ABUSE TRACKER

How does trauma-informed storytelling empower survivors of clergy and cult abuse through narrative agency and psychological healing?

Michelle Stewart is a cult survivor, author, and advocate whose memoir, “Judas Girl: My Father, Four Cults & How I Escaped Them All,” chronicles her childhood entry into, and adult exit from, multiple high-control religious groups. Raised in an environment that included a Hutterite community and other Anabaptist and Orthodox enclaves, she examines how spiritual authority, conformity, and secrecy enable abuse: Stewart’s work centers survivor safety, legal accountability, and ethical pastoral confidentiality. From Colorado, she speaks and writes about distinguishing mainstream faith from cultic enclaves, reforming confession practices, and fostering healing narratives that emphasize agency, nonlinearity, and evidence-based support for survivors.

In this interview with Scott Douglas Jacobsen, Stewart differentiates organized religion from cults by centering survivor experience, highlighting speech suppression, enforced conformity, and authoritarian leadership. She recounts entering high-control groups as a child, including…

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Vatican City – Pope Leo XIV continues with determination the work of renewal he initiated, showing with clarity and patience that he has precisely identified the unresolved knots of the Roman Curia he inherited. “Popes pass, the Curia remains,” he reminded everyone on May 24, 2025.

It is a bitter but realistic observation, matured through his own direct experience during his brief yet intense service in the Curia, and confirmed by his previous years as Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine, where he had already come to know those slow and sometimes lifeless dynamics that creep into certain ways of exercising ecclesiastical power.

“The wheel turns,” murmurs an elderly monsignor in the corridors of Piazza Pio XII, aware that history in the Curia tends to repeat itself with an almost liturgical regularity. And so, just as Pope Francis, with his famously “gentle and courteous” style, dismissed Archbishop Jorge Carlos Patrón Wong, sending him to Jalapa despite his dedication to seminarians and clergy, today an even harsher fate befalls his successor.

Archbishop Andrés Gabriel Ferrada Moreira, current Secretary of the Dicastery for…

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UPDATED with comments from Michael Connolly, Libasci’s attorney, emailed Saturday.

The New York sex abuse lawsuit filed against Manchester Bishop Peter Libasci is getting dismissed weeks after the case was sent to mediation.

Lawyers for the defendants, Libasci and the Roman Catholic order the Sisters of St. Joseph, and the estate of the alleged victim, Charles O’Connor, filed a joint stipulation this month in Suffolk County Supreme Court in New York to dismiss the case with prejudice. The agreement to permanently dismiss the case comes weeks after Judge Leonard Steinman sent the lawsuit to mediation.

Michael Connolly, Libasci’s attorney, said in an email Saturday: “The civil lawsuit filed in New York State Supreme Court in Suffolk County against Bishop Peter Libasci of the Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire, has been dismissed with prejudice.

“The allegations in the lawsuit were false. Bishop Libasci never abused anyone. The proof revealed as much during…

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Robert Mendez Esquivel appeared in court on Friday. He is facing charges of rape of a minor. The judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

BOISE, Idaho — A Nampa Catholic priest accused of raping a minor appeared in Canyon County court Friday for his arraignment.

A Canyon County judge entered a not guilty plea for Robert Mendez Esquivel, who remained silent during the hearing.

Mendez, a priest at Saint Paul’s in Nampa, was taken into custody in late August on an arrest warrant for child sexual battery charges. Prosecutors later charged him with rape of a child.

Prosecutors allege Mendez knowingly met with a victim after connecting on the dating app Grindr before the alleged assault occurred.

Mendez’s defense argued the 16-year-old victim was on Grindr and lied about their age. Prosecutors said state evidence shows Mendez knew the victim was 16 and expressed concern…

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A new court date has been set for a former Romanian Orthodox priest, charged in connection with a historical sexual assault in the Russell area.

In June of last year, Russell RCMP say a woman in her 60’s reported that a priest at a church in Lennard, Manitoba, had sexually assaulted her multiple times over the course of two years, in the early 1970’s.

The victim was between the ages of 11 and 12 at the time of the alleged assaults.

82-year-old Constantin Turcoane of Regina, had his matter heard in Brandon Court of King’s Bench Tuesday, where it was adjourned to December 2.

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The Archdiocese of New Orleans secured nearly unanimous approval for a $230 million bankruptcy settlement on Thursday, paving the way for payouts to over 650 victims after five years of contentious litigation in the nation’s second-oldest Catholic archdiocese.

The vote, which closed at midnight on Oct. 30, saw 99.63% of creditors — including hundreds of abuse survivors — endorse the plan in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Eastern District of Louisiana, according to The Guardian.

Only the bondholder class, owed $30 million, opposed it, voting against the plan by a vote of 59 to 14, according to court documents. In 2017, bondholders lent the Church $40 million to help refinance parish debt and have been repaid only 25% of the outstanding balance. They have alleged fraud against the Church after it withheld promised interest payments. Legal experts say their “no” vote will not derail confirmation of the settlement, however. 

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The Archdiocese of New Orleans has secured near-unanimous support from victims of clergy sexual abuse, with 99.63 per cent of creditors approving a proposed US$230 million settlement. 

On 30 November, the archdiocese reported that “hundreds of survivors voted overwhelmingly to accept the plan,” signalling a rare moment of unity in one of the largest Catholic Church bankruptcy proceedings in the United States.

Under the agreement, compensation will be distributed through a points system reflecting the severity and long-term impact of abuse. Key provisions include the release of files on abusive priests and deacons, and new safeguards for children and vulnerable adults. While the total number of votes cast was not disclosed, the approval rate suggests minimal dissent. The plan required only a two-thirds majority to pass.

Initial objections from lawyers representing a large bloc of survivors centred on the plan’s lack of a guarantee for roughly US$50 million tied to…

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A Nampa priest facing sex crime charges appeared in court Friday morning for the first time since his arrest in August.

Supporters packed the gallery as the judge reduced the bond for Robert Mendez Esquivel, known in the community as Father Toto.

As Idaho News 6 has previously reported, Mendez served at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Nampa and faces three felony charges, including sexual battery and rape of a 16-year-old. Prosecutors allege he met the victim through the dating app Grindr.

Inside the courtroom, Mendez remained silent as the judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. His attorney argued that the original $300,000 bond was too high, citing his clean criminal record, low flight risk, and strong community support.

The court reviewed letters from neighbors, church members, and additional submissions highlighting Mendez’s positive impact in the community.

Prosecutors disagreed, calling him a flight risk with limited ties…

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A youth pastor from Madera County was arrested at his home in Coarsegold after a months-long investigation into allegations of sexual abuse involving a 15-year-old girl, according to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies announced Thursday that they arrested 47-year-old Coarsegold man Joshua David Kemper.

Officials with the sheriff’s office say the investigation started on July 28, after a report was filed by church officials in Coarsegold. 

Detectives say they learned that Kemper, who served as a pastor at the church, had been engaging in inappropriate communication and sexual conduct with the juvenile victim.

Deputies say the investigation revealed the victim was in a sexual relationship with Kemper that occurred between March and July 2025. It is alleged that there were multiple incidents at the church, her home, and inside the suspect’s vehicle.

They say digital evidence revealed extensive explicit messaging, photos, and videos exchanged between Kemper and the victim….

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New charges have been filed against an Oklahoma City area pastor who is accused of trafficking members of his church, according to the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.

Agents received information in March 2025 and interviewed several victims, finding evidence that Elmer Baca Flores would force his victims to quit their jobs and isolate them from their families by having them move into his church, where he also lived.

“Victims told our Agents they were forced to work for Flores without compensation, and he would threaten them with physical harm if they attempted to leave, claiming he was a member of the violent gang, MS-13,” said OBN Spokesman Mark Woodward. “And Flores used his influence as a pastor to spiritually coerce the victims by targeting their religious convictions. One victim told Agents that Flores gave her a test to prove her ability to resist temptation. During this test, the victim was…

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A Chico pastor, accused of child molestation, pleaded not guilty to his charges in a Butte County courtroom on Thursday morning, the Butte County District Attorney’s Office announced.

The pastor, identified as Roger Scalice, 75, was arrested on Monday, Oct. 27, following an investigation by the Chico Police Department into a claim that Scalice had inappropriately touched a minor child with whom he had access for over a year. During their investigation, police said detectives found several conversations in which Scalice admitted to the conduct.

At the hearing on Thursday, officials stated that the judge set Scalice’s bail at $400,000 and ordered him to remain in custody at the Butte County Jail until his return to court on November 13, 2025, for a preliminary hearing. Officials said Scalice faces up to 16 years in prison.

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said that, due to the nature of the conduct…

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A critical decision on the Baltimore Catholic Archdiocese bankruptcy case is set for early next year. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michelle Harner issued an interim order this week stating she will decide in January on whether she will dismiss the case, allowing survivors of sexual abuse to sue the church individually.

Mediation is ongoing between the church and the survivors. However, the archdiocese is petitioning the court for reprieve through the charitable immunity doctrine. That doctrine would protect the church from civil lawsuits because it is a tax-exempt organization and the money should be used for religious or educational purposes. The People’s Law Library of Maryland states the purpose behind charitable immunity is that it would be “unfair to make charitable organizations pay for civil damages with funds received from donors.”

Harner said she wants to issue an opinion on charitable immunity before deciding on dismissal.

Theresa Lancaster, a…

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WA ruling exempting clergy from reporting abuse learned during confession raises questions of evangelical accountability

Clergy are mandated reporters, which requires them to report suspected abuse or neglect to authorities. In most states, the priest-penitent privilege exempts priests from reporting information learned during the Sacrament of Confession. A Washington state law passed in May removed that exemption, but a recent ruling overturned that decision. Clergy in Washington will again be exempt from disclosing information learned “solely through confession or its equivalent in other faiths.”

For evangelicals, the new ruling raises a question: What conversations qualify as an “equivalent” to confession?

“Where are you going to draw this line? In the Catholic tradition, it’s a very clear line,” said Boz Tchividjian, a lawyer who represents abuse survivors and founded GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment).

In the Catholic tradition, the Sacrament of Confession gives specific parameters for what…

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A longtime Catholic writer and editor of prominent Catholic publications is facing federal charges of possessing child pornography and enticing a minor to create such child sexual abuse material. The charges allege multiple minor victims.

OSV News has confirmed with law enforcement officials that Gerald M. Korson is currently behind bars at the Huntington County Jail in Huntington, Indiana.

Korson’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley J. Miller Lowery in the U.S. District Court’s Northern District of Indiana, Fort Wayne Division.

According to court documents, the 65-year-old Korson — a former editor of OSV Newsweekly from June 15, 1998, until Nov. 11, 2007 — was initially arrested and charged in December 2024. (OSV Newsweekly was published by Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., the parent company of OSV News, from 1912 until September 2024.)

Korson freelanced for multiple Catholic publications, including OSV Newsweekly, in subsequent years. 

Korson also served…

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In short:

Buddhist monk Naotunne Vijitha has been found guilty of more than a dozen historical sex charges dating back more than 30 years.

The 70-year-old senior monk was alleged to have used sweets to lure victims into his living quarters at two Melbourne temples.

Vijitha now faces more than a decade behind bars for the crimes. 

A senior Buddhist monk has been found guilty of historical sex offences against six girls at a Melbourne temple.

Warning: This story contains details of alleged sexual assault.

A County Court jury on Thursday ruled Naotunne Vijitha, the head monk at the Dhamma Sarana temple in Keysborough, committed the offences between 1994 and 2002.

The 70-year-old monk was found guilty of eight charges of sexual penetration of a child under 16 and nine charges of committing an indecent act with a child under 16.

The monk was cleared of one indecent act charge….

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The Assemblies of God — one of the world’s largest Pentecostal denominations — has been thrust into a crisis of theology and failed accountability related to clergy sexual abuse.

An exhaustive investigation by NBC News found a five-decades-long pattern of reinstating or transferring ministers credibly accused of sexual abuse. The core conflict lies in the AG’s structural and spiritual identity: Local sovereignty is leveraged as a legal defense, and the call for redemption is prioritized over victims.

The AG describes itself as a “voluntary cooperative fellowship,” meaning its 13,000 churches are largely autonomous. This is similar to Baptist polity, and the Southern Baptist Convention similarly has claimed local church autonomy as a reason for not stopping serial abusers.

Autonomy has been employed as an institutional shield for the AG’s General Council (the national office in Springfield, Mo.), just as it has been by the SBC Executive Committee.

According to NBC, the AG has…

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Olman Amador, 40, has been charged with two counts of child molesting and two counts of confinement where the victim is under 14 years old.

An Indianapolis pastor is facing charges after allegedly sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. 

Olman Amador, 40, has been charged with two counts of child molesting and two counts of confinement where the victim is under 14 years old. 

According to court documents, the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) Central Intake Unit received a report on Sept. 23, 2025 alleging that a 14-year-old girl was a victim of sexual abuse by Amador. 

Court documents say Amador is a pastor at Iglesia Pentecostal Vida Y Esperanza. Before this, documents say Amador worked as a pastor at Iglesia Pentecostal Divina Trinidad #5 on Indianapolis’ east side, which is where the alleged sexual abuse took place. 

Amador told police that the church’s central location in…

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While a Seattle-area mayor supported a pastor who’s a convicted sex offender, a network of civic leaders looked the other way and even lauded the offender, according to an investigation by 97.3 FM KIRO News Radio.

The same day that Joshua Headley admitted in court to raping a 15-year-old girl while pastoring Auburn’s Northwest Family Church, Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus sent a letter of support for Headley’s character.

And after Headley was sentenced and served time for his crime, the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce nominated him for an award for the work he did with a newly created media company.

LaShund Lambert, pastor of Resurrection Church in Auburn, who has followed Headley’s case for years, was aghast at how the city gave Headley a pass.

“I was blown away that they felt there was so little accountability that they could go on as if it never…

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The case of Lindsey Whiteside, the one-time youth pastor at Getwell Church in Hernando, Mississippi, continues to roil her community after federal prosecutors filed an emergency motion Wednesday to keep her in jail.

The motion asks that the 26-year-old be detained without bail until trial on the grounds that Whiteside’s offenses are “crimes of violence and involve a minor victim.” Whiteside has pleaded guilty to sexual battery charges involving a minor child.

After receiving a light sentence with no jail time, the reaction in DeSoto County, Mississippi, where Hernando is the county seat, was fierce. News sites called Whiteside a “pastor predator.” And a group of parents in the DeSoto County School District kept their children home Oct. 22, protesting support letters that a school board member and some teachers submitted to a judge on Whiteside’s behalf.

Attorney calls state sentence illegal

Whiteside’s state sentence was also…

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Two highly anticipated events in the Catholic Church in Germany took place this week.

The first was the release of a report on the handling of abuse cases in the Trier diocese, where Cardinal Reinhard Marx (now of Munich) served as bishop from 2002 to 2007, and where Bishop Georg Bätzing (now German bishops’ conference chairman) was vicar general from 2012 to 2016.

The second was the publication of guidance for Catholic schools on the “recognition of the diversity of sexual identities,” a previous draft of which reportedly provoked disagreements among bishops.

Let’s consider each of these landmark developments more closely.

‘Old habits’ in Trier

In 2010, the Church in Germany was engulfed by an abuse crisis that prompted more than 100,000 Catholics to formally disaffiliate annually for the next 15 years.

In 2019, Cardinal Marx, the then bishops’ conference chairman, announced the launch of the “synodal way,” an initiative bringing together bishops and…

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According to the latest study of U.S. Catholic priests, released in mid-October, there still exists a widespread and worrying lack of trust and confidence among diocesan priests regarding their bishops. Almost half (48 percent) reported a lack of trust in their own bishop, and nearly three-fourths (73 percent) of priests surveyed expressed a lack of confidence in the U.S. bishops in general.

One reason for this ongoing crisis of trust might be the most obvious: the pervasive fear that if and when a priest is ever accused of misconduct, he will be thrown under the proverbial bus rather than presumed innocent, given competent legal representation, and afforded due process. A similar survey three years ago had stated that “82% of priests regularly fear being falsely accused of sexual abuse.” There is no reason to assume that percentage has decreased over the last three…

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BATH BEACH — Gene Doyle is a survivor of clergy sex abuse decades ago. However, throughout all that time since, he has never lost his faith in God and never left the Catholic Church.  

“Through all the abuse that I went through, it never really alienated me from liturgy. That’s been a constant,” Doyle explained. “I knew enough to not confuse pathology with theology. The priests who abused me … had their own wounds.  

“We all bleed in different ways.” 

So, when the Diocese of Brooklyn offered its annual Mass of Hope and Healing for survivors of clergy sex abuse on Oct. 29, Doyle was there, sitting in a front pew of St. Finbar Church in Bath Beach with his wife Mary beside him. 

[PHOTO: Survivor Gene Doyle, praying after the Mass, says he is pleased that the Catholic Church is facing up to issues like clergy sex abuse. (Photos:…

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Archdiocese of New Orleans reports 99.63% of creditors, other than bondholders, approved of the $230 million deal

NEW ORLEANS — In a nearly unanimous vote, hundreds of victims of child sexual abuse by clergy and other church creditors approved a $230 million bankruptcy settlement with the Archdiocese of New Orleans by a midnight deadline Thursday.

The archdiocese reported in a court filing Thursday morning that the deal was accepted by a staggering 99.63% of creditors, excluding a small group of bond investors who voted against it while suing the church and alleging it committed securities fraud.

The church did not report the total number of votes cast but said “hundreds of survivors voted overwhelmingly to accept the plan,” which will dole out payments to victims of abuse based on points assigned for the severity and effect of the abuse and includes agreements to release files on abusive priests and deacons…

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The vote is one of the final steps as the church seeks to emerge from bankruptcy after more than five years.

Top of FormBottom of FormClergy sex abuse survivors have overwhelmingly approved a $230 million bankruptcy settlement with the Archdiocese of New Orleans, potentially clearing the way for the local Roman Catholic church’s long-running case to be resolved by the end of the year.

According to court documents filed Thursday, 99.6% of all creditors in the case who submitted ballots during a six-week voting period, which ended Wednesday, voted in favor of the settlement.

Those creditors are divided into several groups or “classes”: more than 650 abuse survivors, a group of vendors and small businesses, and the bondholders owed some $30 million by the archdiocese.

Bankruptcy law states that two-thirds of all votes cast within each class must be in favor of a settlement in order for the court to…

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NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – For the bankruptcy case of the Archdiocese of New Orleans to move ahead, it needed a “yes” vote from two-thirds of the people who sued the archdiocese for alleged clergy sex abuse. Court documents filed Thursday revealed the $230 million proposed settlement got more than 99 percent approval. But not every survivor is on board with it.

The results came one day after a crucial voting period in the archdiocese bankruptcy case ended. The $230 million deal to settle hundreds of clergy sex abuse claims was approved by virtually every person who filed those lawsuits. Johnny Krummel says he reluctantly voted yes.

“I voted yes for the other victims in this ordeal,” Johnny Krummel said.

Krummel says he was a little boy in the early 1980s when he was abused at the Madonna Manor orphanage in Marrero. He says the lawsuit he filed against the archdiocese…

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Buffalo Bishop Michael Fisher returned from Rome late Tuesday night after meeting with Pope Francis and Vatican officials to seek guidance on the diocese’s ongoing bankruptcy proceedings.

Posted 11:55 AM, Oct 30, 2025 and last updated 1:40 PM, Oct 30, 2025

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo Bishop Michael Fisher returned from Rome late Tuesday night after meeting with Pope Leo XIV and Vatican officials to seek guidance on the Diocese of Buffalo’s ongoing bankruptcy proceedings and parish restructuring efforts.

7 News Anchor and Senior Reporter Michael Wooten met with the bishop at St. Joseph’s Cathedral to learn more about his face-to-face meetings at the Vatican.

“It was more like continue with the process, but to work with them as they want to work with us,” Bishop Fisher said.

The bishop called the trip successful, meeting not just with the leader of the Catholic Church but also with many administrative offices of the…

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New Orleans sex abuse survivors have overwhelmingly approved a settlement plan that would end the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ yearslong bankruptcy case.

This comes after clergy abuse survivors voted over a six-week period on a $230 million settlement plan.

The votes were due Wednesday night and were tabulated. A recent court filing shows abuse survivors overwhelmingly accepted the deal, which would allow payouts by next year.

The plan is expected to go into effect by the end of the year.

Payouts, which could roll out as soon as January, will be specific to sex abuse claims and based on a point system.

The accepted plan would pay settlements to an estimated 660 sex abuse survivors who have filed claims in the case.

The plan settlement proposes the following compensation for sex abuse survivors:

• $130 million in committed cash funding to be paid by the archdiocese and its affiliates into…

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NBC News uncovered a 50-year pattern of sex abuse, silence and cover-up in the world’s largest Pentecostal denomination.

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

A children’s pastor was caught filming girls in a church bathroom in Arkansas. Elders suspended him for a few weeks.

In Illinois, a preacher was accused of sexually abusing children. Church leaders sent him to therapy rather than call police.

In California, a worship minister went to prison for molesting boys. His congregation threw him a party when he returned.

All of these men remained in ministry in the Assemblies of God, the world’s largest Pentecostal denomination. All went on to abuse more children.

Since the 1970s, Assemblies of God churches have repeatedly reinstated ministers and volunteer leaders accused of sexual misconduct, returning them to pulpits and youth groups, an NBC…

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The Archdiocese of Chicago distributed the following letters to the community of Little Flower Parish regarding Father Xamie Reyes.

Letter to Parishioners of Little Flower Parish (English, Spanish)

[BishopAccountability’s cache of the letter: English, Spanish]

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A FILIPINO priest based in Chicago is currently facing allegations of grooming and sexual misconduct, Chicago Archbishop Cardinal Blase Joseph Cupich said.

In a letter sent to the Little Flower Parish in Waukegan, Illinois, Cupich said that Father Xamie Reyes is facing allegations the former deemed as “very serious.”

“The Archdiocese has received allegations against Father Reyes of grooming and sexual misconduct,” said Cupich.

“The allegations do not involve children and youth, but they do involve seminarians. This is a very serious matter,” he added.

The Cardinal said Reyes is temporarily being relieved from his pastoral duties.

“Father Reyes will live away from the parish pending the outcome of an investigation into these charges,” said Cupich.

In the meantime, he said he has appointed Reverend Ismael Garcia, who is the current associate pastor, as administrator of Little Flower Parish effective immediately.

“Father Garcia knows the needs of your parish well…

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The defense calls the jury’s verdict and the victim’s $5 million payout a “miscarriage of justice.”

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Delbarton School, operated by the Order of St. Benedict of New Jersey (OSBNJ), has demanded a new trial after it was found responsible for the sexual assault of a student decades ago.

On Oct. 9, in a historic case, OSBNJ and Delbarton were ordered to pay what they call a “grossly excessive” $5 million in compensatory damages to a former student who was sexually abused by a school staff member. The jury found the OSBNJ 65 percent liable for the abuse and a staff member 35 percent liable. No punitive damages were awarded.

The school has now filed for a new case, claiming that the language used in court, in addition to several other factors, “irreparably tainted the jury’s perception of the case,” resulting in a “miscarriage of justice.”

Specifically, OSBNJ…

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A man who says he was sexually abused by a Catholic priest in west Belfast more than 50 years ago has received a “significant six-figure sum” in damages from the Diocese of Down and Connor.

The settlement, reached at Belfast High Court, relates to abuse claims against the late Father Thomas Cunningham, who served at St Agnes’ Parish in the early 1970s. 

Cunningham was later moved to a treatment facility for priests in England and resigned from ministry before his death in 1978, as reported by News Letter.Get the latest Christian World News stories via email Sign Me UpSee our privacy notice

Solicitor Gary Duffy from KRW Law, a human rights and criminal law firm based in Belfast, said: “The case has been settled for a significant six-figure sum,” calling it “complete vindication” for the now 60-year-old plaintiff.

He this his “client has shown remarkable resilience and bravery in…

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A former Catholic priest who’s accused of sexually abusing a boy in the 1990s has signaled that he could call key players in the Maryland attorney general’s investigation into the Archdiocese of Baltimore as witnesses at trial.

The Maryland Office of the Attorney General in 2023 released a 456-page report that detailed how 156 priests and other personnel perpetrated “horrific and repeated abuse” as church leaders turned a blind eye.

Investigators looked into allegations against the Rev. William Mannion Jr. but declined to name him in the report. But now, the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office is prosecuting him.

In court documents filed this month, Mannion’s attorney, Charles Waechter, wrote that he will call 10 witnesses, including Elizabeth Embry, who led the investigation into the archdiocese, and Richard Wolf, a criminal investigator.

Waechter said he did not have any additional information to…

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The diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in spring 2023

OAKLAND — A federal bankruptcy judge Wednesday granted a request by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland to dismiss its bankruptcy case, setting the stage for hundreds of sexual assault victims to take their long-running lawsuits against the church to trial in the coming months and years.

Judge William J. Lafferty said his decision would not be official until Nov. 12 — leaving open the possibility of a last-minute deal between the diocese and about 350 people who filed lawsuits in recent years claiming decades of abuse by clergy members in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

The ruling comes about a month after diocese leaders asked to end the proceedings, suggesting that abuse victims — as well as the Catholic church’s own congregants — “deserve better” than a costly Chapter 11 bankruptcy fight that appeared to…

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Silas Shelton, a 48-year-old pastor in Blanchester, Ohio, is now an inmate at the Clinton County Adult Detention Center and facing four felony charges, including rape, after police say he began abusing a then-teenage girl six years ago.

Before he was arrested without incident in Blanchester on Wednesday, Shelton served as the pastor of Blanchester Community Church. Wilmington police reported that in the fall of 2019, Shelton allegedly began inappropriate sexual contact with a girl who was 14 or 15 at the time. A detective involved in the case stated that the alleged victim and her family were members of Shelton’s congregation.

WLWT’s Todd Dykes’ attempts to reach someone at the church, located next to fast-food restaurants on Main Street in Blanchester, were unsuccessful, as no one answered the door.

The detective leading the investigation said in a probable cause statement that the alleged abuse continued until…

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Through Unreconciled, Jay Sefton has provided audiences with a rare space to sit with difficult truths, laugh, reflect, and converse

When theatre audiences settle into their seats, they rarely expect to confront the raw, personal experiences of the performer before them.

Yet that is precisely the space that Unreconciled, a new one-man play by Jay Sefton, creates. The production, which will be in The Mick Lally Theatre on 31 October and November 1, is a deeply personal story which explores childhood sexual abuse, faith, and the long road toward reclaiming one’s voice.

Set in 1980s Philadelphia, the play follows Sefton’s younger self, cast as Jesus in a school Passion Play, through decades of silence, reflection, and participation in a church compensation programme.

Yet while the subject matter is undeniably heavy, the production is far from a bleak recounting of trauma. Dark humour and moments of levity punctuate the narrative, offering…

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A son of a prominent Indiana pastor faces multiple felony counts linked to child sexual abuse material after an Internet Crimes Against Children investigation led detectives to seize electronic devices containing hundreds of files.

Jonathan Wesley Peternel, 24, of Noblesville, Indiana, was arrested Oct. 23 after the Hamilton County Metro ICAC Task Force executed warrants. They stemmed from a CyberTip alerting authorities to Peternel’s uploads on Snapchat, according to a statement released by investigators.

Peternel is the son of Nathan Peternal, lead pastor of Life Church, a multi-site church based in Noblesville, Indiana. One of the campus pastors of Life Church is Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, who co-hosts a podcast with Nathan Peternel called, “Jesus, Sex & Politics.”

The shocking pornography haul included “more than 50 photos and videos” that appeared to show Jonathan’s parents nude or engaged in sex acts, according to a probable-cause affidavit reviewed by The Roys…

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A 21-year-old man is suing a prominent suburban Chicago church and its pastor for allegedly allowing an employee or volunteer with a known history of abuse to work with children, resulting in the man’s repeated abuse.

A lawsuit filed last Tuesday by “John Doe” claims that Brian Coffey, the interim lead pastor at Chapelstreet Church (formerly First Baptist Church of Geneva), turned a blind eye to Don Vanthournout’s alleged history of abuse. It says Doe, the child of missionaries, was abused multiple times by Vanthournout, an “employee and/or agent of the church,” between 2011 to 2018, while Doe’s family stayed at his home on furlough.

Doe, now 21, said that Coffey had received evidence from a previous victim of Vanthournout’s history.

“Despite Coffey’s promise to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of the children within Chapelstreet, Coffey took no meaningful steps to warn members of the congregation about the dangerous…

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German Bishop Reinhold Nann, 65, former Prelate of Caravelí in Peru, has claimed that he stepped down from his position months before marrying, even though the Vatican has not formally released him from his clerical obligations.

Writing on his personal blog, Bishop Nann said he “resigned from episcopal and priestly ministry 13 or 9 months before getting married.” 

He stressed that his decision should not be seen as a rejection of priestly celibacy. “I think that’s a misinterpretation. I’m not against it; it just didn’t work out for me,” he wrote. He went on to claim that “tens of thousands” of priests worldwide are secretly in relationships, arguing that the rule of mandatory celibacy is driving many away from ministry.

“If the Catholic Church continues to staunchly defend celibacy in theory, it will simply lose a large part of its personnel in practice very soon,” he warned.

Bishop Nann also…

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Early this month, Tutela Minorum published its second annual report on clergy sexual abuse in the Catholic Church at a global scale.

Soon after, Pope Leo XIV met with ECA, a global NGO supporting victims and survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

Despite the goodwill, minor but noticeable mistakes in handling the meeting soured the perception of Leo XIV’s and his curia’s commitment to addressing sexual abuse.

Early in October, Tutela Minorum, the entity created by Pope Francis back in 2014 to prevent clergy sexual abuse in the Catholic Church officially published its second annual report on the state of the issue behind its very existence.

Soon after the publication of the report, on Monday October 20, Leo XIV met with Ending Clergy Abuse, a global NGO supporting victims and survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

Although there was goodwill in the meeting and in what Vatican News and other Catholic media published about the…

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Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez met with Pope Leo this month, to update the pope on the progress of a working group on the criminalization of spiritual abuse.

Among other things, the cardinal told Pope Leo that the group’s work was proceeding “fruitfully,” and petitioned the pontiff to confirm Cardinal Filippo Iannone as its chair, especially after Iannone moved positions in the Vatican last month.

The continuation of the group’s work, and the continuity of leadership, suggests Leo — himself a canonist — is at least open to an eventual new crime of spiritual abuse. But what might it look like, and how might it work?

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The issue of spiritual abuse has been present in the Church for millenia, in one form or another. So long as there has been authority in any human society there exists the possibility for abuse, and spiritual authority is no different.

To a degree, canon…

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The mission should be accepted as a sacred responsibility, says Vatican official

Pope Leo and Vatican officials have urged Catholic leaders across Asia to adopt a “zero tolerance” stance on abuse and urged them to strengthen measures to protect minors and vulnerable adults.

The appeal came during the first National Safeguarding Conference, held in the Catholic-majority Philippines from Oct. 20–24, with more than 300 bishops, religious superiors, and lay experts in attendance.

Pope Leo, in a message to the conference, reiterated that “there can be no tolerance for any form of abuse in the Church,” urging delegates to promote transparency and accountability in safeguarding policies.

“The Church is our spiritual home. Every parish and pastoral activity must be a space that glorifies God and cares for others, especially children and the vulnerable,” the pope said, according to Vatican News.

The conference, titled “Our Mission of Safeguarding: A Journey of Hope and…

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The crucial truth to remember is that when someone comes forward and tells the truth about abuse, they are not the one causing harm to the church.

Facing allegations he mishandled abuse incidents in his Anglican Church in North America’s Diocese of the Upper Midwest, Bishop Stewart Ruch wrote to then-Archbishop Foley Beach in January 2022, “Both my diocese and the ACNA got hit this summer by a vicious spiritual attack of the enemy. I believe this is the case because both entities are doing robust Gospel work, and Satan hates us.”

The extent of Ruch’s abuse mishandling was exposed in a Washington Post report last week, and he’s on trial within the church for those allegations. The Post also broke news that current ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood faces allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and plagiarism.

For Ruch and his fellow bishops, the “vicious spiritual attack” is not the abuse they have swept…

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A common complaint among the Vaticanisti has been that, so far, Pope Leo XIV has had a rather “boring” pontificate. Compared to the early days of the Francis pontificate, that could be true. Given the swirl of off-the-cuff remarks and unorthodox approach in those days that sometimes led to confusion and division in the Church, is finding Leo a bit uneventful really a problem?

Some media are eager to portray Leo as in continuity with his predecessor, perhaps a necessary step to give hope the more controversial aspects of that era have a future. While Pope Leo clearly has been intent on showing no contention with Francis’ official teaching, continuity in style and governance has appeared much different. 

An immediate contrast, however, is Pope Leo’s priority of the papacy’s mission of unity, something often threatened in Francis’ pontificate and as such resulted in a more polarized and divided church —…

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A church leader who went on to become a pastor is accused of sexually assaulting three young girls between 2012 and 2019, California prosecutors say.

Carlos Ramirez Valdez, 61, of Riverside, was sentenced to 45 years to life in prison in connection with the assaults of girls he met as a leader at Iglesia De Dios Ebenezer Church, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in an Oct. 24 news release.

Valdez’s sentencing comes after he was convicted in August of multiple felonies, prosecutors said. McClatchy News could not immediately reach the Santa Ana church for comment on Oct. 27. Attorney information for Valdez was not immediately available.

“Churches should be safe sanctuaries not hunting grounds for child molesters,” District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in the release. “These young girls were subjected to unimaginable abuse by someone in a position of trust.”

While Valdez worked as a church leader, he’s…

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Committee of sexual abuse survivors alleges diocese made ‘fraudulent’ transfer in years preceding bankruptcy

The sales prices suggest something modest, even forgettable. But the real estate transactions are weighted with meaning.

The Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa recently gained approval to sell two small churches — one near Cloverdale, one in Hopland — as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, a judicial process now 2½ years old.

They probably won’t be the last properties liquidated by the diocese as it continues mediation talks with insurance companies and with survivors of alleged sexual abuse, whose mountain of lawsuits pushed the church’s vast North Coast jurisdiction to file for bankruptcy in April 2023.

“There’s a list of properties that have been identified, and a number of those are in process,” said Bishop Robert F. Vasa, head of the Santa Rosa Diocese. “We’re working with realtors, and in some cases with surveyors….

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German-born Bishop Reinhold Nann of Peru says he is now married.

A German news outlet reported last week that a bishop who took early retirement last year has contracted marriage civilly, despite claims that he resigned over health reasons.

The Holy See press office announced last July it had accepted the resignation of 63 year-old Bishop Reinhold Nann, the German-born prelate who led the Peruvian territorial prelature of Caravelí.

The Vatican bollettino did not give an official reason for the resignation, which came more than a decade before the usual episcopal age of retirement, though the reason cited publicly at the time was that the bishop was suffering from ill health.

But on Sunday, the German news service KNA reported that the bishop has disclosed that the actual reason for his resignation was his relationship with a local woman.

“Depression was the reason [for the resignation]; love was the cause,” the…

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• October 21, 2025

Bishop Michael W. Fisher has removed the Reverend Patrick T. O’Keefe from active ministry and suspended his priestly faculties due to allegations of sexual harassment of adults, as well as inappropriate workplace and ministerial conduct.

Fr. O’Keefe, ordained in 1996, has most recently served as Parochial Vicar of Ascension Parish (Batavia); St. Brigid Parish (Bergen); Resurrection Parish (Batavia); and Our Lady of Mercy Parish (LeRoy).

Reverend Scottston Brentwood, O. de M. serves as pastor of the Family of Parishes No. 12, and Reverend Eugene Costa, O. de M. and Reverend Matthew Zirnheld serve as the Family’s other parochial vicars.

A canonical judicial review will be conducted to examine all allegations against Fr. O’Keefe.

The Diocese of Buffalo has developed rigorous protocols for dealing with any allegation of in appropriate conduct—sexual or otherwise— for bishops, members of the clergy, deacons, employees and volunteers. All members of the…

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Buffalo, N.Y. — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo has removed a priest from Genesee County from active ministry.

Rev. Patrick O’Keefe was suspended from his priestly duties “due to allegations of sexual harassment of adults, as well as inappropriate workplace and ministerial conduct,” the diocese announced Tuesday.

No further details about the allegations were released.

Ordained in 1996, O’Keefe most recently served as parochial vicar of Ascension Parish in Batavia, Resurrection Parish in Batavia, St. Brigid Parish in Bergen and Our Lady of Mercy Parish in LeRoy.

The diocese said a “canonical judicial review will be conducted to examine all allegations” against O’Keefe.

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Another leader in the breakaway denomination has been accused of responding slowly to accusations of abuse and grooming against a lay leader.

The highest-ranking prelate of the Anglican Church in North America, a conservative denomination that broke from the Episcopal Church in 2009, has been formally accused of sexual harassment, plagiarism and bullying by former employees.

The accusations against Archbishop Stephen Wood, 62, came amid continuing turmoil in the small denomination, including the ecclesiastical trial of a bishop and other accusations of mishandling abuse.

In a document submitted to the denomination on Monday, Claire Buxton, a former employee of Archbishop Wood’s home parish, accused him of giving her an “intimate” hug and trying to kiss her in his office at the church in April 2024, according to a report in The Washington Post.

Ms. Buxton, the former children’s ministry director at St. Andrew’s Church in Mount…

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Critical Vatican, frustrated victims, absent journalists

Vatikanstadt/Rom – Pressure from the press, society and politics are decisive aspects in driving forward the reappraisal of abuse in a local church. In Italy, however, this is virtually non-existent. What’s more, the Vatican attests to cultural resistance.

“It does nothing, it does even less than the Vatican.” Francesco Zanardi sharply criticises Europe’s largest bishops’ conference, the Italian one. The Italian, who was himself a victim of abuse by a Catholic priest as a minor, has been campaigning for 15 years for this issue to be addressed. However, the process has been slow in his home country – despite or probably because of the presumably high number of cases of abuse.

With more than twice as many members and priests as in the Catholic Church in Germany, John Joseph Kennedy, head of the area for disciplinary issues in the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the…

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Pope Leo XIV has stated that there should be “no tolerance” for abuse within the Roman Catholic Church in an official statement given to the National Safeguarding Conference held in the Philippines this week

“I renew my appeal that there can be no tolerance for any form of abuse in the Church,” he said. “The Church is our spiritual home, as such every parish and pastoral activity is meant to be a space in which we glorify God and care for others, especially children and the vulnerable.”

Leo XIV also expressed his hope that the conference “deliberations will lead to the implementation of essential policies and practices that ensure transparency in dealing with cases, foster a culture of prevention and safeguard ‘these little ones’ of the Lord.”

Convened in Angeles City, Central Luzon, the conference met under the theme of “Our Mission of Safeguarding: A Journey of Hope…

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The sexual abuse scandal surrounding Jeffrey Epstein is especially outrageous inasmuch as he used his political connections (and money) to escape prosecution for so many years. But if it’s outrageous when money and power enable impunity for horrible crimes, shouldn’t it be even more outrageous when the pretense of moral authority enables someone to commit even worse crimes? I ask because an ongoing sexual abuse scandal with a more significant number of victims has been swept under the rug through the assumed holiness of its perpetrator.

I’m speaking, of course, of sexual abuse committed inside the institutions of the Catholic Church. The media silence about this atrocity, in the face of the Epstein story and the recent election of a new Pope, cuts across American political loyalties and reveals as much about the corrupt moral thinking of the left as it does about that of the right. Outrage over sexual abuse is,…

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“I renew my appeal that there can be no tolerance for any form of abuse in the Church,” Pope Leo XIV underscores in his message to the National Safeguarding Conference in the Philippines.

“I renew my appeal that there can be no tolerance for any form of abuse in the Church.”

Pope Leo XIV made this affirmation in the message he sent to the National Safeguarding Conference, held in Clark-Angeles, Philippines, from 20-24 Oct. 2025.

The Holy Father’s message was transmitted by the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Charles J. Brown, to the Chairman of the Office on the Protection of Minors of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, Archbishop Florentino G. Lavarias, of San Fernando, on the Pope’s behalf.

After expressing his appreciation for the National Safeguarding Conference, Pope Leo made an emphatic appeal for effective safeguarding.

No tolerance for any form of abuse

“The Church,” he…

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Pope Leo XIV has renewed his appeal for ‘no tolerance for any form of abuse in the Church’ as Catholic leaders in the Philippines gathered to address clerical sexual abuse.

In his message for the first National Safeguarding Conference in the Philippines, the pope emphasized the need for effective safeguarding and transparency within Church institutions.

He described the Church as “our spiritual home,” where every parish and pastoral activity should be a place “to glorify God and care for others, especially children and the vulnerable.

“In this regard,” Pope Leo said, “I renew my appeal that there can be no tolerance for any form of abuse in the Church.”

His message was transmitted by Archbishop Charles Brown, apostolic nuncio to the Philippines, to Archbishop Florentino Lavarias of San Fernando, who chairs the CBCP Office on the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable People.

The four-day gathering in Clark, Pampanga, which ended…

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The private audience came days after the publication of the second annual report from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors on safeguarding across the Church.

Pope Leo held his first meeting with survivors of clerical sexual abuse since his election.

Six members of the board of directors for Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA), an international coalition of abuse survivors, visited the Pope at the Vatican on Monday morning for what they called “a significant moment of dialogue”.

“It was a deeply meaningful conversation, reflecting a shared commitment to justice, healing, and genuine change,” said ECA president Gemma Hickey, a Canadian survivor. “Survivors have long sought a place at the table, and today we felt heard.”

The hour-long meeting in the apostolic palace included discussion of ECA’s “Zero Tolerance Initiative” to promote global standards for protection. The visit originated in a letter to the newly-elected Pope introducing the group as…

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Archbishop Steve Wood, who heads the Anglican Church of North America, faces allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and plagiarism, according to an explosive report released by The Washington Post on Thursday (Oct. 23). The list of charges, signed by at least 10 individuals attesting to the allegations, is the latest in a string of crises to rock the small, conservative denomination. 

Claire Buxton, a former children’s ministry director at St. Andrew’s Church in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, where Wood serves as rector, told the Post that Wood attempted to kiss her in his office in April 2024, just before he was elected to replace Archbishop Foley Beach as head of the denomination. Buxton claims that before the incident, Wood gave her more than $3,000 from church funds and that church employees had commented on Wood’s “excessive praise and fondness” for her. Priests have also accused Wood of plagiarizing sermons and bullying…

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In October 2024, Matt Queen pled guilty to lying to the FBI in a sexual abuse investigation, and now, just a year later, Queen has been hired as a staff pastor at a prominent Southern Baptist church.

At the time of his crime, Queen was a professor and administrator at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was accused of falsifying records, providing false information to law enforcement, and trying to mislead investigators about the facts concerning a reported sexual assault at that Southern Baptist institution.

It’s worth noting that Queen also exploited God to try to legitimize his lies. He claimed that God had spoken to him in a dream, causing him to change his testimony to the FBI.

As prosecutors pointed out, Queen offered “evolving explanations for his conduct,” but when he finally pled guilty, shortly before a scheduled trial date, another Southern Baptist pastor, Matt Henslee, wrote to the judge to urge…

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• Carlos Ramirez Valdez was sentenced to 45 years to life for molesting girls as young as 4 from 2012 to 2019.
• Valdez exploited his position as an Orange County church leader to gain access to victims, whom he assaulted in a basement, his van and a backyard shed, prosecutors say.

A former Orange County pastor will spend decades behind bars after he used his trusted position as a spiritual leader to molest girls as young as 4 over the course of eight years, according to authorities.

Carlos Ramirez Valdez, 61, assaulted three children in places such as a church basement, his van and a backyard shed, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

Prosecutors say he met the victims while he was church leader at Iglesia De Dios Ebenezer in Santa Ana and was hired as a pastor at another Santa Ana church, International Mission Church USA, before he…

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Lindsey Whiteside, who was previously sentenced to house arrest for sexual battery of a child, now faces federal charges for transporting a minor across state lines.

A DeSoto County woman who avoided jail time after pleading guilty to sexual battery of a minor is now in federal custody.

DeSoto County Sheriff Thomas Tuggle confirmed Thursday, Oct. 23, that Lindsey Whiteside, a former youth pastor at Getwell Church in Hernando, was arrested and charged with transporting a minor across state lines for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity, a federal crime.

“I want to emphasize that crimes against children will not be tolerated in DeSoto County,” Tuggle said. “We are committed to pursuing justice and protecting the most vulnerable members of our community, our children.”

On Oct. 13, Circuit Court Judge Andrew Howorth sentenced Whiteside to three years of house arrest and seven years of probation after she pleaded guilty…

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Delegates at the just-concluded conference on safeguarding in seminaries that was organized by the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) have committed to ensuring that Seminaries in the region uphold the highest standards of safeguarding.

In their statement at the conclusion of the October 21-23 event that was held in Kenya’s Archdiocese of Nairobi, the delegates acknowledged the existence of incidents of abuse in in the Church and called for concerted efforts to ensure the protection of the vulnerable.

“We will not relent in this responsibility,” the participants at the conference said in the statement that was read by the Local Ordinary of South Sudan’s Catholic Diocese of Yei, Bishop Alex Lodiong Sakor Eyobo, and went on to state their commitment “to uphold the highest possible standards of safeguarding” in Seminaries in the AMECEA region.

They added, “We are committed to producing future Priests who have a foundational commitment…

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• Victims’ tally unofficial, based on survivors’ accounts, judicial papers, media reports
• Majority of victims were male and underage, report finds
• Italian bishops criticised last week by Vatican panel
• Pope Leo has told bishops not to hide misconduct allegations

Nearly 4,400 people have been abused by Catholic priests in Italy in cases reported since 2020, a victims’ group alleged on Friday, renewing pressure on bishops to confront a crisis that has long plagued the world’s largest Christian faith.

The unofficial tally by Rete l’Abuso, Italy’s largest church abuse victims’ group, is based on victims’ accounts, judicial sources and cases reported by the media, the founder of the association Francesco Zanardi said.

Rete l’Abuso did not say how far back the alleged abuse cases occurred.The Italian Bishops Conference (CEI), which was criticised by the Vatican’s child protection commission last week, had no comment on the findings, a spokesperson said.

MOST ALLEGATIONS CONCERN ABUSE BY PRIESTS

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Belgium’s Catholic Church has received 59 new reports of sexual abuse between July 2024 and June 2025, according to its latest annual report, as participation in religious sacraments continues to decline.

Over the same period, a total of 112 complaints were processed, including cases carried over from the previous year. Between July 2023 and June 2024, the Church handled nearly twice as many reports (218), a spike largely attributed to the VRT documentary series Godvergeten, which gave victims of abuse within the Church a platform to speak publicly.

The majority of victims were under 21 at the time of the abuse, with 16 younger than 10. Most victims and perpetrators were male.

Although almost all cases date back to the previous century, 11 files involving alleged perpetrators still alive have been forwarded to the judiciary. So far, 59 individuals have received financial compensation from the Church.

The report also highlights…

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The Diocese of Brooklyn’s Adult Allegation Committee has substantiated a “Code of Conduct violation, grooming, and sexual harassment” allegation against Father Philip Pizzo, a retired priest in the diocese.  

Father Pizzo, 75, is infirm and has not been in ministry for six years, according to the diocese. He lives in the residence for senior priests.  

The diocese said it received an allegation of inappropriate conduct regarding Father Pizzo on July 16, and an ensuing investigation by the Adult Allegation Committee found “sufficient evidence” to substantiate claims from 2017 made by Carmine Megaro, 27, of Queens.  

Comprised of law enforcement, human resources, law, and psychology professionals, the Adult Allegation Committee investigates allegations against clergy involving an adult.   

The diocese is now working on the required canonical process to adjudicate the case and impose canonical penalties on Father Pizzo, which could include his official and permanent removal from ministry, according to…

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A federal lawsuit filed by televangelist Bishop T.D. Jakes against Pittsburgh-area pastor Duane Youngblood has been jointly dismissed, ending a year-long legal dispute that drew national attention in faith and media circles.

The voluntary dismissal was filed October 16 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Jakes, 68, sued Youngblood, 59, after the latter—in two explicit 2024 podcasts posted to YouTube by Atlanta pastor-broadcaster Larry Reid accused him of attempted sexual assault. Soon after the second podcast, the lawsuit says Youngblood tried to extort Jakes for $6 million or he’d sue.

Instead, Jakes denied the allegations and filed suit against Youngblood on Nov. 25, 2024, alleging defamation, misuse of likeness, and related claims tied to online statements and digital content.

A day before filing the lawsuit, Jakes suffered a heart attack while preaching at The Potter’s House, the Dallas megachurch he founded. The incident, occurring on the…

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A Lutheran youth ministry leader in Phoenix has been federally charged for producing and spending thousands on child sexual abuse materials.

The accused is Casey Goslin, 46, who worked as a youth director for several organizations tied to the Grand Canyon Synod, one of 65 in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

Goslin was arrested Thursday by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Tucson police, according to a press release from HSI.

Goslin allegedly used the Skype username “live:.cid.bbdbec6f18b26922” to buy and sell the explicit materials in 2024, according to a criminal complaint. In one conversation with a suspected child sex trafficker in the Philippines, Goslin exchanged digital tokens for a photo of a toddler performing sexual acts on another toddler.

Authorities subpoenaed PayPal and discovered that Goslin allegedly spent around $3,700 in 101 payments for similar graphic images. Each transaction cost on…

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Jon Paul Sheptock, the Christian music artist born without arms who sang at a Trump rally in 2022, has been arrested on charges related to possessing and producing child pornography.

According to ABC 13, a written testimony from the Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable’s Office in Texas accuses Sheptock, 49, of stealing a picture from a 17-year-old high school senior seven years ago. The victim claims that he stole the photo from her iCloud account.

“After the defendant (Sheptock) sent the image of the victim, he told her that he wanted more explicit images of her,” the affidavit reads.

Court documents state that Sheptock showed the victim multiple nude photographs of adults and young girls on his computer.

“The defendant (Sheptock) then sent her a video depicting someone being physically assaulted, accompanied by a statement implying that he did not want that to happen to her.”

In the affidavit, the…

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A former South Carolina youth pastor has been sentenced to federal prison after appearing in court on Tuesday.

Daniel Kellan Mayfield was sentenced to the maximum sentence of 240 months in prison on a federal charge for possessing child pornography.

The judge said he must serve 85 percent of his sentence and is also required to register as a sex offender.

Officials stated 5,344 images of child pornography were found on Mayfield’s phone.

He hid cameras and cell phones in church bathrooms and showers to record and take pictures of the victims, many of whom were minors under 12 years old.

He had been doing this for three to four years, according to officials.

According to an adult family member, Mayfield also had images and or video of her. She said she caught him recording her in the shower and when the family confronted him that night, they found the…

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A former Upstate youth pastor and wedding videographer accused of secretly recording women and children has been sentenced to federal prison.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Timothy M. Cain sentenced Daniel Kellan Mayfield, 37, of Boiling Springs, to a maximum 20 years in prison on Oct. 21, according to court documents. The former youth pastor at Gowensville First Baptist Church must register as a sex offender and go under lifetime supervision once released.

Cain counted two and a half years served in jail towards his sentence.

Mayfield pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on Dec. 4, 2024. According to court documents, Mayfield knowingly possessed material that had an image of a child under 12.

Greenville County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Mayfield in July 2023 when he was accused of recording women and children changing in private areas of the church while he was contracted as a wedding videographer in 2019 and 2021….

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Shapira interviewed the priests and former employees who wrote affidavits in the presentment against the archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America. He and Reshma Kirpalani traveled to South Carolina, where Kirpalani took videos and photos for this story.

The Anglican Church in North America — forged from the headline-grabbing conservative revolt against the Episcopal Church’s first openly gay bishop — is now confronting allegations by clergy and parishioners against two of its top leaders: One is accused of sexual misconduct, while the other allegedly abused his power by allowing men with troubling histories into the church.

The denomination’s senior-most official, Archbishop Stephen Wood, 62, has been accused by a former children’s ministry director of putting his hand against the back of her head and trying to kiss her in his office in April 2024. The incident allegedly occurred two months before he was elected to…

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The Diocese of Buffalo announced that Bishop Michael Fisher has removed the Reverend Patrick T. O’Keefe from active ministry and suspended his priestly faculties due to allegations of sexual harassment of adults, and inappropriate workplace and ministerial conduct.

According to the diocese, Fr. O’Keefe, ordained in 1996, has most recently served as Parochial Vicar of Ascension Parish (Batavia); St. Brigid Parish (Bergen); Resurrection Parish (Batavia); and Our Lady of Mercy Parish (LeRoy). A canonical judicial review will be conducted to examine the allegations against Fr. O’Keefe.

In April 2019, Fr. O’Keefe was one of three priests placed on temporary leave of absence following an incident at Saints Peter & Paul Parish Rectory in Hamburg. According to the diocese, “unsuitable, inappropriate and insensitive conversations” took place during a social gathering of seminarians and priests that some seminarians found to be offensive.

In June 2019, Fr. O’Keefe and the two other priests were…

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The Brooklyn Diocese withheld public notice of the 2019 allegation until his death in 2021, and only this week attorneys told the court he is deceased.

A lawsuit alleging child sex abuse by the late Auxiliary Bishop Guy Sansaricq of Brooklyn has been stayed after several years of inactivity, with proceedings expected to resume only after “a few months,” according to a court official.

The delay was requested after attorneys for the Black Catholic prelate notified the court of his death, which occurred in 2021. Civil cases in New York involving a party deceased since filing are stayed until a suitable party is substituted.

Sansaricq, the first Haitian-American Catholic prelate in the United States, was originally sued by Victor Petit-Phare in 2019. Court filings detail alleged abuse dating to the 1990s at St. Jerome Catholic School in Brooklyn, where Sansaricq served as a priest following his immigration to…

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A Vatican official on Tuesday urged bishops across Asia to exercise ‘decisive and courageous leadership’ in protecting minors and vulnerable adults, calling safeguarding a pastoral duty, not mere policy compliance.

Bishop Luis Manuel Ali Herrera, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, said Church leaders must act “not out of fear or obligation, but as a sacred responsibility “rooted in virtue and conversion.”

“Exercise decisive and courageous leadership,” Herrera told participants of the National Safeguarding Conference in Clark, Pampanga.

“Accept this mission not as a burden imposed from outside, but as a sacred responsibility that must be assumed as a pastoral urgency and lived with authenticity,” he said.

Herrera said every diocese must ensure that protection efforts go beyond compliance, urging bishops to align with universal norms while making safeguarding a daily pastoral commitment.

From policy to practice

Herrera called for a move “from intention to implementation,”…

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[Note: A Google translation is followed by the original in Italian.]

The ECA: “Historic and hopeful step”. In recent days the Annual Report had highlighted critical issues regarding the slowness with which we proceed in some dioceses

Pope Leo XIV he met in Vatican a group of victims of abuse which refer to theEca, the Ending Ckery Abuse, network to which the victims of abuse active mainly in the United States. 

This is the first meeting, at least among those announced, between Pope Leo and victims of abuse by the clergy. The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors presented the Annual report noting the slow pace of action in some dioceses in addressing the scourge of abuse.

ECA, the international network to which victims of abuse refer, particularly in the United States, speaks of a historic and hopeful step, towards greater cooperation’, reporting on the meeting between the Pope and the Board of Ending Clergy Abuse. The ECA represents the survivors of clergy sexual…

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Top Questions

What have been the financial implications of the sexual abuse scandal for the Roman Catholic Church?

In the United States alone, between 2004 and 2023, the church spent more than $5 billion on cases involving sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy, and three-quarters of those payments went to victims. The church in Australia paid more than $200 million to victims from 1980 to 2017. Moreover, the scandal has led to a decline in church donations and attendance.

What was The Boston Globe’s Spotlight series on sexual abuse and the Roman Catholic Church?

In 2002 The Boston Globe’s Spotlight series exposed rampant sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy in the Boston archdiocese and a cover-up by church authorities. The series found that the archdiocese knowingly reassigned abusive priests to different parishes rather than removing them from the ministry. The scandal caused Boston to become a focal point for the abuse crisis in the United States and resulted in…

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In recent days, a Vatican report had highlighted critical issues

Pope Leo XIV on Monday met for the first time with clerical sex abuse victims in the Vatican.

Leo met a group of abuse victims who belong to Ending Crime Abuse (ECA), a network active primarily in the United States, ECA Global said.

This is the first meeting, at least among those disclosed, between Pope Leo and victims of clergy abuse.

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors presented its annual report a few days ago, noting the slow pace of addressing the scourge of abuse in some dioceses in Italy.

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[Note from BishopAccountability.org: We post the Google translation, followed by the Italian original.]

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors presented the Annual Report a few days ago, noting the slowness with which we proceed in some dioceses in addressing the scourge of abuse

First meeting between Pope Leo and a group of victims of abuse by priests. The Pontiff saw the activists of ECA, the Ending Clergy Abuse, a network active mainly in the United States. The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors presented the annual report a few days ago, noting the slowness with which we proceed in some dioceses in addressing the scourge of abuse. Among the critical cases, that of Italy had been reported, with the response of the CEI which had underlined what had been done in terms of training and prevention.

The Commission, led by Monsignor Thibault Verny, noted in the Report “considerable cultural resistance in…

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The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany faces hundreds of cases of sexual abuse in connection with members of its clergy. Colleen Garbarini, is among hundreds of survivors who are suing the church.

Garbarini, who filed an individual suit against the church, says the abuse began when she was between the ages of 6 and 7 years old, sometime in the late 1970s.

“And, actually, the grooming started on the playground of St. Paul the Apostle’s School, the person who abused me was brother Clement Murphy, he worked for Notre Dame Bishop Gibbons, which is a school right around the corner from St. Paul’s,” Garbarini said.

She says Murphy would bring a lawn chair and candy to the Schenectady school’s playground at lunch time, handing treats out while children – mostly girls – sat on his lap.

Garbarini explains that as an oldest child with many siblings, she was desperate for…

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Evangelical Lutheran Church in America proposal would direct ministers to report child abuse disclosed during confession or counseling

The practice of religious confession is again in the spotlight over the question of whether clergy should report evidence of child abuse heard during private confession or pastoral counseling—but this time within a Protestant denomination.

Next month, leaders and elected representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will vote on a church document that would direct ministers to tell authorities if they hear about child abuse during confession. Twenty-eight states already require clergy to report child abuse. But most of these states grant an exception—also called the “clergy-penitent privilege”—if a child abuser admits to their actions during private pastoral conversations.

According to the Lutheran denomination’s “Draft Social Message on Child Protection,” clergy would “have an obligation to report child maltreatment that is ongoing or that they…

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Mark O’Connell, the new Albany bishop, introduced himself to the public on Monday.

O’Connell will replace Bishop Edward Scharfenberger, who submitted his resignation to Pope Leo XIV. Scharfenberger, 77, has led the diocese since 2014, when he was appointed by Pope Francis to succeed Bishop Howard Hubbard. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens, Scharfenberger was ordained a priest in 1973.

“My heart is full of gratitude, first of all to Pope Leo for having appointed such a wonderful successor,” said Scharfenberger.

O’Connell is an auxiliary bishop of Boston. He was born in 1964 in Ontario and was ordained a priest in 1990 in the Archdiocese of Boston. He recently launched a podcast called Listening to Catholic Women.

“I already have some cherished memories of Albany. Little did I know or suspect that I would one day be the bishop of this place,” said O’Connell.

Monday’s announcement also follows Friday’s…

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In a historic and hopeful step toward greater cooperation, the Board of Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA Global), an international coalition of survivors and human rights advocates, met this morning with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, marking a significant moment of dialogue between the Catholic Church and advocates representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse from more than 30 countries.

“This was a deeply meaningful conversation,” said Gemma Hickey, ECA Board President and Canadian survivor of clergy abuse. “It reflects a shared commitment to justice, healing, and real change. Survivors have long sought a seat at the table, and today we felt heard.”

Today’s meeting followed a letter sent by ECA earlier this year to the newly elected Pope. In a gesture of openness, Pope Leo XIV responded positively, welcoming the opportunity for a direct and respectful conversation about the path forward.

“We came not only to raise our concerns, but also…

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Pope Leo XIV met with a coalition of survivors of abuse and victims’ advocates for the first time at the Vatican Oct. 20.

Members of the board of Ending Clergy Abuse met with the pope for about an hour in a closed-door meeting that was later confirmed by the Vatican.

“This was a deeply meaningful conversation,” Gemma Hickey, ECA board president and survivor of clergy abuse in Canada, said in a press release. “It reflects a shared commitment to justice, healing and real change.”

“Survivors have long sought a seat at the table, and today we felt heard,” Hickey said in the statement.

“Pope Leo is very warm, he listened,” Hickey said at a news conference, according to Reuters. “We told him that we come as bridge-builders, ready to walk together toward truth, justice and healing.”

While the group of six people representing ECA met with the pope, video clips…

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Survivors of sex abuse by members of the Catholic clergy have expressed hope after meeting Pope Leo at the Vatican for the first time.

Gemma Hickey, board president of Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA Global), told the BBC it spoke “volumes” he had met them so soon in his papacy.

The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy, already adopted in the US, of permanently removing a priest who admits or is proven to have sexually abused a child. The Pope acknowledged there was “resistance in some parts of the world” to this, Hickey said.

The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited the issue, which has haunted the Catholic Church for decades and the Vatican has struggled to root out.

His predecessor, Pope Francis, tried to address the problem by holding an unprecedented summit on paedophilia in the Church, and by changing its laws to explicitly…

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Organizers shared that the pope said he agreed to maintain a permanent dialogue with them, as they advocate for a zero-tolerance abuse policy in the Catholic Church

Pope Leo XIV acknowledged Monday that there is “great resistance” within the Catholic Church to adopting a universal zero-tolerance policy for clergy who abuse children.

The first American pope met with Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA), a global organization of clergy abuse survivors and advocates, and agreed to maintain a permanent dialogue with the group.

The policy calls for the permanent removal of any priest found guilty of child sexual abuse.

Tim Law, ECA co-founder, said Pope Leo recognized the challenges in implementing a universal zero-tolerance law. Law added that the organization hopes to work with the pope and the Vatican to advance the policy.

“Meeting with the pope and being heard at this level is historic,” Law said, noting that previous popes, including Francis and…

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Deep-seated cultural barriers, inadequate training, and victims’ fear of speaking out continue to hamper the Catholic Church’s efforts to combat abuse in the Philippines, church leaders said ahead of a landmark safeguarding conference.

These long-standing challenges will take center stage at the National Safeguarding Conference, a four-day gathering from Oct. 20 to 23 organized by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ Office for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Persons.

The first event of its kind in Asia, themed “Our Mission of Safeguarding: A Journey of Hope and Compassion,” seeks to deepen the Church’s understanding and commitment to protecting minors and vulnerable adults within its institutions.

More than 370 bishops, priests, religious, lay experts, and representatives from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) and other Church commissions are expected to attend.

Participants from the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, and Vietnam will also…

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A federal judge is allowing a small number of sexual abuse lawsuits against the Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa to proceed to trial, despite the Diocese being in bankruptcy.

According to the Press Democrat, the Diocese filed for Chapter 11 in 2023, pausing about 260 lawsuits due to massive financial liability. The handful of cases now moving forward are intended to establish a financial benchmark, pressuring insurance companies to agree to a global settlement with hundreds of survivors.

For survivors, this decision offers a crucial chance to publicly reveal details of the abuse and cover-up—information that is often kept private during bankruptcy proceedings.

The Diocese oversees 42 parishes and has been linked to abuse at sites like the Hanna Boys Center.

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Pope Leo XIV on Monday met with members of an international organization of clergy abuse survivors and advocates at the Vatican.

Four victims and two advocates from Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA) — a coalition representing clergy sexual abuse survivors from more than 30 countries — had an hourlong conversation with Leo on Oct. 20. According to participants, it was the first time during his pontificate that the pope met with survivors of abuse.

Gemma Hickey, ECA board president and survivor of clergy abuse, said that “this was a deeply meaningful conversation. Today we all felt heard.”

The group said it was invited to the Vatican after sending a letter to the newly-elected pontiff. 

“We came not only to raise our concerns but also to explore how we might work together to ensure the protection of children and vulnerable adults around the world. We believe collaboration is possible — and necessary,”…

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Mediations can still continue between the Baltimore Catholic Archdiocese and the creditors committee, which represents the interests of people seeing funds for child sexual abuse by the church, as the archdiocese’s bankruptcy case goes forward during the federal shutdown.

However, there is still uncertainty around other functions of the case if progress is made or if the case is dismissed.

Last week, the U.S. Trustee program, an arm of the Justice Department, told the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Maryland District that it would be unable to complete its work as long as the federal shutdown is in effect.

That revelation came as a survivor asked the Trustee program to join the creditors committee, but was told that the program would be unable to act until the shutdown ended.

In the meantime, other parts of the case that don’t involve the federal government can continue.

“Everything is being done by…

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Pope Leo XIV met Monday for the first time with an organization of clergy abuse survivors and advocates, who said he agreed to maintain a permanent dialogue as they press for a zero-tolerance policy for abuse in the Catholic Church.

Ending Clergy Abuse is a global organization that has been campaigning to universalize the U.S. church’s abuse policy. Among other things, the policy calls for the permanent removal from ministry of a priest based on even a single act of sexual abuse that is either admitted to or established according to church law.

The U.S. policy, first articulated in the 1990s, was publicly adopted at the height of the scandal there in a bid to restore trust and credibility in the U.S. hierarchy after revelations of decades of abuse and cover-up. It is church law in the United States but is not embraced elsewhere.

Leo acknowledged “there was great resistance” to…

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Canadian Gemma Hickey said Leo listened to abuse survivors with empathy

Pope Leo XIV met with survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy for the first time on Monday, participants said, days after the Vatican’s child protection commission accused senior church leaders of being too slow to help victims.

Leo held a meeting with Ending Clergy Abuse, an international coalition of survivors, the group said. The encounter, which included six abuse victims, lasted about an hour and was “a significant moment of dialogue,” they said.

The 1.4-billion-member church has been shaken for decades by scandals across the world involving abuse and cover-up, damaging its credibility and costing it hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements.

An unusually critical report from the Vatican’s own child protection commission, issued on Thursday, faulted senior bishops for not providing information to victims about how their reports of abuse were being handled,…

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[See also the full text of the annual report.]

The Vatican’s Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors on Thursday released its second annual report on the Church’s safeguarding policies and procedures, urging heightened awareness of abuse and the need to offer reparations to victims.

The second annual report launched by the commission, instituted by Pope Francis in 2014 for the protection of minors and vulnerable adults, promotes “conversional justice” — founded on the pillars of truth, justice, reparations, and institutional reforms — to be adopted by the Church across the globe and at all levels of governance.

Archbishop Thibault Verny of Chambéry, who was appointed by Pope Leo XIV in July to head the commission, spoke of the report’s efforts to emphasize the significance of “walking alongside victims and survivors” and including their voices in promoting positive change and institutional reform within the Church. 

“We have acquired the profound…

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[See also the full text of the annual report.]

At 11.30 today, a press conference was held at the Holy See Press Office, Via della Conciliazione 54, to present the second Annual Report on Church Policies and Procedures for Safeguarding of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

The speakers were: Archbishop Thibault Verny of Chambéry, bishop of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and Tarentaise, chair of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors; Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, titular of Giubalziana, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors; Dr. Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, jurist, responsible for the Annual Report; and Professor Benyam Dawit Mezmur, jurist, member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

Teresa Morris Kettelkamp, assistant secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, was present.

The following are the interventions by Archbishop Thibault Verny and Dr. Maud de Boer-Buquicchio:

Intervention of Archbishop Thibault Verny

…

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Just days before a sexual abuse lawsuit was due to head to jury trial, The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany settled the case for $8 million.

Law firm Pfau Cochran Vertitas Amala PLLC (PVCA) called it a “landmark” settlement on behalf of Michael Harmon. It’s the first such settlement among seven lawsuits that saw the Diocese’s bankruptcy stay lifted to allow for individual cases to go to trial. Attorneys say it’s a step toward resolving more than 400 cases against the Diocese, all stayed and pending in federal bankruptcy court.

The trial over Harmon’s case was set to begin Monday in New York State Supreme Court in Albany. It was filed in March 2020 as part of the state’s Child Victims Act window for filing abuse lawsuits that would have otherwise been past the statue of limitations.

“We commend Michael’s bravery in coming forward, in standing up to the Diocese,…

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Pope Leo XIV met Monday for the first time with an organization of clergy abuse survivors and advocates, who said he agreed to maintain a permanent dialogue with them as they press for a zero-tolerance for abuse policy in the Catholic Church.

Ending Clergy Abuse is a global organization of abuse victims and activists that has been campaigning to universalize the U.S. church’s abuse policy. Among other things, the policy calls for the permanent removal from ministry of any priest who abuses a child.

Leo acknowledged “there was great resistance” to the idea of a universal zero-tolerance law, said Tim Law, ECA co-founder. But Law said he told Leo ECA wanted to work with him and the Vatican to move the idea forward.

Leo has met before with clergy abuse survivors, and was the point-person for listening to victims in the Peruvian bishops conference when he was a bishop there. But history’s…

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Pope Leo met with survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy for the first time on Monday, participants said, days after the Vatican’s child protection commission accused senior Church leaders of being too slow to help victims.

Leo held a meeting with Ending Clergy Abuse, an international coalition of survivors, the group said. The encounter, which included six abuse victims, lasted about an hour and was “a significant moment of dialogue,” they said.

The 1.4-billion-member Church has been shaken for decades by scandals across the world involving abuse and cover-up, damaging its credibility and costing it hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements.

An unusually critical report from the Vatican’s own child protection commission, issued on Thursday, faulted senior bishops for not providing information to victims about how their reports of abuse were being handled, or whether negligent bishops had been sanctioned.

Gemma Hickey, a Canadian survivor who took part…

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