Former Bishop of Broome Christopher Saunders, 74, is facing two fresh charges of indecent assault relating to incidents that allegedly happened eight years ago. These new charges add to his existing legal battle comprising 26 charges, including sexual penetration without consent, indecent dealing with a child, and unlawful and indecent assault. WA Police confirmed a Read more
A priest in Indiana, USA, is suing his diocese for fraud and defamation after he was suspended over what the clergyman claims were false sexual abuse allegations. Fr James DeOreo claims the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana violated diocesan policy and committed both fraud and defamation when it said, in March 2022, that he had been accused Read more
Pope Francis has emphasised the importance of supporting abuse victims amidst growing concerns over the persisting clergy sex abuse scandal within the Catholic Church. During a meeting with the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, the Pope addressed the need for continued efforts in aiding victims. The meeting came as recent events outside the Read more
A renowned historian has asserted that the hierarchical power structures within the Catholic and Protestant churches are significant factors contributing to sexual abuse cases. In a recent article in the German website Herder Korrespondenz, Thomas Großbölting (pictured) highlights the clergy’s authority within the religious framework as facilitating the exploitation of children and young people. “It Read more
The announcement that Pope Francis had accepted the resignation of Archbishop Andrzej Dziega of Szczecin-Kamien with no explanation caused a bittersweet reaction in Poland, once viewed as the testing ground for the 2019 Vatican document on bishops’ accountability. Dziega was known for ignoring the victims of sexual abuse for years in his archdiocese. Still, in Read more
Father Marko Rupnik’s former superior in the Society of Jesus, Father Johan Verschueren, denied that the Jesuits facilitated the incardination of the priest, who is accused of sexual abuse, in the Diocese of Koper, Slovenia, and said that the order warned the local bishop about the serious complaints against him. In a statement to ACI Read more
Pope Francis has ordered the Vatican to revisit the case of Father Marko Ivan Rupnik, a renowned priest-artist accused of sexually, psychologically and spiritually abusing adult women. The Vatican has removed the statute of limitations that had previously hindered a church trial based on these allegations. The case of Rupnik (pictured) has garnered global attention Read more
More than 200,000 children are estimated to have suffered sexual abuse from Spain’s Catholic clergy, an independent commission has found. The details emerged from an unprecedented public investigation by Spain’s ombudsman, who spoke of the “devastating impact” on victims. Angel Gabilondo also criticised the Church for its inaction and attempts to cover up or deny Read more
After media reports suggesting that Spanish Cardinal Luis Ladaria’s withdrawal from the upcoming Synod of Bishops on Synodality was tied to his handling of the case of a prominent Jesuit artist accused of abuse, the Vatican called those claims “pure fantasy.” “Regarding some media articles relating to the reasons for why Cardinal Ladaria Ferrer will Read more
A sweeping, year-long study of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and others in Switzerland has turned up more than 1,000 cases since the mid-20th century, as the Swiss church becomes the latest in Europe to reckon with the abuse scandal. With few exceptions, those accused of wrongdoing were all male. Nearly three-fourths of the documents Read more