The Worthy Adversary

Category: Activism

  • Clarity at Cantwell High School

     

    Sometimes, the most profound statements at a press conference come from the reporters, not us.

    Today, my friend and colleague Ken Smolka and I were in front of Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary High School in Montebello, California. We were there because the Irish Chrisitian Brothers, the religious order that ran Cantwell High School, declared bankruptcy when more than 50 victims of child sex abuse in Washington State and Canada came forward to file civil sex abuse and cover-up suits. Order officials sought bankruptcy protection to avoid embarrassing public civil trials. The Christian Brothers are the 10th diocese or religious order to take this (less than pastoral) path.

    The Brothers ran Cantwell High School until 1990, when Cardinal Roger Mahony kicked them out and put the Jesuits in their place. No real explanation was given.

    But I have an idea: in the six yearbooks I have reviewed, we have found four known perpetrators who worked at the school (three of them were there at the same time). Maybe Mahony realized that even he couldn’t keep a lid on the Christian Brothers much longer.

    There was Thomas Cuthbert Ford, who was convicted in 2000 of violently beating abandoned children between 1956 and 1959 at the Mt. Cashel Orphanage in Newfoundland. He had been hiding in the United States at schools like Damien Memorial High in Honolulu, Cantwell and Bergen Catholic (Bergen, NJ) until he was finally extradicted to Canada. Ford was the 11th Irish Christian Brother to be sentenced for crimes at Mt. Cashel.  He was principal of Cantwell in 1980.

    We also found Br. Daniel Peter Ryan, a former vice principal, Br. Jerome Heustis, a former coach and teacher and Br. Robert Satterthwaite, a former teacher. All of these guys are the subject of numerous sex abuse and cover-up lawsuits. Satterthwaite was even named (although misidentified) in Mahony’s infamous “Report to the People of God.”

    We told the reporter the reason we were there: victims from Cantwell only have until August 1, 2012 to come forward, expose their abusers, and seek justice (including secret church documents) in the courts.

    We also told her that victims’ coming forward is important for more than healing, but also for protecting children and punishing wrong doers. Although some of the men who abused children are dead, many are not. Many of the men who covered up for the predators are still alive. Every official in the Christian Brothers organization is still sitting on important secret church documents that will expose more criminals and outline the scope and scale of abuse. These documents will only be released if victims come forward. It is VITALLY important that every victim at Cantwell come forward before the deadline, we said.

    The Christian Brothers still run schools across the United States, and they are still covering up for abusers.

    She looked at us for a moment in silence. Then she said, “This is huge. Why hasn’t the story gotten more publicity?”

    Exactly.

    Why isn’t the new LA Archbishop standing outside of the school? (He gets WAY better press than I do) Where is the president of the Irish Christian Brothers? Shouldn’t he be out in front of every single school where a known abuser worked? Nah. That would be too … pastoral.

    And the last thing they want to do is let victims know they have rights.

     

     

     

  • Well, at least Pope Benedict is sticking to the company line

    From the Office of Keep Your Trap Shut, You Pesky Victims’ Activists:

    Pope Benedict yesterday espoused the virtues of silence:

    By remaining silent, we allow the other person to speak, to express him or herself, and we avoid being tied simply to our own words and ideas without them being adequately tested.

    Ah, the irony. I am honestly surprised I didn’t receive a signed copy of the speech in the mail with a gift-wrapped roll of duct tape.

    Here’s my favorite:

    The most authentic communication takes place between people who are in love: gestures, facial expressions and body language are signs by which they reveal themselves to each other.

    I could say so many things … but apparently, I need to remain silent and let the utter irony scream for itself.

     

  • The Thomas Hodgman Abuse and Cover-up Documents

    Penn State does not have a monopoly on sex abuse cover-up. Adrian College officials have known that Thomas Hodgman was an admitted predator since 2003, yet, they support him and have allowed him to keep his job. They have not warned parents, students or the general community of the risk.

    As a result of my 2005 settlement with the Diocese of Orange, the documents regarding my abuse at Mater Dei High School were subject to public release. Thomas Hodgman fought the release of the documents and filed legal paperwork to keep them sealed, even though he claimed that my allegations were “bogus.”

    Because of an fortuitous accident on the part of a law clerk, the Orange County Register got a copy of Hodgman’s file and refused to give it back. I am eternally in their debt.

    Following are the important parts of the previously secret Thomas Hodgman personnel file. Adrian College officials have known about these documents since 2005, yet have allowed Hodgman to keep his job.

    Click here for the two signed confession documents.

    Here’s a brief explanation

    Page one:

    Thomas Hodgman admits to “dating” Joelle Casteix

    Page two:

    Thomas Hodgman admits to Mater Dei Principal Fr. John Weling that he not only molested Joelle Casteix, but also molested at least one other student. The principal makes him “swear to never make this terrible mistake again.”

    Click here for the Hodgman Cover-up Documents

    Here’s explanation of what you will see:

    Document 1 –  page 1 of the .pdf file

    Mater Dei Administrator Lu Dominguez acknowledges that she had known of abusive relationship between Thomas Hodgman and Joelle Casteix for at least a year before any report to the school. The administrator also never reported to the police.

    Document 2 – pages 2 and 3 of the .pdf file

    Weling writes a letter to the superintendent of Catholic schools about Thomas Hodgman and another incident at the school. Although Casteix was a straight-A student, the daughter of a prominent alum, and the lead in the senior musical, she was portrayed as a kid with emotional problems – and was blamed for the abuse. Although Weling states that he informed the child abuse registry, Casteix alleges that she was never contacted. The principal’s cavalier attitude is obvious in the first sentence of the second page of the letter.

    Document 3 – Page 4 of the .pdf file

    Thomas Hodgman’s resignation letter. Although he has admitted to molesting at least two students, his resignation letter is a self-congratulatory tribute to his own work. There is no mention of his admitted crimes. The letter is dated almost two weeks after his signed confession.

    Document 4 – page 5 of the pdf file

    Thomas Hodgman is allowed to write his own speaking points to be delivered to students regarding his resignation. No one in the administration makes a mention of his admitted crimes and the police were never notified].

    Document 5 – page 6 of the .pdf file

    Rev. John B. Weling announces Hodgman’s resignation and writes a glowing letter to the faculty about Hodgman’s tenure at the school. The announcement is made more than two weeks after the confession is signed.

     

     

  • Four Myths About SNAP’s ICC Complaint

    In September, victims of sexual abuse “upped the ante,” making a serious move to expose and prevent clergy sex crimes and cover-ups at the global level.

    How? SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (of which I am a member), filed a more than 80-page complaint (with 20,000 pages of documentation) with the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The goal? Prevent future sexual violence and to hold Vatican officials responsible for the rape of hundreds of thousands of children by Catholic clerics.

    Many applauded. But it didn’t take long before our actions were trashed by critics, who have tossed around four principal objections that lack factual basis.

    Here are four myths about SNAP’s ICC complaint:

    • The crimes are best brought before local courts. Sadly, that’s impossible and cannot achieve our goal. Too many victims are mired in shame and self-blame; too many predator priests are cunning and powerful; too few police have the resources to act; and too few prosecutors have the will or power to act effectively. There are many local prosecutors who have done tremendous work for victims, but they simply do not have the jurisdiction to hold every responsible party accountable for their crimes.
    • Many of the clergy crimes happened before the ICC was created in 2002. That’s true, but that does not mean that the crimes have stopped. Victims’ accounts, grand jury reports, legal documents, history, psychology and common sense convince us that hundreds of priests, bishops, nuns, seminarians and other church workers are sexually assaulting innocent kids and vulnerable adults right now. An ICC investigation, we are convinced, would document these on-going crimes (much like US grand jury probes and Irish government inquires have done with other recent clerical wrongdoing.).  California alone has shown us that the crimes and the cover-up have continued to this day, despite church “reforms.”
    • The church is “decentralized” so the abuse and cover up aren’t really orchestrated by the Vatican. That claim contradicts the obvious, military-like, top-down church structure as well as centuries of church practice. To cite some examples: the Vatican swiftly punishes and excommunicates theologians who deviate from official church teaching or priests who advocate for women’s ordination. Priests and bishops take vows to obey and protect the mother church.  Certain papal edicts are considered infallible. The pope and bishops have the theological right to deny “wrongdoers” access to the sacraments, and therefore, heaven. Only the Vatican can appoint bishops, allow bishops to retire, defrock priests, and approve major financial decisions in dioceses worldwide. The Code of Canon Law is the centralized legal system of the faith that (many in the church believe) trumps civil law. If that’s not centralized power, I don’t know what is.
    • The ICC only deals with overt, brutal killings by rogues during wars. But that’s simply not true. It’s designed to address violence that is “widespread” and “systematic.” Its jurisdiction covers open slaughter by public officials and hidden violence by private employees. It covers those who explicitly order underlings — or quietly but consistently enable them — to rape and torture the powerless. The court can’t pursue only politically safe and unpopular dictators, while ignoring more popular rulers when both contribute to and cause massive suffering.

    Historical, systemic and ground-breaking change can only happen through bold and brave measures. People like Martin Luther, Rosa Parks and the students in Tiananmen Square defied convention, risked their lives and stood up for justice. Our move is not as bold or as risky as theirs, but our drive to protect children and seek justice is just as strong. We don’t see to destroy the Catholic faith – in fact, many of our members are faithful Catholics who are just as disgusted as we are with the abuse and cover-up. Our beef is with the men and women who have twisted the Catholic faith to allow our most precious resource — our children — to be led like lambs to slaughter. I think that even Jesus would be hard pressed to find anything wrong with that.

     

  • The California Clergy Sex Abuse Powder Keg, Part 2

    California is inundated with civil and criminal clergy sex abuse cases. I realized it was time for an update:

    Inland Empire

    Last week in Ontario, Fr. Alex Castillo was sentenced to a year in jail for lewd acts on a child. Although he was only prosecuted for his crimes against one victim, the sentencing report outlined the allegations of four other children (including the brother of the victim in the criminal case) who said that Castillo molested them.

    The boy’s parents – as well as the other Castillo victims – were able to give victim impact statements at the sentencing. The scary part? In the sentencing report, Castillo’s probation officer says that the cleric has no understanding of the severity of his crimes.

    Orange County

    In Orange County, the civil trial against Gus Krumm, Alexander Manville and the Franciscans of Santa Barbara is scheduled to start later this week. The Diocese of Orange settled their part of the case in July for $200K (possibly to clean up matters for diocese’s $53 million offer for the Crystal Cathedral). Considering that Krumm was at Saints Simon and Jude Parish for five years after the Franciscans put him on restricted ministry (but didn’t tell anyone), I believe that this trial will expose a whole lot of ugly cover-up.

    Orange County may also have the rare honor of hosting simultaneous criminal and civil clergy sex abuse trials. Former cleric Denis Lyons, who was arrested in 2009 on four felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14, should be sitting in the defendant’s chair within the next couple of weeks. Lyons is no stranger to trouble: he was arrested in 2003 for sex abuse (the charges were dropped as a result of the Stogner Decision). According to Bishop-Accountability.org, the Diocese of Orange has paid out at least $4 million in settlements to Lyons’ victims.

    Los Angeles

    In LA, the state of California is trying to classify former priest Michael Baker as a sexually violent predator. If they succeed, Baker, one of Los Angeles’ most prolific predator priests, can be incarcerated in a state hospital indefinitely. Additional civil cases against Baker are pending.

    A civil case against former Los Angeles (via Italy and Columbia) priest Fernando Lopez-Lopez is heating up. A scathing investigation by Dan Rather Reports, All is Not Forgiven (scroll down to “Featured Stories”), showed that the Archdiocese of Los Angeles does no background checks on its priests. So, even though Lopez-Lopez had been convicted in Italy of sexual violence on a child, the only job reference that LA Archdiocese officials needed was a nice letter from Lopez-Lopez’s bishop (who, of course, knew about the conviction, but didn’t say anything).

    LA Archdiocese officials had a chance to redeem themselves. But they didn’t. Even after church officials in Los Angeles learned about Lopez-Lopez’s past, they sat on the information for six months while Lopez-Lopez continued to abuse. Lopez-Lopez was deported to his home country of Columbia Colombia in 2008. He is reportedly still there.

    Monterey

    In the Diocese of Monterey, a new case has been filed against the diocese and William Allison, a priest who worked in the diocese in the 1960s and ’70s. Allison, who is deceased, was no stranger to trouble. The Diocese of Monterey, however, is playing coy. A diocese spokesman claimed that “it’s difficult” to find, investigate and search old clergy files, but a simple internet search will show that: 1) the Diocese of Fresno had no problem releasing Allison’s file as a part of a sex abuse civil case there, 2) There is an extensive amount of press on Allison’s time in New Mexico, and 3) The church’s own rules (Canon Law 489) require every diocese to keep permanent files on every abusive cleric, and that those files be ANNUALLY review by the bishop. But this is only the beginning of Monterey’s problems.

    Monterey is also the home of accused cleric Edward Fitz-Henry, who has been sued for child sexual abuse by one boy (and accused by at least two). The Fitz-Henry case is disturbing on many levels. After the latest victim came forward, we discovered that there was at least one other accusation of abuse that was deemed “credible,” Fitz-Henry has spent time at a church-run facility that treats child-molesting clerics, and a visiting priest was removed for not reporting the victim’s allegations. Despite all of this, some parishioners at Fitz-Henry’s parish put up a disturbing website that maligns the victim and alienates whistleblowers. Yuck. Fortunately, a police investigation is continuing.

    Bay Area – Fresno

    The newest member of the California Clergy Sex Abuse Powder Keg is Fr. Don Flickinger. Flickinger worked in the Dioceses of Fresno and San Jose and the Archdiocese of San Francisco during his 40-year career as a priest. The sex abuse lawsuit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, cites more than 15 witnesses who corroborate claims of Flickinger’s predatory behavior (including pulling freshman boys out of class and asking them about masturbation). When the lawsuit was filed, Flickinger was exposed living at an Archdiocese of San Francisco parish with a school. According to press reports, Flickinger is back in Fresno. Oddly, the Archdiocese of San Francisco and the Diocese of San Jose have put out statements denying all responsibility for Flickinger (note, Flickinger was listed in the 2011 Official Catholic Directory at St. Paul’s Parish in San Francisco and was listed on the website until the lawsuit was filed).

    I am sure there are cases that I have overlooked. But I am always open to a Part 3.