clergy sex abuse scandal
Pope demands ‘concrete’ response to abuse crisis at Vatican summit
By Jack Jenkins — February 21, 2019
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — The challenge for the nearly 200 assembled clerics at the Vatican this week is to find concrete measures that the global church can agree on — and that will satisfy abuse victims.
Final US Jesuit group releases names of accused abusers
By Jack Jenkins — January 15, 2019
(RNS) — With the report, all of the Jesuits' U.S. provinces have unveiled their lists of credibly accused priests, but critics say more steps are needed to stifle abuse.
What Catholics can learn from protests of the past
By Mara Willard — January 8, 2019
(The Conversation) — What many Catholics don't realize is that staying in the church does not mean agreeing with its policies.
Faced with resurgent abuse crisis, Catholic prelates answer with more meetings
By David Clohessy — January 3, 2019
(RNS) — To those of us who’ve closely followed the Catholic Church’s distressing self-inflicted scandal for decades, the current flurry of meetings without action is depressingly familiar.
Lawyer: McCarrick repeatedly touched youth during confession
By Nicole Winfield — December 29, 2018
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican's sexual abuse case against ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has expanded significantly after a man testified that the retired American archbishop sexually abused him for years.
US Jesuit groups release names of priests accused of abuse
By Jack Jenkins — December 17, 2018
(RNS) — Advocates for the abused praised the move toward transparency but called it 'long overdue and prompted only by pressure from prosecutors, parishioners and the public.'
For former Pittsburgh prosecutor, the new inquiry into clergy abuse is personal
By Kevin Johnson — November 29, 2018
PITTSBURGH (USA Today) — David Hickton's suburban Catholic grade school, says the retired chief federal prosecutor for western Pennsylvania, "was ground zero of the clergy sexual abuse scandal."
Police search offices of Texas archdiocese in priest abuse probe
By Jack Jenkins — November 28, 2018
(RNS) — 'If (this investigation) led me to Rome, we’d be at the Vatican today,' said the local district attorney.
Global Catholic nuns urge reporting of sex abuse to police
By Nicole Winfield — November 24, 2018
ROME (AP) — The International Union of Superiors General, which represents more than 500,000 sisters worldwide, vowed to help nuns who have been abused to find the courage to report it, and pledged to help victims heal and seek justice.
Pope taps experts, US cardinal to help prep for abuse summit
By Nicole Winfield — November 23, 2018
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Notably absent from the lineup announced Friday was Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley, who heads the pope's sex abuse advisory commission.
All Illinois Catholic dioceses targeted in sex abuse lawsuit
By Don Babwin — October 19, 2018
CHICAGO (AP) — Three men and one woman who say they were sexually abused by priests decades ago filed a lawsuit Thursday against every diocese in Illinois for an alleged ongoing scheme to cover up sexual assault by priests.
Church abuse bill in limbo after hitting wall in Senate
By Marc Levy — October 18, 2018
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Legislation to respond to Pennsylvania's landmark grand jury report accusing hundreds of Roman Catholic priests of sexually abusing children over decades stalled on the Legislature's final scheduled voting day of 2018.
Federal government launches investigation into Pennsylvania dioceses
By Jack Jenkins — October 18, 2018
(RNS) — The Archdiocese of Philadelphia confirmed to Religion News Service that it is aware of the inquiry and is cooperating with investigators — including handing over documents.
Archdiocese releases names of ‘credibly’ accused clergy
By Ashraf Khalil — October 17, 2018
WASHINGTON (AP) — It comes days after Washington's archbishop resigned over his handling of sexual abuse allegations.
US confidence in Pope Francis’ handling of abuse scandal drops
By Jack Jenkins — October 2, 2018
(RNS) — Only 3 in 10 Catholic adults say Francis is doing an 'excellent' or a 'good' job with the ongoing child sex abuse crisis, Pew Reasearch says, down 14 points from January of this year.