Vatican considers child sexual abuse allegations against a former Australian bishop
Canberra, Australia AP The Vatican is considering the findings of a church investigation into “very serious and deeply distressing” child sexual abuse allegations against a former Australian bishop, a church leader said on Tuesday. Christopher Saunders, now 73, resigned in 2021 as Bishop of Broome, an Outback diocese of north-west Australia larger than France but with […]
Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston found not guilty of concealing his father’s child sex crimes
Updated: 3pm (AEST)Canberra, Australia AP Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston was ruled not guilty Thursday of an Australian charge of concealing his father’s child sex crimes. Houston, 69, was the Sydney-based church’s senior global pastor when police charged him two years ago with concealing a serious indictable offense. He resigned from his church roles months […]
Abuse experts look to coming Catholic synod to promote accountability on abuse
Vatican CityRNS Abuse prevention experts gathered in Rome said on Thursday that the Synod on Synodality’s potential to reform power structures and promote dialogue could also improve abuse prevention and accountability in the Catholic Church. The Synod on Synodality, launched by Pope Francis in 2021, has sought out the views of Catholics all over the […]
Essay: Events in Bolivia and Brazil may signal a turning point for the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse crisis in Latin America
In an article first published on The Conversation, MATTHEW CASEY-PARISEAULT, of the University of Arizona, says that while changes have been slow in coming in terms of addressing the clerical sexual abuse crisis, recent circumstances in Brazil and Bolivia may indicate a new trend…
Bolivian Catholics unfazed by sex scandals as they gear up for massive festival
La Paz, Bolivia AP Catholic devotees in Bolivia prepared for one of the country’s biggest religious celebrations this weekend at a time when the church in this Andean country has been rocked by an increasing number of sex abuse scandals. The faithful who were gearing up for the Jesus of the Great Power festival Saturday […]
Spanish Catholic bishops find evidence of 728 sexual abusers, 927 victims since 1945
Madrid, SpainAP Spain’s Catholic bishops’ conference says it has found evidence of 728 sexual abusers within the church since 1945, through the testimony of 927 victims, in its first public report on the issue. The church said 83 per cent of the victims and 99 per cent of the abusers were male and that more […]
Catholic Church: Californian dioceses grapple with more than 3,000 lawsuits, alleging child sex abuse
ALEJANDRA MOLINA, of Religion News Service, reports that advocates for the survivors of child sexual abuse have been left stunned by the number of cases that surfaced after a 2019 Californian law allowed alleged victims to sue up to the age of 40…
Chicago cardinal defends compensation plan, urges info on abusers after Illinois abuse report
Rome, ItalyAP The Archbishop of Chicago urged the Attorney General of the US state of Illinois on Thursday to provide information about newly uncovered cases of clergy sexual abuse that were included in a statewide investigative report, saying he would gladly add the names on his list of credibly accused priests if the claims were substantiated. […]
Bolivia’s Catholic Church says it was ‘deaf’ to sexual abuse victims
La Paz, BoliviaReuters Roman Catholic Church leaders in Bolivia said on Wednesday the institution had been “deaf” to sexual abuse in church-run schools and said they were taking action after a series of accusations in recent weeks led to protests and a legal investigation. The accusations were sparked by the publication in Spanish newspaper El […]
German victims cycle to Rome to press Pope on church abuse
Vatican City Reuters A group of German victims of abuse on Wednesday called on Pope Francis to step up efforts against “sexual and spiritual abuse” by clergy, after completing a 900 kilometre bicycle trek from Munich to the Vatican. Abuse scandals have shredded the Catholic Church’s reputation and have been a major challenge for the […]