South Africa: life sentence for a pastor who raped a twelve-year-old of his congregation

Evidence structure

Related record

Related cases · Christian institutions & contexts

• 2018 · Harrisburg, PA, USA PA grand jury: 301 priests, 1,000+ child victims documented ('weaponized' faith)
• 2009 · Dublin, Ireland Ryan Commission: abuse 'endemic' in Catholic-run institutions (state inquiry)
• 2021 · Paris, France CIASE/Sauvé Report: est. 216,000 abused by French clergy since 1950
• 2019 · Vatican City McCarrick: ex-cardinal found guilty by Vatican canonical process, laicized
• 2010 · Oregon City, OR, USA Beagley faith-healing death: parents convicted (criminally negligent homicide)
• 2014 · Philadelphia, PA, USA Schaible: 3rd-degree murder, second child dead of untreated pneumonia
• 2001 · London, UK Victoria Climbié: murder convictions; possession belief; Laming Inquiry followed
• 2012 · London, UK Kristy Bamu: kindoki 'deliverance' murder convictions (30/25-yr minimums)
• 2022 · Bisbee, AZ, USA LDS 'help line' case (AP/court records): abuse continued 7 yrs; wife convicted
• 2023 · West Bountiful, UT, USA Carl Matthew Johnson (LDS bishop, ex-mayor): 9-to-life, child sexual abuse
• 2016 · Sydney, Australia Royal Commission Case Study 29: 1,006 alleged JW perpetrators, none reported to police
• 2024 · Phoenix, AZ, USA Samuel Bateman: 50-year sentence in child-marriage and sexual-abuse conspiracy
• 2023 · Toledo, OH, USA Michael Zacharias: life sentence for trafficking victims groomed through priestly authority
• 2003 · Boston, MA, USA Massachusetts attorney general finds institutional failure enabled abuse in Boston Archdiocese
• 2025 · Lima, Peru Vatican suppresses Sodalitium Christianae Vitae after official investigation
• 2025 · Manila, Philippines Apollo Quiboloy / KOJC: Philippine proceedings and separate U.S. trafficking indictment
• 2026 · Detroit, MI, USA Kingdom of God Global Church leaders charged in multi-state forced-labor conspiracy
• 2026 · Orange, NJ, USA Jesus Is Lord by the Holy Ghost pastors charged with forced labor; Treva Edwards also charged with sex trafficking
• 2025 · Salt Lake County, UT, USA Former LDS bishop Mark Lehnhof Stevens charged with assaulting a minor during religious counseling
• 2004 · Knutby, Uppsala, Sweden Helge Fossmo: murder-incitement convictions after religious messages were used to compel violence
• 2020 · Knutby, Uppsala, Sweden Knutby leadership: three former pastors convicted of assault, coercion and sexual exploitation
• 2000 · Kanungu District, Uganda Kanungu: official state report attributes the sect's mass killing to its elders
• 2024 · Shakahola, Kilifi County, Kenya Paul Mackenzie and 30 co-defendants: 191 murder charges in the Shakahola proceeding
• 2011 · YFZ Ranch near Eldorado, TX, USA Warren Jeffs: life and 20-year sentences for two child-sexual-assault convictions
• 2009 · Texarkana and Fouke, AR, USA Tony Alamo: 175-year sentence after ten convictions for transporting minors for sex
• 2013 · Colonia Dignidad near Parral, Chile Colonia Dignidad: final convictions and official findings on systematic child abuse
• 1990 · Kirtland, OH, USA Jeffrey Lundgren: five aggravated-murder and kidnapping convictions
• 2019 · Mar del Plata, Argentina Monte Sión: affirmed convictions for trafficking, servitude and sexual abuse
• 2023 · Tubarão, Santa Catarina, Brazil Tubarão pastor: forty-year sentence for thirteen acts framed as prayer
• 2023 · Brasília, Federal District, Brazil Brasília pastor: appellate court affirms conviction for abuse presented as curse removal
• 2018 · Brasília, Federal District, Brazil Brasília religious leader: conviction affirmed for sex obtained through a curse-and-anointing claim
• 2016 · São Paulo State, Brazil São Paulo pastor: unanimous conviction for assault presented as purification
• 2022 · Rosignol, West Coast Berbice, Guyana Andrew Hannibal: Guyana Court of Appeal affirms pastor's child-rape conviction
• 2025 · Paramaribo, Suriname Cedric Landveld: conviction after sexual abuse during prayer and anointing
• 2011 · Manitoba Colony, Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia Manitoba Colony: convictions after systematic drug-facilitated rapes in an isolated Mennonite community
• 2016 · Franks Eddy, Cayo District, Belize Julio Cesar Garcia: Belize Court of Appeal affirms church-member abuse conviction
• 2025 · Heredia and San José, Costa Rica Carlos Chavarría Fonseca: affirmed thirty-six-year sentence and a later child-rape conviction
• 2023 · Patarrá, San José Province, Costa Rica Mauricio Víquez: final twenty-year sentence and civil finding against church authorities
• 2024 · Vázquez de Coronado, San José Province, Costa Rica Manuel Antonio Guevara Fonseca: eighteen-year sentence for abuse of a child altar server
• 2013 · Sensembra, Morazán, El Salvador Israel Antonio Alvarez Bonilla: twenty-seven-year sentence for rape and harassment through pastoral authority
• 2020 · San Salvador, El Salvador José Eligio Esquina Pérez: twenty-year sentence after a prophetic healing pretext
• 2021 · Soyapango, San Salvador, El Salvador Manuel Quijano Vega: sixteen-year sentence in a child congregant case
• 2023 · Nahuizalco, Sonsonate, El Salvador Edwin Analberto Pérez González: twenty-year sentence after church-work grooming
• 2022 · Atiquizaya, Ahuachapán, El Salvador Francisco Abigail Zuniga Figueroa: twelve-year sentence for abuse of a child congregant
• 2013 · San Lucas Sacatepéquez, Guatemala San Lucas Catholic school: director convicted of concealing a volunteer's abuse
• 2025 · San Pedro Sula, Cortés, Honduras Erick Geovany Zambrano Estrada: three convictions tied to Sunday-school access
• 2026 · Regadillos, Lepaterique, Francisco Morazán, Honduras Lepaterique pastor: charged after an alleged prayer-and-anointing pretext
• 2026 · El Progreso, Yoro, Honduras Denis Javier Erazo Cruz: trial over alleged abuse and domestic servitude after pastoral placement
• 2024 · Camoapa, Boaco, Nicaragua Mariano Ramón Sánchez Martínez: twenty-two-year sentence after pastoral guardianship
• 2022 · Kingston, Jamaica Oraine Ellis: rape conviction upheld after church counselling pretext
• 2020 · St. Catherine, Jamaica Winston Campbell: charged over alleged sex-as-deliverance claims
• 2011 · Nassau, Bahamas Earl Randolph Fraser: conviction for abuse of a child entrusted for counselling
• 2022 · Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands Derrick Miller: eleven-year sentence after abuse of pastoral trust
• 2025 · Los Alcarrizos, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Johan Manuel Castillo Ortega: ten-year sentence for abuse of six child congregants
• 2018 · Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Melvin David Quiroz and Ana Rosmery Brito: convictions for demon-deliverance abuse scheme
• 2025 · Higüey, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic Víctor Manuel Kery and Robinson Peguero: convictions after overnight church vigils
• 2015 · Caguas, Puerto Rico Israel Berríos-Berríos: eleven-year federal sentence after altar-service access
• 2026 · Fort-de-France, Martinique Patrick Phanor-Lange: twelve-year sentence for aggravated rape by spiritual authority
• 2014 · Martinique Emmanuel Gordon: eight-year sentence in absentia for abuse during spiritual education
• 2020 · Willemstad, Curaçao Orlando B. (O.I.B.): fourteen-year sentence upheld for abuse of seven community members
• 2026 · St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands Lawrence Turnbull: federal and territorial charges involving a child congregant
• 2009 · Crna Reka, Serbia Crna Reka spiritual-rehabilitation center: employee rape and violence convictions
• 2014 · Jadranska Lesnica, Serbia Branislav Peranovic: twenty-year murder sentence at an Orthodox addiction center
• 2024 · Drama, Greece Unnamed priest: conviction upheld for sexual touching during confession
• 2026 · Athens, Greece Ark of the World: appellate convictions for physical abuse and punitive treatment
• 2016 · Lagos, Nigeria Chukwuemeka Ezeugo ('Rev. King'): murder and attempted-murder convictions affirmed
• 2021 · Accra, Ghana Daniel Akuffo: fifteen-year sentence for abuse under an exorcism pretext
• 2021 · Yaoundé, Cameroon André Guy Atangana Mbida: life sentence for fatal violence during claimed exorcism
• 2024 · Kinshasa and Moanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo Pierre Kasambakana: eleven-year sentence for forced marriage and sexual offenses
• 2025 · Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Pastor Jonas: conviction for a public witchcraft accusation during prayer
• 2026 · Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Moumouni Ibrahima: prosecutor announces investigation of alleged coercion of congregants
• 2024 · Port-Gentil, Gabon Martial Mbele Obiang: fifteen-year sentence for abuse framed as divine revelation
• 2026 · Haupiri, West Coast, New Zealand Howard Temple / Gloriavale: 12 guilty pleas; High Court substitutes home detention on sentence appeal
• 2011 · Reykjavík, Iceland Church of Iceland inquiry criticizes institutional response to allegations against former bishop Ólafur Skúlason
• 2007 · McCarthy, Alaska, USA Robert Hale / Papa Pilgrim: fourteen-year sentence after Bible-based isolation and coercion
• 2025 · Hämeenlinna region, Finland Hämeenlinna faith-movement 'prophet': first-instance convictions for sexual abuse, violence and extortion
• 2026 · Meridian, ID, USA Isaiah Teague: life sentence after abuse of a child he met as a youth pastor
• 2016 · Laurel, DE, USA Laurel congregation: Delaware court rejects automatic clergy-privilege defense to child-abuse reporting action
• 2012 · Pella, IA, USA Patrick Edouard: five convictions for sexual exploitation through pastoral counseling
• 2018 · Brooklyn Center, MN, USA Meally Morris Freeman: two convictions after a purported deliverance session
• 2018 · Freeport, ME, USA James Talbot: guilty pleas for abuse during religious instruction at a Maine church
• 2022 · Thomastown, MS, USA Marcus Lepard: conviction affirmed after Sunday-school access was used to groom a child
• 2022 · Fort Leonard Wood, MO, USA David J. McKay: thirty-year sentence for abuse enabled through a military youth ministry
• 2024 · Lame Deer, MT, USA Dean Alan Smith: convictions and thirty-year sentence for abuse of children who trusted him as pastor
• 2014 · Raleigh, NC, USA Thomas L. Kimmel: convictions for a Ponzi scheme marketed through Biblical-finance seminars
• 2021 · Nebraska, USA Nebraska attorney general report: 258 documented victims across three Catholic dioceses
• 2002 · Manchester, NH, USA Diocese of Manchester: child-endangerment evidence resolved through a monitored nonprosecution agreement
• 2021 · North Dakota, USA North Dakota BCI clergy-abuse investigation: probable cause identified but surviving cases time-barred
• 2023 · Illinois, USA Illinois attorney general report: 451 substantiated Catholic clerics and religious brothers, at least 1,997 children
• 1986 · Whitley County, IN, USA Gary and Margaret Hall: reckless-homicide convictions after prayer replaced medical care
• 1984 · Elkhart and Kosciusko Counties, IN, USA Faith Assembly mortality investigation: 40 confirmed deaths amid avoidance of medical care
• 2013 · Marathon County, WI, USA Dale and Leilani Neumann: reckless-homicide convictions after prayer replaced medical care
• 2026 · Huntsville, AL, USA Adrian Derrell Davis: five-year sentence for embezzling funds entrusted to him as pastor
• 2026 · Rhode Island, USA Rhode Island attorney general report: 75 credibly accused clergy and over 300 reported victims
• 2020 · Sumter, SC, USA Larry Durant: affirmed twenty-year sentence for abuse presented as prayer and spiritual protection
• 2009 · Kaneohe, HI, USA Manuel Taboada: eight sexual-assault convictions after scripture was used to justify abuse
• 2020 · Burlington, VT, USA St. Joseph's Orphanage task force: abuse documented, murder uncorroborated and charges time-barred
• 1992 · South Shore and Goodwin, SD, USA Edward J. Werner: seven affirmed convictions after using pastoral access to abuse parish girls
• 2023 · Benton County, TN, USA Joshua Henley: forty-five-year sentence after parish work was used to transport and abuse a teen
• 2007 · Tacoma, WA, USA Dong Wan Park: church offices and false ordinations used in a religious-worker visa scheme
• 2019 · Alexandria, VA, USA Terry Millender: eight-year sentence for selling a fraudulent investment as a Christian mission
• 2004 · Guernsey, WY, USA Anthony Jablonowski: prison sentence for abuse following priestly counseling
• 2019 · Hagatna, Guam Anthony Apuron: final Vatican judgment for offenses against minors
• 2014 · Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia Virgilio Sierra Avendaño: final 24-year sentence for abusing a congregant's child
• 2020 · Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia Sergio Luis Betancourt Yepes: 16-year sentence for assault during a purported deliverance ritual
• 2018 · Germany MHG Study: commissioned review identifies 1,670 accused clerics and 3,677 affected minors
• 2023 · Lisbon, Portugal Portugal independent commission validates 512 testimonies of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church
• 2026 · Tarnów, Poland Tarnów bishop on trial over alleged delay in reporting child-abuse allegations against priests
• 2011 · Utrecht, Netherlands Deetman Commission documents authority-linked abuse and institutional failures in the Dutch Catholic Church
• 2026 · Lexington, Kentucky, USA Zachary King: former LexCity executive pastor sentenced after admitting sexual offenses against a minor congregant
• 2016 · Suva, Fiji Iowane Vakadranu: Back to Eden pastor convicted after using divine-command claims to sexually exploit followers
• 2010 · Mexico City, Mexico Marcial Maciel and the Legionaries of Christ: Holy See findings on abuse and a founder-centered system of power
• 2019 · Poway and Escondido, California, USA John Earnest: life plus 30 years for Poway synagogue shooting and mosque arson
• 2015 · Loudon County, Tennessee, USA State v. Crank: Tennessee Supreme Court affirms child-neglect conviction after cancer was treated with prayer
• 1998 · Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA Commonwealth v. Nixon: convictions affirmed after Faith Tabernacle parents used prayer for a dying diabetic teen
• 1985 · Pennsylvania, USA Commonwealth v. Barnhart: convictions affirmed after Faith Tabernacle parents relied on prayer for a child's cancer
• 2015 · Oregon City, Oregon, USA State v. Hickman: Oregon Supreme Court affirms manslaughter convictions after Followers of Christ parents withheld care from a newborn
• 2000 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Commonwealth v. Foster: child-endangerment convictions affirmed after parents refused cancer care for a toddler on religious grounds
• 2015 · Georgia, USA Wilson v. State: felony-murder conviction affirmed after a toddler believed 'demon-possessed' was starved and beaten during exorcism plans
• 2012 · Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA Lawson v. State: murder conviction affirmed after a child died during a forced exorcism ritual
• 2015 · Fremont, California, USA Conti v. Watchtower: California appellate court affirms Jehovah's Witnesses' civil liability for failing to supervise a known abuser during church 'field service'
• 2025 · Beitbridge, Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe Bishop Chrispen Gomore: culpable-homicide conviction after fatal 'exorcism' flogging
• 2017 · Tysfjord, Nordland, Norway Tysfjord abuse report: Nordland police document 151 assaults in a Sami/Laestadian community, silenced by religious forgiveness
• 2013 · Nokia, Pirkanmaa, Finland Markku Koivisto (Nokia Mission): conviction for abuse framed as spiritual 'healing'
• 2022 · Alto Paraná, Paraguay Paraguay: evangelical pastor sentenced to 27 years for abusing ten Aché indigenous girls
• 2022 · Boaco, Nicaragua Nicaragua: priest José Leonardo Urbina Rodríguez sentenced to 30 years for rape of a 14-year-old
• 2022 · Juan Díaz, Panama City, Panama Panama: priest Luis Ruiz Quiroga convicted of aggravated lewd acts against a 17-year-old parishioner
• 2018 · Puerto Barrios, Izabal, Guatemala Guatemala: priest Ignacio López sentenced to 16 years for rape of a 14-year-old
• 2005 · Tanacu, Vaslui, Romania Tanacu exorcism death: Orthodox priest and nuns convicted after a fatal 'demon' exorcism
• 2014 · Bibinje, Zadar, Croatia Don Nedjeljko Ivanov (Bibinje): first Croatian priest convicted by a Church canonical court for abuse during confession
• 2025 · Zadar, Croatia Fr Darko Marušić (Zadar): criminal conviction for child exploitation and attempted sexual abuse
• 2023 · Larnaca, Cyprus Former Bishop of Kiti: first criminal conviction of a senior Cypriot Orthodox cleric for indecent assault
• 2021 · Marange, Manicaland, Zimbabwe Anna 'Memory' Machaya: 14-year-old dies giving birth at a Johanne Marange shrine after doctrinal child marriage
• 2023 · Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico Nuevo León: evangelical pastor sentenced to 59 years for sexually abusing girls at a children's home
• 2026 · Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Archdiocese of Quebec: $31.5M class-action settlement for clergy abuse dating to 1940
• 1996 · British Columbia, Canada Missionary Oblates and the residential-school system: clergy convictions and documented abuse of Indigenous children
• 2022 · Puebla, Mexico Puebla: Christian pastor sentenced to nearly 14 years for raping a minor congregant
• 2023 · Cadereyta Jiménez, Nuevo León, Mexico Nuevo León: religious minister sentenced to 37 years for sexual crimes against congregants
• 2023 · Jinja, Uganda Uganda: Pentecostal pastor convicted of child ritual sacrifice and human trafficking
• 2018 · Franco da Rocha, São Paulo, Brazil Brazil: labor prosecutors sue a Word of Faith Fellowship-linked church for forced labor of congregants
• 2022 · Woodstock, Georgia, USA Guidepost investigation finds credible sexual-assault allegation against former SBC president Johnny Hunt
• 2025 · Huși, Vaslui, Romania Romania: bishop and archimandrite convicted of raping theological seminary students
• 2015 · Bangor, Maine, USA Greek Orthodox priest Adam Metropoulos convicted of abusing an altar server
• 2018 · Leningrad Region, Russia Russian Orthodox priest Gleb Grozovsky convicted of abusing girls at a church holiday camp
• 2020 · England, United Kingdom IICSA: 390 Church of England clergy and trusted persons convicted of child sexual offences
• 2015 · Chichester and Gloucester, England, United Kingdom Bishop Peter Ball: convicted of abusing young men who sought spiritual direction
• 2017 · York and Pocklington, England, United Kingdom Methodist minister John Price convicted of abusing boys from his congregations under a 'hypnosis' ritual
• 2003 · Marshall, Texas, USA ELCA pastor Gerald P. Thomas Jr. convicted of sex crimes against children from his congregation
• 2008 · Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada Holdeman Mennonite church discipline used to suppress reporting of an 18-year abuse case
• 2019 · Seoul, South Korea Lee Jaerock: 16 years for raping congregants who believed him religiously infallible
• 2023 · Siedlce, Poland Poland: priest sentenced to five years for repeatedly forcing a parishioner into sexual acts
• 2025 · Bucharest, Romania Romania: priest convicted of sexually assaulting a woman who came to him for confession
• 2026 · Málaga, Spain Spain: priest sentenced to 52 years for drugging and assaulting four women he guided spiritually
• 2025 · Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Quebec: pastor jailed four years for assaulting a congregant who called him her spiritual father
• 2024 · Ticapampa, Áncash, Peru Peru: priest sentenced to life imprisonment for years of rape of a child in the parish house
• 2023 · Arequipa, Peru Peru: priest sentenced to 13 years for indecent assault of two young congregants
• 2024 · Temuco, Araucanía, Chile Chile: Pentecostal pastor sentenced to 10 years for repeated abuse of a child under 14
• 2021 · La Paz, Bolivia Bolivia: evangelical pastor sentenced to 17 years for raping girls in his congregation
• 2022 · Buenos Aires, Argentina Argentina: priest sentenced to 12 years for abusing two nuns under his spiritual direction
• 2018 · Guayaquil, Ecuador Ecuador: parish priest convicted of abusing five girls from his congregation
• 2019 · Guápulo, Quito, Ecuador Ecuador: parish priest sentenced to over nine years for abusing a ten-year-old girl
• 2023 · Guatemala City, Guatemala Guatemala: pastor sentenced to 18 years for sexually assaulting an eleven-year-old in the church
• 2025 · Baguio City, Benguet, Philippines Philippines: priest convicted of raping a scholar housed in the Bishop's residence
• 2021 · Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia Indonesia: pastor's 11-year sentence for abusing a congregant he had informally adopted
• 2023 · Alor, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia Indonesia: candidate pastor sentenced to death for raping nine children
• 2016 · Sása, Slovakia Slovakia: first priest to receive an unconditional sentence for abusing an altar server
• 2026 · Kiskunfélegyháza, Hungary Hungary: priest sentenced to nine years, court finding he exploited the trust placed in a clergyman
• 2025 · Genoa, tried in Savona, Italy Italy: priest sentenced to 10 years for repeated sexual violence against a 12-year-old altar boy
• 2025 · Braga, Portugal Portugal: priest convicted on 18 counts of child sexual abuse from parish activities
• 2026 · Christchurch, New Zealand New Zealand: former priest jailed for abusing boarding students at a Catholic college
• 2026 · Auckland, New Zealand New Zealand: church pastor sentenced for assaulting girls from his congregation over two decades
• 2024 · Lusanja, Wakiso District, Uganda Uganda: self-proclaimed prophet convicted of defiling choir members from his church
• 2026 · Ganmo, Ifelodun, Kwara State, Nigeria Nigeria: general overseer sentenced to life for raping three minor congregants
• 1932 · Letterfrack, County Galway, Ireland Letterfrack: Ryan Report finding on abuse of a boy committed to a Christian Brothers industrial school
• 1954 · Bindoon, Western Australia, Australia Bindoon Farm School: Royal Commission finding on abuse of child migrants in Christian Brothers care
• 2022 · Boaco, Nicaragua Nicaragua: parish priest sentenced to 30 years for abuse of a girl, amid contested proceedings
• 2026 · Nampa, Idaho, USA United States: Costa Rican priest sentenced to 15 years for abusing a teenager in his parish
• 2017 · Comayagüela, Tegucigalpa, Honduras Honduras: pastor sentenced to 136 years for raping four children of his congregation
• 2019 · San Pedro Sula, Cortés, Honduras Honduras: congregation elder convicted on 13 counts of rape of a 12-year-old
• 2023 · José Falcón, Presidente Hayes, Paraguay Paraguay: pastor and his wife convicted of abusing a girl from his church
• 2023 · Salinas, Santa Elena, Ecuador Ecuador: pastor sentenced to 13 years for abusing a girl from age ten in the pastoral residence
• 2025 · Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador Ecuador: evangelical pastor sentenced to 29 years after claiming a child was under demonic influence
• 2025 · Busan, South Korea South Korea: senior pastor's conviction for molesting five congregants affirmed by the Supreme Court
• 2021 · Daegu, South Korea South Korea: priest sentenced to three years for molesting a nine-year-old parishioner in the rectory
• 2015 · Mansa, Luapula, Zambia Zambia: pastor jailed 20 years for assaulting a girl brought to him for prayer
• 2019 · Kingston, Jamaica Jamaica: pastor sentenced for repeated sexual abuse of a twelve-year-old he impregnated
• 2017 · Kingston, Jamaica Jamaica: pastor sentenced to 20 years for raping a thirteen-year-old baptised member of his church
• 2026 · St Catherine, Jamaica Jamaica: Catholic priest sentenced to 12 years for abusing a twelve-year-old on the church compound
• 2022 · Minas, Lavalleja, Uruguay Uruguay: priest sentenced to eight years for repeated abuse of two sisters
• 2024 · Cumaná, Sucre, Venezuela Venezuela: pastor sentenced to 16 years for abusing five children at services held in his home
• 2018 · Soyapango, San Salvador, El Salvador El Salvador: pastor sentenced to 20 years for the continued rape of a thirteen-year-old from his church
• 2020 · Satalo, Falealili, Samoa Samoa: Methodist minister convicted of abusing a girl placed in his household for moral guidance
• 2020 · Suva, Fiji Fiji: pastor sentenced to 16 years for raping and assaulting members of his church
• 2015 · Honduras Honduras: US missionary priest convicted of abusing boys at shelters his ministry funded
• 1969 · Artane, Dublin, Ireland Artane: Ryan Report finds Brothers who admitted abusing boys were retained and transferred
• 1973 · Daingean, County Offaly, Ireland Daingean: Ryan Report finds flogging 'inhumane and cruel' in a climate of fear
• 2002 · Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland Ferryhouse: Ryan Report records a convicted Brother and dormitory access given to outsiders
• 1983 · Goldenbridge, Dublin, Ireland Goldenbridge: Ryan Report finds pervasive punishment and constant humiliation of committed girls
• 1990 · Ballyfermot and Westland Row, Dublin, Ireland Dublin Archdiocese: Murphy Report finds a serial abuser known from 1978 was transferred, not removed
• 2017 · Ballarat, Victoria, Australia Australia: Gerald Ridsdale — serial abuse convictions across seven court rounds
• 2011 · Ballarat, Victoria, Australia Australia: Christian Brother Robert Best convicted of abusing boys at three schools
• 2022 · Ballarat and regional Victoria, Australia Australia: Christian Brother Edward Dowlan convicted in three rounds spanning 26 years
• 2010 · Newcastle and Hunter region, NSW, Australia Australia: priest John Sidney Denham convicted of abusing at least 57 boys
• 2019 · Morisset, NSW, Australia Australia: Brother Bernard McGrath given 62 years across two trials for abusing resident boys
• 2015 · Ballarat, Victoria, Australia Royal Commission Case Study 28: 'catastrophic failure' of church leadership in Ballarat
• 2016 · Australia (national) Royal Commission Case Study 29: 1,006 alleged perpetrators in internal files, none reported by the organisation
• 2015 · Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Royal Commission Case Study 16: the Melbourne Response found insufficiently independent
• 2021 · Kottiyoor, Kerala, India India: priest convicted of raping a sixteen-year-old parishioner; upheld by the Kerala High Court
• 2025 · Mohali, Punjab, India India: celebrity healing pastor Bajinder Singh sentenced to life for rape
• 2024 · Bad Kissingen, Bavaria, Germany Germany: Würzburg diocese chaplain's conviction for abusing an altar server becomes final
• 2023 · Chodzież, Poland Poland: former priest's conviction for decade-long abuse of an altar server upheld on appeal
• 2024 · Ostrołęka, Mazovia, Poland Poland: priest's six-year sentence for molesting a minor confirmed; sourced to the prosecutor's office
• 2024 · Biłgoraj, Zamość, Poland Poland: priest convicted of molesting a seventeen-year-old at the rectory under a massage pretext
• 2025 · Limelette, Walloon Brabant, Belgium Belgium: seminary vice-rector convicted of repeatedly raping a seminarian under his formation
• 2018 · Tømmerup, Kalundborg, Denmark Denmark: parish priest's ten-year sentence for decade-long abuse of eight parish youths upheld
• 2013 · Kremsmünster, Upper Austria, Austria Austria: Benedictine boarding-school director convicted of abusing 24 students
• 2025 · Ascona, Ticino, Switzerland Switzerland: school chaplain and cantonal religious-education head convicted over abuse on prayer trips
• 2021 · Lugano, Ticino, Switzerland Switzerland: priest convicted on appeal of raping and drugging a person under his spiritual direction
• 2015 · Uppsala, Sweden Sweden: priest convicted of child rape of his own confirmand
• 2003 · Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Australia: priest and youth-foundation director Michael Glennon convicted across three rounds
• 2019 · Newcastle, NSW, Australia Australia: priest Vincent Ryan convicted in four rounds of abusing altar boys
• 2018 · Silkeborg, Denmark Denmark: free-church pastor convicted of abusing eight congregants, deported
• 2019 · Santa Cruz, Guanacaste, Costa Rica Costa Rica: pastor convicted on 13 counts of sexual abuse, 66 years nominal
• 2022 · Tubarão, Santa Catarina, Brazil Brazil: pastor sentenced to 40 years for sexual violation by fraud of nine congregants
• 2019 · Tomar, Santarém, Portugal Portugal: former Adventist pastor convicted on 24 counts of child sexual abuse
• 2021 · Oecusse, Timor-Leste Timor-Leste: American ex-priest convicted of abusing girls at the orphanage he ran
• 2023 · Ngong, Kajiado, Kenya Kenya: pastor sentenced to 70 years for defiling two child congregants using 'God's oil'
• 2023 · Mariakani, Kwale, Kenya Kenya: pastor convicted in two cases of defiling girls who attended his church
• 2026 · Kitui, Kenya Kenya: pastor convicted of raping a woman who had sought sanctuary at his church
• 2025 · Abuja, FCT, Nigeria Nigeria: bishop sentenced to 20 years for raping a congregant's child entrusted to his care
• 2020 · Abuja, FCT, Nigeria Nigeria: apostle's conviction for raping a 14-year-old congregant affirmed by the Court of Appeal
• 2025 · Calabar, Cross River, Nigeria Nigeria: general overseer given life for raping his sixteen-year-old 'spiritual daughter'
• 2018 · Pennsylvania, USA Pennsylvania Grand Jury: 301 'predator priests', 1,000+ child victims across six dioceses
• 2023 · Baltimore, Maryland, USA Maryland AG: 156 abusers and 600+ child victims in the Archdiocese of Baltimore
• 2019 · Denver, Colorado, USA Colorado: independent review finds abuse reported to police fewer than 10 times in 100 opportunities
• 2022 · Wayne County, Michigan, USA Michigan: priest convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct against a child parishioner
• 1999 · Salt Lake City, Utah, USA United States: Kingston Order leader convicted of incest after a doctrinal plural 'marriage' to his niece
• 2011 · Eldorado, Texas, USA United States: FLDS bishop convicted of solemnizing the 'celestial marriage' of a twelve-year-old
• 2023 · Cadereyta Jiménez, Nuevo León, Mexico Mexico: pastor convicted twice — 11 then 37 years — for abusing congregants
• 2023 · Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico Mexico: pastor sentenced to 59 years for abusing residents of a church-run children's home
• 2023 · Spain (national) Spain: Ombudsman's national report estimates hundreds of thousands abused in church contexts
• 2016 · Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain Spain: Opus Dei teacher's abuse conviction stands after Supreme Court reduces sentence
• 2021 · Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain Spain: Salesian religion teacher sentenced to 32 years; fled before imprisonment
• 2025 · Aversa, Caserta, Italy Italy: priest's conviction for maltreatment during unauthorized exorcisms confirmed by Cassation
• 2021 · Lyon, France France: Bernard Preynat's conviction for two decades of scout abuse made final by Cassation
• 2025 · Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia Indonesia: pastor convicted of abusing children lured into private 'prayer sessions'
• 2024 · Pematang Siantar, North Sumatra, Indonesia Indonesia: Simalungun Protestant pastor convicted of harassing a congregant
• 2026 · Shakahola, Kilifi County, Kenya Kenya: Shakahola preacher pleads guilty to 191 murders of cult members
• 1991 · St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada Canada: Hughes Inquiry finds justice system suppressed the Mount Cashel investigation
• 1991 · St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada Canada: Mount Cashel superintendent convicted of assaulting seven boys in his care
• 2020 · St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada Canada: Archdiocese held vicariously liable for Mount Cashel abuse; final after SCC denies leave
• 1995 · Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada Canada: Alberni residential-school supervisor sentenced as a 'sexual terrorist'
• 1998 · Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada Canada: Grollier Hall supervisor convicted across three decades of proceedings
• 2004 · Inuvik, NWT / Manitoba, Canada Canada: Grollier Hall supervisor convicted in the 1960s — then ordained a priest in 1990
• 2006 · Southwestern Ontario, Canada Canada: priest pleads guilty to 47 counts against girls across four decades of parishes
• 2013 · Sudbury / Windsor / Saskatoon, Canada Canada: Basilian priest-teacher convicted after admitting abuse of dozens of students
• 2012 · Northwestern Ontario / Manitoba, Canada Canada: Anglican bush-pilot priest convicted of 75 sex crimes against First Nations boys
• 2021 · Joliette, Quebec, Canada Canada: Clerics of St Viator priest convicted for abuse at Quebec religious schools
• 2018 · Ampleforth and Downside, England, United Kingdom IICSA: ten men convicted or cautioned for abuse at two Benedictine schools
• 2020 · Birmingham, England, United Kingdom IICSA: Birmingham Archdiocese prioritised reputation and priests over victims for seventy years
• 2021 · England and Wales, United Kingdom IICSA: Jehovah's Witness elders discouraged reporting, substituting internal discipline
• 2010 · Birmingham, England, United Kingdom United Kingdom: Fr James Robinson convicted on 21 counts after extradition from California
• 2006 · Gilling Castle, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom United Kingdom: Ampleforth monk convicted of assaulting fifteen boys at the junior school
• 2012 · Downside, Somerset, United Kingdom United Kingdom: Downside housemaster convicted; school had kept him teaching after 1987 disclosure
• 2016 · Belgravia, London, United Kingdom United Kingdom: Church of England youth worker convicted of raping congregants he groomed
• 2020 · Fort Augustus, Highlands, Scotland, United Kingdom Scotland: Fort Augustus monk convicted after extradition from Australia
• 2018 · Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom Scotland: priest convicted of abusing three children and a trainee priest
• 2024 · Watford, England, United Kingdom United Kingdom: official findings that Soul Survivor's founder used spiritual authority to coerce youths
• 2024 · Talsi County, Latvia Latvia: 83-year-old priest sentenced to ten years for sexual violence against five girls
• 1999 · Fort Albany, Ontario, Canada Canada: St Anne's residential-school nun convicted of assaults and administering a noxious substance
• 2015 · Westminster and Ampleforth, England, United Kingdom United Kingdom: choir-school housemaster convicted on all fifteen counts against ten boys
• 2014 · Sunbury, Victoria, Australia Australia: Salesian priest Frank Klep sentenced to a decade for a 'campaign of abuse' at Rupertswood
• 2024 · Douvres-la-Délivrande, Normandy, France France: Maronite priest convicted in absentia of raping minors at the children's home he ran
• 2016 · Pločica, Kovin, Serbia Serbia: village priest's conviction for abusing a choir girl upheld on appeal
• 2007 · Papilys, Biržai, Lithuania Lithuania: priest convicted at Supreme Court level of indecent acts against two first-graders he taught
• 2007 · Douglas County, Minnesota, USA United States: 2×2 travelling worker convicted of abusing the child of a host family
• 2011 · Michigan, USA United States: 2×2 worker convicted twice for abusing a host family's daughter
• 2008 · Gilmer, Texas, USA United States: Baptist youth minister given life after faking his own death to flee
• 2008 · Sunland, California, USA United States: Baptist pastor sentenced to 32 years for abusing two congregant girls
• 2023 · Bentonville, Arkansas, USA United States: Bentonville youth pastor sentenced to 60 years on thirteen counts
• 2011 · Union, South Carolina, USA United States: youth pastor's conviction for abusing a congregant teenager upheld on appeal
• 1996 · Sevier County, Tennessee, USA United States: pastor convicted of statutory rape of a congregant; retaining church ousted from SBC decades later
• 2002 · Boston, Massachusetts, USA United States: John Geoghan convicted — the case that broke open the Boston scandal
• 2005 · Newton, Massachusetts, USA United States: Paul Shanley's child-rape conviction affirmed by the Supreme Judicial Court
• 1985 · Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, USA United States: Gilbert Gauthe — the first widely publicized American priest conviction
• 1998 · Dallas, Texas, USA United States: Rudolph Kos sentenced to life after altar boys' testimony of years of abuse
• 2009 · Chicago, Illinois, USA United States: Jesuit spiritual director Donald McGuire convicted in state and federal courts
• 1993 · Fall River, Massachusetts, USA United States: James Porter pleads guilty to 41 counts against 28 children
• 1986 · Huntington Beach, California, USA United States: Orange diocese associate pastor convicted on 26 counts; initially sentenced to probation
• 2026 · Manazary, Miarinarivo, Madagascar Madagascar: prayer-house pastor convicted of raping a blind girl sent to him for healing
• 2016 · Peechi, Thrissur, Kerala, India India: Salvation Army pastor convicted twice — 40 years, then life until death
• 2013 · Hammond, Indiana, USA United States: Jack Schaap, megachurch IFB pastor, sentenced federally for abusing a girl he was 'counseling'
• 2002 · Atlanta, Georgia, USA United States: House of Prayer pastor convicted — affirmed on appeal — for church-ordered whippings of children
• 1997 · Houston, Texas, USA United States: Church of the Lamb of God successor convicted of ordering the murder of sect defectors
• 2016 · Pine County, Minnesota, USA United States: Victor Barnard convicted for abusing girls ceremonially surrendered to him as 'Maidens'
• 2016 · New Hartford, New York, USA United States: Word of Life pastor and members convicted after a teenager was beaten to death in an all-night 'counseling session'
• 1993 · Alamogordo, New Mexico, USA United States: David Holley sentenced to 275 years for abusing boys across two dioceses
• 2012 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA United States: Edward Avery's guilty plea — the one Philadelphia conviction that stands
• 2026 · Vadakkankulam, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India India: Tamil Nadu church priest sentenced under POCSO for assaulting a seven-year-old visitor
• 2016 · Varna, Bulgaria Bulgaria: Orthodox priest convicted of indecent acts against a thirteen-year-old boy
• 2006 · San Jose, California, USA United States: 2×2 worker Ruben Mata convicted — 36 years to life — for abusing boys of host families
• 2013 · Gilmer, Texas, USA United States: pastor given six consecutive life sentences for a decade of abuse of a choir girl
• 2019 · Mendoza, Argentina Argentina: Próvolo Institute priests convicted of abusing deaf child students — 45 and 42 years
• 2009 · Morón, Buenos Aires, Argentina Argentina: Julio Grassi's conviction for abusing a boy of his children's foundation — final at every level
• 2014 · Santiago, Chile Chile: Legionary of Christ school chaplain John O'Reilly convicted of abusing a student
• 2022 · Santiago, Chile Chile: the archdiocese official who received abuse complaints convicted of abusing minors himself
• 2011 · Santiago, Chile Chile: Karadima — judicially established abuse, prescription bar, and a final civil judgment against the Church
• 2017 · Villa Alta, Oaxaca, Mexico Mexico: Oaxaca priest's sentence — an early Mexican clergy conviction — confirmed on appeal
• 2020 · Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico Mexico: 'Padre Meño' — seminary formator's rape conviction ratified on appeal
• 2024 · Quetzaltenango, Guatemala Guatemala: pastor sentenced to 33 years for aggravated sexual assault of a minor congregant
• 2009 · Líbano, Tolima, Colombia Colombia: priest convicted of abusing displaced children in his care — and the Supreme Court's landmark civil ruling
• 2020 · Miranda, Cauca, Colombia Colombia: town priest sentenced to 16 years for sexual crimes against a twelve-year-old altar server
• 2023 · Panchimalco, El Salvador El Salvador: self-styled pastor convicted of continuous rape of a minor in a household that lodged him on religious trust
• 2023 · Springfield, Massachusetts, USA United States: Jehovah's Witness elder convicted of assaulting a thirteen-year-old congregant
• 2022 · Depok, West Java, Indonesia Indonesia: self-styled 'Bruder Angelo' sentenced to 14 years for abusing boys at his religious shelter
• 2020 · Guatemala City, Guatemala Guatemala: pastor convicted of producing child sexual-abuse material of a girl who came to him for help
• 2020 · Comasagua, La Libertad, El Salvador El Salvador: pastor sentenced to 20 years for raping a congregant child inside his church
• 1925 · Great Bend, Kansas, USA United States (1925): Kansas pastor's statutory-rape conviction affirmed — victim 'whose spiritual mentor he was'
• 1947 · Major County, Oklahoma, USA United States (1947): revival minister's conviction affirmed for abusing a boy entrusted by his mother
• 1948 · Chico, California, USA United States (1948): Chico rector's convictions affirmed for lewd acts against his guild boys and altar boys
• 1948 · Lenoir City, Tennessee, USA United States (1948): Baptist pastor's abduction conviction affirmed — a church member 'considerably under his influence'
• 1951 · Turlock, California, USA United States (1951): Turlock pastor's guilty plea to statutory rape of a congregant affirmed
• 1945 · Gordon's Reserve, Saskatchewan, Canada Canada (1945): Gordon's residential-school staff member convicted — documented by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
• 1947 · Gordon's Reserve, Saskatchewan, Canada Canada (1947): second Gordon's residential-school conviction in the TRC's appendix
• 1960 · Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Canada (1960): Edmonton residential-school conviction for gross indecency
• 1963 · Morley, Alberta, Canada Canada (1963): Morley residential-school conviction for indecent assault
• 1956 · Harreveld, Netherlands Netherlands (1956): two friars convicted after a boarding-school pupil's complaint — the Heithuis case
• 2008 · Philippines Philippines: pastor's rape conviction affirmed by the Supreme Court — assault in the pastoral house
• 2020 · Nausori, Fiji Fiji: pastor sentenced in absentia to 14 years for raping a fifteen-year-old congregant
• 2017 · Suva, Fiji Fiji: self-styled 'last prophet' convicted on all ten counts against four women of his prayer group
• 2019 · Buvussi, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea: Assemblies of God pastor sentenced for abusing a girl in his household care
• 2025 · Letsitele, Limpopo, South Africa South Africa: prophet given two life terms for raping teenage ushers he told sex 'transferred the Holy Spirit'
• 2023 · Ermelo, Mpumalanga, South Africa South Africa: two life terms for a pastor who raped a fifteen-year-old fellow congregant
• 2014 · Harare, Zimbabwe Zimbabwe: church founder convicted of raping four congregants he threatened with evil spells
• 2003 · Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe Zimbabwe: apostolic shrine leader convicted on seven counts of raping women who came for spiritual help
• 2025 · Nyabira, Zimbabwe Zimbabwe: apostolic sect leader convicted of raping a minor congregant — conviction under appeal
• 2019 · Eldoret, Kenya Kenya: pastor's defilement conviction affirmed by the Court of Appeal
• 2024 · Mwanza, Malawi Malawi: prophet jailed for defiling a girl her mother had brought to him for prayer
• 2025 · Mochudi, Botswana Botswana: pastor sentenced to twenty years for raping a woman who confided her trauma to him
• 2022 · Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Germany: Cologne priest sentenced to twelve years on 110 counts spanning twenty-five years
• 2016 · Klosterzimmern, Bavaria, Germany Germany: Twelve Tribes teachers convicted for doctrine-mandated rod beatings of sect children
• 2026 · Munich, Bavaria, Germany Germany: Pauline-order priest convicted of abusing two intoxicated boys of his parish
• 2015 · Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Germany: priest's six-year sentence for abusing two brothers confirmed by the Federal Court
• 2008 · Harrisville, Utah, USA United States: LDS bishop imprisoned for molesting girls of his own ward
• 2017 · Mapleton, Utah, USA United States: Mapleton bishop imprisoned for abusing two teenage boys of his congregation
• 1994 · Salt Lake City, Utah, USA United States: the highest-ranking LDS official ever convicted — 'exploited the religious respect' she held for him
• 2013 · Martinsburg, West Virginia, USA United States: 35-to-75 years for a church-endorsed babysitter, and the civil case the church settled mid-trial
• 2017 · Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Australia: LDS youth leader sentenced to ten years for abusing eleven boys over twenty-five years
• 2018 · Sanpete County, Utah, USA United States: doomsday-splinter leaders imprisoned for 'marrying' each other's small daughters
• 2024 · Rexburg, Idaho, USA United States: doomsday author sentenced to death for murders his followers' doctrine rationalised
• 2024 · Ivins, Utah, USA United States: counselor sentenced for child abuse committed through doctrinal control of a mother
• 2021 · Saraktash, Orenburg Oblast, Russia Russia: archpriest of a children's religious community sentenced to 21 years
• 2025 · Omsk, Russia Russia: priest convicted over a boy sent to stay overnight so he could serve the liturgy
• 2021 · Amurzet, Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Russia Russia: village rector sentenced to eighteen years for abusing fifty-three boys over twelve years
• 2018 · Yakutsk, Sakha Republic, Russia Russia: Orthodox gymnasium director convicted on forty-six proven episodes against his pupils
• 2018 · Priozersk, Leningrad Oblast, Russia Russia: priest convicted of abusing children at Orthodox camps — appeal denied
• 2021 · Orenburg Oblast, Russia Russia: hieromonk sentenced to thirteen years for violent acts against children under fourteen
• 2019 · Lipin Bor, Vologda Oblast, Russia Russia: rector convicted after eighteen months of indecent acts against a twelve-year-old parishioner
• 2023 · Omsk, Russia Russia: pastor convicted of inducing trance states in congregants — and later prosecuted for his beliefs
• 2011 · Gauteng, South Africa South Africa: serial killer who posed as a church prophet to lure his victims
• 2026 · Gweru, Zimbabwe Zimbabwe: self-styled prophet jailed for raping a congregant lured to a 'spiritual cleansing'
• 2019 · Luanda, Angola Angola: pastor sentenced to twelve years for drugging and raping a fourteen-year-old congregant
• 2024 · Hong Kong Hong Kong: children's-home pastor jailed after drugging and assaulting six teenage residents
• 2024 · Barcarena, Pará, Brazil Brazil: pastor sentenced to ninety-one years for abusing five boys of his congregation
• 2024 · Braço do Norte, Santa Catarina, Brazil Brazil: pastor jailed for over thirty-seven years for abusing two boys from his church
• 2022 · Americana, São Paulo, Brazil Brazil: Catholic priest convicted of abusing four former altar boys
• 2014 · Southern Santa Catarina, Brazil Brazil: priest's sentence raised to twenty-six years for abuse during pre-communion confession
• 2023 · Talsi, Latvia Latvia: Baptist minister and Sunday-school director convicted of abusing five girls
• 1990 · Waukegan, Illinois, USA United States (1990): pastor's convictions affirmed for abusing two children of a churchgoing family
• 1998 · Wexford, Ireland Ireland: Ferns priest sentenced to four years after pleading guilty to indecent assault
• 1990 · County Wexford, Ireland Ireland (1990): Ferns priest given a suspended sentence for indecent and common assault
• 1994 · Ireland Ireland: Brendan Smyth — twelve years on seventy-four counts, and the case that broke the Irish scandal
• 2010 · County Cork, Ireland Ireland (2010): Cloyne priest given a suspended sentence for gross indecency
• 1957 · Hasselt, Belgium Belgium (1957): priest sentenced to three years for the abuse of twenty-five boys
• 1957 · Veurne, Belgium Belgium (1957): five-year sentence for a priest who abused eighteen boys under sixteen
• 1959 · Amersfoort, Netherlands Netherlands (1959): religious-order brother convicted of abusing schoolboys in his care
• 1961 · Maastricht, Netherlands Netherlands (1961): brother's sentence halved on appeal but conviction and teaching ban upheld
• 1964 · Maastricht, Netherlands Netherlands (1964): brother convicted of abusing a pupil from the age of eight
• 1958 · Maastricht, Netherlands Netherlands (1958): senior congregation member convicted, prosecution appealing the sentence as too light
• 1954 · Netherlands Netherlands (1954): friar convicted of abusing three boys of about eight
• 1954 · Eindhoven, Netherlands Netherlands (1954): brother given a suspended sentence, lost his teaching credential, and reoffended
• 1999 · Lota, Cork, Ireland Ireland: Brothers of Charity convictions at Lota — repeated pleas across three courts
• 1993 · Mount Carmel, Axtell, Texas, USA United States: Koresh's 'House of David' doctrine — sworn testimony, three investigations, and no prosecution
• 1954 · Kilkenny and Upton, Ireland Ireland: the cases that were never prosecuted — clergy lobbying and the State's decisions not to charge
• 2003 · Letterfrack, Galway, Ireland Ireland: Br Dax convicted of sexually abusing boys at Letterfrack industrial school
• 2002 · Letterfrack, Galway, Ireland Ireland: Br Anatole convicted of indecently assaulting boys at Letterfrack industrial school
• 1953 · Tralee, Kerry, Ireland Ireland: Tralee's known abuser was never reported to the Gardaí — a twenty-year non-prosecution pattern
• 2024 · Cleja, Bacău County, Romania Romania: Catholic priest convicted of raping a 13-year-old parishioner after diocese handled it canonically for two years
• 2015 · Tetrakomo, Arta, Greece Greece: village priest convicted of raping a girl from age seven over seven years, sentence confirmed on appeal
• 2022 · Oakville and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Canada: teaching pastor of an Ontario megachurch found by an independent investigation to have abused a congregant; criminal charges later stayed and withdrawn without trial
• 2003 · Tacoma, Washington, USA United States: Youth pastor's guilty plea to child rape of boys in his congregation, Church For All Nations
• 2011 · Mansfield, Ohio, USA United States: Youth pastor's scripture-based grooming of church girls, convictions and 40-year sentence affirmed
• 1990 · Igloolik and Baker Lake, Nunavut, Canada Canada: Oblate missionary priest convicted across three proceedings (1990, 2015, 2025) of sexually abusing Inuit children in his own parishes
• 1985 · California, USA United States: Sunday school teacher's criminal conviction for molesting a boy in his class; church's own civil liability rejected on appeal
• 1819 · Saco and York County, Maine (then District of Maine, Massachusetts), USA United States: Self-proclaimed prophet convicted of adultery and gross lewdness after assigning half his sect's women to himself as 'spiritual wives'
• 1869 · Hull, England (tried at the Court of Queen's Bench, London) England: Mother Superior's authority over a professed nun used to confine, strip and expel her — jury finds for the nun, £500 damages
• 2022 · Agrinio, Aetolia-Acarnania, Greece Greece: priest who ran a quasi-monastic household of three mothers and eight children convicted of raping and abusing minors over years, sentence upheld on appeal
• 2025 · Șuncuiuș, Bihor County, Romania Romania: Orthodox parish priest charged with sexually assaulting a 10-year-old parishioner over two years, suspended and sent to trial
• 2022 · Abomey-Calavi, Benin Benin: evangelical pastor convicted of serially raping congregants and defrauding them in a land-purchase scheme
• 2025 · Fada N'Gourma, Est Region, Burkina Faso Burkina Faso: self-styled pastor convicted of raping a 10-year-old brought to him for deliverance prayer to treat epilepsy
• 2026 · Święcany and Boguchwała, Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Poland Poland: Catholic vicar convicted of sexually abusing five teenage boys, including altar servers, across two parishes
• 2026 · Diocese of Sosnowiec, Poland Poland: diocesan commission finds at least 50 minor victims and 25 clergy perpetrators over decades in the Diocese of Sosnowiec
• 2011 · Bogotá, Colombia, and Trujillo, Peru Colombia: Anglican missionary convicted of abusing a 9-year-old boy fled to Peru and continued serving as a deacon for 14 years before his sentence lapsed unserved
• 2025 · Guadalupe, Chihuahua, Mexico Mexico: priest sentenced for sexually abusing a girl during confession before her First Communion at a Ciudad Juárez-area parish
• 2026 · Putaendo, Santiago, Talca, Concepción, Valdivia and Punta Arenas, Chile Chile: civil court finds the Salesian order followed a 'systematic and institutional pattern' enabling sexual abuse of students across six cities, orders damages to nine survivors
• 2026 · Andalgalá, Catamarca Province, Argentina Argentina: priest convicted of sexually abusing a boy over a decade earlier, sentenced after a trial delayed ten years
• 2025 · Orava region, Slovakia Slovakia: former priest convicted in landmark ruling of sexually abusing a 12-year-old pupil at his church school
• 2005 · Humenné region, eastern Slovakia Slovakia: priest convicted of sexually abusing a girl who visited his parish rectory as a child, verdict delivered 18 years after the abuse
• 2025 · Pawhuska, Osage County, Oklahoma, USA United States: Gateway Church founder Robert Morris pleads guilty to child sexual abuse of a girl in his ministerial care
• 2026 · Osceola County, Florida, USA United States: Osceola County pastor found guilty of raping a church member who sought spiritual guidance
• 2026 · Manatee County, Florida, USA United States: former Manatee County senior pastor gets triple life sentence for child rape and abuse material
• 2026 · Adrian, Michigan, USA United States: former Adrian, Michigan pastor sentenced for sex crimes against boys at his church and its juvenile campus
• 2026 · Ruckersville, Greene County, Virginia, USA United States: Virginia pastor sentenced for sexually abusing a minor and embezzling church funds
• 2019 · Virginia, USA United States: Virginia youth pastor pleads guilty to indecent acts with a teenager from his church
• 2026 · Jackson, Tennessee, USA United States: Jackson, Tennessee youth pastor sentenced for sexual relationship with a 17-year-old congregant
• 2026 · Town of Summit, Douglas County, Wisconsin, USA United States: former Minnesota pastor sentenced to life for repeated sexual assault of a child at his Wisconsin cabin
• 2025 · Mobile, Alabama, USA United States: Mobile, Alabama pastor sentenced for sexual misconduct with two former church members
• 2025 · Hernando, Mississippi, USA United States: Mississippi youth pastor pleads guilty to sexual battery of a teenager she was mentoring
• 2025 · Tupelo, Mississippi, USA United States: Tupelo youth minister convicted of sexual battery of a 16-year-old church member
• 2025 · Terrytown, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, USA United States: Terrytown, Louisiana pastor sentenced to 80 years for raping teenage boys he groomed through his ministry
• 2018 · Ruffin, North Carolina, USA United States: North Carolina pastor and school principal sentenced for abuse of a student who was also a congregant
• 2014 · Waynesville, North Carolina, USA United States: former Cove Creek Baptist Church youth pastor convicted of a lewd act against a girl from his congregation
• 2024 · Ernakulam, Kerala, India India: Catholic vicar's conviction for raping a minor parishioner upheld by the Kerala High Court, sentence reduced
• 2025 · Samambaia, Federal District, Brazil Brazil: self-declared prophet convicted of coercing followers into sex through fraudulent 'curse-breaking' rituals
• 2025 · Paranaguá, Paraná, Brazil Brazil: Indian-born parish priest convicted of sexually abusing a parishioner during a spiritual counseling session
• 2026 · Altamira, Pará, Brazil Brazil: ex-pastor sentenced to over 26 years for raping children of church members during congregation activities
• 2026 · Serra Negra, São Paulo, Brazil Brazil: priest convicted of grooming and sexually abusing an altar server through the Diocese of Amparo
• 2020 · Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea South Korea: pastor convicted after fatal 'laying-on-of-hands' exorcism prayer on a fasting congregant
• 2016 · Gwangju, Buk-gu, South Korea South Korea: pastor convicted after fatally pressing on a congregant's abdomen during a healing prayer for schizophrenia
• 2019 · Missouri, USA Missouri attorney general report: 163 credible instances of Catholic clergy abuse, 12 cases referred for prosecution
• 2019 · New Jersey, USA New Jersey's five Catholic dioceses jointly name 188 priests credibly accused of child sexual abuse
• 2025 · New Jersey, USA New Jersey Supreme Court clears state grand jury to investigate Catholic clergy abuse, ending a seven-year legal block
• 2020 · Kentucky, USA Kentucky's Covington and Lexington dioceses release independent-review findings naming 90 and 20 accused clergy
• 2003 · Manchester, New Hampshire, USA New Hampshire attorney general publishes 9,000-page investigative file naming 35 New Hampshire priests
• 2026 · Michigan, USA Michigan attorney general's diocese-by-diocese clergy investigation: 1,276 tips, 11 criminal cases, 9 convictions
• 2020 · Advance and Stoddard County, Missouri, USA United States: retired priest Frederick Lutz charged with forcible sodomy after Missouri attorney general's clergy probe
• 2017 · Canberra, Australia (national) Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse: final report
• 2017 · Newcastle, NSW, Australia Royal Commission Case Study 42: Anglican Diocese of Newcastle's 'do nothing' response
• 2011 · Newcastle, NSW, Australia Australia: Anglican lay figure James Michael Brown convicted on 27 counts against 19 boys
• 2016 · Box Hill, Bayswater, Victoria and Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia Royal Commission Case Study 33: Salvation Army children's homes, Southern Territory
• 1995 · Box Hill, Victoria, Australia Australia: Salvation Army sergeant Willem Willemson convicted of indecent assault at Box Hill Boys' Home
• 2016 · Oud-Beijerland, Netherlands Netherlands: Hersteld Hervormde Kerk predikant Peter K. convicted of abusing a congregant, 2009-2012
• 2020 · Netherlands (national) Netherlands: Utrecht University study documents 751 sexual-abuse reports within Jehovah's Witnesses community
• 2021 · Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Germany: Gercke report names 202 accused and finds duty violations across Cologne archdiocese leadership
• 2022 · Munich, Bavaria, Germany Germany: Munich abuse report finds Joseph Ratzinger 'with high probability' knowingly deployed abusers
• 2016 · Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany Germany: Jehovah's Witness congregant convicted of abusing a boy during Kingdom Hall ceremonies, Greifswald
• 2020 · Texarkana, Bowie County, Texas, USA United States: Texas youth group leader convicted of sexual assault and indecency with a congregant, affirmed on appeal
• 2025 · Longview, Gregg County, Texas, USA United States: Texas church deacon convicted of indecency with a child left in his care during Bible study, affirmed
• 2023 · Houston, Harris County, Texas, USA United States: Texas church deacon sentenced to life for continuous sexual abuse of his daughter; other church girls' accusations admitted at trial, affirmed
• 2001 · Harlingen, Cameron County, Texas, USA United States: LDS ward clerk convicted of indecency with a member's child after two families' complaints to the bishop, affirmed
• 1946 · Carriglea, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland Ireland: Carriglea industrial school — internal Church tribunals found 'criminal or indecent assault' proven, twice, and never once called the Gardai
• 1944 · Glin, County Limerick, Ireland Ireland: Glin industrial school — a confessed abuser offered the choice of 'apply for a dispensation or stand trial', and the Congregation chose neither
• 1962 · Salthill, Galway, Ireland Ireland: 'In none of the Br Dacian cases was there a prosecution or even a formal report to the Gardai' — the Ryan Report's own words for a 25-year pattern
• 1990 · St Joseph's School for Deaf Boys, Cabra, Dublin, Ireland Ireland: at the deaf school in Cabra, one man was Garda-investigated with no recorded outcome, and three more were let go without the Gardai ever being told
• 1955 · Greenmount, Cork, Ireland Ireland: 'Br Carlito was not prosecuted' — the Ryan Report's own words for a Resident Manager two bishops and a Garda superintendent all knew about
• 1954 · Upton, County Cork, Ireland Ireland: the Rosminians' own Rome archive names seven sexual abusers at Upton across three decades — 'the Order did not expel members for sexual abuse' and none were ever reported as a crime
• 2025 · Arta, Greece Greece: village priest convicted of raping a child from age seven over seven years
• 2021 · Larissa, Greece Greece: priest sentenced to eight years for abusing an 11-year-old, mother convicted as accomplice
• 2021 · Salamina, Greece Greece: Old Calendar priest convicted of indecent acts against a boy, released pending appeal
• 2025 · Rzeszów, Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Poland Poland: former priest Dominik R. sentenced to five years for molesting five boys in catechism classroom
• 2026 · Elbląg, Poland Poland: Franciscan friar 'Brother Polikarp' convicted of molesting girls during confession and family retreats
• 2026 · Międzybrodzie Bialskie, Diocese of Bielsko-Żywiec, Poland Poland: state pedophilia commission enters priest Jan Wodniak in the public sex-offender registry a second time
• 2026 · Faial Island, Azores, Portugal Portugal: Azores priest convicted of attempted sexual abuse of a 15-year-old girl in his care
• 2018 · Sobral, Ceará, Brazil Brazil: Presbyterian pastor convicted of raping five children under ten in his congregation
• 2017 · Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil Brazil: Catholic group founder 'Papi' convicted of raping young men he recruited through his community
• 2023 · Bayeux, Paraíba, Brazil Brazil: Assembly of God pastor convicted of raping three children using his religious standing to win family trust
• 2026 · Parnaíba, Piauí, Brazil Brazil: futsal coach and pastor sentenced to over 103 years for grooming eleven adolescents with distorted scripture
• 2025 · Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil Brazil: Foursquare Church pastor convicted of sexually harassing minors in his youth counselling group
• 2022 · San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico Mexico: priest sentenced to 60 years for raping a boy in his parish, reported by his own bishop
• 2023 · Aquixtla, Puebla, Mexico Mexico: priest sentenced to 21 years for luring and assaulting a seven-year-old at his church
• 2023 · Chitaraque and San Gil, Santander, and Moniquirá, Boyacá, Colombia Colombia: priest tried for raping an altar-boy figure on his farm, four more accusers surface
• 2025 · San Martín, Mendoza, Argentina Argentina: pastor convicted of statutory rape aggravated by his status as 'minister of a cult'
• 2025 · Santa Fe, Argentina Argentina: pastor sentenced to ten years for repeatedly abusing an adult congregant who feared disbelief
• 2024 · Viña del Mar, Valparaíso, Chile Chile: Diocese of Valparaíso finds priest guilty of abusing a ten-year-old student decades earlier, expels him
• 2018 · Victoria Falls, Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe Zimbabwe: Enlightened Christian Gathering pastor convicted of raping a 12-year-old congregant during a house prayer visit
• 2025 · Nquthu, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa South Africa: pastor given ten life terms for serially raping and assaulting twelve children lured with spiritual-guidance pretexts
• 2025 · Edenburg, Free State, South Africa South Africa: pastor's husband sentenced to life for raping an orphaned child taken into the pastor's household
• 2025 · Weija, Accra, Ghana Ghana: evangelist sentenced for defrauding congregants with a claimed spiritual money-doubling ritual
• 1980 · Kingsport, Sullivan County, Tennessee, USA United States: priest convicted of raping his altar boy decades earlier, sentence affirmed on appeal
• 2019 · Palm Beach County, Florida, USA United States: 'Apostle' pastor convicted of sexually abusing three girls in his congregation
• 2012 · West Valley City, Salt Lake County, Utah, USA United States: LDS branch president convicted of sexually battering a teenage congregant summoned to his office
• 2005 · Georgia, USA United States: church youth-choir director convicted of molesting a boy from his choir
• 2010 · Washington, Daviess County, Indiana, USA United States: pastor convicted of raping the young son of a family who housed his church, sentenced to eighty years
• 2013 · Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA United States: LDS church leader guilty of molesting a boy over five years, using church roles to access the family
• 2019 · Georgia, USA United States: minister convicted of molesting two young girls from congregant families at his church
• 2022 · Ciudad Real, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain Spain: ex-priest and seminary trainer's 30-year sentence for abusing seven minor seminarians affirmed by Supreme Court
• 2025 · Enna, Piazza Armerina, Sicilia, Italy Italy: priest's conviction for sexual violence against minors made final by Cassazione
• 2024 · Cléry-Saint-André, Loiret; Perros-Guirec, Côtes-d'Armor, France France: basilica rector Olivier de Scitivaux's rape and sexual-assault conviction final after he withdrew appeal
• 2024 · Talavera de la Reina, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain Spain: priest's conviction for continuous sexual abuse of a student under his spiritual direction affirmed by Supreme Court
• 2020 · Tranent and Gartmore, Scotland, United Kingdom Scotland: De La Salle Brother convicted a third time — decades of abuse at two List D schools
• 2012 · Reykjavík, Iceland Iceland: Catholic Church commission confirms abuse at Landakotsskóli school and Riftún camp
• 2023 · Viby, Aarhus, Denmark Denmark: free-church pastor convicted of exploiting a parishioner's trust — court cites his role as her confidant
• 2026 · Satakunta region, Finland Finland: parish pastor convicted of sexually messaging three children in his youth ministry
• 2019 · Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia, Canada Canada: Nova Scotia youth pastor convicted of grooming and sexually assaulting a teenage congregant
• 2012 · Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada Canada: former Yarmouth priest sentenced to five and a half years after admitting to molesting six children
• 2017 · Shediac and Collette, New Brunswick, Canada Canada: former Moncton priest sentenced to four years after admitting to molesting nine boys
• 2015 · Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada Canada: defrocked Edmundston priest sentenced to seven and a half years for abusing altar boys
• 2025 · Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Canada: Saskatoon Ukrainian Catholic priest convicted of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old parishioner
• 2021 · Vegreville, Alberta, Canada Canada: Alberta pastor sentenced to five years after grooming a congregant he had recruited as co-preacher
• 2024 · Dolbeau and Mistassini, Quebec, Canada Canada: Quebec court authorizes class action against a teaching congregation over decades of abuse at church-run schools
• 2025 · Marysville, Ohio, USA Ohio: accredited minister and pastoral trainer convicted of abusing a Bible Baptist Church congregant's daughter
• 2019 · Covington, Virginia, USA Virginia: COGIC deacon convicted of molesting children from his church's youth department; Supreme Court revives negligence suit against the denomination
• 2020 · Carroll County, Arkansas, USA Arkansas: church elder and Sunday-school superintendent's civil liability for abusing a 13-year-old parishioner affirmed on appeal
• 2020 · Eagle Lake, Warren County, Mississippi, USA Mississippi: Methodist pastor's convictions for statutory rape and sexual battery of two congregants affirmed
• 2022 · Marion County, Oregon, USA Oregon: home-church pastor's convictions for abusing a congregant he counseled, plus a family victim, affirmed
• 2019 · Jackson County, West Virginia, USA West Virginia: pastor's conviction for soliciting and grooming a 15-year-old congregant affirmed
• 2026 · Lincoln County, Mississippi, USA Mississippi: minister convicted on twelve counts of sexual battery of a girl he took in as a family's pastor, using threats of eternal damnation to control her
• 1994 · Lake County, Waukegan, Illinois, USA Illinois: head pastor and 'bishop' convicted of sexually assaulting two minor members of his international church
• 2013 · West Dundee, Kane County, Illinois, USA Illinois: youth ministries director pleads guilty to grooming and sexually abusing a teenage member of his church youth group
• 2003 · Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA Minnesota: Catholic priest's conviction for sexually penetrating a parishioner during spiritual counseling reinstated by state Supreme Court
• 2022 · Rankin County, Mississippi, USA Mississippi: longtime family pastor given temporary custody of a boy convicted of sexually battering him
• 1992 · Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA New Mexico: Catholic priest convicted decades later of sexually abusing altar servers across three Albuquerque parishes
• 2016 · Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA Pennsylvania: founder and lead pastor convicted of indecent assault after using an offer to pray for an employee as pretext for assault
• 2020 · Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Germany: independent report finds 175 abuse victims and 81 accused clergy in the Diocese of Aachen
• 2022 · Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Germany: Münster diocese report finds 196 accused clergy and 610 victims, faults four successive bishops
• 2023 · Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, Germany Germany: Osnabrück diocese study finds over 400 victims, contributes to bishop's early resignation
• 2017 · Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany Germany: independent investigator finds up to 700 abuse victims among Regensburg Domspatzen choirboys
• 2025 · Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Germany: former Bielefeld deacon convicted of abusing persons in his church care, confession entered
• 2023 · Mindelheim, Bavaria, Germany Germany: former Marist brother and boarding-school director convicted of abusing pupils, appeal fails
• 2024 · Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany Germany: ForuM study finds 1,259 accused and 2,225 affected in the Evangelical Church and diaconal services
• 2010 · Vienna, Austria Austria: Klasnic Commission establishes independent victim-protection process for church abuse claims
• 2023 · Zurich, Switzerland Switzerland: University of Zurich pilot study finds 1,002 cases of abuse in the Catholic Church since 1950
• 2025 · Lugano, Ticino, Switzerland Switzerland: Ticino priest convicted of sexually coercing nine parishioners, four of them minors
• 2026 · Vaud, Switzerland Switzerland: Vaud priest to stand trial for alleged abuse of a 14-year-old parishioner
• 2024 · Brussels, Belgium Belgium: parliamentary commission issues 137 recommendations on abuse in the Church, following 'Godvergeten'
• 1990 · Kilkenny, Ireland Ireland: St Mary's School for the Deaf — Dominican Sisters admit a visiting priest sexually abused a pupil; he 'left shortly after ... and never returned', no Garda referral recorded
• 1980 · Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland Ireland: Ferryhouse Brother caught raping and drugging boys for four years is dismissed, not reported to Gardai — and when told directly, a Department of Education official decides 'no further action' is needed
• 1980 · Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland Ireland: a Rosminian priest admitted sexually abusing a child to his Provincial in 1980; the Order sat on it for 15 years and a solicitor advised against telling the Gardai even after the Department said to
• 2005 · Šestine, Zagreb, Croatia Croatia: parish priest's final conviction for indecent acts against ten schoolgirls in religious-education class
• 2009 · Banjol, Rab, Krk Diocese, Croatia Croatia: Krk Diocese priest's final conviction for indecent acts against five boys, upheld on appeal
• 2008 · Slovenia Slovenia: first priest finally convicted of imprisonable child sexual abuse, five-year sentence
• 2011 · Brezno and Remšnik parishes, Slovenia Slovenia: priest's final conviction for groping two girls during confirmation preparation
• 2025 · Frăsinei Monastery, Vâlcea County, Romania Romania: monk at Frăsinei Monastery finally convicted of raping two boys, nine-year sentence
• 2025 · Militari, Bucharest, Romania Romania: priest finally convicted of sexually assaulting a woman during confession
• 2021 · Đakovo-Osijek Archdiocese, Croatia Croatia: Đakovo-Osijek Archdiocese priest's final conviction for indecent acts against an altar server
• 1999 · Ballarat, Port Fairy and Ouyen, Victoria, Australia Australia: Ballarat Diocese priest Bryan Coffey convicted of indecently assaulting parish children across three decades
• 2016 · Highton, Geelong, Victoria, Australia Australia: Christian Brother William Houston convicted twice of abusing boys in his care at St Augustine's Orphanage
• 2014 · Albury, Wagga Wagga and Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Australia: Christian Brother Desmond Richards ('Brother Neil') convicted across multiple rounds of abusing students at NSW Christian Brothers schools; conviction upheld on appeal
• 2018 · Kogarah, New South Wales, Australia Australia: Marist Brother and school principal 'Brother Christopher' Wade convicted of indecent assault on a pupil; conviction upheld on appeal
• 2002 · Auckland, New Zealand New Zealand: church youth leader Nathanael Thompson convicted of sexually violating boys he met through his congregation; conviction upheld on appeal
• 2022 · Tauranga, New Zealand New Zealand: Baptist church youth leader Luke Stainton convicted of a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old member of his youth group
• 2024 · Haupiri, West Coast, New Zealand New Zealand: former Gloriavale leader Jonathan Benjamin convicted on 26 counts of sexual offending against community children spanning three decades
• 2024 · New Zealand (national) New Zealand Royal Commission: Jehovah's Witnesses' own congregation records show an elder had sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old member, treated internally as a matter of reputational damage
• 2024 · Lekki, Lagos State, Nigeria Nigeria: Lagos pastor sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a church member
• 2026 · Lagos, Nigeria Nigeria: sixty-three-year-old pastor sentenced to life imprisonment for drugging and raping a church member's daughter
• 2021 · Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria Nigeria: self-styled prophet sentenced to life imprisonment for manslaughter after raping a woman seeking a cure for barrenness
• 2022 · Nassau, Bahamas Bahamas: youth pastor convicted of sexually assaulting a girl taken into his family's care, then jailed again for three more victims
• 2026 · Efate, Shefa Province, Vanuatu Vanuatu: pastor convicted by the Supreme Court of repeated indecency against two girls in his congregation
• 2019 · Suwon, South Korea (offenses committed in Fiji) Grace Road Church: founding pastor convicted after 'threshing floor' beatings and confinement of followers in Fiji
• 2024 · Seoul, South Korea South Korea: pastor and school founder convicted for molesting North Korean defector students in his care
• 2025 · Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea South Korea: unlicensed 'pastor' and academy director convicted of confining and isolating congregants' children
• 2021 · Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico Mexico: priest sentenced to 65 years for raping a girl during catechism classes
• 2023 · Kantunilkín, Lázaro Cárdenas, Quintana Roo, Mexico Mexico: pastor's acquittal reversed on appeal; 50-year sentence imposed for abusing his hierarchical position over a 12-year-old congregant
• 2025 · Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil Brazil: pastor convicted of using overnight 'spiritual healing' prayer sessions to sexually violate four congregants by fraud
• 2026 · Macapá, Amapá, Brazil Brazil: pastor convicted of raping a ten-year-old congregant, arrested as a fugitive after four years
• 2014 · Santa Isabel and Ponce, Puerto Rico Puerto Rico: pastor sentenced to 40 years federal for abusing church-vehicle-washing pretext to assault minor congregants
• 2024 · Hormigueros and Mayagüez, Puerto Rico Puerto Rico: priest convicted of lewd acts against a minor at the Santuario de la Monserrate, court cites his 'relación de superioridad' of religious leadership
• 2020 · Paraíso, Cartago, Costa Rica Costa Rica: pastor sentenced to eight years for grooming a 14-year-old congregant through church-linked messaging
• 2022 · Heredia, Costa Rica Costa Rica: pastor's 34-year sentence for abusing a teenage congregant confirmed through the Supreme Court's criminal cassation chamber
• 2023 · Gualaca, Chiriquí, Panama Panama: priest convicted of raping a five-year-old parish child, sentenced to 30 years
• 2022 · Puerto Lempira, Gracias a Dios, and La Ceiba, Atlántida, Honduras Honduras: Miskito community pastor convicted of trafficking and aggravated rape of a 15-year-old he took from her family under promise of paid childcare work
• 2023 · Opole Lubelskie, Diocese of Sandomierz, Poland Poland: priest Tomasz F. finally convicted on appeal for sexually abusing two altar boys
• 2022 · Diocese of Drohiczyn, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland Poland: vicar and religion teacher M.Ł. finally convicted for repeated rape of a 14-year-old parishioner
• 2021 · Ruszów, Diocese of Legnica, Poland Poland: parish priest Piotr M. finally convicted of molesting two intellectually disabled girls he was preparing for First Communion
• 2026 · Bydgoszcz, Diocese of Bydgoszcz, Poland Poland: former priest Rafał K. finally convicted for posing as a sexologist to abuse minors and adults under cover of 'therapy'
• 2024 · Southern Corfu, Metropolis of Corfu and the Ionian Islands, Greece Greece: village priest convicted of the continuous seduction of a 16-year-old parishioner inside the church
• 2019 · Naxos, Cyclades, Greece Greece: archimandrite Theokletos's conviction for repeated sexual harassment of two parish boys affirmed by the Supreme Court
• 2022 · Pullamala, Kollam, Kerala, India India: seminary rector sentenced to 18 years for sexually abusing four minor seminarians in his care
• 2016 · Puthenvelikkara, Ernakulam, Kerala, India India: parish priest convicted of raping a minor parishioner who came to him for confession
• 2022 · Thrissur, Kerala, India India: priest convicted of raping a nine-year-old preparing for her First Communion at his church
• 2010 · Newburgh, New York, USA United States (2010): youth pastor's convictions for abusing three Sunday-school boys affirmed
• 2017 · Hot Springs, Garland County, Arkansas, USA United States (2017): youth pastor's rape convictions for two teenage girls affirmed on direct appeal and again on post-conviction review
• 2014 · Winterset, Madison County, Iowa, USA United States (2014): church youth coordinator's conviction for assaulting a sixteen-year-old group member affirmed
• 2023 · Lansing, Michigan, USA Michigan: priest Joseph 'Jack' Baker sentenced for first-degree criminal sexual conduct
• 2025 · Macomb County, Michigan, USA Michigan: priest Neil Kalina's second-degree criminal sexual conduct conviction affirmed on appeal
• 2023 · Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA Michigan: priest Timothy Crowley sentenced for second-degree criminal sexual conduct
• 2021 · Lansing, Michigan, USA Michigan: priest Joseph Comperchio pleads guilty to sexual abuse of four minors
• 2022 · Upper Peninsula, Michigan, USA Michigan: priest Gary Jacobs sentenced for abusing five children in the Upper Peninsula
• 2022 · Michigan, USA Michigan: priest Gary Berthiaume sentenced for criminal sexual conduct and gross indecency
• 2023 · Burton, Michigan, USA Michigan: priest Vincent DeLorenzo sentenced for abusing a 5-year-old boy
• 2020 · Otsego, Michigan, USA Michigan: priest Brian Stanley sentenced for attempted false imprisonment of a teenage boy
• 2018 · Detroit, Michigan, USA Michigan: priest Patrick Casey convicted of aggravated assault
• 2018 · Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, USA Pennsylvania: priest John Sweeney — first conviction from the 2018 grand jury report
• 2019 · Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, USA Pennsylvania: priest David Poulson sentenced — second conviction from the 2018 grand jury report
• 2019 · Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA New Jersey: priest Thomas Ganley — first conviction from the state Clergy Abuse Task Force
• 1994 · Fayette County, Kentucky, USA Kentucky: priest Leonard Nienaber convicted of ten counts of child sexual abuse
• 2010 · Frankfort, Kentucky, USA Kentucky: priest Joseph Muench sentenced after Alford plea to unlawful imprisonment and attempted sexual abuse
• 2007 · Larimer County, Colorado, USA Colorado: priest Timothy Evans — the only Colorado priest tried and convicted of sexual assault since 2002
• 1994 · Keene, New Hampshire, USA New Hampshire: priest Gordon MacRae convicted of sexual assault; conviction upheld through direct appeal and federal habeas review
• 2013 · Venice, Florida, USA Illinois/Florida: Carmelite priest William Wert convicted and sentenced to life after a second child-victim disclosure
• 2020 · Thompson Falls, Montana, USA United States: Montana Supreme Court rules church confidentiality doctrine excused elders from reporting a child-abuse disclosure
• 2024 · Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA United States: Jehovah's Witness elder convicted of molesting three girls of the extended family hosting him
• 2024 · White Oak, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA United States: Jehovah's Witness elder pleads guilty after 'mentoring' a teenager under cover of spiritual guidance
• 2025 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA United States: Jehovah's Witness congregant convicted of using his standing in the church to assault a four-year-old he lived among
• 2022 · Crystal Lake, McHenry County, Illinois, USA United States: two Jehovah's Witness elders convicted for failing to report a child's abuse after headquarters advised against it
• 2020 · Zwolle, Overijssel, Netherlands Netherlands: court rules Jehovah's Witness elders sitting on a judicial committee have no right of non-disclosure to police
• 2013 · Manchester, England, UK England: Jehovah's Witness congregation trustee convicted of indecent assault; Charity Commission finds victims were made to face him in a judicial hearing
• 2001 · Timmins–North Bay area, Ontario, Canada Canada: Jehovah's Witness bishop-equivalent elder convicted of sexually exploiting a ward member he was counseling
• 1989 · Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Canada: congregation elder convicted of sexually assaulting a disabled member of his own congregation
• 2014 · San Diego, California, USA United States: default judgment against the Watchtower Society for recommending a known child molester as a boy's Bible-study mentor
• 2026 · Livermore, California, USA United States: former LDS bishop and boys' youth-group leader charged with abusing four boys over a decade
• 2014 · Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Canada: Orthodox Church in America archbishop convicted of sexually assaulting a boy sent to live and serve at his church
• 2012 · Worcester, Massachusetts, USA United States: Antiochian Orthodox priest convicted of assaulting a parishioner during years of 'spiritual father' counseling sessions
• 2018 · Thiruvalla, Kerala, India India: four Malankara Orthodox priests charged with using a woman's confession to blackmail her into years of sexual abuse
• 2004 · Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Quebec: Petit Séminaire de Québec priest-teacher pleads guilty to sexually abusing seven students
• 2010 · Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada New Brunswick: Acadian priest Lévi Noël sentenced to eight years, the heaviest sentence ever given a Catholic priest in Canada
• 2021 · Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec, Canada Quebec: Bas-Saint-Laurent priest Béatrix Morin sentenced to three years for sexual assaults spanning two decades
• 2021 · Quebec, Canada Quebec: Brothers of the Sacred Heart reach $60-million court-approved settlement covering 250 victims and 93 abusers across fifty schools
• 2022 · Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada Quebec: Diocese of Chicoutimi settlement pays $13.75 million to more than 150 victims of a single priest, Paul-André Harvey
• 2025 · Longueuil, Quebec, Canada Quebec: Diocese of Saint-Jean-Longueuil settlement of $6.48 million approved by Superior Court
• 2025 · Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada Quebec: Diocese of Saint-Hyacinthe settlement of $8.94 million approved by Superior Court
• 2025 · Quebec, Canada Quebec: Court of Appeal authorizes class action against the Order of Dominicans naming nine friars including Benoît Lacroix
• 2024 · Omuo-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria Nigeria: Winners Chapel (Living Faith Church Worldwide) pastor convicted of raping a 12-year-old congregant at his vicarage
• 2022 · Perinthalmanna, Malappuram, Kerala, India India: Pentecostal pastor convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl after convincing her family she was possessed by evil spirits
• 2013 · São João de Meriti, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Brazil: Assembleia de Deus dos Últimos Dias founding pastor convicted of raping a congregant; Supreme Federal Court cites his spiritual authority as the coercion
• 2024 · Winchester and Iwerne Minster, Dorset, England, United Kingdom Makin Review: independent inquiry finds Church of England cover-up of John Smyth's Iwerne camp abuse; Archbishop of Canterbury resigns
• 2015 · United Kingdom Methodist Church in Britain's Past Cases Review finds 1,885 abuse cases 1950-2014, roughly a quarter naming ministers or church employees
• 2022 · Nashville, Tennessee, USA Guidepost Solutions finds SBC Executive Committee kept a secret decade-long list of 700+ accused ministers while stonewalling abuse survivors
• 2004 · Hagerstown, Maryland, USA United States: Episcopal school chaplain Kenneth Behrel convicted of abusing two students, second sentence after appeal
• 1991 · Waukegan and Oregon, Illinois, USA United States: Episcopal priest Richard Kearney convicted of abusing teenage boys in his parishes
• 2026 · Dunedin and Canterbury, New Zealand New Zealand: former Dunedin Anglican Dean Jonathan Kirkpatrick convicted of sexually violating a teenager decades earlier
• 2022 · Mitooma District, Uganda Uganda: Church of Uganda (Anglican) priest Gordon Muhwezi sentenced to 28 years for defilement
• 2002 · Lismore and Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia Australia: Anglican priest Allan Kitchingham convicted of indecent assault on a boy at North Coast Children's Home
• 2021 · Glendale, California, USA United States: Glendale Adventist Academy teacher Brett Mohr convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a student, 30-year sentence
• 2019 · Tomar, Santarém, Portugal Portugal: former Adventist pastor convicted on 24 counts of sexual abuse
• 2023 · Newbury, Rowley and Salisbury, Massachusetts, USA United States: licensed United Methodist youth minister Russell Woodman Davis pleads guilty to raping three boys over nearly two decades
• 2020 · Eagle Lake, Warren County, Mississippi, USA Mississippi: Methodist pastor convicted of statutory rape of a congregant
• 2023 · Talsi, Latvia Latvia: Baptist minister and Sunday-school director convicted of abusing children in his care
• 2018 · United States (national) United States: Jesuits West and Jesuits Midwest provinces each publish named lists of members with established sexual-abuse allegations
• 2021 · Spain (national) Spain: Jesuit province publishes first order-wide report acknowledging 118 sexual-abuse cases by 96 members since 1927
• 2021 · Santiago, Chile Chile: Jesuit-commissioned posthumous inquiry finds prominent priest Renato Poblete sexually abused children and adults for decades
• 2023 · Cochabamba, Bolivia Bolivia: Jesuit priest's own diary, confirmed by his family and investigated by the Vatican and Bolivian prosecutors, documents his abuse of 85 boarding-school children
• 2019 · Gozzano, Novara Province, Italy Italy: Legionaries of Christ priest Vladimir Reséndiz Gutiérrez convicted in absentia of abusing minor seminarians, affirmed on appeal
• 2012 · Ghent, East Flanders, Belgium Belgium: Salesian priest Luk Delft convicted of child abuse and child pornography, later transferred by the order to work with children in Central Africa despite the ban
• 2024 · Belfast, Newry and Armagh, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom United Kingdom: Christian Brother and school principal Paul Dunleavy convicted across three trials of 72 sexual-abuse offences against 18 boys
• 2016 · Falkland, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom Scotland: Christian Brothers headmaster and teacher convicted of physically and sexually abusing boys at St Ninian's, Falkland
• 2015 · Hamilton and Pagewood, New South Wales, Australia Australia: Marist Brother Francis Cable ('Brother Romuald') convicted across two proceedings of sexually abusing children at Hamilton and Pagewood
• 1996 · New South Wales, Canberra and Innisfail, Queensland, Australia Australia: Marist Brother Gregory Sutton convicted across three decades of sexually abusing children in New South Wales, Canberra and Queensland
• 1994 · Auckland and Invercargill, New Zealand New Zealand: Marist Brother Charles Afeaki repeatedly convicted and re-sentenced for serial child sexual abuse at Auckland and Invercargill schools
• 2005 · Feilding, New Zealand New Zealand: Christian Brother Andrew Cody convicted of sexually abusing sick and vulnerable boys in his care at Hato Pāora College
• 1993 · Santa Barbara, California, USA United States: Franciscan province of Santa Barbara's own investigation finds 34 boys abused by a dozen priests at St Anthony's Seminary
• 2022 · Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland Ireland: Spiritan order discloses 233 abuse allegations against 77 priests at Blackrock College and its feeder schools, prompting a state Scoping Inquiry
• 2015 · Collegeville, Minnesota, USA United States: St John's Abbey settlement forces release of internal files naming 19 Benedictine monks credibly accused of child sexual abuse
• 1991 · Williams Lake and Kuper Island, British Columbia, Canada Canada: Oblate brother Glenn Doughty convicted across two proceedings of sexually abusing Indigenous children at two British Columbia residential schools
• 1989 · British Columbia, Canada Canada: Oblate priest Harold McIntee convicted of sexually assaulting 17 boys and young men across three decades at a residential school and two parishes
• 2025 · Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany Germany: Trier diocese's own review finds 711 victims and 234 accused, far above the national MHG study
• 2023 · Saarbrücken, Saarland, Germany Germany: Trier diocese priest convicted of sexually coercing a fourteen-year-old in his rectory
• 2023 · Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany Germany: Mainz diocese report finds 401 victims, 181 accused, and a culture that prioritised avoiding scandal
• 2025 · Dieburg, Hesse, Germany Germany: octogenarian Mainz diocese priest fined for a 1997 child sexual abuse offence
• 2025 · Würzburg, Bavaria, Germany Germany: independent Würzburg diocese report finds 226 victims, most abuse unpunished before 2000
• 2024 · Rottenburg-Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany Germany: Rottenburg-Stuttgart diocese's own count reaches 454 victims and 241 accused since 1946
• 2025 · Speyer, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany Germany: University of Mannheim study finds 150 suspected Speyer diocese perpetrators, children's homes as 'hotspots'
• 2017 · Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Germany: Essen diocese's legal review of personnel files names 62 accused priests, deacons and staff
• 2024 · Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany Germany: Augsburg diocese priest's conviction for abusing a dependent becomes final on appeal
• 2026 · Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Germany: five-year Paderborn archdiocese study finds 210 accused and 489 victims, nearly double prior counts
• 2021 · Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, Germany Germany: Hildesheim diocese report finds bishop and personnel director transferred a known-accused priest rather than act
• 2025 · Belcastro, Catanzaro, Calabria, Italy Italy: Calabria parish priest's conviction for sexually abusing seventeen parish children becomes final
• 2024 · Avellino, Campania, Italy Italy: priest's conviction for abusing a thirteen-year-old boy in a residential community becomes final
• 2004 · Savona, Liguria, Italy Italy: Savona-Noli diocese priest's conviction for abusing a migrant minor in his custody, final since 2010
• 2009 · Alassio, Savona, Liguria, Italy Italy: Albenga-Imperia diocese priest's conviction for abusing an altar server stands, though the church later cleared him
• 2024 · Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain Spain: Cuenca parish priest's final conviction for abusing three children using church property as access
• 2016 · Vigo area, Galicia, Spain Spain: prominent Galician exorcist priest's conviction for sexually assaulting a parishioner in the sacristy is confirmed on appeal
• 2023 · Uribe Kosta, Biscay, Basque Country, Spain Spain: Bilbao diocese priest's conviction for abusing scout monitors at parish summer camps, unappealed and final
• 2021 · Valladolid, Castilla y León, Spain Spain: Valladolid priest's conviction for grooming and sexually abusing a minor parishioner confirmed on appeal
• 2024 · United States (national, 37 states and territories) United States: Interior Department's Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative finds 417 church-partnered schools and a federally funded assimilation system
• 2024 · Ireland (national, at least 22 counties) Ireland: Scoping Inquiry finds 2,395 allegations of historical sexual abuse across 308 schools run by 24 religious orders
• 2004 · Kamloops and Mission, British Columbia, Canada Canada: Kamloops and St. Mary's residential-school supervisor's conviction on twelve counts of sexual abuse
• 2010 · Masterton, Wairarapa, New Zealand New Zealand: Marist Brother convicted of eleven historic sex offences against boarders at a Catholic boarding school
• 2009 · Ealing, London, United Kingdom United Kingdom: Ealing Abbey Benedictine monk and former headteacher convicted of abusing five pupils over 36 years
• 2017 · Ealing, London, United Kingdom United Kingdom: former Abbot of Ealing Abbey convicted after fleeing abroad for five years to avoid prosecution
• 2021 · Burradoo (Bowral), New South Wales, Australia Australia: Missionaries of the Sacred Heart priest jailed for fifteen years for abusing twelve boarding-school students
• 2020 · Birmingham, England, United Kingdom UK: Cherubim and Seraphim prophet convicted of raping congregants during 'spiritual bathing' rituals
• 2011 · Achiase, Eastern Region, Ghana Ghana: prayer-camp pastor jailed twenty years for raping five sisters, one drugged unconscious
• 2013 · Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe Zimbabwe: Johane Masowe sect leader convicted of statutory rape of a minor congregant lured to pick prayer pebbles
• 2017 · South Africa South Africa: CRL Rights Commission finds systemic commercialisation and abuse of belief in the unregulated prophetic-church sector
• 2013 · Linköping, Östergötland, Sweden Sweden: Pentecostal youth-ministry leader convicted of raping a 14-year-old congregation member
• 2023 · Romerike, Akershus, Norway Norway: congregation leader convicted of six-year sexual exploitation of a member who saw his words as God's word
• 2016 · Kópavogur, Iceland Iceland: Smárakirkja youth leader convicted of sexually abusing a 15-year-old member he had groomed
• 2025 · Cochabamba, Bolivia Bolivia: two former Jesuit provincial superiors convicted of covering up Alfonso Pedrajas's abuse of boarding-school children, sentence affirmed on appeal
• 2019 · Troy, MI, USA Hurmiz Ishak: Chaldean Catholic subdeacon convicted of assaulting a teen altar boy at his church
• 2011 · Little Meadows, PA, USA Philip Ferrara: Melkite Greek Catholic priest convicted after using a retreat house to assault a boy
• 1985 · Mississauga, ON, Canada Matthew Berko: Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest convicted of assaulting his parish youth-group president
• 1998 · Fort Albany, Ontario, Canada Canada: St Anne's residential-school nun convicted of assaulting female students
• 2026 · Lasswade and Kilmarnock, Scotland, UK (tried at Edinburgh Sheriff Court) Scotland: three former Sisters of Nazareth nuns convicted of cruel and unnatural treatment of children in their care
• 2026 · Cardonald, Glasgow, Scotland, UK (tried at Glasgow Sheriff Court) Scotland: two former Sisters of Nazareth nuns plead guilty to abusing eight children at Nazareth House, Glasgow
• 2007 · Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA United States: Milwaukee nun convicted of sexually abusing two boys she taught as school principal
• 2020 · Nogoyá, Entre Ríos, Argentina Argentina: Carmelite prioress convicted of torturing and confining nuns under her authority
• 2023 · San Isidro, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina Argentina: Trinitarian Sisters nun convicted of sexually abusing five adolescents at a children's home
• 2019 · Busto Arsizio, Varese, Lombardy, Italy Italy: nun convicted of sexually abusing a 15-year-old she groomed at her parish oratory
• 2010 · Zabrze, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland Poland: nun convicted of mistreating children and enabling sexual abuse at a Zabrze care home
• 2013 · Ireland (national — ten Magdalene Laundries operated by four religious orders) Ireland: McAleese Report finds State complicity in the Magdalene Laundry system; no individual nun ever criminally prosecuted
• 2021 · Ireland (national — 18 mother-and-baby and county-home institutions, 1922-1998) Ireland: Mother and Baby Homes Commission finds roughly 9,000 child deaths and a coercive, misogynistic institutional culture
• 2022 · Dublin, California, USA United States: FCI Dublin federal prison chaplain sentenced for sexually abusing an inmate he was counseling
• 2016 · Newport, Arkansas, USA United States: Arkansas state prison chaplain sentenced for sexually assaulting inmate under guise of counseling and ministry
• 2019 · Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA United States: Air Force chaplain and priest convicted of sexually abusing an altar boy at Kirtland Air Force Base
• 2005 · Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany United States: Army chaplain court-martialed in Germany for forcible sodomy against enlisted men he was counseling
• 2007 · Annapolis, Maryland, USA United States: Naval Academy chaplain court-martialed for forcibly sodomizing a midshipman and coercing men he was counseling
• 1980 · Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Canada: military base chaplain court-martialed for sexually assaulting children in the base chapel at CFB Edmonton
• 2025 · Sacramento County, California, USA United States: hospice chaplain sentenced for sexually assaulting an unconscious dying patient during a pastoral visit
• 2026 · Stathern, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom Jon Ruben: 23-year sentence for drugging and abusing boys at his own Christian summer camp
• 2026 · Luling and Waco, Texas, USA United States: priest Anthony Odiong given life for sexually assaulting women under his spiritual direction
• 2023 · Cohuna and Burkes Bridge, Victoria, Australia Australia: evangelical minister Christopher Coleborn jailed for abusing a boy at his own home during a church youth camp
• 2015 · Provo and Davis County, Utah, USA United States: Especially For Youth counselor Keldon Cook imprisoned for grooming a camper he told the abuse was acceptable
• 2023 · Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua, Mexico Mexico: evangelical pastor sentenced to 53 years for abusing a disciple during spiritual retreats
• 2026 · Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Canada: Winnipeg pastor and youth camp director charged with sexually exploiting a teenage counsellor
• 1995 · Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA Lundman v. McKown: Christian Science practitioner and nurse held civilly liable, in their professional capacity, for a child's death from withheld insulin
• 2025 · Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia Elizabeth Struhs: 'The Saints' leader convicted of manslaughter for directing an 8-year-old's parents to stop her insulin
• 2019 · St. Louis County, Missouri, USA United States: priest Fred Lenczycki sentenced for sodomy of two boys in a north St. Louis County parish
• 2014 · Granjeno, Hidalgo County, Texas, USA United States: Diocese of Brownsville deacon Ronaldo Chavez pleads guilty to molesting an altar boy
• 2025 · Catonsville and Reisterstown, Baltimore County, Maryland, USA United States: Youth for Christ leader Kevin Guy pleads guilty to sexually abusing teens in his youth group
• 2013 · Menifee, California, USA LDS bishop Todd Michael Edwards: guilty plea for molesting teenage girls in his congregation
• 2023 · Fort Kent, Maine, USA Jehovah's Witness elder Ernest Fyans: gross-sexual-assault conviction for abusing two Kingdom Hall children, affirmed on appeal
• 2024 · Butler County, Pennsylvania, USA Jehovah's Witness congregation member Shaun Sheffer: convicted of raping a child of a fellow congregant family over five years
• 2026 · Muscle Shoals, Alabama, USA United States: Alabama children's pastor sentenced for sodomizing boys in his ministry
• 2026 · Cobb County, Georgia, USA United States: Cobb County church leader sentenced to 25 years for grooming a teen through a new youth group
• 2026 · Blanchester, Clinton County, Ohio, USA United States: Ohio pastor sentenced after 'trust becomes access' abuse of a teenager he knew through his church
• 2026 · Lubbock, Texas, USA United States: former Lubbock student pastor sentenced to 40 years for assaulting a child at his church
• 2026 · Flatwoods, Braxton County, West Virginia, USA United States: West Virginia pastor found guilty of sexually-motivated battery against a congregant during spiritual counseling
• 2026 · Livingston, Park County, Montana, USA United States: former Montana pastor sentenced to 30 years for raping two sisters from his congregation
• 2026 · Thornton, Colorado, USA United States: Colorado youth pastor convicted of assaulting a teen he oversaw in his church's youth ministry
• 2026 · Williamsville, New York, USA United States: former executive pastor pleads guilty to raping two children he met through his church
• 2026 · Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada Canada: retired Catholic priest sentenced for sexually abusing an altar boy in 1980s Prince Edward Island
• 2026 · Sutherland Shire, New South Wales, Australia Australia: 88-year-old church volunteer jailed decades later for abusing a girl at a Sydney congregation his own pastor covered up
• 2026 · North London, England, United Kingdom United Kingdom: church deacon convicted of sexually abusing four young men over four decades
• 2026 · Umuehieta Avu, Owerri West, Imo State, Nigeria Nigeria: pastor convicted of raping a church member's wife under a 'holy semen' deliverance pretext
• 2026 · Virginia, Free State, South Africa South Africa: self-proclaimed pastor sentenced to 55 years for raping members of his own 'Team of Prophecy'
• 2025 · Port-au-Prince, Haiti Michael Geilenfeld: 210-year federal sentence for abuse of boys at the Haitian orphanage he founded
• 2018 · Phnom Penh, Cambodia Daniel Stephen Johnson: life sentence for abuse of children at the Cambodian orphanage he ran as a Christian missionary
• 2022 · Mbale, Uganda Eric Tuininga: ten-year federal sentence for abusing a Ugandan girl in his pastoral care
• 2013 · Amazon region, Brazil Warren Scott Kennell: 58-year federal sentence for abusing Amazon indigenous children while planting a church
• 2023 · Kisumu, Kenya Thomas Scheller: 81-year sentence for defiling boys after posing as a church missionary
• 1998 · Mamou, Guinea Mamou Alliance Academy: independent commission finds decades of physical, sexual and psychological abuse of missionaries' children
• 2010 · Fanda, Senegal Fanda: independent GRACE investigation finds more than 50 missionaries' children abused at New Tribes Mission boarding school
• 2026 · Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil Brazil: former Catholic priest convicted of raping more than sixty children over decades in the Archdiocese of Belo Horizonte
• 2026 · Guaíba, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil Brazil: ex-priest convicted of raping a nine-year-old he approached under cover of 2024 flood relief at his parish
• 2025 · Sonsonate, El Salvador El Salvador: priest convicted of raping a parishioner over three years in the parish house — first Central American conviction from an adult clergy-abuse survivor
• 2025 · San Martín, Mendoza, Argentina Argentina: evangelical pastor convicted of statutory rape aggravated by his position as minister of a congregation, against a 15-year-old member
• 2015 · Liborina, Antioquia, Colombia Colombia: Antioquia parish priest convicted of abusing two children under cover of confession, thirteen years
• 2026 · Centro, Tabasco, Mexico Mexico: Concilio Nacional de las Asambleas de Dios state leader convicted of raping an 11-year-old girl, thirty-two years
• 2022 · San Juan Bautista Tuxtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico Mexico: religious preacher convicted of aggravated sexual abuse of two children in Oaxaca's Cuenca region
• 2019 · Surrey, British Columbia, Canada Canada: Cloverdale youth pastor convicted of sexual assault, conviction upheld on appeal for abuse of authority
• 2018 · London, Ontario, Canada Canada: Anglican rector convicted of abusing First Nations altar boys in Ontario; second conviction for Yukon victims followed
• 2024 · Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec, Canada Quebec: Presbyterian minister jailed for sexually abusing the 13-year-old daughter of a congregation member
• 2026 · Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom United Kingdom: ZAOGA church elder convicted of rape sentenced in absentia, fled before sentencing
• 2026 · Bradford, Huddersfield and Settle, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom United Kingdom: priest already serving 18 years jailed a further 8.5 years for more parish sex offences against boys
• 2026 · Liverpool, Merseyside, England, United Kingdom United Kingdom: pastor who founded his own church convicted of sexual offences against children and young women met through his ministry
• 2022 · Alnwick, Northumberland, England, United Kingdom (tried at Newcastle Crown Court, Tyne and Wear) United Kingdom: priest jailed for historic sex attacks on a boy in a church vestry and convent
• 2024 · Sedlescombe, East Sussex, England, United Kingdom (tried at Hove Crown Court) United Kingdom: former Church of England priest jailed for life after raping a six-year-old boy he had baptised, in a church vestry
• 2021 · Northfleet and Birchington, Kent, England, United Kingdom (tried at Maidstone Crown Court) United Kingdom: vicar jailed for second time for sexually abusing two boys, having been allowed back into ministry after an earlier conviction
• 2024 · Hooke, Dorset, England, United Kingdom (tried at Bournemouth Crown Court) United Kingdom: priest jailed for non-recent sexual abuse of boys at a Catholic boys' school
• 2016 · Coulsdon, London Borough of Croydon, England, United Kingdom United Kingdom: pastor who ran a church as a 'cult' jailed for sexually assaulting women under a doctrine of 'Christian Domestic Discipline'
• 2024 · Croydon, Streatham and Sydenham, London, United Kingdom (tried at Inner London Crown Court) United Kingdom: priest who abused at least 11 boys across four south London parishes before fleeing to Ireland jailed again
• 2025 · Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom (tried at Inner London Crown Court) United Kingdom: leader of the Church of England's 'Nine O'Clock Service' convicted of indecent assaults on nine women
• 2025 · West Cross, Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom (tried at Swansea Crown Court) United Kingdom: former Bishop of Swansea and Brecon jailed for indecently assaulting a boy while a parish priest
• 2025 · Criccieth, Gwynedd, North Wales, United Kingdom (tried at Mold Crown Court) United Kingdom: North Wales pastor and former BBC presenter jailed over 10 years for abusing more than 30 boys and men at Christian camps
• 2015 · Aberdeenshire, Scotland, United Kingdom (tried at Glasgow Sheriff Court) Scotland: priest convicted of indecently assaulting boys training for the priesthood at Blairs College seminary
• 2024 · Greenock, Inverclyde, Scotland, United Kingdom (tried at High Court sitting in Paisley) Scotland: priest convicted of what the judge called 'crimes today classified as rape,' extradited from Australia after decades
• 2023 · Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom (offences); tried at the Central Criminal Court, Dublin, Ireland Ireland/Scotland: priest jailed after Court of Appeal overturned a fully suspended sentence for sexually assaulting a vulnerable woman
• 2014 · Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, United Kingdom (tried at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court) United Kingdom: Jehovah's Witness elder jailed 14 years for raping and indecently assaulting women in his congregation
• 2015 · Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom United Kingdom: former Jehovah's Witness elder jailed for indecently assaulting a schoolgirl in his congregation
• 2026 · Ireland (location withheld to protect victim identity; tried at the Central Criminal Court) Ireland: church pastor, 83, jailed 12.5 years for abusing a child in his congregation in the church bathroom
• 2020 · Diocese of Limerick, Ireland (location withheld; tried at Limerick Circuit Court) Ireland: priest jailed 3 years for sexually abusing a boy across several parishes in the Diocese of Limerick
• 2024 · Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines Philippines: South Korean pastor's life sentence for trafficking minors recruited as unpaid theology students affirmed by the Supreme Court
• 2025 · Whanganui, New Zealand New Zealand: Society of Saint Pius X religious brother convicted of sexually abusing an altar boy he supervised at a parish school
• 2019 · Solomon Islands Solomon Islands: Australian mission director and pastor jailed for indecently assaulting girls supported by his mission