Gay Archbishop’s computer contained over
100,000 child sex abuse files
BY MICHAEL STONEOriginal story dated 2014
More than 100,000 child porn videos and photos have been found on the computer of former Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, who is also accused of raping numerous children in the Dominican Republic and Poland.
Wesolowski, currently under house arrest at the Vatican, is one of the highest-ranking church officials to be accused of sexually abusing children during the Catholic Church’s widespread and costly sexual abuse scandal.
The videos and photos of child pornography were stored on a computer in the office at the Holy See diplomatic compound in the Dominican Republic, where Wesolowski served as papal nuncio in Santo Domingo.
After being publicly accused of procuring child prostitutes last year, Wesolowski was secretly removed from his post as papal nuncio in Santo Domingo by Vatican officials hoping to avoid an embarrassing public prosecution.
Authorities in the Dominican Republic have been calling for Wesolowski’s extradition: a court there has opened a case against the former Vatican ambassador, and the attorney general wants to criminally charge Wesolowski.
Officials in Poland, Wesolowski’s country of origin, and where he has also been accused of sexually abusing children, are also calling for his extradition.
According to Vatican detectives, some of the horrors found on the former Archbishop’s computer included around 160 videos showing teenage boys forced to perform sexual acts on themselves and on adults, and more than 86,000 pornographic photos which were methodically archived in several category-based folders.
Investigators said that at least another 45,000 pictures were deleted, while even more child pornography was found on a laptop Wesolowski used during his trips abroad.
Late last month Weslowski was placed under house arrest at the Vatican in response to popular outrage after reports began to circulate that the accused child rapist was free to wander the streets of Rome nearly a year after being secretly recalled from the Dominican Republic by the Vatican in order to avoid criminal prosecution there.
Vatican authorities claim they are now investigating whether Wesolowski sexually abused children while serving in other posts during his career. Previously he served in South Africa, Costa Rica, Japan, Switzerland, India and Denmark.
Wesolowski has been charged with sexually abusing minors and child porn possession. If convicted, Wesolowski faces 12 years in jail. His trial is expected to start in January.
*** UPDATE ***
Wesolowski died on August 27, 2015, while living in the Vatican under house arrest. He was never prosecuted for his crimes.
At least, not on this earth. He was, or will be, prosecuted in a Higher Court. I'm quite sure it will not go well for him.
Middlesbrough deputy head teacher charged with online child sexual offences in UK
By Rachel Conner-Hill
Chief Reporter (Tees Valley & North Yorkshire)
THE deputy head teacher of a primary school in Middlesbrough has been charged with online child sexual offences.
Richard Swinnerton, 30, of Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough, was charged with three counts of possession of illegal images of children relating to category A (the most severe), category B and category C.
It follows an investigation by the National Crime Agency.
Mr Swinnerton – who has resigned from his job at St Clare’s Catholic Primary School in Middlesbrough – will appear at Teesside Magistrates' Court on July 10.
The charges relate to online child sexual abuse imagery.
Officers have found no evidence to suggest that any of the images were made at the school and there is no allegation of physical abuse.
Elizabeth Eddies, St Clare’s headteacher said: “I wish to assure all parents that the well-being and safety of children at St Clare's remains of paramount importance.
“These charges do not relate to his employment at the school. This is deeply upsetting news for everybody involved with St Clare's, which has served the local community and families for over 50 years.”
Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse, NY, files for bankruptcy facing almost 100 child abuse lawsuits
Almost 100 lawsuits involving sexual abuse of children have been filed against the Diocese, as a result of the New York Child Victims Act, and more are expected to follow.
The alleged cases of abuse span from 1949 to the 1990’s.
There is an estimated total of 37.7 million in assets and 37.8 million in liabilities.
Bishop Douglas Luca says that it is only the Diocese filing, and parishes and schools within it are separate entities.
He says the decision was made not only because of the high case number, but also in order to compensate all victims fairly.
“As your bishop, I must again apologize. I can’t apologize enough for the heinous acts that were perpetrated against the young of our Diocese, and ask you to all join me in our Diocesan commitment that these acts will never take place again,” says Lucia.
More than two dozen Catholic Dioceses and Archdiocese across the country have filed for bankruptcy, including the Diocese of Buffalo and the Diocese of Rochester.
More information can be found at SyracuseDiocese.org.
France: At Least 3,000 Child Sex Abuse Victims In Catholic Church, Says Commission
A French commission made a startling revelation saying at least 3,000 children have fallen victim to sexual abuse in the Catholic Church of France since 1950.
Written By Kunal Gaurav, Republic World
A French commission made a startling revelation on June 17 saying at least 3,000 children have fallen victim to sexual abuse in the Catholic Church of France since 1950. Jean-Marc Sauve, the president of a commission set up to investigate the claims, said that around 1,500 clergy and other church officials carried out sexual abuse on minors in the past 70 years.
A series of paedophilia cases in the Church in France and around the world forced French bishops to request a comprehensive inquiry. The commission had set up a hotline urging the sexual abuse victims to come forward, which received 5,300 calls over the past year, said the president.
Speaking to reporters in a video conference, Suave said he is profoundly convinced that there are many more victims and the officials don’t know how to consolidate the hotline sources and commission’s independent inquiry. The overwhelming number of cases estimated by the commission represents more than 40 cases per year on average since 1950.
Pope on sexual abuse
Last year, Pope Francis vowed that if even a single case of abuse emerges in the Church, it will be faced with the utmost seriousness. Pope said that the gravity of the scourge of the sexual abuse of minors is, and historically has been, a widespread phenomenon in all cultures and societies.
However, after the acquittal of Cardinal Geroge Pell on the charges of child sexual abuse, Pope Francis recalled the “persecution that Jesus suffered” and asked everyone to pray for those innocent people who faced injustice. A bench of Brisbane High Court quashed the child sexual abuse conviction on April 7 after a two-year legal battle fought by Pell.
Pope Francis✔
@Pontifex
In these days of #Lent, we've been witnessing the persecution that Jesus underwent and how He was judged ferociously, even though He was innocent. Let us #PrayTogether today for all those persons who suffer due to an unjust sentence because of someone had it in for them.
The bench, in its summary judgement, said that it was not enough that the jurors to find the witness believable, reliable and thoroughly credible. The court said that there was a “significant possibility” that an innocent person has been convicted because the evidence did not establish guilt to the requisite standard of proof.
Which, of course, is impossible in a 50 or 70-year-old case. The requisite standard of proof must be amended for historical cases if there is any hope of justice occurring.
Late priest from Lake Luzerne, NY, parish among those named in child sex abuse lawsuits
Michael Goot, Post Star
LAKE LUZERNE — A late priest that served at a church in Lake Luzerne was named in one of 52 sex abuse lawsuits filed Monday against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany.
Gaffigan died in 2015 after battling cancer.
Gaffigan was appointed to serve as pastor of what was then Holy Infancy Church in Lake Luzerne in 1991, according to his obituary. In 2003, he picked up the responsibility for Immaculate Conception Church in Corinth. The churches ultimately merged in 2009 to form Holy Mother and Child Parish. He retired as pastor in 2011, but continued to fill in throughout the diocese.
Gaffigan died on April 19, 2015, at the age of 79 at the Gateway House of Peace in Ballston Spa.
He also served as associate pastor in St. Michael’s in South Glens Falls in the 1970s and at St. Mary’s in Glens Falls in the early 1980s.
He was found guilty in 2011 of child rape and indecent assault for sexually assaulting teens he met at local parishes when he took them to western Massachusetts for outdoor excursions.
The lawsuits were filed by attorneys from the law firms of Jeff Anderson & Associates and LaFave Wein & Frament on behalf of the survivors. Courts on Monday reopened following a shutdown of nearly three months because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“In bringing suit today, it is paramount to these survivors that we protect our children of today and tomorrow,” said attorney Cynthia LaFave in a news release. “With the heroic resolve of these voices and their stories, we can imagine a future where justice — long overdue — can be had, and atrocities like those already endured are finally obsoleted from the narrative of the American childhood.”
The state Legislature recently extended by one year, to August 2021, the deadline to file cases under the Child Victims Act.
Diocese spokeswoman Mary DeTurris Poust said all allegations of sexual abuse are taken very seriously.
“Behind every claim is a suffering person who needs our compassion and assistance. The diocese has not yet been served in any of the 52 cases filed today,” she said in an email. “Once that occurs, the diocese will review the documents and allegations and take whatever actions may be necessary to inform and safeguard the public. Bishop (Edward) Scharfenberger remains committed to providing assistance to survivors while allegations are being investigated and beyond.”
Lake Lucerne, NY
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