Mexico frees ex-priest in molest case

[Source]:

Mexican authorities have released a former Sacramento priest who was awaiting extradition to California on charges that he sexually abused two minors nearly 17 years ago.

Sacramento church officials said they have no idea where Gerardo Beltran has gone since his release last week from a Mexico City jail, where he had been held since March.

Diocesan officials said they had been working with the Vatican for nearly two years to remove Beltran and two others – Jose Luis Urbina and Francisco Javier Garcia – from the priesthood. All three worked in the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento and had fled to Mexico after being accused of sexually molesting minors.

On Wednesday, diocesan officials announced that the three men have been laicized, or barred from serving as priests anywhere in the world.

“These men are no longer priests,” said Kevin Eckery, diocesan spokesman. “We don’t want them as priests and neither does Rome.”

Beltran, 51, was arrested in March by Mexican authorities and was expected to be extradited to the United States to face charges of child molestation in Sacramento.

He is accused of four counts of child molestation between 1989 and 1991 in cases involving two victims. Two more accusers came forward in April, after learning about Beltran in the media. Three additional charges have been filed against Beltran for acts between 1988 and 1991, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.

Beltran’s return to face his accusers, however, is not likely to happen soon, if at all.

“Our understanding is that he was released from custody when Mexican courts ruled that he couldn’t be extradited because the statute of limitations had run out,” said Jeff Galvin, assistant information officer at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.

Neither Urbina nor Garcia has been arrested.

Officials with the Mexican attorney general’s office in Mexico City could not be reached for comment.

The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office issued a statement: “The warrants for (Beltran’s) prosecution here remain valid and active. Should he ever fall within our jurisdiction, the Sacramento District Attorney will prosecute.”

Catholic Church leaders in Sacramento were angered by the turn of events. Eckery called Beltran’s release “a huge disappointment.”

“We were really hoping that justice would be served and people could get their day in court,” he said. “To be denied justice by Mexican authorities is tough to swallow.”

Joseph George, who represents Beltran’s accusers, said he was “shocked and speechless.”

“Having just sat through a deposition of a Father Beltran victim yesterday who was molested over 100 times, I am extremely disappointed,” he said.

In 2005, the Dallas Morning News reported that Beltran and Urbina had been serving as priests in Mexico for years. Diocesan officials said they had known for years the three priests were in Mexico but didn’t learn that they were continuing to serve as priests until it was reported in the media.

Bishop William Weigand, leader of the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, then contacted Rome and began the laicization process, according to Eckery. “Just telling the Mexican church officials obviously wasn’t enough,” said Eckery.

The laicization process, which officially means returning to the lay state, can take years. The bishop must provide evidence stating why the priest should be banned, according to canon law experts.

“Each case is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and when it is done as a penalty, it must be for a grave reason,” said Sister Sharon Euart, executive coordinator for the Canon Law Society of America.

Eckery said church officials expect more former Sacramento priests to be banned from the clergy in the coming months, including the Rev. Mario Blanco. Blanco works as a Tacoma, Wash., priest in an independent church that does not recognize Vatican authority. The Catholic Diocese of Sacramento has settled 15 lawsuits involving Blanco.

Urbina, Garcia and Beltran have been notified of their laicization. So has the Mexican Conference of Bishops, said Eckery. Beltran was notified in jail that the process was under way and that he would no longer be a priest.

“It’s hard to fathom how hurtful this must be to his victims,” said Eckery. “Where he is, I don’t know.”

Plaintiff testifes at priest-abuse trail

[Source]:

The alleged victim in a clergy sex abuse trial in Burlington testified Wednesday that the Rev. Edward Paquette molested him at his first altar boy training session at Christ the King Church in the fall of 1977.

“I was a little confused Page=001 Column=001 OK,0000.00by it,” the former altar boy, now 40 and a resident of Waitsfield, told the six-man, six-woman jury. “I wasn’t quite sure why he’d do that.”

The man said he was a 9-year-old fourth-grader when he went to the sacristy at the church, a room near the pulpit, for the training session.

He said he was clothed when Paquette picked him up and held him with one hand over his genitals and one hand over his mouth and then swung him in the air for about a minute. He said the incident was the first of between 20 and 50 similar molestations that occurred over the next six months.

“Sometimes he would laugh,” the man said of Paquette. “He did it to all the kids in the room during the trainings.”

The man said for years he didn’t talk with anyone about the incidents, except for other altar boys he said Paquette groped in the same way. He said he initially kept quiet because he’d been taught priests were God’s emissaries, and later because he was ashamed.

“I had some fear that by telling someone what happened to me, people would think something was wrong with me, that I was not normal,” he said. “I was ashamed and embarrassed.”

The man is suing the state’s Roman Catholic diocese, claiming it was responsible for the abuse because it knew Paquette was a child molester when it hired him and placed Paquette in parishes where he would have access to altar boys. The Burlington Free Press does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault without their consent.

Diocesan lawyers have argued then-Bishop John Marshall decided to employ Paquette based on the advice of church psychologists and psychiatrists who believed Paquette’s sexual problems were cured.

Diocesan lawyer Kaveh Shahi, in his questioning of the alleged victim, pressed him on why he didn’t speak up sooner about the abuse.

“I thought it was kind of inappropriate but it wasn’t a painful thing,” the man told Shahi, speaking of the molestation incidents. “I didn’t think it was bad at the time.”

Shahi asked the man to explain how he initially had no sexual intimacy issues with his wife but later blamed the abuse by Paquette for his reluctance to have his wife touch his genitals, a factor that led to the couple’s divorce in 2006.

“The excitement when it was a new relationship had worn off,” he said. “I didn’t realize that this intimacy was part of a healthy marriage until 2004 or 2005. I thought there were bigger issues in our marriage than that.”

The man remained composed through most of his testimony but became emotional while discussing the premature birth of his son, when he learned his son might suffer from lifelong birth defects. He said he asked what he could do and was told to pray.

“It was a very difficult time,” he said tearfully. The man, who stopped going to church after the molestation incidents, said he did begin praying and now does so daily. He said his son is in good health.

Earlier in the day, two priests who were principals at parochial high schools in Vermont, told the jury they never would have hired someone with a history of sexually abusing children to teach in their schools.

“No, I would not have,” said the Rev. Roland Rivard, a former principal of Rice Memorial High School in South Burlington. Asked why not, Rivard said, “Because of the threat of potential harm to the students.”

The Rev. Richard Lavalley, a former principal at Mount St. Joseph Academy in Rutland, agreed. “I wouldn’t want to take that risk,” he said.

Rivard said he and Paquette lived at the Christ the King rectory at the same time in the late 1970s but he did not know Paquette well.

“He was a very private man,” Rivard said.

Rivard said he had no knowledge of Paquette’s past conduct or of the allegations involving altar boys at Christ the King Church until after Paquette was dismissed from priestly duties in 1978.

The dismissal action was taken by the diocese after parish parents went to Marshall with reports that Paquette was molesting boys.

Tentative $10M settlement in KC church abuse cases

[Source]:

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Roman Catholic diocese has tentatively agreed to pay $10 million to settle nearly 50 sexual abuse claims against the diocese and its priests.

In a letter sent to priests with the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese late Tuesday, Bishop Robert W. Finn said the deal is subject to his approval after he consults with two diocese boards.

“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,” Finn wrote. “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.”

Along with the money for the 47 claims, the tentative deal calls for the diocese to meet 19 other conditions, including publicly announcing and acknowledging the wrongfulness of sexual abuse by its priests.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs say it is the nonmonetary conditions that make the proposed settlement so important.

“Our clients are trying very hard to right the unrightable wrong,” Rebecca Randles, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said at a news conference Tuesday. “The civil process is not something that is amenable to righting this kind of wrong. But they’re working very hard to try to come to a process where children in the future are protected.”

The deal will settle all current sexual abuse lawsuits pending in Jackson County against the diocese and 12 current or former priests for incidents alleged to have occurred between 1951 and 1992.

The deal has not been finalized, but both sides said they assume it will be. Victims have been in arbitration hearings since Monday to determine how much of the settlement they will receive, and those hearings are expected to continue for about two weeks.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs said they expect Finn to sign off on the settlement on Thursday.

Michael Hunter, 59, of Prairie Village, said he was relieved by the deal, which comes almost 20 years after he told the diocese about abuse he and his younger brother Kevin suffered at the hands of priests.

“I’m glad to see this is settled, but I feel sad, though,” Hunter said. “There were so many people involved, families, good priests, good people in the church who have been hurt by this.”

Hunter said the abuse started in the 1960s when he was 12, while his brother, who died in 1989, was abused over three years in the early 1970s.

Casey Walsh, 44, of Leawood, said he was abused from 1977 to 1981, from the time he was 13 to almost 17, while he was an altar boy. He said he didn’t necessarily know at the time that the abuse was wrong because priests occupied such a high moral standing in his life.

“There was tremendous tragedy here; unspeakable tragedy,” he said.

Like Hunter, Walsh said he left the Catholic church.

Bishop Regrets: Apologizes for Clergy Sex Abuse

[Source] | Listen to the apology | Watch news report:

During a hastily called meeting with reporters,the Catholic bishop of the Kansas City- Saint Joseph Diocese says it happened, it shouldn’t have and he’s making amends. Bishop Robert Finn acknowledges the $10 million settlement of lawsuits against a dozen present and former clergy, accused of sexual abuse.

Forty seven boys, survivors who are now men, filed suit in Jackson County Missouri Circuit Court claiming abuse beginning as far back as fifty years. The diocese was accused of negligence. Now all are settled.

Bishop Finn will recommend to the Vatican the clergymen be stripped of priestly powers. The Bishop calls for respect for victims, touts a program he says encourages whistleblowers. In his words, “I am here to apologize and to pledge that we will do everything that we can and we have been doing for the last five years in a very focused way to see that this will never happen again.”

Bishop Finn promises education and training to avoid a repeat of the abuses.

 

Former Morris priest pleads guilty

[Source]:

A former Morris priest charged with possessing pornographic images of children on computers has pled guilty as part of a plea agreement.

John Lloyd Caskey, 53, was charged with 20 counts of possessing child pornography in Stevens County District Court earlier this year.

On Wednesday, he pled guilty to the first three counts and admitted possessing the images of minors, according to Stevens County Attorney Charles Glasrud.

Based on sentencing guidelines, it’s likely Caskey will received a stayed sentence and will be placed on probation, Glasrud said.

Caskey is expected to be sentenced in October, Glasrud said.

Caskey was facing five years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine for each count.

Caskey was priest at Assumption Church in Morris and Associate Pastor in Chokio and Herman. He was officially installed Sept. 16, 2007. He left Assumption in December 2007.

After being charged, Caskey was released on conditions, which included that he may not possess pornography, he is to have no contact, supervised or unsupervised with anyone under the age of 18 and no access to computers or the Internet.

Daniel Eller, Caskey’s attorney, reported earlier this year that the St. Cloud Diocese arranged for Caskey to be evaluated at Saint Luke Institute, a part of the Maryknoll Center in Silver Springs, Maryland.

The center was to complete a four-day evaluation of Caskey.

John Kinney, Bishop of the Diocese of St. Cloud, said earlier this year that Caskey was relieved of his duties as a priest when Kinney learned of the charges.

“I was taken by surprise by these allegations,” Kinney said in his statement at the time. “I have not received any complaints in the past about (Father) Caskey from any of the parishes he has served nor have I had any information that would cause me to be concerned.”

Caskey served three years as Associate Priest at Assumption in the early 1980s before moving on to several other assignments. Over 25 years, Caskey has served as a military chaplain and as a pastor in numerous communities, including Browns Valley, Browerville and Clarissa.

The complaint against Caskey stated that in September 2007, the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint that an 18-year-old male had received anonymous, obscene and suggestive letters.

The investigation led Sheriff Randy Willis to interview Caskey on Nov. 30, 2007. Caskey admitted sending the letter, but “He denied that he’d done anything like this for many years,” the complaint stated.

Caskey also signed a consent allowing law enforcement to search his home and work computers. Capt. David Wyffels, of the Willmar Police Department conducted a forensic examination of the hard drives from the computers.

Wyffels’ investigation revealed a “large number” of pornographic images on his home computer, and it was concluded that the images were entered into the computer while it was under his control. The images were almost exclusively of males, many depicting persons “obviously” under age 18, according to the complaint.

Wyffel’s investigation showed that some files had been deleted, leaving only partial images on the hard drive. In all, 8,671 “suspect” images were given to the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office for review, the complaint states.

Descriptions of the images in the complaint indicate that the images depict minors engaged in explicit sexual acts or poses, according to the complaint.

“The possession of this volume of such material, and the manner of its storage demonstrates knowledge by Defendant of the material’s contents,” the complaint states.

Kinney stated that he is “committed to the safety of all those entrusted to our care. I take that responsibility seriously and have taken many steps to ensure that our children and others are safe.”

Pastor Michael Guglielmucci spun gospel of lies

[Source] August 21, 2008:

HE preached to thousands about his terminal illness and tugged at hearts with a hit song.

The problem is the pastor wasn’t dying at all

Michael Guglielmucci, who inspired hundreds of thousands of young Christians with his terminal cancer “battle”, has been exposed as a fraud.

Guglielmucci, whose parents established Edge Church International, an Assemblies of God church at O’Halloran Hill in Adelaide’s southern suburbs, now is seeking professional help.

Earlier this year, Mr Guglielmucci released a hit song, Healer , which was featured on Sydney church Hillsong’s latest album.

The song debuted at No. 2 on the ARIA charts.

It since has become an anthem of faith for believers, many of whom are suffering their own illness and were praying for a miracle for Mr Guglielmucci, who has claimed for two years to be terminally ill.

In one church performance that has attracted 300,000 hits on YouTube, he performs his hit song with an oxygen tube in his nose.

It appears Mr Guglielmucci, who was a pastor with one of Australia’s biggest youth churches, Planetshakers, may even have deceived his own family.

“This news has come as a great shock to everyone including, it seems, his own wife and family,” Hillsong general manager George Aghajanian said in an email to his congregation yesterday.

“Michael has confirmed that he is not suffering with a terminal illness and is seeking professional help in Adelaide with the support of his family. We are asking our church to pray for the Guglielmucci family during this difficult time.”

The Advertiser was told last night Mr Guglielmucci may release a statement on the situation.

The Australian Christian Church said Mr Guglielmucci’s credentials immediately were suspended once he told the national executive that his cancer claims were “untrue”.

“The national executive is taking this matter very seriously and is awaiting the results of medical tests before determining the full extent of the discipline that will be imposed upon him,” vice president Alun Davies said.

“We are very concerned for the many people who have been or will be hurt by Michael’s actions.

“We encourage all of our churches to pray for all those affected.”

Another priest sex abuse lawsuit announced

[Source]:

DENVER (AP) — Advocates for victims of sex abuse say another lawsuit is being filed against the Archdiocese of Denver.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said Wednesday the latest case involves a man identified only as John Doe. He alleges he was abused by the late priest Harold White at St. Catherine’s parish in Denver in the 1960s.

Last month, three other people filed lawsuits against the archdiocese alleging abuse by White. White was named in the bulk of the 18 sexual abuse cases the archdiocese settled this summer for $5.5 million. The archdiocese also released documents detailing allegations against White.

[Source]:

DENVER (AP) – Another lawsuit alleging sexual abuse by a late priest has been filed against the Archdiocese of Denver.

The lawsuit was filed in Denver this week. A man identified only as John Doe 2D alleges he was abused by Harold White at St. Catherine’s parish in Denver in 1960 or 1961.

The lawsuit cites a church record from February 1961 which says White admitted to molesting five or six children.

White was named in the bulk of the 18 sexual abuse cases the archdiocese settled this summer for $5.5 million. The archdiocese also released documents detailing allegations against White as part of that settlement.

He was removed from ministry in 1993 and died in 2006.

Last month, three other people filed lawsuits against the archdiocese alleging abuse by White.

Archdiocesan spokeswoman Jeanette DeMelo says church officials haven’t seen the lawsuit. She repeated the archdiocese’s standing offer to meet with anyone who has a complaint of sexual abuse against a clergy member or church employee.

Family spots Jesus in a sink; inspires U.S. soldier overseas

[Source] Aug 20, 2008 | Watch vidoe:

ALBANY, LA (WAFB) – Robb Keppler says he asked for a sign and he got it, in the form of Jesus in his bathroom sink.

Keppler lives in the Livingston Parish town of Albany with his daughter-in-law and her child. She also has another one on the way. His 21-year-old son, Private E2 Brandon Keppler, is serving overseas. Before Brandon joined the Army, his father says the soldier had some hard times with a relationship that went bad and he subsequently suffered with depression. The soldier went into a hospital and his family says he talked of taking his own life.

His father struggled hard to keep the family intact. A praying man, he asked for a sign. “Let me know something,” Rob Keppler recalls saying. “I was having a hard time dealing with it myself and stepped out the shower one night and saw it plain as day right there,” he said as he pointed to a rusty spot in his sink. Was this simply a rust spot caused by the slow drip of water, or was this a sign, an image of Jesus? Robb Keppler has no doubt. “It is an image of Jesus, a clear sign,” he says.

“After we saw the image, everything just started coming together,” Keppler said. He says his son is now doing fine, serving in Afghanistan, and his life has straightened out. Private Keppler knows about the sign. His father awakened him that night. Private Keppler says he keeps the image in mind as he battles in the mountains. The soldier spoke to 9NEWS from Afghanistan about the image in the sink. “I love my family,” Private Keppler said. “I love everybody who supports me to do this. I’m only 21 years old. This is the worst thing I’ve been in, in my life. I hope it the last one.”

The Kepplers know there will be some who doubt what they see, but they have no doubt in their minds. “You know, you want to believe,” Robb Keppler said. “You pray and you hope, and then this happens with our son. This little prayer came. It was like a miracle, you know.”

Esam Mudeer: Should the Taliban worry now? LOL!

Diocese Sex Abuse Scandal Settlement May Bring Help to Victims

[Source]:

KANSAS CITY, MO.  –  A pending settlement in a Catholic Church sex abuse scandal could be the first of its kind in Missouri.

The settlement includes 47 persons who have sued the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese. The Diocese is expected to finalize it by Thursday.

As part of the settlement, the Bishop will apologize to the victims who have filed lawsuits. Counseling will be made available to them, and the victims will no longer be called “alleged” victims.

Many of the people who took the Diocese to court said St. Elizabeth’s Rectory is where a lot of the abuse went on. In fact, there is a group of victims and family members who have asked the Bishop to demolish the rectory.

David Biersmith wishes the memories could be wiped away as easily as a building. Among the 47 people who sued the Diocese was David Biersmith’s son Christopher.

Christopher and another young relative said they were abused at the hands of Father Hugh Monahan. Monahan is one of 12 priests named in the lawsuits. What’s most disturbing about the Biersmith’s suit is that Monahan is Christoper’s uncle.

“These kids struggle everyday with this…to this day…They’re my kids…It’s not going to straighten out but they can try to move on with their lives and get better in both instances,” said Biersmith.

The settlement won’t erase the years of agony the boys have lived through. But, Biersmith hopes the counseling offered in the agreement will help.

Biersmith said even though he wasn’t a direct victim, guilt and anger have affected his life as well.

“In the settlement, there is supposed to be some avenues for the parents…to have psychiatric help…I need it,” Biersmith said.

Both Christopher and the other relative were preteens when, according to the lawsuit, Monahan took them on trips and sexually assaulted them.

Depression, lifestyle and feelings of shame from the abuse changed the paths of their lives. But, Biersmith hopes the settlement will help them try to put the abuse behind them.

“That they somehow could lead a life that was God gave them before this had happened…If this could just be taken out of their life and they would have just skipped that step and go on…and have that kind of a life…that’s what I would like,” said Biersmith.

The family hasn’t spoken to Hugh Monahan in years and has no idea where he is. Other priests named in the suit, like Thomas O’Brien, are not allowed to perform any priestly duties.

OC priest gets 6 months in jail for taking teen to motel

[Source]:

A Roman Catholic priest accused of trying to molest a boy he was asked to counsel was sentenced Wednesday to six months in jail.

The Rev. Luis Eduardo Ramirez reached a plea deal with prosecutors in June in which he admitted he took a 17-year-old parishioner to an Anaheim motel, tried to grope him and gave him alcohol.

Ramirez was arrested days after the incident in January and was later ousted from the Our Lady of the Pillar parish in Santa Ana, where he served as the church’s youth director.

“The victim and his family have been abused by (both) someone they trust and a person in their religious faith,” Orange County Superior Court Judge Lance Jensen told Ramirez at the sentencing hearing. “Your actions have ostracized the family from their Catholic faith.”

Ramirez was arrested by Anaheim police Jan. 8 after the boy’s parents reported the incident.

The priest was accused of bringing the boy to the motel, giving him some tequila and trying to reach under the boy’s shirt.

Ramirez pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery and burglary. In exchange, prosecutors dismissed charges of furnishing alcohol to a minor, delinquency and child annoyance or molestation.

Ramirez was removed from the parish, banned from performing any priestly duties in the diocese and placed in a San Diego-area monastery pending sentencing, said Ryan Lilyengren, a spokesman for the Diocese of Orange.

At the sentencing hearing, Anaheim Assistant City Attorney Patrick Ahle urged the judge not to be lenient on the priest.

“This is about someone who is supposed to be a good shepherd tending to his flock,” Ahle said. “Instead, he abused one of them for his own gratification.”

Ramirez’s attorney, Gary Pohlson, asked the judge for a light sentence. He held up a wad of letters written by parishioners who support the priest.

“He is very remorseful for what he’s done to the young man and the pain he’s caused the young man’s family,” Pohlson told the judge.

Besides the jail sentence, Ramirez was placed on three years of probation based on a drunken driving conviction in 2006 in Orange County. He won’t have to register as a sex offender but must undergo psychological counseling, stay away from children unless another adult is present, refrain from consuming alcohol except as part of religious ceremonies and pay for the boy’s counseling sessions.

Ramirez was a member of the Augustinian Recollects order. The Rev. Charles Huse, a prior at the order’s headquarters in New Jersey, said he would not have any contact with the public or with children after he serves his sentence.

“He has a great following of young people who think he’s the greatest,” Huse said. “They want him back. They say there’s no way he would have done something like this.”

Huse said Ramirez grew up in Guadalajara, Mexico, and was educated at seminaries in Oxnard and Suffren, N.Y. He had recently been ordained when he arrived at the Santa Ana parish in 2003.