clergy sex abuse scandal
Missouri investigation: 12 ex-clergy could face prosecution
By Jim Salter — September 13, 2019
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The referrals are the result of an investigation into church records of more than 2,000 priests and 300 deacons, seminarians and religious women.
Cardinal Pell’s appeal verdict due but may not be final word
By Rod McGuirk — August 20, 2019
(AP) — Three judges could acquit he 78-year-old former Vatican finance minister, order a retrial or they could reject his appeal.
A year later, Catholic Church and Pennsylvania politicians ignore abuse survivors
By Jimmy Hinton — August 12, 2019
(RNS) — Sexual abuse of minors and hiding abusers within the church is happening at epidemic proportions across all denominations. It’s time we reach out to survivors of abuse who have been silenced for their entire lives.
Victims question Kamala Harris’ record on clergy abuse
By Michael Rezendes — June 26, 2019
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Survivors of clergy abuse and their attorneys complain that Harris was consistently silent on the Catholic Church's abuse scandal — first as district attorney in San Francisco and later as California's attorney general.
Catholic bishops stop short of mandating lay involvement in abuse investigations
By Jack Jenkins — June 13, 2019
BALTIMORE (RNS) — Some prelates at the USCCB's spring meeting, however, made clear that they support lay involvement regardless.
Catholic bishops finally tackle the sex abuse cover-up. Now comes the hard part.
By David Gibson — June 13, 2019
BALTIMORE (RNS) — The reforms the Catholic bishops passed this week to deal with the sexual abuse crisis were easy compared with changing the culture of clerical privilege that is at the heart of the abuse crisis.
Latest Catholic scandal spotlights questions of consent in priest-parishioner relationships
By Jack Jenkins — June 5, 2019
(RNS) — The fact that the accuser is an adult has not spared the church new scrutiny about its slowness to respond to sexual misconduct claims or about what experts have been quick to call confusion regarding what constitutes consent.
California lawmakers threaten to break confidentiality of confession to find abusers
By Jack Jenkins — May 31, 2019
(RNS) — The bill extends the debate over 'clergy-penitent privilege' provoked by similar provisions passed or considered in other states since at least 2002.
5 former Michigan Catholic priests charged with sex crimes
By Paul O'Donnell — May 24, 2019
DETROIT (AP) — Four priests were arrested this week in Arizona, California, Florida and Michigan, and the fifth awaits extradition from India.
Victims of clergy abuse to sue Vatican, seek abusers’ names
By Amy Forliti — May 14, 2019
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The lawsuit being filed Tuesday seeks the release of 3,400 names of priests who were referred to the Vatican for "credible cases of abuse."
Vatican law: Priests, nuns must report sex abuse, cover-up
By Nicole Winfield — May 9, 2019
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis issued a groundbreaking law Thursday requiring all Catholic priests and nuns around the world to report clergy sexual abuse and cover-up by their superiors to church authorities.
Remembering Gary Hayes, a Catholic priest who held his church to account on abuse
By David Clohessy — April 8, 2019
(RNS) — Gary educated hundreds of thousands, enabling them to quickly see that the church's evolving policies were more about public relations and less about real reform.
Flannery O’Connor instructs Catholics to ‘stalk joy in scandal time’
By Paul O'Donnell — March 26, 2019
(RNS) — O’Connor, who would have turned 94 this week, still shows a way forward for Catholics burdened by bad news about the church's earthly leaders.
What lessons can the clergy sex abuse crisis draw from a 4th-century church schism?
By Cavan W. Concannon — March 25, 2019
(The Conversation) — The Donatists offer a lesson about the risks to the integrity and cohesion of institutions when they shield abusers rather than protect the victims.
Pennsylvania prosecutor fights clergy sex abuse as she maintains Catholic faith
By Bobby Ross Jr. — February 27, 2019
EBENSBURG, Pa. (RNS) — When local district attorney Kelly Callihan referred an abuse claim against her family’s erstwhile pastor to state authorities, she initiated a series of investigations that renewed the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse crisis nationwide.