News Story of the Day
SF Archdiocese Quietly Removed 2 Priests Accused of Abuse From Public List, Attorneys Say
A pair of priests who have been accused of molestation have since disappeared from the San Francisco Archdiocese’s list of priests in good standing. Attorneys representing people accusing the clergy of sexual abuse when they were children say they believe the priests were quietly removed from ministry in response to the allegations against them.
“I think they’re feeling heat,” said Jennifer Stein, an attorney representing one of the alleged victims who filed a lawsuit in 2022 accusing Rev. Lawrence J. Finegan of sexual abuse. “They’re feeling the pressure of having perpetrators on their good standing list with known allegations that have been public, and publicly available, for years, and in this case, for decades.”
Former Louisville priest faces new child abuse charges decades after being removed from ministry
Joseph Mouser
January 2, 2025
By
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A priest who formerly worked in Louisville is facing charges of child sex abuse, and this isn't the first time he's been accused.
Joseph Irvin Mouser, 86, was removed from public ministry in 2002 and is facing new charges of child sodomy and sexual abuse. The alleged abuse happened 35 years ago.
Although the accusations against the 86-year-old are new, court records state the incidents happened between 1989 and 1991.
The victim was younger than 12.
Melanie Sakoda works as the support director for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
"Given the background of this particular priest, I don't think there's any question that he is capable of doing just this," she said.
ABC7 Year-in-Review: Sexual abuse allegations made against Charlotte County priest
SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - An arrest in April sent shockwaves throughout two communities that are separated by 1,400 miles.
An employee working at a Catholic district in Dubuque, Iowa, a town of about 60,000 people that borders both Wisconsin and Illinois, reported sexual abuse allegations from former altar boys to the Dubuque Police Department in May of 2023.
“They had somebody come and report to them what was going on and they brought it to our attention, which started the investigation,” says Luke Bock from the Dubuque Police Department.
That investigation led to 5 sexual abuse charges stemming from the 1980s being filed against Father Leo Riley, a priest who worked in Iowa until transferring to Florida in the early 2000s.
New Church scandal sparks hope for reform in Hungary
MARTIN NÉMETH DECEMBER 28, 2024
The leadership of the Hungarian Catholic Church has recently presented a divided picture in its handling of internal sex scandals and child protection cases. While some bishops have taken decisive steps to investigate such cases, some church statements still avoid clear apologies.
Bishop András Veres emphasised in a coldly worded statement that collective prayer and fasting were more important than empathy for the victims. At the same time, several bishops, such as Zsolt Marton and László Varga, have called for reform of the Church, with open apologies and an emphasis on the importance of prevention.
Diocese of Orange settles Mater Dei sex abuse case for $3.5 million, 2 more cases expected
(James Carbone)
Dec. 19, 2024 3:14 PM PT
A $3.5-million settlement announced Tuesday in the case of a man allegedly abused by a former Catholic priest at Mater Dei High School decades ago is not the only such case involving the school, according to the law firm representing the victim.
Attorneys on the case held a news conference outside of Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Wednesday where the lawsuit against Michael Harris, a onetime Mater Dei administrator, was presented as one piece of a predatory puzzle at the private Catholic school overseen by the Diocese of Orange.
Attorney Mike Reck said there are two more cases involving Mater Dei High School that are set to go to trial next year as “bellwether” cases that could help predict the outcome of other similar lawsuits.
Admitted child rapist and retired priest Lawrence Hecker dies aged 93
Former Roman Catholic clergyman dies a little more than a week after beginning life sentence, according to officials
An undated photo of Lawrence Hecker. Photograph: Provided photo
December 27, 2024
By Ramon Antonio Vargas and David Hammer of WWL Louisiana in New Orleans
Admitted child rapist and retired Roman Catholic priest Lawrence Hecker has died a little more than a week after he began serving a sentence of life imprisonment, officials said on Friday.
Hecker, 93, had pleaded guilty on 3 December to charges that he had kidnapped and raped a teenager at a New Orleans church in 1975. He had received a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment on 18 December and, four days later, had been transferred to a Louisiana prison known as Elayn Hunt, according to the state’s department of corrections spokesperson Ken Pastorick.
Pastorick said Hecker died at about 3am on 26 December, at Elayn Hunt, of what were described as natural causes.
Hecker’s attorney Robert Hjortsberg said Hecker was meant to eventually be sent to Louisiana’s maximum-security state penitentiary, which is nicknamed Angola, before his death.
Archbishop says Church must 'be changed' over abuse
Aleem Maqbool
The Archbishop of York, who will effectively take over as leader of the Church of England next month, has called for change in his Christmas sermon.
Stephen Cottrell delivered his remarks as the Church faces criticism over failures in its handling of various abuse scandals.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigned last month after he was criticised for not doing enough to stop a prolific abuser. He will not preside over the Christmas service at Canterbury Cathedral.
Some victims directly affected by the abuse scandals have spoken about experiencing a difficult Christmas, saying they feel that they are still not being listened to.
Oakland Diocese accused of transferring $106 million just before bankruptcy
Attorneys representing child sexual abuse survivors allege the Oakland Diocese and Bishop Michael Barber are attempting to hide assets to minimize a potential settlement in the ongoing bankruptcy case.
December 22, 2024
By Candice Nguyen, Michael Bott, Robbie Beasom and Alex Bozovic
About a month before filing for bankruptcy last year, attorneys representing the interests of clergy sex abuse survivors allege the Diocese of Oakland transferred $106 million into a non-profit called the Oakland Parochial Fund that hadn’t been active for years.
The victims and their attorneys are slamming the transfer as a blatant attempt to shield the church’s assets in the ongoing bankruptcy case. The money, they say, should be available to victims as compensation for the abuse they endured by various East Bay priests, many of whom never faced jail time for their crimes.
“I think any bankruptcy judge would recognize that you can’t take $100 million out of the debtor and then say, ‘my pockets are empty,’” said Rick Simons, an attorney representing alleged child sexual abuse victims currently suing the Diocese in state court.
The revelation came out in a recent court filing objecting to the Bishop’s proposed reorganization plan, alleging the transfer is part of a broader effort to mislead abuse survivors, undervalue their civil claims, and hide funds that could go towards a potential settlement. Attorneys representing survivors recently filed a complaint with the court in an effort to force a reversal of the transfer.
“The Supreme Court recently reminded us that only a debtor placing virtually all its assets on the table for its creditors is entitled to a release,” said Brent Weisenberg, an attorney representing the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the bankruptcy case, in an email to NBC Bay Area. “The Committee does not believe the Diocese has done so here. Rather, under the recently filed Plan of Reorganization, the Diocese fails to use hundreds of millions of dollars of cash, investments, and real estate from which to pay survivors of sexual abuse.”
Corporate records show the Oakland Parochial Fund, created in 2014 by the Diocese, is under the direct control of Bishop Michael Barber. Its articles of incorporation state the fund was “formed, and shall be operated, supervised or controlled by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Oakland.”
Records show the fund went dormant in 2017 and was listed as suspended by the California Secretary of State’s Office. Last year, however, a few months before the alleged $106 million transfer, the Diocese’s chief financial officer revived the fund. In their complaint to the court, attorneys representing survivors contend the fund had no cash or investments of any kind before the $106 million hit the non-profit’s books.
It’s now drawing the ire of victim advocates with the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).
“In other words, this ‘fund’ was nothing more than a corporate shell until shortly before the bankruptcy was filed,” the group said in an email to NBC Bay Area. “Now, that shell has $106 million in liquid assets that Bishop Barber claims is off limits to victims who have sued the Diocese.”
N.L. judge rules that 59 abuse victims who had their claims rejected should be compensated
Catholic archdiocese in St. John's was liable for the abuse, says Justice Garrett Handrigan
Ohio lawmakers crack down on sextortion, grooming of children
Ohio's ban on sexual extortion is named for Braden Markus, an Olentangy High School student who died by suicide in 2021
Ohio will criminalize sexual extortion and the grooming of children under legislation approved Wednesday by state lawmakers.
The Ohio House and Senate voted to pass a bill named for Braden Markus, an Olentangy High School student who died by suicide after falling victim to sextortion. House Bill 531 makes sexual extortion a third-degree felony, with harsher penalties if the victims are minors, seniors or people with disabilities.
The measure also aims to make it easier for parents to access their child's digital assets if they die as a minor − something Braden's family struggled with after his death.
