| 2003
STORIES (back
to top)
Nov. 18: Clergy
abuse inquiry on hold
A grand jury investigation into clergy sexual abuse was put on hold
Monday as Hamilton County prosecutors and lawyers for the Archdiocese of
Cincinnati discussed a possible settlement.
Aug. 23: Archbishop
suspends 3 priests
Cincinnati Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk says his decision to suspend
three priests Monday closes one of the most difficult and painful
chapters of the clergy sexual abuse crisis in Southwest Ohio.
Aug. 12: Lawsuit:
More abuse at Elder
The
Archdiocese of Cincinnati knew of several allegations of sexual abuse
against former Elder High principal Rev. Lawrence Strittmatter more than
two decades ago but didn't remove him from priestly duties until a year
ago, according to a lawsuit by six men who say they were abused by the
priest.
Aug. 11: 2
priests suspended; more allegations arise
Two priests were relieved of their duties at a parish near Dayton, and
an attorney said he would add six plaintiffs to a lawsuit alledging
abuse by a former Elder High principal.
• Text
of the archbishop's statement
Aug. 10: Troubles
test parishioners' trust
In west-side Catholic neighborhoods, a series of church scandals - from
embezzlement to child abuse - is testing people's faith like never
before, and some are expressing their disappointment by withholding
donations.
Aug. 6: Priest
resigns after verdict
The Rev. Raymond Larger, found guilty of soliciting an undercover male
police officer for sex in a Dayton, Ohio, park last month, resigned as
pastor of Our Lady of Visitation parish.
June 12: Schottmer
pleads guilty, won't face jail time
The Rev. Ken Schoettmer became the first Greater Cincinnati priest in
nearly a decade to be convicted of abusing a child when he pleaded
guilty Wednesday to molesting a 17-year-old boy.
May 22: Ex-Elder
principal accused in lawsuit
The Rev. Lawrence Strittmatter, a former Elder High School principal,
molested "several dozen" students at the school, according to
a lawsuit by four former students who say they were victims.
May 21: Church
accused of hiding evidence
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati was accused Tuesday of withholding
documents that were supposed to have been turned over as part of an
investigation into sexual abuse allegations.
Mar. 22: Two
ex-priests indicted on sex abuse
Two
former Catholic priests - George Cooley and Ken Schoettmer - were
indicted Friday on charges of sexually abusing boys while working at
churches in Greater Cincinnati.
Mar. 13: Diocese
must open its files
A Boone County judge has ordered the Diocese of Covington to open its
archive to a Cincinnati attorney Stanley Chesley, who thinks the
contents will show the diocese did not take proper steps to prevent
priests from abusing children.
Feb. 28: Diocese's
list of victims sought
Cincinnati lawyer Stanley Chesley sought to compel the Diocese of
Covington to release a "secret archive" containing names of
people who have complained of sexual abuse by priests.
Jan. 12: Archbishop
addresses sex abuse crisis
Scandals involving the sexual abuse of children by priests have been
plaguing the Roman Catholic Church nationally and in Greater Cincinnati.
Cincinnati Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk recently sat down with the Enquirer
Editorial Board to discuss these issues.
2002 STORIES
Dec. 19 Priests
face church action
Catholic church officials will soon take administrative action that
could result in the removal of five Greater Cincinnati priests accused
of sexual misconduct.
Dec. 3: Archdiocese
faces suspicion
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati and its lawyers may have failed to report
sexual abuse allegations despite an Ohio law that requires them to do
so, Hamilton County prosecutors said.
Nov. 14: RADEL:
U.S. bishops failed to put kids first
Even though I am not a member of the flock, the more I read about the
changes America's Roman Catholic bishops made to their rules for dealing
with priests who molest children, the angrier I get.
Nov. 14: Bishops
OK policy on abuse
WASHINGTON - U.S. Roman Catholic bishops overwhelmingly approved
a compromise sex abuse policy Wednesday after the Vatican demanded they
make changes to balance fairness to priests with compassion for victims.
Nov. 12: Pilarczyk:
New policy tough enough
Cincinnati Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk says the Catholic church's new
policy on sexual misconduct is still tough enough to weed out abusive
priests, despite recent changes by the Vatican.
Nov. 12: U.S.
bishops consider revised abuse policy
The head of the nation's Roman Catholic bishops pleaded for unity within
the church as prelates prepared to adopt a sex abuse policy that they
promised will get offending clergy out of public ministry.
Nov. 5: More
time sought for grand jury
Hamilton County prosecutors asked a judge to give them five more months
to complete an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by
Catholic priests.
Sept. 26: Anti-abuse
class in schools
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati will launch a child abuse prevention
program this year, part of its effort to update church policies in the
wake of sexual abuse scandals nationwide.
Sept. 10: Priest
under investigation resigns
The Rev. Thomas Kuhn, former Elder High principal, resigned from his
Dayton, Ohio, parish Monday as authorities neared a decision on whether
to charge him with a crime for misusing church computers.
July 15: Covington
diocese, priests accused in suit
Northern Kentucky's notorious former priest Earl Bierman and another
priest who reported to the Diocese of Covington have been accused again
- in sealed court documents that are part of a $50 million class-action
lawsuit.
July 14: Church
money tight, but scandal isn't why
Wall Street's poor performance - not backlash from sex abuse by
priests - is being blamed for recent financial losses in the Archdiocese
of Cincinnati and the Diocese of Covington.
•
No
decrease in offerings
July
10: Accused
priest seeks defrocking
The Rev. Louis J. Holtz, 73, a Northern Kentucky priest under
suspension for allegedly abusing a minor in the early 1970s, has asked
to be defrocked, Diocese of Covington officials said.
July 9: Special
grand jury created
Hamilton County prosecutors has convened a special grand jury to
investigate allegations of sexual misconduct by Catholic priests.
June 30: Lawsuit
against priest dismissed
A man's lawsuit alleging sexual abuse by a priest at Cathedral of
Christ the King has been dismissed in Fayette County Circuit Court.
June 24: Ex-diocese
employees claim abuse
A 44-year-old Burlington man claims in a lawsuit that he was abused
while he was an altar boy at Mary Queen of Heaven Church in Erlanger in
1971-72 by the Rev. Paul Ciangetti, who died in 1995.
June 23: Accusers
must name names, judge rules
Plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Catholic dioceses of Lexington
and Covington must reveal their identities and those of their alleged
sexual abusers as well as give specifics of their allegations, a judge
has ruled.
June 18: 5
more claim ex-Elder principal had sexual contact
Five more Elder High School alumni have alleged that the Rev.
Lawrence Strittmatter had inappropriate physical contact with them
during or after racquetball games at a private club, attorney Konrad
Kircher said.
June 15: Deal
made, but priest still not defrocked
Bernard “Bernie” Gerhardstein says he promised to keep quiet
about being abused as a boy by Rev. Louis J. Holtz in rural Campbell
County because the priest agreed to be defrocked, or kicked out of the
clergy. He hasn't. And now Gerhardstein is breaking his silence,
alleging that the Covington diocese and the priest have not kept their
word.
June 15: Archbishop:
policy is tough
Cincinnati Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk says the Catholic church's
new policy on sexual misconduct is tough and uncompromising when applied
to abusive priests.
June 14: Bishops
vote to separate - not oust - abusive priests
American bishops adopted a policy today that will bar sexually abusive
clergy from face-to-face contact with parishioners but keep them in the
priesthood. Victims reacted with outrage.
June 14: Bishop's
words restore faith
The leader of America's Catholic bishops declared Thursday that
sexual abuse scandals have created “a rupture in our relationship with
the faithful.” Catholics in Cincinnati say it's about time the bishops
noticed.
June 13: Priest's
accuser tells his story
Bob Fricke says the Rev. Lawrence Strittmatter, then principal of
Elder High School, had inappropriate physical contact with him while he
was a senior there in 1979-80.
June 12: Some
in parish stand by Strittmatter
Diane Kolleck, who grew up in Western Hills, can't stop loving the Rev.
Larry Strittmatter — no matter what he may have done wrong.
June 11: Priests'
names still secret
Catholic church officials say they will continue to keep secret the
names and assignments of four Greater Cincinnati priests who have a
history of sexual misconduct.
June 10: Another
ex-Elder principal put on leave
The Rev. Lawrence Strittmatter, Elder High School principal from
1970 to 1982, was placed on administrative leave from St. Albert the
Great parish in Kettering after a former Elder student complained that
he was sexually abused in the late 1970s.
June 10: Parishioners
learn of allegations
Parishioners at St. Albert the Great were not told before this
weekend of Rev. Larry Strittmatter's past, said the Rev. James Manning,
the parish pastor.
June 9: Ky.
dioceses lead in lawsuits
More than 120 lawsuits have been filed against Roman Catholic
dioceses in Kentucky, the most in any state.
June 9: Priest
target of 48 suits
The Rev. Louis E. Miller, who served four decades in the Archdiocese
of Louisville, is accused of sexually abusing minors in 48 lawsuits
since mid-April.
June 7: Accused
priest served in N.Ky.
The Rev. Bill Fedders, accused in a sexual abuse lawsuit, served for
15 years in Northern Kentucky and taught at three Catholic schools in
the area.
June 7: Peter
Bronson Column: Seminary denies gay subculture
Does a great moral evil lurk in the sunlit halls and gardens behind
massive stone walls at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Cincinnati?
June 5: Reaction
mixed on abuse proposal
Lifelong Catholic Teresa Steinmetz says a proposal by a U.S. bishops
panel Tuesday to defrock priests who have sexually abused multiple
children should have been made policy long ago.
May 31: Peter
Bronson column: A story of 'evil' in the church
The media won't touch it. The Catholic Church won't admit it. But
thanks to Cincinnati author Michael S. Rose, dozens of priests and
former seminary students are telling the truth about sexual abuse by
priests.
May 26: Church
in dark about probe
Three days after computers were removed by sheriff's deputies from
St. Henry Catholic Parish, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati still did not
know what the investigation is about.
May 25: Ex-Elder
principal relieved of duties
The Rev. Thomas Kuhn, a former principal of Elder High School, has
been placed on administrative leave and relieved of his duties at St.
Henry's Church in Dayton for undisclosed reasons.
May 20: 'After
pastor' helps parish heal
When a sexual abuse scandal forced out an area pastor, Catholic
officials needed a new pastor who could work with stunned and angry
parishioners. They called the Rev. William Schwartz.
May 20: March
shows Catholic pride
Determined not to let pedophile priest scandals shake their faith,
about 400 Butler County Catholics joined in a Catholic Unity March.
May 18: Dioceses
paid $5.7M to settle cases
Greater Cincinnati's two major Roman Catholic dioceses have paid out
nearly $6 million to settle claims over alleged sexual abuse by priests
over the last two decades.
May 18: Four
committed to priesthood
The Roman Catholic church is in a crisis of trust from the priest
sex abuse scandal, but it has strengthened the commitment of four area
men to the priesthood.
May 15: Archbishop
expresses distress
In his first public comments to the more than 500,000 Roman
Catholics under his care, Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk talks about the
pain and suffering from the priest sex abuse scandal in a public letter.
May 9: Church
inquiry widens
A new and expanded grand jury subpoena demands that the Archdiocese
of Cincinnati turn over virtually every scrap of paper in its archives
related to child abuse in Hamilton County.
May 6: Many
Catholics want disclosure
Catholics in two communities are asking the same question about
priests recently accused of sexual misconduct: Why didn't church
officials disclose earlier accusations against them?
May 4: Principal
didn't know about teacher's abuse case
Elder High School's principal says he didn't find out until Friday
that the Archdiocese of Cincinnati had settled a complaint of sexual
misconduct against the Rev. James G. Kiffmeyer in 1997.
May 2: Abuse
victims find empathetic response
Across the country and in the Tristate, increasing numbers of people
are coming forward to report abuse by priests and even nuns.
May 2: Priest
impossible to prosecute
Prosecutors in two Ohio counties say they will not be able to pursue
criminal charges against the Rev. Thomas Hopp, who is accused of
sexually abusing a child.
May 1: Teacher
at Elder denies misconduct
The Rev. James G. Kiffmeyer, 45, an Elder High School teacher, has
taken personal leave for the rest of the school year following
allegations of sexual misconduct, the Enquirer has learned.
May 1: Priest
told to leave parish
A week after he was forced out of one parish, Father Thomas Hopp was
asked to leave another.
April 30: Fr.
Hopp out of ministry
The Rev. Thomas Hopp, the Dayton priest accused of sexually abusing
a child, will never work in a public ministry again, church officials
say.
April 30: Parishioners
meet to discuss abuse allegation
At least 100 people, some with children, attended a meeting at Queen
of Martyrs Church to get more information and talk about allegations
against their former pastor.
April 29: Tristate
priest admits abuse
The Rev. Thomas Hopp, a 61-year-old Price Hill native who served
Cincinnati area parishes and schools for a decade, has been placed on
administrative leave after admitting to sexually abusing a boy at an
Ohio parish years ago.
April 29: Peter
Bronson Column: Thou shalt not molest children
My nomination for Most Painfully Obvious Statement of The Year:
“Pope says child molesters should not be priests.” |
Greater
Cincinnati priests who have been accused in recent months of misconduct:
• Rev.
Lawrence Strittmatter -- In two lawsuits since May, 10 men have
accused the former Elder High principal of sexual abuse. Strittmatter was
principal of Elder from 1970 to 1982. He later served as pastor of Our
Lady of Victory parish in Delhi Township and assistant pastor at St.
Albert the Great parish in Kettering. He was suspended from the latter
position following an accusation of abuse at Elder, and church officials
sent him to a treatment center and ordered him to stay away from children.
When another accusation followed, the Archdiocese placed him on
administrative leave.
• Rev.
Raymond Larger -- Larger resigned as pastor of Our Lady of
Visitation after pleading no contest to soliciting an undercover male
police officer for sex in a Dayton, Ohio, park. He was placed on
administrative leave.
• Rev.
Ken Schoettmer -- The former priest at Queen of Peace church in
Butler County pleaded guilty to molesting a 17-year-old boy in 1999. A
judge sentenced Schoettmer, 61, to probation, allowing the victim to avoid
testifying. Two years ago, Schoettmer confessed to parishioners that he
had three sexual encounters with boys between 1984 and 1999. Archdiocese
officials said Schoettmer, suspended since 2001, will now face formal
proceedings to remove him from the priesthood.
• Rev.
Richard Unwin -- Unwin was relieved as pastor of St. John the
Baptist Church in Tipp City after Cincinnati Archbishop Daniel E.
Pilarczyk revealed he had engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior with
children decades ago. Unwin, 50, taught at Badin High School in Hamilton
and also served at churches in Forest Park, Hamilton and Oxford between
1979 and 1987, when the sexual abuse likely took place. He was placed on
administrative leave.
• Rev.
Francis Massarella -- Massarella, 88, who assisted at St. John
the Baptist Church on weekends, engaged in inappropriate behavior with
girls in private homes more than 50 years ago, Pilarczyk said. Massarella
served in several Cincinnati and Kentucky parishes in the '40s and early
1950s, but has been chaplain at Mercy Sienna Retirement Community, a
nursing home near Dayton, Ohio, since 1956. He was placed on
administrative leave.
• Rev.
Thomas Hopp -- Hopp was suspended as pastor at Queen of Martyrs
parish in Dayton after a man, now in his 30s, accused the priest of
fondling him when he was a teen-ager. Church officials said Hopp admitted
the abuse. The Price Hill native had worked in schools and parishes from
Cincinnati to Kenwood to Delhi Township before finally moving to the
Dayton area. He was placed on administrative leave.
• Rev.
James Kiffmeyer -- Kiffmeyer took a voluntary leave of absence
from Elder High School following allegations by a man who said he was
abused by Kiffmeyer during the late 1980s while he was senior at
Middletown's Fenwick High School. Kiffmeyer, who taught at Fenwick from
1985 to 1991, denied the allegations. He was placed on administrative
leave.
• Rev.
Thomas Kuhn -- Kuhn was suspended from St. Henry's parish in
Dayton after the archdiocese received a complaint about files found on
church computers. Authorities seized the computers but would not say what
they were looking for or what, if anything, they found. Kuhn served as
principal at Elder from 1982 to 1988. He has since resigned from St.
Henry's.
• Four
other Greater Cincinnati priests remain with the archdiocese
despite a history of sexual misconduct. Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk
announced in March that the priests all had been treated and remain under
close supervision. He has refused to name the priests or to describe their
assignments, saying only that they are not a threat to children.
In Northern Kentucky:
• Rev.
Louis J. Holtz -- Mark Fischer, now of Billings, Mont., had
accused Father Holtz of sexually abusing him when he attended Newport
Catholic, where the priest was a teacher. The suit claims the abuse began
in 1970, when Fischer was 13 and continued for three years. Holtz, who is
undergoing "laicization," or the process of being defrocked, is
the subject of a separate criminal investigation started in November.
Holtz and the diocese have settled out of court with Bernard Gerhardstein
of Fort Thomas in 1997 over alleged abuse by Holtz at Holy Family Convent
and St. Phillip's in Melbourne.
• Rev.
Bill Fedders -- Accused in a sexual abuse lawsuit, Fedders served
for 15 years at three Northern Kentucky parishes and taught at three
Catholic schools in the area. The suit filed by a Lexington man, now 33,
alleges that Fedders abused him when he served at the Cathedral of Christ
the King in Lexington in 1983. Currently, Fedders is pastor at Jesus Our
Savior Catholic Church in Morehead, Ky.
April 26: Church
meeting results disappoint some in area
Guy Guckenberger Jr. ,who was molested by a priest at age 10, and
other area residents criticized the outcome of a special meeting of the
American Catholic cardinals with the pope at the Vatican.
April 24: Catholics
cheer pope's statement
Tristate Catholics applauded Pope John Paul II for his strong message
to American cardinals that sex abuse by priests is a crime and abusers
have no place in religious life.
April 24: Dayton
grand jury seeks priest records
A grand jury in Dayton, Ohio, demanded Archdiocese of Cincinnati
church records Tuesday about sexual abuse allegations against priests.
April 21: Church,
county may go to court
A judge may soon be forced to put an end to the intensifying battle
between prosecutors and Catholic church officials in Cincinnati.
April 21: Laura
Pulfer Column: Are priests' victims getting any help?
I wonder where they are now, all those boys molested by priests over
the years. In Boston? In Pittsburgh? In Palm Beach? In Cleveland? In
Cincinnati?
April 15: Sex
no longer a taboo topic in seminaries
Like thousands before them, would-be priests at the Tristate's only
Roman Catholic seminary study the Bible, classic philosophy and church
theology. But unlike many who have gone before them, they also spend hours
talking about sex.
April 15: Seminary
entry requirements
Would-be Roman Catholic priests face rigid requirements to enter
seminaries. This is what's required at the Athenaeum of Ohio-Mount Saint
Mary's Seminary in Cincinnati:
April 15: Homosexuals
not necessarily excluded
Straight or gay? It's one of the questions facing potential entrants
into the nation's Roman Catholic seminaries, and for the church itself.
April 15: TV
ads pulled
TV ads that extolled the virtues of becoming a Roman Catholic priest
disappeared suddenly in Greater Cincinnati amid new revelations in the
widening, national church sex scandal.
April 14: How
the church hid Cooley's sin
Father Cooley's bosses at the Archdiocese of Cincinnati knew of his
keen interest in young people, especially boys. They also knew that where
the priest went, allegations of sexual misconduct followed.
April 14: Cooley
regrets turning victims 'against God'
In his first media interview, George Cooley told The Enquirer
last week that he regrets sexually abusing boys in a Catholic camp and at
the parish he served in the early 1980s, Guardian Angels in Mount
Washington.
April 14: Abuse
robbed family of faith
Two decades after a Catholic priest molested the two youngest
Dasenbrock boys, the family doesn't attend any church. Faith in God still
plays an important role, but they're soured on organized religion.
April 14: Priest
scandals expand nationwide
Revelations of sexual abuse by Catholic priests have swept the country
since early January. Here's how the scandal has evolved nationwide:
April 12: Church
in crisis leaves Catholic mother with sad questions
Matters of religion have moved up the list as a topic of discussion at
my house in recent weeks. As the instigator of most of those talks,
however, I am torn about how honest to be with my children just now.
March 28: Laura
Pulfer Column: Suffer the little children
Forgive me, Father, but I am having unkind thoughts. Why did it take a
court order for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati to cooperate with
authorities?
March 27: Pilarczyk:
Good work overlooked
Cincinnati Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk assured his priests that not
all of them will be tarnished by the few who have abused children.
March 23: Church
faces historic inquiry
Prosecutors will begin an unprecedented investigation next week into
allegations of sexual abuse by priests in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
March 22: Lawyers
view church records
Prosecutors learned Thursday that alleged sexual misconduct involving
three still-active Roman Catholic priests took place in Campbell County
before 1994.
March 22: Pope's
comments welcomed locally
Local Catholics applauded the pope's willingness to publicly address
the widespread accusations of sexual misconduct, even though some said the
statement came a little late.
March 21: Time
hurts sex-abuse cases
Prosecutors in Ohio and Kentucky are waiting today for details about
decades-old sexual abuse allegations against Catholic priests.
March 21: Laura
Pulfer Column: Entire families victimized
Her son was molested by a priest. His life, she says, will never be
the same.
March 20: Priest
cases upset faithful
Northern Kentucky Catholics contacted this week are upset that their
church allowed religious leaders accused of sexual misconduct with minors
to stay on the job.
March 16: Prosecutors
ask what church hid
Hamilton County prosecutors want to know why authorities were not told
about allegations of sexual misconduct involving several Catholic priests.
March 16: Catholics
have little sympathy for abuse
It's a conflict. They want to know that abuses won't be swept under
the rug, but it pains them to see their church under attack.
March 16: Pamphlet
sets rules for prevention, response
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati published a pamphlet titled “Decree on
Child Protection” four years ago. The 47-page pamphlet deals with
prevention and details how the archdiocese is to respond to any
allegations of sex abuse.
March 16: Covington
diocese has written guidelines
The Diocese of Covington relies on a 22-page document to clearly
define what is sexual misconduct and what should happen to its priests who
are accused of abuse.
March 16: Sex
abuse cases not new locally
In one of the most notable cases, the Rev. Earl Bierman, a Northern
Kentucky priest, received a 20-year prison sentence in 1993 after pleading
guilty to 25 molestation charges.
March 15: Accused
priests still serve
As many as five priests in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati who have been
accused of sexual misconduct with teens are still serving in priestly
roles.
|
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ohn
Paul II (
world together to celebrate
their faith. These week-long meetings of youth occur every two
or three years, attracting hundreds of thousands of young
people, who go there to sing, party, have a good time and deepen
their faith. His most faithful youths gathered themselves in two
organizations: "papaboys" and "papagirls."
groups and peoples, and
[for showing] contempt for their cultures and religious
traditions". (
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