ABUSE TRACKER

More than a dozen people described during testimony Monday how being sexually abused as children by Catholic priests in the north country has had long-lasting and often ruinous impacts on their lives.

The people who told their stories in a federal courtroom in Albany have all sued the Diocese of Ogdensburg, the Roman Catholic organization that oversees parishes and churches from Watertown to Plattsburgh and down through the Adirondack Mountains. The survivors contend that the diocese failed to properly prevent and respond to reports of sexual abuse of children by priests in its employ over multiple generations.

Those suits, filed under New York’s Child Victims Act, were authorized by a state law passed in 2019 that briefly authorized people who had been sexually abused to seek civil judgments against their abusers and the organizations that empowered and failed to stop abuse. The Diocese of Ogdensburg is facing 138 such lawsuits.

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Spanish church leaders have criticized media treatment of a diocesan bishop who resigned over accusations of sexual abuse, amid renewed debates over the church’s historic role in the traditionally Catholic country.

“We must take into account the presumption of innocence, because sometimes the perpetrators can be the victims,” said Archbishop Jesús Sanz of Oviedo.

“This bishop asked to be relieved of his duties months ago as a cancer sufferer. Then came the complaint ─ or rather, the complaint became public ─ and this has complicated matters,” the archbishop said.

He was reacting to Pope Leo XIV’s Nov. 22 acceptance of the resignation of Bishop Rafael Zornoza of Cádiz-Ceuta, the first serving Spanish diocesan to quit over abuse claims.

Speaking to journalists, Archbishop Sanz said the church remained close to both “alleged victims and alleged perpetrators,” and urged media restraint pending full investigations.

Meanwhile, Bishop Ginés García Beltrán of Getafe, said treatment of…

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The Stearns County Attorney’s Office filed charges on Wednesday against Joseph Paul Herzing, 61, of Milaca

A Catholic priest has been charged with stalking, criminal sexual conduct and violence against a woman whom he was spiritually advising. This is the second St. Cloud-area priest accused of inappropriate conduct in the past two months.

The Stearns County Attorney’s Office filed charges on Wednesday against Joseph Paul Herzing, 61, of Milaca, for one count each of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and stalking, and three counts of threats of violence in connection with the abuse and intimidation. The abuse occurred between May 2018 and October 2022, according to the criminal complaint.

During the time of the incidents, Herzing served as a priest in Little Falls and St. Cloud, according to law enforcement. He was ordained at St. Mary’s Cathedral in St. Cloud in 1999, and later was appointed as pastor of…

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Law enforcement said Joseph Paul Herzing sexually, physically and emotionally abused an adult woman from 2018-22

A St. Cloud-area Catholic priest has been charged with stalking, criminal sexual conduct and violence against a woman he was spiritually advising.

Joseph Paul Herzing, 61, of Milaca, was charged Wednesday, Nov. 26, by the Stearns County Attorney’s Office. He faces one count each of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and stalking, and three counts of threats of violence in connection with the abuse and intimidation.

According to the criminal complaint, the abuse occurred between May 2018 and October 2022. Herzing served as a priest in Little Falls and St. Cloud during the time of the incidents.

St. Cloud police began investigating Herzing in August 2024, following a report from the woman who said she received spiritual advice, aid, and comfort in the form of confession from Herzing while in Little Falls in 2018, then…

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Charges were filed against a Catholic priest Nov. 26 for actions connected to alleged sexual abuse.

The Rev. Joseph Herzing, 61, a priest in the St. Cloud Diocese, is accused of abusing a woman he provided spiritual guidance to from about May 2018 though October 2022, according to the criminal complaint filed by the Stearns County Attorney’s Office. Stearns County prosecutors say in the criminal complaint alleged sexual acts occurred between December 2021 and October 2022. These alleged actions included kissing and touching the woman in a sexual manner.

During that timeframe, prosecutors allege in the criminal complaint “multiple individuals reported to church leadership that they observed conduct indicative of an inappropriate intimate relationship between the (two individuals).”

Herzing served as a priest at Christ Church Newman Center, St. Anthony Catholic Church and Holy Spirit Catholic Church at that time, according to a statement from the Diocese of…

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A Catholic priest in central Minnesota is charged with sexually abusing, physically assaulting and threatening a woman to whom he had given spiritual guidance.

Joseph Herzing, 61, has served as a priest in several central Minnesota communities, including St. Cloud and Little Falls. He was charged last week in Stearns County District Court with third-degree criminal sexual conduct, stalking and three counts of threatening violence. 

Court documents say St. Cloud police began investigating a report of sexual abuse in August 2024. A woman told police she received spiritual guidance from Herzing over a four-year period beginning in the fall of 2018, first in Little Falls, then in St. Cloud after Herzing moved there.

According to the criminal complaint, multiple people told church leaders they observed conduct that indicated an inappropriate intimate relationship between Herzing and the woman, including Herzing allegedly being at the woman’s residence late at night and early…

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Bishop Patrick Neary, C.S.C., of the Diocese of St. Cloud was notified Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, that Father Joseph Herzing, a priest of the diocese, was charged in Stearns County with one count of stalking, one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and three counts of threats of violence, all involving one adult.

Bishop Neary has placed Father Herzing on leave immediately from his ministry at Christ the King in Browerville, St. Joseph in Clarissa, St. Joseph in Grey Eagle, St. Mary of Mount Carmel in Long Prairie, and St. John the Baptist in Swanville, and prohibited him from all public ministry, pending the outcome of the judicial process. The diocese is cooperating with civil authorities.

Bishop Neary has named Father Arlie Sowada, a retired priest of the diocese, as parochial administrator of the affected parishes.

In October 2022, diocesan leadership was made aware of potential inappropriate behavior between Father…

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Victims of sexual abuse accuse Church of “opacity, slowness, disrespect”

Years on from the shocking report that lifted the lid on decades of deviant behaviour by priests and officials of the Catholic Church and very little appears to have been done for the hundreds of victims.

The “process of analysis” of victims’ claims, in order to determine financial compensation, is simply taking much too long – and smacks of obfuscation.

The Silent Heart Association, which brings together victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, has had enough of waiting.

In a press release today it expresses “concern and outrage” – lamenting the lack of information, and general sloth.

“The Silenced Heart Association expresses deep concern and indignation regarding the handling of the process of analysing and compensating victims of sexual violence within the Portuguese Catholic Church,” says the release, accusing the Portuguese Episcopal Conference (CEP, better known as the conference…

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A woman who was sexually assaulted by a well-known Catholic priest as a child says she “felt dirty” for decades after the abuse.

Fran, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, was sexually abused by Dennis Finbow in the 1980s while he was working as a priest in Peterborough.

Her speaking out led to him being convicted for the first time in 2023, since when more of his victims have come forward to report further offences.

“It made me feel so dirty, and so wrong and bad, that I knew not to say anything,” she told ITV News.

Finbow, 77, originally from Ipswich, served as a priest throughout the 1970s, 80s, and 90s.

He was well-known in the Peterborough and St Neots area, and would regularly feature in local newspapers for his charity work.

Fran said Finbow’s “larger-than-life” character and highly respected religious status meant he was able…

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A Catholic priest serving five parishes in central Minnesota is being charged in Stearns County District Court after he allegedly had an inappropriate relationship with a woman that turned violent.

According to court documents, the woman told police that Father Joseph Herzing gave her spiritual advice and comfort through confession in 2018 while he was serving as a priest in Little Falls. Between 2018 and 2022, multiple people told church leadership they saw inappropriate intimate conduct between the 61-year-old priest and the woman, including Herzing being at her home late at night and early in the morning. In February 2022, the relationship escalated to violence when he allegedly choked and threatened to kill her. In May 2022, the woman saw a text message that led her to believe Herzing was involved in an intimate relationship with someone else, and she confronted him. Herzing choked her, wrestled her to the ground,…

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There’s an update in the on-going process of crafting a settlement between the Archdiocese of New Orleans and those who survived its sexually abusive priests.

An announcement from the Archdiocese says that an agreement has been reached with the bond trustee in the case.

“This is a matter of justice,” said Archbishop Gregory Aymond. “We must pay our debts. I believe this is the just way to move forward for the good of survivors and the local church. We thank the faithful for their prayers for the past five years and continue to ask for prayers for the survivors of abuse. We trust that through the mercy and love of Jesus Christ the Archdiocese of New Orleans will move forward to continue sharing its mission of sharing the Gospel.”

The Archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 Reorganization Bankruptcy in May 2020, in large part due to looming costs of settlements with…

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The Archdiocese of New Orleans has reached a settlement with a group of bondholders in its long-running bankruptcy case, removing the last remaining hurdle towards a resolution, which could come now as soon as next week.

The bondholders, who were owed nearly $30 million on a $40 million loan they made to the archdiocese in 2017 to help refinance parish debt, was opposed to the settlement plan currently up for confirmation before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Meredith Grabill.

The plan, which would create a $230 million trust to be paid to hundreds of survivors of clergy sex abuse and establish strict new abuse protection and reporting policies, has the overwhelming support of abuse survivors. 

The bondholders, however, who initially stood to receive just $3 million of the $30 million they were owed, opposed the settlement and were laying the ground work for an appeal, should Grabill confirm…

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When the Diocese of Ogdensburg filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 17, 2023, it described the move as a “difficult and painful decision,” reached after “extensive prayer and consultation.” For survivors of clergy sexual abuse, however, the bankruptcy did not feel like an act of pastoral care — it felt like another form of silence.

The filing came after the opening of New York’s Child Victims Act window, which allowed survivors to bring forward long‑buried claims. A total of 138 lawsuits were filed against the Diocese, many involving abuse from decades past. The Diocese has stated publicly that it does not have the financial resources to litigate or settle all the cases, and that bankruptcy was the only path forward. While those statements may reflect sincere belief, the impact on survivors is undeniably different.

As a survivor, and as Chair of the Survivors Committee, I have felt these delays…

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The European Institute for Gender Equality defines sexual harassment as follows: “any form of unwanted verbal, non-verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature occurs, with the purpose or effect of violating the dignity of a person, in particular when creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment”. Harassment stems from power, and it is meant to control either psychologically or sexually. In both instances, victims often feel confused, alone, and uncertain about whether they caused the abuse.

As a historian, I aim to understand how women in the past experienced and tackled intimidating behaviour. Particularly, I am looking at harassment during confession in 18th-century Italy. Catholic women approached this sacrament to share doubts and hopes about subjects ranging from reproduction to menstruation, but at times were met with patronising remarks that unsettled them.

A power imbalance

The Vatican archives show us that some of the men who made these remarks…

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A longtime Catholic priest in the Birmingham area has been removed from the clerical state following allegations that he began a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl more than 15 years ago, the Diocese of Birmingham confirmed this week.

Father Robert Sullivan, 61, served as vicar general for the diocese and pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Homewood until he was placed on administrative leave in early August amid the claims. The accuser, Heather Jones, now 33, alleged the exploitative arrangement started around 2009 when she was 17 and working at an adult entertainment club near Birmingham that Sullivan frequented. Jones detailed years of sexual encounters, travel, financial support and a nondisclosure agreement for $273,000 after she raised concerns, according to her public account submitted to the diocese.

The stark 44-year age gap between Sullivan, ordained in 1993 after seminary training, and the teenager has drawn scrutiny amid…

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Fear and Spiritual Blackmail at St. Anthony’s

Many thanks to Nick Welsh for his recent article about “Sexual Predators in the Vatican and the White House.” His reporting on sexual abuse of minors by priests at St. Anthony’s Seminary in Santa Barbara and by wealthy businessmen and politicians, likely including the U.S. President, captures key factors that allow sexual abuse to go under-reported and under-prosecuted. Being in positions of authority and lacking empathy and ethics seem to be the common elements.

Hosting Planned Parenthood’s “Speaking of Sex” radio show on KCSB from the early 1990s through the early 2000s, I interviewed the parents of three boys who were molested by clergy at St. Anthony’s. Under pressure from the then adult survivors and their parents, the Franciscan Order had established an independent board to investigate and report on numerous allegations. Professional therapists, parents of some victims, and others on the…

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The brother of Latter-day Saint apostle, President D. Todd Christofferson, has been charged with sexual exploitation crimes against minors.

Documents show Wade S. Christofferson, 72, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, just before 8 p.m. According to the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office, he was booked by the FBI on a warrant.

According to public records obtained by ABC4, Wade S. Christofferson currently lives in Dublin, Ohio, and is the brother of President D. Todd Christofferson of the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In an obituary for Elder Christofferson’s father, Paul Christofferson, Wade is listed as a surviving child, along with D. Todd Christofferson.

Wade Christofferson is being charged with at least 20 offenses including attempting to sexually exploit a minor with coercion and enticement.

Charging documents allege Christofferson sexually abused a…

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A recent lawsuit claims leaders of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, ignored repeated warnings about child sexual abuse and domestic violence and pressured a mother to keep her children in harm’s way. The suit’s allegations fit a pattern formerly reported by The Roys Report (TRR) that the church led by the late John MacArthur allegedly protected child abusers, while gaslighting and punishing their victims.

The 25-page complaint, filed in California’s Superior Court on Sept. 29, alleges the church went out of its way to protect a father who then abused his daughter during supervised visits.

It lists incident after incident where church leaders allegedly excused and explained away ongoing sexual molestation of the couple’s oldest daughter by the father, while gaslighting the mother’s efforts to stop it.

The new lawsuit is filed by one “Jane Doe” and her three children. It alleges her husband, Clinton Jung, sexually abused the couple’s…

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An attorney for former president Joseph Nyre said the New Jersey school is trying to “silence the truth.”

An investigation ordered by a high-ranking cardinal into clergy abuse at one of the country’s top Catholic universities seemed poised to clear a major hurdle when lawyers sat down last week with a key figure holding potentially damning information.

But for the second time in six months, nothing happened when former Seton Hall University president Joseph Nyre was ready to dish — and his attorney says it’s because the school is trying to “silence the truth.” Nyre showed up, the attorney said, but school officials effectively blocked him from answering any questions.

It’s the latest point of conflict in an investigation spurred by POLITICO’s reporting on Seton Hall’s current president, Monsignor Joseph Reilly, who was named to the position despite previously facing allegations he mishandled sexual abuse claims on campus….

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The Diocese of Laredo announced on Friday that one of its priests was suspended in May after it was notified of accusations of sexual misconduct with a minor.

In a statement, the Diocese of Laredo shared that the accusation was made against Fr. Luis Mares in May of this year. The claim alleged the incident happened 18 years ago while Mares was a priest for the Diocese of Piedras Negras in Mexico.

The statement also shared that the Diocese of Piedras Negras promptly relayed the information about the accusation to Bishop James Tamayo of the Diocese of Laredo, where Fr. Mares had been incardinated as a priest in 2022.

The Diocese of Laredo stated that upon receiving notification of the accusation on May 19, 2025, Bishop James Tamayo, that same day, informed Fr. Mares that his faculties as a priest were temporarily suspended in the Diocese of Laredo pending a…

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A former central Florida pastor already facing charges of sexual abuse and molestation of minors faces additional counts related to crimes that allegedly occurred at his home in DeBary.

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office (VSO) announced on Nov. 21 that Yersson Solarte Basto, 33, was initially arrested on five counts of sexual battery on a victim under the age of 18. Investigators say Solarte exploited his position of trust within the church to groom and coerce the victim into multiple instances of sexual abuse.

VSO said that Solarte was first arrested on May 7 by the Prince William County Police Department in Virginia in connection with allegations stemming from his Sanford congregation. He has since been transferred to the Volusia County Branch Jail, where he is being held without bond.

See also: Drone surveillance leads to arrest in West Palm Beach cocaine sting

According to VSO, the…

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A Texas appeals court has temporarily halted proceedings in a high-profile lawsuit alleging defamation by Gateway Church, saying it will consider arguments that the case intrudes into constitutionally protected church autonomy.

If ultimately successful, those arguments could have wide implications for how far courts can go in reviewing interior communications inside a church relating to child abuse.

The Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas issued the stay Nov. 21, pausing the lawsuit between plaintiffs Cindy Clemishire and her father, Jerry Clemishire, and defendants Gateway Church and three of its independent elders.

The order leaves the pause in effect while the court reviews Gateway’s petition for a writ of mandamus challenging the trial court’s jurisdiction.

The Clemishires sued when Gateway in June 2024 responded internally and publicly to allegations founding pastor Robert Morris sexually abused Cindy Clemishire in the 1980s, beginning when she was 12.

Morris, who resigned from Gateway in June…

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James M. O’Toole traces the collapse of confession in America

“Seldom does history offer an example of a practice undertaken for so long by so many that collapsed so quickly,” writes James O’Toole of confession. “The question is why.” For I Have Sinned is his eloquent, thoroughly researched answer.

From the beginning of the twentieth century into the 1950s, regular confession was what O’Toole, a distinguished historian who taught for many years at Boston College, calls a “defining characteristic” of American Catholic religious life. If Sunday was for Communion, Saturday was for confession, and most Catholics were reluctant to take Communion if they had not gone to confession. 

But in the late 1960s, seemingly all at once, regular confession became the exception, not the norm. By the end of the twentieth century, penance—rechristened reconciliation after Vatican II—had become a “ghost sacrament,” as a priest quoted by O’Toole puts it. It lingered…

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Diocese leadership had suspicions of “inappropriate boundaries” nearly two years before charges were filed.

A central Minnesota Roman Catholic priest has been charged with sexually and physically assaulting a woman who had received his spiritual guidance.

Joseph Paul Herzing, 61, of Milaca was charged Wednesday in Stearns County District Court with one count each of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and stalking, and three counts of threats of violence in connection with the abuse and intimidation that spanned from 2018 to 2022.

The Minnesota Star Tribune contacted Herzing on Friday for a response to the allegations, and he said, “I’ve been told I can’t say anything.”

Herzing, who said he has yet to retain legal counsel, declined to reveal who told him to keep quiet about the case. In the meantime, he is charged by summons and has a Dec. 29 court date scheduled.

Prosecutors say that in August 2024 St….

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University authorities, including the rector, initially denied there was a complaint of sexual assault, media reports say

A Catholic university in Flores, Indonesia, has announced the dismissal of a priest after an internal investigation found he was involved in the sexual assault of a female student.

The priest, whose name has not been revealed, was a lecturer at the Catholic University of Indonesia, Saint Paulus Ruteng, and was dismissed a fortnight ago, said the university rector Father Agustinus Manfred Habur on Nov. 27.

The announcement came a day after local media outlets carried reports of the alleged crime.

Habur said the Saint Paul Foundation’s board of directors dismissed the priest on Nov. 12.

Earlier, the priest was relieved of his duties as a lecturer on Nov. 6, more than six months after the victim “contacted the campus psychology service for consultation regarding the alleged sexual assault,” he added.

This, Habur said,…

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The accused and the two victims were known to one another, police say

Provincial police in Elgin County have charged a Southwold man who formerly worked at a St. Thomas elementary school following an investigation into an alleged sexual luring incident.

Elgin County OPP announced the charges Wednesday afternoon, accusing a 59-year-old man of sexual misconduct and charging him with two counts each of communicating with anyone for the purpose of obtaining sexual services, and communicating with someone under 18 years old for the same reason.

The London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB) has confirmed the man did, in the past, work at one of its elementary schools.

In a letter to parents it shared with CBC News, the school board said the accused “was in our school through a third party (not as a LDCSB employee).”

Police first began investigating after being called to a Southwold Township address following the…

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In short: 

Regional Anglican dioceses are facing financial strain after paying compensation to abuse victim-survivors. 

In the Ballarat diocese, seven properties have been sold and a parish has been closed.

What’s next?

The Anglican Bishop of Ballarat Garry Weatherill says about $6 million has been paid out already and anticipates more than $1 million remains to be paid to more claimants.Link copiedShare article

The Anglican Bishop of Ballarat says regional dioceses around Australia are facing financial pressure and potential closure due to having to pay millions of dollars to abuse victim-survivors. 

In his 2025 “presidential address” Bishop Garry Weatherill said his diocese is in a “very difficult” financial position after having to pay almost $6 million to survivors of abuse over the past decade. 

He said the diocese had sold all of its Ballarat properties and one in Warrnambool to help pay victim-survivors through civil claims and a redress scheme.

The…

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Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś is heading to Poland’s best-known archdiocese

In a blow to fans of ecclesiastical nicknames, Pope Leo XIV has named the Polish churchman dubbed the “Lynx of Łódź” as the next Archbishop of Kraków.

Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś, whose surname means “Lynx” in Polish, has led the Archdiocese of Łódź since 2017. The pope appointed him Nov. 26 as the archbishop of Poland’s best-known archdiocese, whose previous leaders include Karol Wojtyła, who became Pope John Paul II.

Was the cardinal’s move to Kraków unexpected? Where does Ryś sit on the ecclesiastical spectrum? And what are people saying about the appointment?

Let’s take a closer look.

An unexpected appointment?

Polish Catholics have considered Ryś a possible successor to Kraków Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski since at least July 2023, when Pope Francis unexpectedly named Ryś a cardinal.

Francis did not exactly shower Poland with red hats during his almost 13-year pontificate, so it was…

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Robert Sullivan’s self-imposed removal comes after accusations he provided financial support in exchange for arrangement which included sex

A longtime Roman Catholic priest in Alabama has voluntarily left the clergy after a woman alleged to his superiors that he provided her financial support in exchange for “private companionship” including sex beginning when she was 17.

Robert Sullivan’s self-imposed removal from the priesthood – known as laicization – was announced Wednesday, the day before the US holiday of Thanksgiving, in a public statement from Birmingham, Alabama, by Bishop Steven Raica.

The woman who accused Sullivan, Heather Jones, filed her allegations in a formal written statement to the Birmingham diocese that she then shared exclusively with the Guardian in August. Jones, now 33, also maintained that Sullivan had paid her hundreds of thousands of dollars to remain silent about their arrangement, backing up her claim with financial and email records, along with a copy…

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[Editor’s Note: Timothy Quigley, a long-time reader and one-time contributor to WPI, reached out to me recently to ask that we help share his new project, which is an opportunity to accompany him as he journeys his personal “Stations of the Cross.” Timothy is a survivor of clergy sexual abuse, and he will chronicle his journey on his Substack page (Link). You can sign up to receive the newsletter emails here. Please keep Timothy and all survivors in your prayers. —ML] 

Have you felt like you want to accompany survivors of clergy sexual abuse but don’t know how? Does the scandal all feel like so much that you fear that, if you looked at it too closely, it would break your faith? Walk with me during my passion. I will be putting up various posts this week to help you walk alongside me. These will…

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“This is a path to continue, seeking to involve the entire Church, but also civil society. Without wanting to give lessons to anyone, we believe that this process, with the help of such competent people we had and the path we have followed, is the way to follow in this country,” stated José Ornelas, the bishop of the Diocese of Leiria-Fátima.

The prelate was speaking at the opening of the international congress “From Reflection to Action: The Role of the Catholic Church in Preventing and Responding to Sexual Violence,” held in Fátima.

“I ask and hope that we have, with this process, also contributed to the recognition in Portugal of the need to work,” so that children “can have a future with hope and life,” he added.

In his speech, José Ornelas referred to the work of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference (CEP) in this area, reiterating that, “from the beginning,…

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[See PDF of statement.]

November 26, 2025

In light of complaints made against him in July of this year, Father Robert J. Sullivan, of his own accord, submitted a petition to Pope Leo, requesting that he be dispensed from all the obligations arising from Holy Orders. As is the standard process for such petitions, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith studied the request and presented the petition to the Holy Father, who subsequently granted the dispensation. With communication of Pope Leo’s decision on November 24, 2025, Robert J. Sullivan is no longer a cleric in the Catholic Church and, thus, will no longer exercise ordained ministry.

The canonical investigation of the allegations, referred to the Dicastery in late summer, now concludes with this dispensation. A diocesan financial review, initiated at my request due to the significant payments alleged to have been made by then-Father Sullivan, was recently…

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HOMEWOOD, Ala. (WIAT) — An Alabama priest who was put on leave in August after a woman claimed he began a sexual relationship with her when she was 17 has been removed from the clergy by Pope Leo, according to the Catholic Diocese of Birmingham.

“In light of complaints made against him in July of this year, Father Robert J. Sullivan, of his own accord, submitted a petition to Pope Leo, requesting that he be dispensed from all the obligations arising from Holy Orders,” Bishop Steven Raica said in a statement Wednesday.

According to Raica, Pope Leo’s decision to remove Sullivan from the clergy was communicated Monday.

“The canonical investigation of the allegations, referred to the Dicastery in late summer, now concludes with this dispensation,” Raica’s statement continued. “A diocesan financial review, initiated at my request due to the significant payments alleged to have been made by then-Father Sullivan,…

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Bishop Emeritus Rafael Zornoza, the former bishop of Cádiz and Ceuta, has insisted he is innocent of allegations that he sexually abused a young boy when the alleged victim was aged between 14-21.

Following the acceptance of his resignation and an appointment of an apostolic administrator by Pope Leo XIV over the weekend, the Diocese of Cádiz and Ceuta published a statement from Zornoza in which he thanked the Holy Father and insisted he was going to fight the allegations.

“I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Pope Leo XIV for his understanding and paternal closeness, in granting me the power to dedicate myself fully to the medical treatments required by my current state of health, as well as to attend with serenity and trust in God to my defense against an unjust and false accusation, which is being studied by the Church,” he said.

Zornoza was accused of…

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The prosecutor called it “truly heartbreaking” that justice was delayed for several years and explained why charges were not brought against preachers for failing to report a member’s crimes.

DULUTH — Leaders of a local church were warned about their obligation to report allegations of child sexual abuse to authorities several years before investigators learned of the full scope of a member’s crimes, according to a new report.

But even with the benefit of hindsight, Deputy St. Louis County Attorney Jon Holets said he doesn’t believe police and prosecutors could have handled the case against Clint Franklin Massie any differently.

“Child sexual abuse cases are always challenging,” Holets told the News Tribune this week. “This case presented even greater challenges and pressures on victims.”

An investigation into Massie and the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church was published last week by ProPublica, a national, nonprofit investigative journalism outlet, in conjunction…

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I knew NOTHING about the pastors and leaders in the SBC church in the 7 years I attended there. They wore masks.

This is going to be a short screed by Dee. Let me start by saying that I am the worst example of doing the thing I am warning parents and grandparents about. I was first a member of an almost megachurch in Chapel Hill. Then, I attended a growing megachurch in Dallas. My children were babies, toddlers, and school-age as they grew up in these churches. I can say that there was no abuse reported or rumored in these churches. Then, I moved to Raleigh and joined an SBC almost-megachurch. At this church, I allowed them to attend summer camp and participate in a variety of activities and Bible studies. In ALL of these cases, I trusted those who ran the churches.

However, in that final SBC church…

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A Texas appeals court has temporarily halted proceedings in a high-profile lawsuit alleging defamation by Gateway Church, saying it will consider arguments that the case intrudes into constitutionally protected church autonomy.

If ultimately successful, those arguments could have wide implications for how far courts can go in reviewing interior communications inside a church relating to child abuse.

The Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas issued the stay Nov. 21, pausing the lawsuit between plaintiffs Cindy Clemishire and her father, Jerry Clemishire, and defendants Gateway Church and three of its independent elders.

The order leaves the pause in effect while the court reviews Gateway’s petition for a writ of mandamus challenging the trial court’s jurisdiction.

The Clemishires sued when Gateway in June 2024 responded internally and publicly to allegations founding pastor Robert Morris sexually abused Cindy Clemishire in the 1980s, beginning when she was 12.

Morris, who resigned from Gateway in June…

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Multiple lawsuits allege that the Archdiocese of Chicago kept two priests in active ministry in spite of years of “mounting complaints” of child sexual abuse leveled against them.

The suits, filed by the Chicago-based law firm Gould, Grieco, & Hensley, allege that archdiocesan officials allowed Father Daniel Holihan and Father John Curran to continue ministry “even after Church officials were aware of their history abusing children.”

The suits were filed on behalf of students from two archdiocesan schools, Quigley Preparatory Seminary and St. Christina Catholic School. Holihan is alleged to have abused a male student at the now-closed preparatory seminary during the 1980s, while Curran allegedly abused two students at St. Christina around the same time.

The law firm claims the archdiocese had been warned about both Holihan and Curran as early as the 1960s. The alleged abuse victims said they were unaware of the archdiocese’s alleged prior…

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A new lawsuit alleges that Grace Community Church of Sun Valley, California, a prominent nondenominational church once led by John MacArthur, aided and abetted a child abuser.

A plaintiff identified as Jane Doe and three minors identified as “J.J.,” “A.J.,” and “R.J.” filed a complaint for damages against GCC and an individual named Clinton Jung in the Superior Court of the State of California in Sacramento County back in September.

According to the complaint, a copy of which was provided to The Christian Post on Nov. 17, Doe was married to Jung and had reported to Grace Community leaders in early 2021 that he had sexually abused their toddler-aged daughter.

Doe alleges that GCC leadership attempted to conceal Jung’s abusive behavior despite being legally required to report such abuse to authorities and told her to “submit” to Jung’s authority as he continued to abuse her and their children.

“At numerous…

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Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today secured an agreement (PDF) with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) ensuring DOJ will not apply alarming restrictions to critical Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) services supporting survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. Last month, Attorney General Nessel and a coalition of 20 other attorneys general sued DOJ over unlawful new conditions that threatened to cut off critical legal services for survivors who could not immediately prove their immigration status. As a result of the lawsuit, DOJ reversed course and today agreed to a binding resolution guaranteeing the federal government will not apply the restrictions to states’ VOCA Victim Assistance and VAWA funds and ensuring that survivors can continue to rely on these crucial supports, regardless of immigration status.  

“Crime victims, regardless of their immigration status, deserve support, and I am relieved that our lawsuit forced…

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A Tucson pastor accused of failing to report alleged child sex crimes must be evaluated for competency before he stands trial, a Pima County judge ordered Monday. 

Superior Court Judge Mark Hotchkiss agreed with a request by Pastor Isaac Noriega’s attorney that his client should be medically evaluated.

In a Nov. 12 court filing, attorney Douglas W. Taylor argued that Noriega, 83, is incompetent to stand trial due to dementia. He cited a doctor’s report saying Noriega has “late phase mild stage dementia, currently progressing into moderate stage dementia.”

Two doctors, one chosen by the defense and another by the court, will evaluate Noriega before a Jan. 26 competency hearing. 

Noriega, longtime pastor of Golden Dawn Tabernacle on Tucson’s south side, was arrested in June and charged with two counts of failure to report child abuse or neglect of a minor, one felony count and one misdemeanor. He faces up…

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A civil lawsuit filed in April accuses a local recovery program and a religious counselor of sexually abusing five men enrolled in a court-mandated treatment program, according to court documents obtained by KFOX14/CBS4 on Monday.

According to the lawsuit, five former residents of Casa Vida de Salud say they were groomed, assaulted, and threatened by Jorge Gabriel Giorgetti, aka George Gabriel Georgetti, a chaplain and recovery coach who worked closely with residents.

The Recovery Alliance of El Paso, a non-profit organization, operates residential and sober living recovery programs for those struggling with substance use and addiction, including Casa Vida, a 37-bed residential recovery center in central El Paso, according to its website.

In the lawsuit, five men say that through the summer of 2024, a spiritual advisor, Giorgetti, used his authority over them to serially abuse them.

The lawsuit alleges Giorgetti would routinely question residents of Casa Vida, including the…

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A woman has accused self-proclaimed Kenyan-American prophet Lovy Elias of years of sexual exploitation, spiritual abuse, and financial manipulation involving her and multiple other women.

Elias, 39, a songwriter who leads the Revelation Church LA, in Simi Valley, California, claims to hear from God himself and has widespread influence with more than 2 million followers on Facebook and Instagram. He started his church in 2013 in his living room in nearby Woodland Hills.

The woman, who identifies as Jane Doe, filed a civil lawsuit against Elias earlier this month in Los Angeles County’s Superior Court. She also accused Revelation Church of knowing about Elias’s activities but failing to take any action.

Doe alleges that Elias used his authority as a pastor to manipulate her into a sexual relationship, which began in 2022. Elias, who had divorced in 2017, purposefully misrepresented his…

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Editor’s note: This story, which was originally published by ProPublica and Minnesota Star Tribune, contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse.

The girl pleaded not to go.

She fought with her father on the drive over, screaming and crying in his truck until they arrived at the office building for Bruckelmyer Brothers, a home construction company on the outskirts of Duluth, Minnesota. She was just entering her first years of grade school.

In the office, two men were waiting. One of them was Clint Massie, who the girl had recently told her parents had touched her genitals and groped her under her shirt. The other was Daryl Bruckelmyer, a preacher and leader of the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church down the road, where the girl’s family worshipped. Massie was a respected member of the congregation. Bruckelmyer had asked them all to the meeting, according to the girl’s account to police years…

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The Archdiocese of Chicago faces new accusations and three lawsuits accusing the Catholic church of keeping two priests in the ministry for decades, despite warnings and complaints of sexual abuse of children.

The lawsuits claim the Archdiocese kept reassigning Fr. John William Curran and Fr. Daniel Mark Holihan to parishes and schools, even after church leaders were aware of allegations of sexual abuse.

One of the lawsuits claims Holihan groomed a high school student at Quigley Preparatory Seminary in the 1980s, convincing him to visit him at his cottage in northwest suburban Wonder Lake, and the rectory of Our Lady of the Snows Parish in Chicago, where he sexually abused the boy.

According to the lawsuit, the Archdiocese at the time already was aware of sexual misconduct reports from more than 20 people against Holihan dating back to the 1960s. Instead of removing him from the ministry, the lawsuit claims…

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[Click here to see video.]

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — ABC57 Investigative Reporter Brian Conybeare uncovers multiple allegations of clergy sex abuse at the University of Notre Dame.

Four alumni naming four different priests over the course of three decades.

In September, the university launched an external investigation into allegations against one priest, Father Thomas King CSC, a longtime rector at Zahm Hall on campus. He is accused of sexually abusing students in the past.

But the allegations go much deeper than just Father King. Hear from four sexual abuse survivors, sharing their harrowing stories in hopes others feel safe doing the same.

They also say they want Notre Dame to expand its investigation into all priests accused of sexual abuse over the decades, with full transparency and accountability.

Notre Dame statement:

“Notre Dame is deeply saddened and concerned for anyone who suffered abuse while a member of our community. …

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Lafayette, LA – In the flat, humid parishes of south Louisiana, in the heart of the Diocese of Lafayette, the name Father Gilbert Gauthe once meant trust. He was the smiling young priest in photographs and parish bulletins, the man who baptized babies, posed for First Communion pictures, and bowed his head in prayer beside hospital beds. Parents were proud when he chose their sons to serve at his altar. To many families, he was a sign that God was close.

Behind that image, he was something very different. Over the span of years, while wearing the collar and carrying the authority of the Church, Gauthe repeatedly abused children entrusted to his care. What he did, and what the Diocese of Lafayette did and failed to do, would become one of the first major Catholic abuse scandals in the United States. That scandal would pull in a young defense lawyer named…

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YOUNGSTOWN – A fourth lawsuit has been filed against Ursuline High School, this time accusing the school of failing to prevent an assault on a student in the school cafeteria.

The allegations in the latest suit stem from an incident in April of 2024 involving a 14-year-old freshman female student. 

According to the suit, one of the victim’s friends told her that one of her ex-friends was telling students that she planned to fight her during lunch the following day.

Later that night, the ex-friend texted the victim directly, telling her that she was going to fight her the next day and the victim told her mother, according to the suit.

From there, the suit states that the mother contacted the school’s guidance counselor Louise Kotel to alert her of the fight.  The suit states that Kotel responded about an hour later with her reply, which read:

“Good evening. Thank you for…

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YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)- A fourth lawsuit was filed against Ursuline High School on Monday in the Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas.

According to court records, this lawsuit was brought on by a former Ursuline High School student, referred to in the lawsuit as Daughter Smith, and her family, referred to as Mother Smith, against Ursuline High School, its assistant principal Margaret Damore, and the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown.

The lawsuit alleges that another student, Friend 2, alerted school officials about the planned fight.

The lawsuit alleges that the planned attack happened and that Daughter was seriously injured. The lawsuit alleges that the daughter was diagnosed with a concussion and continues to suffer from the attack.

This latest lawsuit is now the fourth lawsuit to be filed against Ursuline High School this year.

Subodh Chandra, the plaintiffs’ lead counsel in these civil cases, released a statement in…

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Not that police, prosecutors or the state’s child welfare agency are aware of. State law requires clergy to report suspected sexual violence against kids. A top pastor of Chapelstreet Church, a large evangelical congregation in Geneva, is accused in a lawsuit of knowing about alleged sex abuse by the youth leader and doing nothing.

Kane County authorities say they’re unaware of anyone from Chapelstreet Church ever reporting potential child sex abuse involving a now-former youth leader who, along with the evangelical congregation and one of its top leaders, was recently sued by an accuser.

The lawsuit accused ex-youth leader Don Vanthournout of molesting two boys over the years.

Interim lead pastor Brian Coffey was accused in the lawsuit of knowing about at least some of Vanthournout’s alleged misconduct and doing nothing, allowing the sex abuse to perpetuate.

Members of the clergy, like teachers, are generally required under state law to…

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Statement from Southwark diocese says tribunal related to ‘serious sexual abuse of a 15-year-old’ in the 1980s, when Tudor was a priest in Surrey

A NEW complaint against David Tudor, who last year was prohibited from ministry for life, has been upheld by a disciplinary tribunal, it was announced on Monday.

A statement on the diocese of Southwark’s website said that the tribunal related to the “serious sexual abuse of a 15-year-old” in the 1980s, when he was a priest in Surrey.

The Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, said: “The behaviours that have been considered by this tribunal hearing — and others earlier admitted by David Tudor — demonstrate a serious and damaging breach of his pastoral and professional obligations and were wholly incompatible with his status as a priest.”

Safeguarding processes in the 1980s and ’90s were “neither sufficiently robust nor survivor-focused”, he said,…

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The recent deaths of four priests offer a glimpse into changing perceptions of Catholic clergy and its relationship with sexual abuse.

Cases from Mexico, Brazil, France, and the U.S. force to rethink how the sexual abuse crisis changes perceptions of the Catholic priests.

Trying to prevent these changes by going back to opacity when addressing sexual abuse cases would only further hurt trust in the Catholic Church.

Back in the 1980s, when one got news of the killing of a priest in Latin America, one thought about cases such as that of Argentine Padre Carlos Mugica Echagüe (1974) or the many priests and nuns killed in El Salvador during the civil war there, beginning with the now-saint Oscar Arnulfo Romero (1980), or perhaps about Polish Priest Jerzy Popiełuszko (1984).

One used to believe, perhaps even conditioned, that whenever the assassination of a priest happened, there was some political motive behind what then was perceived as a…

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La Santa Sede conocía la denuncia desde hace cuatro meses, pero la decisión llega 12 días después de que EL PAÍS desvelara que la Iglesia procesa a Rafael Zornoza por abusos en los años noventa, cuando era cura en Getafe

Roma / Madrid

EL PAÍS puso en marcha en 2018 una investigación de la pederastia en la Iglesia española y tiene una base de datos actualizada con todos los casos conocidos. Si conoce algún caso que no haya visto la luz, nos puede escribir a: abusos@elpais.es. Si es un caso en América Latina, la dirección es: abusosamerica@elpais.es.

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El papa León XIV ha apartado finalmente este sábado de su cargo, después de 12 días de polémica, al obispo de Cádiz y Ceuta, Rafael Zornoza, según ha anunciado de forma escueta la Sala de Prensa de la Santa Sede en su boletín diario de mediodía. La fórmula adoptada para darle una…

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NORTH ANDOVER — Jeffrey Diminico was one of five children brought up in a Catholic family that attended St. Michael Parish.

A former parish priest, Rev. Walter Cuenin, befriended his family, entrenched himself in their lives and holiday celebrations and eventually sexually assaulted Jeffrey when he was a teenager, he said.

“He almost immediately latched on to our family,” said Diminico, who revealed the sexual abuse Thursday in a meeting with his attorney, Mitchell Garabedian of Boston, who has represented thousands of victims of Catholic Church sexual abuse.

Cuenin, coincidentally, once called for the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law over his mishandling of the church abuse scandal.

Now a married, career nursing home administrator who lives in Bridgewater, Diminico said Cuenin sexually abused him in 1972 and 1973 when he was 16 and 17 years old respectively.

The first incident occurred at a priests’ home in Hull, and the second…

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Co-published with Minnesota Star Tribune

This story contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse.

Reporting Highlights

• Protecting an Abuser: Leaders of a Minnesota church didn’t report a parishioner to police though they knew he’d sexually abused girls for years and had been told reporting it was their duty.
• Forgive and Forget: Church leaders held meetings where children were told to forgive the man who sexually abused them and forget the abuse. If they spoke of it, the sin would be theirs.
• Missed Opportunities: Prosecutors had at least one opportunity to intervene but hoped educating church leaders about their duties would encourage them to cooperate with authorities.

These highlights were written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.

The girl pleaded not to go.

She fought with her father on the drive over, screaming and crying in his truck until they arrived at the office building for Bruckelmyer Brothers, a home construction company on…

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State prosecutors say Aaron Scott Merritt sexually abused at least four girls in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Some of the victims say the abuse was well known by congregation leaders for years.

For years, rumors about Scott Merritt and the underage girls in a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses on the Kenai Peninsula hovered over the congregation.

As far back as the 1990s, members remember hearing it said that Merritt, a well-liked young leader based in Kenai, spent too much time with young girls. That he acted strangely with them.

More than one former member said they told congregation elders that Merritt was sexually abusing adolescent and younger girls.

An official silence prevailed: The abuse was not reported to police until 2002, the same year Merritt was excommunicated. Even then, there was no criminal prosecution. Years passed. Then decades.

The girls who say they grew up being abused…

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The former religious leader has since posted bond and been released from jail, according to officials

A popular Atlanta-area church with a large online following has dismissed a pastor who was arrested after being accused of hitting his stepson with an electrical cord.

The 2819 Church learned last week that pastor Kenneth McFarland had been arrested and charged with a “serious crime involving the physical harm of a child in his family,” executive pastor Lonnell Williams told The Independent in a statement via email.

“I want to be very clear that 2819 Church will not tolerate violence of any kind, from any member of our team, especially involving children, as this does not reflect our culture and values,” the statement continues. “We will continue to support and care for Kenny’s wife and son.”

The Independent has contacted McFarland for comment.

McFarland, 43, was arrested on November 10 by the Stockbridge Police Department,…

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A jury has exonerated a San Jose youth pastor accused of sexually abusing two minors.

The verdict was handed down Wednesday in a Morgan Hill courtroom, more than a year after former River Church youth ministry leader Brett Bymaster was arrested on charges of molesting a girl starting when she was eight years old until she was 13. After the case advanced to trial, the accuser’s sister came forward with her own allegations, adding to the charges.

“After over a year of waiting, the truth has finally come to light. I am grateful that the jury saw past the lies and prevented a miscarriage of justice,” Bymaster said in a statement. “I am ready to get back to the hard work of serving Jesus and loving our neighbors in the downtown San Jose Washington community. Our family continues to pray blessings and healing for all those involved — both our…

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It was by sheer chance that Rohan Burdett would meet Mother Teresa during a pilgrimage to India in 1995.

While the itinerary included time spent working at her Kalighat Home for the Dying, meeting the woman who would become a saint felt like a stroke of divine intervention. For the pilgrims who spent 10 minutes in her presence, it was as close to God as they could get.

“It was a kind of godly experience,” Burdett told this masthead.

But as privileged as Burdett felt, for years, the memory would be tainted by who he shared it with.

When Burdett closes his eyes now, the picture he conjures of St John’s College is as clear as the day he first walked in as a 15-year-old in June 1992.

After he had spent years “floundering” in the public school system, Burdett’s parents decided to move their youngest son to what was…

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How does Joelle Casteix explain coordinated Catholic clergy abuse, why settlements vary, and what reforms are needed for real accountability?

Joelle Casteix is a leading advocate, author, and educator on child sexual abuse prevention and institutional accountability. A survivor of abuse at a Catholic high school in Southern California, she became a spokesperson and Western Regional Director with SNAP, supporting survivors and exposing cover-ups. Her book, The Well-Armoured Child(River Grove Books, 2015), equips parents to recognize grooming, build safeguards, and empower children without fear. A former journalist, Casteix lectures widely, consults on safeguarding policies, and writes about transparency, restitution, and reform. She champions evidence-based, survivor-centred change through public education, media engagement, and practical, accessible tools for families and institutions.

In this discussion with Scott Douglas Jacobsen, Casteix explains coordinated Catholic clergy abuse through Orange County cases involving Eleuterio Ramos, Siegfried Widera, and Michael A. Harris, detailing settlements including $10 million to a single…

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Why must the Vatican adopt a universal zero tolerance canon law to protect children and restore accountability?

Timothy D. Law is a Catholic advocate for survivors and accountability. A founding leader with Ending Clergy Abuse, he campaigns for a universal zero-tolerance canon law that permanently removes abusers from ministry. Law helped advance clergy mandatory reporting legislation in Washington State and has worked alongside Ugandan and Kenyan communities for decades. He and advocates met Pope Francis to press for enforceable reforms after years of Vatican resistance. Sanctioned by his archbishop for supporting reform, Law continues to serve at the parish level while challenging hierarchical impunity. His approach combines legal strategy, media engagement, and collaboration with survivor leaders.https://db2d6925c9150ac345bc49b511cdcebf.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-45/html/container.html

In this interview with Scott Douglas Jacobsen, Timothy D. Law traces the clergy abuse reckoning from the 1984–85 Gauthe case and Boston’s 2002 Spotlight exposé to UN scrutiny in 2014 and the 2018–19 crisis that forced…

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Co-Adjutor Archbishop James Checchio, who will lead the Archdiocese of New Orleans out of its five-year bankruptcy and into the next chapter of its 232-year history, testified Friday in the church’s bankruptcy hearing, vowing to uphold new measures to guard against clergy sex abuse “with all my heart and energy I have.”

The measures, part of the proposed settlement plan at issue in the three-week trial, would establish new policies for reporting and handling allegations of clergy sex abuse and create a public database detailing past incidents of abuse.

During his brief time on the witness stand, Checchio also apologized to an abuse survivor, Pat Moody, on behalf of the archdiocese. Moody, who heads the committee that represents more than 650 survivors of clergy sex abuse in the case, had testified moments earlier about her experience and the importance of the new policies that will go into effect…

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On Thursday (Nov. 20), New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond apologized to survivors of clergy sex abuse. But for some of those survivors, the words rang hollow.

Aymond took the witness stand in federal court as part of the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ multimillion-dollar bankruptcy case. He testified for about 90 minutes while several survivors of alleged clergy abuse watched from the courtroom.

One of them, Richard Coon, said he was sexually abused for years, beginning when he was 10, by a Catholic school administrator.

“The ripple effect, the way it impacts you, is just astounding,” said Richard Coon.

Coon is among the claimants in the bankruptcy case. He and a handful of others came to court to witness the archbishop’s testimony.

“He has been hiding, or he is a sinister guy,” another survivor said in court.

On the stand, Aymond described the archdiocese’s rationale for declaring bankruptcy.

“The primary reason…

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The Archdiocese of New Orleans bankruptcy trial picked back up Thursday, with key testimony from Archbishop Gregory Aymond.

Aymond and survivors are testifying in the $230 million settlement to resolve hundreds of sexual abuse claims.

It was revealed in court that from 1993 to 2020, 132 survivors were paid about $12 million.

In 2020, the diocese filed for bankruptcy, and currently, there are 626 abuse survivors, with roughly 36% reporting the abuse to the diocese.

An expert said $1.7 billion could have been the total due in this bankruptcy. Survivors approved a plan for $230 million, with parishes and other entities helping fund the deal.

Aymond took the stand at 1:30 p.m. to begin his testimony. His testimony lasted a little over an hour.

During his testimony, Aymond explained why the diocese filed for bankruptcy and the importance of the relationship between the diocese and its parishes.

Aymond said the…

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Archbishop Gregory Aymond took the witness stand Thursday in the federal bankruptcy court, defending his decision five years ago to place the local church under bankruptcy protection and arguing that a $230 million settlement is the fairest way to compensate hundreds of clergy sex abuse survivors.

During more than an hour of testimony, Aymond also vowed to uphold new child protection measures designed to guard against future clergy abuse and apologized to abuse survivors on behalf of the nation’s second-oldest Roman Catholic diocese.

“I know you have been through a lot of pain,” Aymond said. “It is unfortunate and embarrassing for me as a priest to think that someone in a trusted position, like a priest or minister, would take advantage of someone sexually. So, my heartfelt apology to those who have been abused.”

Aymond’s testimony came on the fourth day of a trial, technically a confirmation hearing, that could…

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Court filings show St. Andrew’s set for $1.4M sale as advocates warn parish funds could be used in $272 million abuse settlement.

The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo is moving toward the sale of three additional church properties as it works through bankruptcy and a tentative $272 million settlement with survivors of clergy sexual abuse, according to documents recently submitted in state court.

One filing details an agreement to transfer the former St. Andrew Church site in the Town of Tonawanda to Child and Family Services for $1.4 million. The campus includes multiple buildings once used by the parish.

Elizabeth McPartland, the organization’s president and CEO, said the location would become part of the Stanley G. Falk School system, which serves students with special education needs across more than 50 Western New York districts.

“We are here to serve the western New York community. Our services have changed over the years. They…

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The Archdiocese of New Orleans’ bankruptcy trial officially began Tuesday, and attorneys began discussing the archdiocese’s finances.

Nearly 150 parishes and charities are filing for bankruptcy and will contribute approximately $65 million to a $230 million settlement fund for clergy sex abuse survivors.

Father Patrick Carr, who works on finances for the diocese, was questioned by attorneys in court.

He said the $230 million trust is still building up the needed funds.

It was revealed in court that it costs the diocese $50 million to operate every three months.

Carr said it’s unclear how much each parish will owe.

“Nobody knows exactly how much the parish is putting up,” Carr said.

Carr said it’s also unclear who will make the decision on how much each parish will pay.

Carr, who is also the pastor of St. Rita, said he doesn’t know how much St. Rita will pay but should find…

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Pope Leo XIV sent a message Nov. 17 to participants in the meeting for “Building Communities that Protect Dignity,” promoted by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

The Holy Father said that efforts to build communities where the dignity of minors and the most vulnerable is protected and promoted are a matter that he holds “deep in his heart.”

The pontiff explained that “dignity is a gift from God” and that it is not something obtained through merit or force but rather “a gift that precedes us: It is born from the loving gaze with which God has loved us individually and continues to love us.”

“In every human face, even when marked by weariness or pain, there is a reflection of the Creator’s goodness, a light that no darkness can extinguish,” he affirmed.

The pope thus emphasized that “by taking responsibility for the lives of others, we learn…

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Checchio, who has been in New Orleans for less than a week, took the witness stand in federal court on Friday.

The New Orleans Archdiocese’s complex bankruptcy case continued Friday at federal court, marking a significant moment as incoming Archbishop James Checchio took the stand for the first time.

From Pulpit to Witness Stand

Incoming Archbishop James Checchio has been in New Orleans less than a week. On Tuesday, he was celebrated during a welcome mass at St. Louis Cathedral. Then on Friday, he took the witness stand at federal court. 

Checchio walked into federal court Friday, flanked by Archbishop Gregory Aymond, church staff and attorneys. He testified that he has received a “brief overview” of the Church’s reorganization plan. 

This plan includes a $230 million settlement with survivors and crucial non-monetary remedies. These remedies outline new policies and establish an internal review board to handle any future instances of sexual abuse.

…

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The Archdiocese of New Orleans bankruptcy trial continued Friday with testimony from a survivor and the incoming archbishop.

The survivor, Patricia Moody, was called to the stand to describe her story of abuse through the archdiocese.

Moody testified that she was abused when she was 8 years old by a credibly-accused priest.

When the list was published in November 2018, she learned her abuser was dead and had been excommunicated.

She said she waited for weeks after making her report for the archdiocese to reach back out.

“I waited for my next instructions, and there were none,” Moody testified.

According to Moody, she then took her report of abuse to attorneys. She says her legal team treated her better than the archdiocese did.

Moody has been part of the Survivors Committee and told Judge Meredith Grabill that someone has to protect children. She is hopeful that survivors will be allowed…

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Coadjutor Archbishop James Checchio walked into federal court Friday to testify in the multimillion-dollar bankruptcy case involving the Archdiocese of New Orleans and hundreds of people who filed sex abuse claims against it.

Among the claimants are people like Johnny Krummel, who says he’s still struggling because of the abuse he suffered in the early 1980s as a young boy at the Madonna Manor Orphanage.

“It’s been messed up my whole life. You know, I’m trying to get better, but it’s messed up my whole life, my brothers too, because they were in Hope Haven and Madonna Manor too,” said Johnny Krummel outside the federal courthouse in New Orleans.

Patricia Moody is another claimant. Moody says a priest began abusing her when she was 8 years old.

“Everybody needs validation. They need to be treated with kindness and compassion, empathy,” Patricia Moody said at the courthouse.

Moody says she received…

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Bishop Fafael Zornoza is the first Spanish Catholic bishop known to have been investigated by the Vatican for an abuse allegation.

Pope Leo has accepted the resignation of a bishop in Spain who is being investigated over an alleged abuse case, the Vatican said on Saturday.

Bishop Rafael Zornoza is under investigation over an allegation of sexual abuse of a teenage boy in the 1990s, which he denies.

Zornoza, who had led the Diocese of Cadiz y Ceuta on Spain’s southern coast since 2011, is the first Spanish Catholic bishop publicly known to have been investigated by the Vatican for an allegation of abuse.

Vatican avoids mention of abuse

In a short statement, the Vatican said only that Pope Leo had accepted the resignation of the bishop. It did not mention the allegation.

At the age of 76, Zornoza is a year beyond the traditional retirement age for Catholic bishops.

For…

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Pope Leo XIV on Saturday accepted the resignation of an ailing Spanish bishop who is under church investigation for allegedly sexually abusing a young seminarian in the 1990s, the first known time the new pontiff removed a bishop accused of abuse.

A one-line statement from the Vatican said Leo had accepted the resignation of Cádiz Bishop Rafael Zornoza, 76. It didn’t say why, but Zornoza submitted his resignation to the pope last year when he turned 75, the normal retirement age for bishops.

It hadn’t been accepted though until the El País newspaper reported earlier this month that Zornoza had been recently placed under investigation by a church tribunal. The daily, which since 2018 has exposed decades of abuse and cover-up in the Spanish Catholic Church, said Zornoza was accused of abusing a young former seminarian while he was a young priest and directed the diocesan seminary in Getafe.

The report,…

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Pope Leo has accepted the resignation of a bishop in Spain who is being investigated over an alleged abuse case, the Vatican said on Saturday.

Bishop Rafael Zornoza is under investigation over an allegation of sexual abuse of a teenage boy in the 1990s, which he denies.

Zornoza, who had led the Diocese of Cadiz y Ceuta on Spain’s southern coast since 2011, is the first Spanish Catholic bishop publicly known to have been investigated by the Vatican for an allegation of abuse.

In a short statement, the Vatican said only that Pope Leo had accepted the resignation of the bishop. It did not mention the allegation.

At the age of 76, Zornoza is a year beyond the traditional retirement age for Catholic bishops.

For decades, the 1.4 billion-member Church has been shaken by scandals around the world involving abuse and cover-up, damaging its credibility and costing it .

The…

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The Local Ordinary of Nigeria’s Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja has called for “serious renewal” in the “clerical culture” in which members of the Clergy operate in order to address the allegations of sexual abuse in the Church. 

In his paper on ‘The Abuse of Priestly Powers and Its Impact on the Laity” at the ongoing fourth Diocesan Synod of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu, Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama said the crisis of sexual abuse of minors has not only “undermined” the work of the Church but also “wounded our credibility.”

“The clerical culture in which Bishops and Priests live in many ways requires serious renewal,” Archbishop Kaigama said on Tuesday, November 18, the third day of the seven-day event, which is scheduled to conclude on November 22.

He emphasized the need for “critical self-analysis, examination, and introspection” among the members of the Clergy, saying, “We must look inward and know we really need…

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Advocates in New York state are petitioning a Catholic foundation there to help fund major pension shortages and church preservation efforts as well as to help support victims of clergy sex abuse.

In a Nov. 13 letter to the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation in New York City, representatives of the group Save Our Buffalo Churches, sexual abuse victims, and pensioners of the former St. Clare’s Hospital asked the foundation to help the three communities with the “profound hardship” they are experiencing.

Numerous parishes in Buffalo have been fighting diocesan-mandated closures and mergers over the past year. Hundreds of former workers of St. Clare’s, meanwhile, saw their pensions reduced or eliminated starting in 2018 due to major shortfalls. The hospital itself closed about a decade before.

Abuse victims, meanwhile, have “been locked in a legal morass, denied the long-term healing resources and institutional acknowledgment of the harm…

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Jeffrey Diminico was one of five children brought up in a Catholic familythat attended St. Michael Parish. A former parish priest, Rev. Walter Cuenin, befriended hisfamily, entrenched himself in their lives and holiday celebrations and eventually sexually assaulted Jeffrey when he was a teenager, he said.

“He almost immediately latched on to our family,” said Diminico, who revealed the sexual abuse Thursday in a meeting with his attorney, Mitchell Garabedian of Boston, who has represented thousands of victims of Catholic Church sexual abuse.

Cuenin, coincidentally, once called for the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law over his mishandling of the church abuse scandal.

Now a married, career nursing home administrator who lives in Bridgewater, Diminico said Cuenin sexually abused him in 1972 and 1973 when he was 16 and 17 years old respectively.

The first incident occurred at a priests’ home in Hull, and the second when Cuenin took Diminico to…

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Pope Leo XIV called on the Italian Church to develop a “cultureof prevention” on clerical child sex abuse, after critics saidnothing had changed in 30 years.

But a survivor’s group expressed disappointment that the pontiff did not go further in demanding action from the Italian Bishops Conference, which was holding its general assembly in the town of Assisi.

“I would like to recommend particular attention to the youngest and most vulnerable, so that a culture of prevention of all forms of abuse can develop,” the US pope told the meeting.

He stressed the importance of welcoming and listening to victims, adding: “I thank you for what you have already done and I encourage you to continue your commitment to protecting minors and vulnerable adults.”

Leo did not directly refer to a recent report by the Pontifical Commission forthe Protection of Minors, which criticised the “substantial cultural resistance”in Italy to addressing…

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A lawsuit filed against the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph Tuesday claims the church covered up sexual abuse the plaintiff allegedly experienced as a child at the hands of a priest around 50 years ago.

The lawsuit marks one of several in recent years against the diocese alleging sexual abuse was concealed by the church, and marks one of several allegations against former priest John Tulipana.

The suit alleges the abuse occurred several times between 1976 and 1979 in various locations, including the child’s home, an abandoned warehouse and the church.

The child’s mother reported Tulipana’s conduct to the Rev. James Hart, who reportedly told her the church “was a family” and told her “it would be taken care of,” according to the lawsuit.

The mother also reportedly told the diocese about Tulipana’s conduct after she was “unsatisfied” with Hart’s response, the lawsuit said. Additionally, the child reported the…

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A former Catholic priest abused his position at a church in Epsom to groom and sexually abuse a young boy.

Anthony White, who was known as Father Tony, used his position within St Joseph’s Church and involvement with clubs to select and groom the boy when he was in the first years of secondary school in the late 1980s.

Over the course of several years, White subjected the boy to repeated sexual abuse at his home but manipulated him into silence by blaming him for what had happened.

White, now 67, was jailed for 10 years in 2022 for the sexual abuse and rape of another young boy in the 1990s when he was an assistant priest at a St John the Evangelist Church in Horsham, West Sussex.

The Epsom survivor saw the press coverage of White’s 2022 conviction and found the courage to approach Sussex Police about the…

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Catholic churches across the Archdiocese of Los Angeles recognized parishioners’ commitment to the prevention of child sexual abuse at weekend Masses Nov. 15-16. 

“Stand Up Sunday” was intentionally held a few days before the World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Exploitation, Abuse, and Violence on Nov. 18. The initiative was also promoted in other Catholic dioceses in California, including San Diego, Santa Rosa, Fresno, Orange, and San Jose.

In LA, Auxiliary Bishop Matthew Elshoff celebrated a special Mass at Our Mother of Good Counsel Church in Los Feliz for the occasion on Nov. 16. In his homily, Elshoff emphasized the need for Catholics to care for those in their community — especially those harmed by abuse — while finding the courage to speak up.

“It’s important that we find our prophetic voice in each stage of our lives,” Elshoff said. “And that isn’t always…

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Five men who accused the State of failing to protect them against sexual and physical abuse at a children’s home in Belmont decades ago have filed a lawsuit suing the Roman Catholic Church and the State.

In a lawsuit filed on October 8, the men are suing the St Dominic’s Children’s Home (also referred to as the Belmont Orphanage), the Roman Catholic Archdiocese in Port-of-Spain, the Attorney General, the Statutory Authorities Service Commission, and a former employee at the children’s home who was later charged with buggery, attempted buggery and serious indecency.

Guardian Media spoke to one of the five victims, who wished not to be identified because of the nature of the offences.

Asked how he felt about the matter, making strides towards being heard in court, he said, “I feel very good, to be honest. I feel very relaxed right now. I’m going through a lot of problems…

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The challenge of addressing abuse within consecrated life — in all its dimensions: sexual, power, conscience, and also economic — was the focus of an international meeting organized by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors held at the Maffei Marescotti Palace in Rome.

Under the theme “Building Communities that Safeguard Dignity,” representatives of religious institutes from some 20 countries are gathering Nov. 17–19 to share experiences, examine structural shortcomings, and work on the preparation of the third annual report, which will involve 40 communities.

The commission’s president, Archbishop Thibault Verny, thanked the nearly 60 participants from various countries for their presence and emphasized that preventing abuse “is not a local task but a universal commitment of the Church.”

The third report on abuse, the archbishop clarified, “is not intended to add a burden” but rather to be “an opportunity” to promote “attention to the…

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The group fighting to keep Buffalo churches open amidst the Diocese’s bankruptcy is joining forces with groups representing survivors of child abuse and former Hospital employees to free up $1 Billion in funds.

Save Our Buffalo Churches is leading the effort to tap into the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, which holds proceeds from a $3.2 Billion sale of Fidelis Care, to free $1 Billion to help pay the abuse case settlement in Buffalo, among other things across the state.

“There’s well over $3 Billion that’s there,” said Mary Pruski with Save Our Buffalo Churches. “The lawyers looking at the project said this is a very worthy cause. If it’s a bill and it’s passed, they will be forced to hand over what we’re asking for… $1 Billion.”

$120 Million from the fund would be enough to repay all parishes in the Diocese of Buffalo for their contribution to the abuse…

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A new lawsuit claims the Catholic Diocese ignored years of warnings about a now-deceased predatory priest.

Court records filed in Jackson County on Tuesday, Nov. 18, show that an anonymous man has sued the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph.

The suit alleges that the late Father John Tulipana abused a boy in the late 1970s after his family moved to Grandview.

The petition claims that Diocese leaders knew Tulipana violated boundaries with children. Church leaders had received multiple complaints about Tulipana dating back to his seminary days.

Yet, the lawsuit alleges that the Diocese continued to place Tulipana in positions with access to minors.

According to the complaint, Tulipana began to target the boy, identified only as W.J., as he helped his single mother care for her children.

The suit notes that the priest would pick the children up from school and…

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The judge found earlier this year that the university defied a court order.

A state judge is ordering Seton Hall University to turn over a trove of documents connected to a 2019 investigation into clergy abuse, a victory for survivors who’ve spent years in court seeking accountability.

The order by Superior Court Judge Avion Benjamin stems from reporting by POLITICO that Seton Hall’s president, Monsignor Joseph Reilly, did not properly report allegations of sexual misconduct when he was a seminary leader.

Benjamin has been overseeing litigation on about 450 claims of clergy abuse within the Archdiocese of Newark and at Seton Hall but expressed disbelief earlier this year when attorneys for the plaintiffs learned about the 2019 investigation, saying “they had to find out about it in 2025 in POLITICO.” In March, Benjamin determined that Seton Hall violated a previous court order by not disclosing those documents.

Benjamin’s latest order forces Seton Hall to…

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Superior Court judge tells school to hand over files that name priests, details of abuse claims

Seton Hall University is facing new pressure after a state judge ordered the school to hand over long-kept documents from a 2019 clergy abuse investigation. The ruling is considered a major win for survivors who have spent years demanding transparency.

The order from Superior Court Judge Avion Benjamin follows revelations that Seton Hall President Monsignor Joseph Reilly failed to properly report misconduct allegations when he led the school’s seminary. The judge said she was stunned to learn plaintiffs only discovered the 2019 probe through news reporting this year, despite a previous court order requiring disclosure.

Seton Hall now has to turn over files that name roughly a dozen priests and detail findings that Reilly knew of abuse claims but didn’t follow reporting rules. Survivors’ attorneys argue those documents could reveal broader failures in the…

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Some 660 alleged survivors have claims against the New Orleans Archdiocese in its long bankruptcy. Attorneys Frank Lamothe III and Kristi Schubert have 75 clients. Twenty-three of them are prisoners; most allege abuse at two long-shuttered orphanages, Hope Haven and Madonna Manor.

Two of these men had a different path to prison.

Bernard Joseph, 57, and Marcus Hamilton, 65, half-brothers, are serving life terms in Angola, the Louisiana State Penitentiary, for murdering a priest.

Their stories, revealed here in full for the first time, cite their lawsuits against the New Orleans Archdiocese, voluminous documents in a death penalty appeal, and NCR’s Zoom interviews with each man at an office with attorney Schubert present. Prison officials refused permission for in-person interviews.

This story also involves two Josephite priests. One was murdered. The other has testified that he was trying to help the brothers, who say both religious men abused…

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Bishop Rafael Zornoza said the allegations dating from the 1990s were ‘very serious and furthermore false’.

The Bishop of Cádiz and Ceuta stepped down from his duties pending a Vatican investigation of a claim he abused a 14-year-old in the 1990s.

Four months ago, the alleged victim wrote directly to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith (DDF) accusing Bishop Rafael Zornoza of repeatedly abusing him while he was attending a minor seminary in Getafe, a diocese north of Madrid.

The Spanish daily El País reported that his email to the Vatican began: “I write this letter solely with the intention of avoiding another child still having to go through what I went through.”

The abuse allegedly began in 1994, when he was a boy of 14 and Zornoza, rector of the seminary of Getafe. The victim claimed the priest, then aged 45, would enter his bed to “caress” him after he…

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 Pope Leo XIV could soon accept the resignation of an ailing Spanish bishop who is under church investigation for allegedly sexually abusing a young seminarian in the 1990s, the head of the Spanish Catholic bishops conference said Monday.

Archbishop Luis Javier Argüello García told reporters in St. Peter’s Square that the conference hierarchy had discussed the case with Leo during an audience Monday.

Argüello confirmed a report in El País newspaper that a canonical investigation into Cádiz Bishop Rafael Zornoza, 76, had been opened two weeks ago. It is believed to be the first publicly known church investigation of a Spanish bishop accused of abuse since the Spanish church began reckoning in recent years with a decades-long legacy of abuse and cover-up.

The diocese of Cádiz has denied the accusations against Zornoza but confirmed the investigation was being carried out by the church court in Madrid known as the Rota. In…

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Seton Hall University has been ordered to release a massive 20,000-page internal probe it conducted on clergy sex abuse at the Catholic school — a report it spent years hiding from survivors.

The findings accuse current Seton Hall President Monsignor Joseph Reilly of failing to properly investigate claims of sexual abuse by students of the New Jersey school, which technically violates the federal Title IX funding law, based on leaks first reported by Politico.

Essex County Judge Avion Benjamin ruled that the report, compiled by law firm Latham & Watkins in 2019 was not privileged information — and has given the university 30 days to release it.

“There is a legitimate need for the evidence,” Benjamin said. “The evidence is material and relevant.”

Seton Hall had previously fought against its release despite repeated calls to do so.

Survivors claimed victory Monday.

“For far too long, survivors and the public have…

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A new statewide coalition is calling for $1 billion from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to help settle clergy abuse cases across the Diocese of Buffalo, which continues navigating bankruptcy proceedings.

The diocese is awaiting word on its reorganization settlement plan that calls for $274 million to pay nearly 900 Child Victim Acts cases. While that process unfolds, Save Our Buffalo Churches is leading a coalition seeking help from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, an organization worth $3.6 billion.

“This is across New York state – folks harmed at the hands of the Catholic Church, not taking care of their people,” Mary Pruski with Save Our Buffalo Churches said.

The coalition’s three-pronged effort aims to settle clergy abuse cases in the diocese and its parishes, help pensioners suing the Albany Diocese after a Catholic hospital closed, and pay for the $500 million settlement with abuse victims in New York City.

“So…

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[See also the entire report.]

A Franklin County-based Christian charity that for more than 50 years operated children’s homes in Mexico abruptly shut down last week after a report documented decades of sexual abuse allegations, beginning with the orphanage’s founders and continuing to the present.

Niños de México commissioned the independent investigation into its handling of sexual abuse in response to media scrutiny and mounting pressure from donor churches.

The 256-page report chronicles accusations against 20 employees of the organization, including its Franklin County founders, and says its most recent executive director, Steve Ross, who split his time between Florissant and Mexico, failed to report abuse allegations. According to one witness, Ross even instructed a staff member to destroy documents related to some of the accusations.

“The investigation found that leadership, including multiple Executive Directors, consistently failed to protect children, actively concealed abuse, retaliated against whistleblowers, and…

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The Catholic Diocese of Alexandria, which oversees all Catholic churches in Avoyelles Parish and much of central Louisiana, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization amid mounting financial pressure from clergy sex abuse lawsuits.

Bishop Robert W. Marshall Jr. announced on Oct. 31 that the diocese submitted a Chapter 11 petition in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, making Alexandria the first Louisiana diocese outside New Orleans and the 41st Catholic diocese in the United States to seek court-supervised bankruptcy protection in the wake of the clergy abuse scandal. The filing is intended to pause numerous pending lawsuits and create a plan to compensate abuse survivors while allowing the Church’s day-to-day ministry to continue uninterrupted.

In a letter to the faithful, Bishop Marshall explained that the decision to seek bankruptcy protection came after extensive consultation and prayer.

“This action is occurring because some past priest-perpetrators sexually abused minors, actions that are evil, sinful, and go against everything the Church and the priesthood represent,” the bishop…

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Pope Leo XIV appealed for persecuted Christians around the globe on Sunday, making specific mention of Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and including in his appeal “other countries from which we frequently hear of attacks on communities and places of worship.”

“God is a merciful father,” the pontiff said, “who desires peace among all His children.”

Leo also expressed his closeness to families in the North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a rebel group backed by the so-called Islamic State murdered at least 20 civilians in an attack on a church-run hospital.

Conducted by a group called the Allied Democratic Forces, the Friday night attack took place in the village of Byambwe, in the Lubero territory of North Kivu province.

The Associated Press reported mothers of newborn children among the victims.

“Women who were breastfeeding were brutally slaughtered and found with…

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Following an investigation, District Attorney Sim Gill said, “critical corroborating evidence is unavailable.”

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill declined to file criminal charges against Tim Ballard, the anti-child-trafficking celebrity, saying his office believed it lacked the evidence needed to charge Ballard of engaging in sexual assault or misconduct.

In a statement late Friday afternoon, Gill said he commends the courage of those who spoke to investigators and the decision by his office “does not diminish the value of the survivors’ voices or the harm they have experienced,” but prosecutors lacked the evidence needed to “remove every reasonable doubt for a jury.”

“While the survivors have provided important and compelling statements,” Gill said, “critical corroborating evidence is unavailable, and certain necessary elements of the charges cannot be established with the certainty required by the law.”

The decision was conveyed in a letter from county prosecutor Clint Heiner to James…

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The theological eruption caused by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández in early November was entirely predictable and serves to highlight the current sorry state of the office he leads.

It has long appeared to be a practice in Rome that a cleric does not necessarily need to have a natural ability for the role he is brought to the Vatican for. The case of disgraced Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta is a high-profile example. When Zanchetta resigned his see in 2017 in disgrace over the revelations of homosexual predation on seminarians, Pope Francis created a new post for the bishop at the Vatican, defending the bishop for the next two years.

It has also been the case with Father Marko Rupnik, whose art and mosaics have adorned the walls of the great and the good around Rome, whilst reports of his abuse of nuns were downplayed by relevant superiors. Never mind the alleged…

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