Archbishop of Milwaukee, Jerome Listecki, is arguing the Hierarchy’s choices to protect priests first and children second should be viewed under the arc of understanding. “The arc of understanding sexual abuse of a minor progressed from being seen as a moral failing and sin that needed personal resolve and spiritual direction; to a psychological deficiency that required therapy and could be cured; to issues of addiction requiring more extensive therapy and restrictions on ministry; to recognition of the long-term effects of abuse and the need to hold the perpetrator accountable for this…
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In 1993, Father James Porter pled guilty to sexually abusing 28 children in parishes in southeastern Massachusetts in the 1960’s. Unfortunately, those heinous actions were the tip of the iceberg. With the assistance of church leaders from the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts to the Diocese of Crookston to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Fr. Porter abused children across the United States with impunity. During the 1960’s and 1970’s, the operating protocol with respect to Fr. Porter, a known child molester, was: Protect Porter. Fr. Porter’s 1973 letter to…
We are saddened and disheartened to hear news of yet another situation of a failure of a school to protect its children. The news today that Tajreed E. Rich, a hall monitor and coach at Robbinsdale Cooper High School, who had also worked as a volunteer cheerleading coach at North High School, was charged with third degree criminal sexual assault of a minor is alarming and tragically familiar. School districts and their employees need to be better trained in child protection and prevention of abuse to ensure the safety of our kids at school. We urge Cooper High School, North High School…
This week yet another Minnesota priest was arrested for sexually abusing a child. Father Leo Charles Koppala, of Blue Earth, Minnesota, has been charged with the sexual abuse of an 11-year old girl. Father Koppala is a priest at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church. His arrest is a stark reminder of the continued vulnerability of our youth to child predators, including clergy. American Catholic Bishops are fond of categorizing the sexual abuse of children by clergy as a historic problem…
Saint Benedict said in the Rule of Benedict that we are to listen with the ear of our heart.
Considerable commentary has been spoken and written of the 22 monks of Saint John’s Abbey accused of sexually abusing minors. None, however, demonstrates the misuse of therapists to cover up Saint John’s knowledge of child sexual abuse more than the case of Reverend Allen (Gilbert) Tarlton OSB.
Five successive Abbots have known since 1958 that Father Allen repeatedly sexually abused students at Saint John’s Prep and Saint John’s University. To squelch the scandal of monks abusing students…
A powerful new force has emerged in the fight against child sexual abuse and the protection of predator priests in the Catholic Church. This week, as profiled by Laurie Goodstein, in the New York Times, a group of Catholic Whistleblowers composed of nuns and priests have come together to provide an alternative viewpoint from inside the Church hierarchy concerning the state of child protection within the Catholic Church. Despite assertions to the contrary, the Catholic Church still suffers from poor decision-making and the failure to prioritize children over the priesthood. A…
On Tuesday, May 14, 2013, our clients, Jane Doe 173 and her parents, settled a historic lawsuit against the Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph and its Bishop, Robert Finn. Their case was significant for two reasons. First, through the lawsuit, Jane Doe 173, with the brave support of her family, sought justice for the damages caused by Bishop Finn’s actions in supporting Father Shawn Ratigan, a child pornographer, at the expense of numerous children from the Diocese, including Jane Doe. Second, Jane Doe 173 brought her claim under Masha’s Law, a federal statute which allows survivo…
On Tuesday, May 14, 2013, our clients, Jane Doe 173 and her parents, settled a historic lawsuit against the Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph and its Bishop, Robert Finn. Their case was significant for two reasons. First, through the lawsuit, Jane Doe 173, with the brave support of her family, sought justice for the damages caused by Bishop Finn’s actions in supporting Father Shawn Ratigan, a child pornographer, at the expense of numerous children from the Diocese, including Jane Doe. Second, Jane Doe 173 brought her claim under Masha’s Law, a federal statute which allows survivo…
Child abuse is a topic many find challenging to discuss or even think about, but it’s necessary, especially with the alarming statistics reported annually in this country. According to the Children’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 3.4 million reports of child abuse were filed in 2011 in the United States, which actually affects nearly 6 million children. However, it is estimated the actual number of incidents of abuse and neglect could be three times more than what is actually reported by professionals (police officers, social workers, attorneys, etc….
We are once again saddened and alarmed to learn of the news of the arrest of a visiting priest from Colombia working in the Diocese of Stockton for child sexual abuse. Time will tell what was known of Rev. Guarin-Sosa’s history and safety in working with children. What is known to us already is that numerous priests have been transferred globally with the aid of the catholic hierarchy after being credibly accused of abusing children. Fr. Nicolas Aguilar is just one example. Aguilar abused kids in Mexico and then was shipped to Los Angeles, where he abused at least 26 other kids, before being sent ba…