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Historic St. John's Basilica sold for more than $3M
To help pay debts to victims of the Christian Brothers at Mount Cashel
CBC News ·
Posted: Jun 14, 2022 12:38 PM NT
for more than $3 million. (Heather Barrett/CBC)
An iconic piece of St. John's history and the city's skyline has been sold for more than $3 million — to a trio of Catholic groups hoping to save the building from developers.
"The feeling we have is one of relief and euphoria and excitement for the future," Rob Blackie, a member of the joint committee who had been bidding on the historic property, told CBC News on Tuesday morning.
The basilica complex is one of some two dozen properties owned by the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St. John's being sold to help pay millions to the victims of sexual abuse by Christian Brothers at the former Mount Cashel orphanage.
In May, the three Catholic groups — the Basilica Heritage Foundation, St. Bonaventure's College and the St. Bon's Forum — said they were making the move to "maintain and protect a vital piece of our history, our culture and our city."
Now Blackie said their offer has been accepted by the accounting firm overseeing the sale of Catholic church properties in the St. John's area.
Blackie said the committee's bid was "north of $3 million" for the basilica, St. Bonaventure's College private school and the St. Bon's forum skating rink.
They received written notification on Monday from accounting firm Ernst & Young that they were the successful bidder, and the news was delivered to the 300-plus students and 50-plus staff at St. Bon's on Tuesday morning.
Blackie said committee members are "incredibly grateful and humbled" by the support of donors from across Canada.
"It's unbelievably good news," he said.
A spokesperson for Ernst & Young, the court-appointed monitor overseeing the sales, said information will be revealed later this week on the bidding process. The official would not comment on the sale.
The court still has to approve the winning bid.
5,700 Acts Of Sexual Abuse Committed By German Catholic Priests: Report
The diocese has official records on 610 abuse victims, according to the report by the University of Muenster -- around a third more than indicated by a previous study from 2018.
World Agence France-Presse
Updated: June 13, 2022 10:01 pm IST
At least 600 young people were documented as having been abused by Catholic priests (Representational)
Berlin: At least 600 young people were documented as having been abused by Catholic priests in the German diocese of Muenster, but the actual number of victims could be 10 times higher, a report published Monday said.
The diocese has official records on 610 abuse victims, according to the report by the University of Muenster -- around a third more than indicated by a previous study from 2018.
However, historian Natalie Powroznik, who was involved in the study, said the true number of victims could be much higher with "about 5,000 to 6,000 affected girls and boys" in the diocese.
At least 5,700 individual acts of sexual abuse had been committed by a total of 196 clergymen, including 183 priests, according to the report.
Five percent of the clergymen involved were found to be serial offenders with more than 10 victims, and less than 10 percent had faced any legal consequences.
At the peak of the abuse during the 1960s and 1970s, there were on average two cases per week in the diocese, the report said.
Three in four victims were boys, the majority between 10 and 14 years old, with many of the acts committed against altar boys or at children's and youth camps.
The study reported considerable psychological consequences for the victims reaching into adulthood, including depression and suicidal thoughts, with indications of attempted suicide in 27 cases.
Widespread abuse
The bishop of Muenster, Felix Genn, is due to comment in detail on the study on Friday.
The authors accuse Genn, who has been the bishop of Muenster since 2009, of failing to take action against abusers.
In an initial response on Monday, Genn said he would "naturally accept responsibility for the mistakes I myself made in dealing with sexual abuse".
Germany's Catholic Church has been rocked by a string of reports in recent years that have exposed widespread abuse of children by clergymen.
A study commissioned by the German Bishops' Conference in 2018 concluded that 1,670 clergymen in the country had committed some form of sexual attack against 3,677 minors between 1946 and 2014.
However, the real number of victims is thought to be much higher.
In January, a report into the diocese of Munich and Freising found indications of sexually abusive behaviour in 235 people it investigated, including 173 priests, while there were at least 497 victims.
The report also found former pope Benedict XVI had knowingly failed to take action to stop four priests accused of child sex abuse in the 1980s, when he was the archbishop of Munich.
Another report published last year exposed the scope of abuse committed by priests in Germany's top diocese of Cologne.
Retired priest charged with indecent assault after
Manitoba residential school investigation
Charge part of RCMP investigation into Fort Alexander Residential School
Cameron MacLean ·
CBC News · Posted: Jun 17, 2022 9:06 AM CT
WARNING: This story contains distressing details.
A retired priest has been charged with indecent assault in connection with a decade-long RCMP investigation into a Manitoba residential school.
Retired Father Arthur Masse, 92, was charged in connection with the sexual assault on a 10-year-old girl, who was a student at the Fort Alexander residential school, northeast of Winnipeg.
The alleged assault occurred between 1968 and 1970, police said at a news conference Friday morning.
"The victim in this case has endured a lot throughout the investigative process and has stood firm in speaking out about what happened to her," RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Paul Manaigre said at a news conference on Friday.
"The most important thing to her, today, is she was heard."
Indecent assault charge laid after RCMP probe into abuse allegations at Manitoba residential school
Police arrested Masse at his home in Winnipeg on Thursday. He was released with conditions and will appear in court in Powerview on Monday.
This is the only current investigation into residential schools by Manitoba RCMP and with this arrest, the investigation is concluded, police said.
More than 80 investigators worked on the case, contacting more than 700 people across North America to search for witnesses and victims, and obtaining 75 witness and victim statements.
"The question may be asked: Why, with all this work, was there one charge laid and not many?" Manaigre said.
"Unfortunately, due to the passage of time, many of the victims are not able to participate in the investigation, whether that be for mental or physical health reasons, or because the victim is now deceased."
The Fort Alexander residential school, on Sagkeeng First Nation territory, opened in 1905 and closed in 1970. (National Commission for Truth and Reconciliation archives)
Potential victims were given time to consider whether they wanted to give statements to police and potentially go through the court process, RCMP said.
In addition to interviewing potential victims and witnesses, investigators went through thousands of documents and archival materials and did door-to-door canvassing. After consulting with prosecution services, police decided there will be no further charges laid in connection with this investigation.
"This arrest is the culmination of a decade of work by the RCMP investigators, who would not have been able to bring this to a conclusion without the incredible bravery of the victims and witnesses who were wiling to relive past trauma and speak about what took place," Manaigre said.
If any other potential victims decide to come forward, police will follow up, Manaigre said.
Regarding the charge of indecent assault, Manaigre said at the time the offence is alleged to have happened, the charge of sexual assault did not exist in the Canadian Criminal Code.
The school opened in 1905 in the community of Fort Alexander, on the territory of Sagkeeng First Nation, and closed in 1970.
The Fort Alexander school had a reputation for abuse. Survivors told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission about starvation and harsh discipline.
Children from nearly two dozen First Nations attended the school for about 10 months of the year.
A criminal investigation began looking into the residential school in 2011.
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