Religion

Lawsuit: IN Abortion Ban Violates Religious Freedom

Courthouse News reports: The ACLU of Indiana filed a class action lawsuit Thursday that challenges Indiana’s new abortion law by claiming the restrictions violate religious freedoms. The lawsuit was filed in Marion County and argues that the law known as SEA 1 violates Hoosiers’ rights under the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act by denying them access to abortions that would …

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WA Catholic Priest Charged With Raping Adult Woman

The Kennewick Tri-Cities Herald reports: A Tri-Cities priest has been arrested on suspicion of rape. Rev. Tomás Vázquez Téllez, 49, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of third-degree rape with an aggravating factor of being a person of trust. Vázquez Téllez has been serving at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Pasco since Sept. 2021. Vázquez Téllez was booked into the Benton …

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School Baptized 100+ Kids Without Parents’ Permission

The Insider reports: A North Carolina school baptized more than 100 students without asking permission from their parents, The Fayetteville Observer reported on Friday. When parents learned that their children had been baptized at the Northwood Temple Academy, they were upset. “My daughter calls me from the school and says, ‘Mama, can you bring me some dry clothes? I got …

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MD Priest Charged With Masturbating While Driving

The Maryland Bay reports: Reverend Jaroslaw “Jerry” Gamrot, 58, who serves at Holy Face Catholic Church and Little Flower School in Great Mills, has been charged for an incident that reportedly happened in July on a highway. Charging documents for the incident indicate that on July 25, Gamrot was traveling west on Route 70 in Frederick with no pants on …

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Far-Right Catholics Rage After Pope Francis Condemns Capital Punishment As “Encouraging Revenge” [VIDEO]

From the far-right Catholic site LifeSiteNews: Pope Francis has called for Catholics to pray for an end to the death penalty, saying that “in the light of the Gospel, the death penalty is unacceptable,” despite the Catholic Church’s nearly 2,000-year teaching, tradition, and contents of Sacred Scripture all upholding the legitimacy of the death penalty. It is even against the …

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VA Pastor Sentenced To 8 Years For Child Sex Abuse

The Roys Report reports: A plea agreement shows that Douglas Phillip DeAndrea, former pastor of New Ground Church in Danville, was sentenced to 40 years in prison. DeAndrea, 44, was arrested October 18, 2021, on seven felony charges of object sexual penetration and aggravated sexual battery, according to Mark Hollandsworth with the Montgomery County Jail. A grand jury indictment reveals …

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Pennsylvania Pastor Found Guilty Of Raping First Grader

The West Chester Patch reports: A former teacher at West Chester Christian School was convicted of sexually assaulting a first-grader there in 2007. Randy Lee Boston, 64, of Shickshinny, Luzerne County, was found guilty by a jury Wednesday in the Chester County Justice Center of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, indecent assault of a person under 13, corruption …

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Sunday School Teacher Gets 87 Years For Child Rape

Raleigh’s NBC affiliate reports: A former Sunday school teacher will spend the next 87 years of his life in prison after being convicted of abusing and sexually assaulting at least three young girls behind church walls and on church buses in Johnston County. A jury found Jonathan Young, 38, of Benson, guilty on multiple counts of rape, sexual offense and …

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Tennessee Christian School Principal And His Secretary Charged With Having Sex In Front Of Underage Student

Nashville’s Fox affiliate reports: The principal and secretary of a small Christian school in McMinn County engaged in improper sexual activity in front of an underage teen and former student at the pastor’s home, according to 2 arrest reports from the McMinn County Sheriff’s Department. 47-year-old Jason Kennedy is principal, teacher and pastor of Liberty Christian School in Riceville. 28-year-old …

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Police: FL Pastor’s Wife Embezzled $165K From Church

Mobile’s CBS affiliate reports: The Florida Department of Law Enforcement charged a woman with grand theft after a Milton Church was defrauded out of $164,716. Lisa Michelle Hively, 55, was charged with one count of organized schemes to defraud and one count of grand theft. Hively was arrested after investigators opened up an investigation into the finances of Faith Baptist …

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PA Pastor Pleads Guilty To Recording Sex With Minor

The Delaware County Times reports: A 72-year-old Chester pastor pleaded guilty Tuesday in Delaware County Court to videotaping a sexual encounter he had with an underage girl during a relationship that lasted from 2018 through 2020. Edward Lilly, of the 4100 block of Kates Glen Drive in the Boothwyn section of Upper Chichester, entered an open guilty plea to one …

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NJ Youth Pastor Charged With 75 Child Sex Counts

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: A Burlington County man who served as a youth pastor has been indicted on charges that he sexually exploited underage boys, deceiving them into sending him explicit images, then blackmailing them into performing lewd acts so he could watch and record them remotely, authorities said Friday. Sean Higgins, 31, of Palmyra, has been in custody since …

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MI Pastor Guilty Of Paying Boys To Have Sex With Wife

Kalamazoo’s CBS affiliate reports: A Kalamazoo pastor accused of paying teen boys for sex pleaded guilty Tuesday. Stricjavvar “Strick” Strickland pleaded guilty to one count of knowingly offering to sell transportation services for the purpose of engaging in prostitution, according to prosecutors. As part of the plea deal, Strickland will spend one year in jail and he will not have …

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Texas Pastor Guilty Of Stealing From Alzheimer’s Patient

The Tyler Morning Herald reports: A longtime Tyler pastor, coach and community figure will serve six months in the Smith County Jail and 10 years probation after pleading guilty to stealing from an elderly couple, his former church and a local nonprofit. Through a plea deal, Rev. Jerome Milton, who leads Open Door Bible Church in Tyler, admitted to using …

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Lawsuit Accuses Cardinal Of Sexually Assaulting Woman

The CBC reports: The name of a prominent Vatican cardinal, who is regarded as a potential successor to Pope Francis, appears on a list made public as part of a new class action against the Quebec diocese, Radio-Canada’s investigative program Enquête has found. Cardinal Marc Ouellet, who was the archbishop of Quebec when the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was taking …

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Ontario Megachurch Pastor Accused Of Sex With Minor

The Christian Post reports: One of Canada’s largest megachurches says it has substantiated sexual abuse allegations against former pastor Bruxy Cavey, including one involving a minor. Cavey, who was arrested and charged with sexual assault in June, was the former pastor of The Meeting House, which has multiple campuses across the Toronto area. Ontario police arrested the 57-year-old on May …

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Lankford Opposes Christian Nationalist Movement

Jack Jenkins reports at Religion News Service: Religion News Service reached out to more than 50 House and Senate Republicans seeking their response, questioning whether they support calls to make the RNC the party of Christian nationalism. Two Republicans responded: Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma and Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina. “I took an oath to defend the US …

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Rushdie’s Attacker Charged With Attempted Murder

ABC News reports: A suspect has been charged with attempted murder in the attack on author Salman Rushdie at a speaking event in New York state. The alleged attacker is Hadi Matar, 24, of Fairview, New Jersey, a law enforcement official told ABC News. He was arrested at the scene and is currently in New York State Police custody. Matar …

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Wisconsin Pastor Convicted Of Possessing Child Porn

The Appleton Post-Crescent reports: A 48-year-old pastor has been convicted of four counts of possession of child pornography and one count of meth possession. Rick E. Haberland, former pastor of Oneida United Methodist Church, pleaded no contest to all five charges Friday morning during a plea hearing in Outagamie County Circuit Court. Haberland also formerly served as a pastor at …

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Dominatrices To Testify Against New Orleans Priest

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports: Two professional dominatrices accused of a sexual tryst with a priest on the altar of Pearl River Catholic church in 2020 have each pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of institutional vandalism and won’t serve jail time, according to court records. But Melissa Cheng and Mindy Dixon will have to come back to 22nd …

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