Group of liberal Catholics call for Vatican trial of Cardinal Burke for "insensitivity" and "canonical strictness"

PHILADELPHIA — Priests, nuns and canon lawyers who advocate for clergy sex abuse victims urged Pope Francis, on the eve of his U.S. visit, to investigate the child protection records of Cardinal Justin Rigali, the former archbishop of Philadelphia, and Cardinal Raymond Burke, who led dioceses in Wisconsin and Missouri.

The group, which calls itself the Catholic Whistleblowers, wants an inquiry of Rigali, who was Philadelphia archbishop from 2003 to 2011 and retired amid an uproar over grand jury allegations that he was keeping about three dozen suspected abusers in ministry. His successor, Archbishop Charles Chaput, has removed several priests from church work since he took over.

The advocates are also calling for an investigation of Burke, who led the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, and the Archdiocese of St. Louis before leaving for Rome to lead the Vatican's highest court. The advocates have accused him of insensitive treatment of victims and their families.

The Rev. James Connell, a canon lawyer and member of the group, said that in La Crosse, Burke used a very strict definition in canon law to evaluate abuse cases — equivalent to guilty beyond a reasonable doubt — instead of a lesser standard called for in the U.S. bishops' own policies, and therefore left abusers in ministry.

continue at La Crosse Tribune

They want to put him on trial, but still it's not clear what he is being charged with.  Is there a case to be investigated?  The AP picks this up with no charges of substance levied?  It looks like mostly National Catholic Reporter folks, Connell probably being the only one with real clout.

The advocates want Francis to investigate the cardinals through a planned tribunal, announced in June, to hear cases of abuse of office by bishops over failures in handling sex abuse cases. But no developments have been announced to indicate the tribunal will be set up anytime soon — such as the publication of statutes outlining the panel's mandate or the appointment of staff.

Maybe the thought was Pope Francis might still invite Cardinal Burke to the Synod on the Family and this way he'd have an out to disinvite him.  Maybe they are hoping to get media coverage, and now emboldened by Pope Francis' actions against other conservative Catholic leaders like Bishop Finn(again the Fishwrap led the charge on that), they can finally get rid of Burke... well again I guess.  Maybe exile to Malta isn't enough.  ....

I've said this before, but weaponizing victims and their family for political reasons is despicable.  Obviously, even more despicable is abuse coverup by liberal and conservative prelates.  One has to wonder though, why are they so scared of Cardinal Burke?  Because he successfully rallied the troops so to speak in wake of last years synod?

Priest, SNAP ask Listecki to disinvite Mahony from Wisconsin conference

A prominent Wisconsin priest and advocate for clergy sex abuse victims is asking Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki to disinvite disgraced Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony from a spring assembly of local clergy, in light of the cardinal's recent sanction over his role in covering up clergy sex abuse for more than two decades.

Father James Connell of Sheboygan, former vice-chancellor of the archdioces, is asking that Listecki instead invite victim-survivors, their familes and friends, advocates, clergy and lay workers hurt by the scandal and others to speak, and that the conference be open to the media.

"Truly, this is a moment to generate hope," said Connell in an open letter sent to Listecki and distributed to media. A public accounting of the crisis and ongoing effects of the scandal would generate "optimism for the future of the Catholic Church," he wrote.

Mahony is scheduled to speak in May at the spring priests assembly. The archdiocese did not immediately return e-mails and telephone calls seeking comment.

The advocacy group Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests issued a statement Wednesday endorsing Connell's request.

Mahony's successor, Archbishop Jose Gomez, last week relieved him of all public duties as a result of the release of thousands of pages of documents detailing his and the archdiocese's handling of the sex abuses crisis there for decades. Gomez called the documents "brutal and painful reading" and the behavior detailed there as "terribly sad and evil."

continue at JS

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Four Milwaukee priests and SNAP take out full page MJS ad urging victims to come forward

Calling it a historic chapter in the history of the clergy sexual abuse scandal in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, a group of victims and priests has banded together to call for more transparency from church officials and to urge other victims to come forward and file for restitution in federal bankruptcy court before a Feb. 1 deadline.

The priests and victims have been meeting quietly for roughly a year since Peter Isely, the Midwest director for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, approached Father James Connell after a news conference.

At a news conference Tuesday at Plymouth Church in Milwaukee, Isely said the idea for the alliance between priests and victims was inspired by the Gospel.

"In the Christian story, which I believe in and have faith in, the truth may seem buried and dead, but there's always a way the truth will come back to life," he said. "I've always had a deep conviction that survivors and priests of integrity can turn the corner on the sexual abuse crisis. It's not going to be the bishops who do it."

Connell said that as the priests and victims listened to one another what emerged was "a sense of hope. . . . This hope is something to be kept alive."

The four priests involved forged the union with the survivors group independent of the archdiocese.

"It's a good thing that this group of priests is stepping forward to reach out to victims of clergy sexual abuse," said Julie Wolf, communications director for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. "But it's also important to note that priests throughout the archdiocese have been doing this for a very long time through their own ministries and their own parishes."

Wolf added that Archbishop Jerome Listecki "has been very visible in reaching out to victims." She said the archdiocese is starting the second round of a national advertising campaign aimed at reminding people who have been abused by clergy in the archdiocese to come forward before the Feb. 1 deadline. The campaign includes print advertisements that ran a few months ago in national publications such as the New York Times and USA Today.

The independent group of priests and victims took out a full-page ad in Tuesday's Journal Sentinel, urging further abuse victims to come forward by the deadline in bankruptcy court.

 continue at MJS

It is important to remember that MJS endorses a bill to allow for dioceses to be sued for dead priests and bishops.  This is another push by SNAP to get this rammed through.  They've campaigned for it before.  To me, MJS and SNAP just has a common enemy.  Any group that believes that contraception is a grave evil needs to be eliminated by any means necessary. 

LaXTrib: Bishop "James" Callahan updates La Crosse Diocese abuse policy

The Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse has updated its policies to lower the burden of proof for launching internal investigations of child sex abuse by members of the clergy and to reflect modern avenues for crimes against children.

Bishop James Callahan[ahem, a quick search of the diocesan website shows our current bishop to be "William Patrick Callahan, O.F.M. Conv."  The Editor of the La Crosse Tribune is the one who wrote this article....] said Wednesday that revision of the standards was one of his priorities on taking charge of the diocese in August 2010, spurred in part by Pope Benedict XVI's 2010 update of church rules.

Following the Vatican's lead, the new policy expands the scope of child sex abuse to include computer crimes such as downloading child pornography or sending explicit electronic messages.

"I really applaud the pope, because this is just so much common sense," Callahan said. "People don't realize how advanced the church is in dealing with issues of protection of children. ... We were not in the past, and we certainly have taken our lumps because of it." [College sports programs come to mind here]

The policies govern how the diocese, which serves 196,246 Catholics in 165 parishes across western Wisconsin, investigates allegations of sexual abuse of children and other vulnerable people and how clergy are disciplined.

Callahan emphasized that while the church conducts internal investigations, all allegations are first reported to civil authorities.

"Many times the civil authorities are telling us there's nothing there, and we still look into it," he said. "That doesn't trump anything we do."

Decisions re-affirmed

The changes include new language that lowers the burden of proof required to open an internal investigation.

Callahan said the diocese's review board - a panel of clergy and lay people charged with investigating sexual abuse allegations - reviewed its prior cases using the new standards and affirmed its decisions.

An audit by another diocese confirmed those results, said James Birnbaum, the diocese's attorney and a member of the review board.

Since the formation of the review board in 2003, 11 priests have been accused by adults who said they were abused as children. Of those allegations, Birnbaum said, 10 were against priests who had since died or left the ministry; the diocese could not sufficiently confirm the other case.

Those cases involved allegations of abuse at least 20 years in the past, Birnbaum said.

Birnbaum said any allegations of recent or ongoing abuse are to be reported first to civil authorities.

"The first thing that happens is we call the cops," he said.

Though never accused of abusing children in the diocese, the Rev. Patrick Umberger, pastor of St. Patrick's Church in Onalaska, was charged last year with possession of child pornography. Umberger died with his legal case pending.

The nine-member review board includes a psychologist, a retired judge, and a corporate executive in addition to three clergy members and two attorneys.

‘A necessity regardless'

One of the changes - to the language surrounding the burden of proof for investigating allegations against priests - addresses a concern raised last year by a priest and canon lawyer in the Milwaukee Archdiocese.

In June 2010, two months before Callahan's installation as bishop, the Rev. James Connell wrote that the diocese's policy was out of line with church standards.

The diocese standard for determining whether to forward allegations to church officials in Rome called for "moral certitude which excludes every prudent doubt or every doubt founded on positive reasons" rather than the mere "semblance of truth" outlined in church law.

The new document requires the allegation to be "sufficiently credible" and corroborated by evidence from a witness, document or other source.

Connell, who Callahan calls a good friend, declined to comment on the new document except to say the new language satisfies his concerns.

"The review of the policies was something that needed to be done whether Father (Connell) brought it about or didn't," Callahan said. "I saw it was a necessity regardless."

Read more: http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/diocese-updates-sex-abuse-policies/article_12e904da-1be0-11e1-99e6-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1fI2ypzg4

They publish every possible article they can on how the Diocese of La Crosse abuse policy is protecting criminals, and then the man that comes in and fixes it gets his name butchered.  Besides the name thing, obviously embarrassing, a good article.  It sounds like Bp. Callahan took the time to sit down with Hubbuch which is the right step in improving media relations.  There is definitely a need for a responsible secular press in covering church issues.

Milwaukee's Fr. Jim Connell accuses Diocese of La Crosse of "putting children at risk" in LAX Trib

Require the related Essential Norms be audited along with the charter. While the charter is a profound, important and morally binding document, it does not actually stand as church law. The Essential Norms, however, has been approved by the Vatican as church law to assure diocesan compliance with the charter.

This audit issue regarding the Essential Norms is at the core of the concern I raised more than one year ago with the Diocese of La Crosse. According to its diocesan website, the standard of proof that their diocesan review board requires of a person making an allegation of clergy sexual abuse exceeds the standard of proof required by Church law. Because the review board is requiring more of the person making the allegation than is necessary, the possibility exists that the review board will determine that some allegations do not need to be forwarded to the Vatican that really should be sent, allowing priests or deacons who should be removed from ministry to actually continue in ministry. As a result of this incorrect standard of proof, I contend, children and young people in the Diocese of La Crosse could be at risk.

Read more: http://lacrossetribune.com/news/opinion/editorial/columnists/article_d267b9dc-01af-11e1-9e3e-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1cNXx04yl

Last year Bishop Callahan stated after the annual third party audit on the diocese that "we have been audited by the Gavin Group, the Diocese of La Crosse received a “clean bill of health.”"

So is Fr.Connell calling Bp. Callahan a liar?

WaPo: Wisconsin priest unlikely ally with SNAP

"I'm just calling for the truth," Connell told The Associated Press. "I think it's a moral obligation. Revealing the truth to facilitate healing is a moral obligation. I'm just doing what I think priests are supposed to do."

Connell, who goes by Father Jim, said he's speaking out now because former Bishop Richard Sklba was scheduled to give a deposition about the church's handling of abusive priests. Listecki wanted the deposition sealed, prompting SNAP to hold a Dec. 17 press conference calling on the archbishop to stop being secretive.

When Connell heard about it, "I asked if I could stand there with them and they said yes."

Connell didn't notify his superiors beforehand, nor did he need to, the archdiocese said.

"We may not agree with his methods but we certainly can't disagree with what he's trying to accomplish," archdiocese spokesman Jerry Topczewski said. "Clearly he feels this is where God wants him at this moment, to be a vocal, visible presence toward healing and reconciliation. We stand with Father Connell toward that end goal."

Topczewski said the archbishop was not immediately available to comment. Connell's activism is all the more remarkable because of his high position in the archdiocese. As vice-chancellor, he is an executive aide to the archbishop and is expected to help carry out the archbishop's policies. As an archdiocesan priest, he is expected to defer to the archbishop.

It's so rare that a diocesan priest or administrator publicly disagrees with a bishop on any key issue - let alone a topic as sensitive as the clergy sex-abuse crisis - that word of Connell's stand spread through the Catholic blogosphere.

Blog commenters wondered whether Connell would be silenced or punished. Connell said the archbishop had a single cordial conversation with him to understand his motivations but added that no superiors have ever threatened or chastised him. A few colleagues have questioned the wisdom of his public stand, he said, but parishioners have supported his calls for the truth.

The whole article at The Washington Post

Here's the thing, what does Fr. Connell want to happen here?  SNAP is not about bringing about justice or filing criminal charges.  They are about siphoning money out of the archdiocese and her parishes to pay to victims(oh yeah, and it just so happens themselves as well).  Like I said before, a great gesture for Connell would be to sign over his pension to the SNAP lawyers as a sign that all priests should do the same thing.  We're all upset about the abuse.  We want that crap straightened out so it never happens again, and if it would happen that the hammer gets brought down from the archbishop.  That's NOT what this is about.  It's about trial lawyers taking the archdiocese for everything it's worth.  We've already seen that one of the first things SNAP went after when bankruptcy was declared was that parishes were exempt.  They want to raid parish funds and parish property to be sold off.  THAT does not solve the problem.  Can you imagine an abuse victim that not only had to endure that travesty, but then some years later loses their family parish in a big pay off to other victims(and it just so happens some trial lawyers too)?

Fr. James Connell assists trial lawyers in Milwaukee during hard economic times

At a press conference yesterday, Father James Connell, vice-chancellor of the Milwaukee Archdiocese, called on archdiocesan leaders to release court documents relating to the abuse of children. “I am absolutely convinced that we need the truth,” Connell declared. “Justice requires that the truth be known.”

Connell made this announcement as he stood on the steps of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist at a press conference called by SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. It was startling that any priest would stand shoulder to shoulder with a group of men who have publicly said they were the victims of sexual abuse by priests as children. Even more stunning is that a top official like Connell would contradict the policy of the archdiocese, which has declined in the past to voluntarily release any documents relating to abuse of children by clergy.  [Has it even slightly occurred to this moron grandstander that the diocese might just be protecting the identity of victims as well?  Not everyone wants to go public to make Peter Isley Jeff Anderson filthy rich]

The chancery is the local office that maintains church law. The chancellor is Barbara Anne Cusack. While Connell, 67, is second in command, he is a priest.

Connell’s statement was all the more unexpected as he hadn’t even been invited to the press conference. Peter Isely, the Midwest director of SNAP, welcomed – and marveled at— Connell’s presence. “No senior member of the hierarchy of any diocese in the country has done this,” Isely said of Connell’s decision to speak out.

SNAP called the press conference Tuesday after learning that lawyers for the archdiocese and Auxiliary Bishop Richard Sklba have asked a judge to seal a sworn statement given by Sklba in a local court case regarding priest sex abuse cases.

“This deposition is the single most important testimony involving the sexual abuse of children in this archdiocese,” Isely said. “Archbishop Rembert Weakland testified that Bishop Sklba was his go-to man on all of these cases.” [Sad but true]

There is some irony in Connell linking arms with Isely. About a year ago, Connell was the subject of another press conference in which Isely called on the priest to step down from the internal church board that hears sex abuse allegations. Isely pointed out that Connell had investigated allegations against Father Lawrence Murphy, a priest who abused scores of deaf children, according to church records. [Interesting, hmmm]

Connell, speaking to NewsBuzz Tuesday, defended his role in the Murphy case. “My whole vision was to get that man out of the priesthood,” Connell said. [And after this "vision" was in place, what actions did you take?]

Connell added that he had undergone a conversion of sorts after he began wondering what his life would have been like if he had been abused. Connell has since organized a group of other priests who hold monthly candlelight vigils for those who have been abused. He also began to challenge the hierarchy of the church as to whether officials were living up the Dallas Charter, the 2002 document adopted by the bishops to deal with sex abuse allegations.

In March, he publicly questioned whether the Diocese of LaCrosse had properly investigated sex abuse allegations. That was a bold move: The new archbishop of Milwaukee, Jerome Listecki, had come from LaCrosse(sic). In essence, Connell was telling his boss that he hadn’t done his job. [Has Connell ever even been to La Crosse?  He sure is an expert having never consulted anyone at the diocese.]

Connell told NewsBuzz that soon after he made the public comments, he was called in for a meeting with Listecki. “It was a challenging conversation,” was all that Connell would say of the meeting. [Let me translate "I got put in my place and I was told why the diocese doesn't tell trial lawyers - who are trying to bankrupt every diocese and close down their schools and churches - whom they should coerce into sponsoring SNAP]

Connell said he has faced no retribution from Listecki or criticism from his fellow priests. “That could end today,” he said.  [Maybe donating your pension to SNAP might be a good place to start]

Milwaukee News Buzz

We know what Weakland and Sklba did was wrong but suing the archdiocese for everything it's worth is not going to solve the problem.  Financial compensation, fine.  But SNAP has consistently shown an unwillingness to work with dioceses as we have seen in many cases, and it appears more and more that the intent is to actually destroy the Church financially.  They are just sniffing around for more money.  That's what lawyers do.