Tag Archives: Catholic Church

The Quad City Times reports: Cody LaKose faces a felony charge of sexual exploitation by a school employee and three aggravated misdemeanor charges of sexual exploitation by a school employee. LaKose, 37, was a science teacher and coach at Central DeWitt from August 2010 to December 2018. He was asked to resign, according to a separation agreement with the district. …

Fox News reports: Leaders of the Catholic Church in Germany must be punished for breaking from the Vatican and approving blessings for same-sex marriages, two cardinals say. Cardinal Raymond Burke of the United States and Cardinal Gerhard Müller of Germany spoke about the de facto schism underway in Germany during an interview with EWTN. “Whether it’s a departure, heretical teaching …

The New York Daily News reports: A disgraced Queens Catholic Church deacon will spend 16 years behind bars for enticing three boys he met online into having sex with him. Rogelio Vega, 52, faced his reckoning in Brooklyn Federal Court on Wednesday, breaking down in tears as he described how his actions hurt his victims and his family. The detective …

Buffalo’s ABC affiliate reports: The Diocese of Buffalo placed Monsignor Peter J. Popadick on leave for the second time Wednesday, after previously allowing the priest to return to ministry. In a statement, a spokesperson for the diocese wrote that Popadick was placed on administrative leave after it received a child sexual abuse complaint. Popadick serves as the pastor of St. …

San Francisco’s CBS affiliate reports: The Diocese of Santa Rosa filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy on Monday in the face of potentially hundreds of sexual abuse lawsuits. Bishop Robert Vasa had announced the filing was imminent in a media release. “This decision was made necessary due to the number of child sexual abuse lawsuits filed against the Diocese over the …

The Washington Post reports: A group of conservative Colorado Catholics has spent millions of dollars to buy mobile app tracking data that identified priests who used gay dating and hookup apps and then shared it with bishops around the country. The secretive effort was the work of a Denver nonprofit called Catholic Laity and Clergy for Renewal, whose trustees are …

San Francisco’s NBC affiliate reports: A lay official with the Diocese of Oakland has been arrested on suspicion of possessing and sharing child pornography, NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit has confirmed via local law enforcement. Jeremiah York, 24, worked as the Director of Liturgical Ministries and the Executive Assistant to the Rector at the Cathedral of Christ the Light in …

Reuters reports: Lawyers for former Roman Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick on Monday asked a Massachusetts judge to dismiss a criminal case charging him with molesting a 16-year-old boy in 1974, saying the 92-year-old is not mentally competent to face trial due to dementia. McCarrick, a former archbishop of Washington, D.C., last July became the only current or former U.S. Catholic …

Reuters reports: The Roman Catholic religious order of Jesuits said on Tuesday that accusations of sexual, psychological and spiritual abuse against a prominent member of the order were highly credible and that restrictions on him had been tightened. The order said on its website that it would start an “internal procedure” against the priest, Father Marko Ivan Rupnik, 69, a …

The Guardian reports: A 65-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the death of David O’Connell, an Irish prominent priest who was shot on Saturday in Los Angeles. Carlos Medina, the husband of the bishop’s housekeeper, was arrested on Monday morning for the murder of the 69-year-old. Police said a source tipped them off that Medina claimed O’Connell owed …

Madison’s CBS affiliate reports: A Diocese of Madison pastoral associate in the DeForest parish who is accused of having inappropriate sexual contact with a teenager pleaded guilty to child enticement Monday, online court records show. Rajnal Rehmat, 31, was charged with one count of child enticement and one count of sexual assault of a child by a person who works …

The Los Angeles Times reports: Authorities investigating the killing of a Los Angeles bishop Saturday have made an arrest in the case, law enforcement sources said Monday. Auxiliary Bishop David G. O’Connell, 69, was killed Saturday afternoon in the Catholic archdiocese-owned home in Hacienda Heights where he lived alone, authorities say. One law enforcement source said O’Connell was found dead …

Los Angeles’s Fox affiliate reports: A local Catholic church official was shot and killed in Los Angeles County, California, on Saturday, according to the sheriff’s department. David O’Connell, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, was fatally shot in the incident in Hacienda Heights, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said. Deputies responded to the shooting and when …

NBC News reports: Pope Francis, the head of the Anglican Communion and top Presbyterian minister together denounced the criminalization of homosexuality on Sunday and said gay people should be welcomed by their churches. The three Christian leaders spoke out on LGBTQ rights during an unprecedented joint airborne news conference returning home from South Sudan, where they took part in a …

Fargo’s KFGO reports: A man who has been under investigation for inappropriate behavior at a Catholic church in Jamestown has been arrested for suspicion of committing sexual exploitation by therapist. According to Jamestown Police, 48-year-old Father Neil Pfeifer was arrested in Rugby, North Dakota on Wednesday. Pfeifer has been under investigation since Jan. 13 when Jamestown Police were contacted by …

The Kankakee Daily Journal reports: Richard E. Jacklin, a Catholic priest, was sentenced to 18 years in prison in Kankakee County court Thursday after being convicted of sexually assaulting a Shapiro Developmental Center resident in 2017. Jacklin was found guilty of aggravated sexual assault, criminal sexual assault and sexual misconduct during his jury trial in September 2022. A Shapiro employee …

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust,” saying God loves all his children just as they are and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church. “Being homosexual isn’t a crime,” Francis said during an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press. Francis acknowledged that Catholic bishops in …

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: A Roman Catholic priest and former confidant of the royal family of Monaco was sentenced Monday to more than three years in prison for accessing a trove of thousands of pornographic images of children. The Rev. William McCandless first came to to the attention of U.S. authorities after a stash of illicit photos and videos was …

The Guardian reports: The Vatican is investigating rumours of a “sex party” at a British cathedral which is alleged to have happened during lockdown. As part of an investigation into the circumstances of Robert Byrne’s resignation as the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, the Catholic church is looking into claims one of his priests invited worshipers to a private party …

Milwaukee’s CBS affiliate reports: A former Catholic school teacher was sentenced Thursday, Jan. 19 for sexually assaulting children. Kevin Buelow will spend six years and six months behind bars. Buelow was accused of touching at least three girls inappropriately while he was teaching at Holy Apostles Elementary School in New Berlin. He was found guilty of fourth-degree sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault …