At Washington installation, Cardinal McElroy calls for hope, mercy and human dignity
Washington DC, US RNS Washington’s new archbishop, Cardinal Robert McElroy, encouraged Catholics at his installation Mass on Tuesday to have hope and show mercy in a service that included prayers in eight languages, with multiple mentions of the well-being of migrants. “Mercy and compassion must be our first impulse when confronted with sin and human […]
Infants as young as one raped in Sudan, UNICEF says
Geneva, Switzerland/Cairo, Egypt Reuters Children under five, including babies, are among victims of sexual violence in the war between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to findings shared on Tuesday by UN children’s agency UNICEF. The UN agency cited a database compiled by Sudan-based groups helping survivors of sexual violence which […]
German Catholic Church condemns provocative carnival float linking Jesus to church sex abuse
Cologne, Germany AP Germany’s Catholic Church has sharply criticised a carnival float made for a big street parade in the western city of Cologne that linked Jesus with the church abuse scandal. The float, which was unveiled Tuesday, shows an altar boy in front of a confessional with an arm sticking out and an outstretched hand luring […]
British minister says Musk knows “absolutely nothing” about child rape scandals
London, UK Reuters A British minister who Elon Musk has described as a “rape genocide apologist” said on Tuesday the US billionaire knew “absolutely nothing” about the child sexual abuse scandals he has recently been commenting on. Musk, an ally of US President-elect Donald Trump, has spent days posting messages on his social media site […]
One in eight girls and women raped or sexually assaulted before age 18, UNICEF says
United Nations Reuters More than 370 million girls and women alive today, or one in every eight worldwide, experienced rape or sexual assault before the age of 18, the United Nations children’s agency said on Wednesday. The number rises to 650 million, or one in five, when taking into account “non-contact” forms of sexual violence, […]
Irish inquiry finds “truly shocking” level of sexual abuse at church-run schools
Dublin, Ireland Reuters An Irish state inquiry uncovered a “truly shocking” level of sexual abuse at religious schools, primarily those run by the Catholic Church, over nearly a century with 2,395 allegations, the government said on Tuesday. The preliminary “scoping inquiry” found 884 alleged sexual abusers at more than 300 schools across the country between […]
In surprise appointment, Bishop Henning to replace Cardinal O’Malley in Boston, US
United States RNS In a surprise announcement, Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Richard G Henning, of the Diocese of Providence, as Archbishop-elect of Boston. Henning, who has only been a bishop since 2018, will replace 80-year-old retiring Cardinal Seán P O’Malley, who has served as one of Francis’ closest advisers since the beginning of his […]
Vatican investigator urges bishops to report all suspected child abuse
Rome, Italy Reuters The head of the Vatican office that disciplines predator priests on Tuesday called on bishops across the world to report all suspect child abuse cases to him in order “to clean up this situation”. The Roman Catholic Church has for decades been shaken by scandals across the world involving paedophile priests and […]
Portugal’s Catholic Church to compensate sexual abuse victims
Fatima, Portugal Reuters Portugal’s Catholic Church said on Thursday it will financially compensate victims of child sexual abuse within the church, setting the amounts to be paid on a case-by-case basis, an approach survivors’ groups have criticised. Members of Portugal’s Bishops’ Conference (CEP) have been meeting since Monday at the Shrine of Fatima in central […]
Kenya court sentences priest convicted of abuse to preach on sexual crimes
Nairobi, Kenya RNS In a rare ruling, a Kenyan high court has sentenced a Catholic priest found guilty of assaulting a 16-year-old girl to spend the next three years preaching about the country’s sexual crimes law. Rev Dominic Muli Nzioka, a priest who served a parish in Mivumoni, in the Archdiocese of Mombasa, was ordered […]