Friday, November 30, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Contempt citation against O.C. bishop dropped
By David Haldane, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
A contempt-of-court citation against the Roman Catholic bishop Tod Brown of Orange County has been dropped as part of a nearly $7-million sexual abuse settlement, attorneys said Wednesday. But the opposing sides disagreed over what led to the action. Lawyers for the four women allegedly molested by Catholic school and parish employees said the diocese forced them to drop their bid for the citation.
"The diocese insisted that it be done this way or they would have refused to pay our clients," said John Manly, a spokesman for the women. But Peter Callahan, an attorney for the diocese, said the contempt case was dismissed by the court because it lacked merit. "I would have welcomed the opportunity to present our case in open court," he said. "It was a totally malicious and non-meritorious claim. "The plaintiffs' lawsuits said they were molested by two Mater Dei High School faculty members, a Santa Margarita Catholic High School teacher and a choir director at St. Timothy's and St. Edward's parishes. The contempt citation had been requested by the accusers' attorneys after Brown sent an associate, Msgr. John Urell, to Canada for medical treatment before he could complete a deposition in one of the cases.
Manly and the other plaintiffs' attorneys had planned to call Urell as a witness because he had handled allegations of abuse against the diocese. Attorneys for the diocese and Urell, on the other hand, maintained that he suffered from an acute anxiety disorder that prevented him from testifying. The judge had begun contempt proceedings against the bishop last month, but then postponed the hearing until Dec. 3.On Nov. 20, meanwhile, the two sides reached a settlement agreement in which the diocese paid the plaintiffs nearly $7 million. It was not until Wednesday that attorneys announced that the contempt citation had been dropped.
"Removal of the citation was not a prerequisite for settlement," the diocese insisted in a statement. "Diocesan legal counsel were fully prepared to respond to [the] attempt to besmirch Bishop Brown's character. . . ."Manly's office shot back a statement of its own. "This is simply untrue," it said. "The victims wish to express shock and disbelief that Bishop Tod Brown . . . would attempt to mislead the public once again. . . ."At least one person, Brown himself, was apparently expressing relief. "Our faith is in large measure founded on the concept of forgiveness," he said in the diocesan statement.
"The recent settlements are but one measure of our sincere regret for the events of the past. "Diocese spokesman Ryan Lilyengren added: "We are pleased that all this is over and behind us. Now the victims can move forward with their healing and the diocese can focus on its pastoral mission."
david.haldane@latimes.com
A contempt-of-court citation against the Roman Catholic bishop Tod Brown of Orange County has been dropped as part of a nearly $7-million sexual abuse settlement, attorneys said Wednesday. But the opposing sides disagreed over what led to the action. Lawyers for the four women allegedly molested by Catholic school and parish employees said the diocese forced them to drop their bid for the citation.
"The diocese insisted that it be done this way or they would have refused to pay our clients," said John Manly, a spokesman for the women. But Peter Callahan, an attorney for the diocese, said the contempt case was dismissed by the court because it lacked merit. "I would have welcomed the opportunity to present our case in open court," he said. "It was a totally malicious and non-meritorious claim. "The plaintiffs' lawsuits said they were molested by two Mater Dei High School faculty members, a Santa Margarita Catholic High School teacher and a choir director at St. Timothy's and St. Edward's parishes. The contempt citation had been requested by the accusers' attorneys after Brown sent an associate, Msgr. John Urell, to Canada for medical treatment before he could complete a deposition in one of the cases.
Manly and the other plaintiffs' attorneys had planned to call Urell as a witness because he had handled allegations of abuse against the diocese. Attorneys for the diocese and Urell, on the other hand, maintained that he suffered from an acute anxiety disorder that prevented him from testifying. The judge had begun contempt proceedings against the bishop last month, but then postponed the hearing until Dec. 3.On Nov. 20, meanwhile, the two sides reached a settlement agreement in which the diocese paid the plaintiffs nearly $7 million. It was not until Wednesday that attorneys announced that the contempt citation had been dropped.
"Removal of the citation was not a prerequisite for settlement," the diocese insisted in a statement. "Diocesan legal counsel were fully prepared to respond to [the] attempt to besmirch Bishop Brown's character. . . ."Manly's office shot back a statement of its own. "This is simply untrue," it said. "The victims wish to express shock and disbelief that Bishop Tod Brown . . . would attempt to mislead the public once again. . . ."At least one person, Brown himself, was apparently expressing relief. "Our faith is in large measure founded on the concept of forgiveness," he said in the diocesan statement.
"The recent settlements are but one measure of our sincere regret for the events of the past. "Diocese spokesman Ryan Lilyengren added: "We are pleased that all this is over and behind us. Now the victims can move forward with their healing and the diocese can focus on its pastoral mission."
david.haldane@latimes.com
Monday, November 26, 2007
$50 million for Alaskan abuse plaintiffs
PAYING RESPECTS: Thomas Cheemuk visits the grave of his brother John, who killed himself in 1999, in a cemetery overlooking the Alaska village of St. Michael in February.
By William Lobdell and Stuart Silverstein
Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
The Jesuit order of the Roman Catholic Church has agreed to pay $50 million to 110 Eskimos to settle claims of sexual abuse by priests and missionaries in some of the world's most remote villages.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs announced the settlement Sunday, calling it a record payout by a Catholic religious order. However, officials for the Jesuits -- formally called the Society of Jesus -- said there were "still many issues that need to be finalized."
"We are disappointed by today's actions by the plaintiff's attorneys, which we see as premature and detrimental to the work of healing about which we are all concerned," said John D. Whitney, the provincial superior of Society of Jesus, Oregon Province, in a written statement.
E-mail between the Jesuits' and victims' attorneys indicated a deal was in place, though some details needed to be worked out.
"This e-mail will confirm that a settlement has been reached," wrote Richard K. Hansen, attorney for the Jesuits, to the Eskimos' lead attorney, Ken Roosa, on Friday. "The settlement calls for $50 million to be paid to the plaintiffs/claimants in exchange for releases of all claims against the Jesuit defendants."
The settlement does not require the order to admit fault, Roosa said. None of the priests was ever criminally charged.
A dozen priests and three missionaries were accused of sexually abusing Eskimo children in 15 villages and Nome from 1961 to 1987. The flood of allegations led to accusations that the Eskimo communities were a dumping ground for abusive priests and lay workers affiliated with the Jesuit order, which supplied bishops, priests and lay missionaries to the Fairbanks diocese.
Jesuit officials have denied transferring molesting priests to Alaska, saying that it was a prestigious assignment for the most courageous and faithful. In Jesuit fundraising literature, Eskimo villages were called "the world's most difficult mission field."
Many plaintiffs said their once devoutly Catholic villages -- cut off from the world and without law enforcement -- offered a perfect setting for a molesting priest. In 2005, The Times published a story about Joseph Lundowski, a Jesuit deacon who allegedly sexually abused nearly every boy in two small villages on St. Michael Island between 1968 and 1975.
Lundowski's accusers -- now in their 40s and 50s -- said the abuse led to alcoholism, violence, emotional problems and suicide attempts. They kept their secret -- not even talking about it among themselves -- until the Catholic Church sex scandal erupted in 2002.
That year, Roosa filed the first civil suit against the Jesuits and the Diocese of Fairbanks. The cases against the diocese are still pending.
Roosa said he spent Sunday on the phone, relaying the news of the settlement to his clients who were scattered across western Alaska: "I'm tired but I'm able to call clients today with good news."
This year, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles paid $660 million to settle with 508 claimants, and the Diocese of San Diego paid $198 million to settle with 144 alleged victims.
In Orange County, the Diocese of Orange two years ago paid out $100 million to 90 people who alleged they were victims of clergy sexual abuse.
In Alaska, the average payout of $554,000 was far below those in Southern California, but comparisons can't yet be made because the Fairbanks diocese hasn't agreed to a settlement.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Fr. Chris Heath is proud to not be "green"
A reader sent in this link of Fr. Chris Heath's new car."No I'm not "green" I just wanted to save some money". Amen brother, I hear ya!
Taken directly from the OC Dioceses handbook on it's policy regarding handling sex abuse cases. No, we aren't guilty, we just wanted to save some money on litigation.
Shouldn't the OC mascot, Monsignor John Urell, be returning soon? Please come home for Christmas, John.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Get thee to a nunnery
MILWAUKEE — A 79-year-old Roman Catholic nun pleaded no contest Monday to two counts of indecent behavior with a child for alleged sexual encounters with two male students at a church convent and school where she was principal during the 1960s.
The nun, Norma Giannini, and her attorney left the courthouse without comment after entering the pleas in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
Giannini faces a maximum 10 years on each count when sentenced Feb. 1.
According to the criminal complaint, the two men told authorities they had dozens of sexual encounters with Giannini, including intercourse, while attending St. Patrick's School.
One man said the nun told him in 1965, when he was 13, to open the buttons of her habit, but he was shaking so badly he could not do so. He said she then unbuttoned her clothing and had him touch her breasts, the complaint said.
The first incident was followed by 60 to 80 others, including two involving sexual intercourse, it said.
The other man said he had sexual contact with the nun more than 100 times, beginning when he was in seventh grade. At least one incident involved sexual intercourse, the complaint said.
Giannini went on to work in Illinois from 1970 to 1994.
Sister Betty Smith, regional president for the Sisters of Mercy in Chicago, has said the nun received extensive counseling at a St. Louis treatment facility after the order "learned of the situation" during the 1990s.
Giannini, listed in online court records as living in Oak Lawn, Ill., has been closely monitored and separated from minors since then, Smith said. The nun has been retired from active work for five years because of failing health, she said.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Catholic priests past compels some members to renounce the church
By Meera Pal, STAFF WRITER
PLEASANTON — After a lifetime as a devout Catholic, Theresa Aimar is renouncing the church.
Aimar and her husband made the difficult decision to leave their faith after learning the Rev. Padraig Greene, the pastor-in-waiting at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Pleasanton, was arrested several years ago on lewdness allegations.
Greene, who will be named parish priest for the Catholic Community of Pleasanton, still has the support of the Rev. Dan Danielson and Bishop Allen Vigneron of the Diocese of Oakland.
Shocked, angry and feeling betrayed, Aimar said she felt sick to her stomach upon hearing of the 1999 incident in which Greene was arrested on suspicion of committing a lewd act in a public restroom at an Oakland hills park.
For Aimar, it brought back memories of her brothers childhood abuse by a Catholic priest.
We will still be Christians, but the Catholic priests have lost all credibility with us and, unfortunately, all respect, she said.
While Danielson is saddened by news that a family has left the parish, he said most of the 5,000 parishioners still support Greene and understand the concept of forgiveness.
(Greene) did something wrong, but he has atoned for it and gone on, he said.
Danielson also said he has told Greene not to talk to the media about this controversy.
Joey Piscitelli, director of the Northern California chapterof Survival Network of Those Abused by Priests, disagrees. He handed out fliers Sunday warning parishioners of Greene's past — something he said the church should have done.
"Whether or not he was convicted is not the issue," Piscitelli said. "The issue is that he makes poor choices and he's lucky he wasn't convicted. However, his behavior is a problem for kids."
Later this week, Danielson will issue a statement about "what really happened" in 1999. He said Greene was never convicted, nor were any children involved in the incident. Danielson said he considers Piscitelli's fliers misleading and inaccurate.
"If it was a present danger he would not be here in the first place ... If there was a history of being with children, he wouldn't be serving as a priest anywhere," Danielson said.
According to an Oakland Police report, an undercover officer investigating complaints of sex in the rest rooms at the North Oakland Regional Sports Center on Broadway said he saw Greene engaging in a sex act by himself.
Greene spent two days in custody and charges were eventually dismissed by the Alameda County District Attorney after he agreed to undergo sexual counseling at St. Michael's Center in St. Louis. St. Michael's Center, run by the Servants of the Paraclete, a Catholic religious order, treats priests, nuns and brothers who suffer from alcoholism, depression and other disorders.
"History has proved to us in California (that) priests who go to sexual therapy most often are repeat offenders," Piscitelli said.
That the church still plans to name Greene pastor of the Pleasanton congregations spotlights what Piscitelli considers an ongoing problem with the Catholic hierarchy.
"This is what got the Catholic Church in trouble," Piscitelli said. "This attitude that a man who has committed a sexual offense is fine to go back and oversee a ministry."
But the past is the past, said parishioner Michael Gallagher. The chairman of the pastor transitional team said over the past five years, Greene has done great work in Pleasanton.
"He has a very humble heart and is very caring," said Gallagher, who also believes the anti-Greene fliers inaccurate. "The incident took place in 1999 ... and he is still being put through the wringer."
Aimar, on the other hand, said the church needs to stop sweeping allegations of sexual misconduct under the rug.
"If my mother had had a flier like this one, she may have not let the pastor pull my brother out of his faith formation class to see how well he knew his Rosary," Aimar said.
Meera Pal covers Pleasanton. Reach her at 925-847-2120 or mpal@bayareanewsgroup.com. Staff writer Scott Marshall contributed to this story.
PLEASANTON — After a lifetime as a devout Catholic, Theresa Aimar is renouncing the church.
Aimar and her husband made the difficult decision to leave their faith after learning the Rev. Padraig Greene, the pastor-in-waiting at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Pleasanton, was arrested several years ago on lewdness allegations.
Greene, who will be named parish priest for the Catholic Community of Pleasanton, still has the support of the Rev. Dan Danielson and Bishop Allen Vigneron of the Diocese of Oakland.
Shocked, angry and feeling betrayed, Aimar said she felt sick to her stomach upon hearing of the 1999 incident in which Greene was arrested on suspicion of committing a lewd act in a public restroom at an Oakland hills park.
For Aimar, it brought back memories of her brothers childhood abuse by a Catholic priest.
We will still be Christians, but the Catholic priests have lost all credibility with us and, unfortunately, all respect, she said.
While Danielson is saddened by news that a family has left the parish, he said most of the 5,000 parishioners still support Greene and understand the concept of forgiveness.
(Greene) did something wrong, but he has atoned for it and gone on, he said.
Danielson also said he has told Greene not to talk to the media about this controversy.
Joey Piscitelli, director of the Northern California chapterof Survival Network of Those Abused by Priests, disagrees. He handed out fliers Sunday warning parishioners of Greene's past — something he said the church should have done.
"Whether or not he was convicted is not the issue," Piscitelli said. "The issue is that he makes poor choices and he's lucky he wasn't convicted. However, his behavior is a problem for kids."
Later this week, Danielson will issue a statement about "what really happened" in 1999. He said Greene was never convicted, nor were any children involved in the incident. Danielson said he considers Piscitelli's fliers misleading and inaccurate.
"If it was a present danger he would not be here in the first place ... If there was a history of being with children, he wouldn't be serving as a priest anywhere," Danielson said.
According to an Oakland Police report, an undercover officer investigating complaints of sex in the rest rooms at the North Oakland Regional Sports Center on Broadway said he saw Greene engaging in a sex act by himself.
Greene spent two days in custody and charges were eventually dismissed by the Alameda County District Attorney after he agreed to undergo sexual counseling at St. Michael's Center in St. Louis. St. Michael's Center, run by the Servants of the Paraclete, a Catholic religious order, treats priests, nuns and brothers who suffer from alcoholism, depression and other disorders.
"History has proved to us in California (that) priests who go to sexual therapy most often are repeat offenders," Piscitelli said.
That the church still plans to name Greene pastor of the Pleasanton congregations spotlights what Piscitelli considers an ongoing problem with the Catholic hierarchy.
"This is what got the Catholic Church in trouble," Piscitelli said. "This attitude that a man who has committed a sexual offense is fine to go back and oversee a ministry."
But the past is the past, said parishioner Michael Gallagher. The chairman of the pastor transitional team said over the past five years, Greene has done great work in Pleasanton.
"He has a very humble heart and is very caring," said Gallagher, who also believes the anti-Greene fliers inaccurate. "The incident took place in 1999 ... and he is still being put through the wringer."
Aimar, on the other hand, said the church needs to stop sweeping allegations of sexual misconduct under the rug.
"If my mother had had a flier like this one, she may have not let the pastor pull my brother out of his faith formation class to see how well he knew his Rosary," Aimar said.
Meera Pal covers Pleasanton. Reach her at 925-847-2120 or mpal@bayareanewsgroup.com. Staff writer Scott Marshall contributed to this story.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
John Urell fan clubs popping up all over
Last night a SJ photographer captured on film a vigil for a Catholic priest from Orange County, John Urell.
As the heads of the online fanclubs and myspace maintainers planned a picket at the boarder, local chapters made signs and lit candles.
Oh Toronto, let my people go.
Monsigner John Urell could be planning this guy's going away party.
By David Haldane, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
November 10, 2007
A Stanton pastor about to go on trial on charges of having unlawful sex with a 16-year-old parishioner has been rearrested on suspicion of violating a court protective order by seeing her twice while out on bail, authorities said Friday.
Ronald Hernandez Tova, 57, is accused of meeting the girl, now 17, at a bus stop in July and in a church parking lot earlier this week, said Drew Haughton, a deputy district attorney prosecuting the case.
"It's pretty outrageous conduct," Haughton said. "He continues to show complete disregard for the authority of law."
Tova, a pastor at Shadow of the Almighty church, is scheduled to begin trial Dec. 24 on suspicion of having unlawful sex with the girl on multiple occasions, including his church office, between Aug. 1 and Dec. 31, 2006. He was released in October of last year after posting $100,000 bail.
In July, Haughton said, a friend of the victim's mother saw Tova, who is married, and the girl at a bus stop. She told police, who put him under surveillance. On Tuesday, authorities said, officers followed Tova to a church parking lot in Montclair, where he allegedly met the girl and drove her home.
Authorities said they have no evidence of any new sexual contact between the girl and Tova, who was arrested at the scene. On Friday, authorities charged him with violating the court order, a misdemeanor, and raised his bail to $750,000.
If convicted of all the charges, Tova would face nearly six years in jail.
david.haldane@latimes.com
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Are your brothels full oh babylon with merry middlemen?
LONDON (Reuters) - A Roman Catholic bishop in the southern English port city of Portsmouth is backing a campaign to legalize brothels without in any way condoning them.
The Right Reverend Crispian Hollis supported the local branch of the Women's Institute which wants to license brothels.
"If you are going to take a pragmatic view and say prostitution happens, I think there is a need to make sure it's as well regulated as possible for the health of people involved and for the safety of the ladies themselves," Hollis said.
"That's not to say I approve of prostitution in any way. I would be very much happier if there was no prostitution in Portsmouth," he told The Portsmouth News.
"But it's going to be there whatever we do and it has been from time immemorial. So I think that is something we have to be realistic about."
His comments won praise from Rachel Frost, from the International Union for Sex Workers.
"The bishop should be commended for having the guts to come out and say that," she said.
The Right Reverend Crispian Hollis supported the local branch of the Women's Institute which wants to license brothels.
"If you are going to take a pragmatic view and say prostitution happens, I think there is a need to make sure it's as well regulated as possible for the health of people involved and for the safety of the ladies themselves," Hollis said.
"That's not to say I approve of prostitution in any way. I would be very much happier if there was no prostitution in Portsmouth," he told The Portsmouth News.
"But it's going to be there whatever we do and it has been from time immemorial. So I think that is something we have to be realistic about."
His comments won praise from Rachel Frost, from the International Union for Sex Workers.
"The bishop should be commended for having the guts to come out and say that," she said.
Catholic Priest Stalks Conan O'Brian
NOVEMBER 8–A Boston Catholic priest was arrested last week for stalking Conan O’Brien over a 14-month-period. According to New York police, Rev. David Ajemian, 46, was nabbed November 2 outside the NBC studios in Rockefeller Center as he tried to enter the building for a taping of O’Brien’s late-night talk show. A criminal complaint filed against Ajemian charges that the priest sent O’Brien threatening notes written on his parish’s letterhead and contacted the parents of the 44-year-old comedian, who grew up in Brookline, a Boston suburb. In his notes to O’Brien, Ajemian allegedly referred to himself as “your priest stalker,” and when he was denied entry to a taping, Ajemian wrote, “Is this the way you treat your most dangerous fans?” In his bizarre letters, Ajemian refers to John McEnroe as his “childhood nemesis,” claiming that the tennis star once assaulted him while they were seventh grade classmates at a Manhattan private school. Ajemian added that he “once went after” McEnroe and was “still waiting for his confession as well.” Ajemian, who is facing aggravated stalking and harassment counts, allegedly began contacting O’Brien last September. He is currently being held on Rikers Island and, if convicted, faces up to a year in jail.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Filed Under: Who Would Jesus Shoot
Oh for pete's sake people...
A Roman Catholic priest who smashed a wine bottle over a woman's head in a church office attack was sentenced Thursday to four to 12 years in state prison.
The Rev. George Chaanine, 53, had pleaded guilty Sept. 20 to felony battery with a deadly weapon and faced a possible two to 15 years in prison in a plea deal that avoided trial. Prosecutors dropped other charges, including attempted murder, sexual assault and kidnapping, that could have resulted in a sentence of life in prison with parole.
The duration of his sentence hinges on whether he is approved for parole.In court Thursday, Chaanine denied he sexually assaulted the woman and offered an apology and a rambling statement about his feelings for her before he was led from the courtroom in handcuffs, court information officer Michael Sommermeyer said."He loved her," Chaanine's court-appointed lawyer, Jeff Banks, said later. "His emotions got the better of him. It was the biggest mistake of his life, and he's going to have to come to grips with it."
The woman, then 54, said Chaanine hit her in the head with a wine bottle, stomped on her hand, groped her and choked her until she began praying Jan. 26.She said he suddenly stopped and fled.Chaanine was arrested almost a week later near Phoenix.The woman was treated for a broken hand and a gash on the head, authorities said.
The victim and her adult daughter gave long statements about the effect the attack had on them. The victim told Clark County District Court Judge Michelle Leavitt that the attack caused her to lose her faith in the church and that she didn't want to live anymore. She sang in the Our Lady of Las Vegas Catholic Church choir and had been hired by Chaanine as the parish event coordinator. Both sides have said Chaanine's relationship with the woman was more than priest and parishioner. The woman testified at Chaanine's preliminary hearing that he gave her money to help pay her bills and mortgage and treated her to lunch daily. But she said they were not romantically involved. The church did not pay for his defense. Bishop Joseph Pepe, the head of the Las Vegas Diocese, issued a statement saying Chaanine remained suspended from his "priestly ministry."
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