By Rhina Guidos Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — Former Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick pleaded not guilty Sept. 3 in a Massachusetts court, where he is facing three counts of sexually assaulting a teenager in the 1970s. Local news reporters posted video on Twitter of the 91-year-old McCarrick, wearing a face mask and slowly heading toward […]
The McCarrick report: Victims show fear, courage, anger, need for action
By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — The Vatican Secretariat of State’s report on Theodore E. McCarrick provides a glimpse into how a number of witnesses and victims of the former cardinal’s abuse sought numerous ways to alert church officials and were disturbingly aware their allegations might trigger repercussions. Over its 460 pages, […]
Report confession or go to jail, says Australian state
By Catholic News Service BRISBANE, Australia — A new law requires priests in the state of Queensland to break the seal of confession to report child sex abuse to police or face three years in jail. The law was passed by Queensland Parliament Sept. 8. It had support from both major parties and was opposed […]
To ignore trafficking is to be complicit in the crime, pope says
By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — To be indifferent to or ignore human trafficking and modern-day slavery would be to become an accomplice to those crimes, Pope Francis said. “Although we try to ignore it, slavery is not something from other times,” he said in a video explaining his prayer intention for […]
Effie Caldarola: The view from my pew
FOR THE JOURNEY The crisis in the U.S. Catholic Church lumbers along. We were still reeling from the Pennsylvania grand jury report on clergy sexual misconduct and hierarchical cover-up when a disgruntled archbishop released a scathing letter calling for Pope Francis to resign. Now, many states are launching probes into diocesan files, a good thing. […]
Names of past Harrisburg bishops will be removed from buildings
By Catholic News Service HARRISBURG, Pa. — Harrisburg Bishop Ronald W. Gainer Aug. 1 released information from the diocese’s own internal investigation on child sex abuse, including a list of the names of 71 clergy, both dead and alive, accused of abuse. He also ordered removal from buildings, halls and rooms the names of […]
Diocese remains committed to providing support for sex abuse victims
By Patrick Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald While diocesan vicar general Msgr. Gary Secor expressed “concern” over a new law which, for a third time, lifted Hawaii’s statute of limitations for reporting sexual abuse of minors, he said it “does not diminish” the church’s commitment “to taking responsibility and providing justice and support for those who […]
Ex-Vatican diplomat guilty of distributing child porn
By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — A Vatican court found Msgr. Carlo Alberto Capella, a former staff member at the Vatican nunciature in Washington, guilty of possessing and distributing child pornography. Judge Giuseppe Della Torre, head of the tribunal of the Vatican City State, delivered the verdict June 23, and […]
Keeping our youth safe is everyone’s job
APRIL: NATIONAL CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH By Kristin Leandro Special to the Herald April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. First established by presidential proclamation in 1983, it is an opportunity to recognize and acknowledge the importance of families and communities coming together to prevent child abuse and neglect, as well as promote the emotional […]