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Category: Clergy Abuse

September 29, 2020

Jerry William Zweitzig, former Pastor at Horsham Bible Church guilty for child rape and pornography of babies and young children

A former pastor from Hatboro was charged with sexually abusing an infant and young girl and recording himself doing so. The perpetrator, Jerry William Zweitzig, 72, was sentenced to 200 years in a federal penitentiary and will most likely will spend the rest of his life in prison. His charges include manufacturing of child pornography. The child pornography collection had so many disturbing images of adults forcing oral sex on babies and young girls, prepubescent children being raped by adult males, and insertion of objects into children – many of which show children crying and clearly being tortured. Zweitzig’s […]

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September 22, 2020

Three Former Priests settle lawsuit offering millions to adult victims of child sex abuse from decades ago

Three former Massachusetts priests, Fr. Sylvio Ruest, Fr. John Salvucci and Fr. T. Raymond Sullivan, who were charged with child abuse have settled a lawsuit this week that will give millions to the victims. Decades ago these priests served in churches in Bellingham, Billerica and Dracut. Fr. Sylvio Ruest, who worked in the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Bellingham, was accused of sexually abusing a boy who was 13 years old at the time, and a member of the church. Ruest was accused of abusing the boy at least five times over 5 decades ago, in […]

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September 17, 2020

Joseph Comperchio, former Catholic school teacher, accused of sexually abusing students 40 years ago

Joseph Comperchio, a former Michigan Catholic school teacher, has been accused of child sex abuse dating back 40 years ago. Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office has been conducting an ongoing investigation into clergy abuse. Comperchio, now age 66, was arrested this week in Fort Myers, Florida, on two counts of first-degree and four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. Two of his alleged victims, now adults, said they were between 9 and 11 years old when abused decades ago, between 1974 – 1977. Comperchio had taught drama and music at St. John Catholic School in Jackson at the time […]

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September 9, 2020

Victims of Father John J. Gallagher’s sexual abuse awarded multimillion dollar settlement decades later

11 victims of sexual abuse by clergy members have been awarded a $1.4 Million settlement. The victims claim Father John J. Gallagher, a former Lawrence priest abused them in the 1970s, according to the suit. The settlement in the case was awarded to one man and 10 women, all of whom are now in their 50s, claimed that Father John J. Gallagher sexually abused them when they were students at St. Mary’s School in Lawrence. Gallagher, who died15 years ago, had already been accused of abusing three women when they were young girls at the Lawrence parish. That lawsuit […]

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September 2, 2020

Woman suing Archdiocese of Vancouver claiming decades of cover up of children sexually abused by clergy

A woman is suing the Archdiocese of Vancouver, claiming she was sexually assaulted years ago by Father Michael Conaghan as a child at St. Francis of Assisi School, a Catholic elementary school in Vancouver. The Archdiocese is accused of covering up systemic abuse by priests, bishops and other members of its clergy, dating back decades. In some instances, there was alleged forcing of victims to be silent . The allegations in the law suit claim that the Archdiocese of Vancouver knew for years about accusations against clergy of systemic psychological, sexual, and physical abuse, but actively buried complaints. According […]

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August 28, 2020

Father Andrew Kawecki and Father Emil Payer added to list of priests who are credibly accused sex abuse offenders

Two more Diocese of Greensburg priests have been charged with child sex abuse dating back decades. One of the priests, Father Andrew Kawecki, now 65, who since 1980, has served in 15 Greensburg Diocese parishes, is charged with sex abuse against a minor over the course of several years in Fairchance, Fayette County. The abuse allegedly took place inside the sacristy of St. Cyril and Methodius Parish and in the church’s rectory. Kawecki is charged with indecent assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, and corruption of minors against the minor, then 11 year old, when he was an altar boy. […]

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July 31, 2020

Lawsuit against Rev. Darvin Salazar and Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph accusing Priest cover up of sex abuse of minors

A civil suit was filed this week alleging that The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph covered up sex abuse of minors involving two priests. The suit claims that the diocese knew of the abuse and still allowed the priests access to sexually abuse vulnerable children. “No one can wish this continuing crisis away,” said David Clohessy, former executive director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, “It takes courageous action to expose and remove sick clerics. We applaud these two brave victims and hope others in pain will keep stepping forward.” The diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph […]

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July 29, 2020

Former Priests and Teacher at McQuaid Jesuit High School accused of sexually abusing students in the 1970’s/80’s

Former students at McQuaid Jesuit High School have come forward to claim that a former teacher and two former Jesuit priests sexually abused them when they were students in the 1970s and 1980s. At this time there have been more than 120 lawsuits filed in Monroe County alone. 14 child sexual abuse lawsuits were filed last week against the Society of Jesus USA Northeastern Province (Jesuits) under the Child Victims Act (CVA), which opened a one-year window for survivors of child sexual abuse to file civil lawsuits even if the alleged abuse was decades ago. Father Harry Untereiner, Father James […]

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July 25, 2020

Gary Carr, Former Springfield Priest accused of sexually abusing boys 30 years ago.

This week, the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, announced three new child sex abuse allegations against Gary Carr, a former Springfield priest. Now 66, Gary Carr has already been credibly accused of sexually abusing a boy between the ages of 10 and 13 in Missouri nearly 30 years ago. This week, the diocese announced that it had since become aware of three more allegations of child sexual abuse in the late 1980’s that involved Father Carr. In a June meeting, the Diocesan Safe Environment Review Board said that all three allegations met the diocese’s “semblance of truth” standard. During his […]

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July 20, 2020

Nine more lawsuit against Catholic church claiming decades of child sex abuse cover up

This week, nine lawsuits were filed against the Catholic Church amidst allegations of child sex abuse. The lawsuits claim that two priests were allowed to remain in clergy for years after church officials were made aware of the alleged abuse. The accused clerics include four archdiocese priests and three members of religious orders. The priests are Joseph Rice, Gerald Sudol, Kenneth Martin and John Capparelli and all 4 were named on a list of credibly accused clerics the archdiocese issued last year. The lawsuits also include allegations against John Dagwell and Peter Russell, two members of the Xaverian […]

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