A new lay organisation, Catholics For Change In Our Church (CCOC), is asking for a voice in church affairs. The Diocese-wide group formed in Pittsburgh after last year’s grand jury report into Catholic Church sexual abuse in Pennsylvania. “There was really no venue for people to share that outrage, that pain, that disappointment and lack of Read more
Cardinal Donald Wuerl has formally resigned as Archbishop of Washington. He has been under increasing pressure to step down since a Pennsylvania grand jury report about clergy abuse criticised his handling of abuse cases when he was Bishop of Pittsburgh. Last month, Wuerl went to Rome to ask Pope Francis to accept his resignation. In Read more
New leadership may be on the cards for the Washington archdiocese. Although he has not mentioned standing down, Cardinal Donald Wuerl has acknowledged calls from local priests and others for new leadership. Allegations he mishandled clergy sex abuse reports – such as in relation to the alleged sexually coercive behavior of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick – 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
A Pennsylvania report a grand jury issued this week shows the Church hid allegations of sex abuse of minors and brushed victims aside. More than 300 priests were linked to abuse claims and over 1,000 victims were identified, said Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro in a news conference following the report’s release. Read more