ABUSE TRACKER

The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno says the diocese plans to file for bankruptcy in a matter of months.

That’s following what it calls a “Surge” in clergy sexual abuse claims.

The California sexual abuse and Cover-up Accountability Act helped bring the number of credible accusations within the Diocese of Fresno to 154 cases, dating back decades.

It’s important to clarify that none of the claims involve people currently serving in the diocese.

The bishop says the only way to resolve every claim fairly and compassionately is to file for bankruptcy.

When I hear how many lives were affected by clergy sexual abuse, my heart truly breaks,” said Bishop Joseph V. Brennan with the Diocese of Fresno.

On Tuesday, the Diocese of Fresno posted this video on YouTube addressing the many claims filed against the church for sexual abuse of a minor.

“Victims of abuse endure a…

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Brothers and Sisters,

The Catholic Church has made great progress in protecting the young and vulnerable and creating a safe environment for all, but it is still on its journey of dealing with the issue and atoning for the sin of clergy sexual abuse. Our pledge to protect our youth is an ongoing effort that will continue to be a top priority for me and our Diocese. Victims of abuse endure a lifetime of pain, and we as Catholics must commit to a lifetime of atonement.

A recent development in the journey, of which you are most likely aware, is the California State law which opened a three-year window for individuals to bring forward otherwise barred or expired claims for sexual abuse suffered as a child. Since the closing of the filing window on December 31, 2022, we have been informed of 154 cases filed against our Diocese. The reopening…

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On Tuesday a panel of experts presented a new compendium of abuse cases across Latin America, a region containing the highest percentage of the world’s Catholics, offering an analysis of some of the most prominent cases to garner global attention in recent decades.

Titled, “Abuse in the Latin American Church: An Evolving Crisis at the Core of Catholicism,” the volume was released in April and includes contributions from prominent experts across various fields who evaluate the nature of abuse in Latin America given its social and cultural context, as well as insights into paths of justice and healing for victims.

The book was authored by Latin American theologians Dr. Véronique Lecaros and Dr. Ana Lourdes Suárez.

Lecaros is a professor of theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and since 2021 has led the Archdiocese of Lima’s Listening Commission for victims of abuse in ecclesial surroundings. Suárez is a professor…

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The Diocese of Fresno has announced a plan to file for bankruptcy as it faces over 154 claims from victims of sexual abuse by clergy members.

The diocese says the first few court cases or settlements would likely wipe out its finances.

Instead, the diocese says filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy would help ensure all its creditors and victims are ‘compensated fairly and equitably.’

It says that it provides a framework to bring all parties together under the bankruptcy court’s supervision to resolve claims with the resources available.

The diocese says that an unsecured creditors’ committee would represent victims of sexual abuse, and a fund would be established for distribution to victims.

Advocates from the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, also known as SNAP, disagree with the diocese’s plan to declare bankruptcy.

“I think it’s an indication of their moral bankruptcy, not their financial bankruptcy,” said Melanie Sakoda…

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A former Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Sante Fe, N.M., ended his life ahead of a May 24 hearing on criminal charges of sexual abuse.

Daniel Balizan, who faced a possible sentence of 10 years to life if convicted, had been arrested in June 2023 after having been indicted by a federal grand jury on criminal charges of coercion and enticement of a minor.

The Archdiocese of Santa Fe confirmed Balizan’s death in a May 24 press release, stating that it was “saddened by the news of former priest Daniel Balizan having taken his life; we pray for comfort for his family and those who cared for him. May God have mercy on his soul.”

Local media reported that court documents also showed Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaymie L. Roybal, who had been assigned to prosecute the case, addressed the court and confirmed the death of Balizan, who was found…

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Pope Francis apologized Tuesday after he was quoted using a vulgar term about gay men to reaffirm the Catholic Church’s ban on gay priests.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni issued a statement acknowledging the media storm that erupted about Francis’ comments, which were delivered behind closed doors to Italian bishops on May 20.

Italian media on Monday had quoted unnamed Italian bishops in reporting that Francis jokingly used the term “faggotness” while speaking in Italian during the encounter. He had used the term in reaffirming the Vatican’s ban on allowing gay men to enter seminaries and be ordained priests.

Bruni said Francis was aware of the reports and recalled that the Argentine pope, who has made outreach to LGBTQ+ Catholics a hallmark of his papacy, has long insisted there was “room for everyone” in the Catholic Church.

“The pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he…

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Born into a family of devout Catholics, Marc Floto was almost destined to be an altar boy at his local church, the former Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Baltimore County.

So when he was 5 or 6 years old, his parents “pretty much pushed” him to do just that. But they had no idea about the life-altering consequences that came with that commitment, said Floto, 62.

“When I was an altar boy, I used to go to the rectory … to get dressed in our robes and that, to get ready for Mass,” he said in an interview. “I don’t recall when, but things progressed from the priest touching me, to fondling me, amongst other things.”

Floto lives near Westminster and owns a towing business now; he’s married and has a son. But being abused as a child, he said, “caused turmoil every step of” his life. He chokes…

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A new learning tool has been created to help the over half a million religious sisters and consecrated women combat one of the greatest crises facing the Catholic Church: abuse.

This blended e-learning unit is intended to be used around the world in different cultures and contexts—all with the goal of helping these women better understand and implement safeguarding in their personal lives and work.

FR. HANS ZOLLNER
Institute of Anthropology, Pontifical Gregorian University
We need to safeguard every person, especially the most vulnerable ones, children, adolescents and vulnerable adult persons. And this is by creating safe space, living out safe relationships and following safe processes. This is safeguarding. Religious sisters will be and have already been of the greatest importance to deliver that message.

What makes this unit unique is that it was made for and with the help of religious sisters and consecrated women. This makes it a useful tool…

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Springer, N.M. —A former priest arrested last year on charges of sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy more than a decade ago, took his own life shortly before a plea hearing scheduled for Friday morning, May 24th according to his attorney.

Daniel Balizan, 62, of Springer and a former pastor of St. Patricks/St. Josephs Church in Raton and Santa Maria de la Paz Catholic Church in Santa Fe, was indicted in June of last year by a federal grand jury for a reported case of child sexual abuse in 2012, according to the indictment.

Balizan killed himself at his home in Springer the night before he was scheduled to plead to a federal charge of coercion and enticement of a minor, said Dan Cron, Balizan’s attorney. However, court documents show Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaymie L. Roybal addressed the U.S District Court in Albuquerque for the plea hearing and confirmed Balizan died.

Balizan had…

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Pope Francis is reported to have used extremely derogatory language in an incident that could have a profound impact on the way his attitude towards gay people is perceived.

When asked at the Italian Bishops’ Conference if gay men should now be allowed to train for the priesthood as long as they remained celibate, Pope Francis said they should not.

He is then believed to have continued by saying in Italian that there was, in the Church, already too much of an air of frociaggine, which translates as a highly offensive slur.

Although it was a meeting that happened behind closed doors, the Pope’s reported comments were first conveyed to the Italian tabloid website Dagospia.

Other Italian news agencies have since confirmed the Pope’s words citing numerous sources.

There has been shock at the Pope’s reported language at this private meeting, particularly as he has often talked publicly of being respectful…

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More than six months after a study of abuse in the Catholic Church, officials on Monday announced the status of planned measures. There is nothing concrete yet – “there are still many unanswered questions,” they said. For those affected, progress is too slow.

“We are not making as much progress as would be desirable or necessary,” Joseph Bonnemain, Bishop of Chur and head of the Bishops’ Conference, admitted to the media in Zurich on Monday. “However, intensive work has been done over the past six months.”

Stefan Loppacher, the prevention officer for the diocese of Chur, added that it would take time to introduce measures nationwide. He cited federalism and differences in language and culture, as well as different church structures.

In order to guarantee independent counselling for victims, church organisations are now in talks with the state-recognised victim counselling centres. For example, it needs to be clarified how their…

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• In short: Father David Lancini has had eight historical child abuse charges against him dropped.
• His lawyer told the court prosecution witnesses had colluded on fabricated statements.
• What’s next? Father Lancini says his lawyer will make further statements regarding any legal matters that may arise.

A prominent Queensland Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing a boy in the early 1970s has had all charges dropped after his lawyers told the court claims against him had been either fabricated or mistaken.

Father David Lancini appeared in Townsville Magistrates Court today, flanked by supporters. 

Father Lancini has been a priest for more than 50 years. 

His lawyer, Justin Greggery, said witnesses had colluded on “demonstrably” fabricated statements before Father Lancini was charged in December 2023 with eight counts of indecent treatment of a boy under 14 years.

He alleged one of the witnesses, who was not the complainant, had a vendetta against Father Lancini.

Mr…

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Twenty-five years ago, Eric Patterson of Conway Springs, Kansas, took his own life. He had no way of knowing, of course, that his horrific pain and desperation would transform his quiet schoolteacher mom into an incredibly powerful advocate for tens of thousands of victims of child-molesting clerics and their corrupt supervisors.

[Please click here to read David Clohessy’s tribute to the late Janet Patterson.]

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Each time another scandal related to sexual abuse erupts in the Roman Catholic Church, I find myself wondering: How many more people are being set adrift from our faith? How many others are being reconfirmed in their alienation from the sacraments?

The refuge to which these Catholics escaped I know well. It was where I fled while my abusers continued to enjoy sanctuary in the church, under cover of enablers who overlooked evil for expediency’s sake, rationalizing inexplicably a failure to protect victims from further abuse in the House of the Lord.

Yet without my faith, my healing would have been impossible. Nothing reveals the dimensions of the human person like abuse. A single act can inflict lifelong wounds on so many personal dimensions, including our hearts, minds, bodies, spirits and relationships. No single discipline can suffice in response. Only in relationship with the Creator of our complex humanity can…

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The former CEO of Orange, a leading Christian youth curriculum, has accused Orange founder Reggie Joiner of clergy sexual abuse in an email to two board members.

Former CEO Kristen Ivy writes she and Joiner did not have an “inappropriate relationship,” as initially reported in a statement by Orange announcing Joiner’s and Ivy’s resignations last month. Instead, in an email obtained by The Roys Report (TRR), Ivy labels Joiner’s actions “clergy sexual abuse.” And she adds, “I’m not the only one.”

Ivy sent the email to Orange Board Chairman Joel Manby and Board Member Jennifer Barnes on April 23—the opening day of the Orange Conference 2024. In her email to Manby and Barnes, Ivy admits that she initially labeled what had happened between her and Joiner as an “inappropriate relationship” and explains why.

“During the time of my original interview, I was prepared to protect…

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Prosecution hints that Lawrence Hecker, 92, accused of historical rape and kidnapping, is feigning illness to avoid going to trial

A dispute over whether a retired New Orleans Catholic priest technically remains hospitalized or not is the latest reason his high-profile rape and kidnapping trial has been delayed.

Lawrence Hecker, 92, a confessed serial child molester, has been residing at Bridgepoint continuing care facility in Marrero, Louisiana, a facility across the Mississippi River from New Orleans that is attached to a hospital campus.

Hecker was hospitalized elsewhere in January – three months following his arrest on rape and kidnapping charges – for delirium brought on by a urinary tract infection and Covid.

But at a hearing on Thursday that was supposed to determine Hecker’s competency to stand trial, neither his defense attorneys nor prosecutors knew who ordered his stay at Bridgepoint or for what medical reason. The judge presiding over the case,…

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An alleged victim of recently ousted worship pastor Aaron Ivey is speaking out, alleging Ivey groomed, manipulated, and sexually molested him for years when the man was a minor.  

Musician Logan Garza posted on Instagram last week that he was “one of the victims of sexual abuse” of worship pastor Aaron Ivey, who was fired in February by The Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, Texas.

Ivey is married to popular podcaster and author Jamie Ivey. And in 2021, the Iveys co-authored Complement, a book and Bible study about marriage. 

“I was groomed from the age of 15, when (Aaron Ivey) would have been twice my age, and sexually abused by Aaron from the ages of 16-20,” said Garza. “The grooming was textbook—making me feel special, hanging out privately exposing me to new and mature things like…

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The priest of an ashram was arrested Saturday for allegedly raping a four-year-old girl in Bhagalpur district. The accused Dharmanand Baba — in his forties — had fled after the crime and was caught in Asarganj area in Munger district. He was produced before a Pocso court and sent to Bhagalpur jail, police said.

Police said the crime took place Friday night when the child had gone to the ashram while searching for her father. “The girl was alone at home while her father was out at work. Her mother was in the neighbourhood. Her father frequently visited the ashram so the child went there looking for him,” local police station in-charge Safdar Ali said.

“When her mother returned home, she could not find her daughter and reached the ashram while looking for the child. On seeing her daughter partially naked, she started to call out for the locals, many of whom…

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Police and corporation officials revealed that temple priest Mahant Mukesh Goswami has illegal constructions and shops on government land which faced bulldozer action.

The authorities have booked a priest of a temple named Mahant Mukesh Goswami for allegedly installing a CCTV camera in a roofless women’s bathroom in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. The examination of the CCTV cameras placed in the area produced some startling findings. The CCTV and its DVR contained recordings of 320 women and girls.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rural) Vivek Chand Yadav, the CCTV and its DVR were discovered in the bathroom. The DVR included five days’ worth of data. The accused’s cellphone, which displayed live CCTV footage, was also examined. He is currently absconding. Two police teams have been deployed for his arrest and he has approached Allahabad High Court for anticipatory bail.

Meanwhile, police and corporation officials revealed that…

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Bishop Reed told churchgoers to stop stirring up trouble around his relationship.

A video of a Iowa bishop explaining his marriage has gone viral. Bishop Dwight Reed of Christ Apostolic Temple in Des Moines recently attempted to defend his marriage to a member of his congregation, who was 19 years old at the time. He was 63.

The clip has been circulated by several outlets and popularized on social media. It shows Reed standing behind a pulpit and giving a statement to those who stirred up trouble in his church that morning due to his marriage to the young Jordan Goodlett. According to The Des Moines Register, Goodlett was just 19 when she married the bishop.

Reed started, “And I wish some of y’all would mess with my wife, Jordan. Talking about, ‘What you gonna do if you see her?’ Well, you will see me on the news!”

He…

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A small and steadfast group of worshippers could be the blueprint for modern-day Christianity.

Approximately 25 million German Catholics are spread across the country, but only a quarter of them reside in the eastern region. Soon, these Catholics will assemble for Catholic Day, providing a glimpse into the life of a minority faith in a mostly secular society. What lessons can we learn from this dwindling community, which faces nationwide declines in membership? According to an expert, focusing solely on internal church issues won’t offer much insight.

Catholic Day is taking place in Thuringia’s Erfurt, where Christians can examine their impending fate as a diminishing religious minority. For years, Eastern Germany has struggled with its dearth of churchgoers. A study by the University of Chicago classifies the region as the least religious area worldwide. Few people are members, few infants are baptized, and many church buildings…

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A former city prosecutor turned religious school teacher has been charged with raping a 13 year-old girl, The Post has learned.

Daniel Haines, 39, an ex-Bronx and Brooklyn assistant district attorney who taught at Mt. Carmel-Holy Rosary in East Harlem, is also accused of taking cell phone videos of their sexual contact, and exchanging “multiple photos and videos of a sexual nature” via email with her, according to a criminal complaint filed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

The alleged abuse took place “on multiple occasions” between April 18, 2022 and April 7, 2023, when the victim was in 7th and 8th grade, the complaint states.

He was arrested on May 17.

A partially redacted address cited in the complaint indicates the abuse occurred at Mt. Carmel, where Haines was a teacher at the time. 

The complaint alleges one act of forcible rape occurred against a desk.

Mt. Carmel principal Trista…

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Scandalous behavior that has dogged the Catholic church is becoming increasingly common in shamanic healing circles

Shamanic healing or opportunity for ritualized abuse? A lawsuit filed in New Mexico last week alleged that a “shamanic master” assaulted a woman during an “energy medicine” training session in March.

The claim, which is being investigated, could shed more light on what some say is a dark side of some trends in modern spirituality, especially those that involve the ceremonial use of often intense psychedelic treatments.

The woman in New Mexico, who was identified in the complaint only by the initials MG, says she paid thousands of dollars to the Four Winds Society and the Chi Center to become a certified energy medicine practitioner with “an extraordinary life of health, purpose and inner guidance”.

The lawsuit, first reported by the Santa Fe New Mexican, says that the woman had scheduled a session with an…

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Olivier de Scitivaux de Greische, 64, has been handed a 17-year sentence after admitting to raping and sexually assaulting four young boys during more than a decade in the 1990s and 2000s.

A criminal court on Saturday found de Scitivaux de Greische, a former senior priest in the diocese of Orléans southwest of Paris, “guilty of all the acts of rape and aggravated sexual assault” he was accused of.

The court announced the accused would have to serve a minimum of 10 years behind bars.

In a hearing behind closed doors on Friday, the former priest – who was returned to lay status at his own request – acknowledged everything “without reservation”.

“I admit, because I have to use words, to the touching, the caresses, the fellatio, the digital and penile penetrations, to all the acts,” he told the court.

The court also sentenced the accused to socio-judicial supervision, the…

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Garland Police arrested the priest after minors reported inappropriate contact during a visit to a residence.

Garland Police arrested a priest with the Catholic Diocese of Dallas on Monday, on two counts of indecency with a child.

Ricardo Reyes Mata is facing allegations of inappropriate contact after two minors reported an incident that happened when he made a visit to a residence in Garland, according to Garland Police.

Upon learning of the report, diocesan officials filed a report with Child Protective Services and law enforcement, according to a statement from the Diocese of Dallas. The 34-year-old was also immediately removed from all public ministry.

“We are grateful for law enforcement’s thorough response,” said Bishop Edward J. Burns of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas. 

Mata was ordained in 2022.

Mata was appointed Parochial Vicar of the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Dallas in July of 2023. He also…

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Ricardo Reyes Mata, 34, was arrested Monday by Garland police and charged with two felony counts. He was ordained in 2022.

GARLAND, Texas — Police want you to see his face. Many might recognize him, even if he looks different these days. 

“We received a call on a Friday, a report from the diocese as well as family members, regarding an actual offense that occurred regarding this priest,” Garland Police Public Information Officer Lt. Pedro Barineau said on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Garland Police announced that its officers had arrested 34-year-old Ricardo Reyes Mata, a priest with the Catholic Diocese of Dallas. 

Reyes Mata is accused of inappropriately touching two minors in a Garland home. Police told WFAA, the alleged victims ages range from 10 to 17.

Versión en Español: Sacerdote de la Diócesis de Dallas fue arrestado por acciones indecentes con un niño

“You can…

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DALLAS – Police records show a Dallas priest charged with indecency with a child is accused of touching young girls under the age of 14.

Ricardo Reyes Mata, a priest with the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, was arrested by Garland Police on Monday.

Investigators believe the alleged assaults took place in April inside the girls’ home where he was visiting.

The Diocese of Dallas chose not to interview with FOX 4 on Wednesday, but it did provide a video statement in which the bishop calls the allegations “embarrassing.” He says the catholic school teacher who alerted her superiors of the allegations did the right thing.

Catholic Diocese of Dallas Bishop Edward Burns addressed the arrest of Father Mata, who most recently had been serving at Cathedral Guadalupe in Downtown Dallas.

“I learned that a child had told her Catholic school teacher about some inappropriate touching,” he said.

…

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Garland Police say the allegations against Ricardo Reyes Mata are based on reports of inappropriate contact with two juvenile between the ages of 10 and 17.

GARLAND, Texas – A Dallas priest has been charged with two counts of indecency with a child and police want to know if there are more victims out there.

Ricardo Reyes Mata, a priest with the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, was arrested by Garland Police on Monday.

Police say the allegations are based on reports of inappropriate contact with two juveniles between the ages of 10 and 17.

Investigators say the alleged encounter happened last week when Father Mata visited the children’s home in Garland.

Diocesan officials said they immediately filed a report with Child Protective Services and law enforcement.

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A Florida priest is accused of biting a woman while giving out Communion during a Mass in St. Cloud in an alleged “attempt to defend the Communion bread,” according to the charging affidavit in the case.

The priest, identified as Father Fidel Rodriguez, initially refused to give the woman Communion bread on May 19 and told her “she did not do the prior steps necessary” to receive the bread when he encountered her at a Mass held earlier that day at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, according to police.

A statement provided by the Diocese of Orlando states Rodriguez gave the woman a blessing at the 10 a.m. Mass and “advised her to receive the Sacrament of Penance (Confession) before coming back to receive Holy Communion (Eucharist).”

The woman told police she returned to the church for the noon Mass and informed the priest she had in fact done the…

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A pastor of Living Word Church in Midland, Michigan, has been charged with committing sex crimes, becoming the second clergyman and third leader from the church to be arrested on such accusations in recent months.

Randy Saylor, a 71-year-old associate pastor, was arraigned Wednesday on charges of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person younger than 13, and second-degree criminal sexual conduct. His crimes allegedly occurred in 2018.

Living Word Church has suspended Saylor from all his duties while the criminal investigation is underway, according to The Roys Report.

Living Word Church Administrator William Bailey said in a statement to the Midland Daily News that the congregation was “deeply saddened and concerned” about the situation.

“It has come to our attention that Randy Saylor, a member of our pastoral team, is under investigation for allegations of sexual abuse,” Bailey stated.

“There are…

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SPRINGER, N.M. — A former Santa Fe priest accused of child sex abuse died by suicide before a hearing set to take place Friday.

The Archdiocese of Santa Fe confirmed Daniel Balizan’s death Friday. Balizan was a former priest at the Santa Maria de la Paz Catholic Church in Santa Fe – and at St. Patrick’s-St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Raton.

Balizan faced child sex abuse charges and was going to appear at a hearing Friday. However, court documents show Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaymie L. Roybal addressed the court and confirmed Balizan died.

Balizan lived in Springer at the time of his death. Springer Mayor Boe Lopez told KOB 4 that police responded to “an unattended death” at a home Friday morning. The mayor later learned from police that the person was Balizan.

The mayor described Balizan as a “fixture in the community” and a close friend. He added that…

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May 22, 2024

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today announced the release of a report (PDF) by the Department of Attorney General concerning allegations of abuse that took place in the Diocese of Kalamazoo. 

[Note from BishopAccountability.org: To see our cache of AG Nessel’s report on Kalamazoo, click here.]

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 Kalamazoo, 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 Kalamazoo that was established in 1971, is derived from…

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Three men who were leaders in a central Texas church youth group and part of Chi Alpha Campus Ministries were arrested on child sex abuse charges, according to county records. It’s the latest arrest in a widening sex scandal centered on former Chi Alpha mentor, Daniel Savala. 

On Thursday, the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office arrested two men, Ryan Hoffart, 25, and William Johnson, 23. The day prior, Otto “Bo” Randolph, 30, was arrested. All three men were charged with indecency with a child by exposure, a third-degree felony in Texas. In addition, Hoffart was charged with indecency with a child by sexual contact, a second-degree felony. 

The three men were booked at Brazos County Detention Center in Bryan and released on bail the same day as their arrests, a county court clerk representative told The Roys Report (TRR). Hoffart covered a $100,000 bond, and Johnson and Randolph are out on $25,000 bonds. 

The criminal charges are linked to a civil lawsuit filed by Steve Holt, who alleged that his teenage son was “groomed”…

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Bishop James Conley of the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, on Friday encouraged Pope Francis to “familiarize himself” with the American episcopate before a prospective return to the United States, which Conley said “could be an opportunity for the Holy Father to see the Catholic Church here in a different light.”

In a column first published May 15 and posted to the diocesan website May 24, Conley described his brother bishops as “unquestionably loyal to Pope Francis, which makes his ambiguities and seeming criticisms difficult to understand.”

“In my case, life as a bishop has been a blessing, because my brother U.S. bishops have been overwhelmingly good, committed men. They have very different skills and personalities. All have strengths and weaknesses. None of them is close to perfect. But they’re faithful to the Church and devoted to their people,” Conley wrote.

Pope Francis has in…

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ALBUQUERQUE — The look on the attorneys’ faces offered the first clue Friday that a plea hearing for a former Santa Fe priest accused of child sexual abuse would not proceed as planned.

Daniel Balizan was expected to plead guilty Friday morning to charges stemming from child sex abuse accusations brought by a former parishioner at Santa María de la Paz Catholic Community. But as news of Balizan’s death by suicide spread through the federal courthouse, it was clear there would be more shock than resolution.

“I’m stunned,” Balizan’s attorney, Dan Cron, said after the hearing.

As the proceeding before U.S. District Judge Matthew Garcia began, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaymie Roybal said she had received news Balizan had died by suicide, which she verified with the FBI and local law enforcement. Balizan died in Springer, where he had been on home detention with electronic monitoring in the custody of his…

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A former Santa Fe priest arrested last year for allegedly sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy more than a decade ago took his own life shortly before a plea hearing scheduled for Friday morning, his attorney confirmed.

Daniel Balizan, 62, a former pastor of Santa Maria de la Paz Catholic Community in Santa Fe, was indicted in June by a federal grand jury for a reported case of child sexual abuse in 2012, according to the indictment.

Balizar killed himself at his home in Springer the night before he was scheduled to plead guilty to a federal charge of coercion and enticement of a minor, said Dan Cron, Balizan’s attorney.

Cron said he learned of his client’s death Friday morning while driving from Santa Fe to Albuquerque for the 10 a.m. plea hearing in U.S. District Court.

“I am shocked by this,” Cron said in a phone interview. “I had no…

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After being arrested in 2023, the former pastor of Santa Maria de la Paz Catholic Community in New Mexico – Daniel Balizan – passed away before the completion of his trial. He was expected to make a plea in the federal case.

Balizan was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2023. They accused him of attempting to knowingly persuade an underage boy to engage in sexual activity. On May 24, 2024, at a plea hearing in federal court, the assistant U.S. attorney announced that Balizan was deceased and that there would soon be a motion to dismiss the case. The United States Attorney’s Office told KRQE that Balizan was found deceased at his home but that the manner of death has not yet been determined as of Friday afternoon.

Following the news, the Archdiocese of Santa Fe responded to the death, claiming Balizan took his…

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Here we go again. Oh my gosh! Hysteria. Bishop Malone is performing confirmations. Again – sexual abuse is not excused. Malone should be banned. He resigned as bishop in Buffalo. Catholics. Sit down and decide who makes judgments on clergy. If it’s you, then show me your authority. Malone is still a bishop. You have nothing to say about his authority.

It’s been more than four years since Bishop Richard J. Malone resigned as leader of the Buffalo Diocese amid a firestorm of criticism over his role in covering up molestation claims against clergy. But this past week, he presided over confirmation ceremonies at St. Gregory the Great in Amherst, the largest parish in the Buffalo Diocese.

Pomposity is rampant in Buffalo. A priest is always a priest. While the intermediary between Christ and you, he still performs sacraments. If you can’t cope, leave. The church will survive. Priests are human and subject…

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There’s a major development after a News 5 Exclusive Investigation revealed a convicted sex offender was allowed to help lead Catholic masses at a local church.

There’s a major development after a News 5 Exclusive Investigation revealed a convicted sex offender was allowed to help lead Catholic masses at a local church. The bishop of the diocese has now asked for the pastor of that church to resign.

The Catholic Diocese of Cleveland confirms it sent a letter today to parishioners of St. Thomas More Church and the parents of children who go to St. Thomas More School asking that Father Mike Feldtz resign as pastor and that he is now on a leave of absence to focus on health problems.

The letter comes on the heels of our investigation showing how convicted sex offender Keith Kozak was permitted by Father Feldtz to be on the altar assisting with services…

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Prosecution hints that Lawrence Hecker, 92, accused of historical rape and kidnapping, is feigning illness to avoid going to trial

A dispute over whether a retired New Orleans Catholic priest technically remains hospitalized or not is the latest reason his high-profile rape and kidnapping trial has been delayed.

Lawrence Hecker, 92, a confessed serial child molester, has been residing at Bridgepoint continuing care facility in Marrero, Louisiana, a facility across the Mississippi River from New Orleans that is attached to a hospital campus.

Hecker was hospitalized elsewhere in January – three months following his arrest on rape and kidnapping charges – for delirium brought on by a urinary tract infection and Covid.

But at a hearing on Thursday that was supposed to determine Hecker’s competency to stand trial, neither his defense attorneys nor prosecutors knew who ordered his stay at Bridgepoint or for what medical reason. The judge presiding over the case,…

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Pope Francis has not done enough to stamp out clerical sex abuse and its cover-up, activists and abuse survivors said on Thursday, protesting before a Vatican-hosted World Children’s Day festival.

The Roman Catholic Church has been shaken by sexual abuse scandals around the world. Francis has tried to impose order, but his critics say more should have been done to root out abusive clergy and help their many victims.

“We want to protect young people who are attending” the festival, said Matthias Katsch, co-founder of Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA), in a press conference by the ancient Roman Castel Sant’Angelo fortress, in view of St Peter’s Basilica.

He noted that anti-Church abuse activists visited Rome in September to demand “zero tolerance” ahead of a major Vatican summit on the future of the Church, “but nothing has happened since”.

Specifically, Katsch accused Francis of failing to punish cardinals and bishops “who covered up sex…

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Since 1950, sexual misconduct claims were made against 19 priests in west Michigan diocese, with most occurring before 2002

KALAMAZOO — The Office of Michigan’s Attorney General released the third of seven expected reports into allegations of clergy abuse and misconduct in Michigan’s seven dioceses May 22, detailing its findings from an investigation into the handling of abuse claims in the Diocese of Kalamazoo.

Reports have previously been issued on the Diocese of Marquette and the Diocese of Gaylord.

Although the Diocese of Kalamazoo was established in 1971, the report said the investigation covered allegations dating back to 1950 involving current or former clergy of the Kalamazoo diocese, including religious order priests and priests of other dioceses ministering in the Kalamazoo diocese.

Since 1950, the report said, allegations of sexual misconduct have been made against 19 priests in the Diocese of Kalamazoo, of whom 12 were ordained or later incardinated…

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Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has released the third of seven reports on alleged sexual abuse in dioceses throughout the state. 

The report details “allegations of abuse that took place in the Diocese of Kalamazoo,” one of seven in the state of Michigan. Previous reports focused on the Dioceses of Gaylord and Marquette.

As with the prior reports, the Kalamazoo investigation details abuse allegations that stretch back decades. The review includes allegations of misconduct “by priests who are current or former clergy for the Diocese of Kalamazoo that occurred in the diocese from Jan. 1, 1950, to the present.”

The Diocese of Kalamazoo was previously part of the Diocese of Grand Rapids; it did not become its own named diocese until 1971.

The diocese “agreed to provide reports of abuse to the Department of Attorney General,” Nessel’s office said, describing diocesan participation…

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Teresa Pitt Green is a survivor of clergy sexual abuse.

She is an advocate for abuse survivors, an expert in restorative justice, and a witness to the harm of clergy abuse, and the possibility of healing.

Pitt Green is a co-founder of Spirit Fire, which “is a fellowship of survivors of abuse within the Church who share, as part of our ongoing recovery, a spiritual practice which permits us to offer our wisdom, experience, and faith to all others who seek healing, growth, and reconciliation in the wake of the abuse of children and vulnerable adults in a faith setting – in particular in the Catholic Church,” according to the group’s website

In November 2018, she addressed the U.S. bishops’ conference, during a prayer service in the wake of the Theodore McCarrick scandal. 

“This is my story,” she told the USCCB. “Long ago — five decades ago — where the…

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As the latest chapter of a saga that began one year ago, the Vatican made a ruling last month in the case of the Arlington, Texas, Carmelites locked in a dispute with Bishop Michael Olson over allegations of sexual misconduct on the part of Mother Theresa Gerlach, who has been replaced by the Vatican as the community’s superior, even while the nuns at the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity continue to recognize her as their superior.

Of course, anyone who has followed the twists of this story knows it’s not just about sexual misconduct — the saga has included allegations of drug use, lawsuits and restraining orders, and periodic statements from Archbishop Carlo Vigano, former apostolic nuncio to the U.S.

But while there is a great deal unresolved — and still unclear — in the Arlington, Carmel saga, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life made a decision —…

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The Holy See has reinstated a Carmelite mother superior nearly a year after the bishop of Fort Worth, Texas, dismissed her after alleged inappropriate conduct with a priest. 

Bishop Michael Olson issued a decree on June 1, 2023, dismissing Reverend Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach from religious life following a nearly six-week-long investigation into the affair. 

Gerlach had previously served as the prioress of the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in Arlington. Olson said at the time of the dismissal that the investigation had found her “guilty of having violated the Sixth Commandment of the Decalogue and her vow of chastity with a priest from outside the Diocese of Fort Worth.”

In a statement on Wednesday, Olson said that the Vatican’s Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life “informed me that it overturned the decree dismissing Mother Teresa Agnes” from the…

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The Archdiocese of Baltimore announced this week that more than half of the parishes in Baltimore’s historic city core will close or merge as part of a major pastoral planning process.

The final plans, announced May 22, will see 61 parishes at 59 worship sites in Baltimore City and some nearby areas of Baltimore County reduced to 23 parishes at 30 worship sites.

“These decisions, while difficult, are made with an eye toward a future goal of hope,” Archbishop William Lori said in a video message, saying the plan was put together, “guided by the Holy Spirit,” with an eye to helping the parishes prioritize announcing the Gospel and helping neighbors in need.

The many Catholic churches in Baltimore City were built to serve “a surging population that’s now lost hundreds of thousands of people,” the archdiocese says on the website for the initiative….

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Signs of the times. The Durham University report on abuse, released April 30 after a four-year study, highlights the importance of listening to abuse survivors in restoring trust and changing Catholic culture.

In a “listening Church” that tries to be synodal, it is interesting to see the kind of speakers that are placed in front of young Catholics to deliver a “commencement speech” at graduation ceremonies in Catholic colleges and universities in the United States. The controversial speech delivered on May 11 by a famous football player and traditionalist Catholic, Harrison Butker, to the class of 2024 at Benedictine College in Kansas is just one example of the bizarre situation in which the U.S. Catholic Church finds itself.

I followed the reactions to that commencement speech the same week I read “The Cross of the Moment. A Report from the Boundary Breaking Project,” the final report of the Center for Catholic…

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After the dust settled, former Bishop Richard Stika ended up having a lasting impact on the Diocese of Knoxville.

Perhaps not the type he would have envisioned. The multiple crises and lawsuits that built up under his leadership spurred the diocese to update its sexual misconduct policy.

In February, Louisville Archbishop Shelton Fabre, who served as the interim leader in Knoxville, approved the updates. They include new language and policies, including rules that church leaders can’t interfere with sex abuse investigations and the accused can’t retaliate against the accuser.

An internal diocesan review board started working on the changes in January 2023. Stika resigned in June.

Diocesan spokesperson Jim Wogan declined to say why each change was made or whether Stika’s time with the diocese influenced them.

“The diocese views this as a positive step by removing any questions about the board’s authority and ability to act independently,” Wogan wrote in…

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The Michigan Attorney General’s Office on Wednesday released its report summarizing allegations of sexual abuse involving priests within the Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo, saying the goal of the document was to “acknowledge the reports of abuse from victims” and to make public the findings of its investigation.

“We must break down the walls of silence that so often surround sexual abuse and assault,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said during a virtual news conference Wednesday morning. “In the end, we hope that this report provides a voice to those have suffered in silence for so long and that it shines a light on those alleged offenders whose actions allowed them to evade true accountability.”

She praised the survivors who shared what happened to them.

“Their willingness to come forward helped bring attention to an issue that has affected so many in our state and our country, including, of course, children,” Nessel…

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[To see the AG’s report on the Kalamazoo diocese, click here.]

A new report is aiming to shed light on alleged abuse cases that reportedly took place within the Diocese of Kalamazoo.

Released by Attorney General Dana Nessel Wednesday, the report contains detailed descriptions of sexual abuse allegations and other sexual misconduct, including grooming and misuse of authority, against minors and adults, according to the Department of the Attorney General.

Among the findings were the names of 19 priests, 12 of which are priests for the Diocese of Kalamazoo and 7 others who ministered in the Diocese.

Of those 19 individuals, 12 are accused of abusing minors, 5 are accused of misconduct with adults and two others are accused of misconduct with both adults and minors, officials noted.

For those accused of sexually abusing minors, 10 of those are alleged to have done so within the Diocese’s nine counties,…

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The indictment is the first public acknowledgment from the U.S. Department of Justice that it is investigating the SBC and its entities.

A former Southern Baptist seminary professor and interim provost has been indicted on a charge of obstructing justice in a sexual misconduct case, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday (May 21). 

Matt Queen, who was previously an administrator and professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, allegedly gave the FBI falsified notes during an ongoing investigation into alleged sexual misconduct at the seminary, which is in Fort Worth, Texas. He was arraigned Tuesday, according to the DOJ.

“As alleged, Matthew Queen attempted to interfere with a federal grand jury investigation by creating false notes in an attempt to corroborate his own lies,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams of the Southern District of New York in a statement. “The criminal obstruction charge announced today should exemplify the seriousness of attempts by…

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Henry David Thoreau once said, “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.” These profound words resonate strongly as we reflect on recent developments concerning the need for reform in the Catholic Church to protect children. The French bishops introduced an unusual church abuse ‘reform‘, which has garnered significant attention and raised important questions about the effectiveness of measures.

According to one newspaper, “Catholic priests in France  will be made to wear traffic-light coded identification tags to allow the public to check whether they may have faced sexual abuse charges.” These cards will include a QR code that reflects a red, orange, or green light based on the priest’s clerical status. While this innovative step aims to increase transparency and accountability, the fundamental question remains: Is this enough?

The Need for Effective Measures to Protect Children

At Horowitz Law, we…

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The former CEO of Orange, a leading Christian youth curriculum, has accused Orange founder Reggie Joiner of clergy sexual abuse in an email to two board members.

Former CEO Kristen Ivy writes she and Joiner did not have an “inappropriate relationship,” as initially reported in a statement by Orange announcing Joiner’s and Ivy’s resignations last month. Instead, in an email obtained by The Roys Report (TRR), Ivy labels Joiner’s actions “clergy sexual abuse.” And she adds, “I’m not the only one.”

Ivy sent the email to Orange Board Chairman Joel Manby and Board Member Jennifer Barnes on April 23—the opening day of the Orange Conference 2024. In her email to Manby and Barnes, Ivy admits that she initially labeled what had happened between her and Joiner as an “inappropriate relationship” and explains why.

“During the time of my original interview, I was prepared to protect…

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A third leader at televangelist Mark Barclay’s Michigan church is facing charges of sexual assault, according to Midland County Circuit Court records.

Randy Saylor, associate pastor at Living Word International Church in Midland, Michigan, is the second pastor and third person involved with the church to be charged with sex crimes.

Saylor, 71, was arraigned Wednesday on charges of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person under 13, and second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a relationship. His crimes allegedly happened around March 2018.

Living Word has suspended Saylor from all duties “pending the outcome of the investigation,” Living Word Church Administrator William Bailey said in a statement to local media. He added that there are no allegations that the abuse took place at the church or involved the church in any way.

“Living Word International Church is deeply saddened and concerned to address recent…

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The Soul Survivor Watford in the United Kingdom has hired a new associate pastor in the aftermath of an abuse scandal that led to the ouster of its founder, Mike Pilavachi. 

The Rev. Simon Nicholls will take on the new role as associate pastor, taking the reins from the former associate pastor, The Rev. Andy Croft, who departed last year due to his ties to an ongoing investigation of Pilavachi. 

The ministry announced Nicholls’ appointment during its services on May 12. Nicholls will assume the position in September. 

“Many of you will know of Si as he used to be part of the church family until eight years ago when he left to train for ordination in the Church of England,” a statement emailed to supporters reads. 

Pilavachi was investigated last year by the Church of England based on allegations of “inappropriate intimate…

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A Southern Baptist pastor who previously served as a seminary administrator has been indicted in federal court on one charge of falsifying records to cover up a report of sexual abuse.

This is the first indictment of a Southern Baptist Convention official amid several years of reckoning over sexual abuse claims and the mishandling of those claims.

The May 21 indictment of Matthew Queen, 49, in the Southern District of New York is the first visible fruit of an FBI investigation of the SBC that began in 2022. If convicted, Queen could face up to 20 years in federal prison.

Queen, now pastor of Friendly Avenue Baptist Church in Greensboro, N.C., was arraigned on the charge before U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan Tuesday. He had begun serving the North Carolina church just months ago after relocating from Texas.

He is a former evangelism professor who previously held the L.R. Scarborough Chair…

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Bolivia Jesuits ask victims of two priests implicated in scandal to make formal complaint

In the developing sexual abuse of minors scandal involving Jesuits in Bolivia, a May 13 article in the Spanish newspaper El País implicated two other priests, Francesc Peris and Carlos Villamil, and also published the testimonies of eight alleged victims.

The Jesuits asked the victims to make a formal complaint with the Society of Jesus and offered their assistance in filing a complaint with the public prosecutor. 

El País broke the initial story on the scandal April 29 in a report titled “Diary of a pedophile priest,” stating that Jesuit priest Alfonso Pedrajas Moreno, who died in 2009, sexually abused as many as 85 minors in Bolivia, based on admissions found in his own diary.

Peris, known as “Checho,” and Villamil, nicknamed “Vicu,” allegedly committed the abuse in the 1980s when both priests worked at the…

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Allegations of widespread abuse against children who were said to have been forced to attend Canada’s Indian Residential Schools were uncommon before the last of them was shuttered in 1996. […]

Allegations of widespread abuse against children who were said to have been forced to attend Canada’s Indian Residential Schools were uncommon before the last of them was shuttered in 1996. That was the year the Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples alleged the existence of systemic abuse at these boarding schools, charges detailed in the 2015 Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, the body appointed to examine the history, operation, and legacy of these schools.

Indigenous activists and institutions linked to them, abetted by a compliant mainstream media preoccupied with sensational stories, began zealously promoting even more scurrilous assertions about the Indian Residential Schools, especially those administered by the Roman Catholic Church, starting…

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The president of the Polish bishops’ conference, Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda of Gdansk, has been accused of alleged negligence in a sex abuse case. The report, filed by a victim-survivor advocate under the new procedural norms established by the papal document Vos Estis Lux Mundi, was sent to the Vatican’s apostolic nunciature in Warsaw in March, according to the Polish Catholic media outlet Wiez.

On May 20, a letter was published that Polish abuse victims sent to all members of the Permanent Council of the Polish bishops’ conference May 13, asking to suspend Wojda from his duties as president of the Polish bishops’ conference “pending investigation of the alleged negligence.”

“In many Polish dioceses … the welfare of institutions turns out to be more important than human suffering,” victims said in a letter prepared by three vocal advocates of clerical sexual abuse survivors: Toska Szewczyk (not…

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A $500,000 bond set for Charlotte County priest Leo Riley, following his initial appearance at the Dubuque County Courthouse has been posted. Sources tell ABC7 the bond was posted by Riley’s brother.

Riley is facing five counts of sexual abuse allegedly committed during his time as a priest in Iowa. Last month, a local victim came forward saying he was abused by Riley in Charlotte County.

“I buried these memories very deep but I couldn’t keep them buried forever,” said an alleged victim going by John Doe.

Father Leo Riley has not been charged in Charlotte County, but is back in Dubuque to answer to five counts of capital sexual battery related to reports in the 1980s.

Riley was a past priest at the Resurrection Church in Dubuque, Iowa. In Charlotte County, he was a Priest at Saint Charles Borromeo in Port Charlotte in the early 2000′s, and is currently…

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Seek money & acknowledgement from Archdiocese of Baltimore

Alleged victims of sex abuse at the hands of the clergy have become creditors against the Archdiocese of Baltimore at the federal courthouse, but this is about far more than a payday.

“We’re trying to get to the goal of how can we make sure truly beyond the money, how can we make sure this doesn’t happen again,” said Committee of Unsecured Creditors Chair Paul Jan Zdunek.

A woman who we will refer to only by her first name, Rebecca, took the stand first to share details of what her abuser called their ‘little secret’ at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church in West Baltimore.

At the age of 12, Rebecca says a priest at the church began following her around to secluded areas and molesting her.

She reported it to a seminarian who she found out later was abusing children as well.

…

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The International House of Prayer-Kansas City’s Forerunner Church held its final worship service in Grandview on Pentecost Sunday as the fallout continues over the sex abuse scandal involving the global prayer movement’s founder.

The building was filled to capacity at the 10 a.m. service, with leaders saying their goodbyes and thanking those who have been part of the church, from the musicians to the youth teachers to those who served coffee and cleaned the restrooms.

“This morning our heart is really to just express gratitude to the Lord and gratitude towards those that have served and been a part of this community over the years,” senior pastor Isaac Bennett told the congregation. “We’re so grateful for this community and what the Lord has done and what the Lord is going to do in your lives. Even in the days ahead. “ …

There’s no easy way to do…

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Church administrator issues statement regarding charges

Living Word Church Associate Pastor Randy Saylor will be arraigned Wednesday on charges related to alleged 2018 sexual assaults.

Saylor, 71, is the second pastor and third person involved with the church to be charged with such crimes.

He is expected to be arraigned on charges of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person under 13, and second-degree CSC with a relationship. He is set for an 8:30 a.m. arraignment in Midland County District Court Wednesday. The crimes allegedly occurred around March 29, 2018 and were investigated by Michigan State Police.

“Living Word International Church is deeply saddened and concerned to address recent allegations of misconduct involving one of our ministers,” Living Word Church Administrator William Bailey said in a statement responding to a Daily News request for comment.

“It has come to our attention that Randy Saylor, a member of our pastoral team, is…

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A judge sentenced a North Las Vegas pastor to one year of probation on Monday, the result of a plea deal for a sex crimes case. 

Bobby Cornealius Smith will have to register as a sex offender and cannot be alone with children other than his biological children while he is on probation. Smith will continue his work as a pastor, according to defense attorney Robert Draskovich.

Smith is the pastor of New Beginnings Ministries, according to the church’s website.

Clark County District Court Judge Joe Hardy, Jr. referred to the plea deal reached between Smith and the Clark County District Attorney’s office as he sentenced Smith.

A grand jury previously indicted Smith for 11 felony charges, including nine counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted sexual assault, and one count of child abuse, neglect, or endangerment. Three women, one family member, and two women whom he referred to as…

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Editor’s note: This article refers to sexual violence, which some readers might find triggering and/or disturbing.

A North Las Vegas pastor has agreed to a plea deal in a sex crimes case. Bobby Cornealius Smith of New Beginnings Ministries was charged last year with nine counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted sexual assault, and one count of child abuse, neglect, or endangerment. 

According to KLAS, Smith’s attorney said that Smith, 46, will continue his work as a pastor. He is still listed as the pastor of New Beginnings Ministries on the church’s website. 

“We have a no-judgment policy,” the website says. “Come in as you are, but refuse to stay the same, and allow God to complete His perfect work in you.”

As part of the plea agreement, Smith has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of gross lewdness and conspiracy to commit a…

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A Wichita Falls Pastor was behind bars again Monday after a grand jury tacked more charges onto allegations that Paul Andrew Coleman sexually assaulted a child.

Coleman, 67, is now charged with sexual assault of two children and continuous sexual abuse of a child related to allegations that surfaced in 2022.

He was being held Tuesday in the Wichita County Jail on $425,000 in total bonds for charges in the latest indictment against him, according to online jail records.

Anyone charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Coleman was the pastor of Good Samaritan Outreach Ministries on East Carolina Street when an 11-year-old child made an outcry at Patsy’s House Children’s Advocacy Center, according to allegations in court documents. The child said the assaults occurred at the church and at a home.

At that time, a Wichita County grand jury indicted Coleman…

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A Southern Baptist pastor in Greensboro, North Carolina, was arraigned Tuesday in federal court in New York City on charges of falsifying records in a sexual abuse case, part of the Department of Justice’s probe of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.

The indictment is the first involving an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, which federal officials have been investigating since August 2022 following revelations of hundreds of abuse cases within the denomination.

In March, the interim president of the church’s executive committee said no indictment of the governing body was expected, although some entities were still being probed. Tuesday’s indictment involved a former administrator and professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

Matthew Queen, senior pastor at Friendly Avenue Baptist Church since March of this year, was previously the interim provost at the seminary, where he also taught, according to media reports. He left the school…

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May 13, 2024

Dear Attorney General Bailey:

We are survivors of awful physical, emotional, educational, educational and sexual abuse and cover up at several Christian boarding ‘schools’ in Missouri.

To protect others, expose evil and help our ourselves find healing and closure, more than a dozen of us filed civil abuse and cover up lawsuits against the adults at the Ranch who committed or concealed heinous acts against us as youngsters.

Over the last few months, several of us have settled our lawsuits against the Circle of Hope Girls Ranch in Humansville where we were so deeply hurt. We are gratified that our courage has helped shine a light on the horrific crimes and misdeeds that were allowed to go on there for years.

But real healing and closure elude us for several reasons.

First, we’ve since learned that there are dozens of so-called ‘Christian boarding schools’ (that seem very similar to…

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Summary

• The “troubled teen” industry, including private equity-funded and unlicensed faith-based institutions, often engages in abusive practices and is poorly regulated, exploiting desperate parents and state systems.
• Educational consultants, youth transportation companies, and adoptive parents benefit financially from placing children in abusive facilities, with many teens being sent to international programs with little oversight.
• Legislative and policy changes are needed to regulate the industry, ensure proper post-adoption support, and hold parents accountable for child abandonment, with advocacy efforts underway to address these issues.

“My son needs a strict regime with strong men running the show.” That was the position of one parent who refused to plan for the return of his son to the United States after he was removed, along with 7 other boys, from Atlantis Leadership Academy (ALA) in Jamaica due to severe abuse and neglect allegations. The “strict regime” included allegations such as the following…

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For nearly two decades, one woman stood up to the Southern Baptist Convention, forcing it to face its sex abuse crisis. She was gaslit, maligned, and threatened with legal action. But she didn’t back down. And on this edition of The Roys Report, you’ll hear her story.

Joining host Julie Roys is Christa Brown, an abuse survivor who overcame the odds in pursuit of justice.

[Watch on youtube.]

As a 16-year-old girl, Christa was repeatedly raped by the youth pastor at her Southern Baptist Church. And when she told the music minister at her church what had happened, he told her never to speak of it.

For 35 years, Christa kept silent, accepting the shame that rightly belonged to her rapist. But in the early 2000s, Christa broke her silence—and confronted her childhood church with what had happened. She thought they would do the right thing. But instead, they attacked…

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As a federal court considers the bankruptcy of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, survivors of sex abuse at the hands of clergy addressed the court on Monday.

The hearing was the second time where the judge allowed victims to share what they went through to allow the court to better understand the case.

Attorney Andrew Janet represents a 58-year-old woman who testified. She said she was abused by a lay teacher when she was 12 years old. The woman was one of eight abuse survivors who testified in a packed courtroom.

“In some bizarre way, it is a relief. It is a turning point to, a, be able to say it to people out in public and to turn the focus back onto themselves to heal,” said Paul Jan Zdunek, the chairman of the Survivors Committee.

The testimony was not included in the court record. Instead, it puts a human perspective…

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Eight survivors opened up on Monday about the sexual abuse they endured at the hands of Catholic clergy during an emotional hearing in the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s bankruptcy case.

Archbishop William Lori and federal judge Michelle Harner listened to agonizing stories about how the abuse has impacted their lives.

The Baltimore Archdiocese declared bankruptcy in September before a new law, the Child Victims Act of 2023, was set to go into effect. The legislation would have opened the church to several lawsuits.

The Maryland Attorney General’s Office released a 450-page report that identified 156 priests, deacons, Catholic teachers and seminarians within the Archdiocese accused of assaulting over 600 victims.  The incidents detailed in the report date back to the 1940s.

Monday’s hearing was the second in the case.  The first took place in April, when six survivors testified, the…

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A retired judge mandated by the Vatican to investigate sexual misconduct allegations against a Quebec cardinal says that despite the complainant refusing to collaborate with the probe, he could find no evidence tying the church leader to the alleged crimes.

Retired Quebec Superior Court judge André Denis says that while his investigation doesn’t exonerate Cardinal Gérald Lacroix, it hasn’t uncovered evidence to justify a canonical trial.

“The elements gathered during the investigation make it implausible that the events associated with the cardinal occurred,” Denis told a news conference in Quebec City.

The allegations against Lacroix, the archbishop of Quebec City, emerged in January when he was named as a perpetrator in a class-action lawsuit alleging sexual abuse by clergy and staff. The alleged sexual touching involving Lacroix took place between 1987 and 1988 in Quebec City when the unnamed female plaintiff was 17.

The archbishop has denied the allegations, which…

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An inquiry ordered by Pope Francis into an allegation of sexual assault against a Canadian cardinal has found no evidence of wrongdoing, the Vatican said Tuesday.

Cardinal Gerald Lacroix, the 66-year-old archbishop of Quebec and a member of the pope’s C9 advisory council, had been accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in the 1980s.

“In the light of the facts examined by the judge, the report does not permit to identify any actions that amount to misconduct or abuse on the part of Cardinal Gerald C. Lacroix,” the Vatican said in a statement.

“Consequently, no further canonical procedure is foreseen.”

However, the retired judge who wrote the report later published a statement saying he lacked an “important piece of evidence” in that he was unable to meet the plaintiff.

The claims against Lacroix date back to 1987 and 1988, when the alleged victim was 17, and are part of…

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Scotland’s first female bishop, the Rt Rev Anne Dyer, is poised to face a disciplinary tribunal amidst allegations suggesting her behavior could tarnish the church’s reputation.

Appointed in 2018, Rev Dyer has been accused of actions “unbecoming of a member of the clergy” and likely to “bring the church into disrepute.”

According to The Daily Mail Rev Dyer has previously reported enduring “significant bullying and harassment.”

The process leading to a tribunal was initiated by the church’s procurator, Paul Reid, KC.

After reviewing preliminary findings last November, Reid decided to advance three complaints to a formal hearing. “The alleged canonical offences concern behaviour or conduct unbecoming of a member of the clergy, which brings or is likely to bring the church into disrepute,” the church said in a public statement.

Rev Dyer’s leadership came under scrutiny in 2022 when allegations of bullying emerged, prompting a brief suspension that was quickly lifted after an appeal. Despite…

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Allégations contre le cardinal Lacroix

Au terme de trois mois d’enquête, le juge à la retraite André Denis révèle qu’il n’a jamais pu obtenir le témoignage de la femme qui a déclaré avoir été agressée il y a 35 ans par le cardinal Gérald Lacroix.

«Sa déclaration est anonyme et elle refuse de collaborer à mon enquête», écrit le juge québécois dans le rapport de 66 pages qu’il a remis au pape François le 6 mai 2024.

«Elle en a le droit et elle doit être traitée avec respect, empathie et accueil comme on doit le faire avec toute personne humaine.»

Mais ce refus a «grandement affecté» l’enquête que lui a commandé le pape le 8 février 2024.

«Si je ne peux affirmer que sa dénonciation est infondée, je ne peux certes pas l’avaliser sur la foi des faits révélés par mon enquête», ajoute le juge retraité de la Cour…

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KRAKÓW, Poland (OSV News) — The president of the Polish bishops’ conference, Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda of Gdansk, has been accused of alleged negligence in a sex abuse case. The report, filed by a victim-survivor advocate under the new procedural norms established by the papal document “Vos Estis Lux Mundi,” was sent to the Vatican’s apostolic nunciature in Warsaw in March, according to the Polish Catholic media outlet Wiez.

On May 20, a letter was published that Polish abuse victims sent to all members of the Permanent Council of the Polish bishops’ conference May 13, asking to suspend Archbishop Wojda in his duties as president of the Polish bishops’ conference “pending investigation of the alleged negligence.”

“In many Polish dioceses … the welfare of institutions turns out to be more important than human suffering,” victims said in a letter prepared by three vocal advocates of clerical sexual abuse survivors: Toska Szewczyk…

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It’s been more than four years since Bishop Richard J. Malone resigned as leader of the Buffalo Diocese amid a firestorm of criticism over his role in covering up molestation claims against clergy.

Malone, now 77, has mostly kept a low profile while living in a Town of Tonawanda home owned by Catholic Cemeteries of Buffalo.

But this past week, he presided over confirmation ceremonies at St. Gregory the Great in Amherst, the largest parish in the Buffalo Diocese. In two separate services at the church, he marked the foreheads of more than 100 young people with holy oil, reminisced about his days as a campus minister at Harvard University, and urged nearly 1,000 people in attendance to take “a new step forward with Jesus.” He has also done confirmations in several other churches since 2023 in Allegany County, Orchard Park and Williamsville, and was scheduled Sunday for a confirmation in…

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The 58-year-old woman couldn’t bear to share the details of the sexual abuse she suffered as a child, but its effect on her came across loud and clear Monday in a Baltimore courtroom as she faced the leader of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

“Do you see me now?” she cried toward Archbishop William Lori, who was seated across the courtroom from her. “Do I matter to you now? I suffer from PTSD, from anxiety, from depression and panic attacks. I’m on disability. It will take me days to recover from talking today. I hope you’ve heard my truth and feel the pain I’ve struggled with.”

Her testimony as one of eight abuse survivors to speak Monday in the archdiocese’s bankruptcy case contributed to a chilling picture of children being tormented by Catholic clergy and a vivid portrait of the lives altered permanently by their experiences.

Victims recounted being abused in…

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The Diocese of Richmond said on Friday it has learned of allegations that a now deceased man sexually abused students of St. John the Apostle Catholic School.

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VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A day after the Catholic Diocese of Richmond said they learned of allegations of sexual abuse against students of St. John the Apostle School, 13News Now obtained court records of a previous sexual abuse case from 2021 in which the school is mentioned several times throughout the documents.

According to court documents from Virginia Beach, a man named Vince Jakawich was the subject of an investigation in which he faced a felony aggravated sexual battery of a minor charge stemming from an unspecified incident in the summer months of 2020. 

Bond documents filed by Jakawich’s legal counsel reveal he was a parent, who requested to be allowed back to St. John, “where his daughters are students.”

Both court…

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VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A pastor with St. John the Apostle Catholic School in Virginia Beach is on temporary leave amid allegations involving a parent at the school, who is now deceased.

The case involves allegations of sexual abuse involving local Catholic school students.

WAVY News 10 has learned that although the case dates back four years, it came to light this past week after a second alleged victim of the same parent emerged.

According to a May 10 letter from Miriam Cotton, the principal of the school at the time, the accusations made against the adult were not made on school grounds, and the information was reported to Child Protective Services.

The statement, in part, reads:

As your principal, I feel this is a suitable moment to remind our parents of the importance in speaking with your children about appropriate touch, what are safe…

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Bishops will have audience with Pope on Friday

Portugal’s Roman Catholic bishops begin an ‘ad Limina Apostolorum’ visit to the Vatican today, with the issue of historic sexual abuse of children at the hands of the clergy over the years being just one that will come under discussion.

These ‘ad Limina’ visits take place every five years – this one was supposed to have taken place in 2020, but had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

In addition to meetings between the prelates and various dicasteries of the Holy See, the bishops will also meet the Pope, on the last day of their visit (Friday).

Canon law in the Church establishes that “the Diocesan Bishop has the obligation to present to the Supreme Pontiff, every five years, a report on the situation of the diocese entrusted to him.”

According to the Portuguese Episcopal Conference (CEP), in this report…

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After an anonymous allegation arose against close papal aide Cardinal Gérald C. Lacroix of Québec earlier this year, a preliminary canonical investigation launched by Pope Francis has found no evidence of misconduct.

On Jan. 25, Lacroix was named in a class action lawsuit filed against the Archdiocese of Quebec in 2022, with court documents alleging that he inappropriately touched a 17-year-old girl on two occasions, in 1987 and 1988. His accuser was not identified.

Lacroix subsequently denied the allegations but made the decision to withdraw from leadership of the archdiocese while an investigation took place.

According to a May 21 Vatican statement, after the allegations against Lacroix arose Pope Francis on Feb. 8 asked Justice André Denis, a retired Judge of the Superior Court of Québec, to conduct a preliminary canonical investigation of the accusation.

That inquiry concluded May 6, and the results were presented to Pope Francis shortly after.

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The Holy See Press Office reports that the preliminary canonical investigation regarding an anonymous accusation against Canadian Cardinal Gérald Lacroix, Archbishop of Québec, has not found “any actions that amount to misconduct or abuse” and therefore “no further canonical procedure is foreseen.“

The Holy See Press Office issued a statement on 21 May regarding the conclusions of the preliminary canonical investigation regarding an anonymous accusation against Cardinal Gérald C. Lacroix, Archbishop of Québec.

The conclusion of the report has confirmed that no actions that amount to misconduct or abuse on the part of the Cardinal have been identified, and therefore, “no further canonical procedure is foreseen.”

On 8 February 2024, Pope Francis entrusted André Denis, a retired judge of the Superior Court of Québec, the mandate to shed light on an accusation made in the context of a class action lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Québec.

The preliminary canonical investigation…

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Testo in lingua italiana

Testo in lingua francese

Testo in lingua inglese

Testo in lingua italiana

In merito alle conclusioni dell’indagine canonica preliminare relativa a una accusa anonima contro il Cardinale Gérald C. Lacroix, Arcivescovo di Québec

L’8 febbraio 2024 il Santo Padre ha affidato ad André Denis, giudice della Corte Superiore del Québec in pensione, il mandato di fare luce su un’accusa formulata nell’ambito di una azione legale collettiva intentata contro l’Arcidiocesi di Québec.

Il rapporto dell’indagine canonica preliminare effettuata dal giudice è stato portato a termine il 6 maggio 2024 e consegnato al Santo Padre nei giorni successivi.

Alla luce dei fatti esaminati dal giudice, il rapporto non consente di identificare alcuna azione che si configuri come cattiva condotta o abuso da parte del Cardinale Gérald C. Lacroix. Di conseguenza, non è prevista una procedura canonica più approfondita.

Il Santo Padre ha autorizzato il giudice…

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The International House of Prayer-Kansas City’s Forerunner Church held its final worship service in Grandview on Pentecost Sunday as the fallout continues over the sex abuse scandal involving the global prayer movement’s founder.

The building was filled to capacity at the 10 a.m. service, with leaders saying their goodbyes and thanking those who have been part of the church, from the musicians to the youth teachers to those who served coffee and cleaned the restrooms.

“This morning our heart is really to just express gratitude to the Lord and gratitude towards those that have served and been a part of this community over the years,” senior pastor Isaac Bennett told the congregation. “We’re so grateful for this community and what the Lord has done and what the Lord is going to do in your lives. Even in the days ahead. “ … There’s no easy way to do this. How…

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What is the proper spiritual response to the abuse crisis in the Church? is the question raised at the “Repairing the Irreparable” conference in Rome. Father Étienne Kern, who initiated the event, discusses the aims of the conference.

The Church must grapple with the spiritual repercussions and necessary reparations of the sexual abuse crisis, emphasizing the need to honor and support the victims and restore faith among the deeply shaken Christian community, says the rector of the Shrine of Paray-le-Monial in eastern France, who initiated a conference in Rome titled, “Repairing the Irreparable.” 

Listening to and supporting victims on the psychological, financial, and legal levels  “is absolutely essential, but not sufficient. Some victims also ask the Church to honor the distinctly spiritual dimension of reparation because they have also been harmed in their souls,” Father Étienne Kern told La Croix’s Gilles Donada in an interview, discussing the aims of the conference.

Participants at the May…

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Pope Francis spoke about immigration, surrogacy, and abuse in an interview with CBS News, parts of which aired on “60 Minutes” on Sunday night.

Clerical abuse “cannot be tolerated,” Francis told CBS’s Norah O’Donnell.

“When there is a case of a religious man or woman who abuses, the full force of the law falls upon them. In this there has been a great deal of progress,” he said.

The pope said the Church “must continue to do more.”

“Unfortunately, the tragedy of the abuses is enormous. And against this, an upright conscience and not only to not permit it but to put in place the conditions so that it does not happen,” he said.

(Francis gave his remarks in Spanish, which CBS translated into English.)

Turning to immigration, O’Donnell told the pope she grew up in Texas, where the Catholic charity on the border with Mexico – the Annunciation House…

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The judge in the Archdiocese of New Orleans bankruptcy case said Thursday she wants to give survivors of child sex abuse by Roman Catholic priests and deacons an opportunity to tell their stories in court to Archbishop Greg Aymond as a way of helping to bring closure and healing.

But Judge Meredith Grabill denied a request by attorneys for the survivors that would have allowed that reckoning process to begin now. Instead, Grabill said she wants to wait until a settlement plan, which would compensate survivors for past abuse and resolve the bankruptcy case, comes before her court for approval — something that is months away, and could possibly not happen at all.

“I completely envision, if a plan gets filed and we get to a confirmation hearing, allowing survivors to provide testimony … I fully envision the archbishop being here in the courtroom to listen to the evidence,” Grabill…

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During his short tenure as Missouri’s top legal official, Attorney General Andrew Bailey has consistently used (and abused) his office to promote an extremist right-wing partisan agenda with a brazenness unheard of even in Missouri politics.

Bailey, appointed to the office to fill a vacancy in January 2023, is seeking the Republican nomination in August to run for a full elected term in November.

In the interest of keeping the public informed about this uniquely problematic public official, the Post-Dispatch Editorial Board has launched this standing summary of Bailey’s more outrageous ideological stunts and abrogations of duty. We have dubbed it The Bailey Tally. It will be updated as needed.

Latest addition: Punting on Christian boarding school abuse

Activists have implored Bailey to use the prominence of his office to highlight alleged physical and sexual abuse of kids at Christian boarding schools — a historic problem in Missouri’s under-regulated private school system and…

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Father William Graham reinstated by Vatican, appeared before grateful supporters Friday.

Describing it as a story of “light triumphing over darkness,” a Duluth Catholic priest once accused of sexual abuse returned to his church Friday.

Standing in front of supportive congregation members, Father William Graham said the immediate task will be to pray together and listen to each other.

The Duluth Diocese removed Graham from the St. Michael’s Parish for almost eight years, after allegations of sexual abuse from a man who said he was abused as a teenager in the 1970s.

Graham had steadfastly denied the allegations, and earlier this month the Vatican said there was not enough evidence, and he was reinstated.

“I am grateful to God and to the Vatican for declaring my innocence after a painful seven years and ten months of suffering under a demonstrably false accusation,” said Graham.

“As I return to Duluth and…

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ROME – Argentine Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the Vatican’s doctrine czar, has said that despite the broad use of alleged spiritual or mystical experiences to commit and justify abuse in the church, disputes over terminology can muddle prosecution.

His perspective may have implications for efforts to prosecute some of the most high-profile and contentious abuse cases today, including the case of Slovenian ex-Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik, who stands accused of multiple acts of abuse against dozens of adult women, mostly nuns, stretching over more than 30 years.

Speaking to journalists during a May 17 press conference presenting new norms for evaluating the authenticity of Marian apparitions or other spiritual phenomena, Fernández was asked about what is sometimes described as “false mysticism” in abuse cases.

Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), Fernández replied, “When we speak of false mysticism, we must be careful…false mysticism is…

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There’s new life in the fight to pass a constitutional amendment that would allow survivors of childhood sex abuse to sue their abuser years after the statute of limitations has expired.

It was August 2018 when then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro published a report on childhood sexual abuse in the Catholic church. That report led to protests and calls for legislation to help survivors of sexual assault sue their abuser beyond the statute of limitations.

In January 2021, the State House and Senate passed constitutional amendments to open a window for survivors to file lawsuits. However, in February, the Department of State failed to publicize the amendment, as required by the state constitution. That led to the resignation of Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar.

Since then, legislation has stalled in the legislature. Last year, the House and Senate passed bills that did not match up. Now, there’s a chance the amendment…

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VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — The Catholic Diocese of Richmond released the following statement regarding sexual abuse allegations involving St. John the Apostle School in Virginia Beach.

The Catholic Diocese of Richmond recently learned of allegations of sexual abuse committed against students of St. John the Apostle School by an adult (now deceased). The appropriate civil authorities and law enforcement agencies are involved. The Diocese is also investigating to confirm whether the Diocese’s Safe Environment regulations or other policies were properly followed. 

The protection of our children is of the upmost importance to the Diocese. 

Fr. Rob Cole, Pastor of St. John the Apostle parish, is on temporary leave from the parish while this matter is investigated. The Diocese will not reach any conclusions until the investigation is completed. Know, however, that the Diocese is committed to ensuring that our institutions provide an environment where our children are safe and thrive. 

During this…

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This week on 60 Minutes, correspondent Norah O’Donnell sat down with Pope Francis for a historic interview. The head of the Catholic Church for more than a decade, Francis had previously never spoken at length with an English-language American broadcast network.

In a wide-ranging conversation lasting more than an hour, O’Donnell spoke with the pontiff about such topics as the wars in Ukraine and in Israel and Gaza; the Church’s handling of its sexual abuse scandals; and the conservative backlash against the pope’s more progressive approach.

O’Donnell interviewed Francis at Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican guest house where he has lived since his election in 2013, rather than the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace, where popes have historically resided. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, Francis is the first Jesuit pope in papal history.

• Pope Francis:…

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