Latest Church Headlines
All the headlines from our Church Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Future Unsure for Many After Louisiana’s Back-to-Back Hurricanes
Oct 14 2020 // Michele Vincent’s home was largely intact in spite of hurricanes Laura and Delta. But tears streamed down her face as she looked at her church’s broken windows and shattered pews. “It’s hard to come...
Former Catholic School Principal in W. Va. Claims He Was Fired for Reporting Abuse
Oct 13 2020 // A former principal at a West Virginia Catholic high school filed a wrongful termination lawsuit last month against a diocese, alleging he was let go for reporting complaints of inappropriate contact involving a priest and...
Louisiana Race Track Settles With for $2.8M over Manure, Urine Discharges
Oct 2 2020 // The owners of the horse racing track in New Orleans have agreed to pay a $2.8 million penalty for letting horse manure and urine into the city’s drainage system for at least six years and to spend twice that on...
Georgia Diocese Accused of Covering Up Sex Abuse Allegations in Lawsuit
Oct 1 2020 // A lawsuit filed against a diocese in Georgia alleges officials knew about and covered up allegations that a Catholic priest sexually abused young students and failed to prevent the crimes more than 30 years ago. The...
Rourke Appointed as SVP, General Manager of The Church Insurance Companies
Sep 30 2020 // The Church Pension Group (CPG), a financial services organization that serves The Episcopal Church, has appointed Christopher R. Rourke as senior vice president and general manager of The Church Insurance Companies...
Hudzik-Presson Named Chief Claims Officer at Wisconsin’s Church Mutual
Sep 3 2020 // Becky Hudzik-Presson has been named chief claims officer at Merrill, Wisconsin-based Church Mutual Insurance Co. S.I., reporting to Scott Names, senior vice president – Shared Services and chief information...
Diocese of Covington in Kentucky Releases FBI Clergy Abuse Report
Aug 7 2020 // The Diocese of Covington has released a report on sexual abuse that found 59 Catholic priests and 31 others associated with the church have sexually abused children since the 1950s. The report was released Friday on the...
2 New Sex Abuse Suits Filed Against Missouri Diocese
Aug 3 2020 // Two new lawsuits allege that the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in Missouri covered up abuse by two priests who were known to be sexual predators. The lawsuits, one filed on July 28 and the other on July 20, were...
Man Arrested in Connection with Delaware Church Fire Causing $250K in Damages
Jul 29 2020 // A Delaware man has been accused of setting multiple fires inside a church sanctuary. The Delaware State Fire Marshal’s office arrested Thomas Loftis III in connection with the blaze that erupted at Reach Church, news...
Fire Marshal Says Delaware Church Fire Causing $250K in Damages Was Arson
Jul 23 2020 // A fire inside the sanctuary of a Delaware church was started by an act of arson, authorities said. State Fire Marshal Chief Deputy Robert Fox said multiple fires were started inside Reach Church, in Glasgow, news outlets...
Bishops Should Report Sex Abuse to Police Even If Law Doesn’t Require, Says Vatican
Jul 21 2020 // The Vatican told bishops around the world last Thursday they should report cases of clergy sex crimes to police even when not legally bound to do so, in its latest effort to compel church leaders to protect minors from...
Former Mississippi Priest Accused of Wire Fraud, Stealing $18K from Parishioners
Jul 20 2020 // A former priest in Mississippi has been indicted for wire fraud after federal investigators said he took more than $18,000 from parishioners for personal expenses. Father Lenin Vargas, who led St. Joseph Catholic Church in...
Some Churches, Officials Struggle to Balance Right to Worship with Coronavirus Risk
Jul 13 2020 // Crowded bars and house parties have been identified as culprits in spreading the coronavirus. Meat packing plants, prisons and nursing homes are known hot spots. Then there’s the complicated case of America’s...
Supreme Court Supports Employers’ Religious Rights in Contraception, Teacher Employment
Jul 9 2020 // The U.S. Supreme Court struck two blows for religious rights, including a decision that upholds Trump administration rules giving employers a broad right to refuse to offer birth control through their health plans. The...
Police Say Maryland Man Charged in Church Arson Case
Jun 29 2020 // A Maryland man faces multiple arson-related charges after police say he confessed to setting fires at a church where investigators found a Molotov cocktail in a vestibule. David Francis Creager, 47, was detained Friday and...
National Guard Decontaminates West Virginia Church After COVID-19 Outbreak
Jun 16 2020 // A coronavirus outbreak at a West Virginia church has caused at least 17 virus cases, prompting the governor to call in the National Guard for decontamination work, state officials said Saturday. The Greenbrier County...
Mississippi Church Suing Over Virus Restrictions Burns Down; Arson Suspected
May 26 2020 // A church in Mississippi was destroyed by a suspected arson fire, about a month after its pastor filed a lawsuit challenging the city of Holly Springs on gathering restrictions amid the coronavirus outbreak. First...
Severe Weather Damages Buildings, Injures at Least 6, in Louisiana
May 19 2020 // Severe weather caused injuries and damage to homes in Louisiana, officials said. At least six people were taken to a hospital Sunday night, according to a tweet from the Acadian Ambulance Service, which said it responded...
Clergy Abuse Costs Drive New Orleans Archdiocese to File for Bankruptcy
May 4 2020 // The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans announced on May 1 that it is seeking federal Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection amid growing legal costs related to sexual abuse by priests. The filing for reorganization could...
Notre Dame Restoration Halted by France’s Coronavirus Lockdown
Apr 20 2020 // Notre Dame Cathedral stands crippled and alone, locked in a dangerous web of warped scaffolding one year after a cataclysmic fire gutted its interior, toppled its famous spire and horrified the world. Some of the 40,000...
