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DIOCESE/State
Watch
VOTF Long Island NY: VOTF Long Island NY saddened
by allegations against a priest whose support was singular
and valued in the Rockville Centre diocese. Newsday.com
reported: “A Long Island priest who has been
vocal in urging a healing of divisions in the church
over the sex abuse scandal is himself being investigated
for an allegation that he sexually abused a 10-year-old
boy more than a decade ago, officials said Thursday
night.
The Suffolk district attorney's office said it received
a May 31 letter from the Diocese of Rockville Centre
attorney saying there had been an allegation that the
Rev. Gerald Twomey abused the boy ‘in the period
of 1994-95.’” The VOTF Long Island press
release of June 9 said: "We are shocked and saddened
by this allegation made against Fr. Twomey. It is no
secret that he has been supportive of LIVOTF from the
beginning. Fr. Twomey was one of the few priests in
the Rockville Centre Diocese to openly stand with us.
Nevertheless, we must acknowledge that the allegation
against him is a serious one; and if proven to be true,
his conduct was reprehensible.
Based upon the limited information available to us
at this time, we believe that the Diocese of Rockville
Centre has acted appropriately in this matter and
[we] are in complete agreement with diocesan spokesperson
Sean Dolan’s statement in which he noted, 'I
think it is irrelevant whether you support one point
of view or another. We just continue to pray for
all those involved in the situation.'” Peggy
O'Neill, Phil Megna (Co-chairs - LIVOTF)
New Jersey: “The Rev. William
J. Dowd, a popular Bergen County priest who was accused
in 2002 of sexual
misconduct with minors, has been cleared by church
officials in Rome. The decision means the 67-year-old
Dowd can wear clerical garb, celebrate Mass and represent
himself as a Catholic priest for the first time in
more than five years. But he won't be reassigned to
St. Luke's in Ho-Ho-Kus, where he had been pastor and
where some parishioners had rallied to his defense.” See
the on-line New Jersey Herald.
Richmond VA: “A man's attempt
to hold the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond financially
liable for
his alleged childhood abuse by two priests was rejected
by the Virginia Supreme Court on Friday.” Read
more.
Portland OR: The Oregonian noted
the release by the Archdiocese of Portland of over
two dozen previously
secret documents relating to clergy abuse of children.
The Portland Archdiocese became the first in the US
to file for bankruptcy protection in the face of mounting
allegations. Read more.
Cleveland OH: According to the Cleveland
Plain Dealer, “A
federal judge has ordered the Cleveland Catholic Diocese
to turn over reams of financial records, including
information about a bank account controlled by former
Bishop Anthony Pilla and payments made to the family
of a clergyman after he was accused of molesting students.” For
the full text of this story, click
here.
Vermont: According to WCAX-TV News,
Vermont’s “Roman
Catholic Diocese had a longtime policy of protecting
pedophile priests from prosecution and protecting itself
from lawsuits. The testimony came from a retired priest
who worked with four bishops on church policy including
new policies aimed at preventing priest sex abuse.” For
the full story, click
here.
VOTF Chicagoland press release: The firing of an elementary
school principal after she objected to parish/diocesan
handling of a child abuse allegation has galvanized
many who think first of protecting our children. Read
more on this story (from WBBM 780 Chicago
radio station).
The VOTF Chicagoland press release follows:
June 9, 2007 – Chicagoland Voice of the Faithful,
a lay Catholic organization, is outraged by the recent
firing of Our Lady of the Westside School principal
Barbara Westrick after she spoke out against the Archdiocese
of Chicago's mishandling of the recent sexual abuse
allegations against a priest at the school.
"
Instead of losing her job, Westrick should be held
in esteem for her courage in standing up and speaking
out against abusive priests and those who protect
them," said Chicagoland VOTF president Sandy
Stilling-Seehausen.
As a school principal, Ms Westrick is required by
law to report any and all suspicions of sexual abuse
to proper authorities. Upon learning of such abuse,
she went to her superiors. When they failed to act
to protect additional children from further abuse,
she called the police. Now she is being punished
for her proper actions.
VOTF Chicagoland finds the action taken against Ms.
Westrick reprehensible and stands in support of her,
said Stilling-Seehausen: "Ms. Westrick should
be held up as an example of someone willing to put
themselves and their careers at risk to stand up
for the protection of children. She is a model that
some in the Chicago Archdiocese should take a lesson
from."
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