Spain sets up fund for victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy
Madrid, Spain Reuters Spain is to set up a fund, to be financed largely by the Catholic Church, to compensate an estimated 440,000 victims of decades of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, staff or teachers, the justice minister announced on Tuesday. A report in October by Spain’s human rights ombudsman produced the estimate from a […]
Vatican rejects gender-affirming surgery and surrogacy in new document
Vatican City Reuters The Vatican on Monday reaffirmed its opposition to gender-affirming surgery, “gender theory” and surrogate parenthood, drawing criticism from advocates for LGBTQ Catholics. The declaration by the Vatican’s doctrinal office (DDF) comes four months after another document in which it supported blessings for same-sex couples, triggering fierce conservative pushback, especially in Africa. People […]
“Time to restore the balance”: Victims of Catholic nuns rely on each other after being overlooked in the clergy sex abuse crisis
TIFFANY STANLEY, of Associated Press, reports on efforts to support and advocate for those who were abused by Catholic sisters and nuns…
What is happening with the SBC and the Department of Justice?
United States RNS Last week, lawyers for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee say they were contacted by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and were told an investigation into the committee’s handling of sexual abuse had been closed. News about the status of the investigation eventually leaked, and on […]
Israeli rape crisis centres demand UN action over 7th October attacks
Jerusalem Reuters Israeli rape crisis centres called on the United Nations and other international bodies on Wednesday to address what they called the “systematic, targeted sexual abuse” of women during the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on 7th October. Smoke rises from the Israeli side after Palestinian Hamas gunmen infiltrated areas of southern Israel, as […]
Southern Baptist leaders expel two churches for allegedly mismanaging abuse
United States RNS Trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention voted to cut ties with four churches on Tuesday, two for alleged mismanagement of sexual abuse. One other had failed to give to the SBC’s common fund, while another hired a woman pastor. All four were designated as “being out of friendly cooperation” with the nation’s […]
Returning Syrian refugees face abduction, sexual abuse: UN
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters Syrian refugees who fled the war are facing gross human rights violations such as torture and abduction on their return home while women are subject to sexual harassment and violence, the UN human rights office said in a report on Tuesday. More than 12 years after Syria’s conflict began there are still […]
More than 2,000 people abused in German Protestant Church – study
Berlin, Germany Reuters Some 2,225 people suffered sexual violence in Germany’s Protestant Church at the hands of 1,259 suspected perpetrators over the last eight decades, a study found on Thursday, warning that the scandal was probably far deeper. There have been high-profile cases of abuses across Germany’s Christian institutions, though the main focus has been […]
Responding to abuse: In the US, the Episcopal Church reckons with tangled protocol on clergy abuse and accountability
As the denomination evaluates its Title IV clergy misconduct policy, abuse survivors say the process needs to be trauma-informed. KATHRYN POST, of Religion News Service, reports…
Spain’s Catholic Church to compensate sexual abuse victims
Madrid, Spain Reuters Spain’s Catholic Church said on Friday it would compensate victims of sexual abuse even in cases that have not been concluded because the offending priest has died, representing a shift from its previous position. Empty pews are seen inside a Catholic church in Madrid, Spain, on 27th October, 2023. PICTURE: Reuters/Susana Vera/File […]