Gov. Kathy Hochul cast the measure in unusually personal terms, saying she had felt “the pain of seeing someone you love suffer and feeling powerless to stop it.” Source: New York Times
Posts published in “Roman Catholic Church”
N.Y. Archdiocese Will Negotiate Sex-Abuse Settlement for 1,300 Accusers
By Gotham Rex on December 8, 2025
The archdiocese will raise at least $300 million to fund the settlement. It has agreed with its accusers on a mediator to conduct negotiations. Source: New York Times
Margaret Markey, Who Championed Victims of Sexual Abuse, Dies at 83
By Gotham Rex on October 3, 2025
As a New York State assemblywoman, she began a campaign that finally bore fruit in 2019, when the Legislature extended the deadlines for victims to file claims. Source: New York Times
Catholic School Teacher Says She Was Suspended for Surrogate Pregnancy
By Gotham Rex on September 27, 2025
Jadira Bonilla, a kindergarten teacher at a Catholic school in southern New Jersey, was told she might have violated her contract, according to an email shared with The New York Times. Source: New York Times
Philip Hiat, Rabbi Who Forged Bonds With Other Faiths, Dies at 95
By Gotham Rex on November 3, 2022
His bridge-building efforts notably included a book and traveling exhibition of Jewish manuscripts from the Vatican’s archives. Source: New York Times
Catholic Diocese of Buffalo Will Submit to Government Oversight
By Gotham Rex on October 25, 2022
The church reached a settlement with the New York attorney general after a lawsuit accusing officials of a yearslong cover-up of sexual abuse. Source: New York Times
Theft of Brooklyn Church’s Gold Tabernacle Stabs at Hearts of Faithful
By Gotham Rex on June 1, 2022
A Brooklyn congregation condemned the desecration of their sacred sanctuary in a burglary that the pastor called “one more blow” to a struggling church. Source: New York Times
A $2-Million Tabernacle Was Stolen From a Brooklyn Cathedral
By Gotham Rex on May 30, 2022
Someone apparently armed with a power saw broke into the church and walked off with the solid-gold, bejeweled tabernacle, the police said. Source: New York Times
New Jersey Diocese Agrees to Settle Sex Abuse Claims for $87.5 Million
By Gotham Rex on April 19, 2022
The settlement with the Camden diocese is among the largest such agreements involving the Catholic Church in the United States. Source: New York Times
How Covid Changed the Clergy in New York
By Gotham Rex on April 9, 2022
As the city’s houses of worship begin to hold in-person services again, faith leaders reflect on what the pandemic has taught them. Source: New York Times
Alice von Hildebrand, Conservative Catholic Philosopher, Dies at 98
By Gotham Rex on March 5, 2022
She was critical of abortion rights and gay rights, and called on women to change the world by embracing what she called feminine virtues. Source: New York Times
Ukrainians Take to the Streets in Manhattan
By Gotham Rex on February 25, 2022
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Midtown to denounce the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In the East Village, a Ukrainian diner has gotten an “outpouring of love.” Source: New York Times
These Churches Have Been Closed, but Their Artifacts Live On
By Gotham Rex on December 24, 2021
In a warehouse on Staten Island, the Archdiocese of New York stores altars, statuary and other relics that can be reused in churches around the world. Source: New York Times
Gay Choir Director and Music Teacher Fired Over Catholic 'Minister' Role
By Gotham Rex on October 27, 2021
Matthew LaBanca is bringing attention to a legal loophole that allows religious institutions to exclude people in same-sex civil marriages from jobs by deeming them ministers. Source: New York Times
Msgr. John Powis, Champion of Brooklyn’s Poor and Downtrodden, Dies at 87
By Gotham Rex on October 5, 2021
His aggressive agenda as a pastor and civic leader in Brownsville and Bushwick laid the groundwork for a remarkable recovery. Source: New York Times