donderdag, juli 31, 2008

Bamberg: Priester unter Missbrauchsverdacht. gelden de uitspraken van de Paus ook bij verjaring?

In der Erzdiözese Bamberg soll ein Domkapitular seit 1976 jahrelang Schüler eines Internats sexuell missbraucht haben. Die Staatsanwaltschaft ermittelt gegen den mittlerweile beurlaubten Priester.

Viele der Fälle sind bereits verjährt.

Der Personalchef der Diözese ist inzwischen zurückgetreten.

Er will es offenbar besser machen als sein Regensburger Amtskollege. Nach dem Bekanntwerden von Missbrauchsvorwürfen gegen einen ranghohen Geistlichen seiner Erzdiözese geht der Bamberger Erzbischof Ludwig Schick schnell in die Offensive. Auf einer kurzfristig anberaumten Pressekonferenz zeigt er sich tief betroffen und stellt sich nachdrücklich hinter die Missbrauchsopfer.

Dies sei eine „sehr traurige Situation“, sagt Schick in erstem Ton. Der Regensburger Bischof Gerhard Ludwig Müller dagegen hatte sich im Missbrauchskandal von Riekofen erst nach tagelangem Zögern der Öffentlichkeit gestellt.

Schicks Blick wandert oft zu Boden. „Offen und ehrlich“ wolle er nun mit der Situation umgehen, kündigt der Erzbischof an und bietet den Missbrauchsopfern Hilfe an. „Unsere erste und wichtigste Sorge gilt den Betroffenen“, stellt er klar. „Wir möchten heilen und wir möchten helfen“, betont Schick.
Denkbar sei beispielsweise, dass die Diözese eine Psychotherapie finanziere. Es solle “möglichst wenig Schaden" bei den mutmaßlich Missbrauchten zurückbleiben.

Vier Betroffene haben sich laut Bistums-Sprecherin Elke Pilkenroth bislang an die Erzdiözese gewandt. Die ehemaligen Schüler eines Bamberger Internats beschuldigen einen 63 Jahre alten Domkapitular. Die Übergriffe sollen sich der Bistumssprecherin zufolge zwischen 1976 und 1991 ereignet haben.

Der Geistliche war bis 1991 Direktor des Internats.

Missbrauchsverdacht gegen Priester

Ein Priester der Erzdiözese Bamberg soll Knaben eines Internats sexuell missbraucht haben. Über die Schwere der Vergehen besteht Unklarheit.

Ein Priester der Erzdiözese Bamberg soll Knaben eines Internats sexuell missbraucht haben. Wie schwer die Vergehen aus den siebziger und achziger Jahren sind, ist derzeit noch unklar. Der stellvertretende Pressesprecher des Erzbistums, Michael Kleiner, sprach von "in Arm nehmen bis hin zu körperlichem Anfassen".

"Es gibt momentan keine Hinweise auf extreme Sachen wie Vergewaltigung", sagte Kleiner. Nicht alle befragten Betroffenen hätten von sexuellen Übergriffen berichtet. Unterdessen hat die Staatsanwaltschaft Bamberg Ermittlungen wegen des Verdachts des sexuellen Missbrauchs von Schutzbefohlenen gegen den Mann aufgenommen, sagte der Leitende Oberstaatsanwalt Joseph Düsel.

"Kein einziger Hinweis auf eine spätere Zeit"

Der Priester, der eine höher gestellte Position begleitet, soll sich zwischen 1976 und 1991 an den Jungen des katholischen Internats Ottonianum vergangen haben. Hier war der Mann von 1976 bis 1978 zunächst Präfekt, also Seelsorger und Ansprechpartner für die Gymnasiasten, bis 1991 dann Direktor. "Es gibt keinen einzigen Hinweis auf eine spätere Zeit", sagte Kleiner mit Blick auf mögliche weitere sexuelle Übergriffe.

Die Zahl der Betroffenen konnte er nicht nennen. Der Priester ist seit dem 18. Juli beurlaubt. Zuvor sei er von einem Arbeitsstab des Erzbistums, der unter anderem Vorwürfen über sexuellen Missbrauch nachgeht, befragt worden. "Er konnte es offensichtlich nicht so entkräften, dass man sich nicht hätte zum Handeln gezwungen gesehen", sagte Kleiner.

Die Vorwürfe waren bereits im vergangenen Herbst an die Erzdiözese herangetragen worden. Der Arbeitsstab sei sofort tätig geworden. "Es war wohl Aussage gegen Aussage", erläuterte Kleiner den Grund, dass die Sonderermittler damals keinen akuten Handlungsbedarf sahen und den Fall zu den Akten legten. "Dann gab es aber weitere Hinweise", so dass der Priester, der auch Personalverantwortung hat, mit den Anschuldigungen konfrontiert worden sei.
Internat seit 1999 geschlossen

Medienberichte, dass der Mann zugleich Domkapitular ist und damit zum engsten Führungskreis um den Erzbischof gehört, wollte Kleiner nicht bestätigen. Er sagte lediglich, der Priester arbeite auch in diesem Bereich.

Das Internat, in dem Jungen im Alter zwischen 10 und 20 Jahren untergebracht waren, ist seit 1999 wegen mangelnder Auslastung geschlossen. Das Ottonianum war das erzbischöfliche Knabenseminar des Erzbistums zur Förderung des Priesternachwuchses und wurde im Jahr 1866 innerhalb des Priesterseminars gegründet.

Das Bistum kündigte an, den möglichen Opfern beizustehen und den Sachverhalt restlos aufklären zu wollen. Die Staatsanwaltschaft prüft auch, ob die möglichen Taten nicht bereits verjährt sind. Dies hänge aber unter anderem von der Schwere der Vergehen und vom Alter der Opfer ab, sagte Düsel.


Der Verdächtige wurde beurlaubt.

dinsdag, juli 29, 2008

Licensing for Child Care facilities

Monday, 28 July 2008

A licensing regime is to be put in place immediately to ensure that all child care facilities, state-run or private, are operated under the Child Care and Protection Act.
The decision came out of a meeting on Monday with officials of the Ministry of Health, the Child Development Agency (CDA) and other stakeholders.

It was revealed during the meeting that none of the island's childrens' homes is registered.

According to Jamaicans for Justice, JFJ Executive Director, Dr. Carolyn Gomes, the homes are registered under the Juvenile Act which has been repealed.

She says in light of the seriousness of the issue, the Minister announced that the homes are to be licensed."The ministry is to write to the homes to ask them to apply for the license within 21 days, under this licensing process should take no longer than 28 days, so that we are looking forward to for the end of October having a proper regime in place," she said.

She added that the regulations governing childrens' homes are to be reviewed. However, no time line has been given.

The JFJ had expressed concern that regulations were not being enforced by the Child Development Agency.
Monday's meeting came in light of reports last week of a case of buggery at a residential child care facility.

It's reported that a Pastor in the eastern parish of St Mary who is also a supervisor at a boys' home was charged with 30 counts of buggery when he appeared in court last week.


zwartje-boldoot

Child Care and Protection Act reaps results
2008-02-23
Carlalee Gowie

The implementation of the Child Care and Protection Act is having a positive effect on the troubling issue of carnal abuse, as the police have reported an increase in the number of cases being reported.

Head of the Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA), Deputy Superintendent Herfa Beckford, said there has been a noticeable increase in the number of carnal abuse cases being reported to that unit.

“One of the factors that has influenced the reporting is the Child Care and Protection Act,” she said. DSP Beckford said a number of persons, including guidance counsellors and medical doctors, have now been making reports to the centre.

Under the Child Care and Protection Act, which was signed into law on March 25, 2004, and is aimed at affording greater protection to the nation’s children, persons can be charged up to $500,000 or face six months in prison for failing to report incidents of abuse of children or children in need of care and protection. DSP Beckford said the threat of the penalty has forced many persons who would not normally make reports, to do so.
“The law has been amended and it is being implemented and implemented properly,” she said of the Act.

Alarming number of cases
In recent times there has been outcry from several quarters on the alarming number of carnal abuse cases that have been flooding the courts.
Statistics from the police revealed that for the last five years, there have been 1,993 reported cases of carnal abuse.

In 2003, 377 cases were reported.
This figure increased to 409 in 2004, but then decreased by over 50 to 346 in 2005. In 2006 the police received 434 reports of carnal abuse, while inconclusive figures for last year showed that the number of cases declined by seven to 427.

Though the police have reported a decline in reports of carnal abuse for the month of January 2008, compared to the same period last year, the annual figures are still being viewed as cause for concern.
DSP Beckford pointed out that although there has been an increase in the number of cases being reported to the centre, it does not mean that the crime has increased. She said some of the reports are for cases that date back as long as five years ago.

“We have no information to suggest that there is an increase in the crime. There is an increase in the reporting, but there are cases that are from recent years,” she said.

The increase in the reported cases has also initiated a chain reaction, leading to an increase in the number of arrests made for carnal abuse.
“A lot of arrests are being made. I can safely say that for over 50 per cent of the reported cases, arrests are being made,” DSP Beckford said.

Of the 1,993 cases of carnal abuse reported for the period 2003 to 2007, 1,217 of the cases have been cleared up, an average of over 50 per cent of cases being cleared up each year.

Some convictions
DSP Beckford while commending members of her team whom she said worked very hard in bringing the perpetrators to justice, said carnal abuse cases were some of the easiest cases to investigate, as most times the victims are able to identify the perpetrators.

“Most of them are co-operative and with the help of counseling, even those with whom we have a difficulty, they normally come around,” she said.

The CISOCA head said victims are from varying age groups and also added that although most of the victims are female, there are also male victims.

The Sunday Herald was unable to get statistics for the number of convictions in carnal abuse cases, but DSP Beckford said there have been some convictions.
“We have a very good conviction rate,” she said. She explained that when convictions are not gained, it is not a reflection of inadequate investigation, as many times cases are derailed before going through the required judicial process.

Victims many times have expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome of carnal abuse cases in the courts. In some instances, the cases drag on for so long that the victims become frustrated and stop going to court.
But DSP Beckford said delays are not only confined to carnal abuse cases, but other cases as well.
6 kleine nikkertjes
Die vochten met een wijf
Het wijf dat sloeg er eentje dood
Toen waren het er nog maar 5

zaterdag, juli 26, 2008

negrophilia 8


8 kleine nikkertjes
op weg naar het schavot
die stonden toen te beven
was me dat nou ff rot
eentje ging van 't smakken dood
toen waren het er nog maar 7

7 kleine nikkertjes
die kregen nooit een fles
eentje vrat de doppen op
en toen waren het er nog maar 6

negrophilie 9

agatha christie

ik heb verdriet
ik heb de macht van het woord
en zoek een nondescripte dame

Ship of fools 10

Hoppek
Caravaggio

Boystown 3: Man with urges, touched down under. Guilty on 18 charges

Rebecca Woolley
26 July 2008

A FORMER Collaroy Plateau priest has been found guilty of molesting seven teenagers when he was a teacher at a Catholic-run school for troubled boys in the 70s and 80s.

Paul Raymond Evans was yesterday convicted of 18 serious child sex offences committed against seven boys as young as 13 who were pupils at Boys' Town, Engadine in Sydney's south.

The 57-year-old, a dorm master and teacher at the school, was in the Salesian of Don Bosco order before becoming a diocesan priest and worked at St Rose of Lima church at Collaroy Plateau in the 1990s.

A jury of five men and seven women delivered their verdict at the Sydney District Court yesterday after taking more than a week to reach a decision.

One victim, who was celebrating with his family yesterday, told The Manly Daily yesterday: ``I am so happy, so relieved. I can get on with my life now, this can make up for 30 years of dealing with this.``I want people to know it's never too late to come forward... people will still be believed after 30 years.''

The man, who cannot be identified, was abused by Evans when he was 14-years-old and reported it to the school director at the time but his complaint was brushed off.
He was told ``men get urges'' and advised to forget about it.``It absolutely rocked my world,'' the victim, who now lives in Tasmania, said.
``I did not understand, I felt so alone.''

Yesterday the jury found Evans guilty of nine counts of homosexual intercourse by a teacher, seven counts of indecent assault and two acts of indecency.

He maintained his innocence throughout the trial and said the allegations were based on ``gossip and smear''.*

Evans admitted hugging the boys and rubbing their necks to help them sleep but denied ever touching them inappropriately.

******

The verdicts were met with tears and elation from four of Evans' victims, none of whom can be named.
"We can sleep tonight knowing that he's not near any other kid," one said outside court.
Another said: "What he did was evil. I've had my 20 years of suffering - he can have his turn now."
A third victim tried to alert authorities to the abuse at the time but was not believed.
"Nobody disbelieved the priests in those days. They were like gods; everyone told us how lucky we were to be looked after by them," he said.

*11-7-08:
"Many of these boys after leaving Boys Town are becoming young men who have continued to have problems," he said.

de ramp na de ramp in kettingbewijzen. finally recieved; compensation for suffering at native residential school

Posted By Cathy Dobson, the Observer
Local News

It took two years and a lot of persistence but Sarnia's Marilyn Gray has finally been paid full compensation for the years she suffered at a native residential school.
"It's such a relief," said the 73-year-old Gray. "They said they couldn't find my papers. They didn't do anything for so long.
.....
Gray applied to Service Canada after Ottawa approved a compensation agreement in 2006 for residential school survivors. It promised $19,000 for the four years she spent at St. Mary's School in Spanish, Ont., far from her home at the Cape Croker reserve near Wiarton.

In December Service Canada responded with a letter that stated they could locate records for only one year of her residency, and would pay her only $10,000.

She filed a reconsideration, providing a list of nicknames and possible spellings for Akiwenzie, her maiden name. Gray even provided a list of her teachers' names from her years at the school, from 1945 to 1948.
......
Twenty-five other Aamjiwnaang members applied for and received full compensation as surviving students of residential schools.

rest van het artikel

vrijdag, juli 25, 2008

Wat een cadeautje. Woman sues archiocese over priest abuse of her father

Posted by scottsunde
at July 24, 2008 1:25 p.m.

A woman has sued the Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle claiming her father was sexually abused by two priests employed by a North Seattle parish, P-I reporter Levi Pulkkinen reports.
In a lawsuit filed July 11, the woman says her father was sexually molested during the late 1960s and 1970s by Desmond McMahon and James McGreal, both ordained priests then working at the Saint Catherine of Siena parish.

The woman asserts she was deprived of a normal relationship with her father because of the abuse made possible by the church's attempts to cover up the behavior of McMahon and McGreal.

The archdiocese has not yet responded to the lawsuit.
Both priests were removed from ministry by a review panel created by Archbishop Alex Brunett in 2003. McGreal was sent to a locked treatment center for priests located in Missouri. McMahon resides in an assisted-living facility in California.

Wat een cadeautje!

woensdag, juli 23, 2008

Belgie Pastoor verdacht van aanranding

Ex-pastoor randde ook minderjarige aan
23-07-08
Het belang van Limburg


B. V. , tot einde april priester van de parochie Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Ten Hemel Opgenomen in Nieuwmoer (Kalmthout), wordt ervan beschuldigd een minderjarige te hebben aangerand. In april vonden speurders kinderporno op de computer van de geestelijke. Verder onderzoek leidde tot de nieuwe beschuldiging.

Het nieuws sloeg eind april in Nieuwmoer in als een bom: op de computer van parochiepriester B. V. (47) was kinderporno gevonden. De man had een verdachte website bezocht. V. werd verhoord, bekende schuld, maar werd niet aangehouden. De pastoor zette zelf een stap opzij.
“Maar ik heb geen schuldgevoel tegenover mijn parochianen”, reageerde V. toen in Gazet van Antwerpen. “Ik heb niemand in de parochie benadeeld.“
Met Jos Daems kreeg Nieuwmoer enkele weken later een nieuwe priester.

Verjaring
De speurders zaten echter niet stil. “Op 3 juli werd mijn client voorgeleid bij de onderzoeksrechter in Antwerpen”, zegt Kris Luyckx, advocaat van B V. “Hij wordt beschuldigd van aanranding van de eerbaarheid van een minderjarige. Het zou om één feit uit het verleden gaan. Het onderzoek loopt nog. Zo wordt onder meer nagegaan of de feiten al dan niet verjaard zijn.”

V. werd één dag ondervraagd, maar nadien vrijgelaten. Hij heeft geen nacht doorgebracht in de cel. Luyckx: “De onderzoeksrechter oordeelde dat de aanhouding van mijn cliënt in het kader van het onderzoek niet nodig is. Wel moet hij zich ter beschikking houden van het gerecht. Hij kreeg ook een contactverbod met minderjarigen opgelegd.

Kinderkoor
De parochianen in Nieuwmoer reageren gelaten op het nieuws van de nieuwe, zware beschuldiging. “Wij hebben eind april de knop omgedraaid”, vertelt verantwoordelijke Wilfried Verhaert. “Deze hele affaire is niet leuk, en zeker geen reclame voor onze parochie.”

“B V was eerder al priester geweest in onder meer Essen. Bij zijn aanstelling in Nieuwmoer kregen we al geruchten te horen. Let op hem in de omgang met kinderen, klonk het toen.
We hebben hem altijd van kortbij gevolgd en nooit iets verdachts opgemerkt.”

Als pastoor was V nauw verbonden met het kinder- en jongerenkoor Canna Cantat.
*********

Ook dat bisdom had (heeft??) het blijkbaar nog niet door: kennelijk géén beleid gericht op bescherming van haar kinderen, maar laat dat over aan een parochieteam en under-cover justitie-functionarissen.
Hoe zou dat werken? Zoiets van: Ha medeparochianen, bij deze zijn ook jullie gewaarschuwd, dus letten jullie ook even op met je kinderen en onze pastoor? O, enne, niet vergeten: de hand communie is héél oneerbiedig, tongen uitsteken dus!

Kassa!

En je kinderen? voor het zingen de kerk uit en leren denken


Het Erasmusatheneum Essen-Kalmthout heeft het blijkbaar beter begrepen:

Onze vestigingsplaats in Kalmthout is zeer makkelijk bereikbaar voor uw zoon of dochter.
De school is gelegen op een boogscheut van het station “Kijkuit” tussen Heide en Kalmthout.

......
Uw kleine bengel hoeft dus geen grote, gevaarlijke wegen te nemen

Nu maar hopen dat er hele wijze humane mensen rond dat kind en zijn familie zijn.

maandag, juli 21, 2008

a camisa negra: priestrock met de paus in het voorprogramma WYD

"Vet pak, bisschop."
Veelbelovend, die WYD 2011 in Madrid, na al die zaligverklaringen.









¿marica quien?, ¿marica tú?, ¿marica yo?, marica jaja ( x4 )
valor, a la luz,
si eres un gay tú,
piensalo (piensalo),
es tu vida,
y si dicen, lo que digan(que digan lo que quieran),
valor,valor! (mucho valor),
que oscuro es un armario sal de ahí­,,y vente aquí­,
tu destino es ser feliz!

Fiesta, fiesta, pluma, pluma gay, pluma, pluma gay,
pluma, pluma, pluma gay.( x4 )

¿Qué importa si el niño sale gay?, tú has nacido gay,
aunque cueste hay que gritarlo! SOY GAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Fiesta, fiesta, pluma, pluma gay, pluma, pluma gay,
pluma, pluma, pluma, pluma gay.( x4 )

wereld erft goed










zondag, juli 20, 2008

Slachtoffers Rooms Katholiek Misbruik and priesters

BXVI die ooit Ratzinger was, sprak zich uit in een mis met priesters.
***

Received via email 7.20.2008 from the Ignatius Group/Paul Kendrick.
* * *
Ignatius Group____
Response to Letter to Maine Priests
By Rev. Thomas P. Doyle, O.P., J.C.D.

This is an essential message (see copy of letter below)….it’s tragic that it has to be said but it’s all too true. I’m not able to send this response out to all on your list but you can share it if you wish.

I was ordained 38 years ago. I have been deeply involved in the sex abuse nightmare since 1984. The nearly universal response from other priests to me personally over the years has ranged from disbelief to anger to warnings that I was being a traitor to the brotherhood. I recall no priest asking what he could do to help victims. The general response of priests and priests groups has been silence.

Priests groups such as the NFPC or other small or large gatherings only began to speak out in 2002 and then it was a response to the Bishops’ “one strike and you’re out” rule. They were concerned about themselves and complained that there was no justice in the bishops’ rule.

They complained that all were being tarnished because of the crimes of a few. Still….no one expressed any concern about the victims.

Over the years I have met a small number of priests who have both spoken out and who have reached out and supported victims. These men and the real thing….men who are committed to the authentic concept of a priest as a pastoral minister and not just a cultic leader. Many if not all have been punished, challenged, threatened and/or isolated by the bishops.

Only two bishops out of 4500 on the planet have stood up and they have both been punished by the Vatican…..Benedict XVI’s Vatican…..the bureaucratic arm of the same pope who is now apologizing in the US and in Australia.

His words are empty and hypocritical as long as men like Tom Gumbleton and Geoff Robinson remain isolated.

His words are empty as long as the vast majority of priests remain too brainwashed by clericalism or too fearful because of their state of economic servitude to the monarchy to speak publicly about the outrage of sexual abuse (among other outrages) or to reach out and try to help a victim.

When I hear the whining of priests, the lies of the bishops and the hypocrisy of the pope and his Vatican, I cannot help but wonder if all the lofty theological sayings about the priesthood are nothing more than hollow prose the real purpose of which is to support the clergy’s self-created but clearly waning superiority in church and society.

All of this makes me profoundly ashamed to have been a priest and a Catholic and deeply disappointed that the clergy have deserted the calling to minister as Christ did, if indeed we ever had it.

Tom Doyle

A Dominican priest with a doctorate in canon law and five separate master’s degrees, Rev. Thomas Patrick Doyle, O.P. sacrificed a rising career at the Vatican Embassy to become an outspoken advocate for church abuse victims. Since 1984, when he became involved with the issue of sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy while serving at the Embassy, he has become an expert in the canonical and pastoral dimensions of this problem—working directly with victims, their families, accused priests, bishops, and other high-ranking Church officials.
Doyle has interviewed 2,000 victims of clerical sexual abuse in the U.S. alone, and has been the only priest to testify in court in over 200 cases as to the legal liability of the Church. He has developed policies and procedures for dealing with cases of sexual abuse by the clergy for dioceses and religious orders in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. As an expert in this area, he has delivered lectures and seminars for clergy and lay groups throughout the U.S. In 1989 he appeared as an expert witness before the legislature of the State of Pennsylvania concerning that State’s child protective legislation. As an Air Force major stationed in Germany, and who also recently served as a military chaplain in Iraq, he holds 16 military awards and decorations for distinguished service. He currently serves as a consultant/court expert in clerical abuse cases throughout the U.S., Canada, Ireland, Israel and the United Kingdom.
When The Voice of the Faithful honored Doyle with their first Priest of Integrity Award in 2002, David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), called Doyle “an absolute hero.” In recognition of his advocacy work for the victims of clerical sexual abuse, he has also received the Cavallo Award for Moral Courage (1992) and the Isaac Hecker Award from the Paulist Fathers (2003). In June of 2003 Doyle was also issued an official commendation from the Dominican Fathers for his “prophetic work in drawing attention to clergy sexual abuse and for advocating the rights of victims and abusers.”
Doyle is the author of several previous books including Meeting the Problem of Sexual Abuse Among the Clergy in a Responsible Way with Michael Peterson, M.D. and F. Ray Mouton (St. Luke Institute, 1985).

Doyle lives in Vienna, VA.


Letter to Maine Priests
Ignatius Group_______
In a recent homily, Rev. Michael Gendreau, pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church in South Portland, led parishioners to believe that the child sex abuse charge against Rev. James Robichaud is unfounded and based on little or no evidence.

Gendreau doesn’t know what he’s talking about. His remarks were irresponsible.

The woman who informed church officials that she was sexually abused by Robichaud, beginning at age 13, is not lying. Has anyone given a moment’s thought to her pain and suffering? Does anyone realize the amount of anguish and agony endured by a child abuse victim as they relive their abuse by putting aside their own desire for privacy to help protect other children and hold their abuser accountable? Child abuse victims often blame themselves for being abused, they think it was their fault. Has anyone considered that this brave woman might be blaming herself for Robichaud’s death? Well, Gendreau didn’t think about these things. Gendreau’s homily included a subtle message intended for people to believe that the child abuse victim in this case did, indeed, cause Robichaud to die of suicide. Disgraceful, but not unexpected from “Pastor Mike.”

Which brings me to another matter. During the past six years, Gendreau and you, his brother priests, have done nothing but whine about “unfair treatment to priests,” and “how difficult it is to be a priest because everyone thinks we are all child molesters.”

Stop feeling sorry for yourselves. Want to feel better? Get off your butts and help an abuse survivor. Listen to their story. Engage yourself in their innocent suffering. It would seem that everything about your ministry should have prepared you for this moment.

Which begs the question, why haven’t you reached out and helped those who were abused? Why haven’t you spoken out in the public square demanding truth and accountability from your bishop? Why haven’t you joined with abuse survivors and child protection advocates in their attempts to strengthen and change statute of limitation restraints? Why haven’t you demanded justice and restitution for the harms inflicted upon innocent children as a result of their abuse? And, if you do have evidence that accused priests are not being granted due process, or are being “railroaded,” then it is your obligation to speak clearly and forcefully to this issue. We agree that there is no defense for a process that is not fair and unbiased to both the accuser and the accused.

But, let’s not kid ourselves. Almost every priest in this diocese has done little to nothing to support those who were abused. Oh, sure, you all know how to say the right things such as offering your thoughts and prayers for those who were abused. Yet, it remains difficult for me to understand how any of you can preach the gospel with any measure of integrity while remaining silent and afraid to speak out for the vulnerable, ostracized, and sometimes despised victims of clergy sexual abuse. It’s all upside down in the church thanks to you. By your words and actions, you’ve helped make the abuse victims the enemy.

Finally, more and more ”lay persons” are discovering for the first time in their lives that they, too, are called to priestly ministry. No one ever told (or taught) Catholic school children that the most exciting news of all is that our Baptism calls all of us (not just the ordained) to be priest, prophet and king. Church is all of us, not just a group of celibate (and chaste?) males. It can now be said that if the “ordained” priesthood chooses to continue to remain silent, fearful and unwilling to carry the cross for those in need, then, please, get out of our way. There’s too much to do.

Paul Kendrick
Co-founder, VOTF-Maine, Ignatius Group
207 838 1319

zaterdag, juli 19, 2008

Zorg Nederland 2008

Netwerk vrijdag 18 juli 2008
Mishandelde gehandicapten én hun ouders; zorg afhankelijken

“Instellingen voor mensen met verstandelijke beperkingen bagatelliseren het aantal keer dat bewoners mishandeld worden.” Dat zegt klinisch psycholoog Aafke Scharloo. Buitenlands onderzoek laat volgens haar zien dat tussen de vijftig á zestig procent van de verstandelijk gehandicapten één of meerdere keren in zijn of haar leven wordt mishandeld of misbruikt. Er is - zegt Scharloo - geen enkele reden om aan te nemen dat dit getal in Nederland lager ligt.

Aanleiding voor de reportage is de zaak van Jeannette Unlandt.
De 27-jarige vrouw heeft al vanaf haar geboorte een verstandelijke beperking. Ze kan nauwelijks lopen, niet praten en ze is blind. Tot voor kort woonde ze in de Zeeuwse instelling Stichting Tragel in Hulst. Vorig jaar stapte daar een medewerkster naar haar leidinggevende om aangifte te doen van mishandeling. Ze vertelde dat collega’s de zwaar gehandicapte Jeannette sloegen, met de hand en met een houten pollepel.

Previeuw:




klik voor hele uitzending

voor ontkenning ; zie de berichtgeving over BXVI



"nothing prepared me for the foul undercurrent of society revealed"
zei de Australische collega-rechter bij het aanbieden aan het parlement van het 3 jarig staats-onderzoek : Children in State care.
De dertiger jaren tot heden.
Zorg (instellingen) bemand en bevrouwd door kerkelijk functionarissen.


Here God, we geloven, nu het niet eens allemaal homo's meer hoeven te zijn,
inmiddels zo graag in pedo's.

Full text of Pope Benedict's apology to sex abuse victims

"Dear friends, may this celebration, in the presence of the Successor of Peter, be a moment of rededication and renewal for the whole Church in Australia.

"Here I would like to pause to acknowledge the shame which we have all felt as a result of the sexual abuse of minors by some clergy and religious in this country.

"Indeed, I am deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the victims have endured and I assure them that as their pastor I too share in their suffering.

"These misdeeds, which constitute so grave a betrayal of trust, deserve unequivocal condemnation.

"They have caused great pain and have damaged the Church's witness.

"I ask all of you to support and assist your bishops, and to work together with them in combating this evil.

"Victims should receive compassion and care, and those responsible for these evils must be brought to justice.

"It is an urgent priority to promote a safer and more wholesome environment, especially for young people.

"In these days marked by the celebration of World Youth Day, we are reminded of how precious a treasure has been entrusted to us in our young people, and how great a part of the Church's mission in this country has been dedicated to their education and care.

"As the Church in Australia continues, in the spirit of the Gospel, to address effectively this serious pastoral challenge, I join you in praying that this time of purification will bring about healing, reconciliation and ever greater fidelity to the moral demands of the Gospel."
-Reuters

vrijdag, juli 18, 2008

WYD: Emma en Katie óók aanwezig


Dankzij hun ouders maken ook zíj deel uit van WYF 2008

donderdag, juli 17, 2008

The parents

THE parents of two girls who were repeatedly raped by a Melbourne priest are flying to Sydney from London to face Cardinal George Pell in time for Sunday's World Youth Day final Mass.
Anthony Foster, whose daughters were raped by Kevin O'Donnell when they were in primary school, alleges Cardinal Pell stalled the family's compensation claim against the Catholic Church when he was archbishop of Melbourne.

Earlier this year, the eldest daughter, Emma, took her own life after a long battle with drug addiction, which Mr Foster attributed directly to her rape as a schoolgirl. His second daughter, Katherine, who developed a heavy drinking habit, was hit by a drunk driver in 1999 and left physically and mentally disabled and requiring 24-hour care.
Last night, Mr Foster told the ABC's Lateline program that last week's revelations that Cardinal Pell allegedly obstructed a sexual abuse case against another priest had sparked him into action.
He said he hoped he could support others with sexual abuse claims and change the church's attitudes to compensating victims.
"I want them to set up a system that provides a life-time help to victims, that begs forgiveness to victims," Mr Foster said.
Mr Foster said an apology by the Pope to victims of sexual abuse in the church would not be satisfactory unless it was backed up by structural change.
"An apology is not enough unless it is backed up with action, unless he removes all obstacles to continuing support for victims," Mr Foster said.

"They should come to us and beg for forgiveness."
His daughters were raped over five years by O'Donnell when they attended Sacred Heart Primary School in Oakleigh between 1988 and 1993.
In 1996 O'Donnell was convicted of abusing 11 boys and one girl, aged between 8 and 14, between 1946 and 1977, and sentenced to 15 months in prison. He died after his release in 1997.
Initially offered $50,000 by Cardinal Pell under his "Towards Healing" program, the Fosters pursued their case via the legal system for eight years, culminating in a six-figure settlement with the church in 2006 - one of the largest of its kind in the country.
In 1998, when Emma was 16, Cardinal Pell wrote to her, saying: "It is my hope that my offer will be accepted by you as a preferable alternative to legal proceedings and that it too will assist you with your future."
"On behalf of the Catholic Church and personally, I apologise to you and to those around you for the wrongs and hurt you have suffered at the hands of Father Kevin O'Donnell. I offer you my prayers."

Mr Foster last night claimed this apology was removed by lawyers for the church in 2002 during the court case over compensation.
"Emma carried the pain of her abuse for all her life until it ended recently," he told the ABC. "We really want to make sure that in her name and her memory something is done for other victims."

A spokesman said the church did not have enough time to respond to the story last night or whether Cardinal Pell or the Pope will meet Mr Foster.
Last week Cardinal Pell was accused by Anthony Jones of attempting to cover up a non-consensual sexual experience with Father Terrence Goodall, by ignoring the results of a church investigation.
Cardinal Pell denies the accusations and has referred the case to an independent panel.

WYD: "dwelling crankily....on old wounds". Jij bent jong en hij wil wat.









WYD coordinator Bishop criticised those "dwelling crankily....on old wounds".
Geen zout in oude wonden

Deze hulp-bischop van Sidney stelt kennelijk een wijziging van de RK doop voor.

zondag, juli 13, 2008

The Catholic Church is sorry ; live from SNAP

SYDNEY, July 12 (UPI) -- The Catholic Church is sorry for the sexual abuse endured by individuals in Australia at the hands of Catholic priests, Pope Benedixtus XVI said Saturday.

The pope said he intends to extend his apology to the victims during his upcoming participation in World Youth Day, TheSydney Morning Herald reported in its Sunday edition.

"We have to consider what was insufficient in our behavior and
Live from Snap how we can prevent, heal, reconcile," he said. "This is the essential content of what we will say as we apologize."

vrijdag, juli 11, 2008

Boystown 2

A CATHOLIC priest and dormitory master at Boys Town, a school for difficult boys, has denied raping and indecently assaulting some of his charges.

Father Paul Raymond Evans, who is facing 20 charges against eight boys between 1977 and 1988, yesterday admitted he sometimes hugged and comforted the teenage students in his dorm.


He said he rubbed the back of the neck of some students to provide comfort or to help settle them, so they could go to sleep.

One alleged victim told Sydney District Court that during a 1979 camping trip in the Royal National Park, Evans touched his penis and then made the 13- or 14-year-old do the same to him. The boy allegedly told some other students about it, one of whom reported it to the school hierarchy.

The boy said he was later told by the school's rector, Father Flemming, to forget about the incident because "men have urges".


Evans, who is a member of the Catholic order the Salesians of Don Bosco, yesterday gave evidence of his disciplinary regime, which included punishment and a reward scheme. But he denied that he had favourite boys, or treated some better than others.

"If they are attention seeking or looking for a hug or a cuddle, there's got to be a reason. It's got to be an insight into … what might be down the road," Evans told the court.
However, he denied touching his students sexually, taking them away at weekends, lying in their beds or raping them.

His barrister, Peter McGrath, told the jury at the beginning of the trial to keep an open mind because Evans faced charges that were up to 30 years old and it was difficult to defend himself against them.

The men who were giving evidence had come to Boys Town with family or legal problems, he said.

"Many of these boys after leaving Boys Town are becoming young men who have continued to have problems," he said.


dag sorry; sex curse uncovered

A Sydney man has accused Cardinal George Pell of failing to disclose details of a past sexual abuse by a priest to a victim while Perth Archbishop Barry Hickey has denied receiving earlier knowledge of other sexual abuse allegations dating from 2000.

Ancient sexual curse uncovered at Amathus

By Philippos Stylianou

AN ancient sexual curse is among the latest archaeological finds in Amathus, site of one of the island’s old city kingdoms on the southern coast close to Limassol.

According to Pierre Aubert, head of the Athens Archaeological School currently working there, the curse is inscribed in Greek on a lead tablet and part of it reads: "May your penis hurt when you make love."

Speaking to The Cyprus Weekly over the phone, Aubert said the tablet also showed an erect male figure holding in his right hand something that looks like an hour-glass, while undeciphered lettering appears over his body.

What is even more interesting is that the inscription dates to the 7th century A.D. when Christianity was well established on the island.

Professor Aubert surmised that this might indicate the activity of sorcerers and soothsayers still surviving from the pagan era.

He said the discovery of ancient curses was not uncommon in archaeology, only the inscriptions were longer and older, dating to the 2nd and 3rd century BC.
Cistern

The lead inscription was found among debris in what used to be a water cistern, while in the mud underneath a number of intact large water jugs – hydriae - were discovered, one of them exquisitely made of bronze. Many fragments of pottery were also discovered.

Unlike the lead tablet, those dated from around 300 B.C. to the time of the Roman Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD).

No human skeletons were discovered, only fragments of animal bones.

Although reluctant to go into many details before an official release about the excavations, Pierre Aubert said that judging by the cistern’s location it was probably constructed to collect water from the house roofs above.

been there, got the t-shirt










Touched down under Sorry dag

FORMER health minister Tony Abbott has defended embattled Cardinal George Pell over a Catholic Church sex scandal.



Mr Abbott, one of Australia's most prominant Catholics and a friend of the Cardinal, said his mate acted "honourably" amid claims that he misled victims of abuse at the hands of former priest Father Terrence Goodall.



He said Cardinal Pell should be given credit for publicly admitting he made a mistake in his response to the abuse allegations."There's been no question, as I understand it, of this man (Goodall) coming back into the ministry," Mr Abbott said to Newsradio. "Immediate action was taken against him, and I think Cardinal Pell has a pretty good record when it comes to making sure that there is no misbehaviour on the part of the priests of the archdiocese in which he's been in charge." Victim Anthony Jones released a letter signed by Dr Pell saying the claims of abuse were not substantiated. Dr Pell had dismissed the complaint against Father Goodall in 2003 after giving weight to the priest's claim the encounter was consensual. Mr Jones consistently claimed otherwise, and in police wire tap evidence given to church investigators three years ago, Goodall admits to forcing himself on Mr Jones. Dr Pell said yesterday that while he had no knowledge of the taped conversations, he would now seek legal advice on reopening the investigation.





Earlier, he admitted he was mistaken when he wrote to Mr Jones in 2003 saying no one else had contacted the church with complaints about Goodall. It has been revealed he wrote to another man the same day, stating a church investigation confirmed he was sexually abused by Goodall. A church investigation into Mr Jones' claims found they were substantiated, and Dr Pell has acknowledged he wrongly attributed his personal dismissal of rape allegations as being the finding of the church investigation. "That was an overstatement. That was an innocent error," he said. He also admitted his letter to Mr Jones "was badly worded and a mistake", and that he had meant to convey there was "no other allegation of rape" involving Goodall, not that there were no other abuse allegations.





But he said it was not a cover-up. "There was no cover up," Dr Pell said.



The furore comes as Pope Benedict heads to Australia for World Youth Day, which is being held in Sydney next week.





10-7


CARDINAL George Pell should consider stepping down in the light of a sex abuse scandal, the Greens say.The Archbishop of Sydney has been accused of misleading a man abused by a priest, and giving weight to the Father Terrence Goodall's claim the sexual encounter was consensual.





Letters aired on ABC Television earlier this week showed Cardinal Pell told Anthony Jones that his complaint against Father Terrence could not be upheld because the church was not aware of any other complaints against the priest.





But another letter showed Cardinal Pell was aware of a second allegation of sexual abuse against Father Goodall.





Cardinal Pell earlier this week said he got his decision wrong and had expressed himself poorly in the letter to Mr Jones.





The archbishop has now referred the matter to an independent panel after revelations that in 2003 police phone transcripts, Father Goodall admits to Mr Jones, now 54, that the encounter was not consensual.





In 2005, Father Goodall was convicted of indecently assaulting Mr Jones in 1982 after pleading guilty to the charges, but served no time in prison.





The claims came to light just days before the arrival of the Pope in Sydney for World Youth Day.





Greens senator Christine Milne tonight pointed to the case of former Anglican bishop Peter Hollingworth, who stood down as governor-general over claims he mishandled a sex abuse claim."I think Cardinal Pell needs to really think about his leadership role in the church in Australia,"





Senator Milne told ABC Television's Q and A program."I think he needs to think about whether he's putting his own aspirations in terms of World Youth Day ahead of the church.





"Senator Milne said the culture of abuse in churches had to stop, and denials should cease.


"I really think the culture of abuse has to be owned, recognised," she said.

Unexplained residential school deaths haunt native communities;

Posted By SUE BAILEY,
THE CANADIAN PRESS

Gilbert Johnson starkly recalls being hauled from his bed as a boy at the Port Alberni native residential school before he was "severely beaten" by a dorm supervisor.
"I got caught crying under the blankets at night over my buddy's death," he said.
"You were not allowed to cry for him, and you couldn't even spend a day at home mourning your buddy."

More than four decades later, Johnson, now 54, still doesn't know why his friend Mitchell Joseph suddenly died one night at the school on Vancouver Island.
"That young boy was an innocent boy. He couldn't have been any more than 11."

Port Alberni is notorious for the number of children raped and beaten by dorm supervisor Arthur Henry Plint, who was described in court as a "sexual terrorist" and sentenced to 11 years in 1995. He is now deceased.

Mitchell Joseph's death was never explained, Johnson says.
And he was far from alone. Untold numbers of aboriginal children forced to attend institutions that were meant to "Christianize" them never made it home.

It will fall to the five-year truth and reconciliation commission to decide if it can and should explore what hap- pened to students who were there one day, gone the next.

A working group of former pupils, native leaders, church officials, government staff and historians is to make related recommendations soon, said commission spokeswoman Kimberly Phillips.

Its work is separate from the commission but supports the mandate "to create as complete an historical record as possible of the Indian residential school system and its impacts," said Phillips.

We have heard from aboriginal elders that this is first and foremost a human issue that must be handled with dignity and respect."

Who will pay to trace the fates of missing children is an open question, however.
It's estimated the required research will cost at least $20 million -one-third the commission's total $60-million budget.

"Our government agrees that this is an important issue," said Ted Yeomans, a spokesman for Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl, when asked if Ottawa would foot the bill.

"We will discuss it," he said, with the commission once it has seen the working group's report.
Families often weren't notified until months later that a child had died. Bodies were frequently buried at the schools instead of being returned to loved ones for spiritual ceremonies that are crucial to native custom.

Federal records indicate that tuberculosis killed thousands of students - as many as half the roll call in the early 1900s -and that sick kids were housed alongside healthy ones.
Influenza also felled many among the roughly 150,000 children who passed through 132 schools from 1874 until most were closed in the 1970s.

But there's no official record of how many other youngsters died. Into that gaping void has flowed a stream of unproven claims and rumours of abusive staff who got away with murder, their victims buried in unmarked graves or disposed of in other ways.

Finally confirming or debunking some of that longstanding speculation will be "very, very expensive," says author and historian John Milloy, one of Canada's leading researchers on residential schools.

"Particularly if it's to fall within (the commission's five-year) time frames."
Milloy helped craft recommendations for the truth commission on how to work through a massive collection of federal and church records that, if stacked skyward, would soar 750 metres.

They don't include a potential motherlode of details in provincial death records, or the priceless wealth of information that could be gleaned from former students like Gilbert Johnson.
"We didn't come up with a firm estimate, but $20 million is probably a safe and maybe even a low guess to figure all that out," Milloy says.

So many people are clearly haunted, he stressed.
"I've gone across the country. People have come to me and said: 'Can you find my uncle? . . . He died in that school and nobody knows where his body is.'
"I think we have to show some sort of concern for who and where they are. And communities want it. I mean, it's part of the whole reconciliation process to treat this in a serious fashion."
Sexual Abuse in Religious Contexts
Program and Abstract Book (final)

This two day workshop will bring together experts from a range of disciplines: psychiatry, psychology, philosophy, ethics, law, theology, indigenous studies, religious studies and social sciences, together with representatives from faith groups and from survivor and advocacy organisations - to bring about a dialogue on the issue of sexual abuse and exploitaton in religious contexts.

Of particular focus will be: the psychological/psychiatric and spiritual sequelae of abuse; the impact and damage on the victims and on the institutions and organisations that may be held accountable. This forum will provide a unique meeting of many perspectives, voices and disciplines and hopefully will enrich the perspectives and the work of those who seek ways forward for individuals and for institutions.

Objectives

The issue of sexual abuse by clergy has seen much publicity over the last decades, abuses are still coming to light and litigation continues, but there have been few dedicated yet multidisciplinary conferences of this sort in Australia. Research in the area is burgeoning and this creates a need for interdisciplinary cross fertilization. This conference has been organised by colleagues working in psychiatry and within institutional ethics and seeks to provide a forum for an interdisciplinary and where possible interfaith community of enquiry together with the perspectives of survivor and advocacy groups to review the current state of knowledge and, hopefully, articulate some ways forward. It will extend the discussion outside of the sphere of the major or mainstream institutions as to take into account the religious plurality that is a fact of life in modern society. Thus, the conference has been organised along broadly interdisciplinary lines whilst also reaching out for contributions either from or relating to a plurality of faith groups..

RANZCP CPD
Program Time spent in this activity can be claimed in the CPD Program. As the Program is hours-based a log of sessions attended and evidence of registration is required.
The Australian Psychological Society Ltd Endorsed Professional Development Activity
14 points (Generalist)


Speakers

Dr Gary Schoener Director, Walk-In Counseling Center, Minnesota
Prof Marrion Maddox Director, CRSI, University of Macquarie, NSWMs
Rachael Kohn ABC RadioEmeritus
Prof Freda Briggs, AO Child Development, University of South Australia
Prof Carolyn Quadrio Psychiatry, University of NSW
Prof Warwick Middleton Psychiatry, University of Queensland
Prof Peter Jonkers Catholic Theology, University of Tilburg
Dr Ray Younis Philosophy, University of Central Queensland
Prof Chris Goddard National Research Centre for the Prevention of Child Abuse, Monash University
Dr Andrew Morrison RFD Senior CounselDr Philip Andrew Quadrio University of New South Wales
Representatives from the faith groups and professional standardsRepresentatives from survivor and advocacy groups

Click here to download the official conference flyer