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Former St. Xavier High School priest faces allegations of psychological sexual abuse Another priest involved at St. Xavier High School is facing "established allegations" of psychological sexual abuse against minors, officials announced Friday. Father Edward L. Pigott, 82, was added to the Midwest Province of Jesuits' growing list of priests and clergy members facing such allegations of abuse. According to his listing, Pigott's alleged abuse occurred between 1992 and 1995. An "established allegation" is based on the facts and circumstances that establish a "reasonable certainty that the sexual abuse of a minor occurred," according to the Province. An established allegation leads to removal from public ministry and possible criminal prosecution. The Midwest Jesuits initially published a list of Jesuit priests and clergy members who faced established allegations dating back to 1955 in December 2018. Five local priests were included in that list, including two priests involved at St. Xavier High School. Officials extended an invitation at that time to any other victims of abuse to inform local authorities, St. Xavier and the Province. [ Special offer: Subscribe now and get 3 months unlimited access for $1 ] Allegations against Pigott came in almost immediately, and Pigott was removed from his duties at the school two days after the original list was published, school officials said. Upon learning of Pigott's allegations, the Province followed protocol and notified the Cincinnati Archdiocese and the Hamilton County Prosecutor. The Province initiated an independent investigation concerning allegations of psychological sexual abuse by Pigott, and those allegations were determined to have been established. St. Xavier High School sent a letter home to families Friday, stating Pigott had served the school's community from 1969 to 2018. "We are committed to a culture of safety and protection for the care of all members of our community, especially our precious children, among God's greatest gifts," school officials wrote in the letter. Get the News Alerts newsletter in your inbox. Get alerted to the latest stories to stay on top of the news. Delivery: Varies Your Email The school said they will be sharing information of Pigott's established allegations with students on Monday. Nothing is more important than the well-being of our students. St. Xavier High School operates under strict policies and guidelines, which are regularly reviewed and improved upon, to ensure a safe and secure environment for students. We are vigilant in prevention and reporting with a keen sense of awareness and procedures to protect each and every young man. The school once again extended an invitation for anyone who has felt victimized by a Jesuit or any St. Xavier employee to contact law enforcement, child protection and the school directly at [email protected] or [email protected]. Victims may also reach out to Marjorie O'Dea, the Province Director of the Office of Safe Environment, at 773-975-6876 or by mail at the USA Midwest Province, 1010 North Hooker Street in Chicago, Illinois 60642. The following local priests were included in the original list, posted Dec. 17, 2018: Rev. James A. Condon, S.J. at St. Xavier High School in 1965 (deceased 1993) Rev. Mark A. Finan, S.J. at St. Xavier High School from 1964 to 1965 (dismissed in 1973) Rev. Edward J. O'Brien, S.J. at Xavier University in 1958 and 1971 to 1982 (deceased 1983) Rev. Donald O. Nastold, S.J. at St. Francis Xavier Church from 1999 to 2000 (deceased 2007) Rev. Robert J. Erpenbeck, S.J. at the Jesuit Novitiate in Milford from 1961 and the Milford Retreat Center in 1964 (deceased 1986) https://www.cincinnati.com/story ... l-abuse/4841548002/ | |
Test of faith The charity Gospel for Asia asks people to donate to foreign families in need. But some former GFA members say the money is going somewhere else. By Angela MacIvor February 23, 2020 Cody Carnine crouches on the ground with a handful of pecans and the widest smile as he calls out to a dozen chickens on his farm in Canton, Texas. He says a simple task like feeding animals is something he and his wife, Ingrid, couldn’t enjoy five years ago. "We feel freedom to live our lives as normal people, and not feeling like we have to follow," said Carnine. Day by day, Carnine and his family are piecing their lives back together. They can’t afford to build a house right now, so they live in what they call the "shop" on their pecan tree farm. From the outside, it looks like a small retrofitted shipping container. Inside are two cluttered main rooms, a bathroom and bedroom separated from the kitchen by a single burgundy curtain. The children climb up ladders to get to their makeshift bunks in the rafters. Carnine admits it’s a far cry from the lifestyle the family enjoyed while he was a senior leader at Gospel for Asia. GFA is more than a charity — it’s a Christian organization that people serve, and members usually leave their church and, in many cases, friends behind to live near other staff and become completely entrenched in the day-to-day work of GFA. The organization raises money for various items, such as chickens, goats, blankets and so-called Jesus wells intended to help remote villages in India and surrounding countries. Monthly missionary and children sponsorships are also popular contributions. Donors often choose where to put their money by selecting from the annual Christmas catalogue, similar to what Plan Canada or World Vision mails out every year. Glossy magazines and a syndicated radio program — presented by GFA leader K.P. Yohannan on many Christian radio stations — also help promote the charity’s work abroad. "When you see one thing, but you believe in another — that's the world I lived in near the end." In 2005, the Carnine family sold their home and a successful construction business in Oregon to move to Texas with their four children. Over the next decade, they took a drastic pay cut and fundraised their own salary in order to serve GFA. They even opted out of paying social security taxes, while still managing to donate thousands back to the cause they believed in wholeheartedly. Cody Carnine on his family's pecan farm in Canton, Texas. (Angela MacIvor/CBC) Cody Carnine on his family's pecan farm in Canton, Texas. (Angela MacIvor/CBC) Carnine was in charge of development and high-profile donations in the U.S. That meant he worked directly with the people, mostly church leaders, who spent thousands each month on Gospel for Asia’s missions overseas. Carnine even took donor groups on "vision tours" to India in an effort to showcase where their money was being spent. For decades, GFA has been active in Canada as well. It continues to raise on average $25,000 a day in this country alone. The charity has strong supporters across North America who continue to contribute funds that they believe are being well used. But over the course of a year-long investigation, CBC has talked to 28 former GFA staff members and board members in Canada, the U.S. and India who shared their stories of self-sacrifice in supporting GFA. They all described an unwavering commitment to the cause, followed by a sense of betrayal. Some also voiced deep concerns with the organization about how donations were being used, and alleged that hundreds of millions of dollars intended for the poor in Asia were "missing." Those allegations were the focus of a U.S. class-action lawsuit against the charity that settled last year for $37 million. The charity firmly denies it did anything wrong, and insists that all donations in Canada and the U.S. went exactly where they were designated. "Not only [was GFA] not required to make an admission of guilt when they settled the lawsuit, but had the lawsuit actually continued in the court, they either would have won in court or certainly won on the appeal," said GFA litigation spokesperson Johnnie Moore. He said the allegations made in the U.S. lawsuit were "absolutely false" and the settlement agreement proves it. "It explicitly states that all the funds that … were designated to go to the field went to the field," said Moore. Cody Carnine was instrumental in the U.S. lawsuit, as one of the few senior leaders at Gospel for Asia who walked away from the organization. "At GFA we really felt like, man, our life is really making a difference in the lives of other people. So that was incredibly fulfilling, and we were really on-board and extremely involved with everything we could do." He said a fellow staff member later used the term "cognitive dissonance" to explain how he was coping with mistreatment by leadership, and that resonated with Carnine. "[It's when] you see one thing, but you believe in another," he said. "That's the world I lived in near the end." II. Like many members, Carnine joined Gospel for Asia because he was inspired by the words of its founder, K.P. Yohannan. A native of Kerala, India, Yohannan moved to Texas in the late 1970s and began sharing his vision of how to help the poor in his home country through his books and by speaking at churches across America. He started Gospel for Asia in 1979. "There's aspects of him that we were drawn to," said Carnine. "K.P. was our role model, through his teachings and life and lifestyle." Now 70 years old, Yohannan has a full beard and white hair, which he sometimes pulls back into a ponytail. While visiting western countries such as Canada and the U.S., he’s known to dress casually. However, in Asia, Yohannan wears a white robe and a cross around his neck — symbols of a more Orthodox-style religion that bothers members of the evangelical faith who once followed him. Those who support Yohannan say this religious shift is merely about accommodating cultural norms in Asia. A native of Kerala, India, K.P. Yohannan founded Gospel for Asia in 1979. (Believers Eastern Church) A native of Kerala, India, K.P. Yohannan founded Gospel for Asia in 1979. (Believers Eastern Church) One Yohannan book that moved Carnine and many others is Revolution in World Missions, which preaches a simple lifestyle by giving up material items and focusing on meeting the needs of those who are less fortunate. Yohannan promotes himself as a minimalist and encourages others to live the same way. For staff, that means living close to the poverty line while giving every spare dollar back to the cause. Gospel for Asia started as a grassroots organization, with a handful of staff members. By the early 2000s, support ballooned as Yohannan and his team toured evangelical churches across America. They shared stories of how people were being helped in India and surrounding countries, and how more donations could benefit missionaries spreading the gospel to remote or "unreached" villages. These passionate pleas spoke directly to congregations and even attracted new staff. In Wills Point, Tex., where the charity’s headquarters is located, the seclusion is entrenched in a gated community. Officially referred to as the "campus," the property spans about 120 hectares off a rural road 80 kilometres east of Dallas. It includes a 100,000-sq.-ft. administration building with cathedral ceilings, polished concrete floors and modern furniture. There is also a large cafeteria building and chapel, surrounded by approximately 80 homes. They’re all identical two-storey beige homes with attached garages. The point is to have staff all in close proximity, focused on the cause without distraction. Dozens of former staff members shared that they were told not to attend church or prayer meetings outside Gospel for Asia. Some also told CBC they were encouraged not to socialize outside staff events, and that their interactions with GFA staff in other countries should be limited. In Carnine’s opinion, the staff is controlled. And he was no exception. "People are definitely conditioned on how to be a good staff member, and that leads to making it much easier for leadership there to control [them]," he said. According to Carnine, one of Yohannan’s main teachings is "touching Godliness through submission." There is a class on that subject for new staff, which Carnine taught during his time at Gospel for Asia. He said the goal is to preserve a culture where people fully trust authority. III. Christine Harris can relate to the Carnine family’s sacrifice. She now lives in a century farmhouse down a gravel road in the backwoods of Tatamagouche, N.S. — thousands of kilometres from the Canadian head office in Stoney Creek, Ont. The decision to leave Gospel for Asia five years ago was a slow and painful process for Harris — especially since she was the one who convinced her husband, Geoff, that GFA was their calling. She was also the one who ultimately pulled them out. Christine Harris and her family left Gospel for Asia five years ago. (Angela MacIvor/CBC) Christine Harris and her family left Gospel for Asia five years ago. (Angela MacIvor/CBC) Harris said Yohannan’s writings pulled her psyche into a spiritual focus that redirected the course of her entire family. "Within three years of reading [Revolution of World Missions], we were on staff, just kind of caught up in the whirlwind. It wasn't an easy process. Our church and Christian friends kind of rejected us and shunned us," Harris said. According to Harris, people in their hometown of Stayner, Ont., didn’t understand why they were willing to give up their home and her husband’s job to move to Hamilton to be closer to the charity’s Canadian office. "But we just figured it was the right thing to do, something God wanted us to do," Harris said. For seven years, she believed in Yohannan’s cause so strongly that she cut coupons and scraped for milk money so that her family could buy chickens and sponsor children in India. Some years, her own kids didn’t even get Christmas presents. "You still hoped for the best, that the money was still doing what it was supposed to do," Harris said. But she said "spiritual abuse" from leadership eventually took its toll. "They often use scripture kind of to browbeat you, like you're not good enough. ‘You need to work hard’ or ‘You need to be more spiritual, you need to be more submissive.’ We heard that all the time. ‘You need to just keep stepping up. Don't be tired. Fight back the devil,’" said Harris. Other female staff members in Canada and the U.S. told CBC they were berated by leadership for not wearing headscarves or following orders; their husbands were disciplined for not keeping them in line. When families either decided to leave the organization or were forced out, they say current staff were instructed not to speak to them. Besides the strict environment, Harris started questioning whether the money was going where it was promised, after hearing about state-of-the-art hospitals and other mega-projects overseas that donors weren’t informed about. "We started seeing these slideshows and prayer requests for these big buildings over in India," she said. "There were universities, schools, massive hospitals. I'm not talking about little shacks where they have a small missionary doctor working with a few expired Tylenol. We're talking top-of-the-line, high-end buildings and professors of the best sort." WATCH: 'We've all been duped': Christine Harris of Nova Scotia talks about her experience with Gospel for Asia Watch Christine Harris talks about Gospel for Asia 2 days ago 0:41 The more she thought about it, the more things didn’t add up for her. "This had nothing to do with the poor, like our magazines were portraying," she said. "So right then, as I'm hearing about these for the first time, I said I think somehow the money isn't getting used like they're saying it is." IV. Pastor Bruce Morrison and his congregation at the Christian Fellowship Church in New Glasgow, N.S., supported Gospel for Asia every week through its Sunday collection. Over 20 years, the church donated $150,000 to GFA, because Morrison championed the cause. "It was the work that they did in India, both in terms of sharing the gospel in that country and also in terms of the humanitarian aid that they provided, which was very impressive," he said. But when the pastor started hearing in 2015 about dissension amongst staff, he reached out to former employees. He was initially concerned about the mistreatment people described while working at Gospel for Asia. Then, over the course of several months, he began barreling down a troubling path as he investigated the charity’s finances. Over the course of two decades, Pastor Bruce Morrison and his congregation at the Christian Fellowship Church in New Glasgow, N.S., donated $150,000 to Gospel for Asia. (Angela MacIvor/CBC) Over the course of two decades, Pastor Bruce Morrison and his congregation at the Christian Fellowship Church in New Glasgow, N.S., donated $150,000 to Gospel for Asia. (Angela MacIvor/CBC) Morrison found that between 2007 and 2014, Gospel for Asia reported to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) that it had sent nearly $94 million to India. Meanwhile, financial records submitted to the Indian government showed the charity received no funds from Canada during that time period. "So this was just sitting there unused and all the while they’re saying to Canadian donors and other western donors, 'If we only had this much money, we could feed this child. If you would only give, we could buy a cow for a family and that cow would generate revenue to support that family,'" said Morrison. "All the time, that's not where the money is going." Over the next few years, Morrison's concerns deepened. He learned by scouring financial statements filed to the Ministry of Home Affairs in India that Gospel for Asia was moving tens of millions from bank accounts in Hong Kong, where it didn't have an office. Millions more were being held in a reserve fund, which, donors said, was concerning given that the charity sends out urgent appeals for donations. These findings were backed up by an investigation done by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), an organization Gospel for Asia belonged to for several years. According to ECFA, Gospel for Asia had cash balances of $259 million US in 2015. ECFA terminated the charity that same year for various violations, citing Gospel for Asia’s lack of clarity around its finances during the investigation. A leaked copy of its findings stated that "certain information provided to ECFA by GFA that was crucial to our review was, at least initially, inaccurate.” The document also said that certain information about “compliance issues” was not revealed until late in the review process. In 2017, the Indian government banned Gospel for Asia from receiving foreign funds in India, along with thousands of other non-profit organizations. Donors assert this fact has never been disclosed publicly. That’s the most troubling part for Morrison. "It would be like me as a minister asking for funds to support some family down the street whose house was burned and they just needed help and we took up an offering of $5,000. And instead of me giving it to them, I put it in my bank account for a rainy day," he said. "That seems like a stretch, but it’s really not. It’s the nature of what happened here." Morrison says he thought it couldn’t get any worse, until he followed the U.S. class-action lawsuit. In court, lawyers representing Gospel for Asia confirmed that $20 million was taken from Canadian donations to help pay for the $45-million campus in Texas. "They said in the financial statements that were issued in the U.S. [that] … the money had come from an anonymous donor," said Morrison. "And then we find out through court hearings in the United States that this money was Canadian money and donors here had no idea that had happened." Gospel for Asia confirms the money did come from Canadian donations, but that it was later paid back. Morrison believes all of these details amount to a fraud because, as defined in the Criminal Code of Canada under false pretenses, he says it’s a misrepresentation of the facts. He takes particular issue with the lack of transparency about how donations are being used. V. After months of declining CBC requests for an interview with K.P. Yohannan, the charity’s spokesperson agreed to respond to the allegations in person at the campus in Texas. Johnnie Moore said the controversy of the U.S. lawsuit has shaken GFA leadership. "I think they just generally feel like they've been really misunderstood," said Moore. "And one of the reasons why they've been misunderstood is that either people have made up their minds already or they've inadequately communicated answers to the questions." He said all of the goats, chickens and other charitable items offered through GFA were in fact delivered to people in need. The original plaintiffs in the class action, Matthew and Jennifer Dickson, view it differently. They agree that money eventually made it to Asia, but contest that the money went directly to pay for the items as promised. "People were being told, 'We're going to take your money and use it one way.' In reality, it was being used a different way. So that was essentially the heart of the lawsuit," said Matthew Dickson, who lives in Rogers, Ariz. Matthew and Jennifer Dickson, who live in Arkansas, were the plaintiffs in a U.S. class-action lawsuit against Gospel for Asia. (Angela MacIvor/CBC) Matthew and Jennifer Dickson, who live in Arkansas, were the plaintiffs in a U.S. class-action lawsuit against Gospel for Asia. (Angela MacIvor/CBC) He said as they learned more about Gospel for Asia's finances, they couldn't understand why GFA continued to raise money for certain items. "If you have 10,000 missionaries, and a bicycle costs $100 ... once you've raised your million dollars, then you shouldn't be needing to appeal for a bicycle anymore. Every missionary should have a bicycle and they should be good to go," said Dickson. "And yet GFA would continue to send out these urgent appeals with how important it is for these poor missionaries that are walking miles and miles on foot to minister to these poor, unreached groups." When the lawsuit was filed in 2016, Gospel for Asia had publicly promised to send 100 per cent of its proceeds to the field. The charity has since changed the small print to say that 85 per cent of donations end up in the field. Critics allege the real amount is actually closer to 20 per cent. The definition of "field" is a contentious subject. Critics interpret it to mean the money ends up somewhere in Asia. But Gospel for Asia’s spokesperson said the donations went exactly where they were supposed to, and that "the needs were met." "It's just the way in which they fulfilled them — [it] was creative based upon the challenges of a vast organization working in rural and sometimes complicated environments and countries around the world," said Moore. Another area of dispute is Gospel for Asia's businesses in India. The Dicksons claimed the organization was "covertly diverting the money to a multi-million-dollar personal empire," including a state-of-the-art hospital, engineering college and private schools in one of India's richest states. Moore said that's a "totally absurd accusation." Johnnie Moore, a spokesman for Gospel for Asia, stands outside the group's headquarters in Wills Point, Tex. (Angela MacIvor/CBC) Johnnie Moore, a spokesman for Gospel for Asia, stands outside the group's headquarters in Wills Point, Tex. (Angela MacIvor/CBC) "I mean, all you have to do is spend time with [GFA employees] to see the work that they support in 20 countries around the world. Look at the lifestyle of the founder of the organization and the people who are part of the religious order," he said. "This is not an organization with leaders who personally enriched themselves." Moore confirmed that GFA's field partner, Believers Eastern Church, runs a hospital in Kerala, India. The charity said the hospital was partially funded with what it calls "undesignated field funds," but foreign money was not used for other projects, such as an engineering college and private schools. The charity also disputes that any of these entities are "for profit." GFA says all revenue is used for charitable work exclusively. "That hospital is the only hospital of its kind within a very, very long distance. I mean, people come from all over that part of India in order to get great health care," said Moore. Moore also says that when it comes to the large sums of money in foreign bank accounts, the charity "should have been heralded for the fact that they kept significant cash reserves in complicated environments." WATCH: Gospel for Asia spokesman Johnnie Moore takes CBC on a tour of the group's campus in Texas Watch Gospel for Asia 'campus' 2 days ago 0:57 VI. For the last five years, Pastor Bruce Morrison has written dozens of letters and reports for the RCMP and Canada Revenue Agency, along with various other accounting agencies, pushing them to investigate GFA. The RCMP worked on the case for a year, but closed the file in December 2018. Spokesperson Cpl. Louise Savard said in an email statement that "if new information comes to light it will be reopened." Morrison has never received a response from the CRA. But in a written statement to CBC, the agency says Gospel for Asia is still a registered charity. "However, since the CRA has neither imposed a sanction upon the charity, nor revoked or annulled its registered status as the result of an audit, the confidentiality provisions of the Act prevent the CRA from commenting as to whether this charity is currently, or has previously been, under audit." Charity lawyer Mark Blumberg said it's not unusual for the CRA to take 10 or even 15 years to do an audit before the public ever knows about it. He calls the lack of transparency "unfortunate." "I think that there needs to be a greater ability for CRA to comment on things, especially when it's in the public domain already that people are making allegations," said Blumberg. "I'm a clergyman, so I'm not supposed to get mad, but I'm upset… to say the least." He said the CRA takes the issue of foreign activities "quite seriously," but "until they have revoked the entity, they're not really allowed to disclose to the public the information relating to the reasons for the revocation." Blumberg also believes the RCMP should dedicate more resources to investigating charity allegations. Morrison said he tries not to let himself get angry about the situation with GFA, but it's difficult to hold back his emotions. "I'm a clergyman, so I'm not supposed to get mad, but I'm upset… to say the least." Coverage of the U.S. lawsuit as well as efforts from people like Morrison to sound the alarm in church circles has affected the group's fundraising efforts. The latest records filed to CRA show that in 2018, Gospel for Asia brought in $8.8 million. Three years earlier, at its peak, the charity raised $18 million in Canada. Morrison said he feels guilty about having promoted GFA so vigorously to his congregation. "I felt I had betrayed my church, you know, because I had been a strong solicitor of support from the congregation," said Morrison. "The greatest thing that's impacted me is the denial that comes from Gospel for Asia — 'We've done nothing wrong' — When there is so much evidence to the contrary." https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/ ... -asia-charity-money | |
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after three years in court, Gospel for Asia (GFA) announced yesterday that it would pay $37 million and a board seat to settle a class-action lawsuit. One of America’s largest ministries—in 2013 alone, it brought in about $93.8 million—GFA faced two lawsuits accusing it of sending only 13 percent of its donations to the field instead of the oft-promised 100 percent. The first of those lawsuits was dismissed so it could go to arbitration. Then its plaintiffs were included in the second lawsuit—along with about 200,000 others who donated between January 2009 to September 2018—when the suit switched to a class action in the fall. In the settlement, the plaintiffs and GFA agree that “all donations designated for use in the field were ultimately sent to the field.” “Gospel for Asia is essentially refunding donations,” stated spokesperson Johnnie Moore. (Or at least a portion of donations—the class action originally asked for $376 million.) “The ministry hopes that those who receive these funds will simply turn around and donate the same amount of money to another worthwhile ministry,” Moore stated. “[GFA’s] desire is only for the Lord’s work to be done.” Approximately 200,000 past donors to GFA will be eligible to receive a portion of the $37 million settlement, after court and attorney fees. The amount was only 10 percent of what the plaintiffs asked for, but “I feel good,” said plaintiffs’ attorney Marc Stanley. “We also got significant reforms.” One of those is a seat at the board for plaintiff Garland Murphy, a doctor who along with his wife gave $8,922 to GFA in 2012 based on its “100% Guarantee.” Another reform is taking away a board seat from founder K. P. Yohannan’s wife Gisela and replacing her with a person approved by both Yohannan and Murphy. No new board members related to Yohannan may join the board for the next three years. And the board will add a subcommittee—which will include Murphy but not Yohannan or his son Daniel Punnose—which will file regular reports to the court for three years. Those reports will track how well GFA is doing in complying with its promises to train the board in its obligations, to publish annual reports, and to make clear to donors that it “retains discretion to use donated funds in any manner that serves ministry purposes.” Part of Murphy’s complaint was that GFA’s loose bookkeeping—“millions of hard copy” receipts were spread across its partners in India—hid the fact that money purportedly raised for water buffaloes or “Jesus wells” wasn’t actually spent on those things. GFA contended that all of the money made it to the field, but “there was no guarantee” the money “would be used for its exact designated purpose,” according to court documents. GFA will also “attempt to comply” with all Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) guidelines, according to the settlement. In 2015, GFA was kicked out of the organization it helped found after ECFA concluded that GFA misled donors, mismanaged resources, had an ineffective board, and violated most of the accountability group’s core standards. “The fact of the matter is that Gospel for Asia did not act fraudulently, and all the donations they received made it to the field,” Moore stated. “The agreement to settle was, in part, precipitated by a concern that the ministry could [not] continue to bear the weight of defending itself. Class action lawsuits are enormous burdens for large, for-profit companies. So, one needs just to imagine the weight of an action like this against a not-for-profit organization. “The good news is that the lessons learned from this burdensome series of events will make the ministry stronger,” he stated. But first it’ll make GFA poorer. The nonprofit will pay $26 million within 30 days and raise the rest within a year, according to the settlement—with its Texas headquarters on the hook as collateral. And that money can’t come from donations designated for something else. The plaintiffs “recognize that funds payable … were donated to GFA-USA for use in the field,” the settlement said. Those obligations have to be paid first, and GFA’s “field partners will provide documentation that all such designations were satisfied.” “To the extend the funds [to pay off the lawsuit] … are raised through donations,” the settlement states, “they shall be raised through solicitations for general ministry purposes.” “For three long years, our ministry wondered more often than I’d like to admit if we would survive this ordeal,” stated Yohannan. “… I’m most proud of the fact that we managed to continue to serve those in need even as we fought every day to survive ourselves.” https://www.christianitytoday.co ... -refund-donors.html | |
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耶穌都畀好L多人信完信剩,唔係處嘅, 您米L信吖笨 經上說耶穌是: 我是『阿耳法』和『敖默加』，最初的和最末的，元始和終末。 耶穌是過往, 現在, 未來........歷久常新既, 所以, 無『信完信剩』 日日都係新鮮 | |
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2020年2月23日 阿根廷門多薩省一間天主教會學校，發生2名神父和1名園丁性侵校內多名聾人學生的醜聞，且暴行長達12年，這起駭人聽聞的案件對簿公堂後，在去年11月，3人分別受到判刑；隨著相關單位推進調查進度，除了3名主犯嫌外，另外還有10多名校內職員涉案。 根據《BBC》 報導，這起醜聞發生在阿根廷門多薩省的教會學校，霍拉西奧科巴喬（音譯，Horacio Corbacho）和尼古拉科拉迪（音譯，Nicola Corradi），2名神父被控從2004年到2016年對校內聾人兒童進行性侵、性虐待，參與該案的還有校內園丁阿曼多戈麥斯（Armando Gomez）。此案發生地點正是天主教會教宗方濟各的故鄉，外界紛紛大力抨擊教會對於此案過於緩慢的處理速度。 根據《路透社》報導，3名主犯去年11月被依28項性侵害及相關罪名判刑；據主犯供稱，此案竟有多達10餘名校內職員協助犯案，其中包括多名教師以及一名修女。 消息曝光後，大約有20人21日至梵蒂岡信理部（Congregation for the Doctrine for the Faith）所在的建物前抗議；他們手舉「零容忍」、「勿忘此案」等標語，呼籲教廷重視類似的事件持續發生，除了本案受害者及家屬，受害者的律師及他案受害者也到場聲援。 國際非政府組織「終止神職人員虐待（Ending Clerical Abuse，ECA）」發言人伊斯里（Peter Isely）控訴，阿根廷的教會官員，根本未就此案與阿根廷民事機構（civil authorities）及檢察官合作。ECA認為，教宗方濟各和梵蒂岡仍不足以使主教和天主教會其他成員對掩蓋性虐待一事負責。 事實上，天主教會近十年來一直傳出性侵兒童醜聞，阿根廷當地教會也曾爆出數十起相關案件，因此這起案件在阿根廷倍受民眾關注，而此案也成為全球天主教會神職人員最新一件因性侵兒童而遭到定罪的審判。但也有不少憤怒的阿根廷民眾質疑，為何是動用警察和司法體系來關閉這所學校，而非由天主教廷自行關閉，針對其餘嫌犯，阿根廷司法單位預計將在接下來的數月內進行相關審理程序。 https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E5%A4 ... A%BA-140428153.html | |
不滿祈禱未獲回應 男子向聖母畫像擲石 墨西哥西部瓜達拉哈拉大教堂周一（24日）發生匪夷所思的破壞事件，一名38歲男子聲稱聖母瑪利亞未有回應他的祈求，竟然怒而投石，砸碎保護聖母刺繡掛畫的玻璃外罩。他試圖逃跑時當場被捕，目前正被警方拘留。 警方指，涉事男子豪爾赫（Jorge）當日早上將背包放在一旁後，隨即拿出兩塊石頭扔向聖壇，先後打碎玻璃罩上部及底部，其他信眾慌忙報警。他供稱因數月前祈求奇迹出現的要求未獲回應，故前來報復。 破壞過程被教堂的閉路電視錄下，玻璃罩下的宗教藝術品「瓜達盧佩聖母像」（Our Lady of Guadalupe）輕微損毀，職員已在上面覆蓋防水布遮蓋，估計損失130美元（約1013港元）。  https://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/amen ... 0229_00972_001.html | |
五大訴求不獲回應， 都堵路， 放火， 砸商埸地鐵站哩 | |
咁又係。香港黑衣暴徒同天主教徒都係咁上緊 | |
法國羅馬天主教前神父普雷納（Bernard Preynat，圖）涉1971至1991年擔任童軍領袖期間性侵多名男童軍一案，法院前天判他罪成監禁五年，其代表律師透露他正考慮上訴。 75歲的普雷納被指在法國里昂擔任童軍領袖多年期間，性侵85名7至14歲男童軍。在越來越多受害人控訴下，這宗醜聞在2015年浮面，令普雷納被終止教會職務並被當局檢控，但由於很多個案已過了追訴期，因此只有數人作證。 在今年1月的審訊，普雷納供稱曾幾乎每個周末對兩男童、以及每周在露營活動時對四至五人作性侵行為，承認有愛撫和摟抱他們。法院前日最終決定刑期為五年。其中一名受害人認為按照普雷納的年齡，這次判決「正確」。 前里昂總主教知情不報 由於前里昂教區總主教巴巴林（Philippe Barbarin）被指對普雷納的惡行知情不報，令案件牽涉教會高級神職人員，引起更廣泛關注。 雖然普雷納的性侵事件在巴巴林上任前已發生，但巴巴林在2010年已得知相關指控，卻到2014年才通報教會，又沒有向警方報案。他前年因未有揭發普雷納的罪行被判監半年，今年初上訴得直，教宗方濟各本月初已接受他辭職。 https://hk.appledaily.com/intern ... 7ED2BMFBSLQTHURMHU/ | |
2020年3月22 （中央社記者林長順台北23日電）曾任牧師的陳姓男子，涉嫌於民國106年6月間猥褻女童。全案一、二審依強制猥褻罪判處陳男有期徒刑4年6月，最高法院今天駁回上訴，全案確定。 判決指出，陳男於106年6月間某日晚間，見女童獨自在教會停車場遊玩，竟將女童抱上大腿，在女童抗拒下強制猥褻得逞，直到女童的阿嬤聽到哭聲從教會出來查看，陳男才停止騎機車離開。 陳男在法院審理期間否認犯行，辯稱女童與其他小孩在停車場追逐，女童快要跌倒時向他衝過來，他伸手接住女童，不記得碰到女童身體的什麼地方。 不過，由於女童指證歷歷，且陳男妻子當天晚間前往女童家下跪道歉。地方法院不採信陳男說法，認定他犯行明確。 地院認為，陳男曾為神職人員，且與女童及家屬原有相當親誼關係，竟罔被害人年幼，僅為逞一己私慾，犯下強制猥褻犯行，犯後始終否認犯行，迄今未向女童或家屬親自道歉，依強制猥褻罪判處4年6月徒刑。 全案經陳男上訴二審遭駁回後，再上訴最高法院。最高法院今天駁回上訴，全案確定。（編輯：方沛清）1090323 https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E5%89 ... E%9A-034459483.html | |
退休牧師摸女童「尿尿的地方」 法院判4年半定讞 退休於在台東某教會牧師的陳姓男子，3年前見7歲女童在停車場嬉戲，先把女童抱上大腿，再伸手撫摸下體，女童嚇得痛哭，引起女童阿嬤關心，他趕緊罷手騎車離開。一、二審均依加重猥褻罪判刑4年6月，最高法院駁回上訴，全案定讞。 判決指出，女童平時均會和阿嬤到教會，2017年6月9日晚間女童又和阿嬤到教會在停車場玩，未料陳男見狀，一把抱起女童放在大腿上，把手伸進女童內褲中，撫摸女童下體；女童嚇得痛哭用手推拒，但陳仍不罷休持續撫摸。 女童哭著叫阿嬤，阿嬤聞聲出門查看，陳趕緊騎車逃離現場，女童才述說被摸「尿尿的地方」；陳的妻子當時也在教會，從女童阿嬤口中得知案情，直說「不要隨便亂講話，丈夫不是這樣的人」，認為丈夫應該在家中睡覺。未料，等女童和阿嬤回家，看見陳妻在門口下跪說對不起。 陳到案否認犯行，供稱女童和其他小孩在停車場追逐，只見女童快要跌倒朝他衝過來，他有伸手接住女童，但不記得摸到女童身體哪裡，事後女童開始哭泣，並呼叫阿嬤，但他不知道女童為何哭泣。 法官從證人相關證述，且女童事後看見陳也不會打招呼，表現出害怕神情，認定陳犯罪事實明確；審酌陳曾是神職人員，犯後否認犯行，且也未獲女童及家屬原諒，判刑4年6月定讞。 https://udn.com/news/story/7321/4436469 | |
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我覺得您今次講得對牧師很不公道。 若果佢非禮的唔係細路女，而係人瑞阿婆。 難道您會認為比較上冇咁有所謂？ |
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