The Catholic church in Australia is defending small compensation payouts for dead priests’ alleged abuse. In June, the New South Wales courts permanently stayed a civil claim brought by a survivor, known as GLJ, who alleged horrific abuse at the hands of Father Clarence Anderson in Lismore in 1968 when she was 14. The court Read more
Ministers of religion in Western Australia are now legally required to report child sexual abuse, even if the information was gained during confessions. Under new laws now in force, failure to make a mandatory report is an offence with a maximum penalty of $6000. A minister of religion will not be excused from criminal responsibility Read more
The Diocese of Buffalo has settled a two-year-old lawsuit with the New York attorney general’s office over charges that it covered up sexual abuse cases involving priests. Under the agreement, the diocese is required to implement enhanced child protection measures. It also prohibits two retired bishops alleged to have covered up clergy sexual abuse from Read more
The Diocese of Arlington, Virginia’s former director for the Office of Child Protection, Father Terry Specht, was found not guilty Oct 5 of aggravated sexual battery. Specht was indicted in December 2021 on two charges related to child sexual abuse. One of those charges was dropped during court proceedings. Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese Read more
East Timor’s Catholics reacted with shock as well as expressions of support for revered Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo following allegations he sexually abused boys decades ago in the Southeast Asian nation. The United Nations and advocacy groups for survivors of clergy sexual abuse are urging Pope Francis to conduct a full inquiry into who knew Read more
The Vatican said judicial inquiries directed to the pope as a head of state are “improper,” concerning a case filed by a man seeking to hold the Vatican liable for the actions of Guam’s former archbishop, Anthony Apuron. The Vatican comment followed a federal judge ordering the Holy See’s counsel to report on whether Pope Read more
A delegation of Canadian Inuits travelled to Paris earlier this month to press France to fulfil a request filed by Canada in August for the extradition of 92-year-old Joannes Rivoire, who lives in the French city of Lyon. Rivoire, who holds both French and Canadian nationality, is accused of sexually abusing young Inuit in the Read more
The Archdiocese of New York has argued that records compiled under ‘Vos estis lux mundi,’ a Vatican-ordered sexual abuse investigation of a retired bishop are protected by the First Amendment. In 2019, Albany Bishop Howard Hubbard, along with two other priests was accused of sexually abusing a female in the late 1970s when she was Read more
Pope Francis says he has taken it on himself to rid the Catholic Church of sexual abuse, telling CNN Portugal that he was “responsible that it doesn’t happen anymore”. In a wide-ranging interview in Rome last month, the Pontiff said the church had “zero tolerance” for abuse and said that “a priest cannot remain a Read more
A prominent Canadian cardinal has been accused of sexual assault in a civil suit filed against the Archdiocese of Quebec. Cardinal Marc Armand Ouellet has been named in a class action suit that targets more than 80 members of the clergy in the Quebec diocese, court documents showed. Ouellet is a prefect of the Congregation Read more