ABUSE TRACKER

Catholic anti-trafficking advocates urged Congress to pass legislation strengthening prevention efforts, expanding survivor protections, and combating online exploitation.

Catholic sisters, survivor advocates, and lawmakers gathered on Capitol Hill Tuesday to urge Congress to quickly pass bipartisan legislation they say would strengthen protections for victims of human trafficking and help prevent future exploitation.

Hosted by the Alliance to End Human Trafficking and the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, the July 14 congressional briefing focused on the need to reauthorize federal anti‑trafficking programs through fiscal 2029 and pass legislation to impose requirements on social media platforms to reduce harms to minors.

Sponsor Rep. Chris Smith, R‑New Jersey, titled his human trafficking bill the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 1144), and the measure is next up for House consideration. A separate bill,…

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An Elkins pastor accused of soliciting a minor appeared in Randolph County Circuit Court for his arraignment Tuesday.

Kevin Jones, 34, was arraigned on four charges — soliciting a minor via computer, distribution of material depicting minors in sexually explicit conduct, delivery of a controlled substance and distribution of a hemp-derived product to a person under 21.

Jones was arrested in October 2025. He was investigated by the Mountain Region Drug and Violent Crime Task Force.

During Tuesday’s court proceedings, the judge ordered that Jones is not allowed to access a cellular device as the case continues, and it was stated in court that the allegations involve messages sent through Snapchat to a minor.

Court officials set Jones’ pre-trial hearing for Sept. 3 at 1 p.m. Trial dates were also scheduled for Oct. 13, 14 and 15 at 9 a.m.

Monongalia County Prosecuting Attorney Gabrielle Mucciola has been named as…

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Yesterday, the Toledo City Council voted 8-2 to remove the honorary street sign bearing the name of Monsignor Jerome Schmit, despite staunch opposition from the Catholic Diocese of Toledo. The vote culminates a crusade begun more than 20 years ago by the family of Sister Margaret Ann Pahl and survivor advocate Claudia Vercellotti, who believed that evidence uncovered at Father Gerald Robinson’s 2006 trial for Sister Margaret Ann’s murder showed that Monsignor Schmit interfered with the original investigation. The Abuse Survivors Coalition (ASC) applauds the long-awaited action of the City Council.

David Lorenz, a member of the ASC Operations Team and an ASC MD Contact, said, “There is simply no reason to honor a priest who, by all accounts, acted to protect Father Robinson from prosecution for murdering Sister Margaret Ann. Ultimately, Father Robinson was found guilty. It is a common reaction by the Catholic…

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The defendants in a civil suit that alleges unchecked bullying of a student at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic School in Carmel have requested a judge reconsider a decision to allow the adult plaintiffs to use a pseudonym. 

Attorneys for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette-In-Indiana; Trudy Schouten Young, diocese superintendent of schools; the Rev. Richard Doerr, OLMC pastor; OLMC Principal Timothy Fletcher; and OLMC Assistant Principal Deanna Cotter filed the motion to reconsider June 30. 

The lawsuit, filed by the student’s parents, accuses OLMC officials and the diocese of failing to adequately address and prevent intensifying harassment of their son that became sexual in nature. The parents are identified as James Doe and Julie Doe in the suit. 

The defendants argue that pseudonymity is an “extraordinary, disfavored exception” and that the plaintiffs’ seeking media coverage of the case is a contradiction to “any desire for privacy.” 

“They demanded publicity,…

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The Catholic Diocese of Maralal has announced sweeping new rules for priests following the suspension of seven clerics accused of violating Church law.

In what Bishop Hieronymus Joya described as the first disciplinary action of its kind in the diocese, the seven priests were relieved of their priestly and pastoral duties pending investigations.

The priests are accused of abusing ecclesiastical authority, administrative negligence, and financial mismanagement.

The suspensions were announced alongside a raft of reforms aimed at strengthening accountability, discipline, and governance within the diocese.

In a detailed four-page letter, the bishop expressed frustration over what he described as years of mismanagement and a lack of cooperation since he took over leadership three years ago.

According to Bishop Joya, preliminary investigations uncovered serious concerns that warranted the suspension of the priests.

“If things are not addressed per the Catholic rules and regulations, we will seek the government’s intervention so that…

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The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Maralal, Hieronymus Joya, has suspended seven priests over alleged violations of Church law. In a major shake-up, the first of its kind in the diocese, the priests have been relieved of their priestly and pastoral duties pending investigations into allegations of abuse of ecclesiastical power, negligence of administration, and financial mismanagement. As Emily Chebet reports, the Diocese of Maralal has also announced new appointments and introduced a series of stricter regulations aimed at strengthening accountability and governance within the Church.

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For almost seven years, Jeffrey Nowak has not been allowed to practice as a priest for the Diocese of Buffalo after he was accused in 2019 of harassing a former seminarian and inappropriate contact with children.

Over that period of inactivity, Nowak has been investigated twice by the FBI for allegedly accessing websites with photos and videos of sexually exploited children, and last week he was arrested and charged by federal agents with receipt and possession of child pornography.

Through all of this, the Diocese had continued to pay Nowak “a modest monthly stipend”, which a spokesman said is required by Canon Law, an internal system of regulations that govern its operations and discipline. As of Wednesday, the Diocese said, “In light of the abhorrent criminal conduct recently alleged by federal investigators, the Diocese is no longer providing any financial support to Rev. Nowak, who remains incarcerated pending his trial.”

The…

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A 47-year-old woman is accused of witnessing the alleged abuse and failing to report it.

A pastor at a Thibodaux church has been arrested in Terrebonne Parish on charges including felony sexual battery and cruelty to juveniles as authorities investigate allegations of physical and sexual abuse involving children, authorities said. 

The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office identified 57-year-old Thomas J. Tucker III of Houma as a suspect in the case. Investigators also arrested 47-year-old Sharotta Lewis of Houma, accusing her of witnessing the alleged abuse and failing to report it.

The investigation began after child abuse allegations involving Terrebonne Parish juveniles were reported to the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services, according to the sheriff’s office. Detectives with the Special Victims Unit and child protection investigators conducted interviews and gathered evidence.

Authorities say Tucker identified himself as a pastor with Outcast of Society Ministries in Thibodaux, where some of the…

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The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas has been informed by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (F.S.S.P) that the Archdiocese of Omaha recently received an allegation concerning Reverend Eric Flood, F.S.S.P, involving alleged misconduct with a minor occurring more than twenty years ago. This allegation was immediately reported to law enforcement, in accordance with mandatory reporting requirements.

Consistent with the Archdiocese’s commitment to the protection of children and persons in vulnerable situations, and pending the outcome of investigations by civil authorities and the Archdiocese of Omaha, Father Flood has been temporarily withdrawn from the public exercise of priestly ministry, including celebrating Mass and other public ministerial duties. This administrative measure is intended to protect all parties, including Father Flood, and should not be interpreted as a determination regarding the allegation. No conclusion has been reached, and Father Flood is entitled to the presumption of innocence and to a fair…

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The Diocese of Buffalo is providing new details about a priest who was arrested on child sexual abuse charges.

Last week, federal agents arrested Fr. Jeffrey Nowak, 46, of Lackawanna, after they seized multiple devices inside his home that contained sexually explicit videos and pictures of children.

In 2019, the diocese said it received numerous complaints regarding Nowak, claiming he was inappropriate with adults. Then-Bishop Richard Malone suspended Nowak that year and required him to get counseling, which the diocese says he never did.

In 2021, now-Bishop Michael Fisher told Nowak he would not consider reappointing him to active ministry. The diocese claims that no allegations they received mentioned Nowak was involved children, and therefore the diocese had no grounds to petition the Vatican to remove Nowak from the clerical state against his will.

The diocese says that, as required by canon law, some level of financial support must be…

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Federal prosecutors say a Buffalo priest charged in a child pornography case also allegedly shared the Payton Gendron manifesto.

We’re hearing more details about a Western New York priest who remains in custody after appearing in federal court on child pornography charges.

Jeffrey Nowak, 46, a priest in the Diocese of Buffalo, was arrested and charged with receipt and possession of child pornography. 

According to the criminal complaint, Nowak was placed on administrative leave in August 2019 following allegations of inappropriate contact with children and harassment of a seminarian. Investigators say an email address allegedly linked to Nowak was identified as an email address that accessed a New Zealand cloud-based digital storage and file-hosting site that had photos and videos files of sexually exploited children. 

A spokesperson for the US Attorney office confirmed to 2 On Your Side that prosecutors said in court on Monday…

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Nowak has been charged with child porn possession

In light of the arrest of Jeffrey Nowak, a pastor on administrative leave, the Buffalo Catholic Diocese issued the following statement on Wednesday:

“In 2019, the Diocese was advised of numerous complaints about Rev. Nowak. None of the complaints included any allegation of inappropriate sexual contact, possession of child pornography or sexual abuse of a minor. However, given clear evidence of inappropriate conduct of Jeffrey Nowak with adults, then-Bishop Richard Malone removed him indefinitely from active ministry in 2019.

“The Diocese further required Rev. Nowak to engage in professional counseling, which he repeatedly failed to do. In 2020, then-Apostolic Administrator Bishop Edward Scharfenberger reviewed Rev. Nowak’s circumstances and decided to remove him from the Office of Pastor of Our Lady Help of Christians through a process required by canon law, despite the fact that he was on indefinite leave.

“For a brief…

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The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that a childhood sexual abuse lawsuit against Grace Christian Reformed Church of Grand Rapids can proceed in Kent County Circuit Court.

The suit, which also specifically names the Christian Reformed Church in North America and a number of its related entities as defendants, had previously been dismissed by the Kent County Circuit Court in 2024 on the grounds that the statute of limitations on the claims at hand had expired. 

Marian Ippel, the plaintiff in the case, is suing over instances of alleged sexual abuse that occurred from 2006 to 2007, when she was three to four years old. At that time, Michigan law stated that, because she was a minor, she had until she turned 19 to file suit. 

The lawsuit was not filed until 2024, when Ippel was 21 — but in 2018, Michigan updated its statute of limitations for sexual abuse…

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The Diocese of Burlington, Vermont’s former bishop says there was “nothing nefarious” about the intent to shield diocesan assets from potential lawsuits.

A sworn deposition, filed as part of abuse lawsuits in the Diocese of Burlington, Vermont’s federal bankruptcy proceedings, alleges that the former bishop of the diocese asked a job applicant if she would be willing to help shield diocesan finances from a potential abuse settlement.

The prelate himself, meanwhile, told EWTN News that there was “nothing nefarious” in such a proposal, which he said was meant to protect Church assets from additional lawsuits while the diocese was already paying out settlements to abuse victims.

Celeste Heinonen claims in a July 9 court statement that she interviewed for the position of chief financial officer at the Diocese of Burlington in 2020. During that interview she said she spoke to then-Burlington Bishop Christopher Coyne, who she said brought up the topic…

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In short:

A former Gippsland primary school teacher is standing trial in the Latrobe Valley County Court after being charged with child sexual abuse offences dating back to 1999.

Prosecutor David O’Doherty told the jury Nicole Anne Jones, formerly Nicky Cravino, groomed the boy and sexually assaulted him over a lengthy period.

What’s next?

The trial is expected to run for about two weeks.

A Victorian primary school teacher allegedly groomed, indecently assaulted and made a boy sexually penetrate her in the late 1990s, a jury has heard.

Warning: This story contains detailed descriptions of alleged child sexual assault.

Nicole Anne Jones, formerly known as Nicky Cravino, is charged with 19 counts of indecent act with a child under 16 and one count of sexual penetration of a child under 16.

Sexual assault support lines:

• Men’s Referral Service: 1300 766 491
• Lifeline (24-hour crisis line): 131 114

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Pfleger is senior pastor at St. Sabina Church on South Side

Dozens of religious leaders from different denominations are publicly backing Father Michael Pfleger as the Archdiocese of Chicago investigates a new allegation of sexual abuse, the fifth such claim he has faced during his 45 years as a priest at St. Sabina Church.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

For decades, Pfleger has been a visible presence at demonstrations, marching and speaking out against issues he believes harm the community. In recent years, he has focused much of his activism on gun violence and on criticizing the policies of President Donald Trump. Those efforts have brought him into close collaboration with other Chicago-area religious leaders, many of whom are now speaking out in his defense.

“It hurts because he is one of the greatest civil rights leaders or our time,” said the Rev. Ira…

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Victims of Bill Kenneally are to receive compensation for the abuse they suffered, the Minister for Justice said, after the Taoiseach apologised “unreservedly” for a State “dereliction of duty”.

Kenneally, formerly of Summerville Avenue, Waterford city, died last month while serving a prison term after pleading guilty to 10 sample counts of indecently assaulting 10 boys at various locations in Waterford in the 1980s.

A Commission of Investigation, chaired by retired judge Michael White, examined the response of gardaí, Basketball Ireland, politicians and members of the Catholic Church to allegations of sexual abuse made against the former Waterford basketball coach.

It states his activities became known in Waterford to two senior Garda officers as well as a retired politician and senior clergyman in the late 1980s – with one complainant saying he raised the matter with gardaí when he was 14 as early as 1985.

But Kenneally was not brought to justice…

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Decision comes after years of effort from family and advocate and 11 Investigates documentary that covered Schmit’s role in Sister Margaret Ann murder investigation.

After years of debate and decades of advocacy by a leader of church accountability and the family of Sister Margaret Ann Pahl, Toledo City Council voted Tuesday to remove the honorary street sign bearing the name of Monsignor Jerome Schmit.

The vote was 8-2 to remove the sign, with Council President Vanice Williams and Councilman John Hobbs III voting no. 

The vote marks the end of a campaign that began more than 20 years ago as Pahl’s family and Claudia Vercellotti, the founder of the Ohio chapter of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, sought to remove a street sign near Fifth Third Field that honored Schmit. They have argued that evidence uncovered after the 1980 murder showed he helped interfere with the…

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In a sworn statement, a 2020 chief financial job applicant claims the state’s largest religious denomination asked if she’d help “transfer its assets as quickly as possible so that it could file for bankruptcy.”

Two decades after the Vermont Roman Catholic Diocese aimed to protect local parishes from priest misconduct lawsuits by placing their estimated $500 million of holdings into trusts, a recent job applicant alleges the state’s largest religious denomination’s past and current bishops asked if she’d help shelter more funds.

Utah resident Celeste Heinonen was interviewing for the diocese’s post of chief financial officer in 2020 when she felt “shocked” and “sick to my stomach” receiving the inquiry, she said in a U.S. Bankruptcy Court declaration filed this month in the church’s Chapter 11 protection case.

The diocese created trusts in 2006 to shield local parish property and possessions for what it said were “pious, charitable or educational purposes”…

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A Chicago priest known for his longtime social justice ministry has been placed on leave, following an abuse allegation for an incident said to have taken place some three decades ago.

In a July 11 letter, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago informed the archdiocese’s Faith Community of St. Sabina that senior pastor Father Michael L. Pfleger had been accused of the sexual abuse of a minor — a claim the priest has “strongly denied,” said the cardinal.

“The abuse is alleged to have occurred at St. Sabina more than 30 years ago,” said Cardinal Cupich. “In keeping with our child protection policies, I have asked Father Pfleger to step aside from ministry and live away from the parish while the allegation is investigated.”

The cardinal, citing the archdiocese’s child protection policies, said that “the allegation was reported to law enforcement authorities and the person making the allegation has been offered…

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In short:

A Tasmanian woman is suing former Archbishop of Hobart Julian Porteous and the state of Tasmania over allegations of sexual abuse by two others.

She has claimed they had a duty of care to protect her from the alleged abuse.

What’s next?

Both Archbishop Porteous and the state have denied or not admitted to the claims.

A woman is suing both the former Archbishop of Hobart and the state of Tasmania over allegations that she was sexually abused by a Catholic priest and a notorious paedophile.

In her statement of claim filed to the Supreme Court of Tasmania, it is alleged that the plaintiff was sexually abused by Father Bill Egan in 1999, and then by James Geoffrey Griffin in 2007 when he was working as a nurse.

WARNING: This story contains details of an alleged sexual assault of a child.

Sexual assault support services:

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The outcome of the canonical process will determine whether the case advances to further ecclesiastical proceedings or is ultimately dismissed

The Catholic Church has entered a delicate new chapter in its ongoing effort to address allegations of misconduct with transparency and due process after Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, Archbishop of Rabat, voluntarily stepped aside from his pastoral responsibilities while the Vatican conducts a preliminary investigation into accusations of sexual misconduct involving adult women.

The 74-year-old Spanish-born cardinal announced his decision on July 7, stressing that he is fully cooperating with the Holy See and firmly denying any criminal or abusive behavior. His temporary withdrawal reflects the Church’s established practice of allowing investigations to proceed without interference while safeguarding both the integrity of the inquiry and the rights of all those involved.

«I have committed neither assault, violence nor sexual harassment,» López Romero said in a brief statement to Spanish…

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Former Cheektowaga priest Jeffrey Nowak will be held in jail after he was arrested on child pornography charges last week, a federal judge ruled Monday.

Nowak was arrested last Wednesday after the FBI conducted a search at his Lackawanna home and found child pornography on a USB storage device as well as other electronics including a laptop, cell phone and iPad.

Nowak, who said mass at Our Lady Help of Christians in Cheektowaga, was placed on permanent leave by the Buffalo Diocese in 2019 amid allegations of inappropriate contact with children and sexually harassing a seminarian.

The judge ruled that Nowak would stay in jail due to the “nature and circumstances of the offense,” including “strong evidence against him,” which included an alleged confession to distributing child pornography and interviews where he allegedly made more confessions of guilt. The main reason, however, was Nowak’s alleged threats to offer up family…

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Prosecutors said Jeffrey Nowak threatened family members, shared images of children with others online and possessed child sexual abuse material as a judge ruled he poses a danger to the community.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3FQoxUkNL4

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The Rev. Michael Pfleger has been here before. Accused without charges. Named and shamed before an investigation got off the ground.

The year was 2021. Two brothers accused Pfleger, the longtime pastor of St. Sabina Church, of inappropriate conduct decades earlier when he was in seminary.

In all, Pfleger has been accused four previous times and cleared each time following a months-long investigation.

He has now been suspended from ministry again. The Archdiocese of Chicago said a woman accused Pfleger of sexual abuse when she was a student at the church school in the mid-1990s.

PREVIOUS: Father Michael Pfleger accused of sexually abusing minor over 30 years ago

Pfleger strongly denies it, and said he wants a swift decision from the Cardinal.

“I do not intend to let this drag on and drain this church family. If it’s not over very soon, I will make a decision,” he wrote in…

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Dear Pope Leo:

Congratulations on receiving the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center on the eve of the United States’ 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I was inspired by these words in your speech: “As every American knows . . . the path to building a society that would embody those high ideals of liberty and justice for all was not always easy and, in many respects, is still a work in progress. Indeed, the effort to realize this vision is one that must be taken up anew in each generation and in the face of ever new challenges.” While you speak next about safeguarding the gift of life from conception to natural death, I would like to turn your attention to the children of the United States. We have not yet established full “liberty and justice” for the victims of child sex abuse in…

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Archdiocese Announces Investigation Involving Fr. Eric Flood, F.S.S.P.

The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas has been informed by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (F.S.S.P) that the Archdiocese of Omaha recently received an allegation concerning Reverend Eric Flood, F.S.S.P, involving alleged misconduct with a minor occurring more than twenty years ago. This allegation was immediately reported to law enforcement, in accordance with mandatory reporting requirements.

Consistent with the Archdiocese’s commitment to the protection of children and persons in vulnerable situations, and pending the outcome of investigations by civil authorities and the Archdiocese of Omaha, Father Flood has been temporarily withdrawn from the public exercise of priestly ministry, including celebrating Mass and other public ministerial duties. This administrative measure is intended to protect all parties, including Father Flood, and should not be interpreted as a determination regarding the allegation. No conclusion has been reached, and Father Flood is entitled to…

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The brother of an apostle for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pleaded guilty in a federal court in Ohio on Thursday, admitting that he coerced and enticed a minor, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison.

Wade Christofferson, 73, admitted to coercing and enticing two minors under the age of 10 years old in Ohio and Utah. He also reportedly committed “hands-on sexual abuse of the child in Utah and the second victim in Ohio approximately 20 times,” according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Southern Ohio.

In November 2025, Wade Christofferson was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on a warrant from the Federal Bureau of Investigation after police say he was overheard on a sexually explicit FaceTime call with a minor victim. He had also sent…

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Newly elected Southern Baptist Convention President Willy Rice has characterized the SBC’s clergy sex abuse crisis as a “hoax” and a “snipe hunt.”

Talk like that helped get Rice elected. Apparently, it was the message many Southern Baptists wanted to hear.

But just eight years ago, Rice was expounding a very different message.

In 2018, on his “Pastor’s Blog,” Rice published “Another SBC ‘Me-Too’ Story” in which he spoke out about church leaders who “fail in their responsibilities due to our unwillingness to reckon with difficult things.”

“In seeking to protect institutions,” he wrote, “we fail people, we fail Jesus and, ultimately, we fail those very institutions we love. Many of us may wish we could hear no more, but that is the very attitude that betrays us in the first place. We wish to be comfortable when what we need…

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A youth pastor at First Baptist Church of Folsom was arrested Friday (July 10) after investigators said he sexually abused multiple children during the 1990s, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office said.

David Mercer, 72, was taken into custody Friday afternoon and is being held at the St. Tammany Parish jail.

Deputies also searched a residence owned by First Baptist Church of Folsom on Friday as part of the investigation.

Investigators believe there may be additional victims who have not yet come forward.

Anyone who thinks they may have been a victim of Mercer, or who has information that could help investigators, is asked to call the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office at (985) 898-2338 or contact their local law enforcement agency.

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Fr. Michael Pfleger, a priest in the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, has again been publicly accused of child sexual abuse this week. This is the 5th allegation of sexual abuse that has been made against the priest, the 4th for child sexual abuse. Fr. Pfleger has been removed from St. Sabina Parish while the accusation is being investigated and has vehemently denied the allegation.

The Archdiocese reportedly found “no evidence of wrongdoing” in the previous 4 accusations. Fr. Pfleger was twice removed from ministry during an investigation and then twice returned to St. Sabina. With this 5th allegation, the Abuse Survivors Coalition (ASC) wonders how many survivors need to come forward before their accusations are believed?

Studies have shown that false accusations of child sexual abuse are extremely rare. Even the 2004 John Jay study of the sexual abuse of children in the Catholic…

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Pfleger asked to step away from ministry, says ‘this is an absolute lie’

Saint Sabina parishioners are speaking out in support of Father Michael Pfleger after he was asked to step away from ministry.

The Archdiocese of Chicago is investigating a new allegation of sexual abuse of a minor against him.

Sunday morning, church members stood and applauded for Pfleger as a letter from the Archdiocese of Chicago was read. The letter noted that Pfleger strongly denies the allegation.

A woman claims the priest abused her when she was a child, more than 30years ago.

The woman is the fifth person to accuse Pfleger of sexual misconduct. He was cleared in previous investigations.

In the letter released Saturday by the Archdiocese of Chicago, Cardinal Blase Cupich said the alleged abuse was reported to have occurred more than 30 years ago at Saint Sabina Parish, 1210 W. 78th Pl., in Chicago’s Auburn…

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A former pastor and soccer coach pleaded guilty for child sexual abuse, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office said on Monday.

John A. Camardo, III, 47 and of Williamsville, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree rape and one count of second-degree course of sexual conduct against a child, officials said.

According to authorities, Camardo engaged in sexual conduct with a victim under 15 years old between April and May 2024.

Between April 2025 and June 2026, Camardo engaged in two or more acts of sexual conduct with a second victim who was under age 13. Officials said Camardo was known to the victims, and both crimes took place in Amherst.

Camardo was a former executive pastor of The Chapel, which has locations in Cheektowaga, Getzville, Lockport and Niagara Falls. He also coached girls’ travel soccer for the Amherst Soccer Association as of 2023.

The Chapel said in a letter to…

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A Williamsville pastor has pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse, facing up to eight years in prison, according to the Erie County District Attorney’s Office.

A pastor from Williamsville has pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse.

RELATED: Former Buffalo priest appears in federal court following arrest in international child exploitation investigation

According to the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, John A. Camardo, III, 47, has been charged with one count of Rape in the 2nd Degree and one count of Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child in the 2nd Degree.

Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane says between April 1, 2024 and May 31, 2024, Camardo engaged in sexual intercourse with a victim under the age of 15.

Keane also said Camardo engaged in two or more acts of sexual conduct with a second victim under the age of 13 between April 1, 2025, and June 20, 2026.

…

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These incidents allegedly happened between 1989 and 1995, says police

A Folsom, Louisiana man has been arrested by the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office (BPSO) after an investigation into multiple child sex offenses.

David Mercer, 72, of Folsom, Louisiana, was identified as the suspect in this case during the course of the investigation, says BPSO.

Detectives began investigating allegations involving, at this time, 4 child victims on June 29.

These incidents allegedly happened between 1989 and 1995 in Bossier Parish, says police.

It was confirmed by investigators that Mercer lived and worked in Bossier Parish when these offenses allegedly happened.

BPSO says Mercer was employed as a youth minister at Cypress Baptist Church of Benton, but resigned from that position in 1995.

Detectives went to Folsom, Louisiana, on July 10 and arrested Mercer without any problems with the help of the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.

When he was arrested, detectives…

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A youth pastor at First Baptist Church of Folsom in Louisiana was arrested Friday, July 10 after investigators said he sexually abused multiple children during the 1990s, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office said.

David Mercer, 72, was taken into custody Friday afternoon and is being held at the St. Tammany Parish jail.

Deputies also searched a residence owned by First Baptist Church of Folsom on Friday as part of the investigation.

Former member of Hannibal’s Fifth Street Baptist Church youth group Lacey Blue confirmed to WGEM News that Mercer was her youth pastor at the church in the 1990s. She said she was not a victim of Mercer, nor knows any of the victims who came forward.

Missouri court records do not show any charges against Mercer in Marion or Ralls County.

Investigators believe there may be additional victims who have not yet come forward.

Anyone who thinks they…

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David Mercer, 72, was arrested in Louisiana on Friday

A second church official has now confirmed that the sex abuse charges filed against youth pastor David Mercer are not related to his time serving in the same capacity at 5th Street Baptist Church in Hannibal between 1998 and 2000.

“David Mercer was taken into custody on Friday, July 10, 2026, for multiple criminal charges in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, during his time as a youth pastor at a church in Bossier Parish. These charges stem from his time at a church in the 1990s,” Pastor Will Robbins of the First Baptist Church in Folsom, Louisiana, said.

Mercer was a youth pastor at the Folsom church from 2023 to 2026. His Facebook page says he retired.

As Muddy River News first reported over the weekend, Pastor Tom Carpenter of 5th Street Baptist Church, 111 N. 5th Street, confirms that Mercer was once…

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

The son of a Tacoma pastor has been charged with sexually assaulting two children in incidents dating as far back as 1997. When recently confronted with the allegations, he allegedly responded with, “Yes, but I’ve changed,” according to court records.

Prosecutors charged John Marchant Stabbert, 51, with four counts of first-degree rape of a child on June 22. Stabbert has been summoned for an arraignment on July 17, according to Pierce County Superior Court records. He has not been arrested.

Spokesperson for the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s office, Adam Faber, told The News Tribune it’s “very common for sex cases to start with summons rather than an arrest or bench warrant” when asked why Stabbert hasn’t been taken into custody.

John Stabbert’s attorney, Donna Person Smith, declined to comment for this story. The News Tribune attempted…

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Rajshahi Diocese had suspended Prodip Gregory from priestly ministries after allegation surfaced in 2020

A court in northern Bangladesh has acquitted a Catholic priest nearly six years after he was arrested on charges of confining and raping a 15-year-old girl from the ethnic minority Santal community, charges that led to his suspension from priestly ministry.

The Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal in Rajshahi acquitted Father Pradip Gregory of charges of confinement and rape on July 12, according to the plaintiff’s lawyer, Munna Saha.

The court has yet to issue its full written judgment explaining the reasons for the acquittal.

Defense lawyer Abul Kashem told journalists the verdict had delivered justice to his client, describing Gregory as a victim of a conspiracy by a vested quarter aimed at tarnishing his reputation.

Saha said the victim had been denied justice and that they would appeal the verdict before the High Court.

…

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A yearslong investigation into sexual abuse allegations involving a traditionalist Catholic group with a large following in a northeast Kansas town has wrapped up, according to the state’s top law enforcement agency.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has sent its findings in the Society of St. Pius X case to the Attorney General’s Office, said KBI spokesperson Melissa Underwood.

“The SSPX investigations have concluded,” Underwood told The Star in an email. “We are awaiting charging decisions from the prosecutor.”

James Vogel, director of communications for the U.S. District of the Society of St. Pius X, did not respond to a request for comment on the investigation. The group’s U.S. headquarters is in Platte City, Missouri.

The update on the investigation comes as the Society of St. Pius X — a fraternity of priests that celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass and rejects the modernist reforms of the Second Vatican Council —…

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Pfleger said the allegation is an “absolute lie.” It is fifth accusation of sexual assault against the outspoken priest, with the previous allegations being investigated and not sustained by the archdiocese.

Father Michael Pfleger has been removed from his leadership position at Saint Sabina Parish as the Archdiocese of Chicago investigates another accusation of sexual assault against the outspoken priest.

Pfleger said he is being investigated for an accusation of sexual abuse against a girl when she was a student at Saint Sabina School between 1993-95, he said in a statement on Saturday.

The senior pastor at Saint Sabina, 1210 W. 78th Place, Pfleger has been asked to step aside from his role at the parish and live off campus while the accusation is being investigated, Cardinal Blase Cupich wrote in a letter to parishioners.

“We do not presume the truth or falsity of an allegation until the process is…

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In mid-May, as Washington school districts were deep into developing their budgets for the next academic year, around 130 received notices that their rates for the Washington Schools Risk Management Pool were going up. And not just by a little bit: by an average of 45%.

School districts contribute funds to the risk pool instead of paying for traditional liability insurance. Those dollars are pooled to pay for settlements or costly claims against individual districts, keeping rates more manageable for all.

The main driver of the jump in rates? A sudden increase in the cost of sexual abuse claims brought against districts.

In the last few years, the legal landscape has shifted in Washington for victims of sexual abuse in schools. Changes to statute of limitation laws in recent years have resulted in districts seeing claims from 20 or 30 years ago. A 2020 Supreme Court case also affirmed that…

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Exclusive: Records obtained by the Guardian show property owned by Catholic order used to house at least two brothers with horrific histories of child sexual abuse

Christian Brothers properties have been used to house convicted child sexual abuse offenders, including one brother who preyed on orphans and another who was kept in teaching positions for almost three decades after senior officials became aware of his offending.

The Christian Brothers prompted fury from survivors last month when it declared it was about to go broke, and could no longer afford to meet their claims in court.

Last week, the Guardian revealed that the order had kept nine convicted child abusers as brothers within its order, arguing there was a “Gospel imperative” to “care for all Brothers” and “the needy”, according to court documents.

The documents also show the Christian Brothers’ constitution requires it to provide financial support to current brothers, including by covering…

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Key Points

• The lawsuits were filed after a new state law created a two-year window for claims previously barred by the statute of limitations.
• Superior Court Judge Richard A. Licht will manage the cases and may select representative “bellwether” cases for trial.
• The lawsuits accuse the church of negligence and conspiring to cover up widespread abuse allegations.

A single judge will oversee the flood of lawsuits being filed alleging childhood abuse by Roman Catholic clergy in Rhode Island.

Superior Court Judge Richard A. Licht will be presiding over the 40-plus lawsuits that have come in since July 1,  the first day of the two-year “revival window” the legislature created for people alleging child sex abuse to file civil suits for claims that sometimes date back decades.

State lawmakers passed the measure, signed into law by the governor, opening an avenue…

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Edmund Rice Education Australia does not consent to being made a defendant, in case that has ‘high court written all over it’, Victorian judge hears

The entity that benefited from vast land and property transfers from the Christian Brothers will fight a move by abuse survivors to make it liable for compensation claims, triggering a potentially costly battle that has “high court written all over it”.

The Christian Brothers has a shocking record of clergy abuse – one of the worst of any Catholic church entity – and is facing hundreds of current and future abuse cases estimated to be worth $774m.

But the religious order last month told a court it was going broke and could no longer afford to meet the compensation claims, instead proposing a scheme where it would sell off its remaining 36 properties, worth about $217m, and divide the proceeds between a range of creditors,…

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Federal prosecutors say the investigation began after Scottish authorities alerted the FBI.

A former Buffalo priest who has been on permanent leave from ministry since 2019 appeared in federal court Thursday after his arrest in connection with an international child exploitation investigation.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York, Jeffrey Nowak was arrested Wednesday following an investigation that began in September of 2025. He is being held in U.S. Marshals custody and is scheduled to return to federal court Monday for a detention hearing.

Federal investigators allege FBI agents searched Nowak’s home and recovered multiple electronic devices, including folders containing child sexual abuse material.

The Diocese of Buffalo said Nowak has been on permanent leave since 2019.

According to federal prosecutors, the investigation began after Scottish authorities notified the FBI about Nowak. Investigators say the FBI received information involving a Telegram group…

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A Wisconsin woman is filing a civil lawsuit against the Milwaukee archdiocese after she survived sexual abuse from her fourth grade teacher in 2013.

52-year-old Kevin Buelow is currently serving a 26-year-prison sentence for sexually assaulting multiple young girls at St. Matthias Parish School in Milwaukee, then at Holy Apostles Catholic School in New Berlin.

The lawsuit claims leaders were warned about the sexual abuse but did not do anything.

The Milwaukee Archdiocese has said they are not able to comment on the pending litigation.

St. Matthias has also declined to comment.

Kevin Buelow, former teacher at St. Matthias Parish School in Milwaukee, then at Holy Apostles Catholic School in New Berlin. Image courtesy of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections:

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U.S. bishops continue to instruct Catholics to separate themselves from the schismatic Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) while urging the society’s members to return to full communion with the Catholic Church.

The Vatican declared July 2 that six prelates involved in the SSPX’s unauthorized July 1 episcopal consecrations incurred automatic excommunication. Despite repeated warnings, SSPX bishops consecrated four new bishops without a pontifical mandate — an act of open disobedience to the authority of the pope that carries automatic excommunication for the six bishops involved.

Lay faithful who formally adhere to SSPX are also considered schismatic and can incur excommunication by continuing to attend SSPX services after the Church’s formal pronouncement of a schism.

Various Catholic bishops with SSPX locations in their dioceses are explicitly forbidding Catholics from attending SSPX Masses, instructing them to avoid the now-illicit sacraments and to withdraw their children from SSPX-affiliated schools while also urging frequent attendees…

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Rev. Pfleger denied the allegations in a statement sent to NBC Chicago, calling them “an absolute lie.”

St. Sabina’s senior pastor Father Michael Pfleger was asked to step aside after the Archdiocese of Chicago received an allegation that he sexually abused a minor at the ministry, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich said in a letter to the church community on Saturday.

The abuse allegedly occurred at St. Sabina more than 30 years ago, Cupich said in the letter.

“In keeping with our child protection policies, I have asked Father Pfleger to step aside from ministry and live away from the parish while the allegation is investigated. Yet, you should know that Father Pfleger strongly denied the allegation,” Cupich said.

Rev. Pfleger denied the allegations in a statement sent to NBC Chicago, calling them “an absolute lie.”

“I have no memory of this girl nor do countless others who have been at…

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• A University of Notre Dame residence hall rector has been placed on leave following anonymous allegations of sexual misconduct.
• The allegations against the rector first appeared on an unaffiliated Instagram account in June.
• The university has launched an investigation but has not received any formal or first-hand complaints.
• Officials urge the public not to jump to conclusions as they seek to identify alleged victims and verify the claims.

A residence hall rector at the University of Notre Dame has been placed on leave and is under investigation by the university’s Office of Institutional Equity after anonymous allegations of sexual misconduct against her were posted on social media.

According to Notre Dame’s student newspaper, The Observer, the allegations are against the McGlinn Hall rector, who has held the position since August 2024 and has been on leave since June 29. The Observer says that…

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Father Michael Pfleger is facing an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor, Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, announced Saturday.

This now marks the fifth person to accuse the South Side pastor of sexual misconduct. He was cleared from those previous claims and is now adamantly denying this latest accusation.

There was a relatively small crowd at St. Sabina in the evening for Saturday Mass. All of them told ABC7 that they stand with Father Pfleger.

In the letter released Saturday, Cardinal Cupich said the alleged abuse was reported to have occurred more than 30 years ago at Saint Sabina Parish, 1210 W. 78th Pl., in Chicago’s Auburn Gresham neighborhood.

“In keeping with our child protection policies, I have asked Father Pfleger to step aside from ministry and live away from the parish while the allegation is investigated,” the letter read in part. “Yet, you should know that Father…

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The University of Notre Dame is investigating anonymous allegations of abuse posted online regarding a campus rector of a women’s residence hall. 

The female rector is now on leave “pending the outcome of the investigation,” the university told OSV News in a statement July 8. 

“The University takes allegations of sexual misconduct seriously, particularly when persons in positions of authority may be involved, and is conducting an investigation,” it said.

OSV News has made several attempts to contact the rector through various channels, including by phone and by social media, but has not yet received a response. 

Following professional news standards, OSV News is not disclosing her name at this time due to the uncorroborated nature of the anonymous, social media-based allegations. An investigation has not yet determined the credibility of the allegations nor has the rector been charged with a crime.

The allegations emerged in a series of posts on…

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The investigation began after anonymous allegations surfaced on social media. University officials say no formal complaints have been made directly by alleged victims, and the rector denies any wrongdoing through her attorney.

On the heels of a recent external report detailing sexual abuse allegations against a former rector of a men’s dormitory, the University of Notre Dame has placed the supervisor of a women’s residence on leave while it investigates anonymous social media posts accusing her of sexual misconduct.

Elizabeth Greenop, who has served as the rector of McGlinn Hall since 2024, was placed on leave by the university on June 29, shortly after several posts purportedly written by dorm residents appeared on an online platform that shares anonymous stories of alleged sexual abuse from the Notre Dame community.

As rector of McGlinn, Greenop has lived in the dorm of some 270 female undergraduates for the past two years, responsible…

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The lawsuit claims school leaders were warned but did nothing.

A Wisconsin woman is suing the Milwaukee Archdiocese, saying she survived sexual abuse at the hands of her fourth grade teacher in 2013.

Kevin Buelow is serving a 26-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting girls at St. Matthias Catholic School in Milwaukee and Holy Apostles School in New Berlin.

The lawsuit claims St. Matthias school leaders were warned about the abuse but “chose not to meaningfully investigate complaints,” “report Buelow to law enforcement” or “restrict his unsupervised access to children.”

The suit also says leaders violated church policies put in place after the sexual abuse scandal in the early 2000s.

“Rules are only as good as their enforcement and training and being followed,” said the victim’s attorney Jacob Goodman on Friday. “You can enact all the rules you want and if people aren’t trained on them and there isn’t a…

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Jury finds Eddy Noelsaint guilty on 4 counts of sexual battery

An Osceola County pastor faces decades in prison after a jury convicted him of repeatedly raping a woman who came to him seeking spiritual guidance.

Eddy Noelsaint, 54, was found guilty this week of four counts of sexual battery against a member of his church. The assaults occurred in 2022 after the woman joined his congregation and was assigned a “spiritual godmother” — Noelsaint’s wife — as part of her baptism.

The victim told investigators that Noelsaint first raped her while she was staying at his home as part of her spiritual revival. She said he gave her pills, then forced himself on her while she was unable to fight back. Noelsaint raped her again several months later, she told investigators.

State Attorney Monique Worrell thanked the victim for her strength throughout the process following the verdict.

…

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Oceanway Church Pastor Al Force has been asked by the church’s board to temporarily step away, as questions mount over how the church handled past concerns involving former volunteer John Goodman — concerns that resurfaced after Goodman’s recent arrest in a Marion County child predator sting.

RELATED | Former Oceanway Church leaders say arrested former volunteer coached, mentored children, contrary to church’s statement | Former Oceanway Church volunteer arrested in child sex predator sting was previously reported to DCF, church says

The church previously told News4JAX that an allegation involving Goodman was reported to the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), though the church did not specify when the report was made. During his Sunday remarks, Force said the incident was brought to the church’s attention roughly six and a half years ago. The church has said the incident did not occur on church…

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A former janitor from the Pullman School District will spend at least 26 and a half years in prison for child molestation and having sexually explicit pictures of children.

A judge sentenced Eric Robins this week.

He pleaded guilty to seven counts, agreeing to aggravating factors that allowed a judge to go above the standard sentencing range.

The Whitman County Prosecutor’s Office says the aggravating factor was that the Robins committed an ongoing pattern of abuse for a prolonged period of time.

The judge put in place a lifetime protection order, saying Robins can never contact the victim, identified only as Jane Doe.

“While no sentence can undo the trauma the victim endured, today’s outcome provides accountability for the defendant and an opportunity for Jane Doe to move forward,” said Whitman County Prosecutor Tess Scholl. ‘We hope this resolution allows the victim and her loved ones to focus on healing,…

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The Supreme Court of Maryland has agreed to hear the state’s challenge to the Child Victims Act in a case that could end hundreds of sexual abuse lawsuits and save the state and its taxpayers more than $1 billion, while denying some plaintiffs their day in court.

The state faces roughly 12,000 individual lawsuits filed under the Child Victims Act, a 2023 law that effectively eliminated time barriers for someone to file a claim in court of institutional sex abuse. The potential liability from those claims could equal nearly 15% of the state’s current operating budget by some estimates.

In their filing with the high court, the state’s attorneys argued that while the law lifted the limits on when a claim can be filed, it did not lift the ironclad immunity against lawsuits the state enjoyed prior to 1982.

“The Child Victims Act did not waive sovereign immunity as to…

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Father Jeffrey Nowak has been on administrative leave for nearly seven years, following allegations of inappropriate conduct with children.

A priest who has been on administrative leave for more than half a decade, in part over allegations of inappropriate conduct with children, has been charged by federal authorities with possession of child pornography, a U.S. attorney announced on July 8.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York said in a press release that Father Jeffrey Nowak of Lackawanna, New York, was arrested and charged with both the receipt and possession of child pornography.

The charges “carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years,” the attorney’s office said.

Nowak has been the subject of investigations by authorities as far back as 2019, when he was placed on administrative leave that year after a seminarian reported that the priest…

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U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Jeffrey Nowak, 46, of Lackawanna, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with receipt and possession of child pornography, which carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years. 

According to the criminal complaint, in August 2019, the defendant, a priest in the Diocese of Buffalo, was placed on administrative leave as an investigation was conducted following allegations of inappropriate contact with children and harassment of a seminarian. In December 2019, an email address linked to Nowak, pigboybuffalo@gmail.com, was identified as an address that accessed a New Zealand cloud-based digital storage and file-hosting website/application, which contained photos and videos files of sexually exploited children. In May 2021, the FBI conducted an investigation, executing a search warrant for the email address pigboybuffalo@gmail.com, however, no child pornography was found, and the investigation was closed in July 2023. 

…

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A priest with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo was arrested Wednesday and charged with receiving and possessing child pornography, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.

Jeffrey Nowak, 46, of Lackawanna, was placed on administrative leave in 2019 while the diocese investigated allegations of inappropriate contact with children and harassment of a seminarian, prosecutors said. An email address linked to Nowak was identified later that year as having accessed a New Zealand-based cloud storage platform that contained images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children.

The FBI investigated the email account in 2021 after obtaining a search warrant, but prosecutors said no child pornography was found at that time. The investigation was closed in July 2023.

Prosecutors said the case was reopened in March 2026 after the FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit received a referral from law enforcement in Scotland involving…

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Father Jeffrey Nowak has been on administrative leave for nearly six years, following allegations of inappropriate conduct with children.

A priest who has been on administrative leave for more than half a decade, in part over allegations of inappropriate conduct with children, has been charged by federal authorities with possession of child pornography, a U.S. attorney announced on July 8.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York said in a press release that Father Jeffrey Nowak of Lackawanna, New York, was arrested and charged with both the receipt and possession of child pornography.

The charges “carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years,” the attorney’s office said.

Father Nowak has been the subject of investigations by authorities as far back as 2019, when he was placed on administrative leave that year after a seminarian reported that the priest had sexually…

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A CATHOLIC priest has been sentenced to over five decades in prison after a Malaga court found him guilty of drugging, sexually assaulting and secretly filming women over a four-year period. 

The 35-year-old priest known as ‘Father Fran’ was convicted of four counts of sexual assault, including one count of sexual abuse and four counts relating to the illegal recording of his victims. 

A judge ruled that the Velez-Malaga resident administered an unknown substance that caused women to lose consciousness before abusing them to ‘satisfy his desires.’

The man identified as Francisco J.C. has been sentenced to 52 years in prison for the sex crimes. 

In addition to the prison sentence, the court has also ordered Father Fran to pay compensation to each of the victims for the psychological harm they suffered.   

The Diocese of Malaga has been held secondarily liable for such compensation if he is unable to pay. 

…

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Jason Douglas Ford was a facilities coordinator for Midtown Fellowship’s Central Ministry Team, according to the church’s website.

Editor’s note: This story contains descriptions of child sexual abuse.

An employee of a Nashville church is one of two men arrested Tuesday by Metro Nashville Police after investigators allegedly found they shared videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.

In the first case, 34-year-old Jason Douglas Ford is charged with aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor after detectives conducted a seven-month investigation, per a police press release.

Police ask public for more information

Police say he is the facilities coordinator at Midtown Fellowship, and the church’s website lists a Jay Ford as a facilities coordinator for the Central Ministry Team.

“Anyone with information or concerns about his interactions around children is asked to contact detectives at 615-862-7540,” MNPD said.

WSMV4 has reached out to Midtown Fellowship to request a comment and…

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Safe Haven Ministries offers support for abuse survivors amid Kentwood assault, kidnapping case

[See original article for video]

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Key Takeaways

• Father Thomas Dente Kofi Manu was publicly identified in the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report in connection with allegations of child sexual abuse;
• Survivors of clergy sexual abuse may have civil legal options against the institutions that enabled abuse. 

Who Was Father Thomas Dente Kofi Manu?

Father Thomas Dente Kofi Manu was ordained on July 15, 1973, and served as an extern (visiting) priest from Ghana. According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report, he worked summer assignments at St. Mary Church in Bristol and officiated Mass on Prudence Island from approximately 1980 through 2007. 

Father Thomas Dente Kofi Manu was publicly identified on the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report on Child Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Providence. Little else is publicly known about his background. The Report states that he is believed to have died in 2023. 

The…

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The Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador has dismissed an application objecting to the sale of religious articles from the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St. John’s, to its successor the Archdiocesan Renewal Corporation.

The items were sold by the episcopal corporation to ARC for $10,000 for use in other church buildings.

The sale was part of assets of the Church that were to be used to compensate victims of physical and sexual abuse for which the corporation was liable.

A claimant opposed both the sale and lease agreement and filed an application claiming that the transaction was entered into unfairly.

The Court dismissed the interlocutory application and found that the $10,000 ARC agreed to pay was a fair value for the religious articles. The Court also rejected the claimant’s submission that the episcopal corporation relied on Canon Law to exclude the religious articles from its assets.

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A Cole County grand jury on Tuesday indicted a former Jefferson City youth minister on felony charges of attempted enticement of a child, attempted sexual exploitation of a child and non-consensual dissemination of private sexual images.

Robert Ferguson, 27, was charged June 24 after a woman made contact with Jefferson City Police in early May to report that Ferguson had been using two phones to distribute sexually explicit photos of her, according to a JCPD probable cause statement.

Police say Ferguson had posed as a teenager and attempted to illicit pornographic images from a 15-year-old girl. Ferguson allegedly admitted to disseminating photos and a video of the woman who reported him, according to previous News Tribune reporting.

He also allegedly admitted to altering his phone number to obfuscate his identity while trying to obtain explicit images from a minor.

Ferguson will be arraigned on his charges Aug. 3 before Cole…

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A Wisconsin woman is suing the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and St. Matthias Catholic Parish and School, alleging the institutions did not investigate reports a fourth-grade teacher was sexually abusing students and allowed him to keep tutoring other children even after parents raised concerns.

That former teacher, Kevin Buelow, was sentenced in 2024 in two separate trials to more than 26 years in prison for sexually assaulting five girls at both St. Matthias, in Milwaukee, and Holy Apostles Catholic Parish and School, in New Berlin. The assaults at St. Matthias occurred between 2010 and 2012, and at Holy Apostles between 2013 and 2018.

The woman who filed the lawsuit is unnamed in the complaint. She was 11 years old at the time of the abuse, the complaint said, and as a teenager became the first person to come forward and report Buelow’s abuse to police.

The case “represents a larger pattern of…

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Consecrated women and women religious who have suffered abuse face a significant legal loophole: Canon law and specialized commissions focus primarily on minors and adults with disabilities, leaving these women outside their scope of protection.

In practice, this means that if the victim is an adult who has received formation, it is assumed she can defend herself or that she consented. However, signs of change are beginning to emerge from the Vatican.

In addressing this issue, “it cannot simply be a label of ‘vulnerable adult,’” said Claudia Giampietro, an Italian canon lawyer working at the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM).

“We must understand that there are situations of imbalances of power … and situations involving abuse, and so it is these situations of vulnerability that we need to examine more deeply,” she told EWTN News on July 1.

One of the functions of the PCPM is to…

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When the U.S. bishops’ conference met in Orlando last month, bishops voted to pass a revision to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the USCCB’s landmark safeguarding document, first issued in 2002.

But while the revision passed, it did so amid some criticism: One bishop led an unsuccessful charge to delay a vote on the document, calling for more and broader consultation, of diocesan safeguarding leaders and priests, especially.

Victims’ advocacy groups gave the new document mixed reviews, and some sources close to the revision process told The Pillar that many people had expressed hope for a document which would broaden its scope to a wider vision of safeguarding, including the abuse and manipulation of vulnerable adults.

But bishops involved in the document’s revision said they followed a process of consultation, and that the body of American bishops decided not to expand the Charter’s scope, but…

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See original article to listen to the podcast.

Survivors say it’s like being stabbed in the back – some were just days away from finally having their day in court against the Christian Brothers when their cases were suddenly put on hold.

The Catholic religious teaching order is crying poor, saying it doesn’t have enough money to pay child sexual abuse victims the compensation they’re owed.

But it’s been revealed that assets worth billions of dollars – that could have been used in the payouts – were instead transferred just out of reach of survivors.

Today, managing partner at Marque Lawyers, Michael Bradley, reveals the multimillion-dollar properties sold off just a dollar, and the crushing court decision that’s left victims in the cold.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Managing partner at…

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The cardinal’s cousin, a priest, appeared to confirm the allegations and said Cardinal López Romero is privately prepared to lose his rank as a consequence.

Spanish Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, SDB, Archbishop of Rabat, Morocco, said Monday that he will temporarily step back from public ministry, amid a Vatican investigation into allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior toward at least five women.

Meanwhile, a priest who is the cardinal’s cousin has appeared to confirm the veracity of the allegations in a newspaper column, and said the cardinal is privately prepared to lose his rank as a consequence.

—

“During this period of investigation, so as not to hinder it, I will take a step back, not presiding over any public celebration, and not intervening in any pastoral activity,” López Romero said in a July 6 statement.

López Romero said the accusations “led the Church to open a preliminary investigation. This investigation…

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A longtime Charleston County magistrate has pleaded guilty to federal child sexual abuse charges, a Thursday news release from the United States Department of Justice said.

James Benjamin Gosnell Jr., 69, pled guilty to charges of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material July 2, the release said.

According to the release, Homeland Security investigators found thousands of CSAM videos on Gosnell’s devices, as well as text messages dating back to 2023 showing Gosnell had communicated with a man named John Thorpe in Florida and traveled to distribute the files.

The release said Gosnell and Thorpe discussed their preferences for minors over text, primarily the violent sexual abuse of infants and toddlers.

Bryan Stirling, the U.S. attorney for South Carolina, condemned Gosnell’s actions.

“Gosnell, a public official and judicial officer, was a man entrusted with carrying out justice in the Charleston community yet was doing the…

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A former Charleston judge caught with thousands of images of child sexual abuse material has now pleaded guilty to his charges.

James Gosnell Jr. pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor and one count of distribution of child pornography. He was previously facing a total of six charges; through the plea deal, which was accepted by a federal judge Thursday morning, his other four charges were dropped.

“I just want the court to know, I never touched a child or had the intentions of touching a child,” Gosnell said in court.

Child pornography is the federal charge for child sexual abuse material—or CSAM—which is more commonly used now.

He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars and up to $250,000 in fines on the possession charge.

For the distribution charge, there’s a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years, with a maximum…

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A Hot Springs pas­tor arres­ted last year on a felony sexual assault charge involving a 17-year-old female mem­ber of his church was arres­ted again Monday for allegedly viol­at­ing a court order bar­ring him from con­tact with her.

Macario Gar­cia, 55, who lists a Squire Court address, was taken into cus­tody shortly before 12:30 p.m. while appear­ing at a hear­ing on his sexual assault case at Gar­land County Cir­cuit Court and charged with a mis­de­meanor count of viol­a­tion of a no con­tact order, pun­ish­able by up to one year in jail.

Gar­cia remained in cus­tody on zero bond and is set to appear today on the new charge in Gar­land County Dis­trict Court. Accord­ing to court records, he lis­ted no prior crim­inal his­tory before his arrest on Sept. 24 on the charge of second-degree sexual assault, pun­ish­able by up to 20 years in prison.

Gar­cia was released on a $50,000 bond…

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A head imam accused of trying to “silence” a young girl’s family over sex abuse allegations did not reveal his arrest and charge for perverting the course of justice to his mosque employers until the day before his trial was due to start, jurors were told.

Alauddin Ahmed said he took police advice that it was ​”not necessary​” or “important” to inform the Board of Trustees of Masjid-Ul-Abraar in Dale Street, Chatham, where he had been head imam for around 28 years, of his​ alleged involvement​.

The 55-year-old also explained he was concerned about “rumour and gossip” causing problems in the community.

Maidstone Crown Court heard it was not until June 7 this year – almost two years after he was charged – that he ​said he informed the mosque chairman he would be appearing in the dock the next day alongside friend and former imam, Muhammod Islam.

Islam, who…

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Story highlights

Police said Khan used his position of religious authority within the local Muslim community to target victims, persuading them to meet in isolated locations including flats and concealed space.

Abdul Halim Khan, 54, a former imam from Bethnal Green, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years after conviction for 21 sexual offences against seven women and girls. The offences between 2004 and 2015 included nine rape, four sexual assault, two sexual assault of a child under 13, five rape of a child under 13, and one assault by penetration.

Police said Khan used his position of religious authority within the local Muslim community to target victims, persuading them to meet in isolated locations including flats and concealed spaces. He was found guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Thursday. Prosecutors said he claimed supernatural powers, telling victims he was possessed by a jinn and…

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A look at the Avshalom Cohen case, how the abuse was uncovered, the charges and sentencing involved, and the related conviction of Hayim Cohen.

Avshalom Cohen, born Zackery Cate, is the eldest of nine boys adopted by Hayim Nissim Cohen, a Houston-area man who fabricated a Hasidic Jewish identity and used social media to mask years of sexual abuse against his children. In June 2025, Avshalom Cohen was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual assault of a sibling. His case is one piece of a sprawling criminal matter that also resulted in his adoptive father receiving a 40-year sentence with no possibility of parole.

The Cohen Household

Hayim Nissim Cohen was born Jeffrey Lujan Vejil in Odessa, Texas, in 1984. He legally changed his name in Dallas County and constructed a false identity as a Hasidic Jew from Williamsburg, New York, despite having…

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The apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Quelimane, Mozambique, has condemned media speculation over last month’s murder of Bishop Osório Citora Afonso.

In a July 4 statement released, Bishop Estêvão Ângelo Fernando of Alto Molócuè — who has been given temporary charge the Quelimane diocese following Afonso’s murder — called for an end to media speculation on the case which, he said, is fueling outrage and hampering the police investigation.

The bishop noted that amid an atmosphere of wild conjecture even he had been implicated in some news reports.

“I, Dom Estevão Ângelo Fernando, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Quelimane, and the College of Consultors, publicly express our vehement repudiation of the material published by certain media outlets and circulated on social media, which blames individuals for actions, attitudes, and management decisions that at times have absolutely nothing to do with the case regarding the assassination of the Bishop…

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Bishop Robert J. McManus, who has served 22 years as the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester, has filed his retirement papers with Pope Leo XIV. 

McManus, who turned 75 on Sunday, July 5, is required by canon law to offer his retirement to the pope when he reaches that age.  

Now, it’s up to the pope to accept McManus’ retirement. Until then, McManus is still the bishop.

On May 14, 2004, McManus was installed as the fifth bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester at St. Paul’s Cathedral. He was 52. Prior to his ordination in Worcester, McManus served as auxiliary bishop of Providence for five years. 

Born in Providence, McManus was ordained on May 27, 1978, by Bishop Kenneth A. Angell at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. 

As part of a web series, “Conversation with Bishop McManus,” on the Worcester Diocese website, Raymond L. Delisle, chancellor and communications director at the Diocese of Worcester, chatted with McManus on…

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Editor’s note: This story contains descriptions of child sexual abuse.

SPRINGFIELD — Bishop Joseph F. Maguire once said he felt “enduring and deep regret” that he did not do more to protect a youth from abuse when he governed the Catholic Church in Western Massachusetts.

A lawsuit filed last week accuses Maguire of engaging in abuse himself decades ago.

The lawsuit says Maguire and his predecessor, Bishop Christopher Weldon, sexually abused a boy living at institutional home for children in West Springfield, with at least one incident occurring in the early 1970s.

“His abusers were the two most senior officers of the institution responsible for his care, who used the full weight of their religious authority, institutional power, and explicit threats of divine punishment and disbelief to ensure his permanent silence,” reads the complaint filed July 1 in Hampden Superior Court.

Maguire, who died in…

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A man who launched a lawsuit in 2023 over sexual abuse claims has reached a settlement with the Archdiocese of St. Boniface, the Red River Valley School Division and the estate of a now-dead Catholic priest.

The Winnipeg man, now in his mid-40s, alleged he was abused by two priests — including Rene Touchette, who was convicted of sex crimes in the 1990s, and Léo Couture, who died before the lawsuit was filed. He says the abuse happened while he was a student around 1990-91 at the now-closed St. Jean Baptiste Elementary, which was in the Red River Valley division.

The abuse was alleged to have occurred while he was 10-11-years-old and a member of the local Catholic church, overseen by the archdiocese, in St. Jean Baptiste, a francophone community about 75 kilometres south of Winnipeg.

“The parties have reached a settlement,” reads part of a letter from lawyer Jordan…

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India’s violence against women reflects a deeper moral and cultural failure that demands lasting change

A nation does not fail women only when a crime is committed. It fails them much earlier. It fails them when girls are taught to shrink their dreams. It fails them when boys are not taught reverence. It fails them when public spaces become unsafe, homes become prisons, institutions become indifferent, and society learns to move on after each outrage.

India has heard too many stories of women who vanish, women who are assaulted, women who are trafficked, women who are silenced, women whose pain becomes a headline for one day and a statistic the next.

The phrase “missing women” is chilling because it hides so much. A missing woman may be a daughter, a student, a migrant worker, a mother, a domestic worker, a tribal girl, a woman fleeing violence, or someone trapped in…

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The Archdiocese of San Francisco’s proposed $395 million settlement with more than 500 child sexual abuse survivors reaches into Tiburon, where St. Hilary Catholic Church is expected to help pay for the deal and where a priest later accused of molesting children once served.

 

The archdiocese and lawyers for the survivors announced the proposed settlement June 29. It would resolve about 530 claims brought by people who said they were abused as children by clergy and other church workers, most of them dating back decades. The agreement is not final. Each survivor will vote on it, and U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali must approve it before it takes effect.

 For St. Hilary, the settlement carries a direct cost. Although the parish was not part of the archdiocese’s 2023 bankruptcy filing, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone told parishioners in a June 29 letter that parishes “will need to…

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Spanish-born Cristobal Lopez Romero, who denies wrongdoing, was seen by some as a potential successor to Pope Francis in the 2025 conclave

At least five women have accused the archbishop of Rabat of sexual assault, according to an Agence France-Presse investigation, prompting the Spanish-born cleric to announce he was “stepping back” on Tuesday while the Vatican holds an inquiry.

Agence France-Presse interviewed a retired woman involved in the Church and reviewed the written testimony of another woman who said Cristobal Lopez Romero had sexually assaulted them.

The 74-year-old archbishop denied all wrongdoing when contacted by Agence France-Presse.

At least three other women have been victims of similar acts by Lopez, a diocesan source alleged, but Agence France-Presse was not able to verify their claims as some were allegedly made during confession.

The written complaint, which was sent to the Vatican embassy in Rabat, accused Lopez of “inappropriate” physical contact, including…

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The Archbishop of Rabat says he has been accused of “inappropriate behaviour toward adult women” and that a preliminary investigation has been opened by the Church. Pending its outcome, he will refrain from public celebrations and pastoral ministry, while asking for prayers for the Diocese, those who are suffering, and himself.

Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, SDB, Archbishop of Rabat, has announced that he is temporarily stepping back from public ministry while a preliminary Church investigation is conducted into allegations of inappropriate behaviour toward adult women.

In a statement released on Wednesday 7 July, the 74-year-old Spanish Cardinal said the investigation is now “in the hands of the Roman Catholic Church” and pledged his full cooperation. To avoid interfering with the process, he said he will refrain from presiding over public celebrations and participating in pastoral activities.

Acknowledging that the situation has caused distress and raised legitimate questions among the faithful,…

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Spanish-born Cristobal Lopez Romero, the Archbishop of Rabat in Morocco, has announced that he is ‘stepping back’ from office after an investigation revealed at least five accounts of accusations of sexual assault. Lopez has admitted to ‘inappropriate behavior towards adult women’ but denies having committed sexual violence or harassment.

A Catholic cardinal touted as one of the favorites to replace Pope Francis said he was “stepping back” from office Tuesday, July 7, after an Agence France-Presse (AFP) investigation revealed at least five women had accused him of sexual assault. Spanish-born Cristobal Lopez Romero, 74, the Archbishop of Rabat in Morocco, denies wrongdoing.

One woman who said he molested her made a written complaint about the cardinal in May to the Vatican embassy in Morocco, which AFP has seen. She accused him of “particularly insistent and prolonged hugs” and “an attempt at physical intimacy that could be likened to an attempt”…

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A Catholic cardinal touted as one of the favourites to replace Pope Francis said he was “stepping back” from office Tuesday after an AFP investigation revealed at least five women had accused him of sexual assault.

Spanish-born Cristobal Lopez Romero, 74, the Archbishop of Rabat in Morocco, denies wrongdoing.

One woman who said he molested her made a written complaint about the cardinal in May to the Vatican embassy in Morocco, which AFP has seen.

She accused him of “particularly insistent and prolonged hugs” and “an attempt at physical intimacy that could be likened to an attempt” to kiss her, which she said she “barely managed” to avoid.

A church source in the archdiocese said at least five accounts describing similar incidents have been brought to its attention.

Lopez admitted he had been “accused of inappropriate behaviour towards adult women. This situation has led the Church to open a preliminary…

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A jury last week convicted a San Jose pastor of domestic violence, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.

Ray Fitzgerald Montgomery is the former executive director of People Acting in Community Together (PACT).

After three hours of jury deliberations the 59-year-old was found guilty of misdemeanor domestic violence against a 42-year-old woman, with whom he had a relationship with, in his home in 2024.

According to the DA’s office, Montgomery “picked the victim up and dragged her down the hallway. She told him to stop, but he refused, eventually beginning to strangle her by pressing her neck between his forearm and bicep. Around that time, she felt she was about to lose consciousness when she felt him release her, causing her to then collapse on the floor.”

The woman was able to run and hide in a bathroom to call for help, authorities said. The next day,…

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A “Year of Children,” marked by meetings, celebrations, public events and prayer initiatives dedicated to protecting children, promoting their well-being and placing them at the centre of social and pastoral attention in a context where children are exploited, abused and violated. This is how Archbishop Joseph Arshad, Bishop of the Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, explained to Fides the aims and motivations behind the special year being observed by the Catholic community in northern Pakistan.

“Child protection is crucial,” he said, expressing “deep concern over the growing number of child abuse cases in society.”

“The issue of child sexual abuse in Pakistan remains widespread and requires urgent attention. In 2025,” he noted, citing figures from ‘Cruel Numbers,’ the report published by the Pakistani NGO ‘Sahil,’ which monitors child abuse nationwide on a daily basis, “there was an alarming 8 percent increase in reported cases, with 3,630 confirmed cases of violence, an average…

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A detailed report on Northern Ireland’s mother and baby homes, Magdalene Laundries, and workhouses will be published, featuring testimonies and archival records. The report informs a public inquiry and financial redress scheme for survivors.

Report on Mother and Baby Institutions to Be Published

More than a dozen mother and baby homes operated in Northern Ireland, including Marianvale in Newry. An extensive report examining mother and baby institutions, Magdalene Laundries, and workhouses in Northern Ireland is scheduled for publication on Tuesday.

The report consolidates archival records alongside testimonies from victims and survivors, their relatives, and individuals who worked or volunteered at these institutions.

It will present various findings and recommendations, highlighting areas for further investigation by an upcoming public inquiry.

From the 1920s until the 1990s, over 10,000 women, pregnant women, and girls passed through these secretive institutions, which were predominantly managed by religious orders.

Several of these women became pregnant…

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The estimated number of women admitted to mother and baby homes and Magdalene Laundries in Northern Ireland is some 2,000 higher than previously thought, a report has found.

The co-chairmen of the Truth Recovery Independent Panel found that “human rights abuses, degrading treatment, and forced separation of families are recurring and frequent” in evidence from survivors of the homes.

The 10-person Independent Panel, which includes three victims/ survivors, was appointed in 2023 by the Executive Office to look into the workings of the institutions that were run by the Catholic Church, religious orders, some Protestant denominations, and the State, until the 1990s.

Last week Stormont passed a Bill for a public inquiry and financial redress scheme relating to mother and baby institutions.

On Tuesday the Panel published their final report, describing it as “the largest and most comprehensive collection of lived-experience testimony in Northern Ireland in connection to these institutions”.

…

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The Truth Recovery Independent Panel contained detailed testimony of the treatment 300 women suffered at institutions run by the Catholic Church, some Protestant denominations and the state until the 1990s.

Around 2,000 more women were admitted to mother and baby homes and Magdalene Laundries in Northern Ireland than previously estimated, a report has found.

On Tuesday the Truth Recovery Independent Panel published their final report, describing it as “the largest and most comprehensive collection of lived-experience testimony in Northern Ireland in connection to these institutions”.

The report’s findings are based on testimony from almost 300 people directly affected by the institutions.

The 10-person independent panel was appointed by the executive office to look into the practices of the institutions, which were run by the Catholic Church, religious orders, some Protestant denominations and the state until the 1990s.

The report comes after Stormont last week passed a bill for a public…

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Truth Recovery Independent Panel says claims made against ‘Sister Z’, now deceased, merit ‘special attention’ at upcoming inquiry

Allegations of sexual abuse against a nun who worked at a mother and baby home in Co Down should be investigated as part of an upcoming public inquiry, a report has found.

The recommendation was made by the Truth Recovery Independent Panel, which on Tuesday published a report on mother and baby homes, Magdalene laundries and workhouses in Northern Ireland.

The panel said it found “clear evidence of discrimination against women and girls” in the institutions and that systemic failings by the state led to “human rights abuses”.

The actions of “Sister Z” of the Good Shepherd Sisters, who is now dead and was based at Marionville home in Newry, merit “special attention” after numerous testimonies from victims/survivors accused her of sexual abuse while performing gynaecological examinations, the report says.

The role of…

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Independent panel launches major report after taking testimony from hundreds of women sent to Mother and Baby Homes and Magdalene Laundries

Human rights abuses, degrading treatment, and forced separation of families were recurring and frequent in connection with mother and baby homes, the lead authors of a major new report said on Tuesday.

More than 15,000 women and girls were sent to Mother and Baby Homes and Magdalene Laundries between 1920 and the 1990s, higher than previously estimated, the report found.

Many of these women faced “degrading treatment” while a key theme of the report is the number subjected to rape or other abuse prior to being sent to the institutions, the Truth Recovery Independent Panel (TRIP) found.

The panel recommends survivors are afforded “core participant status” in any public inquiry.

This gives them access to records, the ability to suggest lines of questioning and allows their legal representatives to…

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A $10 million civil lawsuit was filed in Hampden Superior Court against two former Roman Catholic bishops for alleged sexual abuse.

Shawn Senuta alleges he was sexually abused by Bishops Christopher Weldon and Joseph Maguire more than 50 years ago when he was 4 or 5 years old while residing at Brightside, a residential institute for children owned and operated by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield.New $600M justice center to replace Springfield courthouse

The suit claims the abuse began around 1973 or 1974. It alleges Bishop Weldon fondled Senuta and made him perform sexual acts, and that Bishop Maguire also victimized Senuta on more than one occasion at Brightside.

The bishops allegedly told Senuta that no one would believe him or that God would not forgive him. Senuta said he struggled for years with the alleged abuse until he disclosed it to his wife in 2022.

Senuta’s attorneys…

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A lawsuit filed last week alleges that two bishops with the Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield sexually assaulted a young victim in West Springfield in the 1970s.

Our Lady of Providence, also known as “Brightside” in West Springfield, was where the alleged abuse took place.

The victim who filed the lawsuit said he was about four to five years old at the time of the abuse. He alleges that Bishop Christopher Weldon and Bishop Joseph Maguire assaulted him and coerced him into silence.

On or around 1973 or 1974, Weldon allegedly touched the boy inappropriately and told him he would go to hell if he said anything.

On a different occasion, the victim was confined to a closet as punishment when Maguire entered and sodomized him, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit, filed against the Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield (RCBS) as a whole, says that the victim “will continue to…

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Key Takeaways

• Father Roland M. Lepire is accused of sexually abusing at least six boys between 1975 and 1980, according to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report.
• The Attorney General’s Report states that Lepire continued serving in ministry after allegations of abuse were reported.
• Multiple civil lawsuits have been filed in relation to the allegations against Lepire, including a lawsuit filed in 2026 under Rhode Island’s child sexual abuse revival law.

Who Was Father Roland Lepire?

Father Roland M. Lepire was a priest of the Diocese of Providence.

Ordained in 1975, Lepire served at several Rhode Island parishes before being placed on administrative leave in 1996. In 2004, he was dismissed from the clerical state.

Holden was publicly identified on Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report on Child Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Providence and the Diocese of Providence’s List…

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On July 2, 2026, Constable Ryan Gable’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit and Safe Harbor Detectives arrested Noel Walker, 20, of Conroe, Texas, following an extensive investigation that originated from a CyberTip referral from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).

After receiving the CyberTip, Precinct 3 detectives initiated a comprehensive investigation utilizing search warrants, digital forensic examinations, and other investigative techniques, ultimately developing sufficient probable cause to obtain an arrest warrant for Walker.

Walker has been charged with:

• Five (5) counts of Possession of Child Pornography, classified as First-Degree Felonies under Texas law.

• One (1) count of Promotion or Possession of a Child-Like Sex Doll, classified as a State Jail Felony under Texas law.

At the time of his arrest, Walker publicly identified himself as a Youth Pastor and Worship Leader at Infinity Church in the Houston area. Publicly available social media posts depict…

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