Pope extends sexual abuse law to include lay leaders
Vatican City Reuters Pope Francis on Saturday updated rules on dealing with sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, expanding their scope to include lay Catholic leaders and spelling out that both minors and adults can be victims. The Pope issued a landmark decree in 2019 making it obligatory for all priests and members of […]
“Despicable”: Slovene Catholic bishops condemn Jesuit artist’s abuse
Vatican CityAP Slovenia’s Catholic bishops on Thursday condemned as “despicable” the emotional, sexual, and spiritual violence committed against women by a famous Slovenian priest at the heart of an abuse and cover-up scandal roiling the Vatican and the Jesuit order of Pope Francis. The Slovene bishops’ conference broke three weeks of silence with a statement […]
Vatican investigator says claims of Jesuit abuse true
Rome, ItalyAP A Vatican-appointed investigator who helped bring to light decades-old allegations of sexual and spiritual abuse against a famous Jesuit priest is calling for the hierarchs who hid his crimes to “humbly ask the world to forgive the scandal”. In correspondence obtained Monday, Bishop Daniele Libanori also said the claims of the women about […]
Catholic Church in Germany: Crisis of confidence over cardinal shakes Cologne Archdiocese
KIRSTEN GRIESHABER, of Associated Press, reports from the historic centre of Catholocism in Europe – the Archdiocese of Cologne…
In the US, stricter clergy oversight part of Buffalo diocese settlement
Buffalo, New York, US AP The Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo has agreed to strengthen its oversight of clergy accused of sexual misconduct to settle a lawsuit brought by New York’s attorney general alleging the church mishandled abuse claims and protected predatory priests, authorities said this week. The settlement requires the diocese to have a formal […]
Southern Baptists say denomination faces US Department of Justice investigation
Nashville, Tennessee, US AP Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention said Friday that several of the denomination’s major entities are under investigation by the US Department of Justice in the wake of its multiple problems related to clergy sex abuse. The SBC’s Executive Committee has received a subpoena, but no individuals have been subpoenaed at this […]
Portugal launches inquiries into alleged Catholic Church sexual abuse
Lisbon, Portugal Reuters Portuguese prosecutors said on Thursday they have launched 10 inquiries into alleged child sexual abuse by Catholic Church clergy, the first such move since a commission was created seven months ago to investigate accusations. A commission investigating child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in the Iberian nation has collected around 350 testimonies […]
Pope tells religious orders to report abuse, protect others
Rome, Italy AP Pope Francis told members of three religious orders Thursday that they must have “zero tolerance” for sexual abusers in their ranks and that they must report them to protect others. Francis pleaded with them not to cover up the “reality” of clergy sexual abuse by transferring rapists to other countries. Pope Francis […]
Pope Francis calls steps against clerical abuse irreversible, despite resistance
Vatican City Reuters Pope Francis has acknowledged that there is resistance by some national Catholic Churches on implementing measures to protect children from sexual abuse by clergy but said that there is no turning back on an “irreversible” path. Sexual abuse in the Church and measures to combat it were among one of the many […]
In the US, FBI opens sweeping probe of clergy sex abuse in New Orleans
New Orleans, US AP The FBI has opened a widening investigation into sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in New Orleans going back decades, a rare federal foray into such cases looking specifically at whether priests took children across state lines to molest them, officials and others familiar with the inquiry told The Associated […]