ABUSE TRACKER

Coping has entered into its second decade in existence, having reached its tenth birthday on December 2024. 

In many ways, the project I set out with has failed, but why? Simply because the Pope has yet to speak about us, his priests’ children. Despite repeated attempts at encouraging openness on behalf of the Holy See toward us, we, their own children, remain, an embarrassment to them, and I, an irritant, to them. So in this regard, the church has failed us, their children, yet again. It seems they haven’t the courage to face us, referring to us as “mistakes” and “dirty laundry.”

In excess of 200,000 people have come to Coping since its inception and many positive things have happened across the 10 years including the establishment of the Irish guidelines, discovery of the secret Vatican guidelines for priests not to mention the countless people who have been helped out…

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New allegations emerged linking Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz to an abuse scandal when he was secretary to Cardinal Karol Wojtyła in the Archdiocese of Krakow in the 1970s.

Catholic commentators urged the Polish Church to set up an independent commission on historic sexual abuse by its clergy, after Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, the retired former secretary to John Paul II, was accused of complicity in a paedophile scandal.

“Years of neglect and obfuscation by its hierarchy in these matters have made the Church completely unreliable as an institution capable of cleansing itself,” said Tomasz Terlikowski, a journal editor and TV director.

“This case reminds us that nothing has been concluded, and that real shocks still lie ahead for the Polish Church as more bishops and priests are named, including those once considered icons.”

Terlikowski’s was among the many reacting to allegations linking Cardinal Dziwisz, 85, to sexual misconduct while he served under…

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Back in 2018 during the “Summer of Shame,” the successor to (Cardinal) McCarrick was Donald Wuerl. The latter claimed he knew nothing of McCarrick’s crimes crying to heaven, but many were skeptical, and with good reason. He initially denied knowledge, and then admitted he did, in fact, know.

After the Vatican assured us that they would speedily get to the bottom of the McCarrick scandal, a man aligned with McCarrick and his agenda was appointed in 2019: Wilton Gregory, shortly thereafter Cardinal.

The next year, the McCarrick report was released by the Vatican in 2020. Vatican News reported that Cardinal Wilton Gregory praised the report as a “step forward in accountability.” The defendants in the case were allowed investigate their own innocence. Turns out they were innocent!

So let’s review: the Vatican is exposed by Archbishop Viganò as corrupt with McCarrick. Then the Vatican appoints a new successor who praises the report…

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Attorneys representing alleged victims of sexual abuse by priests in the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego on Tuesday criticized Pope Francis’ appointment of Cardinal Robert W. McElroy.

The bishop of San Diego is set to become the new Archbishop of Washington, D.C.

McElroy, 70, will succeed retiring Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory in March. Until a new bishop is named, an administrator will oversee the San Diego diocese on an interim basis, local church officials said.

He was named bishop of San Diego in 2015 and elevated to cardinal in 2022.

Critics accused McElroy of being an institutional defender of sex abuse in the Catholic Church and said and his appointment will continue bringing scandal to the beleaguered D.C. archdiocese.

“Cardinal McElroy has been attacked by conservatives in the Catholic Church and the political right for his progressive views. This ignores the fact that he has been anything but progressive when…

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An ex-priest allegedly caught trying to procure a 14-year-old boy for sex online in a police sting a week before Christmas left court wearing an Akubra-style hat and face mask.

Guy Norman Hartcher, a 78-year-old retired Vincentian priest, was arrested outside a South Asian minimart in Pendle Hill in western Sydney in late December after allegedly sending indecent material to a police officer posing as a teen.

He’s also been accused of trying to procure sex from the fictitious 14-year-old.

The alleged crimes took place between December 16 and December 23 when he was arrested, according to court documents.

Hartcher left Burwood Local Court on Wednesday wearing a white face mask and dark hat after his first appearance.

His solicitor Greg Walsh did not oppose an adjournment sought by prosecutors and the matter will return to court on March 5.

Hartcher did not answer questions as he pushed his way through waiting…

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Critics argue that Cardinal McElroy has been an institutional defender of sex abuse in the Catholic Church

Attorneys representing alleged victims of sexual abuse by priests in the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego Tuesday criticized Pope Francis’ appointment of Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, bishop of San Diego, to become the new Archbishop of Washington, D.C.

McElroy, 70, will succeed retiring Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory in March. Until a new bishop is named, a Diocesan administrator will oversee the San Diego diocese on an interim basis, according to the Diocese of San Diego.

McElroy was named bishop of San Diego in 2015 and elevated to cardinal in 2022.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the Catholic community in our nation’s capital and for the confidence His Holiness has placed in me, but I have truly loved the last ten years I’ve spent…

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Cardinal Robert McElroy, the bishop of San Diego who has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the hierarchy under Pope Francis, has been named the Archbishop of Washington, DC, succeeding Cardinal Wilton Gregory, whose resignation was accepted by the pope.

While any faithful Catholic will be dismayed by this news, it should come as no surprise. McElroy was always destined to leave San Diego for a more influential diocese. The very fact that the bishop of a suffragan diocese was made a Cardinal—while being under a metropolitan archbishop (Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez) who wasn’t himself a Cardinal—was unprecedented. He was clearly being groomed for greater pastures. The irony, however, is that McElroy’s appointment doesn’t increase McElroy’s influence as much as it diminishes the importance of the Archdiocese of Washington, DC.

Recall the recent history of this archdiocese. This century began with Theodore McCarrick being named the archbishop of Washington, DC in November…

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An influential Latino pastor in Arizona has been accused of hiding a camera in the women’s bathroom at his church and charged with felony voyeurism, according to Maricopa County Superior Court records.

Arturo Laguna Camas was arrested in Nov. 2024 and charged with four counts of unlawful recording, according to 12 News. He was later indicted on voyeurism charges, class 5 felonies, AZFamilyNews  reported.

Camas is the pastor of a small Latino immigrant church, the Casa de Adoracion, in Phoenix.

A message left for church officials after hours was not returned and the church’s Facebook page has been deactivated. The church is affiliated with the Disciples of Christ denomination.

Police reportedly were responding to a domestic violence call at a home on Nov. 11, 2024, when they learned that a camera had been found in…

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An investigation that started following a report from a student’s father, has led to a teacher being arrested on multiple charges.

The report to Montrose Police Department over on-going, inappropriate communications between a teacher and student at Colorado West Christian School was received December 31.

Lisa Thyre, 44, was arrested on January 3 on an arrest warrant following the investigation into the alleged activities between Thyre and a teenage student at the school.

Thyre was booked into the Montrose County Jail on the following felony charges and held on a $10,000 bond: Unlawful electronic sexual communications (persuade to meet); unlawful sexual communications (expose or touch); conspiracy to commit tampering with physical evidence; and tampering with physical evidence.

Police detectives are continuing their investigation to determine if there are additional witnesses, or information related to this case. Administrators with Colorado West Christian School are cooperating fully with law enforcement officials in…

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[This article is a substantially updated version of an article with the same title that we included in Abuse Tracker yesterday.]

McElroy, known for a pastoral approach to migrants and the LGBTQ+ community, will lead an archdiocese still bruised by a sexual abuse and mismanagement scandal.

The Vatican on Monday named one of the leading liberal prelates in the United States to run the prominent Washington-area archdiocese, sending to the nation’s capital, as a second Trump administration begins, a cleric known for a pastoral approach to migrants and for the “radical inclusion” of the LGBTQ+ community.

That approach came throughprominently as San Diego Cardinal Robert McElroy made his first appearance after the announcement. Speaking at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, the new archbishop delivered a message of unity and gratitude.

He thanked Pope Francis, celebrated African Americans as “so foundational” to his new archdiocese and addressed…

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Abuse survivors and their attorneys are pressuring the Archdiocese of San Francisco for more transparency, which remains the only Roman Catholic diocese in California that has not released an internal list of priests suspected of sexually abusing minors

Blasting Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone for his steadfast refusal to release a list of suspected abusers within the ranks of San Francisco clergy, abuse survivors and their attorneys publicly named living priests who they say abused them for years.

One of the priests, Reverend Lawrence Finegan, was named in a 2022 lawsuit filed by Sandra Oldfield, who alleges she was sexually abused as a teenager by Finegan. Oldfield is named as Jane Doe in the complaint but recently decided to go public with her story in hopes of pressuring the Archdiocese to be more transparent about decades of accusations of sexual abuse by priests.

Oldfield was joined by her attorneys, advocates, and other…

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New peer says issue of children and religious institutions is at centre of public debate

A Catholic expert on social care appointed a life peer in the New Year Honours believes “we have never listened properly to children.”

“That is the heart of the problem of abuse and much else,” Gerard Lemos, who is the Chair of English Heritage, told The Tablet.

Lemos launched his book Childhood and Contemporary Catholicism in November in Rome 24 hours before Justin Welby resigned as Archbishop of Canterbury after a crisis triggered by his mishandling of the abuser John Smyth,

“The issue of children and religious institutions is once more at the forefront of public debate,” said Lemos, who is Chair of National Savings & Investments (NS&I), and Chair of London Institute of Banking and Finance.

He told The Tablet: “Sometime after I enter the Lords in February parliament will debate assisted dying. On grounds of conscience and…

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A pair of priests who have been accused of molestation have since disappeared from the San Francisco Archdiocese’s list of priests in good standing. Attorneys representing people accusing the clergy of sexual abuse when they were children say they believe the priests were quietly removed from ministry in response to the allegations against them.

“I think they’re feeling heat,” said Jennifer Stein, an attorney representing one of the alleged victims who filed a lawsuit in 2022 accusing Rev. Lawrence J. Finegan of sexual abuse. “They’re feeling the pressure of having perpetrators on their good standing list with known allegations that have been public, and publicly available, for years, and in this case, for decades.”

Stein’s client, Sandra Oldfield, notified the archdiocese of the allegation around 1990, she said. She went to the police in 2002.

But Finegan’s name was on a list called “Priests and Deacons with Faculties (approved for…

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Pope Francis has tapped Cardinal Robert McElroy as the new archbishop of Washington, D.C., appointing one of his top U.S. allies, one of the American church’s most forceful defenders of migrants and a sharp critic of Donald Trump’s first administration just days before Trump takes office a second time.

McElroy of San Diego will succeed retiring Cardinal Wilton Gregory, 77, who has led the Washington Archdiocese since 2019, where he became the city’s first African American archbishop. In 2020, Francis elevated him to the College of Cardinals, making him the first Black U.S. cardinal. 

News of the appointment was first reported, including by the National Catholic Reporter, on Jan. 5. Official confirmation was published in the Vatican’s daily bulletin on Jan. 6.

Over the last decade, McElroy has become one of the most vocal champions of Pope Francis’ pastoral agenda among the U.S. hierarchy. He has frequently echoed…

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Pope Francis has appointed San Diego’s Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, 70, as the new archbishop of Washington. The Vatican announced the appointment at noon today, Jan. 6, the feast of the Epiphany.

Cardinal McElroy succeeds Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, who has served as chief pastor of the Washington archdiocese since April 2019 and whose resignation the pope accepted two years after he reached the retirement age of 75. The cardinal turned 77 on Dec. 7, 2024.

Pope Francis’ decision to appoint Cardinal McElroy came as no surprise in Rome where he has long been seen as the U.S. bishop best qualified to lead the archdiocese in the nation’s capital at this delicate moment in the history of both the United States and the world. The migration question has become a major concern and wars are being waged in the Holy Land and Ukraine. The United States is deeply involved in…

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The appointment of Cardinal Robert McElroy as the eighth archbishop of Washington, D.C., demonstrates the degree to which Pope Francis understands the situation of the church in the U.S. The pope found the man best suited to meet this moment both in the life of the church and the life of the nation.

To the capital of a deeply polarized nation, the pope has sent the only U.S. bishop who could be considered a scholar of American political history and its intersection with Catholic theology. 

For a flavor of McElroy’s unique combination of intellectual and pastoral depth, consider this speech he gave at a migration conference held in the weeks after Trump’s victory in 2016. He said that “there is a profound sickness in the soul in American political life. This sickness tears at the fabric of our nation’s unity, undermining the core democratic consensus that is the…

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(OSV News) — Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of San Diego has been appointed the next archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, following Pope Francis’ acceptance of the resignation of Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, the first African American cardinal, the Vatican announced Jan. 6.

The see city is home to the White House, Congress, Supreme Court and a multitude of embassies, nonprofits, think tanks and lobbying groups seeking to sway the levers of American power.

Canon law required Cardinal Gregory, 77, to submit his resignation to the pope when the cardinal turned 75, which was Dec. 7, 2022. The Vatican announced the news of Cardinal Gregory’s retirement and Cardinal McElroy’s appointment two weeks before the second inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in Washington.

The 70-year-old Cardinal McElroy — a San Francisco native who pursued degrees at Harvard and Stanford before his 1980 priestly ordination — was appointed as bishop of the…

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LONDON, Jan 6 (Reuters) – Following is a chronology of major events during Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby‘s 11-year tenure as leader of the Church of England and spiritual head of the worldwide Anglican community. Welby, 69, resigned in November over an abuse scandal and was expected to wind up his duties by Monday.

2012

NOVEMBER – Welby, who was then the bishop of Durham, was named as the new Archbishop of Canterbury after Queen Elizabeth II, supreme governor of the Church, nominated him.

2013

MARCH – Welby’s enthronement at Canterbury Cathedral marked several firsts: one of the chaplains who led him to the cathedral was the first woman to hold the post, and he became the first archbishop to be enthroned by a female cleric.

JULY – Welby, a former oil executive, pledged to put now-defunct payday lender Wonga out of existence, throwing his support behind not-for-profit credit unions.

2014

FEBRUARY…

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LONDON (AP) — Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby ’s tenure officially ends Monday, two months after he resigned following an inquiry that found he failed to tell police about serial abuse by a volunteer at Christian summer camps as soon as he became aware of it.

Welby, the head of Church of England and spiritual leader of the global Anglican Communion, will lay down his bishop’s crozier – a ceremonial long staff – in a symbolic act that marks the end of his ministry. Most of his official functions will be delegated to the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, as the church embarks on the lengthy process of selecting a new leader.

Welby had announced in November that he would resign after an independent investigation into the late John Smyth, a prominent attorney who the inquiry said sexually, psychologically and physically abused about 30 boys and young men in the United Kingdom…

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By the end of Monday, Justin Welby will have symbolically laid down his ceremonial staff and relinquished his role as Archbishop of Canterbury.

After spending little time in public since his resignation, Mr Welby is expected to spend his final day leading the Church of England privately at his London base of Lambeth Palace.

His duties will then mainly pass to the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, until a permanent successor is appointed, a process that is expected to take several months.

It comes as many important changes are being debated by the Church, including on safeguarding – the issue linked to Mr Welby’s resignation and one that has led to questions about Mr Cottrell.

On Monday, the feast of Epiphany in the Christian calendar, Mr Welby will attend two services at Lambeth Palace, a Eucharist at lunchtime and Evensong later in the day.

Though his office has not disclosed…

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Justin Welby is spending his final day as Archbishop of Canterbury, as he prepares to step down over failures in handling a Church of England abuse scandal.

Almost two months after announcing his resignation, he will officially quit the role today.

It follows an independent review which concluded barrister and Christian camp leader John Smyth – thought to have been the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church – might have been brought to justice had Mr Welby formally reported him to police in 2013.

The Archbishop has made few public appearances since mid-November, and did not give the traditional Christmas Day sermon from Canterbury Cathedral.

While in his initial resignation statement on November 12 he said he was stepping down ‘in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse’, he had to issue an apology later that month following his final speech in the House of Lords.

On…

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The Vineyard Church in Duluth, Minnesota, and its parent organization, Vineyard USA, have been named in nine civil lawsuits alongside Jackson Gatlin, a former young adult and online community pastor at The Vineyard Church who accepted a plea deal in November for criminal sexual conduct with a child.

Gatlin, 36, was charged in 2023 with sexually abusing five teenage girls but pleaded guilty to only one count of sexual assault. On four other counts, he entered an Alford plea where he admitted there is sufficient evidence to find him guilty during a trial but maintained his innocence. He will likely spend at least 13 years in prison and have to register as a sex offender when his sentence is complete.

Also named in the civil lawsuits are Gatlin’s parents, Fox 21 reports. His father, Michael Gatlin, was a senior pastor at The Vineyard Church,…

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Lindsey Whiteside, a former youth minister with Getwell Church in Hernando, Mississippi, is now facing 30 years in prison after she was charged with having sex with an underage girl under her guardianship.

Church officials did not respond to calls for comment from The Christian Post on Friday, but court documents cited by Action News 5 allege that Whiteside, 26, knowingly had sex with the minor between May 14 and Nov. 6, 2024.

“We can confirm that the December Grand Jury of DeSoto County has indicted Lindsey Whiteside on the charge of sexual battery of a minor child by a person of trust or authority,” DeSoto County District Attorney Matthew Barton said in a statement. “Prior to this indictment, Lindsey Whiteside served as a youth ministry leader and basketball coach—positions that carry a profound responsibility to protect and guide others.”

Church members told Action…

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McElroy, known for a pastoral approach to migrants and the LGBTQ+ community, will lead an archdiocese still bruised by a sexual abuse and mismanagement scandal.

The Vatican named one of the United States’ leading liberal Catholic prelates Monday to run the prominent D.C.-area archdiocese, sending to the nation’s capital as a second Trump administration begins a cleric known for a pastoral approach to migrants and for the “radical inclusion” of the LGBTQ+ community.

San Diego Cardinal Robert McElroy, who has led a diocese that runs the length of California’s southern border with Mexico for a decade, will take over an archdiocese still bruised by a major sexual abuse and mismanagement scandal that broke in 2018.

McElroy, who holds a political science doctorate from Stanford University, is considered by some Catholics to be a leading intellectual closely aligned with Pope Francis — and, by others, too direct at times on secular…

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ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Monday named Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego as the archbishop of Washington, tapping one of his most progressively like-minded allies to head the Catholic Church in the U.S. capital at the start of the second Trump Administration.

McElroy, 70, replaces Cardinal Wilton Gregory, who at 77 is two years beyond the normal retirement age for bishops.

The Vatican announced the appointment in a statement Monday.

Francis has long had his eye on McElroy, making him bishop of San Diego in 2015 and then elevating him as a cardinal in 2022.

McElroy has been one of a minority of U.S. bishops harshly criticizing the campaign to exclude Catholic politicians who support abortion rights from Communion, a campaign Francis has publicly criticized by insisting that bishops must be pastors, not politicians.

He has also questioned why the U.S. bishops’ conference, which has leaned conservative in its…

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The appointment of Robert W. McElroy is a signal of the pope’s priorities, two weeks before Donald J. Trump’s term begins.

Pope Francis on Monday named Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, bishop of San Diego, to be the next Roman Catholic archbishop of Washington, moving one of his most vocal allies on immigration to one of the most prominent posts in the American church.

The move, announced in the Vatican’s daily bulletin, comes at a critical moment two weeks before President-elect Donald J. Trump is inaugurated and sends a signal about Pope Francis’ priorities. Many powerful American Catholics, including Vice President-elect JD Vance, have aligned themselves with Mr. Trump’s efforts against immigration and abortion.

Cardinal McElroy, 70, is a longtime supporter of the pope’s pastoral agenda, and is known for regularly speaking out on the inclusion of migrants, women and L.G.B.T.Q. people in the Catholic church and in the United…

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Based on the story of Myriam, the Mexican nun who bravely denounced sexual abuse, Breaking the silence is a gift to our readers.

Although Breaking the Silence includes three previously published texts on sexual abuse from Los Ángeles Press, it also features two new chapters and an unpublished introduction.

Breaking the silence is a bilingual, English-Spanish electronic book reporting on Myriam’s case while summarizing information about one of the most specific forms of the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, the abuse of nuns by priests.

Back in September 2024, the legal team supporting a Mexican nun, a victim of repeated sexual abuse, provided me with the electronic case file detailing her harrowing experience, as it stood then. Reading the file was a profoundly distressing experience.

Although I had previously encountered judicial narratives linked to the clergy sexual abuse crisis, Myriam’s story shocked me deeply. The repeated abuse she endured—not by one but several…

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Appointing new archbishop of Canterbury likely to take months after Welby’s resignation over abuse scandal

Justin Welby will relinquish his role as archbishop of Canterbury at midnight on Monday, formally starting the firing gun in the search for a new de facto leader of the Church of England and the global Anglican church.

The process is expected to take months, with the name of the new archbishop unlikely to be announced until the autumn.

Welby quit over failures to take effective action against a sadistic serial abuser. An independent review concluded that John Smyth, an eminent barrister and Christian camp leader who abused as many as 130 boys and young men over five decades, might have been brought to justice had Welby formally reported him to police in 2013.

The unprecedented resignation of the most senior cleric in the C of E has plunged the church into a crisis, with no clear…

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The Kentucky Supreme Court has upheld the sentences of two Hopkinsville woman who were convicted in the abuse of children at the First United Methodist Church Daycare in 2018.

According to the Office of Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, the abuse was first reported in 2018 with when 27-year-old Allison Simpson—who was the primary teacher in the daycare—would regularly throw children down onto the floor when she was upset with the child, and would ‘pat’ the child so roughly that it made co-workers believe she was beating them. They reported the instances to parents, who in turn contacted the Hopkinsville Police Department.

An investigation began, and after reviewing roughly 1,000 hours of footage, police arrested both Simpson at 57-year-old Nina Morgan, who also worked in the nursery. Ultimately, the two were convicted in 2022, with Simpson sentenced to serve a 20-year prison sentence and Morgan sentenced to one-year.

Both appealed…

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ACCORDING to his official website, the Most Revd and Rt Hon Stephen Cottrell, the ninety-eighth Archbishop of York and second-in-command of the Church of England, has a track record in evangelism. In 1998, as the Diocesan Missioner and Bishop’s Chaplain for Evangelism in the Diocese of Wakefield, he joined Springboard, which was the Archbishop of York and Canterbury’s team for evangelism. To connect with the unsaved masses, he adopted nearby Huddersfield Town as his football team, while maintaining loyalty to his original, southern favourite Spurs.

Evangelism is the endeavour through which Christians communicate the good news of God, namely his indiscriminate and everlasting love for humanity. It is the sort of endeavour which makes churches grow, something that the Church of England, whose declining attendance figures suggest extinction within forty years, desperately needs to get right. The Church, whose congregations are overwhelmingly elderly, needs to attract children and young people…

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An abuse survivors’ network has endorsed one survivor’s decision to reject his King’s Service Medal, citing the Government’s “failure” to do “justice by faith-based survivors”.

Mike Ledingham, 74, was named in the 2025 New Year Honours on Tuesday for services to survivors of abuse in care – one of several survivors recognised.

Ledingham, who primarily lives in Maketū, Bay of Plenty, announced on social media on Tuesday night he could not accept the honour.

He told NZME he rejected the appointment because he believed faith-based abuse survivors were being “sent back” to the institutions that abused them to ask for redress.

“I don’t think that’s right … Where is the integrity in sending victims back to their abuser or the abusing organisation to somehow get redress?”

In response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into abuse in care, the Government is planning a new single redress system for survivors this year.

…

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Members of the Clergy of the Catholic Diocese of Man in Ivory Coast have expressed their regrets over the fallout with their Local Ordinary that resulted in the 27 December 2024 appointment of Jean-Pierre Cardinal Kutwa as Apostolic Administrator “Sede plena” of the Ivorian Episcopal See.

In a statement issued on December 31, the Catholic Priests acknowledge with “regrets” the “unfortunate situation” of Man Diocese following their fallout with Bishop Gaspard Béby Gnéba and reach out to the people of God in the Diocese for forgiveness.

The appointment of Cardinal Kutwa, the Archbishop emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abidjan in Ivory Coast, followed a fallout between Bishop Gnéba and his Clergy over the former’s directives to the faithful to denounce the latter’s infidelity to their Priestly vocation and ministry. 

“Any lay faithful who knows that a Priest is not faithful to his celibacy, that he has a wife or a child, that he has committed…

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A private Catholic school in San Diego is at risk of closing and parents are rallying to keep its doors open.

Saint Katharine Drexel Academy, a private Catholic school in San Diego, is at risk of closing at the end of the school year unless it raises $500,000 and increases enrollment by 30 students by the end of January. 

On Oct. 18, the Catholic Diocese of San Diego informed parents that the school could no longer cover its budget deficit, leaving the SKDA community scrambling to save their institution.

The school, which opened six years ago with 150 students, has seen a sharp decline in enrollment, now standing at just 95 students as of Christmas Break. 

“We certainly have less financial flexibility, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s an enrollment problem,” Kevin Eckery a spokesperson for the diocese said. 

While declining enrollment is the primary issue,…

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Allegations of sexual abuse against children within churches across the globe reveal a disturbing pattern that spans decades and continents. Reports from 18 countries have surfaced, highlighting thousands of cases where children, including boys, were victimized by clergy and other church officials. Many survivors do not come forward until later in life, often after the age of 50, when the opportunity for justice is limited due to the passage of time and the aging or death of the perpetrators.

Church institutions are often accused of suppressing these cases, silencing victims, and shielding accused clergy members. Instead of facing consequences, many accused priests are reassigned to different locations, where their actions often remain hidden from the public eye. In some cases, the institutions offer public apologies or financial settlements to address the fallout from scandals, but critics argue that these measures do little to prevent future abuse.

Historical data points to systemic abuse dating…

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Landmark ruling highlights disclosure in insurance claims

Guardian Insurance has secured a significant legal victory in a case involving the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John’s, Newfoundland, with a court ruling that the insurer is not obligated to cover settlements for historical sexual abuse claims.

According to a report from the International Comparative Legal Guides (ICLG), the Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court declared a policy issued in the 1980s void due to the archdiocese’s failure to disclose known incidents of sexual abuse by clergy, which was deemed “fraudulent misrepresentation.”

The decision, issued by Justice Peter Browne in late December 2024, adds further financial strain to the archdiocese, which has been under bankruptcy protection since 2021. The church has been liquidating assets to meet $104 million in settlement obligations, managing to raise just $44 million to date.

Non-disclosure of abuse

Central to the court’s findings was evidence that the Roman Catholic…

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Hundreds of people who say they suffered physical or sexual abuse at two state-run reform schools in Florida are in line to receive tens of thousands of dollars in restitution from the state, after Florida lawmakers formally apologized for the horrors they endured as children more than 50 years ago.

At its peak in the Jim Crow 1960s, 500 boys were housed at what is now known as the Dozier School for Boys, most of them for minor offenses such as petty theft, truancy or running away from home. Orphaned and abandoned children were also sent to the school, which was open for more than a century.

In recent years, hundreds of men have come forward to recount brutal beatings, sexual assaults, deaths and disappearances at the notorious school in the panhandle town of Marianna. Nearly 100 boys died between 1900 and 1973 at Dozier, some of them from gunshot wounds or…

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During a classroom discussion, a teacher at Elms College asked students to assess the credibility of two sexual assault lawsuits filed against another student, the college and college administrators, according to amended complaints filed in federal court.

The lawsuits, filed in October 2024, were amended earlier this week. The amended complaints describe how the cases were discussed in a sociology class taught in November by Kathleen Angco-Vieweg, then an adjunct professor at the Chicopee, Massachusetts, college.

Angco-Vieweg passed out copies of the lawsuits and asked members of the class if they knew the identities of the students who allege they were sexually assaulted by student Cody McCann, according to the filings.

“The class then included a breakout session, where the class was broken up into groups, and the groups were ordered to read copies of the Complaint and discuss whether they believed the Plaintiff’s version of the events – whether…

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Guatemalan authorities rescued 160 children and adolescents from the fundamentalist Jewish sect Lev Tahor in southeastern Guatemala on Friday following allegations of child abuse, including rape, prosecutors said.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

The rescue operation in the agricultural municipality of Oratorio, 78 kilometers (48.47 miles) southeast of Guatemala City, highlights ongoing concerns over the controversial practices of the Lev Tahor sect, which has faced similar allegations in the past.

KEY QUOTE

“Based on the statements of the complainants, the evidence obtained, and the medical examinations, it was possible to establish that there are forms of human trafficking against these minors, such as forced marriage, abuse, and related crimes,” Nancy Paiz, a prosecutor at Guatemala’s Prosecutor’s Office Against Human Trafficking, said at a press conference.

CONTEXT

The Lev Tahor community, founded in 1988 in Israel, practice an austere form of Judaism with interpretations of Jewish law that includes long prayer sessions and…

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The law enforcement raid on Friday is the latest legal action against the group, which is often described as a cult.

Authorities in Guatemala raided the compound of Lev Tahor, an extremist Jewish sect, and removed 160 children and teenagers after allegations of abuse and human trafficking.

The law enforcement raid on Friday is the latest legal action against the group, which is often described as a cult. In 2022, two leaders of the sect were given 12 years in prison on charges of kidnapping children and exploiting them for sexual purposes. Earlier this year, three members of Lev Tahor were sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for child exploitation and kidnapping after abducting a pair of siblings ages 12 and 14.

Friday’s operation involved almost 480 Guatemalan government personnel, who entered the compound after several minors escaped and got in contact with authorities. The raid followed multiple unsuccessful attempts…

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A Sikh priestwho admitted sexually assaulting children in the 1980s has been jailed for more than 24 years.

The incidents took place in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, between 1983 and 1987, including at a gurdwara, a Sikh place of worship.

Makhan Singh Mauji, of North Priors Court, Northampton, was a Granthi – a ceremonial reader of the Guru Granth Sahib – who would “invade the lives” of his victims, police said.

The 71-year-old pleaded guilty to a string of sexual offences during a trial at Cambridge Crown Court, where he was sentenced on Friday.

Judge Hurst said Mauji had inflicted “deep emotional scars using a significant breach of trust”, and the sentence reflected the severity of his crimes.

The offences involved three victims who were aged between eight and 14 at the time.

He was sentenced for 11 counts of indecent assault, one count of attempted rape, and two counts of gross indecency…

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A Wichita Falls pastor convicted of child sex crimes has died while serving prison time.

A custodial death report from the Texas Attorney General’s Office confirms Ronnie Killingsworth died in custody at 12:20 a.m. Thursday.

He had been incarcerated in the Pack Unit in Navasota in Grimes County and was transported to the hospital for shortness of breath, according to the report filed Thursday afternoon. Killingsworth was later pronounced dead at the hospital with a preliminary cause of death of cardiac arrest and respiratory failure.

Killingsworth died a natural death, according to the report. Results are pending from an evaluation by a medical examiner or coroner to determine cause of death.

He was 79 years old and suffered from heart trouble, according to testimony in his trial.

Killingsworth, longtime pastor of Rephidim Church, was convicted in May of sexually abusing three underage girls who attended his church.

The trial in…

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Lindsey Whiteside, 26, is alleged to have sexually assaulted a child between May 14 and November 6, 2024, say officials

A former Mississippi youth pastor has been accused of sexually assaulting an underage girl, say officials.

Lindsey Whiteside, 26, from Starkville, was arrested on November 21 after she allegedly sexually assaulted a minor between May 14 and November 6, 2024, according to District Attorney Matthew Barton and DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office officials.

Whiteside was indicted on one count of felony sexual battery of a minor by a grand jury on December 13, reported ABC24.

In addition, it’s alleged that Whiteside engaged in the inappropriate relations while the child was under her guardianship, reported the outlet.

“We can confirm that the December Grand Jury of DeSoto County has indicted Lindsey Whiteside on the charge of sexual battery of a minor child by a person of trust or authority”, said DeSoto…

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Advocates are wondering what’s next after a set of bills that would have given sexual assault survivors in Michigan more time to come forward failed to pass the legislature before the end of the year.

The “Justice for Survivors” package, SB 1187 through 1192, would have extended the civil statute of limitations for sexual assault survivors, giving them more time to report after processing what happened.

The current statute of limitations for child sexual abuse survivors to bring civil action goes until their 28th birthday, or three years after realizing they were a victim of criminal sexual conduct. The bills would have extended it up to 10 years after the incident, seven years after a survivor realizes they were the victim of a crime or their 52nd birthday, whichever comes latest.Why survivors of sexual assault may take time to report

“For…

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A Catholic priest who formerly worked in Louisville and was confirmed to have molested five boys by the local Archdiocese in 2005 is facing new charges.

Joseph Mouser, 86, was arrested by Marion County Sheriff’s Department deputies Thursday morning on charges of first- and second-degree sodomy involving a child 12 or younger and first-degree child sexual abuse for the alleged occurrences that happened between 1989 and 1993.

Archdiocese records show that Mouser, one of 48 archdiocese priests and members of religious orders credibly accused of child sexual abuse, abused four boys when he was assigned to St. Helen Catholic Church from 1968 to 1972 and a fifth when he was at St. Francis of Assisi from 1973 to 1979. He was not charged criminally.

Mouser was previously ordered by the Vatican to stop functioning as a priest and asked to live a life of “prayer and penance” by the Holy See,…

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A priest who formerly worked in Louisville is facing charges of child sex abuse and this isn’t the first time he’s been accused.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A priest who formerly worked in Louisville is facing charges of child sex abuse, and this isn’t the first time he’s been accused.

Joseph Mouser, 86, was removed from public ministry in 2002 and is facing new charges of child sodomy and sexual abuse. The alleged abuse happened 35 years ago.

Although the accusations against the 86-year-old are new, court records state the incidents happened between 1989 and 1991.

The victim was younger than 12.

Melanie Sakoda works as the support director for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

“Given the background of this particular priest, I don’t think there’s any question that he is capable of doing just this,” she said.

He was one of two dozen priests listed in…

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SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – An arrest in April sent shockwaves throughout two communities that are separated by 1,400 miles.

An employee working at a Catholic district in Dubuque, Iowa, a town of about 60,000 people that borders both Wisconsin and Illinois, reported sexual abuse allegations from former altar boys to the Dubuque Police Department in May of 2023.

“They had somebody come and report to them what was going on and they brought it to our attention, which started the investigation,” says Luke Bock from the Dubuque Police Department.

That investigation led to 5 sexual abuse charges stemming from the 1980s being filed against Father Leo Riley, a priest who worked in Iowa until transferring to Florida in the early 2000s.

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office made the arrest at the priest’s home in Port Charlotte 11 months after the investigation started.

“A lot of the interviews that he conducted…

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Insurer will not pay out as judge rules failure to disclose sexual abuse claims constitutes fraudulent misrepresentation.

In a case which has its roots in the 1970s, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St John’s has been dealt a knockout blow in its efforts to compel its insurer to cover part of the settlement costs arising from historical sexual abuse cases. In one of the last judgments issued prior to the Christmas shutdown, the Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court ruled that an insurance policy issued by Guardian Insurance in the 1980s was void due to the non-disclosure of material information by the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St John’s (RCEC).

After a protracted trial, Justice Peter Browne found that the RCEC’s failure to disclose known incidents of sexual abuse by clergy when applying for and renewing its insurance policy constituted fraudulent misrepresentation, with the decision adding another layer of financial burden to…

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Thousands of children and vulnerable adults, in our state and throughout the world, have been molested in the last several decades by Catholic clergy and by other denominations.

Although 28 states already mandate clergy to report any form of child maltreatment, New York has yet to approve such an important protection.

So, if a clergy member in our state suspects that a child in the congregation has been abused, that clergyperson isn’t legally required to report it.

New Yorkers should contact their state senators and ask that they quickly pass the Child Abuse Reporting Expansion Act, Senate bill S3158, aka the CARE ACT. The Assembly approved the legislation last year. If approved by the Senate and signed by the governor, this legislation will require clergy in New York to be mandated reporters of abuse – as all other professionals in our state who are in contact with children and adults.

…

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Attorneys-general offices from Australia’s states and territories will meet next week to consider urgent legislative reforms after a contentious court decision that a Catholic diocese was not liable for the clerical abuse of a five-year-old boy.

The High Court ruled in November that the Ballarat diocese, in regional Victoria, could not be held responsible for misconduct by its former priest, Father Bryan Coffey, because he could not be legally considered an employee of the church.

The landmark decision has upended thousands of legal cases against religious orders nationwide, including more than 1800 civil claims currently before courts in Victoria.

The Ballarat diocese and its current bishop, Paul Bird, were initially sued in the Supreme Court of Victoria by a man who said he was sexually assaulted by Coffey at his parents’ home in Port Fairy, in south-west Victoria, in 1971.

The man, known in court documents as DP, has spoken…

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The former head of The Episcopal Church will have to apologize to the family of a bishop who was suspended under allegations of abusing his ex-wife and two sons.

Current Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, who was installed last November, issued a letter on Monday announcing a resolution to a complaint against former Presiding Bishop Rev. Michael Curry and Bishop Todd Ousley, in his former capacity of intake officer for Title IV allegations against bishops, filed by the family of Bishop Prince Singh.

According to the complaint, Curry and Ousley failed to properly implement The Episcopal Church’s Title IV disciplinary canons when handling the allegations against Singh.

Curry “has agreed to write an apology to the complainants, who alleged that he did not appropriately oversee the allegations against Bishop Singh,” according to Rowe. In addition, Ousley “will also write an apology to the complainants” and will also “complete training…

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A Wisconsin judge last week ordered that a sexual assault case against disgraced former cardinal Theodore McCarrick will remain paused until the laicized clergyman dies. 

The criminal case against McCarrick in Wisconsin was suspended in January after a psychologist hired by the court found that the former prelate was not competent to stand trial. 

The misdemeanor sexual assault charges in the case relate to an incident that allegedly occurred in April 1977 near a house by Geneva Lake near Elkhorn.

Court records indicate that Walworth County Circuit Court Judge David Reddy on Dec. 27 said the trial will not resume before the 94-year-old passes away. McCarrick is reportedly suffering from dementia. 

Prosecutors told the court they were “not ready to dismiss this matter” and asked that the trial remain “in suspended status.” McCarrick’s attorney Jerome Buting countered that McCarrick’s “extreme deterioration” should lead the court…

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A Wisconsin judge ruled Friday that a sexual assault case against Theodore McCarrick will remain suspended for the remainder of McCarrick’s life, but that the charges against the former cardinal can not legally be dropped or the case dismissed.

Walworth County Judge David Reddy told McCarrick’s lawyers Dec. 27 that while he is not competent to grant their request to dismiss the case, it will remain in permanent suspension until McCarrick’s eventual death.

Earlier this year, Reddy suspended the criminal trial against McCarrick, 94, after a court-appointed psychologist found the former cardinal incompetent to participate in his own defense. The new ruling extended that suspension, meaning that McCarrick will not face a criminal judge during his lifetime.

At a hearing last week, which McCarrick did not attend, Reddy said that state laws on trial competency prohibit a judge from formally dismissing charges against a defendant found incompetent to stand trial.

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ELKHORN (WLUK) – The criminal sexual assault case against former Roman Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick will remain open but suspended until his death, as a judge ruled the case would not be dismissed.

McCarrick, the ex-archbishop of Washington, D.C., was defrocked by Pope Francis in 2019 after an internal Vatican investigation determined he sexually molested adults as well as children.

McCarrick, 94, was charged in Wisconsin in April 2023 with one count of fourth-degree sexual assault for an incident that occurred in April of 1977. The charge stems from a complaint which alleges McCarrick engaged in repeated sexual abuse of the victim over time, including the charged incident that involved the alleged fondling of the victim’s genitals while staying as a guest at a Geneva Lake residence.

McCarrick was found to be not competent to stand trial, meaning he couldn’t understand the court proceedings…

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Thursday, 2 January 2025, 11:40 am
Press Release: SNAP

New Zealand’s Catholic bishops issued a Pastoral Letter on 17 November 2024 after the Prime Minister delivered his apology to victims and survivors of abuse in care. However, survivors of Catholic Church clergy and religious abuse are bewildered by the claims made in that Letter.

One of the striking differences between the public apology given by the Prime Minister and the bishops’ Letter is that the Prime Minister was clear when he distinguished between “us” “you,” and “them,” says the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Instead, the bishops’ Letter was addressed to church attendees and focused mainly on the bishops’ alleged response to abuse.

General comments such as “we have met with many survivors” lacked proof. “How many is ‘many’? Two or three?” asked Barbara Taylor, a survivor-support worker for SNAP Aotearoa.

SNAP’s New Zealand…

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“Forgive us our trespasses: grant us your peace” is Pope Francis’ theme for the World Day of Peace, today, Jan. 1, 2025. His plea is for a year blessed by forgiveness — forgiveness between nations, forgiveness between individuals. His appeal is a challenge and an opportunity not just to give and receive forgiveness, but to better understand what forgiveness is — and what it is not. 

His timing couldn’t have been better, since forgiveness is increasingly questioned as a therapeutic goal and a Christian aspiration. In 2023, Presidential Medal of Freedom awardee Jesuit Fr. Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries, won awards for his compellingly titled book Forgive Everyone Everything. At the same time, other voices have begged to differ. Forgiveness isn’t meant for everyone, they insist, and not everything can or should be forgiven. 

One such…

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A federal judge in New York refused to allow Rudy Giuliani to hide a list of witnesses he plans to call at next month’s trial over whether he will have to turn over his multimillion dollar Florida condominium to the two Georgia election workers he defamed to the tune of $148 million.

U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman said on Monday that Giuliani filed his witness list under seal on Dec. 23, despite the fact that the court had “neither directed nor permitted this list to be filed under seal.” The judge then ordered the clerk of the court to unseal the document on the court’s public docket.

The failure to abide by the court’s processes and procedures in the latest in a long line of mishaps on Giuliani’s end in the contentious…

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The courts have ruled against the Catholic Church in its quest to have its insurer return premiums paid as it withheld knowledge of allegations of sexual abuse by clergy members, including the notorious Father James Hickey.

Justice Peter Browne of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador has ruled that information about the abuse was intentionally concealed or misrepresented to the insurer, Guardian. Had it been disclosed, Justice Browne concluded that any reasonable insurer would have declined the risk.

Justice Browne described the actions of the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation as a reckless dismissal of the truth of the allegations against clergy and that the church placed itself directly liable to the children who were sexually abused.

Guardian did pay out some of the earlier claims by the church but changed its position nearly 15 years ago when it voided the policy, releasing itself from further financial obligation.

Justice Browne…

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• Mike Ledingham has announced he will reject the King’s Service Medal he was awarded in the New Year’s Honours list.
• He announced his decision on social media on Tuesday night, explaining the decision came after much “soul-searching”.
• Ledingham and his brothers were abused by a priest and he has been an advocate for survivors for decades.

An abuse survivor who has spent 20 years campaigning for the redress and improvement of child safety in faith-based care settings has rejected the King’s Service Medal he was awarded in the 2025 New Year Honours list.

Mike Ledingham announced his decision on social media last night – explaining it had been made after “a lot of soul searching”.

The Te Puke man had been recognised for his services to survivors of abuse in care.

“Mr Mike Ledingham wrote The Catholic Boys (2019), which outlined the effects of the abuse experienced by him and…

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The complaint that Curry and Bishop Todd Ousley mishandled physical and emotional abuse allegations against a Michigan bishop was met with a pastoral response.

(RNS) — An Episcopal Church investigation into possible misconduct by former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and Bishop Todd Ousley, a former Office of Pastoral Development official, concluded Monday (Dec. 30) with a pastoral response, according to an announcement from Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe.

Curry and Ousley were the subjects of a clergy misconduct complaint brought by the family of Bishop Prince Singh, the former bishop of the Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan. Singh’s sons told Curry in December 2022 that their father had physically and emotionally abused them, but Curry’s office did not launch an investigation into their case until the brothers went public with their allegations in June 2023. The Singh sons were later joined by their mother, who alleged that in February 2023,…

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Decrees issued by Bishop Michael W. Fisher to close or merge Catholic parishes in Western New York make it clear that the sale of parish properties could help fund a settlement in bankruptcy court of hundreds of sex abuse claims against the Buffalo Diocese.

Diocese officials have been reluctant to spell out publicly how they intend to raise enough money in settling nearly 900 claims that accuse diocese priests and employees of abusing minors decades ago.

[PHOTO: “Additionally, due to our need to amass a substantial sum of money to settle numerous civil claims in Federal Bankruptcy Court,” a decree from Bishop Michael Fisher (above) reads, “the possibility of alienating this property has also been suggested.” – Derek Gee, Buffalo News]

But language in Fisher’s decrees indicates some parishes may have been tabbed for merger so that the proceeds from the sale of their church buildings can be used toward…

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Each year, sometime shortly before Christmas, the Pope holds an audience with leaders of the Roman Curia. Traditionally this meeting has been described as an opportunity to exchange Christmas greetings, with the Pontiff offering some encouraging reflections on the work of the Holy See. Under Pope Francis the meeting has taken on a different tone. In some years he has told the top Vatican officials how their work could be improved; other years, the Pope’s talk has been a thorough scolding.

This year, on December 21, the Pope’s tone was not harsh, but his message was severe: a caution against gossip. No doubt that message is an important one, in the close quarters of the Vatican bureaucracy, where rumors fly at lightning speed. But at one point in his address, the Pope made a potentially troubling remark.

Breaking away from his prepared text (as he is wont to do), Pope Francis…

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The diocese is denying allegations that it poured tens of millions of dollars into a diocesan fund in order to avoid a payout to survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

The Diocese of Oakland is denying allegations that it poured tens of millions of dollars into a diocesan fund in order to avoid a payout to survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

A Dec. 11 filing by attorneys on behalf of a committee of abuse survivors, lodged in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, claims the diocese “perpetrated a fraudulent scheme to funnel substantial assets away from what would soon become its bankruptcy estate” into the coffers of a “non-debtor alter ego,” the Oakland Parochial Fund (OPF).

In the months leading up to its bankruptcy filings, the claim alleges, the diocese “entered into a series of synthetic management and services agreements” with the fund, after which it “transferred approximately $106 million in assets” to the…

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The year 2024 was marked by inspiring events for the Catholic Church—worldwide, such as the Synod, the reopening of Notre Dame, and the pope’s trip to Corsica. We take a look back at 12 of these major dates. ► Nicaragua: Bishop Rolando Alvarez freed and exiled to Rome alongside 18 other clergy

Bishop Rolando Alvarez of Matagalpa and a figure of opposition to the regime of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, was freed and exiled to the Vatican on January 14 alongside another bishop, 15 priests, and two seminarians. The Catholic Church was particularly targeted by the Sandinista government, which accuses it of treason due to the church’s support for the 2018 protesters. In 2024, the president of the bishops’ conference and about 50 clergy were banned from Nicaragua, while 1,500 NGOs, primarily religious, were shut down in the country.

► Medjugorje: The Vatican strengthens control Over messages from alleged visionaries…

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“Hecker the pecker checker.” That’s what one survivor called him. Roman Catholic priest Lawrence Hecker, of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty to aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated crime against nature, and theft on December 3, 2024. He was sentenced to life in prison on December 18. He died on December 26, 2024.

Hecker was ordained a priest in 1958. Sexual assault allegations against him date back to the 1960s. Why did it take until 2024 to convict him?

This post explains that Hecker repeatedly assaulted children while remaining free from legal liability. Ramon Antonio Vargas of The Guardian, David Hammer of WWL, and Aubry Killion of WDSU provided detailed accounts of Hecker’s treatment by his archdiocese and by the courts of law throughout these difficult years. I am grateful for their stories.

1958-1960s

Hecker was ordained a priest in 1958 and quickly started molesting. One early victim was a preteen altar…

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Court finds Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation ‘intentionally and recklessly withheld knowledge of past and ongoing sexual abuse by its clergy’

The Roman Catholic archdiocese of St. John’s has lost its legal fight to have its insurance company cover some of the cost of its settlement with clergy abuse survivors.

After a trial in Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court in St. John’s that began a year ago, Justice Peter Browne determined Dec. 20 the failure of the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St. John’s (RCEC) to disclose the sexual abuse when it applied for and renewed its Guardian Insurance policy in the 1980s, rendered the policy invalid.Article content

The RCEC has been in bankruptcy protection for three years as it sells off properties and other assets to raise money to settle the claims of survivors of sexual abuse by Christian Brothers at Mount Cashel Orphanage and other Roman Catholic clergy, for which it…

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As a consequence of the attempts of Catholic leaders to downplay its scope, the sexual abuse crisis continues with little or no expectation of change.

Today’s piece summarizes what Los Angeles Press has published over 2024 about the clergy sexual abuse crisis at the Roman Catholic Church.

The sexual abuse crisis runs the risk of getting worse in a context less willing to pressure that and other churches in the United States, Latin America and elsewhere.

2025 will be year 42 of the clergy sexual abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church. Back in 2023, Los Angeles Press published a piece offering a summary of the crisis going back to the early 1980s, when Jason Berry first uncovered the sorrowful stories of abused kids and gaslighting clergymen in Roman Catholic dioceses in Louisiana, United States.

The last installment of that series, linked after this paragraph, offers an estimate of the number of current victims for more…

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The leadership of the Hungarian Catholic Church has recently presented a divided picture in its handling of internal sex scandals and child protection cases. While some bishops have taken decisive steps to investigate such cases, some church statements still avoid clear apologies.

Bishop András Veres emphasised in a coldly worded statement that collective prayer and fasting were more important than empathy for the victims. At the same time, several bishops, such as Zsolt Marton and László Varga, have called for reform of the Church, with open apologies and an emphasis on the importance of prevention.

Details of a case in Balatonfüred

Recently, the case of a nun working at St Benedict High School in Balatonfüred exemplified the possibility of transparency and accountability in the Church. According to Válasz Online, the nun, who belonged to the monastic branch of the Community of the Eight Beatitudes, had worked at the institution for…

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What you need to know:

• Justin Welby resigned as Archbishop of Canterbury after failing to report John Smyth’s horrific abuse of over 130 boys and men in Christian summer camps.
• The church’s conspiracy of silence enabled Smyth to continue his abuse while receiving financial support, highlighting institutional complicity.
• Religious institutions must take responsibility for preventing gender-based violence, establish early warning systems, and empower their followers to stand up against abuse of power.

The resignation of Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury (the ceremonial head of the Anglican Church), in the second week of November passed as a whimper yet the reason for his action is significant.

He was buckling to sustained pressure arising from the independent Makin Review, which concluded that barrister John Smyth, described as “the most prolific abuser associated with the Church of England”, could have been held accountable had the Archbishop alerted the authorities in 2013 of the former’s…

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The Bishop of Newcastle has criticised the Archbishop of York’s Christmas sermon, just weeks before he takes over as leader of the Church of England.

Stephen Cottrell’s remarks capped off a turbulent end to the year for the Church, following the release of a report which accused it of covering up sexual abuse.

That prompted the resignation of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby after he was criticised for not doing enough to stop a prolific abuser.

With Mr Welby opting to break with years of tradition and miss this year’s Christmas services at Canterbury Cathedral, Mr Cottrell’s remarks were closely watched.

Helen-Ann Hartley, who as Bishop of Newcastle has been a vocal critic of Mr Cottrell, described his sermon as “empty words. I have no words more than that to describe their meaning.”

She has previously said he should resign as archbishop.

At York Minster on Christmas morning, the archbishop appeared…

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Christmas, a holiday promising peace, is turning out to be a tumultuous period for the Church of England as sexual abuse scandals threaten to derail the archbishop of York, the senior cleric charged with leading the church after the Nov. 11 resignation of Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Since then, George Carey, who held Welby’s seat from 1991 to 2002, has also agreed to no longer officiate as a priest after being accused of failing to deal with a priest accused of abuse, in the same case that has also led to demands for the resignation of  Stephen Cottrell, the archbishop of York.

The combined scandals have given momentum to those calling for the the church to give up some of its influence in the worldwide Anglican Communion and for its bishops to no longer hold seats in the House of Lords as the so-called Lords Spiritual.

…

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When Murray Jones launched the podcast Heaven’s Helpline, he had no idea he would receive responses across five continents. After a two-year investigation, he reflects on how the church has reacted, and the heartbreaking messages he’s received.

One month ago, the New Zealand Herald released the first episodes of the podcast Heaven’s Helpline − my six-part investigation into the Mormon church in New Zealand, and its mishandling of reports of physical and sexual abuse within its membership.

Since then, I’ve received more than 100 emails and responses from all over the world − Australia, the US, Canada, the UK, South Africa, Japan and beyond. The stories told in the series really seem to have struck a chord.

The thing is, we know abuse isn’t just a Mormon problem. It happens in all sorts of institutions, in all walks of life.

Just this month, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon officially apologised for decades of…

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Yes, of COURSE I remember Father Harris from my time at Mater Dei High School, 1974-8. You couldn’t miss him. He cut quite a swath across campus, elevated from charismatic religion teacher to principal by my senior year. “Father Hollywood” they called him, and “the surfing priest.” I remember him prancing around in short shorts and tee-shirt showing off his physique, bounding like a stag, always being followed around by the high school girls, knowing the latest popular songs and jokes. He reportedly came from Brea money, had his own place in Newport, and for a time there he drove a Corvette. I found him creepy and inappropriate, and I don’t think he liked me either, but I was in the minority – most of the other kids thought he was hell of cool, or, in the parlance of those times, “bitchin’.”

Some of my old school friends…

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So, at the end of 2023, I published my “Catholic Wish List” for 2024, laying out some hopes for the church that seemed, if not “easy,” then at least reasonable and doable for the truly motivated. Readers said they shared my hopes but believed I was indulging a pipe-dream.

Well, as 2024 closes, we see small signs of progress, here and there. A recent announcement that the Vatican will consider how to address “spiritual abuse,” particularly when “false mysticism” plays a part in the sexual abuse of vulnerable adults by clergy, will directly affect ongoing investigations concerning Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik and others. I’d wished for speedier investigations into such matters and men but the church is being necessarily thoughtful of the long term, here, which is a good thing.

Thoughtfulness is slow-going, though, and other parts of my “wish list” seem stuck in a stifling inertia of bureaucracy, material…

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An Anglican campaign group has published a resource guidance suggesting that the Bible supports transgender identity, claiming that “not everyone in the Bible is cisgender” and “affirms trans, intersex and queer people.”

The guidance, hosted on the website LGBT Faith UK among other resources in its “The Bible Affirms” series, claims the Bible includes “some clear queer characters” and highlights eunuchs and women engaging in traditionally masculine roles as examples.

The document’s title asserts: “The Bible affirms trans, intersex, and queer people.” It opens with the statement: “Not everyone in the Bible is cisgender. Nor is everyone in the Bible biologically or anatomically male or female.” The guidance points to eunuchs as “biblical ancestors” of trans-identified individuals, emphasizing their role in Scripture.

One key example cited is from Acts 8, where an angel directs the evangelist Philip to meet an Ethiopian eunuch reading Scripture. Philip shares…

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Rt. Rev. Lawrence Mukasa, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kasana-Luwero, has issued a powerful condemnation of child sacrifice and exploitation, calling for collective action to safeguard children’s rights. The message was delivered during the Diocesan Children’s Day celebrations at Our Lady of Fatima Queen of Peace Kasana Cathedral by Rev. Fr. Robert Kayiwa, Assistant Parish Priest of Kasana Cathedral Parish.

The event, held on Saturday, brought together hundreds of children from 22 parishes across the diocese to celebrate their importance in the community. During the celebration, 14 children took oaths and joined the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS). The Diocese also marked Holy Innocents’ Day, observed globally on December 28, which commemorates the massacre of male children in Bethlehem by King Herod, following the birth of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew.

Representing Bishop Mukasa, Rev. Fr. Kayiwa expressed the bishop’s grave concern over the alarming increase in child…

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The survivor of Lawrence Hecker’s abuse said he feels ‘vindicated’ by the former priest’s death

A 93-year-old former Catholic priest sentenced to life in prison earlier this month for raping a teenage boy has died, Louisiana authorities and his lawyer confirmed Friday.

Less than two weeks after being sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars, Lawrence Hecker died of natural causes at 3 a.m. Thursday at the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center, according to Ken Pastorick, Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections communications director.

Hecker had pleaded guilty to charges including first-degree rape and aggravated kidnapping shortly before jury selection for his long-delayed trial had been scheduled to begin earlier this month, with other victims prepared to testify against him.

The survivor of the assault to which Hecker pleaded guilty had said that Hecker raped him after offering to instruct him in wrestling moves ahead of tryouts…

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At year’s end, it’s standard journalistic practice to look back at the most important stories of the past 12 months. Since plenty of people already do that on the Vatican beat, I decided a long time ago to go another direction by offering a list of the most under-covered Vatican stories of the year.

By that, I mean stories which were important, but which, for one reason or another, didn’t generate a lot of buzz, either in the mainstream media or the specialized Catholic press. It’s not that they weren’t covered at all, simply that the volume of coverage wasn’t proportionate to the inherent merits of the story.

So, let’s begin.

Five: The Martinelli Verdict

A Vatican trial regarding alleged sexual abuse in the Pre-Seminary of St. Pius X, then located on Vatican grounds, had the misfortune of unfolding around the same time as the “Trial of the Century” pivoting…

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Fr András Pajor, a prominent advocate of the ruling Fidesz party’s “political Christianity”, was accused of abuse by former altar boys.

The sexual abuse crisis gripping the Catholic Church in Hungary has expanded to include the Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest, headed by the Hungarian primate Cardinal Péter Erdő.

Attention previously focused on a wave of suspensions and prosecutions of priests in the Archdiocese of Kalocsa-Kecskemét, which emerged over the autumn. But on 5 December, news broke of canonical and police investigations into Fr András Pajor, a priest in Budapest.

Fr Pajor is a prominent advocate of the ruling Fidesz party’s “political Christianity”. In 2023 he received Hungary’s Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit for his “role in youth education”. 

Pajor has long urged Christians to vote for the governing Fidesz-KDNP alliance. More recently, he has also become notable as a spreader of Russian propaganda, claiming…

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[See also the Michigan AG’s Lansing report.]

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today announced the release of a report (PDF) by the Department of Attorney General concerning allegations of sexual abuse and other sexual misconduct that took place in the Diocese of Lansing.

The report was released to acknowledge the reports of abuse from victims and to report the Department’s findings. The document is a compilation of excerpts from the information obtained from the tip line, victim interviews, police investigations, open-source media, paper documents seized from the Diocese of Lansing, and the electronic documents found on the diocesan computers, as well as reports of allegations disclosed by the Diocese. 

The list of priests for which there were allegations of sexual misconduct against either children or adults since January 1, 1950, for the Diocese of Lansing that was established in 1937, is derived from information gleaned from a search warrant that was executed against the…

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[See also the Michigan AG’s Lansing report.]

A new report by the Michigan Department of Attorney General suggests that the 1970s and 80’s were the peak decades for alleged instances of sexual misconduct involving clerics of the Diocese of Lansing – with over half of all such alleged incidents, since 1950 until now, said to have occurred during those two decades.

The report, published today, also confirms that the Diocese of Lansing has long cooperated with law enforcement in referring allegations of clerical sexual abuse of minors to the civil authorities. Such referrals have been mandatory since the adoption of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People by the U.S. Bishops in 2002 but also occurred, as today’s report confirms, in prior years too.

“Having read this long and detailed report, my heart breaks for all those who have suffered due to the evil of clerical sexual abuse which…

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[See also the Michigan AG’s Lansing report.]

More than 50 clergy — including 48 priests — in a Michigan diocese have been accused of sexual abuse dating back to the 1950s, according to a disturbing report by the state’s top prosecutor.

State Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office issued the report as part of a five-year investigation into clergy sexual abuse within the Great Lakes State’s Catholic dioceses.

In total, the investigation found that 48 priests, three religious brothers, one former religious brother and four deacons allegedly engaged in sexual misconduct in the Diocese of Lansing over the past seven decades.

Of these, 11 Catholic clergy abuse cases had charges filed and nine have resulted in convictions as a result of its statewide probe. Two cases involved priests and one religious brother from the Lansing diocese, according to the Detroit News.

Vincent DeLorenzo, a former priest, was…

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A $3.5-million settlement announced Tuesday in the case of a man allegedly abused by a former Catholic priest at Mater Dei High School decades ago is not the only such case involving the school, according to the law firm representing the victim.

Attorneys on the case held a news conference outside of Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Wednesday where the lawsuit against Michael Harris, a onetime Mater Dei administrator, was presented as one piece of a predatory puzzle at the private Catholic school overseen by the Diocese of Orange.

Attorney Mike Reck said there are two more cases involving Mater Dei High School that are set to go to trial next year as “bellwether” cases that could help predict the outcome of other similar lawsuits.

“More of these trials are coming,” he said. “They’re coming because survivors are tired and because the survivors deserve it.”

The settlement with the…

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Resignations by incompetent leaders like Justin Welby are welcome – but what we really need is true institutional responsibility.

In November, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby announced his resignation as the leader of the Church of England after an independent review into the crimes of John Smyth exposed his persistent failure to take the necessary steps to bring the prolific child abuser to justice. He will officially step down in early January.

The independent Makin review found that Smyth, a barrister involved in Christian ministry, abused as many as 130 boys and young men at Christian summer camps in Africa and England over four decades. Smyth, who the review found had subjected his victims to traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks, died in 2018 at the age of 75, without facing full accountability.

The abuse suffered at the hands of John Smyth was “prolific and abhorrent”, the inquiry found….

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Lawrence Hecker, an elderly and enfeebled former Catholic priest who pleaded guilty this month to raping a boy in a church gym in New Orleans nearly 50 years ago, died Thursday morning in prison only days after he began serving a life sentence.

The 93-year-old Hecker died at 3 a.m. inside Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel of “natural causes,” said Ken Pastorick, a spokesperson for the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Robert Hjortsberg, one of Hecker’s attorneys, also confirmed the death.

Hecker had arrived at the prison from Orleans Parish on Monday to determine his long-term placement, Pastorick said. Prior to that, he had undergone a routine medical screening at Orleans Justice Center, where he was found to be in stable condition with no signs of distress, according to Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Casey McGee.

Judge Nandi Campbell had just handed Hecker the…

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The Archdiocese of Dubuque has filed a motion to dismiss three civil lawsuits in Charlotte County, Florida involving alleged abuse that occurred in the 1980’s in Dubuque.

In October, three unnamed individuals sued former Dubuque Priest Leo Riley and the Archdiocese of Dubuque in Florida, where Riley now resides.

Riley filed a motion to dismiss the cases in November.

The Archdiocese argues that the lawsuits should be dismissed because the allegations are not connected to Florida, and forcing the case into a Florida court would violate due process.

They also stated that the abuse, which allegedly occurred between 1985 and 1986 while Riley was a priest in Dubuque, should not fall under Florida jurisdiction. The plaintiffs claim that the Archdiocese failed to investigate the abuse or recognize the risks posed by Riley.

Riley served with the Archdiocese from 1982 to 2002, when he requested to be…

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A Kansas City church deacon, who was being investigated by the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph for a sex abuse claim in a St. Louis lawsuit, has returned to full-time ministry, according to a diocese spokesperson.

Ralph Wehner, a Kansas City deacon at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Kansas City, is back to work in ministry after facing a precautionary suspension while the diocese investigated the sex abuse claim. The lawsuit, filed July 24, accuses St. Louis church officials of covering up abuse by clergy and staff for decades. Dozens of plaintiffs are listed on the suit, including one Ralph Wehner.

But even after the investigation has closed, the diocese has still not confirmed or denied whether the man accused of sex abuse is the same man working in Kansas City.

One plaintiff, W.C., alleged that “Brother Ralph Wehner” had groped and fondled him at least three times when…

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A week before Christmas, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act in a bipartisan — and nearly unanimous — vote of 373-33. Earlier in the week, the Senate passed the bill unanimously, and President Joe Biden signed it into law Dec. 23.

The bill aims to reform the troubled teen industry, which receives millions of dollars in revenue from government funds each year but lacks federal oversight. Many youth are placed in these facilities against their will, sometimes being kidnapped by employees with a parent’s consent, and subjected to behavior modification regimes in attempts to improve “whatever parents may deem wrong with their teenage kids.”

Rather than utilizing clinically based or trauma-informed care, these institutions typically employ abusive methods of control and torture against teens, including restricted access to food, sexual abuse, emotional manipulation and restricted access to communication with anyone outside the facility. In turn, these…

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After a concerted effort to conduct a thorough investigation, the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph Independent Ombudsman has discovered no additional information to corroborate the August 1, 2024, accusation against Ralph Wehner, and the complainant has withdrawn the lawsuit in which the accusation was made.

Therefore, the Independent Review Board has recommended to Bishop James Johnston that the diocese follow existing protocols and close the preliminary investigation. Bishop Johnston has lifted the precautionary suspension from exercising diaconal ministry and restored Deacon Ralph Wehner to active ministry.

The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph is committed to accountability, action and investment of time and resources to stop the abuse of minors, prevent future abuse and foster healing for survivors and their families. Since 2002, 41,000 adults working or volunteering with the Church in our diocese have been trained in how to recognize and report child sexual abuse, establishing a strong culture of prevention.

…

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A 93-year-old former Catholic priest sentenced to life in prison earlier this month for raping a teenage boy has died, Louisiana authorities and his lawyer confirmed Friday.

Less than two weeks after being sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars, Lawrence Hecker died of natural causes at 3 a.m. Thursday at the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center, according to Ken Pastorick, Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections communications director.

Hecker had pleaded guilty to charges including first-degree rape and aggravated kidnapping shortly before jury selection for his long-delayed trial had been scheduled to begin earlier this month, with other victims prepared to testify against him.

The survivor of the assault to which Hecker pleaded guilty had said that Hecker raped him after offering to instruct him in wrestling moves ahead of tryouts for a school team in the mid-1970s.

“The only prayer I can come up with I hope…

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Former Roman Catholic clergyman dies a little more than a week after beginning life sentence, according to officials

Admitted child rapist and retired Roman Catholic priest Lawrence Hecker has died a little more than a week after he began serving a sentence of life imprisonment, officials said on Friday.

Hecker, 93, had pleaded guilty on 3 December to charges that he had kidnapped and raped a teenager at a New Orleans church in 1975. He had received a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment on 18 December and, four days later, had been transferred to a Louisiana prison known as Elayn Hunt, according to the state’s department of corrections spokesperson Ken Pastorick.

Pastorick said Hecker died at about 3am on 26 December, at Elayn Hunt, of what were described as natural causes.

Hecker’s attorney Robert Hjortsberg said Hecker was meant to eventually be sent to Louisiana’s maximum-security state penitentiary, which is nicknamed  View Cache

Anglican and Catholic churches must not forget or ignore the boys who suffered horrific abuse at the hands of predatory priests across the continent.

The Church of England is facing a long overdue reckoning in Africa.  Its leader, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, announced his resignation in November after an independent review brought attention to his failure to report to the authorities the barrister John Smyth, a prolific abuser of children.

Smyth is found to have physically, sexually and psychologically abused more than 100 boys and young men over four decades at Church of England-affiliated summer camps in England, South Africa and my country, Zimbabwe. He died in Cape Town, South Africa in 2018, at the age of 77, without ever being held accountable.

The independent review into Smyth’s alleged crimes, and the Church’s attempts to cover them up, makes for harrowing read.

His “appalling” abuse of boys in England…

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In short:

Retired priest Guy Norman Hartcher was arrested in Pendle Hill and charged with child sex offences on Monday.

Police allege the 77-year-old tried to meet with a teenage boy after sharing “sexually explicit photographs” and child abuse material.

What’s next?

Mr Hartcher was refused bail and is expected to appear before Parramatta Local Court on Tuesday.

A retired Sydney priest has been charged with child sex offences after he allegedly groomed a 14-year-old boy online.

NSW Police arrested Guy Norman Hartcher in Pendle Hill around 12:15pm on Monday.

According to police, Facebook had identified an account sharing child abuse material overseas that was allegedly operated by the 77-year-old.

The account was shut down and referred to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, who referred it to NSW Police in early December.

An investigation into the religious leader was then launched under Strike Force Trawler.

Detectives purporting…

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In front of a packed courtroom, with Oakland Bishop Michael Barber looking on, eight survivors who East Bay priests sexually abused as children or teens recounted traumatic stories in front of U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge William Lafferty on Friday as part of the diocese’s ongoing bankruptcy case. 

Many of the survivors were overcome with emotion as they recalled being forced into sex acts or raped by trusted priests when they were as young as five-years-old. Some of the accused perpetrators are notorious priests with long track records of abuse allegations, like Stephen Kiesle or Don Broderson. In other cases, the alleged abuser had never been publicly accused before this recent wave of lawsuits, like the now-deceased Monsignor John McCracken.

“It meant a lot to be able to come and talk and have the judge listen,” said survivor Sherry Waterworth, who said she was abused by Stephen Kiesle when she was…

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Christmas, a holiday promising peace, is turning out to be a tumultuous period for the Church of England as sexual abuse scandals threaten to derail the archbishop of York, the senior cleric charged with leading the church after the Nov. 11 resignation of Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Since then, George Carey, who held Welby’s seat from 1991 to 2002, has also agreed to no longer officiate as a priest after being accused of failing to deal with a priest accused of abuse, in the same case that has also led to demands for the resignation of  Stephen Cottrell, the archbishop of York.

The combined scandals have given momentum to those calling for the the church to give up some of its influence in the worldwide Anglican Communion and for its bishops to no longer hold seats in the House of Lords as the so-called Lords Spiritual.

…

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A man, identified as Speaker 7, choked back tears as he recounted being molested about four decades ago, when he was just 5 or 6 years old, by Father George J. Francis of St. Bede Catholic Church in Hayward.

“He would tell the best stories, and I would sit in his lap while he was wearing just a robe,” the man said.

One day, while Father Francis was reading him a story at the priest’s home, they suddenly started what he thought was playful wrestling, and the priest held him down, Speaker 7 said.

“There was a pain in my bottom. I didn’t understand why he was hurting me. I didn’t understand I was being molested,” he said.

Over two hours at federal bankruptcy court in Oakland last Friday, eight male and female survivors of alleged childhood sexual abuse at the hands of priests in the Roman Catholic Diocese of…

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[See also the objection filed with the bankruptcy court.]

A bankruptcy court filing this month alleges that the Diocese of Oakland, California, poured tens of millions of dollars into a diocesan fund in order to avoid a payout to survivors of clergy sexual abuse. 

A Dec. 11 filing by attorneys on behalf of a committee of abuse survivors, lodged in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, claims the diocese “perpetrated a fraudulent scheme to funnel substantial assets away from what would soon become its bankruptcy estate” into the coffers of a “non-debtor alter ego,” the Oakland Parochial Fund (OPF).

In the months leading up to its bankruptcy filings, the claim alleges, the diocese “entered into a series of synthetic management and services agreements” with the fund, after which it “transferred approximately $106 million in assets” to the fund before borrowing $35 million back from it. 

Prior to those transactions, the fund “held…

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An Australian bishop who resigned in 2021 appeared in court Monday after being charged with five more sexual offenses.

Bishop Christopher Saunders, the former Bishop of Broome, did not enter a plea to the new charges during his Dec. 23 appearance at Broome Magistrates Court. But his lawyer said he planned to plead not guilty at his next court appearance.

The new charges reportedly concern allegations of sexual assault against a 24-year-old man in 2016.

The 74-year-old bishop faces a total of 33 charges. Twenty-one charges relate to alleged assaults against three victims between 2008 and 2013. Saunders has pleaded not guilty to the 21 charges.

The bishop has not yet entered a plea to a further seven firearms charges, including illegal possession of a weapon.

Saunders is due to appear in court again Feb. 3.

The bishop was arrested in February of this year following a January police raid on his…

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At a time when many long-term diocesan initiatives center on traditional concerns such as evangelization and renewal efforts, or sustainability through parish closures and mergers, the Diocese of Fall River has taken a different tact, prioritizing the well-being of its priests.

Early this month, Bishop Edgar da Cunha announced the “Stronger Priests, Stronger Parishes, Stronger Church Initiative.” The campaign, which will run from 2025-2027, is a diocese-wide effort to “meaningfully address organizational and individual obstacles impacting the successful and healthy ministry of our priests,” as described by da Cunha in a Dec. 11 letter to the faithful.

In a recent conversation with Crux, da Cunha didn’t downplay other priorities, but said that from his perspective, nothing is possible if priests are not healthy and holy.

“I have taken priests out of ministry in the last few years who are facing different problems, different issues … a lot of low morale, stress,…

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The Archbishop of York, who will effectively take over as leader of the Church of England next month, has called for change in his Christmas sermon.

Stephen Cottrell delivered his remarks as the Church faces criticism over failures in its handling of various abuse scandals.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigned last month after he was criticised for not doing enough to stop a prolific abuser. He will not preside over the Christmas service at Canterbury Cathedral.

Some victims directly affected by the abuse scandals have spoken about experiencing a difficult Christmas, saying they feel that they are still not being listened to.

One woman, who says she was sexually abused by a priest, told the BBC: “I just feel that Stephen Cottrell hasn’t really thought about how victims would feel [that he is] the voice of the Church moving into Christmas”.

Mr Cottrell, set to take over many of…

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• Bankrupt dioceses struggle to reach abuse litigation deals
• Effect of Supreme Court’s Purdue decision added new wrinkle

When a Long Island-based Catholic diocese’s restructuring plan was approved by a court, it became only the fifth religious organization—out of nearly two dozen—in five years to reach a deal to end its bankruptcy.

Diocese bankruptcies are spurred by litigation alleging decades-old child sex abuse by clergy members. The Chapter 11 cases are often drawn out amid negotiations with abuse claimants and frustrated insurers over compensation and abuse-preventing protocols. In June, the US Supreme Court introduced another factor with its Harrington v. Purdue Pharma LP decision barring litigation shields for people and entities with ties to a bankrupt company without creditor consent.

“Clients are feeling these delays are intensifying their anguish and psychological injuries,” said Judie A. Saunders, a partner at ASK LLP, who represents clergy abuse survivors outside of the bankruptcies. “They feel misinformed.”

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