The sex abuse scandal and cover-up was 20 years ago. A new bishop was appointed and he cleaned house. Bishop O’Brien, who was at the center of the scandal, was convicted, lived in disgrace and died in 2018. Offending priest have been promptly turned over to authorities. Why is cartoonist Steve Benson, who has a grudge against Phoenix and the newspaper than canned him, bringing this disgrace up again now?
Maybe we should be looking at the real “groomers” rather than a bunch of public school teachers who just want people to be a little nicer to each other.
Appeals court says Phoenix Diocese can’t duck sex abuse lawsuit. The suit alleges the church covered up crimes by ex-priest Joseph Henn. AZ Mirror – 8/17/23
The ‘Church’ in Arizona is so successful at covering for and enabling criminal mental case pedophile priests that legislators had to change the statute of limitations to keep them from perpetually running out the clock.
One of the boys who was raped committed suicide. The priest who did this was protected and granted ‘asylum’ in Rome for 15 years, until the Italian police arrested him.
Today, the Arizona Catholic church says that it is clean & rape-free, and should be immune from civil court judgements against past criminal activity.
They lied before and they’re lying now. Whatever else you do, never send your boys on a camping trip with a Catholic priest, or any other member of any clergy.
It’s frustrating when “church” and “corporation” are just a means of protecting an organization from the misdeeds of people that were never adequately vetted before allowing them a position of authority.
@Al Fresco- Well, the story about Bishop O’Brien was sure news to me! And that’s disgraceful!! It’s bad enough being accused of having sex with underaged girls! But BOYS? SMDH!! That’s like being married and you still want to go out and mess around! What’s the sense in getting married And how can they flat out disgrace God like that especially after going to specialized schools and universities for years to learn how to be a priest??
The sexual abuse scandal continues. Maybe Al Fresco is a part of it. There were many abused children that are still suffering the effects, and plenty of coverups for clergy still in the church.
“A civil lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix alleging the church helped in covering up abuse is being allowed to go forward after a state appellate court reversed a dismissal by a trial court judge.
“The lawsuit, which was filed in 2020 by an unnamed man identified only as John ND Doe, was one of several lawsuits brought following legislation that extended the statue of limitations on child sexual abuse and opened a temporary two-year window for civil suits that were otherwise time-barred. . . .
“In a lawsuit against the diocese for how it handled abuse allegations against Joseph J. Henn, a priest who was later defrocked, a trial judge sided with the church’s argument for dismissal, stating that the group and victim bringing the case forward had not sufficiently pleaded their allegations during the window.
“But the Arizona Court of Appeals found the judge was wrong and reversed the decision.
“At the heart of the case is Henn, a priest at St. Mark Parish in Phoenix who has since died. Henn pleaded guilty in 2021 to six counts of sexual conduct with a minor and one count of attempt to commit molestation of a child, class 2 and class 3 felonies.
“Henn was the 19th priest accused of sexual crimes in Phoenix during the early 2000s, and he was indicted in 2003 on 13 counts of child molestation. Henn fled to Rome after the allegations surfaced, and he dodged authorities for years, avoiding extradition until 2019, when he was finally arrested by Italian authorities when requesting assistance under a false name.
“Upon returning to Phoenix, Henn took a plea deal. A document from the court proceedings obtained by the Arizona Mirror shows just how much the church knew about his crimes and what Henn had done. The Diocese of Phoenix did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story.”
“Henn was a member of the Society of the Divine Savior, also known as the Salvatorians. The lawsuit that the Court of Appeals allowed to go forward also names the Salvatorians as being responsible for covering up Henn’s crimes.
“In the late 1970s, Henn was a young man who enjoyed sports and participating in them with the children, making him more ‘trusted’ to some of the families, according to a sentencing memorandum filed in August 2021 in Henn’s criminal case.
“The mother of two of the victims told prosecutors that ‘they trusted Catholic priests implicitly because they believed that priests were a representation of Jesus Christ himself.’
“In 1983, one of Henn’s supervisors received a report that Henn had engaged in a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old boy. He also learned that a different boy had also committed suicide due to Henn’s sexual abuse.
“After this, Henn was transferred from Phoenix to Sacramento, where he worked at an all-girls school.
“Later that year, Henn requested a transfer, but it was denied because the leader of the congregation he had sought to transfer to had been made aware of the ‘compelling reasons for [Henn’s] move from Phoenix to California.’”
“The case against the Diocese of Phoenix and the Salvatorians can now move forward, though they can still appeal the case to the Arizona Supreme Court, something the attorneys representing Doe hope the church decides to not do.
“‘They’ve been playing these games and doing this stuff for three years,’ attorney Josh Peck said about the church’s multiple motions to dismiss and a possible appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court. ‘You know why you’re getting sued: You let these guys get away with this for so long.’
“Peck’s client is one of the victims whose testimony was used to bring charges against Henn for his criminal case. To Peck and one of his partners on the case, Bob Pastor, the fact that the diocese is fighting so hard on this particular case is telling.
“‘What is disturbing and so troubling is that Bishop John Dolan and the Diocese of Phoenix will spend dollar after dollar after dollar from keeping survivors like (John) ND Doe from getting the justice they deserve,’ Pastor said.The diocese has kept an updated list on its website since 2012 of credibly accused priests and have created its own reporting system for abuse. The diocese also released a statement on Henn’s arrest in 2019, urging victims to come forward and contact its Office of Child and Youth Protection.
“But the diocese is also fighting cases in which it is accused of shuffling priests like Henn from parish to parish after allegations were raised, all without acknowledging responsibility, Pastor said.
“‘This isn’t an isolated incident with Father Henn,’ Pastor said. ‘It’s the same pattern, it’s the same issue . . . they gave the benefit of the doubt to these priests.’ . . . “
The Catholic Church is a business. It now has a problem with children born with priests as fathers. Up till now no one was allow to find out who their father was as the church kept it a secret. Up to 10,000 children in the recent report. And what about Pope Pius XII, before and during the Nazi era, and the charge that he assisted in the legitimization of Adolf Hitler ’s Nazi regime in Germany, through the pursuit of a Concordat between the Holy See and the German Reich is a treaty negotiated between the Vatican and the emergent Nazi Germany.Four centuries ago, on February 16, 1600, the Roman Catholic Church executed Giordano Bruno, Italian philosopher and scientist, for the crime of heresy. He was taken from his cell in the early hours of the morning to the Piazza dei Fiori in Rome and burnt alive at the stake. And this organistion still exists.
Of the 2 great evil, corrupt, greedy, misogynistic, authoritarian, dehumanizing organizations that have spread their tentacles from Italy over the rest of civilization, why does only the less pernicious one, the Mafia, have the bad reputation?
Al Fresco, the Librarian 11 months ago
The sex abuse scandal and cover-up was 20 years ago. A new bishop was appointed and he cleaned house. Bishop O’Brien, who was at the center of the scandal, was convicted, lived in disgrace and died in 2018. Offending priest have been promptly turned over to authorities. Why is cartoonist Steve Benson, who has a grudge against Phoenix and the newspaper than canned him, bringing this disgrace up again now?
Darsan54 Premium Member 11 months ago
Maybe we should be looking at the real “groomers” rather than a bunch of public school teachers who just want people to be a little nicer to each other.
• Thomas 11 months ago
Appeals court says Phoenix Diocese can’t duck sex abuse lawsuit. The suit alleges the church covered up crimes by ex-priest Joseph Henn. AZ Mirror – 8/17/23
The ‘Church’ in Arizona is so successful at covering for and enabling criminal mental case pedophile priests that legislators had to change the statute of limitations to keep them from perpetually running out the clock.
One of the boys who was raped committed suicide. The priest who did this was protected and granted ‘asylum’ in Rome for 15 years, until the Italian police arrested him.
Today, the Arizona Catholic church says that it is clean & rape-free, and should be immune from civil court judgements against past criminal activity.
They lied before and they’re lying now. Whatever else you do, never send your boys on a camping trip with a Catholic priest, or any other member of any clergy.
Masterskrain 11 months ago
The Catholic Cult will NEVER change.
T Smith 11 months ago
And Boston, and Newark, and…
superposition 11 months ago
It’s frustrating when “church” and “corporation” are just a means of protecting an organization from the misdeeds of people that were never adequately vetted before allowing them a position of authority.
SammySnyder 11 months ago
Joe Biden is a good Catholic! This explains a lot!
djtenltd 11 months ago
@Al Fresco- Well, the story about Bishop O’Brien was sure news to me! And that’s disgraceful!! It’s bad enough being accused of having sex with underaged girls! But BOYS? SMDH!! That’s like being married and you still want to go out and mess around! What’s the sense in getting married And how can they flat out disgrace God like that especially after going to specialized schools and universities for years to learn how to be a priest??
Nantucket Premium Member 11 months ago
The sexual abuse scandal continues. Maybe Al Fresco is a part of it. There were many abused children that are still suffering the effects, and plenty of coverups for clergy still in the church.
pamela welch Premium Member 11 months ago
Well done, Steve ♥ Keep the “Spotlight” on!
SteveBenson8 creator 11 months ago
“A civil lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix alleging the church helped in covering up abuse is being allowed to go forward after a state appellate court reversed a dismissal by a trial court judge.
“The lawsuit, which was filed in 2020 by an unnamed man identified only as John ND Doe, was one of several lawsuits brought following legislation that extended the statue of limitations on child sexual abuse and opened a temporary two-year window for civil suits that were otherwise time-barred. . . .
“In a lawsuit against the diocese for how it handled abuse allegations against Joseph J. Henn, a priest who was later defrocked, a trial judge sided with the church’s argument for dismissal, stating that the group and victim bringing the case forward had not sufficiently pleaded their allegations during the window.
“But the Arizona Court of Appeals found the judge was wrong and reversed the decision.
“At the heart of the case is Henn, a priest at St. Mark Parish in Phoenix who has since died. Henn pleaded guilty in 2021 to six counts of sexual conduct with a minor and one count of attempt to commit molestation of a child, class 2 and class 3 felonies.
“Henn was the 19th priest accused of sexual crimes in Phoenix during the early 2000s, and he was indicted in 2003 on 13 counts of child molestation. Henn fled to Rome after the allegations surfaced, and he dodged authorities for years, avoiding extradition until 2019, when he was finally arrested by Italian authorities when requesting assistance under a false name.
“Upon returning to Phoenix, Henn took a plea deal. A document from the court proceedings obtained by the Arizona Mirror shows just how much the church knew about his crimes and what Henn had done. The Diocese of Phoenix did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story.”
(continued below)
SteveBenson8 creator 11 months ago
“Henn’s crimes
“Henn was a member of the Society of the Divine Savior, also known as the Salvatorians. The lawsuit that the Court of Appeals allowed to go forward also names the Salvatorians as being responsible for covering up Henn’s crimes.
“In the late 1970s, Henn was a young man who enjoyed sports and participating in them with the children, making him more ‘trusted’ to some of the families, according to a sentencing memorandum filed in August 2021 in Henn’s criminal case.
“The mother of two of the victims told prosecutors that ‘they trusted Catholic priests implicitly because they believed that priests were a representation of Jesus Christ himself.’
“In 1983, one of Henn’s supervisors received a report that Henn had engaged in a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old boy. He also learned that a different boy had also committed suicide due to Henn’s sexual abuse.
“After this, Henn was transferred from Phoenix to Sacramento, where he worked at an all-girls school.
“Later that year, Henn requested a transfer, but it was denied because the leader of the congregation he had sought to transfer to had been made aware of the ‘compelling reasons for [Henn’s] move from Phoenix to California.’”
(continued below)
SteveBenson8 creator 11 months ago
“Going forward
“The case against the Diocese of Phoenix and the Salvatorians can now move forward, though they can still appeal the case to the Arizona Supreme Court, something the attorneys representing Doe hope the church decides to not do.
“‘They’ve been playing these games and doing this stuff for three years,’ attorney Josh Peck said about the church’s multiple motions to dismiss and a possible appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court. ‘You know why you’re getting sued: You let these guys get away with this for so long.’
“Peck’s client is one of the victims whose testimony was used to bring charges against Henn for his criminal case. To Peck and one of his partners on the case, Bob Pastor, the fact that the diocese is fighting so hard on this particular case is telling.
“‘What is disturbing and so troubling is that Bishop John Dolan and the Diocese of Phoenix will spend dollar after dollar after dollar from keeping survivors like (John) ND Doe from getting the justice they deserve,’ Pastor said.The diocese has kept an updated list on its website since 2012 of credibly accused priests and have created its own reporting system for abuse. The diocese also released a statement on Henn’s arrest in 2019, urging victims to come forward and contact its Office of Child and Youth Protection.
“But the diocese is also fighting cases in which it is accused of shuffling priests like Henn from parish to parish after allegations were raised, all without acknowledging responsibility, Pastor said.
“‘This isn’t an isolated incident with Father Henn,’ Pastor said. ‘It’s the same pattern, it’s the same issue . . . they gave the benefit of the doubt to these priests.’ . . . “
(continued below)
AtomicForce91 Premium Member 11 months ago
Yet the media does not report on the abuse that goes in public schools, even though it is 100 times as bad.
I wonder why they only report on the statistically smaller phenomenon.
Baarorso 11 months ago
THIS my dear friends is what happens when you let the foxes guard the henhouse and don’t watch the foxes.
baldyzuzu Premium Member 11 months ago
The Catholic Church is a business. It now has a problem with children born with priests as fathers. Up till now no one was allow to find out who their father was as the church kept it a secret. Up to 10,000 children in the recent report. And what about Pope Pius XII, before and during the Nazi era, and the charge that he assisted in the legitimization of Adolf Hitler ’s Nazi regime in Germany, through the pursuit of a Concordat between the Holy See and the German Reich is a treaty negotiated between the Vatican and the emergent Nazi Germany.Four centuries ago, on February 16, 1600, the Roman Catholic Church executed Giordano Bruno, Italian philosopher and scientist, for the crime of heresy. He was taken from his cell in the early hours of the morning to the Piazza dei Fiori in Rome and burnt alive at the stake. And this organistion still exists.
rossevrymn 11 months ago
lovely
Conservative Man 11 months ago
Celibacy the root of all evil
Richard S Russell Premium Member 11 months ago
Of the 2 great evil, corrupt, greedy, misogynistic, authoritarian, dehumanizing organizations that have spread their tentacles from Italy over the rest of civilization, why does only the less pernicious one, the Mafia, have the bad reputation?