Church defends two deceased bishops named in sex abuse suit

Hampden, Texas --

Two Roman Catholic bishops are among seven deceased priests named in a clergy sexual abuse lawsuit filed by a Texas man serving a 50-year prison sentence for murder.

Church officials said they have found nothing in their records to support the allegations, and defended the late bishops and priests.

William E. Burnett, 64, claimed in the suit, filed Tuesday in Hampden Superior Court, that he was abused in the 1950s by several priests, including former Springfield Bishop Christopher Weldon, former Worcester Bishop Timothy Harrington and former Monsignor Raymond J. Page.

Burnett, a Springfield native, who currently is serving a 50-year prison sentence for the 1990 murder of a Texas businessman, claimed in the suit that he was introduced to the other clergy by Page, who was his uncle.

His lawyer, Carmine Durso of Boston, said his client had passed two lie detector tests.

Read the article at Plainview Daily Herald dated March 31, 2005

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Church says group accused wrong priest

St. Paul, Minnesota --

Alleged abuser was reportedly 1 of 5 clergymen who died in 1971

Tensions flared again between a clergy sex-abuse victims group and Roman Catholic Church leaderas in St. Paul over the identification of an alleged perpetrator who has been dead more than three decades.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis earlier this month revealed that one new alleged perpetrator of child sex abuse was identified last year but said it will not identify him because he is deceased.

The Minnesota chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests on Tuesday named a priest it believes committed the abuse.

Read the article at St. Paul Pioneer Press dated 03/30/2005

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Attorneys Attack Church's Wall Of Secrecy

Hayward, California --

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland practiced a policy of secrecy, negligence and disregard for children's safety that led to the sexual abuse of two altar boys more than 20 years ago, a plaintiffs' attorney argued Monday at the start of a civil trial that could influence hundreds of similar cases throughout California.

"This was not an isolated incident," attorney Rick Simons told jurors during opening statements. He said the diocese gave the Rev. Robert Ponciroli "the opportunity and green light for sexual molestation and abuse of children with actual knowledge of his history and knowing disregard of their safety."

The case, which involves two former Antioch altar boys suing the Oakland diocese, stems from one of more than 750 lawsuits that have been filed against Catholic dioceses in California since a 2002 state law temporarily lifted the statue of limitations on decades-old claims of sexual abuse by priests.

The case of brothers Bob and Tom Thatcher is the second lawsuit to go to trial, and the first that seeks punitive damages that could substantially raise the amount of money cash-strapped dioceses must pay to victims. Negotiations for settlements continue for more than 150 other sexual abuse lawsuits filed in Northern California.

The first case to reach trial ended Thursday when a San Francisco jury awarded $437,000 to 47-year-old Dennis Kavanaugh, a former altar boy who sued the Archdiocese of San Francisco claiming he was repeatedly abused by a San Jose priest in the early 1970s.

Read the article at KTVU.com dated March 28, 2005

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ABC News: Bishops Survey Church Sex Abuse Victims

United States --

America's Roman Catholic bishops started an online survey of clergy sex abuse victims Wednesday, asking how the church can better help them recover and protect young people in the future.

Advocacy groups said they were pleased that the bishops wanted to improve their outreach. But they wondered what more could be said on the topic after three years of damaging revelations about dioceses mishandling abuse cases.

"The needs and complaints of survivors have been well-expressed time and time again," said Sue Archibald, head of the victim advocacy group The Linkup. "I don't know what really remains unknown in terms of what the problems are. Rather than continuing to gather information, I'd much rather see action."

Through the Web site www.victim-outreach.com, the bishops are asking victims to evaluate how diocesan officials responded to abuse claims, where church leaders failed in their reaction and how they can support victims as they heal.

"The horrific experience of being sexually abused is best understood by the survivors of this crime," said Archbishop Harry Flynn, chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Read the article at ABC News dated 30 Mar 2005

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Philadelphia Archdiocese suspends priest

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia suspended a priest this month after he allegedly told a newspaper reporter that he had fondled a teenage girl several decades ago.

Church officials said they removed Msgr. Philip J. Dowling from all public ministry on March 18, the day they were informed by The Philadelphia Inquirer that the retired pastor had confessed during an interview to having engaged in "inappropriate" touching of a girl in his parish.

"It crossed the (line)," Dowling told the newspaper. "And I'm very sorry for the inappropriate acts and touches."

The newspaper said it interviewed Dowling three times this month as part of an investigation into allegations by two women, now in their 50s.

One of the women said the abuse started when she was 8 and continued until she was 14. The other sister said Dowling began abusing her when she was 11 or 12 and continued until she was 18.

Read the article at phillyBurbs.com dated 28 Mar 2005

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PM - Woman levels abuse claims at Anglican Church

Adelaide, Australia --

The Adelaide diocese of the Anglican Church has been hit by another claim involving sexual abuse by a priest.

A 62-year-old woman, who has asked to be identified only as Jess, today claimed that an Anglican priest named Leonard Russell Goggs raped her more than 40 years ago, and that he was the father of her twin sons.

The Reverend Goggs died in 1979.

Jess will now seek compensation from the Anglican Church through the District Court of South Australia.

The case comes after two damning reports within 12 months condemning the Anglican Church's handling of sexual abuse complaints and its treatment of women.

Read the article at ABC.Net.AU

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Second church abuse trial begins

Hayward, California --

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland practiced a policy of secrecy, negligence and disregard for children's safety that led to the sexual abuse of two altar boys more than 20 years ago, a plaintiffs' attorney argued Monday at the start of a civil trial that could influence hundreds of similar cases throughout California.

"This was not an isolated incident," attorney Rick Simons told jurors during opening statements. He said the diocese gave the Rev. Robert Ponciroli "the opportunity and green light for sexual molestation and abuse of children with actual knowledge of his history and knowing disregard of their safety."

The case, which involves two former Antioch altar boys suing the Oakland diocese, stems from one of more than 750 lawsuits that have been filed against Catholic dioceses in California since a 2002 state law temporarily lifted the statue of limitations on decades-old claims of sexual abuse by priests.

Read the article at Monterey County Herald 03/29/2005

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Second civil trial begins in church sex abuse cases

Oakland, California --

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland practiced a policy of secrecy, negligence and disregard for children's safety that led to the sexual abuse of two altar boys more than 20 years ago, a plaintiffs' attorney argued Monday at the start of a civil trial that could influence hundreds of similar cases.

``This was not an isolated incident,'' attorney Rick Simons told jurors during opening statements. He said the diocese gave the Rev. Robert Ponciroli ``the opportunity and green light for sexual molestation and abuse of children with actual knowledge of his history and knowing disregard of their safety.''

The case, which involves two former Antioch altar boys suing the Oakland diocese, stems from one of more than 750 lawsuits that have been filed against Catholic dioceses in California since a 2002 state law temporarily lifted the statue of limitations on decades-old claims of sexual abuse by priests.

The case of brothers Bob and Tom Thatcher is the second lawsuit to go to trial, and the first that seeks punitive damages that could substantially raise the amount of money cash-strapped dioceses must pay to victims.

The first case to reach trial ended Thursday when a San Francisco jury awarded $437,000 to 47-year-old Dennis Kavanaugh, a former altar boy who sued the Archdiocese of San Francisco claiming he was repeatedly abused by a San Jose priest in the 1970s.

Read the article at MercuryNews.com dated 03/29/2005

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Church is accused of 'betrayal of trust' / East Bay trial starts in case of alleged abuse of 2 brothers

San Francisco, California --

Roman Catholic Church leaders in the East Bay showed "knowing disregard" for the safety of children by transferring a known pedophile priest from parish to parish in the 1970s, a plaintiffs attorney said Monday at the start of a trial in Hayward that could influence the outcomes of hundreds of similar cases throughout California.

The Diocese of Oakland's failure to control the "compulsive sexual rituals" of the Rev. Robert Ponciroli severely damaged the lives of two former Antioch altar boys, Bob and Tom Thatcher, attorney Rick Simons said in his opening statement.

"This betrayal of trust took away their faith," Simons told the jury.

The Thatcher brothers, who served as altar boys under Ponciroli at St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Antioch, are seeking unspecified damages against Bishop Allen Vigneron, the current leader of Roman Catholics in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

Read the article at SFGate.com dated March 29, 2005

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Phila. priest who admits fondling girl is suspended

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania --

The Catholic Church has suspended a former Center City pastor and placed him under investigation after he admitted to The Inquirer that he had repeatedly fondled a teenage girl decades ago.

The church acted after being told by The Inquirer of allegations against Msgr. Philip J. Dowling on March 18. That day, church officials barred him from public ministry and from wearing his collar in public.

Dowling, 75, who retired in July as pastor of St. Patrick parish, told the newspaper that he had repeatedly engaged in "inappropriate" touching of the girl, but denied abusing her sister, as both women now allege. He admitted the touching was sexual. "It crossed the bound," he said, "and I'm very sorry for the inappropriate acts and touches."

Read the article at Philadelphia Inquirer dated 03/28/2005

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Philadelphia Archdiocese suspends priest

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania --

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia suspended a priest this month after the allegedly told a newspaper reporter that he had fondled a teenage girl several decades ago.

Church officials said they removed Msgr. Philip J. Dowling from all public ministry on March 18, the day they were informed by The Philadelphia Inquirer that the retired pastor had confessed during an interview to having engaged in "inappropriate" touching of a girl in his parish.

"It crossed the (line)," Dowling told the newspaper. "And I'm very sorry for the inappropriate acts and touches."

The newspaper said it interviewed Dowling three times this month as part of an investigation into allegations by two women, now in their 50s.

One of the women said the abuse started when she was 8 and continued until she was 14. The other sister said Dowling began abusing her when she was 11 or 12 and continued until she was 18.

Read the article at AP Wire dated 03/28/2005

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Civil trial over sex abuse allegations at Oakland diocese begins today

Hayward, California --

A civil trial over accusations of sexual abuse involving the Oakland Diocese more than two decades ago is scheduled to begin today.
Opening statements are set for this morning in the case of two brothers who say they were repeatedly molested by a priest at an Antioch church between 1979 and 1981.

The case will be closely watched as hundreds of other civil suits involving allegations of abuse by Roman Catholic priests get closer to trial.

Today's trial begins after a jury awarded 437-thousand dollars to a former altar boy who was molested by a priest in the 1970s at a San Jose church.

Read the article at KESQ NewsChannel 3 Palm Springs, CA dated March 27, 2005

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Church to pay abuse victims $3.6 million

Stockton, California --

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Stockton has agreed to pay $3.6 million to settle claims by two victims molested by a Lodi priest who was later deported to Ireland.

The two unidentified victims are now in their 40s. They were elementary school students ages 11 and 12 at St. Anne's Catholic Church in Lodi when they were molested by the Rev. Oliver O'Grady. O'Grady was convicted in 1993 of molesting the boys and served seven years before he was deported.

The victims' attorneys, Gregory Davenport and Jeffrey Silvia, said Friday each victim will get $1.8 million.

SignOnSanDiego.com dated March 27, 2005

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Priest cleared of sex abuse but family awarded $20,000 for distress over claim's handling

Mosesto, California --

A jury late Friday afternoon cleared a Modesto priest of sexual battery but said he and another priest acted inappropriately when responding to a child's complaint about the incident, a lawyer in the case reported.

The trial arose from a civil lawsuit in which a Hughson family with three daughters alleged that the Rev. Francis Arakal of St. Joseph's Catholic Church had touched one of the girl's breasts.

Attorney George MacKoul of Falmouth, Mass., representing the family, said the girl, now 17, was devastated to see the jury take Arakal's word over hers. "She was inconsolable after the trial," he said.

The eight-woman, four-man San Joaquin County Superior Court jury awarded $20,000 to the family for emotional distress stemming from the priests' response when one of the girl's sisters reported concerns that she had about Arakal.

Read the article at Modbee.com | The Modesto Bee dated March 27, 2005

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Bothell ex-pastor who alleges abuse is leaving the priesthood

Seatlle, Washington --

The Rev. Lawrence Minder, who stunned his parishioners at Bothell's St. Brendan Church last year when he told them he was a victim of the Roman Catholic Church's sex-abuse scandal, is resigning from the priesthood.

Saying he has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his abuse, Minder stated yesterday that counselors at an Arizona treatment facility told him recently he needed to separate from the priesthood to work through the issues underlying the disorder.

"It's been an internal conflict for the last three years to, in a sense, keep putting a best face on a situation that has no best face," he said.

On one hand, he felt a responsibility as pastor to "protect the fragile faith of the people" and to lead the parish through the larger sex-abuse scandal. At the same time, he was angry at "the scope (of the scandal) and lack of responsible leadership" of the bishops over the years.

Resigning from the priesthood, said Minder, who returned home from Arizona around Christmas, "is a step for my health and one that I was very reluctant to take. I love the priesthood, I love the church. It's a very meaningful way to live."

Read the article at The Seattle Times dated March 25, 2005

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Jury awards man $437,000 in molest case

San Fracisco, California --

He had sued archdiocese over actions of Catholic priest in 1970s

A San Francisco jury awarded $437,000 Thursday to a 47-year-old man who sued the Roman Catholic Archdiocese for having done nothing about a priest who molested him repeatedly three decades ago.

The jury's award against the archdiocese, reached on a vote of 11-1 after four hours of deliberations, ended a two-week trial over molestations that the late Rev. Joseph Pritchard committed in the early 1970s against Dennis Kavanaugh.

"I feel good that a positive statement was made for survivors, including myself,'' Kavanaugh said after leaving the courtroom. "I look forward to being helpful to other survivors.''

The amount of the jury's award was significant because Kavanaugh's case was the first to go to trial in California under a 2002 law temporarily lifting the statute of limitations on lawsuits in child molestation cases. Some observers monitoring the trial said the archdiocese had gotten off relatively lightly.

Seventy-five more cases are awaiting trial against the San Francisco Archdiocese, nine of them involving Pritchard. An additional 40 lawsuits have been filed against the Oakland Diocese. The amount of Kavanaugh's award could be pivotal in influencing any pretrial settlements of those cases.

Read the article at SFGate.com dated March 25, 2005

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Church cashes in again as taxpayers are penalised

Belfast, Ireland --

It's out of charity that the Roman Catholic Church pays compensation to victims of abuse. That's the implication of the fact that the Stewardship Trust has been granted charitable status in the south.

Read the article at Belfast Telegraph dated 24 March 2005

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Man abused by pedophile priest tells his story

Boston, Massachusetts --

Standing in the sanctuary of St. Raphael Catholic Church just below a large sculpted crucifix, Dennis Gaboury paused before launching into his personal tale of clerical sexual abuse and his long, painful path to healing.

He first thanked the church's pastor, the Rev. Pat Berquist and Bishop Donald Kettler for allowing him to speak without censorship.

'I don't know if this has ever happened where an actual victim comes to a church in front of a cross and talks to parishioners,' said Gaboury who has spoken publicly many times before, including national television programs such as CNN and 'Oprah.'

Gaboury, 53, grew up in Massachusetts during the 1950s and '60s, in 'a very Catholic home,' where priests and nuns were considered more holy than human. He detailed the culture of secrecy at the time when no one spoke of sex abuse.

In 1961, he was 10 years old and an altar boy, when he was raped by his parish priest, James Porter.

Read the article at News-Miner dated March 24, 2005

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