Religious Crimes

Mum...your husband is a paedophile priest:

Sun, 06 Mar 2011 23:04:08 +1100

Tag: england

By Nic North

Joan Clayton spent 13 years with ‘kind, gentle’ Bill Carney until her son confronted her with some damning evidence

Joan Clayton was sitting on the veranda at her villa, overlooking the beautiful Atlantic under a clear blue sky, when her son showed her an article that would destroy her holiday – and Joan’s life as she knew it.

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She had arrived in Lanzarote just days earlier with her husband, Bill Carney, looking forward to a two-week break from the demands of running their busy guest house in Scotland. Joan was hoping to relax, sunbathe and have a chance to plan with Bill their imminent retirement to the rolling Cotswolds in England.

Then her adult son Paul rang her mobile, sounding upset and urgent. He said he had to talk to her and left his own holiday on the Spanish mainland to meet Joan in Lanzarote.

He immediately sent her husband away, asking to speak to her alone. She knew something had to be wrong but she could never have imagined the revolting news that he would share.

‘While Bill went off for a walk, Paul opened the laptop and told me he had something to show me,’ Joan told the Irish Mail on Sunday. ‘He said he wished I didn’t have to read it but said it was his duty as my son to do what he was about to do.

‘He went online and called up a newspaper article about the Murphy Report, which, at the time, I’d never heard of. I still wish I never had heard of the Murphy Report.’

It was there that Joan read for the first time that her husband had been cast out of the Roman Catholic Church following dozens of complaints about his abuse of juveniles.

The Murphy Report labelled Carney a ‘serial sex abuser’ and, in a damning 40 pages, chronicled how he was linked to at least 32 complaints and suspicions of abuse.

‘I read about what Bill was supposed to have done and I just felt physically sick,’ said Joan. ‘I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I couldn’t believe this was the same Bill – my Bill – doing all these vile, awful things to these poor young boys.

‘When Bill returned, I couldn’t look at him, let alone speak to him, so I asked Paul to deal with it. Paul and Bill went for a long walk together and spoke privately for some time but I’m unsure of exactly what was said.

‘I was too upset, confused, emotional and, yes, cross, to talk to Bill then so, when they got back to the villa, I told Paul I needed to get away and try to get my head around what I’d read about my husband.

I just didn’t know what to think at that stage but I knew there was no way I wanted to share a bed with him that night.’

Joan knew Bill had once been a priest, drummed out of the Catholic Church, he’d always told her, because of his drinking. His alcoholism had gripped him so tightly, he’d explained, that when parishioners could no longer decipher his increasingly incoherent sermons, their complaints grew so loud and frequent that he was expelled.
So he’d said.

But now, in the winter sun in the early afternoon at their luxurious villa, Joan was learning a different truth.

The Murphy Report, compiled by Judge Yvonne Murphy on how the Dublin archdiocese handled sex abuse complaints against its clergy, identified the former Father Carney as a paedophile. In fact, it was his assaults on two altar boys that had led to his expulsion 30 years earlier.

Not that he admitted it, even when confronted with the evidence on that winter’s afternoon in November 2009.

‘He told me the report was a pack of lies,’ Joan said from the Gloucestershire home where she once believed she would share the rest of her days with Carney.

There is no denying, however, that during his time as a priest in Dublin, Carney pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault and he was given probation. Six families were paid compensation by the Catholic Church and, in 1992, Carney was defrocked after church authorities convicted him under canon law of child sex abuse.

However, the sexual predator refused to leave the parish house where he lived until the Church paid him €35,000.

A psychiatric assessment of Carney included in the Murphy Report describes the former priest as having a ‘psychopathic personality disorder’. More worryingly, the assessment states that the former priest’s ‘refusal to acknowledge his paedophilia means the prognosis for a cure is bleak’.

And Carney still refused to acknowledge his guilt to his wife in Lanzarote – and stayed on the island while she returned to Scotland to put their affairs in order and separate their lives.

Last night, she told for the first time of her relationship with the disgraced priest, whom she still calls ‘my Bill’.

She described how they met in 1995 at what she described as a ‘grab a granny’ singles night at the Golden Valley Hotel in Cheltenham, about 15 miles from her home.

Divorced six years earlier from the father of her three grown-up sons, Joan went along to the disco with a group of female friends. ‘Bill was with a few of his mates and we got chatting,’ said the former nurse.

‘He had a nice way about him. He was very gentlemanly and he seemed kind and gentle with it.

‘He told me he was running a pub for a friend of his, the Prince Arthur in Gloucester. It’s a Pizza Hut now.

‘He was on soft drinks but he bought me a glass or two of wine and we had a few dances. I liked him.

‘At the end of the night, he asked me for my phone number and I gave it to him without hesitation because I wanted to see him again and get to know him.’

But getting to know Carney wasn’t going to be straightforward. It would be almost two years – by which time they were living together – before Carney told her he was once a priest. Even when he revealed his ecclesiastical past, he concealed the reason for his defrocking.

‘He said he’d been asked to go away and beat his drink problems,’ she said. ‘He told me he was a chronic alcoholic and that the people in church for his services were no longer able to understand what he was saying because he was slurring his words so badly.

‘But he said he’d conquered the disease and that he hadn’t had a drink for 30 years. I never saw him touch a drop of alcohol.

‘I was full of admiration for what he’d achieved in beating alcoholism and I fell in love with him very quickly. He was the most adorable, good-hearted man.’

Their relationship soon grew serious and, in the late 1990s, the couple moved to St Andrews in Scotland, where they bought an eight-bedroom guesthouse overlooking the sea. In 2004, they married.

‘It was hard work but we had the most wonderful time. We put our hearts and souls into making the business a success and enjoyed the rewards.

‘At the end of every season, we’d have a nice holiday, which is why we were in Lanzarote. We were preparing to retire at the time. I was almost 70 and we decided we’d worked hard enough for too long. We put the guesthouse on the market and planned to move back to this house here in Northleach, the town where I was brought up and had spent so much of my life.

‘We’d gone on holiday to recharge our batteries and discuss our retirement plans in detail.’

But those discussions never happened. Instead, Joan endured harrowing discussions with her family about how the life she’d planned with her husband could never be.

On the night she learned the awful truth, Joan moved out of the villa she and Carney were sharing, then left him alone on the island.

‘Paul took me to a hotel and the next day, we got a flight home and I went to Scotland on my own to wait for Bill, who I hoped would soon come home and tell me it was all a terrible misunderstanding and prove to me he wasn’t the person who described in this report.’

But Carney was in no hurry to return to Britain. Instead, he remained in Lanzarote for a year, leaving his wife to handle the sale of the guesthouse and furniture.

Two months after Paul confronted Carney in Lanzarote, Joan began divorce proceedings and now lives alone in the neat, detached home in Northleach. She says she still loves the former priest and will carry him in her heart ‘until the day I die’ – but her family insisted she could no longer be his wife.

‘It caused absolute hell in my family. I’ve got three sons and they wanted me to have nothing more to do with Bill. They told me the best thing – the only thing – I was to walk away.

‘And my mother, who is 88, sat me down and said: ‘If you go back to Bill after this, you’ll have to leave the country because you’ll be hounded for ever more here and you’ll be married to a man your family detest.

‘I suppose I had to choose between Bill and my entire family.

‘He made the decision easier because for a whole year after I first saw the report, he’d left me to sort out all our joint responsibilities, like selling up the guesthouse and sorting our possessions out.

‘I literally didn’t hear from him for a whole year. He just stayed in Lanzarote and didn’t give a damn about how I was feeling or what I was going through back in Britain – and I was going through hell.

‘I thought he was incredibly selfish for that.’

Eventually, towards the end of 2010, he returned to Britain and agreed to meet Joan in Morecambe on the Lancashire coast, where she was on a break, on a bitterly cold winter’s day.

‘He looked much the same, a little older and a little sadder maybe, but he was still my Bill – the Bill I loved.

‘I asked him to tell me the truth about what I’d read in the report and he looked me in the eyes and said it was a pack of lies. He said that even though he’d been a useless drunk at the time, he’d have remembered if he’d done what the report said he’d done.

‘He denied the assaults and he insisted he had never been interested in young boys in that way. Certainly, in all the years I knew him, he never once showed any sign that he was into boys, young or old. We had a normal, full, loving relationship, emotionally and, yes, physically.

‘I believed him 100% because I loved him and trusted him and because I didn’t believe the man I loved could ever be capable of the things he was accused of. I still believe him, to this day.’

Her head won out over her heart, however, and by the time they met again she was resolute in her decision to end their relationship.

‘I’d already made up my mind that there was no way back and I’d left him for good,’ she said. ‘But I wanted to have that last meeting so I could look him in the eye and ask him what had happened all those years ago.

‘We were standing on the beach in our coats against a wintry breeze.

‘We chatted for an hour or two and we had one last hug as we stood on the beach, then I left for my hotel alone. I didn’t look back.’

The guesthouse sold for £450,000 (€525,000) and Joan agreed to give Carney £100,000 (€116,000) in cash while she kept the remainder to pay off the mortgage on the house where she now lives.

The gold band Carney gave her on their wedding day has been sold on eBay for £30 and every photograph of him burnt by her sons.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/artic...z1Fovvd1gf ...

The call that led to baba's arrest

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 03:44:36 +1100

Tag: india

NEW DELHI: 13-year-old Jiten (name changed), a student of class 8 at Basti posh Jupiter Academy, had shown remarkable presence of mind, said south district cops. It was because of his efforts that police were able to nab a priest's rescue of five children from his clutches.

Chairperson of the Lajpat Nagar Child Welfare Committee Raaj Mangal Prasad said the child showed "excellent presence of mind'' by calling up his uncle and telling him about his whereabouts when he got the chance.

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On March 1, accused Prem Dass allegedly kidnapped Jiten from outside his school in Basti. "After prayers at school, he was going to the class when Dass met him and struck a conversation. Dass allegedly convinced the boy to come to Delhi by telling him how he can get better education in the capital of India. They boarded train to the capital from Ayodhya and changed it in Lucknow and in Moradabad in order to escape detection," said H G S Dhaliwal, DCP (south).

Dass did not give Jiten anything to eat and once they reached Delhi, the child was made to sleep on the floor on March 2. "Around 9am in the morning when Dass was not around, Jiten sensed trouble. He managed to make telephone call to his uncle in his village," Dhaliwal said.

Jiten's father, who is working as a workshop attendant with the H J Bhaba Industrial Training Institute of Delhi government, was told of the boy's call by his uncle and he called back on the priest's mobile where the priest owned up to the crime and even talked about his location. It was then that the father lodged a case with the Fatehpur Beri police station, leading to the arrest of Dass. The CWC has restored the child to his father.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ci...629740.cms ...

Even in the face of admissions

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:38:13 +1100

Tag: usa

In Port Orchard, Washington, a Southern Baptist pastor was arrested on charges of child rape. In recorded phone calls, police say that pastor Dirk P. Jackson admitted to having “sexual relations” with the girl, who was then a sixth grader, and to “having her perform oral sex on him while they were in the classroom.”

When police told Jackson they had recorded copies of the phone calls, he said the conduct was “consensual.”

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Even in the face of such admissions, the church’s senior pastor, Jamie Greening, told KOMO News: “This does not match. These allegations do not match the man we’ve known for eight years.” (You can see pastor Jamie Greening in this KOMO News video.)

Then, on his pastor’s blog, Greening made these mealy-mouthed minimizing statements to his congregation:

“This allegedly occurred before his tenure at our church. . . . Our congregation has not been indicated as a place where anything wrong happened. To our knowledge, Dirk is not being accused of any wrongdoing in his official capacity as a pastor at FBC.”

Huh???

The girl was a sixth grader at the time, and pastor Jackson was working as a teacher at Manchester Christian Academy.

Since 2003, Jackson has been “working with kids in youth programs” as a pastor at First Baptist Church in Port Orchard. “Detectives are concerned there may be additional young victims.”

Why doesn’t Pastor Greening express just as much concern for the likelihood of additional victims as the detectives do? And why isn’t he expressing just as much concern for the woman who made the police report as he has for pastor Jackson? And why in the world does he think it matters whether pastor Jackson committed these deeds in his “official capacity”?

Does he imagine that it would be okay for First Baptist Church to have a pastor who admitted to raping a kid in his unofficial capacity?

In the midst of this all-too-common craziness, ponder how this might have played out if it had been the more typical scenario. What if this woman’s claim were too old for criminal prosecution (as is usually the case), and the police had not been able to get a warrant to record her phone calls? What if there had been no possibility of pursuing charges through the criminal justice system?

That’s the more typical scenario because the very nature of the harm is such that it silences kids for a very long time, often for many years and even decades.

If the woman – worried that the pastor could be using his position of trust to hurt still more kids – went to Southern Baptist officials, they would wash their hands of it and tell her that she must take her report to the church of the accused pastor. They would recite their mantra of “local church autonomy.”

Can you imagine?

Even in the face of a pastor’s admissions in recorded phone calls, and even in the face of criminal charges against him, the church responds with overwhelming public support for the pastor. We have seen this pattern over and over again. So how can denominational officials even imagine that a local church could responsibly assess a clergy abuse report in the absence of criminal charges?

It is irresponsible and reckless for Southern Baptist officials to persist in promoting the notion that local churches can handle clergy abuse allegations on their own. They can’t.

For the safety of kids and congregants throughout the denomination, local churches need the resource of an outside review board to assess clergy abuse allegations that cannot be criminally prosecuted, to inform people in the pews about credibly-accused clergy, and to prevent credibly-accused clergy from church-hopping.

Other major faith groups now have such denominational resources for clergy accountability. Southern Baptists don’t.

Shouldn’t kids in Southern Baptist churches be entitled to the same sorts of denominational safeguards as kids in Presbyterian, Episcopalian, and Methodist churches?

http://stopbaptistpredators.blogspot....sions.html ...

Pastor given suspension on conduct with boy

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 02:33:38 +1100

Tag: usa

Buffalo Bishop Edward U. Kmiec has suspended a Cheektowaga pastor following an accusation that the priest behaved inappropriately years ago with a teenage boy.

The Rev. David W. Bialkowski denied any wrongdoing and has hired a lawyer to clear his name.

"We deny these allegations that have been made against him. We're complying with everything that we have to do when such allegations are made," said the lawyer, Kevin W. Spitler. "We're going to allow the process that the diocese has set up to work itself through."

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Spitler would not elaborate on what has been alleged.

The accusation against the priest came from a former parish altar server, James J. Herr II.

Herr, 24, confirmed to The Buffalo News that he had "sought the advice of an attorney, and we have been in contact with the diocese." The attorney is Kevin T. Stocker.

Herr, a multimedia journalist at Channel 2 News, said he did not seek out media attention or a monetary settlement from the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.

Herr said Bialkowski exhibited "inappropriate behavior" that he said he encountered as a teenager.

"I thought the diocese should be made aware of it," he said. "I'm not going to comment on the specific behavior. That's between my attorney and the Diocese of Buffalo."

According to sources, Herr at some point told diocesan officials through his lawyer that the priest put his hand on Herr's upper thigh and made suggestive comments. The incident allegedly occurred a decade ago when Herr was 14.

The pastor told friends that nothing inappropriate transpired between him and the accuser, sources said.

Diocesan officials initially informed parishioners of St. John Gualbert Church in Cheektowaga, where Bialkowski has ministered for more than 15 years, that the priest was ill and requested a medical leave.

But sources told The News that the pastor, who is 49, has no illness. Instead, he was ordered to leave the parish and to not perform any priestly duties. He is currently living in a residence for retired priests.

A statement Wednesday from the diocese said that Bialkowski had been placed on "administrative leave" while an investigation continues.

"Whenever there is an allegation of inappropriate conduct against a priest or, for that matter, any employee of the diocese, certain policies and procedures are followed. This case is no different," the statement reads. "Once the investigation is concluded, the bishop will determine whether or not Father Bialkowski will receive another ministerial assignment."

Meanwhile, some parishioners criticized the bishop for acting too hastily and without credible evidence that Bialkowski had behaved inappropriately.

"I think it's a witch hunt out for him. It's ridiculous," said LaVerne Adamczyk, a longtime church member. "He's just being hung out to dry here. He can't even celebrate Mass publicly."

Several church members mailed letters of protest to Kmiec, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the papal representative based in Washington, D.C., and Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York.

Herr told The News that he left St. John Gualbert Parish in April 2010 and then sought Stocker's advice in late spring or early summer.

"I'm moving on with my life," Herr said, adding that he has no plans to sue the diocese. "This isn't a matter of money. This is all a matter of bringing attention to what happened."

According to sources, Bialkowski contends that Herr is retaliating because the priest reported to authorities that Herr and the church's former organist, Andrew N. Kowtalo, allegedly hacked into his private computer.

Neither Herr nor Kowtalo was charged with a crime following an investigation.

Bialkowski announced his departure during Masses on Feb. 19 and 20, even though his six-year term as pastor was not set to expire until June and the holy season of Lent begins next week.

The diocese assigned a temporary administrator, the Rev. Emil P. Swiatek, to take his place.

According to diocesan policy, a priest should be relieved of his responsibilities and placed on administrative leave "if there appears to be any credibility to a complaint deemed by the bishop or vicar general to be serious."

"This relief from administrative responsibilities is for investigation purposes only and is not intended to, nor shall it, imply any determination as to the truth or falsity of the complaint or the innocence or guilt of the individual involved," the policy reads.

The case, according to the diocesan statement, has been the "subject of an extensive review" by the Diocesan Review Board, a consultative body of Catholics appointed by the bishop to analyze cases of possible sexual abuse.

The review board was given facts about the case from diocesan officials and did not interview the priest, sources said.

The review board — established in 2002 in response to a national clergy sex-abuse scandal — was expected to examine the case again next week and make another recommendation to Kmiec, who has the final say on whether Bialkowski will be able to resume priestly duties.

Herr indicated that he was satisfied with the diocese's response to his concerns about Bialkowski.

"I guess I would have to say that I'm glad that the diocese listened and took the action that they thought was appropriate," he said.

Parishioners were stunned by the priest's abrupt departure. Bialkowski had served in the parish since 1995, as parochial vicar for nearly a decade and as pastor since 2005.

Ordained in 1988, Bialkowski was known for reintroducing traditional Catholic spiritual practices, such as devotions and novenas, into the life of the parish.

"He's a very spiritual man and very highly regarded here," said Kathryn A. Zaidel, a longtime parishioner, who wrote a letter to Kmiec defending the priest. "We have all treasured him here."

Zaidel said she did not have firsthand knowledge of why Bialkowski left, but was skeptical that he did anything that would warrant a suspension or removal.

"No way," she said. "If you could pick one person to be the least likely to have anything [negative against him], it would be him."

Anthony J. Lis, a parish trustee, expressed concern that the parish will lose members because of the diocese's action.

Lis described Bialkowski as "a phenomenal pastor."

jtokasz@buffnews.com

http://www.buffalonews.com/incoming/a...356748.ece ...

Priests in Sweden join the ranks of paedophiles

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 06:36:04 +1100

Tag: swedish
Tag: youtube

The Catholic Church of Sweden confirms three priests are believed to have sexually abused children over the span of 30 years.

It is reported that the paedophile priests, one of whom is dead, sexually abused a collective of five children between 1940 and 1970, thus falling under that statute of limitation.

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Stockholm Bishop Anders Arborelius said Saturday there could "be no redemption" for the three.

One priest molested two boys, another abused a girl for four years before she complained.

The third priest molested two girls, who were sisters, while in a relationship with their mother.

The information was gathered and confirmed during an internal investigation, according to a press release from the Catholic Church.

One of the three priests has died, another is no longer a priest and the third could not be identified, the Church said.

The former priest, who is alive, denies "in essence" what’s written in the investigative report.

The church dismissed a fourth accusation of rape during ritual practices with multiple offenders, claiming the complaint was unreasonable.

"For the fourth priest, the accusations could not be corroborated by the investigation," said the report, adding that investigators had been unable to speak to the alleged victim.

Sweden’s small Catholic Church opened a probe in April last year into allegations that four priests had committed paedophile acts.

A Church report dated February 25 and put online on Saturday said that the responsibility of the three had been confirmed.

"To molest a minor is a heinous crime which causes a lifetime of suffering. For me there is no statute of limitations for child abuse," said Anders Arborelius, Bishop of Stockholm Catholic Diocese, in a statement.

"The Catholic Church can never make amends to the victims, but we want this investigation to give the victims the restitution they deserve," he added.

As the crimes took place between 1940 and 1970 they can no longer be prosecuted and the Church was not planning to take any further legal action.

The Roman Catholic Church numbers about 100,000 members in a population of more than nine million who are predominantly Lutheran.

Sweeden

Last modification: 06:41 Monday 07 March 2011 | 21 hits

http://clericalwhispers.blogspot.com/...ks-of.html ...

Honolulu report details sex charge against priest

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 06:25:45 +1100

Tag: hawaii

THE sexual assault accusations against a Winnipeg priest on vacation in Hawaii stem from an encounter with a female churchgoer after a Sunday service.

Allegations of sexual assault and kidnapping against Rev. Bothdan Borowic, parish priest for two Ukrainian Catholic churches in Winnipeg, are contained in court documents obtained by the Winnipeg Free Press.

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A 55-year-old woman complained to police about an incident on Sunday, Feb. 13, at a Catholic church in Honolulu.

Borowic had been vacationing in Hawaii and was in contact there with a small Ukrainian Catholic mission that has about 15 to 20 local members.

"(The suspect) grabbed (the victim) in the dining room in a bear hug and proceeded to bury his face into her neck and planted kisses and grabbed her right buttock," said the court documents.

"She related that he was very aggressive, rough, and too strong for her to get loose," said a document filed in the District Court of the First Circuit Honolulu Division, containing information from a member of the Honolulu Police Department.

The document says the victim tried to free herself and leave when Borowic allegedly "became distracted by a phone ringing," but he then "came from behind and shut the door in front of (the victim), holding it shut, and not allowing her to get out."

"(The suspect) then grabbed (the victim) once again in a bear hug and was holding her tightly to his body. With one hand he rubbed down the crack of her buttocks on the outside of pants using his finger, and at the same time he kissed her on the lips three times and asked her if she was single, married or divorced," said the document.

"(The victim) did not give (the suspect) permission to touch, grab or hold her in the room without her permission."

After the woman made the accusations, police arrested Borowic at Honolulu's Holy Trinity Church, where officers said he presented them with a "Winnipeg Canadian identification card."

He was still in the Oahu Community Correction Center, facing two counts of sexual assault and one count of kidnapping, according to a spokeswoman with the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney for the City and County of Honolulu.

An official with the Archeparchy of Winnipeg, where Borowic serves as a priest, said officials here still haven't been in touch with him and didn't know if he had a lawyer.

The Archeparchy sent out a notice to its clergy saying the church was "fully co-operating" with the authorities.

The notice said Borowic, who also goes by the name Bohdan Borowec, was born in Poland in 1954 and ordained in Winnipeg in 1984.

Borowic was the parish priest for Ada Street's Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Church and Fountain Street's Christ the King Ukrainian Catholic Church.

"Rev. Borowec has served in Manitoba and, to the best of our knowledge, he has never been in trouble with the law or had any complaints of misconduct," said the notice.

Chancellor Richard Soo of the Archeparchy of Winnipeg said Borowic has been put on administrative leave.

Soo said he's been in touch with the alleged victim.

"I'm worried about all the people involved," he said.

"I'm worried about the person who made the complaint, I'm worried about the person that the complaint was made against, I'm worried about the parish there, and I ask for prayers for everyone concerned."

http://clericalwhispers.blogspot.com/...harge.html ...

How a vulnerable young woman became a victim

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:50:30 +1100

Tag: australia

By a Broken Rites researcher

The Catholic Church in Australia has been forced to apologise to a woman ("Diana") who was sexually abused by a priest immediately after the death of her husband.

The priest, Father Gerard Monaghan, was ordained in 1961 (aged 26) for the Canberra-Goulburn diocese, which includes some country parishes in southern New South Wales and on the NSW south coast. He worked in parishes until Diana's story became public in 1994. After this public exposure, Monaghan took premature retirement from parish work.

During many years, Fr Monaghan conducted marriage encounter groups and had an official responsibility in family planning. These roles enabled him to glean intimate details about the lives of women parishioners. He also visited hospitals, where he became acquainted with women patients.

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Diana's story
"Diana" (not her real name) told Broken Rites in 1994 how she had encountered Fr Monaghan in the late 1970s while she was a young widow:

"In the late 1970s, I suffered a double trauma. My husband died and I myself was in hospital in Canberra, seriously ill. I did not previously know Fr Gerard Monaghan but he introduced himself to me in hospital, saying that hospital visits were a part of his priestly duty. He visited me several times at the hospital and held my hand, while I was under sedation. He was then aged in his early forties — much older than me.

"After I came home from hospital, I was still traumatised and on sedation, grieving about the loss of my husband. Gerard Monaghan began visiting my home. He started talking about my loss and said he too had a lack. He said it was lonely being a priest. He queried whether he would stay in the priesthood.

"He said he would visit me again late at night, about 10.30 or 11.00pm. He said his priestly duties kept him busy during the day. I would not have let any Joe Blow come late at night but a priest seemed safe.

"When he made his late-night visit, I was crying. He cuddled me on the lounge. Then he said how much he cared for me. He said he wanted to help me cope to fill the gap in my life. Then he was kissing me and saying he loved me. Then he left, having set the scene.

"He said that, for his next nocturnal visit, I should leave the front door unlocked and go to bed and he would let himself into the house. However, I stayed up and waited in the lounge. When he arrived, he carried me to the bedroom and got us both into bed.

"This happened while I was still deeply in bereavement and while I was still traumatised by my own bad health. I did not consent to the sex but I was too groggy, from medication, to resist. He took advantage of my helplessness and he took advantage of his public image as a Catholic priest."

[Broken Rites believes that, as Diana was a patient, traumatised and on medication at the time of the sexual abuse, Fr Monaghan's action was especially serious. The 1990 Crimes Act of the Australian Capital Territory Parliament (section 92.P.I) says that "the consent of a person to sexual intercourse is negated" if the offender obtains this consent by abusing his position of authority (or by abusing his professional or other trust) in relation to the victim or if the consent is caused by the victim's physical helplessness or mental incapacity.]

Diana continued:

"I did not feel comfortable about what Monaghan was doing. Furthermore, at a function in his parish, I heard him arranging to visit another woman late at night and he told her to leave the door open. This was exactly what he had told me and I realised that I was not the only woman he was abusing. Gerard Monaghan's abuse added to my grief.

"I now know that Gerard Monaghan had many affairs while he was in Canberra. In 1980 the Canberra-Goulburn hierarchy found out about a relationship that Monaghan had been having for about a year with a woman in the charismatic movement. Monaghan suddenly left the parish and there was talk of a 'nervous breakdown'. After a period of 'sick leave', the diocese posted him in the early 1980s to one of its country parishes, at Michelago [between Canberra and Cooma]. Then they posted him, for the remainder of the 1980s, to Bega [another country parish, still in the Canberra-Goulburn diocese], where he engaged in more sexual activity with women. Some relatives of mine had been in Bega before that and they heard from friends about his Bega sexual exploits.

"I have now gathered the names of at least five other women with whom he had affairs in Canberra.

"I expect that Monaghan was abusing other victims long before he abused me. In the 1960s, as a young priest, he was a chaplain in Canberra for youth. This was when there were many young public servants living in hostels. If these young people encountered Gerard Monaghan, they could have been in danger."

Transfer to Queensland
In an unusual development in 1990, the Canberra-Goulburn hierarchy allowed Monaghan to transfer, on loan, to the Brisbane archdiocese in Queensland, where he became the Parish Priest in charge of "Our Lady of Grace" parish in Carina, a Brisbane suburb. The Brisbane parishioners were not informed about Monaghan's record as a womaniser. This enabled Monaghan to continue in the priesthood.

[Broken Rites understands that if a psychiatrist used his intimate knowledge of a patient to take sexual advantage of the patient, the psychiatrist could be liable to be de-registered as a medical practitioner. Similar safeguards apply in other health professions. Evidently, this rule does not apply to a Catholic priest taking advantage of a vulnerable parishioner who is under the priest's supervision and care.]

!n 1994, when Monaghan was still working in the Brisbane parish, Broken Rites (with Diana's consent) put Diana in contact with the Brisbane Sunday Mail. This newspaper published Diana's story on 16 October, 1994, without naming the priest. An official of the Brisbane archdiocese, Rev. James Spence, immediately went to Fr Monaghan's Brisbane parish and announced that, because Diana's allegations had become public, Fr Monaghan had "gone on leave". Father Spence conducted the parish's services for that day. Although the Sunday Mail did not name the priest, Father Spence told the Brisbane parishioners that the alleged offender in the newspaper was their local pastor, Fr Gerard Monaghan.

A day later, on Monday 17 October 1994, Diana's story appeared in the Canberra Times. This caused much interest in Canberra, where Monaghan was a prominent figure.

Contacted by the Canberra Times, Canberra Archbishop Francis Carroll admitted to this newspaper that the hierarchy were made aware in the early 1980s that the priest had been involved in "inappropriate sexual behaviour". However, Carroll claimed that the priest had received "psychiatric and counselling treatment" and, furthermore, he claimed that the priest was "rehabilitated".

Later on that same day, on Canberra's Capital Ten Television evening news bulletin, a member of the Catholic hierarchy publicly apologised to women who had been hurt by "this priest". The television news-reader announced the name of the priest — Fr Gerard Monaghan.

In media statements, Archbishop Carroll said that anybody with a complaint should contact the church authorities. Diana took up this invitation and had some dealings with the Canberra-Goulburn diocese during the next few years.

A representative of the Canberra-Goulburn diocese gave Diana a verbal (but not written) apology and offered her a limited amount of help (merely a small number of counselling sessions from the church's own counselling agency). Apart from this, the diocese was reluctant to do much more for her, claiming that Diana must demonstrate what proportion of her emotional problems were caused by the priest, as distinct from other causes. Thus, Diana found the church evasive and defensive.

Despite the Canberra hierarchy's admission and apology about this priest's sexual activities, the Brisbane archdiocese told the Sunday Mail that it was prepared to keep Fr Monaghan in his Brisbane parish

The media exposure evidently made it difficult for the Canberra-Goulburn diocese to continue harbouring Monaghan in the role of a parish priest. Despite being on loan to Brisbane, Monaghan still belonged officially to the Canberra-Goulburn diocese — and if any more of Monaghan's victims came forward, they would target the Canberra-Goulburn diocese, rather than Brisbane.

In 1994, after the media exposure, Fr Gerard Monaghan went into early retirement from parish work, aged only 59. He spent his retirement living in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales.

The priest's background
Broken Rites has researched Gerard Monaghan's career in the annual editions of the Australian Catholic Directory and other official sources.

Gerard Monaghan, born in 1935, was the oldest in a family of nine children. He spent his later childhood in Wollongong and completed his secondary schooling as a boarder at St Patrick's, College, Goulburn. After studying for the priesthood at St Patrick's Seminary, Manly (Sydney), he was ordained in 1961 as a priest of the Canberra-Goulburn diocese. His ordination ceremony was held in St John Vianney's Church, Fairy Meadow (Wollongong ).

From 1962 to 1967 he was an assistant priest at St Christopher's parish in central Canberra. Simultaneously, he was also a chaplain at the Royal Australian Air Force base at Fairbairn, near Canberra. He was also a chaplain to many of the Canberra hostels which housed mainly young people coming from interstate to work in the federal public service.

Next, he was an assistant priest at these parishes (all in the Canberra-Goulburn diocese):

* Cooma, NSW (St Patrick's parish), 1967-68;
* Yass NSW, (St Augustine's parish), 1969-71;
* Garran, Canberra (St Peter and St Paul's parish), 1972; and
* Young, NSW (St Mary's parish), until 1976.

In September 1976 Monaghan was appointed as the Parish Priest in charge of St Anthony's in Wanniassa, Canberra.

Simultaneously, in the late 1970s he was listed as director of the Catholic Family Planning Centre in Canberra. [Broken Rites is wondering: In his intimate sexual relationships with women, did Father Monaghan practise "family planning"?]

In 1982, after the diocese could no longer turn a blind eye to his sexual activities, Monaghan had a period of leave from parish work.

In 1983 the Canberra-Goulburn again appointed him to positions of responsibility — first, as the Parish Priest at St Patrick's in Michelago NSW and then (until 1990) as the Parish Priest at another St Patrick's in Bega NSW. Both these parishes are within the Canberra-Goulburn diocese. The Bega listing in the 1988 directory gave his initials as "Rev. G.G. Monaghan".

When the Canberra-Goulburn diocese arranged for him to transfer, on leave, to the Brisbane archdiocese in Queensland (to become the Parish Priest of "Our Lady of Graces" Parish at Carina), this move involved an agreement between the heads of those two dioceses.

The Carina parish was staffed by the Dominican religious order, and several Dominican priests were living there with Monaghan. Therefore, the appointment to Carina would also have required the approval of the Australian head of the Dominican order. Monaghan had become acquainted with Dominican priests when he held "marriage encounter groups" at Dominican premises in Watson, Canberra.

Monaghan was at the Brisbane parish when the story of Diana appeared in the media in October 1994.

After 1994, when he took early retirement from parish work, the Canberra-Goulburn kept listing "Rev. Gerard Monaghan" in the annual editions of the Australian Catholic Directory as a "supplementary priest (retired)" of the Canberra-Goulburn diocese. These listings continued until Monaghan died in November 2010, aged 75.
'Human failures'

In November 2010, in an obituary about Monaghan, Canberra-Goulburn auxiliary bishop Patrick Power praised Monaghan. The bishop said: "He [Gerard Monaghan] was aware of his own human failures."

[Was this a reference to such failures as his treatment of Diana?]

Bishop Power also said that Gerard Monaghan "sought the forgiveness of anyone he may have hurt."

[But what if Diana still feels hurt about the way she was treated by Father Gerard Monaghan and by the church authorities?]

Tag: broken-rites

http://brokenrites.alphalink.com.au/n...aghan.html ...

Two Priests Removed After Sex Abuse Claim

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 08:00:37 +1100

Tag: usa

By Diane Pathieu

MILWAUKEE - Two Milwaukee priests have been removed from serving in their roles in the Archdiocese after reports of child abuse.

The most recent priest has not been named, but he was officially listed as "retired."

That comes after Fr. Laurin Wenig, the pastor of St. Mary's in Elm Grove, was forced to step aside.

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The Archdiocese said that because accusations came from a credible source, Fr. Wenig cannot practice at St. Mary's until the investigation is complete.

Parishioners learned about accusations during weekend Masses.

"I'm very saddened by what I heard, but then again, innocent until proven guilty," said Mary Soto, who belongs to St. Mary's Parish.

Archdiocese officials say someone made allegations of sexual abuse of a child against Fr. Wenig, which stems from the 1970's.

Fr. Wenig said in a letter: "Someone made an allegation of sexual abuse against me, dating back to a parish where I
served over three and a half decades ago. i absolutely deny this claim."

Many parishioners are standing by him.

"I know Fr. Laurin, and I have deep respect and admiration for him," said Jerry Shimek.

Peter Isely of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said that several new complaints have come to light since the Milwaukee Archdiocese filed for bankruptcy following settlements over sexual abuse, and more victims are speaking out.

Tag: snap

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/...56238.html ...

Priest removed after sexual abuse allegation

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 00:15:19 +1100

Tag: usa

MILWAUKEE (AP) — An Elm Grove priest has left active ministry while authorities investigate whether he molested a child in the 1970s.

Spokesman Jerry Topczewski tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the allegation was made to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee last week and turned over to the district attorney's office. If no charges are filed, he says, the archdiocese will conduct its own investigation.

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WTMJ-TV reports the Rev. Laurin J. Wenig denied the allegation in a letter to parishioners at St. Mary's Visitation Catholic Church Saturday. He says he supports church policies for handling such situations, as difficult as they are for him personally.

The newspaper says the abuse claim is among a number of old allegations against priests to emerge recently, likely in response to the archdiocese's filing for bankruptcy protection in January.

http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article...allegation ...

Young Choir Member Accuses Priest of Sexual Abuse

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 06:20:43 +1100

Tag: usa

Pinnacle News, and other news media, have reported that a member of the Salinas’ Madonna Del Sasso Parish choir has accused Reverend Edward Fitz-Henry of sexual abuse.

The victim was 14 at the time of the alleged abuse, she is now 21.

The abuse took place in 2005 while Fitz-Henry worked at the San Juan Bautista Mission. It began with inappropriate conversations between Fitz-Henry and the young girl, and then escalated to sexual touching.

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A civil lawsuit has been filed against the priest, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Monterey and the Madonna Del Sasso Parish.

The Salinas Police Department is investigating the allegation and no criminal charges have been made.

Fitz-Henry was temporarily suspended by the Monterey Diocese on January 7. Per Fitz-Henry’s attorney, Charlie Keeley, that was when the Roman Catholic Church received information of the sexual abuse charges.

Keeley stated that Fitz-Henry has denied all charges lodged against him. He also said that the Reverend is distraught over what this might do to his fifteen-year long-standing reputation with the Mission

Diocese spokesman, Tom Riordan, said that during the course of their investigation it has been discovered that Fitz-Henry had another inappropriate relationship – 20 years before this one – and that the diocese has moved to suspend Fitz-Henry indefinitely.

Keeley said, “It does not reflect a belief that it happened, it's part of the process - they have to do it.”

The new information, discovered on February 11, was reported to the Salinas Police Department immediately. Riordan said, “We determined that the allegations were credible and we moved to suspend him.”

The diocese had known of the relationship before, but contends that they were not aware that it was sexual in nature.

The attorney for the victim, Vince Finaldi, said, “Why was he allowed to work at a church? The church needs to fully disclose the first allegations against him. They can pull him out of the ministry, but that doesn't solve the problem.”

Keeley said, “He is not running away, he wants to show that the allegations are a complete lie.”

Fitz-Henry worked as a pastor from 1994 to 2005, and again in 2007, at the San Juan Bautista Mission. In between those years, from 2005 to 2007, he worked at Madonna Del Sasso.

Joelle Casteix, the western regional director for Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, SNAP, held a press conference outside of the diocese office in Monterey and said, “I’m glad they suspended him indefinitely, but I wish it was sooner.”

Four other members of SNAP held signs that read, “Will not be silent.”

Tom Riordan, also speaking at the press conference, and showing support for SNAP, said, “Anything that could help a victim in cases like these, I think it's a good thing.”

Riordan also said that the diocese uses a review board of six people to examine allegations and decide whether or not they are credible. The diocese only releases accusations if they find them warranted.

If you, or someone you care about, has been abused by a member of the clergy contact a personal injury lawyer from our directory today to discuss your case.

http://www.findapersonalinjuryattorne...-Abus.aspx ...