The Vatican has upheld its decision convicting the former Archbishop Anthony Apuron in the U.S. territory of Guam for sexually abusing minors. “Our church on Guam can now continue with certainty, our collective journey toward healing and reconciliation. Most importantly, the victims, survivors and their families who have suffered greatly can have some measure of Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Sex abuse’
Pope rejects Cardinal Barbarin’s resignation
Thursday, March 21st, 2019
Pope Francis rejected Cardinal Philippe Barbarin’s offer to resign after they met in the papal office on Monday. Barbarin (68) offered his resignation as the archbishop of Lyon after receiving a six-month suspended prison sentence for the non-disclosure of sexual abuse against minors. He is appealing the sentence. He immediately offered his resignation for the Read more
French Cardinal convicted for not reporting abuse
Monday, March 11th, 2019
A French cardinal was convicted last week of not reporting clerical sex abuse. He says he will be offering Pope Francis his resignation. Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon, who was convicted by the Lyon Correction Court, received a suspended sentence of six months for not denouncing the sexually abusive acts of Father Bernard Preynat when Read more
National Office of Professional Standards launches website
Monday, March 11th, 2019
The website for the New Zealand Catholic Church’s National Office of Professional Standards (NOPS) has just gone live. The website provides a platform for information on reporting abuse, safeguarding information and any related policies or documents. NOPS Director, Virginia Noonan, says “the website provides another channel for reporting abuse and providing information on safeguarding in the Read more
Vatican issues statement following Cardinal Pell’s conviction
Thursday, February 28th, 2019
The Vatican is calling Cardinal George Pell’s conviction of sexual abuse of minors’ as “painful”, saying it “shocked many people”. In a statement, the Vatican acknowledges the “utmost respect for the Australian judicial authorities” and says the Vatican is waiting for the outcome of the appeals process. It says, (Pell) “has the right to defend Read more
New lay organisation wants a voice in church affairs
Thursday, February 28th, 2019
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
What Catholics and Southern Baptists can learn from each other about sex abuse crisis
Thursday, February 21st, 2019
Seventeen years after the Boston Globe exposé of sex abuse in the Catholic Church, two Texas newspapers have published a similar exposé of abuse in Southern Baptist churches. Although the National Catholic Reporter had reported on sex abuse by priests since the mid-1980s, it was the Boston Globe reporting in 2002 that captured the attention Read more
Child sex abuse ‘serious and pervasive’ throughout all US society
Monday, February 18th, 2019
Child sexual abuse in the United States is at epidemic levels. More than 60,000 children are reported to have been abused every year, outnumbering those killed by guns or cars. Those who survive are often left not only with physical wounds, but also with psychological wounds that may never heal. These wounds exact both a Read more
Anti-abuse summit – be realistic
Thursday, February 14th, 2019
A leading expert in the field of child protection, Jesuit Father Hans Zollner, says while one goal of the Vatican’s upcoming anti-abuse summit aims to get the world’s bishops on the same page about abuse prevention, a uniform solution to the clerical abuse issue doesn’t exist. Zollner says he believes the reason for calling the Read more
US Catholic Bishops’ Conference head’s office raided
Thursday, November 29th, 2018
US Catholic Bishops’ Conference head, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, has had his office raided by prosecutors investigating a sexual abuse case. The accused priest is from the Houston archdiocese which DiNardo leads. DiNardo is also heading the Church’s response to sexual misconduct in the US. The intensifying investigation has raised questions about how DiNardo and his Read more