General Case News

The following articles do not necessarily represent
cases where Opus Bono Sacerdotii is directly involved.

• Judge dismisses sex-assault charges against priest
  Allison Steele, The Philadelphia Inquirer September 30, 2008
  "These were trumped-up charges," Brinson said yesterday. "They dragged my name through the mud and they had no evidence."
  
• Sex abuse lawsuit: Groups say Belleville diocese may be hiding assets
  GEORGE PAWLACZYK, News-Democrat, Belleville, IL September 30, 2008
  The church has insurance coverage to a limit of $20 million, according to the 2007 diocesan financial statement, but there is a question of whether the insurers will pay. According to an article Sunday in the Spokane, Wash.-based Spokesman Review, parishioners raised $7 million to satisfy an outstanding $10 million judgment resulting from lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by priests decades ago. The newspaper reported that a total settlement of $48 million was reached last spring and was partially satisfied through insurance payouts and the sale of church land and investments.
  
• Sex, divorce hot topics at Catholic church
  Mziwandile Nkosi, The Mercury, South Africa September 29, 2008
  "On the issue of sex scandals, it was found that most were untrue and no information was published to dispel them. This saw the church experiencing some damage, which is unfair," said Tsoke. "Most of these allegations were reported under anonymity, and I think there should be no secrecy in telling the truth," he said.
  
• Volume of victims hampers abuse commission
  John Burke, The Post.Ie September 28, 2008
  It is understood that the delay is related to the increasing numbers of alleged victims who are making contact with the commission on a weekly basis.
  
• L.A. judge orders priest files released to mediator
  The Desert Sun September 20, 2008
  A Los Angeles judge has ordered that the personnel files of Catholic priests and other offenders named in the San Diego diocese’s sexual abuse settlement be turned over to a court-appointed referee next month.
  
• Rent-boy jailed for extorting £3,000 from priest
  Victoria Weldon, News.scotsman.com September 20, 2008
  The pair met in a park in Glasgows West End. Gallagher, 30, began extorting money from the priest, threatening to go to the press if he refused to pay.
  
• Judge: Fushek entitled to 5 separate trials
  Lawn Griffith, East Valley Tribune September 19, 2008
  A judge has ordered five separate trials for Monsignor Dale Fushek, former pastor of St. Timothys Catholic Community, accused by five men of sexual misconduct in the 1980s and early 1990s while they were teens at the Mesa parish.
  
• Recent Developments Regarding Clergy Child Abuse: How They Reveal Both Good and Bad News About the Chances of Getting Justice for Abuse Survivors and Preventing Future Abuse
  Marci Hamilton, Findlaw September 18, 2008
  The good news is that victims are increasingly coming forward, finding each other, finding support, and seeking justice. Many are victims from decades ago, but certainly not all. States like Delaware and California have encouraged victims to tell their stories by removing the statutes of limitations for bringing civil claims and opening the courthouse doors. Moreover, there is a movement afoot - a movement I strongly support -- to create such opportunities across the country.
  
• Diocese takes its case to tribunal
  Jennifer Garza, The Sacramento Bee September 17, 2008
  In an unusual move, the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento has asked a church tribunal to settle a three-year $1.5 million dispute with a religious order. Thats how much money the diocese believes the Western Dominican Province based in Oakland should pay for the actions of the Rev. Jerome Henson, a priest with the order.
  
• Appeals Court Dismisses Priest Sex Abuse Case
  BILL DRIES, The Daily News, Memphis, TN September 17, 2008
  Since John Doe wasn’t claiming repressed memories of abuse, the Appeals Court considered whether his 2006 claim was timely 19 years after he became an adult. The clock on the statute of limitations began ticking when the man turned 18 in February 1987 and ran out a year later, according to Tuesday’s ruling. Smith said the ruling could have a broader effect on similar claims involving other Memphis priests.
  
• Pedophiles and Ordination
  Fr. Edward McNamara, Zenit September 17, 2008
  Is it true that three things necessary to validate any of the seven sacraments are: 1) proper substance, 2) proper form, and 3) proper intentions? If true, could a man who is secretly a "hopeless" pedophile enter and complete the course of study, never having revealed his lifestyle (through deliberate omission), and become ordained? If your answer is "Yes, this is a valid sacrament," then how do we explain the proper intentions requirement?
  
• The Mass is Ended
  Jason Berry, bestofneworleans.com September 16, 2008
  A priest familiar with the archdioceses internal workings says the local church hierarchy is "seriously worried about money." His take on the problem: "Insurance is going up and they dont know how to deal with it."
  
• Former US priest quits HK school after alleged sex charges
  Macau Daily Times September 16, 2008
  A former priest quit a Hong Kong school after a parent accidentally found websites that claimed he had been charged with molesting a boy 50 times in the United States, reports said yesterday.
  
• On the Spiritual Perils of Religion Writing
  Andrea Useem, Religionwriter.com September 15, 2008
  Knowing I was a very pious orthodox Catholic, Father Doyle warned me that if I continued on this path [of reporting on the sex-abuse scandal,] I was going find places darker than I realized existed. And, of course, that was catnip to a journalist. I thought I was prepared for it because I said my prayers and was a regular church goer. But in fact the degree of evil I encountered was not something I was prepared to face. I remember one archbishop, with whom I had been friendly, and asking me privately if I didn’t trust the bishops, why was I still a Catholic? It really shook me up. It undermined the picture I had of who were the good guys and who were the bad guys, and who could be trusted. After I converted to Eastern Orthodox Christianity, I made a deliberate decision not to investigate the scandals in my own church. And there are scandals there.
  
• LaRocque ignored church protocols regarding accused priests
  T. Pritchard, The Standard Freeholder August 28, 2008
  A former Catholic bishop allowed a city priest facing sexual abuse charges to continue celebrating mass because he was “morally certain” the man had been falsely accused, the Cornwall Public Inquiry heard Tuesday.
  
• Aretakis sanctioned again in lawsuit against diocese
  Daily Gazette, Schenectday, NY August 20, 2008
  The controversial Albany attorney who has represented several alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse has been sanctioned a second time for bringing what a federal judge called "scurrilous allegations" against the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese in a lawsuit filed by a survivor of Hurricane Katrina.
  
• Archdiocese paid out $467,500 in abuse settlements last year
  August 20, 2008
  
  
• Closed churches are 'hot properties'
  Joseph Fuisz, The Morning Call July 24, 2008
  He says that the closings are the necessary result of an aging clergy and a lack of vocations to replenish the ranks. He says that missionary priests from abroad should not and cannot be brought to bolster the ranks of priests. The Father, Bishop Cullen tells us, will provide.
  
• Media crucifying innocent priests
  Shaun Inguanzo, Star News Group July 24, 2008
  “I think it is unfair that only priests are being highlighted in this,” Fr Guelen said. “Most child abuse happens in home life, and it’s never highlighted that it happens in other professions. “No one else gets the same publicity, and yet 98 per cent of Catholic priests you couldn’t say anything bad about.”
  
• Is Anti-Catholicism Dead?
  Sewell Chan, The New York Times July 24, 2008
  It was only during the question-and-answer session that the church’s child sexual-abuse scandal came up. Mr. Steinfels said the scandal put fundamental issues about “sexuality, celibacy and the priesthood” before the public, while Father Neuhaus received applause when he said that Catholic bishops should have responded early in the scandal by acknowledging the extent of the scandal and begging for forgiveness.
  
• Notifying insurance firm useless: former bursar
  Trevor Pritchard, The Cornwall Standard Freeholder July 24, 2008
  But Rev. Gordan Bryan said it would have been “useless” from a financial perspective for the Alexandria-Cornwall Roman Catholic Diocese to contact those insurers after striking a $32,000 settlement with David Silmser. “I should have,” said Bryan. “But I also know once you’ve made a (settlement) your insurance company doesn’t cover it. So it would have been useless.”
  
• Jindal signs chemical castration bill
  Michelle Millhollon, Advocate Capital News Bureau June 26, 2008
  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. The bill would allow judges to order chemical castrations for convicted rapists and other sex offenders.
  
• Diocese seeks delay in clergy sex abuse cases
  Sam Hemingway, Burlington Free Press June 26, 2008
  A lawyer for the states Roman Catholic diocese has asked a judge to delay an upcoming clergy abuse trial until the Vermont Supreme Court rules on the churchs 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.
  
• Charges fly in suit over Catholic Diocese settlement
  Adam Parker, The Post and Courier June 26, 2008
  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.
  
• Parishes moving ahead into incorporation
  Catholic Sentinel June 17, 2008
  Separate incorporation was one part of the bankruptcy settlement reached last year. It clarifies that parish assets belong to the parishes, not the archdiocese.
  
• Council can speak for city in renaming bridge
  Kennebec Journal June 17, 2008
  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.
  
• Rockford diocese defends priest accused of abuse
  Corina Curry, Rockford Register Star June 17, 2008
  Tensions flared at the late morning media event held on the grounds of the Diocese of Rockford as Barbara Blaine, president and founder of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, and Penny Weigert, director of communications for the diocese, defended their positions. Blaine, who lives in Chicago, insisted the allegations from a Colorado man are credible, and Weigert countered that the priest, Monsignor Michael Kurz, is innocent of the claims. She called him “a most faithful servant with a spotless record.”
  
• The news and the church
  David Hains, Director of Communications, Diocese of Charlotte in The Charlotte Observer June 17, 2008
  But after six years I have to ask, when will the scandal that rocked the Catholic Church in 2002 be old news? What should the Church do? Have the Pope apologize? He did. Train hundreds of thousands of church employees and volunteers in sex abuse awareness? Conduct background checks? The Church has done all those things.
  
• Diocese moves toward abuse settlement
  KUAC-FM June 17, 2008
  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.
  
• Arbitration Hearing In Federal Court On Clergy Sex Abuse
  Pete Springer, OPB News June 09, 2008
  At issue are church documents on pedophile priests. The church promised to release the documents following a bankruptcy settlement with abuse victims last year.
  
• Molestation lawsuit against Omaha archdiocese dismissed
  MARGERY A. GIBBS, Fremont Tribune June 09, 2008
  Chaloupka said she hopes to convince the appellate court that victims of childhood sexual abuse need specific consideration. "Its a bit of an oversimplification for a legislature to say that all victims of all types of harm should be able to understand the legal system and understand their damages well enough to bring suit within a certain amount of time," she said. "When youre dealing with sexual assault victims, this is a group of victims that have a unique harm. "Because of the very nature of the type of assault theyve suffered, they are often not able to bring suit within a set number of years."
  
• Hundreds gather for accused priest's farewell Mass
  Lalita Aloor Amuthan, My Central Jersey.com June 08, 2008
  Its sad when someone can accuse you and you can never have your name fully cleared because there will always be doubters, she said with tears in her eyes.
  
• Avoiding Another Abuse Crisis
  Karna Swanson, Zenit June 04, 2008
  An interview with psychologist Phil Scrofani who discusses the sexual abuse crisis in the Church, as well as the role of psychology in the process of screening applicants for the priesthood.
  
• The Railroading of Paul Shanley
  National Center for Reason and Justice June 03, 2008
  The problem for most people who have lived through trauma is not that they can’t remember, but that they can’t forget. The theory of massively repressed memory has been rejected by most criminal courts, and the psychological harm that “recovered memory” therapy inflicts has been repeatedly documented. False memories of sexual abuse – which are sincerely believed by the individual –have been induced in adults and even more infamously in the children who were led to make false accusations of ritualistic sexual abuse against day-care workers in the 1980s and early 90s. (In the past decade, many of those convictions have been overturned.) Today, the majority of board-certified psychiatrists reject the theory of massive repression as “junk science” and point to persuasive evidence that “recovered-memory” therapy has a tendency to induce false recollections.
  
• Seven named to seats on U.S. bishops' National Review Board
  CNS June 03, 2008
  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.
  
• Priest vows to fight civil suit allegations
  Elizabeth Larson, Lake County News June 03, 2008
  He said he has been overwhelmed by support from his parishioners and fellow clergy members from different denominations, one of whom had called to pray with him a few minute before the interview. Following the Sunday mass, Oswald said church members came to hug him after his message, many of them weeping, which caused him to break down. “I want to fight this,” he said of the allegations against him, which he stated are absolutely false.
  
• S. Idaho priest back at parish following sexual misconduct
  Fort Mill Times June 01, 2008
  Bishop Michael Driscoll says Covarrubias attended a residential treatment facility and that hes confident Covarrubias can return as parish priest.
  
• Text of Vatican congregation's decree on attempts to ordain women
  Catholic News Service June 01, 2008
  Without prejudice to the prescript of Canon 1378 of the Code of Canon Law, both the one who attempts to confer a sacred order on a woman, and the woman who attempts to receive a sacred order, incur an excommunication "latae sententiae" reserved to the Apostolic See.
  
• Diocese faces complex choices
  Sam Hemingway, Burlington Free Press Staff Writer June 01, 2008
  "Bishops are understandably really nervous about the size of financial settlements and the unknown future liability issues," he said. Dioceses in the United States have paid close to $2 billion to resolve an estimated 3,500 priest sexual abuse claims. Lytton said a diocese seeking a permanent resolution of such claims has three choices. It can settle each case separately; settle them all together through a mediator or via a class-action lawsuit; or file for bankruptcy and let a judge oversee the settlement process. The problem with settling cases one at a time -- either through trials or by negotiation -- is that the resolutions can favor those with the most aggressive lawyers or whose claims are addressed most quickly, Lytton said. "The people who get in first can deplete church assets, and there may not be anything left for the people who get in later," he said. "The first-come, first-serve approach doesnt work well."
  
• JUDGE SAYS NO CLIENT PRIVILEGE
  The News Journal May 31, 2008
  Whitwells attorney, Thomas Neuberger, said it was a significant ruling because it potentially opens access to a number of medical records in other priest abuse cases. Delaware psychotherapist Alice M. Colon said the ruling was not a surprise to her and she has long told clients that there is no confidentiality when it comes to child abuse cases.
  
• Judge throws out priest abuse lawsuit
  Andy Kravetz, Journal Star May 31, 2008
  Another lawsuit alleging a former priest molested a young parishioner has been dismissed because it was filed too late after the alleged victim "remembered" the abuse.
  
• Anonymous man files lawsuit against priest, Wilmington diocese
  SEAN OSULLIVAN, The News Journal May 31, 2008
  "This case is very important because we are beginning to use John Doe plaintiffs so the victims do not have to identify themselves, add to their injury and suffer public embarrassment in revealing what occurred to them," he said. Neuberger said he hopes the use of the "John Doe" status will encourage others to come forward before the deadline for filing retroactive abuse lawsuits expires next year.
  
• Vatican clears East Hanover priest of sex abuse charges
  Bill Swayze, The Star-Ledger May 01, 2008
  "Six years ago, allegations were made against Monsignor William McCarthy. A Church Tribunal, composed of canon lawyers from outside the diocese, concluded that it was not proven that he was guilty of the charge alleged against him. The Holy See has determined that the case is closed," Mahoney stated. "During this very difficult time in his life, Monsignor McCarthy has been totally cooperative, faithful to his priesthood, and shown a great love for the church."
  
• Judge OKs diocese plan to settle with victims
  By ERIN JORDAN • REGISTER IOWA CITY BUREAU April 03, 2008
  A federal bankruptcy judge on Wednesday approved a disclosure statement that will be sent to 162 victims of sexual abuse by priests in the Catholic Diocese of Davenport. The decision by Judge Lee Jackwig bodes well for overall approval of a $37 million settlement, attorneys said.
  
• Lawsuit targets former Santa Rosa priest
  By ROBERT DIGITALE, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT April 03, 2008
  A new lawsuit against former Roman Catholic priest Gary Timmons became public this week after an attorney ran a newspaper advertisement seeking new information about the convicted child molester. The ad was labeled "Did You Know Fr. Gary Timmons?" and appeared in The Press Democrat at least three times in the past week. It was purchased by a Newport Beach attorney who himself received a $5.2 million settlement as a plaintiff in a molestation lawsuit filed a decade ago against the Orange County diocese.
  
• Disgraced, defrocked. . .and protected
  By WILLIAM BENDER, Philadelphia Daily News April 03, 2008
  The Archdiocese says it informs authorities - usually the county district attorney or prosecutor - when a defrocked priest with substantiated allegations moves into their jurisdiction. The bishop of the priests home diocese also is informed of his whereabouts to ensure that he doesnt attempt to rejoin the ministry there, said Monsignor Timothy Senior, the Archdioceses vicar for clergy.
  
• Caught by the Collar
  Pete Vere, The Washington Times March 04, 2008
  The Church can anticipate that any accusation against a cleric will become public today, which was not the case in the past.
  
• Throwaway priests
  Charlene C. Duline, National Catholic Reporter July 20, 2007
  I ask myself if sentencing men in their 70s and 80s to 200 years in prison makes us better Christians or relieves the pain of those molested. Our church ignored the problem for years and suddenly its first in line to condemn. There is no denying that punishment is deserved, but so is forgiveness. Nobody knows better than victims of sexual abuse the pain and the torment that remains with us for the rest of our lives.
  
• I forgive you - priest asks court to show mercy on his accuser
  Tomas Mac Ruairi, Irish Independent June 28, 2007
  I would have honestly preferred had the perpetrator shot me through the head rather than have put me and my family through the pangs of anxiety and the profound sufferings we endured over the past four years." He said his ordeal had given him "a deeper insight into the mind of Christ", who had also been falsely accused. "And since his standard of forgiveness was seventy times seven times then surely I must be able to find it in me to forgive Paul Anderson - which I now do - and I do so wholeheartedly. So may I sincerely ask that this be taken into merciful consideration by the court when sentence is being passed," he said.
  
• Church's Five-Year Battle vs. Sex Abuse
  Jeff Diamant, Star-Ledger Staff June 10, 2007
  Michael Ritty, a New York lawyer who has defended accused priests in about 250 cases since 2002, said he fears some diocesan review boards are too quick to rule against priests, sometimes deeming an accusation credible when there is little evidence. He criticized the "zero-tolerance" policy, which automatically bars a credibly accused priest from ministry, as overly harsh and out-of-step with proper jurisprudence. "I have never seen anything where one-size-fits-all works," he said.
  
• Vengeance Time
  Mark A. Sargent, Commonweal April 20, 2007
  What’s going on here? SNAP might claim that its campaigns in Herndon and St. Louis were simply pragmatic measures needed to bring justice to those deprived of it, and to protect potential victims from the ongoing threat of clergy abuse. Presumably, they would argue that the church and its priests are finally getting what they deserve after decades of indifference, deception, and obduracy. Their actions, however, suggest that more is going on. SNAP’s public campaign to expose priests who have merely been accused-or sometimes cleared-of abuse has a vigilante air about it. In their eagerness to effect justice as they know it, SNAP may in fact be disrupting the rule of law.
  
• Priest Restored to Active Ministry
  National Catholic Register - CNS January 21, 2007
  After reviewing his file, the Congregation for Clergy found in Father Kiffmeyers favor, ruling that the prohibitions noted above were actually penalties imposed on Father Kiffmeyer that should not have been imposed, because the statute of limitations, known as "prescription" under Church law, had expired five years after the alleged incidents took place.
  
• Lawsuit calls for cardinal to step up
  Stephanie Gehring, Staff writer, Daily Southtown December 14, 2006
  Zisook said the new lawsuit was shocking. "To suggest that someone can destroy a reputation with false accusations and then argue that that person should have no remedy for those accusations is the height of arrogance," Zisook said. "The law gives any person the right to protect their good name regardless of what they do and regardless of who they are," Zisook said. "To suggest that (the brothers) are somehow immune from the consequences of their acts is shocking." He said Stepek was not on the attack but merely trying to restore his reputation. "Stepeks reputation has been ruined. Hes been removed from his parish. Hes been removed from the church," Zisook said. "Hes just doing what he can in the hopes of restoring his good name."
  
• Insurers call for church records
  FRED CONTRADA,The Republican December 13, 2006
  the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield faced off against seven of its insurance carriers yesterday over the disclosure of 7,500 pages of church documents. Berkshire Superior Court was full of lawyers debating issues such as spiritual counseling privilege, Constitutional religious rights and attorney-client privilege. The diocese is suing the insurance companies to get them to provide coverage for claims by 57 people who said they were sexually abused by priests. "If the bishop wants coverage, he has to disclose the information."
  
• SNAP urgest Catholics not to donate to Fort Worth Diocese
  ANGELA K. BROWN, Associated Press December 13, 2006
  Local Catholics should not donate to the Fort Worth diocese until its bishop disciplines church officials who concealed sexual abuse, two leaders of the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests said Wednesday. They said people should donate to groups that help — not hurt — children.
  
• St. Albert parishioner defends the Rev. Stepek
  Heather Wielgos, Daily Southtown December 11, 2006
  Blaine, you are unjustified in all that you say. What certification do you have to decide whether or not your clients are telling the truth on the statements they have given? Its interesting to note that in August the Department of Children and Family Services (with certified investigators) found the claims unfounded. The only thing I can agree with Blaine on is that the cardinal is not doing his job! He should be standing up for his brother priest. Has the cardinal even called the Rev. Stepek to say anything for him? So where is the peace and justice the archdiocese teaches us?
  
• Q&A with Archbishop Chaput on Mediation Progress
  Denver Catholic Register December 07, 2006
  Denvers Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., announced a mediation effort to help resolve sexual abuse allegations from the past currently pending against the local Church. Since then, a number of the cases have successfully been resolved. More may reach closure in the coming weeks.
  
• Accused of abuse, priest put on leave
  Charles A. Radin, Globe Staff November 28, 2006
  "The decision to place Father Poitras on administrative leave does not represent a determination of his guilt or innocence," the archdiocese said.
  
• Abuse allegations against priest don't add up, parishioners say
  Ariel Zangla , Freeman staff November 26, 2006
  A group comprising local Roman Catholic parishioners says its priest was not serving in Hudson during the time when he allegedly abused a boy who later became a priest.
  
• Meaningful Work for Accused Priests
  Kathleen McChesney, America Magazine November 20, 2006
  Still, allegations of abuse continue to be received by law enforcement. Canonical, civil and criminal adjudications and findings of these cases can take months or years to resolve, putting on the shoulders of local bishops the challenge of placing these men in appropriate assignments for the foreseeable future.
  
• Punish abusers, but demand evidence: Cardinal Castrillon
  CWNews.com November 07, 2006
  The Church will punish pedophile priests, but will not act simply on the basis of rumors. The sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests is a real problem, but one that has been "inflated by certain people who have an interest" in exaggerating the scope of the offenses.
  
• Challenge to Justice: Abandoned and Forgotten Clergy
  National Federation of Priests Councils November 04, 2006
  While affirming the steps that the Church in the United States is taking, we as a national voice for priests, must also call attention to situations of injustice among a growing number of priests who have had allegations made against them.
  
• Egan labels revs sickos
  KERRY BURKE and ADAM LISBERG, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS October 25, 2006
  Calkins later told The News that most priests agreed with the letter, in part because priests accused of sexual misconduct felt like they had little chance to defend themselves.
  
• Priest is sentenced in Michigan for abuse
  JENNIFER KAPIOLANI SAXTON, News-Democrat October 25, 2006
  In February, members of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, handed out leaflets at St. Marys. "Our goal was to find other victims and offer them help and help find more information that could help Michigan prosecutors either find witness or more victims," said David Clohessy, national director of SNAP.
  
• Bishops Defend Pope Against BBC Attack
  Zenit October 02, 2006
  The bishops of England and Wales are accusing the BBC of misrepresenting two Vatican documents that the news organization says Benedict XVI used to cover-up the sexual abuse of minors. According to the prelates, the program "Sex Crimes and the Vatican," broadcast Sunday by Panorama, the BBCs investigative news show, is unwarranted and misleading.
  
• COMMUNIQUE CONCERNING ARCHBISHOP EMMANUEL MILINGO
  Vatican Information Service September 26, 2006
  "For this public act both Archbishop Milingo and the four ordinands have incurred excommunication latae sententiae, as laid down in Canon 1382 of the Code of Canon Law. Moreover, the Church does not recognize, nor does she intend to recognize in the future, these ordinations and all ordinations deriving from them; and she considers the canonical status of the four supposed-bishops as being that they held prior to this ordination.
  
• Sex scandal priests won't be housed at Larchmont retreat
  Gary Stern, The Journal News September 16, 2006
  The Archdiocese of New York will not send priests accused of sexual abuse to a retreat house in Larchmont after neighbors expressed concern about even the temporary presence of such priests in their community.
  
• Accused priests given choice
  THE JOURNAL NEWS September 01, 2006
  A small number of New York priests suspected of sexually abusing minors has been given the option of entering a lifelong supervision program or leaving the priesthood, according to the New York Archdiocese.
  
• Dismissal of abuse lawsuits upheld
  RYAN J. FOLEY, Associated Press August 30, 2006
  The District 1 Court of Appeals said three people who accused of abuse between 1973 and 1976 in Delavan cannot sue the archdiocese for fraud and negligent supervision because the statute of limitations had expired. The court also tossed a similar suit brought by a man who claimed abuse in a Milwaukee church in 1982.
  
• House votes on easing statute of limitations on sex abuse
  Associated Press July 26, 2006
  The states four Catholic bishops have endorsed extending the statute of limitations, as has Attorney General Tom Reilly, who supports eliminating the time limit altogether. The clergy abuse scandal was the impetus for the legislation. Opponents, however, argue that limitations minimize the risk of people being wrongly convicted many years later, when evidence is scarce and memories not as sharp.
  
• COMMUNIQUE CONCERNING FOUNDER OF LEGIONARIES OF CHRIST
  Vatican Information Service May 19, 2006
  After having attentively studied the results of the investigation, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, under the guidance of the new prefect, Cardinal William Joseph Levada, decided - bearing in mind Fr. Maciels advanced age and his delicate health - to forgo a canonical hearing and to invite the father to a reserved life of penitence and prayer, relinquishing any form of public ministry.
  
• Changing the Rules
  L. Martin Nussbaum, America Magazine May 15, 2006
  Plaintiff attorneys recognized their problem and their opportunity. The problem was few new claims, and old claims barred by statutes of limitation. The opportunity arose from one-sided press coverage that had aroused public opinion encouraging legislators to enact legislation targeting Catholic institutions. With this, the plaintiffs’ bar, in concert with the victims’ groups, set about to retroactively change the rules governing their cases. Two prominent attorneys who are suing Catholic institutions, Jeffrey Anderson of Minnesota and Laurence Drivon of California, led the way, with support from the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests.
  
• Holy See OKs Revised Norms in Sex-Abuse Cases U.S. Bishops Get a Decree Signed by Cardinal Re
  Zenit May 09, 2006
  The decree of the congregation, signed by its prefect, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, grants the "recognitio" indefinitely.
  
• Church wins as abuse bill collapses
  By Mark P. Couch, Denver Post Staff Writer May 05, 2006
  By attempting to open a one- year window for past claims, Fitz-Gerald prompted a frenzy of lobbying by the Catholic Church, which insisted that public institutions should be held to the same standards. When the bill was changed to include the possibility of lawsuits against school districts and cities, the stakes were raised and opposition grew stronger. Some insurers told municipal governments they might not be covered for lawsuits based on old claims, Green said.
  
• Suing the Church
  Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., First Things Magazine May 01, 2006
  Archbishop Chaput notes that statutes of limitation exist for good reason: to protect justice through the timely and fair resolution of claims. However, as sex abuse claims have steadily declined since the early 1990s, plaintiffs lawyers are trying to open up new avenues for suing the Church, a lucrative target. Allying themselves with victims groups, these attorneys are working with legislators to create loopholes in the statutes and apply them retroactively to sex abuse claims, some more than 70 years old. Media pressure According to Archbishop Chaput, savvy media campaigns sensitize the public in a target area, which puts pressure on lawmakers "to provide justice for those victims whose claims have expired due to statutes of limitation."
  
• Sex-abuse measure fails fairness test
  Rocky Mountain News Editorial May 01, 2006
  House Bill 1090 violates so many standards of precedent, fairness and common sense that we hardly know where to begin. So well confine ourselves to five issues. First, the bill is special legislation targeting a single entity, which the Colorado Constitution forbids. No, the bill doesnt mention the Catholic Church in lifting the statute of limitations so adults can sue for incidents that allegedly occurred decades ago.
  
• Diocese won't detail priest aid
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Dioceses differ on support
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Diocese reinstates accused Rancho priest
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Priests Contend Cardinal Fails to Support Accused Clerics
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Ex-Prosecutor Puts Focus on Sex Claims Against a Bishop
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Vatican defrocks priest, orders trial for another
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Diocese dismisses 3 claims of sex abuse
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Priest accused of abuse, then reinstated, dies at 73
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Detroit priest accused of sex abuse is allowed to return
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Former Mendham priest returned to ministry
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Former priest accused of abuse files suit
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Former students defending accused priest
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Parish asks help with priest bill
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Geoghan's death voids conviction, prosecutors say
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Davenport Diocese will appeal ruling to hand over documents
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• To Volunteer at Church, First Be Fingerprinted
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Religious Spin
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Parish to march for Vosen
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Could slain priest's fate have been avoided?
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Clergy sex abuse crisis pushes O'Malley to close churches
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Innocent Until Proven Guilty
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Priests want due process
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Priest's life turned upside down by abuse charge judged 'unfounded'
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Charges Against Pastor Dropped
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Catholic try new approach to get cash
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Judge Denies Access to Files
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Judge Dismisses Priest's Defamation Suit
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Judge dismisses sex-abuse lawsuit against Salt Lake diocese
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Catholics Urged to Report Abuse
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Catholic priests sue accusers
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Judge has harsh words for clergy abuse attorney
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Priest-abuse lawsuits axed
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Priest's return worries parents
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Case illustrates church's challenges
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• SNAP decision: Priest deserved jail
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Boston Priest Reinstated After Probe
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Jury finds priest not guilty
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Priest settles abuse lawsuit for $16 million
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Bishop puts faith in public
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Lavigne's status raises questions
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Bishop OK's policy to address sex abuse
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Bishop Criticized for Letting Suspended Monsignor Say Masses
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Back in the pulpit: Father Paul says Vatican helped reinstate him
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Priests' rights, policy at odds
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Area Priest reinstated
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• An emotional return for reinstated priest
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• What of the innocent priests
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Miami Beach priest returns to altar after state, church clear him
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Reading people their rights: Dioceses probe sex abuse cases
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• PRIEST WITCH HUNT CLAIMS INNOCENTS AND VILLAINS
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Accused priest to return
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Vatican Reinstates Sandusky Priest Accused of Abuse
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Priests' dismissals confirmed
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Napa priest strikes back with libel suit
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• New Code of Conduct for Diocese
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Nine Dead Priests Accused
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• The Word From Rome
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• No Jail Time For Former Henderson Priest
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Accused priest cleared
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Accused priest can't be charged with abuse
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Accused of abuse, three priests are vindicated
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Sex Abuse Case Against Priest Thrown Out
  April 25, 2006
  
  
• Monsignor in Rare Attack on Egan Over Suspension
  April 24, 2006
  
  
• Suit: Dupre said files destroyed
  April 24, 2006
  
  
• Awaiting justice and an outcome
  April 24, 2006
  
  
• Court reverses sex-contact verdict against priest
  JEFF DIAMANT, Star-Ledger Staff April 18, 2006
  A state appeals court yesterday overturned the 2003 conviction of a Catholic priest from Bergen County who was found guilty of ag gravated criminal sexual contact on a teenage boy. Fugee could not be reached for comment yesterday, but his attor ney, Brian Neary, said Fugee maintains his innocence.
  
• Concerns in dealing with clerical sex abuse in the Church today
  April 10, 2006
  
  
• Case News - Opus Bono Sacerdotii
  March 21, 2006
  
  
• SEX ABUSE AND SIGNS OF FRAUD
  March 17, 2006
  
  
• ‘Accused priests shouldn’t be removed from parishes’
  February 15, 2006
  
  
• Panel OKs sex abuse bill
  February 14, 2006
  
  
• Diocese is loser in abuse ruling
  February 14, 2006
  
  
• Accused Priest Returns To Ministry Following Investigation
  February 14, 2006
  
  
• Spokane diocese plans ads seeking abuse complaints
  December 20, 2005
  
  
• Bishop will make case against bill
  December 13, 2005
  
  
• Priest sex abuse victims get hearing on church ownership claims
  December 05, 2005
  
  
• Church in Pa. Says Allowing Suits Unfair
  December 05, 2005
  
  
• Judge rules against repressed memories
  November 29, 2005
  
  
• Arrested priest is guilty until proven innocent
  November 29, 2005
  
  
• Church posts bond for convicted priest
  November 23, 2005
  
  
• Ex-attorney who lied about abuse gets prison term
  November 21, 2005
  
  
• Priest sentenced to 20 years for abuse
  November 18, 2005
  
  
• Editorial: Is a priest guilty until proven innocent?
  November 18, 2005
  
  
• Opening the church's books
  November 07, 2005
  
  
• Milwaukee archbishop to hold off on new programs to monitor priests
  November 07, 2005
  
  
• `I Just Start A Conversation'
  November 07, 2005
  
  
• Court upholds dismissal of suit against Louisville archdiocese
  November 07, 2005
  
  
• Abuse victim seeks change in law
  November 04, 2005
  
  
• Case against priest tossed
  November 02, 2005
  
  
• Hartford archdiocese reaches $22 million abuse settlement
  October 31, 2005
  
  
• Rome annuls defrocking of cleric alleged to have abused man
  October 13, 2005
  
  
• Two Priests Suspended On Sex Claims Reinstated
  October 13, 2005
  
  
• Father Maher Exonerated of Aretakis Sex Abuse Claim
  Empire Journal Albany September 06, 2005
  Long on Accusations and Character Assassinations but Short on Proof and Evidence
  
• Bishop grants mercy to disgraced
  August 17, 2005
  
  
• Archdiocese regulates priestly apparel for court
  June 22, 2005
  
  
• A Priest's Story
  May 25, 2005
  
  
• Vatican Says Mexican Priest Will Not Face Abuse Trial
  May 23, 2005
  
  
• 2005 Catholic Church sexual-abuse settlements since Diocese of Orange settlement
  May 18, 2005
  
  
• Burke seeks to keep priest in prison
  May 08, 2005
  
  
• Blair asks priests to help fight amended abuse bill
  May 08, 2005
  
  
• The Sin That Keeps on Giving
  Chris Maag, Cleveland Scene April 27, 2005
  Luckhaupt says. It has offered financial settlements to victims and paid for counseling, created a board of investigators to track down allegations, and posted an internet list of priests suspended after being found guilty.
  
• Texas Men Sue Pope Benedict Over Sex Abuse Letter
  KPRC-TV Houston April 27, 2005
  Three Houston-area men used a letter written by Pope Benedict XVI while he was a cardinal as the basis for a lawsuit against the Catholic Church. The men claim that they are victims of the churchs sex scandal and that a letter written by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is proof that he conspired to keep claims of sex abuse secret.
  
• Sexual Abuse Allegations Against a Top Catholic Re-examined
  ABC News.com April 22, 2005
  Ratzinger was also surprisingly forgiving of priests guilty of sexual abuse. "Never will it end," he said. "Temptation is natural, even for the priest. So we have to accept that."
  
• Retired police officer named head of child protection office
  Agostino Bono, CNS April 22, 2005
  "A lesser crime is a red flag to a more serious problem. If you abuse trust, you dont have a place in the clergy of the Catholic Church." said Teresa Kettelkamp, Office of Child and Youth Protection. "There is no one time," she said. "There may be only one credible accusation that comes forward. But you cant discount the fact that he offended before or will offend again."
  
• Cardinal: Pope will preserve sex abuse law
  By RACHEL ZOLL, AP RELIGION WRITER April 20, 2005
  The new pope, Benedict XVI, indicated he will preserve a U.S. church law that gives bishops broader power to discipline sexually abusive priests, Chicago Cardinal Francis George said Wednesday.
  
• Milwaukee Archdiocese sets up monitoring program for priests
  RYAN NAKASHIMA, Associated Press April 16, 2005
  Priests in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee accused of sexual misconduct can be subject to unannounced searches of their homes or computers, day or night, under a monitoring policy considered a first for the Catholic Church.
  
• JURY FINDS OAKLAND DIOCESE NEGLIGENT IN SEXUAL ABUSE CASE
  Bay City News Wire April 13, 2005
  Although many Catholic priests have stood trial on sex abuse allegations, Simons said he believes the Thatchers case is the first trial in the U.S. in which the policies of a diocese have been put on trial. Tom Thatcher said the jurys verdict "was emotional because it was a three-year legal process for us and we spent so long wondering if the diocese would be found accountable and it finally was."
  
• Lawyer for victims of abuse seeks to include parish property
  NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS, ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER April 11, 2005
  Many of the parish churches under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane should be included as assets available to pay alleged victims of sexual abuse by priests, attorneys for victims contend. Attorneys for 58 alleged victims of abuse last week asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Patricia Williams to rule that Bishop William Skylstad effectively controls the parishes in his diocese, and that some of those churches should be available to settle cases. Skylstad and his attorneys have argued that the bishops office only owns a handful of assets, including the diocese headquarters and the bishops house.
  
• Defense lawyers blamed in church crisis
  Tom Beyerlein, Dayton Daily News April 08, 2005
  Attorney says bishops followed bad legal advice on abuse claims. "I think lawyers contributed significantly in turning the problem into a crisis, making something that could have been handled by the church into something that is now going to haunt the church for decades to come," Minneapolis law professor Patrick Schiltz said.
  
• Church defends two deceased bishops named in sex abuse suit
  Boston.com News March 31, 2005
  Two Roman Catholic bishops are among seven deceased priests named in a clergy sexual abuse lawsuit filed by a Texas man serving a 50-year prison sentence for murder. Church officials said they have found nothing in their records to support the allegations, and defended the late bishops and priests.
  
• Sin, Grace, and Zero Tolerance
  First Things March 27, 2005
  An Exchange between Germain Grisez & Avery Cardinal Dulles, SJ
  
• Accused priest reinstated
  March 23, 2005
  
  
• Mahony, in legal battle, insists church has right to secrecy
  JASON BERRY, National Catholic Reporter March 21, 2005
  Mahony’s lawyers are waging the most expensive legal battle in American church history to thwart the Los Angeles district attorney’s subpoena for files of priests accused of sexual offenses, and to fight off possible charges of archdiocesan complicity in alleged crimes. The archdiocese is also fighting plaintiffs on releasing personnel files of priests in civil cases. - “If a priest cannot confide in his bishop because he is afraid of being denounced, it would mean there is no more freedom of conscience.” Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, a canon lawyer working at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith insisted: “Civil society must also respect the ‘professional secrecy’ of priests.” - Archbishop Julian Herranz, perhaps the most important canon lawyer in the Roman curia continued: “When ecclesiastical authorities deal with these delicate problems, they not only must respect the presumption of innocence, they also have to honor the rapport of trust and the consequent secrecy of the office inherent in relations between a bishop and his priest collaborators. Not to honor these exigencies would bring damages of great seriousness for the church.”
  
• Ruling offers new basis for suits against churches
  Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press February 23, 2005
  "It gives another piece of ammunition to plaintiffs, another grounds for finding a church liable for the actions of priests and ministers," Bruno said.
  
• No. 2 official with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington has been cleared
  February 23, 2005
  
  
• At U. of C., students back priest who had an affair
  February 22, 2005
  
  
• More than 600 Catholic Clerics Accused of Sex Abuse of Minors, Incidents Date Back Decades
  Insurance Journal February 21, 2005
  More than 600 U.S. Catholic diocesan priests and deacons were accused in 2004 of sexual abuse of minors, with the majority of allegations of abuse occurring between 1970 and 1974...
  
• Crisis "Not Over," Says Agency Director
  Zenit February 18, 2005
  Kathleen McChesney, head of the U.S. bishops Office of Child and Youth Protection, told reporters that "the crisis of sexual abuse of minors within the Catholic Church is not over."
  
• Seattle Archdiocese removed as defendant in sex-abuse case
  February 15, 2005
  
  
• In rare turn, Inland priest is suing accuser -- for slander
  February 15, 2005
  
  
• Experts disagree on existence of repressed memories
  Kerry Fehr-Snyder, The Arizona Republic February 15, 2005
  "Most people do not forget traumatic experiences unless they are rendered unconscious at the time of the experience," according to the dictionary.
  
• Accused priest suing Hughes for defamation
  The Times-Picayune, By Bruce Nolan, Staff writer February 11, 2005
  "Priests feel completely abandoned by their bishops -- thrown to the wolves, so to speak," said Joe Maher, a Detroit businessman who founded an organization that supports Catholic priests taken out of the ministry. Whatever its merits, the process has left thousands of priests "disheartened," said Maher, who runs the priest advocacy group. Maher said he talks to a dozen priests and fields a hundred e-mails from priests every day. His group, with 12 full-time volunteers who are suspended priests, puts accused priests in touch with lawyers, sends some a little financial support and offers them moral and spiritual support. "Actually, we advise them against suing the bishop," he said. "I dont think it helps a priests reputation anymore, and it certainly doesnt help the lay faithful when they see priests suing bishops. "But I completely understand when a priest goes that route. They feel like theres nothing left to do."
  
• Father Delahunty Returns to St. Nicholas Parish as Pastor
  January 19, 2005
  
  
• Criminal - Civil - Constitutional Law - Opus Bono Sacerdotii
  December 07, 2004
  
  
• Falsely Accused: In Today's Climate, Can a Priest Clear His Name?
  Patrick Novecosky, National Catholic Register July 14, 2004
  Cardinal Avery Dulles, a theological adviser to Opus Bono Sacerdotii, said bishops should give accused priests the right of self-defense and, if exonerated, return them to ministry. “There are many who are accused who claim to be innocent and there seems to be no evidence against them,” Cardinal Dulles said. “The tendency of the bishops sometimes is to feel they’re an embarrassment and to get them to sign papers of laicization.”
  

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