Latest Church Headlines
All the headlines from our Church Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Louisiana Arsonist Gets 25 Years for Torching 3 Black Churches
Nov 4 2020 // A Louisiana man who admitted to burning down three predominantly African American churches to promote himself as a “black metal” musician has been sentenced to 25 years in prison and ordered to pay the churches...
Insurers Face Liability Uncertainties as Ships Begin to Sail Through Arctic Waters
Oct 27 2020 // When Captain Will Whatley guides a ship through Arctic waters, he is starkly aware of what can go wrong. Double the manpower is needed to navigate. Lookout shifts are kept to just one hour, so sailors don’t lose...
Gantz Named Senior VP – Finance at Church Mutual in Wisconsin
Oct 27 2020 // Dwayne “Dewey” Gantz has joined Merrill, Wis.-based Church Mutual Insurance Co. as senior vice president – Finance, He reports to Kevin Root, executive vice president – Operations, and will collaborate with...
Pennsylvania Justices Review Priest Abuse Lawsuit’s Ruling on Time Limits
Oct 23 2020 // Pennsylvania’s highest court on Tuesday grappled with whether a woman’s lawsuit on claims of sexual abuse by a priest decades ago should be allowed to proceed – a lower-court ruling that has launched many...
Richmond Diocese to Pay $6.3M to Sexual Abuse Victims
Oct 19 2020 // The Catholic Diocese of Richmond announced Thursday that it is paying $6.3 million to 51 people who experienced sexual abuse as minors by clergy. The diocese released details in a report on its website. In February, Bishop...
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...
