Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — The Latest on the Roman Catholic Church child sex abuse scandal in Pennsylvania (all times local):
4:05 p.m.
A Roman Catholic priest in Pennsylvania is facing charges in connection with a 17-year-old girl he met at Mass, including allegations that he sent her nude images of himself on social media and groped her during a hug.
The 30-year-old Kevin Lonergan was charged Tuesday with corruption of minors, a felony, and indecent assault.
Court papers don't list a lawyer for Lonergan.
Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin says Allentown Diocese officials immediately reported the matter to law enforcement and Lonergan has been removed from active ministry.
The charges come a week after the release of a grand jury report that accused a succession of church leaders of helping cover up abuse of more than 1,000 children by hundreds of Catholic priests in Pennsylvania since the 1940s.
Lonergan wasn't named in the report.
___
9 a.m.
A Roman Catholic university in Pennsylvania says it is acting in solidarity with victims of child sexual abuse and is removing the names of three bishops from campus buildings.
The University of Scranton said late Monday that three bishops in the local diocese were found in last week's Pennsylvania grand jury report to have covered up crimes by priests and put children in harm's way.
The move is part of the growing fallout from a grand jury report that says a succession of church leaders helped cover up abuse by some 300 Catholic priests in Pennsylvania who victimized more than 1,000 children, and possibly many more, since the 1940s.
The Harrisburg Diocese previously announced it was also holding past church leadership accountable for the sexual abuse of children by priests, and stripping from church properties the names of bishops going back 70 years.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
