It appears that its ‘business as usual’ for Bishop Paul Sirba in the Diocese of Duluth these days and we are deeply concerned about the all-too-familiar circumstances playing out there. As has been widely reported, Father Brian Lederer of Blessed Sacrament in Hibbing was arrested on May 5th and charged with the sexual assault of multiple young girls at his parish school. Father Lederer is a pastor at Blessed Sacrament who was also a teacher there at one point. Then, in the face of an ongoing criminal investigation, Bishop Paul Sirba made the decision to place the Diocese’s Chancellor, Judicial…
News & Events
We are deeply troubled to learn of the arrest of a priest in the Diocese of Duluth, Fr. Brian M. Lederer, Hibbing, Minn., on expected charges of sexual abuse of children. The sexual abuse of children among clergy is a real and present danger. Although the Catholic Church may argue that the scourge of clerical childhood sexual abuse is a thing of the past, the arrest of Lederer and more recent cases such as Curtis Wehmeyer in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Shawn Ratigan in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph tell us otherwise…
Former Lindwood Arts School Janitor Walter Happel was sentenced to 10 years in prison today for sexually abusing numerous children over the course of 30 years. We applaud the courageous survivors who came forward and spoke the truth in order to see justice done. Happel was convicted of three counts of criminal sexual conduct for his sexual abuse of minors. We are alarmed and saddened whenever students are sexually abused by a school employee. When serial predators work with unsupervised access to children in an elementary school, a very dangerous risk is posed…
Finally, Pope Francis did something about one of the world’s most notorious and noxious examples of clergy pedophilia cover up: he accepted the resignation of criminally convicted Kansas City-St. Joseph Bishop Robert W. Finn today. http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article19121754.html It’s a step in the right direction. But we will watch to see if it leads to more Vatican action to hold complicit bishops accountable. Because much more needs to be done.
In September 2012, Finn was convicted of failing to report suspected child abuse, a misdemeanor, after he learned of child pornography fo…
Finally,
Pope Francis did something about one of the world’s most notorious and noxious
examples of clergy pedophilia cover up: he accepted the resignation of
criminally convicted Kansas City-St. Joseph Bishop Robert W. Finn today. It’s
a step in the right direction. But we will watch to see if it leads to more
Vatican action to hold complicit bishops accountable. Because much more needs
to be done.In September 2012, Finn was convicted of failing to report
suspected child abuse, a misdemeanor, after he learned of child pornography found
on the computer of a priest, Shawn Ratigan. …
Last week, Bishop John LeVoir and the Diocese of New Ulm, Minnesota released an online video discussing, and apologizing to Survivors for, the terrible harm caused by clergy sexual abuse. LeVoir said in the video that he has learned from listening to Survivors that sexual abuse by clergy results in a “hurt so great that it never goes away.” Unfortunately, LeVoir follows up what appears to be a sincere, heartfelt apology to Survivors with an invitation to them to return to the church. Bishop LeVoir says that returning to the church is in fact the only way for Survivors to heal.
In thirty years of representing Survivors of clergy sexual abuse I have learned that the Catholic Church knew it had a problem with sexual abuse long before anyone in the unsuspecting public did. Bishops like John LeVoir have encountered Survivors of sexual abuse for decades and presumably learned of its terrible effects and the severity of the harm it causes.
Last week, Bishop John LeVoir and the Diocese of New Ulm, Minnesota released an online video discussing, and apologizing to Survivors for, the terrible harm caused by clergy sexual abuse. LeVoir said in the video that he has learned from listening to Survivors that sexual abuse by clergy results in a “hurt so great that it never goes away.” Unfortunately, LeVoir follows up what appears to be a sincere, heartfelt apology to Survivors with an invitation to them to return to the church.
The Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph has announced that Father Robert Harrison OFM cap has admitted to sexually abusing minors under his care. The fact that a Roman Catholic priest has sexually violated a child while standing in loco parentis is not new.What is new is that Father Robert Harrison OFM cap went undetected for half a century. Ordained in 1964, Father Harrison was well trained by the Hierarchy. Father Robert studied philosophy, theology, social work and law. Harrison was given the tools to detect weaknesses, select a vulnerable child and conceal…
While details regarding allegations of child sexual abuse by actor Stephen Collins are still emerging, his portrayal of a sexually abusive priest in the short film “Penance” eerily foreshadows the allegations he now faces off screen and also touches on a misconception still held by some. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times the film was made in 2013 before the secret audio recording obtained by his wife was released to the public. The secret audio recording allegedly includes admissions by Collins of sexual impropriety with minors. Some have alleged that Collins use…
News of a string of child sexual abuse charges at Minnesota schools provides a shocking reminder of the importance of child protection measures in our schools. It also serves as a reminder to schools – especially now that kids are back in the classroom – that vigilance and existing child protection measures can always be improved.
Recently it has been reported by TMZ.com that Mr. Collins’ wife, actress Faye Grant who is currently involved with contentious divorce proceedings secretly recorded a joint therapy session during which two discussed Mr. Collins’ alleged sexual abuse of minors. Often the convoluted and inconsistent laws and rules of evidence regarding child sexual abuse are exploited by offenders who can abuse in one jurisdiction then flee to another jurisdiction to avoid detection and accountability..
Sexual Assault Prevention Programming. For the first time, Minnesota has approved state funding for Sexual Assault prevention programming. As part of the Public Safety budget, $300,000 will be allotted to address risks, policies and practices with the goal of reducing the likelihood of sexual abuse.
In what has become a tragically routine turn of events, another credibly accused priest has been sheltered from justice by Catholic hierarchs. Indeed, an accused priest, Father Carlos Urrutigoity, was promoted to vicar general of the Diocese of Eastern Paraguay’s Ciudad del Este following accusations of sex abuse in three other locations. One of these was the Diocese of Winona in Minnesota.Urrutigoity was ordained as a member of the rigidly traditionalist Society of St. Pius X in the Diocese of Winona in 1989. But far from having a promising start to his career as a priest…
The issue of clergy sexual abuse was addressed on an international scale last Friday when the United Nations Committee on the Convention Against Torture issued a seething review of the Holy See’s yearly report. The Committee found that Vatican officials failed to properly report child sex abuse charges, shuffled priests to different dioceses rather than disciplining them, and failed to pay adequate compensation to survivors of child sex abuse.As a party to the Convention Against Torture (CAT) since 2002, the Holy See has a legal obligation to take international responsibility for its…
The need for vigilance in protecting children from sexual abuse was again underscored by reports of abuse at Linwood Monroe Arts Plus school. St. Paul Public Schools…