Thursday, October 31, 2024

WRC says it has no authority to rule on aspiring monk's 'anti-Traveller' claim

A tribunal has said it has no authority to rule on a claim that an aspiring monk was denied a place in a monastery because he mentioned that his father was a Traveller.

The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) found it did not have jurisdiction to consider a complaint by John Malone under the Equal Status Act 2000 directed against the prior of Silverstream Priory in Co Meath.

Lawyers acting for the religious community denied Mr Malone's allegation that an offer had been withdrawn, submitting that no such invitation had ever been made.

Mr Malone told the tribunal that becoming a monk had been an aspiration of his since childhood but that he had been prevented from exploring it as a vocation because of ageism and "anti-Traveller prejudice".

The tribunal heard the Benedictine monastery required new entrants to be aged between 18 and 35, and Mr Malone was aged 53 when he made inquiries about joining in 2022.

However, Mr Malone said the master of novices at the monastery had invited him to stay at the monastery’s guest house for ten days in July 2022, offered him a place in the monastery and told him he would be able to stay longer.

Mr Malone said the master also invited him to attend a retreat at the end of the month in Co Waterford so that he could meet with the head monk, or prior, of Silverstream.

The complainant said that upon meeting the prior and mentioning his Traveller heritage to him, there was a change in attitude from the senior monk.

Mr Malone said the prior "became cool" and "made no effort to engage with [him] thereafter".

In an internal email exhibited to the WRC by Mr Malone, the prior wrote: "I have some doubts about John. I will tell you when I get back."

Mr Malone said there was no word from the monks until he emailed again on 16 August – the master of novices telling him by reply that he had spoken too little to the prior at the retreat for "serious discernment".

"In fact, based on his observations of your conduct during the retreat Father Prior judged that it would be not advisable for you to enter our community," the master wrote.

"Bearing in mind that as I mentioned several times, it would, in any case, be very exceptional for us to accept a candidate at your age, and having heard Father Prior’s observations, I am in agreement with his judgment," the master added.

Mr Malone said he would appeal to the bishop, and legal correspondence followed until Mr Malone lodged a WRC complaint in February 2023.

Benedict Ó Floinn SC, instructed by solicitor Michelle Murphy of James H Murphy & Son, submitted that the prior had no memory of Mr Malone discussing his father but said membership of the Travelling Community would not "present a bar to admission".

Mr Ó Floinn said the allegation that the prior "changed his mind" was "unsubstantiated" and "not corroborated".

Counsel submitted that the reasons for not inviting Mr Malone to join the community were the prior’s "observations about the complainant’s conduct during the retreat", his failure to engage with the prior, and "in light of his age".

The reasons were "entirely unconnected" to membership of the Travelling Community, Mr Ó Floinn submitted.

WRC adjudicator Emile Daly wrote that the process of joining a religious community "is not a provision of a service".

"Admission to live in a religious community is a mutually agreed arrangement. There can be no enforcement by one party. Both parties need to desire it," she wrote.

Ms Daly said she had no jurisdiction to investigate the substance of the complaint and dismissed it as "not well founded".

CWI : Operation Laonia (35)

Well Fintan, it being Hallowe'en, we thought we would try not to scare our readership too much with the information coming in to us - all three times verified - in relation to certain named clergy in the Diocese, 2 particular legal firms in Ennis, some named members of An Garda Síochána and indeed Clare County Council Officials and their interlinked fraudulent behaviour.

We will be storing this up for future publication, alongside that in relation to British Horseracing Authority, Irish Horse Racing Regulatory Board, RTÉ, and yet again, An Garda Síochána and indeed Clare County Council as previously mentioned.

We are also minded of someone attached to the Diocese who has a predeliction for pre-pubescent females, a matter which was flagged many years ago, but despite being heavily evidenced to the Diocese, he has continued with his sacerdotal journey and all warnings ignored by you and the Diocese.

Unlike certain media in that area, we will print facts, alongside evidence, to back up all our claims.

One story in particular comes to mind which had to be removed in recent times that was published by a local rag, as handed to them by you - and therefore full of lies and untruths.

It will be a matter of time Fintan before we hand you one hell of a Christmas present...and never mind with bells attached - it will contain the truth - something which you have a strong aversion to funnily enough.

CWI : Operation TRUTH (14)

Further to our recent posting in relation to Mr Yanga and his issue with alcohol, we can now update on a few minor details that the Sunday World 'newspaper' or 'red rag' as it is more commonly known and regarded, managed to omit from publication.

Mr Yanga entered the pub, and asked the barmaid which bathroom to use - the male or female - and was told to use the male toilet by the barmaid.

When he came out of the male bathroom, he then proceeded to be mouthy and beligerent towards others, and was asked more than once to tone his behaviour and voice down, but Mr Yanga being himself, did not do so.

He was making nasty comments towards other people, and when again asked to tone down and behave, he got louder and started to make comments about himself being bisexual and then being argumentative with others who he then accused of being racist towards him.

Despite its history, the people of Larne are nothing if not tolerant, and Mr Yanga claiming people to be racist was not acceptable and he was called out on it. 

Mr Yanga did not like that, and threw a bin, remained argumentative, threw a punch at a man at the bar (whilst wearing the ring of his allegedly celibate partner/husband, Patrick Buckley), and when ordered to leave by the barmaid, Mr Yanga refused.

Some men in the pub removed Mr Yanga from the premises, at which point Mr Yanga took a fire extinguisher off a wall and sprayed it at the faces of the people who were taking him to task on his behaviour.

Behaviour which did not improve with the arrival of the PSNI to bring calm to the situation - all thanks to Mr Yanga - who was then removed from the situation...only for Mr Yanga to kick the police car.

Mr Yanga was not supportive of other businesses in Larne, and indeed was disparaging of them despite him having a business of his own.

Constantly bad mouthing and undermining others seems to be a trait engrained in Mr Yanga - and we can but wonder from whom he learned such nastiness.

Anyway, Mr Yanga, we offer you these words of wisdom : never shit on your own doorstep!!

If there is anything about the above you feel we may need to correct Mr Yanga, do feel free to get in touch with us. 

It would save you knuckle-dusting us with the ring of your allegedly celibate partner/husband, Patrick Buckley, or indeed releasing the contents of a fire extuingsher at us.

Leathered on RTÉ: It was open season on little children – why did we ever tolerate this violence?

Sometimes a television programme unexpectedly provides you with answers to questions you didn’t know you had. Leathered: Violence in Irish Schools, shown on RTÉ 1 last night, also raised questions.

What was happening to the teachers, both clerical and lay, to make them beat little children savagely, and every day? 

Where the hell were the parents? 

Why has Leathered only appeared now, when it could have been made at any time in the past 60 years?

But it also provided answers to questions you may have already had about Irish society. Why are we so bad with authority? 

Bad at responding to it and also bad when we have it. Terrified of taking responsibility. 

Frightened of raising our hands. Obsessed with getting away with it.

Here were the answers, all laid out. Old men remembering the vicious beatings of their childhoods. 

Casual beatings, ritualised beatings, random beatings. School authorities and church authorities and even the authority of their own parents were all implicated and also, crucially, absent. 

In the classroom, it was open season on little children.

And, as was said on the programme, “the teachers did this with the full support of the State”. 

Until corporal punishment was eventually banned in Irish schools. In 1982.

This was a hard watch. The memories of the physical torture were not as shocking – to someone of my generation – as the lasting impact the assaults still have on the adult men who endured them so many decades ago.

“It’s like the watermark on a £5 note,” said Gerry Coffey, who attended school with the De La Salle Brothers in Navan, Co Meath. “It’s there. It’ll always be there.”

His mother kept him out of school after a particularly dreadful beating. A garda came to their house on a bicycle to tell her that Gerry would be sent to a reform school if he didn’t go back. She chased the guard and his bicycle up the road with a kettle of boiling water. 

Where is the statue to this woman? She did more than any civil servant, any party politician, any cleric.

Norman Murray’s mother, also from the Navan area, took him to the doctor and asked for a medical note requesting that he be beaten on his good arm, and not on the arm that was broken.

That doctor was Paddy Randles who, with his wife Mary, also a doctor, campaigned against corporal punishment. 

Next thing you know, in the spring of 1969, the News Of The World arrived and reported on beatings in church-run schools. 

“There were ructions in Navan,” remembered Mary Randles.

Her husband was read off the altar (if you don’t know, ask your parents).”

He lost half his practice,” his wife said.

Then a film crew arrived from America – there seems to have been no activity from the Irish media – and interviewed Norman Murray’s mother. 

Her neighbours, she said, were giving out to her “for showing up the Brothers”.

What kind of place is this?

There were 14 sadliers in Dublin making leather straps for use in schools. 

The canes were manufactured in workshops for the blind, which were partially funded by the State. 

In a stroke of genius, Frank Crummey and Martin Reyolds and other protesters bought up all the straps they could – 29 of them – and burned them.

The teachers’ trade unions didn’t make a move.

In Kilkenny, the principal of St Kieran’s College had a traffic light system outside his office. 

When the light was green you went in for your beating. 

But much more terrifying were the random attacks on boys which could be visited on them by the same principal, Father McEvoy. 

When he was 12-years-old, Eoin Costello was throwing a bobble hat around a classroom. He was punched twice in the jaw. 

Three weeks later his mother took him to the doctor. His jaw still hurts sometimes.

Tim Quinlan was an idealistic young teacher in the early 1980s. His first job was in the O’Connell schools. 

A colleague helpfully supplied him with a leather, but he didn’t want to use it. 

One day another teacher came into Tim’s classroom and beat his 35 pupils for him. 

The boys asked Tim if they could go outside and run their hands under the cold tap. 

And so on and on.

“I didn’t come from money,” Gerry Coffey remarked. 

The children of doctors with whom he was educated did not, he noted, get beaten. 

The other thing that saved you was being good at football. 

Two of the teachers identified here were great supporters of GAA football. 

John Murphy, a former rugby international, was perhaps saved by his athletic talent. Still, as an adult he was surprised when he received a message about a support group for boys who had been allegedly been beaten. He got the message from the support group as he was driving to work one morning. He pulled over to read it, and he cried.

Damage, damage and more damage. 

Should there be redress? 

Should there be an inquiry?

Is it over? 

A little boy went missing two years ago and none of us noticed.

‘You never forget’ Viewers react to RTÉ’s Leathered about corporal punishment in Irish schools

RTÉ’s latest documentary series Leathered: Violence in Irish Schools has brought back unwelcome memories for viewers up and down the country.

Although it is unacceptable now, physical violence in Irish schools used to be commonplace, with many people saying watching the show gave them flashbacks.

Lifting the lid on the horrific memories of the past and giving a voice to those abused and silenced is RTÉ’s documentary maker John Downes.

Shining a light on corporal punishment, the documentary reveals how those impacted by the violence are still haunted by it today, and the response on social media mirrors that.

The eye-opening documentary features the first-hand accounts of numerous victims, many of whom have never told their stories. 

John’s documentary also broaches the topic of the level of official record keeping in regard to the mistreatment of students around the country at the time.

According to newly released figures by the Department of Education, between 1962 and 1982, just 108 allegations involving physical abuse by teachers against pupils were recorded by the unit.

This is a dramatic under-reporting considering that nearly every person who was in school up until 1982 experienced, in one way or another, the socially accepted violent abuse at the hands of their teacher.

The real and raw documentary evoked huge emotions amongst those who watched it, with many taking to social media to share their thoughts on the show.

One user wrote: ‘I remember in the 90s, a teacher used to hit us and bully the living soul out of his students. We were in 2nd class and scared shirtless beyond belief. This was the 90s.’

Another reminisced: ‘Hard to watch #leathered There are things you never forget even after decades!!!’

A third penned: ‘Leathered is giving me flashbacks. It’s a shame there were no women giving testimony but I can understand reliving their trauma is too much.’

A fourth wrote: ‘I’d hazard a guess that there isn’t an adult aged 40+ who went through the education system that wasn’t subjected to or witnessed physical abuse more than once every year from the age of 4/5 onwards. I’m 53 and can still remember their names!’

In 1962, there were 570,380 students enrolled at primary and secondary schools funded by the State and by 1982 that figure had risen to 766,864- one child experiencing violence is too many, but it is hard to fathom the sheer number of children who suffered during this period.

Although corporal punishment was banned in 1982, teachers in Irish schools remained untouchable from prosecution for ‘physical chastisement’ until 15 years later in 1997.

Navan native Peter Kane is one of the brave former students who told his story in the documentary and described his time as a 12-year-old boy in school.

Peter recalled how every day, there was an element of fear when attending school as his teacher would lose it over the tiniest things.

He added: ‘On this particular morning, the Brother called me up, ‘get up here’ he says, and the first thing I got was a couple of clatters around the head, my face, I think maybe six or 12 slaps I got off him with a leather strap.’

‘I didn’t cry, that in itself was a signal for him to carry on beating you and he done so, and bounced my head off the blackboard, bounced my body around the room, knocked me up against his desk, and at one stage I collapsed and fell on the ground because he done something to my back. Then he dragged me up, and proceeded to beat me, I was in a lot of pain and I was basically sore all over. It took me a number of weeks to recover.’

Poet and author Theo Dorgan who hails from Cork recalls his time in school as a ‘predator and prey’ situation, revealing that if you simply looked at your teacher the ‘wrong way’ you would get hit.

Kilkenny native Eoin Costello revealed the harrowing story of the day the classroom fell silent, recalling: ‘I saw this shadow on the glass door at the entrance to the room. He marched literally with closed fists, punched and then punched…and then turned on his heel and walked out.’

‘It never went away. Forty years. It’s never gone away the impact of that punch in the face,’ Eoin concluded.

‘It’s an unbearable burden’ -Taoiseach breaks silence over violence in schools as survivors raise questions over records

TAOISEACH Simon Harris has said there is a culture of violence within Irish schools that "victimised and terrorised generations".

In a statement following the airing of an RTE documentary on corporal punishment in schools, the Taoiseach described the programme as "harrowing viewing".

The investigation revealed the use of corporal punishment in schools and the impact that the culture of violence continues to have on generations.

The Taoiseach commended all those who told their stories, adding that the Government will establish a Commission of Investigation into clerical sex abuse

He said: "The publication of the scoping report, and the painful stories that have been told since, have exposed a culture of violence, of calculated cruelty and the abuse of power that victimised and terrorised generations of Irish children who still bear the wounds and have for all of their lives.
 
"It is an unbearable burden which we must help lift. 

"I have listened carefully to survivors tonight about expanding the inquiry and will now reflect on the request as their voices cannot, and must not, be ignored or unheard."

The Taoiseach added that the survivor's voices cannot be left "ignored or unheard".

However, he said that the process cannot be rushed due to the need to get it right and respect the wishes of the victims who came forward.

He added: "Their voices which were silenced as defenceless children, even those whose parents tried to stand up against the barrage of brutality, are being heard and their bravery in reliving such terrible memories is testament to a national trauma which must be acknowledged."

The documentary critically re-examines the extent and scale of physical abuse in thousands of religious and lay schools. 

And a number of victims who came forward spoke about the lifelong consequences as a result of the treatment they received in Irish schools.

Survivor Peter Kane said: "Every day, there was an element of fear going in."

The Navan native continued: "He could kick off for the simplest of reasons…on this particular morning, the Brother called me up, 'get up here' he says, and the first thing I got was a couple of clatters around the head, my face, I think maybe six or 12 slaps I got off him with a leather strap."

New figures released show that between 1962 and 1982, 108 allegations involving physical abuse by teachers against pupils were recorded by the Department of Education.  

More than three-quarters of these included allegations of other forms of abuse. 

'IT NEVER WENT AWAY'

While 87 of the allegations were at the primary level, where children as young as four attended school, 21 were at the second level. 

Poet and author Theo Dorgan told RTE of his schooldays in Cork, saying: "If you looked at a teacher the wrong way, you would get a slap."

And his lifelong friend and schoolmate, film festival co-director Mick Hannigan said: "It was not so much a daily occurrence, but an hourly occurrence, class after class."

He added: "If you got a sum wrong, if you got some difficult Irish poem wrong, then you were punished." 

Eoin Costello told RTE of one day in his Kilkenny school when silence descended over his classroom.

He said: "I saw this shadow on the glass door at the entrance to the room. He marched literally with closed fists, punched and then punched…and then turned on his heel and walked out…

"It never went away. Forty years. It's never gone away the impact of that punch in the face."

1982 BAN

Corporal Punishment in schools was banned in 1982.

Up until then, under Department of Education rules, only certain nominated teachers were permitted to physically chastise their pupils at the primary and secondary levels.

But in practice, many other teachers regularly used violence to enforce discipline at school and often went far further than even the school rules allowed. 

The Department has also revealed that it holds a further nine allegations for the five years after the introduction of the 1982 ban.

This brings to 117 the total number of allegations involving physical abuse received between 1962 and 1987 and suggests that allegations of physical violence in schools did not disappear after the 1982 ban.

Teachers in Irish schools remained immune from prosecution for "physical chastisement" until 1997.

Experts interviewed in the documentary say the small number of recorded allegations reflects the culture at the time, as well as poor record keeping by the State. 

'IT HAD IMPACTED MY WHOLE LIFE'

Former Independent Senator Jillian Van Turnhout, who led the campaign to have corporal punishment banned in the home in 2015 said: "Maybe nobody saw it as important enough to take a record, to file a report when it was received by (the) Department of Education.

"We have seen, for example, in the 2009 Ryan Report, that clearly showed us there was twice the incidence of physical abuse versus sexual abuse when it came to industrial schools.

"So why don't we see similar levels when it comes to school reporting of physical punishment?"

With a nod to O’Malley, a new Archbishop takes over in Boston

With three knocks on the door of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross just after 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 31, Archbishop Richard Henning began his journey as the tenth bishop, and seventh archbishop, of the Archdiocese of Boston, succeeding Cardinal Seán O’Malley.

As is tradition, following the knock on the cathedral doors Henning was welcomed by O’Malley, and a procession into the cathedral followed. 

The installation was attended by about 1,400 people, according to the archdiocese, including French Cardinal Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, five additional cardinals, five archbishops, and more than 50 bishops.

Nearly five hundred priests, religious, deacons, seminarians, and lay people were in attendance, as were members of Henning’s family. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was among the government, interfaith, and local business leaders in attendance as well.

O’Malley opened the installation Mass with a brief greeting, before Pierre gave remarks of his own and then read aloud an English translation of the papal bull, or decree, from Pope Francis naming Henning archbishop of Boston.

Pierre thanked O’Malley for “all the ways in which you have been close to God and to God’s people” in his 40 years as a bishop, and in 21 years as the archbishop of Boston. The comments were met with a standing ovation for O’Malley.

On behalf of Pope Francis, Pierre then thanked Henning for his closeness to the faithful, and for his pledge to continue to express that closeness in his new ministry in the Archdiocese of Boston.

“I’m confident that your experiences as a pastor and leader will help you in your mission here, but even more fundamentally, what will guide you is what you have come to know from your encounter with God,” Pierre said. “It is there, in this personal encounter, that you are able to receive the good Lord’s love, kindness, understanding, mercy.”

Following Pierre’s reading of the papal bull, Henning showed it to the archdiocese’s College of Consultors, who validated the papal seal. Once accepted, Henning presented it to the entire assembly, making his way around the cathedral. He was then led back to the altar to cathedra – the seat of the archbishop – and assumed his role as the archbishop of Boston and celebrated the Mass.

In his homily, Henning spoke of communities and families where solidarity and compassion are present, and the hope that exists in them. He then, as an example, spoke specifically about the example set by victim-survivors of clergy sex abuse in the archdiocese.

“This Church of Boston, it is in a real sense a wounded Church because of the failure to act with compassion and healing. Sins against the innocent,” Henning said.

“We have seen over these decades a passionate effort to protect the vulnerable, but still we feel the weight of those wounds, and we owe a debt of gratitude to victim-survivors who tell their story, for they have helped to protect new generations by their courage, and by their prophetic truth telling to us, and their living of the faith, and their capacity for compassion and solidarity, of love of neighbor,” he said.

Henning was born and raised in Rockville Centre, New York, and was ordained an auxiliary bishop of his home diocese in 2018, where he served until he became the bishop of Providence, Rhode Island, last year. His ministry as a priest began at a New York parish in the 1990s, before becoming a teacher at and ultimately head of the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, New York.

The Mass concluded with Henning expressing gratitude from the pulpit. He thanked Pope Francis for his appointment and expressed closeness to him. He thanked all of the clergy and faithful in attendance, the religious and seminarians, as well as his family.

Henning specifically thanked O’Malley, and noted the gratitude the entire Church has for him.

“The quality of your ministry has always been a truly humble gift of yourself for the sake of others. It has been compassionate. It has been gentle, and it has been truly biblical and authentic to the faith,” Henning said.

“You, in a very real sense, have given that witness with your living and with your words and it has made all of the difference to this church. You, in a very real sense, are a foundation on which we will continue to build, so I am so very grateful to you,” he said.

The sentiment was met with another standing ovation for O’Malley.

Henning closed by again thanking everyone in attendance, saying that he was at a loss for words.

“I don’t have the words to express all of the emotions I feel this day, but I hope and pray that I will find the wisdom and the strength to give myself away completely to this beautiful church and to serve you with all of my strength for the years to come,” Henning said.

Pope Francis Transfers South Africa’s Newest Cardinal from Cape Town to Johannesburg Catholic Archdiocese

Pope Francis has transferred Stephen Cardinal Brislin, who has been at the helm of Cape Town Catholic Archdiocese in South Africa to the country’s Catholic Archdiocese of Johannesburg.

In the latest administrative changes in the Southern African nation that the Holy See press office made public on Monday, October 28, the Holy Father also accepted the retirement of Archbishop Buti Joseph Tlhagale.

Archbishop Buti, who turned 75 in December 2022 has shepherded the people of God in Johannesburg Archdiocese since his installation in June 2003 following his transfer from South Africa’s Catholic Archdiocese of Bloemfontein, where he started his Episcopal Ministry in April 1999. 

In a letter addressed to the people of God in Johannesburg Archdiocese, Archbishop Buti “warmly” welcomes his successor “with open arms”. 

In the letter dated October 28, the South African Catholic Archbishop says that Cardinal Brislin is to set the date for his installation and that the date he sets “will be duly communicated to the entire Archdiocese.”

The member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) recognizes his new temporary role in Johannesburg Archdiocese as Apostolic Administrator “until the new Archbishop takes complete control of the Archdiocese after his installation.”

The South African Catholic Archbishop implores blessings upon his successor, Cardinal Brislin, saying, “May God bless the new Archbishop.”

Born in Welkom in September 1956, Cardinal Brislin was ordained a Priest in November 1983.

In October 2006, he was appointed Bishop of South Africa’s Kroonstad Catholic Diocese and Consecrated Bishop in January 2007. Three years later, he was transferred to the Archdiocese of Cape Town.

When installed as Local Ordinary of Johannesburg, Cardinal Brislin will shepherd the people of God in the South African Metropolitan See with some 1.1 million Catholics, according to 2022 statistics.

Cardinal O’Malley: Church acknowledges damage of abuse but ‘celibacy is not the cause’

Cardinal Seán O’Malley, archbishop of Boston and president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, stressed that “celibacy is not the cause of pedophilia” but highlighted the need for more reforms within the Church to adopt a victim-centered approach to better safeguard children.

Following the presentation of the first annual report on safeguarding released by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors on Tuesday, O’Malley stated that he has “never seen any serious studies that have indicated that celibacy and sexual abuse is related.”

“Yes, we are aware of the incredible damage that [pedophilia] has done to the credibility of the Church and our ability to have a prophetic voice in society,” the cardinal said in response to a journalist’s question on a potential “link between celibacy and sex abuse” at the Oct. 29 press briefing.

“And that only underscores the urgency of the Church to reform itself so that we can carry on Christ’s mission and be a sign of his love. And the kingdom of God is about justice and truth, and these are the core values that we’re talking about here,” he added.

Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, a jurist and international advocate for children’s rights who was appointed by Pope Francis as a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors in 2022, also stated that she did not see any relationship between celibacy and criminal sexual abuse against children.

“I don’t see any relationship,” she said. “Sexual relationships with children is a crime and the ones who commit this have a problem, which is related to their psychological state of mind.”

“There is no exception for this, no excuse for this crime. Children should be respected in their integrity — physical and moral. So whether celibate or not, it doesn’t matter. The children should be protected,” she said.

O’Malley stated that the goal of the pontifical commission, which he has headed since its establishment in 2014, is “to do everything possible” to address the lack of justice and recognition from people in the Church.

“Your suffering and wounds have opened our eyes to the fact that — as a Church — we have failed to care for victims, and that we didn’t defend you, and that we resisted understanding you when you needed us most,” he said at the Tuesday press briefing.

“We hope that this report — and those that will come — compiled with the help of victims and survivors at the center, will help to ensure the firm commitment that these events never happen again in the Church.”

According to O’Malley the annual safeguarding report — which outlines the Vatican’s policies and procedures for the protection of minors — is intended to complement the commission’s advocacy role as well as support the work of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF).

“The work of the DDF is so central in the administration of justice in the area of sexual abuse, and our task is to try and bring a pastoral dimension to that and the voice of the victims,” the cardinal said.

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors marks its 10th anniversary this year. It is now a permanent institution within the Vatican tasked with accompanying and assisting local Churches’ safeguarding ministries through formation and training.

Vatican Publishes Judgment on Cardinal Becciu, Allowing Appeal to Proceed

The tribunal of Vatican City State has published its reasons for convicting Cardinal Angelo Becciu, stating he was involved in the illicit use of Holy See funds despite having no “profit-making purpose.”

The lengthy document of nearly 800 pages details not only its December 2023 verdict on the sale of a Vatican-owned London property that resulted in losses to the Holy See of 200 million euros, but also other offenses that emerged during the so-called “Trial of the Century.”

The tribunal convicted Cardinal Becciu of three counts of embezzlement and sentenced him to five years and six months in prison. He was also fined 8,000 euros ($8,700) and permanently disqualified the cardinal from holding public office.

Five other defendants — Raffaele Mincione, Enrico Crasso, Gianluigi Torzi, Fabrizio Tirabassi and Cecilia Marogna — also received prison sentences of varying length.

Cardinal Becciu, who served in the important position of deputy Vatican secretary of state from 2011 to 2018, is appealing the verdict, and publication of the court’s judgment means his appeal can now proceed. Hearings are expected to begin in the new year and to last at least until the summer of 2025.

In the court document, the Vatican City State Tribunal, presided over by its president, Giuseppe Pignatone, reconstructs not just what happened from 2018, when the Holy See was hit by losses from the London property deal, but also 2012-2013, laying out a chain of financial crimes that exploited Holy See funds.

It describes the sale of the building in London’s Sloane Avenue as an “extremely risky operation incompatible with the always dutifully prudent attitude held by the investor.”

But above all, it highlights the crime of embezzlement, which, according to Vatican law, is the “illicit use” of money, regardless of whether there has been profit or not.

Cardinal Becciu always insisted no evidence existed that he profited from the deal, but the court judged that his authorization to invest in a fund owned by Mincione, and that was partly used to acquire a stake in the Sloane Avenue property, “certainly constitutes an ‘illicit use’ of those ecclesiastical public assets which the then Deputy Becciu had available due to his office.” It added that he was also “well aware” of the “legal limits” of using such funds.

The judgment states that the crime was “the desire to use the assets in conflict with the interests” of the Holy See. “It certainly cannot be denied,” it adds, “that the illicit use of the Church’s assets resulted in an obvious and significant advantage for Mincione and his associates as a direct consequence of the illicit conduct carried out” by Cardinal Becciu, “so it makes no difference that he did not intend to act for profit, nor that he did not obtain any advantage.”

The court also found that neither former Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, nor current secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin were ever involved in the affair, nor did they ever authorize it.

Cardinal Becciu was also convicted of embezzlement for arranging the transfer of 125,000 euros from Vatican funds to an account controlled by his brother Antonio Becciu, who runs a Catholic charity called the Spes Cooperative in Sardinia. During the trial, the cardinal admitted to transferring the funds into his brother’s personal account and insisted the practice was all above board.

The judgment says that neither the charity’s aims, nor the fact that that money was not actually spent, does not matter because “the central theme remains one and only one: the illegality of the donation, in particular made to one’s relatives.” Church property and funds cannot be given to relatives “without a special permission given in writing by the competent authority.”

The tribunal also found the cardinal culpable of failing to distance himself from Marogna, a geopolitical expert who, thanks to brokering by Cardinal Becciu, received more than half a million euros to free a nun kidnapped in Mali, but which Marogna then spent on luxury goods.

“Despite full awareness of the absolute gravity of the facts,” Cardinal Becciu “did not distance himself from Marogna even in the statements made as the defendant, in which he continued to support the woman’s professionalism and reliability without ever addressing the issue of the money she spent,” the judgment reads. 

The Vatican sentenced Marogna to three years and nine months in prison.

Despite criticisms that the hearings, which began in July 2021 and concluded in December 2023, were carried out unfairly, the judgment also states that “the principles of due process have always been respected.” 

The judgment states that the Vatican legal system “recognizes the principle of fair trial” and this is “not called into question.”

Cardinal Seán O’Malley, Pope Francis’ lead adviser on clergy sex abuse, retires as Archbishop of Boston

Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley is handing over the reins of the Archdiocese of Boston after more than 20 years serving as leader of the fourth largest Catholic district in the country.

He will be turning over leadership to Bishop Richard Henning of Providence, Rhode Island, during a ceremony today at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.

At 80, O’Malley is five years beyond the average retirement age for a bishop. When he turned 75, he handed in his resignation papers to Pope Francis and called Terrence Donilon, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Boston, to give him a heads up.

“I asked him, well, what did he say? And he told me that the Pope chuckled and said, ‘Well, we’ll keep you here for a couple more years,’” Donilon recalled. “It was a real blessing for him to be able to stay until he was 80. He’s been a very humble servant.”

O’Malley flew back from the Vatican on Wednesday.

Supporters describe him as compassionate, while critics say he did not do enough to protect survivors of clergy sex abuse.

O’Malley served as Pope Francis’ head adviser on the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, where he worked to fight clergy sexual abuse within the church. He was appointed by St. John Paul II in 2003, replacing then-Archbishop Cardinal Bernard Law, who resigned in disgrace following a massive clergy sexual abuse scandal that had exploded following an investigation by the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team.

Attorney Eric MacLeish told GBH News he first worked with O’Malley in 1992, when the lawyer represented victims of clergy abuse in the case of former Fall River priest James Porter. Porter was accused of molesting dozens of children and served time in prison for his crimes. MacLeish said O’Malley, who was serving in Fall River at the time, established new policies on clergy sexual abuse and settled more than 100 cases against Porter.

“He displayed compassion for the victims and he was willing to meet with clients, sometimes even without lawyers, and listen to them and talk to them,” MacLeish said. “Having dealt with cases all over the country, I thought that he was better than most religious leaders in understanding the ravages of childhood sexual abuse.”

At the height of the Boston clergy sex abuse scandal, MacLeish found himself working with O’Malley once again as he represented more than 300 victims.

“I would always like to see more being done, but in the constellation of the Catholic Church, as compared to other people, I think that [O’Malley] was somewhat progressive on sexual abuse issues,” MacLeish said. “His mission was to protect the church, and I think in fulfilling that mission, he recognized the need to be compassionate towards victims.”

Critics include Melanie Sakoda, the survivor support director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, who says O’Malley — and the greater archdiocese — still need to do more.

“What really needs to happen is they need to start removing these priests when they know they’re abusive,'' she said, ”and I’m not convinced that that’s what’s going to happen.”

Sakoda said O’Malley has “said a lot of the right things,” but systemic changes are needed. With the appointment of Henning, Sakoda said she fears it would be “more of the same,” in dealing with cases that are reported only to the church and not investigated as police matters.

“I’m not hopeful,” she said, “but if I’m proven wrong, that would be great.”

She said most survivors take years or even decades to come forward. “Which means the people who may have been abused during Cardinal O’Malley’s tenure may not come forward for another 40 years,” she said. “So we won’t really know the effectiveness of anything he’s done in his diocese for decades.”

O’Malley and other leaders of the clergy sexual abuse committee released the first annual report on policies and procedures around safeguarding against abuse on Tuesday. The report identified a need for “a streamlined process for discharge from office, to enable a smooth and simple pathway for the resignation or removal of a Church leader, when warranted.”

The report highlighted 31 cases received and transmitted to the Vatican’s office for religious discipline and doctrine between 2014 to the beginning of 2024. One case was handled by the office in five months, though most cases are processed within several years. This long turnaround time is of urgent concern to the Congregation,” the report reads.

Donilon, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Boston, said it’s unknown if O’Malley will continue in his position leading the commission on clergy sexual abuse. He said O’Malley will split his time between Boston and Washington, D.C., as he “continues to be active and involved” with the immigrant community.

“He cares deeply about what’s going on down in Cuba and Haiti, and he’s been a big supporter of trying to bring peace to Haiti and opening up a greater relationship with Cuba,” he said. “He’ll be very busy, but now he’s earned the opportunity to take a deep breath.”

GAFCON rebukes Archbishop Welby and affirms orthodox Anglicans in England

We, the Gafcon Primates, meeting in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, to celebrate the investiture of Archbishop Steve Wood as the third Primate of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) and to welcome him as a Primate of the Anglican Communion, send greetings to the faithful.

We wish we could write to you about our great joy for mission, evangelism, and church planting, but recent statements by the Archbishop of Canterbury require us to yet again address an urgent matter surrounding biblical ethics confronting our beloved Anglican church

The recent actions of the General Synod of the Church of England, where Archbishop Justin Welby has championed the introduction of same-sex blessings into the life of the Church of England, has galvanised the Gafcon movement in the ongoing reset of the Anglican Communion. 

However, Archbishop Welby’s recent explicit repudiation of Christian doctrine in his interview on Britain’s podcast, ‘The Rest is Politics,’ has brought us to repeat our serious call for his personal repentance.

In this interview, he publicly states that:

“all sexual activity should be within a committed relationship and whether it’s straight or gay. In other words, we’re not giving up on the idea that sex is within marriage or civil partnership. We’ve put forward a proposal that where people have been through a civil partnership or a same-sex marriage, equal marriage under the 2014 Act, they should be able to come along to their local, to a church, and have a service of prayer and blessing for them in their lives together.”

While he may claim not to have changed the doctrine of marriage, the Archbishop of Canterbury has demonstrably changed the doctrine of sin, by promoting the sanctification of sin by means of a divine blessing.

This is in clear breach of Holy Scripture, which unequivocally teaches that the only proper context for sexual intimacy is in the relationship of a man and woman who have been joined together in marriage. All forms of sexual intimacy outside of this context are condemned as immorality and are behaviors from which the people of God are regularly called to repent (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).  

It is also in clear breach of Resolution I.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference, which rejected, “homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture,” and which the Archbishop as recently as 2022 declared to be the teaching of the Anglican Communion, including the Church of England.

We are guided by Jesus’ solemn words of warning to the Church of Thyatira, because, “they tolerate the teaching of Jezebel,” which endorses sexual immorality. Only judgment awaits Jezebel and all who follow her, unless they repent (Revelation 2:21-22; 22:15). Any toleration, let alone endorsement, of immorality is liable to God’s judgment.

For this reason, in response to his public comments, we solemnly repeat our call for Archbishop Justin Welby to personally and publicly repent of this denial of his ordination and consecration vows, where he promised to, “teach the doctrine of Christ as the Church of England has received it.”

Gafcon supports all faithful Anglicans, both those who have chosen to leave established provinces where the authority of Scripture has been compromised, as well as those who choose to remain as they seek to reform their province from within.

Therefore, we continue to champion The Anglican Network in Europe (ANiE) as Gafcon’s authentically-Anglican structural provision for those who cannot by conscience remain within the historic, revisionist structures.

Additionally, we express our support for The Alliance as they seek to stand firm in defense of biblical marriage within the Church of England, and we stand ready to defend, authenticate, and support them.

Finally, we declare afresh to all those in England who, “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to all the saints,” that you are not alone.
Gafcon Primates’ Council.

Reformation Day,
31 October 2024

Hate crime law is ‘radical gender politics’ in Statute book

Independent Senator Ronan Mullen has described last week’s passing of the Hate Crime Bill in the Oireachtas as an example of “radical gender politics” entering the country’s Statute Law for the first time, saying that it “sets a bad precedent for the future” as the new broad definition of gender comes from “a very ideological place”.

Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Senator Mullen said that his concerns around the Bill arise from its intention to render certain crimes more serious than others based on individual “protected characteristics people have” and the Bill’s recognition of “any form of gender expression”.

“I’m concerned because of the drift of it,” he said. “If people have committed crimes motivated by hatred against people on grounds of certain protected characteristics that those people have, then it turns it into a more serious kind of crime. It suggests that you can have two different categories of victims for the same crime and that’s not a great idea where we’re all supposed to be equal before the law.

“But the real problem is that continuing with this very controversial definition of gender, which doesn’t confine itself to male or female but instead transgender or any form of gender expression including a gender that’s neither male nor female, what you have is radical gender politics coming in for the first time into our statute law.”

The new definition of gender introduced in the Bill comes from “a very ideological place” according to Senator Mullen and his fear is that there will be a concerted push by future governments and specific NGOs to replace the traditional understanding of gender with this adapted one.

“My concern is by introducing this new definition of gender that it would be the Government’s intention and NGOs who are very well-connected politically, to push to have that new definition of gender, which is coming from a very ideological place, to replace the time-honoured definition of gender in other areas of our law in the future,” he said. “Even if it’s just in connection with hate crimes, it sets a bad precedent for the future.”

Catholic Bishop in Ghana Raises Concerns over Stalled Anti-Witchcraft Bill

The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga in Ghana has expressed concern over the stalled Anti-Witchcraft Bill that the country’s parliament passed in July 2023 to criminalize witchcraft-related accusations in the West African nation.

The Bill seeks to bring relief to the many vulnerable women languishing in camps in some parts of Ghana for being accused of witchcraft.

The new law was suggested following the lynching of a 90-year-old woman in Kafaba in the East Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region in July 2020.

The inhuman killing of the woman who was accused of witchcraft drew condemnation from local and international rights groups.

While it is not uncommon for people to be accused of witchcraft in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in rural communities, Reuters reported that the woman's death caused a public outcry because of the brutal way she was beaten and killed.

Speaking during the 25th anniversary celebration of the Diocese of Yendi, Bishop Alfred Agyenta expressed disappointment over the delay in implementing the Bill, saying, “Fair-minded Ghanaians and indeed all Christians are disappointed with the stalling of this Bill, which sought to bring relief to the many vulnerable women languishing in the so-called camps.”

Bishop Agyenta expressed his frustration over the prioritization of financial concerns over human dignity following the delay in the implementation of the Bill.

“It is very sad to learn that financial considerations relating to the passage of the Bill have been placed over and above the need to restore and protect the dignity of our mothers, grandmothers, and sisters who are made to feel like second-class citizens in their own country,” the Bishop  said in the video published on Wednesday, October 30 following the Saturday, October 26 event.

Bishop Agyenta posed a critical question, urging reflection on the impact of the issue: “If those responsible for the signing of this Act into law had a mother, a sister, or a grandmother sitting in one of these camps, would they behave in this manner?”

In his call to action, the Ghanaian Bishop reflected on the transformative power of the Gospel in challenging harmful cultural practices such as witchcraft. 

He addressed the moral implications of the witch camps, describing them as “a scar on the conscience of all Ghanaians” and a clear demonstration of moral failure among Christians.

“Looking back to the past with gratitude, we have seen how the power and light of the Gospel have made inroads into every facet of society, challenging cultural practices such as the ‘Spirit child’ phenomenon and the belief and practice of witchcraft,” he said.

“How can we continue to look on in desperation when the Gospel message is so loud and clear on the inviolability of the dignity of every human being?” he questioned, noting that all are created in the image and likeness of God.

The Anti-Witchcraft Bill, officially titled the Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2023, aims to amend the Criminal Offences Act of 1960 (Acts 29) to “prohibit witch doctoring and witch finding.” It also makes it illegal to accuse, name, or label someone as a witch.

Despite the Bill's significance, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo raised concerns about its possible financial implications for the country's consolidated fund, and he therefore chose not to sign it.

Ireland is ‘Re-Paganising’

The “collapse” of Christianity in Ireland is “leaving a dangerous vacuum that is not being left vacant but being filled with other forms of pagan spiritualty, religion and worship”, the Administrator of Wexford parish has warned.

Fr Billy Swan said that “there is evidence that Ireland is ‘re-paganising’ or reverting to the worship of false gods like it did before we accepted the Christian faith back in the 5th Century”.

“Ireland has experimented with paganism and superstition before. Moving away from the light of Christ and into darkness is inevitably leading to a breakdown of civilisation, the family and chaos in society in general,” according to Fr Swan.

“It leads to confusion about what is true and false, what is right and wrong and a bleaker future for our youth who are longing for hope. The way things are going, far from it being the established order to rebel against, traditional Christian faith is becoming the last countercultural force that has the confidence and resolve to resist this slide into despair.”

Prof. Patricia Casey, professor emeritus of psychiatry at UCD, told The Irish Catholic: “The more serious thing, which isn’t to do with Halloween directly, is the dabbling in the occult generally – and Halloween is linked in with occult tendencies.

“The occult is very dangerous because it takes people into all kinds of things like devil worship, witchcraft, pornography – people actually working in tandem with the devil. It leads people into very dark things and into a very dark perspective on life that worships evil, because that’s what devil worship is about, it’s worshipping evil and that’s obviously very concerning.”

Regarding the future impact this may have on young people Prof. Casey said that it “would certainly lead to psychological problems like nightmares, very negative thoughts, confusion about right and wrong, anxiety and those kinds of things. It could lead to depression as well, because if people are engaged in the occult they may well get into pornography and that’s very much associated with depression and anxiety”.

Writing in this week’s paper, columnist Breda O’Brien said: “Modern Hallowe’en strips the Christian meditation on the fleeting nature of life and the need to pray for the dead, and even the Celtic wariness of the dead and the need to appease them, from Hallowe’en. It leaves an ugly, commercial, and hollow substitute in its place.”

Quoting Pope Francis, Fr Swan said: “‘Our secularised world is teeming with magicians, occultism, spiritism, astrologers and satanic sects. If we kick the devil out the door, he tries to return through the window. If we overcome him with faith, he seeks to return through superstition.’ Let’s not be naïve about the presence and power of evil. May all forms of darkness, evil, deceit and worship of false gods be dispelled by the true light of Jesus Christ, risen from the dead for ‘Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but have the light of life’ (John 8:12).”

Nuns do not recognise exclusion from order

The Carmelite nuns of Arlington do not recognise their dismissal from the order. 

The vows they have made to God can neither be cancelled nor taken back, writes the prioress, Mother Teresa Agnes, who is not recognised by the Vatican, in a statement published on the convent’s website on Wednesday. 

They have no intention of leaving the convent and giving up their religious life.

Two days earlier, the superior appointed by the Vatican, Mother Marie of the Incarnation, had announced that the sisters had been dismissed from the religious order by law. 

The reason she gave was the sisters’ refusal to recognise the authority of the competent ecclesiastical authorities and the apostasy this manifested.

Accusation of apostasy rejected

In their statement, the sisters reaffirm that they do not recognise Mother Marie as superior. 

“In view of our recent association with the Priestly Fraternity of St Pius X last August, any ‘dismissal’ pronounced by Mother Marie is futile.” 

The Society of St Pius X is a traditionalist community without canonical status that is not in full communion with the Catholic Church. 

The sisters had declared that they were submitting to the Fraternity. Instructions from the Vatican authority responsible for religious orders have not recognised the monastic community.

The sisters also emphasised that they had not fallen away from the faith: “As we pray every day for the Holy Father, Pope Francis, and our bishop, Michael Olson, any claim that we have turned away from the Catholic faith is ridiculous.” 

The sisters firmly believe in everything that the Catholic Church believes, teaches and proclaims as revealed by God.

The dispute over the convent and its former superior Mother Teresa Agnes has been smouldering for over a year. 

Mother Teresa Agnes is said to have admitted a breach of her vow of chastity. 

As a result, the local diocesan bishop of Fort Worth investigated the matter and had the Carmel searched. 

The dispute came to light in May last year after the sisters went public to protest against the bishop’s actions. 

The Vatican largely dismissed the sisters’ complaints, but placed the convent under the authority of Sister Marie of the Incarnation, president of the relevant Carmelite order, instead of Bishop Olson.

Cultural coercion could impact most vulnerable if assisted dying legalised – Bishop Hayes

“If assisted dying is legalised then the elderly, the sick and people with disabilities are vulnerable to cultural coercion, i.e., to messages of ‘you’re no longer useful or wanted, ….you are a burden on society’ Bishop Martin Hayes has warned.  

A member of the Irish Episcopal Conference’s Council for Life, he was responding to the Dáil vote to approve the Majority Report on Assisted Dying.

He added: “The final weeks of life are important and can be provided for with appropriate palliative care with the patient at the centre. It is critical that people who are ill have confidence in the medical profession; whom they trust to ensure and preserve life.

The Majority Report (MjR) relies on the autonomy of the individual which is not absolute as it does not take account of the common good.”

Bishop Hayes also told The Irish Catholic that “the Majority Report fails to provide adequate safeguards for the vulnerable, the elderly, the sick, those with disabilities. It could enable funding being prioritised for assisted dying above that for palliative care thus leading to a devaluation of palliative care.

“The dignity of the person is paramount, each of us is created in the image and likeness of God for a particular purpose which is being fulfilled until death comes. This central belief is illustrated by the video entitled ‘Through the Valley’ released in conjunction with the Pastoral Letter ‘Freedom to live fully, until death comes’, he said.

Fall River bishop: 'Father Jay' Mello admitted to 'serious misconduct' in investigation

Bishop Edgar da Cunha said Thursday that the Rev. Jay Mello “recently admitted to serious misconduct” while on leave and under investigation

Da Cunha revealed the information in a letter dated Oct. 31 released to parishioners and provided to The Herald News

Mello was placed on administrative leave in June after the diocese began an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct with an adult. He initially denied the allegations. 

The diocese normally does not disclose the status of investigations while they are underway; the bishop took the unusual step of writing the letter a day before parishioners and students at St. Michael’s School planned to protest outside the Diocese of Fall River headquarters, seeking information about the investigation. 

“While I would not normally provide this detailed of an update until the conclusion of the investigation, I am prompted to do so because there have been a number of false claims and rumors causing confusion based on the belief that Fr. Mello has been unfairly placed on leave,” the bishop wrote. “This confusion is now disrupting the school environment.” 

Da Cunha noted that in the course of the investigation, Mello admitted to “serious sexual misconduct which began while counseling an adult parishioner.” 

He wrote that the role of a Catholic priest involves a great deal of trust between clergy and parishioners. 

“When priests betray that trust, as in this case, the harm comes not only to the immediate victims, but extends to the relationship and bonds of trust between clergy and all parishioners.” 

The Mello investigation is continuing. Da Cunha said it would likely conclude “early next year.” 

Mello has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Da Cunha said those who want to express support for Mello should "continue praying for him."

"I ask that you also pray for all the victims of clergy abuse and misconduct who often feel revictimized when their claims are not believed," he wrote.

Demonstration outside diocese offices is still on

A group of parishioners from St. Michael's and St. Joseph's churches in Fall River, along with parents and students from St. Michael's School, announced Wednesday that students would walk out of school early to take part in a demonstration outside da Cunha's residence and the chancery offices on Highland Avenue.

A spokesperson for the organizers said Thursday afternoon that they were aware of da Cunha's letter, and that the walkout and "peaceful expression will still be taking place tomorrow at the same time and place."

Who is 'Father Jay' Mello?

Mello was the pastor of St. Michael’s and St. Joseph’s churches and of the pre-K to Grade 8 school on Essex Street. When placed on administrative leave, he was replaced and barred from engaging in priestly duties pending the investigation's outcome.

Born and raised in Fall River, Mello is a graduate of Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School, where he later served as a member of the regional school committee.

He was ordained a priest in July 2007 at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in Fall River. He was assigned to St. Julie's Parish in Dartmouth and was chaplain at Bishop Stang High School. In 2010, he was reassigned to St. Patrick's Parish in Falmouth and in 2012 he was reassigned to St. Mary's Parish in Mansfield. He was reassigned to St. Michael Parish shortly afterward, and in 2019 became the police department’s chaplain.

Mello is no longer living at the St. Michael’s rectory, is no longer the police chaplain, and resigned his position on the Diman School Committee.

What are the allegations against the Rev. Mello?

The diocese has released few details of the accusation. In June, Da Cunha wrote in a letter to parishioners, parents of students at the school and local clergy, “It is important to note that there are no allegations of inappropriate conduct with minors.”

Days after the investigation was made public, attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who has represented multiple victims of clergy sexual abuse, claimed that in 2013 Mello sexually abused a 28-year-old man — a different person than the focus of the diocese’s current investigation.

Garabedian said his client’s incident occurred in the rectory at St. Francis Xavier Church in Acushnet.

“There was no consent in this sexual relationship," he said. “It was a violent incident … and my client fled.”

Garabedian said that incident was never properly investigated by the diocese. Ten years later, he said, his client again met with a church investigator, claiming that he knew of two other people who Mello had also had inappropriate contact with.