ABUSE TRACKER

A Missouri man has been convicted of trafficking minors in Benton County and sentenced to more than three decades in prison, according to authorities.

A jury found Daniel Smathers, 47, of Joplin, Mo., guilty of one count of trafficking of persons on Wednesday, Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Robinson confirmed to KNWA/FOX24. Robinson said sentencing deliberations began shortly after Smathers’ conviction.

Smathers was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Smathers was accused of knowingly enticing, soliciting or obtaining a minor for commercial sexual activity.

He was arrested in 2022 after an investigation revealed a teenage girl meeting and having sexual contact with an older man at a hotel in Bentonville, a probable cause affidavit said.

The affidavit said Smathers was a tutor at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in Miami and that “he either is or was a Reverend for a Baptist church in Diamond, Missouri.”

A spokesperson with NEO gave Nexstar’s…

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An Oklahoma pastor has been accused of trafficking members of a church that he ran from his home. He abused the members under the guise of ministry, authorities report.

Elmer Baca Flores, the pastor of Ministerio Levantando Adoradores Para Cristo in Del City, Oklahoma, had five counts of human trafficking for labor and one count of sexual battery filed against him on October 31.

Flores allegedly victimized the church members in his Oklahoma City-area church by forcing them to quit their jobs and move into his home, according to a press release from the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN).

He also isolated church members and forced them to work for him without pay, OBN spokesman Mark Woodward said.

“He would threaten them with physical harm if they attempted to leave, claiming he was a member of the violent gang, MS-13,” Woodward added. “Flores used his influence…

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Robert Morris, the controversial founder of Gateway Church, has asked a Dallas County court to dismiss a $1 million defamation lawsuit from Cindy Clemishire. Morris’s motion to dismiss comes just weeks after the embattled pastor pleaded guilty to sexually abusing Clemishire in the 1980s, starting when she was 12 years old.

His motion argues that Clemishire’s lawsuit is solely a religious matter and shouldn’t be up for debate in the courts. However, Clemishire’s lawyer argued in response that her case deals with a crime, which is a secular matter.

Clemishire, along with her father, Jerry Lee Clemishire, filed the lawsuit in June. She alleges that Morris and Gateway church leaders on June 14, 2024, publicly dismissed the pastor’s abuse as merely a “moral failure” involving a “young lady,” instead of the sexual assault of a child.

She also contends Morris and church leadership made “knowingly false” statements about her that…

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The Carlisle Indian Industrial School had not yet held its first class when Matavito Horse and Leah Road Traveler were taken there in October 1879, drafted into the U.S. government’s campaign to erase Native American tribes by wiping their children’s identities.

A few years later, Matavito, a Cheyenne boy, and Leah, an Arapaho girl, were dead.

Persistent efforts by their tribes have finally brought them home. The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma received 16 of its children, exhumed from a Pennsylvania cemetery, and reburied their small wooden coffins last month in a tribal cemetery in Concho, Oklahoma. A 17th student, Wallace Perryman, was repatriated to the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma in Wewoka.

Burial ceremonies are “an important step toward justice and healing for the families and Tribal Nations impacted by the boarding school era,” the Cheyenne and Arapaho government said. Seminole communications director Mark Williams said Perryman’s family wanted…

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Switzerland’s Protestant church is to commission an independent inquiry into sexual and spiritual abuse within its ranks. On Monday the parliament of the Evangelical Reformed Church of Switzerland voted unanimously to instruct its council to launch a scientific investigation into the issue, reported RTS.

The synod approved funding of up to CHF 250,000 for the project, according to a church spokesperson. The motion passed by 61 votes to one, with two abstentions. The study, expected by the end of 2027, will examine both sexual and spiritual abuse in the context of Reformed congregations and the structural conditions that may have enabled them.

The decision follows a landmark 2023 report by the University of Zurich that documented more than a thousand cases of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in Switzerland since the mid-20th century. That report prompted a wave of departures from both the Catholic and Reformed churches.

Across the border,…

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The Vatican has clarified that the resignation of Bishop Jean-Paul Gusching, former head of the Diocese of Verdun in eastern France, was prompted by reports of inappropriate relationships with women rather than solely by health concerns as initially stated at the end of September.

In a statement issued on Nov. 4, the apostolic nunciature in France said it had received “information concerning relationships toward women by Bishop Jean-Paul Gusching, then bishop of Verdun,” which was forwarded to the Dicastery for Bishops in Rome.

According to the communiqué, despite the bishop’s “persistent denials” and the “fragmentary and contradictory” nature of the reports, he had pledged to the dicastery “to avoid in the future any behavior toward women that could be interpreted as contrary to his priestly commitments.”

However, “given the persistence of the situation,” Pope Leo XIV solicited and accepted his resignation, which took effect Sept. 27. The nunciature clarified that the “health reasons…

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Bishop Ray Sutton, who was tapped to take on Archbishop Steve Wood’s duties during Wood’s leave of absence, is also facing criticism for his previous handling of spiritual abuse complaints.

A second woman has come forward with allegations of sexual harassment against the leader of the Anglican Church in North America after an Oct. 23 report in The Washington Post in which a former church employee detailed his alleged attempt  to kiss her against her will in his office.

According to a new report from the Post, the second complaint came from a woman, identified only as Jane Doe, who accused Archbishop Steve Wood of “pressuring me to be in situations I was uncomfortable with, even after I expressed my discomfort, pressuring me to be in a private space with him, one-on-one, to drink alcohol with him, despite me saying it was inappropriate and that I was uncomfortable.”

Wood,…

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Sexual and physical assault claims hurled at Central Catholic in both lawsuits.

A prominent San Antonio Catholic school – which has produced several eventual city leaders – is under fire again this week after another parent is pointing the finger at officials, saying they failed to properly handle bullying outcries. This time, parents of a student want more than $1 million from the prestigious all-boys school.

When local attorney Jesse Guerra, who founded the J. Guerra Law Firm, first sounded the alarm on Central Catholic High School back in September, he warned there would be more students coming forward. He held true to that word. He’s now representing another student and set of parents making similar claims.

“Central Catholics [sic] failure to provide such requirements to its students was a proximate cause of the assault, assault by an offensive conduct and…

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To the Notre Dame family,

After writing my first letter to The Observer about the ongoing investigation of alleged sexual abuse by Fr. Thomas King, I decided to do more research to see how large the problem was at Notre Dame. Were there more alleged clergy abusers than just King?

Unfortunately, I found seven other priests employed by Notre Dame who were accused of abuse of minors or ND students at some point in their priestly careers.

These findings suggest that Helen Cantwell’s investigation of King should be expanded to look at all other cases of clergy sexual abuse on campus as well. Broadening the scope of the investigation now is the perfect time for the University to do justice to all Notre Dame student victims of clergy sex abuse.

I compiled the following list using publicly available online sources, most of which were Notre Dame or Holy…

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An abuse report said Cardinal Reinhard failed to give sufficient attention to the care of victims when he was Bishop of Trier.

Cardinal Marx said that ‘during my time as Bishop of Trier, I did not perceive the issue of sexualised violence and sexual abuse as comprehensively and clearly as would have been appropriate’.

Reports on sexual abuse published last week in two German dioceses found that the Church in Germany does many things right though by no means all.

Academics of the University of Trier identified 734 victims of sexual violence in the Diocese of Trier and 246 perpetrators during the last eight decades.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, now Archbishop of Munich and Freising, was Bishop of Trier from 2002 to 2008 Bishop of Trier. The report said he failed to give sufficient attention to the care of victims.

In a written response Marx said: “I was very happy to…

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In Brief

• Jury awards $4.8 million to clergy abuse survivor Charles Brown.

• Abuse by Rev. Joseph Cashman occurred at Lourdes High School in the 1970s.

• Lawsuit filed under Minnesota’s 2013 Child Victims Act.

• Diocese of Winona-Rochester previously filed for bankruptcy amid abuse claims.

More than 50 years after he was abused by a priest, and nearly a decade after he served a lawsuit, a man who was sexually assaulted as a child has received a significant jury award. An Olmsted County jury has awarded more than $4.8 million to Charles Brown, initially identified as Doe 222.

After Brown’s mother died when he was just 6 years old, he was adopted by his devout Catholic aunt and uncle. He subsequently became Catholic and attended Lourdes High School in Rochester.

The high school is where he encountered the Rev. Joseph Cashman, a Roman Catholic priest employed by the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Lourdes,…

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The rural Diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana filed for bankruptcy in federal court to begin the process of settling dozens of child sexual abuse allegations against priests who served in the state’s sparsely populated interior.

The Oct. 31 filing came a day after hundreds of clergy abuse victims voted to approve a $230 million bankruptcy agreement with the larger Archdiocese of New Orleans. Alexandria is the second of Louisiana’s seven dioceses to seek Chapter 11 protection under U.S. bankruptcy laws.

“We are at this moment for one reason: some priests sexually abused minors,” Bishop Robert W. Marshall, Jr., shepherd of the Alexandria Diocese since 2020, wrote in a letter apologizing to both parishioners and abuse survivors. 

The diocese has identified more than 30 former priests and deacons it believes were credibly accused of committing sexual abuse in previous decades. The diocese said that 85 people have come forward with abuse claims,…

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This comes amid another ongoing scandal, involving a priest who also served in Rabat between 2017 and 2024.

Three underage migrants have testified against French priest Antoine Exelmas, accused of sexually abusing asylum seekers and migrants in Casablanca.

AFP quoted the Catholic Archbishop of Rabat, who said the archdiocese fully cooperated with Moroccan and foreign authorities on the case.

“As soon as the facts were brought to our attention, we undertook the procedures required by church rules and fully cooperated with authorities, both in Morocco and abroad, by sharing the results of our investigation,” Archbishop Cristobal Lopez Romero told AFP.

The viral case was reported by Enass, a Moroccan news outlet, which said that police received a complaint against Antoine Exelmans in May last year, accusing him of sexual abuse.

The news outlet said the priest is allegedly involved in sexually abusing at least six victims, the majority…

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His dream was to attend Calvert Hall College High School, but Thomas Roberts initially did not get accepted.

Then Roberts and his mother, Michelle, spoke with the Rev. Jerome “Jeff” Toohey after Mass one Sunday during a tumultuous time in their lives.

Toohey served as chaplain at the private all-boys Catholic prep school in Towson and one week later called him with the news: “Hey, Tommy, you’re in.”

“It was the best day of my little life,” said Roberts, who formerly worked as an anchor for CNN and MSNBC.

Every Tuesday, Roberts said, he stayed with the priest. But Toohey began sexually abusing him when Roberts was 14 and ratcheted up the behavior after Roberts tried to take his own life.

When he was 33, Roberts reported the abuse.

Toohey pleaded guilty to child abuse in 2005 in Baltimore County Circuit Court. He served 10…

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A jury has ordered the Diocese of Winona to pay a man $4.8 million for sexual abuse by a priest.

In July 2023, the plaintiff filed a lawsuit claiming he had been sexually abused by Father Joseph Cashman between 1972 and 1974 when the plaintiff was a minor and Father Cashman was a Roman Catholic priest employed by the Diocese.  The sexual abuse allegedly happened while the plaintiff attended Lourdes High School.

Both Rochester Catholic Schools and Lourdes High School had been named as defendants in the lawsuit, but were removed after reaching undisclosed settlements with the plaintiff.

Cashman was ordained as a priest in 1960 and worked in parishes throughout southern Minnesota.  The Diocese of Winona says it learned of allegations of sexual misconduct against Cashman in 1986 and his ministerial privileges were revoked in 1992.

Cashman died in 2018.

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Survivors of child sexual abuse were in court on Wednesday, calling out the Catholic Church and Archdiocese of Baltimore for ongoing hypocrisy.

“I need to make it clear that the hypocrisy that is going on inside the Catholic Church is continuing,” said Erin Maze, a survivor of child sexual abuse and one of 10 people who spoke at the hearing.

It has been two years since the Archdiocese of Baltimore went into bankruptcy. In September, survivors filed a motion to dismiss the process because they believe there has been no meaningful progress.

“Somebody in the church needs to realize they keep throwing roadblocks up, and it’s hurting survivors more,” said Teresa Lancaster, an attorney and survivor.

Now, the court is deciding if the archdiocese should get charitable immunity.

“People may have different definitions of what charity is,” said Frank Schindler, a survivor. “Raping a…

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Ten survivors of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore testified in federal court on Wednesday, and many expressed frustration at the Catholic church’s efforts toward accountability in the scandal. 

The emotional hearing was part of the archdiocese’s bankruptcy proceedings, and the key question about how much the church will pay the victims remains unanswered in the long and painful court battle. 

Shattered lives 

The first survivor to testify detailed sexual abuse at Archbishop Curley. 

“To shield a man who molested children is the greatest insult to our faith and to survivors,” he told the judge. 

He said he left Catholic school “lost, confused, and broken.”

He read a letter the priest who abused him sent years later, describing the priest’s suicide attempt. 

“As I laid on my bedroom floor bleeding, I thought of you,” he said. “I felt bad, I never got a chance to tell you how much…

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An Olmsted County jury has awarded more than $4.8 million in damages to a man who was sexually abused as a child by a Catholic priest in Rochester.

According to court documents, Charles Brown was a student at Lourdes High School in the early to mid-1970s and was sexually abused by Father Joseph Cashman, who was the principal of the Catholic high school at the time. The documents indicate Brown was in the 9th and 10th grades when the abuse occurred multiple times between 1972 and 1974.

Abuse Occurred in the 1970s at Lourdes High School

The sexual abuse allegations were first reported in 1991, which was after the statute of limitations to bring a lawsuit had expired. That changed in 2013 when the Minnesota Legislature approved the Minnesota Child Victims Act. The law opened a window allowing victims of childhood…

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A retired priest who sexually abused schoolchildren at his home in the 1980s has pleaded guilty to two further crimes which relate to a boy.

Edward Phillips-Smith, 75, appeared at Cannock Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to indecent assault of a boy under the age of 14 and to inciting the boy to commit an act of gross indecency.

Phillips-Smith was released on unconditional bail on 28 October, ahead of sentencing on 9 January at Stafford Crown Court.

In January 2024, Phillips-Smith was jailed for 32 months and was subsequently released on licence in May this year, according to the Ministry of Justice.

He had pleaded guilty to one count of indecent assault on a male and two counts of indecency with a child.

The latest two charges relate to incidents which took place in Brewood, Staffordshire, between 1982 and 1983, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.

In a previous court…

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Central Catholic High School is confronting a second lawsuit alleging sexual harassment.

Earlier this year, local parents filed a separate lawsuit claiming their son was bullied, beaten, and sexually abused. The same attorney is representing the victims in both cases.

Related: Parents sue Central Catholic HS, allege their son was bullied, beaten, and sexually abused

The attorney stated that the allegations date back to 2021 and involve a student who withdrew from the school in 2023. However, Central Catholic maintains that the allegations are unfounded.

The attorney also mentioned plans to file additional lawsuits on behalf of two other plaintiffs alleging sexual harassment by other students.

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Pope Leo XIV asked accusers of Father Marko Rupnik to have patience as a trial on the priest’s alleged abuse begins at the Vatican.

“A new trial has recently begun, judges were appointed. And processes for justice take a long time. I know it’s very difficult for the victims to ask that they be patient, but the Church needs to respect the rights of all people,” the pope said, addressing a question from Magdalena Wolinska-Reidi of EWTN News just outside his Castel Gandolfo residence, Villa Barberini, on Nov. 4.

“The principle of innocent until proven guilty is also true in the Church,” he added. “Hopefully, this trial that is just beginning will be able to give some clarity to all those involved.”

Leo answered questions from journalists as he left Castel Gandolfo to return to the Vatican. He has spent almost every Tuesday at the papal retreat, located 18 miles…

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Archbishop Steve Wood, who heads the Anglican Church in North America, is taking a voluntary leave of absence in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and plagiarism. Those allegations will be investigated by a 10-person Board of Inquiry, made up of ACNA clergy and laypeople, that will assess whether there are reasonable grounds to initiate a church trial. 

In a statement Monday evening (Nov. 3) to the denomination, Wood denied the allegations against him.

“While I grieve that anyone experiences harm in the Church, as I have noted to my parish, I believe the charges against me lack merit, and I categorically and emphatically deny the particular accusation of attempted physical contact made against me by a former St. Andrew’s employee,” Wood said in a public letter Monday to the denomination.

Wood also announced his retirement as rector of St. Andrew’s Parish in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina…

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The Assemblies of God denomination’s ongoing failure to listen to victims and implement safeguards has led to hundreds of people being sexually abused by pastors and other church leaders, according to an NBC News investigation.

The Oct. 30 report by journalists Mike Hixenbaugh and Elizabeth Chuck outlines decades of sexual abuse allegations against nearly 200 church leaders dating back to the 1970s. A video and accompanying transcript maps out the Pentecostal denomination’s apparent prioritization of forgiveness and money over protecting potential victims. 

In some cases, church leaders who admitted to sexual misconduct returned to pastoral roles or other church leadership positions and abused again. Many of the victims were children.

Survivors said the denomination’s handling of abuse allegations “deepened their trauma,” according to the report.

“What I’ve internalized my entire life was the sense that I wasn’t worthy of being protected,” said Jen Doyle, who said she…

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The leadership crisis in the Anglican Church in North America escalated dramatically this week, as Archbishop Steve Wood announced he is taking a temporary leave of absence amid allegations of sexual misconduct and bullying. His appointed replacement, however, immediately faces scrutiny after an explosive open letter from alleged victims of another embattled bishop accused him of dismissing whistleblower complaints for years.

The denomination, already reeling from dual misconduct crises at its highest levels, now finds its interim leadership implicated in the very crisis it has been tasked to solve.

On Nov. 3, the ACNA announced Wood would take a voluntary, paid leave of absence from his duties as archbishop and as bishop of the Diocese of the Carolinas “pending the resolution of proceedings to address recent allegations.”

Those allegations, previously reported by BNG and first published by the Washington Post, include a formal complaint accusing Wood of sexual harassment, bullying and financial impropriety.

In…

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The Catholic Archbishop of Rabat says he has “fully cooperated” with Moroccan and foreign authorities after a French priest was accused of sexually abusing underage refugees in Casablanca.

The Catholic Archbishop of Rabat told AFP on Tuesday he had “fully cooperated” with Moroccan and foreign authorities after a French priest was accused of sexually abusing underage refugees in Casablanca.

Archbishop Cristobal Lopez Romero’s comments came a day after Moroccan news website Enass reported that Father Antoine Exelmans ran “a system of sexual exploitation” targeting migrant and refugee minors over the course of at least four years.

“As soon as the facts were brought to our attention, we undertook the procedures required by church rules and fully cooperated with authorities, both in Morocco and abroad, by sharing the results of our investigation,” Romero said.

Enass reported that a complaint had been filed in May last year against Exelmans.

Six victims

According to…

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The Catholic Diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Friday, Oct. 31, making it the 41st U.S. diocese to seek court-supervised reorganization in the wake of clergy sexual abuse claims.

Bishop Robert Marshall Jr., who has led the 50-parish diocese in central Louisiana since 2020, announced the petition in a letter and video posted to the diocese’s website. 

“As your bishop, I apologize to abuse survivors for the harm, pain, and suffering they experienced and continue to experience in their lives,” Marshall wrote. “This action is occurring because some past priest-perpetrators sexually abused minors, actions that are evil, sinful, and go against everything the Church and the priesthood represent.”

Eighty-five survivors have already filed claims, according to the diocese, with more expected after the court sets a bar date. More than half the allegations date to the 1970s or earlier; nearly every named…

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[See also the original lawsuit.]

A lawsuit alleging that Bishop Peter Anthony Libasci, the 10th bishop of the Diocese of Manchester, sexually abused a child decades ago has been dismissed.

Libasci had been accused of sexually abusing a boy around 12 or 13 years old in the 1980s while he was serving as a priest at St. Cyril and Methodius Roman Catholic Church in Deer Park, New York.

The man who accused Libasci died in July 2024.

A court order filed last month shows the case was dropped.

Libasci has maintained his innocence since the lawsuit was filed in 2021. His attorney previously said the bishop “categorically denies the allegations.”

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[See also the original lawsuit.]

A civil lawsuit accusing Manchester Bishop Peter A. Libasci of sexual abuse while he was a priest in New York in the 1980s has been dismissed.

The former altar boy who was suing Libasci died at the age of 53 in 2024.

The alleged victim filed a lawsuit in the Suffolk County (New York) Supreme Court in 2021. The man claimed Libasci, now the head of the Catholic Diocese of Manchester, had fondled and groped him on numerous occasions in 1983 and 1984 at Saints Cyril and Methodius Church and school in Deer Park, New York, where Libasci was a priest in his early 30s.

Libasci, who has denied the allegations, was not facing criminal charges. The status of the case was uncertain after his accuser’s death, according to Christian Curran, who was representing him.

On Friday, Libasci’s attorneys at Hinckley…

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More than 40 Roman Catholic dioceses have filed chapter 11 claims, 28 of which had obvious indicators of abuse fallout

The number of Roman Catholic dioceses in the US that have declared federal bankruptcy amid the worldwide church’s clergy abuse scandal has grown after one in central Louisiana recently filed for chapter 11 protection.

The diocese of Alexandria announced in a statement on Friday it had joined more than 40 Catholic institutions in the US which have filed for bankruptcy protection. According to Penn State’s law school, 28 of those bankruptcies had concluded in one of the most obvious indicators of the clergy abuse scandal’s fallout.

Alexandria’s bishop, Robert W Marshall, explained in the statement that his diocese filed for financial reorganization because of the number of clergy sexual abuse claims with which it had been faced.

“This action is occurring because some past priest-perpetrators sexually abused minors, actions that are evil,…

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The Delbarton School is seeking a new trial following a $5 million verdict in favor of a man who sued the all-boys Catholic school, charging sexual assault by one of its monks nearly five decades ago.

In an Oct. 28 state court filing, Delbarton and the Order of St. Benedict of New Jersey, which operates the Morris County school, complained of a “litany of errors” from “start to finish” at the trial, which ended in October with a unanimous jury verdict for the former student.

The landmark trial was closely watched by clergy abuse victims and advocates. It was the first civil sex abuse lawsuit against the Catholic Church to go to a jury in New Jersey since the state extended the statute of limitations for such allegations in 2019. It was also the first of dozens of clergy abuse cases against the school to go to trial.

But James Barletti,…

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Rome formally announced an apostolic visitation to the Community of the Emmanuel, a Catholic group known for its predatory practices.

Early this year, Pope Francis forced out of office French bishop Rey, a leading member of the Emmanuel Community.

While the visitation to the Emmanuel signals some interest in Rome to address sexual abuse in Europe, in Paraguay the Oblates keep protecting one of their priests accused of clergy sexual abuse.

October ended with official news from Rome about an “apostolic visitation” to the Community of the Emmanuel. It is hard to actually grasp the true reach of these activities. Formally, they are rendered as actions reflecting the communion between the Holy See and dioceses, religious orders, and movements.

However, when, Rome announced an “apostolic visitation” of the so-called Community of the Emmanuel, the French-speaking Catholic world got a jolt. If carried with some care, a major…

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• The Diocese of Alexandria has filed for Chapter 11 reorganization due to financial claims from sexual abuse survivors.
• Bishop Robert W. Marshall, Jr. stated the action is a result of past abuse by some priests against minors.
• The diocese aims to fairly compensate survivors and continue its essential ministries.
• Chapter 11 will allow the diocese to handle all unresolved claims in a single, court-supervised process.

The Diocese of Alexandria posted on their website stating that the Diocese has filed for Chapter 11 reorganization on Friday due to paying out financial claims to survivors of sexual abuse perpetuated by some priests against minors. 

Bishop Robert W. Marshall, Jr., posted a letter and spoke in a video about the filing. Both were posted to social media. 

“This action is occurring because some past priest-perpetrators sexually abused minors, actions that are evil, sinful and go against everything the Church and the priesthood represents. As a result, there are financial claims pending against the diocese…

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Bishop Robert Marshall provides full statement on the diocese’s decision

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) – The Diocese of Alexandria has announced they are filing for a Chapter 11 reorganization of financial affairs under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

Bishop Robert Marshall posted a video to YouTube (CLICK HERE TO WATCH) explaining what this means for the diocese.

You can also read Bishop Marshall’s full statement on the bankruptcy below:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Peace be with you!

About one year ago, there were some reports in the media about the Diocese of Alexandria considering entering a bankruptcy proceeding.  After consultation with my priest consultors, diocesan advisors, and after my own prayerful consideration, I write to tell you that I have directed attorneys for the diocese to file a petition for a Chapter 11 reorganization of its financial affairs under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

This is not an easy decision and…

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The Diocese of Alexandria will be filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the Bishop has announced.

In a message posted on the Diocese social media, Bishop Robert W. Marshall Jr.  explains that the move is necessary because there are sex abuse claims pending against the diocese that “are beyond our means.”

“This action is occurring because some past priest-perpetrators sexually abused minors, actions that are evil, sinful and go against everything the Church and the priesthood represent. As a result, there are financial claims pending against the diocese that exceed our means,” the Bishop says. “In taking this action, we have two goals. First, we want to do as much as we can, as fairly as we can, to compensate those who have been harmed. Second, we want to carry on the essential ministries of the diocese so we can continue to meet the needs of our parishes, parishioners and others who…

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For months, a Washington state bill generated controversy over two critical interests: protecting children from abuse and protecting the freedom of religion.

Signed by the governor in May 2025, SB 5375 designated clergy as mandatory reporters, requiring them to report child sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect – even if they learned of the abuse during a confidential sacred rite.

Some faiths, including the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox churches, prohibit clergy from revealing information learned through a confession or sacrament. In the Catholic Church, there are no exceptions – and the penalty for disclosure is excommunication.

In mid-October, however, Washington state announced it would not enforce the mandatory reporting requirement for information learned during confidential rites. On Oct. 14, 2025, a federal court approved the state’s agreements with groups of Catholic and Orthodox clergy who had sued to block that part of the law, arguing it violated their religious freedom. The U.S. Department of…

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How does trauma-informed storytelling empower survivors of clergy and cult abuse through narrative agency and psychological healing?

Michelle Stewart is a cult survivor, author, and advocate whose memoir, “Judas Girl: My Father, Four Cults & How I Escaped Them All,” chronicles her childhood entry into, and adult exit from, multiple high-control religious groups. Raised in an environment that included a Hutterite community and other Anabaptist and Orthodox enclaves, she examines how spiritual authority, conformity, and secrecy enable abuse: Stewart’s work centers survivor safety, legal accountability, and ethical pastoral confidentiality. From Colorado, she speaks and writes about distinguishing mainstream faith from cultic enclaves, reforming confession practices, and fostering healing narratives that emphasize agency, nonlinearity, and evidence-based support for survivors.

In this interview with Scott Douglas Jacobsen, Stewart differentiates organized religion from cults by centering survivor experience, highlighting speech suppression, enforced conformity, and authoritarian leadership. She recounts entering high-control groups as a child, including…

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Vatican City – Pope Leo XIV continues with determination the work of renewal he initiated, showing with clarity and patience that he has precisely identified the unresolved knots of the Roman Curia he inherited. “Popes pass, the Curia remains,” he reminded everyone on May 24, 2025.

It is a bitter but realistic observation, matured through his own direct experience during his brief yet intense service in the Curia, and confirmed by his previous years as Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine, where he had already come to know those slow and sometimes lifeless dynamics that creep into certain ways of exercising ecclesiastical power.

“The wheel turns,” murmurs an elderly monsignor in the corridors of Piazza Pio XII, aware that history in the Curia tends to repeat itself with an almost liturgical regularity. And so, just as Pope Francis, with his famously “gentle and courteous” style, dismissed Archbishop Jorge Carlos Patrón Wong, sending him to Jalapa despite his dedication to seminarians and clergy, today an even harsher fate befalls his successor.

Archbishop Andrés Gabriel Ferrada Moreira, current Secretary of the Dicastery for…

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UPDATED with comments from Michael Connolly, Libasci’s attorney, emailed Saturday.

The New York sex abuse lawsuit filed against Manchester Bishop Peter Libasci is getting dismissed weeks after the case was sent to mediation.

Lawyers for the defendants, Libasci and the Roman Catholic order the Sisters of St. Joseph, and the estate of the alleged victim, Charles O’Connor, filed a joint stipulation this month in Suffolk County Supreme Court in New York to dismiss the case with prejudice. The agreement to permanently dismiss the case comes weeks after Judge Leonard Steinman sent the lawsuit to mediation.

Michael Connolly, Libasci’s attorney, said in an email Saturday: “The civil lawsuit filed in New York State Supreme Court in Suffolk County against Bishop Peter Libasci of the Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire, has been dismissed with prejudice.

“The allegations in the lawsuit were false. Bishop Libasci never abused anyone. The proof revealed as much during…

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Robert Mendez Esquivel appeared in court on Friday. He is facing charges of rape of a minor. The judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

BOISE, Idaho — A Nampa Catholic priest accused of raping a minor appeared in Canyon County court Friday for his arraignment.

A Canyon County judge entered a not guilty plea for Robert Mendez Esquivel, who remained silent during the hearing.

Mendez, a priest at Saint Paul’s in Nampa, was taken into custody in late August on an arrest warrant for child sexual battery charges. Prosecutors later charged him with rape of a child.

Prosecutors allege Mendez knowingly met with a victim after connecting on the dating app Grindr before the alleged assault occurred.

Mendez’s defense argued the 16-year-old victim was on Grindr and lied about their age. Prosecutors said state evidence shows Mendez knew the victim was 16 and expressed concern…

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A new court date has been set for a former Romanian Orthodox priest, charged in connection with a historical sexual assault in the Russell area.

In June of last year, Russell RCMP say a woman in her 60’s reported that a priest at a church in Lennard, Manitoba, had sexually assaulted her multiple times over the course of two years, in the early 1970’s.

The victim was between the ages of 11 and 12 at the time of the alleged assaults.

82-year-old Constantin Turcoane of Regina, had his matter heard in Brandon Court of King’s Bench Tuesday, where it was adjourned to December 2.

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The Archdiocese of New Orleans secured nearly unanimous approval for a $230 million bankruptcy settlement on Thursday, paving the way for payouts to over 650 victims after five years of contentious litigation in the nation’s second-oldest Catholic archdiocese.

The vote, which closed at midnight on Oct. 30, saw 99.63% of creditors — including hundreds of abuse survivors — endorse the plan in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Eastern District of Louisiana, according to The Guardian.

Only the bondholder class, owed $30 million, opposed it, voting against the plan by a vote of 59 to 14, according to court documents. In 2017, bondholders lent the Church $40 million to help refinance parish debt and have been repaid only 25% of the outstanding balance. They have alleged fraud against the Church after it withheld promised interest payments. Legal experts say their “no” vote will not derail confirmation of the settlement, however. 

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The Archdiocese of New Orleans has secured near-unanimous support from victims of clergy sexual abuse, with 99.63 per cent of creditors approving a proposed US$230 million settlement. 

On 30 November, the archdiocese reported that “hundreds of survivors voted overwhelmingly to accept the plan,” signalling a rare moment of unity in one of the largest Catholic Church bankruptcy proceedings in the United States.

Under the agreement, compensation will be distributed through a points system reflecting the severity and long-term impact of abuse. Key provisions include the release of files on abusive priests and deacons, and new safeguards for children and vulnerable adults. While the total number of votes cast was not disclosed, the approval rate suggests minimal dissent. The plan required only a two-thirds majority to pass.

Initial objections from lawyers representing a large bloc of survivors centred on the plan’s lack of a guarantee for roughly US$50 million tied to…

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A Nampa priest facing sex crime charges appeared in court Friday morning for the first time since his arrest in August.

Supporters packed the gallery as the judge reduced the bond for Robert Mendez Esquivel, known in the community as Father Toto.

As Idaho News 6 has previously reported, Mendez served at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Nampa and faces three felony charges, including sexual battery and rape of a 16-year-old. Prosecutors allege he met the victim through the dating app Grindr.

Inside the courtroom, Mendez remained silent as the judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. His attorney argued that the original $300,000 bond was too high, citing his clean criminal record, low flight risk, and strong community support.

The court reviewed letters from neighbors, church members, and additional submissions highlighting Mendez’s positive impact in the community.

Prosecutors disagreed, calling him a flight risk with limited ties…

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A youth pastor from Madera County was arrested at his home in Coarsegold after a months-long investigation into allegations of sexual abuse involving a 15-year-old girl, according to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies announced Thursday that they arrested 47-year-old Coarsegold man Joshua David Kemper.

Officials with the sheriff’s office say the investigation started on July 28, after a report was filed by church officials in Coarsegold. 

Detectives say they learned that Kemper, who served as a pastor at the church, had been engaging in inappropriate communication and sexual conduct with the juvenile victim.

Deputies say the investigation revealed the victim was in a sexual relationship with Kemper that occurred between March and July 2025. It is alleged that there were multiple incidents at the church, her home, and inside the suspect’s vehicle.

They say digital evidence revealed extensive explicit messaging, photos, and videos exchanged between Kemper and the victim….

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New charges have been filed against an Oklahoma City area pastor who is accused of trafficking members of his church, according to the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.

Agents received information in March 2025 and interviewed several victims, finding evidence that Elmer Baca Flores would force his victims to quit their jobs and isolate them from their families by having them move into his church, where he also lived.

“Victims told our Agents they were forced to work for Flores without compensation, and he would threaten them with physical harm if they attempted to leave, claiming he was a member of the violent gang, MS-13,” said OBN Spokesman Mark Woodward. “And Flores used his influence as a pastor to spiritually coerce the victims by targeting their religious convictions. One victim told Agents that Flores gave her a test to prove her ability to resist temptation. During this test, the victim was…

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A Chico pastor, accused of child molestation, pleaded not guilty to his charges in a Butte County courtroom on Thursday morning, the Butte County District Attorney’s Office announced.

The pastor, identified as Roger Scalice, 75, was arrested on Monday, Oct. 27, following an investigation by the Chico Police Department into a claim that Scalice had inappropriately touched a minor child with whom he had access for over a year. During their investigation, police said detectives found several conversations in which Scalice admitted to the conduct.

At the hearing on Thursday, officials stated that the judge set Scalice’s bail at $400,000 and ordered him to remain in custody at the Butte County Jail until his return to court on November 13, 2025, for a preliminary hearing. Officials said Scalice faces up to 16 years in prison.

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said that, due to the nature of the conduct…

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A critical decision on the Baltimore Catholic Archdiocese bankruptcy case is set for early next year. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michelle Harner issued an interim order this week stating she will decide in January on whether she will dismiss the case, allowing survivors of sexual abuse to sue the church individually.

Mediation is ongoing between the church and the survivors. However, the archdiocese is petitioning the court for reprieve through the charitable immunity doctrine. That doctrine would protect the church from civil lawsuits because it is a tax-exempt organization and the money should be used for religious or educational purposes. The People’s Law Library of Maryland states the purpose behind charitable immunity is that it would be “unfair to make charitable organizations pay for civil damages with funds received from donors.”

Harner said she wants to issue an opinion on charitable immunity before deciding on dismissal.

Theresa Lancaster, a…

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WA ruling exempting clergy from reporting abuse learned during confession raises questions of evangelical accountability

Clergy are mandated reporters, which requires them to report suspected abuse or neglect to authorities. In most states, the priest-penitent privilege exempts priests from reporting information learned during the Sacrament of Confession. A Washington state law passed in May removed that exemption, but a recent ruling overturned that decision. Clergy in Washington will again be exempt from disclosing information learned “solely through confession or its equivalent in other faiths.”

For evangelicals, the new ruling raises a question: What conversations qualify as an “equivalent” to confession?

“Where are you going to draw this line? In the Catholic tradition, it’s a very clear line,” said Boz Tchividjian, a lawyer who represents abuse survivors and founded GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment).

In the Catholic tradition, the Sacrament of Confession gives specific parameters for what…

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A longtime Catholic writer and editor of prominent Catholic publications is facing federal charges of possessing child pornography and enticing a minor to create such child sexual abuse material. The charges allege multiple minor victims.

OSV News has confirmed with law enforcement officials that Gerald M. Korson is currently behind bars at the Huntington County Jail in Huntington, Indiana.

Korson’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley J. Miller Lowery in the U.S. District Court’s Northern District of Indiana, Fort Wayne Division.

According to court documents, the 65-year-old Korson — a former editor of OSV Newsweekly from June 15, 1998, until Nov. 11, 2007 — was initially arrested and charged in December 2024. (OSV Newsweekly was published by Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., the parent company of OSV News, from 1912 until September 2024.)

Korson freelanced for multiple Catholic publications, including OSV Newsweekly, in subsequent years. 

Korson also served…

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In short:

Buddhist monk Naotunne Vijitha has been found guilty of more than a dozen historical sex charges dating back more than 30 years.

The 70-year-old senior monk was alleged to have used sweets to lure victims into his living quarters at two Melbourne temples.

Vijitha now faces more than a decade behind bars for the crimes. 

A senior Buddhist monk has been found guilty of historical sex offences against six girls at a Melbourne temple.

Warning: This story contains details of alleged sexual assault.

A County Court jury on Thursday ruled Naotunne Vijitha, the head monk at the Dhamma Sarana temple in Keysborough, committed the offences between 1994 and 2002.

The 70-year-old monk was found guilty of eight charges of sexual penetration of a child under 16 and nine charges of committing an indecent act with a child under 16.

The monk was cleared of one indecent act charge….

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The Assemblies of God — one of the world’s largest Pentecostal denominations — has been thrust into a crisis of theology and failed accountability related to clergy sexual abuse.

An exhaustive investigation by NBC News found a five-decades-long pattern of reinstating or transferring ministers credibly accused of sexual abuse. The core conflict lies in the AG’s structural and spiritual identity: Local sovereignty is leveraged as a legal defense, and the call for redemption is prioritized over victims.

The AG describes itself as a “voluntary cooperative fellowship,” meaning its 13,000 churches are largely autonomous. This is similar to Baptist polity, and the Southern Baptist Convention similarly has claimed local church autonomy as a reason for not stopping serial abusers.

Autonomy has been employed as an institutional shield for the AG’s General Council (the national office in Springfield, Mo.), just as it has been by the SBC Executive Committee.

According to NBC, the AG has…

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Olman Amador, 40, has been charged with two counts of child molesting and two counts of confinement where the victim is under 14 years old.

An Indianapolis pastor is facing charges after allegedly sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. 

Olman Amador, 40, has been charged with two counts of child molesting and two counts of confinement where the victim is under 14 years old. 

According to court documents, the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) Central Intake Unit received a report on Sept. 23, 2025 alleging that a 14-year-old girl was a victim of sexual abuse by Amador. 

Court documents say Amador is a pastor at Iglesia Pentecostal Vida Y Esperanza. Before this, documents say Amador worked as a pastor at Iglesia Pentecostal Divina Trinidad #5 on Indianapolis’ east side, which is where the alleged sexual abuse took place. 

Amador told police that the church’s central location in…

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While a Seattle-area mayor supported a pastor who’s a convicted sex offender, a network of civic leaders looked the other way and even lauded the offender, according to an investigation by 97.3 FM KIRO News Radio.

The same day that Joshua Headley admitted in court to raping a 15-year-old girl while pastoring Auburn’s Northwest Family Church, Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus sent a letter of support for Headley’s character.

And after Headley was sentenced and served time for his crime, the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce nominated him for an award for the work he did with a newly created media company.

LaShund Lambert, pastor of Resurrection Church in Auburn, who has followed Headley’s case for years, was aghast at how the city gave Headley a pass.

“I was blown away that they felt there was so little accountability that they could go on as if it never…

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The case of Lindsey Whiteside, the one-time youth pastor at Getwell Church in Hernando, Mississippi, continues to roil her community after federal prosecutors filed an emergency motion Wednesday to keep her in jail.

The motion asks that the 26-year-old be detained without bail until trial on the grounds that Whiteside’s offenses are “crimes of violence and involve a minor victim.” Whiteside has pleaded guilty to sexual battery charges involving a minor child.

After receiving a light sentence with no jail time, the reaction in DeSoto County, Mississippi, where Hernando is the county seat, was fierce. News sites called Whiteside a “pastor predator.” And a group of parents in the DeSoto County School District kept their children home Oct. 22, protesting support letters that a school board member and some teachers submitted to a judge on Whiteside’s behalf.

Attorney calls state sentence illegal

Whiteside’s state sentence was also…

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Two highly anticipated events in the Catholic Church in Germany took place this week.

The first was the release of a report on the handling of abuse cases in the Trier diocese, where Cardinal Reinhard Marx (now of Munich) served as bishop from 2002 to 2007, and where Bishop Georg Bätzing (now German bishops’ conference chairman) was vicar general from 2012 to 2016.

The second was the publication of guidance for Catholic schools on the “recognition of the diversity of sexual identities,” a previous draft of which reportedly provoked disagreements among bishops.

Let’s consider each of these landmark developments more closely.

‘Old habits’ in Trier

In 2010, the Church in Germany was engulfed by an abuse crisis that prompted more than 100,000 Catholics to formally disaffiliate annually for the next 15 years.

In 2019, Cardinal Marx, the then bishops’ conference chairman, announced the launch of the “synodal way,” an initiative bringing together bishops and…

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According to the latest study of U.S. Catholic priests, released in mid-October, there still exists a widespread and worrying lack of trust and confidence among diocesan priests regarding their bishops. Almost half (48 percent) reported a lack of trust in their own bishop, and nearly three-fourths (73 percent) of priests surveyed expressed a lack of confidence in the U.S. bishops in general.

One reason for this ongoing crisis of trust might be the most obvious: the pervasive fear that if and when a priest is ever accused of misconduct, he will be thrown under the proverbial bus rather than presumed innocent, given competent legal representation, and afforded due process. A similar survey three years ago had stated that “82% of priests regularly fear being falsely accused of sexual abuse.” There is no reason to assume that percentage has decreased over the last three…

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BATH BEACH — Gene Doyle is a survivor of clergy sex abuse decades ago. However, throughout all that time since, he has never lost his faith in God and never left the Catholic Church.  

“Through all the abuse that I went through, it never really alienated me from liturgy. That’s been a constant,” Doyle explained. “I knew enough to not confuse pathology with theology. The priests who abused me … had their own wounds.  

“We all bleed in different ways.” 

So, when the Diocese of Brooklyn offered its annual Mass of Hope and Healing for survivors of clergy sex abuse on Oct. 29, Doyle was there, sitting in a front pew of St. Finbar Church in Bath Beach with his wife Mary beside him. 

[PHOTO: Survivor Gene Doyle, praying after the Mass, says he is pleased that the Catholic Church is facing up to issues like clergy sex abuse. (Photos:…

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Archdiocese of New Orleans reports 99.63% of creditors, other than bondholders, approved of the $230 million deal

NEW ORLEANS — In a nearly unanimous vote, hundreds of victims of child sexual abuse by clergy and other church creditors approved a $230 million bankruptcy settlement with the Archdiocese of New Orleans by a midnight deadline Thursday.

The archdiocese reported in a court filing Thursday morning that the deal was accepted by a staggering 99.63% of creditors, excluding a small group of bond investors who voted against it while suing the church and alleging it committed securities fraud.

The church did not report the total number of votes cast but said “hundreds of survivors voted overwhelmingly to accept the plan,” which will dole out payments to victims of abuse based on points assigned for the severity and effect of the abuse and includes agreements to release files on abusive priests and deacons…

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The vote is one of the final steps as the church seeks to emerge from bankruptcy after more than five years.

Top of FormBottom of FormClergy sex abuse survivors have overwhelmingly approved a $230 million bankruptcy settlement with the Archdiocese of New Orleans, potentially clearing the way for the local Roman Catholic church’s long-running case to be resolved by the end of the year.

According to court documents filed Thursday, 99.6% of all creditors in the case who submitted ballots during a six-week voting period, which ended Wednesday, voted in favor of the settlement.

Those creditors are divided into several groups or “classes”: more than 650 abuse survivors, a group of vendors and small businesses, and the bondholders owed some $30 million by the archdiocese.

Bankruptcy law states that two-thirds of all votes cast within each class must be in favor of a settlement in order for the court to…

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NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – For the bankruptcy case of the Archdiocese of New Orleans to move ahead, it needed a “yes” vote from two-thirds of the people who sued the archdiocese for alleged clergy sex abuse. Court documents filed Thursday revealed the $230 million proposed settlement got more than 99 percent approval. But not every survivor is on board with it.

The results came one day after a crucial voting period in the archdiocese bankruptcy case ended. The $230 million deal to settle hundreds of clergy sex abuse claims was approved by virtually every person who filed those lawsuits. Johnny Krummel says he reluctantly voted yes.

“I voted yes for the other victims in this ordeal,” Johnny Krummel said.

Krummel says he was a little boy in the early 1980s when he was abused at the Madonna Manor orphanage in Marrero. He says the lawsuit he filed against the archdiocese…

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Buffalo Bishop Michael Fisher returned from Rome late Tuesday night after meeting with Pope Francis and Vatican officials to seek guidance on the diocese’s ongoing bankruptcy proceedings.

Posted 11:55 AM, Oct 30, 2025 and last updated 1:40 PM, Oct 30, 2025

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo Bishop Michael Fisher returned from Rome late Tuesday night after meeting with Pope Leo XIV and Vatican officials to seek guidance on the Diocese of Buffalo’s ongoing bankruptcy proceedings and parish restructuring efforts.

7 News Anchor and Senior Reporter Michael Wooten met with the bishop at St. Joseph’s Cathedral to learn more about his face-to-face meetings at the Vatican.

“It was more like continue with the process, but to work with them as they want to work with us,” Bishop Fisher said.

The bishop called the trip successful, meeting not just with the leader of the Catholic Church but also with many administrative offices of the…

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New Orleans sex abuse survivors have overwhelmingly approved a settlement plan that would end the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ yearslong bankruptcy case.

This comes after clergy abuse survivors voted over a six-week period on a $230 million settlement plan.

The votes were due Wednesday night and were tabulated. A recent court filing shows abuse survivors overwhelmingly accepted the deal, which would allow payouts by next year.

The plan is expected to go into effect by the end of the year.

Payouts, which could roll out as soon as January, will be specific to sex abuse claims and based on a point system.

The accepted plan would pay settlements to an estimated 660 sex abuse survivors who have filed claims in the case.

The plan settlement proposes the following compensation for sex abuse survivors:

• $130 million in committed cash funding to be paid by the archdiocese and its affiliates into a…

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NBC News uncovered a 50-year pattern of sex abuse, silence and cover-up in the world’s largest Pentecostal denomination.

This article is part of “Pastors and Prey,” a series investigating sex abuse allegations in the Assemblies of God.

A children’s pastor was caught filming girls in a church bathroom in Arkansas. Elders suspended him for a few weeks.

In Illinois, a preacher was accused of sexually abusing children. Church leaders sent him to therapy rather than call police.

In California, a worship minister went to prison for molesting boys. His congregation threw him a party when he returned.

All of these men remained in ministry in the Assemblies of God, the world’s largest Pentecostal denomination. All went on to abuse more children.

Since the 1970s, Assemblies of God churches have repeatedly reinstated ministers and volunteer leaders accused of sexual misconduct, returning them to pulpits and youth groups, an NBC…

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The Archdiocese of Chicago distributed the following letters to the community of Little Flower Parish regarding Father Xamie Reyes.

Letter to Parishioners of Little Flower Parish (English, Spanish)

[BishopAccountability’s cache of the letter: English, Spanish]

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A FILIPINO priest based in Chicago is currently facing allegations of grooming and sexual misconduct, Chicago Archbishop Cardinal Blase Joseph Cupich said.

In a letter sent to the Little Flower Parish in Waukegan, Illinois, Cupich said that Father Xamie Reyes is facing allegations the former deemed as “very serious.”

“The Archdiocese has received allegations against Father Reyes of grooming and sexual misconduct,” said Cupich.

“The allegations do not involve children and youth, but they do involve seminarians. This is a very serious matter,” he added.

The Cardinal said Reyes is temporarily being relieved from his pastoral duties.

“Father Reyes will live away from the parish pending the outcome of an investigation into these charges,” said Cupich.

In the meantime, he said he has appointed Reverend Ismael Garcia, who is the current associate pastor, as administrator of Little Flower Parish effective immediately.

“Father Garcia knows the needs of your parish well…

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The defense calls the jury’s verdict and the victim’s $5 million payout a “miscarriage of justice.”

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Delbarton School, operated by the Order of St. Benedict of New Jersey (OSBNJ), has demanded a new trial after it was found responsible for the sexual assault of a student decades ago.

On Oct. 9, in a historic case, OSBNJ and Delbarton were ordered to pay what they call a “grossly excessive” $5 million in compensatory damages to a former student who was sexually abused by a school staff member. The jury found the OSBNJ 65 percent liable for the abuse and a staff member 35 percent liable. No punitive damages were awarded.

The school has now filed for a new case, claiming that the language used in court, in addition to several other factors, “irreparably tainted the jury’s perception of the case,” resulting in a “miscarriage of justice.”

Specifically, OSBNJ…

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A man who says he was sexually abused by a Catholic priest in west Belfast more than 50 years ago has received a “significant six-figure sum” in damages from the Diocese of Down and Connor.

The settlement, reached at Belfast High Court, relates to abuse claims against the late Father Thomas Cunningham, who served at St Agnes’ Parish in the early 1970s. 

Cunningham was later moved to a treatment facility for priests in England and resigned from ministry before his death in 1978, as reported by News Letter.Get the latest Christian World News stories via email Sign Me UpSee our privacy notice

Solicitor Gary Duffy from KRW Law, a human rights and criminal law firm based in Belfast, said: “The case has been settled for a significant six-figure sum,” calling it “complete vindication” for the now 60-year-old plaintiff.

He this his “client has shown remarkable resilience and bravery in…

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A former Catholic priest who’s accused of sexually abusing a boy in the 1990s has signaled that he could call key players in the Maryland attorney general’s investigation into the Archdiocese of Baltimore as witnesses at trial.

The Maryland Office of the Attorney General in 2023 released a 456-page report that detailed how 156 priests and other personnel perpetrated “horrific and repeated abuse” as church leaders turned a blind eye.

Investigators looked into allegations against the Rev. William Mannion Jr. but declined to name him in the report. But now, the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office is prosecuting him.

In court documents filed this month, Mannion’s attorney, Charles Waechter, wrote that he will call 10 witnesses, including Elizabeth Embry, who led the investigation into the archdiocese, and Richard Wolf, a criminal investigator.

Waechter said he did not have any additional information to…

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The diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in spring 2023

OAKLAND — A federal bankruptcy judge Wednesday granted a request by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland to dismiss its bankruptcy case, setting the stage for hundreds of sexual assault victims to take their long-running lawsuits against the church to trial in the coming months and years.

Judge William J. Lafferty said his decision would not be official until Nov. 12 — leaving open the possibility of a last-minute deal between the diocese and about 350 people who filed lawsuits in recent years claiming decades of abuse by clergy members in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

The ruling comes about a month after diocese leaders asked to end the proceedings, suggesting that abuse victims — as well as the Catholic church’s own congregants — “deserve better” than a costly Chapter 11 bankruptcy fight that appeared to…

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Silas Shelton, a 48-year-old pastor in Blanchester, Ohio, is now an inmate at the Clinton County Adult Detention Center and facing four felony charges, including rape, after police say he began abusing a then-teenage girl six years ago.

Before he was arrested without incident in Blanchester on Wednesday, Shelton served as the pastor of Blanchester Community Church. Wilmington police reported that in the fall of 2019, Shelton allegedly began inappropriate sexual contact with a girl who was 14 or 15 at the time. A detective involved in the case stated that the alleged victim and her family were members of Shelton’s congregation.

WLWT’s Todd Dykes’ attempts to reach someone at the church, located next to fast-food restaurants on Main Street in Blanchester, were unsuccessful, as no one answered the door.

The detective leading the investigation said in a probable cause statement that the alleged abuse continued until…

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Through Unreconciled, Jay Sefton has provided audiences with a rare space to sit with difficult truths, laugh, reflect, and converse

When theatre audiences settle into their seats, they rarely expect to confront the raw, personal experiences of the performer before them.

Yet that is precisely the space that Unreconciled, a new one-man play by Jay Sefton, creates. The production, which will be in The Mick Lally Theatre on 31 October and November 1, is a deeply personal story which explores childhood sexual abuse, faith, and the long road toward reclaiming one’s voice.

Set in 1980s Philadelphia, the play follows Sefton’s younger self, cast as Jesus in a school Passion Play, through decades of silence, reflection, and participation in a church compensation programme.

Yet while the subject matter is undeniably heavy, the production is far from a bleak recounting of trauma. Dark humour and moments of levity punctuate the narrative, offering…

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A son of a prominent Indiana pastor faces multiple felony counts linked to child sexual abuse material after an Internet Crimes Against Children investigation led detectives to seize electronic devices containing hundreds of files.

Jonathan Wesley Peternel, 24, of Noblesville, Indiana, was arrested Oct. 23 after the Hamilton County Metro ICAC Task Force executed warrants. They stemmed from a CyberTip alerting authorities to Peternel’s uploads on Snapchat, according to a statement released by investigators.

Peternel is the son of Nathan Peternal, lead pastor of Life Church, a multi-site church based in Noblesville, Indiana. One of the campus pastors of Life Church is Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, who co-hosts a podcast with Nathan Peternel called, “Jesus, Sex & Politics.”

The shocking pornography haul included “more than 50 photos and videos” that appeared to show Jonathan’s parents nude or engaged in sex acts, according to a probable-cause affidavit reviewed by The Roys…

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A 21-year-old man is suing a prominent suburban Chicago church and its pastor for allegedly allowing an employee or volunteer with a known history of abuse to work with children, resulting in the man’s repeated abuse.

A lawsuit filed last Tuesday by “John Doe” claims that Brian Coffey, the interim lead pastor at Chapelstreet Church (formerly First Baptist Church of Geneva), turned a blind eye to Don Vanthournout’s alleged history of abuse. It says Doe, the child of missionaries, was abused multiple times by Vanthournout, an “employee and/or agent of the church,” between 2011 to 2018, while Doe’s family stayed at his home on furlough.

Doe, now 21, said that Coffey had received evidence from a previous victim of Vanthournout’s history.

“Despite Coffey’s promise to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of the children within Chapelstreet, Coffey took no meaningful steps to warn members of the congregation about the dangerous…

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German Bishop Reinhold Nann, 65, former Prelate of Caravelí in Peru, has claimed that he stepped down from his position months before marrying, even though the Vatican has not formally released him from his clerical obligations.

Writing on his personal blog, Bishop Nann said he “resigned from episcopal and priestly ministry 13 or 9 months before getting married.” 

He stressed that his decision should not be seen as a rejection of priestly celibacy. “I think that’s a misinterpretation. I’m not against it; it just didn’t work out for me,” he wrote. He went on to claim that “tens of thousands” of priests worldwide are secretly in relationships, arguing that the rule of mandatory celibacy is driving many away from ministry.

“If the Catholic Church continues to staunchly defend celibacy in theory, it will simply lose a large part of its personnel in practice very soon,” he warned.

Bishop Nann also…

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Early this month, Tutela Minorum published its second annual report on clergy sexual abuse in the Catholic Church at a global scale.

Soon after, Pope Leo XIV met with ECA, a global NGO supporting victims and survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

Despite the goodwill, minor but noticeable mistakes in handling the meeting soured the perception of Leo XIV’s and his curia’s commitment to addressing sexual abuse.

Early in October, Tutela Minorum, the entity created by Pope Francis back in 2014 to prevent clergy sexual abuse in the Catholic Church officially published its second annual report on the state of the issue behind its very existence.

Soon after the publication of the report, on Monday October 20, Leo XIV met with Ending Clergy Abuse, a global NGO supporting victims and survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

Although there was goodwill in the meeting and in what Vatican News and other Catholic media published about the…

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Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez met with Pope Leo this month, to update the pope on the progress of a working group on the criminalization of spiritual abuse.

Among other things, the cardinal told Pope Leo that the group’s work was proceeding “fruitfully,” and petitioned the pontiff to confirm Cardinal Filippo Iannone as its chair, especially after Iannone moved positions in the Vatican last month.

The continuation of the group’s work, and the continuity of leadership, suggests Leo — himself a canonist — is at least open to an eventual new crime of spiritual abuse. But what might it look like, and how might it work?

—

The issue of spiritual abuse has been present in the Church for millenia, in one form or another. So long as there has been authority in any human society there exists the possibility for abuse, and spiritual authority is no different.

To a degree, canon…

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The mission should be accepted as a sacred responsibility, says Vatican official

Pope Leo and Vatican officials have urged Catholic leaders across Asia to adopt a “zero tolerance” stance on abuse and urged them to strengthen measures to protect minors and vulnerable adults.

The appeal came during the first National Safeguarding Conference, held in the Catholic-majority Philippines from Oct. 20–24, with more than 300 bishops, religious superiors, and lay experts in attendance.

Pope Leo, in a message to the conference, reiterated that “there can be no tolerance for any form of abuse in the Church,” urging delegates to promote transparency and accountability in safeguarding policies.

“The Church is our spiritual home. Every parish and pastoral activity must be a space that glorifies God and cares for others, especially children and the vulnerable,” the pope said, according to Vatican News.

The conference, titled “Our Mission of Safeguarding: A Journey of Hope and…

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The crucial truth to remember is that when someone comes forward and tells the truth about abuse, they are not the one causing harm to the church.

Facing allegations he mishandled abuse incidents in his Anglican Church in North America’s Diocese of the Upper Midwest, Bishop Stewart Ruch wrote to then-Archbishop Foley Beach in January 2022, “Both my diocese and the ACNA got hit this summer by a vicious spiritual attack of the enemy. I believe this is the case because both entities are doing robust Gospel work, and Satan hates us.”

The extent of Ruch’s abuse mishandling was exposed in a Washington Post report last week, and he’s on trial within the church for those allegations. The Post also broke news that current ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood faces allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and plagiarism.

For Ruch and his fellow bishops, the “vicious spiritual attack” is not the abuse they have swept…

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A common complaint among the Vaticanisti has been that, so far, Pope Leo XIV has had a rather “boring” pontificate. Compared to the early days of the Francis pontificate, that could be true. Given the swirl of off-the-cuff remarks and unorthodox approach in those days that sometimes led to confusion and division in the Church, is finding Leo a bit uneventful really a problem?

Some media are eager to portray Leo as in continuity with his predecessor, perhaps a necessary step to give hope the more controversial aspects of that era have a future. While Pope Leo clearly has been intent on showing no contention with Francis’ official teaching, continuity in style and governance has appeared much different. 

An immediate contrast, however, is Pope Leo’s priority of the papacy’s mission of unity, something often threatened in Francis’ pontificate and as such resulted in a more polarized and divided church —…

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A church leader who went on to become a pastor is accused of sexually assaulting three young girls between 2012 and 2019, California prosecutors say.

Carlos Ramirez Valdez, 61, of Riverside, was sentenced to 45 years to life in prison in connection with the assaults of girls he met as a leader at Iglesia De Dios Ebenezer Church, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in an Oct. 24 news release.

Valdez’s sentencing comes after he was convicted in August of multiple felonies, prosecutors said. McClatchy News could not immediately reach the Santa Ana church for comment on Oct. 27. Attorney information for Valdez was not immediately available.

“Churches should be safe sanctuaries not hunting grounds for child molesters,” District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in the release. “These young girls were subjected to unimaginable abuse by someone in a position of trust.”

While Valdez worked as a church leader, he’s…

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Committee of sexual abuse survivors alleges diocese made ‘fraudulent’ transfer in years preceding bankruptcy

The sales prices suggest something modest, even forgettable. But the real estate transactions are weighted with meaning.

The Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa recently gained approval to sell two small churches — one near Cloverdale, one in Hopland — as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, a judicial process now 2½ years old.

They probably won’t be the last properties liquidated by the diocese as it continues mediation talks with insurance companies and with survivors of alleged sexual abuse, whose mountain of lawsuits pushed the church’s vast North Coast jurisdiction to file for bankruptcy in April 2023.

“There’s a list of properties that have been identified, and a number of those are in process,” said Bishop Robert F. Vasa, head of the Santa Rosa Diocese. “We’re working with realtors, and in some cases with surveyors….

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German-born Bishop Reinhold Nann of Peru says he is now married.

A German news outlet reported last week that a bishop who took early retirement last year has contracted marriage civilly, despite claims that he resigned over health reasons.

The Holy See press office announced last July it had accepted the resignation of 63 year-old Bishop Reinhold Nann, the German-born prelate who led the Peruvian territorial prelature of Caravelí.

The Vatican bollettino did not give an official reason for the resignation, which came more than a decade before the usual episcopal age of retirement, though the reason cited publicly at the time was that the bishop was suffering from ill health.

But on Sunday, the German news service KNA reported that the bishop has disclosed that the actual reason for his resignation was his relationship with a local woman.

“Depression was the reason [for the resignation]; love was the cause,” the…

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• October 21, 2025

Bishop Michael W. Fisher has removed the Reverend Patrick T. O’Keefe from active ministry and suspended his priestly faculties due to allegations of sexual harassment of adults, as well as inappropriate workplace and ministerial conduct.

Fr. O’Keefe, ordained in 1996, has most recently served as Parochial Vicar of Ascension Parish (Batavia); St. Brigid Parish (Bergen); Resurrection Parish (Batavia); and Our Lady of Mercy Parish (LeRoy).

Reverend Scottston Brentwood, O. de M. serves as pastor of the Family of Parishes No. 12, and Reverend Eugene Costa, O. de M. and Reverend Matthew Zirnheld serve as the Family’s other parochial vicars.

A canonical judicial review will be conducted to examine all allegations against Fr. O’Keefe.

The Diocese of Buffalo has developed rigorous protocols for dealing with any allegation of in appropriate conduct—sexual or otherwise— for bishops, members of the clergy, deacons, employees and volunteers. All members of the clergy,…

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Buffalo, N.Y. — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo has removed a priest from Genesee County from active ministry.

Rev. Patrick O’Keefe was suspended from his priestly duties “due to allegations of sexual harassment of adults, as well as inappropriate workplace and ministerial conduct,” the diocese announced Tuesday.

No further details about the allegations were released.

Ordained in 1996, O’Keefe most recently served as parochial vicar of Ascension Parish in Batavia, Resurrection Parish in Batavia, St. Brigid Parish in Bergen and Our Lady of Mercy Parish in LeRoy.

The diocese said a “canonical judicial review will be conducted to examine all allegations” against O’Keefe.

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Another leader in the breakaway denomination has been accused of responding slowly to accusations of abuse and grooming against a lay leader.

The highest-ranking prelate of the Anglican Church in North America, a conservative denomination that broke from the Episcopal Church in 2009, has been formally accused of sexual harassment, plagiarism and bullying by former employees.

The accusations against Archbishop Stephen Wood, 62, came amid continuing turmoil in the small denomination, including the ecclesiastical trial of a bishop and other accusations of mishandling abuse.

In a document submitted to the denomination on Monday, Claire Buxton, a former employee of Archbishop Wood’s home parish, accused him of giving her an “intimate” hug and trying to kiss her in his office at the church in April 2024, according to a report in The Washington Post.

Ms. Buxton, the former children’s ministry director at St. Andrew’s Church in Mount…

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Critical Vatican, frustrated victims, absent journalists

Vatikanstadt/Rom – Pressure from the press, society and politics are decisive aspects in driving forward the reappraisal of abuse in a local church. In Italy, however, this is virtually non-existent. What’s more, the Vatican attests to cultural resistance.

“It does nothing, it does even less than the Vatican.” Francesco Zanardi sharply criticises Europe’s largest bishops’ conference, the Italian one. The Italian, who was himself a victim of abuse by a Catholic priest as a minor, has been campaigning for 15 years for this issue to be addressed. However, the process has been slow in his home country – despite or probably because of the presumably high number of cases of abuse.

With more than twice as many members and priests as in the Catholic Church in Germany, John Joseph Kennedy, head of the area for disciplinary issues in the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the…

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Pope Leo XIV has stated that there should be “no tolerance” for abuse within the Roman Catholic Church in an official statement given to the National Safeguarding Conference held in the Philippines this week

“I renew my appeal that there can be no tolerance for any form of abuse in the Church,” he said. “The Church is our spiritual home, as such every parish and pastoral activity is meant to be a space in which we glorify God and care for others, especially children and the vulnerable.”

Leo XIV also expressed his hope that the conference “deliberations will lead to the implementation of essential policies and practices that ensure transparency in dealing with cases, foster a culture of prevention and safeguard ‘these little ones’ of the Lord.”

Convened in Angeles City, Central Luzon, the conference met under the theme of “Our Mission of Safeguarding: A Journey of Hope…

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The sexual abuse scandal surrounding Jeffrey Epstein is especially outrageous inasmuch as he used his political connections (and money) to escape prosecution for so many years. But if it’s outrageous when money and power enable impunity for horrible crimes, shouldn’t it be even more outrageous when the pretense of moral authority enables someone to commit even worse crimes? I ask because an ongoing sexual abuse scandal with a more significant number of victims has been swept under the rug through the assumed holiness of its perpetrator.

I’m speaking, of course, of sexual abuse committed inside the institutions of the Catholic Church. The media silence about this atrocity, in the face of the Epstein story and the recent election of a new Pope, cuts across American political loyalties and reveals as much about the corrupt moral thinking of the left as it does about that of the right. Outrage over sexual abuse is,…

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“I renew my appeal that there can be no tolerance for any form of abuse in the Church,” Pope Leo XIV underscores in his message to the National Safeguarding Conference in the Philippines.

“I renew my appeal that there can be no tolerance for any form of abuse in the Church.”

Pope Leo XIV made this affirmation in the message he sent to the National Safeguarding Conference, held in Clark-Angeles, Philippines, from 20-24 Oct. 2025.

The Holy Father’s message was transmitted by the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Charles J. Brown, to the Chairman of the Office on the Protection of Minors of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, Archbishop Florentino G. Lavarias, of San Fernando, on the Pope’s behalf.

After expressing his appreciation for the National Safeguarding Conference, Pope Leo made an emphatic appeal for effective safeguarding.

No tolerance for any form of abuse

“The Church,” he…

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Pope Leo XIV has renewed his appeal for ‘no tolerance for any form of abuse in the Church’ as Catholic leaders in the Philippines gathered to address clerical sexual abuse.

In his message for the first National Safeguarding Conference in the Philippines, the pope emphasized the need for effective safeguarding and transparency within Church institutions.

He described the Church as “our spiritual home,” where every parish and pastoral activity should be a place “to glorify God and care for others, especially children and the vulnerable.

“In this regard,” Pope Leo said, “I renew my appeal that there can be no tolerance for any form of abuse in the Church.”

His message was transmitted by Archbishop Charles Brown, apostolic nuncio to the Philippines, to Archbishop Florentino Lavarias of San Fernando, who chairs the CBCP Office on the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable People.

The four-day gathering in Clark, Pampanga, which ended…

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The private audience came days after the publication of the second annual report from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors on safeguarding across the Church.

Pope Leo held his first meeting with survivors of clerical sexual abuse since his election.

Six members of the board of directors for Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA), an international coalition of abuse survivors, visited the Pope at the Vatican on Monday morning for what they called “a significant moment of dialogue”.

“It was a deeply meaningful conversation, reflecting a shared commitment to justice, healing, and genuine change,” said ECA president Gemma Hickey, a Canadian survivor. “Survivors have long sought a place at the table, and today we felt heard.”

The hour-long meeting in the apostolic palace included discussion of ECA’s “Zero Tolerance Initiative” to promote global standards for protection. The visit originated in a letter to the newly-elected Pope introducing the group as…

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Archbishop Steve Wood, who heads the Anglican Church of North America, faces allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and plagiarism, according to an explosive report released by The Washington Post on Thursday (Oct. 23). The list of charges, signed by at least 10 individuals attesting to the allegations, is the latest in a string of crises to rock the small, conservative denomination. 

Claire Buxton, a former children’s ministry director at St. Andrew’s Church in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, where Wood serves as rector, told the Post that Wood attempted to kiss her in his office in April 2024, just before he was elected to replace Archbishop Foley Beach as head of the denomination. Buxton claims that before the incident, Wood gave her more than $3,000 from church funds and that church employees had commented on Wood’s “excessive praise and fondness” for her. Priests have also accused Wood of plagiarizing sermons and bullying…

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In October 2024, Matt Queen pled guilty to lying to the FBI in a sexual abuse investigation, and now, just a year later, Queen has been hired as a staff pastor at a prominent Southern Baptist church.

At the time of his crime, Queen was a professor and administrator at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was accused of falsifying records, providing false information to law enforcement, and trying to mislead investigators about the facts concerning a reported sexual assault at that Southern Baptist institution.

It’s worth noting that Queen also exploited God to try to legitimize his lies. He claimed that God had spoken to him in a dream, causing him to change his testimony to the FBI.

As prosecutors pointed out, Queen offered “evolving explanations for his conduct,” but when he finally pled guilty, shortly before a scheduled trial date, another Southern Baptist pastor, Matt Henslee, wrote to the judge to urge…

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• Carlos Ramirez Valdez was sentenced to 45 years to life for molesting girls as young as 4 from 2012 to 2019.
• Valdez exploited his position as an Orange County church leader to gain access to victims, whom he assaulted in a basement, his van and a backyard shed, prosecutors say.

A former Orange County pastor will spend decades behind bars after he used his trusted position as a spiritual leader to molest girls as young as 4 over the course of eight years, according to authorities.

Carlos Ramirez Valdez, 61, assaulted three children in places such as a church basement, his van and a backyard shed, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

Prosecutors say he met the victims while he was church leader at Iglesia De Dios Ebenezer in Santa Ana and was hired as a pastor at another Santa Ana church, International Mission Church USA, before he was…

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Lindsey Whiteside, who was previously sentenced to house arrest for sexual battery of a child, now faces federal charges for transporting a minor across state lines.

A DeSoto County woman who avoided jail time after pleading guilty to sexual battery of a minor is now in federal custody.

DeSoto County Sheriff Thomas Tuggle confirmed Thursday, Oct. 23, that Lindsey Whiteside, a former youth pastor at Getwell Church in Hernando, was arrested and charged with transporting a minor across state lines for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity, a federal crime.

“I want to emphasize that crimes against children will not be tolerated in DeSoto County,” Tuggle said. “We are committed to pursuing justice and protecting the most vulnerable members of our community, our children.”

On Oct. 13, Circuit Court Judge Andrew Howorth sentenced Whiteside to three years of house arrest and seven years of probation after she pleaded guilty…

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Delegates at the just-concluded conference on safeguarding in seminaries that was organized by the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) have committed to ensuring that Seminaries in the region uphold the highest standards of safeguarding.

In their statement at the conclusion of the October 21-23 event that was held in Kenya’s Archdiocese of Nairobi, the delegates acknowledged the existence of incidents of abuse in in the Church and called for concerted efforts to ensure the protection of the vulnerable.

“We will not relent in this responsibility,” the participants at the conference said in the statement that was read by the Local Ordinary of South Sudan’s Catholic Diocese of Yei, Bishop Alex Lodiong Sakor Eyobo, and went on to state their commitment “to uphold the highest possible standards of safeguarding” in Seminaries in the AMECEA region.

They added, “We are committed to producing future Priests who have a foundational commitment…

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• Victims’ tally unofficial, based on survivors’ accounts, judicial papers, media reports
• Majority of victims were male and underage, report finds
• Italian bishops criticised last week by Vatican panel
• Pope Leo has told bishops not to hide misconduct allegations

Nearly 4,400 people have been abused by Catholic priests in Italy in cases reported since 2020, a victims’ group alleged on Friday, renewing pressure on bishops to confront a crisis that has long plagued the world’s largest Christian faith.

The unofficial tally by Rete l’Abuso, Italy’s largest church abuse victims’ group, is based on victims’ accounts, judicial sources and cases reported by the media, the founder of the association Francesco Zanardi said.

Rete l’Abuso did not say how far back the alleged abuse cases occurred.The Italian Bishops Conference (CEI), which was criticised by the Vatican’s child protection commission last week, had no comment on the findings, a spokesperson said.

MOST ALLEGATIONS CONCERN ABUSE BY PRIESTS

The…

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Belgium’s Catholic Church has received 59 new reports of sexual abuse between July 2024 and June 2025, according to its latest annual report, as participation in religious sacraments continues to decline.

Over the same period, a total of 112 complaints were processed, including cases carried over from the previous year. Between July 2023 and June 2024, the Church handled nearly twice as many reports (218), a spike largely attributed to the VRT documentary series Godvergeten, which gave victims of abuse within the Church a platform to speak publicly.

The majority of victims were under 21 at the time of the abuse, with 16 younger than 10. Most victims and perpetrators were male.

Although almost all cases date back to the previous century, 11 files involving alleged perpetrators still alive have been forwarded to the judiciary. So far, 59 individuals have received financial compensation from the Church.

The report also highlights…

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