The Savannah GA bishop wins praise from the home-town paper for Bishop J. Kevin Boland, who

went to bat for a family alleging abuse by a visiting Jesuit priest.

IF THE Catholic Church in this country had more religious leaders like the [Bishop] Boland, then the abuse scandals that have wracked the church in recent years might have been less painful.

Good for him.  However, his letter was not public, nor did he alert law enforcement.  Bishop Boland wrote the Jesuits in 2003

on behalf of a Georgia family whose teen-age son had a “relationship” with McGuire. [He] said the young man had “transferred his loyalty from family to Father McGuire” and asked the religious order for help.

It’s unclear what, if anything, the Jesuits did. But give Bishop Boland credit for going to bat for the family and not sweeping anything under the rug.

He passed on the parental complaint, but privately.  This entre nous approach has its place.  But in 2003 in the matter of clerical abuse?

Such scandals have tested the faith of Catholics in this country. But responsible actions by leaders like Bishop Boland show that some good shepherds are protecting their flocks.

Within limits, yes.  At least his letter has been made public now, apparently as part of legally mandated disclosure.

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Comment by Reader D:

Bishop Boland, 68 in 2003, was born and raised in Ireland and Irish seminaries. That’s probably the best he could muster with a good heart living amongst us in the USA. Probably not trained to make waves, but at least has a strong moral compass himself. Better than nothing, I guess.

The boom is falling.  Daily Southtown:

Jesuit priest McGuire now faces federal charges
A notorious Jesuit priest and convicted sex offender living in Oak Lawn now faces federal charges alleging he molested boys he took with him on religious retreats in Europe.

Janesville Gazette:

Under current federal law, the statute of limitations for sexual abuse of a minor extends to the life of the victim.

Chi Trib:

 McGuire, who faces up to 15 years in prison, is expected to appear at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse this afternoon.

. . . .

He was transferred from the custody of Wisconsin authorities to federal immigration officials because the allegation involved taking a minor outside the country to engage in sexual conduct, authorities said.

. . . .

Lawyers for five men who have sued McGuire for molesting them as minors say at least 10 families have come forward with similar allegations over the last five decades, including five who are not named in any criminal or civil complaints.

CBS Channel 2:

[McGuire] was affiliated until as recently as last year with the group Mission Fides, which supported his religious retreats in the United States and across the globe. Among the places he visited were Mother Teresa’s communities in India, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

Documents provided by the Jesuits said for at least the past 16 years, McGuire has had several restrictions on contact with minors, but kept traveling with boys and young men in their teens and early 20s throughout the 1990s and through 2003, the U.S. Attorney’s office alleged.

The federal charges stemmed from a boy who came with McGuire to Austria and Switzerland. He was 13 when the alleged abuse began in 1999, and it continued until the fall of 2003, the U.S. Attorney’s office alleged.

Janesville Gazette:

Jesuit order severing ties to McGuire

ELKHORN — McGuire’s Jesuit order, the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus, apparently is severing ties with the retired priest.

In a letter to Judge James Carlson, the Rev. Edward W. Schmidt asks that McGuire be jailed because he cannot be watched closely by the Jesuits.

“Clearly, the only failsafe mechanism to ensure the public’s safety would be to order that McGuire begin to serve his sentence and thus be incarcerated,” according to the letter.

. . . .

Starting in at least 1991, the Jesuits placed special restrictions on McGuire regarding his contact with minors, according to documents the Jesuits provided investigators.

He was ordered repeatedly not to travel with or be alone with any minors, according to the complaint.

A 2002 memo from the Jesuits says six complaints were made about McGuire since 1991 that include having a young man sleep in the same room with him, having a young man wash McGuire’s feet while he showered, buying underwear for a boy, talking incessantly about sex and showing a boy pornography, according to the complaint.

Fr. Schmidt letter to donors:

The Jesuits of the Chicago Province are cooperating proactively and fully with law enforcement authorities in every way we can.

That’s in a release.  In an accompanying letter, he gives telephone number, 773 975 6909, and email address, tim@jesuits-chi.org, where he says he will “welcome your questions, thoughts, ideas and feedback regarding Jesuit misconduct issues.  Please call, write,” 2050 N. Clark St., Chicago 60614, “or email.”

Finally, again in Chi Trib:

“There’s certainly vindication in the filing of criminal charges given McGuire’s influence and support extends across the country,” said Kevin McGuire, the priest’s nephew and the attorney representing two of the three accusers in civil suits. The third accuser has not filed a civil suit.

“We would hope the filing of these charges by an independent law-enforcement body would bring a certain amount of closure to those who were still wondering.”

Rev. Donald McGuire SJ will have to go to jail, having lost his appeal in Walworth County (Wis.) court, the Janesville Gazette reports.

The Rev. Donald J. McGuire is in custody and will have to go to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals if he wishes to overturn a conviction on nearly 40-year-old child molestation charges.

Minutes after Walworth County Judge James Carlson denied every defense motion requesting a new trial, McGuire, 77, was arrested on a warrant for a probation violation.

A Wisconsin Department of Corrections spokesperson said McGuire was arrested for failing to comply with requirements of his sex offender registration.

More:

McGuire had not returned information needed to update his registered status, department of corrections spokesman John Dipko said.

McGuire will likely spend at least three days in jail while the violation is investigated. Probation agents could force him to say longer as a punishment for failing to comply with requirements.