A female survivor of abuse by a priest has written to seminarians imploring them to become good priests and to make sure the “bitter truth” always prevails. The letter, written in Italian, was sent to Pope Francis who requested it be made public with the author’s identity withheld. “Please, do not sweep things under the Read more
According to a Polish church leader, in a meeting with Vatican officials, several Polish bishops criticised the Vatican for its handling of sex abuse cases. In particular, they highlighted the “disproportionate punishments” inflicted on bishops accused of cover-ups in comparison with convicted abusers. Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki, president of the Polish bishops’ conference, told Poland’s Catholic Read more
Pope Francis has named Mgr. Andrés Gabriel Ferrada Moreira, a priest from Chile who testified against a mentor who sexually abused numerous boys, as the new secretary of Congregation for the Clergy. The appointment of Archbishop-elect Ferrada signifies a much greater recognition than the Chilean’s recent work at the Vatican. He was one of the Read more
Theodore McCarrick has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy nearly 50 years ago. The once-powerful American Cardinal was expelled from the priesthood for the assault, which allegedly occurred at a wedding reception in Massachusetts. Pope Francis laicised (defrocked) McCarrick in 2019 after a Vatican investigation determined he sexually abused minors, as well Read more
The Archdiocese of New York said that an investigation authorized by the Vatican had cleared Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, the leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, of allegations made against him by two men who said they were abused as children. The accusations, which date to the bishop’s time as a young priest in Read more
The Vatican has accepted the resignation of a long-serving Australian Catholic Bishop, leaving the future of its investigation into his conduct unclear. A statement released overnight by the Holy See read, “The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Broome, Australia, presented by Bishop Christopher Alan Saunders”. Saunders’ Read more
The Vatican has imposed penalties on another Catholic bishop in Poland after he was found to have mishandled cases of sexual abuse of minors by priests in his diocese. Retired archbishop Marian Gołębiewski was sanctioned following an investigation carried out under the norms of Pope Francis’ motu proprio Vos estis lux mundi, according to an Read more
The New York diocese of Albany handled abuse allegations against priests in the 1970’s and 1980’s by sending them to counselling and treatment rather than notifying law enforcement. The admission came from Emeritus Bishop Howard Hubbard, through his lawyer, in a statement provided to the Albany Times-Union. “When an allegation of sexual misconduct against a Read more
Theodore McCarrick, a former US Cardinal, has been charged with sexually assaulting a teenage boy during a wedding reception in the 1970s, court records show. Court documents obtained by The Boston Globe shows that McCarrick is charged with three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14. McCarrick was defrocked in 2018 Read more
The Rev. Michael Pfleger made a triumphant return to his Chicago parish following his reinstatement after an investigation cleared him of decades-old sexual abuse allegations. “It’s good to be home,” the 72 year old Pfleger told a raucous congregation at St. Sabina Church in Auburn Gresham. The audience included director Spike Lee and acting Chicago Read more