Nicaragua’s congress bans four universities and six aid groups
Managua, Nicaragua AP Nicaragua’s National Assembly, controlled by President Daniel Ortega, outlawed four private universities Wednesday, some linked to the Roman Catholic Church. The best known of the schools whose legal standing was canceled by the assembly is Polytechnical University of Nicaragua, which was a hotbed of antigovernment protests in 2018. Protesters yell from behind […]
Portugal urges victims of clergy sexual abuse to break the silence
Lisbon, Portugal Reuters A commission investigating allegations of historical child sexual abuse by members of the Portuguese Catholic church urged victims on Thursday to speak up and help them lift a veil of silence around the issue. “We want [victims] to report, finally and without fear, what happened to them,” the head of the newly-created […]
Catholic nuns lift veil on abuse in convents
Vatican City Reuters When young nuns at a convent in Eastern Europe told their Mother Superior that a priest had tried to molest them, she retorted that it was probably their fault for “provoking him”. When African nuns in Minnesota asked why it was always they who had to shovel snow they were told it […]
Pope Francis and Macron meet at the Vatican; in separate development, Paris Archbishop offers to resign
Vatican City RNS French President Emmanuel Macron met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday, where they discussed the future of Europe and the results of the COP26 environmental summit in Glasgow in November. Macron and the Pope spoke in private at the Vatican before meeting with Francis’ right-hand man at the Vatican, Cardinal […]
In Germany, Cologne Catholic church holds penance service on sex abuse
Cologne, Germany AP Germany’s Roman Catholic archdiocese of Cologne held a service of penance Thursday for cases of sexual abuse by clergy, saying the ritual was not an absolution for the perpetrators but a “confession of guilt.” The German Catholic Church’s handling of sexual abuse reports has caused a crisis in Cologne, where the Archbishop, […]
Portugal’s Catholic bishops announce independent child sexual abuse commission
Lisbon, Portugal Reuters Portugal’s Roman Catholic Church said on Thursday it would create an independent commission to investigate historical child sexual abuse allegedly committed by members of the clergy following pressure from prominent congregants to lift a veil of silence around the issue. Portugal’s Bishops’ Conference said in a statement that it decided to create […]
“I’m still alive,” says Pope, “though some wanted me dead”
Vatican City Reuters Pope Francis has joked that some people in the church hoped he would not survive his recent colon operation, and denounced vociferous conservative critics for doing “the work of the devil” by undermining the Roman Catholic Church. Francis made the comments during a meeting with members of the Jesuits, a Catholic religious […]
Talks on Sri Lankan blasts require government credibility – Catholic Church
Colombo, Sri Lanka AP A Sri Lankan Roman Catholic leader has said the government must win back the confidence of the church before the two sides can hold talks on the church’s criticisms of inquiries into 2019 Easter Sunday bomb blasts that killed 269 people. Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith made the comment in […]
Ireland’s Catholic church, government clash over COVID-19 restrictions
Dublin, Ireland Reuters Five Roman Catholic bishops from Ireland’s 22 dioceses are set to defy COVID-19 restrictions after instructing local parishes to hold communion and confirmation services this month, drawing a sharp rebuke from the government, which have pleaded with them to wait until they consider further easing curbs later this month. Ireland has been […]
In the US, New Hampshire bishop denies allegations of past sexual abuse
Manchester, New Hampshire AP The head of the Roman Catholic Church in New Hampshire “categorically denies” recent allegations that he committed sexual abuse while serving as a priest in New York in the 1980s, according to a statement issued by his lawyer on Saturday. A lawsuit filed on 14th July in a New York state […]