A Vatican report into sex abuse allegations against Christopher Saunders, the former Bishop of Broome, has sparked renewed interest from the Western Australian police. The police have twice investigated Saunders (73) and not charged him, and are now calling on Church authorities to allow them to see the report. The Vatican report identifies Saunders as Read more
Pope Francis is cherry-picking abuse reforms aimed at protecting children from clerical sexual abuse says a survivors of clerical abuse network. He has done little to seriously address the problem even though a year has passed since the summit where about 190 bishops and cardinals heard the testimony of victims, they say. The Pope closed Read more
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that a former Roman Catholic bishop must answer questions about the history of child sexual abuse in the Rochester diocese, despite protests from his lawyers that the cleric’s Alzheimer’s makes him unable to testify. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Paul Warren set strict limits, ruling that it would last three hours and Read more
French cardinal Philippe Barbarin says he does not understand why he was found guilty of covering up a priest’s sexual abuse of children. In March this year the Lyon court ruled that Barbarin, “in wanting to avoid scandal caused by the facts of multiple sexual abuses committed by a priest … preferred to take the Read more
One of Germany’s new bishops is calling for a “new theology” as an urgent response to revelations of the clerical abuse of power. “We still haven’t fully realised that the crisis of confidence is charging into the Church’s timberwork with unmitigated force,” Bishop Heiner Wilmer says. He has already drawn criticism from the establishment when, Read more
An Extraordinary Synod on life and the ministry of clergy is being sought by an English bishop. Bishop Philip Egan says his suggestion was prompted by the recent scandals of clerical sexual abuse. “Clerical sex abuse seems to be a world-wide phenomenon in the Church,” Egan says in his letter. “As a Catholic and a Read more
Protocols are needed to hold bishops accountable for sex abuse, says Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston. Numerous accusations of sexual abuse of minors and adults have arisen against former Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. O’Malley acknowledged “a credible and substantiated allegation” involving a minor and McCarrick when the prelate was a priest in the Read more
All 34 of Chile’s bishops resigned on Friday after Pope Francis accused them of “grave negligence” and of destroying evidence of sex crimes. Their resignation followed four sessions with Francis in which they had to explain their actions. Francis then wrote to them. He asked them to make a “frank discernment in the face of Read more
Chilean Bishop Juan Barros should resign because he covered up clerical sex abuse. Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati says Barros, who allegedly covered up abuse of minors, should ‘without a doubt’ resign. He also says he would not judge whether Barros actually had covered up abuse by Fr Fernando Karadima. “I’m not a judge” who can say Read more
The Anglican and Catholic churches want the Royal Commission into abuse to include their churches. The Royal Commission’s draft terms confine the inquiry to state institutions. The New Zealand Catholic Bishops and representation from religious orders have written a letter to the prime minister Jacinda Ardern, the Minister for Children Tracey Martin and Sir Anand Read more