Former Christ Church official guilty in child porn case

[Wayne_Zitkus]

We seem to keep seeing more and more of these "church people gone bad" stories...

Former Christ Church official guilty in child porn case

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — The former music director of a church where former President Bush once worshipped pleaded guilty on Monday to possessing child pornography.

Robert F. Tate, 64, of Greenwich, admitted possessing between 150 and 300 pornographic images of children, some engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Prosecutors said some children in the images were younger than 12 years old.

"Yes, your honor. I regret to say I did it," Tate told a federal judge.

Court records accuse Tate of possessing digital images of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct and refer to "apparent foreign travel for purpose of photographing children."

Tate was the longtime music director of Christ Church in Greenwich, where former President George H.W. Bush attended while growing up. Funeral services for his parents, Prescott Bush Sr. and Dorothy Walker Bush, were held there.

Tate faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced April 12.

<more>

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...ild-porn_x.htm

[Tina]

Yeah, news at eleven: some churchgoers are as big a dysfunctional assholes as non-churchgoers. Sometimes more.

I don't feel this reflects poorly on Bush.

[Sandie_Zitkus]

I say "CUT OFF HIS HEAD". And I think you know which one I mean!

[missaf]

Chemical castration may actually be a treatment option.

It's only a minute consolation, but at least he admitted it instead of hiding behind a veil of secrecy and "no contests" like the Catholic priests.

[Seth Warren]

All that repression turns them into deviants. Or so it seems at times...

[Sandie_Zitkus]

Originally Posted by Seth Warren

All that repression turns them into deviants. Or so it seems at times...

I have to disagree. It seems to me the Church as a whole is the hiding place of the Devaint. IMPO'dO

[Sandie_Zitkus]

GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I think every person who has ever been abused by a deviant like this should be on a waiting list to give these scum the chemical shot.

Originally Posted by missaf

Chemical castration may actually be a treatment option.

[missaf]

I seriously doubt the church in question demanded celibacy, and I think using celibacy as a scapegoat for deviant behavior is incorrect. Even repression has its own outlets; just look at the paysite board!

[Canonista]

Originally Posted by Sandie_Zitkus

GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I think every person who has ever been abused by a deviant like this should be on a waiting list to give these scum the chemical shot.

Chemical shots are good. I favor healthy doses of the element Pb boosted by small quantities of nitroglycerin and nitrocellulose. Directed at the offender's genitals it will curb recidivism substantially.

I wish the United States Supreme Court hadn't ruled that rape could not be a death penalty offense (done to stop the lynching of black men who slept with white women). My reccommended "injection" would come in two doses. First to the offender's reproductive organs then a second one an hour or so later to their brain.

I would issue "medical licenses" to the victim's relatives so they could personally administer the injections.

[missaf]

Originally Posted by Sandie_Zitkus

I have to disagree. It seems to me the Church as a whole is the hiding place of the Devaint. IMPO'dO

If you think about it, the church is going to be the place you find deviants and miscreants and people trying to clean up their lives according to their belief system. Jesus didn't come to counsel and be with the rich, the famous, and the people who claim their lives are just fine-- he came to heal the sick, minster to the afflicted, and dined with tax collectors and heathens and people who were shunned by society.

Maybe some are hiding, maybe some are getting better and relapse. Life is a struggle with mistakes that can harm just yourself, or harm hundreds.

That being said, in my own experience within a church, those that are working on their private issues privately, or publicly even, are sometimes seen as "well" or "recovering" and are given positions of authority -- either because they can shine it on, the church doesn't have a good safety for children policy, or the church is desparate for leaders.

Churches have open doors to everyone, and with that, comes the fact that deviants walk in the door. They deserve to worship and pray and come to terms with their bad choices, but they don't need to be anywhere near their temptations. This guy had a long track record, and someone should have been paying attention. Sadly, they weren't, but not all churches are that way.

My current church employs retired police officers to do background checks and investigations on all members and employees who work with children. Those background checks are kept on file and updated every year. Any comments are directed to 10 people immediately and issues are addressed. Thanks to this sytem, four people have been turned down from the right to work with children, and one was sent to jail for a warrant over a fifteen year period. The system is working.

[William]

Hi Wayne

I live 20 miles from Greenwich and when it rains it pours, two more stories in the local area.

If I when to Church I do not think that I would place any money in the basket!!


William


Jan 22, 2007
‘Beloved’ Greenwich priest resigns, parish finances in question
By Ken Borsuk, Staff Reporter
http://www.acorn-online.com/news/pub...le_12948.shtml

Father Michael Moynihan resigned last weekend as pastor of Saint Michael the Archangel Parish and Saint Timothy Chapel on North Street as an investigation continues into two bank accounts he opened outside of diocese policy.

The resignation took the parish by surprise as Father Moynihan had been in his post for 14 years and was popular within the community. It comes in the wake of preliminary findings by an outside auditing firm, which was hired last June by the Diocese of Bridgeport to probe the parish’s finances.
According to the diocese, two “off-the-books” bank accounts had been set up by Father Moynihan without the knowledge of the diocese. The first was discovered in July and a second in December after Father Moynihan had signed a certification in August that no more of these accounts existed. A review of the second account is ongoing but the diocese’s Web site said a review of the first account found a number of “red flags,” including “large dollar amounts paid to Father Moynihan and other individuals without supporting documentation on file.”

However the diocese does not believe that Father Moynihan was engaged in any kind of fraud. In an interview with Greenwich Post on Monday, Bishop William Lori and Norm Walker, the diocese’s chief financial officer, said there was no indication there was any fraud and the money was used for legitimate church expenses, just outside of the proper procedures.

“I’ve spoken with the external auditors and I’ve seen a summary of their findings,” Mr. Walker said. “There are still questions to be answered and all the money hasn’t been tracked down but they are attempting to do that and once they do, we will know for sure one way or the other.”

According to a timeline put together by the diocese, a regular review of the parish was already underway when it was informed by “civil authorities” that Father Moynihan had the outside account. When asked, Bishop Lori said the “authorities” were the FBI and the state’s attorney’s office, but the diocese was not aware of any kind of ongoing criminal investigation.

The diocese also revealed that in August, Father Moynihan was stripped of his financial administration responsibilities at the parish. Msgr. J. Peter Cullen, the diocese’s moderator of the curia and vicar general, took over for him in that capacity while Father Moynihan remained as pastor without financial responsibilities.

Bishop Lori made the announcement about Father Moynihan at the parish’s 5 p.m. mass on Saturday and said the resignation should not impact his accomplishments as a priest. Bishop Lori praised Father Moynihan for displaying “a genuine concern for the spiritual welfare of both young and old.”
“Those accomplishments are not in dispute here as we come to terms with this sad news,” Bishop Lori said in a posted statement on the diocese’s Web site. “Father Moynihan’s failure to properly manage the financial administration of the parish is why a change must be made.”

On Monday, Bishop Lori said this was a very difficult situation. He said action was not taken against Father Moynihan over the summer because he wanted to give him “every opportunity” and said he wanted to see all his priests “succeed and flourish.”

“At that point, everyone had recognized the inappropriateness of doing any kind of off-the-books accounting,” Bishop Lori said. “We wanted to give Father Michael a chance to explain his actions and then make sure they were never done again.”

When the evidence showed that there was a second account, which had been suspected but not proven from the beginning of the audit, Father Moynihan was asked to resign.

Father Moynihan did not appear at the parish services over the weekend but an open letter to the congregation was distributed at the weekend masses. In the letter, Father Moynihan wrote it had been a privilege to serve as pastor and said his resignation was voluntary.

“In the next few weeks you will see a parish financial report that I believe will show the parish to be in sound financial condition, in a debt-free position, with significant assets,” Father Moynihan said. “This weekend, you will also see the preliminary results of the ongoing financial review that will illustrate my deficiencies as a financial administrator. I am truly sorry for this and this has prompted me to resign.”

He added he would continue to work with the outside firm through the audit process.

“I believe at the end of this process that there will be no findings of impropriety or wrongdoing on my part as your pastor,” Father Moynihan wrote. “If the final report should indicate unresolved or questionable expenditures, I will, to the extend that I can, make an appropriate financial contribution back the parish I love so much.”

When asked, Bishop Lori said he didn’t have an answer as to why Father Moynihan opened the accounts.

“I suspect he felt he was more comfortable with that style of administration, but at the end of the day, that’s just not an acceptable style,” Bishop Lori said.

The diocese issued a statement over the weekend saying Father Moynihan had “departed from the parish for a period of rest and reflection.” It added he remains a priest in good standing within the diocese and that he would be discussing a new assignment with Bishop Lori.

Bishop Lori said the diocese did not want to fire Father Moynihan.
“The diocese and myself sought a measured response,” Bishop Lori said. “We took into account what is excellent about his ministry and not so good about his ministry. There are many areas Father Michael performed splendidly. He was an excellent pastor and a great preacher. These attributes were not called into question. It seemed to be a measured response to take him out of the role of a financial administrator.”

Msgr. Cullen was appointed the parish’s temporary administrator and is expected to remain in the role until a new pastor is named. He began work at the parish on Sunday.

Joseph McAleer, director of communications for the diocese, said on Monday that a search for a permanent replacement hadn’t begun, but it would be “a priority” for the diocese.

“There has been no decision or timetable,” Mr. McAleer said. “Msgr. Cullen is there now and is handling all parish affairs. He’s a really terrific priest and he has been a pastor of three different churches. He knows the needs of a congregation.”

Msgr. Cullen said during his time at St. Michael he will keep himself focused on what he calls his “primary role as a priest.”

“I came here as a priest and my most important job is to be a pastor to the parish and share with them their emotion and their anger and their sadness about what’s happened,” Msgr. Cullen told Greenwich Post on Monday. “I’m here to affirm all the good work that’s been done here and to affirm the future of the school and of the parish. I’m here to be a source of spiritual strength and that’s my primary role.”

Since taking over on Sunday, Msgr. Cullen said there’s been a lot of work to get himself acclimated and he has been in discussions with the members of the parish.

“It’s been difficult for them,” Msgr. Cullen said. “This was very sudden for the parish. We’ve been dealing with this since July, so it’s not sudden from that point of view. In the parish there’s a lot of mixed emotions, but everyone is very surprised. There’s an understanding of what’s happened, but there are still a lot of emotions out there ranging from anger to sadness. The emotions to what’s happened have been all along the whole line of what you’d expect. Father Moynihan is beloved here, and rightly so, for his pastoral efforts.”

The financial trouble is the second in less than a year in the diocese. In May, the Rev. Michael Jude Fay of St. John Roman Catholic Church in Darien resigned following allegations he stole as much as $200,000 in church money to fund a lifestyle Bishop Lori described as “unworthy of any follower of Christ, let alone a priest.”

Media reports say he had a homosexual relationship with Philadelphia wedding planner Clifford Fantini. Father Fay denies such a relationship to this day, saying they are “just friends.”

An audit report in July confirmed that from Jan. 1, 2000 through April, 30, 2006, Father Fay was responsible for a loss of as much as $1.4 million to the parish. Another $350,000 remained unaccounted for at the time of the report, meaning that the loss could be almost $2 million.

The results of the official investigation into Father Fay’s financial misconduct by the U.S. Attorney’s office is still pending. The U.S. attorney’s office does not comment on pending investigations.

n kborsuk@greenwich-post.com

Susan Schultz, reporter for Hersam Acorn Newspapers, contributed to this article.

© Copyright 2006 by Hersam Acorn newspapers
Top of Page
Close Window




Here is a older story of another Priest



The Advocate

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news...ocal-headlines
Darien parish still healing after financial scandal
By Donna Porstner
Staff Writer

December 31, 2006

DARIEN - The pastor of one of the richest churches in Fairfield County made headlines in May when he was brought down by accusations he stole from the church coffers to wine and dine his wedding planner boyfriend.

The scandal, which unraveled when the parish fell behind on bills, forced the Rev. Michael Jude Fay to resign as pastor of St. John Roman Catholic Church in Darien.

Another priest in the parish and the church bookkeeper blew the whistle on Fay's wild spending habits. A private eye hired by the Rev. Michael Madden and bookkeeper Bethany D'Erario said he documented that Fay racked up more than $200,000 on his parish credit card for airline tickets, limousine rides, designer clothing, alcohol and dinners at elite restaurants. Many of the purchases were made in Florida, where Fay owns a luxury condominium with Cliff Fantini, and in Philadelphia, where Fantini runs a wedding planning business under the name Cliff Martell.

Fay and Fantini, both 55, did not hide their relationship - at least in Philadelphia - where they posed as a couple for Philadelphia Style magazine, answering the question, "Where was your most romantic Philadelphia dining experience?"

Their relationship went public locally in May when the private investigator, Vito Colucci of Stamford, took his findings to the Darien police, which contacted the FBI.

The case is still under investigation, and no charges have been pressed against Fay.

Fay's whereabouts are unknown. The diocese says its communication with him has been through his attorney, James Wade.

Bishop William Lori of the Bridgeport Diocese, who said he had been reviewing Fay's suitability for the priesthood for some time, promptly called for his resignation.

Many parishioners said they felt duped because they thought Fay's absences were related to his treatment for prostate cancer.

An audit commissioned by the diocese later found Fay improperly spent about $1.4 million over six years, buying furniture, Cartier jewelry and other luxury items.

Fay was the pastor of St. John for 15 years and served on the diocese's Sexual Misconduct Review Board.

After Madden admitted May 23 that he and D'Erario were behind the investigation, nearly 200 St. John parishioners, who feared the bishop would remove Madden, gathered for an impromptu rally on the grounds of the Post Road church. Madden apologized for hiring the private eye, and Lori stripped him from the administrative duties he had been assigned days earlier after Fay's resignation. Parishioners expressed anger at the bishop for making Madden the center of the controversy and were confrontational when he tried to address them that evening.

Madden was allowed to remain in the parish but left the priesthood without warning in August. By that time, D'Erario had quit her bookkeeping job and moved out of state.

Norm Walker, chief financial officer for the diocese, said in December the diocese was seeking restitution from Fay and hoped to gain some of the proceeds from the sale of the condo in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., that Fay purchased with Fantini for $449,100 in April 2005.

Copyright © 2007, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.

Originally Posted by Wayne_Zitkus

We seem to keep seeing more and more of these "church people gone bad" stories...

[XGuy]

Originally Posted by Sandie_Zitkus

I have to disagree. It seems to me the Church as a whole is the hiding place of the Devaint. IMPO'dO

Thats offesive and ignorant.

For one a ton of people go to church regularly, anywhere from 20% to 44%+. This is a huge chunk of people, that inherently (unfortunately) is no different than the rest of the population for the most part. You are still going to have criminals, rapists, pervs, etc. While one would hope you would have a smaller percentage- one would also hope you would have a smaller percentage in tons of different lines (teachers for example). But history shows us the bad get everywhere.

But then you also throw in the fact a lot of people that go to church go to church because they want to change. These people often times also seek positions of responsibility because they think they will "get as much as they put in." If you are a really good Christian maybe God will help you even more. Unfortunately too many of these people expect God and the Church to do all the work, or they ignore the tools God has given us such as psychatrists for one example.

The thing is the media controls our exposure. When the guy down at Subway turns out to be a pedophile no one cares, you just notice (if you are particularly observant) he isn't there anymore. But when the guy at the local church is a perv it plasters the news. Just like teachers that get involved with students plasters the news.

Finally you have the "long time ago," aspect. Theres a good chance if they found out the guy at the local Subway got in trouble for looking at Child Pornography 14 years ago- no one will "care." He probably won't lose his job and the news won't care, so you won't know.

Church leaders however, and rightly so, get in trouble if it turns out they did something 14 minutes ago, or 14 years ago. Then you also have the fact people look for dirt on people in positions of responsibility. No one is trying very hard to spite that guy at Subway- lots of people are trying to spite people in positions of responsibility (politics, teachers, church leaders, etc.) and so they are going to find a higher percentage of that dirt.

[Dr. Feelgood]

I try to put myself in the place of the other person -- even people who like Velveeta and NASCAR racing -- but I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would be attracted to child pornography. Children are about as close to sexless as humans can be; why would anyone fixate on them as sex objects? And yet apparently people do. Can anyone explain what is going on in their minds to make them think of little children as sexy?

[XGuy]

Originally Posted by Dr. Feelgood

I try to put myself in the place of the other person -- even people who like Velveeta and NASCAR racing -- but I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would be attracted to child pornography. Children are about as close to sexless as humans can be; why would anyone fixate on them as sex objects? And yet apparently people do. Can anyone explain what is going on in their minds to make them think of little children as sexy?

A large chunk of the population couldn't fathom how being fat is sexy- whether we have explanations or not. I can't, for the life of me, understand the idea of socks or feet being sexy.

Who knows what makes people tick these days.

[Sandie_Zitkus]

Originally Posted by XGuy

Thats offesive and ignorant.

Is it? REALLY? Well - speaking as a woman hwo was molested by a man of the church at 7 years old - TOUGH!

[Ruby Ripples]

Originally Posted by Wayne_Zitkus

We seem to keep seeing more and more of these "church people gone bad" stories...

I think we see more of these stories because people speak out more now. I don't believe though that it happens any more now than it ever has, just that it used to be swept under the carpet.

I think that any job which puts people in a position of trust around minors, attracts sex offenders and paedophiles, so one hears more of cases in these professions than in others. Also, as someone has already pointed out, a priest, minister or church elder being caught abusing a child is seen as more scandalous than say an electrician or plumber, so is deemed more newsworthy.

When I was a scout leader I had to have an enhanced disclosure carried out on me, to make sure i had no criminal record, which is a very good thing. However, I do worry that these checks are taken as absolute proof that the person has no ulterior motives, resulting in them not being so closely monitored as they would have been without a disclosure having been carried out. After all, there are Im sure lots of paedophiles who simply have never been caught or charged, so nothing would show up on a disclosure.

What I can't fathom, is when it is shown that the Catholic Church shield their paedophile priests, and just move them to new parishes, where they re-offend. I can't understand why the Bishops who knew this was happening, and rubber-stamped the transfer of these priests, have not been jailed, since they are guilty of allowing abuse to continue, and covering it up.

(before anyone takes offence at the above paragraph, Im catholic)

[missaf]

Boy Scouting also now enforces the Youth Protection Plan, that is to be learned and adhered to by all leaders, as well as adult volunteers who are parents. This plan is in depth, requires two adults at all times, and also requires that safety methods are followed by both boys and adults. What impressed me about the YPT program is that the boys are also taught the same methods in terms they can understand, so that everyone knows what is expected, and what is unacceptable behavior.

And this isn't just about adult leaders, it's about looking for signs of abuse at home, too. If a boy hears something that doesn't sound right from a friend, it's designed for the boy to know it's OK to talk to a leader about what he heard -- or if a leader sees signs of abuse, it empowers them to know what to do about it.

Originally Posted by Ruby Ripples

When I was a scout leader I had to have an enhanced disclosure carried out on me, to make sure i had no criminal record, which is a very good thing. However, I do worry that these checks are taken as absolute proof that the person has no ulterior motives, resulting in them not being so closely monitored as they would have been without a disclosure having been carried out. After all, there are Im sure lots of paedophiles who simply have never been caught or charged, so nothing would show up on a disclosure.

[Ruby Ripples]

Originally Posted by missaf

Boy Scouting also now enforces the Youth Protection Plan, that is to be learned and adhered to by all leaders, as well as adult volunteers who are parents. This plan is in depth, requires two adults at all times, and also requires that safety methods are followed by both boys and adults. What impressed me about the YPT program is that the boys are also taught the same methods in terms they can understand, so that everyone knows what is expected, and what is unacceptable behavior.

And this isn't just about adult leaders, it's about looking for signs of abuse at home, too. If a boy hears something that doesn't sound right from a friend, it's designed for the boy to know it's OK to talk to a leader about what he heard -- or if a leader sees signs of abuse, it empowers them to know what to do about it.

That's great, Missaf, parents will feel so much more comfortable. When I was a leader we did have some other rules too, eg. when we took the boys on a weekend trip to a Scout Centre in the country, two leaders at a time had to enter the boys dorm, never just one leader. And no one leader was ever alone with one child, etc. It worked well.

[Wayne_Zitkus]

Originally Posted by missaf

Boy Scouting also now enforces the Youth Protection Plan, that is to be learned and adhered to by all leaders, as well as adult volunteers who are parents. This plan is in depth, requires two adults at all times, and also requires that safety methods are followed by both boys and adults. What impressed me about the YPT program is that the boys are also taught the same methods in terms they can understand, so that everyone knows what is expected, and what is unacceptable behavior.

And this isn't just about adult leaders, it's about looking for signs of abuse at home, too. If a boy hears something that doesn't sound right from a friend, it's designed for the boy to know it's OK to talk to a leader about what he heard -- or if a leader sees signs of abuse, it empowers them to know what to do about it.

They've been doing some of those things for some time now, missaf. When my son was a Scout and I was a Troop Committee member (around 1990), we had to have at least three adults go on camping trips so if one had to go into town to get something, there would be two with the troop. And none of us were allowed to be alone with a single scout - and just to be on the safe side, I made sure I was never alone with my own son.

And if I remember correctly, the Boy Scout Handbook had a special supplement about identifying the signs of abuse or drug use.

Yes, the Boy Scouts used to be a good organization, but as a former Scout and Scout leader, I can no longer support them because of their policy of discriminating against gays.