US state of Colorado releases new report on Catholic sex abuse
RNS Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has unveiled a new independent report detailing allegations of sex abuse against at least 166 children by 43 Roman Catholic priests over the course of 70 years. Weiser announced the more than 250-page report during a news conference on Wednesday, describing the documented abuse of children by Catholic priests going back […]
US Catholic bishops open meeting to criticism, discussion of Reddit
Baltimore, USRNS This week’s meeting of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore was touted as a chance for clerics to beat back the perception that they are out of touch with parishioners who see them as ineffective at dealing with the abuse crisis. That goal seemed a long way off as the conference […]
Ahead of major meeting, US Catholic bishops face pressure to act on abuse crisis
RNS When the American Catholic bishops met as a body last fall, they were on the verge of voting on a series of resolutions to show they were at last taking the sexual abuse crisis seriously – particularly their role disciplining and removing errant priests and fellow bishops. Those votes were dramatically halted at the request […]
ESSAY: THE SUCCESS OF POPE FRANCIS’ NEW SEX ABUSE REPORTING RULES DEPENDS ON ENFORCEMENT
US Catholic commentator THOMAS REESE, in an article first published on Religion News Service, says the success of the Pope’s new rules on reporting sexual abuse all depend on how they are enforced…
In the US, Atlanta Archbishop Wilton Gregory tapped to lead Washington, DC, Catholics
Washington DCRNS Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta has been tapped to head the influential US Archdiocese of Washington, filling a slot left vacant in October after its previous archbishop, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, was accused of mishandling cases of sexual abuse by priests during his time in Pittsburgh. Gregory had been widely expected to fill Wuerl’s seat […]
ESSAY: TAKING STOCK OF THE CLERGY SEXUAL ABUSE CRISIS – HOLDING BISHOPS ACCOUNTABLE
US Catholic commentator THOMAS REESE, in an article first published on Religion News Service, continues his look at how the Catholic Church should respond to the clergy sexual abuse crisis…
More than a third of US Catholics question loyalty in wake of scandals, says survey
RNS A new survey reveals that more US Catholics are questioning whether they should remain in the church today than when news of the “Spotlight” child sex abuse scandal broke in the Boston Archdiocese in 2002. According to a poll released Wednesday by Gallup, more than a third of US Catholics – 37 per cent – surveyed […]
Pope Francis calls for “all-out battle” against child sex abuse
RNSVatican City In his final address to nearly 190 bishops attending this week’s Vatican summit on sex abuse, Pope Francis called for an “all-out battle” against abuse in the Catholic Church. “I make a heartfelt appeal for an all-out battle against the abuse of minors both sexually and in other areas, on the part of […]
At Vatican summit, talk of destroyed files riles bishops’ critics
Vatican CityRNS On a day packed with emotion and unusually direct criticism of the Catholic church hierarchy, victims of church abuse responded sharply to an admission by a German cardinal that the church has destroyed files documenting sexual abuse abuse by its priests. “Files that could have documented the terrible deeds and named those responsible […]
At sex abuse summit, Catholic bishops tangle with details
Vatican CityRNS On paper, “accountability” was the theme of the second day of the Vatican’s summit on clergy sexual abuse. In practice, that meant debating whether proposals designed to rein in bishops accused of abuse amount to, in the words of one churchman, “Caesar judging Caesar”. US Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, Illinoise, whom some have called […]