The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has released the names of 30 priests it believes sexually abused children between 1950 and 2013. The archdiocese also released the names of four other priests who had been included on an earlier list, but Church officials now say those four should not have been included. Seven of Read more
Several of New Zealand’s Catholic bishops are pushing for widespread background checks, with a focus on anyone who works with children. In the Archdiocese of Wellington anyone who works or volunteers for the church and will have to undergo a fresh check every three years. Wellington archdiocese Director of Projects and Administration, Dave Mullin, said Read more
The resignations of two bishops on child sex abuse allegations in the past six weeks and the Vatican’s handling of these latest cases has again prompted questions on how the world’s oldest monarchy handles controversy: It ignores it. In both cases – a nuncio to the Dominican Republic and, most recently, an auxiliary bishop in Read more
World-famous scientist, Richard Dawkins has attracted a lot of negative attention recently by suggesting that the “mild pedophilia” he experienced as a boy wasn’t really such a big deal. In a recent interview, he recalled how one of his teachers “pulled me on his knee and put his hand inside my shorts.” Dawkins went on Read more
The reverberations can be heard nationwide. As church employees and volunteers receive notices requiring them to attend safe-environment trainings, their responses have become familiar: “Again?” “Didn’t we just do that?” “I went through this where I teach; do I need to do it in the parish too?” “I barely come in contact with kids; why Read more
The Bishop of Aberdeen, Hugh Gilbert, on Sunday issued an apology for the abuse allegedly suffered by young boys at a Scottish boarding school over 30 years. “It is a most bitter, and distressing and shameful thing that in this former Abbey school there were a small number of baptised, consecrated, ordained Christian men, who Read more
Sir Owen Glenn says “I’m a good Catholic boy. I’ve never smoked or taken drugs. I enjoy the odd beer.” He says he is even more determined than ever that the inquiry into child abuse and domestic violence, which he is funding to the tune of $8 million, should continue.”I’ll carry on. I’m very stubborn,” he Read more
In Auckland, New Zealand, a nun has pleaded guilty to two charges of assault on a child. Sister Leva-i-Fangalupe Fono was one of the teachers leading a group practice of an action song for upcoming celebrations at St Patrick’s, Panmure, in April last year. She yelled at the girl, flicked her in the head and Read more
Without so much as mentioning a word, the moment Rolf Harris’ name made it to the press, his reputation was vaporised by speculation and condemnation. As with charges about inappropriate flesh pressing, notably with the underage, anyone’s reputation that comes within a bull’s roar of it finds a career ruined. That is specifically so if The Read more
The awful record of the institutional Catholic church’s leadership in dealing with the scandal of clerical sex abuse of minors has clearly, and rightly, been a trigger for the federal government’s Royal Commission into sexual abuse of children in Australia. This is a record that has already prompted other inquiries here and overseas. It would indeed be Read more