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　　External Websites Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by Written by Heidi Schlumpf Heidi Schlumpf is an award-winning journalist and podcaster with three decades of experience covering religion, spirituality, as well as political, social, and women’s issues. Heidi Schlumpf Fact-checked by Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Oct. 21, 2025 •Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot After Patrick McSorley’s father died by suicide in the late 1980s, Father John Geoghan stopped by the 12-year-old boy’s home to express his condolences. The Boston priest offered to take him out for ice cream. Afterward, Geoghan sexually molested him in his car. McSorley was one of nearly 150 victims of Geoghan, a notorious pedophile priest who came to symbolize the horrors of the clergy sexual abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church. His crimes...

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