A religious order flew a paedophile out of Australia and he worked as a headmaster in another country, while wanted by police, a royal commission has heard. Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses into Child Sexual Abuse is holding hearings in Canberra. It has heard about failures by the Marist Brothers to act on repeated Read more
An American archbishop has testified that he is unsure whether he knew in the 1980s that sexual abuse of a child by a priest was a crime. But a statement from St Louis archdiocese has hit out at coverage of Archbishop Robert Carlson’s remarks, saying they were taken out of context. During a court deposition last Read more
The chief executive of Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has resigned. Jannette Dines, who had been in the role since 2012, will depart on June 6, reported the ABC. The circumstances surrounding her departure remain unclear. But the ABC understands Ms Dines will be returning to a previous role. She Read more
A top Vatican investigator has been appointed to examine claims of sexual misconduct involving clergy in the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh. The former archbishop in Edinburgh, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, resigned amid scandal last year. Maltese auxiliary Bishop Charles Scicluna has been asked to listen to and report the testimony of past and present Read more
The Catholic Church in Melbourne is to revisit the cap it puts on monetary compensation to abuse victims with a view to removing or raising the limit. This came after Cardinal George Pell told parents of two victims that he would make moves to remove the cap and revisit 300 existing claims against the Church. Read more
An Italian cardinal has defended national guidelines exempting Italian bishops from having to report claims of abuse by clergy to police. Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, president of the Italian bishops’ conference, said Italian law does not require it and victims may not want it. The guidelines, published in revised form in late March, were called for Read more
Cardinal George Pell has publicly apologised in person to a victim of child sex abuse by a priest at Royal Commission hearings in Sydney. This followed an apology to John Ellis in statement by the cardinal that was previously sent to the commission. Continue reading
In an interview, Pope Francis has discussed artificial contraception, non-marital civil unions, clergy sex abuse and the role of women in the Church. The wide-ranging interview, marking the first anniversary of Francis’s pontificate, was published in Italy and Argentina. Pope Francis praised Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical “Humanae Vitae”, which prohibited the use of contraception. Read more
In the late 1960s, our theology schools were abuzz with the Second Vatican Council, but that had not yet impinged on confessional practice. Among other things, we had “mock confessions”, in which (in front of everyone else) the ordinands took turns at being confessor while our professor, the redoubtable Paul Brassell, took the role of Read more
Sacked former Bishop of Toowoomba, Bill Morris, is expected to give testimony at the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Brisbane. Before being sacked by Pope Benedict over ongoing doctrinal issues, Morris, formally admitted Catholic Church liability, opening the door to a large compensation payout to 13 schoolgirls. The Brisbane hearing Read more