ABUSE TRACKER

After a church or ministry experiences a scandal, people expect changes and accountability. Otherwise it’s impossible to regain trust. Staying accountable is especially important when a church or organization has mishandled reports of sexual abuse.

That script has become familiar, unfortunately. After one or more victims go public, police and/or the church begin investigating. Some church leaders might resign or get fired; others issue denials or apologize for mishandling claims of abuse. An outside review usually leads to promises of new policies and more transparency.

But then the news cycle moves on. Outside of that congregation or organization, few people might remember the details or ask, “Did they do what they said they’d do?”

This article follows up on seven Christian institutions that acknowledged mishandling abuse and promised specific changes: the Southern Baptist Convention, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, Bob Jones University, Liberty University, the Church of England, Greater Grace…

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The arrest of a former executive at a Catholic charity organization in Columbus stands as a high-profile test of a new anti-grooming law passed just last year by Ohio lawmakers.

Scott Hartman faces a number of different charges related to allegations of sexual conduct with a minor, and one of the charges, misdemeanor grooming, didn’t exist before April 2025. Hartman has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Hartman, 49, was arrested by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Oct. 1, for “online sexual abuse of a minor,” according to a release from the office earlier this month.

According to the sheriff’s office, an investigation began in April of this year after a “teenage victim reported to school counselors that she had engaged in an online relationship with Hartman that included text messages and video calls involving video sex acts and the exchange of nude images…

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Father Michael Guidry will be released from prison later this month. Guidry, 83, was sentenced to 7-years in prison in 2019 after pleading guilty to molesting a teenage boy. The victim and his family have been notified that Guidry is set to be released from prison on November 14. He will have to register as a sex offender.

Guidry molested the son of a deacon he served alongside at St. Peter Catholic Church in Morrow. The victim’s father, Scott Peyton, later resigned from the diaconate and left the church citing the clergy sex abuse crisis; he was then excommunicated by Lafayette Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel. The Vatican recently upheld Peyton’s excommunication, citing public statements he made about joining an Anglican church.

Guidry was permanently removed from ministry, but the Diocese of Lafayette has never responded to inquiries if he was excommunicated or defrocked. Dawn Eden Goldstein, a canon lawyer for…

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Anyone who has suffered sexual, physical, or spiritual abuse within the Reformed churches is to receive up to 20,000 francs in compensation. This was decided by the Synod of the Evangelical Reformed Church of Switzerland (EKS) on Monday in Bern.

A commission will be established in the first half of 2027 and is scheduled to begin its work in the fall of that year, according to a statement released by the EKS on Monday evening. Through these measures, the EKS and its member churches would assume institutional responsibility for the injustices suffered. In addition to financial compensation, forms of recognition tailored to the individual needs of those affected are planned.

Accordingly, an independent commission reviews the applications and recommends the amount of compensation. It takes into account the consequences for the affected person, the severity and duration of the incident, and how the institution handled the case. Financial compensation is…

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Piura, Peru, October 2018. Journalist Paola Ugaz flew almost 900 kilometres from Lima to see a judge. No source or story awaited her, but a criminal defamation complaint filed by the region’s archbishop, a member of the founding generation of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a Catholic organisation she had been investigating since 2011. The archbishop was asking for around US$50,000 over a Twitter thread.

Eight years later, in August 2026, another complaint arrived. In between came more than five proceedings opened in 2019 alone, some thirty notarial letters, prosecutorial investigations for money laundering, illicit enrichment, bribery, false testimony and influence peddling, death threats and a court order to open seven years of her communications.

“What these lawsuits hit hardest is the human side,” Ugaz said. “That’s what they’re designed for: so that you spend your time going to court, going to the prosecutor’s office, printing briefs, talking to lawyers, thinking…

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Pope Leo XIV’s South American tour, confirmed by the Vatican on Oct. 26 after his lung cancer surgery, is eagerly anticipated by Catholics across South America, especially those who knew then-Bishop Robert Prevost during his years in the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru.

The pontiff, who had the lower lobe of his right lung removed on Oct. 13 and has been recovering well since, will arrive in Montevideo, Uruguay, on the afternoon of Nov. 6, depart for Argentina on Nov. 8, and travel to Peru on Nov. 11. He will leave South America on Nov. 16 and return to Rome on Nov. 17.

The last time a pope visited Uruguay was nearly 40 years ago. In May 1988, Pope Saint John Paul II spent four days in the country, following a visit in March 1987. Since then, the share of Uruguayan Catholics has fallen from 60 percent in 1997 to just…

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After weeks in which Pope Leo XIV’s Latin America trip hung in the balance of his doctors’ recommendations, the Vatican confirmed Oct. 26 that his visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru “will proceed according to the programme previously published.”

Less than a month after undergoing surgery that removed a malignant tumor from his right lung, the pope will embark on a 11-day journey involving a dozen flights and a whirlwind agenda across three countries.

“I am looking forward to returning to the continent where I’ve experienced so many moments of my life,” the pope said in a Vatican statement released ahead of the trip. “May this journey be an occasion for us to open our hearts to one another, strengthen our communion as brothers and sisters, and renew our commitment to proclaiming the Gospel with joy.”

Though American by birth, Latin…

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Jamaican televangelist Paul Lewis, who was acquitted of carnal abuse charges in Jamaica in 2009, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison in the United States after being convicted of repeatedly sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl whose family attended his Brooklyn church.

Lewis (63) of East New York, Brooklyn, was sentenced by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Naiburg after a jury found him guilty of first-degree course of sexual conduct against a child on September 24, 2026.

The conviction comes 17 years after the once-popular Jamaican pastor walked free from the Savanna-la-Mar courthouse in Westmoreland, having been found not guilty of carnal abuse. He now faces a lengthy prison term in the United States following his conviction for a separate sexual offense involving a minor.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced that Lewis was sentenced to 14 years in prison, followed by 10 years of post-release supervision.

According to…

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Sylvia Lemus, one of two candidates vying for the 2nd District Sonoma County supervisor seat, has been a community organizer for decades, volunteering her time for organizations ranging from Santa Rosa’s Cinco de Mayo festival to Los Cien, the prominent Latino leadership group. Her appointment to the Cotati City Council and eventual selection as mayor — as the first Latina to serve in that role — were made in part on the strength of that civic record.

Less well known, until it came to light this week, was her executive-level service on two councils tied to a benevolent religious society focused on supporting law enforcement and other first responders in Monterey County, about 130 miles south of the area she hopes to represent in higher office.

Lemus’ time on those councils has coincided with the leadership tenure of Carl Faria, a priest…

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A court in Dewanganj, Jamalpur, has sentenced an imam named Musa Mia to life imprisonment for raping a teenage student and fined him Tk 5 lakh, ordering that the fine be paid to the victim. Judge Muhammad Abdur Rahim of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-1 of the Jamalpur District and Sessions Judge’s Court announced the verdict on Sunday, October 25, afternoon. Convicted Musa Mia is the son of Md. Monirul Islam of Harichandi village under Fulchhari police station in Gaibandha district and used to lead and teach at a Jama Masjid in the Sanandbari Mandalpara area of Dewanganj upazila. State lawyer Fazlul Haque said the girl used to study Arabic at the mosque where Musa Mia was imam and teacher, and every morning he would give the other students a day off and keep the girl in the mosque to do cleaning work. Taking that opportunity, Musa Mia…

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The Ogun State Police Command has detained a Celestial Church pastor, Omogbolahan Israel Idowu, over allegations that he sexually abused his 16-year-old stepdaughter.

The arrest followed a petition by the Lagos State branch of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), which alleged that the suspect sexually abused the teenager from the age of 14 and threatened to kill her if she reported the incident.

In a petition dated October 26, 2026, and addressed to the Divisional Police Officer of the Shimawa Police Division in Ogun State, the organisation said it was acting on behalf of the teenager, whose identity has been withheld.

CDHR alleged that the abuse began after the girl’s mother, Bukola Rachel Omogbolahan, married Idowu and moved with her children into his residence in the Ologbo Ark area of Shimawa.

The organisation said the alleged abuse continued after the teenager turned 16, adding that the…

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A special POCSO court convicts Shyam Bihari after the CBI traced the case to an Interpol alert; the court also imposes a Rs 1.43 lakh fine

A special court in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura district has sentenced a temple priest to life imprisonment for luring minor girls with offerings, sexually abusing them and recording videos that he later sold to people abroad over the internet.

Additional district and sessions judge (Special POCSO Act-II) Brajesh Kumar also imposed a fine of Rs 1.43 lakh on the convict and ordered that the entire amount be paid to the victims.

According to assistant prosecution counsel Rampal Singh, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case on 17 June 2025, acting on information received from Interpol, and arrested the priest, Shyam Bihari, from a temple in a village under the Jaint police station area.

The CBI investigation found that the accused allegedly lured young…

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Habeebiyya Islamic Academy Director Mohammed Niyas Jauhari was arrested in Kollam on November 1 for allegedly sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl under the pretext of spiritual healing.

Mohammed Niyas Jauhari, Director of Habeebiyya Islamic Academy, religious scholar and vlogger, was arrested on November 1 in Kollam for allegedly sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl under the pretext of spiritual healing.

The girl had approached him along with her grandmother. Mohammed Niyas had reportedly sexually assaulted the girl between 2025 and 2026 at various places. He took the girl to several places, citing various reasons, and assaulted her in a brutal manner. He kept impressing upon the girl that her physical illness would be cured through prayers. Mohammed Niyas has now been arrested under the POCSO Act.

On June 20, 2026, the Kerala High Court denied bail to a 63-year-old mosque priest who had allegedly sexually assaulted an eight-year-old girl student at the…

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A priest in Kerala has been sentenced to seven years of rigous imprisonment for raping a woman under the pretext of performing rituals to rid her husband of an alleged evil spirit.

The Nedumangad Special Court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the accused, Rajesh, who was convicted in the case dating back to April 2016.

Nedumangad Special Court for trial of cases under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act Judge A Shahjahan on Saturday found Rajesh, a resident of Venkulam in Edava, guilty of rape under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

According to the prosecution, the accused had asked the woman in April 2016 to attend a special ritual to remove an alleged evil spirit believed to be affecting her husband. He then sexually assaulted her in the storeroom of the religious institution.

The prosecution said the assault continued over several days, following which…

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The Archdiocese of Chicago has removed a pastor from his Southwest Side parish after he was accused of inappropriate physical conduct with an adult.

Blase Cardinal Cupich wrote that the Rev. Samson Mukundi, now the pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in the McKinley Park neighborhood, was also accused of boundary violations.

In a letter issued to Blessed Sacrament Parish; Jesus, Bread of Life Parish in Logan Square, and St. Gilbert Parish in north suburban Grayslake, Cupich wrote that even though no minors were involved in the alleged incidents, “the concerns raised are serious and warrant careful attention and appropriate action.”

Cupich wrote that Mukundi has been temporarily withdrawn from public ministry and will undergo a period of evaluation.

Cupich also asked anyone else who may have experienced unwanted contact with Mukundi to come forward.

The letter to Blessed Sacrament said the Rev. Deogratias Mbonyumugenzi, pastor of St. Elizabeth the Trinity,…

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Kimberly Watkins Stevens and her attorney, Mitchell Garabedian, said the Maine diocese didn’t ask them to participate in a process that resolved more than 100 other civil claims of child sexual abuse.

When she was 8 years old, Kimberly Watkins Stevens said, she was sexually abused by a Catholic priest in Windham.

More than a dozen other adults have reported they were abused by the same priest, the Rev. Lawrence Sabatino, in the 1950s and 1960s. They recently resolved their civil claims against the Roman Catholic Bishop of Portland through a settlement process — except for Stevens, now 68, whose attorney says she was not invited to participate.

“There is unfortunately nothing unique to this claim from Ms. Stevens,” her attorney Mitchell Garabedian said Friday.

He said he brought her case to the Roman Catholic bishop of Portland in 2021, when the…

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The families of the five Mangaluru boys who accused their parish priest Cyprian Pinto of sexual abuse are allegedly under tremendous pressure to not pursue the case. According to community members, Cyprian’s supporters have tried to coerce the families, and certain clergy members have attempted to subtly direct blame at the survivors, accusing the five boys of making “false allegations” and “dividing” the church.

Father Cyprian Pinto, who was the parish priest at St Vincent Ferrer Church in Valencia, Mangaluru, faces accusations of sexually assaulting at least five boys. Following a complaint by one boy, he was booked under sections 8 and 10 (sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and section 75(2) (sexual harassment) of the BNS.

He was arrested on October 17 and obtained bail on October 29.

Activists and community members have alleged a systemic attempt to shield Cyprian even before…

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A church in the Cincinnati area announced it has terminated a pastor following what church leaders described as “sexual misconduct with a subordinate.”

New Life Chapel announced the decision in a statement posted on social media, saying former Pastor Lonnie Snell was terminated effective Oct. 23, 2026.

The statement reads:

“Former Pastor Lonnie Snell was terminated and is no longer affiliated with New Life Chapel due to sexual misconduct with a subordinate of consensual age and development. At the present time, we are actively working diligently to maintain the highest integrity in our Pastoral staff and all leadership to effectively continue to further our mission of reaching people for Jesus. As any pressing decisions are made that would affect the mission and vision of the church at large, we will strive to keep the most current information available every step of the way. As we conduct all necessary next steps…

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A district court gave Bishop Andrzej Jeż a non-custodial sentence for failing to promptly notify law enforcement of accusations of abuse.

A Polish diocese said Thursday that it plans to appeal the conviction of its bishop for failing to report abuse allegations promptly to civil authorities. The ruling is the first of its kind against a bishop in Poland.

The Diocese of Tarnów made the announcement Oct. 29 after the local district court gave Bishop Andrzej Jeż a non-custodial sentence for not swiftly notifying law enforcement after receiving credible information about alleged sexual offenses against children under 15 by two priests.

The court ordered that 25% of Jeż’s monthly salary be donated to a children’s foundation for two years. It also said he must pay 20,000 złotys (around $5,000) to a Polish government fund supporting crime victims and their families.

Prosecutors had requested a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for…

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As Pope Leo prepares to return to South America, Peruvian abuse survivor Pedro Salinas sees reason for both hope and unease in the pope’s record confronting clerical abuse.

For a decade, Salinas watched as the Catholic Church investigated Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, the Peru-founded Catholic community he helped expose. Then, in the final days of Pope Francis’ papacy last year, the Vatican dissolved the group and its branches.

“What was achieved, nobody, absolutely nobody, could even have imagined. It was inconceivable. But it happened,” said Salinas, 63, a journalist and ​former member whose reporting helped expose allegations of sexual, physical and psychological abuse inside the group.

Robert Prevost, as Leo was known when he was a bishop in Peru and later a Vatican ‌cardinal, quietly worked with survivors and advocates, Salinas said, attending meetings, gathering information and communicating by WhatsApp and email.

“Without him, the needle didn’t move,” Salinas said.

The first US-born…

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A former Sheffield church leader and his wife have been charged with rape.

Stephen Timmis, 68, and Janet Timmis, 61, both of Psalter Lane, Sheffield, have been charged with eight counts of rape against one person. The offences are alleged to have taken place between May and September 2008 while Mr Timmis was a church leader at the Crowded House Church.

South Yorkshire Police say its investigation has led officers to believe there may be people who were previously members of the church who may have information in relation to enquiries.

A spokesperson for the force said: “A former church leader and his wife have been charged with several counts of rape following a report of non-recent sexual abuse in Sheffield.

“Stephen Timmis, aged 68, and Janet Timmis, aged 61, both of Psalter Lane, Sheffield, are each charged with eight counts of rape against one victim….

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A former church leader and his wife have been charged with several counts of rape following a report of non-recent sexual abuse in Sheffield.

Stephen Timmis, aged 68, and Janet Timmis, aged 61, both of Psalter Lane, Sheffield, are each charged with eight counts of rape against one victim.

The charges are in connection with offences alleged to have taken place between May and September 2008, while Stephen Timmis was a church leader at the Crowded House Church, in Sheffield.

The pair have been bailed to appear at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 1 December 2026. 

Our enquiries have led us to believe there may be individuals in the community, who may have previously been members of the church, with information which could be relevant to our investigation.

We are appealing for anyone with concerns or information to come forward. Anyone with information will be offered appropriate support as required. 

You…

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A former Paramus Catholic High School student has filed a new lawsuit accusing the school of covering up sexual abuse by a former gym teacher and hockey coach, alleging the coach molested him repeatedly during the 1980s while he was a student athlete. The suit, filed in Essex County, names Paramus Catholic, the Archdiocese of Newark and the Christian Brothers as defendants.

According to northjersey.com, the complaint identifies the coach as Bernard Garris and alleges he has been credibly accused of sexually assaulting more than 20 former students, with the actual number potentially higher. The former student says Garris abused him during cup checks more than once.

The lawsuit further alleges Garris abused the student during gym class. The complaint also alleges failures of supervision and protective policies.

A Coach’s Firing and a Pattern of Allegations

Garris was fired from Paramus Catholic in 1987 after a…

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Ohio pastor Lonnie Snell has been fired from his 2800-member megachurch for sexual misconduct, according to a recent post published on social media.

Snell, who pastors the non-denominational New Life Chapel in West Chester Township, Ohio, with his wife, was removed due to “sexual misconduct with a subordinate.” The woman in question was a church employee and has also been terminated.

The New Life Chapel board made the statement. According to the Roy’s Report, “The independent church has no elders. The three board members who have authority over the founding pastor are all pastors at their own churches and do not regularly attend New Life, nor do they have much direct contact with the congregation.”

The church’s own website lists no other pastoral staff, which is unusual for a church of that size. An archived version of the leadership page reads:

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A second woman is suing an Arlington church and its leader over allegations that the leader groomed and sexually assaulted her last year, according to Dallas County court records. 

The woman alleges in the suit that Koinonia Christian Church lead pastor Ronnie Goines assaulted her on two occasions: once at his Mansfield home last August and again in September at her home. 

Goines and the woman met at a Dallas restaurant that June, according to the lawsuit. At that time, the woman told Goines that she was only interested in a platonic relationship, to which Goines was “amenable,” her attorneys wrote.  

Goines and the woman continued communicating after their initial meeting and he provided her with business and professional contacts. 

At one point, Goines told the woman that he believed “God was guiding her to him and that their interactions were God’s plan,” the suit reads. For that, the woman alleges that…

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Cyprian Pinto is accused of sexually abusing minor boys at the St Vincent Ferrer Church in Valencia, Mangaluru. Mangalore Bishop Peter Paul Saldanha was reportedly aware of the alleged abuse two months before the FIR was registered.

Mangaluru Catholic priest Father Cyprian Pinto, who was arrested on accusations of sexually abusing a minor boy at the St Vincent Ferrer Church in Valencia, has been granted bail. 

The Additional District and Sessions Judge of the Fast Track Special Court 1 in Mangaluru allowed his bail petition on Thursday, October 29. 

Cyprian Pinto was arrested on October 17, two days after a First Information Report was filed against him by the Mangaluru South police under Sections 8 (sexual assault) and 10 (aggravated sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 75(2) (sexual harassment) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

According to media reports,…

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The University of Notre Dame has cleared and rehired a former residence rector of anonymous online sexual assault allegations, as her civil defamation case against her unknown accusers proceeds in an Indiana court.

The university provided OSV News with a statement from Karen Kennedy, associate vice president of residential life, who said a “thorough investigation” had determined “there was no evidence to support that any of the alleged misconduct occurred.”

Kennedy’s statement was shared in an email to residents of McGlinn Hall, one of the campus’ women’s residences, the university told OSV News.

Elizabeth Greenop — who had been removed as McGlinn’s rector and placed on leave in August pending a university investigation — will now serve as an assistant director of residential life, according to that office’s website and an Oct. 29 article by the school’s independent newspaper, The Observer.

Greenop had been the…

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In this episode of “One Nation Under God,” Susie Pinto sits down with Paulina Guzik, a journalist who wrote “Truth Heals.” Together, they discuss sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, why it’s important for journalists to speak to these victims and the encouraging story of one victim who is now confident to speak out and help others.

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In the first ruling of its kind in Poland, a Catholic bishop has been found guilty of failing to promptly inform the law enforcement authorities about allegations of child sex abuse committed by priests under his authority.

Andrzej Jeż, the bishop of Tarnów, was handed a non-custodial sentence that will require him to donate 25% of his earnings for two years to a charity that supports victims of child sexual abuse.

However, the verdict can still be appealed, and the diocese of Tarnów has already announced that it “disagrees with the court’s ruling” and that an appeal will be filed.

See original article for more information on article.

The case relates to alleged abuse by two priests who worked under Jeż’s authority. They can be identified only as Stanisław P. and Tomasz K. under Polish privacy law.

In 2022, prosecutors discontinued an investigation into allegations against Stanisław P. because the…

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A self proclaimed pastor from the Upstate who made the news after allowing a convicted sex offender to be a prominent member of his congregation, is now facing child sex crime charges of his own.

The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office says 64 year old, Tracy Black of Pelzer was arrested Tuesday after an investigation that began last month. Investigators say Black committed sexual assault against a minor victim on multiple occasions.

Black is charged with multiple counts of 1st degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, 3rd degree sexual exploitation of a minor and other crimes.

He made headlines over the summer when he allowed an already convicted sex offender to be involved in his ministry. The Mobile Outreach was met with public outrage as the group was meeting in a public park in Williamston where children often played.

The Sheriff’s Office says the victim was under 11 years old.

…

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The Bayelsa State Police Command has arrested a 50-year-old pastor, Ambros Mark, over allegations of sexually abusing two girls aged 13 and 14 in Yenagoa, the state capital.

The suspect was arrested on Saturday following a complaint that he allegedly defiled the minors, who were said to be members of his church.

Confirming the arrest on Wednesday, the command’s spokesperson, DSP Musa Mohammed, said the suspect was in police custody while investigations continued.

The case reportedly came to light after the 14-year-old girl disclosed the alleged abuse to her father, a police officer attached to the state command.

Her father subsequently reported the matter to the police, leading to the cleric’s arrest.

There were also allegations that attempts had been made to settle the matter financially, but the parents of the 13-year-old girl reportedly rejected the arrangement.

The claims have not been independently verified.

Reacting to the development, the Chairperson…

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Cyprian Pinto is accused of sexually abusing minor boys at the St Vincent Ferrer Church in Valencia, Mangaluru. Mangalore Bishop Peter Paul Saldanha was reportedly aware of the alleged abuse two months before the FIR was registered.

Mangaluru Catholic priest Father Cyprian Pinto, who was arrested on accusations of sexually abusing a minor boy at the St Vincent Ferrer Church in Valencia, has been granted bail. 

The Additional District and Sessions Judge of the Fast Track Special Court 1 in Mangaluru allowed his bail petition on Thursday, October 29. 

Cyprian Pinto was arrested on October 17, two days after a First Information Report was filed against him by the Mangaluru South police under Sections 8 (sexual assault) and 10 (aggravated sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 75(2) (sexual harassment) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

According to media reports,…

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Polish Bishop Andrzej Jeż was convicted on Thursday by a court in Tarnów for failing to promptly notify the authorities about sexual abuse committed against minors by two priests from his diocese. The ruling, which is not final, sets a precedent in Poland, marking the first criminal conviction of a bishop for covering up such acts.

The court ordered 25% of the bishop’s monthly salary to be withheld, with the money to be donated to a foundation for child protection. Jeż must also pay approximately €2,300 to the state fund supporting victims. Prosecutors had sought a 10-month suspended prison sentence, while the defense had requested an acquittal.

The case concerns the period from 2017 to 2020, when the bishop allegedly received credible information about abuse committed by Stanislaw P., accused of assaulting dozens of boys, and by Tomasz K. Jeż pleaded not guilty and cited the ambiguity of the legislation,…

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Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Argentina comes amid allegations of sexual abuse and other crimes involving Catholic clergy and lay members, with survivors demanding stronger action from the Vatican against those accused or convicted.

Victims have expressed frustration over the Vatican’s silence on church proceedings involving priests convicted in criminal courts. They are demanding that the clergy be defrocked, the Catholic Church’s most severe disciplinary punishment.

The papal visit, initially scheduled for Nov. 8-11, has stirred mixed feelings. Some survivors hope to meet Leo to share their experiences and demand action, while others, including members of a network of clergy abuse survivors, oppose his visit, saying the church has failed to deliver on its promises of “zero tolerance” for abuse.

Here are some of the major scandals involving the Catholic Church in Argentina:

Abuse allegations in Cordoba

Leo is scheduled to visit Córdoba province, where priest Alejandro…

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Polish Bishop Andrzej Jez was convicted on Thursday of failing to notify authorities about the ​sexual abuse of minors by two priests ‌from his diocese, in the highest-profile case of its kind involving a Catholic Church leader in Poland.

The case is the ​latest in a series of clergy abuse ​scandals that have eroded trust in the church ⁠in one of Europe’s most devoutly Catholic nations.

The Misinformation Monitor newsletter rounds up international misinformation narratives, with a “Real or Fake?” quiz in every edition. Sign up here.

• In ​2024, a bishop and an archbishop resigned over negligence in ​handling sexual abuse cases
• The court in the southern city of Tarnow sentenced Jez to two years of restriction of liberty to ​be carried out through deductions from his salary, ​PAP news agency reported. The verdict is not final
• Jez had ‌pleaded ⁠not guilty to the charges. In…

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The Freedom From Religion Foundation is calling attention to yet another staggering settlement involving sexual abuse by Catholic clergy.

The Archdiocese of New York has agreed to an $800 million settlement with approximately 1,300 survivors who say they were sexually abused by clergy. The agreement, announced over the weekend, would be the second-largest settlement involving a Catholic archdiocese in U.S. history. It underscores the devastating consequences of decades of institutional secrecy, misconduct and failures to protect children.

The settlement follows more than seven years of litigation and is expected to be formally signed in early November. It represents another extraordinary financial reckoning for an institution that has repeatedly failed to protect children from sexual predators within its ranks.

“Eight hundred million dollars. Thirteen hundred survivors. And that’s just one archdiocese,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “These numbers are almost impossible to comprehend, but behind every claim is…

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The deal covers 1,300 plaintiffs whose child sexual abuse cases are tied to the Catholic Church. A 74 analysis shows 337 of those cases name schools.

James Clemente was 15 years old the first summer he spent away from home at a Catholic youth camp, nestled in New York’s Shawangunk Mountains. 

Throughout his months at Camp Hayes, Clemente got to know director Michael O’Hara, who during the school year taught and coached basketball at a Catholic elementary school in Westchester. As the summer’s session reached its close, O’Hara invited him to stay and help close up camp for winter, leaving just “me and him on 600 acres of woods and a lake,” said Clemente. “We moved to a cabin that didn’t have a telephone.”

That first night, O’Hara took the teenage boy out to eat and to a local bar. After, he bought them a couple of six packs of…

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A Solano County jury found Matthew Shelton guilty of sexually abusing Benicia students. He was acquitted of similar allegations in Napa.

Editor’s Note: This story includes details of alleged sexual misconduct against minors.

A jury on Thursday found a former Benicia teacher guilty of sexually abusing four students at Robert Semple Elementary School, bringing to a close a criminal case that rocked the waterfront community and highlighted statewide gaps in educator vetting.

Matthew Shelton, 44, faced 12 felony counts of lewd acts with a child. He was convicted of 11 of those counts. The jury declared a mistrial for the remaining count.

This was not the first time Shelton had been on trial for sexually abusing elementary students. Nearly two decades ago, Shelton stood trial over similar allegations that he sexually abused students at Phillips Edison Elementary School, a charter school in Napa. The jury acquitted him in 2008…

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A former Wilmington Catholic school teacher who was arrested while working at an elementary school in Florida has been convicted of multiple sexual offenses involving a child in Delaware more than three decades ago.

The Delaware Department of Justice announced that Christopher Crisona, 58, was convicted on October 22, 2026, of three counts of Unlawful Sexual Intercourse First Degree, two counts of Unlawful Sexual Contact Second Degree, one count of Unlawful Sexual Penetration Third Degree, and Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child.

According to prosecutors, Crisona sexually abused a child between September 1, 1994, and June 15, 1995, while employed as a teacher at St. Thomas the Apostle School in Wilmington. He was removed from the school during the academic year following a student complaint but later worked at several other Catholic schools in Delaware.

His subsequent employment included St. Matthew’s in Wilmington in 1999, Corpus Christi in 1999, and…

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A Lower Richland pastor speaks out after an after-school care worker was arrested on allegations involving a child.

A man who worked in a Lower Richland church’s after-school care program is facing charges following allegations of misconduct involving a child. 

Trinity Church Pastor Jay Kennedy said the church is heartbroken over the allegations and is focused on supporting the affected families.

“We are heartbroken at even the possibility of harm coming to a child,” Kennedy said. “We subject all of our staff to thorough criminal background checks and abuse prevention training. Our heart is to protect children, so we want justice to be served. We’ve been participating in the investigation since the beginning and helping our families process this for a while. We’ve also expanded our security camera system and are offering counseling to those affected. Please keep them in your prayers.”

According to the Richland…

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A former Madison priest who turned himself in following an undercover child grooming investigation is scheduled to reach a plea deal in his case.

Andrew Showers, 38, is charged with attempting to groom a child for sexual activity and two counts of bail jumping. His attorney appeared by phone Tuesday. A plea and sentencing hearing was set for Feb. 8.

According to a criminal complaint, Showers communicated online with an undercover Wausau police officer whom he believed was a 15-year-old girl. Investigators say Showers used the Kik and Telegram messaging apps to send sexually explicit messages and photos, repeatedly referencing the girl’s age and acknowledging the legal risks of talking with a minor. Online court records list the offense date as March 8.

Showers was previously arrested in 2025 in Waupaca County, where authorities say he agreed online to meet with an undercover police sergeant posing as a 14-year-old girl.

…

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Former part-time Pensacola police officer Matthew Baxter, who was arrested this week on child porn charges, worked security for Echo Life Church in Pensacola in the past, as well as at several Escambia County Public Schools.

Echo Life Church has a Christian preschool and elementary classrooms, as well as multiple youth groups.

In an email sent to the congregation by Pastor Joe Driver, Echo said Baxter served as a contracted security officer through the Pensacola Police Department prior to his arrests. Echo terminated Baxter Oct. 4.

“We understand the concerns that have been raised regarding the arrest of Pensacola Police Officer Matthew Baxter,”

Driver wrote in the email. “We want you to know that we share those concerns, and we have been in contact with law enforcement authorities.” Driver told church members that authorities assured them that none of the allegations against Baxter involve church members, staff or…

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Gifts. Cash. A church title that, he said, came from God. And when a boy said no, humiliation in front of the congregation or a beating.

That, according to court records, is how a Lawton, Okla., pastor allegedly kept a boy under his control for years. It is also the pattern behind 15 felony sex charges filed against him this month.

James Lamont Newton, 53, who styles himself “Chief Apostle” and presiding prelate of Prophetic Judah Kingdom International, was arrested October 21 after police executed a search warrant. Jimmy L. Butler, 52, is charged as an accessory; investigators say he drove victims to Newton and stood at the door to keep others out.

Both men are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. That presumption covers the courtroom. It does not cover the ministry, which has questions to answer, regardless of what a jury decides.

The playbook, as the accuser describes…

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A nonprofit aiming to save the South Burlington parochial school campus from potential Chapter 11 liquidation has increased its bid to $5.9 million.

Supporters wanting to save the Vermont Roman Catholic Diocese’s flagship Rice Memorial High School from potential liquidation in the church’s ongoing Chapter 11 financial reorganization case have upped their offer from $4.3 million to $5.9 million.

The state’s largest religious denomination asked a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge this summer for permission to privately offer the grade 9-12 South Burlington campus to the new nonprofit entity RMHS Inc., whose principal officers are the nine members of the Rice School Board.

But a creditors’ committee representing more than 100 people who have filed clergy abuse claims against the diocese contested the plan’s initial price tag — spurring all sides to hold mediation talks this fall and supporters to raise their bid.

“The diocese has discussed…

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The father of a teenage girl who accused a priest of inappropriately touching her had reported the priest’s “increasingly disturbing” behavior to Bishop Robert Joseph McManus earlier than was previously known, police records show.

The father of the girl had sent a letter to McManus complaining about then-reverend Alan J. Martineau on Aug. 22, 2021, weeks before another priest reported other questionable behavior by Martineau. The letter did not describe the alleged abuse of the girl. But it described a pattern of bizarre behavior by Martineau, including an alleged nighttime entrance into the family’s house.

“My wife was so distressed when hearing about Father clandestinely entering our home with our sons there that she was physically shaking . . . and this is only the most recent in a long series of spiritually, socially, and psychologically abusive behavior,” the girl’s father wrote in his letter,…

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The pontiff will continue his custom of meeting abuse victims on papal trips during his apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru.

The Vatican announced Tuesday that Pope Leo XIV will hold “several meetings” with victims of clerical sexual abuse during his apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru from Nov. 6–17.

“During the days of the Holy Father’s upcoming apostolic journey to Latin America, several meetings are planned with people who are victims of abuse by members of the clergy and the Church,” the Holy See Press Office said in a statement.

The Vatican also explained that these meetings “reflect the Pope’s desire to express his closeness to those who have suffered, and continue to suffer, because of this violence.”

However, the Vatican did not specify the number of meetings or how they were to be conducted. Its statement, however, emphasized that the popeʼs objective is “to work with…

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Pope Leo XIV will meet with survivors of clergy sexual abuse during his upcoming trip to Latin America, which will take the American pope to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, the Vatican said Tuesday.

The Vatican statement didn’t say when the encounters would take place or where, but said “several meetings are planned,” suggesting more than one encounter. The Nov. 6-17 trip is going ahead as planned despite Leo’s Oct. 13 lung cancer surgery which had put the trip in question.

Continuing the practice of his two recent predecessors, Leo met with abuse survivors in June in Spain and most recently in France. Ahead of the French trip, the Vatican confirmed the meeting ahead of time rather than after it took place, as had been the previous practice.

“These meetings reflect the pope’s desire to express his solidarity with those who have suffered and continue to suffer as…

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 Pope Leo will meet with survivors of sexual ​abuse by Catholic clergy during his November ‌6 to 17 three-country tour of South America, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

Leo, who is recovering from lung ​cancer surgery, will visit Uruguay, Argentina and ​Peru on one of the most intense ⁠foreign trips taken by a pope in decades, after ​being deemed fit for the journey by his doctor ​on Monday.

“Several meetings are planned with people who have been victims of abuse by members of the clergy and ​the Church,” the Vatican said in its ​Tuesday statement.

“These meetings reflect the pope’s desire to express his ‌closeness ⁠to those who have suffered, and who still suffer, because of this violence,” it said.

Leo, 71, has held meetings with survivors of abuse by ​clergy on ​several of ⁠his foreign visits, including in France last month.

In that encounter, the pope…

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Poland’s bishops announced Saturday that they had approved the revised statutes of a long-delayed independent commission investigating abuse in the Church and named a historian to lead it.

The Polish bishops’ conference said Oct. 24 that the commission of independent experts (Komisja niezależnych ekspertów) — initially approved in 2023 — would be led by Piotr Franaszek, a professor at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków.

In a statement at the end of their Oct. 22-24 plenary meeting in Zakopane, the bishops said the revised statutes would be submitted to a government ministry as part of the process of securing legal personality for the commission under Polish law. This step will give the independent commission a legal status distinct from that of the bishops’ conference.

Speaking at a press conference, bishops’ conference spokesman Fr. Leszek Gęsiak, S.J., said the approval of the revised statutes and appointment of a chairman…

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A 63-year-old East New York pastor has been sentenced to 14 years in prison and 10 years of post-release supervision after a Brooklyn jury convicted him of repeatedly sexually assaulting a girl from his own congregation, starting when she was just 11 years old. Paul Lewis founded and led Messengers for Christ World Healing Center, a church with branches stretching from Brooklyn to Jamaica, Trinidad and Germany.

A Decade-Old Crime Finally Reaches Sentencing

Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Naiburg handed down the sentence, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. Lewis was convicted on September 24 following a jury trial on a charge of first-degree course of sexual conduct against a child, the office says. The victim and her family were members of his congregation, and prosecutors say he knew them well through the church.

Between September 3 and December 23, 2014, prosecutors say Lewis repeatedly…

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A fourth victim has come forward and accused a former middle school teacher and track coach of sexual abuse, court records show.

James ‘Jim’ Wilder III, 60, was indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday, and that indictment came with an additional charge.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Reopened cold case against former teacher finds more victims of sexual abuse, prosecutors say

Wilder now faces four counts of second-degree statutory sodomy and one count of first-degree attempted statutory sodomy with a person less than 14 years old.

Wilder was a Lindbergh School District middle school teacher and track coach during the time of the charges, investigators say.

Wilder was first charged in September after investigators had reopened a case against him that had gone cold after his first accuser, Emilie Morris, died before being able to face him at trial.

Investigators were able to pursue the case after a change in…

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A Midlands church daycare worker is out on bond after being charged in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a child, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

Zachary Turnage, 34, was arrested Oct. 10 and charged with second-degree assault and battery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, the sheriff’s department said.

Deputies were first notified of Turnage in August after the child’s mother reported finding inappropriate text messages and images from him on the child’s phone. The child was between the ages of 7 and 12, according to the sheriff’s department.

Investigators later learned that the child attended after-school care at Trinity Church on Hallbrook Drive, where Turnage worked, the department said.

According to documents provided by the sheriff’s department, the mother told deputies she received a phone call about “some things today that had been going on at the church.”

She then decided to check…

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Jose Mora, the man accused of inappropriate contact with children met through Tucson’s Golden Dawn Tabernacle Church, will spend time behind bars after pleading guilty.

Mora was sentenced on Tuesday, Oct. 27, to 10 years in prison. Mora was given credit for more than 500 days served. He must register as a sex offender upon his release. On Sept. 28, More pled guilty to one count of attempted sexual conduct with a minor under 15 

The investigation began in October 2023 after detectives identified Mora as a suspect following a review of a news article where he made statements that appeared to confirm his involvement, according to TPD. In January 2025, a second victim came forward, prompting detectives to uncover multiple incidents involving young boys from the congregation.

On April 10, 2025, federal authorities in Eloy informed TPD that Mora was in custody on an unrelated matter. TPD detectives traveled to…

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A federal grand jury in Columbia returned a nine-count indictment, presented by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, charging Richard Channing Shealy, 54, of Lexington, for producing, distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material.*

The indictment alleges that in February 2026, Shealy shared CSAM files with an undercover Homeland Security Investigations agent using a peer-to-peer file sharing network. After obtaining a search warrant, law enforcement searched Shealy’s home and uncovered more CSAM files on Shealy’s computer. Among the files discovered were pictures of a child that Shealy abused in 2004 and 2006.  

Shealy faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison on four counts of producing child sexual abuse material and up to 20 years in federal prison on the distribution and possession charges. Shealy also faces fines of up to $250,000 on each count.  

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of…

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The Holy See’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) has issued a penal precept for Father Scott Kallal. In implementing the DDF’s penal precept, and for the safety of the faithful, Archbishop Shawn McKnight has established restrictions governing Father Kallal’s ministry, consistent with the precept and within his authority as archbishop.

A penal precept is a formal, binding order under Church law that establishes specific requirements or prohibitions and applies a penalty for noncompliance. Under these restrictions, Father Kallal must abide by a safety plan and is prohibited from conduct with minors that could be reasonably understood as grooming, favoritism, inappropriate physical contact, or conduct that is likely to create scandal among the faithful. He will not be assigned to parish ministry or engage in ministry with…

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Last week, the New York Catholic Archdiocese agreed to an $800 million settlement with survivors of sexual abuse. Legal experts say the agreement could serve as a barometer for survivors who are still negotiating for restitution with Baltimore’s Catholic Archdiocese.

New York’s agreement involved 1,300 people who were abused from the 1950s to near present day. A report from the Maryland attorney general established that more than 600 children were abused by nearly 160 priests in the Baltimore Archdiocese over the last 80 years.

However, about 1,000 people have filed claims for restitution after the Baltimore Archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in 2023. The attorney general’s report noted that there were likely many more survivors than the office was able to confirm.

Theresea Lancaster, a lawyer for the survivors, said the agreement, along with others, is a good marker for what survivors deserve.

“The $800 million settlement…

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Letter to priests says an agreement has been reached, with signing scheduled for early Nov.

Archbishop Ronald Hicks on Saturday communicated with the clergy of the Archdiocese of New York regarding the terms of a proposed settlement of claims under the Child Victims Act (CVA), in an email seen by The Good Newsroom.

“I am sure by now you have all seen or heard the reports, first published in The New York Times, that an agreement has been reached to resolve all outstanding claims brought against the Archdiocese of New York, our parishes, and affiliated agencies, under the Child Victims Act.

“While the deal is not yet final – and won’t be until the settlement is signed, now scheduled for the week of November 6th – we have, in fact, reached an understanding with all of the plaintiffs and their attorneys. We are on the verge of being able to,…

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A survivor is speaking out after the Catholic Archdiocese of New York agreed to pay more than $800 million to settle clergy sexual abuse claims brought by more than 1,000 survivors.

For Joseph Caramanno, the agreement brings a sense of validation he said he feared might never come, along with protections for future victims he was not sure would ever be implemented.

Caramanno accused a priest at his former high school, St. Joseph by the Sea on Staten Island, of sexually abusing him in 2001 when he was 16 years old.

“It still doesn’t seem real,” Caramanno said.

He also criticized how his allegations were handled under Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

“Cardinal Dolan went on the record in one interview basically saying that I was honest and we’re not going to look into it based on a press conference, you know one press conference,” Caramanno said.

Settlement…

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SNAP demands more than money to compensate survivors of clerical abuse in the Archdiocese of New York for the trauma they endured and for the betrayal by their church that failed to protect them.

Angela Walker, Executive Director of SNAP Survivors Network, said full accountability means that all those who shielded perpetrators of abuse must also be brought to justice.

“The church has hidden behind this wall of silence for far too long,” she said. “The settlement is one step on the road to justice, but we encourage survivors to demand accountability from those in the church who hid the abuse and allowed it to continue.”

Approximately 1,300 survivors of clergy sexual abuse and their attorneys unanimously agreed Friday to an $800 million settlement with the Archdiocese of New York to resolve all claims under New York’s Child Victims Act.

In an email to clergy confirming the agreement, Archbishop Ronald…

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As part of the settlement, the archdiocese must publicly identify clergy members and other church leaders credibly accused of sexual abuse

NEED TO KNOW

• The Archdiocese of New York has agreed to pay more than $800 million to approximately 1,300 people who say they were sexually abused by clergy members and other church leaders
• Reached after more than seven years of litigation, the agreement is the second-largest sexual abuse settlement involving a U.S. Catholic archdiocese
• Survivors can choose a payment of at least $250,000 or seek a potentially larger amount through an individual review, while the archdiocese must publicly identify credibly accused abusers and preserve records of abuse

The Archdiocese of New York has agreed to pay more than $800 million to approximately 1,300 people who say they were sexually abused by clergy members and other church leaders, marking the second-largest settlement of its kind involving…

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After an investigation that lasted more than a month, a Massachusetts man is facing charges in connection with the rape of a child in the basement of a church in Milford, police announced.

Milford police said Raul Feliciano, 63, of Worcester, lured the victim to the church last month.

The investigation began on Sept. 9, after the victim reported the incident to Milford detectives. Feliciano was arrested on Friday by the Worcester Police Department and is charged with rape of a child and indecent assault and battery on a child under 14.

“To violate a child is among the most heinous of crimes. Doing so in a place of worship only further cements the depravity of this assault,” Milford Police Chief Robert Tusino said in a statement.

Bail was set at $15,000, and Feliciano is due back in court this week.

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Licensed mental health counselor Paul Fahey has published the definitive resource on Catholic spiritual abuse—but he says there is still work left to be done.

When Paul Fahey published his first paper on spiritual abuse—the misuse of spiritual or religious authority to control or harm another person—he had no idea how well it would be received.

“I found I had stepped into a gap I didn’t even know existed,” Fahey, a licensed mental health counselor, says.

Shortly after the paper, titled “The Place Where You Stand is Holy Ground,” went live, messages started coming in from people writing to him about their own harmful experiences in the Catholic Church.

The variety of accounts surprised him; they represented every corner of the church, from parishes to convents to Catholic families.
He published the paper, he says, because he wished he had something like it during his time as a director of…

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The television ad begins with a dark video of an empty swing and the faint sound of children’s voices in the background, then shifts to footage of vacant pews inside a church.

After that comes an image of Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach.

“They were children, sexually abused by Catholic clergy in Kansas,” a voice says. “One hundred eighty-eight suspected predators, and Kris Kobach has a file with their names. But he won’t release the list, covering up for clergy alleged to have committed rape and sexual battery.”

“Many may still live in Kansas,” continues the 30-second ad paid for by the Kansas Values Institute, “but you’d never know if one lives next door, because of Kris Kobach. Survivors deserve justice. Kansas deserves the truth. Tell Kobach, prosecute the abusers.”

Clergy sex abuse has become a heated issue in the Kansas attorney…

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A pastor’s authority carries responsibility. Families who seek spiritual guidance should be able to trust that the person behind the pulpit will respect their safety, dignity, and boundaries.

Benjamin Garate, the former senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Montrose in Colorado, was arrested October 21, 2026, in connection with allegations of sexual assault and child abuse. The church subsequently announced his removal.

The allegations demand a careful investigation and a response that puts the affected person’s safety and privacy first.

Garate is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The reporting reviewed describes an arrest and pending allegations, not a conviction.

Key Takeaways

• Benjamin Garate, 72, was arrested in connection with sexual assault and child abuse allegations.
• He served as senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Montrose.
• The church board announced his removal following the arrest.
• The case raises questions about pastoral oversight, reporting channels, and safeguards.
• Institutional liability requires evidence of an…

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[See also the text of the complaint.]

Key Points

• A new lawsuit alleges the late Bishop Louis E. Gelineau was one of three priests who sexually abused a man starting when he was a 10-year-old altar boy.
• This is the first time Gelineau, who died in 2024, has been publicly named as an alleged abuser, though he was previously cited for failing to stop abuse.
• The lawsuit claims the abuse occurred multiple times over several years at St. Luke’s Church in Barrington, Rhode Island.

While the late Bishop Louis E. Gelineau is named in the attorney general’s report on clergy sex abuse as one of the higher-ups in the Rhode Island Catholic Church who failed, over many decades, to stop the molestation of children, a newly filed suit publicly names Gelineau for the first time as one of the alleged abusers.

The…

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. . . Requiring the Archdiocese of New York Enterprise to Account & Take Responsibility for the Massive Institutional Failures of the Past That Permitted Predators to Abound

Survivors of clergy sexual abuse and their attorneys have agreed to an $800 million settlement with approximately 1,300 survivors of the Archdiocese of New York. All survivors who filed claims against the Archdiocese of New York have agreed to the settlement plan.

“The $800 million payout by the Archdiocese of New York is far from a full measure of justice. For the horrors inflicted, for decades, it does mark a momentous moment of real reckoning.” – Jeff Anderson

The New York Child Victims Act, passed by the New York Legislature, Allowed Survivors to Bring Civil Claims

The Child Victims Act gave voice to survivors, and it was a shift in public policy in New York, made by lawmakers to protect children and the…

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Before the report on abuse, the Vatican published a document dealing with the Catholic Church’s ability to keep its own flock.

Why does Venite ad Me dismiss the role of abuse in the Catholic Church’s ability to grow and sustain itself?

On Thursday, October 22, days before the presentation of the 2026 report from Tutela Minorum, the entity created by Pope Francis to address the clergy sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), where Tutela is located in the Vatican structure, published a lengthy document dealing with the “transmission of the faith in an epochal change.”

As per the Vatican’s practice, the document’s title Venite ad Me comes from the Latin original and it references a passage in Matthew’s Gospel (11:28) where Jesus offers his embrace as a chance to rest and recover energies, an invitation to…

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Cardinal Blase Cupich sends letters informing parishes that a child sex abuse allegation against Fr. Kenneth Fleck is deemed “unfounded.”

OAK LAWN, IL—A former priest who spent time serving at St. Catherine of Alexandria Church has been cleared of an allegation of sexual abuse against a minor following an investigation by the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Rev. Kenneth Fleck served at the Oak Lawn parish as an administrator in 2022, in addition to four other Catholic parishes on Chicago’s South Side and south suburbs. Cardinal Blase Cupich asked Fleck to step down from ministry in July after the archdiocese had received a more than 30-year-old allegation of sex abuse against a minor. The abuse was said to have reportedly taken place at the former Our Lady of Peace, where Fleck was a deacon from June to December 1975.

Letters…

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A retired priest has been cleared by the Archdiocese of Chicago after a sexual abuse allegation.

In July, the Archdiocese announced that Fr. Kenneth Fleck was being investigated for a 30-year-old allegation against a minor.

Blase Cardinal Cupich issued the letters to the communities of Saint Catherine of Alexandria Parish in Oak Lawn, Christ Our Savior Parish in South Holland, Saint George Parish in Tinley Park, Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood, and Saint Katherine Drexel Parish in Chicago’s Calumet Heights neighborhood about the allegations against Fr. Fleck.

This happened more than 30 years ago, and Fleck, who is now retired, has strongly denied that he has ever sexually abused anyone, the July letter said.

In a new letter to the six parishes issued Saturday, Cupich wrote that the Archdiocese’s Independent Review Board investigated and determined “that there is not a reasonable cause…

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A primer from people in the know about the state’s largest religious denomination and its two years (and counting) of Chapter 11 plot twists.

Leaders of the Vermont Roman Catholic Diocese said filing for Chapter 11 financial protection in the fall of 2024 promised the church stability amid a rising number of payouts to resolve priest misconduct lawsuits.

So why, two years later, is the state’s largest religious denomination seeking to withdraw its request?

The church’s explanation remains the same: escalating costs — this time, to pay for all the wrangling the Chapter 11 process was supposed to resolve.

“The diocese does not believe it can afford to incur even greater legal bills,” Bishop John McDermott wrote in a recent statement about attorney fees that have hit $2 million and counting.

The church has repeatedly declined to comment further when asked about the case. But as…

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[This 35-minute video interview with Paulina Guzik, Polish journalist and author of the book Truth Heals, explores the task of educating bishops, diocesan communications directors, victim assistance coordinators, and Catholics generally, in the value of speaking with survivors. Guzik speaks about her interview with the Polish survivor known at the time as Victor, and the impact on her and on him of that interview. She also talks about her conversation with Chicago survivor Michael Hoffman and the effect on him of his meeting with Cardinal Francis George, who did not press Hoffman to forgive. Guzik compares the clergy abuse situation in the United States with the resistance that Catholic prelates have shown in other countries, especially in Africa, and also explores the deficient approach to safeguarding in the secular world, particularly in schools. Guzik explains that her book had its beginnings in the 2019 clergy abuse revelations in Poland,…

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Dr Virginia Miller is a research fellow at the Centre for Religion, Ethics and Society, Charles Sturt University, Canberra. She is the author of four books and numerous articles on child sexual abuse, elder abuse, euthanasia and religious freedom.

Last year she published ‘Child Sexual Abuse Inquiries and the Catholic Church: Reassessing the Evidence’. Michael Cook, of The Catholic Weekly, recently interviewed her about her findings.

You have analysed inquiries into child sexual abuse which were conducted in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Ireland, England and Wales, Spain, Italy and France. Which were the best and which were the worst?

The ideal inquiry into child sexual abuse would be objective/evidence-driven, forensic in nature, free from ideological bias, and offer significant recommendations for child safety in terms of current deficiencies in the Church and other institutions of interest.

In my view none of the inquiries fully met this standard….

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The Archdiocese of New York and attorneys for around 1,300 people who reported sexual abuse by clergy have agreed to an $800 million settlement of their legal claims.

An agreement to resolve more than seven years of litigation over clerical sexual abuse would see the Archdiocese of New York pay $800 million to settle claims brought by approximately 1,300 parishioners.

Archbishop Ronald Hicks, Archbishop of New York, confirmed the agreement in an email to clergy on Saturday, October 24.

He noted that it would become final only after the parties signed it, with signing scheduled for the week of November 6.

The settlement follows a framework agreed in May that required the consent of everyone who had filed a claim.

“We are on the verge of being able to, please God, bring some measure of healing and reconciliation to all victim-survivors,” Archbishop Hicks wrote.

He also said the agreement would…

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About 1,300 survivors of clergy sexual abuse have unanimously agreed to an $800 million settlement with the Archdiocese of New York, marking one of the largest payouts by a Catholic diocese in the United States.

The agreement follows more than seven years of litigation stemming from claims filed under New York’s Child Victims Act, or CVA, which changed the state’s strict statute of limitations on sexual crimes against children and opened up a one-year window to revive past claims of any age. Jeff Anderson & Associates, which represents 300 abuse survivors, announced on Oct. 24 that all claimants had agreed to the settlement plan.

The settlement emerged after nearly a year of negotiations between the archdiocese and attorneys representing abuse survivors amid concerns that a potential Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing could complicate or delay compensation. The parties first reached a settlement framework in May.

“The unanimous agreement of survivors…

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‘There is not a reasonable cause to believe Father Fleck sexually abused the person making the accusation,’ Cupich letter reads

A Chicago priest has been returned to ministry after an investigation into an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor, the Archdiocese of Chicago said.

In July, the Archdiocese of Chicago sent letters to multiple church communities after Father Kenneth Fleck was accused of sexual abuse more than 30 years ago at Our Lady of Peace Parish.

He has served at parishes in Oak Lawn, South Holland, Tinley Park and Chicago.

Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, sent a letter to multiple parishes Saturday to inform them of Father Fleck’s reinstatement after the Independent Review Board’s investigation.

“After receiving the results of their thorough investigation, the IRB determined that there is not a reasonable cause to believe Father Fleck sexually abused the person making the accusation,” the letter read…

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The Catholic Archdiocese of New York on Saturday reached a settlement with more than 1,300 accusers who said they were sexually abused by clergy members and lay leaders, with The New York Times reporting the settlement amount is $800 million.

In an email obtained by the Daily News, New York Archbishop Ronald Hicks informed priests that, while the deal won’t be finalized until the week of Nov. 6, an understanding has been reached with all the plaintiffs and their attorneys.

“We have, in fact, reached an understanding with all of the plaintiffs and their attorneys,” Hicks wrote. “We are on the verge of being able to, please God, bring some measure of healing and reconciliation to all victim-survivors. This agreement will also allow the archdiocese to turn its full attention once again to its mission of preaching the Gospel, healing the sick, caring for the poor and needy,…

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The Archdiocese of New York has agreed to pay more than $800 million to settle sexual abuse claims made by 1,300 people who said they were victimized by clergy members and lay people in positions of leadership in the Roman Catholic Church.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs sent an email late Friday to the priests of the archdiocese announcing the planned settlement, The New York Times reported.

But all the alleged victims must sign off on the agreement before the archdiocese goes forward with the payout.

Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks confirmed to the Times Saturday that the deal will not be finalized until all parties involved – the plaintiffs, the lawyers and the archdiocese – sign it.

“We are on the verge of being able to, please God, bring some measure of healing and reconciliation to all victim-survivors,” he told the outlet.

The settlement would give…

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The Archdiocese of New York and attorneys for about 1,300 parishioners who said they were sexually abused by clergy have agreed to an $800 million settlement of their legal claims, the second-largest involving a Catholic archdiocese in the U.S.

Archbishop Ronald Hicks sent an email Saturday to clergy confirming the settlement after attorneys for the survivors of alleged abuse announced it. Hicks said the agreement will not be final until the parties sign it, an action scheduled for the week of Nov. 6.

The only larger settlement over sexual abuse claims in the U.S. was by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which agreed in 2024 to pay $880 million to 1,000 abuse victims, in addition to $740 million in claims it had paid previously. In June, the Archdiocese of San Francisco agreed to a $395 million settlement over about 500 lawsuits filed over clergy abuse, and in…

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The Archdiocese of Baltimore and the survivors committee reported significant progress during Friday’s bankruptcy court hearing, raising hopes for a settlement in the church’s Chapter 11 case by the end of the year.

“We have three full days of mediation next week,” one lawyer said during the hearing. “Locking ourselves in a courtroom will get a deal done, hopefully.”

The court was told that the structure of the plan is not an issue, but the dollar amount remains a key point of negotiation.

“We are working toward a monetary resolution,” the lawyer added.

The mediation now includes three parties, as Baltimore’s Catholic parishes, schools, and affiliates have been brought into the discussions.

Attorney Teresa Lancaster, an abuse survivor, shared her cautious perspective on the developments.

“I refuse to get too excited about it. My concern is for the survivors, you know, they’ve been led ups and downs and they hang…

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The Roman Catholic archdiocese might now avoid bankruptcy by reaching a settlement with 1,300 people who said they had been abused by clergy members and lay leaders.

The Archdiocese of New York and plaintiffs’ lawyers were closing in on a settlement on Friday in which the church would pay more than $800 million to settle claims from 1,300 people who said they had been sexually abused by its clergy members and lay leaders.

The plaintiffs’ lawyers said that they had finalized the settlement with the archdiocese and that all of the plaintiffs had signed off on it.

But Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the archdiocese, said in an interview on Friday night that the parties were still working to finalize the agreement. “We are not quite there yet,” he said.

Terms of the settlement would call for each plaintiff to have the option of receiving a lump-sum payment of…

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New details in the case of an Eastern Kentucky pastor arrested earlier this month on charges related to child sexual exploitation.

Jared Salmons’ case advanced to federal court, where he was indicted on Thursday in London.

He was charged with four counts of knowingly producing obscene visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, involving five minor victims between late September and mid-October in Knott County.

He was also federally indicted on four counts of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.

Federal prosecutors say an iPhone 17 Pro Max seized from Salmons is subject to forfeiture.

Salmons was a pastor in Perry County and also worked as general manager of the Knott County Water and Sewer District before being fired after his arrest.

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A 33 year old pastor has been remanded to the Belize Central Prison after being charged with sexual offences.

Kevin Tzib faces six counts of sexual assault and one count of unnatural crime.

Police say the charges were brought after four separate reports were made against him.

Tzib was arraigned on Thursday in San Ignacio, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges. Bail was denied, and he was remanded to prison.

Police have not released further details of the allegations.

The charges are allegations, and Tzib is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

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A Lawton pastor has been arrested and faces multiple felony sexual abuse and rape charges.

Lawton Police Department officers arrested James Lamont Newton, 53, following the execution of a search warrant on Oct. 21 in connection with an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse.

According to court documents, LPD began investigating allegations reported in September 2026 that Newton sexually assaulted two juvenile males. The first reported incident occurred in 2010, with several additional instances of alleged sexual abuse reported from that time through 2023.

Court documents state one victim alleged Newton used gifts, church status and financial assistance to gain control over him. The victim also reported multiple occasions in which Newton shamed boys within the church for failing to comply with demands and allegedly became physically violent if they refused.

Investigators also noted two previous reports of sexual abuse allegations made against Newton in 1998 and 1999, examining whether…

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The Derry Diocese said it received no prior concerns or complaints relating to paedophile priest Fr Edward Gallagher’s conduct with seminarians before his arrest, following fresh allegations of alleged grooming and inappropriate behaviour during visits to Maynooth seminary.

In its October 22 edition, The Irish News reported that an anonymous former seminarian, who was 18 at the time, claimed they made separate formal complaints to two senior priests in the Diocese of Derry regarding Gallagher’s conduct in the late 1990s.

As reported in the Irish News article, it was alleged Gallagher asked intrusive questions about whether seminarians had girlfriends, frequently complimented them on their appearance and invited them to go for drives with him.

The former seminarian said that he found Gallagher intimidating and had warned other students not to be alone with him. According to The Irish News, the complainant claimed it was “an open secret” within Maynooth that…

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Majority of crimes considered to have ‘lapsed’

After the extraordinary revelations – and the sense of hope – that came from the independent commission set up almost four years ago to investigate child sex abuse within the Portuguese Catholic Church, Expresso reports that none of the complaints that emerged from the woodwork have led to formal charges being brought in court.

In a nutshell, all claims made against Catholic priests still living have been archived.

In the majority of cases, cases were dismissed because the alleged offences were already time-barred under criminal law. In the other cases, they met the same fate as there was considered to be “insufficient solid evidence” to proceed with an indictment (in spite of the commission’s belief that more than 100 abusers were still working as priests).

Although the law states that the statute of limitations for such offences only begins to run…

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A new lawsuit accuses three Rhode Island priests, including former Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence Louis Gelineau, of sexually abusing an altar boy several times at a Barrington parish.

The victim, who was 10 years old when he first became an altar boy at St. Luke’s Parish, filed a lawsuit against the church and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence last week.RELATED: Lawsuit accuses former bishop, two priests of abusing altar boy

The lawsuit revealed that Father Oscar Ferland sexually abused the victim numerous times between the years of 1982 and 1987. It also noted that Gelineau assaulted the victim twice while visiting the parish, and Father Robert Cabral molested him while on trips to Rocky Point Amusement Park.

Ferland, Gelineau and Cabaral have since passed away.

Globe Rhode Island Reporter Amanda Milkovitz sat down with the victim who explained why he waited decades to come forward about…

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John A. Camardo, III, was sentenced in court to eight years in prison and 10 years of post-release supervision.

A former executive pastor at The Chapel and youth soccer coach was sentenced to eight years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to sexually abusing two children in Amherst.

John Camardo III, 47, of Williamsville, was sentenced before State Supreme Court Justice Deborah Haendiges to a determinate term of eight years in prison, followed by 10 years of post-release supervision. He will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release.

The sentencing came after Camardo pleaded guilty in July 2026 to rape in the second degree and course of sexual conduct against a child in the second degree, both Class D violent felonies.

According to prosecutors, Camardo engaged in sexual intercourse with a victim younger than 15 between April and May 2024. He also…

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A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Pawleys Island Community Church, Pawleys Island Christian Academy and several other defendants accused of allowing a registered sex offender to work on a campus where children attended school.

U.S. District Judge Richard Mark Gergel dismissed the proposed class-action lawsuit Sept. 15, finding that the plaintiffs failed to meet the financial requirements needed to bring the case in federal court.

The lawsuit, filed Aug. 4, alleged that the church and school allowed Warren Spencer Perry, a convicted and registered sex offender, to volunteer in a custodial maintenance position that gave him access to children attending the academy.

According to the complaint, church and school officials knew Perry was a registered sex offender but did not tell parents that he was working on campus and had repeated access to students.

The lawsuit was brought by two parents, identified as John Doe and Jane Doe,…

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John A. Camardo, III, 47, of Williamsville, was sentenced Oct. 19 to eight years in prison plus 10 years of post-release supervision after pleading guilty to rape in the second degree and course of sexual conduct against a child.

The former executive pastor at The Chapel in Getzville and youth soccer coach with the Amherst Soccer Association and Amherst Hawks received the sentence from State Supreme Court Justice Deborah Haendiges. He must register as a sex offender.

Between April and May 2024 he engaged in sexual intercourse with a victim under 15, and between April 2025 and June 2026 he engaged in multiple acts of sexual conduct with a second victim under 13. Both crimes occurred in Amherst and he knew the victims. Final orders of protection were issued through 2054.

Invoking 1 Timothy 5:20-21, church leadership issued a public rebuke of Camardo’s actions in a letter to The Chapel…

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The former senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Montrose was arrested in connection with a case involving child sexual abuse, the church announced.

Benjamin Garate is no longer employed by the church and was removed from all pastoral duties and leadership responsibilities, Calvary Chapel Montrose posted on social media.

According to court records, Garate has two hearings on Thursday afternoon. He is accused of several sex charges and child abuse. His bond was set at $60,000.

“We condemn sexual abuse in every form. We have zero tolerance for sexual abuse, exploitation, or the misuse of spiritual authority. Such conduct is fundamentally contrary to our Christian beliefs and our responsibility to protect the vulnerable,” the church stated.

Calvary Chapel stated it supports a thorough investigation and is cooperating with law enforcement.

The board is currently overseeing church operations and finances, while Pastor John Krabill will continue to serve…

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A Christian worship singer has been hit with a nine-count federal indictment.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina said in an Oct. 21 news release that 54-year-old Richard Channing Shealy was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges for producing, distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material.

The charges follow 33 similar charges brought against Shealy by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. At the time of his initial arrest, he was married to the chair of the Lexington One school board.

Who is Richard Channing Shealy?

Before being arrested for charges related to child sexual abuse material in March, Shealy was a Christian worship singer. He was once a guest speaker with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Gilbert High School, according to a December Facebook post that is no longer available. He served as an interim worship…

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The movement says research into the allegations is far from complete and could take years, and that the evidence may confirm or fail to substantiate them.

The Schoenstatt movement in Germany has asked people who knew its founder, Father Joseph Kentenich, to share memories and documents as research into allegations against him continues, including any experiences of possible abuse.

In 2020, abuse allegations against Kentenich became public, and the Diocese of Trier suspended his beatification cause in 2022.

The appeal, published Oct. 15 on the movement’s German website, explicitly invites accounts of experiences “perceived as crossing boundaries or as abusive.”

“Historical research into the allegations against Father Joseph Kentenich is in full swing and far from complete,” the movement said.

Schoenstatt has a contact page for people seeking to participate.

“Incriminating evidence may be confirmed; it may equally turn out that allegations…

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Trial testi­mony began Oct. 19 in the case of a former Wilm­ing­ton Cath­olic school teacher accused of rap­ing a stu­dent in the ‘90s.

Chris­topher Crisona is a former teacher of the now-defunct St. Thomas the Apostle School in Wilm­ing­ton. He is charged with mul­tiple felon­ies tied to claims that he repeatedly raped a stu­dent at the school in the ‘90s.

Open­ing state­ments pre­viewed a trial that will focus both on the dec­ades-old recol­lec­tions of the vic­tim while the defense will seek to dis­credit those memor­ies by delving into the sci­ence of repressed memor­ies and the vic­tims’ thera­peutic care through the years.

Crisona was charged along­side John Tag­gart, a former priest at the school who also faces mul­tiple sex abuse felon­ies. Tag­gart’s trial is sched­uled for Janu­ary. St. Thomas the Apostle School, formerly loc­ated in the 200 block of Bayard Ave., closed in 2008 after 105 years.

Trial testi­mony on the…

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After report on clergy abuse from attorney general, legislation still in limbo

AN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of Massachusetts residents say they believe that the state should eliminate the statute of limitations for reporting child sexual abuse, but Beacon Hill leadership doesn’t seem eager to talk about a bill under negotiation that could do just that.

Legislative leaders this week have kept their comments general about a provision tacked onto the House’s version of a primary care reform bill that would eliminate the statute of limitations on civil child sexual abuse cases, remove the $20,000 charitable immunity cap, and create a two-year window for survivors to revive expired abuse claims.

The amendment, adopted with little fanfare in the closing days for formal business this summer, was introduced by Rep. John Lawn, of Watertown, who serves as House chair of the Legislature’s Health Care Financing Committee.

Lawn, himself a…

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Two lawsuits filed Wednesday allege a church and school in Volusia County failed to protect young boys from ongoing sexual abuse by an employee who had already been investigated by police for similar crimes.

Richard Tripp, 31, and Camron Armstrong, 24, are separately suing the institutions they say were supposed to protect them from Matthew Clark Graziotti. Graziotti was sentenced in 2015 to 210 years in federal prison after sexually abusing 29 children under the age of 12 and creating child pornography of the acts, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

His 2014 arrest shocked the South Daytona community and parents whose children attended Warner Christian Academy, where Graziotti was a fifth grade teacher until he was picked up by the FBI.

Armstrong was a student at Warner Christian, while Tripp attended Edgewater Alliance Church in Edgewater where Graziotti served as a youth pastor.

Tripp’s suit against the church,…

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For the first time, a 56-year-old man has detailed in writing the abuse he allegedly suffered at the hands of three Rhode Island priests, including former Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence Louis Gelineau, while serving as an altar boy at a Barrington parish.

The victim, who was 10 years old when he first became an altar boy at St. Luke’s Parish, filed a lawsuit against the church and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence last week.

The lawsuit explains that the victim’s decision to become an altar boy at the parish in 1982 was “a point of pride” in his family, who were devout Irish Catholics.SEE ALSO: Clergy sex abuse lawsuit filed against the Diocese of Providence

It wasn’t long before Father Oscar Ferland took a special interest in him, per the lawsuit.

“This began years of sexual abuse that continued through approximately 1987,” the…

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A new lawsuit alleges that Bishop Louis E. Gelineau, the former leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, raped an altar boy at St. Luke’s Church in Barrington in the 1980s.

The alleged victim, now 56, said he had not talked about his experience before. “Who’s going to believe a 13-year-old?” he said.

Gelineau, who died in 2024 at age 96, has never before been publicly accused of sexually abusing children.

For 25 years, Gelineau oversaw a system where priests accused of abuse were moved from parish to parish and to treatment centers and back, keeping those incidents quiet.

Now, the former altar boy, a Newport man who is 56, is suing the diocese for abuse that he said he suffered from Gelineau and two other priests, including one who was credibly accused of molesting other children. In the lawsuit, filed on Friday in Providence County Superior Court…

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Editor’s Note: This story discusses allegations of child molestation. Reader discretion advised.

A new lawsuit, for the first time, accuses former Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence Louis Gelineau of raping an altar boy in the 1980s at a church in Barrington.

The lawsuit filed by a “John Doe” on Friday is one of dozens filed in recent months against the Diocese of Providence after the state approved a new law in June allowing sex abuse to survivors to file new lawsuits that had previously been prevented by the statute of limitations.

Gelineau was bishop from 1972 to 1997.

He died in 2024 at the age of 96.

The clergy sex abuse scandal came at the tail end of Gelineau’s time as bishop.

Lawsuits then, and in the years since, named Gelineau as a defendant, with accusations the diocese protected pedophile priests years…

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Translated by Karolis Broga

The Pope has granted a request by Tadas Švedavičius, a priest accused of sexual offences against children, to be dismissed from the clerical state.

“As a result of this decision, Švedavičius has lost his clerical status and ecclesiastical faculties and can no longer exercise priestly ministry. Dismissal from the clerical state does not terminate criminal proceedings or exempt him from liability under state law,” the Archdiocese of Vilnius said.

Švedavičius was suspended from his duties following allegations of offences involving the sexual abuse of children, possession of pornographic material and involving children in alcohol consumption. After petitioning the Holy See to be dismissed from the priesthood, he also accepted personal responsibility for compensating the victims.

The prosecutor’s office announced in August that Švedavičius’ case had been referred to court.

The Archdiocese of Vilnius said it would continue to strengthen safeguards for minors…

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