Catholic priest

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Amid Pa. Wave of Predator Priests, a New Cleric Is Charged

Allentown priest Kevin Lonergan allegedly sent nude pics to teen on Snapchat, groped her

(Newser) - More than 300 "predator priests" were recently identified by a grand jury report in Pennsylvania. Now, an unrelated case is bringing an Allentown priest into the headlines. Charges of indecent assault and corruption of a minor have been filed against 30-year-old Kevin Lonergan, who served in Allentown's Cathedral...

Accused of Molesting 3 Boys, Priest Is Nowhere to Be Found

Edmundo Paredes might've fled to Philippines

(Newser) - The Catholic Church has hired two private investigators to track down a former Dallas priest who disappeared months before sexual abuse allegations against him surfaced. Pastor at St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Oak Cliff for 27 years, Rev. Edmundo Paredes stands accused of molesting three boys in their midteens between...

Cops Find Big Clue in Ceiling of Alleged Crooked Priest

Police discover $63K stashed in the Rev. Jonathan Wehrle's ceiling

(Newser) - A Catholic priest is charged with embezzling more than $5 million from his Michigan parish—and on Tuesday, police say they found $63,392 in cash above ceiling tiles in his basement. The Rev. Jonathan Wehrle was charged with six counts of embezzlement last year after a diocese-ordered audit found...

He Doled Out Hail Marys to Abuse Victim. Now, a Verdict

Archbishop Philip Wilson found guilty of covering up child sex abuse

(Newser) - An archbishop accused of turning a blind eye to the abuse of altar boys by a pedophile priest has become the most senior Catholic ever convicted of concealing child molestation. An Australian court has found Philip Wilson, archbishop of Adelaide, guilty of covering up the abuse in the 1970s, the...

House Chaplain Is 'First to Be Fired in the History of the US'

Father Pat Conroy says Paul Ryan asked for his resignation

(Newser) - Did Paul Ryan think the House chaplain was a meddlesome priest? Father Pat Conroy says that two weeks ago, the House speaker asked for his resignation but did not provide a reason, Politico reports. Democrats believe the priest, who was nominated by John Boehner in 2011, was forced out over...

Ex-Priest Gets Life for 1960 Murder of Parishioner

John Feit killed the schoolteacher after she went to him for confession

(Newser) - A jury on Friday sentenced an 85-year-old former priest to life in prison for the 1960 killing of a schoolteacher and former beauty queen who was a member of the parish he served, the AP reports. The same jurors in Texas found John Feit guilty of murder Thursday night. Prosecutors...

Ex-Priest Guilty of Murdering Beauty Queen in 1960

John Feit confessed to 2 fellow priests

(Newser) - An ex-priest was convicted of murdering a 25-year-old Texas schoolteacher and beauty queen on Thursday, more than 57 years after Irene Garza went to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen intending to go to confession. Garza's body was found days after her April 16, 1960, disappearance. An autopsy revealed...

Vatican Diplomat Recalled Amid Child Porn Investigation

US officials asked high-ranking priest to be charged with child porn possession

(Newser) - A high-ranking priest working in the Vatican's embassy in Washington has been recalled after US prosecutors asked for him to be charged there and face trial in a child pornography investigation, the AP reports. The diplomat was suspected of possessing child pornography including images of pre-pubescent children, a US...

57 Years Later, Ex-Priest on Trial for Beauty Queen's Murder

John Feit heard Irene Garza's confession before she was found dead

(Newser) - More than 57 years after a 25-year-old beauty queen was found slain in Texas, a former Catholic priest will face trial for her murder next week. It was Easter weekend in April 1960 when Irene Garza, whom Courthouse News describes as a "devoutly religious schoolteacher," drove to Sacred...

Priest Blames Child Porn on God Making Him Lose at Poker

Fr. Kevin Gugliotta says he wanted to get back at God

(Newser) - A New Jersey priest was sentenced to up to two years in prison Thursday for uploading child pornography to his computer, the New York Daily News reports. But don't worry—he says he only did it to punish God for making him lose at poker. According to WNEP , Fr....

Virginia Catholic Priest Reveals KKK Past

Rev. William Aitcheson is taking a leave of absence

(Newser) - A Catholic priest in Virginia has stepped down from his duties, at least temporarily, after publicly revealing his position as a "grand cyclops" in the Ku Klux Klan 40 years ago, the Washington Post reports. Rev. William Aitcheson wrote about his "despicable" role with the KKK in an...

Pope: Married Men May Be Solution to 'Enormous Problem'

Francis considering letting already wed men become ordained as priests

(Newser) - The Roman Catholic Church has an "enormous problem," Pope Francis told German newspaper Die Zeit in an interview published Thursday: a dearth of clergy. To solve that issue, CNN reports, the pontiff is considering tapping into "viri probati"—"tested men," or married ones. What...

Fake Catholic Priest Sentenced to Jail...Again

'You can't go into a church and pretend you're a priest'

(Newser) - Good thing Catholics have a fairly relaxed forgiveness policy. The Los Angeles Times reports a 60-year-old man convicted last February after posing as a priest was arrested earlier this month for slipping back into the vestments. When Erwin Mena was originally arrested, he had been acting as a priest at...

Pope Francis Gives Definitive Answer on Female Priests

And it's not what a lot of people were hoping for

(Newser) - Pope Francis says the Roman Catholic Church will never, ever have female priests. Reuters reports Francis offered "some of his most definitive remarks on the issue" during a flight back from Sweden, where he had met with the female head of the Lutheran Church. "St. Pope John Paul...

Ireland's Future Priests Allegedly Can't Keep Off Grindr

Archbishop wants them to mingle with more women instead

(Newser) - There are "strange going-ons"—in the words of the Archbishop of Dublin—at Ireland's major seminary, where trainee priests are being accused of using Grindr, the Telegraph reports. "An app like that is something which would be fostering promiscuous sexuality, which is certainly not in any...

Ex-Priest Charged in Beauty Queen's 1960 Murder

Irene Garza confessed to John Feit before she died

(Newser) - Schoolteacher and beauty queen Irene Garza was found raped and bludgeoned to death in a canal in 1960, days after confessing to a priest at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, Texas. More than 50 years later, that priest has been charged with her murder. John Feit, the main suspect...

Priest Killed in Arizona Church Shooting

Another remains in critical condition as police search for suspects

(Newser) - A priest is dead and another is in critical condition after a shooting at a Catholic church last night, the Arizona Republic reports. Police responded to a burglary call, made by one of the victims, at Mother of Mercy Mission Catholic Church in downtown Phoenix and found the two victims...

Pope: Priest 'Celibacy Is Not a Dogma'

And papal retirement could become more common

(Newser) - Sure, Catholic priests are usually celibate—but that tradition has only been around for about 1,000 years, Reuters notes. And according to Pope Francis, "celibacy is not a dogma." He tells reporters that "it is a rule of life that I appreciate very much and I...

Priest Who Dug in With Homs 'Flock' Killed

He refused to leave rebel-held area

(Newser) - An elderly Dutch priest who refused to leave the embattled city of Homs while Christians remained has become yet another victim of the country's civil war. Frans Van der Lugt, who was in his 70s, was shot dead by unknown gunmen at his home in a rebel-held district of...

Pope: No More 'Monsignor' for Most Priests

Francis aims to further simplify honorifics

(Newser) - Pope Francis has done away with the honorific title "monsignor" for all but a few priests, further evidence of his desire for priests to be simple, humble servants. The Vatican's secretary of state sent a letter to its embassies asking them to inform bishops' conferences of the change....

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