Opus Dei paid nearly $1 million to settle sexual misconduct claims against the priest who converted Newt Gingrich

Fr. C. John McCloskey in 2002
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

On Monday, the global Catholic group Opus Dei acknowledged that in 2005 it had paid $977,000 to settle sexual misconduct allegations against a prominent priest, Rev. C. John McCloskey. McCloskey, who provided spiritual direction at the Catholic Information Center in Washington, D.C, was "the closest thing to a celebrity the Catholic Church had in the region," The Washington Post reports, and was widely known as the priest who converted Newt Gingrich, Larry Kudrow, Sam Brownback, and other prominent conservatives to Catholicism.

The settlement was paid to an unidentified woman who told the Post that McCloskey groped her several times while he counseled her over martial troubles and depression, then absolved her of her "misperceived guilt over the interaction" in confession. "I love Opus Dei but I was caught up in this coverup," she said. "I went to confession, thinking I did something to tempt this holy man to cross boundaries." Opus Dei said another woman told the community that "she was made uncomfortable by how [McCloskey] was hugging her," and the group is investigating a third, potentially "serious" but so far unsubstantiated misconduct claim against the priest.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.