Cardinal George Pell said the Catholic Church “has made enormous mistakes” in dealing with allegations of sex abuse by priests. The Australian prelate made the statement when he testified via video link from a Rome hotel to the Royal Commission sitting in Sydney. “I’m not here to defend the indefensible. The church has made enormous Read more
Victorian police have referred the alleged leaks of an investigation into Cardinal George Pell to the state’s anti-corruption commission. The investigation concerned allegations of child sexual abuse made against Cardinal Pell, which the cardinal has strongly denied. Cardinal Pell called for an inquiry into the leaks and wrote to Victoria’s police minister requesting this. Victoria Read more
Recent media coverage of Cardinal George Pell’s recall to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has ignited public debate on whether churches are willing to face up to child sexual abuse. Tim Minchin’s “musical attack” on Cardinal Pell has been a lightning rod for debate on social media. Against a background Read more
Cardinal George Pell has strongly denied allegations he sexually abused between five and ten minors between 1978 and 2001. News Corp Australia claimed detectives from Victoria’s taskforce Sano have compiled a dossier containing allegations that Cardinal Pell committed “multiple offences” when he was a priest in Ballarat, and also when he was Archbishop of Melbourne. It Read more
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was sometimes rendered speechless by the clergy sexual abuse cases that came across his desk. Cardinal Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, headed the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation, which St John Paul II put in charge of overseeing cases of clerical sex abuse against minors in 2001. Speaking to Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper, Archbishop Read more
An Australian bishop has been acquitted of historic sexual abuse charges after a trial in Perth. Bishop Max Davis, who stood down as head of Australia’s military ordinariate, was found not guilty on six charges of indecent dealings with male children and youth between 1969 and 1972. In this time, he was dormitory master at Read more
Some A$110,000 has been raised to send child sexual abuse survivors to Rome to witness Cardinal George Pell’s latest royal commission testimony. Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has agreed to let Cardinal Pell testify through a video link. This was after it accepted the cardinal’s health meant he could not Read more
A member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors has detailed two instances where she believes the Roman Curia has frustrated reform. Marie Collins, an abuse survivor, referred to commission’s proposal that a Vatican tribunal be set up hold bishops to account for their handling of abuse cases. This was approved by the Read more
New Zealand was one the countries mentioned in a recent communiqué from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. The statement from the commission set up to advise Pope Francis on best practice in the fight against child sexual abuse came after its most recent meeting in Rome. In order to comply with one Read more
The trial of an Australian Catholic bishop charged with six counts of being grossly indecent with five boys under the age of 15 has started in Perth. The trial of the former head of the Australian Catholic military diocese, Bishop Max Davis, is expected to run into next week. The court has been told that Read more