நெதர்லாந்து: நான்கு, ஏழு, ஒன்பது வயது சிறுமிகளை பாலுறவு பலாத்காரம் செய்ததற்காக 60 வயது கிறிஸ்துவ பாதிரியார் கைது
Priest accused of molesting young girls
Thursday 03 April 2008
The public prosecution department has called for a 15-month jail sentence for a priest from Overburg for the possession of child pornography and attempting to molest three girls aged four, seven and nine.
The 60-year-old priest is also accused of taking 'sexual' photographs of a seven-year-old girl at a swimming pool in Kootwijk last October.
Showing posts with label சிறுவர் வல்லுறவு. Show all posts
Showing posts with label சிறுவர் வல்லுறவு. Show all posts
Friday, April 04, 2008
ஸ்டாக்டன் கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியார் ஒரு சிறுவனை பாலுறவு பலாத்காரம் செய்ததற்காக கைது
ஸ்டாக்டன் கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியார் ஒரு சிறுவனை பாலுறவு பலாத்காரம் செய்ததற்காக கைது
இது மாதிரி லிஸ்டு எடுத்து அலுத்து போயிற்று என்று விட்டுவிட்டேன்.
ரொம்ப நாள் கழித்து திடீரேன்று போட்டால் ஒரே நாளில் இவ்வளவு!
Stockton diocese priest hit with suit alleging sex abuse
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 04/02/2008 01:51:38 PM PDT
STOCKTON, Calif.—A priest at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Stockton faces a claim that he sexually abused a boy in the 1980s.
The Rev. Michael Kelly was a priest at the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Stockton when the alleged abuse occurred at the boy's home from 1982 to 1985.
The alleged victim is now 33 years old, but did not recall the molestation until 2006, according to the lawsuit filed March 26 in San Joaquin County Superior Court.
Kelly was placed on leave when the plaintiff's parents first contacted the diocese about the allegations last October. But in March, he returned to the ministry at St. Joachim Catholic Church in Lockeford.
Kelly calls the claims "outrageous lies," and says he intends to fight the suit.
இது மாதிரி லிஸ்டு எடுத்து அலுத்து போயிற்று என்று விட்டுவிட்டேன்.
ரொம்ப நாள் கழித்து திடீரேன்று போட்டால் ஒரே நாளில் இவ்வளவு!
Stockton diocese priest hit with suit alleging sex abuse
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 04/02/2008 01:51:38 PM PDT
STOCKTON, Calif.—A priest at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Stockton faces a claim that he sexually abused a boy in the 1980s.
The Rev. Michael Kelly was a priest at the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Stockton when the alleged abuse occurred at the boy's home from 1982 to 1985.
The alleged victim is now 33 years old, but did not recall the molestation until 2006, according to the lawsuit filed March 26 in San Joaquin County Superior Court.
Kelly was placed on leave when the plaintiff's parents first contacted the diocese about the allegations last October. But in March, he returned to the ministry at St. Joachim Catholic Church in Lockeford.
Kelly calls the claims "outrageous lies," and says he intends to fight the suit.
Monday, August 27, 2007
கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியார்கள் செய்த 42 சிறுவர் வல்லுறவு குற்றங்கள் மேல் வழக்குக்கு அனுமதி
கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியார்கள் செய்த 42 சிறுவர் வல்லுறவு குற்றங்கள் மேல் வழக்குக்கு அனுமதி வழங்கப்பட்டுள்ளன.
42 San Diego sex abuse cases ordered to trial
By Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 25, 2007
SAN DIEGO -- A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge ruled Friday that 42 lawsuits filed by people alleging sexual abuse by Catholic priests here can go to trial, which could goad the Catholic Diocese of San Diego into settling those and other suits.
Andrea Leavitt, lawyer for a group of claimants, called the ruling by Judge Louise De Carl Adler a victory for victims of sexual abuse, many of whom have spent years seeking damage payments from the diocese.
"The victims are very encouraged," Leavitt said. "And they are very grateful that the court has the wisdom to grasp the gamesmanship the victims have been subjected to for years by the diocese."
Adler, in her ruling, said she will decide at a hearing Sept. 6 whether to throw out the diocese's bankruptcy lawsuit.
In February, as the first of the suits was about to go to trial, the San Diego diocese, with 1 million Catholics, became the largest in the nation to seek protection in Bankruptcy Court.
The Bankruptcy Court blocked the suits from going to trial. But Adler has been increasingly skeptical of the diocese's assertions that it could become insolvent if it had to pay damages to the 150-plus claimants. She has also criticized the diocese's financial record-keeping as being designed to mask the diocese's true worth.
Diocese attorneys have offered a $95-million settlement with 150-plus people who have filed claims. But Adler noted in her ruling that this is "far below the historic statewide average" of payments when abuse victims sue in state court.
The judge suggested that the diocese was "forum shopping," hoping that a settlement reached as part of a bankruptcy filing would cost less than one reached in a trial court.
The 42 lawsuits represent 58 claimants. In all, the diocese faces 127 lawsuits.
Diocese lawyers argued that Adler does not have the authority to send the 42 lawsuits back to the Superior Court for trial. Adler said there is a compelling public interest in settling claims involving the sexual abuse of children.
Claimant attorneys have said the diocese filed for bankruptcy to stop the suits from going to trial and spare Bishop Robert Brom from having to testify.
Brom and his lawyer did not return calls Friday.
tony.perry@latimes.com
42 San Diego sex abuse cases ordered to trial
By Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 25, 2007
SAN DIEGO -- A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge ruled Friday that 42 lawsuits filed by people alleging sexual abuse by Catholic priests here can go to trial, which could goad the Catholic Diocese of San Diego into settling those and other suits.
Andrea Leavitt, lawyer for a group of claimants, called the ruling by Judge Louise De Carl Adler a victory for victims of sexual abuse, many of whom have spent years seeking damage payments from the diocese.
"The victims are very encouraged," Leavitt said. "And they are very grateful that the court has the wisdom to grasp the gamesmanship the victims have been subjected to for years by the diocese."
Adler, in her ruling, said she will decide at a hearing Sept. 6 whether to throw out the diocese's bankruptcy lawsuit.
In February, as the first of the suits was about to go to trial, the San Diego diocese, with 1 million Catholics, became the largest in the nation to seek protection in Bankruptcy Court.
The Bankruptcy Court blocked the suits from going to trial. But Adler has been increasingly skeptical of the diocese's assertions that it could become insolvent if it had to pay damages to the 150-plus claimants. She has also criticized the diocese's financial record-keeping as being designed to mask the diocese's true worth.
Diocese attorneys have offered a $95-million settlement with 150-plus people who have filed claims. But Adler noted in her ruling that this is "far below the historic statewide average" of payments when abuse victims sue in state court.
The judge suggested that the diocese was "forum shopping," hoping that a settlement reached as part of a bankruptcy filing would cost less than one reached in a trial court.
The 42 lawsuits represent 58 claimants. In all, the diocese faces 127 lawsuits.
Diocese lawyers argued that Adler does not have the authority to send the 42 lawsuits back to the Superior Court for trial. Adler said there is a compelling public interest in settling claims involving the sexual abuse of children.
Claimant attorneys have said the diocese filed for bankruptcy to stop the suits from going to trial and spare Bishop Robert Brom from having to testify.
Brom and his lawyer did not return calls Friday.
tony.perry@latimes.com
Sunday, August 26, 2007
15 வயது பையனுடன் பாலுறவுக்கு ஒயினும் பணமும் கொடுத்த கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியார் கைது
15 வயது பையனுடன் பாலுறவுக்காக அவனுக்கு ஒயினும் பணமும் கொடுத்த கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியார் கைது.
Affidavit says Naugatuck priest gave 15-year-old boy wine, money for sex favors
BY PAUL SINGLEY REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
WATERBURY — A Roman Catholic priest at two Naugatuck churches allegedly coerced a teenage boy into giving him oral sex several times in exchange for wine and money, according to an arrest warrant affidavit released at Waterbury Superior Court on Wednesday.
A 16-year-old boy alleged in the affidavit that the Rev. Robert J. Grant, 63, of St. Mary's and St. Hedwig's churches, paid him between $100 and $150 each time the boy performed oral sex on Grant. The affidavit also says that the boy, who was 15 when the incidents began between July and August 2006, gave Grant several back massages at St. Mary's Church in exchange for $50 each time.
Grant, who has been placed on administrative leave by the Archdiocese of Hartford, has been charged with second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury/impairing the morals of children. He is free after posting a $200,000 bond and has not entered a plea. His next court date is Sept. 12.
Grant did not want to comment Wednesday, and his attorney, William St. John of Waterbury, did not return a message Wednesday.
Affidavit says Naugatuck priest gave 15-year-old boy wine, money for sex favors
BY PAUL SINGLEY REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
WATERBURY — A Roman Catholic priest at two Naugatuck churches allegedly coerced a teenage boy into giving him oral sex several times in exchange for wine and money, according to an arrest warrant affidavit released at Waterbury Superior Court on Wednesday.
A 16-year-old boy alleged in the affidavit that the Rev. Robert J. Grant, 63, of St. Mary's and St. Hedwig's churches, paid him between $100 and $150 each time the boy performed oral sex on Grant. The affidavit also says that the boy, who was 15 when the incidents began between July and August 2006, gave Grant several back massages at St. Mary's Church in exchange for $50 each time.
Grant, who has been placed on administrative leave by the Archdiocese of Hartford, has been charged with second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury/impairing the morals of children. He is free after posting a $200,000 bond and has not entered a plea. His next court date is Sept. 12.
Grant did not want to comment Wednesday, and his attorney, William St. John of Waterbury, did not return a message Wednesday.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
சிறுவர் வல்லுறவு: கிறிஸ்துவ கன்யாஸ்திரிகள் மீது குற்றச்சாட்டு
ஸிஸ்ரர் பாட்ரிஸியா மேரி ஆன் என்ற கன்யாஸ்திரி பலகாலமாக பல சிறுவர்களள பாலுறவு பலாத்காரம் செய்திருக்கிறார்.
ஸிஸ்ரர் ஜெனவீவ் மேரி என்பவரும் இதே போல பல சிறுவர்களை பாலுறவு பலாத்காரம் செய்திருக்கிறார் என்று குற்றச்சாட்டு கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.
அழிவுப்பாதையில் அறியாச் சிறுவர்களை துன்புறுத்தும் இந்த மதத்தினர் அன்பு வழி ஆன்மீக வழிக்கு வர விரும்புவோம்.
Nuns Named In Church Sex Abuse Lawsuits
POSTED: 3:47 pm PDT August 2, 2007
UPDATED: 4:46 pm PDT August 2, 2007
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Six more sex abuse lawsuits were filed Thursday in federal court against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland, the first complaints since the archdiocese resolved its bankruptcy with a massive settlement in April.
The lawsuits were filed by Portland attorney Kelly Clark, who also represented many of the alleged abuse victims covered by the $75 million settlement.
The settlement set aside about $20 million for future claims. The amount is the total the church can finance from various sources to meet any claims, and not a separate pool of money, according to Mary Jo Tully, chancellor of the archdiocese.
The new complaints seek a total of $16.6 million in damages.
Church officials had no comment on the new cases.
Two nuns and a janitor were named in the new complaints, along with two priests who had been named in earlier lawsuits. The new lawsuits did not identify the alleged victims.
According to the complaints:
Sister Patricia Mary Anne, a nun and teacher at the Madeline School in Portland, was accused of sexually abusing a boy as many as 100 times over a two-year period beginning in 1964.
Sister Genevieve Marie, a nun and teacher at St. James School in McMinnville, was accused of physical and mental cruelty against at boy and a girl in the mid- to late 1950s, including "harmful and offensive touching." The complaint also names Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, the successor organization to the Sisters of St. Francis of Portland, as a co-defendant with the archdiocese.
A janitor at All Saints Parish and School in Northeast Portland, identified only as Carl, was accused of inducing a girl to engage in sexual acts dozens of times in a boiler room during the 1980-81 school year.
The Rev. Thomas Laughlin was accused of providing a boy with alcohol and sexually abusing him as many as 100 times at Central Catholic High School, where Laughlin was the boy's teacher, and at Marylhurst College, where the boy was Laughlin's altar boy.
The Rev. James Harris was accused of sexually abusing a boy about four times from 1951 through 1954 at St. Joseph Parish and School in Salem and at the priest's apartment.
Harris has died but Laughlin is still alive although he was laicized and no longer is a priest, Tully said. Church officials in Portland did not know any details about the nuns or the janitor, she said.
The archdiocese was the first Catholic diocese in the nation to file for bankruptcy in July 2004.
ஸிஸ்ரர் ஜெனவீவ் மேரி என்பவரும் இதே போல பல சிறுவர்களை பாலுறவு பலாத்காரம் செய்திருக்கிறார் என்று குற்றச்சாட்டு கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.
அழிவுப்பாதையில் அறியாச் சிறுவர்களை துன்புறுத்தும் இந்த மதத்தினர் அன்பு வழி ஆன்மீக வழிக்கு வர விரும்புவோம்.
Nuns Named In Church Sex Abuse Lawsuits
POSTED: 3:47 pm PDT August 2, 2007
UPDATED: 4:46 pm PDT August 2, 2007
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Six more sex abuse lawsuits were filed Thursday in federal court against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland, the first complaints since the archdiocese resolved its bankruptcy with a massive settlement in April.
The lawsuits were filed by Portland attorney Kelly Clark, who also represented many of the alleged abuse victims covered by the $75 million settlement.
The settlement set aside about $20 million for future claims. The amount is the total the church can finance from various sources to meet any claims, and not a separate pool of money, according to Mary Jo Tully, chancellor of the archdiocese.
The new complaints seek a total of $16.6 million in damages.
Church officials had no comment on the new cases.
Two nuns and a janitor were named in the new complaints, along with two priests who had been named in earlier lawsuits. The new lawsuits did not identify the alleged victims.
According to the complaints:
Sister Patricia Mary Anne, a nun and teacher at the Madeline School in Portland, was accused of sexually abusing a boy as many as 100 times over a two-year period beginning in 1964.
Sister Genevieve Marie, a nun and teacher at St. James School in McMinnville, was accused of physical and mental cruelty against at boy and a girl in the mid- to late 1950s, including "harmful and offensive touching." The complaint also names Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, the successor organization to the Sisters of St. Francis of Portland, as a co-defendant with the archdiocese.
A janitor at All Saints Parish and School in Northeast Portland, identified only as Carl, was accused of inducing a girl to engage in sexual acts dozens of times in a boiler room during the 1980-81 school year.
The Rev. Thomas Laughlin was accused of providing a boy with alcohol and sexually abusing him as many as 100 times at Central Catholic High School, where Laughlin was the boy's teacher, and at Marylhurst College, where the boy was Laughlin's altar boy.
The Rev. James Harris was accused of sexually abusing a boy about four times from 1951 through 1954 at St. Joseph Parish and School in Salem and at the priest's apartment.
Harris has died but Laughlin is still alive although he was laicized and no longer is a priest, Tully said. Church officials in Portland did not know any details about the nuns or the janitor, she said.
The archdiocese was the first Catholic diocese in the nation to file for bankruptcy in July 2004.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
இத்தாலியின் மிக முக்கியமான பிஷப் டான் பியரெனோ ஜெல்மினி சிறுவர்களை பாலுறவுக்கு பயன்படுத்தியதாக குற்றச்சாட்டு
இத்தாலியின் மிக முக்கியமான பிஷப் டான் பியரெனோ ஜெல்மினி சிறுவர்களை பாலுறவுக்கு பயன்படுத்தினார். பலாத்காரம் செய்தார் ஆகிய குற்றச்சாட்டுகளுக்காக விசாரிக்கப்படுகிறார் என்று பத்திரிக்கை செய்திகள் தெரிவிக்கின்றன.
போதை மருந்துக்கு அடிமையானவர்களுக்கு சேவை செய்வதற்காக கட்டப்பட்ட சேவை நிலையங்களில் இருப்பவர்களை இவ்வாறு பாலுறவு பலாத்காரம் செய்தார் என்றும் குற்றச்சாட்டுகள் கூறுகின்றன.
'Celebrity priest' in paedophilia probe
Published: 04 August 2007
A "celebrity" priest, founder of an organisation with more than 280 drug rehabilitation centres around the world, is under investigation in central Italy for alleged paedophilia.
Don Pierino Gelmini is one of the church's best-known faces on Italian television, a close friend of top politicians including former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, a rent-a-quote figure with right-wing views on drugs and family values.
In 2004, while still Prime Minister, Mr Berlusconi made the 80-year-old priest, founder of "Comunita Incontro", a public gift of 10 billion lira (£3.5m) for the organisation's work.
But yesterday La Stampa newspaper revealed that the priest has been under investigation, on suspicion of sexually molesting young people, for more than six months. "It seems that the accusations are numerous and coherent," the paper reported. "They revolve around a closed community in which a figure of enormous charisma seems not to have restricted himself to taking care of souls."
The priest's accusers are former residents of Comunita Incontro's centres with a history of drug use. But the magistrates have also interviewed many other possible witnesses, as well as Father Gelmini himself.
No details of the accusations have leaked to the media. Notoriously indiscreet when politicians are under investigation, in this case, perhaps thanks to the power of the church in Italian public life, the magistrates have kept the investigation under wraps.
A friend of the priest, Alessandro Meluzzi, said: "We are anguished, but are pleased to carry the cross that has been thrown on a man who has always served Christ, the church and the lowest of the low." The accusations, he added, came from "a small group of lads who were expelled from the community, who had all the typical problems of drug addicts, and of behaviour and personality as well."
As news of the investigation broke, right-wing politicians rushed to the priest's defence. Maria Burani Procaccini, spokesman on families and children for Forza Italia, Berlusconi's party, said: "In our hearts we say that Don Gelmini is a saint. And we ask the media not to murder the innocent."
போதை மருந்துக்கு அடிமையானவர்களுக்கு சேவை செய்வதற்காக கட்டப்பட்ட சேவை நிலையங்களில் இருப்பவர்களை இவ்வாறு பாலுறவு பலாத்காரம் செய்தார் என்றும் குற்றச்சாட்டுகள் கூறுகின்றன.
'Celebrity priest' in paedophilia probe
Published: 04 August 2007
A "celebrity" priest, founder of an organisation with more than 280 drug rehabilitation centres around the world, is under investigation in central Italy for alleged paedophilia.
Don Pierino Gelmini is one of the church's best-known faces on Italian television, a close friend of top politicians including former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, a rent-a-quote figure with right-wing views on drugs and family values.
In 2004, while still Prime Minister, Mr Berlusconi made the 80-year-old priest, founder of "Comunita Incontro", a public gift of 10 billion lira (£3.5m) for the organisation's work.
But yesterday La Stampa newspaper revealed that the priest has been under investigation, on suspicion of sexually molesting young people, for more than six months. "It seems that the accusations are numerous and coherent," the paper reported. "They revolve around a closed community in which a figure of enormous charisma seems not to have restricted himself to taking care of souls."
The priest's accusers are former residents of Comunita Incontro's centres with a history of drug use. But the magistrates have also interviewed many other possible witnesses, as well as Father Gelmini himself.
No details of the accusations have leaked to the media. Notoriously indiscreet when politicians are under investigation, in this case, perhaps thanks to the power of the church in Italian public life, the magistrates have kept the investigation under wraps.
A friend of the priest, Alessandro Meluzzi, said: "We are anguished, but are pleased to carry the cross that has been thrown on a man who has always served Christ, the church and the lowest of the low." The accusations, he added, came from "a small group of lads who were expelled from the community, who had all the typical problems of drug addicts, and of behaviour and personality as well."
As news of the investigation broke, right-wing politicians rushed to the priest's defence. Maria Burani Procaccini, spokesman on families and children for Forza Italia, Berlusconi's party, said: "In our hearts we say that Don Gelmini is a saint. And we ask the media not to murder the innocent."
Friday, August 03, 2007
5 வயது குழந்தையை வல்லுறவு செய்த பாதிரியார் !
பாரி ரையான் என்ற கத்தோலிக்க கிறிஸ்துவ பாதிரியார் ஐந்து வயது குழந்தையை வன்புணர்வு செய்ததை ஒப்புக்கொண்டார்.
Arrest warrant issued for priest who molested boy
BY TOM MCGINTY | tom.mcginty@newsday.com
August 3, 2007
A Suffolk County judge Thursday issued an arrest warrant for a former Catholic priest who recently moved to Missouri, after spending the past three years saying he was too ill to return from Maryland to Suffolk to go to jail on child molestation charges.
Barry Ryan, 58, of Palm City, Fla., confessed to abusing a 5-year-old boy while visiting a private home on Long Island in 2003.
Ryan pleaded guilty in October 2004 to sodomy, but because he was suffering from terminal liver cancer, the victim's family agreed on a sentence of only two years, possibly to be served outside of prison.
He was formally sentenced in December 2004, but Suffolk County Court Judge Ralph Gazzillo agreed to put off sending him to jail, believing he would soon die. Ryan told his victim's family at the time, "I welcome my own death. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
But nearly three years later, Ryan is still alive and has spent much of his time at the St. Luke Institute, a church-run facility in Maryland. Gazzillo has kept delaying locking Ryan up as his attorney insisted that the former clergyman remains in poor health and that his death is imminent.
Prosecutors said the former priest on Wednesday night made what appeared to be yet another effort to avoid incarceration by making superficial cuts on his own neck, as if he were trying to kill himself.
That prompted Gazzillo yesterday to issue a warrant for Ryan's arrest -- a move that was praised by the victim's family.
Ryan's attorney, Joseph Ostrowsky of Brooklyn, said his client's condition is unstable, adding, "I do know Mr. Ryan is terrified of going to jail."
"Most people are," Gazzillo replied.
"This is such a relief," the boy's mother said outside the courtroom. "It's been a long, long time."
Ryan, who served in parishes in Brooklyn and Queens in the 1970s and 1980s, was suspended from priestly duties in 1995, following accusations that he engaged in inappropriate sexual activities while working as an Air Force chaplain in Mobile, Ala.
Staff writer Alfonso A. Castillo contributed to this story.
Arrest warrant issued for priest who molested boy
BY TOM MCGINTY | tom.mcginty@newsday.com
August 3, 2007
A Suffolk County judge Thursday issued an arrest warrant for a former Catholic priest who recently moved to Missouri, after spending the past three years saying he was too ill to return from Maryland to Suffolk to go to jail on child molestation charges.
Barry Ryan, 58, of Palm City, Fla., confessed to abusing a 5-year-old boy while visiting a private home on Long Island in 2003.
Ryan pleaded guilty in October 2004 to sodomy, but because he was suffering from terminal liver cancer, the victim's family agreed on a sentence of only two years, possibly to be served outside of prison.
He was formally sentenced in December 2004, but Suffolk County Court Judge Ralph Gazzillo agreed to put off sending him to jail, believing he would soon die. Ryan told his victim's family at the time, "I welcome my own death. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
But nearly three years later, Ryan is still alive and has spent much of his time at the St. Luke Institute, a church-run facility in Maryland. Gazzillo has kept delaying locking Ryan up as his attorney insisted that the former clergyman remains in poor health and that his death is imminent.
Prosecutors said the former priest on Wednesday night made what appeared to be yet another effort to avoid incarceration by making superficial cuts on his own neck, as if he were trying to kill himself.
That prompted Gazzillo yesterday to issue a warrant for Ryan's arrest -- a move that was praised by the victim's family.
Ryan's attorney, Joseph Ostrowsky of Brooklyn, said his client's condition is unstable, adding, "I do know Mr. Ryan is terrified of going to jail."
"Most people are," Gazzillo replied.
"This is such a relief," the boy's mother said outside the courtroom. "It's been a long, long time."
Ryan, who served in parishes in Brooklyn and Queens in the 1970s and 1980s, was suspended from priestly duties in 1995, following accusations that he engaged in inappropriate sexual activities while working as an Air Force chaplain in Mobile, Ala.
Staff writer Alfonso A. Castillo contributed to this story.
குழந்தையை பாலுறவு பலாத்காரம் செய்ததாக ஒரு கத்தோலிக்க கிறிஸ்துவ பாதிரியார் கைது
குழந்தையை பாலுறவு பலாத்காரம் செய்ததாக ஒரு கத்தோலிக்க கிறிஸ்துவ பாதிரியார் கைது செய்யபப்ட்டார்.
63 வயதான ரெவரண்ட் ராபர்ட் ஜே க்ராண்ட் பாதிரியார் கைது செய்யப்பட்டு 200000 டாலர் பெயிலில் விடுவிக்கபப்ட்டார்.
Naugatuck priest facing child sexual assault charge
4:08 PM EDT, August 2, 2007
NAUGATUCK, Conn. - A Roman Catholic priest was arrested Thursday on a sexual assault charge involving a child, then suspended by church officials.
The Rev. Robert J. Grant, 63, was taken into custody Thursday morning and later released on a $200,000 bond, said Police Chief Christopher Edson.
Edson said Grant was charged with second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor. The chief said he could not elaborate because the alleged victim is a juvenile.
Grant is the pastor of St. Mary and St. Hedwig churches. A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Hartford, which oversees Naugatuck parishes, said Grant has been placed on administrative leave.
"We are deeply troubled by this morning's arrest of Father Grant," said the Rev. John Gatzak, spokesman for the archdiocese. "He will not be able to do ministry or function as a priest pending the outcome of the investigation."
The archdiocese has taken several steps in recent years to safeguard children, Gatzak said. He said every priest and employee who works with children undergoes thorough background checks as well as a mandatory program for recognizing the signs of sexual abuse.
Children at the archdiocese's schools are taught how to recognize when they are being lured, encouraged not to keep secrets, and told where to get help, Gatzak said.
"In light of all of this, it's almost inconceivable that something like this can happen today," Gatzak said.
Ordained 14 years ago, Grant has been pastor of St. Mary's since 2005 and was recently named pastor of St. Hedwig. Gatzak said a replacement for the churches had not immediately been appointed.
"Every effort is going to be made to see that the people of both parishes are served," Gatzak said.
63 வயதான ரெவரண்ட் ராபர்ட் ஜே க்ராண்ட் பாதிரியார் கைது செய்யப்பட்டு 200000 டாலர் பெயிலில் விடுவிக்கபப்ட்டார்.
Naugatuck priest facing child sexual assault charge
4:08 PM EDT, August 2, 2007
NAUGATUCK, Conn. - A Roman Catholic priest was arrested Thursday on a sexual assault charge involving a child, then suspended by church officials.
The Rev. Robert J. Grant, 63, was taken into custody Thursday morning and later released on a $200,000 bond, said Police Chief Christopher Edson.
Edson said Grant was charged with second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor. The chief said he could not elaborate because the alleged victim is a juvenile.
Grant is the pastor of St. Mary and St. Hedwig churches. A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Hartford, which oversees Naugatuck parishes, said Grant has been placed on administrative leave.
"We are deeply troubled by this morning's arrest of Father Grant," said the Rev. John Gatzak, spokesman for the archdiocese. "He will not be able to do ministry or function as a priest pending the outcome of the investigation."
The archdiocese has taken several steps in recent years to safeguard children, Gatzak said. He said every priest and employee who works with children undergoes thorough background checks as well as a mandatory program for recognizing the signs of sexual abuse.
Children at the archdiocese's schools are taught how to recognize when they are being lured, encouraged not to keep secrets, and told where to get help, Gatzak said.
"In light of all of this, it's almost inconceivable that something like this can happen today," Gatzak said.
Ordained 14 years ago, Grant has been pastor of St. Mary's since 2005 and was recently named pastor of St. Hedwig. Gatzak said a replacement for the churches had not immediately been appointed.
"Every effort is going to be made to see that the people of both parishes are served," Gatzak said.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
ஆஸ்திரேலியா: படுக்கைக்கு அழைத்த கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியார்
கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியார் ஏழு வயதில் தன்னை பாலுறவு பலாத்காரம் செய்ததை ஒரு பெண்மணி கண்ணீருடன் நீதிமன்றத்தில் கூறி அழுதார்.
Priest ‘asked me into his bedroom’
24th July 2007, 6:15 WST
A 31-year-old woman broke down in tears yesterday as she told a District Court jury how a Catholic priest sexually abused her at his holiday home in Moore River more than 20 years ago.
With a public gallery of about 50 people including Perth Archbishop Barry Hickey watching, the woman said Father Richard Joseph Doyle invited her family to holiday at his two-bedroom “beach shack” when she was seven years old.
She said that while her parents were asleep early one morning in one bedroom, Father Doyle asked her to come into his bed in the home’s other bedroom to scratch his back and then put his hand inside her underpants and placed her hand on his penis.
The woman sobbed as she described how she quickly made up an excuse that she needed to get a tissue in order to leave the bed and that she could still remember specific details of the incident, including that the tissue she then went to get was yellow.
“It sounds pathetic but I had to get that frigging tissue,” she said. “That’s something that’s stuck in my head for 25 years. I just really do remember what colour that tissue was.”
Father Doyle has plead not guilty to two charges of indecently dealing with the woman, who cannot be named, in 1983 or 1984 when he was associated with the Willetton parish.
The woman said she did not tell anyone that Father Doyle had abused her until years after the incident and reported it to police only last year.
She said her family stayed at Father Doyle’s home several times but he had abused her only once.
Father Doyle told the court yesterday that there was an incident at his holiday home but claimed that he did not invite her into his bed and denied putting his hand inside her underpants or placing her hand on his penis.
Father Doyle said that when he woke early one morning, the girl was on top of him in his bed, giving him an affectionate kiss on the lips.
Father Doyle said that he was sexually aroused as he woke and that while he was still “half asleep” with the girl on top of him, he ejaculated. Father Doyle said he regretted that he let the girl lay with him in his bed for several minutes after the incident and that he did not tell her parents about the incident.
He admitted writing a letter to the girl’s father in 1993 suggesting the girl receive some financial compensation. The trial is due to conclude today.
RYAN PEDLER
Priest ‘asked me into his bedroom’
24th July 2007, 6:15 WST
A 31-year-old woman broke down in tears yesterday as she told a District Court jury how a Catholic priest sexually abused her at his holiday home in Moore River more than 20 years ago.
With a public gallery of about 50 people including Perth Archbishop Barry Hickey watching, the woman said Father Richard Joseph Doyle invited her family to holiday at his two-bedroom “beach shack” when she was seven years old.
She said that while her parents were asleep early one morning in one bedroom, Father Doyle asked her to come into his bed in the home’s other bedroom to scratch his back and then put his hand inside her underpants and placed her hand on his penis.
The woman sobbed as she described how she quickly made up an excuse that she needed to get a tissue in order to leave the bed and that she could still remember specific details of the incident, including that the tissue she then went to get was yellow.
“It sounds pathetic but I had to get that frigging tissue,” she said. “That’s something that’s stuck in my head for 25 years. I just really do remember what colour that tissue was.”
Father Doyle has plead not guilty to two charges of indecently dealing with the woman, who cannot be named, in 1983 or 1984 when he was associated with the Willetton parish.
The woman said she did not tell anyone that Father Doyle had abused her until years after the incident and reported it to police only last year.
She said her family stayed at Father Doyle’s home several times but he had abused her only once.
Father Doyle told the court yesterday that there was an incident at his holiday home but claimed that he did not invite her into his bed and denied putting his hand inside her underpants or placing her hand on his penis.
Father Doyle said that when he woke early one morning, the girl was on top of him in his bed, giving him an affectionate kiss on the lips.
Father Doyle said that he was sexually aroused as he woke and that while he was still “half asleep” with the girl on top of him, he ejaculated. Father Doyle said he regretted that he let the girl lay with him in his bed for several minutes after the incident and that he did not tell her parents about the incident.
He admitted writing a letter to the girl’s father in 1993 suggesting the girl receive some financial compensation. The trial is due to conclude today.
RYAN PEDLER
Monday, July 23, 2007
மாலத்தீவு: 12 வயது சிறுமியை வல்லுறவு செய்த ஆண்கள் விடுவிப்பு
ஒரு 12 வயது பெண்ணை, அவளது வீட்டு ஜன்னல்களை உடைத்து உள்ளே வந்து அவளை பாலுறவுபலாத்காரம் செய்த 4 பேருக்கு ஆறுமாதம் வெவ்வேறு தீவுகளில் வசிக்க வேண்டும் என்று தண்டனை தரப்பட்டுள்ளது
இந்த் ஆண்களுக்கு சிறைதண்டனை கொடுக்கவில்லை. காரணம், அந்த 12 வயது பெண் கதறவில்லை, கத்தவில்லை ஆகவே அந்த பெண் இந்த உறவுக்கு சம்மதித்திருக்கிறாள் என்று நீதிபதி தீர்ப்பளித்திருக்கிறார்.
எங்கே போய் முட்டிக்கொள்ள?
“Gang Rapists” Given Eight Months Exile
By Paul Roberts in London
July 19, 2007
Four men who had sex with a twelve year old girl after breaking into her home in January have been cleared of rape. A judge found the girl from Kurendhoo, Lhaviyani atoll, had consented to have sex with the men after they smashed her bedroom window with an axe.
The judge sentenced the four men to eight months exile from Kurendhoo for sex outside marriage. The sentence apparently contradicts a government commitment in May that child sex offenders would be imprisoned rather than banished.
On January 31 the men aged between nineteen and twenty-five used an axe to smash the window of the girl’s bedroom before taking her from her bed and having sex with her. The state charged the four men with rape.
But in his summation the judge noted “the girl had reached puberty” and found “she was a willing partner,” because she had not screamed, struggled or told her sister-in-law or step mother about the event.
He found the men guilty of consensual sex before marriage, and imposed the minimum sentence of eight months banishment. The standard sentence for sex outside marriage, even for couples who have consensual sex while engaged to be married, is twelve months banishment.
The Attorney General has promised to appeal against the case, but women’s rights activists are furious at the decision. “I am amazed the judge has presumed a twelve year old girl can give consent to four men to have sex with her,” said Aishath Velezinee, of women’s rights NGO Hama Jamiya [Justice Organisation]. “This is obviously a case of gang rape.”
Velezinee is furious “four men, who raped a twelve year old, will be sent to an island, possibly four separate islands, where there will be other vulnerable young females.”
She says the Deputy Home Minister Azima Shukoor had promised a UN conference in Geneva in May, child sex offenders would be imprisoned rather than banished.
Aminath Eenas of the Gender Ministry also revealed her ministry has told the legal authorities sex offenders should be “imprisoned not banished,” and evidence of abuse victims be “heard in private not open courts.”
“We have asked repeatedly, but there is nothing else we can do,” Eenas complained.
Justice Minister Mohamed Jameel said there is “a judicial practice to sentence such offenders to imprisonment,” and did not know why the judge “departed from the prevailing practice.”
But of Azima Shukoor's promise to the UN, Velezine said, “the minister completely distorted the truth. The law clearly still permits banishment for child sexual offences, and the judiciary does not consider this a serious crime.” On Wednesday Azima told Minivan News she was “too busy to discuss this.”
“The sentences send completely the wrong message. It tells men of all ages they can get away with rape, and it tells young women not to come forward as they will be re-victimised by the judicial system,” Velezinee went on.
And she called on the Gender Ministry to “condemn the decision in the strongest possible terms,” and “make sure this goes all the way to the high court.” The Gender Minister, Aishath Didi, has so far refused to comment on the case.
இந்த் ஆண்களுக்கு சிறைதண்டனை கொடுக்கவில்லை. காரணம், அந்த 12 வயது பெண் கதறவில்லை, கத்தவில்லை ஆகவே அந்த பெண் இந்த உறவுக்கு சம்மதித்திருக்கிறாள் என்று நீதிபதி தீர்ப்பளித்திருக்கிறார்.
எங்கே போய் முட்டிக்கொள்ள?
“Gang Rapists” Given Eight Months Exile
By Paul Roberts in London
July 19, 2007
Four men who had sex with a twelve year old girl after breaking into her home in January have been cleared of rape. A judge found the girl from Kurendhoo, Lhaviyani atoll, had consented to have sex with the men after they smashed her bedroom window with an axe.
The judge sentenced the four men to eight months exile from Kurendhoo for sex outside marriage. The sentence apparently contradicts a government commitment in May that child sex offenders would be imprisoned rather than banished.
On January 31 the men aged between nineteen and twenty-five used an axe to smash the window of the girl’s bedroom before taking her from her bed and having sex with her. The state charged the four men with rape.
But in his summation the judge noted “the girl had reached puberty” and found “she was a willing partner,” because she had not screamed, struggled or told her sister-in-law or step mother about the event.
He found the men guilty of consensual sex before marriage, and imposed the minimum sentence of eight months banishment. The standard sentence for sex outside marriage, even for couples who have consensual sex while engaged to be married, is twelve months banishment.
The Attorney General has promised to appeal against the case, but women’s rights activists are furious at the decision. “I am amazed the judge has presumed a twelve year old girl can give consent to four men to have sex with her,” said Aishath Velezinee, of women’s rights NGO Hama Jamiya [Justice Organisation]. “This is obviously a case of gang rape.”
Velezinee is furious “four men, who raped a twelve year old, will be sent to an island, possibly four separate islands, where there will be other vulnerable young females.”
She says the Deputy Home Minister Azima Shukoor had promised a UN conference in Geneva in May, child sex offenders would be imprisoned rather than banished.
Aminath Eenas of the Gender Ministry also revealed her ministry has told the legal authorities sex offenders should be “imprisoned not banished,” and evidence of abuse victims be “heard in private not open courts.”
“We have asked repeatedly, but there is nothing else we can do,” Eenas complained.
Justice Minister Mohamed Jameel said there is “a judicial practice to sentence such offenders to imprisonment,” and did not know why the judge “departed from the prevailing practice.”
But of Azima Shukoor's promise to the UN, Velezine said, “the minister completely distorted the truth. The law clearly still permits banishment for child sexual offences, and the judiciary does not consider this a serious crime.” On Wednesday Azima told Minivan News she was “too busy to discuss this.”
“The sentences send completely the wrong message. It tells men of all ages they can get away with rape, and it tells young women not to come forward as they will be re-victimised by the judicial system,” Velezinee went on.
And she called on the Gender Ministry to “condemn the decision in the strongest possible terms,” and “make sure this goes all the way to the high court.” The Gender Minister, Aishath Didi, has so far refused to comment on the case.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
சிறுவர் பாலுறவு பலாத்காரம் செய்வது கத்தோலிக்க சர்ச் மட்டுமல்ல
சிறுவர் வல்லுறவு பிரச்னை கத்தோலிக்க சர்ச் பிரச்னை மட்டுமல்ல. மற்ற நிறுவனங்களும் அவர்களுக்குள் இருக்கும் இது போன்ற பிரச்னைகளை தீர்க்க அவர்கள் முனைய வேண்டும் என்று வாடிகன் இன்று தெரிவித்துள்ளது.
அப்படி சிறுவர் வல்லுறவில் ஈடுபடும் நிறுவனங்கள் என்ன என்று லிஸ்ட் போட்டிருந்தால் நன்றாக இருந்திருக்கும்.
Sexual abuse not just a Catholic problem: Vatican By Philip Pullella
Tue Jul 17, 8:06 AM ET
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Sexual abuse of children is not just a Catholic Church problem and other institutions should take steps to acknowledge and deal with such "wickedness" within their own ranks, the Vatican said on Tuesday.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Vatican's chief spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, also said the record $660 million settlement between the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and victims of sexual abuse was an attempt to "close a painful chapter and look forward."
"The Church is above all clearly pained by the suffering of the victims and their families, by the deep wounds caused by the grave and inexcusable behavior of some of its members," Lombardi said.
"It has decided to commit itself in every way to avoid a repetition of such wickedness," he said, adding that the Church now had a "a policy of prevention and creation of an ever more secure atmosphere for children and young people in all aspects of (its) pastoral programs."
Lombardi reaffirmed a position taken by other Catholic Church leaders in the past -- that other organized religions and institutions should also deal with paedophilia as publicly as the Catholic Church has been forced to by various scandals.
"The problem of the abuse of childhood and its adequate protection certainly does not regard only the (Catholic) Church, but also many other institutions and it is right that these take the necessary decisions as well," he said.
Lombardi said the Church was aware of its educational responsibilities to youth and intended to be "a protagonist in the struggle against paedophilia," which he said was on the rise worldwide.
ABUSE DATING BACK TO THE 1940s
The Los Angeles decision involved 508 plaintiffs in cases dating back to the 1940s. The pre-trial settlement means Cardinal Roger Mahony will not have to testify in court.
The settlement reached on Saturday after 4 1/2 years of negotiations came before the first trial was due to begin on Monday. Victims' attorneys would have called Mahony to testify about the church hierarchy's protection of abusive priests.
The Los Angeles settlement dwarfs other landmark payouts. The Archdiocese of Boston, where the U.S. scandal erupted in 2002, reached a 2003 deal for 550 people worth $85 million.
Boston's archbishop, Cardinal Bernard Law, was forced to resign in disgrace in December 2002.
Leaders of the U.S. Catholic Church were found to have moved priests who abused minors to new parishes instead of defrocking them or reporting them to authorities.
In his interview with Vatican Radio, Lombardi spoke of the "sacrifices" the settlement would impose on the archdiocese.
The settlement funds will come from the archdiocese selling real estate assets, including the archdiocese's headquarters, insurers and various Catholic religious orders.
Before his election as pope, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger went out on a limb to decry the "filth" in the Church.
Benedict, who was elected in 2005, has taken a tougher stand on sexual abuse in the Church than his predecessor. Last year he disciplined Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, the 86-year-old founder of the conservative Legionaries of Christ, who had been accused of sexually abusing boys decades ago.
அப்படி சிறுவர் வல்லுறவில் ஈடுபடும் நிறுவனங்கள் என்ன என்று லிஸ்ட் போட்டிருந்தால் நன்றாக இருந்திருக்கும்.
Sexual abuse not just a Catholic problem: Vatican By Philip Pullella
Tue Jul 17, 8:06 AM ET
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Sexual abuse of children is not just a Catholic Church problem and other institutions should take steps to acknowledge and deal with such "wickedness" within their own ranks, the Vatican said on Tuesday.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Vatican's chief spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, also said the record $660 million settlement between the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and victims of sexual abuse was an attempt to "close a painful chapter and look forward."
"The Church is above all clearly pained by the suffering of the victims and their families, by the deep wounds caused by the grave and inexcusable behavior of some of its members," Lombardi said.
"It has decided to commit itself in every way to avoid a repetition of such wickedness," he said, adding that the Church now had a "a policy of prevention and creation of an ever more secure atmosphere for children and young people in all aspects of (its) pastoral programs."
Lombardi reaffirmed a position taken by other Catholic Church leaders in the past -- that other organized religions and institutions should also deal with paedophilia as publicly as the Catholic Church has been forced to by various scandals.
"The problem of the abuse of childhood and its adequate protection certainly does not regard only the (Catholic) Church, but also many other institutions and it is right that these take the necessary decisions as well," he said.
Lombardi said the Church was aware of its educational responsibilities to youth and intended to be "a protagonist in the struggle against paedophilia," which he said was on the rise worldwide.
ABUSE DATING BACK TO THE 1940s
The Los Angeles decision involved 508 plaintiffs in cases dating back to the 1940s. The pre-trial settlement means Cardinal Roger Mahony will not have to testify in court.
The settlement reached on Saturday after 4 1/2 years of negotiations came before the first trial was due to begin on Monday. Victims' attorneys would have called Mahony to testify about the church hierarchy's protection of abusive priests.
The Los Angeles settlement dwarfs other landmark payouts. The Archdiocese of Boston, where the U.S. scandal erupted in 2002, reached a 2003 deal for 550 people worth $85 million.
Boston's archbishop, Cardinal Bernard Law, was forced to resign in disgrace in December 2002.
Leaders of the U.S. Catholic Church were found to have moved priests who abused minors to new parishes instead of defrocking them or reporting them to authorities.
In his interview with Vatican Radio, Lombardi spoke of the "sacrifices" the settlement would impose on the archdiocese.
The settlement funds will come from the archdiocese selling real estate assets, including the archdiocese's headquarters, insurers and various Catholic religious orders.
Before his election as pope, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger went out on a limb to decry the "filth" in the Church.
Benedict, who was elected in 2005, has taken a tougher stand on sexual abuse in the Church than his predecessor. Last year he disciplined Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, the 86-year-old founder of the conservative Legionaries of Christ, who had been accused of sexually abusing boys decades ago.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
சிறுவர் வல்லுறவு குற்றங்களுக்கு நட்ட ஈடாக பல்லாயிரம் கோடி டாலர் கத்தோலிக்க சர்ச் கொடுக்கிறது
லாஸ் ஏஞ்சல்ஸ் டயோசீஸ் 660 மில்லியன் டாலரை,கத்தோலிக பாதிரியார்களால் சிறுவர் வல்லுறவுக்கு ஆட்பட்ட சிறுவர்களுக்கு கொடுக்க இசைந்துள்ளது.
Number of Settlement
Archdiocese/Diocese claimants (in millions)
Los Angeles------------------570+------------$764
Boston-----------------------983-------------$157
Portland, Ore.---------------315+------------$129*
Orange------------------------90-------------$100
Covington,Ky.----------------350+-------------$85
San Francisco----------------113--------------$73**
Oakland-----------------------56--------------$56
Spokane, Wash.---------------175--------------$48
Tucson------------------------60--------------$36
Sacramento--------------------33--------------$35
Louisville, Ky.--------------250+-------------$30
Hartford, Conn.---------------44--------------$23
Milwaukee---------------------10--------------$17
கோடிக்கணக்கான இந்தியர்களிடமிருந்தும் மூன்றாம் உலக நாட்டு கத்தோலிக்கர்களிடமிருந்து சுரண்டப்படும் பணம் இவ்வாறாக வெளிநாட்டு பாதிரிகள் வெளிநாட்டு சிறுவர்களை பாலுறவு பலாத்காரம் செய்து அவர்களுக்கு நட்ட ஈடு கொடுக்க செலவாகிறது.
பாவம் இந்திய கத்தோலிக்கர்கள்.
$660-million settlement in priest abuses
L.A. Archdiocese's payout to 508 claimants is the largest in the sex scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church.
By Joe Mozingo and John Spano, Times Staff Writers
July 15, 2007
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed Saturday to a $660-million settlement with 508 people who have accused priests of sexual abuse, by far the biggest payout in the child molestation scandal that has rocked the Roman Catholic Church nationwide.
"Some of the victims have waited more than five decades for a chance at reconciliation and resolution," said Raymond Boucher, the main attorney for the plaintiffs. "This is a down payment on that debt long overdue."
The agreement will end all of the pending abuse litigation against the most populous archdiocese in the U.S.
"It's been a long, hard slog," said church attorney J. Michael Hennigan. "I'm delighted to see it's come to a conclusion."
Lawyers had been slated to go to court Monday for the first of 15 scheduled civil trials pitting alleged victims against the archdiocese and individual priests. Settling before the legal marathon was considered particularly urgent because the archdiocese faced potential punitive damages, as well as the prospect of Cardinal Roger M. Mahony having to testify.
Although the settlement will effectively end a chapter in the sad saga of clerical abuse that has spanned decades, the resolution will come at a huge cost to the church. More than $114 million has been promised in previous settlements, bringing the total liability for clergy misconduct in the Los Angeles Archdiocese to more than $774 million. The figure dwarfs the next largest settlements in the U.S., including those reached in Boston, at $157 million, and in Portland, Ore., at $129 million.
Hennigan said the archdiocese expected to pay $250 million in cash, with the balance coming from insurers and religious orders.
"Parish assets will not be touched, and the mission of the church will be impacted but not crippled," he said.
Mahony had previously fought victims, their attorneys and prosecutors demanding confidential personnel files that tracked the problems of accused priests and the church hierarchy's reaction to them. As part of the settlement, the archdiocese agreed it will no longer contest the release of files to the public, one of the attorneys in the lawsuits said. A private judge will mediate any objections from individual priests.
Some abuse victims expressed mixed feelings about the settlement, which will give the priests' accusers an average of about $1.3 million each. The agreement will spare plaintiffs the need to testify in court, but at an advocacy group's news conference outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels downtown, Mary Ferrell, 59, said it nevertheless stirred up old pain.
"That amount of money is impressive in that it shows tremendous guilt," she said. "But I didn't file [the suit] for the money…. I would give back the money if I could have my childhood back."
The settlement was welcomed by some national observers.
"The diocese has finally conceded the fact that everyone needs to move on," said Anne Burke, an Illinois Supreme Court justice and former chairwoman of the National Review Board, a panel of lay Catholics formed by U.S. bishops in 2002 in response to the scandal.
Burke said negotiations for the Los Angeles settlement were undoubtedly more complex than many in other dioceses, "but I also think it was prolonged longer than it should have been because the diocese proceeded to fight. Consequently, it's been a long, long time … and it prolonged the agony of it all."
The settlement will resolve the last of about 570 total claims of abuse against 221 priests, brothers, lay teachers and other church employees spanning the last 70 years. The pact will be presented for final approval Monday to L.A. County Superior Court Judge Haley Fromholz, who had been scheduled to try the first case.
With so many plaintiffs, so much money at stake and the archdiocese frequently at odds with its insurers, negotiations were especially tense over the last few days.
Two major insurance carriers would not stipulate to pay anything until Friday afternoon, when they suddenly agreed to the offer on the table, according to one attorney, who asked not to be named because he was speaking before the settlement was announced.
After the Associated Press first reported Saturday morning that a settlement had been reached, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests scheduled a news conference, canceled it and then scheduled another.
A church representative at one point confirmed a settlement, only to call back minutes later to say it was off.
The accusations of molestations in the archdiocese were part of a national scandal that had been simmering for decades.
However, it wasn't until 2000 that the silent epidemic of priestly abuse exploded into public view.
In Boston, Cardinal Bernard F. Law was swamped by media revelations that he routinely covered up allegations of abuse involving scores of priests, shuffling some of them from one parish to the next without penalty to the priests or notice to their new flocks. On Dec. 13, 2002, the cardinal resigned, asking forgiveness of "all those who have suffered from my shortcomings and mistakes."
In California, the Legislature responded to the national outcry by suspending a statute of limitations for one year, allowing childhood sexual-abuse lawsuits to be filed in 2003 regardless of when the incidents allegedly occurred. By year's end, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles had been hit with more than 500 suits.
"If Boston was the beginning and the cornerstone of the scandal, California is going to be the capstone of the crisis," predicted Richard Sipe, a former Benedictine monk and a consultant to plaintiffs' attorneys.
Thousands of emboldened victims stepped forward across the U.S., creating repercussions that have shaken almost every parish.
Facing huge payments to settle abuse litigation, five dioceses, including San Diego's, have filed for bankruptcy protection. At least 10 bishops and archbishops have resigned over their alleged involvement in sexual abuse or in covering up the abuse of others. Parishes have been terminated, schools shuttered and ministerial programs shut down.
In Orange County, the Diocese of Orange two years ago paid out $100 million to 90 alleged victims who had filed lawsuits. As part of the settlement, the diocese released thousands of documents indicating a high-level cover-up of priest abuses.
In San Diego, a bankruptcy judge has set an Aug. 13 deadline for a settlement between sexual-abuse claimants and the diocese. If the two sides cannot reach one, they face an Aug. 23 hearing that may result in the lawsuits going to trial.
In Los Angeles, some 75% of the archdiocese's 288 parishes were served at some time by a cleric accused of molesting, according to a Times study. As the scandal's details slowly emerged, it became clear that the church hierarchy knew about complaints against some priests and that at least a dozen were allowed to continue working in ministry after their conduct with children was questioned.
The archdiocese has issued a stream of mea culpas, acknowledging its responsibility for shielding some of the alleged abusers. At the same time, Mahony strenuously opposed giving prosecutors and plaintiffs' attorneys confidential personnel files that would detail accusations against priests and any actions taken — or not taken — by him and others in the hierarchy.
In February 2004, a lay panel convened by the U.S. bishops' organization ripped into Mahony for his intransigence, saying his refusal to turn over documents "did little to enhance the reputation of the church in the U.S. for transparency and cooperation."
The archdiocese said its resistance was a matter of principle. To disclose "the spiritual, pastoral and psychological counseling of the priests" would be to breach a sacred trust, the archdiocese contended in a 2004 report.
The archdiocese says it now takes all abuse allegations seriously, admitting that in the past a firm denial from an accused priest often used to end the matter. When complaints are made today, church officials say, they immediately notify police, pay for counseling for the victims and, if the complaint is deemed credible, remove the priest from active ministry.
Although Mahony has removed at least 17 priests from ministry over accusations of sexual abuse, his credibility has been called into question by cases like that of defrocked priest Michael Stephen Baker.
In 1986, Baker told Mahony that he had abused two or three boys several years before. Instead of calling police, Mahony sent the priest to New Mexico for treatment and over the years transferred him to nine different parishes, where he allegedly molested 23 boys and girls.
Baker faces 15 criminal charges. Mahony has acknowledged making serious errors in the case, calling it the one that troubles him the most.
The lawsuit that was to be heard Monday involved accusations against Father Clinton Hagenbach, a priest who died in 1987. He has been accused of molesting 18 boys from 1968 to 1986. The archdiocese settled one man's claim against him in 2002 for $1.5 million.
Outside the cathedral Saturday, Ferrell, a retired nurse, said she was 7 years old when Monsignor George Scott started abusing her. She said whatever money she gets from the settlement won't repay her for the hard times of her life, which included alcohol and drugs and her current bout with Parkinson's disease. But it will make her more comfortable and provide an inheritance for her three children and six grandchildren.
"This was 50 years ago," she said. "But it didn't end 50 years ago."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
joe.mozingo@latimes.com
john.spano@latimes.com
--
Times staff writers Steve Chawkins, Rebecca Trounson, Francisco Vara-Orta, Tami Abdollah, Tony Perry, Dan Morain and Jessica Garrison contributed to this report.
--
(INFOBOX BELOW)
Los Angeles Archdiocese in record settlement
--
The more than $764 million that Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, his insurers and religious orders have
agreed to pay since 2002 to alleged victims of clergy abuse surpasses
any previous settlement. The total includes the $650 million pledged
Saturday.
Major clergy abuse settlements nationwide since 2002
Number of Settlement
Archdiocese/Diocese claimants (in millions)
Los Angeles 570+ $764
Boston 983 $157
Portland, Ore. 315+ $129*
Orange 90 $100
Covington, Ky. 350+ $85
San Francisco 113 $73**
Oakland 56 $56
Spokane, Wash. 175 $48
Tucson 60 $36
Sacramento 33 $35
Louisville, Ky. 250+ $30
Hartford, Conn. 44 $23
Milwaukee 10 $17
* Includes $23.8 million set aside for future claimants.
**San Francisco's payout includes pre-2002 settlements.
Note: Exact terms of all settlements have not been disclosed or are not final.
Graphics reporting by Gale Holland and Vicki Gallay
Los Angeles Times
--
On latimes.com
Number of Settlement
Archdiocese/Diocese claimants (in millions)
Los Angeles------------------570+------------$764
Boston-----------------------983-------------$157
Portland, Ore.---------------315+------------$129*
Orange------------------------90-------------$100
Covington,Ky.----------------350+-------------$85
San Francisco----------------113--------------$73**
Oakland-----------------------56--------------$56
Spokane, Wash.---------------175--------------$48
Tucson------------------------60--------------$36
Sacramento--------------------33--------------$35
Louisville, Ky.--------------250+-------------$30
Hartford, Conn.---------------44--------------$23
Milwaukee---------------------10--------------$17
கோடிக்கணக்கான இந்தியர்களிடமிருந்தும் மூன்றாம் உலக நாட்டு கத்தோலிக்கர்களிடமிருந்து சுரண்டப்படும் பணம் இவ்வாறாக வெளிநாட்டு பாதிரிகள் வெளிநாட்டு சிறுவர்களை பாலுறவு பலாத்காரம் செய்து அவர்களுக்கு நட்ட ஈடு கொடுக்க செலவாகிறது.
பாவம் இந்திய கத்தோலிக்கர்கள்.
$660-million settlement in priest abuses
L.A. Archdiocese's payout to 508 claimants is the largest in the sex scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church.
By Joe Mozingo and John Spano, Times Staff Writers
July 15, 2007
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed Saturday to a $660-million settlement with 508 people who have accused priests of sexual abuse, by far the biggest payout in the child molestation scandal that has rocked the Roman Catholic Church nationwide.
"Some of the victims have waited more than five decades for a chance at reconciliation and resolution," said Raymond Boucher, the main attorney for the plaintiffs. "This is a down payment on that debt long overdue."
The agreement will end all of the pending abuse litigation against the most populous archdiocese in the U.S.
"It's been a long, hard slog," said church attorney J. Michael Hennigan. "I'm delighted to see it's come to a conclusion."
Lawyers had been slated to go to court Monday for the first of 15 scheduled civil trials pitting alleged victims against the archdiocese and individual priests. Settling before the legal marathon was considered particularly urgent because the archdiocese faced potential punitive damages, as well as the prospect of Cardinal Roger M. Mahony having to testify.
Although the settlement will effectively end a chapter in the sad saga of clerical abuse that has spanned decades, the resolution will come at a huge cost to the church. More than $114 million has been promised in previous settlements, bringing the total liability for clergy misconduct in the Los Angeles Archdiocese to more than $774 million. The figure dwarfs the next largest settlements in the U.S., including those reached in Boston, at $157 million, and in Portland, Ore., at $129 million.
Hennigan said the archdiocese expected to pay $250 million in cash, with the balance coming from insurers and religious orders.
"Parish assets will not be touched, and the mission of the church will be impacted but not crippled," he said.
Mahony had previously fought victims, their attorneys and prosecutors demanding confidential personnel files that tracked the problems of accused priests and the church hierarchy's reaction to them. As part of the settlement, the archdiocese agreed it will no longer contest the release of files to the public, one of the attorneys in the lawsuits said. A private judge will mediate any objections from individual priests.
Some abuse victims expressed mixed feelings about the settlement, which will give the priests' accusers an average of about $1.3 million each. The agreement will spare plaintiffs the need to testify in court, but at an advocacy group's news conference outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels downtown, Mary Ferrell, 59, said it nevertheless stirred up old pain.
"That amount of money is impressive in that it shows tremendous guilt," she said. "But I didn't file [the suit] for the money…. I would give back the money if I could have my childhood back."
The settlement was welcomed by some national observers.
"The diocese has finally conceded the fact that everyone needs to move on," said Anne Burke, an Illinois Supreme Court justice and former chairwoman of the National Review Board, a panel of lay Catholics formed by U.S. bishops in 2002 in response to the scandal.
Burke said negotiations for the Los Angeles settlement were undoubtedly more complex than many in other dioceses, "but I also think it was prolonged longer than it should have been because the diocese proceeded to fight. Consequently, it's been a long, long time … and it prolonged the agony of it all."
The settlement will resolve the last of about 570 total claims of abuse against 221 priests, brothers, lay teachers and other church employees spanning the last 70 years. The pact will be presented for final approval Monday to L.A. County Superior Court Judge Haley Fromholz, who had been scheduled to try the first case.
With so many plaintiffs, so much money at stake and the archdiocese frequently at odds with its insurers, negotiations were especially tense over the last few days.
Two major insurance carriers would not stipulate to pay anything until Friday afternoon, when they suddenly agreed to the offer on the table, according to one attorney, who asked not to be named because he was speaking before the settlement was announced.
After the Associated Press first reported Saturday morning that a settlement had been reached, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests scheduled a news conference, canceled it and then scheduled another.
A church representative at one point confirmed a settlement, only to call back minutes later to say it was off.
The accusations of molestations in the archdiocese were part of a national scandal that had been simmering for decades.
However, it wasn't until 2000 that the silent epidemic of priestly abuse exploded into public view.
In Boston, Cardinal Bernard F. Law was swamped by media revelations that he routinely covered up allegations of abuse involving scores of priests, shuffling some of them from one parish to the next without penalty to the priests or notice to their new flocks. On Dec. 13, 2002, the cardinal resigned, asking forgiveness of "all those who have suffered from my shortcomings and mistakes."
In California, the Legislature responded to the national outcry by suspending a statute of limitations for one year, allowing childhood sexual-abuse lawsuits to be filed in 2003 regardless of when the incidents allegedly occurred. By year's end, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles had been hit with more than 500 suits.
"If Boston was the beginning and the cornerstone of the scandal, California is going to be the capstone of the crisis," predicted Richard Sipe, a former Benedictine monk and a consultant to plaintiffs' attorneys.
Thousands of emboldened victims stepped forward across the U.S., creating repercussions that have shaken almost every parish.
Facing huge payments to settle abuse litigation, five dioceses, including San Diego's, have filed for bankruptcy protection. At least 10 bishops and archbishops have resigned over their alleged involvement in sexual abuse or in covering up the abuse of others. Parishes have been terminated, schools shuttered and ministerial programs shut down.
In Orange County, the Diocese of Orange two years ago paid out $100 million to 90 alleged victims who had filed lawsuits. As part of the settlement, the diocese released thousands of documents indicating a high-level cover-up of priest abuses.
In San Diego, a bankruptcy judge has set an Aug. 13 deadline for a settlement between sexual-abuse claimants and the diocese. If the two sides cannot reach one, they face an Aug. 23 hearing that may result in the lawsuits going to trial.
In Los Angeles, some 75% of the archdiocese's 288 parishes were served at some time by a cleric accused of molesting, according to a Times study. As the scandal's details slowly emerged, it became clear that the church hierarchy knew about complaints against some priests and that at least a dozen were allowed to continue working in ministry after their conduct with children was questioned.
The archdiocese has issued a stream of mea culpas, acknowledging its responsibility for shielding some of the alleged abusers. At the same time, Mahony strenuously opposed giving prosecutors and plaintiffs' attorneys confidential personnel files that would detail accusations against priests and any actions taken — or not taken — by him and others in the hierarchy.
In February 2004, a lay panel convened by the U.S. bishops' organization ripped into Mahony for his intransigence, saying his refusal to turn over documents "did little to enhance the reputation of the church in the U.S. for transparency and cooperation."
The archdiocese said its resistance was a matter of principle. To disclose "the spiritual, pastoral and psychological counseling of the priests" would be to breach a sacred trust, the archdiocese contended in a 2004 report.
The archdiocese says it now takes all abuse allegations seriously, admitting that in the past a firm denial from an accused priest often used to end the matter. When complaints are made today, church officials say, they immediately notify police, pay for counseling for the victims and, if the complaint is deemed credible, remove the priest from active ministry.
Although Mahony has removed at least 17 priests from ministry over accusations of sexual abuse, his credibility has been called into question by cases like that of defrocked priest Michael Stephen Baker.
In 1986, Baker told Mahony that he had abused two or three boys several years before. Instead of calling police, Mahony sent the priest to New Mexico for treatment and over the years transferred him to nine different parishes, where he allegedly molested 23 boys and girls.
Baker faces 15 criminal charges. Mahony has acknowledged making serious errors in the case, calling it the one that troubles him the most.
The lawsuit that was to be heard Monday involved accusations against Father Clinton Hagenbach, a priest who died in 1987. He has been accused of molesting 18 boys from 1968 to 1986. The archdiocese settled one man's claim against him in 2002 for $1.5 million.
Outside the cathedral Saturday, Ferrell, a retired nurse, said she was 7 years old when Monsignor George Scott started abusing her. She said whatever money she gets from the settlement won't repay her for the hard times of her life, which included alcohol and drugs and her current bout with Parkinson's disease. But it will make her more comfortable and provide an inheritance for her three children and six grandchildren.
"This was 50 years ago," she said. "But it didn't end 50 years ago."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
joe.mozingo@latimes.com
john.spano@latimes.com
--
Times staff writers Steve Chawkins, Rebecca Trounson, Francisco Vara-Orta, Tami Abdollah, Tony Perry, Dan Morain and Jessica Garrison contributed to this report.
--
(INFOBOX BELOW)
Los Angeles Archdiocese in record settlement
--
The more than $764 million that Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, his insurers and religious orders have
agreed to pay since 2002 to alleged victims of clergy abuse surpasses
any previous settlement. The total includes the $650 million pledged
Saturday.
Major clergy abuse settlements nationwide since 2002
Number of Settlement
Archdiocese/Diocese claimants (in millions)
Los Angeles 570+ $764
Boston 983 $157
Portland, Ore. 315+ $129*
Orange 90 $100
Covington, Ky. 350+ $85
San Francisco 113 $73**
Oakland 56 $56
Spokane, Wash. 175 $48
Tucson 60 $36
Sacramento 33 $35
Louisville, Ky. 250+ $30
Hartford, Conn. 44 $23
Milwaukee 10 $17
* Includes $23.8 million set aside for future claimants.
**San Francisco's payout includes pre-2002 settlements.
Note: Exact terms of all settlements have not been disclosed or are not final.
Graphics reporting by Gale Holland and Vicki Gallay
Los Angeles Times
--
On latimes.com
சிறுவர் வல்லுறவு குற்றத்துக்காக எபிஸ்கோபல் கிறிஸ்துவ பாதிரியார் குற்றவாளி என்று தீர்ப்பு
சிறுவர் வல்லுறவு குற்றத்துக்காக எபிஸ்கோபல் கிறிஸ்துவ பாதிரியார் குற்றவாளி என்று தீர்ப்பு
தண்டனை திங்கட்கிழமை வழங்கப்படும்
Former Episcopalian priest convicted of sexual assault
Associated Press - July 14, 2007 11:24 AM ET
DENVER (AP) - A 74-year-old former Episcopalian priest and foster parent has been convicted of 14 counts of sexual assaulting children.
A jury took three hours to convict Donald Shissler yesterday. He will be sentenced Monday.
Prosecutors said Shissler had turned his home into a virtual "Disneyland" to entice boys and then parade naked in front of them.
It was his second trial on the charges. A 2002 conviction was overturned by an appeal's court.
Information from KCNC TV http://www.kcnc.com
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
தண்டனை திங்கட்கிழமை வழங்கப்படும்
Former Episcopalian priest convicted of sexual assault
Associated Press - July 14, 2007 11:24 AM ET
DENVER (AP) - A 74-year-old former Episcopalian priest and foster parent has been convicted of 14 counts of sexual assaulting children.
A jury took three hours to convict Donald Shissler yesterday. He will be sentenced Monday.
Prosecutors said Shissler had turned his home into a virtual "Disneyland" to entice boys and then parade naked in front of them.
It was his second trial on the charges. A 2002 conviction was overturned by an appeal's court.
Information from KCNC TV http://www.kcnc.com
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
அமெரிக்கா, டென்வரில், கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியார் சிறுவர் வல்லுறவுக்கு தண்டனை
கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியார் டொனால்ட் ஷிஸ்லெருக்கு சிறுவர் வல்லுறவு, சிறுவரை துன்புறுத்தியது, தனது வீட்டுக்குள் சிறுவர்களை கூட்டிவந்து நிர்வாணமாக நடைபயில வைத்தார் என்பது உள்ளிட்ட 14 குற்றங்களுக்காக சிறை தண்டனை விதிக்கப்பட்டது.
Denver Jury Convicts Former Priest Of Sex Assault
(CBS4) DENVER A jury in Denver has convicted Donald Shissler of sexually assaulting children. Friday the jury convicted Shissler, 74, on a total of 14 counts involving sex assault on a child and one count of exploitation of a child.
This is Shissler's second trial on the charges. Prosecutors said Shissler set up his home as a virtual "Disneyland" to lure boys into his home then parade naked in front of them.
One boy said the abuse started when he was six years olds. Other accusers said they were in their teens when the abuse started.
Shissler will be sentenced Monday morning.
(© MMVII CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Denver Jury Convicts Former Priest Of Sex Assault
(CBS4) DENVER A jury in Denver has convicted Donald Shissler of sexually assaulting children. Friday the jury convicted Shissler, 74, on a total of 14 counts involving sex assault on a child and one count of exploitation of a child.
This is Shissler's second trial on the charges. Prosecutors said Shissler set up his home as a virtual "Disneyland" to lure boys into his home then parade naked in front of them.
One boy said the abuse started when he was six years olds. Other accusers said they were in their teens when the abuse started.
Shissler will be sentenced Monday morning.
(© MMVII CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Friday, July 13, 2007
டெலவேரில் கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியார், டயோஸீஸ் மீது சிறுவர் வல்லுறவு வழக்கு
டெல்வேரில் கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியார், டயோசீஸ் மீது சிறுவர் வல்லுறவு வழக்கு தொடங்கப்பட்டுள்ளது
Child sex abuse suit filed against diocese, ex-priest
By BETH MILLER, The News Journal
Updated Thursday, July 12, 2007 at 7:23 pm
The News Journal/FRED COMEGYS
Former Delaware Catholic priest Francis G. DeLuca.
File photo
WILMINGTON — A former Naval lieutenant who is a supervisory staff attorney for the U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta filed a lawsuit in federal court today against the Diocese of Wilmington, its bishop, St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church, and former Delaware Catholic priest Francis G. DeLuca.
The lawsuit is the first under a new law signed Monday by Gov. Ruth Ann Minner that eliminates the civil statute of limitations in cases of child sexual abuse, and opens a two-year legal window during which victims whose cases had previously been barred by Delaware’s two-year limit can file suit.
In the lawsuit, Robert Quill claims DeLuca sexually abused him at least 300 times when he was between 13 and 19 years old.
“Due to the injuries caused by DeLuca, the federal Office of Personnel Management and the Social Security Administration have found Quill to be permanently totally disabled,” according to a release from Quill’s attorney, Thomas S. Neuberger. Quill “suffers from depression, PTSD, isolation, and the inability to form successful relationships with men or women or even his family.
Quill is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, “including $2.5 million in wage and pension loss, for his premature forced retirement from federal service as a distinguished supervisory staff attorney for the court.”
“My client is the first of many who our General Assembly unanimously decided are now able to seek legal relief for the unspeakable horror and ruined lives inflicted upon them by DeLuca and the Roman Catholic Church,” Neuberger said.
Delaware’s civil statute of limitations law for child sex abuse is the strongest in the nation, according to New York law professor Marci Hamilton, edging California by doubling that state's one-year window. About 1,000 previously barred cases were revived in California after its law went into effect in 2003.
DeLuca, 77, who was a priest in the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington for 35 years, was arrested in October and charged with sexually abusing a Syracuse, N.Y., teen over a period of five or six years.
Syracuse police say DeLuca confessed after they arrested him.
After DeLuca’s arrest, Wilmington Bishop Michael Saltarelli released the names of 20 priests against whom the diocese had substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse.
DeLuca's arrest was cited recently by Bishop Richard Malone of Portland, Maine, as his reason for releasing the names of four priests who had been removed from ministry for similar reasons. Their cases have been pending in Rome since before 2002, Malone said, and he wanted the names made public to prevent other offenses. In 2002, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops adopted a new policy of making substantive allegations against clergy public.
Child sex abuse suit filed against diocese, ex-priest
By BETH MILLER, The News Journal
Updated Thursday, July 12, 2007 at 7:23 pm
The News Journal/FRED COMEGYS
Former Delaware Catholic priest Francis G. DeLuca.
File photo
WILMINGTON — A former Naval lieutenant who is a supervisory staff attorney for the U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta filed a lawsuit in federal court today against the Diocese of Wilmington, its bishop, St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church, and former Delaware Catholic priest Francis G. DeLuca.
The lawsuit is the first under a new law signed Monday by Gov. Ruth Ann Minner that eliminates the civil statute of limitations in cases of child sexual abuse, and opens a two-year legal window during which victims whose cases had previously been barred by Delaware’s two-year limit can file suit.
In the lawsuit, Robert Quill claims DeLuca sexually abused him at least 300 times when he was between 13 and 19 years old.
“Due to the injuries caused by DeLuca, the federal Office of Personnel Management and the Social Security Administration have found Quill to be permanently totally disabled,” according to a release from Quill’s attorney, Thomas S. Neuberger. Quill “suffers from depression, PTSD, isolation, and the inability to form successful relationships with men or women or even his family.
Quill is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, “including $2.5 million in wage and pension loss, for his premature forced retirement from federal service as a distinguished supervisory staff attorney for the court.”
“My client is the first of many who our General Assembly unanimously decided are now able to seek legal relief for the unspeakable horror and ruined lives inflicted upon them by DeLuca and the Roman Catholic Church,” Neuberger said.
Delaware’s civil statute of limitations law for child sex abuse is the strongest in the nation, according to New York law professor Marci Hamilton, edging California by doubling that state's one-year window. About 1,000 previously barred cases were revived in California after its law went into effect in 2003.
DeLuca, 77, who was a priest in the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington for 35 years, was arrested in October and charged with sexually abusing a Syracuse, N.Y., teen over a period of five or six years.
Syracuse police say DeLuca confessed after they arrested him.
After DeLuca’s arrest, Wilmington Bishop Michael Saltarelli released the names of 20 priests against whom the diocese had substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse.
DeLuca's arrest was cited recently by Bishop Richard Malone of Portland, Maine, as his reason for releasing the names of four priests who had been removed from ministry for similar reasons. Their cases have been pending in Rome since before 2002, Malone said, and he wanted the names made public to prevent other offenses. In 2002, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops adopted a new policy of making substantive allegations against clergy public.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
ஐந்து சிறுவர்களை வல்லுறவு செய்ததற்கு கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியாருக்கு 5 வருடம் சிறை
ஐந்து சிறுவர்களை பலவருடங்கள் பாலுறவு பலாத்காரம் செய்ததற்கு சிக்காகோ கிறிஸ்துவ கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியார் ரெவரண்ட் டேனியல் மக்கார்மிக்குக்கு 5 வருடம் சிறைத்தண்டனை வழங்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.
இந்த சிறுவர்களின் பெற்றோர்கள், இந்த தண்டனை போதுமானதா? என்று கொதிக்கிறார்கள்.
Is 5 years enough for priest who abused boys?
REV. DANIEL MCCORMACK | Parents believe cleric, who may serve 2½ years, received special treatment, while archdiocese says perception of his crimes is worse than the reality
July 3, 2007
BY ERIC HERMAN AND SUSAN HOGAN/ALBACH Staff Reporters/eherman@suntimes.com shogan@suntimes.com
As a priest, the Rev. Daniel McCormack heard people confess their sins. On Monday, he stood before a Cook County judge and admitted his own -- while the Archdiocese of Chicago said those sins could have been much worse.
McCormack, 38, pleaded guilty to five counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse for molesting boys at St. Agatha Parish and Our Lady of the Westside School, drawing a five-year sentence from Judge Thomas Sumner. He immediately was taken into custody.
While making no apologies for McCormack, archdiocese spokeswoman Colleen Dolan said the perception of McCormack's crimes was worse than the reality. The priest admitted he pulled down the pants and fondled the genitals of five boys, but prosecutors never accused him of sexual assault, or rape.
» Click to enlarge image
The Rev. Daniel McCormack stands in a security line Monday at the 26th and California courthouse. He pleaded guilty to molesting five boys.
(Brian Jackson/Sun-Times)
CAST YOUR VOTE
Is 5 year sentence enough for the priest who confessed to sexually abusing 5 boys?
Yes
No
• Is 5 years enough for abusive priest?"He has not been accused of rape. Never," Dolan said. "There's a big difference between abuse and assault. It wasn't assault, which is a more egregious crime."
A national victims' advocate, however, said the difference doesn't matter when it comes to the boys McCormack abused.
"There's no distinction for the victims," said the Rev. Thomas Doyle, author of Sex, Priests and Secret Codes. "If it's a sexual intrusion on a victim by a priest, it's devastating."
Wearing a short-sleeved shirt and white pants, McCormack declined to speak when the judge gave him the chance. He stood silently as prosecutors described how, between 2001 and 2006, he abused the five boys.
The victims ranged from 8 to 12 years old. With one victim, the abuse occurred "on nearly a daily basis" between September 2005 and January 2006, said Assistant State's Attorney Kathleen Muldoon.
McCormack's father hung his head as the allegations were read. A victim's mother sobbed.
Victims' advocates slammed the plea deal, noting McCormack could serve as little as 2½ years behind bars. "I would have liked to see a much longer sentence. Look at the boys -- their sentence is life," said Marc Pearlman, a lawyer for the families of two victims.
But Pearlman conceded it saved the boys from having to testify. "Putting young children through a trial, a criminal trial, is just grueling," he said.
Several parents with kids at Our Lady of the Westside said McCormack received special treatment.
"He molested all these children but has never been treated like a criminal," said Victoria Scarelli, who has a daughter at the school. "A guy right off the street would have been given the maximum sentence."
Assistant State's Attorney Shauna Boliker said that with time off for good behavior, McCormack would have served only eight months more if given the maximum sentence of seven years. Saving the victims from testifying made the deal a "no-brainer," she said.
McCormack taught and coached basketball at the West Side school. The January 2006 charges against him unleashed furious criticism of the archdiocese and Cardinal Francis George.
George will seek to have McCormack removed from the priesthood, the archdiocese said. The decision, which must come from the Vatican, could move faster since McCormack has admitted guilt. The cardinal, who was on vacation, said in a statement: "The sexual abuse of children is a sin and a crime. . . . Such misconduct by a priest or anyone else associated with the archdiocese cannot be tolerated."
Some sources claim McCormack has many more victims, and the archdiocese has documented abuse allegations against him that date back to his seminary days. But prosecutors believed they could only prove cases involving five victims.
McCormack was to be held in protective custody in the Cook County Jail Monday night and shipped to a downstate facility as soon as today, said a spokesman for the Cook County sheriff.
இந்த சிறுவர்களின் பெற்றோர்கள், இந்த தண்டனை போதுமானதா? என்று கொதிக்கிறார்கள்.
Is 5 years enough for priest who abused boys?
REV. DANIEL MCCORMACK | Parents believe cleric, who may serve 2½ years, received special treatment, while archdiocese says perception of his crimes is worse than the reality
July 3, 2007
BY ERIC HERMAN AND SUSAN HOGAN/ALBACH Staff Reporters/eherman@suntimes.com shogan@suntimes.com
As a priest, the Rev. Daniel McCormack heard people confess their sins. On Monday, he stood before a Cook County judge and admitted his own -- while the Archdiocese of Chicago said those sins could have been much worse.
McCormack, 38, pleaded guilty to five counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse for molesting boys at St. Agatha Parish and Our Lady of the Westside School, drawing a five-year sentence from Judge Thomas Sumner. He immediately was taken into custody.
While making no apologies for McCormack, archdiocese spokeswoman Colleen Dolan said the perception of McCormack's crimes was worse than the reality. The priest admitted he pulled down the pants and fondled the genitals of five boys, but prosecutors never accused him of sexual assault, or rape.
» Click to enlarge image
The Rev. Daniel McCormack stands in a security line Monday at the 26th and California courthouse. He pleaded guilty to molesting five boys.
(Brian Jackson/Sun-Times)
CAST YOUR VOTE
Is 5 year sentence enough for the priest who confessed to sexually abusing 5 boys?
Yes
No
• Is 5 years enough for abusive priest?"He has not been accused of rape. Never," Dolan said. "There's a big difference between abuse and assault. It wasn't assault, which is a more egregious crime."
A national victims' advocate, however, said the difference doesn't matter when it comes to the boys McCormack abused.
"There's no distinction for the victims," said the Rev. Thomas Doyle, author of Sex, Priests and Secret Codes. "If it's a sexual intrusion on a victim by a priest, it's devastating."
Wearing a short-sleeved shirt and white pants, McCormack declined to speak when the judge gave him the chance. He stood silently as prosecutors described how, between 2001 and 2006, he abused the five boys.
The victims ranged from 8 to 12 years old. With one victim, the abuse occurred "on nearly a daily basis" between September 2005 and January 2006, said Assistant State's Attorney Kathleen Muldoon.
McCormack's father hung his head as the allegations were read. A victim's mother sobbed.
Victims' advocates slammed the plea deal, noting McCormack could serve as little as 2½ years behind bars. "I would have liked to see a much longer sentence. Look at the boys -- their sentence is life," said Marc Pearlman, a lawyer for the families of two victims.
But Pearlman conceded it saved the boys from having to testify. "Putting young children through a trial, a criminal trial, is just grueling," he said.
Several parents with kids at Our Lady of the Westside said McCormack received special treatment.
"He molested all these children but has never been treated like a criminal," said Victoria Scarelli, who has a daughter at the school. "A guy right off the street would have been given the maximum sentence."
Assistant State's Attorney Shauna Boliker said that with time off for good behavior, McCormack would have served only eight months more if given the maximum sentence of seven years. Saving the victims from testifying made the deal a "no-brainer," she said.
McCormack taught and coached basketball at the West Side school. The January 2006 charges against him unleashed furious criticism of the archdiocese and Cardinal Francis George.
George will seek to have McCormack removed from the priesthood, the archdiocese said. The decision, which must come from the Vatican, could move faster since McCormack has admitted guilt. The cardinal, who was on vacation, said in a statement: "The sexual abuse of children is a sin and a crime. . . . Such misconduct by a priest or anyone else associated with the archdiocese cannot be tolerated."
Some sources claim McCormack has many more victims, and the archdiocese has documented abuse allegations against him that date back to his seminary days. But prosecutors believed they could only prove cases involving five victims.
McCormack was to be held in protective custody in the Cook County Jail Monday night and shipped to a downstate facility as soon as today, said a spokesman for the Cook County sheriff.
Friday, June 29, 2007
கிறிஸ்துவ பாதிரியார் தான் சிறுவர் வல்லுறவு குற்றம் புரிந்ததை ஒப்புக்கொண்டார்
கத்தோலிக்க கிறிஸ்துவ பாதிரியார் பிரான்ஸிஸ் ஜி டிலுக்கா சிறுவர் வல்லுறவு குற்றம் புரிந்ததை ஒப்புக்கொண்டார். சிரக்யூஸ் நகர கோர்ட்டில் இந்த குற்றத்தை ஒப்புக்கொண்ட அவர் ஒரு சிறுவனை 4 வருடங்கள் பலாத்காரம் செய்ததாக ஒப்புக்கொண்டார்.
Retired priest pleads guilty in sex abuse case
Posted by Jim O'Hara June 28, 2007 2:59PM
Categories: Breaking News, City News, Crime & Safety
Retired Catholic priest Francis G. DeLuca pleaded guilty in Syracuse City Court this afternoon to charges he sexually molested a teenage boy over a period of four years.
Although the District Attorney's Office was seeking a sentence of probation and six months in jail, Judge Kate Rosenthal promised the 77-year-old DeLuca a sentence of straight probation with no jail time. Sentencing is set for Aug. 27.
DeLuca pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree sexual abuse and two counts each of third-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child for incidents that occurred in 2002, 2004 and 2005 when the same victim was 13, 15 and 16.
DeLuca served as a priest in the Wilmington Diocese in Delaware for 35 years before he was dismissed from public ministry in 1993 after being accused of sexually abusing a minor in the 1960s.
Jim O'Hara will have a complete report in The Post-Standard Friday.
Retired priest pleads guilty in sex abuse case
Posted by Jim O'Hara June 28, 2007 2:59PM
Categories: Breaking News, City News, Crime & Safety
Retired Catholic priest Francis G. DeLuca pleaded guilty in Syracuse City Court this afternoon to charges he sexually molested a teenage boy over a period of four years.
Although the District Attorney's Office was seeking a sentence of probation and six months in jail, Judge Kate Rosenthal promised the 77-year-old DeLuca a sentence of straight probation with no jail time. Sentencing is set for Aug. 27.
DeLuca pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree sexual abuse and two counts each of third-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child for incidents that occurred in 2002, 2004 and 2005 when the same victim was 13, 15 and 16.
DeLuca served as a priest in the Wilmington Diocese in Delaware for 35 years before he was dismissed from public ministry in 1993 after being accused of sexually abusing a minor in the 1960s.
Jim O'Hara will have a complete report in The Post-Standard Friday.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
சிறுவர் வல்லுறவு வெளியே தெரியவந்ததால் கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியார் தற்கொலை
ரெவரெண்ட் வில்லியம் ரோஸென்ஸ்டீல் என்ற 64 வயதான கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியார் 30 வருடங்களாக சிறுவர்களை வல்லுறவுக்கு பயன்படுத்தி வந்திருக்கிறார் என்ற குற்றச்சாட்டுகளை போலீஸிடம் கொடுக்கப்போகிறோம் என்று பிலடெல்பியா பிஷப் அறிவித்து இரண்டு நாட்களில் பாலத்திலிருந்து குதித்து தற்கொலை செய்துகொண்டார்
Accused Pa. priest commits suicide
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. -- A priest committed suicide two days after his bishop said claims of sex abuse by the priest dating back more than 30 years would be turned over to police.
The Rev. William A. Rosensteel, 64, jumped from a bridge Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
Bishop Joseph Adamec of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown announced Friday that following a diocese review, sex abuse allegations against Rosensteel dating to 1971 would be referred to police. Adamec's statement was published Monday in The Catholic Register, the official newspaper of the eight-county diocese.
Rosensteel worked in several parishes throughout the diocese, but he resigned from his most recent post after being placed on administrative leave in March.
"It is difficult to comprehend a priest taking the action that he did," Adamec said Monday. "While Father Rosensteel was facing allegations from the past, those allegations were being processed through appropriate channels."
Accused Pa. priest commits suicide
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. -- A priest committed suicide two days after his bishop said claims of sex abuse by the priest dating back more than 30 years would be turned over to police.
The Rev. William A. Rosensteel, 64, jumped from a bridge Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
Bishop Joseph Adamec of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown announced Friday that following a diocese review, sex abuse allegations against Rosensteel dating to 1971 would be referred to police. Adamec's statement was published Monday in The Catholic Register, the official newspaper of the eight-county diocese.
Rosensteel worked in several parishes throughout the diocese, but he resigned from his most recent post after being placed on administrative leave in March.
"It is difficult to comprehend a priest taking the action that he did," Adamec said Monday. "While Father Rosensteel was facing allegations from the past, those allegations were being processed through appropriate channels."
Monday, June 25, 2007
கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியாரால் சிறுவர் வல்லுறவு செய்யப்பட்டவர் கோர்ட்டில்.
வெர்மாண்ட், பர்லிங்க்டனில் கோர்ட்டில் 30 வருடங்களுக்கு முன்னர் பாலுறவு பலாத்காரம் செய்யப்பட்ட சிறுவர் ஆஜராகி கோர்ட்டாரின் கேள்விகளுக்கு பதிலளித்தார்.
கத்தோலிக்க சர்ச்சிலிருந்து காசு பிடுங்கவே இவர் இவ்வாறு பேசுகிறார் என்று கத்தோலிக்க சர்ச் குற்றம் சாட்டியுள்ளது.
Priest Sex Abuse Victim Takes Stand
Afternoon News Webcast
Burlington, Vermont - June 25, 2007
It was an emotional morning as the Catholic priest sex abuse trial continued in Burlington. The man at the center of the case took the stand.
James Turner has accused Vermont's Roman Catholic Diocese of covering up the alleged abuse. He claims former priest Alfred Willis molested him 30 years ago.
Turner has already received an out of court settlement from Willis.
The church argues that Turner is just looking to get more money out of the Catholic Diocese. He's suing for a million dollars.
"I feel a lot of embarrassment, some sense of ashamement. It is what I need to do to move forward. I have a lot of hope for my future. Just as the empty chair with Willis, this is another milestone for me to get past and let people know, and make the diocese accountable for what they allowed to happen to me. The guy is an animal, that is all I can say, monster," said Turner.
Willis, who now lives in Virginia, was defrocked years ago.
He has said he will not attend the trial because Vermont is too far for him to travel.
கத்தோலிக்க சர்ச்சிலிருந்து காசு பிடுங்கவே இவர் இவ்வாறு பேசுகிறார் என்று கத்தோலிக்க சர்ச் குற்றம் சாட்டியுள்ளது.
Priest Sex Abuse Victim Takes Stand
Afternoon News Webcast
Burlington, Vermont - June 25, 2007
It was an emotional morning as the Catholic priest sex abuse trial continued in Burlington. The man at the center of the case took the stand.
James Turner has accused Vermont's Roman Catholic Diocese of covering up the alleged abuse. He claims former priest Alfred Willis molested him 30 years ago.
Turner has already received an out of court settlement from Willis.
The church argues that Turner is just looking to get more money out of the Catholic Diocese. He's suing for a million dollars.
"I feel a lot of embarrassment, some sense of ashamement. It is what I need to do to move forward. I have a lot of hope for my future. Just as the empty chair with Willis, this is another milestone for me to get past and let people know, and make the diocese accountable for what they allowed to happen to me. The guy is an animal, that is all I can say, monster," said Turner.
Willis, who now lives in Virginia, was defrocked years ago.
He has said he will not attend the trial because Vermont is too far for him to travel.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
they can kiss the ... Lord's crotch
கண்றாவி கத்தோலிக்க பாதிரியார்கள்!
Priest abuse trial takes a lurid twist
June 23, 2007
By KEVIN O'CONNOR Herald Staff
BURLINGTON — Everyone associated with it assumed the priest sexual misconduct trial would be explicit. But spectators in Chittenden Superior Court on Friday were surprised when a Vermont Catholic official stopped reading aloud personnel records as instructed because he felt they were too lurid.
The Rev. Wendell Searles, former second-in-command at the diocese, sat on the witness stand in the case of James Turner, a 46-year-old Derby native who charges the Rev. Alfred Willis performed oral sex on him when he was 16 and staying at a Latham, N.Y., hotel in 1977.
Turner's lawyer, Jerome O'Neill, alleges the diocese knew Willis was just one of several priests who had questionable sexual histories but were still assigned to Vermont churches where they went on to molest children. To prove his point, O'Neill asked the 78-year-old Searles to read aloud confidential church paperwork.
O'Neill began by having the priest read a document about how Willis fondled an unnamed 14-year-old boy in front of a 13-year-old friend on a camping trip in 1977.
"The effect on both boys was obviously traumatic," the letter said. "The agony experienced by these two families is amply documented."
O'Neill then asked Searles to read 1981 secret church trial testimony about "defendant's constant preoccupation with sex as evident in his unabashed double-meaning language which often embarrassed hearers, his ready hugging and kissing of practically anyone (his habit of 'grab-assing,' i.e., placing his hand beneath or pinching the buttocks of others), his defense of pornography, his apparent use of alcohol to lower the inhibitions of minors, his insensitivity to the wonderment he was causing, his ability to lie and to 'con.'"
Searles began reading another paragraph before pausing.
"I'm sorry," the priest said. "I have to read this aloud? Do I have to?
Judge Ben Joseph apologized but said yes, only to have O'Neill offer to read the paragraph himself. The lawyer then read about someone else testifying of Willis: "'On Good Friday,' he said, 'I just love to see the people come up and kiss the Cross and I put the crotch ... where they can kiss the ... Lord's crotch.' Now, if that isn't sick, I ... I ... I said, 'There's something wrong with you, Al.'"
The lawyer stopped.
"Is that what it says, Father?"
"Yes," Searles replied.
But the diocese didn't defrock Willis until four years later in 1985, O'Neill said, after finally ruling the priest broke the sixth commandment.
"What's the sixth commandment?" O'Neill asked Searles.
"Thou shall not commit adultery," the priest said.
"That assumes various forms of sexual misbehavior?" O'Neill asked.
"Yes," the priest said.
After Searles read aloud one last letter, O'Neill pointed out most of the paperwork came under the tenure of former Vermont Bishop John Marshall, who served from 1972 to 1992 and died in 1994.
O'Neill asked Searles: "Of all that you read here, can you point to anything in there where Bishop Marshall at any point at any time ever expressed any concern for the welfare of who had been abused or might have been abused by Father Willis?"
"I do not see that stated in these documents," Searles said.
Later, upon questioning by diocesan lawyer Thomas McCormick, Searles explained his uneasiness with having to read the letters aloud: "I was shocked by the content — many of them were marked 'personal' and 'confidential' and here we were opening them to public scrutiny."
Searles, a Vermont priest for more than 50 years, added of many of the names blacked out on the letters: "They were people that I knew."
Searles added at another point: "I have to say again I was in no way involved."
Later in the day, O'Neill offered videotaped testimony from the Rev. Kenneth Angell, former Vermont bishop from 1992 to 2005. The lawyer, citing another priest who molested dozens of boys during Marshall's tenure, asked Angell if his predecessor should have contacted authorities rather than deal with the abuse internally.
Angell paused before saying, "I certainly would get some advice. I would talk to my legal counsel."
O'Neill asked the question again. Angell paused again before saying, "I still don't know if (Marshall) would believe he had this obligation or not."
Asked two more times, Angell paused before saying, "It's apparent (the priest) did a great deal of harm and all. I'm still having problems how Bishop Marshall could justify not putting him out immediately. But I don't know about this question of calling the authorities. I certainly would talk with my attorneys."
Turner, now living in Virginia Beach, Va., is asking the jury for damages of more than $1 million. That led lawyers for both sides to argue whether the diocese could afford such a payment.
Arthur Woolf, a former state economist who now teaches at the University of Vermont, reviewed insurance and municipal records to place a "market value" of all Vermont Catholic Church-related property at between $270 million to $500 million, he testified Friday.
But the diocese views its assets differently. In May 2006, fearing the potential costs of priest misconduct lawsuits, it placed each of its more than 120 Vermont parishes and missions in individual charitable trusts.
The diocese still owns its headquarters on North Avenue in Burlington, which its insurer has valued at $11.5 million. But in terms of cash holdings, the diocese reported a deficit of $1.3 million for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2006. That shortfall came after the church spent more than $1.5 million in the past five years to settle at least six other civil misconduct lawsuits out of court.
Church leaders say they aren't paying settlements with regular collection money or the diocesan Bishop's Fund but from loans and other sources. The church also is suing its former insurer in U.S. District Court in Burlington in hopes of recovering legal fees and settlement costs for alleged abuse that took place in the 1970s.
The diocese currently doesn't have insurance for priest misconduct, but says it held a comprehensive liability policy with the United States Fidelity and Guaranty Co. from 1973 to 1978. The church can't find its copy of the policy, however, so it has taken the insurer to court in hopes the company will unearth the paperwork and pay for the church's legal fees and settlement costs.
The former insurer, known as USF&G, is now part of the St. Paul Travelers Companies of St. Paul, Minn. It is talking with the diocese about the possibility of paying legal fees for defending cases whose allegations took place during the policy period. But the insurer says it shouldn't have to cover settlement costs if it can prove the church knew of past misconduct but continued to employ an offending priest.
Willis, now 62 and living in Leesburg, Va., has called the charges "unfounded" but has settled with Turner for an undisclosed sum.
Turner is expected to testify when the trial resumes Monday.
Priest abuse trial takes a lurid twist
June 23, 2007
By KEVIN O'CONNOR Herald Staff
BURLINGTON — Everyone associated with it assumed the priest sexual misconduct trial would be explicit. But spectators in Chittenden Superior Court on Friday were surprised when a Vermont Catholic official stopped reading aloud personnel records as instructed because he felt they were too lurid.
The Rev. Wendell Searles, former second-in-command at the diocese, sat on the witness stand in the case of James Turner, a 46-year-old Derby native who charges the Rev. Alfred Willis performed oral sex on him when he was 16 and staying at a Latham, N.Y., hotel in 1977.
Turner's lawyer, Jerome O'Neill, alleges the diocese knew Willis was just one of several priests who had questionable sexual histories but were still assigned to Vermont churches where they went on to molest children. To prove his point, O'Neill asked the 78-year-old Searles to read aloud confidential church paperwork.
O'Neill began by having the priest read a document about how Willis fondled an unnamed 14-year-old boy in front of a 13-year-old friend on a camping trip in 1977.
"The effect on both boys was obviously traumatic," the letter said. "The agony experienced by these two families is amply documented."
O'Neill then asked Searles to read 1981 secret church trial testimony about "defendant's constant preoccupation with sex as evident in his unabashed double-meaning language which often embarrassed hearers, his ready hugging and kissing of practically anyone (his habit of 'grab-assing,' i.e., placing his hand beneath or pinching the buttocks of others), his defense of pornography, his apparent use of alcohol to lower the inhibitions of minors, his insensitivity to the wonderment he was causing, his ability to lie and to 'con.'"
Searles began reading another paragraph before pausing.
"I'm sorry," the priest said. "I have to read this aloud? Do I have to?
Judge Ben Joseph apologized but said yes, only to have O'Neill offer to read the paragraph himself. The lawyer then read about someone else testifying of Willis: "'On Good Friday,' he said, 'I just love to see the people come up and kiss the Cross and I put the crotch ... where they can kiss the ... Lord's crotch.' Now, if that isn't sick, I ... I ... I said, 'There's something wrong with you, Al.'"
The lawyer stopped.
"Is that what it says, Father?"
"Yes," Searles replied.
But the diocese didn't defrock Willis until four years later in 1985, O'Neill said, after finally ruling the priest broke the sixth commandment.
"What's the sixth commandment?" O'Neill asked Searles.
"Thou shall not commit adultery," the priest said.
"That assumes various forms of sexual misbehavior?" O'Neill asked.
"Yes," the priest said.
After Searles read aloud one last letter, O'Neill pointed out most of the paperwork came under the tenure of former Vermont Bishop John Marshall, who served from 1972 to 1992 and died in 1994.
O'Neill asked Searles: "Of all that you read here, can you point to anything in there where Bishop Marshall at any point at any time ever expressed any concern for the welfare of who had been abused or might have been abused by Father Willis?"
"I do not see that stated in these documents," Searles said.
Later, upon questioning by diocesan lawyer Thomas McCormick, Searles explained his uneasiness with having to read the letters aloud: "I was shocked by the content — many of them were marked 'personal' and 'confidential' and here we were opening them to public scrutiny."
Searles, a Vermont priest for more than 50 years, added of many of the names blacked out on the letters: "They were people that I knew."
Searles added at another point: "I have to say again I was in no way involved."
Later in the day, O'Neill offered videotaped testimony from the Rev. Kenneth Angell, former Vermont bishop from 1992 to 2005. The lawyer, citing another priest who molested dozens of boys during Marshall's tenure, asked Angell if his predecessor should have contacted authorities rather than deal with the abuse internally.
Angell paused before saying, "I certainly would get some advice. I would talk to my legal counsel."
O'Neill asked the question again. Angell paused again before saying, "I still don't know if (Marshall) would believe he had this obligation or not."
Asked two more times, Angell paused before saying, "It's apparent (the priest) did a great deal of harm and all. I'm still having problems how Bishop Marshall could justify not putting him out immediately. But I don't know about this question of calling the authorities. I certainly would talk with my attorneys."
Turner, now living in Virginia Beach, Va., is asking the jury for damages of more than $1 million. That led lawyers for both sides to argue whether the diocese could afford such a payment.
Arthur Woolf, a former state economist who now teaches at the University of Vermont, reviewed insurance and municipal records to place a "market value" of all Vermont Catholic Church-related property at between $270 million to $500 million, he testified Friday.
But the diocese views its assets differently. In May 2006, fearing the potential costs of priest misconduct lawsuits, it placed each of its more than 120 Vermont parishes and missions in individual charitable trusts.
The diocese still owns its headquarters on North Avenue in Burlington, which its insurer has valued at $11.5 million. But in terms of cash holdings, the diocese reported a deficit of $1.3 million for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2006. That shortfall came after the church spent more than $1.5 million in the past five years to settle at least six other civil misconduct lawsuits out of court.
Church leaders say they aren't paying settlements with regular collection money or the diocesan Bishop's Fund but from loans and other sources. The church also is suing its former insurer in U.S. District Court in Burlington in hopes of recovering legal fees and settlement costs for alleged abuse that took place in the 1970s.
The diocese currently doesn't have insurance for priest misconduct, but says it held a comprehensive liability policy with the United States Fidelity and Guaranty Co. from 1973 to 1978. The church can't find its copy of the policy, however, so it has taken the insurer to court in hopes the company will unearth the paperwork and pay for the church's legal fees and settlement costs.
The former insurer, known as USF&G, is now part of the St. Paul Travelers Companies of St. Paul, Minn. It is talking with the diocese about the possibility of paying legal fees for defending cases whose allegations took place during the policy period. But the insurer says it shouldn't have to cover settlement costs if it can prove the church knew of past misconduct but continued to employ an offending priest.
Willis, now 62 and living in Leesburg, Va., has called the charges "unfounded" but has settled with Turner for an undisclosed sum.
Turner is expected to testify when the trial resumes Monday.
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