Vatican defrocks former U.S. cardinal over child sex abuse
Diocese Of Brooklyn Reveals 108 Names
Linked To Church Sex Abuse Allegations
Punishment announced 5 days before Pope is set to lead Vatican summit on sex abuse
The Associated Press
Pope Francis has defrocked former U.S. cardinal Theodore McCarrick after Vatican officials found him guilty of soliciting for sex while hearing confession and of sexual crimes against minors and adults, the Holy See said Saturday.
The punishment for the once-powerful prelate, who had served as the archbishop of Washington and had been an influential fundraiser for the church, was announced five days before Francis is set to lead an extraordinary gathering of bishops from around the world to help the church grapple with the crisis of sex abuse by clergy, and systematic coverups by church hierarchy. The decades-long scandals have shaken the faith of many Catholics and threatened Francis's papacy.
Defrocking means McCarrick, 88, who now lives in a friary in Kansas after he lost his title of cardinal last year, can no longer celebrate mass or other sacraments, wear clerical vestments or be addressed by any religious title.
The Vatican's press office said that on Jan. 11, the Holy See's doctrinal watchdog office, the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, had found McCarrick guilty of "solicitation in the sacrament of confession, and sins against the Sixth Commandment with minors and adults, with the aggravating factor of the abuse of power."
Decision 'definitive'
The officials "imposed on him the penalty of dismissal from the clerical state."
The commandment cited is "You shall not commit adultery.".
McCarrick, when he was ordained a priest his native New York City in 1958, took a vow of celibacy, in accordance with church rules on priests.
The Pope "has recognized the definitive nature of this decision made in accordance with [church] law, rendering it as res iudicata,"' the Vatican said, using the Latin phrase for admitting no further recourse.
'Time for us to cleanse the church'
"Today I am happy that the Pope believed me," said one of McCarrick's chief accusers, James Grein.
In a statement issued through his lawyer, Grein also expressed hope that McCarrick "will no longer be able to use the power of Jesus's church to manipulate families and sexually abuse children."
James Grein says he was sexually abused for years by McCarrick. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via AP)
Grein had testified to church officials that, among other abuses, McCarrick had repeatedly groped him during confession.
Saying it's "time for us to cleanse the church," Grein said pressure needs to be put on state attorneys general and senators to change the statute of limitations.
"Hundreds of priests, bishops and cardinals are hiding behind man-made law," he said.
No bishop 'above the law'
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, a U.S. church leader whose own credibility in handling clergy abuse cases has recently been questioned, issued a statement on Saturday calling the punishment of a once-powerful American prelate "a clear signal that abuse will not be tolerated."
DiNardo says "no bishop, no matter how influential, is above the law of the church."
The Law of the Church!!!?? This has been going on for hundreds of years; where was the law of the church before now. Is this an example of the Church putting itself above God? Christians are not under the law but under grace unless they choose to fall from that grace, then they are under God's Law. Assaulting, or sexually assaulting a child, especially a child of God, removes you from grace and the consequences will far exceed removing someone from ministry. It will mean removing one from the Presence of God forever!
McCarrick had appealed his penalty, but the doctrinal officials earlier this week rejected that, and he was notified of the decision on Friday, the Vatican announcement said.
The archdiocese of Washington, D.C., where McCarrick was posted at the pinnacle of his clerical career, from 2001-2006, said in a statement it hoped that the Vatican decision "serves to help the healing process for survivors of abuse, as well as those who have experienced disappointment or disillusionment because of what former archbishop McCarrick has done."
McCarrick, a one-time "prince of the church," as cardinals are known, becomes the highest-ranking churchman to be laicized, or dismissed from the clerical state. It marks a remarkable downfall for the globe-trotting powerbroker and influential church fundraiser who mingled with presidents and popes, but preferred to be called "Uncle Ted" by the young men he courted.
The scandal swirling around McCarrick was even more damning to the church's reputation in the eyes of the faithful because it apparently was an open secret that he slept with adult seminarians.
Vatican summit
The Vatican summit, running Feb. 21-24, draws church leaders from around the world to talk about preventing abuse. It was called in part to respond to the McCarrick scandal as well as to the explosion of the abuse crisis in Chile and its escalation in the United States last year.
Despite the apparent common knowledge in church circles of his sexual behaviour, McCarrick rose to the heights of church power. He even acted as the spokesperson for U.S. bishops when they enacted a "zero tolerance" policy against sexually abusive priests in 2002.
Pope Francis, pictured late last year, removed McCarrick as a cardinal in July after a U.S. church investigation determined that an allegation he fondled a teenage altar boy in the 1970s was credible. (Max Rossi/Reuters)
That perceived hypocrisy, coupled with allegations in the Pennsylvania grand jury report detailing decades of abuse and coverup in six dioceses, outraged many among the rank-and-file faithful who had trusted church leaders to reform how they handled sex abuse after 2002.
Francis removed McCarrick as a cardinal in July after a U.S. church investigation determined that an allegation he fondled a teenage altar boy in the 1970s was credible. It was the first known allegation against McCarrick involving a minor — a far more serious offence than sleeping with adult seminarians.
Francis implicated
But Francis himself became implicated in the decade-long McCarrick coverup after a former Vatican ambassador to the U.S. accused the Pope of lifting sanctions on the cardinal imposed by Pope Benedict, despite being told of his penchant for young men.
Francis hasn't responded to the claims. But he has ordered a limited Vatican investigation. The Vatican has acknowledged the outcome may produce evidence that mistakes were made, but said Francis would "follow the path of truth, wherever it may lead."
Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org says, while his defrocking is significant, "most abusive bishops have escaped" defrocking.
She says Francis should use the power of his office to laicize those bishops immediately and say "what he knew and when."
Doyle, who is in Rome for the summit, says, of the 101 accused bishops her group has tracked, McCarrick is only the seventh to be laicized, and the first who reached the rank of cardinal.
McCarrick moved from his Washington retirement home to a Kansas religious residence after Francis ordered him to live in penance and prayer while the investigation continued.
It wasn't immediately clear if he would continue to live in a religious residence.
Vatican watchers have compared the McCarrick coverup scandal to that of the Rev. Marcial Maciel, perhaps the 20th-century Catholic Church's most notorious pedophile. Maciel's sex crimes against children were ignored for decades by a Vatican impressed by his ability to bring in donations and vocations. Among Maciel's staunchest admirers was Pope John Paul II, who later became a saint.
Like Maciel, McCarrick was a powerful and popular prelate who funnelled millions in donations to the Vatican. He apparently got a calculated pass for what many in the church hierarchy would have either discounted as ideologically fuelled rumour or brushed off as a mere "moral lapse" in sleeping with adult men.
Linked To Church Sex Abuse Allegations
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – New revelations in the ongoing church sex abuse scandal are having a direct effect on Catholics in the five boroughs.
On Friday, the Diocese of Brooklyn released a list of clergy members who the church says have been credibly accused of sexually abusing a child.
Nicholas DiMarzio, the bishop of Brooklyn, released a video statement saying he knows this will be emotional for the victims.
“For their suffering, I am truly sorry. I have met with many victims who have told me more than anything they want an acknowledgment of what was done to them. This list gives that recognition,” DiMarzio said.
The list of 108 priests spans the diocese’s 166-year history, and includes information about any action taken against the accused.
For The Entire List Of Names Revealed: Click Here
Officials with the church say the priests being named represents less than five percent of clergy in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Only a third of the accused priests listed in the release are still alive.
Also on Friday, a class action lawsuit was filed against the archdiocese of New York. An attorney for the plaintiff – an alleged victim of clergy sex abuse – says his client and other victims were misled into waiving their right to sue the church for sexual misconduct.
A new state law has extended the statute of limitations to age 28 for child sex abuse victims and also allows them to sue up to age 55.
At age 28 the SoL is still only half what it should be. Priests are still getting away with 'Violations of the Sacred'. Having the diocese pay for their perversions does nothing to them but hurts those good and faithful Catholics who, for some inexplicable reason, still support the Catholic Church.
Man accuses former Evansville priest of sex abuse, testifies in front of IN Senate Committee
List of credibly accused priest to be released in early 2019. (Goffinet, Jared)
By Chellsie Brown and Jill Lyman
EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) - Christopher Compton, 42, testified Wednesday, along with several others, in front of an Indiana Senate Judiciary Committee in support of Senate Bill 219.
The bill would give more time for civil cases to be filed, even after the statute of limitations has run out for sex crimes.
Compton said a former priest sexually abused him several times back when he as child in the 80′s.
The priest he’s accusing died about seven years ago. He held a high position with the schools in the Evansville Diocese.
Compton says he didn’t tell anyone about the abuse until last year.
When he was 41 years old! That is not at all unusual and is why statutes of limitations have to be eliminated.
14 News spoke with diocese spokesperson Tim Lilley. He said the first they heard of this accusation was after Wednesday’s hearing.
The Evansville Diocese is the only one in Indiana that has not released their list of credibly abused priests.
And it's getting longer by the minute!
France investigates Vatican envoy over sex abuse accusations
By Danielle Haynes
The Vatican flag flies on the Vatican Embassy in Paris on Friday.
Photo by Christophe Petit Tesson/EPA-EFE
(UPI) -- Authorities are investigating the Vatican's envoy to France over accusations of sexual misconduct, French and Vatican officials said Friday.
Archbishop Luigi Ventura, diplomat to France since 2009, is accused of inappropriately touching a male staffer at Paris City Hall. The conduct happened repeatedly during a New Year ceremony held by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, officials said.
The Vatican said it was aware of the allegations and was awaiting the outcome of the investigation.
An unnamed spokesman for the French judiciary told The New York Times the Paris prosecutors' office opened the probe Jan. 24. The source said the alleged victim worked for Paris' international relations department and was tasked with greeting Ventura before the New Year's event Jan. 17 at Paris City Hall.
The investigation comes amid scrutiny of the Catholic Church, which has faced a number of abuse scandals across the globe. Over the past year, hundreds of clergy members have been accused of misconduct in dioceses in California, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania Texas and Virginia. Chile, Australia and Ireland also have been dealing with their own scandals.
In January, Pope Francis issued a letter to bishops in the United States, warning them that lingering clerical sex abuse scandals have damaged the Church in the country.
"In recent years, the Church in the United States has been shaken by various scandals that have gravely affected its credibility," the pope wrote. "These have been times of turbulence in the lives of all those victims who suffered in their flesh the abuse of power and conscience and sexual abuse on the part of ordained ministers, male and female religious and lay faithful.
"The church has been seriously undercut and diminished by these sins and crimes, but even more by the efforts made to deny or conceal them," he added.
Francis called for a new approach to the church's mindset and the exercising of power, money and authority.
You've got a lot of work to do there, Francis; and, I suspect, not much time to do it in.
Michigan priest, accused of sexual harassment,
can no longer publicly serve as priest
Eric Lacy, Lansing State Journal EAST LANSING -- A religious leader who resigned after being accused of sexually harassing a coworker last fall can no longer publicly function as a priest, a Catholic Diocese of Lansing spokesman said Sunday.
"In this climate, we just want to make sure to folks this is not a question of a priest abusing children," Michael Diebold, a diocese spokesman, said Sunday. "It was a credible allegation of sexual harassment, which was why Father Inglot was removed from the parish last fall."
Inglot has not been charged of any crimes but will be prohibited from having any parish assignments within any Catholic church, Diebold said.
"Our senior priests are those who have reached an age where they are no longer assigned to a parish," Diebold said. "Generally, a senior priest can and does help at parishes when it is necessary. That will not be the case with Father Inglot."
List Of Maryland Priests Accused Of
Child Sexual Abuse
By Deb Belt, Patch National Staff BALTIMORE, MD — A new wave of lists naming Catholic priests credibly accused of sexual abuse against children has been released in the past two months, including the Baltimore archdiocese. In late December the church posted a revised list of 99 priests and religious brothers facing accusations over the years. The posting includes an initial list of 57 men posted in 2002, along with additions of those later accused, and priests named in a grand jury report released by the Pennsylvania Attorney General in August 2018, who either had an assignment in Maryland or were accused of engaging in sexual abuse of minors in Maryland.
"Many Catholics here in our own archdiocese, as well as many across the country, are rightly dismayed by what they perceive as a lack of decisive action to strengthen protocols of accountability for bishops accused of sexual abuse or misconduct," Archbishop William E. Lori said in November after U.S. bishops met in Baltimore. "Understandably, there is a sense that this was a missed opportunity – and one unnecessarily so. ... We must be held fully accountable – as are priests, deacons, lay employees and volunteers of the Church – in matters of moral and professional conduct."
The Baltimore list was released about a month after the Washington, D.C., archdiocese — which includes Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland — released similarly accused priests. A total of 32 priests were named by the DC diocese, but its list does not specify which parishes or schools they served in. See that list of names at the bottom of the story or online.
The release by the Archdiocese of Washington of priests deemed "credibly accused" of sexual abuse from 1948 onward — along with the resignation of Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the Washington, D.C. archbishop, following criticism of his handling of child sex abuse cases — falls short of what critics say is a comprehensive list. The Survivors Network of those Abused By Priests said the release was a "hastily assembled PR stunt," and only a full list of suspected and convicted abusers compiled by law enforcement would suffice.
"This list is a painful reminder of the grave sins committed by clergy, the pain inflicted on innocent young people, and the harm done to the Church's faithful, for which we continue to seek forgiveness," said Cardinal Wuerl.
What about God? Is there no concern for the evil done against God? Astonishing!
SNAP replied that the announcement seems to be an attempt to distract church members from resignation due to his role in sexual abuse cover-ups in the Pittsburgh diocese. Wuerl turned in his resignation letter three years ago when he turned 75 - the mandatory age for Catholic bishops to submit their retirement to the pope. The man CNN labeled one of the world's most powerful Catholic leaders as mentioned prominently in a grand jury report identifying more than 300 predator priests in six Pennsylvania dioceses, including 99 from the Pittsburgh diocese.
Priests of the Archdiocese of Baltimore have no parentheses after their names. Priests and brothers from religious orders or other dioceses have that noted in parentheses after their names. None of the men listed are in ministry in the Archdiocese of Baltimore; some have died and some have been laicized. All have had their faculties to function as a priest in the Archdiocese of Baltimore permanently removed.
The list can be found online.
Victims applaud as former teacher jailed for 20 years
for child sexual abuse
ABC Newcastle By Kerri WorthingtonEdward Smith Hall, 68, known as Ted Hall, was found guilty last October of 21 sexual and indecent assault offences between 1973 and 1986 at St Pius X High School in Adamstown, where he was a maths, history and geography teacher.
Newcastle District Court Judge Tim Gartelmann said Hall had gained the trust of the victims' families and guardians, befriending them and inviting them to his home or dining at theirs.
The judge said when the teacher invited some of the boys on shooting trips or to stay overnight in his home, the parents had believed their sons to be safe.
Judge Gartelmann said Hall isolated the boys and exploited their vulnerability.
Impact on victims
After Hall's conviction in October, victim impact statements were read in court. They included harrowing stories of living in constant fear, feeling betrayed or numb.
Some remembered being pushed and hit, or being called 'poofter' after the sexual abuse had taken place. Some were warned "not to tell or you know what will happen".
One victim told how he tried to report his abuse to the Catholic Education Office in Newcastle in the 1990s, only to be told the offender had died. It was not until Hall was charged in 2016 that the man found out he had been lied to.
Ahead of sentencing, Judge Gartlemann said each victim impact statement provided a real insight into the actual effects of the offender's conduct on the victims.
"It is now well recognised that child sexual abuse and exploitation of this kind has long-term ramifications'" he said.
"The circumstance of the offences and their consequences in this case give rise to something of a paradox. The offender seems to have committed the offences for his momentary sexual gratification, and yet the offences have resulted in the devastation of lives."
'Have a nice holiday, Ted'
In determining the sentence to be imposed on Hall, Judge Gartelmann said no amount of jail time could undo the harm that Hall's offences had caused, but it could provide a degree of closure and an opportunity for victims to move forward.
The judge said he had to weigh up Hall's age, character and likelihood of reoffending, and the fact that, at the time the offences took place, they were not perceived to be as serious as they are today.
"However, the sentences imposed in this case must be determined according to contemporary sentencing patterns and practices," he said.
Applause broke out in the courtroom as the judge sentenced Hall to an aggregate term of imprisonment of 20 years, with a non-parole period of 13 years and six months.
One of his victims called out "Have a nice holiday, Ted" as Hall was led from the dock.
Speaking outside the court, a victim who gave his name as 'Rob' said the sentence fitted the crime. He said he would now be able to get on with his life in a positive manner.
"I haven't felt this happy for a long time," he said.
Dozens of Virginia priests face 'credible'
child sex abuse allegations
By: WRIC StaffRICHMOND, Va. - The Catholic Diocese of Richmond has released the names of dozens of priests that are facing 'credible and substantiated' allegations of sexual abuse against a minor.
The list, which contains the names of 42 priests, was published by the Diocese of Richmond Wednesday afternoon.
The full list of priests can be found below.
“To the victims and to all affected by the pain of sexual abuse, our response will always be about what we are doing, not simply what we have done," the Most Rev. Barry C. Knestout, Bishop of Richmond, said in an open letter published with the clergy list.
"We will seek not just to be healed but will always be seeking healing. We will seek not just to be reconciled but will always be seeking reconciliation."
In an open letter addressed to the Catholic Church community last September, Bishop Barry Knestout says he is committed to addressing accusations of abuse quickly and transparently., Bishop Knestout promised to address all accusations 'quickly and transparently.'
Snap, or Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, called for the names, "that may have been omitted," to be added to the list on Wednesday. Snap also asked for additional background information about the priests, including how the diocese handled each allegation, to be made public.
We urge catholic officials in Virginia to not only go back to these lists and add any names that may have been omitted, but also to add work histories, information about current whereabouts and, critically, when the diocese first learned of the allegations and what their immediate response was. Only by including this information can we get a clearer picture of what went wrong in Virginia and what must be done now to protect children and prevent abuse."
-Snap
The diocese of Arlington released its own list of "clergy credibly accused of child sexual abuse" on Wednesday. The list from the Arlington Diocese, which names 16 priests, makes the total number of clergy accused of sexually abusing minors in Virginia at 58.
Priests of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond
Name of Priest Status
Beardsley, Fredrick James Suspended/Deceased
Blankenship, John Paul Convicted/Laicized
Bostwick, John Raymond Removed
Butler, John Robert Laicized
Dozier, Carrol T. (1) Deceased
Goff, Richard Bernard Laicized
Goodman, Julian B. Removed
Hesch, John Beaman (1) Deceased
Higgins, Philip J. Removed/Deceased
Leonard, John E. Convicted/Removed/Deceased
Leveille, Roland Edmund Dispensed/Deceased
Majewski, Joseph B. Suspended
McConnell, James Henry (1) Deceased
Murphy, Dennis Paul Suspended
Pham, Joseph Thang Xuan Suspended
Rizer, James Lee Deceased
Rodriquez, Oscar Alexander “Paul” Convicted
Rule, Steven R. Suspended
Shrader, Dwight Edward Laicized/Deceased
Teslovic, Eugene John Removed
Priests ordained in the Catholic Diocese of Richmond alleged to have committed abuse in the present-day territory of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond and later incardinated to the Catholic Diocese of Arlington or alleged to have committed abuse in both dioceses.
Name of Priest Status
Findlay, Harris Markam Laicized/Deceased
Kamerdze, Paul Jude Deceased
Krafcik, Andrew William Paul Laicized
Munley, John Joseph Deceased
Nudd, Robert Eugene Deceased
Rea, John Deceased
Reinecke, William Thomas Deceased
Ryder, Austin Lewis Deceased
Religious and Priests of Other Dioceses with allegations of abuse that occurred in the Catholic Diocese of Richmond:
Name of Priest/ Religious Status Religious, Other Diocese
Brady, Martin D., TOR Deceased Franciscan
Burkhardt, Gordian, OSB Laicized Benedictine
Earley, Richard, R. SSJ Deceased Josephite
George, Frederick, OSB Removed Benedictine
George, George Convicted Maronite
Melody, Roland (Owen John), m.s.ss.t Convicted Trinitarian
Philben, Francis M., CSS p Deceased Holy Ghost
Ryan, Paul David Convicted/ Removed Ballarat, Australia
Smalls, Oliver Joseph Unknown Belize, S. A.
Religious and Priests of Other Dioceses with allegations of abuse elsewhere, who worked in the Catholic Diocese of Richmond
Name of Priest/ Religious Status Religious, Other Diocese
Bourbon, Francis R., S.J. Unknown Jesuit
Burton, Charles Jeffries, S.J. Removed/Deceased Jesuit
Dyer, Bernardine George, O.P. Dismissed/Deceased Dominican Friar
Fedor, James Laicized Scranton
Ludwig, Augustine, OSB Abandoned Ministry/Deceased Benedictine
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