abuse of power

In more than seven years as leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has issued numerous new laws and guidelines for handling accusations of clerical sexual abuse and its cover-up by church officials.

The dispute among historians about the life and work of Father Kentenich continues with a new book based on old witness testimonies portraying the priest as an abusive manipulator.

A panel of researchers and presenters report on the scope and causes of abuse by clergy at a symposium titled “Reckoning and Reform: New Horizons on the Clergy Abuse Crisis” at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus in New York City March 26.

Twisted ideas of power and authority in the Catholic Church have contributed to the clerical sexual abuse crisis, leaders of religious orders said, but sometimes the positive “sense of family” in their own communities also made them slow to act.