Tag: Priest Abusers

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Catholic diocese settles wrongful-death lawsuit during jury selection in Independence

By JUDY L. THOMAS

The settlement — the largest ever for the diocese in a single priest sexual abuse lawsuit — came on Monday afternoon as jury selection was underway for the trial in Jackson County Circuit Court in Independence.

Brian Teeman“This is one of the most significant cases we’ve ever worked on,” said Rebecca Randles, the attorney for Donald and Rosemary Teeman, who filed the lawsuit against the diocese and Monsignor Thomas J. O’Brien in 2011 after a man who served as an altar boy with their son, Brian, told them of the alleged abuse. Brian Teeman, 14, died of a gunshot wound in November 1983 at the family’s home in Independence.

“This allows everyone to put this behind them,” Randles said. “It allows closure at this point in time. And it sends a message that no matter how long ago something like this happens, there will still be liability, and it’s imperative on those who have care and custody of children to make sure they listen to the alarms that are sounded to make sure that children are safe…”

Settlement negotiations began over the weekend, Randles said. Opening statements in the trial were expected to begin Tuesday. In addition to the diocese’s settlement, she said, O’Brien settled for $2,500. There will be a settlement hearing to finalize the agreement, she said.

The diocese issued a statement confirming its settlement.

“The decision to enter into this agreement was made in consideration of the financial and emotional toll on all parties of an anticipated four-week trial,” the statement said. “In these circumstances, the Diocese believes that the settlement is in the best interest of the Teeman family, Nativity of Mary parish community and the people of the Diocese as a whole.

“While the facts surrounding Brian’s death have remained unclear, the tragedy of it is certain. The Catholic community prays that God’s face shines upon Brian, His peace descend on the Teeman family and His healing presence strengthen all hearts.”

Gerald McGonagle, who represents O’Brien, did not respond to a request for comment.

As part of the settlement, the diocese will place a bench on the grounds of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church in Independence in honor of Brian Teeman. On it will be the words: “A beautiful soul will never be forgotten. In loving memory of Brian Teeman.”Bishop Robert Finn

Rosemary Teeman said the family was relieved to have the trial complete. However, she said, “It’s bittersweet.”

The case would have been the first involving childhood sexual abuse to go to trial in the diocese.

The lawsuit alleged that O’Brien forced Brian Teeman and three other boys to perform sexual acts in the sacristy at Nativity of Mary in Independence. It said O’Brien warned the boys that if they ever told, they would be kicked out of the church, be disowned by their parents and go to hell.

The Teemans said they didn’t know about the sexual abuse or the reason for Brian’s suicide until Jon David Couzens, the former altar boy, contacted them in 2011.Their lawsuit said that the diocese shared responsibility for Brian’s death because church officials knew that O’Brien was sexually abusing boys but covered it up.

Couzens also filed a lawsuit in 2011 alleging sexual abuse by O’Brien. His case is scheduled for trial next year.

In motions filed in the Teeman case, diocesan attorneys argued that there was no proof the diocese knew that Brian Teeman had been abused or that he committed suicide. The diocese also argued that too much time had passed since Brian’s death.

The statute of limitations for wrongful death is three years in Missouri. The Teemans argued, however, that the statute should be suspended because of what they said was the defendants’ cover-up, fraud and concealment of O’Brien’s alleged abuse of their son and other children. Jackson County Circuit Judge Michael Manners held their argument as valid, and the diocese unsuccessfully appealed Manners’ ruling to the Missouri Supreme Court.

O’Brien, now 86, was not expected to attend or testify at the trial. He has been the subject of more than two dozen sexual abuse lawsuits and was among 12 current or former priests named in a 47-plaintiff case that the diocese settled for $10 million in 2008. He repeatedly has denied all abuse allegations.

The diocese has been named in dozens of civil lawsuits in the past decade alleging sexual abuse by its priests. A new surge of lawsuits flared up in mid-2011 after the Rev. Shawn Ratigan was charged with producing and attempting to produce child pornography.

The first of the Ratigan lawsuits was resolved in May, when the diocese agreed — days before the scheduled trial — to a $600,000 settlement in a federal civil lawsuit filed against Ratigan, the diocese and Bishop Robert Finn by the parents of a young Missouri girl. Until Monday, it was the diocese’s largest settlement in a single priest sex abuse case.

The diocese previously has said that it received a complaint in September 1983 accusing O’Brien of sexual misconduct with a teenage boy and that O’Brien denied any wrongdoing. O’Brien was removed from his assignment as pastor of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in October 1983 and sent for psychological evaluation and treatment, the diocese said.

After completing treatment, O’Brien returned to the diocese in June 1984 and was allowed to serve only as a part-time hospital chaplain, the diocese said. He continued in that position until 2002. Later that year, the bishop at that time, Raymond J. Boland, told O’Brien that he could no longer present himself as a priest.

Randles said she didn’t know what impact the Teeman settlement might have on Couzens’ case, which is set for trial in January.

“We can’t really speculate on how this will affect his case, although any time a survivor achieves justice in the civil system, it always impacts the rest,” she said.

“The sad part is that Brian Teeman was living in a time frame when this kind of thing wasn’t talked about…. He had no place to go. What Don and Rosemary have done is created a place to make it safe for children to come forward. And that’s incredibly important.”

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Protests mount over fast track for John Paul’s beatification

Sex abuse controversy refuses to go away as Catholics prepare for ceremony in Rome

 

 

By Tom Kington

A growing lobby of churchmen and religious experts are challenging the speed with which the Vatican is propelling Pope John Paul II towards sainthood, just six years after his death.

Pope-John-Paul-IIHailed as the pope who helped bring down communism, who prayed alongside Jews and Muslims, and shrugged off an assassination attempt, John Paul will be beatified in St Peter’s Square next Sunday, a first step towards sainthood.

The Vatican is erecting tent cities and stocking up with millions of bottles of water. More than 300,000 people are expected to descend on Rome to honour the Polish pontiff whose charisma gave Catholicism a new lease of life.

But as the crowds begin to arrive, doubts are being expressed over the decision to begin beatification proceedings for John Paul immediately after his death in 2005, instead of observing the usual five-year waiting period.

Some experts are questioning whether John Paul is fit for sainthood at all, pointing to his poor record in handling the sex abuse allegations against priests that came to the fore during his 26-year papacy. “I oppose this beatification and predict history will look unkindly on John Paul, who was in denial as the worst crisis since the Reformation happened in the church,” said Father Richard McBrien, a theology professor at Notre Dame University in the US.

“My doubts are about John Paul being beatified by his successor, Pope Benedict,” said the Catholic historian Michael Walsh. “It appears incestuous and akin to the habit of deifying one’s ancestors.”

Even as Benedict faced the fallout from accusations that scores of priests abused children around the world, he has pulled out the stops to beatify John Paul. Sorting through hundreds of miraculous cures attributed to the pontiff, Vatican officials have selected the overnight recovery from Parkinson’s disease of a French nun as the miracle required for beatification. Experts believe canonisation could follow in two to three years.

“Years from now people may be saying, why the rush?” said Father James Martin, a Jesuit priest and author. “It takes a little bit away for future generations.” Tom Reese, a theologian and author, added: “What we need are fewer popes and priests beatified, and more real lives.”

The ramifications of the sex abuse scandal will continue as an internal Vatican report on predator priests in Ireland reportedly lands on Benedict’s desk, ahead of the publication next month of an Irish government report on the scandal. It is expected that the report will shed light on whether the abuse was ignored by Bishop John Magee of Cloyne, a former private secretary to John Paul.

John Paul’s unwavering support for Marcial Maciel Degollado, the Mexican priest and morphine addict who ran the powerful Legion of Christ movement, has also sparked concerns. Maciel has been accused of abusing seminarians, fathering up to six children and allegedly pacifying the Vatican through large donations, despite complaints about his behaviour dating back to the 1970s.

Supporters of the pope have argued that John Paul was wary of sex abuse accusations after seeing communist officials use fake charges to discredit priests in his native Poland. But Walsh said there was no excuse with the Legion. “John Paul clearly safeguarded Maciel,” he said. Benedict was quick to banish Maciel to a life of penitence in 2006 after his election as pope.

Those voicing reservations over John Paul’s beatification are very much in a minority. Martin said: “Among church insiders there is a sense of the perceived haste over the beatification, but it’s a small concern among ordinary believers. The Vatican is often criticised for not responding to the will of the people, but here you can argue it is doing just that.”

Visitors to his simple marble tomb are convinced John Paul is worthy of beatification. “He had courage, look at how he forgave the man who shot and wounded him in St Peter’s Square in 1981,” said Olivier de Pommery, a banker from Paris. “Through his own illness at the end of his life he taught us to live and suffer with love,” said Marie Louise Murebwayire, from Rwanda. “He made suffering become love and gave dignity to all people who suffer.”

Following his beatification, John Paul’s remains will be moved to a large, ornate chapel near the entrance to St Peter’s Basilica. The tomb of a 17th-century pope, Innocent XI, will be moved to make space.

Complete Article HERE!

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After Second Approved Miracle, Pope John Paul II Likely to Become a Saint

The best part of this news is: if this man can make it to heaven, no one else has anything to worry about.

 

 

by Barbie Latza Nadeau

maciel-marcial-and-john-paul
John Paul II make the wrong call on this guy.

On May 1, 2011, the late pope John Paul II was beatified as a precursor to sainthood after being credited for miraculously curing a French nun of Parkinson’s disease. On that day, the family of a severely ill Costa Rican woman reportedly prayed to the beatified pontiff for her recovery. According to Costa Rican daily La Nación, the sick woman had visited the Calerdon Guardia hospital in San José just days before John Paul was beatified and was diagnosed with an aneurysm on a major blood vessel in her brain. After the beautification and the family’s prayers, the aneurysm miraculously disappeared, according to Alejandro Vargas Roman, the attending physician in an interview with La Nación. Because there was no logical medical explanation and plenty of proof of the prayers to the pontiff, the miracle was chalked up to the divine intercession of the late John Paul II. It was then submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, along with scores of others, to be considered as his second miracle, which is necessary for attaining sainthood.

This week, after a thorough review, the congregation approved a yet unnamed miracle in which they say John Paul II was responsible for the “inexplicable recovery” of a gravely ill person. On Friday, before Pope Francis officially signed off on the second miracle, rumors hinted that it supposedly took place in Costa Rica. In fact, the Costa Rican woman’s doctor has confirmed that he submitted paperwork to the Congregation reviewing the miracles. Whatever it was, the second miracle now paved the way for John Paul II to become a saint, which will likely be celebrated in a canonization ceremony later this year, possibly on December 8, which is a major Catholic feast day and national holiday in Italy. He will likely be canonized together with John XXIII, another favored pope that Pope Francis decided to beatify without proof of miracles.

In deciding the validity of miracles, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints must consider reams of testimony, including lengthy reports from medical doctors and technicians who must eliminate beyond a reasonable doubt any medical explanation for the recovery. In the case of John Paul II’s first miracle, Monsignor Slawomir Oder, who was then postulator of the cause for that miracle, told The Daily Beast that thousands of cases were presented for consideration as miracles by people in Brazil, Colombia, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Spain, and the United States, but the most compelling was the case of the French nun, Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2001 when she was just 40 years old. She was miraculously cured of the disease on June 2, 2005, after a night of prayer to the Polish pontiff, who had died two months earlier. “Since then I have not taken any treatment. My life has completely changed—it was like a second birth for me,” she said at the time her miracle was accepted by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Sister Simon-Pierre suffered what seemed to be a brief relapse just as preparations were being finalized for John Paul II’s beautification, but it turned out to be a false alarm. She was the keynote speaker at the beatification ceremony, which drew more than 1 million pilgrims to Rome. “What the Lord has granted me through the intercession of John Paul II is a great mystery difficult to explain with words— something very great and profound— but nothing is impossible for God,” she told those gathered for the celebratory event.

Miracles are by their nature not easy to prove, and the Congregation for the Causes of Saints does not take its work lightly. There are more than 30 monsignors, bishops, and archbishops who shoulder the theological weight of validating miracles, including ascertaining proof that the cured patient spent sufficient time in honest prayer to the would-be saint. But there are also more than 80 consultants, including medical doctors, technicians, psychiatrists, and even hand-writing analysts who investigate every aspect of the miracle in search of a secular explanation. Sister Simon-Pierre underwent extensive psychological testing to vet her belief in John Paul II, and her Mother Superior and sisters in her convent were quizzed about her faith. Doctor Franco Di Rosa sat on the Vatican’s miracle board for more than 25 years as a medical consultant. He described to The Daily Beast how the process works, and how the person who claims a miracle must be thoroughly investigated: “He or she must go to their bishop who then charges outside specialists with verifying that the treatments were ineffective,” he says. “He or she must also go many years without a relapse.”

The postulator of the miracle, who acts as a caretaker to shepherd the miracle process through a labyrinth of bureaucratic red tape, then prepares an extensive dossier including medical records, X-rays, and medication history to substantiate whether conventional treatment may have aided the cure. Two doctors then review the case before sending it to a committee of five medical experts who must all agree that there is no explanation for the reversal of the disease other than divine intervention. “In 99 percent of the cases, we find a medical explanation,” he says. “In the rare cases we don’t, the panel of theologians then steps in to make a final recommendation to the pope.”

In the case of John Paul II, some naysayers have said that his promotion to sainthood has been fast-tracked to ride the wave of the pope’s enduring popularity during troubling times at the Vatican with a barrage of sex and financial scandals. When John Paul II died in 2005, pilgrims held signs and chanted “santo subito,” or “sainthood now,” at his funeral. Pope Benedict XVI sped things up for his predecessor by waiving the standard five-year waiting period between death and beatification for John Paul II to facilitate the process that allowed the late pope’s cause to reach the brink of sainthood so soon.

Whatever the reason, canonizing John Paul II will easily be one of the most important feel-good events in the church’s history. More than a million followers came to Rome for the beatification, and many more are expected when he escalates to sainthood. And that might be just the miracle the troubled church is looking for.

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Archdiocese of Milwaukee faces Monday deadline to make public clergy sex abuse documents

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee was expected to release thousands of pages of documents related to clergy sex abuse on Monday, including the personnel files of more than three dozen priests and the depositions of church leaders including New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the former archbishop of Milwaukee.

Dolan02A deal reached in federal bankruptcy court between the archdiocese and victims suing it for fraud called for the documents to be made public by July 1. Victims say the archdiocese transferred problem priests to new churches without warning parishioners and covered up priests’ crimes for decades. Many pushed for the documents’ release in the belief that it would be an important part of their healing.

Similar files made public by other Roman Catholic dioceses and religious orders have detailed how leaders tried to protect the church by shielding priests and not reporting child sex abuse to authorities. The cover-up extended to the top of the Catholic hierarchy. Correspondence obtained by The Associated Press in 2010 showed the future Pope Benedict XVI had resisted pleas in the 1980s to defrock a California priest with a record of molesting children. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger led the Vatican office responsible for disciplining abusive priests before his election as pope.

The Milwaukee collection has drawn interest because of the involvement of Dolan, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the nation’s most prominent Roman Catholic official. Dolan has not been accused of transferring problem priests. He took over as archbishop in mid-2002, after many victims had already come forward. But there have been questions about his response to the crisis, including payments made to abusive priests when they left the church.

The archdiocese has characterized the money, as much as $20,000 in some cases, as a kind of severance pay meant to help priests transition out of the ministry. Similar amounts were made to men leaving the priesthood long before allegations of sexual abuse surfaced in the Catholic church, spokeswoman Julie Wolf said last year, when the payments came to light.

Charles Linneman, 45, of Sugar Grove, Ill., was among the abuse victims who spoke out against the payments and pushed for the archdiocese to release its records. Linneman said he was an altar boy when he met Franklyn Becker at a Wisconsin parish in 1980. He read the priest’s file several years ago when it became public during litigation in California, where Becker also served.bishoplistecki

“It helped me move on,” Linneman said. In particular, he was relieved when the file showed no reports of children being abused after him, he said. He had long wondered if coming forward before he did in 2002 would have kept other children from being hurt.

Abuse victims have long sought to hold the church accountable, but most didn’t come forward until well into adulthood, when it was too late under Wisconsin law to sue the church for negligence in supervising its priests. A 2007 Wisconsin Supreme Court decision gave them a window, saying the six-year limit in fraud cases didn’t start until the deception was uncovered. The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in 2011, once it became clear that it was likely to face a slew of lawsuits.

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Shamed Cardinal Keith O’Brien could be forced to give evidence in court over allegations that priest raped young boy

CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS, now 33, claims he was raped and abused by a priest who has since died and O’Brien has been cited to appear in court.

 

 

SHAMED cardinal Keith O’Brien may be called to give evidence in court over allegations that a priest raped a young boy.

The potentially explosive case will force the former head of the Catholic Church in Scotland back into the public eye despite efforts by the Vatican to secure him a low profile.

CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMSChristopher Williams, now 33, claims he was raped and abused by a priest, who has since died, in the 1990s.

Papers detailing his £100,000 civil personal injury case have been lodged in the Court of Session and the case is likely to be heard early next year.

Christopher’s legal team say they cited O’Brien, 75, because he had been told about the allegations.

Lawyer Cameron Fyfe said: “The Church say the priest involved was pursuing his own ministry, which is quite an interesting take.

“They have even denied that it is a priest’s duty to spread the word of God, which is astonishing given that is what they done for hundreds of years.

“We understand this may be a difficult situation given what’s happened with the cardinal and his apparent determination to stay out of the public eye.

“But there are procedures we can take to ensure he is cited to appear in court.”

O’Brien will be the highest ranking Church official ever asked to give evidence in a child abuse case.

Christopher claims he was raped and abused in a chapel house over a five-year period.

He was later sentenced to 100 hours’ community service for three break-ins at the house where he says the rape happened – incidents he describes as “cries for help”.

Hugh McLaughlin, a commentator on Catholic Church issues, said the lawyers face a difficult job finding O’Brien to serve court papers on him.

The Vatican rejected the shamed cardinal’s plans to retire to East Lothian and it is thought he has been told to stay away from Scotland.

McLaughlin said: “It will be an uncomfortable situation for both the Church and the cardinal.

“But he will be required to give evidence and tell the truth as anyone else would.

“The biggest problem is that lawyers acting for the claimant may have difficulty finding the cardinal to serve any summons. Without that, they cannot force him to give evidence.

“But even if the cardinal goes into refuge at the Vatican, he can still be compelled to attend court in Scotland by way of an application to the Vatican City Court.”

O’Brien, Britain’s most senior Catholic, stood down in February after initially denying allegations of inappropriate behaviour following accusations by several priests.

He later admitted improper sexual behaviour.

O’Brien’s whereabouts are unknown after he was forced to abandon plans to retire to Dunbar, East Lothian, amid Vatican fears about his public profile.

Christopher, of Blackburn, West Lothian, declined to comment on his court case.

When he first made the rape claims, senior Church figures called the police but Christopher was too traumatised to speak to them at that time.

He gave an interview after first making the claims at the time of the Pope’s visit to the UK in 2010, saying: “It’s blighted my life and I’ve struggled with depression and feelings of worthlessness.”

Locum priest Father John Robinson, who is supporting Christopher, has repeatedly asked the Church for counselling for him.

Fr Robinson has also written to every bishop in Scotland asking for help for Christopher.

He said: “Very sadly no help has been forthcoming from the Church and Christopher had no choice other than to raise the legal action.”

A Catholic Church spokesman said: “It is the policy of the Church and all its officials to offer full cooperation in any investigations or legal action.”

Complete Article HERE!