Fairbanks may join the bankrupt folks

Priests in the diocese's far-flung churches read a letter during weekend services from Bishop Donald Kettler outlining ways to handle the more than 90 sexual abuse claims against former priests and church volunteers.

Most parishioners weren't surprised that bankruptcy is among those options.
"We know what's happening in other dioceses, with bankruptcies," said Anne Aleshire, a 13-year parishioner at St. Raphael Catholic Parish.

"I wanted to applaud," said Noel Robinson, a St. Raphael parishioner for about 10 years. "They're dealing with it in the open and that's the only way to prevent it and to start the healing."

Kettler said the first trial is scheduled for Feb. 27 if a Nome Superior Court judge or the Alaska Supreme Court fail to side with the diocese and the Society of Jesus in several decisions.
In the suit, an unidentified plaintiff claims the Rev. James Poole sexually abused her, impregnated her, then told her to get an abortion. Nome Judge Ben Esch recently severed Poole from the suit, but the diocese and Jesuits remain on track for trial.

Now that's would be one nasty Priest. One of the minority not playing with
teen boys.

Here's a nice example of what
a million dollars can accomplish when not extracted by the courts to fund
the retirement plans of middle aged men with resurrected gay teen memories ..

The first phase of the Joshua Youth Academy cost about $970,000, not including the 13 acres donated by the government.

Ethiopian President Girma Woldegiorgis pledged on Saturday to work with other groups to undertake similar humanitarian and development work.

The Joshua Youth Academy will eventually have 2,520 beds, as well as classrooms, vocational training and medical care for the youngest and least fortunate members of this beautiful but impoverished country.

The first residents of the center, about 50 boys and girls, have already moved into clean and homey group houses, complete with bedrooms, a dining-room table and a housemother. It is a stark contrast to the dingy dormitory-style orphanage in the capital that the children used to call home.

Ethiopia has one of the highest concentrations of unparented children in Africa, with 4.5 million orphans and other vulnerable children. At least 720,000 children have lost one or both parents to AIDS, according to UNICEF.

The U.S. Agency for International Development last year found "the population of street children in Ethiopia is massive and apparently growing, although no one has exact statistics on their numbers."