Archbishop Says He ‘Didn’t Know’ It Was Criminal To Have Sex With Children.

Archbishop Says He ‘Didn’t Know’ It Was Criminal To Have Sex With Children.

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Hemley Gonzalez

From the Link: https://occupythevatican.com/2016/01/29/archbishop-says-he-didnt-know-it-was-criminal-to-have-sex-with-children/

Pedophile Pimp Archbishop Robert Carlson

The St. Louis archbishop embroiled in a sexual abuse scandal testified that he didn’t know in the 1980s whether it was illegal for priests to have sex with children, according to a released court deposition.

Archbishop Robert Carlson, who was chancellor of the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul at the time, was deposed as part of a lawsuit against the Twin Cities archdiocese and the Diocese of Winona, Minnesota.

In a video released by the St. Paul law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates, the Catholic archbishop is asked whether he had known it was a crime for an adult to engage in sex with a child.

“I’m not sure whether I knew it was a crime or not,” Carlson responded. “I understand today it’s a crime.”

When asked when he first realized it was a crime for an adult — including priests — to have sex with a child, Carlson, 69, shook his head.

“I don’t remember,” he testified.

Attorney Jeff Anderson, who is representing an alleged clergy abuse victim, also released documents Monday indicating Carlson was aware in 1984 of the seriousness of child abuse allegations. He wrote to then-Archbishop John Roach that parents of one of the alleged victims was planning to go to police.

Carlson’s role at the time was to investigate abuse claims. He admitted in his deposition that he never personally went to police, even when a a clergy member admitted to inappropriate behavior.

In last month’s testimony, Carlson responded 193 times that he did not recall abuse-related conversations from the 1980s to mid-1990s.

Anderson provided a report from a previous deposition in 1987 in which now-deceased Bishop Loras Watters said he advised Carlson to answer “I don’t remember” if questioned in court.

Carlson responded last month that he had “no knowledge of the discussion.”

Carlson left the Twin Cities in 1994, and eventually became St. Louis archbishop in 2009.

The Archdiocese of St. Louis said in a statement Monday that Carlson had given testimony “several times many years ago” about the same allegations, according to NBC affiliate KSDK.

“In this most recent deposition, while not being able to recall his knowledge of the law exactly as it was many decades ago, the Archbishop did make clear that he knows child sex abuse is a crime today,” the statement said. “The question does not address the Archbishop’s moral stance on the sin of pedophilia, which has been that it is a most egregious offense.”

Archdiocese Sued Over Alleged Abuse by Church of the Immacolata Priest Leroy Valentine

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

By Sarah Fenske

From the link: http://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2015/10/20/archdiocese-sued-over-alleged-abuse-by-church-of-the-immocalata-priest-leroy-valentine

“Father” Leroy Valentine

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis was sued Friday over sex abuse allegedly suffered by a young boy who attended school at the Church of the Immacolata in Richmond Heights.

The suit, filed by a pair of anonymous parents on behalf of their son, alleges that Fr. Leroy Valentine began abusing the boy when he was eleven — eventually sodomizing him in the rectory. The abuse allegedly continued for four years, from 1977 to 1981.

Valentine was a priest within the Archdiocese from 1977 to 2002, when he was removed from active duty, according to the lawsuit. But, the suit alleges, “although his church privileges were permanently removed in 2002, he was never laicized” — that is, officially defrocked.

In 2013, Archbishop Robert Carlson found allegations of sexual abuse against Valentine, then 71, to be substantiated.

The suit was filed by attorney Kenneth Chackes of Chackes, Carlson and Gorovsky, who frequently handles such chases against the Archdiocese. In a statement released by Chackes, the unnamed plaintiff said, ““I approached the Archdiocese multiple times for help and tried to get assistance without getting lawyers involved. Filing a lawsuit was my last resort and due to their inaction.”

Archbishop Robert Carlson

The Post-Dispatch has previously written about Valentine’s misconduct. One story describes his removal; another provides more context. According to one of the stories,

In 1995, three adult brothers sued the archdiocese accusing Valentine of molesting them in 1982. The brothers had been members at St. Pius X Catholic Church in the Glasgow Village area and attended the school there. Valentine denied the charges, and then-Archbishop Justin Rigali backed him up in court.

He put Valentine on administrative leave, and for a time Valentine entered a Catholic facility for troubled priests in eastern Franklin County. Subsequently his address was listed as a St. Louis apartment building. In 1998, the archdiocese paid each of the brothers $20,000 settlements, and the following year Rigali assigned Valentine to a new parish.

Those incidents — and the transfer — would have come after the conduct alleged in this lawsuit. However, the lawsuit does not allege that anyone filed an official complaint about Valentine’s abuse of the Immocalata student at the time it was happening.

Cardinal Justin Rigali

In 2002, when priest abuse scandals became big national news, Valentine’s conduct at St. Pius X was featured in a front-page story in the New York Times. Numerous Pius X parishioners told the paper they had been uncomfortable with the priest’s activities, and that he was subsequently moved to another parish. In the next 12 years, the paper reported, he was assigned to three different parishes — two of them with schools.

We welcome tips and feedback. Email the author at sarah.fenske@riverfronttimes.com

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misspelled the name of the church where Valentine served during the allegations in the lawsuit. We regret the error.

Long road toward priest’s removal traces church’s abuse journey

By By Tim Townsend
From the link: http://m.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/tim-townsend/long-road-toward-priest-s-removal-traces-church-s-abuse/article_26e0dab9-c94d-5a18-82eb-0ec4dce8cc12.html?mobile_touch=true

“Father” Leroy Valentine

The St. Louis Archdiocese had what Archbishop Robert Carlson called sad news about clergy sexual abuse.

On May 1, the archdiocese posted a statement from Carlson on its website saying he had permanently removed the Rev. Leroy Valentine, 71, from ministry. An internal, lay investigatory board had determined that “incidents” taking place “in the 1970s” which had been “only recently brought to our attention” were credible, Carlson said.

The archdiocese also published an article in its weekly newspaper, the St. Louis Review, about Valentine’s removal saying the “allegation of abuse occurred in the 1970s.”

A closer look at Valentine’s story reflects a 30-year journey that neatly embodies the Roman Catholic church’s struggle to deal with its sexual abuse troubles over that time.

It’s a sad story — Carlson is right — about a priest who has been repeatedly accused of abuse, and yet neither the law nor the church can prove it. So the archdiocese, despite proclaiming again and again through the years that no allegation against Valentine has been found credible, says he’s “been monitored and supervised continuously since 1999.” He is not guilty. He is not innocent.

In 1995, three adult brothers sued the archdiocese accusing Valentine of molesting them in 1982. The brothers had been members at St. Piux X Catholic Church in the Glasgow Village area and attended the school there.

Archbishop Robert Carlson

Valentine denied the charges, and then-Archbishop Justin Rigali backed him up in court. He put Valentine on administrative leave, and for a time Valentine entered a Catholic facility for troubled priests in eastern Franklin County. Subsequently his address was listed as a St. Louis apartment building.

In 1998, the archdiocese paid each of the brothers $20,000 settlements, and the following year Rigali assigned Valentine to a new parish.

In its story this week, the Review said that Valentine had “repeatedly stated” that the brothers’ allegations was untrue, and “was not found to be credible by civil authorities, and he was returned to active ministry.”

Rigali assigned Valentine to be associate pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle in Florissant in October 1999. In a letter to parishioners, the church’s pastor said “the conclusion of the therapists who evaluated Father Valentine is clear that he poses no threat to children. Additionally, the allegation has been resolved with no finding of guilt or liability on the part of Father Valentine.”

But a little more than two years later, the clergy abuse crisis had rocked the Catholic church back on its heels, and Valentine became the subject of a front-page New York Times story and multiple stories in the Post-Dispatch.

As the crisis expanded during the first months of 2002, the St. Louis archdiocese tightened its abuse policy saying no priest with a substantiated allegation of child sexual abuse would be allowed to work in a pastoral setting or a position that provided access to children.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan

After two priests accused of abuse resigned under the new policy, the archdiocese was under pressure to answer questions about any of its priests who had been accused of abuse in the past. Then-auxiliary Bishop Timothy Dolan (now a cardinal and archbishop of New York) said allegations against Valentine and two other priests who had been sued in civil court were unsubstantiated. The archdiocese had no plans to remove them or to review previous complaints, he said.

“There is nobody we are worried about in the ministry,” Dolan said.

He told the New York Times that, “we have to be able to say, we have to be able to believe, that there is no priest in a parish against whom there is a credible claim of clerical sexual abuse.”

Three days later, the archdiocese issued a statement specifically about Valentine, saying it “continues to support Father Valentine in his ministry to the people of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish.”

But then, a few weeks later, a former altar boy came forward. He was 32, and told the Post-Dispatch that he was 8 at the time Valentine had molested him, in 1978 at Immacolata Church in Richmond Heights. Valentine allegedly put the boy on his lap while hearing his confession, then put his hands in the boy’s pants.

“I was molested during the first sacrament I ever received,” the man said.

Cardinal Justin Rigali

The archdiocese said then that it was investigating new accusations against Valentine “from many years ago.” The alleged misconduct dated to the 1980s, the archdiocese says now.

Valentine resigned from St. Thomas during that investigation but maintained his innocence, saying his departure was “in the best interest of our parish family, of the archdiocese and for my own personal well-being.”

But eventually, the allegations leading to Valentine’s resignation were also found to be unsubstantiated by the archdiocese’s advisory board.

And yet despite being cleared by the archdiocese, Valentine never returned to public ministry.

From his resignation in 2002 until 2005, Valentine lived in a private residence, according to the statement. Since then, he’s been living “in a retirement home.” Public records indicate that is Regina Cleri, the archdiocese’s retirement home for priests on its campus headquarters in Shrewsbury. A request to speak with Valentine went unreturned.

The archdiocese did not distribute a release about Valentine to the secular press. It declined to directly answer questions provided by the Post-Dispatch for this column. It also declined to make anyone available for an interview. Instead, it issued a statement from Phil Hengen, director of its Child and Youth Protection office, who said the recent, credible allegation took place in 1978.

The allegation involved “inappropriate touching of a minor” and the archdiocese learned of it last summer, Hengen said in the statement.

Archdiocese spokeswoman Angela Shelton said the recent allegation involves a single person who says Valentine abused him “on more than one occasion.”

Archdiocese officials investigated, and the process concluded with Carlson’s announcement May 1.

“Father Valentine,” according to Hengen, “will continue to live in a monitored, secure environment.”

Bill Donohue of the Catholic League again shoves his foot so far down his throat, he can wiggle his toes out his bunghole to say hi

Bill Donohue of the Catholic League again shoves his foot so far down his throat, he can wiggle his toes out his bunghole to say hi

Bill “Pig Face” Donohue, degenerate leader of the Catholic League

Why yes, Billy Bob sure does love defending the indefensible, shoving his foot so far down his throat this time, that he can wiggle his toes out of his bunghole and say hi….and also proves once again, by his posting

ARCHBISHOP CARLSON HAS BEEN FRAMED

Catalyst July/August Issue 2014

According to attorney Jeffrey Anderson, Commonweal, and other media outlets, the transcript of the exchange between Anderson and Archbishop Carlson revealed that the archbishop did not know it was a crime for an adult to have sex with a child. They are all wrong.

Prior to the controversial exchange (which began with a question regarding mandatory reporting laws—see pp. 108-09 of the transcript), Anderson asked Carlson several questions about Tom Adamson (a homosexual priest who had sex with teenage males). Carlson said, “I remember he was accused of sexual abuse. That’s the trial I participated in.” (See p. 34.) Having said as much, it is simply impossible to believe that Carlson did not know it was against the law for an adult to have sex with a minor.

Anderson also asked, “And you also knew when first degree criminal sexual conduct is written and recorded, that is the most serious of the sex crimes against a child. You know that?” To which Carlson said, “Correct.” (See pp. 98-99.) This is further proof that Carlson knew what the law was; this was also said prior to the controversial exchange.

After the exchange in question, Anderson asked Carlson, “But you knew a priest touching the genitals of a kid to be a crime; did you not?” Carlson answered, “Yes.” (See p. 145.)

Further exculpatory proof can be found on pp. 17, 23, 34, 74, 113, 114, 115, and 132. On eight different occasions Carlson restated to Anderson that he told relatives of the victims to go to the police. He wouldn’t have done so unless he knew a crime may have been committed.

From Bill’s own piehole:

“Having said as much, it is simply impossible to believe that Carlson did not know it was against the law for an adult to have sex with a minor.”

But Billy Bob…that is exactly what he said you douchebag:

Pedophile Pimp, Cardinal George Pell

Anderson: “Archbishop, you knew it was a crime for an adult to engage in sex with a kid.”

Carlson: “I’m not sure I knew whether it was a crime or not. I understand today it’s a crime.”

Anderson: “When did you first discern it was a crime for an adult to engage in sex with a kid?”

Carlson: “I don’t remember.”

Anderson: “When did you first discern that it was a crime for a priest to engage in sex with a kid who he had under his control?”

Carlson: “I don’t remember that either.”

Anderson: “Do you have any doubt in your mind that you knew that in the ’70s?”

Carlson: “I don’t remember if I did or didn’t.”

Anderson: “In 1984, you are a bishop, an auxiliary bishop in the archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. You knew it was a crime then, right?”

Carlson: “I’m not sure if I did or didn’t.”

AGAIN BILLY BOB, THANK YOU FOR PROVING WHAT A COMPLETE AND UTTER DOUCHEBAG YOU ARE AND PROVING THE FACTS THAT ARCHBISHOP ROBERT CARLSON IS A FREAKING TWO FACED LIAR AND A PEDOPHILE PIMP FOR COVERING UP THE RAPISTS OF CHILDREN.

Kenneth LaVan, accused priest, kept working for archdiocese until 2014

By Jesse Marx Tue., Aug. 12 2014 at 5:00 AM

From the Link: http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2014/08/kenneth_lavan_priest_abuse_allegations.php

Father Kenneth LaVan, sexually disordered priest and pedophile.

 

As a bishop, Robert Carlson was responsible for sniffing out sexual misconduct. It was February 1985, and he’d just gotten through interviewing Father Kenneth LaVan and a married woman who’d slept with the priest after his repeated and aggressive advances.

She was scared, she said, because he’d begun appearing outside her home and crashed a family trip to the beach. The woman’s husband confronted LaVan, and he responded by giving a sermon the following Sunday about those who would not forgive.

In private, he was more direct. As Carlson would later write, LaVan had “mentioned a threat about possibly burning down the house” and murdering her husband. But he was quoted as adding, “I am not that kind of person.”

Next came Carlson’s recommendation to Archbishop John Roach: “[W]e accept Father LaVan’s resignation from the parish, find a suitable cover story and get him into a in-patient treatment program.” He urged the archdiocese to act quickly, “so this thing does not blow up.”

But blow up, it did. Three decades later, LaVan’s personnel file — more than 1,400 pages in length — is now in the public domain. It comes to us as part of a lawsuit filed by attorney Jeff Anderson and his minions, who allege that the archdiocese (with the help of the Diocese of Winona) has protected sexual predators.

In a statement, Bishop Andrew Cozzens apologized “for the harm caused by some of our priests.” He argued that a lot has changed in recent years, including the church’s understanding of mental health and the way it reacts to abuse: “Under today’s standards and protocols, if we were to receive similar allegations regarding a priest, police would immediately be notified.”

LaVan has been accused of molesting several women (including one who suffered from a brain injury) and at least three girls (including one who had been studying to become a nun). One of those girls reported that the priest cornered her and felt her up and down while kissing madly. Another described for Gary Schoener, a psychologist hired by the archdiocese, the way LaVan pinned her to the floor, held her mouth shut, and raped her.

Pedophile Pimp, Cardinal George Pell

 

Although Schoener warned, as far back as 1988, that putting LaVan back into ministry was “very risky,” that’s exactly what the clergy did. After two stints in treatment and two lawsuits, LaVan retired in 1997 but continued to pick up services for vacationing priests.

In 2005, then Vicar General Kevin McDonough wrote to his superior, Archbishop Harry Flynn, seeking advice on what to do with the old boy. There were two options: ask LaVan to leave gracefully or reopen the investigation. Rules implemented in the wake of the Boston sex abuse scandal made it clear that any priest with a single act on his record needed to go.

Flynn came back with a third option: leave it alone. “I do not think we should reopen this case again since it seems to have been closed to the satisfaction of everyone involved,” he wrote.

Archbishop John Nienstedt finally stripped LaVan of responsibilities in January 2014, one month after the release of the archdiocese’s list of “credibly accused” priests. LaVan was added to that list in March.

 

 

Bishop in charge of Twin Cities abuse investigations: I didn’t know child sex was crime

Bishop in charge of Twin Cities abuse investigations: I didn’t know child sex was crime [VIDEO]

By Aaron Rupar Wed., Jun. 11 2014 at 5:00 AM

From the link: http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2014/06/bishop_in_charge_of_twin_cities_abuse_investigations_i_didnt_know_child_sex_was_crime_video.php

Archbishop Robert Carlson

 

Before he became archbishop in St. Louis, Robert Carlson was an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis during the 1980s.

One of his jobs in that role was to handle sex abuse allegations made against Twin Cities priests. So it strains credulity to hear him say during a recent deposition that he didn’t know having sex with children was a crime back then.

Here’s video of what Carlson said under questioning by Twin Cities attorney Jeff Anderson down in St. Louis during last month’s deposition, followed by a transcript:

 

 

 

Anderson: “Archbishop, you knew it was a crime for an adult to engage in sex with a kid.”

Carlson: “I’m not sure I knew whether it was a crime or not. I understand today it’s a crime.”

Anderson: “When did you first discern it was a crime for an adult to engage in sex with a kid?”

Carlson: “I don’t remember.”

Anderson: “When did you first discern that it was a crime for a priest to engage in sex with a kid who he had under his control?”

Carlson: “I don’t remember that either.”

Anderson: “Do you have any doubt in your mind that you knew that in the ’70s?”

Carlson: “I don’t remember if I did or didn’t.”

Anderson: “In 1984, you are a bishop, an auxiliary bishop in the archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. You knew it was a crime then, right?”

Carlson: “I’m not sure if I did or didn’t.”

While Carlson’s comments are implausible when taken at face value, they’re even harder to believe when compared to this 1984 letter written to then-archbishop John Roach in which Carlson discusses a specific sexual abuse allegation against a priest and the statute of limitations (it was recently released publicly by Anderson):

Carlsons letter

 

Reached for comment today, Anderson describes Carlson’s duties while he was in the Twin Cities as consisting of “investigating and taking [sex abuse allegation] reports, and then basically keeping those reports quiet, appeasing the victims, suppressing the information, removing or transferring the priests and protecting them, to the peril of many obviously.”

Anderson says he’s conducted 15 depositions with Carlson over the years, during which he’s said “I don’t remember” in response to nearly 200 questions.

“Obviously you’re sitting there with the priest, and he admits criminal sexual conduct to you but you say in the memo that the statute of limitations is two-and-a-half years for criminal prosecution and you write that memo to your superior, and then you say you don’t remember?” Anderson says. “Come on. It’s clearly a perjury in the true legal sense, but do people get prosecuted for lying under oath in depositions? Rarely does that happen. It hasn’t happened in my three decades of taking depositions.”

“I’ve taken his deposition 15 times, and it’s always the same,” Anderson continues. “He doesn’t remember anything. If it’s in writing, then he doesn’t remember writing it.”

Anderson says Carlson incriminating deposition will be used as evidence in two Catholic Church abuse scandal trials he has coming up, one next month in St. Louis and another this fall in St. Paul.

St. Louis Archbishop Carlson claims to be uncertain if he knew sexual abuse was a crime

From the link: http://m.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/st-louis-archbishop-carlson-claims-to-be-uncertain-if-he/article_4215ecea-3409-53b3-813b-545c81a1b793.html?mobile_touch=true

June 10, 2014 5:45 am  •  By Lilly Fowler lfowler@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8221

659

Archbishop Robert J. Carlson claimed to be uncertain that he knew sexual abuse of a child by a priest constituted a crime when he was auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, according to a deposition released Monday.

During the deposition taken last month, attorney Jeff Anderson asked Carlson whether he knew it was a crime for an adult to engage in sex with a child.

“I’m not sure whether I knew it was a crime or not,” Carlson replied. “I understand today it’s a crime.”

Anderson went on to ask Carlson whether he knew in 1984, when he was an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, that it was a crime for a priest to engage in sex with a child.

“I’m not sure if I did or didn’t,” Carlson said.

Yet according to documents released Monday by the law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates in St. Paul, Carlson showed clear knowledge that sexual abuse was a crime when discussing incidents with church officials during his time in Minnesota.

In a 1984 document, for example, Carlson wrote to the then archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, John R. Roach, about one victim of sexual abuse and mentioned that the statute of limitations for filing a claim would not expire for more than two years. He also wrote that the parents of the victim were considering reporting the incident to the police.

In a statement, Gabe Jones, spokesman for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, said “while not being able to recall his knowledge of the law exactly as it was many decades ago, the archbishop did make clear that he knows child sex abuse is a crime today.”

“The question does not address the archbishop’s moral stance on the sin of pedophilia, which has been that it is a most egregious offense,” Jones said.

Anderson took Carlson’s deposition as part of a sexual abuse lawsuit in Minnesota involving the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Winona, Minn.

The plaintiff in the case, only identified as “Doe 1,” claims to have been abused in the 1970s by the Rev. Thomas Adamson at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in St. Paul Park, Minn.

Later in the deposition, when asked about an incident of alleged sexual abuse of a minor by another priest in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the Rev. Jerome Kern, Anderson asks Carlson:

“But you knew a priest touching the genitals of a kid to be a crime, did you not?,” referring to what a 1987 church memo said about the alleged incident.

“Yes,” Carlson replied.

Carlson went on to admit that he never personally reported any incidents of sex abuse to the police, though he encouraged parents to at least once.

Carlson also said that even in 1996 he did not know that pedophilia was a disorder that couldn’t be cured.

“I did not know that, but as a pastor, I was becoming increasingly concerned,” Carlson said.

With regard to the history of sexual abuse in the church, Carlson seemed to suggest he did the best he could at the time.

“I think in everything we do, once we’ve experienced it, we reflect on our actions and we ask what we can do better,” Carlson said. “I think we did a pretty good job.

“Obviously, based on some 25 years later, I would do it differently.”

Anderson then asked, “Don’t you think you should have done it differently then?”

“I did what I did,” Carlson replied.

“I think counselors made mistakes. I think people in general made mistakes. I think the archdiocese made mistakes,” Carlson went on to say.

“I think if you go back in history, I think the whole culture did not know what they were dealing with. I think therapists didn’t. I don’t think we fully understood. I don’t think public school administrators understood it. I don’t think we realized it was the serious problem it is.”

But over and over, throughout the deposition, Carlson claimed to not remember answers to questions posed by Anderson — for a total of 193 times.

Anderson asked Carlson if there was any physical condition or illness that was impeding his memory.

“I can’t make either a psychological or a physical diagnosis, other than to say I have had seven cancer surgeries. Each time, I received some kind of chemical to put me out for that. If that’s impeded my memory or not, I have no idea,” Carlson answered. “My concern is that what I say to you would be accurate.”

Anderson has also taken Carlson’s deposition for a priest sexual abuse case scheduled for trial July 7 in St. Louis. That deposition is under seal.

According to Anderson, Carlson was involved in handling sexual abuse cases in Minnesota for 15 years.

RVCC Comment:ARCHBISHOP ROBERT CARLSON SHOULD BE ABSOLUTELY ASHAMED OF HIMSELF…TO SPEW OUT OF HIS MOUTH THAT HE DID NOT THINK THAT CHILD SEX ABUSE OR RAPE WAS A CRIME? THEN ALL OF THESE MISSING MEMORIES?

HE ENABLED THE ABUSE OF CHILDREN AND TEENS BY HIS ACTIONS. THERE IS NO EXCUSE. POPE FRANCIS MUST…IF HE IS A MAN OF HIS WORD…CALL ARCHBISHOP ROBERT CARLSON IMMEDIATELY TO THE VATICAN AND FIRE HIM AND THEN ALLOW HIM TO BE PROSECUTED.

Archbishop Robert Carlson “Legally, no one can even touch me, whether I did these awful things or not, because the law doesn’t apply to bishops like me.”

Archbishop Robert Carlson: “Legally, no one can even touch me, whether I did these awful things or not, because the law doesn’t apply to bishops like me.”

Archbishop Robert Carlson Seeks to Dismiss Sex Abuse Lawsuit, Argues Archdiocese Isn’t Liable

By Sam Levin Wed., Aug. 21 2013 at 6:00 AM

From the link: http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2013/08/archbishop_robert_carlson_sex_abuse_motion_dismiss.php

Archbishop Robert Carlson: “Legally, no one can even touch me, whether I did these awful things or not, because the law doesn’t apply to bishops like me.”

 

Last month, a Lincoln county family filed a lawsuit against St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson alleging that he tried to cover up a sex abuse case involving a local priest and even attempted to tamper with incriminating evidence. The priest in question is Father Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang who reportedly has very close ties to Carlson — and who is accused of repeatedly molesting a teenage girl.

Now, Carlson has filed a formal response to the suit, asking the courts to dismiss it, arguing that neither he nor the Archdiocese of St. Louis is liable.

Victims’ rights advocates say this move is not surprising but still troubling. “It’s like no matter what the facts are or what the allegations are, his response is stunningly uniform: ‘You can’t hold me responsible,'” David Clohessy, executive director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, tells Daily RFT.

SNAP, along with the attorneys representing the accuser, say the case against Jiang and the Archdiocese is unique for several reasons. Notably, the accusations refer to very recent incidents; Jiang, according to the suit, molested the girl several times last year and admitted his actions to the victims’ parents in June of 2012. The suit also says notes clear evidence of the abuse — including text messages from Jiang who allegedly tried to pay off the family.

Additionally, this may be the first time that Carlson has ever been subpoenaed in a criminal case.

In the case of Jiang, there is both an ongoing criminal case and civil suit. The abuse is said to have occurred inside the home of the victim, whose family was reportedly very close to the priest.

Carlson’s response doesn’t necessarily address the accusations head-on but argues that legally, he and the Archdiocese of St. Louis cannot be liable on any of the counts. An excerpt:

Under Missouri law, a corporate entity on its own cannot commit battery…. Even if the Court were to construe Count I of Plaintiff’s Petition as pleading a claim for vicarious liability, Plaintiffs would still not state a cause of action because sexual assault and battery are not within the course and scope of the employment of priests.

While the lawsuit alleges that the Archdiocese “aided and abetted” Jiang’s alleged actions, “Missouri courts have declined to extend liability under the theories attempted by Plaintiffs,” says the motion to dismiss.

Citing past cases, the filing also says, “Because the Missouri Supreme Court has determined that a claim of negligence against a religious entity (or its religious leaders) in this situation violates the First Amendment, Plaintiff fails to state a claim against the Archdiocese or Archbishop Carlson for negligence.”

Father Joseph Jiang’s mugshot.

 

Clohessy says it’s hypocritical of the Archdiocese not to offer a substantive response to the accusations — and for Carlson to claim he is not responsible.

“He repeatedly promised to be open and transparent…and yet it’s been now more than a month since these fairly shocking charges were made and he’s chosen not to give an answer,” he says. “A real, straightforward answer.”

“You could summarize this motion in one sentence. ‘Whether or not I did any of these things doesn’t matter. Missouri law says I can’t be held responsible. The case against me should be tossed,'” he continues.

There is, as Clohessy points out, one fairly significant footnote in which Carlson addresses the accusation that he attempted to tamper with evidence. According to the family, Jiang left $20,000 for the family after admitting to the abuse and then went on to directly confess his actions to Carlson. Carlson, the suit says, then told the family that Jiang would only be removed if he had sex with the girl — and suggested the parents give the check to him.

A footnote in the motion to dismiss says:

Archbishop Carlson vehemently denies the baseless allegations set forth by Plaintiffs in Count VI (Attempted Tampering with Evidence): For purposes of the instant motion to dismiss, however, the falsity of Plaintiffs’ allegations is immaterial since Plaintiffs cannot state a claim under Missouri law in the first instance.

“Despite the fact that these are very recent and very specific allegations of abuse by Jiang and coverup by Carlson, he still offers the boilerplate, legalistic, hair-splitting defenses that you would expect of any corporate CEO,” Clohessy says, “and not of an allegedly spiritual shepherd.”

A spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of St. Louis says in an e-mail to Daily RFT, “This matter is in the hands of the Missouri courts and accordingly we have no further comment beyond what’s been filed.”

We left a message yesterday for Jiang’s attorney and will update if we hear back.

 

He’s a good priest and a holy priest…

From the link: http://mojoey.blogspot.com/2013/08/he-good-priest-and-holy-priest.html

He’s a good priest and a holy priest who happens to have be arrested and charged with child molestation and victim tampering. We support Rev. Joseph Liang… or so suggests congregants from Catherdral Basilica of St. Louis as they tried to organize an official event showing their support for the alleged pedophile Catholic priest. SNAP put an end to it.

Earlier this week, local victims’ rights advocates were outraged when they saw an invitation to a meet-up at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis to pray for the “defense and exoneration” of Father Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang, a priest accused of repeatedly molesting a teenage girl. Representatives of the Archdiocese of St. Louis said they were not aware of the event until Daily RFT reached out. They ultimately canceled it and had the meetup.com listing removed.

Source: Chruchgoers Defend St. Louis Priest Accused of Sex Abuse, Pray in Private Meetup Group by Sam Levin

Oh you foolish people! Why would you support this man? Is it because he is a man of God? I think by now we all understand that priest are men who have the same weaknesses as other men, but much more access to power and children, which makes them more susceptible to abuse. Jiang will go to prison over these allegations. In fact, I predict a 30 year sentence. The evidence is damning. And now, Archbishop Robert Carlson has been Subpoenaed in the case. I smell a cover up!

“Child-molesting clerics may perform the actual assault alone, but almost always there are coverups involving other church officials, usually supervisors,” David Clohessy, executive director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, tells Daily RFT. “We can’t predict what Carlson will be asked or answer under oath. But simply the fact that he has to face tough questions under oath in a pending criminal case is encouraging to us.”

Source: Fr. Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang: Archbishop Robert Carlson Subpoenaed in Priest Sex Abuse Case by Sam Levin

Archbishop Robert Carlson denied the allegation. I cannot wait to see Carlson testify, so I hope the court rules in the victim’s favor. The question I want Carlson to answer, why did he bail out Rev. Joseph Liang?

I am a huge fan of SNAP. They fight the good fight and do a good job of holding the church and priests accountable. What I like most is the help they provide the victims. I would also like to thank Sam Levin of the Riverfront Times for his outstanding reporting.

Lawsuit says St. Louis archbishop knew priest was threat to kids

July 17, 2013 10:15 pm  •  By Tim Townsend ttownsend@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8221

 

From the link: http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/lawsuit-says-st-louis-archbishop-knew-priest-was-threat-to/article_3997d8d9-8081-5692-b360-700d728e121f.html

St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson knew that a priest was a danger to children before that priest was charged last year with molesting a teenage girl, according to a lawsuit filed Friday in Lincoln County.

The lawsuit was filed by the parents of the girl, who told police last June that the Rev. Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang, an associate pastor at the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica in the Central West End, had molested her. Jiang, 30, eventually was charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. The girl had described him as a family friend.

In the lawsuit filed Friday, the girl’s parents said Carlson “knew that Father Jiang was dangerous to children” and “that allowing Father Jiang access to minors as part of his duties as a priest would result in Father Jiang harming minors.”

The suit does not provide details of how Carlson would have known Jiang was a threat to children.

According to the suit, the girl’s parents asked Carlson last year if Jiang, who was ordained in 2010, would be removed from the priesthood. Carlson responded “that he would remove Jiang if he ‘had sex’ with the child, but not for activities other than that,” according to the suit.

The lawsuit asks for damages but does not specify an amount.

In an email, Angela Shelton, community relations specialist for the archdiocese, said, “These new allegations against the Archdiocese of St. Louis and Archbishop Carlson are false and will be denied in an answer to the lawsuit filed in court.”

Jiang’s attorney, Paul D’Agrosa, did not return a call seeking comment.

In a statement last year, the archdiocese said Jiang was placed on administrative leave after officials learned about the allegations. It also said none of the alleged abuse had taken place at the Cathedral Basilica or on archdiocesan property.

But the lawsuit filed Friday alleges that while much of the abuse happened in the parents’ home in Lincoln County, a witness saw Jiang kissing the girl on the mouth and touching her inappropriately “in the parking lot of the church rectory.”

The archdiocese has said Jiang is a native of Shandong, China. In recent years, Jiang attended St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., according to the St. Louis Review, the archdiocese’s newspaper. He served his supervised ministry at St. John the Baptist Parish in St. Paul. According to the lawsuit, Jiang was a deacon in Saginaw, Mich., when Carlson was bishop there, before he moved to St. Louis.

Jiang met the 15-year-old girl in early 2010, just months before he was ordained. Carlson assigned him to the Cathedral Basilica, and Jian lived in a room at the archbishop’s residence, according to the suit.

The lawsuit claims Jiang first began visiting the girl’s house in early 2011, but he later resolved to stay away after her parents confronted him about being “too affectionate and too touchy” with their daughter.

By the following year, however, the priest returned to visiting the family home and began to “manipulate (the girl) into sexual contact,” the lawsuit says. When confronted again in June 2012, Jiang admitted his actions and, later that night, placed a check for $20,000 on the family car and sent a text message to the girl’s mother saying he left the money because of his “stupidity,” according to the suit. The parents turned over the check to police, the suit says.