News -05-19-06 Founder of Legionaries Disciplined (Fox News) "The Vatican said Friday it had asked the Mexican founder of the conservative order Legionaries of Christ to renounce celebrating public Masses and live a life of 'prayer and repentance' following its investigation into allegations he sexually abused seminarians." 05-06 -10-07-05 Judge Gives Vatican Immunity on Abuse Case (USA Today) "A federal judge in Kentucky has ruled that the Holy See is a foreign state that enjoys certain immunity protections, placing restrictions on a lawsuit by three men who allege the Vatican covered up the sexual abuse of children by priests. "The ruling is significant because it says that the Holy See's religious activity is irrelevant to the immunity protections it enjoys as a foreign state. It could have implications for other cases in which the Holy See is named as a defendant in the clerical sexual abuse scandal." 9-05 05-14-05 New Vatican Enforcer Picked (ABC News) "Archbishop William Levada, who catapulted Friday into the most influential Vatican post ever held by an American, has a track record of upholding Roman Catholic policies while deftly handling controversy." "The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said Levada has been "slow to act, harsh to victims and committed to secrecy" in responding to molestation claims." 05-05 08-01-05 L.A.'s Cardinal Apologizes for Abuse (CBS News) "Cardinal Roger Mahony, leader of America's largest Roman Catholic archdiocese, apologized Sunday to the hundreds of people who will get a share of a $660 million settlement over allegations of clergy sex abuse." 07-07 08-01-05 Report: Police Concealed Abuses (Fox News) "Police helped the Catholic Diocese of Toledo (search) cover up sex abuse allegations for several decades, refusing to investigate or arrest priests suspected of molesting children, a newspaper reported Sunday." 08-05 Vatican May Reject Some Portions of Abuse Policy (The Guardian) "Elements of the toughened sex abuse policy approved by U.S. Roman Catholic bishops have been rejected at the Vatican, which has warned American prelates about going ahead with some reforms, church sources familiar with the Holy See's response said Thursday." 10-02 Papers 02-26-04 Boston Church: Seven Percent of Past Priests Accused of Abuse (CBS News) "The Boston Archdiocese, the epicenter of the clergy sex abuse crisis that has shaken the Roman Catholic Church, released a report Thursday showing that 162 of its priests have been accused of molesting 815 minors since 1950." "The number of priests alleged to have molested people is equivalent to about 7 percent of the 2324 ordained priests who served in the archdiocese during that time, according to statistics released by church officials." 11-02 02-26-04 Catholic Abuse Non-Compliance List (CBS News) "Here is the list of dioceses identified by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office of Child and Youth Protection as failing to fully comply with a policy adopted to prevent sexual abuse by priests." 11-02 04-07-05 Disgraced Priest Given Position of Honor in Funeral (CBS News) "Cardinal Bernard Law, who resigned in disgrace as archbishop of Boston over his role in the clergy sex abuse crisis, has been given a role of honor in the mourning for Pope John Paul II." " 'It certainly shows and puts a spotlight on the lack of accountability in the Catholic Church, that the most visible bishop in the clergy sexual abuse crisis has been given these honorary opportunities,' she [Suzanne Morse, spokeswoman for Voice of the Faithful] said." 04-05 04-23-05 The Observer: Pope "Obstructed" Abuse Inquiry (Guardian Unlimited) "Pope Benedict XVI faced claims last night he had 'obstructed justice' after it emerged he issued an order ensuring the church's investigations into child sex abuse claims be carried out in secret." "The order was made in a confidential letter, obtained by The Observer, which was sent to every Catholic bishop in May 2001." "It asserted the church's right to hold its inquiries behind closed doors and keep the evidence confidential for up to 10 years after the victims reached adulthood. The letter was signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was elected as John Paul II's successor last week." "Lawyers acting for abuse victims claim it was designed to prevent the allegations from becoming public knowledge or being investigated by the police. They accuse Ratzinger of committing a 'clear obstruction of justice'." 04-05 Catholic Church Fights Back by Accusing Victims (Washington Post - Powell and Romano) "Besieged by hundreds of lawsuits accusing clergy and employees of abusing the faithful, the Catholic Church has responded with a muscular display of legal power. Where once the church tried to quietly settle cases, according to church and plaintiff lawyers, it is now pursuing an aggressive litigation strategy, hiring high-powered law firms and private detectives to examine the personal lives of the church's accusers, fighting to keep documents secret and engaging in new tactics to minimize settlements." "In Boston, archdiocese lawyers countersued a 6-year-old boy and his parents, accusing them of negligence for trusting the Catholic priest, the Rev. Paul R. Shanley, who allegedly molested him. It was a strategy similar to the one followed by lawyers for the Hawaii Archdiocese." Some involved with the church see this new strategy, threatening victims to keep new ones from coming forward, as a bad idea. "A.W. Richard Sipe, a psychotherapist and former priest who has treated abusive priests and their victims" argues that the strategy conflicts with the church's role. 'The church cannot shrug off down-and-dirty defense tactics as just the usual legal maneuvering against a tough opponent. As I recall, the church is supposed to be a moral force.' 5-02 Catholic Response to Abuse (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) Provides five principles for priests to follow regarding allegations of sexual abuse. 4-02 Child Abuse by Priests - The Consequences (Washington Post - Boodman) Provides an inquiry into the long-term effects of abuse by Catholic priests. 7-02 Letter from USA Cardinals to Priests Regarding Scandal (USA Today) Provides a letter from cardinals to priests in the United States regarding the scandal of those representing the Catholic Church violating their vows and abusing children. 5-02

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