Abuse in church contexts “has been a widespread problem” that is now being dealt with, according to Professor David Tombs, the Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues at the University of Otago. It’s been prevalent in the Catholic Church, in other churches and within wider society, he says. Tomb’s view is shared by Read more
The headmaster of a Christchurch boys’ school has spoken to students about rape language, telling them “rape is not a joke”. The discussion was prompted after he was told of students joking about rape, including a footballer saying “I raped you”, after a slide tackle. Christchurch Boys’ High School headmaster Nic Hill spoke to students Read more
More than 20 rapes or near rapes and thousands of cases of sexual harassment have been revealed in a survey of students at two Christchurch high schools. The survey at Avonside Girls High School documented incidents of body shaming, cat calling, taunts and unwanted touching. Meanwhile, the survey at Shirley Boys High School, which shares Read more
Supplying Russian soldiers with Viagra and condoning the rape of Ukrainian women, men and children is being jointly criticised by the UN and Ukrainian Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk. Their stories “simply break the heart, make the blood run cold in your veins. “This war will go down in history as one in which Russia uses sexual Read more
The decision by the Rolling Stones to remove their 1971 song Brown Sugar from the set list for their upcoming US tour has drawn both praise and criticism. Read by some as a surrender to the “woke brigade” and by others as a reasonable response to the accusation the lyrics glorify “slavery, rape, torture and Read more
A Sudanese immigrant has been sentenced to four years jail after he used Sharia Law as an excuse to rape his wife. The 40-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, forced himself onto his now ex-wife at their Perth home in 2012, the Western Australian District Court heard. Prosecutor Joel Grinceri said the Read more
A writ petition has been filed to stop the publication and distribution of an autobiography of a nun who was part of protests against rape-accused Indian bishop Franco Mulakkal. The petition to urgently stop Sister Lucy Kalappura’s autobiography from being published has been filed in the Kerala High Court. Licia Joseph of the SMI Convent Read more
Franciscan Clarist Congregation, a 130-year-old indigenous congregation in India, a month ago dismissed Sr. Lucy Kalappura, a member, for violating the vows of poverty and obedience. It gave her 10 days to appeal to the Vatican against the order, which she did. Kalappura says she was being punished for using media outlets to obtain justice Read more
A nun who was expelled from her Kerala congregation says she is being targeted for protesting and speaking to media about Church leaders’ neglect of a nun who was repeatedly raped by a bishop. Franciscan Clarist nun, Lucy Kalappura (54), says she joined a group of Missionaries of Jesus last September to protest Bishop Franco Read more
A court in central India has acquitted a Catholic priest accused of raping a woman in his presbytery after it could not find any merit in the charges filed almost a year ago. A trial court in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh state, acquitted 52-year-old Bhopal archdiocesan Father George Jacob on June 21. The Read more