Pope Francis has appointed Malta’s Archbishop Charles Jude Scicluna as adjunct secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Congregation is the Vatican office that processes sex abuse cases globally and examines appeals (in matters of grave offence). The announcement came as the Vatican prepares for a summit meeting of the presidents Read more
Modern technology has provided a means for the live-stream sex abuse trade, which is rife in the Philippines. Christian churches in the Philippines are working with the government to shut down “all forms of child violence,” especially online sexual exploitation. Online sexual exploitation of children has become a major problem, says Bishop Ruperto Santos. “What Read more
Pope Francis says the devil is behind the sex abuse crisis. He is alive and well and “working overtime” to undermine the Church. Francis is asking all Catholics for their help in driving Satan away. “The Church must be saved from the attacks of the malign one, the great accuser, and at the same time Read more
Pope Francis has defrocked (laicised) Chilean child sexual abuser, Fernando Karadima. Juan Carlos Cruz, who is one of Karadima’s abuse survivors, is grateful for Francis’s decision. In a statement on Twitter, he called Karadima “a criminal who has ruined so many people’s lives with his abuse” and offered thanks to Francis, saying he hoped survivors Read more
There have been fewer children abused by clergy in recent decades because of changes the Church has made in how to deal with the problem, Pope Francis told reporters on Tuesday during an in-flight press conference. After discussing his visit to the Baltics (which was the press conference’s primary purpose), Francis turned to questions about Read more
Sex abuse and economic scandals involving the Church are driving younger people away, Pope Francis admitted to a gathering of young Estonians during his visit to the Balkans this week. “We know – and you have told us – that many young people do not turn to us for anything because they don’t feel we Read more
The Dalai Lama says he has known about sexually abusive Buddhist teachers since the 1990s. These allegations are “nothing new,” he says. The Dalai Lama, who is the Tibetan spiritual leader, was visiting the Netherlands when he commented publicly about sex abuse. He had been invited to visit the Netherlands by four victims of sexual Read more
The results of last month’s survey asking for opinions on a wide range of topics about the Catholic Church and social issues have been released by the Saint Leo University Polling Institute. One question asked about Pope Francis and the Church’s handling of sexual abuse cases. The survey found 64 percent view the Pope favourably. Read more
Of all the horrific details contained in the Pennsylvania grand jury report on child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, one sentence stands out: “The main thing was not to help children, but to avoid ‘scandal.’” When sex-abuse cases dominate headlines, a familiar pattern often emerges. If it took place at a large organization — Read more
Pope Francis has dismissed the accusations of a former Vatican ambassador that he covered up for ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Francis says an 11-page document of claims released by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò “speaks for itself”. Asked about the letter from in a press conference aboard the Aug. 26 flight back to Rome after his visit to Ireland, Francis Read more