The Child Protection eNewsletter

Bankruptcy court rejects Spokane diocese settlement…
A federal judge rejected a $45.7-million settlement Thursday for 75 people who have filed sex abuse claims against the bankrupt Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane. http://abcnews.go.com U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Patricia Williams threw out the agreement during a telephone conference hearing, according to lawyers who took part. The judge urged the dozens of lawyers representing the diocese, victims, parishes and other parties to enter into mediation. The judge, noting that bankruptcy law calls for settlements to be "fair and equitable" to all parties, decided the deal favored the 75 people over other alleged victims, lawyers for both sides said. Spokane Bishop William Skylstad, president of U.S. Catholic bishops, is among the clerics accused of abuse in the bankruptcy claims. He has vehemently denied having sexual relations with a woman in the 1960s. vol4_iss12

Meanwhile, the Vatican announced Friday it had asked the Mexican founder of the conservative order, Legionaries of Christ, to renounce celebrating public Masses and live a life of "prayer and repentance" following its investigation into allegations he sexually abused seminarians. http://www.cbsnews.com The Legionaries said in a statement that the Rev. Marcial Maciel, while declaring himself innocent of charges spanning several decades, accepted the Vatican decision "with faith, complete serenity and tranquility of conscience." Pope Benedict XVI approved the sanctions against Maciel -- making it the first major sexual abuse disciplinary case he has handled since taking office last year.

Also, a Roman Catholic deacon on Maui pleaded guilty to more than 60 counts of sexually abusing a boy during a three-year period. http://hosted.ap.org

And to prove once again that it’s not just a Catholic problem, New York magazine asks if orthodox Jews have “a Catholic priest problem.” http://newyorkmetro.com

If you or someone you love is battling the memory of clergy abuse, we recommend you visit http://www.snap network.org

McDonalds and sex offenders…
Nashville’s NewsChannel 5 has uncovered what it calls “an astonishing number of sex offenders who may have worked under the golden arches right here in Tennessee.” http://www.newschannel5.com/content/investigates/19407.asp The series off investigative reports, http://www.newschannel5.com/content/investigates/18959.asp, http://www.newschannel5.com/content/investigates/18989.asp, http://www.newschannel5.com/content/investigates/18996.asp and http://www.newschannel5.com/content/investigates/19060.asp, has McDonald’s claiming it has beefed up its screening practices. http://newschannel5.com/content/investigates/19407.asp.

In a press statement the company says, “McDonald’s USA and our franchisees are absolutely committed to the safety and well-being of our customers and employees. We have recently enhanced and strengthened our Hiring & Employment Policies as well as the guidelines we provide to our franchisees, specifically: McDonald’s USA conducts background checks on all prospective restaurant managers and above. All prospective employees must inform McDonald’s USA and our franchisees of any felony convictions (including sexual offenses) as a condition of employment.” http://channel5web1.atiba.com

In other news...
A Lake County, IL school district board has unanimously approved rules aimed at holding students accountable for what they post on blogs and social-networking Web sites. http://www.belleville.com It is one of the first school boards in the state to decide to monitor students' Internet activities.

As if parents didn’t have enough to worry bout with MySpace.com, vol4_iss22 and vol4_iss19 there's a new worry: a "phishing" scam that experts say could compromise teens' -- or their parents' -- financial information. http://www.suntimes.com

A CDC report on Physical Dating Violence (PDV) among high school students found “approximately one in 11 reporting PDV victimization during the 12 months preceding the survey, a ratio equating to nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide.” http://www.cdc.gov


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