Lanning ritual abuse report appendix. CHRISTIAN SEX CRIMES - REPORTED THROUGH MARCH 1993 (by U.S. states, Canadian states, other countries) *** ALABAMA *** SETTLEMENT SHROUDS BAPTIST CASE. A secret settlement was reached just before a civil suit went to jury against Moffett Road Baptist Church minister Henry Hobson, Mobile, for sexually abusing a girl, 14. Hobson admitted having sexual intercourse with the girl he referred to as an adopted daughter, once when she accompanied him on church "visitation". He admitted she "wanted out", but called her a "pleasant diversion". At first he denied her accusations and asked her to say she had lied, for "damage control". He resigned in April 1991 after a suicide attempt when the girl confided in the youth pastor about him. Attorney Robert Cunningham, Jr. told jurors that many church members shunned the 9th grader, blaming her. His attorney argued, "It certainly was not part of his job to have sexual intercourse with her, and therefore the church is not responsible," adding: "He thought it was better she learn about sex from him rather than some young boy at school." Source: _Mobile Register_ 2/12/93. PRIEST ADMITS SEX WITH 10 TEENS. Wilputte Alanson "Lan" Sherwood, 48, pastor of St. Benedict Catholic Church in Chandler, admitted having sex with 10 teenagers following a recent arrest for trying to molest a male hitchhiker, 17. Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien told reporters he knew of Sherwood's arrest in 1986 for indecent exposure, but found him "remorseful and embarrassed" so did not relieve him of duties. Sherwood was convicted twice for exposing himself in X-rated bookstores; the court ordered him to stay out of adult bookstores. The priest admitted to picking up hitchhikers, taking them home to the rectory, and videotaping them in various sex acts, including a boy as young as 14. Police confiscated 272 pornographic videos, and four 3-ring binders recording the first names of sex partners, physical descriptions, list of acts performed, ages, and "scores" rating their performances. Although relieved of duties, Sherwood will receive a $685 a month salary and $550 a month car allowance. Source: _Arizona Republic_ 3/13/93, 3/20/93. *** CALIFORNIA *** MOLESTING SACRAMENTO PRIEST CODDLED. A retired priest, 78, received no prison time, even though he pleaded no contest to charges of sexually molesting a girl, age 7. James Monaghan must perform 120 hours' community service, undergo 5 years' probation, register as a sex offender and continue counseling. He molested the girl, now 11, as she sat on his lap during "counseling". Court-appointed psychologist Shawn Johnston, apparently a Catholic, recommended leniency: "It strikes me as a rather sad case in which an elderly Catholic priest appears to have seriously stumbled after more than 50 years of service to his church and the community." Source: _San Francisco Examiner_ 2/28/93. PRIEST ALLOWED TO ABUSE CHOIRBOYS? Six choir members allege that priest Richard T. Coughlin molested them 20-30 years ago with impunity. Joseph Beckman, now 32, said his parents first told church officials about Coughlin's criminal behavior in 1974, but they did nothing. Coughlin, founder of the All-American Boys Chorus Q which grosses $500,000 a year with 125 boys ages 8-14 and gave performances at the Vatican Q resigned on Dec. 28. He was stripped of all public duties as a priest and forbidden involvement with the choir. Parents were told Coughlin had resigned for "personal reasons", unaware of abuse claims until revealed in a _Los Angeles Times_ story. Matthew Roehl, 27, says he and 2 other boys told the assistant choir director in 1979 that Coughlin had made sexual advances toward them. The priest kissed Roehl dozens of times during choir bus rides at night as other boys slept. "I have absolutely no recollection, I swear to the Almighty, of these charges," Coughlin told the _LA Times_. "I certainly cannot say that I know that I did it, because I can't recollect anything. I'm a confused and very much destroyed man." Many choir members and colleagues insist Coughlin is innocent, accusing the men of wanting "attention", even though the diocese expressed "reasonable belief that there may be some foundation to the allegations". More than 200 parents of choirboys past and present met to express support for Coughlin, with only a few voicing concern that complaints were suppressed. Source: _Inland Valley Daily Bulletin_ 2/16/93, _LA Times_ 2/10&11/93, _Orange Co. Register_ 2/11/93. MORE PRIESTS ACCUSED BY EX-STUDENTS. Former St. Anthony's Seminary students have accused more priests of possible sexual molestation at the now-closed school. "We have names of other priests we're looking into," said Geoffrey Stearns, chairman of an independent inquiry into the scandal at the former Santa Barbara school. Just how many priests are implicated has not been determined. The probe was launched in January at the insistence of members of St. Anthony's Greater Community (parish). They spoke up after 2 priests at the seminary were accused of sexually abusing their students or members of the school's associated Santa Barbara Boys Choir. The priests included Philip Wolfe, who was convicted and imprisoned for 1 year after a former student reported he forced him to perform oral sex 12 years before. And priest Robert Van Handel was accused by a former student of forcing him to strip, undergo massage, and be photographed, as well as having other boys strip and touching their genitals. Van Handel was recently removed from his duties in Oakland and sent to Maryland for psychological treatment. A third priest, Mario Cimmarusti, who taught at the seminary in the 1960s, has also been accused of molestation. Source: _Santa Barbara News-Press_ 3/19/93. *** COLORADO *** CULT LEADER GETS 16 YEARS. Fugitive religious leader James Randazzo, convicted in 1989 of sexual exploitation of children, was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Founder of Spiral of Friends cult, he videotaped sex sessions with teenaged children during "therapy". His wife Colleen is serving an 8-year prison term. Randazzo had skipped the country, but was nabbed last fall in Hungary. Source: _Rocky Mountain News_ 1/30/93. *** CONNECTICUT *** HARTFORD PRIEST SUED FOR ABUSE. A civil suit accuses a priest of sexually abusing 3 students when he was chaplain and teacher at Northwest Catholic High School in the 1970s. Rev. Ivan Ferguson, 58, is not named in the suit, but the Archdiocese of Hartford and the school are. The men accuse the priest of repeatedly molesting them between 1975-1978. In 1991, the state legislature extended the statute of limitations to permit victims to sue until the age of 35. Attorney Thomas M. McNamara of New Haven said the men had not come forward earlier "out of a sense of guilt, shame, and embarrassment, and also because they are up against an institution like the church - and who is to believe them over the word of a man of God?" Ferguson, who specialized in youth ministry, joined the chaplaincy staff of Hartford Hospital 8 years ago. He is the 4th Catholic priest in the state to be accused since January of molesting youths: In January a lawsuit was filed in Superior Court, Bridgeport against Rev. Raymond S. Pcolka, 53. Fifteen adults say he raped and sodomized them at churches in Strafford and Bridgeport between 1966- 1982. Rev. Felix H. Maguire, 66, was sued in January in New Haven by a former parishioner of St. Therese's Church, then aged 15. Rev. Kieran Ahearn, 55, of St. Mary Church, Bethel, was arrested by Massachusetts police for indecent assault of a minor when he was on a skiing vacation. He pleaded not guilty Jan. 21. Source: _Hartford Courant_ 3/11/93. PCOLKA CHECKS OUT OF CHURCH TREATMENT. The Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport "revoked the authority" of priest Raymond S. Pcolka, accused of sexually abusing 15 young people, after he walked out of a Catholic psychiatric institute against the advice of staff and his bishop. The diocese says it "disclaims any responsibility" for Pcolka "from this day forward". "It seems to me the press release is an attempt by the diocese to reduce its liability," says T. Paul Tremont, attorney of 13 men suing the priest. The lawsuits allege the diocese knew Pcolka was molesting children but failed to protect them. Source: _Hartford Courant_ 3/10/93. A Massachusetts woman became another litigant. She says Pcolka sexually assaulted her 18 years ago when she went to him for religious instruction. Source: _New York Times_ 1/21/93. BOOK RECOUNTS IRISH SCANDAL. The _Sunday Times_ of London published excerpts of a book by a Connecticut woman who had an affair with deposed Irish bishop Eammon Casey of Galway. Casey is believed to be in counseling with a priest-psychiatrist at the Institute of Living in Hartford, following his resignation in May 1992 after Annie Murphy of Ridgefield disclosed to an Irish newspaper that the prelate was the father of her son Peter, now 18. _Hartford Courant_ 3/17/93. *** ILLINOIS *** MAYER (FINALLY) GETS 3 YEARS. The Rev. Robert E. Mayer, 53, implicated in numerous cases of sexually abusing minors, was sentenced to 3 years in prison for molesting a girl, 13. Four men also testified during the trial about Mayer's advances toward them 9 years ago, when they were 13 and 14. "The evidence indicates a long history of sexually inappropriate conduct with children and adults," said prosecutor Mark Cavins. "This crime was not committed on impulse or spur of the moment." Mayer is the first priest in Cook Co. to be sentenced to prison. He continued to maintain his innocence, pleading for mercy: "As God is my witness, I was never alone with the girl," Mayer told the judge. Judge Thomas Durkin replied, "God is not your judge today." Source: _Chicago Tribune_ 2/6/93. GOVERNOR WON'T COMMUTE DAVIS. Illinois Governor James Edgar rejected a plea for executive clemency filed by the relentless Rev. L.R. Davis, convicted child molester and pastor at Christian Fellowship Church, Waukegan. Davis got a 31-year sentence for sexual acts with 2 teenage boys recruited into the church from Mexico. About 200 Davis supporters packed a hearing for his petition in January. Source: [Waukegan, IL] _News Sun_ 2/12/93. THREE BELLEVIEW PRIESTS REMOVED. Three priests in the Catholic Diocese of Belleville were asked to take leaves of absence for sexual misconduct by Bishop James Keleher. Rev. James Calhoun resigned after allegations he had sex with a youth more than 20 years ago. Parishioners are rallying behind Rev. Robert Vonnahmen, accused of sexual relations with a minor, more than 25 years ago. The third priest, Rev. Jerome Ratterman, left Blessed Sacrament Church in Belleville following a charge of misconduct 20 years ago. The bishop say all the priests are receiving therapy, and victims are encouraged to come forward for "professional counseling and pastoral care". Source: _Evansville Courier_ 3/22/93. PRIEST GETS 5 YEARS FOR MOLESTING BOY. The priest at St. John's Catholic Church in Walnut, Illinois was sentenced to 3 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Bureau Co. Toussaint J. Perron, 61, admitted abusing a boy, 14, in August. Other sexual misconduct allegations in which the statute of limitation had expired were introduced in court to support the prison sentence. Perron was also priest at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Ohio. Source: _Chicago Sun Times_ 2/20/93, _Quad- City Times_ 2/18/93. GREELEY ESTIMATES 100,000 ARE PRIEST'S VICTIMS. In an article in the March 20 Jesuit magazine _America_, Chicago priest Andrew Greeley estimates that 2,000-4,000 members of the U.S. priesthood have molested young people, with victims "well in excess" of 100,000, and cost of treatment, lawyers and liability settlements running at "$50 million a year and rising". Greeley bases this on information released by the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. Greeley said, "An estimate of one out of ten priests as sexual abusers might be too high and an estimate of one out of 20 might be too low." Source: _Boston Globe_ 3/19/93. *** INDIANA *** YOUTH MINISTER CHARGED. Garden City Church of Christ youth minister Rev. Cameron K. Huffman, 41, was charged with 21 counts of child molestation for molesting a young boy for a year. Huffman had admitted to being a pedophile during a counseling session. When the church in Columbus was notified of Huffman's admission, it fired him and informed the congregation, also calling police. Police received complaints against Rev. Huffman from other Indiana cities and states, but the 5-year statute of limitations has hampered some investigations. Source: _Indianapolis Star_ 1/28/93. METHODIST MINISTER ASSAULTS DEPRESSED TEENAGER? A lawsuit filed in February accuses United Methodist minister R. Gene Voss of sexually assaulting a female teenager during counseling sessions for depression at the First United Methodist Church, Crawfordsville. In 1984 her minister began fondling the 15-year-old, initiating intercourse when she was 16. "Over the next four years Gene Voss raped the plaintiff over 60 times," says the lawsuit. The woman has incurred more than $65,000 in treatment for abuse. Voss gave up his minister credentials in 1991. She is also suing the Crawfordsville church and the United Methodist South Indiana Conference. "You can say anything in a lawsuit," was the cavalier response of the conference's legal advisor. Source: _Indianapolis Star_ 2/4/93. *** KANSAS *** KANSAS CITY DIOCESE COVERS UP PRIEST CASE. Jackson Co.'s prosecutor, investigating claims that a Kansas City priest molested several boys, charges Catholic officials with refusing to cooperate with a criminal investigation. Not only did the church place pressure on prosecutors to drop the case, it tried to censor the story in the _Kansas City Star_, insisting the "story was of no public value". The church also insists the parents of the victims do not want to press charges. The Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph sent Rev. Michael Brewer to an unnamed treatment center, after several families at St. Elizabeth's Parish accused him of improperly touching their boys. The priest was previously accused of caressing a boy's buttocks 2 years ago. The Rev. Norman Rotert, vicar-general, admitted Brewer was sent to therapy then, but the church did not consider it serious. "In hindsight, we would have been better off to have sent him to a national center for evaluation." The diocese adopted a secret policy in 1988 to deal with molesting priests, but finally published it last December. Generally the policy is to put the accused priest on leave and require an evaluation. Source: _Kansas City Star_ 2/12/93. *** MAINE *** PRIEST ACCUSED OF MOLESTING BOYS IN CAMP. Marist priest Armand Thibault, 60, was indicted for unlawful sexual contact and endangering the welfare of a child involving 3 boys at a church camp in Long Lake. The priest with a parish in Van Buren, was also chaplain for 2 Boy Scout troops, but the charges do not involve either Scouts or altar boys. Aristook Co. Asst. D.A. John Pluto praised the "courageous effort" of the boys in coming forward. The diocesan chancellor admitted Thibault told the chancery about the sexual misconduct charges on Sept. 30. On Oct. 2 the diocese called the D.A.'s office and human services. On Oct. 3 Thibault halted his public ministry. Source: _Bangor Daily News_ 3/13-14/93. PRIEST ACCUSED OF MOLESTING PORTLAND CHILDREN. Retired priest James Vallely, now living in Florida, was accused by 3 men of molesting them when they were kids at St Dominic's Parish in Portland. Vallely was placed on administrative leave and can perform no public ministry until the investigation is complete. Source: _Bangor Daily News_ 3/17/93. THIRD MAINE PRIEST ACCUSED. Priest of the largest Catholic parish in the state, John L. Audibert, 53, went on leave after being named for molesting a 15-year-old about 17 years ago in Caribou. He was diocesan priest for 25 years. His associate pastor at Holy Cross Parish, Rev. John Allen, said: "Father John is a beloved and well- respected priest of the diocese. I am confident that the allegations toward him are being handled by the diocese with great sensitivity for him and for the accuser." Source: _Bangor Daily News_ 3/17/93. *** MASSACHUSETTS *** LAVIGNE RELEASED OVER VICTIMS' OBJECTIONS. Despite pleas by former altar boys against the release of convicted molester Rev. Richard Lavigne, he was released in January after serving only 7 months at a Catholic treatment center. Four survivors of abuse recounted at a news conference how they were molested, raped, and coerced into stealing for the priest. The priest, 51, pleaded guilty in June to reduced charges of indecent assault for fondling boys at St. Joseph's Parish in Shelburne Falls, and was given only 10 years probation. He was ordered to spend 7 months to a year at St Luke's (Catholic) Institute in Suitland, Md. Seven other men sent testimony about being molested by Lavigne to be read at the conference: "I was very terrified, scared, embarrassed, and humiliated," testified Raymond Gouin, recalling how Lavigne routinely drove him to a motel, left him in the parking lot and had him scale a wall to meet him in a room. His brother Joseph recalled how he had all the altar boys sleep in one bed during one trip, molesting him twice that evening. The men said Lavigne had boys, some as young as 11, steal antiques in Massachusetts and Vermont. Several went into therapy and drugs. "I looked at this man as a big brother," said Joseph Shattuck, 19, who said Lavigne raped him when he was an altar boy in 1987. "My self-esteem and confidence have been destroyed by Father Lavigne." The 11 men, including two nephews of the former Springfield D.A., characterized the priest as a sometimes violent, threatening man who assaulted them between 1967 and 1990 at U.S. and Canadian motels, a camp, in Arizona, at the home of Lavigne's parents, and various rectories and churches. "I felt dirty, used and damned. Father Lavigne intimidated me by telling me he was God's worker, and if I ever told anyone, God would send me to Hell," stated Raymond J. Chelte ll, 37. The 11 victims are seeking unspecified damages, as well as assurances Lavigne will never be allowed near children again. Four of them had already taken part in criminal proceedings against Lavigne. No new molestation charges are expected. Lavigne was ordered not to serve as a parish priest or work alone with children under age 16 during his 10-year probation. Source: _Boston Herald_, _Springfield Union-News_ 1/29/93. CROTEAU MURDER STILL HAUNTS LAVIGNE. One of 11 men testifying against Rev. Richard R. Lavigne's release in January was Los Angeles TV director Michael A. McMahon, whose statements reopened interest in the unsolved murder of altar boy Danny Croteau, 11. Croteau's battered body was found dead, floating in the Chicopee River in 1972. Police told the Croteau family that Lavigne was the prime suspect, but he was never charged with the unsolved murder. McMahon stated how Lavigne made the boys feel "very special", then molested them on overnight excursions. He recalled, in horse-play, how he had pushed another boy, Danny Croteau, to the floor. "Father Lavigne saw this and struck me in the face so hard it knocked me down. I was shocked, hurt, embarrassed, and confused ... He molested me that night." Hampden Co. DA William M. Bennett reportedly wants a court order requiring a blood sample from Lavigne, so he can compare it with blood found near the site where Croteau's body was found more than 20 years ago. Source: _Springfield Union-News_ 1/30/93. REV. PROVOST FOUND GUILTY. Worcester Diocese priest Ronald D. Provost of Barre was found guilty of photographing a nude boy in September 1992. He argued it was an accident, but had to turn over hundreds of photos of nude boys to police. Source: _Boston Globe_ 2/8/93. MORE COVERUP ON MSGR. KELLEY. More victims have come forward naming Msgr. Robert Kelley, who is serving 5 to 7 years for repeatedly raping a 9-year-old girl in her own bedroom. In February, 4 other victims from Leominster and Gardner telephoned an attorney representing the girl, now a university student, saying they too were victimized. She had met with Bishop Harrington in 1990, saying he appeared less contrite than concerned about himself. A second family accuses the bishop of assuring them that a priest who sexually assaulted their child would be sent to an institution for help, then banned from serving as a priest. But the Worcester Diocese newspaper later published the priest's name in its directory of local priests. Bishop Harrington was reportedly infuriated at the inadvertent revelation that the priest was still serving. "What they were really protecting was the good public name of the church," one observer told the _Boston Globe_. Source: _Boston Globe_ 2/8/93. VICTIM OBJECTS TO PRIEST'S RELEASE. A college student raped by a Roman Catholic priest when she was a young girl asked the state to make Rev. Robert E. Kelley serve his full prison sentence rather than release him early on parole The former pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Gardner was sentenced in March 1990 to 5 to 7 years in prison after pleading guilty to assault and unnatural rape of a child. "The victim was robbed of her childhood by Father Kelley, and she continues to suffer the effects of the abuse," noted her attorney Robert L. Rice Jr. The Worcester diocese declined to get involved with the parole proceedings. Source: Associated Press. *** MICHIGAN *** LUTHERAN TEACHER CHARGED. St. Paul's Lutheran elementary school teacher Gerald J. Bauer, Jr., 31, was charged with molesting a Student, 12, during a visit to his home. The Farmington Hills teacher was charged with 1st and 2nd degree criminal sexual conduct. Source: _Detroit Free Press_ 2/13/93. MORE CHARGES DISMISSED AGAINST BAPTIST. Washtenaw Co. Dist. Judge Thomas F. Shea threw out 2 charges of 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct against Baptist deacon Mark Foeller, leaving 6 counts of criminal sexual conduct. The deacon and bus driver at North Sharon Baptist Church is accused of raping a boy, 9, twice, at the church, which has a campaign to bus low-income children from 4 counties to its Sunday school and church camp. The dismissals follow earlier dismissals against assistant pastor Timothy Lee Leonard, 33, originally charged with 12 similar counts. Judges dismissed all his charges, saying the alleged victims were either too young to testify or that their testimony was too vague. At least one family will file a civil lawsuit against the North Sharon Baptist Church and Leonard, according to Ann Arbor attorney Mark A. Hopper. "We will sue the church for negligent hiring and negligent retention of those workers." Leonard has been invited back to the church and is directing its music programs. A mother told a reporter she was "stunned" and "numb" by the judge's decision. Shea ruled that a 9- year-old could not testify about being raped in the church nursery, because she couldn't say on which day it happened. Source: _Jackson Citizen Patriot_ 2/5&18/93. *** MINNESOTA *** PORTER LITIGANTS MAY CITE VATICAN. Twenty victims of former Catholic priest James Porter are considering a move to sue the Vatican, since laicization documents "implicate the Vatican", says attorney Jeffrey Anderson. The St. Paul attorney is one of the nation's leading counsel for clergy abuse victims. Porter was recently convicted of molesting a babysitter at his home in 1987. The Fall River diocese in Massachusetts just settled numerous lawsuits with East Coast victims. Porter faces criminal charges there, and other civil suits in New Mexico, where he abused victims while in Catholic "treatment". Porter wrote Pope Paul Vl in May 17, 1973, documenting 13 years of "falls" and numerous transfers. Source: _Minneapolis Star-Tribune_ 2/12/93. MOLESTER STILL LISTED IN CHURCH ANNUAL. A Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod pastor who admitted to sexually molesting a Duluth boy and who is being sued for molestation by 3 others, is still listed as a pastor in good standing in the synod's 1993 Lutheran Annual. Rev. Daniel Reeb admitted in 1991 that he molested a parishioner, 13, several times in the 1960s, and made official testimony about it to church officials. His victim and several others have filed lawsuits. Reeb resigned a year ago, but was put on "restricted status" and can still preach. He moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming. Source: _News-Tribune_ 3/3/93. LUTHERAN PASTOR ADMITS SEX WITH BOY. Cloquet pastor Wayne Vetter of Zion Lutheran Church pleaded guilty to 1st degree criminal sexual contact with a juvenile. He is in counseling for sexual abuse and is expected to be sentenced to a correctional center. He served ministries in Madison, Wis., and Grand Forks, N.D. A man came forward to say Vetter had molested him in Grand Forks, but the statute of limitations has expired. Vetter admitted to a habit of anonymous Sex in public places. Source: _Duluth News-Tribune_ 3/19/93. POLL REVEALS WIDESPREAD ABUSE. 6% of Minnesotans personally know someone who has been sexually abused by a member of the clergy, and 2% say they have been touched by a clergyperson in a way that made them uncomfortable, according to a _Star Tribune_/WCCO-TV Minnesota Poll. About 1% of parents say their children have told them they have been touched by a clergyperson or church worker in such a way. The newspaper, extrapolating from that, figures that 58,700 to 124,100 Minnesota adults have been touched in such a way. A phone survey of 1,222 Minnesotans was taken from Jan. 26 to Feb. 5. The level of sexual abuse was similar for Protestants and Roman Catholics: 7% of Protestants had personal knowledge of such abuse while 5% of Catholics did. Gary Schoener, an expert in sexual misconduct by professionals, called this "pretty high", indicating regular occurrence. A 1991 survey of Minnesota clergy showed 15% of mainline Protestant clergy admitted to an affair outside of marriage, and 21% of Roman Catholic clergy admitted to a sexual relationship. Source: _Star Tribune_ 2/21/93 *** NEBRASKA *** CHARGES REDUCED FOR PASTOR. Third-degree sexual assault charges were reduced to attempted contributing to delinquency of a minor against Beatrice pastor Rev. Norman Scott Callahan, 50, associate pastor of Centenary United Methodist Church. He is accused of sexual contact with a boy, 15, and was suspended for 60 days from his post. Source: _Omaha World-Herald_ 3/20/93. *** NEW HAMPSHIRE *** LANCASTER PRIEST ARRESTED. Father Leo Shea of All Saints Catholic Church was arrested and charged with felonious sexual assault of a boy, 14, at a rectory in Troy in the early 1980s. The church placed him on administrative leave. The exploitative relationship including alcohol occurred when the altar boy was 14 to 19. He also gave the boy about $7,000. In interviewing at least 9 former Troy altar boys, police found 4 who alleged sexual contact by Father Shea. A mother whose 2 sons had told her Shea molested them reported this to another priest working in Keene, who assured her Father Shea "would be taken care of". The priest was merely transferred. Bishop Leo E. O'Neil of the Manchester Diocese was "saddened and deeply concerned over the charge". Police taped a conversation between the priest and his accuser in which he appears to admit that the church was aware of his misconduct. Source: _Coos Co. Democrat-Lancaster N.H._ 3/17/93. *** NEW JERSEY *** SUIT HITS DIOCESE FOR LOSS OF FAITH. Four Burlington families who say their daughters were molested by a Medford priest have filed suit against Catholic officials for deception and loss of faith. They accuse Rev. Florencia Pineda Tumang, pastor at St. Mary's of the Lakes Church, of fondling them from 1987 to 1992. Tumang has been a fugitive since last April, following the first accusation. The suit is unusual because it charges that due to loss of faith, the families have lost their "salvation". In 1990 the families of 3 of the girls informed Tumang's superiors about the allegations, but the diocese did nothing, effectively inviting the assault of a fourth girl, then 13. Tumang, 70, was indicted for the incident, but fled after church officials talked to him. He is believed to have returned to the Philippines. The families fault the church for failing to report abuse and engaging in a coverup. Source: _Philadelphia Inquirer_ 3/4/93. MENNONITE REV. RAPED DAUGHTER? The Rev. Eugenio Matos, 61, was charged with 18 counts of repeatedly raping his daughter over an 11- year period. The pastor of the Spanish Mennonite Church in Trenton has 12 children. He is accused of sexually assaulting the girl when she was 5 in 1981, continuing the abuse until his arrest in March, 1992. Source: _Trenton Times_ 2/4/93. 5 YEARS FOR COMPULSIVE SEX OFFENDER-PRIEST. Compulsive, repetitive sex offender Rev. John G. Pisarcik, 48, must serve 5 years without parole at the state's Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center, for molesting 2 boy church members. Pisarcik had been at the church-run treatment center in New Mexico since his arrest in October 1991. He pleaded guilty last year, after a victim confided in his parents, to 2 counts of aggravated sexual assault against victims under the age of 13. "He's been working hard, but he's not yet driven out all the demons," defense attorney Donald Belsole told the judge. A statement from one of the youths was read in court: "I trusted him, and he destroyed that trust. My main concern is that he never does this again and puts another child and family through what I am [going through]." Source: _Newark Star-Ledger_ 1/16/93. *** NEW YORK *** N.Y. ARCHDIOCESE HIT WITH $50 MILLION SUIT. The Catholic Archdiocese of New York is being sued for $5 million for placing a priest with a history of sexual misconduct in charge of a church youth program, where he molested a teenager. Rev. Daniel Calabrese pleaded guilty last year to sodomizing a boy, 16, at St. Mary's church in Poughkeepsie, after giving him vodka. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and 5 years' probation, and is currently at the Catholic Church's unlicensed treatment center at a resort in Jemez Springs, New Mexico. The archdiocese denies knowledge of the priest's past and claims the boy "willingly consented to and participated in the [sex] act." Attorneys for the archdiocese argued in court that an inquiry into the handling of Calabrese would be an unconstitutional intervention in religious affairs. Dutchess Co. D.A. William Grady wrote Cardinal John O'Connor last year that the church's mishandling of the priest "defied logic". Calabrese was transferred to St. Mary's after being ousted from St. Paul's Church in Congers, after being caught drinking with teenage boys and showing them pornography. Grady told the _New York Post_ that the parish priest, Rev. Philip Hill, asked 2 assistant D.A.s and a police officer on the day of Calabrese's arrest: "Can we make this go away if we make Father Calabrese go away?" Such behavior "caused me grave concern about how the church addresses rehabilitation and punishment". Source: _New York Post_ 2/19/93, _NY Times_ 2/24/93. MONTICELLO PRIEST CONVICTED, ARCHDIOCESE PROTECTED. A Sullivan Co. jury found priest Juan Bazalar guilty of 6 counts of sexual abuse and sodomy involving an altar boy, 14. He had been transferred by the Archdiocese of New York to the Monticello Church of St. Peter. Dill Michaels, a member of Victims of Clergy Abuse Anonymous in New York, accuses that archdiocese of trying to "keep the appearance of innocence", minimize its involvement and protect its image. According to court documents, Bazalar's pastor told him to leave Monticello and go to New York City in Dec. 1991, after a friend of the victim reported the abuse to police. Monsignor Edward O'Donnell told him to leave the country. The Peruvian priest fled to Canada, and on June 30,1992 was extradited. Source: _New York Post_, [Middletown] _Times-Herald_ 2/20/93, 2/26/93. *** NEW MEXICO *** EXPOSED ARCHBISHOP RESIGNS. Archbishop Robert Sanchez, 59, the first U.S. Hispanic archbishop and secretary of National Conference of Catholic Bishops, resigned following continued reports, including a segment on "60 Minutes", that he molested at least 4 or 5 young women. Albuquerque Archdiocese Chancellor Ron Wolf admitted that Sanchez, away at a retreat on Vatican orders to seclude himself, had acknowledged having a "relationship" with 3 women. Wolf insists that "60 Minutes" tapes of the 3 women showed them describing consensual relationships, "certainly not forced". The women, who were teenagers at the time, described traumatic betrayal, intimidation, unsolicited advances, and use of religion to seduce. Sanchez released a vague statement expressing regret for his actions without specifying what they were. Sanchez had come under criticism last year for not reacting more forcefully to sexual abuse charges in his community. Sources: _New York Times_, _Omaha World Herald_ 3/10/93; Associated Press 3/21/93. RETIRED PRIEST INDICTED. Retired priest David A. Holley, 65, already the subject of civil suits by victims, was indicted on 8 felony charges of sexually molesting young boys in the early 1970s in Alamogordo. The charges include sodomy, sexual assault, and aggravated sodomy involving 8 boys. Holley served in the Worcester, Massachusetts diocese, and was sent to the church's unlicensed treatment center in New Mexico when parents accused him of molesting their sons. He was given pastorships in New Mexico where he continued to abuse kids, according to suits. Source: _Springfield Union News_ 1/29/93. *** OHIO *** TOLEDO PRIEST TO RESIGN. Following publicity in the _Toledo Blade_ detailing the sexual abuse of Barbara Blaine as a devout teenager by her priest, that diocese will finally force the resignation of the unnamed priest from his position as a hospital chaplain. Blaine has spent 7 years trying to remove him from positions of authority in the Catholic Church. His superior, Rev. James Cryan, continued to side with the priest and accuse Blaine of an "adolescent crush", until "a number of other women" came forward to report similar improprieties. "I think the church is making a mistake in thinking he is the victim, when in fact he is the perpetrator. The church is doing nothing for me or the other women." Sources: _Toledo Blade_ 1/29/93, _St. Louis Post-Dispatch_ 2/21/93. EPISCOPAL PRIEST CHARGED WITH SEXUAL BATTERY. An Episcopal priest, Douglas Hodges, 57, was charged with sexual battery, a 3rd-degree felony, in a 1991 incident involving a parishioner in counseling. A Fostoria woman and her husband, who said Hodges had sexual intercourse with her during counseling, had previously filed a civil suit against Hodges, Bishop James Moodey of the Episcopal diocese of Ohio, Trinity Episcopal Church, Fostoria, and the owner of the counseling center. An Episcopal official says Hodges is no longer a priest, but declined further comment. Source: _Toledo Blade_ 2/11/93. *** OREGON *** PARISH SUPPORTS PORTLAND PREYING PASTOR. Prominent pastor Rev. Willie B. Smith, 64, former president of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, is accused of sexually abusing 3 teenage girls at First African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. He was charged with 11 counts of 1st degree sexual abuse, a felony, and 1 count of 3rd degree sexual abuse, a misdemeanor. Pastors in the community were quick to speak about his "exemplary" work. Two of the victims told police Smith had cornered them in his church office and groped them. A third said she was repeatedly abused by Smith for 16 months, beginning in September 1990. The victims were 12, 13, and 17 at the time of the incidents. Almost every parishioner lined up to hug, kiss and reassure Smith following the arrest. Source: _Oregonian_ 3/13,15/93. *** PENNSYLVANIA *** SUIT: HIV+ PRIEST MOLESTED KIDS. Two families are suing the Diocese of Scranton alleging that a priest convicted of sexual abuse molested the youths knowing he tested positive for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), precursor of AIDS. One suit charges that Robert N. Caparelli of St. Vincent DePaul Church, Milford, knew he was HIV+ in 1984, and began molesting their son in 1985. Parents amended the original suit filed in 1991 to include the HIV complaint. The second civil suit, filed in February, claims the priest breached his duty to another victim by failing to inform him that Caparelli was putting him at risk of contracting AIDS and other sexually-transmitted diseases. Caparelli was sentenced last summer to 2-5 years in prison and fined $5,000 for pleading guilty to sexually abusing a boy, 13. Further criminal charges may be filed. The priest has applied for public-funded legal representation! The local newspaper noted that his incarceration so far has already cost taxpayers more than $10,000 through January 1993, not including about $1,100 in special medical tests for him. Source: _Pike Co. Dispatch_ 2/4/93, _Scranton Times_ 2/7/93. *** RHODE ISLAND *** THREE MEN ACCUSE PRIEST OF ABUSE. Three men, in separate lawsuits filed in March, accuse Father James M. Silva of molesting them 20 years ago as parochial school students when he was a curate in Jesus Savior parish, Newport. Two were altar boys at the church, abused in the rectory bedroom and on overnight camping trips. They were urged to file suit by Frank Fitzpatrick, a leader of a group representing people molested by James Porter in the late 1960s. Also named in the lawsuit is the church, Rev Joseph Cardoza Q alleged to have known Silva consorted with young boys, Bishop Louis E. Gelineau, Bishop Kenneth A. Angell, and church corporations. Bishop Gelineau professed to being "very sad and upset" over the lawsuit. Source: _Providence Journal-Bulletin_ 3/18/93. *** SOUTH DAKOTA *** PRIEST ADMITS TORTURE, RAPE OF BOY. A Catholic priest admitted he tied up, handcuffed, and raped a boy in Fairfax about 34 years ago, in testimony made public recently. Judge John Konenkamp of Rapid City unsealed parts of a deposition made by Rev. William Lambert, 69. Sioux Falls businessman Bob Koenig filed civil suit against the priest last August, seeking damages from the Catholic diocese of Rapid City. Lambert admitted to the abuse of Koenig and 5 others. Koenig's suit says he was forced by the priest to confess having sex with him to at least 17 priests, none of whom helped him. Source: _Rapid City Journal_ 2/28/93. *** VIRGINIA *** EPISCOPAL PRIEST, "ABOVE REPROACH", SUED, INVESTIGATED. Six women Q including one filing a $4 million civil lawsuit Q have accused Byron Bruce Newell, 60, former assistant pastor of Falls Church Episcopal Church, of sexual molestation or advances. The plaintiff alleges Newell forced her into sexual activities during counseling sessions at the church for 2 years, telling her that her sexual feelings toward him would bring her closer to God. Episcopal officials said they removed him from his pastoral role and ordered counseling after learning of complaints by women in 1988. However, they only launched a full inquiry last September. Newell, now a fundraiser for Trinity Episcopal School for the Ministry near Pittsburgh, is named in the suit, along with the church, the diocese, the bishop and church pastor John W. Yates ll. According to the suit, Yates told the woman what happened during counseling was her fault, and did not act on complaints from 5 other women that Newell had verbally or physically harassed them. The dean of the seminary insisted Newell "has more than amply repaid our trust. His behavior has been above reproach". Source: _Washington Post_ 3/20/93. PASTOR ADMITS ABUSE OF GIRLS. Admitting having intercourse with a female teenager and indecently touching another, Rev. Larry G. Johnson pleaded guilty to 2 counts against him dating from 1977-79 while pastor of Buffalo Wesleyan Church. He recently resigned his position as superintendent of the Dakota District of the Wesleyan Church Source: _Rapid City Journal_ 2/28/93. *** *** CANADA *** *** MOLESTER-PRIEST PROMISES TO BEHAVE. A former priest convicted of sexually molesting 10 children, who was released from prison in December, insists, "I don't consider myself dangerous at all. I have had a full range of treatment." Leonard Buckley, 54, formerly a priest and principal of St. Mary's School in Cranbrook, B.C, was convicted in 1989 and sentenced to 5 years in prison for molesting kids ages 8-15 over a 17-year period involving 1,000 separate attacks. Buckley moved into the suburban Vancouver home of his brother, a principal, creating community concern. The newspaper identified him with a photo and headline: "Pedophile on Parole." Source: _Spectator_ 2/8/93. PRIEST "IDOL" PLEADS GUILTY. Roman Catholic priest Kenneth Keeler ended a trial for sexual abuse 2 days after it began by suddenly pleading guilty to assaulting 3 teenage boys. The court had heard testimony about how he fondled the genitals of 2 boys and masturbated a third to rid him of "bad spirits". One man testified that Keeler fondled his genitals about 12 years ago in the rectory of Holy Rosary Church in Ottawa and at the St. Brigid's Summer camp in Quebec which Keeler helped establish for needy children. He didn't come forward because Keeler was "his idol". Ottawa Archbishop Marcel Gervais, during a church hearing in May 1991, had told the victims nothing would be done aside from giving Keeler alcohol counseling. One witness said he also caught the priest in the act of masturbating former Bishop John Beahan at the camp. Statistics by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops indicate Keeler is at least the 56th Catholic priest or brother convicted of sexual offenses in Canada since about 1985. _Ottawa Citizen_ 1/12,13,14/93.