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
The Victorian Court of Appeal in Australia has ruled that the father of a choirboy who alleged sexual abuse by Cardinal George Pell can pursue damages against the Catholic Church. The father, identified only as RWQ in official legal documents, had instituted legal action against both the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne and the late Cardinal Read more
A Portuguese town said on Thursday it would reinstall a billboard highlighting sexual abuse by clergy after facing heavy criticism for removing it on the day Pope Francis arrived in the country to attend a massive youth event. Francis landed in Lisbon on Wednesday for the week-long World Youth Day, an event devised by the Read more