ABUSE TRACKER

A retired priest who sexually abused two schoolchildren at his home in the 1980s has been jailed for 32 months.

Edward Phillips-Smith, 73, exploited his position as chaplain at St Peter’s Collegiate School, Wolverhampton, to groom the young pupils.

In a statement read to Oxford Crown Court, one of his victims described his actions as “selfish, exploitative” and “perverted”.

Sentencing, Judge Pringle said: “You as a teacher were in a position of absolute trust with that young boy and you abused that trust”.

Edward Phillips-Smith worked as chaplain at St Peter’s Collegiate School, Wolverhampton, in the 1980s

The court heard Phillips-Smith, who subsequently moved to Essex and had been known to the children as Father Eddie, would run after-school clubs.

Seen as “more relaxed” than other teachers, the priest would tickle children to make them laugh.

Prosecutor Fern Russell said: “He was fun to be with, the children would sit…

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Public institutions, including schools, are immune from lawsuits for the alleged incidents, preventing many from filing civil claims, despite legal reform efforts that have eliminated the statute of limitations. One man who says he was victimized calls it ‘another injustice.’

Dale Ashby says he was abused by his high school counselor in the 1970s. When Maine removed its statute of limitations for civil child sex abuse claims in 2021, Ashby thought he would be able to sue the school, but he found out there were other laws preventing him from doing so. 

When he was a teenager, Dale Ashby played the piano in his family’s garage, which was often so cold he could see his breath as he practiced. In the Wells High School yearbook, the seniors in the  of the class of 1971 were each asked to state their ambition.

“Pursue a musical career,” Ashby wrote.

He went on to study…

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A man from Ireland has been sentenced to 26 years in prison in England after being found guilty of a string of historic sexual offences against children.

Steven McNally, 67, abused five children while working as a Scout leader in Nottingham and as a housemaster at a Catholic children’s home in the city.

McNally was extradited from his home in Ireland to stand trial at Nottingham Crown Court, with a jury finding him guilty of 24 out of 29 charges.

“McNally was a manipulative sex offender who systematically targeted vulnerable boys over a period of six years,” said Detective Constable Helen Sanders following Friday’s sentencing.

‘PLAY THINGS’

McNally’s trial heard that between 1974 and 1979, he sexually abused five boys who were aged between five and 15 at the time.

The majority of the offences took place while he worked as a housemaster at Nazareth House Children’s Home in Lenton,…

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This chilling look at the lasting trauma of the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School is haunting for what it chooses not to say.

“Sugarcane,” the documentary that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this week, is billed as “an investigation,” but its silences speak louder than its revelations. 

The film from directors Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie is a stunning and brutal look at the lasting trauma of the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School, a government-funded institution run by the Catholic Church where indigenous children were sent with the aim of stripping them of the connection to their culture. The abuses that took place at St. Joseph’s and the places around North America like it were innumerable — though much of the evidence of wrongdoing is, devastatingly, lost to time. But as NoiseCat and Kassie’s film shows, the legacy of harm…

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Young organist was hired despite assurances there were no children in congregation at remote Cornish chapel

The Church of England “gambled” with a teenage boy’s safety by allowing a convicted predatory paedophile to worship at the same remote Cornish chapel, the Telegraph can disclose.

In 1998, Michael Copeland, now 75, became the first paedophile in Britain to be banned from churches, all in Yorkshire, after he had been repeatedly jailed for preying on children whom he met at church choirs.

In November last year, the Telegraph reported that Copeland, the grandson of a former Tory MP whose family owned the Spode ceramics company, had been allowed from 2018 to sing in the choir at St Feock by the Diocese of Truro because “there were no children in the church”.

However, a Telegraph investigation has now established that a teenage organist was officially hired in 2021 to accompany Copeland at St Feock.

…

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In just over two decades, the reception to Terry Glavin’s 2002 book Amongst God’s Own: The Enduring Legacy of St. Mary’s Mission has shifted.

“Originally, it was well received, particularly among Indigenous people,” Glavin said of his history of the former St. Mary’s Residential School in Mission, B.C.

But as the years passed, the book’s treatment of the school’s early history has increasingly become a stumbling block for the politically motivated who want to present Canadian history as universally racist and genocidal. 

“It’s high fashion in the intelligentsia, in the universities, to tell a horrible story of Canada as an irredeemably racist colonial state,” said Glavin, an author and columnist. “(The narrative) presents Indigenous people as a monolithic block that was oppressed and robbed — it’s a cartoon.”

Glavin spoke those words during an interview about the republishing of the 2002 book, now titled St. Mary’s: The Legacy of an Indian Residential School for…

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Archbishop ruffled feathers within the Catholic Church after he said priests should be allowed to marry

Archbishop Charles Scicluna during a Times of Malta interview earlier this month. Photo: Karl Andrew Micallef

Charles Scicluna is arguably the most eloquent, smart, humanitarian and conscientious archbishop Malta has ever had.

He has no qualms in voicing publicly his views about corruption, the loss of values and the way we are constantly selling a piece of Malta to the highest bidder. In other words, he can be political (as opposed to ‘partisan’).

That means he is not dissimilar to his boss – Pope Francis – a man carrying out a silent revolution within the Catholic Church.

There is good reason why Scicluna serves as adjunct secretary of the Holy See’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. And that is why Scicluna has repeatedly been tasked by the Vatican to investigate the delicate…

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The Saint Ambrose Roman Catholic Church, one of many predominately African American churches, is located in the northwest part of Baltimore city within the heart of the Park Heights community. Despite the high number of Catholic churches in the city –27 black churches–the Saint Ambrose parish along with so many others, is losing parishioners. The Archdiocese of Baltimore is in the Seek The City To Come process of aiding Catholic churches, and their surrounding neighborhoods by 2024 to help keep some parishes thriving. Many Black churchgoers haven’t just left the Catholic church, they’ve left the faith all together.

The history of Catholicism and its relationship with African Americans is complex and dynamic. For example: sometime during the late 15th century, Catholicism was used as a tactic by the Spaniards to help enslaved Africans gain their freedom; and it was their new found freedom that created free black towns,…

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Lawyers tell court Lawrence Hecker, 92, has declined mentally and physically while incarcerated

A 92-year-old retired Catholic priest jailed in New Orleans since September on charges of child rape and kidnapping has been hospitalized, his attorneys said on Friday.

Lawrence Hecker – who admitted that he sexually molested or harassed underage boys in the 1960s and 1970s during a remarkable interview with WWL Louisiana and the Guardian in August – has experienced mental decline, disorientation and some physical ailments while being held in New Orleans’s jail, attorneys argued during a state court hearing.

They requested home confinement for Hecker should he be released from the hospital, but the judge presiding over his case, Ben Willard, said: “That’s not going to happen.”

The New Orleans state prosecutor Ned McGowan suggested a secure hospital that can provide mental health treatment in East Feliciana parish, Louisiana, about 120 miles to the north-west….

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A former priest has been sentenced for a sex crime in Winona County.

In October 2023, a jury found Ubaldo Roque Huerta, 51 of Rushmore, guilty of fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct.  Huerta was charged in August 2022 with performing a sex act on an intoxicated person but did not show up for a court hearing in September 2022 and was a fugitive until being arrested in May 2023.

Huerta has now been sentenced to 10 days in jail, four years of supervised probation, and a $900 fine.

The Diocese of Winona-Rochester says Huerta was ordained as a priest on June 28, 2008, but had not had an assignment within the Diocese since 2018.  Huerta was suspended in November of 2019 the Diocese says it was actively working toward his laicization at the time this sexual abuse happened.  Huerta lost his clerical status toward the end of 2021.

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Warning: This article contains details that may be disturbing to some readers.

A former pastor for the Montreal West Presbyterian Church was sentenced Friday to eight months behind bars for sexually abusing the 13-year-old daughter of a member of his congregation.

Samson Afoakwah was charged in 2022 with sexual assault against a minor.

The victim’s father told police that he noticed a change in his daughter’s behaviour at home. After discussing with her, the teen admitted what was going on, and her father immediately notified police.

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“I feel betrayed by someone who I looked up to as a spiritual leader,” the father told CTV News outside the courtroom Friday.

He cannot be named…

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The International House of Prayer Kansas City (IHOPKC) has banned Bob Hartley, a self-proclaimed “prophet” with close ties to IHOPKC Founder Mike Bickle, from its prayer room due to recent allegations of sexual misconduct.

“Based on information we have been presented and verified, Mr. Hartley has been informed he will no longer be permitted access to the IHOPKC Prayer Room,” IHOPKC Spokesperson Eric Volz posted on X Monday. “We can also confirm he is not on staff at IHOPKC, nor is he a congregant of Forerunner Church.”

Though Hartley is not an IHOPKC employee, Hartley posted videos of himself as recently as last December, praying on stage at IHOPKC’s prayer room. Hartley also has close ties to IHOPKC and Bickle, dating back to the founding of the 24/7 prayer ministry in 1999.

Also, former and current IHOPKC staff, one of whom served on the board of…

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The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis announced earlier this month that a former archbishop will not be charged with canonical crimes after a lengthy Vatican-ordered investigation. But the archbishop will be subject to restrictions on his ministry as a priest.

While the announcement was meant to address long-lingering question about the status of Archbishop John Nienstedt, it may instead have opened as many questions as it resolved — both about Nienstedt, and about the Vatican’s Vos estis lux mundi process.

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In a statement released Jan. 5, Minnesota’s Archbishop Bernard Hebda explained that Nienstedt had been under a Vatican-ordered investigation, which was looking into “certain decisions made during his tenure” in the archdiocese, and into “allegations of inappropriate conduct with both minors and adults.”

Hebda explained that Nienstedt was investigated by “officials outside of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis,” after complaints were raised about him in 2019 through the process…

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A former scout leader and care home worker has been jailed for abusing boys in Nottinghamshire in the 1970s.

Steven McNally abused five different young, vulnerable boys. He used his work and voluntary activities to groom the boys and sexually abuse them. The abuse took place on scout camps, in the care home where McNally worked and his own home when he took boys there inappropriately.

In the 1990s, McNally disclosed that he had been involved in sexual activity with young boys when interviewed by a psychologist as he applied to join the Catholic priesthood, but it was not until one of his victims came forward that the scale of his abuse was revealed.

One of his victims was triggered by a soap opera episode and disclosed what had happened to him as a child, including incidents in Ireland, to family and other leaders from his old scout group. This was reported…

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He had ‘a tyrannical regime’ of regular beatings of children at Nazareth House in Lenton

A former scout leader and children’s home care worker is likely to die in prison after he was jailed for 26 years for historical sexual abuse of young boys in Nottingham. Nottingham Crown Court heard how predatory Steven McNally targeted five separate youngsters aged between four and 15 when he worked at catholic-run Nazareth House Children’s Home, off Priory Street, Old Lenton in the 1970s.

The 67-year-old carried out what a judge called “a tyrannical regime” in which he would “relish” in meting out regular beatings and threatened the victims who stayed silent for almost half a century, until a police investigation began in 2016 and they were interviewed about their horrific experiences at his hands.

Hugely moving victim personal statements were read to the packed courtroom including by one, now a grandfather, who bravely fought back…

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Upon receiving the complaint, the police filed an FIR and booked the pastor under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act. Raveendranath was then arrested and presented before a local court. The court has sent him to judicial custody.

On Friday (19th January), the Kerala police shared that they had arrested the pastor of a Pentecostal Church for sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy in Kattakkada. The 59-year-old pastor is booked under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act. He was sent to judicial custody after presenting in a local court.

The incident took place on Wednesday (17th January) in the jurisdiction of the Kattakkada police station. The arrested accused pastor is identified as Raveendranath. He allegedly exploited the vulnerable 13-year-old victim boy who was abandoned by his mother.

The victim boy’s grandmother had gone to hospital and he was waiting…

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The pastor, identified as Raveendranath of a Pentecostal church, was arrested in the southern district of Kerala for allegedly sexually abusing the young boy.

A pastor of a Pentecostal church was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy in the southern district of Kerala. The 59-year-old pastor was accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy whom he lured into a trap at Kattakkada, according to the police, as quoted by PTI.

The pastor, identified as Raveendranath of a Pentecostal church, was arrested in Kerala for allegedly sexually abusing the young boy. Taking the boy to his house on Wednesday, the pastor reportedly served him a cake, showed him explicit content on a tablet and then subjected him to abuse.

The boy, abandoned by his mother, fell victim to the pastor’s enticement while waiting for his grandmother who was at the hospital, according to a report on PTI.

The police have…

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A 92-year-old former priest, Lawrence Hecker, who was arrested accused of rape and kidnapping was set to be in criminal court Friday.

Hecker didn’t show up after his attorneys said he was in the hospital and requested Hecker get out of jail to get more care.

Prosecutors said if Hecker returned home, kids would be in danger. They said Hecker should not be in front of a computer after Hecker admitted under oath he views child pornography.

This comes as another man accusing Hecker of sexual abuse in a separate case felt it was time to tell his story.

The man whom WDSU is not identifying has filed a claim against Hecker in the bankruptcy case.

He spoke about the graphic abuse he says he endured. He compared it to skin cancer.

“I put the scar tissue on and buried it,” he said. “My scar tissue I guess was my…

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In her latest role in Showtime’s “The Woman in the Wall,” Ruth Wilson plays Lorna, a woman prone to sleepwalking and night terrors.

Waking up to the repercussions of her “night behavior” can be a nightmare in itself: In the first episode, Lorna awakens to discover a dead body in her home and no idea why.

Lorna’s sleep issues are a manifestation of trauma she experienced as a pregnant teen forced to live in a church-run facility — sometimes called Catholic laundries or Magdalene laundries for unmarried and pregnant women and girls and others deemed to be trouble. In Lorna’s case, she was forced to work throughout her pregnancy and her baby was taken immediately after birth.

Lorna’s life intersects with a detective named Colman (played by Daryl McCormack ) who is investigating the murder of a local priest. Initially leery of…

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[For a PDF of Bishop Perisco’s statement as it appeared on the diocese’s website, click here.]

The announcement of updates to our Public Disclosure List understandably causes considerable dismay. The pain and sorrow of survivors of sexual abuse continues, and Catholics, who may not have even known those under investigation, wonder when this will end. Yet the reality is, past cases continue to affect us today.

Our position remains the same as when we first published the list: The public has a right to know the names of people whom we consider credibly accused of actions that disqualify and prohibit them from working or volunteering with children or youth. In addition, publishing the names of people who are deceased is one way to encourage other victims of that person to come forward.

Making these announcements illustrates that the steps we have taken are working. People know that when they…

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[To see a PDF of this news release as it appeared on the diocese’s website, click here.]

The Diocese of Erie has updated its Public Disclosure List as allegations concerning two priests and one lay person warranting further investigation have been brought forward by survivors of sexual abuse.

The list, available at https://www.ErieRCD.org/childprotection/disclosure.html, was created to publicize the names of persons who have been credibly accused of actions that, in the diocese’s judgment, disqualify each person from working with children. It also has a section for those whose allegations are under investigation. Added to the list is:

Michael O’Brien, who worked at St. Stephen School in Oil City, incarcerated as the result of a case not related to his work with the school.

Added to the list in the under investigation category are:

The late Father Michael Allison, who held positions at Mercyhurst Preparatory School in Erie and with the…

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It can take decades for an adult who survived sexual abuse as a child to bring a lawsuit. That’s the case for many who were abused by trusted members of the community, like Catholic priests. But in Massachusetts, even if a survivor of clergy abuse decides to sue, state laws can stand in the way of justice.

The first hurdle is the statute of limitations. If a victim is older than 53 and it’s been more than 7 years since they realized the abuse harmed them, the statute of limitations applies — meaning it’s likely too late to bring a lawsuit.

The second obstacle is known as the charitable immunity law, which applies to nonprofit charities. It generally limits the liability of charitable organizations, including Catholic dioceses, to $20,000. (Medical malpractice lawsuits against a nonprofit provider are capped at $100,000.)

Eric MacLeish has been one of the…

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An Argentine see fell vacant again Wednesday after a second bishop in a row resigned before he was installed as head of the diocese.

Pope Francis accepted the resignation Jan. 17 of 62-year-old Bishop Gustavo Larrazábal, 35 days after he appointed him as Bishop of Mar del Plata, in eastern Argentina, and just three days before Larrazábal’s installation.

The pope had nominated Larrazábal on the day that he accepted the resignation of 65-year-old Bishop José María Baliña, 22 days after he had named him as the head of the diocese serving around 774,000 Catholics.

The Vatican did not provide reasons for the resignations of either bishop. But Baliña said in a Dec. 5 letter to Catholics in Mar del Plata that he had struggled following surgery for a retinal detachment and had decided to resign “after further discernment and consultation with the Holy See.”

In a Jan. 17 letter to members of the diocese, Larrazábal wrote:…

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The three women, all in their 70s, have been sentenced to three years each for subjecting children to terrifying ordeals at Smyllum Park in Lanark. They denied any wrongdoing.

Two nuns and a care worker who abused vulnerable youngsters at a notorious Scottish orphanage have been jailed for three years each.

Sister Sarah McDermott, 79, Sister Eileen Igoe, 79, and carer Margaret Hughes, 76, subjected children to terrifying ordeals at Smyllum Park in Lanark. The three women denied any wrongdoing between 1969 and 1981 and went on trial at Airdrie Sheriff Court.

A jury took three days to find them guilty of a number of ‘cruel and unnatural’ incidents while children were in the care of the Order of the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul.

Sheriff Scott Pattison said there was no alternative to prison for the three women as he jailed them for a total of nine years.

…

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Diocese puts Monsignor John Hagerty, headmaster at Cathedral Prep in 1984-89, on list of those “under investigation.” Hagerty died at 83 in 2013.

• Under the leadership of Bishop Lawrence T. Persico, Catholic Diocese of Erie created its Public Disclosure List in 2018
• Document includes clergy and laypeople found to have been “credibly accused” of sexual abuse or under investigation for claims of abuse
• Diocese updates list regularly, and late Cathedral Prep headmaster, late Mercyhurst Prep faculty member are newly categorized as “under investigation”

The Catholic Diocese of Erie is investigating allegations of sexual abuse made against the late Monsignor John Hagerty, who was the headmaster of Cathedral Preparatory School in Erie from 1984-89 and held other positions in the diocese before he died at 83 in April 2013.

The diocese announced on Thursday that it has placed Hagerty’s name on its publicly disclosed list of priests and laypeople who…

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A PSYCHOLOGIST has suggested that survivors of church-based abuse suffered “significant harm” as a result of the decision to discontinue the Independent Safeguarding Board (ISB), and the manner in which it was disbanded.

The clinical psychologist David Glasgow published a report this week based on interviews with some of the victims of abuse who had been awaiting a review of their case when two members of the ISB were sacked, last June (News, 23 June 2023).

Mr Glasgow’s report follows the publication last month of a review by a barrister, Sarah Wilkinson, which said that a “complex matrix of reasons” contributed to the Archbishops’ Council’s decision (News, 15 December 2023).

Ms Wilkinson’s report includes a section on the “impact” of the decision, reporting complaints from survivors that it amounted to a “re-traumatisation or a re-abuse” — views which were aired at the time and in the months after the…

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In October, news broke that the Rev. Marko Rupnik, a former Jesuit who was credibly and publicly accused of abuse of adult women over a 40-year period, was incardinated into his home diocese in Slovenia. In December, Delaney Coyne, one of America’s O’Hare fellows, reflected on why she stays in a scandal-ridden church as a young woman and feminist and laid out her hopes for reform. “Not only should victims be heard,” she wrote, but “as a church, we should aim to be transformed by their testimonies and the spirit of truth working within us.” Her piece elicited reflective comments from other Catholics grappling with their faith in light of the sex abuse crisis.

I’m glad you stay, Delaney. As a 68-year-old Catholic woman, I find hope in your ability to see the realities of the systemic problems and at the same time hear the voice of God in our church. I…

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Three additional names have been added to the Erie Roman Catholic Diocese’s public disclosure list as allegations regarding two priests and one lay person warrant investigation following allegations by survivors of sexual abuse.

Under Bishop Lawrence Persico, the Erie Diocese has made a list of names publicly available since 2018.

The Erie Diocese’s public disclosure list came about in the wake of a two-year statewide grand jury investigation by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. The grand jury found evidence that at least 301 priests molested more than 1,000 children in dioceses across the state. A report on the grand jury’s findings was made public by the Office of Attorney General in August 2018.

The Erie Diocese created the list in 2018 to publicize the names of persons who have been credibly accused of actions that, in the diocese’s judgment, disqualify each person from working with children. The list also…

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MARTINEZ, Calif. (KGO) — A Richmond pastor accused of sexual abuse and kidnapping involving four young victims pleaded not guilty in Contra Costa County court on Wednesday,

Victor Hernandez-Pineda, 53, remains in jail on $10 million bail. His next hearing is set for March.

Hernandez-Pineda faces 16 charges and investigators say there are at least four victims, and at least one is from his congregation.

This is an update. Previous report follows.

The pastor of an East Bay church for Central American immigrants had his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon, facing 16 charges involving the sexual abuse of four victims.

The hearing was very quick, with the attorney for the pastor saying he needed more time to consider the evidence and speak with his client.

Pastor Victor Hernandez-Pineda appeared before a Contra Costa County judge for the first time, in the child sexual assault case against him.

An East Bay pastor…

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Former Together Church pastor Micahn Carter will find out in the next month if his defamation suit against a woman who said he raped her can proceed.

At a Jan. 9 hearing on motions from both Carter and the former church employee, Yakima County Superior Court Judge Kevin Naught said he would issue a ruling on whether the suit can be dismissed under a state law that protects people from frivolous defamation suits.

Naught also let stand an order sealing declarations that delved into the woman’s prior sexual history.

The Yakima Herald-Republic typically does not publish the name of sexual assault victims without their consent. While the woman has not sought criminal charges, she has said that Carter raped her in an office at the North Fourth Street megachurch. The building now houses the Champions Centre church.

Fall from grace

Carter and his wife, April, were lead pastors at Together…

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Faith Hakesley, author of Glimmers of Grace: Moments of Peace and Healing Following Sexual Abuse (Our Sunday Visitor 2020) as well as the Ruth Institute blog, Advice from a Survivor, reacted to Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández’s recently resurfaced book, The Mystical Passion.

“I found it nauseating,” Hakesley said. “It’s sexually graphic, blasphemous, and completely inappropriate on so many levels. That a Catholic priest would write so graphically is despicable.”

“The book would likely be triggering for any survivor of sexual abuse. It certainly was for me. I only got through a few portions before I felt physically ill and had to stop.”  

“Even more concerning than this book’s graphic descriptions is that it was inspired by a 16-year-old girl’s ‘spiritual’ but sensual encounter with Jesus, which is included in the book. I sincerely hope the girl got the help she needed.”

“I’m not saying Fernández abused anyone;…

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Last month, we delved into the unsettling pattern of predator priests being transferred in and out of rural Louisiana, primarily focusing on the Lafayette Diocese. Since then, our scrutiny has turned to other predominantly rural dioceses in Louisiana, namely Lake Charles, Shreveport, and Alexandria. The troubling trends continue in these areas as we unearth more disturbing findings.

LAKE CHARLES

In April 2019, Lake Charles Bishop Glen Provost put forward a list of credibly accused clergy, appending two additional names: Fr. Edward Normanmtowicz and Fr. Valerie Pullman. The Diocese of Lake Charles encompasses the southwestern Louisiana parishes of Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, and Jefferson Davis.

Within this context, alarming evidence emerges of numerous clerics involved in child molestation. They occupy different locations, translating to rapid relocations. Take Fr. Charles Soileau, for instance. He was active in Houston, Texas, and several…

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Taking point position on Pope Francis’ insistence on opening the church to those who transgress traditional sexual morality, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández has been bushwhacked by critics who point to his own writings on sexuality.

In his first few months as the head of the Vatican’s department in charge of Catholic doctrine, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández had already drawn criticism from conservative and liberal Catholics alike. And since the issuance of a papal decision to allow priests to give blessings to same-sex couples, the cardinal’s own past and writings are now being called into question.

Pope Francis appointed Fernández to lead the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in October, over the complaints of those who said Fernández, an Argentine like Francis, lacked the experience or credentials for the role. Francis, however, signaled his confidence in his new doctrine chief by handing him the red hat of a cardinal.

…

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A Church report described Christopher Saunders as a “sexual predator” who sought to “prey upon vulnerable Aboriginal men and boys”.

Police in Western Australia have raided the home of a former bishop who was at the centre of an investigation ordered by Pope Francis.

On Sunday 14 January, detectives searched the home of Christopher Saunders, the former Bishop of Broome who resigned his see in 2021 after an initial police investigation was made public.

According to the 7News network, Bishop Saunders was also interviewed by police in Perth on Monday.

The Diocese of Broome covers a vast area of Western Australia’s tropical north, including a large number of Aboriginal communities.

An investigation ordered by the Pope into Bishop Saunders under the terms of his motu proprio Vos Estis Lux Mundi – the first of its kind in Australian history – levelled a number of sexual misconduct allegations against him.

A 200-page Church-commissioned…

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ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — A Canadian advocate is delivering a lecture today on a proposed zero-tolerance law for clergy abuse at a 473-year-old Jesuit university in Rome that has taught some of the highest figures in the Roman Catholic Church.

Gemma Hickey, who uses the pronouns they and them, will be presenting to scholars at the Pontifical Gregorian University about the importance of the law and the impacts of clergy abuse in their home province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The school’s curriculum is accredited by the Holy See, the government of the Roman Catholic Church led by Pope Francis, and its graduates include canonized saints and more than a dozen popes.

Hickey, board president of the Washington-based group Ending Clergy Abuse, says they were invited to give the lecture by Rev. Hans Zollner, who leads a university institute that is dedicated in part to preventing clergy abuse.

Hickey says the…

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She’s running to replace Katie Porter in Congress, touting social justice issues. But is she funding her campaign with money tainted by the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal?

EXCLUSIVE

Democratic House candidate Joanna Weiss has credited her legal experience for imbuing her with a “deep commitment to ethics.” The source of her personal campaign loans, however, is rife with controversy.

Weiss, a Democratic newcomer vying to replace Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) as she runs for Senate, has contributed a total $231,600 to her political operation as of the end of September, according to publicly available campaign filings. Of that amount, $225,000 has come in the form of loans from the “personal funds of the candidate,” the filings show.

But Weiss’ personal financial disclosure, submitted in August, reports hardly any income over the prior 18 months, only listing $2,500 in royalties from an independent music publishing company she launched in 2021….

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‘After taking literal millions of steps, I’m one step closer to this goal,’ said Gemma Hickey

WARNING: This story contains details of child physical and sexual abuse.

A St. John’s activist and survivor of sexual abuse by clergy is set to deliver a lecture to one of the Catholic Church’s most prestigious universities, with a message of demanding justice for other survivors.

Gemma Hickey, president of advocacy group Ending Clergy Abuse, will speak at the Pontifical Gregorian University this week. The school has deep ties to the Vatican and trains Catholic clergy from around the world.

Hickey’s lecture, which they’ve titled Zero Tolerance: Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults, will provide a Newfoundland and Labrador focus on themes of clericalism, colonialism and the aspects of a zero-tolerance policy for abuse by clergy.

“There’s a lot riding on this lecture, but what I’m hoping and what my colleagues and I are hoping is that we go back…

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In February 2023, 16 plaintiffs made the LA Times, alleging that Kid’s Kingdom “served as a demented playground for sexual abuse.” That lawsuit claims that leadership covered up the incident because reporting would hurt “God’s Modern-Day Movement.” This failure to act allowed David Saracino, now a known child rapist featured on “America’s Most Wanted,” to operate in the church until 2012 after he was finally arrested for raping a 4-year-old child.

There is no way to mince words. The allegations are horrifying. And David Saracino attended the International Church of Christ for many years before being caught. This underscores the reality that there are those in our community who look like “one of us,” but are not. They give lip service to morality but do Satan’s unclean work. This should come as no surprise since even the 12 disciples had a Judas among them. And while Judas’ betrayal…

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Embattled International House of Prayer-Kansas City (IHOPKC) admitted it likely mishandled some past reports of misconduct and promised to make structural changes during an announcement Sunday at IHOPKC’s Forerunner Church.

IHOPKC Spokesman Eric Volz told the Forerunner congregation that IHOPKC’s initial “historic review of reported misconduct” revealed that “a few” reported incidents “likely were not handled properly.”

But Volz said that “most of those incidents happened under the watch of leaders who are no longer here.” He also claimed that the “number of known incidents” is “low,” given the size of IHOPKC, its 25 years in operation, and more than 20,000 staff who have served at IHOPKC.

Two recent high-level IHOPKC leaders—Executive Director Stuart Greaves and David Sliker—resigned last month, following allegations they had mishandled past allegations of misconduct.

TRR reached out to IHOPKC’s press office, asking for clarity about who mishandled the prior reports of misconduct. IHOPKC’s Executive Leadership Team…

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Arson attacks against churches in Canada are on the rise, according to a Canadian news outlet, which reported that since May 2021, 33 churches in Canada have been burned down to the ground. 

The outlet, CBC News, reported that 24 of those devastating fires were intentionally set, while two were determined to be accidental. The rest were ruled to be suspicious or are currently under investigation. 

That number represents a marked increase in the number of churches destroyed by fire. Between Jan. 1, 2019, and May 2021, 14 churches in Canada burned down, according to the outlet’s review of police and court records along with media reports.

Unsubstantiated reports of ‘mass graves’ 

The new data comes on the heels of dozens of attacks on Catholic churches in Canada over the past few years following several unsubstantiated reports in early 2021 of “mass graves”…

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Deacon cites response to sex abuse

A member of the Immanuel Baptist Church board of deacons told his fellow deacons Thursday that Lead Pastor Steven Smith lacks integrity and needs to depart for the good of the Little Rock congregation.

In a nine-page letter addressed to his “Deacon Brothers,” David Choate accused Smith of repeatedly mishandling accusations of child sexual abuse and of intentionally misleading Immanuel’s members.

Staff members aware of Smith’s dishonesty, Choate said, have been threatened with loss of employment if they speak out.

“[S]adly Dr. Steven Smith has proven himself to be untruthful and untrustworthy. He has failed to take appropriate action to protect Immanuel children, he has knowingly lied to and misled the Immanuel congregation, and he has concealed key information from them that concerned the safety of their children and families. For all of these reasons, he is unfit to serve as lead pastor of…

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Divided control of the Pennsylvania legislature has raised the bar for advancing proposed constitutional amendments, as Democrats and Republicans must find common ground to send a measure to voters for consideration.

Such amendments do not require approval from the governor, and good-government experts had previously expressed concerns that they were being fast-tracked under sole GOP legislative control without enough consideration of the impact.

But deep partisan differences are now keeping proposals with bipartisan support from voters, including one that would give survivors of childhood sexual abuse a chance to sue their abusers.

Legislative leaders say they remain at loggerheads over what form that measure should take.

Democrats who control the state House want to send to voters a single question about opening the lawsuit window, while Republican leaders are holding firm to their insistence that the abuse amendment be logrolled with other GOP priorities, including a voter ID requirement.

Should the…

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A German district court and an ecclesiastical court have both prosecuted a clerical sex abuser from India who re-offended in Germany after being investigated for allegations of abuse in Canada.

The diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart announced on Sunday that Fr. Ashok Mascarenhas, who was assigned to a ministry of university pastoral work in Weingarten in Upper Swabia, had been issued a penal decree earlier in November by Bp. Gebhard Fürst. 

Father Mascarenhas, whose identity is being concealed by the diocese but was obtained by Church Militant from diocesan sources, was charged with sexually assaulting a female student at the university in Weingarten and fined 900 euros by the Ravensburg district court in August. 

According to the allegations, the priest watched two young women playing billiards in the lounge of the Weingarten Evangelical Catholic University Community and suddenly grabbed one of the women’s bottoms. After the attack, the two women locked themselves…

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A lawsuit was filed on Jan. 10 against Central Baptist Church Magnolia for allegedly allowing the grooming, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of a minor by former youth pastor Kenneth Travis Jewell.

According to the lawsuit, Jewell was hired in 2008 as the youth pastor for the church and allegedly began abusing the plaintiff when she was 16.

The lawsuit alleges that abuse occurred often on church property and that other pastors, including current pastor Mike Seabaugh, and staff knew about the abuse but did not take action to stop it.

“Travis used his position, and the authority and power vested in him by Central Baptist, to groom and sexually abuse Plaintiff, who was heavily involved in the church’s youth ministry program. Plaintiff ‘s background made her particularly vulnerable to Travis. At the time the sexual abuse began, Plaintiff was a l6-year-old minor who lived with her mother. Plaintiff was…

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At the beginning of October, a landmark gathering of church leaders sat down at roundtables in a brightly lit hall. The event was diverse as far as ecclesial gatherings have historically gone; the participants spanned generations, genders, ideologies and cultural backgrounds. Many were vowed religious, but some were laypeople. 

Everyone in attendance knew their purpose. They came to listen, dialogue and discern together how the church might address some of the most pressing issues of our day in more inclusive and healing ways. 

The gathering wasn’t the one you might be thinking of, the groundbreaking synod on synodality in Rome. It was the National Catholic Conference on Restorative Justice, a biennial convening that took place in October at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis. 

As one of the conference organizers, I can say truthfully that the event wasn’t designed to be a “synod in…

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Detectives have released a former Catholic Bishop without charge following an investigation into alleged historic child sex offences in Western Australia’s north.

Key points:

• Christopher Saunders had been speaking to child abuse detectives
• A raid took place on what is believed to be his former Broome home
• Police say no charges have been laid

Police were on Monday seen at a Piggott Way home in Broome, where the ABC understands former Catholic Bishop Christopher Saunders resided until late last year.

WA Police confirmed Child Abuse Squad detectives were in town as part of an ongoing investigation, but would not be drawn on why officers were at the home.

A spokesperson on Wednesday said a 74-year-old man who had been speaking to police in relation to their inquiries had since been released and no charges had been laid.

Detectives remain in the Kimberley to conduct further inquiries.

An investigation into…

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The complaint is regarding Curry’s response to abuse allegations against Bishop Prince Singh, the former bishop of the Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, head of the Episcopal Church, is the subject of an internal clergy misconduct complaint for his response to abuse allegations against Bishop Prince Singh, the former bishop of the Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan.

Singh resigned in September after allegations that he had physically and emotionally abused his ex-wife and sons, Nivedhan and Eklan Singh. His sons originally disclosed their abuse allegations to Curry in December 2022, but a Title IV process — the Episcopal Church’s protocol for responding to accusations of clergy misconduct — was not launched against Singh until the brothers went public with their allegations in June 2023. For months, the family has called for investigations into Curry and Bishop Todd Ousley, who was the intake officer for Title IV…

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New Delhi: The Vatican accepting the Mysore bishop’s resignation has brought much relief to those seeking justice for the prelate’s alleged victims in the southern Indian diocese.

A press statement from the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) on January 13 said Pope Francis has accepted Bishop Kannikadass Antony William’s resignation in view of “the distressing situation in the diocese.”

However, the statement quoted the apostolic nunciature to clarify that the “resignation is not a disciplinary measure imposed upon Bishop William” but a move to provide the diocese a new bishop.

The resignation came three days after a Catholic woman lawyer in Mumbai wrote to Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Leopold Girelli to take “decisive and stringent action against” Bishop William for setting a wrong example for the younger generation of priests and tarnishing the Church’s image in the country.

“Failure to act against the bishop,” Sunita Banis’ letter warns, “may…

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A ‘distressing situation’ caused Bishop Kannikadass Antony William of Mysore to put  in his papers, says official release

The Vatican has accepted the resignation of an Indian bishop over allegations of murder, rape and misappropriation of Church funds.

Pope Francis accepted Bishop Kannikadass Antony William’s resignation due to “the distressing situation” in the Mysore diocese, said an official release.

Bishop William headed the Mysore diocese in southern Karnataka from February 2017 to January 2023 until he was asked to “take a period of absence from the ministry” following the allegations.

The 58-year-old prelate steadfastly denied any wrongdoing and blamed it on a group of disgruntled priests in the diocese who alleged financial discipline.

The bishop is also facing allegations of keeping mistresses and having children.

The resignation comes amidst a campaign for the reinstatement of his active ministry, attributed to a section of priests in the diocese.

Those behind the campaign…

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MUMBAI – Just days after a group of community leaders demanded proof that the controversial bishop of Mysore in southern India was still alive, the Vatican announced Saturday that Pope Francis had accepted his resignation.

In a one-line statement, the Vatican Press Office said the pontiff had accepted the resignation of 58-year-old Kannikadass Antony William, who has faced multiple accusations of wrongdoing including sexual misconduct, corruption, kidnapping and even collusion in murder at various points over his stormy six-year tenure in Mysore.

Also on Jan. 13, Archbishop Felix Anthony Machado of Vasai, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, released a more detail statement indicating that Francis had accepted Antony’s resignation “for pastoral reasons given the distressing situation in the diocese.”

Machado, a former official of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, said that the resignation was not a disciplinary measure but rather a decision take pro bono…

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A California lawmaker has introduced a bill that would prohibit sexual abuse of adults by clergy, imposing fines and imprisonment for violators.

State Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine, filed Senate Bill 894, which expands and clarifies existing law to establish criminal penalties for offending clergy.

“A member of the clergy who is in a position of trust or authority over an adult parishioner and who engages in an act of sexual intercourse, sodomy, oral copulation, or sexual contact with that adult parishioner is guilty of sexual exploitation by a member of the clergy,” the bill states.

Specifically, the bill bans the use of consent as a defense in cases when accused clergy are in a counseling or supervisory relationship with the victim. The bill does not apply to “sexual contact between a member of the clergy and their spouse or person in an equivalent domestic relationship.”

Depending upon the number of…

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Child abuse investigators in Australia raided a Church property Monday, as part of an investigation into the former Bishop of Broome. 

The property, a house, was until last year the residence of Bishop Christopher Saunders, who resigned as bishop of the Broome diocese in 2021 amid allegations of sexual misconduct and grooming against young Aboriginal men.

“Child Abuse Squad detectives are in Broome as part of an ongoing investigation into historic child sex offences,” a Western Australia Police spokesperson said in a statement, but declined to give details.

Saunders stepped aside from governance of the diocese in 2020, after accusations surfaced that he had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of Church funds on gifts for vulnerable young men, including cash, phones, alcohol and travel.

The following year he resigned as diocesan bishop at the age of 71, citing “ill health.” 

At the time of Saunders’ resignation, Pope Francis appointed…

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When a member of the Southern Baptist Convention’s prior Sexual Abuse Task Force emailed me to apologize, I felt grateful for the candor and honesty.

“I want to personally apologize to you,” the person wrote, “if anything I did ever gave you hope for change in the SBC. I see now it was futile. … Nothing will change. The system as designed will not allow it.”

As heartbreaking as this statement is, at least it’s truthful. And ultimately, truth is kindness.

Truth is infinitely better than phony institutional hype about “progress,” public relations showmanship and duplicitous performative faux-caring.

In the absence of tangible care for survivors and the naming of credibly accused pastors on a database, the rosy institutional narrative of “progress” lands as gaslighting and cruelty.

As GRACE founder Boz Tchividjian said: “Church leaders who speak empathetic words and make empty promises without substantive and self-sacrificing actions are exploiting and re-victimizing…

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A Wisconsin judge suspended the last remaining criminal trial for sexual abuse against former cardinal Theodore McCarrick

With a Wisconsin judge suspending his last remaining criminal trial for sexual abuse, former cardinal Theodore McCarrick has been granted a legal reprieve — but clergy abuse survivors told OSV News the decision is a kind of “re-sentencing” for them and many fellow victims.

Lawyers for McCarrick — one of the Catholic Church’s most powerful clerics prior to Pope Francis removing him from the priesthood in 2019 for decades of sexual abuse — had argued their client was not competent to stand trial on charges of fourth-degree sexual assault for abuse that allegedly took place in 1977.

The Jan. 10 order in Wisconsin follows a dismissal of all criminal charges against McCarrick in Massachusetts in August 2023, when the former cleric also was deemed no longer mentally competent.

“I expect that many victims…

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A case in which a Co Tyrone priest is accused of historic sexual abuse against two males, one of which allegedly dates back over 40 years, is to transfer to crown court for trial.

Canon Patrick McEntee (69) from Esker Road, Dromore who requested a leave of absence last year while a serious safeguarding investigation was carried out, is charged with indecently assaulting a complainant between 1980 and 1981.

He is further alleged to have twice indecently assaulted a second complainant on dates between 1988 and 1989.

On first appearing before Enniskillen Magistrates Court Canon, McEntee spoke only to confirm his identity and that he understood the charges against him.

No details surrounding the circumstances of the alleged offences were disclosed during the short hearing although it is understood they relate to Canon McEntee’s time in Co Fermanagh.

At the most recent court sitting a prosecuting lawyer informed the…

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Father Ted star Ardal O’Hanlon tackles falling priest numbers, and examines his own relationship with the church in new series, writes Eugene Masterson

Father Ted star Ardal O’Hanlon admits he could be accused of hypocrisy because he had his children baptised into the Catholic Church — despite renouncing religion.

The Monaghan actor — who played goofy Fr Dougal in the hit clerical comedy — fronts a new TV documentary about the decline in the number of priests.

A second programme in the series about the Catholic Church will be screened the following night. Presented by Dearbhail McDonald, it looks at a similar crisis among nuns here.

“For too long many Irish people didn’t see priests as ordinary fallible men,” says Ardal (58).

“We showed them too much respect, gave them too much power and were too slow to realise the horrendous liberty some of them took with that power.

“Yet…

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Three women say that Vatican measures against their former spiritual director are not sufficient, and that his allegedly sexually abusive conduct should have merited a steeper sanction.

The women say that Fr. David Nicgorski, formerly the superior general of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, groomed them in spiritual direction while they were members of the Daughters of St. Paul, leading in one case to an alleged sexual assault. 

But while the Vatican has prohibited Nicgorski from serving as a spiritual director for five years, the sisters say the decision was not enough, and the priest could eventually abuse other women.

‘His eyes would follow me’

Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble met Fr. Nicgorski in 2015, five years into her life as a member of the Daughters of St. Paul, soon after her first profession of vows.

She met him on a retreat.

Initially, Sr. Theresa Aletheia was uncomfortable with Nicgorski….

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Women testify about abuse at Lourdes Home

Nuns at a Church-run orphanage subjected children to sexual abuse and regular beatings, survivors testified in court on Monday.

The court heard testimony of two women who were raised decades ago at the Lourdes Home in Għajnsielem which is run by the Dominican Sisters.

Nuns there beat them for no reason, locked them up alone for days and forced them to live in fear, the women recounted.

One of the witnesses told the court that the nuns did not bother to tell her that her biological mother was dead until two years after her death.

The witnesses were testifying in a constitutional case they have filed, seeking compensation from the state for their ordeal.

Carmen Muscat, who is now 51, told the court that she was placed in the orphanage as a young child. As she grew older, one of the nuns, “Sister…

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In an investigative exposition by Swiss newspaper Le Temps, troubling revelations have emerged about the Society of Saint Pius X, a splinter group from the mainstream Catholic Church known for its ultra-conservative views. The report, which is the outcome of a painstaking, months-long investigation, unveils instances of sexual, psychological, and physical violence perpetrated within the confines of the society.

Unmasking a Culture of Violence

The Society of Saint Pius X, a staunch opponent of the liberal reforms within the Catholic Church, is operational in more than 60 countries. It boasts a following of nearly half a million faithful, and a spiritual leadership composed of 590 priests. The Le Temps investigation, however, has cast a long shadow over the society, revealing an undercurrent of violence and abuse that runs deep.

A Confluence of Control and Abuse

Equally disturbing is the alleged culture of secrecy that envelops the Society of Saint Pius…

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A person who says former Whanganui priest Father Damian Carlile sexually abused him has decided to join a settlement case started by another complainant, Bo Tamati.

Carlile, an Australian priest, is accused of sexually abusing children in the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) in Whanganui in the early 2000s.

Several parishioners who say they were abused by Carlile as children have accused the global SSPX organisation of protecting the priest by moving him to another country to avoid prosecution.

Julian*, who told Stuff he was sexually assaulted by Carlile as an altar boy in the early 2000s, would join Tamati in seeking compensation from the church that he said failed to protect them.

Tamati was also an altar boy during Carlile’s tenure.

The church’s suppression of allegations of sexual abuse allowed the abuse to continue, Julian said.

Stuff made repeated attempts to discuss the allegations with the church, by email, phone calls, WhatsApp calls,…

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Sexual, psychological and physical violence took place within the ultraconservative Society of Saint Pius  The weather after an investigation lasting several months.

This dissident group from the Catholic Church “cannot escape accusations of control, sexual violence and sectarianism,” says the newspaper.

A victim support group estimates the number of “problematic priests” at around sixty, or nearly 10% of the workforce.

Founded in 1970 by controversial French bishop Marcel Lefebvre, the Society of Saint Pius

Its headquarters are located near Menzingen, a village in the Zug region, south of Zurich. It claims to be present in more than 60 countries across six continents, with 590 priests and nearly half a million faithful.

The weather devoted the first six pages of Saturday’s newspaper to his investigation. He claims to have received more than twenty internal documents, including letters signed by senior officials and extracts from internal investigations.

“Our analysis shows that sexual, psychological…

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Child abuse detectives are searching a house owned by the Catholic Church in WA’s north amidst a long-running investigation into sexual assault allegations.

Two police cars and five unmarked police vehicles are parked at the property in suburban Broome.

The ABC understands the Piggott Way address is where Broome’s former Catholic Bishop Christopher Saunders lived up until late last year.

The bishop made international headlines last year after an independent report commissioned by the Vatican described him as a sexual predator.

Bishop Saunders has denied any wrongdoing.

On Monday afternoon, officers blocked the two entry gates and have taken storage containers into the property, which is bordered by a brick wall and mango trees.

Western Australian police would not be drawn on why the officers were at the home.

“Child Abuse Squad detectives are in Broome as part of an ongoing investigation into historic child sex offences,” a spokesperson said in a…

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I helped expose the grotesque hypocrisy of the Catholic church. But I owe so much to the nuns who formed me

The 1990s witnessed the collision of three tectonic plates that are still shaping the course of Irish history: the Celtic Tiger, the peace process and the decline of the Catholic church.

Legacy is all around us: the legacy of boom and bust, the legacy of the Troubles and, almost 30 years after the catastrophic eruption of the clerical and institutional abuse scandals, Ireland is still coming to terms with the legacy of an unholy communion between church and state. Anger over the institutional response of the Catholic church to the abuse scandals, and its continued failure to take responsibility for the systemic cover-up of those abuses, is still visceral and ever-present.

The Irish government is currently locked in “confidential” negotiations with female religious orders that ran “mother and baby homes” over how…

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NEW YORK – A Wisconsin judge on Jan. 10 suspended a sexual assault case against Theodore McCarrick after a court-appointed psychologist found the ex-cardinal not competent to stand trial, possibly ending efforts to secure a criminal prosecution.

County Judge David Reddy didn’t dismiss the case outright, because, he said, the court doesn’t have that authority, and the decision will be made by Walworth County District Attorney Zeke Wiedenfeld. For now, the case is scheduled for a review hearing on Dec. 27, 2024.

The charge against McCarrick, 93, is one count of fourth-degree sexual assault.

According to a previous announcement from Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul and Wiedenfeld, the complaint alleges McCarrick engaged in repeated sexual abuse of the unnamed victim over time, “including the charged incident that involved the alleged fondling of a victim while staying as a guest at a Geneva Lake residence” in April 1977.

The “not competent”…

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The Catholic Church has entered a turbulent period since its own doctrine office published a document permitting the blessing of same-sex couples in certain circumstances.

Opposition to the doctrinal letter, named Fiducia Supplicans, is multiplying throughout the world. The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), which issued the document, has also been further weakened by a scandal involving Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández who heads it, after the discovery of a book published in 1998 by the Cardinal, the contents of which are pornographic.

The days following the publication of the papal document were marked by an international rebellion: many individual bishops and several national bishops’ conferences expressed reservations about blessing same-sex couples, and even banned it in their dioceses. 

Faced with the extent of the opposition, the Vatican was forced to publish a clarifying text on January 4th, recognising the possibility for bishops to decide whether or not to apply Fiducia Supplicans in…

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This is grim stuff, so let’s start off nice and easy. With a challenging little puzzle, like those silly “test your knowledge” posts you see on social media. Can you match the quotation below with the author? Each is speaking about the connection between human sexuality and access to God:

1. “True sex-power is God-power and as such, the power of orgasm can be used by a man and woman for various gains, both worldly and spiritual.”
2. “[God] can make himself present when two human beings love each other and reach orgasm; and that orgasm, lived in the presence of God, can also be a sublime act of the presence of God.”
3. “Through sex, mankind may attain the great spiritual illumination which will transform the world, which will light up the only path to an earthly paradise.”
4. “Mankind must learn that the sexual instinct is … ennobling. The shocking evils which we all…

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Youth organisation accused of ‘critical vetting failure’ over training course including unvetted adults

Internal divisions within Scouting Ireland and allegations of current child-protection shortcomings made by two board members have thrown the youth organisation into a fresh governance crisis.

The organisation is grappling with charges made by two directors and a separate dispute over a recent vetting “failure”, as well as a clash involving the former board of a Northern Ireland offshoot.

Scouting Ireland has spent the last four years trying to piece itself back together after major controversy threatened to destroy the organisation. Following reporting by The Irish Times into the flawed handling of a serious sexual assault allegation concerning two adult volunteers, the organisation’s State funding was temporarily suspended and its entire board stepped down in 2018.

Amid that turmoil, the organisation faced a reckoning over historical child sexual abuse in the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland and…

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Every time you think news out of the Vatican can’t get any weirder as we approach the end of the Francis papacy, another high-ranking, well-connected cleric asks for his beer to be held. 

This week, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, came under fire over the discovery of a hardcore erotica book he authored in the late 1990s while serving as a priest in his native Argentina. Fernandez, who was handpicked by fellow Argentine Pope Francis for the lofty position in 2023, is commonly considered the second-most powerful figure in the Vatican and a potential papal successor. 

To be clear, the book, titled Mystical Passion: Spirituality and Sensuality, is not the exquisitely sensual religious poetry of St. John of the Cross. It is pure smut. And perhaps worse for a man of Fernandez’s distinction, it’s second-rate smut: unimaginative,…

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GENEVA: Sexual, psychological and physical violence has taken place in several countries within the ultra-conservative Society of Saint Pius X, Swiss newspaper Le Temps reported Saturday after a months-long investigation into the breakaway Catholic group.

The society “cannot escape accusations of control, sexual violence and a cult of secrecy”, the newspaper wrote, with one victim support group reporting around 60 “problematic priests”.

The Society of Saint Pius X is a group of fundamentalist Catholics that strongly opposes the liberal reforms of the Catholic Church imposed by the Vatican II Council in the 1960s.

The society says it is present in more than 60 countries across six continents, with 590 priests and nearly half a million faithful.

It said its reporters had been given more than 20 internal documents, including letters signed by top officials and extracts from internal investigations.

“Our analysis shows that the violence took place in all four…

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Father Anil Mathew was well-known for his works among slum children in Madhya Pradesh state capital

A Catholic priest, who has been managing a hostel for slum kids, has been arrested on charges of violating provisions of a child protection law in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

Father Anil Mathew, director of Aanchal, a non-governmental organization (NGO) working among slum children in the state capital Bhopal was arrested on Jan. 7.

The Carmelite of Mary Immaculate (CMI) priest is currently in jail as his bail plea was rejected by the court.

“We are trying for his bail,” said Father John Shibu, who is monitoring the case.

“It is a false case,” Father Shibu, also a CMI member, told UCA News on Jan.8

The priest has been working among slum children for over a decade.  However, on Jan. 4, a team led by Priyank Kanoongo, chairman of the state-run National Commission…

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Ram Bahadur Bomjan, known as ‘Buddha Boy,’ has long been accused of physically and sexually assaulting his followers

Nepal police said Wednesday they had arrested a spiritual leader whose followers believe him to be a reincarnation of Buddha over allegations of disappearances and rape at his ashrams.

Ram Bahadur Bomjan, known as “Buddha Boy” among devotees, became famous as a teenager after followers said he could meditate motionless for months without water, food or sleep.

The 33-year-old guru has a devout following but has long been accused of physically and sexually assaulting his followers, and had been hiding from authorities for several years.

“He was arrested after absconding for several years,” police spokesman Kuber Kadayat told AFP.

Police apprehended Bomjan in Kathmandu on a warrant issued for his alleged rape of a minor at an ashram in Sarlahi, a district south of the capital.

They said he was caught with…

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Christopher Saunders, who has denied accusations he sexually assaulted young Aboriginal men, was responsible for nine charities

The Catholic bishop Christopher Saunders, who is accused of sexually assaulting and grooming young Aboriginal men, has been removed as the person responsible for nine Broome diocese charities, records show.

Saunders, who denies the accusations, which are alleged to have occurred during his almost five-decade career, stood aside as the bishop of Broome in 2020 and Pope Francis accepted his resignation in 2021. He is now described as “emeritus” bishop of Broome.

A Western Australian police investigation between 2018 and 2020 did not find enough evidence to lay criminal charges against Saunders, a decision made in consultation with the director of public prosecutions. A separate Vatican investigation, Vos Estis Lux Mundi, was completed in April 2023. It has been given to WA police and Seven News has reported that it alleged Saunders used church and…

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Per the Episcopal News Service, the family of Bishop Singh is calling for an independent investigation of Bruce Curry and Todd Ousley over their purported mishandling of their complaints of abuse involving Singh. Unfortunately, the church is handling this case better than most. And, regrettably, it’s unlikely we will see any accountability.

First, a disclaimer: We stopped covering the Singh case after we received requests from the family to edit our coverage. “Nothing about us without us,” was the request. Obviously, that flies in the face of our commitment as an independent source of news and perspective on the church, so that one went nowhere fast. 

In addition, the Singhs stated that they didn’t like our sometimes incendiary tone. Fair enough, but if they think being all churchy nice will get them anywhere, it hasn’t yet worked in 2,000 years, so it’s not likely to work now.

And the Singhs didn’t…

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The family of former Rochester Bishop Prince Singh has called for an independent investigation into how Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and Bishop Todd Ousley, the former Title IV intake officer for complaints against bishops, handled their allegations of domestic abuse by Singh.

Singh’s ex-wife and their two adult sons have accused Curry of not taking prompt and sufficient action in response to their claims of abuse, which date back to when the sons were boys. They first made the claims directly to Curry in December 2022 and revealed them publicly in June 2023, after they said Curry and other Episcopal leaders failed to follow the church’s Title IV disciplinary canons regarding bishops and other clergy.

Since then, a Title IV reference panel has referred Singh for an investigation under the canons, according to an email update Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves, vice president of the House of Bishops, sent to her fellow…

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An Alabama Catholic priest has now been fully returned to the lay state months after he fled the country with a recent Catholic high school graduate whose parents expressed concern she had been groomed by the cleric while she was still a minor.

The Archdiocese of Mobile announced in a Jan. 5 statement that it had “received notice that the laicization of Alex Crow is complete, effective immediately.

“Mr. Crow once served as a priest in the Archdiocese, but is no longer a member of the clergy, confirmed in a letter by our Holy Father, Pope Francis,” said the statement.

The archdiocese said that “Crow initiated the process for his own laicization” before the end of a six-month waiting period required by canon law for bishops who wish to directly initiate a priest’s laicization. The archdiocese noted that a priest can request laicization at any time.

“It has now been…

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Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown is defending the state’s Child Victims Act from a constitutional challenge raised by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington in a pair of lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse by clergy.

With parallel briefs filed in lawsuits against the Washington diocese in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, Brown, a Democrat, followed through on a pledge to defend the landmark law in court. His filings follow calls from abuse survivors to stand up for the law, which they fought the Catholic Church for decades to pass.

Maryland’s 2023 Child Victims Act lifted the statute of limitations for lawsuits alleging child sex abuse. It took effect Oct. 1 and was hailed as a victory by survivors, who sought the change so they could sue no matter how much time has passed since any alleged abuse.

A widely anticipated legal challenge to the new law came in November when…

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The Diocese of Gaylord held a news conference after a Michigan Attorney General’s report released on Monday exposed a long history of clergy members accused of sexual abuse.

More than two dozen former clergy members affiliated with the Catholic Diocese of Gaylord are accused of sexually abusing children or engaging in inappropriate relationships since 1950.

28 clergy were named in the report, and 12 of those are still living. The Diocese says those 12 are not active priests or deacons in Gaylord.

Bishop Jeffery Walsh says numerous steps are taken when an allegation is brought forward and that these matters are taken incredibly seriously.

“Sadly, all of this information shows the very human side of the church, which is not immune from the brokenness that we find in our humanity. Continuous learning and refining our practices to build a safer environment has contributed to the decline in alleged sexual abuse by…

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[See AG Dana Nessel’s report on the Diocese of Gaylord.]

The Michigan Attorney General’s Office Jan. 8 released its second of seven expected reports related to clergy sexual abuse in Michigan’s seven dioceses and outlined its findings related to abuse allegations in the Diocese of Gaylord.

Since 1950, the report identified, allegations of sexual misconduct have been made against 26 priests and two deacons in the Diocese of Gaylord; of those, 18 were ordained or incardinated by the Gaylord Diocese, which was established in 1971.

The report details both substantiated and unsubstantiated allegations of abuse, including cases in which Michigan’s statute of limitations or the death of the priest in question have precluded charges.

It also includes allegations in which the alleged conduct “did not violate Michigan law or the person who alleged the sexual abuse did not wish to pursue criminal charges,” the Attorney General’s Office said in a statement.

…

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After the ecclesial movement Communion and Liberation acknowledged abuse allegations made against its former U.S. leader, alleged victims say the movement has not addressed elements of its culture which, they say, allowed abuse to occur unchecked.

Several women who spoke with The Pillar about CL said they are glad that the movement has now publicly acknowledged the allegations against its former U.S. leader. But they also say that the movement’s new safe environment policies and procedures are not always taken seriously.

While some CL members suggested problems of culture are widespread, others said their local experiences have been positive, and suggested that problems in the movement were mainly centered around Chris Bacich, the former leader accused of abuse and manipulation.

CL has declined to comment on the matter, citing pending litigation. 

Christopher Bacich, 53, is a former member of the Memores Domini association of celibate Communion and Liberation members.

From 2006 until…

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[See AG Dana Nessel’s report on the Diocese of Gaylord.]

A new report on clergy sexual abuse in the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan, found that there are no priests or deacons in active ministry in the diocese facing substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of a minor, and that total allegations have plummeted since the U.S. bishops’ conference implemented the Dallas Charter in 2002.

However, there are three priests listed in the report in active ministry in the diocese with sexual misconduct allegations involving adults. Criminal charges have not been filed against any of these priests, and, based on the report, it doesn’t look like any will.

The report, published Jan. 8 by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, details allegations against 26 priests and two deacons who ministered in the diocese dating back to 1950. In a Jan. 8 statement, Nessel thanked the victims who came forward to tell their…

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A Wisconsin judge on Wednesday suspended a criminal case that alleged former Roman Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick fondled an 18-year-old boy in 1977, finding the 93-year-old was not competent to stand trial after he was diagnosed with dementia.

Judge David Reddy’s decision came after a Massachusetts judge in August dismissed the only other sexual assault case nationally against McCarrick, a former archbishop of Washington, D.C., who was defrocked by Pope Francis in 2019.

A defense lawyer asked the state court judge during a hearing in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, to similarly dismiss the case in that state against McCarrick, according to court records. But the Wisconsin judge said he did not have authority to do that.

Mitchell Garabedian, a lawyer for the alleged victim in both cases, in a statement called his client “a courageous and determined clergy sexual abuse survivor who will continue to seek justice” through civil cases in New York…

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The effort to try Theodore McCarrick on charges of criminal sex assault ended Wednesday in a Wisconsin courtroom when the former archbishop of Washington was deemed incompetent because of dementia.

McCarrick, 93, had been charged with sexual assault in the fourth degree, a misdemeanor, in connection with accusations of fondling an 18-year-old family friend at a Wisconsin lake in the 1970s. It was the second criminal charge since sexual misconduct accusations surfaced in 2018, and he was removed from public ministry. In August, a Massachusetts court dismissed the first criminal sex abuse case, which involved the same alleged victim, also ruling that the former Catholic cleric was unfit for trial.

In 2019, McCarrick became the first cardinal to be laicized — or defrocked — after the Vatican found that he had sexually abused minors. In 2020, the Vatican released an unprecedented 450-page report about McCarrick that detailed how…

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Child Victims Act lawsuits against area Catholic parishes and schools will remain on hold through mid-April or until 20 days after the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a pivotal case that could have a major impact on the future direction of the Buffalo Diocese’s Chapter 11 reorganization.

Chief Judge Carl L. Bucki of U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Western District of New York said the pause in litigation was necessary to consider more fully whether a diocese reorganization plan can protect parishes, schools and other affiliated Catholic entities from sex abuse lawsuits.

Many dioceses in previous bankruptcy cases relied on a legal process called a channeling order, in which their parishes and schools were released from liability in state courts, in exchange for them making significant contributions to a victims settlement fund.

The Buffalo Diocese bankruptcy appeared from the beginning in 2020 to be heading in the same direction.

But…

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A misdemeanor sexual assault case against former Roman Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was suspended Wednesday because the defrocked priest is incompetent to stand trial.

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

The once-powerful American prelate also faced charges that he abused the teenage boy at a wedding reception at Wellesley College in 1974. However, a Massachusetts judge ruled in August that case would be dismissed because he is experiencing dementia.

McCarrick, 93, was charged in Wisconsin in April with one count of fourth-degree sexual assault for an incident that occurred in April of 1977. The charge stems from a complaint which alleges McCarrick engaged in repeated sexual abuse of the victim over time, including the charged incident that involved the alleged fondling…

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A Wisconsin judge suspended charges against defrocked Roman Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, accused of sexually assaulting a boy in the 1970s, ruling Wednesday that the former cleric is incompetent for trial because of dementia.

The decision will be reviewed at the end of the year, according to court records.

McCarrick, who did not appear in person for the hearing but listened in by phone, was charged with sexually assaulting an 18-year-old man more than 45 years ago, court records show. A criminal complaint alleges he fondled the man in 1977 while staying at a cabin on Geneva Lake in southeastern Wisconsin.

The alleged victim, who was not named, also told investigators that McCarrick had repeatedly sexually assaulted him since he was 11 and even brought him to parties where other adult men abused him, according to the complaint.

McCarrick’s Wisconsin attorney did not immediately…

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Theodore McCarrick was the highest-ranking cleric in the nation to face criminal charges in the Catholic church’s sprawling abuse scandal.

The criminal case against a former cardinal who was once one of the most prominent and revered Catholic leaders in the country was suspended Wednesday, possibly ending efforts to prosecute him on sex abuse charges.

Theodore McCarrick, the highest-ranking Catholic official in the nation to be criminally prosecuted on charges of sexual abuse, was found not competent to stand trial.

Wisconsin county Judge David M. Reddy did not dismiss the case outright, since he said he did not have the power to do so. That decision will be up to District Attorney Zeke Wiedenfeld, who was not immediately available for comment on Wednesday. His deputy, Jim Sempf, said Mr. Wiedenfeld said Tuesday, the day before the hearing, that he had not wanted to dismiss the charges.

But any future prosecution…

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A judge in Wisconsin has become the second to find defrocked Roman Catholiccardinal Theodore McCarrick not competent to stand trial in a case involving allegations that he sexually assaulted a 18-year-old boy in 1977, according to the victim’s lawyer Mitchell Garabedian and Reuters.

Judge David Reddy’s decision was handed outafter McCarrick’s diagnosis of dementia previously preventedhim from going to trial in Massachusetts in August.

McCarrick, 93, is the highest ranking official in the Roman Catholic church in the United States to have allegations leveled against him.

Following Reddy’s decision Wednesday, Garabedian said in a statement that his client would continue to pursue civil lawsuits in New Jersey and New York.

“My client is a courageous and determined clergy sexual abuse survivor who will continue to seek validation and justice in the civil courts of [New Jersey and New York] against former U.S. Cardinal…

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A Wisconsin judge suspended a sexual assault case against Theodore McCarrick on Wednesday, after a court-appointed psychologist found the former cardinal incompetent to stand trial.

With the case against McCarrick, 93, effectively ended in Wisconsin, the former cardinal is no longer facing the prospect of criminal sanction in any U.S. jurisdiction. 

In August, a Massachusetts judge dismissed assault charges against McCarrick in that state, also because the former cardinal was found to be impeded by dementia from participating in his own defense.

McCarrick was charged in April with one count of fourth-degree sexual assault in Wisconsin, stemming from an alleged incident in April 1977. He is accused of fondling an 18-year-old boy’s genitals when they were both guests at a house in Geneva Lake. 

Wisconsin’s Department of Justice announced that the charges came out of an attorney general probe into Catholic dioceses in state. That probe has faced criticism from…

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TB Joshua, a charismatic Nigerian leader of one of the world’s biggest evangelical churches, secretly committed sexual crimes on a mass scale, a BBC investigation spanning three continents has found. Testimony from dozens of survivors suggests Joshua was abusing and raping young women from around the world several times a week for nearly 20 years.

Warning: Contains accounts of torture, rape and self-harm

In early 2002, in the depths of a grey English winter, 21-year-old Rae disappeared.

The last time many of her friends saw her was at university in Brighton. She had been studying graphic design, living in a shared house 25 minutes from the sea. Rae was bright and popular.

“For me, it was like she died, but I couldn’t grieve her,” says Carla, Rae’s best friend at the time.

Carla knew where Rae had gone. But the truth of it was hard to explain to their friends….

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The BBC reveals how the late megachurch leader TB Joshua, who is accused of committing sexual crimes on a mass scale, locked up his own daughter and tortured her for years before leaving her homeless on the streets of Lagos, Nigeria.

Warning: Contains details some readers may find distressing

“My dad had fear, constant fear. He was very afraid that someone would speak up,” says one of the pastor’s daughters, Ajoke – one of the first whistle-blowers to reach out to the BBC about the abuse she witnessed at her father’s church, the Synagogue Church of All Nations (Scoan).

TB Joshua, who died in 2021 at the age of 57, is accused of widespread abuse and torture spanning almost 20 years.

Now aged 27, Ajoke lives in hiding and has dropped her surname “Joshua” – the BBC is not publishing her new name.

Little is known about Ajoke’s birth mother,…

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Now-deceased, world-renowned Nigerian televangelist, Temitope Babatunde Joshua, known as “TB Joshua,” repeatedly raped and abused disciples in his church over decades, a newly released BBC investigation has found. The investigation claims that numerous disciples at Joshua’s megachurch—Synagogue Church of all Nations in Lagos, Nigeria—were sexually assaulted, forced to have abortions, and physically abused.

Joshua, who passed away at age 58 in 2021, was one of Africa’s wealthiest and most influential pastors. Around 50,000 people attended his church each week. And millions of people from Europe, the Americas, Southeast Asia, and Africa watched his global television show and YouTube channel.

BBC’s findings stem from a two-year investigation in collaboration with the media platform openDemocracy. More than 15 BBC journalists across three continents gathered archived video recordings and documents and interviewed more than 25 eyewitnesses.

The witnesses—from the UK, Nigeria, Ghana, U.S., South Africa, and…

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SUMMARY

•  The 1923 Indian School scenes in the Yellowstone spinoff depict the horrific abuse suffered by Indigenous American youth in Catholic boarding schools, based on real history.
•  These schools were founded by Western settlers to forcibly assimilate Indigenous communities, and abuse in Catholic boarding schools was widespread during this time period.
•  The portrayal of Indian Schools in 1923 adds important context to the original Yellowstone series, highlighting the generational impact of cruelty and abuse on Indigenous communities and challenging the narrative of the Duttons as heroes.

The 1923 Indian School scenes make for the show’s most harrowing moments in the Yellowstone period-drama spinoff — and the horrific abuse is made all the more difficult to watch by being based on real history. The 1923 scenes in question depict the physical and emotional abuse inside a Catholic boarding school for Indigenous American youth in Montana. They focus on Teonna Rainwater who is beaten and brutalized for forgetting small details in her lessons, for speaking her…

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Men need sex. And it’s their wives’ job to give it to them—unconditionally, whenever they want it, or these husbands will come under Satanic attack.

Stunningly, that’s the message contained in many Christian marriage books. Yet, research shows that instead of increasing intimacy in marriages, messages like these are promoting abuse.

In this edition of The Roys Report, featuring a talk from our recent Restore Conference, author Sheila Wray Gregoire provides eye-opening insights based on her and her team’s extensive research on evangelicalism and sex.

Out of a desire for evangelicals’ conversations about sex to be healthy, evidence-based, and rooted in Christ, Sheila and her team have analyzed many popular Christian books on sex. Many teach that men are incapable of not objectifying women. And instead of training men to control their urges, these books teach that women must save these men.

If a husband struggles with porn, for example, it’s…

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Pope Benedict XVI’s longtime private secretary, German Archbishop Georg Gänswein, spent the Feast of the Epiphany at a small parish in northern Italy, telling parishioners that Benedict was a man of prayer and debunking conspiracies behind his historic resignation.

Speaking to churchgoers at Sacred Heart Parish in Carnovali, Bergamo, on the Jan. 6 feast of the Epiphany, Gänswein described the late pontiff, who died on Dec. 31 of last year at the age of 94, as someone “whose vocation was that of a university professor and not an ecclesiastical career.”

“He was not born to exercise power,” Gänswein said, but insisted that once elected and faced with troubling issues in the church such as the pedophilia scandals, “He had a strong sense of responsibility: already as cardinal he saw that the big problem of the Church were not the persecutions or attacks from outside, but the filth that was produced…

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The Nashville Diocese said Jan. 6 that the associate pastor at a Franklin Catholic parish, Fr. Juan Carlos Garcia, has been removed from his parish post and from public ministry while the Franklin City Police Department investigates reports of sexual misconduct allegedly involving the priest.

According to Detective Andrea Clark, with the department’s Special Victims Unit, the case will be sent to the Williamson County District Attorney for review.

Ordained to the priesthood in 2020, Garcia was assigned to St. Philip Parish in Franklin in July 2022. Before that, he was the associate pastor at St. Rose of Lima in Murfreesboro from the time of his ordination until he was assigned to St. Philip.

In early November, St. Philip officials reported to the Diocese of Nashville’s Safe Environment Office that a teen in the parish had made a report of improper touching involving Garcia.

Per diocesan protocols, a report was…

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The attorney general of Michigan on Monday released the second of seven expected reports of alleged clergy abuse in the state, part of a multiyear investigation into abuse allegations — many of them decades old — against Church officials there. 

Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office announced the release of the report on the office’s website. The office said the report involves “allegations of abuse that took place in the Diocese of Gaylord.” 

The Michigan attorney general is conducting investigations of abuse allegations in each of the seven Catholic dioceses in the state. In October 2022, Nessel’s office released the first report compiling allegations of sexual abuse committed by priests in the Diocese of Marquette, stretching back to the 1940s. That report named 44 priests who ministered in Marquette who have been accused of abuse or grooming behavior.

Most of the priests in the Marquette report…

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A new report on clergy sexual abuse in the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan, found that there are no priests or deacons in active ministry in the diocese facing a substantiated allegation of sexual abuse of a minor, and that total allegations have plummeted since the U.S. Bishops implemented the Dallas Charter in 2002.

However, there are three priests listed in the report in active ministry in the diocese with sexual misconduct allegations involving adults. Criminal charges have not been filed against any of these priests, and, based on the report, it doesn’t look like any will.

The report, published on Jan. 8 by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, details allegations against 26 priests and two deacons who ministered in the diocese dating back to 1950. In a Jan. 8 statement, Nessel thanked the victims who came forward to tell their stories.

“Our promise to the victims was that every case…

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