ABUSE TRACKER

 In a decision confirmed by Pope Francis and thus without the possibility of appeal, the Vatican has found an Austrian priest who leads a pontifically recognized association guilty of psychological and spiritual abuse and imposed a series of punishments, including a ten-year ban on ministry.

The verdict regarding Austrian Father Gebhard Paul Maria Sigl, cofounder of the Family of Mary, was reached by a three-judge ecclesiastical tribunal Sept. 18 and approved by Pope Francis Oct. 11. The decision was then formalized by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Clergy, which oversees the clerical branch of the association, and acknowledged by the group in a Nov. 6 statement on their web site.

The ruling is considered important in part because it imposes penalties for forms of abuse which aren’t strictly sexual, and thus broadens the concept of what constitutes “abuse” in a legal sense in Vatican jurisprudence.

Among other things, the 75-year-old Sigl…

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Craig Smith was principal at Lighthouse Christian Academy in Piedmont

The principal of a now-closed Missouri boarding school that has been the subject of abuse allegations has been charged with sex crimes involving a former student.

Craig Wesley Smith Jr., who was the principal of Lighthouse Christian Academy in Piedmont, was charged with forcible sodomy and attempted forcible rape, according to ABC News.

According to allegations in the probable cause statement, Smith told the girl he would kill her and “make it look like she committed suicide” if she told anyone about the abuse.

A 2009 federal lawsuit also accused Smith of sex acts with an unnamed female student, but it isn’t clear if that alleged victim is the same one involved in the present criminal case.  ABM Ministries, which operated Lighthouse Christian Academy and its owners, Larry and Carmen Musgraves, agreed to pay $750,000 in a…

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Police charged Father Neil Pereira in July 2023 with sexual assault and sexual interference involving a minor; meeting held last night for parents to voice concerns

Parents of students enrolled with the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board (SMCDSB) voiced their concerns Tuesday night about a priest working in local schools after sex-related charges stemming from an alleged incident in 2023 were withdrawn earlier this year.

The meeting, held Nov. 5 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Amelia Street in Barrie, was at times tense as parents pressed the school board’s director of education, Frances Bagley, and Father Larry Leger, a priest with the Archdiocese of Toronto, for answers to their questions.

About 50 people were in attendance, including parents and other school officials. 

Father Neil Pereira, 34, was arrested by Peterborough police on July 26, 2023, and charged with sexual assault and two counts of sexual interference involving a minor. The charges were later withdrawn. 

According…

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The Catholic Diocese of Toledo has announced the credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor against deceased priest Msgr. Michael J. Doyle and has placed him on its clergy status report.

The report lists diocesan clerics who have been placed on administrative leave or removed from ministry as a result of an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor, as well as those who have been credibly accused after their deaths.

According to the diocese’s Sunday announcement, the alleged abuse took place more than 65 years ago. Monsignor Doyle died in 1987.

Monsignor Doyle served as an active priest of the diocese from 1925 to 1977. He was associate pastor at St. Ann Parish in Fremont in 1925 and St. Peter Parish in Mansfield from 1925 to 1930. He was assistant director of Catholic Charities from 1932 to 1946. His activity between 1930 and 1932 is not included on…

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Jamaica-born Brooklyn-based pastor, Reverend Edward-Richard Hinds, has been arrested by New York police on sex crime charges.

The charges, unsealed in the Brooklyn Supreme Court yesterday, accuse Hinds of third degree rape and having sex with an underage male minor.

According to information reaching The Gleaner, Hinds migrated to the United States in 2010. The divorced father is reportedly from the Grants Pen community in St Andrew.

Hinds has been indicted on sex abuse charges for an inappropriate relationship with a teenager, law enforcement sources told The Daily News.

The pastor, who is executive director of the 67th Precinct Clergy Council, known as ‘The GodSquad’, appeared yesterday afternoon in Brooklyn Supreme Court where the indictment was reportedly disclosed.

A special prosecutor from the Staten Island district attorney’s office said the charges related to an incident in 2022, with law enforcement claiming Hinds and a 16-year-old male performed sexual acts on…

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Jackson Gatlin, whose father, Michael Gatlin, was the pastor at Duluth Vineyard Church, will likely serve 13 years in prison after five women came forward with allegations of abuse, grooming.

Jackson Gatlin, dressed in a dark suit with his hands cuffed behind his back, was led by authorities from the courtroom Wednesday morning after pleading guilty to felony-level criminal sexual conduct in a case where numerous women have come forward with similar accusations of being sexually assaulted as girls when he was their youth leader at the Vineyard Church.

As part of a deal, Gatlin pleaded guilty to one count and on four others entered an Alford plea — in which he maintains innocence but admits there is sufficient evidence for him to be found guilty during a trial. The third-floor courtroom at the St. Louis County Courthouse was at capacity for the hearing, with several victims sitting…

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Expatriate Christopher Bowen filed a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of America and St. Basil’s Academy in Garrison, New York, alleging that he was sexually abused at age 14 while an inmate at the Academy….

Mr. Bowen, now 54, names his abuser as Finley Everett Eubanks in legal documents available to The National Herald and in a written interview with The National Herald in which he describes in detail what was delivered and describes his traumatic experience that marked his life, even having “suicidal tendencies”, while the “nightmares” continue to this day.

Telephone and text messages of “E.K.” to the director of the Academy of St. Basil’s, priest Constantine Sitaras, and to the Legal Advisor of the Archdiocese, George Tsougarakis, remained unanswered.

The interview of Mr. Christopher Bowen is as follows:

…

“E.K.”: The Academy back then was a boarding school, right?

Christopher Bowen: In my view it was a “boarding school”…

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Most Reverend Louis Gelineau, who served as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Providence, has died, 12 News has learned.

The Diocese of Providence announced that Gelineau passed away peacefully Thursday at the Saint Antoine Residence in North Smithfield. He was 96 years old.

Gelineau, who served as bishop for more than two decades, retired back in June 1997. The Vermont native was first appointed by Pope Saint Paul VI in December 1971.

Throughout his tenure, Gelineau was often referred to as “the people’s bishop,” since he was known to travel throughout the diocese to interact with the people of God. He was the second-longest serving bishop in diocesan history.

Gelineau was also known for his regular appearances on his own television show “Rejoice in Hope,” on local Catholic Cable TV and for his weekly column in the Providence Visitor, now the…

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Gelineau is credited with changing diocese operations to spend more time with parishioners. He also faced accusations during his 25-year tenure that he didn’t do enough to protect children from clergy sex abuse.

PROVIDENCE — The Most Reverend Louis E. Gelineau, who served as the sixth bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence for 25 years, died Thursday, church officials said.

Rev. Gelineau died at Saint Antoine Residence in North Smithfield, R.I. officials said. He was 96.

Prior to his retirement in 1997, Rev. Gelineau launched the Providence-Haiti Outreach project that now serves 350 children annually, and a $40 million campaign in 1995 “called ‘Vision of Hope’ to provide long term financial support for parishes, projects, and ministries,” the diocese said in a statement.

He is also credited with organizing the diocesan administration in a way that allowed him to spend more…

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — A longtime leader of the Catholic Church in Rhode Island has died.

Former Bishop Louis Gelineau passed away Thursday at the age of 96 in North Smithfield.

Gelineau led the Diocese of Providence for 25 years and was credited with being a strong advocate for the institution.

He also came under criticism over clergy sex abuse.

Gelineau arrived from Vermont to become bishop in 1972. He retired in 1997.

“He was for us a very good shepherd and a good bishop,” said the Rev. Jack Unsworth.

Unsworth kept in touch with Gelineau and last saw him earlier this year.

He was in the seminary when Gelineau became bishop more than 50 years ago.

“He had a lot of energy. Anyone will tell you that,” Unsworth told NBC 10 News on Friday. “He brought to the diocese that kind of energy and newness and an enthusiasm…

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A Jamaican born pastor is facing allegations that he repeatedly sexually abused a teenage boy in New York two years ago.

According to the New York Post, Reverend Edward-Richard Hinds – leader of the 67th Precinct Clergy Council known as The GodSquad – was indicted on Thursday on two counts of third-degree criminal sexual act and related charges.

He is accused of performing sexual acts on a 16-year-old on multiple occasions in December 2022.

Police arrested Hinds, 48, after executing a search warrant at his home.

The handcuffed cleric appeared in Brooklyn Supreme Court where he was arraigned on the charges.

A special prosecutor from the Staten Island district attorney’s office is handling the case.

Hinds, who was labelled a flight risk, is being held on $5,000 bail and $30,000 bond.

He pleaded not guilty and is due back in court on December 13.

The allegations came to light in…

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The Archdiocese of New Orleans is one step closer to ending its bankruptcy.

Attorneys for the diocese and sex abuse survivors have filed a plan that outlines ways to make sure child sex abuse never happens again.

The plans appear to create additional transparency. Sealed records will also soon be public through an archive.

The records will be hosted online by a university that agrees to archive the files.

The Archdiocese of New Orleans Issued the following statement:

“In a major milestone in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, the archdiocese and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, which represents abuse survivors, have reached agreement in the non-monetary plan provisions to be included in the Bankruptcy Plan.

“Non-monetary plan provisions are meant to enhance the existing child protection programs of the archdiocese by improving public accountability and transparency. They also outline ways that the Archdiocese…

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Move follows church’s 2020 bankruptcy filing, hundreds of allegations and a standoff with survivors

In a gesture of reconciliation to victims of its decades-old clergy molestation scandal, the Roman Catholic archdiocese of New Orleans has tentatively agreed to publicly release the confidential personnel files of priests and deacons faced with substantial allegations of child sexual abuse.

Church officials on Thursday announced the plan to disclose clergy files as one of several non-monetary commitments in the US’s second-oldest Catholic archdiocese efforts to settle a costly federal bankruptcy reorganization first filed in 2020.

The church and more than 500 clergy abuse survivors remain miles apart on the monetary terms of a potential bankruptcy settlement. In September, the church’s attorneys proposed that the archdiocese and its affiliates – but not their insurers – should pay about $125,000 to each sexual abuse claimant. A committee of survivors countered that the church, its affiliates and its insurers…

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THE “prolific, brutal and horrific” abuse perpetrated by John Smyth, a Reader in the Church of England, was covered up by “powerful evangelical clergy”, the long-awaited Makin review has concluded.

The “Independent lessons learning review”, originally due to be published five years ago, lists the Archbishop of Canterbury as among those who failed to act. From 2013, the Church of England knew “at the highest level” about the abuse, the report says, but failed to refer it either to the police or to the relevant authorities in South Africa, where Smyth died while under investigation by the police (News, 13 August 2018).

Archbishop Welby issued a strongly worded — and highly personal — apology for his “profound failures” upon the publication of the report on Thursday afternoon.

“The review is clear that I personally failed to ensure that after disclosure in 2013 the awful tragedy was energetically investigated,” he said.

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LONDON (AP) — The Church of England covered up “horrific” abuse by a lawyer who volunteered at Christian summer camps in the 1970s and 1980s, and the ceremonial head of the Anglican Communion failed to report him to authorities when he learned of the abuse in 2013, according to an independent review released Thursday.

John Smyth, who died in South Africa in 2018 at age 75, physically, sexually, psychologically and spiritually abused about 30 boys and young men in the U.K. and 85 in Africa over five decades, the 251-page report commissioned by the church found. Smyth is believed to be the most prolific serial abuser associated with the church.

“Many of the victims who took the brave decision to speak to us about what they experienced have carried this abuse silently for more than 40 years,” said Keith Makin, who led the review. “Despite the efforts of some individuals to…

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CV NEWS FEED // Survivors of clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles are seeing a transformed Church as the Archdiocese continues to offer support and healing to victims, according to a November 5 report from Angelus News.

This shift comes alongside the $880 million settlement announced in October to address historical abuse claims, as CatholicVote reported.

Angelus News shared the story of Deborah McAlpine, whose life was drastically altered as a teenager when she was molested by a visiting priest. Struggling with the aftermath, McAlpine spent years disconnected from her faith but eventually sought help from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. 

Although they were unable to identify her abuser — likely a foreign priest who returned to his home country — McAlpine found support through the Archdiocese’s Victims Assistance Ministry. She connected with people who listened to her, assisted in her search for closure,…

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A U.S. appeals court panel on Wednesday appeared unlikely to overturn the Boy Scouts of America’s $2.46 billion settlement of sex abuse claims, suggesting it would be impractical to upend the deal long after the youth organization emerged from bankruptcy.

A three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia heard oral arguments in appeals of a 2022 bankruptcy court ruling approving the deal, which resolved the claims of 82,500 men who alleged that they were sexually abused by troop leaders as children.

The settlement has been challenged by 144 sex abuse survivors and a minority of the youth organization’s insurers. The abuse survivors have argued that they should be allowed to sue organizations, like local Boy Scouts councils and churches, that ran scouting programs where abuse occurred. Those organizations received immunity from lawsuits in exchange for contributions to the Boy Scouts’ bankruptcy settlement, despite not filing for…

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The Catholic Diocese of Toledo has announced the credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor against deceased priest Msgr. Michael J. Doyle and has placed him on its clergy status report.

The report lists diocesan clerics who have been placed on administrative leave or removed from ministry as a result of an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor, as well as those who have been credibly accused after their deaths.

According to the diocese’s Sunday announcement, the alleged abuse took place more than 65 years ago. Monsignor Doyle died in 1987.

Monsignor Doyle served as an active priest of the diocese from 1925 to 1977. He was associate pastor at St. Ann Parish in Fremont in 1925 and St. Peter Parish in Mansfield from 1925 to 1930. He was assistant director of Catholic Charities from 1932 to 1946. His activity between 1930 and 1932 is not included on a list of his…

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The Vatican has found Austrian Father Gebhard Paul Maria Sigl, co-founder of the Family of Mary, guilty of spiritual and psychological abuse. The former leader and spiritual director of the international pontifical-right association faces multiple penalties, including a ten-year ban on ministry.

The decision concluded a canonical trial lasting over two years and resulted in a rare conviction for psychological and spiritual abuse—cases that do not involve explicit sexual misconduct. As first revealed by Italian Catholic outlet AdistaNovember 5, the Vatican’s ruling against Austrian Father Gebhard Paul Maria Sigl, 75, affects his legacy as co-founder and leader of the international pontifical-right missionary community, the Family of Mary (FM), where he served for three decades.

Allegations of control and manipulation

Witnesses and victims, primarily former community members, accused Sigl of mental manipulation, blurring internal and external spiritual boundaries, theological deception, emotional blackmail, silencing dissenting voices, fostering a cult of the founder, and undermining…

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Cardinal Ted McCarrick was one of America’s most beloved religious figures, but was he a kindly man of faith or a cold-hearted predator committing ungodly acts? News 12’s Crime Files exposes the disturbing secrets kept quiet for years.

[See video here.]

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In short: 

A record $3.3 million payout to a sexual abuse survivor has been successfully appealed by the Catholic Diocese of Wagga Wagga, reducing the payment by more than $1 million.

The victim was abused by paedophile priest Vincent Kiss in the 1960s and 70s.

The church argued that the damages were “manifestly excessive” because the victim had had a “relatively successful life”.abc.net.au/news/catholic-diocese-wagga-appeal-compensation-payout/104575910Link copiedShare article

A landmark sexual abuse compensation payout has been slashed by more than $1 million after a Catholic diocese successfully appealed, in part because the victim had lived “a relatively successful life”.

The Victorian Supreme Court awarded victim TJ, whose real name cannot be used for legal reasons, $3.3 million in compensation last November.

The compensation was for the abuse he suffered in the 1960s and 70s at the hands of paedophile priest Vincent Kiss at the Catholic Diocese of Wagga Wagga, in southern New South Wales.

…

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Re “What to know about the Los Angeles Catholic Church $880M settlement with sexual abuse victims” (Oct. 17): So the Los Angeles diocese of the Catholic Church has spent a total of over $1.5 billion to try to make up for the horrific abuse many of its faithful endured at the hands of their clergy or employees. This is so appalling and unnecessary. The monsters who did those things should have been reported and sent to jail, not coddled. That $1.5 billion would have been such a godsend for all the people without secure homes, health care or sources of food, clothing and jobs.

The L.A. diocese and any diocese that has done something like this needs to pull back and reevaluate what they’re all about. I am not a believer, but who in their right mind would want to be associated with a group of people who thought that…

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The expulsions from the controversial lay movement mark a key step in the church’s effort to address abuse, corruption

The recent expulsions of members from Sodalitium Christianae Vitae are part of a long and serious process that is needed before the church can consider going the route of completely dissolving the controversial lay movement, said Peruvian Cardinal Pedro Barreto Jimeno.

In an interview with OSV News Oct. 29 at the Jesuit curia in Rome, the president of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon Region and archbishop emeritus of Huancayo said the expulsions of key members of the group — including its founder, Luis Fernando Figari, in August — were “a very clear sign of a church that wants to put the Gospel of Jesus into practice.”

“I can’t say that I’m happy. I can’t say that because there are victims who have been suffering immensely for almost 25 years,” the…

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The Washington Attorney General’s Office has filed an appeal against a recent court ruling that bars the state from subpoenaing child sex abuse records from the Church, KUOW reported on October 31. The appeal argues that such records do not qualify for religious exemption and should be made public.

The appeal challenges a decision — issued in July 2024 by a King County Superior Court judge — that blocked investigators’ access to Church records based on the state’s Charitable Trust Act, according to a report from news outlet KUOW.

In that ruling, Judge Michael Scott agreed with the Archdiocese of Seattle’s assertion that, under current state laws, religious institutions are exempt from disclosing certain records associated with their charitable status.

In its appeal, the Attorney General’s Office contends that religious exemptions should not apply to secular misconduct like child sex abuse, according to the KUOW report. 

…

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The former CEO of My Faith Votes, a nonprofit urging Christians to vote their values, was charged yesterday with eight felony counts of possession of child sex abuse material. And according to a probable cause statement filed in the case, the former CEO, Jason Yates, has a prior conviction for a similar charge, which was expunged.

Yates was charged yesterday during a virtual hearing before a judge in the District Court of McLeod County, Minnesota, and released on his own recognizance.

 The 55-year-old Yates could face up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for each count, if found guilty. He has been ordered to post $100,000 bail or bond and refrain from contact with anyone younger than 18 years old as the case moves forward.

According to a statement of probable cause, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) began investigating…

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Yates was charged with eight felony counts after a relative allegedly found a stash of child porn on a hard drive in his office.

The former president of an evangelical get-out-the-vote nonprofit, which seeks to motivate Christian voters to promote family values and “biblical truth” in the public square, was charged Monday (Nov. 4) with eight counts of possessing child pornography.

Jason Yates, former CEO of My Faith Votes, was charged during a video court hearing in the District Court of McLeod County, Minnesota. State officials allege that from February 2023 to July 2024, Yates possessed a hard drive with digital pornographic images of minors under 14 years of age.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension began investigating the 55-year-old Yates at the end of July after a relative, identified in court documents as “Witness #2,” accidentally discovered a hard drive containing over 100 images of child porn in Yates’…

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Church said leaders ‘failed to inquire further’ after learning Robert Morris, ex-Trump adviser, molested girl for years

A Dallas-area Christian megachurch has removed four of its elders after an internal investigation into how the institution handled revelations of child sexual abuse by its founder, a former spiritual adviser to Donald Trump.

An official at Gateway church announced during a service on Saturday that the ousted leaders either knew that Robert Morris molested a girl for several years beginning in 1982, when she was 12, or “failed to inquire further” after being informed of it, the Dallas Morning News reported.

Gateway did not identify the removed leaders, but the Morning News found four names had been taken off the church’s elders page: Jeremy Carrasco, Kevin Grove, Gayland Lawshe and Thomas Miller. Remaining were Kenneth W Fambro II, Dane Minor and Tra Willbanks, who made Saturday’s announcement about the other elders, who had belonged…

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In a letter sent to various members and former members of a scandal-ridden Peruvian lay group, a priest belonging to the community apologized to victims and urged internal authorities to make reparations.

The apologetic letter, signed by Father Márcio Paulo de Souza, a member of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae (SCV) who lives in a community house in Arequipa, strikes a much different tone than that taken by other members of the group who have been expelled in recent weeks.

In his letter, de Souza said he has held conversations with several victims of the SCV, and has shared “with deep pain their suffering, their wounds, and the tremendous consequences that the various abuses suffered in our institution have left them.”

Founded by Peruvian layman Luis Fernando Figari in 1971, the SCV for the past decade has been a source of widespread scandal due to allegations of various forms of abuse, including the…

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The pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Farwell is accused of sexually assaulting a young boy.

The Clare County Sheriff’s Office received information about the alleged sexual assault in March after the boy reported the incident to authorities outside Michigan, which he lives now. Court records indicate the assault happened in June 2021.

The Clare County Prosecutor’s Office filed a single count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct against 57-year-old Harold Cole Jr. He appeared in Clare County District Court for arraignment on Friday.

The charge accuses Cole of having unwanted sexual contact with the boy, who was younger than 13 years old, by using force or coercion. Cole faces up to five years in prison if he is convicted.

He posted 10% of a $20,000 bond after arraignment and was released from custody on a GPS tether. Cole is scheduled for additional court hearings on Nov. 12 and 18.

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Church elder Tra Willbanks said the church is also cooperating with a criminal investigation.

Update:

This is a developing story.

Gateway Church removed four of its elders after receiving a report from a law firm hired to conduct an internal investigation into its founder’s alleged sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl, a church leader announced Saturday.

Church elder Tra Willbanks said during service that all but three of the church’s elders either knew former senior pastor Robert Morris had sexual contact with a 12-year-old, or received some information about the situation and “failed to inquire further.”

“We have decided to draw a very bright line here based on Biblical and moral values and the values of our church family, and we can report to you that as of today, no individuals in either group serves as an elder, is employed by or works at Gateway Church,”…

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SOUTHLAKE – A private investigation into allegations that Gateway Church founder Robert Morris had a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old girl in the 1980s has uncovered a massive failure involving former church leadership.

The investigation, which the church said now involves law enforcement, also revealed that others knew of Morris’ relationship with the underage girl and failed to ask additional questions.

“We must be honest with ourselves and acknowledge that our culture allowed this truth to be buried for too long,” Tra Willbanks, an elder at Gateway Church, said during its regularly scheduled worship service Saturday.

Four church elders who had information about Morris’ relationship — Kevin Grove, Thomas Miller, Jeremy Carrasco and Gayland Lawshe — were removed following the investigation.

Willbanks called it a “massive governance and accountability failure.”00:0002:00Read More

“When a church becomes centered around one pastor alone, it’s lost its way,” Willbanks said. “And unfortunately,…

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The removals are latest fallout at one of the country’s largest evangelical Christian churches from allegations made in June against Gateway’s founding pastor, Robert Morris.

DALLAS (RNS) — Four elders at Gateway Church, whose senior pastor stepped down earlier this year, have been removed after the results of a law firm’s investigation of sexual abuse allegations against the pastor were announced in a sermon on Sunday (Nov. 3).

The removals are the latest responses by one of the country’s largest evangelical Christian churches to allegations brought by Cindy Clemishire in June that Gateway’s founding pastor, Robert Morris, 63, had molested her in the 1980s, when Morris was in his 20s and she was 12.

Soon afterward, also in June, the church retained law firm Haynes and Boone to conduct an investigation, which, church elder Tra Willbanks announced on Sunday, had found that all but three elders had been aware of…

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This guest essay reflects the views of Rick Hinshaw, former editor of The Long Island Catholic newspaper.

The settlement between the Diocese of Rockville Centre and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy should occasion, first and foremost, hope and prayers that those survivors might at long last experience at least some sense of justice.

Of course, that is tempered by the realization that the abusers themselves, and those who enabled them, are not the ones now paying the price. But hopefully, knowing that the institution within which they were abused is being held to account will impart some measure of healing, even as there can probably never be full closure for what has been for some a lifetime of damage — physical, emotional, familial, spiritual.

There can also never be full closure for the Church — and shouldn’t be, as Church leaders and Catholic faithful must be ever vigilant in…

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The Oscar winner plays a village coal merchant who discovers a secret about the local convent in the Irish drama ‘Small Things Like These’

Stories about Cillian Murphy, the Irish actor who won the Academy Award for his performance in “Oppenheimer,” often include extravagant descriptions of his eyes, calling them “dolphin pools” or “ocean eyes.”

But on a recent Zoom call to talk about his new movie, “Small Things Like These,” Murphy’s peepers looked pretty normal — a vivid blue, for sure, but otherwise ordinary — and the actor said he’d be happy to never discuss his image or appearance.

“I see myself as an actor, not a personality, and I think those are two distinct things,” said Murphy, whose indifference to celebrity is evident in his decision to live with his wife and two teenage sons in Ireland, not…

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Laurie Wilson alleges physical and sexual abuse from when she was a child attending St. James Parish School in the 1960s

Warning: This story contains details about sexual abuse that may be disturbing to some readers. 

A syilx Okanagan woman is taking the federal government and church authorities to B.C. Supreme Court, 60 years after her alleged abuse at a Vernon Catholic school. 

Laurie Wilson filed a notice of civil claim against the Attorney General of Canada, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Kamloops, the Catholic Public Schools of the Kamloops Diocese and the Sisters of Saint Ann on Oct. 23.

She attended St. James Parish School in Vernon from 1963 to 1970, and her civil action stems from the alleged psychological, spiritual, cultural, physical and sexual abuse she experienced there.

Despite the alleged abuse, Wilson has persevered in her life. She has five children, 11 grandchildren and one great grandchild. She graduated from law school at UBC in 2000 and…

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The allegation was the second made against Monsignor Michael J. Doyle, but the first to be deemed credible, the diocese announced Sunday. Doyle died in 1987.

TOLEDO, Ohio — An allegation of child sex abuse against a local priest has been deemed credible, the Diocese of Toledo announced Sunday.

The credible allegation was the second to be made against Monsignor Michael J. Doyle and dated back “over 65 years,” according to the diocese.

Doyle was an active priest with the diocese from 1925 until his retirement was granted in 1977. He died in 1987.

The allegation was referred to the independent Diocesan Review Board, which the diocese said consists of “civil officials, law enforcement, education, clinical and child/adolescent psychological treatment and child protective services.”

The board determined that there was enough information to substantiate the allegation against Doyle and recommended his name be added to the Diocese of Toledo’s  View Cache

As a tempest in a teapot, Tutela Minorum, the entity dealing with clergy sexual abuse in the Catholic Church published its first report.

The Roman Catholic Church global report fails to provide any hope of a much-needed measure of justice for the clergy sexual abuse victims.

Only one fifth of the bishops of Mexico answered an information request from Rome and, despite the claims in the report, there is no evidence that the 98 Roman Catholic dioceses in Mexico have a commission to prevent clergy sexual abuse.

By Rodolfo Soriano-Núñez

On Tuesday October 29th, at Rome, Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley, the emeritus bishop of Boston, and other members of Tutela Minorum, the entity tasked with preventing clergy sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church presented their first annual report on the subject.

There was the general secretary of that entity, the auxiliary bishop of Bogotá, Colombia, View Cache

ALBANY, N.Y. (OSV News) — An award-winning, one-man play that made its U.S. public premiere in the Diocese of Albany was a breakthrough event, but not for reasons one might associate with a night at the theater.

The Oct. 20 presentation of “Groomed” gave its writer-performer, its audience and those who brought the project to life an opportunity to share intense, personal reflections about sexual abuse of children.

Patrick Sandford, whose acting portrayed the aftermath of abuse inflicted by his elementary school teacher in England, has explained he wrote the play as a kind of release from his own inner turmoil.

He said he hopes additional presentations now planned will continue to promote understanding, conversation, prevention and healing among victims of similar suffering and supporters of solutions.

Sandford’s performance of the 55-minute play was followed by heartfelt questions and answers in a modest classroom-theater on the Siena College campus in…

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The White House says President Joe Biden will apologize on behalf of the U.S. government Friday for its 150-year campaign to break up Native American culture, language and identity by forcing children into abusive Indian boarding schools.

More than 900 children died at the government-funded schools, the last of which closed or transitioned into different institutions decades ago. Their dark legacy continues to be felt in Native communities where survivors struggle with generational trauma from the torture, sexual abuse and hatred they endured.

Biden is expected to formally acknowledge the federal government’s role and apologize for it during an appearance at the Gila River Indian Community outside Phoenix.

A closer look at the federal boarding school system:

150 years of forced assimilation

Congress laid the framework for a nationwide boarding school system for Native Americans in 1819 under the 5th U.S. President, James Monroe, with legislation known as the Indian Civilization Act. It was…

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The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors released its first annual report October 29, detailing measures taken to combat sexual violence within the church. The document reveals uneven implementation across various countries worldwide.

This report has been eagerly awaited for more than two years, following Pope Francis’ request that the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors produce a comprehensive overview of the church’s efforts to address sexual abuse. Tutela Minorum – in Latin – published its first report October 29, assessing the adoption of measures by different church entities to combat sexual abuse against minors and vulnerable individuals.

The report presents findings based on interviews with church leaders during episcopal visits to Rome (known as ad limina) and questionnaires sent to stakeholders on the ground. It also issues numerous recommendations.

The approach contrasts with typical methods in Rome. Right from the start, the commission states that not all countries and organizations…

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Thomas Moriarty, 62, was serving as Associate Pastor at Church of the Holy Spirit in New Hyde Park before being accused of sexual abuse. 

A Long Island priest was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 22-year-old man last weekend, Nassau County Police announced on Friday.

Thomas Moriarty, 62, is accused of sexually abusing the victim in the early morning on Saturday, Oct. 26 in Oceanside. He is charged with forcible touching.

According to police, Moriarty works as the priest of the Church of the Holy Spirit, a Catholic congregation in New Hyde Park. His name has since been removed from the parish website.

Rev. Eric Fasano, a spokesperson for the Rockville Centre Diocese, said in an email to Newsday that “Father Moriarty has voluntarily stepped away from ministry and will not present himself as a priest while the required civil process and diocesan procedures are undertaken. The accusation…

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Attorneys representing three officials at a Catholic school in Mandan have filed motions with a judge to try to close public records relating to criminal cases against them that were dismissed under an agreement with a prosecutor.

The motions brought on behalf of David Fleischacker, Christine Fleischacker and Thomas Hoopes pertain to a criminal complaint naming the three as well as a priest, Josh Waltz, that resulted in a criminal charge being filed.

That complaint, prepared in June by a Mandan police detective, accuses all four people of failing to report sexual assaults allegedly committed by a teenage male student at the School of the Holy Family between 2020 and 2023. The school housed within the Church of St. Joseph in Mandan opened in 2020, educating students in grades 7-9, and expanded to include students in grades 10-12, according to the school’s website and student handbook.

The Fleischackers and Hoopes were all charged…

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The Sodalitium Christianae Vitae’s U.S. presence is based out of a Denver-area Catholic church

Aharon Andrés Cardona joined the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae as a teenager in Colombia in 1993 because he wanted to help others.

The secretive Catholic society, based in Peru, sought to mold upper-class, fair-skinned boys into “soldiers for God” through a combination of military-style training and theological study.

Cardona said he soon realized, however, that his mission to help others would come with years of physical and psychological abuse.

When he said or did something that his superiors didn’t like, the leader of his community, Daniel Cardó, now the priest of a Colorado parish, punched him repeatedly in the stomach or slapped him in the face, Cardona said in an interview from Colombia.

“He said I needed to act like a man,” he said.

Cardona and his comrades were constantly pushed to their physical limits through running, swimming, squats…

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Santa Margarita Catholic High School’s football program is being sued by a former player after he needed hospital attention following an alleged assault by a group of teammates

A football player at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in California has sued the football program after alleging he was assaulted by teammates on Sept. 24.

The 16-year-old student, who was 15 at the time, alleges he was attacked by teammates while he was in the school’s locker room getting ready for team practice. The case claims that the student was held on the ground by teammates who took turns assaulting the boy, and it resulted in his mother taking him to the emergency room.

The allegations have led to an investigation by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, but criminal charges aren’t yet being pursued as his parents are looking to resolve the incident with the school. The student…

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A priest in Massachusetts who had been placed on leave has admitted to sexual misconduct ahead of a planned student walkout over a lack of information regarding his removal from a school post. 

Students at St. Michael’s School in Fall River, Massachusetts, had organized a protest for Friday over Father Jay Mello’s removal months ago as pastor of the school and two churches.

Fall River Bishop Edgar da Cunha had said in a June letter to parishioners that Mello was removed after the diocese received an allegation of sexual misconduct regarding the priest. The diocese said at the time that there had been “no allegations of inappropriate conduct with minors.”

The Fall River Herald News reported on Thursday that students at St. Michael’s were planning a walkout over the lack of information on the case from the diocese. The protest was reportedly scheduled to take place…

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Emily Nutley, 42, has been indicted on six charges of sexual battery over her alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student at St Xavier High School in Cincinnati, Ohio

A Catholic high school teacher has been accused of sending nude photos to a student and having sex with him in her office.

Emily Nutley, 42, has been indicted on six charges of sexual battery, a third-degree felony, over her alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student at St Xavier High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Nutley joined the all-boys school as a teacher in the fall semester of 2023 and became supervisor of a program for students needing academic support. The 17-year-old boy was on the program.

Hamilton County prosecutors allege that the relationship first began with the pair exchanging text messages, including sexually explicit messages and nude photographs of Nutley.

It then allegedly became physical in mid-November 2023 with the teacher…

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Youth pastor Charles Goff confessed to soliciting pictures of minors.

Another Southern Baptist Convention pastor is behind bars this week after church officials reported him for confessing to possessing child pornography. A statement from a Beltway Park Church pastor says the former youth pastor, Charles Goff, admitted to fellow pastors he was soliciting inappropriate photos from minors.

When asked about the firing of, and ultimately the arrest, of Goff, the Abilene church responded with a statement from Beltway Park Church Pastor David McQueen, saying, “In June 2024, we were made aware that a former volunteer with our youth ministry confessed to soliciting inappropriate photos and videos of minors online.”

According to a report from KTXS 12, an ABC News affiliate covering Abilene, Gogff was booked into the Taylor County Jail on child pornography charges and held on a $100,000 bond….

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Female members of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL) experiencing sexual harassment and abuse in non-Catholic institutions, where they serve in Africa have been urged to speak out.

It emerged in the testimonies that Sr. Prof. Agnes Lucy Lando gathered for her book, “Moving into the Unreached Pastoral Frontiers: Making Visible the Impact of Catholic Sisters working in non-Catholic Institutions”, that women Religious serving in non-Catholic contexts are victims of sexual advances from their male seniors.

Those who spoke to the Kenyan member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mary of Kakamega (SMK) who lectures at the Kenya-based Daystar University said that declining to these advances earned them public ridicule and other forms of unfair treatment, including being denied promotions at their workplaces.

In a Wednesday, October 30 discussion on Sr. Lando’s book, Pro. Mary Getui, who lectures at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) told women Religious…

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A pastor at a Long Island church has been arrested over accusations he sexually abused an adult male victim, according to police.

Nassau County police allege Thomas Moriarty, 62, who is a pastor at the Holy Spirit Church in New Hyde Park sexually abused a 22-year-old victim.

The alleged incident occurred Oct. 26 at 12:30 a.m. in Oceanside.

Moriarty was charged with a count of forcible touching, police said.

NBC New York has reached out to Moriarty’s church for comment.

Police are asking anyone who may have been a victim to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS or the Special Victims Squad at 516-573-4022. Police said callers can remain anonymous.

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A youth leader at Beltway Park Church has been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography.

According to court documents, a member of the church contacted Abilene Police with concerns regarding one of their youth leaders.

Documents state Charles Goff met with a fellow church member and admitted to struggling with pornography.

Goff specifically said he struggled with videos of teen girls 14-15 years old.

Detectives met with Goff and he admitted to soliciting nude pictures from teenage girls using various social media platforms.

Police state they found three pornographic videos of young girls on Goff’s phone.

Goff was booked into the Taylor County Jail with a $100,000 bond.

The church released the following statement Wednesday evening:

Dear Beltway Park Family,

This is a difficult letter for me to write, but it is important. At Beltway, we have always

prioritized…

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A controversial bill in Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly has put the Catholic Church and lawmakers at odds over the sanctity of confession versus child protection laws. The proposed “Law Against Silence in Sexual Crimes Against Children and Persons with Disabilities” would require Catholic priests to break the seal of confession to report sexual crimes, prompting strong opposition from Church leaders who say they will defy the law if passed.

The bill, presented by Frente Amplio (FA) Congressman Antonio Ortega, aims to combat inaction on sexual crimes across various social settings. The legislation would specifically require priests to report crimes revealed during confession, a practice Catholics consider sacred and inviolable.

Church Leaders Voice Strong Opposition to Proposed Legislation

Representatives of the Episcopal Conference of Costa Rica, Priests Mauricio Granados and Ricardo Cerdas, strongly opposed the measure, warning that breaking “the vow of silence made to God” could result in excommunication…

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Earlier this week, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors released its first Annual Report on Church Policies and Procedures for Safeguarding. Bishop Knestout, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People issued a statement welcoming the information highlighted in the report.

Earlier this week, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors released its first Annual Report on Church Policies and Procedures for Safeguarding. Bishop Barry C. Knestout of Richmond, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People issued a statement welcoming the information highlighted in the report.

“The Commission’s report underscores the importance that our Holy Father has placed on fighting the scourge of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church globally. I am grateful to the work of the Commission in its call for the Church to be in solidarity with survivors as we continue to build…

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The building has officially been auctioned by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Christ the King Seminary has officially been auctioned off for $4.2 million through U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

The 117-acre site on Knox Road in the Town of Aurora was sold to a different religious group called the World Mission Society Church of God.

The seminary formerly used to educate Catholic priests before its closure in 2020, and was placed on the market almost exactly one year ago in November 2023. The initial list price was $5.3 million.

World Mission Society Church of God is set to close on the property in a matter of weeks, according to the Diocese of Buffalo. This is not the aggressive timeline cited in court of 2-12 days they said.

The religious group founded in South Korea in 1964 was first floated as a potential buyer back in July 2024, raising questions about its history.

…

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[Includes a three-minute video interview with survivors’ attorney Celeste Laramie, not transcribed in the printed article, which discusses the bankruptcy’s stay on litigation, the process for filing a proof of claim, and the diocese’s interest in foreclosing claims filed after the bankruptcy is completed.]

It has been nearly a month since the Diocese of Burlington filed for Bankruptcy, faced with ongoing sexual abuse lawsuits and the prospect of millions in future settlements.

The Diocese says it is currently facing 31 sexual abuse lawsuits and is concerned it won’t be able to pay out settlements. It comes as the Diocese has settled 67 lawsuits since 2006 totaling nearly $40 million.

What is the future of the child sex abuse lawsuits still in the legal system that haven’t been resolved?

We spoke with Celeste Laramie, an attorney with the law firm Gravel & Shea, who represents some of the survivors of…

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The Rev. William Killeen served in several south suburban parishes during his career.

A retired priest accused of sexual abuse over 40 years ago has been reinstated after an investigation by the Chicago Archdiocese.

The Rev. William Killeen was accused of sexually abusing a minor while assigned to St. Patricia Parish in Hickory Hills over 40 years ago, the archdiocese said.

The Archdiocese Independent Review Board found there was not a reasonable cause to believe Killeen sexually abused a minor and recommended he be reinstated to the ministry. Killeen was removed from ministry after the allegation was made in October 2023.

“The welfare of the children entrusted to our care is our paramount consideration,” Cardinal Blase Cupich wrote in letters announcing Killeen’s reinstatement to eight parishes where he worked throughout his career. “At the same time, I am committed to restoring the good name of those so accused if the…

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Judges have rejected two Jane Does’ efforts to anonymously bring sexual assault lawsuits against Sean “Diddy” Combs in rulings that highlight the challenges of using pseudonyms, and according to some plaintiffs’ lawyers, could have a chilling effect on future actions.

Two federal judges overseeing lawsuits brought by Jane Does against Combs rejected their efforts to continue anonymously, saying in both cases the women did not establish that their concerns about harm outweighed Combs’ right to know his accuser and defend himself or the public’s interest in open trials. If the women want their lawsuits to proceed, the judges ruled, they will have to file them under their real names.

“It almost certainly means that fewer plaintiffs will be willing to come forward, among them individuals with the most traumatic experiences. Those are the survivors who typically are the most concerned about being identified for obvious reasons,” said Roberta Kaplan, an attorney…

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How could a convicted sex offender end up on a Cleveland Catholic church’s altar leading songs, standing right next to the bishop? It’s a question that led to the removal of a local pastor and has victims’ advocates raising concerns.

“For 20 years the bishops around the United States have promised better accountability, better oversight. Clearly, it doesn’t work,” said Claudia Vercellotti from the group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

Two decades after the Boston Globe’s Spotlight investigation that exposed a child sexual abuse crisis, News 5 Investigators took a new, in-depth look at the Cleveland Diocese and its leadership.

In 2020, Cleveland’s Bishop Edward Malesic arrived here in Northeast Ohio from a diocese in Pennsylvania that had just been hit with a child sex abuse lawsuit.

MALESIC NAMED AS LEADER OF DIOCESE

Let’s be clear here. Malesic has not been accused of sexually abusing children, but…

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Richard Henning was named the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Boston in a South End installation ceremony at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.

He is the 10th bishop and seventh archbishop of the city, and took on the role at an event held before hundreds of religious and lay guests at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.

Henning is taking the helm from Cardinal Sean O’Malley, who is retiring after serving as archbishop of the nation’s fourth-largest archdiocese for 21 challenging years. Much of his tenure was dominated by fallout from the clergy sex-abuse crisis.

As the procession began, Henning knocked three times on the cathedral’s doors and was welcomed in by O’Malley, who embraced Henning with a hug.

The guests included Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, five additional cardinals, five archbishops, more than 50 bishops, and nearly 500 priests, religious, deacons, seminarians, and the…

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Bishop Edgar da Cunha said Thursday that the Rev. Jay Mello “recently admitted to serious misconduct” while on leave and under investigation. 

Da Cunha revealed the information in a letter dated Oct. 31 released to parishioners and provided to The Herald News. 

Mello was placed on administrative leave in June after the diocese began an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct with an adult. He initially denied the allegations. 

The diocese normally does not disclose the status of investigations while they are underway; the bishop took the unusual step of writing the letter a day before parishioners and students at St. Michael’s School planned to protest outside the Diocese of Fall River headquarters, seeking information about the investigation. 

“While I would not normally provide this detailed of an update until the conclusion of the investigation, I am prompted to do so because…

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[Includes brief video containing interview excerpts not transcribed in the printed story.]

After 60 years, Syilx Okanagan woman Laurie Wilson is taking her story of alleged abuse to B.C.’s highest court.

From 1963 to 1970 Wilson attended St James Parish School in Vernon, B.C., which accepted both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. She says the Catholic school dehumanized Indigenous children while stripping them of their culture.

“I never thought I was anything but a beautiful little girl, very loved, I never thought there was anything wrong with me. But in the first week I knew what was wrong with me,” said Wilson.

“It was blatantly said that we didn’t have the same brains as the other kids, that we were heathens, we didn’t have souls.”

The lawsuit filed Friday at the BC Supreme Court against the federal government and the Kamloops Diocese details the alleged abuse Wilson suffered.

“Telling the plaintiff her skin…

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Dr Teresa Kettelkamp, Adjunct Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, gives an overview of the Commission’s “Pilot Annual Report on Church Policies and Procedures for Safeguarding.”

“Victims want to be heard and victims want justice,” says Dr Teresa Kettelkamp, as she explains some of the findings of the “Pilot Annual Report on Church Policies and Procedures for Safeguarding,” published Tuesday by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

In an interview with Vatican News, Dr Kettelkamp, the Adjunct Secretary for the Commission, says the Report is a “tool… a snapshot of what the Church’s status is with regard to safeguarding and reaching out to survivors.”

“One finding” she is pleased with, she says, “is the desire to develop safeguarding mechanisms for the Church as universal.” Acknowledging the challenges that remain, Dr Kettelkamp says the Church already has “a safeguarding mentality,” but needs to develop a…

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The Washington Attorney General’s office says Catholic Church records related to child sex abuse do not qualify for religious exemption and should be made public.

That’s according to a recent appeal to overturn a previous decision that prevented investigators from subpoenaing Catholic Church records. That lower court decision, issued by a King County Superior Court judge, said the records were protected under the state’s Charitable Trust Act.

In the filing, the AG’s office argues that the religious exemptions don’t apply to secular misconduct like child sex abuse, and the ruling conflicts with other laws.

“The stakes in this case are profound. At issue is not only the AGO’s ability to investigate the misuse of charitable trust funds to conceal and facilitate something as horrific as child sex abuse, but also the fundamental principle that no institution—religious or otherwise—should be above the law when Washingtonians’ fundamental right to freedom from sexual…

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A fortnight ago, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles announced US$880 million would be given as compensation to 1,353 victims of clergy sexual abuse (CSA). Added to earlier settlements, the amount totals US$1.5 billion, reportedly the largest single child sex abuse settlement by a Catholic archdiocese.

In contrast, a deafening silence envelops CSA in Asia. Bishops in Asia have not yet acknowledged CSA as an issue to be tackled. Those who worked closely with the bishops say in most cases, bishops cover each other’s backs and silence survivors and their supporters.

According to woman theologian Virginia Saldanha, former executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India Women’s Commission, the Indian Church exemplifies how bishops stifle discussion about gender equality and CSA.

During her time with the bishops’ conference, she said she “tried to speak up about CSA, but was terminated after my first term. A nun who would…

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In a solemn ceremony layered with joy, regret, and ancient ritual, Archbishop Richard Henning was installed Thursday as the seventh archbishop of the Archdiocese of Boston before 1,400 religious and lay guests who filled the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.

The installation ritual and Mass marked the end of Cardinal Seán O’Malley’s 21 challenging years as archbishop, a tenure dominated by fallout from the clergy sexual abuse scandal, and the beginning of a new chapter under Henning, 60, the former bishop of Providence.Related: Cardinal O’Malley’s complicated legacy: challenge, turmoil, and successes

“This church of Boston, it is in a very real sense a wounded church because of the failure to act with compassion and healing,” Henning said in his homily. “Sins against the innocent. We have seen over these decades a passionate effort to protect the vulnerable, but still we feel the weight of those wounds.

“And we owe a…

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Cardinal Seán O’Malley, archbishop of Boston and president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, stressed that “celibacy is not the cause of pedophilia” but highlighted the need for more reforms within the Church to adopt a victim-centered approach to better safeguard children.

Following the presentation of the first annual report on safeguarding released by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors on Tuesday, O’Malley stated that he has “never seen any serious studies that have indicated that celibacy and sexual abuse is related.”

“Yes, we are aware of the incredible damage that [pedophilia] has done to the credibility of the Church and our ability to have a prophetic voice in society,” the cardinal said in response to a journalist’s question on a potential “link between celibacy and sex abuse” at the Oct. 29 press briefing.

“And that only underscores the urgency of the Church…

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On October 31, the Archdiocese of Boston welcomes its new archbishop, Bishop Richard Henning. He succeeds Cardinal Sean O’Malley, appointed in 2003 during a crisis involving sexual abuse cases. Since the bombshell revelations of abuse, the archdiocese has been slowly rebuilding trust.

Cynthia will never forget January 2002. At the time, she was a student at Boston College, the Jesuit university in the archdiocese. Every day on her way to class, she passed by the residence of Cardinal Bernard Law, then-Archbishop of Boston, who died in 2017. “Every day, there were protestors with signs in front of his house. There was so much anger and pain.”

On January 6, 2002, The Boston Globe published an investigation whose impact reverberated far beyond America. The newspaper revealed that 130 children had been abused by former priest John Geoghan and that the Catholic hierarchy had covered up these crimes by moving the priest from parish…

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An award-winning, one-man play that made its U.S. public premiere in the Diocese of Albany was a breakthrough event, but not for reasons one might associate with a night at the theater.

The Oct. 20 presentation of “Groomed” gave its writer-performer, its audience and those who brought the project to life an opportunity to share intense, personal reflections about sexual abuse of children.

Patrick Sandford, whose acting portrayed the aftermath of abuse inflicted by his elementary school teacher in England, has explained he wrote the play as a kind of release from his own inner turmoil.

He said he hopes additional presentations now planned will continue to promote understanding, conversation, prevention and healing among victims of similar suffering and supporters of solutions.

Sandford’s performance of the 55-minute play was followed by heartfelt questions and answers in a modest classroom-theater on the Siena College campus in Loudonville.

The Hope and Healing…

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In 2002, the Archdiocese of Boston was reeling, battered by a devastating sexual abuse-crisis, its face that of an aloof cardinal, Bernard F. Law, whose obstructionist response to the scandal seemed as out of touch as his palatial mansion in Brighton.

Law resigned in disgrace, replaced in summer 2003 by Archbishop Sean O’Malley, an introspective Capuchin friar whose plain appearance and humble demeanor offered a striking contrast to his strong-willed, regal predecessor.

The jarring optics carried a message for the faithful: A forceful, dismissive prince of the church had been succeeded by a quiet, empathetic man dressed simply in brown robe and sandals.

“I know how surprised people were, beginning with myself, when a scruffy bearded Capuchin in his bare feet was not exactly what people were suspecting,” O’Malley said at a fund-raiser for archdiocesan priests in September.

The 80-year-old O’Malley is now retiring as head of the archdiocese, his…

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A former principal at a Christian boarding school faces charges of child sexual abuse and a former teacher pled guilty to child abuse and neglect. Both men worked at Lighthouse Christian Academy – now closed – in Piedmont.

According to attorney Rebecca Randles, the Academy’s former principal, Craig Wesley Smith Jr., faces felony charges of forcible rape, forcible sodomy, sexual contact with a student, abuse or neglect of a child, and harassment. His arraignment is set for October 31, 2024.

Former Lighthouse Christian Academy teacher Caleb Sandoval was sentenced to five years probation after pleading guilty to abuse or neglect of a child.

According to Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), victims feel encouraged by the developments.

SNAP Missouri volunteer director David Clohessy said the fight is not over.

“I’d like to stress that a charge is not a conviction,” Clohessy said. “When somebody who mistreats kids faces…

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Members of the pope’s anti-abuse watchdog body have said they find long wait times for victims who have lodged a complaint with church authorities, coupled with a lack of information available on their cases, to be of great concern, with one survivor calling the situation “retraumatizing.”

Speaking to journalists Oct. 29, Chilean abuse survivor Juan Carlos Cruz said the issue of transparency is “something very near and dear to me, because I lived it personally.”

“This non-providing of information is a form of re-trauma for many survivors, who have no idea where their case of abuse went, into what dark hole, and where they can find information,” he said.

Cruz, who is a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM), was present alongside other members of the group for the presentation of their first annual report examining safeguarding efforts around the world.

The report, published Tuesday,…

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Chris MacLean recently settled a civil claim against the Catholic church

WARNING: This article contains references to sexual abuse and may affect those who have experienced​ ​it or know someone who has.

Chris MacLean says he knew he wanted to come forward and share his story five years ago after watching the Canadian documentary Prey about priest abuse.

MacLean says he was sexually abused by Father Joseph Nelligan in 1979 at Most Precious Blood Parish in Windsor, Ont. Nelligan was also MacLean’s priest at F.J. Brennan High School during that time.

• Video’Prey’: A documentary by Windsor director shines a light on sexual abuse by priests

After watching the documentary in Toronto, he pulled aside southwestern Ontario sexual assault lawyer Rob Talach and confided him in saying he “couldn’t live this lie anymore.”

“He’s the first person I ever told,” said MacLean. “I had only known him 10 minutes ……

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1st report from Vatican commission on clerical sexual abuse criticized for lack of data

A decade after it formed, a Vatican commission on clerical sexual abuse issued its first of what is to become an annual report on Tuesday and met immediate criticism, the New York Times reports. “I understand that it won’t satisfy everybody and it won’t satisfy survivors,” said Juan Carlos Cruz, a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and also an abuse survivor. “It’s a start.” Commission members have described a troubling lack of data in many countries. More:

• The commission: Created in 2014, its purpose is to advise the papacy on how to protect the vulnerable from clerical sexual abuse. Last year, Pope Francis also charged the commission with ensuring countries follow a new church law about reporting and combating the problem.

• What the report says: It is “not intended…

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Phil Johnson, a pastor at John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church (GCC), stated five weeks ago that the woman with whom Steve Lawson “had a 5-year relationship” lived “nowhere close to any of the ministries Steve served.”

However, when recently accused of lying, Johnson admitted in an email that the woman was “a student at The Master’s College (University) during some of the time that (she and Lawson) were engaged in this adulterous affair.”

Lawson, a former dean at GCC’s The Master’s University and Seminary (TMUS) and a teaching pastor at Trinity Bible Church of Dallas, was removed from his church in September due to “an inappropriate relationship” with a woman.

Since then, there has been much speculation on social media regarding the identity of the woman and whether Lawson’s “affair” classifies as clergy sexual abuse.

To date, Trinity Church, TMUS, and GCC have not…

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• Summary

• Vatican handling of abuse cases seen too slow, secretive
• First commission report makes numerous recommendations
• Commission criticised in the past for being toothless
• Abuse tracking group says new report is ‘window dressing’

The Catholic Church must do a better job of handling compensation for the victims of clergy sexual abuse, the Vatican’s child protection commission said in its first annual report on Tuesday.

For decades, the Church has been shaken by scandals across the world involving paedophile priests and the cover-up of their crimes, damaging its credibility and costing it hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements.

The commission said compensation went beyond money, including “a much broader spectrum of actions … such as acknowledging mistakes, public apologies, and other forms of true fraternal closeness to victims/survivors”.

Pledging to work for the introduction of “standardised and known procedures … in a more comprehensive way”, it said it would delve deeper…

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The lead pastor of an Arlington church returned to the pulpit this weekend three months after turning himself in to face charges of sexual assault and indecent assault, stemming from alleged sexual advances toward a member of his church. 

Ronnie Goines did not appear to directly address the accusations against him when he returned to the stage at the Koinonia Christian Church for a Bible study session Thursday night nor for Sunday service. However other pastors speaking at the services urged members to bless and pray for the lead preacher.

The church announced Goines’ return in a video trailer set to music and posted on YouTube Thursday. 

Arlington Police arrested Goines, 51, in late July after a female church member reported he had tried to kiss and touch her despite her objections during two encounters in March 2023. 

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, the woman said the pastor…

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[Editor’s Note: On Oct. 28, Crux published an article by Elise Ann Allen regarding a priest who was recently expelled from the Sodalitium of Christian Life, a movement based in Peru, in which she quotes two named sources accusing the priest of either sexual abuse or cover-up. In response, the priest in question, Fr. Jaime Baertl, submitted the following letter, which we are publishing in full. For the record, Crux stands by the story.]

Mr. John L. Allen, Jr.

Editor of Crux

Dear Mr. Allen:

I am writing you regarding the article published today by journalist Elise Ann Allen on your news agency under the headline “Peruvian priest ousted from order accused of sex abuse, coverup”.

First, it is important to state that Mrs. Elise Ann Allen sent me a request for clarification at 12:42 am (the early morning of today, Monday, October 28) as stated in the e-mail that I attach. Only…

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The Meachum board recently posted a statement on its website announcing that it is investigating Bantu.

“We, the Meachum community, have been disheartened by these allegations, yet we take them seriously,” the board said. “As promised, investigations are underway. Dr. Bantu has been put on leave.”

The board assured that the school is “even more committed to the theological proliferation of orthodoxy and Black flourishing as we proclaim Jesus to the nations.”

It added that it hopes to have reports to share from the investigation in “the coming weeks.”

TRR reached out to Beloved Community Church and Meachum for further comment but did not hear back prior to publication.

Pastor, author, and scholar, Vince Bantu, has been fired as a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, following allegations of polygamy that first surfaced five months ago.

“Fuller Seminary terminated the employment of Professor Vince Bantu this morning following the…

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A former principal at a Christian boarding school in Missouri that closed in March amid abuse allegations has been charged with sex crimes involving a former student.

Craig Wesley Smith Jr. was charged by the prosecutor in Wayne County in September with forcible sodomy and attempted forcible rape, court records show. He is accused of forcing a teenage girl to perform sex acts in the late 2000s when she was a student at Lighthouse Christian Academy in Piedmont, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) south of St. Louis.

A probable cause statement alleged that Smith told the girl he would kill her and “make it look like she committed suicide” if she told anyone.

Smith faces a hearing Thursday in Wayne County. Messages were left Tuesday with Smith and his attorney.

ABM Ministries operated the school, which claimed success in helping students who were troubled, learning-impaired or dealing with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or…

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After nearly 50 years in silence, Chris MacLean is ready to share his experience of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

MacLean, who now lives in Toronto, said he was taken advantage of by Father Joe Nelligan while attending Brennan High School in Windsor in 1979.

“It wasn’t just my parish priest who I saw on a weekly basis, and if I didn’t like him, I could just not go. He was at my high school,” MacLean told CTV News.

MacLean said the two had a close relationship and he admired Nelligan, which made the abuse “much harder” to digest.

“It was an inside job,” he said. “He knew me. He had my trust, and he eventually broke that trust.”

Following the abuse, MacLean, worried about how it would appear, buried the trauma deep within himself.

Over the years, MacLean said when he noticed instances of institutional abuse, he would…

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The Archdiocese of Dubuque has been named a defendant in a trio of civil cases alongside a former area priest previously charged with sexual abuse.

The lawsuits were filed this month in Charlotte County (Fla.) Circuit Court. The Archdiocese of Dubuque is listed as a defendant in all three cases alongside Leo Riley, who served as a priest in the Dubuque area in the ’80s and ’90s.

The civil complaints that spurred the three cases are not yet publicly available, though all three were filed the same day and list John Doe plaintiffs represented by the same attorney.

Riley, 68, of Port Charlotte, Fla., previously was charged in Iowa District Court of Dubuque County with five counts of second-degree sexual abuse stemming from allegations related to his time at a Dubuque parish in the 1980s.

Riley was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Dubuque in 1982 and served in…

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Chatham woman’s first novel tells the story of a young girl who was abused by a Catholic priest.

It’s been nearly two decades since news came to light about young girls being sexually assaulted by a Catholic priest while serving at churches in Southwestern Ontario and the cover-up by the church, but Renée D. Bondy hasn’t forgotten about it.

The Chatham woman’s first novel [non]disclosure, published by Second Story Press, tells the story of a young girl who was abused by a Catholic priest. Like many victims, she kept a dark secret for years before finding her voice.

When asked about the decision to write [non]disclosure, Bondy recalled writing articles for a Toronto Catholic newspaper on the trial of the late Fr. Charles Sylvestre, who pleaded guilty in a Chatham courtroom in 2006 to 47 charges of indecent assault, which occurred between 1954 and 1986 involving girls age eight to…

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After 40 years, the lies had to stop. 

If there was any question about whether movies can change lives, the documentary Prey by Windsor native Matt Gallagher is the answer.  

Prey, chronicling a fight for justice by survivors of a pedophile priest, returned to the Windsor International Film Festival on Monday after causing a sensation there in 2019. 

Monday’s screening included a Q-and-A with Gallagher and Chris MacLean, who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of his Windsor priest and barely spoke of it until he watched Prey 40 years later.  Article content

On Oct. 8, MacLean settled a lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of London for the abuse perpetrated by Rev. Joe Nelligan in Windsor. 

“The documentary really touched me,” MacLean told the Star. “It was time to stop lying. Not telling the truth is no different than lying.

“For years, I didn’t tell people I knew that were strongly Catholic because…

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[See also the text of the PCPM report.]

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors released its first annual report October 29, detailing measures taken to combat sexual violence within the church. The document reveals uneven implementation across various countries worldwide.

This report has been eagerly awaited for more than two years, following Pope Francis’ request that the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors produce a comprehensive overview of the church’s efforts to address sexual abuse. Tutela Minorum – in Latin – published its first report October 29, assessing the adoption of measures by different church entities to combat sexual abuse against minors and vulnerable individuals.

The report presents findings based on interviews with church leaders during episcopal visits to Rome (known as ad limina) and questionnaires sent to stakeholders on the ground. It also issues numerous recommendations.

The approach contrasts with typical methods in Rome. Right from the start, the…

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[See also the text of the PCPM report.]

Highlighting progress made in safeguarding and recommendations for rectifying ongoing gaps, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors dedicated its first annual report to all victims and survivors of sexual abuse by members of the Catholic Church.

“The commission’s work — including this report — is and always has been about recognition and inclusion of victims and survivors of abuse in the life of the church,” Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, president of the pontifical commission, said at a news conference at the Vatican Oct. 29.

“Your suffering and wounds have opened our eyes to the fact that as a church we have failed to care for victims, and that we didn’t defend you, and that we resisted understanding you when you needed us most,” he said.

“We praise your courageous testimony, and at the same time, we recognize that you are…

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[See also the text of the PCPM report.]

A Catholic group tasked with tackling the issue of clerical sexual abuse released a first-of-its-kind report Tuesday on its work over the past decade, sparking a new round of debate over what else should be done.

In the report, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors outlines its effort to improve abuse-related safeguards in Catholic churches around the world and to offer more support to sexual abuse victims.

“Nothing we do will ever be enough to fully repair what has happened,” said Cardinal Sean O’Malley, who leads the commission, at a news conference, according to The Associated Press. “But we hope that this report and those that will come, compiled with the help of victims and survivors at the center, will help to ensure the firm commitment that these events never happen again in the church.”

Critics of…

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[See also the text of the PCPM report.]

Vatican’s child protection commission delivers first report on scandal that has engulfed church for decades

Church leaders who fail to take action against paedophile priests are a “further source of evil” for victims of sexual abuse and should be removed from their posts, the Vatican’s child protection commission has said.

In its first report on a scandal that has embroiled the Catholic church for decades, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors said the church was still failing to ensure that clerical sexual abuse cases were dealt with adequately. It also criticised the Vatican office charged with processing complaints of being slow and secretive.

The commission was set up by Pope Francis in 2014 and its first report, published on Tuesday, focused on church protocol in 17 countries. Its publication comes a month after the pontiff was rebuked over the church’s…

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[See also the text of the PCPM report.]

The report is intended to assess efforts by the Roman Catholic Church to safeguard minors and others. Advocates for survivors called it an exercise in obfuscation.

Ten years after it was first established, a Vatican commission on clerical sexual abuse issued its first report on Tuesday, a limited step in self-accounting by some bishops that was immediately criticized by victims’ advocates as being toothless and lacking independent verification.

Since the clerical abuse scandal erupted into the mainstream media two decades ago, the church has struggled to put in place effective measures around the world to end abuse and hold the church hierarchy accountable when it was involved in covering up cases.

The Vatican group, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, was formed in 2014 to advise Pope Francis on how best to protect minors and vulnerable…

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A Lafayette district judge on Monday rejected attempts by the Diocese of Lafayette to dismiss some claims by an alleged victim of priest sexual abuse but ordered disclosure of the victim’s name to be filed under seal.

Lafayette attorneys Seth Mansfield and Collin Melancon filed a lawsuit in August in 15th Judicial Court in Lafayette on behalf of the alleged victim identified in court documents as “JM John Doe” against the Diocese of Lafayette and Immaculate Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church in Lafayette.

Lafayette is believed to be the first place where a Catholic priest, Gilbert Gauthe, was convicted of child abuse and jailed in the 1980s, long before such cases became public elsewhere. Gauthe served 10 years of a 20-year sentence after admitting he abused more than 30 children in the 1970s and 1980s.

The state Supreme Court in June ruled that victims of clerical sexual abuse have  View Cache

[See also the text of the PCPM report.]

Pope Francis’ child protection board called Tuesday for victims of clergy sexual abuse to have greater access to information about their cases and the right to compensation, in the first-ever global assessment of the Catholic Church’s efforts to address the crisis.

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors issued a series of findings and recommendations in its pilot annual report, zeroing in on the church in a dozen countries, two religious orders and two Vatican offices with detailed analysis.

In its most critical note, it called for greater transparency from the Vatican’s sex abuse office, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. It said the office’s slow processing of cases and secrecy were retraumatizing to victims, and its refusal to publish statistics or its own jurisprudence continues “to foment distrust among the faithful, especially the victim/survivor community.”

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[See also the text of the PCPM report.]

Parts of the Roman Catholic Church are still failing to ensure clerical sexual abuse is reported adequately, Pope Francis’ commission for child protection said Tuesday, raising concerns about a “lack of transparency” in the Vatican’s handling of cases.

In its first annual report, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors surveyed safeguarding protocols from bishops in 17 different parts of the world, along with how the Church’s central administration processes cases.

“At times, the commission found a troubling lack of reporting structures and victim/survivor accompaniment services,” the report said. “The commission found a persistent concern regarding the transparency in the Roman Curia’s (the church’s central administration) procedures and juridical processes. The commission notes that this will continue to foment distrust among the faithful, especially the victim/survivor community,” it added.

The report includes several recommendations including compensation for survivors, a…

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President’s historic remarks, alongside Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, given at Gila Crossing school near Phoenix

On Friday, Joe Biden formally apologized for the United States government’s role in running at least 523 Indian boarding schools. His remarks were given at the Gila Crossing community school outside of Phoenix, Arizona, and marked his first visit to Indian country as president.

“After 150 years, the United States government eventually stopped the program,” Biden said. “But the federal government has never, never formally apologized for what happened – until today. I formally apologize, as president of the United States of America, for what we did. I formally apologize. That’s long overdue.”

“Federal Indian boarding school policy, the pain it has caused, will always be a significant mark of shame, a blot on American history,” he said. “For too long, this all happened with virtually no public attention.”

Indian boarding schools were run with the…

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President Joe Biden apologized, opens new tab on Thursday for the U.S. government’s role in running abusive Native American boarding schools for more than 150 years, marking an acknowledgement of devastation the community endured for generations.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to be a cabinet secretary, had launched a probe to recognize the troubled legacy of federal Indian boarding school policies. An investigative report, opens new tab by the department found that at least 973 children died in these schools.The federally-run Indian boarding school system was designed to assimilate Native Americans “by destroying Native culture, language and identity through harsh militaristic and assimilationist methods,” the White House said on Thursday.No U.S. president had formally apologized for that action until now.

KEY QUOTES

“The president also believes that to usher in the next era of the Federal-Tribal relationships we need…

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In short: 

John Patrick Casey has pleaded not guilty to three counts of sexual assault against a person under the age of 16.

The Catholic priest is alleged to have given a 14-year-old boy staying at his house an indecent massage.

What’s next?

The District Court jury trial is due to run for five days. 

A Catholic priest has appeared before Lismore District Court to face historical child sex abuse charges.

John Patrick Casey has pleaded not guilty to three counts of sexual assault against a person under the age of 16.

The charges relate to an alleged incident in 1982 at Father Casey’s home at Mallanganee in northern New South Wales. 

Father Casey was the parish priest at Mallanganee between 1981 and 1988.

In her opening address, the crown prosecutor told a jury of seven women and five men the case against the 76-year-old would rely on photos and…

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After a priest recently expelled from a Peru-based society has denied allegations of sexual abuse, two former members of the group have said he not only committed the abuse, but obstructed justice in the coverup of child pornography.

Father Jaime Baertl is one of 15 members expelled from the Peru-based Sodalitium Christianae Vitae (SCV) in the past two months, including its founder, Peruvian layman Luis Fernando Figari.

For over a year the Vatican has been conducting an in-depth investigation into the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae (SCV), which for the past decade has undergone various reform efforts amid sweeping allegations of various forms of abuse, including the sexual abuse of minors, as well as financial corruption.

Baertl and fellow SCV member Juan Carlos Len were jointly expelled from the SCV Thursday, with a communique from the nunciature referring to “irregular and illicit” financial activities within SCV companies and organizations, as well as one allegation of sexual…

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“Only” is a very simple, four-letter word that means so much. Often used to quantify or put something in perspective, the word ‘only’ is helpful–But not always. When it’s used in connection with child sexual abuse, it’s, in fact, quite the OPPOSITE of helpful. It often hurts. It’s often used to MINIMIZE the horror of child sexual abuse. That almost inevitably adds even more pain to the already severe pain many victims of such heinous crimes already feel, even decades later.

We’ve all heard the word ‘only’ used in this dismissive, insensitive way:

• ‘Well, he only touched you once.’
• ‘He only took you on that one trip, right?’
• ‘Thank heavens it was only groping, and not penetration.’
• ‘We should be grateful that it was only one football player, not several.’
• “It could have been worse, right? You only spent the night over there once.”

But there’s an even WORSE way the word ‘only‘ is sometimes used. As wrong and…

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Pretend for a minute that you are named CEO of a large, well-respected chemical company. You suspect that for years, your predecessors dumped toxic materials in numerous unsuspecting communities in and around the area where you are headquartered and live.

Then, shortly after you assume your new post, you learn that your suspicions are well founded. Indeed, for years and years, your predecessors secretly and recklessly put dangerous chemicals in dozens and dozens of places. Some of which were the LAST places one would expect to find such public health threats.

Making matters worse, those dump sites were almost always near unsuspecting neighbors who were given no warning whatsoever. And when those neighbors voiced concerns, alarmed by rumors or reports of wrongdoing, your predecessors repeatedly misled or lied to those mothers and fathers living in close proximity to those many toxic locations, needlessly putting their children at risk.

This is…

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A man has been arrested for allegedly recording people inside a church in a Chicago suburb.

Police said the camera was hidden inside a women’s bathroom and it was there for months.

The 24-year-old man from Atlanta was arrested for illegally recording people inside World Mission Society Church in Bloomingdale, Illinois.

The DuPage County state’s attorney identified the man as Ramon Ochoa Garcia.

He now faces charges of unauthorized video recording of a person under 18 and unauthorized video recording without consent.

Investigators said Garcia put a small pen camera into a vent to record people in the women’s bathroom at the church.

Police said this started as early as Aug. 1.

A pastor at the church later found the pen and reported it to police.

Prosecutors believe there are at least 24 victims who were recorded, including two young girls.

A judge denied the prosecutor’s request to detain Garcia…

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A 50-year-old priest in Aligarh has been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a five-year-old Dalit girl. The swift trial concluded in 30 days, with the court imposing a Rs 50,000 fine. The girl’s brother reported the crime, which led to the priest’s immediate arrest and subsequent conviction under multiple legal provisions.

A local court in Aligarh has sentenced a 50-year-old priest to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment after he was found guilty of raping a five-year-old Dalit girl. After the formal filing of charges on Sept 25, the conviction and sentencing were completed in 30 days. The court also imposed a Rs 50,000 fine on the convict.

On July 3, the child’s grandfather had filed a complaint with local police claiming that the girl along with her 8-year-old brother had gone to a nearby temple where the priest, who lived there, lured her with a promise of…

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