Latest Church Headlines

All the headlines from our Church Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Ga. Church Heavily Damaged, 2nd Church Arson in a Week

Jan 3 2008 // State and local authorities are investigating an apparent burglary and arson that left an Albany, Ga., church heavily damaged.The fire was reported about 7:30 a.m. Monday at Metropolitan Baptist Church. The Georgia...

N.C. Man Sentenced in Fires at 3 Greenville Churches

Dec 20 2007 // A man who pleaded guilty to setting fires at three Greenville, N.C., churches last year has been sentenced to 10 years to 12 years in prison. A Pitt County Superior Court judge sentenced 28-year-old Seth Parker Price of...

Man Sues over Alleged Sexual Abuse by Franciscan Brother

Nov 30 2007 // A former Carlsbad, New Mexico, resident who claims a Franciscan brother sexually abused him as a teenager in the late 1970s is suing the brother, the order he belongs to and two local parishes.The civil lawsuit, filed...

Lawsuit Filed Against Iowa-based Insurer for Churchgoing Christians

Nov 29 2007 // Two fair-housing groups have sued an Iowa insurance company that pays policyholders’ church tithes if an injury at home leads to lost income.The insurance company also doubles medical limits if someone is hurt while...

Community Spirit and Insurance Money Rebuilding Pa. Church into Jewel

Nov 5 2007 // Surrounded by gold leaf, the brightly painted image of Christ on a donkey glowed through scaffolding under an artist’s lamp.The almost complete religious icon is a victory for the 105-year-old All Saints Orthodox...

Insurer for Norwich, Conn. Diocese Settles Another Abuse Case

Oct 30 2007 // Bishop Michael Cote of the Diocese of Norwich, Conn. says a settlement of $170,000 will be paid to a Pawcatuck man who claims he was molested by a priest in a Stonington church.The word of the settlement came in a letter...

Western Mass. Diocese, Abuse Victims Near Settlement

Oct 29 2007 // Lawyers for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, Mass., clergy abuse victims and the insurance carriers confirm that the sides have agreed to enter nonbinding settlement talks in a two-year old lawsuit.More than...

Fla.: Tornado Damages Pensacola Mall, Church and Daycare Center

Oct 21 2007 // A tornado damaged a church, a daycare center and the city’s major shopping mall as violent thunderstorms made their way across the western Florida Panhandle last week. There were no reports of injuries.The Oct. 18...

Abuse Lawsuit Alleges Widespread Problems with Mormons, Boy Scouts

Oct 5 2007 // A $25 million sex abuse lawsuit against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Boy Scouts of America filed in Oregon alleges that child abuse has been widespread since the 1960s and little was done to...

Pastor Appears in Colo. Court on Fraud Charges

Sep 25 2007 // A prominent pastor accused of filing fraudulent life insurance claims to funnel money to church groups he controlled appeared in court in Centennial, Colo.Acen Phillips, 72, was accompanied by defense lawyer Gary Lozow but...

Calif. high court rules discovery does not apply to reinsurance documents

Sep 24 2007 // The California Supreme Court has ruled that a statute authorizing limited discovery of a defendant’s insurance coverage does not include authorization to look into reinsurance agreements as part of facilitating a...

News Currents

Sep 24 2007 // Santa Rosa diocese to pay $5 million in priest sex abuse settlementThe Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa has agreed to pay more than $5 million to settle a sex abuse lawsuit involving fugitive priest Xavier Ochoa and 10...

Calif. high court rules discovery does not apply to reinsurance documents

Sep 24 2007 // The California Supreme Court has ruled that a statute authorizing limited discovery of a defendant’s insurance coverage does not include authorization to look into reinsurance agreements as part of facilitating a...

Santa Rosa Diocese to Pay $5 Million in Priest Sex Abuse Settlement

Sep 14 2007 // The Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa has agreed to pay more than $5 million to settle a sex abuse lawsuit involving fugitive priest Xavier Ochoa and 10 alleged victims, lawyers and the diocese said.The diocese will pay the...

Insurer Doesn’t Have to Pay for Miss. Pastor’s Sex Charge Defense

Sep 6 2007 // State Farm Insurance Co. does not have to pay to defend the Rev. Jeffery Stallworth of Jackson, Miss., from a civil lawsuit filed by a Maryland woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2001 in her home, a...

Calif. High Court Rules Discovery Does Not Apply to Reinsurance Documents

Aug 29 2007 // The California Supreme Court has ruled that a statute authorizing limited discovery of a defendant’s insurance coverage does not include authorization to look into reinsurance agreements as part of facilitating a...

Iowa Diocese Asks Court for Time to Negotiate with Insurers

Aug 16 2007 // The Davenport, Iowa Diocese has asked for more time to file its reorganization plan while it negotiates with insurance companies to compensate victims of clergy abuse.The diocese, which filed for bankruptcy last October...

Va. Man Awarded $41 Million for Priest Abuse Files Another Suit

Aug 9 2007 // A Navy doctor who was awarded $41 million in a civil lawsuit against a pedophile priest has filed a second lawsuit against Roman Catholic officials.Attorneys for Cmdr. Kenneth Whitwell, 39, of Quantico, Va., filed the...

$660 million will settle church abuse case

Jul 23 2007 // Negotiations have produced a landmark $660 million settlement between the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles and more than 500 alleged victims of clergy abuse has concluded, with insurers will be picking up a large...

Cardinal Apologizes to Abuse Victims as $660 Million Settlement Reached

Jul 17 2007 // After a whirlwind weekend, the negotiations that produced a landmark $660 million settlement between the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles and more than 500 alleged victims of clergy abuse has concluded. Insurers...