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Category: Clergy Abuse

May 26, 2020

Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown Priests accused of sexually abusing kids dating back to the 1970’s

Timothy Paul McGettigan, from Texas claims he was sexually abused and tortured by several priests in a church basement in the 1970s. He is suing the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown and one of its churches, St. Catharine of Siena in Reading. The 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report exposed the Allentown Diocese priests of unreported sexual abuse by clergy across the state, which is what gave McGettigan the idea to come forward., once he realized he was not the only victim. In the lawsuit, McGettigan alleges he was sexually abused by two priests, the Rev. Joseph Grembocki and the […]

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May 21, 2020

Pastor pleads guilty to sexually abusing infant and several other children while manufacturing child pornography

Jerry Zweitzig, 71, a retired pastor at the currently closed Horsham Bible Church, has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting an infant. This is his second admission to sexually abusing a child. Zweitzig has pleaded guilty to charges of manufacturing child pornography. He is in currently being held at Philadelphia’s Federal Detention Center . Zweitzig’s video taped himself sexually abusing an infant in 2010. Investigators found the video, while preparing for Zweitzig’s hearing and sentencing for a different child sexual abuse and exploitation case. In the first case, Zweitzig was charged with one count of possession of child pornography and five […]

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May 19, 2020

Poland’s Roman Catholic Church asks Vatican to investigate sex abuse spanning decades

Archbishop Wojciech Polak, the head of Poland’s Roman Catholic Church, is asking the Vatican to investigate the cover-up of child sexual abuse by priests after the release of a documentary on the subject this weekend. The film is about the story of two brothers who want to confront a priest who allegedly abused them when they were children. The Vatican is expected to assign an investigator to the case. The film – “Hide and Seek” – has gained popularity on YouTUbe with over 1.9 million views. Hide and Seek is the second documentary on the subject by brothers Marek and […]

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May 15, 2020

Insurance company does not want to pay Catholic non profit sexual abuse claims

Markel Insurance Co., based in Illinois, has sued Holy Family Institute, a Roman Catholic nonprofit, arguing that it is not obligated to defend the Catholic Institute from allegations that it concealed alleged sexual abuse by priests in the 1970s and 1980s. The complaint states that the alleged sexual abuse that took place in three underlying Pennsylvania state lawsuits occurred before the time when Holy Family Institute was covered by these policies. “Because the injuries alleged in each of the underlying actions first manifested prior to the policy period of any of the policies, there is no coverage under any […]

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May 13, 2020

Philadelphia Archdiocese to pay $126 to sex abuse victims in order to prevent civil suits

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia Independent Reconciliation and Reparations Program which was set up in 2018 to pay settlements of 615 sex absue claims said it expects to pay $126 million to sexual-abuse victims under the reparations program. This averages to be about $211,000 per claim which is the average of what other dioceses have been paying under such programs. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese still has @20 million in reserves to pay for the sex abuse claims and plans to raise money through property sales and loans. The $126 million estimate was made by the diocese as […]

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May 7, 2020

Diocese of Buffalo denied small business loan amid sex abuse allegations

The Buffalo Diocese, informed 23 Buffalo priests that they will no longer receive health care as part of bankruptcy negotiations. The priests have been suspended due to substantiated sex abuse allegations. As of May 1, the 23 Buffalo priests that have been on leave because of abuse claims have been informed by Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger that thier regular checks from the diocese would stop. Scharfenberger wrote a letter to the priests explaining that as part of the ongoing bankruptcy negotiations, their health care was part of the expenses that have been halted due to the ongoing lawsuits of […]

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May 6, 2020

Survivors of clergy sex abuse livid over release of Priest from prison due to Covid -19 fears

COVID-19 and the halt of the judicial system is raising questions among survivors of childhood sex abuse especially those who were abused by clergy. Michael Guidry, a priest convicted of molesting a teenage boy is out on bail. He was only serving the first year of his 10 year prison sentence, after pleading guilty to molestation of a juvenile. Guidry’s defense counsel, Jane Hogan, requested an emergency appeal hearing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 is being used as an excuse to release prisoners during this pandemic. Survivors of clergy sex abuse want accountability. “This perp is a dangerous […]

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May 6, 2020

Buffalo Diocese asks to halt sex abuse lawsuits during bankruptcy filings

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, currently dealing with filing for Bankruptcy due to the expenses of sexual abuse charges and COVID-19 expenses, is seeking legal action to stop all current outstanding lawsuits against claims of clergy sexual abuse. The Diocese of Buffalo is seeking injunction on lawsuits that have been filed under the CVA (Child Victims Act, which is a one year window for victims of childhood sexual abuse to come forward after the prior statute of limitations had prevented them from doing so. This CVA window, due to expire in August, has allowed at least 250 new […]

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May 5, 2020

New Orleans Archdiocese to File for Bankruptcy amid high costs of sexual abuse allegations

This week, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans announced it will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection due to the growing legal costs related to sexual abuse by priests. The filing could free the Archdiocese from creditors lawsuits and give it time to reorganize its finances. The New Orleans archdiocese is the latest of more than 20 dioceses nationwide to take such action. The latest spin is that preventing the spread of COVID-19 is also being blamed for the financial pressures of the archdiocese. The Archdiocese said in a statement “The Archdiocese’s action will not affect individual church […]

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April 29, 2020

Priest released from prison due to COVID -19 prior to serving 10 year sentence for child sex abuse caseus uproar in community of survivors

Michael Guidry, a priest who was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with three years suspended, after pleading guilty to molestation of a child has been released from prison. Guidry had been convicted of sexually assaulting at teenage boy was serving just one year of his sentence when he was released due to COVID-19. His Defense counsel requested an emergency appeal, claiming that he was at risk to developing COVID019 during this pandemic. Guidry’s attorney held a video conference wit the court and waived Guidry’s right to p\appear while submitting an appeared before the court through video emergency motion […]

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