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
As accusations of sexual abuse have mounted against Slovenian Father Marko Rupnik, his art has come under a microscope. Recently attentive observers noted a curiosity – the face of the artist himself, along with two of his closest friends and allies, appears in an obscure section of perhaps his most famous work. Rupnik’s mosaic Rupnik’s Read more
Women religious in Africa suffer at the hands of some priests. Abuse and sexuality are taboo topics in Africa and women religious were reluctant to speak about their experiences, even in a safe environment with one of their own. Women religious and priests Sister Mary Lembo from Togo says she had to work for several Read more
A Vatican review has cleared Cardinal John Dew of an abuse accusation. He is now free to resume public Church activities. After reviewing the complaint dated back to the 1970s, the Vatican decided no further Church inquiry was required. The Vatican’s finding is similar to that of the New Zealand Police, which concluded earlier this Read more
Hollywood, the USA Gymnastics team, Penn State, the Boy Scouts: Sexual abuse has proved pervasive across institutions. And when it comes to faith groups, no creed, structure, value system or size has seemed immune. Get out of denial mode “We’ve got to stop saying that could never happen in my church, or my pastor would Read more
In 2010, a sizable number of abuse cases in the Catholic Church in Germany became known for the first time. Since then, the Church has been striving to process these cases. At their plenary assembly on September 25, 2018, the German Catholic bishops published a study documenting cases of abuse between 1946 and 2014. At Read more
A priest became the victim of a man’s false memory after the priest was wrongly accused of sexually abusing a minor. After alleging Fr Jerome Kaywell had abused him in 2013 and 2014, the unnamed accuser recanted his claims. He went on to apologise in writing to Kaywell. He excused himself, declaring his allegation was Read more
The Vatican has narrowed the definition of cases directly overseen by its main doctrinal office, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. On January 30, the dicastery announced that it would specifically investigate and judge cases involving individuals “who habitually have an imperfect use of reason.” This announcement delineates the jurisdiction of the doctrinal Read more
New Zealand’s law enforcement agencies say the internet is increasingly putting kids at risk of of online sexual exploitation. New Zealand Customs Service, New Zealand Police and the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) work in partnership to identify child victims and target offenders involved in the online sexual abuse of children, in New Zealand and Read more
The Beatitudes Community’s murky past is under the spotlight. A series of scandals has been casting a shady light on some members. The Community, which has links to New Zealand, is a 50-year-old French Catholic group. It was inspired by the Catholic Charismatic movement Located in Leithfield, North Canterbury, the Beatitudes Community is in the Read more