy Abuse Documentary

- RCC.

   KWMU, ~ June 02, 2008
   [audio]
   UNITED STATES -- A discussion about Jason Berry's documentary on clergy sex abuse and the issues it raises.
   Guests - John Shemleffer, Judical Vicar, Archdiocese of St. Louis.
   Jason Berry, Reporter
   Author and Director of the documentary "Vows of Silence" Author of the books "Vows of Silence" and "Lead Us Not Into Temptation"
   Mary Ellen, Member, Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests and Voice of the Faithful

• Spokane pastor reveals double life

[≤ 2007 Lewis] - Christian.
   KXLY, ~ June 02, 2008
   SPOKANE (WA) - Preaching on Sunday. Doing drugs on Monday.
   That's how former Spokane preacher Herman Lewis admitted to living his life up until a 2007 arrest following a bizarre rampage at Shari's restaurant.
   The admission comes from a taped confession given by Lewis where he admits to using the church as a business tool to get free money and free women.

• High court: Judge was biased in church case

- Baptist.
   The Atlanta Journal-Constitutuion, By STEVE VISSER, June/02/08
   GEORGIA -- The Georgia Supreme Court ruled Monday that a Fulton County judge violated rules of judicial conduct and violated a man's rights by sentencing him to 20 days in jail without letting him defend himself.
   Superior Court Judge Craig Schwall became an "advocate" and took on a prosecutorial role by conducting his own private inquiry into a case involving $47,000 missing from a southwest Atlanta church, the high court ruled.
   The ruling arose from a 2007 dispute involving the finances and control of the Macedonia Baptist Church of Atlanta, a 200-member church in southwest Atlanta.

• Stalinism, Sex Abuse and the Catholic Diocese of Orange

[1970s Lenihan] - RCC. Girl.
   Orange County Weekly Posted by Gustavo Arellano in Ex Cathedra, 5:33 AM, June 2, 2008
   ORANGE COUNTY (CA) -- Under the reign of Orange Bishop Tod D. Brown, the Catholic Diocese of Orange has lied, spun, hid, dismissed, excused, and ignored its shameful sex-abuse scandal--no surprise there. But never in my four years of reporting on the story have I ever encountered such a ridiculous action as the one I'm about to explain.
   Look closely at the picture to the left of this post. It's from the Orange diocese's new history of itself, which I reviewed this week. Pay special attention to the space between the lady and the guy on the farthest right.
   Now, click at the jump to see the original photo!
   Notice anything different? You see that guy where once there was nothing? None other than John Lenihan, one of Orange County's most notorious rapist padres and my childhood priest.
   That's right: the Orange diocese PHOTOSHOPPED A FREAKING PICTURE SO READERS WON'T KNOW THAT IT LET LENIHAN STAY AROUND LONG AFTER HE ADMITTED TO HIS RAPES.
   The snapshot was taken in 2001, when Lenihan was serving as an adviser for the then-developing JSerra High School in San Juan Capistrano.
   Brown didn't seek to laicize him until spring of 2002--almost a decade after he admitted to molesting a 15-year-old girl during the 1970s.

• Shanley retrial would be a question of repressed memory, who cares about the guilt or innocence of a pedophile priest or how it affects his victims.

[Shanley] - RCC. What is the NCRJ?
   City of Angels By Kay Ebeling, ~ June 02, 2008
   BOSTON (MA) -- Robert Costello was steaming mad as he sat behind Paul Shanley in court last week. Not only that the court would consider a retrial for one of the worst pedophile priests in the country, not only at the line of NAMBLA types, "creepy guys" in the row behind him who Costello recognized as Shanley supporters from the criminal trial. The thing that induced rage in Costello was the hearing aid, where was Shanley's hearing aid.
   He and other victim advocates would joke during breaks in Shanley's 2005 trial, Maybe he just has his hearing aid turned off. Now he's in prison and taxpayers have apparently paid for surgery on his ears.
   "The church protected him as a priest when he was getting away with serial pedophilia in Massachusetts and California. Now why is it up to the victims once again to monitor him, pay attention to what he's doing."
   Shanley's new attorney only seems to have come out of nowhere but the National Center for Reason and Justice is paying at least in part for Shanley's Defense. NCRJ say they are "An innocence project for people wrongly accused or convicted of crimes against children."

• Diocese stands down second priest

[O'Hearn / O'Hern*, Peter Brock*] - Roman Catholic Church (RCC).

   Sydney Morning Herald, by Linda Morris, June 3, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- THE Catholic diocese of Maitland-Newcastle has stood down a second parish priest to face a professional conduct investigation.
   Father David O'Hearn, of St Michael's parish, Nelson Bay, was stood aside last Wednesday. He is the second priest to be suspended from duty since September. Parishioners at St Michael's Church were told on the weekend that their priest of four years would "not be involved in his usual parish ministry at this time". His suspension concerned a matter that required "independent investigation".
   The diocese is refusing to specify why Father O'Hearn is under investigation, or how long the investigation will take.

• How to cover the Womenpriests

- RCC.

   GetReligion, Posted by tmatt, ~ June 02, 2008
   One of the biggest problems that your GetReligionistas face week after week can be stated this way: We know that many problems on the religion beat would vanish if reporters had more time to write and were given longer story lengths.
   Trust me, as a columnist who has for 20 years written to a plus-or-minus 10 words assigned length, I know that having room for one or two extra paragraphs of background information would really help.
   That's why it's important to note when reporters – even with short, short stories – manage to avoid words that are wrong and use words that are as right as possible, given the realities of daily journalism.
   So how does that apply to the whole issue of covering the Womenpriests movement and its fight with the Roman Catholic Church?

• Storied I-Team reporter Joe Bergantino departs Channel 4

[Porter] - RCC.
   Boston Herald, By Jessica Heslam, Monday, June 2, 2008
   BOSTON (MA) -- Legendary Channel 4 I-Team reporter Joe Bergantino has left after 22 years at WBZ-TV, the latest iconic news figure to exit the cash-strapped CBS-owned station.
   Bergantino, whose last day was Friday, was the head of WBZ's storied investigative unit.
   "I wasn't fired, wasn't laid off, didn't resign. We began conversations and in the end they offered the option of taking what is essentially a buyout and that's where it's at," Bergantino said this afternoon. …
   In 1992, Bergantino broke the story of former Fall River priest James Porter, who was accused of molesting dozens of children in the 1960s and eventually went to prison. Porter admitted to Bergantino on the phone that he had assaulted nearly 100 children.
   The Porter case triggered hundreds of clergy sex abuse lawsuits against the Boston archdiocese. The station's I-Team spent much of 2002 reporting on those cases.

• Utahn overseeing FLDS trust wants YFZ Ranch documents

- FLDS.
   The Salt Lake Tribune, By Brooke Adams, Posted: 1:12 PM, Article Last Updated June/02/2008
   SAN ANGELO, Texas -- The fiduciary overseeing a polygamous sect's trust wants access to documents seized from the YFZ Ranch -- and to see documents related to its 2003 purchase.
   Bruce R. Wisan, who has overseen the United Effort Plan Trust under a judge's order since May 2005, has filed a motion in Texas that would allow him to look at the ranch documents once a criminal investigation ends.
   Wisan believes the documents may contain information related to UEP assets. A hearing on that request is set for Wednesday before Judge Ben Woodward. Wisan is being represented in the Texas action by San Angelo attorney Sam Allen.
   "We've been told it's a treasure trove of information," Wisan said in a telephone interview.

• Polygamist sect children prepare to return home

- FLDS.
   The Times (United Kingdom), from Chris Ayres in San Angelo, Texas, ~ June 02, 2008
   TEXAS -- More than 400 children from a Texas polygamist sect were preparing to make their way back to a self-sufficient compound outside the town of Eldorado today, after a court brought an end to the largest child custody case in US history.
   An order signed by the Texas District Judge Barbara Walther allowed parents in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) – whose "prophet", Warren Jeffs, allegedly married a 12-year-old girl – to pick up their children from state foster care facilities around the state immediately.
   The children were taken from the Yearning For Zion Ranch almost two months ago, after a woman claiming to be a teenage sect-member called an abuse hotline. It is now thought the call might have been a hoax.

• Controversial priest closes down institute

- RCC.

   The News, ~ June 02, 2008
   POLAND -- Father Henryk Jankowski, a controversial priest from Gdansk, is to close down his institute.
   According to Dziennik, the decision was made after pressure from the new metropolitan bishop of Gdansk, Slawoj Leszek Glodz, who forced Jankowski to do so after scandals connected to the institution.
   Head of the Father Henryk Jankowski Institute, Ryszard Walczak, confirmed that Father Jankowski has decided to withdraw his patronage from the institution, which is to be closed down by August.
   According to the daily, the Metropolitan Bishop Glodz became fed up with the 'immoral conduct' of the young employees of the institute. The allegations are connected to the previous head of the institution, the 26-year-old Mariusz Olchowik.
   After some initial success with launching the Jankowski brand of mineral water, Olchowik became entangled in economic failures and scandals. Media reported that some employees of the institute allegedly frequented expensive brothels.

• Displaced parishioners bemoan closings

- RCC.

   Buffalo News, By Brian Hayden, 6:41 AM, Updated: June/02/08
   NEW YORK -- The telltale signs of area parishes in decline came long before the Diocese of Buffalo's final announcement of mergers and closings.
   Parishioners at Mother of Divine Grace in Cheektowaga first heard rumors of their church shuttering several years ago.
   St. Bonaventure and St. William in West Seneca shared a common weekly bulletin for the last two years.
   And at St. John the Evangelist in South Buffalo, the church pew fixtures that once held worshippers' hats and purses in a more vibrant era now contain "Journey in Faith and Grace" prayer cards that encourage parishioners to be "thankful for the gifts of yesterday" and for strength and courage in the times ahead.

• Zambia: Milingo Conducts Mass in Lusaka

- Abp. Milingo resumes liturgy, healing sessions.

   AllAfrica, The Times of Zambia (Ndola), by Anthony Mulowa, June 2, 2008
   ZAMBIA -- ARCHBISHOP Emmanuel Milingo yesterday conducted his first mass in Zambia since being excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church two years ago and immediately started holding healing sessions expected to last up to Wednesday.
   And the 77-year-old prelate has urged priests who have been excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church to join him and start serving the people.
   Speaking to journalists after the interdenominational mass held at Masiye Lodge in Lusaka, Archbishop Milingo said priests who had been forced out of the Catholic Church should come out in the open and continue serving the Lord.

• Church wrestling with theft prevention

- RC priests, nun, embezzle.

   Buffalo News, By Jay Tokasz, 6:37 AM, June/02/08
   [with link to a compilation of parish and school thefts in Western New York since 2004]
   NEW YORK -- White-collar thefts uncovered since 2004 have cost a combined $1.7 million in four Catholic parishes and a Catholic school in Erie County.
   The parish pilfering isn't limited to Western New York. Church leaders across the country are wrestling with how to prevent what once was thought of as an unthinkable crime.
   One study suggests that embezzlement of funds has cost churches nationwide millions of dollars over the past five years.
   The Archdiocese of Omaha, Neb., has experienced a string of five major thefts since 2006, including two by priests and one by a nun, according to the Omaha World-Herald.

• Government still failing aboriginal children

- Indigenous children.

   The Ottawa Citizen, Published: Monday, June 02, 2008
   Re: PM to apologize for residential schools, May 16.
   CANADA -- As the prime minister prepares to apologize to Aboriginal peoples for the multi-generational harms of residential schools, it is an opportunity for the Ottawa Citizen to re-publish the article authored by Dr. Peter H. Bryce, Health Officer for the Department of Indian Affairs, that appeared in the Citizen on Nov. 15, 1907.
   Dr. Bryce surveyed the health of Aboriginal children in 15 residential schools and found that about one in every two students were dying at the schools from preventable spread of disease.
   Despite Dr. Bryce's articles and his continued advocacy for over 20 years, the federal government did little to improve the situation for First Nations children and the deaths continued. There is no doubt the federal government knew of the deaths -- and the historical record says they did almost nothing to stop it. There is also no doubt that Canadians should celebrate the many Aboriginal peoples who advocated to stop the deaths and abuses and non-Aboriginal people like Dr. Bryce who joined them in the struggle.
   Today, there are three times the number of First Nations in child welfare care than there were at the height of residential schools. The cause is neglect fueled by poor housing, poverty and caregiver substance misuse, often linked to the residential schools and complicated by the fact First Nations children and young people get far fewer government and voluntary sector services than other Canadians.

• DIOCESE OF ALLENTOWN CLERICAL REASSIGNMENTS

- RCC.

   The Express-Times, Monday, June 02, 2008
   PENNSYLVANIA --The following are clerical reassignments affecting parishes in Lehigh and Northampton counties. For the complete list of all of the reassignments announced by the Allentown Diocese visit LehighValleyLive.com.
   The Rev. Msgr. William T. Baker from pastor, St. Lawrence and St. Andrew, Catasauqua, to pastor, Incarnation of Our Lord, Bethlehem.
   The Rev. Richard C. Brensinger from assistant pastor, St. Ann, Emmaus, to pastor, All Saints, McAdoo.
   The Rev. Msgr. John S. Campbell from pastor, St. Bernard, St. Joseph and St. Michael, Easton, to pastor, Queenship of Mary, Northampton.

• Priests move as part of plan

- RCC.
   The Express-Times, By COLIN MCEVOY, Monday, June 02, 2008
   PENNSYLVANIA -- Monsignor Michael Chaback was born and raised in the Ss. Cyril and Methodius Parish. His grandparents on both sides of his family were married there.
   After serving 16 years as pastor of the Bethlehem church -- one of eight in Northampton County to be closed due to diocese restructuring -- Chaback said he is sorry to leave but it was the right move.
   "I've known these people, I've grown up with them," he said. "No pastor wants to leave the people he's been close to in that situation, but all the way around, it's the best decision."
   Chaback is one of 54 pastors or diocese employees being reassigned to a different church building due to the Diocese of Allentown's restructuring program.

• 11 school employees faced student-sex charges in past year

- Public schools, Bible school, accused.
   Tulsa World, By NORA FROESCHLE, June/2/2008
   OKLAHOMA -- During the 2007-08 school year, at least 11 Oklahoma school employees, many of them teachers and coaches, were charged, sentenced or ordered to stand trial for inappropriate sexual conduct with students.
   Most recently, the principal of Bible Fellowship School, 4915 S. Waco Ave., was charged May 21 with second-degree rape of a 17-year-old student, and on Thursday, a Jennings High School teacher's aide was charged with second-degree rape of a 16-year-old student.
   Investigations of possible sexual misconduct by two Vian Public Schools teachers are ongoing, and a Drumright High School teacher was recently suspended and is being investigated by police over accusations that he had sex with a 17-year-old student.
   Fred Berlin, an associate professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, has researched sexual disorders and also treated patients who have engaged in inappropriate sexual relationships with minors. Berlin has served on commissions appointed by the Archdiocese of Boston examining the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic church.

• Members will fight for church

- RCC.
   Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA), By Bronislaus B. Kush, bkush@telegram.com , ~ June 02, 2008
   WORCESTER (MA) – Some members of St. Casimir Church have formally asked Bishop Robert J. McManus to reconsider his decision to close their parish and may take their appeal to the Vatican, if a reprieve by the chancery is not granted.
   "It's a gorgeous church and the parish is very active," said 92-year-old Anna Leseman, a member of Friends of St. Casimir Parish, a group of parishioners trying to keep the Providence Street church open. "I can't believe the bishop wants to shut us down." …
   "We're not interested in attending St. John's or any other parish, for that matter," said Barbara Thompson, another Friends member. "St. Casimir's is our home."
   Members of Friends of St. Casimir wrote a letter May 27 asking Bishop McManus to rethink his decision. The group has also been meeting regularly to discuss ways to keep the parish open.
   The bishop is scheduled to meet with parishioners following the 10 a.m. Mass next Sunday. …
   Peter Borre, a member of the Council of Parishes, a group of Catholics that formed to help parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston that were threatened with "suppression" or closure, warned the Friends at a meeting at Maironis Park in Shrewsbury yesterday that the Congregation of Clergy generally rubberstamps the decisions made by bishops.

• Turlish: End statute of limitations for abuse victims

[Shanley]
   MetroWest Daily News, By Sister Maureen Paul Turlish / Guest columnist, GHS, Posted 12:15 AM, Jun 02, 2008
   MASSACHUSETTS -- The Rev. Paul R. Shanley is an archetypal figure, a product of the clerical system that spawned, enabled and protected him.
   He speaks to the tragic need to change all states' inadequate childhood sexual abuse statutes for the protection of children.
   To even consider that Shanley remained a priest for 43 years after the first credible and official complaint was made to the Archdiocese of Boston in 1961 is appalling.
   Moreover, that he will remain a priest forever, even though he was officially laicized by the Holy See in 2004, because the church teaches that there is some indelible priestly character taken on by the soul during ordination is even more distressing.
   It is insulting to the priests I know, especially those I have met across the country who attempt to minister to two and even three parish communities in rural areas of Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana and Minnesota. These men, these priests, represent the spiritual underpinning of the church I know. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:26 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Mon June 02, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Tue June 03, 2008 edition:

• Minister pleads guilty to charges

[2007-08 McGuigan -NEW*]- Methodist. Guilty. Internet "girl."

   Erie Times-News, BY TIM HAHN, tim.hahn@timesnews.com , June 03, 2008
   MEADVILLE (PA) -- A minister who was once in charge of two Conneautville-area Methodist churches faces up to 28 years in prison after admitting he sent sexually explicit comments and photos online.
   Steven R. McGuigan, 39, of Conneautville, pleaded guilty Monday afternoon in Crawford County court to two counts each of criminal use of a communication facility and unlawful contact with a minor-obscene and other sexual materials and performances. Each of the third-degree felony charges is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
   Agents with the state Attorney General's Office Child Predator Unit filed the charges in early March after accusing McGuigan of sending sexually explicit materials online in December and January. McGuigan thought he was communicating with a 13-year-old girl named Brianna in a Yahoo Messenger chat room between Dec. 10 and Jan. 22, according to the criminal complaint filed by agent David K. Frattare of the Child Predator Unit.

• Mennonite Elder Ordered to Pay for Sexual Abuse: Ontario

[20yrs Bearinger -? NEW*] - Mennonite. Boy.

   Sexual Abuse Claims Blog, Posted by John McKiggan on June 3, 2008
   CANADA -- A founding member of a Mount Forest Mennonite community has been ordered to pay compensation to a man that he sexually abused as a child.
   CTV news has reported that 84 year old Amsey Bearinger is currently serving a two year sentence after being convicted of sexually abusing 17 children over two decades.

• Bergen priest charged with improper contact with woman, 72

[2007 Costa (39) - NEW*] - RCC. Woman (72).

   Newsday, June 3, 2008
   HACKENSACK, NEW JERSEY -- A Roman Catholic priest in Bergen County is accused of inappropriate sexual contact with an elderly parishioner.
   Prosecutors say that after a Nov. 15 church service at St. Anne's Parish in Fair Lawn, Father Edson Fernando Costa forced a 72-year-old woman to touch him in a sexual manner.
   The Archdiocese of Newark placed the 39-year-old Costa on paid leave and reported the incident to authorities. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:28 PM]

• German priest suspended, investigated over child porn images

[2007 Unnamed priest -NEW*] - RCC. Child porn.

   PR-Inside ~ June 03, 2008
   BERLIN, GERMANY (AP) - A prosecutor says a Roman Catholic priest in Germany is under investigation after child pornography was found on the hard drive of his computer.
   Prosecutor Reinhard Baumgart said Tuesday an investigation of the 49-year-old was opened in December and he has been suspended by the church.
   He confirmed a report in the regional daily Westfalenblatt that some 250 pornographic images of children were found on the man's hard drive. The priest from the northwestern city of Bielefeld was not identified.

• Civil complaint filed against Father Ted Oswald

[1988-95 Oswald -NEW*] - Roman Catholic Church (RCC) Sexual abuse. Boy.

   Record-Bee, By Tiffany Revelle--Record-Bee staff, Article Last Updated 09:18:52 PM PDT, June/02/2008
   LAKE COUNTY (CA) -- An investigation is under way after a civil complaint alleging sexual abuse was filed against Father Ted Oswald, according to a Monday press release from the Lakeport Police Department (LPD).
   The Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa reported to the LPD in late May that it had been served with the civil complaint alleging that Oswald committed sexual abuse between 1988 and 1995, according to the release. Oswald served as chaplain for the LPD for two years, and for 11 years at the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
   "This was a civil law suit. A civil complaint is a civil law suit. There was no crime alleged here," Lake County Sheriff Rodney Mitchell said Monday.

• Polish Catholics fund treatment centre to 'cure' homosexuals

- RCC.

   Pink News (United Kingdom), By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk - 10:54, May 23, 2008
   POLAND -- The Roman Catholic Church has helped set up a rehabilitation centre in Poland that attempts to 'cure' homosexuality.
   Last week as countries around the world marked the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) the Polish rehabilitation centre 'Odwaga' opened its doors to the media.
   Among the centre's activities are football lessons for men and cooking classes for women. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:48 PM]

• Camp Ta-Kum-Ta Needs New Home

- RCC.

   WCAX, June 2, 2008
   [with video]
   COLCHESTER, Vermont -- Camp Ta-Kum-Ta is located on the shores of Lake Champlain in Colchester. It operates on nearly 30-acres of prime real estate, which is owned by the Catholic Diocese. But now the Church may have to sell it.
   The church says it must terminate a lease with Camp Ta-Kum-Ta because it's looking at properties that can be sold to pay for lawsuits against the church. This is one of them.

• Braxton initiates dialogue with priests to address differences

- RCC.
   Bellville News-Demcrat, ~ June 03, 2008
   [with link to the letter that Bishop Braxton and the Executive Committee sent to priests]
   BELLEVILLE (IL) -- Bishop Edward K. Braxton and priests will begin a series of meetings this summer in an effort to improve communication.
   Priests in the Belleville Diocese said it was a failure to communicate that led to a recent request by more than half the priesthood for Braxton to step down.
   The meetings will include participation by The Reid Group, a non-profit that bills itself as "…a consultation and mediation service which specializes in assisting Catholic organizations transform challenges into opportunities."

• Belleville bishop to meet privately with priests

- RCC.
   Chicago Tribune, Associated Press, 10:24 AM CDT, June 3, 2008
   BELLEVILLE, Ill. - The Roman Catholic bishop of the Belleville diocese plans to begin meeting privately this summer with the diocese's priests in hopes of smoothing communication.
   Bishop Edward Braxton says in a letter to priests that the goal of the discussions is to improve dialogue and move beyond was has been contentious relations.
   Dozens of the diocese's priests recently requested that Braxton step down, among other things citing the lack of communication.

• Priest accused of criminal sexual contact

[2007 Edson Costa* (39)] - RCC. Woman (72).
   The Star-Ledger, by Russell Ben-Ali / 3:03 PM, Tuesday June 03, 2008
   FAIR LAWN (NJ) -- A priest at a Fair Lawn Catholic church was arrested today and charged with criminal sexual contact after he was accused of forcing a 72-year-old female parishioner to touch him, authorities said.
   Rev. Edson Fernando Costa, 39, of West Orange, surrendered to Fair Lawn police today after detectives obtained a formal statement from his alleged victim, Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli said today in a statement.
   The victim reported the incident first to her pastor at St. Anne's Parish in Fair Lawn and later to the Archdiocese of Newark, Molinelli said. She accused Costa of taking her hand and forcing her to touch him in a sexual manner, the prosecutor said.

• Gone but not forgotten

   Catholic World News, ~ June 03, 2008
   CALIFORNIA -- The OC Weekly's Gustavo Arellano is no friend of the Catholic Church, but in this instance it's hard to dismiss as bigotry the mortar shell he lobs into the lap of the local bishop.
   It concerns a newly published history of the California diocese now headed by Bishop Tod Brown, titled, Diocese of Orange: Learning, Loving, Living Our Faith.
   In the published history, according to Arellano, the photo below appears in illustration of some event in the life of Junipero Serra High School in San Juan Capistrano.

• German priest suspended, faces charges over photos

[2007 Unnamed priest*] - RCC. Child porn.

   Top News (India), ~ June 03, 2008
   BIELEFELD, Germany -- Catholic authorities disclosed Tuesday the suspension of a 49-year-old priest, who is expected to face criminal charges after police found child-sex photographs on his computer.
   The clergyman was removed in November, following complaints, a month before a police raid on the man in December, said Aegidius Engel, a spokesman for the Catholic archdiocese of Paderborn in the north of Germany.

• Subject: It's about protecting our children, not money!

   National Survivor Support Working Group For release: Tuesday, June 3, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- What: It's about protecting our children, not money; and
   It's about reaching out to those injured and silenced by sexual abuse; and
   It's about knowing who the abusers are, where and when they preyed on children; and
   It's about empowering the survivors to speak and teach about the life long damages from sexual abuse.
   Who: Survivor support group salutes brave and inspirational abuse survivors for securing significant non-monetary mandates as part of Davenport Diocese bankruptcy settlement.
   Will more dioceses establish similar mandates?
   The National Survivor Support Working Group ( NSSWG ) praises the courage, perseverance, and community-focused good sense of the Davenport Iowa survivors of clergy sexual abuse for securing precedent-setting non-monetary mandates as part of the recent $37 million Diocese of Davenport bankruptcy settlement. ( Des Moines Register )
   These mandates will enhance the safety of future generations of children, raise the visibility in the Catholic community of the horrifying nature of sex abuse of children by Catholic clergy, and help prevent future abuse.

• Sheriff predicts criminal charges against polygamist sect members

- FLDS.
   Fort Worth Star-Telegram By BILL HANNA, bhanna@star-telegram.com , ~ June 03, 2008
   TEXAS -- Even as children continue to stream back home to the Yearning for Zion Ranch near Eldorado, Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran predicted today that numerous criminal charges will eventually be returned against followers of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS).
   "I believe when all of the criminal charges come forward it is going to be very hard to practice their beliefs within the state of Texas," Doran said. "I believe there are numerous criminal investigations going, and a number of charges will eventually come out of those investigations."
   A grand jury was convened Monday in Schleicher County, but Doran said that panel is only dealing with local issues and is not taking up cases related to child abuse allegations at the sect's compound. He said the Texas Rangers, who are the lead agency in the investigation, are moving deliberately.

• Ex-youth director to serve 4 to 20

[2000s Deal*] - Christian. Internet "child," etc.

   The Enquirer, by Trace Christenson, June 3, 2008
   MICHIGAN -- His lower lip began to quiver and Troy Deal wiped away tears as a judge told him what his prison sentence meant.
   "If you commit a crime and get convicted of it, you have to pay the price," Calhoun County Circuit Judge Stephen Miller said Monday. "And it's sad for you and your wife and your children."
   Not only will the sentence mean Deal is imprisoned, the judge said, but it will deprive him of seeing his children grow and it will place a hardship on his wife, trying to keep the family together.
   But, Miller said, because Deal was convicted he must spend between four and 20 years in prison.
   Deal, 35, was sentenced Monday on 11 counts of using a computer to solicit a child for sexually abusive material, distributing sexually abusive material and communicating with a child for immoral purposes.

• Priests reflect on area's own church mergers

- RCC.
   News Item (ZWire), BY MARK GILGER mark_g@newsitem.com June/03/2008
   PENNSYLVANIA -- The heartaches and challenges now being experienced with the consolidation of parishes in the Diocese of Allentown were very real emotions for area Catholics 13 years ago when churches in the Shamokin and Mount Carmel area were merged.
   Local priests who went through the process in 1995 shared their thoughts about the impending closing of 32 Catholic churches in Schuylkill County.
   "It's a difficult process, but realities have to be faced," said the Rev. Raymond Orloski, pastor of Holy Angels Church in Kulpmont since 1995. "Change is frightening and closing churches is definitely a traumatic change in people's lives. But Catholics must realize that they will still have a church and priest who serves them."
   Orloski is a native of the former St. Casimir Church in Kulpmont, which was part of the consolidation process that the Harrisburg Diocese underwent which led to the formation of Holy Angels Church.

• As troubling as Catholic Diocese's news is, supply of priests is a bigger challenge

- RCC.
   The Morning Call, June 3, 2008
   PENNSYLVANIA -- By the numbers, the restructuring plan announced on Sunday by the Catholic Diocese of Allentown makes sense. With about 272,000 members, Catholics are the largest single religious group in the Lehigh Valley, comprising almost one quarter of the population in four counties. But, the number of priests available to minister to them and to look after the churches, schools and related groups can no longer carry the load. The number of priest in the diocese by this time next year is expected to be 115, or 100 fewer than when the diocese was founded in 1961, and a number too small to maintain the current number of parishes.
   Most dramatically affected are what are called the "national" or ethnic parishes. This is especially so in Carbon and Schuylkill counties, and, in the Lehigh Valley, in South Bethlehem, where five churches will become one. The presence of churches identified as Italian, Slovak or Irish reflects a broader stream of history and Pennsylvania -- that this is a place and nation that welcomed immigrants. Joseph McShea, founding bishop of the Allentown Diocese, wrote in 1961, "All through the 19th century, vast numbers of Catholics poured into the five-county area of this Diocese in a steady flow of immigration from Ireland, Germany, Eastern Europe, and the Mediterranean shores. They came seeking a new livelihood, new freedom, both political and religious. Those faithful Catholic immigrants were already fused in the solidarity of their Catholic faith and in the warmth of the charity of Christ which burned in their hearts. Tenaciously, they have adhered to this sacred legacy through the generations."

• Church closings hit more than the faithful

- RCC.
   The Morning Call By Chris Parker and Daniel Patrick Sheehan | Of The Morning Call, June 3, 2008
   PENNSYLVANIA -- Churches tend to be quiet neighbors, so the impact of losing nearly 50 of them across the five-county Catholic Diocese of Allentown might not be immediately obvious to anyone outside the circle of faithful.
   But the massive church consolidation unveiled over the weekend is more than a Catholic story. Many downtowns, some of them already distressed, will see prominent buildings go dark. The downtrodden will lose places of refuge. Merchants will lose business. Historians and preservationists will lose living museums, places where generations marked milestones of life.
   "This is the unsung part of their greatness," said Gregory Lloyd of the National Coalition of Clergy and Laity in Whitehall, pointing to the central place of houses of worship, Catholic or otherwise, in the life of a town. They have historically been recognized as neighborhood anchors and as sanctuaries in times of trouble.

• Future unclear for Troy parishes

- RCC.
   Albany Times Union, By MARC PARRY, Tuesday, June 3, 2008
   TROY (NY) -- St. Peter's, known as the "mother of Troy parishes," is one of two churches that would close under a plan expected to be presented to the Albany Catholic Diocese this month, according to a person close to the process.
   The plan would merge three of the city's historically Irish parishes -- St. Peter's, St. Paul the Apostle and St. Patrick's -- into one.
   St. Paul's and St. Peter's would close, said the person, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity, with St. Patrick's remaining as the merged parish's worship site.

• June 11 Apology Must Be a Defining Moment in Canadian History

- Churches, Government, and others.

   CNW, June 2, 2008
   TORONTO, CANADA /CNW/ - In a letter sent to Stephen Harper, The United Church of Canada has urged the Prime Minister to ensure that the June 11 apology to residential school survivors and their families is an occasion that will be experienced as a defining moment in the healing of our nation.
   The church's letter also echoes the concerns raised by the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Phil Fontaine, in an open letter on April 22. In that letter Chief Fontaine lamented the absence of direct consultation with Aboriginal leaders and survivors about the content of the national apology.

• Through a Glass, Darkly: Secrecy and the Catholic Church

- Book Nothing to Hide, by Russell Shaw

   InsideCatholic May 27, 2008
   Inside Catholic contributor Russell Shaw's 20th book, Nothing To Hide: Secrecy, Communication, and Communion in the Catholic Church (Ignatius Press), takes a candid and sometimes surprising look at the abuse of secrecy in an ecclesiastical context. In this interview, Shaw, former information director of the Catholic bishops' conference and the Knights of Columbus, explains the book's genesis and the nature of the problem it examines. Nothing To Hide is available from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and other outlets.
   UNITED STATES -- Inside Catholic: What moved you to write a book about secrecy in the Church?
   Russell Shaw: I guess I first became conscious of the problem in 1969, when I went to work for the bishops' conference as director of information. At the time, the bishops' relations with the press were in terrible shape, and much of the tension focused on the bishops' general meetings. They were entirely in executive session, with no reporters and observers allowed in. Yet the bishops invited reporters to come to the meeting and cover it -- which they did, partly by means of briefings and partly by means of leaks. Needless to say, there was no good reason for all that secrecy. The situation was a mess and very harmful to the bishops' own best interests.
   I was one of those who helped get them to open the meetings, starting in 1972. That arrangement worked well for the next 20 years, but starting in the mid-1990s, when I was no longer with the bishops' conference but was covering the bishops as a journalist, I realized that, without any announcement or explanation, they were spending more and more of their meeting time in secret session behind closed doors. Once again, there was no good reason for so much secrecy. So I started writing about that and about secrecy in the Church in general.
   Then came 2002 and the sex-abuse scandal. The cover-ups were a big part of it. Now it was clear that the abuse of secrecy wasn't just counterproductive -- it was capable of doing very serious harm in a very serious matter. I concluded that to do justice to the problem would take a book. Nothing To Hide is the result. …
   But ever since Vatican II haven't we had structures and processes of consultation to prevent what you're talking about -- pastoral councils, finance councils, things like that?
   On paper, yes. But in many places, if not most, they don't seem to be working very well. What did diocesan and parish councils do to detect and prevent sex abuse? Nothing -- evidently they were frozen out, kept in the dark. In lots of parishes and dioceses, nobody knows who the council members are or when they meet or what their agenda is or what they do. There's a common impression that very often -- there are exceptions, of course -- the main role of these bodies is to be a sounding-board and rubber-stamp decisions by the authorities.

• Defrocked priests had served locally

[Beaudet, Plourde] - RCC.
   Morning Sentinel, FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS, ~ June 03, 2008
   MAINE -- The two Maine priests the Vatican has dismissed from the clergy spent parts of their careers ministering in central Maine.
   The Vatican passed down its most severe penalty -- laicization -- to George Beaudet, 69, and Michael Plourde, 57, stripping them of their authority to minister and cutting their ties to church authorities, Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland officials announced Friday.
   Beaudet, who now lives out of Maine, served at Notre Dame in Waterville in 1974 and 1976 to 1978; and Notre Dame de Lourdes, in Skowhegan, from 1987 to 1994. His most recent assignment was at St. Anne in Dexter.
   Plourde served at St. Mary in Augusta, from 1990 to 1992; and St. John the Baptist, Winslow, from 1992 to 1993. He also was the assistant to the lay chaplain at the Augusta Mental Health Institute, now known as Riverview Psychiatric Center, from 1993 to 1994.

• Priest vows to fight civil suit allegations

[1988-95 Oswald*] - RCC. Sexual abuse. Boy.
   Lake County News, by Elizabeth Larson, Tuesday, June 03, 2008
   LAKEPORT (CA) – At the end of his 10:30 a.m. Sunday mass – the biggest mass of the week – Father Ted Oswald stood before his parishioners at Saint Mary Immaculate Church and delivered a shocking piece of news.
   The 63-year-old priest told his flock that he was taking a leave of absence because of a civil lawsuit that alleges he sexually abused a teenage boy between 1988 and 1995.
   He said he couldn't do his work as priest until the lawsuit was resolved, adding that he wanted his day in court.
   Oswald, who has been the parish's priest for 20 years, then asked his church members to pray for him and all involved in the case.
   Lakeport resident Phillip Myers, a pastoral advisory council member who was attending mass that morning, said the reaction to the well-beloved priest's announcement was "absolute astonishment." [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:02 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Tue June 03, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Wed June 04, 2008 edition:

• NBC 10 Investigators Confront Priest About Online Massage Ads

[? 2007-08 Ruk -NEW*] - Episcopalian. Offering sensual bodywork.
   NBC 10, ~ June 04, 2008
   [with video]
   PENNSYLVANIA -- Officials at the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania said they are investigating one of their own priests.
   The action comes after Harry Hairston and the NBC 10 Investigators started asking questions.
   After being contacted by a viewer, the NBC 10 Investigators look into allegations about the actions of a local priest.
   And after months of investigating, Hairston went straight to the priest for answers about his online life.
   "You know, Harry, I wanted you to talk to me first," the Rev. Michael Ruk, of St. Paul's Episcopal, said.
   "But why are you hiding?" Hairston asked.
   "Because I want to talk to you privately," Ruk said.
   That's because what Ruk does in private is something he apparently thought would stay very private, but it didn't -- not after a New Jersey man came across an Internet ad, Hairston reported.
   The ad was on the popular Web site Craigslist.com. It's a Web site people use to sell or buy just about anything.
   "It appeared that the priest in charge of an Episcopal church was selling sex on Craigslist. I was outraged," said a man who only wants to be known as Jake.
   But after discovering it was possibly a priest offering massages with an extra bit of pleasure --"sensual bodywork" -- afterwards, he wanted the public to know everything about Ruk's online life.

• 'I hope Elior Chen departs this world'

[2000s Chen -NEW*] - Judaist (Ultra-Orthodox). Torture regime. 2 children.

   The Jerusalem Post, ~ June 04, 2008
   ISRAEL -- The father of two children who were allegedly severely abused by their mother and several other men lashed out at the leader of the gang, Elior Chen, on Wednesday, wishing that the self-proclaimed rabbi die in prison.
   Chen, 29, turned himself in to Sao Paulo police on Tuesday night.
   "Elior Chen is a dangerous man; I will only be at ease when he is behind bars," the father told Israel Radio. "We cannot know if he will try to do such a thing again. I bless him that he will depart from this world or rot in prison."

• LI priest apologizes, but says he still backs McCain

[2008 Lisante -NEW*] - RCC. Interfered in election campaign.

   Newsday, BY BART JONES | bart.jones@newsday.com , June 4, 2008
   LONG ISLAND (NY) -- A prominent Long Island Roman Catholic priest yesterday issued an apology for endorsing John McCain for president at a Republican fundraiser, but said he'd still do it again - only not during the invocation of an event.
   The Rev. James Lisante, a religion commentator for Fox News Network and a pastor in West Hempstead, came under fire from some, including bloggers, for condemning Barack Obama and backing McCain at the Manhattan event Thursday.
   "One final thing, Lord, I promise," Lisante, dressed in his clerical collar, said at the end of the invocation, a videotape of which was posted on the Internet. "This November could you keep an eye on all of us and see that the change that we embrace comes from Arizona and not Illinois?"
   [COMMENT: The above half-jocular semi-blasphemous invocation brings Christianity into disrepute. ENDS.]

• For an 'Obamacon,' Communion Denied

[2008 Unnamed priest -NEW*] - Interfered in presidential campaign.

   Washington Post, By E. J. Dionne Jr., Page A15, Tuesday, June 3, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- Word spread like wildfire in Catholic circles: Douglas Kmiec, a staunch Republican, firm foe of abortion and veteran of the Reagan Justice Department, had been denied Communion.
   His sin? Kmiec, a Catholic who can cite papal pronouncements with the facility of a theological scholar, shocked old friends and adversaries alike earlier this year by endorsing Barack Obama for president. For at least one priest, Kmiec's support for a pro-choice politician made him a willing participant in a grave moral evil.
   Kmiec was denied Communion in April at a Mass for a group of Catholic business people he later addressed at dinner. The episode has not received wide attention outside the Catholic world, but it is the opening shot in an argument that could have a large impact on this year's presidential campaign: Is it legitimate for bishops and priests to deny Communion to those supporting candidates who favor abortion rights?

• Directorial debut handles heavy subject with humanity

- "Older Than America" and "Honour Thy Father" FILMS

   Edmonton Journal, Mari Sasano, Freelance, Published: 1:33 am, ~ June 04, 2008
   OLDER THAN AMERICA, Rating 4;
   Director: Georgina Lightning
   Starring: Adam Beach, Georgina Lightning, Tantoo Cardinal
   When: Canadian premiere tonight at 7, with Lightning in attendance
   With: World premiere of short film, Honour Thy Father
   Where: Ziedler Hall at the Citadel Theatre - - -
   EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada -- The horror of the treatment of students at native residential schools has been in the headlines for years. The extent of psychological damage on generations of aboriginal children, taken away from their families to be raised in Christian boarding schools, is almost unimaginable. But even though the last survivors of that system are now growing old, the repercussions of the physical, psychological and sexual abuse are still being felt by the descendants of those who were first victimized.
   That is the background to Older Than America, the directorial debut of actor/writer Georgina Lightning. But rather than merely dwell on the past, the film makes a strong case for hope and healing by focusing on the children of the last generation of survivors who are now understanding the issue as adults. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:12 AM]

• Church official: Excommunicated archbishop not drawing large crowds

- Former RC. Abp. Milingo.

   Catholic News Service, By Bronwen Dachs, ~ June 04, 2008
   CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) -- Excommunicated Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo is not drawing the crowds that he used to in his home city of Lusaka, Zambia, a church official said.
   "As archbishop (of Lusaka) he could fill a football stadium, but now he is easily able to use the conference room of the motel he is staying in to hold his healing ceremonies. That tells the story," Father Joe Komakoma, general secretary of the Zambia Episcopal Conference, said in a June 3 telephone interview with Catholic News Service from the Zambian capital, Lusaka.
   While "the media is still fascinated by him," Archbishop Milingo "is largely ignored by Zambian Catholics now that he is no longer a member of the church," Father Komakoma said. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 3:57 PM]

• 'No need to close churches … help is out there'

- Roman Catholic Church (RCC). Closing parishes.

   Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA), by Bronislaus KUSH, Worcester Diary, June 04, 2008
   WORCESTER (MA) -- Catholic parishes are being closed across the country, in large part because church officials maintain that there aren't enough priests to staff the churches.
   But is that really the case?
   Peter Borre, a member of the Council of Parishes, doesn't believe so.
   The council has served for years as a sort of "support group" for members of parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston that have been threatened with closure.
   Mr. Borre met Sunday with some parishioners of St. Casimir's Church on Providence Street, who are hoping to convince Worcester Bishop Robert J. McManus that their parish is viable and should not be closed July 1.

• Advocates for victims of sexual abuse are looking for changes.

[Curran] - RCC. Minors.
   WABI, ~ June 04, 2008
   [with video]
   AUGUSTA (ME) -- Changes to the name of a bridge and two scholarships honoring an Augusta priest who sexually assaulted a child while serving in the Catholic church. Some say it would help all victims of abuse to have the honors revoked.
   IT WAS HERE AT THE ST. AUGUSTINE CHURCH IN AUGUSTA WHERE REVEREND JOHN CURRAN SERVED AS A PRIEST FOR TEN YEARS BEFORE HIS DEATH IN 1976.
   ALLEGATIONS THAT CURRAN SEXUALLY ABUSED MINORS LINGERED AFTER HIS DEATH AS VICTIMS SPOKE OUT…ONE CASE HAS BEEN CONFIRMED.

• Arguments heard in case of New Hempstead rabbi accused of seducing woman

[2001-05 Tendler] - Judaist (Kehillat). "Sexual therapy." Woman.
   The Journal News, By Jay Gallagher, Albany Bureau, June 4, 2008
   ALBANY (NY) -- The state's highest court heard arguments yesterday about whether a claim of emotional distress and breach of fiduciary duty should be reinstated against a New Hempstead rabbi on behalf of a woman who says he seduced her.
   The case involves Adina Marmelstein, a Manhattan woman, and Rabbi Mordechai Tendler, founder and spiritual leader of Kehillat New Hempstead.
   Marmelstein claims the two had a sexual relationship from November 2001 to May 2005 after he induced her into having intercourse "as part of a course of sexual therapy which he represented would lead to her achieving her goals of marriage and children."

• 'Rabbi' Elior Chen turns himself in

[2000s Chen*] - Judaist (Ultra-Orthodox). Torture regime. 2 children.
   The Jerusalem Post ~ June 04, 2008
   ISRAEL -- An Israeli fugitive who is considered to be the ringleader of - and 'spiritual mentor' responsible for - one of the worst child abuse cases in Israeli history turned himself in to Sao Paulo police on Tuesday night. Elior Chen, who calls himself a "rabbi," is expected to be extradited to Israel in the coming days.
   Chen, 29, and his followers are suspected of severely abusing two children, ages three and four, who were beaten with hammers, knives and other implements for months, until the younger child lost consciousness in March.
   They are also suspected of severely abusing other children in the family.

• Portland pastor faces sentencing for sexual abuse

[? 2000s Alvarizares] - Christian. ≥ 3 females.

   OregonLive, The Associated Press, ~ June 04, 2008
   PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A Portland church pastor faces sentencing for sexually abusing female members of his congregation.
   Sergio Alvarizares (al-ver-uh-zar-ez) is scheduled to be in court Wednesday afternoon to hear his sentence.
   Last April, the 39-year-old admitted to a Multnomah County judge he tried to kiss or have sex with at least three female members from his Northeast Portland church.

• In Beantown, a Ritual Compromise

- Catholics of two kinds.
   Whispers in the Loggia, ~ June 04, 2008
   MASSACHUSETTS -- Having been occupied since 2005 by protesting parishioners, a closed suburban Boston parish is going bi-ritual, with a Syro-Malybar priest to offer one Sunday liturgy in the India-born rite (which celebrates its Eucharist ad orientem), and another in the Roman rite:
   The archdiocese is hailing the plan as a testament to improved relations between church officials and the protesters; the protesters are denouncing what they say was a lack of consultation with them about the plan, but say they are happy to share space with a group of Catholics in need and optimistic after an initial conversation with Vadana yesterday.

• Chicago Parish Protests Cardinal's Decision to Remove Pfleger

[2008 Pfleger*] - RCC. Interfered in election campaign.
   Fox News, June 03, 2008
   CHICAGO (IL) -- The decision to remove Father Michael Pfleger, the Catholic priest who berated Hillary Clinton from the floor of Barack Obama's former church, has drawn criticism from members of St. Sabina Church where Pfleger is the pastor.
   St. Sabina President Gerald Stewart said members of the church "wholeheartedly disagree" with Cardinal Francis George's decision and "respectfully request" that Pfleger be reinstated because of the significant impact he has had on the Chicago community.
   Cardinal Francis George, the Archbishop of Chicago, announced Tuesday that Pfleger was to be removed from his post, at least temporarily.

• Crawford County minister pleads guilty to explicit chats with 'teen'

[2007-08 McGuigan*]- Methodist. Guilty. Explicit, photo. Internet "girl."
   Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, By wire report, Wednesday, June 4, 2008
   CRAWFORD COUNTY (PA) -- A minister who pastored two United Methodist churches in Crawford County has pleaded guilty to charges he had sexual contact with an undercover agent posing as a minor girl over the Internet.
   The Rev. Steven McGuigan will be sentenced Sept. 12 and faces a maximum of 28 years in prison. Authorities say McGuigan was involved in explicit sex chatting with an undercover agent posing as a 13-year-old girl and that he displayed part of his naked body on a webcam.

• Priest who mocked Clinton told to take a leave

[2008 Pfleger*] - RCC. Interfered in election campaign.
   The Associated Press, ~ June 04, 2008
   CHICAGO (IL), (AP) – Cardinal Francis George asked a Chicago priest on Tuesday to temporarily step down from his post to "reflect on his recent statements" regarding Sen. Hillary Clinton and her bid for the White House.
   Last week, the Rev. Michael Pfleger mocked Clinton at Sen. Barack Obama's former church, saying the New York senator felt "entitled" to the Democratic nomination for president.
   In a guest sermon at Trinity United Church of Christ, Pfleger pretended he was Clinton crying over "a black man stealing my show."

• Roman Catholic priest, the Rev. Edson Costa, arrested on criminal sexual contact charge in Bergen County

[2007 Edson Costa* (39)] - RCC. Woman (72).
   The Hudson Line, ~ June 04, 2008
   NEW JERSEY -- The Rev. Edson Fernando Costa, 39, of West Orange, a priest in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, has been arrested and charged with one count of criminal sexual contact, a fourth-degree crime, Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli announced.
   Costa was a priest at Saint Anne's Parish in Fair Lawn at the time of the alleged incident. His residence is currently listed as Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, West Orange, though he is not currently listed as a member of the parish's staff.
   The arrest came about as a result of an investigation conducted by members of the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Squad, under the direction of Chief Joseph Macellaro, and the Fair Lawn Police Department, under the direction of Chief Erik Rose.

• There is a Sexual Lie at the Heart of Official Church Teaching

- RCC.
   Voice from the Desert, ~ June 04, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- James Carroll wrote the following book review for the Atlantic Monthly in 1992, 16 years ago and 10 years before the Boston Globe's exposé of Cardinal Law's obstruction of justice, but Carroll has many lessons for us about the clerical culture that spawned the widespread sex abuse of children by Catholic clergy and its cover up by church officials.
   I have added yellow highlighting and bold underlining for emphasis.
   * * * The Cardinal of Repression
   Militant and Triumphant: William Henry O'Connell and the Catholic Church in Boston, 1859-1944
   by James M. O'Toole University of Notre Dame Press, $28.95
   by James Carroll
   AMERICAN Catholics have known what it is to be attacked by the narrow-minded and prejudiced among their fellow countrymen, but the full possibilities of American Catholic contributions to the life of the universal Church have also been under sporadic attack – from Rome itself. For more than a century Catholics who have valued the "American" virtues of democracy and pluralism, and have waited for the Church to become more tolerant of differences, more fully catholic, have been in turn rejected and accepted by those in Church authority. Lately, after the momentous acceptance of American Catholicism under Pope John XXIII and Vatican Council II, in the early 1960s, the cycle has turned again. Repeating a tragic mistake, Roman Catholicism is doing its best to repudiate one of the Church's most promising traditions.
   When Pope Paul VI solemnly reaffirmed the Catholic Church's condemnation of "artificial birth control" in his 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, most observers outside the Church and many inside, especially liberals, thought his reaffirmation was a historic mistake. Today, in Europe and North America, as the Pope's critics predicted would be the case, the prohibition is ignored: polls and birth rates show that Catholic use of contraception is no different from non-Catholic use. In the developing countries of, say, Latin America, where the Church is strong, soaring populations almost certainly have more to do with economic and other cultural factors than with simple acquiescence to papal authority. Yet though it has harmed the Roman Church, Humanae Vitae may have saved Roman Catholicism, by undercutting one of the most misguided propositions the Church ever promulgated as a central tenet of the faith: the doctrine of papal infallibility.
   [COMMENT: Hold on, there were so many mistakes by popes in the history books that infallibility is NOT a central tenet to SENSIBLE RCs. In fact, it was not introduced until the 1800s -- about 1500 years too late to be a Jesus doctrine. ENDS.]

• Woman gets jail for theft

[~ 2000s Ms Kilyanek*] - RCC. Money US $111,693.
   The Detroit News, by Steve Pardo / June 04, 2008
   GARDEN CITY (MI) -- A Garden City woman was sentenced Tuesday to 120 days in jail, five years' probation and ordered to pay $111,693 in restitution under a plea agreement for embezzling from her church.
   Debra Ann Kilyanek, 54, was charged in December after an audit by the Archdiocese of Detroit showed an $111,693 shortfall at St. Dunstan Roman Catholic Church in Garden City. Kilyanek worked at the parish for 10 years as an administrative assistant before being fired. An audit showed she used church accounts to pay auto loans, credit cards and college loans, according to prosecutors.
   She pleaded guilty in March to the embezzlement charges.
   [LOOK BACK: Dec 18, 2007]

• Kerala's godmen on the run

- Rounding them up. One had porn CDs and riches.

   Hard News, Jeemon Jacob , ~ June 04, 2008
   The plethora of godmen that flourished with political support in India's most educated state now find themselves hunted
   Thiruvananthapuram, INDIA -- They were all 'holy men'. In hundred per cent literate and Left-leaning Kerala, they were revered. Politicians consulted them, filmstars added glamour to their aura, musclemen guarded them, artists greeted them and top cops escorted them. The law and order machinery considered them privileged. Nobody touched them since they were well-connected and claimed proximity to senior politicians across party affiliations. Their numbers and their sponsors multiplied over the years. Some of them claimed they had predicted the 2004 tsunami a year before it happened.
   Now all that is lost. The police are rounding them up for various offences. Their hasty fall started when Santosh Madhavan alias Amrita Chaitanya, the first swami to be booked for cheating and wanted by the Interpol, was arrested and his guest house was raided. Police confiscated pornographic CDs from his locker and found records of huge real estate investments amounting to crores of rupees. They also found the uniform of a circle inspector.

• Polygamist case price tag: $7 million

- FLDS.

   CNN, By Ashley Broughton, June 03, 2008
   TEXAS (CNN) -- Removing 460 children from a polygamist sect compound and then reuniting them with their families will cost Texas $7 million, according to the state Department of Family and Protective Services.
   The children were ordered returned to their families this week after the Texas Supreme Court found that the state did not have enough evidence to show that abuse was happening at the Yearning for Zion ranch near Eldorado.
   The price tag includes costs from fighting a court battle to retain custody of the children, attempting to determine their parentage through DNA testing and reuniting the children with their parents.

• Judge's orders aimed to protect Jeffs' daughter from sect member

- FLDS.
   The Dallas Morning News, By ROBERT T. GARRETT / rtgarrett@dallasnews.com (The Associated Press contributed to this report), Wednesday, June 4, 2008
   ELDORADO, Texas – A judge Tuesday set special conditions for the release from state custody of a 16-year-old daughter of polygamist sect prophet Warren Jeffs after the girl's lawyer complained she'd been sexually abused by a man in the group and might be in danger.
   While 397 of the sect's 440 children in the custody of Child Protective Services had been released by late Tuesday, Mr. Jeffs' daughter was the only one accorded special protections, said her lawyer, Natalie Malonis of Flower Mound.
   State District Judge Barbara Walther of San Angelo allowed the girl to be released to her mother, Annette Jeffs, at a Midland foster care facility after ordering the mother to keep her in the San Antonio area where she lives – and away from the alleged perpetrator, a 38-year-old sect member.

• Lakeport priest removed in sex abuse claims

[1988-95 Oswald*] - RCC. Sexual abuse. Altar boy.
   The Press Democrat By Glenda Anderson, Wednesday, June 4, 2008
   LAKEPORT (CA) -- A Lake County Catholic priest has been placed on administrative leave from his church and law enforcement ministries pending an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse of an altar boy more than a decade ago, church and law authorities said Tuesday.
   Father Ted Oswald was suspended Monday from his post at St. Mary Immaculate Church in Lakeport pending an investigation into the allegations, which were made in a civil lawsuit, said Santa Rosa Diocese spokeswoman Deirdre Frontczak.
   The lawsuit, filed last month in Sonoma County Superior Court, alleges sexual misconduct involving a minor between 1988 and 1995, said Dan Galvin, attorney for the diocese.
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Wed June 04, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Thu June 05, 2008 edition:

• 'PERVERT' PRIEST NABBED

[2008, May 29 - Cortez -NEW*] - RCC. Schoolgirl.

   New York Post By ALEX GINSBERG, June 5, 2008
   BROOKLYN (NY) -- A Brooklyn priest was arrested yesterday and charged with touching the breast of a 12-year-old schoolgirl, prosecutors said yesterday.
   Father Augusto Cortez, 44, a member of the Vincentian Fathers order, allegedly fondled the girl last May 29 at St. John the Baptist School in Bushwick, where he was assigned.

• NYC pastor convicted of sexually abusing girl

[1988+ Surin -NEW*] - "Original Church." Girl.
   Newsday, June 5, 2008
   NEW YORK - The Brooklyn district attorney says a minister has been convicted of repeatedly sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl.
   DA Charles Hynes on Thursday announced the conviction of Dieuvais (Doov-WAH') Surin (SUR'-in), a pastor in the Original Church of God of Prophesy.
   Surin could face up to 56 years in prison when he is sentenced on July 9.
   The child, who attended Surin's church, was abused in 1998 and 1999. Sometimes, he waited outside her school and then abused her in his van.

• Priest Snubs Lawyer over Obama Endorsement

[2008 Unnamed priest*] - Roman Catholic Church (RCC). Interfered in presidential campaign.

   NPR, by Nina Totenberg, June 2, 2008
   [with audio]
   CALIFORNIA -- All Things Considered, � Conservative lawyer Douglas Kmiec was denied communion recently at a mass connected with a gathering of Catholic business people. The priest denounced Kmiec's endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama, then refused to give Kmiec communion. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 5:01 PM]

• Pepperdine professor denied communion

[2008 Unnamed priest*] - Interfered in presidential campaign.
   The Malibu Times, By Laura Tate / Associate Publisher / Editor, June 04, 2008
   CALIFORNIA -- A priest denied communion to Pepperdine University professor of law Douglas Kmiec, a conservative Catholic and an opponent of abortion, because he is supporting Democratic nominee Barack Obama for president.
   The story, first circulated among the Catholic community in online blogs and posts mid-May, was taken up by Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. and National Public Radio this week.
   Kmiec, who served both in the Reagan and the first Bush administrations, was asked in April by a conservative Catholic business group to talk about why he chose to endorse Obama. Kmiec told NPR that, at a Mass service before he spoke to the group, the priest began talking about him during the service. He was talking, "in quite explicit terms," Kmiec told NPR, "about the only choice for a faithful Catholic, was one of a pro-life candidate, a fully legitimate pro-life candidate, and that anyone who would contemplate voting for or endorse a candidate otherwise was participating in a grave moral evil." …
   A spokesperson for Cardinal Mahoney told NPR that it was not in the priest's authority to have denied Kmiec communion.

• City cop lashes out at Dunlop

- Dunlop sued in 1996, now won't give evidenc.

   Standard Freeholder Posted By BY TREVOR PRITCHARD, ~ June 05, 2008
   CANADA -- His voice breaking, a high-ranking city police officer on the stand at the Cornwall Public Inquiry Wednesday lashed out at the former cop who sued him and his force 12 years ago.
   Insp. Brendon Wells asked for forgiveness if he appeared "a little sensitive" before suggesting Perry Dunlop's 1996 lawsuit was filled with "slanders" that damaged his personal and professional reputation.
   "I'm extremely disappointed that Mr. Dunlop will not come forward to explain to my family and I why he felt it was necessary -- in pursuit of this multi-million dollar claim -- to spread these untruths," said Wells, a 39-year veteran of the Cornwall Police Service.
   In 1993, Dunlop -- who was then working in the force's drug investigation unit -- learned of a $32,000 settlement between David Silmser and the Alexandria-Cornwall Roman Catholic Diocese.

• House passes aggravated child rape bill

- General community.

   Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA), By John J. Monahan jmonahan@telegram.com , June 05, 2008
   BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS – The House last night adopted a bill to impose mandatory minimum sentences for new crimes of aggravated child rape, but rejected arguments from State Rep. Karyn E. Polito, R-Shrewsbury, to impose a mandatory minimum 10-year sentence for rape of a child with force.
   Ms. Polito argued the mandatory sentence for forcible child rape was needed to send a message that the state is tough on child rapists, guarantee that everyone convicted would serve jail time, and put the state in line with 42 others that have mandatory sentencing laws for child rape.
   "When we see the rape of a child, it should mean a mandatory sentence, not maybe," she said. "We ought to be offering the first, best protection," for the state's children, she argued before the amendment was rejected on a 123-24 vote with all 19 Republicans and five Democrats voting for the amendment.
   Critics, including House Judiciary Chairman Eugene L. Flaherty, D-Boston, argued against Ms. Polito's amendment, saying the state's district attorneys and Attorney General Martha Coakley have all recommended against the 10-year sentencing for forcible child rape. He said those officials, however, support the proposed new sentencing minimums for the new aggravated child rape offenses covering cases involving authority figures, use of a weapon or drugs.

• Former Nicaraguan Official Wins U.N. Assembly Presidency

- Clergyman becomes UN president.

The New York Times, By NEIL MacFARQUHAR, June 5, 2008
UNITED NATIONS (New York, NY, USA) – The Rev. Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, an outspoken leftist critic of the United States and a former foreign minister in Nicaragua's Sandinista government, was elected president of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.

• Sacking Pfleger a disservice to community

[2008 Pfleger*] - RCC. Interfered in election campaign. But Cardinal moved slowere on paedophile.

   Chicago Sun-Times, BY MARY MITCHELL, Sun-Times Columnist, ~ June 05, 2008
   There's good reason for St. Sabina parishioners to be outraged that the Rev. Michael Pfleger is being forced out of St. Sabina.
   CHICAGO (IL) -- On Tuesday, Cardinal Francis George announced that Pfleger was asked to "step back" and take a "couple of weeks" leave from St. Sabina -- a response to the fallout over Pfleger's insulting remarks about Sen. Hillary Clinton during a sermon at Trinity United Church of Christ.
   Although Pfleger, who is both beloved and despised in Chicago, apologized for mocking Clinton -- characterizing her fierce campaign against Barack Obama as an example of "white entitlement" -- it wasn't enough to save him from exile.
   But I'm curious.
   It took just eight days -- and that includes the Memorial Day holiday -- for Cardinal Francis George to react to the fallout.
   George moved a heck of a lot slower when it came to removing the Rev. Daniel McCormack, a pedophile priest, from St. Agatha Catholic Church in 2006.

• The Dreamcatcher Commission

- RCC. Sent girl away from home to a mission school

   Pique, By Jesse Ferreras, ~ June 05, 2008
   CANADA -- Marjorie Natrall seems to remember it like it was yesterday.
   It was 1936. She was eight years old, a young Squamish girl living with her family in a small house on Marine Drive in West Vancouver. One day a Catholic priest visited her home and saw young Marjorie standing behind her mother. "Who's that?" the priest asked. "That's Marji, my daughter," her mother responded.
   "How come she's not in school?"
   Marjorie's mother told the priest that her daughter was very sick and would be better served by staying at home. He was unmoved, telling her that both she and her daughter would go to jail if Marjorie didn't go to school.
   Her mother relented when she learned that her daughter wouldn't be too far off at St. Paul's Indian Residential School in North Vancouver, just a city away.

• Open Letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper from the Honourable St�phane Dion, Leader of the Opposition

- National apology to indigenous victims.
   Liberal, June 5, 2008
   CANADA -- Dear Prime Minister,
   I write to you regarding your government's proposed statement of apology to the survivors of Canada's Residential Schools on June 11th. Such an apology from the Government of Canada is a critical first step in the healing and reconciliation process with Canada's aboriginal peoples. This apology must be treated with the importance and historic consideration it deserves.
   Unfortunately, as in many other instances, Members of Parliament have received only vague answers from both your Minister of Indian Affairs and your House Leader on your government's plan for delivering the Government of Canada's apology on June 11th. I have also been contacted by aboriginal organizations who have expressed a deep concern over the lack of consultation about issues such as the nature, timing and substance of the apology. Surely one week before the scheduled date, out of respect for the survivors, your government should be open about these details.
   I wish to convey my concerns about both the content of the apology and the aspects of the ceremony your Government is organizing.

• Native groups shut out of residential schools apology as draft kept under wraps

- Indigenes not fully consulted.
   Daily Herald The Canadian Press, June 05, 2008
   OTTAWA, CANADA - A spokesman for former students says an official apology for abuse in native residential schools has become a source of more hurt.
   Ted Quewezance (QWAY-zance) says the National Residential School Survivors' Society and the Assembly of First Nations have been shut out by planners in the Prime Minister's Office.
   Stephen Harper is set to officially apologize next Wednesday for decades of abuse in the schools across Canada.
   But Quewezance says neither his group nor the assembly has been consulted on the final draft as expected.

• Accused priest a step closer to trial date

[Mons. Fushek*] - RCC. Allegations, and 2yrs of stalling.

   The Arizona Republic by Jim Walsh - Jun. 5, 2008
   ARIZONA -- After two years of delays and a victory before the Arizona Supreme Court, a suspended Roman Catholic priest finally appears close to having his day in court.
   A date for the trial of Monsignor Dale Fushek on misdemeanor sex charges may be set June 12, when he returns to San Tan Justice Court for the first time since his case was interrupted by two years of pre-trial appeals.
   A cloud of suspicion has been hanging over Fushek, 55, since December 2004, when he named in a civil suit that accused him of watching and performing a sex act on himself while another priest sodomized a 14-year-old boy in 1985.
   Once the second highest ranking official in the Diocese of Phoenix, Fushek was placed on administrative leave and banned from participating in public ministry. In November 2005, prosecutors filed a criminal complaint charging him with misdemeanor sex acts, including indecent exposure, assault and five counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

• Lambert to be back in court Friday

[1995-2003 Lambert] - Independent Baptist. Ritual abuse. Teenage girl.
   Neosho Daily News, By John Ford, Thu Jun 05, 2008
   PINEVILLE (MO) -- A McDonald County pastor facing eight felony charges of child sexual abuse will be back in court Friday morning.
   Raymond Lambert, 52, will be in court at 9 a.m. Friday for a pre-trial conference, to be held in the McDonald County Circuit Courtroom in Pineville. Judge Timothy Perigo will preside. Trial is set to begin June 30 in McDonald County.
   Lambert is charged with four counts of second-degree child molestation and two counts of statutory sodomy. Charges of statutory sodomy and sexual abuse were dropped April.
   The child molestation charges are Class D felonies and carry a prison term of up to four years, if a conviction is reached. Meanwhile, the statutory sodomy charges are Class C felonies and carry a penalty of up to seven years in prison, if a conviction is reached.
   [LOOK BACK: December 4, 2007, and others]

• Sao Paulo police hold rabbi wanted for child abuse

[2000s Chen*] - Judaist (Ultra-Orthodox). Torture regime. 2 children.

   Haaretz (Israel), ~ June 05, 2008
   SAO PAULO, BRAZIL -- Local police yesterday arrested an ultra-Orthodox rabbi suspected of seriously abusing Jerusalem children, one of whom is in a vegetative state.
   Police officers nabbed Rabbi Elior Chen on a street corner in the Bom Retiro neighborhood after conducting an extensive search through the Jewish neighborhood.
   "Apparently he was being protected by the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Sao Paulo, who supposedly didn't know about the accusations against him in Israel," said Menoti Barros de Oliveira, the Interpol sheriff in Sao Paulo. "He was found alone, in the street of Julio Conceicao, so we think he was already separated from his peers."
   Chen is considered the spiritual leader of a Jerusalem sect that was found to have abused young children, two of whom, aged 3 and 4, were hospitalized in March in critical condition.

• NY's top court considers claim of seduction by cleric

[2001-05 Tendler] - Judaist (Kehillat). "Sexual therapy." Woman.

   Newsday, June 4, 2008
   ALBANY, N.Y. - New York's top court is considering whether a 1935 state law that prohibits suing seducers for monetary damages applies to members of the clergy.
   Adina Marmelstein wants the Court of Appeals to reinstate her claim for breach of fiduciary duty against married Orthodox Rabbi Mordechai Tendler. The New York City woman says Tendler talked her into having sex while advising her on personal, legal and financial problems at the Kehillat New Hempstead synagogue in Rockland County.
   In arguments Tuesday, her lawyer _ Lenore Kramer _ said a special fiduciary, or trust, relationship exists in clergy counseling.

• Judge drops four charges against sect leader Jeffs

[Years - Jeffs*] - FLDS. Arranging child marriages. 4 girls.
Tucson Citizen, The Associated Press, ~ June 05, 2008
KINGMAN (AZ) -- An Arizona judge dropped four of eight charges against polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs on Wednesday, saying a state incest law does not apply to the arranged marriages of two teenage girls and their older male relatives. Mohave County Superior Court Judge Steven Conn ruled that the Arizona law only applies if both participants in the sexual activity are older than 18, and that the law does not apply to half cousins. In both of the marriages Jeffs is accused of arranging, the girls were younger than 18 and were their husbands' half cousins.

• Bishop-elect's views on various issues

- RCC. Little Rock Diocese had 2% seducers.
   Fox 16, ~ June 05, 2008
   LITTLE ROCK (AR), (AP) - The Associated Press interviewed Father Anthony B. Taylor, the bishop-elect for the Little Rock diocese, which oversees all Catholic churches in the state.
   Among issues discussed Wednesday: …
   - PRIEST ABUSE: Arkansas has largely been spared from scandals surrounding the Catholic church and abuse by priests. In 2004, a report by then-Bishop J. Peter Sartain showed sexual-abuse complaints were made against only 11 Catholic priests between 1950 and the 1980s. That represents only about 2 percent of the priests assigned to the diocese over those decades.
   Taylor said the church continues to vigorously vet all complaints and credited the work of past administrators of the Little Rock diocese in avoiding the "trauma" that abuse can bring.

• Pastor Sentenced To 3 Years In Sex Abuse Case

[? 2000s Alvarizares] - Christian. 3yrs prison. ≥ 3 females.
   KPTV, ~ June 05, 2008
   [with video]
   PORTLAND, Ore. -- A pastor who pleaded guilty to sexual abuse charges against some of his parishioners was sentenced to more than three years in prison, Wednesday.
   Sergio Alvarizares pleaded guilty in April to five charges that included the attempted sexual abuse of five parishioners and attempted rape.
   He was sentenced to 42 months in prison for first-degree attempted sexual abuse plus four other counts of third-degree attempted sexual abuse.

• Reluctant pastor says 'sorry' to his victims

[? 2000s Alvarizares] - Christian. ≥ 3 females.
   The Oregonian, By AIMEE GREEN, Thursday, June 05, 2008
   PORTLAND (OR) – The Northeast Portland pastor who sexually assaulted five women in his church didn't want to stand up in court and say he was sorry.
   But the terms of his plea agreement made it a requirement.
   "Do I have to?" Sergio Alvarizares asked Judge Eric Bergstrom, in a last-ditch effort to get out of it.
   "Yes," replied the judge.
   And so Alvarizares rattled off the few sentences of his apology letter Wednesday: "I am sincerely sorry for all the sexual contact," Alvarizares read, his voice lacking any emotion

• Ore. pastor sentenced to three years for abusing women

[? 2000s Alvarizares (married)] - Christian. 3yrs prison. 5 women.
   OregonLive, The Associated Press, ~ June 05, 2008
   PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A pastor who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting five women in his Portland church was sentenced to three years in prison.
   Sergio Alvarizares, 39, the former co-pastor of Casa del Padre, a nondenominational Spanish-speaking church, had originally been charged with raping one woman, attempting to rape two others and sexually abusing two others. Last month, he pleaded guilty to attempted rape and third-degree sexual abuse.
   Alvarizares and his wife, who have three sons, had been co-pastors of the church for several years.

• Time Doesn't Make You Innocent

   The Freedom Files by RS Davis (Libertarian) Wednesday, June 4, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- At the end of last month, lawmakers in Springfield, Illinois sent a bill to the governor's desk that would remove the statute of limitations on the crime of rape:
   The House sent the governor legislation that would eliminate the statute of limitations for rape and four other sex crimes as long as victims report the crime within three years and the offender's DNA has been entered into a state database within 10 years of the assault. Such felonies must now be brought within three years.
   It's a good move. You should not be able to get out of such a heinous crime just because some time has passed. For instance, one dirtbag pedophile priest walked in 2004 after raping two boys, simply because the statute of limitations have expired.
   Statutes of limitations are intended to prevent bad prosecutions. The theory is that memory is unreliable in the first place, but memory of something that happened ten years ago is practically worthless.

• Avoiding Another Abuse Crisis

   Zenit, By Karna Swanson, JUNE 4, 2008
   Interview With Psychologist Phil Scrofani
   ARLINGTON, Virginia, (Zenit.org).- The best approach to avoiding another sexual abuse crisis in the Church is to prevent candidates with tendencies toward pedophilia from becoming priests, says psychologist Phil Scrofani.
   Scrofani, who has a Ph.D. in psychology, is an assistant professor and director of clinical training at the Institute for the Psychological Sciences, a Catholic graduate school of psychology in Arlington, Virginia.
   He will be a speaker at the seminar "Psychology Serving Pastoral Ministry," organized by the Institute for the Psychology Sciences, and sponsored in collaboration with the Sacerdos Institute.

• Priest arrested on sex abuse charges

[2008 Cortez*] - RCC. Schoolgirl.
   Empire State News, ~ June 05, 2008
   BROOKLYN (NY) -- Kings County District Attorney Charles Hynes Wednesday announced the arrest of Father Augusto Cortez, 44, on sex abuse charges.
   Cortez, a priest who works with students at Saint John the Baptist School, in Bushwick, is charged with Sex Abuse in the Second Degree, Forcible Touching and Endangering the Welfare of a Child. If convicted, he could face up to a year in jail.
   He is charged with touching a 12-year-old female student's breast May 29.

• Sex abuse allegations shock Lakeport parishioners

[1988-95 Oswald*] - RCC. Sexual abuse. Altar boy.
   The Press Democrat, By Glenda Anderson, Wednesday, June 4, 2008
   LAKEPORT (CA) -- Friends and parishioners of Lakeport Catholic priest Father Ted Oswald were reeling Wednesday from allegations in a lawsuit that he sexually abused a boy he had befriended more than 10 years ago.
   "Everybody's still in shock," said Mark Thevenot, who has known Oswald and attended his Masses for 20 years.
   Oswald has been saying Mass at Saint Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Lakeport for two decades. He used the sermon on Sunday to announce he would be taking a leave of absence because of the allegations. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:39 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Thu June 05, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Fri June 06, 2008 edition:

• Ex-seminarian appears in court

[2000s Mr Gonz�lez Rios -NEW*] - RCC. Child porn.

   Yakima Herald-Republic by Mark Morey, ~ June 06, 2008
   YAKIMA (WA) -- A Tieton man accused of viewing child pornography while he was studying to be a Catholic priest in Oregon is scheduled to enter a plea next month.
   Juan Jose Gonz�lez Rios, 37, made his first appearance in Marion County District Court in Oregon on Thursday. He remains free without bail, but must avoid non-family contact with minors and must stay off the Internet.
   The next hearing was set for July 21, though that could be postponed.
   Gonz�lez's attorney, J.J. Sandlin of Zillah, has said his client is innocent of the felony charges. Multiple people had access to the computer Gonz�lez is accused of using, Sandlin said.

• Church clears priest in sex abuse case

[~ 2006 Pliauplis -NEW*] - RCC court clears him. Boy (17).
   The Journal News, By Gary Stern, June 5, 2008
   NEW YORK -- A Roman Catholic priest who formerly served in Nanuet and Carmel and was removed from ministry in 2006 because of a single accusation of sexual abuse has been cleared by a church court.
   The Rev. Christopher Pliauplis will receive a new assignment from the Archdiocese of New York to go into effect July 1, according to today's "Catholic New York," the newspaper of the archdiocese.
   Pliauplis was serving at St. Patrick's Church on Staten Island when a 17-year-old boy accused the priest of touching him inappropriately. A review board of the archdiocese recommended to Cardinal Edward Egan that Pliauplis be removed from ministry.

• Indian communists target 'tainted' religious leaders

- Rounding them up. One had porn CDs and riches.

   Religious Intelligence (United Kingdom), By Vishal Arora, 4:52pm, Friday, June 6, 2008.
   NEW DELHI, India: Fear and anxiety are running high among religious and spiritual groups in the south Indian state of Kerala, nicknamed God's Own Country, in the wake of a massive crackdown on "fake" spiritual gurus launched by the communist government.
   It is estimated that the "spiritual business" in Kerala is worth more than 200 million rupees (approximately �2.5 million). The minister in charge of the administration of temples, G Sudhakaran, believes that 90 per cent of the gurus "are all thieves and they are all fit to go to jails". Kerala, one of the most literate states of the country, is ruled by the Left Front, led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).
   Kerala's home minister, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, has vowed to "book them all," saying the government had launched a special drive to investigate the wealth amassed by "these so-called spiritual leaders."
   The crackdown began with the arrest of Santosh Madhavan alias Amrita Chaitanya, a temple priest and astrologer, on charges of molesting minor girls and fraud on May 13. Madhavan, who was wanted by Interpol for cheating a Dubai-based Indian woman with more than 4 million rupees (approximately �48,000) in 2002, has a palatial ashram in Kerala's Kochi city. Top politicians, police officials and film stars frequented the ashram. (It is widely believed that godmen and women flourish with the support of politicians.)

• Ottawa Must Listen to Residential School Survivors

- 4 Churches and Government.

   Marketwire, June 6, 2008
   VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA -- PRESS RELEASE--Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver - The First Nations Leadership Council fully supports the Residential School Survivors in BC and across Canada in their important efforts to have their voices, their words and their expectations reflected in the Government of Canada's apology to residential school survivors.
   Such efforts included the BC Indian Residential School Survivors Society who spoke with 1000 survivors about what would make an apology meaningful to them and forwarded their recommendations to the Prime Minister. As well the National Residential School Survivors Society articulated their expectations in a letter to the Prime Minister on May 30, 2008.
   "We welcome the announcement of the long-awaited apology and we strongly urge Canada to recognize, as a fundamental tenet of the apology, what was done was wrong and that Canada accepts full responsibility for the the devastating effects of residential schools," said Shawn Atleo, Regional Chief for the BC Assembly of First Nations. "The survivors of these schools, many of whom have spent decades struggling to cope with their ordeal, are to be commended for their courage and perseverance." [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 9:47 PM]

• Clergy sex abuse victims want to speak in parishes

- Roman Catholic Church (RCC). 25% girls, 20% boys - SNAP.

   Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, ~ June 06, 2008
   OHIO -- Clergy sex abuse victims and their supporters are asking some 60 southeastern Ohio Catholic priests and Steubenville's Catholc bishop to let them speak to parishioners in churches.
   The request comes from leaders and members of a Chicago-based national support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. SNAP's goal is to "heal the wounded and protect the vulnerable."
   "One in four girls and one in five boys will be sexually abused. We just want to help parishioners be better able to detect abuse and respond appropriately when it happens, no matter who the predator happens to be," said Judy Jones, SNAP's Southeastern Ohio director. "We simply want to educate parishioners about this horrific, on-going crisis inside and outside the church - and help them better understand how to help those who have already been wounded and how to safeguard those who are at risk of being wounded."

• Pinoy priest in US sex scandal says final Mass

[≤ 2007 Abano] - RCC. Misconduct.

   Kakammpi News (Philippines), ~ June 06, 2008
   WOODBRIDGE, NJ – A popular parish priest accused of sexual misconduct won't be returning to his parish, but would be given a chance to say his final mass before departing for the Philippines.
   Reverend Edgardo Abano, 52, of St. Frances Cabrini Church in Piscataway is leaving the church, but would celebrate mass for the last time on June 8.
   The website www.saveourpastor.org states that Abano's 12 noon farewell mass will be held at the St. Frances Cabrini school gym followed by a farewell reception in the cafeteria. The website was created by his supporters in a bid to clear the pastor's name.
   Abano, well loved in his parish, was arrested in October of 2007 on charges of sexual misconduct.

• Dallas' Catholic bishop on priests publicly politicking: Don't.

- RCC.

   The Dallas Morning News, by Jeffrey Weiss, ~ June 06, 2008
   DALLAS (TX) -- So we've had a Chicago priest reprimanded by his bishop for dissing Clinton in support of Obama at a Protestant church. And a New York priest whose bishop has had no public reaction to him dissing Obama in favor of McCain from the podium of the state GOP confab. The differences aren't surprising. While outsiders view the Catholic Church as sharply hierarchical, the truth is that individual bishops have astonishing autonomy. Archbishops and Vatican agencies can exert influence, but the management chart for every bishop has a single solid line -- straight to the Pope.
   I wondered whether Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas has offered guidance to his priests on this subject of public partisan politicking. The answer at the jump. (Hint: Just say no.)

• St. Stanislaus board votes to disband itself

- Ethnic parish council gives in.

   Fort Mill Times, By CHERYL WITTENAUER, June 06, 2008
   ST. LOUIS (MO) – The lay board that oversees a predominantly Polish parish at odds with the Archdiocese of St. Louis has voted to disband itself.
   The vote Thursday at St. Stanislaus Kostka church in St. Louis will allow parishioners to elect a new board at a meeting in August.
   The parish has been involved in a long dispute with Archbishop Raymond Burke, who has asked the Vatican to defrock the priest, The Rev. Marek Bozek.
   Both the board and Bozek have been declared excommunicated.

• Board dissolved in rebel St. Louis parish

- Poles knuckle under.
   Catholic World News, Jun. 6, 2008
   ST. LOUIS (MO), (CWNews.com) -- Just three weeks after the Vatican upheld the decision by St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke to excommunicate them, the directors of a schismatic parish have voted to dissolve their board.
   Meanwhile one of the eight lay board members disciplined by Archbishop Burke has met with the archbishop, professed his loyalty, and been restored to full communion with the Church.
   The dissolution of the board of St. Stanislaus Kostka parish came on June 5, after a contentious meeting during which some board members had pushed for the dismissal of the pastor, Father Marek Bozek. After the board reached a deadlock in a 3-3 vote, Father Bozek himself cast the deciding ballot on a resolution to disband the board and ask parishioners to elect a new board.

• Pro-life law professor stunned by priest's refusal of Communion

[2008 Unnamed priest*] - Interfered in presidential campaign.

   Catholic News Service, ~ June 06, 2008
   WASHINGTON (CNS) -- For Pepperdine law professor Douglas Kmiec, a constitutional lawyer who often writes on religion in the public square, the situation had uncomfortable echoes of the last presidential election cycle -- a priest was refusing to give Communion to someone on the basis of the man's support of a candidate.
   This time, though, the surprised Massgoer turned away by a priest was Kmiec himself.
   The former dean of the law school at The Catholic University of America in Washington is an architect of the Reagan administration's stance against abortion whose pro-life credentials include serving as keynote speaker at the March for Life's annual Rose Dinner a few years ago.
   When the priest upbraided the law professor from the pulpit for his endorsement of presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and then refused to give him Communion, Kmiec was stunned, he told Catholic News Service June 4 in a telephone interview.

• FRIENDS OF ST. CASIMIR MEET IN PREPARATION FOR BISHOP'S VISIT

- Lithuanian parish awaits visit.
   Friends of Saint Casimir's Lithuanian Parish, ~ June 06, 2008
   [with links to a letter to the parish and a petition]
   WORCESTER (MA) -- The Friends of Saint Casimir's Lithuanian Parish met at Maironis Park for several hours this afternoon, accompanied by Peter Borr� of the Council of Parishes and Bronislaus Kush of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, to discuss plans for the Bishop's visit next Sunday. In addition, plans for the next step of the appeal process were discussed in anticipation of Bishop McManus' refusal to reconsider. A parish letter has been prepared to remind parishioners of the importance of this occasion.

• St. Casimir group will ask bishop tough questions

   The Catholic Free Press, By Tanya Connor, ~ June 06, 2008
   WORCESTER (MA) – Bishop McManus' visit to St. Casimir Parish after the 10 a.m. Mass Sunday will be an occasion for parishioners to welcome him, not a time to make problems, according to Frank P. Statkus.
   Mr. Statkus is chairman of "Friends of St. Casimir's Lithuanian Parish," a committee of parishioners trying to keep the parish open. He is also the parish finance committee chairman and vice president of the parish council.
   "It's a special occasion when a bishop comes under any circumstances," said David M. Moulton, a Friends committee member and director of music. He said some parishioners may wear native costumes and pray for the bishop in Lithuanian on Sunday.

• Survivors take steps towards healing

[Decades - 4 Churches and Government] - Indigenous people.

   The Daily Graphic, Posted By Leah Kellar, ~ June 06, 2008
   CANADA -- Residential school survivors from local First Nations communities came out to release their pain and be empowered yesterday.
   Survivors were invited to tell their stories during the Residential School Survivors Empowerment Gathering, a two-day event to promote healing, health and legal understanding, which continues today at the Keeshkeemaquah Conference and Gaming Centre on Long Plain First Nation's urban reserve east of Portage la Prairie.
   "I am a survivor. I still speak the language frequently. When I arrived (at the residential school) I didn't know a word of English, but I'm a survivor and I want to keep our story alive," said Cecil Desjarlais, from Long Plain prior to a pipe and healing ceremony where survivors could publicly share the story of their experience of residential schools.
   "We want to encourage our survivors to tell the story and we want to give them strength, encouragement and healing when they do tell have to tell their stories at court hearings," said Jacqueline Daniels, a band councillor for Long Plain First Nation and an organizer of the event.

• Annual Appeal update and plea

- Less RC donors, and giving less per head.

   Catholic Sentinel, By Archbishop John Vlazny, ~ June 06, 2008
   OREGON Back in February I asked the Catholic people of this archdiocese once again to support our Archbishop's Catholic Appeal for ministries and programs here in western Oregon. The theme for this year's appeal was "Strike the Rock and the Water will Flow." The waters of generosity, compassion and charity have been flowing across the archdiocese the past few months. I am very grateful to all of you who have already made a contribution but I humbly acknowledge that we need to keep "striking that rock," because the flow has not been as strong as we hoped.
   After the twelfth week of this year's appeal, pledged donations were $256,169.00 short of last year's pledges at the same time. Moreover, there were also 1,415 fewer donors and the average gift was slightly less than what was pledged in 2007. This downturn in support is a bit discouraging, but there still is plenty of time to turn it all around.

• John Urell Leaving

[Mons Urell]
Orange County Weekly, Posted by Gustavo Arellano in Ex Cathedra, 11:52 AM, June 6, 2008
ORANGE COUNTY (CA) -- Monsignor John Urell, longtime pedophile protector in the Catholic Diocese of Orange, announced last week he's leaving St. Norbert's in Orange (where he currently serves as pastor) for St. Timothy in Laguna Niguel. In a letter he read to parishioners two weeks ago and reprinted in this past weekend's St. Norbert church bulletin, Urell gave no real explanation other than "I know it is time for me to go and use my talents and abilities in a new place and with a fresh start."

• Excommunicated St. Stanislaus member reconciles with Archbishop Burke, Church

- RCC.

   St. Louis Review, ~ June 06, 2008
   ST. LOUIS (MO) -- Edward Florek, excommunicated in December 2005 for being part of the St. Stanislaus Kostka Corporation board of directors that fought Archbishop Raymond L. Burke over parish restructuring, privately met with the archbishop this week and was reconciled with the Church.
   Florek, 63, a St. Stanislaus parishioner for 33 years since coming from Poland, said he broke ranks with the St. Stanislaus board in March. He told the Review he had concluded that Father Marek Bozek, whom the board hired as its pastor after the archbishop recalled the parish's priests in 2004, was leading the parish away from Roman Catholicism. …
   When they met, Florek said, he prayed the Nicene Creed with the archbishop then took an oath of loyalty to him and the Catholic Church. For that, Florek was "restored to the full communion of the Roman Catholic Church," according to a decree from Archbishop Burke.

• Beitas file $2M slander lawsuit against CGT

- Christian Gospel Temple.

   The White House Watch, By JOHN FERGUSON, Watch Editor, ~ June 06, 2008
   TENNESSEE -- One of the women who filed a civil lawsuit earlier this year against Christian Gospel Temple has filed an additional lawsuit against the church, claiming slander, libel, and false light invasion of privacy.
   According to the lawsuit filed with the Robertson County Circuit Court Clerk on May 29, Jennifer Meier-Beita and her husband Paul have alleged that representatives for the Christian Gospel Temple, in response to the televised news stories about the original lawsuits, "launched a retaliatory campaign designed to discredit and defame the Plaintiffs and falsely portray them as child abusers."
   The lawsuit reads, "On May 19, 2008, acting through its members and leaders, CGT falsely reported to the Tennessee Department of Children's Services that the Plaintiffs had committed acts of child abuse against their children."
   The lawsuit then claims that Steve Brumfield, a public relations representative retained by Christian Gospel Temple, contacted reporters from the Associated Press, Channel 5, and Channel 4 on May 19 and 20, who allegedly reported that Paul Beita had been arrested for child abuse.

• Vatican ordains Czech Republic's first married Roman Catholic priest

- RCC reverses its man-made rule for another man.

   Radio Prague, www.radio. cz/en/ article/ 104856 , By Rosie Johnston, 14:19 UTC, June-06-2008
   [with audio]
   CZECH REPUBLIC -- The Vatican has just ordained father of four Jan Kofroň into the Roman Catholic priesthood. This makes Mr Kofroň the Czech Republic's first ever married Roman Catholic (Western Rite) priest. But this is not the first time that Father Kofroň has been ordained. He was originally made a priest in 1970s communist Czechoslovakia, where he subsequently worked illegally in the country's underground church. Following the revolution, the Vatican declared his ordination invalid, but in recent weeks, it has reversed its decision.

• Former parish may be transferred to Syro-Malabar community

- RCC.

   The Pilot, By Antonio M. Enrique, Posted June/6/2008
   FRAMINGHAM (MA) -- The Syro-Malabar Eparchy of the United States may soon establish its first parish in the Archdiocese of Boston, at the site of a former parish.
   A priest from the eparchy will start residing at the rectory of St. Jeremiah Church in Framingham this month and he will be using the facilities to serve the Syro-Malabar community in the area.
   Father Kuriakose Vadana, a priest from India who is a parochial vicar at St. Julia Parish in Weston and a priest for the mission of the Syro-Malabar eparchy, will also provide a Sunday Mass in the Latin rite at St. Jeremiah's, according to a June 2 statement from the archdiocese.

• Another victim sues diocese and priest

[1960s DeLuca] - RCC. Settlement reached for 1 case. No. 2 alleges early 1960s.
   WDEL, By Peter MacArthur, ~ June 06, 2008
   WILMINGTON (DE) -- Another lawsuit's being filed against the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington and a former priest accused of sexually abusing a boy who went to his church.
   The plaintiff in the case is a 52 year old man, John Doe #2 as he's called in the suit, claims that in the early 1960's, the Reverend Francis DeLuca tried to kiss him and had sex with him more than a hundred times.
   The suit claims that because of a shortage of priests at the time, there was a cover up which allowed clergy members like DeLuca to work at new locations rather than be fired and face charges.

• He Who Has the Gold Rules

- RCC, and perhaps others.
   Reform Network, ~ June 06, 2008
   The following commentary from my California pal Jim Jenkins first appeared on the Voice of the Faithful Notes and Discussion (VOTFND) YahooGroup. It's presented here with Jim's permission.
   Folks:
   I have to admit that confronting bishops is not a very high priority for me because we have long since passed the point of diminishing returns on that strategy. This is not to say that we shouldn't speak truth to power - remember we call ourselves VOICEotf.
   I believe that we should treat the bishops, and their clerical minions, in a manner that reflects the reality of most Catholics' relationship with them: bishops are basically irrelevant to our lives. We, i.e., American Catholics of every stripe, need to get on with the task of enabling the future "people's church" that is currently evolving into existence.
   I have often thought about what it will take for true reform to occur for the Catholic church. Jesse Jackson, the civil and human rights advocate, once said: "The golden rule of politics is 'he who has the gold, rules!'"
   First, we have to understand that the situation in the Catholic church is foremost a political issue, namely the aging celibate guys, who make all the rules and all the decisions, do so because they have complete control of the church's money.
   As an American general once said (very crudely), "When you have them by the b–s, their hearts and minds will follow."
   Once the folks in the pews take control of the money, the clerics will experience an epiphany about a whole host of issues from celibacy, reconciliation with survivors, the role of women, birth control, the selection of bishops and priests, transparency, respect for diversity of ideas and opinions, etc., etc., etc.
   Once the folks in the pews have control of the retirement funds and healthcare insurance for all the aging priests, we will see less and less of the narcissistic arrogance which has become the trademark of far too many clerics.

• Crest parishioners urge bishop not to close church

- RCC.

   Press of Atlantic City, By TRUDI GILFILLIAN, 609-463-6716, Published: Friday, June 06, 2008
   WILDWOOD CREST (NJ) -- Two months have passed since Bishop Joseph A. Galante announced plans to combine the Church of the Assumption with St. Ann's in Wildwood, but parishioners' disappointment about that decision remains high.
   The church is appealing the decision, and its members have sent many letters to Galante expressing their displeasure.
   "We are dead set against merging Assumption with St. Ann's at this time," said Nicholas Nastasi, a member of Assumption's parish council and organizer of the effort to maintain the parish.
   Nastasi said 1,300 families in the church have signed petitions asking the bishop to reconsider.
   "These voices must be heard," Nastasi said.
   Now, Galante is planning a visit to the church during a public meeting June 11 to hear those concerns in person.
   "Because I value you, I would like to meet with you to hear your specific concerns about the planned reconfiguration to share my reasons for this merger with you and to try to reconcile the concerns cited in your correspondence and communications," Galante wrote in a letter to the parish.

• On the "Other" Docket

- RCC.
   Whispers in the Loggia, ~ June 06, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- (CORRECTED) Lest anyone missed it -- and, admittedly, I did until a perceptive pal phoned yesterday -- the first draft of the agenda for next week's June Meeting of the US bishops in Orlando included the little matter of "a recommended structure for dialogue between priests and bishops on the church's handling of sexual abuse allegations."
   Some might see the move toward dialogue as another fruit of the papal visit, but a sit-down on the issue of allegations and their handling -- often the touchstone for the hit taken by priest-bishop relations in dioceses across the country since the Dallas "zero tolerance" norms -- has actually been in the works for some time.
   In a change from the original plan, the "recommended structure" has already been worked out among the bishops and, instead of showing up on the floor, will see its first spin on the national level: the conversation's slated to kick-off during the plenary over dinner between bishops and priest-observers credentialed for the event.

• Attorney General finds improved cooperation in diocesan audit, though issues remain.

- RCC.
   Voice of the Faithful, by Carolyn Disco, Survivor Support Chair, NH Voice of the Faithful, June 05, 2008
   NEW HAMPSHIRE -- The third annual state audit of the Diocese of Manchester's implementation of its sexual abuse policy found an improved "tone at the top," marked by openness and a more cooperative attitude on the part of diocesan officials. The welcome positive findings followed a difficult year in which Bishop John McCormack initially refused to participate in a fourth audit, an action the state was willing to litigate if necessary. McCormack changed his mind, perhaps in response to unfavorable press over prior negative audit results.
   That was the essence of the report by New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly Ayotte and Associate Attorney General Kristin Spath to about 60 people at a Voice of the Faithful meeting last month. It was the attorney general's third appearance before the group, continuing an annual tradition of updating members on the state's progress in monitoring diocesan compliance.
   Ayotte gave generous credit to McCormack and his staff – "even Fr. (Edward) Arsenault," highly criticized in the previous audit – for significant enhancement in cooperation, and cited that as the most heartening development of all. The attorney general said there was an apparent breakthrough when McCormack decided it was more productive to work on what needs to be done, instead of fighting the state by dragging one's heels. The turnaround is particularly evident in the bishop's decision to participate in the fourth audit, though he may have realized he would have probably lost in court. Nonetheless, greater diocesan receptivity to recommendations and feedback, without disruptions, signals a much better working relationship.

• Law Prof Denied Communion for Supporting Obama

[2008 Unnamed priest*] - Interfered in presidential campaign.
   ABA Journal, By Debra Cassens Weiss, ~ June 06, 2008
   CALIFORNIA -- Pepperdine law professor Douglas Kmiec says he was denied communion because he supports Barack Obama, a candidate who backs abortion rights.
   Kmiec, the former dean at Catholic University law school, told National Public Radio that he was asked to speak at a church about why he supported the candidate. Before the speech, the priest denounced Kmiec, saying those who support pro-choice candidates were "participating in a grave moral evil," Kmiec said.
   The priest held a mass and when Kmiec presented himself for communion, the priest shook his head from left to right. "I said to him, 'I think you're making a serious mistake, Father,' and he said, 'I don't think I've made any mistake,' " Kmiec told NPR. Kmiec said his wife left the church in tears.

• Remarks of Daniel Bartley, President of Voice of the Faithful, on the presentation of the organization's "Priest of Integrity" Award

- Bp Robinson honoured.
   Voice of the Faithful, May 22, 2008
   MANHASSET (New York) --It is my great honor and privilege to present Bishop Robinson with the Voice of the Faithful Priest of Integrity award.
   You should know that you are a tremendous source of encouragement to those who are working so hard, such as those present here this evening, to heal and transform our beloved church.
   After reading your book and again after listing to you this evening I realized that any words I say would pale in comparison to the wisdom you have so courageously offered.
   For example, you have said:
   It is necessary to confront rather than manage the causes of abuse--with openness, humility, honesty and compassion – so that it doesn't happen again. We are all imperfect members of an imperfect church….but – dedicated to promoting a better church, a church that is not contrary to the mind of Jesus Christ. We need to be a healthy people in a healthy relationship to a healthy God which entails a constant search and openness to the truth. We are all on this journey together. If the Catholic Church is to regain some credibility after the many scandals of sexual abuse, it must first learn to speak with humility, intelligence, realism and compassion about all aspects of human sexuality

• GLYNN: Lewiston church aids Falls parish merger

- RCC closures.
   Niagara Gazette, By Don Glynn, ~ June 06, 2008
   NEW YORK -- The past several months have been traumatic for countless Catholics whose churches were closed and their parishes merged.
   Known as the Journey in Faith and Grace, the eight-county Buffalo Diocese plan was to address the acute shortage of priests, declining attendance at Mass and the drop in population throughout Western New York.
   Some people, unfortunately, still struggle with bitterness over their shuttered landmark churches that were so much a part of their lives.
   Amidst those difficult days for them, however, one parish not affected by the current diocesan downsizing is reaching out to help members of two other parishes that merged.

• 'Ringleader' in J'lem abuse case could be extradited in weeks

[2000s Chen*] - Judaist (Ultra-Orthodox). Torture regime. 2 children.

   The Jerusalem Post, By ETGAR LEFKOVITS, ~ June 06, 2008
   ISRAEL -- The suspected ringleader and spiritual mentor in one of the worst child abuse cases in Israeli history, who is currently under arrest in Brazil, will decide only next week whether he agrees to be extradited back to Israel, his Israeli attorney Ariel Atari said Thursday.
   'Rabbi' Elior Chen, 28, was apprehended by Brazilian police on a residential street in Sao Paolo on Tuesday night after his local lawyer called Brazilian police with information about his whereabouts, officials said.
   A Justice Ministry spokeswoman said Thursday that they were waiting for Chen's response to the extradition request.
   Israel and Brazil do not have an extradition treaty, but law enforcement officials from the two countries have been working hand-in-hand on the case since an international warrant for Chen's arrest was issued in April.

• Church Sex Abuse Cases Continue in Brooklyn

[1988+ Surin*] - "Original Church." Girl.

   Brooklyn Daily Eagle, By Ryan Thompson, ~ June 06, 2008
   JAY STREET – A 72-year-old pastor from the Original Church of God of Prophecy was convicted yesterday of sodomizing and sexually molesting a little girl on numerous occasions.
   Dieuvais Surin was convicted on all 22 counts of sexual abuse that he faced. He began with taking the little girl into his van, where he fondled her in 1998. On subsequent occasions, he made her perform oral sex and various other perverted acts on him. These incidents occurred in the pastor's van and apartment, and in the basement of the church.
   Surin often waited outside the little girl's middle school in Brooklyn, and on eight occasions, he then took her into his van and sodomized her.

• Former Opus Dei accountant at Warrane College writes to Sydney priests seeking support for his unfair dismissal after blowing the whistle on alleged irregularities

- RCC. Opus Dei dispute.

   Catholica, ~ June 06, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- The editor of Catholica has been aware for several days of a fairly sensational email that has been circulated to Sydney priests by a former Sydney-based Opus Dei accountant at Warrane College, Dennis Dubro. We have now confirmed the authenticity of the email and are able to provide the following details, including the text of the email…
   Background
   The background to this story appears to be a court case in New York where Dennis Dubro a physicist and former long-serving member of Opus Dei has had a case dismissed on a legal technicality where he was seeking damages from the organisation for fraud and breach of contract. Mr Dubro has been seeking wider support for an enquiry and settlement of the injustice he feels has been inflicted on him. Catholica is also aware that the story has been picked up in the Spanish language press but to our knowledge Catholica is the first to break the story in the English speaking media.
   The Opus Dei prelature has long had management responsibility for Warrane College – which is the Catholic residential college within the University of New South Wales.
   Following is the text of the email that has been circulated to priests and others in the Sydney region.

• Alleged sexual abuse victim identified

[1988-95 Oswald*] - RCC. Sexual abuse. Altar boy.

   Record-Bee, by Tiffany Revelle, ~ June 06, 2008
   LAKE COUNTY (CA) -- Tracy resident Christopher Griego filed a complaint alleging sexual abuse by the Rev. Ted Oswald known informally as "Father Ted" with the Sonoma County Superior Court in September 2007, according to court records.
   The Santa Rosa Diocese and Lake County District Attorney's Office are investigating the allegations of a complaint alleging that the abuse happened between 1988 and 1995.
   The diocese has 30 days to respond to a civil suit filed against Oswald and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Santa Rosa Daniel Walsh, according to the diocese's attorney Dan Galvin. It was amended May 5, 2008 to name Oswald and Walsh as defendants.
   "The plaintiff alleges that he was an altar boy," Galvin said.

• "My Obama-heresy"

[2008 Unnamed priest*] - Interfered in presidential campaign.
   California Catholic Daily, ~ June 06, 2008
   CALIFORNIA -- An April incident in which a priest denied communion to Pepperdine University law professor Douglas Kmiec at a Mass for the Ventura/LA North chapter of Legatus, a group made up of well-to-do Catholics in business, has made it onto the pages of the Washington Post.
   Kmiec, a former legal counsel to presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and who once served as dean of the law school at the Catholic University of America, stunned many of his Catholic colleagues in March when he endorsed Barack Obama for president in an article written for Slate magazine.
   On April 18, less than a month after Kmiec's endorsement of Obama appeared on the pages of Slate, an unnamed college chaplain refused to give him communion at the Legatus meeting. "Kmiec said Catholic bloggers told him he had excommunicated himself for supporting Obama," wrote syndicated religion columnist Cary McMullen on May 24, citing a Kmiec essay elsewhere on the Internet. "Then, at a Mass before a dinner at which Kmiec was to speak, he said, 'a very angry college chaplain excoriated my Obama-heresy from the pulpit at length and then denied my receipt of communion.'"

• Lawsuit against diocese, priest seeks millions in damages

[1988-95 Oswald*] - RCC. Sexual abuse. Altar boy.
   Lake County News Written by Elizabeth Larson, Friday, June 06, 2008
   LAKEPORT (CA) – A Tracy man has filed a civil lawsuit against the Diocese of Santa Rosa and a local priest, seeking millions of dollars for damages he alleges he suffered due to sexual abuse.
   Christopher Griego, 31, of Tracy filed a lawsuit in Sonoma County Superior Court on Jan. 2 in which he alleged he was sexually abused as a child. However, in that initial filing he did not specifically name anyone, referring only to a "John Doe," according to court documents.
   On May 5, his attorney – Richard Simons of Hayward – filed an amended complaint naming the diocese and Lakeport priest Father Ted Oswald.
   The diocese's attorney, Dan Galvin of Santa Rosa, said Griego is seeking just over $2.5 million in total damages – from psychological and emotional damages, to current and future medical expenses and earnings losses. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:39 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Fri June 06, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Sat June 07, 2008 edition:

• Denver pastor pleads in insurance fraud case

[? 2000s Phillips -NEW*] - Christian. Money US $500,000.
   The New York Times, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, June 6, 2008
   CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) -- A prominent Denver-area pastor accused of falsifying insurance documents to funnel money to church groups he controlled pleaded guilty Thursday to felony theft and was sentenced to serve probation and pay restitution.
   In exchange for the guilty plea by the Rev. Acen Phillips, Arapahoe County prosecutors dropped 12 other counts against him, and AIG Life Insurance Co. dropped a federal lawsuit.
   Phillips was sentenced to eight years' probation and ordered to pay $500,000 in restitution. He was also sentenced to perform 100 hours of community service and told to attend a theft-offenders class and a victim empathy group.

• Italy Gay Pride March Protests Against Government And Church

- Roman Catholic Church (RCC).

   The New York Times, ~ June 07, 2008
   ROME (Reuters) - Some 10,000 dancing and singing homosexuals and gay-rights supporters marched through Rome on Saturday, many of them chanting slogans against the Vatican and Italy's conservative new government.
   The yearly Gay Pride march took on added political significance because city officials denied a request for the march to end with a rally near the Basilica of St John's in Lateran, the pope's cathedral in his capacity as bishop of Rome. …
   Berlusconi and the Vatican see eye-to-eye on many issues and his government's relationship with Church is much more cordial than that of the previous government.
   "Berlusconi kisses the pope's slipper and says 'yes' to everything. We risk a theocracy and clerical dictatorship," said Franco Grillini, a homosexual who was a parliamentarian in the previous government. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:31 PM]

• Horrific abusive crimes perpetrated by UN "Peacekeepers"

- Global community.

   Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, June 02, 2008
   It is beyond heart-breaking to read of the horrific abusive crimes perpetrated by 'peace-keepers' and aid workers on perhaps the most helpless children of all: those in war zones and dire poverty.
   For years, US bishops claimed there simply could not be a national Catholic child sex abuse policy because each bishop is largely autonomous. Today, Southern Baptist officials make the same bogus claim about their churches. In both cases, these are poor excuses to leave kids at risk of devastating, life-long harm.
   So too is the UN claim that because soldiers come from individual nations, the UN can't effectively monitor or discipline them. Where there's a will, there's a way. It's just that simple. The United Nations has proven that it can respond well to crises and move heaven and earth when motivated. It must act decisively now to protect the already physically and emotionally wounded Third World kids being victimized again by alleged 'helpers.'

• Pounding the polygamy beat

- FLDS.
   GetReligion, Posted by Mollie, ~ June 07, 2008
   TEXAS -- When Texas judge issued an order Monday allowing the parents in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to begin picking up their children, I noticed that the CNN headline was:
   Polygamist moms can pick up their kids
   That was at 12:54. By 1:36, it was changed to
   Polygamist parents OK'd to pick up their kids
   That's a good change. The FLDS had put the mothers of the siezed children front and center as part of a smart public relations move. Putting the older fathers out there would have just reminded the public of the polygamy and age differentials. It's smart for the FLDS to highlight the mothers but the press shouldn't follow suit. The original headline is a small example of the many problems we saw with media coverage of the sect. Frankly, much of the coverage was sensationalistic, unreflective and about an inch deep.
   In a sea of horrible coverage, one reporter in particular is an exception. Brooke Adams has been covering polygamous families for the Salt Lake Tribune for years. Day after day, she reports hard news and keeps a blog devoted to the subject.

• Excommunication dropped for one St. Stan's board member

- "Schismatic" apologises.

   St. Louis Post-Dispatch By Tim Townsend, June/08/2008
   ST. LOUIS (MO) -- Three weeks after the Vatican upheld the excommunication of the original Stanislaus Six, the St. Louis archdiocese said Friday that one of the board members had been granted absolution from his excommunication and is now back "in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church."
   Edward Florek, 63, who was a member of the lay board of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church from 2004 until 2007, met with St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke earlier last week .
   Florek "expressed his deep sorrow and regret over the harm which his schismatic activity, as a member of the Board of Directors, has caused, and promised to do everything possible in the future to promote the communion of the Church through obedience to her legitimate authority," Burke said in a statement.

• Priest accused of molesting teen cleared by Vatican

   Staten Island Advance By LESLIE PALMA-SIMONCEK Saturday, June 07, 2008
   STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Catholic priest who was removed from ministry at St. Patrick's Church two years ago following allegations that he molested a 17-year-old boy has been cleared of any wrongdoing by the Vatican.
   The Rev. Christopher Pliauplis, 59, who was in charge of the religious education program for the Richmond parish, has been reassigned to St. Patrick's Cathedral, and will begin work there July 1, according to his attorney, Mario Gallucci. "I was never more satisfied with a decision," Gallucci said. "No way did he do what he was accused of."
   The decision by the Congregation of the Faith, the Vatican office that has jurisdiction over allegations against priests, ends two years of uncertainty Father Pliauplis, who insisted in 2006 that he was innocent. He declined to speak to the Advance yesterday.

• Allegations against priest investigated

- Episcopalian.
   Bucks County Courier Times, By BEN FINLEY, ~ June 07, 2008
   PENNSYLVANIA -- The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania is investigating whether one of its Bucks County priests offered massages "with something extra afterwards" on an online classified site, according to Daniell Hamby, the dean of Episcopal priests in Bucks.
   The priest under investigation is 34-year-old Michael Ruk. He is the priest-in-charge of two churches in Falls – St. Paul's in Levittown and All Saints in Fallsington. On Wednesday, Ruk voluntarily stepped down from his duties at the two Bucks churches as the diocese conducts its investigation, Hamby said.
   Earlier this week, Philadelphia's NBC10 alleged that Ruk was possibly the person behind an online ad posted on craigslist.org in April offering "sacred and sensual body work" for men. The ad said it was posted by a 28-year-old male in Philadelphia.

• Local cases behind decision to audit parishes

- Embezzling US $1.017m
   Milwaukee Journal Sentinel By TOM HEINEN theinen@journalsentinel.com Posted: June 6, 2008
   MILWAUKEE (WI) -- Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan's recent announcement that all 211 parishes in the 10-county Catholic archdiocese must undergo professional financial audits to ensure sound stewardship was based not just on national trends but also on local history.
   The Catholic Mutual Group, which insures the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, paid $1,017,000 in parish embezzlement claims from 1997 through early 2008, according to the archdiocesan Parish and School Financial Services Office.
   "Since 1997, Catholic Mutual or the archdiocesan parish finance office or both have been involved in the review of 19 parishes with suspected financial theft or mismanagement by employees," said Katie Hoeller, director of the office. "Although authorities were called in on many of them, most were either not pursued by the parish; restitution was made and the case was dropped; or the police determined that there was insufficient information to proceed."

• Priest accused of sex abuse living in Bonita Springs

[Beaudet] - RCC. Children.
   News-Press By Pedro Morales, pmorales@news-press.com , June 7, 2008
   BONITA SPRINGS (FL) -- A Roman Catholic priest from Maine defrocked by the Vatican last week for allegedly sexually abusing children is living in Bonita Springs.
   George W. Beaudet, who lives on Colony Road, worked in nine Maine parishes before being removed from public ministry in 2000 after at least one abuse allegation was brought against him, according to the Survivor Network of those Abused by Priests.
   The Vatican investigated Beaudet and several other priests before he and another priest were laicized May 30, according to media reports.
   Reached at his home Beaudet was noncommittal: "I've never been convicted of anything."

• Leader of sect plans hunger strike

[2006-07 Bent, aka Travesser, aka The Messiah] - "Righteousness Church." 3 girls. 4 charges.
   Santa Fe New Mexican, ~ June 07, 2008
   CLAYTON (NM) – The leader of an apocalyptic sect accused of sex crimes against underage female followers said Friday that he will not eat until state child welfare workers return a teenager who was removed from the sect's compound.
   Two teenage girls and a boy were taken from the compound in northeastern New Mexico in late April by the state Children, Youth and Families Department after the allegations were raised against Wayne Bent, 67, who heads The Lord Our Righteousness Church.
   Bent, who calls himself Michael Travesser, has been indicted by a grand jury on two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

• Residential schools: reliving a painful past

- Indigenous children.

   Vancouver Sun, www.canada. com/vancouver sun/features/ apology/story. html?id=4218 f9b6-2870- 4f93-8c12- fd371e469432 ; by Catherine Rolfsen, ~ June 07, 2008
   METRO VANCOUVER, CANADA -- Holding an umbrella against the spring drizzle, Joe Aleck wandered through the Mission park that stands in the place of so many of his memories.
   Little more than ruins and a cemetery of battered crosses remain of St. Mary's Indian Residential School.
   "This was the boy's residence," Aleck said, standing before a concrete outline filled with long green grass.
   "All the boys were on the third floor. The second floor was the infirmary and medicine room," he said. "The first floor was the offices and the chapel."
   Aleck, a 76-year-old member of the Sto:lo First Nation, is about the best person you could have as a guide through the remnants of St. Mary's, B.C.'s longest-running residential school.

• Leading California Catholics urge Australian bishop to cancel tour promoting book on clergy sexual abuse

- Hierarchy want to stifle Bp Geoff Robinson.

   Los Angeles Times, By Duke Helfand, June 7, 2008
   LOS ANGELES (CA) -- Four of California's leading Roman Catholic bishops, including Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony, have taken the extraordinary step of urging an Australian bishop to cancel a monthlong tour of the United States to promote his controversial new book about clergy sexual abuse.
   Following direction from the Vatican, the California religious leaders and eight other prominent bishops around the country have asked former auxiliary Bishop Geoffrey Robinson of Sydney to steer clear of their dioceses because of his "problematic positions" on priestly celibacy and other issues.
   In his book, "Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church: Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus," Robinson argues that the church's celibacy requirement has contributed to the sex abuse crisis. He openly criticizes the papacy for failing to provide leadership. And he wonders whether the Catholic Church has been more concerned with managing the scandal than confronting it.
   Those positions have put Robinson squarely at odds with church leaders on three continents.

• Australian bishop calls on Catholic Church to take a serious look at sensitive issues

- RCC. What he saw opened Bp Geoff Robinson's eyes.
   Seattle Times, By Janet I. Tu, Seattle Times religion reporter, ~ June 07, 2008
   SEATTLE (WA) -- After years spent listening to the stories of sexual-abuse victims and leading the Australian bishops in their response, Bishop Geoffrey Robinson started writing.
   The resulting book, in which the retired prelate from Sydney calls on the Catholic Church to take a serious look at sensitive issues such as mandatory celibacy, has not exactly been welcomed by many of his peers. Ditto his book tour, which began last month and features a stop in Seattle today.
   Seattle Archbishop Alex Brunett was among several American bishops who sent a letter asking Robinson not to appear. A cardinal at the Vatican requested he cancel his trip.
   And Robinson's fellow Australian bishops issued a statement saying they had "doctrinal difficulties" with his book, central to which is "a questioning of the authority of the Catholic Church to teach the truth definitively." [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:06 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Sat June 07, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Sun June 08, 2008 edition:

• Senior priest faces probe

[~ 2000s Mr Tamani -NEW*]- Methodist. Money.

   Fiji Times, By SAKIASI NAWAIKAMA, Monday, June 09, 2008
   FIJI -- THE Methodist Church in Fiji has launched an internal investigation into claims of discrepancies in the audited accounts of one of its educational institutes.
   Parents and teachers of Suva Methodist Primary School have questioned the transparency and accountability of the school board, chaired by a senior minister of the church.
   Methodist Church general secretary Reverend Ame Tugaue said the church was carrying out an internal investigation and has asked the school bursar and manager, Taito Tamani, to step aside during the course of investigation.

• Crown alleges priest was 'risk-taker' in abusing boys

[1971-77 + 2006 Br. Roger Moloney* (St John of God Order)] - RCC. 2006 fought extradition. 11 boys.

   Christchurch Court News By David Clarkson. Marylands Trial, Day 1, ~ June 08, 2008
   NEW ZEALAND -- The crown alleges that Brother Roger William Moloney was "a risk-taker", sexually abusing boys in reasonably open areas while he was effectively headmaster at the Marylands Special School, Christchurch, in the 1970s.
   The former prior of the Order of St John of God in Christchurch has gone on trial today before Justice Graham Panckhurst and a jury.
   Eleven complainants who were all boys at the school are alleging he committed 30 sexual abuse offences against them over a six-year period from 1971-77.
   Moloney, 71, denied all the charges on the first day of his three-week trial. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:47 PM]

• Austin lawyer pushes Baptist churches to confront sexual abuse

- Baptists. Christa Brown's story.

   American-Statesman, By Eileen E. Flynn, for Monday, June 09, 2008
   AUSTIN (TX) -- On the Web site she designed to help victims of clergy sexual abuse, Christa Brown keeps a time line of her efforts to confront Baptist church leaders with her claim that she was molested by a youth minister in North Texas four decades ago.
   Every few paragraphs, an icon of a hurdle appears in the text to symbolize the setbacks the Austin lawyer, 56, says she has encountered: wrangling with church lawyers, dealing with systemic blindness and finding aggressive resistance to change.
   Despite her shy, private nature, Brown has become the public face of victims of abuse who hope to force the Baptist church to acknowledge their allegations and take concrete action to identify and sanction abusers.
   As the Southern Baptist Convention, the country's largest Protestant denomination, prepares for its annual meeting this week in Indianapolis, the issue that Brown has championed will be aired more openly than it has in past meetings. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 11:26 PM]

• MARTINI CALLS FOR CHURCH REFORM

- Roman Catholic Church (RCC). Cardinal Martini says to ordain married men, women.

   Rentapriest, http:// rentapriest. blogspot. com , by Juan G. Bedoya, El Pa�s, http://www. elpais.com/ articulo/ sociedad/ Martini/pide/ reforma/ Iglesia/ elpepisoc/ 20080525 elpepisoc_ 3/Tes ; May/25/2008
   Web Editor's Note: Translation from the Spanish by Phoebe, formerly known as Rebel Girl.
   "The Church must have the courage to reform itself." This is the main idea of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini (Turin, 1927), one of the great contemporary church leaders. With praise for the Protestant reformer Martin Luther, the Cardinal asks the Catholic Church to consider the possibility of ordaining viri probati (married men, but of proven faith), and women. It also calls for an encyclical to end the prohibitions of Humanae Vitae, issued by Paul VI in 1968 with severe censorship in matters of sex.
   Cardinal Martini has been rector of the Gregorian University of Rome, archbishop of the largest diocese in the world (Milan) and papabile. He is a Jesuit, has published books, written for newspapers and debated with intellectuals. At the Synod of European Bishops in 1999, he called for the convocation of a new council to finalize the reforms put on the back burner by the Second Vatican Council, held in Rome between 1962 and 1965. Now he is back in the news because his book, Jerusalemer Nachtgespr�che (Nocturnal Talks in Jerusalem), has been published in Germany (by the Herder publishing house) -- the spiritual testament of a great thinker. Georg Sporschill, also a Jesuit, is co-author. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 11:24 PM]

• Hundreds gather for accused priest's farewell Mass

- Farewell to Fr. Ed.

   Home News Tribune, By LALITA ALOOR AMUTHAN, June 8, 2008
   PISCATAWAY (NJ) –Cooled only by paper fans in the midday heat in the sweltering school gym, hundreds of parishioners and supporters from neighboring parishes gathered Sunday to say goodbye and good luck to "Father Ed."
   About 500 supporters turned out as the Rev. Edgardo D. Abano, pastor at St. Frances Cabrini R.C. Church, gave his final Mass in the parish.
   The priest, who has been on a leave of absence since he was accused of -- but not indicted for -- sexual misconduct, is leaving his post at the church, despite the vocal support of parishioners.

• New Hempstead, NY - Court: Synagogue Breached Its Contract With Its Rabbi, When It Fired Him

[2001-05 Tendler] - Judaist (Kehillat). "Sexual therapy." Woman.
   Vos Iz Neias, June 08, 2008
   NEW HEMPSTEAD, NY - In the long awaited decision, The Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court ruled in a decision dated June 3, 2008 that the Kehillat New Hempstead breached the contract of Rabbi Mordecai Tendler when they terminated him in February, 2006.
   The court stated: "In May 1992 the plaintiff entered into a contract with the defendant…The Parties' contract expressly provided that the Congregation could not terminate the plaintiff's employment as its rabbi "unless" it had obtained prior authorization from a rabbinical court…While implicitly conceding that it terminated the plaintiff as its Rabbi sometime before February 27, 2006, the Congregation contends that it obtained the required rabbinical court ruling authorizing such action. However, the rabbinical court ruling upon the Congregation relies is dated March 21, 2006…Accordingly, the plaintiff established, as a matter of law, that the Congregation breached the contract."

• Appellate Court Unanimously Rules in Favor of Rabbi Mordecai Tendler

[2001-05 Tendler] - Judaist (Kehillat). "Sexual therapy." Woman.
   PRWeb, June 8, 2008
   NEW YORK (PRWEB) -- In the long awaited decision, The Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court ruled in a decision dated June 3, 2008 that the Kehillat New Hempstead breached the contract of Rabbi Mordecai Tendler when they terminated him in February, 2006.
   The court stated: (http://www.nycourts.gov/reporter/3dseries/2008/2008_05067.htm) "In May 1992 the plaintiff entered into a contract with the defendant…The Parties' contract expressly provided that the Congregation could not terminate the plaintiff's employment as its rabbi "unless" it had obtained prior authorization from a rabbinical court…While implicitly conceding that it terminated the plaintiff as its Rabbi sometime before February 27, 2006, the Congregation contends that it obtained the required rabbinical court ruling authorizing such action. However, the rabbinical court ruling upon the Congregation relies is dated March 21, 2006…Accordingly, the plaintiff established, as a matter of law, that the Congregation breached the contract."
   Rabbi Tendler argued that reliance upon a document purporting to be a Rabbinical Court decision authored by Benzion Wosner, of Monsey, New York was untenable inasmuch as it was dated after his termination. Rabbi Tendler was not involved in any such proceeding at any time. In fact, he was never advised of the existence of Wosner's so called "rabbinical court" action until it surfaced in the litigation as an apparent pretext for his termination.

• Cda e spintarelle nel regno della Curia

- RCC and the Establishment.

   La Repubblica, pagina 21, sezione: CRONACA, 25 maggio 2008
   GENOVA, Italia - C' � sempre stato il rosso nella storia di Genova. Quello degli stendardi della Repubblica Marinara, pi� di recente nelle bandiere del Pci, che nel capoluogo ligure aveva una sua roccaforte. Ma in questi ultimi anni a risplendere � il rosso degli zucchetti, le papaline dei cardinali. I politici, gli imprenditori e gli affaristi coinvolti nell' inchiesta sulle mense, che millantino o no, nei loro dialoghi intercettati una verit� la raccontano. Oggi, a Genova, chi � in cerca di aiuti, accelerate, appalti, poltrone, favori, non si rivolge pi� al politico di turno. Anche chi ha un passato, o un presente, a sinistra, tenta comunque di agganciarsi al carro della Curia. E c' � un nome che ricorre in un paio di episodi giudiziari: Tarcisio Bertone, Segretario di Stato della Santa Sede.
   [translation]
   Board of directors and recommendations in the reign of the Curia (Repubblica – page 21, section: CRONACA, May 25, 2008)
   GENOA, Italy - The red was an ever present color in the history of Genoa. It was in the ensign of the glorious seafaring Republic between the X and XII centuries and in the near past it was present in the flags of the Italian Communist Party, for which Genoa represented the stronghold in the Liguria region. But in recent years the most visible red is the one which is shining on the Cardinals' skull caps. One truth comes out from the recent wiretappings of the conversations between politicians, entrepreneurs and businessmen who were recently put under precautionary arrest for the illegal contracts regarding the public refectories: today in Genoa, whoever is seeking help, contracts, appointments, favors, applies to the Curia, shirking the politicians, even if he is or was in the past connected to the former Communist party. And there is a name which is present in a few judiciary investigations: Tarcisio Bertone, the Secretary of State of the Holy See.
   Genoa has become, perhaps second only to Rome, a crucial point of power for the Vatican. It's in Genoa that then archbishop Bertone, between 2002 and 2006, became a strategic force until Benedict XVI called him to Rome, and it's in that city with the ancient symbol of the lantern that his successor, Angelo Bagnasco, now the President of the CEI (Italian Bishops' Conference) is following the same path. Before cardinal Bertone there had been Dionigi Tettamanzi, who became Cardinal Martini's successor in Milan.
   It's in the Tarcisio Bertone's years that influential groups of politicians, financiers, administrators, took hold in Genoa, the capital of the Liguria region. Nicknamed "Arcitarci" (which means Big Tarcisio), he is a jovial, communicative, popular man. Perhaps someone misunderstands his availability. For example, Roberto Alessio, the beef-steak king of the city of Vercelli, who in his quest to become the contractor for the public refectories, promises Mario D'Antino, the President of the Corte dei Conti (the institution which controls the regularity of the budget expenses of the Liguria region), the support of the Vatican Secretary of State in order to become the President of the Padre Pio's hospital at San Giovanni Rotondo. Or in the case of Giovanni Novi, the former president of the Genoa's Port Authority, who was arrested last February during an investigation about the selling of public land. In a wiretapped conversation by the finance police, Novi enthusiastically reports having asked and obtained from Bertone "an acceleration" in order to unblock, in the Vatican tribunal of the Sacra Rota, the annulment procedure of a matrimony regarding one of his relatives. The classic recommendation, this time clerical style.
   In the same period the role of the church in Genoa in some strategic fields becomes stronger. The first is related to the Fondazione Carige, the Ligurian bank. The long time President had been Vincenzo Lorenzelli, one of the most important members of Opus Dei, and a commissary of the Gaslini Institution, which is part of the pediatric hospital presided by the bishop of Genoa: a 700-million-euros real estate and stock empire. In the role of vice-president of the Fondazione Carige, there is today another Opus Dei's member, Pierluigi Vinai. In the board of Directors there is Marco Simeon, a thirty-year-old man from the city of Sanremo, very close to Opus Dei, which was chosen by the Mediobanca's CEO, Cesare Geronzi, as his "ambassador" at the Vatican. In Genoa, Marco Simeon is the prior of the Magistrato di Misericordia, a charity with a lot of real estates presided by cardinal Bagnasco. Simeon and Vinai were the selected guests privately received by the Pope in the Ligurian city of Savona during his recent mid-May trip.
   There is also Giuseppe Profiti, the president of the hospital Bambin Gesu', who is being investigated for corruption and interference in the bid for the public refectories' contract, who was defended by the Vatican by a communique of solidarity inspired by Bertone. The Curia's power is so much rooted in Genoa that even former communist Claudio Burlando, the president of the Liguria region, has fallen into its spell. He offered cardinal Bagnasco to be councillor of the Fondazione Carige, which is the regional bank, and the cardinal indicated a monsignor to take his place. It was a gesture which was applauded by Minister Claudio Scajola, but which now could embarass the same Burlando. In fact, following some polemics for the Fondazione Carige's financing of some associations represented by its vice-president Vinai, a PD party's councillor, Ubaldo Benvenuti, presented a motion in the Ligurian region's council in order to ask its representative to clarify the matter. But unfortunately that representative belongs to the Curia. - MASSIMO CALANDRI, MARCO PREVE

• Excommunicated St. Louis parish board member reconciles with Church

- Florek.

   Catholic News Agency, 03:06 pm, Jun 8, 2008
   ST. LOUIS (MO), (CNA).- An excommunicated board member of a breakaway St. Louis Catholic parish has reconciled with the Church after meeting privately with the Archbishop of St. Louis, Raymond L. Burke. Archbishop Burke has said he is "profoundly happy" about the man's reconciliation.
   Edward Florek was excommunicated in December 2005 for his membership on the St. Stanislaus Kostka Corporation board of directors, which opposed Archbishop Burke's parish restructuring plan and brought in a renegade priest to staff St. Stanislaus Kostka Church.
   According to the St. Louis Review, The church was founded by Polish immigrants in 1880. In 1891 the then-archbishop allowed the parish to form a lay trustee board to control parish finances and own the parish property. In 2004 Archbishop Burke continued his predecessor's efforts to persuade the board to transfer property ownership to the archdiocese, as required by canon law.

• Mahony Denies Bishop Permission To Speak To LA Archdiocese

- Bp Geoff Robinson contends that celibacy is a root cause of RCC sex crimes.

   KNBC, ~ June 08, 2008
   LOS ANGELES (CA) -- Not in my house.
   That was the message from Cardinal Roger Mahony to Bishop Geoffrey Robinson of Australia, who is on a tour promoting his book, "Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church," which asserts that the priestly vows of celibacy are at the root of sex crimes within the church, City News Service reported.
   "I hereby deny you permission to speak in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles," Mahony told Robinson, according to the Los Angeles Times. Robinson, a former auxiliary bishop from Sydney, said his speaking tour would continue. His national book began in Philadelphia May 16. He is scheduled to speak this month in La Jolla, Costa Mesa, Culver City and San Francisco.
   "I'm not looking for any confrontation," he told The Times, but said he has every intention on speaking as he sees fit.

• Southern Baptists Struggle to Maintain Flock

- Baptist numbers fall.

   Washington Post, By Jacqueline L. Salmon, Page A02, Sunday, June 8, 2008;
   UNITED STATES -- Alarmed by a drop in membership and baptisms, members of the Southern Baptist Convention are set to consider at their annual meeting, which starts Tuesday, a 10-year initiative to reverse the decline.
   The number of people baptized in Southern Baptist churches fell for the third straight year last year to the lowest level in 20 years, and membership in the nation's largest Protestant denomination decreased by close to 40,000 to 16.27 million last year. Leaders of the convention say the numbers could represent a turning point for the organization.
   The convention's president, the Rev. Frank S. Page, has predicted that unless the denomination takes swift action, the number of Southern Baptist churches will fall by half by 2030.

• Rev. Michael Pfleger will return to St. Sabina June 16

[2008 Pfleger*] - RCC. Interfered in election campaign.
   Chicago Sun-Times, BY MARY WISNIEWSKI, mwisniewski@suntimes.com , June 08, 2008
   CHICAGO (IL) -- The Rev. Michael Pfleger will return to St. Sabina parish on June 16, a parish official said.
   Cardinal Francis George temporarily removed the outspoken priest from his South Side parish last week in the wake of comments Pfleger made about presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.)

• Australian defies US church on sex abuse

- Bp Geoff Robinson says RCC managed scandal instead of confronting.

   Sydney Morning Herald, from Duke Helfand in Los Angeles, June 9, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- AN AUSTRALIAN bishop has rejected demands by 12 leading Catholic bishops that he cancel a month-long tour of the US to promote his controversial book about sexual abuse by the clergy.
   Following direction from the Vatican, the bishops have asked Geoffrey Robinson, a retired auxiliary bishop of Sydney, to avoid their dioceses because of his "problematic positions" on priestly celibacy and other issues.
   In his book, Confronting Power And Sex In The Catholic Church: Reclaiming The Spirit Of Jesus, Bishop Robinson argues that the church's celibacy requirement has contributed to the sex abuse crisis. He openly criticises the papacy for failing to provide leadership, and wonders whether the church has been more concerned with managing the scandal than confronting it.

• Residential school students worried about apology

[150yrs - 4 Churches and Government] - Indigenous children.

   CTV, by Saira Peesker, CTV.ca News, June 08, 2008
   CANADA -- Native groups are apprehensive this week, as they prepare for Prime Minister Stephen Harper's delivery of a long-awaited apology for abuse at residential schools. Some are wondering why the government hasn't discussed details about the apology -- and what may or may not accompany it.
   Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl has promised Harper will deliver what "will be a very meaningful and respectful apology" in front of the House of Commons. But no drafts of the apology have been circulated.
   According to the executive director of the National Residential School Survivors' Society, victims are looking for signs Harper plans to help improve their situation.

• A new mission

- RCC to close 50 churches.

   The Morning Call, By Daniel Patrick Sheehan and Bob Laylo | June 8, 2008
   PENNSYLVANIA -- When the Catholic Diocese of Allentown announced the impending closure of nearly 50 churches, it raised a practical question with implications for this region's landscape, history and culture: What will become of all that real estate?
   If the past is any guide, some of the buildings may become apartment houses, private homes or houses of worship for other faiths. Others may be transformed into boutiques or restaurants. Some may be razed.
   Who knows? Maybe one or two will be transformed into health clubs. It's not so far-fetched. Lehighton's former Wesley United Methodist Church, which closed because of declining membership, is now the Cathedral Rock Gym.

• Abuse Story: Page 1 Impact

[1970 Dr Reardon] - RCC. Photographing children.
   Hartford Courant, by Karen Hunter | Reader Representative | June 8, 2008
   HARTFORD (CT) -- The Courant's front-page story count has decreased considerably over the years, but it is still rare for a first-person article to take up the entire page. If ever there were a reason, however, Assistant Features Editor Kevin Hunt's story about the child abuse complaint his mother filed 38 years ago against Dr. George Reardon was it.
   So it was surprising when a reader questioned me about the placement of the story. "I'm not saying it shouldn't have been done," the reader said. "It was very interesting and compelling. It was very well written. It opened my eyes. But I don't think it was news. It was something I would expect to see in the Commentary section. If you still had Northeast, I could see it there."
   Managing Editor Barbara Roessner explained, "I felt it was an extraordinary piece of work, and that it would have an extraordinary impact. I wanted the presentation to live up to the importance and the power of the piece."

• Australian defies bishops on book tour

- Bp Geoff Robinson says celibacy contributary factor.

   Chicago Tribune, June 8, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- Twelve Roman Catholic bishops have taken the extraordinary step of urging an Australian bishop to cancel his U.S. tour to promote his controversial new book about clergy sexual abuse.
   In "Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church: Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus," retired auxiliary Bishop Geoffrey Robinson of Sydney argues that the church's priestly celibacy requirement has contributed to the sex abuse crisis.

• Pastor, accuser settle out of court

[~ 1975-79 Amyx] - Baptist. Girl.

   Denton Record-Chronicle, By Donna Fielder / 12:04 AM CDT on Sunday, June 8, 2008
   TEXAS -- Two years after a woman filed a damage suit alleging Bolivar Baptist Church pastor Dale "Dickie" Amyx molested her as a 14-year-old and impregnated her when she was 18, the suit has been settled out of court.
   Debbie Vasquez, now 47, sued Amyx and the church in June 2006, alleging that he began having sex with her when he was 28 years old, married and the youth pastor of a now-defunct Lewisville church, Calvary Baptist. According to the court documents, he continued having sex with her after he was pastor of the Bolivar church by threatening her with guns and knives.
   The Denton Record-Chronicle traditionally does not name victims of sexual assault, particularly children. But Vasquez requested that she be identified to shine a light on the issue of clergy sexual misconduct. Coming forward with the story, which she hid for many years until it was too late to press criminal charges, was part of her healing process, she said.

• The grand apology

- Abuse from his first day.

   Edmonton Sun, By KATHLEEN HARRIS, NATIONAL BUREAU CHIEF, ~ June 08, 2008
   OTTAWA, CANADA -- It was nearly 50 years ago and he was just five years old at the time.
   But Ted Quewezance remembers the day he was ripped from his home and family like it was yesterday. Government officials arrived by car and carried him away crying, forcing him to live in an Indian residential school in rural Saskatchewan with complete strangers who didn't speak his language or understand his culture.
   "They dragged me away from my grandparents. It's a hard thing to talk about, but it's something I'll never forget," he recalled. "I travelled all day, and cried the whole way."
   Quewezance remained a student at Gordon Residential School for 11 years. While there were many good people and practices, most positive recollections are overcome by the horrors of chronic sexual, physical and emotional abuse he endured from the first day he arrived.

• Former deputy chief feared firing and a civil suit, inquiry told

- Cornwall police tensions.
   Standard-Freeholder, Posted By BY TREVOR PRITCHARD, ~ June 08, 2008
   CANADA -- Tensions at police headquarters were running so high in the early 1990s that the former deputy chief believed he was going to face a civil lawsuit from then-chief Claude Shaver, the Cornwall Public Inquiry heard Friday.
   "I no longer trusted him, I think, by that point," said Joseph St. Denis, who was the Cornwall Police Service's deputy chief from 1987 to 2001.
   St. Denis had testified Thursday that when he joined the force, he found Shaver to be an "excellent" leader.
   But within a few years, their relationship had deteriorated to the point that St. Denis had consulted a lawyer in case Shaver were to charge him with breaching the Police Services Act, the inquiry heard.

• Pa. Episcopal bishop to face his accusers

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [≤ 1973 ?+ Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14). [~2007 Ms Alton] - Allegedly changed Wikipedia entry, so banned by Wikipedia.

   Philadelphia Inquirer, By David O'Reilly, June 08, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr., 64, still wears a purple vest, a pectoral cross, and an engraved gold ring - symbols of his stature as leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania.
   But tomorrow morning this white-haired and controversial prelate, suspended from office in the fall, will step off an elevator at the Philadelphia Marriott Hotel and into a Court for the Trial of a Bishop.
   There, nine judges from around the country will consider whether Bennison improperly concealed his brother John's sexual abuse of a minor decades ago, and decide if he may continue as head of the five-county, 55,000-member diocese. [LOOK BACK: October 31, 2007]

• Catholic Diocese of Memphis ordains new priest, expects more to study

- RCC.
   Memphis Commercial Appeal, By Lindsay Melvin, ~ June 08, 2008
   MEMPHIS (TN) -- To those who have never heard "the call," Dennis Schenkel explains his attraction to the priesthood by comparing it to the irresistibility of falling in love.
   "I had a crush on her in high school, and I ran into her years later and she was even more beautiful," he said.
   Three days before his ordination, the 42-year-old former computer network analyst was as anxious as a groom in waiting.
   While cities across the country are suffering from a shortage of priests, Schenkel is part of a very different trend. …
   In places like Boston, Ohio and New Orleans, reasons for the shortage vary from changing demographics to fallout from sexual abuse scandals.
   The local diocese has dealt with its own share of sexual abuse but not to the degree other cities have seen, Stewart said.
   "I find the morale of the Memphis priests to be very good here," he said. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:43 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Sun June 08, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Mon June 09, 2008 edition:

• Priest wins wrongful termination suit

[≤ 2005 Unnamed clergyman -NEW*] - Swedish Church. Affair with married woman.

   United Press International, June 9, 2008
   VASTERAS, Sweden, (UPI) -- The Swedish Labor Court has ruled a Swedish Church priest was unlawfully terminated after he was fired for having an affair with a married woman.
   The priest was fired in December 2005 after he engaged in a fistfight with the woman's husband, who had reported the affair to the parish vicar and a bishop, in October of that year, The Local reported Monday.
   The letter sent to the priest to inform him of his termination said his actions had caused harm to the church's reputation.
   However, the priest disagreed with the rationale for his firing and sued the Swedish Church for wrongful termination in August 2006. The Labor Court upheld the Vastmanland District Court's ruling in favor of the priest, which cited the length of time between the priest's alleged improper behavior and his firing.
   [COMMENT: From 2005 to 2006 is too long!? What rot! In reality, even the cool-headed Swedes have been stricken with moral relativism, and can't see that a clergyman of a Church preaching "No adultery" is obviously no use in the pulpit if he is doing the opposite. ENDS.]

• Lawyer for man who sued Omaha archdiocese says appeal likely

[1978+ Lucas- NEW*] - RCC. Girl.

   KPTM, Associated Press, 6:05 PM ET, June 9, 2008
   OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - An attorney for an Oregon man who had his lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Omaha Archdiocese dismissed today says she will likely appeal.
   Attorney Maren Chaloupka of Scottsbluff says she must first talk to her client, Cary Claar (CLAHR) of Springfield, Oregon. He alleged in the lawsuit that the late Father Duane Lucas sexually abused him for several years starting around 1978, when Claar was 12 or 13 years old.

• Exclusives : PHILADELPHIA: Ecclesiastical Trial Reveals Dramatic Testimony of Sexual Abuse

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14). [~2007 Ms Alton] - Allegedly changed Wikipedia entry, so banned by Wikipedia.
   Virtue Online, By David W. Virtue, www.virtueonline.org , June/9/2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- In dramatic opening testimony on the first day of the ecclesiastical trial of Pennsylvania Bishop Charles E. Bennison, victim Martha Alexis told a hushed court of five bishops, two clergy and two laity that Bishop Bennison stumbled in on his brother John's sexual activity with her, "saw his erection", turned on his heel in the church office and walked away.
   The then 14-year-old victim described to the court and some 60 persons at the Marriott Hotel in Philadelphia, how she was repeatedly sexually abused by the Rev. John Bennison, describing his acts as "persistent, intense and frequent" as many as "three or four times a week, for four years."
   "He groomed me over time to be his sexual toy. He was very exacting and specific in technique which grew more progressive over time, eventually growing to include everything you can possibly imagine." Alexis, now 50, and the mother of three, said that what occurred in 1973 between herself and Bennison was "unspeakable perversion and too horrific to name." [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 10:04 PM]

• Historic sex abuse trial begins

[1971-77 + 2006 Br. Roger Moloney* (St John of God Order)] - RCC. 2006 fought extradition. NZ $300,000 so far. 11 boys.

   TVNZ, 6:36 PM, Jun 9, 2008
   NEW ZEALAND -- The head of a former Catholic boys school in Christchurch has gone on trial on historic sex abuse charges.
   Eleven boys who were at the Marylands School in the 1970's are alleging sexual abuse by Brother Roger Moloney who is facing a total of 30 charges.
   Ten of the complainants have already been paid compensation by the church, one receiving more than $300 000.

• Another lesson in apology politics

- 4 Churches and Government. Indigenous children.

   National Post by Don Martin, Monday, June 09, 2008
   CANADA -- Tuesday's half-hour statement from Prime Minister Stephen Harper to a hushed House of Commons will be the greatest grovel in Canadian history, completing a ten-year process of parliamentary remorse for the residential schools tragedy and starting another five years of reconciliation.
   On a Commons floor filled with dignitaries, native leaders and survivors of the notorious school system, a formal apology will drag on for thousands of words, every syllable agonized over to ensure it was sufficiently contrite and conveying suitable gravitas.
   The government, Parliament, indeed every Canadian will be apologizing without exception for every student's experience, be it positive, negative or abusive.
   But there are still high-level concerns it won't be enough and, while unlikely, could be rejected by native leaders as a political stunt that isn't sufficiently sincere. One senior government official involved in drafting the apology acknowledged in mid-gulp on an Ottawa beer patio: "Of course, we're still not sure they'll accept it."

• Church trial begins for Episcopal bishop

   The Associated Press, By JOANN LOVIGLIO, ~ June 09, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA), (AP) – An Episcopal bishop accused of concealing his brother's sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl decades ago twice walked in during the abuse and never did anything to stop it, the now-adult victim testified Monday at a church trial.
   The testimony came as the trial opened for Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr. of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. His brother became a priest after the abuse is alleged to have begun.
   A panel of bishops, priests and church members will decide whether Bennison, the leader of the nation's fifth-largest Episcopal diocese, may resume his duties. Bennison, 64, was ordered to cease all "ministerial and canonical acts" in November.

• Priest sentenced for possessing kiddie porn

[~ 2007 Ethier*] - Roman Catholic Church (RCC). 4yrs prison. Computer child porn.
   Daily Gazette, By Jill Bryce, June 09, 2008
   ALBANY (NY) – A former priest who served at a Troy parish was sentenced in federal court today to 48 months in prison for possession of child pornography.
   Raymond Ethier, 51, of Hudson, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy and was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release. The judge also ruled that Ethier have no unsupervised contact with minors, participate in a sex offender program and register with the state Sex Offender Registry Program. His computer equipment was also turned over to the government.
   Kenneth Goldfarb, a spokesman for the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese, said Ethier was formally defrocked today. Ethier was put on administrative leave after he was arrested on May 30, 2007, and was not allowed to perform or present himself as a priest, said Goldfarb. [LOOK BACK: June 04, 2007, November 16, 2007]

• Hudson priest sentenced for child porn

[~ 2007 Ethier*] - RCC. 4yrs prison. Computer child porn.
   Albany Times Union, By CAROL DeMARE, Last updated 5:57 p.m., Monday, June 9, 2008
   ALBANY (NY) -- A 51-year-old Roman Catholic priest from Columbia County was sentenced today to 48 months in federal prison for his guilty plea to possession of child pornography.
   Raymond Ethier of Hudson, who was put on administrative leave by Bishop Howard Hubbard after his arrest in May 2007, was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release.
   Appearing before U.S. District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy in federal court in Albany, Ethier was told to have no unsupervised contact with minors, to participate in a sex offender program and to register with the state Sex Offender Registry. Also, various computer equipment seized from Ethier will be forfeited to the government.

• Nipomo priest gets probation after pleading no contest to groping at Pirates Cove

[2007 Cuevas*] - RCC. Public masturbation, groped male.
   San Luis Obispo.com , ~ June 09, 2008
   CALIFORNIA -- A Nipomo priest was sentenced to three years probation this morning after he pleaded no contest to committing sex crimes near the Pirates Cove nude beach.
   The Rev. Geronimo Enrique Cuevas, 52, must also complete 40 hours of community work service and an AIDS education class, Deputy District Attorney Craig VanRooyen said. He must also stay away from Pirates Cove.
   Cuevas pleaded no contest to engaging in lewd conduct and soliciting another to engage in lewd conduction, both misdemeanors.

• Robinson tour stirs comment

- Bp Geoff Robinson won't stop.

   CathNews, ~ June 09, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- Retired Sydney Bishop Geoffrey Robinson is continuing his US tour despite accusations that his positions are "not in keeping with the Church" and that he is spreading "misinformation" about the Church's efforts to combat abuse.
   The Los Angeles Times reports four of California's leading Catholic bishops, including Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony, have taken the extraordinary step of urging the Australian bishop to cancel a month long tour of the United States to promote his controversial new book about clergy sexual abuse.
   But Bishop Robinson, 70, said he has no intention of canceling any part of a trip that began May 16 in Philadelphia and brings him to California this week.

• In Cleveland, St. Peter hopes to avoid a proposed merger with St. John Cathedral

- RCC.

   The Plain Dealer, Posted by David Briggs / Religion Reporter, 17:13PM, June 09, 2008
   CLEVELAND (OH) -- A prominent downtown church is fighting to stay alive in a planned massive diocesan reorganization, saying an anonymous angel has pledged $2 million to save St. Peter Catholic Church.
   St. Peter appears to be the first parish to declare its opposition to plans by the Cleveland Catholic Diocese to close or merge nearly 50 churches in response to population shifts to the suburbs.
   Final decisions on closings are not expected before late February 2009, but regional groups of parishes throughout the eight-county diocese are starting to make recommendations that will be brought before their parishes. Some groups have agreed to the mergers and closings requested by Bishop Richard Lennon.
   On Sunday, June 8, however, officials at St. Peter, at East 17th St. and Superior Ave., announced they would oppose a recommendation that it merge with St. John Cathedral. The church said an anonymous donor has agreed to give $2 million to wipe out a $355,000 debt to the diocese and demolish and turn into a green space a closed school next to the church. The rest of the gift would be used to expand St. Peter's ministries, which include support of a women's shelter and a Cleveland elementary school.

• Molestation lawsuit against Omaha archdiocese dismissed

[1978+ Lucas*] - RCC. Boy.
   Beatrice Daily Sun, By MARGERY A. GIBBS, 03:46:50 pm CDT, Monday, Jun 09, 2008
   OMAHA, Neb. - A federal court has dismissed a lawsuit against the Omaha Archdiocese by a man who said the archdiocese let him be abused by a priest as a boy.
   The lawsuit, brought by 41-year-old Cary Claar of Springfield, Ore., alleged a Roman Catholic priest, the late Rev. Duane Lucas, sexually abused Claar for several years starting around 1978, when Claar was 12 or 13 years old.
   U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Bataillon dismissed the lawsuit Monday, reiterating that many of Claar's claims did not fall within Nebraska's statute of limitations.

• Arbitration Hearing In Federal Court On Clergy

[Decades - Portland Archdiocese] - RCC. Child seductions.
   OPB News, By Pete Springer, 4:12 p.m., June 9, 2008
   PORTLAND (OR) -- A final arbitration hearing on what documents the Portland Archdiocese will release about priest sexual abuse took place Monday. Pete Springer reports.
   Attorneys for both the abuse victims and the Portland Archdiocese met in federal court in Eugene for the hearing.
   Judge Michael Hogan closed the hearing to the public and news media and issued a gag order on everyone involved.
   The judge is taking the information from the hearing under advisement and there is no estimate when he will make a final determination.

• Victim's mother testifies at church trial for Pa. bishop

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14). [~2007 Ms Alton] - Allegedly changed Wikipedia entry, so banned by Wikipedia.
   CBS 21, ~ June 09, 2008
   [with link to the presentment against Bishop Bennison]
   PHILADELPHIA (PA), (AP) -- A mother says a bishop accused of concealing sexual abuse of her daughter once told her that he knew about the abuse but didn't think it was up to him to tell the family.
   The testimony came as a church trial opened for Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr. of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. He is accused of concealing the sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl by his brother, then a lay minister at a California church where Bennison was rector.
   A panel of bishops, priests and church members will decide whether Bennison, the leader of the nation's fifth-largest Episcopal diocese, may resume his duties.

• Church trial begins for Episcopal bishop

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).
   The Associated Press, By JOANN LOVIGLIO, ~ June 09, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA), (AP) – An Episcopal bishop accused of concealing his brother's sexual abuse of a 14-year-old decades ago once told the girl's mother he didn't think it was his place to inform her family, her mother testified Monday at a church trial.
   The testimony came as the trial opened for Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr. of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. His brother became a priest after the abuse is alleged to have begun.
   A panel of bishops, priests and church members will decide whether Bennison, the leader of the nation's fifth-largest Episcopal diocese, may resume his duties. Bennison, 64, was ordered to cease all "ministerial and canonical acts" in November.

• Former priest sentenced to federal prison for possessing kiddie porn

[~ 2007 Ethier*] - RCC. 4yrs prison. Computer child porn.
   Mid-Hudson News, ~ June 09, 2008
   ALBANY (NY) – Former priest Raymond Ethier, 51, of Hudson, NY, who had served as a pastor at the St. John Vianney in Columbia County, was sentenced Monday in federal court to four years in federal prison on a charge that he possessed child pornography on his computer.
   Following his release from prison, Ethier, who was employed at the time of the incidents, by the Albany Catholic Diocese, must serve 10 years of supervised release and must register with the New York State Sex Offender Registry Program.
   Ethier pled guilty on November 13, 2007, admitting that he had videos and still images of minors engaged in sex acts.

• O'Brien and Cahill on the Communion Wars

[2008 Unnamed priest*] - Interfered in presidential campaign.
   America (RC magazine, U.S.A.), Author: James Martin, S.J., Posted at 14:19:00.0, June 09, 2008
   [with link to the original article]
   UNITED STATES -- Here's a smart piece by two of the smartest Catholic scholars in this country: David O'Brien, the church historian at Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass., and Lisa Sowle Cahill, the moral theology professor at Boston College, writing on the policy of denying Communion to certain politicians. Their piece takes off from the curious case of Douglas W. Kmiec, a constitutional law professor at Pepperdine and pro-life Republican (that's right, pro-life) denied Communion during a recent Mass.
   Here are O'Brien and Cahill:
   "If we remain silent when respected Catholic leaders are publicly attacked and denied Communion, the proper role of faith in our public square is grossly distorted. This election year, let's have a better debate about faith and political responsibility that reclaims the vital role religion has often played in renewing our most cherished democratic values."

• Long-time parishioners mourn closings of three Flint churches

- RCC.
   The Flint Journal, by Rose Mary Reiz | 3:34 PM, Monday June 09, 2008,
   FLINT, Michigan -- Long-time parishioners at three northern Flint churches slated to close this summer are mourning the impending loss of part of their histories, and their hearts.
   "When the letter was read yesterday at church, people just cried," said Patricia Panek, 69, who has attended Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Flint since she was four years old.
   Due to a steady bleed in attendance and increasing financial woes, Sacred Heart, St. Luke and St. Agnes Catholic churches must close by August, Bishop Earl Boyea announced in a letter read during Sunday masses.
   Parish leaders may set a closing date of their choosing, but not later than Aug. 1, the bishop said. The closed parishes will merge with the parish at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Flint.

• More Catholic details, please

- RCC tries to ban Bp Geoff Robinson, who met victims.

   GetReligion, Posted by Mark Stricherz, ~ June 09, 2008
   LOS ANGELES (CA) -- Some stories don't get religion because they lack necessary details. Of course, few stories can get at the whole truth. But too many stories about religion are bland and unedifying.
   For example, consider The Los Angeles Times' piece about a former Australian bishop of the Catholic church whose book tour is not welcome among California bishops.
   Give reporter Duke Helfand credit, however, for an interesting and informative lede:
   Four of California's leading Roman Catholic bishops, including Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony, have taken the extraordinary step of urging an Australian bishop to cancel a monthlong tour of the United States to promote his controversial new book about clergy sexual abuse.
   Following direction from the Vatican, the California religious leaders and eight other prominent bishops around the country have asked former auxiliary Bishop Geoffrey Robinson of Sydney to steer clear of their dioceses because of his "problematic positions" on priestly celibacy and other issues.
   That left me wanting more. When it comes to the sexual abuse scandal in the church, there is a rough consensus among Catholics that the facts should come out and not be denied. Wanting more information to come out is not a "left" thing or a "right" thing, when it comes to matters of faith and doctrine.

• Outspoken Catholic bishop on sex abuse holds public talk Tuesday

- Bp Geoff Robinson, victim, queries celibacy.
   Union-Tribune, By Onell R. Soto, 12:29 p.m., June 9, 2008
   SAN DIEGO (CA) – A Roman Catholic bishop who questions whether the church's celibacy rules have played a role in leading to childhood sexual abuse by priests is speaking in San Diego, defying church leaders.
   Retired Bishop Geoffrey Robinson of Sydney, Australia, was asked by San Diego Bishop Robert Brom and several other American bishops – and Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony – to stay away.
   He is banned from speaking on church property in several dioceses.
   A victim of sexual abuse as a child, Robinson went on to become a church law attorney and bishop and co-chaired a committee investigating abuse of children by Australian clergy.

• The Lion Who Didn't Roar

- Mugabe is an RC, still, though NCube was demoted quickly.

   Slate, By Christopher Hitchens, Posted 12:27 PM ET, Monday, June 9, 2008
   ZIMBABWE -- The scale of state-sponsored crime and terror in Zimbabwe has now escalated to the point where we are compelled to watch not just the systematic demolition of democracy and human rights in that country but something not very far removed from slow-motion mass murder a la Burma. The order from the Mugabe regime that closes down all international aid groups and humanitarian nongovernmental organizations is significant in two ways. It expresses the ambition for total control by the state, and it represents a direct threat–"vote for us or starve"–to the already desperate civilian population. The organization CARE, for example, which reaches half a million impoverished Zimbabweans, has been ordered to suspend operations. …
   Which in turn raises an interesting question: What is it going to take before the Roman Catholic Church has anything to say about the conduct of this member of its flock? Mugabe has been a devout Catholic ever since his days in a mission school in what was then colonial Rhodesia, and one is forced to wonder what he tells his priest when he is asked if he has anything he'd like to confess.
   By way of contrast, look what happened to Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo. This Catholic churchman in Zimbabwe's second city was a pillar of opposition to the regime and a great defender of its numberless victims. After a long campaign of defiance, and after surviving many threats to his life, the archbishop was caught on video last year having some fairly vigorous sex with a woman not his wife. Indeed, she was someone else's wife, which made it adultery as well as fornication. You might think the church would have been glad of a bit of heterosexual transgression for a change, but a dim view was taken of the whole thing, in spite of the fact that it bore all the marks of a setup and was immediately given wide publicity by the police agencies of the Mugabe state. Ncube is no longer the Roman Catholic archbishop of Bulawayo.
   Very well, I do understand that he broke his vows and that the rules are the rules. But he didn't starve or torture any children, he didn't send death squads to silence his critics, he didn't force millions of his fellow countrymen into penury and/or exile, and he didn't openly try to steal an election. Mugabe has done and is doing all these things, and I haven't heard a squeak from the papacy. A man of his age is perhaps unlikely to be caught using a condom, but one still has to hope that Mugabe will be found red-handed in this way because it seems that nothing less is going to bring the condemnation of the church down upon his sinful head. led
   [FOOTNOTE: Christopher Hitchens wrote God is not great: How religion poinsons everything, 2007, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest and New York; Dewey shelf number 201.5. (The wording similar to above was published in The Australian of June 14, and was repeated in the July 2008 CSAT (Id 12926) under the heading "Lion to lamb and the silence is unbearable". ENDS]

• Court dismisses lawsuit against Omaha archdiocese

- RCC.

   NTV Associated Press 3:05 PM ET June 9, 2008
   OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A court has dismissed a lawsuit against the Omaha Archdiocese by a man who said the archdiocese let him be abused by a priest as a boy.
   The lawsuit, brought by 41-year-old Cary Claar of Springfield, Ore., alleged a Roman Catholic priest sexually abused Claar for several years starting around 1978, when Claar was 12 or 13 years old.
   U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Bataillon dismissed the lawsuit Monday, saying among other things that Claar failed to bring his claims within the statute of limitations.

• PROOF: Letters re problem priests at Paracletes in NM prove bishops knew about pedophilia in priesthood and destroyed files, regularly and secretly

- RCC "cure" facility.
   City of Angels, By Kay Ebeling, ~ June 09, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- The letter below is a sampling of documents recently passed to City of Angels Network, which we are in the process of scanning and uploading for an upcoming post. This one letter reveals the Catholic Church hierarchy destroyed records of pedophile priests per "legal advice."
   On page 2, the director of Via Coeli writes, "Once these documents have been read, please destroy them." The 1989 letter is a progress report on George V. Bredermann, an Arizona pedophile priest with a long entry in the bishopaccountability database of sexual predators in the church.
   Uploads coming soon here at City of Angels Network include a 1963 letter from Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald to Pope Paul VI outlining their recent meeting where they discussed the problem of pedophile priests. As I scan and upload these documents, I feel I'm beginning the process of proving what so many of us knew was .
   The bishops not only knew about pedophiles in their ranks of priests, they were more knowledgeable about pedophilia than the general public, because Father Gerald kept sending out letters, more and more letters, in the end almost pleading with the the bishops, saying these men are "vipers" and "rattlesnakes" and should be put out of civilization, not be put back into parishes.

• Trial for Phila-region bishop begins

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14). [~2007 Ms Alton] - Allegedly changed Wikipedia entry, so banned by Wikipedia.
   Philadelphia Inquirer, By David O'Reilly and Robert Moran, ~ June 09, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- A lawyer for the Episcopal Church told a panel of judges this morning that Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr., leader of the five-county 55,000-member Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, failed to protect an underage girl from the predatory sexual behavior of his brother in the 1970s.
   The lawyer, Larry White, told the nine-judge Court for the Trial of a Bishop panel, that Bennison, 64, compounded his wrongful inaction by shirking his responsibility in the matter, as he rose through the church's ranks in later years.
   White said that Bennison's brother, John, then a 24-year-old married staffer in their church in Upland, Calif., had groomed a 14-year-old church parishioner as a "sexual target."
   Bennison's attorney, James Pabarue, argued that his client had not been trained by the church to handle such matters and followed his own instinct to try to avoid scandal for the victim and the church.

• Sexual abuse by teacher protested

[Mr Washburn]
   The Boston Globe, By Megan Woolhouse, June 8, 2008
   CAMBRIDGE (MA) -- While some of his fellow Buckingham, Brown & Nichols alumni gathered at the school for their annual weekend of festivities, Daniel Weinreb staged a one-man protest at the school's front entrance.
   Weinreb said he wants school administrators to openly acknowledge the sexual abuse he and others endured more than a decade ago at the hand of former teacher Edward "Ted" Washburn. …
   He is represented by Mitchell Garabedian, the Boston lawyer who represented more than 100 victims of Catholic clergy in a scandal that has scarred one of the world's largest denominations. Garabedian could not be reached yesterday.

• Elderly parishioners outlive their church

- RCC.
   San Francisco Chronicle by Matthai Kuruvila, Sunday, May 18, 2008
   CALIFORNIA -- For years, parishioners at St. Alphonsus Liguori saw their numbers dwindle, and their members age. They buried their brethren, but they kept coming.
   On a typical weekend, 140 would show up for the two Masses at the San Leandro parish - in a region where some Catholic churches draw thousands. But they saw meaning.
   "This is our home," said Virginia DeLaCruz, 61, of San Leandro. "We like to come because of the closeness."
   But the small parish couldn't support itself financially, especially as church repair costs kept rising. The Diocese of Oakland said it wasn't spiritually healthy either, scoring low on church vibrancy. A week ago, the congregation was told the parish would be closed June 30.

• N.M. sect leader fasting for child's return

[2006-07 Bent, aka Travesser, aka The Messiah] - "Righteousness Church." 3 girls. 4 charges.
   Las Cruces Sun-News, The Associated Press, Article Launched 10:45:33 AM MDT, June/09/2008
   CLAYTON, N.M.–The leader of an apocalyptic sect who is accused of sex crimes against underage female followers now says he's fasting to clear his heart and mind.
   Wayne Bent, who heads The Lord Our Righteousness Church, began a fast Friday to force the state to release a teenage girl taken from the group's compound near Clayton.
   He has vowed to not eat until state child welfare workers return the girl. The state Children, Youth and Families Department removed two teenage girls and a boy in late April after allegations against Bent.

• Church trial begins for Episcopal bishop

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [5yrs Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14). [~2007 Ms Alton] - Allegedly changed Wikipedia entry, so banned by Wikipedia.
   The Associated Press, By JOANN LOVIGLIO, ~ June 09, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA), (AP) – A church trial began Monday for the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, who is accused of concealing the sexual abuse of a teenage girl by his brother, also a priest, in the 1970s.
   A panel of bishops, priests and church members will decide whether Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr., the leader of the nation's fifth-largest Episcopal diocese, may resume his duties. Bennison, 64, was ordered to cease all "ministerial and canonical acts" in November.
   "(He) didn't put a stop to it … and didn't alert the church," church lawyer Larry White said in his opening statement Monday. He said the sexual relationship started when the girl was 14 and continued for five years.

• Wrong to defrock priest for affair with wedded parishioner

[~ 2005 Unnamed clergyman*] - Swedish Church. Affair with married woman.

   The Local, Online: http://www.thelocal.se/12320/ , 16:49 CET, Jun 9, 2008
   SWEDEN -- Sweden's Labour Court has ruled in favour of a priest who felt he was unlawfully fired for having an affair with a married woman in his congregation.
   The woman's husband also confronted the priest directly on several occasions before the two finally came to blows in October 2005.
   Police gave up their investigation of the incident after being unable to determine which man threw the first punch.

• BISHOP MEETS WITH PARISHIONERS

- RCC. Lithuanian community.

   Friends of St. Casimir's Lithuanian Parish Sunday, June/08/2008
   WORCESTER (MA) -- Members of Saint Casimir's Lithuanian Parish met with Bishop McManus today. This meeting served as an opportunity for parishioners to convey their concerns to the Bishop. It was also an opportunity for the Bishop to explain his reasons for making the decision to close the parish.
   At the request of the Pastor, the 60-minute meeting was limited to members of the parish. However, several parishioners were denied an opportunity to speak. The Bishop did indicate that it was a "strategic blunder" on behalf of the parish to involve the media.

• Church closing is final Bishop's message to St. Casimir group

- RCC.
   Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA), By Bronislaus B. Kush, bkush@telegram.com , June 09, 2008
   WORCESTER (MA) – Bishop Robert J. McManus told parishioners of St. Casimir Church yesterday that he will not reconsider his decision to close their parish July 1, members of the congregation said.
   "The bishop told us he's not changing his mind," said Raymond Jakubauskas, a member of Friends of St. Casimir Parish, a group trying to save the Providence Street church. "He seemed to be telling us that the health of the diocese is more important than the salvation of our souls."
   The bishop met with parishioners in a packed parish hall after the 10 a.m. Mass. The meeting, which lasted about an hour, was closed to the media and nonparishioners.
   Congregants said they were hopeful the bishop would change his plans after hearing their reasons why the Grafton Hill church, which is more than 100 years old, is viable and should remain open.

• Native, church leaders want Canada to tune in for Harper's apology Wednesday

   The Cape Breton Post, CP, ~ June 09, 2008
   TORONTO, CANADA (CP) – Native and church leaders are urging people across the country to stop in their tracks on Wednesday to hear Prime Minister Stephen Harper's formal apology for Canada's Indian residential schools policy.
   Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl tells the Globe and Mail that if the opposition parties agree, the House of Commons will set aside all other business for the event, which will start at 3 p.m.
   One-hundred and four-year-old Marguerite Wabano is one of six residential school survivors who'll be seated on the floor of the House of Commons when Harper apologizes on behalf of all Canadians.

• Shaver testifies at inquiry

- Cornwall community.
   Standard-Freeholder Posted By TREVOR PRITCHARD, ~ June 09, 2008
   CANADA -- The man who ran the city's police force just before allegations of mishandled sexual abuse investigations hit the media will begin answering questions about his tenure at the Cornwall Public Inquiry today.
   If all goes according to schedule, Claude Shaver will take the same witness stand this morning where, over the past three-and-a-half months, some of his former subordinates have been highly critical of his leadership of the Cornwall Police Service.
   "He is an important witness," said lead commission counsel Peter Engelmann, who will be conducting Shaver's initial examination.

• Sex claims cost Australian diocese dearly

[Years - Brandenburg] - Anglicans. £342,000 last year. Selling land. 36 boys.

   Religious Intelligence (United Kingdom), By George Conger, 12:52pm, Monday, June 9, 2008
   SOUTH AUSTRALIA -- The ANGLICAN diocese of Adelaide paid out over �342,000 last year in sexual abuse claims, delegates to a special meeting of synod heard on May 31. However, it may be further liable for up to �1 million, and it is "uncertain whether any part of these paid claims or the future potential claims paid may be covered by insurance," diocesan reports note.
   The 140-member diocesan synod agreed to sell portions of Bishopscourt, Archbishop Jeffrey Driver's official residence, to fund the liability claims. Since 2004 the diocese has faced claims for damages of �5 million, and in 2006 settled the claims of 36 men, who as boys were allegedly molested by Church of England Boys Society youth worker Robert Brandenburg.
   Former Adelaide Archbishop Ian George was forced into early retirement in June 2004 following an independent review that sharply criticized his handling of the abuse controversies. Sale of portions of Bishopscourt must be approved by Dr Driver. However since taking office, the Adelaide Archbishop has taken an activist stance towards resolving the abuse crisis.

• As national Southern Baptist meeting starts, sex abuse victims are worried

- Baptists.

   Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, June 08, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- As thousands of Southern Baptists church officials and members open their annual meeting in Indianapolis tomorrow, clergy sex abuse victims are skeptical that the gathering will produce any reform on the pressing issue of predatory preachers.
   At last year's Southern Baptist Convention in San Antonio, a motion to study the creation of a database of child-molesting ministers passed overwhelmingly. Since then, the committee charged with conducting the study has met several times. But it has not been forthcoming with a budget for the study; nor has it held hearings to receive input from victims and experts.
   Last week, the Convention published a slick, glossy, 8-page pamphlet on "Protecting our Children."
   SNAP members fear that Baptist officials will try to portray that pamphlet as a sign that the denomination is acting with diligence to combat clergy sex abuse. SNAP leaders, however, feel otherwise.

• As membership dips, Southern Baptists anxious about future before Indianapolis session

- Baptists.
   The Courier-Journal, By Peter Smith, psmith@courier-journal.com , June 9, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- For most of four decades, Southern Baptists could boast of rising membership even as more moderate and liberal Protestant denominations lost members in droves.
   But with membership slightly down last year, and flat for the past five, Southern Baptists face a growing anxiety about their future as they gather for their annual meeting tomorrow in Indianapolis.
   "We have peaked," Southern Baptist statistician Ed Stetzer wrote in an online commentary on the latest statistics from 2007. "…For now, Southern Baptists are a denomination in decline."

• Rev. Pfleger to return to St. Sabina with 'no restrictions'

[2008 Pfleger*] - RCC. Interfered in election campaign.
   Chicago Sun-Times, BY MARY WISNIEWSKI, mwisniewski@suntimes.com , ~ June 09, 2008
   CHICAGO (IL) -- The South Side parish of St. Sabina exploded with shouts of joy and a standing ovation Sunday morning at the news firebrand Catholic pastor Rev. Michael Pfleger would be returning June 16.
   Cardinal Francis George temporarily removed the outspoken priest from his parish last week following comments Pfleger made about then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Pfleger had said Clinton believed she was entitled to the Democratic nomination because she is white. Pfleger is white, while most of his parishioners are African-American.
   At a three-hour Sunday mass filled with songs and dancing, pastoral associate Kimberly Lymore read a letter from Pfleger in which the priest wrote, "This has been a very painful time for me personally and for our church family."

• A fight to block parish merger

- RCC.
   Philadelphia Inquirer, By Jan Hefler, June 09, 2008
   NEW JERSEY -- Robert J. Walsh knows a bit about mergers. The management consultant previously worked at Mobil Oil in Fairfax, Va., where he dealt with consolidations.
   Walsh, a button-down-shirt guy with graying hair and a cell phone affixed to his belt, lives in Pitman now and is a member of Our Lady Queen of Peace, a gray stone church built in 1940 atop a small hill.
   The merger he's involved in these days is one he's trying to stop - one that would combine Queen of Peace with another parish as part of the Camden Diocese's consolidation plan.
   "We're picketing, and we're appealing the decision," Walsh said. "We oppose this and are not backing down."

• Don't play politics with Communion

[2008 Unnamed priest* and others] - Interfering in presidential campaign.
   Baltimore Sun, By David O'Brien and Lisa Sowle Cahill, June 9, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- What do a former legal counsel for Ronald Reagan and a Democratic governor have in common? As you might expect, it's not the same politics. Douglas W. Kmiec, an esteemed constitutional law professor at Pepperdine University, is a pro-life Republican. Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is a moderate known for consensus-building. But these prominent Catholics are both the most recent targets of clergy who use Communion as a political weapon and effectively blacklist respected Catholic leaders. It's time for Catholics and all Americans to speak out against this spiritual McCarthyism.
   When Mr. Kmiec endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president, conservative Catholic blogs buzzed with outrage. How could a conservative known for his public opposition to abortion rights support a pro-choice liberal? In a recent Catholic Online column, Mr. Kmiec describes how he was declared "self-ex-communicated" by many fellow Catholics. He writes that at a recent Mass, an angry college chaplain denounced his "Obama heresy" from the pulpit and denied him Communion.
   In Kansas City, Kan., Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann has ordered Ms. Sebelius, also an Obama supporter, not to receive Communion after she vetoed abortion legislation riddled with constitutional red flags. The bill in question made it easier for prosecutors to search private medical records, allowed family members to seek court orders to stop abortions and failed to include exceptions to save the life of the mother. Along with many public officials, Ms. Sebelius recognizes the profound moral gravity of abortion. She has supported prudent public policies that have reduced abortions in Kansas by investing in adoption services, prenatal health care and social safety nets for families. But in his diocesan newspaper, the archbishop blasted the governor over her "spiritually lethal" message and her obligation to recognize the "legitimate authority within the Church."

• Evidence may prove police lied about arresting 'Rabbi' Chen

[2000s Chen*] - Judaist (Ultra-Orthodox). Fake rabbi. Torture regime. 2 children.

   YNet News, by Avner Hofstein, Israel News, 12:56, June 08, 2008
   BRAZIL -- Letters sent by Elior Chen to his supporters in the Jewish community of Sao Paulo days before he was detained raise doubts in the versions of the story presented by the Israeli and Brazilian police and may indicate he was not arrested but rather chose to turn himself in.
   In letters written to rabbis in the community and sent a very [sic] shortly prior to his arrest, Chen declares that he decided to turn himself in and describes his plans for the future.
   "Unfortunately, I am compelled to turn myself in so that the entire community will not be harmed because of me," explains Chen in a letter which describes his decision to put an end to the three-month period as a fugitive from the authorities.

• 97 years later, apology at last

[Decades and decades - 4 Churches, and Government] - Indigenous children.

   Globe and Mail, By ANNE MCILROY AND BILL CURRY, 4:37 AM EDT, June 9, 2008
   OTTAWA, CANADA – Marguerite Wabano, 104, is known as Granny Wabano to everyone in Moosonee, Ont. On Wednesday, she and five other residential school survivors will be seated on the floor of the House of Commons to hear Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologize on behalf of all Canadians.
   It will be a historic and personal moment for Ms. Wabano and tens of thousands other indigenous people who were taken from their families and sent to church-run boarding schools where they were forbidden to speak their own languages. Many were sexually and physically abused.
   Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl said that if the opposition parties agree, the House of Commons will set aside all other business on Wednesday for the formal apology for Canada's Indian residential schools policy, which will start at 3 p.m. Church and native leaders are urging Canadians across the country to stop in their tracks on Wednesday afternoon and turn on the nearest TV.

• Catholic priest on trial for historical sex charges

[1971-77 + 2006 Br. Roger Moloney* (St John of God Order)] - RCC. 2006 fought extradition. NZ $300,000 so far. 11 boys.

   Radio New Zealand, June 09, 2008
   NEW ZEALAND -- The prosecution has opened its case in the High Court trial of a Catholic clergyman accused of sexual abuse.
   Rodger Moloney, 72, is charged with abusing boys while he was in charge of Marylands School in Christchurch, run by the St John of God order, in the 1970s.
   Prosecution lawyer Kerryn Beaton told the jury the school was intended to educate disabled boys.

• Church trial for bishop of Pa. Episcopal diocese

   The Associated Press, By JOANN LOVIGLIO, ~ June 09, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA), (AP) – A panel of bishops, priests and church members is to decide whether the sanctioned leader of the nation's fifth-largest Episcopal diocese may resume his duties.
   A church trial was scheduled to begin Monday for the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, accused of concealing the sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl by his brother, also a priest, in the 1970s.
   In November, Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr. was formally "inhibited" by the diocese and was ordered to cease all "ministerial and canonical acts." [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:50 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Mon June 09, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Tue June 10, 2008 edition:

• Charges against church leader dismissed in McDonald County

[1995-2003 Lambert] - Independent Baptist. Ritual abuse. Teenage girl.

   The Joplin Globe, By Derek Spellman, dspellman@joplinglobe.com , ~ June 10, 2008
   PINEVILLE, Mo. – The McDonald County prosecutor's office has dismissed all charges against Raymond Lambert, a church pastor charged with eight counts of sexual abuse.
   Charges against Lambert were dropped late Monday because the "incessant publicity" and preparations for the upcoming trial caused the alleged victims to decide "that they can no longer subject themselves or their families to the ongoing scrutiny and pressures of a very public proceeding," according to a statement released Tuesday by the office of Prosecutor Janice Durbin.
   "In no way does this dismissal reflect the state's opinion about the validity of the charges against the defendant," Durbin said in the statement. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 9:50 PM]

• Yonkers friar sent to jail for sexually abusing boys

[Bokulich, aka Friar Leopold (Franciscan)] - Roman Catholic Church (RCC). 7yrs prison. 4 boys.
   The Journal News, By Louis Buccheri, June 10, 2008
   WHITE PLAINS (NY) -- A Yonkers monk charged with sexually abusing four boys from the same family was sentenced today to seven years in state prison, according to the Westchester County District Attorney's Office.
   Dominic Bokulich, 35, pleaded guilty in March to first-degree sexual abuse and course of sexual conduct, felonies, and two misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
   Bokulich, also known as Friar Leopold, sexually abused the boys at their home and at a retreat location operated by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, the congregation of which he was a member.

• Russell bound over for trial

[2003-04 Russell*] - "Acts II Church". 3 girls.
   Neosho Daily News, By John Ford, 03:10 PM CDT, Tue Jun 10, 2008
   NEOSHO (MO) -- A self-proclaimed pastor has been bound over for trial on several sexual abuse charges.
   Randall "Danny" Russell, 49, pastor of Acts II church, 11285 Mulberry Road, was bound over for trial after three women, currently aged 20 to 24, testified during his preliminary hearing Monday morning that he molested, sodomized or raped them when they were under age.
   Russell faces 12 felony sexual abuse charges in Newton County, as well as a misdemeanor charge of child molestation. According to Bill Dobbs, assistant prosecutor, Russell was bound over on nine of the charges Monday, with three others taken under advisement until Tuesday morning, when Division II Associate Circuit Court Judge Greg Stremel ruled there was sufficient evidence to bring these charges to trial as well. A court appearance has been set for June 16 on the felony charges, Dobbs said. [LOOK BACK: May 01, 2008]

• PM faces criticism on eve of native schools apology

- Indigenous children.

   CTV, CTV.ca News Staff, June 10, 2008
   CANADA -- On the eve of his historic apology to survivors of residential school abuse, the prime minister is fending off criticism for failing to give aboriginal leaders the chance to respond on the House of Commons floor.
   Manitoba Liberal MP Tina Keeper, a member of Norway House Cree Nation, led off question period on Tuesday by asking why aboriginal leaders have not been invited to address Parliament following Wednesday's apology.
   Prime Minister Stephen Harper responded by accusing Keeper of detracting from the importance of the event with her comments.
   "I would urge all parties not to play politics with this (and) simply get behind a sincere apology," he said.

• Tories pressed to allow response to residential school apology

- Indigenous children.
   CBC News, Last Updated 7:26 PM ET, Tuesday, June 10, 2008
   CANADA -- A day before it will deliver a historic official apology to aboriginal people abused or otherwise harmed within Canada's residential school system, the Conservative government came under fire Tuesday for refusing to provide time for aboriginal leaders to respond.
   About 250 former students, church officials and other guests have been invited to Parliament Hill to witness Prime Minister Stephen Harper's statement.
   All political parties have agreed to cancel the regularly scheduled Question Period at 3 p.m. ET to make time for the apology, which is being delivered on behalf of all Canadians.

• Southern Baptists reject sex-abuse database

- Baptists.

   WZTY, 19:26 EDT, June 10, 2008
   INDIANAPOLIS (IN), (AP) -- The Southern Baptist Convention's executive committee doesn't want to create its own database to help churches identity sex offenders.
   The convention is meeting in Indianapolis this week, and the committee's report calls sexual abuse reprehensible and a sin. But the committee says the Southern Baptist principle of local church autonomy means it's up to individual churches to take action against offenders.

• Southern Baptists reject sex-abuse database

- Baptists.
   San Francisco Chronicle, By ERIC GORSKI, AP Religion Writer, 15:45 PDT, Tuesday, June 10, 2008
   INDIANAPOLIS (IN), (AP)-- Under pressure to fight child sex abuse, the Southern Baptist Convention's executive committee said Tuesday that the denomination should not create its own database to help churches identity predators or establish an office to field abuse claims.
   The report decried sexual abuse as reprehensible and a sin. But the Southern Baptist principle of local church autonomy means it's up to individual churches – and not the convention – to screen employees and take action against offenders, the committee said.
   Opening its two-day annual meeting, the nation's largest Protestant body also elected a new president, Georgia megachurch pastor Johnny Hunt, a theological conservative. He is of Native American descent, a biographical detail that might help the convention reach out to minorities.

• Controversial bishop to visit town

- Bp Geoff Robinson explains.

   Daily Pilot, By Michael Miller, Updated 2:35 PM PDT, Tuesday, June 10, 2008
   ORANGE COUNTY (CA) -- A local Catholic organization will have a controversial guest speaker Wednesday at the Costa Mesa Community Center, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange has asked him not to give his presentation.
   Australian Bishop Geoffrey Robinson left [sic] the church because he was unhappy with how it handled the sex abuse scandal, which he details in his new book "Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church." Now he's on a nationwide tour promoting the book, which Bishop Tod Brown of the Diocese of Orange says contradicts church doctrine.
   "Bishop Brown has echoed the sentiments of 10 other bishops in the U.S. who have expressed problems with the doctrinal issues in the book," said Ryan Lilyengren, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange.
   Chairman Steve Dzida of Voice of the Faithful Orange County, the group that invited Robinson to speak, says the issues that Robinson deals with are not doctrinal in nature.

• S.N.A.P. Says Yakima Catholic Diocese Is Not Doing Enough to Make Amends for Past Abuse

- RCC.

   KNDO/KNDU, Posted 07:55 PM EDT, June 10, 2008
   YAKIMA, Wash. -- Members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests delivered a letter to the Yakima Catholic Diocese Tuesday afternoon, accusing the church of covering up abuse by former clergy members.
   The letter was addressed to the Diocese's Bishop Carlos Sevilla. It urged Sevilla to do three things:
   - "To permanently post on his dicesan website the names, photos and whereabouts of current and former church employees, who are proven, admitted, and credibly accused molesters".
   - "To personally visit the parishes where they worked, disclose what he knows about their crimes, and beg victims and witnesses to come forward, get help, and call police".

• Abuse victim says she never sought Pa. bishop's removal

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).
   York Daily Record, By JOANN LOVIGLIO, Associated Press Writer, Article Last Updated 11:26:18 AM EDT, June/10/2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) – A woman who was abused by a priest as a teenager says she never sought the removal of an Episcopal bishop accused of concealing the abuse.
   The testimony came on the second day of a church trial in Philadelphia for Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr. of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. He is accused of concealing the sexual abuse by his brother, then a lay minister at a California church where Bennison was rector.
   The victim acknowledged under cross-examination by Bennison's attorney that she never wanted him removed from the church. She says she wanted him to acknowledge what happened and what she called his failure to protect her.

• Abuse victim testifies in trial of Episcopal bishop

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14). [~2007 Ms Alton] - Allegedly changed Wikipedia entry, so banned by Wikipedia.
   Philadelphia Inquirer, By David O'Reilly, June 10, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- The church trial of Episcopal Bishop Charles E. Bennison, accused with concealing his brother's abuse of a minor, resumed today in Philadelphia with further testimony by the adult victim.
   Bishop Bennison, 64, is charged with failing to protect the victim when she was a teenager in his Upland, Calif., parish in the 1970s.
   John Bennison, 59, was the parish's youth minister. Charles Bennison was the rector of the parish.
   Martha Alexis, 50, said that Charles Bennison took no steps to protect her from his brother after twice walking in on them while they were having sex on church property.

• Catholics outsource prayers for faithful

- RCC.

   The National (United Arab Emirates), by Rahul Bedi, Foreign Correspondent, June 10, 2008
   INDIA -- A paucity of Roman Catholic priests in North America and Europe has led to devotees outsourcing prayers to Indian clergymen.
   Known as holy mass intentions, these benedictions are recited mostly in the southern state of Kerala, where the majority of India's Catholic population of 25 million lives, but also in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu.
   [COMMENT: Before adopting such ridiculous practices, try to think how it must appear to outsiders! ENDS. ]

• Pennsylvania bishop's trial opens with recounting of secrets

   Episcopal Life, Episcopal News Service, Philadelphia, By Jerry Hames, June 10, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- The ecclesiastical trial of Pennsylvania Bishop Charles E. Bennison opened June 9 with opening statements from both the prosecution and defense, followed by testimony from family members, including a woman who was sexually abused by the bishop's brother 35 years ago.
   The bishop is accused of conduct unbecoming a member of the clergy. He faces charges that, as rector of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Upland, California, he failed to respond properly after learning that John Bennison, a 24-year-old freshly-ordained deacon who he had hired as youth minister, had a continuing sexual relationship with a girl that began when she was 14. He is also accused of later suppressing that information when his brother, who having once renounced his orders, was reinstated as a priest. John Bennison was again forced to renounce his orders in 2006 when knowledge of the abuse, which stretched over more than three years, became public.
   Last November, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori inhibited Bennison from all ordained ministry pending a judgment from the ecclesiastical court. The trial is expected to continue until Friday, June 13, and the judges then have 30 days to announce their decision. A vote of two-thirds of the nine-judge panel is required to determine if there has been a canonical offense and, if so, to agree on the sentence which ranges from a admonition to deposition.

• Priest gets probation for nude beach groping

[2007 Cuevas*] - RCC. Public masturbation, groped male.
   San Francisco Chronicle, AP, 06:02 PDT, Tuesday, June 10, 2008
   SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA, (AP)-- A Nipomo priest got probation for groping a male sheriff's deputy at the Pirates Cove nude beach.
   Besides three years' probation, the Rev. Geronimo Enrique Cuevas must complete 40 hours of community service and attend an AIDS education class. He also is banned from Pirates Cove.
   San Luis Obispo County prosecutor Craig VanRooyen says the 52-year-old priest pleaded no contest to misdemeanor engaging in lewd conduct and soliciting another to engage in lewd conduct. [LOOK BACK: ~ August 16, 2007]

• For the record

[CORRECTION]

Los Angeles Times, June 10, 2008
UNITED STATES -- Voice of the Faithful: An article in Saturday's Section A about a book tour by former Australian auxiliary Bishop Geoffrey Robinson of the Roman Catholic Church said that a group supporting him, Voice of the Faithful, pushes for doctrinal change in the church. The group works to reform governing structures of the church.

• Ex-area priest gets prison term

[~ 2007 Ethier*] - RCC. 4yrs prison. Computer child porn.

   The Daily Star By Mark Boshnack Staff Writer
   NEW YORK -- A former associate pastor at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Oneonta was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Albany on Monday on a child pornography charge.
   Raymond Ethier, 51, of Hudson, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography in November, according to a media release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
   When he was arrested in May 2007 after an investigation by an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, he was pastor at St. John Vianney in Philmont. He served at St. Mary's from 1990 to 1995.
   He was sentenced to 48 months in prison and ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release, according to the release. He was ordered to have no unsupervised contact with minors; to participate in a sex-offender program; and register with a state sex-offender registry program, according to the release. The court also ordered that various computer equipment be forfeited.

• Priest sentenced to prison term

[~ 2007 Ethier*] - RCC. 4yrs prison. Computer child porn.
   Albany Times Union, By CAROL DeMARE, Tuesday, June 10, 2008
   ALBANY (NY) -- A 51-year-old Roman Catholic priest from Columbia County was sentenced Monday to 48 months in federal prison for his guilty plea to possession of child pornography.
   Raymond Ethier of Hudson, who was put on administrative leave by Bishop Howard Hubbard after his arrest in May 2007, was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release.
   Appearing before U.S. District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy in federal court in Albany, Ethier was told to have no unsupervised contact with minors, to participate in a sex offender program and to register with the state Sex Offender Registry. Also, various computer equipment seized from Ethier will be forfeited to the government.

• Ex-Claverack pastor gets 4 years in child porn case

[~ 2007 Ethier*] - RCC. 4yrs prison. Computer child porn.
   Daily Freeman, By Kyle Wind, June/10/2008
   ALBANY NEW YORK -- The former pastor of a Roman Catholic parish in Claverack was sentenced Monday to four years federal prison following his guilty plea to a charge of possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Glenn Suddaby said.
   The Rev. Raymond Ethier, 51, of Hudson, who was pastor of St. John Vianney Church at the time of his offense, was additionally sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas McAvoy to 10 years supervised release. He was also ordered to have no unsupervised contact with minors; to participate in a sex offender program; and to register with the state sex offender registry program in U.S. Northern District Court in Albany.
   When his computer was seized on May 10, 2007, an examination found seven different videos and "a number of still images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct," according to a written plea agreement released by authorities.

• CPS had 'cancerous rot', says former chief

   Standard-Freeholder Posted By TREVOR PRITCHARD,
   CANADA -- Former police chief Claude Shaver told the Cornwall Public Inquiry Monday he had "no axes to grind" when he decried the state of affairs on the city's force in a confidential 1993 letter to a pair of provincial auditors.
   Shaver said he was already planning to retire when he told officials from the Ministry of the Solicitor- General there was, among other things, a "cancerous rot" destroying the Cornwall Police Service.
   "I wanted to put it on paper and give it to them in the strongest possible terms, so that they understand that there are things happening here," said Shaver, who appeared calm and easygoing during his first day on the stand.
   "I have no axes to grind here. I want the very best for my police department."

• Bring your own holy water: priest

- RCC.

   BBC News
   NORTHERN IRELAND -- A shortage of priests in the Derry diocese means people will have to bring their own holy water on Cemetery Sunday.
   Father Michael Canny said family members, acting on the order of the bishop, will be asked to sprinkle the water on loved ones' graves themselves.

• Baptist Clergy Sex-Abuse Case Settled Out of Court

[Amyx] - Baptist.

   Ethics Daily, by Bob Allen, June-10-08
   TEXAS -- A Texas Baptist church and its pastor have reportedly settled a lawsuit with a woman who claimed the minister molested, raped and got her pregnant when she was a minor.
   The Denton Record-Chronicle reported Sunday that Debbie Vasquez, 47, dropped a lawsuit she filed in 2006 against Pastor Dickie Amyx and Bolivar Baptist Church. The story quoted court documents saying the settlement included payment of $22,500--$15,000 from Amyx and $7,500 from the church--and that after paying her attorney and court costs she would receive a little less than $10,000.
   Vasquez' story, reported in media including EthicsDaily.com and the advocacy Web site StopBaptistPredators.com, caused members of the SBC Executive Committee to voice outrage when they discussed it in a February work group meeting about the feasibility of establishing a denomination-wide database of clergy sex offenders in the SBC.
   [COMMENT: Yes, the lawyers don't advise the victim to add the words "plus all legal and other costs" to the compensation figure. This happens in other kinds of compensation cases, too. ENDS.]

• Priest, parish depart

   Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA), By Bronislaus B. Kush bkush@telegram.com
   WORCESTER (MA) -- Ascension Church – though founded in 1911 as an offshoot of St. John Parish to predominantly serve Irish immigrants living on Vernon Hill – has drawn a hodgepodge of worshippers from various working class ethnic groups.
   Just ask the Rev. Joseph A. Adamo.
   As the church's pastor over the last several years, Rev. Adamo has picked up snippets of French, Polish and many other languages spoken by his parishioners.
   But Rev. Adamo, who is of Italian descent, never even gave a thought to the idea that he'd ever hear a word of Tagalog, one of the native languages of the Philippines.
   However, that all changed about five years ago when Filipino families from all around Central Massachusetts began to call Ascension their spiritual home.
   Interestingly, Rev. Adamo said he believes, with just a little more time, his little church, which overlooks busy Kelley Square, might have been saved by the growing Filipino population within the Ascension community.
   "My heart was broken when the bishop announced that Ascension would be closing," said Rev. Adamo, a priest for 35 years. "I really thought we had turned the corner as more and more Filipino families joined our parish. But it was not to be."

• Church leader jailed for sexual assaults on girls

- Seventh-day Adventist.

   Enfield Independent By Court Reporter
   UNITED KINGDOM -- A CHURCH youth leader who brutally raped a terrified 16-year-old choir girl and indecently assaulted at least five others - one just eight-years-old - has been caged for 11 years.
   Yet although his behaviour was made aware to the church, they forgave him and told him to get counselling after an initial complaint, and then expelled him from the church after a second complaint, never reporting the matter to police, Wood Green Crown Court was told.
   Serial sex offender Howard Zin Green, 47, befriended the "God-fearing" choir girls and their families when he met them at Seventh-day Adventist churches across London, including in Enfield and Edmonton.

• Welcome words on residential schools

   The Edmonton Journal
   CANADA -- The apology is long overdue.
   It seems as if it's been eons since Canadians agreed about the shamefulness of the residential school system that victimized so many in this land.
   Finally, on Wednesday, Prime Minister Harper will officially recognize that brutality and seek forgiveness from our fellow citizens, the men, women and children of Canada's First Nations.
   Each year, thousands of students visit the Syncrude Gallery of Aboriginal Culture at Edmonton's Royal Alberta Museum.
   Among the exhibits designed to tell our original peoples' story is a representation of a one-room residential schoolhouse -- with ledgers, photographs and audio presentations that touchingly recall the myriad abuses of a cruel system that remains one of the darkest chapters of the national narrative.

• Pastor bound over for trial on sex-abuse charges

[2003-04 Russell*] - "Acts II Church". 3 girls.

   The Joplin Globe, By Derek Spellman, dspellman@joplinglobe.com ,
   NEOSHO, Mo. – A Neosho man identified as a self-anointed pastor of a fringe church will stand trial on multiple sexual-abuse charges.
   Randall "Danny" Russell, 49, pastor of the Acts II Church in rural Neosho, was bound over for trial after three women testified during his preliminary hearing Monday that he raped, molested or sodomized them when they were minors.
   Russell was bound over on one count of statutory rape in the second degree, two counts of statutory sodomy in the first degree, three counts of statutory sodomy in the second degree, one count of felony child abuse and two counts of child molestation in the first degree, ruled Newton County Associate Judge Gregory Stremel.

• Abuse victim speaks out at Bennison trial

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).
   Philadelphia Inquirer, By David O'Reilly,
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- Episcopal Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr.'s church trial on the ground that he long ago concealed his brother's sexual abuse of a teenage girl ended its first day with the victim recounting how she had hoped Bennison would report the abuse to her parents and put an end to it.
   "I wanted out," the woman, now 50, told the special Court for the Trial of a Bishop yesterday in Center City. "I wanted someone to help me."
   But Bennison, who was then rector of her parish in Upland, Calif., remained silent, she said, adding that there was "no doubt in my mind he knew" that his brother, John Bennison, the church's youth minister, was having sex with her.
   She described how twice, when she was 15, Charles Bennison had walked in on them and found them disheveled and breathless, with John Bennison visibly aroused on one occasion.

• Episcopal Bishop's Abuse Trial Commences

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14). [~2007 Ms Alton] - Allegedly changed Wikipedia entry, so banned by Wikipedia.
   The Bulletin By Bradley Vasoli, June/10/2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- Episcopal Bishop Charles Bennison faced his first day of ecclesiastical trial yesterday over whether he violated church rules by failing to disclose a sexual relationship between his brother and an underage parishioner.
   The bishop's younger brother John allegedly had illicit sex with a girl beginning in 1971 when she was a 14-year-old member of St. Mark's Church in Upland, Calif., and he was a 24-year-old seminary student. The sexual relationship lasted until 1974, the year she departed for college.
   On two occasions in the summer of 1973, according to the victim, Charles, then the rector of St. Mark's, walked in on the seminarian and the high school student but did not report what he saw either to the girl's parents or to the police.

• Retired bishop who broke ranks to speak tonight

   Union-Tribune By Onell R. Soto UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER June 10, 2008
   LA JOLLA (CA) – A retired Roman Catholic bishop who questions whether the church's celibacy rules have played a role in sexual abuse by priests will speak in San Diego, defying church leaders.
   Retired Bishop Geoffrey Robinson of Sydney, Australia, was asked by San Diego Bishop Robert Brom and several other U.S. bishops – and Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony – to stay away.
   He is banned from speaking on church property in several dioceses while on a tour sponsored by a lay Catholic group, Voice of the Faithful.
   At 6:30 tonight, he will speak at the Faculty Club at the University of California San Diego in La Jolla. His talk is not sponsored by the university.

• Sex scandal back to haunt bishop

   Philadelphia Daily News, By NICOLE NORFLEET, norflen@phillynews.com , 215-854-5444
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- Normally, ballrooms are reserved for festive occasions - job conventions, award banquets, wedding receptions and the like.
   But yesterday, on the fifth floor of the Philadelphia Marriott, a California family testified against a family friend whom they all had once affectionately referred to as "Chuck."
   Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr., leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, is on trial by the church for "conduct unbecoming a member of the clergy" in his handling of a 1970s sex scandal involving his brother - now a resigned priest - and a teenage parishioner.
   A panel of nine judges - five bishops, two priests and two lay members of the church - is expected to hold trial until Thursday.

• Priest gets four years in porn case

[~ 2007 Ethier*] - RCC. 4yrs prison. Computer child porn.
   Daily Gazette, By Jill Bryce,
   ALBANY (NY) – A priest in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, who served at a Troy parish after he was ordained in 1985, was sentenced in federal court on Monday to four years in prison for possession of child pornography.
   Raymond Ethier, 51, of Hudson, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy. He also was ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release.
   The judge also ordered that Ethier have no unsupervised contact with minors, that he participate in a sex offender program and register with the New York State Sex Offender Registry.
   His computer equipment was turned over to the government.
   "In the Catholic church you are always a priest, [but] today he was permanently removed from ministry by Bishop Howard J. Hubbard," said diocese spokesman Kenneth Goldfarb.

• PM says sorry tomorrow

   The Province by Suzanne Fournier, Published: Tuesday, June 10, 2008
   CANADA -- B.C. aboriginal leaders say Prime Minister Stephen Harper's apology tomorrow to residential-school survivors is too little, too late.
   "A lot of our people are suffering and dying because of the residential schools," said Willie Blackwater, one of the pioneers in a 2005 lawsuit against the federal government and the United Church for the horrific sexual and physical abuse he and others suffered at the Alberni Indian Residential School.
   "You can't just give people an apology after all this time and say all is forgiven, because it's not."

• Bishop 'protected sex abuse brother'

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).

   Evening Times (Scotland)
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- An American Anglican bishop twice walked in on his brother's sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl, but did nothing to stop it, a church trial heard.
   The testimony came as the trial opened in Philadelphia for Bishop Charles Bennison of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. His brother became a priest after the abuse was alleged to have begun.
   A panel of bishops, priests and church members will decide whether Bennison, the leader of the fifth-largest Episcopal diocese in the US, may resume his duties. The Episcopal Church is the US name for the Anglican Church.

• Ferns priest accused of abusing children defrocked by Vatican

[Kinsella]

   Irish Independent, by Dearbhail McDonald, Tuesday June 10 2008
   IRELAND -- A FERNS priest accused of abusing young children has been defrocked by the Vatican.
   Father John Kinsella, formerly of The Ballagh, Co Wexford, becomes the sixth priest in the Ferns diocese to be dismissed by papal decree.
   News of the latest Irish priest to be laicised, following a recent canonical hearing in Rome, comes as the Dublin archdiocese braces itself for a damning report on clerical sex abuse in the country's largest diocese.
   The report of the Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation, chaired by Circuit Court Judge Yvonne Murphy, is set to dwarf the Ferns inquiry in the scale of abuse of children and the failure of senior Church officials to prevent it. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 12:38 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Tue June 10, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Wed June 11, 2008 edition:

• Albany county pastor arrested on charges of public lewdness

[2008, June 7 - Loux -NEW*] - Congregational. Male.

   Glens Falls Post-Star, www. poststar. com/ articles/ 2008/06/11/ news/local/ 13661796.txt , By Don Lehman, dlehman@poststar.com , Wednesday, June 11, 2008
   BOLTON (NY) -- State Police said the pastor of an Albany County church who also works as a prison chaplain at Washington Correctional Facility was one of two men arrested Saturday on charges they were having sexual contact at a Northway rest area in Bolton on Saturday.
   Joseph A. Loux Jr., 63, of Hannacroix, and Eugene F. Barnaby, 34, of Thurman were each charged with public lewdness, a misdemeanor, after trooper Edward Stannard witnessed them having sexual contact with one another at a rest area located off the southbound lanes between exits 23 and 24.
   Loux told police he was pastor of Congregational Christian Church of Ravena and a chaplain in the prison system. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:51 PM]

!!!: Abusi in sagrestia, parlano i ragazzini

[2008 Unnamed priest -NEW*] - RCC. Tested boy's vocation (!!!). So he says.

   Taranto Sera, gioved� 22 maggio 2008
   STATTE, Italia - Potrebbero spuntare altre vittime nello scandalo sessuale in sacrestia. In queste ore infatti si fanno pi� pressanti le indagini dei carabinieri dopo l'arresto del collaboratore di una parrocchia del paese per violenza sessuale ai danni di un minorenne.
   [translation]
   Abuses in the sacristy, the boys speak
   Thursday, May 22, 2008
   STATTE, ITALY - More victims could come out in the sacristy sexual scandal. During these hours in fact the investigations by the carabinieri are more pressing after the arrest of a town parish collaborator for sexual violence against a minor.
   The investigators, directed by lieutenant Vincenzo Zanfino and coordinated by the substitute prosecutor Vincenzo Petrocelli, are hearing other boys who frequented the parish.
   The investigations are supported by a psychologist and other facts could be uncovered from this disconcerting story, which was denounced by the victim's parents and through the wiretapping of the church sacristy.
   The man, who will have to respond of the infamous accusation of sexual violence against a minor, will be interrogated in the late morning of today by the judge for the preliminary investigations Patrizia Todisco, the magistrate who signed the order for the home arrest.
   The 53-years-old man was accused after the 13-year-old boy told his parents of having been abused twice, in January and February.
   The allegations are that In January the man embraced the boy simulating a sexual act and in February, in the same sacristy, the man lowered his pants and touched the minor.
   It seems he had locked the sacristy door to impede his victim to fly. But the minor was able to run free and reach his home. After he got over the shock he told his brother and his parents what had happened.
   It was a sordid story which went about the town and the province provoking alarm and disconcert.
   The man, who is married and the father of three children, ended up being investigated after the parents of the victim reported the facts to the carabinieri (the military police) of the local barracks.
   The outcome of their investigation gave ground to the public prosecutor Petrocelli to ask for the arrest of the man, which was authorized by the judge for the preliminary investigations Todisco.
   An alarming episode which is more worrying because the author is a person who had the responsibility as an educator in the parish and on the contrary he is the alleged abuser of a minor who could bear psychological damage for good.
   The man is now under home arrest and in these hours he is being interrogated according to the warranty procedure.
   We don't know yet about the explanations he gave judge Todisco. It's seems, however, that when he was arrested he gave a disconcerting justification.
   He had provoked the boy to make a test of his vocation. The 13-year-old boy, in fact, had expressed his will to become a priest. G.N.

• Church leader indicted in theft case

[2000s Bp Cosas -NEW*] - Romanian Orthodox bishop. Money US $650.
   The Plain Dealer, Posted by Sarena McRae, 18:36PM, June 10, 2008
   CLEVELAND (OH) -- A 51-year-old Cleveland bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Exile was indicted by a grand jury Tuesday on charges of theft and forgery.
   Sava Cosas is accused of forging a check for $650 in another bishop's name.
   Robert Anderson, 60, bishop of the Russian Orthodox Archdiocese, moved into Cosas' home in October 2005 to take over his church while Cosas was imprisoned on a federal gambling conviction.
   When Cosas completed his sentence, Anderson moved out of Cosas' house to start his own ministry. However, Anderson's mail continued to come to the house. Cosas opened a Capital One account in Anderson's name and on Aug. 16 forged a courtesy check in for $650 in Anderson's name, said Ryan Miday, spokesperson for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office.

• Speak No Evil

- RCC. [1980s Doherty] - Boys. [? 2000s Miami Archdiocese -NEW*] - Dismissed truth-teller Ms Gerstner.

   New Times, By Thomas Francis, Published on June 12, 2008
   FLORIDA -- Theresa Gerstner can recall how suspicion crept slowly into her mind. It was peculiar to see boys climbing into Rev. Neil Doherty's car for a trip to the movies. Then she learned the St. Vincent Catholic Church pastor took boys to his mother's house in West Palm Beach and even to his uncle's cabin in New Hampshire. It seemed downright wrong when Doherty mentioned having given a massage to a boy who he claimed was sore from playing baseball.
   Rev. Neil Doherty's secretary always suspected he had a dark side. She says she was punished for talking to police."I knew about the sexual misconduct for years," says Gerstner. "But I couldn't prove it. It was only my opinion, my observation."
   Shortly after Gerstner's claims about Doherty were published in the Miami Herald, the archdiocese dismissed her. Her claims seem to show the Archdiocese of Miami singled out and punished an employee who dared to expose a priest's malfeasance. "You don't go against these people," says Gerstner. "They're like the Mafia."

• Suit filed today alleges sex abuse by Catholic priest at a parish in Normal

[1995-96 Mons. Maloney -NEW*] - RCC. Boy.
   Peoria Journal-Star, By ANDY KRAVETZ, GateHouse News Service, 02:53 PM, Posted Jun 11, 2008
   PEORIA (IL) – Parents of a former Normal boy allegedly abused years ago by a parish priest say they hope a lawsuit filed today will serve as an "alarm" for the Catholic Diocese of Peoria.
   Dave and Joanne Ward, parents of Andrew Ward, stood outside the Peoria County Courthouse shortly after lunchtime to meet with reporters about the suit filed against the church and Monsignor Thomas Maloney whom they claim sexually abused their child in late 1995 and early 1996.
   "The church that I have given my life to is now fighting against me and ruined my son's childhood," Joanne Ward said through tears.

• PRIME MINISTER'S STATEMENT ON RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL APOLOGY

[150yrs - 4 Churches and Government] - Indigenous children.

   Opinion 250, 01:02 PM, Wednesday, June 11, 2008
   PRINCE GEORGE, B.C., CANADA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a historic apology today for more than a century of abuse and cultural loss involving Indian residential schools.
   "The government of Canada sincerely apologizes and asks the forgiveness of the Aboriginal Peoples of this country for failing them so profoundly, we are sorry." Two primary objectives of the residential schools system were to remove and isolate children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and cultures and to assimilate them into the dominant culture. These objectives were based on the assumption aboriginal cultures and spiritual beliefs were inferior and unequal. That they were to kill the Indian in the child.'" …
   A 24-hour, toll-free crisis line has been set up for those who are triggered by the memories. 1-866-925-4419.

• Keeping it a family newspaper

   Glens Falls Post-Star, by Ken Tingley, ~ June 11, 2008
   NEW YORK -- One of the less appealing parts of my job as editor is when our city editor or assistant city editor comes into my office sometime in the late afternoon and says, "You probably should read this."
   It usually means they have flagged a controversial story that I should read before it is printed.
   That was the case of the front page story of the pastor who was arrested for a public sex act.
   These stories often make readers uncomfortable. They worry that younger children will read them as well. Sometimes we are even accused of taking on a tabloid mentality to sell more newspapers.

• Pastor accused of sexual assault leaves Machesney church

[? 2000s Powell] - Baptist. Girls.
   Rockford Register Star, Posted 12:58 PM, Jun 11, 2008
   MACHESNEY PARK (IL) – A Machesney Park pastor accused of having sex with teenage girls has left the church, according to a posting on New Hope Baptist Church's Web site.
   The message on the Web site continues to say that the church's school will remain open, although "there will be changes in the future concerning many facets of the ministry."
   The message was written by Pastor Josh Rivers who identifies himself as "interim pastor."
   The former pastor, Jonathon Powell, was charged in May with two counts of sexual assault for allegedly having sexual relations with a teenage girl. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:45 PM]

• Police: Two men caught having sexual contact in rest area woods

[2008 - Loux*] - Congregational. Public lewdness with male.
   CBS 6, CBS 6 News, 2:54PM, June 11, 2008
   NEW YORK -- State Police arrested two men, one of whom is an Albany County Pastor, for having sexual contact in the woods behind a rest area on I-87 in Bolton.
   Joseph Loux, an Albany County Pastor and a New York State prison chaplain, and Eugene Barnaby, of Thurman, were each charged with misdemeanor public lewdness. An officer responded to a complaint just after 10am coming from a rest area between exits 23 and 24, heading southbound on the Northway.

• Prosecutor drops charges against Lambert

[1995-2003 Raymond Lambert] - Independent Baptist. Ritual abuse. Teenage girl. [Lambert (uncle)] - 17 charges.
   Neosho Daily News, By John Ford, 02:18 PM CDT, Wed Jun 11, 2008
   PINEVILLE (MO) -- While charges have been dropped against a McDonald County pastor facing eight counts of child sexual abuse, the case against his uncle, who faces 17 such counts in Newton County, will go on.
   Six felony counts of child sexual abuse against Raymond Lambert, 53, were dropped Tuesday morning. In a statement released by office of McDonald County Prosecutor Janice Durbin, the alleged victims, because of "incessant publicity" in the case, were forced to decide "that they can no longer subject themselves or their families to the ongoing scrutiny and pressures of a very public proceeding."
   "Victim testimony is crucial and necessary to prosecute cases such as these," the statement read. "Therefore, after consultation and discussion with the victims, the state has agreed to dismiss the charges."

• Omaha priest admits embezzling from parish

[~ 2000s Adams*] - Roman Catholic Church (RCC). US $83,000.
   KPTM, Associated Press, 3:35 PM ET, June 11, 2008
   OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - An Omaha priest has admitted in court that he stole more than $83,000 from a Roman Catholic church.
   The 44-year-old Reverend Rodney Adams pleaded guilty today to one count of felony theft by deception.
   District Judge Russell Bowie released Adams so he could begin a treatment program. [LOOK BACK: ~ May 10, 2008]

• State prison chaplain charged with lewdness

[2008 - Loux*] - Congregational. Public lewdness with male.
   Albany Times Union, Staff reports, Last updated 6:42 p.m., Wednesday, June 11, 2008
   BOLTON (NY) -- Two men, including a former Ravena minister who is now a prison chaplain, face criminal charges after they were allegedly caught in a sex act Saturday at a Northway rest stop near Exit 24.
   State Police said Joseph A. Loux Jr., 62, of Hannacroix in Greene County, and Eugene F. Barnaby, 34, of Thurman in Warren County, admitted to investigators that they engaged in oral sex along a path behind the rest stop, about 15 feet from an outdoor picnic area.
   Loux, a chaplain assigned to the Washington County prison, was suspended without pay Tuesday, said Linda Foglia, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Correctional Services. Loux had been employed by the state since September, 2005, and earned $59,125. Foglia said corrections officials will file a notice of discipline requesting Loux's dismissal.

• Interim Pastor Speaks Out About Church Scandal

[? 2000s Powell*] - Baptist. 2 girls.
   WIFR, ~ June 11, 2008
   [with video]
   ILLINOIS -- A Machesney Park Church is going through hard times right now after its pastor is accused of sexual assault. For the first time tonight the interim pastor speaks out.
   Earlier this month 40 year old Jonathon Powell plead not guilty to four counts of criminal sexual assault with two young girls.

• Whistleblower sues church after being fired

- Lutheran retaliation.
   Easy Reader, by Danny Brown, Published June 12, 2008
   CALIFORNIA -- A former longstanding employee of a church-owned preschool is suing the church after its new pastor allegedly fired her last year in retaliation for exposing his criminal history.
   Michelle Voeller worked at Trinity Lutheran Church Preschool for approximately 23 years and was the director of the preschool for 17 years until, she claims, she was wrongfully terminated by the church in June 2007.
   As part of her administrative duties, Voeller was responsible for registering new school and church employees, who would be on campus with school children, with the Department of Social Services (DSS) for a background check.

• Former Epiphany priest named in abuse lawsuit

[1995-96 Mons. Maloney*] - RCC. Boy.
   Pantagraph, By Edith Brady-Lunny, eblunny@pantagraph , ~ June 11, 2008
   PEORIA (IL) -- A retired monsignor from Epiphany Catholic Church in Normal was named in a lawsuit Wednesday alleging that he sexually abused a former second grade boy at the church between 1995 and 1996.
   Andrew Ward, now 20, filed the civil lawsuit against Msgr. Thomas Maloney and the Catholic Diocese of Peoria in circuit court in Peoria. Ward, who now lives in Michigan, was not with his family at a news conference outside the courthouse Wednesday afternoon.
   The lawsuit alleges that Maloney sexually abused Ward when he was eight years old.

• Lawsuit Filed Against The Diocese

[1995-96 Mons. Maloney*] - RCC. Boy.
   WEEK, ~ June 11, 2008
   PEORIA (IL) -- A civil lawsuit has been filed against The Catholic Diocese of Peoria and a retired priest alleging sexual abuse.
   The family of Andrew Ward is accusing Monsignor Thomas Maloney of molesting their son.
   The Wards' claim Maloney raped Andrew inside Epiphany Church in Normal when he was 8-years-old.
   Family members say the alleged molestation occurred in late 1995 and in early 1996.

• Canada's apology a critical step for Aboriginal people

- Indigenous children.

   CNW, COAST SALISH TRADITIONAL TERRITORY/WEST VANCOUVER, /CNW/ - June 11, 2008
   CANADA -- First Nations Leaders today welcomed Prime Minister Stephen Harper's statement of apology on behalf of Canada for the government's role in the Indian Residential School System. Today the Leadership Council stands in support of residential school survivors and their families. This is also a day to remember those who died because of the residential school system.
   "The full story of the residential school system's impact on our people has yet to be told," said Grand Chief Edward John of the First Nations Summit. "The responses to the apology are both individual and collective. It is extremely important that we respect the many survivors who, in their own discretion and time, will consider the Prime Minister's apology and determine how, in their own interest, each of them will deal with it. Collectively, we celebrate and stand on the dignity of who we are and celebrate our survival. Together, we will build for our individual and collective well-being. We ask Canadians to join with us in this important historical moment to talk about and understand the depths and consequences of the multi-layered and intergenerational impacts on our people."

• After the apologies of Prime Minister Harper, the First Nations of Quebec demand concrete actions

- Indigenous.
   CNW, June 11, 2008
   MONTREAL, CANADA /CNW Telbec/ - The Chiefs of the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador, gathered at a regular Assembly, in Montreal, took notice of the apologies pronounced by the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, for the harm caused to the victims of residential schools, commonly known as "Indian residential schools". After a minute of silence observed for the whole of concerned families and communities, the Chief of the Assembly of the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL), read an official declaration.
   "If the government does not adopt concrete measures, especially towards our youths, its apologies would prove meaningless" stated Chief Picard, who was accompanied by several other Chiefs having attended residential schools.

• Reactions to Harper's apology on residential schools

- Indigenous children.
   National Post, Canwest News Service, Published: Wednesday, June 11, 2008
   CANADA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered a long-awaited apology on native residential schools. The following are apologies from notable native figures, victims and other politicians:
   "Today is a long time coming for reconciliation to what has happened to over 80,000 still alive. It is a very important - new beginning for a lot of people who need to hear an apology. It has to be sincere of course, coming from the heart, that is what I am seeking."
   -Residential school survivor Chief Ron Nyce, Nisga'a Nation, B.C.

• 'We are sorry,' Harper tells First Nations

- Indigenous children.
   The Windsor Star, Meagan Fitzpatrick and Linda Nguyen, Canwest News Service, Published: Wednesday, June 11, 2008
   OTTAWA, CANADA -- Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine said the apology offered Wednesday to residential school survivors signals a "new dawn" in the relationship between Aboriginal People and the rest of Canada.
   "Never again will this House consider us the Indian problem just for being who we are," said Fontaine, following Prime Minister Stephen Harper's historic apology.
   During his approximately 10-minute speech, Harper told residential school survivors that Canada was wrong to set up the system and "sincerely apologizes" for separating families and for the abuses children endured.

• Study: Most female child molesters were victims of sexual abuse

- General community.

   The Hindu (India), ~ June 11, 2008
   ATHENS (GA) – A University of Georgia study that is the first to systematically examine a large sample of female child molesters finds that many of them were themselves victims of sexual abuse as children.
   The finding, published in the April issue of the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, has the potential to help break the cycle of abuse by improving treatment for offenders and their young victims.
   "This study informs us about the pathway to becoming sexually deviant for females," said study author Susan Strickland, assistant professor in the UGA School of Social Work. "With that knowledge, we can improve treatment and reduce the likelihood of future sexual assaults on children."

• REMINDER: Robinson appears in Culver City tomorrow (Thursday) evening

- Bp Geoff Robinson.

   City of Angels, ~ June 11, 2008
   CULVER CITY (CA) -- The retired bishop from Australia whose tour through the US has caused some controversy appears in Culver City tomorrow evening.
   Thursday June 12th at 7:00 PM , in the ballroom at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Culver City, 7:00 PM, admission free, $4 to park or you can take any transit to Fox Hills Mall and walk across the street to get there.
   City of Angels Network will be there with laptop and camera to cover the event and hopefully ask Geoffrey Robinson some questions no one else has asked.

• Harper officially apologizes for native residential schools

- Indigenous children.

   The Canadian Press, ~ June 11, 2008
   OTTAWA, Canada – Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a historic apology Wednesday for more than a century of abuse and cultural loss involving Indian residential schools.
   Aboriginal leaders - some in traditional garb - sat in a circle in front of Harper in the House of Commons as he officially said sorry to former students on behalf of the federal government.
   "The government of Canada sincerely apologizes and asks the forgiveness of the Aboriginal Peoples of this country for failing them so profoundly," Harper said. "We are sorry."
   "Two primary objectives of the residential schools system were to remove and isolate children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and cultures and to assimilate them into the dominant culture.

• PM apologizes for residential schools

- Indigenous children.
   Global TV Published: Wednesday, June 11, 2008
   OTTAWA, CANADA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized Wednesday for the tens of thousands of aboriginal men and women who were wrenched from their parents and forced to live in residential schools, where many were abused.
   He was accompanied into the House of Commons by key native leaders, including Assembly of First Nations national chief Phil Fontaine.
   "I stand before you today to offer an apology to former students of Indian residential schools. The treatment of children in Indian residential schools is a sad chapter in our history, " Harper said.
   "For more than century, Indian residential schools separated more than 150,000 children from their families and communities."

• Prime Minister Harper offers full apology on behalf of Canadians for the Indian Residential Schools system

- Indigenous children.
   Stephen Harper (Canadian PM), June 11, 2008
   OTTAWA, CANADA -- On behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians, Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered an historic formal apology today to former students of Indian Residential Schools and sought forgiveness for the students' suffering and for the damaging impact the schools had on Aboriginal culture, heritage and language.
   "The treatment of children in Indian Residential Schools is a sad chapter in our history," Prime Minister Harper said. "Today, we recognize this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country. The Government of Canada sincerely apologizes and asks the forgiveness of the Aboriginal peoples of this country for failing them so profoundly."
   Today's apology reinforces numerous other government initiatives designed to address the tragic legacy of Indian Residential Schools, including the ongoing implementation of the historic Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement which includes: a Common Experience Payment; an Independent Assessment Process; Commemoration Activities; measures to support healing; and the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

• Jury selection underway in trial of Frederick's 'naked priest'

[2007 Whipkey*] - RCC. Nude jog.

   Daily Camera, June 11, 2008
   GREELEY (CO) -- A priest accused of indecent exposure for running naked very early in the morning is now on trial.
   The Rev. Robert Whipkey, 53, is on trial in Weld County District Court. He was arrested last June in Frederick after an officer said he was seen walking naked on a street at 4:35 a.m.
   Whipkey served as pastor at St. Scholastica church in Erie, in addition to two other churches in Weld County.
   Even though he is a Roman Catholic priest, the judge has approved a defense motion to exclude any references to Whipkey's profession during the trial because it has no bearing on the charge. [LOOK BACK: August 08, 2007]

• Jury selected in jogging priest's indecent exposure trial

[2007 Whipkey*] - RCC. Nude jog.
   Denver Post, By Monte Whaley, ~ June 11, 2008
   GREELEY (CO) – Jury selection began this morning in the indecent exposure trial of a priest accused of jogging naked in June 2007 near Frederick High School.
   But jurors will not hear testimony in the case against 54-year-old Rev. Robert Whipkey until Thursday because Whipkey's attorney had to attend a funeral Wednesday afternoon.
   An off-duty police officer spotted Whipkey walking nude toward his home at about 4:30 a.m. He reportedly told the officer he had just finished jogging near the high school and didn't think anyone would be around at that time of the morning.

• Victim testifies in sexual assault trial involving priest

[2008, March - Murd*] - RCC. Adult.
   Toledo Blade, BLADE STAFF, June 11, 2008
   TOLEDO (OH) -- A 26-year-old man told a Lucas County Common Pleas judge on Wednesday that he was sexually assaulted by a Roman Catholic priest while they were in a hot tub at the YMCA/JCC in Sylvania.
   Testifying in the sexual imposition trial of the Rev. Frank Murd, the victim said the priest joined him in the hot tub about 9:30 p.m. March 18 and began fondling him.
   The man told Judge James Jensen, who is hearing the case in lieu of a jury, that he was offended by the unsolicited act and informed Father Murd that it was inappropriate. He said the incident lasted no more than a minute.
   "I felt like I had been violated," the victim said.

• Judge: No opening statements in priest's indecent exposure trial

[2007 Whipkey*] - RCC. Nude jog.
   The Tribune David Young, dyoung@greeleytribune.com , June 11, 2008
   GREELEY (CO) -- Jury selection is underway in the trial of a priest charged with indecent exposure.
   The Rev. Robert Whipkey, 53, is charged with indecent exposure for jogging naked in June 2007 in Frederick, according to police.
   Whipkey, whose profession will not be mentioned in the trial, appeared this morning in court wearing a light blue button down shirt and khakis.

• Trial For Suspected Naked Jogging Priest Begins

[2007 Whipkey*] - RCC. Nude jog.
   TheDenverChannel, ~ June 11, 2008
   [with video]
   GREELEY, Colo. -- Jury selection began Monday morning for a priest accused of indecent exposure for running naked very early in the morning.
   The Rev. Robert Whipkey, 53, is on trial in Weld County District Court. He was arrested last June in Frederick, about 25 miles north of Denver, after an officer said he was seen walking naked on a street at 4:35 a.m.
   The jury selection process is expected to last through Tuesday.

• Letter of Understanding between the Legion of Christ and the Archdiocese of Baltimore

- Legion's wings clipped.
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore, ~ June 11, 2008
BALTIMORE (MD) -- This links to the letter sent by Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien to Monsignor Alvaro Corcuera Martinez del Rio, superior general of the Legionaries of Christ.

• Baltimore archbishop restricts Legionaries' work

   Catholic World News, Jun. 11, 2008
   [with link to the letter of understanding]
   BALTIMORE (MD) (CWNews.com) -- An American archbishop has placed restrictions on the work of the Legionaries of Christ in his archdiocese.
   Archbishop Edwin O'Brien of Baltimore, Maryland, has sent a "letter of understanding" to Father Alvaro Corcuera, the superior general of the Legionaries of Christ, setting forth the conditions under which he will allow the group to be active in the Baltimore archdiocese. The archbishop's letter, written after a meeting with leaders of the Legionaries, is posted on the web site of the Baltimore archdiocese.
   "Knowing that your willingess to accept the discernment of ecclesiastical authority is but a further proof of the authenticity of the charisms of the Legionaries and Regnum Christi, as pastor of the local Church in Baltimore I need the following from you," Archbishop O'Brien wrote, adding a list of stipulations.

• Ex-Cornwall chief's notes record talk with bishop

- RCC.

   The Ottawa Citizen by Neco Cockburn, Published Wednesday, June 11, 2008
   CORNWALL, CANADA -- After an alleged sexual abuse victim made a $32,000 settlement with religious officials and agreed to withdraw his criminal charges, Cornwall's police chief took the matter to a bishop and eventually jotted on a note that he was told the accused priest "admits" and would be sent away for treatment.
   What was meant by former chief Claude Shaver's note became a sticking point in a public inquiry looking into the institutional response to allegations of historic sexual abuse, with lead commission counsel Peter Engelmann grilling Mr. Shaver on the issue.

• Truth and reconciliation commission operational

- 4 Churches and Government.
   Northern News Service by Brodie Thomas, Published Monday, June 9, 2008
   YELLOWKNIFE, Canada -- The Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission is now established and operational according to the commissions' website. There is no word on when the commission will be coming North, or what communities it will be visiting.
   "With respect to the timeframe and venues, those details still need to be confirmed," said commission spokesperson Kimberly Phillips.
   At least one Northern leader has spoken out in favour of hosting the commission. Nellie Cournoyea said she would like to see the commission come to Inuvik.

• Cop suspended for links with 'godman'

- Dep. Supt. had links with cheating supsect.

   The Times of India, ~ June 11, 2008
   THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India: The Kerala government on Tuesday suspended a Deputy Superintendent of Police for alleged links with controversial 'godman' Santhosh Madhavan alias Amrita Chaitanya, arrested earlier in the day in a cheating case.
   The action was being taken against the police official on the ground that he had behaved unbecoming of a member of the police force, official sources said.
   Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan directed the police top brass to place Sam Christie Daniel under suspension pending inquiry, official sources said.

• And Today's Coward Award Goes To…

- RCC.

   Orange County Weekly, Posted by Gustavo Arellano in Ex Cathedra, June 11, 2008 9:07 AM
   ORANGE COUNTY (CA) -- …the man it should be named for: Catholic Diocese of Orange Bishop Tod D. Brown.
   Today, retired Australian bishop Geoffrey Robinson will speak at the Costa Mesa Community Center about his book despite Brown's whiny letter trying to ban him from Orange County. The Orange County Register asked diocesan spokesman Ryan Lilyengren why Brown threw a hissy fit. "I don't think that Bishop Brown's letter is necessarily a comment per se on (Robinson's) message, it's mostly about being in unity with other bishops."
   Now wait a consarn minute, Ryan! Wasn't it Brown himself who settled the dozens of sex-abuse cases against the Orange diocese in the face of opposition against his brother bishops? Isn't it Brown who loves to brag about his pioneering efforts to combat priestly pedophilia.

• Bishop Criticizes Church For Response To Clergy Sexual Abuse

- Bp Geoff Robinson says RCC leader gave no sex abuse leadership.
   NBC Sandiego, by Monica Dean, NBC 7/39 Reporter, ~ June 11, 2008
   [with video]
   SAN DIEGO (CA) -- A controversial, retired Catholic bishop from Australia spoke in San Diego Tuesday against the wishes of the local diocese.
   Geoffrey Robinson spoke to a crowd packed into the Faculty Club at the University of California at San Diego. He criticized the way the church has handled the sex abuse scandals.
   For several years during his tenure as bishop, Geoffrey Robinson helped lead a church effort to respond to the sex abuse cases in Australia.
   "I was constantly meeting with victims and hearing their stories. Because of that I was dealing, for the first time in my life, with the sexual abuse I too had suffered as a young person," Robinson said. "The pope of those years was giving no leadership."
   Robinson is in the U.S. on a monthlong tour promoting his book, which questions Catholic celibacy rules and takes the church to task for not doing more to confront clergy sexual abuse.

• Ex-pastor accused of embezzlement turns himself in

[~ 2000s Adams*] - Roman Catholic Church (RCC). US $83,000.

   Omaha World-Herald, ~ June 11, 2008
   OMAHA (NE) -- The former pastor of two small south Omaha Roman Catholic parishes turned himself in to police today to answer to allegations that he embezzled more than $83,000 from one of the churches, St. Bridget.
   Father Rodney Adams, 43, was arrested on suspicion of theft by deception over $1,500.
   Adams resigned as pastor of St. Bridget and St. Rose Catholic Churches in May.

• Priest Surrenders in Theft Case

[~ 2000s Adams*] - Roman Catholic Church (RCC). US $83,000.
   WOWT, ~ June 11, 2008
   OMAHA (NE) -- Omaha priest Rodney Adams, suspected of stealing thousands of dollars from his parish, surrendered to police Wednesday morning.
   Police Sgt. Bill Dropinski says Fr. Adams surrendered around 7 a.m. at police headquarters. Dropinski says Adams was booked into the jail on a charge of theft by deception.
   Last month, the Omaha Archdiocese said that more than $83,000 had been stolen from its St. Bridget Parish.
   The archdiocese said Adams, who was pastor at St. Bridget and St. Rose parishes, had been put on leave and was helping investigators.

• Defense lawyer was known for eloquence

- Callahan, lawyer for murderer Robinson, dies.
   Toledo Blade, June 11, 2008
   TOLEDO (OH) -- John J. Callahan, 86, a longtime lawyer known for his eloquent defense of some of Toledo's most notorious accused, was found dead Sunday in his Sylvania home.
   Cause of death is pending a ruling by the Lucas County Coroner's Office, which performed an autopsy. …
   Mr. Callahan was on the team of attorneys, with Mr. Konop, representing Gerald Robinson, the Toledo priest who was convicted in 2006 of the 1980 murder of a nun.

• Romanian clerics create trade unions to protect themselves from their executives

- Romanian Orthodox Church.

   Interfax (Russia) June 11, 2008
   BUCHAREST, Romania (Interfax) - Priests of the Romanian Patriarchate come from different regions of the country to join trade unions to protect their own interests from the church management.
   In particular, some time ago, 20 priests filed documents to Iasi court for incorporation of the "Holy Virgin Protection" trade union. Later, 35 clerics from Oltenia province declared the official incorporation of the independent "Good Pastor" trade union and their intent to hold a strike action aimed at protecting their rights.
   "There is an abyss between the church hierarchy and the priests who serve in churches. We are put under pressure, and have already lost some of our members," priest Nikolay State, vice-president of Good Pastor, said in his interview to the Gyndyl newspaper.

• Dossiers of select FLDS members sent to Texas officials

- FLDS.

   Deseret News, ~ June 11, 2008
   TEXAS -- The Washington (Utah) County Sheriff's Office sent Texas authorities dossiers of several FLDS members "who may engage in acts of intimidation or violence again law enforcement and/or potential witnesses."
   The information, obtained by the Deseret News through Texas public records laws, includes intelligence compiled during Warren Jeffs' 2007 trial in St. George for performing an underage marriage.
   William Roy Jessop

AKA "Willie the Thug" or "King Willie"

The most serious threat affiliated with the FLDS religion.

Reportedly has a passion for violence, weapons (legal and illegal) and explosives.

Accused of intimidating witnesses at Warren Jeffs' trial in 2007.

"If anything remotely resembling violence or intimidation occurs, you can be fairly certain that William had a hand in it."

Has acted as a spokesman for the FLDS Church after the raid on the YFZ Ranch.

Lives in Hildale, Utah.
Ruth Cooke

A "wild card" who is "blindly devoted to Warren and the FLDS religion."

"We reviewed countless letters she had sent to Warren that confirmed her unstable behavior, as she talked of disturbing visions she had received and breaking down the prison walls in the name of the prophet."

• Polygamist sect to sue government officials over raid

- FLDS.
   Fort Worth Star-Telegram, By BILL HANNA, ~ June 11, 2008
   TEXAS -- The attorney for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints said Tuesday that the polygamist sect intends to sue state and county officials over the April 3 raid on the Yearning for Zion Ranch near Eldorado.
   Rod Parker, the Salt Lake City-based attorney for the FLDS, wouldn't say when a lawsuit will be filed but says the sect's lawyers believe that they have grounds for suit after the Texas Supreme Court ordered the return of 440 children to the compound.
   He said that many of the children need extensive counseling after their two-month separation from their parents and that the 1,691-acre ranch was physically damaged during the raid.

• Citing local church autonomy, SBC Executive Committee says no to sex offender database

- Baptists say autonomy reigns.
   The Baptist Standard, By Drew Nichter, Western Recorder, Published: June 11, 2008
   INDIANAPOLIS (IN)–Recognizing Southern Baptists' "belief in the autonomy of each local church," Morris Chapman announced that the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee would not support the creation of a database of sexual offenders in SBC churches.
   "Southern Baptists believe that the local church in New Testament times was autonomous, and thus our local churches are autonomous," the president of the SBC Executive Committee said in his address to messengers at the SBC annual meeting in Indianapolis.
   The matter of a sex offender database was referred to the committee at last year's SBC annual meeting in San Antonio. Oklahoma pastor and former International Mission Board trustee Wade Burleson requested a feasibility study for such a registry "in order to assist in preventing any further sexual abuse or harassment" in Southern Baptist churches, as stated in the motion.

• Vatican tribunal turns down appeals from closed churches

- RCC.
   WHDH, ~ June 11, 2008
   BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS -- The Vatican has refused to hear appeals from eight groups of parishioners trying to force the reopening of Catholic churches shut by the Boston Archdiocese.
   A group of bishops and cardinals who sit on the Apostolic Signatura said in documents written in Latin and mailed to the parishioners that challenges to the closings are "clearly lacking any basis."
   The local parishioners have decided to appeal to the full tribunal for reconsideration, even though they admit there is little chance of success. John Verrengia, who is leading efforts to reopen Our Lady of Lourdes church in Revere, admitted that prospects are "dim."

• Talks aim to settle sex abuse lawsuit

[≤ 1983+ Van Dykes] - Mormon. 26 convictions so far, but Mormons kept him. Boys.

   The Oregonian, By PETER ZUCKERMAN Wednesday, June 11, 2008
   PORTLAND (OR) -- Six Portland men agreed to enter talks this week to settle their $25 million lawsuit against the Mormon church and the Boy Scouts of America over alleged sexual abuse.
   The lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Portland contends that in the 1980s and 1990s Timur Van Dykes molested Boy Scouts in Troop 719, which the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints supervised. Since 1983, Dykes, 51, has been convicted of at least 26 sex crimes.
   "The amazing thing about this case is the extent to which these institutions continued to allow him access to kids, even after he had acknowledged sexually abusing boys and, indeed, after he had been convicted for doing so," said Portland attorney Kelly Clark, who represents the plaintiffs.

• Sexual abuse charges against pastor dropped

[1995-2003 Lambert] - Independent Baptist. Ritual abuse. Teenage girl.
   Fort Mill Times, Published June 11, 2008
   PINEVILLE, Mo. – All charges have been dropped against a southwest Missouri pastor who was accused of sexually abusing two teenage girls who were members of his church.
   McDonald County prosecutors said the two alleged victims decided "that they can no longer subject themselves or their families to the ongoing scrutiny and pressures of a very public proceeding," according to a statement released Tuesday by Prosecutor Janice Durbin.
   "In no way does this dismissal reflect the state's opinion about the validity of the charges against the defendant," Durbin said in the statement.

• Southern Baptists won't create a sexual predator database

- Baptists.
   The Tennessean By BOB SMIETANA, June 11, 2008
   INDIANAPOLIS (IN) – A top leader at the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting urged fellow Baptists to drive sexual predators out of the churches.
   Morris Chapman, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's executive board, told more than 7,200 church representatives meeting here Tuesday that preventing sexual abuse in the church is the responsibility of local congregations.
   "One sexual predator in our midst is one too many," Chapman said. "Our denomination and our local churches must condemn publicly this vile act."
   The executive committee announced Tuesday it would not create a national database of Baptist ministers accused or convicted of sexual abuse. The church representatives – called messengers – asked the committee last year to consider creating such a database.

• Why the apology matters to us all

- Indigenous children.

   Toronto Star, 04:30 AM, Jun 11, 2008
   CANADA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper will rise this afternoon in the House of Commons to apologize on behalf of Canadians for one of the darkest chapters in our history – the forcible removal of generations of aboriginal children from their families to residential schools, which systematically sought to "kill the Indian in the child."
   For many of the 90,000 living former students who are struggling to come to terms with painful memories of forced assimilation and, in some cases, horrific abuse, a sincere and unconditional apology is a necessary step toward healing the deep wounds they still carry.
   But this is also an opportunity for all Canadians to face up to this disastrous policy and its devastating consequences. For too long, residential schools have widely been seen as an unfortunate historical footnote. Harper's apology ought to compel Canadians to look critically and unflinchingly at their past and help set the relationship between aboriginals and non-aboriginals on a better path.

• Residential school victims await historic apology

- Indigenous children.
   CBC News, ~ June 11, 2008
   CANADA -- Aboriginal students who endured abuse and torment in Canada's residential schools will finally get a formal apology from the Canadian government on Wednesday, a prospect that has many feeling a mix of emotions.
   Willie Blackwater, who repressed his memories of rapes and beatings for decades, said he is looking forward to being inside the House of Commons in Ottawa when Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivers the apology at 3 p.m. ET. But at the same time, Blackwater said he fears the wording won't be right, or something else will be amiss.
   "But I think it will be one of the humongous chapters in my life that will help bring completion of a lot of … my trauma, and the trauma I've inflicted on others, from the residential school legacy," said Blackwater, 53.

• Legacy of Canada's residential schools

- Indigenous children.
   BBC News, By Sarah Shenker, ~ June 11, 2008
   CANADA -- Mike Cachagee is not impressed by apologies.
   Aged four, he was sent from his home to a series of state-run church boarding schools, where he was stripped of his language, religion and culture.
   He was physically and sexually abused.
   When he returned home 12 years later, his mother did not recognise him.
   "To apologise for taking me away from my family, for losing my culture and the loss of my childhood and the loss of my mother's love… How does one apologise for that?" he asks.

• S. Baptists say no to sex predator list

- Baptists.

   The Oklahoman, By Carla Hinton, Religion Editor, ~ June 11, 2008
   INDIANAPOLIS (IN) -- Vowing that they will not turn a "blind eye" to sexual predators in their midst, Southern Baptist Convention leaders nonetheless said Tuesday they are not creating a database tracking sexually abusive ministers.
   Morris Chapman, the convention's executive committee president, reported on the matter during the opening session of the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in Indianapolis. Chapman's remarks came in response to Enid pastor Wade Burleson's 2007 request that the executive committee explore the possibility of developing a database of Southern Baptist ministers and staff involved in sexual abuse or harassment.
   At the time, Burleson said such a database would help prevent such predators from going from church to church victimizing those in different congregations.

• Retired bishop declines to stay mum

- Bp. Geoff Robinson continues.

   The Orange County Register, BY VIK JOLLY, ~ June 11, 2008
   ORANGE COUNTY (CA) -- A retired Australian bishop promoting his new book about the clergy sex abuse scandal will speak in Costa Mesa Wednesday night, despite calls by several American bishops, including Tod Brown of the Diocese of Orange, asking him to cancel his month-long tour of the United States.
   "The scandal obviously has been tragic," said Steven J. Dzida, chairman of the Orange County affiliate of the Voice of the Faithful, a group of mainstream Catholics working for change in the church structure and policy, which is co-sponsoring the gatherings at which Most Rev. Geoffrey Robinson is speaking.
   "We think Bishop Brown has taken steps to address the problems of the sexual abuse scandal, but we think that Bishop Robinson's ideas on the broader impact of the scandal are very worthy of discussion by the wider church," Dzida said.
   When the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Center, which seats about 100, was booked for the event earlier this year, Dzida said he did not anticipate his group would need more room.

• Vatican tribunal hands loss to 8 local groups on closings

- RCC.

   The Boston Globe, By Michael Paulson / June 11, 2008
   MASSACHUSETTS -- A high-level Vatican tribunal has dealt yet another blow to Boston-area Catholics protesting parish closings, declining to hear appeals from eight groups of parishioners who are attempting to force reopenings of local parish churches.
   The Apostolic Signatura declared, in dense Latin documents mailed to lay worshipers who do not speak that long-dead language, that the challenges to the closings are "clearly lacking any basis."
   The dismissal came from a subset of the bishops and cardinals who sit on the tribunal; the local parishioners, meeting over the weekend, all decided to appeal to the full tribunal for reconsideration.
   They acknowledged that the appeal for reconsideration has little chance of success, but said they would continue to pursue any recourse afforded them under the church's canon law, including trying to block Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley from designating the parish buildings suitable for "profane use," which is how the church describes secular uses of church buildings. …
   The rulings criticize the parishioners for focusing on their own concerns, rather than those of the archdiocese as a whole, a critique the parishioners say fails to acknowledge the bonds between Catholics and their parishes. Also, in an unusual admission, the rulings attribute the decline of the parishes in part to the clergy sexual abuse scandal.

• Witness: Bishop violated duties

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).
   Philadelphia Daily News, By NICOLE NORFLEET, norflen@phillynews.com , 215-854-5444, ~ June 11, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- No Bible was used to swear in witnesses on Day 2 of the church trial for the leader of Pennsylvania's Episcopal Diocese, who is accused of turning a blind eye to his brother's alleged abuse of a young parishioner.
   Instead, the holy book was referred to during questioning about Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr.'s handling of the 35-year-old sexual-abuse case.
   "We look at our Lord Jesus as the model for good pastoring … he keeps away the wolves," said Bishop David E. Richards, who was in the office of pastoral development at the time of the abuse.
   But Bennison did not act as a "good shepherd" when he served as rector of St. Mark's Church in Upland, Calif., Richards said in a four-hour video played yesterday for the trial, being held at the Center City Marriott.

• PENNSYLVANIA: Witnesses say bishop negligent in caring for abuse victim

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).
   Episcopal Life, Episcopal News Service, By Jerry Hames, June 11, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- Key witnesses for the prosecution testified during the second day of the ecclesiastical trial of Pennsylvania Bishop Charles Bennison that he failed to act responsibly 35 years ago when he was told that his 24-year-old brother, John Bennison, whom he had hired for his parish's youth ministry, was abusing a teenage girl in the youth group.
   Gary Schoener, a licensed psychologist and director of the Walk-In Counseling Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who was called as an expert witness, testified that there were four principal steps a person was to take in the 70s when there was suspicion of sexual abuse. "They were first to intervene and stop the abuse. Then provide aid to the victim. Then look to the safety of others. Then try to get some help, assessment, for the offender," he said.
   "Back then, you wouldn't do anything with an {abused} kid without having a parent involved." He told the court that parents are key in providing help, or seeking psychological help. The court has heard that Bennison chose not to notify the parents, nor seek counsel from his bishop or other mental health professionals when he was told of the abuse.

• PHILADELPHIA: Expert Witnesses Testify Bennison Knew and Should be Held Accountable

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).
   Virtue Online, By David W. Virtue, www.virtueonline.org , June/10/2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- Witnesses, at the ecclesiastical trial of the inhibited Bishop of Pennsylvania, say Charles E. Bennison knew about his brother's sexual abuse of a minor and acted in his own protective self interests. He also urged the abused family not to take action because it could cost him his job and pleaded confidentiality when no such case could be made under the church's canon law.
   Bishop David Richards, Head of the office of Pastoral Development in the 70's, testified that Bennison violated all the ground rules by failing to inform the girl's parents, showing no concern for the girl, failing pastorally both the girl and her parents, offering no therapy or safety, healthcare or psychological counseling, and having concern only for his own reputation and that of his brother.
   Sitting grim and red-faced between his two lawyers, the usually smug look on his pale face now gone, Bennison tried to put the best front on his situation as he heard witness after witness condemn him for his inaction in the face of grave sexual misconduct by his brother, John. Bishop Richards publicly declared that Bennison engaged in 'conduct unbecoming a member of the clergy.'

• Woman in Bennison trial testifies reluctantly

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).
   Philadelphia Inquirer, By David O'Reilly, Inquirer Staff Writer, June 11, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- The church trial of Episcopal Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr., charged with concealing his brother's sexual abuse of a teenage girl decades ago, heard again yesterday from the victim, who said Bennison did nothing to protect her after he learned of the abuse.
   In response to questioning from one of Bennison's lawyers, the woman, now 50, also told the special Court for the Trial of a Bishop that she had nothing to do with initiating the proceedings against Bennison and was testifying only reluctantly. The woman has been identified as Martha Alexis, her childhood name. She is now married and does not use either name.
   "I haven't wanted him removed from his job," Alexis said tearfully. "I just want him to acknowledge his role" in protecting his brother and failing to protect her.

• Advocacy group, church have different ideas on finding abuse victims

- RCC.
   Yakima Herald-Republic By JANE GARGAS, ~ June 11, 2008
   YAKIMA (WA) -- They concur on the goal but not on how to do it.
   A national group of people abused by clerics and the Yakima diocese disagreed Tuesday over how to reach past victims.
   Two members of SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, traveled to Yakima to exhort Bishop Carlos Sevilla to be more aggressive about uncovering past cases of sexual abuse.
   Both from Seattle, Steve Snider and John Shuster, a national board member, held a news conference on the grounds of diocese headquarters at 5301 Tieton Drive.

• Episcopal Priest Wishes Bennison Had Spoken Up

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).
   The Bulletin, By Bradley Vasoli, June/11/2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- Father James Armstrong Trimble, of Philadelphia, testified yesterday before an ecclesiastical court that Fr. Charles Bennison, when he was a candidate for bishop in 1996, should have disclosed the sexual violations of an underage girl committed by his brother, also a priest.
   Fr. Trimble co-chaired the search committee for an Episcopal bishop in the five-county region in 1996. Fr. Bennison succeeded in getting elected bishop but now finds his position challenged amidst charges that he concealed an adulterous relationship his younger brother John had with the female parishioner in the early 1970s.
   The repeated abuses, which took place over more than a three-year period, were perpetrated at St. Mark's Church in Upland, Calif., beginning when John Bennison was a 24-year-old seminary student before he was married, and continued after he was married.

• Clergy-abuse victim speaks at Weymouth church

   The Patriot Ledger, 07:20 AM, Posted Jun 11, 2008
   WEYMOUTH (MA) – One of the small group of clergy sex abuse victims chosen to meet with Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to the United States has set a goal.
   Olan Horne told a meeting of the Weymouth Voice of the Faithful that he will try to meet every American bishop he can, bringing the message that the church has an "extraordinary opportunity" to set things right.
   "To move the pope on this issue at this time – that's light speed in Vatican time," Horne said Tuesday at St. Albert the Great Church parish hall. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:32 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Wed June 11, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Thu June 12, 2008 edition:

• BREAKING NEWS: Silsbee pastor indicted on three counts of indecency with child

[? 2000s Banks -NEW*] - Baptist. Child.

   The Silsbee Bee, By GERRY L. DICKERT, 4 p.m., Thursday, June 12, 2008
   SILSBEE (TX) -- Silsbee pastor Lester L. Banks has turned himself in to the Hardin County Sheriff's Office after a warrant was issued for his arrest on three counts of indecency with a child.
   This Tuesday, the Hardin County Grand Jury returned three indictments against Banks, the 52-year-old pastor of Union Baptist Church in Silsbee.
   The indictments accuse Banks of three counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact. All are second-degree felonies and each carried a $150,000 bond.

• Man Accused Of Secret Peeping Was Church Youth Leader

[2000s Mr Sloop -NEW*] - Baptist. Prying cameras, touching 2 minors.
   WXII, ~ June 12, 2008
   YADKIN COUNTY, N.C. -- The husband accused of filming his wife's friends while they used a tanning bed in the couple's basement and sexually assaulting two minors was a longtime member and youth leader at Peace Haven Baptist Church, WXII12 News has learned.
   More than 100 charges were filed this week against Tony Gray Sloop, 49, of Hamptonville, including sexual abuse of two girls under the age of 13 and secret peeping.
   The photos and videos, which allegedly were taken from cameras installed in pinholes in a basement and a bathroom and according to investigators, show women of a variety of ages.

• Lord Patten: Let women and married men become Roman Catholic priests

- "Husbands of one wife" and wives of one husband?

   Telegraph, By Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent, Last Updated: 8:47PM BST, June 12, 2008
   UNITED KINGDOM -- Thousands of leading Roman Catholics including Lord Patten and Baroness Williams are calling on the Church to allow women and married men into the priesthood.
   Senior clergy are also among the 2,000 who have so far signed a petition demanding that action be taken to tackle the "major crisis" of dwindling numbers of Catholic priests.
   They claim that there is no real barrier to married men being ordained, despite it being part of the Church's teaching throughout its history, given that married former Anglicans who convert to Catholicism are allowed to become priests.
   And in a further controversial move, they also want Catholic leaders in England and Wales to discuss the possibility of women becoming priests, an issue which has already been hugely divisive in the worldwide Anglican Church.
   [COMMENT: For more than 1000 years the Churches, East and West, had married clergy, including bishops of Rome. Regarding female clergy, St Paul wrote that he would not let a woman speak in the congregation, yet in another place he said that if a woman prayed or prophesied she must be veiled. Also in the New Testament St Paul praised "Phoebe, a deaconess of the church at Cenchreae" (see Romans 16:1-2). And, there are Latin words in Mediaeval documents meaning female bishop, "priestess" and "deaconess". But I forgot -- we have the living truth to guide us contrariwise, and it never errs?! ENDS.]

• "WRITE TO THE POPE"

- RCC.

   Catholica, ~ June 12, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- In the wake of the "disappointing" response from the President of the Australian Catholic Bishops last week, Dr Paul Collins and Frank Purcell, the organisers of a petition to the Australian Catholic Bishops last year, last night announced a new campaign to generate at least a thousand letters which they hope to have delivered to Pope Benedict during his visit to Australia next month.
   The letter they are suggesting people write addresses the looming crisis in Ministry this nation faces with a lack of priests to officiate at weddings, funerals and Sunday liturgies.

• Former priest slams diocese

- Fr Kinsella twice checked, then defrocked without notice.

   Wexford People, Wednesday June 11 2008
   IRELAND -- A PRIEST defrocked by the Pope has accused the Diocese of Ferns of a serious miscarriage of justice.
   Fr. John Kinsella, who served as a curate in Enniscorthy in the ealy 1970s and the Ballagh from 1991, says the first he knew of his defrocking was when he read about it in a newspaper.
   Despite overhwhelming evidence against the accusers, the Diocesan Authority callously pursued the path of a kangaroo court to judge me in the harshest way possible, he claims in a letter sent to this newspaper.
   The priest, who was formerly accused of child sex abuse offences against boys from the Enniscorthy area, said allegations were investigated by the Gardai in 1996, were subsequently investigated by the Garda authorities and dismissed by the DPP.

• Alessandra Borghese: the prodigal daughter

- Back to the RCC.

   The Telegraph, for June 13, 2008
   UNITED KINGDOM -- European aristocrat, Princess Alessandra Borghese, talks to Peter Stanford about her well-documented return to Catholicism.
   The reformed rake is a familiar figure in the religious canon from the parable of the prodigal son onwards.
   Princess Alessandra Borghese, 44-year-old scion of one of the grandest of Italian noble families, famous for its popes, cardinals and glorious villa and park in the centre of Rome, may never quite have been a rake, but otherwise neatly fits the mould.
   In the 1990s, she was one of those European aristocrats whose names we came to know only because they were forever appearing in glossy magazines, attending all the right grand weddings and openings. She even published an A-to-Z guide to good manners with her great friend, the German Gloria von Thurn und Taxis, better known in the society pages as the 'punk princess' or 'Princess TNT'. …
   Her 2004 book, With New Eyes, the story of her return to the fold, was a bestseller in her home country and over much of Catholic Europe. She has followed it with four other equally successful, equally personal, devotional works, including In The Footsteps of Joseph Ratzinger, her first outing in English, published this month. …
   Her distaste for such a notion is immediately apparent but is revealed in full later, when the question of women priests -banned by Catholicism - comes up. 'If you're Catholic and want to be a woman priest,' she protests, 'join the Anglicans or the Protestants. Why do you want to change the Catholic tradition according to your point of view? If you look at Holy Mary, you see that her grandeur was not because she did anything, but because she was able to stand behind something bigger.' It is not a position that sits easily with contemporary secular norms, but Borghese has a rather aristocratic disdain for conventional wisdom. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 10:33 PM]

• Priest found guilty of indecent exposure

[2007 Whipkey*] - RCC. Nude jog.

   The Tribune, David Young, dyoung@greeleytribune.com , June 12, 2008
   GREELEY (CO) -- It took a jury less than three hours to find a priest guilty of indecent exposure for jogging naked.
   Whipkey and his defense attorney Harvey Steinberg did not comment following the verdict.
   Around 6:30 p.m. today jurors reached the verdict in the trial of Rev. Robert Whipkey, 53, who told Frederick police officer Zacheria Hahn in June of 2007 he was jogging nude early in the morning at the high school track because he sweats profusely. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 10:28 PM]

• PHILADELPHIA: Bennison's Lawyer Files Motion for Dismissal Citing Statute of Limitations.

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).
   Virtue Online By David W. Virtue www.virtueonline.org June/12/2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- Lawyers for Charles E. Bennison, the inhibited Bishop of Pennsylvania, filed a motion arguing that the trial against him should be declared null and void saying the Statute of Limitations has been violated because of "half truths and factual inaccuracies alleged in the Presentment."
   James Parabue, Bennison's attorney walked across the courtroom, at the conclusion of the trial Thursday, and presented the court with a 22-page document claiming that the Presentment against Bishop Bennison for Conduct Unbecoming a Member of the Clergy was "within, or continued up to, ten years immediately preceding the time of receipt of a Charge."
   "This belated attempt by political forces within the Diocese of Pennsylvania to force Bishop Bennison out of his position using decades old charges should be summarily rejected on the grounds that these charges were not brought within the acceptable time period."

• Bishop in sex case contends 1970s were different

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).
   Philadelphia Inquirer, By David O'Reilly, June 12, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- On the last day of a very unusual trial, Episcopal Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr. continued to defend himself against charges that he concealed his brother's sexual abuse of a minor decades ago, saying today that he acted within the standards of the times.
   "As poorly as I handled it," he said, "if I had applied today's protocols then, things might have turned out worse."
   In October, the Episcopal Church USA suspended him as head of the five-county Diocese of Pennsylvania on the ground that he engaged in "conduct unbecoming a member of the clergy" for failing to protect the girl or report his brother's misbehavior. The church alleges that Bennison did so in order to advance his career.
   The trial that resulted was just the third Court for the Trial of a Bishop in the 232-year history of the Episcopal Church USA.

• Parents' suit intended to 'alarm' diocese

[1995-96 Mons. Maloney*] - RCC. Boy.
   Journal Star, By ANDY KRAVETZ, Jun 11, 2008
   PEORIA (IL) – Parents of a former Normal boy allegedly abused years ago by a parish priest say they hope a lawsuit filed today will serve as an "alarm" for the Catholic Diocese of Peoria.
   Dave and Joanne Ward, parents of Andrew Ward, stood outside the Peoria County Courthouse shortly after lunchtime to meet with reporters about the suit filed against the church and Monsignor Thomas Maloney, who they claim sexually abused their child in late 1995 and early 1996 at Epiphany Church in Normal.
   "The church that I have given my life to is now fighting against me and ruined my son's childhood," Joanne Ward said through tears.

• Insufficient evidence to file criminal charges against retired priest

[1995-96 Mons. Maloney*] - RCC. Boy +.
   Pantagraph, By Edith Brady-Lunny eblunny@pantagraph.com , ~ June 12, 2008
   NORMAL (IL) -- The McLean County state's attorney's office found insufficient evidence to file criminal charges against a retired local priest accused in a civil lawsuit this week of molesting a former second-grader at Epiphany Grade School.
   The civil lawsuit naming the diocese and retired Msgr. Thomas Maloney was filed Wednesday in Peoria by Andrew Ward, a 20-year-old Michigan man who attended the school in Normal. Ward has accused Maloney of molesting him when he was 8 years old, between 1995 and 1996, in the church sanctuary.
   The allegations involving Maloney were investigated by the Normal Police Department after the Ward family filed a report in January 2007. Assistant Police Chief Kirk Ijams confirmed Thursday that investigators interviewed two individuals who were alleged victims of molestation by Maloney.

• Ten U.S. bishops ask retired Sydney bishop to cancel book tour

- RC Bp. Geoff Robinson will continue.

   The Tidings, Catholic News Service, ~ June 12, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- Ten U.S. bishops called on Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, retired auxiliary bishop of Sydney, Australia to cancel his controversial U.S. book tour so as not to promote disunity and confusion in the church. However, Bishop Robinson said he would continue his speaking engagements about his 2007 book, "Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church: Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus."
   In their letter to Bishop Robinson, dated May 9, the U.S. bishops noted that the Australian Bishops Conference Committee on Doctrine and Morals called attention to the "problematic positions" Bishop Robinson has taken on women's ordination, celibacy and conscience formation. They also pointed out that the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops wrote to the bishop asking him to cancel his U.S. visit.
   "Lest your visit and talks be a source of disunity and cause of confusion among the faithful of the particular Churches we serve, we ask you to abide by the request of the Congregation for Bishops and cancel your speaking tour in the United States," wrote the U.S. prelates.
   The letter was signed by Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles, Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston, Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington, Archbishop Alex Brunett of Seattle, Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Center, Bishop Arthur Serratelli of Paterson, Bishop Richard Lennon of Cleveland, and Bishop Robert Brom of San Diego.

• US dioceses rarely told results of priest abuse probes: study

- RCC.

   AFP, ~ June 12, 2008
   ORLANDO, Florida (AFP) – US Catholic officials told families the outcome of their probes into accusations of sexual abuse by priests in less than one-third of the cases, a study said Thursday.
   Unveiled during a Conference of Catholic Bishops meeting in Orlando, Florida, the preliminary study into the sex abuse scandal that has rocked the church showed that 40 percent of cases were reported between 1988-1998.
   During that decade, nine out of 10 US dioceses received reports of sexual abuse by priests, said the study by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York.
   Families of alleged victims had to make more than one effort to contact the diocese in 60 percent of the cases, it said.

• Schedule for C-Span2 Booknotes Program for Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Its Children

   Voice from the Desert, ~ June 12, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- I received the following information in an email from Professor Marci Hamilton today, 6.12.2008.
   C-Span2 will air its Booknotes book event for Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Its Children at the following times and dates. The focus of the event (and the book) is on statutes of limitations reform for all childhood sexual abuse survivors.
   http://www.booktv.org/program.aspx?ProgramId=9480&SectionName=&PlayMedia=No
   Saturday, June 28, at 11:00 PM; Sunday, June 29, at 8:00 AM; Monday, June 30, at 4:45 AM

• PRIEST ARRESTED ON SEX CRIME CHARGES

[2008 Cortez*] - RCC. Schoolgirl.
Queens Ledger ~ June 12, 2008
BROOKLYN (NY) -- Father Augusto Cortez, a priest who interacts with students at a Bushwick Catholic school has been arrested on suspicion of committing a sex crime. The 44-year-old priest, who worked at St. John the Baptist School, is charged with groping a 12-year-old student's breast on May 29. The Diocese of Brooklyn was the first to hear of the student's accusations, and, following a previous agreement with the Kings County district attorney, notified that office.

• Jury deliberating in naked priest trial

[2007 Whipkey*] - RCC. Nude jog.
   The Tribune, by David Young, dyoung@greeleytribune.com , June 12, 2008
   GREELEY (CO) -- The jury is deliberating in the trial of a priest charged with indecent exposure for jogging naked.
   The Rev. Robert Whipkey, 53, told Frederick police officer Zacheria Hahn he was jogging nude at the high school track because he sweats profusely.
   In closing statements Whipkey's defense attorney Harvey Steinberg argued Whipkey did not intend to show his genitals to anyone and covered up when Hahn spotted him.

• Anti Abortion Vigil to be Held at Catholic Bishops Conference in Orlando June 13-14; Ad to Run in Orlando Sentinel: 'In Search of 12 Apostles'

   Christian Newswire (WASHINGTON), June 10, 2008
   ORLANDO (FL) -- On Friday, June 13 (10 a.m. -- 4 p.m.), and Saturday, June 14, (10 a.m. -- 1 p.m.), Catholic pro-life activists will hold a vigil in front of the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress during the bi-annual meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Address: 1 Grand Cypress Blvd, Orlando FL, 32836.
   Also on June 13, the following newspaper ad, In Search of 12 Apostles, will run in the Orlando Sentinel. See ad at www. ahumbleplea. com/Orlando Ad.htm
   The ad shows the photos of prominent "pro-choice" politicians, and compares them to Herod - the King who ordered the death of the infants in Bethlehem. The ad begins:
   "Bishops: Should we vote for Herod after he slaughtered the Holy Innocents?

• Bishops want Catholics back

   St. Louis Post-Dispatch By Tim Townsend June/11/2008
   UNITED STATES -- From as long ago as he can remember, Josey Baker's mom took him to Mass each Sunday at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Columbia, Ill. From kindergarten through fifth grade, he went to Mass with his classmates every day at Immaculate Conception's school. From first grade through his senior year at Gibault Catholic High School in Waterloo, Baker took religious education classes alongside math and English.
   But as he grew into adulthood, the church became less important to his faith. "A lot of people say, 'You're not Catholic because you don't abide by the pope's every rule,'" said Baker, who is now 27. "But I don't feel like just because I don't go to church I'm going to hell. I can have my own relationship with God without going to church every week."
   Baker said "the majority" of his friends from grade school and high school feel the same way.

• Extremists Pressure Catholic Bishops to Use Communion as Political Weapon

- RCC.
   The Huffington Post by Chris Korzen, ~ June 12, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- A radical arm of the pro-life movement attacked the Catholic Church this week. As the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) gathered in Orlando for its bi-annual meeting, a group called the "Society for Truth and Justice" launched an ad campaign encouraging the bishops to deny Communion to "pro-abortion politicians," and even to condemn Catholics who vote for those same politicians. Others planned a protest outside the bishops' meeting on Friday.
   The far right's attempt to use Catholic teaching to malign progressive candidates and drive wedges between voters is nothing new. In 2004, right wing "Catholic" groups worked hand in hand with the Republican Party on a well-funded and well-organized campaign to cast Kerry as a bad Catholic - an effort that may in fact have made the difference in Ohio. Contrary to conventional wisdom, only a handful of the hundreds of U.S. Catholic bishops subscribed to this theologically inaccurate mode of political engagement.

• Bishops to analyze Mass attendance, recent data on U.S. Catholic Church

- RCC.
   Catholic News Agency, 01:56 pm (CNA), Jun 12, 2008
   ORLANDO (FL) -- Today the U.S. bishops are gathering to discuss current issues relating to the American Catholic Church at the spring meeting of the United States Conference of Bishops. In addition, CARA, a Georgetown-based research center will present findings from its study, "Sacraments Today: Belief and Practice Among U.S. Catholics."
   Over the course of their two day meeting in Orlando, the bishops will discuss a variety of pertinent topics to the American Catholic Church such as embryonic stem cell research, updates on the sexual abuse scandal, and the new translation of the Proper of the Seasons of the Roman Missal.
   Not to be overlooked amidst the high profile issues are two presentations from the well-known research groups Pew and CARA, which will help the bishops take the pulse of the Catholic Church in the U.S.
   [COMMENT: But is the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq, and torturing prisoners, on the agenda? ENDS]

• Sex abuse, liturgy, stem cells on bishops' agenda at spring meeting

- RCC.
   Catholic News Service By Nancy Frazier O'Brien, ~ June 12, 2008
   ORLANDO, Fla. (CNS) -- Opening their spring general meeting in Orlando, members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops got an interim report on the causes and context of child sexual abuse by priests and made quick work of proposals to revisit the ethical guidelines on feeding tubes and to declare a National Catholic Charities Sunday in 2010.
   In the first morning session of the June 12-14 assembly at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, the bishops also took a preliminary look at two documents they will vote on later in the meeting. The first was a 700-page draft translation of the proper prayers in the Roman Missal for each Sunday and feast day during the liturgical year.
   The other was a seven-page policy statement from the Committee on Pro-Life Activities that calls embryonic stem-cell research "a gravely immoral act" that crosses a "fundamental moral line" by treating human beings as mere objects of research.

• Catholic bishops aim to improve priest morale

- RCC.
   The Associated Press, By RACHEL ZOLL, ~ June 12, 2008
   ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Meeting for the first time since Pope Benedict XVI visited the U.S. and spoke of the deep shame he felt over clergy sex abuse, America's Roman Catholic bishops Thursday began discussing how they can repair relations with priests after six years of scandal.
   A small group of bishops and clerics, over a private lunch, started talks about the pain and trauma clergy have suffered since the crisis erupted in 2002. Embarrassment ran so deep that many priests stopped wearing their Roman collars in public at the height of the scandal.
   Archbishop Roger Schweitz of the Archdiocese of Anchorage, Alaska, said bishops are trying to learn directly from clergymen what church leaders should do to improve morale.
   [COMMENT: Improve their MORALS, then their morale will improve! ENDS. ]

• Baltimore archbishop demands greater accountability from Legionaries of Christ

[Decades - Maciel Degollado] - RCC. Many seminarians. Abp: Maybe sinful.

   National Catholic Reporter, By JOHN L. ALLEN JR., ~ June 12, 2008
   ORLANDO (FL) -- Demanding what he calls greater "transparency and accountability" from the controversial religious order known as Legionaries of Christ and their associated lay movement, Regnum Christi, Archbishop Edward O'Brien of Baltimore has directed both groups to disclose all activities within his archdiocese, and to refrain from one-on-one spiritual direction with anyone under 18.
   The ban on counseling minors, O'Brien said in an interview with NCR on Wednesday, is related to concerns that the Legionaries and Regnum Christi practice "heavily persuasive methods on young people, especially high schoolers, regarding vocations."
   Both the Legionaries of Christ, a religious order of priests, and the lay-led Regnum Christi are typically seen as part of a galaxy of "new movements" within Catholicism. Both are known for missionary zeal, as well as staunch traditionalism in faith and practice.
   In a June 11 interview on the margins of the spring meeting of the U.S. bishops in Orlando, Florida, O'Brien said he's prepared to take the "next step" of barring the Legionaries and Regnum Christi from the archdiocese entirely if they do not comply. …
   In the NCR interview, O'Brien also expressed skepticism that the Legionaries will be able to implement needed reforms until they come to terms with seemingly persuasive evidence that Maciel, the founder, engaged in activity that was "less than honorable, and maybe even sinful."

• Witnesses: Priest often in the nude

[2007 Whipkey*] - RCC. Nude jog.

   Denver Post, By Monte Whaleyn, Last Updated 02:31:37 PM MDT, June/12/2008
   GREELEY (CO) -- A Frederick priest had a habit of walking around nude, according to testimony at an indecent exposure trial today.
   Robert Whipkey, 53, was arrested when he was seen heading home on June 22 last year after a pre-dawn jog in the buff.
   A police officer today testified he was stunned to see a large nude man walking down the street near his home that morning.
   "I have seen lots of things in my line of work," said Officer Zachariah Hahn. "But I was shocked to see a man walking completely nude down the street."

• Former Phoenix Diocese administrator faces Oct. trial

[Fushek]

   KVOA, Associated Press 3:14 PM ET, June 12, 2008
   CHANDLER, Ariz. (AP) - An Oct. 27 trial date has been set for a suspended well-known Phoenix-area Catholic priest who faces misdemeanor sex charges.
   Dale Fushek's (FYOO'-shekz) case has been interrupted by two years of pretrial appeals, in which Fushek ultimately won his fight to have a jury trial.

• Attorney: Naked jogging priest 'didn't mean to expose himself'

[2007 Whipkey*] - RCC. Nude jog.
   Daily Camera By Vanessa Miller June 12, 2008
   GREELEY (CO) -- A seven-person jury this morning heard testimony that a Catholic priest arrested for jogging nude thought he was alone and "didn't mean to expose himself."
   The Rev. Robert Whipkey was serving at three parishes in Erie, Mead and Frederick at the time of his arrest on suspicion of indecent exposure early June 22, 2007.
   His attorney, Harvey Steinberg, said during Whipkey's trial -- which began today in Weld County District Court -- that when a police officer spotted him walking down a main street in the Frederick at about 4:30 a.m., he covered himself up.
   "At 4:30 a.m., when no one else is out, he's walking naked, and as soon as someone sees him, he covers up,"

• Priest Jogs Naked Because He Says He Gets 'Too Sweaty'

[2007 Whipkey*] - RCC. Nude jog.
   City News Thursday June 12, 2008
   GREELEY (CO) -- The Reverend Robert Whipkey will be facing a much different audience than he's used to Thursday. Instead of a prayerful congregation, the priest will be facing a courtroom after a few police officers got an eyeful at a high school track.
   It seems the Reverend gets a little hot under his (clerical) collar when he goes for his pre-dawn run. His solution? Jogging nude.
   And his explanation, according to Colorado officers? He runs naked because he gets "too sweaty" otherwise.

• Church lawyer questions bishop in trial over hidden abuse

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).
   KSWT, PA, ~ June 12, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA), (AP) - A church lawyer suggests an Episcopal bishop is experiencing selective amnesia in his recall of his brother's alleged sexual abuse.
   Bishop Charles Bennison Jr. of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania is the subject of a church trial. He is accused of hiding abuse by his brother, a fellow priest, in Upland (California) in the 1970s.
   The victim, now 50, says Bennison knew firsthand of their relationship. But Bennison says he only heard rumors.
   Under cross-examination Thursday, Bennison was asked about his 1997 writings on abuse and memory. Bennison had written that people who harbor secrets about clergy sexual abuse sometimes confuse reality.

• Case against priest finally going to court

[Fushek]
   3TV June 12, 2008
   PHOENIX (AZ) - After years of being held up in pre-trial appeals the case of a Phoenix priest is heading back to court this morning.
   Monsignor Dale Fushek is charged with indecent exposure, assault and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
   The claims date back more than 20 years and came to light in a 2004 civil suit.

• Yonkers monk gets 7 years for sexually abusing boys

[Bokulich (Franciscan)] - RCC. 7yrs prison. 4 boys.
   The Journal News, By Louis Buccheri, June 11, 2008
   NEW YORK -- A Yonkers monk who sexually abused four boys from the same family was sentenced yesterday to seven years in state prison, according to the Westchester County District Attorney's Office.
   Dominic Bokulich, 35, pleaded guilty in March to first-degree sex abuse and course of sexual conduct, felonies, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor.
   Bokulich sexually abused the boys at their home and at a retreat operated by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, the Roman Catholic congregation of which he was a member.

• PENNSYLVANIA: Bishop defends actions in sexual abuse trial

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).
   Episcopal Life, By Jerry Hames, June 12, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- [Episcopal News Service] On the third day of his ecclesiastical trial for conduct unbecoming a clergy person, Bishop Charles E. Bennison of the Diocese of Pennsylvania testified that he acted in a way he thought was sufficient 35 years ago when he realized that his brother, a 24-year-old deacon in the parish, might be engaged in sexual abuse with a teenage girl in the youth group.
   Bennison was rector of St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Upland, in the Diocese of Los Angeles at the time. Secrets kept over 30 years are emerging at the trial of the 62-year-old bishop being conducted at the Marriott hotel in downtown Philadelphia.
   The court has been told that beginning in 1973, John Bennison began making sexual advances to Martha Alexis, then 14. A sexual relationship between the two continued until Martha's first year of college.

• Oct. 27 trial date set for Fushek on sex charges

- RCC.
   The Arizona Republic by Jim Walsh, 12:10 PM, Jun. 12, 2008
   ARIZONA -- A suspended Roman Catholic priest is scheduled to go on trial Oct. 27, nearly three years after a he was charged in a criminal complaint with a series of misdemeanor sex crimes that could result in jail time or registration as a sex offender.
   San Tan Justice of the Peace Sam Goodman set the trial date Thursday at a pre-trial conference. The hearing's purpose was to get the case back on track after two years of delays from pre-trial appeals.
   Monsignor Dale Fushek won a key victory when the Supreme Court ruled that he is entitled to jury trial, rather than a bench trial, on all charges. Jury selection is scheduled for two weeks before the trial, which is expected to last three weeks, court spokeswoman J.W. Brown said.

• While Attacking Obama's Credentials, Giuliani Inadvertently Casts Doubt On McCain's, Too

   News Hounds, ~ June 12, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- Rudolph Giuliani was the sole guest for a "fair and balanced" discussion about last night's (6/11/08) top story on Hannity & Colmes, that a member of Barack Obama's VP search team had resigned. It was obvious that Giuliani, a former GOP candidate now campaigning for John McCain, knew very little about the issue. Instead, Giuliani criticized Obama for not having enough experience. Giuliani repeatedly talked about the importance of executive experience as a critical qualification for being president. It seems he forgot that McCain had none, either. With video.
   Despite Sean Hannity's ceaseless and melodramatic Hanctimony over Obama's associations, Hannity remains curiously unconcerned about Giuliani's. Alan Colmes laudably mentioned Bernard Kerik, but it was in passing. "You had to defend yourself against Bernie Kerik," Colmes said to Giuliani (though not on Hannity & Colmes did he have to). But neither the extent of Kerik's wrongdoings nor the extent of Giuliani's relationship were given to the "we report, you decide" network's audience. So while we viewers have been endlessly subjected to speculation about the implications of Obama's casual association with "unrepentant terrorist" William Ayers, Hannity & Colmes viewers have yet to hear about how Giuliani appointed a crook as police commissioner, recommended him to head the Department of Homeland Security, and was in business with him and a priest accused of sexually abusing children and helping to cover up other abuses.

• Priest Confesses to Stealing Parish Money

[~ 2000s Rodney Adams*] - Roman Catholic Church (RCC). US $83,000.
   Action 3 News, Posted 06:36 PM EDT, June 11, 2008
   [with video]
   OMAHA (NE) A Catholic priest accused of stealing from his parish turns himself in to police. Last month Father Rodney Adams, an Omaha priest, resigned from the church accused of taking thousands of dollars. This morning, he walked into the Omaha police station and within a few hours stood before the courts.
   From a Roman collar, to an orange colored jump suit. Father Rodney Adams walked into court today admitting he stole money from his church. When Father Adams came to St. Bridgets he told the bookkeeper to cut him a check for both churches he was serving. That included St. Rose, but St. Rose was still paying him. That went on for nearly five years. Plus, he wrote about 32,000 dollars in bad checks from the church's bazaar fund.
   But while he pleaded guilty to the courts he had nothing to say to us. He did tell the judge he was diagnosed as bi-polar three weeks ago. As for if this is the defenses strategy? "The only strategy at this point was for Father Adams to accept responsibility for what he did and that's what he's wanted to do for the last month month and a half," says his attorney, Jim Schafer.

• In early statements, Fr. Murd admitted to hot tub fondling

[2008, March - Murd*] - RCC. Adult.
   WTOL, ~ June 12, 2008
   [with video]
   SYLVANIA (OH) -- The trial of the former pastor of Maumee St. Joseph Parish got underway on Wednesday, reports News 11's Jonathan Walsh. Fr. Frank Murd has been charged with sexual imposition.
   The prosecution said Murd would hang out in YMCA locker rooms and that on March 18 of this year, he had a plan.
   "This defendant used the JCC as a playground, a hunting ground to look for his next victim," one prosecuting attorney said of Murd.

• Archbishop of Baltimore asks Legionaries to report area activities

- Legion of Christ.
   Catholic News Agency, 05:34 am, Jun 12, 2008
   BALTIMORE (MD), (CNA).- Edwin F. O'Brien, the Archbishop of Baltimore, has written to the Superior General of the Legionaries of Christ, Monsignor Alvaro Corcuera Martinez del Rio, asking the leader of the prominent religious order to identify all Legionary-associated clergy, ministries, apostolates and youth programs in the archdiocese. The archbishop also asked Father Alvaro to impose certain restrictions on vocations promotion in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
   Some critics of the Legionaries of Christ have said that the order recruits people under age 18 for vocations and doesn't explicitly identifying [? identify]groups and apostolates associated with the order.
   In his June 6 letter to Father Alvaro, Archbishop O'Brien noted the importance of ecclesial movements and communities and the calling of bishops to "reach out to those groups with love." He then made several specific requests from Father Alvaro.

• Catholic priest confessed sexual assault to police

[[2008, March - Murd*] - RCC. Adult.
   "Fascinating path to a conviction," Toledo Blade, By MARK REITER, June 12, 2008
   OHIO -- The Roman Catholic priest and former pastor of a Maumee church accused of sexually assaulting a man in a hot tub at a recreational facility in Sylvania Township confessed to police that he fondled the victim, according to testimony yesterday in Lucas County Common Pleas Court.
   In an interview three weeks after the March 18 incident, the Rev. Frank Murd apologized for touching the 27-year-old man at the JCC/YMCA, 6465 Sylvania Ave., and assured a Sylvania Township police detective that he would tell Bishop Leonard Blair about the incident.
   "I did touch him. … I want to apologize. It is inappropriate. It is wrong," the 66-year-old priest told Detective Jim Rettig in an audio recording played before Judge James Jensen, who will decide whether Father Murd is guilty of misdemeanor sexual imposition.

• Jury selection begins

[2007 Whipkey*] - RCC. Nude jog.
   Longmont Times-Call, By Kacia Munshaw, ~ June 12, 2008
   GREELEY (CO) – The defense attorney for a Frederick priest facing an indecent exposure charge on Wednesday questioned a witness's claim that seeing the priest naked caused alarm.
   The trial for the Rev. Robert Whipkey, 54 – who police said they discovered jogging in the nude at 4:30 a.m. June 22, 2007, near Frederick High School – started slowly at the Weld County Courthouse on Wednesday.
   Because police said a witness felt alarmed when they saw Whipkey nude, the priest faces the misdemeanor indecent exposure charge. Defense attorney Harvey Steinberg questioned that criteria at the start of the hearing.

• Why Abuse of Secrecy In The Catholic Church Is The Real 'Scandal Behind The Scandal'

- Book. RCC.

   Clerical Whispers ~ June 12, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- Though matters of liturgy, stem-cell research, and language will dominate the upcoming U.S. bishops meeting June 12 -14 in Orlando, continued discussion about clergy sex abuse will be priority -- especially its causes, context, and recommendations for communication between priests, bishops and Catholic laity.
   And so, the root of the problem will be further exposed -- despite much of the three-day meeting being closed to media, as has been the case for many years.
   "The very worst scandal of the Catholic Church isn't just the clergy sex-abuse crisis, but the catalyst behind it," says Russell Shaw, author of the newly released Nothing To Hide: Secrecy, Communication, and Communion in the Catholic Church (Ignatius, 174 p.).
   Shaw, a former insider privy to the workings of the Catholic Church's hierarchy and bureaucracy, discusses in the book "the very worst scandal of our times" and what can be done to turn it around for good.

• Retired Clergyman Acused of Abuse

[1995-96 Mons. Maloney*] - RCC. Boy.
   WMBD/WYZZ, Reported by News Staff, 11:02pm CST, Wednesday, Jun 11, 2008
   PEORIA (IL) -- The Survivors' Network of Those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, is calling attention to a new lawsuit filed against a retired clergyman for abuse that allegedly occurred almost a decade ago. Jeff Anderson, the attorney for the alleged victim says the boy was sexually abused twice by Monsignor Thomas Maloney at Epiphany Catholic Church in Normal. The alleged victim would have been nine-years-old at the time. According to the lawsuit, Maloney also allegedly abused at least one other child in the late 1970s, and a third child reportedly told the diocese that Maloney molested her, too, and that the diocese did nothing.
   Anderson said: "That's really the sad and disturbing thing - not just that a child was raped by a priest, but that the priest was a known offender."

• Bishop meets with Wildwood Crest parishioners opposed to church merger

- RCC.
   Press of Atlantic City, By TRUDI GILFILLIAN, 609-463-6716, Thursday, June 12, 2008
   WILDWOOD CREST (NJ) -- Hundreds of parishioners from the Church of the Assumption gathered at the church Wednesday night to let Bishop Joseph A. Galante know that they opposed what one church member called "this half-baked idea of merger."
   The parish is slated to merge with St. Ann's Church in Wildwood under a plan announced April 3 by Galante.
   Since then, parishioners have pleaded for their parish to continue running as is, and on Wednesday many of them spoke passionately about the effect of the merger.
   They pointed to the church's strong and growing attendance, its many cherished programs such as the annual Christmas concert and the logistical problems that would arise if the church's more than 1,200 families tried to attend church at St. Ann's, given its lack of parking.

• 'It bothered me every day of my life'

- Indigenous children.

   Montreal Gazette, By HUBERT BAUCH, The Gazette, ~ June 12, 2008
   CANADA -- The better part of a lifetime later, Kakaionstha Deer is still haunted by the shattering experience of being packed off to an Indian residential school when she was 6 years old.
   She's 70 now, but still bears the scars of the three years she spent there.
   "It's bothered me every day of my life," she said yesterday as she prepared to watch the prime minister's apology at her Kahnawake home with a group of fellow residential school survivors.
   She and her sister, who was a year older, were sent to a school for native girls in Spanish, Ont., run by the Catholic church, where she was sexually abused by one of the nuns who she said was a predatory pedophile.

• Apology should be backed by action, says Grand Chief Thompson

- Indigenous children.
   Standard-Freeholder, Staff, ~ June 12, 2008
   CANADA -- An apology to former students of the Indian Residential School program from PM Stephen Harper was greeted with guarded optimism by the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne.
   "It was an apology long overdue to the people of First Nations and survivors of the residential school system," said Grand Chief Tim Thompson. "Was it sincere? Only time will tell. The government has to back its apology with action."
   Roughly 150,000 native children were forcibly taken from their families starting in the 1840s through to the 1970s and often subjected to physical, mental and sexual abuse at the hands of their keepers.

• Charges dropped against pastor accused of abusing girls

[1995-2003 Raymond Lambert] - Independent Baptist. Ritual abuse. Teenage girl. [Lambert (uncle)] - 17 charges.

   The Kansas City Star, By KEVIN MURPHY, ~ June 12, 2008
   MISSOURI -- Prosecutors have dropped charges against a southwest Missouri pastor accused of sexually abusing two teenage girls at a rural church community.
   The case against Raymond Lambert, filed in 2006, drew wide attention but was dropped because the alleged victims didn't want to endure the "scrutiny and pressures" of a trial, McDonald County prosecutor Janice Durbin said in a statement released this week.
   "This has been a long and difficult case for everyone involved," Durbin said. She said the dismissal doesn't mean the charges were not valid.

• Historic apology to residential schools students seen as a beginning

- Anglican speaks (a century or so late). Indigenous children.

   Anglican Journal, by Art Babych, Jun 11, 2008
   CANADA -- Archbishop Fred Hiltz, the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, today said he was moved by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's apology to victims of residential schools and is optimistic that the historic apology – made on behalf of the Canadian government – will be followed by action.
   "I was equally grateful for the apologies – and that's what they were – offered on behalf of the other political parties," he said in an interview with the Anglican Journal on Parliament Hill after Mr. Harper delivered the apology in the House of Commons June 11, followed by apologies from the other party leaders. "I was very encouraged by their determination to make sure that this apology is seen as a beginning, and that it will be accompanied by actions that will significantly improve the quality of life for First Nations people in this land," the primate said. The government's apology was directed at the generations of victims of what Mr. Harper called "a sad chapter in our history" and asked for forgiveness for the students' suffering and for the damaging impact the schools had on aboriginal culture, heritage and language.

• Woman says State must pay for abuse nightmare

- Not a religion-owned school, but State denies responsibility.

   Irish Independent, By Tim Healy, Thursday, June 12, 2008
   IRELAND -- A WOMAN who was sexually assaulted by a national school principal at the age of eight has asked the Supreme Court to rule that the Minister for Education and the State are liable for the assaults.
   More than 200 cases are awaiting the outcome of the test action by Louise O'Keeffe which, the State says, could lead to it being held liable, not just for past abuse, but for "a whole host" of events occurring daily in more than 3,000 national schools.
   The five judge court yesterday began hearing the appeal by Ms O'Keeffe (43), of Thoam, Dunmanway, Co Cork, against a High Court decision that the State is not vicariously liable for 20 assaults inflicted on her by Leo Hickey at Dunderrow National School, Co Cork, from January to September 1973. The State and the Minister for Education deny any liability on grounds that national schools are not State-run but are controlled on a daily basis by church appointees.

• Catholic rebels with a cause

- Bp Geoff Robinson gets overflow crowd.

   Los Angeles Times, June 12, 2008
   CALIFORNIA -- Considering that they had come to hear a forbidden Roman Catholic speaker, the people at the UC San Diego faculty club didn't look like rebels. They were mostly older, conservative in dress, sedate in manner. At a reception before the speech Tuesday evening, as they sipped French roast coffee and nibbled cheese cubes, they professed their continuing love of the Catholic religion -- but also deep turmoil and anger about sexual abuse by priests. Or to be more exact, about church leaders who put protecting predator priests and the church's image over protecting children.
   And when they settled in for the speech, there were so many of them that people stood, lining the walls of the room and spilling onto the patio beyond it.
   They had brought their troubled hearts and disturbing questions to retired Australian auxiliary Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, whose work with abuse victims led him to believe that the celibacy rule for priests, their status as authority figures "above" others and the church's emphasis on appearances contributed to the molestation scandal. Four Roman Catholic bishops in California told him to stay out of the state on his nationwide speaking tour, saying he could be a source of disunity and confusion for Catholics. "I hereby deny you permission to speak in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles," Cardinal Roger M. Mahony wrote to Robinson, whose U.S. tour is scheduled to end tonight with a talk in Culver City.

• Bishop defends handling of sex scandal involving his brother and teen girl

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).

   Philadelphia Daily News, By NICOLE NORFLEET, norflen@phillynews.com , 215-854-5444, ~ June 12, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- Wearing his clerical collar and ring, suspended Episcopal Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr. tried to explain why he had not told anyone that his brother was sexually abusing a high-school student in the 1970s.
   "People would not have seen it as abuse," Bennison, 64, said yesterday in a deep voice. "They would have seen it as immoral behavior on [the victim's] part."
   It was the first time Bennison had taken the microphone in his ecclesiastical trial, which began Monday and will determine his fate as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania.
   Until yesterday, he had quietly listened to witnesses testify about his handling of his brother's affair with a teenage parishioner.

• Ronnie Polaneczky: Bishop's very public trial a first for the church

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).
   Philadelphia Daily News, By Ronnie Polaneczky, Daily News Columnist, June 12, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- SOMETHING extraordinary is going on at the Philadelphia Marriott Hotel: A bishop is being called on the carpet for not alerting church authorities, parents or police that a church youth-group leader at his church was having sex with a teenage member.
   More extraordinary still is that the proceedings are public. Anyone can enter the Marriott ballroom and see the robed, nine-member jury of Episcopal leaders presiding over the church trial of Bishop Charles Bennison.
   They can wince as the victim, now 50, haltingly describes her childhood abuse as "degrading."
   They can hear her abuser's ex-wife describe the horror she felt when she realized her former spouse was actually a sexual abuser, not a philanderer.
   They can watch as a distraught Bennison explains why he didn't help the young victim. …
   How ironic that it's unfolding in a city where Catholic bishops responsible for covering up past sex abuse in the Philly Archdiocese have yet to be held publicly accountable by name, by their church, for the pain their complicity perpetuated.

• Exclusives : PHILADELPHIA: Witnesses Expose Bennison's Venality in Brother's Sex Abuse

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).
   Virtue Online, By David W. Virtue, www.virtueonline.org , June/11/2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- A witness for Charles E. Bennison turned on the inhibited Bishop of Pennsylvania by telling the court that based on what he knows now, he would never have voted for Bennison's elevation to bishop.
   The Rt. Rev. Harold A. Hopkins, former Bishop of North Dakota and Executive Director of The Office of Pastoral Development during the reign of Presiding Bishop Ed Browning, said that consecrating Charles Bennison was a mistake because of his handling or non-handling of his brother's situation which reflected poorly on his judgment.
   When pressed by Bennison attorney James Parabue as to why he would not vote for Charles Bennison, Hopkins replied "(for) not taking immediate steps to -- not separating physically somehow John from the roles that he had in the Church and not reaching out to the family as well."

• Bishop implores Catholic church to re-examine what led to sex-abuse scandal

- RCC. "Unhealthy psychology, living conditions."

   The Orange County Register BY VIK JOLLY, ~ June 12, 2008
   COSTA MESA (CA) -- In a standing-room only community hall Wednesday night, a retired Australian bishop asked not to speak about the Catholic clergy sexual abuse by some American bishops outlined his theory on its causes and how to move forward.
   The Most Rev. Geoffrey Robinson said his own experience of being abused at a young age – not at the hands of a priest – and listening to hundreds of sexual-abuse victims for about nine years starting in 1994 when he was put in charge of a task force to develop guidelines for dealing with clerical sex abuse cases in Australia, convinced him that the issues needed to be dealt with head on.
   He grew certain that there must be a study of immediate causes of abuse, including what he termed the unhealthy psychology, unhealthy ideas on power and sex and unhealthy living conditions among priests, Robinson told the more than 100 gathered at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Center.
   "I am suggesting that when these three things come together, we're most likely to find the murky world out of which abuse arises," said the silver-haired Robinson, who is on a monthlong tour of the United States to promote his book "Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church: Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus."

• Bennison defends covering up brother's abuse

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).

   Philadelphia Inquirer, By David O'Reilly, ~ June 12, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- Episcopal Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr., on trial within his church for concealing his brother's sexual abuse of a minor, testified yesterday that he learned about the abuse only when the girl was 17 and at the time believed he had "acted appropriately."
   "I never thought my conduct was problematic," Bennison, 64, said during direct examination by his attorney.
   Bennison was the young rector of St. Mark's Parish in Upland, Calif., in 1973 when his brother John, a parish youth minister, began having sex with a 15-year-old girl, Martha Alexis.

• Priest admitted to gay 'incident,' not sex assault

[~ 1993 MacDonald]

   The Ottawa Citizen, by Neco Cockburn, Thursday, June 12, 2008
   CORNWALL, CANADA -- After an alleged sexual abuse victim made a $32,000 settlement with religious officials and agreed to withdraw a criminal complaint, Cornwall's police chief says he took the matter to a bishop who told him the accused priest admitted to a sexual incident and would be sent away for treatment.
   What former chief Claude Shaver jotted down after that discussion in October 1993 became a sticking point in a public inquiry yesterday, with lead commission counsel Peter Engelmann grilling Mr. Shaver on the issue.
   The former police chief was adamant his note, "Charlie admits," described what the bishop said -- that Rev. Charles MacDonald had admitted to having a same-sex encounter, not that he had assaulted the alleged victim, David Silmser.

• Bishop denies he saw brother with girl

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).

   The Morning Call, By Joann Loviglio | Of The Associated Press | June 12, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- An Episcopal bishop accused of covering up abuse in the 1970s testified Wednesday that he never saw anything inappropriate between his brother and the teenage victim.
   Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr. is accused of concealing sexual abuse by his brother, John Bennison, then a lay minister at a California church where Bennison was rector.
   Bennison, who now leads the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, testified at his church trial that he immediately confronted his brother after hearing a rumor about the impropriety. His brother, who was about to leave the California parish where he worked as a youth counselor, denied having sexual contact with the girl.

• Episcopal Bishop Bennison Takes The Stand

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).
   The Bulletin, By Bradley Vasoli, June/12/2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- Episcopal Bishop Charles Bennison, of Pennsylvania, took the witness stand yesterday in his ecclesiastical trial and asserted he did not initially know that his brother, a priest, had sex with a minor.
   Bp. Bennison's trial will determine whether he can remain as the presiding clergyman in the five-county region. It concerns whether he violated the canons of the church by failing to report alleged knowledge of his brother John's adulterous affair with an underage female parishioner at St. Mark's Church in Upland, Calif., in the early 1970s.
   Charles was rector of St. Mark's at the time, and he hired his younger brother, a seminary student, to train Sunday school teachers and head the parish youth group. In 1971, the 24-year-old seminarian began his sexual advances toward Martha Alexis, a 14-year-old high school student, and intercourse eventually became frequent. She succeeded in ending the relationship after strenuous effort in 1974, before leaving Upland for college in Los Angeles.

• Harper apology 'a beginning'

- Indigenous children.

   The Edmonton Journal, by Elise Stolte, ~ June 12, 2008
   EDMONTON, CANADA -- If tears came, few made it down the cheeks of those gathered in a downtown drop-in centre to watch Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologize for the residential school system.
   Most were dry-eyed and quiet.
   "It's not a very good environment to be vulnerable in," said Jane Slessor, an outreach worker at Boyle Street Community Services. "This is a tricky, tricky thing for people."
   Harper apologized from the floor of the House of Commons for a century of residential schools that tore children from their families and culture, and made them vulnerable to abuse.

• Bishop 'flustered' when he said priest confessed to abuse: Shaver

[~ 1990s MacDonald]
   Standard-Freeholder Posted By TREVOR PRITCHARD, ~ June 12, 2008
   CANADA -- The one-time bishop of the local Roman Catholic diocese blurted out to former top cop Claude Shaver that a priest suspected of sexual abuse admitted to an "assault," the Cornwall Public Inquiry heard Wednesday.
   But Eugene LaRocque immediately backtracked, said Shaver, and explained that Rev. Charles MacDonald was only referring to being homosexual -- not sexually abusing David Silmser.
   "He was flustered when he phoned me," said Shaver, who ran the Cornwall Police Service from 1984 to 1994.
   "He was absolutely flustered. I could hear it in his voice."
   On Oct. 7, 1993, Shaver and another officer paid visits to both LaRocque and Archbishop Carlo Curis, the pope's representative in Canada, to discuss what should happen with MacDonald, a former city priest. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:27 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Thu June 12, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Fri June 13, 2008 edition:

• Three more held in Thoppumpady sex racket

[~ 2000s Fr Mangalath -NEW*] - Christian. girl.

   Khaleej Times (United Arab Emirates), By our correspondent, for 14 June 2008
   TRIVANDRUM, INDIA – Three persons, including a priest and a film director, were arrested in connection with the sensational Thoppumpady sex racket case, involving the sexual exploitation of a minor girl.
   A special police investigation team constituted on the orders of the high court attested the priest Fr Kuriakose Mangalath and a Congress worker Shibhu from Kottayam and the filmmaker Mohan Sithara from Trichur.
   With this the number of persons arrested in the case has gone up to 16. The court had directed the Director General of Police to constitute a special team, headed by a senior police officer with integrity and efficiency, to probe the case on a writ petition filed by Visalam, mother of the victim.
   [COMMENT: As this and other news from India, etc., show, the eyes of other religions are on how Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Animists, etc., misbehave. Cover-ups, secrecy, and pretending it is not happening are not the way to cure systemic failure. ENDS.]

• DUIN: Speedy church justice missing

[2001 Bp Loverde -NEW*] - RCC. Failed to hold Church courts. Brave Frs Haley and Clark.

   The Washington Times, ~ June 13, 2008
   ARLINGTON (VA) -- Every priest in the Diocese of Arlington knows of Father James Haley. And the Rev. Joseph Clark.
   What both priests have in common is that their careers have been destroyed by one man - Arlington Bishop Paul Loverde.
   Bishop Loverde was not amused when, starting in 1999, Father Haley began supplying him with names of adulterous priests, homosexual clergy and priests with a predilection for child porn.
   Instead of immediately removing these clergymen, the bishop on Oct. 23, 2001, gave Father Haley four hours to move out of his rectory and suspended him from all priestly functions.
   A lawyer who got wind of this compelled Father Haley to testify in 2002 in a lawsuit involving a priest who had run off with a female parishioner.
   Father Haley's 233-page deposition, filed in Arlington County Circuit Court, was filled with salacious details about his fellow clergy.

• Priest in dock for alleged sexual assault

[? 2000s Unnamed priest - NEW*] - RCC. 3 charges.

   IOL, by Anna Cox, 09:37AM, June 13, 2008
   SOUTH AFRICA -- A Catholic priest charged with three cases of sexual assault has appeared in court.
   He was not asked to plead.
   Most of the day in the Brits magistrate's court on Thursday was taken up with the priest's advocate, Graham Kerr-Phillips, trying to get the state to release the full Child Protection Unit's docket to him.
   Only the first section, known as "A" was released.

• SC pastor charged with assaults on teenage girl

[1990+ Lawrence Smith - NEW*] - Christian. Girl.

   WBTV, Associated Press, 5:05 PM ET, June 13, 2008
   AIKEN, S.C. (AP) - A North Augusta pastor has been accused of sexual assaults on a teenage girl that started 18 years ago.
   Sheriff Michael Hunt says 69-year-old Rev. Lawrence Smith is charged with three counts each of criminal sexual conduct with a minor in the second degree; performing a lewd act on a child; and aggravated assault and battery.
   The State newspaper of Columbia reported investigators arrested Smith at his home Thursday. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:24 PM]

• Deacon faces multiple sex charges

[? 2000s Deacon Carr -NEW*] - Baptist. 32 charges.
   News 14, By: Jonathan Lowe, 05:06 PM, June/13/2008
   HIGH POINT (NC) -- A local businessman and deacon is facing numerous sex charges.
   Detectives arrested 65-year-old Guy Ellis Carr Jr. Thursday at his business. While the number of sex charges – 32 – may be surprising to some, Carr's employees say they're even more shocked he's the suspect. …
   Carr is a deacon at Emerywood Baptist Church. While police officials won't say if Carr committed any crimes there, Emerywood senior pastor Bob Ferguson told News 14 Carolina Friday the church is not involved in the investigation.

• Suppression letters to be sent next week

- RCC. Lithuanians fight on.
   The Catholic Free Press By Tanya Connor, June 13, 2008
   WORCESTER (MA) – Written decrees of suppression and merger will be sent to the pastors of closing and welcoming parishes next week, Msgr. F. Stephen Pedone, diocesan judicial vicar/vicar for canonical affairs, told The Catholic Free Press Wednesday.
   He explained this process, and the process of petitioning the Vatican, when asked about statements by members of St. Casimir Parish who oppose Bishop McManus' decision to suppress their parish and merge it with St. John Parish.
   The "Friends of St. Casimir's Lithuanian Parish" committee, which is trying to keep the parish open, is waiting for the bishop to respond to its May 27 letter and is planning to take its plea to the Vatican, Frank P. Statkus, chairman, said Tuesday. He was talking about their next steps after Bishop McManus reiterated his decision Sunday.

• Father Murd trial

[2008, March - Murd*] - RCC. Not Guilty. Adult.

   WTVG, ~ June 13, 2008
   [with video]
   OHIO -- A judge found Catholic priest Father Frank Murd not guilty of sexual imposition today.
   A judge found catholic priest Father Frank Murd not guilty of sexual imposition today. The diocese removed Murd from Saint joseph's in Maumee in April. That's when Murd was first accused of improperly fondling another man in a hot tub.
   Lawyers for both sides agree Father Frank Murd fondled another man in a JCC hottub.
   Prosecutors could not convince judge James Jensen that the accuser clearly objected to Murd's actions. "We disagree with the judge's decision," says Mike Loisel of the Lucas County Prosecutor's office.

• More Catholic details, please – revisited

- RCC. More scepticism, please.
   GetReligion, Posted by Mark Stricherz, ~ June 13, 2008
   ARLINGTON (VA) -- On Monday, I criticized a Los Angeles Times story for failing to provide essential details to readers. Today, I criticize a Washington Times column for … failing to provide essential details to readers.
   Like the LAT's Duke Helfand, the WT's Julia Duin began her column with a bang and a flourish:
   Every priest in the Diocese of Arlington knows of Father James Haley. And the Rev. Joseph Clark.
   What both priests have in common is that their careers have been destroyed by one man - Arlington Bishop Paul Loverde.
   But like the early dance scene in Fitzgerald's "Bernice Bobs Her Hair," the music stopped. Or at least the story had no more than one or two notes in it. Duin told the column almost entirely from the perspective of the two priests and presented their claims with insufficient skepticism.

• North Augusta pastor faces sex charges

[1990-05 Lawrence Smith*] - Christian. Girl/s.
   NBC Augusta By NBC Augusta Staff, ~ June 13, 2008
   NORTH AUGUSTA (SC) -- North Augusta pastor Lawrence Smith is charged with several counts of sexual assault.
   Deputies say some of the assaults involve a teenage girl and date back to 1990.
   The Aiken County Sheriff's Office says one victim was assaulted several times between 1990 and 1995.
   Sheriff Michael Hunt says the sheriff's office knows for a fact there are more victims. He says some victims have moved and others don't want to cooperate.

• New appeals process in child protection system

- RCC.

   Total Catholic, 21:21, Friday, June 13, 2008
   UNITED KINGDOM -- Priests who say they have been wrongly accused of child abuse will be allowed a right of appeal against any alleged mistreatment by their bishops.
   The Catholic Church in England and Wales will introduce review panels in September to examine complaints made by priests who insist they are innocent but say they have been sacrificed to save their superiors.
   The measure was announced at a June 12 press conference in London. It was recommended after a review of child protection procedures last year.

• Controversial Bishop to Speak in SF

- Bp Geoff Robinson won't be hushed about celibacy.

   KCBS, ~ June 13, 2008
   SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KCBS) -- An Australian bishop with controversial ideas about the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal is scheduled to speak in San Francisco Friday night, in defiance of the local Archbishop.
   The Vatican had actually pressured the priest to cancel his American tour. But, the bishop intends to speak out anyway.
   The defiant bishop thinks the Catholic Church needs to reconsider celibacy for priests.
   Retired Auxiliary Bishop Geoffrey Robison of Sydney is making international waves with his book "Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church," in which he argues that forcing Catholic priests to remain celibate may contribute to abuse of young parishioners by clergy.
   "This is the first time a bishop has written a book that dares to question some of the institutional problems in the church that have contributed to the crisis," argues Bob Rowden with Voice of the Faithful, the Catholic reform group that invited Robinson to America for a speaking tour. [COMMENT: Is it "the first time a bishop has …" ? Bishops have been fighting the killjoys in both Eastern and Western Christianity for centuries, as is documented on this Website. ENDS.]

• PENNSYLVANIA: Bishop continues defense in sexual abuse trial

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).

   Episcopal Life, By Jerry Hames, June 13, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) [Episcopal News Service] -- The ecclesiastical trial of Bishop Charles Bennison concluded June 12 with the bishop saying he would do nothing different than what he did 35 years ago when he learned that his younger brother, John Bennison, who he had hired as a youth group supervisor, seduced a 14-year-old girl in his parish.
   Charles Bennison, now bishop in the Diocese of Pennsylvania, said he was made aware of the situation shortly before John's ordination as priest. He said he confronted him in a field outside St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Upland, California, but John denied repeatedly any improper conduct. The bishop said he ordered John to leave the church, but it was two more months before his brother departed, while continuing his abuse of the girl.
   Under cross-examination, when he was asked if he believed that his brother's manner of life was suitable for a person to be ordained, Charles Bennsion said he felt "a little bit" uncomfortable, but maintained that he knew of no impediment or criminal action to prevent John's ordination. As a result, he testified, he presented his brother for ordination by his father, Bishop Charles Bennsion Sr., at a service in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

• New Lawsuits Assail Diocese

[Mons. O'Brien, Bro. (Capuchin)] - RCC. Minors.
   KCUR, Dan Verbeck, KCUR News, June 13, 2008
   Barbara Dorris outlines molestation claims outside Kansas City Catholic Chancery -- kcur photo by Dan Verbeck
   KANSAS CITY, MO -- Two more lawsuits are being filed against current and former Roman Catholic clergy and the Kansas city-St. Joseph diocese, alleging child sex molestation and coverup.
   Neither plaintiff is named. One Jackson County Circuit Court case accuses Msgr Thomas O'Brien in the case of a 12 year old boy allegedly abused at that age, and then over years, from the rectory at St Elizabeths Parish.The purported victim died in a car crash 9 years ago.
   The suit asks damages for his 5 surviving children.
   Barbara Dorris of the support group known as survivors network of those abused by priests says the other accused was a Capuchin Order Brother.

• Festini e minacce a Firenze L'indagine porta alla Curia

[Cantini] - RCC. Alleged bribe Lire 3m. 20 women.

   Corriere della Sera, ~ June 13, 2008
   FIRENZE, Italia – La sentenza di condanna del tribunale della Chiesa sembrava aver chiuso la vicenda. E invece l'inchiesta penale su don Lelio Cantini, il parroco di Firenze di 82 anni riconosciuto colpevole dai suoi superiori di abusi sessuali nei confronti di alcune ragazze, adesso entra nelle stanze della curia. Esplora i rapporti tra il prete e quello che era il suo allievo prediletto, il vescovo ausiliare del capoluogo toscano Claudio Maniago. Verifica alcune denunce che lo coinvolgono in festini a luci rosse e tentativi di plagio di alcuni fedeli per costringerli a cedere le loro propriet�. L'alto prelato non risulta iscritto nel registro degli indagati, ma nei suoi confronti sono gi� stati disposti accertamenti e controlli. I magistrati hanno acquisito i tabulati delle sue telefonate e ora si concentrano sui conti correnti bancari proprio per stabilire la fondatezza delle accuse.
   [translation]
   Five witnesses accuse bishop Maniago; Parties and menaces in Florence; The investigation leads to the Curia.
   The Rev. Cantini, the parish priest who is now being investigated, was already condemned by the Church's tribunal. He is accused by twenty women. FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT
   FLORENCE, ITALY – The sentence issued by the Church's tribunal seemed to have ended the story. Instead the ongoing crime investigation about the Rev. Lelio Cantini, the 82-year-old parish priest in Florence who was found guilty by his superiors of sexual abuses against some girls, is just entering the Curia's rooms. It's going deep into the relationship between the priest and his once favorite pupil, the auxiliary bishop of the Tuscan capital, Claudio Maniago, who allegedely participated to the so called "red-light-parties" (sex parties) and attempted to plagiarize some faithful in order to force them to donate their properties. The high prelate's name isn't yet formally listed in the register of those to be investigated, but a preliminary search and some controls are going on. The magistrates have now the data about his telephone calls and are checking the bank current accounts in order to ascertain if the allegations were founded.
   Last spring, three years before the first accusations were made, the Rev. Cantini and his "perpetua" (the caretaker of the parish), Rosanna Saveri, took refuge in a convent to avoid the clamor arisen by the fact that more than twenty women were accusing the priest of having raped them when they were minors. Numerous parishioners reported of having been brainwashed and forced to donate money and real estate. The Rev. Lelio's declared objective was to create a new "uncorrupted" Church and to find "boys to send to the seminaries in order to colonize the ecclesiastical structure". The alleged victims went to the curia and then they wrote a letter to the Pope soliciting the sanctions set by the ecclesiastical tribunals, pending the decisions of the ordinary magistrates. The facts had occurred many years before and they were afraid some crimes couldn't be tried due to the statute of limitations. Meanwhile the Church decided to intervene. On April 2 the bishop of Florence Ennio Antonelli and his auxiliary Maniago were received in the Vatican by Benedict XVI just to deal with that problem and eventually decide some disciplinary actions. The penal administrative process authorized by the Congregation for the doctrine and the faith had already been going on.
   Its conclusions came some weeks after with a ruling the same Antonelli defined �exemplary�: the Rev. Cantini is guilty not only of sexual abuses, but of "false mysticism and conscience control". That meant brain washing. The parish priest won't be allowed to perform any activity, in short he was interdicted. The cardinal's ruling ended in defense of the seriousness, dedication and loyalty of bishop Maniago". But in the prosecutor's office some witnesses reported a different truth. Two Curia employees and two priests accused Maniago of having always known about the Rev. Cantini's real activity, being the latter his spiritual father, and of having "protected" him. Above all they accused him of having participated to the administration of the real estate patrimony taken away from the parishioners. Then they went on saying that the bishop, too, had participated to the "red-light-parties". They referred to a number of episodes, the last one occurring in 2003. "In more than one occasion - they affirmed - he menaced us in order to force us to be silent, but now we can't go on".
   The magistrates deemed the accusations were founded and organized some verifications. They came in possession of the data regarding the the curia's cell phone in Florence, which was used by bishop Maniago. They checked the calls made and received between January and June last. They found out many calls were made between him and the "perpetua" and they discovered that at least twice the high prelate contacted the convent where the Rev. Cantini had fled to. They tried to understand the reason for those conversations. That's if the calls were made in connection with the ongoing process or if instead there was the will to make an accord between the two. On April 21 a man, whose name is Paolo C., went to the prosecutor, saying he had decided to speak after having read the newspapers and learned what was happening. And he reported what had occurred ten years before. On August 1996 - he told the prosecutor – being a gay, I put a notice on a newspaper, in the section 'sado-maso encounters' ". Through my post office mail-box I was contacted by a person who asked to meet me at the Certosa. When he arrived there I saw he was a priest. He led me near Cecina where there was a summer dormitory. He told me he was the Rev. Andrea. There we met another priest and two boys, who were from southern Italy. I had sexual intercourse with the Rev. Andrea, and I spent the night there. The day after they told me a person they called "the boss" would arrive. In the evening we had a sex party. I recognized the priest when I saw him in the photo. He was Claudio Maniago".
   The man entered into the details. "At a certain point I said I had enough, I couldn't go on like that". Paolo C. recalled his flight, his crisis. He said he spoke of the matter with the Rev. Andrea "who later contacted me a certain number of times". He added: "They offered me money, then they transferred it into my bank account. I was afraid that could seem to be a kind of extortion to buy my silence, but they said they only wanted to make an offer to me". It consisted of a little more than three million lires. The witness gave the data to ascertain the bank operation, the prosecutors asked the police to make the due checks. The passage of money appeared on the records of the Banca delle Marche. Now other patrimonial checks are going on to find out if similar transactions were made in the past. When the picture will be completed a decision will be taken for an indictment. Before the formal registration of the bishop's name in the list of those to be investigated, the magistrates want to make some cross-references of the data at their disposal and make other research.
   Fiorenza Sarzanini

• Woman arrested for stealing cash from school that is being shuttered

[~ 2000s Ms Lee] - Christian. Money > US $2500.

   Home News Tribune, By BRANDON LAUSCH, June 13, 2008
   NEW JERSEY -- Somerset County authorities today announced that the president of St. Joseph School's Home and School Association in North Plainfield has been arrested and charged with theft following an investigation that revealed more than $2,500 in cash donations were stolen from four school-sponsored events, including an entertainment book fund-raiser and a theater field trip.
   Gretchen Lee, 37, of Malcolm Avenue in North Plainfield, turned herself into authorities this morning, police said. She was charged with third-degree theft, processed and released, according to authorities.

• No Fla. meeting between McCain, bishops

- RCC. Too hard to meet Presidential candidate.
   Palm Beach Post, By George Bennett | 01:28 PM | Friday, June 13, 2008,
   ORLANDO (FL) -- A meeting in Orlando between presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain and Catholic bishops has been scrubbed because of logistical problems, an organizer said.
   McCain planned to meet tonight at a private reception with bishops who are in Orlando for the semiannual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. But an official with the Catholic Citizens Committee, which was organizing the meeting, said his group ran into trouble putting the event together on relatively short notice.

• Asshole of the Week

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).
   Phillyist, ~ June 13, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- Some topics just automatically lend themselves to generating Assholes of the Week, and this week, it's the topic of clergy abuse scandals that provides our dishonoree. Charles E. Bennison, the suspended Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Philadelphia, testified in his church tiral. Bennison is accused of helping to cover up abuse his brother, John, committed 35 years ago against a 14-year-old girl.
   Now, we're some of the first people to jump in line to make clergy molestation jokes. But to some extent, we can understand covering for your brother, no matter how awful the acts committed were. It's human instinct to not throw a family member under the bus. (We're not in any way saying that we condone the cover-up–only that we can understand how Bennison would be reluctant to report his brother's crimes.) But it's not what Bennison actually did by participating in the cover-up, deplorable though that is in and of itself. No, rather, what's landed Charles Bennison on these pages is the asinine things he said in his testimony. We realize that 35 years is a long time, and that memories fade, but one would think you'd remember some of the details of your brother molesting a teenage girl. Apparently, we're wrong:
   I can't remember what I've forgotten…. I do think I have an amnesia problem. I don't remember a lot of this.

• 3rd John Doe suit alleges sex abuse by priest

[1960s DeLuca] - RCC. Settlement reached for 1 case. 3rd complaint alleges 1962-65.
   The News Journal, By BETH MILLER, June 13, 2008
   WILMINGTON (DE) -- A third anonymous lawsuit charging sexual abuse by the Rev. Francis G. DeLuca was filed today against the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington and St. John the Beloved Church.
   In the suit, the 56-year-old plaintiff alleges more than 100 acts of sexual abuse by DeLuca, from 1962 10 1965, starting when the alleged victim was 10 years old.
   The suit is the third anonymous DeLuca-related complaint filed this year and the fourth since Delaware's Child Victim's Act went into effect last July. The law eliminated the civil statute of limitations in cases of child sexual abuse and opened a two-year "window" during which previously time-barred complaints could be filed.

• Murd found not guilty

[2008, March - Murd*] - RCC. Admitted it, but Not Guilty. Adult.
   Advertiser-Tribune, ~ June 13, 2008
   OHIO -- A Roman Catholic priest was found not guilty in Lucas County Common Pleas Court of a misdemeanor charge of sexual imposition.
   Father Frank Murd, a former priest at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Tiffin, was found not guilty Friday morning by Lucas County Common Pleas Judge James Jensen, a spokeswoman in Jensen's court confirmed.

• Vatican rejects parish closure appeals

- RCC.
   The Pilot, By Christine Williams, Posted: June/13/2008
   BRIGHTON, MASSACHUSETTS -- The Apostolic Signature, the Catholic Church's supreme court, has rejected appeals of eight parish suppressions, the Archdiocese of Boston confirmed June 10.
   The former parishes are: Infant Jesus-St. Lawrence in Brookline, Our Lady of Lourdes in Revere, St. Anselm in Sudbury, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini in Scituate, St. James the Great in Wellesley, St. Jeremiah in Framingham, St. Mary Star of the Sea in the Squantum section of Quincy and St. Michael in Lynn.
   A ninth appeal for St. Jeanne d'Arc Parish in Lowell was rejected by the Apostolic Signature in February. Representatives from all the former parishes will ask the court to reconsider their appeals, according to Brother James Peterson, assistant to the moderator of the curia for canonical affairs.

• Priest's name removed from scholarship

[Curran]
   Kennebec Journal, 12:02 PM, June 13, 2008
   AUGUSTA, MAINE – The University of Maine at Augusta has changed the name of a scholarship it has offered in honor of the Rev. John J. Curran.
   The change follows a push by advocates for victims of sexual abuse by priests to remove the late priest's name from scholarship awards offered by UMA and the Calumet Educational and Literary Foundation.
   UMA will continue to offer the scholarship award and is now calling it the Leadership and Service Scholarship. The scholarship's name has already been changed on the university's Web site.
   "We think this is a good resolution and outcome," UMA President Allyson Hughes Handley said.

• Third man files sex abuse suit against Diocese

[1960s DeLuca] - RCC. Settlement reached for 1 case. 3rd complaint alleges 1962-65.
   WDEL By Peter MacArthur, ~ June 13, 2008
   WILMINGTON (DE) -- Another person is coming forward, suing the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington for being the target of more than a hundred incidents of sexual abuse he says were forced on him by a former priest.
   The man, known as John Doe #3 in the suit, claims he was molested by the Reverend Francis DeLuca between 1962 and 1965 when the victim was a 10 to 13 year old altar boy.
   The suit claims, as two previous ones have, that the Diocese was aware of what DeLuca was doing but let him remain a practicing priest.

• Bishops begin dialogue with priests on fallout from sex abuse scandal

- RCC.
   Catholic Explorer By Nancy Frazier O'Brien (Catholic News Service) Published Jun 13, 2008
   ORLANDO, Fla. (CNS) -- In the aftermath of the clergy sex abuse crisis, the U.S. bishops are working to rebuild relations with some unanticipated victims: their priests.
   Bishop Gregory M. Aymond of Austin, Texas, and other members of the bishops' Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People, met June 12 in Orlando with representatives of half of the nation's priests to begin a dialogue on issues that arose during and after the sex abuse scandal.
   "Some felt guilty by association," while others felt their fellow priests who were accused of wrongdoing were not treated fairly or with pastoral concern, Bishop Aymond told Catholic News Service after the closed-door listening session at the spring general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

• Murd found not guilty of misdemeanor sexual imposition

[2008, March - Murd*] - RCC. Admitted fondling, but Not Guilty. Adult.
   "Fascinating path to a conviction," Toledo Blade, June 13, 2008
   OHIO -- A Roman Catholic priest accused of fondling a man in a hot tub in a Sylvania Township YMCA facility was acquitted on Friday of misdemeanor sexual imposition.
   Lucas County Common Pleas Judge James Jensen issued his decision in the case of the Rev. Frank Murd after hearing testimony during a bench trial earlier this week.
   Father Murd, 66, resigned as pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Maumee about a month after a 27-year-old man reported the incident that occurred at the JCC/YMCA, 6465 Sylvania Ave.

• Political Excommunication

[2008 Unnamed priest* and others] - Interfering in presidential campaign.
   America (RC Magazine), ~ June 13, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- Doug Kmiec is a former appointee of the Reagan and Bush I administrations, a former dean of Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America, currently a professor of law at the conservative Pepperdine University and a longtime pro-life activist. In February, to the surprise of his colleagues, he announced his support of Barack Obama for president. Professor Kmiec reasons that after more than three decades seeking to overturn Roe v. Wade, it is time to look at alternative approaches to preventing abortions. Among these is Obama's recommendation for community education of pregnant mothers. "Good, evenhanded information and genuine empathy and love," Kmiec has said, "save more children than hypothetical legal limits–which, as best as I can tell, have saved: well, zero." For that political offense a priest whom he will not identify denied Kmiec Communion at a private Mass celebrated in advance of an event at which the lawyer was to speak.
   The denial of Communion to a committed pro-life activist who, after firsthand experience of the political wars, judges new options must be tried demonstrates the absurd and uncharitable extremes to which the pastoral practice of excluding Catholics from Communion on political grounds can descend. Furthermore, after three professedly anti-abortion administrations since 1981 have failed to end abortion, one must in all honesty ask whether a hard-line pro-life position within the church serves as a Trojan horse for other, more partisan political goals. The church must continue to form the consciences of politicians, and anything-goes, pro-abortion politicians should not expect the church's blessing. Nonetheless, such a denial of the sacrament in the election season remains both politically inept and pastorally offensive.

• Blaming the Victim -- Again

- RCC. Catholic League says "only" 5 accused, is progress.
   New Oxford Review ~ June 13, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- "Yesterday, before he landed in the U.S., Pope Benedict XVI said he was 'deeply ashamed' of predatory priests, adding that pedophiles would be rooted out of the Church. Today, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) is holding a press conference in Washington criticizing the pope for not doing enough."
   So begins an April 16 news release from the Catholic League. William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, comments, "Any minor who has been sexually molested deserves our compassion. But what SNAP is doing, aided and abetted by angry Catholics and ex-Catholics, deserves not our understanding, but contempt. This is a group which has a deep ideological and financial investment in painting the Catholic Church as a villain."
   Donohue says, "SNAP's ideological basis stems from the fact that it positively refuses to recognize the incredible progress that has been made -- exactly five priests out of more than 40,000 had accusations made against them for abusing a minor in 2007 -- yet for SNAP it's never enough. Financially, it derives much of its funding from the steeple-chasing lawyers who have fleeced the 'deep-pocket' Catholic Church. It's time we dismiss these professional victims' advocates for what they are -- activists whose goal is to discredit the Church."
   Leon J. Podles, a former federal investigator, senior editor of Touchstone magazine, and a former Catholic seminarian, has written a new book titled Sacrilege: Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church (2008 [sic], Crossland Press, PO Box 26290, Baltimore MD 21210, www.Cross�landFoundation.org). He tells the now-familiar story of how the U.S. bishops stonewalled, threatened, and ignored the victims of clerical sexual abuse and their families, while protecting predatory priests with impunity. But he tells the story in graphic detail. "Bishops," he writes, "knew about the abuse and sometimes took part in it…. Most bishops were not interested in protecting children." Podles quotes Frank Keating, one-time head of the U.S. bishops' National Review Board (fired by the bishops), as saying that the bishops "cared more for the…reputation of the Church than for the ravaged and frightened souls of children." This is the mentality on display in Donohue's press release. "Meanwhile," writes Podles, "the children were left with their secrets, without help, in the darkness of their souls."

• Former business manager spared worst in church thefts

[Kozlowski] - RCC. Money < US $400,000. Gambling.
   The Buffalo News, By Matt Gryta, June 13, 2008
   NEW YORK -- Randall Kozlowski stole nearly $400,000 from his church, a crime that could have put him in prison for 15 years.
   Instead, a judge Thursday sent him to a local jail cell for no more than a year and ordered him to repay about 15 percent of what he took.
   A tearful Kozlowski, 49, told State Supreme Court Justice John L. Michalski he was "very sorry" that, because of his "gambling addiction," he took the money while he kept the books for Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church in Cheektowaga.
   Kozlowski's lawyers turned over a bank check for $10,000 to begin the court-ordered restitution. Michalski ordered Kozlowski, the church's former business manager, to pay $400 a month for the next 120 months, the amount that John C. Doscher, chief of the Erie County district attorney's White-Collar Crime Bureau, sought.

• Possible embezzlement at St. Paul church is under investigation

- RCC. Money problems.
   Star Tribune, ~ June 13, 2008
   ST. PAUL (MN) -- St. Paul police are investigating the possible embezzlement of tens of thousands of dollars from St. Bernard's Catholic Church in the North End neighborhood, police spokesman Peter Panos said.
   He said that church officials, including the Rev. Mike Anderson, its pastor, contacted police Wednesday after the money was discovered missing from church accounts.
   The church also identified a possible suspect, Panos said, but no arrest has been made.
   Officials were alerted to the possible theft after the church's bank called a trustee, saying, "You don't have enough money to pay your bills," Panos said.

• Fight for your churches, N.O. faithful urged

   WWLTV, ~ June 13, 2008
   NEW ORLEANS (LA) -- Drastic measures that have succeeded in keeping some Boston Catholic churches from closing could be used here in similar situations, an advocate for the Boston Council of Parishes told interested parishioners of churches slated to be shuttered here.
   Peter Borre of the Boston Council said parishioners of some Boston churches filed lawsuits and even occupied and stayed inside some of the buildings around the clock to prevent their closure.
   "We learned something, which I think a lot of you good people in this city learned the last few years," he said.
   Borre said the decision on four of the churches slated for closure has been reversed.

• The Lay Scandal

- The Faithful are to blame !!!
   National Catholic Register, By The Editors, for June 15-21, 2008 Issue | Posted 10:09 AM, June/10/08
   According to conventional wisdom, the biggest sexual-abuse scandal of our time is clergy abuse. Those who have studied it will add, "And it wasn't just the relatively small percentage of abusers that was the problem. It was the bishops who did nothing to stop it."
   As Pope Benedict XVI pointed out when he visited the United States in April, that conventional wisdom speaks truth.
   But there's a much deeper and wider scandal that this conventional wisdom misses entirely.
   Said Benedict on April 16: "What does it mean to speak of child protection when pornography and violence can be viewed in so many homes through media widely available today?"
   The deepest, widest sexual scandal in the Church has nothing to do with priests. It's the scandal of laypeople who themselves indulge in the sexual excesses so prevalent in our day, or who train their children to, whether by example, timidity or a blind eye.

• Nude jogger found guilty

[2007 Whipkey*] - RCC. GUILTY. Street nakedness.
   The Denver Post, Article Last Updated 12:32:12 AM MDT, June/13/2008
   GREELEY (CO) -- The Rev. Robert Whipkey, whom a police officer found walking in the nude, was convicted Thursday of indecent exposure. The jury deliberated for about two hours before returning the verdict.
   Whipkey, 53, could be sentenced to anywhere from probation to 18 months in jail and could be fined from $500 to $5,000. He will be sentenced Aug. 14.

• Ex-pastor guilty of exposure

[2007 Whipkey*] - RCC. GUILTY. Street nakedness.

   Longmont Times-Call By Eric Barendsen and Victoria A.F. Camron ~ June 13, 2008
   GREELEY (CO) – The Rev. Robert Whipkey was convicted of indecent exposure Thursday evening after a one-day trial.
   The jury of four women and two men found the former pastor guilty after about two hours of deliberations, following a trial that lasted about five hours.
   Whipkey, 54, did not show any reaction when the verdict was read, and he left the courtroom stone-faced with his eyes lowered. He faces between six and 18 months in prison when he is sentenced on Aug. 11.

• COPCA child protection report published

- RCC.

   Independent Catholic News ~ June 13, 2008
   UNITED KINGDOM -- The sixth annual report from COPCA was released today, providing details relating to the work of safeguarding children and vulnerable adults within the Catholic Church of England and Wales.
   The annual report of 2007 further demonstrates the progress being achieved in safeguarding vulnerable people, work central to the Church's ministry.
   It shows that: The number of parishes with at least one Local Child Protection Representative is at its highest point ever at 2494. This is a vital volunteer role which raises awareness about safeguarding and advises and assists with parish activities to ensure that the activities for Children and Vulnerable Adults are safe.

• High court upholds ruling: New trial for accused Edison piano teacher

[Burr]

   Home News Tribune By KEN SERRANO, June 11, 2008
   MIDDLESEX COUNTY (NJ) –The state Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling that gives a new trial to an Edison piano teacher accused of molesting a 9-year-old girl, saying a jury should have heard testimony that the defendant suffers from Asperger's disorder, a mild form of autism.
   Franklin "Jack" Burr II, 62, was convicted in October 2004 of sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child. Assaults were alleged to have taken place in Edison when the girl took lessons with Burr at East Coast Piano and later at the Jewish Community Center, where Burr rented space to conduct his classes. Burr was accused of inappropriately touching the girl.

• US Bishops Meet in Florida for Spring Meeting

- RCC.
   Vatican Radio, June 13, 2008
   [with audio]
   ORLANDO (FL) -- The U.S. Catholic bishops spring conference began yesterday in Orlando, Florida. During the meeting which will continue until tomorrow bishops will vote on a proposed statement concerning embryonic stem cell research. But they will also look at issues including medically assisted nutrition and hydration, and clergy sex abuse.

• State is liable for sex abuse in schools, court told

   Irish Independent, By Tim Healy, Friday June 13, 2008
   IRELAND -- It is "grossly utilitarian" to argue that the State should have no liability for the sexual abuse of children in national schools because this would lead to many other claims relating to events in such places, the Supreme Court was told yesterday.
   The claim came on day two of a case taken by a woman sexually assaulted by a national school principal as a child.
   Louise O'Keeffe has asked the Supreme Court to rule that the Minister for Education and the State are liable for the assaults.
   The State and taxpayer benefited from the national school system of education which was a public project and it was "just and proper" that the State should pay the cost of the few children sexually abused while attending those schools, counsel for Ms O'Keeffe argued.

• Why does sex play such a large role for fringe sects?

- Small Christian sects.

   Abilene Reporter-News, By Kimberly Winston, Religion News Service, Thursday, June 12, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- What is it with sects and sex?
   The Texas probe into alleged child abuse at a polygamous compound started with an anonymous phone call about underage girls having sex with adult men. Reports circulated of rumpled bed linens inside the sect's glistening temple.
   Its imprisoned leader, Warren Jeffs, reportedly has dozens of wives and would grant and deny wives to his male followers depending on their perceived worthiness. Without multiple wives, he taught, they could never achieve salvation.
   Yet Jeffs isn't the first sect figure to come under legal scrutiny for sexual practices that outsiders might consider unusual, immoral or even abhorrent. Indeed, many new religious movements -- NRMs in scholar-speak -- are distinguished not only by their unconventional beliefs but also by the sexual proclivities of their male leaders.
   All of which raises the question: Why do people join or remain members of a group that practices unusual sexual behaviors? And what's more, what kind of sexual power do the leaders of NRMs hold over their followers?
[COMMENT: According to author Christopher Hitchens, nearly ALL religions interfere with people's sexual practices. ENDS.]

• Episcopal Bishop Verdict Due In July

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).
   The Bulletin, By Bradley Vasoli, June/13/2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- Ecclesiastical Court proceedings to determine whether Charles Bennison may remain Episcopalian bishop in the five-county region concluded yesterday.
   Two counts against Bp. Bennison concern whether he committed "conduct unbecoming a member of the clergy." Church prosecutors allege that he failed to protect underage parishioner Martha Alexis from sexual predation by John Bennison, his younger brother, and kept the matter a secret from the girl's parents.
   The abuse continued nearly throughout Ms. Alexis's high school years in the early 1970s when John served as youth group leader in St. Mark's Church in Upland, Calif. The elder Bennison, then rector of the church, hired his brother for the job as he worked on his seminary studies.
   If the panel of nine priests and bishops finds that Bp. Bennison failed in his priestly duties, he could lose his standing as bishop and face further sentencing. They will issue their ruling within 30 days.

• Church and former pastor named in sexual abuse suit

- Baptist.
   The Record, By Steve Gonzalez 6:10 AM June/12/2008
   MADISON COUNTY (IL) -- The mother of a 13-year-old boy claims her son suffers from permanent emotional injuries after having been sexually abused by his youth pastor, according to a lawsuit filed June 4 in Madison County Circuit Court.
   Jane Doe claims Anthony Muzzarelli was a youth pastor at Mt. Zion General Baptist Church in Granite City and worked directly with her son. The child had been invited him to Muzzarelli's home as part of the ministry, the lawsuit claims.
   Doe claims her son was sleeping at Muzzarelli's home on Feb. 25, 2006, and was awakened when Muzzarelli allegedly started to fondle him.
   She claims the alleged incident occurred during the course of Muzzarelli's employment with Mt. Zion.

• Molestation lawsuit against ex-deacon living in Bonita Springs dropped

[Shrimplin]
   News-Press, BY PAT GILLESPIE, pgillespie@news-press.com , June 13, 2008
   BONITA SPRINGS (FL) -- An Ohio man dropped a lawsuit against a former Catholic deacon living in Bonita Springs because the statute of limitations ran out.
   Tom Ferguson, 48, filed a lawsuit in February against Glen Shrimplin, alleging Shrimplin molested him as a teenager on a trip to Florida in 1975 or 1976. He was seeking damages in excess of $15,000.
   "My lawyer advised me that because of the statute of limitations, it wasn't going to be feasible," Ferguson said Thursday from Ohio. According to Florida law, the statute of limitations for most civil lawsuits is four to seven years.
   Efforts to reach Shrimplin on Thursday were unsuccessful. In 2003, when a different lawsuit alleging abuse was filed in Ohio, Shrimplin, 74, told The News-Press he was "shocked" and "at a loss" and denied the allegations.

• Statement: Eric Robinson reacts to apologies

- Indigenous children.

   Winnipeg Free Press, ~ June 13, 2008
   CANADA -- Thank you Mr. Speaker
   As a survivor of a Canadian policy designed to strip my people of our collective identity, it is with mixed emotion that I rise today to respond to the apology delivered by the Prime Minister yesterday in the House of Commons.
   I would like to first acknowledge our honoured guests in the gallery. Grand Chief Ron Evans, Treaty Commissioner Dennis Whitebird, Manitoba Metis Federation President David Chartrand, Keewatin Tribal Council Grand Chief Arnold Ouskan, respected elder and Order of Manitoba recipient Ed Wood, and all First Nations Chiefs in attendance.
   Most importantly, I want and convey my deepest and heartfelt respect to the elders and survivors who have joined us in the public gallery here today, and honour those who sadly never lived to see this day. Also I must acknowledge the children of survivors for their courage and commitment to a brighter future. I would like to also mention some old buddies whose friendship helped me survive my time at residential school, Elijah Joseph Harper, who is here today, also Robert Paynter and David Menow who still live in Norway House.

• From apology to action: A response to the Residential Schools Apology

- Indigenous children.

   Vancouver Sun, by Grand Chief Edward John, Vancouver Sun, Published: Thursday, June 12, 2008
   CANADA -- I am Akile Ch'oh, Dene Zah (hereditary chief) and I proudly acknowledge that I am from Tl'azt'en Nation, Dakelh Territory. Many of you will know me as Edward John, Grand Chief, Tl'azt'en Nation and an elected member of the First Nations Summit. In days gone by I was #34 at Lejac Indian Residential School where I was sent at a very young age.
   I wish to acknowledge the people and Council of Squamish Nation on whose territory we gather today. Over the years they have been the gracious hosts of our many important deliberations and we are very grateful for their generosity. Today we gather again at the Chief Joe Mathias Centre at this defining moment in our collective history and of our relationship with Canada.
   We have a destiny with Canada and Canada has a destiny with its historic treatment of our peoples. Already Canada has extended much welcomed apologies to the Chinese for the head tax, to the Japanese for their wartime internment and to the East Indians for the Komagata Maru incident. As well, we acknowledge our Indigenous brothers and sisters in Australia, particularly the members of the Stolen Generations and their families, to whom Prime Minister Rudd apologized on February 13, 2008. We understand their situation deeply.

• Bishop in abuse case: 'I can't remember what I've forgotten'

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).

   Philadelphia Daily News, By NICOLE NORFLEET, norfleen@phillynews.com , 215-854-5444, June 13, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- For much of the 32 hours of witness testimony and lawyer statements this week, the audience's view of suspended Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr. was restricted to the shiny bald spot in the back of his head.
   Yesterday, the last day of his church trial, spectators got a glimpse of the 64-year-old bishop's perspective on his brother John's sexual abuse of a teen-age girl as he testified - sometimes forgetting the order of critical points of the case.
   "I can't remember what I've forgotten," he answered during questioning by church attorney Ralph A. Jacobs.
   His response elicited a few soft chuckles from the crowd inside the Center City Marriott.

• Protesters target abusive priests

- RCC.
   Orlando Sentinel, by Victor Manuel Ramos | Sentinel Staff Writer June 13, 2008
   ORLANDO (FL) -- A small but vocal group of protesters stood in the midday sun Thursday outside a meeting of Catholic bishops to remind them that sexual-predator priests are still claiming victims.
   Just four demonstrators showed up outside the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which is convening in Orlando for its semiannual meeting through Saturday. David Clohessy, director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said he made the trip from St. Louis to let the bishops know that the problem of sexual abuse has not gone away. He carried a sign that read: "Bishops: supervise predators."
   Clohessy's organization has been following a trail of cases of suspended priests who, they say, continue to commit sexual crimes in other communities. The activists want to see the establishment of a priests' offender registry and supervised treatment facilities. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 7:07 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Fri June 13, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Sat June 14, 2008 edition:

• Church chose to stay quiet on sex abuse

[? 2000s Caccioppoli - NEW*] - Mormon. Boys.

   Sunday Star-Times, by Karen Arnold | Sunday, June 15, 2008
   NEW ZEALAND -- THE CHURCH of Latter-day Saints knew its Sunday School teacher Raphael Caccioppoli had a history of sexual offending against boys but didn't tell police because it did not think it legally had to.
   Neither did the Mormon hierarchy tell the parents of the children he was left to supervise on his own.
   Instead, it excommunicated the Justice Ministry judicial officer following a church court hearing in June last year.
   Police become aware of his offending only after a tip-off from one of his associates in September.

• Pastor accused in sex assaults

[1990-95 Lawrence Smith*] - Christian. Girl.

   Aiken Standard, By KAREN DAILY, ~ June 14, 2008
   SOUTH CAROLINA -- A North Augusta pastor has been accused of sexual assaults a teenage girl for approximately five years, dating back to 1990, but investigators with the Aiken County Sheriff's Office say they suspect there are more victims who have yet to come forward, according to officials.
   Lawrence Smith Jr., 69, of Bradleyville Road in North Augusta, is charged with three counts of second degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, three counts of lewd act upon a child and three counts of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature.
   Aiken County Sheriff's Office investigators arrested Smith at his home Thursday, said Lt. Michael Frank, a sheriff's office spokesperson.

• Forsaken

[Campobello]
CTL NYC, ~ June 14, 2008
UNITED STATES -- This links to a trailer for a movie called Forsaken, which discusses clergy sexual abuse. According to writer Matt C. Abbott, who appears in the trailer along with several others, the still-in-production documentary focuses on events involving St. Peter Catholic Church in Geneva, Ill. QuickTime player is needed to view the film preview. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 9:33 PM]

• Group Drawing Attention to Sexual Abuse in the Church

[1999 Yurgel*] - RCC. Boy.
   WCCB-TV Charlotte, ~ June 14, 2008
   [with video]
   CHARLOTTE (NC) -- The Charlotte Diocese has to do more. That's what SNAP, the Survivors Network, of those Abuse by Priest is saying after a former Charlotte priest is charged with having sex with a child. The group brought a letter to the Charlotte office for the Bishop today. Bishop Jugis was not in town.
   Father Robert Yurgel is facing multiple charges for taking indecent liberties with a child and rape. Yurgel was at Saint Matthew Church in South Charlotte in the late 1990's. The victim just recently came forward.
   SNAP's national director came to Charlotte Wednesday. David Clohessy feels confident there are more victims out there, "It would be extraordinarily unusual if Father Yurgel molested one child, one child only and did it in complete secrecy and no one had a clue." [LOOK BACK: April 2008]

• Ascheri "Ho messo a nudo la casta di Siena"

   La Stampa, Di GIUSEPPE SALVAGGIULO, INVIATO A SIENA, ~ June 14, 2008
   ITALIA -- Come nella favola di Andersen, in cui tutti vedono il re nudo ma nessuno lo dice tranne un bambino, a Siena c'� voluto un �bambino� di 38 anni per mettere nero su bianco quello che tanti sanno ma nessuno dice. Raffaele Ascheri, insegnante di italiano-storia-geografia nella scuola media Cecco Angiolieri, ha messo a nudo il re uno e trino (Partito democratico, Montepaschi, Chiesa) che governa questa citt�-Stato opulenta e permalosa.
   This is translation of two paragraphs from a long article in which journalist Giuseppe Salvaggiulo describes content of a new book written by writer Raffaele Ascheri regarding dealings of those who retain real power in the city of Siena.
   [translation]
   ITALY -- "Ascheri " I stripped naked the privileged caste in Siena"
   The secrets about the Church, the financiers and the PD (Democratic Party). A professor discombobulates the city.
   by GIUSEPPE SALVAGGIULO Correspondent from Siena
   As in the Andersen tale, where everyone can see the king is naked but nobody, except a child, has the courage to say it, there was the need of a 38-year-old "child" to put in black and white what everybody knows but doesn't dare to say. Raffaele Ascheri, teacher of Italian-history-geography in the middle school Cecco Angiolieri, stripped naked the king, in its trinity (PD, Montepaschi (the powerful bank), the Church, which are the three entities governing this opulent and touchy city-state.
   He did that with a book titled "La casta di Siena", which in five months has became a big success: he printed it using his money because no publisher was found, now the book has been reprinted four times for 5000 copies were sold in a city with 54 thousand inhabitants. The local mass media ignore it. The powerful pretend not to mind about it: "Those are things already known". Yet the citizens buy it and present it to their friends. As a "forbidden book".
   The three faces dwelling in the Palace
   The book is forbidden because it describes the story of the powerful in the city as the manifestation of an oligarchy founded on mutual help. There is an ample chapter about the environment, describing the paving over with cement of the Siena's agricultural land (from the town of Monticchiello to the town of Casole d'Elsa) decided by both the city and provincial administrators. There is the criticized enlarging of the airport decided by the politicians and supported by the Montepaschi (the local powerful bank). There are the judicial misadventures of Monsignor Giuseppe Acampa (treasurer of the Curia and archbishop Antonio Buoncristiani's pupil) now being tried for the fraudulent administration of the ecclesiastical patrimony, for having put on fire the Curia's documents (arson) and accusing the archivist for that (calumny). Moreover there are described the privileges and the waste of money, the "home made" contractors, the monthly 15.000 euros given under the formula of "expenses as a representative" to the President of the Province, Fabio Ceccherini. The place where all the dealings are made is the Foundation which controls the Montepaschi, the third Italian bank group. Since 2001, the Foundation is run by the City and the Province (in the hands of the former communist party (DS) which has now changed into PD, Partito Democratico, after a merger with a part of the former Christian Democratic Party), The Curia , too, has its own representative. Each year the Foundation distributes about 200 million euros of contributions: it's unavoidable that there reigns an absolute accord. The PD appointed the President of the Montepaschi, Giuseppe Mussari. The Curia "flirts" with the former communists. And Mussari, who is also a criminal lawyer, is defending the Curia now under trial.

• Primo, non pubblicare

- RCC getting special treatment.
   La Stampa, Di CARLO FEDERICO GROSSO, ~ June 14, 2008
   ITALIA -- Almeno sui tempi Berlusconi � stato anche questa volta di parola. Aveva promesso che il primo Consiglio dei ministri avrebbe approvato il disegno di legge sulle intercettazioni ed � riuscito a realizzare questo suo proposito. Non � invece riuscito a fare approvare lo specifico testo che aveva in un primo tempo prospettato.
   Quantomeno alcuni reati gravi di criminalit� comune e la corruzione sono stati, infatti, specificamente esclusi dal divieto di intercettare. Lo hanno imposto la Lega e, forse, un po' di sopravvenuto buon senso.
   [translation]
   First, don't publish
   ITALY -- In this editorial by journalist Carlo Federico Grosso there are the comments relative to the pros and cons of a new emergency bill Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi wants urgently to be approved by the Italian Parliament, meant to restrict the wiretapping of conversations ordered by the magistrates only to those crimes which are punished for more than ten years of jail. In the bill there is the following proposal, which is reported in the next to last paragraph of the article:
   "�, per altro verso, assolutamente peculiare che il governo nella nuova normativa sulle intercettazioni, pensando forse ai reati di pedofilia ed alle relative, frequenti, indagini penali, si sia specificamente preoccupato di dettagliare che, quando emerge un reato nei confronti di un sacerdote, dev'essere immediatamente avvertito il vescovo, e quando emerge un reato a carico di un vescovo dev'essere avvertito il Vaticano."
   [translation]
   "It's on the other end absolutely peculiar that the government, in addition to the new rules about the wiretappings, thinking perhaps to clergy pedophilia and to the related frequent criminal investigations, was preoccupied to make it clear that when a crime is allegedly committed by a priest, then the bishop must be informed and in case the crime is allegedly committed by a bishop then the Vatican must be informed."

• Former Nipomo priest pleads no contest to lewd conduct

[2007 Cuevas*] - RCC. Public masturbation, groped male.

   Adobe Press, By Samantha Yale, June 14, 2008
   CALIFORNIA -- A former assistant priest at Nipomo's St. Joseph Catholic Church has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of engaging in lewd conduct and a misdemeanor count of soliciting another person to engage in lewd conduct in connection with an incident almost a year ago in which he allegedly fondled an undercover sheriff's deputy at Pirates Cove.
   Geronimo Cuevas, 52, entered the plea Monday in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, said the case prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney Craig VanRooyen. A count of sexual battery was dismissed, VanRooyen said.
   Cuevas was sentenced to three years' probation, was ordered to complete 40 hours of community service and attend an AIDS education class. He was also banned from Pirates Cove.

• 'Troublesome priest' will not be bowed

- Bp Geoff Robinson speaks.

   The Age (Australia), Gerard Wright, Los Angeles, June 15, 2008
   LOS ANGELES (CA) -- AFTER he was introduced to the crowd of nearly 200 in the conference room of the motel, Bishop Geoffrey Robinson stood up and took off his jacket.
   In other times and other circumstances, this would be a signal among gentlemen that fisticuffs would soon begin.
   But Bishop Robinson, a retired auxiliary of the Catholic archdiocese of Sydney, is 70, and the only violence he does now is to the golf ball. But he also gives the impression of someone who would not only seek trouble, but meet it head on.
   This explains why the mainstream Catholic Church is treating him as a troublesome priest.

• Catholic priest acquitted on sex imposition charge

[2008 Murd*] - RCC. Fondled, acquitted.

   Toledo Blade, By MARK REITER, June 14, 2008
   OHIO -- A Roman Catholic priest who confessed to fondling a man in a public hot tub in Sylvania Township was found not guilty yesterday on a misdemeanor sexual imposition charge.
   The Rev. Frank Murd was acquitted by Lucas County Common Pleas Judge James Jensen of any wrongdoing in the incident, saying the prosecution failed to prove the priest's actions were offensive to the man.
   The verdict followed a bench trial on Wednesday on an accusation stemming from a March 18 incident at the JCC/YMCA, 6465 Sylvania Ave., involving the 27-year-old Sylvania man.

• 3 local churches appeal closings

- RCC.
   Standard-Speaker, By JIM DINO, Saturday, June 14, 2008
   PENNSYLVANIA -- Parishioners at St. Kunegunda's Church in McAdoo and both churches in Tresckow have appealed closings ordered by the Diocese of Allentown.
   Appeals have been filed from about a dozen churches in Carbon and Schuylkill counties, Matt Kerr, communications director for the diocese, confirmed Friday.
   Among them is St. Kunegunda's, which under the diocese plan would merge with St. Patrick's and St. Mary's Slovak in McAdoo and St. Bartholomew's and St. Michael's in Tresckow as the new All Saints parish.
   "We are still a vibrant parish, We still financially support our parish," said Vicki Gennaro, a parishioner of St. Kunegunda's who noted that many civic groups, including Boy Scouts, use the church hall for meetings.

• Archdiocese: Priest still on leave

[2007 Whipkey*] - RCC. GUILTY. Street nakedness.
   Daily Camera, By Vanessa Miller, Saturday, June 14, 2008
   COLORADO -- lthough the Vatican is the only entity with power to take away a priest's title, a former Catholic leader of parishes in Erie, Mead and Frederick won't lead any more Masses after being convicted this week for jogging nude in public, church officials said.
   Robert Whipkey, 53, was placed on administrative leave by the Archdiocese of Denver in August after he was arrested on suspicion of indecent exposure for jogging nude around a high school track in the town of Frederick early one morning last summer.
   A Frederick police officer saw a naked Whipkey walking home from the high school about 4:35 a.m. June 22, and Whipkey eventually admitted to the officer that he runs nude because he "sweats profusely."

• Quiet final day for Shaver

- Community.

   Standard-Freeholder, Posted By TREVOR PRITCHARD, ~ June 14, 2008
   CANADA -- After four days of emotional speeches, impassioned denials, and surprising admissions, former police chief Claude Shaver's final day on the stand at the Cornwall Public Inquiry was a muted affair.
   Lawyers cross-examine Shaver, who served with the Cornwall Police Service from 1983 to 1994, about his role in a number of historical sexual abuse investigations the force undertook during his tenure.
   But there were no moments as shocking as Shaver's revelation Thursday that he had paid for his own lie detector test - the results of which were never made public - before arriving at the inquiry.
   Nor did the emotional former chief come close to tears, as he appeared to be Wednesday while denying online rumours he was part of a pedophile clan that allegedly operated in the Cornwall area.

• Baptists miss an opportunity

- Baptists.

   The Dallas Morning News, ~ June 14, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- Close observers of the Roman Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis know that a key reason Catholics have been hit so hard by lawsuits has to do with the church's bureaucratic structure.
   Officials of the church kept meticulous records, so they knew – or should have known – they were assigning people accused of being sexual predators to run parishes. Many Protestant denominations lack such records.
   Some reformers in the Southern Baptist Convention proposed creating a database that congregations could check for potential ministers or church employees.
   But this week, the SBC's executive committee shot that down, saying it would compromise the autonomy of congregations – a key Baptist principle.
   Too bad. Oklahoma pastor Wade Burleson got it right when he said: "A database is only information. What a church does with that information is their decision."

• Former church aide admits abuse

[1994-2002 Mr Kelly Grant*] - Christian. Admitted. 3 girls.

   Calgary Herald, by Daryl Slade and Michelle Butterfield, Published: Saturday, June 14, 2008
  CANADA -- A former youth ministry volunteer has admitted to sexually abusing three teenage girls over an eight-year period starting in 1994.
   Kelly Malcolm Grant pleaded guilty on Friday in Court of Queen's Bench to three counts of sexual touching of the girls under 14 years old and two counts of sexual exploitation while being in a position of trust.
   The charges against Grant, which were laid last October, stem from allegations of abuse against the girls, two of them sisters, at Centre Street Church between 1994 and 2002.

• Pastor could face 60 years if convicted of indecency

[? 2000s Banks*] - Baptist. 2 boys.

   The Beaumont Enterprise, By AMY COLLINS, Updated 11:36:43 PM CDT, June/13/2008; for June/14/2008
   KOUNTZE (TX) -- The children that Silsbee minister Lester L. Banks is accused of molesting were two males under the age of 17, according to the three indictment papers the Hardin County District Court released Friday.
   Banks is accused of engaging in oral sex with one of the youths and touching the genitals of the other, according to court documents.
   Because the youths are between the ages of 5 and 17, Banks was indicted on three second-degree felonies, according to the Texas Penal Code.
   If convicted, Banks faces up to 60 years, with each charge carrying a maximum punishment of 20 years in jail and up to a $10,000 fine.

• Two sue area Catholic diocese, alleging sexual abuse

[~ 1970s Mons. O'Brien; Fr Johnson (Capuchin)] - RCC. 12 or more males.
   The Kansas City Star, By MARK MORRIS, ~ June 14, 2008
   MISSOURI -- Two people Friday sued the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, alleging clergy sexual abuse at a local parish.
   In one case, the mother of a man who died in 1999 makes accusations against Monsignor Thomas O'Brien, who has been named by at least a dozen other men in similar suits. In the other case, a man accuses Earl Johnson, a member of the Capuchin order, of sexually abusing him 30 years ago.
   According to the suits, both clergymen worked at St. Elizabeth Parish in Kansas City during the 1970s.

• Priest named in new suit

[1960s DeLuca] - RCC. Settlement reached for 1 case. 3rd complaint alleges 1962-65.
   The News Journal, By BETH MILLER, June 14, 2008
   DELAWARE -- A third anonymous lawsuit alleging child sexual abuse by the Rev. Francis G. DeLuca was filed Friday in Delaware Superior Court against the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington.
   In the suit, the 56-year-old plaintiff alleges more than 100 acts of sexual abuse by DeLuca from 1962 to 1965, starting when the alleged victim was 10 years old. According to the suit, the victim was an altar boy supervised by DeLuca at St. John the Beloved Church.
   The suit, filed in Kent County, is the third anonymous DeLuca-related complaint filed this year and the fourth since Delaware's Child Victim's Act went into effect last July. The law eliminated the civil statute of limitations in cases of child sexual abuse and opened a two-year "window" during which previously time-barred complaints could be filed. [LOOK BACK: Feb 15, 2008]

• My Turn: Priest judgment hurts innocent the most

- RCC. Psychiatrist deemed the paedophile cured.
   Burlington Free Press, By Kelly Bartlett, June 14, 2008
   VERMONT -- Recently some of my children helped out at the local food shelf. One had volunteered in order to fulfill community service hours for the Confirmation program at St. Thomas parish in Underhill. Two others went because community service is for people of all ages. In fact, my daughter considered this work so important that she asked if they could volunteer next month as well.
   During a recent Sunday Mass, we listened to Bishop Matano's letter about the sexual abuse case in Burlington. This issue is disturbing to all. We mourn the plaintiff's lost innocence. We are appalled to hear the nature of the abuse reported in the papers. We pray not only for this plaintiff, but also for all victims of sexual abuse, especially children. …
   I urge Judge Katz, the jury and the plaintiff to let the punishment fit the crime. Which persons are responsible for this crime? The perpetrator in the abuse that occurred 30 years ago is no longer a practicing priest and no longer lives in Vermont. The bishop of 30 years ago is now deceased. And who knows where the psychiatrist who deemed the pedophile cured is?

• Lawyer seeks meeting with Vatican insider

[1967-70 Mons. Prince] - RCC. Guilty. 4yrs prison. 13 boys.

   The Ottawa Citizen, by Andrew Seymour, Saturday, June 14, 2008
   CANADA -- The lawyer for nearly a dozen victims of pedophile priest Msgr. Bernard Prince is hoping to meet with the former private secretary for Pope John Paul II to learn what the Vatican knew about the now disgraced former priest and his sexual abuse of young boys.
   Lawyer Rob Talach said yesterday he is seeking to interview the Archbishop of Krakow, Stanislaw Cardinal Dziwisz, about what, if anything, he knew about Msgr. Prince, a former Vatican official and friend of Pope John Paul II who was convicted in January of 13 charges of indecent and sexual assault.
   … and helped arrange personal meetings with the Pope for Msgr. Prince's friends, is conducting mass in St. Mary's Parish in Wilno today and will be in Canada until next Saturday. Cardinal Dziwisz was the private secretary to Karol Wojtyla, who later became Pope John Paul II, for 40 years. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:28 AM] [LOOK BACK: ~ February 03, 2008]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Sat June 14, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Sun June 15, 2008 edition:

• Prete condannato per pedofilia

[≤ 1980s to 2005 - Bertagna -NEW*] - RCC. 8yrs prison. 39 victims.

   Corriere Fiorentino, June 13, 2008
   ITALIA -- Chi lo conosce dice che ha accolto la condanna come fosse una liberazione. Sacerdote accusato di aver abusato di un bambino di 13 anni. Confessati altri 38 casi
   Chi lo conosce dice che ha accolto la condanna come fosse una liberazione. La seconda dopo l'arresto, nel 2005, con l'accusa di aver abusato di un suo parrocchiano, un bambino di 13 anni. �Finalmente qualcuno mi ha aiutato� disse il sacerdote quando i carabinieri andarono a prenderlo. Dopo anni di buio, ieri l'ex parroco di Farneta, una frazione di Cortona (Arezzo), Pierangelo Bertagna, 46 anni, � stato condannato, con rito abbreviato, a otto anni di reclusione. Era accusato di violenza sessuale su 16 minori, abusi che lo stesso sacerdote confess� al magistrato.
   [translation]
   The ruling
   PRIEST GUILTY OF PEDOPHILIA
   "Only now I feel to be free"
   ITALY -- Those who know him say he accepted the verdict as if it was a liberation. The priest was accused of having abused a 13-year-old boy. He confessed to be the author of other 38 similar cases.
   Those who know him say he accepted the guilty verdict as if it was a liberation. The second one after he was arrested, in 2005, with the charge of having abused a parishioner, a 13-year-old boy. "Finally someone helped me" said the priest when the carabinieri (the military police) went to arrest him.
   After years of dark, yesterday the former parish priest of Farneta, near Cortona (province of Arezzo), Pierangelo Bertagna, 46-years-old, was sentenced to 8 years in jail, with the abbreviated procedure.
   He committed sexual violence against 16 minors, as the same priest confessed in front of the judge. According to the report of a psychologist, deposited by the defense lawyers Francesca Mafucci and Annelise Anania, it emerged that in the '80s the priest had confided his attraction towards children to some people he trusted and who like himself belonged to the community "Ricostruttori nella preghiera", led by Gian Vittorio Cappelletto,
   4 OUT OF THE 16 CASES CONFESSED REGARD 10 -YEAR- OLD MINORS.
   Most of the episodes happened near Cortona and in the Lazio region. When in 2005 the facts were discovered and the priest was arrested by the carabinieri, the town residents reacted harshly against him. Afterwards it was found out the 13-year-old boy had told his mother about his having been abused sexually and the parish priest admitted his responsibility and apologized. Later he confessed to the magistrate Ersilia Spena.
   "It was a kind of liberation -his defense lawyers said - for the priest had always looked for someone who could help him, but until then, those who had listened to his outbursts never moved a finger". It's being told that 38 were the cases confessed by the priest, not always against minors, not always using violence.
   The violence consisted of very profound caresses or some deeper contact; never, it seems, they consisted of a full intercourse.
   After the arrest, the bishop of Arezzo, Gualtiero Bassetti, suspended him "a divinis". Afterwards the priest asked the Pope to be reduced to the lay state and Benedict XVI dispensed him from all the obligations pertaining the priesthood.
   Bertagna was born at Gardone Val Trompia (Brescia) and his childhood was very difficult because he had also been sexually abused. Before entering the seminary (he became a priest when he was 39 years old) he had some odd jobs as a carpenter. Later he was appointed as a parish priest at Farneta.
   "Since he was arrested - concluded defense lawyer Maffucci - he spent his time in hermitages and doing volunteer activity. He never went back to Farneta. Paradoxically, now that he is under control and living in a protected place, Bretagna feels himself really free". [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 11:08 AM]

• Robinson forced to choose loyalty

- RCC. Victim chose between Victims, or head of the victimisers.

   CathNews, ~ June 15, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- Concluding his US tour, retired Sydney priest Bishop Geoffrey Robinson says that he was forced to choose between loyalty to abuse victims and loyalty to the pope.
   The Age reports Bishop Robinson told a US audience last week that as a bishop, he took an oath of loyalty to the Pope.
   But he was a victim of abuse himself, and during the nine years that he investigated clerical sex abuse cases in Australia, as a member and then chairman of a Church-appointed committee, he found himself trying to choose his side.
   "I had to choose between loyalty to the Pope, or loyalty to the victims," he said. "The victims of abuse were on one side, and on the other, total silence from Rome. Nothing. John Paul II simply gave no support. He had done nothing with this." [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 15, 2008 8:07 PM]

• Regarding Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch's Guidelines for Calling the Police

- Judaists.
   Jewish Survivors of Sexual Violence Speak Out by Vicki Polin - CEO, The Awareness Center, Inc.
   It saddens me a great deal to read the posting on Daas Torah's blog. With all the information and education that is available to our rabbonim it appears that they are still refusing to learn from their past mistakes. I'll admit that I have never heard of Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch until I received an e-mail with the link to this blog. (Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch, shlita, senior member of the Jerusalem Beit Din Tzedek (Jewish Religious Court)
   My hope by providing the following information will help to prevent one more child from being harmed and that those who are already victims of sex crimes, the will be able to receive the proper help.
   It's obvious that Rabbi Sternbuch is lacking basic knowledge about sex offenders and the needs of those who have been sexually violated as children. The most important message that needs to get out is that each of us should consider ourselves mandated reporters. This basically means if you SUSPECT a child is in danger you have to call your local hotline, rape crisis center or police. You don't go to a rabbi to get permission or have them make the call. The key word here is "SUSPECT." We need to leave all the investigating and fact finding/gathering to law enforcement and not our rabbonim.

• Questions linger after local nurse's 1950 death

- 5 babies in a trunk.

   Foster's Daily Democrat By MARK GOSZTYLA Special to the Citizen, Article Date: Sunday, June 15, 2008
   NEW HAMPSHIRE -- Over the past 25 years, Pat Boyle, Jim Boulanger and his sister, Ann Boulanger, have spent too much time wondering about the circumstances surrounding Shirley Thomas, the owner of a trunk discovered in 1983 containing the remains of five infants, as well as Irene Copeland, a Somersworth District Nurse rumored to be somehow connected to the performing of abortions in the late 1940s, and the possibility of a connection between the two.
   The three agree the truth has never been told. They believe Copeland's death was a murder and that powerful people in the communities of Dover and Somersworth secreted that truth away.
   Banished and forgotten
   In 1997, Mike Milotte, a senior current affairs reporter for the Irish TV network RTE, unraveled the story of more than 2,000 Irish-born children who were illegally adopted by U.S. citizens between the 1950s and 1970s. The book he wrote about this story, "Banished Babies: The Secret History of Ireland's Baby Export Business," detailed how the Irish-Catholic church facilitated the birth and adoption of these children using "mother and baby homes" run by nuns in Ireland, and the United States Catholic Charities organization to select "proper" parents.
   In a 1998 NPR interview, Milotte said about his book, "it's a bit too easy and perhaps unfair to criticize Ireland's Catholic leaders for running this baby trade … I think, in justice, I do try to show their side of the story as well. And there is always a danger in writing historical works of this nature that, you know, one is judging the past with the benefit of hindsight. They had a problem on their hands that in a society where birth outside marriage was frowned upon, they were the only ones providing facilities for these women. Now I would say that the answer to that is not that one applauds what they're doing, but that one criticizes the society that failed to provide alternative solutions."

• 'No one wants to close parishes'

- RCC.

   Republican & Herald, BY BRIAN K. SMITH, CITY EDITOR, bsmith@republicanherald.com , Published 4:27 AM EDT, Sunday, June 15, 2008
   Editor's note: On Thursday, City Editor Brian K. Smith traveled to Allentown with Photo Editor Nick Meyer to interview the Most Rev. Edward P. Cullen, bishop of the Allentown Diocese, about a plan announced two weeks ago to close 32 Roman Catholic churches in Schuylkill County by July 15. The text of the hour-and-15-minute interview has been edited for space and content.
   ALLENTOWN (PA) – The Most Rev. Edward P. Cullen, bishop of Allentown, seldom gives personal interviews.
   But due to the gravity of the parish reconfiguration, he made an exception.
   "This is really a historical period in the history of the diocese and certainly for Schuylkill County and anything that can assist in our endeavor to carry out our mission there … this will be helpful, this information," he said Thursday in his office in the Diocesan Chancery.

• Pastor pleads to sexually abusing girl

[Carlin] - Christian. Admits. Girl.
   Deseret News
   ST. GEORGE (UT) – Gabriel Carlin, a St. George pastor who is charged with sexually abusing an 11-year-old female student at a Christian school where he worked, has pleaded guilty to two felonies.
   Carlin, 34, is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 3 before 5th District Judge Eric Ludlow.
   Carlin pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted sex abuse of a child, both third-degree felonies, as part of a plea bargain. Originally, he was charged with four counts of first-degree felony aggravated sex abuse of a child.

• New Lawsuits Accuse KC Diocese Of Covering Sex Abuse

   KMBC
   KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Two more lawsuits have been filed accusing the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph of covering up sexual abuse by two priests nearly three decades ago.
   The lawsuits, filed Friday, accuse two priests who worked at St. Elizabeth Parish in Kansas City during the 1970s.
   One lawsuit was filed by the mother of man who allegedly was abused by Monsignor Thomas O'Brien, who has been named in at least a dozen similar cases. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:29 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Sun June 15, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Mon June 16, 2008 edition:

• Man Recalls Alleged Abuse By Priest from 40-years Ago; Sues Providence Diocese

[1968 Smyth (Norbertine)] - RCC. Boy.

   ABC 6, by John Eagan
   [with video]
   PROVIDENCE (RI) -- Standing outside Providence Superior Court, 47-year old Massachusetts resident Jeff Thomas with his wife Deb by his side, filed suit, saying he was molested 40 years ago by a Catholic priest. Thomas says Father Brendan Smyth, a priest visiting from Ireland, sexually assaulted him at Our Lady of Mercy in East Greenwich, throughout 1968 he was in the 2nd grade. The lawsuit is aimed at holding the Bishop of Providence accountable for allowing this Norbertine father into a local parish.

• Pastor gets 5 years in sex abuse case

[Rankin] - Baptist.

   Pensacola News Journal, by Kris Wernowsky, kwernowsky@pnj.com , June 16, 2008
   PENSACOLA (FL) -- Circuit Judge Nick Geeker sentenced Pastor Leon Rankins III today to five years in state prison and 10 years probation.
   Rankins, 36, of the Restoration Full Gospel Baptist Church in the 900 block of West Cervantes Street, is also required to register as a sexual predator.
   Rankins pleaded no contest in April to two counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a victim over the age of 12.

• Ex-priest accused of stealing from 2 Va. parishes

[~ 1990s-2000s Rodis] - RCC. ≥ US$1m gone. Mail fraud, money laundering. Has wife and children too.

   WVEC, Associated Press, June/16/2008
   LOUISA (VA) -- A court hearing for a former Roman Catholic priest convicted on federal charges of embezzling from two Louisa County churches has been postponed.
   Rodney Rodis was to appear in Louisa Circuit Court on Monday to be arraigned on 13 state charges, but it was rescheduled for July 21.
   His appearance was postponed because the 52-year-old defendant was not brought from a federal prison in North Carolina for the hearing.

• PROOF: Bishops knew about pedophile priests as far back as 1950s and worked to keep the problem secret. Documents here, click to enlarge

- In 1950s Fr Gerald Fitzgerald told RCC there was no cure.

   City of Angels, By Kay Ebeling, ~ June 16, 2008
   [PARACLETES DOCUMENTS will live at http://cityofangels11.blogspot.com/ for continued reference. See June 16 post]
   UNITED STATES -- The documents scanned in below prove the Catholic Church hierarchy knew pedophile priests were a problem as far back as the 1950s. Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald, director of Via Coeli in New Mexico, (pictured at right) realized after years of treating sexually deviant priests that there was no "cure" and wanted to put the predator priests on a remote island where they could do no damage. He pled his case to bishops all over the country with personal visits and correspondence back and forth, some of which is scanned in below. But a growing belief in 12-step programs and surprisingly secular treatment concepts defeated Fitzgerald. Via Coeli instead in the sixties began treating pedophile priests as men with "issues" in need of talk therapy.
   Not only did the church know there were pedophiles among the priests, but Catholic Church hierarchy had been well educated in pedophilia by Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald. Documents here show that bishops kept Via Coeli and its work with problem priests secret from the parishes. Meanwhile bishops were touring the Northern New Mexico treatment center and sending pedophile priests to Via Coeli, beginning in the 1950s, as these documents prove.
   This is a long post with only a sampling of the documents from a lawsuit against the Paracletes in the 1990s in New Mexico, which were released to the public in June 2007, see the court order insert at right. (Click to enlarge.)

• Rymer Case Settled

[Rymer] - Greek Orthodox. Man (mental).
   Orthodox Reform, Publication: Pokrov, June/10/2008
   CALIFORNIA -- Subject to court approval, the lawsuit against the former Archimandrite Michael Rymer and the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco has been settled. The complaint in this case had alleged that Fr. Michael sexually abused a mentally incompetent man.
   Since the plaintiff in this case is an adult with a disability, any compromise of the claim must be reviewed by a judge. A hearing for this purpose has been scheduled for August 5, 2008.

• Diocese faces another suit alleging child abuse by priest

[1968 Smyth (Norbertine)] - RCC. Boy.

   WPRI, ~ June 16, 2008
   [with video]
   PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A Massachusetts man has filed a lawsuit alleging he was molested by a late Roman Catholic priest who caused a scandal that brought down an Irish government.
   Jeffrey Thomas filed the lawsuit Monday in Providence Superior Court against the Diocese of Providence and others. He claims he was abused at an East Greenwich parish school by the Rev. Brendan Smyth. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 16, 2008 9:18 PM]

• Man claims he was abused by priest

[1968 Smyth (Norbertine)] - RCC. Boy.
   Turn to 10, June 16, 2008
   [with video]
   PROVIDENCE (RI) -- A Massachusetts man has filed a lawsuit alleging he was molested by a late Roman Catholic priest who caused a scandal that brought down an Irish government.
   Jeffrey Thomas filed the lawsuit Monday in Providence Superior Court against the Diocese of Providence and others.
   He claims he was abused when he was a second-grader at an East Greenwich parish school by the Rev. Brendan Smyth.

• Man files lawsuit alleging abuse by Irish priest

[1968 Smyth (Norbertine)] - RCC. Boy.
   The Boston Globe, June 16, 2008
   PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Massachusetts man has filed a lawsuit alleging he was molested by a late Roman Catholic priest who caused a scandal that brought down an Irish government.
   Jeffrey Thomas filed the lawsuit Monday in Providence Superior Court against the Diocese of Providence and others. He claims he was abused at an East Greenwich parish school by the Rev. Brendan Smyth.
   A diocesan spokesman said church lawyers had not yet reviewed the claims.

• Benedict, John Paul II, And Child Abuse

[Decades - Maciel Degollado] - RCC. Many seminarians. "Vows of Silence" documovie.

   The Daily Dish, by Andrew Sullivan, ~ June 16, 2008
   [with video]
   If you want to know how the current Pope handled very credible, very well-documented and overwhelming evidence that a very powerful associate had long been a child-abuser, check this clip out:
   The abuse-case that caused the Pope to lose his temper - to the point of a prissy smack - was Father Marcial Maciel. Until his death earlier this year, Maciel ran a large, far-right Catholic cult called the Legionaries of Christ. The Legionaries and their lay counterpart, Regnum Christi, are very powerful entities in the new Catholicism, given special protection by Pope John Paul II and much favor under his successor. And at the core of the Legionaries, like many religious cults, was a sexual abuse ring designed to please the founder. Secrecy was maintained by indoctrinating many members at a young age, and enforcing vows of silence on all topics related to Maciel. This cult-like stricture is still causing grief and suspicion in many parts of the Catholic world, most recently in the Baltimore archdiocese.
   The reason I bring this up today is because journalist Jason Berry, of the Hartford Courant, has a new and gripping documentary on Maciel and the abusive cult-like practices he pioneered. It's called "Vows Of Silence" and it carefully exposes the appalling facts of the enmeshment of the last two Popes in covering up sexual abuse and protecting a serial predator.

• Former Catholic priest faces 13 more charges at court hearing today

[~ 1990s-2000s Rodis] - RCC. ≥ US$1m gone. Mail fraud, money laundering. Has wife and children too.

   Richmond Times-Dispatch, 06:07 AM, Updated: 07:02 AM, Monday, Jun 16, 2008
   LOUISA (VA) -- Former Catholic priest Rodney Rodis, convicted in federal court of defrauding two local churches of hundreds of thousands of dollars, is due back in court Monday June 16, 2008 on 13 more charges.
   However, he was not brought to Louisa County from federal prison in North Carolina today, so another court date must be set.
   Rodney L. Rodis, 51, was sentenced in February to five years in federal prison for diverting for personal use money donated to the two county parishes he headed.

• More than apologies

- 4 Churches and Government. Indigenous children.

   The Edmonton Journal by Paula Simons, Monday, June 16, 2008
   CANADA -- By now, the story of the damages done by the residential schools is all too well-known. Over decades, thousands of children were taken from their parents and communities and raised in church-run boarding schools. The avowed intent of the schools was to prepare Indian children for life in a white world, to teach them English, to give them an education, to provide them with a marketable trade, and, of course, to convert them to Christianity.
   In many cases, let it be said, the people who oversaw the schools had the best of intentions. But their actions were often disastrous. Children were ripped from their families, their culture and their language, thrust headlong into a terrifying, disorienting foreign world. And frequently, the schools themselves were anything but idyllic centres of learning.
   Children were beaten for speaking their native languages. They were often malnourished. Epidemics such as measles and tuberculosis killed many. Others -- a disturbing number -- were victims of sexual abuse at the hands of the very people who were supposed to be their trusted mentors.

• Putting the pain behind

- Indigenous children.
   The Barrie Examiner, OUR OPINION, ~ June 16, 2008
   CANADA -- The treatment of Canadian aboriginals at residential schools is a black mark on our history that we all have to bear. The concept of the schools was wrong, the placement of native children in the schools was wrong and the treatment of the students was reprehensible.
   It is something we can't hide from.
   But Prime Minister Stephen Harper, showing uncharacteristic humility last week, at least did something in this sad saga right when he delivered a sincere and heartfelt apology to the people who endured years of physical, mental, emotional and sexual torture and abuse -- and to the memory of those children killed while at tending the schools. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 16, 2008 7:20 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Mon June 16, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Tue June 17, 2008 edition:

• Lawsuit Filed Alleging Abuse By Priest 30 Years Later

[1976+ Mons. Kurz -NEW*] - RCC. Boy+.

   KRDO, By Jenn DeHaan, j.dehaan@krdo.com , ~ June 17, 2008
   PUEBLO (CO) -- More than 30 years after his alleged molestation by a Pueblo Diocese priest, a victim is stepping forward to file a lawsuit. The victim, who is remaining anonymous, claims beginning in 1976, then-Father Michael A. Kurz repeatedly sodomized and abused him at the age of 13.
   At the time, Kurz was a priest at Christ the King Catholic Church in Pueblo. Currently, Kurz is a Judicial Vicar in the Diocese of Rockford, Illinois and has recently been promoted to monsignor.
   According to the lawsuit, the sexual abuse took place on outings with Kurz and continued until the victim was in high school. It also claims Kurz "abused other minors at his church in the same or similar manner.

• Ex-vicar who branded his bishop a "liar" wins �14,500 for wrongful dismissal

[Bp James Jones - NEW*] - Church of England. Allegedly told a lie.

   The Times, Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent, ~ June 17, 2008
   UNITED KINGDOM -- A former vicar and Church of England communications officer who branded his bishop "a liar" won a claim for wrongful dismissal and was awarded more than �14,500 at an employment tribunal yesterday.
   The Rev David Johnston, 56, immediately called for the Bishop of Liverpool, the Right Rev James Jones, to resign.
   Mr Johnston also claimed the Bishop did not like being in Liverpool and was "unhappy" that he was not appointed Archbishop of York. Dr John Sentamu was appointed to the second-highest post in the Church of England instead.
   Bishop Jones became involved after a Sunday newspaper published an article in which it was claimed that Mr Johnston had been unfaithful to his wife Margaret and was having an affair with his personal assistant, the unmarried Diane Pendleton. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 17, 2008 4:23 PM]

• SEX ABUSE: STATE SAYS SORRY

[1930s+ Churches and State - 1733 perpetrators] - Inquiry says hundreds of children abused.

   News 24, ~ June 17, 2008
   ADELAIDE (SA), AUSTRALIA -- An Australian state government and several churches issued a joint apology on Tuesday to children who were sexually abused while in their care.
   South Australia Premier Mike Rann told state parliament in Adelaide the findings of a three-year inquiry into claims of abuse involving hundreds of children from the 1930s to the present were "shocking".
   The inquiry heard from 792 children who said they had been sexually abused while in state or church care by 1 733 alleged perpetrators from the 1930s onwards.

• 20 child sex charges

[1977-88 Paul Evans] - RCC. 20 charges. Boys' Town. 7 boys.

   The Manly Daily, by Rebecca Woolley, June 18, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- A FORMER Collaroy Plateau priest engaged in sex acts with seven teenage pupils while he was a teacher at a school for troubled boys, a court has heard.
   Paul Raymond Evans, who was a priest at St Rose of Lima church at Collaroy Plateau, has pleaded not guilty to 20 serious child sex charges allegedly committed while he worked at Boys' Town at Engadine, in Sydney's south, between 1977 and 1988.
   Yesterday the Sydney District Court heard Mr Evans gave special treatment to several pupils taking one on a trip to Queensland, allowing others to drink alcohol and drive a school vehicle around a national park who he molested, abused and sexually assaulted. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 17, 2008 8:37 PM]

• Voice of the Faithful Petitions Pope to Hold Bishops Accountable for their Actions in Abuse Crisis

- 8000 signatures.

   Voice of the Faithful, ~ June 17, 2008
   NORTH AMERICA -- Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) has sent a petition to Pope Benedict XVI signed by nearly 8,000 North American Catholics that asks the Pope to:
   1. Treat survivors of sexual abuse with the justice and compassion our faith demands.
   2. Hold bishops accountable to the people they serve.
   3. Embrace full participation of Catholic men and women in Church decision-making.
   4. Require full transparency and accountability in all governance matters. [COMMENT: If there were 1,000,000 signatures, the Vatican might be shaken out of its self-satisfied belief in its infallibility. ENDS.]

• Ahern 'surprised' by �30,000 in briefcase

[1968 Smyth (Norbertine)] - RCC. Boy.

   The Irish Times, by Fiona Gartland, June 17, 2008
   IRELAND -- Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said he was surprised when Manchester-based businessman Michael Wall gave him �30,000 in a briefcase.
   Mr Ahern told counsel for the tribunal Henry Murphy SC he was not surprised that Mr Wall was going to make a contribution toward the work required on the house he was to buy at Beresford, but he was surprised by the size of the contribution. …
   He also said that he expected to become Taoiseach that weekend, but that was "blown out of the water" on the following Monday morning when Geraldine Kennedy wrote a "lovely article" and "Dick Spring ran".
   Mr Ahern was referring to the November 1994 decision by former t�naiste and Labour Party leader Dick Spring to pull out of an agreement to support Fianna F�il in government, after a breakdown in trust surrounding the appointment of Harry Whelehan as attorney general and the handling of critical information surrounding the extradition of paedophile priest Brendan Smyth.

• The Impact of Time on Our Understanding of Child Sexual Abuse

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [3-4yrs to 1973 Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).

   TFDL, ~ June 17, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- Last week I happened to find myself sitting in the audience listening to the closing arguments in the case involving Charles Bennison, the Episcopal bishop who is before a tribunal investigating allegations that he did nothing to intervene when his brother (a youth minister at the time) was sexually involved with a fourteen-year old girl. I decided to attend because I was intrigued to see what it is like for a bishop, rather than a priest, to be in this situation. Curiosity perhaps. To see what it is like for one with so much power to be humbled. At least that is what I thought as I sat there waiting for the tribunal to begin the afternoon session.
   The judges processed in - all in purple robes - and walked up the steps of the dais at the front of the room. They sat in their assigned seats and settled themselves, as the one presiding called on the church's attorney to begin his closing arguments. It occurred to me that the bishop was probably more accustomed to that view from above than he was from his seat at the defense table. I tried to get a good look at him, but he only allowed a partial view of his face as he sat with his gaze fixed a bit to one side. I did get a clear enough view to see a rather unremarkable face. Grandfatherly perhaps. Not a particularly wise face. Ordinary actually.

• Parishes moving ahead into incorporation

[Decades - Portland Archdiocese] - RCC. Dissipating assets 2008. Child seductions.
   Catholic Sentinel, ~ June 17, 2008
   PORTLAND (OR) -- Archdiocese of Portland officials have been meeting with parish leaders across western Oregon, helping them learn what needs to happen now that the parishes are separately incorporated.
   "We are here this evening not to change church order," Msgr. Dennis O'Donovan told one group. Vicar general of the archdiocese, Msgr. O'Donovan explained that parishes will still be connected to their bishop and to the pope and will operate according to church "doctrines, teachings, traditions and polity." The new corporate status simply puts the parishes' civil structure in line with long-standing church law, he said.
   Separate incorporation was one part of the bankruptcy settlement reached last year. It clarifies that parish assets belong to the parishes, not the archdiocese.

• The news and the church

- RCC. 3 victims.
   Charlotte Observer, From David Hains, director of communication, Diocese of Charlotte, ~ June 17, 2008
   CHARLOTTE (NC) -- Returning from lunch on Wednesday, I was surprised to find a group of reporters and photo journalists on the lawn of the Pastoral Center of the Diocese of Charlotte. Obviously something was going on.
   The journalists were there at the invitation of three men, victims of sexual abuse, who were making demands of Bishop Peter Jugis. They hadn't given Bishop Jugis, or anyone else from the Diocese, a heads-up and didn't look online to see if the bishop was even in town, which he wasn't. Given the past trauma of these gentlemen, the oversights are understandable.
   The reporters listened to the demands and dutifully sought to balance their stories by obtaining comments from me. One television reporter told me that the story wouldn't get much play because it lacked dramatic visuals. Thank goodness for that.

• Dossiers based on 'paranoia,' FLDS attorney says

- FLDS.
   Deseret News, By Ben Winslow, Published 3:10 p.m. MDT. Tuesday, June 17, 2008
   SALT LAKE CITY (UT) -- An attorney for the Fundamentalist LDS Church says Utah authorities are preading "slanderous statements" and jeopardizing public trust by profiling members of the polygamous sect.
   Reacting to a Deseret News report about dossiers of FLDS members deemed a potential threat, FLDS spokesman Rod Parker sent a letter to Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, Washington County Attorney Brock Belnap and Washington County Sheriff Kirk Smith. Copies of the letter were also sent to Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., St. George's mayor and police chief, the Washington County Commission and the director of the Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training, which certifies and disciplines police officers.
   Parker said he wrote the letter on behalf of FLDS member Willie Jessop and others who were identified in the profiles given to Texas authorities by Utah law enforcement.

• FLDS: Fix statements about alleged dangerous sect members

- FLDS.
   The Salt Lake Tribune, By Brooke Adams, Posted: 5:55 PM, ~ June 17, 2008
   SALT LAKE CITY (UT) -- A Salt Lake City attorney has asked three Utah officials to "immediately correct" misstatements about FLDS members in profiles provided to Texas authorities.
   The profiles, given to Texas law enforcement prior to custody hearings for some 450 children from the polygamous sect's YFZ Ranch in Eldorado, were based on "unsubstantiated or from unreliable sources," said Rod Parker, an FLDS spokesman, in a letter distributed today.
   "As public servants, sworn to serve and protect the citizens, the spreading of slanderous statements such as these jeopardizes the trust of county officials, state officials, law enforcement and government officials of neighboring states, and private citizens," the letter states.

• FLDS: Utah's warnings about church were slanderous

- FLDS.
   The Mercury News, By JENNIFER DOBNER Associated Press Writer Article Launched 12:24:27 PM PDT June/17/2008
   SALT LAKE CITY (UT) – An attorney for a polygamous sect is accusing Utah police and prosecutors of abusing their authority and slandering sect members by passing on bad information about them to Texas authorities.
   Authorities in Utah sent Texas officials dossiers that described 16 members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as threatening religious fanatics who may be willing to die for their cause.

• Information on Filing a Claim Against the Diocese of Fairbanks

- RCC.

   Roman Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks, ~ June 17, 2008
   [with links to various documents need for filing a claim]
   ALASKA -- Sexual and Non-Sexual Claim Filing Deadline:
   ALL CLAIMS MUST BE FILED BY DECEMBER 2, 2008
   Use the following documents and forms to file a claim (either sexual or non-sexual) against the Diocese of Fairbanks (also known as Catholic Bishop of Northern Alaska). Please read and carefully follow the instructions and filing directions by December 2, 2008, as per court order.

• Fairbanks Catholic Diocese begins sexual abuse settlement process

- RCC.
   Alaska Public Radio Network ~ June 17, 2008
   [with audio and podcast]
   ALASKA -- The Fairbanks Catholic Diocese is beginning a massive outreach effort as it moves forward with the settlement of sexual abuse claims against it.

• Fairbanks Catholic Diocese starts massive outreach for abuse victims.

- RCC.
Anchorage Daily News, ~ June 17, 2008
ALASKA -- KUAC in Fairbanks reports that the diocese, which has declared bankruptcy, wants the word out on a deadline for victims of sexual abuse to bring forward their case. That date is Dec. 2. To that end, it has placed notices in newspapers and electronic media across the state and into the Pacific Northwest.

• Justice Denied

- Seduction victims are time-barred.

   Fairfield Weekly, By Daniel D'Ambrosio, ~ June 17, 2008
   CONNECTICUT -- John Conran and Jennifer Aparicio appear to have little in common. Aparicio, 35, is a stay-at-home mom in Manchester. She watches over not only for her own two boys, but also the entire neighborhood.
   "I'm the fill-in, part-time babysitter because day care is so gosh-darn expensive," said Aparicio. "I get a lot of, 'What would we do without you?'"
   Conran, 49, still lives at home with his 77-year-old mother in Avon, and readily admits he's led a solitary life.
   "I just haven't made a go of things," he says, his downcast, bookish features fixed with a permanent look of mild shock.
   Aparicio, by contrast, has an open, sunny face, big hazel eyes and a forthright manner.
   But beneath the surface, Conran and Aparicio share a terrible secret and a gut-wrenching frustration. Both say they were sexually abused as children, and both say they are unable to seek justice because the state statute of limitations ran out.

• Sect leader says teen released by state

[2006-07 Bent, aka Travesser, aka The Messiah] - "Righteousness Church." 3 girls. 4 charges.
   KOB, ~ June 17, 2008
   CLAYTON, N.M. (AP) - The leader of an apocalyptic sect who fasted to force the state to release a teenager taken from the group's compound near Clayton says the state has released the girl to her parents.
   Wayne Bent - who is accused of sex crimes against underage female followers - posted a note on the group's Web site saying the girl, whom he identified as Willow, was released Tuesday.

• WYD - a whiff of incense and power

- RCC.

   ABC News, with Tony Smith, ~ June 17, 2008
   [with audio]
   AUSTRALIA -- Who said: 'I love the smell of incense in the morning. It's the smell of power'?
   As World Youth Day draws closer, the nature of the celebration is taking firmer shape. Hopefully, visitors will have a safe and fulfilling time in Sydney and locals will enjoy the vibrancy of the period. There are however, very mixed signs about the possible long term impact on the Australian Catholic community. World Youth Day has similarities to the Olympic Games in that it could create opportunities for understanding and cultural development, or it could be exploited as a propaganda tool. …
   Recently Sydney Bishop Geoffrey Robinson wrote a book called Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church. Other bishops have been so alarmed at the prospect of a demand for a Papal apology that they have distanced themselves from Robinson. It is interesting that Robinson has been criticised for being 'uncertain'. In an age when ideological fanaticism threatens peace and well-being, a degree of uncertainty does not seem a bad thing. Besides, those who criticise Robinson have more to fear from his certainties and the undeniable truths behind his charges that the Church culture has failed to deal adequately with abuse.
   The attack on Robinson might well be a pre-emptive strike. If so, then the retreat to exclusive authority could dominate Youth Day and undermine its liberating potential. If the hierarchy emphasises its claims to exclusive authority, then it appears that the Church cannot justify its existence in any other way. Authority so easily deteriorates into pragmatic power.

• Victims' group to unveil allegations against Rockford-area priest

[1976+ Mons. Kurz*] - RCC. Boy+.

   Rockford Register Star, RRSTAR.COM STAFF REPORTS, Posted 08:11 AM, Jun 17, 2008
   ROCKFORD (IL) – Members of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, will conduct a news conference today outside the Rockford Diocese to announce new allegations of child sexual abuse against a priest who now works in the Rockford area.
   The media event will be at 11:15 a.m. at the diocese, 555 Colman Center Drive.
   In a statement released by SNAP this morning, the priest sexually abused a 13-year-old boy in Colorado in 1976. SNAP reports that the man now is a judicial vicar in the Rockford diocese and has been promoted to monsignor.

• Fylde's Catholic church closure battle

- RCC.

   Blackpool Gazette, By Jacqueline Morley, Published June 17, 2008
   UNITED KINGDOM -- OUR church is NOT closing.
   Fighting talk as up to 60 parishioners meet for Mass at one of 14 local catholic churches likely to shut on Sundays under a mission review.
   St John Southworth, North Drive, Cleveleys, was built in the 1970s as an optimistic church responded to new housing.

• Sacked Horwich vicar's job appeal victory

[? 2000s Bp James Jones*] - Church of England. Allegedly told a lie.
   The Bolton News, By Staff Reporter, ~ June 17, 2008
   UNITED KINGDOM -- A VICAR was sacked from his job after church bosses believed rumours he was having an affair with his secretary, a tribunal heard.
   The Rev David Johnston, of Chorley New Road, Horwich, was working as director of communications for the Liverpool diocese when he was fired.
   He claimed yesterday he was made to "feel a leper" by the Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Rev James Jones.

• Women claim ordination, are expelled from church

- RCC leader insists he knows best.

   The Oregonian, By NANCY HAUGHT, Tuesday, June 17, 2008
   PORTLAND (OR) -- Background: In July 2007, Toni Tortorilla of Portland became -- in the eyes of many -- Oregon's first woman Roman Catholic priest. In a ceremony not recognized by the official church, she was ordained by a woman bishop active in Roman Catholic Womenpriests. The ceremony was in front of 200 friends and supporters in a Gresham United Church of Christ.
   Update: In late May, the Vatican decreed that women who attempt to be ordained as priests, and those who try to ordain them, are automatically excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. The church believes that only men may become priests. …
   What's next: Tortorilla, who works as a counselor and spiritual director, ministers to about 90 people in Portland and in Eugene who call themselves the Sophia Christi Catholic Community. They meet monthly in borrowed sanctuaries.

• Baptists need national sex-offender database

- Baptist.

   The Baptist Standard, ~ June 17, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- The Southern Baptist Convention missed a great opportunity to protect its members when the SBC Executive Committee declined to create a sexual-offender database.
   Executive Committee President Morris Chapman cited "belief in the autonomy of each local church" as the rationale against creating a system to help churches identify sexual predators. Chapman made the announcement during the Executive Committee's report to the SBC annual meeting in Indianapolis last week.
   But the Executive Committee's logic is faulty. The Baptist General Convention of Texas operates a similar database that not only honors church autonomy but also aids churches in their quest to weed out people who pose as ministers while preying on the weak, vulnerable, young, gullible and simply innocent.

• Pastor gets 5 years in prison in sex abuse case

[Rankins] - Baptist.
   WWSB ~ June 17, 2008
   PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) - A Pensacola pastor who authorities say molested a 17-year-old boy has been sentenced to five years in state prison and 10 years probation.
   The judge also ordered Monday that Pastor Leon Rankins III of the Restoration Full Gospel Baptist Church is required to register as a sexual predator.

• Clueless on Catholicism IV: More Dishonest, Error-Laden Articles From LAT

- RC Bp Geoff Robinson shines light on doctrines.

   NewsBusters By Dave Pierre | 23:57 ET, June 16, 2008
   CALIFORNIA -- Using the sexual abuse scandal as a backdrop, a dissident former bishop from Australia, Geoffrey Robinson, has penned a book on the Catholic Church. As a Statement from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference clearly articulates, Robinson's book is riddled with serious theological and doctrinal concerns. The Conference also concluded that Robinson's book ultimately questions a number of Catholic fundamentals, including:
   the nature of Tradition; the inspiration of the Holy Scripture; the infallibility of the Councils and the Pope; the authority of the Creeds; the teaching authority of the Church; the nature of the ministerial priesthood; and central elements of the Church's teaching of faith and morals.
   [COMMENT: Well, it's all been said before, but for centuries anyone who questioned anything risked life and limb. But hope springs eternal in the human breast! As a quick introduction, the Holy Scripture could be checked out at a new web page, "Difficult parts of Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Scriptures," and follow a link to "Spurious changes to the Bible." ENDS.]

• Lawsuit filed over abuse allegations

[1968 Smyth (Norbertine)] - RCC. Boy.

   Providence Journal By Tom Mooney, ~ June 17, 2008
   PROVIDENCE (RI) – A Massachusetts man yesterday filed suit against the Catholic Diocese of Providence, alleging he was molested as a second grader in the late 1960s by an Irish priest who served as pastor at Our Lady of Mercy in East Greenwich.
   The accused priest, the Rev. Brendan Smyth, became a notorious figure in the annals of clergy abuse before his death in prison in 1997. His admissions to assaulting numerous children in Ireland are said to have figured prominently in the collapse of the coalition government there in the 1990s.
   Smyth's cases in Ireland also included an extraordinary written acknowledgment on the part of one of his supervisors that he and others had known for decades about Father Smyth's "problem" with children.

• Council can speak for city in renaming bridge

[Curran]

   Kennebec Journal, ~ June 17, 2008
   AUGUSTA (ME) -- Leaders at the University of Maine at Augusta acted decisively and appropriately after they were approached in May by advocates for the victims of sexual abuse by clergy. Those advocates asked UMA officials to remove the Rev. John J. Curran's name from a scholarship granted by the university and last week, they did. That move now paves the way for other public institutions named after Curran to be changed.
   Curran, who died in 1976, had been accused by at least two people of sexual abuse while he was the priest at St. Augustine Church in Augusta. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Maine corroborated one of the accusations against Curran and says that were Curran alive today, it would ask the Vatican to remove him from the priesthood.
   Victims' advocates say that in light of Curran's deeds, naming a student scholarship after him was not only wrong, it was an insult to Curran's victim and other victims of clergy sexual abuse. That's a compelling argument that applies similarly in other cases where Curran's name has been given to a public institution. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 17, 2008 7:37 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Tue June 17, 2008
• 20 child sex charges. [1977-88 Paul Evans] - RCC. 20 charges. Boys' Town. 7 boys.

20 child sex charges

   The Manly Daily, www.manly daily.com. au/article/ 2008/06/18/ 10672_ news.html , by Rebecca Woolley, June 18, 2008
   SYDNEY – A FORMER Collaroy Plateau priest engaged in sex acts with seven teenage pupils while he was a teacher at a school for troubled boys, a court has heard.
   Paul Raymond Evans, who was a priest at St Rose of Lima church at Collaroy Plateau, has pleaded not guilty to 20 serious child sex charges allegedly committed while he worked at Boys' Town at Engadine, in Sydney's south, between 1977 and 1988.
   Yesterday the Sydney District Court heard Mr Evans gave special treatment to several pupils taking one on a trip to Queensland, allowing others to drink alcohol and drive a school vehicle around a national park who he molested, abused and sexually assaulted.
   Crown prosecutor Priscilla Adey said one victim, then aged 15, claimed Mr Evans took off his clothes in front him and said: "It's natural, we both have the same things."
   One of the victims claims he was abused once a week by Mr Evans, who was in charge of after school activities.
   Father Chris Riley, from the Youth Off The Streets program, yesterday told the court he came to Boys' Town as school principal in 1986 and it was "out of control".
   "It was a culture shock for me," he said. "Boundaries were being crossed on so many levels."
   He said there were many examples of "inappropriate touching" between teachers and pupils while Mr Evans allowed teenage boys to sit on his knee, pull his beard and give him piggy backs in the school yard.
   "Any child that's attached to one person puts up red signals for me," Father Riley said. "I find that bizarre."
   He said certain students would be difficult, rude and arrogant with other teachers but displayed "loyalty" to Mr Evans.
   Father Riley said he raised concerns with the school director about teachers taking a sole student away for the weekend but nothing changed. He said he fired Mr Evans from the school in 1988 after a complaint was made by a student.
   The case continues. #

   [COMMENT: A Catholic priest, Father Paul Raymond Evans, is currently before the Sydney District Court on charges involving offences against teenage boys while he was working as a Salesian Brother at Boys Town, Engadine, NSW, between 1977 and 1988.
   In the late 1980s, this Brother left the Salesian order and became ordained as a priest and has been ministering since then in the Broken Bay diocese (in Sydney's north). Above is a report today from the Manly Daily in northern Sydney.
   The detective in charge of the Paul Evans case is: Detective Senior Constable Megan Mark, phone Sydney 02 9542 0759.
   Broken Rites has been following the progress of this case before the case reached the District Court. COMMENT ENDS.]
   [ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Broken Rites - Australia ENDS.] http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont148.htm#20_child_sex [Jun 18, 08]
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Wed June 18, 2008 edition:

• Sexual predators in our midst

[Unnamed minister - NEW*] - Baptist. 2 boys.

   Florida Baptist Witness, By JAMES A. SMITH SR., Executive Editor, Published June 19, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- Just three days after the Executive Committee reported on June 10 in Indianapolis its response to the Southern Baptist Convention concerning a motion seeking creation of a database of Southern Baptist ministers guilty or accused of sexual abuse, a Baptist minister in southeast Texas was indicted on three charges of allegedly molesting two boys.
   The arrest of a minister who allegedly took advantage of his sacred duties to satisfy his basest desires is just the latest case of sexual abuse by a minister. It was Texas, but it could have been (and, tragically, has been) Florida–and every other state.
   Although the minister is not a Southern Baptist, his arrest is a fresh reminder of the importance of the Executive Committee's exhaustive report and recommendations that churches take seriously the matter of sexual predators in our midst.

• Appeal from SNAP Mexico

- General laws.

   Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, ~ June 18, 2008
   MEXICO -- Joaquin and I are working with a group of Senators and Federal Deputies in updating the criminal statues as they relate to child sexual abuse, pedophilia and child pornography. Our hopes are to introduce some legislation along with 300 other Community Based Organizations by the beginning of summer.
   WE NEED YOUR HELP!
   We are looking for:
   1) Laws written in different states/countries that address the elimination of the Statute of Limitations on child sex abuse, pedophilia and child pornography (I heard something about the statute work in Ireland/Australia/Canada?) [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 18, 2008 6:54 PM]

• Prosecutor Wants Bountiful Polygamous Probe Reopened:

- FLDS.

   John McKiggan's Sexual Abuse Claims Blog, ~ June 18, 2008
   CANADA -- The special prosecutor who has been asked to investigate the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints community in Bountiful, British Columbia plans to ask the RCMP to reopen their criminal investigation into the polygamous religious community.
   The Globe and Mail reported that Vancouver lawyer, Terry Robertson says that:
   "The law says it is an offence for a person in a position of authority over another to sexually touch someone if they are under 18."
   Women who have left the community of Bountiful have said that girls as young as 14 have been married to men more than 20 years older, who are elders in the religious community.
   Robertson also intends to look at whether the law against polygamy breaches the freedom-of-religion provision of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

• Music Video: Roger Mahony Hymn (aka Help Us Jesus) featured today up top at City of Angels Network

- Churches.

   City of Angels, By Kay Ebeling, ~ June 18, 2008
   [with link to the music video]
   CALIFORNIA -- Time for a mid-week music break from reading all these documents. Click the video box above the headline to watch the music video of a song written by an LA musician after seeing the movie Deliver Us From Evil.
   The song is "Roger Mahony Hymn (aka Help Us Jesus)" and the band is The Wrynkles.
   "We are musicians from the seventies now in our fifties," said, Ron Frederick, band leader and vocalist, "and we spell the band's name that way instead of other people making jokes about old men playing music."
   What inspired the song? "About six months ago, I was going to write a sarcastic song about Jerry Falwell, around the time he died. I was sitting at work and coincidentally that day Deliver Us From Evil came in the mail from NetFlix.

• New Sex Abuse Lawsuit Filed Against Former Basketball Coach, Mater Dei, Diocese of Orange

[Mr Andrade] - RCC. Mater Dei invited him back.
   Manly & Stewart, June 18, 2008
   CALIFORNIA -- Attorneys for an alleged victim of childhood sexual molestation filed a second sex abuse lawsuit against a former Mater Dei High School basketball coach, the school and the Diocese of Orange.
   The suit, which alleges that former coach and admitted molester Jeffrey Andrade sexually abused the victim while she was a young teenager and student at the school, was filed in Orange County Superior Court in May. The last multi-million dollar case against Andrade settled in October 2007.
   "Andrade was a serial predator," said John C. Manly, the Newport Beach attorney for the alleged victim. "What's even more appalling is that Mater Dei officials knew that Andrade was a threat, and did nothing to stop him. In fact, they invited him back on campus."

• Utah birth records sought to probe FLDS couples' ages

- FLDS.
   The Salt Lake Tribune By Brooke Adams Posted 2:19 PM Article Last Updated 03:14:48 PM MDT June/18/2008
   UTAH -- Utah birth certificates may be playing a significant role in an investigation into possible sexual abuse at a polygamous sect's Texas ranch, The Salt Lake Tribune has learned.
   An Arizona investigator requested copies of birth certificates for approximately 25 FLDS couples from the YFZ Ranch - about 50 people in all - to confirm their dates of birth, according to Jeff Duncan, director of the Utah Office of Vital Records and Statistics.
   Gary Engles, a special investigator for Mohave County, Ariz., made the request for information first to the Utah Attorney General's Office, which referred him to the vital statistics office.
   "I never heard anything directly from the state of Texas," Duncan said.

• Save Yourselves

- Baptists.
   Nashville Scene, by Elizabeth Ulrich, for June 19, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- Last week, Southern Baptist officials stood before a sea of church members and representatives more than 7,000 strong and announced a plan to confront the recurring threat of pastoral sexual abuse within the denomination's churches: They would do nothing at all.
   Charged with studying the feasibility of creating a database of known abusers and credibly accused ministers, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) executive committee dropped the responsibility of protecting the denomination's most vulnerable into the laps of local churches themselves. Morris Chapman, president of the executive committee, recycled the old excuse that the autonomous nature of Southern Baptist churches prevents the convention from stepping in.
   "Baptists do not recognize any ecclesiastical authority outside the local church," read a report issued by Southern Baptist leaders. "This precludes the convention from having any authority to require local churches to report instances of alleged sexual abuse…."
   It was roughly one year ago that 8,600 church representatives, men and women from around the country who bear the name "messengers," asked the executive committee to look into creating a denomination-wide database of "Southern Baptist ministers who have been credibly accused of, personally confessed to, or legally been convicted of sexual harassment or abuse."

• Protesters greet bishop at Vineland tent revival

- RCC closings protest sign.
   Press of Atlantic City, By JULIET FLETCHER, 856-237-9020, Wednesday, June 18, 2008
   VINELAND (NJ) -- As Anthony Mecca watched the head of the Camden Diocese begin his slow walk across the field next to Our Lady of Pompeii Church, he held aloft his hand-drawn sign, written in Latin.
   "Pater, dimitte Galante," it began. Underneath, the translation read, "Father, forgive Galante."
   Mecca, a 40-year parishioner of Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Pitman, Gloucester County, had driven in to catch Bishop Joseph Galante before a special outdoor Mass in St. Padre Pio parish.
   "It's the parish mergers," he said, when asked what had brought him cross-county. The church was slated to be merged with Our Lady of Lourdes in neighboring Glassboro, under diocese plans that reduce 124 parishes to 66. Most rankling to Mecca and his fellow protesters, they said, was that the bishop had been invited to come to address the parish following that announcement and had declined.

• The dark side of class action settlements

- Indigenous children. 90,000 claims already.

   Globe and Mail, By JACQUIE MCNISH, jmcnish@globeandmail.com , June 18, 2008
   CANADA -- The social healing began almost immediately after Stephen Harper made his historic apology last week for abuses suffered by former students of residential schools.
   It will take more than words, however, to mend the cracks revealed in Canada's class action system after some of the country's smartest and most devoted legal champions struck a legal settlement last year to compensate aboriginals for cruelties endured in isolated boarding schools.
   Late last year, provincial and territorial judges approved Canada's largest and most intricate class action settlement by agreeing to a plan that would give lump sums of cash to every surviving native relocated to residential schools.
   An estimated 90,000 people have applied for claims and so far more than $1.3-billion has been paid. Over the next few years, the governments' bill could swell by another billion or two.
   The problem with directing such a large river of money to Canada's most remote corners is that few of the beneficiaries have the financial or legal expertise to shield windfall payments, averaging about $25,000 a person, from abuse by individuals and organizations.

• Jury told of church payments to abuse complainants

[1971-77 + 2006 Br. Roger Moloney* (St John of God Order)] - RCC. 2006 fought extradition. NZ $300,000 so far. 11 boys.

   Stuff, Wednesday, 18 June 2008
   NEW ZEALAND -- High Court jury has heard evidence about the "pastoral gesture" process carried out by the Order of St John of God, in which boys alleging sexual abuse at Marylands School were interviewed and received payments from the church.
   The process itself has been raised during the three-week trial of the former prior of the order at Marylands, Rodger William Moloney, 71, who denies 28 charges of sexual abuse of boys at the school near Christchurch in the 1970s.
   Michelle Mulvihill, an Australian psychologist who was employed as an adviser and complaints manager by the order when the abuse claims arose, gave evidence before Justice Graham Panckhurst and the jury on the seventh day of the trial, Christchurch Court News website reports.
   She was asked about the amount she had been paid for her work for the order over a seven-year period. She gave figures, which had been said early in the trial to add up to nearly $1 million.

• Executive recommends DOJ database for sex abuse prevention

- Baptist.
   Florida Baptist Witness ~ June 18, 2008
   INDIANAPOLIS (BP)–The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee passed a recommendation June 9 urging churches to screen prospective volunteers and employees with the U.S. Department of Justice's national sex offender database and said it believes the "potential threat of sex abuse" on the local church level "is tragically underappreciated."
   At six pages, the Executive Committee's report on child sexual abuse–adopted after two years of study–also said it is "strongly persuaded that no church or Baptist entity should employ a known sex offender."

• Diocese moves toward abuse settlement

[1950s-80s] - Bankrupt RCC dicocese seeks to recompense victims.

   Fort Mill Times, June 17, 2008
   FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks is launching a multistate search for possible sexual assault victims as it moves forward with the settlement of abuse claims against it.
   The Diocese filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year. It is working with attorneys representing clients who claim sexual abuse by clergy between the 1950s and 1980s.
   About 150 people have filed claims, seeking millions in compensation.

• Church cuts funds to unit handling abuse

- Anglicans.

   The Daily, ~ June 18, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- Australian Anglican leader Archbishop Philip Aspinall has backed a cut in the budget of the body charged with handling sexual abuse matters in his own diocese.
   The Brisbane diocese's annual parliament, or synod, will meet this weekend to approve the church's budget for 2009.
   Budget papers show the diocese's professional standards unit will take a 30 per cent cut, from $195,000 to $135,000, in 2009 despite ongoing public concern over the church's handling of sexual abuse. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 18, 2008 7:40 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Wed June 18, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Thu June 19, 2008 edition:

• Aikenite gets 25 years for porn, sex charges

[2008 Brumit -NEW*] - 25yrs prison. Porn and Internet "boy."
   Aiken Standard, www.aiken standard. com/0619 Brumit , By MIKE GELLATLY, June 19, 2008
   AIKEN (SC) -- An Aiken native and former school teacher and pastor was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison Wednesday on child pornography and child sex charges.
   Timothy Lynn Brumit, 48, was sentenced for attempting to entice a person he believed to be a 13-year-old boy to engage in illicit sexual conduct and for transporting child pornography via the Internet.
   According to information presented in court, Brumit, who was arrested Jan. 24, used "Hello.com," a website operated by Google, Inc., to communicate with a person whom he believed to be a 13-year-old boy located in Stafford, Va. [***]
   When arrested, Brumit was employed as a high school English teacher at Batesburg-Leesville High School. He also had served as a minister in various churches. #

• Ex-pastor faces more sex-crime charges

[2007 Fulgham -NEW*] - "Church of God". Girl.
   Tuscaloosa News, www. tuscaloosa news.com/ article/ 20080619/ NEWS/3341 71062/-1/ entertain ment4 ; By Stephanie Taylor, stephanie.taylor@tuscaloosanews.com , 205-722-0210, June 19, 2008
   TUSCALOOSA (AL) | A former Bibb County pastor accused of having sex with an underage girl faces additional charges in Tuscaloosa.
   Timothy Fulgham, 40, waived a preliminary hearing in Bibb County District Court on Tuesday on charges of second-degree rape, second-degree sexual abuse and enticing a child for immoral purposes, said Bibb County Assistant District Attorney Tim Evans.
   Fulgham was arrested in March on those charges, which stem from events that are alleged to have occurred last year. [***]
   Fulgham, of Randolph, was pastor at River of Life Church of God in Centreville for about four years before he resigned in August 2007. #

• Okogie To Expel Randy Catholic Priests

- RCC. [Years - Unnamed priests] - Sexual acts. [2008 Bp Okogie -NEW*] - Wants AIDS preventives banned.

   The PM News, By Kazeem Ugbodaga, ~ June 19, 2008
   LAGOS -- His eminence, Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, is very angry with priests engaging in sexual perversion in the Catholic Church, and has vowed to expel any priest henceforth caught in the immoral act.
   Okogie, at a news conference to mark his 72nd birthday in Lagos yesterday, lamented that the newspapers were replete with stories of priests engaging in sex scandals. "There have been reports of priests engaged in sexual abuse. The law of celibacy is there to correct these happenings. The law is not force, the priests are well aware of it before their ordination.
   "Priests involved in such act lack self-control, they lack discipline. But any of our priests involved in such acts would be shown the way out," he warned.
   "We admonish our priests to keep to the vows of poverty, chastity and loyalty to the church. People should refrain from tempting priests; after all they are human beings. But the onus is on the priests to prove that they are thoroughly disciplined, chaste and virtuous," he stated.
   Okogie also called on the Federal Government to ban the use of condom nationwide as well as condom advertisements in the media.

• Bishop condemns Dipolog priest's misconduct in US

[Pardillada -NEW*] - RCC.

   Tempo, ~ June 19, 2008
   PHILIPPINES -- Dipolog City Bishop Jose R. Manguiran has revoked the faculties earlier bestowed on a New Jersey-based priest due to allegations of abuses and misconduct.
   In his report submitted to the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Manguiran saidhe has sanctioned 37-year-old Fr. Reynaldo M. Pardillada and restricted him to the Catholic convent of his local church over the priest's alleged abuses and misconduct while serving at the Epiphany Church, in Cliffside Park, New Jersey.
   KPSC Radio Manila in Southern California first broke the news over Catholic-run Veritas 846 last June 9 after the Archdiocese of Newark suspended the concerned clergyman from is ministry on a complaint from a 32-year old woman who also hails from Dipolog City.

• Church not ready for sexual abuse apology: Quebec archbishop

- RC leader says "not the right time."

   AOL News Source: CBC News, 6:40PM, June/19/08
   CANADA -- Cardinal Marc Ouellet said the Roman Catholic Church is not prepared to apologize publicly for sexual abuse committed by priests because it's not the right time.
   The archbishop of Quebec City made the statement Thursday at the International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City after a small group of people protested outside the gathering, demanding the church acknowledge past abuses toward aboriginal and non-aboriginal peoples.
   The week-long congress is not the proper venue for such discussions, Ouellet said at a news conference. "We are in spiritual reflection and renewal. I think that from what we are living, there will be concrete actions afterwards with other people, with other initiatives," he said. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 19, 2008 11:58 PM]

• Texas grand jury to begin hearing evidence involving polygamous sect

- FLDS.

   The Salt Lake Tribune By Brooke Adams Article Last Updated 03:47:20 PM MDT, June/19/2008
   ELDORADO (TX) -- A grand jury will meet next week in Eldorado to hear testimony that could lead to indictments of members of a polygamous sect.
   A Schleicher County clerk confirmed the grand jury has been called in but would not say why or when it would meet. But The Salt Lake Tribune has learned the hearings are related to the investigation of residents of the YFZ Ranch, all members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
   Expected to be subpoenaed as witnesses are mothers who conceived or gave birth when they were minors.

• National People's Synod

- RCC.
   Voice of the Faithful, By Susan Vogt, June 19, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- Periodically, Popes call Vatican Councils and Bishops call Diocesan Synods. Sometimes the voices of lay people are heard through these forums but too often it is a gathering of church professionals and clerics with a tightly orchestrated agenda and predetermined outcomes. It is a breath of fresh air when this doesn't happen (like Vatican Council II) but that was over 40 years ago. The time has come for a different kind of council – a people's synod. This is consistent with VOTF's philosophy of being a vehicle for the voices of the faithful and working toward common ground together.
   A national gathering of Catholics has also been on the minds of many Catholic organizations for a while and VOTF has taken the role of midwife. Thus, a National People's Synod – a potentially transformative project for the Church in the U.S. – is ready to launch. Although we are walking into an unknown future, one thing we do know is that a synod will happen best if it is not solely a VOTF project but rather a collaborative partnership with the support of a wide spectrum of Catholic leaders and organizations.

• Group sponsors movie about abusive priest

- Movie.
   Record-Eagle, FROM STAFF REPORTS, ~ June 19, 2008
   TRAVERSE CITY (MI) -- "Deliver Us From Evil," an Oscar-nominated documentary about the Rev. Oliver O'Grady, an abusive Catholic priest, will be screened at the June 30 Community Film Night at the State Theatre.
   The film is sponsored by SASATEAM, Survivors Against Sexual Abuse.
   Barb Russell, director of the group, said she saw the film during last summer's Traverse City Film Festival. She was later inspired to form SASATEAM after hearing festival founder Michael Moore tell a group of film festival volunteers, "We either stand for something, or we stand for nothing."

• Texas Pastor Arrested On Child Sex Charge

[Robinson] - Baptist. Girl.
   KWTX, June 19, 2008
   FORT WORTH (TX) -- A Fort Worth pastor was free on bond Thursday after he was charged in connection with the sexual assault of a girl who attends his church.
   James "Jay" Virtue Robinson IV, pastor of Southwood Baptist Church, surrendered at the Tarrant County Jail Wednesday after an arrest warrant charging sexual assault of a child was issued.
   The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Robinson was freed after he posted a $20,000 bond.

• More Abuse Lawsuits Filed Against Kansas City Diocese

   My Fox Kansas City, ~ June 19, 2008
   [with video] [with link to statement of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City and St. Joseph]
   KANSAS CITY, MO. -- The Kansas City Catholic Diocese is facing more lawsuits in the priest abuse scandal. And, victim advocates said since the Papal Visit to the U.S. in April, more people have come forward with cases. Advocates said these latest cases make four new ones in the past two weeks in the metro. FOX 4's Paul Herdtner reports.

• 'Rabbi' Chen to fight extradition from Brazil

[2000s Chen*] - Judaist (Ultra-Orthodox). "Rabbi." Torture regime. 2 children.

   Ynet News, Israel News, by Efrat Weiss, June.19.08,
   ISRAEL -- 'The Rabbi' Elior Chen, who is accused of being responsible for the abuse of two young boys in Jerusalem, announced on Thursday that he would not turn himself over to Israeli authorities.
   Chen was arrested in the streets of Sao Paulo by Brazilian police, ending the extensive manhunt that spanned several weeks.
   His lawyer, Ariel Atari, traveled to Brazil for a week-long visit to confer with Chen. Atari confirmed his client has retained a team of local attorneys to combat his extradition.

• John Bennison, Choirboy

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [Years - Rev. John Bennison] - Females.

   Stand Firm, 8:18 am, Tuesday, June 17, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- We posted this recently as part of a stack of links about the John Bennison case, but given yesterday's events we thought it deserved a second look:
   Church documents show that even though he was married, Bennison had sexual relationships with other vulnerable women at St. Mark's, including a 35-year-old mother of three going through a divorce.
   The behavior continued at All Saints By The Sea in Santa Barbara with a 21-year-old who went to Bennison for marriage counseling. The documents also show he paid for an abortion for an 18-year-old girl with church money.

• Pedophile-Priest Victim Describes Meeting Pope

- RCC.
   Santa Barbara Independent, By Nick Welsh, Thursday, June 19, 2008
   SANTA BARBARA (CA) -- Olan Horne does not mince words. "I've dealt with a lot of bishops, liars, and bullsh*tters in my time," said the burly ex-Catholic who has spent the last eight years butting heads with the Boston Archdiocese over pedophile priests. But reigning Pope Benedict XVI, Horne said, does not fall within their ranks. Horne enjoys the rare, if painful, distinction of being one of the few sexual abuse victims to have met the new pope during his April visit to the United States. "You know what's PR and what's not. He seemed sincere," Horne said. "He was heavy. It was sitting on his shoulders. I mean, how do you come to terms with what these priests and the church have done and look us in the face?"
   Likewise, the question confronting Horne and many victims of priestly pedophilia is how exactly they should look back at their tormentors and the church out of which they sprang?–?in anger or forgiveness? In rage or reconciliation? "I'm not saying there isn't reason here for bitterness and rage," said Horne, who will be speaking in Santa Barbara on June 20 and 21, "but if you're a survivor and you don't want to be angry, then you forgive."

• Priests recruits military

Washington Times by Jay Lindsay, ASSOCIATED PRESS Thursday, June 19, 2008
METHUEN, Mass. -- The Rev. John McLaughlin never served in the military, but he's faced unexpected, violent death in the way troops do. Decades ago, Father McLaughlin lay bleeding on a Boston street after being stabbed from behind. The prayer-filled moments that followed, when Father McLaughlin believed he might die, changed his life and ultimately led him to God. Now, in a newly created job, he'll be trying to recruit military personnel to the Roman Catholic priesthood.

• Diocese assembles manual for priests

- RCC shrinking.
   Standard-Speaker, By DUSTIN PANGONIS, Thursday, June 19, 2008
   PENNSYLVANIA -- Schuylkill County priests affected by the Diocese of Allentown's consolidation plan met with diocese officials Wednesday in Kutztown to discuss a Parish Restructuring Manual intended to help priests during the transition.
   The Rev. Edward B. Connolly, pastor of St. Joseph, Pottsville, and St. Francis de Sales, Mount Carbon, said several diocese officials reviewed the manual and a new packet containing information on the final Masses for those churches that are closing.
   Connolly will become pastor of St. Joseph and St. Vincent de Paul, Girardville, on July 15. The 59-page document details the consolidation process, ranging from personal matters, like dealing with pastor and parishioner grief, to the logistics of parish property, finances and employees.

• Jury finds Frederick priest guilty of indecent exposure

[2007 Whipkey*] - RCC. GUILTY. Street nakedness.
   Brighton Standard-Blade, By Allen Messick, June/19/2008
   GREELEY (CO) – If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to witness it, does it make a noise?
   That was the defense Father Robert Whipkey, 54, of Frederick, used last week as he stood trial on charges of indecent exposure stemming from a June 22, 2007, incident when he was seen by Frederick off-duty police officer Zach Hahn.
   His reasoning: Walking naked in the middle of the night can't hurt anyone because no one would be out to see him.

• Fairbanks diocese gives abuse victims notice

- RCC offering compensation.

   KTUU, by Channel 2 News staff, Wednesday, June 18, 2008
   ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks is looking for additional sexual assault victims as it moves forward with the settlement of abuse claims.
   The diocese is working with attorneys representing clients who claim sexual abuse by clergy between 1950 and 1980.

• Diocese seeks assault victims

- RCC. 150 claimants so far.
   Anchorage Daily News The Associated Press, June 19, 2008
   FAIRBANKS (AK) -- The Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks is launching a multistate search for possible sexual assault victims as it moves forward with the settlement of abuse claims against it.
   The diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year. It is working with attorneys representing clients who claim sexual abuse by clergy between the 1950s and 1980s.
   About 150 people have filed claims, seeking millions in compensation.

• Man stops sex-abuse suit against ex-Toledo deacon

[1975-76 Deacon Shrimplin*] - RCC. Time-barred. Boy.

   "Fascinating path to a conviction," Toledo Blade, By DAVID YONKE, BLADE RELIGION EDITOR, June 19, 2008
   TOLEDO (OH) -- A Cleveland man has dropped a sexual abuse lawsuit against a former Toledo Catholic deacon because the statute of limitations has expired.
   Tom Ferguson, 48, a former Toledoan living in Cleveland, filed the lawsuit Feb. 11 in Lee County Common Pleas Court in Florida against Dr. Glen Shrimplin, a retired dentist and former ordained deacon in the Toledo Catholic Diocese.
   In his lawsuit, Mr. Ferguson stated that he was repeatedly sexually abused at age 15 when Dr. Shrimplin took him to Florida for Christmas vacation. [LOOK BACK: February 12, 2008]

• Council voices support for Father Ted Oswald

[1988-95 Oswald*] - RCC. Sexual abuse. Altar boy.
   Lake County News, Written by Saint Mary's Pastoral Advisory Council Thursday, June 19, 2008
   LAKE COUNTY (CA) -- Father Ted,
   In discussions with the Pastoral Advisory Council, the Council decided it was appropriate to provide you with a strong indication of our support and commitment to you through this current time.
   Some of the quotes from the members of the Council are:
   "Let father know he can count on my support unconditionally."

• Bishops look for forgiveness as World Youth Day looms

- RCC.

   Courier Mail, by Marcus Kuczynski, June 19, 2008 12:00am
   AUSTRALIA -- THE Catholic Church is seeking forgiveness for past hurts as part of its biggest initiative to attract lapsed members back to its fold.
   Comparing the church with any family which has its differences, the nation's Catholic bishops have embarked on a national outreach to non-practising members ahead of World Youth Day, which will bring 250,000 young followers to Sydney from July 15 to 20. …
   While it is still unknown whether the Pope will make a formal apology to victims of sexual abuse during his visit, the bishops have sought forgiveness for any unspecified past hurts which may have been caused through the church.

• Catholic sex abuse crisis far from over in Vermont diocese

[1970s Paquette] - RCC. (US$8.7m already). Altar boy.

   Contra Costa Times, By John Curran Associated Press, Article Launched 04:07:07 PM PDT June/18/2008
   BURLINGTON, VERMONT – Many Roman Catholics believe that the worst of the clergy sex-abuse scandal is over. But in the Diocese of Burlington, it's deepening.
   The case of one cleric, assigned to Vermont parishes in the 1970s despite warnings from an Indiana bishop that the priest was suspected of molesting boys, is battering the local church.
   Last month, a former altar boy who said the Rev. Edward Paquette molested him repeatedly three decades ago won an $8.7 million jury verdict in a negligence lawsuit against the diocese.

• Latest UK safeguarding report released

- RCC.

   Total Catholic, 09:09, Thursday, June 19, 2008
   UNITED KINGDOM -- The latest report detailing safeguarding work within the Catholic Church of England and Wales has been released.
   Highlights in the COPCA Report for 2007 include the fact that the number of parishes with at least one local child protection representative is at its highest point ever at 2,494.
   In addition, nearly 19,500 further Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks have been made throughout the year to ensure the Church's recruitment procedures are consistent with government guidance and good practice in secular organisations. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 19, 2008 8:06 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Thu June 19, 2008
• Youth Day suits a new kind of 'sorry'.

Youth Day suits a new kind of ‘sorry’.

   Brisbane Times, www.brisbane times.com.au/ news/national/ youth-day- suits-a- new-kind-of- sorry/ 2008/06/19/ 1213770 827365.html ; by Linda Morris, Religious Affairs Writer, June 20, 2008
   AUSTRALIA – PRESSURE is mounting on the Pope to offer an apology during his visit to Sydney for World Youth Day, with leading specialists saying that the Pope's unequivocal condemnation of abuse would aid healing and that the children of the most devout church followers remained at risk.
   A conference into religious-based sexual abuse, organised by the Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, will be told today that churches have failed to learn the lessons from massive compensation payouts.
   Professor Freda Briggs, emeritus professor of child development and a lecturer at the University of South Australia, said churches were disregarding the habitual nature of sex offenders and were welcoming back convicted clergy.
   Perpetrators had been able to groom children for sexual abuse partly because naive and trusting parents had allowed priests to share the same room and even the same bed as their sons, and had been easily flattered when priests chose their sons as altar boys.
   "Some church leaders don't seem to realise that pedophilia is not akin to a traffic offence or even robbing a bank; he may have paid his debt to society according to law but that doesn't mean that he won't reoffend.
   "There is no evidence to show that religion cures pedophilia - to the contrary - and the church's eagerness to following the teachings of Jesus and forgive offenders could prove to be yet another costly exercise placing it, and further children, at risk."
   Peter Jonkers, professor of philosophy at the faculty of Catholic theology at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, told the Herald it was appropriate that the Pope use the international forum of World Youth Day to strongly condemn sexual abuse.
   "It is important that the Pope does it. On a local level, the bishops or cardinals some way or another need to make contact with victims and survivors to recognise them."
   But Professor Jonkers, an advocate of forgiveness as a useful tool for personal recovery, cautions that for the Pope to repeat apologies wherever he next visits would be to eventually devalue the nature of an apology.
   Broken Rites, the Australian victim support group, wrote to the Vatican's representative in Canberra, Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, on June 7, requesting a private papal audience in Australia for a small group of victims.
   The Papal Nuncio has since assured the group in writing that the issue of an apology had been "presented to the attention and consideration of the competent office of the Holy See".

[ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Broken Rites - Australia. Broken Rites representatives are at present in Sydney, attending a conference about sexual abuse in religious denominatons. ENDS.] http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm#youth_day_suits [June 20, 2008]
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Fri June 20, 2008 edition:

• Martin County pastor again accused of beating daughter, 16

[2008 McGill -NEW*] - New Hope Outreach Centre. Violence. Daughter.

   Sun-Sentinel, By Keona Gardner | Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, June 20, 2008
   SEWALL'S POINT (FL) -- A local pastor and civic activist in St. Lucie and Martin counties is facing an allegation of child abuse for the second time in three months.
   The Martin County Sheriff's Office arrested Rodney McGill, 41, pastor of New Hope Outreach Center in Jensen Beach, on Thursday and charged him with aggravated child abuse. He originally was arrested in April in St. Lucie County after being accused of beating his daughter, 16, with an extension cord. He denied the allegation, and prosecutors dropped the charges May 20.
   Two days after the charges were dropped, according to a Sewall's Point Police report, the daughter was asked to leave the home after she did not put away milk. The girl was returned to the home by a deputy. After the deputy left, McGill grabbed the teenager, choked her and pushed her into the house, causing an abrasion on her back to reopen, according to the report.

• Prostitution Charge Against Pastor Jump Bound Over

[~ 2008 Jump -NEW*] - Christian. "Prostitute."
   The Chattanoogan, posted June 20, 2008
   TENNESSEE -- A charge of patronizing prostitution against a local minister was bound to the Grand Jury without a hearing on Friday morning.
   The Rev. Frank Jump of Signal Mountain appeared before General Sessions Court Judge Christie Sell.
   He was one of those arrested last November in a prostitution sting.

• New lawsuits filed against clergy

[1970s Wise -NEW*] - RCC. Boy.
   The Kansas City Star, By MARK MORRIS, ~ June 20, 2008
   KANSAS CITY (MO) -- New allegations of clergy sexual abuse emerged in lawsuits filed Thursday against the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.
   One lawsuit alleged that Stephen Wise, a Lee's Summit man who left the clergy in 1986, molested a boy at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the late 1970s.
   A second lawsuit accused Monsignor Thomas O'Brien and Father Thomas Reardon of propositioning and sexually abusing a boy for several years beginning in the late 1970s. Both O'Brien and Reardon have been the targets of numerous similar lawsuits in recent years.

• Paedo pastor's teen pic stash

[~ 2000s Gilroy -NEW*] - "Syon Mission." Prison. Boys.

   Epsom Guardian, By Paul Teed, ~ June 20, 2008
   UNITED KINGDOM -- The minister of Brentford Free Church has said the "thoughts and prayers" of the church community are with those involved in the case of pastor Andrew Gilroy, who was jailed for child sex offences last Friday.
   Rev David Beazley said the paedophile pastor of the Syon Mission had been a "colleague and friend".
   He said: "We share the sadness of the whole situation, and our hope is that there will now be opportunity for all those directly and indirectly affected to move on."
   Gilroy abused his position to befriend teenage boys and invite them to his home for photographic sessions.

• Diocese faces another suit over priest abuse

[1960s DeLuca] - RCC. Settlement reached for 1 case. 3rd complaint alleges 1962-65.
   The News Journal, By SEAN O'SULLIVAN, June 20, 2008
   WILMINGTON (DE) – Another former altar boy, now a middle-aged man, stepped forward today to file suit against the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington over acts allegedly committed by convicted child sexual abuser the Rev. Francis DeLuca.
   John Michael Vai, 56, stood silently alongside his attorney Stephen J. Neuberger, who detailed crimes Vai said DeLuca committed against him between ages 13 and 17.
   Neuberger said Vai had repressed memories of what happened when he was living in Wilmington and was an altar boy at St. Elizabeth's Church from 1966 to 1970. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 20, 2008 10:19 PM]

• FLDS spokesman ordered to stay away from Warren Jeffs' daughter

[Jessop] - FLDS.
   The Salt Lake Tribune, By Brooke Adams, Posted: 7:20 PM, ~ June 20, 2008
   TEXAS -- A Texas judge has temporarily barred an FLDS spokesman accused of intimidation from contacting a daughter of polygamous sect leader Warren S. Jeffs.
   Attorney Natalie Malonis, joined by guardian ad litem Connie Gauwain, filed a motion Friday asking for a restraining order against Willie Jessop.
   Fifty-first District Judge Barbara Walther granted the request just before court closed. The judge also ordered Annette Jeffs, the girl's mother, to notify law enforcement if Jessop attempts to contact her. Walther set a hearing on the matter for next week.

• Parish won't surrender

- St Teresa's keeps battling.
   The Berkshire Eagle, By Derek Gentile, Friday, June 20, 2008
   PITTSFIELD (MA) – Although the decision to close six city churches in the next few weeks appears inexorable, a small group of parishioners at one of the churches facing deletion says it still is brainstorming ways to avoid that finale.
   "I don't know if we can stop this," conceded Gerard Miller of Velma Avenue, a member of St. Teresa's Church. "It's a very uphill battle."
   Miller is one of a seven-member Parish Closing Committee that has been lobbying the Diocese of Springfield to keep its 1,000-member church.

• An Overview report for Australian readers by Richard Sipe…

- RCC.

   Catholica for June 21, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- Geoffrey Robinson, the author of Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church: Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus, delivered 16 presentations across the United States; mostly at non-Roman Catholic venues because of instructions from Rome and local Ordinaries forbidding him to speak on church grounds, but people came in droves to hear him, an estimated 3,500 in all. A consortium of Catholic lay groups sponsored his lecture in San Diego: The local chapters of Call to Action; Dignity; VOTF; and SNAP.
   Reporters in Philadelphia and Toronto, Canada, articulated Robinson's demeanor throughout the tour, "the intent and praxis of Bishop Robinson does not to seek to harm the church, but to create a better church. Bishop Robinson responded to a variety of questions in a quiet, thoughtful way, never once showing disrespect to his fellow bishops, but always keeping in mind the dictate that we are a church semper reformanda." [~ = always reforming]

• Closing arguments in church kickback trial

[Mr Smith] - RCC. US $784,000.

   The Plain Dealer Posted by Damian G. Guevara 16:25PM June 20, 2008
   CLEVELAND (OH) -- Federal prosecutors said Friday that Joseph Smith violated the trust of Cleveland's top Catholic clergy, including former Bishop Anthony Pilla, when he devised a kickback scheme to steal $784,000 from the church's coffers.
   "He breached that trust…all in the name of wanting more," federal prosecutor Jerrod Patterson said during closing arguments at the U.S. District Courthouse downtown.
   A jury is now deciding the fate of Smith, 51, of Avon Lake following a five-week trial. He is charged with several counts of fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion.

• Analysis of U.S. sex abuse crisis, solutions

- RCC.
   The Tidings, Reviewed by Jerry Filteau, June 20, 2008
   Before Dallas: The U.S. Bishops' Response to Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children By Nicholas P. Cafardi. Paulist Press (Mahwah, N.J., 2008). 272 pp., $27.95.
   UNITED STATES -- When Nicholas P. Cafardi was named to the National Review Board that the U.S. Catholic bishops formed at their landmark June 2002 meeting in Dallas to stem the crisis of American priests' sexual abuse of children, he brought a unique perspective.
   The bishops established the all-lay board to monitor their compliance with unprecedented national church policies they had just approved to protect children from sexual abuse by priests, to respond pastorally to those abused by church personnel and to remove any abusive priest from ministry. …
   He notes that just as the bishops began to recognize the issue as a national problem in the mid-1980s, one of their most effective practical tools for dealing with it under church law was removed.
   "Under the 1917 Code of Canon Law, when a diocesan bishop was aware that a priest had sexually abused a minor, he had the ability to suspend that priest 'ex informata conscientia'" --- out of an informed conscience, without undertaking a formal penal process, Cafardi writes. When the new Code of Canon Law was issued in 1983, that option was no longer available, and the penal process for removing a priest was (and remains) difficult and cumbersome.

• Abuse charges rabbi to fight extradition

[2000s Chen*] - Judaist (Ultra-Orthodox). "Rabbi." Torture regime. 2 children.

   JTA, June/20/2008
   ISRAEL -- An Israeli rabbi who fled to Brazil amid child-abuse allegations is fighting extradition.
   Ha'aretz on Friday quoted Elior Chen's Israeli lawyer, Ariel Atari, as saying that Chen denies the charges. Atari returned this week from visiting Chen, 29, in Brazil.
   Earlier this year, Israel issued an international arrest warrant for Chen, who fled the country after he was alleged to have counseled his followers to severely beat and burn children in order to rid them of the devil. Other children allegedly were forced to drink alcohol and turpentine until they vomited.

• Sect chief's daughter seeks order against FLDS official

[Jessop] - FLDS.

   Houston Chronicle, By TERRI LANGFORD and LISA SANDBERG, Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News, ~ June 20, 2008
   TEXAS -- A lawyer for the 16-year-old daughter of polygamist group leader Warren Jeffs is requesting a restraining order to prevent a spokesman for the group from intimidating and harassing the girl.
   The request for a restraining order against Willie Jessop was filed in San Angelo today by Natalie Malonis.

• Diocese considers options to beat debt

- RCC.

   Otago Daily Times, By Hamish McNeilly, Sat, Jun 21, 2008
   NEW ZEALAND -- The Otago-Southland Roman Catholic diocese is not in financial crisis despite being several million dollars in debt, a spokesman says.
   "We are asset rich, cash poor - and in debt," diocese general manager Stuart Young said.
   The situation may force the diocese to borrow money from other regional counterparts to pay off debt, he said.

• Pedophile priest target of a Delaware lawsuit

[1960s DeLuca] - RCC. Settlement reached for 1 case. 3rd complaint alleges 1962-65.

   WCAX, Associated Press, 11:45 AM ET June 20, 2008
   WILMINGTON, DELAWARE (AP) -- A Pennsylvania man has filed a lawsuit alleging that he was sexually abused by a former Syracuse priest who worked for the Diocese of Wilmington.
   Fifty-6-year-old John Michael Vai alleges that as a teenage altar boy, he was abused by the Reverend Francis DeLuca more than 100 times. Defendants in the lawsuit filed Friday are the diocese and Saint Elizabeth's Church.

• Romanian church denounces formation of clergy trade union

- Romanian Orthodox Church.

   Ecumenical News International (Warsaw), by Jonathan Luxmoore, ~ June 20, 2008
   ROMANIA (ENI)-- The Romanian Orthodox Church has condemned the formation of a trade union among its clergy, and has said that priests should follow church procedures in making demands and airing grievances.
   "Certainly, some Orthodox priests have trouble making ends meet, especially those with families," said Constantin Stoica, a spokesperson for the Bucharest patriarchate, which governs the church, "but we have ways of solving their problems inside our church."

• Priestly Pedophilia Concealed in Italy

- RCC in Italy pretends it is American problem.

   Tradtion in Action, by Atila S. Guimar�es, ~ June 20, 2008
   [with list of accused priests in Italy]
   ITALY -- Due to a quite busy schedule, I have collected a pile of books and articles to read when spare time appears. In that mound was a long article published two years ago by the well-informed Rome bulletin Adista reporting on the pedophilia crisis in the Italian clergy. Recently I found time to read it.
   It was, in my opinion, very revealing of the duplicity of the Italian Episcopate, the Vatican included. They pretend that pedophilia does not exist around them: it is an American problem…
   It seems useful to portray a sampling of the Italian reality for the TIA American audience. I am basing myself on the information presented in a report by Emilio Carnevali entitled "Pedophile Priests in Italy: The Hierarchy Minimizes the Problem, but It Exists - Data from the Last Years" (Adista, May 13, 2006, pp. 11-14).
   We are all aware of the extreme complacency of the Vatican in dealing with the pedophilia crisis in the U.S. It has always covered for the priests and blamed the critics, as if they were trying to destroy the Church. I mention just two facts to refresh my reader's memory.

• Three things to understand about the Legionaries of Christ

- RCC.

   National Catholic Reporter, by John L. Allen Jr., ~ June 20, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- Last week I published a lengthy, and remarkably candid, interview with Archbishop Edwin O'Brien of Baltimore about a set of directives he's issued for the Legionaries of Christ and their lay movement, Regnum Christi. Specifically, O'Brien demanded an accounting of all personnel and activities in his archdiocese from both groups, and he barred Legionaries and Regnum Christi members from one-on-one spiritual counseling with anyone under 18. …
   In the meantime, the Legionaries have issued a statement on O'Brien's directives. Here is the full text of the statement, which comes from Communications Director Jim Fair:
   "Father Alvaro Corcuera [Superior of the Legion of Christ] met June 6 with Archbishop Edwin O'Brien. They had a fruitful and substantive discussion that laid down the groundwork for the Legion's continued ministry in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. They were able to clarify issues and came up with concrete points that we will work on. We would hope that all Regnum Christi members will also see this as an occasion to love and serve the Church.
   "We look forward to supporting the Archbishop's efforts to spread the Gospel in this great and historic Archdiocese. We pray for Archbishop O'Brien and Fr Alvaro that the Lord may bless them abundantly for the tremendous leadership they give to us. As you can see from the archbishop's published letter, there have been serious issues regarding the Legion's work. We are grateful for the opportunity to address these matters."

• Brentford 'paedo pastor' jailed

[~ 2000s Gilroy*] - "Syon Mission." Prison. 3000 images. Boys.

   The Hounslow Chronicle By Robert Cumber Jun 20 2008
   UNITED KINGDOM -- A minister at a Brentford church has expressed his sadness after a former pastor was jailed for taking thousands of indecent photos.
   Andrew Gilroy, who spent more than a decade at Syon Mission Church in Beech Avenue, Brentford, abused his position to befriend teenage boys and invite them home for photo sessions.
   By the time police caught up with him, the 46-year-old had amassed more than 3,000 images of the boys, who were aged 16 and 17 at the time.

• Researcher says days of Catholics who 'pay, pray and obey' are gone

- RCC.

Catholic News Service, June 18, 2008
MIAMI (FL), (CNS) -- The days of Catholics who "pay, pray and obey" are gone and likely never coming back, according to a sociologist who has studied the beliefs and practices of American Catholics for more than two decades. As a result, the church must find ways to reach new generations of Catholics who "don't think church leaders are any wiser or any holier than they are," said Purdue University's James Davidson, who spoke at the opening session of the annual gathering of the Catholic Theological Society of America.

• Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Its Children

Book TV on C-Span 2, Author: Marci Hamilton, ~ June 20, 2008
UNITED STATES -- Upcoming Schedule Saturday, June 28, at 11:00 PM Sunday, June 29, at 8:00 AM Monday, June 30, at 4:45 AM

• LA PROOF: Ties between St. John Seminary, LA Archbishop, & Paracletes rehab center for pedophile priests shown in deposition testimony & letters

- RCC was trying to cure seducers in the 1960s.
   City of Angels, By Kay Ebeling, ~ June 20, 2008
   CALIFORNIA -- The bishops claim times were different back then, how could they know about pedophile priests? Truth is in the 1960s Timothy Manning, Archbishop of Los Angeles, was sending so many priests to Via Coeli in New Mexico, (in photo below right), he was talking with center director Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald about opening a branch of the rehab center near Los Angeles.
   Fitzgerald's assistant, Fr. Joseph McNamara, even made a trip to San Bernardino to meet with Bishop Phillip Straling about opening up such a branch.
   Below, McNamara testifies for the LA Clergy Cases about the relationship between the LA Archdiocese and Via Coeli in a June 2007 deposition. He confirms he and Father Gerald took bishops from all over the country on tours of the rehab center. Also below, Letters from 1959 and 1960 reveal a regular conversation between hierarchy "padres" about the pedophile priest problem in the LA Archdiocese and at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo Ca. (A young McNamara is pictured at right.)
   Click the docs here to enlarge, read them, print them, there are more to come next week from this Paracletes Collection. You should be able to print a copy of the enlarged docs for yourself from your screen.

• Former Neb. choir director sentenced to prison

[Mr Truska] - 15-20yrs prison. Child.
   KPTM, Associated Press, 4:15 PM ET, June 19, 2008
   LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A 28-year-old former Lincoln Public Schools employee and church choir director has been sentenced to 15 to 20 years in prison for first-degree sexual assault of a child.
   Benjamin Truksa also was sentenced to five years Thursday on a child abuse conviction.

• Author: Ending celibacy would make more men enter priesthood

- RCC.
   Abilene Reporter-News, By Nicole Neroulias, Thursday, June 19, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- During his recent trip to America, Pope Benedict XVI attended a youth rally at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y. -- the same school where enrollment has dwindled to the point that no new prospective priests are enrolled next fall.
   As the U.S. church ordains its crop of some 400 new priests in the coming weeks, church leaders hope Benedict's words of encouragement will inspire more men to consider the priesthood. The Rev. Donald Cozzens of John Carroll University, however, believes it will take a major change in Vatican policy on celibacy to revitalize the priesthood.
   Cozzens, 69, has tracked the decline in vocations for more than a decade, including as rector of Cleveland's St. Mary Seminary from 1995 to 2000. In his 2006 book, "Freeing Celibacy," and in lectures all over the country, he argues celibacy should be optional for Catholic priests.

• Bishop will not face charges of misappropriating funds

- Episcopalians. [1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [~ 1970s Rev. John Bennison] - Females. [~2007 Ms Alton] - Allegedly changed Wikipedia entry, so banned by Wikipedia.
   Philadelphia Inquirer, By David O'Reilly, ~ June 20, 2008
   PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- A special committee of the Episcopal Church USA has found no basis to try Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr. on charges of misappropriating assets of the Diocese of Pennsylvania.
   In November 2006, the diocesan standing committee filed a formal complaint with the presiding bishop's office in New York alleging that since 2000 Bennison had used millions of dollars without canonical authority or the required consent of the standing committee. It asked for a church trial to remove Bennison as head of the five-county diocese.
   However, the attorney for the review committee concluded that "Bishop Bennison committed no offense in these matters" and the committee voted at its May 21 meeting not to issue any indictment. That decision was announced today. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 20, 2008 12:01 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Fri June 20, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Sat June 21, 2008 edition:

• Wanted: Speedy church justice

[2001-08 Bp Doran -NEW*] - RCC. Evicted whistleblower, no justice.

   Spero News, By Mary Ann Kreitzer, ~ June 21, 2008
   ARLINGTON (VA) -- Dear Friends:
   Check out Julia Duin's new column at The Washington Times particularly her article about Fr. Haley and Fr. Clark. See: Washington Times
   She's the catalyst for this column. All three words in the title, Speedy - Church - Justice, are significant. First, speedy: It's been almost seven years since Fr. Haley was booted from the St. Mary's rectory in Fredericksburg and forced into a nomadic life on the road for giving Bishop Loverde unwanted evidence of rampant sexual immorality in several Church rectories.
   It's almost four and a half years since the tribunal, headed by Bishop Thomas Doran, met in Philadelphia to decide Fr. Haley's fate. There is something seriously wrong when a bishop can throw out a faithful priest on a trumped up charge and leave him in limbo for seven years. Justice delayed is justice denied. Such a delay is incomprehensible. (Unless, as one individual suggested, it ensures the statute of limitations will prevent any action in civil court.)

• Former youth pastor pleads guilty to sex crime

[? 2000s Mr Kiger -NEW*] - Christian. Girl
   Northwest Arkansas Times BY SCOTT F. DAVIS, Posted on Saturday, June 21, 2008
   ARKANSAS -- A former youth pastor was sentenced on Friday to six years - three years in prison and three years suspended - for his sexual involvement with a 14-year old girl.
   Keith Daniel Kiger, 31, of Winslow entered a negotiated plea of guilty to reduced charges of sexual indecency with a child before 4th Judicial Circuit Judge William Storey. He was initially charged with second-degree sexual assault.
   Kiger was a youth minister at a church the victim had attended only a few times, so it would have been hard to prove he committed the act while being in a position of trust, said Fourth Judicial District deputy prosecutor David Harris.

• Jury: Minister abused girl

[2000 Reed -NEW*] - Christian. Girl.
   The Roanoke Times, By Shawna Morrison, 381-1665, ~ June 21, 2008
   RADFORD (VA) -- After a trial that lasted late into the night Friday, a jury found a minister from Radford guilty of sexually abusing a girl in 2000 when she was 8 years old.
   Hawthorne Reed Jr., 63, was found guilty on two counts of forcible sodomy and one of aggravated sexual battery. The girl said the events happened in 2000, but she didn't tell anyone until six years later.
   The Roanoke Times is not identifying the girl because of the nature of the case. She doesn't live in Virginia.

• Catholic Church under fire in abuse cash row

[1962-92 St William's Community Home -NEW*] - RCC. 143 children.

   Yorkshire Post, By Rob Waugh, EXCLUSIVE, Published Date: June 21, 2008
   UNITED KINGDOM -- The Roman Catholic Church has been accused of "prolonging the agony" of 163 alleged abuse victims by attempting to block the biggest compensation claim of its kind the country has seen.
   The claim, which could total up to �4m, focuses on the systematic, largely sexual abuse of deprived and damaged children at a former children's home in East Yorkshire spanning a 30-year period up to 1992, when it closed.
   But the two Catholic organisations held principally responsible for running the St Williams Community Home in Market Weighton have so far refused to accept liability and the specialist solicitor running the claim believes the Church, which has been the focus of a series of abuse scandals in the United States and Ireland, is merely paying lip service to institutional expressions of sorrow.

• Priest in court on child sex charge

[1970s+ Green*] - RCC. 38 charges. Boys.

   Manchester Evening News, June 21, 2008
   UNITED KINGDOM -- A PRIEST has appeared in court accused of sexually abusing a young boy 31 years ago.
   William Green, 67, of Lyme Clough Way, Middleton, faces six counts of indecent assault and gross indecency between 1977-81.

• Youth Day suits a new kind of 'sorry'

- RCC global leader is asked to apologise.

   Brisbane Times, www. brisbanet imes.com.au/ news/ national/ youth-day- suits-a- new-kind- of-sorry/ 2008/06/19/ 121377082 7365.html ; by Linda Morris, Religious Affairs Writer | June 20, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- PRESSURE is mounting on the Pope to offer an apology during his visit to Sydney for World Youth Day, with leading specialists saying that the Pope's unequivocal condemnation of abuse would aid healing and that the children of the most devout church followers remained at risk.
   A conference into religious-based sexual abuse, organised by the Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, will be told today that churches have failed to learn the lessons from massive compensation payouts.
   Professor Freda Briggs, emeritus professor of child development and a lecturer at the University of South Australia, said churches were disregarding the habitual nature of sex offenders and were welcoming back convicted clergy. …
   Broken Rites, the Australian victim support group, wrote to the Vatican's representative in Canberra, Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, on June 7, requesting a private papal audience in Australia for a small group of victims. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 21, 2008 6:10 PM]

• Bishop backs pedophile, defies Pope

[McKeirnan] - RCC.

   Brisbane Times, by Kate Dennehy | 7:10AM | June 22, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- THE Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane - in defiance of the Pope - continues to allow a convicted pedophile to remain a priest and celebrate Mass next to a school.
   The Sun-Herald has learnt the priest - Father Ronald John McKeirnan, 69, of Toowong, in Brisbane's inner-west - enjoys the support and protection of high-ranking church officials, including Archbishop John Bathersby, despite having served a year in prison in 1998-99 for the sexual abuse of children.
   Their decision to support Mr McKeirnan conflicts with a statement by Pope Benedict XVI in April that the church "would absolutely exclude pedophiles from the sacred ministry … who is guilty of pedophilia cannot be a priest".

• Woman alleges gang rape, police file molestation complaint

["Godman"*] - Tantric practitioner.

   Thaindian News, IANS, 10:41 pm ICT, June 21, 2008
   NOIDA, India, (IANS) -- A 22-year-old woman was gang raped by a 'godman' practising occult and his associates but the Uttar Pradesh Police registered a complaint of molestation, the victim's family alleged here Saturday. Om Prakash, the victim's husband, said his wife had gone to Jhulla, a neighbour in village Sirsa Khanpur of Greater Noida district, to get medicines for him Thursday night.
   "The 'tantric' (occult practioner) asked me to accompany him to a forested area to collect herbs for the medicines to cure my husband," the 22-year-old victim told IANS.
   "On reaching the spot I found two men already there. Both were drunk. The three then raped me."

• Convicted priest still serving

[1960s-70s McKeirnan] - RCC. 9 boys.

   Brisbane Times, by Kate Dennehy | June 22, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- THE Australian Catholic Church has been embroiled in controversy, three weeks before the Pope makes his historic visit to Australia, over a convicted pedophile who is still serving as a priest.
   In defiance of the Pope, the Archdiocese of Brisbane continues to allow a convicted pedophile to remain a priest and celebrate Mass next to a school.
   The Sun-Herald has learnt that the priest - Ronald John McKeirnan, 69, of Toowong in Brisbane's west - enjoys the support and protection of high-ranking church officials, including Archbishop John Bathersby, despite serving a year in prison in 1999 for molesting nine boys in the 1960s and 1970s.

• After rise, then turmoil, lay Catholic group finding footing

- VOTF.

   Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA), By JAY LINDSAY, Associated Press Writer, June 21, 2008
   BOSTON (MA) – Long gone are the founder's dreams of millions of members, but gone too are the infighting and financial woes that shook the lay Catholic group Voice of the Faithful just a year ago.
   The group founded in the worst days of the church's clergy sex abuse scandal to give laity a greater role has come through some bad times of its own, including financial problems and confusion over its future.
   Its finances are sound and the spring visit by Pope Benedict allowed the group to reassert its relevance in a media campaign that it says drew hundreds of new members.

• Episode 48 - docPod The Diocese of Charlotte Podcast

- RCC.
   Thedocpodcast, ~ June 21, 2008
   [podcast]
   CHARLOTTE (NC) -- SNAP delivers a letter to the Diocese of Charlotte, an interview about the "Choose Life" license plates and a Scripture reading from Cheryl Corallo.

• Jury to decide fate of former Cleveland Diocese employee Joseph Smith, charged with fraud

[Mr Joseph Smith] - RCC. Money.
   The Plain Dealer, by Damian G. Guevara, Saturday, June 21, 2008
   CLEVELAND (OH) -- Joseph Smith violated the trust of Cleveland's top Catholic clergy, including former Bishop Anthony Pilla, when he devised a kickback scheme to steal $784,000 from the church's coffers, prosecutors said Friday.
   "He breached that trust … all in the name of wanting more," federal prosecutor Jerrod Patterson said during closing arguments at the U.S. District Courthouse in downtown Cleveland.
   A jury is now deciding the fate of Smith, 51, of Avon Lake, following a five-week trial. He is charged with fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion.

• Sexual abuse lawsuit settled

[Mr de Araujo] - ? Christian. Settlement. 5 males.

   Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA), By Karen Nugent, June 21, 2008
   LANCASTER (MA) – A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit against a former Atlantic Union College choir director and music professor alleging sexual misconduct with four students and a consultant.
   In a letter released yesterday to students, faculty and staff, College President Norman L. Wendth said the lawsuit against Francisco de Araujo was resolved through mediation. The terms and conditions of the agreement, he said, are confidential and would not be made public by mutual consent among the five male plaintiffs and Mr. de Araujo.
   "I personally believe the agreement is as fair as these things can be, and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of all involved," Mr. Wendth said in the letter.
   Nance Lyons, a Boston lawyer representing the five plaintiffs, who all used the last name "Doe" in the lawsuit, confirmed yesterday afternoon that a settlement was reached through mediation June 12. She declined to release details, referring to the no-public-disclosure agreement, but said the agreement was satisfactory to all five plaintiffs. She declined to say if cash was part of the agreement.

• L.A.-area clergy abuse victims sue financial firm, broker over award money

- Investment brokers to be sued.
   Los Angeles Times, By Victoria Kim, June 21, 2008
   LOS ANGELES (CA) -- They thought the years of painful legal battles were over.
   Instead, three men who received a combined $11.5 million as part of last year's historic settlement of clergy sex abuse cases involving the Los Angeles Archdiocese find themselves preparing to go to court once again.
   This time, Salvador Tenerelli and brothers Stephen and Michael Trerotola have filed a lawsuit alleging that they were defrauded by the financial brokers who invested their settlement money.
   The suit names as defendants the Swiss financial services firm UBS and several individual brokers who worked for the firm.

• Bishops begin dialogue with priests on fallout from scandal

- RCC clergy talks.

   The Tidings, By Nancy Frazier O'Brien, June 20, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- In the aftermath of the clergy sex abuse crisis, the U.S. bishops are working to rebuild relations with some unanticipated victims: their priests.
   Bishop Gregory M. Aymond of Austin, Texas, and other members of the bishops' Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People, met June 12 in Orlando with representatives of half of the nation's priests to begin a dialogue on issues that arose during and after the sex abuse scandal.
   "Some felt guilty by association," while others felt their fellow priests who were accused of wrongdoing were not treated fairly or with pastoral concern, Bishop Aymond told Catholic News Service after the closed-door listening session at the spring general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

• Anglican Church to vote on priest sex offender laws

- Anglicans.

   ABC Brisbane, June 21, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- The Anglican church in Brisbane is expected to vote today on major changes to the way it deals with clergy convicted of child sex abuse.
   The Diocese of Brisbane is holding its annual Synnod this weekend and a vote is to be taken on amending church law on professional standards.
   Archbishop Phillip Aspinall says currently in Queensland if a priest is convicted of child abuse there is a separate church process to decide if they should be expelled from the clergy.

• Sex abuse records on priest who served in Arlington and Bedford should be released, court says

[Tu] - Christian. 2 girls.

   Fort Worth Star-Telegram, By DARREN BARBEE, dbarbee@star-telegram.com , ~ June 21, 2008
   FORT WORTH (TX) -- Confidential files containing allegations that a priest who served in Arlington and Bedford sexually abused two sisters should be opened to the public, the 2nd Court of Appeals in Fort Worth ruled this week.
   "Protection of children from abuse is of the utmost importance in Texas," the state court wrote. "We, therefore, conclude that the [priest's] .?.?. files are of legitimate public concern."
   The court also wrote that the Rev. Joseph Tu Ngoc Nguyen's conduct, which Tu conceded was "inappropriate and unacceptable," falls within the Texas Family Code's definition of child abuse.

• Diocese faces new priest abuse lawsuit

[1960s DeLuca] - RCC. Settlement reached for 1 case. 3rd complaint. Altar boys.
   The News Journal, By SEAN O'SULLIVAN, June 21, 2008
   WILMINGTON (DE) -- Another former altar boy, now a middle-aged man, stepped forward Friday to file suit against the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington over acts allegedly committed by convicted child sexual abuser the Rev. Francis DeLuca.
   John Michael Vai, 56, stood silently alongside his attorney Stephen J. Neuberger, who detailed crimes Vai said DeLuca committed against him between ages 13 and 17.
   Neuberger said Vai had repressed memories of what happened when he was living in Wilmington and was an altar boy at St. Elizabeth's Church from 1966 to 1970.

• A tepid acquittal

[2008, March - Murd*] - RCC. Admitted fondling, but Not Guilty. Adult.
   "Fascinating path to a conviction," Toledo Blade, ~ June 21, 2008
   OHIO -- SEXUAL-abuse cases are usually highly emotionally charged. When a verdict is announced, it is very rare to have it accepted as fair by all sides. So it is no wonder that past victims of sexual abuse and their families find themselves distressed that a Roman Catholic priest was acquitted on a misdemeanor charge of sexual imposition. However, Lucas County Common Pleas Court Judge James Jensen found that the prosecution failed to prove that the actions of the Rev. Frank Murd offended the victim. The judge then found the priest not guilty in a bench trial.
   The accusation stemmed from a March incident involving a 27-year-old man at the JCC-YMCA in Sylvania Township. During a police interview, Father Murd, former pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Maumee, initially denied that he inappropriately touched the man, but then admitted that he did and apologized. When the victim explained during the trial why he didn't immediately rebuff the priest, he said he was shocked by his actions and froze before objecting. The man asked a facility attendant for the identity of the priest. He went home and called his psychologist, who instructed him to notify police. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 21, 2008 7:37 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Sat June 21, 2008
• Bad news for Pope's visit: Br Best, Fr McKeirnan, Fr Evans.

Bad news for Pope’s visit: Br Best, Fr McKeirnan, Fr Evans

   Broken Rites - Australia, http:// brokenrites. alphalink. com.au , e-mail of June 22, 2008
   AUSTRALIA – With only three weeks to go before the Pope arrives in Australia (July13), the issue of church sexual abuse is still prominent.
   The Melbourne "Sunday Herald Sun", on page 30 today, reports that Christian Brother Robert Charles Best (who was convicted in Victoria in 1996) has been charged with additional child-abuse offences. For the Broken Rites research about Best, see the comprehensive article about him on the Broken Rites website at: http://broken rites.alphalink. com.au/ nletter/ page27.html .
   The Sydney Sunday "Sun Herald" today reports that Father Ronald John McKeirnan (who was jailed in 1998) is still being harbored in the Brisbane archdiocese. For the Broken Rites research about McKeirnan, see the comprehensive article about him on the Broken Rites website at: http:// brokenrites. alphalink. com.au/ nletter/ page2.html .
   Meanwhile, Father Paul Raymond Evans (who was originally a priest in the Salesian order but later ministered in parishes in the Broken Bay diocese, north of Sydney) is currently before the Sydney District Court on child-sex charges. See the Broken Rites website at: http:// brokenrites. alphalink. com.au/ nletter/ page163- evans.html .

http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm#bad_news_for_popes [June 22, 2008]
• Christian Brother Robert Best touched boys indecently, a court was told. [1960s &?+ - Bro. Best (Christian Brother)] - RCC. Boys.

Christian Brother Robert Best touched boys indecently, a court was told.

   Broken Rites - Australia, http:// brokenrites. alphalink. com.au/ nletter/ page27.html , e-mail of June 22, 2008
   MELBOURNE (Vic), Australia – Christian Brother Robert Best was convicted in the Melbourne County Court in June 1996 for child-sex offences. After this, more former students contacted the police, so Best was brought back to the same court again in March 1998 on additional counts. In both years, the charges involved putting his hands inside the pants of boys aged from 10 to 12 and interfering with their private parts – that is, the crime of indecent assault.
   Brother Best's background
   The court was told that Robert Charles Best was born on 1 January 1941. He was educated in Catholic schools at Warrnambool (western Victoria) and Bundoora (Melbourne) to matriculation level. In 1960 he entered a Christian Brothers novitiate (training college) to become a Brother. He began teaching (as "Brother" Best) in 1963 in Fremantle (Western Australia) in 1963 and in Launceston (Tasmania) in 1967, teaching up to Grades 6 and 7. He was active in sport and in choir practice, the court was told.
   From 1968 to 1973 (inclusive), Best taught at St Alipius parish primary school for boys in Ballarat East, where he also acted as the headmaster. While working at this school, he resided at St Patrick's College (a secondary boarding school in Ballarat), where he was also supervised a dormitory. (The name of the school is pronounced as "Saint Al-LEEP-ee-us".)
   The court was told that in 1974 Best was taken off teaching and was based for a year at a Catholic house in Melbourne (then called the "National Pastoral Institute", which has since been abolished).
   From 1975 to 1985 (inclusive), he taught at St Leo's College (Christian Brothers) in Box Hill (in Melbourne's East), teaching Grade 6 for three years and junior secondary classes after that, the court was told. He was the superior of the ten Christian Brothers living at Box Hill. He attended school camps at Shoreham on the Mornington Peninsula, south-east of Melbourne.
   In 1985-89, he taught at St Joseph's College, Geelong, where he was the Year 8 co-ordinator, the court was told.
   In 1989-94, he taught (specialising in Year 9) at Warrnambool Christian Brothers College (also called St Joseph's) in south-western Victoria. He was the superior of the Warrnambool Christian Brothers Community, the court was told. (This school later evolved into Emmanuel College, a co-ed school).
   In December 1994, when Brother Bob Best was aged 53, detectives from Ballarat interviewed him at Warrnambool, regarding certain complaints relating to St Alipius school, Ballarat East.
   The 1996 case
   When Robert Charles Best was principal of the St Alipius boys' primary school in Ballarat East in 1968-73, he was aged from 27 to 32. Around this time, the school usually had only four teachers, and complaints about sexual abuse have been made about three of these: Brother Edward Dowlan (who was later jailed), Brother Stephen Farrell (given a two-year suspended jail sentence) and Brother Fitzgerald (now dead, therefore it is too late now to prosecute him). The school chaplain was Father Gerald Ridsdale (who was later jailed).
   In the 1996 case, Best was charged with eight counts of indecent assault involving five boys, aged 11 or 12, while they were at St Alipius. Judge Michael Mclnerney allowed Best to have a separate jury for each complainant. (Therefore, each jury believed that there was only one complainant and that the offence was an isolated occurrence.) Best was found guilty concerning one of the complainants and not guilty concerning the other four. Judge McInerney gave Best a nine-months suspended jail sentence.
   The 1998 case
   After the 1996 case, five more complainants from St Alipius came forward. This time, in March 1998, Judge James Duggan refused to allow Best five separate juries. Therefore the jury members knew that there were multiple complainants.
   The jury found him guilty on six counts involving two of the boys, one aged 9 and one aged 11. The offences involved manipulating the boys' genitals.
   Judge James Duggan sentenced Best to 24 months' jail (with a minimum of 12 months before becoming eligigle for parole). The judge said Best had molested a Grade 4 boy four times as he sat next to the pupil in class pretending to take an interest in his work. He also twice abused a Grade 6 boy in the school's sick bay.
   The judge commented about the hypocrisy involved in breaching "celibacy". He said Best's position of trust, in a religious order, made his offences worse. The judge said the victims had been unable, at the time, to lodge a complaint because Best was not only a Christian Brother but was also the school principal. He said the publicity surrounding the 1996 trial had finally given the victims the opportunity to come forward.
   On 23 July 1998, after three months in jail, Best won an appeal against the March 1998 convictions and received the right to be given a new trial.
   At great expense, the Christian Brothers hired a Queens Counsel to represent Best in both 1996 and 1998.
   After his convictions, the Christian Brothers retained Brother Bobby Best in their order – that is, he continued to be "Brother" Best. After his convictions he was given an administrative role, working at a hostel for elderly Christian Brothers in The Avenue in Parkville, inner-Melbourne.
   The police investigations of Brother Robert Best have been conducted by the Ballarat Criminal Investigation Unit, telephone 03 5336 6080.
   The 1996 and 1998 convictions were reported in the media: Herald Sun, 24-7-1996 (on pages 1 and 4), 25-7-96, 28-3-98; The Australian, 26-7-96 (page 11); and The Age, 25-7-96, 28-3-98.
   For an article about another Christian Brother, Edward Dowlan, who was also convicted in 1996, see our article entitled Catholic religious Brothers accept sex-offenders as members

http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm#christian_brother_robert [June 22, 2008]
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Sun June 22, 2008 edition:

• Nepalese priest held for rape attempt

[- 2008 Baba -NEW*] - ? Hindu. Girl/s.

   NDTV, Press Trust of India, Sunday, June 22, 2008
   KATHMANDU, NEPAL -- A 30-year-old priest, residing in Pashupatinath Temple area, has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a minor girl, police said on Sunday.
   The accused, identified as Baba Bisnu Das, had molested the six-year-old girl after locking her inside his ashram on Saturday, they said. …
   Police records show that the Baba had been arrested for at least three times previously on charge of making similar attempts. Each time he had been released after promising not to repeat such acts in the future.

• Broken Trust Part 3

- RCC.

   Blip.tv , ~ June 22, 2008
   [video presentation]
   TEXAS -- Authors Patrick Fleming and Sue Lauber-Fleming give a talk on the issue of the priest sexual abuse crises of the Catholic Church in a presentation at the Oblate Seminary in San Antonio Tx, March 2008. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 22, 2008 8:20 PM]

• Catholics try new ways to solve priest shortage

- RCC priests dwindling.
   Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, By TOM HEINEN, theinen@journalsentinel.com , Posted: June 22, 2008
   WISCONSIN -- With 77 diocesan priests reaching the optional retirement age of 68 within the next five years, change isn't just in the wind for more Catholics in southeastern Wisconsin.
   It's percolating in parish offices as the region's largest denomination strives to invigorate its flock while creatively countering the priest shortage, declining Mass attendance counts, the impact of the sexual abuse crisis and the deficit-driven downsizing of its central offices. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 22, 2008 8:23 PM]

• Do Not Exit

- RCC.
   St. John's Valdosta Blog from Catholic Replies by James J. Drummey The Wanderer, ~ June 22, 2008
   Q. A friend of mine who had been a faithful Catholic all his life was so upset by the sex abuse scandal and the failure of the bishops to deal with it properly that he has stopped going to Mass. What can I say to get him back to church?
   A.First of all, you can agree with him that the immoral and criminal actions of some priests and the bishops' failure to rid the Church of these predators, were disgraceful, not only because children were not protected form sexual abuse, but also because the abuse was allowed to continue and to become widespread. No faithful Catholic can be anything but ashamed and angry at the way in which some bishops facilitated this tragedy.
   Having said that, we must distinguish between the Church herself, which is always holy, and members of the Church, who have on many occasions over the centuries besmirched her good name and cause people to stay away fomr her life-giving sacraments. Turning one's back on the Church that Jesus founded to help us get to Heaven because some members of the Church have failed in their duty would be like rejecting one's own family because one or more members of the family had done something terrible. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 22, 2008 8:17 PM]
   [RECAPITULATION: … the Church herself, which is always holy … ENDS.]
   [COMMENT: Mama mia! ENDS.]

• Re-assessing celibacy in the Catholic Church

- Celibacy too late to be a Jesus teaching.
   The Other I, June 22, 2008
   Since the documentary last week about Father Cleary, I have been re-evaluating my thoughts about clerical celibacy in the Roman Catholic Church.
   Despite the fact that recent popes have adamantly refused to consider a married clergy, it is worth remembering that even in the RC Church, clerical celibacy did not become a requirement until the 13th century, when it was imposed in an attempt to control wide-spread abuse.
   Additionally, it is a practice which has never been introduced by the Orthodox Catholic Church, and a requirement which is not being universally imposed on some converts from among the Anglican clergy who are already married.
   So clerical celibacy is not in that circle of doctrinal beliefs like the divinity of Christ, for instance, or the Trinity of God, which Rome believes could not be changed.

• Crimen Sollicitationis

- RCC's secrecy Instruction.
   Minor Heresies, June 22, 2008
   By now, the concept of a pedophile priest is not surprising.
   Articles about complaints, prosecutions and lawsuits related to priestly sexual misconduct appear in the news media every week.
   Back in 2006, the British television news program Panorama broadcast a special program on the way the Catholic Church handled abusive priests, a program that resulted in the resignation of an Irish Bishop.
   They provided a copy of a secret church document, the Crimen Sollicitationis (Crime of Solicitation), which outlined Vatican policy on dealing with priests who commit sexual crimes.
   The document, written and distributed in 1962, was updated in 2001 by none other than Cardinal Thomas Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict. (If you can handle the Latin, here's the now-public update, I believe)
   The document lays out an entire formalized judicial process for prosecuting priests who solicited and/or engaged in sexual acts.
   The penalties are entirely canonical, ranging from a rebuke to removal from office.
   This document is significant, not only in how it defines the relationships within the church, but also between church and state. (There is evidence of a previous version of the document from 1922, "De modo procedendi in causis sollicitationis.")

• Defrocking priests won't be retrospective: Aspinall

- Brisbane Anglicans to eject child sex abusers.

   ABC News, Posted 07:23:00, June 23, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- The Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane says a decision to automatically defrock priests convicted of child sex abuse will not be retrospective.
   Over the weekend, 600 church members met in Brisbane for their annual synod.
   Archbishop Phillip Aspinall says taking immediate action against offenders will ensure victims are not subjected to further stress and pain.

• Jeffs daughter trying to dump court-appointed guardian

[Ms Jeffs] - FLDS.

   Houston Chronicle, By JENNIFER DOBNER, Associated Press Writer, ~ June 22, 2008
   TEXAS – A daughter of convicted polygamist leader Warren Jeffs says she doesn't need protection from church leaders and wants her court-appointed attorney to step down for asking for it.
   "I have asked her many times to please step aside," Teresa Jeffs told The Associated Press by telephone on Sunday from Texas. "I need more help. I want my attorney to listen to me."
   Jeffs, 16, is one of hundreds of West Texas children from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints with an attorney appointed by a state judge as part of a child welfare investigation into alleged abuse. Her father is Warren Jeffs, the church's imprisoned president and prophet.

• Bishop, flock at odds over vision for diocese

- RCC.
   Courier-Post, By JIM WALSH, June 22, 2008
   NEW JERSEY -- Over the next year, South Jersey's Catholics will experience a wave of dramatic -- and sometimes traumatic -- change.
   Long-beloved churches will close. Parishes that helped define a spiritual community will disappear. And parochial schools that once rang with the sounds of children will sit silent.
   Those losses -- which some observers compare to a death in the family -- will be controversial casualties in an ongoing campaign by the Diocese of Camden.

• A hearing for St. Teresa's

- RCC.
   The Berkshire Eagle, Editorial, Saturday, June 21, 2008
   PITTSFIELD (MA) -- The closing of six of Pittsfield's 10 Catholic churches has been accompanied by remarkably little drama, for which the Springfield Diocese should be grateful. The Boston Archdiocese wishes it had been so fortunate. Given the relative ease in which the process has gone forward, it shouldn't be too much to ask of the Springfield Diocese to give a full hearing to a committee from St. Teresa's Church that still hopes the church will remain open.
   There are a variety of reasons why attendance at Pittsfield's Catholic churches has dropped dramatically, among them the decline of the city's population and the fewer number of Catholics who attend church regularly. While the diocese seems reconciled to this situation, Walter Doerle, one of seven members of the Parish Closing Committee, takes a more optimistic approach, pointing out in yesterday's Eagle that closing six churches leaves no room for future growth. Even with the status quo, having only four churches could lead to overcrowding and a lessening of the religious experience for parishioners.

• Elior Chen opposing extradition from Brazil

[2000s Chen*] - Judaist (Ultra-Orthodox). "Rabbi." Torture regime. 2 children.

   The Jerusalem Post, By ETGAR LEFKOVITS, ~ June 22, 2008
   ISRAEL -- Rabbi Elior Chen, the suspected ringleader and spiritual mentor in one of the worst child abuse cases in Israeli history, will fight his extradition from Brazil, his Israeli attorney said Sunday.
   Chen, 28, was arrested in Sao Paolo on June 3 after his local lawyer called Brazilian police with information about his whereabouts.
   "We do not agree to the extradition," his Israeli lawyer, Ariel Atari, said in an interview after returning from a visit to Chen in Brazil.

• Strong Recommendation for "Justice Denied," by Marci Hamilton

- Religions.

   Voice from the Desert, ~ June 22, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- It's impossible for me to recommend more highly Marci Hamilton's new book, Justice Denied. Along with her previous work, God v the Gavel, and her many columns at Findlaw.com and numerous op ed pieces and essays published across the United States, Professor Hamilton has set the agenda for urgently needed legal reform of child sex abuse laws in the United States.
   Marci has virtually become a Wisconsin resident over the past several years, three times arguing for clergy abuse victims before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. You know she's persuasive because even Justice Prosser (and Crooks and Wilcox) agreed with her to open WI courts to clergy abuse victims to file fraud case against religious leaders who covered up child sex crimes. That was a landmark, unanimous decision and as Churchill would say, not the end or even the beginning of the end, but maybe, for Wisconsin's long suffering survivors, the end of the beginning.

• STLCC still pays full salary of former choir director

[≤ 2007 Dr Stukenholtz*] - Christian. Child.
   The Montage, by Carlos Restrepo, ~ June 22, 2008
   ST. LOUIS (MO) -- Within the next 30 days, the fate of Dr. Larry Stukenholtz, former choir director at STLCC-Meramec, will be decided, said Roy Shanenberg, senior manager of employee relations at STLCC.
   Six months ago, Stukenholtz was terminated shortly after being suspended with pay when a student from Stukenholtz's former school in California raised allegations of sexual abuse. Stukenholtz filed a grievance in January 2008 and he is still being paid his full salary and benefits during the grievance process.
   Stukenholtz's annual salary is $60,700. As of May 2008, he had received approximately $25,000. [LOOK BACK: May 15, 2007]

• Pelotte photo case: Stalling or settling?

[2007 Bishop Pelotte] - RCC. Says fell downstairs.
   Gallup Independent, By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola, June 21, 2008
   GALLUP (NM) – The civil lawsuit concerning the release of Gallup Police photographs of former Bishop Donald E. Pelotte continues to lurch along in stop-and-go fashion.
   Attorneys for Albuquerque television news reporter Larry Barker had requested a change of venue, and a hearing on that motion had been set for Thursday, June 19.
   On Wednesday, however, Barker's attorneys, Martin R. Esquivel and Denise M. Chanez, faxed a motion to vacate and reset the hearing. District Judge Grant L. Foutz then granted the motion to vacate. [LOOK BACK: ~ August 05 2007 and further back.]

• Bishop of Liverpool in call to resign after tribunal ruling

[~ 2006 Bp James Jones*] - Church of England. Allegedly told a lie.

   Religious Intelligence, By Toby Cohen, 6:43am, Sunday, June 22, 2008.
   UNITED KINGDOM -- THE Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Rev James Jones, has been called on to resign by his former communications officer who has been awarded over �14,500 at an employment tribunal for unfair dismissal by the diocese.
   The Rev David Johnston exposed the Bishop as a liar and revealed his chagrin at not being appointed Archbishop of York and his subsequent dislike for Liverpool.
   Mr Johnston was initially suspended after the Sunday People wrote in November 2006 that he was having an affair with his assistant Diane Pendleton despite still being married to his wife Margaret.
   The lawyers for the diocese admitted that it "may or may not have been written by the Bishop". In fact, the Johnstons' marriage had irretrievably broken down sometime before the relationship with Ms Pendleton began, and Mr Johnston had kept his employers informed.

• Legacy of Smyth abuse still felt as new lawsuit filed

[1968 Smyth (Norbertine)] - RCC. Superior knew he was seducer. Boy.

   Irish Independent, By Jerome Reilly, Sunday June 22, 2008
   IRELAND -- WHEN Fr Brendan Smyth left America in 1968, the local paper praised his pastoral works and the "hour after hour of unofficial attention to the girl scouts".
   Now 40 years on, another wave of litigation against his Order has begun in Providence, Rhode Island, where Smyth was sent from Ireland -- despite his previously known prediliction for sexually abusing children. …
   Rev Smith stated in a letter to UTV television about Smyth's time in America: "On neither occasion was the bishop of the diocese to which he was sent notified of [Smyth's] propensity to molest children."
   "On both occasions, Fr Smyth offended against young parishioners," the abbot said. "I acknowledge that I, as his religious superior, committed a grave error in sending him abroad without warning the bishop to whom I sent him."

• Bishop, Peoria Diocese seek dismissal from priest sex abuse suit

[2004-06 Szydlik*] - RCC. Seduced, coerced abortion. Woman (married).

   Madison County Record, By Steve Gonzalez, 11:17 AM, June/20/2008
   PEORIA (IL) -- The Catholic Diocese of Peoria and Bishop Daniel Jenky filed a Section 2-619.1 motion to dismiss from a civil suit filed by an Edwardsville woman who claims her priest impregnated her and then coerced her into an abortion.
   Represented by Joseph Feehan of Heyl Royster of Peoria, Jenky argues the the Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Article 1, Section 3 of the Illinois Constitution.
   Holly Force filed suit March 31, and is joined in the suit by her husband, Chris Force, against the Rev. Thomas Szydlik and Bishop Daniel Jenky of the Catholic Diocese of Peoria. [LOOK BACK: Apr 3, 2008]

• Catholic churches fight on for survival

- RC parishes resist closure of ~ 50%.
   Gloucester County Times, By Stephanie Brown, sbrown@sjnewsco.com , Sunday, June 22, 2008
   NEW JERSEY -- Leah Vassallo's great-grandparents helped build St. Mary's Church in Malaga more than 80 years ago. Her parents and sisters were all married there, and it was St. Mary's where the family held funeral Mass for her grandparents.
   So when the Malaga resident first found out the church that has held so many memories for her and her family was to close as part of diocesan plans to consolidate parishes, she said she knew she had to fight it.
   Not just for her, but for others parishioners in other churches also slated to merge as part of Camden Bishop Joseph A. Galante's plans to cut the number of parishes from 124 to 66.

• Anglican church gets tougher on sex offenders

- Anglicans to eject child molesters. Sharwood now free. Women bishops approved.

   ABC News, June 22, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- The Anglican Church in Brisbane has voted to automatically de-frock priests who are jailed for child sex offences.
   The unanimous decision was made at the Annual Synod in Brisbane this afternoon, along with the passing of a law which paves the way for women to become Bishops in the Brisbane diocese if a position becomes available.
   The change on sex offences only applies to future convictions and does not affect the case of paedophile priest Robert Sharwood who has been released from jail.

• Legal web around FLDS trust growing tangled

- FLDS.

   Deseret News By Ben Winslow 12:10 a.m. MDT Sunday, June 22, 2008
   UTAH -- The legal web surrounding the Fundamentalist LDS Church's real-estate holdings arm continues to grow, with subpoenas, filings, counterfilings and depositions under way.
   Lawyers for a former child bride who testified against FLDS leader Warren Jeffs want to keep the United Effort Plan Trust on the hook for any potential damages arising from her multimillion-dollar civil lawsuit against the polygamous sect. In a motion opposing the UEP Trust's request for summary judgment, attorneys for Elissa Wall argue the UEP was intertwined with the FLDS Church and leadership.
   "The Church and the Trust were always administered by the same person to achieve the same purpose: to preserve and advance the religious doctrines and goals of the (church)," said a declaration by ex-FLDS leader Winston Blackmore included in the court papers.

• Bishop spoke out about politics, church doctrine

- RCC. Reformer Bp Buswell dies.
   Denver Post http://origin. denverpost .com/news/ci_ 9654673 , By Virginia Culver Article Launched 12:30:00 AM MDT, June/22/2008
   PUEBLO (CO) -- Charles Buswell was not a predictable Catholic bishop: He believed women should be ordained, was arrested for protesting the Vietnam War and often volunteered in soup kitchens.
   Buswell, who was bishop of the Pueblo Diocese from 1959 until 1979, died June 14. He was 94. …
   In 1994, when Pope John Paul II said there would be no further discussions about women in the priesthood, Buswell said, "I really think we're guilty of some sort of sexism if we refuse to allow women to be priests."
   In 1995 he signed a statement, along with 39 other Catholic bishops throughout the country, that said the Vatican and U.S. bishops "have a credibility problem," alleging that church leaders refused to discuss some of the church's most pressing issues: pedophile priests, rights of women, abortion and contraception.

• Australian apology over child care scandal

[Decades] - Government and Churches.

   Religous Intelligence (United Kingdom), By George Conger, 1:24pm, Saturday, June 21, 2008.
   SOUTH AUSTRALIA: The premier of South Australia has offered a formal apology on behalf of the government and the Anglican, Roman Catholic and other churches to children in foster care who suffered abuse at the hands of sexual predators.
   On June 17 Premier Mike Rann read the joint apology before the state parliament saying the government and churches acknowledged that "that some children and young people who were placed in our care suffered abuse that has impacted their lives. This should never have happened."
   "We are sorry and we express deep regret for the pain and the hurt that they experienced through no fault of their own. To all those who experienced abuse in state care, we are sorry. To those who witnessed these abuses, we say sorry. To those who were not believed, when trying to report these abuses, we say sorry," Mr. Rann said.

• Fairbanks Catholic Diocese seeks victims of clergy sex abuse

- RC diocese seeks to compensate.

   News-Miner, By Mary Beth Smetzer, Published Sunday, June 22, 2008
   FAIRBANKS (AK) – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks is undertaking a massive advertising campaign looking for more potential sexual assault victims as it moves forward in settling abuse claims as part of its Chapter 11 reorganization case in the federal bankruptcy court.
   Robert Hannon, special assistant to the Fairbanks bishop, said the diocese is putting notices in newspapers across the state and the Pacific Northwest, including USA Today, and is contracting with some in-state radio and TV stations to run ads.
   "Beyond that, we are sending mailings out to all the Native corporations, regional and village, and AC stores and post offices in the diocese," Hannon said. "We are trying to reach out to as many people as possible and working with the court to that end," Hannon said.

• Church gets tough on sex offenders

- Anglicans tighten rules.

   The Australian, June 22, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- THE Anglican Diocese of Brisbane has toughened its policy on sex offenders, banning priests from the church as soon as they are convicted.
   The synod of the diocese, sitting in Brisbane this weekend, amended the professional standards to strengthen current protocols for dealing with sex offenders.
   Brisbane Archbishop Dr Phillip Aspinall said the changes meant a clergy person convicted of a criminal offence by a court would be removed as a priest much faster.

• Clark: A terrible lesson for sex abuse victims

- 20% of children are molested.

   Lake County News, Written by Janet Clark, Sunday, 22 June 2008
   LAKE COUNTY (CA) -- An open letter to the St. Mary's Parish Board:
   I learned of the situation regarding the priest at St. Mary's who is accused of sexually abusing a child (now grown) through an article on the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) Web site.
   There are many things I could say to you: I could tell you of my own struggles as the survivor of sexual assault by a priest, or I could refer you to the SNAP Web site, where you would find an article that could help you deal with your feelings when your priest is accused of sexual assault, or I could tell you how I felt when I read the glowing eulogy for the priest who raped me, a eulogy written by an archdiocese that knew the priest had sexually assaulted at least seven girls.
   But instead I will just offer you this fact: One of every four girls and one of every six boys sitting in your church is the victim of sexual abuse. One in five children. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 22, 2008 7:28 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Sun June 22, 2008
• Row over convicted Brisbane priest. [1960s-70s McKeirnan] - RCC. Overlooks school pool. Boys.

Row over convicted Brisbane priest

   CathNews (from the RCC Church Resources, Australia), www. cathnews. com/article. aspx?aeid= 7778#hys , Published: June 23, 2008
   BRISBANE (Qld), Australia – A row has broken out in Brisbane over the role of a priest convicted of abuse who continues to say Mass privately in conflict with a papal directive to exclude pedophile priests from the ministry.
   The Brisbane Times reports the Archdiocese of Brisbane continues to allow a convicted pedophile to remain a priest and celebrate Mass next to a school in defiance of a papal directive.
   It quotes the Sydney Sun-Herald as saying the priest, Fr Ronald John McKeirnan, 69, of Toowong, in Brisbane's inner west, enjoys the support and protection of high ranking Church officials, including Archbishop John Bathersby, despite having served a year in prison in 1998-99 for the sexual abuse of children.
   The paper says the Church officials' decision conflicts with a statement by Pope Benedict in April that the Church "would absolutely exclude pedophiles from the sacred ministry … who is guilty of pedophilia cannot be a priest."
   Fr McKeirnan, a former deputy director of Brisbane Catholic Education, now works on Catholic Church websites and conducts private Masses for religious brothers.
   He pleaded guilty on two separate occasions in Brisbane to abusing children. He was jailed in 1998 for molesting nine boys in the 1960's and 1970's.
   In sentencing Mr McKeirnan, the judge cited a "gross breach of trust" and said the impact of the abuse on the victims was "catastrophic". In Brisbane District Court in 2003, Mr McKeirnan also pleaded guilty to three further charges of indecent treatment of a boy during the 1960's and 1970's. He was given a suspended sentence.
   Last week the Sun-Herald tracked him down to Marist Brothers' House, a Catholic accommodation centre, in inner-city Paddington.
   The paper says it has learnt that Mr McKeirnan is a regular visitor to the house, and on Thursdays celebrates weekly Mass there. The house adjoins Marist College Rosalie and overlooks its pool.
   A parent at the school, Jan Menzies, told the paper she was "very uneasy" about Mr McKeirnan being so near the school when her son did swimming training.
   Archbishop Bathersby has said through a spokesman that under canon law he had "a responsibility to care for priests, active or retired, in his archdiocese … [when] penalties are imposed on a cleric, provision must always be made so that he does not lack those things necessary for his decent support."
   Fr McKeirnan's lawyer, Terry O'Gorman, said his client "had done his time and he's entitled to get on with his life and that includes celebrating Mass."
   Meanwhile, the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane has toughened its policy on sex offenders, banning priests from the church as soon as they are convicted, the Brisbane Times says. SOURCE: Unholy row: Bishop defies Pope (Brisbane Times, 23/6/08); Convicted priest still serving (Brisbane Times, 22/6/08); Anglicans ban sex fiend priests (Brisbane Times, 21/6/08)
   LINKS: Archdiocese of Brisbane
   HAVE YOUR SAY (Visit originating website). #

   [RECAPITULATION: Pope: [anyone] "… who is guilty of pedophilia cannot be a priest."
   Fr McKeirnan's lawyer, Terry O'Gorman, said his client "had done his time and he's entitled to get on with his life and that includes celebrating Mass." ENDS.]
   [COMMENT: Is this the same Terry O'Gorman who "forgot" to tell parents when he got a report about an underage teenage girl who had disappeared, and was hiding in her boyfriend's house, and was thought to have been murdered, so a criminal was charged with her murder? If so, isn't this latest statement evidence to help the Council for Civil Liberties to choose another leader? COMMENT ENDS.] http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm#row_over_convicted [June 23, 2008]
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Mon June 23, 2008 edition:

• Priest rebailed over abuse claims

[2006 Unnamed priest -NEW*] - ? RCC. School child.

   Ealing Times, By Alex Hayes, ~ June 23, 2008
   UNITED KINGDOM -- A PRIEST arrested in January after claims of sexual assault from a pupil of a top school in Ealing has been rebailed.
   Police swooped on Ealing Abbey in Charlbury Grove and arrested the 66-year-old man, after accusations were made by someone about offences dating back to 2006.

• Marist Brothers apologise for sexual abuses

[1981-89 Bro. Chute, aka Bro. Kostka (Marist)] - RCC. 2yrs prison. 6 boys.

   ABC News, June 23, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- The Marist religious order has apologised to the victims of sexual abuse by a former teacher of Canberra's Marist College.
   John William Chute will spend two years in jail for molesting six students in the 1980s.
   The 76-year-old, who taught under the name of Brother Kostka, was sentenced in the ACT Supreme Court today for sexually assaulting students of his religion class who were aged between 12 and 16. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 23, 2008 6:54 AM]
   [LOOK BACK: May 10, 2008]

• Abusava dei ragazzini in oratorio: Condannato un altro prete pedofilo

[≤ Feb 11, 2004 - P.D. - NEW*] - RCC. 32mos prison. Boys.

   Cronacaqui, di Annibale Carenzo, June 19, 2008
   MILANO, Italia 19/06/2008 - Molestava i ragazzi che frequentavano l'oratorio che gestiva. Ieri la prima sezione della Corte d'Appello, quella specializzata sugli abusi sessuali, ha confermato la condanna inflitta in primo grado a due anni e 8 mesi per un sacerdote, F.C., del varesotto.
   I fatti sarebbero avvenuti fino all'11 febbraio 2004 nei confronti di 4 ragazzi, tutti sotto i 14 anni. Non ci sarebbero stati episodi di vera e propria violenza sessuale, ma toccamenti e situazioni che la legge, fino a qualche tempo fa, qualificava come molestie o atti di libidine. A carico del religioso, che ha ammesso l'illecito comportamento, anche l'accusa di pedopornografia per la detenzione di immagini trovate nella su abitazione che ritraevano minorenni.
   {translation} Sentenced to 2 years and 8 months: the priest admitted the sexual abuses.
   He abused the boys in the oratory: another pedophile priest convicted.
   MILAN, Italy - June/19/2008 – He molested the boys frequenting the oratory he was running.
   Yesterday, the first section of the Appeal Court, specializing in sexual abuse, confirmed the lower court's 2-year-8-month sentence to a priest, F.C., in the Varese province.
   The alleged abuse took place before Feb. 11, 2004.
   The victims were four boys, all under 14 years. There weren't episodes of a real sexual violence, but situations which the law, until the recent past, considered as molestation and lewd acts. The priest, who admitted his illicit behavior, was also charged with "pedopornography" for the retention in his home of compromising photos of minors.
   Yesterday, the substitute Prosecutor General Armando Perrone, underlining the foundation of the charges and deeming the jail sentence was at the lowest level set by the law, confirmed the ruling of the Varese Tribunal against which the priest had appealed, there being no ground for a further reduction of jail time. The Court, which through judge Bellerio had reconstructed the facts in the minutest details, ruled the Varese Tribunal's previous decision was well-grounded. In addition, the Court ruled the defendant had to pay for the additional expenses related to the appeal.
   The defense lawyers will decide if to proceed for a further appeal to the "Cassazione" (The highest level of justice which only controls if the formal procedure was correct) or give up, being the conviction under three years, a circumstance which could allow the priest to avoid jail. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 23, 2008 5:37 PM]

• Pastor: Haggard has left 'restoration program'

[Haggard]

   San Francisco Chronicle By COLLEEN SLEVIN, Associated Press Writer, 17:59 PDT Sunday, June 22, 2008 DENVER COLORADO (AP) -- The evangelist forced out of his job after being caught up in a sex scandal involving a male prostitute has left a "spiritual restoration program" and no longer has any ties to the megachurch he founded, the congregation's new pastor said Sunday.
   Under a severance deal that Ted Haggard reached with the church in 2006, he agreed to leave Colorado Springs and not talk about the scandal publicly. The deal expired at the end of 2007. New pastor Brady Boyd said Haggard was now free to live where he wanted and has returned to Colorado Springs. …
   Haggard then moved to Phoenix with his family to begin what church leaders called a spiritual restoration program, which was expected to include counseling and prayer and last five years or longer. Boyd said Haggard asked to released from the restoration program in January and is no longer connected with New Life. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 23, 2008 6:12 PM]

• Prete innamorato, vescovo caccia il giornalista dello scoop

[Sguotti]

   La Repubblica di FILIPPO TOSATTO, June 23, 2008
   PADOVA, ITALY - Vade retro, stampa. L'arcivescovo di Padova, Antonio Mattiazzo, ha cacciato platealmente dalla chiesa il giornalista autore dello scoop sulla vicenda di don Sante Sguotti, l'ex "parroco innamorato", padre di un bambino, ora ridotto dal Papa allo stato laicale.
   {translation} Padua, expelled from the church. "Here I'm the boss". The journalist: "he humiliated me"
   Many protest against the decision of the monsignor: "An intolerable and unacceptable act"
   Priest in love, the bishop expels the journalist who made the scoop
   By FILIPPO TOSATTO, June 23, 2008
   PADUA, Italy -- Vade retro, press (Go away, press). In a theatrical move the archbishop of Padua, Antonio Mattiazzo, expelled from the church the journalist who first made the scoop about the Rev. Sante Sguotti's story, the former "parish priest in love" and father of a child, now reduced to the lay state by the Pope.
   It happened yesterday morning in the Saint Bartolomeo chapel at Monterosso on the Euganei's Hills, where Sguotti had been the parish priest until a year ago. The bishop, entering the church, asked aloud if among the people there there was Gianni Miasetto, the "Mattino di Padova" correspondent, and after having seen him he took his arms and brought him outside, intimidating him by saying: "You can't stay here. I'm the boss and now you must go". A scene which ended with the raised finger of the prelate, who admonished the newsman not to come back and with the embarrassed silence of the faithful.
   "I felt offended and humiliated - commented journalist Biasetto - evidently the bishop thinks I, too, am an emissary of the "prince of darkness", an epithet the bishop had used in a letter sent to the Rev. Sante. I'm a Catholic faithful and what has happened is much embarrassing, for I was finger-pointed as unworthy to be inside the church in front of all the community. My only fault, provided it's to be considered as such, which I don't believe so, is to have done my job and to have reported the simple truth".
   The behavior of the bishop (which in the Curia they define "exasperated" by the prolonged attention the media gave to the "priest-father" case) provoked a storm of protests: "A very grave attack to the free and correct information in a lay state where a dialogue and a discussion between citizens, bishops included, must be based upon the reciprocal respect and tolerance", that's was the condemnation expressed by the committee of journalists Finegil (the group for which Biasetto is working), the union of journalists of the Veneto region and the Unione Italiana Cronisti (Union of the Italian newsmen)".
   "Intolerable and unacceptable.There are no other adjectives to define what happened in the church of San Bartolomeo at Monterosso of Abano" affirmed Guido Columba, the leader of the Unione Italiana Cronisti. "The only charge made against the journalist is to have done his job reporting the evolution of a story which was in all the national and international newspapers". [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 23, 2008 5:56 PM]

• Bishop awaits outcome of trial

[1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [≤ 1973 ?+ Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).

   Religious Intelligence (United Kingdom) By George Conger, 4:40pm, Monday, June 23, 2008
   PENNSYLVANIA -- The trial of the Bishop of Pennsylvania for conduct unbecoming a member of the clergy has concluded, with a plea from the defendant's lawyer not to judge the Rt. Rev. Charles E. Bennison Jr., for the crimes of his brother, the Rev. John Bennison.
   Bishop Bennison was accused of failing to discipline his brother John, who as a seminarian served as his youth minister in the 1970's at St Mark's Episcopal Church in Upland, California. John Bennison, who resigned from the priesthood in 2006, was accused of having seduced a teenage member of his parish youth group---and that his brother, Charles, had knowledge of the affair, but took no action.
   In testimony before the nine-judge court in Philadelphia, the victim–now in her 50's recounted the abuse at the hands of John Bennison. John Bennison's former wife also gave testimony confirming the former priest's sybaritic lifestyle that included serial adultery, an "open marriage", while one document alleged John, while serving as an assistant at a second Los Angeles area parish, procured the abortion of a young women whom he had seduced.

• Abuse Victims Urge Charlotte Catholic Diocese To Do More

- RCC.
   WSOC, ~ June 23, 2008
   Video presentation.
   CHARLOTTE (NC) -- Clergy sexual abuse survivors speak about what the diocese could do to better protect children.

• Former Pueblo priest accused of sexual abuse

[Kurz]

   The Pueblo Chieftain, June 19, 2008
   PUEBLO (CO) -- A new lawsuit has been filed against the Catholic Diocese of Pueblo, alleging sexual abuse by a former diocesan priest in the late 1970s.
   The suit was filed by a Pueblo man known as "John Doe," who claims he was abused by Rev. Michael Kurz. Kurz now serves as a vicar in Rockford, Ill.
   The alleged victim says the abuse initially occurred in 1976 when he was in his early teens and continued through his first two years in high school.

• Missing jewellery found in former Bodh Gaya priest's room

[≤ 2008 Unnamed priest] - Buddhist. Jewellery.

   The Bihar Times, June 23, 2008
   PATNA, India: Missing precious ornaments and jewellery donated by devotees to the Bodh Gaya Mahabodhi temple, among the holiest Buddhist sites in the world, have been recovered from the room of a former chief priest. He was earlier indicted for chopping a branch of the revered Bodhi tree.
   Gaya district administration officials recovered the missing items, including a heavy gold crown, after they opened a locked wooden box in the room of Bhadant Bodhipal at Bodh Gaya, about 110 km from here, two days ago.

• Catholicism should lower the drawbridge

- RCC.

   The Age, by Barney Zwartz, June 24, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- Some changes to church doctrines would make it more appealing.
   IN LESS than a month, Pope Benedict will celebrate Mass in Sydney before an expected congregation of 500,000 – the high point of the week-long World Youth Day celebration that the Catholic Church in Australia hopes will revitalise church attendance and religious commitment.
   Secular critics fear that – helped by an ever-rising injection of Government funds, so far about $130 million – it may. Many Catholics are sceptical. Yes, there will be a media-fuelled surge of interest. Devout young Catholics will find their faith affirmed, and some less-committed will be reached. But many young people will attend in the same spirit as a concert – an interesting event, but not life-changing. …
   The issues today are as serious as any in the past: plummeting Mass attendance, the dramatic decline in priests and religious orders, the advance of secularism, the challenge of Islam, and especially the alienation of ordinary Catholics from the institutional church. Disenchantment over such issues as contraception, the place of women, authoritarianism and the sexual abuse crisis have left millions still believing in Jesus but not the church.
   [COMMENT: Read on, to find out why they do not beleive in the Church. ENDS. ]

• Row over convicted Brisbane priest

[1960s-70s McKeirnan] - RCC. Overlooks school pool. Boys.
   CathNews ~ June 23, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- A row has broken out in Brisbane over the role of a priest convicted of abuse who continues to say Mass privately in conflict with a papal directive to exclude pedophile priests from the ministry.
   The Brisbane Times reports the Archdiocese of Brisbane continues to allow a convicted pedophile to remain a priest and celebrate Mass next to a school in defiance of a papal directive.
   It quotes the Sydney Sun-Herald as saying the priest, Fr Ronald John McKeirnan, 69, of Toowong, in Brisbane's inner west, enjoys the support and protection of high ranking Cchurch officials, including Archbishop John Bathersby, despite having served a year in prison in 1998-99 for the sexual abuse of children.

• Haggard returns to Colorado

[Haggard]

   KVOA Associated Press 3:53 AM ET June 23, 2008
   DENVER, COLORADO (AP) - The megachurch pastor forced out of his job after being caught up in a sex scandal involving a former male prostitute has returned to Colorado.
   Ted Haggard, the former leader of New Life Church, answered the phone at his Colorado Springs telephone number yesterday. He confirmed he was in the city but said he couldn't talk to reporters.

• Pope denies Berlusconi communion

   BBC News ~ June 23, 2008
   ITALY -- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's hopes of seeing communion extended to divorcees like himself have been quashed by Pope Benedict XVI.
   Newspapers reported on Sunday that while attending a ceremony in Sardinia Mr Berlusconi had asked a bishop when the Church planned to change the rules.

• Sun.Star: Another teen cries rape vs priest

[~ 2000s Madangeng*] - RCC. 3 girls.

   GMA News, ~ June 23, 2008
   BAGUIO CITY, Philippines - Seventen-year-old "Twinkle" (not her real name) filed five counts of rape and seven counts of acts of lasciviousness against Fr. Gabriel Madangeng Jr, the second complaint to be filed against the priest.
   Madangeng earlier face rape charges filed by 15-year-old "Crystal" (not her real name). He filed a petition for review before the Department of Justice (DOJ) in relation to Crystal's complaint.
   "I want him to be imprisoned because if he will only be suspended he will do it again to (somebody else)," Twinkle said in her statement.

• Teen at hub of FLDS fight is subpoenaed

- FLDS.

   Deseret News By Ben Winslow Monday, June 23, 2008
   TEXAS -- A 16-year-old girl at the center of a legal fight has finally been subpoenaed to testify before a Texas grand jury investigating members of the Fundamentalist LDS Church.
   The girl's mother was given a subpoena on Saturday, the girl's court-appointed attorney told the Deseret News. It orders the girl to show up this week to testify in Eldorado before a grand jury considering criminal charges stemming from the raid on the FLDS Church's YFZ Ranch.
   In an e-mail forwarded to the Deseret News and posted on pro-FLDS Web sites, the girl demands that her court-appointed attorney step aside.
   "It feels like you are trying to restrict me from every person in my life that I want to talk to or have anything to do with and you want to be the decider of what I do and who I have to do with," she wrote to Natalie Malonis.
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Mon June 23, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Tue June 24, 2008 edition:

• Zen to testify in child-abuse suit

[Lau - NEW*] - RCC. Young male.

   The Standard, Staff reporter, Wednesday, June 25, 2008
   HONG KONG -- Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun is set to testify in a case against the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese brought by a man who was sexually abused in his youth by a former priest.
   High Court Judge John Saunders has set the hearing for July 7.
   The victim is suing former clergyman Michael Lau Ka-yee and the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong for damages. He claims that sexual offenses allegedly committed against him by Lau have contributed substantially to his prolonged mental illness.

• Speedy resolution of MP priest's rape case sought

[~ 2000s Madangeng -NEW*] - RCC. 3 girls.

   Sun.Star , for June 25, 2008
   PHILIPPINES -- THE Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said the rape case filed against a priest assigned in Mountain Province (MP) should be resolved immediately in order to minimize the negative effects it would bring on those who are involved.
   Bishop Leonardo Medroso, chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Canon Law, said the case of Fr. Gabriel Madangeng Jr. of the Sta. Rita Parish Church is "scandalizing. That's why there is a need that the case be resolved immediately so that we'll know the truth to allegations."
   He said under the church rules, the bishop of the diocese where the cleric belongs holds the jurisdiction over the case.

• Ashfield man calls on church to defrock priest he says abused him

[1980s Tully -NEW* (Xaverian)] - RCC. Male.

   The Republican, By STEPHANIE BARRY sbarry@repub.com , ~ June 24, 2008
   SPRINGFIELD (MA) -- An Ashfield man announced his intention today to put pressure on the Roman Catholic church to defrock a priest he says abused him in the late 1980s.
   William J. Nash, 41, spoke with reporters outside the offices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield to talk about his chronicles of alleged abuse before mailing several copies of his request to defrock the Rev. James Tully to church officials in this country and in Rome.
   Nash also called upon the Most Rev. Timothy A. McDonnell, the Bishop of the Springfield diocese, to support his petition.

• Star's Ex Arrested On Charges Of Fleecing Churches

- Mr Follieri had RC churches on his mind.

   ThePittsburghChannel, ~ June 24, 2008
   PITTSBURGH (PA) -- Police arrested an Italian businessman on Tuesday who once dated a Hollywood star and was accused of lying about connections to the Vatican to allegedly fleece wealthy investors in a real estate company that sought to buy and redevelop Roman Catholic Church property.
   Raffaelo Follieri, actress Anne Hathaway's ex-boyfriend, faces fraud charges for squandering millions of dollars meant to redevelop church properties -- including several in the Pittsburgh area. …
   Among the churches bought by Follieri's company include St. Stephen in McKeesport and St. Clement in Tarantum. He also agreed to buy St. Canice in Knoxville and historic St. Nicholas on the North Side, but he never closed on those deals. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 24, 2008 7:43 PM]

• Sexual Abuse Class Action filed against R.C. Diocese of Antigonish and Cape Breton

[MacDonald] - RCC. Boy/s.

   John McKiggan's Sexual Abuse Claims Blog Posted by John McKiggan, June 24, 2008
   CANADA -- Our firm has filed a class action against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish for compensation for victims of sexual abuse by priests from the Diocese.
   The claim is the first class action in Nova Scotia filed under the new Class Proceedings Act.
   The representative plaintiff is Ronald Martin. Ron's brother of David Martin committed suicide 6 years ago. David's suicide note revealed that he had been sexually abused by Father Hugh Vincent MacDonald, a former priest of the Antigonish Diocese.

• Ga. sex offenders challenge church volunteer ban

- Offenders want to "return to the scene … "

   The Associated Press By GREG BLUESTEIN, ~ June 24, 2008
   ATLANTA, GEORGIA (AP) – Five sex offenders filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming that a tough new Georgia law that bans them from volunteering at churches also robs them of their right to participate in religious worship.
   The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Rome, claims the Georgia law effectively "criminalizes fundamental religious activities" for sex offenders and bars them from serving as a choir member, secretary, accountant or any other role with a religious organization.

• Vatican: Church defends Marcinkus

- Orlandi disappearance.

   ANSA, June 24, 2008
   VATICAN CITY (ANSA) -- The Vatican has lashed out at allegations that a former head of the Vatican bank may have been involved with the kidnapping of a 15-year old girl 25 years ago.
   The Vatican said the accusations were "infamous and without foundation" and made against someone "who has been dead for some time and cannot defend themself".
   "We do not wish to interfere in any way with the efforts of the judiciary to ascertain facts and responsibilites…. but at the same time we cannot help but express our firm disapproval for the way certain information has been made public, in a manner more bent on sensationalism than ethical and professional sincerity". Emanuela Orlandi, the daughter of a Vatican employee, disappeared in May 1985 and has never been seen or heard of since. It was initially thought that she was taken hostage in order to be exchanged with Ali' Agca, the Turkish terrorist who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981.

• Police in Rome re-open kidnap case 25 years on

- Orlandi disappearance.
   The Times (United Kingdom), from Richard Owen in Rome, ~ June 24, 2008
   ROME -- Twenty five years after the mysterious kidnapping in Rome of a teenage girl magistrates have re-opened the inquiry into the crime, which is thought to be linked to the attempt on the life of John Paul II in 1981.
   Police said a woman member of the Banda della Magliana (Magliana Gang), Rome's most notorious underworld gang, had come forward to testify that she was involved in the kidnapping of Emanuela Orlandi, the 15 year old daughter of a Vatican employee, on 22 June 1983.
   Reports said the woman, said to be the wife of a gang leader, had driven one of the cars used in the abduction. She had given police "other details" of the crime which justified re-opening the inquiry.

• Disgraced Vatican chief 'ordered the murder of teenager'

- Orlandi disappearance.
   The Scotsman (Scotland), By Nick Pisa, June 24, 2008
   ROME -- A DISGRACED senior Vatican official ordered the kidnap and murder of teenage girl, it was claimed last night.
   Monsignor Paul Marcinkus was the controversial head of the Vatican Bank at the time of the murder of "God's banker", Roberto Calvi, who was found hanged under London's Blackfriar's Bridge in 1982.
   Now the former lover of a dead gangster has told police that Emanuela Orlandi, who disappeared 25 years ago, was kidnapped on Mgr Marcinkus's orders and murdered.
   The investigation into Ms Orlandi's disappearance was secretly reopened this month and key witnesses questioned again – including Sabrina Minardi, the former lover of gang godfather Enrico de Pedis.

• Girl missing since 1983 was kidnapped on Vatican archbishop's orders, police told

- Orlandi disappearance.
   The Guardian (United Kingdom) by Tom Kington in Rome, Tuesday June 24, 2008
   ROME -- The unsolved case of a 15-year-old girl who went missing in Rome 25 years ago has been dramatically reopened.
   A woman has told police the girl was kidnapped by a criminal gang on the orders of Archbishop Paul Marcinkus, the disgraced former head of the Vatican's bank who was linked to the death of the Italian banker Roberto Calvi. …
   Minardi has claimed De Pedis snatched the girl on the orders of Marcinkus "to send a message to someone above them" as part of a "power game", La Repubblica newspaper reported yesterday, quoting her testimony.

• Vatican official accused of ordering teen girl's murder

- Orlandi disappearance.
   Irish Independent By Malcolm Moore in Rome, Tuesday June 24 2008
   ROME -- A FORMER senior Vatican official was accused yesterday of ordering the murder of a teenage girl who disappeared 25 years ago.
   Emanuela Orlandi, the daughter of a Vatican employee, was 15 when she vanished after a flute lesson in central Rome. She was last seen at a bus stop on her way home on June 22, 1983.
   The investigation into her disappearance was reopened this week following new evidence from the former girlfriend of Enrico De Pedis, a Roman mobster. …
   The archbishop was investigated by the Organised Crime office of the US Justice Department after they found a request for $950m (�612m) of counterfeit bonds made on Vatican notepaper.
   In 1982, Marcinkus was implicated in the collapse of Banco Ambrosiano and the death of Roberto Calvi, the head of the bank, whose body was found hanging from Blackfriars Bridge.

• ORLANDI: KIDNAPPED BECAUSE FATHER SAW DOCUMENTS

- Orlandi disappearance.
AGI June 24, 2008
ROME (AGI) -- Emanuela Orlandi was reportedly kidnapped because her father Ercole, a clerk in the Prefecture of the Vatican reportedly was in possession of documents that he should not have seen. This was declared to investigators by Sabrina Minardi, ex girlfriend of the Magliana gang boss Enrico De Pedis known as Renatino.

• Vatican attacks Archbishop link to girl 'thrown into cement mixer'

- Orlandi disappearance. Mobster buried with bishops, saints.
   The Times (United Kingdom), by Richard Owen in Rome, ~ June 24, 2008
   VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican today angrily rejected the accusation that a former official was behind the kidnap and murder of a 15-year-old girl in Rome 25 years ago.
   In a statement it attacked the claim as an "infamous and baseless charge against a man who is dead and cannot defend himself".
   Sabrina Minardi, the former mistress of Enrico De Pedis, a Rome criminal boss, has told police that Emanuela Orlandi, the daughter of a Vatican employee, was kidnapped by De Pedis on the orders of Archbishop Paul Marcinkus. …
   Inexplicably De Pedis, who had a long record of serious crime involving drugs trafficking, was buried in the church of Saint Apollinaris in Rome in a crypt normally reserved for prelates and saints after he was shot dead in a Rome street in 1990. A stylish underworld figure, he is alleged to have had close contacts with Church prelates and to have been "very religious". According to Ms Minardi Archbishop Marcinkus helped to launder money on De Pedis's behalf.

• Kidnap testimony revives enduring Italian mystery

- Orlandi disappearance.
   International Herald Tribune (France) By Elisabetta Povoledo, June 24, 2008
   ROME: On June 22, 1983, Emanuela Orlandi, 15, vanished off a central Rome street while she was on her way home from a music lesson.
   Home was inside Vatican City, since her father was a Vatican employee. And that transformed what might have been a straightforward missing persons case into one of Italy's most enthralling - and enduring - unsolved mysteries.
   It was resuscitated this week after the news media here reported a witness claiming, among other things, that Orlandi had been kidnapped on the orders of the American archbishop Paul Marcinkus, a former president of the Vatican bank. Linked to a major Italian banking scandal in the 1980s, Marcinkus died in 2006.

• Vatican calls claims linking U.S. prelate to kidnapping 'defamatory'

- Orlandi disappearance.

   Catholic News Service, By Carol Glatz
   VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican called recent accusations linking the late U.S. Archbishop Paul Marcinkus to an Italian girl's disappearance "defamatory (and) without foundation."
   The allegations based on testimony revealed recently by Italian media have caused pain to the girl's family and show a lack of "respect and humanity toward people who have already suffered so much," said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, head of the Vatican press office, in a June 24 statement.
   Emanuela Orlandi, a Vatican City resident and the daughter of a Vatican employee, disappeared in Rome June 22, 1983, when she was 15 years old.

• The Southern Baptist Convention's Unconvincing Claims as to Why It Cannot Effectively Report or Prevent Clergy Child Abuse – and How Insurance Companies Can Exert Pressure to Ensure Better System

- Baptists.

   FindLaw, By MARCI HAMILTON, Thursday, Jun. 12, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has recently proven why it is that children are at risk for sexual abuse in our society: It's easier not to protect them, and especially easy to issue ineffectual platitudes while looking the other way.
   According to the Associated Press, the SBC has concluded that its decentralized structure of independent churches makes it impossible for it to establish a website of pastors credibly accused of child sexual abuse, or even to require the reporting of such crimes to the police. Yes, you read that right: The SBC is citing these lame procedural reasons for not taking the most basic steps to protect children from devastating abuse that can have repercussions that leave victims suffering for a lifetime (and that severely taxes society in medical and other resources).
   In this column, I'll rebut the Convention's claims that policing and reporting abuse is an impossible task to put on its shoulders, and also describe how change in this quarter needs to come from what may seem like an unlikely source: the insurance industry.

• Key teen witness in sect case denies Texas' claims

- FLDS.
   The Associated Press By MICHELLE ROBERTS, ~ June 24, 2008
   SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) – A 16-year-old girl is a key witness in the state's effort to pursue criminal charges against members of her polygamist sect, even though she denies investigators' claims that she was abused.
   The girl, a daughter of the sect's jailed prophet, says she's never been married and doesn't have a baby. She denies church elders are influencing her and wants to fire her lawyer. The state can't even prove her alleged abuse happened in Texas.

• Italian accused of cashing in on fake Vatican ties

- Mr Follieri had RC churches on his mind.

   The New York Times, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 5:18 p.m. ET, June 24, 2008
   NEW YORK (AP) -- An Italian businessman who once dated actress Anne Hathaway was arrested Tuesday on charges he posed as a representative of the Vatican to fleece wealthy investors in a real estate company that sought to buy and redevelop Roman Catholic Church property. …
   Prosecutors allege that Follieri embellished his slim connections to the Vatican to make it seem he was so powerful that the Catholic church would sell him property at a deep discount.
   He is accused of keeping various ceremonial robes, including the robes of senior clergymen, in his Manhattan office, and of hiring two monsignors to accompany him during his business dealings.

• Vatican defends late banker from murder accusation

- Orlandi disappearance.

   Reuters By Phil Stewart, June 24, 2008
   VATICAN CITY, (Reuters) -- The Vatican defended the late archbishop Paul Marcinkus, the head of the Vatican Bank whose tenure was marred by financial scandal, from media reports on Tuesday that he ordered the killing of a 15-year-old girl in 1983.
   Marcinkus, an American who died in Arizona in 2006 at the age of 84, was accused by the girlfriend of a slain mobster of hiring hitmen to kidnap and kill Emanuela Orlandi in 1983, the Italian media and some foreign newspapers said.
   "Defamatory, baseless accusations were published regarding Mons. Marcinkus, who has been dead for some time and is unable to defend himself," responded the Vatican in a statement chiding the media for publishing the accusations "without any checks".

• Church Abuse Case In Court

[2008 Charleston Diocese] - RCC. Not paying on time.

   WCBD, By Meryl Conant, June 24, 2008
   CHARLESTON (SC) -- Some victims of childhood sexual abuse spent the day battling the Catholic Diocese of Charleston in court. The issue at hand was not abuse directly but their claim the church has not lived up to the settlement agreement to pay them.
   The topic in court Tuesday specifically had to do with what county should hear this case. But the bigger issue here is the agreement reached between 11 victims and the Diocese last summer.
   While it states money was supposed to reach victims starting in January. Now, on June 23, the issue still is in court.

• When Bishops Fight

- RCC. Bp Geoff Robinson speaks.

   Washington Post, by Anthony Stevens-Arroyo, ~ June 24, 2008
   CALIFORNIA -- Cardinal Roger Mahony invoked Canon Law to ban Auxiliary Bishop Geoffrey Robinson of Australia from speaking on Church property in Los Angeles.
   "Canon 763 makes it clear that the Diocesan Bishop must safeguard the preaching of God's Word and the teachings of the Church in his own Diocese," wrote the Cardinal in his May 9 letter. "Under the provisions of Canon 763, I hereby deny you permission to speak in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles," he concluded.
   Robinson came to Southern California anyway and spoke at non-church locations in San Diego and Costa Mesa.

• Search for solution turns to quality of seminary applicants

- RCC.
   "Fascinating path to a conviction," Toledo Blade, By DAVID YONKE, BLADE RELIGION EDITOR,
   Third part of series, June 24, 2008
   TOLEDO (OH) -- Standing in front of a microphone at the opulent Toledo Club, the Rev. Jim Bacik told a lunchtime gathering of Toledo's movers and shakers that the Catholic Church is in need of "radical reform."
   A theologian and pastor of Toledo's Corpus Christi University Parish, Father Bacik said one of the root causes of the current sex scandal is the low standard for admission to Catholic seminaries. About 90 percent of applicants are accepted, Father Bacik said, adding: "Imagine if that were the acceptance rate for medical schools."
   However, part of the reason for the high-acceptance figures may be to meet the needs of parishes. The number of Catholic priests in America has dropped sharply over the last several decades while the number of American Catholics continues to rise.

• A little autonomy can be a scary thing in fighting predators

- Baptists.
   Winston-Salem Journal, By John Railey | Local Editorial Writer, Published June 22, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- The Southern Baptist Convention has finally rediscovered its once-cherished concept of the autonomy of the local church and put it to a strange use. The SBC says, in effect, that the principle prevents it from doing all it can to help expel predators from its churches.
   But that same principle hasn't stopped the top-heavy SBC from telling its churches what to do on a wide variety of other issues, ranging from condemning homosexuality to keeping women from leading churches.
   Holy hypocrisy.
   When the SBC held its annual meeting in Indianapolis earlier this month, its executive committee shot down the idea that the denomination create its own database to help its churches identify predators. The committee did rightly condemn sexual abuse. But "the principal reason the executive committee is not recommending that a database of sex offenders be developed for the convention is our belief in the autonomy of each local church," Morris Chapman, the head of the executive committee, told the convention.

• New child sex abuse lawsuit filed against notorious serial predator priest

[Years - Smyth] - RCC. ≥ 50 children.

   Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, June 24, 2008
   A new child sex abuse and cover up lawsuit involving a notorious predator priest who once worked in Langdon North Dakota has been filed in Rhode Island.
   RHODE ISLAND -- The now deceased cleric molested at least 50 victims including at least eight kids in the Providence Diocese. It's unclear whether he assaulted any North Dakota children.
   In the 1960s, Fr. Brendan Smyth, a native of Ireland, repeatedly molested young Jeff Thomas, a second grader at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in East Greenwich, RI. Thomas, who now lives in Massachusetts, repressed the memories of the crimes until just last year.
   The lawsuit was filed and discussed Monday, June 16, at a sidewalk news conference outside the Providence County Superior Court in Providence RI.

• Self-described bishop Sava Cosas charged with ID fraud

[2007 "Bishop" Cosas] - Renegade. Credit Card US $6721.
   The Plain Dealer, by Sarena McRae, Tuesday, June 24, 2008
   CLEVELAND (OH) -- A Cleveland man who calls himself a bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Exile was arraigned Monday on two cases involving theft and stolen identity.
   Sava Cosas, 51, is charged with identity fraud, telecommunications fraud, misuse of credit cards and theft.
   Cosas opened a credit card using another man's name and personal information in April 2007, said Ryan Miday, spokesman for the Cuyahoga County prosecutor's office. He used the card to make purchases totaling $6,721.34, authorities say.

• Fay's fourth request to delay prison is denied

[1999-2006 Fay*] - RCC. $US 1.4m. 37mos prison. Live-in male. On RC abuse board!
   Darien Times Written by Susan Shultz Tuesday, June 24, 2008
   DARIEN (CT) -- In early May, Judge Janet Bond Arterton set former St. John's pastor Michael Jude Fay's prison reporting date for July 8.
   After several delays since his original sentencing at the end of last year, the judge set the date for July saying that it would be plenty of time to get the court copies of medical records for Fay, who is suffering from prostate cancer. Plenty of time for the bureau of prisons to review the protocol for the experimental treatment Fay is receiving. Plenty of time for a decision to finally be made as to whether or not that treatment could be administered and Fay could finally start serving his sentence for a crime he committed over two years ago.
   But she was wrong.
   On Thursday, Fay's lawyer, Lawrence Hopkins, filed a short motion to extend his client's reporting date for another six months, "because nothing has changed since the hearing date of May 6, 2008." This is the fourth time Fay has requested an extension since his original sentencing. [LOOK BACK: May 6, 2008]

• Former deputy police chief offers blanket apology

- General community.

   Standard-Freeholder Posted By TREVOR PRITCHARD, ~ June 24, 2008
   CANADA -- The city's former deputy chief of police offered a blanket apology at the Cornwall Public Inquiry Monday to any sexual abuse complainants he had "offended" while serving as the force's second-in-command.
   Joseph St. Denis told Comm. Normand Glaude he was in a "healing mode" as he shouldered some of the blame for investigations that were later found to have been flawed or mismanaged by the Cornwall Police Service.
   "Yes, some mistakes were made. Yes, there were some mismanagement of files. But overall, Mr. Commissioner, that represented in my opinion less than one or two per cent of the overall workload at the time," St. Denis told inquiry commissioner Normand Glaude.

• Dolan's 5th year sees record breaking drop in church attendance

- 23,398 stopped going this year.
   SNAP-Great Plains Statement by Peter Isely, SNAP Midwest Director, ~ June 24, 2008
   Stunning 600 percent plummet in weekly attendance from previous year
   MILWAUKEE (WI) -- According to figures buried in a story today in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel by religion reporter Tom Heinen, over the past year the archdiocese of Milwaukee has experienced a record breaking six-fold decrease in weekly church attendance from the previous year -- the greatest reported yearly loss in archdiocesan history.
   To see the magnitude of this extraordinary and sudden loss, while 3,957 Catholics stopped attending services last year, a staggering 26,398 members have left this year. [COMMENT: Why go to church, when your kids can have their sexual morals sapped easier at home by watching bad DVDs and television? p Cheaper, too!]

• Judge orders embezzler priest to begin jail term

[1999-2006 Fay*] - RCC. $US 1.4m. 37mos prison. Live-in male. On RC abuse board!
   The Advocate, By Stephen P. Clark, Article Launched 01:00:00 AM ED, June/24/2008
   CONNECTICUT -- After two delays, a Catholic priest who embezzled more than $1 million from his Darien church must begin serving his three-year sentence July 8, a federal judge ruled yesterday.
   The Rev. Michael Jude Fay, former pastor of St. John Roman Catholic Church on the Post Road, last week asked to delay the start of his prison term another six months so he can receive an experimental drug to treat his prostate cancer.
   But U.S. District Court Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven ruled that Fay failed to provide "any medical testing update, any medical rationale for the six months extension requested" and any documents showing that the Bureau of Prisons cannot administer the drug.

• More civil claims to be lodged against Marist Brothers

[1981-89 Bro. Chute, aka Bro. Kostka (Marist)] - RCC. 2yrs prison. 6 boys. ~ 20 new claims. [Lyons] - Boys.

   ABC News, June 24, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- A class action against Marist Brothers and the Catholic Church will come to a head in Canberra this week when about 20 claims of sexual abuse are lodged in the ACT Supreme Court.
   Three civil claims have been lodged in the ACT Supreme Court against the Trustees of the Marist Brothers and about 20 more are expected to be lodged by the end of the week.
   The victims are seeking compensation for the abuse they suffered by John William Chute who taught at Marist College as well as the late Paul Lyons who taught at Marist and Daramalan colleges.

• Jury retires in church sex abuse trial

[1971-77 + 2006 Br. Roger Moloney* (St John of God Order)] - RCC. 2006 fought extradition. NZ $300,000 so far. 9 boys.

   Stuff, Tuesday, June 24, 2008
   NEW ZEALAND -- The jury in the Christchurch historic sex abuse trial has retired to consider its verdicts.
   Rodger William Moloney, 73, a former prior of the Order of St John of God, which ran Marylands Special School, denies 23 charges of sexual abuse of nine boys at the school.

• Church Web site hasn't purged alleged predators

- Baptists show ~ 10 alleged predators.

   The Tennessean By BOB SMIETANA, June 24, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- Southern Baptist Convention leaders are railing against sexual predators, calling upon local churches to drive out anyone accused of sex crimes against children, but a quick Internet search shows the organization has not cleansed its own Web site.
   An online minister search directory on the Southern Baptist Convention Web site contains the names of at least 10 Baptist ministers convicted of, or indicted on charges related to, sex crimes involving minors – including three in Tennessee.
   Allowing those preachers to remain on the ministers directory angers Wade Burleson, an Oklahoma pastor who has pushed the Southern Baptist Convention's executive committee to weed out church leaders accused of sexual misconduct.

• Jury pushes for 11 years in prison for minister

[2000 Reed*] - Christian. Girl.
   The Roanoke Times by Shawna Morrison, ~ June 24, 2008
   RADFORD (VA) -- A Radford jury on Monday recommended that a minister spend 11 years in prison for molesting a young girl eight years ago.
   Hawthorne Reed Jr., 63, was convicted late Friday night of two counts of forcible sodomy and one count of aggravated sexual battery dating back to July 2000.
   The girl is now 16. She doesn't live in Virginia. The Roanoke Times does not name the victims of sex crimes.

• Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth settles priest sexual abuse lawsuit for undisclosed amount

[Mons. Reilly]
   KDBC Associated Press 10:25 PM ET June 23, 2008
   FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth says it has settled an accuser's lawsuit alleging abuse by a priest who died in 1999.
   The diocese says in a statement that the plaintiff in the lawsuit, whose name was not released, claimed to be abused by Monsignor James Reilly. The diocese declined to disclose the settlement amount but said the plaintiff received an amount "in the five figure range." [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 24, 2008 2:33 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Tue June 24, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Wed June 25, 2008 edition:

• Pastor charged with incest

[~ 2000s Unnamed pastor -NEW*] - Assemblies of God. Daughter.

   The Fiji Times, Thursday, June 26, 2008
   FIJI -- A church pastor accused of having a sexual affair with his daughter in the Northern Division has been charged with two counts of incest.
   Divisional crime officer north Luke Rawalai said police charged the Assemblies of God church pastor yesterday and kept him in police custody.
   Mr Rawalai said the pastor will appear in the Labasa court today.

• Sex-pest priest exposed on TV

[2008 Unnamed priest -NEW*] - RCC. Woman.

   Think Spain, June 25, 2008
   TENERIFE -- A Tenerife priest has resigned after being caught making inappropriate sexual suggestions to a woman by a TV documentary team using a hidden camera.
   After viewing the report, that was broadcast last Monday evening, the bishop of Tenerife, Bernardo �lvarez, confirmed that the priest has been "suspended as a precautionary measure" from his parrochial duties while the matter is investigated.

• Priest in Waterford Lismore diocese steps down after allegation made

[Unnamed priest -NEW*] - RCC.

   WLR, Wednesday, June 25, 2008
   IRELAND -- A Garda investigation is taking place into an allegation made against a priest in the diocese of Waterford and Lismore.
   The priest has stepped down from his duties pending the outcome of the investigation.

• Priest in court on abuse charges

[1968-87 Green -NEW*] - ? RCC. 38 charges. Boys.

   Manchester Evening News by Don Frame, June 25, 2008
   UNITED KINGDOM -- A PRIEST has appeared in court accused of sexually abusing young boys on almost 40 occasions while he was at St Bede's School in Manchester.
   The earliest of the alleged offences involving a number of boys under-16, took place 31 years ago, and it is claimed that his offending went on until 1987.
   Fr Bill Green 67, from Middleton, first appeared before Manchester city magistrates last week facing six counts of indecent assault and gross indecency between 1977 and 1981. Today he faced a further 32 similar counts dating between 1968 and 1987.

• Lockport parishioners magnify protest

- RCC.

   The Buffalo News, By Jay Tokasz, Updated 7:24 AM, June/25/08
   BUFFALO (NY) -- A few blocks from the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo chancery offices on Main Street, a large billboard reads:
   "Why Should St. Marys, Lockport CLOSE? Over 1,000 Families Want To Know."
   Members of the Lockport parish have been fighting the decision to close the Saxton Street church since Bishop Edward U. Kmiec made the announcement last October. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 25, 2008 8:22 AM]

• Alleged abuse victim calls for priest to be defrocked

[1980s Tully* (Xaverian)] - RCC. Seminarian.

   The Republican By STEPHANIE BARRY sbarry@repub.com Wednesday, June 25, 2008
   SPRINGFIELD (MA) -- Standing outside the Roman Catholic chancery yesterday, an alleged clergy abuse victim implored local church officials to support his bid to get a priest defrocked.
   William J. Nash, 41, of Ashfield, said he was repeatedly assaulted by the Rev. James Tully, a member of the Xaverian Missionary Fathers, while Nash was a student at the order's seminary in Milwaukee, Wis.
   Tully could not be reached.

• Catholic clergyman guilty of sex attacks on handicapped boys

[1971-77 + 2006 Br. Roger Moloney* (St John of God Order)] - RCC. 2006 fought extradition. NZ $300,000 so far. Guilty. 9 boys.

   Monsters and Critics, ~ June 25, 2008
   WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- Rodger Moloney, a 73-year-old Catholic clergyman, was found guilty Wednesday on seven charges of sexually abusing intellectually handicapped boys at a boarding school in Christchurch 30 years ago, news reports said.
   A Christchurch High Court jury cleared Moloney on 16 other charges. Moloney was prior of the St John of God order, which ran the school. He will be sentenced at a later date.

• Brazil: 'Rabbi' Elior Chen hires local attorneys to prevent extradition to Israel

[2000s Chen*] - Judaist (Ultra-Orthodox). Torture regime. 2 children.

YNet News, Israel News, Published 18:56, June 19, 2008
ISRAEL -- "Rabbi" Elior Chen, suspected of heading a group of religious parents who tortured their children under his tutelage, who was recently arrested in Brazil, has announced his refusal to turn himself in to Israeli authorities.

• ORLANDI: WITNESS, WAS TAKEN ON ORDERS BY MARCINKUS

- Orlandi disappearance.

   AGI June 23, 2008
   (AGI) - ROME , - Allegedly Emanuela Orlandi was taken by Renatino De Pedis who was acting on behalf of monsignor Marcinkus, who at the time presided the IOR.
   This is one of the revelations made by a super witness on the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi while talking to detectives of the special investigations tea, on March 14. Agi learnt that, when specifically asked the question as to who had asked Renato to pick up the girl, the witness replied: "through the IOR… that monsignor Marcinkus… Renato would occasionally confide".
   As for the reasons for the kidnapping, she added: "I think that they were tracing back to because for me she wasn't taken for ransom, she was taken for a purpose. I'm saying monsignor Marcinkus because I don't know who is behind it all but I met him at dinner with Renato… They took Emanuela to send a message to someone". The witness emphasises that she does not know who effectively took Emanuela.

• Lawyer for FLDS teen alleges threat

- FLDS.

   United Press International, June 24, 2008
   SAN ANGELO, Texas, (UPI) -- A Texas lawyer representing the teenage daughter of jailed polygamist leader Warren Jeffs claims she has received death threats.
   Natalie Malonis told the Deseret Morning News the threats began last week when she asked a court to keep a leader in the Fundamentalist Church of the Latter-Day Saints away from her client.
   She was to have an armed guard for a hearing Tuesday on whether her client must testify before a grand jury.

• Teen girl a key player in criminal case against sect

- FLDS.
   Austin American-Statesman By Michelle Roberts ASSOCIATED PRESS Wednesday, June 25, 2008
   SAN ANGELO, Texas – A teenage member of a polygamous sect says she's never been married and doesn't have a baby. She denies church elders are influencing her, and she wants to fire her lawyer.
   The 16-year-old daughter of jailed sect leader Warren Jeffs is a key player in court cases in West Texas this week as the state's case against members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints moves into criminal court.

• Church 'working hard' to prevent abuse

[1981-89 Bro. Chute, aka Bro. Kostka (Marist)] - RCC. 6 boys.

   ABC News, June 25, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- The Catholic Archbishop of Canberra says the church is doing everything it can to ensure there is no repeat of the sexual abuse of pupils at the city's Marist College.
   Former teacher John William Chute, 76, - who is also known as Brother Kostka - was jailed for two years earlier this week after pleading guilty to molesting six students at the school in the 1980s.
   The Marist Brothers have apologised to the victims.

• Restraining order extended in polygamist case

- FLDS.

   Abilene Reporter News By Paul A. Anthony panthony@gosanangelo.com Tuesday, June 24, 2008
   TEXAS -- Walking tentatively down the hall of the Tom Green County Courthouse, the 16-year-old girl in a pastel prairie dress and intricate blond braid paused.
   Asked by a group of reporters whether she had anything to say, the girl -- after six hours in court -- seemed to be speaking for the dozens of attorneys and observers who had endured another twist-filled FLDS-related hearing.
   "What can I say," she replied, staring at the ceiling, "except that I'm sick of everything."

• Catholic brother guilty of abusing Marylands' school boys

[1971-77 + 2006 Br. Roger Moloney* (St John of God Order)] - RCC. 2006 fought extradition. NZ $300,000 so far. Guilty. 7 charges. Boys.

   The New Zealand Herald 7:20PM, Wednesday June 25, 2008
   NEW ZEALAND -- Catholic brother Rodger William Moloney has been found guilty of seven charges of sexually abusing boys at the former Marylands special school in Christchurch near Halswell in the 1970s.
   He is on bail awaiting sentence.
   After a day-and-a-half of deliberations, a jury in the High Court at Christchurch delivered its verdicts at 6.15pm, finding the 73-year-old guilty on seven but acquitting him on the remaining 16 charges.

• AUSTRALIA Pressure builds for Papal apology

- RCC.

   Special Broadcasting Service, June 24, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- There is mounting pressure for the Pope to apologise to victims of Church sex abuse when he is in Sydney for World Youth Day (Getty Images) There is mounting pressure from victims' advocate groups for the Pope to apologise to victims of Church sex abuse in the lead up to World Youth Day (WYD).
   With just weeks to go until the Holy See's arrival in Sydney for the massive Catholic event, various organisations are vociferously calling for an official apology, much like that given to Aboriginal Australians by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
   Recently, Pope Benedict visited the United States and expressed his regret at the sex abuse scandal that has rocked the country.

• Report: Baptist site lists alleged sex offenders

- Baptists. 7 accused are available to predate!

   AL.com , The Associated Press 4:30 p.m. CDT June/24/2008
   NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The names of at least 10 ministers convicted of or indicted on charges related to sex crimes involving minors were found on an online search directory on the Southern Baptist Convention Web site.
   The Tennessean reports that number includes three ministers in Tennessee. One has been convicted while the two others listed in the directory of ministers have been indicted but not convicted.

• Priest resigns after sex proposal is taped

[2008 Unnamed priest*] - RCC. Woman.

   IOL, June 25, 2008
   MADRID - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Spain's Canary Island of Tenerife said Tuesday it had accepted the resignation of a priest who was seen making sexual propositions to a woman in a tape broadcast on local television.
   Bishop Bernardo Alvarez of Tenerife also suspended the priest from his religious duties as a precaution while the incident is investigated, the diocese said in a statement posted on its website. …
   The images of the priest sexually harassing the women were recorded using a hidden camera and broadcast on Monday night on Television Canaria.

• Russert a model for ideal bishop

- RCC.

   Chicago Sun-Times, BY ANDREW GREELEY, June 25, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- The obsequies for Tim Russert were a wonderful showcase for the Catholic heritage. They were the celebration of our memory of a man who exemplified the role of a Catholic layman and also a demonstration of how Catholics cope with death.
   The Irish laughed at death while they were still pagans. When they became Catholic, this laughter turned into a privileged symbol of that faith. It's not everyone's symbol of death -- and it has its own imperfections -- but it is profoundly Catholic.
   The Catholic Church has not looked too good in public lately -- it has often seemed mean-spirited, punitive, arrogant, insensitive. It seems not to understand what the sexual abuse crisis has done to its public image. Hopefully many who are not Catholic came to realize last week that there was more to be said about the Catholic heritage.

• Wounds run deep for two-time abuse victim

[Unnamed priest] - RCC. Altar boy. Crushed testicle.
   Post-Bulletin (Rochester MN), By John Weiss, ~ June 25, 2008
   WINONA COUNTY (MN) -- Tom Mahowald spoke slowly, without emotion: "I'm a victim of abuse twice. Both were very violent."
   He was an altar boy in a town near this region and when he was 14, the priest asked him to take some boxes into the basement. He pushed Mahowald into a room and locked the door. "I tried to push him away. I told him no. He told me God wanted me to do this for him. He raped me."
   When Mahowald, who lives in Alma, Wis., and works in Winona County, tried to get away, the priest crushed one of his testicles.

• Parishioners come home empty-handed

- RCC.
   Standard Speaker By JILL WHALEN, ~ June 25, 2008
   PENNSYLVANIA -- A contingent of parishioners from the McAdoo area didn't get what they were looking for Tuesday from the Allentown Diocese.
   About 15 individuals from six McAdoo-area churches facing consolidation hoped to meet with the Rev. Monsignor David James to obtain a copy of the building study used to determine which church would remain open after the planned merger.
   Vicki Gennaro, a parishioner who made the hour-long trip, said there are concerns about the condition of St. Patrick's Church in McAdoo – the church chosen to house the mixed congregations.

• Ex-Pastor Convicted Of Sex Assault Dies In Prison

[Moore, aka Brother Jeff] - Christian. Children.
   Tyler Morning Telegraph BY KENNETH DEAN, ~ June 25, 2008
   BEEVILLE (TX) – A former Dogwood City pastor convicted of molesting small children while in his day care has died in prison.
   Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman Michelle Lyons confirmed that Jefferson Marion Moore Jr., 60, (Brother Jeff) died in his cell in the McConnell Unit late last month.
   "Officers were doing a routine head count on May 26 about 5:23 a.m. when Moore's cellmate told them Moore was unresponsive in the cell," she said.

• Vatican defends reputation of ex-banker

- Orlandi disappearance.

   United Press International, June 24, 2008
   VATICAN CITY, (UPI) -- The Vatican says claims that the former head of the Vatican bank was involved in kidnapping a teenage girl in 1985 are "infamous."
   Monsignor Paul Marcinkus, the U.S. priest who headed the Institute for Religious Works at the time, "has been dead for some time and cannot defend himself," the Catholic Church said in a statement.
   The claims are believed to have come from leaked testimony by Sabrina Minardi, ex-wife of soccer star Bruno Giordano and later girlfriend of Enrico De Pedis, a Roman mobster, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. Minardi is said to have testified that De Pedis was behind the kidnapping of Emanuela Orlandi, the 15-year-old daughter of a Vatican employee.

• Priest resigns after sexual proposal aired

[2008 Unnamed priest*] - RCC. Woman.

   Ninemsn (Australia), 12:30 AEST Wed Jun 25 2008
   TENERIFE -- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Spain's Canary Island of Tenerife has accepted the resignation of a priest who was seen making sexual propositions to a woman in a tape broadcast on local television.
   Bishop Bernardo Alvarez of Tenerife also suspended the priest from his religious duties as a precuation while the incident is investigated, the diocese said in a statement posted on its website.
   "The priest mentioned in the news report expressed to the bishop his desire to step down from the parish where he carried out his pastoral duties. The bishop immediately accepted his resignation," the statement said.

• Archbishop 'ordered' teenager's kidnapping

- Orlandi disappearance.

   Gulf Times (Qatar) By Tom Kington in Rome, 02:33 AM Doha Time Wednesday, 25 June, 2008
   ROME -- THE unsolved case of a 15-year-old girl who went missing in Rome 25 years ago has been dramatically reopened.
   A woman has told police that the girl was kidnapped by a criminal gang on the orders of Archbishop Paul Marcinkus, the disgraced former head of the Vatican's bank who was linked to the death of the Italian banker Roberto Calvi.
   The disappearance in June 1983 of Emanuela Orlandi, the daughter of a Vatican employee, has previously been linked by criminal informants to the Rome-based Banda della Magliana gang. But new details supplied by Sabrina Minardi, former girlfriend to the gang's boss, Enrico De Pedis, now ties in the Holy See official.

• Class-action suit filed against Roman Catholic diocese in N.S. over alleged abuse

- RCC.

   The Canadian press, ~ June 25, 2008
   HALIFAX, CANADA – The brother of a man whose suicide note led to charges of sex crimes against a Nova Scotia priest has filed a class action against the Diocese of Antigonish, claiming it failed to protect the children in its care when it became aware of the abuse.
   The class action, filed Tuesday by Ronald Martin, also names the Roman Catholic Church and a church official.

• Ashfield Man Wants His Alleged Abuser Defrocked

[Christian]

   CBS 3 ~ June 25, 2008
   [video presentation]
   SPRINGFIELD (MA) -- A local victim of clergy abuse is asking the bishop for help defrocking an alleged pedophile priest.

• New Allegations Revive an Italian Mystery of the 1980s

- Orlandi disappearance.

   The New York Times By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO, Published: June 25, 2008
   ROME – On June 22, 1983, Emanuela Orlandi, 15, was walking home in central Rome from a music lesson when she vanished.
   Home was inside Vatican City, since her father was a Vatican employee. And that transformed what might have been a straightforward missing-persons case into one of Italy's most enthralling and enduring mysteries.
   It was resuscitated this week after the news media here reported a witness claiming, among other things, that Emanuela had been kidnapped on the orders of an American archbishop, Paul Marcinkus, a former president of the Vatican bank. Linked to a major Italian banking scandal in the 1980s, Archbishop Marcinkus died in 2006.

• A lack of anger in the room…

- Bp Geoff Robinson and Paul Lakeland.

   Catholica (Australia) June 25, 2008
   SAN FRANCISCO (CA) -- We held over Tom McMahon's commentary on Sunday for fear of information overload. Today's commentary is not a replacement. It is a special report Tom filed yesterday on two meetings he attended at the University of San Francisco last week. One with Bishop Geoffrey Robinson and the other with author of "Catholicism at the Crossroads", Paul Lakeland. Given the present crisis in Catholicism, Tom has come away wandering what level of anger it takes to motivate the people to do something?
   Twice in two days I journeyed to the University of San Francisco where our family boasts of eight grads, including myself; Friday evening I heard Australian Bishop Geoffrey Robinson and on Sunday author Paul Lakeland. Surveying the listeners I remark "the usual suspects were rounded up and their gray hair was apparent; a young audience, the hoped for future of Roman Catholicism may have in wind and fog lost their way to the Hilltop. I offer here no comment on the content of the two talks. I offer more on the people's reaction. I observed a common denominator, "a lack of anger in the room". Jesuit educator Eugene Schallert in the late '60's coined and used this term in referring to the people's reaction to Vatican Two education. My wife speaks of being excited about religion as one of Gene's students … more than likely her last religious excitement. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 25, 2008 1:16 AM]

• Mazomanie church nixes altar girls

- RCC.

   The Capital Times, by Pat Schneider 5:07 pm June/25/2008
   MAZOMANIE (WI) – Members of St. Barnabas Parish in Mazomanie say they are stunned to learn that the priests leading their Catholic community will no longer allow their daughters to be servers at Mass. From now on, only boys will be able to assist priests in the ancient religious rite.
   The new policy was announced at a meeting with parents Tuesday by Rev. John Del Priore, who was assigned to the parish on June 1.
   "It's an outrage," said Tammy Parks. "They said it was a good way for boys to be indoctrinated into being a priest." …
   Parents at St. Barnabas are so distressed that there is talk of having the boys boycott altar duty. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 25, 2008 9:37 PM]

• Catholic Court Battle

- RCC.
   WSCC By News Two's Meryl Conant Tuesday, June 24, 2008
   CHARLESTON (SC) -- The issue at hand was not abuse directly but their claim the church has not lived up to the settlement agreement to pay them.
   The topic in court Tuesday specifically had to do with what county should hear this case. But the bigger issue here is the agreement reached between 11 victims and the Diocese last summer.
   While it states money was supposed to reach victims starting in January. Now, on June 23, the issue still is in court.
   "I have yet to get any satisfaction, compensation, apologies, anything from the Diocese of Charleston," said Larry Mullen, who says from 12 to 18 years old, an employee of the church, an elementary school teacher, molested him. "I hid it for all my life."

• Vatican: Reporting on '83 Kidnapping "Sensationalism"

- Orlandi disappearance.

   Zenit JUNE 25, 2008
   VATICAN CITY, (Zenit.org).- The Vatican is calling into question the "serious and professional ethics" of some Italian journalists, who have refocused attention on the case of the 1983 disappearance of a daughter of a Vatican employee.
   Press reports have brought attention to the case of Emanuela Orlandi, who was 15 when she disappeared in 1983. The reports air an accusation that the late Archbishop Paul Marcinkus ordered the girl's death. Illinois-born Archbishop Marckinkus died in early 2006, at age 84.
   Sunday was the 25th anniversary of the girl's disappearance.

• Supreme Court outlaws death penalty for sex offenders

- Close decision.

   KGNS, ~ June 25, 2008
   WASHINGTON (DC) -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the death penalty for those convicted of raping a child.
   In a five to four vote the Supreme Court outlawed executions for these cases.
   Here in Laredo, the Children's Advocacy Center treats children who have been sexually abused.
   Last year alone 661 children were treated, a 31 percent increase from the previous year.
   Executive director Sylvia Bruni says the mission is justice and the public being educated about the issue.

• HC ruling on child rape draws criticism

   PRESS TV (Iran), ~ June 25, 2008
   WASHINGTON (DC) -- A US Supreme Court ruling to scrap the death penalty for a child rapist has drawn criticism with critics saying it harms the victims.
   The Supreme Court by one-vote majority of 5-4 ruled Wednesday that a man convicted of raping a child cannot be sentenced to death, saying capital punishment must be reserved for murder cases.
   It said child rapists cannot be sentenced to death because the Eighth Amendment prohibits the capital punishment for crimes that do not involve murder. [COMMENT: Check if the 8th Amendment does. Non-Christian eyes are watching the Westerners -- who could convince those watching that Christianity is more moral? ENDS.]

• Supreme Court strikes down death penalty for child rape

   Reuters, By James Vicini, ~ June 25, 2008
   WASHINGTON (DC), (Reuters) -- The U.S. Supreme Court in a major capital punishment decision struck down on Wednesday the death penalty for child rape, its first ruling in more than 30 years on whether a crime other than murder can be punished by execution.
   The nation's highest court ruled by a 5-4 vote that the death penalty for the crime of raping a child violated the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
   Writing for the court majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy said the Constitution barred a state from imposing the death penalty for the rape of a child when the crime did not result, and was not intended to result, in the victim's death.

• Class-action filed against N.S. Catholic diocese

[MacDonald] - RCC. Boy/s.

   Montreal Gazette Canwest News Service, ~ June 25, 2008
   ANTIGONISH, (N.S.), CANADA - A class-action lawsuit has been filed against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish for compensation for alleged victims of sexual abuse by priests from the diocese.
   The Roman Catholic Church, the bishop of Antigonish and the diocese "kept the priests' sexual deviance secret and failed to warn or protect children within the diocese," states a release on the website of Halifax lawyer John McKiggan, who represents the plaintiff, Ronald Martin.
   Martin's brother, David, committed suicide six years ago, leaving behind a note that alleged he had been sexually abused by Father Hugh Vincent MacDonald, a former priest of the Antigonish Diocese.

• Diocese named in sex abuse suit offers court alternative

[MacDonald] - RCC. Boy/s.
   AOL News Source: CBC News 3:59PM June/25/08
   CANADA -- The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish says he remains committed to helping everyone "genuinely victimized" by sexual abuse.
   Bishop Raymond Lahey issued a statement Wednesday, following the launch of a class-action lawsuit by people claiming they were sexually abused by priests in the diocese over several decades.
   "The victims deserve a fair hearing and fair treatment," Lahey said.

• CASO ORLANDI: DA INVESTIGATORI IPOTESI ISPEZIONE TOMBA DE PEDIS, IL 'NODO' DEL VATICANO

- Orlandi disappearance.

   Adnkronos, June 24, 2008
   ROMA, Italia, 24 giu. - (Adnkronos) - La Procura della Repubblica di Roma e gli investigatori della Squadra Mobile starebbero prendendo in considerazione, nell'ambito della nuova indagine sulla scomparsa di Emanuela Orlandi avvenuta il 22 giugno del 1983, il suggerimento dato nel 2006 da uno sconosciuto che telefono' alla trasmissione 'Chi l'ha visto', e cioe' di ispezionare la tomba del boss della banda della Magliana Enrico De Pedis, detto 'Renatino'.
   {translation} THE ORLANDI CASE: THE INVESTIGATORS COULD INSPECT THE TOMB OF DE PEDIS, THE "KNOT" OF THE VATICAN
   ROME, Jun 24, 2008 - (Adnkronos) - The Prosecutor of the Republic in Rome and the Police investigators are examining the possibility, as one of the initiatives in the new investigation about the disappearance of 15-year-old Emanuela Orlandi on June 22, 1983, to follow the suggestion given by an anonymous telephone caller of the popular TV show "Chi l'ha visto?" (Who saw him?).
   That's to inspect the tomb of the Magliana gang boss Enrico De Pedis, nicknamed 'Renatino'. The name of De Pedis came under scrutiny after the testimony of Sabrina Minardi, the new super witness, who said the boss, acting on behalf of cardinal Marcinkus, kidnapped Orlandi and killed her throwing her body in a cement mixer.

• Ex-Priest Faces More Sex Abuse Lawsuits

[1980s Doherty] - RCC. 2 more boys.

   CBS 4, ~ June 25, 2008
   MIAMI (FL), (CBS4) -- More allegations of sexual abuse have been levied at a retired South Florida priest.
   On Wednesday, a Miami law firm announced the filing of two more lawsuits against the Archdiocese of Miami in connection with the alleged sexual abuse of young boys by father Neil Doherty.
   According to the documents filed with the court, Doherty met the two boys in the 1980s while he was performing outreach into the community. The two boys are cousins and relatives of other men who have filed sexual abuse claims against Doherty and the archdiocese. Doherty reportedly used his position to gain the boy's trust and eventually abused them. The alleged abuse occurred in the rectory at St. Mary Cathedral, in a private home and in his car.

• N.S. Roman Catholic bishop says church open to helping sexual abuse victims

[MacDonald + 4] - RCC. Boy/s.

   The Canadian Press ~ June 25, 2008
   ANTIGONISH, N.S., CANADA – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish in Nova Scotia, named in a class action lawsuit that alleges five of its priests sexually abused children, issued a statement Wednesday that says it remains committed to helping the victims.
   Bishop Raymond Lahey acknowledged past wrongs in the statement, released a day after the class action was filed with the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia.

• Heavy security as grand jury looks into Texas sect

- FLDS.

   The Associated Press By MICHELLE ROBERTS, ~ June 25, 2008
   ELDORADO, Texas (AP) – Dozens of state troopers and sheriff's deputies surrounded the town square in this tiny ranching hamlet as a grand jury opened its investigation into a polygamist sect accused of forcing underage girls into marriage and motherhood.
   The main square in Eldorado was cordoned off with yellow police tape and a sheriff's department worker snapped photos of anyone who attempted to talk to sect members who arrived at the courthouse Wednesday and may be grand jury witnesses.

• New sex abuse lawsuits filed against former Margate priest

[1980s Doherty] - RCC. 2 more boys.
   Sun-Sentinel By Andrew Ba Tran | 1:54 PM EDT, June 25, 2008
   MIAMI (FL) -- Two lawsuits were filed today against a former Broward County priest awaiting trial on sexual molestation charges, accusing him of paying two men for sex with cash and toys when they were children.
   The Archdiocese of Miami knew the Rev. Neil Doherty was sexually abusing the boys in the 1980s but covered it up, according to the lawsuits filed in Miami-Dade court.
   Doherty, 65, a former pastor at St. Vincent's Catholic Church in Margate, is awaiting trial in Broward for multiple counts of sexual battery, lewd and lascivious acts and molestation in a separate case.

• Gangster's tomb may be opened in hunt for missing Italian girl

- Orlandi disappearance.

   The Times (United Kingdom) by Richard Owen, Rome, ~ June 25, 2008
   ROME -- Magistrates are to ask the Vatican for permission to open the tomb of a murdered gangster in the crypt of a Rome church to check whether it contains the remains a teenage girl who vanished 25 years ago, according to Italian reports.
   Magistrates have re-opened the inquiry into the 1983 disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi, the daughter of a Vatican employee, in the light of new evidence. Sabrina Minardi, former girlfriend of Enrico De Pedis, boss of the notorious Magliana Gang in Rome, has told investigators Ms Orlandi was kidnapped as part of a Vatican-linked plot, but was killed and thrown into a cement mixer at a building site on the coast near Rome.
   Two years ago an anonymous caller to presenters of an Italian television programme on missing persons suggested they should "take a look" at the tomb of De Pedis in the crypt of the church of Sant' Apollinare (Saint Apollinaris) near Piazza Navona. The church is next to the music school where Ms Orlandi attended a flute lesson before she was spotted by a policeman getting into a dark green BMW with a man, the last time she was seen alive.

• Vatican disappointed in Italian media's handling of Orlandi case

- Orlandi disappearance.
   Catholic News Agency 10:57 am, Jun 25, 2008
   ROME (CNA).- The Vatican has said it regrets the speculation in the Italian media that the deceased Archbishop Paul Marcinkus was involved in the disappearance of a Vatican employee's daughter in 1983.
   On Tuesday afternoon, Fr. Federico Lombardi, the Holy See Press Office Director, spoke about how the case of 15 year-old Emanuela Orlandi's has been handled by the media.
   According to Lombardi, the recent disclosure of confidential testimony to the media "has come about in a striking way, with the widespread journalistic disclosure of confidential information, information that remains completely unverified and that proceeds from a witness of extremely dubious credibility."

• No decisions have been made in church closing

- RCC.

   The Citizen-Standard, By Linda Schylaske June/25/08
   TOWER CITY (PA) -- Over 20 members of Ss. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church met Wednesday, June 18 in the basement of the church on Grand Avenue in Tower City to discuss their course of action pertaining to the proposed closing of the church.
   Tessa Stauffer, a member of the church who has spearheaded the appeal to have the church remain open, spoke to the group and told them that she had spoken Monsignor David James of the Allentown Diocese that day and his answer to her inquiry about the petition that the group filed was answered, "It is still under review." …
   Another question that was brought up at the meeting, had to do with the fact that Rev. John F. Gunniff, a former priest who served the church, was buried in front of the building in 1937.
   "We have a former priest buried here," said Stauffer. "If we have to sell the church, where will he go? What will they do with him and who will pay if they have to exhume him?

• Supreme Court Rejects Death Penalty for Child Rape

   The New York Times By DAVID STOUT, Published: June 26, 2008
   WASHINGTON (DC) – The Supreme Court ruled, 5 to 4, on Wednesday that sentencing someone to death for raping a child is unconstitutional, assuming that the victim is not killed.
   The death penalty is not a proportional punishment for the rape of a child," Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote for the court. He was joined by Justices John Paul Stevens, David H. Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer.
   The court overturned a ruling by the Louisiana Supreme Court, which had held that child rape is unique in the harm it inflicts not just upon the victim but on society and that, short of first-degree murder, no crime is more deserving of the death penalty.

• Ashfield man pushes for laicization of Xavarian priest

[1980s Tully* (Xaverian)] - RCC. Seminarian.

   The Catholic Observer, paper of RC Diocese of Springfield, Mass., USA), By Father Bill Pomerleau, ~ June 25, 2008
   SPRINGFIELD (MA) – An Ashfield man, supported by the local chapter of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), called a press conference outside the chancery of the Diocese of Springfield to call for the laicization of a religious priest who he said sexually molested him when he was a seminarian in the 1980s.
   William J. Nash, who grew up in Westfield's Blessed Sacrament Parish, told news media June 24 that within two weeks of entering the Xavarian seminary in Franklin, Wis., Father James Tully "spent most of an evening groping me and sitting on me.
   "He later barged into my room and exposed himself," Nash said.
   Nash also recounted how several months later, as a 21-year-old Xavarian novice, he was groped in the back seat of a car by a drunken Father Tully.

• MORE PROOF: Scanning and uploading documents will be ongoing at City of Angels 11, here is a sampling, more on Servants of the Paraclete this week

- RCC.

   City of Angels, http://city ofangels4. blogspot. com , By Kay Ebeling, ~ June 25, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- We continue to scan and upload Paracletes Documents at City of Angels 11 (linked above) over the next week, then we'll leave those and other documents at that site for the next few months. So if anyone needs proof that Roman Catholic hierarchy knew there were pedophile priests raping children in American parishes as far back as the 1950s, click on a document to enlarge it, and while you are at it, print it and show it to your US representative. Here is a sampling of what you will find at City of Angels 11 this week: (By the way, Comments are once again open here at City of Angels 4.)
   Add the letter on the right in with Island Letters from a previous post. Here we see the Paracletes have to get rid of the Island of Tortola, where they have sent problem priests to keep them away from the public. Dated November 1960. (Click to enlarge and print)
   The second page, 1960 technology photocopy is at right. Father Gerald worked hard to establish these colonies to keep the pedophiles away from parishes, but by 1960 he was losing to a secular AA 12 step influenced form of treatment.

• Sex-abuse suit alleges conspiracy by Catholic Church

[MacDonald] - RCC. Boy.

   AOL News, Source: CBC News, Posted 8:16AM, June/25/08
   CANADA -- The Roman Catholic diocese of Antigonish, N.S., is facing a class-action lawsuit from people who say they were sexually abused by priests who operated under the protection of the church over several decades.
   The lawsuit was initiated by Ron Martin, a New Waterford man who claims he was abused as a boy by priest Hugh Vincent MacDonald.
   His brother, David Martin, made the same claim in a suicide note in 2002.

• Pressure mounting for a proper apology from the Pope to Australian victims

- RCC.

   Broken Rites By a Broken Rites researcher, ~ June 25, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- In June 2008, a month before the Pope was due to visit Australia, Broken Rites Australia asked the Vatican to arrange for a deputation of Australian church sex-abuse survivors to have a meeting with the Pope in Sydney.
   Broken Rites made the request in a letter, dated 7 June 2008, sent to the Vatican's representative in Canberra, Papal Nuncio Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto.
   Archbishop Lazzarotto replied to Broken Rites, in a letter dated 16 June 2008, saying: "I thank you for your letter dated 7 June, and I would like to assure you that the issue you raised in your letter has already been presented to the attention and consideration of the competent office of the Holy See."

• Marist Brothers 'ignored' complaints about sex abuse

[1981-89 Bro. Chute, aka Bro. Kostka (Marist)] - RCC. 6 boys.

   Broken Rites By a Broken Rites researcher, ~ June 25, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- Marist College in Canberra allowed one of its Marist Brothers to continue working with boys even after the school learned that he was molesting students, a court has been told.
   Marist Brother John William Chute, aged 75, whose "religious" name is "Brother Kostka", pleaded guilty in the Australian Capital Territory Magistrates Court to committing indecent acts with pupils between 1985 and 1989 when they were aged 13 and 14.
   On 23 June 2008, Kostka was sentenced to a total of six years jail, with the first two years in full-time prison, the third year to be served by weekend detention, and the remaining three years to be fully suspended. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 25, 2008 8:32 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Wed June 25, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Thu June 26, 2008 edition:

• Suit: Savannah diocese ignored warnings about priest

[Wayland Brown - ? NEW*] - RCC. Boy.
   The Post and Courier, By Adam Parker, Thursday, June 26, 2008
   CHARLESTON (SC) -- A lawsuit filed by a local attorney alleges that the Catholic Diocese of Savannah ignored warnings about a priest many thought was dangerous to children.
   Allan Carl Ranta Jr., a student in schools operated by the diocese, was repeatedly taken across state lines into South Carolina and molested by Wayland Yoder Brown, a priest many in the diocese had worried about for years before the abuse, the lawsuit alleges.
   The suit against the Diocese of Savannah was filed in the Jasper County Court of Common Pleas because the alleged abuse occurred there, attorney Larry Richter said.

• Decision could deter child sex assault prosecution

[1965-72 MacArthur -? NEW*] - RCC. Child.

   The Capital Times, by Pat Schneider, 1:05 pm, June/26/2008
   WISCONSIN -- A ruling by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in a priest sex abuse case will cut off access to the courts for many adult victims of child sex abuse, one justice cautions.
   The decision, released Thursday, may yet allow the prosecution of retired Catholic priest Bruce Duncan MacArthur, 86, on charges of sexual assault of a child between 1965 and 1972. The court sent the case back to Dodge County Circuit Court for further proceedings that will determine that.
   But in an opinion concurring with the majority court's findings, Justice Ann Walsh Bradley raised concern that in adopting a "bright line" rule to determine which in a complicated series of revised and amended versions of the statute of limitations to apply to the MacArthur case, the court may be incorrectly interpreting the intent of the Legislature and slamming the door on other child sexual assault cases.

• Catholics close treatment centre for sex offender clergy

- RCC has had sex-abuse centre for 11 yrs.

   Sydney Morning Herald, by Linda Morris, Religious Affairs Writer, June 27, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- THE treatment and assessment centre set up by the Catholic Church in Australia 11 years ago to deal with clergy who admit to sexual abuse is to shut its doors.
   The closure comes at a sensitive time, on the eve of Pope Benedict's visit to Sydney when the Vatican is under intense pressure to issue a public apology to Australian victims of clerical sex abuse.
   Encompass Australasia, which operates from a private psychiatry clinic in Ashfield, has told its clients it will close pending a restructure on June 30 because a "significant downturn in business" means it is no longer able to financially support its services.

• The Hammer Drops

- RCC and its struggle against female clergy.
   Pertinacious Papist, by Dale Vree, June 26, 2008
   Leon J. Podles, in his new book Sacrilege: Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church (2008, Crossland Press, www.CrosslandFoundation.org), hammers the point home that most Catholic bishops "hate confrontation." This goes a long way toward explaining their reluctance to discipline predatory priests. It also goes a long way toward explaining the sorry state of the Church today. Fortitude, one of the four cardinal virtues, is sorely lacking among the current leaders of the U.S. Church.
   This cowardly attitude also explains why several U.S. bishops shrugged off the recent and numerous invalid attempts at priestly "ordination" of women by the rogue Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement. As we wrote in our New Oxford Note "A New Catholic Community" (Oct. 2006), Bishop Patrick McGrath of San Jose, California, "has no plans to reprimand or excommunicate or in any other way acknowledge" the woman in his diocese who claims to have been "ordained" a Catholic priest and who has been offering an invalid "mass" at San Jose State University. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 8:08 PM]
   [COMMENT: To ask a lady for her hand in marriage is no work for a coward. For centuries "killjoys" and extremists had been trying to avoid marriage, i.e., introduce celibacy, as well as making ridiculous rules about fasting, etc. They lost in the East (except for one important victory), but the Latin Rite fell down because of its monarchical structure. To have brave bishops, the Vatican can do no better than the alleged writers of the New Testament -- "For fear of fornication, let every man have his own wife ; and let every woman have her own husband. -- 1 Corinthians 7:2 (Douay version).
   Regarding female clergy, can the Papists explain why St Paul praised "Phoebe, a deaconess of the church at Cenchreae" (Romans 16:1-2)? ENDS.]

• Bail for sex charge pastor

[~ 2000s Unnamed pastor*] - Assemblies of God. Daughter.

   The Fiji Times, By SERAFINA SILAITOGA, for Friday, June 27, 2008
   FIJI -- A CHURCH pastor accused of having a sexual affair with his daughter in the Northern Division was granted bailed yesterday by the Labasa Magistrates Court.
   The Assemblies of God Church pastor appeared before Magistrate Anare Tuilevuka but no plea was taken.
   His Legal Aid rep Malcolm Maitava asked for bail and assured the court his client would not interfere with the witnesses.

• New Alaska bishop seeks to heal rift in Orthodox congregation

- Russian Orthodox Church.

   The Seward Phoenix Log By MARY LOCHNER 10:26AM AKST June 26, 2008
   ALASKA -- The Russian Orthodox Church in America retired former Alaska diocese Bishop Nikolai Soraich Tuesday, May 13 after its Holy Synod of bishops investigated allegations he behaved insensitively in regards to Alaska Native culture and responded insufficiently to a priest's report of sexual misconduct by one of his assistants.
   The Holy Synod in New York is the church's governing body in America. It has provisionally appointed Bishop Benjamin Peterson of the diocese of the West as bishop of the Alaska diocese.
   Bishop Ben served as dean in Kodiak from 2002-04 and was elected bishop at Berkeley in 2004. He retains his duties as bishop of the diocese of the West while serving as bishop to the Alaska diocese and said the post is a provisional one until the church finds a permanent bishop for Alaska.

• WI Supreme Court rules clergy offenders who left state can be prosecuted

[1965-72 MacArthur*] - RCC. Children in hospital + in parishes.
   Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests Statement by Peter Isely, SNAP Midwest Director, Contact: 414-429-7259, ~ June 26, 2008
   WISCONSIN -- The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled today that child sex offenders can be prosecuted for assaulting children, even if the crime occurred decades ago, but only if the offender left the state of Wisconsin before the criminal statute on the offense expired.
   The court was ruling in a criminal case brought by Juneau County officials against Fr. Bruce McArther. McArther raped children at parishes in Milwaukee and as a hospital chaplain in Beaver Damn in the late 1960's and early 1970's. He was transferred out of Wisconsin to new assignments in several states where he continued to sexually assault children. He now lives in a priest's residence in Missouri.
   The ruling also means that some 15 criminal cases brought against clergy who fled Wisconsin, including three current ones awaiting trial, have been upheld.

• Wis. high court rules against priest in abuse case

[1965-72 MacArthur*] - RCC. Girls in hospital + in parishes.
   Chicago Tribune, Associated Press, 11:10 AM CDT, June 26, 2008
   MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin Supreme Court says a retired priest accused of sexually assaulting girls four decades ago can be prosecuted.
   The Rev. Bruce Duncan MacArthur is charged with sexually assaulting girls who were patients at a Beaver Dam hospital where he was a chaplain between 1965 and 1972.

• Inquiry call sits with lawyers

[1971-77 + 2006 Br. Roger Moloney* (St John of God Order)] - RCC. 2006 fought extradition. NZ $300,000 so far. Guilty. 7 charges. Boys.

   The Press by Kim Thomas and John Hartevelt - The Press | Friday, 27 June 2008
   NEW ZEALAND -- The Crown Law Office is reviewing the case for a wholesale inquiry into institutional care of children after this week's findings of sexual abuse against a St John of God brother.
   St John of God Brother Rodger William Moloney, 73, was this week found guilty of three charges of indecent assault and four of inducing boys to do an indecent act.
   He was acquitted on a further 16 charges.
   Another St John of God priest, Father Raymond Garchow, 59, will stand trial next month on eight historic indecency charges after, like Moloney, losing a protracted battle against extradition from Australia in 2006.

• Lahey pledges commitment of the Diocese of Antigonish to helping victims of abuse

- RCC.

   The News, ~ June 26, 2008
   CANADA -- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish remains committed to helping all genuine victims of sexual abuse, says Bishop Raymond Lahey.
   A class action lawsuit is proceeding against the Diocese and the office of Bishop with respect to priests alleged to have sexually abused children of the Diocese several decades ago.
   "The Diocese of Antigonish acknowledges that sexual abuse did occur with certain priests, some of whom have already been criminally convicted and punished for such horrific crimes" said Lahey.

• Sex abuse victims react to new Supreme Court ruling re death penalty/child sex crimes

   Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, ~ June 26, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- Research shows that only 10% of all child predators are ever convicted. So let's hope this ruling will prod lawmakers to stop enacting increasingly draconian penalties for this tiny minority and focus on real reforms that will help catch the 90% who escape detection and consequences for these horrific crimes.
   Legislators seem increasingly obsessed with playing 'I'm the toughest on child molesters ' rather than taking the most effective step to protect kids: eliminating or extending the archaic, arbitrary, predator-friendly statutes of limitations, which prevent most victims from exposing predators in court.
   We urge death penalty advocates to re-focus their energies on broader proven strategies that better safeguard kids rather than just please voters.

• BISHOP BANNED: Parishioners don't want him at St. Casimir's last Mass

- RCs snub the bishop etc.
   Wicked Local Brockton, By MARIA PAPADOPOULOS, ~ June 26, 2008
   BROCKTON (MA) -- St. Casimir Catholic Church will have its final Mass on Sunday, but parishioners won't allow the regional bishop and other clergy to attend.
   Parishioners voted recently to not allow Bishop John A. Dooher, the Rev. Allan Butler, administrator for St. Casimir Church, and the Rev. Francis J. Clougherty, regional vicar and pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, to attend the final Mass at the church, said the church's cantor, Maryte Bizinkauskas.
   "We ask that they don't show up because we just don't want them there," Bizinkauskas said Wednesday.

• Jindal signs chemical castration bill

[Gauthe] - RCC. Many boys.
   The Advocate By MICHELLE MILLHOLLON, Advocate Capitol News Bureau, Page: 6A Published: Jun 26, 2008
   LOUISIANA -- Characterizing sex offenders as monsters, Gov. Bobby Jindal signed legislation Wednesday that would force convicted rapists and others to undergo chemical castration.
   "I am glad we have taken such strong measures in Louisiana to put a stop to these monsters' brutal acts," the governor said in a prepared statement. …
   The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Nick Gautreaux, D-Meaux, did not return a call for comment late Wednesday afternoon.
   During the legislative session, Gautreaux said the bill was inspired, in part, by the crimes of the Rev. Gilbert Gauthe.
   Gauthe, a Roman Catholic priest, pleaded guilty in 1985 to molesting a number of boys in Vermilion Parish. He was arrested earlier this year near Galveston for allegedly failing to register as a sex offender.

• Parish group keeps up its opposition to church merger plan

- RCC.
   Gloucester County Times By Stephanie Brown sbrown@sjnewsco.com Thursday, June 26, 2008
   NEW JERSEY -- Local Catholics continued to speak out against diocesan plans to consolidate parishes by holding another demonstration at a local church Wednesday.
   Holding signs the read "Save St. John Vianney" and "No Merger for Queen of Peace," more than 20 Catholics gathered at St. Agnes Parish Center in Blackwood to picket a meeting of the bishop and representatives from parishes across the diocese to discuss charity funds.
   It was the 11th demonstration held by the group, called the Council of Parishes of Southern New Jersey, since Camden Bishop Joseph Galante announced plans in April to cut the number of parishes in the six-county diocese from 124 to 66. And while their pleas went largely unacknowledged, council members said they plan to keep fighting to stop their churches from being closed.

• Priest on sex abuse charges

[1970s+ Green*] - RCC. 38 charges. Boys.

   Lancaster Guardian, ~ June 26, 2008
   UNITED KINGDOM -- A Wigan priest has appeared in court accused of sexually abusing boys on 38 occasions.
   Father William Green, priest at Holy Family Roman Catholic Church, New Springs, was arrested late last year over allegations dating back to the 1970s.
   Fr Green, 67, first appeared before Manchester magistrates last week facing six indecent assault and gross indecency charges.

• Convicted Catholic brother sex abuser maintains innocence

[1971-77 + 2006 Br. Roger Moloney* (St John of God Order)] - RCC. 2006 fought extradition. NZ $300,000 so far. Guilty. 7 charges. Boys.

   The New Zealand Herald, ~ June 26, 2008
   NEW ZEALAND -- Catholic brother Rodger William Moloney maintains his innocence of child sex abuse charges but it is too early to say if he will lodge an appeal, his lawyer says.
   Moloney was last night found guilty of seven charges of sexually abusing boys at the former Marylands special school in Christchurch in the 1970s.
   The 73-year-old was acquitted of another 16 charges.
   Justice Graham Panckhurst bailed Moloney until sentencing but told him he should not take any message about the likely sentence from that.

• Two Portland men join sex-abuse lawsuit against Boy Scouts, Mormon church

[≤ 1983+ Van Dykes] - Mormon. 26 convictions so far, but Mormons kept him. Boys.

   The Oregonian, Posted by Peter Zuckerman, June 25, 2008
   PORTLAND (OR) -- Two Portland men filed an $8.5 million lawsuit today against the Mormon church and the Boy Scouts, bringing to eight the total number of former Boy Scouts alleging sexual abuse by Timur Van Dykes, who was a church and scout leader in the 1980s and early 90s.
   The lawsuit contends that Timur Van Dykes molested Boy Scouts in Troop 719, which was supervised by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Dykes, a registered sex offender who now lives in Southwest Portland, has been convicted of at least 26 sex crimes since 1983.
   Together, the pending abuse cases filed in Multnomah County Court against the scouts and the church seek $33.5 million.

• A Review of Marci Hamilton's Justice Denied: What America Must Do To Protect Its Children

- BOOK review.
   FindLaw, By THOMAS P. DOYLE, J.C.D., C.A.D.C., Wednesday, Jun. 24, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- The latter half of the twentieth century witnessed a remarkable surge of concern for the rights and welfare of children. Parallel to this concern there has been unprecedented scholarly activity into the history of this subject. Though not as extensive as one would expect, the scholarship has revealed that children's rights and the very comprehension of the emotional, psychological and moral development of the child has been severely limited. The innocence of children and young adolescents was not presumed, in fact there is evidence that the canonists, perhaps the most significant group of lawyers in the middle ages, presumed that children and minors were always prone to do wrong.1
   Western society looks with pride on the many sources of proof that we are indeed enlightened about children and do, in fact, put into practice the often heard saying that "Children are our most important resource because they are our future."
   Marci Hamilton has shared her intense and vast experience in working for children's rights in a book that makes clear that in spite of our society's sense of self-satisfaction, in some ways we have not advanced that far from the middle ages. Justice Denied is about one of the most horrendous offenses against children short of murder: child sexual abuse. It is about the chasm that exists between the lofty sentiments expressed by civil and religious leaders when it comes to the rights of children, and the dark reality of a court system that still reflects ignorance about both the devastating nature of sexual abuse and the compulsive nature of sexual perversity.

• Unholy system of self-loathing

- RCC.
   The Canberra Times ~ June 26, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- 'How many times can you apologise?" Mark Coleridge, our Catholic Archbishop asked a little waspishly on the ABC yesterday, commenting on the latest child sex abuse case involving a religious brother. Seeming to realise almost immediately that this could be taken out of context, he added that mere apologies were not enough, and that what mattered was action.
   There will be more apologies, for, no doubt, there will be more cases, if only as part of the clean-up of a nightmare that has yet to end. In certain respects, however, one might expect that the years ahead will produce fewer fresh cases, if only because the structure of Catholic schools is now so much different, with very few nuns, brothers and priests still engaged. Most schools are now firmly under the practical control of lay teachers. There will still be cases of such abuse - which has never ever been confined to Catholic schools, Catholic religious, or cultures of shame, secrecy and denial - but we can all hope that the worst days of an abusive culture are behind us.
   The Catholic Church, perhaps more than other churches, has been through a well deserved hell, accused of helping create the culture in which abuse could flourish undetected, of denial or inadequate responses, of seeking to protect itself rather than reaching out to victims. In the United States, bishops have had to resign, and dioceses rendered virtually bankrupt by litigation. More damaging, church credibility has suffered and the message, not least about sexuality and love, seriously weakened by the obvious reproach about the conduct of church servants. The credibility of many great social works of the church, not least in educating more than a million citizens is undermined.

• 2 more ex-Scouts say leader molested them

[≤ 1983+ Van Dykes] - Mormon. 26 convictions so far Boys.

   The Oregonian By PETER ZUCKERMAN Thursday, June 26, 2008
   OREGON -- Two Portland-area men filed an $8.5 million lawsuit Wednesday against the Mormon church and the Boy Scouts, bringing to eight the number of former Scouts alleging sexual abuse by former troop and church leader Timur Van Dykes.
   The eight men are seeking a total of more than $33 million in damages.
   The lawsuits, filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court, contend the abuse began in the early 1980s, ended in the early '90s and involved Boy Scout Troops 478 and 719, both of which were sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Boy Scouts has been part of the Mormon church's official men's program since 1913.

• FLDS hearing before grand jury a 'slow grind'

- FLDS.
   The Salt Lake Tribune, By Brooke Adams, Article Last Updated 12:59:42 AM MDT, June/26/2008
   ELDORADO, Texas - Seven FLDS women made brief appearances Wednesday before a Texas grand jury that ended the day without issuing any indictments.
   But the panel's work is not over: The jury will meet again on July 22 as a criminal investigation into the polygamous sect continues.
   The women went one-by-one before the jury in the afternoon and spent about the same amount of time - roughly 40 minutes - inside the Schleicher County Courthouse, which was cordoned off by crime scene tape and heavily guarded by state troopers throughout the proceedings.

• Former priest faces two new sex abuse suits

- RCC. [1980s ?+ Doherty] - 14 boys so far. [? 2000s Miami Archdiocese*] - Dismissed truth-teller Ms Gerstner.
   Miami Herald, By LUISA YANEZ, lyanez@MiamiHerald.com , ~ June 26, 2008
   MIAMI (FL) -- A former Catholic priest -- already facing criminal charges in Broward County and a dozen lawsuits over sexually abusing several boys in South Florida -- is being sued by two new victims.
   At a news conference Wednesday, attorney Jeffrey Herman, who is representing two cousins from Miami-Dade, said details of the Rev. Neil Doherty's abuse of them mirrors that of 12 other victims who have already filed suits against the priest.
   Doherty, 65, who worked as a priest until 2004, is living in retirement in Palm Beach County.
   "Father Doherty targeted vulnerable boys, offering to help then," Herman said. "After gaining their trust and that of their parents, he sexually abused the boys."

• Former chief faced unprecedented situation with Project Truth

- Cornwall inquiry.

   Standard-Freeholder BY TREVOR PRITCHARD, ~ June 26, 2008
   CANADA -- Few events in Anthony Repa's three previous decades of police work could have prepared him for what he'd face running the Cornwall Police Service.
   That was the gist of the testimony that Repa, the city's police chief from 1995 until 2003, delivered Tuesday at the Cornwall Public Inquiry.
   "To become the chief of police of a service that was now going to undergo its third police investigation, basically on the same issues … it was a very unique situation," said Repa.

• Charges fly in suit over Catholic Diocese settlement

- RCC's Charleston Diocese. Attempts to pick judge.

   The Post and Courier, By Adam Parker, Thursday, June 26, 2008
   CHARLESTON (SC) -- A class-action settlement hashed out between victims of sexual abuse and the Catholic Diocese of Charleston over the course of three years has prompted more acrimony and lawsuits, even after the diocese has distributed $10.3 million to class victims and their attorneys. The ongoing fallout is delaying payment to a group of victims who struck a separate deal.
   Charleston attorney Gregg Meyers, who negotiated the separate settlement with the diocese for seven clients who opted out of the class, is accusing the church of delaying payment of $1.375 million and colluding with class counsel and Diane Goodstein, the circuit court judge in Dorchester County who presided over the class-action case.
   "Apparently all counsel were colluding to move settled cases to Dorchester County to get the cases to Judge Goodstein, or to get them away from any judge who might preside in Charleston County," Meyers stated in the suit.

• Diocese seeks delay in clergy sex abuse cases

- RCC.
   Burlington Free Press By Sam Hemingway, June 26, 2008
   VERMONT -- A lawyer for the state's Roman Catholic diocese has asked a judge to delay an upcoming clergy abuse trial until the Vermont Supreme Court rules on the church's appeal of an $8.7 million jury verdict from a similar case decided in May.
   In papers filed at Chittenden County Superior Court in Burlington, diocesan attorney Kaveh Shahi said Judge Matthew Katz made errant rulings that led to the $8.7 million verdict.
   Shahi argued it would be wrong to stage another trial until questions about the earlier case are resolved.

• Lawyer expects more sex abuse victims to join class action

[MacDonald]

   The Cape Breton Post By NANCY KING, ~ June 26, 2008
   SYDNEY, CANADA –The lawyer who filed a class action lawsuit against the Diocese of Antigonish says he's been contacted by a number of people saying they're survivors of sexual abuse by priests and he knows there are others out there.
   John McKiggan filed the lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of Ronald Martin, a native of New Waterford. Martin's brother, David, killed himself in 2002, leaving behind a suicide note which led to charges of sex crimes against former priest Hugh Vincent MacDonald. Ronald Martin says he also endured abuse from MacDonald.
   The former priest was facing 27 charges when he died in 2004.

• Leaving 'Little Rome' for Braintree

- RCC.
   The Boston Globe, By Michael Paulson, June 26, 2008
   [with video]
   MASSACHUSETTS -- They said goodbye to Little Rome yesterday.
   Eighty years ago, Cardinal William H. O'Connell could look across the rural area at the western edge of the city, home to Boston College, St. John's Seminary, and St. Elizabeth's Hospital, and declare "every hilltop now for miles around gleams the sacred sign of our redemption." He saw the area as the capital of Catholic Boston, a mini-Vatican of sorts, and hence the nickname, "Little Rome."
   O'Connell built a mansion grand enough to reflect the stature of a cardinal-archbishop of Boston, a limestone office building that would house the administration for the growing Archdiocese of Boston, even a mausoleum to house his body upon his death.

• Victims of priest abuse will get 'fair treatment,' diocese says

- RCC.

   The Chronicle Herald, By CATHY VON KINTZEL, Truro Bureau 5:12 AM Thu. Jun 26, 2008
   CANADA -- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish said Wednesday it's committed to providing compassion, compensation and counselling to victims of sexual abuse and regrets the matter is the focus of a new class action lawsuit in Nova Scotia.
   "The Diocese of Antigonish acknowledges that sexual abuse did occur with certain priests, some of whom have already been criminally convicted and punished for such horrific crimes," Bishop Raymond Lahey said in a written statement.
   "The victims deserve a fair hearing and fair treatment, and they must be treated with respect and with dignity," he said.

• Former Broward priest faces two lawsuits om molestation charges

- RCC. [1980s ?+ Doherty] - 14 boys so far. [? 2000s Miami Archdiocese*] - Dismissed truth-teller Ms Gerstner.
   Sun-Sentinel, BY ANDREW BA TRAN | South Florida Sun-Sentinel June 26, 2008
   MIAMI (FL) -- Two men filed suit Wednesday against a former Broward County priest awaiting trial on sexual molestation charges, accusing him of paying them for sex with cash and toys when they were children.
   The Archdiocese of Miami knew the Rev. Neil Doherty was sexually abusing the boys in the 1980s but covered it up, according to the lawsuits filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court.
   Doherty, 65, a former pastor at St. Vincent's Catholic Church in Margate, is awaiting trial in Broward on multiple counts of sexual battery, lewd and lascivious acts and molestation in a separate case. [Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:45 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Thu June 26, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Fri June 27, 2008 edition:

• Priest Accused Of Sexual Abuse Commits Suicide

[1970s minor, Robichaud -NEW* (Oblate); 2008 suicide] - RCC. Minor.
   WBZ, ~ June 27, 2008
   DOVER-FOXCROFT, MAINE (AP) -- A Roman Catholic priest has been found dead in the rectory of a Maine church, one day after being informed of an investigation into the alleged sexual abuse of a minor nearly 30 years ago.
   Police said the Rev. James Robichaud committed suicide. …
   The allegation came to the diocese from the Oblates, a religious order of men with whom Robichaud was serving in Massachusetts. [COMMENT: "Thou shalt not kill; Thou shalt not commit adultery." ENDS.]

• Former La Crosse bishop first American to head Vatican tribunal

- RCC. Abp Burke promoted.

   The Capital Times, Associated Press 6:14 pm, June/27/2008
   ST. LOUIS (MO) -- Archbishop Raymond Burke, whose outsized personality tangled with celebrities and politicians over Catholic teaching, was named Friday as the first American to lead the Vatican supreme court. …
   Some see him as a champion of orthodoxy who represents a refreshing return to church values. Others view him as sorely lacking as a pastor, an unbending stickler for the letter of the law. His targets said he fought them using arcane, medieval church codes they could barely decipher.
   "I've been getting phone calls since 6 o'clock this morning from parishioners singing 'Ding, dong, the archbishop is gone,"' said the Rev. Marek Bozek, who, along with his parish board, were excommunicated by Burke after a long-simmering dispute over control of St. Stanislaus Kostka's assets. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 27, 2008 8:36 PM]

• ORLANDI CASE: DE PEDIS CORPSE TO BE REMOVED FROM CHURCH

- Orlandi disappearance.

   AGI News, 27 June, 2008
   ROME (AGI) -- The grave of Enrico De Pedis will not be inside Sant'Apollinare's church any more, it was announced by the family's lawyer.
   De Pedis, who was one of the main members of the 'Magliana gang', was apparently involved in the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi in 1983, and was then killed in 1990.
   In a statement made on the Italian TV channel La7 news, the lawyer Lorenzo Radogna explained that "the corpse of Enrico De Pedis will be cremated and removed from the grave in the Sant'Apollinare's church", but he did not provide any further information regarding the future place of the ashes.

• On Sex Abuse: The Pope, the Bishop and the Mexican Priest

[Decades - Maciel Degollado] - RCC. Many seminarians.

   La Prensa San Diego By Mark R. Day, June 27, 2008
   SAN DIEGO (CA) -- If Pope John Paul II fails to get on the fast track to sainthood, it could have something to do with how he handled sex abuse charges against one of Mexico's most influential priests: the late Father Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the Legionnaires of Christ.
   At least that's the opinion of retired Bishop Geoffrey Robinson of Sydney, Australia, who spoke to an overflow crowd recently at the University of California at San Diego. Robinson's talk drew considerable media attention since three local Catholic prelates forbade him from speaking in their dioceses: Bishops Robert Brom of San Diego, Tod Brown of Orange, and Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles.
   Asked why these and other bishops interdicted him, Robinson shrugged his shoulders and said, "You'll have to ask them." But a sharper response came from a nearby panelist: "He asks too many questions," piped in Dominican Father Thomas Doyle, a world renowned canon lawyer who has written extensively about the church's mishandling of sexual abuse allegations against the clergy.

• Maine priest kills self after learning of sex-abuse inquiry

[1970s minor - Robichaud* (Oblate); 2008 suicide] - RCC. Boy [sic].

   USA Today ~ June 27, 2008
   MAINE -- A priest in Maine has committed suicide a day after learning he was being investigated for sexual abuse of a boy nearly 30 years ago.
   The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland said the body of the Rev. James Robichaud was found today in the rectory of Our Lady of the Snows in Dover-Foxcroft. The diocese told The Associated Press that the cause of death was unknown, but police confirmed it was suicide.

• Maine priest facing abuse claim commits suicide

[1979 minor - Robichaud* (Oblate); 2008 suicide] - RCC. Minor.
   The Boston Globe, June 27, 2008
   DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine–A Roman Catholic priest committed suicide after he was informed that he would be suspended pending an investigation of his alleged sexual abuse of a minor 29 years ago, the Diocese of Portland said Friday.
   The body of the Rev. James Robichaud, 56, was found Friday morning in the rectory of Our Lady of the Snows in Dover-Foxcroft. He learned of the allegation the day before.
   Robichaud died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, said Sgt. Gary West of the Dover-Foxcroft police. He said an employee at the rectory found the body in a second-floor bathroom, and it was believed that the shooting took place Thursday evening. No suicide note was found, West said.

• DELAWARE: Seventh lawsuit claims abuse by priest

[DeLuca]
   The News Journal, By Beth Miller, June 27, 2008
   WILMINGTON (DE) – A seventh sexual-abuse lawsuit related to the Rev. Francis G. DeLuca was filed today against the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, this one by a 60-year-old Delaware man who says DeLuca abused him for two years starting in 1961.
   Michael Sowden filed the complaint in Kent County Superior Court against the diocese and St. John the Beloved Church, claiming they knew DeLuca was abusing boys but allowed him to continue ministering. Sowden says he was a 12-year-old altar boy at St. John the Beloved when the abuse began.
   The suit says the alleged abuse caused Sowden problems in relationships, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, flashbacks and loss of his religious faith.

• Last Week for 13 Catholic Schools

- RCC
   WHAM, ~ June 27, 2008
   ROCHESTER (NY) -- School's out forever this week at 13 Rochester-area Roman Catholic schools.
   Earlier this year, the Roman Catholic Diocese announced that they were closing the schools due to low enrollment.
   Many families fought the changes and tried to come up with alternatives, but the diocese ultimately stayed to its original plan. Different schools are planning events for Friday and this weekend.

• New superintendent of schools at Catholic Diocese of Rochester

- rcc.
   Rochester Homepage Reported by: WROC-TV, @01:20pm EST Thursday, Jun 26, 2008
   ROCHESTER (NY) -- Anne Willkens Leach has been named the new superintendent of schools for the Rochester Catholic Diocese.
   Willkens Leach will take over a school system that's gone through sweeping changes in 2008. Bishop Matthew Clark and the Diocese decided to close 13 Catholic schools in Monroe County, citing declining enrollment. Many of those schools had their final day of classes this past week.

• State Supreme Court says clergy can't flee allegations by leaving state

[1965-72 MacArthur*] - RCC. Girls in hospital +.
   New Richmond News Wheeler News Service Published Friday, June 27, 2008
   WISCONSIN -- Clergy members cannot escape old sexual abuse allegations by fleeing Wisconsin before the statute of limitations expires.
   That's what the State Supreme Court ruled Thursday in the case of Father Bruce MacArthur, 86, of St. Louis.

• Victim's group says ruling only part of solution

[1965-72 MacArthur*] - RCC. Girls in hospital +.
   Wisconsin Radio Network By Brian Moon, ~ June 27, 2008
   WISCONSIN -- The Wisconsin Supreme Court decided Thursday that clergy members cannot escape old sex abuse allegations by leaving Wisconsin before the statute of limitations expires.
   Ted Thompson, President of the National Association to Prevent Sexual Abuse of Children, says the ruling only affective addresses offenders that leave Wisconsin. He says perpetrators can still "ride the clock" by staying in state and can avoid prosecution by hiding behind the six year statute of limitation.

• Byrne Reveals Childhood Abuse

   Irish Voice, Edited by Debbie McGoldrick, June 26, 2008
   IRELAND -- GABRIEL Byrne was in Ireland last week and made the headlines big time for his advocacy of dying with dignity … and revealing for the first time that as a child, he experienced abuse at the hands of a priest.
   Byrne gave a gripping in-depth interview on Saturday to RTE Radio where he opened up about what happened to him when he was only 11 years old. The horribleness Byrne experienced, he said, didn't inflict long term damage, but it stayed with him to the point where he actually contacted the criminal cleric some years ago in a retirement home.
   "I was taken advantage of in a very vulnerable situation where I was being told the facts of life," Byrne said. "Physical boundaries were crossed, let's say."

• New vicar for Rome diocese

- RCC.

   Catholic World News Jun. 27, 2008
   VATICAN, (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI has named a new vicar for the Rome diocese, to replace the retiring Cardinal Camillo Ruini.
   Cardinal Agostino Vallini, the prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, will be the new vicar for Rome. His appointment confirms rumors that have circulated in Rome for several weeks. The Italian prelate will be replaced at the Apostolic Signatura by an American prelate, Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis.
   The son of an Italian police officer who was deported during World War II, Cardinal Vallini was ordained a priest of the Naples archdiocese in 1964, and became auxiliary bishop there in 1989.

• Catholic show of faith for Pope as worshippers decline

- RCC.

   Courier Mail, by Marcus Kuczynski, June 28, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- A GIANT altar for 500 cardinals and bishops was raised this week for what is being heralded as the biggest event in Sydney since the 2000 Olympics.
   When Pope Benedict XVI pays his first visit to Australia for World Youth Day, to be held from July 15-20, it will be an opportunity for the Catholic Church in Australia to showcase its faith and might, and also show that it can still draw a crowd - anticipated to reach close to 500,000.
   But the church's influence in Australian society is waning.
   The 2006 Census shows more than 5 million Australians claim to be Catholic, but a national count of mass attendance found the percentage of the Catholic population attending mass on a typical weekend had slid from 15.3 per cent in 2001 to 13.8 per cent in 2006.
   [COMMENT: Jesus wept. 13.8% attend weekly.]

• PRETE PEDOFILO AMERICANO TROVA RIFUGIO A VICENZA.

[Unnamed priest] - RCC. Not defrocked yet.

L'Inferno Degli Angeli, ~ June 27, 2008
ITALY -- This Italian Web site is reporting on Bill Nash of Ashfield, Mass., and his attempt to have the Pope defrock the priest he accused of sexually abusing him when he was a child. Blogger Massimiliano Frassi has been following the situation since he was contacted by Mr. Nash.

• Archbishop Burke appointed to head Vatican 'Supreme Court'

- RCC.

   Catholic News Agency, 10:50 am / Jun 27, 2008
   ST. LOUIS (MO), (CNA).- Today the Holy Father appointed Archbishop Raymond Leo Burke as prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. The archbishop, one of the leading experts of Canon law in the United States will leave the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Missouri to take up his new post in Rome near the end of August.
   The appointment came on the same day that Pope Benedict named Cardinal Agostino Vallini, current prefect of the Supreme Tribunal, as the vicar general for the Diocese of Rome - the highest diocesan administrator. The position was previously held by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, whose resignation was accepted by Benedict XVI upon reaching the age of 75. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 27, 2008 2:05 PM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Fri June 27, 2008
• What lessons can we learn from the Bethel Covenant Community? Many!

What lessons can we learn from the Bethel Covenant Community? MANY!

   Catholica Australia, www. catholica. com.au/ editorial/ 018_edit_ 280608.php , Editorial Commentary, June 28, 2008
   Last Monday the leading current affairs program on Australian national television, Four Corners, ran a disturbing documentary "The God of Broken Hearts" which examined the damage and pain caused to individuals and families by Christian Fellowship churches in Australia – an evangelical grouping amongst the Protestant churches.
[Picture] FOUR CORNERS; The God of Broken Hearts    Image: Australian Broadcasting Corporation
   The Four Corners website blurb introduces the program with these words:

"Four Corners has presented several reports dealing with emotional abuse by other church groups such as the Exclusive Brethren. Despite exposure, some groups persist in doing harm – while governments and mainstream churches are loathe to interfere. Chris Masters' compelling report asks whether some self-proclaimed houses of God really deserve the freedom and protection they are getting."

   Readers of Catholica might like to view that program online, or read the transcript as it provides uncomfortable parallels to what this editorial is about – similar allegations and controversy that surround a group in Perth Western Australia known as the Bethel Covenant Community which is Catholic and has operated with canonical status for some three decades under the supervision of the Archdiocese of Perth.
   The Four Corners website containing links to the video and the transcript can be found HERE.
   Two months ago The West Australian newspaper ( www.thewest.com.au ) published a sensational two-page investigative report on the happenings at Bethel. Unfortunately (or fortunately for the Church and those who might be deemed as having something to answer for) the report was not published on the internet. Catholica did publish the text of the article in the days following its publication but for copyright reasons we restricted it to the Members' Forum. Today we are releasing that article into the public forum. As it provides the quickest overview of the principal allegations that have been published and also a broad introduction to the Bethel Covenant Community. Here is the information we previously published privately from The West Australian newspaper for the benefit of members of Catholica. Christian chief Horgan quits amid breast-groping claims
Sex assault police called in as women list complaints
SEAN COWAN, CHIEF CRIME REPORTER EXCLUSIVE {Published: Sat 10 May 2008}
   [And it continues with the wording of the article. Two of the articles on that date were reproduced on this website in date order, May 10, 2008. Catholica's website had an article about Bethel dated May 2, 2008.]

[LESSONS: What lessons can we learn? Another lesson is NEVER to fully believe people who say they know what an invisible silent Being in the Heavens has told us, or is telling them. Anyone who is tempted to obey what religious leaders tell them, ought to check the Old Testament and the Koran first. Ask if you would like your thumbs and big toes cut off, or your head, hands and feet removed. ENDS.] http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm#what_lessons_can [June 28, 2008]
• Ex-Marist students to sue teachers

Ex-Marist students to sue teachers

   The Weekend Australian, www. theaustralian. news.com. au/story/ 0,25197, 23934555- 13881,00. html , by Ean Higgins, p 2, June 28-29, 2008
   CANBERRA – LAWYERS representing more than 30 former students of Marist College in Canberra have mounted a potentially explosive action to sue dozens of individual teachers, after the Catholic order indicated it might use a legal loophole to escape liability for alleged sexual abuse.
   Canberra firm Porter Lawyers this week filed papers in the ACT Supreme Court seeking the names of former principals, deputy principals and senior teachers who worked at the private Catholic school from 1970 to 1994. The firm claims that administrators of Marist College had knowledge of sexual abuse inflicted by some teachers, but failed to act.
   Porters Lawyers' move follows a press release issued by Brother Alexis Turton for the Marist order on Monday, the day that former Marist College teacher John William Chute, known as Brother Kostka, was jailed for two years for the sexual abuse of six students.
   "The Marist Brothers are determined to right the wrongs of the past," Brother Alexis said.
   He encouraged victims to go through the private mediation process established by the Catholic church known as Towards Healing, rather than legal action.
   He said: "What is at issue in the current actions in the ACT Supreme Court is whether it is appropriate to sue the particular legal entity named in the suit, given earlier court decisions involving other church bodies."
   Porter Lawyers principal Jason Parkinson told The Weekend Australian it was clear the order planned to rely on a NSW Court of Appeal decision known as the Ellis case in a bid to avoid legal liability. The Catholic church successfully fought the Ellis case, obtaining a judgment that priests were not agents of the church and therefore it could not be sued for their actions.
   The solicitor representing Marist Brothers, Howard Harrison, confirmed that Brother Alexis was referring to the Ellis case.
   Mr Parkinson said his firm now had no choice but to sue the senior teachers.
   Inquirer -- Page 25 #

[ACTION: Copies sent to the religious Press in Australia. ENDS.] http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm#ex_marist_students_to [June 28-29, 2008]
• Pontiff has chance to lift the church's pall of shame

Pontiff has chance to lift the church’s pall of shame

   The Weekend Australian, www. theaustralian. news.com.au/ story/0,25197, 23933517- 28737,00. html , by Ean Higgins and Nicola Berkovic, p 25, June 28-29, 2008
With the Pope due here next month, complaints of past child abuse by his Church are growing, report Ean Higgins and Nicola Berkovic
L IKE other young students at St Matthew's Catholic private school in Canberra, Tracey Schell looked up to her pastoral priest, Patrick Cusack, whose church was in the school grounds.
   "Everyone loved him, we thought he was a wonderful priest," she tells Inquirer. So, when she was nine, it seemed natural that Cusack would go to her class, ask the teacher if she could help him prepare for mass and take her to a quiet part of the church.
   But during the next couple of years, as she prepared for holy communion, there were many such encounters in which, she alleges, Cusack raped her, at least a half-dozen times. "He told me it was just a secret between the two of us," Schell says, speaking to the media for the first time. "He made me feel that I was something special."
   Cusack died in 1977, aged 49. In 1994 the Catholic archdiocese issued a press release saying, "Reports coming to light 17 years after his death that Fr Pat Cusack sexually molested children have caused widespread shock and sadness, Catholic archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn Francis Carroll said today."
   The matter of another former student who claimed to have been raped by Cusack, known only as "Maria", had been widely reported in 1993, and the church settled the matter. At least nine other former St Matthew's girls, or their parents, presented similar allegations.
   For 20 years, Schell kept to herself the secret she shared with Cusack, long in the grave. But after inner torment, psychological problems and a failed marriage, she decided she could no longer hide from her demons, and unveiled to her friends and family what she knows to have happened.
   In 2002, she complained to the Catholic Church that Cusack had sexually assaulted her and thought that, since senior church leaders had publicly acknowledged the priest was a serial child rapist, there would be no problem. Indeed, it started that way. Inquirer has obtained confidential documents that show Catholic leaders initially had no doubt she was telling the truth.
   On August 15, 2002, the church's director of professional standards, John Davoren, wrote to Carroll about Schell: "As there would seem to be little doubt about the validity of the complaint, I would recommend moving towards a facilitated meeting."
   Carroll replied: "Given Father Cusack's history, I agree with you that there would seem to be little doubt about the validity of the complaint. I will therefore see that our insurers are informed."
   But then the church brought in a former policeman, Howard Murray, to investigate Schell's claims. "Having given consideration to the information provided by Tracey as well as the information put forward by (others associated with St Matthew's), there is no indication that, on the balance of probabilities, the behaviour attributed to Fr Cusack by Tracey took place," Murray wrote.
   Murray's report claims details of Schell's account, such as being asked by Cusack to help prepare for mass, are inconsistent with what teachers describe as normal practice. It also says Schell's account relies on "recovered memory" and the reliability of such memories is "still debated in medical and psychological circles". Carroll decided to trust the view of the former cop over his original gut instincts based on Cusack's known track record.
   In March 2003, Carroll wrote to Schell, saying, "I must advise you that the judgment of the investigation is that your accusations against Fr Cusack have been found unproved and I accept that judgment."
   It is now five years on and Schell has decided that, after what she regards as abuse by an agent of the Catholic Church that destroyed a good part of her life, she is not going to let it get away with crippling her again by denying what she insists is the truth.
   "This is a man who had a history of pedophilia," she says. Schell has abandoned the preferred avenue established by the church - to privately settle abuse cases, known as Towards Healing - and is going to sue it.
   Her lawyer is Jason Parkinson, one of a number of practitioners, activists and victims who claim that despite a series of apologies from church leaders for the damage done by child sexual abuse, it is dodging legal liability.
   Parkinson, whose Canberra firm Porters Lawyers has successfully sued Catholic organisations seeking compensation for several sexually abused clients, says that for a start, Towards Healing is a sham designed to steer victims away from civil action. It is also a view held by Broken Rites, a lobbying and support group for victims of sexual abuse perpetrated in Catholic organisations. Under Towards Healing, the church deals with complaints in-house, usually providing compensation of only a few thousand dollars and some counselling in return for a confidentiality agreement and a release from legal action.
   "They say, 'We are going to compensate you, but you have to do it on our rules.' In Tracey's case, they have just tried to write her off," Parkinson says. But according to Parkinson, that is only the start of efforts by the church to avoid legal liability. The church, in the name of Archbishop of Sydney George Pell, successfully fought a case, known as the Ellis case, through the courts in which it obtained a judgment that Catholic priests were not agents of the church and therefore it could not be sued for their actions.
   According to Parkinson, Catholic organisations use any recourse to the statute of limitations to avoid liability where it can.
   The church does not deny it will use the laws of the land in determining how it approaches compensation. "Limitations in civil proceedings are set by legislation and while they cannot be waived by any party, plaintiffs can seek to persuade the courts to extend the limitation period so that their cases can be heard," a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Sydney tells Inquirer.
   "In the Ellis case, the plaintiff claimed that Trustees of the Archdiocese of Sydney, a body created by statute to manage church property, were responsible for the appointment and supervision of the priest who was alleged to have abused him.
   "The plaintiff's case failed because on the facts it was clear that the trustees did not appoint and supervise priests or have this responsibility. Whether the Ellis decision will apply in other cases will be a matter for courts to determine on the facts of each case."
   The church insists that Towards Healing is a genuine and effective avenue that avoids lengthy and expensive court cases. "Under this protocol, the archdiocese is actively committed to ensuring that victims of clerical sexual abuse are supported and assisted, usually through counselling and financial support," the spokesman says.
   It is feared the church intends to use the Ellis case as a precedent, with the news that Marist Brothers will be referring to it when it fights more than 30 civil claims brought against Marist College in Canberra, where confessed pedophile teachers abused boys.
   This has outraged some of those seeking compensation. "Tom", who asked that his real name not be used, is one of them. He was 12 and an above-average student when he started at Marist College. By Year 8, he says, he started taking drugs, and at his lowest point some years ago turned to prostitution to fund his heroin habit.
   Soon after starting high school, Tom claims he was sexually abused by two Marist teachers: John William Chute, known as Brother Kostka, who this week was jailed for two years for the sexual abuse of six students, and confessed pedophile Paul Lyons, who committed suicide eight years ago after admitting to molesting a former student.
   Now 36, Tom is unemployed and on a disability pension, living in a garage.
   "I just feel like I've been wasting my life trying to forget this," he says. "All my money, time and effort has gone on drugs just to make me sleep and forget."
   Both Kostka, who was his year patron, and Lyons, who would drive him home from school activities, were trusted confidants. It was on one of those lifts, Tom says, that Lyons drove him to a mountain and showed him pornographic images before sodomising him over the back of his car. "I remember crouching in the laundry with bloody underwear and trying to hide it so my mum couldn't see it," Tom says. Tom said when the court case first started it dredged up memories that drove him back to using again. Now on the methadone program and trying to get clean, he urges the school to do everything it can to resolve the matter quickly. "It's making me relive it all the time," he says.
   The issue of sexual abuse is a longstanding one, but as events have unfolded some cases will be in the news as Benedict XVI visits Australia in July for World Youth Day.
   Schell, for one, does not blame the Pope for her predicament, which she attributes to Catholic leaders in Australia. But she is one of many who says the opportunity is there for him to do something. "An apology for all the victims would be a nice thing," she says.
   Tom agrees. "It would make me feel better about the other victims," he says. "If I'd come forward earlier, maybe the other kids wouldn't have been in that situation."
   The archdiocese spokesman says: "We cannot be sure what the holy father may say when he joins us in July. Certainly he knows about the Australian situation and the devastation that sexual abuse causes. The apologies (that) the holy father extended to victims of abuse during his recent pastoral visit to the US show that he understands the importance of sensitively and appropriately acknowledging the crimes that were committed and the enormous toll of suffering they brought to victims and their families."
   Parkinson says there have been plenty of apologies: he wants the Pope to direct Catholic leaders and individual priests, brothers and teachers not to use the legal loopholes.
   At least one victim is going to take direct action. James Setches, who claims he was sexually abused by the Christian Brothers and the Franciscans, got a trickle of money from the Franciscans. But after The Australian publicised his case last year and he mounted daily protests at a Franciscan church in Sydney, it is understood he has extracted a settlement from the order for his full demands.
   Now he is going after the Christian Brothers. He says he will conduct a hunger strike during the Pope's visit, camped outside Pell's office. "This is a time when the Pope is going to celebrate the joy of youth in the Catholic world, and a lot of people had their youth taken away from them, and that will never come back," he says. #

   [KEYWORDS: St Matthew's Catholic school, Canberra, Fr P. Cusack, 10 girls, Mr Howard Murray investigated, Porters Lawyers law firm, Towards Healing in-house and confidentiality agreement, Ellis case, Sydney Archdiocese claims did not appoint priests, John Chute aka Brother Kostka, claimant James Setches, Christian Brothers and Franciscans, Pope's visit. ENDS.]
   [COMMENT: The writers don't seem to have mentioned that that Pope apologised five days in a row before and during his recent arrival in USA. And that the Canadian Prime Minister and four major Churches recently apologised for their cruelty and seductions of indigenous children. And that the South Australian Premier recently apologised for all mistreatment of children that the State was responsible for. For months, the Western Australian Government is advertising for victims of past policies of children in "State care". COMMENT ENDS.]
   [LINK to find Towards Healing document: www.acbc. catholic. org.au/ org/ncps/ 2007112 31131.htm ENDS.] http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/submit/subchron7.htm#pontiff_has_chance [June 28-29, 2008]
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Sat June 28, 2008 edition:

• Suspended priest found dead from gunshot wound

[1970s girl - Robichaud* (Oblate); 2008 suicide] - RCC. Girl.

   Kennebec Journal, BY MATTHEW STONE, ~ June 28, 2008
   MAINE -- A priest suspected of sexually abusing a girl in 1979 was found dead Friday morning in the Dover-Foxcroft rectory where he lived.
   Police confirmed the Rev. James P. Robichaud, 56, an Augusta native, committed suicide.
   Robichaud most recently served at St. Agnes Parish of Pittsfield and Our Lady of the Snows Parish of Dexter, Dover-Foxcroft and Milo.
   The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland had temporarily suspended Robichaud on Thursday pending an investigation into an allegation he sexually abused a girl 29 years ago, in 1979. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 28, 2008 2:06 PM]

• Going to The Woods to research my story next month

[Ray, Lupo] - RCC. Minors.
   City of Angels By Kay Ebeling, ~ June 28, 2008
   ILLINOIS -- Warming back up. I've spent a lot of time lately looking at the area of Illinois where I'm going next month after the SNAP conference to investigate my own story. The mansion is still there on Lake Street outside of Bartlett. Today, I can look straight at it on a Google satellite map. Click down you can see details, the surrounding forests, click down again, you see yes, the long driveway is still there, probably paved today.
   I expected it would all be developed now, but eerily, it's not. Lake Street appears to be a four-lane highway today. The turn off to Bartlett looks like just a little road from up here, the satellite view. Back then we joked our neighbors were sheep. There was almost nothing but farmland, and Bartlett, a train stop with a town around it.
   I did a short search at bishop accountability and discovered:
   After my perp priest left in the 1970s, a new priest, James Ray, took over as pastor until 1988 when he left to go to a parish about 20 miles due north in the tiny town of Wauconda. He was followed at St. Peter Damian Parish by Ray Lupo, who stayed pastor there until 2003.
   Lupo "resigned" and Ray was "removed from ministry," Ray in 1991, Lupo in 2001 according to the Chicago Archdiocese announcement in 2006 which began: "The following Archdiocesan priests are no longer in public ministry because an allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor has been substantiated."

• Lawsuit: Savannah Diocese ignored signs of abuse

[Wayland Brown*] - RCC. Boy.
   Savannah Morning News Dana Clark Felty | June 28, 2008
   SAVANNAH (GA) -- A former student of St. James Catholic School is accusing the Catholic Diocese of Savannah of ignoring signs that one of its priests was molesting children.
   Allan Carl Ranta Jr., 39, filed a lawsuit in the Court of Common Pleas in Jasper County, S.C., in which he says former Savannah priest Wayland Y. Brown sexually abused him more than 25 years ago.
   In April, the court denied a request by the diocese to dismiss the case, arguing that Brown at the time was working outside the scope of his ministry when he took Ranta to South Carolina.
   "We hold that the diocese is not responsible for criminal acts committed by a priest employee outside the scope of his employment, the same as any employer would not be responsible for the actions of an employee outside the scope of his employment," said diocese spokeswoman Barbara King.

• Fulton Catholic church to close

- RCC.
   The Post-Standard by Ren�e K. Gadoua, Saturday, June 28, 2008
   FULTON (NY) -- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse today made public its decision to close Holy Family/St. Michael Church in Fulton.
   That parish will merge with Immaculate Conception Church in Fulton and will be known as Holy Trinity Church.
   Parishioners were informed of the decision today in a letter from Syracuse Bishop James Moynihan, and priests were to announce the decision during Masses at both churches this weekend.

• Web lights up with commentary on Archbishop Burke leaving St. Louis

- RCC.
   St. Louis Post-Dispatch By Kurt Greenbaum ~ June 28, 2008
   ST. LOUIS (MO) -- As you might imagine, there is no shortage of opinion out on web about the departure of Archbishop Raymond Burke from St. Louis. The Talk of the Day topic we posted on STLtoday had 33 comments within 90 minutes of posting it – and it's still going strong.
   And even if Twitter is being a pain in the neck today, subscribers' comments are sneaking through. Readers found plenty to say (here's a link to my Summize search on the topic of Burke – limited to the St. Louis area).
   Most of the comments on Twitter were either announcements – or not favorable to Burke. Examples were along these lines:
   mpsecondjournal: OMG I'm so excited Archbishop Burke is leaving St Louis.. happy dance in my chair!

• Statement on Archbishop Burke's Discipline of Sister of Charity

- RCC. Sr Louise Lears expelled for taking part in ordaining 2 women.
   Zenit, JUNE 27, 2008
   ST. LOUIS, Missouri, (Zenit.org).- Here is the statement published Thursday by the Archdiocese of St. Louis regarding Archbishop Raymond Burke's canonical discipline of Sister Louis Lears, a Sister of Charity.
   The archbishop decided the case while still serving the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Today the archbishop was named the prefect of the Apostolic Signature, the supreme court of the Church.
   * * * After a canonical process of several months, Archbishop Raymond Burke has, today, decided the case of Sister Louise Lears, S.C., a member of the "pastoral team" at Saint Cronan Parish, who was accused of four delicts, all connected with her encouragement of, promotion of and participation in the attempted ordination of two women to the Sacred Priesthood at a local synagogue in November of last year.

• Archbishop Burke Disciplines Sister of Charity

   Zenit, JUNE 27, 2008
   ST. LOUIS, Missouri, (Zenit.org).- Archbishop Raymond Burke has disciplined a Sister of Charity who has promoted and participated in an attempt to ordain two women to the priesthood.
   Sister Louise Lears was accused of four delicts connected to her "encouragement of, promotion of and participation" in the attempted ordination of two women to the priesthood in November 2007.
   The decree of extra-judicial adjudication regarding the sister was published Thursday, the day before the archbishop of St. Louis was named the prefect of the Apostolic Signature, the supreme court of the Church.

• Sunday editorial: The believer

- RCC.
   St. Louis Post-Dispatch By Editorial Board, ~ June 28, 2008
   ST. LOUIS (MO) -- In his four and a half years as head of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Raymond Leo Burke became a hero to traditionalist Catholics in the United States. One conservative commentator went so far as to call him "the new John Fisher for our times," the original one having been beheaded in 1535 for his opposition to King Henry VIII's creation of the Church of England.
   Archbishop Burke has been promoted to prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, a Vatican post roughly analogous to chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The only higher legal authority in the church is the man who promoted Archbishop Burke: Pope Benedict XVI.
   The prefect's post generally guarantees elevation to cardinal, which means that Archbishop Burke, who turns 60 Monday, would be part of the conclaves that choose popes until he reaches the customary retirement age of 75.
   Although he is regarded as among the American church's most conservative bishops, it's not out of the question that Archbishop Burke could be considered papabili – papal material – himself. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI three years ago, also was regarded as among the church's most conservative theological voices.

• Victims alarmed former La Crosse Bishop will head Vatican Sex abuse trials

- RCC.
   Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, Statement by Peter Isely, SNAP Midwest Director, Milwaukee, June 27, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- The appointment today by the Vatican of the controversial Archbishop of St. Louis, Raymond Burke, and the former Bishop of the Lacrosse diocese to run, among other things, the Vatican's worldwide sex abuse court is troubling.
   Burke announced his appointment today as prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura and will be reassigned to Rome. The position is somewhat like the chief justice of a global clerical supreme court, although it has no actual civil legal authority at all, except in the Vatican state.
   Burke's abysmal track record in Wisconsin before his appointment to St. Louis four years ago is well documented. (See the link below to a lengthy investigative piece published in the River Front Times of St. Louis which also documents his poor treatment of victims and his refusal to provide restitution and counseling to those harmed.)
   Under a unique Wisconsin 1st amendment court ruling no victim of child rape by clergy can bring a civil case against a bishop or ordained official who covered up or transferred a clerical child molester. Burke, in other words, has never once had to testify under oath or release documents concerning how he handled priest sex offenders here.

• Christian chief Horgan quits amid breast-groping claims

[Bethel Community leader/s] - Roman Catholic Church.

   Catholica, The West Australian, May 10, 2008 By SEAN COWAN, CHIEF CRIME REPORTER, EXCLUSIVE, {Published: Sat 10 May 2008}
   W. AUSTRALIA -- A Perth Christian group with strong links to the Catholic Church has been rocked by allegations that its long term leader regularly groped the breasts of female members and encouraged many of them to have breast enlargement operations.
   Kevin Horgan, the brother of Catholic benefactor and Leeuwin Estate owner Denis Horgan, resigned last month after two women came forward at the Bethel Covenant Community's regular Sunday gathering to complain about his actions.
   In the following days, another six members and eight former members also complained.

• What lessons can we learn from the Bethel Covenant Community?

[Christian Fellowship Churches, Bethel Covenant Community] - Christian.

   Catholica, June 28, 2008
   W. AUSTRALIA -- Last Monday the leading current affairs program on Australian national television, Four Corners, ran a disturbing documentary "The God of Broken Hearts" which examined the damage and pain caused to individuals and families by Christian Fellowship churches in Australia – an evangelical grouping amongst the Protestant churches.
   The Four Corners website blurb introduces the program with these words:
   "Four Corners has presented several reports dealing with emotional abuse by other church groups such as the Exclusive Brethren. Despite exposure, some groups persist in doing harm – while governments and mainstream churches are loathe to interfere. Chris Masters' compelling report asks whether some self-proclaimed houses of God really deserve the freedom and protection they are getting."
   Readers of Catholica might like to view that program online, or read the transcript as it provides uncomfortable parallels to what this editorial is about – similar allegations and controversy that surround a group in Perth Western Australia known as the Bethel Convenant Community which is Catholic and has operated with canonical status for some three decades under the supervision of the Archdiocese of Perth. The Four Corners website containing links to the video and the transcript can be found HERE. Two months ago The West Australian newspaper (www.thewest.com.au) published a sensational two-page investigative report on the happenings at Bethel. Unfortunately (or fortunately for the Church and those who might be deemed as having something to answer for) the report was not published on the internet. Catholica did publish the text of the article in the days following its publication but for copyright reasons we restricted it to the Members' Forum. Today we are releasing that article into the public forum.

• Burke leaving St. Louis

- RCC.

   St. Louis Post-Dispatch, By Tim Townsend, June/28/2008
   ST. LOUIS (MO) -- Archbishop Raymond Burke may have been the most polarizing leader in the history of the Roman Catholic Church in St. Louis. With Pope Benedict XVI's announcement Friday that Burke will head the Vatican's highest judicial court, Burke also may be the most powerful Catholic alumnus St. Louis has ever seen.
   Burke – who as of 5 a.m. Friday was no longer the archbishop of St. Louis – is the first American to head the Vatican's version of the supreme court.
   The Rev. Thomas Reese, of the Woodstock Theological Institute at Georgetown University, said the appointment is evidence that Benedict continues to reach into the American hierarchy for help governing the church. [COMMENT: That's a worry! The US bishops have presided over a kind of orgy for 50 or more years, with 4% of clergy seducing children and being transferred to other parishes or even overseas. ENDS. ]

• Reaction to Burke's departure

- RC Bp Burke promoted.
   St. Louis Post-Dispatch, By Paul Hampel, Doug Moore and Jordan Wilson, June/28/2008
   ST. LOUIS (MO) -- Even the staunchest supporters of Archbishop Raymond Burke said he is divisive and controversial, but they also said Friday that it is his passion as a religious leader that matters most.
   "I respect that the archbishop stood up for what he believed in, and I'll miss him," said Helen Adam of Richmond Heights. "But I won't miss the controversy."
   Adam learned that Burke is leaving St. Louis for a high Vatican office when Monsignor John B. Shamleffer made the announcement at a noon Mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Clayton.

• Burke's tenure here was never dull

- RCC.
   St. Louis Post-Dispatch June/29/2008
   ST. LOUIS (MO) -- After breaking down in tears Friday as he announced to the press and his supporters that he was leaving for a job in Rome, Archbishop Raymond Burke asked Catholics in St. Louis to pray for him.
   He promised to remember the St. Louis archdiocese in his prayers every day for the rest of his life. "I will never, ever, lose the deep affection I have for the archdiocese of St. Louis," he said.
   Burke's relatively short tenure in St. Louis, just 4 � years, was marked by controversies.

• Maine priest facing abuse claim commits suicide

[1979, 2008 Robichaud* (Oblate)] - RCC. 2008 shoots self. 1979 boy.
   Rutland Herald, The Associated Press, June 28, 2008
   DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine – A Roman Catholic priest committed suicide after he was informed that he would be suspended pending an investigation of his alleged sexual abuse of a minor 29 years ago, the Diocese of Portland said Friday.
   The body of the Rev. James Robichaud, 56, was found Friday morning in the rectory of Our Lady of the Snows in Dover-Foxcroft. He learned of the allegation the day before. …
   The diocese said there is not enough information at this point to substantiate or dismiss the allegation. Bishop Richard Malone asked that prayers be said for all involved.

• Sins of the Brothers

[1981-89 Bro. Chute, aka Bro. Kostka (Marist)] - RCC. 2yrs prison. 6 boys.

   The Canberra Times, June/28/2008
   CANBERRA (ACT), AUSTRALIA -- It's 7.30 on a cold winter morning, and the first of Canberra's Marist College students are filtering in to the Pearce school. A 12-year-old boy makes his way towards the monastery, where the school's resident brothers live.
   The brothers' residence is strictly out of bounds to all students at all times. About 20 brothers live here at any given time in the dormitory-style accommodation. Although located on the school premises, between the secondary and primary buildings, the monastery is their home, and students are promptly ushered away if they even loiter near it.
   But this boy has special permission -- it's his job to wake up Brother Kostka Chute. Most people would use an alarm clock, but Brother Kostka prefers one of his Year 7s to greet him first thing in the morning. It seems unusual, staff think, but then Brother Kostka does have a special bond with the boys. There's nothing sinister, right?

• State overseer of child protection agency retiring

- FLDS.

   Austin American-Statesman, By Corrie MacLaggan, Saturday, June 28, 2008
   TEXAS -- The commissioner who oversaw the controversial removal of more than 400 children from an Eldorado ranch owned by a polygamous sect will retire Aug. 31, he announced Friday.
   Carey Cockerell, 61, of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, told his staff in a memo that he has been considering retirement since late last year.

• Plantiff says he wants to save Catholic Church

[MacDonald] - RCC. 2 boys.

   The Cape Breton Post, By NANCY KING, ~ June 28, 2008
   SYDNEY, CANADA – Ron Martin says he's not out to get the Catholic Church, he's out to try to save it.
   This week, Martin filed a class-action lawsuit against the Diocese of Antigonish claiming it failed to protect the children in its care when it became aware of sexual abuse by some of its priests, and also names the Roman Catholic Church and a church official.
   Martin was a 12-year-old children's choir member at St. Agnes parish in New Waterford when he claims he was abused by Rev. Hugh Vincent MacDonald. For years, the only person Martin told about the abuse was his wife. Then, in 2002, his brother David committed suicide, leaving behind a note disclosing he had also been abused by MacDonald when he was an altar server. Martin had never known about had happened to his younger brother.
   "I went through a tremendous amount of guilt because of that – I thought, what if I had said something years ago?" Martin says. "I've taken a long time to work through that guilt and now I'm not going to own that guilt. That guilt belongs to the people who were responsible for all of this.

• Episcopal assisting bishop to continue in role

[1973 + Bp Charles Bennison] - US$11.6m. 1973 onwards - Did not report brother. [≤ 1973 ?+ Rev. John Bennison] - Girl (14).

Philadelphia Inquirer June 28, 2008
PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- Episcopal Bishop Allen L. Bartlett Jr., who has been handling the liturgical and sacramental duties of the diocesan bishop during the suspension of Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr., has agreed to continue that role through the rest of the year.

• Mathews: Other ways to address alleged abuse case

   Lake County News, Written by Kelly Mathews, Saturday, 28 June 2008
   LAKEPORT (CA) -- To the St. Mary's Pastoral Advisory Council:
   First, please let me extend my deep sympathy for your suffering regarding the recent removal of Fr. Ted.
   I have read you recent letter of public support for Fr. Ted at the Lake County News Web site and your church web pages.
   Please take into consideration that somewhere in your parish community, today, right now, there is a young boy being abused. He may be a victim of sexual assault by his sitter or family friend. He may not understand what us adults are talking about but he will remember that coming forward to share his secret is pointless. No one will believe him nor support him. He has learned this because he has seen how the community supports the alleged abuser and not the victim.

• Diocese had doubts on claim

- RCC.

   Standard-Freeholder BY TREVOR PRITCHARD, ~ June 28, 2008
   CANADA -- Church officials left a 1993 meeting with serious doubts about David Silmser's sexual abuse allegations against a local Roman Catholic priest, the Cornwall Public Inquiry heard Friday.
   "We felt that some details were not given possibly because he didn't want to or that they had slipped his mind or that perhaps many things had been dreamed up," Rev. Denis Vaillancourt wrote in a September 1993 letter to the Children's Aid Society.
   Vaillancourt, the chancellor for the Alexandria-Cornwall Roman Catholic Diocese, met with Silmser and two other church officials at the diocese's Cornwall office in January 1993. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 28, 2008 7:37 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Sat June 28, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Sun June 29, 2008 edition:

• Firenze, parroco accusato di molestie: rimosso dalla chiesa

[1990s-2001 Cantini -NEW*] - RCC. Boys.

   Radionostalgia, Friday, June 27, 2008
   FIRENZE, Italia -- Nuove ombre sulla chiesa a Firenze. Secondo quanto pubblicato oggi dal quotidiano "il Firenze" dietro la rimozione di un sacerdote di una piccola frazione della provincia di Firenze, non ci sarebbero la stanchezza ne l'esaurimento nervoso ma un processo ecclesiastico, cominciato dopo che alcune famiglie hanno puntato il dito verso il prete, accusandolo di aver abusato dei loro figli, minorenni all'epoca dei fatti.
   {translation} Florence parish priest accused of sexual molestation: removed from the church
  FLORENCE, ITALY -- New clouds on the church in Florence. According to what was published today by the daily "Il Firenze", behind the removal of a priest in a little town in the province of Florence, there weren't reasons of exhaustion or nervous breakdown but an ecclesiastical process, started after some families pointed their finger against the priest, accusing him of having sexually abused their children, who were minors when the facts occurred.
   A few months after the scandal related to the Rev. Cantini, in this case, too, those boys are now adults. And only now they found the courage to report their being victims of sexual violence on the part of that parish priest. The molestation date back to the beginning of the 90's - when the parish priest, now over fifty years of age, had just taken the orders as a priest - and the end of 2001, when he was transferred to another church, where he remained until a few weeks ago.
   According to the daily newspaper of the Epolis group " one of the parents reported those facts to the local superiors of the diocese, after he came to know "casually" what his son had to suffer. The "father-courage" looked for and also found the support of other families of the town in order to denounce the facts to the magistrates. An charge which hasn't been formalized, yet.

!!!: Exclusive: Love-cheat priest Joseph Creegan sues church for unfair dismissal

[18yrs Mons. Creegan -NEW*] - RCC. Mistress (married).

   Glasgow Sunday Mail, By Charles Lavery, Jun 29 2008
   SCOTLAND -- A MONSIGNOR sacked after having an affair has stunned the Catholic Church by bringing a landmark action against them - for unfair dismissal.
   Joseph Creegan, whose married mistress confessed to their 18-year fling, has rocked the Vatican by seeking cash for lost wages through an employment tribunal.
   Lawyers for the church are set to argue that Creegan did not work for them…but for God.
   A senior priest and expert in canon law insisted last night: "His relationship is with God, he is a servant of God, not of the diocese or the bishop."
   [COMMENT: "Working for God" is a legal ploy that has been tried elsewhere in the world. It isn't likely to work. ENDS.]

• Disgraced minister appeared to have it all

[2008 Fellenbaum -NEW*] - Baptist. Drunken kiss, hug, and incapacity.

   New Haven Register, [with links to the video], ~ June 29, 2008
   NEW HAVEN (CT) -- The Rev. L. Kenneth Fellenbaum seemed to be living the American dream.
   He has a loving family, and was one of the most respected people in the community. He left an indelible mark on thousands of residents in his 21 years behind the pulpit as the pastor at Grace Baptist Church. …
   Then, in one booze-soaked, lurid night on the town, he jeopardized it all.
   One night in May, at the Stonebridge Restaurant in downtown Milford, video cameras caught Fellenbaum kissing and hugging a young woman, who was not his wife, in public view. A police officer reported Fellenbaum was so intoxicated that he vomited on him. The officer said he stopped Fellenbaum from getting into a car and drove him home. Fellenbaum was not arrested and Police Chief Keith Mello said his actions were not criminal.

• Abusers found on Southern Baptist Convention Web site

- Baptists still "enabling" seducers.
   Memphis Commercial Appeal, By Lindsay Melvin, Sunday, June 29, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention have condemned sexual predators and are urging churches to flush out molesters using federal background checks.
   But a simple search on the convention's Web site shows they have yet to purge their own house of predators.
   SBC's MinisterSearch, a Web database for finding clergy members, contains the names of pastors both indicted and convicted of sexual abuse.

• Five Closing Churches Celebrate Last Mass

- RCC.
   TheBostonChannel, [with video], ~ June 29, 2008
   WORCESTER, Mass. -- Five Worcester churches held their last Mass on Sunday, forced to close their doors because of low attendance and few sacraments.
   NewsCenter 5's Lynn Jolicoeur reported that the closings of St. Margaret Mary, St. Casimir, Ascension, Holy Name of Jesus and Notre Dame des Canadiens follow a five-year review from the Diocese and parish focus groups. …
   The Diocese of Worcester is predicting more closings and consolidations over the next couple of years. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 29, 2008 8:13 PM]

• Caso Orlandi, il cardinal Bertone attacca: �Il classico scandalo estivo creato ad arte�

- Orlandi disappearance.

   Corriere della Sera, ~ June 29, 2008
   ROMA, Italia -- Il �classico caso di scandalo estivo creato ad arte per catturare l'attenzione dei lettori gi� distratti dalle vacanze. Speriamo sia l'ultimo�. � questa l�'impressione� che il cardinale Tarcisio Bertone, segretario di Stato vaticano, ha tratto dal ritorno alle cronache del caso di Emanuela Orlandi, la ragazza scomparsa nel 1983, e dal grande spazio dato dalla stampa alle presunte rivelazioni della ex amante di De Pedis.
   {translation} THE HOLY SEE IS CLOSE TO THE FAMILY OF THE GIRL DISAPPEARED IN 1983
   Case Orlandi, the Cardinal Bertone attacks: �The classic summer scandal created artfully"
   The Vatican Secretary of State: " We wish the magistrates will bring light to what happened to Emanuela"
   ROME, Italy -- The "classic summer scandal artfully created to capture the attention of the readers already distracted by the vacations. I hope it will be the last one". That's the "impression" that Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, took by the return to the chronicles of the Emanuela Orlandi's case, the girl disappeared in 1983, and from the large space given by the press to the alleged revelations of the former lover of De Pedis.
   �BRING LIGHT TO WHAT HAPPENED TO EMANUELA" - In an interview to Avvenire (the Italian bishops' newspaper) published on Sunday, Cardinal Bertone thanked the daily newspaper for " the punctual comment about the Orlandi case and in the defense of the memory of the sacerdotal figure of archbishop Paul Casimir Marcinkus", confirming above all the closeness of the Holy See to the Orlandi family with which, the Cardinal reveals, "we share the wish the magistrates can do all is in their power to know what happened to the beloved Emanuela".

• Caso Orlandi, Bertone: "Scandalo estivo creato ad arte"

- Orlandi disappearance.
   Adnkronos, 29 giu., 2008
   ROMA, Italia (Adnkronos/Ign) -- "La Santa Sede ha gi� fatto conoscere in modo chiaro la propria posizione: condividiamo il desiderio che la magistratura faccia quanto in suo potere per conoscere la sorte della amata Emanuela". Lo afferma in merito al caso Orlandi il card. Tarcisio Bertone, segretario di Stato Vaticano, in un'intervista ad "Avvenire".
   Per Bertone "l'impressione � che si tratti del classico caso di scandalo estivo creato ad arte per catturare l'attenzione dei lettori gi� distratti dalle vacanze. Speriamo sia l'ultimo".
   {translation} June 29, 2008 -- The brother: "Wojtyla said to us it all was about international terrorism"
   Case Orlandi, Bertone: "Summer scandal created artfully"
   The comment of the Vatican Secretary of State on the "Avvenire": "They only want to capture the attention of the readers distracted by the vacations". Then he says the Holy See shares the wish of the magistrates to bring light to that episode"
   ROME, Italy, (Adnkronos/Ign) - "The Holy See already made clear its stance: we share the wish the magistrates will do all possible to know what happened to the beloved Emanuela". That's the statement related to the Orlandi's case made by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, in an interview to " Avvenire" (the daily newspaper of the Italian bishops).
   According to Bertone " the impression is that all is about the classic summer scandal artfully created in order to capture the attention of readers already distracted by the vacations. We hope it's the last one".
   Meanwhile, Emanuela Orlandi's brother, during the Raiuno TV show 'Saturday & Sunday summer', affirms the answer to the story of her disappearance must be searched "in a scheme between an international plot and the action of the Magliana gang "making it clear he never forgot the words of pope John Paul II, who, on Christmas 1983, during a visit to our family, spoke to us about the disappearance of Emanuela as a case of international terrorism".
   According to judge Ferdinando Imposimato, a guest in the same TV show, "the international plot explaining the Emanuela Orlandi 's case is founded upon objective data, for the messages sent by the kidnappers to the Vatican, since July 5, 1983 and for at least six months in order to blackmail the Pope, were accompanied by uncontroversial documentation".
   Among the "uncontroversial" data, Imposimato cites "the card of Emauela Orlandi's enrollment to the Saint Apollinaire's Pontifical Conservatory, a receipt for the money given for the enrollment, which the girl held in her bag when she disappeared, the cassette recorder with Emanuela's registered voice found in the Parliament square according to the indication of the kidnappers. Finally, the descriptions of Emanuela's physical characteristics given by the kidnappers, like six moles she had on her back, which only those who had captured her could know about. Well - the judge concludes - almost all the messages were sent from different parts of the world: Phoenix and Boston in USA, Germany, Switzerland, Turkey and imply an international organization with branches in every part of the world, which badly matches with the local dimensions of the Roman Magliana gang".
   According to Imposimato, instead, "the alleged prison in the Gianicolense quarter is disproved by the fact that Danilo Abbruciati, who allegedly trusted Emanuela Orlandi in the hands of Daniela Mobili for her custody, died in 1982: that's one year and half before the kidnapping of Orlandi".

• Hopes of papal apology over sex abuse

- Card. Pell speaks.

   The Australian, by Ean Higgins | for June 30, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- THE most senior Catholic leader in Australia said yesterday he would welcome an apology by the Pope to victims of child sexual abuse perpetrated in church agencies.
   The Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, said in a television interview that "if the Pope chose to do that, it would probably be a welcome contribution" at World Youth Day in Sydney next month.
   "The Pope I think handled that issue particularly well in the US," Cardinal Pell told the Sky News Sunday Agenda program.
   "What he says is his business, but I would hope the whole issue will be dealt with appropriately. It's a significant issue."

• Carboni: quella donna mente Mi tirano in ballo perch� fa effetto

- Orlandi disappearance.

   Corriere della Sera di Giovanni Bianconi, June 28, 2008
   ROMA, Italia - �Faccendiere… Ma perch� continuate a chiamarmi cos�? Io ero e sono un imprenditore, un immobiliarista�, protesta Flavio Carboni, dopo che il suo nome � tornato ad alimentare le cronache sui misteri di 25 anni fa, con l'intreccio tra la morte del banchiere Roberto Calvi e la scomparsa di Emanuela Orlandi. Nonostante l'assoluzione nel processo di primo grado per l'omicidio Calvi.
   {translation} The interview " I never knew Marcinkus. And don't call me faccendiere (trafficker)"
Carboni: that woman lies
   They bring up my name because it stirs curiosity
   "Marcinkus was the Vatican's side hostile to Calvi, for that he wasn't useful. The "gang of the Magliana? Never heard of it"
   ROME, ITALY - �Trafficker… Why are continuing to call me that way? I was and I am an entrepreneur, a real estate dealer", Flavio Carboni protests, after his name came back to feed the chronicles on the mysteries of 25 years ago, with the plot between the death of the banker Roberto Calvi and the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi. That notwithstanding his acquittal in the first degree trial for the Calvi homicide.
   All right Doctor Carboni. Then, you, as an entrepreneur, have you ever known Ms. Sabrina Minardi?
   �No, I don't remember of that�.
   Yet the witness says she was at dinner in your home, where she met Calvi and monsignor Marcinkus.
   �The fact is I never met monsignor Marcinkus. Other prelates and cardinals did, Palazzini, Oddi, Angelo Rossi and others, but Marcinkus, no. Neither he nor Mennini".
   That means neither the president nor the administrator of IOR (the Vatican bank). Isn't that strange for a person who was a mediator between the Vatican bank and Calvi?
   �No, because Marcinkus and Mennini were hostile to Calvi and for that there was no reason to have to do with them. I was in contact with other people. However I tell you Ms. Minardi lies, for even Calvi never came to my home. I know she says in addition to that that Calvi lent her a plane to go to Paris, but Calvi had no plane, he used mine".
   And about Enrico De Pedis, who was Minardi's companion? Have you never seen him, too?
   �Never. For me the Magliana was only a Rome neighborhood, I never knew anything about that infamous gang".
   Yet you knew Domenico Balducci, assassinated by the Magliana gang. And Pippo Calo', the mafia man who was in contact with the Roman gangsters.
   �I knew Pippo Calo' under the name of Mario Aglialoro, and to inform me that behind that name was hidden a mafia boss from Palermo was judge Imposimato. I only made a transaction with him, about which all was clarified. If Calo' made businesses with Balducci, what haveI to do with that? For me Balducci was an entrepreneur who did things which in that period weren't considered as crimes. He had relationships with senators and other personalities, he even presented the vice-chief of the police in Rome to me. I have no idea why they killed him".
   There is someone who explained that with an anology with the Calvi homicide: a punishment for money to be laundered and then to be invested but which was never given back.
   �You speak about a Calvi homicide, but for me it remains a suicide, one thousand per thousand. If ever a person had good reasons to commit suicide, that day Calvi had all of them, unfortunately".
   The ruling which acquitted you and the other defendants confirms it was also a homicide.
   �Because it's based upon some technical findings which are contradicted by other ones, including the one I deem to be the most founded and that certifies the suicide. In any case I don't understand why the mafia had to go as far as London to kill Calvi. There are a lot absurdities, which have been persecuting me for 25 years".
   The answers to your statements are in the papers of the trial held recently and in those which will be held afterwards . Including the last investigation which includes the kidnapping of Emanuela Orlandi in the plot which brought to the death of Calvi, as the banker's son assumes. What do you think about that disappearance?
   �I don't know what to say. I imagine it could have been a revenge against the Vatican for Pope John Paul II's support to the battle against the Soviet communism, at the same level of the assassination attempt of the Pope and the same scandal of the Vatican bank. I don't know what to say. In all cases Calvi's son was considered by his father as brainless and I don't know anything of the hypothesis that Orlandi could have been kidnapped by mistake, instead of that Mr. Gugel's daughter".
   But isn't there in your companies a partner called Rita Gugel?
   �I haven't the faintest remembrance of that name".
   What kind of life the entrepreneur Flavio Carboni is leading now?
   �I'm trying to go back to my world, in the real estate market. But I don't know (he says that laughing) neither Ricucci nor Coppola, nor other belonging to that group of people, otherwise they would have arrested me again. I never saw Pazienza again, who according to me is a victim, too, nor Berlusconi, even if I sold him my villa in Sardinia and sometimes I happen to go to Portofino, where he owns another home. I lead a secluded life, even after 25 years of fantasies about my name there is still someone who accuses me without ever having known me. Evidently I still seem to stir some interest".

• SACERDOTE ACCUSATO DI PEDOFILIA A CASTEL RITALDI, LA VICENDA FINISCE IN TRIBUNALE

- RCC. Girls.
   TuttOggi 17:35, June/26/2008
   Spoleto, Italia -- La notizia a suo tempo fece molto scalpore. Ora saranno i giudici del tribunale di Spoleto a capire quanto c'� di vero nella delicata vicenda che vede imputato un sacerdote spoletino - ora allontanato dalla parrocchia che reggeva fino a non molto tempo fa - con l'accusa di pedofilia. La vicenda risale ad un paio di anni fa, quando quattro bambine di Castel Ritaldi confidarono ai genitori di aver ricevuto delle attenzioni molto particolari dal loro parroco.Da qui la denuncia che vede imputato il sacerdote per violenza sessuale su minori di 14 anni.
   {translation} PRIEST ACCUSED OF PEDOPHILIA AT CASTEL RITALDI, ALL ENDS BEFORE THE TRIBUNAL
   Today the opening of the trial after the charges made by four girls who frequented the parish
   June/26/2008
   Spoleto, Italy -- The news made then much clamor. Now it's up to the judges of the Spoleto tribunal to understand what is in the delicate story of a priest from Spoleto - now suspended from the parish he ran until not long ago - accused of pedophilia. The facts happened a few years ago, when four girls at Castel Ritaldi (a small town in the Spoleto province) confided to their parents they received very special attention from their parish priest.
   Hence the accusation against the priest for committing sexual violence upon minors under the age of 14 years. Today, at the opening of the trial, they'll begin to reconstruct the facts. According to the charges made in the past by the girls, the priest allegedly touched and squeezed their bodies. One of the episodes even occurred on Christmas Eve. During this very delicate trial, which was put off until next February, first must be ascertained the foundation of the charges made by the girls.

• TOMB CLUE TO KIDNAP

- Emanuela Orlandi's disappearance.
   Sunday Express (United Kingdom), By Nick Pisa, Sunday June 29,2008
   ROME -- A GANGSTER'S body is to be exhumed in the latest chapter of 25-year-old Vatican mystery.
   Enrico De Pedis was shot by his own gang in 1990. His former lover Sabrina Minardi has claimed that Vatican bank chief Paul Marcinkus ordered De Pedis to kidnap schoolgirl Emanuela Orlandi, 15, in 1983.
   Two years ago a caller to an Italian TV programme said the mystery would be solved if the De Pedis tomb in Rome was opened.
   There has been speculation that Miss Orlandi's body may have been hidden there.
   The daughter of a Vatican employee, she was kidnapped two years after a failed attempt to assassinate Pope John Paul II to which Marcinkus was linked.

• Bishop Burke moves to Vatican position

   Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests June 27, 2008
   ST. LOUIS (MO) -- Once again, the actions and words of the Catholic hierarchy don't match.
   On his recent US trip, the Pope sounded compassionate about the clergy sex abuse crisis. Yet two months later, he promotes an archbishop who deals with the crisis in reckless, callous, and secretive ways.
   Under Burke, dozens of proven, admitted, and credibly accused predator priests have been welcomed here. Some are living in church facilities, some aren't. None, in our view, receive adequate supervision. In virtually no case did Burke live up to his promises of being "open and transparent" by notifying parishioners or the public about these dangerous and potentially dangerous criminals.

• Final chimes

- Lithuanian group's farewell.

   Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA), By Bronislaus B. Kush, bkush@telegram.com , June 29, 2008
   WORCESTER (MA) – About 80 members of St. Casimir Church - some wearing colorful native garb, some waving yellow, green and red Lithuanian flags - prayed, sang, and offered words of encouragement to each other during a somber vigil held yesterday afternoon to protest the Diocese of Worcester's decision to close the 114-year-old parish.
   St. Casimir, which was founded by Lithuanian immigrants and still largely caters to those of Lithuanian descent, is one of five city parishes that will be officially closed Tuesday because of a number of factors including a shortage of diocesan priests, the flight of Central Massachusetts Roman Catholics to the suburbs and dwindling financial resources.
   Some parishioners, many of them members of Friends of St. Casimir, have vowed to fight the church closing. …
   At least six members of St. Casimir Church in Brockton showed up at the protest. That church will be closed tomorrow by the Archdiocese of Boston.

• Man sues diocese for possession of exorcism recordings

- RCC and removal of invisible spirit/s.
   The Post and Courier By Adam Parker Sunday, June 29, 2008
   [with link to the official 1999 rite of exorcism]
   CHARLESTON (SC) -- When the man prayed, his hand twitched.
   Concerned, the man sought the advice of a priest, who diagnosed him with being possessed by an evil spirit, perhaps the devil.
   An exorcism, the priest advised, was the only solution. It was taped. And now the man wants the "tape(s)" and for no one to see it.
   The account is detailed in a lawsuit filed last month in the Charleston County Court of Common Pleas.
   The man, called J. Doe in the suit so that his identity is protected, alleges that his privacy was invaded when the exorcism was filmed by officials of the Catholic Diocese of Charleston.

• Pell backs sex abuse apology

- RCC.

   NEWS.com.au , 03:06pm, June 29, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- SYDNEY Catholic Archbishop George Pell has left the door open for the Pope to apologise to Australians who have been sexually and physically abused by Catholic clergy.
   Cardinal Pell said would support an apology from Pope Benedict XVI when he visits Australia for World Youth Day (WYD) next month, but is not expecting him to do so.
   The Pope apologised to American abuse victims on a visit there in April.
   "I'm not expecting him to make any dramatic statements. He is a wonderful teacher and he will give Catholics here plenty to think about," Cardinal Pell said in an interview with Sky News.

• Levine's love of the law thriving

- RCC.

   Allbany Times Union By PAUL GRONDAHL, Sunday, June 29, 2008
   NISKAYUNA (NY) -- He's regarded as having been one of the most judicious of judges, guided by common sense, fairness and a calm demeanor. …
   He recently headed an independent mediation program that settled claims against the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese by victims of clergy sexual abuse.
   "Judge Levine's credentials and credibility gave the program instant recognition and he worked from a deep sense of justice rooted in his Jewish faith," said Bishop Howard Hubbard, who knew Levine as a Family Court judge in the 1970s when they worked together to develop drug treatment programs.

• CHURCH ABUSE: Convicted priest accused of abuse in 6th lawsuit

[DeLuca] - RCC.
   The Daily Times June 28, 2008
   WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) – A sixth person has filed a child sexual abuse lawsuit against the Reverend Francis DeLuca, a Catholic priest who has already been convicted of molestation.
   Sixty-year-old Michael Sowden claims he was abused by DeLuca in 1961 and 1962, when he was 12 and 13 years old. Sowden was an altar boy at St. John the Beloved when he claims DeLuca abused him on church-sponsored trips. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 29, 2008 7:39 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Sun June 29, 2008
Abuse Chronology: http://www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/ethcont149.htm
For good teachings to be heeded, a big clean-up is needed.

#### Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker, www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker , Mon June 30, 2008 edition:

• Pedofilia, abusi nell'oratorio Sacerdote arrestato a Roma

[1998-2008 Fr "R.C." -NEW*] - RCC. 7 children.

   La Repubblica, June 30, 2008
   ROMA, Italia -- Approfittava del suo abito talare per abusare dei bambini che frequentavano l'oratorio o i campi estivi. E' finito in carcere l'ex parroco della Nativit� di Maria Santissima a Roma. Cinquantacinque anni, R.C. � stato arrestato con l'accusa di aver violentato almeno sette bambini negli ultimi dieci anni, tra il '98 e il marzo scorso. All'epoca dei fatti le vittime erano minorenni, provenienti da famiglie povere e disagiate. In precedenza, l'ex parroco era stato sospeso un mese dal suo incarico dopo che alcune voci avevano svelato le sue tendenze pedofile. L'indagine � partita dalla denuncia di un altro prete.
   {translation} ROME -- The former parish priest of a church in the Capital, arrested with the charge of pedophilia. Seven victims accused him. Violences also in the mountain summer camps. Pedophilia, abuses in the oratory. A priest arrested in Rome
   ROME – He profited from his clerical robe to abuse the children who frequented the oratory or the summer camps. The former parish priest of the church Nativita' di Maria Santissima in Rome ended up in jail
   R.C., 50-year-old, was arrested with the charge of having raped at least seven children in the past ten years, in the period between '98 and last March. When the alleged incidents occurred the victims were all minors, belonging to poor and disadvantaged families. Previously, the former parish priest had been suspended from his activity after some rumors were spread about his pedophile tendencies. The investigation started after he was accused by another priest.
   Seven are the accusers but the investigators are afraid that there are many more raped children. The priest chose them among those who frequented catechism classes, inviting them in his home, in the apartment house abutting the church "to eat something together" or to tutor them. But he wasn't the friendly and jovial chap he pretended to be. When he was alone with the scared boys, often with a fragile personality, he abused them and then "repaid" them with some money, a CD or a colored T-shirt.
   The victims, now between 16 and 24 years old, recall that before being raped he also forced them to watch some pornographic movies. Perhaps they are the same movies the police found in the priest's home before arresting him.
   There are also some victims who accused him of abusing them in the mountain summer camps organized by the parish. The news about the arrest of the former parish priest wasn't a surprise in that neighborhood because many were those who knew. The priest had already been suspended from his activity because among the faithful word was spread about his non-confessable attraction towards the children.

• Church Members Concerned About What Pastor Is Doing With Money

[- 2008 Transeau -NEW*] - Baptist. Money.

   WFTV, ~ June 30, 2008
   VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA -- Members of a Volusia County church say they are concerned about what their pastor, who has a criminal past, is doing with the church's money.
   Laura Jarvi said she rarely missed a service at the Bethel Baptist Church until she found unpaid electric bills. She said she asked Pastor David Transeau where the roughly $3,500 he collected every month was going.
   That's when, Jarvi told Eyewitness News, he suddenly took issue with the fact she was living with a man out of wedlock and asked both to leave the congregation.

• Fraud arrest kills off Anne Hathaway's Hollywood romance

[? 2000s Mons. Hodge -NEW*] - Mr Follieri had RC churches on his mind.

   The Times (United Kingdom), Tony Allen-Mills in New York, ~ June 30, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- It should have been a highlight of Anne Hathaway's increasingly impressive Hollywood career. Her new film, Get Smart, shot to the top of the US box office rankings last weekend. The 25-year-old actress gaily proclaimed in a magazine interview that she was happy as a clam and house-hunting with her Italian boyfriend, Raffaello Follieri. "I enjoy living with him so much," she gushed.
   By Wednesday the romance was over, Follieri was in a New York jail and the star of such films as The Devil Wears Prada and The Princess Diaries was struggling to avoid the celebrity limelight that only a few days earlier she had been assiduously courting. …
   It all started with sex, although not the kind that is usually portrayed in Hollywood blockbusters. A flood of lawsuits claiming sexual abuse by American priests forced Catholic authorities in America to consider selling off part of their extensive property holdings to finance multi-million-dollar settlements.
   Follieri arrived in New York in 2003 claiming to have extensive contacts with Vatican officials who would help him to purchase redevelopment properties at favourable prices. According to an 18-page criminal complaint filed by New York prosecutors last week, Follieri at one point claimed to be the Vatican's "chief financial officer", a position that does not exist.

• Parroco accusato da tre donne di violenza

[Unnamed priest -NEW*] - RCC. Allegedly asked for sex for residency help. 3 women.

   Gazzetta di Mantova, 26 June 2008
   ITALIA -- Pretendeva favori sessuali in cambio di aiuti per ottenere il permesso di soggiorno. E' la pesante accusa di tre donne straniere rivolta ad un sacerdote di una parrocchia del centro storico cittadino, finito sul registro degli indagati con l'accusa di violenza sessuale e falso.
   {translation} ITALY: Parish priest accused of sexual violence by three women.
   He asked for sexual favors in exchange of help to get the residency permits.
   That's the grave allegation made by three foreign women against a priest of a parish situated in the historical center of the city, which brought to an investigation for sexual violence and false documentation.
   Now the investigation is over and in a few days there could be the indictment. Before that, the parish priest - through his lawyers - requested to be interrogated by the prosecutor. That will take place within the next week and it will be conducted by the same prosecutor who started the procedure about the scabrous story, after having followed step-by-step the investigation following the charges made by the three alleged victims of blackmail.
   The priest decided to go to the magistrate in order to clarify the story and give some answers to those terrible allegations made by the three undocumented foreign women, who came to Mantua after a harsh life full of difficulties and sacrifices, in the quest for a more acceptable and tranquil future.
   They were those who went to the police to accuse the priest for the alleged requests he made in exchange for his help, which would have been a decisive one, for it would have allowed them to start a new life.
   According to what they reported, the priest asked for sexual favors in exchange of his involvement in getting the necessary documents - as it was said before - to reside in our country and found a place to live in, a job, which would have allowed them to lead a normal life. Was that a blackmail accepted by the victims? Or did they refuse because they deemed it unacceptable? Or did they invent the story as a revenge for the fact the priest didn't keep the promises ?
   Just to these questions the priest could give an answer, clarifications, to the prosecutor, who, as it was said before, is going to indict him for committing two crimes: sexual violence and falsity. The latter allegation could be due to the fact he had reported to the police the women intended to leave a prostitution ring.
   The story seems to have started a few years ago, soon after followed by the investigations ordered by the Prosecutor, which have just ended. The parish priest was duly informed of that and now, before being indicted, he asked to be interrogated in order to give an answer to the three women's allegations.

• THE PRIEST WHO 'PREYED'

[? 2000s Mons. Hodge*] - Mr Follieri had RC churches on his mind.

   New York Post, June 30, 2008
   ATLANTIC CITY (NJ) -- An Atlantic City pastor was one of two Catholic monsignors hired by accused con artist Raffaello Follieri, allegedly to dupe real-estate investors into thinking he had close Vatican connections, The Post has learned.
   Monsignor William Hodge, of St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church, was paid with money Follieri obtained from billionaire Ron Burkle, whom Follieri was accused of defrauding to fund his jet-set lifestyle with his then-girlfriend, "Get Smart" actress Anne Hathaway, sources said.
   It is not known whether Hodge, a pastor for 10 years, was the same monsignor whom Follieri, according to the criminal complaint, asked to put on the robe of "a more senior clergyman" to create the illusion of having top-level church ties.
   Hodge - who has not been charged - has known Follieri since at least 2006, when the Italian national was trying to buy a long-closed Catholic school in Atlantic City.

• Venezuela priests open pro-Chavez church

- Reformist Catholic Church preaching socialism and the RC gospel.

   The Associated Press, By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER, ~ June 30, 2008
   CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – A fledgling church that openly backs President Hugo Chavez is raising the ire of Venezuela's Roman Catholic hierarchy, preaching the Gospel alongside socialism.
   Founders of the newly created Reformist Catholic Church of Venezuela, based in the western city of Ciudad Ojeda, say that supporting Chavez's socialist ideals goes hand-in-hand with Christian aims of helping the poor. …
   A group of dissident Catholic priests, Lutherans, and Anglicans quietly formed the church several years ago, but its first three bishops were sworn in last weekend, Albornoz said. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 30, 2008 6:45 PM]

• From Justice Denied: What happened in Ohio 2005 when lawmakers were about to pass SOL reform? And why would bishops even buy sex abuse insurance?

- RCC. BOOK Justice Denied. Behind-the-scenes?

   City of Angels By Kay Ebeling, ~ June 30, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- Reading JUSTICE DENIED, I have to stop and copy this here with permission of Author Marci Hamilton.
   It's in Chapter Six, page 80, "The Ohio Sleight-Of-Hand." Someone in a position of authority over Ohio Republican lawmakers as well as Roman Catholic hierarchy needs to investigate. Who else can we go to but our federal legislators?
   What happened in Ohio when legislators were about to pass a law opening a window to eliminate the statute of limitations on child sex crimes in the fall of 2005? What happened overnight in closed door meetings that caused the bill to turn into something entirely different?
   Behind closed doors, in secret meetings? This is America, not Louisiana under Huey Long.
   As described in Hamilton's book quotes below, Catholic lobbyists at least crossed lines of ethics, if not into criminal activity, in Ohio in 2005, and considering the offender is a tax exempt church, the level of amorality and influence peddling is astounding. When people work hard to get to their state capital and testify, they expect the democratic process.

• Georgia Sex Offenders Will Not Be Allowed To Volunteer At Church

- Sex offenders want rights.
   Huliq, ~ June 30, 2008
   GEORGIA -- Sex offenders are suing in Georgia for the right to help out at church. The Southern Center for Human Rights based in Atlanta filed a lawsuit on Tuesday on behalf of 15,400 sex offenders on Georgia's state registry.
   Georgia has some of the toughest sex offender statutes in the United States. The group is hoping to stop one more measure that is set to be placed on July 1, 2008.
   That new provision will make it illegal for those convicted of sexual crimes to volunteer at church. That means they will not be allowed to prepare for events, cook meals at a church kitchen or even sing in adult choirs. If a sex offender breaks the laws they face a prison term of 10 to 30 years. The laws are in place to keep children safe says sponsors of it.

• Archbishop deplores founding of false Reformed Catholic Church in Venezuela

- Former RCC clergy forming new Church.

   Catholic News Agency, ~ June 30, 2008
   CARACAS, VENEZUELA , Jun 30, 2008 / 12:35 pm (CNA).- Archbishop Roberto Luckert of Coro and vice president of the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference deplored the founding of the self-proclaimed "Reformed Catholic Church," whose leaders have aligned themselves publicly with "Bolivarian Socialism" and are receiving financial backing from the government of Hugo Chavez. …
   "The supposed bishop they are going to ordain on July 29 was scandalously living with a woman and her children outside of marriage. His name is Jon Jen Shu Garcia, and he's a young solider of the National Guard who belongs to the military chaplaincy. The other leader is a former priest who left the priesthood some time ago and married, and during an interview in Panama he said that his vocation was conquered by love. We are dealing with two priests who have resigned."
   [COMMENT: Let us remember that St Paul had been a Pharisee student of Gamaliel in Judaism, yet went off to form a new faith. Dr Martin Luther was also a clergyman of the RCC, yet finding it irreformable, a new religion came into being. In this Venezuelan case, allowing the normal rights of marriage might have kept these two RCC clergy inside that Church.]

• Il prete cacciato dagli Usa celebra la messa a Vicenza

[1980s Tully* (Xaverian)] - RCC. Seminarian.

   Il Vicenza, www.il vicenza.it , ~ June 30, 2008
   [ITALY -- An Italian newspaper published an extensive article today regarding the Rev. James Tully, who now lives in Vicenza, Italy. William Nash of Ashfield, Mass., is asking that the Vatican defrock the priest who he accused of molesting him as a minor.
   [The Italian-language newspaper can be downloaded in pdf format. The story, which features a recent photograph of Father Tully in Italy, is on page 18.]

• Celibate equals sexless equals an unholy mess

- RC Bp Geoff Robinson blames last Pope.

   Sydney Morning Herald (AUSTRALIA), by Robert Blair Kaiser, for July 1, 2008
   UNITED STATES -- Barnstorming his way across America, the Sydney Bishop Geoffrey Robinson sounded at times like Martin Luther. "Here I stand," he told an audience in Seattle. "I can do no other." He said he knew he was quoting Luther, then announced with a twinkle in his eye to the overflowing crowd, "I am no Martin Luther."
   Indeed, in manner, he is no firebrand. In a 15-city speaking tour before audiences clamouring to hear more about his bestseller, Confronting Power And Sex In The Catholic Church, Robinson spoke in a soft Cambridge accent; a tall handsome man in a grey suit and a Roman collar who was often honest enough to answer questions with "I don't know".
   But the change-oriented Catholics who crowded into Robinson's talks applauded him for his bluntness. Months ago, Robinson had told an audience in Australia, "John Paul II could have stopped this scandal, and he did nothing." For this he was accused of heresy by a ranking cardinal in Rome and told to scrap his US tour. He came anyway, with a speech in his pocket that blamed the last Pope for contributing to the sex scandal that has shaken the church as seismically as Luther shook it more than 500 years ago.

• St. Henry's Catholic Church meeting to be held Monday night

- RCs defending parish.

   WWL, 07:32 AM CDT on Monday, June 30, 2008
   NEW ORLEANS (LA) -- Local residents fighting to keep St. Henry's Catholic Church open in the wake of the Archdiocese's restructuring plan will meet tonight.
   The meeting is a scheduled session with facilitators from the Archdiocese of New Orleans to prepare families for the closure of the parish and the merger with the nearby St. Stephen parish. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 30, 2008 11:15 AM]

• St. Henry Church parishioners may camp in church after meeting

- RCs.
   The Times-Picayune, 8:13 AM, Monday June 30, 2008,
   NEW ORLEANS (LA) -- Facilitators from the Archdiocese of New Orleans are scheduled to meet with parishioners of St. Henry Catholic Church tonight to prepare families for the church's closure and merger with a nearby church.
   But the leader of a group called Friends of St. Henry that is opposed to the church's closing has urged parishioners to bring cots and bedrolls to occupy the church indefinitely if they don't like what they hear during the meeting.
   The meeting is a scheduled session at 7 p.m. at the church, 812 Gen. Pershing.

• Priest's tribunal postponed

[18yrs Mons. Creegan*] - RCC. Mistress (married).

   Evening Telegraph, June 30, 2008
   SCOTLAND -- An employment tribunal hearing into Monsignor Joe Creegan's controversial dismissal as a priest in Dundee has been postponed.
   The pre-hearing debate was due to take place today, however lawyers acting for both parties had indicated they required further time to prepare their cases.
   The parties will now be written to with a new date for the hearing, which a spokesperson for the tribunals office said is expected to be put down for three days. Monsignor Creegan was sacked after having an 18-year affair with a married woman and is suing the Catholic Church for unfair dismissal.

• Another fleeing cleric arrested for child sex assault in Milwaukee

[1980s Bro. Nickerson] - RCC. Children.

   Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, June 30, 2008
   MILWAUKEE (WI) -- Brother David Nickerson, a religious order cleric who worked in parishes and schools in Milwaukee, will make his first court appearance for child sex assault while working in the 1980's at a south side parish and school. Nickerson confessed to authorities last year of the crimes after allowing the wrong man to be convicted.
   At simultaneous press events in Milwaukee and St. Louis, victims of clergy sexual abuse will be calling on church authorities to turn over to prosecutors all criminal evidence they have concerning clergy who have fled Wisconsin and other states after committing child sex crimes, especially from church operated facilities like the so-called "Wounded Brothers Project" outside St. Louis. …
   WHEN
   Monday, June 30:
   -IN MILWAUKEE: Court hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., remarks by SNAP leaders to follow
   -IN St. Louis: 2:00 p.m.

• Ex-polygamist Dan Fischer is a thorn in the side of FLDS

[Years - Jeffs] - FLDS. Breaking up families.
   Los Angeles Times, By Miguel Bustillo, June 30, 2008
   SANDY, UTAH -- The polygamist sect preached that Dan Fischer was a heretic who had turned his back on God's chosen children.
   But for Enos Deloy Steed, who was banished at age 17 for kissing a girl, Fischer was like a guardian angel, the kindest man he had ever met.
   Steed's father disowned him and left him wandering southern Utah in search of menial work. Fischer gave him a place to live -- and volunteered to put him through college. …
   Fischer learned in 1999 that his 72-year-old father had been stripped of his three wives by sect leaders for supposed disloyalty. FLDS foes estimate that 250 plural families have been similarly torn apart, with wives redistributed like heads of cattle and children told to call a stranger Father.
   "In the annihilation of my family, Warren Jeffs called the shots," Fischer said, his voice trembling with evident rage.
   [COMMENT: Perhaps the FLDS members ought to have read the text "Let no man put asunder," and "every man ought to have his own wife" before obeying a mere mammal. ENDS]

• Priest sacked for affair takes Catholic Church to tribunal

[18yrs Mons. Creegan*] - RCC. Mistress (married).

   Scotsman, By FIONA MACLEOD, Published Date: June 30, 2008
   SCOTLAND -- A PRIEST is to sue the Catholic Church for sacking him over an 18-year affair with a woman.
   Former monsignor Joseph Creegan is the first Scottish priest to take the Church to court, claiming for lost wages via an employment tribunal.
   However, it is understood church lawyers will attempt to have the case thrown out, arguing the clergyman did not work for them but for God.

• Priest to take his case to tribunal

[18yrs Mons. Creegan*] - RCC. Mistress (married).
   Courier, June 30, 2008
   SCOTLAND -- A senior Dundee priest who was sacked after allegedly having an 18-year affair with a married woman is suing the Catholic Church for unfair dismissal.
   Joseph Creegan, monsignor and former parish priest of St Peter and Paul's Church, was stripped of his clerical duties in January by Bishop Vincent Logan of Dunkeld after the woman it was claimed was his long-term mistress gave "undeniable evidence" of the affair to the diocese.
   It has been revealed that he is now to claim for lost earnings through an employment tribunal in Dundee.

• Australian diocese tightens rules on clergy convicted of abuse

- Anglicans.

   Religious Intelligence (United Kingdom), By George Conger, 12:01pm, Monday, 30th June 2008.
   ADELAIDE, S. Australia -- The Synod of the Diocese of Brisbane has passed legislation requiring the automatic de-frocking of clergy convicted of child sexual abuse.
   The June 22 vote by the synod's 600 delegates was unanimous. Archbishop Phillip Aspinall said the diocesan board will now be "able to proceed straight away to make a determination rather than having to retry the whole matter.
   "It is a big improvement because it doesn't require victims to have to go through a quite long and arduous church process as well as what they have had to go through in the court," he said.

• Last rites

- RC parishes which prayed in languages closed down.

The Boston Globe, By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff, and Christopher Baxter, Globe Correspondent / June 30, 2008
   MASSACHUSETTS -- The three were the rarest of congregations: the only German Catholic parish in Greater Boston, one of the area's last two Lithuanian churches, and the first local group of traditionalists authorized to pray in Latin.
   In each case, a few hundred worshipers were bound by deep connections to history, strong sense of community, and affection for prayer in languages spoken by few in this part of the world.
   The Archdiocese of Boston, strapped for cash and priests, decided it could no longer sustain the three congregations, and yesterday, it shuttered the two churches in which they worshiped: Holy Trinity in Boston's South End, home to the German and Latin Mass congregations, and St. Casimir in Brockton, the Lithuanian parish.

• Texas Supreme Court rules church can't be sued in exorcism

- Spirit-chasing beyond the law!
   Fort Worth Star-Telegram, By MAX B. BAKER, maxbaker@star-telegram.com , ~ June 30, 2008
   TEXAS -- A divided Texas Supreme Court ruled in favor of a former Colleyville church Friday, saying church members who were involved in a traumatic exorcism that ultimately injured a young woman are protected by the First Amendment.
   In a 6-3 decision, the court ruled that the Pleasant Glade Assembly of God staff's efforts to cast out demons from Laura Schubert presents an ecclesiastical dispute over religious conduct that would unconstitutionally entangle the court in church doctrine.
   Schubert described a wild night in 1996 that involved casting out demons from the church and two attempts to exorcise demons from her. The incident left Schubert physically bruised and so emotionally scarred she later tried to commit suicide. She was 17 at the time.

• Cult expert: Texas shouldn't have released FLDS kids

- FLDS.
The Salt Lake Tribune By Thomas Burr, Article Last Updated 12:20:21 AM MDT June/29/2008
PHILADELPHIA (PA) -- By sending the children in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints back home, Texas has opened up the doors to groups who want religious protection for abusing children, a leading church/state scholar said Saturday. Marci Hamilton, a professor at Princeton and Yeshiva University's Cardozo Law School, told a conference of the International Cultic Studies Association that the Texas Supreme Court's decision to release the FLDS children from foster care paired with a ruling Friday that tossed out an award for injuries a teenager suffered during an exorcism made a dangerous statement. "When you add yesterday's decision to FLDS, the state of the Texas has just sent out an engraved invitation to any group who wants to abuse children," Hamilton said. The two decisions make "Texas a very dangerous place for children."

• St John of God Brothers Statement

[1971-77 + 2006 Br. Roger Moloney* (St John of God Order)] - RCC. 2006 fought extradition. NZ $300,000 so far. Guilty. 7 charges. Boys.

   Scoop Press Release: Catholic Communications 4:57 pm Monday, 30 June 2008
   NEW ZEALAND -- Statement from Provincial of the St John of God Brothers
   Following the verdict in the Christchurch High Court last week, concerning a member of the St John of God Brother, Rodger Moloney, the head of the St John of God Brothers in the Australia-Pacific region, Br Timothy Graham, said that justice in this matter had been done:
   "No-one could possibly say that this matter had not been subject to the most rigorous, the most comprehensive investigation and scrutiny – by the Police, by the media and now by the [? … ]
   He said that long, drawn-out investigations and court procedures and, at times, almost saturation media coverage, had taken their toll on the victims, for whom he had enormous sympathy, and on the Order as a whole.

• Next Episcopal bishop listens to calls for change

[1960s Tucker] - Episcopalian. Males.

   Austin American-Statesman By Eileen E. Flynn Monday, June 30, 2008
   HOUSTON (TX) -- The Rt. Rev. Andy Doyle's election in May to lead the Houston-based Episcopal Diocese of Texas came as a surprise to many, including him.
   For one thing, he is young – at 41, he'll be the second-youngest bishop in the country when he takes over in 2009. For another, his initial support in the election process came overwhelmingly from the laity. One of his opponents, the Rt. Rev. Dena Harrison, a suffragan, or assistant bishop, covering the Austin area, drew more clergy votes. …
   Over the past year, Doyle navigated a sexual abuse scandal involving now-retired priest James L. Tucker. After a church tribunal, which included testimony from several men who said Tucker had molested them while they were students at St. Stephen's in the 1960s, the diocese stripped Tucker of his priestly orders in February. Doyle has continued to work with victims on compensation.
   "My heart tells me we did the right thing, as painful as it was for some people," Doyle said, adding that churches cannot hide their problems. "The culture demands a huge amount of transparency. Christianity demands a huge amount of transparency."

• CHURCH MERGER: The faithful say farewell to St. Charles Borromeo

- RCC. Another result of misgovernment.
   Niagara Gazette, By Rick Pfeiffer, ~ June 30, 2008
   NEW YORK -- The choir didn't seem to want to stop singing.
   Nor did the crowd of parishioners who packed the tiny sanctuary at St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church on Sunday seem in any hurry to leave.
   Instead, they lingered, exchanging hugs and wiping tears from their eyes as they said good-bye to a congregation that will now exist only as a memory.
   "No one wants to give this up and say it's over," said Ralph Meranto, a member of the parish for 47 years. "It was always something in the future. Well, the future is today."

• What happened to the boy they couldn't break?

BOOKS [Industrial schools: Sexually abused, flogged naked.] - RCC mainly. Children.

   Irish Independent By Kim Bielenberg Monday June 30 2008
   IRELAND -- The cruelty inflicted on boys in industrial schools is perhaps the darkest stain on our history since independence. Boys, who were frequently incarcerated at the schools simply because they were orphans, were routinely flogged naked, and many were sexually abused by Christian Brothers. Those in powerful positions in the Catholic church and in government turned a blind eye to the evils inflicted in institutions that have been aptly described as the "Irish gulags".
   Back in the early 1990s, Patrick Touher helped to expose this scandalous abuse with his account of life in Artane Industrial School, Fear of the Collar. The book became a bestseller in Britain, with Patrick characterised as "the boy they couldn't break".
   Now Patrick has written a follow-up, revealing the full story of his life. Scars that Run Deep tells how Patrick struggled to adjust to life after Artane, and also explores some of the terrifying episodes in his boyhood, including how he was seized and taken away from his foster family to become a virtual prisoner in the industrial school.

• The Holy Spirit -vs- Ego and Fear

- RCC. Author Robert Blair Kaiser.

   Catholica, [with audio link], ~ June 30, 2008
   AUSTRALIA -- What a fabulous afternoon and evening Amanda and I had yesterday catching up with Robert Blair Kaiser. He's in Australia for a couple of weeks and has a string of almost continuous media appearances for the promotion of his very clever novel, "Cardinal Mahony", which is really a futuristic imaging of a Catholic Church which actually returns to its roots and serves God and the people not its own ego, power and the fears of its leaders losing their moral authority. I recorded a short interview with Kaiser to welcome him to our country and allow him to tell us about the book in his own words. You'll find the recorded conversation at the end of this commentary.
   It was the first time Amanda had met Kaiser and as we sat at the dinner table she put her hand on his and said to him how fabulous it was to be sitting with someone who had actually been at the centre of reporting to the world what was perhaps the single most lifechanging event in our lives religiously – the Second Vatican Council. Our dinner conversation became effectively a most invigorating exchange of ideas – Kaiser (yes, most people refer to him via his family name rather than his Christian name) sharing with us some of the excitement that gripped the Church, and the world, in those heady days of the 1960s and the way in which John XXIII's vision, and the collective vision of the assembled leaders of our Church, and more than probably the vision of the Holy Spirit, subsequently got stolen by a coalition of little men with massive out-of-control egos and little men driven by fear and social conformism. [Posted by Kathy Shaw on June 30, 2008 2:11 AM]
////////// End of Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker Mon June 30, 2008

SYMBOLS:
   * -- NEW*, and in later entries summarising the facts just an asterisk (*), signify clergy who were not known to the public, and probably/possibly not included in previous overall statistics and enumerations of the numbers of seducing etc. clergy.
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   ~ is/was being used on this website to signify ≅, i.e., approximately equal, also for around that period.

FOR GOOD TEACHINGS TO BE HEEDED, A BIG CLEAN-UP IS NEEDED
Clergy Sex Abuse Tracker www.bishop- accountability. org/ abuse tracker for current on-line
The Boston Globe book: http://www.boston.com/globe/spotlight/abuse USA
Weblog starts: www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethicscontents.htm
Petition at: www.multiline.com.au/~johnm/ethics/optional.htm
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Books Melbourne: http://www.j23.com.au
US Archive: www.BishopAccountability.org

INTENTION: A challenge to RELIGIONS to PROTECT CHILDREN. Click for more explanation.

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PARTIAL CONTENTS and ANCHOR LIST (After reading an article, use Browser's "Back" button to return to Anchor List)
* 20 child sex charges. SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: 1977-88, RCC Boys' Town, Rev. Paul Evans, 20 charges. 7 boys. June 18, 2008
* Bad news for Pope's visit: Br Best, Fr McKeirnan, Fr Evans. AUSTRALIA. RCC. June 22, 2008
* Christian Brother Robert Best touched boys indecently, a court was told. AUSTRALIA: RCC. 1960s. June 22, 2008
* Ex-Marist students to sue teachers. CANBERRA, Australia. RCC. Bro. Kostka, Fr Ellis. June 28-29, 2008
* Pontiff has chance to lift the church's pall of shame. AUSTRALIA: RCC has legal loophole through the Ellis case. June 28-29, 2008
* Row over convicted Brisbane priest. AUSTRALIA: RCC. Rev Ronald McKeirnan regular visitor to say mass in house overlooking boys' school swimming pool. June 23, 2008
* What lessons can we learn from the Bethel Covenant Community? Many! AUSTRALIA: RCC. Catholica website comment and newsitems. June 28, 2008
* Youth Day suits a new kind of 'sorry'. AUSTRALIA: RCC. Psychiatrists studying religion-based paedophilia. Pope asked to apologise. June 20, 2008

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