News Story of the Day
Clergy Abuse, Church Reform, and Accountability
How should we address the legacy of clergy abuse, and what reforms can advocate for institutional accountability?
The Good Men Project
July 6, 2025
By
Rev. Dr. John C. Lentz Jr. served over 30 years as Lead Pastor of Forest Hill Presbyterian Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Known for passionate preaching, community leadership, and a commitment to justice and compassion, he profoundly shaped the Church’s mission before retiring in 2024 after a celebrated ministry. Lentz reflects on his 30-year tenure at Forest Hill Presbyterian Church, where he inherited the traumatic legacy of sexual abuse by a former associate pastor. Lentz details the Church’s response—early efforts at acknowledgment, limited legal options, and survivor support—highlighting the structural weaknesses in denominational accountability. He explores systemic patterns of abuse across denominations, including the role of clerical authority, enabling networks, and institutional cover-ups. Drawing from neuroscience, psychology, and theology, Lentz emphasizes the importance of independent investigations, seminary reform, and third-party oversight. He warns against simplistic narratives that scapegoat Catholicism alone and calls for nuanced, data-driven reform efforts across religious institutions. He discussed how virtues like compassion and forgiveness, without accountability, can become vulnerabilities. Both advocate for cultural and institutional reforms rooted in moral clarity, survivor support, and transparent justice processes. The dialogue ultimately calls for partnership—not polarization—in addressing clergy abuse.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: So, you are a former pastor at Forest Hill Presbyterian Church. What is the story there? We can use that as a context for a broader conversation about a wider phenomenon.
Rev. Dr. John Lentz: Yes. I served as pastor at Forest Hill Church for thirty years, from 1994 to 2024. During my final interview before being offered the position, the search committee told me something they felt I needed to know. They said, “John, we need to tell you this because it might affect your decision to come here.” They explained that a previous associate pastor had been involved in the sexual abuse of youth in the congregation.
That wasn’t comforting to hear. Here is what I learned so from personal knowledge: In 1977, Reverend Dale Small became the associate pastor at Forest Hill Church. He came from another congregation in the Detroit area of Michigan. His primary responsibilities were overseeing the confirmation program and leading retreat and camping ministries. He served in that role until 1981.
Afterward, he retired and was granted the honorary title of pastor emeritus. He moved to North Carolina following his retirement. In 1984, he organized a reunion-style camping trip for former youth members of Forest Hill Church in North Carolina. During that event, one former youth participant—by then in his twenties—experienced a resurgence of traumatic memories related to prior abuse. He left the trip and returned home.
Later that year, he and his parents sent a letter to the Church’s governing body (the session) reporting that Dale Small had sexually abused him. The letter also mentioned other possible victims, although it is unclear how many individuals were named or how those claims were verified.
When I joined the Church in 1994, ten years after that disclosure, I learned that the session at the time had responded by engaging a consultant—though I do not know their name—to assess what actions should be taken to support the congregation, particularly its youth. They also reportedly sent letters to families whose children had been part of the youth group or confirmation classes during that period, asking whether anything inappropriate had occurred.
It was reported that at least half a dozen boys came forward, identifying themselves as victims of abuse. Many of these boys came from homes where the father was absent or where the family structure had been disrupted. All of the reported victims were male.
‘Sheep do not judge their shepherd’: Sermon after child abuse conviction shocks victims
Alexis Rosentool, a senior priest of the Russian Church in Australia, has been found guilty of child sexual abuse. Credit: YouTube
The Sydney Morning Herald
July 5, 2025
By Perry Duffin
A senior Sydney priest has warned his followers “sheep do not judge their shepherd” in a sermon about his divided church after a veteran cleric was found guilty of child sexual abuse days earlier – shocking victims and experts.
Meanwhile, a document penned by the paedophile priest himself, which ordered followers “when you are abused, be quiet”, has been quietly removed after decades in a government registry.
Alexis Rosentool was found guilty on June 20 of child sexual abuse dating from the 1980s and 2000s, when he was a priest in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) in Sydney.
The Herald revealed pro-Russian propagandist Simeon Boikov, aka Aussie Cossack, had collaborated with police to convince victims to speak up and bring down Rosentool.
The case unexpectedly landed Boikov in the Russian consulate, where he remains after 930 days, having fled there after being arrested for breaching a suppression order over Rosentool’s name.
Jury awards $7.6 million to survivor of sexual abuse by former Diocese of Winona-Rochester priest
“He feels that he has done something real to expose the problems in the diocese and in the Catholic church hierarchy,” said Jeff Anderson, who represented the plaintiff, “so that other kids will be protected.”
A sign for the Diocese of Winona-Rochester outside The Chancery of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester is pictured Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in Rochester. Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin file photo
Post Bulletin
July 1, 2025
By Olivia Estright
ROCHESTER — An Olmsted County jury awarded $7.6 million to a plaintiff who alleged sexual misconduct and filed a lawsuit against the Diocese of Winona.
The jury returned its verdict on Monday, June 30, after a weeklong trial to determine the damages.
The plaintiff, referred to as Doe 254, filed the complaint for a personal injury lawsuit in 2021 related to allegations of abuse in the 1970s. The case alleged three counts relating to negligence and demanded payment for the damages in excess of $50,000.
This case is a result of the Minnesota Child Victims Act of 2013, which lifted the statute of limitations on past claims of child sexual abuse for a three-year period that ended in August 2016. More than 100 claims of child sexual abuse by clergy arose after the act was passed.
Before the trial, the diocese’s attorneys filed a proposed statement that the diocese admitted negligence. The trial became an abbreviated one, focused on determining the damages owed to Doe 254.
Former Greater Grace pastor indicted for child sexual abuse, lawsuits pile up
Former Greater Grace pastor Eric Anderson is facing two counts of indecent assault and battery of a child. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
The Baltimore Banner
June 27, 2025
By Jessica Calefati, Julie Scharper and Justin Fenton
A former Greater Grace World Outreach pastor who once led the Baltimore megachurch’s Bible college has been indicted by a Massachusetts grand jury for child sexual abuse, a spokesperson for the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office told The Baltimore Banner.
Eric Anderson, 80, is facing two counts of indecent assault and battery of a child, said Chief of Operations Julia Sabourin. The abuse is alleged to have occurred in 1980, when Anderson lived and worked at the church’s former headquarters in Western Massachusetts. Back then, the organization with offshoots around the world was known as The Bible Speaks.
Berkshire County has issued a warrant for Anderson’s arrest. He’s been living with his son Jesse Anderson, who was convicted of molesting a boy in the church but escaped prison time for his felony offenses. They live in rural Red House, Virginia. Another son, Jonathan Anderson, has also been accused of abuse, though he has not been charged with a crime.
Members of The Millstones, the group of former church members who investigated the organization’s handling of abuse allegations, said Eric Anderson was one of the first alleged perpetrators they learned about.
Parochial Vicar for OLMC, Astoria, Removed From Ministry After Allegation of ‘Sexual Abuse of a Minor’ Substantiated
(Photo: Pixabay)
The Tablet
June 24, 2025
by Tablet Staff
ASTORIA — The Diocese of Brooklyn has removed from all priestly ministries Father Michael McHugh, parochial vicar for Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Astoria, after an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor was substantiated, according to the diocese.
Bishop Robert Brennan announced the decision via a letter that was read aloud to parishioners at the close of each of the church’s weekend Masses on June 21 and June 22.
Bishop Brennan said that the diocese received a report on March 27 alleging the abuse, which dates back to the 1980s. The diocese, according to the letter, then launched an investigation into the allegation, and upon its conclusion, presented it to the Diocesan Review Board — an independent panel that investigates abuse allegations.
“After deliberation, the Board found sufficient information to substantiate allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor and recommended Father McHugh’s removal from ministry,” Bishop Brennan wrote. “I have accepted this recommendation, and Father McHugh has been removed from all priestly ministries.”
Governor Abbott Signs Over 600 Critical Bills Passed During 89th Regular Legislative Session
Office of the Texas Governor
June 21, 2025
Governor Abbott today signed into law over 300 bills passed during the 89th Regular Legislative Session that ensure Texas remains the greatest state in the nation, bringing the total to date to over 600 bills signed into law.
“Texas is where the American dream lives," Governor Abbott. "Today, I signed critical legislation passed in the 89th Regular Legislative Session that protects the safety of Texans and safeguards the individual freedoms that our great state was founded on. Working with the Texas Legislature, we will keep Texas the best place to live, work, and raise a family."
Governor Abbott continues to review the over 1,200 bills that the Texas Legislature delivered to his desk. The sign/veto period for the 89th Regular Legislative Session continues through Sunday, June 22.
Today, Governor Abbott signed 334 bills passed by the Texas Legislature, including these 16 critical pieces of legislation:
RI House passes bill to allow victims of childhood sex abuse to sue people, institutions that did not protect them
Providence Journal
June 17, 2025
By Katherine Gregg
PROVIDENCE – Victims of childhood sexual abuse by priests and others in their Rhode Island world have scored a victory.
The R.I. House of Representatives voted 67 to 5 along party lines on Monday, June 16 to allow these victims to file civil suits, seeking damages, from people and institutions that neglected to stop the abuse they suffered as children, concealed it or transferred known offenders from one location to another.
Republican Rep. Brian Newberry raised the only arguments against the bill. He said it would open Rhode Island to the potential loss of insurance companies, no longer willing to write policies in states willing to "revive" decades old claims.
"I know this is a highly emotional issue for a lot of people and I understand why people vote for it, but it doesn't make it a good,'' said Newberry, a lawyer. "No one's going to walk out of California or New York or Texas or Florida. But they'll walk out of Rhode Island."
Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing children in San Luis Obispo County
Father Theodore Gabrielli
Cal Coast News
June 17, 2025
By Karen Velie
Update: At his arraignment hearing on Tuesday afternoon, Father Theodore Gabrielli’s attorney asked the court to postpone his arraignment until July 8. The judge then eliminated the $1 million bail.
A Catholic priest is sitting in the San Luis Obispo County Jail without bail regarding allegations he sexually abused three children in San Luis Obispo County.
More churches file lawsuit against Gov. Ferguson over new mandatory child abuse reporting law
Orthodox Church in America
KXLY.com
June 16, 2025
By
SPOKANE, Wash. -- New court filings show several Orthodox churches and a priest are suing the state of Washington and Governor Bob Ferguson over a newly implemented law that requires clergy to report suspected child abuse.
The plaintiffs include Orthodox Church in America, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas, Western American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and Timothy Wilkinson.
They join Catholic bishops who have already sued the state.
New Jersey can have a grand jury investigate clergy sex abuse allegations, state high court rules
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Camden, N.J., Wednesday, April 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
AP News
June 16, 2025
By Mike Catalini
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey can have a grand jury examine allegations of clergy sexually abusing children, the state’s Supreme Court ruled Monday, after a Catholic diocese that had tried for years to block such proceedings recently reversed course.
The Diocese of Camden previously had argued that a court rule prevents the state attorney general from impaneling a grand jury to issue findings in the state’s investigation into decades of allegations against church officials. But the diocese notified the court in early May that it would no longer oppose that. Camden Bishop Joseph Williams, who took over the diocese in March, said he’d met with stakeholders in the diocese and there was unanimous consent to end the church’s opposition to the grand jury.
The seven-member Supreme Court concluded such a grand jury inquiry is allowed.
