clergy sex abuse
Why the Catholic Church can’t move on from the sex abuse crisis
By Thomas Reese — September 7, 2018
(RNS) — Many Catholic bishops and priests are frustrated by the continued coverage of the sex abuse crisis in the media. They believe they have fixed the problem and the church should be able to move on. People will not let them move on until there is full disclosure of past abuse.
Seven states launch investigations in wake of Pennsylvania clergy sex abuse report
By Jack Jenkins — September 6, 2018
(RNS) — Law enforcement officials in at least seven states appear to be launching their own inquiries of their Catholic dioceses, focusing on church files thought to contain decades of allegations of child sex abuse by priests.
Woman suing over rape by Mormon leader speaks at his church
By Brady McCombs — September 5, 2018
(AP) — McKenna Denson was ushered away from the podium at the Mormon church shortly after she began talking during a monthly segment in Mormon services when church members are invited to share their testimony.
Pope on McCarrick claims: ‘I won’t say a word about it’
By Nicole Winfield — August 27, 2018
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis declined to confirm or deny claims that he knew about sexual misconduct allegations against the former archbishop of Washington but rehabilitated him anyway.
Pope apologizes for Catholic Church ‘crimes’ in Ireland
By Nicole Winfield — August 26, 2018
KNOCK, Ireland (AP) — Pope Francis, who is on a weekend visit to Ireland, told the hundreds of thousands of people who turned out for Mass that he met Saturday with victims of all sorts of abuses.
Letter: Vatican knew about disgraced archbishop’s behavior
By Nicole Winfield — August 26, 2018
DUBLIN (AP) — The letter accuses Pope Francis of having initially rehabilitated Cardinal Theodore McCarrick despite being informed of his penchant for young seminarians in 2013, soon after Francis was elected pope.
Women as priests? Some say it’s time but admit it’s unlikely
By David Crary — August 24, 2018
NEW YORK (AP) — Even with extensive grassroots support for letting women become priests, Pope Francis and the Vatican's male-dominated hierarchy have stressed repeatedly that a men-only priesthood is a divine mandate that cannot be changed.
School drops archbishop’s name amid sex abuse report fallout
By Marc Levy — August 23, 2018
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The sign in front of the suburban Pittsburgh school was discovered vandalized Monday, with red spray paint obscuring Wuerl's name, as a petition circulated to remove his name from the school.
US not alone in grappling with Catholic sex abuse, cover-up
By Nicole Winfield — August 22, 2018
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Cases of Catholic priests raping and molesting children, and of bishops covering up for them, have erupted on nearly every continent in recent years.
Four things the church must do to respond to sex abuse
By Thomas Reese — August 21, 2018
(RNS) — The church should practice what it preaches by confessing its sins in greater specificity, doing penance and committing to never letting this happen again.
Critics say pope’s comments are both ‘bold’ and ‘too little, too late’
By Emily McFarlan Miller — August 20, 2018
(RNS) — In his three-page letter, the pope pointed to clericalism as a root cause of the sex abuse scandal cover-up, which many Catholic watchers welcomed as a major shift.
The Catholic Church needs a new doctrine of scandal
By Mark Silk — August 20, 2018
(RNS) — It will help create the culture of preventing abuse that Pope Francis says he wants.
Pope on sex abuse: ‘We showed no care for the little ones’
By Nicole Winfield — August 20, 2018
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The pope's letter to Catholics around the world comes in response to new revelations in the United States of decades of misconduct by the Catholic Church.
Sex scandals fester at unhealthy organizations, experts say
By Yonat Shimron — August 19, 2018
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — When bad things happen inside institutions, the ingredients are already there to make things even worse.
Catholics and lawmakers respond to sex abuse report
By Jack Jenkins — August 16, 2018
(RNS) — Two days after Pennsylvania's 'catastrophic' report on clergy sex abuse, questions remain about its effect on American Catholics and how states will prosecute such crimes in the future.
