Pope mandates reporting of sex abuse to church, not police
5 years, 7 months ago

Pope mandates reporting of sex abuse to church, not police

Associated Press  

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis issued a groundbreaking new church law Thursday requiring all Catholic priests and nuns around the world to report clergy sexual abuse and cover-ups by their superiors to church authorities, in a new effort to hold the Catholic hierarchy accountable for failing to protect their flocks. “They are not above the law, and if they do wrong, they must be reported.” The decree requires the world’s 415,000 Catholic priests and 660,000 nuns to tell church authorities when they learn or have “well-founded motives to believe” a cleric or sister has engaged in sexual abuse of a minor, sexual misconduct with an adult, possession of child pornography — or that a superior has covered up any of those crimes. Canon lawyer Kurt Martens called the new law “revolutionary” by making sex abuse of minors and adults, as well as official cover-ups, subject to mandatory reporting. Cardinal Marc Ouellet, head of the Vatican’s bishops’ office, said the inclusion of sex crimes involving adults was a clear reference to cases of sexual abuse of nuns and seminarians by their superiors — a scandal that has exploded recently following reports, including by The Associated Press and the Vatican’s own women’s magazine, of sisters being sexually assaulted by priests.

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History of this topic

Vatican commission finds Catholic Church must do better job on compensating abuse victims
2 months, 1 week ago

Vatican commission finds Catholic Church must do better job on compensating abuse victims

ABC  

The Catholic Church must do a better job of handling compensation for the victims of clergy sexual abuse, the Vatican's child protection commission said in its first annual report on Tuesday The church has been shaken by scandals across the world for decades, involving paedophile priests and the cover-up of their crimes. Colombian Bishop and commission secretary Luis Manuel Ali …

Belgian PM blasts Pope Francis for Catholic Church's sex abuse cover-up legacy in blistering welcome
3 months, 1 week ago

Belgian PM blasts Pope Francis for Catholic Church's sex abuse cover-up legacy in blistering welcome

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 Belgium’s prime minister blasted Pope …

Catholic church is stonewalling sex abuse investigation, Washington attorney general says
7 months, 4 weeks ago

Catholic church is stonewalling sex abuse investigation, Washington attorney general says

Associated Press  

SEATTLE — The Catholic church is refusing to cooperate with a Washington state investigation into whether it unlawfully used charitable trust funds to cover up sexual abuse by priests, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said Thursday, asking a court to force the Seattle Archdiocese to turn over decades of records. Ferguson said the archdiocese ignored a second subpoena issued this spring …

Expanding clergy sexual abuse probe targets New Orleans Catholic church leaders
8 months, 1 week ago

Expanding clergy sexual abuse probe targets New Orleans Catholic church leaders

Associated Press  

NEW ORLEANS — Authorities have expanded an investigation of clergy sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in New Orleans to include senior church officials suspected of shielding predatory priests for decades and failing to report their crimes to law enforcement. Louisiana State Police carried out a sweeping search warrant last week at the Archdiocese of New Orleans, seeking a …

The Vatican’s problematic process to address clergy sex abuse cases, explained
10 months, 2 weeks ago

The Vatican’s problematic process to address clergy sex abuse cases, explained

Associated Press  

VATICAN CITY — One afternoon in mid-December, Pope Francis had a meeting that wasn’t on his official agenda or otherwise recorded, that underscored the utter dysfunction of the Catholic Church’s response to the global clergy sex abuse scandal. “The only justice, or semblance of justice that has been meted out is in civilian courts because the church can’t screw them …

Spain’s report on Catholic Church sex abuse estimates victims could number in hundreds of thousands
1 year, 2 months ago

Spain’s report on Catholic Church sex abuse estimates victims could number in hundreds of thousands

Associated Press  

MADRID — Spain’s first official probe of sex abuse by clergy members or other people connected to the Catholic Church in the country included a survey that indicated that the number of victims could run into hundreds of thousands. The survey was part of a damning report by the office of Spain’s ombudsman, or “defensor del pueblo,” following an 18-month …

Spain's report on Catholic Church sex abuse estimates victims could number in hundreds of thousands
1 year, 2 months ago

Spain's report on Catholic Church sex abuse estimates victims could number in hundreds of thousands

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 Spain’s first official probe of …

Clergy abuse survivors propose new ‘zero tolerance’ law following outcry over Vatican appointment
1 year, 3 months ago

Clergy abuse survivors propose new ‘zero tolerance’ law following outcry over Vatican appointment

Associated Press  

ROME — Clergy sexual abuse survivors on Monday unveiled a proposed new church law calling for the permanent removal of abusive priests and superiors who covered for them, as they stepped up their outrage over Pope Francis’ choice to head the Vatican office that investigates sex crimes. The Vatican office that Fernandez now heads has processed priest abuse cases globally …

A Belgian bishop says the Vatican has for years snubbed pleas to defrock a pedophile ex-colleague
1 year, 3 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 …

Sweeping study finds 1,000 cases of sexual abuse in Swiss Catholic Church since mid-20th century
1 year, 3 months ago

Sweeping study finds 1,000 cases of sexual abuse in Swiss Catholic Church since mid-20th century

Associated Press  

GENEVA — A sweeping, year-long study of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and others in Switzerland published Tuesday has turned up more than 1,000 cases since the mid-20th century, as the Swiss church becomes the latest in Europe to reckon with the abuse scandal. The report, commissioned by the Swiss Conference of Bishops and led by two University of Zurich …

Pope expands sex abuse law, reaffirms adults can be victims
1 year, 9 months ago

Pope expands sex abuse law, reaffirms adults can be victims

Associated Press  

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Saturday updated a 2019 church law aimed at holding senior churchmen accountable for covering up sexual abuse cases, expanding it to cover lay Catholic leaders and reaffirming that vulnerable adults and not just children can be victims of abuse when they are unable to freely consent. But in four years, we’ve seen no significant …

Pope expands sex abuse law, reaffirms adults can be victims
1 year, 9 months ago

Pope expands sex abuse law, reaffirms adults can be victims

The Hindu  

Pope Francis on Saturday updated a 2019 church law aimed at holding Catholic hierarchs accountable for covering up cases of sex abuse, expanding the norms to cover lay Catholic leaders and reaffirming that vulnerable adults can also be victims of abuse when they are unable to consent. The new norms also reaffirmed that even adults can be victims of predator …

Pope opens up on sex abuse cases, says church must do more
1 year, 11 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 …

Though faulted, Benedict turned Vatican around on sex abuse
2 years ago

Though faulted, Benedict turned Vatican around on sex abuse

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. “In our view, Pope Benedict XVI is taking decades …

Italy church says 600 sex abuse cases sent to Vatican
2 years, 1 month ago

Italy church says 600 sex abuse cases sent to Vatican

Associated Press  

VATICAN CITY — Italy’s Catholic bishops provided their first accounting of clergy sexual abuse and revealed Thursday that more than 600 cases from Italy were on file at the Vatican since 2000. The report of the Italian bishops’ conference, which only covered complaints that local Italian church authorities had received over the last two years, did not mention the hundreds …

Bishops in Spain ask lawyers to audit their sex abuse record
2 years, 10 months ago

Bishops in Spain ask lawyers to audit their sex abuse record

Associated Press  

MADRID — A Madrid-based law firm will conduct a year-long inquiry into past and present sexual abuse committed by Spain’s Roman Catholic clergy, members of religious orders, teachers and others associated with the church, the law firm and the head of the country’s bishops’ conference said Tuesday. Cardinal Juan José Omella, the conference’s president, said the goal of the inquiry …

Vatican defends Benedict after report faults abuse record
2 years, 11 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 …

French bishops agree to compensate sex abuse victims
3 years, 2 months ago

French bishops agree to compensate sex abuse victims

Associated Press  

PARIS — France’s Catholic Church announced on Monday that it would financially compensate sex abuse victims by selling property assets or taking out a loan if needed. He stressed that the Church has recognized its “institutional responsibility” and decided to go “on a path of recognition and reparation that paves the way for victims to get the possibility of a …

Pope: Church, shamed by sex abuse, must better protect kids
3 years, 2 months ago

Pope: Church, shamed by sex abuse, must better protect kids

Associated Press  

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Thursday called on all those who work with children, starting from the scandal-stained Catholic Church, to join together in an alliance to better prevent sexual and other abuse of minors. In a message to a conference in Rome about keeping children safe, Francis said the church’s own efforts are driven by “the sorrow and …

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

French clergy sexually abused ‘over 200,000 children’ since 1950
3 years, 3 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 …

Pope to bishops: Listen to abuse victims for sake of church
3 years, 3 months ago

Pope to bishops: Listen to abuse victims for sake of church

Associated Press  

ROME — Pope Francis urged European bishops on Saturday to listen to survivors of clergy sexual abuse and consider them partners in reform, warning that their failure to do so risks the very future of the Catholic Church. He said bishops in particular must be the first to listen to victims, not the last, and must be at their service …

Sex abuse data from Poland’s Catholic Church is decades too late
3 years, 6 months ago

Sex abuse data from Poland’s Catholic Church is decades too late

Al Jazeera  

These figures detailing allegations of child sexual abuse by clergy do not tell the full story. Last Monday, Poland’s Catholic Church released new figures of the number of complaints it has received alleging sexual abuse at the hands of its clergy. On one hand, that Poland’s church made these figures public is useful as it provides some data on the …

Vatican law criminalizes abuse of adults by priests, laity
3 years, 7 months ago

Vatican law criminalizes abuse of adults by priests, laity

Associated Press  

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has changed Catholic Church law to explicitly criminalize the sexual abuse of adults by priests who abuse their authority and to say that laypeople who hold church office also can be sanctioned for similar sex crimes. The law doesn’t explicitly define which adults are covered, saying only an adult who “habitually has an imperfect use …

Vatican Law Criminalizes Abuse Of Adults By Priests, Laity
3 years, 7 months ago

Vatican Law Criminalizes Abuse Of Adults By Priests, Laity

Huff Post  

General audience of Pope Francis with the presence of a small group of faithful in masks after the long pause due to the coronavirus pandemic in the Cortile San Damaso, at Vatican City, May 26, 2021. Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has changed church law to explicitly criminalize the sexual abuse of adults by priests …

The Pope Is Toughening Church Laws On Sex Abuse, Fraud And The Ordination Of Women
3 years, 7 months ago

The Pope Is Toughening Church Laws On Sex Abuse, Fraud And The Ordination Of Women

NPR  

The Pope Is Toughening Church Laws On Sex Abuse, Fraud And The Ordination Of Women Enlarge this image toggle caption Remo Casilli/Pool via AP Remo Casilli/Pool via AP ROME — Pope Francis on Tuesday issued a major revision of Catholic Church laws regulating clerical sex abuse, fraud and the attempt to ordain women. Sponsor Message After handling scandals secretively with …

Spain: Catholic leaders put numbers to sex abuse claims
3 years, 8 months ago

Spain: Catholic leaders put numbers to sex abuse claims

Associated Press  

MADRID — In a first public attempt to put numbers to instances of child sex abuse by the country’s Catholic clergy, Spain’s Episcopal Conference revealed Friday that 220 cases were officially reported to the Vatican over the past two decades. The conference, which is the top governing body of Spain’s Catholic Church, said Spanish bishops submitted 76 allegations against regular …

Vatican's McCarrick report forces debate on power and abuse
4 years, 1 month ago

Vatican's McCarrick report forces debate on power and abuse

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’s report into ex-Cardinal …

Vatican’s McCarrick report forces debate on power and abuse
4 years, 1 month ago

Vatican’s McCarrick report forces debate on power and abuse

Associated Press  

ROME — The Vatican’s report into ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has raised uncomfortable questions the Holy See will have to confront going forward, chief among them what it’s going to do about current and future clergy who abuse their power to sexually abuse adults. “It does get down to this idea that somehow when someone turns 18, a) they’re no longer …

Vatican Court Hears Unprecedented Sexual Abuse Criminal Trial
4 years, 2 months ago

Vatican Court Hears Unprecedented Sexual Abuse Criminal Trial

NPR  

Vatican Court Hears Unprecedented Sexual Abuse Criminal Trial Enlarge this image toggle caption Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images Editor's note: This story includes details some readers may find disturbing. It's the first criminal trial for sexual abuse to take place in the Vatican court. Following Jarzembowski's allegations, Francis waived the statute of limitations for sexual abuse and …

Report: Church of England failed to tackle child sex abuse
4 years, 3 months ago

Report: Church of England failed to tackle child sex abuse

Associated Press  

LONDON — The Church of England failed to protect children and young people from sexual predators for decades, preferring instead to safeguard its own reputation, and created a culture where abusers were able to hide, an independent report said Tuesday. The report found that, in many cases, the Church of England failed to take the abuse allegations seriously, and that …

Vatican says bishops should report sex abuse to police
4 years, 5 months ago

Vatican says bishops should report sex abuse to police

The Hindu  

The Vatican told bishops around the world on Thursday they should report cases of clergy sex crimes to police even when not legally bound to do so, in its latest effort to compel church leaders to protect minors from predator priests. In addition, the manual says bishops should not ignore allegations just because they fall outside the church’s statute of …

Vatican says bishops should report sex abuse to police
4 years, 5 months ago

Vatican says bishops should report sex abuse to police

Associated Press  

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican told bishops around the world on Thursday they should report cases of clergy sex crimes to police even when not legally bound to do so, in its latest effort to compel church leaders to protect minors from predator priests. In addition, the manual says bishops should not ignore allegations just because they fall outside the …

Vatican releases guidelines for bishops on how to handle clerical child abuse claims
4 years, 5 months ago

Vatican releases guidelines for bishops on how to handle clerical child abuse claims

Daily Mail  

The Vatican today released guidelines for bishops on how to handle clerical child abuse claims after Pope Francis called for a 'practical handbook' for cases. The Vatican today released guidelines for bishops on how to handle clerical child abuse claims after Pope Francis called for a 'practical handbook' for cases At the time, he called for 'a practical handbook indicating …

New Vatican Guidance Urges Clergy To Report Cases Of Sexual Abuse
4 years, 5 months ago

New Vatican Guidance Urges Clergy To Report Cases Of Sexual Abuse

NPR  

New Vatican Guidance Urges Clergy To Report Cases Of Sexual Abuse Enlarge this image toggle caption Andrew Medichini/AP Andrew Medichini/AP The Vatican on Wednesday published a handbook for clergy and church lawyers that lays out the steps to follow when investigating and reporting alleged cases of sexual abuse of minors and others by priests, deacons and prelates. Sponsor Message Some …

Vatican tribunal now overwhelmed by clergy abuse cases
5 years ago

Vatican tribunal now overwhelmed by clergy abuse cases

Associated Press  

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican office responsible for processing clergy sex abuse complaints saw a record 1,000 cases reported from around the world this year — and still some regions that haven’t reported any allegations at all. “We’re effectively seeing a tsunami of cases at the moment, particularly from countries where we never heard from,” said Monsignor John Kennedy, the …

Vatican office struggles to keep up with clergy abuse cases
5 years ago

Vatican office struggles to keep up with clergy abuse cases

Associated Press  

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican office responsible for processing clergy sex abuse complaints has seen a record 1,000 cases reported from around the world this year, including from countries it had not heard from before — suggesting that the worst may be yet to come in a crisis that has plagued the Roman Catholic Church. “We’re effectively seeing a tsunami …

Pope abolishes ‘pontifical secret’ in clergy sex abuse cases
5 years ago

Pope abolishes ‘pontifical secret’ in clergy sex abuse cases

The Hindu  

Pope Francis has abolished the “pontifical secret” used in clergy sexual abuse cases, after mounting criticism that the high degree of confidentiality has been used to protect paedophiles, silence victims and keep law enforcement from investigating crimes. In a new document, Francis decreed that information in abuse cases must be protected by church leaders to ensure its “security, integrity and …

US Catholic bishops convene to confront sex-abuse crisis
5 years, 6 months ago

US Catholic bishops convene to confront sex-abuse crisis

Associated Press  

BALTIMORE — The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops convened a high-stakes meeting Tuesday under pressure to confront the child sexual abuse crisis that has disillusioned many churchgoers, with one scholar warning: “We find ourselves at a turning point, a critical moment in our history.” How the bishops confront the problem “will determine in many ways the future vibrancy of the church …

Catholic Church tightens rules on reporting sexual abuse — but not swearing off clergy privilege
5 years, 7 months ago

Catholic Church tightens rules on reporting sexual abuse — but not swearing off clergy privilege

Salon  

Pope Francis recently changed the Catholic Church law, making it mandatory for clergy to report sexual abuse to church superiors. Pope Francis’ proposal is an effort to address gaps in the regulatory process of the church, which has been accused of shielding clergy sexual abuse. In my research, I reviewed more than 700 judicial decisions addressing clergy privilege in a …

Pope Francis issues new rules mandating the reporting of sexual abuse
5 years, 8 months ago

Pope Francis issues new rules mandating the reporting of sexual abuse

CNN  

Rome CNN — Pope Francis issued new global rules Thursday for reporting sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, mandating for the first time that all dioceses set up systems for reporting abuse and cover-ups. “First of all that leadership is not above the law,” Scicluna said, “and second that leadership needs to know, all of us in leadership we need …

Pope requires sex abuse claims be reported in Vatican City
5 years, 9 months ago

Pope requires sex abuse claims be reported in Vatican City

Associated Press  

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has issued sweeping new sex abuse legislation for the Vatican City State and Vatican diplomats that requires the immediate reporting of allegations to Vatican prosecutors, as he seeks to create a model policy for the Catholic Church. Francis also issued child protection guidelines for Vatican City State and its youth seminary, acting after the global …

Pope Issues New Edict Requiring Vatican Officials To Report Sex Abuse Allegations
5 years, 9 months ago

Pope Issues New Edict Requiring Vatican Officials To Report Sex Abuse Allegations

NPR  

Pope Issues New Edict Requiring Vatican Officials To Report Sex Abuse Allegations Enlarge this image toggle caption Andrew Medichini/AP Andrew Medichini/AP Pope Francis issued a new decree making it mandatory for Vatican City officials or its diplomats around the globe to immediately report allegations of sexual abuse to authorities or face possible jail time. Sponsor Message "The protection of minors …

Catholic Church cardinals implicated in sex abuse, cover-ups
5 years, 10 months ago

Catholic Church cardinals implicated in sex abuse, cover-ups

Associated Press  

VATICAN CITY — The conviction of French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin for failing to report a known pedophile priest to police deepens the crisis confronting an already discredited Catholic Church hierarchy. After his conviction, the Vatican said its sex crimes office had opened an investigation and confirmed the Sydney archbishop restricted Pell’s ministry after the cardinal returned to Australia to face …

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