History will judge whether Pope Francis’s response to clerical abuse was appropriate, says Marie Collins. Collins, who is a clerical abuse survivor and former member of Francis’ papal commission on clergy sexual abuse, says while she believes Francis has good intentions in fighting abuse she is looking for actions as well. Rather than telling us Read more
Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston and head of the Vatican Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, says the Church and sexual abuse perpetrators need to be held accountable. In a video message posted on the Archdiocese of Boston website after the Pennsylvania Grand Jury report was released, O’Malley expressed his concern about the Read more
Why on earth do we stay in a Church in which clerics commit sexual abuse? The easiest answer is realism. We tell ourselves that some sexual predators are drawn to seminaries, just as paedophiles seek out institutions that work with children, regardless of whether they’re religious or not. Public schools, choirs, scouts: the cancer grows Read more
The Vatican has announced that Pope Francis has accepted resignations from Bishop Alejandro Goic Karmelic of Rancagua and Bishop Horacio del Carmen Valenzuela Abarca of Talca. The Chilean bishops failed to protect children from paedophile priests. Goic has served as head of the Chilean church’s child protection commission. The extent of clerical paedophilia in Chile Read more
Canada’s London, Ontario Diocese has cut funds earmarked for victims of clerical abuse wanting proof of evidence-based counselling from their psychological sessions. At least 21 priests have been convicted, charged or sued for sexual offences in the diocese. The diocese has paid counselling bills for years because, when it first started settling lawsuits against its Read more
Gay men who “practice homosexual acts,” or who have “deeply rooted” homosexual tendencies shouldn’t be allowed into the seminary. Pope Francis is alleged to have told Italian bishops: “If you have even the slightest doubt, it’s better not to let them enter because these acts or deep-seated tendencies can lead to scandals and can compromise Read more
A former Catholic priest has been extradited from New Zealand to Sydney and charged with historic child sex offences. Detectives travelled to New Zealand on Wednesday to bring the 58-year-old man back to Mascot Police Station where he was charged with sexual and indecent assaults in the late 1980s against seven teenage boys aged between Read more
False accusations of child abuse have led a priest to ask why Catholic Church authorities give any credence to anonymous allegations such as were presented against him. Fr Tim Hazelwood, parish priest at Killeagh in east Cork, explained how “in May of this year I was successful in securing an apology and an admission that Read more
Survivors and supporters of church sex abuse victims are renewing calls for a Royal Commission into sex abuse throughout New Zealand. They say Australia is facing up to its past by having an inquiry, and New Zealand should too. Bill Kilgallon, who handles the Catholic Church’s sex abuse claims, says if we do have one Read more
A Blenheim priest who has admitted an indecent assault has surprised the head of a sexual-abuse charity. In Blenheim, New Zealand, last Tuesday, Father Aidan Kay pleaded guilty to a charge of indecent assault on a male over 16. “It is very unusual, especially from a priest. I was very surprised,” says Male Survivors of Read more