Novus ordo priests at play

[Mornac]

• Tweet

Catholic sex scandal as undercover reporter 'films priests at gay clubs and having casual flings'

By Nick Pisa
23rd July 2010

A gay priest sex scandal has rocked the Catholic Church in Italy today after a weekly news magazine released details of a shock investigation it had carried out.

Using hidden cameras, a journalist from Panorama magazine - owned by Italian Prime Minister and media baron Silvio Berlusconi - filmed three priests as they attended gay nightspots and had casual sex.

Today there was no immediate comment from the Italian Bishops Conference and the Vatican - which has been rocked by a series of sex scandals involving paedophile priests since the start of the year.

A preview of the Panorama article sent out by email last night added that video footage from the investigation would be made available.
The article describes how the reporter was assisted by a gay 'accomplice' as they 'gate-crashed the wild nights of a number of priests in Rome who live a surprising double-life.'

In it's preview, Panorama added: 'By day they are regular priests, complete with dog collar, but, at night it's off with the cassock as they take their place as perfectly integrated members of the Italian capital's gay scene.'

Panorama described its investigation as 'deeply disturbing' as it detailed how three priests - two Italians and a Frenchman - happily took part in gay events and had casual sex.

The Catholic Church forbids priests to have sex and homosexuality is also seen as a 'sin' .

In 2008 the Vatican issued guidelines which said that any would be trainees should not join if they had 'deep-seated homosexual tendencies'.

In one part of the investigation Panorama said that one priest, named as Carlo, willingly put on his cassock to have sex with the reporter's gay accomplice, adding 'all of which was filmed by the hidden camera'.

The magazine also described how they had attended a Mass which was celebrated by Carlo.

In its preview Panorama insisted that it had carried out through checks and established that all three priests were bona fide but would not reveal their real names or any other details.

Panorama editor Giorgio Mule said: 'This was a two week investigation and was not aimed at creating a scandal but showing that a certain section of the clergy behaves very differently.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1297083/Gay-priest-sex-scandal-undercover-Berlusconi-reporter-films-clerics-gay-clubs.html##ixzz0uVhOhwqw

[Mornac]

RI deacon arrested on charges of indecent exposure

August 16, 2011


PROVIDENCE, R.I.—The head of the Roman Catholic church in Providence has removed a Westerly deacon accused of exposing himself to drivers on Interstate 95.

Seventy-year-old Robert Alessio is the second deacon to be arrested this month. Last Wednesday, 71-year-old Laurence Gagnon, a former West Warwick deacon, was arraigned on three counts of second-degree child molestation.

The Westerly Sun ( http://bit.ly/n5tHIo) reports that state troopers arrested Alessio on Friday after responding to a report of a man masturbating in the woods near the weight station on Exit 4 in Richmond.

Bishop Thomas Tobin has revoked Alessio's faculties, saying news that another permanent deacon of the Providence diocese has been arrested for allegedly engaging in illegal and immoral activity "is a source of profound sadness for me and the entire church."

It was not immediately clear whether Alessio has a lawyer.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2011/08/16/ri_deacon_arrested_on_charges_of_indecent_exposure/#

[Mornac]

Pastor was gambling addict

By Jessica Fryman and Doug McMurdo
Oct. 11, 2011

After months of speculation, the parishioners of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Roman Catholic Church learned why their pastor had been placed on leave when he pleaded guilty Friday to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the church.

Still one question remained: Why did he do it?

The answer: Monsignor Kevin McAuliffe is a compulsive gambler.

McAuliffe, 58, expressed his remorse for the theft through his attorney, Margaret Stanish.

"He has donated his life to serve his church and others," an emotional Stanish said on Monday. "He, however, has a gambling addiction. He's so very remorseful for the hurt he has caused to all who are precious to him."

McAuliffe, the former vicar general for the Las Vegas Diocese, ranking second only to the bishop, pleaded guilty to three counts of mail fraud in federal court. The monsignor acknowledged stealing $650,000 from the Summerlin parish, including funds from the gift store, votive candles and church mission. His sentencing hearing is set for Jan. 6.

Stanish said McAuliffe wants to speak up, but she advised him to wait until after his case comes to a legal resolution.

"He said that if he can save one marriage, save one person from suicide, then it would be worth it to tell his story," she said, noting that the pastor is not suicidal but is deeply ashamed.

Parishioners reached in the afternoon appeared willing to forgive, and one man credited McAuliffe with helping him with his own recovery.

That man, Robert Ragan, said he met McAuliffe in June in a treatment program.

"If Kevin wouldn't have been in my group, I don't know if I'd be doing as well as I am doing right now," said the 27-year-old, who spent two months in treatment with the priest. "Everybody looked up to him. He had a lot of insight."

Ragan said he had undergone prior treatment for his gambling addiction but didn't take it seriously until McAuliffe became his friend and mentor through their recovery process. The monsignor gave him a Bible, Ragan said, and helped him to understand spirituality, which had been lacking in his life.

The pair bonded through their attraction to video poker, a common choice for gamblers seeking escape.

"I know that being a priest, it can be alienating. He was a lonely man," Ragan said, noting that the priest became very emotional at times in treatment. "He didn't have any friends, really, which I can relate to. Any pathological gambler can relate to always being isolated."

The National Council on Problem Gambling reports 1 percent of U.S. adults are pathological gamblers. The addiction rate jumps to 6 percent for Nevada adults, according to the state's council on the issue. Pathological gamblers are described as having broken the law or borrowed money to finance the habit, made failed attempts to quit and experienced depression or suicidal thoughts over losses.

Ragan said he hopes the public will understand that gambling addiction is a disease and come to forgive the pastor, whom he calls a dear friend.

"You can easily put on this mask because there's no physical symptoms of it," Ragan said. "But really, it's eating you alive from the inside."

Although parishioners initially were questioning how the monsignor spent the money, most were overwhelmingly sympathetic and supportive of their priest. They said learning he spent the money to feed a gambling addiction didn't change that.

"My heart still goes out to him. It's said that those who have no sin can cast the first stone," said Gloria Devlin, who has attended St. Elizabeth's for nearly 20 years. "Addiction is an illness. Sometimes we don't understand addictions, and it's easy just to say 'just quit.' But it's not that easy for people with an addiction."

Julie Root, a parishioner of about four years, said though she is shocked, learning McAuliffe has an addiction just makes her more sorrowful.

"It just makes him more human, very much like ourselves," she said. "It makes me a little bit sadder knowing that he was going through something like this."

Stanish said McAuliffe worries about St. Elizabeth and its parishioners.

"He knows he let them down," she said. "Believe me, he knows he let them down."

In court documents, McAuliffe agreed to pay $650,000 in restitution; where that money will come from is unknown. He also faces a maximum term of 60 years in prison and $750,000 in fines.

His attorney said six decades behind bars is unlikely. McAuliffe has no prior criminal record, and federal prosecutors have indicated they will seek a term on the lower end of federal sentencing guidelines, Stanish said. She said her client could face in the neighborhood of 33 months and might even get probation.

"He by no means is looking at mandatory imprisonment," Stanish said, admitting that McAuliffe stealing such a vast sum over nearly a decade while in a position of trust does not bode well.

Then again, state courts last year took notice of the toll problem gambling has on Nevada families and created diversion programs for people who run afoul of the law to support their addiction. They stay out of jail, instead undergoing intense treatment to address the root cause of their addiction.

The federal government has no such program, Stanish said. Still, she will ask for compassion.

In the meantime, McAuliffe continues to receive treatment, she said.

Ragan, who said he spoke with the pastor last week, is optimistic about McAuliffe's recovery.

"Kevin has a very strong recovery right now," Ragan said. "He's staying positive about everything. He's in acceptance, which is a great place to be. All he can do is move forward and make amends."

http://www.lvrj.com/news/pastor-was-gambling-addict-131501473.html

[Mornac]

Priest Removed From Ministry After Arrest

January 23, 2012
Phil Yacuboski

A Catholic priest serving at a church in Towson has been relieved from his duties after being arrested and charged with indecent exposure and disorderly conduct while inside of an adult book store and movie theater.

While investigating complaints of illegal activity at the Bush River Adult Book Store and Movie Theater, Harford County Sheriff’s Deputies found Father Mark Stewart Bullock naked from the waist down.

Police make the discovery on January 16, just before midnight.

Father Bullock was serving at Church of the Immaculate Conception in Towson.

Parishioners learned of the arrest in a letter handed to people attending weekend Masses; the letter says the Archdiocese is instructing Father Bullock to undergo a psychological evaluation. He’s also been relieved of his duties and can no longer live at the church rectory. The Harford County Sheriff’s Department says they’ve recently received a number of complaints about the bookstore, that’s why they began their investigation.

Police also say Father Bullock was one of several people arrested.

http://wbal.com/article/85772/3/template-story/Priest-Arrested-At-Adult-Book-Store