By Bob Smietana Updated 5:48 PM EDT, July 23, 2024 (RNS) — The Rev. John Parks was taking his first sabbatical in 40 years of ministry when he got a call from his church’s accountant with some bad news. Church Mutual, the church’s insurance company, had dropped...
Diocese Cyber Liability Checklist Even with the increased awareness of cybercrime, many churches and religious organizations still feel that they are too small to be targeted by cybercriminals or don't have data that would interest hackers. Nothing could be further from the truth. Last year, cyberattacks...
With the spread of the Delta variant, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to create risk and uncertainty. COVID-19 infections are increasing again in many areas, and stricter health and safety guidelines may follow. Meanwhile, the start of a new school year is adding pressure to the situation....
Ransomware attacks have spiked. Infosecurity says ransomware attacks increased 485% in 2020 compared to the previous year. Some industries are especially common targets, but no one is immune, not even churches and nonprofits. Click here to continue reading...
In the February 11th, 2021 edition of the “The Buffalo News” there is an article covering New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ (AG) civil lawsuit against the Diocese of Buffalo, Bishop Malone, and Auxiliary Bishop Grosz. The article focuses on petitioning court approval to...
Many security experts remain alarmed about the large, Chinese-linked hack of Microsoft's Exchange email service a week after the attack was first reported. The breach is believed to have targeted hundreds of thousands of Exchange users around the world. Microsoft said four vulnerabilities in...
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many organizations to shut their doors, and religious organizations have not been immune. The resulting business interruption has taken a serious toll, and for organizations already operating on limited budgets, the loss of income is an especially substantial hardship. Please click...
Under the First Amendment of the Constitution, the U.S. government cannot make laws that interfere with the right to exercise religion. However, this does not mean that religious institutions have free rein to ignore laws. When navigating EEOC regulations, religious institutions must sometimes walk a...
The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that religious schools that fire teachers are shielded from civil suits alleging discrimination, in a broad expansion of the "ministerial exemption" definition. In a 7-2 decision, the high court ruled in favor of two grade-school teachers who were fired from Catholic...
