So says the key phrase in the lede to the entry for Archbishop Rembert Weakland in the entry for him in the article Remembering faith leaders who died in 2022: preachers, writers and interpreters of faith, by Adelle M. Banks, at Religion News Service.
Showing posts with label Scandal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scandal. Show all posts
It's too weird not to share
It was reported that since September 2006, O'Brien had allegedly been stalked by Father David Ajemian of the Archdiocese of Boston, who, despite multiple warnings to stop, had been sending O'Brien letters signed as "your priest stalker" and coming in contact with O'Brien's parents. Frustrated that he had been denied a spot in the Late Night audience, Ajemian sent a letter to O'Brien stating that he flew to New York "in the dimming hope that you might finally acknowledge me." He stated in another letter, "Is this the way you treat your most dangerous fans??? You owe me big time, pal." In another letter, Ajemian seemed to make a death threat, saying, "Remember Frank Costello once dodged a bullet in your building and so can you." Ajemian then tried to forcefully enter a taping of Late Night but was caught and arrested. He was previously warned by the NBC security team to stay away from the studio. After a psychological evaluation, he was deemed fit to stand trial. He has since been bailed out of jail.[112] He was then reported missing by his father on November 10, 2007. He was found and underwent evaluation at a hospital. It is known that the two had attended Harvard University at the same time. He was found fit to stand trial on April 4, 2008. On April 8, 2008, Ajemian pleaded guilty to stalking, stating that he "never meant to cause anxiety or to upset anyone." He was ordered to pay a $95 US$ court charge and to sign a two-year restraining order barring him from coming near O'Brien.[113] On September 11, 2008, Ajemian checked himself out of his treatment at a hospital against the wishes of his bishop, Seán Patrick O'Malley. Cardinal O'Malley then released a statement saying that because he violated his bishop's wishes, Ajemian could no longer serve as a priest in the Catholic Church.[114] As of late 2010, Ajemian has moved on to stalking Anthony Everett.[115]
Weird.
Which reminds me, I still have to do a review on The Faithful Departed: The Collapse of Boston's Catholic Culture.
St. Paul Archdiocese official stole more than $670K, charges say
continue at Pioneer PressThe former accounting director of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has been accused of stealing more than $670,000 from the church.
Scott Joseph Domeier, 50, of Cottage Grove, was charged with seven counts of theft by swindle Friday, June 15, in Ramsey County District Court.
According to the criminal complaint, Domeier diverted archdiocese checks to pay personal credit card bills, private school tuition for his children and other personal expenses.
The alleged thefts date to 2008.
"This matter will not affect the archdiocese's ability to meet its financial obligations or other responsibilities, including those to parishes, schools and employees," the archdiocese said Friday.
An independent audit and the archdiocese's insurers determined the total was about $770,000 over eight years, the archdiocese said.
Ouch!
Allegations against former Green Bay bishop, Bp. David Zubik
Former Green Bay Bishop David Zubik took the unusual step of calling a news conference Wednesday to announce that he has been accused of forcibly kissing a student decades ago, and to deny the charges.the rest at GBPressGaz
Zubik, currently the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, said the former student made the accusation in August after the man's request to volunteer in the diocese was rejected. Soon after the rejection, the man alleged that the incident happened when he was a student at Quigley Catholic High School in the 1980s.
"The accusation is false, offensive and outrageous," Zubik said, adding that no such behavior occurred when he was at the school from 1980 to 1987.
Zubik served as bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay from December 2003 to September 2007, when he was installed as the 12th bishop of the diocese of Pittsburgh.
The diocese did not return calls for comment Wednesday night.
Late Wednesday afternoon, Beaver County District Attorney Anthony Berosh said the accusations had no basis.
"There was no factual basis for the allegation. No basis in law or in fact," Berosh said.
Berosh said his office reviewed documents in the case and made numerous attempts to meet with the man who claimed Zubik forcibly kissed him.The man declined offers to meet, and then visited the District Attorney's Office unannounced last week and made a new claim that a nun had touched him on an airplane, in full view of the passengers, Berosh said.
Sounds like a nut.
SNAP files charges against Vatican, public rolls their eyes
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| $t. $NAP's condominiums |
An international coalition of sex-abuse victims has lodged charges with the International Criminal Court at the Hague, charging Pope Benedict XVI and other leading Vatican officials with crimes against humanity.Catholic Culture
Leaders of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), assisted by the Center for Constitutional Rights, filed an 80-page complaint, accompanied by over 20,000 pages of supporting evidence, claiming that the Holy See bears "direct and superior responsibility for the crimes against humanity of rape and other sexual violence committed around the world." The charges were directed against Pope Benedict and three Vatican officials: Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Secretary of State; his predecessor, Cardinal Angelo Sodano; and Cardinal William Levada, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Experts in international law said that it is extremely unlikely the Hague court will take up the case. The court does not have jurisdiction over the Holy See, and the charges raised in the complaint fall well short of the standards required for an international trial. Similar charges against the Vatican had been lodged in the past, and no prosecution ensued.
However, legal experts said that the SNAP case could serve the group's purposes by "raising awareness" of their cause. In other words, the case will generate publicity.
Weakland, Sklba to take the stand!
Retired Milwaukee bishops Rembert Weakland and Richard Sklba will answer questions under oath in October about the extent and alleged coverup of child sex abuse in the archdiocese, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Susan V. Kelley ruled on Friday.MJS
However, that testimony won't be available to the public, at least initially.
Kelley granted a request by survivor-creditors to question the two, along with defrocked priest Daniel A. Budzynski, who is believed to have molested several children, as part of the church's bankruptcy proceedings.
The judge scheduled the questionings for the weeks of Oct. 17 and 24. But she imposed strict limits on their duration and ordered them sealed from public view.
"I don't want this on anybody's website," said Kelley, a reference to victims' attorney Jeff Anderson's distribution of Weakland's 2008 questioning, in which the retired archbishop referred to Sklba as his "go-to guy" in the handling of sex abuse cases.
"This isn't about embarrassing these people. This is about giving the parties relief," Kelley said.
The Devil is abroad: Milwaukee diocesan priest charged with assaulting teen in La Crosse
A criminal charge accuses a Wisconsin priest of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl earlier this week while he was in La Crosse for a canon law conference.
The Rev. David Szatkowski, 37, of Franklin, Wis., grabbed the teen's breast outside the downtown Radisson late Monday or early Tuesday, according to the complaint filed today in La Crosse County Circuit Court.
She told police a drunken man approached her group of friends and put his arms around her shoulders before groping her, the complaint states. One of her friends snapped a picture of the man on a cell phone.
Two witnesses described the man, who said he was a lawyer, as being "very touchy" before he grabbed the teen when she tried to give him a high five, the complaint states. He retreated to the hotel when the girls confronted him.
A staff member told police a group of people attending a canon law conference for canonists and civil attorneys at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe were staying in the hotel. The two-day conference is hosted by Cardinal Raymond Burke and is not associated with the Diocese of La Crosse.
Szatkowski identified himself in the cell phone picture after investigators found him at the conference, according to the complaint.
He told investigators he was staying at the Radisson and had several drinks during the evening. He remembered talking to a group of students for about an hour outside the hotel but denied assaulting the teen, according to the complaint. He refused more questions without an attorney.
Szatkowski appeared in court Wednesday, where prosecutors charged him with second-degree sexual assault of a child under 16 years of age.
Abp. Jerome Hanus accused of negligence in abuse case
A second lawsuit was filed last week in Nodaway County Circuit Court alleging that a former monk there, who was also an ordained priest, abused a teenage boy in the early 1980s.Maryville Daily
The alleged victim, identified only as John Doe 48, claims in the suit that he was abused by Fr. Bede Parry, a choir director at the abbey and seminary college east of Maryville, and that the abuse consisted of being coerced into various sex acts between 1982 and 1984. Illegal activity described in the lawsuit included oral sex in addition to fondling and kissing.
Parry, 69, is not named as a defendant in the suit, which claims the abbey sought to cover up the assaults, and that Parry's superior knew about the incidents but failed to take appropriate action by removing the monk from his post.
The abbot in charge of Conception Abbey at the time was Fr. Jerome Hanus, who later served as bishop of Saint Cloud, Minn., and is currently archbishop of Dubuque, Iowa.
Confronted by the alleged victim's parents, Hanus, according to the lawsuit, told them that Parry had suffered a "mental breakdown" for which he would receive treatment. In fact, the suit alleges, Parry confessed to his superior that he had been involved in three previous inappropriate sexual relationships.
The lawsuit states that Parry was ultimately sent to a Catholic treatment center in New Mexico for three months and later worked for several churches in the Southwest before becoming an Episcopal clergyman.
Kenosha priest admits lewd phone calls
KENOSHA-A Catholic priest made a tearful apology after pleading guilty to calling two teenager parishoners and making lewd and sexual comments.CBS58
It happened while he served at the St. Theresa Parish. One of the vicitm's mothers also spoke in court. She had tears as well as she told the judge how her daughter's life had been shattered. Nowak remains suspended from the Archidocese. Father Nowak was given 60 days in jail, but 30 days credit for time served.
Archdiocese to launch ads informing victims of deadline to file claims
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee will launch a national advertising campaign on Sunday to notify sex abuse victims of their deadline to file claims as part of its bankruptcy, the archdiocese said Friday.MJS
Victims of clergy, staff, teachers, other church employees or volunteers have until Feb. 1 to file claims against the church.
The campaign that begins Sunday will include ads in the Journal Sentinel, the Chicago Tribune and USA Today.
The advertising campaign is required by the bankruptcy, which acts as a final call for claims against a debtor.
The deadline for general claims not related to sexual abuse is Oct. 17.
Marquette failed to properly report rape allegations to police over last 10 years
Virginia ran across this in the Chicago Tribune:
and an update in MJS:
MILWAUKEE — On a chilly Sunday morning, a 19-year-old Marquette University student walked into the campus security office and tearfully reported being raped by an athlete just hours earlier.continue at ChicagoTrib
She says two of the officers on duty that February day dismissed her claim, telling her they didn't know whether it was a crime because she alleged the encounter began as consensual sex and ended as an assault.
No report was taken, and Milwaukee police were not notified by the university, which insists the woman said she did not want authorities involved.
The university now acknowledges that failing to notify police was a violation of state law, which requires campus security departments to report any possible crimes to local authorities. School officials also did not tell police about a sexual attack allegation involving four athletes in October.
In fact, Marquette administrators told the Tribune that they have violated their reporting obligations for the past 10 years. And in at least the two most recent cases, the lapse played a role in prosecutors declining to press charges.
and an update in MJS:
Marquette University officials acknowledged Wednesday that the university made mistakes in how it handled student reports of sexual assaults and said they've worked out a way to improve how they report sexual assaults to city police.
Previously, officials with Marquette's public safety department left it up to the student who reported a sexual assault whether to report that assault to the Milwaukee Police Department. But that was against Wisconsin law, which mandates that a private security firm that believes a crime has been committed has to promptly notify police. Now students will be told the incident will be reported, but they have a choice of whether to talk to police.
Marquette University President Father Robert A. Wild stressed that the student athlete-involved incidents reported to the university's Department of Public Safety in the fall and spring were investigated by the university and action was taken in accordance with the student conduct code. He said Milwaukee law enforcement officials filed no charges, but the university could have done better.
Bp Callahan on John Jay abuse report
The Most Rev. William Callahan welcomed the public release Wednesday of a report commissioned by U.S. Catholic bishops to determine the causes of the church's child sex abuse crisis.La Crosse Tribune
Neither forced celibacy nor homosexuality were to blame, the study concluded; instead researchers blamed inadequate training that left priests ill-equipped for the social changes of the 1960s and ‘70s.
"John Jay is not a church institution," the bishop said. "I don't think they came through trying to be nice to the church. Their people were genuine and honest."
Callahan noted that no other institution has undertaken a self-study of this magnitude.
Eleven priests have been accused since 2003 by adults who said they were abused as children. Of those allegations, Birnbaum said, 10 were against priests who had died or were no longer in the ministry, and the diocese could not sufficiently confirm the other case.
"We don't have contemporary allegations," Birnbaum said. "Those are all handed over to the cops."
I'm not sure if you read up on this report but it basically gives the "Blame Woodstock" explanation. From the Chicago Tribune:
The researchers concluded that it was not possible for the church, or for anyone, to identify abusive priests in advance, according to the newspaper[NYT], which obtained an advance copy of the report."Because the priests had more access to boys" is illogical and just plain untrue. If the abusers wanted to satisfy every desire that came into their dark minds, the heterosexuals desires would still be for a female. According to this explanation, the abusers would have taken action on farm animals or kitchen appliances if they are more easily accessible. The truth of the matter is that the vast majority of abusers were homosexuals(or exhibited homosexual behavior) and the bishops of the Church were to blame for not addressing complaints properly.
The study concluded that many more boys than girls were victimized, not because the perpetrators were gay, but simply because the priests had more access to boys than to girls, the newspaper reported.
Second girl accuses Kenosha priest of sexual comments
A second girl has come forward to allege that a Kenosha priest made sexually inappropriate comments to her on the telephone, and Kenosha Police are seeking two misdemeanor counts of unlawful use of a telephone against him, Sgt. James Heiring said Wednesday.JSOnline
The Kenosha County district attorney's office said the case has not yet been reviewed.
Father Michael Nowak, pastor of St. Therese of Lisieux Parish, was placed on administrative leave by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee last week pending both the investigation. The archdiocese has said it will also conduct its own review.
The telephone calls were reported to police in early May.
Heiring would not divulge the ages of the girls, saying only that they are under 16.
La Crosse lawyer says Jeff Anderson & Assoc. "has perpetrated a fraud against this Court"
In documents filed Friday, attorney James Birnbaum argues that the law firm of Jeff Anderson & Associates, "has perpetrated a fraud against this Court."The rest at La Crosse Tribune
"Its willingness and ability to manufacture a fraud complaint against the Diocese illustrates the dangerousness and inequity of permitting 40-year-old claims to be pursued," he wrote. "Their fraud on this Court not only requires dismissal of the complaint ... but it warrants sanctions against plaintiff's counsel as well."
Birnbaum also requested the court suspend discovery, the process through which each side is allowed to review the other's evidence and interview witnesses, pending a ruling on the judicial fraud motion.
The woman's attorney, Mike Finnegan, said Friday he had not seen the motion and declined to comment before reading it.
Kenosha priest placed on leave for alleged sexual comments
A Kenosha priest was placed on administrative leave after he was alleged to have made sexually explicit comments to a girl.JSOnline
The incident, which allegedly occurred a week ago, involved Father Michael Nowak, pastor at St. Theresa of Liseiux Parish in Kenosha.
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee placed Nowak on leave after it was contacted by Kenosha Police who had been called by the girl's parents.
In a letter to parishioners, Archbishop Jerome Listecki said there was no physical contact between Nowak and the girl.
Listecki said Father Dominic Thomas has been assigned as a temporary administrator for the parish.
I'm sure we will see thee double standard, priest is guilty until proven innocent.
Mil Herald: Victim/survivors share stories
The church can’t turn back the clock and right the wrongs of abuse to wipe away the pain of survivors, said Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki, but as a church representative, he can continue to over and over again offer a profound apology. He said he can also learn from victims and survivors willing to tell their stories.Continue at Milwaukee Catholic Herald
Archbishop Listecki listened to a panel of three share their stories of clergy sexual abuse during the two-day conference “Harm, Hope and Healing: International Dialogue on the Clergy Sex Abuse Scandal,” April 4-5, hosted by Marquette University’s Law School.
The victim/survivors included a Boston police officer recently retired from the sexual assault unit, a mother whose son committed suicide in the 1980s and a Milwaukee man who was abused by a religious priest.
In each case, priests violated sacred trust.
Marquette priest abuse conference a failure
Dad29Leave it to an academic to posit that "more education" is the holy grail.
It is difficult to accurately predict which priests are likely to go on to abuse minors, and the best defense against clergy sex abuse is to train seminarians on issues of sexuality and healthy relationships, a researcher told participants in an international conference on the crisis...
Uh-huh. Curious that "screening and selection of seminarians" was not addressed.
Or maybe not so curious.
Smith, of John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, highlighted some of the findings of the causes and context study, which is due out in May. She reiterated findings released in preliminary report showing that the number of reported incidents has declined since peaking in the 1960s and '70s, and that homosexuality does not appear to have been a contributing factor in the abuse.
That's what you call "artfully worded." Sexual abuse, per se, is not 'owned' by either hetero- or homo-sexuals. It's an equal opportunity crime, so to speak.
But the incidents-reported measure--which is what COUNTS-- tells us that homosexuals were far and away the overwhelming majority of abusers.
Gee. That's not mentioned in the story.
Nor is the Vatican's order to eliminate homosexual-inclined individuals from seminaries.
Curious, no?
That is to say if the story is an accurate portrayal of the conference.
Criminal charges filed against Madison priest removed from ministry
Editor's Note: The following is an update on an ongoing situation with Fr. J. Gibbs Clauder, who has been removed from ministry since 1999. Brent King, spokesman for the Diocese of Madison, issued the following statement on March 30.MadHerald
MADISON -- There is no place in the priesthood for those who would abuse a child, regardless of when the crime was committed. We as a Church and as a diocese have promised openness with regard to sexual abuse and we renew that promise. We offer the public what we know in the way of an update/background regarding Fr. J. Gibbs Clauder and the charges being brought against him:
In 1999, the diocese became aware of allegations of inappropriate relationships between Fr. Joseph Gibbs Clauder and at least one adult woman. The diocese investigated those allegations and concluded that Father Clauder should be suspended from all priestly duties. Since that time, he has not served as a priest of the Catholic Church.
As recently as August of 2009, our office brought it to the public's attention that an adult and her family had come forward and alleged that Father Clauder had engaged in illegal sexual conduct with her, when she was a minor (this illegal sexual conduct allegedly occurred long after he was prohibited from public ministry, by removal of faculties). After a preliminary investigation into the testimonies and reviewing the facts, the accusations against Fr. Joseph Gibbs Clauder were found to be credible. Agreeing with this evaluation of the Diocesan Sexual Abuse Review Board, Bishop Robert C. Morlino, referred the case to the Vatican, for their determination. In recent days, the diocese has received direction to proceed with a canonical trial, and we will pursue this trial after the conclusion of any criminal and/or civil trial.
We have remained, and will continue to remain, in close contact with the victim and the victim's family, offering our prayers and support, as they deal with this traumatic situation. At the time of the first release (August 11, 2009), those who brought this matter to the diocese's attention asked that the diocese not contact law enforcement officials. We honored their wishes, since the victim was an adult at that time (2009). The victim and the victim's family have since decided to contact legal authorities, a decision the diocese fully supports.
The diocese will continue to cooperate fully with civil authorities.
Please note: every incidence in which an allegation is made where the victim is still a minor, the diocese will, itself, bring the matter to the attention of law enforcement officials. The diocese will always cooperate fully with law enforcement agencies.
Today, we bring it to the public's attention that detectives investigating this allegation have notified the diocese that criminal charges against Fr. J. Gibbs Clauder have been filed.
As always, any allegation of sexual misconduct involving priests, deacons, or other Church personnel should be reported to the Diocese of Madison by use of the Sexual Misconduct Question and Reporting Line, 608-821-3162. The diocesan policies regarding sexual abuse allegations, and instructions for making a report of sexual misconduct, are available on the diocesan website: www.madisondiocese.org
HT V
Superior Diocese vicar general stole funds for gambling habit
The second-highest ranking official in the Diocese of Superior was removed as pastor of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Hudson, Wis., after taking about $10,800 from a charity account, likely to fuel a gambling addiction, church officials said.Duluth Tribune
The Rev. Dan Dahlberg — the diocese’s vicar general who previously served at Superior’s Cathedral of Christ the King — was removed by Bishop Peter Christensen following a request by St. Patrick’s church trustees after they discovered the money was missing, according to a letter distributed to parishioners on Sunday.
“It is very likely that this misconduct is the result of a serious gambling addiction which has led to personal financial issues and impaired Father Dan’s judgment,” read the letter from trustees Samuel Cari and Claire Zajac.
The trustees said that arrangements have been made for Dahlberg to repay the full amount and recommended the diocese help obtain professional help for Dahlberg, who also sits on the Diocesan Finance Council and the corporate boards of all parishes.
Dahlberg served as rector at the Superior cathedral from 1998 to 2009 and has been vicar general of the diocese — the second highest position next to the bishop — since 1998.
Let's pray for Fr. Dahlberg. May this humiliation bring him closer to the humiliations of Christ on the cross.
La Crosse Diocese fraud suit moves ahead
A fraud lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse that claims child sexual abuse four decades ago moved forward today.La Crosse Tribune
La Crosse County Circuit Judge Scott Horne denied the diocese’s motion to dismiss the complaint, in which a Plover, Wis., woman contends diocese officials knew a priest had a history of molesting children before he abused her in 1971.
Brenda Varga, now 48, met the late Rev. Raymond Bornbach in 1971 when her family attended a wedding at his church, according to the complaint. He later visited her, bringing the third-grader gifts and taking her to his house, where Varga said he molested her on and off for a year until Bornbach’s housekeeper caught him in a bedroom with her.
The diocese removed Bornbach from ministry in 2004 after the diocesan review panel found Varga’s reports credible, though Bornbach’s attorney said at the time his client denied abusing her. Bornbach died in 2006.
Varga’s suit claims then-Bishop Frederick Freking knew Bornbach had a proclivity for young girls when he was assigned in 1968 to St. Michael’s Parish in Hewitt, Wis. The complaint cites a church member who said his wife witnessed Bornbach “touching a little girl inappropriately in the church sacristy” and later reported the incident to the bishop and nuns at the parish school.
Horne ruled that placing a priest in unsupervised contact with children is the equivalent of saying he is safe.
Bishop Frederick Freking died 12 years ago.... Maybe we could dig him up to take the stand?
I heard this one is likely credible, as in Bishop Freking heard accusations and didn't believe them. Sad indeed. Fraud is a criminal charge, correct? So are they going to charge Bishop Freking, I'm not clear on that .
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