Latest Action Alert Your Action on SOL Reform Needed Today!
In a strategic effort to move civil Statute of Limitations (SOL) reform forward, Senator Brownsberger yesterday personally reached out to his Senate colleagues to urge them to add their names to a letter that he and Rep. Lawn have drafted. The letter urges Senate President Murray and House Speaker DeLeo to shepherd SOL bills S. 63 and H.1455 out of Committee and on to the Senate and House floors for a vote. Within hours, 30 of 40 Senators had already signed the letter. Rep. Lawn is reaching out to his House colleagues and expects strong support as well.
Your voice needs to be heard today. Call your legislators and urge them to add their names to the letter. If they have already done so, thank them and encourage them to ask their colleagues to do the same. (Because Sen. Brownsberger and Rep. Lawn are reaching out personally to their colleagues, legislative aides may not yet be aware of this effort. You should know this, in case aides tell you they have not seen such a letter.) The letter will be sent to Speaker DeLeo and Senate President Murray on July 31 just before the August recess. It may be publicly released to the media at that time. Make sure your legislators' names are on it.
Tell them that survivors and advocates intend to take the issue of SOL reform to the mat. We expect them to take it to the Floor and vote to abolish or retroactively extend the civil SOL. Survivors deserve justice and our children deserve action now. Thanks and check our website or Facebook page for regular updates!
Thank you,
The CORSAL Team
CORSAL
Coalition to Reform Sex Abuse Laws
www.corsal.org
617-742-8555
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Jehovah Witness victims of Childhood Sex Abuse - and all supporters from Massachusetts - Action Alert ! ...
by Sol Reform inaction alert!
to all massachusetts residents - please call house speaker robert deleo & members of joint judiciary comm before tues may 7.. http://sol-reform.com/massachusetts/#rep.
we need their support of statutes of limitations reform for massachusetts' child sex abuse victims!.
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Jehovah Witness survivors of Child Sexual Abuse would be among those who qualify for expert, free legal advice over the phone; in speaking with the Royal Commission.
by Sol Reform injehovah witness survivors of child sexual abuse would be among those who qualify for expert, free legal advice over the phone and in face-to-face meetings in key locations for members of the public considering speaking with the royal commission.
free legal service for child abuse royal commission.
posted: tuesday, july 16, 2013 - 16:21 5 11 google +0 0 0. a free legal advisory service has been launched to give advice and support for people seeking to engage with the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse.
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Sol Reform
Attorney-General launches Royal Commission legal advisory service
Updated 9 hours 45 minutes ago (With Audio)The Federal Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus, has launched a free national legal advisory service for people wanting to give evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The service will be run by the National Association of Community Legal Centres and will be independent of the Royal Commission and Government.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-16/attorney-general-launches-royal-commission-legal/4823398?section=vic
Free legal advice for abuse inquiry From: AAP July 16, 2013 2:40PMANYONE thinking about speaking to the royal commission into child sex abuse can now get free legal advice.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus on Tuesday launched Knowmore, a free national legal advice line for people interested in providing information to the commission.Mr Dreyfus said thegovernment will spend $18 million over four years on the service as part of a $62 million fund for legal advice related to the commission.
"A great deal of work has already gone into the setting up of this legal advisory service and it's now up and running," he told reporters in Sydney.
Run by the National Association of Community Legal Centres, it received 18 phone calls in its first three days last week.
Mr Dreyfus said the service could offer advice on issues like witness and informant protections, compensation, and "the implications of existing confidentiality agreements".Carolyn Bond of Community Law Australia welcomed the service, saying it was important to support those dealing with the "sensitive and troubling issue" of child sexual abuse.
The provision of "culturally safe services" might also help to break down the barriers that could prevent people from speaking up, she said.
More than 5000 people are expected to share their stories with the commission, which began in Melbourne in April.Its chairman, Justice Peter McClellan, has previously said the inquiry is unlikely to meet its final deadline of late 2015.
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Jehovah Witness survivors of Child Sexual Abuse would be among those who qualify for expert, free legal advice over the phone; in speaking with the Royal Commission.
by Sol Reform injehovah witness survivors of child sexual abuse would be among those who qualify for expert, free legal advice over the phone and in face-to-face meetings in key locations for members of the public considering speaking with the royal commission.
free legal service for child abuse royal commission.
posted: tuesday, july 16, 2013 - 16:21 5 11 google +0 0 0. a free legal advisory service has been launched to give advice and support for people seeking to engage with the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse.
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Sol Reform
Jehovah Witness survivors of Child Sexual Abuse would be among those who qualify for expert, free legal advice over the phone and in face-to-face meetings in key locations for members of the public considering speaking with the Royal Commission.
Free Legal Service for Child Abuse Royal CommissionPosted: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 - 16:21 5 11 Google +0 0 0
A free legal advisory service has been launched to give advice and support for people seeking to engage with the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Details of the independent legal service, called Knowmore, were announced by the Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus. The Government funded service will provide expert, free legal advice over the phone and in face-to-face meetings in key locations for members of the public considering speaking with the Royal Commission.
The Federal Government has provided $18 million in funding for the service over four years from 2012-2013. Knowmore Executive Officer Jenny Hardy said that the team was on hand to answer calls and any questions people might have about the Royal Commission and related issues such as availability of compensation, the effect of confidentiality agreements and witness/informant protections. "Our job is to help people understand all their options for engaging with the Royal Commission so they can make an informed decision and feel supported in that process.
We will make sure they are given high quality legal advice and supported to access any other help they might need. "We have assembled an expert team of community lawyers and counsellors/social workers who are experienced in working with survivors of sexual abuse and people who have experienced trauma," Hardy said. "The Royal Commission is a unique opportunity to investigate how institutions and governments can better protect children, and put in place measures to make sure the failures of the past are not repeated.
"We know that this will be a difficult process for many people but we want them to know that whoever they are or whatever their experience, we are here to help them with information, advice and support.
"We are committed to providing culturally safe and accessible services to anyone who seeks our help," Hardy said. "People can seek advice from the service and then choose whether or not they want to share their experiences or provide information to the Commission, Attorney General Mark Drayfus said.
"The service will also advise people about other important legal issues such as witness and informant protections, the availability of compensation or other forms of action or redress, and the implications of existing confidentiality agreements." The 'knowmore' service is independent of the Royal Commission and is delivered by the National Association of Community Legal Centres.
Anyone interested in speaking with knowmore can call the free advice line on 1800 605 762 between 9am-5pm EST
More information at www.knowmore.org.au
http://www.probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2013/07/free-legal-service-child-abuse-royal-commission# -
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Has the Vatican rushed the sainthood of Pope John Paul II?
by Sol Reform inbad bank news?.
"to beatify someone who didn't protect children is a travesty, a continuation of the coverup that damaged the church so much.".
father scahill from st. michael's church in east longmeadow.. .
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Sol Reform
Why? Bad bank news?
"to beatify someone who didn't protect children is a travesty, a continuation of the coverup that damaged the church so much."
Father Scahill from St. Michael's Church in East Longmeadow.
Tom Doyle, the good priest who was also ignored by the pope, has a better idea.
"John Paul," he said, "should be the patron saint of looking the other way."
Rush to elevate John Paul ignores victims
By Kevin Cullen / Globe Columnist / 3
In 1994, seven years before the clergy sexual abuse scandal exploded, Robert Costello sent a letter to Pope John Paul II.
"Dear Holy Father," it began, "When I was a small boy of about 10 years old, I was sexually abused by our parish priest. The abuse lasted for over four years. At the time, what was happening to me was extremely frightening. I was very battered on the inside and very cold on the outside."
Costello was an altar boy at St. Theresa's in West Roxbury, and a predator in a Roman collar named John Cotter routinely molested him. Cotter would follow him into the pool and put his hands down his swim trunks.
"On the inside, I was dead," Costello wrote to the pope.
Costello felt a shame he could share with no one. He started stealing drinks from his grandfather's liquor cabinet.
"I think it was the first time I really wanted to die," he wrote to the pope. "I was both physically and mentally raped of everything I knew. My world was dark."
He urged the pope to confront the evil in his midst as surely as he spoke out about the evils of communism and totalitarianism.
"What I can't understand is all of the silence by the Catholic Church," he wrote to the man who was in charge of that church. "This priest admitted what he did. The Church knows he abused sexually, spiritually and mentally many children. He was transferred to another parish where he continued to sexually abuse children."
He begged the pope for an audience.
"By us sitting down together you could help the healing process for thousands of people. I would not take up much of your time and it would mean so much to countless others that the pastoral responsibilities of the Catholic Church were making a comeback."
Bob Costello never did hear back from the pope, and today in a ceremony in Rome that will put that little wedding in London to shame, the dead pope will be beatified, one step away from sainthood.
"You would think that the institutional church would have learned, would have been sensitive to the thousands and thousands of victims and survivors out there," Bob Costello told me yesterday. "But by making John Paul a saint, and by rushing the process so blatantly, I think it's pretty clear that the leaders of the church still don't get it. They still think it's all about them, not about the ordinary people, not about those who have suffered."
There is no doubt John Paul was a great man. He was also a flawed man who presided over a church that was guilty of one of the biggest institutional coverups of criminal activity in history. The pope being rushed to sainthood failed thousands of children and in doing so failed his church and his God.
Nine years before Bob Costello wrote that unanswered letter to the pope, a great priest and canon lawyer at the Vatican named Tom Doyle delivered to the pope a clarion call for action. Priests were raping children all over the world with impunity, Doyle's report found, and the church risked losing its collected fortune and its collective soul unless the pope did something about it.
Like Bob Costello's letter, Tom Doyle's report was ignored.
"Hundreds of thousands of lives were ruined because this pope looked the other way, and now they are falling over themselves to make him a saint," Father Doyle said. "It is self-serving, and it is counterproductive, more evidence that the people who run the church don't understand that these very actions are driving people from the church. It mystifies me. And when I think of the survivors of sexual abuse, it saddens and angers me."
Barry Bonds, the greatest home run hitter of all time, is now considered a cheat who will probably be denied entry into the Hall of Fame. Pope John Paul II is now just one step from entering his church's hall of fame.
"Major League Baseball has higher standards than the Vatican," Father Doyle said. "And that's not saying much for Major League Baseball."
Out in Western Massachusetts, another great priest named Jim Scahill was on the phone, talking about the lack of humility so evident in the Vatican's rush to beatify John Paul. Scahill sat with and comforted dozens of victims of sexual abuse. He forced his bishop to defrock one abuser, and then exposed that bishop, Thomas Dupre, as an abuser, too.
Father Scahill was debating whether to talk about the beatification today during his homily at St. Michael's Church in East Longmeadow.
"I think the kindest thing I could do is not mention it," he said. "The rush to make this man a saint is abhorrent and arrogant. He did accomplish a lot as pope. But to beatify someone who didn't protect children is a travesty, a continuation of the coverup that damaged the church so much. The money that is going to be spent on this is a disgrace. And in all their pomp and circumstance, the people who run the Vatican are revictimizing the survivors."
Some people want John Paul to be the patron saint of Poland.
Tom Doyle, the good priest who was ignored by the pope, has a better idea.
"John Paul," he said, "should be the patron saint of looking the other way."
Kevin Cullen is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at [email protected]Live stress free - never post on Sol threads.
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WIsconsin Jehovah Witness victims of Childhood Sex Abuse - two year window for victims over the age of 35 in pending LRB 2111 and 1056, the Child Victims Act.
by Sol Reform inhttp://sol-reform.com/news/new-developments-in-wisconsin/.
to: all legislators.
from: senator julie lassa and representatives sandy pasch & chris taylor.
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Sol Reform
http://fox6now.com/2013/07/04/proposal-to-lift-statute-of-limitations-for-sex-abuse-victims/
Hear hear!! Wisconsin Child Victims Act: Justice for victims, protection for children 5 Jul 2013 | Wisconsin
Child Victims Act: Justice for victims, protection for children
By Julie LassaThe column below reflects the views of the author, and these opinions are neither endorsed nor supported by WisOpinion.com.
One of the most important roles of government is to protect people who are vulnerable to abuse and mistreatment, and there are none more vulnerable than children who are sexually abused by adults. Unfortunately, the tragic truth is that very few perpetrators of child sexual abuse are ever brought to justice. One of the factors that perpetrators can hide behind is our state's civil statute of limitations that puts an arbitrary deadline on when people abused as children can have their day in court.Statutes of limitations are a particular problem when it comes to childhood sexual abuse. Most sexually abused children are molested by family members or authority figures, and the pressure is strong not to disrupt their own home, school or church. As adults, it may take victims years to come to grips with their experience and build the courage they need to identify their abuser and begin civil or criminal action. By the time they're ready to do so, the statutes of limitations may have expired; it may be too late for justice to be done.
These arbitrary deadlines do more than just rob child sexual abuse victims of their day in court. They endanger every child in our community, because they decrease the likelihood that people who prey sexually on children will be identified and stopped. And we know that pedophiles, if given the opportunity, will continue to seek out new victims. Research has shown that these child molesters will have 80 to 100 victims or more during a lifetime and will continue to victimize children well into their 60s and beyond.
How big is the problem? In Wisconsin, one in five kids will be sexually abused by age 18. We also know that 90 percent of child sexual abuse is never reported to law enforcement authorities; 30 percent of victims never tell anyone. As a result, the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect estimates that only about 3 percent of child molesters are ever caught. That raises the specter of hundreds of pedophiles walking the streets of Wisconsin towns, safe in the knowledge that they are protected by the law from ever being held accountable for their crimes.
That is why I will once again be introducing the Child Victims Act. It removes the civil statute of limitations entirely, so pedophiles would no longer be protected by a legal "home free" date from facing their victims in court. It would also provide a two year window in which a person who is currently arbitrarily barred from bringing a suit would be allowed to bring their charges forward. The bill is supported by law enforcement and numerous child abuse and sexual assault prevention groups.There have been objections raised to the Child Victims Act by people who worry that creating a window for retroactive suits will encourage false claims, or that the accused will have difficulty defending themselves against charges for an act that may have occurred 20 or 30 years ago. But the experience of other states that have similar laws has been that the number of false claims amounts to just a handful and that, even after many years, there is evidence in many cases that supports the victim's claims.
In California, where a similar time window for retroactive suits was enacted, 300 previously unknown child sex abusers were identified as a result. The Child Victims Act will enable victims of sexual abuse to have their day in court and hold more offenders accountable for their actions, preventing them from preying on other innocent children. For the sake of these defenseless victims, we should pass this legislation now.
- Lassa, D-Stevens Point, represents Wisconsin's 24th Senate District.View/Download as PDF: http://sol-reform.com/Wisconsin/july2013/WisOpinion.pdf
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Is the Vatican able to move at the speed of sound?
by Sol Reform inpretty close to it!.
the vatican approved cardinal timothy dolan's request in five weeks.. .
meanwhile the vatican slowly took years to allow dioceses to defrock embarrassing priests.. .
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Sol Reform
Pretty close to it!
The Vatican approved Cardinal Timothy Dolan's request in five weeks.
Meanwhile the Vatican slowly took years to allow dioceses to defrock embarrassing priests.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan asked the Vatican for permission to hide money in case monies were awarded victims of child rapists.
http://www.andersonadvocates.com/documents/Key_Milwaukee_Documents/Cemetery_Trust_All%20.pdf
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/opinion/cardinal-dolan-and-the-sex-abuse-scandal.html?_r=1&;
EditorialCardinal Dolan and the Sexual Abuse ScandalBy THE EDITORIAL BOARDPublished: July 3, 2013
Tragic as the sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church has been, it is shocking to discover that Cardinal Timothy Dolan, while archbishop of Milwaukee, moved $57 million off the archdiocesan books into a cemetery trust fund six years ago in order to protect the money from damage suits by victims of abuse by priests.
Cardinal Dolan, now the archbishop of New York, has denied shielding the funds as an "old and discredited" allegation and "malarkey." But newly released court documents make it clear that he sought and received fast approval from the Vatican to transfer the money just as the Wisconsin Supreme Court was about to open the door to damage suits by victims raped and abused as children by Roman Catholic clergy.
"I foresee an improved protection of these funds from any legal claim and liability," Cardinal Dolan wrote rather cynically in his 2007 letter to the Vatican. The letter was released by the Milwaukee Archdiocese as part of a bankruptcy court fight with lawyers in 575 cases of damage claims. The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy protection in 2011. The law bars a debtor from transferring funds in a way that protects one class of creditors over another.
The release of about 6,000 pages of documents provided a grim backstage look at the scandal, graphically detailing the patterns of serial abuse by dozens of priests who were systematically rotated to new assignments as church officials kept criminal behavior secret from civil authority.
It is disturbing that the current Milwaukee leader, Archbishop Jerome Listecki, said last week that the church underwent an "arc of understanding" across time to come to grips with the scandal - as if the statutory rapes of children were not always a glaring crime in the eyes of society as well as the church itself.
Cardinal Dolan was not a Milwaukee prelate during most of the abuse cases, but he faced a costly aftermath of troubles and warned the Vatican in 2003: "As victims organize and become more public, the potential for true scandal is very real." The documents showed how the Vatican slowly took years to allow dioceses to defrock embarrassing priests. Yet the same bureaucracy approved Cardinal Dolan's $57 million transfer just days after the Wisconsin court allowed victims' damage suits.
Meet The New York Times's Editorial Board »
http://ishouldbelaughing.blogspot.com/2013/07/timothy-dolan-still-protecting-rapists.htmlTuesday, July 02, 2013 Timothy Dolan: Still Protecting Rapists and the Catholic Church
After years of listening to the Catholic Church sing their Deny, Deny, Deny song, this week a box of files was released by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee that shows that back in 2007, anti-gay Cardinal Timothy Dolan, then the archbishop there, requested permission from the Vatican to move nearly $57 million into a cemetery trust fund to protect the assets from victims of pedophile priests who were demanding compensation.
Let's get that queer: Dolan asked the Vatican for permission to hide money in case monies were awarded victims of child rapists.
Still Cardinal Timmy, now the archbishop of New York, denied that he tried to hide funds, and, again, reiterated his denial in a statement just this week that these were "old and discredited attacks." But, the files contain the actual letter, written by Dolan in 2007, to the Vatican in which he explains that by transferring the assets, "I foresee an improved protection of these funds from any legal claim and liability."
The Vatican approved the request in five weeks.
The sickest part of all this mess, besides the fact that the Catholic Church harbored sexual predators, aided and abetted pedophiles, hid funds to avoid costly payouts in civil suits brought by the victims, is that Timmy Dolan played himself as part of the solution to this, um, problem. As the scandal grew, and continues to grow, Dolan expressed his personal outrage at the harm done to children; he apologized; he pledged to help the church and the victims heal.
Then he asked for permission to hide $57 million. I guess he wasn't lying when he said he wanted to help the church; and, perhaps, help himself, since now he is Archbishop Dolan.Victims of pedophile priests are now calling for a federal investigation into the actions of then-Cardinal Dolan and his predecessors; Dolan, perhaps to deflect criticism, says he welcomes the release of the documents.
The current archbishop of Milwaukee, Jerome Listecki-who planned to release the documents before a judicial hearing-did release a letter he wrote, warning Catholics in his archdiocese that the documents could shake their faith: "Prepare to be shocked. There are some graphic descriptions about the behavior of some of these priest offenders."
Such as the fact that the files contain documents from the personnel files of 42 clergy offenders with "substantiated" allegations, going back 80 years. Such as, the Reverend Lawrence Murphy, who is believed to have molested some 200 boys during his 25 years of teaching; and Sigfried Widera, who faced 42 counts of child abuse in Wisconsin and California. Murphy died in 1998, and Father Widera committed suicide in Mexico in 2003.
In that letter to his flock, Archbishop Listecki said the documents showed that 22 priests were "reassigned to parish work after concerns about their behavior were known to the archdiocese," and that 8 of those "reoffended after being reassigned."
The release of these new documents comes from a case filed in bankruptcy court between the Milwaukee Archdiocese and 575 men and women who have filed claims against it alleging that priests or other church employees had sexually abused them.
The archdiocese of Milwaukee, saying it was the best way to compensate the victims and resolve the controversy, filed for bankruptcy in 2011, becoming the eighth Catholic diocese in the United States to do so. Negotiations between the two sides in Milwaukee broke down once the church began arguing that some 400 of the 575 cases are invalid.
In January, the archdiocese said it had spent about $9 million in legal and other fees in the bankruptcy process and was going broke.
Going broke? What about the money that Dolan hid away? What does that say about The Church and their stance on pedophile priests?
It says the same old thing, that the Catholic Church, and men like Dolan, is only out to protect the Church and not the children.
If in any other part of society, you came across an organization that harbored men who raped children, and then the organization moved those men to other jobs where they raped again, and the leaders of that organization began hiding money in fear of monetary judgments against them, we'd all be raising quite a ruckus.
So, why is that the Catholic Church gets to hide rapists and money and no one, notably the members of the Church, are demanding answers? -
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Billy Graham's Grandson Responds to Sovereign Grace Ministries Lawsuit
by Sol Reform inhttp://www.christianpost.com/news/billy-grahams-grandson-responds-to-sovereign-grace-ministries-lawsuit-97590/#mo4kztfo5tujfsbu.99.
billy graham's grandson responds to sovereign grace ministries lawsuit6 share.
(photo: sbts via the christian post)c. j. mahaney, president of sovereign grace ministries, speaks at southern baptist theological seminary in louisville, ky., on thursday, feb. 10, 2011.by anugrah kumar , christian post contributorjune 8, 2013|2:33 pm.
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CJ Mahaney Drops Out of 2014 Together for the Gospel Conference Due to Sovereign Grace Lawsuit
2 ShareBy Nicola Menzie , Christian Post ReporterJuly 2, 2013|6:19 pm- (Photo: Flickr/James Thompson)C.J. Mahaney, president of Sovereign Grace Ministries, is seen in this 2006 file photo.
RELATEDBilly Graham's Grandson Responds to Sovereign Grace Ministries Lawsuit
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Up to 20 churches have decided to no longer be under the direction of Sovereign ...CJ Mahaney Steps Down as President of Sovereign Grace Ministries
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A class action lawsuit was filed against Sovereign Grace Ministries on ...Cardinal Dolan Addresses How Church Responded to Clergy Sexual Abuse
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York has responded to depositions released by the ...
Citing a desire to keep his peers from any "unfair and unwarranted criticism" stemming from a lawsuit filed against Sovereign Grace Ministries, C.J. Mahaney has announced his departure from the biennial Together for the Gospel (T4G) pastors conference he co-founded in 2006 with fellow evangelical Christian leaders Mark Dever, Albert Mohler and Ligon Duncan.In a letter dated July 1, 2013, and published on the T4G website, Mahaney writes:
After much prayer, reflection and counsel I have decided to withdraw from participation in the 2014 Together for the Gospel conference.
My reason for doing so is simple: I love these men and this conference and I desire to do all I possibly can to serve the ongoing fruitfulness of T4G.Unfortunately, the civil lawsuit filed against Sovereign Grace Ministries, two former SGM churches and pastors (including myself), continues to generate the type of attention that could subject my friends to unfair and unwarranted criticism. Though dismissed in May (and now on appeal), the lawsuit could prove a distraction from the purpose of this important conference. My withdrawal is not intended to communicate anything about the merits of the suit. My decision simply reflects the reality that my participation could create a hindrance to this conference and its distinct purpose of serving so many pastors. My strong desire is to make sure this doesn't happen. I believe the most effective way I can serve my friends who have supported me, and continue to support me, is by not participating in the 2014 conference.My enthusiasm for this conference is undiminished and I believe it will continue to be a powerful context for encouraging and equipping pastors in their efforts to serve their churches and proclaim the gospel. I am immensely grateful for the undeserved privilege to have been involved in previous conferences, and, most importantly, my ongoing friendship with these men I love and respect.
Mahaney, currently leading Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville (Kentucky), had been overseeing the Sovereign Grace Ministries church-planting organization since its founding 30 years ago, but stepped down as president from the evangelical, Reformed, and charismatic network in April as it prepared to undergo a new executive organizational structure. Sovereign Grace Ministries also moved last year its headquarters from Gaithersburg, Md., to Louisville, where it shares affiliations with Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.Follow us The network had been fighting a lawsuit brought in October 2012 by former Sovereign Grace Ministries church members who claimed there had been a cover-up of child physical and sexual abuse and protection of accused abusers, allegedly at the hand of some leaders. Mahaney, Sovereign Grace Ministries co-founder Larry Tomczak and John Loftness, who resigned as chairman of the SGM board in February, were named among the defendants in the civil lawsuit.
In May, a Maryland judge dismissed most of the suit due to plaintiffs having failed to file before the statute of limitations expired,
among other issues. As Mahaney, 59, noted in his statement, the 11 plaintiffs have appealed the court's decision. In addition, the pastors and churches named in the lawsuit could face criminal charges since felonies, such as sexual abuse of a child, are exempt from the statute of limitations.Although Sovereign Grace Ministries has experienced the departure of several member churches from its estimated 80-member network due to handling of the controversy and lawsuit, several Christian ministers, such as Kevin DeYoung and Don Carson, stepped forward once the lawsuit was dismissed to express their confidence in and support of Mahaney. Speaking in a joint Gospel Coalition statement issued May 24, Carson, DeYoung and Justin Taylor insisted: "We are not ashamed to call C. J. a friend. Our relationship with C. J. is like that with any good friend - full of laughter and sober reflection, encouragement and mutual correction. He has regularly invited - even pursued - correction, and we have given him our perspective when it is warranted."While the admission of friendship may render this entire statement tainted in the eyes of some, we hope most Christians will understand that while friends should never cover for each others' sins, neither do friends quickly accept the accusations of others when they run counter to everything they have come to see and know about their friend. We are grateful for C. J.'s friendship and his fruitful ministry of the gospel over many decades."T4G trio Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan and Albert Mohler also issued a similar statement at the time, but it has since been removed from the conference website and Facebook page.Other prominent Christians, such as the Rev. Billy Graham's grandson and Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment co-founder, Boz Tchividjian, criticized both The Gospel Coalition and Together for the Gospel statements made in defense of Mahaney.
"Why no mention that CJ Mahaney was actually the Senior Pastor at one of these churches where all of this horrific abuse allegedly occurred AND that [he] discouraged these families from bringing this matter to the God ordained civil authorities?"
Tchividjian reportedly wrote on Facebook. "Omitting such a fundamentally important fact from this statement is a fundamental error."He added, "This lawsuit is less about the abuse and more about an institution that took steps to protect itself and its reputation over the victimized souls (and bodies) of little ones."Mahaney, who pastored Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Md., for about as long as he led the Sovereign Grace Ministries network as president, stepped down from the church-planting network for about six months in 2011 amid accusations of "pride, unentreatability, deceit, sinful judgment, and hypocrisy." He was reinstated as president the following year after a board review cleared him of the accusations.The next Together for the Gospel conference, meant to help encourage local churches and pastors to reaffirm the central doctrine of the Christian faith, is scheduled for April 8-10, 2014, in Louisville, with featured speakers including Ligon Duncan, Albert Mohler, Mark Dever, David Platt, John Piper, Kevin DeYoung, Thabiti Anyabwile and Matt Chandler, among others.Advertisement
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Massachusetts officials given a jap in the ribs! Stop Giving Taxpayer $ to Churches!
by Sol Reform inhttps://www.au.org/media/press-releases/massachusetts-communities-must-stop-giving-taxpayer-aid-to-houses-of-worship?utm_source=au+main+email+list&utm_campaign=aab0b99647-13-6-25&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_39ed39e994-aab0b99647-288613497.
massachusetts communities must stop giving taxpayer aid to houses of worship, says americans unitedchurch-state watchdog group tells state officials to end public aid to religionjun 27, 2013. americans united for separation of church and state has warned officials in massachusetts that they must stop allowing communities to use taxpayer money to renovate houses of worship.earlier this year, americans united received several complaints that massachusetts municipalities were using funds under the community preservation act to repair churches.. this practice, americans united asserts, violates both the u.s. and massachusetts constitutions.
"houses of worship should be supported by the men and women sitting in the pews, not the taxpayers," said the rev.
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Sol Reform
Massachusetts Communities Must Stop Giving Taxpayer Aid To Houses Of Worship, Says Americans United
Church-State Watchdog Group Tells State Officials To End Public Aid To Religion
Jun 27, 2013
Americans United for Separation of Church and State has warned officials in Massachusetts that they must stop allowing communities to use taxpayer money to renovate houses of worship.Earlier this year, Americans United received several complaints that Massachusetts municipalities were using funds under the Community Preservation Act to repair churches.
This practice, Americans United asserts, violates both the U.S. and Massachusetts constitutions."Houses of worship should be supported by the men and women sitting in the pews, not the taxpayers," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. "Coerced support for religion goes against basic constitutional principles."Ron Madnick, president of Americans United's Massachusetts Chapter, agreed."In America," Madnick observed, "everyone is free to contribute to the house of worship of their choice or to decline to support them at all. Massachusetts officials shouldn't presume to make that decision for us."In an April letter to officials at the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, AU Legal Director Ayesha N. Khan and Associate Legal Director Alex J. Luchenitser cited several examples of tax money being awarded to houses of worship.Among them were the First Parish Church of Cohasset, which received $65,000 to restore its windows and three churches in Monson - one Catholic, one Methodist and one Unitarian Universalist - which received grants totaling $317,000 for things such as steeple renovations, interior work and repair of structural damage.The churches in question have active congregations and regularly hold worship services.Massachusetts officials did not respond to AU's April letter. Today, the organization sent afollow-up letter to the officials requesting a response within 14 days."This is a serious and ongoing problem on a large scale, and deserves your prompt attention," observes the letter.The letter also notes that yet another church has received tax funding. Officials in Acton approved two grants totaling $45,000 to the West Acton Baptist Church.
Americans United points out that a provision of the Massachusetts Constitution clearly states that tax money may not be used for religious purposes.The provision reads,
"No grant, appropriation or use of public money or property or loan of credit shall be made or authorized by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof for the purpose of founding, maintaining or aiding any infirmary, hospital, institution, primary or secondary school, or charitable or religious undertaking which is not publicly owned and under the exclusive control, order and supervision of public officers or public agents authorized by the Commonwealth or federal authority or both...and no such grant, appropriation or use of public money or property or loan of public credit shall be made or authorized for the purpose of founding, maintaining or aiding any church, religious denomination or society."
Americans United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.
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Who really is the faithful and discreet shredder of all time? Jehovah's Witness Elders?... The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia ? ...or the New South Wales Police Department?
by Sol Reform in"the elders were destroying the records in the napa congregations" .
"1. this letter updates the letters to all bodies of elders regarding child abuse dated march 23, 1992; february 3, 1993; august 1, 1995; march 14, 1997; july 20, 1998; may 24, 2002; april 1, 2004; june 5, 2006; and may 24, 2010.. those letters should be removed from the congregation permanent file of policy letters and be destroyed.. .
no one should keep originals or copies of any of those letters.".
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Sol Reform
"the elders were destroying the records in the NAPA Congregations"
http://www.silentlambs.org/slalert.htm
"1. This letter updates the letters to all bodies of elders regarding child abuse dated March 23, 1992; February 3, 1993; August 1, 1995; March 14, 1997; July 20, 1998; May 24, 2002; April 1, 2004; June 5, 2006; and May 24, 2010.
Those letters should be removed from the congregation permanent file of policy letters and be destroyed.
No one should keep originals or copies of any of those letters."
October 1, 2012TO ALL BODIES OF ELDERSRe: Child abuse
http://governingbodyletters.blogspot.com/
Watchtower - Destroy the document!
http://marvinshilmer.blogspot.com/2011/09/watchtower-destroy-document.html
"After further review" elders were told to destroy them.http://marvinshilmer.blogspot.com/2011/02/what-happened-at-watchtower-in-2001.html
In 1994, The Philadelphia Archdiocese; Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua was informed that the secret list of 35 priests had been shredded per his instructions.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/24/justice/pennsylvania-church-abuse
Attorneys: Cardinal ordered memo on priests destroyedBy the CNN Wire Staffupdated 5:59 AM EST, Mon February 27, 2012
Philly priest sex abuse case cover-up?STORY HIGHLIGHTSMonsignor asks charges against him be thrown outHe claims late cardinal ordered list destroyedList allegedly contained names of suspected priests
(CNN) -- A Philadelphia archdiocese official on trial for allegedly covering up the sexual abuse of children has asked a court to throw out charges against him based on a 1994 memo showing Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua ordered a list of suspected abusive Catholic priests to be destroyed.
Attorneys for Monsignor William Lynn asked a Philadelphia court to dismiss charges of conspiracy and child endangerment based on documents that Lynn had informed his superiors -- including the cardinal -- that priests in the archdiocese were assaulting children.
"The recent unexpected and shocking discovery of a March, 1994 memorandum composed by Monsignor James Molloy, Monsignor Lynn's then-supervisor, on the topic of this review, clearly reveals that justice demands that all charges against Monsignor Lynn be dropped," Lynn's attorneys said in a filing.
As revealed in court papers filed on Friday, Molloy's handwritten memo dated March 22, 1994, informed Bevilacqua that the secret list of 35 priests had been shredded per his instructions.
"On 3-22-94 at 10:45 AM I shredded, in the presence of Reverend Joseph R. Cistone, four copies of these lists from the secret archives," Molloy's memo stated. "The action was taken on the basis of a directive I received from Cardinal Bevilacqua at the Issues meeting of 3-15-94 ...."
According to the filing, the document was discovered in a locked cabinet in an archdiocese administrative office. It did not elaborate on how the document came to light.
Bevilacqua, who died on January 31, testified 10 times before grand juries in 2003 and 2004. A final grand jury report said it had no doubt that the cardinal knew about the danger posed by the accused priests and that his actions endangered thousands of children in the archdiocese.
The grand jury also concluded that Lynn had carried out the cardinal's policies exactly as the cardinal directed.
"It should not be surprising to learn documents about child abusing priests were destroyed," said Marci Hamilton, an attorney who has represented victims in many clergy sex abuse cases, including suits against the Philadelphia archdiocese. "That is consistent with the pervasive pattern of secrecy and the rule against scandal."
According to the Philadelphia district attorney, this case represents the first time that U.S. prosecutors have charged not just the priests who allegedly committed the abuses, but an official who stands accused of failing to stop the assaults. Lynn had been responsible from 1992 until 2004 for investigating reports that priests had sexually abused children.
The grand jury alleged that Lynn knowingly allowed dangerous priests to continue in the ministry in roles in which they had access to children, according to the district attorney's office.
A gag order imposed by a Philadelphia judge in the case remains in effect, barring all parties involved in the criminal case from talking to the media.
New South Wales Police has admitted all records of a senior officer's involvement with a key Catholic Church body set up to deal with sexual abuse cases have been shredded.http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-20/police-destroyed-church-meeting-notes/4769784
Senior NSW police officer shredded documents from meetings with Catholic Church officialsBy Suzie Smith, ABCUpdated June 21, 2013, 12:01 pm
New South Wales Police has admitted all records of a senior officer's involvement with a key Catholic Church body set up to deal with sexual abuse cases have been shredded.
This includes briefing papers and all documentation over a five-year period from 1998 to 2003.
The revelations come from Freedom of Information (FOI) documents obtained by the ABC's Lateline program.
The top level group established by the Catholic Church's bishops is known as the Professional Standards Resource Group (PSRG).
It was created in 1997 in response to the Wood Royal Commission into the police and paedophilia, and its key function was to advise the church on specific cases involving clergy and others.
Earlier this year, a NSW Police spokesman told Lateline all the information provided by the church to the serving officer was anonymous.
The , allegedly at the request of victims who the church said did not want police involvement.
The documents revealed on Lateline were lodged by NSW Greens MLC, David Shoebridge.
They reveal that Inspector Beth Cullen, who was then a senior sergeant with the Sex Crimes Unit, shredded all documents pertaining to her role with the PSRG from 1998 to 2003.
The letter from the NSW Police that accompanied the FOI documents reads:
"Det Acting Superintendent Linda Howlett of the Sex Crimes Squad had advised the documents concerning the PSRG meetings were confidential and maintained by the Professional Standards Office of the Catholic Church.
"Inspector Beth Cullen, the NSW Police representative on the PSRG, shredded hard copies of meeting material after each meeting.
"Furthermore Inspector Cullen did not keep any documentation in relation to her work on the PSRG."
Mr Shoebridge says there appears to be no "paper trail" of how and why this police officer was required to shred the documents.
"We need all the documents produced, and in the absence of documents, we need the police explaining to the public about how they went about destroying these documents' evidence of crime," he told Lateline.
"No police officer should be involved in internal church investigations about crimes. When there is a crime it should be investigated by police."
Shredding documents 'unusual, extraordinary'
The state's former Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Nicholas Cowdery QC, also has serious concerns.
"It is quite extraordinary because my experience has been that official police action is backed up by documents, reports and all the relevant material assembled during the official police activity," he said.
"So for someone involved in such activity to shred documents like this I think it quite unusual and indeed extraordinary.
"There is something about shredding documents - it is to put the documents out of reach, but in the mind of the person doing it, to shred documents is to destroy them and to make them unavailable for others."
He says he cannot think of a time when it would be necessary or appropriate for a serving police officer to shred documents of their role on a civilian body.
"No, I can't accept to destroy evidence - which is what it amounts to - evidence of what happened, so that the person that was involved can't refer back to the documentary evidence," he said.
"So that person's superiors can't have access to a contemporaneous record that was made or preparatory documents - or documents that might have been provided by way of briefing before the meeting was organised - all that has gone.
"I have sat on numerous committees and bodies with serving police officers who were there by reason of their position in the police force, they always make comprehensive notes of what is going on, they prepare reports for their superiors, they have records they can refer back to, if there is any uncertainty or confusion about what happened, it is to protect the officer as well as the institution."
NSW Police Minister Mike Gallacher has written to the Police Commissioner's office asking for an urgent briefing on the matter.
Cooperation between church and police needs scrutiny
Mr Cowdery says the Police Minister must reveal to the public the exact nature of the cooperation between the Catholic Church and NSW Police.
"It is important... It is the case of the employer deciding what to do with the employee, that employee having been discovered to have committed serious criminal offences in some cases," Mr Cowdery told Lateline.
"It may be that the employer wanted to take action just short of criminal prosecution, but the employer in that case would have to be held accountable for that decision and for that conduct as well, otherwise you might get the situation that the senior people making the decision, in relation to the priests and others, might be guilty of the offence of concealing a serious offence, of deliberately covering up an offence.
"If there was a possibility of that happening I guess one of the ways to make the prosecution for that offence more difficult would be to remove any evidence of what was discussed at the meetings."
The director of the Professional Standards Office (PSO) of the Catholic Church, Michael Salmon, says it was the common procedure of the meetings that everyone returned the documents to the PSO.
He told Lateline this was to ensure confidential matters were not made public.
"I understand that the members of the group had decided that confidential and sensitive briefing papers would be returned to the Professional Standards Office following meetings. This continues to be the practice," Mr Salmon said in a statement to Lateline.
"I am not aware of members personally shredding briefing documents, but I assume from time to time they may have done so if unable to return them promptly to the Professional Standards Office.
"Briefing papers from members of the group returned to the PSO are not retained as they do not form part of the formal record of meetings."
'It gives rise to suspicion'
But Mr Cowdery says it is concerning that the Catholic Church is the only body that retains the minutes of these meetings.
"It is pretty extraordinary that only one party to a multi-party arrangement should retain records of what happened," he said.
"Now it leaves open the suspicion that those records could be destroyed or manipulated in some way, could be selectively used to demonstrate particular consequences and outcomes.
"It gives rise to suspicion where a full explanation might dispel any suspicion and put everything on a proper course, but we don't know because the documents have not been released."
A spokesperson from the NSW Police released this statement tonight:
"Original documentation concerning the meetings was confidential and maintained by the NSW Professional Standards Office of the Catholic Church.
"The only material that was shredded were copies of that original documentation, which had been circulated to members of the Church's NSW Professional Standards Resource Group prior to each meeting.
"The circumstances surrounding the appointment of representatives from the NSW Police Force to the Catholic Church's NSW Professional Standards Resource Group and the manner in which that group operated will be considered by the Special Commission of Inquiry.
"NSW Police Force will continue to provide full cooperation and assistance to this inquiry.Mr Shoebridge has now referred all the documents to the federal royal commission and the special commission of inquiry in NSW.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-21/nsw-police-officer-accused-of-shredding-documents/4770036?section=nswNSW police officer accused of shredding documents on child sexual abuse
Updated Fri Jun 21, 2013 8:12am AEST
The Special Commission of Inquiry into child sexual abuse in the Hunter region is now examining whether police destroyed crucial evidence relating to abuse by Catholic clergy. A Lateline investigation has found a senior NSW police officer was part of a key Catholic Church body set up to deal with sex abuse cases and attended monthly meetings. And over a five year period the police officer shredded all documents and records of those monthly meetings. There are now questions about how a serving police officer came to be sitting on an internal church committee, that discussed child sexual abuse and under what circumstances that officer shredded the records. -
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The Irish have now become pagan, some Catholic bishops believe.
by Sol Reform inafter clerical sex abuse scandals / 'slave labour' at magdalene laundries (nun-controlled laundries) ?
and they're shocked?.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/irish-have-become-pagan-some-catholic-bishops-believe-1.1440835.
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Sol Reform
After clerical sex abuse scandals / 'slave labour' at Magdalene Laundries (nun-controlled laundries) ? And they're shocked?
Irish have 'become pagan', some Catholic bishops believe Association of Catholic Priests told the people 'have bought into evils of materialism'
Druids perform a pagan style blessing ceremony at Stonehenge. Photograph: Chris Ison/PA.
Patsy McGarryTopics:NewsSocial AffairsReligion & BeliefsMon, Jun 24, 2013, 09:42
First published: Mon, Jun 24, 2013, 07:30648
The Irish people "have, to all intents and purposes, become pagan" in the opinion of "a substantial number" of Ireland's Catholic bishops and some priests, a new report from the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) has said.It said "there seems to be a substantial number of bishops, and some priests, who believe that the problems we are facing are not due to any difficulties in the Church or with the priesthood, but are caused by a lack of faith in the people.
"The people, they told us, have bought into the evils of materialism and consumerism, and don't have time or interest in faith any more. They have, to all intents and purposes, become pagan. And they believe that 'evangelisation' is the answer." But "there didn't seem to us to be any practical ideas, or indeed energy, around how this evangelisation could be progressed," it said.
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The association's leadership team has so far met priests' councils in the Catholic dioceses of Dublin, Waterford, Kerry, Killaloe, Clonfert, Tuam, Elphin, Achonry, Killala, Clogher, Kilmore, Armagh and Ossory and Raphoe.
The meetings followed the refusal of the Irish Episcopal Conference to meet the association. Instead, the bishops suggested the association meet priests' councils in each diocese.
In a report on its meetings to date, the association said that in all cases, except one, the bishop of each diocese attended the meetings and in that one case timing meant the bishop could not attend.
As regards the economic situation, "priests told us that they are slow to preach about it because it is hard to say anything without straying into the political realm, and most priests try to stay away from that", the report said.
"Almost every priest we met agreed with us that the New Missal is very unsatisfactory, and a hindrance in the proper celebration of the Eucharist. One or two bishops tried to defend it, but most also agreed that it was not a good development."
At the meetings, the association also "highlighted the fact that that there are now sufficient numbers of false allegations against priest to cause concern."
Where the association itself was concerned, it said there was praise for its work in supporting priests. "But there were also individuals (and in a few cases more than individuals) who were critical of us, seeing us as 'darlings of the media who want to destroy the church', and being a cause of division."
(Photo: Flickr/James Thompson)C.J. Mahaney, president of Sovereign Grace Ministries, is seen in this 2006 file photo.
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