Clergy abuse
The Latest
Louisiana priest sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to rape of teenage boy
Lawrence Hecker had pleaded guilty earlier this month to the kidnapping and raping of his teenage victim in the 1970s. Read more
Michigan attorney general releases fourth report on alleged abuse in state dioceses
The attorney general’s report, released on Monday, looks at reported abuse in the Diocese of Lansing. Read more
Court approves New York diocese’s record $323 million abuse settlement
The New York diocese announced in September that it had reached the massive settlement for abuse victims after a four-year-long... Read more
New Orleans priest pleads guilty to 1970s kidnapping, rape of teenager
Father Lawrence Hecker’s trial was repeatedly delayed this year amid Hecker’s ill health and uncertainty over his mental competency to... Read more
Diocese of Oakland says it will pay up to $200 million for hundreds of abuse claims
Some advocates criticized the proposal. Dan McNevin, a volunteer with the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said it... Read more
Archdiocese of New Orleans will release personnel files of clergy accused of sex abuse
On Thursday the archdiocese said in an announcement that it had agreed to “nonmonetary plan provisions to be included in... Read more
Massachusetts bishop: Priest placed on leave admitted to ‘serious sexual misconduct’
Students at St. Michael’s School in Fall River, Massachusetts, had organized a protest for Friday over Father Jay Mello’s removal... Read more
Cardinal O’Malley: Church acknowledges damage of abuse but ‘celibacy is not the cause’
Cardinal Seán O’Malley stated that he has “never seen any serious studies that have indicated that celibacy and sexual abuse... Read more
Vatican: Swiss bishops mishandled sex abuse claims, but no cover-up found
In September of last year the Swiss Bishops’ Conference revealed an ongoing Vatican-ordered investigation into the reported mishandling of sex... Read more
Archdiocese of Los Angeles announces nearly $1 billion clergy abuse settlement
Lawyers for both victims and the archdiocese said in a joint press release that the near-$1 billion settlement would address... Read more
California priest pleads no contest in child pornography case
As part of that plea, the 39-year-old priest also admitted that he possessed “over 600 images of child sexual abuse... Read more
Louisiana diocese set to file for bankruptcy, negotiate settlement with abuse victims
In 2019 then-Alexandria Bishop David Talley released a list of 27 priests who had served in the diocese and who... Read more
Pennsylvania priest laicized after investigation finds he sexually assaulted two minors
Martin Boylan, 76, was removed from priestly ministry in 2016 after he was accused of sexual assault of a minor. Read more
Vermont diocese files for bankruptcy amid more sex abuse lawsuits
“While my heart is heavy with the decision to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy, such weight pales in comparison to the... Read more
Cardinal Dolan says archdiocese is suing insurer to force it to pay sex abuse claims
Dolan argued that Chubb “scurrilously” claims that the abuse of victims was “expected or intended” by the Catholic Church. Read more
New York Diocese of Rockville Centre announces $323 million abuse settlement
The amount represents the largest settlement in U.S. diocesan bankruptcy history. It will be distributed to about 600 abuse survivors. Read more
Two lawsuits accuse Missouri dioceses of ‘shameless cover-up’ of sexual abuse
The two suits claim that diocesan officials “knowingly enabled, covered up, and concealed for multiple decades” sexual abuse perpetrated on... Read more
UPDATE: Chicago priest ‘strenuously denies’ state’s child molestation allegation, archdiocese says
CBS News Chicago reported that the alleged incident reportedly took place at an “eighth-grade confirmation retreat” in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin,... Read more
Priest arrested for child porn held on $2.5 million bond amid fears he may flee the U.S.
The priest was extradited to Texas this week to face child porn charges as well as sex abuse charges in... Read more
Russian Orthodox bishop of Budapest-Hungary suspended following reports of sexual misconduct
According to the online news site Novaya Gazeta Europe, Georgy Suzuki was sexually harassed on several occasions by the 58-year-old... Read more
