Religion

The Christian Post reports: The head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s public policy arm is calling for the complete abolition of the pornography industry. Brent Leatherwood, president of the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), published a statement this week on the ERLC website titled “Outlaw pornography now,” citing a New York Times report revealing Pornhub’s alleged complicity in …

Greenville, South Carolina’s NBC affiliate reports: A pastor at a Greenville County, South Carolina, church is facing numerous child sex charges, and his wife has also been arrested, according to deputies. Myron Chorbajian is a pastor at 1st Southern Methodist Church on Fork Shoals Road, according to the church’s Facebook page. Myron and his wife, Kathleen, were arrested on fugitive …

The Independent reports: A Florida youth pastor faces over 20 charges of sexual abuse of foster children in his care, including a six-year-old girl who he allegedly abused “for years.” Daniel R. Lamppin also used his role as an employee at a local branch of Chick-fil-A to gain access to youngsters, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. Lamppin, 40, …

Phoenix’s NBC affiliate reports: A Phoenix pastor and his church are among 22 defendants charged in what the Arizona attorney general’s office says is one of the largest fraud cases to date in the ongoing sober-living homes scandal. The alleged $60 million fraud diverted millions of dollars to the owners of a behavioral health business; to the Hope Of Life …

The Associated Press reports: The Archdiocese of New Orleans agreed to pay nearly $180 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse under a settlement announced Wednesday, the latest in a string of settlements by the Catholic Church. The archdiocese, its parishes and several insurers will pay $179.2 million into a trust to benefit survivors, according to a statement by the …

The Livingston Post reports: William Eugene Johnson, 38, of Howell — fired from 2|42 Church in Brighton in September 2024 after placing a video recording device inside a unisex restroom — was sentenced Thursday to a minimum of 68 months and a maximum of 20 years in prison by Livingston County Circuit Court Judge Matthew McGiveny. In April, Johnson pleaded …

From the Justice Department: A former youth pastor was sentenced today for Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor and Possession of Child Pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. U.S. District Judge John F. Heil, III, sentenced Chaz Chinsethagid, 34, of Jenks, to serve 168 months imprisonment, followed by lifetime supervised release. Upon his release, Chinsethagid will also be required …

The Hill reports: Vice President Vance and second lady Usha Vance met Pope Leo XIV while in Vatican City for the pontiff’s inauguration mass on Sunday. Before exiting St. Peter’s Square, the vice president and second lady greeted Pope Leo XIV, a spokesperson for the vice president said. Vance and the first American pope shook hands and appeared to briefly …

The Christian Post reports: Disgraced Gateway Church founder Robert Morris, who resigned from the Southlake, Texas, megachurch last June after he was accused of child sex abuse, demanded a million dollars upfront plus hundreds of thousands more annually in retirement compensation shortly after his exit, but the church refused. The revelation was made in documents filed by the church in …

Bloomberg News reports: Vice President JD Vance will attend the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV following the pontiff’s historic election as the first American leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Vance, the highest-ranking Catholic in the US government, heads to Italy and the Vatican for the second time in as many months after attending Holy Week services in Rome. …

The Santa Barbara Independent reports: Sheriff’s detectives arrested a Goleta man for several alleged felony child sex crimes on Friday, May 9. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is now “reaching out to the public to identify additional survivors and provide safety information for parents monitoring children’s social media,” it said in a statement on Monday. Detectives identified Shaun Donald …

NPR reports: Pope Leo XIV called for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza with the release of hostages and delivery of humanitarian aid in his first Sunday noon blessing as pontiff. “I carry in my heart the sufferings of the beloved Ukrainian people,” he said. “Let everything possible be done to achieve genuine, …

Orlando’s ABC affiliate reports: A Sanford pastor had been arrested following allegations of inappropriate conduct, and sexually touching and assaulting two underage females. Yersson David Solarte Basto, 34, is charged with sexual battery and lewd and lascivious molestation. On April 10. police received a report of an inappropriate relationship between Solarte and two juvenile victims. According to a news release, …

The Baptist Press reports: A mental health counselor for two counseling services in Metro East St. Louis has been charged with five counts related to sexual exploitation of a minor. Matthew S. Cuppett of Collinsville was charged May 5. One count of grooming and two counts of exploitation of a minor under age 17 are felony charges. The alleged victim …

The Associated Press reports: Black smoke billowed from the Vatican’s chimney on Wednesday around 3:02 p.m. ET after the 133 cardinals tasked with electing the next leader of the Catholic Church made their first vote inside the Sistine Chapel. The black smoke indicates that no papal candidate secured the required two-thirds majority on the conclave’s first ballot. Voting will resume …

Goldsboro, North Carolina’s CBS affiliate reports: A children’s ministry pastor at a Raleigh church was arrested Tuesday following an investigation into the distribution of child sexual abuse material in Wake Forest, police said. According to the Wake Forest Police Department, detectives with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force executed a search warrant at a home on Thornrose Way. The …

NBC News reports: Of all the many sights and sounds etched onto the memory of anyone who’s been alive long enough to witness a conclave, the white smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel chimney and the ringing of the church’s bells signifying the appointment of a new pope are perhaps the most famous. With the second result of each pair …

CNN reports: All mobile phone signals will be deactivated in the Vatican on Wednesday ahead of the highly secretive conclave to elect the next pope, Italian state media reported. The Vatican also plans to use signal jammers around the Sistine Chapel to prevent electronic surveillance or communication outside the conclave that will see 133 cardinals vote on who will succeed …

Vatican News reports: Pope Francis’ legacy of peace continues to shine in our conflict-ridden world. The closeness he showed to the most vulnerable during his earthly mission is radiating even after his death, and this most recent surprise is no exception: His popemobile, the very vehicle from which he waved and was close to millions of faithful all around the …

The National Catholic Reporter reports: President Donald Trump is facing a firestorm of criticism from leaders of the Roman Catholic Church after posting on social media a computer-generated image of himself as pope in full papal regalia as the Catholics worldwide continue to mourn Pope Francis. At least one U.S. bishop said President Donald Trump needs to apologize and even …