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NEW HAVEN - A former Darien pastor pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars of church money by setting up secret bank accounts to pay for a life of luxury, including traveling around the world and buying a condominium. The Rev. Michael Jude Fay, who resigned last year as pastor of St. John Roman Catholic Church, pleaded guilty in federal court to interstate transportation of money obtained by fraud. He set up hidden accounts that he called the Bridget Fund and the Don Bosco account to commit the fraud. "A religious leader who secretly uses contributions made to a church for his own personal benefit destroys the confidence and trust of everyone who donates money to a religious institution or charity," said U.S. Attorney Kevin O'Connor. "Prosecutions of this kind of serious criminal conduct should serve as a message that no one is above the law." Investigators working for the Bridgeport Diocese last year said that Fay, 56, used church money for limousines, stays at top hotels around the world, jewelry and clothing from Italy. He also bought a condominium in Florida with another man. Federal investigators said that Fay also spent money to buy a condominium in Philadelphia. Prosecutors said that Fay took between $1 million and $2.5 million over seven years, but the priest has disputed that estimate. He admitted to taking between $400,000 and $1 million. Fay, dressed in a dark suit with a bandage on his hand, said that he has undergone chemotherapy for prostate cancer but learned Wednesday that the treatment was not working. "It's my understanding, your honor, that I used church monies, parish monies for means and for needs other than means and needs of the parish or the parishioners of the parish," Fay said. "My understanding is that it's by fraud." The Bridgeport Diocese last year released its investigators' report on the priest's lavish lifestyle. Bridgeport Bishop William Lori, who ordered the investigation by Deloitte Financial Advisory Services, said that he was shocked and angered by the findings. Lori has faced criticism for his handling of the scandal, especially when it emerged that another priest and the church bookkeeper had hired a private investigator to look into Fay. The pair said they decided to hire the investigator after they met with Lori, and Fay was not removed, according to the report. Lori said that after he was made aware of potential financial misconduct, he took swift action to stop Fay from using church credit cards, notified civil authorities and forced his resignation. The church report, which was limited to the past six years, calculated the "potential financial loss" at $1.4 million. Fay, pastor since 1991, told church officials that the money was used to help needy parishioners and for other legitimate church-related expenses. The report acknowledged that some of the money might have been used for legitimate expenses, but said that Fay failed to document his claims. Fay also charged $500 fees when he gave lectures. Fay spent tens of thousands of dollars on home furnishings and meals and more than $20,000 to mark the 25th anniversary of his ordination, according to the church report. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced on Dec. 4. He also must make restitution. Fay was released on $50,000 bond. http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-2appriest0913.artsep13,0,3045860.story | |
By Tommy Witherspoon Less than a week before Kari Lynn Baker’s death, she found crushed pills in her husband’s briefcase and confided to a friend that she thought Matt Baker was trying to kill her, the close friend said Friday. “She was kind of panicked about the whole situation when she found those crushed pills. No. Really, she was a lot panicked,” Shae Dickey, who taught with Kari Baker at Spring Valley Elementary School in Hewitt, told the Tribune-Herald. “She suspected that he was having an affair, and she told me she thought he was trying to kill her.” Those fears are included in the affidavit filed locally Friday to support Matt Baker’s arrest. By sundown, the 36-year-old former Central Texas pastor had turned himself in to authorities at the Kerr County Jail. Since Kari Baker’s death April 8, 2006, — initially ruled suicide by overdose — Dickey says she has replayed her conversation with Kari many times in her head, including her friend’s worries concerning her husband. “And every time I play it back, I wish I would have done something differently,” Dickey said. “I wish I would have told someone.” Dickey said Friday she wasn’t surprised to learn that Hewitt police investigator Ben Toombs and Texas Ranger Matt Cawthon had obtained a warrant for Matt Baker’s arrest, charging him with murdering Kari Baker, the 31-year-old mother of his two daughters, and making it appear as though she killed herself with a lethal cocktail of sleeping pills and alcohol. Like others who knew her, Dickey said she never believed Kari Baker killed herself. Matt Baker, former pastor of the 75-member Crossroads Baptist Church near Lorena and former chaplain at the Waco Center for Youth, has since moved with his two girls to Kerrville, where his parents live. He has been working as a substitute teacher and a church youth minister, officials say. Baker surrendered himself at the Kerr County Jail at 4:20 p.m. Authorities will bring Baker back to McLennan County Jail, where bond will be set. His daughters remain with his parents in Kerr County, officials said. The arrest warrant affidavit Toombs filed alleges that Matt Baker used an over-the-counter sleep medication and alcohol on his wife to “render her defenseless,” then used a pillow or another object to suffocate her. Baker’s attorneys, Gerald Villarrial and James Rainey, said they advised Baker to turn himself in at the Kerr County Jail. “We can’t make any comment because we don’t know anything right now,” Rainey said Friday afternoon before Baker’s arrest. “We are just going to have to wait until after they arrest our client to find out what happened and then determine the next course of action.” Keeping steady pressure Kari Baker’s parents, Linda and James Dulin, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baker in July 2006, alleging he killed her and made her death appear to be a suicide. They have kept steady pressure on Hewitt police officials to keep investigating their daughter’s death and elicited the help of the Texas Rangers in their quest. “My husband and I have been waiting for this day for a year and a half,” Linda Dulin said. “We always believed that we would see this happen. We owe a great deal of gratitude to Texas Ranger Matt Cawthon. This guy makes Chuck Norris look like a wimp. I truly think this is a man of honor and courage, and he truly moved a couple of mountains to make this happen.” She declined comment when asked about the efforts of Hewitt Police Department investigators, with whom Justice of the Peace Billy Martin conferred before declaring Kari Baker’s death a suicide. Only this week did Judge Martin, following an inquest, change his ruling in the death from suicide to undetermined. Toombs acknowledged Friday that much of the new evidence that led to his seeking the arrest warrant came from the investigative efforts of Cawthon and the Dulins’ civil litigation team, headed by Waco attorney Bill Johnston, a former federal prosecutor. “We appreciate the work of the Rangers and others that resulted in this arrest and we also appreciate Judge Martin’s cooperation in the inquest and today,” Johnston said. Dickey said she doubted that her friend committed suicide because “of our conversations about family and her spiritual life.” She said they talked of their children and the upcoming school year, adding that Baker had interviewed for a new job a short time before her death and was eager to face a new challenge. “She was always looking forward,” Dickey said. “She was charged up about the possibility of a new job teaching language arts at the middle school because she just had a passion for writing and she wanted to go to the next level.” Toombs’ arrest complaint alleges that phone records indicated that Matt Baker called another woman on “dozens of occasions” between January and March 2006, adding that they were seen shopping for engagement rings within days of Kari Baker’s death. An inspection of Matt Baker’s computer at the Waco Center for Youth showed that he had viewed Internet sites about drug overdoses with prescription drugs. On March 9, 2006, Baker conducted a computer search for “overdose by sleeping pill,” according to the sworn statement. Baker also visited other Internet sites such as “SecureRXCart,” which authorities believe he used to buy prescription medication. After Kari Baker confronted her husband about finding crushed pills in his briefcase, the affidavit alleges Matt Baker told her that youths from the Waco Center for Youth must have put them in his briefcase. Matt Baker reportedly told police investigators later that his wife must have hidden the pills there, police allege. Other allegations included in the complaint revealed there was an abrasion on Kari Baker’s nose and bruises on her lips, possibly indicating that a pillow or other object was placed over her face to suffocate her. Evidence reviewed Also, forensic experts from Tennessee and Oklahoma, who have been hired by the Dulins to review evidence for their civil lawsuit, agree the timeline Matt Baker gave for his activities the night he discovered his wife’s body are contradicted by physical evidence, including lividity, or the time it takes for blood to pool in the lower extremities of a dead body. Besides Dickey, Kari Baker reportedly told a counselor in April 2006 that she thought Baker was having an affair and that she believed he was going to kill her after she found the pills in his briefcase, according to the affidavit. Investigators also learned that Baker reportedly switched computers with his secretary at the Waco Center For Youth when he learned police had a warrant to inspect the one he had been using. “The defendant even switched inventory labels on the computers in an effort to disguise the computer switch,” Toombs alleged in the complaint. Later, the computer in his secretary’s office “went missing” on a state holiday when the offices were closed. One employee at work that day remembered seeing Baker in the office area, the report states. http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/09/22/09222007wacmattbaker.html | |
 A Christian former camp leader robbed boys of their innocence and grossly abused his position of trust when he sexually abused them over a 14-year period, a court has heard. Neville Cyril Collins, 44, was yesterday sentenced to 11 years in prison for abuse of six boys between 1984 and 1998. The victims were aged 11 to 16 when Collins abused them at Boys' Brigade and Exercise Novice Warrior camps in Auckland and other places in the North Island. Trusted by the boys' parents and considered a "father figure" to some of the victims, he also abused them in their homes and his home. Three of the victims were at the High Court at Rotorua for the sentencing and excerpts of their victim impact statements were read out. "He took from me my innocence, my trust and confidence in all areas of my life," one victim wrote. "I have lived with this for 21 years - the pain, the guilt, feeling dirty, the anger and embarrassment - all this time." Another victim said Collins had taken away his dignity. "When he sodomised me, I simply had no say in the matter. It was forced on me. I was violated [and] the physical pain I endured was excruciating." Collins was earlier found guilty of 37 charges, including six counts of sexual violation and 25 of indecent assault. Some of the charges were representative, meaning they covered at least one incident of abuse in a specified period. The married father of two, who the court heard was a committed Christian, faced a maximum of 20 years in prison and wept as Justice Pamela Andrews delivered his sentence. Earlier, Collins had written the judge a letter, saying he had been in denial about his actions but now accepted his offending and was remorseful. He offered his apologies to the victims and his family, and expressed a desire to change. But Justice Andrews said the admission came at the "12th or 13th" hour and only after his victims had to testify in court and endure "the ultimate insult" of being called liars by Collins. She said the harm caused by the abuse was significant, and Collins used his position as a leader and someone the boys looked up to for premeditated offending. "You abused the trust imposed on you very grossly ... Yours was serious, prolonged, and predatory sexual offending involving six vulnerable victims." The judge found no mitigating factors, although Collins' lawyer, Matthew Ward-Johnson, argued his client was of otherwise good character and had given much time to the community. He said Collins had been sexually abused as a child and had not offended since 1998. But Crown prosecutor Rob Ronayne said that coincided with the date the first victim went to police and, in the years since, Collins had continually denied any wrongdoing. "He has secured his freedom for nine years, leaving the victims to ponder their blighted lives without any form of justice to them." http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=500818&objectid=10465153 | |
(星島) 11月 01日 星期三 03:30AM (綜合報道) (星島日報報道)大埔區一名傳道人藉詞向一名十五歲女教友傳道和教授鋼琴，要像亞當和夏娃般「坦誠相處」，多次在受害人家中和教會內非禮她，撫摸其胸部和私處，強逼受害人替他口交，早前承認七項非禮罪。 區院法官昨直指被告胡作非為，利用女童和教會的信任，發泄一己私慾，更扭曲聖經的含意，判被告入獄三年四個月。 九三年已當上傳道人的被告曾照福（四十六歲），已婚並育有三名子女。被告的家人昨亦有到庭旁聽。 辯方大律師指被告現已懺悔，再犯機會輕微。但暫委法官陳慶偉質疑，被告雖然到警署自首，但案件呈上法庭後沒有即時認罪，直至最後才承認犯案，看不出被告有悔意。 陳官在判刑時又怒斥被告「胡作非為」，在犯罪之前經過深思熟慮，先試探受害女童的認知和心智的成熟，利用傳道人的影響力，令女童心甘情願地讓他犯案，案情中可見被告「步步進逼」，先要求撫摸女童的身體，繼而要求女童替他口交，接又要求向女童口交，發泄一己私欲，嚴重違反教會和女童對他的信任。 陳官引述女童的報告指，女童的心理和精神都受到巨大打擊，短期內難以復原，被告的行徑已摧毀女童的一生。他又強調，被告不單沒有灌輸女童正確的道德觀念，反而敗壞和腐化女童的心靈，斷章取義，扭曲《聖經》的含意，加深了案件的嚴重性。 據了解，報告亦指被告幼時生活坎坷，遇上和自己背景相若的受害女童時，會同情女童並產生遐想，而女童現時經常失眠，會排斥別人，並失去對他人的信任。 案件編號﹕四五四——二○○六。 | |
13:48:53 - 17 October 2007 A Samaritan Church Pastor who was caught pants down by his wife raping a mentally ill woman in a bush was on Monday starting a seven-year jail term with hard labour. Robert Masamba of Kanfosi Village T/A Katunga in Chikwawa was arrested by police last week and charged with defiling an imbecile. Chikwawa First Grade Magistrate was told that it was not the first time the preacher man had lured the 35-year-old woman into sex. The woman is now pregnant. “The suspect admitted the charge and revealed that he had sleept with the victim for three times this year alone,” said Chikwawa Police spokesperson Sunday Ngulube. In passing judgement, Magistrate Stansfield Ngwale said an offence of this nature attracts a maximum penalty of 14 years and that the court had been lenient with the pastor since he was a first offender. “This punishment should set as an example to all the defilers especially those who take advantage of the mentally disturbed,” said Ngwale. According to Ngulube the suspects’ wife came upon the two as she was passing through the bush. Ngulube said the pastor’s wife then severely assaulted the victim with a stick on the head. She sustained heavy injuries and had to be rushed to Chikwawa District Hospital. “The hospital examination revealed that penetration had indeed taken place and that she was also pregnant,” Ngulube said. http://www.dailytimes.bppmw.com/article.asp?ArticleID=6890 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Portland Pastor Arrested On Rape Charges 16 October 2007 ORTLAND, Ore. -- A Portland pastor accused of rape was arrested Monday at his home in Ridgefield, Wash.  Police said they linked Sergio Alvarizares, 38, to the sexual assault of eight women who are associated with his church. Officers responded to the Casa Del Padre Church on Northeast Alberta Street on a disturbance call last month. When police arrived, they found several members of the church arguing with Alvarizares about allegations of improper sexual contact, according to the Portland Police Bureau. Later that night, six women reported sexual assault to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. Two more alleged victims have been identified since the initial reports. The Casa Del Padre Church primarily serves Portland's Spanish-speaking population. Alvarizares is facing one count of first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree attempted rape and 10 counts of first-degree sex abuse. He was booked into the Clark County Jail Monday and signed a waiver for extradition. He is expected to be moved to the Multnomah County Jail sometime in the next two weeks. Detectives are still investigating the case. Anyone with information is asked to call 503-823-0453. http://www.kptv.com/news/14355992/detail.html | |
BRADFORD - The former music director of the Bradford Baptist Church was arrested after police say he raped a 13-year-old boy. On Oct. 16, 2007, White County Sheriff's Detectives arrested Timothy Dean Clark, 38, of Bradford for rape, a class Y felony. The sheriff's department was contacted by investigators with the Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Thursday and began assisting that agency at that time. At approximately 5 p.m., Clark met with the DHHS investigators and sheriff's detectives at the White County Law Enforcement Center and provided a statement. The investigation has lead authorities to believe that Clark has engaged in sexual activity with the victim. Shortly after being interviewed by detectives, he was booked into the White County Detention Center and remains under a $100,000 bond. His court date is Dec. 4. Police chief Josh Chambliss said an investigation is ongoing into Clark's activities. “We are looking into some things done on a computer,” Chambliss said. At this time, rumors of additional charges are false, Chambliss said. Chambliss said Bradford Baptist Church issued a press release that said on Oct. 10 Clark gave a written resignation as Minister of Music and Outreach. The resignation was accepted at the church business meeting Oct. 14, the statement said. “We want to make it clear his outreach ministry focused on adults and he was not our youth minister,” the statement said, as read by Chambliss to The Daily Citizen over the phone. “After his resignation, serious allegations of criminal activity began to be investigated by the State of Arkansas, the White County Sheriff's Department and the Bradford Police Department. We have sought to fully cooperate with the authorities in this ongoing investigation. “As a church body, we are deeply shocked and saddened by this turn of events. We want it known that our sympathy is extended to the Clark family and our prayers are being offered daily.” http://www.thedailycitizen.com/articles/2007/10/18/news/local_news/news02.txt | |
【明報專訊】自稱小時候被性侵犯的基督教會助理牧師(現年41歲)，21年前曾非禮一名11歲的男教友，這個「秘密」一直埋藏心底。5年前他加入教會成為助理牧師，並一直活躍於基督少年軍活動；2005年他重施故伎，侵犯兩名年輕男教友。結果他忍不住內心掙扎和折磨，在心情極度困擾下，向教會的資深牧師剖白曾經侵犯該名男童。 犯5罪今日判刑 被告馮俊業，其英文名Amos與舊約聖經中的《阿摩斯書》名稱相同，有「負荷」及「重擔者」之意。馮昨日在區域法院承認5項猥褻侵犯罪名，控罪指他於1986至88年，三度猥褻侵犯當時11歲的男事主A，以及於05年某日在沙田顯徑鸷一單位，分別猥褻侵犯當時17歲的男事主B及16歲的男事主C。法官押後至今日判刑。 辯方大律師昨日求情時說，被告12歲時遭性侵犯，之後成為同性戀者，多年來活在罪疚和痛苦之中，為自己的性取向苦苦掙扎。05年9月，被告獲資深牧師輔導，突然懺悔始揭發事件，他隨後辭去教會職務，並向精神科醫生及尋求心理輔導。 輔導員認為，被告因性取向備受困擾，並在教會工作及侍奉以改過自新。被告又特別向所有事主及所屬教會道歉，懇請控方勿披露教會資料。 暫委法官杜大衛表示，被告犯案並非單一事件，牽涉多名事主，被告21年前已侵犯當時11歲的事主A，當時他已是思想成熟的成年人。法官又指出，判刑非為阻嚇被告本身重犯，反而是為了對社會上其他有相類想法的人作出阻嚇。 曾活躍基督少年軍 案情指出，被告自小參加九龍一間基督教教會，並活躍於與教會聯繫的香港基督少年軍。被告自1998年修讀神學，02年7月畢業後，即在該教會任職助理牧師，主理青少年活動。05年9月，資深牧師發現被告情緒低落，遂向他輔導，揭露被告當年曾撫摸一名當年11歲的教友的下體，並為他口交。 案情續稱，被告向資深牧師剖白後翌月辭職，一年後即06年10月，資深牧師與2名年輕男教友傾談，才發現他們分別曾獲被告邀請到其家中打遊戲機，更與被告同脇，又曾被他隔覑衣服觸碰及撫摸下體，教會決定報警，警方於10月13日拘捕被告。 神職人員不應與異性過度親密 被告所屬教會負責人表示，他印象中的被告是有責任感、待人友善的好同事，從沒想過被告犯案，得悉事件後感到非常悲痛。負責人說，教會一直對神職人員有所要求及期望，希望他們與異性不要有過度親密的接觸。 【案件編號﹕DCCC571/07】 http://www.mingpaonews.com/20071026/gba1h.htm | |
助理男牧師非禮男童判囚30個月 2007年10月26日 HKT: 10:400 一名教會助理男牧師承認非禮三名青少年，今早在區法院被判即時入獄30個月。 41歲被告早上由囚車送到區域法院聽判刑。法官表示，家長安排子女參加教會，是信任教會是安全的地方，但被告的行為違反誠信。法官又批評被告犯案時已經是成年人，而侵犯青少年是屬於嚴重罪行，因此需要判阻嚇性刑期，判他即時入獄兩年半。 被告馮俊業是基督教宣道會的助理牧師，2005年暑假邀請2名16及17歲青少年回家打遊戲機及留宿，期間非禮他們，之後向資深牧師承認非禮，及透露10年前亦曾經非禮過1名13歲男童。 http://www.hkheadline.com/news/i ... 20071026a104208.asp | |
 美 國 修 女 詹 尼 尼 被 控 在 1960 年 代 性 侵 犯 男 童 ， 小 圖 為 她 30 多 歲 犯 案 時 的 樣 貌 。 http://appledaily.atnext.com/template/apple/art_main.cfm?iss_id=20071114&sec_id=15335&subsec_id=15339&art_id=10415827 | |
根據訴訟律師透露，美國俄勒岡教區羅馬天主教耶蘇會已同意，對一百多名聲稱遭到耶穌會神父性侵害的阿拉斯加州原住民，支付五千萬美元（約新台幣十六億兩千兩百萬元）和解款項。 在安克拉治執業的律師羅沙表示，這項與耶穌會俄勒岡教區達成的和解案，是目前為止與天主教修會達成的最大一筆和解金，羅沙表示，今天對一百一十名受害者而言，是「偉大的一天」。 羅沙指出：「這些受害者有的是祭壇侍童、祭壇服事、和祭壇女侍童」，「這些人試圖說出他們的經歷，結果許多狀況是他們被毆打，或要他們閉嘴，並告知他們，『你們怎麼能以這種事情去述說一個屬於上帝的人？』」。 羅沙表示，和解並未要求修會承認過失；沒有一名神父曾經遭到刑事起訴。 不過，俄勒岡教區耶穌會會長惠特尼表示，這項和解聲明還不成熟，部分內容還需要最後確認；俄勒岡教區耶穌會的牧養範圍包括俄勒岡州、華盛頓州、愛達荷州、蒙大拿州和阿拉斯加州。 惠特尼在一份事先準備好的聲明中指出：「當這些問題解決後，我們將能對此案進行更完整的討論」，他形容和解聲明「不成熟，也不利」於和解。 羅沙表示，此案有關原告部分的問題已經獲得解決，僅剩下修會與保險公司的問題還沒解決。 羅沙對美聯社出示修會律師韓森所寄來的一封電子郵件，其中寫道：「這封電子郵件證明已經達成和解，和解案將對原告支付五千萬美元，以換取解除所有對耶穌會被告的主張」，韓森也表示，能「使此事塵埃落定」，他感到高興。 不過，韓森未能立即回覆美聯社的查證。 羅沙說，此性侵事件有十三或十四名神職人員涉入，從一九六一年到一九八七年，前後長達將近三十年，受害兒童年齡從五歲到十幾歲都有。 http://news.chinatimes.com/2007C ... 7Cti-News-Content/0,4521,130504+132007111901039,00.html | |
Canada's senior Catholic apologizes for sins November 22, 2007 MONTREAL -- Canada's senior Roman Catholic clergyman has issued a sweeping apology for the church's historical sins in Quebec, trying to rehabilitate the institution's image just as debate rages in the province over religion and identity. Cardinal Marc Ouellet, archbishop of Quebec City and primate of Canada, admitted that some Catholics' narrow-minded attitudes in the past bred anti-Semitism, racism and discrimination against women and homosexuals. The cardinal's mea culpa, expressed in a letter to newspapers in the province, also recognized that priests sexually abused children and scolded women for not bearing more children. "These scandals shook the confidence of the people toward religious authorities, and we understand that," Cardinal Ouellet wrote. "Forgive us for all this harm!" While some called the cardinal's apology both unprecedented and courageous, the act of repentance by a religious leader known for his conservative views was also met by widespread skepticism. Cardinal Ouellet has faced heavy criticism since telling Quebec's Bouchard-Taylor commission on reasonable accommodation last month that "secular fundamentalism" had contributed to current social ills there. Still, his words generated extensive coverage in the province, where church leaders rarely make news. Gays, women and orphans abused by the church said the cardinal didn't go far enough, and many took him to task for acknowledging the church's past errors - mistakes made before 1960 - while remaining silent on present church doctrine. "You can't recognize the errors of the past if you don't commit to changing the present," said Michèle Asselin, president of the Quebec Federation of Women. The church still shows no openness to contraception, gay unions, or women in the priesthood, she said. "As long as women can't occupy the same positions as men, we have to recognize there's still discrimination within the Catholic Church." Observers say the cardinal decided to issue the personal apology after his comments to the travelling Bouchard-Taylor commission generated so much criticism. Some also say he's trying to reposition the church, which has largely fallen out of favour in the secular province. "He's trying to get closer to people but he doesn't know how," said Rev. Raymond Gravel, a maverick Catholic priest who supports gay marriage and is a Bloc Québécois MP. "But neither could he do a 180-degree turn within three weeks. So he started slow by saying that he recognized the shortcomings of the past." But like others, Father Gravel noted that Cardinal Ouellet stopped short of addressing current criticism of the Catholic church. "I don't doubt he is sincere but maybe he's disconnected from real life." Cardinal Ouellet's missive was drafted without consulting the Quebec Bishops' Conference (even though the cardinal made a point of signing his text with a mention that he is primate of Canada, the honorary senior church leader). Some see it as a sign he's ready to act independently, without consulting colleagues. "He's not reluctant to carve out a position and talk in public about these issues," said Daniel Cere, a professor of religion and public policy at McGill University. "He seems to be a bit of a Lone Ranger." The letter marked a remarkable turnaround for a man seen as a traditionalist and who used his first homily after his 2003 installation as archbishop to chastise Quebeckers for failing to appreciate their Catholic heritage. Cardinal Ouellet had also spoken out against the influence of the news media, the "Marxist" approach of school teachers and the importance of traditional marriages. He stayed on his traditionalist message before the Bouchard-Taylor commission, linking Quebec's problems to "the spiritual vacuum created by the religious and cultural breakdown." The remarks garnered little sympathy from Quebec's opinion makers. One columnist called him "the Catholic Imam." Former trade union leader Gérald Larose said the cardinal's ideas were "totalitarian, hegemonic and predating modernity." Still, observers say yesterday's apology, an attempt to return Quebeckers to their Catholic roots, was far-reaching for such a senior church leader. "An admission of sin is always a serious moment," Prof. Cere said. "Maybe the church is taking some responsibility and saying, 'We've lost credibility because we have sinned.' Part of getting your act back together is a classic Catholic pattern of admission of wrongdoing." "The pain is in the church itself," Prof. Cere said, "and Cardinal Ouellet is a voice that is trying to speak to the pain instead of just talk the happy talk." http://www.theglobeandmail.com/s ... 22/TPStory/National 道歉信原文： http://communities.canada.com/na ... lics-of-quebec.aspx | |
A retired pastor from Canada was sentenced to three years in prison today after telling a McHenry County judge he was sexually harassed by the 4-year-old Lake in the Hills girl he pleaded guilty to molesting. Kenneth R. Cooke, 73, appeared to have reasonable chance at a probation sentence given his age, health problems and lack of criminal history heading into his sentencing hearing this afternoon. But the Calgary man who once headed his own ministry likely blew his chance of avoiding prison when he took the witness stand and painted his pre-school age victim as a sexual aggressor. "On a couple of occasions I felt I was sexually harassed," Cooke said. "I think there is psychological evidence that children even in their younger years can become interested in sex." He later said he did nothing inappropriate to the girl, but pleaded guilty two months ago to avoid putting his family through a trial. Judge Joseph Condon responded harshly, telling Cooke his statements show that he has no remorse and is a threat to young children. "That just boggles my mind," Condon said. "It is my opinion that you have a significant problem, and that other 4-year-olds have a significant problem (around you). What I'm about to do is necessary for the protection of the public." Cooke pleaded guilty in October to one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse stemming from allegations he fondled the girl in the summer of 2003 while he was visiting family in Lake in the Hills. The girl was not a family member. Although indicted in January 2004, Cooke refused extradition back to the United States, setting up a 3 1/2-year legal battle than ended when a Canadian court in June denied his final appeal. Cooke surrendered to American authorities shortly after the ruling. The girl's mother read a statement before Cooke's sentencing saying that both her daughter and her entire family continue to suffer as a result of the former preacher's actions. The girl, she said, has gotten into trouble at school for acting out sexually and has difficult making friends. "She has stated on many occasions she is a bad person and wishes she had never been born," the girl's mother said. "You can't imagine how hard it is to hear that from your own child. "This crime has been an emotional and psychological drain on my entire family and I don't see any end in sight for us." County prosecutors had asked for the maximum seven-year sentence for Cooke, calling his remarks "disgusting and despicable." "It's sickening and shows this court the defendant is not taking any responsibility for his actions," Assistant McHenry County State's Attorney Sharyl Eisenstein said. Cooke likely will receive day-for-day credit while imprisoned, meaning he could receive parole in 18 months or less. http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=103544 ================================================================================================================================= Miniature-train owner indicted on sex charges  A Keller miniature train enthusiast accused of sexually abusing young children during parties at his home was indicted this week on 12 charges, authorities said. Clinton Don Simpson, 65, has been free on bail since Dec. 19, after a judge reduced his total bail from $1.65 million to $305,000, said Alana Minton, chief prosecutor for the Tarrant County district attorney's office crimes against children unit. As a condition of his bail, Simpson must wear an ankle monitor and is confined to his home except for approved outings, Minton said. He is also restricted from being around children, Minton said. The charges Simpson faces nine charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child by threat and three charges of indecency with a child by fondling, according to court records. Aggravated sexual assault of a child is a first-degree felony punishable by up to life in prison and a $10,000 fine. Indecency with a child is a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Minton said the grand jury returned indictments on all the counts that prosecutors put before them. Keller police had served Simpson with 17 arrest warrants in connection with 12 accusers. Minton said that no further court dates have been set and that a trial is "a long way off." Case background, 10B A Tarrant County grand jury indicted Clinton Don Simpson, 65, of Keller this week on nine charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child, a first-degree felony, and three charges of indecency with a child, a second-degree felony. More on the indictment, 1B Investigation background Police began investigating Simpson on Oct. 7 after a 3-year-old girl said he touched her inappropriately during a birthday party at Mr. Don's Whistle Stop, a miniature train park he operated in his back yard. Simpson, a semiretired minister and graphic artist, had built the trains, which ran on more than a quarter-mile of track through his back yard, including over a bridge and through a tunnel. The Whistle Stop was a favorite spot for children's parties for years. At the beginning of the investigation, Simpson gave police a statement in which he admitted touching the girl and others, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Simpson's attorney has said the statement was coerced and given after an "emotional breakdown." Simpson has spent time under suicide watch, the attorney said. When word of the investigation surfaced, Keller police received more than 200 calls from concerned parents. Specialists spent weeks interviewing more than two dozen children. The cases that went forward were based on the word of 11 girls and one boy, all between 3 and 9 years old, police have said. Civil litigation In November, the parents of two sisters who accused Simpson filed a civil suit against him in Tarrant County District Court. The family belonged to Haslet Church of Christ, where Simpson was pastor, the suit states. http://www.star-telegram.com/crime_courts/story/381747.html | |
COLD SPRING - A pastor at a Cold Spring church was arrested on two counts of carrying a concealed weapon on Christmas Eve. According to the Cold Spring Police Department, Johnny R. Coleman, 1069 Parkside Drive, Alexandria, the pastor of Christ Baptist Church in Cold Spring, was arrested after police found him at 12:30 p.m. with a loaded Glock 9mm handgun and a loaded .25 caliber handgun, in a briefcase at the Mr. Spotless Car Wash in Cold Spring. Cold Spring Police Chief Ed Burk III confirmed Coleman is a pastor at the church. According to the police report, Coleman told an officer he was in line for a car wash when he was cut off by another person. According the report, "Mr. Coleman stated he told the victim someone could get shot over this." The person who allegedly cut Coleman off told police he believed he saw Coleman loading the hand gun, according to the police report Coleman was arrested and taken to the Campbell County Detention Center and released the same day on his own recognizance. Coleman could not immediately be reached for comment. A woman who answered the phone at Christ Baptist Church, who declined to give her name, said Coleman was out of town for the holidays. Christ Baptist Church was started in 2004 by former members of First Baptist Church of Cold Spring after suspicions arose that church money had been used improperly by former pastor Larry Davis. http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071227/NEWS01/712270348 ============================================================================================================ Minister of music arrested on assault charges no longer with church ARAPAHOE COUNTY – The Heritage Christian Center says its minister of music is no longer employed by the church. Police arrested 38-year-old James Brown at a home in Arapahoe County Thursday morning on charges of sexual assault on a child. They say the alleged assault happened at the home. Friday evening, Garret Leonard, the Executive Pastor at Heritage Christian Center sent 9NEWS the following statement: "Effective immediately Mr. Brown has been relieved from all of his duties at Heritage Christian Center. We will assess the situation as more details become available. We will continue to pray for all parties involved in this situation." Brown is being held on a $50,000 bond. He's set to appear in court Monday at 9:30 a.m. His case was delayed because of a medical hold. http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=83560 | |
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Man, 59, who charged $150 for black magic baths fathered child with young woman he had treated Jan 11, 2008 04:30 AM Peter Small Courts Bureau A pastor has been convicted of sexually assaulting a parishioner to whom he gave healing baths and naked rubdowns to rid her of evil spirits. At the same time, a jury of nine men and three women acquitted Rev. Frank Seeko Lawrence of separate counts of assaulting and threatening to kill the woman, now 29, by whom he fathered a child. They also found him not guilty of sexually assaulting a second woman, now 45, who also had his baby. It took the jury three days to come to its verdict. At least a dozen of the 59-year-old pastor's followers and friends waited in the courthouse hallway throughout. Lawrence admitted in 2005 family court documents to having nine other children, age 8 to 22, by four other mothers, whom he supported on an income of $19,600 a month. Prosecutor Paul Zambonini, who told the jury that in law there cannot be consensual sex between two people when one is in a position of power, trust, or authority, later praised them for their hard work. At the time of the sex assault, Lawrence ran his Toronto Mount Zion Revival Church of the Apostles out of the basement of his home. In dramatic testimony lasting five days, the victim said he gave her black magic baths, for which he charged $150, to rid her of evil spirits, then ordered her to stand up and drip dry while he rubbed her naked body with brown ointment. Anthony Robbins, Lawrence's lawyer, said he was disappointed with the jury's verdict and his client is considering an appeal. He said he disagreed with the Crown's assertion that sex between the pastor and his parishioner could never be consensual. "My concern is that the jury found that (the complainant) could not be believed beyond a reasonable doubt in respect of all but one of her allegations," he said. "It is going to be up to the judge to find which of the numerous (alleged) sexual assaults the jury convicted her on. She claimed constant sexual abuse over a nine-month period." The victim testified her mother first brought her to the pastor when she was 17, because she had constant vomiting and splitting headaches. She said that in 2003, when she was in her mid-20s, he allowed her to stay at his home because she was desperate for a place to live. Shortly after, he forced his attentions on her, she testified. Lawrence returns for a sentencing hearing on Feb. 28. http://www.thestar.com/article/293100 | |
 , cause : :::::i'm also going to be 生養眾多佈滿了地   ,any real devout Christian lady may b better to call me now !   [ 本帖最後由 prussianz 於 2008-1-13 16:01 編輯 ] | |
原帖由 沙文 於 2007-9-9 12:48 發表 >>>> 美國天主教會 >>>> 再 >>>> 度 >>>> 支付近2億美元用於性侵害賠償 here's where your donation$$$$$$$$$ come finally [ 本帖最後由 prussianz 於 2008-1-13 16:30 編輯 ] | |
原帖由 prussianz 於 2008-1-13 16:04 發表 it may b comparable to the problem of `````````sub-prime"""""""" , i.e. an other black-hole , i.e. i.e sooner or later there may b once again an other similar case as this >>>> 再 >>>> 度 >>>> 支付近2億美元用於性侵害賠償 [ 本帖最後由 prussianz 於 2008-1-13 16:29 編輯 ] | |
原帖由 沙文 於 2007-9-22 01:27 發表 this case , probably only a tip of 'the iceberg , 99.xx% of which 's potentially lying beneath the sea-levels , i.e. invisible , who knows ?? God knows  |
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