clergy sex abuse
Washington cardinal entangled in two sex-abuse scandals
By The Associated Press — August 16, 2018
(AP) — The two scandals represent a stunning turn for the 77-year-old leader who, over the decades, earned the respect of fellow bishops and prided himself in taking tough steps to combat clergy sex abuse.
Pennsylvania grand jury report is a new low for Catholic Church
By Thomas Reese — August 15, 2018
(RNS) — The Pennsylvania grand jury report on child sex abuse is a wake-up call for bishops who thought that the past could be forgotten as long as they did the right thing in the future.
Report alleges decades of child sex abuse by Pennsylvania priests, cover-up by bishops
By Jack Jenkins — August 14, 2018
(RNS) — Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro has released a more than 1,300-page grand jury report detailing allegations of widespread sexual abuse of more than 1,000 children by Catholic priests in the state, naming hundreds of clerics accused of misconduct over 70 years and accusing church officials of a “systemic” cover-up. Shapiro unveiled the report […]
Report identifies more than 1,000 victims of priest abuse
By The Associated Press — August 14, 2018
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The report, released Tuesday (Aug. 14), said more than 300 Roman Catholic priests in six Pennsylvania dioceses committed the abuse over a period of decades.
Pope praises Chile bishops for reflecting on their failures
By Emily McFarlan Miller — August 7, 2018
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — The pontiff said in a letter to the Chilean church's Episcopal Conference that he is 'impressed by the reflection, discernment and decisions' taken by bishops when they met last week.
Priests, celibacy and sex
By Thomas Reese — July 16, 2018
(RNS) — Sex between a Catholic priest and adult can be more than simply a violation of celibacy. It can also be a violation of professional ethics. The church needs to learn from the “#MeToo” movement about the danger of sex between adults who are not equal in power.
Witnesses await church sex abuse report with hope for change
By Marc Levy — July 8, 2018
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Dozens of witnesses testified in the state attorney general's two-year grand jury investigation that victim advocates expect will produce the largest and most exhaustive clergy sexual abuse report by a U.S. state.
Australia bishop to appeal conviction for protecting pedophile
By Rod McGuirk — July 4, 2018
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The most senior Roman Catholic cleric to be convicted of covering up child sex abuse said Wednesday that he would appeal the verdict and resist public pressure to resign as archbishop of an Australian city.
Australian bishop sentenced to year’s detention for cover-up
By Rod McGuirk — July 3, 2018
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — It's a landmark case welcomed by some abuse survivors as a strong warning to institutions that fail to protect children.
Chilean police raid Catholic Church offices amid abuse probe
By Patricia Luna — June 13, 2018
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Police and prosecutors raided Roman Catholic Church offices in two Chilean cities Wednesday, looking for files, investigative reports and documents related to a clergy sex abuse scandal.
Pope begins purge in Chilean church over sex abuse scandal
By Nicole Winfield — June 11, 2018
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis accepted the resignation Monday of the bishop at the center of Chile's clerical sex abuse scandal and two others.
St. Paul archdiocese to pay $210M to clergy abuse victims
By Paul O'Donnell — May 31, 2018
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis announced a $210 million settlement Thursday with 450 victims of clergy sexual abuse as part of its plan for bankruptcy reorganization, making this the second-largest payout in the scandal that rocked the nation's Roman Catholic Church.
Pope admits ‘grave errors’ in Chile abuse case
By Jerome Socolovsky — April 11, 2018
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has admitted he made "grave errors" in judgment in Chile's sex abuse scandal and invited the abuse victims he had discredited to Rome to beg their forgiveness.
Megachurch pastor Bill Hybels resigns, calls sexual accusations ‘flat-out lies’
By Jerome Socolovsky — April 11, 2018
(USA Today) — The founder of Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago has been dogged in recent years by a series of investigations into claims of inappropriate behavior with female staffers and congregants.
Pope Francis’ reputation on sex abuse ‘has gone from bad to worse’
By Christopher Lamb — February 7, 2018
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — The 81-year-old pontiff’s appeals on behalf of the downtrodden are being overshadowed by the way he is dealing with victims of clerical sexual abuse.
