Posts Tagged ‘Sex abuse’

Bishop Christopher Saunders granted bail on sex offence charges

Monday, February 26th, 2024
Bishop Christopher Saunders

Christopher Saunders, a 74-year-old retired former Catholic bishop of Broome, appeared in the Broome Magistrates court on Thursday facing multiple charges. The BBC reports he has been charged with rape and a string of historical sexual offences, some against children. Saunders pleaded not guilty to all charges. He was granted bail. Saunders will appear again Read more

Clergy sex abuse crisis and the Vatican’s global legitimacy

Monday, November 21st, 2022
Vatican's global legitimacy

Among the anti-communist propaganda that spread through Italy in the early years after World War II was the threat that the Cossacks would soon be watering their horses in the fountains of St Peter’s Square. It was a time when some feared for the Church’s survival. But back then, the Vatican enjoyed religious, moral, cultural Read more

The sex abuse crisis and the future of the Catholic Church

Thursday, October 6th, 2022

The Catholic Church throughout the world continues to deal, country by county and at various paces, with the sexual abuse crisis. In France, the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE) released a shocking report last year that highlighted the systemic nature and extent of sexual abuse committed in the Church since 1950. Read more

Caring for victims is the heart of our ministry

Monday, June 13th, 2022
https://www.americamagazine.org/sites/default/files/main_image/20200205T1342-33801-CNS-VILLANOVA-ZOLLNER-ABUSE-CONFERENCE_800.jpg

One of the Catholic Church’s leading experts on sex abuse and its prevention has given a major lecture in Paris at the invitation of the French bishops. “I’m going to scandalise you,” Father Hans Zollner SJ warned his audience as he started his talk about the clergy sex abuse crisis. “The Church’ does not exist. Read more

Better guidelines for priests hearing confession from sex abuse victims – and abusers

Thursday, November 18th, 2021
America Magazine

Better guidelines are needed to protect the sacrament of reconciliation as a “channel of grace” for sexual abuse victims, says Jesuit Father Hans Zollner. “If the church did more to help confessors be empathetic listeners as well as skilled interpreters of the church’s moral teaching, it would make it clearer that the sacrament of reconciliation Read more

New Australian confession legislation just silly

Thursday, October 28th, 2021
FSSPX

Perth’s Archbishop Timothy Costelloe has spoken out about new confessional legislation passed by the Western Australian State Parliament. The confessional legislation removes civil law protections to the confidentiality of the seal of confession. The confessional experience is a personal encounter between that person and Christ, Costelloe wrote in a pastoral letter published last week. He Read more

Allegations of former papal secretary’s negligence checked

Thursday, July 1st, 2021

Allegations in the Polish media of a former papal secretary’s negligence have resulted in an envoy from the Holy See making a ten-day visit to Poland. The Vatican’s embassy in Poland says the subject of the investigation is retired Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz (now aged 82). Prior to his retirement he was the archbishop of Krakow Read more

US diocese cited COVID-19 for suspending abuse victim fund payments

Thursday, August 6th, 2020

A US diocese cited COVID-19 and the subsequent “precipitous decline in revenue” for halting its participation in an independent compensation program for victims of clerical abuse. The Diocese of Camden, New Jersey released a statement last week saying it “is fast approaching a point where it will not be able to continue to borrow the Read more

Well-known Catholic composer denies sex crimes

Thursday, June 18th, 2020

A Catholic composer is denying a group’s allegations of sexual misconduct and spiritual manipulation. The group – known as Into Account Inc. allege David Haas (63) engaged in “a repeated, unethical abuse of the professional and spiritual power he has had in church music circles”. He targeted “multiple women using techniques that abuse prevention experts Read more

Wyoming bishop accused of abuse won’t be charged, prosecutors say

Monday, June 15th, 2020

Following a decision by prosecutors not to charge retired Wyoming bishop Joseph Hart for sexual abuse against minors, his alleged victims are looking to the Church’s canonical process as a last chance for the 88-year-old prelate to be brought to justice. As first reported by the Kansas City Star on Tuesday, and confirmed by Crux Read more