A Belgian bishop says the Vatican has for years snubbed pleas to defrock a pedophile ex-colleague
1 year, 2 months ago

A Belgian bishop says the Vatican has for years snubbed pleas to defrock a pedophile ex-colleague

Associated Press  

BRUSSELS — A prominent Belgian bishop on Wednesday criticized the Vatican for failing to defrock a former bishop who admitted sexually abusing children, saying it had led to massive frustration with the highest Roman Catholic authorities. Disgraced bishop Roger Vangheluwe, who was brought down by a sexual abuse scandal 13 years ago, became a symbol in Belgium of the Roman Catholic church’s hypocrisy in dealing with abuse in its own ranks. Reacting to a VRT series on child sexual abuse in the church, “Deserted by God,” Bonny said that even if the Belgian church authorities wanted to take more action against Vangheluwe, the Vatican stood in their way. In 2011, Vangheluwe spoke of his sexual abuse as “a little game,” that involved no “rough sex” and denied he was a pedophile since he “never felt the least attraction to a child.” Trying to turn the victim into an accomplice, he said, “I had the strong impression that my nephew didn’t mind at all.

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History of this topic

Church must learn from abuse victims, Pope Francis says on Belgium trip
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Church must learn from abuse victims, Pope Francis says on Belgium trip

The Hindu  

Pope Francis said on Saturday the Catholic Church must learn from victims of child sexual abuse, as he was pressed on the issue on the second day of his Belgium visit partially overshadowed by past scandals. Replying at a meeting in Brussels to a scripted question by a representative of an organisation helping abuse victims, the pontiff acknowledged the "atrocious …

Pope defrocks Belgian bishop several years after he admitted to sexually abusing his nephews
9 months ago

Pope defrocks Belgian bishop several years after he admitted to sexually abusing his nephews

New Indian Express  

ROME: Pope Francis on Thursday defrocked a notorious Belgian bishop who admitted 14 years ago that he sexually abused his nephew but faced no Vatican punishment. Vangheluwe, 87, shot to international infamy in 2010 amid disclosures he had sexually abused his young nephew for over a dozen years when he was a priest and later a bishop. The Vatican embassy …

Pope Defrocks Bishop Who Admitted Sexually Abusing Nephew
9 months ago

Pope Defrocks Bishop Who Admitted Sexually Abusing Nephew

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING ROME — Pope Francis on Thursday defrocked a notorious Belgian bishop who admitted 14 years ago that he sexually abused his nephew but faced no Vatican punishment. The Vatican embassy in Belgium said in a statement Thursday that in recent months “grave new elements” had been reported to the Holy See’s sex abuse office that justified reopening …

Belgian bishop defrocked 14 years after admitting to abusing nephew
9 months ago

Belgian bishop defrocked 14 years after admitting to abusing nephew

Associated Press  

ROME — Pope Francis on Thursday defrocked a notorious Belgian bishop who admitted 14 years ago that he sexually abused his nephew but faced no Vatican punishment. The Vatican embassy in Belgium said in a statement Thursday that in recent months “grave new elements” had been reported to the Holy See’s sex abuse office that justified reopening the case. Lieve …

Belgium bishop defrocked 14 years after admitting to abusing nephew
9 months ago

Belgium bishop defrocked 14 years after admitting to abusing nephew

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

A Belgian bishop says the Vatican has for years snubbed pleas to defrock a pedophile ex-colleague
1 year, 2 months ago

A Belgian bishop says the Vatican has for years snubbed pleas to defrock a pedophile ex-colleague

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A prominent Belgian bishop on …

Vatican considers child sexual abuse allegations against a former Australian bishop
1 year, 3 months ago

Vatican considers child sexual abuse allegations against a former Australian bishop

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Vatican is considering the …

French church abuse victims get reparations, and recognition
1 year, 9 months ago

French church abuse victims get reparations, and recognition

Associated Press  

PARIS — “I came back to life.” Like other victims of child abuse by priests, 52-year-old Stéphane said getting an official recognition from France’s Catholic Church of what happened is helping him get better, at last. Stéphane is among 201 victims granted financial or other reparations from the church so far under a process launched last year by an independent …

Pope opens up on sex abuse cases, says church must do more
1 year, 10 months ago

Pope opens up on sex abuse cases, says church must do more

Associated Press  

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has shed light on the Catholic Church’s handling of sex abuse allegations against East Timor’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning independence hero, suggesting that he indeed was allowed to retire early rather than face prosecution or punishment. Francis acknowledged the Catholic Church still had a long way to go to deal with the problem, saying more transparency …

France opens inquiry into cardinal’s confession of child abuse
2 years, 1 month ago

France opens inquiry into cardinal’s confession of child abuse

Al Jazeera  

Prosecutors in Marseille probe the facts after a cardinal admits to ‘reprehensible’ acts against a girl in the 1980s. French prosecutors in Marseille said on Tuesday they had opened an inquiry into child abuse by a French cardinal after he confessed publicly to “reprehensible” acts against a 14-year-old girl in the 1980s. “A preliminary enquiry has been started to verify …

11 French Bishops Accused of Sexual Violence: Church Group
2 years, 1 month ago

11 French Bishops Accused of Sexual Violence: Church Group

News 18  

Eleven former or serving French bishops have been accused of sexual violence, including the former bishop of Bordeaux who has confessed to assaulting a minor 35 years ago, a senior church body announced Monday. Jean-Pierre Ricard, a long-standing bishop of Bordeaux who was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2016, has admitted to a “reprehensible” act on a 14-year-old, …

Belgian bishop declines cardinal honor over abuse record
2 years, 6 months ago

Belgian bishop declines cardinal honor over abuse record

Associated Press  

ROME — One of Pope Francis’ proposed new cardinals, the retired bishop of Ghent, Belgium, has bowed out of accepting the honor over his own insufficient response to cases of clergy sexual abuse, the Belgian bishops’ conference said. Ghent Bishop Luc Van Looy’s decision highlights the Belgian church’s wretched record in protecting children from predator priests. The Belgian bishops’ conference …

Vatican defends Benedict after report faults abuse record
2 years, 10 months ago

Vatican defends Benedict after report faults abuse record

Associated Press  

ROME — The Vatican on Wednesday strongly defended Pope Benedict XVI’s record in fighting clergy sexual abuse and cautioned against looking for “easy scapegoats and summary judgments,” after an independent report faulted his handling of four cases of abuse when he was archbishop of Munich, Germany. The Holy See’s editorial director, Andrea Tornielli, provided the Vatican’s first substantial response to …

Pope expresses ‘shame’ at scale of church sex abuse in France
3 years, 2 months ago

Pope expresses ‘shame’ at scale of church sex abuse in France

LA Times  

Pope Francis listens to speeches during his weekly general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday. Pope Francis expressed “shame” for himself and the Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday for the scale of child sexual abuse within the church in France and acknowledged failures in putting the needs of victims first. “It is also my shame, our shame, my shame, for …

French report: 330,000 children victims of church sex abuse
3 years, 2 months ago

French report: 330,000 children victims of church sex abuse

Associated Press  

PARIS — Victims of abuse within France’s Catholic Church welcomed a historic turning point Tuesday after a new report estimated that 330,000 children in France were sexually abused over the past 70 years, providing the country’s first accounting of the worldwide phenomenon. The independent commission urged the church to take strong action, denouncing its “faults” and “silence.” It also called …

Report Finds 3.30 Lakh Children Were Victims of French Clergy Sex Abuse Since 1950
3 years, 2 months ago

Report Finds 3.30 Lakh Children Were Victims of French Clergy Sex Abuse Since 1950

News 18  

An estimated 330,000 children were victims of sex abuse within France’s Catholic Church over the past 70 years, according to a report released Tuesday that represents the country’s first major accounting of the worldwide phenomenon. Francois Devaux, head of the victims’ group La Parole Libérée, said it was “a turning point in our history.” He denounced the coverups that permitted …

Report finds 216,000 children were victims of French clergy sex abuse since 1950
3 years, 2 months ago

Report finds 216,000 children were victims of French clergy sex abuse since 1950

Live Mint  

An investigation into sexual abuse in the French Catholic Church has found that an estimated 216,000 children were victims of abuse by clergy since 1950, Jean-Marc Sauve, head of the commission that compiled the report, said on Tuesday. The revelations in France are the latest to rock the Roman Catholic Church, after a series of sexual abuse scandals around the …

France Catholic church abuse scandal: 216,000 minors sexually abused, report finds
3 years, 2 months ago

France Catholic church abuse scandal: 216,000 minors sexually abused, report finds

CNN  

Paris CNN — Members of the Catholic clergy in France sexually abused an estimated 216,000 minors over the past seven decades, according to a damning report published Tuesday that said the Church had prioritized the protection of the institution over victims who were urged to stay silent. “Faced with this scourge, for a very long time the Catholic Church’s immediate …

French clergy sexually abused ‘over 200,000 children’ since 1950
3 years, 2 months ago

French clergy sexually abused ‘over 200,000 children’ since 1950

Al Jazeera  

About 216,000 children are estimated to have been sexually abused by thousands of French Catholic priests, deacons and other clergy since 1950, an independent inquiry has found, alleging the phenomenon was covered up by a “veil of silence”. Speaking at a public, online presentation of the report, Suave added that the Church had shown “deep, total and even cruel indifference …

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