Payments to 93 clergy sexual abuse survivors in Philadelphia archdiocese average $211,000
By DEB ERDLEY
| TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE |
The meter is ticking as administrators for compensation funds in Catholic dioceses across the state process payments to survivors who experienced child sexual abuse at the hands of trusted priests.
Church officials have released interim statements showing the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Diocese of Scranton alone have paid a total of nearly $21.8 million to 110 survivors of clergy sexual abuse who opted to forego legal action and seek compensation from the church.
The two church bodies are among six Roman Catholic dioceses, including Allentown, and one archdiocese across Pennsylvania that opened compensation funds for survivors of clergy sexual abuse following the release of last summer’s statewide grand jury report that detailed allegations of rampant child sexual abuse and cover-ups in Catholic dioceses across the state.
The Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie dioceses all have ongoing compensation funds, but have yet to issue interim reports on payments.
The Allentown Diocese announced the opening of its five-month window for the victims compensation fund in late April.
In addition to sending packets of information to more than 100 people who have already reported their abuse to the diocese, a Washington, D.C., law firm specializing in administering victim compensation funds has a call center and website for those who may have waited to come forward.
Victims have until Sept. 30 to file claims. The process could be settled by the end of the year, according to the attorney leading the process.
Those who opt to accept payments must sign away any future right to sue the church.
Allentown has set aside millions for the fund, which will not tap donations, school or parish funds, the diocese has said. The fund was built on available cash, borrowed money and the sale of assets. The diocese did not specify how much money is in the fund, but spokesman Matt Kerr said Friday it will not provide a public report on the number of victims and the total amount paid to them until the conclusion of the program.
Kenneth Feinberg and Camille Biros who are administering the compensation fund for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia reported that as of the end of May the archdiocese had paid or authorized payments of $19.6 million to 93 individuals for an average payout of about $211,000. A total of 167 individuals have applied for the program, according to the report.
Feinberg and Biros are also administering the Allentown diocese program. The program is scheduled to continue to take claims through September.
In the much smaller Scranton diocese, officials said the compensation fund, which is also being handled by Feinberg and Biros, had paid out $2.16 million to 17 individuals as of May 10, an average of about $127,000.
Michigan Catholic priests charged with
child sex abuse crimes jailed, extradited
(FOX 2) - Five Michigan Catholic priests are moving along in the legal process after being charged with sexual abuse crimes against children.
The five priests, including two from Detroit Archdiocese, two from Lansing and one from Kalamazoo, face a total of 21 charges. The four boys and girl victimized range in ages between 5 and 26 years old.
Patrick Casey, 55, Archdiocese of Detroit, had a probable cause conference on May 30 and has a preliminary exam scheduled for 8:30 a.m. June 20 before Wayne County 18th District Court Judge Mark A. McConnell. He was charged in Wayne County with one felony count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Casey, who was a priest at St. Theodore of Canterbury Parish in Westland, was arrested in Oak Park, Michigan.
Timothy Crowley, 69, Lansing Diocese, waived extradition and will be picked up by a prisoner transport service before the end of the month and will be delivered to Washtenaw County Jail. He was charged in four felony counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a lifetime of electronic monitoring, and four felony counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Crowley, who was a priest in various parishes, including St. Thomas Rectory in Ann Arbor, was arrested in Tempe, Arizona.
Vincent DeLorenzo, 80, Lansing Diocese, waived extradition and will be picked up by a prisoner transport service before the end of the month and delivered to Genesee County Jail. He was charged in Genesee County with three felony counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, a maximum sentence of life in prison and a lifetime of electronic monitoring, and three felony counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. DeLorenzo, who was a priest at Holy Redeemer Church in Burton, was arrested in Marion County, Florida.
Neil Kalina, 63, Archdiocese of Detroit, is currently being extradited to Michigan and will be delivered to Macomb County Jail. He was charged in Macomb County with one felony count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a lifetime of electronic monitoring. Kalina, who was a priest at St. Kiernan Catholic Church in Shelby Township, was arrested in Littlerock, California.
Jacob Vellian, 84, Kalamazoo Diocese, was charged with two counts of rape, a maximum sentence of life in prison. Vellian was a priest at St. John the Evangelist Parish, Benton Harbor, and now lives in Kerala, India. The attorney general's office is reviewing options on extradition.
Members of the attorney general's clergy abuse investigative team has been reviewing hundreds of thousands of documents seized from the state's dioceses last October. The clergy abuse hotline has received more than 450 tips since the beginning of the year.
Attorney General Dana Nessel says the investigation's results are just "the tip of the iceberg." She said nearly all the charges came as a result of calls to their tip line that were later corroborated by files that were seized from the dioceses last fall and multiple interviews with victims. They estimate the team has only process about 5-10 percent of the information they have.
UK's most senior Catholic 'more concerned with church's reputation than child sex abuse victims', report finds
Cardinal Vincent Nichols CREDIT: KIRSTY O'CONNOR/PA
The most senior Catholic in the UK stands accused of being more concerned with protecting the Church’s reputation than historic victims of child sex abuse in a government inquiry report.
An official report published yesterday concluded that children could have been saved in the Archdiocese of Birmingham had the Catholic Church not “repeatedly failed” to alert police to allegations.
Since the mid 1930s, there have been more than 130 allegations of child sexual abuse made against 78 people associated with the Archdiocese. At least 13 of them have been convicted in criminal courts and three others have been cautioned.
However the true scale of offending is likely to be “far higher”, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) concluded. It said that "in some cases, the lack of action by the church meant that the abuser was free to continue to commit acts of child sexual abuse".
God knows how many - and there will be a reckoning!
In his former role as Archbishop of Birmingham between 2000 and 2009, Cardinal Vincent Nichols claimed that a documentary - about the confrontation of a "serial child abuser" priest after he fled to the US - was "insensitive".
However the report criticised Cardinal Nichols, 73, who now sits as the Archbishop of Westminster, for failing to prioritise the welfare of children over the reputation of the church during his tenure.
There is more to this story, here, on The Telegraph
Teacher convicted of sexual abuse tells inquiry
he let boys sleep in his room
UK News | Express and Star
Paul Kelly, 66, who worked at St Ninian’s School in Falkland,
Fife, gave evidence via video link from Dumfries Prison.
Lady Smith
Paul Kelly also recalled how he hit a boy with a strap while he was working as a teacher and housemaster at St Ninian’s School in Falkland, Fife, which was run by the Christian Brothers.
Kelly, 66, was jailed for 10 years in 2016 after he was convicted of four counts of indecent assault and two assault charges while working at the school.
Lord Matthews described his actions as “grossly corrupt”.
Giving evidence via video link from Dumfries prison, he told the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry in Edinburgh that he maintains his innocence and is taking his case to the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission.
Lady Smith told Kelly he had the right not to incriminate himself and could choose not to answer questions at the inquiry on Thursday.
Kelly, who worked at the home from August or September 1979 until it closed in July 1983, told how on one occasion he hit a boy with a strap, which was kept in another member of staff’s drawer.
He said he decided to punish him as the pupil had hit another boy with a corner flag after a sports session, leaving the child with cuts to his chest.
The religious brother also said he let boys sleep overnight in his room while he was in charge of the junior dormitories. He said the practice was started by the previous brother in charge because one of the boys was afraid of the dark.
I thought I was being helpful, It didn't bother me because all I did was sleep in the bed.
Paul Kelly
Colin Macauley, senior counsel to the inquiry, said: “You have told us that you did have boys in your room sleeping overnight.”
Kelly replied: “Boys on the floor from time to time, they chose if they slept on the floor or not. I’m making clear to people that they slept on the floor of the room.”
He said there could be up to four or five boys sleeping on the floor.
The witness added: “I thought I was being helpful, it didn’t bother me because all I did was sleep in the bed. As long as people behaved they were allowed to stay on the floor of the room.”
Mr Macauley also asked about evidence given by a witness earlier in the inquiry who claimed Kelly had touched his private parts under his pyjamas.
Kelly replied: “That did not happen.”
The inquiry heard Kelly was convicted of charges including sexual abuse that involved boys being involved in sex acts together and boys being compelled to carry out sex acts on other children.
Kelly said: “That is what was said at the trial but I again deny that.”
Lady Smith said: “Do you recall that the trial judge described the charges of which you were convicted as being grossly corrupt?”
He replied: “Yes.”
The inquiry, before Lady Smith, continues.
Retired Bishop Trautman admits he blamed victim
of clergy sex abuse
'I would say that to someone,' he said
By: Charlie SpechtBUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Donald W. Trautman, a retired bishop and high-ranking administrator of the Buffalo and Erie (Pa.) dioceses, admitted Friday that he blamed a victim of clergy sexual abuse for putting himself in the position to be molested.
"In the paper this morning, it was an article that said that I told the young man, ‘You’ve placed yourself in bad circumstances,’" Trautman told I-Team Chief Investigator Charlie Specht. "That sounds like me. I would say that to someone. I don’t remember the conditions or what the person said to me, but he should not have placed himself in those conditions."
Trautman, second-in-command of the Buffalo Diocese before he went on to become Bishop of Erie, said then-Buffalo Bishop Edward D. Head revoked the faculties of the Rev. Michael Freeman and sent him to Southdown Institute, a church-approved rehab center in Canada.
"That was our regular approach," Trautman said. "That’s what we always did."
Like it's a routine issue! How pathetic!
Tuesday, abuse survivor James Bottlinger held a news conference to allege that he was abused by Freeman at St. Mary's in Lancaster in the 1980s. He said Trautman once encountered him in the priest's bedroom but did nothing to stop subsequent instances of abuse. His attorneys also alleged that at that moment, Trautman already had been told of two other boys who were previously abused by Freeman at a different parish.
Trautman said Friday he had difficulty remembering the exact details of the incident because it happened more than three decades ago. He questioned whether he was even at St. Mary's rectory that day, but attempted to put his words into context.
"That sounds like me saying to a...candidate, who committed...uh, did something wrong, ‘You should not have put yourself in those circumstances,’ whatever they were, whatever he told me at the time," Trautman said.
Trautman said he planned to review the files of the Buffalo Diocese so that he could familiarize himself with more details. Asked why he did not act if he knew about two prior instances of child sexual abuse by the now-deceased Freeman, Trautman interrupted.
"Something was done," he said. "His faculties were revoked and he was sent to Southdown for psychiatric evaluation. That was done."
Trautman, who served as chancellor and also as auxiliary bishop under Bishop Head, played a key role in the processing of sexual abuse claims throughout the 1980s, records obtained by the I-Team show.
Asked whether he ever called the police after learning of child sexual abuse by Buffalo Diocese priests, Trautman did not directly answer.
"Look...I’ll have to look at the file to examine what we did...35 years ago, all right?" he said.
22 new Cleveland Catholic Diocese clergy members implicated in child sex abuse scandal
By John DeikeCLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The Cleveland Catholic Diocese has identified a new set of clerics who were implicated in the church’s turbulent child sex abuse scandal, which spans several decades.
“The new names were added after the diocese concluded, based on the evidence available to it, that the allegations were more likely than not to be true. In compiling this updated information, the diocese reviewed all known allegations regardless of how old the allegations were or whether the cleric was alive or deceased,” Cleveland Catholic Diocese Deacon Jim Armstrong said in a prepared statement.
Church officials elaborated on their guidelines when determining which names would be released:
Substantiated Allegation: An allegation that has been determined to be more likely true than not true. An allegation may be considered substantiated for purposes of the initial list below if one or more of the following is true:
The cleric has admitted to sexually abusing a child.
The cleric has been found guilty of sexually abusing a child in a criminal court of law.
In the case of a cleric who is alive and in ministry at the time an allegation is made, it has been determined by appropriate canonical process that the allegation is true.
In the case of a cleric who is deceased or no longer in active ministry at the time an allegation is made, a determination is made by the diocese, after reviewing all available evidence, that the allegation is more likely than not to be true.
Cleveland Catholic Diocese officials also admitted the list could be incomplete.
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