clergy sex abuse
A brief guide to the Southern Baptist meltdown over sexual abuse
By Bob Smietana — October 2, 2021
(RNS) — A fight over one clause in a contract has deep implications for the nation's largest Protestant denomination.
Pope keeps German archbishop criticized over abuse scandal
By Associated Press — September 24, 2021
(AP) — A report found 75 cases in which eight high-ranking officials neglected their duties to either follow up on, report or sanction cases of alleged abuse by clergy and lay officials.
Vatican exonerates Brooklyn bishop accused of sexual abuse
By Bobby Caina Calvan — September 2, 2021
NEW YORK (AP) — The Vatican has closed its investigation into allegations made separately by two men, who accused the bishop, Nicholas DiMarzio, of abusing them a half-century ago when he was a priest in New Jersey.
Feds charge ex-priest with child sex crimes in East Timor
By Associated Press — August 31, 2021
(AP) — A federal grand jury has indicted a defrocked American priest on charges of having sex with minors while running a children’s shelter in a remote part of East Timor.
New survey shows most Catholics have no idea who Cardinal McCarrick is. That’s a problem.
By Kerry Weber — August 3, 2021
(RNS) — That the highest-profile case of abuse in recent memory is unfamiliar to over half of the Catholics surveyed reveals a major communication problem within the church, particularly around the abuse crisis.
Bishop: Albany diocese covered up priest abuse for decades
By Associated Press — August 2, 2021
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — About 300 lawsuits have been filed against the Albany diocese under a state law that allows people until Aug. 14 to sue over sexual abuse they say they endured as children, sometimes decades ago.
Cleared Chicago priest holds first Mass since reinstatement
By Sophia Tareen — June 7, 2021
CHICAGO (AP) — “It’s good to be home,” the Rev. Michael Pfleger repeatedly told congregants of the Faith Community of St. Sabina. Pfleger was cleared by an Archdiocese of Chicago investigation into claims that he sexually abused several boys decades ago. A police investigation remains open.
Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago reinstates Rev. Michael Pfleger after past sex abuse allegations
By Emily McFarlan Miller — May 24, 2021
CHICAGO (RNS) — The Rev. Michael Pfleger, 71, will return to his position as senior pastor of the Faith Community of St. Sabina in Chicago on June 5, according to a letter from Cardinal Blase Cupich.
Justice for SBC sexual abuse victims: A call for an investigatory commission
By Christa Brown — May 20, 2021
(RNS) — Few abuse survivors anticipate the country’s largest Protestant faith group will effectively address its sexual abuse problem without the pressure of outside forces.
Vatican sex abuse trial exposes ‘unhealthy’ environment within youth seminary
By Claire Giangravé — February 24, 2021
(RNS) — Unprecedented and based on the child protection laws put in place by Pope Francis, the trial also underlines the often demeaning culture permeating Catholic institutions.
Worse than bungling, McCarrick report shows Vatican failed to take abuse seriously
By Thomas Reese — November 11, 2020
(RNS) — The Vatican report on McCarrick shows that something worse than mere incompetence was at work in the Vatican’s failure: clericalism.
Pope Francis attempts to tackle sexual abuse globally and in his own backyard
By Claire Giangravé — November 5, 2020
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — This ongoing clergy sex abuse trial at the Vatican will be a litmus test for the efficacy of Pope Francis’ reforms.
Former Catholic brother returned to face Mississippi charges
By Michael Rezendes — September 3, 2020
(AP) — Two men have accused Paul A. West, once a Franciscan Friar and fourth-grade teacher, of molesting them in Mississippi, Wisconsin and New York while they were elementary school students.
Vatican says bishops should report sex abuse to police
By Nicole Winfield — July 17, 2020
(AP) — A long-awaited manual on sex-abuse investigations goes beyond current Vatican policy about cooperating with law enforcement agencies.
There’s a new Baptist sex abuser database, but SBC action is still needed
By Christa Brown — May 4, 2020
(RNS) — For more than a decade, abuse survivor advocates have been asking the Southern Baptist Convention to establish a clergy predator database and for just as long they've been confronted with a denomination determined to do nothing.
