Atlanta archbishop to testify in sexual misconduct trial

[Source]:

Catholic Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta has been called to testify in a civil suit over allegations of sexual misconduct by an Illinois priest.

Gregory served as Roman Catholic Archbishop of Belleville, in southwestern Illinois near St. Louis, from 1994 to 2004.

Jim Wisniewski of Champaign, Ill., claims that the Rev. Raymond Kownacki repeatedly abused him between 1973 and 1978. Kownacki has been removed from ministry.

According to a report on the Web site of the Belleville News-Democrat newspaper, an attorney for Wisniewski told jurors in opening arguments Wednesday morning that church officials covered up evidence of the abuse for years.

Gregory helped oversee a review board in the diocese that eventually removed 15 priests from service, but attorneys for Wisniewski will question whether church officials under Gregory turned over complete information to the board. It is not clear when he will be called to testify.

A defense attorney pointed out that the system worked – priests were removed, the news report said. Gregory is being called by the defense team.

Also, as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Gregory played a high-profile role helping the Catholic Church deal with the national sex-abuse scandal. He helped institute a charter for protecting young people and called for dealing openly with the problems.

David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, had a dimmer view of Gregory’s service in light of the suit. He said in a written statement, “It is disturbing that a bishop who postured so vigorously as a reformer would ignore his own hand-picked panel and much-touted policy.”

Pat Chivers, a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, said that Gregory is unable to comment on current litigation.

UCCP bishops seek speedy trial for pastor accused of murder

[Source]:

MANILA, Philippines — Concerned with the recent corruption allegations in the Court of Appeals, the Council of Bishops of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) on Wednesday marched to the Court of Appeals to demand speedy trial and release of detained Pastor Berlin Guerrero.

“Pastor Berlin may not get a fair hearing on his pending case. We are here to remind justices and citizens alike that we remain vigilant in Pastor Berlin’s case and that all are accountable to God for our conduct,” said Bishop Eliezer M. Pascua, UCCP general secretary, who led the “Pilgrimage Walk for Justice and Freedom.”

According to the bishops, Pastor Berlin Guerrero has been detained for almost one year and three months on a trumped-up charge of murder. They said he was abducted by military intelligence agents on May 27, 2007 as he left his church in barangay Malaban in Bińan, Laguna.

Blindfolded, handcuffed, and beaten, he was brought to a so-called “safe house” where he was tortured and accused of being an officer of the Communist Party in Cavite. After the torture, he was brought to the Philippine National Police’s Camp Pantaleon Garcia in Imus, Cavite.

Only when his lawyer arrived was a faxed copy of a warrant of arrest shown. His lawyer learned later from the police that elements of the Naval Intelligence Security Forces handed Guerrero to them at the camp. State prosecutors subsequently charged him with murder before the Bacoor Regional Trial Court in Cavite.

After the Judge Matias M. Garcia II denied a Motion to Quash the murder charge, the UCCP, National Council of Churches in the Philippines, Ecumenical Bishops Forum, Union Theological Seminary, the Kilosbayan Foundation and Bantay Katarungan Foundation took the case to the Supreme Court.

The case was before the Supreme Court for ten months, after which they remanded it to the Court of Appeals on the basis that facts must be adduced and that the Supreme Court is not a “trier of facts.” It is currently under Justice Romeo Barza, 12th Division.

Guerrero remains under detention at the Cavite Provincial Jail awaiting a decision on the motion to quash.

During their march to the Court of Appeals on Wednesday, the bishops expressed concern that the case was taking so long.

“Every day that Pastor Berlin is detained is another day that justice is denied to him. We understand in new ways what languishing in jail is — one of our vibrant church workers is doing his best to minister to other prisoners in the jail, but he could be more productive if he were given his due freedom. His family and church members are unduly suffering his absence as well. Justice delayed is justice denied,” said Bishop Dulce Pia Rose.

Bishop Jessie Suarez said the corruption scandal in the Court of Appeals has added to their worries.

“And now we have to worry about the corruption scandal allegations facing the Court of Appeals and the potential distraction or implications this may have on Pastor Berlin’s case. It is very hard to attain justice, but we will do our utmost to keep the attention of the court on his case. Our prayer for Pastor Berlin’s freedom must be matched by our best actions to appeal for justice,” he said. - GMANews.TV

Diocese tries to use confidential records to aid its case

[Source]:

The clergy sex abuse trial in Burlington took an unexpected turn Tuesday when a lawyer for the state’s Roman Catholic diocese had a church official review confidential personnel records of six former priests accused of molesting children.

“I’m going to show you documents that were not shown you yesterday,” attorney Tom McCormick told former diocesan Vicar General Wendall Searles as he put into evidence a series of letters and memos detailing the diocese’s response to molestation allegations involving the priests.

The move by McCormick was a surprise because the diocese has, over the years, strongly opposed having its priest personnel records become public.

In previous trials, including one in May that ended with an $8.7 million verdict, the diocese did not rely on the documents as part of its defense. That verdict, which stunned the diocese at the time, has been appealed.

The documents singled out by McCormick on Tuesday contained information that he presented as proof that the diocese had not shrugged off allegations of clergy sex abuse.

In one example, the documents showed unsuccessful efforts by the diocese to substantiate the abuse claims against a priest. In another example, the letters showed a priest quickly admitted the abuse claims and went into therapy after being confronted by the diocese.

The review of the personnel records began late Monday, when the jury in the case was shown other documents suggesting the diocese was slow to address clergy sex abuse complaints over the years.

Those papers were introduced by Jerome O’Neill, the lawyer for a Waitsfield man who claims that as an altar boy at Christ the King Church in Burlington, he was molested by the Rev. Edward Paquette between 20 and 50 times. The Burlington Free Press does not identify the alleged victims of sexual abuse without their consent.

After the defense completed its review Tuesday, O’Neill had Searles examine a letter from former Bishop John Marshall that claimed he had heard no previous allegations about one of the six priests being a child molester.

O’Neill then noted another church document, dated five years earlier, that alleged sexual abuse by that priest.

“This story that the bishop had never heard that … that’s not really accurate, is it?” O’Neill asked Searles.

“No, it isn’t,” Searles acknowledged.

All six of the priests whose records were displayed during the trial Tuesday were contemporaries of Paquette. Of the six priests, two are deceased. Searles, 82, said he knew all of them but did not know Paquette. Marshall died in 1994.

Paquette, who was stripped of his priestly duties in 1978, lives in Westfield, Mass., and is not a defendant in the case on trial.

Instead, the Waitsfield man is suing only the diocese, arguing it knew Paquette had molested boys in two other states when it hired him and then let Paquette continue to have access to altar boys in Vermont after receiving a report that Paquette had sexually abused boys in Rutland.

The lengthy, sometimes tedious review of the church documents by McCormick and O’Neill lasted nearly the entire day. When it was finally over, a relieved Searles humored the jury by raising his hands and looking thankfully toward the heavens before exiting the courtroom.

The trial, at Chittenden Superior Court, is expected to last through the end of this week.

$10M Settlement Made In Clergy Sex Abuse

[Source] | vidoe

KC-St. Joseph Diocese To Apologize For Priest Abuse

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph on Tuesday agreed to a $10 million settlement in a clergy sex abuse case.

The $10 million will settle 47 claims of child sexual abuse against 12 priests.

KMBC’s Martin Augustine reported that it will settle everything on file in Jackson County District Court. Some of the claims date back 50 years.

In addition to the $10 million payment, the settlement includes 19 noneconomic points, including that the bishop write letters of apology to the victims and their families.

The settlement also specifies that the diocese can no longer offer job recommendations for the priests.

Furthermore, the diocese can no longer say that the abuse victims are “alleged victims.”

“It’s been a long trip for most of us, and many years,” abuse survivor Michael Hunter told KMBC. “You know, I am happy that we got this far. Overjoyed? I don’t know.”

The Diocese is expected to adopt reforms to prevent future sexual abuse of children, which includes providing counseling for the abuse victims and establishing whistleblower policies.

“What the goal was of our clients, courageous clients, was reform. Their children should not face the same risks that they faced,” attorney Patrick Noaker said.

“(The bad memories are) with us, whether we get money or not, and will be for the rest of our lives,” Hunter said.

The noneconomic points are considered the broadest of any of the clergy abuse settlements.

Also, this is the largest clergy abuse settlement in Missouri.

The bishop has not signed off on the settlement, but that is expected to happen by Thursday.

Testimony to start today in priest suit

[Source]:

A jury was seated Tuesday, and opening statements are set to begin this morning in a civil trial where a former altar boy is claiming he was psychologically damaged when a priest sexually molested him.

The trial involves a lawsuit filed in 2002 by James Wisniewski, 47, of Champaign, who alleges that the Rev. Raymond Kownacki, of Dupo, molested Wisniewski beginning at age 13 at St. Theresa’s Parish in Salem.

Kownacki, who was removed from active ministry in 1995, has said he will not comment on the case.

Wisneiwski’s attorney, Mike Weilmuenster of Belleville, told St. Clair County Circuit Judge Lloyd Cueto that the plaintiff will call two witnesses today — Monsignor James Margason, the former vicar general, and Monsignor Joseph Schwaegel, who was removed from ministry for sexual addiction not involving a minor.

Copies of deposition testimony show that Margason was involved with handling reports of sex abuse of minors by priests during the 1980s and 1990s.

Cueto estimated that the trial will go to the jury by Aug. 27.

Cape priest flees country after abuse accusation

[Source]:

A Cape Cod priest fled to his native Brazil after being accused of sexually assaulting a child in Connecticut, church officials said yesterday.

The Rev. Jose Afonso Lima, 46, of South Yarmouth was suspended last week from his work ministering to the Brazilian community at St. Francis Xavier Church in Hyannis, St. Patrick’s Church in Falmouth, and Good Shepherd Parish on Martha’s Vineyard, said John Kearns, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River.

Church officials said Lima learned of the allegations when he received a letter last week from the Connecticut Department of Children and Families.

Kearns said that Lima promptly alerted church officials about the allegations and denied them.

He was placed on temporary leave last Wednesday and told to leave his residence last Thursday at St. Pius the Tenth Parish and to go to Danbury, Conn., where he was to remain under church supervision until the allegations were resolved.

“I am deeply troubled by this matter and understand how devastating the announcement of it is to the Brazilian community,” Bishop George W. Coleman of Fall River wrote in a letter to parishioners last week.

Lima was part of a mission of priests based in Bridgeport, Conn., who came to the United States to minister to Brazilians living in this country. He is a US citizen who has worked on Cape Cod since 1998, Kearns said.

Kearns said there have been no allegations of abuse against Lima in the Fall River Diocese, which includes Cape Cod.

He said diocesan officials called Bridgeport police after learning that Lima left the country. They are urging Lima to return to the United States.

Mexico church assailed for maligning miniskirt

[Source]:

MEXICO CITY -

A Catholic priest’s condemnation of miniskirts on an official church Web site is causing outrage among some Mexican women, who say the Roman Catholic Church is making it easier to justify sexual violence against women.

The Rev. Sergio G. Roman sounded the alarm against miniskirts in an online publication to prepare Catholics for a church family-values forum next year in Mexico City.

“When we show our body without prudence, without modesty, we are prostituting ourselves,” wrote Roman, a Mexico City priest.

Mexican newspaper columnists lampooned the article, and women’s rights advocates have assailed it.

Women dressed in miniskirts and low-cut shirts have rallied at the doors of Mexico City’s Cathedral during Sunday Mass, carrying signs that read: “Clothed and naked, I am the same.”

Guadalupe Loaeza, a renowned Mexican social commentator, said she worries the priest’s statements will be taken seriously and make it acceptable to blame the victim.

“It gives rapists permission to say, ‘Well, she had on a miniskirt,’” Loaeza said. “What the church says has credibility – that’s why this type of statement is so dangerous.”

The archdiocese says the news media have twisted Roman’s words and that the article was meant only to provide “moral guidance for the Catholic community.”

Skimpy outfits are a common sight on national TV broadcasts in Mexico, but are still frowned upon in most social settings.

Roman’s statements echo recent comments by government authorities elsewhere in Latin America and the Caribbean.

A police superintendent in Jamaica called on women last week to dress with greater modestly to curb rapes on the island.

After an 8-year-old girl was gang-raped by five men at a market in Montego Bay, Steve McGregor blamed rapes this summer partly on girls wearing short shorts and tiny bathing suits.

McGregor was criticized by a Jamaican group that monitors the portrayal of women in the media.

“It’s time we stop penalizing the victims,” said Afola Shade, the director of Women’s Media Watch. “There are men raping babies. Can babies dress skimpily? I think it’s time we stop this foolishness now.”

Tentative settlement reached in KC priest abuse cases

[Source] | vidoe Wednesday, Aug 20, 2008

The Catholic Diocese in Kansas City and more than 40 victims of clergy sexual abuse tentatively agreed late Tuesday to settle lawsuits against the church for about $10 million.

The settlement — which still must receive final approval by Bishop Robert Finn and two church boards — also requires the diocese to take new steps to prevent further molestation by priests. The settlement could become final by Thursday, lawyers said.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs described the settlement as the largest by the church in Missouri and said it would resolve claims filed in Jackson County from 2002 to the present. The lawsuits alleged clergy sexual abuse beginning almost 60 years ago and continuing into the 1990s.

Talks to settle some of the cases filed by 47 plaintiffs have been going on for months, but negotiations to dispose all of the cases began in earnest more recently, according to parties on all sides of the case.

The plaintiffs already have begun meeting with an arbitrator, who will apportion the financial settlement among them.

Kansas City lawyer Rebecca Randles said her clients were less concerned about the money than the church’s pledge to care for the victims of molestation and prevent more abuse.

“Money is such a poor means of exchange for the value of a soul,” Randles said.

Jon Haden, a lawyer representing the diocese, confirmed the outlines of the settlement and said he was optimistic it would be completed soon.

“We have been involved in extensive negotiations with plaintiffs, and we hope we can reach a group resolution of the claims,” Haden said.

In a letter released late Tuesday, Finn informed his priests about the tentative settlement and said it could help resolve a painful situation.

“Based on advice from legal counsel and on prayerful reflection over this most difficult matter, I believe that this settlement, while costly, is a responsible resolution for these individuals and their families and in the best interest of the diocese,” Finn wrote.

The priests and clerics accused in the lawsuits were retired Wyoming Bishop Joseph Hart, John Tulipana, Thomas J. Ward, Earl Johnson, Stephen Wise, Francis E. McGlynn, Hugh F. Monahan, John C. Baskett, Thomas J. O’Brien, Thomas J. Reardon, James Lawbaugh and Sylvester Hoppe.

Reached Tuesday night, O’Brien said he was shocked by news of the settlement and again denied accusations brought against him in the lawsuits that prompted it.

“Of those 47 plaintiffs, I don’t know which ones I’m concerned with, or which ones are concerned with me,” O’Brien said. “In depositions that were made, some of my accusers admitted that they didn’t even know me.

“I have to deny the accusations.”

He referred further questions about the settlement to his attorney.

Hart said Tuesday night that he was aware of the talks going on but also referred questions to his attorney.

Those attorneys could not be reached for comment.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs emphasized that the tentative settlement represented a global resolution of all known sexual abuse allegations against the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph and religious orders. The settlement also covers priests and former clerics who were sued individually.

“These are 47 families who have suffered from clergy abuse for years,” said Stanley Spero, a Massachusetts lawyer involved in the case. “They need to move on, and the fact that money will be available soon is important.”

Randles said plaintiffs began meeting Monday with the arbitrator, Kansas City lawyer Hollis Hanover, who will finish his hearings in about two weeks. He then will have 10 days to apportion the settlement money, Randles said.

Patrick Noaker, a Minneapolis attorney who also has worked on the local cases, said the non-economic terms of the proposed settlement, which he described as “reforms,” were the most important elements for his clients.

While he declined to disclose the entire list because some items still are under negotiation, Noaker said some would include:

•A public acknowledgement by the diocese, in church publications and other media, of the wrongful conduct of some priests.

•A commitment for the church to provide counseling for victims of clergy sexual abuse.

•A promise from the diocese not to provide references or recommendations for former priests who have been credibly accused of child or sexual abuse.

The lawsuits claimed negligent supervision of the priests by the diocese, which previously had settled several individual cases. The payments in those cases ranged from $10,000 to $225,000.

And in 2004, the diocese acknowledged spending $855,826 during the previous 56 years in settlement, legal fees and counseling expenses to resolve such cases. That money came from insurance reserves.

Other notable settlements in recent years include, according to news reports:

•$100 million for 90 abuse claims in 2004 by the Diocese of Orange in California.

•$84 million for more than 350 people in 2006 by the Diocese of Covington, Ky.

•$84 million for 552 claims in 2003 by the Archdiocese of Boston.

Nationally, the largest church sex-abuse settlement was announced in July 2007, when the Archdiocese of Los Angeles paid $660 million to resolve claims with more than 500 victims.

Letter from the bishop
The text of Bishop Robert Finn’s letter to diocesan priests announcing the settlement agreement:

Dear Priests,

Over the past five years, our Diocese and a number of our clergy or former clergy have been sued by persons claiming to be victims of sexual abuse or misconduct.

In recent weeks, the Diocese’s lawyers have been engaged in extensive negotiations to resolve by means of a group settlement all of the existing lawsuits, involving 47 plaintiffs and 12 clergy or former clergy, in connection with incidents alleged to have occurred between 1951 and 1992.

It now appears that we have a tentative settlement agreement, subject to my approval after consultation with the Board of Consultors and the Diocesan Finance Council. The agreement would call for a payment of $10,000,000 by the Diocese and a number of its former insurance carriers.

The settlement proceeds would be divided among the 47 plaintiffs by means of a binding arbitration process. The Diocese would also commit to certain non-monetary actions to provide outreach and support to victims of sexual abuse, and to reaffirm our existing procedures for providing a safe environment for children and vulnerable adults.

Meetings between the arbitrator and individual plaintiffs began this week, and we have learned the media are being contacted by counsel for the plaintiffs with information about the tentative agreement.

These incidents have been painful for the victims and their families, for priests not involved in these incidents who have served faithfully, and for the whole Church. Based on advice from legal counsel and on prayerful reflection over this most difficult matter, I believe that this settlement, while costly, is a responsible resolution for these individuals and their families and in the best interest of the Diocese.

I ask your prayers for all involved, and assure of my fraternal esteem.

In Christ and Mary,

Bishop Finn

Clergy Sex Abuse Victims Speak Out At San Fernando Cathedral

[Source]:

Clergy sex abuse victims speaking out in front of San Fernando Cathedral Tuesday.

Members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or S.N.A.P., believe Catholic officials have not done enough to protect children from abuse.

They say 3 local predator priests fled San Antonio to other countries.

“And we want the mothers who have children that are near these men to know about their history,” said Barbara Blaine, President of S.N.A.P.

The group passed out fliers Downtown urging parishioners to contact Archbishop Jose Gomez and ask him to do more to protect the children.

Priest Blames Women For Sexual Aggression Against Themselves

[Source]:

According to a Roman Catholic priest in Mexico City, “When we show our body without prudence, without modesty, we are prostituting ourselves.” Women’s rights groups are furious over the priest’s comments, whose name is Roman.

Steve McGregor, a police superintendent in Jamaica, said rapes this summer were brought on by “girls wearing short shorts and tiny bathing suits.” He was criticized by a group in Jamaica that observes the way women are represented in the media.

Guadalupe Loaeza, a Mexican social commentator, says: “It gives rapists permission to say, ‘Well, she had on a miniskirt.’” The archdiocese says people are taking Roman’s words out of context. It was meant for “moral guidance for the Catholic community.”