Category Archives: Jesuit Priests
Catholic Church Settles With 700 Abuse, Rape Victims For $250 Million
Catholic Church Settles With 700 Abuse, Rape Victims For $250 Million
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on March 28, 2011From the Link: http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/catholic-church-settles-with-700-abuse-rape-victims-for-250-million/news/2011/03/28/18311
“We were scared that if we uttered even one word, we would go to hell.”
The Roman Catholic Church, as part of ongoing lawsuits, will make payments to approximately 700 male and female sexual and psychological abuse, molestation, and rape victims who were living in Alaska Native villages and Indian reservations from Montana to Washington, Idaho and Oregon, and who were “sexually or psychologically abused as children by Jesuit missionaries in those states in the 1940s through the 1990s,” according to a statement by attorneys.
The latest agreement will financially compensate 524 victims with $166.1 million in cases including accusations against 140 Jesuit priests, brothers, and nuns from the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus, in the Pacific Northwest. Only $48 million will come from the Catholic Church, the remainder will be paid by its insurance companies.
None of the Jesuit priests are being charged with any crime related to this abuse, rape, and molestation settlement.
The settlement comes through bankruptcy proceedings and is the largest by a religious order in the United States.
“These religious figures should have been responsible for protecting children, but instead raped and molested them,” plaintiffs’ attorney Blaine Tamaki noted, adding, “This settlement recognizes that the Jesuits betrayed the trust of hundreds of young children in their care, and inflicted terrible atrocities upon them.”
One victim, Katherine Mendez, according to The Oregonian, was “11 years old when she was raped at St. Mary’s Mission School in Omak, Wash., moments after she scuffled with another student and was then brought into the office of Father John J. Morse.
“The sexual abuse continued from sixth grade into eighth grade, she said.
“And even after Mendez left the school and moved in with a foster family in Selah, 200 miles away, the priest tracked her down to continue the abuse.
“Every day, every single day, it was a nightmare,” Mendez said today. “I was always looking over my shoulder.”
“The bankruptcy declaration seemed like a cheat,” she said. “I was really a victim of child rape. There was no face-to-face justice where I could see the accusations brought out in public, to say, ‘He’s the one who raped me.’”
Another victim, Theo Lawrence, who was molested by both a Jesuit priest and a nun, died two weeks ago, before the details of the settlement had been announced. Before his death, Lawrence said, “The nun or one of the Brothers would send me to the Rectory to see Father Freddy. He would give me candy or call me special — and then he would molest me. They all did at various times.”
Lawrence, explaining how priests kept their victims silent, said abused boys were told, “men of God don’t talk. We were scared that if we uttered even one word, we would go to hell.”
The abusers, often Jesuit priests, fathers, and nuns or nuns that worked with the Jesuits, abused boys and girls and were generally sent to Alaskan Native reservations and Indian reservations as punishment or to be hidden from prior misdeeds. The Order is accused of “dumping” “problem priests” on reservations over the course of about 50 years.
The Jesuits are the largest order within the Catholic Church and are considered the most-educated.
Allegations of sexual and psychological abuse, molestation, and rape of children by Catholic Church priests have been made in the United States, Ireland, Kenya, The Philippines, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, The Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, Great Britain, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru.
The Jesuits refused to comment on this case.
Frontline: Priests Molested “Nearly 80% Of The Town’s Children”
Frontline: Priests Molested “Nearly 80% Of The Town’s Children”
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on April 19, 2011From the Link: http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/frontline-priests-molested-nearly-80-of-the-towns-children/news/2011/04/19/19000
Editorial note: This episode is now available to watch in full online at PBS’ Frontline portal.
Frontline’s next exposé focuses on the “decades of abuse of Native Americans by priests and other church workers in Alaska,” and in one particular town they find, “nearly 80% of the town’s children were molested” by Catholic priests.
As we reported on this story just a few weeks ago, the Roman Catholic Church, as part of ongoing lawsuits, will make payments to approximately 700 male and female sexual and psychological abuse, molestation, and rape victims who were living in Alaska Native villages and Indian reservations from Montana to Washington, Idaho and Oregon, and who were “sexually or psychologically abused as children by Jesuit missionaries in those states in the 1940s through the 1990s,” according to a statement by attorneys.
The latest agreement will financially compensate 524 victims with $166.1 million in cases including accusations against 140 Jesuit priests, brothers, and nuns from the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus, in the Pacific Northwest. Only $48 million will come from the Catholic Church, the remainder will be paid by its insurance companies.
None of the Jesuit priests are being charged with any crime related to this abuse, rape, and molestation settlement.
The settlement comes through bankruptcy proceedings and is the largest by a religious order in the United States.
“Through candid interviews with survivors, this FRONTLINE report focuses on the abuse by a number of men who worked for the Church along Alaska’s far west coast in the late 1960s and early 1970s,” according to a Frontline press release. “All told, they would leave behind a trail of hundreds of claims of abuse, making this one of the hardest hit regions in the country. As part of FRONTLINE’s new magazine program, The Silence airs as the lead segment on Tuesday, April 19, 2011, at 9 P.M. ET on PBS.”
http://player.pbs.org/viralplayer/1889681365
Roman Catholic Churches Sandwich Boy Program as told to me by Allan J Rodzinski
Roman Catholic Churches Sandwich Boy Program as told to me by Allan J Rodzinski
Bloggers Note: To protect Allan’s identity I will NOT be posting a picture of him.
I met Allan a while back and he told me about the Sandwich Boy program run by the Roman Catholic Church.
The Sandwich Boy Program: you have heard of the MK-Ultra program. The reason you have heard of it is because Richard Helms the CIA Director at the time destroyed all the records…except a few line itemized references to the program in budget documents. It was in 1975 when the Church Committee in Congress began to look in on this and investigate the CIA. What became revealed about the MK-Ultra program, which stands for mind kontrol was the large scale infrastucture behind the research and development then the subsequent deployment of this program. What is less known is that the Roman Catholic Church had its own mind control program called the Sandwich Boy Program and it was vastly superior to anything the CIA had. The Sandwich Boy Program created mind control sex slaves with self erasing amnesia barriers. This allowed the victims to be used on multple occasions over the course of their lives. These boys were used for sex shows and child pornography by the Church and have made the Church a very large amount of money. As far as I know there is nothing in the literature about them and how this is accomplished, but the closest I have been able to find is mention of sodomic mind control. At puberty when the ability to produce an orgasm is formed in the young male there is some condition which becomes present in the chosen victim which can be influenced by fashing light symbols. Thes symbols look like Egyptian heiroglyphs and can be subliminally embedded in movies. This turns one into a Sandwich Boy all in a matter of minutes. Just like that. The Sandwich Boy must do what the handler asks so that he can have his orgasm with another Sandwich Boy, but only after his task is complete. He becomes a slave for this fix and will take instructions from his handler such as perform in films or deliver this cargo. The craving instilled in the victim is far greater than a heroin addiction. Now I will tell you how I learned this.
I was first introduced to the Sandwich Boy Program in 1967. This happened in Camp Neumann run by Father Peter J. Dunne. I was 8 years old. Already when I was six years old I was prepped to meet Father Dunne. I was shown his picture. He was vested in fine raiment. I was told I would meet him and shown the symbol for the Catholic Youth Organization. The same thing happened to my friend whom I would be paired with for life.
For your information: our DIA code names are Psychic Boy and Lizard (I am Lizard). Our commanding general (I suppose we were something like double agents) is named General Harold Joseph Carmine. He was stationed at Johnstown Naval Air Development Center in Ivyland late sixties to mid seventies. Just in case anyone needs to do some investigative searching.
This airfield is known as the Area 51 of the eastern seaboard, by the way. It has a long history. It is decommissioned now. Long ago it was operational and near to Camp Neumann. General Carmine who worked on the base and who knew Dunne knew we were getting our memory erased. He found out Father Dunne was running a child porn operation. He made efforts to stop it, but Father Dunne moved it and expanded it. The general made sure we would remember his name in our later years. This is why I have no qualms about releasing his name. This can only help in any investigation. The main concern however is to get aid to the victims and make sure this is not happening again or even still happening.
On that fateful night back in camp as fourteen year old boys, before Jimmy went to his death,I looked out of our cabin window and watched a CIA Colonel (forgot name, but may be able to recall) unload scuba gear from one car to another. Jimmy and another boy went and did their mission dressed all in black with watch-caps and faces blacked out. They should never have been sent out that evening. It was really my friend and I who were more qualified for this work. We should have gone instead. We realize now the mission was supposed to get Jimmy killed to strengthen the mind control bond to our handlers. Later, a navy admiral apologized for this. So basically our memories began to reveal that we were brought up since babies for this role. Much like the movie, The Bourne Identity we were given secret lives all experienced behind amnesia. I was not a Sandwich Boy, however my friend was. We were treated as slaves by the Church. Our friends memory would not erase. He tried to warn us when were eleven years old. We could not remember we were just at the sex club where they were doing the Sandwich Boy shows. Our friend tried to keep this from the adults, but they found out. He managed to tell his parents. They took him out of Father Dunne’s camp, but they all died in a car wreck.
The Sandwich Boy Program was in the hands of the Church. As we grew older we engaged with many intelligence agencies. We were involved with the Navy. They seemed to be the good guys along with the DIA. The Governor’s Office of the State of Pennsylvania had access to the Program too or knew about it. These type of agencies historically are the ones who use mind control for their covert ops. Everyone has heard of Manchurian Candidates. This can be applied to sex abuse also. that is why these world overlap.
When we were fifteen one year after the death of Jimmy in summer camp we were taken to see a Navy Admiral. He told us it was the CIA’s fault Jimmy drowned that evening. He offered his apology. Afterwards as were taken away we attempted to break free from our handler’s actually managed to call the State Police from a convenience store. The local police nabbed us and started to beat up my friend (he is black, lots of racism back then) and were going to turn us over to the Organization (that is the name of the group running the espionage and pedophile rackets for the Church), that’s what they call themselves. The state trooper told the local police he did not think it was a good idea to turn over a couple of teenagers to two men with guns who could not produce identification. The State Police officer locked us in the car and then had a meeting with suited men who had now appeared. The trooper came back from meeting with these men and said to us, “Gentlemen, I do not know what line of work you are in, but I have representatives here from the Navy, the CIA, and the Pennsylvania Governor’s Office and I have to turn you over to them. These men took us and injected my friend with heroin to get him addicted then dumped us back in the care of Father Dunne. Father Dunne and I monitored my friend around the clock while he went cold turkey for three days.
The Sandwich Boy Program is big, but it is bigger still yet in its implications…let me give you an example. My friend and I saw Sandwich Boy activity in Saint Carthage and Saint Joseph’s Prep. We participated in it so we know what went on there. Since i was not a Sandwich Boy I did perform in the sex acts, but because I was linked to my friend as a secret agent also I had to witness my friends performances. I do not know why this is, but in the early days of the program when they were demonstrating this technology, the boys would often freeze up and I would be used to get them started again by placing my hand on their shoulder and urging them on. Now here are the implications The Mayor of Phila. graduated from Saint Joe’s Prep. The DA in Philadelphia came from St. Carthage (there were cages in the basement for children)…are they mind control slaves like I was. Capable of carrying out a task and have no recollection? Here they are in key positions in Philadelphia. Should they be told. Can they be manipulated by the Churc? Now the Pope is coming to Philadelphia. This was aJesuit run program. Is the jesuit pope here to take the sandwich Boy records from the Archdiocese under diplomatic immunity so that like MK-Ultra the Sandwich Boy program can be kept secret? These people were planning something big thirty years ago and it involved using this mind control to do it.
By now we have remembered a vast amount of information. As our current situation stands my friend has gone on medication for the trauma of the sex abuse. I am not on medication. Without my friend I never would have recalled most of my memories, maybe none. We were actually prodded to remember. I had black hawk helicopters flying over the house. I have a photo of one of them. So much unfolded it sounds like we were in a Tom Clancy meets james Bond movie. It seems the DIA or some entity wants us active so we are able to expose this. The General made sure long ago that we would remember his name in the future. He was even in this house long ago. but for now these people who were aware of Dunne and what he was up to have faded into the background.
Father Dunne has since passed on, but what about the Sandwich Boy Program? For now the Church and the Philadelphia Archdiocese are happy that no one has yet stumbled upon or exposed this vile racket. What I personally witnessed and participated in over these many years tells me that children will never be safe unless parents and law enforcement authorities are alerted. This is why I am sharing this information.
Allan.
Reflecting on the human cost of abuse and its prevention By Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Reflecting on the human cost of abuse and its prevention
From the link: http://catholicphilly.com/2015/04/think-tank/archbishop-chaput-column/reflecting-on-the-human-cost-of-abuse-and-its-prevention/
EDITORS NOTE: In July 2012 when Archbishop Chaput’s investigation cleared one accused priest, SNAP reacted with sharp criticism of Chaput’s procedure, saying decisions were “held in secrecy for months or weeks until the archbishop and his public relations staffers deem it’s most advantageous to disclose them. Chaput continues to act recklessly and selfishly … with little or no regard for children’s safety.” At the same time, SNAP also called “again” on Archbishop Chaput to proceed to defrock Lynn after his conviction; and for “eliminating Pennsylvania’s archaic, arbitrary, predator-friendly statutes of limitations”. In January 2014, the archdiocese, prominently defended by Chaput, posted bail for Lynn. In April 2015 the state supreme court upheld the initial conviction and revoked Lynn’s bail. He was returned to serve the balance of his 3-to-6 year term. PLEASE read the Editors Notes following the end of the story.
The hypocrisy of Archbishop Charles J. Chaput in the following story is incredibly revealing.
Now from Archbishop Charles J. Chaput’s own hypocritical words:
Throughout the weeks of April, our Commonwealth, along with the rest of the country, has been focused on National Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month.
Here in Pennsylvania, our people have come through a very difficult decade on this issue. But the abuse problem is much wider than any one state, profession or demographic group. It cuts through every level of society. Child abuse is an ugly crime; abusing children sexually compounds the evil. Every year we see many thousands of cases of child sexual abuse across the country in a full range of institutions, public and private, religious and secular.
In response, Pennsylvania legislators have passed 20 new laws aimed at preventing child abuse and providing better support for survivors. In doing so, they’ve offered a model for the nation. We owe them our gratitude for their good work. And it’s important to stress that as a Catholic community, we too are committed — just as everyone should be — to ensuring safe environments for children and young people.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has a zero tolerance policy for clergy, lay employees and volunteers who engage in sexual misconduct with children. If an accusation of this nature is made, we take immediate action by reporting the matter to law enforcement and cooperating with authorities fully in the course of their work.
We’re committed to educating all those who work with children, as well as the children in our schools and parish religious education programs, so they can recognize signs of abuse and make a report.
As we come to the end of April, it’s worth highlighting some key archdiocesan statistics:
* More than 280 designated Safe Environment Coordinators are now working in our parishes, schools and youth ministries to ensure compliance with state laws and archdiocesan safety policies.
* More than 92,000 adults have received training to recognize, respond and report child abuse since 2003.
* Nearly 30,000 adults have received mandatory reporter training.
* More than 100,000 children have received age-appropriate abuse prevention education.
* The archdiocese has invested more than $2.4 million in education and training aimed at preventing and reporting sexual abuse since 2006.
In addition, the archdiocesan Victim Assistance Program offers compassionate and substantial assistance to individuals and families every year. During the 2013-14 fiscal year alone, the Church in Philadelphia dedicated more than $1.6 million to various modes of assistance including counseling, medication, and vocational support for survivors and their families.
To put it simply: The Philadelphia Catholic community is, and will remain, fully committed to helping survivors of childhood sexual abuse and their families heal, no matter who committed the crime against them or when the crime occurred.
Evil actions in the past can’t be erased and shouldn’t be forgotten. Over the decades sexual abuse has wounded hundreds of innocent lives, both within and outside the Church in Pennsylvania. But the sins of the past need not determine the present or future.
The Catholic Church in the Greater Philadelphia region is dedicated to protecting our young people and families from sexual predators and the suffering they cause — now and always.
EDITORS NOTE: The Archdiocese of Philadelphia did NOT dedicate itself to protecting young people from sexual predators, nor did they do anything about the suffering of the victims. This is extremely well documented.
Cardinals John Krol and Anthony Bevilacqua covered up for their pedophile priests.
Bishop Joseph Cistone also participated in the cover ups, including silencing a nun who tried to alert parishioners at St. Gabriels parish of an abusive priest. Cistone also covered up for other priests and showed himself he was more concerned with the public relations than the sexual abuse of children.
Bishop William Lynn, who was eventually convicted in his part for covering up for “Father” James J. Brennan among others. “According to a scathing grand jury report, Lynn, as secretary of clergy for the archdiocese, concealed the crimes of accused priests and put them in positions in which they could harm more children.
Lynn figured prominently in a scathing 2005 grand jury report that found 63 priests in the archdiocese had been credibly accused of child sexual assault over several decades while local church officials turned a blind eye..
Some of the pedophile priests they covered up for were:
1. “Father” John McDevitt, a religion teacher at Father Judge High School for Boys, abused Richard Green for six months in 1990 and 1991. At the time, the victim’s uncle, Cardinal John Joseph O’Conner served as Archbishop of New York.
2. “Father” Edward Avery, 69, known for his moonlighting work as a disc jockey, pleaded guilty to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and conspiracy to endanger the welfare of a child. He was immediately sentenced to 2½ to five years in prison. The charges stem from Avery’s abuse of an altar boy at St. Jerome’s Parish in northeast Pennsylvania in 1999, when Avery was 57 and the boy 10. Avery was at St. Jerome’s despite a credible 1992 complaint that led him to undergo psychological testing at an archdiocesan-run psychiatric hospital, according to a 2005 grand jury report. He was pulled from his parish, put on a so-called “health leave” and then reassigned in 1993, the report said.”
3. “Father” James J. Brennan: Brennan is accused of the 1996 rape of a 14-year-old boy.
The Diocese of Allenstown PA had 22 pedophile priests: Thomas J. Bender, Luis A. Bonilla Margarito, Bernard A. Flanagan, Stephen Forish, Francis (Frank) J. Fromholzer, James F. Gaffney, Edward R. Graff, Richard Gulliani, Leo Houseknecht, William E. Jones, Michael S. Lawrence, James J. McHale, Francis J. McNelis, James J. Mihalak, Gabriel M. Patil, Joseph A. Rock, John Paul Sabas, William J. Shields, David Soderland, A. Gregory Uhrig, Andrew A. Ulincy, Ronald J. Yarrosh.
The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown PA had 27 pedophile priests: Joseph J. Bender, Harold N. Biller, John J. Boyle, Martin A. Brady, James F. Bunn, Andrew Campbell, Thomas M. Carroll, Athanasius C. Cherry, Dennis E. Coleman, Alvin T. Downey, Elwood F. Figurelle, Joseph Gaborek, Bernard V. Grattan, Leonard Inman, Robert J. Kelly, George D. Koharchik, William Kovach, Thomas M. Lemmon, Anthony B. Little, Francis E. Luddy, Thomas K. Mabon, Joseph D. Maurizzo, Francis Mcaa, Martin D. McCamley, William A. Rosensteel, James F. Skupien, Joseph J. Strittmatter.
The Diocese of of Erie PA had 11 pedophile priests: Michael G. Barletta, Donald Bolton, Robert F. Bower, Chester J. Gawronski, H. Desmond McGee Jr., William F. Presley, Samuel B. Slocum, Thomas E. Smith, Daniel J. Taylor, and two un-named priests.
The Diocese of Greenburg PA had 6 pedophile priests: Dennis Dellamalva, Mark F. X. Gruber, Francis M. Lesniak, Gregory F. Premoshis, Roger A. Sinclair, Roger J. Trott.
The Diocese of Harrisburg PA had 7 pedophile priests: John G. Allen, John R. Bostwick Jr., Augustine Giella, David M. (H?) Luck, Guy D. Marsico, Joseph M. Pease, Patrick J. Shannon.
The Diocese of Philadelphia had 133 pedophile priests: Edward V. Avery, William G. Ayers, Phillip R. Barr, James J. Behan, Michael C. Bolesta, John F. Bowe, H. Cornell Bradley, Michael J. Bransfield, James J. Brennan, Robert L. Brennan, Leonard W. Broughan, Craig F. Brugger, James A. Brzyski, George B. Cadwallader, Raymond J. Cahill, Hugh P. Campbell, John A. Cannon, Paul A. Castellani, Pasquale R. Catullo, Gerard W. Chambers, Michael A. Chapman, Arthur B. Chappell, John A. Close, Richard J. Cochrane, James J. Collins, Michael F. Conroy, James J. Coonan, George A. Costigan, Nicholas V. Cudemo, John J. Delli Carpini, Edward M. DePaoli, Joseph L. DiGregorio, Richard D. Dolan, Michael J. Donofrio, John C. Dougherty, William J. Dougherty, Phillip J. Dowling, Peter J. Dunne, Ernest A. Durante, Thomas J. Durkin, James M. Dux, Charles F. Engelhardt, Francis S. Feret, Mark E. Fernandez, Leonard F. Furmanski, Robert W. Gaghan, Francis J. Gallagher, Joseph J. Gallagher, Joseph P. Gallagher, Stanley M. Gana, Stephen M. Garrity, Mark S. Gaspar, Joseph P. Gausch, Francis A. Giliberti, John E. Gillespie, Charles Ginn Jr., David W. Givey, Joseph M. Glatts, Thomas J. Grumm, David I. Hagen, Steven Harris, James T. Henry, Robert J. Hermley, Gerard J. Hoffman, Daniel J. Hoy, John F. Hummell, James M. Iannarella, Stanley Janowski, Richard G. Jones, William T. Joseph, William N. Killian, John Kline, Thomas M. Kohler, Matthew J. Kornacki, Albert T. Kostelnick, Edward P. Kuczynski, Dexter A. Lancetot, David T. Lawlor, Raymond O. Leneweaver, John R. Liggio, Joseph L. Logrip, Joseph E. Macanga, Nilo C. Martins, George J. Mazzota, Joseph F. McCafferty, Michael J. McCarthy, John F. McCole, Charles P. McColgan, Andrew D. McCormick, James J. McGinness III, Joseph M. McKenzie, Richard J. McLoughlin, Donald J. Mills, Joseph R. Monahan, John H. Mulholland, John J. Murray, Michael G. Murtha, Zachary Navit, Henry “Harry” J. Nawn, Charles Newman, John P. Paul, Stephen B. Perzan, Leonard Peterson, Terrance Pinkowski, Ted (Theodore) Podson, Robert Povish, Richard T. Powers, John D. Reardon, Francis P. Rogers, Thomas Rooney, Gerald J. Royer, Joseph F. Sabadish, William L. Santry, Martin J. Satchell, Charles J. Schaeflein, John P. Schmeer, Thomas F. Shea, David C. Sicoli, Charles J. Siegle, Edward J. Smith, Thomas J. Smith, DePaul Sobotka, Louis M. Steingraber, Michael W. Swierzy, Peter Talocci, Carmen F. Taraborelli, Joseph W. Thomas, Francis X. Trauger, Alyosius M. Vath, David E. Walls, Sylwester Wiejata, Thomas J. Wisniewiski.
The Diocese of Pittsburgh PA had 42 pedophile priests: Alvin J. Adams, Jerome Binder, Robert J. Castelucci, Mauro J. Cautela, Charles J. Chatt, Anthony J. Cipolla, M. Eric Diskin, Jason R. Dolan, Richard J. Dorsch, David F. Dzermejko, Ralph J. Esposito, John P. (Jack) Fitzgerald, Richard Ginder, James G. Ginder, James G. Graham, Bernard Joseph Hartman, William Charles Hildebrand, John (Jack) S. Hoehl, Edward G. Huff, Joseph G. Karabin, John Keegan, William Kiefer, James Kline, Henry R. Krawcyzk, John Lukasik, Julius F. May, William J. McCashin, Francis Meder, Ralph Mrvanitz, Lawrence O’Connell, George J. Parme, Francis Pucci, Edward Smith, James E. Somma Jr., Bartley A. Sorenson, Andrew J. Suran, Daniel J. Tisak, Alberta Veri (nun), John W. Wellinger, Joseph Wichmanowski, George Wilt, Robert G. Wolk, Richard “Sade” Zulu.
The Diocese of Scranton PA had 23 pedophile priests: Phillip A. Altavilla, Robert J. Brague, Francis Brennan, Robert N. Caparelli, Christopher Clay, J. Peter Crynes, Eric Ensey, Robert J. Gibson, Unkown First Name Hazzouri, Albert M. Liberatore Jr., James M McAuliffe, Neil P. McLaughlin, Russell E. Motsay, Father Ned, W. (William) Jeffery Paulish, Edward J. Shoback, Thomas P. Shoback, Thomas D. Skotek, Virgil Bradley Tetherow, Robert M. Timchak, Carlos Urrutigoity, Lawrence P. Weniger, Steven J. Wolpert.
Man acquitted of beating of priest he said sexually abused him
Man acquitted of beating of priest he said sexually abused him
http://www.wlsam.com/Article.asp?id=2488363&spid=
SAN JOSE, Calif. (WLS) – William Lynch, the California man who admitted he pummeled a priest who he said abused him as a boy, has been found not guilty of felony assault and elder abuse charges.
The jury of nine men and three women could not reach a verdict on a lesser charge of misdemeanor assault for the 2010 attack at a retirement home.
The jury began deliberations late Monday after hearing impassioned closing arguments from both sides.
The defense’s strategy had long been to prove to the jury that the wrong man was on trial. However, prosecutor Vicki Gemetti urged jurors to focus on the assault.
“Two wrongs don’t make a right,” she said in her closing arguments on Monday.
Lynch’s crusade for his own form of personal justice against the priest, Jerry Lindner, drew supporters to the courthouse in San Jose, Calif., during his nearly three-week trial. They carried signs that read “stop clergy sex abuse” and condemned the “pedophile playground” retirement community that is home to Lindner, who has had previous allegations against him.
Lynch testified last Friday that he visited Lindner with the intention of having the aging Jesuit sign a confession, but when the priest “looked up and leered” at Lynch in the same manner he did more than 35 years ago when he sexually abused him, Lynch said he ordered the priest to take off his glasses and hit him.
Lynch passed up a plea deal of one year in jail and instead chose to go to trial to publicly shame the man who he said haunted his memories for 35 years.
On a family camping trip 35 years ago, Lynch said he was brutally raped at age 7 by Lindner and was then forced to perform sex acts on his 4-year-old brother.
The boys kept their painful secret for years, long past the six-year statute of limitations California had in place at the time of the alleged crimes.
Lynch got his wish to see the priest in court, even if the tables were turned. Lindner was forced to testify, but a short time later the Jesuit invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. The judge struck his testimony from the record.
During his short time on the stand, Lindner, now 67, told the court he remembered Lynch, but only as the man who attacked him at a Los Gatos, Calif., Jesuit retirement community where the priest has resided since 2001.
Lindner denied molesting Lynch and his younger brother on a camping trip to the Santa Cruz Mountains in 1974.
Lynch’s attorney declared the priest had perjured himself and even prosecutor Vicki Gemetti said in her opening statement that she expected Lindner to lie on the stand or say he didn’t remember certain events.
“The evidence will show [Lindner] molested the defendant all those years ago,” she said, but urged the jury to focus on Lynch’s attack.
Lynch’s case of alleged vigilante justice has attracted support from around the world and has shed light on a justice system many view as flawed.
Lynch and his brother were awarded $625,000 after filing a civil suit against Lindner in 1997. The priest was removed from active ministry and was moved to the Jesuit retirement community in 2001.
Lindner was named in two other abuse lawsuits, according to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
ABC Radio News Contributed To This Report