Queensland passes law to jail priests for not reporting
confessions of child sexual abuse
By Mark Bowling Catholic Leader
PRIESTS in Queensland will be forced to break the seal of confession to report child sex abuse to police.
New laws passed through Queensland Parliament on Tuesday, September 8 mean religious institutions and their members are no longer able to use the sanctity of the confessional as a defence or excuse in child sex abuse matters.
The laws passed with support from both major parties, and despite strong opposition from the Catholic Church.
The new laws arose as a result of recommendations from the Royal Commission into child sexual abuse, and failure to comply will carry a three-year jail sentence.
Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge has maintained the Church commitment to the protection of children, however breaking the confessional seal would “not make a difference to the safety of young people”.
In a formal submission to a parliamentary inquiry, Archbishop Coleridge explained that stripping Catholics of the seal made priests “less a servant of God than an agent of the state”.
Come on. Priests who are sexually abusing children are not servants of God or the state. They are servants of Satan regardless of the collar they wear. If you don't know that as an Archbishop, then I think we may be narrowing in on the real strength of Satan in the Catholic Church.
He said the proposed legislation raised “major questions about religious freedom” and was based on a “poor knowledge of how the sacrament actually works in practice”.
Archbishop Coleridge said the seal “enables the penitent to speak openly before God, to stand open and honest before God, to hide nothing from the God who sees all and forgives all.”
Of course, you don't need to enter a confessional to stand open and honest before God. You simply need to be taught that God already knows, and if you don't confess openly and honestly, you don't have a hope in Hell of making it into Heaven.
However, Police Minister Mark Ryan maintains the laws will ensure better protection for vulnerable children.
“The requirement and quite frankly the moral obligation to report concerning behaviours towards everyone applies to everyone in this community,” he said.
“No one group or occupation is being singled out. Child protection is everyone’s responsibility.”
The new laws apply to information received from now, even if it relates to abuse that occurred in the past.
In parliament, One Nation MP Stephen Andrew voiced support for religious leaders.
“The bill poses a real danger for public trust and cohesion in our community,” Mr Andrew said. “Many priests and bishops have publicly stated that they will go to jail before obeying these laws.
“How confident can the people of Queensland be that they live in a free and open democracy governed by the rule of law, where the state jails its bishops?”
If the bishops are protecting child sex abusers, they deserve to be in jail.
South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory have already enacted similar laws.
Ex-Salvadoran colonel gets 133 years in prison for Jesuit slayings
By Danielle Haynes
Sept. 11 (UPI) -- A Spanish court on Friday sentenced a former Salvadoran colonel to 133 years in prison for the slayings of five Jesuit priests during his country's civil war three decades ago.
The National Court in Madrid handed down a sentence of 26 years, eight months and one day in prison to Inocente Orlando Montano for each of the five deaths.
The killings happened in 1989, during El Salvador's civil war. Catholic priests were accused during this time of collaborating with left-wing opposition members.
Troops dragged the five priests, a sixth priest, their housekeeper and the housekeeper's daughter from their beds at Central American University, and killed them.
The court found Montano responsible for the three other slayings but couldn't sentence him on those charges because his extradition from the United States to Spain didn't include those cases. The sentence was handed down for the five priests who were Spanish.
Montano is one of several military officials from El Salvador accused in the slayings.
Prosecutors said he shared oversight responsibility for a Salvadoran government radio station that urged the killings of the Spanish priests days before the massacre while he served as vice minister of Defense and Public Safety.
They said he also participated in a series of meetings during which a fellow Salvadoran army officer gave the order to kill the priests.
Montano, who previously lived in Everett, Mass., was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison in 2013 for immigration fraud and perjury.
Massachusetts clergy child sexual abuse claims against three priests settled: Mitchell Garabedian
By RICK SOBEY | rick.sobey@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald
Clergy child sexual abuse claims against three former Massachusetts priests have been settled, the victims’ lawyer announced on Monday.
Boston attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who specializes in sexual abuse cases, said he settled the clergy sexual abuse claims with the Archdiocese of Boston earlier this year.
The former priests were Fr. Sylvio Ruest, Fr. John Salvucci and Fr. T. Raymond Sullivan, according to the lawyer.
The priests decades ago were assigned to churches in Bellingham, Billerica and Dracut, respectively.
Ruest, who was assigned to Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Bellingham, was accused of sexually abusing a boy at least five times in the 1950s. The boy, a parishioner at the church, was about 13 to 14 years old at the time.
The sexual abuse took place inside the church and in the nearby rectory affiliated with the church, Garabedian said. The claim was settled in February in the “high five figures,” Garabedian said.
Salvucci, who was assigned to St. Mary’s Church in Billerica, was accused of sexually abusing a boy at least 20 times in the 1970s. The boy, a parishioner at the church, was about 15 to 17 years old at the time.
The sexual abuse took place in the rectory near the church and in a cabin in New Hampshire, Garabedian said. The claim was settled in February in the “high five figures,” the lawyer said.
Sullivan, who was assigned to St. Therese’s Church in Dracut, was accused of sexually abusing a boy at least twice in the 1970s. The boy, a parishioner at the church, was about 14 years old at the time.
11 victims who claim Lawrence priest sexually abused them settle for $1.4M: Mitchell Garabedian
The sexual abuse took place inside the church and in the nearby rectory affiliated with the church, Garabedian said. The claim was settled in January in the “low five figures,” he said.
“By coming forward these courageous clergy sexual abuse victims have empowered themselves, other victims and made the world a safer place for children,” Garabedian said in a statement. “History has taught us that pedophile priests sexually abuse as many children as possible until pedophile priests are stopped because of incarceration or infirmity. It is up to the public to take affirmative action to protect their children when they are in the presence of priests.”
The Archdiocese of Boston does not comment on legal proceedings.
Pedophile priests sexually abuse as many children as possible until pedophile priests are stopped because of incarceration or infirmity
Mitchell Garabedian
Church Court Punishes Boston Priest Found Guilty of
Child Sexual Abuse With… Prayer
BY HEMANT MEHTA, Patheos
A Catholic priest who was found guilty of sexually abusing a child was sentenced to a lifetime of… prayer.
That’s the takeaway. The reality is much more complicated.
In 2012, Rev. James Gaudreau (below), a priest working for the St. Joseph Parish in Boston, was accused of sexual abuse that allegedly occurred in 2006. When those allegations were made, Church leaders informed local law enforcement and placed him on administrative leave. So far, so good, as far as the Church’s response is concerned.
Then things got weird. In 2013, the Essex County District Attorney decided not to press charges against Gaudreau. Why not? We have no idea. It could be a lack of solid evidence; it could be that the victim’s story contained inaccuracies. Whatever the reason, it wasn’t public.
Gaudreau took that as a mark of innocence. He said in a statement at the time, “My conscience was always clear. I knew that I was innocent of any wrongdoing. I was also confident that, in time, I would be thoroughly exonerated.”
He wasn’t “thoroughly exonerated.” The DA simply chose not to pursue this case. There’s a difference.
Meanwhile, the Church’s own investigation would continue. Gaudreau was still on leave, unable to perform public ministry.
And now the Church investigation has concluded. A Catholic judicial court found Gaudreau guilty of the child sexual abuse allegations. While they have no legal authority under the law, that doesn’t mean they can’t punish him within the bubble that is Roman Catholicism, and that’s precisely what they’ve done.
The Archdiocese of Boston explained in a statement:
… his sentence has been affirmed by the Vatican to live a life of Prayer and Penance. He is not permitted to exercise any public ministry, including not being allowed to celebrate public Mass. He may not provide spiritual direction, may not wear clerical attire and cannot function in any manner as a priest. He is to live in contemplation of his sins and pray for all of those affected by his conduct.
The Catholic Church had no ability to put Gaudreau behind bars, so they punished him the only way they knew how: banning him from being a priest and, like a mother scolding a child, demanding that he think about what he’s done for the rest of his life.
There’s obviously no way to enforce that. And a priest who molests a child clearly doesn’t care what God is thinking, so it’s almost a laughably pointless punishment. It has all the emotional weight of threatening an atheist with Hell. Sure, you can do it, but will the person really care? Plus, if he’s religious, he’s supposed to be praying. Why would that be a punishment at all?
The Church’s justice system is broken.
There was no explanation for how the Catholic court arrived at a guilty verdict when the District Attorney passed on the case.
Woodbridge, Metuchen, NJ Priests Accused Of Child Sex Abuse
By Carly Baldwin, Patch Staff
WOODBRIDGE, NJ — New accusations of child sex abuse have been made against a Catholic priest who worked in Woodbridge in the mid-80s, as well as against a teacher at Saint Joseph, an elite boys' Catholic prep school in Metuchen.
The Woodbridge priest is Father Patrick Barrett, who worked at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic church in Port Reading. The St. Joe's teacher is Brother Regis Moccia, accused of abusing a student who attended the school in the mid '90s.
Both were named in lawsuits filed this week against the diocese of Metuchen. This is the first time either man has been accused of such a crime.
Both men are also deceased: Moccia died in 2002, and Barrett passed away in 2005, according to the diocese.
Barrett is accused of sexually abusing a child who attended St. Anthony's from approximately 1983 to 1984. The victim was 9 to 10 years old at the time.
The Woodbridge victim said he or she was raised in a devout Roman Catholic family and regularly attended St. Anthony in Port Reading in the 1980s. The victim and his/her family "participated in youth activities and/or church activities at St. Anthony" and often came in contact with Father Barrett.
"The plaintiff (victim) developed great admiration, trust, reverence and respect for the Roman Catholic Church, including Fr. Barrett," read the suit. "During and through these activities, plaintiff, as a minor and vulnerable child, was dependent on Father Barrett."
"From approximately 1983 to 1984, when plaintiff was approximately 9 to 10 years old, Fr. Barrett engaged in unpermitted sexual contact with plaintiff," it continued. "The culture of the Catholic Church created pressure on Plaintiff not to report the abuses suffered. (The diocese) knew or should have known that Fr. Barrett was a danger to children before Fr. Barrett sexually assaulted Plaintiff. At the very least, defendants knew or should have known that they did not have sufficient information about whether or not their leaders and people working at Catholic institutions within the Diocese were safe."
The suits also argue that Father Barrett's superiors should have more closely monitored his behavior with children.
The second lawsuit was filed this week against Brother Regis Moccia, accusing him of sexually abusing a 13- to 14-year-old student at St. Joseph High School in Metuchen from approximately 1994 to 1995.
Moccia was a member of the Catholic Brothers of the Sacred Heart, which staffs the Catholic all-boys school in Metuchen.
"While we have not received the complaint and cannot comment on pending litigation, our prayers are with all survivors of abuse, today and always, that they may experience healing and hope," said Anthony Kearns III, Esq., spokesperson for the diocese of Metuchen. "Brother Regis Moccia, S.C., who was a Brother of the Sacred Heart and served at a private Catholic school and Rev. Patrick H. Barrett, are deceased, having died in 2002 and 2005, respectively. Since that time and for nearly 20 years, the Diocese of Metuchen has taken decisive steps forward to ensure there is no room for abuse to fester or remain hidden in the darkness."
According to Kearns, since 2002 the Diocese of Metuchen has required background checks for all clergy, employees and volunteers and also relies on a review board to review every accusation as soon as it is received, unless there is an active criminal investigation.
No cleric who has had a credible accusation of child sexual abuse is in active ministry, according to the Catholic church.
"We encourage anyone who has been harmed in any way, by any clergy in the Church, to notify law enforcement by calling 1-877 NJ ABUSE and to also reach out to our Director of Child and Youth Protection at (908) 930-4558," he said.
The suit was filed this week by law firms Jeff Anderson & Associates and Gianforcaro Law.
The lawyers argue that the diocese of Metuchen owed families in that area "a duty of reasonable care because they solicited youth and parents for participation in their youth programs; undertook custody of minor children, promoted their facilities and programs as being safe for children; held their agents, including Fr. Barrett, out as safe to work with children and encouraged parents and children to spend time with their agents."
Both cases were brought under the New Jersey Child Sexual Abuse Act/New Jersey Victims' Rights Bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Murphy in 2019. The bills lifted the statute of limitations on certain sexual offense, allowing child victims of sexual abuse to sue their alleged abusers until they turn 55 or within seven years of their first realization that the abuse caused harm.
Previously, victims had just two years to allege abuse happened.
"The courageous survivors who brought suit today are reclaiming the power that was stolen from them as children," said attorney Greg Gianforcaro. "We are honored to stand with them in their pursuit of truths that have been hidden for far too long."
"These survivors are standing up, speaking out and seizing the opportunity afforded by New Jersey's Child Sexual Abuse Act which has opened the courthouse doors for survivors of any age to take action for a limited time," said attorney Jeff Anderson. "It's time for a reckoning in the Diocese of Metuchen."
Both lawsuits seek monetary damages from the Diocese of Metuchen.
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