News Story of the Day

Catholic Churches Drop Hymns After Accusations Against Composer

Several Roman Catholic archdioceses have banned a well-known liturgical composer from performing in their churches and many others have stopped playing his music after dozens of women accused him of sexual misconduct and harassment over more than 40 years.


Hancock County Court Rejects Diocese’s Request To Dismiss Lawsuit

NEW CUMBERLAND — A request by the the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston to dismiss a lawsuit alleging sexual assault by the Rev. Victor Frobas has been denied in Hancock County Circuit Court.


Surge in filings pushes Child Victims Act suits in WNY past 700 in a year

Former Smallwood Elementary School teacher Trent Hariaczyi pleaded guilty in 2005 to possessing child pornography and served 18 months in federal prison.


With ouster of priest accused of pedophilia, Coptic Church mobilizes against sexual abuse

LOS ANGELES — The Coptic Orthodox Church in the U.S., shaken by recent accusations of sexual abuse, has vowed to eradicate inappropriate behavior in its cloistered communities following the defrocking of a priest accused of pedophilia for decades.


Erie Catholic Diocese to Resume Program Assisting Sexual Abuse Survivors

The Diocese of Erie announced Tuesday it will resume its work with the Independent Survivors' Reparation Program (ISRP), a program established to assist survivors of sexual abuse. 


Cuomo signs law to extend CVA deadline a full year, doesn’t apply to Dioceses in bankruptcy

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill Monday that will extend the deadline for lawsuits filed under New York’s Child Victims Act.

That legislation, adopted in early 2019, carved out a one-year window during which suits can be brought by people who allege they were sexually abused when they were young. The window of opportunity was set to close on August 13, 2020.


Archdiocese removes deacon from ministry following report of abuse

NEW ORLEANS, La. (WVUE) -The Archdiocese of New Orleans removed a deacon from ministry Monday following a report of abuse. V.M. Wheeler has been assigned to St. Francis Xavier in Metairie since his ordination in 2018. Wheeler is also a partner at New Orleans law firm, Chaffe McCall LLP.


Case against diocese draws attention

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court in the past week has received several friend-of-the-court briefs both supporting and challenging a landmark decision made by the court last year in which it allowed an Altoona woman to proceed with a sexual abuse case against a priest, even though the alleged offenses occurred in the mid-1970s.


Child Victims Act plaintiff confronts Bishop Scharfenberger: 'I lost my son'

Kevin Brun, a member of the committee representing childhood survivors of sex abuse in Buffalo Diocese bankruptcy proceedings, told Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger on Wednesday that his son killed himself within 24 hours of reading Brun’s letter of being abused by a priest more than 40 years ago.


FBI: Queens Priest Shared Sexually Explicit Texts, Photos With 15-Year-Old Boy

NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — A priest in Queens was arrested Wednesday by the FBI for allegedly sending sexually explicit text messages and photos to a 15-year-old boy.


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