ABUSE TRACKER

A former associate pastor and youth pastor was sentenced last month after pleading guilty to one count of indecent behavior with a juvenile.

Michael Ross McGrath, 45, was arrested in February 2024 on seven counts of the same charge.

The crime occurred in May 2013, when McGrath served as youth minister at Open Door Fellowship in Coushatta, La. In 2015, he joined the staff of First Baptist Natchitoches, La., where he served until the incident came to light in 2023. McGrath also served as a children’s and youth minister at First Baptist Coushatta, La., in the early 2000s.

“After learning of the investigation being conducted on him, [McGrath] submitted his resignation,” FBC Natchitoches said in a statement. “The resignation was received and immediately shared with church leadership. He is no longer employed by First Baptist Church of Natchitoches.

Open Door Fellowship Pastor Thumper Miller told Baptist Press no one at…

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 Pope Leo XIV indicated growing concern Monday with the next frontier in combatting abuses in the Catholic Church, highlighting the plight of “vulnerable” adults and meeting with an investigative journalist who uncovered alleged abuses in the powerful Opus Dei movement.

Leo held two high-profile, back-to-back audiences Monday focused on abuse: One with the Vatican’s child protection board, which advises the church on sexual abuse prevention strategies, and one with Gareth Gore, author of the book “Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking and Right-Wing Conspiracy Inside the Catholic Church.”

The American pope clearly wanted the Gore audience publicized. It was listed on his formal agenda and the Vatican released photos of the encounter.

Speaking to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Leo seemed keenly aware that the #MeToo movement had unleashed revelations around the world of abuses committed against adults in vulnerable situations within the church.

They…

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A man previously charged with sexual assault while serving as a principal in Zion, Illinois, in 2019 is wanted in another sexual assault in Kenosha, Wisconsin. 

Kenosha said they were first notified of the alleged sex assault on Feb. 21. Police said they have probable cause to arrest Curtiss W. Tolefree Jr. for second-degree assault and are asking for the public’s help locating him. 

He is accused of having sexual contact with a “person who suffers from a mental illness or deficiency.”

Tolefree is described as a Black male, approximately 6 ft. tall, about 245 lbs., who is bald with brown eyes. Police said he is a resident of Kenosha and has ties to the community there.

Anyone with information about Tolefree is asked to contact the Kenosha Police Department at 262-605-5269 or 911. 

Elementary school teacher charged with sexual assault

In 2019, Tolefree was…

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A former Kenosha Unified principal who beat sexual assault charges that were filed against him in 2019 is being sought in connection with new allegations. 

Kenosha Police said Friday that investigators have established “probable cause” to arrest Curtiss Tolefree Jr. for Second Degree Sexual Assault, “specifically sexual contact or sexual intercourse with a person who suffers from a mental illness or deficiency.”

Police declined to comment on whether the purported victim has connections to the Greater Mt. Hebron Kingdom Cathedral, the Kenosha church at 7445 20th Ave. that Tolefree leads.

In 2019, Tolefree was accused of having an ongoing sexual relationship with a student in the 2008-2009 school year while serving as a dean at Bradford High School. He later became principal at Washington Middle School before resigning from the district.

The case dragged on for years before it was eventually dismissed last fall. Court notes indicate that the purported…

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Leaders of the Catholic Church in Washington have made many statements of contrition for the decades when priests’ sexual abuse of children went unexamined and largely unpunished. But if the church truly wanted to atone for those criminal acts — and the lifelong damage they’ve caused parishioners — it would embrace full transparency.

That’s the best way to show that this is a new era.

Instead, for more than 20 years, the Archdiocese of Seattle has zealously fought against an independent review of its files, hiding behind claims that opening the records to scrutiny might “re-traumatize” victims.

What likely worries the church more are potential legal costs that could arise. The Archdiocese has already paid over $100 million in settlements, according to attorneys who’ve represented abuse victims in Western Washington, and new revelations could increase that tally.

Yet earlier this month, in a brave and welcome ruling, the Washington State…

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I recently spoke to attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who told me about a disturbing allegation that was made against a well-known priest at St. William’s parish in Dorchester.

[See reel.]

[See Garabedian Law’s post about Fr. Francis J. Crowley.]

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A letter from 14 lay leaders at Paraguayan parish uncovers what lies behind clergy abuse in Latin America and elsewhere.

The same day the letter was signed, Cardinal Adalberto Martínez called to reject abuse while concelebrating a Mass with a priest credibly accused of abuse in Paraguay.

The letter, an oddity in Latin American Catholic contexts bypasses the Paraguayan Catholic hierarchy seeking help in Rome.

For most Latin American Catholics, the very name of Paraguay, the country and the river nursing the capital of Asunción, brings to the memory the episode, brilliantly captured in the 1980s movie The Mission, of the brave resistance of the Guarani communities opposing the Portuguese take over of what were their ancestral boundless lands.

Paraguay remains a bastion of Catholicism in Latin America. When one goes over its numbers is the “most Catholic” country in the region, as the story linked after this paragraph told back…

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A new investigation into sexual abuses in the German Archdiocese of Paderborn has brought to light a much higher number of victims than previously known and has reignited suspicions about the actions of former ecclesiastical leaders. The study, prepared by researchers from the University of Paderborn after nearly six years of work, documents 210 accused clerics and at least 489 victims between 1941 and 2002, double the cases identified in previous studies.

According to the German portal Katholisch.de, the publication of the report has also coincided with the emergence of direct abuse allegations against the late Cardinal Johannes Joachim Degenhardt, who was Archbishop of Paderborn from 1961 to 2002.

A report that doubles the known figures

The academic investigation reveals a much greater dimension of the problem in this German diocese. The historians found 210 indications of accused priests and at least 489 minor victims of sexual assaults during the period…

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For their five-year study, Professor Nicole Priesching and Dr. des. Christine Hartig from the Institute for Catholic Theology at Paderborn University reviewed extensive material and conducted interviews with contemporary witnesses and victims. As an investigation into the history of the church, the study examines the conditions under which priests were able to commit sexual violence, which premises guided the actions of those responsible in the archdiocese, what experiences those affected by sexual violence had in their immediate environment and which factors ultimately led to changes.

The study examines the terms of office of the two archbishops Lorenz Cardinal Jaeger (1941–1973) and Johannes Joachim Cardinal Degenhardt (1974–2002). It thus also includes the period of the sede vacante after Jaeger’s resignation (1973/1974), during which Degenhardt served as capitular vicar (today: diocesan administrator) before he was appointed Archbishop of Paderborn in April 1974.

Funding for the research project was secured through…

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A woman whose partner told her she should forgive his physical, emotional and sexual abuse because “God has forgiven me” has described how spiritual abuse “creeps up on you”.

Grace, not her real name, was subjected to manipulation and abuse by a man she was dating, who used her Catholic faith against her and went on to rape her.

The 51-year-old’s then partner declared his love for her “in front of god” and later suggested forgiveness was “the Christian thing to do”.

It comes as campaigners raise awareness of spiritual abuse – a type of coercive control focused on faith.

The Catholic church said the abuse Grace experienced was “horrific” and it was working to offer more support.

It added the “weaponisation of forgiveness” was something it saw “very often”.

Warning: This story contains distressing content including details of domestic abuse, sexual assault and suicidal thoughts

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Justice minister says inappropriate for her to comment with asked if provincial government is involved

Lawyers who have spent years fighting the Catholic church for compensation for abuse victims in Newfoundland and Labrador are describing an agreement with an unnamed third party as “substantial,” though it could be weeks before details of the settlement are revealed to the public.

“It’s a substantial amount and it’s a significant move,” St. John’s lawyer Bob Buckingham told CBC News on Friday.

So far it’s being described as an “understanding” related to a third party’s liability to the abuse survivors, and it came up during proceedings before Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court Justice Garrett Handrigan on Thursday.

There’s no official gag order from the court on identifying the third party, but all sides have informally agreed to disclose very few details, including how much money is on offer.

Justice minister declines comment

In the…

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The El Paso Catholic Church lawsuit involves accusations of priests sexually abusing minors and the Diocese of El Paso failing to protect children. The lawsuits claim the Catholic Diocese of El Paso was aware of the abuse at the time and failed to protect young parishioners from abusive members of the clergy.

The diocese could face a new wave of cases if New Mexico opens up a three-year revival window in 2026 that would allow cases from victims whose statute of limitations have expired to file a claim. Though the diocese is based in Texas, its territory had extended into New Mexico prior to 1982.

This page will cover the current state of the lawsuits against the El Paso Catholic church, the new laws that may expose them to even more lawsuits, and how survivors of sexual abuse can go about filing a claim.

About the El Paso Catholic Church…

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Paderborn ‐ Der frühere Paderborner Erzbischof Johannes Joachim Degenhardt hat nach Erkenntnissen von Wissenschaftlern Missbrauch vertuscht. Nun gibt es einen noch schwerwiegenderen Vorwurf: Er soll selbst Täter gewesen sein.

Gegen den früheren Paderborner Erzbischof und Kardinal Johannes Joachim Degenhardt werden Missbrauchsvorwürfe laut. Die Betroffenenvertretung im Erzbistum Paderborn schätzt die entsprechende Anschuldigung eines Betroffenen als glaubwürdig ein, wie deren Sprecher Reinhold Harnisch der Katholischen Nachrichten-Agentur (KNA) am Donnerstag sagte. Er äußerte sich vor der Vorstellung einer Aufarbeitungsuntersuchung durch die Universität Paderborn am frühen Nachmittag. Zwei Kirchenhistorikerinnen hatten dafür über sechs Jahre Kirchenakten ausgewertet und mit Zeitzeugen gesprochen.

Die Vorwürfe des Betroffenen liegen der Betroffenenvertretung laut Harnisch seit Ende 2025 vor. Zum Zeitpunkt der mutmaßlichen Tat soll er minderjährig gewesen sein. Für die Betroffenenvertretung gelte der 2002 verstorbene Degenhardt als Beschuldigter. Die Gruppe gehe Hinweisen nach, ob und inwieweit es weitere Opfer und Täter gegeben habe.

Degenhardt soll auch vertuscht haben

Das Erzbistum Paderborn konnte…

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Im Paderborner Erzbistum sind mehr Minderjährige missbraucht worden als bislang angenommen: Eine Studie offenbart fast 500 Betroffene zwischen 1941 und 2002. Ein Opfervertreter lobt die Untersuchung – und fordert Konsequenzen.

Nach Bekanntwerden eines deutlich größeren Ausmaßes des Missbrauchsskandals im Erzbistum Paderborn hat der Paderborner Bischof Udo Markus Bentz die Betroffenen um Verzeihung gebeten. “Für das Leid, das Menschen im Raum unserer Kirche erfahren haben, für das Versagen von Verantwortlichen und für das zusätzliche Leid durch Schweigen, Wegsehen und Nichtglauben bitte ich um Verzeihung”, sagte Bentz in Paderborn.

Bentz persönlich werden keine Vorwürfe gemacht, der untersuchte Zeitraum lag vor Beginn seiner Tätigkeit in Paderborn. Die am Donnerstag vorgestellte Studie geht von 489 Betroffenen sexuellen Missbrauchs in den Jahren 1941 bis 2002 in Paderborn aus, für die Missbrauchstaten verantwortlich sollen 210 Beschuldigte sein. Dies sind deutlich mehr Fälle, als bisher bekannt waren. Bentz sprach von einem institutionellen Versagen der Kirche.

Zu Vorwürfen…

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An Acadia Parish priest has been formally charged with alleged indecent behavior with a minor.

Korey LaVergne, 37, was named on March 5 in a Bill of Information by the 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office charging him with three counts of felony indecent behavior with a juvenile, court records show.

A Bill of Information is a charge directly from the district attorney’s office, while an indictment is a charge determined by a grand jury.

LaVergne previously was arrested on Jan. 16 on the same charges.

The Bill of Information alleges on or about Jan. 1, 2024, LaVergne “did willfully, unlawfully, knowingly, and intentionally commit lewd and lascivious acts upon a juvenile,” age 15, or in the presence of a juvenile where there is at least a two-year age difference.

LaVergne, through his attorney, Kevin Stockstill of Lafayette, entered a not guilty plea on Wednesday, court records show.

He…

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In a new pastoral message released March 11, Detroit Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger expressed “heartfelt sorrow for the evil of abuse and the profound suffering it has caused.”

He also outlined several new measures designed to strengthen safe environment protections and accompany victims of clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Detroit.

The message, titled “Rebuilding Trust: A Pastoral Message on Abuse, Reform, and Hope,” was released ahead of his first anniversary as Detroit’s chief shepherd.

Sins of clergy sexual abuse

Archbishop Weisenburger acknowledged the pain caused by the sins of clergy sexual abuse, and said while the Church has made important strides, “we must commit ourselves to ongoing accountability, transparency, and the unwavering protection of those entrusted to our care — especially God’s beloved little ones.”

The message and new policies, he said, are part of recommitting the Church to the “central and enduring priority”…

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A former pastor in Crystal Springs plans to plead guilty to multiple charges, including statutory rape and sexual battery.

Court documents showed that Christopher Willett, the former pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Crystal Springs, intends to plead guilty to statutory rape, sexual battery and incest.Man pleads guilty to mass shooting on Mississippi Coast

Willett was initially arrested in March 2025 and booked into the Copiah County Jail.

As part of the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to recommend that Willett be sentenced to:

• Statutory rape – 30 years, with five years suspended
• Sexual battery – 30 years, with five years suspended
• Incest – 10 years

Willett will also be ordered to pay an investigative fee, court costs and a payment to the Crime Victims’ Compensative Fund.

If the plea deal is approved by a judge, the sentences would run concurrently, and Willett would serve 25 years.

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A Catholic priest serving at St. Edward Catholic Church in the small community of Richard is now formally facing three felony counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile, according to court filings in Acadia Parish. Father Korey Lavergne, 37, is slated for arraignment on March 20 at the Acadia Parish Courthouse. He was arrested in mid-January, posted bond, and the charges stem from alleged contact with a minor at the parish. The Diocese of Lafayette has said it is assisting law enforcement as the case moves forward, as reported by KPLC.

Bill of Information details alleged conduct with 15-year-old

A recently filed Bill of Information accuses Lavergne of committing “lewd or lascivious acts” involving a 15-year-old on Jan. 1, 2024, according to KPLC. The document lists three separate felony counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile.

Complaint to deputies and meeting with bishop preceded arrest

Public records…

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More than 40 years after it happened, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester finally settled a sexual abuse lawsuit brought by one of the victims of former priest Mark Fleming.

The victim was 7 years old when Fleming assaulted him at St. John the Evangelist parish in Hudson, and he wasn’t the only victim, according to court records. The Church paid the victim, now 51, a low six-figure settlement to end the lawsuit.

But Fleming somehow continues to evade justice thanks to decades of silence from the diocese and New Hampshire prosecutors.

“The Catholic Church had a moral responsibility to notify the public that Fr. Fleming was a serial pedophile and a danger to children, but they washed their hands,” said Mitchell Garabedian, attorney for the victim.

The victim’s abuse took place in 1983, and was reported to authorities in 1984. That’s when Fleming disappeared, Garabedian said. From 1984 through…

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A settlement has been reached between the Diocese of Manchester, a priest and an alleged victim of sex abuse.

The victim in the case is a 51-year-old man who said he was abused in the early 1980s by a priest in New Hampshire.

That victim was 7 years old when the abuse began and has since moved to another state, but his attorney said that what happened to him in New Hampshire has left him with lifelong scars.

“It took so much courage and strength to come forward,” said attorney Mitchell Garabedian. “I admire him so much.”

Garabedian, who has represented victims of clergy sexual abuse for decades, said that last year, he was contacted by the man, who detailed two occasions when he said he was sexually assaulted by the Rev. Mark Fleming in the rectory of the St. John the Evangelist Church in Hudson.

The man said the…

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When Leona Huggins was just twelve years, she was sexually abused by a priest. The priest who harmed her served a 10-month sentence and was later reassigned to ministry. Leona now supports survivors through her work at a Vancouver law firm and was the sole Canadian survivor invited to advise the planning committee for the late Pope Francis’ summit on the protection of minors in the Church. Huggins is still helping others who have been abused, founding a peer support group for clergy abuse survivors and continues to speak out to create an environment that will encourage not only those who have been harmed but also witnesses and whistleblowers to come forward.

For years, Huggins has volunteered with the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. She has been motivated to help others, after being sexually abused herself, and says that the plaintiffs who have filed civil claims…

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On Thursday night, Rhode Island’s Catholic Diocese of Providence will once again face off against the victims of clergy sexual abuse fighting for the legal right to sue the church for what was done to them as children.

The question: Will the Diocese of Providence prevail again this year, in the state Senate, in the wake of Attorney General Peter Neronha’s scathing report on the “culture” of secrecy and concealment within the church that hid decades of child sexual abuse by clergy members?

In the seven pages of written testimony that he submitted to the House Judiciary Committee in advance of a March 12 hearing on proposed legal remedies for long-ago victims, the Rev. Bernard Healey warned lawmakers about the financial and legal havoc they could create in Rhode Island’s Catholic world – and beyond.

More: RI’s first full report on clergy sex abuse of…

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The American Dara Academy in Senegal marketed itself to families in the United States as an affordable boarding school where their children could study the Quran alongside an American curriculum. Parents and families — many with West African roots — sent their children to the school believing it would be a rigorous and affordable religious education.

But the school is being investigated for alleged physical abuses, with hundreds of students withdrawing from the academy and one of two campuses — where most of the alleged abuses took place — now closed, according to an official close to the case.

In accounts shared with The Associated Press, students alleged that supervisors beat disobedient pupils repeatedly in a so-called “magic room.” The schoolchildren said they were sometimes ordered to strip to their underwear or be naked and told to squat with their arms extended, gripping heavy rocks. If the rocks fell, the beatings…

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Herts police has reopened a case into historic sexual abuse at a school in Letchworth.

After a lengthy investigation, a Telegraph report featured testimony from former students who claimed to have suffered neglect, sexual, emotional and physical abuse at St Christopher School between the 1960s and 1990s.

Allegations include rape and sexual assault from both teachers and pupils at the boarding school, with staff even impregnating students before taking them to have abortions.

There were also claims of some staff making homemade films featuring children as well as prolific on-site drinking and drug use – sometimes with teachers – bullying, assaults and neglect.

Having originally confirmed that “no active investigation” was taking place, Herts police has now said it is once again looking into the claims of abuse.

“Following recent contact with the constabulary, we can confirm that we have re‑opened a case into historic abuse at St…

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Vatican officials will investigate allegations of psychological and spiritual abuse in the Sisters Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus, women formerly in formation with the religious community say they’ve been told.

Vatican officials will investigate allegations of psychological and spiritual abuse in the Sisters Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus, women formerly in formation with the religious community say they’ve been told.

The community is connected to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, a society of priests known for its use and promotion of preconciliar liturgical texts.

While a number of former postulants of the women’s group allege a culture of intimidation and fear, manipulative spiritual practices, and disordered governance in their community, the community’s superior says that women who have raised complaints about the community “were unable to adapt” to religious life, and that their concerns were “exaggerations or misunderstandings of our rules and of…

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2 staff members have been charged so far

A federal complaint filed Wednesday alleges Oconto Falls School District officials overlooked sexual abuse of students for 20 years. 

The 60-page complaint, filed in the U.S. Eastern District, alleges a pattern of abuse that includes grooming and sexual conduct by multiple staff members involving more than a dozen minor students at Oconto Falls High School between 2005 and 2025. 

The complaint was filed by three women, now adults, who graduated from Oconto Falls High School and said they were sexually abused by school staff when they were teenagers.

But Cass Casper, an attorney with Disparti Law Group, said there are at least 14 known victims who are willing to share their stories. 

“These three brave young women have come forward with these claims because they want to solve an institutional problem,” Casper said. “They want to stop the…

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The decision by the German bishops to appoint a priest previously linked to a major seminary scandal to an advisory body representing abuse victims has sparked controversy in Germany and drawn criticism from victims’ groups as well as from some senior Church figures.

In December 2024 the German Bishops’ Conference appointed Fr Wolfgang Rothe, a priest of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, to its advisory board for victims of sexual abuse. The board was established to give survivors a voice in shaping the Church’s response to abuse and to advise the bishops on safeguarding and pastoral support.

Yet the appointment quickly proved contentious because of Fr Rothe’s own history, which has been the subject of court proceedings and intense media scrutiny for more than two decades.

The controversy resurfaced after a detailed report published by the German magazine Cicero examined Fr Rothe’s background and the internal reaction to his nomination….

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No new information was made available during a March 10 court appearance by Clarence “Barry” Hungerford. Hungerford is facing charges of tampering with physical evidence and unlawful use of electronic means within the commonwealth to induce a minor to engage in sexual or other prohibited activities.

During the March 10 court appearance, Hungerford’s public defender stated that they were still working to obtain records needed for the case. The case was continued to 8:30 a.m. on May 12.

The case began when the family of an 11-year-old girl contacted the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office on June 25, 2025, and reported that the girl had been solicited for photos of her body by the pastor of her church. Following a brief investigation, Hungerford was arrested the same day and admitted to contacting her, as well as to destroying his cell phone in an attempt to to prevent the contents from being…

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A Roman Catholic priest with ties to Southwest Louisiana has been formally charged with child sex crimes in Acadia Parish.

Korey Lavergne, who served at St. Edward Catholic Church and St. Thomas Mission Chapel in Acadia Parish, was named in a Bill of Information last week, accused of three felony counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile.

The bill states Lavergne is accused of committing “lewd or lascivious acts upon a juvenile” who was 15-years-old at the time of the offense, which happened on Jan. 1, 2024.

Lavergne is a native of DeQuincy who studied music at McNeese for two years before attending St. Benedict Seminary College in Covington and Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He then pursued full-time work as a deacon intern in Eunice and parochial vicar in New Iberia and Lafayette.

Lavergne served as the Diocese of Lafayette’s official courier, bringing documents…

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Parish life, religious education in schools, and the Commission of independent experts to investigate the phenomenon of sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic Church in Poland were among the topics addressed by the Polish bishops during the press conference following the conclusion of the 404th Plenary Assembly of the Polish Bishops’ Conference in Warsaw.

So that the parish may be a living community

“The main theme of the 404th Plenary Assembly of the Episcopate was the revitalization of parish life. It is a very current and important issue today,” said Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, SAC, Metropolitan of Gdańsk and President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference.

“We also invited representatives from other European episcopates to share their experiences in this regard. We received an interesting overview of the pastoral situation in different countries,” he noted. “They are facing the same challenges as we are – how and what to do so…

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Six bipartisan U.S. senators came together to announce the federal filing of “Trey’s Law,” introduced to the Senate as the “Terminating Restrictive Enforcement of Youth Settlements Law.”

The bill — similar to versions passed or filed in a number of states — would void nondisclosure agreements entered by child sexual abuse survivors that otherwise silence them. The bill is named in honor of Trey Carlock, a citizen of Dallas who was silenced by an NDA after enduring a retraumatizing civil litigation process against Kanakuk Ministries. He died by suicide at age 28.

The federal filing is led by Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. They are joined by Katie Britt, R-Ala., Peter Welch, D-Vt., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

As has been the case with state-level proposals of Trey’s Law, the senators expect bipartisan support for the bill, which Cruz and Britt say is a “common sense” piece…

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Poland’s Catholic bishops on Wednesday established an independent commission to examine the sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic Church in Poland and granted it public legal personality, the Polish Bishops’ Conference said.

The decision was taken on the second day of the bishops’ 404th plenary meeting, after they adopted the commission’s operating principles and statute, spokesperson Leszek Gesiak said.

“After adopting these documents, the Polish Bishops’ Conference established the commission of independent experts to examine the phenomenon of sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic Church in Poland and granted it public legal personality,” Gesiak said.

He added that the bishops also approved an agreement on the commission’s creation between the bishops’ conference and the conferences of male and female religious superiors in Poland.

Gesiak said the texts of the documents would be made public and discussed at a news conference on Thursday.

The bishops first decided in March…

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Archbishop Weisenburger expresses ‘heartfelt sorrow for the evil of abuse,’ details new policies for fingerprinting, victim assistance, education and monitoring

Read Archbishop Weisenburger’s pastoral message, “Rebuilding Trust: A Pastoral Message on Abuse, Reform, and Hope,” at www.aod.org/rebuildingtrust.

In a new pastoral message released March 11, Detroit Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger expressed “heartfelt sorrow for the evil of abuse and the profound suffering it has caused,” and outlined several new measures designed to strengthen safe environment protections and accompany victims of clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Detroit.

In the message, “Rebuilding Trust: A Pastoral Message on Abuse, Reform, and Hope,” released a week before his first anniversary as Detroit’s chief shepherd, Archbishop Weisenburger acknowledged the pain caused by the sins of clergy sexual abuse, and said while the Church has made important strides, “we must commit ourselves to ongoing accountability, transparency, and the unwavering…

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Brady Boyd was associate senior pastor and an elder at Morris’ Gateway Church when New Life was considering hiring him in 2007. According to court documents that Morris filed in his lawsuit against Gateway, when the New Life search committee was considering hiring Boyd, Clemishire’s sister alerted the committee about what had happened to her sister. 

New Life reached out to Gateway about the allegations and was told that the elders knew about them but that Morris had been restored. After New Life hired Boyd, Morris was made an overseer of New Life Church. 

On June 8, 2025, Boyd told attendees of New Life Church that Morris had deceived him and that he had no knowledge of the allegations that Morris had committed abuse. “I was lied to,” Boyd said.

“I worked alongside him. I had no reason to believe he had any kind of character issues,” said Boyd….

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Abuse would be stopped if “perpetrators are made to be terrified to commit the offence,” a survivor has said.

Nikella Holmes and other survivors were giving evidence to a Stormont committee, which heard that an independent public inquiry into child abuse in churches is a “key recommendation” of unpublished research on the matter.

Nikella was abused by a youth leader at her former church, Gary Thompson, who was jailed in 2024.

She spoke to the Executive Office Committee, which examines the work of the department headed by the first and deputy first ministers.

They have called for three research reports, which were sent to the ministers last July, to be published.

Nikella, from the Interfaith Clerical Abuse Survivors Group, said: “We have the evidence sitting there, ready to go, about how we can make changes to make our churches safe.”

The Ballymena woman told the committee: “We have all the…

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A former Indiana youth minister has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to nine counts of possessing child sex abuse material (CSAM), the United States attorney for the Southern District of Indiana announced on Friday (March 5). Aaron Paul Lockman, 24, will also be required to pay $9,000 in restitution. 

Editor’s note: This article refers to reports of child sex abuse, which some readers might find triggering and/or disturbing.

The press statement did not disclose the name of the church where Lockman served as a youth minister. The district attorney did specify that the church is in Jasper, Indiana, and that in his role at the church, Lockman “was entrusted with supervising young boys and frequently took them on one‑on‑one outings, including trips to local restaurants.”

RELATED: Trial Date Set for Former SBC Pastor Charged With Producing…

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This month, R.I. Attorney General Peter Neronha P’19 P’22 released a report detailing the results of the state’s investigation into child abuse by the Diocese of Providence. Since 1950, over 300 children were abused by 75 priests. Criminal charges have been filed against four of the named clergy. The report found that the diocese systematically covered up abuse by failing to report complaints to authorities and transferring accused priests to different parishes instead of firing or reporting them. This resulted in more children being abused. It seems the prevailing mantra, at the time, was that “we must by all means avoid scandal,” as one bishop put it in 1971. In covering up child sex abuse, the entire church was complicit. 

With all this public scrutiny, one might expect the diocese to emerge penitent. But their statement responding to the report was one long deflection…

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One moment in the two-hour press conference hit Skip Shea the hardest.

From his home in Worcester County last week, he watched the live stream of the Rhode Island attorney general presenting his investigation into decades of child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy. And then Ann Hagan Webb, 73, stepped up to the bank of microphones.

“This report finally declared me credible,” Webb said, her voice breaking. She was sexually abused by her pastor starting when she was 5 years old. She said the church’s denial of what happened “has haunted me in ways I cannot begin to describe.”

The release of this investigation reminded victims like Shea of the reckoning they’ve been demanding for years in Massachusetts.

While the Massachusetts attorney general’s investigation into the Boston Archdiocese was made public in 2003, the investigation into the dioceses of Worcester, Springfield and Fall River has never been released.

Shea, 66, was abused in…

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Editor’s note: This story is part of Global Sisters Report’s yearlong series, “Out of the Shadows: Confronting Violence Against Women,” focused on the ways Catholic sisters are responding to this global phenomenon.

Fatima Katandina was beaten up and chased away from home by her husband in rural and impoverished central Malawi last year. 

This left her and the couple’s four young children homeless and destitute. Scrambling for a way out of her dire situation, Katandina approached the Mary Consoler of the Afflicted Sisters for assistance. 

The Mary Consoler of the Afflicted Sisters of Malawi work with women who have been abused or forced out of their homes by their husbands. The sisters provide counseling, shelter and, whenever they can, assistance with income-generating projects.

The sisters offered Katandina help to make a fresh start and to have a positive mindset about her future life.

Katandina and her husband “were always having disputes….

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A long-time pastor of a Pontiac church recently pleaded no contest to a sex crime charge — neither admitting nor denying the allegation as “the easiest way to resolve the controversy” and not cause more “injury to all people involved,” his attorney said.

At a March 3 hearing in Oakland County Circuit Court, 83-year-old Reverend Douglas Jones of West Bloomfield pleaded no contest to an added count of attempted fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. The crime he was initially charged with, fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, was dismissed.

Due to court error, Jones’ court record had incorrectly stated that he pleaded guilty to the charge. Assistant Prosecutor Dillon Salge confirmed on March 10 that the error had occurred and the record would be corrected to indicate the no contest plea.

Jones, senior pastor of Welcome Missionary Baptist Church in Pontiac since 1989, was arrested last year. Investigators said the crime occurred on…

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A former substitute teacher fired from the Chicago Archdiocese in January was ordered detained Friday on felony aggravated sexual abuse of a minor and wire fraud charges.

Brett Smith, 43, is accused of engaging in sexual contact with a 9-year-old boy he was hired to tutor at the home of the child’s parents in Orland Park.

Cook County Associate Judge Steven Jay Rosenblum said Smith should be detained while the case is pending as he poses a threat to the community as a whole.

“I won’t be responsible for what happens to other children,” Rosenblum said.

Smith was initially ordered detained after his January arrest by Judge William N. Fahy, but Smith was granted a fresh detention hearing after Fahy recused himself, having realized he may have represented Smith in the past.

Rosenblum said he based his decision on prior cases across two states where Smith was accused of having inappropriate conduct with…

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Suffolk County police arrested a North Bay Shore man accused of sexually abusing a pair of kids multiple times spanning nearly two decades.

Officers took Bernardo Amaya, 75, into custody at his home around 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Investigators accused him of inappropriately touching an 8-year-old girl in August.

As part of the investigation, Suffolk County police Special Victims Section detectives also said Amaya inappropriately touched a child in May and June of 2007 when the child was only four-years-old.

Police said Amaya came in contact with the victims at his North Bay Shore home at 1753 Pine Grove Blvd., where a family member was a childcare worker.

Amaya worked as a bus driver for Educational Bus Inc. in West Babylon.

Educational Bus Transportation spokesperson Lloyd Singer told News 12 in a statement: “Educational Bus Transportation takes this matter very seriously. We are currently reviewing the situation…

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Power is often misunderstood. Many think it means control or dominance. But true power is the ability to protect. It is the strength to stand against injustice, defend the vulnerable, and choose responsibility over silence. Today, we face a moral crisis. Crimes such as child abuse, trafficking, and exploitation are not distant problems.

They exist within our own country, India, and even in states like Nagaland. Recent reports from 2024 and 2025 reveal disturbing cases in Nagaland involving minor domestic helpers. In Kohima, a government employee was arrested after a nine-year-old boy was found severely injured; a case pursued by the Konyak Students’ Union Kohima. In Mokokchung, the Chang Women Organization condemned the abuse of a minor girl who had lived as a domestic helper for years. In another instance, police arrested a foster mother for severely mistreating an 11-year-old child. Beyond Nagaland, in February 2026, a court in Uttar…

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Mandatory psychological assessments of pastoral workers were first introduced last year.

Swiss bishops agreed at a plenary meeting this week that mandatory psychological assessments of future pastoral workers, introduced last year, should continue, following a positive assessment of their effectiveness.

In a statement issued at the end of their March 2-4 assembly in Saint-Maurice, the bishops said they had unanimously approved provisions regulating responsibilities for the assessments and how the results are handled.

“The assessments are a priority issue for Swiss bishops’ conference members, who want to secure their long-term financing,” the statement said.

Why were mandatory psychological assessments introduced? How are they conducted? And why are they controversial within the Swiss Church? Let’s take a look.

Why were assessments introduced?

In 2023, the Catholic Church in Switzerland was shaken by the emergence of misconduct allegations against four active and two retired members of the country’s bishops’ conference.

The allegations were made…

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Senior pastor Greg Laurie didn’t say why two top leaders at his Riverside, California, church left suddenly in the early 2020s. No one acknowledged pastors Jeff Lasseigne and Brad Ormonde’s absences to the 15,000 people at Harvest Christian Fellowship’s three Sunday services, even though the pair had overseen the church’s in-person pastoral ministry. 

Instead, online bios, teaching videos and Facebook photos quietly disappeared. Some church staffers furtively tried to piece together facts. But when they asked questions, church leaders reportedly scolded them for gossiping and sternly warned volunteers not to talk about it.

But the hushed-up stories tumbled into public view last Friday in a 201-page federal court filing in an ongoing lawsuit against Laurie and Harvest. The March 6 filing consolidated the 23 lawsuits filed by survivors of alleged childhood sexual abuse by another former Harvest pastor, Paul Havsgaard. As reported previously…

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A mother delivered a victim impact statement in federal bankruptcy court in Buffalo last week, alleging that a well-known Diocese of Buffalo priest was connected to her 18-year-old son’s death by suicide in 2017 — the latest development in an ongoing case involving nearly 900 clergy abuse claims against the diocese.

Tracy Waring appeared on behalf of her son, Devin, who died by suicide in 2017. She claims his death occurred just hours after he went to confession with Father Joseph Gatto. Waring declined an interview request about her statement but said the priest “needs to be removed.”

Father Gatto is currently serving as senior vicar at St. Benedict’s Parish in Eggertsville. The Diocese of Buffalo confirmed he has not been placed on leave at this time.

The diocese says Bishop Michael Fisher has implemented its protocol for investigating allegations of clergy sexual abuse, and that the investigation will require…

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Myron Chorbajian and his wife Kathleen face charges for alleged abuses dating back to the 1980s

A former South Carolina pastor named Myron Chorbajian is accused of a range of disturbing child abuse allegations, including sexual abuse, forcing children to eat trash and bury a dog he killed, and other physical abuse. His wife Kathleen Chorbajian is also charged for allegedly knowing about some of the abuse and failing to intervene or report it.

Why it matters

These allegations against the Chorbajians highlight the ongoing issue of child abuse, especially within religious institutions and families, and the need for stronger reporting and accountability measures to protect vulnerable children. The case has also drawn attention to the challenges victims face in coming forward with abuse claims, particularly when the perpetrators are in positions of power and trust.

The details

According to arrest warrants, Myron Chorbajian is accused of sexually abusing his…

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The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, in collaboration with the Cyber Security Authority and National Security, has arrested a pastor in connection with offences involving a minor, including defilement and the production and possession of child sexual abuse materials.

The Director General of CID, COP Lydia Yaako Donkor, made the announcement during a press conference on Monday, March 9, providing details of the joint operation and the ongoing investigation.

The suspect, Ebenezer Kondua, aged 45, is the lead pastor at Mahanaim Christian Centre in Ankaful, Cape Coast.

He was apprehended in Waraba, a suburb of Iguasi, during a joint intelligence-led operation in the early hours of March 6, 2026.

Investigations revealed that the suspect operates a Facebook profile under the name Reverend Dr. Kondua, where he presents himself as a trained gynaecologist and international marriage counsellor.

Evidence indicates that in August 2021, he invited a then 13-year-old…

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The case began with a lawsuit filed in 2021 by Darren Liptrot, a former Vancouver College student

A proposed $30-million settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit brought by former students at two Catholic schools in Metro Vancouver.

The agreement would resolve claims against Vancouver College Limited and St. Thomas More in Burnaby, according to a notice of settlement approval hearing.

The settlement was reached without a trial against the defendants and requires approval from the B.C. Supreme Court before any compensation can be paid.

If approved, the settlement will allow former students who attended St. Thomas More between 1976 and 1989 and Vancouver College between 1976 and 2013, and who claim to have experienced abuse by a current or former member of the Christian Brothers, to apply for compensation.

• More stories from Vancouver-South Coast
• Vancouver judge greenlights class-action lawsuit involving Mount Cashel abusers

How…

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Friday Roundup

Last night I was chatting with a friend who grew up in Amarillo, Texas. In a matter of minutes, he rattled off stories of three well-known child sexual abuse cases that were exposed during his growing up years in the Texas Panhandle town. All were so well-known that they were written up in Texas Monthly and other publications.

One involved a millionaire who was a known abuser of teenage boys. Another involved a doctor who took liberties with boys in his care. The third involved a millionaire civic leader who allegedly lured teenagers with drugs and alcohol.

In every case, local residents were shocked to learn the accusations against people they knew and revered. The stories were unbelievable. Yet they were true.

Hearing these accounts made me think of the years of whispering about Paul Pressler and his predilection for nude hot tub time with boys at his ranch. (Why are there always…

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A few paragraphs deep in a sworn statement filed in court last month was a curious admission by the former chief financial officer for the Archdiocese of New York:

The church had been briefed in late 2023 and early 2024 on communications and fundraising by an abuse victims’ advocacy group, the Coalition for Just and Compassionate Compensation, ex-CFO William Whiston acknowledged, without elaborating.

Since launching in 2023, the group had been publicly savaging the archdiocese’s insurer, Chubb Ltd., attempting to shame it into paying out sex abuse claims filed against the church.

It slammed Chubb in a full-page ad in the New York Times, sent protesters to the Chubb-sponsored US Open, flew a banner over another Chubb event in Florida, launched an anti-Chubb website, and enlisted TikTok influencers to assail the company.

Church leaders had previously denied any ties, and Whiston’s statement repeated they had no role in funding or…

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In a unanimous decision that could have far-reaching implications for religious institutions across the state, the Washington State Court of Appeals ruled Monday that the Attorney General’s Office has the authority to investigate whether the Catholic Church used charitable funds to cover up decades of alleged child sexual abuse by clergy.

The ruling reverses a lower court decision that had blocked the investigation, marking a significant legal victory for Governor Bob Ferguson, who launched the probe in 2023 while serving as Attorney General.

“As a Catholic, the church must do the right thing and engage in a public accounting of how the church handles allegations of child sex abuse,” Ferguson said in a statement. “This ruling is an important win for transparency. I am asking church leaders to reflect and pray about this unanimous court decision and stop fighting this investigation.”

Three-judge panel rejects church’s argument for categorical exemption

At…

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The move is due to pending court cases that could cost the church millions of dollars.

The Catholic Diocese of El Paso has filed bankruptcy to shield itself from massive potential liabilities in cases stemming from priest abuse of children stretching back to the 1950s.

In a filing Friday, the diocese sought chapter 11 bankruptcy, saying it had between $10 and $50 million in assets and owes as many as 200 creditors as much as $10 million. The move to declare bankruptcy while assets outweigh liabilities is due to pending court cases that may cost the church millions more to settle.

“The Diocese of El Paso financial resources are limited,” the Rev Mark Seitz, bishop of the diocese, said in a statement. “Chapter 11 will allow it to compensate abuse survivors through a single court-supervised process.”

The El Paso diocese was one of several church regions hit with…

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[See also Delcourt’s video presentation of the project.]

A major new artwork dedicated to the victims of spiritual and sexual abuse in the church is to be displayed at locations where disgraced priest artist Marko Rupnik’s mosaics are still exhibited. 

Rupnik, a former Jesuit, is accused of sexual, spiritual and psychological abuse by more than 20 women, including a number of nuns. His work adorns high-profile sanctuaries in Lourdes in France, Fátima in Portugal, Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil, the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., the Sanctuary of St. John Paul II in Kraków, Poland, and the Vatican.

“Rebirth” is a monumental mosaic measuring 12.5 meters by 4 meters. It was designed by French artist Sister Samuelle, who alleges Rupnik abused her. Between 2008 and 2014, Samuelle lived at Centro Aletti, which Rupnik established in Rome to bring…

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[See also the report – part 1: the analysis and the all-important part 2: the account of credibly accused clergy with the rest of the appendices.]

The Attorney General (AG) of Rhode Island has finally issued his long report on clergy sexual abuse of children in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence. He started this study in 2019. It is a long report of 283 pages, with another 371 pages to Appendix A, and 5 in Appendix C. The appendices name some clergy who were credibly accused of child sexual misconduct in the diocese. The State lists 72 abusers in Appendix A, with another 11 in Appendix C who lived in Rhode Island yet committed abuse in another location.

The differences between state and church on abusers are clear on that topic. The AG identifies 75 total abusers, while the diocese lists only 55. This is a common feature of Catholic churches,…

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The Diocese of El Paso, Texas, filed for bankruptcy March 6, citing financial strain from claims related to sexual abuse alleged to have occurred decades earlier.

The Chapter 11 filing was triggered by lookback laws in the adjacent state of New Mexico, in former diocesan territory that is now part of the Diocese of Las Cruces.

The case, brought before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in El Paso, involves 12 suits brought by 18 claimants who say they were “sexually abused as minors between 1956 and 1982 in southern New Mexico,” explained El Paso Bishop Mark J. Seitz in a video statement released in both English and Spanish March 6 and posted to the diocesan website.

Bishop Seitz video statement

In his video statement, Bishop Seitz said he took the decision to file for bankruptcy following prayer, discernment and consultation, “as the financial claims against the diocese far…

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Rhode Island’s attorney general has published a 284-page report on sexual abuse in the Diocese of Providence, capping a six-year investigation that began in 2019 through a voluntary agreement with the diocese to survey records stretching back to 1950.

Released March 4, the report identified 75 credibly accused clergy — 61 diocesan priests and deacons, 13 religious order members and one extern priest — who allegedly abused more than 300 victims between 1950 and 2011.

Criminal charges have been brought against four current and former priests, with three awaiting trial amid presumed innocence pending a final verdict.

Also included in the report were specific calls for diocesan and legal reforms to prevent and address clergy sexual abuse.

Responding to the report in a video message provided through the diocesan website, Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski of Providence acknowledged, “What I share with you today is far from new, but each time…

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A priest, a part of the Buffalo Catholic Diocese, has voluntarily agreed to step away from parishes and ministries while the diocese investigates new allegations against him.

Father Joseph Gatto has been the senior vicar for the Northern Erie Family of Churches, including Infant of Prague and St. Aloysius in Cheektowaga, Christ the King in Snyder, St. Benedict Parish in Eggerstville and Saints Peter & Paul in Williamsville.

Bishop Michael Fisher has implemented a protocol for investigating the clergy sexual abuse allegations against Father Joseph Gatto.

Families at St. Benedict’s School in Eggertsville received an email from their principal on Thursday confirming Father Gatto has voluntarily agreed not to engage in any parish, school ministry or active ministry at this time.

Nandor Forgach, a St. Benedict’s School parent, told me about the email and expressed concern about the diocese’s response.

“A lot of people worry that it’s more of the…

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The Boston Globe headline was blunt: “Church allowed abuse by priest for years.”

This massive investigation into sexual abuse by Catholic clergy won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, forcing major newsrooms to cover a scandal that had festered for decades. The shockwaves continued in Boston and, more than a decade later, The Globe began a website — Crux (Latin for “cross”) — to cover Catholic news.

Reporter John L. Allen Jr. was a pivotal figure in that project since he was already an established expert on all the roads that lead to Rome. However, Crux quickly showed that the news was there, the readers were there but the dollars didn’t add up — yet.

Allen got the green light to create an independent Crux, which launched on April 1, 2016. The question was whether he could build a coalition of donors and organizations — the Knights of Columbus,…

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Rhode Island’s AG revealed a pattern of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. A lack of justice and accountability draws similarity with the Epstein files

A sweeping investigation released by the Rhode Island Attorney General has exposed decades of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in the state, identifying at least 75 clergy members accused of abusing more than 300 children since 1950 till 2011.

After a multiyear investigation into the Catholic Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, Attorney General Peter Neronha issued the findings on Wednesday.

Neronha outlined the longstanding pattern in which church officials prioritized institutional reputation over the protection of children.

According to Neronha, it remains difficult to fully understand the extent of the clergy abuse issue in Rhode Island, the smallest state in the union with the biggest Catholic population per capita (almost 40%). He concurred with victims who say that despite the issue…

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Bishop Mark Seitz said nearly 20 lawsuits against the diocese led him to file for Chapter 11 reorganization.

The Diocese of El Paso will file for bankruptcy amid more than a dozen lawsuits over allegations of sexual abuse, Bishop Mark Seitz said this week.

In a message to the Texas diocese on March 6, Seitz said the diocese is facing “18 pending lawsuits” for alleged sexual abuse that occurred between 1956-1982.

The alleged abuse occurred “long before society or the Church was aware of the presence and extent of child abuse taking place within its institutions” and “long before the Diocese implemented the strong child protection policies and practices that exist today to guard against these crimes,” Seitz said in the message, which was accompanied by a video posted to YouTube.

Seitz said he decided to have the diocese file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after consultation with priests and diocesan…

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“If one wishes to learn the teachings of Jesus Christ, they should read the Bible,” Dr. Herbert Brennan said. “If one wishes to understand the Catholic Church, they need only to read this report.”

PROVIDENCE — Almost every victim of sexual abuse by priests feels shame, clergy abuse survivor Dr. Ann Hagan Webb said Wednesday.

“And it’s time for the diocese to feel ashamed,” Webb said after Attorney General Peter F. Neronha unveiled a report detailing how 75 clergy members in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence were credibly accused of abusing more than 300 Rhode Island children since 1950.

“They should be not only responsible legally,” she said. “They should be ashamed [about] the people — the children — that they put in harm’s way.”

In a video response released Wednesday, Bishop Bruce Lewandowski apologized to survivors.

“As the…

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“If only the Diocese over this course of history had taken the approach of that religious sister,” R.I. Attorney General Neronha said, “many children would have been spared this horrific abuse.”

PROVIDENCE — In a scathing new report about clergy who sexually abused children in Rhode Island and the bishops who allowed that abuse to continue, one story stood out: A single nun who pushed back.

The nun not only confronted the priest who had nude pictures in his bedroom and nine “young men” living in his rectory.

She also challenged the bishop who tried to keep her quiet, telling him, “Assurances are not enough. To do nothing is to permit situations to continue.”

The 288-page report released Wednesday identifies 75 clergy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence who were credibly accused of abusing more than…

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• Watch Bishop Lewandowski’s Video Response in English: https://provd.io/agvideo
• Respuesta en video del Obispo Lewandowski en español: https://provd.io/videofg
• Text of Bishop Lewandowski’s Video Response in English & Spanish: Transcript [PDF]

Diocese of Providence Response to the Attorney General Report

Any abuse of children is an abhorrent sin and a terrible crime. It is a scourge on our society wherever it occurs—in homes, schools, sports, or our religious and civic organizations. When the abuse comes at the hands of clergy who betray their God-given ministry and violate the trust placed in them, it is all the more shocking.
  
The very existence of the Attorney General’s Report is the result of the Diocese of Providence’s unprecedented and voluntary agreement to extraordinary transparency. So, it is critical at the outset to state what the Report is, and importantly, what it is not. Despite how the Attorney General now…

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Many of the accused clergy, which includes priests and deacon, have since died. They worked in 36 Rhode Island cities and towns.

PROVIDENCE — The attorney general’s expansive report on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence included the names of 72 clergy members, including priests, deacons and others, who were credibly accused of sexually abusing children while working for the diocese between 1950 and 2011.

Three others — John Petrocelli, James Silva, and Kevin Fissette — were charged with child molestation during the investigation and are awaiting trial. (A fourth, Edward Kelley, was also charged but died before his trial.)

None of the credibly accused clergy are still working within the diocese, Bishop Bruce Lewandowski said. The report details the accusations against each priest and where they worked during which years. They were spread throughout 36 Rhode Island towns…

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Neronha said that former Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin had repeatedly sought leniency for credibly accused priests, recommending that the Vatican not remove them from the priesthood

PROVIDENCE — For more than two hours, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha stood at a podium, detailing credible reports about the sexual abuse of more than 300 children by priests in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence.

And at times during the uncommon news conference, his outrage was palpable.

At one point, Neronha said that former Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin had repeatedly sought leniency for credibly accused priests, recommending that the Vatican not remove them from the priesthood. Rather, Tobin suggested “a life of prayer and penance” for each accused priest, he said.

Neronha ticked off examples — the Rev. Timothy Gordon in 2012, the Rev. Barry Meehan in 2013, the Rev. John Allard in 2013, the…

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Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha is urging state lawmakers to pass legislation that would hold the Diocese of Providence accountable for the actions of the 72 credibly accused priests revealed in his sweeping clergy sex abuse report.

The legislation was introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairwoman Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee, whose sister, Dr. Ann Hagan Webb, is a clergy sex abuse survivor.

McEntee’s legislation would specifically establish that institutions, organizations and individuals can be held civilly liable for the negligent supervision or concealment of anyone who sexually abused a minor.

RELATED: AG report details generations of clergy abuse in RI

Her proposal would be retroactive up to 35 years, with a two-year revival window of action beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2028.

“I’ve tried for a long time to secure some form of justice for victims of childhood sexual abuse, and I will continue…

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A report released this week by the Rhode Island attorney general detailed decades of abuse inside the state’s Catholic Diocese of Providence, identifying 75 clergy members who sexually abused more than 300 children since 1950.

The sound of the school nurse’s office door opening. Light reflecting off a stained-glass window. Tearful outbursts and fear of getting on the school bus.

For many survivors of clergy abuse, memories like these linger for decades.

A report released this week by the Rhode Island attorney general detailed decades of abuse inside the state’s Catholic Diocese of Providence, identifying 75 clergy members who sexually abused more than 300 children since 1950. The investigation drew on thousands of church records and years of interviews with victims and witnesses. Officials said the true number of victims is likely much higher.

But survivors say the numbers capture only part of the story. Behind each case, they say, are childhood fragments…

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A Guilford County judge set a $750,000 secured bond Monday for a former Vandalia Christian School teacher accused of using artificial intelligence and photo editing software to superimpose his students’ faces onto child sexual abuse material.

Richard Lynn Upright, 56, appeared in court for the first time following his Feb. 27 arrest on 10 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. A detective testified that investigators ultimately identified 111 confirmed images of child sexual abuse material tied to Upright across seven cyber tips submitted by Google to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

At the hearing, the judge acknowledged the emotional nature of the case but said the bond decision had to be grounded in law and evidence. Citing sentencing guidelines that recommend a secured bond range of $15,000 to $75,000 for a Class E felony — the classification that carries a maximum of 136 months in prison…

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A Canton pastor will spend three years in prison for a crime involving a 13-year-old girl.

Jesse Santos was sentenced by Ashland County Court of Common Pleas Judge David Stimpert Thursday afternoon.

Santos, pastor of Canton Seventh-Day Adventist Church, was arrested in February 2025 and charged with kidnapping, two counts of gross sexual imposition, and endangering children.

In January, Santos entered a guilty plea to the amended charge of abduction.

According to the police report, the crime happened at a campsite in the 3000 block of Ashland County Rd. at River Run Campground in Loudonville in September 2025.

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The Catholic Diocese of El Paso has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing mounting financial pressure from clergy sexual abuse litigation and ongoing operating deficits, according to a court declaration filed by Chief Financial Officer Gregory J. Watters.

The filing, submitted to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Texas, outlines the Diocese’s financial challenges and requests court approval to maintain operations and borrow new money.

Church officials said the primary reason for the bankruptcy filing is the financial strain caused by clergy sexual abuse claims.

The Diocese currently faces 18 plaintiff claims in 12 pending lawsuits in New Mexico related to allegations of sexual abuse of children by the hands of clergy that happened between 1956 and 1982.

Leaders warn that legal defense costs and potential settlements could reach tens of millions of dollars—far exceeding the Diocese’s available finances.

During a news conference Friday, Bishop Mark…

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The El Paso Catholic Diocese, faced with potential “astronomical” judgments in a dozen lawsuits alleging clergy sexual abuse, filed for bankruptcy reorganization Friday.

The 12 lawsuits involving 18 plaintiffs, filed between 2022 and 2025 in Las Cruces, allege sexual abuse by priests at a number of New Mexico parishes between 1956 and early 1982, when southern New Mexico was part of the El Paso diocese.

“First of all, let me say we don’t see it as a way to duck out of our responsibility,” El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz said in an interview with El Paso Matters. “It’s the only way, with the resources at hand, that we can begin to address this many claimants in an equitable way.”

A 59-year-old Las Cruces man who is one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuits said the El Paso diocese is using the bankruptcy process to evade accountability.

“Today, just like in…

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Fresh accusations arise of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in addition to allegations made in 2024.

The Catholic Church in Luxembourg has referred a case of alleged sexual abuse within church structures to prosecutors.

According to a report by the diocese’s abuse officer, the case concerns a priest who allegedly sexually assaulted a minor in a parish in the 1970s. The Vicar General submitted the case to prosecutors.

A similar allegation was also reported to prosecutors in 2024. The alleged abuse took place around 50 years ago in a church-run children’s home.

Since 2010, the diocese has operated an internal service through which victims of sexual abuse by clergy or other diocesan staff can come forward.

Martine Jungers serves as the contact person and the church’s internal delegate for prevention.

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The Yandell v. Kanakuk lawsuit will proceed after requests for the case to be transferred to the Missouri Supreme Court, despite dismissal at the appellate level. The case was brought by former Kanakuk camper Logan Yandell in 2022 against Kanakuk Ministries and other related entities, who Yandell alleges engaged in fraudulent behavior.

Yandell claims members of Kanakuk leadership knew about extensive and pervasive sexual abuse committed by serial child sex abuser Pete Newman, who victimized Yandell and numerous other campers, but intentionally failed to make this knowledge known to survivors and their parents.

Yandell’s lawsuit, along with others that have come against the camp in recent years, alleges this information was left out of conversations to induce a settlement agreement with his family and avoid bringing the matter to trial, making the agreement fraudulent.

The original lawsuit was dismissed last January after Christian County Judge Raymond M. Gross ruled the claims had exceeded the…

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While the prosecution called eight people to testify against Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston in a court case alleging he concealed his late father’s sexual abuse of a young boy during the 1970s and shielded him from criminal prosecution, his wife, Bobbie, revealed that the defense could find no one except her husband to testify as a witness to his innocence.

“The Crown Prosecution presented eight witnesses. Our Defense presented one – Brian Houston. All evidence was heard, all evidence is recorded,” Bobbie Houston shared in an Instagram update on the case earlier this month. “Now the case is adjourned till June for oral & written summaries, final arguments & then the Magistrate alone will rule.”

The court hearings took place across 13 days in December.

The Hillsong Church founder’s wife of nearly 46 years said she vowed to her husband last year that if no one else…

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A former senior pastor at a Nampa church has entered into a plea agreement in a case involving child pornography charges.

Matthew Masiewicz, 53, was arrested in September and charged with 13 felony counts involving child sexually exploitive material: six for distribution, six for possession and one for generating “visual representation” using Artificial Intelligence.

Masiewicz, who was a pastor at Sovereign Grace Fellowship in Nampa, originally pleaded not guilty to all counts. But on Feb. 5, he signed an agreement to plead guilty to three counts of distributing child sexually exploitive material and one count of possession, according to online court records.

Each count of distribution carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison; each count of possession up to 10 years; and the child porn AI charge could have had a sentence of up to 30 years, according to Idaho state law.

Masiewicz’s bond was…

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Editor’s note: This story contains descriptions of sexual violence against children.

Clarification: This story has been updated to reflect the status of the investigation by Tucscon police.

Tucson police are investigating allegations that a longtime member of the Golden Dawn Tabernacle molested a boy in 2012 and the church’s pastor covered it up.

The police investigation comes after the Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism team and the Arizona Daily Star reported that Golden Dawn pastor Isaac Noriega admitted he knew and did not go to police about the alleged sexual abuse of an 11-year-old at the hands of a congregant named Jose Mora, a man who was still in good standing in the church when the newspaper report was published in November.

Mora admitted in an interview with the newspaper team that he touched the genital area and buttocks of a boy from his church. Mora…

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We have learned today that the Court of Appeals, Div. 1, has affirmed the right of the Attorney General of the State of Washington to subpoena the records of the Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle relating to the clergy sexual abuse scandal.

This decision represents a great victory for survivors and members of the Catholic Church.  For years, Heal Our Church has requested the Archdiocese to make the files available for independent review.  It is only through the process of full disclosure that meaningful healing and authentic reconciliation can be found.  As the Court today indicated, no institution, religious or secular, can claim immunity from an inquiry into allegations of the abuse of minors and the coverup thereof.

It is our hope that the Archdiocese ends this ‘slow walk’ of accountability and cooperates fully with the Attorney General.  Further delays and appeals only serve to raise more questions about the good…

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A new report says Catholic clergy in Rhode Island abused hundreds of children for decades as church leaders minimized the scandal. According to the report, more than 300 children were molested and assaulted by at least 75 different clergy members over 70 years. William Brangham discussed the investigation with Ann Hagan Webb, a survivor of clergy sexual abuse and an advocate for other survivors.

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Geoff Bennett:

A new report out today says Catholic clergy in Rhode Island abused hundreds of children for decades, while church leaders minimized the scandal.

William Brangham has more.

William Brangham:

Geoff, according to the report, more than 300 children were molested or sexually assaulted by at least 75 different clergy members over 70 years. The abuses documented date back to the 1950s all the way…

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The diocese said it “willingly endured” more than half a decade’s worth of inquiries and records requests from the state government.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha on March 4 released a long-awaited report on child abuse in the Diocese of Providence, one that the diocese says reveals little new and is meant to function instead as a political document.

The investigation, which began in 2019 and culminated in January when Neronha announced its completion, reveals what the prosecutor calls a “scourge of child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in Rhode Island,” one that has “plagued [the] state for decades, if not longer.”

“Not until now has there been a comprehensive review of this painful chapter in our state’s history, with a view towards offering transparency, accountability, and systemic reforms,” the attorney general said.

The report, published on March 4, includes a review of diocesan child abuse allegations…

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Catholic priests in Rhode Island preyed on hundreds of children for decades, and were protected by bishops more concerned with the church’s reputation than the victims, according to a new report on clergy sexual abuse that echoes findings elsewhere.

The report, released Wednesday by Attorney General Peter Neronha, follows a multiyear investigation into the Catholic Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island.

Neronha said the full scope of the priest abuse problem in Rhode Island — the smallest U.S. state but the one with the highest Catholic population per capita, at nearly 40% — had long remained elusive. He agreed with victims who say not enough has been done to address the problem long after it was exposed in the nearby Boston diocese in 2002.

“If you’re the Diocese of Providence and you’re listening, this is a scandal you need to own and you need to fix,” Neronha told reporters Wednesday. “We can’t slow…

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A new investigation into the Catholic Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, shows that an estimated 75 priests abused more than 300 children since 1950, with the state’s top law enforcement chief warning Wednesday that the scope of the abuse is likely much bigger.

The report was released by Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, whose office has been investigating the diocese since 2019.

According to Neronha, the church could be doing more to address child sexual abuse. Yet diocese leaders have pushed back at the conclusions from the report, maintaining there are no “credibly accused clergy in active ministry.”

Here’s what to know about the investigation.

How the diocese handled reports of child abuse

The report described church records as “damning,” declaring that the diocese often failed to take the proper steps to protect children from sexual abuse. While clergy abuse has been widely exposed, up until Wednesday’s report, the scope…

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Diocese of Providence shared personnel files but declined interviews with State Police and AG officials during nearly seven-year investigation

For more than seven decades, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence concealed the sexual abuse of hundreds of children by over six dozen clergy members, according to a long-awaited report released Wednesday by Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha. 

A total of 72 deacons and priests faced credible accusations of abuse dating as far back as 1950, the 282-page report states. Only 14 of the men listed are still alive. 

Systemic sexual abuse by New England Catholic clergy was exposed over two decades ago. But the AG’s report, which took nearly seven years to complete, pieces together as complete a picture as possible of what happened in Rhode Island, home to the largest per capita Catholic population in the nation. 

“The numbers are staggering, shocking, astounding,” Neronha told reporters during a more…

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Content Warning: This Report contains detailed descriptions of allegations of sexual abuse and other sexual misconduct against children.  The Office of the Attorney General and the Rhode Island State Police urge victims and any other persons with information regarding possible child sexual abuse or related crimes to call the State Police Special Victims Unit’s dedicated clergy abuse hotline at 401-764-0142.

The sordid and shameful history of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church spans generations and has affected communities across the globe.  Despite its small size, our state is home to one of the largest Catholic populations per capita in the country, with over 39% of Rhode Islanders—more than any other state—self-identifying as Catholic. Victims of clergy sexual abuse in Rhode Island have come from every community, every ethnic group, and from all economic and social backgrounds. They are our neighbors, friends, and family members.  Generations of Rhode Island victims, their families, and others…

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Attorney General Peter F. Neronha today published the Office’s Report on Child Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Providence. The report, which describes the Diocese’s handling of decades of clergy abuse, is the result of a yearslong investigation by the Office of the Attorney General, with assistance from the Rhode Island State Police. The investigation began in 2019 when, as a result of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Attorney General and former Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, the Diocese agreed to voluntarily produce internal records relating to clergy abuse dating back to 1950.

“First and foremost, I want to offer my sincerest gratitude to the many survivors of child sexual abuse who came forward to share their stories for purposes of this investigation,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Each survivor we spoke with recounted unthinkable trauma at the hands of trusted religious leaders, and yet what stood out most was…

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Alleged victim reported being sexually assaulted on two occasions between 1996 and 1999, York Regional Police say

A Coptic Church priest from East Gwillimbury has been charged in connection with the historical sexual assault of a minor.

An alleged victim came forward to York Region Police last November to report they had been sexually assaulted on two occasions between 1996 and 1999.

At the time of the assault, the victim was under the age of 16, police stated in a news release.

Investigators have released the suspect’s photograph as they believe there may be more potential victims. 

Michelle (aka Michael) Shafik, 47, has been charged with sexual assault and sexual interference.

None of the allegations have been tested in court. 

A sexual assault includes any non-consensual contact of a sexual nature, police say.

York Regional Police encourages anyone who feels they may have been a victim of a sexual assault to come…

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A former Wake County teacher and youth pastor has been charged with multiple child sex offenses, and his wife, an assistant principal in Wake County, is facing felony drug charges, according to the State Bureau of Investigation.

Holly Springs police, with help from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, served arrest warrants Tuesday for Mikah Douglas Brondyke and Chloe Grace Brondyke. He’s a former teacher at Rolesville High and she’s currently an assistant principal at the high school.

Mikah Brondyke faces numerous charges including four counts of soliciting a child by computer, four counts of indecent liberties with a child, first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and 10 counts of disseminating obscenity.

According to arrest warrants, Mikah Brondyke sent explicit images to an undercover Holly Springs police officer posing as a 14-year-old female.

He is being held in the Franklin County Detention Center on $620,000 secured bail.

Both…

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According to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Mikah Brondyke was arrested and charged with sex crimes against children. His wife, an assistant principal, is also facing drug charges.

A former Wake County Public Schools teacher and youth pastor is facing charges after he was accused of sex crimes against children, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

Court documents showed that Mikah Brondyke sent explicit videos to a Holly Springs police officer acting undercover as a 14-year-old girl.

Brondyke, 36, was arrested on Tuesday and faces several charges, including: 

• Soliciting a child by computer
• Indecent liberties with a child
• Disseminating obscenity
• First-degree sexual exploitation of a minor
• Felony possession of a schedule 1 controlled substance
• Maintain a dwelling for a controlled substance

Brondyke’s wife, Chloe Bronydke, an assistant principal at Rolesville High School, was also charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and maintaining a dwelling for a controlled…

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Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha will release on Wednesday findings from a multiyear investigation into child sexual abuse in the Diocese of Providence.

According to the attorney general’s office, the report will detail the diocese’s handling of clergy abuse over decades.

While the smallest state in the U.S., Rhode Island is home to the country’s largest Catholic population per capita, with nearly 40% of the state identifying as Catholic, according to the Pew Research Center.

Neronha first launched the investigation in 2019, nearly a year after a Pennsylvania grand jury report found more than 1,000 children had been abused by an estimated 300 priests in that state since the 1940s. The 2018 report is considered one of the broadest inquiries into child sexual abuse in U.S. history.

Neronha’s investigation involved entering into an agreement with the Diocese of Providence to gain access to all complaints and allegations of child sexual abuse…

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Mediator and court-appointed neutral Simone K. Lelchuk, Esq., has published a new article in The Judges Journal (Winter 2026) examining the evolving role of court-appointed neutrals in institutional abuse cases and the structural importance of well-designed processes in high-volume, high-sensitivity litigation.

The article, “The Critical Role of Court-Appointed Neutrals in Mass Institutional Sexual Abuse Cases: Why Every Voice Matters,” addresses the continued prevalence of institutional abuse allegations and the need for courts and organizations to respond with greater procedural clarity.

“Abuse affecting institutions across all sectors shows no signs of abating,” Lelchuk writes.

“Although organizations may grow weary of addressing these allegations, they remain an enduring reality that must be met with care and accountability. Reframing the response as an exercise in institutional learning – focused on continuous improvement – can reenergize leadership and strengthen how organizations respond when allegations emerge.”

In the article, she notes:
“Clarity can be a powerful…

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The digital revolution has reshaped childhood across Europe. Social media platforms, messaging applications, online games, and artificial intelligence tools have opened new horizons of learning, creativity, and communication.

Yet alongside these opportunities, a grave and escalating threat has emerged: the sexual abuse and exploitation of minors in digital spaces. What was once confined largely to physical environments now spreads instantly across borders, amplified by technology and sustained by complex online networks.

Recent data from the European Union highlights the scale of the crisis. In 2023, more than 36 million reports of online child sexual abuse material were recorded—the highest number ever documented. A significant proportion of this content has been hosted or detected within European jurisdictions, positioning the region as a central node in the global circulation of illegal material. While improved monitoring systems have increased detection rates, the dramatic rise also reflects the growing sophistication and reach of abuse…

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Mountain View Community Church, a Virginia multisite church affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), is coming under scrutiny for employing a man convicted of child sex abuse. Joshua Bowen, who serves as director of the church’s Orange campus, was convicted in 2005 of the statutory rape of a 14-year-old. 

At the time of the offense, Bowen was a 24-year-old teacher, and the victim was a student. Bowen pleaded guilty to second-degree statutory sex offense in exchange for several other charges being dropped. 

According to court documents obtained by The Roys Report (TRR), Bowen was sentenced to 48-67 months and was credited with time served for “confinement…while awaiting disposition in this matter.”

Court documents indicate that the fact that Bowen “voluntarily acknowledged wrongdoing…at an early stage of the criminal process” was a factor in his sentencing, as well as his “good character,”…

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The Brief

• Eric Crawford has resigned as pastor of Heritage Baptist Church in Haslet after his son, a registered sex offender, was revealed to have been working at the church and related school.
• The church, which did not immediately name a replacement for Crawford, said they will review their security procedures to prevent a similar event from happening again.
• Caleb Crawford was arrested in late Feb. 2026 for failing to comply with his yearly registration as a sex offender.

A Haslet pastor has resigned after his son, a sex offender, was arrested for failing to register his status and was revealed to have been working at a local school.

Haslet pastor resigns

What we know:

Heritage Baptist Church released a statement on Monday, March 2, announcing that Eric Crawford has resigned his position as pastor at the church.

Crawford had been on leave since late Feb. 2026 after his son, Caleb…

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“This shows what can happen when a community chooses courage over silence. The work doesn’t end here,” Katie Thompson said.

The founding pastor of Heritage Baptist Church has resigned his position after his son, a registered sex offender, was terminated from employment at the church and private school before being arrested recently, according to a statement released Monday afternoon by the church.

Eric Crawford announced his decision Sunday in a move that takes effect immediately.

The church will vote to appoint an interim pastor within the next two weeks, the statement said.

Officials said they also plan to bolster the church’s hiring rules and regulations.

“The church is taking steps to review and reinforce campus procedures and security measures across all ministries,” the statement said.

The steps include auditing background checks when necessary and implementing a new visitor access system, according to the statement. Church officials also said…

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The state Attorney General’s Office can enforce subpoenas to determine whether charitable funds were used to cover up sexual abuse by clergy members, a Washington appeals court ruled Monday.

In May 2024, then-Attorney General Bob Ferguson launched an investigation into the Seattle Archdiocese, the Diocese of Spokane and the Diocese of Yakima, to find out “whether recent reforms publicized by the Church are being implemented and whether they are effective,” according to the appellate court ruling.

However, the Seattle Archdiocese refused to fully comply with subpoenas.

A King County Superior Court judge ruled in 2024 that the attorney general couldn’t force the church to hand over documents. Monday’s decision overturned that ruling.

In the new court opinion, a panel of three judges found the Archdiocese can only seek a religious exemption from specific laws when it’s truly necessary to protect religious freedom.

“This means the AGO’s subpoena is…

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Save Our Buffalo Churches, a parish preservation group in the Diocese of Buffalo, has petitioned the Vatican to investigate the leadership of Bishop Michael Fisher.

The campaign group has announced that it is sending a petition to the Holy See requesting an investigation into Bishop Fisher. The group says it is concerned about what it describes as possible mismanagement of the sexual abuse settlement process and the handling of related information provided to Vatican authorities.

This coincides with the final round of impact statements in the Chapter 11 case brought by survivors of clergy sexual abuse against the Diocese of Buffalo. The third session began on Wednesday, when victim-survivors addressed the court and described the lasting effects that abuse by members of the clergy has had on their lives. The bankruptcy filing was made seven years ago as the diocese faced mounting claims linked to historical abuse.

In a statement,…

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