ABUSE TRACKER

A Georgetown County judge granted bond Thursday to the fifth person arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation into Pawleys Island Community Church and its affiliated school, where church and school leaders are accused of concealing a registered sex offender’s involvement with children.

Michael Fields, the church’s director of operations and missions, appeared before a judge and was granted a $25,000 surety bond after being charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk or causing a child harm.

During the hearing, Fields told the court he has worked at Pawleys Island Community Church for 15 years. According to the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office, he served as the church’s director of operations and missions and was responsible for campus security and the safety of students at the school.

READ MORE | “‘They want answers’: Attorney speaks on lawsuit filed against Pawleys Island church.”

Authorities allege church…

View Cache

Click to see video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO5gjdUf8aI

A fifth person has been arrested in the ongoing investigation into Pawleys Island Community Church and its affiliated Pawleys Island Christian Academy after allegations that the church’s pastor allowed registered sex offender Warren Perry to volunteer on church grounds and around children.

The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office said Michael Anthony Fields, the church’s director of operations, was arrested Wednesday. Authorities said Fields was responsible for security across the campus, as well as the safety of students at Pawleys Island Christian Academy.

He is charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk or causing a child harm.

Fields’ arrest came the same day as a hearing involving Perry before the South Carolina Department of Probation, Pardon and Parole.

During the hearing, officials discussed a June 10 home office visit between Perry and his parole officer, during which Perry told her he…

View Cache

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated.

A fourth staff member of Pawleys Island Community Church has been arrested following charges that a convicted sex offender was allowed access to a daycare and school.

Michael Anthony Fields, 66, was arrested July 29 and charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk. Fields serves as the church’s director of operations, according to the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office announcement.

A $25,000 bond was set for Fields during a hearing on July 30. He told the judge he had served at the church for 15 years.

The church’s former senior pastor, Don Williams, his wife Ginny and the school’s director, Jennifer “Niki” Howard, were arrested July 20 on similar charges. Don Williams served as senior pastor for 27 years.

Georgetown County Sheriff Carter Weaver said registered sex offender Warren Spence Perry, 70, was allowed to serve as a volunteer custodian at the church…

View Cache

Bubba Weiler’s new play about two altar boys at a crossroads includes several beautiful performances, even when the line between sweetness and treacle blurs.

The Atlantic Theater Company’s Off Broadway main stage is a converted Gothic Revival parish hall. When the Atlantic moved into the hall in the 1990s, they kept its peaked wooden ceiling and air of contemplation. Now, for Bubba Weiler’s play, “The Saviors,” the little theater wants to be a church again.

In Jack Serio’s meticulous production, David Zinn’s set exactly recreates a Roman Catholic chancel: altar, baptismal font, stained-glass windows. Two bustling altar boys — 14-year-old Paul (Julius Rinzel) and 13-year-old Michael (Ivan Howe) — handle the ephemera, sorting bulletins and wielding candle snuffers before and after services. Despite their long white albs, they don’t exactly maintain a holy-of-holies attitude. They’re boys; everything is a race.

One of the waystations in their dash to adulthood is…

View Cache

A former Catholic bishop invited an Indigenous teen to his home for a barbecue and then inappropriately touched him, a jury has been told.

The former Bishop of Broome Christopher Saunders is on trial in WA’s District Court for allegedly sexually abusing three young Aboriginal men between 2008 and 2017. One of the men was alleged to have been underage at the time the abuse began, and carried on until he was eventually jailed.

Prosecutor Adam Ebell has previously claimed the 76-year-old had an attraction to young Aboriginal men, and would hold shirts-off parties at Catholic Church-owned properties around the Kimberley where he would supply alcohol and cigarettes.

Defence lawyer Tony Hager has argued the three men could have colluded about their allegations in prison, in an effort to “stitch the bishop up”.

It is the second week of the bishop’s trial, which is set down for three weeks.

On Thursday,…

View Cache

In short: 

The Victorian government has formally apologised to victim-survivors of child sexual abuse in state government schools. 

Premier Ben Carroll delivered a formal apology in Parliament House this morning.

A law firm says allegations of child sexual abuse in schools continue to emerge. 

_________________________________________________________________________

Victim-survivors of child sexual abuse in state government schools have attended Parliament House to listen to the Victorian government apologise. 

Premier Ben Carroll delivered the formal apology to victim-survivors and their families this morning, recognising abuse prior to 2000.

The apology was informed by victim-survivors’ experiences shared through the Forum for Truth and Recognition, the Beaumaris Board of Inquiry, and the Systemic Review into historical child sexual abuse in Victorian public schools.

If you or anyone you know needs help:

• National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service: 1800RESPECT, 1800 737 732
• Blue Knot Helpline:…

View Cache

In short:

An independent review of an elite private school in regional Victoria has described a “normalised” culture of racism, bullying and abuse.

Ballarat Grammar commissioned the review after media reports of peer-on-peer abuse.

What’s next?

The report makes 44 recommendations, including removing the gendering of houses, overhauling incident reporting systems, and developing a structured years 7–12 curriculum covering respectful relationships.

Readers are advised this article includes details of bullying and violent abuse some may find distressing.

An independent review of an elite private school in regional Victoria has described a culture of “normalised” racism, bullying and abuse.

Ballarat Grammar commissioned Intersection to conduct the review following media reports of student violence in the school’s boarding houses and other concerns.

The report identified “genuine strengths” and a “deep sense of community” at Ballarat Grammar, but it also found an erosion of trust in leadership, unclear communication and values, and a belief…

View Cache

Diocese of Parramatta is known Australia’s youngest and most multicultural Catholic dioceses

Australia’s Diocese of Parramatta has appointed Robert Fitzgerald, one of the nation’s leaders in child protection and institutional governance, as chairman of its Safeguarding Council.

The diocese, led by Australia’s first Vietnam-born prelate, Bishop Vincent Long, has been at the forefront of safeguarding practices in the Catholic Church for years, developing stringent policies and procedures and embedding a culture of safeguarding across all parishes, agencies and ministries, says a press release from the diocese on July 30.

With the appointment of Fitzgerald, the diocese aims to strengthen its commitment to safeguarding by working with a diverse group of independent experts, the release said. 

Fitzgerald brings decades of experience in social justice, governance and the protection of vulnerable people.

As a Commissioner of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, he helped lead one of Australia’s most significant inquiries into institutional…

View Cache

Former substitute teacher Brett Smith, 43, receives a sentence of two years of probation in exchange for his guilty plea to a lesser charge.

A substitute teacher and tutor with a decades-long trail of child sex abuse allegations pleaded guilty earlier this month to aggravated battery of a 9-year-old Orland Park boy.

Brett Smith, 43, of Tinley Park, pleaded guilty on July 16. Smith is alleged to have repeatedly touched the 9-year-old during a tutoring session at the boy’s home. The boy’s mother became suspicious when she tried to pay him via Zelle. The name “Brett Smith” came up, which was different from the name prosecutors said he gave them.

Disturbed about the false name, the boy’s parents began researching “Brett Smith,” finding numerous news stories where he had been accused of sexual abuse and fraud, with cases from Illinois, Indiana and Arizona showing up under the names…

View Cache

A survivor of clergy sexual abuse who followed Government advice to seek redress directly from the church that abused him was met not with dialogue, but with a lawyer — a response survivor advocates say is becoming increasingly common.

The man approached the Society of Mary earlier this year, asking for a review of the redress he received in 2019 so it reflected contemporary standards and the seriousness of the harm he suffered. His request followed guidance from the Crown Response Office after the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care.

However, Society of Mary Provincial Rev Mervyn Duffy SM declined to revisit the case. When the survivor proposed independent mediation, Duffy instead instructed lawyer Gerard Dewar of Thomas Dewar Sziranyi Letts to respond — rejecting mediation and indicating the firm would accept service if legal proceedings were initiated.

The refusal comes after Royal Commission hearings revealed the Society had assessed…

View Cache

A new lawsuit alleges the Catholic Archdiocese of Springfield enabled and concealed the repeated sexual abuse of a young altar boy by Father John O’Connell, who passed away 24 years ago, at St. Mary’s Catholic School and Parish in Taylorville.

Filed by Gould Grieco & Hensley PLLC in The Circuit Court of Sangamon County, the complaint alleges John Doe was sexually abused multiple times between approximately 1991 and 1994 by Fr. O’Connell at St. Mary’s Catholic School and Parish where Doe served as an altar boy and attended school.

The abuse occurred on church grounds, including during altar boy training and preparation for Mass, where, according to the lawsuit, Fr. O’Connell manipulated his position of authority to isolate the child while he was under the Church’s direct care.

“This was about power and access,” said GGH Founding Partner, Michael Grieco. “A priest took advantage of his authority to abuse a…

View Cache

The Diocese of Springfield is being sued for allegedly enabling and hiding sexual abuse by a late priest.

The suit accuses Father John O’Connell of sexually abusing an altar boy and student at St. Mary Catholic School and Parish in Taylorville. The abuse was alleged to have happened several times between 1991 and 1994.

O’Connell died in 2002.

The suit further alleges that the diocese never identified O’Connell as a priest facing child sexual abuse allegations and did not put in safeguards to prevent such abuse, including allowing clergy to be alone and unsupervised with children.

The diocese issued a statement Wednesday.

“The diocese does not comment on pending litigation. We encourage individuals to report allegations of sexual abuse of a minor by clergy, even if it’s in the past, by calling the Diocesan Child Abuse Reporting and Investigation number at 217-321-1155, calling the Illinois Department of Children and Family…

View Cache

A newly filed lawsuit is accusing the Catholic Archdiocese of Springfield of enabling and concealing the repeated sexual abuse of a young altar boy by Father John O’Connell at St. Mary’s Catholic School and Parish in Taylorville. 

The lawsuit filed by Gould Grieco & Hensley PLLC in The Circuit Court of Sangamon County alleges the unnamed victim was sexually abused multiple times between 1991 and 1994 by Fr. O’Connell at St. Mary’s Catholic School and Parish, where the victim served as an altar boy and attended school.

The lawsuit claims the abuse happened on church grounds, including during altar boy training and preparation for Mass.

“This was about power and access,” said GGH Founding Partner Michael Grieco. “A priest took advantage of his authority to abuse a child while the Church looked the other way.”

The accused priest, Father John O’Connell, died in 2002. Attorneys say his death does not…

View Cache

A former youth pastor who flew through South Florida in 2025 already carrying a sordid past now has a bleak future ahead of him, federal prosecutors announced on Wednesday: 40 years in federal prison.

Leer en español

Jacob Melvin Hart, 46, of San Juan Capistrano, California, was sentenced by a Miami federal judge “for sexually exploiting children by secretly recording minors through spyware installed on laptop computers and directing children overseas to produce child sexual abuse material.”

Hart, then 45, was arrested at Miami International Airport on June 21, 2025 after customs officers found child sexual abuse videos on his phone. He was going through a border checkpoint after arriving on an Eastern Air Express flight from Cap-Haïtien, Haiti on a Christian mission trip.

Authorities said they found 33 illicit videos in a “hidden, password-protected folder” of his iPhone showing girls as young as 10, “including images…

View Cache

The South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services failed to monitor a convicted sex offender who volunteered at a church academy in the Pawleys Island area, according to a new lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Georgetown County by the parents of a child who attended Pawleys Island Christian Academy, names many of the same key figures as the previous lawsuits.

Those include the church that runs the academy, Pawleys Island Community Church; former senior pastor Don Williams; his wife, former guest services director Ginny Williams; former academy director Niki Howard; and unnamed elders and Warren Perry.

This is the fifth lawsuit filed in connection with Perry’s involvement with the church and school.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• Fourth lawsuit argues Warren Perry functioned as employee at Pawleys Island-area church, not volunteer
• Attorney: Pawleys Island-area church chose cover-up over justice for 5-year-old assault victim
• Child sexual…

View Cache

 Pope Benedict XVI understood it. He knew that sexual abuse in the Catholic Church is not just an individual act of sin. It is a threat to faith itself.

It was from that serious foundation that Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez of Palm Beach spoke July 24 in the Family Life Center of the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola at an event titled, “Let’s Talk About Listening to Victims.”

Copies of the bishop’s newly released book, “Sexual Abuse Victims: A Juridical Analysis of Due Process in Canon Law,” were available for purchase, with proceeds going toward diocesan safe environment programs.

Other speakers included Father Kevin McQuone, associate dean for propaedeutic and discipleship formation at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach; Elizabeth Harris, retired New York Police Department detective in the Manhattan special victims squad and current victim assistance coordinator for the Diocese of Brooklyn; and Gina-Marie Loree, chief…

View Cache

A Northern Virginia pastor who traveled widely to preach is now accused of sending explicit images to a teenager he met at church in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania State Police said Kenneth Baldwin, an Alexandria resident and pastor at Crossroads Baptist Church in Bailey’s Crossroads, gave a sermon at a church in Pennsylvania in November 2024 and exchanged phone numbers with a boy who was 15 at the time.

ALSO SEE| Arlington catholic priest on leave after allegation of sexual misconduct with minors

Investigators said Baldwin later began sending sexually explicit images of himself multiple times a week for about a year, then sent several more pictures in recent weeks.

Pennsylvania State Police questioned Baldwin and said he admitted exposing himself to the victim on three separate occasions in three separate states. Authorities also said Baldwin admitted sending nude images of himself…

View Cache

Pensacola Christian College released a statement Monday night on the arrest of pastor Kenny Baldwin, described as a “a guest speaker on our campus in previous years.”

Baldwin is a Northern Virginia pastor who traveled widely to preach, according to our sister station WJLA in DC. He is now accused of sending explicit images to a 15-year-old boy he met at church in Pennsylvania in 2024.

Baldwin faces charges of unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors, indecent exposure and open lewdness.

Investigators say that in addition to the explicit images, Baldwin admitted to exposing himself to the victim on three separate occasions in three separate states.

Pensacola Christian College says that prior to Baldwin’s arrest, the college “had no knowledge of the conduct that has now come to light.” Here is the full statement:

PCC is deeply grieved by the recent public admissions and criminal charges…

View Cache

Here’s what happens when you dare to ask questions about the common narrative of the clergy sexual abuse survivor community. You get lambasted online with comments like these made against me over the weekend:

• “Mariah Kerry (not Carey) commented on your post How we’ve changed. Not marky mark revealing his true colors to be a victim/woman-hating chauvinist.”
• “donut commented on your post How we’ve changed. Let me get this straight, you have your panties in a twist because you, as the almighty Mark Wingfield, have the right to know the identities of sexual abuse victims and because you don’t, you’ve deemed the investigation invalid and a hoax? As far as who conducted the investigation at GRACE, it takes two seconds to visit GRACE’s website and see who handles the investigations. Maybe it’s time to enroll in Basics of Journalism 101 at your local community college, MaRk.”
• “Pam commented on…

View Cache

The Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore and survivors of abuse filing for compensation from the organization are still hundreds of millions of dollars apart in their proposals to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, according to new filings.

Baltimore’s Catholic Church is proposing to pay survivors of abuse about a quarter of a billion dollars in compensation as part of its bankruptcy reorganization plan.

The unsecured creditors are proposing an $873 million payout to the victims of child sexual abuse.

There are currently about 1,000 survivors filing claims for compensation.

They would like to see the archdiocese take into account all of its parishes’ assets, rather than keep them separate.

“From a survivor’s perspective, meaningful financial accountability is important not only to provide fair compensation but also to create sufficient pressure on the Archdiocese to implement lasting reforms and prevent future abuse. A more substantial settlement has the potential to better compensate survivors…

View Cache

Kansas Catholic church officials are sharing that an investigation is underway into a priest who died over 30 years ago over allegations of sexual abuse involving a minor.

The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas announced in a press release on July 27 that it has opened an investigation into Father Denis Pickert. The archdiocese said that it received an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor against Pickert.

Former Kansas corrections officer charged after alleged attempted sexual contact with a minor

Pickert, who died in 1994, served at numerous Catholic churches across Kansas over the course of his life, according to the archdiocese. These include:

• St. Joseph Parish in Kansas City – currently recognized as All Saints Parish
• Sacred Heart-St. Joseph Parish in Topeka – formerly recognized as St. Joseph Parish
• The Cathedral of St. Peter in Kansas City
• St. Joseph Parish in Everest…

View Cache

A Mountain Home pastor charged with felony forcible penetration failed in his second attempt to have the case thrown out Monday, after his defense argued part of the law is unconstitutionally vague.

Gregory Wayne Jones faces one felony count of forcible penetration. A woman accused the pastor of assaulting her under the guise of spiritual healing.

WATCH | Judge denies Mountain Home pastor’s motion to dismiss sexual assault case—

Defense attorney Jessica Bublitz argued the term “duress” in the charge is not clear enough for an average person to understand what conduct is illegal.

“[A] person of ordinary intelligence will not know when their relationship can be construed as coercion in that manner,” Bublitz said.

Elmore County Prosecutor Hayes Hartman pushed back, arguing the law does not have to spell out every possible situation to be constitutional.

“There doesn’t need to be absolute specificity in a statutory term in order…

View Cache

A retired priest who formerly served as pastor of two local Roman Catholic churches is being accused of sexual abuse of a minor, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced in a letter on July 20.

The Rev. Thomas Conde led Christ the King Church from July 2007 to June 2014, and he was pastor of St. Christina from July 2014 to December 2024.

According to the letter signed by Cardinal Blase Cupich, the abuse allegedly occurred at St. James Church in Sauk Village more than 20 years ago.

Cupich said Conde strongly denied he has ever sexually abused anyone.

The archdiocese’s request to learn the exact nature of the charge by interviewing the person making the allegation has been denied by the accuser, but as a matter of transparency, the archdiocese is making it known that a lawsuit will be filed.

Cupich said he has asked Conde to step aside from…

View Cache

Gothard, subject of ‘Shiny Happy People,’ has been in a coma since June. At 91, the disgraced ministry leader is also named in an ongoing Texas lawsuit.

When Bill Gothard, the disgraced architect of the Institute in Basic Life Principles, first fell into a coma after suffering a heart attack in late June, Chad Harris didn’t know whether to feel relief or anger.  

“A lot of us are really happy that Gothard can no longer harm other people,” said Harris, who was raised on IBLP’s homeschool curriculum. “But also, in our view, Gothard kind of got away with it … he never really had to endure any significant financial loss or accountability.”

Those conflicting sentiments were echoed in interviews with several women who have reported sexual abuse allegations against Gothard and by people like Harris who said they have been harmed by his teachings. As of July 11, the 91-year-old…

View Cache

A pastor and former school security guard in Sand Springs has been arrested after an investigation into alleged inappropriate behavior involving a child, officials said.

The Sand Springs Police Department said the investigation began in November 2025 after officers received a Department of Human Services referral reporting suspicious interactions between an adult and a child.

Police interviewed the suspect, identified as 42-year-old Marcus Owens, who denied having a relationship with the child. Owens told investigators he was like a father figure to the victim.

Earlier this month, the victim spoke with Sand Springs detectives and provided details about an alleged sexual assault.

On Monday, detectives arrested Owens on one count of sexual battery.

Because of Owens’ tribal citizenship, the case is being sent to the FBI and the Muscogee Creek Nation.

Officials said Owens previously worked for Sand Springs Public Schools as a security guard, teacher’s assistant, paraprofessional and substitute.

…

View Cache

David Elliott Pritt resigned from his position in the West Virginia House of Delegates on Monday moments after appearing in federal court for the first time since his arrest.

Pritt waived his preliminary and detention hearings during a court appearance Monday. As a result, he will remain in federal custody of the U.S. Marshals Service during the case.

Moments later, the West Virginia House of Delegates announced that Pritt had submitted a letter of resignation. The resignation is effective immediately.

See original article for resignation letter.

“As many of us had requested as soon as these heinous accusations were brought to light, Elliott Pritt resigned from public service today,” West Virginia House Speaker Roger Hanshaw said in a statement. “Our thoughts remain with these families and these victims.”

Pritt, who was also teacher in Fayette County, was arrested and charged last week with enticement of a minor after…

View Cache

Arrest timeline of Kansas priest accused of sexual abuse

View Cache

A retired deacon and pastor who served at a church in Libertyville, as well as other parishes in the Chicago area, has been asked to step away amid an allegation that he sexually abused a child.

Archbishop of Chicago Cardinal Blase J. Cupich announced the news in a letter to members of St. Joseph Catholic Church, 121 East Maple Avenue in Libertyville, last week.

The Archdiocese received allegations against Father Thomas Conde regarding the sexual abuse of a child.

Conde served at St. Joseph Parish in several roles and also at Christ the King Parish in Chicago, All Souls Parish in Lansing, Saint Christina Parish in Chicago and Saint John of the Cross Parish in Western Springs.

He was a deacon at St. Joseph from March to June 1987, an associate pastor from June 1987 to January 1992 and an administrator from January to July 1991.

…

View Cache

A Sand Springs man with a history of employment around children has been arrested, accused of sexually assaulting a child.

Marcus Owens was arrested Tuesday following a seven-month investigation by the Sand Springs Police Department.

Timeline

November 11, 2025: Sand Springs police receive a DHS referral involving inappropriate behavior between an adult and a child. The behavior was described as “weird.”

November 25, 2025: The suspect was interviewed by investigators and denied any relationship with the child. He claimed he felt like a “father figure” to the victim.

July 14, 2026: The victim spoke with police, saying Owens sexually assaulted him.

July 27, 2026: Owens was interviewed again, and detectives found probable cause to arrest him on one count of sexual battery.

Owens worked in several positions with the Sand Springs School District, as a substitute teacher, paraprofessional, and security guard. Investigators did not list the church that Owens preached.

WATCH: Sand Springs pastor…

View Cache

The Sand Springs Police Department arrested a pastor accused of sexual battery following a months-long investigation into reports of his suspicious interactions with a child.

Police said on November 11, 2025, officers received a DHS referral reporting inappropriate behavior with an adult and a child. Police said the reports did not note anything criminal, just suspicious interactions.

On Nov. 25, the suspect, 42-year-old Marcus Owens, was interviewed by police and denied any relationship with the juvenile, stating he was like a father figure to the victim.

On July 14, 2026, the victim came forward to police, reporting sexual assault by Owens.

The suspect was interviewed again on Monday. Police developed probable cause to arrest Owens for one count of sexual battery due to the information gathered over several months. Owens is a tribal citizen, so his case will be forwarded to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the FBI to determine…

View Cache

A former youth pastor was sentenced for his involvement in a child sex crimes case in federal court Monday, July 27, 2026, according to court documents obtained by WDBJ7.

Jacob Ryan Barnett, who used to be a youth pastor at Catawba Valley Baptist Church, was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Barnett was originally arrested by the FBI August 6, 2025, accused of soliciting sexual material from minors.

In early 2025, the FBI received a tip that Barnett had attempted to groom a 15-year-old girl living in Michigan. Investigators, in May, discovered the 15-year-old girl received a message that appeared to belong to a teen boy who called himself “Jodie Johnson”, court records said.

Court documents also said Barnett, posing as the fake teen boy, exchanged phone numbers with the girl. After a few days of persistent messaging, he convinced her to send him a sexually explicit video of herself.

View Cache

The news this past week put the opacity of canonical criminal proceedings squarely in the spotlight, when the Vatican was forced to deny rumors a disgraced former Jesuit and one-time celebrity artist had been acquitted in his secret Church trial.

The case of Father Marko Rupnik – who somehow remains a priest apparently in good standing, though he now serves a diocese in his native Slovenia – doesn’t only highlight the problems of secrecy in criminal proceedings at Church law.

The Rupnik affair also illustrates how the abuse of adults – usually women – isn’t being addressed properly.

The Rupnik case in brief

Rupnik has been investigated several times, by different Church authorities, and each investigation has uncovered and confirmed gruesome evidence of the priest’s crimes against dozens of women over a period of thirty years.

Some of Rupnik’s accusers have told Crux Now the Jesuits had heard from them of Rupnik’s…

View Cache

Edward Phillips-Smith was given a two-year community sentence for sexually abusing two Wolverhampton schoolboys in the late 1970s and early 1980s

A victim of an ex-priest given a two-year community sentence for sexual assaults on two other boys in the late 1970s and early 1980s has said his victims “deserve more justice”.

Edward Phillips-Smith, 76, has now admitted to abusing a total of four boys while employed in Lichfield Diocese at St Peter’s Collegiate School in Wolverhampton.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard the former school chaplain had terminal cancer and had been given a life expectancy of less than two years.

Will, not his real name, was one of two St Peter’s schoolboys whose abuse led to Phillips-Smith being jailed for 32 months in January 2024 and said: “I continue to do a life sentence for what he’s done to me.”

Warning: Some readers may find details of this case distressing.

…

View Cache

Rhode Island has done what only a handful of states have done: reopened civil claims for childhood sexual abuse that had already expired — including claims against the institutions that employed and supervised the individuals accused. The revival window created by the 2026 amendments to R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-51 (P.L. 2026, ch. 081) opened July 1, 2026 and closes June 30, 2028.

If you advise survivors, institutions, or insurers — or if you are an attorney anywhere in the country with a client who spent part of their childhood in Rhode Island — the next two years are the period in which previously foreclosed claims can be brought. Here is what the window does, where it came from, and what evaluating a claim under it actually involves.

Key takeaways

• Qualifying childhood sexual abuse claims that were previously time-barred must be commenced no later than the June 30, 2028…

View Cache

The Archdiocese of Chicago said the allegation against Rev. Thomas Conde involves a minor at a Sauk Village parish more than 20 years ago.

LIBERTYVILLE, IL — A retired priest who previously served at St. Joseph Parish in Libertyville has been asked to step away from ministry while the Archdiocese of Chicago investigates an allegation of sexual abuse involving a minor.

The allegation against the Rev. Thomas Conde is said to involve abuse that occurred more than 20 years ago at St. James Parish in Sauk Village, according to the Daily Herald. Conde served at St. Joseph Parish in Libertyville in several roles between 1987 and 1992, including as a deacon, associate pastor and administrator.

The priest has denied the allegation, and the archdiocese said the matter was reported to civil authorities and will be reviewed through its investigation process.

View Cache

Outreach Original  / July 27, 2026Print this:

Exterior of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Mishawaka, Indiana. (Photo courtesy of John Consolie.)

A recent report from the McGrath Institute for Church Life, part of the University of Notre Dame, examines some pressing modern questions related to the spiritual formation of seminarians and offers pastoral suggestions to help assess a candidate’s suitability for the priesthood. Describing an urgent need, in light of the clergy sex abuse scandals, to establish clear guidelines for discerning the moral and psychological fitness of men pursuing ordination, the paper, authored by two men, considers how mental health professionals, bishops, rectors, formators and other relevant church authorities may properly determine if an interested man is well-suited for holy orders. 

“Our emphasis…is on renewing the presbyterate by identifying men with a genuine vocation and the capacity for priestly formation, while ensuring that formation itself is responsive to their…

View Cache

In 2018 when the allegations first came to light, Friar Urbano Vázquez was removed from ministry by the Archdiocese of Washington. He was convicted of child sexual abuse in 2019.

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a complaint to revoke the U.S. citizenship of a Mexican Capuchin Franciscan friar convicted in 2019 of sexually abusing minors while serving in Washington, D.C.

According to U.S. authorities, Urbano Vázquez Ortega, 53, obtained U.S. citizenship in 2017.

“Vázquez Ortega was convicted of multiple counts of second-degree child sexual abuse while employed as a priest at a Washington, D.C., church,” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced in a press release.

“In 2019, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The United States filed a five-count complaint seeking to revoke his citizenship, alleging he committed these crimes before, during, and after…

View Cache

[To see the video, click here.]

SALINA, Kan. (KWCH) – A statement from the Catholic Diocese of Salina provided some additional clarity surrounding the case involving a priest charged with child sex crimes, but questions linger as to the timeline of events leading to his arrest and whether more potential victims could step forward.

Father Ryan McCandless, 44, was arrested last Wednesday (July 22) in Wichita on a warrant for three counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child involving a 6-year-old. Court documents specify that the alleged crimes happened last year between July 1 and September 3.

The complaint against McCandless said a victim in the case was younger than 14 years old and specifies that the crimes allegedly happened in Republic County. In its statement released after McCandless’s arrest, the Salina Diocese said the priest “was immediately removed from all public priestly ministry upon notice of the…

View Cache

 A Diocese of Buffalo priest and inactive pastor of Our Lady Help of Christians Parish in Cheektowaga has been arrested and charged with receipt and possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced Thursday, July 9.

Assemblyman Pat Burke is calling for an independent New York State Police investigation into the Diocese of Buffalo following the federal arrest of a suspended Catholic priest on child pornography charges.

Burke, who represents parts of West Seneca, Buffalo and Lackawanna, sent a letter Wednesday to State Police Major Amie Feroleto urging the agency to launch a statewide investigation into the diocese and consider creating a specialized unit focused on institutional child sexual abuse and efforts to conceal it.

The request follows the July 9 arrest of Rev. Jeffrey Nowak, 46, of Lackawanna, who is charged in federal court with receipt and possession of child pornography. Nowak has been on administrative leave from…

View Cache

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — The Diocese of Palm Beach has announced new reporting requirements and training initiatives aimed at preventing sexual abuse and protecting children and vulnerable adults.

Church leaders from across the diocese gathered to learn about the updated procedures, which focus on recognizing abuse, strengthening reporting protocols, and ensuring clergy, employees, and volunteers understand their responsibility to report suspected abuse. Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez highlighted the church’s commitment to transparency and accountability.

“No more cover up, no more negligence, no more, have ways of, of of of implementing the laws. But, observing the norm of law, making sure that the norm of law is respected and followed and, keeping at heart, the suffering of people. Because, in the end of the day, at the end of the day, when we are talking about when we talk about victims of sexual abuse, it’s about actual people that are…

View Cache

Niagara Region Right to Life says it is putting the name of its Fr. Ted Colleton Scholarship “in abeyance” and will continue the pro-life essay contest under a new name following allegations of sexual abuse against the late priest.

An anti-abortion organization called Niagara Region Right to Life is changing its nationwide scholarship due to allegations made against the Catholic priest it has been named after since 2001. 

A religious order in Ireland, the Spiritan Provincial, issued a callout in June for potential victims of Fr. Ted Colleton, who preached in Canada from 1971 to 2007 before he died in 2011.

While it is unknown if any Canadian victims have come forward, an investigation in Ireland was prompted by one individual who reported abuse at the hands of Colleton.

Niagara Region Right to Life, a “registered charity and educational partner that believes all human life should be protected from conception to natural…

View Cache

Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) has agreed to take on responsibility for current and future abuse claims against the Christian Brothers, in a move expected to ensure survivors of historical abuse receive full compensation under a revised court-approved scheme.

The announcement in late July ended weeks of uncertainty after the Christian Brothers revealed in June that they were facing insolvency and sought court approval for a scheme to pause civil claims while the order sold its remaining assets to pay all of its creditors, including abuse survivors.

The proposal drew widespread criticism from survivors, lawyers and the Federal Government. But under a Memorandum of Understanding signed on 24 July, the Trustees of the Christian Brothers and the Trustees of EREA will develop a revised creditors’ scheme of arrangement making EREA responsible for current and future abuse claims against the order.

EREA is the national ministry responsible for Edmund Rice schools,…

View Cache

[See video.]

James Peat and Chris Thorpe carried their pain for decades. Pain borne from alleged sexual abuse when they were children at schools run by Christian Brothers.

Warning: This story contains details of abuse that readers may find disturbing.

The pair, who are both seeking compensation, said they felt like they had been abused all over again, when their cases were put on hold earlier this month after the Catholic order announced it was going broke.

Victims of historic abuse are estimated to be owed around $774 million.

“I can’t sleep at night and I’ve done nothing wrong,” Mr Peat said.

“Shame on you.”

[PHOTO: James Peat says he was sexually assaulted between 1989 and 1991 at St Michael’s Regional High School.  (ABC News: Carl Saville)]

The Christian Brothers’s financial collapse follows the transfer of more than 30 schools, now worth an estimated $2 billion, to another entity associated…

View Cache

A Jersey Shore Catholic retreat center was ordered to pay millions of dollars to a woman who said she was sexually abused there as a teenager, marking the first verdict in a series of lawsuits involving two clergy members.

A Cape May County jury awarded the woman $3 million over allegations that she was abused while volunteering at the Marianist Family Retreat Center in Cape May Point during the 1970s.

The retreat center has been named in five lawsuits filed since 2021 by women accusing John Sheehan, a priest, and Albert Koch, a religious brother, of sexually abusing them as children between 1974 and 1982.

Neither Koch nor Sheehan was named as a defendant.

The jury’s verdict came after a trial held earlier this month that included testimony from the woman, who is only identified in court documents as “Jane Doe RP.”

The woman first disclosed the assaults in 2000,…

View Cache

A young woman is suing the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and St. Matthias Parish School for covering up extensive sexual abuse she suffered as a child.

The Original Case

The original criminal case centered on now 52-year-old Kevin Buelow, a former fourth grade teacher at St. Matthias Parish School in Milwaukee and Holy Apostles School in New Berlin.

Buelow was convicted of sexually assaulting five young girls across the two schools. In 2023, he was sentenced to six years in prison in Waukesha County, and in 2024, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Milwaukee County.

The complainant in the civil lawsuit obtained by 620 WTMJ is not identified by name, but was confirmed to be the first victim of Buelow’s crimes to report the sexual abuse.

She was 11-years-old at the time of the abuse in 2013.

“My emotional health continued to decline, but was only truly worsened…

View Cache

A group of abuse survivors, advocates and pastors have called on a pair of Southern Baptist leaders to apologize for calling the denomination’s abuse crisis a hoax.

Those comments, according to survivors and others, make it harder to address the issue of sexual abuse in churches.

“Saying it is a ‘hoax’ sends the message to people in the pews and the general public to not believe survivors,” the survivors and advocates wrote in an open letter addressed to current Southern Baptist Convention President Willy Rice and the Rev. Jack Graham, a Texas megachurch pastor.

Both pastors have claimed that the abuse crisis that rocked the nation’s largest Protestant denomination in recent years was overblown. Graham has called it a hoax, while Rice, who was elected SBC president earlier this summer, referred to the crisis as a “ruse” and a “snipe hunt,” a term for a practical joke that involves taking people into the…

View Cache

Prosecutors allege the former bishop of Broome hosted alcohol-fueled parties for young aboriginal men at Church-owned properties. Saunders has pleaded not guilty to all 26 charges.Save this story

The trial of an Australian bishop opened this week in the District Court of Western Australia in Perth, where the 76-year-old faces 26 charges of sexual offenses against three young aboriginal men.

Bishop Christopher Saunders led the remote Diocese of Broome in Australia’s northwest from 1996 until his resignation in 2021. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, which range from indecent assault to sexual penetration without consent, reported the West Australian newspaper.

The incidents allegedly took place between 2008 and 2017, while he was bishop. Saunders has consistently maintained his innocence.

In his opening address, state prosecutor Adam Ebell alleged that Saunders hosted parties for young aboriginal men at Church-owned properties across the Kimberley region, using what he…

View Cache

[PHOTO: Christopher Saunders is on trial in the District Court accused of offending against three males. (ABC News: David Weber)]

In short: 

The lawyer for former Catholic bishop Christopher Alan Saunders, told the second day of his sex abuse trial that he denied the charges against him. 

In his opening address to the court, Tony Hager warned the jury not to be affected by possible prejudice against the Catholic church and said witnesses may have motivation to lie or exaggerate. 

What’s next? 

The trial is set down for three weeks, during which many witnesses are expected to give evidence. 

The lawyer for a former Catholic bishop who allegedly sexually abused three young men has told his trial the incidents did not happen, and warned the jury not to be affected by possible prejudice against the church.

Christopher Alan Saunders, 76, was one of Australia’s longest-serving Catholic clerics and is accused of…

View Cache

Bishop Christopher Saunders’ trial is scheduled to last three weeks

The criminal trial of 76-year-old Australian Bishop Christopher Saunders on historic sexual abuse charges began this week, with the bishop facing the prospect of lengthy incarceration if convicted.

Saunders, who served as Bishop of Broome, Western Australia, from 1996 until his resignation in 2021, is facing 26 charges of sexual offenses against three young Aboriginal men. He denies the charges.

The trial, which is scheduled to last three weeks, opened July 21 at the District Court of Western Australia in Perth.

Prosecutor Adam Ebell told the court that Saunders was sexually attracted to Aboriginal males and invited them to “alcohol-fueled” parties at Church properties across the state’s Kimberley region, Australia’s ABC News reported.

The prosecutor said the dress code at the parties was “shirts off” and there was a “seemingly endless supply of alcohol and cigarettes,” bought using Church funds.

…

View Cache

A group that assists victims of sexual abuse is calling for more transparency from the Buffalo Diocese following the arrest of priest Jeffrey Nowak.

Road to Recovery is demanding that the diocese publicly release the Code of Canon Law 489 secret files associated with Nowak.

“They’re still giving abusers, they’re still giving criminals, benefits, and have been doing it for years,” former priest Jim Faluszczak said.

Earlier this month, Nowak was arrested on child sexual abuse charges.

Federal agents seized multiple devices inside his home that contained sexually explicit videos and pictures of children.

He faces up to 20 years in prison.

Diocese officials added that financial support is still required by canon law even if priests have been removed from active ministry.

In a statement, the diocese said that they learned about the allegations against Nowak at the same time as the public and they are cooperating with the proper authorities….

View Cache

A delegate was accused of communicating with a child on Roblox, which reportedly led to a “physical sexual encounter.”

According to WCHS, a West Virginia lawmaker and middle school teacher is accused in federal court documents of using Roblox and Snapchat to entice a minor and later engaging in sexual conduct with her.

Republican Del. David Elliott Pritt, 36, is charged with enticement of a minor, according to a federal criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday. The complaint stems from an investigation into allegations that Pritt had a sexual relationship with a student at the school where he taught.

Pritt is accused of communicating with the girl while she was in eighth grade through Roblox and Snapchat, where he allegedly told her “he loved her.” During the summer of 2025, he is accused of sending sexually explicit photos to the minor before initiating…

View Cache

Father Ryan McCandless is in custody in Republic County following his transfer from the Sedgwick County Jail.

Jail records from Republic County show a Kansas priest accused of child sex crimes is in custody in Belleville following his transfer from the Sedgwick County Jail in Wichita.

The KBI arrested Father Ryan McCandless on Wednesday on a warrant for three counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. The arrest happened at a Wichita home.

The alleged crimes happened between last July and September in Belleville, the KBI said. The agency noted that the Diocese of Salina suspended McCandless from ministry after being made aware of the allegations against him.

McCandless had most recently been the pastor of three parishes in Republic County: St. Edward Parish in Belleville, St. George Parish in Munden, and St. Isidore Parish in Cuba, Kansas. He also previously served parishes in Hays, Manhattan, Mankato, Concordia,…

View Cache

A Kansas priest of the Catholic Diocese of Salina arrested Wednesday in Wichita for alleged child sex crimes is now being held in a north central Kansas jail.

Just after 5 p.m. Thursday,  44-year-old Ryan McCandless of Wichita was booked into the Republic County Jail in Belleville, according to online jail records.

On Wednesday, KBI agents arrested McCandless on an arrest warrant for three counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, according to a media release from the KBI.

The arrest occurred at a residence in the 2100 block of S. Erie Street in Wichita. The Sedgwick County Fugitive Warrant Unit assisted with the arrest.

The Republic County Sheriff’s Office requested KBI assistance on Sept. 15, 2025. The charges allege that between July and September 2025, McCandless sexually abused a 6-year-old child in Belleville, Kansas. The Diocese of Salina suspended McCandless from ministry when they were made aware of…

View Cache

A new charge has been filed against the wife of a former Pawleys Island pastor as part of an ongoing investigation centered on a convicted sex offender who was allowed to volunteer at a church-based school.

Georgetown County Sheriff Carter Weaver announced Friday that Ginny Williams has been charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk or causing child harm in connection with the sheriff’s office investigation into Pawleys Island Community Church.

According to investigators, the charge stems from findings that had not been verified last week but have since been confirmed through multiple witness statements.

“In order for this charge to be levied, a person has to be in a supervisory role, be responsible for a child’s welfare, and engage in acts or omissions that present a substantial risk that a sexual offense will be committed against a child,” the sheriff’s office said.

The agency added: “Ginny Williams has been found to not…

View Cache

“The parishes had no authority over the pastors and priests who were assigned by the Dioceses to the parishes,” suit argues

A group of seven Vermont Catholic parishes has filed a federal lawsuit arguing they cannot be held legally responsible for decades-old clergy sexual abuse because they never had the authority to appoint, supervise, transfer or discipline priests.

The complaint, filed July 21 in U.S. District Court in Vermont, seeks a declaratory judgment blocking pending state court lawsuits and related bankruptcy litigation against the parishes. The plaintiffs include Christ the King Parish in Rutland, St. Augustine Parish in Montpelier, St. Monica Parish in Barre, Mater Dei Parish in Newport, Christ the King St. Anthony Parish in Burlington, St. John the Baptist Parish in North Bennington, and Holy Cross and Our Lady of Grace Parish in Colchester. They are represented by attorney Kaveh Shahi of the Rutland-based firm Gfeller Laurie.

The lawsuit…

View Cache

A Kansas priest and former pastor at several parishes has been arrested on several charges of child sexual abuse.

Father Ryan A. McCandless, a priest of the Diocese of Salina, Kansas, was taken into custody shortly after 5 p.m. July 22 at a residence in Wichita.

The arrest was made by Kansas Bureau of Investigation agents, assisted by the Sedgwick County Fugitive Warrant Unit, according to a KBI July 22 media release.

The KBI said the 44-year-old Father McCandless was wanted on “three counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.”

The charges “allege that between July and September 2025, McCandless sexually abused a 6-year-old child in Belleville, Kansas,” said the KBI.

The alleged acts involved “lewd fondling or touching of a child under 14 years of age,” according to a complaint obtained by OSV News from the Republic County Courthouse.

“The Diocese of Salina suspended McCandless from ministry when…

View Cache