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DIOCESE/State Watch
[See page 1 for updates on New York City parish closings and the most recent
turmoil at a Bridgeport CT parish.]
More from New York: “A federal judge has fined an attorney
$8,000 for repeatedly bringing lawsuits accusing Roman Catholic leaders of
conspiring
to cover up sexual abuse by priests.” One of the cases thrown out “involved
a priest in Newark, N.J., the Rev. Robert Hoatson, who claimed he was forced
out of a parochial school job for being critical of the church's handling of
abuse cases.” See Associated
Press coverage.
Palm Beach FL – Time CNN updates the stunning $8.6
million embezzlement story at St. Vincent Ferrer Church in Delray Beach FL,
in the diocese of Palm
Beach FL. The story quotes Terry McKiernan of BishopAccountability.org: “So
the job may be left to Catholic laity. The sex-abuse litigation ‘forced
church documents like parish audits into the open for the first time ever,’ says
McKiernan, emboldening more lay scrutiny.” Read more.
Richmond VA - The Richmond Times Dispatch reports: “The
Catholic Diocese of Richmond may change little about its financial practices,
at least immediately,
in the wake of embezzlement scandals at three churches.” Read
more. Also
note related stories;
and
Commonweal magazine editorial.
San Diego, CA - The Riverside Press-Enterprise reports: “With
trial set to begin this month in the first of the long-stalled Southern California
clergy-abuse
lawsuits, the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego has asked a state appellate
court to dismiss some of the pending claims. Attorneys for the diocese also
requested the 2nd District Court of Appeals to postpone the trials.” Read
more.
Affiliate Highlight – Ohio, Kentucky
and Indiana
Regional Conference
“When Promises Hurt—Challenging Institutional Secrecy” is scheduled
for April 28 at the Cintas Center on the Xavier University campus
from 9 am to 4:30 pm. The three authors of Sex, Priests and
Secret Codes are the
keynote
speakers for the daylong event that will also include breakout sessions for
individual discussions with each of the speakers. A sexual abuse survivor
will also share experiences and insights during the conference.
The authors—Thomas P. Doyle, A.W.R. Sipe and Patrick J. Wall—are
well known as advocates for church abuse survivors and for their commitment
to the development of processes and policies to end sexual abuse throughout
the church.
This is a regional conference for members and interested persons from
Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. It is focused on the group’s mission “to
provide a prayerful voice, attentive to the Spirit, through which the Faithful
can actively participate in the governance and guidance of the Catholic Church.”
For more information, please contact Christi Eisenberg at seveer7@cinci.rr.com
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