PITTSFIELD — A survivor of clergy sex abuse has decided to stop eating until the Vatican acknowledges receipt of messages from several families of victims that he was assured would be sent to Pope Francis.
Olan Horne, 59, of Chester, one of the first survivors to go public about abuse in the Boston Archdiocese and a longtime advocate for families affected by abuse, told The Berkshire Eagle for a story published Monday that his hunger strike will start at midnight Wednesday. A summit on abuse starts Thursday in Rome.
“I’m ready to stand up for what I believe,” Horne said. “I’m going to bring it to a head. Somebody has to bring attention to this.”
Horne gathered messages from several families last fall to send to Pope Francis. He delivered the messages, as well as one family’s gift, to Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley’s office. O’Malley was named by Pope Francis to help guide a reform commission on the priest abuse scandal.
Archdiocese spokesman Terrence Donilon said in an email Tuesday that the materials were sent to the Vatican.
Horne will take liquids, and his health will be monitored during his hunger strike, he said. He plans to sign a do-not-resuscitate order, he said.
Horne has said he was abused as a teen at a parish in Lowell by Rev. Joseph Birmingham, who died in 1989. He has been one of the most outspoken clergy abuse survivors.
Horne was granted an audience with Pope Benedict XVI in 2008 to discuss the clergy abuse crisis while the pontiff was visiting Washington.
WARE — Police are searching for a 40-year-old man they say bit off part of another person’s ear during an unprovoked attack.
Ware police responded to Baystate Mary Lane Hospital earlier this month after the victim walked into the emergency room with a portion of their ear torn off.
The victim identified the attacker as Alan Mosher. The victim’s name was not released.
Authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Mosher, but have been unable to locate him. He is believed to still be in the Ware area.
Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact Ware police.
BRIDGEWATER — A 16-year-old Massachusetts girl police say threw a cellphone at a teacher has been charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Authorities tell The Enterprise the girl was in gym class at Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School on Friday when she refused a gym teacher’s request to put the phone away.
Police say when the teacher asked her to turn over the cellphone the student became verbally hostile, threw the phone and struck the teacher in the foot. The teacher was not injured.
Superintendent Derek Swenson declined to comment.
The student, whose name was not disclosed because of her age, appeared in juvenile court Friday.
WEYMOUTH — A pedestrian struck and killed by an SUV driven by a firefighter-paramedic in Weymouth over the weekend has been identified as a 71-year-old Brockton man.
Weymouth police on Tuesday identified the victim struck and killed at about 6 p.m. Monday as William Fredette.
Police say the driver of the vehicle remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
Hull Fire Chief Christopher Russo said in a statement that the driver, Hull firefighter Brian Snow, went to the aid of the victim and was then taken to South Shore Hospital.
The death remains under investigation and no charges have been announced.
AUBURN — Massachusetts State Police say one person has died in an early morning rollover crash on I-290.
The crash just before 1 a.m. Tuesday occurred on the ramp from Route 12 to I-290 east.
Police say the male driver, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester where he was pronounced dead.
The victim’s name was not made public.
Auburn emergency workers also responded to the scene and the ramp was closed during the investigation.
From Associated Press