The Millstone: Week of October 18, 2026
Seven lawsuits target Chicago’s Holy Angels parish, Rhode Island suits name 22 more accused clergy, and a five-year wait in Zagreb.
This week: seven lawsuits accuse the Archdiocese of Chicago of shielding a decades-long abuse ring at Holy Angels, new Rhode Island lawsuits name 22 more accused clergy, and Zagreb’s archdiocese waited five years to call police.
Seven lawsuits call Chicago’s Holy Angels “a sanctuary for predators”
On October 13, attorneys with Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge filed seven lawsuits against the Archdiocese of Chicago, alleging that priests ran what the firm called a “sex ring” at the former Holy Angels Parish on the South Side for decades while the archdiocese did nothing to stop it. The complaints name Father George Clements, Father Paul Smith, Father John Calicott and Father Kenneth Brigham, and cover 1969 to 2002. Survivors say children as young as five were abused. According to SNAP, Calicott was removed from Holy Angels after the allegations came to light, then reinstated, and kept abusing children. “Holy Angels was not a sanctuary for children,” attorney Steven Hart said. “It was a sanctuary for predators.” SNAP Executive Director Angela Walker called it “unconscionable” that the abuse went on for decades.
Read more at SNAP · BishopAccountability
Rhode Island lawsuits name 22 more accused clergy
In March, Attorney General Peter Neronha’s report named 75 Diocese of Providence clergy as “credibly accused” of sexually abusing children, after a six-year investigation that found the diocese went to great lengths to conceal the abuse. Since then, the General Assembly opened a revival window for survivors whose claims had been blocked by the statute of limitations. The lawsuits filed since then name 22 clergy who were not on the attorney general’s list: 21 priests and one clergy member who taught. Twenty-one of the 22 are confirmed dead.
Read more at SNAP · BishopAccountability
Zagreb’s archdiocese waited five years to call police
A girl who was a minor in 2021 says a Croatian priest physically abused her, and the complaint reached the Zagreb Archdiocese that year. The archdiocese only reported the priest to Zagreb police on October 9, 2026, two days after the outlet Dnevnik.hr asked about the case. Police confirmed they received the report. The archdiocese has refused to answer further questions, and SNAP’s report says Bozanić allegedly never reported the priest.
Read more at SNAP
Arrests and charges
Fort Worth, Texas: Brandon Dillard, 48, whose Instagram bio listed him as an associate pastor at IMRSN Church, was arrested Oct. 7 and charged with indecency with a child by sexual contact and two family violence assault counts. The church says he left his volunteer role weeks earlier. SNAP
Knott County, Kentucky: Jared Salmons, 46, pastor of Mount Olivet Baptist Church in Cornettsville, is jailed on 17 charges related to child sexual exploitation. He was also fired as general manager of the county water and sewer district. SNAP
Mangaluru, India: Police arrested Father Cyprian Pinto, accused of sexually abusing a boy who came to his church to pray, over a long period. He went into hiding after the case was filed and was found at a relative’s home. BishopAccountability
Charges are allegations. Everyone charged is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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