The Bishops’ Pastoral Letter and Litany of Lament at last Sunday’s masses are another example of Church leaders’ persistent inability to take full responsibility for the institution’s decisions. The inability to take full responsibility for these decisions has been a constant complaint of survivors and victims of abuse. However, in this action, the episcopal and Read more
In a letter read at all Masses last Sunday, the NZ Catholic bishops lamented the actions and lack of actions, the sins and crimes of priests, religious and lay people working in Catholic settings. They said that some of the earlier responses and solutions were ill-advised and had devastating consequences. Along with the sins and Read more
To combat abuse and protect vulnerable people, France’s Catholic bishops adopted new guidelines last week for priests hearing confessions and giving spiritual counselling. The new measures follow recommendations from the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE) which three years ago urged the Church to implement strict directives for confessors. The guidelines specify Read more
The Church of England and Archbishop Justin Welby face intense scrutiny following revelations that it concealed the extensive abuse committed over several decades by barrister John Smyth. Smyth’s abuse, described as “brutal and prolific”, targeted more than 100 boys and young men at Christian holiday camps in the late 1970s and early 1980s. An independent Read more
Over 40,000 verified reports of online child sexual exploitation were made to The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) in 2022–23. That’s over 100 reports every day. And these numbers are trending upwards. Cases of sextortion have soared by 400 percent in some states in the last 18 months. Targets and perpetrators Young people Read more
The latest Catholic commotion is over the Vatican’s promotion of an accused abuser priest’s art. Not long ago, the Vatican’s chief spokesman told 350 media professionals that Vatican media would still use art by Fr Marko Ivan Rupnik, 69, currently under investigation for accusations of abusing women religious. Paolo Ruffini, 67, prefect of the Vatican’s Read more
Several former Missionaries of Charity sisters say abuse, neglect, bullying and exploitation are common within the Order. Most say they are not trying to damage the Order St Teresa of Kolkata (Mother Teresa) founded. Rather, they want to help it become the best version of itself. Allegations Power and authority are abused in the Order, Read more
A Vatican review has cleared Cardinal John Dew of an abuse accusation. He is now free to resume public Church activities. After reviewing the complaint dated back to the 1970s, the Vatican decided no further Church inquiry was required. The Vatican’s finding is similar to that of the New Zealand Police, which concluded earlier this Read more
At the Synod on Synodality, the Western media focused on a limited number of hot-button issues — women’s ordination, married priests and blessing of gay couples. But hidden in the synod participants’ 40-page synthesis are some surprising gems that could lead to significant reform in the church. The hidden gems The first is a new Read more
In a significant move, the NZ Catholic bishops are promoting open and informed life discussion through a modernised and broadened document, Te Kahu o te Ora – A Consistent Ethic of Life. The modernisation seeks to fill a twenty-six-year gap and reflect some of the modern challenges. Dr John Kleinsman, director of the NZ Catholic Read more