PA House Bill 1947 in its present form will have terrible consequences for St. Genevieves and all of PA’s Parishes. Please read the following – next week you will be receiving a letter in the mail from Monsignor Matz containing the same information. This is a case in the American Legislative system where every voice will count.
ACTION ALERT
Please read the following post from the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference dated 5/26/16.
The Catholic Church has learned hard lessons regarding child sexual abuse and has taken responsibility for the abuse that has occurred within its ranks. The dioceses across Pennsylvania have implemented changes that offer assistance to abuse survivors and affirm that they are not at fault for the crime committed against them.
The Church has also taken great strides to protect children and provide financial assistance for survivors and their families, no matter how long ago the crime was committed, and for as long as necessary. Children and adults are trained to recognize and report signs of abuse to ensure that the children in our care are safe and secure. To date, Pennsylvania’s dioceses have spent over $16.6 million to provide compassionate and supportive victim assistance to individuals and families. Learn more about the Catholic Church’s assistance for survivors here.
Despite that, state lawmakers are considering legislation that would retroactively nullify the statute of limitations for filing a civil lawsuit alleging childhood sexual abuse. It would force parishes, dioceses, schools, and charities to defend cases that are 20, 30, or 40 years old, long after the perpetrator and possible witnesses have died or clear evidence is gone. It could lead to the closure of parishes, schools, and ministries of today’s Catholics, who are in no way responsible for abuse that occurred decades ago.
As proposed, a retroactive nullification of the civil statute of limitations for sexual abuse cases would open a floodgate for lawsuits against private and nonprofit organizations, but it would not apply to public schools or government agencies. Public entities would still be able to claim sovereign immunity from lawsuits, even though the vast majority of Pennsylvania students — 83 percent — attend public school. Survivors abused in public schools, juvenile detention facilities, or county foster care programs could not bring suits under the legislation.
Measures that nullified the civil statute of limitations in other states drained billions of dollars from current ministries, parishes, schools and dioceses. Bankruptcy and severe debt was the only option for most dioceses in the states with retroactive windows. In Delaware, where a retroactive law was adopted, more than half of the individual parishes in the state were sued. One parish in Delaware was hit with a verdict of over $3 million. Very few could afford to go to court; none were able to defend themselves on their own. Financially, they had no choice but to join a group settlement without establishing the facts of individual cases.
Sexual abuse is a serious crime that affects every institution and community in Pennsylvania, public and private. Because of its gravity, it needs to be dealt with comprehensively and fairly.
Any discussion of a legislative remedy must protect all children, not simply penalize some institutions.
http://sol-reform.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Hamilton-Logo.jpg00SOL Reformhttp://sol-reform.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Hamilton-Logo.jpgSOL Reform2016-05-27 18:13:552016-05-27 18:13:55House Bill 1947 and its possible effects on Saint Genevieve and all Pennsylvania parishes
On Tuesday, April 12, 2016, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed House Bill 1947, a proposal to remove the criminal statute of limitations (SoL) for childhood sexual abuse and raise the civil SoL from age 30 to 50 moving forward. It also retroactively extends the civil SoL from survivor’s age 30 to age 50. This bill would prospectively, but not retroactively, lift sovereign immunity so someone who is abused in a public institution in the future could sue the school district or government agency, but not in the past.
To put it another way, civil claims that are currently time-barred would be revived until the victim reaches age 50 but only if that abuse occurred in a non-profit setting, as public schools and agencies would still be protected by sovereign immunity. Nonprofit and private organizations like Catholic parishes and schools could be sued for past cases, but not public schools. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.
Please read this important article concerning this bill to better understand the issues at stake:
Please join us in creating a solution this Friday evening.
Friday, May 27th, 6:30-8:30PM
Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary
100 E. Wynnewood Rd.
Wynnewood, PA
Short presentation on House Bill 1947
Audience participation in filming a short commercial on this issue
Holy Hour of prayer with Bishop Timothy Senior
View the flyer
We will have a brief presentation on the bill and the potential risks associated. In partnership with Joyful Films we are working to produce a short commercial which will educate the public on the severity of this issue and the need to act. We need your help to film a short group scene representing the Catholic Church alive in the Archdioceses of Philadelphia. Following our filming we will have a Holy Hour with Bishop Senior, presiding, to pray for this matter and the strength of our Church.
Please invite everyone you know who will stand with us to defend the Church.
Thank you!
Meghan Cokeley
Office for the New Evangelization
Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Did someone forward you this email? Sign up to receive these email updates from the Office for the New Evangelization directly to your inbox at: http://www.phillyevang.org/inform/
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A New York filmmaker hopes his short film on the lifelong emotional ravages inflicted on victims of clergy sex abuse will persuade lawmakers to support legislation to reform Pennsylvania’s child sex crime laws.
Joe Capozzi, writer and producer of “Confession,” last week sent all the members of the state Senate a link to his 15-minute film, which depicts the story of his own abuse at the hands of a priest.
“It’s a tough film to watch but there’s a purpose for it,” said Capozzi, who worked on the film with wife Angelique Letizia. “Obviously it’s not about entertainment. We wanted to give the perspective from a survivor and what goes on in their head…especially for people who don’t understand. If someone can watch this film and still wonder whether statutues of limitations on child sex abuse should be reformed…if they still can say that, I would question their state of humanity.”
The state House in April approved and sent to the Senate House Bill 1947, which would amend the child sex crime laws by giving victims of abuse a longer time window during which they could bring charges on their predators.
Capozzi said he had not heard back from a single senator, including Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Sen. Stewart Greenleaf and other leadership.
Capozzi said he was sensitive to the fact that lawmakers were busy and received a lot of correspondence. He said that while “Spotlight,” the Academy Award-winning movie detailing the clergy sex abuse case out of the Boston Archdiocese, was difficult to sit through, his film is a mere quarter of an hour.
“Our feeling is that for 15 minutes, if you can challenge yourself, if you are voting on this issue and discussing it, this is one perspective you need to see.”
“It’s a tough film to watch but there’s a purpose for it.” – Joe Capozzi
In particular, the film depicts why it takes victims so long to go public with their abuse.
In 2006, Capozzi agreed to a $50,000 settlement with the Archdiocese of Newark in connection to his abuse. Capozzi had told the archdiocese that Monsignor Peter Cheplic had molested him for two decades starting in the mid-1980s, when Capozzi was a teenager and Cheplic worked at St. Joseph of the Palisades in West New York.
Capozzi last week did hear back from Rep. Mark Rozzi (D-Berks), an outspoken advocate who has pushed for reform and helped steer HB1947 through the House.
“I hope ‘Confessions,’ which provokingly portrays the ‘grooming’ process and how children unwittingly succumb to predators, will elicit understanding of how victims are affected for life and how predators continue don’t stop abusing,” Rozzi said. “We must pass HB 1947 to end this madness.”
Rozzi, a survivor of clergy sex abuse, two years ago, distributed to all the members of the General Assembly copies of his 40-minute documentary “You Have the Power – To Make This Right”. Few members attended the screening.
“That effort did not change minds,” Rozzi said.
Like Pennsylvania, the New Jersey and New York Legislatures have proposed reform legislation pending.
This put on mindset that of someone that gone through struggles and why take so long for someone to come out …it’s such a complicated issue.
“The timing of everything just seems right,” Capozzi said. “I feel hopeful that we are at a point where everyone will wake up and get the sense that we are protecting the wrong people.”
http://sol-reform.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Hamilton-Logo.jpg00SOL Reformhttp://sol-reform.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Hamilton-Logo.jpgSOL Reform2016-05-21 01:57:182016-05-21 01:57:18Ivey DeJesus, Filmmaker hopes his short film on clergy sex abuse will persuade lawmakers to reform law, Penn Live
About 350 priests and deacons of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia attended two sessions this week designed to inform the clergy about pending state legislation to lift the statutes of limitation on cases involving sexual abuse of minors.
The afternoon and evening meetings on Tuesday, May 17 at St. Helena Parish’s hall in Blue Bell were led by Archbishop Charles Chaput, archdiocesan officials and consultants, and were intended to equip the clergy to discuss the legislation immediately with parish pastoral and finance council members plus other parish leaders.
The speakers described House Bill 1947, which passed in the state House of Representatives in April by a 180-15 margin, and its potentially devastating effects to the Catholic Church and all other private institutions across Pennsylvania.
Parishioners throughout the archdiocese will be strongly encouraged in early June to contact their state senators and express opposition to the bill. It is now in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will hold hearings beginning June 14 to study the constitutionality of the bill.
Speakers at the meetings described the dire financial impact upon Catholic parishes, schools and institutions that would likely result from an expected flood of civil lawsuits should the bill be approved by the Senate and signed by the governor.
Archdiocesan spokesman Ken Gavin confirmed in a statement on May 19 that parishioners will in coming weeks learn from their pastors about the issue “in a comprehensive way” and which will include “a great deal of information that’s been absent from the public discussion.”
Media attention on the issue has tended to voice proponents’ arguments for the legislation as a way to give victims of sexual abuse the ability to sue the church and other organizations as a means of healing from their experience and to force the church to change how it handles matters of sexual abuse.
Aid for victims of clergy sexual abuse
Gavin said it was an “overlooked fact” that the Catholic Church “has accepted responsibility for past abuse. It has worked very hard to support survivors and prevent abuse from taking place,” he said.
He pointed out the archdiocese had offered $13 million in aid to victims since 2002. Information from the archdiocese shows about $1.5 million is spent each year on services that included counseling, medication, reimbursement of travel and childcare expenses, vocational assistance and other forms of support.
A survivor’s independent counselor or therapist indicates the needs of his or her client, and the archdiocese’s Victims Assistance Program meets those needs for the individual and family members regardless of when the abuse occurred and without limitation on how long the services are needed, according to Gavin.
He further added that abuse prevention policies including mandatory education and criminal background checks for church workers and volunteers “have been more extensive and going on for much longer than in other institutions.”
Since 2003 about 192,000 adults and children involved in the parishes and schools of the archdiocese have received training to recognize, respond to and report child abuse and improper conduct immediately to law enforcement authorities. The archdiocese has spent $5.7 million on abuse prevention since 2004, according to church records.
“Those efforts exceeded what was prescribed by Pennsylvania law before it was changed a few years ago,” Gavin said. “In some aspects, archdiocesan child protection efforts still exceed state law.”
Proposed changes to Pa. law
Currently, Pennsylvania law allows criminal cases to be brought up to the victim’s age 50, and civil lawsuits up to the victim’s age 30. Statutes of limitation, a legal principle intended to ensure fairness, encourage suits to be filed within a certain time frame. The statutes bar suits reaching back many decades because witnesses may be dead or otherwise unavailable, memories may dim or change, and evidence may not be intact or available.
HB 1947 calls for abolishing all criminal statutes of limitation on child sexual abuse in future cases – a provision that the church in Pennsylvania does not oppose.
The bill also calls for lifting statutes of limitation until the victim reaches age 50. That provision is retrospective – plaintiffs could “look back” into an abuse case from decades ago and file suit against any private organization in the state. That includes religious organizations and individual churches, youth organizations, sports leagues and other private entities.
One provision of the bill would lift the statutes of limitation on public institutions such as school districts but only prospectively – going forward, not looking back. The current law would remain in force regarding monetary caps on settlements against public entities found to be grossly negligent in protecting minors from abuse: $250,000 per plaintiff or $1 million in total related claims for state agencies, and $500,000 for local and county agencies, including school districts.
Private organizations would face damages in an unlimited amounts.
The bill appears to establish two classes of victims. Under current law that would pertain under the new bill, people whose abuse occurred in a public organization must file their lawsuit within six months of the alleged abuse. Under HB 1947, victims within a private organization could file suits decades later.
In a few weeks when parishioners hear at their parishes more details about the push to lift statutes of limitation in Pennsylvania, “they’ll be shown that the proposed legislation does not treat all survivors of child abuse in an equitable fashion,” said Gavin of the archdiocese.
“Parishioners will also certainly receive information about how the legislation might affect them, as well as the parishes, schools, and charitable works they love and support based on what has happened in other states,” he said.
http://sol-reform.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Hamilton-Logo.jpg00SOL Reformhttp://sol-reform.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Hamilton-Logo.jpgSOL Reform2016-05-21 01:52:432016-05-21 01:52:43Matthew Gambino, At meeting, clergy hear of push to lift statutes of limitation on sex abuse cases, Catholic Philly
The National Black Church Initiative Calls on Senator John Flanagan, Governor Andrew Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to Stop Blocking the Way and Pass Margaret Markey’s Child Victims Act A2872A/S63A
NBCI has 1,200 churches in the State of New York
Washington, DC – The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI), a faith-based coalition of 34,000 churches comprised of 15 denominations and 15.7 million African Americans plead with Senator John Flanagan, Governor Andrew Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to stop blocking the passage of Margaret Markey’s Child Victims Act A2872A/S63A.
Assembly Woman Margaret Markey and the National Black Church Initiative and SNAP has been working over the past 4 years to move the New York General Assembly to amend the statue of limitation laws regarding child abuse issues. It is baffling to the Black Church why these three politicians will not defend the dignity of our children and protect their innocence.
Rev. Anthony Evans, the President of the National Black Church Initiative, “We commend Margaret Markey of her tireless efforts to get this Legislation done on behalf of all our kids to protect them from sexual predators. Our entire coalition of churches around the country and the 1,200 churches in the state of New York stand with her and plead for the passage of A2872A/S63A. I must say that we are tired of pleading with politicians to do the right thing. I am authorizing the peaceful demonstrations at the offices of the Governor, Senator and Assembly Speaker which will commence soon if there is no movement to this moral plea.”
We plead in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ, and God Almighty that you will have a conscience for God’s innocence and cooperate with Margaret Markey and pass that Bill this year.
Rev. Anthony Evans
President
National Black Church Initiative
Baby Fund Project
P.O. Box 65177
Washington, DC 20035 202-744-0184
“True Evil Lies Not In The Depraved Act Of The One, But In The “Silence” Of The Many”.
*** Pass the NY “Child Victims Act” Now ***
.
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Abuse groups, Jewish leaders to stage coordinated protests at Whole Foods in NYC and LA on May 25 — to coincide with the chain’s first 365 store launch. Matthew Sandusky, founder of Peaceful Hearts Foundation, and abused son of pedophile Jerry Sandusky, to join protesters in NYC. Nonprofits SNAP (of Spotlight movie) and NAASCA to join Jewish leaders, protesting Whole Foods co-CEO John Mackey’s ties to Marc Gafni, former rabbi with “a troubled past,” as reported by The New York Times.
New York, New York, May 18, 2016 (Newswire.com) – Matthew Sandusky, founder and Executive Director of Peaceful Hearts Foundation, and the adopted and abused son of former Penn State football coach, convicted pedophile Jerry Sandusky, plans to join protesters at Whole Foods Market Upper West Side store in New York City on May 25.
Advocacy groups SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, featured in the movie Spotlight), Peaceful Hearts Foundation, and NAASCA (National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse) are joining forces with New York Rabbi David Ingber of Romemu. The informal coalition plans to lead coordinated protests at Whole Foods in Manhattan, and at the highly anticipated launch of the first 365 by Whole Foods Market store in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles on May 25.
Whole Foods’ public statement, ‘there’s nothing else to say on this matter’ could not be more incorrect. For far too long we have allowed child sex abuse to remain in the shadows of silence. Perpetrators groom their victims into silence and society has reinforced that silence. John Mackey and the Whole Foods Market Board of Directors have an opportunity to reach millions with an important message.
MATTHEW SANDUSKY, FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PEACEFUL HEARTS FOUNDATION
The protests are in response to Whole Foods co-CEO John Mackey’s link to spiritual leader Marc Gafni, a former rabbi with a “troubled past,” as reported by The New York Times in December:
“A co-founder of Whole Foods, John Mackey, a proponent of conscious capitalism, calls Mr. Gafni ‘a bold visionary.’ He is a chairman of the executive board of Mr. Gafni’s center, and he hosts board meetings at his Texas ranch.”
And of one of his accusers, “He [Gafni] added, ‘She was 14 going on 35, and I never forced her.'”
After The Times story broke, Rabbi Ingber led a petition drive, co-authored by more than 100 rabbis and Jewish leaders, demanding that Whole Foods sever ties with Gafni, citing “many, repeated and serious allegations, both public and private, former and recent.”
Sara Kabakov came forward publicly for the first time in her opinion piece in The Forward: “I Was 13 When Marc Gafni’s Abuse Began.” Mackey has been widely criticized by experts in business, academia, and survivors’ advocacy work.
Mackey’s only statement, posted on his Whole Foods Market blog, says his affiliation with Gafni is “strictly a personal relationship,” and includes a link to their 7-part video dialogue on Gafni’s website. Whole Foods has made a parallel statement on Twitter and Facebook, defining Mackey’s relationship with Gafni as “his personal business.” A spokesperson for Whole Foods Market emailed: “John no longer serves on Mr. Gafni’s board and has no connection to the Center for Integral Wisdom. That being said, there’s nothing else to say on this matter.”
But leaders working to eradicate child sexual abuse think Mackey needs to say more. Survivor, author, and advocate Nikki DuBose wrote in The Huffington Post, “It’s no secret that survivors live in silence, and society has a responsibility to help end that.”
The NY Daily News reported:
“[Matthew] Sandusky plans to attend a May 25 protest [at Whole Foods] in Manhattan in support of two women who say they were sexually abused as teens by one-time rabbinical student Marc Gafni. ‘It’s obviously something I feel strongly, passionately about, to be there in person,’ Matt Sandusky said. ‘I love the opportunity to be there and help out.'”
David Clohessy, Executive Director of SNAP, from their press release:
“We disagree with the public relations staffer who claims ‘there’s nothing else to say on this matter.’ If you’ve hurt people, distancing yourself from a wrongdoer isn’t enough. You have a moral duty to do more. We hope to see tangible helpful action by Mackey very soon to lessen the harm he has caused by his irresponsible affiliation with and support for an admitted sex offender.”
Bill Murray, founder and CEO of NAASCA:
“As a community, we need to bring light into the shadows of the taboo issues of child sexual abuse — we must expose institutional enabling to stop the silence and change the culture. Instead of stepping out of this discussion, Whole Foods should publicly step up to the plate by taking a responsible corporate stand against child sexual abuse as soon as possible.”
Matthew Sandusky, founder and Executive Director, Peaceful Hearts Foundation, and author ofUndaunted: Breaking My Silence to Overcome the Trauma of Child Sexual Abuse:
“Whole Foods’ public statement, ‘there’s nothing else to say on this matter’ could not be more incorrect. For far too long we have allowed child sex abuse to remain in the shadows of silence. Instead of maintaining the societal norm of silence around these issues, I would like to see them take a stand against child sexual abuse publicly — to take a leadership role in getting the message across that we can no longer remain silent.”
http://sol-reform.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Hamilton-Logo.jpg00SOL Reformhttp://sol-reform.com/News/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Hamilton-Logo.jpgSOL Reform2016-05-19 11:56:412016-05-19 11:56:41Matt Sandusky at Whole Foods NY May 25
House Bill 1947 and its possible effects on Saint Genevieve and all Pennsylvania parishes
/in Catholic Church Opposition, Clergy Child Sex Abuse, Pennsylvania, SOL Opposition /by SOL ReformSubject: House Bill 1947 and its possible effects on Saint Genevieve and all Pennsylvania parishes
Reply-To: welcome@stgens.com
Hello Families,
PA House Bill 1947 in its present form will have terrible consequences for St. Genevieves and all of PA’s Parishes. Please read the following – next week you will be receiving a letter in the mail from Monsignor Matz containing the same information. This is a case in the American Legislative system where every voice will count.
ACTION ALERT
Please read the following post from the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference dated 5/26/16.
**************************************************************************************
“Oppose Unfair Retroactive Statutes of Limitation Amendments”
http://www.pacatholic.org/oppose-unfair-retroactive-statutes-of-limitation-amendments/
(View article as PDF)
The Catholic Church has learned hard lessons regarding child sexual abuse and has taken responsibility for the abuse that has occurred within its ranks. The dioceses across Pennsylvania have implemented changes that offer assistance to abuse survivors and affirm that they are not at fault for the crime committed against them.
The Church has also taken great strides to protect children and provide financial assistance for survivors and their families, no matter how long ago the crime was committed, and for as long as necessary. Children and adults are trained to recognize and report signs of abuse to ensure that the children in our care are safe and secure. To date, Pennsylvania’s dioceses have spent over $16.6 million to provide compassionate and supportive victim assistance to individuals and families. Learn more about the Catholic Church’s assistance for survivors here.
Despite that, state lawmakers are considering legislation that would retroactively nullify the statute of limitations for filing a civil lawsuit alleging childhood sexual abuse. It would force parishes, dioceses, schools, and charities to defend cases that are 20, 30, or 40 years old, long after the perpetrator and possible witnesses have died or clear evidence is gone. It could lead to the closure of parishes, schools, and ministries of today’s Catholics, who are in no way responsible for abuse that occurred decades ago.
Pennsylvania’s 3 million Catholics cannot afford to defend their parishes and Catholic schools from expensive and unfair lawsuits. Click here to send a message to your legislators.
As proposed, a retroactive nullification of the civil statute of limitations for sexual abuse cases would open a floodgate for lawsuits against private and nonprofit organizations, but it would not apply to public schools or government agencies. Public entities would still be able to claim sovereign immunity from lawsuits, even though the vast majority of Pennsylvania students — 83 percent — attend public school. Survivors abused in public schools, juvenile detention facilities, or county foster care programs could not bring suits under the legislation.
Measures that nullified the civil statute of limitations in other states drained billions of dollars from current ministries, parishes, schools and dioceses. Bankruptcy and severe debt was the only option for most dioceses in the states with retroactive windows. In Delaware, where a retroactive law was adopted, more than half of the individual parishes in the state were sued. One parish in Delaware was hit with a verdict of over $3 million. Very few could afford to go to court; none were able to defend themselves on their own. Financially, they had no choice but to join a group settlement without establishing the facts of individual cases.
Sexual abuse is a serious crime that affects every institution and community in Pennsylvania, public and private. Because of its gravity, it needs to be dealt with comprehensively and fairly.
Any discussion of a legislative remedy must protect all children, not simply penalize some institutions.
Everyone who values our parishes, schools and charitable organizations must urge their state lawmakers to oppose unfair changes to the civil statute of limitations. Click here to send a message today.
**************************************************************************************
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP ST. GENEVIEVE’S AND ALL PENNSYLVANIA PARISHES
Time is of the essence – House Bill 1947 is going to the PA Senate floor during the week of June 13.
We are asking that you contact your PA State Senator, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Governor Tom Wolf and Lt. Governor Mike Stack.
District 12 + Chair of Judiciary Committee
Senator Stewart Greenleaf
711 York Road
Willow Grove, PA 19090
(215) 657-7700
(717) 787-6599
District 4
Senator Art Haywood
1168 Easton Road
Roslyn, PA 19001
(215) 517-1434
(717) 787-1427
God Bless,
Sister Theresa
—
PA Action Alert: Join Bishop Timothy Senior to help increase propaganda against the victims created by the bishops’ self-serving policies.
/in Uncategorized /by SOL ReformPlease help protect our local Church
Dear Friends in Christ,
On Tuesday, April 12, 2016, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed House Bill 1947, a proposal to remove the criminal statute of limitations (SoL) for childhood sexual abuse and raise the civil SoL from age 30 to 50 moving forward. It also retroactively extends the civil SoL from survivor’s age 30 to age 50. This bill would prospectively, but not retroactively, lift sovereign immunity so someone who is abused in a public institution in the future could sue the school district or government agency, but not in the past.
To put it another way, civil claims that are currently time-barred would be revived until the victim reaches age 50 but only if that abuse occurred in a non-profit setting, as public schools and agencies would still be protected by sovereign immunity. Nonprofit and private organizations like Catholic parishes and schools could be sued for past cases, but not public schools. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.
Please read this important article concerning this bill to better understand the issues at stake:
Please join us in creating a solution this Friday evening.
Friday, May 27th, 6:30-8:30PM
Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary
100 E. Wynnewood Rd.
Wynnewood, PA
Short presentation on House Bill 1947
Audience participation in filming a short commercial on this issue
Holy Hour of prayer with Bishop Timothy Senior
View the flyer
We will have a brief presentation on the bill and the potential risks associated. In partnership with Joyful Films we are working to produce a short commercial which will educate the public on the severity of this issue and the need to act. We need your help to film a short group scene representing the Catholic Church alive in the Archdioceses of Philadelphia. Following our filming we will have a Holy Hour with Bishop Senior, presiding, to pray for this matter and the strength of our Church.
Please invite everyone you know who will stand with us to defend the Church.
Thank you!
Meghan Cokeley
Office for the New Evangelization
Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Did someone forward you this email? Sign up to receive these email updates from the Office for the New Evangelization directly to your inbox at: http://www.phillyevang.org/inform/
Ivey DeJesus, Filmmaker hopes his short film on clergy sex abuse will persuade lawmakers to reform law, Penn Live
/in Uncategorized /by SOL ReformA New York filmmaker hopes his short film on the lifelong emotional ravages inflicted on victims of clergy sex abuse will persuade lawmakers to support legislation to reform Pennsylvania’s child sex crime laws.
Joe Capozzi, writer and producer of “Confession,” last week sent all the members of the state Senate a link to his 15-minute film, which depicts the story of his own abuse at the hands of a priest.
“It’s a tough film to watch but there’s a purpose for it,” said Capozzi, who worked on the film with wife Angelique Letizia. “Obviously it’s not about entertainment. We wanted to give the perspective from a survivor and what goes on in their head…especially for people who don’t understand. If someone can watch this film and still wonder whether statutues of limitations on child sex abuse should be reformed…if they still can say that, I would question their state of humanity.”
The state House in April approved and sent to the Senate House Bill 1947, which would amend the child sex crime laws by giving victims of abuse a longer time window during which they could bring charges on their predators.
Capozzi said he had not heard back from a single senator, including Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Sen. Stewart Greenleaf and other leadership.
Capozzi said he was sensitive to the fact that lawmakers were busy and received a lot of correspondence. He said that while “Spotlight,” the Academy Award-winning movie detailing the clergy sex abuse case out of the Boston Archdiocese, was difficult to sit through, his film is a mere quarter of an hour.
“Our feeling is that for 15 minutes, if you can challenge yourself, if you are voting on this issue and discussing it, this is one perspective you need to see.”
“It’s a tough film to watch but there’s a purpose for it.” – Joe Capozzi
In particular, the film depicts why it takes victims so long to go public with their abuse.
In 2006, Capozzi agreed to a $50,000 settlement with the Archdiocese of Newark in connection to his abuse. Capozzi had told the archdiocese that Monsignor Peter Cheplic had molested him for two decades starting in the mid-1980s, when Capozzi was a teenager and Cheplic worked at St. Joseph of the Palisades in West New York.
Capozzi last week did hear back from Rep. Mark Rozzi (D-Berks), an outspoken advocate who has pushed for reform and helped steer HB1947 through the House.
“I hope ‘Confessions,’ which provokingly portrays the ‘grooming’ process and how children unwittingly succumb to predators, will elicit understanding of how victims are affected for life and how predators continue don’t stop abusing,” Rozzi said. “We must pass HB 1947 to end this madness.”
Rozzi, a survivor of clergy sex abuse, two years ago, distributed to all the members of the General Assembly copies of his 40-minute documentary “You Have the Power – To Make This Right”. Few members attended the screening.
“That effort did not change minds,” Rozzi said.
Like Pennsylvania, the New Jersey and New York Legislatures have proposed reform legislation pending.
This put on mindset that of someone that gone through struggles and why take so long for someone to come out …it’s such a complicated issue.
“The timing of everything just seems right,” Capozzi said. “I feel hopeful that we are at a point where everyone will wake up and get the sense that we are protecting the wrong people.”
http://www.pennlive.com/news/2016/05/statue_of_limitations_pennsylv.html
Matthew Gambino, At meeting, clergy hear of push to lift statutes of limitation on sex abuse cases, Catholic Philly
/in Pennsylvania /by SOL ReformAbout 350 priests and deacons of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia attended two sessions this week designed to inform the clergy about pending state legislation to lift the statutes of limitation on cases involving sexual abuse of minors.
The afternoon and evening meetings on Tuesday, May 17 at St. Helena Parish’s hall in Blue Bell were led by Archbishop Charles Chaput, archdiocesan officials and consultants, and were intended to equip the clergy to discuss the legislation immediately with parish pastoral and finance council members plus other parish leaders.
The speakers described House Bill 1947, which passed in the state House of Representatives in April by a 180-15 margin, and its potentially devastating effects to the Catholic Church and all other private institutions across Pennsylvania.
Parishioners throughout the archdiocese will be strongly encouraged in early June to contact their state senators and express opposition to the bill. It is now in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will hold hearings beginning June 14 to study the constitutionality of the bill.
Speakers at the meetings described the dire financial impact upon Catholic parishes, schools and institutions that would likely result from an expected flood of civil lawsuits should the bill be approved by the Senate and signed by the governor.
Archdiocesan spokesman Ken Gavin confirmed in a statement on May 19 that parishioners will in coming weeks learn from their pastors about the issue “in a comprehensive way” and which will include “a great deal of information that’s been absent from the public discussion.”
Media attention on the issue has tended to voice proponents’ arguments for the legislation as a way to give victims of sexual abuse the ability to sue the church and other organizations as a means of healing from their experience and to force the church to change how it handles matters of sexual abuse.
Aid for victims of clergy sexual abuse
Gavin said it was an “overlooked fact” that the Catholic Church “has accepted responsibility for past abuse. It has worked very hard to support survivors and prevent abuse from taking place,” he said.
He pointed out the archdiocese had offered $13 million in aid to victims since 2002. Information from the archdiocese shows about $1.5 million is spent each year on services that included counseling, medication, reimbursement of travel and childcare expenses, vocational assistance and other forms of support.
A survivor’s independent counselor or therapist indicates the needs of his or her client, and the archdiocese’s Victims Assistance Program meets those needs for the individual and family members regardless of when the abuse occurred and without limitation on how long the services are needed, according to Gavin.
He further added that abuse prevention policies including mandatory education and criminal background checks for church workers and volunteers “have been more extensive and going on for much longer than in other institutions.”
Since 2003 about 192,000 adults and children involved in the parishes and schools of the archdiocese have received training to recognize, respond to and report child abuse and improper conduct immediately to law enforcement authorities. The archdiocese has spent $5.7 million on abuse prevention since 2004, according to church records.
“Those efforts exceeded what was prescribed by Pennsylvania law before it was changed a few years ago,” Gavin said. “In some aspects, archdiocesan child protection efforts still exceed state law.”
Proposed changes to Pa. law
Currently, Pennsylvania law allows criminal cases to be brought up to the victim’s age 50, and civil lawsuits up to the victim’s age 30. Statutes of limitation, a legal principle intended to ensure fairness, encourage suits to be filed within a certain time frame. The statutes bar suits reaching back many decades because witnesses may be dead or otherwise unavailable, memories may dim or change, and evidence may not be intact or available.
HB 1947 calls for abolishing all criminal statutes of limitation on child sexual abuse in future cases – a provision that the church in Pennsylvania does not oppose.
The bill also calls for lifting statutes of limitation until the victim reaches age 50. That provision is retrospective – plaintiffs could “look back” into an abuse case from decades ago and file suit against any private organization in the state. That includes religious organizations and individual churches, youth organizations, sports leagues and other private entities.
One provision of the bill would lift the statutes of limitation on public institutions such as school districts but only prospectively – going forward, not looking back. The current law would remain in force regarding monetary caps on settlements against public entities found to be grossly negligent in protecting minors from abuse: $250,000 per plaintiff or $1 million in total related claims for state agencies, and $500,000 for local and county agencies, including school districts.
Private organizations would face damages in an unlimited amounts.
The bill appears to establish two classes of victims. Under current law that would pertain under the new bill, people whose abuse occurred in a public organization must file their lawsuit within six months of the alleged abuse. Under HB 1947, victims within a private organization could file suits decades later.
In a few weeks when parishioners hear at their parishes more details about the push to lift statutes of limitation in Pennsylvania, “they’ll be shown that the proposed legislation does not treat all survivors of child abuse in an equitable fashion,” said Gavin of the archdiocese.
“Parishioners will also certainly receive information about how the legislation might affect them, as well as the parishes, schools, and charitable works they love and support based on what has happened in other states,” he said.
NBCI has been a loyal friend of SOl Reform
/in Uncategorized /by SOL ReformNational Black Church Initiative
P.O. Box 65177
Washington, DC 20035
202-744-0184
dcbci2002@gmail.com
www.naltblackchurch.com
Contact:
Rev. Anthony Evans
202-744-0184
May 12, 2016
For Immediate Release
The National Black Church Initiative Calls on Senator John Flanagan, Governor Andrew Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to Stop Blocking the Way and Pass Margaret Markey’s Child Victims Act A2872A/S63A
NBCI has 1,200 churches in the State of New York
Washington, DC – The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI), a faith-based coalition of 34,000 churches comprised of 15 denominations and 15.7 million African Americans plead with Senator John Flanagan, Governor Andrew Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to stop blocking the passage of Margaret Markey’s Child Victims Act A2872A/S63A.
Assembly Woman Margaret Markey and the National Black Church Initiative and SNAP has been working over the past 4 years to move the New York General Assembly to amend the statue of limitation laws regarding child abuse issues. It is baffling to the Black Church why these three politicians will not defend the dignity of our children and protect their innocence.
Rev. Anthony Evans, the President of the National Black Church Initiative, “We commend Margaret Markey of her tireless efforts to get this Legislation done on behalf of all our kids to protect them from sexual predators. Our entire coalition of churches around the country and the 1,200 churches in the state of New York stand with her and plead for the passage of A2872A/S63A. I must say that we are tired of pleading with politicians to do the right thing. I am authorizing the peaceful demonstrations at the offices of the Governor, Senator and Assembly Speaker which will commence soon if there is no movement to this moral plea.”
We plead in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ, and God Almighty that you will have a conscience for God’s innocence and cooperate with Margaret Markey and pass that Bill this year.
Rev. Anthony Evans
President
National Black Church Initiative
Baby Fund Project
P.O. Box 65177
Washington, DC 20035
202-744-0184
www.naltblackchurch.com
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It Takes A Village To Raise a Child,
…It Takes A Village To Rape A Child
“True Evil Lies Not In The Depraved Act Of The One, But In The “Silence” Of The Many”.
*** Pass the NY “Child Victims Act” Now ***
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Matt Sandusky at Whole Foods NY May 25
/in Uncategorized /by SOL ReformAbuse groups, Jewish leaders to stage coordinated protests at Whole Foods in NYC and LA on May 25 — to coincide with the chain’s first 365 store launch. Matthew Sandusky, founder of Peaceful Hearts Foundation, and abused son of pedophile Jerry Sandusky, to join protesters in NYC. Nonprofits SNAP (of Spotlight movie) and NAASCA to join Jewish leaders, protesting Whole Foods co-CEO John Mackey’s ties to Marc Gafni, former rabbi with “a troubled past,” as reported by The New York Times.
New York, New York, May 18, 2016 (Newswire.com) – Matthew Sandusky, founder and Executive Director of Peaceful Hearts Foundation, and the adopted and abused son of former Penn State football coach, convicted pedophile Jerry Sandusky, plans to join protesters at Whole Foods Market Upper West Side store in New York City on May 25.
Advocacy groups SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, featured in the movie Spotlight), Peaceful Hearts Foundation, and NAASCA (National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse) are joining forces with New York Rabbi David Ingber of Romemu. The informal coalition plans to lead coordinated protests at Whole Foods in Manhattan, and at the highly anticipated launch of the first 365 by Whole Foods Market store in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles on May 25.
Whole Foods’ public statement, ‘there’s nothing else to say on this matter’ could not be more incorrect. For far too long we have allowed child sex abuse to remain in the shadows of silence. Perpetrators groom their victims into silence and society has reinforced that silence. John Mackey and the Whole Foods Market Board of Directors have an opportunity to reach millions with an important message.
MATTHEW SANDUSKY, FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PEACEFUL HEARTS FOUNDATION
The protests are in response to Whole Foods co-CEO John Mackey’s link to spiritual leader Marc Gafni, a former rabbi with a “troubled past,” as reported by The New York Times in December:
“A co-founder of Whole Foods, John Mackey, a proponent of conscious capitalism, calls Mr. Gafni ‘a bold visionary.’ He is a chairman of the executive board of Mr. Gafni’s center, and he hosts board meetings at his Texas ranch.”
And of one of his accusers, “He [Gafni] added, ‘She was 14 going on 35, and I never forced her.'”
After The Times story broke, Rabbi Ingber led a petition drive, co-authored by more than 100 rabbis and Jewish leaders, demanding that Whole Foods sever ties with Gafni, citing “many, repeated and serious allegations, both public and private, former and recent.”
Sara Kabakov came forward publicly for the first time in her opinion piece in The Forward: “I Was 13 When Marc Gafni’s Abuse Began.” Mackey has been widely criticized by experts in business, academia, and survivors’ advocacy work.
Mackey’s only statement, posted on his Whole Foods Market blog, says his affiliation with Gafni is “strictly a personal relationship,” and includes a link to their 7-part video dialogue on Gafni’s website. Whole Foods has made a parallel statement on Twitter and Facebook, defining Mackey’s relationship with Gafni as “his personal business.” A spokesperson for Whole Foods Market emailed: “John no longer serves on Mr. Gafni’s board and has no connection to the Center for Integral Wisdom. That being said, there’s nothing else to say on this matter.”
But leaders working to eradicate child sexual abuse think Mackey needs to say more. Survivor, author, and advocate Nikki DuBose wrote in The Huffington Post, “It’s no secret that survivors live in silence, and society has a responsibility to help end that.”
The NY Daily News reported:
“[Matthew] Sandusky plans to attend a May 25 protest [at Whole Foods] in Manhattan in support of two women who say they were sexually abused as teens by one-time rabbinical student Marc Gafni. ‘It’s obviously something I feel strongly, passionately about, to be there in person,’ Matt Sandusky said. ‘I love the opportunity to be there and help out.'”
David Clohessy, Executive Director of SNAP, from their press release:
“We disagree with the public relations staffer who claims ‘there’s nothing else to say on this matter.’ If you’ve hurt people, distancing yourself from a wrongdoer isn’t enough. You have a moral duty to do more. We hope to see tangible helpful action by Mackey very soon to lessen the harm he has caused by his irresponsible affiliation with and support for an admitted sex offender.”
Bill Murray, founder and CEO of NAASCA:
“As a community, we need to bring light into the shadows of the taboo issues of child sexual abuse — we must expose institutional enabling to stop the silence and change the culture. Instead of stepping out of this discussion, Whole Foods should publicly step up to the plate by taking a responsible corporate stand against child sexual abuse as soon as possible.”
Matthew Sandusky, founder and Executive Director, Peaceful Hearts Foundation, and author ofUndaunted: Breaking My Silence to Overcome the Trauma of Child Sexual Abuse:
“Whole Foods’ public statement, ‘there’s nothing else to say on this matter’ could not be more incorrect. For far too long we have allowed child sex abuse to remain in the shadows of silence. Instead of maintaining the societal norm of silence around these issues, I would like to see them take a stand against child sexual abuse publicly — to take a leadership role in getting the message across that we can no longer remain silent.”