The Roman Catholic Church in Scotland is to publish details of abuse allegations made between 2006 and 2012, the BBC reported. The church said it would reveal the number of incidents reported, their nature and the results of investigations into them. It will also carry out an audit of all historic abuse allegations made between Read more
Leaders of the Australian Catholic Church have been accused of trivialising sex abuse as a “short-term embarrassment. The accusation comes in the Victorian state government’s report on child sex abuse. Launching the report in the Victoria State Parliament, inquiry chairwoman, Georgie Crozier spoke of “a betrayal beyond comprehension” and of children suffering “unimaginable harm”. The Read more
A statistic based on a United Nations Multi-Country Study on Men and Violence led many to believe that one in four men admitted to sexual assault in Asia and the Pacific. But is this founded on evidence or merely a misreading of the research? Numbers, we’ve learned time and time again, can be deceiving. After Read more
As more than 100 new complaints of sexual abuse by Victorian clergy flood in, a leading lawyer warns the Catholic Church in Australia will not win back public trust and confidence until its current “tainted” leaders have gone. The baton needs to be passed on to another generation, one untainted by what has gone on, Read more
The Catholic Church in Australia has said it will allow an independent board to monitor how it handles clerical sex abuse and publicly report on its compliance. This step is part of a reform agenda described as potentially “the most significant overhaul of the Church’s approach to clerical sexual abuse in its more than 200-year Read more
Matthew Riedlinger’s text messages read as if they’ve been ripped from a pornographic novel. He quizzed his texting partner about sex videos, pressed for details about intimate liaisons, described sexual acts and encouraged mutual masturbation. He also repeatedly asked to meet. “Promise me you will never breath (sic) a word of this to anyone — ok?” Read more
Evangelical Protestants are worse than Catholics in their response to sexual abuse, a law professor who investigates abuse has told a Religious Newswriters Association conference in the United States. “Protestants can be very arrogant when pointing to Catholics,” said Boz Tchividjian, a grandson of evangelist Billy Graham and executive director of Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian 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
Pope Benedict XVI said he did not attempt to cover up child sexual abuse by Catholic priests. The emeritus pope made the comments in an 11-page letter to prominent Italian atheist and math professor Piergiorgio Odifreddi. Excerpts from the letter were published on Tuesday in the Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica with Pope Benedict’s permission. Read more
The Vatican has removed an auxiliary bishop from his post in a Peruvian province because of allegations he sexually abused children. Gabino Miranda has been dismissed as auxiliary bishop in the dioceses of Ayacucho in southern Peru after he was accused of having sexual relations with minors. “It is what the pope said – zero Read more