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Pope’s child porn ‘normal’ claim sparks outrage among victims
Pope’s child porn ‘normal’ claim sparks outrage among victims
Monday 7 July 2014
From the link: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/popes-child-porn-normal-claim-sparks-outrage-among-victims-28577483.html

n his traditional Christmas address yesterday to cardinals and officials working in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI also claimed that child pornography was increasingly considered “normal” by society.
“In the 1970s, paedophilia was theorised as something fully in conformity with man and even with children,” the Pope said.
“It was maintained — even within the realm of Catholic theology — that there is no such thing as evil in itself or good in itself. There is only a ‘better than’ and a ‘worse than’. Nothing is good or bad in itself.”
Victims of clerical sex abuse have reacted furiously to Pope Benedict’s claim yesterday that paedophilia wasn’t considered an “absolute evil” as recently as the 1970s.
In his traditional Christmas address yesterday to cardinals and officials working in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI also claimed that child pornography was increasingly considered “normal” by society.
“In the 1970s, paedophilia was theorised as something fully in conformity with man and even with children,” the Pope said.
“It was maintained — even within the realm of Catholic theology — that there is no such thing as evil in itself or good in itself. There is only a ‘better than’ and a ‘worse than’. Nothing is good or bad in itself.”
The Pope said abuse revelations in 2010 reached “an unimaginable dimension” which brought “humiliation” on the Church.
Asking how abuse exploded within the Church, the Pontiff called on senior clerics “to repair as much as possible the injustices that occurred” and to help victims heal through a better presentation of the Christian message.
“We cannot remain silent about the context of these times in which these events have come to light,” he said, citing the growth of child pornography “that seems in some way to be considered more and more normal by society” he said.
But outraged Dublin victim Andrew Madden last night insisted that child abuse was not considered normal in the company he kept.
Mr Madden accused the Pope of not knowing that child pornography was the viewing of images of children being sexually abused, and should be named as such.
He said: “That is not normal. I don’t know what company the Pope has been keeping for the past 50 years.”
Pope Benedict also said sex tourism in the Third World was “threatening an entire generation”.
Angry abuse victims in America last night said that while some Church officials have blamed the liberalism of the 1960s for the Church’s sex abuse scandals and cover-up catastrophes, Pope Benedict had come up with a new theory of blaming the 1970s.
“Catholics should be embarrassed to hear their Pope talk again and again about abuse while doing little or nothing to stop it and to mischaracterise this heinous crisis,” said Barbara Blaine, the head of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests,
“It is fundamentally disturbing to watch a brilliant man so conveniently misdiagnose a horrific scandal,” she added.
“The Pope insists on talking about a vague ‘broader context’ he can’t control, while ignoring the clear ‘broader context’ he can influence — the long-standing and unhealthy culture of a rigid, secretive, all-male Church hierarchy fixated on self-preservation at all costs. This is the ‘context’ that matters.”
The latest controversy comes as the German magazine Der Spiegel continues to investigate the Pope’s role in allowing a known paedophile priest to work with children in the early 1980s.
Catholic Church in Australia reveals 620 sex abuse cases
Catholic Church in Australia reveals 620 sex abuse cases
By Agence France-Presse
Saturday, September 22, 2012 7:09 EDT
From the link: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/09/22/catholic-church-in-australia-reveals-620-sex-abuse-cases/
The Catholic Church in one Australian state has revealed that at least 620 children have been abused by its clergy since the 1930s, sparking a fresh call Saturday for an independent inquiry.
The Catholic Church in Victoria revealed the number in a submission to a state parliamentary hearing on Friday but said the instances of abuse reported had fallen dramatically from the “appalling” numbers of the 1960s and 1970s.
“It is shameful and shocking that this abuse, with its dramatic impact on those who were abused and their families, was committed by Catholic priests, religious and church workers,” Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart said. (Editors note, Frank LaFerriere: This is the same Archbishop whom covered up the rapes of children by pedophile priests)
The full submission was not released publicly but the church said most of the 620 claims it had upheld over the last 16 years related to incidents 30 to 80 years ago, with very few related to abuse that has taken place since 1990.
Hart said the church had taken steps to redress the issue, including a programme implemented in the 1990s involving an independent investigation, an ongoing programme of counselling and support, and compensation.
“This submission shows how the church of today is committed to facing up to the truth and to not disguising, diminishing or avoiding the actions of those who have betrayed a sacred trust,” he said.
“We acknowledge the suffering and trauma endured by children who have been in the Church’s care, and the effect on their families. We renew our apology to them,” he said in a statement in which he spoke for church leaders in Victoria.
But victims’ supporters say the number of children abused was likely much higher than that confirmed by the church in its own inquiries.
President of the Law Institute of Victoria, Michael Holcroft, said there was a need for more independent investigations.
“Obviously there’s a public perception that the church investigating the church is Caesar judging Caesar and I think that the community is now looking for somebody external, someone independent to get to the bottom of what’s obviously been a big problem for a long, long time,” he told the ABC.
Archbishop Hart said victims were strongly encouraged to go to the police.
“We look to this inquiry to assist the healing of those who have been abused, to examine the broad context of the Church’s response, especially over the last 16 years, and to make recommendations to enhance the care for victims and preventative measures that are now in place,” he said.
The Victorian state government announced the inquiry into the handling of child abuse cases by religious and non-government bodies after the suicides of dozens of people abused by clergy.
Last year Pope Benedict XVI told Australian bishops that their work had been made more difficult by the clerical sex abuse scandal which has rocked the church as he exhorted them to “repair the errors of the past with honesty”.
The pontiff met victims of abuse when he travelled to Sydney in 2008.
Pa. priest caught having sex in car with teen is going to jail
Pa. priest caught having sex in car with teen is going to jail
The Rev. W. Jeffery Paulish will spend 8 to 23 months behind bars. He pleaded guilty to felony corruption of a minor.

Disgraced priest W. Jeffrey Paulish pleaded guilty to one count of felony corruption of a minor and will serve at least 8 months in jail.
A northeastern Pennsylvania priest who was caught having sex with a 15-year-old boy in a parked car is going to prison.
A judge in Lackawanna County on Tuesday sentenced the Rev. W. Jeffery Paulish to spend eight to 23 months behind bars.
The 57-year-old priest pleaded guilty in January to one count of felony corruption of minors.
Paulish was an assistant pastor at Prince of Peace Parish in Old Forge.
Police said he was spotted by police in a parked car with the partially undressed teenage boy.
The Scranton Diocese suspended Paulish from his duties. He apologized in court Tuesday to the diocese, his friends and family, and the victim.
Prosecutors said Paulish admitted arranging the encounter through an online ad.
Former Tyler priest sentenced to prison
Former Tyler priest sentenced to prison
Published on Thursday, 13 February 2014 10:05 – Written by From Staff Reports
From the link: http://www.tylerpaper.com/TP-News+Local/194544/former-tyler-priest-sentenced-to-prison#.U7q_orGn-Yh

This undated photo released by the U.S. Marshal service shows Robert Poandl. Poandl, a Roman Catholic priest, was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014, after being convicted of taking a 10-year-old boy to West Virginia for sex more than two decades ago. (AP Photo/U.S. Marshal Service)
An Ohio priest who served in the Catholic Diocese of Tyler from 1994 and 1999 was sentenced Wednesday to seven and a half years in prison.
Robert Poandl was convicted of taking a 10-year-old boy to West Virginia for sex in 1991. He was sentenced in federal court in Cincinnati on one count of transporting a minor in interstate commerce with the intent of engaging him in sex.
Prosecutors say the priest, from the suburban Cincinnati-based Glenmary Home Missioners, took the boy to Spencer, W.Va., in 1991 and raped him while visiting a church there.
Catholic officials in Tyler say that no one has come forward claiming abuse by the priest since his indictment in March of 2010, and maintains a page on the Diocese website about Poandl and how to report abuse.
“We encourage people to come forward who have ever been victimized by anyone,” said the Rev. Gavin Vaverek, promoter of justice for the diocese. “That’s our ongoing policy.”
At the time of the indictment in 2010, the bishop at the time of the Tyler Diocese, The Most Rev. Alvaro Corrada, issued a request in parish bulletins for any victims who may be in Tyler to step forward.
Poandl served in a parish in Pittsburg while with the Diocese of Tyler. He was convicted in September and continued to maintain his innocence Wednesday.
“I have never ever abused anyone, ever,” the 72-year-old priest told the judge prior to sentencing.
Representatives at the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) say that the kind of cooperation they received from the Tyler diocese is unusual, and still urge anyone in the Tyler Diocese to come forward with any information. Those who wish to come forward may contact law enforcement or SNAP.
“It’s never too late to share what you know or suspect with law enforcement officials,” said Judy Jones of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. “It’s up to us to pass on information. And it’s up to police and prosecutors to determine what will help them prosecute a criminal.”
Besides Texas, he worked at churches and church assignments in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri and Georgia.
“He has been transferred roughly 30 times in 44 years. That alone is a serious red flag,” said David Clohessy of SNAP in the written release.
Poandl also said that he believes his accuser has convinced himself and his family that the abuse occurred and they believe him.
He said he would pray for the accuser and his family.
The victim, who now is in his 30s, also spoke in court prior to sentencing, saying that the priest had “put hate into my heart.”
The accuser, looking directly at Poandl much of the time, said that the abuse caused him years of anger and shame.
“It is time for justice to finally be served,” he told the court.
The Associated Press generally doesn’t identify people who say they were sexually abused.
The accuser, now in his 30s, didn’t tell West Virginia law enforcement officials until 2009 that he’d been abused. Poandl was indicted there on charges accusing him of sexually abusing the boy, but a judge dismissed those charges in 2010.
Prosecutors said at the trial that the priest told the boy’s parents he needed someone to ride with him to keep him awake and navigate and then raped the boy after they arrived at the West Virginia church. The priest then told the boy that they had sinned and needed to pray for forgiveness, prosecutors have said. The defense argued that the accuser’s story changed through the years and was full of inconsistencies.
Poandl’s attorney, Stephen Wenke, in asking the court for a lesser sentence, noted that the priest has been diagnosed with late-stage cancer of the kidney and is likely to die before the end of the year. He asked the court to take that into account with Poandl’s age and years of community service.
Wenke declined to comment Wednesday after the sentencing other than to confirm that they are appealing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Muncy had requested the maximum sentence, telling the judge that Poandl abused the trust placed in him by the victim and the victim’s family. She later said she thought the sentence was fair.
“I would just encourage anyone who has been the victim of sexual abuse to come forward and have faith that justice will be served,” she said.
Poandl’s accuser left the court without commenting.
Members of Poandl’s family were crying afterward, with some calling out “love you Bob,” as the priest left the court in handcuffs.
The Glenmary religious order, which isn’t associated with the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, is a society of priests and brothers who dedicate themselves to establishing a Catholic presence in rural areas and small towns. The group removed Poandl from ministerial duties in 2012.
Former Catholic priest in Grand Prairie gets prison in child porn case
Former Catholic priest in Grand Prairie gets prison in child porn case
by JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News
wfaa.com
Posted on December 1, 2009 at 4:22 PM
From the Link: http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/Former-Catholic-priest-in-Grand-Prairie-gets-prison-in-child-porn-case–78255362.html

Credit: Ron Baselice / DMN
Father Matthew Bagert photographed in front of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Grand Prairie in 2004.
A former Catholic priest in Grand Prairie who pleaded guilty to downloading hundreds of pornographic images of children on a church computer in 2005 was sentenced to more than four years in prison on Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay also ordered that Matthew Bagert, 40, remain on supervised release for three years after getting out of prison. He will likely have to register as a sex offender for life, officials said.
Bagert, who lives in Richardson, is to report to prison on Jan. 19.
He was indicted in federal court last fall, accused of downloading sexually explicit photos of nude boys. He pleaded guilty in April.
Prosecutors say more than 600 pornographic images were found on Bagert’s computer at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Grand Prairie. Bagert told investigators he had been viewing child porn since he was a priest at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Plano in 1997.
Before Lindsay imposed sentence, Bagert — who is married and has a 9-month-old son — told the judge he was receiving treatment for his urge to view child porn and deserved probation. He has never been charged with molesting children.
“I’ve worked to understand why I was attracted to pictures of young boys,” he said, saying it was a product of his being pushed into the priesthood by his parents and being pressured into a sexual relationship by a male mentor in the seminary.
“I know what I did was wrong. I’ve learned how to live as a mature and integrated man.”
After hearing from Bagert, his wife and a psychologist who evaluated him and found him to be progressing well, Lindsay was not convinced probation was adequate.
“You are artfully suave — in common parlance, you’re smooth,” Lindsay told Bagert. “I am not convinced you have changed as much as you say you have. It’s not uncommon for individuals to change once they’re in trouble with the law.”I have a difficult time, given your problems with sexuality, believing that you could ‘turn it off’ and not be inclined to continue what you were doing.”
Bagert was initially charged under state laws in Dallas County district court. But in 2006, that case was dismissed because a judge ruled that a fellow priest and a deacon at Immaculate Conception broke the law when they searched Bagert’s church computer without his consent.
The criminal code that the state judge based his ruling on does not extend to federal law, however, and state prosecutors turned the case over to the U.S. attorney’s office in Dallas, which filed federal charges.
According to court files, the Rev. Jesus Belmontes, an associate priest at Immaculate Conception, said that he first saw what he thought was a questionable image on Bagert’s computer in December 2004 but that he wasn’t sure it was pornography.
Belmontes said that after attending a church workshop on recognizing and reporting sexual abuse in January 2005, he became concerned and decided to sneak into Bagert’s office to search his computer because he feared making a false claim against his colleague.
The next day, Belmontes and deacon David Maida returned and videotaped the images. Grand Prairie police later executed a search warrant and arrested Bagert based on the images they found.
After the state case was dropped in 2006, Bagert was indicted in November 2008 and surrendered to federal authorities. He has been on supervised released ever since.
Bagert has left the priesthood and works as a traveling installer for hotel energy management systems.
‘It is disgusting’: Prosecutor’s outrage after Catholic priest convicted of aiding sex abuse cover-up in Philadelphia is bailed out of jail by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
‘It is disgusting’: Prosecutor’s outrage after Catholic priest convicted of aiding sex abuse cover-up in Philadelphia is bailed out of jail by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
- Monsignor William Lynn, 62, oversaw hundreds of priests in the Philadelphia Archdiocese
- Archdiocese helped pay 10 per cent of Lynn’s $250,000 bail
- His attorney said today: ‘He’s been in prison 18 months for a crime he didn’t commit…it’s incredible’

Set free: Monsignor William Lynn was released from prison Thursday after winning an appeal of his landmark conviction in the priest-abuse scandal
A Roman Catholic priest who won an appeal of his landmark conviction in the priest-abuse scandal left state prison today after 18 months behind bars.
Monsignor William Lynn left the prison in Waymart in northeastern Pennsylvania, prison spokeswoman Terri Fazio said, and was being taking by the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office to a city jail, where he would be fitted with an electronic monitoring device.
After that, he’ll be released, probably to the custody of a family member, one of his lawyers said.
The attorney, Thomas Bergstrom, declined to say where in Philadelphia his client will live while prosecutors appeal the Superior Court ruling.
Lynn, 62, was the first U.S. church official ever charged for hiding complaints that priests were molesting children. He was the point person for those complaints in Philadelphia from 1992-2004.
Prosecutors charged him with felony child endangerment. But the appeals court said the law that existed at the time didn’t cover people who don’t directly supervise children.
Lynn’s lawyers, including Jeffrey Lindy and Alan Tauber, had made that argument even before his 2011 indictment, but Common Pleas Judge M. Teresa Sarmina sent the case to trial.
Lynn was sprung from the Waymart prison just hours after the Roman Catholic Church helped him post 10 per cent of his $250,000 bail.
District Attorney Williams criticized the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for putting up the money for Lynn’s bail.

Outraged: District Attorney Williams criticized the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for paying 10 per cent of Lynn’s $250,000 bail
‘It is disgusting that they would pay to free this man,’ Williams said at a news conference Tuesday, Philly.com reported.
Williams, who described himself as a practicing Catholic and former altar boy, said he was ‘shocked and overwhelmed’ by the decision of the church to help bail out Lynn.
The prosecutor has vowed to appeal the Superior Court decision by next month’s deadline.
‘William Lynn is no patsy. He is no fall guy,’ Williams said. ‘He is a cold, calculating man who endangered the welfare of countless children for decades by moving known predators throughout the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.’
I would NOT want to be Bill Donohue of the Catholic Leagues Daughters
Bill Donohue the disgusting, bully president of the Catholic League stated to me in court during the harassment trial:
“If a 15 year old is being messed with by a priest and he does not punch him, then not only did he want it, he enjoyed it and he is a homosexual because of it.”
Well Bill let’s turn that around using one of your daughters you said were beautiful: