The Worthy Adversary

Category: Child safety

  • The Troubling Case of Timothy Ramaekers

    What we know is bad. What we don’t know is scary.

    Last week, family members of Matthew Carrigan gathered outside of Corpus Christi Parish in Aliso Viejo to warn parishioners about Fr. Tim Ramaekers. According to a lawsuit filed by Carrigan, Ramaekers allegedly molested Carrigan when he was a young student at St. Justin Martyr Parish and School in Anaheim Buena Park. 

    Ramaekers denies the allegations.

    And that’s where the problem starts.

    When Ramaekers spoke at the Saturday and Sunday masses, he continually referred to “false allegations.” He kept mum about the lawsuit, even though the suit itself is in jeopardy. Because of the recent California Supreme Court decision in the Quarry case, it could be dismissed on the statute of limitations, NOT because of the merits of the case. Ramaekers said nothing about that.

    The Diocese and Ramaekers also said that the Diocese did a complete investigation on the allegations. To date, they have not publicly disclosed the findings. What we do know is that the investigator had no access to Ramaekers’ secret personnel file, which is the sole property of the bishop and can only be released by a court order. We also know that a church-hired investigator has the same credibility as Enron hiring a private investigator (in fact, Arthur Anderson, Enron’s auditor, was criminally charged with shredding Enron documents).

    Ramaekers also said that the Sexual Misconduct Oversight and Review Board (read more about it here) decided that the allegations were without merit. But similar boards in Kansas City, Philadelphia, San Fransisco, Orange (yes, Orange), and other places have either said publicly that information was withheld from them or that the bishop did not take their recommendations. In fact, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia hid allegations against 37 priests from its board. A Grand Jury had to sniff those out.

    We also know that in the past, Orange diocese officials have not disclosed findings against priests like Michael Pecharich. Diocese officials told parishoners that Pecharich only had one allegation of a boundary violation. What they didn’t know was that he had been accused of child rape by four boys and that Brown and his people (in this case, John Urell) had known about the allegations since Brown became bishop in 1998 (and did nothing). Their “complete investigation” failed to disclose that.

    What else do we know? Well, we know that Ramaekers worked at St. Justin Martyr alongside two notorious predators, Sigfried Widera and Robert Foley. Boise Bishop Michael Driscoll (then the chancellor of the Orange Diocese) sent Foley to England to escape prosecution. Widera was sent to Orange after being arrested for child sex abuse in Milwaukee. He went on to molest at least a dozen children at parishes in Orange County. He committed suicide while on the run from police.

    We also know that Tod Brown mislead Catholics about 1997 allegations against him, when it could have been just as easy to say (just like he did with Ramaekers), “There was an investigation, and they found nothing.” But he decided to keep the allegation hidden, because it was easier.

    We know that Brown has little respect for victims and the courts. In 2007, when former Chancellor Msgr. John Urell was summoned for a deposition in the Andrade/Mater Dei High School sex abuse case, Tod Brown sent Urell to Canada, defying the court and the law. Brown was charged with contempt, but the charges were dropped when the case was settled.

    Diocese officials are also standing behind the “there is only one accuser” meme. I was the only accuser of my perp, but documents showed that he molested other girls as well. Did I mention that the diocese and my perpetrator denied my claims until the moment the documents were released?

    None of this makes Ramaekers a predator. But how do we know it doesn’t, if we can’t trust the people giving us the information?

    Simply put: The Diocese of Orange has a real credibility problem.

    Ramaekers called the accusations his 9/11 moment. Unfortunately, the parishioners now have to sift through the rubble and debris in an attempt to find the truth. Hopefully, they won’t find any children.

     

  • The Clay Feet of an Ethics Idol

    Business and moral ethics textbook writers need to find a new hero, and FAST. Joe Paterno just isn’t going to cut it anymore.

    I’m about halfway through a course in business ethics, which is a part of my track for an MBA. What I found absolutely startling is the fact that in more than half of the business ethics textbooks I have reviewed, Joe Paterno is used as an example of high ethical and moral standards, congruity between formal and informal organizational ethical communications systems (yeah, it’s jargon), and a model of how corporations should construct and define their own ethics and compliance programs.

    It looks like he had everyone suckered.

    Remember, this is not about legal requirements. This is ETHICS – our conduct in regards to the law AND in regards to those “grey areas.” Yes, Paterno may have fulfilled his basic legal requirements. But his moral and ethical obligations to the victims, the team and the community? Not so much.

    Because really, who cares if you have a “clean” football program if you allegedly convince the athletic director of your school to keep his mouth shut about the child molester prowling your locker rooms?

  • Sartain and the monumental log in his eye … investigating the LCWR?

    When Vatican officials selected a bishop to head the effort to go after the American nuns of the LCWR and accuse them of wrongdoing, you might guess they’d be very careful to pick a prelate who is clearly beyond reproach.

    Guess again. The church hierarchy – taking the suggestion, some insiders say, of disgraced Cardinal Bernard Law – tapped Seattle Archbishop Peter Sartain to head up the “investigation” into the largest group representing Catholic sisters, the Leadership Council of Women Religious (LCWR).

    But it’s Sartain, not the nuns, who should be investigated.

    Let’s focus on two clergy sex abuse and cover-up cases Sartain handled back when he was the bishop of Joliet Diocese. But before you assume I’m digging up ancient history, please notice that each of these cases took place within the last three years (long after America’s bishops pledged they’d have “zero tolerance” for clergy sex offenders and “openness and transparency” in clergy sex cases).

    Case #1

    In the spring of 2009, a Joliet diocesan seminarian named Alejandro Flores was caught with porn, prosecutors say. (According to one news account, “Though the website posted a disclaimer saying the people involved in the sex acts were not minors, a prosecutor said Catholic officials were concerned some of the images appeared to be those of young boys.”)

    Months later, in June of 2009, Sartain ordained Flores anyway.

    And six months after, in January 2010, Flores was arraigned on charges of molesting a boy twice earlier that month.

    In September 2010, Flores pled guilty.

    And that same month, Pope Benedict promoted Sartain to head Seattle’s archdiocese.

    Keep in mind, by the way, that it’s pretty clear that Bishop Sartain knew of Flores’ misdeeds before Flores was ordained. Joliet is a relatively small diocese and no one has suggested that Sartain’s underlings concealed Flores’ misdeeds from him.

    Case #2

    The same month that Flores was arraigned, a brave man reported to Bishop Sartain’s staff that he had been molested as a child by two Joliet area priests. Both of the clerics – Fr. Lee Ryan and Fr. Kevin McBrien – were still in ministry.

    Five months later, however, neither Sartain nor his staff had taken any action about either priest. The worried and frustrated victim contacted SNAP. At a sidewalk news conference, SNAP disclosed the allegations. Finally, the child molesting clerics were temporarily suspended.

    Many months later, a Joliet chancery office staffer eventually told the victim – privately – that his abuse report was deemed “credible” and that one of the priests would never be restored to ministry. But even then, Sartain chose secrecy, refusing to disclose the finding or his decision publicly, leaving parishioners in the dark about whether or not this priest is a pedophile.

    And he’s maintained that secrecy to this day. Ask a friend or relative of Fr. Ryan or Fr. McBrien about the status of the church “investigation” into child sex abuse allegations against either of them, and you’ll almost certainly be told that there’s been no resolution.

    So in 2010, Sartain kept kids at risk for at least five months by keeping silent about child sex allegations against them. He’s kept kids at risk even since by his continued silence.

    In sum, Sartain has done a terrible job on abuse and cover up in Joliet. He was promoted nonetheless, showing again, that bishops who ignore or conceal child sex crimes keep getting rewarded, not punished. And now he’s been rewarded again – with a high profile role leading an extensive Vatican-sponsored probe into whether US nuns are overemphasizing poverty-fighting work or picking a few controversial conference speakers.

    I think Bishop Sartain needs to remove the monumental log in his own eye before he has any moral authority to investigate the women who have lived the biblical teachings of Jesus.  It makes me wonder if Sartain goes to sleep every night saying the “Prayer of the Pharisee,” (Luke 18-11). If you don’t know it:

    The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.

    Yeah, those “other people.” Like nuns and sex abuse victims.

  • Michael Harris trial is a go …

    The Michael Harris trial is scheduled to begin on Monday, June 18 at 9am. Barring any last-minute settlements, you’ll see me at Dept. CX103, Orange County Supreme Court.

    It should be a barn burner.  Get ready to see some diocese dirty laundry.

    Even Bishop Tod Brown concedes Harris is a monster.

    The victim is an active duty Air Force lieutenant colonel and KC-10 pilot who has flown combat mission over Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the Middle East and Europe.

    So, the Diocese of Orange chooses the word of a monster over the word of an active duty war hero — a war hero with everything to lose by coming forward.

    I’m speechless.

  • BREAKING: Former Hawaii bishop accused of molesting boy

    For immediate release: Wednesday, June 13, 2012

    Hawaii bishop accused of molesting boy

    New sex abuse and cover-up lawsuit is filed

    This is the 2nd victim to name Ferrario as offender

    Diocese knew and covered up allegations, lawsuit says

    New state law lets victims expose abusers & protect kids

    In a new civil lawsuit using an unusual new state law, a former Hawaii bishop and one of his priests are accused of molesting a boy and Catholic officials are accused of ignoring or concealing their crimes.

    A California man says he was sexually violated as a ten-year-old in 1973, first by Fr. Joseph Henry and then by former Honolulu Bishop Joseph Ferrario. At the time, the boy attended mass at St. Anthony’s parish in Kailua. Both alleged wrongdoers are now deceased.

    The lawsuit is one of the first filed under a new Hawaii law that lets child sex abuse victims use the courts to expose predators, protect kids and seek justice, even decades after they were assaulted.

    The victim, who grew up in Hawaii and now lives in California, is suing the Honolulu Diocese, which employed both clerics.

    The suit says that after being sexually victimized by Henry, the confused and scared boy was placed in religious education classes with Joseph Ferrario. Ferrario was a new priest at the parish who allegedly “counseled” the victim and began abusing the boy himself. The abuse reportedly continued after Ferrario was made an auxiliary bishop and continued until 1978.

    Before Ferrario came to the parish, boy reported the abuse by Henry to two other priests, who told him to keep quiet, the suit maintains

    This is the second victim of Henry and Ferrario to come forward.

    In 1991, David Figueroa of Hawaii filed a similar suit against both clerics. In 1991, it was dismissed because the statute of limitations had passed .

    The victim in the new suit came forward to a church lawyer in 1991 to report his abuse, but allegedly, Honolulu church officials offered no help and launched no investigation (or did so secretly).

    “This is a perfect example of how Hawaii’s new civil window law can being justice and accountability to victims,” said Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach, SNAP Western Regional Director. “Here’s a victim who did everything ‘right,’ but church officials silenced him and kept kids at risk. But because of this smart new law, the public will be able to learn which diocesan staff ignored or concealed these heinous crimes.”

    “The new Hawaii law is especially important in situations like this one, when the power of an accused bishop is one of the factors that has prevented justice from being done,” said Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org. “We know of 22 bishops in the U.S. who have been accused of abuse, including Bishop Ferrario, and as bishops, they have a crucial role in the clerical culture of abuse and the enabling of abuse.”

    The new law, Act 068, sponsored by Sen. Maile Shimabukuru and signed by Gov. Neil Abercrombie in April gives child sex abuse victims a two-year “window” to use the civil courts to expose their perpetrators and those who may have ignored or concealed the crimes. This is the second known case filed under the new law. The first, against Damien High School chaplain Gerald Funcheon, was filed in May.

    In California and Delaware, civil window laws exposed hundreds of predators and help law enforcement put predators behind bars.

    Henry, who died in 1974, also went by J. Michael Henry and Joseph M. Henry. Ferrario died in 2003 and spent part of his clerical career working in Hawaii and California. You can see his entire history here

    Copies of the lawsuit are available on the website http://www.abusedinhawaii.com

    The lawsuit was filed in the Hawaii’s First Circuit Court and seeks unspecified damages.