Free Republic

An Indiana priest who has been accused of sexual misconduct with a minor at an Orlando Catholic church more than a decade ago was also an associate pastor at two other parishes in Central Florida, Orlando diocese officials confirmed Monday. A letter from Orlando Bishop Thomas Wenski was sent to St. Peter's Catholic Church in DeLand and Holy Family Catholic Church in Orlando, informing them of the allegations against the Rev. Richard Emerson, 52. Wenski said if anyone knew of other incidents, they should come forward, and he asked for prayers for those involved, according to the letter. On Sunday,...

Hundreds of sexual abuse claims targeting the Roman Catholic Church in California have converged into one of the most complex civil litigation cases the state's judicial system has ever faced. More than 850 alleged victims are suing dioceses throughout the state, with millions of dollars in potential settlements at stake in a legal battle that involves more than 300 attorneys and dozens of church insurers. The scope is so vast that the lawsuits have been lumped geographically into three consolidated cases, known simply as Clergy I, Clergy II and Clergy III. After nearly two years, the pace of the complicated...

The leader of a Catholic watchdog group announced today that the formation of a clergy misconduct review board, while a good idea, would merit “no credibility” if it failed to include his organization on its committee. Stephen G. Brady, president of the Roman Catholic Faithful, Inc. (RCF) cited RCF’s investigation of former Springfield, IL Bishop Daniel Ryan in his organization’s ability to bring truth to the investigation. “RCF has been the only organization or individual with credibility in investigating Ryan and the clergy of this diocese since 1995,” Brady stated. “While the diocese repeatedly denied allegations against Ryan and belittled...