ABUSE TRACKER

The Very Rev. Bernard J. Owens, dean of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 4 issued a statement saying the cathedral’s communications manager, Brett Boardwine, has been placed on administrative leave after he was charged with attempted sexual conduct with a minor, and “importuning,” the legal term for soliciting a minor.

“Our highest priority is the safety of those in our care,” Owens said in his statement, which was sent to Episcopalians in the Diocese of Ohio via email. “While we currently have no reason to think anyone in the Trinity Cathedral community has been harmed, I have placed Brett on immediate administrative leave.”

FOX8 News in Cleveland reported that Boardwine, 31, was arrested on Aug. 12 for allegedly attempting to solicit sex with someone he thought was a 15-year-old boy after an online chat exchange on a social media platform….

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Three Broome County men, including a Harpursville church pastor, face attempted rape charges following joint investigations with the New York State Police, FBI and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

The New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation announced on Sept. 4 the results of the investigations, which targeted people using social media to lure children for sexual acts.

Ronald E. Wenzinger, 70, of Binghamton; John J. Tremark, 39, of Binghamton; and Juan A. Bolanoszul, 38, of Endicott were charged with second-degree attempted rape. The cases are not related.

New York State Police said Wenzinger is a reverend at the United Methodist Church in Harpursville.

In a letter posted on the church’s Facebook page April 6, Wenzinger announced he would be leaving the ministry between June 30 and Sept. 14 for “a new mission field involving low-income housing” after three years as pastor at the church.

State police said…

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A pastor and volleyball coach was arrested on Thursday in Wayne County.

51-year-old Chet Snyder is a pastor at Journey Church in Fairfield, the head girls’ Volleyball coach at Frontier Community College, and is now facing multiple sexual assault charges.

Before his arrest on Thursday, a young man filed an Order of Protection, no contact, against Snyder just a week ago. The charges against Snyder include: Unlawful Restraint, Aggravated Sexual Assault, and Criminal Sexual Assault.

An investigation is still ongoing, with updates in the coming days.

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Elders at a Fort Worth church are supporting their leader amid the troubling accusations.

A DFW-area pastor and Christian social media influencer is under fire after being arrested and charged earlier this week.

Alonzo Diego Fuller, 39, and his wife, Asia, have led Journey Fort Worth Church since 2022. Fuller has promoted his music and shared sermons to his expanding social media following while leading the church, which meets in a local elementary school. 

The Dallas Morning News reported that Fuller was held in the Tarrant County jail Monday on a second-degree felony charge of sexual assault stemming from an alleged incident in June 2025. He was released on a $40,000 bond that same day.

Elders from Journey Fort Worth Church released a statement in a Facebook post about Fuller’s arrest on Monday. They shared that they’d been made “aware of serious allegations” made against the pastor by a former church…

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There could be a delay in the start of the sexual assault trial of suspended Living Word Church Associate Pastor Randy Saylor, due to a hearing on Wednesday about a possible conflict of interest.

The trial for Saylor, 73, is set to begin Sept. 22 in Midland County Circuit Court. He is charged with three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct of a person under 13 and two counts of second-degree CSC with a relationship. Saylor is free on a $50,000 cash/surety bond.

Saylor’s attorney, Matthew Reyes, formerly represented a man who is set to be called by Assistant Midland County Prosecutor Courtney Driscoll as a witness in Saylor’s trial. The witness is the father of two of Saylor’s alleged victims and is expected to be cross-examined by Reyes during the trial.

Reyes represented the father in an abuse and neglect case that was filed after Saylor was charged. Driscoll said…

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A pastor and social media influencer in Fort Worth, Texas, was arrested Sunday on a sexual assault charge.

Alonzo Diego Fuller, 39, was arrested by Fort Worth police on a second-degree felony charge of sexual assault that, according to The Dallas Morning News, allegedly occurred in June.

On Monday, Fuller was released from the Tarrant County jail on a $40,000 surety bond, according to jail records.

But Fuller, founding pastor of Journey Fort Worth Church, said he “categorically denies” these accusations, which, he says, were brought by a former parishioner.

The church’s board of elders said these accusations are without merit, according to a statement posted Wednesday on Facebook.

“Pastor Diego fully supports and welcomes a thorough investigation by the criminal justice system and looks forward to the opportunity to clear his name,” they said. “He remains committed to…

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New charges were filed against a former Baltimore County youth pastor, who police said abused seven boys while he worked at Central Christian Church in Rossville.

A seventh victim has come forward, according to the Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger. Court papers said one victim told police that 52-year-old Thomas Pinkerton was a “father figure” to him “in a spiritual way,” meeting him when he was just 13-years-old.

The victim added that Pinkerton touched him inappropriately and, at one point, claimed when he kissed him, Pinkerton said that it was a “heavenly kiss” and that’s how Jesus would greet his disciples.

Police said there’s another victim in Georgia, where Pinkerton was living until he was arrested. He was extradited back to Maryland in August.

According to a statement, the church is offering counseling and spiritual support. Pinkerton remains in prison.

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A woman has come forward accusing Andrew Showers, the Madison priest who has been charged with three child sex crimes in Waupaca County, of more sexual misconduct. 

“I share my story not just for myself, but for everyone who is still carrying their pain in silence, like I once did,” Patricia Moriarty said.

Moriarty accused Showers of sexually assaulting her in 2024.

She said she met Showers in Chicago last year, where he introduced himself as a priest. Moriarty claimed that while they were in public, Showers groped her under her clothes and made sexually inappropriate comments.

Representatives from the Survivors’ Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said Moriarty’s father contacted Madison Bishop Donald Hying. They received forms to fill out but were never spoken to directly by the bishop.

Peter Isely with SNAP believes another incident involving Showers and a middle school boy in…

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Two superiors we handed one year prison sentences on Tuesday, both of which are expected to be commuted

A Bolivian court sentenced two Jesuit priests on Sept. 2 to one year in prison for covering up the abuse of disgraced Fr. Alfonso Pedrajas, SJ. Pedrajas was accused of abusing at least 85 boys during his time in Bolivia and left a diary attesting to his crimes.

The priests convicted of covering up abuse, Fr. Marcos Recolons SJ and Fr. Ramón Alaix SJ, served as provincials of the Society of Jesus in Bolivia from 1993-1999 and 1999-2007, respectively. Pedrajas, who died in 2009, spent much of his ministry in Bolivia, including running a school for boys from poor rural families.

Recolons also served as councilor general of the Society of Jesus in Rome between 2004 and 2012.

According to the court ruling, both Recolons and Alaix knew of Pedrajas’ abuse both…

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One of the largest settlements under the Child Victims Act unfolded in a federal court in Rochester on Friday.

Nearly 500 survivors of child sex abuse walked away saying they are relieved and ready to move on.

“The healing can start now, which is more important than the money,” said Gregory Stanley. “I’m just glad it’s over.”

“Relief,” said Merle Sweet. “It’s all finally over.” 

“I am actually, for the first time, excited for the future,” said John McHugh.

After years of waiting, the settlement between the survivors of child sex abuse and the Catholic Diocese of Rochester is now settled. The move took place inside a federal bankruptcy court.

“This is a milestone day for survivors in the Rochester area after being the first bankruptcy filed in New York after the passage of the CVA,” said bankruptcy attorney Ilan Scharf. “We’ve had to fight many fights in courtrooms and mediations…

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Judge Paul Warren produced a blue shoelace at the end of the hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Sept. 5.

It wasn’t the promised ribbon, but it tied a bow, literal and symbolic, on the confirmation hearing that will ensure payouts to survivors of abuse and sexual abuse by priests, nuns and church officials in the Diocese of Rochester. The agreement will create a fund of $246 million for survivors, paid out by the diocese and its insurers.

Warren’s shoelace-tied confirmation marked the conclusion of an arduous six-year legal battle between survivors, the church and its insurers. A July 29 hearing was held over to September, where Warren signed the agreement to applause from an at-capacity courtroom.

“I haven’t forgotten what you said in your victim statements,” Warren said. “…The money isn’t going to fix you. It isn’t going to make it go away.”

But…

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Patricia Moriarty, a victim of Rev. Andrew Showers who was sexually assault in him in Chicago in January 2024, speaks at the Wisconsin State Capitol alongside Nate’s Mission advocates to push for stronger accountability for Madison Diocese officials, including Bishop Donald Hying.

An abuse survivors group has accused Diocese of Madison Bishop Donald Hying of ignoring multiple complaints against a Catholic priest charged with trying to arrange sex with a 14-year-old online.

Andrew J. Showers, 37, was arrested in a sting operation on Aug. 24, and charged with attempted use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, attempted child enticement and attempted second-degree sexual assault of a child under 16.

The diocese had once said there had been no previous complaints against Showers. But in a statement on Aug. 25, Hying said a parent had raised concerns about the priest back in December 2021.

…

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MADISON (WMTV) — New allegations are being brought against a Madison priest accused of child sex crimes.

Andrew Showers was arrested after an undercover operation last month in which a Clintonville police officer posed online as a 14-year-old girl. Showers had agreed to meet her for sex.

Now, Patricia Moriarty said she wants to share her experience with Showers, despite the painful memories it brings her.

“I share my story not just for myself, but for everyone who is still carrying their pain in silence like I once did,” Moriarty said.

Moriarty alleges that she was out with friends in Chicago in January 2024 when Andrew Showers introduced himself to her as a priest. She claims he then groped her underneath her clothes and talked to her in a sexually inappropriate manner.

“It’s a rollercoaster of emotions,” Moriarty said. “There’s days where you’re like,…

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Resolution of a sort came today for John McHugh, a survivor of child sex abuse by Catholic Church officials in the Diocese of Rochester. Maybe it was more of a new start, actually.

“I am, for the first time, excited for the future, because I can start to put some of this behind me and heal as best as I can,” McHugh said. “I won’t forget what happened but I can start to focus on the future instead of living in the past.”

Hear his comments in our video after the Sept. 5 federal bankruptcy court acceptance of a massive financial settlement that was years in the making.

Hear his comments in our video after the Sept. 5 federal bankruptcy court acceptance of a massive financial settlement that was years in the making.

Bishop Salvatore Matano also spoke and expressed sympathy for the…

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Sept. 1 marks a historic victory for child sexual assault survivors in Texas and Missouri. “Trey’s Law” has officially gone into effect, banning the misuse of nondisclosure agreements in civil settlement agreements pertaining to sexual assault claims.

In Texas, this legislation releases survivors from existing NDAs that restrict them from telling their stories, unless a court specifically orders otherwise.

Missouri’s House version of Trey’s Law (HB-737) also went into effect last Thursday. While the Texas version of Trey’s Law was expanded to make no provision for age, the Missouri version remains limited to civil disputes regarding cases of child sexual abuse.

Trey’s Law is named after Trey Carlock, a Dallas native who sued Kanakuk Kamps and other defendants after enduring a decade of grooming and child sexual abuse by camp director and serial child sexual predator Pete Newman. Carlock’s case settled out of court,…

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A family member of the Madison priest accused of child sex crimes expresses anger more than a week after his arrest.

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) -A family member of the Madison priest accused of child sex crimes expresses anger more than a week after his arrest.

“Andrew is my cousin. We are the same age; we graduated the same year,” Brenda Coy said.

Emotions are raw for the 37-year-old.

“Absolutely disgusted, angry. I’m just taken back as a survivor of sexual assault myself and after coming out to this family,” Coy said.

She learned last week that her cousin, priest Andrew Showers, is accused of child sex crimes.

“You don’t always know who someone is growing up or who they were in the past, but true colors really come out and sometimes it takes a certain instance for it to come out,” she said.

Coy said she felt a sense of relief…

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In the online Catholic landscape, a near-constant churn of sensationalized clickbait stokes fear, cultivates exclusion and funnels viewers down a pipeline of opinion and misinformation that, in many cases, drifts dangerously far from the church’s core teachings on justice, solidarity and dignity of the human person.

This theological departure has real-world consequences: political campaigns mobilize the Christian right to reduce the freedoms of marginalized groups, deny climate change, reject vaccine science – the list goes on. Pope Leo XIV has addressed this impulse: “Where there is love, there is no room for prejudice, for ‘security’ zones separating us from our neighbors, for the exclusionary mindset that, tragically, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms.”

So, the question becomes: How can left-leaning Catholics fight against online content designed to outrage and radicalize?

One answer is the creation and consumption of media that…

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The victims say the Archdiocese of Atlanta knew about priests sexually abusing children in the late ’70s and actively concealed it. 

ATLANTA (CN) — A group of 12 men who say they were sexually abused as children by Catholic priests argued to an appeals court Thursday that the church should be liable for concealing the abuse.

The plaintiffs claimed Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church knew its priests belonging to archdioceses across the country had a history of sexually abusing children, yet engaged in a “systematic cover-up effort” to conceal the danger the priests posed to minor parishioners, even as they encouraged them to serve as altar boys under the supervision of such priests.

The Archdiocese of Atlanta argued the men’s claims are time-barred because the abusive acts took place during the late 1970s and ‘80s. Under Georgia law, if a minor is subjected to sexual abuse, the general two-year statute…

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BALTIMORE — Maryland’s highest court is scheduled to consider arguments Friday on whether to release the names of more than a dozen people — mostly current and former clergy members — whose identities were concealed in the public version of a disturbing report released in 2023, chronicling sexual abuse within the Baltimore Archdiocese over decades.

The public arguments follow two years of secret court proceedings over releasing the names, which are blacked out in the Maryland Attorney General’s Office’s report. The lengthy document outlines sexual abuse and torture perpetrated by local diocesan clergy and staff on more than 600 children and young adults dating back to the 1940s.

None of the 14 anonymous archdiocese officials fighting the release of their names had been identified as a perpetrator of abuse in the report, though the Attorney General’s Office found that they either inadequately or inappropriately responded to allegations of abuse.

The Baltimore…

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Former student Billy Crane reflects on his own fight for justice

This week marks a historic moment in New Jersey, with the first civil sex abuse case against the Catholic Church in the state to go to trial. At issue is a string of accusations against the Delbarton School, a prominent Catholic college-preparatory school in Morristown.

The lawsuit, filed by a former student known only by the initials T.M., alleges abuse by a Benedictine monk in the 1970s, and accuses the Order of St. Benedictine — which owns and operates the school — of enabling that abuse.

Jury selection began Tuesday, despite attempts by the school to delay the trial over concerns of media exposure. Delbarton and the Order of St. Benedict face 39 pending lawsuits.

Former student Billy Crane knows this story all too well. He and his twin brother, Tom, sued Delbarton in 2012 alleging they were abused…

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A former priest convicted of abusing members of a “cult-like” church group will face a second trial next year.

Chris Brain, 68, ran the influential Nine O’Clock Service (NOS) in Sheffield in the 1980s and 1990s.

Last month, he was found guilty of 17 indecent assaults against nine women. A jury at Inner London Crown Court cleared him of 15 further counts of indecent assault, but could not reach a verdict on four counts of indecent assault and one rape.

Prosecutor Tim Clark KC told a hearing on Thursday that the Crown Prosecution Service was seeking a retrial on the remaining charges. The court heard it was scheduled to begin on 1 September 2026 and was expected to last about four weeks.

The five outstanding charges relate to four women who were part of the NOS, which blended live music and multi-media displays in services and attracted hundreds of young…

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Robert Morris, the founding pastor of Southlake-based Gateway Church, waived his right to a preliminary hearing in his criminal child sex abuse case Thursday, according to court records.

His arraignment, set for Oct. 2 in Osage County where the alleged abuse occurred, comes after the former church leader pleaded not guilty to five charges of lewd or indecent acts with a child in March.

KERA News reached out to Morris’ attorney and will update this story with any response.

In June of 2024, Cindy Clemishire publicly accused Morris, 63, of sexually abusing her in the 1980s beginning at the age of 12. Clemishire said the abuse lasted more than four years.

Morris resigned from the church shortly after admitting to an “inappropriate relationship” with Clemishire.

Clemishire and her father are also suing the megachurch, its elders, Robert Morris, his wife and the Robert Morris Evangelistic Association,…

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• A Madison Diocese priest was arrested on suspicion of child sex crimes after the diocese had already received complaints about his behavior.
• Despite prior complaints, the priest was scheduled to lead a group of teens on a pilgrimage to Rome.
• A woman has come forward stating the priest groped her at a social event in Chicago last year, and her family’s reports to the diocese went unanswered by the bishop.
• An advocacy group plans to file a complaint with the Vatican against Bishop Donald Hying for allegedly failing to protect parishioners.

MADISON – Despite reports of abuse involving a priest in the Madison Diocese, officials were planning to allow him to escort a group of teens to Rome next year, according to the diocese’s social media.

Andrew J. Showers’ arrest in Clintonville last month on suspicion of child sex crimes came after the diocese had already received complaints about his behavior, including a…

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This article discusses sexual assault. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can call RAINN’s national sexual assault hotline at 1-800-656-4673 for confidential support.

MADISON, Wis. — There are new accusations against a Catholic priest in the Diocese of Madison who was already accused of child sex crimes. 

What You Need To Know Andrew J. Showers was arrested in Clintonville in August; criminal charges were filed on Aug. 27. He was charged with attempted second-degree sexual assault of a child, attempted child enticement and attempted use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime

Now, there is another accusation against Showers. Patricia Moriarty is accusing Showers of sexually assaulting her in Chicago

Spectrum News 1 reached out to the Chicago Police Department regarding the incident and has received no response

Spectrum News 1 reached out to the diocese for a response to the allegations. The diocese referred us to…

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Reporter assisted by AI

• Many former residents of the orphanage reported abuse by Catholic leaders.

A memorial honoring residents of the former St. Joseph’s Orphanage, where many children described abuse at the hands of Catholic leaders, will be unveiled in Burlington.

The Voices of St. Joseph’s Orphanage, in collaboration with the city’s Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Department, will host a ribbon-cutting for the memorial from 2 to 4 p.m., Sept. 5, at Kieslich Park on North Avenue, according to an announcement.

The event will feature remarks from former residents and city officials from 2:15 to 3 p.m., followed by the ribbon cutting and refreshments.

The memorial has been years in the making. It includes a black locust archway designed by artist Clay Mohrman and engraved boulders with writings from the Voices of St. Joseph’s Orphanage group.

The orphanage, which operated for 140 years, was home to more than 13,000…

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“I am Abraham’s daughter, sacrificed on the altar of missions, harmed in ways that loathe to be healed…It was God’s desire and design that we die, that we suffer, that we give ourselves to the mission for the sake of our parents and the sake of our souls, the protection of God’s reputation always on our minds.”

These haunting words, written by Joy Smalley, a former missionary kid (MK), encapsulate a truth that many religious institutions have refused to face for decades: children of missionaries were abused – sexually, emotionally, and spiritually by communities that claimed to represent God’s love. Many were abused in the name of discipline while others under the guise of faith. Sadly, many never told their stories until now.

A Legacy of Silence

Across the global mission field, from the hills of West Africa to the plateaus of Nigeria and the jungles of the Philippines, and…

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Questions were raised by survivors about oversight in wake of serious data breach

A NEW independent oversight board is expected to be formed to supervise the delivery of the Redress Scheme for survivors of abuse, once the Measure establishing the scheme has received parliamentary approval, a Church House spokesman said this week.

Questions were raised by survivors about oversight in the wake of a serious data breach which had disclosed the email addresses of all those who had registered for updates on the scheme. The law firm responsible for its administration, Kennedys, has taken full responsibility for the breach, which affected almost 200 people (News, 29 August).

“The Terms of Reference for the Redress Board, chaired by Bishop Philip [the Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen], were focused on designing the scheme and preparing the legislation for Synod,” the spokesman said on Monday. “That work has…

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AUSTIN, Texas (BP) – Texas and Missouri laws banning nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) in sexual abuse settlements took effect over the Labor Day weekend.

The Texas law took effect Sept. 1, banning such clauses for sexual abuse survivors of all ages, following Missouri’s law that became effective Aug. 28 and is limited to minors. The laws also nullify previously signed NDAs, unless specifically upheld by a court.

Such bans are now active in three states including Tennessee, where they’ve been outlawed since 2018.

Jeff Dalrymple, director of abuse prevention and response for the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, has described NDAs as controversial.

“In addition to legal considerations, ministry leaders should carefully consider both ethical and moral implications of NDA use. There may be situations in which an NDA could be an appropriate tool for a ministry to use, for instance, to protect the private information of ministry participants or in…

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The court sentences Ramon Alaix and Marcos Recolons for concealing the abuses of the deceased priest Alfonso Pedrajas.

Barcelona – A Bolivian court sentenced Catalan Jesuits Ramon Alaix and Marcos Recolons, both former provincials of the Society of Jesus, to one year in prison on Tuesday for covering up sexual abuse committed by the late priest Alfonso Pedrajas. Furthermore, sources from the Bolivian Community of Survivors (CBS) assured Efe news agency that this sentence opens the door to four more legal proceedings. According to this organization, which represents victims, there are 12 other Jesuits (also deceased) who allegedly committed sexual abuse against 500 minors in boarding schools, schools, and rural areas of Bolivia, and who allegedly enjoyed the support of the then-high-ranking officials of the religious order in the country.

“Both defendants have been found guilty of concealing the crime. Both have been sentenced to one year of imprisonment to…

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Sara Larson is the Founder and Executive Director of Awake, a Milwaukee-based organization representing survivors of clergy abuse throughout the United States. Today on WTMJ Conversations, she sits down with WTMJ’s Libby Collins to discuss why she founded the organization, the mission of Awake, infiltrating the Vatican to get her message to Pope Leo, and much more. It’s all ahead on this edition of WTMJ Conversations!

A partial transcript is provided below, courtesy of eCourt Reporters.

LIBBY COLLINS: So, here you are in Rome with your 37 letters. How did you get those into the Vatican?

SARA LARSON: Well, I’m very fortunate that I’ve built some relationships with people at the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which is the body of people that advises the pope on matters related to abuse. I had someone that I had met with several times from the Pontifical Commission who was also…

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The Pentecostal denomination hasn’t complied with discovery orders in a lawsuit accusing it of failing to protect students from a sex offender.

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

A Texas judge is cracking down on the Assemblies of God for repeatedly failing to turn over documents as part of a lawsuit accusing the Pentecostal denomination of mishandling sex abuse allegations.

At a hearing last month, District Court Judge Lauren Reeder, based in Houston, said the denomination’s national office had been “flagrant” in its failure to comply with her orders to produce records related to alleged abuses by Daniel Savala, a convicted sex offender and former missionary. Pastors in the Assemblies of God’s college ministry, Chi Alpha, hailed Savala for years as “the holiest man alive” and sent hundreds of teens and young adults to his…

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 3, 2025

MADISON, WI – Nate’s Mission and the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) will hold a press conference at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 4th outside the Wisconsin State Capitol building regarding a prior police report against Fr. Andrew Showers, a Diocese of Madison priest recently charged with attempted use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, attempted child enticement-exposing intimate parts and attempted second-degree sexual assault of a child.

At the event, the victim will publicly share her testimony for the first time regarding an early 2024 police report in Chicago alleging she was sexually assaulted by the same priest in January 2024.

The Diocese of Madison’s initial communication regarding Showers’ arrest falsely claimed that there had been “no previous allegations of misconduct related to Fr. Showers.” The diocese later issued a correction, acknowledging that a parent of…

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ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Impact statements from survivors of alleged sexual abuse by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany will be given in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sept. 10.

Multiple survivors came forward in 2022 when New York’s Child Victims Act made it possible for them to file lawsuits years after the abuse occurred by temporarily lifting the statute of limitations.

The diocese filed for bankruptcy in 2023, which put many of the cases on hold. An attorney for some of the alleged victims spoke with NEWS10 one day after the filing.

At that time, attorney Cynthia LaFave told NEWS10 the diocese controls more than $600 million in assets. She believed the bankruptcy filing was meant to delay unsettled cases because legal action…

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The boy’s family claims Fighting Irish players filmed and posted videos of the alleged assaults, and that school coaches and administrators failed to investigate.

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — A federal civil rights lawsuit accuses football players at Youngstown’s Ursuline High School of hazing and sexually assaulting a freshman student during a team camp this past June.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Northern Ohio’s U.S. District Court, claims the unnamed teen was attacked multiple times over the course of the camp, which resulted in both physical injuries and “continued humiliation” as well as the need for psychological help. It also alleges Ursuline coaches and administrators knew of the hazing but did not take adequate steps to investigate or put a stop to it, part of what the plaintiffs lawyers say is a “culture of hazing has existed for many years.”

“Rather than act in accordance with its stated values and…

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Lawsuit names Ursuline High School football coaches, players and administrators, as well as the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown

• A family on Sept. 2 filed a federal lawsuit against football coaches, administrators and families of football players at Ursuline High School of Youngstown, Ohio.
• Alleged hazing, physical and sexual abuse and the dissemination of child pornography occurred during a nine-day team trip in June 2025.

Allegations of hazing, physical and sexual assault, and the creation and dissemination of child pornography against an Ohio high school football team have resulted in a federal lawsuit against Ursuline High School.

A family on Sept. 2 filed a federal lawsuit against football coaches, administrators and families of football players at the Youngstown, Ohio, high school. The suit also names the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, alleges the incidents took place during a nine-day football…

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NEW HAVEN — A man is suing the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford, alleging a now-deceased priest who had been assigned to a New Haven parish sexually assaulted him at gunpoint in 1988, when he was 8 years old, court records show.

The man, identified in court documents by the pseudonym Charles Doe, alleges in his complaint, filed July 8 in state Superior Court in New Haven, that he was abused by the Rev. Howard Nash, who was assigned to St. Bernadette’s Church in New Haven.

David Elliott, a spokesman for the archdiocese, said via email, “It is the longstanding policy of the Archdiocese of Hartford to not comment publicly on abuse allegations and/or settlements. The Archdiocese of Hartford continues to apologize and work with victims of clergy sexual abuse and their families to bring them a lasting healing.”

Elliott said Archbishop Christopher J. Coyne and his staff “are committed…

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 ‘Religious sisters are not priests’ wives. We are not bedmates. We are women of God. The Church must do better because God is watching,’ said Sr Kinse Anastasia in a social media post.

Allegations that Catholic priests treat nuns as their “wives” caused controversy in Nigeria, with supporters of the accuser clashing with officials who said she had left the Church.

In a social media post on 24 August, Sr Kinse Anastasia claimed Religious sisters face pressure for sex from priests, who treat them as “ornaments in habits”. She said that some priests openly say that “sisters are meant to be priests’ wives” and act as such.

She also accused Church leaders of silencing nuns who complain of abuse and Religious superiors of misusing their authority, while also condemning those who compromise their vows because “it weakens the dignity of consecrated life”.

“Religious sisters are not priests’ wives. We are…

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A new case of sexual misconduct at the Mexican diocese of Izcalli reveals the Catholic Church’s unwillingness to learn from its past mistakes.

Seminarian Otoniel seeks sexual partners over social media. When his demands are not satisfied he turns violent.

His sexual behavior mirrors notorious predators such as Fernando Karadima and less known abusers from the same diocese of Izcalli.

This is a convoluted story about a minor and a seminarian, a cleric in training. Originally, this series dealing with clergy sexual abuse in the diocese of Izcalli, an exurb of Mexico City, was planned as a three-installment affair. However, before publishing the third installment, a new survivor contacted the author of these lines over social media.

The first contact was somehow similar to survivors going through the early stages of their reckoning with the effects of such experience. It was a private message, very late at night, so it…

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Representatives of Catholic church sex abuse survivors filed a motion Wednesday to dismiss the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s bankruptcy case, which is blocking the survivors’ ability to sue the church for damages.

The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in 2023, mere days before state legislation erasing the statute of limitations for sex abuse survivors to file civil suits went into effect. Advocates railed against a subsequent law that reduced the cap on child sex abuse lawsuits filed against private institutions from $1.15 million to $700,000.

In its bankruptcy suit, the church claimed that it has charitable immunity and therefore should not have to pay damages in the more than 900 sex abuse lawsuits filed against it.

Maryland’s doctrine of charitable immunity protects organizations, such as religious groups, and their volunteers from being held liable in civil lawsuits if the organization does not have liability insurance.

In their motion to dismiss, the survivors’ representatives rebuked the church’s…

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A civil complaint has been filed against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford for allegations stating a late New Haven priest sexually assaulted an 8-year-old boy at gunpoint in 1988.

The civil lawsuit, which was filed on July 7 by the victim, stated that the late Rev. Howard Nash sexually assaulted him while the two of them were on a ski trip at Nash’s private home in Vermont.Hartford Archdiocese agrees to $2.4 million settlement with sexual abuse victim

At the time, Nash was a priest at St. Bernadette’s Church on Townsend Avenue in New Haven, which was under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Hartford. The child was baptized by Nash and his family had been devout Catholics, raising him within the church, according to the civil complaint.

Nash was also present at family social events, holidays and barbecues hosted by the victim’s grandparents.

The civil complaint states that…

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A man facing multiple charges of sexual abuse involving a minor in Greene County has now pleaded guilty.

Rodney Locklear, the former pastor of the now-defunct Victory Church in Ruckersville, pleaded guilty to 12 charges in court on Tuesday.

He was initially facing charges of aggravated sexual battery of a minor and abduction with the intent to defile.

Those charges have been reduced to felony child endangerment and misdemeanor sexual abuse of a minor.

Locklear also pleaded to eight felony embezzlement charges for stealing money from the church he led.

He could face up to 100 years in prison, but the defense has asked for an active prison sentence of just 10 years.

Locklear remains out on bond pending his sentencing, which is scheduled for January.

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The Vita group, set up by the Portuguese Bishops’ Conference (CEP) to monitor situations of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, has received a total of 83 requests for financial compensation, the organisation announced on Monday.

“To date, 83 requests for financial compensation have been received and, as planned, investigative commissions have been set up which have so far assessed 68 people,” the coordinator of the Vita group told Lusa.

This difference is due to cases in which people failed to respond, didn’t turn up for scheduled interviews, situations in which there was no sexual violence or with suspects “outside the context of the Roman Catholic Church”, explained Rute Agulhas.

“In the context of the Church, therefore, there are only seven people who applied for this financial compensation more recently and whose interviews are now scheduled for September,” said the head of the Vita group, considering that the work…

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A former President of the Methodist Conference has been charged with seven counts of sexual assault and one indecent assault. The charges relate to a number of women.

Rev Steve Wild, who was chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Methodist Circuit from 2008 until 2022, will appear at Truro Magistrates Court on 15th September.

The 70-year-old was suspended in September 2021 after allegations were made against him. The details of the allegations were not made public despite repeated requests from Premier Christian News.

In March 2022, it was announced that he would not be permitted to return to ministry after a safeguarding panel revealed the results of an investigation into a complaint made against him.

The investigation concluded that a culture of sexism was rife within the Methodist Church and criticised some senior leaders for a failure to respond to allegations of abusive or discriminatory behaviour.

At the time, Rev Mark…

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The bishop who identified herself as one of the two women who accused the former Bishop of Liverpool of sexual misconduct is stepping down.

The Bishop of Warrington, the Right Reverend Bev Mason, is leaving her post on 30 September after being on extended leave from the Diocese of Liverpool since the autumn of 2023.

It comes after the former Bishop of Liverpool John Perumbalath resigned in January following sexual assault and harassment allegations against him in a Channel 4 News investigation, which he has denied.

Bishop Mason said “there is much learning the church might take from the past two and a half years”, adding that as The Church of England, “we can do better”.

“It has now been over two years since I was advised to take ‘extended study leave’ on the understanding the causative matter would be resolved soon thereafter”, Bishop Bev said in a pastoral letter announcing…

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On November 28, 2020, Saint Francis de Sales parishioners were informed that their pastor, Fr. David Ryan, who had served there since 2007, was being removed from ministry after being accused of sexually abusing a minor decades earlier at Maryville Academy in Des Plaines, Illinois. In the letter, the Archdiocese of Chicago repeated the Church’s familiar assurances about child safety, claiming “nothing is more important than the welfare of the children entrusted to our care.” Yet serious allegations require a serious investigation – one that leaves no doubt.

Eleven months later, in September of 2021, another letter was sent to parishioners announcing that the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Independent Review Board had found “insufficient reason to suspect Father Ryan had committed sexual abuse of a minor.” Fr. Ryan was immediately reinstated as pastor of Saint Francis de Sales.

Just one week later, additional details emerged regarding Fr. Ryan’s accusations. His return was delayed, and…

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A Bolivian court sentenced two elderly Spanish Jesuit priests to a year each in prison on Tuesday for concealing decades of child sex abuse committed by their colleague in the church.

The convictions of the priests, Marcos Recolons, 81, and Ramon Alaix, 83, mark Bolivia’s first successful criminal prosecution against high-ranking members of the Catholic Jesuit order implicated in concealing abuse cases.

Prosecutors argued that Recolons and Alaix led the Jesuit order in Bolivia while the abuse occurred. They were aware of the allegations against a priest, Alfonso Pedrajas, but failed to report them to police, allowing him to continue contact with children, according to the prosecution.

The case came to light in 2023 with the publication of a diary belonging to Pedrajas, who died in 2009. In it, he wrote about abusing at least 85 minors between 1972 and 2000, many of whom were Indigenous students on scholarships at…

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A Baptist chaplain at a privately-run ICE lockup in Pennsylvania is facing accusations of sexually abusing a detainee over the course of more than a year, beginning shortly after he gained her trust by gifting her a Bible.

Pastor Mark Melhorn, 67, engaged in “extraordinary misconduct” at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center “under the guise of providing pastoral services,” according to a federal lawsuit obtained by The Independent.

His “repeated and pervasive” misconduct started with sexualized comments and gestures, with Melhorn telling the plaintiff in the case, who is identified as Jane Doe in court filings, that she was “hermosa,” “bonita,” and “preciosa,” according to the complaint.

“Melhorn would ask Ms. Doe if she liked how he looked, stare at her breasts, and lick his lips while staring at her,” the complaint alleges. “While Melhorn and detained women sang hymns together, he would position himself…

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Dozens of people who allege they were sexually abused as children by priests and other employees of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany are scheduled to share their stories of what they endured and how it has affected their lives at a multi-day conference scheduled to begin Sept. 10 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

The extraordinary proceeding was scheduled by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert E. Littlefield Jr. in response to a motion filed in June by the Official Committee of Tort Claimants, which represents the interests of hundreds of the sexual abuse survivors. The hearing is expected to last at least two days and Albany Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger has indicated he will be in the courtroom for the testimonials.

The hearing is scheduled to take place as efforts to reach a global settlement with the diocese and its insurance carriers have languished since the bankruptcy case was filed two years ago.

…

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The charismatic pastor of one of British Columbia’s largest churches, who was accused of sexual assault and grooming foster children, returned to ministry after stepping away five months ago.

Kelowna Harvest Church in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, announced in a statement on Wednesday that its pastor, Art Lucier, is returning to ministry after voluntarily stepping away in April amid an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.

After the conclusion of the investigation, the oversight committee tasked with reviewing the allegations against Lucier unanimously agreed to reinstate him in his leadership role effective Monday. 

“This includes returning to public ministry such as preaching and teaching,” the statement reads. “Art Lucier has accepted this invitation.”

The decision comes as the church and Lucier face civillawsuits filed by two women who allege Lucier sexually abused them as children in foster care starting in 2001, when…

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A Midland County jury has found James Randolph, a former youth pastor at Living Word Church, guilty on all six counts of sexually abusing a girl when she was a child.

The verdict came Friday afternoon after a seven-day trial and two and a half hours of deliberations. Ten men and two women found Randolph, 59, guilty of two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a relationship, three counts of second-degree CSC with a relationship, and one count of second-degree CSC with a child under 13.

Related: Judge decides what evidence is allowed in Midland pastor sexual misconduct trial

Randolph was immediately taken into custody after Circuit Judge Michael Beale revoked his $500,000 bond. He now faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced Nov. 13.

Randolph served for decades as head of youth ministries at Living Word International Church, led by Pastor Mark Barclay, his father-in-law.

…

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Eric Anderson is being held without bail in Manatee County and is contesting his extradition to Massachusetts

A former Greater Grace World Outreach pastor was arrested this week in Florida, four months after a Massachusetts grand jury indicted him for child sexual abuse.

Eric Anderson, 80, who once led the Baltimore megachurch’s Bible college, is facing two counts of indecent assault and battery of a child. The abuse is alleged to have occurred in 1980, when Anderson lived in and worked at the church’s former headquarters in western Massachusetts. The organization with offshoots around the world was known at the time as The Bible Speaks.

Massachusetts State Police detectives used license plate reader technology to find Anderson near the Gulf Coast. He was arrested on Monday.

“Upon his return to Massachusetts, the defendant will face long overdue justice for his heinous crimes,” Berkshire County District Attorney Timothy Shugrue said in…

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In addition, the plan includes non-monetary items intended to strengthen protocols to guard against future abuse and assist survivors with healing.

The diocese originally filed for bankruptcy in 2020 in response to a growing number of sexual abuse lawsuits being filed against it. The number of lawsuits is now in the hundreds.

The plan has the support of survivors and victims of sexual abuse.

Judge Wendy Kinsella of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of Northern District of New York is expected to formally approve the plan within days.

Bishop Douglas Lucia had this to say in announcing the development:

“The lesson contained in today’s gospel reading is most important to us in this moment. Jesus warns the religious establishment and leaders of his day against being ‘whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth – filled with hypocrisy…

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A judge has approved a plan for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse to exit bankruptcy and send millions of dollars to sexual abuse survivors.

The diocese originally filed for bankruptcy in June 2020 as it faced a growing number of sexual abuse lawsuits. In all, hundreds of claims have been filed.

The abuse by clergy and others dates back decades.

The diocese and other catholic organizations have agreed to contribute $100 million to the survivors fund. Half will be paid for by parishes, schools, missions and catholic charities.

Bishop Douglas Lucia said after court, “I cannot apologize enough for the abuse which happened or for any neglect in dealing with it.”

The full statement from the diocese of Syracuse is below:

Dear Diocesan Family,

For over five years, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse has been pursuing means of making reparation for the pain and mistreatment experienced by the…

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Proposed settlement must be approved by court

A proposed $272 million bankruptcy settlement between the Diocese of Buffalo and clergy sexual abuse survivors could increase if additional insurance carriers agree to contribute, according to attorneys involved in the case. Survivors say the proposed agreement — while imperfect — would provide meaningful help to the more than 900 people who filed claims.

Michael Whalen, whose 2018 news conference helped trigger a wave of disclosures in Western New York, said the settlement represents progress for those still waiting for accountability.

“It’s a step in the right direction for closure,” Whalen said. “People are dying off now and they’ll never see any kind of justice. Helping other survivors, especially from my point of view, stepping forward was to let them know that they weren’t alone.”

Whalen alleged abuse as a child in the 1980s by the Rev. Norbert F. Orsolits, who…

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The Buffalo Diocese’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy saga finally appears to be showing some light at the end of the tunnel.

Now more than 5½ years old, the case will likely still end up being the lengthiest bankruptcy proceeding ever for a U.S. Catholic diocese. But a pair of insurance carriers agreeing to pay $122.5 million into a growing settlement trust for child sex abuse victims was a significant step toward the Buffalo Diocese’s goal of exiting bankruptcy with a global settlement that would protect parishes and other related Catholic entities from abuse lawsuits.

In addition, a federal judge last week confirmed the Syracuse Diocese’s $177 million settlement deal with 411 abuse victims, and the Rochester Diocese’s $246 million plan is expected to be confirmed on Friday.

The Buffalo Diocese’s settlement trust now stands at $272.5 million, and the diocese and a committee representing abuse survivors have at least…

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A last-ditch attempt by attorneys representing the Delbarton School in its clergy sexual abuse case has failed.

On the eve of a landmark trial against the elite Morris County private school, its lawyer wrote to a state Superior Court judge on Aug. 27 requesting a delay and warning media coverage of the case has “irreversibly tainted the jury pool.”

As an alternative, Morristown attorney James Barletti wrote, potential jurors should be selected from outside of the region, since local residents would be more likely to have read recent reports about the case.

“Anything less would deny Delbarton and OSBNJ of their right to a fair trial,” Barletti said, referring to the Order of St. Benedict of New Jersey, the Catholic order that runs the school and nearby St. Mary’s Abbey.

Nonetheless, on Aug. 28, state Superior Court Judge Frank DeAngelis issued a decision denying both requests.

It is…

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A St. Tammany Parish judge has ordered the return of electronics belonging to an ex-Roman Catholic priest who pleaded guilty to obscenity for being caught having sex with two dominatrices atop a Pearl River church altar while still belonging to the clergy in 2020.

However, the judge also told authorities to erase all data from the devices and storage media as a precaution against videos taken of the tryst from becoming public.

The ruling from 22nd Judicial District court Judge Ellen Creel came in the case centering on Travis Clark as well as dominatrices whose professional names are Lady Vi (also known as Satanatrix) and Empress Ming. The videos in question have been under indefinite court seal ever since the trio’s encounter made international news headlines in 2020.

WWL Louisiana and a reporter now at The Guardian broke the story of the arrest of Clark and the two women.

Clark’s attorneys,…

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A victim of the now dead disgraced Christian Brother Paul Dunleavy has said an apology by the religious order for the pain and hurt he has caused is ‘’too little too late’’

Eddie Hutchinson spoke for the first time exclusively to UTV about the abuse he suffered at the hands of the former teacher and principal after his death while serving time for a litany of sex crimes.

The 89-year-old died in hospital on Tuesday 26 August.

“That man was still abusing me. Up until that man died, that man was still abusing me.”

He was abusing me in my sleep. That man was abusing me. Every single day that I opened my eyes, that man was abusing me.“

That man was abusing me when I went out. I felt dirty, I felt unwanted, I just felt unloved, ” Eddie said.

In 2024, Dunleavy was handed a 10-year-old sentence on…

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Two women say they were groomed and sexually abused by Fr. Lawrence Gadek, a former priest and Lacey teacher, in the 1970s.

Two lawsuits filed against the Lacey Township Board of Education and the Archdiocese of Newark claim that a former Roman Catholic priest turned teacher sexually abused two young girls while employed at Forked River Elementary School and Lanoka Harbor Elementary School.

The two girls, identified as F.H. and W.S. Doe to protect their anonymity, were abused by Fr. Lawrence Gadek from about 1977 to 1981, according to the lawsuits. Both women are represented by attorney Gabriel McGee.

Gadek, ordained in 1955, was identified by the archdiocese on their List of Credibly Accused Abusers. He has multiple alleged victims, according to the archdiocese, including a 2019 six-figure settlement for a woman who said Gadek sexually abused her multiple times in the early 1960s when he was a priest in…

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A fund to pay Catholic Diocese of Buffalo sexual abuse victims has now risen to $272.5 million.

Two of the diocese insurers agreed to pay $122.5 million to help settle more than 800 claims of sexual abuse, according to court papers.

The settlement was detailed in court papers provided Wednesday by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Carl Bucki, according to Channel 2 News.

The settlement is in addition to $150 million the diocese is already contributing toward the fund.

“These settlements are another step toward the resolution of this case,” Jeff Anderson and Associates attorney Stacey Benson said in a news release. “These settlements are a testament to survivors who refuse to stay silent until the diocese is held accountable.”

The Buffalo Catholic Diocese reached the $150 million settlement in April with hundreds of child sex abuse claimants as part of a larger plan aimed at emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Of that amount, $80 million was expected to come from diocese…

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A Christian Brother and former school principal who was convicted of historical child sex abuse has died.

Paul Dunleavy was sentenced to 10 years in prison in November 2024 after being convicted of 36 charges against former pupils.

The offences were committed on dates between 1964 and 1991 while the 89-year-old worked at four schools in Belfast, Newry and Armagh.

The Northern Ireland Prison Service said an “89-year-old male prisoner from Maghaberry” died “at an outside hospital” on 26 August.

Dunleavy was already serving a prison sentence having been previously convicted on two separate occasions of sexual offences against children in his care.

He was due to begin his latest sentence in May 2026 when his previous sentence was to end.

In total, he was convicted of 72 counts involving 18 victims across three trials.

At the time of his sentencing, he was still a Christian Brother despite his convictions.

The…

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Proposed legislation would set Jan. 1 as the deadline for lawsuits against now-shuttered juvenile halls and an infamous former children’s shelter in Los Angeles County.

California lawmakers will vote on a bill this week making it harder to file child sexual abuse lawsuits against schools, juvenile facilities and foster care agencies that are already buckling under the weight of current and threatened legal action.

Among other new restrictions, Senate Bill 577 raises the burden of proof for older plaintiffs, requires costly pre-filing consultation with legal experts, and scales back higher damages awarded in particularly egregious cases. 

The bill being heard in the Assembly appropriations committee Friday also sets a Jan. 1 deadline to file claims against Los Angeles County facilities: the MacLaren Children’s Center — a notorious former foster care shelter — and all county-run juvenile detention halls and camps that closed prior to 2020. 

“Unfortunately,…

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The case against former Downey priest Jaime Arriaga Pedroza, accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl while serving at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, is expected to have his preliminary hearing on Monday, Sept. 15, at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.

Pedroza, 41, was arrested on April 3 after surrendering to detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) Special Victims Bureau. He has been held without bail since his arraignment on April 7, when he pleaded not guilty.

In the case The People of the State of California vs. Jaime Arriaga Pedroza, he faces six felony charges of sexual abuse from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, according to court documents.

The charges detail that Pedroza allegedly committed one count of lewd acts upon a child aged 14 or 15 by a person at least 10 years older with the intent of arousing,…

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The FBI today arrested the leaders of Joshua Media Ministries International (JMMI) in a series of raids across several states for allegedly using psychological and physical abuse to coerce victims into soliciting millions.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, JMMI leaders, David Taylor and Michelle Brannon, ran a forced labor organization and a multi-million-dollar money laundering conspiracy. The department called the arrests a “nationwide takedown” of a human trafficking scheme that operated in Michigan, Florida, Texas, and Missouri.

Taylor, 53, and Brannon, 56, were taken into custody this morning in North Carolina and Florida, after a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Michigan returned a ten-count indictment.

Additionally, the FBI raided JMMI properties in Tampa, Houston, North Carolina, and Michigan this morning, according to reports from multiple news sites.

“Money laundering is tax evasion in progress,” said Karen Wingerd, an agent…

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It’s ChurchToo porn: A middle-aged man in front of a mirror taking a selfie of his naked butt while wearing a black sweatshirt emblazoned with the name of a major Canadian Christian ministry.

“Jane Doe,” 60, a former volunteer for Battle for Canada, a revival ministry founded by Kelowna pastor Art Lucier, says the man with his pants down is Lucier himself.

The selfie photo, which the volunteer says Lucier sent her in 2022, appears set in a mocha polyvinyl-paneled bathroom of a private residence. A white enamel vessel sink is in the background. The man’s genitals are not visible, but the entire left side of his face is.

The selfie is the most current of the many abuse allegations made against the popular pastor since earlier this year.

In a brief phone call with The Roys Report (TRR), Lucier acknowledged a photo that he sent as a “prank I did on…

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One of two suspects who claim to be religious leaders, and are allegedly tied to a human trafficking ring, was arrested Wednesday in Durham by the FBI in a raid early Wednesday morning.

A spokesperson for the agency told CBS 17 that David Taylor, 53 of Durham, is being charged in a forced labor and money laundering conspiracy investigation that agents said victimized individuals in Michigan, Florida, Texas and Missouri.

In the indictment, Taylor is described as one of the leaders of Kingdom of God Global Church, formerly Joshua Media Ministries International, along with 56-year-old Michelle Brannon of Tampa, Florida.

Exclusive surveillance video obtained by CBS 17 shows the moment just after 6 a.m. Wednesday when the FBI rolled onto the property with warrants in hand and guns drawn.

“David Taylor, this is the FBI with a warrant for this location,” authorities are heard saying in the video. “Everybody in…

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During Robert Mendez Esquivel’s arraignment in Canyon County Court Thrusday, the judge charged him with rape and two counts of sexual battery of a minor.

A Catholic priest at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Nampa, who was arrested on a charge of sexual battery of a minor, was arraigned in Canyon County Court Thursday.

Robert Mendez Esquivel was arrested and booked into the Canyon County Jail Wednesday night. A judge read Mendez his charges during his virtual arraignment Thursday afternoon. He’s now charged with rape and two counts of sexual battery of a minor child 16 or 17 years of age. 

A prosecutor told the court Esquivel met the alleged victim on the dating app Grindr before meeting up at a park. There, the prosecutor said Mendez sexually assaulted and raped the alleged victim. 

The judge in the case set Esquivel’s bail…

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A criminal complaint filed Wednesday against a Madison priest details an undercover operation where authorities posed as a teen girl, and an agreement for him to meet up with her for sex.

Andrew Showers, 37, is accused of attempted use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, attempted child enticement and attempted second-degree sexual assault of a child under 16 years old.

The criminal complaint states a Clintonville Police Department sergeant was posing as a 14-year-old girl, named Abby, on Aug. 10. Images of the fake child were made using images of another officer, then edited to make the person look like a teen.

The complaint said the sergeant used Reddit to create a post, saying Abby was looking for a man in Wisconsin. The sergeant made clear that the teen was 14 years old, and a man said he was interested in meeting up for sex. He…

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The Diocese of Madison is acknowledging there was a complaint filed in 2021 against Fr. Andrew Showers, the priest who is now charged with child sex crimes in Waupaca County.

Showers was arrested in Clintonville and faces charges of attempted use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, attempted child enticement-exposing intimate parts and attempted second-degree sexual assault of a child.

He is out of jail after posting bond and will appear in Waupaca County Court on September 30.

In a note to parishioners Wednesday night, Bishop Donald Hying said a review of diocesan files, email messages and phone records revealed that a complaint about Showers was made to the diocese by a parent in December 2021.

Hying said the parent expressed concern about “pastoral questions which were asked of a male middle-school child during the Sacrament of Confession.” The pastor at the time told the…

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A Clintonville police officer went undercover, posing as a 14-year-old girl online, to catch a Madison-area priest charged with child sex crimes, a complaint alleges.

Fr. Andrew Showers, 37, of Madison is charged with attempted use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, attempted child enticement and attempted second-degree sexual assault of a child under 16 years of age.

According to a complaint, a police officer posing as a 14-year-old girl named Abby created a post on an adult-targeted forum on the social media and messaging site Reddit. The officer used pictures of another officer, with consent, which were then digitally edited to make the officer appear to be 14.

In the posts, the officer indicated that Abby was looking to meet up with a man from Wisconsin.

The complaint alleges that a user known as DFALK7 then sent a private message to Abby saying he was a…

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An HBO series on Marcial Maciel this month has once again placed the spotlight on the founder of the Legionaries of Christ and the complaints of sexual abuse against him.

The congregation in Rome confirmed to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that it had known about the production for years and agreed to be interviewed to address their past and show the changes the order has undertaken since the scandal.

“Yes, we are aware of the production,” the congregation told ACI Prensa. “At the end of 2022, we received an interview request from the documentary’s producers. The project, according to what they said, would address events that were mostly already publicly known thanks to complaints from victims, former members, and specialists, as well as investigations conducted by the congregation and the Holy See,” the congregation noted.

They specified that Father Andreas Schöggl, LC, former secretary-general and…

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A federal bankruptcy court has accepted the Diocese of Syracuse, New York’s massive $176 million abuse settlement plan, Bishop Douglas Lucia said this week.

The decision comes after a yearslong negotiation process between the diocese and victims of clergy abuse as well as between the diocese and insurers that will pay into the settlement fund.

Lucia said in an Aug. 27 letter that the diocese will contribute $100 million to the fund, as diocesan leaders first announced in 2023.

Fifty million dollars will come from the diocese itself, with $45 million from parishes and $5 million from “other Catholic entities” associated with the Syracuse Diocese.

The remaining $76 million will be contributed by diocesan insurance companies, the bishop said.

Further “nonmonetary items” in the agreement include provisions such as strengthening diocesan safe environment policies.

The diocese initiated the bankruptcy process in 2020. In his letter,…

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A plan is set to be approved for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse to exit bankruptcy and allocate $176 million for survivors of sexual abuse.

Most Rev. Douglas J. Lucia, bishop of Syracuse, announced in an Aug. 27 letter on the diocese’s website that Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of New York Wendy Kinsella will accept the diocese’s plan to exit a petition for Chapter 11 reorganization.

“As I have stated over the course of the five years and repeat again today, I cannot apologize enough for the abuse which happened or for any neglect in dealing with it,” Lucia said.

The diocese filed for bankruptcy protection in June 2020 as more than 100 lawsuits under New York’s Child Victims Act for past sex abuse by priests and clergy members began mounting in the courts. The diocese covers seven counties, including Broome, Chenango, Cortland and Oneida.

The lawsuits named…

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Clergy abuse survivors cannot believe the New Zealand Catholic bishops’ public statement on Social Justice as the bishops persist in breaching their own social justice principles.

Making statements on social justice in their message for Social Justice Week 2025, September 7-13, while ignoring social justice in practice is nothing more than hypocrisy, say advocates for victims and survivors of clergy and religious abuse in New Zealand’s Catholic Church.

Core social justice principles must be at the heart of the bishops’ own work to build peace. But survivors and survivor advocates across New Zealand note that despite the bishops’ public statements, there has been no practice by the bishops of the social justice principles of participation, solidarity, and subsidiarity with victims and survivors of Catholic clergy abuse.

Instead, New Zealand’s Catholic bishops continue to isolate, ignore, and disempower survivors who have sought justice.

According to Mary Speller, co-leader of the New…

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A Catholic priest in the Diocese of Madison who was once a leader at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Catholic student center has been charged with child sex crimes in Waupaca County and restricted from ministry.

In a criminal complaint, prosecutors said Andrew J. Showers, 37, sent sexually explicit online messages and traveled to Waupaca County to meet someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl to have sex with her, unaware he was actually corresponding with a Clintonville police officer.

Prosecutors charged him Aug. 27 with attempted second-degree sexual assault of a child, attempted child enticement and attempted use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime. If convicted of all counts, he faces up to 50 years in prison.

Showers connected with the officer, posing as a 14-year-old, on a Reddit page. The two exchanged messages on Reddit as well as on the Telegram app, and Showers was…

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[See also:  Sr. Maura O’Donohue MMM, Urgent Concerns for the Church in the Context of HIV/AIDS (February 1994); Sr. Maura O’Donohue MMM, Meeting at SRC, Rome, 18 February 1995 (February 21, 1995); and Sr. Marie McDonald MSOLA, The Problem of the Sexual Abuse of African Religious in Africa and Rome (November 20, 1998).]

In the history of National Catholic Reporter, there are several journalists who have left an indelible mark. One is John L. Allen Jr. 

For 17 years, Allen covered the Vatican and served as a senior correspondent. As NCR journalist, he appeared on CNN and delivered clear, descriptive commentary that led to a job on the news network, and then to the Boston Globe, where he created Crux at a time news organizations were seeking to innovate on the Internet. Crux later spun off as his operation that he publishes. 

In 2001, in the midst of his run…

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A former Texas youth pastor who was arrested last year for alleged child sex abuse has been reindicted with additional charges. The new charges against Luke Cunningham do not stem from new victims.

Cunningham was working as a youth pastor at Lakeside Baptist Church in Granbury, Texas, at the time of his arrest, but the alleged abuse is said to have occurred during Cunningham’s tenure at Turning Point Community Church in Lubbock, Texas, with other accusations coming from when he worked at North Fort Worth Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. 

In June 2024, Cunningham was arrested and charged with two counts of sexual assault of a child and one count of aggravated sexual assault.

Following further investigation, Cunningham now faces 16 counts of sexual assault of a child.

At a hearing following Cunningham’s arrest, Lubbock County Assistant District Attorney Cassie Graham argued that Cunningham had a long history of…

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Attorneys for clergy abuse survivors say they’ve reached settlements with two insurance companies in connection with the ongoing Diocese of Buffalo bankruptcy proceedings.

Wausau Insurance and Continental Insurance Company will pay over $122 million combined.

“These settlements are another step toward the resolution of this case,” attorney Stacey Benson said in a statement. “These settlements are a testament to survivors who refuse to stay silent until the diocese is held accountable.”

The insurance companies were not included in the $150 million settlement reached with the Diocese of Buffalo earlier this year.

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On Palm Sunday in 2002 as I prepared to begin Mass, I took a brown paper bag with the eyes, nose and mouth cut out and placed it over my head. As I processed up the aisle, I could hear giggles and saw people poking others to look at me. Once in the sanctuary, I turned around to face the people and removed the bag. I said to them, “I apologize for the priests who sexually abused children and youth. And for the bishops who covered this up.”

Since the early 1980s, first in Louisiana and then popping up all over the country like water dripping on a rock, accusations against priests were revealed. But nothing shook the Catholic Church — and, indeed, the entire country — like The Boston Globe’s exposé of the Archdiocese of Boston in 2002. It even led to the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law.

The enormity of the abuse finally mobilized…

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Two insurers will pay $122 million; judge extends deadline

Two insurance companies who represented the Diocese of Buffalo have agreed to pay $122.5 million to help settle 900 sexual abuse claims in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

The settlement, which was detailed in court papers provided Wednesday by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Carl Bucki, comes in addition to the previously announced $150 million the diocese will be contributing toward the deal. The insurance companies’ amount brings the total settlement to $272.5 million.

Continental Insurance Company will contribute $85 million toward the settlement and Wausau Insurance will pay $37.5 million, attorneys for the Diocese said in court papers.

Attorneys for abuse survivors applauded the additions to the settlement.

“These settlements are another step toward the resolution of this case,” said attorney Stacey Benson of Jeff Anderson & Associates. “These settlements are a testament to survivors who refuse to stay silent until the…

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Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of New York, Wendy Kinsella, plans to approve a settlement, after a hearing on Aug. 27, between the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse and sexual abuse survivors.

The plan will mean millions of dollars for the survivors.

It is the first step in a long journey towards finding closure, after years of legal proceedings between the Syracuse Diocese and the survivors. Kinsella approved a plan for the church to exit bankruptcy and begin the process of distributing over $170 million.

“It has always been my intention…the best way that we could give reparations to all involved, rather than, as Kinsella called it, a race to the courtroom,” Bishop Douglas Lucia, pastor of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse, said.

Five years ago, the church filed for bankruptcy protections as sex abuse lawsuits came flooding in, 411 to be exact. Over the years, survivors have shared their stories…

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Police in Indiana accused Julian Wachner, the former music director at Trinity Church in New York, of possessing sex abuse imagery purchased with cryptocurrency.

Julian Wachner, a conductor and composer who was fired three years ago from Trinity Church in New York, was charged with possessing child sexual abuse material, prosecutors in Indianapolis said Tuesday.

Once a high-profile director of music and the arts at Trinity, one of the city’s wealthiest and most influential churches, Mr. Wachner was fired from the post in 2022 amid an investigation into a sexual misconduct allegation.

Mr. Wachner, who disputed the allegation, saw his music career unravel and had moved to Indianapolis, most recently working as a fourth-grade math teacher at a charter school. Last week, he was arrested after a tip to law enforcement that he had used cryptocurrency to purchase child sexual abuse material, according to court papers filed by the Marion County…

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The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) is calling for transparency about the actions of Auxiliary Bishop Elias R. Lorenzo, a potential successor to Archbishop of Newark Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, while he was a leader at Delbarton School.

Delbarton School and St. Mary’s Abbey, the Benedictine order that is associated with the school, have faced several sexual assault allegations since 2002, stretching back to a former Delbarton lacrosse player accusing a monk of sexually abusing him in 1978.

The school and the abbey came under fire in 2018 when numerous lawsuits were filed, prompting the school to acknowledge that 30 individuals had come forward with to say they had been abused.

Lorenzo served in a variety of roles at Delbarton and St. Mary’s Abbey such as Director of Liturgy, Director of Monastic Formation, Prior of St. Mary’s Abbey from 1995 to 2002, and Rector of the Abbey…

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Carriers argue lifting the pause could unfairly prioritize select cases

A group of insurers is urging a California federal court to keep a stay in place on five lawsuits connected to sexual abuse claims and the bankruptcy of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco.

The archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August 2023, citing the need to address more than 500 lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse. According to a statement from the religious organization, the bankruptcy filing automatically paused all legal actions related to the abuse claims while a reorganization plan is developed.

This plan would be based on the archdiocese’s assets and insurance coverage and is intended to resolve the abuse claims.

The insurers, including affiliates of Chubb Ltd., argue in an objection filed with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division, that the five cases selected from hundreds of pending…

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Police in Clintonville, Wis., arrested a priest of the Diocese of Madison on Sunday on charges of attempted child sexual abuse.

According to a statement from the police, Fr. Andrew Showers, 37, was arrested in the evening of Aug. 24 after officers “received information” that the priest had “made arrangements to travel to the City of Clintonville and meet with a 14-year-old female to engage in sexual activity.”

Fr. Showers was arrested on charges of child enticement, use of a computer to facilitate a child sexual offense, and attempted second degree sexual assault of a child.

According to a diocesan statement, after the diocese was informed of Showers’s arrest on Monday he was suspended from all ministry while the criminal investigation continues, with which the diocese said it is fully cooperating.

No details have been confirmed regarding how the priest came to make the alleged “arrangements,” or how law enforcement…

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In 2018, a nun accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal of rape, rattling the Indian Catholic Church. After his acquittal, she was condemned to a life of isolation. The systemic efforts to silence her and the cost of defying patriarchal power are detailed in this ten-chapter story, as she finally breaks her silence.

“You have to understand. I’m a nun. I took a vow of chastity. To stand in court and say I was raped felt like I was the sinner,” said Sister Ruth*, almost in a whisper. “I felt unworthy of God.”

We spent most of the hour in silence. The group of nuns sat in a row, scepticism heavy in the air. At first, they didn’t reveal who among them had accused a bishop of rape. 

Outside, the light drizzle and the afternoon humidity lulled the two policemen into a slumber. This was in October 2024 — our first meeting.

…

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The Brief:

• Clintonville police arrested the Rev. Andrew J. Showers, 37, on Sunday on tentative charges including child enticement, police said.
• The Diocese of Madison says it is cooperating with law enforcement and has fully restricted Showers from public ministry during the investigation.
• Showers has served at several parishes and ministries across the diocese, including in Madison, Waunakee, Wisconsin Dells, Berlin, Green Lake and Clinton.

The Diocese of Madison said it has fully restricted the Rev. Andrew J. Showers from public ministry after his arrest Sunday in Clintonville on tentative child sex-crime charges.

The Clintonville Police Department said that at about 7:32 p.m. Sunday, Showers, 37, was taken into custody in the city. He was booked into the Waupaca County Jail on tentative charges of child enticement, use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, and attempted second-degree sexual assault of a child.

Police said the arrest followed allegations…

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Pope Leo XIV is expected to bring Augustinian friars with him when he moves into the papal apartment of the Apostolic Palace in the autumn, the Italian daily La Repubblica reported. The decision reflects his determination to preserve the communal life of his religious order even after his election to the papacy.

“The idea is not yet official but should become a reality in the fall,” La Repubblica said Aug. 19. 

Leo had been expected to move into the papal apartment, a tradition that had been broken by Pope Francis, but word of friars joining him had not previously been reported.

The Italian daily said that workers are renovating the third floor of the Apostolic Palace to accommodate the housemates. The work has delayed the pope taking up residence, the newspaper said. Ten rooms have so far been refurbished, including the study used for the Sunday Angelus, the…

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[This article is now available in a full-text version, so we are including it again on Abuse Tracker.]

Dozens of people crowded into a courtroom this spring to reveal the lasting scars from childhood sex abuse by clergy and church employees in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse.

The diocese has organized a $176 million fund to compensate the abuse survivors. If it were divided evenly over 411 people with claims, after some lawyers get paid, each would receive as much as $400,000.

But it won’t work that way. Instead, a court-managed process will try to calculate a way to give the most money to the people hurt the worst.

This will turn the years of pain for each of the hundreds of abuse survivors into a specific cold, hard number.

How were you abused? For how long? Where did it happen? How…

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A lawsuit involving a North Jersey Catholic school is set to be the first civil trial against the Catholic Church in the state.

A case involving Delbarton, a Catholic School in Morristown, regarding allegations of child sex abuse, will take place on Sept. 2 in the Morris County Courthouse.

The case, T.M. v. Order of St. Benedict of New Jersey (OSBNJ), will be the first clergy sexual abuse lawsuit to go to trial in New Jersey against the Catholic Church. It is the first of nearly 40 pending abuse cases involving the all-boys school and its church affiliates.

The case’s plaintiff, named only as “T.M.” for privacy purposes, claims that he was sexually abused by Father Richard Lott as a 15-year-old Delbarton student in the 1970s. Lott served as a Benedictine monk, teacher, and supervisor of student workers in Delbarton’s maintenance department.

T.M. added that he was abused by the…

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A high-ranking priest in the Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama, has been removed from ministry and is under investigation following allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a woman said to date back to 2009, when she was still a minor. However, these steps taken by the diocese were only revealed to the faithful in response to a U.K.-based newspaper making public the allegations.

On Aug. 2, Father Robert Sullivan, the diocese’s vicar general and pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Homewood, Alabama, announced to his congregation that he had been granted a personal leave of absence beginning Aug. 4.

The Guardian released a report

Details of the reasons behind the request only emerged Aug. 13, when The Guardian released a report in which 33-year-old Heather Jones claimed that Father Sullivan had engaged in a sexual and financial relationship with her that began when she was 17.

According to the newspaper,…

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A former P.E.I. Roman Catholic priest has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting an altar boy in the late 1980s.

Brendon Earl Gallant, 80, pleaded guilty to indictable sexual assault on Aug. 21 in provincial court in Georgetown. Gallant appeared in court with his lawyer, Peter Ghiz. A publication ban is in place, preventing the release of information that could identify the male victim.

With the guilty plea in place, Crown attorney John Diamond stayed an additional charge of sexual interference involving touching a person under the age of 16 for a sexual purpose.

The facts

Diamond then read in court an agreed statement of facts. He said that the victim reported historic sexual abuse by Gallant to the RCMP on March 3, 2023. The police investigation revealed that Gallant was assigned to St. Margaret’s parish in Kings County and met the victim in the summer of 1988. Gallant knew the…

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Key Takeaways:

• Survivors’ committee seeks recovery of $1M in payments before bankruptcy.
• Motion for derivative standing filed against Baltimore Archdiocese.
• Nearly 1,000 child sex abuse claims linked to bankruptcy case.
• Charitable immunity trial set for December to determine liability.

The committee representing abuse victims in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore’s bankruptcy case has moved to recover more than $1 million in “avoidable” payments made by the archdiocese in the three months before it declared bankruptcy in 2023.

The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors on Aug. 18 filed a motion for derivative standing to force the return of allegedly unnecessary payments the archdiocese made while it was “at acute risk of insolvency” and knew it would file for bankruptcy before the Maryland Child Victims Act took effect.

The survivors’ committee says the money, which it estimates at “more than $1,014,539.70,” should be part of an eventual global settlement through which victims would be compensated….

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A Catholic priest who worked in Orlando churches for more than a decade faces sexual abuse accusations from sheriff’s investigators and a lawsuit that accuses him of grooming and then abusing a child for years.

Father George Zina, who now works as a pastor at a church in Roanoke, VA, denies any wrongdoing, according to the Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn, which oversees his church.

But the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said this week that it investigated the accusations against Zina and heard “very compelling testimony” from an alleged victim. In February, the sheriff’s office decided Zina should be charged with two counts of sexual battery and sent that recommendation to the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office.

The state attorney’s office said Thursday the case is under review. Zina worked at Holy Family Catholic Church and St. Jude Maronite Catholic Church, both in Orange County, from around 1997 through 2009.

…

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Dozens of people crowded into a courtroom this spring to reveal the lasting scars from childhood sex abuse by clergy and church employees in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse.

The diocese has organized a $176 million fund to compensate the abuse survivors. If it were divided evenly over 411 people with claims, after some lawyers get paid, each would receive as much as $400,000…

jmoss@syracuse.com

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SAINT PAUL (MN)
Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis [Minnesota]

Date: Monday, Aug. 25
Start Time: 6:30 p.m.
End Time: 8 p.m.
Location: Virtual [Click here to register for webinar]

Abuse Before, During and After the Sacrament

In this webinar, we will explore the history of confession and the role of the sacrament in clergy abuse. We will look at examples of “solicitation” in confession and also at a whole range of situations to which that term refers: abuse before, during, and after the sacrament.

This webinar will emphasize the power of the sacrament, for good and for ill, and related practices such as spiritual direction and counseling. Ample time will be set aside for questions and conversation.

Terence McKiernan founded BishopAccountability.org in 2003 and is the organization’s president. He was a project leader of Gender, Sex, and Power at Notre Dame’s Cushwa Center 2020-2022. Terry and BishopAccountability.org received the 2023 Distinguished Service Award from…

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An Irvine man described by authorities as a “prominent staff member” of an Orange County church was arrested last week following allegations that he sexually assaulted a teenage girl multiple times over the span of a decade.

Michael Robert Maxwell, 42, was arrested after the Irvine Police Department launched an investigation into allegations of child sex abuse that occurred at a home on Whitecloud, a residential street located near South Lake.

According to Irvine police, the investigation is a partnership with Child Protective Services.

Maxwell has been booked into the Orange County Jail where he awaits several child sex abuse charges, including oral copulation, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and continuous sexual abuse of a child.

Authorities say Maxwell was staff member at Redeemer Church of Orange County in Newport Beach. On Wednesday, his photo was released to local media out of concern there may be additional victims.

Anyone with information relevant…

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A former Life.Church intern is arrested after authorities say he had dozens of child pornography pictures and videos.

Documents show investigators got seven different tips about Austin Sewell viewing and sending child porn on his devices while connected to the Internet at his house.

Sewell has now been charged in federal court for having child sex abuse material.

Life.Church provided the following statement to News On 6:

“We are shocked and deeply concerned. While he is a former intern and was no longer serving when this came to light, we maintained our high standards for safety prior to and during his operations internship, including conducting a background check and ensuring that he served alongside other adults. He is restricted from serving in any capacity in the future. We take the safety of our church community extremely seriously and will continue to prioritize the security and well-being of everyone in our care.”

Life.Church…

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• Chris Brain convicted of indecent assault on nine women
• Brain led Nine O’Clock Service, backed by Church of England
• Church of England apologizes for institutional failures

LONDON, Aug 21 (Reuters) – (This Aug 21 story has been republished to remove an image with no changes to text)

The leader of a “cult-like” Christian group once backed by the Church of England has been convicted of sexually abusing nine women in his congregation, after a jury returned their final verdicts on Thursday.

The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.

Chris Brain, 68, led the Nine O’Clock Service, an evangelical church movement based in Sheffield, northern England, in the 1980s and 1990s.

The group’s nightclub-style services, which were held at 9 p.m. on Sundays, were aimed at young people, featured a live band and attracted hundreds of people at its peak.

But, prosecutors…

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• Guest Bios
• Show Transcript

Does Jesus’ command to love our enemies mean Christian women must remain in abusive marriages? That’s the troubling claim Pastor Paul LeBoutillier made in a recent sermon at Calvary Chapel in Boise, Idaho. While acknowledging that abuse is “terrible,” he implied Jesus’ words about loving abusers apply to abusive husbands.

Is that a faithful reading of Scripture or a distortion rooted in patriarchy? To unpack this, host Julie Roys is joined by author and abuse survivor Naghmeh Panahi and relationship coach Leslie Vernick, a leading voice on marriage and emotional health.

Naghmeh, known globally for advocating for persecuted Christians when her ex-husband Saeed Abedini was imprisoned in Iran, later revealed she had long endured abuse in her marriage. Her memoir, I Didn’t Survive, traces her painful awakening—and how the Christian community often turned on her for speaking out.

Leslie Vernick, author of The Emotionally Destructive Marriage,  View Cache