The child porn trial of Deacon William Kokesch starts this morning (Friday 21 Feb.) starts this morning in Montreal:
21 February 2014: 09: 00 am, courtroom # 406, Montreal Quebec (1, rue Notre-Dame Est Montréal [between Champ-de-Mars and Place-d’Armes metro stations])
Deacon William Kokesch, a former journalist, was Director of Communications (English Sector) for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops from 1995-2005. While with the CCCB Kokesch was actively involved in world Youth Day activities .
There was some speculation that Kokesch may enter a guilty plea. That of course is always a possibility at any trial.
So, we shall see.
I still do not know how many days the trial is scheduled to run. We should have an idea after today.
I hope that some people are free to attend and give us some feedback as to what happens in court today. Please post comments and/or send links to media coverage.
Remember in your prayers at this time all those who have been impacted by these charges.
*****
Yesterday I blogged about the addition of Brother John Paradis fic name to the Accused list (20 Feb ’14: Three of them) I mentioned that I would be posting a little video clip. The video clip is posted on all three pages: Brother Paul-Emile Paradis fic (John/Paul Paradis); and there’s Brother Benoit Lessard fic (Danile Lessard); and Brother Guy Lambert fic (Lawrence Lambert)
I will post it here as well. It’s very short, and a little grainy, and silent, but just take a look at all those dear little boys and young lads heading into school.
That was 1969. That’s four years after the reported sex abuse of a student at the hands of Brother Lawrence, but I am sure day one of school was little different then than it was in 1965.
Brothers John Paradis and Benoit Lessard would have been there. Brother Lawrence had by then returned to Japan and was studying Japanese. How much he was or was not around SMIC in 1969 is an unknown, but there is that picture at the top of the page showing him as faculty in 1970.
Anyway, here is the clip.
The first day of school, September 1969
St. Mary’s International School, Japan. Silent video clip
Enough for now,
Sylvia
They had the capacity to move around the world, from school to school, use multiple names, with the blessings of the congregation??!!…. Was the “administration” that blind? How many others in this congregation and other congregations who would have been able to use this scheme??… Was this method of protecting the “congregation” reputation not very similar to moving priests from parish to parish, country to country only to retire in Vatican City, when the law got too “inquisitive”….Are these “offending” brothers finding their way back to a “sheltered” retirement at the “home office”… I am curious !
This silent short film showing the first day of school, who shot it and for what purpose, I wonder. I see a few older men(brothers?) in the foreground and background as the children go down the steps…Were they “spotting” future victims? The reason this short film takes me in that direction is because of a short similar film taken by an “offending” priest (Gagnon) and which depicted boys of about the same age on the beach, at a waterhole, playing in the water in their bathing suits. Creepy once you know the rest of the story…
Was this film of the 1960’s the innocent and Loving memory of a parent, a healthy adult or the pornography of a deviant brother???…
Different times, same problem!
jg