Former Pope Benedict XVI plans to defend himself in a civil lawsuit. The lawsuit has been lodged at a German court by a man who accuses him of helping cover up historical abuse. Back in June, a so-called declaratory action was brought on behalf of a man, then 38-years old. The man said he was Read more
Asking young men to take their clothes off in the context of confession… This extremely serious act – which the Catholic Church of France euphemistically translated as “voyeurism” – is exactly what Bishop Michel Santier did when he was the director of a School of Faith and leader of a new community. One is initially Read more
Sister Mary Lembo says the sexual abuse of women religious by priests in Africa is a “gaping wound” in the Church. A native of the West African nation of Togo and member of the Sisters of St. Catherine of Alexandria, she’s done extensive research on this taboo subject, including her doctoral dissertation. Lembo is a Read more
The Vatican has been informed of a French bishop’s alleged spiritual abuse for sexual purposes. Bishop Michel Santier (pictured), was quietly disciplined by the Vatican and, in 2021, he reported to his diocese he resigned for “health reasons”. However, the weekly Famille Chrétienne revealed Santier was also removed for “using his influence over two young Read more
Flashes of Insight looks at the sexual abuse crisis from the perspective of restorative justice; restoring what, to whom, in what manner and with what effect. This 11 minute Flashes of Insight conversation asks whether the experience for Church ministers is an opportunity for the theology of reconciliation to grow into change. It considers restorative Read more
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests – SNAP NZ – has written to Pope Francis urging him to instruct the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference to initiate an urgent, independent and transparent review of the National Office of Professional Standards and its principles and procedures document, A Path to Healing. SNAP’s unhappy letter to Read more
A Victoria court judge has ruled abuse victims’ families can pursue civil action in court. The ruling enables the father of a deceased former choirboy to sue Cardinal George Pell and the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. The ruling is another chapter in a saga of allegations and prosecutions against Pell, who is a former Archbishop Read more
A new report, based on interviews with some 300 Catholic priests, nuns and laypeople concludes that clergy aren’t adequately prepared to wield the power they exercise and need more education on questions of sex and gender. The report, “Beyond Bad Apples: Understanding Clericalism as a Structural Problem & Cultivating Strategies for Change,” released Monday (Aug. Read more
Retired Belgian Bishop Lucas van Looy of Ghent has asked Pope Francis to withdraw his nomination for appointment as a cardinal. Francis has agreed. The Belgian bishops’ conference issued a statement last week announcing the decision and thanking van Looy for making the request. The statement said the 80-year old van Looy’s appointment “provoked many Read more
Highlighting the importance of forgiveness, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, says Prince Andrew is trying to “make amends”. His comments refer to Andrew’s fall from grace following accusations of sexually abusing Virginia Giuffre two decades ago when she was 17. Although he did not admit wrongdoing, the Queen’s son paid an undisclosed sum earlier Read more