Men [of God] at work in California
13 Mar 2001
CALIFORNIA
SAN FRANCISCO - The Archdiocese of San Francisco says that a priest who is
an academic dean of a seminary has been arrested on charges which may be
related to child pornography and sexual abuse. He allegedly used the
Internet to distribute illegal materials.
According to the archdiocese, a search warrant indicates that the San Jose
Police have been investigating Fr. Carl Schipper, 57, for the last 6 months
on suspicion of child sexual abuse and solicitation of sex with minors using
the Internet. He was arrested at his home in Santa Rosa on March 2. The
archdiocese says it first learned of the charges when the search warrant was
served. Schipper, assigned to the seminary for the past 8 years, was
relieved of his duties as dean and placed on administrative leave.
Abp. William Levada issued an open letter outlining steps to address issues
surrounding the arrest.
CNS, 3/10/00; Daily News, 3/6
-=-
FULLERTON - A priest posing as a police chaplain who pleaded guilty in Jan.
to molesting two young girls has been sentenced to 5 years in state prison.
Fr. Fernando Deliz, 67, agreed to a last-minute plea-bargain with
prosecutors. He admitted that he molested two girls, ages 8 and 11, between
Aug. 1996 and June 1999.
Police Sgt. Joe Klein said Deliz preyed on his victims by falsely
impersonating a Fullerton Police Department chaplain. Deliz volunteered at
the Brookhurst First Baptist Church in Fullerton and was a member of the
Florida-based National Chaplains Assn. He was arrested in Aug.1999 and has
been in county jail since then.
LA Times, 3/8/00
-=-
FRESNO - Policeman Paul Hurth, 44, who is also a Baptist minister, has been
charged with murder of the husband of his alleged mistress. Hurth was held
on $1 million bond.
Hurth was arrested one week after Ralph Gawor, 43, was found shot to death
inside his home. An officer for 4 years, Hurth was fired shortly afterwards.
Gawor, 43, a sales manager for a downtown car lot, was last seen alive Feb.
18 when he left work. Investigators have discovered physical evidence
linking Hurth to the scene. Gawor's employers said there was no indication
of any problems in his 12-year marriage to Nancy Gawor.
However, the attorney for Hurth's family told The Fresno Bee that his client
"was involved with the victim's wife in a romantic relationship."
AP, 2/29/00
-=-
SAN FRANCISCO - A three-judge court of appeals has ruled that a former
seminarian could proceed with his sexual-harassment suit against the Jesuit
order in Calif.
This is the first time any federal court has extended the reach of the Civil
Rights Act to include churches under the sexual-harassment laws that govern
other employers.
John Bollard, the plaintiff, spent 7 years as a Jesuit seminarian and
teacher. During a CBS-TV "60 Minutes" broadcast last May he charged that at
least 12 different priests and superiors had made unwelcome sexual advances
toward him, creating a decidedly hostile work environment, as defined as a
violation of the Civil Rights Act. He complained to Fr. John Privett, the
head of all West Coast Jesuits, and an investigation was undertaken.
"But," Bollard claimed, "they never asked me to come back in and talk to
them about it. They never asked me about witnesses." He added that what he
wanted was "a sincere apology" - and reason to believe that such acts would
be prevented from happening again.
Eventually, believing that the secret was not serious, Bollard resigned from
the Jesuits in 1996 before ordination. He is now a schoolteacher in Southern
Calif.
In his opinion, Judge William Fletcher took great care to answer the claim
that the decision would interfere with "the selection, assessment, retention
and discipline of seminarians, priests and other clergy." Thereby resulting
in an unconstitutional entanglement of church and state.
The judge, however, noted that "the Jesuits do not offer a religious
justification for the harassment that Bollard alleges. Indeed, they condemn
it as inconsistent with their values and beliefs.
"There is thus no danger," the judge continued "that, by allowing this suit
to proceed, we will thrust the secular courts into the constitutionally
untenable position of passing judgment on religious faith or doctrine."
The decision to allow Bollard to go on with his lawsuit applies only to the
West, and the defendants have asked the courts for a review of the decision.
Jewish World Review, 2/6/00
-=-
SAN JOSE - More than 2 years after his arrest, a former Lutheran pastor
testified that he did not molest a teenage boy, but instead was teaching him
about his body in a sexual-learning experience that went awry.
Frequently closing his eyes to recall details from Oct. 1997, Howard
DePorte, 44, denied he was guilty of 10 felony child-molestation charges
involving a now-17-year-old, mildly retarded student.
But DePorte did admit that his actions were inappropriate. "I knew it was
conduct contrary to theR law, but I had the growing sense that no one would
take the risk to help him (the teen) the way I thought he needed to be
helped," said DePorte, who resigned from the Holy Redeemer Church in 1997.
DePorte testified in front of a packed courtroom made up mostly of his
church supporters that he knew he was in a "moral dilemma." If convicted on
all counts, DePorte could face a maximum 21 years in prison.
The boy, whose testimony was sometimes contradictory, said the ex-pastor
molested him on two separate occasions.
According to DePorte, the boy, who was in his confirmation class for 2
years, repeatedly talked about sexual fantasies with soap-opera actresses
and how he thought sex was evil. On several occasions, the boy told the
ex-pastor that his genitals were in pain because he masturbated without
lotion. DePorte testified he decided to show the boy step by step how to
masturbate. Then they masturbated in front of each other in DePorte's church
office, he testified. DePorte also testified that he knows his open views
about sexuality and masturbation go against the teachings of the
conservative branch of the Lutheran church.
Mercury News, 1/6/00
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