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
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
We continue to hear of incidents that more than suggest that Catholics – and, in particular, their bishops – have learned very little from the clergy sexual abuse crisis. This is quite alarming and depressing because the Church in North America has been dealing with issues regarding priests who abuse children and teenagers for at Read more
A Wisconsin jury on Friday acquitted a retired Catholic priest on charges alleging that he had sexually assaulted an altar boy over several years, starting in 2006. The Jefferson County jury found William Nolan, 66, not guilty of five counts of sexual assault following a weeklong trial. The 26-year-old accuser, who lives in California, alleged Read more
When the Vatican announced new procedures to hold bishops accountable in May, the main question was: Will it work? The legislation – called Vos Estis Lux Mundi – enacted what is known as the Metropolitan Model, in which archbishops would play a prominent role in policing those bishops in their ecclesiastical province. This week, the Read more
Many Protestants have expressed righteous sadness at the sexual crimes in the faith traditions around us, namely the Catholic Church, while remaining indifferent to similar crimes within our congregations. We believe Protestant churches are safer. We are wrong. I know this from personal experience. Both my youth minister and pastor sexually abused me in my Read more
Dissident retired archbishop Carlo Vigano has accused Pope Francis of “blatantly lying” in saying he had no knowledge of sexual abuse allegations against ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. In a series of emails from an undisclosed location, Vigano told the Washington Post that Francis and Pope-emeritus Benedict XVI must come clean about what they knew of McCarrick’s Read more
Disgraced Cardinal George Pell won’t seek a reduced sentence if the Court of Appeal upholds his conviction for sexually abusing two Melbourne choirboys in the 1990s. Pell has been behind bars since February and is due to return to court next week to fight his conviction. But he won’t be adding an appeal against the Read more
Learning from what he calls “the bitter lessons of the past,” Pope Francis has issued the most comprehensive response of his papacy to the sex abuse crisis. The new document requires bishops, priests and religious to report sexual abuse and cover-ups to church officials and sets up new procedures for investigating bishops. It also tells Read more
Paedophilia is a systemic problem and the Church’s efforts to ensure the “accompaniment” of the victims were ‘insufficient,’ says French Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort. The president elect of the Conference of Bishops of France says the need to shed light on the Church’s sex abuse scandals “cannot be considered purely marginal. “It’s a systemic problem Read more