To All Msg #149, 10-Aug-88 0951pm Subject Clergy Abuse of Children, part i Someone asked a

From: Ammond Shadowcraft To: All Msg #149, 10-Aug-88 09:51pm Subject: Clergy Abuse of Children, part i Someone asked about child abuse in the contemporary churches. This is what I typed in for another network... In File 18 many accusations and allegations are made. These allegations are quasi-legal in nature. I think we need to ask some quasi-legal questions in return. Is there any evidence? Have there been or are there any current investigations by local authorities? Sometimes authorities will say that an investigation is on going but won't comment. Have there been any indictments? Have their been any arrests? Have there been any confessions? Has there been any convictions? Has there been an sentencing? Now for some evidence, investigations, indictments, arrests confessions, convictions, and sentencing... These are highly abbreviated articles compiled by the Freedom From Religion Foundation and reprinted in "Freethought Today". The Freedom From Religion Foundation has written a book, "Betrayal of Trust, Clergy Abuse of Children", that addresses this topic. Idaho Statesman 4/21/88... Father Mel Baltazar, notorious for molesting a boy hooked up to a kidney dialysis machine at a Napa, Calif. hospital and another boy in double-leg traction at a Boise hospital wll be paroled from his 7 year prison term. A 20-year history of unprosecuted abuse was unraveled during his trail in 1984. No source listed... Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland claimed, in writing about molesting priests, that "Sometimes not all adolescent victims are so "innocent"; some can be sexually very active and aggressive and often quite street wise." The Specator 5/9/88 and Amherst Daily News (Novia Scotia)... A clergy seminar of child sexual abuse and incest at Brock University, Ontario, Canada, concluded that the church is implicated in such abuse. Vince Pinpura, a social worker at St. Catharines General Hospital, said 8 of 10 members of an incest counseling group connected the church with incest; one was abused by a father who was a minister... Another woman told of the anguish of being sexually abused by her clergy father from the age of two., the congregation blind to her pain, and another preacher telling her "just to forgive." A nun warned of misusing "bogus spirituality." In June, a Canadian women's inter-church group released a study. Hands to End Violence Against Women, sying male-dominated churches, Christian theology and selective interpretation of scripture are at least partly to blame for violence against women. Atlanta Constitution 4/15/88 The clergy is required to report suspected sexual abuse of children in only 5 states, Miss., Ore., New Hamp., Conn. and Nev. However 16 other states implicitly require clergy reporting. Yet there is no known case of a district attorney prosecuting a minsister for failutre to abide by mandatory child abuse reporting laws. Several prosecutors have considered prosecution of non-reporting clergy, including DeKalb County District Attorney Robert Wilson. The R.C.C. in in the eastern Atlanta suburb is accused of a coverup for not reporting suspected molestation by Rev. Anton Mowat, even after victims' parents alerted them to the abuse last fall, and two priests had conveyed similar suspicions a year earlier. {The loop hole is that if the priest or minister is teaching or counseling they are obliged to report. If the child simply reveals sexual abuse to ministers ie. confessions, they are not obliged.} Atlanta Constitution 4/15/88 Former priest turned psychologist A.W. Richard Sipe, Baltimore, said a 25 year study he conducted shows that about 2% of all priests "show sexual excitment by fantasizing about or engaging in sexual activity with children." (Rev Thomas Doyle has projected that the figure may be as high as 3,000--one out of 18 priests or 16 per diocese--which is closer to 6%.) Catholic apologists deny any complicity in covering up illegal activities. Atlanta Constitution 4/15/88 Being a Catholic priest is "one of the best positions you can be go into [if you are a pedophile]. What better position could you be in to win peoples trust?" says Sharon Moody, commanding officer of the Crimes Against Children Unit for the Cobb County Police Department, Georgia. Columbus Ledger-Enquirer 5/28/88 Rev. Tony ("Touch not my anointed and do my prophets no harm") Levya, a southern revivalists investigated by the FBI for heading a 3-man ring prostituting young boys, has used Christian radio station WEAM in Columbus, Ga. to raise funds for his defense. Rev. Levya asks his followers to "sacrifice $100, $500, $1,000, $8,000 , even more, if God speaks to you" for his defence. Federal authorities allege that his crusades gave him and fellow abusers Rias E. Morris, organist, and Rev. Freddie M. Herring oppurtunity to sexually abuse numerous boys in Virginia, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Ohio and Indiana. He faces up to 65 years in prison and $550,000 in fines. Seattle Post-Intelligencer 3/23/88 The notorious Community Chapel & Bible Training Center, a sect based in Burien, Wash. near suburban Seattle, not only mentally abused children with doctrines of demonology and stunted education in their backward and repressive classrooms, but involved children in sexual abuse, according to reporter Mary Rothchild. The Center, beseiged by civil suites by ex-members claiming abuse, including women charging sexual exploitation, recently deposed it founder Rev. Donald Lee Barnett on charges of promiscuous adultry. In 1986, after followers complained, Child Protective Services met with Burien officials, spelling out guidlines, for example, that the church policy condoning French kissing of children was unacceptable. Three counselors were convicted of failing to report child sexual abuse in 1987. New York Times 5/23/88, New York Daily News 5/27/88, Newsweek 5/30/88, Denver Post 5/20/88, Newsday 6/11/88 Rev. Thoma Streitferdt, 59, a white Pastor in charge of the mostly black 700-member True Church of God in Harlem, was charged with rape and sodomy of two young sisters (ages 14 and 16) in his congregation. Law enforcement officials charge that Streitferdt told females worshippers that they could end up in hell if they refused his sexual advances, and raped at least one woman during premaritial counseling. Although his congregation was working class, Streidtferdt lived in a 1.4 million waterfront estate on Long Island, and owned property financed by contributions illegally coereced from church-goers. He and his family had exclusive rights to drive three church-owned Mercedex-Benz autos. Yet his tax returns in 1987 listed income of just several thousand dollars. The church required members to turn over tax records, and to tithe 10 percent as a condition of membership, increasing that tithe to 30 percent every third year. He also controller the finances of many of his members by keeping their savings at a bank set up through his church. Members were told that if they were not buried under church auspices at an additional fee in the church cemetary that "they would not go to heaven." San Gabriel Valley Tribune 6/18/88 Rev. Randall Wayne Brewer, a youth minister of Faith Community Church in West Covina, Calif., is charged with 3 counts of oral copulation with a Redlands teenager who said he was bribed and molested after being befriended at home Bible studies in 1985. The youth, now 17, testified that Brewer gave him $200 from a church checking account for running naked across an empty church hallway in a game called chicken. "I was told to tell everyone that I got the money for doing work at the church." Embarrassment prevented the boy from reporting the incidents, but he finally confided in his girlfriend and his mother. A trial is scheduled in mid-June. In May the family filed a multi-milion dollar suit against Brewer and the chruch for failure to tell new members that others had been previously abused. Brewer had previously plead no contest to "sexually annoying" another boy and had been placed on probation. Washington Post 5/13/88 U.S. Rep. Floyd Flake, pastor of Allen Africian Methodist Episcopal Church in New York, and a first term Democrat, is accused of harassing a church assistant into leaving her job because she ended a sexual affair with her. Thelma M. Singleton-Scott complained that a panel of "elders" at the 4,000-member church held a "kangaroo court" review of the charges in January. She is now demanding back wages and Flake's ouster as pastor. She said that the church bishop was involved in offering her hush money. Amherst Daily News (Novia Scotia) 6/16/88, The [Hamilton] Spectator 6/14,16/88 Msgr. John Monagahan, 80, of Nelson, B.C., was sentenced to 4 years in prison after pleading guilty to fondling 17 girls and young women from 1959 to 1987, ranging in age from 6 to 21, usually in hospitals or private homes. Many of the victims said they had told their parents of the assualts but were not believed because Monagahan was considered a "near saint." Nelson police say they have identified more than 50 victims. Florida Times-Union 5/13/88 and 6/9/88 Rev. Joe Marino, host of Christian talkshow "Inner Visions" in Jacksonville, Fla., and youth minister/counselor at Beaches Chapel in Neptune Beach, plead no contest to custodial sexual battery and soliciting sex from a 16 year old member of his church. Other charges were dropped. The abuse was disclosed after a victim from the church had attempted suicide. Marino was sentenced to 15 years in prison to be suspended after 5 years. A second Duval county minister, Rev. Roy Lynn Gaskins of Edgewood Heights Baptist Church, was accused of forcing a 13 year old boy at gunpoint to have sex. New York Times 6/10/88 Former Mormon missionary Arthur Gary Bishop, 36, was executed on June 10th in Utah for killing 5 boys (ages 4-13) for sexual gratification, saying he was "misled by Satan." New York Times 5/14/88 Rev. Bernard Lynch, 41, and Brother Timothy Brady, 41, are indicted for sexually abusing students at a Catholic preparatory school in the Bronx, Mount St. Michael Academy. Lynch, a former campus chaplain, is believed to be in Ireland. Brady "was removed last summer" to a Marist retreat in Arizona, according to the Bronz D.A.'s office. Kansas City Times 6/1/88 Barry L. Deaton was charged with taking indecent liberties with a child for abducting a 14 year old girl from a gathering of Youth for Christ of Greater Kansas City. [Little Rock Arkansas] Gazette 6/10/88 Rev. J.D. Henderson, 51, of Russellville, Ark., was convicted of molesting twin 6 year old girls, and sentenced to 4 years in prison. Henderson is an ordained Free will Baptist minister. Daily Camera, [Boulder, Co.] 5/21/88 Former Sister Mary Kregar and the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville, Col. were sued by a man who claimed his marriage was destroyed by the lesbian nun who seduced his wife while church officials did nothing to prevent it. A jury ordered the diocese to pay 1.5 million to Steve Voolverton on May 20. Tampa Tribune 5/31/88 Rev. Clevand "Rapper" Mack, 24, of Tampa. Fla., was charged with sexually abusing 2 young boys during "Bible lessons", including a charge of sexual battery which carries a possible death sentence. He struch a boy in the face when he tried to flee. [Rome] Daily Sentinel 5/28/88 Rev. Leon Dupree, 47, pastor of Lily of the Valley Church of God in Christ in Rochester, NY, is charged with first degree sexual assualt and first degree burglary of a 26 year old woman. She said he was armed with a hammer and struck her with a screwdriver. Dupree was convicted of second degree manslaughter in a 1978 drunken driving fatality and served time in state prison. Sunday Messenger [Athen, Ohio] 3/6/88 In 1978, Bessie Turner had $18,000 in the bank, $3,000 in cash at home, her house in Murry City, Ohio, a life insurance policy and a monthly income of $654. After 10 years of answering the pleas for money from evangelists Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Whittington, Jim Bakker, Don Stewart and others, she had exuasted her savings account, cashed in her life policy, gone hungry to send her grocery allowence to the hungry children invoked by the evangelests, and has nothing lest but her monthy income from renting her home. She was forced to move in with her step grandson and wife. "I was trying to feed the children. That's what Jimmy [Swaggart] said. Them poor little babies. Too see how they looked--I could hardly take it." Now Ms. Turner, although still a frim believer, says: "I won't have anything to do with any of them again. I think they are all alike. I think they are all thieves." "Ammond, you should try to locate copies of the December 30th and 31st San Jose Mercury-News from last year. I have been told that it contains a most impressive expose on the subject -- thirty-five court cases in the last five years, and a number of attempted cover-ups. Perhaps somebody in San Francisco can do a library search for you -- some libraries keep microfiche of the local papers." Anyone on the left coast want to look these articles up? There seems to be many more cases than are reported. Victims try to bring the various organizations round but generally get stiffed. That is until the victims go public. There is of course the ripple effect to consider also. In a recent tv talk show in Seattle on KING-TV, while talking about abuse by priests in the Seattle diosece, hosts Susan Michaels and Cliff Lenz got a shocker. A woman in the audience reported that she had been abused not by a priest but by her brother, who was abused by a priest IN THE SEATTLE DIOSECE. After investigation it was revealed that the priest was an abuse victim himself. Maryalyce Elbert was the victim of the victim. After this public expose' the diocese finally gave the name of the priest as Rev. James McGreal, age 65, whose criminal conduct was well known, having worked at 10 parishes and 2 hospitals. One ironic mistake leads to another with the priest being sent to treatment in the late 70's, after which he was sent to a hospital to abuse again. The priest was sent to a "Catholic program in New Mexico". He was then placed in another parish with several other priests aware of his condition. In four months he was suspected of grooming another boy for victimiziation. It is rather ironic that he was at Queen of Angeles Church in Port Angeles, under the supervision of one Rev. Conn, now facing charges himself for sexual abuse of altar boys. Rev. James McGreal abused people with impunity for 30 years. Continuing on with the show. Sherry Matulis spoke about being raped at the age of 5 by a church deacon; and narrowly escaping another attack at the age of 12. A shakey woman in the audience told of being continuily incestuoulsy abuse by her father, a souther preacher who attacked her on saturdays nights. She had to sit in a pew and watch him preach on sundays. Her efforts to expose and depose her father have as yet been unsuccessful. Rev. Paul Conn, mentioned previously, is accused of molesting multiple altar boys under the ages of 14. The Church responded by offering counseling to the victims BY OTHER PRIESTS in the parish. The Seattle archdiocese has admitted to a third unprosecuted and unnammed pedophilic priest now under treatment for his condition. I would like to point out that all these victims spent many painful years trying to correct the problem. They were all stonewalled with the only success coming after public exposure. --- * Origin: SMARTNet - Still Changing... (I don't write these, He does!) (Opus 1:128/23)