At the upcoming meeting on protecting minors, Pope Francis wants leaders of the world’s bishops’ conferences to clearly understand what must be done to prevent abuse, care for victims and ensure no case is whitewashed or covered up.
Tag: clergy sexual abuse
Pope to U.S. bishops: Abuse crisis requires conversion, humility
Without a clear and decisive focus on spiritual conversion and Gospel-inspired ways of responding to victims and exercising ministry, “everything we do risks being tainted by self-referentiality, self-preservation and defensiveness, and thus doomed from the start,” Pope Francis wrote to U.S. bishops.
Church will spare no effort to end abuse, pope tells Curia
“Let it be clear that before these abominations, the church will spare no effort to do all that is necessary to bring to justice whosoever has committed such crimes,” the pope said Dec. 21.
Pope names organizing committee for abuse conference in February
Pope Francis named U.S. Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago to be part of the organizing committee preparing for a meeting of the world’s bishops’ conferences and representatives of religious orders to address the abuse and protection of minors.
Bishops hear frank presentations, discussion on abuse crisis
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said Nov. 14 he had opened the bishops’ fall general assembly “expressing some disappointment,” but “I end it with hope.”
Bishop Kettler adds name to list of clergy likely to have abused minors
Bishop Donald Kettler has added the name of Bishop Harold Dimmerling to the list. Dimmerling was a priest of the Saint Cloud Diocese who later served as bishop of Rapid City, South Dakota, from 1969 until his death in 1987.
Joint newspaper report examines bishops’ responses to abuse allegations
The Boston Globe and the Philadelphia Inquirer newspapers teamed up for an article published in both daily papers Nov. 4 that examined ways it said the U.S. bishops have failed to police themselves even since their 2002 gathering in Dallas about clergy sex abuse when they “promised that the church’s days of concealment and inaction were over.”
New York bishop removed from public ministry pending review of abuse claim
A New York auxiliary bishop has been removed from public ministry pending a Vatican review of a decades-old accusation of sexual abuse against him, a claim he denies, the Archdiocese of New York said in a letter released Oct. 31.
Buffalo protocols for addressing abuse claims scrutinized by ’60 Minutes’
How the Diocese of Buffalo handles cases of priests suspected of abuse was the subject of a report Oct. 28 by the CBS newsmagazine “60 Minutes,” which talked to a woman who leaked diocesan files on those priests to a local TV station.
Federal authorities order USCCB, dioceses to retain documents
An attorney for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has confirmed that federal officials have asked the organization to keep documents and other files that might pertain to possible sex abuse allegations and other matters and to order the same of all dioceses around the country.
Response to sexual abuse crisis tops agenda for USCCB fall assembly
The firestorm surrounding the clergy sex abuse crisis and the way some bishops handled allegations of abuse against priests will be an important part of the agenda of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ fall general assembly.
Justice Department opens investigation into abuse claims in Pennsylvania
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has received a subpoena as part of a federal grand jury investigating allegations of child sexual abuse and a cover-up of such claims, church officials confirmed Oct. 18.
McCarrick case: Vatican starting to acknowledge mistakes
Pope Francis, Cardinal Marc Ouellet and an official Vatican statement seem to be laying the groundwork for an admission that mistakes were made in handling allegations that Archbishop Theodore McCarrick engaged in sexual misconduct and even abuse.
Vatican reviewing McCarrick case, vows to pursue truth no matter what
Promising a thorough review of how the Vatican handled allegations of sexual misconduct by former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the Vatican acknowledged that what happened may fall short of the procedures that are in place today.
California governor vetoes measure to extend statute of limitations
California Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a measure Sept. 30 that would have extended the state’s statute of limitations for decades for childhood sexual abuse survivors.