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
New Zealand’s Human Rights Commission has urged people to report any instances of Islamophobia, anti-Semitism or other discrimination as the conflict rages between Israel and Hamas. It comes after reports of disorder at Auckland War Memorial Museum when a small number of Palestinian sympathisers gathering to rally against the building being lit up in Israeli Read more
The ongoing synod on synodality is an opportunity for the church leadership to become more accountable towards sexual abuse cases, increase laity participation, and bring more transparency within the Catholic Church, says an expert. “A synodal Church is a listening Church… but it needs to go a step further: a synodal Church is an accountable Read more
Celibacy is not a direct cause of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. The comments come from Hans Zollner SJ, a distinguished psychologist with a doctorate in theology. He made the comments in an interview with Infovaticana. “Celibacy is not a direct cause of abuse; what can become a risk factor is a ministry poorly Read more
In what some call a scathing statement, the Vatican’s Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors blasted Church leadership for not delivering on sexual abuse prevention outcomes. The Commission is condemning Church leadership for its glaring failures to prevent abuse. Established by Pope Francis in 2014, the commission has pledged to push church authorities for Read more
In a display of silence, the John of God Brothers headquarters, based in Rome, did not open the door to Marylands survivor Darryl Smith. Smith, a long-time voice for sexual abuse survivors, was sexually abused as a child while at John of God Brothers residential schools in both New Zealand and Australia. Pleased that finally Read more