Sex Abuse Cases – Marci Hamilton, Capturing the Friedmans – The Victims speak out

Sex abuse cases: ‘I have a personal stake in this’ (Video)
Mar 28, 2013  Jeff Blumenthal     Reporter- Philadelphia Business Journal

Last week, I interviewed Marci Hamilton, a lawyer representing victims in the Sandusky and Philadelphia Archdiocese child abuse scandals, as part of our Inside the Reporters Notebook series….

Hamilton’s pointed response explained what she says is a personal reason for her involvement. She is a professor at Cardozo School of Law and not a litigator by trade. But she said she was incensed on February 10, 2011, when a Philadelphia Grand Jury released a report following an investigation into allegations that two priests and a teacher sexually abused a 10-year-old boy at St. Jerome Parish in Philadelphia, and that another priest assigned to St. Jerome sexually assaulted a 14-year-old boy.

It was that report, Hamilton said, that caused her to contact her co-counsel Jeff Anderson, and say she wanted to participate in the litigation.

“I have a personal stake in this,” Hamilton said. “My children are Catholic. My daughter was baptized by a pedophile priest. I have family pictures with a pedophile at one of the most important ceremonies of a child’s life. So I am in it, yes, in Philadelphia. Because its the only way to make this Archdiocese to do the right thing.”
http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/blog/jeff-blumenthal/2013/03/sex-abuse-cases-i-have-a-personal.html

Capturing the Friedmans
At a time when child sexual abuse has been identified as a major public health crisis, the new film “Capturing the Friedmans” takes a skeptical attitude regarding believing children. The 1989, Arnold Friedman and his son Jesse plead guilty to multiple charges of sodomy and sexual abuse against young boys who took computer classes taught in the basement of their home. Jesse now claims he was wrongly convicted.

Our research into the case shows that the director of the film sacrificed truth in favor of creating artistic ambiguity. Clear evidence is omitted and facts are distorted. In addition, the film  relies on  popular but erroneous myths about child sexual abuse. As a result, uncertainty is created about the guilt of two confessed pedophiles — who are recast as victims — while the real  victims — the boys and their families — are portrayed as  untrustworthy.
http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/ctf/1.html

In Their Own Words:  Jesse’s Victims Speak Out
….The Film “Capturing the Friedmans” about a case of child molestation in Great Neck, Long Island has been nominated for an Academy Award.  We are two of the victims of Arnold and Jesse Friedman writing to you, asking you to hear out side of the story, writing on behalf of the other victims and ourselves. We were abused, tortured, and humiliated by Arnold and Jesse Friedman in computer classes in Arnold’s basement.  Many of us have physical scars from what was done to us; all of us have psychological scars. Although it has been 16 years, we live with the knowledge of these crimes every day of our lives. Some of us have had bad dreams, some of us slept with baseball bats under our bed for years for fear of reprisals.  Many years ago, we thought we could not tell what was happening to us because we felt too guilty and embarrassed and were constantly threatened. Our parents thought Arnold was calling our houses so often because he was such a concerned teacher. His calls were to make sure we were not telling and to repeat the constant threats.
http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/ctf/vict.html

$500K settlement in clergy abuse lawsuit, Case against the Crown and Vatican and other Agents: Common Law Courts, Indictments and Juries

$500K settlement in Springfield clergy abuse lawsuit

By Associated Press Saturday, July 28, 2012

SPRINGFIELD – A Massachusetts man has reached a $500,000 settlement with two former Springfield Roman Catholic bishops he said failed to stop a known pedophile priest who molested him.

Andrew Nicastro of Williamstown and his attorneys announced the settlement Friday, ending a trial in which Nicastro and family members had testified.

Nicastro alleged in his lawsuit that Alfred Graves, then a priest, molested him in the early 1980s and that then-Bishop Joseph Maguire and his subordinate, Thomas Dupre, knew Graves had abused other boys in 1976. The suit did not name Graves as a defendant.

Graves, who has been named in other clergy abuse lawsuits, has been out of the ministry since 1994 and was defrocked by the Vatican in 2006….

The now-retired Maguire, 92, issued a statement through the Springfield Diocese that he is “truly sorry” for Nicastro’s suffering and hopes the settlement brings some measure of healing for “terrible abuse.”

“I only wish that in 1976 as a new bishop, I could have foreseen the true nature of one who violated our trust with such devastating harm to his victims,” he said.
http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20120728500k_settlement_in_springfield_clergy_abuse_lawsuit/

The Case against the Crown, the Vatican and other Agents….: Common Law Courts, Indictments and Juries to be Established by September 15, 2012
Posted on July 23, 2012 by itccs

The Legal Advisory Group of the ITCCS Central Office has completed a list of specifications, indictments and defendants in a global class action lawsuit to be brought against the institutions responsible for centuries of genocide, torture and human trafficking.

The material will be submitted on September 15, 2012 to de jure Common Law courts which shall be officially convened on the same day to receive the application for proceedings.

These courts shall convene on traditional territories under Natural Land Law jurisdiction. An initial roster of confirmed judges for these courts has been approved….

Today, the ITCCS Council of Elders is issuing a public call for all citizens to participate in these proceedings as witnesses and jurors.

Citizen Jury members will be duly sworn in and given instructions by the judges of these courts, and will be expected to serve on a free, volunteer basis for an indefinite period of time.

Witnesses to crimes against humanity are encouraged to come forward with their affidavits and testimonies, and be duly sworn as witnesses at the court proceedings.

The common law courts will be initially established in Canada, the United States, Ireland, England and Australia, in some cases in conjunction with sponsoring tribal elders.

http://itccs.org/2012/07/23/the-case-against-the-crown-the-vatican-and-other-agents-of-genocide-common-law-courts-indictments-and-juries-to-be-established-by-september-15-2012/

Vatican likely to replace Irish Cardinal with deputy bishop, Dr. Phil – MPD show

articles:
- Vatican likely to replace Irish Cardinal Brady with new deputy bishop
Report says Cardinal Brady likely to be gone to retirement by end of year
-Advisers backed resignation of Cardinal Sean Brady to save Catholic Church’s image
- As Cardinal Sean Brady turns his back on calls to quit, pressure mounts on police to get involved
- Dr. Phil – “My Husband, My Kids and My Multiple Personalities”
Thursday – May 10, 2012

Vatican likely to replace Irish Cardinal Brady with new deputy bishop
Report says Cardinal Brady likely to be gone to retirement by end of year
By JOHN O’BRIEN, IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

The Vatican is expected to replace Ireland’s leading church figure. Cardinal Sean Brady, and will appoint a coadjutor or deputy bishop by the end of this year who will eventually be his replacement.

The Irish Times has reported that the Vatican move will happen because of  massive public pressure on Brady over his actions concerning the notorious pedophile priest Fr. Brendan Smyth.

Brady is primate of all Ireland, essentially Ireland’s leading Catholic figure, based in Armagh.

The Vatican is expected to act after a BBC documentary alleged that Brady was far more involved in a cover up of Smyth than he admitted at the time in 1987. Brady, then a young priest, served on a panel investigating Smyth. No action was taken against Smyth and  he went on to abuse many more kids.

The Vatican at first defended Brady and said he had their full confidence. However, Irish leader Enda Kenny, Deputy leader Eamon Gilmore, and Northern Irish leader Martin McGuinness, have all called on Brady to resign….

Brady, 73, managed to keep his position after an earlier controversy about Smith and how he handled the case. This latest crisis, however, is seen as far more serious.

If Brady is forced to step down, it will be the 2nd major figure that Fr. Brendan Smyth has been instrumental in forcing out of office.

Former Irish leader Albert Reynolds also resigned after becoming involved in the Smyth controversy….

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Vatican-likely-to-replace-Irish-Cardinal-Brady-with-new-deputy-bishop-150279125.html

Advisers backed resignation of Cardinal Sean Brady to save Catholic Church’s image
By Greg Harkin  Saturday, 5 May 2012
Cardinal Sean Brady was backed by his senior advisers when he offered to resign more than two years ago.

The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland informed the Vatican of his “willingness to stand aside” as one of a range of possible options when his role in the Brendan Smyth controversy became public in 2010.

And his senior advisers backed the move — expressing concern that the Smyth controversy would damage the church.

The cardinal is now planning an alternative exit strategy.

Cardinal Brady had asked the Pope for ‘Episcopal help’ or an auxiliary bishop two years ago when the controversy first erupted, but the bishop was not appointed.

However, the church confirmed yesterday that the request has been “reactivated”.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/advisers-backed-resignation-of-cardinal-sean-brady-to-save-catholic-churchs-image-16154588.html

As Cardinal Sean Brady turns his back on calls to quit, pressure mounts on police to get involved

By Liam Clarke
Saturday, 5 May 2012

Pressure is growing on the PSNI to interview Cardinal Sean Brady over the most recent claims in the child sex abuse scandal.

The police didn’t act two years ago when the revelations that Dr Brady was present at the interview of two victims of paedophile priest Brendan Smyth first emerged.

One of the young victims, Brendan Boland, gave the names and addresses of several other children he knew were being abused by Smyth.

Despite this evidence nothing was done to warn the children’s parents or inform the police, and Smyth went on to abuse dozens more children over subsequent decades until he was finally brought to justice in the 1990s, dying in prison in 1997.

He had been abusing children since the 1940s.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/as-cardinal-sean-brady-turns-his-back-on-calls-to-quit-pressure-mounts-on-police-to-get-involved-16154168.html

Dr. Phil – “My Husband, My Kids and My Multiple Personalities”
Thursday – May 10, 2012

Tracy is a married mother of four who says her life was forever changed the day she was diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, more commonly known as multiple personality disorder. She says she has five personalities, or “alters:” Emily, a frightened 5-year-old child; Becky, who cuts, bruises, chokes and has threatened to kill Tracy; Susie, an innocent 10-year-old child; Samantha, “the CEO;” and Miss Anne, “the caretaker.” Tracy says that she’ll often times black out when an alter takes over and that the transition back to being Tracy can make her physically ill. Joined by her husband, Tyler, the couple says Tracy’s alter egos and unpredictable moods are causing strain on their marriage, and they’re struggling to explain her erratic behavior to their children. Is Tracy’s diagnosis real? Then, in a Dr. Phil first, Tracy transitions between her alters onstage. Speaking as Becky and Emily, can Dr. Phil gather insight into Tracy’s disorder? Tracy’s therapist, Dr. Peggy Avent, joins the show and explains her diagnosis. Could a secret from Tracy’s childhood hold the key to understanding her illness? Tracy’s mom, Sandy, weighs in and shares why she blames herself.

http://www.drphil.com/shows/

What the Pope Knew, Pope refused to defrock pedophile priest, Bishop Long

also:
Sex abuse victim learns of Pope’s role
4th man sues Ga. megachurch pastor
Paedophile postman groomed up to one THOUSAND children on Facebook and Bebo using fake profiles

“What the Pope Knew” Reported by CNN’s Gary Tuchman WEBWIRE –  September 01, 2010 Investigative documentary exploring pope’s role in managing the child sexual abuse crisis – debuts
Saturday, September 25at 8:00pm ET & PT on CNN/U.S. and CNN International
During his first papal visit to the U.S., Pope Benedict XVI reached out to victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests, unprecedented for the Vatican. He became the first pope to directly and personally apologize to victims for their trauma. He was the first to acknowledge publicly that the Church had systemically erred in the way that it had transferred offending priests to new parishes, putting more children at risk, instead of reporting offenders to law enforcement. A new era of accountability seemed to have dawned.
But Benedict’s role in managing the child sex abuse scandal while he was Archbishop of Munich and Freising, and as a powerful cardinal at the Vatican, has now come under scrutiny. CNN national correspondent Gary Tuchman reports for What the Pope Knew, investigating some of the most notorious pedophile priest cases in the United States and finds that the pope, as Cardinal Ratzinger, had direct responsibility for how they were handled. CNN’s investigation reveals that Ratzinger opposed or slowed down the defrocking of some priests, including convicted child molesters.
http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=122331

Sex abuse victim learns of Pope’s role
Editor’s note: A one-hour CNN special, “What the Pope Knew,” will air this Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 25 and Sept. 26, at 8pm and 11pm ET. This story is drawn from that report.
By Brian Rokus CNN Special Investigations Unit
MORRISONVILLE, Ill. September 24th, 2010 – Matt McCormick was in the seventh grade when Father Alvin Campbell gave him a ride home from a baseball game.  As they were driving along country roads, Campbell put his hand on McCormick’s thigh and “just left it there.”
It was the first time the priest had touched him. During the next three years, McCormick says, the abuse would go much further.
That was 25 years ago.  Just three months ago, he learned that Pope Benedict XVI played a role in keeping his abuser in the church when CNN told him about a letter signed by the pontiff – then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger – refusing to defrock the pedophile priest….Father Campbell was convicted in 1985 on multiple sexual assault charges. He served half of his 14-year sentence. He was released in 1992 and died 10 years later.
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/24/sex-abuse-victim-learns-of-pope%E2%80%99s-role/

APNewsBreak: 4th man sues Ga. megachurch pastor
AP By GREG BLUESTEIN,  Greg Bluestein, Associated Press Writers –
ATLANTA – 9/24/10 A fourth young male member of Bishop Eddie Long’s megachurch is suing the prominent pastor, claiming Long coerced him into a sexual relationship.
The lawsuit was filed by Spencer LeGrande, a member of New Birth Charlotte. New Birth Charlotte is a satellite church run by Long in Charlotte, N.C. The lawsuit said Long told LeGrande “I will be your dad” and invited the 17-year-old to journey to Kenya with him in July 2005. LeGrande said that Long gave him a sleeping pill on that trip and that the two engaged in sexual acts.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100924/ap_on_re_us/us_pastor_abuse_allegations_lawsuit

Paedophile postman groomed up to one THOUSAND children on Facebook and Bebo using fake profiles 25th September 2010
A postman who used social networking sites to groom up to 1,000 children – some of whom he sexually abused – was jailed for eight-and-a-half years yesterday.
Michael Williams, 28, used different profiles to target children he met on his post round, while doing school runs as taxi driver, and as the secretary of a football club.
He tricked his victims into performing sex acts on a webcam or to meet him in parks, beaches and at his home in Penryn, Cornwall, where he abused them….He also pleaded guilty to voyeurism and possessing indecent images.

Devon and Cornwall Police have identified about 500 victims he groomed or abused but believe there could be up to 1,000 youngsters in total because hundreds are too scared to come forward.
Williams, of Tresooth Lane, Penryn, worked as a postman in his home town, where he was regarded as cheerful and helpful….Police searched his flat and found 1,342 indecent images of children, 20 videos featuring children he met on the internet and 800 ‘chat logs’.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1314900/Facebook-Bebo-used-paedophile-postman-groom-children.html

Rome waited to ban pedophile priest

Rome waited to ban pedophile priest April 3, 2010 The future Pope Benedict XVI took over the abuse case of an Arizona priest, then let it languish at the Vatican for years despite repeated pleas from the bishop for the man to be removed from the priesthood, according to church correspondence. Documents reviewed by The Associated Press show that in 1990, members of a church tribunal found that the Reverend Michael Teta in Arizona had molested children as far back as the late 1970s. The panel deemed his behaviour – including allegations he abused two boys in a confessional – almost “satanic”. The tribunal referred his case to then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who would become pope in 2005. But it took 12 years from the time Ratzinger assumed control of the case in a signed letter until Teta was formally removed from ministry, a step only the Vatican can take. As abuse cases with the pontiff’s fingerprints mushroom, Teta’s case and that of another Arizona priest cast further doubt on the church’s insistence that the future pope played no role in shielding pedophiles. Teta was accused of engaging in abuse not long after his arrival at the Diocese of Tucson, Arizona, in 1978. Among the allegations that would later be part of settlements: He molested two boys, ages 7 and 9,  Bishop Manuel Moreno eventually was made aware of the allegations and held a church tribunal for Teta, which determined “there is almost a satanic quality in his mode of acting toward young men and boys”. Teta was removed from ministry by the bishop, but because the church’s most severe punishment – laicisation – can only be handed down from Rome, he remained on the church payroll and was working with young people outside the church. http://www.smh.com.au/world/rome-waited-to-ban-pedophile-priest-20100403-rkb7.html