ABUSE TRACKER

Leadership guru John Maxwell publicly praised Bill Hybels at the Global Leadership Summit (GLS) last week, despite credible allegations the disgraced pastor sexually harassed and abused multiple women over several decades.

Hybels founded the GLS in 1995—a leadership conference which once attracted more than 400,000 people worldwide and featured major speakers like Bono and Bill Clinton. But in 2018, Hybels resigned from the GLS and the Chicago-area megachurch he co-founded, Willow Creek Community Church, after several women came forward with stories of his alleged sexual misconduct.

Those allegations were later deemed credible by an independent group of pastors commissioned to investigate the claims.

Yet, last Friday, Maxwell told thousands of GLS attendees at Willow Creek, “I would be incredibly remiss if I would not say that every one of us in this room today are a part of the calling and the heart that (Hybels) had…

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Long-buried secrets of clergy abuse at Delbarton, one of New Jersey’s most prestigious all-boys Catholic schools, may finally spill into public view, the New York Post reports — and a Newark bishop now being considered for cardinal is at the center of it.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) is demanding that Church leaders block Auxiliary Bishop Elias R. Lorenzo, O.S.B., from becoming the next Archbishop of Newark, citing his decades of leadership at Delbarton School and St. Mary’s Abbey in Morristown during alleged abuse at the hands of more than a dozen monks and a lay teacher, according to a press release issued earlier this month.

The advocacy group said Delbarton officials previously disclosed that 13 monks and one lay teacher were credibly accused of sexually abusing 30 victims in the 1970s and 1980s. SNAP maintains…

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[See also the letter by Bishop Steven Raica.]

A high-ranking priest in the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama is on leave amid allegations that years ago, he began a relationship with a young woman who was a minor at the time.

Vicar General Father Robert Sullivan, 61, went on a personal leave of absence on Aug. 4, according to an Aug. 13 letter from Bishop Steven Raica obtained by CNA.

In his letter, Raica said that per internal policy, the diocese did not initially provide a public reason for Sullivan’s leave. But the bishop said an Aug. 13 report in the Guardian made it “necessary and appropriate” to clarify why the priest had left his post.

The Guardian report alleged that Sullivan reportedly “traded financial support for ‘private companionship’” with a woman, Heather Jones, now 33, “including sex, beginning when she was 17.”

Raica confirmed that the…

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[See also the lawsuit.]

Nine parishes in Western New York are taking legal action to stop payments toward the Diocese of Buffalo’s proposed $150 million settlement with more than 800 survivors of sexual abuse.

The settlement was announced in April, and the diocese said it would be paid through unrestricted funds of the diocese and individual parishes, as well as contributions from members of Catholic affiliates.

In June, parishes learned how much they’re being asked to pay towards the settlement. The contribution percentages range from 10 to 80 percent of each parish’s unrestricted cash and investments, with the highest percentage applied to parishes scheduled to be closed or merged.

The parishes that are taking legal action are slated to close and merge with other parishes under the Road to Renewal, but received suspensions from the Vatican as their appeals are reviewed.

The lawsuit filed against the diocese is in protest…

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In September 2024, the Diocese of Buffalo announced that churches would be closed or merged as part of its “Road to Renewal” and its Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring process.

The diocese declared bankruptcy in 2020 as it faced hundreds of sex abuse lawsuits, and in April, the diocese announced it reached a $150 million settlement with more than 800 survivors of sexual abuse. The diocese said the settlement would be paid through unrestricted funds of the diocese and individual parishes, as well as contributions from members of Catholic affiliates.

In June, parishes learned how much they’re being asked to pay towards the settlement. The contribution percentages range from 10 to 80 percent of each parish’s unrestricted cash and investments, with the highest percentage applied to parishes scheduled to be closed or merged.

Now, in addition to fighting for their churches to stay open, some parishioners are calling on the diocese to…

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The Ticino cantonal criminal court in Lugano has found a priest guilty of multiple sexual assault and sexual offences with minors. The man was sentenced to a conditional 18-month prison term.

On Thursday the court also imposed a lifelong ban on professional or non-professional activities involving contact with minors. The 56-year-old must also undergo outpatient therapy.

The prison sentence is conditional with a probationary period of two years. The priest will be released from prison immediately, the presiding judge explained. He had been in early release since last November and had previously been in custody for three months.

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A plan to resolve the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ years-long bankruptcy case will now go to a vote by sex abuse survivors.

On Tuesday, the disclosure statement submitted by the Archdiocese of New Orleans was approved by the bankruptcy court, officially allowing the voting period to open for the plan.

The proposed plan, which outlines how the archdiocese plans to potentially pay a settlement to an estimated 660 sex abuse survivors who have filed claims in the case, will head to a vote by abuse survivors.

Sex abuse survivors who filed claims should receive a ballot in the mail this month and must return it before Oct. 29 with their vote, according to the proposed plan.

Votes will be tabulated over the course of a week.

If it is approved, the plan could go into effect by the end of the year. If it is rejected, the judge could toss…

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[See also the letter by Bishop Steven Raica.]

A Catholic priest is under investigation for allegedly starting a years-long relationship with a 17-year-old stripper — and paying her hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep quiet about it.

Robert Sullivan, 61, is on leave as pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Homewood, Alabama, after he was publicly accused of initiating a relationship with Heather Jones, now 33, when she was a vulnerable teenager in 2009.

Jones said in a letter to the Diocese of Birmingham — and shared with the Guardian — that she first met Sullivan while she was dancing at a strip club he frequented.

While tipping her, he offered her $273,000 to sign a non-disclosure agreement in exchange for “an ongoing relationship that would include financial support in exchange for private companionship,” Jones alleged, telling the Guardian that the agreement included sex.

Jones, who was…

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[See also the letter by Bishop Steven Raica.]

Bishop Steven Raica, head of the Catholic Diocese of Birmingham, today released a letter to the diocese revealing that a priest is being investigated for a relationship with a woman alleged to have begun when she was 17.

Robert Sullivan, 61, announced Aug. 2 that he was taking personal leave from his duties as pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Homewood beginning Aug. 4, Raica said. Sullivan also served as vicar general of the diocese, Raica said.

Raica said the victim assistance coordinator for the diocese received the allegation in July and the case is being referred to the Vatican for investigation and to the Alabama Department of Human Resources, since the woman reporting the allegation said she was a minor when the relationship began.

“While the Alabama Department of Human Resources determined that the…

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The Vatican has commissioned an investigation into allegations of coverup and financial misconduct made against Cardinal Carlos Castillo, archbishop of Lima, according to senior archdiocesan sources in Peru.

Investigators have in recent weeks summoned priests and archdiocesan employees to answer questions about the financial situation of Caritas Lima, a network of diocesan schools, and multiple alleged coverups of sexual misconduct — including cases previously reported by The Pillar, among them sexual misconduct claims linked to the archdiocesan seminary.

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Senior archdiocesan sources told The Pillar that a group of Augustinian priests led by Fr. Alexander Lam, OSA, his order’s assistant general for Latin American, had been interviewing clerics and archdiocesan employees virtually about allegations of abuse coverup and financial misconduct by Cardinal Carlos Castillo.

The virtual interviews were ahead of an in-person visit to Lima, with Lam set to arrive in Peru’s capital on Monday, sources said.

While the inquiry has not been described…

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Two thirds of voting sexual abuse survivors must approve the $200M+ settlement or church’s 5-year bankruptcy will be for naught

A federal bankruptcy judge has approved a plan by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, its affiliates and a committee representing 660 survivors of clergy abuse, kicking off a two-month voting period for claimants to accept or reject the plan.

It also begins the time when supporters and opponents of the plan can actively solicit votes. Two-thirds of the voting claimants must approve the plan for the church to end its expensive and contentious five-year-long bankruptcy. Judge Meredith Grabill has stated that if the plan is not approved, she will dismiss the archdiocese’s bankruptcy and the church will have to defend itself against claims individually in state courts.

The deadline for claimants to cast their votes is October 29 at 11:59 p.m. Central Time, although the proponents of the plan can…

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The complaint describes text messages between the Saint Augustine High School teacher and a suspect in Denver, where the two shared sexually explicit videos of minors.

A teacher at a San Diego Catholic high school has been placed on leave and is facing federal charges following an investigation into child sexual abuse materials.

Ryan Bennett Segura, a 27-year-old religious studies teacher at Saint Augustine High School in North Park, is accused of distributing videos across state lines that involved a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, according to a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on Tuesday.

According to the complaint, the Federal Bureau of Investigation first became aware of Segura’s possible transgressions through social media messages with a suspect in Denver, whose home was raided in September 2024 for similar charges.

In the social media messages between Segura and the Denver suspect,…

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Dr. Paula Langford on the devastation of Black Catholic Baltimore and how the Church must make amends to truly model a listening Church.

The closing of Black Catholic churches across the United States due to abuse scandals, restructuring programs (e.g., ”Seek the City to Come” in Baltimore), and financial payouts has left a deep wound in the hearts of many African-American Catholics. These closures are not just about the loss of sacred spaces. They represent the culmination of centuries of neglect, abuse, and systemic racism that Black Catholics have endured within the Church. The question must be asked: Have Black Catholics not endured enough?

Black Catholic faith and labor

The history of Black Catholics is marked by profound suffering and resilience. From the brutal enslavement of Africans by Portuguese and other European Catholics to the destruction of African families, cultural traditions, and spiritual practices, the victims were, in far…

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A Canadian court has ruled a Basilian priest can continue his civil suit against fellow Basilian Father Thomas Rosica and the Basilian Fathers of Toronto, with the plaintiff, Father Michael Bechard, seeking damages for alleged sexual abuse by Father Rosica.

Father Bechard has also filed a complaint under “Vos Estis Lux Mundi,” Pope Francis‘ 2019 motu proprio governing the reporting of alleged sexual abuse involving clergy, religious and bishops.

Complaint history

In a September 2024 statement to OSV News, the Diocese of London, Ontario — which is not named in Father Bechard’s lawsuit — stressed that Bishop Ronald Fabbro, to whom Father Bechard had complained in 2015 about the abuse, denied any allegations of failing to act. Instead, said the diocese, Bishop Fabbro had advised Father Bechard that “the correct course of action was to contact the Congregation of St. Basil so they could begin an investigation.”

Father Rosica, who was a…

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Authorities say Jacob Barnett used various social media accounts to solicit sexually explicit material from underage girls across state lines while serving as youth pastor at Catawba Valley Baptist Church, leading to his arrest on Aug. 7.

Barnett, 34, was apprehended by FBI agents Aug. 6 in North Carolina and is being held at the Catawba County Detention Center in North Carolina without bond, according to media reports.

A May 18 tip led the FBI to investigate a TikTok account appearing to beling to a teen boy named “Jodie Johnson.” That individual had contacted a 15-year-old girl in Michigan and, after leading her to exchange phone numbers and days of persistent messaging, convinced her to send a sexually explicit video of herself.

The investigation revealed that the account belonged to Barnett, with phone records confirming he had sent the messages and routinely interacted with minors online. His TikTok account followed…

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In short:

A secret report revealed that James Crisp and his son David were accused of sexually abusing students as part of a suspected paedophile ring at St Teresa’s College in the 1990s.

David Crisp was jailed in May after more than three decades on the run from police but his father was never charged over the allegations.

James Crisp was jailed last month for unrelated child sex offences.Link copiedShare article

A man who was accused of involvement in a paedophile ring with his son at a Queensland Catholic boarding school has been jailed for unrelated child sex offences decades later.

WARNING: This story contains references to sexual abuse that may cause distress.

James Michael Crisp, the former “head of discipline” at St Teresa’s College, was named in a secret church report to police flagging a suspected network of sex predators who worked at the school in the 1990s.

This included…

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The faithful went from the pews to the courtroom Tuesday morning, seeking more time to fork over 80% of their cash on hand.

Several parishes in the Catholic Diocese met Tuesday morning at the State Supreme Court to ask Judge John Delmonte for more time before having to pay a portion of the clergy sex abuse settlement.Parishes in Buffalo to contribute millions of dollars to sexual abuse settlement

“There is no reason for these parishes to become extinct,” prosecutors said in court.

“If a parish ultimately is closed, there is no need for a cash reserve,” the defense argued.

Lawyers representing parishioners said their clients attend “vibrant, strong and healthy” parishes despite being slated to close or merge. Parishes slated to close or merge have to pay 80 percent of their unrestricted funds toward the clergy sex abuse settlement.

“If in fact that were to occur, that would just…

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Survivors of childhood abuse perpetrated by the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore will be able to continue telling their stories during the Church’s bankruptcy proceedings, according to a memo from U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michelle Harner.

Insurance companies holding policies with the Baltimore Archdiocese opposed those testimonies because the companies felt they could sway the court.

Century Indemnity Company had formally issued an objection to the court about further testimony.

“The insurance companies were concerned that repeatedly hearing the horrors and the tragedies would somehow skew the court and the media and public opinion would somehow influence how the court might rule on certain matters,” said Robert Jenner, a managing partner at Jenner Law, which represents the victims.

In her memo, Harner acknowledged that the healing process is not just monetary for the victims and involves stating their story publicly.

“Allowing Survivors to participate in a status conference or…

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Victims of child sexual abuse linked to the Roman Catholic Baltimore Archdiocese will have a third chance to be seen and tell their stories.

On Monday, Judge Michelle Harner ordered a two-hour status conference for Oct. 6 at 1 p.m., meant to raise awareness of and understanding for sexual abuse victims of the Baltimore Archdiocese.

In February, a cyberattack on a law firm, Stinson LLP, representing Catholic Church sex abuse survivors, stole confidential data related to the Baltimore Archdiocese’s bankruptcy case and sex abuse survivors. A ransomware attack happened in March that affected a consulting firm for dozens of Catholic Church cases, including the same bankruptcy case.

Both breaches included personal information of sexual abuse victims with claims against the Baltimore Archdiocese. Lawyers with the consulting firm have denied that information from the breach appeared online.

The Baltimore Archdiocese, America’s oldest Catholic archdiocese, filed for bankruptcy in 2023 ahead of the Maryland…

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Following multiple allegations of sexual assault against Michael Tait, police in Brentwood, Tennessee, have confirmed they are conducting a preliminary investigation into the former DC Talk and Newsboys singer.

The news was confirmed on Monday by ChurchLeaders.com, after alleged victim Shawn Davis told People Magazine he was working with the Brentwood Police Department, located 11 miles south of Nashville, to press charges.

“We’re trying to head this and do everything we can in our power to take (Tait) down,” Davis told People.

In his interview with People, Davis stated that Tait may have up to 1,000 victims and was urging them to come forward.

“Ultimately, in the end, the goal is to see him go to prison,” Davis told People. “We need every single victim possible to come forward. They deserve to know that they’re not the only ones, and they deserve to tell their story,” he…

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“Such an appointment to such an important position…can only reopen wounds, reawaken suspicions, and disconcert the people of God.”

“Such an appointment to such an important position, both canonically and symbolically, can only reopen wounds, reawaken suspicions, and disconcert the people of God,” said an Aug. 11 statement from the leadership of the French bishops’ conference.

The statement was signed by Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille, president of the bishops’ conference, as well as Archbishop Vincent Jordy of Tours and Bishop Benoit Bertrad of Pontoise, vice presidents of the conference.

“Our Church, for several years, has courageously taken the path of truth in the painful question of abuses committed within it. It is very important to continue this work in all sectors of ecclesial life,” the statement said.

“This shift in perspective… [has] initiated, for our ecclesial institution, a long and demanding work of conversion, which we are determined to continue….

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Vox, the leader of the far-right party in Spain, has accused the Spanish bishops of being neutered by government grants and the fallout from the sexual abuse crisis.

The row erupted following the decision of the city council in Jumilla, Murcia, to pass a motion on July 28 that allows for the banning of Islamic festivities in the town, in particular the collective prayer with which the Muslim community celebrates the end of Ramadan and the “Feast of the Lamb.”

The motion was originally proposed by Vox, but amended by the party in charge of the council, the conservative PP (Popular Party).

On August 8, the Spanish Bishops’ Conference released a statement on the decision, saying that “imposing such restrictions for religious reasons constitutes discrimination that has no place in democratic societies.”

“Limiting these rights violates the fundamental rights of every human being, and it affects not just one religious…

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Clergy sexual abuse is not confined to any one faith, denomination, or country—it is a global crisis rooted in power, secrecy, and institutional self-preservation. In this conversation, survivors, advocates, clergy, legal scholars, and researchers confront the patterns that allow abuse to persist and the systemic enablers who shield perpetrators from accountability. From the misuse of spiritual authority to the failure of church leadership to act, their testimonies reveal both the depth of the harm and the urgent need for reform. Together, they ask the questions that religious institutions have long avoided—and challenge the structures that have turned sacred spaces into sites of betrayal.

Katherine Archer is the co-founder of Prosopon Healing and a graduate student in Theological Studies, soon to begin a Master’s in Counseling Psychology. Her work lies at the intersection of academic research and nonprofit advocacy, focusing on clergy abuse within the Eastern Orthodox Church. Archer champions policy…

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When Germans go to the theatre, they know to expect the expected.

For three decades, directors have specialised in predictable provocation: nudity, sexualised violence and bloody body horror.

Anything goes on the German stage – unless, that is, it’s a play about sexualised violence in the Catholic Church.

Last month, director Lorenz Nolting was in rehearsals with Ödipus Exellenz, his new adaptation of Seneca’s tragedy, when the production was cancelled abruptly.

The work was a collaboration with a German survivor of clerical sexual abuse, examining how the rites and rituals of Catholic faith were a unique enabling element in his ordeal.

“A person might have been raped many hundred times by a priest who told them it was God’s will,” said Nolting. “Only as adults did many survivors realise it was even sexualised violence.”

Nolting says the play was cancelled after falling foul of Ulrich…

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German authorities have discontinued their investigation into sexual abuse allegations against Karnam Dhaman Kumar, the Bishop of the Diocese of Nalgonda in Telangana, since the statute of limitations on the alleged offences has expired. The statute of limitation is the legal time limit within which a person must file a lawsuit or initiate legal proceedings.

The allegation, which a complainant reported to the Diocese of Münster, Germany in March 2025, relates to the years 2005 to 2007. 

Dhaman Kumar was appointed as the Bishop of Nalgonda diocese by Pope Francis in February 2024. Until then, he had been serving as a parish priest in the Diocese of Münster. 

Following the sexual abuse complaint, he was barred from carrying out any priestly duties in the Diocese of Münster. 

“The proceedings have been discontinued because the investigation revealed that any criminal offenses were already statute-barred. Therefore, no further investigations have…

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[Editor’s Note: On Aug. 1, Crux published an article by Elise Ann Allen mentioning a former priest who was laicized in December 2024, which included witness testimony from several anonymous sources describing a history of sexual misconduct and personal differences with Pope Leo XIV on the part of the former priest in question. The former priest in question, Ricardo Coronado, has submitted the following letter, which we are publishing, but which has been edited to exclude elements that include personal insinuations against the author as well as statements and accusations against third parties that Crux does not immediately have the ability to corroborate. For the record, Crux stands by the story.]

Crux Now
Lima-Peru, 6th August 2025

Dear Mrs. Allen,

I write to you in regard to the article published on the Crux website this past Friday (August 1, 2025, with subsequent amended version August 5th, 2025) maliciously and provocatively entitled, Coverup allegations…

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I consider myself something of an insider-outsider in Catholicism, if such a thing exists. I was raised within the stained-glass walls of St. Dominic Parish in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, a sanctuary for newly arrived Cuban refugees like my family. The parish itself was young, founded just three years before the Cuban Revolution would send waves of exiles across the Florida Straits. Those early years were marked by upheaval: Black Americans were in the throes of the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War raged on and the Second Vatican Council had just thrown open the church’s windows to the modern world.

St. Dominic’s felt all of it. The parish was reshaped in those decades, not just by the influx of Cuban families but by the Dominican friars of the Southern Province who took over from the Spanish Dominicans in 1980. That’s the context that formed me. It’s where I first…

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The Rev. Ronald Kondziolka is accused of abusing a child while working at St. Brendan Parish in Englewood. He denies the allegations.

A Chicago priest is accused of sexually abusing a minor in the early 1990s, the Archdiocese of Chicago said.

The Rev. Ronald Kondziolka, who has served in parishes and as a hospital chaplain throughout the Chicago area for decades, allegedly abused a child more than 40 years ago while working at St. Brendan’s Catholic Church. The now closed church once stood at Marquette Road and Racine Avenue in the Englewood neighborhood.

Cardinal Blase Cupich alerted the parishes and health care centers where Kondziolka worked in a letter Saturday. The letter offers no details on the allegations or an exact time frame for when the alleged abuse happened.

Cupich said Kondziolka “strenuously” denies the allegations.

The letters were sent to Souls Parish, Mother of the Americas Parish, Our Lady…

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The Archdiocese of Newark has settled two claims of sexual abuse against retired Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, dating back more than 50 years — when he was a priest in Jersey City — the lawyer for the plaintiffs announced on Aug. 6.

Attorney Mitchell Garabedian said the settlements were reached through a mediation process, adding that one plaintiff, Mark Matzek, now 62, received a “mid-six-figure” settlement and that a second plaintiff, Samier Tadros, now 52, received a settlement in the “low six-figures.”

The settlement was reached between the Newark Archdiocese and the plaintiffs. It did not involve  DiMarzio, 81, who retired as head of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, in 2021.

“As I have said from the very beginning, in my 50-plus-year priesthood, I never abused anyone,”  DiMarzio said in a statement after the settlements were announced. “I was the subject of an exhaustive, two-year canonical investigation that cleared me….

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‘This is as valuable a tool as exists in the world to protect children,’ Randy Austin says at FAIR Conference

The abuse helpline for bishops of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and strong clergy privilege laws are the best option for protecting children from abuse, an attorney and a social worker for the church said Thursday.

“Far more abuse gets reported when the bishop calls the helpline than if we didn’t have one‚” said Randy Austin, an attorney for Kirton McConkie who serves as lead outside controversy-and-crisis counsel for the church.

He said clergy privilege laws that exempt bishops from mandatory rules for reporting abuse actually lead to more reporting, not less.

“We learn about more abuse in places where the privilege exists than where it doesn’t,” Austin said.

Coupled together, the increased reporting generated by the help line and clergy privilege protect more children, he said.

…

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I was still working at Vatican Radio when Pope Benedict XVI announced he was resigning his office, way back in 2013.

It shocked the world – it shocked Vatican staff – and it added something unusual to the chance any impending change in papal leadership offers Catholics, as they reflect on the state of the Church. Big ideas were in the air. I was focused on practicalities.

Before the election of Pope Francis, I wrote something about the issues facing the Vatican and the Church in 2013. As we enter a new “historic period” in 2025 – Pope Leo XIV is the first U.S.-born pontiff – it might be interesting to look back at it.

One of my suggestions was for a sweeping reform of Church law regarding crimes of sexual abuse. “[A]fter consulting both canon and prominent civil lawyers and sexual abuse experts,” I wrote (in a Facebook “note” in…

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The Vatican ruled that Archbishop Hundt did not provide a just cause for closing the parish.

For the second time in 15 months the Vatican overturned a Canadian archbishop’s decision to close a small parish, thus continuing a three-year dispute between parishioners and the archbishop.

Parishioners at Holy Rosary Parish in Portugal Cove-St. Philips, Newfoundland, announced earlier this week that the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Clergy had once again overturned Archbishop Peter Hundt’s decision to close Holy Rosary and merge it with the nearby Holy Trinity parish.

This new decree continues a three-year saga that began after the archdiocese announced it would sell Holy Rosary Church and 17 of the archdiocese’s other 34 parish properties in the midst of ongoing bankruptcy filing and court order to compensate victims of sexual abuse.

Holy Rosary parishioners protested and attempted to purchase the church.

The archdiocese reached an agreement with a group of…

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Degree of Merger revoked for Newfoundland parish

For the second time in 15 months, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Clergy has overturned St. John’s Archbishop Peter Hundt’s 2022 decision to close Holy Rosary Parish in Portugal Cove-St. Philips, Nfld., and merge it with Holy Trinity Parish in Torbay, Nfld.

Ed Martin, the parishioner who served as procurator of this canonical challenge, said he is waiting to learn if Hundt plans to file an appeal within the 60-day window from learning of the decision (Martin received confirmation of the ruling June 7).

Assuming Hundt also opened the letter the same day, the 68-year-old cleric would be obliged to make a move by Aug. 7 (no such move was made by the Register’s press deadline). Two of the potential ways forward is to again challenge the decision and then, once more, state his intention to merge Holy Rosary and Holy Trinity, or…

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THE hope and dream of the late pope Francis was to reform the Catholic Church and make it a synodal church at every level, where everyone — laypeople, priests and bishops — are considered equal before God and Jesus of Nazareth, working together, sharing thoughts, listening and learning from one another, and participating humbly in proclaiming the vision and values of the Gospel through action. This same hope and dream are also what motivates Francis’ successor, Pope Leo XIV. It’s a call for bishops and priests to be humble “washers of feet” and support child victims of clerical abuse, not with more words, but with action toward justice.

Francis began a synodal movement to restore the spirit of the early Church as Jesus began it: a spiritual and social movement with a mission to act on behalf of the poor and downtrodden. Those in the early Church lived the great…

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WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – FactFinder has continued to investigate sexual abuse allegations against Bodie Weiss, a former student ministries director at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Wichita.

Weiss died in 2020.

Last summer, allegations were brought to Eastminster’s Board of Elders accusing Weiss of sexually abusing boys in his youth group during the 1990’s and 2000’s.

In 2024, the church hired Fact Finding Ministry, a third-party investigative group, who determined there to be 23 victims of sexual abuse.

Robert Golden says he is one of those victims and called 12 News investigators to share his story about Weiss and how he tried warning Eastminster about his actions.

Golden says his sexual interaction with Weiss occurred over 40 years ago when they were teenagers attending the same church in Pennsylvania, a decade before Weiss was hired at Eastminster.

Golden told 12 News that Weiss was 18-years-old at the time and attending college,…

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The couple had been members since 1990, but left during the pandemic

MIDLAND COUNTY, Mich. (WJRT) – A Saginaw County couple is speaking out about a sex abuse scandal involving the Living Word Church in Midland.

The scandal continued in court as a pastor from the church faced a pre-trial hearing. Two other individuals associated with the church’s leadership have also been charged.

Dan and Dana Stahl, former members of the Living Word Church, started attending in 1990. They initially helped in the church nursery, believing they were serving God. However, recent events have led them to feel they were misled.

“We loved it, we absolutely loved it,” Dana Stahl said.

The Stahls reduced their involvement after Dan was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. They were disappointed with the church’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which they felt was mishandled.

“The members of the church’s response was that it was tyranny,”…

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Three former Gateway Church elders told a Dallas court they didn’t defame a sexual abuse victim of disgraced church founder, Robert Morris, despite knowing she was only 12 years old when the abuse started.

The court filings involved former Gateway Executive Pastor Thomas Miller, Network Pastor Gayland Lawshe, and Elder Jeremy Carrasco—all removed from church leadership last November. They say they didn’t defame Cindy Clemishire when they said in 2024 that Morris “acknowledged ‘inappropriate sexual behavior’ with a ‘young lady.’”

Morris, who resigned from the megachurch in June 2024, now faces child sex abuse charges in Oklahoma and is expected in court there in September.

As The Roys Report (TRR) reported at the time of Morris’s departure, the then-elders said Morris “had ‘been open and forthright’ about this ‘moral failure’ and had undergone a two-year restoration process.”

But Clemishire, who sued Morris, Gateway Church, the former…

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It’s the latest development in a high-stakes civil case that stems from allegations of sexual abuse and institutional cover-up within Gateway Church in Southlake.

Gateway announced Thursday that Pastor Nic Lesmeister has been named its new executive pastor, marking a new era for the North Texas megachurch.

SOUTHLAKE, Texas — Three former elders of Gateway Church have officially denied defaming Robert Morris’ accuser, Cindy Clemishire, in a series of recent court filings, which stem from allegations of sexual abuse and institutional cover-up with the megachurch founded by Morris.

Former elders, Thomas H. Miller Jr., Gayland Lawshe, and Jeremy Carrasco, denied any wrongdoing in the recent court filings. They were among the elders removed from the church in November after church leaders claimed they had information about Clemishire’s abuse allegations.

Cindy Clemishire is the Oklahoma woman who accused  Morris of sexually abusing her starting when she was 12 in…

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Thomas Pinkerton was arrested and extradited to Maryland to face charges for child sex crimes. He used to be involved with a Comstock Park church.

COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. —

Editor’s note/content warning: This story contains detailed victim testimony of alleged sexual abuse of minors.

A former Michigan youth pastor and traveling evangelist has been charged with multiple counts of child sexual abuse stemming from allegations that he abused at least seven boys while serving at a Maryland church in the late 2010s.

Thomas “Tommy” Pinkerton, who also served as treasurer and associate pastor at a Comstock Park church, was arrested in Georgia last month and extradited to Maryland to face 20 felony charges including child abuse, sexual assault and sexual offense charges related to incidents that allegedly occurred between 2006 and 2010 when he was youth pastor at Central Christian Church in Baltimore County.

13 ON YOUR SIDE first learned…

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Sons of Patriarchy hosts live episode at Moscow theater

MOSCOW — A podcast that has investigated allegations of abuse in Christ Church visited Moscow on Friday to record a live episode.

A crowd of people nearly filled the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre, located just two doors from Christ Church’s downtown office, to watch the Sons of Patriarchy podcast recording.

Sons of Patriarchy host Peter Bell interviewed author and journalist Sarah Stankorb about her work studying female survivors of abuse in churches across the country.

Bell told the Moscow-Pullman Daily News the idea for Sons of Patriarchy started three years ago when a think tank that was examining Christ Church Pastor Doug Wilson reached out to him about starting a podcast on the subject.

Bell has a background in podcasting and theology.

“So I put all that together, got connected with some survivors from the church and said, ‘I think I…

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Coming up in October, hundreds of victims of childhood sexual abuse by clergy will get to vote to approve or reject a settlement with the Archdiocese of New Orleans. But attorneys representing large groups of survivors say the deal is short and will advise clients to reject it.

NEW ORLEANS — Documents filed recently in the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ five-year bankruptcy case provide more clarity on how claims will be doled out to each victim if a proposed settlement is approved. Points will be assigned to each abuse claim based on the severity of the abuse and its impact on each victim’s life, but the records do not offer much clarity on how much actual money those points will be worth.

Claims that a Catholic church employee raped them will be worth twice as much money to abuse survivors as having a priest masturbate in front of them, four…

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In July, a judge temporarily blocked the Washington state law from going into effect while the court case proceeded.

• In summer 2025, a rumor spread online that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration moved to overturn a law requiring Catholic priests to report child abuse. 
• It is true that the Trump administration joined a lawsuit against a Washington state law adding religious clergy to the list of “mandatory reporters,” a group of professions legally required to report suspected child abuse. However, the administration’s issue with the law focused on a provision that would require Catholic priests to report child abuse when they learn the information through confession — a Catholic rite in which a penitent confesses sins to a priest, who vows complete confidentiality. 
• As of this writing, it was not clear whether a ruling in favor of the administration would overturn the entire law or the specific part requiring…

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“In my view, the Plaintiff’s claim is not essentially doctrinal or ecclesiastical in nature,” the judge wrote.

A lawsuit accusing prominent media figure Fr. Thomas Rosica of sexual assault will move forward after a Canadian judge rejected the priest’s petition to dismiss the suit.

Judge Evelyn M. ten Cate of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario on Thursday dismissed a motion by Rosica to toss out the lawsuit in order to allow the allegations against him to be addressed exclusively in a canonical court.

“In my view, the Plaintiff’s claim is not essentially doctrinal or ecclesiastical in nature – it is of interest to all Canadians and goes well beyond the internal matters of the Roman Catholic Church,” she said in her Aug. 7 decision.

“Moreover, the canonical court does not have an adequate internal dispute mechanism meant to cover claims for damages arising from sexual assault cases,” she…

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A U.S. Catholic bishop is sharply criticizing a large payout to his accusers even after the Holy See said it had found no evidence to support allegations of abuse against him.

Mitchell Garabedian, a Boston-based lawyer who has represented numerous Catholic abuse victims, said in a press release this week that two accusers of Brooklyn Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio had received separate six-figure payouts to settle their abuse claims.

The two accusers claimed DiMarzio had abused them in the 1970s and early 1980s when the prelate was then a priest in New Jersey. The men went public with the allegations in 2019 and 2020.

Both accusers filed suits against DiMarzio and the Archdiocese of Newark in 2021. Later that year, what was then the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith found that the allegations did not have “the semblance of truth.”

DiMarzio himself has repeatedly and…

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The Diocese of Buffalo is reportedly dismissing a substantial number of workers at its headquarters as it continues to move through a nine-figure sex abuse bankruptcy payout. 

A leaked email from Bishop Michael Fisher, reported on by local media, said the diocese’s ongoing settlement “require[s] us to make further sacrifices” at the diocesan Catholic Center, located in downtown Buffalo.

The diocese said earlier this year that it would pay a $150 million settlement “to survivors of sexual abuse for acts perpetrated against them by clergy, religious, lay employees, and volunteers.” 

Fisher in the leaked email said the settlement means the diocese needs to “significantly reduce costs” at the Catholic Center. 

“This entails the painful reality of having to [reduce] the number of positions in order to create a leaner, more cost-effective central administration,” the prelate said. 

An Aug. 6 press release from the diocese said…

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The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo has announced staff layoffs and other measures to the 75 employees at the downtown Catholic Center. The diocese will lay off 22% of those staff members, or about 17 people. A source confirmed to BTPM NPR that the cuts include the diocese’s entire communications team.

Employees affected will be paid until the end of the month, and those remaining will transition to just four workdays a week. Health benefits to those losing their jobs will continue until the end of September.

The cost cutting measures are part of bankruptcy restructuring, triggered by hundreds of lawsuits in the past six years for claims of sexual abuse by priests. The diocese reached a $150 million settlement in April with around 800 survivors of abuse.

Ryan Zunner
Ryan is the assistant managing editor of BTPM NPR. He first joined the organization in the summer…

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July 27 could have been a landmark day for the survivors of child abuse.

That was the day that Washington state’s new law designating clergy as mandatory reporters — even if the abuse was discovered during confession or spiritual counseling — was set to take effect. Just as teachers, childcare workers, and law enforcement officers must report knowledge of child abuse, Washington became the first state in the nation to mandate that all clergy must do so as well.

But just 72 hours after Washington’s governor signed the law, the Seattle Archdiocese, along with Yakima and Spokane, filed a federal lawsuit to stop it.

Predictably, Donald Trump has now joined the fray. His Department of Justice is backing the Catholic clergy’s lawsuit, falsely claiming that mandatory reporting laws infringe on religious liberty and are inherently “anti-Catholic.” Now, a Federal judge has blocked the law — maintaining a status quo where clergy can…

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A former youth pastor at a Baltimore County church is accused of sexually abusing six people between 2006 and 2010.

Thomas Pinkerton Jr., 52, was working at Central Christian Church in Rossville at the time of the abuse, Baltimore County Police allege. He’s facing 24 charges, including six counts of sexual abuse of a minor and related offenses.

Pinkerton, who now lives in Winder, Georgia, was arrested on July 16 and extradited on Wednesday to Maryland. He’s being held at the Baltimore County Detention Center without bail.

“These are just accusations,” said Justin Hollimon, Pinkerton’s attorney. “Mr. Pinkerton is confident that once a jury of his peers hears this case, he will be exonerated and found not guilty of these charges.”

Detectives talked to six men who reported that the abuse happened in Maryland, and one man who disclosed that it took place in Georgia, police assert. The investigation began…

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Another cyber attack is jeopardizing the personal information of victims of child sex abuse at the hands of the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Stinson LLP, a law firm representing the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the church’s bankruptcy case, announced they were breached by cyber hackers in February.

The attack was not disclosed until June, according to court documents.

Stinson is now taking steps to keep survivors and the court informed about what information may have been leaked.

The firm says it will provide quarterly updates and report any findings of confidential information posted on the internet.

The breach is especially concerning for survivors because many entered into the legal proceedings anonymously due to the nature of the abuse they faced as children.

This is the second cyber breach to impact survivors of childhood abuse at the hands of the Archdiocese.

In May, Berkeley Research Group, a financial advisor…

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Judge who found Bishop Hubert O’Connor guilty says concept of ‘genuine consent’ decided trial

When Bishop Hubert O’Connor stood trial in the 1990s for rape and indecent assault, he was one of the first Catholic clergymen in Canada to be charged with sexual offences committed at a residential school.

Court documents and records in the IJF’s residential schools database show that the case against him was ultimately sunk by legal questions over how to determine consent in the context of young Indigenous students and staff facing sexual advances by a respected religious leader.

O’Connor was found guilty of raping a teenage former student working as a secretary at St. Joseph’s Indian Residential School in B.C. in the 1960s. In his 1996 ruling, then-B.C. Supreme Court Justice Wally Oppal wrote he could not conclude she was able to consent. But that ruling was later overturned by a panel of appeal court justices, who…

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Henry C. Pilliod, a former teacher and coach of Berks Catholic High School, has been arrested and charged for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a student, officials announced.

A former teacher and coach at Berks Catholic High School has been arrested and charged for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a student, officials announced.

According to the Berks County District Attorney’s Office, on March 31, 2025, officials received two childline referrals from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, which alleged a coach with Berks Catholic High School was exchanging inappropriate photos with a student. Based on that information, a criminal investigation was initiated.

Officials said that an investigation found that in November of 2024, Henry C. Pilliod, 22, of Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania, and a student, a 17-year-old girl, began to have a inappropriate electronic communications with one another.

In January of 2025, officials said Pilliod and the student began…

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Nearly two years have passed since Mike Bickle, founder of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, was slammed with a stunning series of sexual abuse allegations that brought down his ministry.

But to the horror of multiple victims this past Sunday, his youngest sister, Lisa Bickle Stribling, dismissed the accounts as “exotic trash.”

“There has been a narrative that has surrounded Mike’s situation,” she said. “This narrative is a false narrative. The Lord is retrieving this narrative right now . . . Concerning Mike Bickle, this is the most integrous-filled, righteous man that we know.” 

She said she was speaking “on God’s behalf” at HopeCity, a prayer ministry and church led by Stribling and her husband, Ray.

She was referring to an independent investigation published on Feb. 3 that found Bickle had groomed and sexually abused at least 17 women, including some who were minors at…

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Key Points

• New Cincinnati Archbishop Robert Casey led Casa Jesus in Chicago more than 20 years ago.
• Some priests connected to Casa Jesus later became the subjects of misconduct allegations.
• Casey said he strictly enforced the rules when he was in charge of Casa Jesus, which closed in 2016.

Not long after he became Cincinnati’s new archbishop in February, Robert Casey’s name started popping up in conversations online and among local Catholics about a now-closed program in Chicago called Casa Jesus.

Casey served as director of the program, which recruited Hispanic men for the priesthood, more than two decades ago. Neither Casey, who was then a young priest, nor Casa Jesus, a small project in the Archdiocese of Chicago, got much attention at the time.

But they are getting attention now.

That’s because Casey’s new job in Cincinnati makes him one of the most prominent Catholics in the…

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Archbishop Casey’s resignation would not be an act of disgrace, but of humility and responsibility. A gesture that allows the healing to begin and puts the needs of the people first.

Letters to the editor – Cincinnati Enquirer

Recent events in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati have left many local Catholics disillusioned and heartbroken. Media reports describe disturbing behavior by a priest involving pornographic, violent and occult-themed material. Instead of transparency, the response from Church leadership has been dismissive. Archbishop Robert Casey declared the matter resolved, called the priest “in good standing,” and allowed parishioners who demanded accountability, including a father of young children, to be escorted out of Mass.

This is not the transparency the faithful deserve. This is not the healing we need. And for many of us, this is not the first red flag.

Before he arrived in Cincinnati, Archbishop Casey served…

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ROELAND PARK, Kan. — Bishop Miege High School officials confirmed Wednesday that Phil Baniewicz is no longer serving as the school’s president.

His last day was on Wednesday, the school said in a statement.

The Board of Trustees said the decision followed “careful consideration of the present circumstances.”

”We are grateful for the prayers and support of our families and benefactors. Please continue to pray with us for all impacted by this situation,” stated Holly Bentley, chair of the board of trustees.

“As we move forward, we’re committed to strengthening Bishop Miege High School by reviewing our practices and continuing to ensure a safe environment for our students. At the request of Archbishop McKnight, we’ll work with the archdiocesan Catholic Schools Office and the Office for Protection and Care to create opportunities for the school community to be heard and supported. We’ll share more information as it becomes available.”

…

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Editor’s note: This story is part of Out of the Shadows: Confronting Violence Against Women, a series by Global Sisters Report and Global Sisters Report en español, focusing on how Catholic sisters respond to or are affected by this global phenomenon.

This summer, the subject of various types of abuse of Catholic sisters rose to importance, with two conferences focusing on the issue.

One conference, held in Rome, was sponsored by a collaboration of the U.S.-based Conrad H. Hilton Foundation (a major funder of Global Sisters Report) and the German Missio Foundation.  One in Germany was sponsored by the University of Regensburg and titled “Behind the Veil: Analyzing the Hidden Patterns of Spiritual and Sexual Abuse among Catholic Women Religious.”

Lucy Huh, a doctoral candidate and researcher at Baylor University, was invited to participate in the June 26-29 Regensburg conference, as she is currently conducting a study…

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The Catholic Archdiocese of Newark has agreed to pay out two six-figure settlements to men who said they were sexually abused by Father Nicholas DiMarzio, who spent years as a priest in the North Jersey diocese before rising to serve as bishop in Camden and Brooklyn.

The settlements were announced at an Aug. 6 online news conference by Mitch Garabedian, an attorney who has represented numerous clergy abuse victims around the country.

The accusers — Mark Matzek, now 62, and Samir Tadros, 52 — say DiMarzio abused them in the 1970s when they were young children in two Jersey City parishes. Matzek said the abuse “stopped when the boy told his mother that he wanted to quit being an altar server,” said Garabedian.

DiMarzio, who retired as Brooklyn’s bishop in 2021, has steadfastly maintained his innocence. Both he and the Newark Archdiocese noted that an investigation by the Archdiocese of…

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The parish priest of Wesunile Catholic Parish in Buyende district, eastern Uganda, has been arrested for his alleged role in the torture and death of a 14-year-old boy, Joseph Kiirya.

The suspect, Rev. Fr. Silver Osuna Owori, 33, was apprehended alongside his driver, Robert Gabula, and both are now detained at Buyende central police station. Police say they will face court once investigations are concluded.

Preliminary police investigations indicate that on Friday, August 1, 2025, Fr. Owori discovered that Shs 5 million was missing from his residence. Believing that Kiirya, who had previously been accused of stealing from the priest, was responsible, he reportedly instructed Gabula and another accomplice, only identified as Waiswa, to track down the boy, who had gone into hiding.

The two men reportedly apprehended Kiirya and delivered him to the parish premises. According to investigators, Owori allegedly ordered the boy to be beaten in a bid…

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A Catholic priest, Reverend Father Owori Silver Osuna, 33, and his driver, Robert Gabula, have been remanded to Buyende Government Prison over their alleged involvement in the unlawful detention and death of a 14-year-old boy.

The duo appeared before Kamuli Chief Magistrate Paul Owino at Buyende Magistrate’s Court on Monday for the mention of their case.

Due to the capital nature of the charges, which fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court, they were not allowed to enter a plea.

They were remanded until August 21, 2025, when they will reappear for further proceedings.

According to prosecution, the case arose after Fr Owori reported the disappearance of Shs5 million from his room during his absence.

He suspected Joseph Kirya, a 14-year-old boy from Makanga Ward, Wesunire, Buyende Town Council, of theft.

The priest allegedly enlisted his driver Robert Gabula and another individual known as Waiswa to apprehend Kirya on…

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18 Diocesan staffers losing their jobs

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo has announced layoffs and other cost-cutting moves as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring process.

According to the diocese, there will be a 22 percent reduction in personnel of the Catholic Center, which currently numbers 75. The diocese said those impacted will be paid through August 31, 2025, and will receive health benefits through September 30, 2025. After that, they will be eligible for COBRA for health coverage.

7 News Senior Reporter Eileen Buckley learned from two sources late Wednesday morning regarding the layoffs. A spokesman for the diocese said 18 employees are losing their jobs. A source also tells Buckley that the entire communication department has been eliminated, and none of the employees saw this coming.

Buckley also received a copy of a letter sent to employees from Bishop Michael Fisher explaining…

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Woodbridge, NJ – August 5, 2025

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), along with our New Jersey Coordinator Mark Crawford, is calling on Church leaders to fully address the deeply troubling leadership record of Auxiliary Bishop Elias R. Lorenzo, O.S.B. We urge that he be excluded from consideration as a successor to Cardinal Joseph Tobin in the Archdiocese of Newark.

Abbot Lorenzo, a monk of St. Mary’s Abbey in Morristown, held multiple leadership roles at Delbarton School, including Director of Liturgy, Director of Monastic Formation, Prior of St. Mary’s Abbey (1995–2002), and Rector of the Abbey Church (1995–2009). In 2002, he was appointed liaison to the Abbey’s review board when procedures for handling sexual misconduct complaints were implemented.

Numerous monks and teachers affiliated with Delbarton have been accused in civil lawsuits of sexually abusing students in the 1970s and 1980s. In 2018, school officials disclosed…

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It’s been nearly two years since the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore filed for bankruptcy, forcing it to take account of its assets and file insurance claims to eventually pay survivors who were abused as children by clergy and staff.

However, after a series of delays and twists, the survivors have yet to see any payout and many are feeling out of the loop.

One survivor wrote about their frustration to U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Harner last week.

“What started as a positive situation as the rust of a newly enacted law by the Maryland legislature years ago has developed into what one might describe as a circus,” the survivor wrote. Who do the victims believe and what can they believe? Especially when there is almost complete secrecy surrounding this case.”

The survivor expressed further concern that the 12 law firms and financial organizations working the…

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A former priest accused of sexually assaulting 13 women while he was the head of a church group has said consent was the “grounding of everything”.

Chris Brain, 68, denies one count of rape and 36 charges of indecent assault, relating to his time with the Nine O’Clock Service (NOS), an influential evangelical church movement in Sheffield in the 1980s and 1990s.

Prosecutors allege he used his position to abuse a “staggering number” of female members, exerting control over their lives and ostracising them.

Giving evidence at Inner London Crown Court, Mr Brain, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, said he had sex with one of the complainants, but said it “just went too far” but insisted it had been consensual.

He said the Sheffield-based evangelical movement was a “free, open, really caring, very fun environment” and denied claims he had abused anyone.

Discussing one victim, Mr Brain admitted there had been “petting…

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The court dismissed a battery charge stemming from an incident last November.

A court in Illinois has dropped battery charges against Fr. Carlos Martins, a prominent priest accused of inappropriate conduct toward a student during a relic tour at a parish in Joliet last November.

An official with the Will County State’s Attorney confirmed to The Pillar that the battery charges were dismissed this week.

A court order from the “12nd [sic] judicial circuit,” signed Wednesday, dismissed the charge against Martins, noting that “The Court has considered of [sic] all facts known to it regarding the underlying circumstances of this matter.”

The court order said it was issued in response to the state attorney’s motion for deferred prosecution and nolle prosequi – a prosecutor’s decision not to pursue a case.

The court order dismissing the charge said, “The State has confirmed that Fr. Martins has never been charged with a crime, accused of a…

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Christopher Brain, who denies one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault, claims he engaged in kissing, massaging and stroking with ‘close friends’ from the Nine O’Clock Service, a court heard

A former priest accused of leading an evangelical cult in the Church of England claims his followers gave him “sensual” massages to relieve his tension headaches as he stands trial for sexually abusing 13 women.

Christopher Brain, who led the rave-style Nine O-Clock Service (NOS) in Sheffield in the 80s and 90s, allegedly surrounded himself with women who wore lingerie or revealing clothes as part of his “homebase team” who kept his house “spotlessly clean”.

Jurors at Inner London Crown Court previously heard the women – sometimes referred to as “the Lycra Lovelies” or “the Lycra Nuns” – were on a rota to help maintain the home of then-Reverend…

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A federal court has blocked a new Washington State law that would have required Catholic priests to report abuse or neglect disclosed during confession, the sacred practice where individuals confess their sins to a priest to receive forgiveness.

A federal court has blocked a new Washington State law that would have required Catholic priests to report abuse or neglect disclosed during confession, the sacred practice where individuals confess their sins to a priest to receive forgiveness.

The law which was set to take effect July 27 included penalties of up to 364 days in jail, a $5,000 fine and potential civil liability for priests who failed to comply with the state’s reporting policies.

The law was temporarily suspended after a hearing on July 14 and an order issued July 18 by district Judge David Estudillo. The ruling stated that the new law violated plaintiffs’ free exercise of religion. Citing the…

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JOHNSTON COUNTY – A Catholic priest at St. Ann Catholic Church in Johnston County was arrested early Monday morning and charged with felony solicitation of prostitution, according to the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office.

Clemente Guerrero-Olvera, 47, was taken into custody around 1:00 a.m. in the parking lot of the church, located along U.S. Highway 70 Business West near Clayton. Deputies were in the area searching for a missing juvenile when they encountered Guerrero-Olvera under suspicious circumstances.

A patrol deputy searching the church grounds reportedly spotted a young man inside a parked vehicle and another man attempting to flee on foot behind the church. The deputy detained the individual who had been running, later identified as Guerrero-Olvera, and located a 20-year-old male in the vehicle.

Authorities said the investigation revealed Guerrero-Olvera had arranged to meet the 20-year-old via the dating app Grindr, allegedly for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity….

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A Catholic priest was arrested Monday morning in Johnston County after allegedly soliciting a prostitute in the church parking lot.

CLAYTON, N.C. (WTVD) — A Catholic priest was arrested Monday morning in Johnston County after allegedly soliciting a prostitute in the church parking lot.

Deputies said they were near St. Ann Catholic Church in Clayton about 1 a.m. searching for a missing child when they encountered Father Clemente OIvera Guerrero, 47, under suspicious circumstances.

Olvera, of Smithfield, allegedly tried to run, but when he was caught, deputies determined he was allegedly soliciting sex from a man.

St. Ann Catholic Church released a statement saying that while police investigate the alleged crime, Olvera’s priestly faculties in the Diocese of Raleigh have been revoked.

“While Fr. Clemente deserves a full presumption of innocence until proven otherwise, his priestly faculties in the Diocese of Raleigh have been revoked and he will be returned to…

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Johnston County deputies arrested a priest from Saint Ann Catholic Church in Clayton, Clemente Olvera Guerrero, and charged him with soliciting prostitution.

Johnston County deputies arrested a Catholic priest on Monday, alleging he solicited a prostitute.

Clemente Olvera Guerrero, 47, of Smithfield, is charged with one count of felony soliciting prostitution, an arrest warrant shows.

On Monday, the Diocese of Raleigh sent a notice to its parishioners of Saint Ann Catholic Church in Clayton.

“The diocese received notice this morning of the arrest of Fr. Clemente Olvera Guerrero on criminal charges connected to alleged inappropriate behavior with an adult,” the notice reads. “Upon receiving that information, he was immediately removed from ministry in the Diocese of Raleigh.

“While Fr. Clemente deserves a full presumption of innocence until proven otherwise, his priestly duties in the Diocese of Raleigh have been revoked and he will be returned to his religious order while…

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An Arizona appeals court has resuscitated a high-profile lawsuit against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ruling unanimously that the church may have been obligated to report a man to police after he confessed to sexually abusing his children.

Why it matters: The ruling argues there are limits to Arizona’s guarantee of “clergy-penitent privilege,” reversing a lower court’s dismissal.

• “In this tragic case involving abuse perpetrated by the children’s father, the church and its clergy acted in accordance with Arizona law,” a prepared statement reads.

The intrigue: The judges also found that LDS doctrine may not actually require bishops to keep confessions confidential.

• They cited a passage in the church handbook that allows bishops to report “when disclosure is necessary to prevent life threatening harm or serious injury.”

What they’re saying: “There is a genuine issue…

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‘I have been quiet since the Pope was elected, but I am not planning on being quiet forever,’ said Ana María Quispe Díaz at an event in Chicago.

A Peruvian woman assaulted by a priest aged nine said the future Pope Leo XIV failed to investigate her allegations while he was bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo.

Ana María Quispe Díaz and her two sisters reported being sexually molested by two priests in the diocese to Robert Prevost, then Bishop of Chiclayo, in April 2022.

“He told us how he appreciates us for coming forward,” Quispe said last week, speaking in Chicago.  “He told us, ‘You are very brave, and I believe you.”

Speaking through a translator, Quispe continued: “Prevost never investigated, Prevost never offered us psychological support.”

“I have been quiet since the Pope was elected, but I am not planning on being quiet forever,” said the 29-year-old, who…

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A former school principal and Catholic brother has been ordered to return to prison after his child sexual abuse conviction appeal was dismissed.

Desmond Gregory Mackrell was convicted in March by a Queensland District Court jury of repeated sexual conduct with a child and two counts of carnal knowledge against a boy aged between 13 and 15.

Mackrell was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment but was later granted bail after launching his appeal.

The Queensland Court of Appeal on Tuesday dismissed Mackrell’s bid to overturn his convictions.

Mackrell committed the offences in his office and a school toilet in the early 1980s.

In one of the incidents Mackrell held the boy down while he was sexually assaulted by another Catholic brother.

Mackrell’s convictions were unreasonable and could not be supported by the evidence, Appeal Justices Debra Mullins, Thomas Bradley and Philip Morrison were told at hearing in July.

Barrister Tim…

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Trier/Köln/Vatikanstadt ‐ Lange waren unklare Verfahren in der Kirche dafür verantwortlich, dass Missbrauch und seine Vertuschung ungeahndet blieben. Das hat Papst Franziskus geändert. Die Prüfung der Vorwürfe gegen Kardinal Woelki folgt diesem Verfahren. Noch gibt es kein Ergebnis – doch das kann sich bald ändern.

Jetzt ist Rom am Ball: Der Trierer Bischof Stefan Ackermann hat die Anzeige des Betroffenenbeirats bei der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz gegen Kardinal Rainer Maria Woelki nach Rom weitergeleitet. Damit nimmt alles den Gang, den Papst Franziskus 2019 mit den Verfahrensregeln im Motu proprio “Vos estis lux mundi” festgelegt hat. Viel Spielraum hatte Ackermann nicht: Die Verfahrensordnung legt sowohl seine Zuständigkeit als auch seine Aufgaben klar fest.

In der Sache geht es bei der Anzeige um den Umgang von Kardinal Woelki mit der mutmaßlichen Kenntnis von Missbrauchsfällen. Der Betroffenenbeirat sieht in seiner Anzeige, die katholisch.de vorliegt, mehrere Punkte. Dazu gehören ein “nachlässiger Umgang mit Akten über mutmaßliche bzw. erwiesene Missbrauchsfälle sowie…

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The Chicago Sun-Times has published an article arguing that a Vatican document released in February prohibiting dioceses from publicly listing the names of priests credibly accused of abuse but not yet been found guilty or innocent could lead to “a new era of secrecy over child sex abuse.”

The Aug. 1 article by Robert Herguth focuses on the status of such lists in dioceses in Illinois and nearby states.

“As part of their stated commitment to transparency and healing over the decades-long clergy sex abuse crisis, all six Catholic dioceses in Illinois post public listings online that name clergy members deemed to have been credibly accused of molesting children,” the Sun-Times reported.

The Diocese of Grand Rapids, Michigan, however, has no intention of creating a similar listing, according to the Sun-Times, because of  because of the Vatican document, which was issued to bishops in September 2024. The document says such lists fail to uphold the presumption…

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The newly filed complaints names seven priests

The Catholic Church’s handling of decades-old sexual abuse allegations involving priests who served in southern New Mexico and West Texas has again come under scrutiny. Eight new lawsuits against the Diocese of Las Cruces and the Diocese of El Paso allege that church officials knowingly concealed child abuse to protect the institution’s reputation.

The lawsuits, filed by the Davis Kelin Law Firm and Huffman Wallace & Monagle, allege systemic abuse of minors spanning more than three decades – from 1956 to 1990 – involving children aged 3 to 15.

“There’s a perception in these communities and across the country that this is a closed chapter in the Church’s history, that this is the past,” says Levi A. Monagle, partner at Huffman Wallace & Monagle. “On a day-to-day basis, this is still the present and the future for…

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CBS Chicago

[See video.]

A letter was sent to members of several local parishes where Father Ron Kondziolka served.

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[See full text of the Cardinal’s letter here.]

The Archdiocese of Chicago distributed the following letters today to the communities of All Souls Parish, Mother of the Americas Parish, Our Lady of the Heights Parish, Our Lady of Unity Parish, St. Anthony of Padua Parish, St. Benedict the African Parish, St. John Neumann Parish, St. Veronica Parish and Franciscan Health Alliance regarding Father Ronald Kondziolka:

• All Souls Parish (English)
• Mother of the  Americas Parish (English, Spanish)
• Our Lady of the Heights Parish (English, Spanish)
• Our Lady of Unity Parish (English, Spanish)
• St. Anthony of Padua Parish (English, Spanish)
• St. Benedict the African Parish (English)
• St. John Neumann Parish (English)
• St. Veronica Parish (View Cache

The Catholic Diocese of Rochester, its insurers, and survivors of clergy sexual abuse have agreed on a $246 million fund to pay abuse claims as part of the diocese’s Chapter 11 plan to emerge from bankruptcy.

The plan came together last week when the last holdout among the insurers, Continental Insurance Co. (CNA), agreed to contribute $120 million.

The western New York diocese and its parishes are contributing $55 million to the claims fund. The rest will come from insurers. In addition to the $120 million from CNA, the fund will include $19.5 million from London Market Insurers (LMI), $1.1 million from LMI Underwriters, $50 million from Interstate and $750,000 from First State.

Payments to the fund will go to resolve an estimated 470 sex abuse claims filed against the diocese.

The 300,000-member diocese declared bankruptcy in 2019 when hundreds of lawsuits were filed against it after the state enacted the…

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In 2023, Archbishop Gregory Aymond told New Orleans’ 500,000 Roman Catholics in a letter that they would eventually be asked to contribute to a settlement in the archdiocese’s long-running bankruptcy case.

Now, that number — and what it would mean to the church’s parishes and charitable organizations — is coming into greater focus.

Court documents filed last week show that the archdiocese’s 104 parishes and 19 of its charitable organizations will be required to pay $60 million toward a financial settlement that will eventually total around $180 million. That does not include $45 million or so from the anticipated sale of Christopher Homes, a portfolio of elderly senior housing.

The settlement funds, to be placed in a trust, would benefit hundreds of survivors of clergy sex abuse and be distributed over several years, provided the plan is approved by two-thirds of abuse survivors and confirmed by U.S. Bankruptcy…

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The Brief

• Father Ronald Kondziolka has been accused of sexually abusing a minor more than 40 years ago at St. Brendan Parish, according to the Archdiocese of Chicago; he denies the allegation.
• Kondziolka has served in various roles across Chicago-area parishes and hospitals since 1976, most recently at St. Veronica Parish until June 2023.
• He has been removed from ministry during the investigation, and the Archdiocese will present findings to an Independent Review Board for further action.

A local priest has been accused of sexually abusing a minor, according to the Archdiocese of Chicago.

What we know:

Father Ronald Kondziolka has been accused of sexual abuse of a minor at St. Brendan Parish in Chicago. The alleged abuse occurred more than 40 years ago.

Kondziolka has served as a resident, assistant pastor, associate pastor, administrator, and chaplain at parishes and hospitals throughout the Chicago area since 1987.

The Archdiocese of Chicago…

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On Thursday, the Diocese of Salt Lake City announced its findings in a case of sexual abuse allegations from the 1990s. According to its leadership, a victim came forward last year. After months of investigating, they found the allegations credible.

The victim, Bill Hambleton, met with KSL TV at the Cathedral of the Madeline to speak about what came of the investigation — a written apology.

“The cover-up is more devastating than the abuse,” he said.

In his view, the apology was appreciated, but fell far short of the justice he’s been pushing for. Hambleton grew up in Ogden, attending Holy Family Catholic Church. He was 16 years old when Fr. Heriberto Mejia came to town from Columbia in 1991. 

“Over time, boundaries started to cross,” Hambleton recalled. “He would invite me into his room after dinner, and it would just be the two of us.”

Hambleton said he was interested in…

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The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City has issued an apology to a victim of sexual abuse by a priest that happened in the 1990s, and the victim responded, urging the Diocese to remove additional Church officials who he says enabled his abuse.

William Hambleton was abused by a Catholic priest in Salt Lake City from 1991-1992, beginning when he was 16 years old, Hambleton said in a statement. In December of 2024, he made a report of that abuse to the Diocese of Salt Lake City, who then investigated his claim.

The Diocese found that Hambleton’s allegation of abuse was credible, and that the priest involved would have his faculties permanently removed. Hambleton stated that he is grateful for this outcome and for the apology, but that other church officials were involved in concealing his abuse, and as such, they also need to be removed.

What the Diocese found

…

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Carlo Alberto Capella served prison time for a child pornography conviction but was allowed to return to work at the Vatican, posing a test for Pope Leo XIV.

He was the personification of shame in the Vatican, the lone prisoner in the three-cell jail of the world’s smallest sovereign state. Now, the Rev. Carlo Alberto Capella — convicted of possessing and distributing a “large quantity” of child pornography while serving as a Vatican diplomat in Washington — is presenting Pope Leo XIV, the new American pontiff, with one of the first challenges of his papacy.

Capella, a 58-year-old Italian priest, was investigated by U.S. and Canadian authorities for almost two years for gathering and sharing child pornography while a senior diplomat at the Holy See’s embassy in Washington. In 2017, the U.S. State Department asked the Vatican to waive his diplomatic immunity, a…

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ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Following the announcement of a multimillion-dollar settlement with the Diocese of Rochester over decades’ worth of childhood clergy sexual abuse claims, survivors are beginning to speak out.Rochester clergy sex abuse survivors accept $246M settlement

Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, of Garabedian Law, organized a media briefing Wednesday morning, providing a platform for two survivors who have been at the forefront of the court case for the past six years. He represents 97 of the 466 claimants who agreed to the settlement.

“They were abused when they were children. These cases are decades, decades old—more than 50 years old for many brave survivors. They are to be commended for their relentlessness in seeking validation,” Garabedian said. “We recently had a court date earlier this week, and it was disclosed that 466 survivors who filed proofs of claim in the Diocese of Rochester matter voted in favor of accepting…

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The Diocese of Salt Lake City on Thursday said it had deemed “credible” several allegations of sexual misconduct made against a Colombian-born priest, with the alleged misconduct dating to the 1990s. 

A press release from the diocese said that in December it had received allegations against Father Heriberto Mejia, a priest from the Diocese of Villavicencio in Colombia who served in Utah in the early 1990s. 

The diocese opened a formal investigation into the allegation, using an independent investigator who interviewed “numerous witnesses” connected to the case. The diocese received the report in July.

After reviewing the report and following a recommendation from the diocese’s review board, Bishop Oscar Solís “determined the victim’s allegation of abuse against Father Mejia is credible,” the press release said. 

The diocese said it offered counseling to the victim and family members and would also share the allegations with law enforcement. 

Mejia’s…

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Cardinal Carlos Castillo has been accused of covering up sexual misconduct at the capital see’s archdiocesan seminary

Cardinal Carlos Castillo of Lima has been accused of covering up sexual misconduct at the capital see’s archdiocesan seminary, and of retaliating against seminarians who accused the former rector of failing to respect personal boundaries.

Former seminarians and several diocesan sources told The Pillar that Fr. Luis Sarmiento, rector of the Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo Major Seminary from 2020 to 2023, was the subject of multiple accusations of sexual misconduct against seminarians.

Sources added that in 2018, before he was appointed rector, Sarmiento was dismissed for inappropriate behavior from his post as a formator at the seminary.

Despite the allegations, Castillo brought Sarmiento back to lead a reform of the seminary. But former seminarians charge that Sarmiento fostered a dysfunctional environment and crossed personal boundaries with seminarians.

Several sources told The Pillar that Castillo personally intervened to…

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Prominent Southern Baptist minister Steven W. Smith, who led a historic SBC congregation in Arkansas before resigning in scandal last year, has reemerged at a Houston-area megachurch.

In a video posted last week, Jarrett Stephens, senior pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church (CFBC), announced that Smith will be a featured speaker at their upcoming “Let’s Talk Preaching” intensive for pastors. 

“I, along with my friend, Dr. Steven Smith . . . will lead during this time,” said Stephens. “And we’re going to take a deep dive into what text-driven preaching is and why we believe it’s necessary for today’s pastor and preacher.” 

A church spokesman confirmed to The Roys Report (TRR) that Smith and his family are members of CFBC, but that Smith “is not now, nor has he ever been employed” by CFBC.

Two other prominent ministers set to speak at the CFBC pastors intensive—Tommy Nelson and Bryan…

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A Peruvian survivor of clergy sex abuse brought her public campaign for reforms to the American hometown of Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, saying he failed in investigating her case when he was a bishop in her home country and needs to step up now as leader of the world’s Catholics.

“I’ve been quiet since the pope has been elected,” Ana María Quispe Díaz said in Spanish at a news conference in downtown Chicago. “But I’m not planning to be quiet forever.”

She appeared with members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. The advocacy group sent a letter to the pope on Thursday renewing demands for more accountability on clergy sex abuse complaints and released documents related to Díaz’s case.

The Associated Press doesn’t name people who say they were sexually assaulted unless they consent to being identified or decide to tell their stories publicly, as Díaz has. She…

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A Peruvian woman repeated allegations July 31 that Pope Leo XIV, as a bishop in Peru, failed to investigate allegations of abuse she and two sisters reported to him against two priests in his diocese.

The Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, has repeatedly denied that then-Bishop Robert Prevost did not investigate the allegations. 

Ana María Quispe Díaz said that Prevost lied to her about investigating allegations of abuse that she and two other women made against Frs. Eleuterio Vásquez Gonzáles and Ricardo Yesquén Paiva. 

Quispe has said Yesquén touched her inappropriately and kissed on the mouth when she was 9 years old, and that Vásquez shared a bed with her and fondled her during a service trip when she was a minor.

Quispe made the public remarks, her first since Pope Leo XIV’s election, at a news conference in Chicago, the pope’s hometown. She said her two children were her motivation…

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The documentation seized by the police includes letters and complaints of sexual assault against at least a dozen priests, whose crimes were covered up by the Catholic congregation

EL PAÍS launched an investigation into pedophilia within the Catholic Church in 2018 and maintains an updated database with all known cases. If you know of any case that hasn’t received attention, you can write to us at: abusos@elpais.es. If it’s a case in Latin America, the address is: abusamerica@elpais.es.

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A judicial investigation in Bolivia against two senior officials of the Catholic congregation Society of Jesus (also known as Jesuits) who are accused of covering up for the Spanish pedophile priest Alfonso Pedrajas – has uncovered up to a dozen cases, eight of which have never been reported before. These deal with the sexual abuse of minors committed by religious leaders, which the Jesuit hierarchy has concealed since the 1980s.

The documentation,…

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Neal Gumpel said the abuse he suffered more than 50 years ago shaped his adult life.

Neal Gumpel has spent most of his life looking for a sliver of validation that the damage was real.

The violent sexual assault he said he suffered at the hands of a Jesuit priest and professor at Maine Maritime Academy in Castine when he was 16 years old threw his life onto a dark track. He became suicidal. He spent years addicted to alcohol and drugs, which he says helped destroy his first marriage and strain his relationship with his three children. He went years without speaking to his parents, who he said refused to believe what happened to him that night in 1974. Many of his siblings still insist he’s lying.

A settlement agreement announced Thursday between the New York Province of the Society of Jesus and Gumpel does not undo the sins…

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Ana María Quispe Díaz of Chiclayo, Peru, says a priest there assaulted her when she was 9 years old.

A Peruvian woman assaulted by a priest alleges Pope Leo XIV, while he was a bishop in Peru, neglected to investigate her case.

Ana María Quispe Díaz of Chiclayo, Peru, appeared publicly for the first time in downtown Chicago alongside advocates from Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, a group representing survivors of clergy abuse.

“I have been quiet since the pope was elected, but I am not planning on being quiet forever,” Díaz, 29, told reporters Thursday through a translator.

Díaz alleges she was abused by a priest in Chiclayo when she was 9 years old. Her two sisters were also assaulted by the same priest. In April 2022, she said, the three sisters brought their allegations to Robert Prevost, who was then Bishop of Chiclayo.

“He told us…

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[This article was republished on August 1, 2025. It was originally published in the Journal of Anglican Studies in 2024.]

[Editor’s note: This article by Mark Joseph Williams and Fr. Hans Zollner, SJ, speaks with clarity and honesty about one of the most painful and urgent issues facing the Church: how it listens to, responds to, and accompanies survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

Rather than offering abstract theories or institutional talking points, this piece grounds its reflections in lived experience. It challenges the Church to move beyond defensiveness and to engage survivors with humility, consistency, and genuine care.

The authors explain that healing requires listening, honesty, humility from Church leaders, and the courage lay aside institutional self-protection.

The article also discusses the risks of re-traumatization in interactions with Church representatives. Trust must be earned, and those accompanying survivors must be transparent and emotionally aware. Further, the authors call for the…

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A victims advocacy group has continued to advance allegations of coverup against Pope Leo XIV despite revelations that the accusations were made by a former priest who himself was defrocked for sexual misconduct, and who has a historic grudge against the pontiff.

On July 31, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priest (SNAP) held a press conference to again discuss allegations of the sexual abuse of several women from the Diocese of Chiclayo.

The case involves allegations made by Ana María Quispe Díaz and her two sisters against two priests in Chiclayo, Eleuterio Vásquez Gonzáles and Ricardo Yesquén, of sexually abusing them as minors.

A source with knowledge of a pending Vatican case against Vásquez Gonzáles told Crux that it has already reached a conclusion, though the results have not yet been conveyed.

Among other things, SNAP has repeated old claims that Pope Leo XIV covered up the case – allegations…

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Chicago – Survivors of clergy abuse held a news conference Thursday to speak out against alleged coverups in the U.S. in Peru by Pope Leo XIV when he was a bishop.

Ana Maria Quispe Diaz spoke with an interpreter, saying her case was directly covered up by then-Bishop Robert Prevost during his time in the Diocese of Chiclayo.

She said she reported abuse by a priest to the archbishop and a mediator in 2022. She was told by the mediator that the priest took responsibility, but he was moved to another clergy and was still able to practice.

She said Pope Leo never actually investigated the case and claimed she and other victims received mental health support, which they did not.

Now survivors and advocates are calling for accountability from the pope and the Catholic Church.

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[See also the letter by Archbishop Filippo Iannone, O. Carm., Prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts (in Italian with English translation), offering his “observations” and “negative” answer to an anonymous bishop’s question about the posting of lists of credibly accused. Iannone cites Pope Francis’ Reflection Points, no. 14.]

A Vatican opinion released shortly before Pope Francis died advises against public church listings of clergy members deemed to have been credibly accused of sexual abuse — which virtually every American diocese has.

As part of their stated commitment to transparency and healing over the decades-long clergy sex abuse crisis, all six Catholic dioceses in Illinois post public listings online that name clergy members deemed to have been credibly accused of molesting children.

So do the Diocese of Gary, which covers northwest Indiana, and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, which includes Kenosha and Walworth counties. Most of the archdioceses and…

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Chicago – A Peruvian survivor of clergy sex abuse brought her public campaign for reforms to the American hometown of Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, saying he failed in investigating her case when he was a bishop in her home country and needs to step up now as leader of the world’s Catholics.

“I’ve been quiet since the pope has been elected,” Ana María Quispe Díaz said in Spanish at a news conference in downtown Chicago. “But I’m not planning to be quiet forever.”

She appeared with members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. The advocacy group sent a letter to the pope on Thursday renewing demands for more accountability on clergy sex abuse complaints and released documents related to Díaz’s case.

The Associated Press doesn’t name people who say they were sexually assaulted unless they consent to being identified or decide to tell their stories publicly, as Díaz…

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