Unaffiliated Americans are the only growing religious group – study
United States RNS Religious churn has been a key fixture of US religion for a long time, but a new survey of changes in American religion finds that motion is not so much a swirling but a one-way stream heading out. A new PRRI survey shows that religiously unaffiliated Americans are the only group that […]
Victims hope Pope’s Portugal visit to shine spotlight on clerical abuse
Lisbon, PortugalReuters Filipa Almeida was 17 when she was sexually abused by a priest. She stayed silent for years but eventually found the strength to speak out and hopes a visit by Pope Francis to her native Portugal this week will remind the world of thousands of similar crimes. “I lived with this secret for […]
‘The Art of Kissing’: An old book sparks a new controversy in the Vatican
ALMUDENA CALATRAVA, of Associated Press, reports from Argentina on Pope Francis’s controversial move to appoint Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández to lead the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith…
Bishop named to Vatican office handling sex abuse complaints discounted some victims, US group says
Rome, ItalyAP A US-based group that tracks how the Catholic hierarchy deals with allegations of sexual abuse by clergy says Pope Francis made a “troubling” choice in appointing an Argentine prelate to a powerful Vatican office that handles such cases. On Saturday, the Vatican announced the pontiff had picked Monsignor Victor Manuel Fernández, Archbishop of La Plata, […]
More than half a million left Germany’s Catholic Church last year as abuse scandal swirls
Berlin, GermanyAP More than half a million people formally left the Catholic Church in Germany last year, significantly higher than the previous record as the church wrestles with a long-running scandal over abuse by clergy and with calls for far-reaching reform. The German Bishops’ Conference said Wednesday that 522,821 left the church last year, up […]
Retired German archbishop gives up honour after abuse report
Berlin, GermanyAP A former head of the Catholic German Bishops’ Conference is giving up the country’s highest honour following scathing criticism this week of his handling of clergy abuse cases during his tenure as archbishop of Freiburg and as a personnel officer in the diocese. Robert Zollitsch has informed German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in a […]
In the US, report details “staggering” church sex abuse in state of Maryland
Baltimore, US AP More than 150 Catholic priests and others associated with the Archdiocese of Baltimore sexually abused over 600 children and often escaped accountability, according to a long-awaited state report released Wednesday that revealed the scope of abuse spanning 80 years and accused church leaders of decades of coverups. The report paints a damning […]
Poland marches defend John Paul II from abuse cover-up claim
Warsaw, Poland AP Thousands of Poles joined marches Sunday in defence of the late pope, St John Paul II, following a TV documentary that alleged he covered up child sex abuse involving clergy in his native Poland before his election as pontiff. The marches took place in Warsaw and other cities on the 18th anniversary of John […]
Pope extends sexual abuse law to include lay leaders
Vatican CityReuters 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 religious […]
“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 […]