Spain’s ombudsman registers 445 church sex abuse complaints
1 year, 9 months ago

Spain’s ombudsman registers 445 church sex abuse complaints

Associated Press  

MADRID — Spain’s ombudsman said Monday that an independent commission set up a year ago to investigate historic sex abuse by the Catholic church has collected testimonies from 445 victims, as the nation tackles an issue other European countries acted on long ago. Spain’s parliament voted on March 10, 2022 to open the first official investigation, led by ombudsman Ángel Gabilondo, into the extent of sexual abuse committed by priests and church officials. In a sign that bishops may yet to have fully cooperated with the government-ordered probe, the Spanish ombudsman said that a year after receiving his mandate, “we are requesting the collaboration of different levels of the Catholic Church and we hope to be able to count on it soon.” Only a handful of countries have had government-initiated or parliamentary inquiries into abuse like Spain’s. In neighboring Portugal, an expert panel said last month that more than 4,800 individuals may have been victims of child sex abuse in the Catholic Church.

Spain Abuse Church Sex Victims Sex Abuse Spanish Catholic Ombudsman Registers  priests  spanish  church  victims  abuse  ombudsman  registers  sex  spains  parliament  complaints  catholic  sexual  445

History of this topic

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 …

Spain approves plan to compensate victims of Catholic Church sex abuse. Church will be asked to pay
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Spain approves plan to compensate victims of Catholic Church sex abuse. Church will be asked to pay

Associated Press  

MADRID — Spain on Tuesday approved a plan aimed at making reparation and economic compensation for victims of sex abuse committed by people connected to the Catholic Church. From that report, he said it was concluded that some 440,000 adults may have suffered sex abuse in Spain by people linked to the church and that roughly half of those cases …

An Argentine judge recognizes gender abuse suffered for years by 20 nuns in a breakthrough ruling
9 months ago

An Argentine judge recognizes gender abuse suffered for years by 20 nuns in a breakthrough ruling

Associated Press  

BUNEOS AIRES, Argentina — An Argentine judge on Friday ruled that 20 cloistered nuns had suffered abuse for more than two decades at the hands of high-ranking clergy in the country’s conservative north, and ordered the accused archbishop and church officials to undergo psychological treatment and training in gender discrimination. “I conclude and affirm that the nuns have suffered acts …

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 …

Report on sex abuse in Germany's Protestant Church documents at least 2,225 victims
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Report on sex abuse in Germany's Protestant Church documents at least 2,225 victims

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 At least 1,259 people working …

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 …

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

LA Times  

Spanish ombudsman Ángel Gabilondo delivers a report on abuse in the Catholic Church to President of the Congress Francina Armengol in Madrid on Friday. Spain’s first official investigation of sex abuse by clergy members or other people connected to the Catholic Church in the country included a survey that indicated the number of victims could run into hundreds of thousands. …

In the wake of Chile’s Catholic abuse crisis, victims struggle to find justice
1 year, 3 months ago

In the wake of Chile’s Catholic abuse crisis, victims struggle to find justice

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. “This wasn’t a crisis, this was a cultural break …

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

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

The Hindu  

A sweeping, year-long study of sex abuse by Catholic priests and others in Switzerland published on September 12 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 …

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 Francis expresses concern and dismay over alleged abuse by priests in Bolivia
1 year, 6 months ago

Pope Francis expresses concern and dismay over alleged abuse by priests in Bolivia

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 Pope Francis expressed concern — …

'Saints by day, demons by night': In Bolivia sex abuse network in Catholic Church preyed on kids, says alleged victim
1 year, 7 months ago

'Saints by day, demons by night': In Bolivia sex abuse network in Catholic Church preyed on kids, says alleged victim

Firstpost  

A former seminarian from Bolivia who claims to have been the victim of a widespread network of sex abuse in the Catholic Church has shed light on decades of “hell” inflicted on minors by clergymen A former seminarian from Bolivia who claims to have been the victim of a widespread network of sex abuse in the Catholic Church has shed …

More than 450 Catholic clergymen abused nearly 2,000 children in Illinois, state report says
1 year, 7 months ago

More than 450 Catholic clergymen abused nearly 2,000 children in Illinois, state report says

CNN  

CNN — More than 450 adult Catholic clergymen abused nearly 2,000 children in the state of Illinois over a period of almost 90 years, according to a report released Tuesday from Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul. “This report reveals names and detailed information of 451 Catholic clerics and religious brothers who abused at least 1,997 children across all of the …

Pope sends top Vatican official to Bolivia as sex abuse allegations escalate
1 year, 7 months ago

Pope sends top Vatican official to Bolivia as sex abuse allegations escalate

LA Times  

Pedro Lima, a former Jesuit seminarian, has alleged sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church in Bolivia. The Bolivian Episcopal Conference said Bertomeu’s visit is not directly related to the recent sex abuse allegations but had been planned earlier to analyze “the progress made in the field of the culture of prevention” promoted by the Vatican. World & Nation Report …

Bolivian Catholic priest accused of abusing seminary students
1 year, 7 months ago

Bolivian Catholic priest accused of abusing seminary students

Associated Press  

LA PAZ, Bolivia — A Bolivian priest has been detained on suspicion of abusing seminary students a decade ago in a case that emerged after news broke earlier this month of a pedophilia scandal involving a late Jesuit priest in the Andean country. Milton Murillo, a Catholic parish priest at the Church of San Roque in the southern region of …

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 …

Portugal church sex abuse study: Victims may number 4,800
1 year, 10 months ago

Portugal church sex abuse study: Victims may number 4,800

Associated Press  

LISBON, Portugal — More than 4,800 individuals may have been victims of child sex abuse in the Portuguese Catholic Church and 512 alleged victims have already come forward with their stories, an expert panel looking into historic abuse in the church said Monday. The Independent Committee for the Study of Child Abuse in the Catholic Church, set up by Portuguese …

Child abuse found in Portugal Catholic Church is ’tip of iceberg’: Report
1 year, 10 months ago

Child abuse found in Portugal Catholic Church is ’tip of iceberg’: Report

Live Mint  

At least 4,815 children were sexually abused by members of the Portuguese Catholic Church - mostly priests - over the past 70 years, the commission investigating the issue said in a report on Monday, adding the findings are the "tip of the iceberg". " to pay a sincere tribute to those who were abuse victims during their childhood and dared …

Portugal Catholic church sex abuse probe finds 512 alleged victims
1 year, 10 months ago

Portugal Catholic church sex abuse probe finds 512 alleged victims

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 committee examining historic child …

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 …

Spain: Ombudsman tasked with probing church sex abuse record
2 years, 9 months ago

Spain: Ombudsman tasked with probing church sex abuse record

Associated Press  

MADRID — Spanish parliamentarians are tasking the country’s ombudsman with the first official investigation into the depth of sexual abuse committed by members of Spain’s Roman Catholic church. A separate proposal by three left-wing parties, including the ruling national coalition’s junior partner United We Can, to open a full parliamentary commission was rejected this week as consensus built around keeping …

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 ponders priesthood amid abuse research, revelations
2 years, 10 months ago

Vatican ponders priesthood amid abuse research, revelations

Associated Press  

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican this week is hosting a three-day symposium on the Catholic priesthood amid renewed public attention on clergy sex abuse scandals and fresh research into the abuses of priestly power that harm both children and adults. Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis told his fellow bishops over a year ago that the McCarrick scandal …

Portugal: Church sex abuse panel unearths over 200 cases
2 years, 10 months ago

Portugal: Church sex abuse panel unearths over 200 cases

Associated Press  

LISBON, Portugal — A lay committee looking into historic child sex abuse in the Portuguese Catholic Church said Thursday that during its first month of work it received allegations from 214 people. The allegations are from people born between 1933 and 2006 and tell of psychological torment kept secret for decades, the Independent Committee for the Study of Child Abuse …

Spain: Clergy abuse victims hopeful at signs to end impunity
2 years, 11 months ago

Spain: Clergy abuse victims hopeful at signs to end impunity

Associated Press  

MADRID — After decades of neglect, victims of sexual abuse by the Spanish clergy say that they are finally seeing momentum building in their quest for real accountability and reparations. “We can’t say we are happy until we see results, but this is a very hopeful moment for those of us fighting to be noticed for years,” said Fernando García …

Portuguese bishops plan committee to investigate sex abuse
3 years, 1 month ago

Portuguese bishops plan committee to investigate sex abuse

Associated Press  

LISBON, Portugal — The Catholic Church in Portugal is setting up a national committee to coordinate the work of local church groups looking into possible cases of child sex abuse by members of the clergy. The committee will “strengthen and broaden” the church’s response to any current and historic abuse allegations, Portuguese bishops said Thursday after a four-day meeting at …

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 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 …

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

The global scale of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church
3 years, 3 months ago

The global scale of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church

Al Jazeera  

A series of abuse scandals, often involving children, have rocked the Catholic Church in recent decades. The Catholic Church has been repeatedly rocked by child sexual abuse scandals over the last three decades. An independent inquiry on Tuesday said it had concluded there were about 216,000 victims of sexual abuse carried out by the French Catholic Church’s clergy between 1950 …

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 …

‘Thousands of paedophiles’ in French Catholic Church since 1950
3 years, 3 months ago

‘Thousands of paedophiles’ in French Catholic Church since 1950

Al Jazeera  

Head of commission probing scandal says it found between 2,900 and 3,200 paedophile priests or other members of the church. Thousands of paedophiles have operated inside the French Catholic Church since 1950, the head of an independent commission investigating the scandal said just days ahead of the release of its report. The commission’s research had uncovered between 2,900 and 3,200 …

Report: Child sex abuse found across major UK religions
3 years, 4 months ago

Report: Child sex abuse found across major UK religions

Associated Press  

LONDON — An inquiry investigating child sexual abuse in a wide range of religious organizations and settings in England on Thursday found “shocking failures” in how many religions handled abuse allegations, with victim-blaming and abuse of power by religious leaders often contributing to under-reporting. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse looked into child protection in 38 religious organizations in …

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 …

Polish church report lists sex abuse of over 300 children
3 years, 6 months ago

Polish church report lists sex abuse of over 300 children

Associated Press  

WARSAW, Poland — In its latest report released Monday on the sexual abuse of minors, Poland’s Catholic Church lists 292 clergymen who are alleged to have abused over 300 boys and girls from 1958 though 2020. At an online conference in Warsaw, the head of Poland’s Catholic Church, Archbishop Wojciech Polak, apologized to the victims and asked their forgiveness, echoing …

Poland seeks Vatican’s data for its church sex abuse probes
3 years, 6 months ago

Poland seeks Vatican’s data for its church sex abuse probes

Associated Press  

WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s state commission for fighting sex abuse of minors said Thursday it has asked the Vatican for data on abuse by the clergy in Poland because Poland’s church is not providing the requested information. He said, however, that despite written requests made earlier this year to regional leaders of Poland’s Catholic Church and of other churches, only …

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 …

In a first for Spain, Jesuits admit to decades of sex abuse
3 years, 11 months ago

In a first for Spain, Jesuits admit to decades of sex abuse

Associated Press  

MADRID — The first comprehensive internal inquiry on sex abuse allegations by a religious order in Spain has identified 81 children and 37 adult victims of 96 Jesuits since the late 1920s, a much higher number than the cases that had so far been publicly known. Spain’s El País newspaper said that in its investigation of clergy sex abuse cases …

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 …

1,700 Catholic Priests Accused Of Child Sex Abuse Reportedly Living Freely In U.S.
5 years, 3 months ago

1,700 Catholic Priests Accused Of Child Sex Abuse Reportedly Living Freely In U.S.

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Nearly 1,700 priests and other clergy members that the Roman Catholic Church considers credibly accused of child sexual abuse are living under the radar with little to no oversight from religious authorities or law enforcement, decades after the first wave of the church abuse scandal roiled U.S. dioceses, an Associated Press investigation has found. He said he …

Report alleges sex abuse by 40 Vermont priests since 1950
5 years, 4 months ago

Report alleges sex abuse by 40 Vermont priests since 1950

Associated Press  

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. — A report released Thursday by Vermont’s Roman Catholic Church found there were “credible and substantiated” allegations of the sexual abuse of minors against 40 priests in the state since 1950. “While most of these allegations took place at least a generation ago, the numbers are still staggering,” said Bishop Christopher Coyne, who leads the Roman Catholic …

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