ABUSE TRACKER

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As the first American pope addressed the faithful from St. Peter’s Basilica last week, he called for peace and unity, but what Pope Leo XIV did not address has some concerned. Investigative Reporter Tracee Wilkins explains what clergy sex abuse survivors say they want to hear from Pope Leo now that he’s the leader of the Church.

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French Prime Minister François Bayrou will take questions on Wednesday from a parliamentary committee investigating claims of decades of abuse at a Catholic school in southwest France. Critics claim that, as education minister in the 1990s, Bayrou knew about widespread physical and sexual abuse at the school, which several of his children attended.

French Prime Minister François Bayrou on Wednesday faces one of the most delicate moments of his five months in office as he responds to questions from a parliamentary committee investigating claims of decades of sexual abuse at a Catholic school.

Bayrou has faced accusations from the opposition that, as education minister in the mid-1990s, he knew of the widespread physical and sexual abuse allegations at the Notre-Dame de Bétharram school in southwestern France.

The 73-year-old politician, who served as France’s education minister between 1993 and 1997, has denied any wrongdoing and denounced what he called a campaign to “destroy” him. 

On Monday, the father…

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The seal of the confessional is one of the first things Catholic children learn as they are preparing for their first confession. At first, it comes as a shock to many children, prompting questions to test the limits of total confidentiality: What if I said I killed someone? Father won’t even tell my parents?

The answer to all of these questions is a firm answer, “No, under no circumstances will a priest repeat anything you say in confession.” This is because when someone confesses a sin, they are not really confessing it to their priest but to God himself; the priest does not forgive their sins, God does. To maintain the integrity of the sacrament, absolute confidence is required.

This fundamental principle to the sacrament of confession is being called into question more and more as governments work to limit child abuse, and especially in light of the child sex…

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Catholic priests are pushing back against a new Washington state law that requires clergy to report child abuse to law enforcement.

VANCOUVER Wash. (KPTV) – Catholic priests are pushing back against a new Washington state law that requires clergy to report child abuse to law enforcement, even if the information was obtained in the privacy of a confession booth.

Senate Bill 5375 was signed into law by Washington Governor Bob Ferguson on Friday.

On top of the Archdiocese of Seattle announcing they will excommunicate priests if they break the seal of confession, pastors in Vancouver say they will not follow the law because they believe it goes against their religious freedom, and they do not think it’s enforceable.

At the Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, Father Thomas Nathe walks into the confessional booth located in the back of his church’s sanctuary.

“The red means someone is in here on…

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The Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington filed for bankruptcy in October 2024, with at least 30 unsettled cases of abuse.

A hearing has been scheduled for abuse survivors to deliver victim impact statements against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, Vermont. It’s the second of two hearings scheduled by a bankruptcy judge after the diocese filed for Chapter 11 back in October 2024.

The latest court records were filed on Monday. According to the Diocese, 118 additional survivors have come forward with claims of abuse as of April 4. That was the deadline the court had set for survivors to file proofs of claim after Chapter 11 was filed.

In April, a judge granted a request to schedule two opportunities for survivors to present impact statements. To date, more than 60 cases have been settled against the Diocese. By the time the church filed for…

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In short:

• Two Victorian sisters abused by a paedophile priest in the 1970s are speaking out against a legal decision they say has halted their quest for compensation.
• The High Court last year ruled the same priest was not an employee of the Catholic Church, so the church could not be held vicariously liable for his abuse.

What’s next?

• A private member’s bill is before Victoria’s upper house seeking to change the law, but the state government says it would prefer a national solution.

“You don’t sleep afterwards like a normal human sleeps. You’re never carefree again,” Bernie said.

To sleep soundly, the sisters need to know no-one can come through their bedroom doors, so their husbands made them special wooden jams to lock them in place.

“You can have happy days, and you can do things, but you’re not that innocent,” Bernie said.

“You never, ever become that carefree kid.”

…

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A new law signed by Washington Go. Bob Ferguson requires all members of the clergy to report cases of child abuse or neglect regardless of the source of the details, including the confessional.

The law goes into effect this July.

The Archdiocese of Seattle has responded by threatening excommunication for any Catholic clergy who follow the new law.  Archbishop Paul D. Etienne says the Church already has a policy of mandatory reporting in place for priests but it does not apply to information received during the rite of confession.

Etienne cited Acts 5:29 in a statement responding the law  “We must obey God rather than men”.  His May 4th statement titled Clergy: Responsible to God or State was clear on the Catholic Church’s response

“This is our stance now in the face of this new law. Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession – or they will…

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Survivors of abuse by clergy members are defending a new Washington law against accusations from the U.S. Department of Justice that it is “anti-Catholic” and worthy of a federal investigation.

Signed into law by Gov. Bob Ferguson on May 2, the new provision adds clergy to the list of professions required to report child abuse or neglect to law enforcement. It does not protect what people say in confession.

The Catholic Church has long sought an exception for what priests hear in a confessional and say without it the law puts them at risk of excommunication. The DOJ says the law violates the First Amendment protection given to religious expression, referring to it as “anti-Catholic.” But those who were abused by clergy members are pushing back.

“As people of many faiths, we are deeply disappointed that the DOJ and the Catholic Church see this as ‘anti-Catholic.’ It is not,” said…

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Governor Bob Ferguson of Washington State recently signed into law legislation obligating Catholic clergy to disclose reports of child abuse heard during sacramental confessions, adding “members of the clergy” to a list of other professionals who are mandatory reporters on child abuse.

The new law, signed on May 2, has been denounced by local Catholic leaders as an infringement of Catholic religious freedom, forcing priests to choose between ecclesial and secular authority, as Washington’s bishops say that priests who violate the seal of confession will incur an automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication. Similar laws have been defeated in other U.S. states over the past several years.

Washington is not the first state to enact or introduce legislation on this matter. New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia all already require clergy to disclose information about sexual abuse obtained in the context of a confession. In 2023 a flurry of legislation was introduced…

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A Chicago-based group filed complaints about him with Vatican officials, claiming Cardinal Robert Prevost fell short in his responses to allegations of abuse in there and in Peru

An advocate for victims of clergy abuse said Saturday they are holding on to cautious hope about Pope Leo XIV, but keeping a close eye on recently surfaced allegations that he previously sheltered those accused of abuse.Article content

Newfoundlander Gemma Hickey, the board president of Ending Clergy Abuse, was in Rome this week to push for the church to adopt a zero-tolerance policy for clergy abuse. They said Saturday that survivors have mixed reviews about Leo, which is the name taken by Cardinal Robert Prevost upon his election Thursday.

“It’s only been two days now to his papacy,” Hickey said in an interview. “I am being cautiously optimistic based on what I have heard.”

The bottom line, however, is that the church…

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Archbishop Ryan Jimenez has said that although plaintiffs have asked that civil sexual abuse cases be dismissed against former Archbishop Anthony Apuron, a church investigation found that Apuron was guilty of abusing minors, and nothing has changed that determination.

On May 7, documents were filed by plaintiffs in the District Court of Guam asking to drop eight cases of alleged sexual abuse and one case of defamation against Apuron. The former archbishop responded with a statement and a video saying the dismissal requests, which originated with the plaintiffs, are proof of his innocence.

Apuron said he remains a bishop, the only bishop or priest ever allowed to retain the designation after being found guilty of sex crimes, which proves his innocence.

Apuron spoke of one day returning to Guam, and that he prays for Jimenez to receive the “courage to seek the truth and to do what’s right.”

On Friday,…

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(This story has been updated to include a statement from the plaintiffs’ attorney.)

Former Archbishop Anthony Apuron on Wednesday broke his years of silence in a video message, maintaining he’s innocent of the clergy sex abuse allegations against him.

He issued a video message after plaintiffs initiated proceedings that sought dismissal of cases, according to his attorney. Apuron is required to agree to the dismissal, his counsel said.

He did, and the parties filed a motion that dismisses with prejudice eight clergy sex abuse cases and one defamation case against him.

Delia Lujan Wolff, attorney for the plaintiffs, on Wednesday night said dismissal of the plaintiffs’ claims against Apuron “is not evidence that Apuron did not sexually abuse or defame them.”

“To be clear, Apuron has not been vindicated by the dismissals and they do not affirm his innocence. While our clients have dismissed their claims against Apuron,…

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The U.S. Department of Justice says a recent data breach of a California consulting firm exposed data of Catholic clergy abuse survivors in nearly a dozen bankruptcy lawsuits.

In a May 6 letter addressed to attorneys at law firm Proskauer Rose LLP, the Justice Department’s Nan Eitel, the associate general counsel for Chapter 11 practice in the Executive Office for United States Trustees, said that late last month multiple government trustees received notice of a data breach at Berkeley Research Group (BRG).

The Emeryville, California-based BRG offers corporate finance and economic consulting, including to Catholic dioceses in bankruptcy proceedings. The government’s letter said the data breach had occurred on March 2 but that trustees were only first informed on April 28.

The breach “affected multiple Chapter 11 cases … and the security of data maintained by BRG in its role as a financial adviser to official committees…

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We have a new pope, but the challenges he faces are not.

Pope Francis fashioned himself as a reformer, starting with his name — taken in part from St. Francis of Assisi, who was tasked by God himself to “rebuild my church.”

The reforms most urgently needed when Francis assumed the papacy were a church in financial shambles and ongoing fallout from the sexual abuse crisis.

While he certainly made progress in some areas, no one denies that his work on both fronts was left incomplete.

The Catholic Church’s financial deficit only grew under Francis, and mere months before he died, Francis warned in a letter that the Vatican’s pension fund was in serious trouble and would require “difficult decisions.” One Vatican expert described it as a “five alarm fire.” Shortly before he died, one of the banks managing Vatican funds cut…

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Pope Leo XIV—born Robert Francis Prevost—is the first American Pope. His election on May 8 signals a shift in the world order of the Church—a shift that many people did not believe would happen anytime soon. But as the once improbable has become reality, Leo must now choose how he will lead the Church—and the some 1.4 billion Catholics across the globe—and how to build on Pope Francis’s legacy.

Read More: ‘Peace Be With You’: Pope Leo XIV Steps Onto the World Stage

Francis, who died on April 21 at 88 years-old, was known for prioritizing inclusivity—if an imperfect inclusivity—and his push to globalize the Catholic Church. He accomplished much during his 12-year tenure, including making the College of Cardinals more global, making the Catholic Church more inclusive, and centralizing the Vatican on climate emergencies.

Yet, that does not mean his challenges were not plentiful. The new Pope is left with…

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The Catholic Church and federal government reacted vehemently to new legislation in Washington state that requires priests to report child abuse or neglect to law enforcement after learning about the crime through confessions. 

Gov. Mike Ferguson signed the controversial bill into law last week, making it mandatory for all clergy to report child abuse, without exemptions for information disclosed during confession. Confessions were previously considered privileged.

The Archdiocese of Seattle — which was made up of 160 priests and 90 permanent deacons as of 2024 — said it will excommunicate priests who comply with the legislation. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice called the law “anti-Catholic” in a statement announcing a probe into the policy, just days before the Vatican selected the first pope from the United States.

The Seattle Archdiocese in a statement, warned that breaking the confidence…

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The state law, in Washington, applies to all religions but has outraged Catholics in particular. The Justice Department is investigating.

The secrecy of the confessional in the Roman Catholic Church is so sacrosanct that any priest who violates it is automatically excommunicated.

In Washington State, a new law requiring clergy to break the seal when child abuse has been revealed has kindled a heated battle involving the state, the Roman Catholic Church and the Justice Department.

The legislation, signed into law last week by Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, requires members of the clergy to report child abuse or neglect to authorities, even if that knowledge arises during the sacrament of confession. It has outraged many Catholics in the state, and across the country.

“This law is a clear intrusion into the practice of our Catholic faith,” said Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle. “The state is now intruding…

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JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – There was some shock – both positive and negative – expressed locally Thursday when the College of Cardinals selected the first U.S.-born pope in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.

Cardinal Robert Prevost, 69, a Chicago native, ascended to the papacy, taking the name Leo XIV, following Pope Francis, from Argentina, who died April 21.

The Rev. Matthew Baum, rector of St. John Gualbert Cathedral in Johnstown, became “very excited to see the white smoke” coming from the Vatican on television, indicating a new pope had been picked.

“I don’t think any of us expected there to be a North American pope,” Baum said. “We certainly had Pope Francis who was the first pope from South America, but no one expected us to have a North American pope. It’s very exciting to think that our new holy father was born in Chicago and went to school…

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He has been described as a peace-seeking bridge builder but he opposes female ordination and abuse survivors are wary

What is the position of Pope Leo XIV on the issues that face him and the Roman Catholic church?

Church unity

Within hours of his election as the 267th pontiff, Leo was being talked about as a bridge builder, a pope that would continue in Francis’s footsteps but without alienating traditionalists in the way his predecessor sometimes did. He is “known for solid judgment and a keen capacity to listen, and someone who doesn’t need to pound his chest to be heard”, according to a recent profile on Crux, a Catholic news website. He is “more pragmatic, cautious and discreet than the late pope”, it added.

In his first appearance on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, he wore traditional papal attire, signalling that his style will be more formal than Francis’s,…

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Then-Robert Prevost did not take action quickly enough after alleged abuse committed by Father Richard McGrath: SNAP

CHICAGO (WLS) — While Chicago is celebrating the election of a new pope from the South Side, not everyone’s cheering. Some are hoping this could be a moment when it comes to how the Catholic Church addresses child abuse by its priests.

The Chicago-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) told the ABC7 Chicago I-Team that the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, or Cardinal Robert Prevost, didn’t act quickly enough or transparently in response to local cases of child sex abuse by priests.

Peter Isley of SNAP said he is sounding the alarm.

“We cannot have another pope that’s covered up sex crimes,” Isley told the I-Team from Rome. “The last three have; we cannot have another one. We can’t drag this into another papacy.”

SNAP said when then-Robert Prevost was head…

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Pope faced questions about his handling of clerical sexual abuse cases earlier in his career after a survivors group filed a complaint

Groups supporting clergy-molestation survivors say they are gravely concerned and insulted by the election of Pope Leo XIV after he overcame questions about his handling of clerical sexual abuse cases earlier in his career to become the Roman Catholic church’s first-ever US-born leader.

Before Robert Prevost’s ascent to the papacy at age 69, he was leading a chapter of the Augustinian religious order in his home town of Chicago when allegations surfaced that a priest and Catholic high school principal under his jurisdiction had molested at least one student as well as kept child-abuse imagery.

Prevost reportedly allowed that cleric to continue in his role despite the allegations, though the Augustinian order later paid a multimillion-dollar settlement to the abuse survivor and in December booted the priest from the order.

…

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When Greg Thompson became the bishop of Newcastle, he refused to turn a blind eye to the decades-long child sex abuse scandals in the diocese.

For him, it was personal. He was himself a sexual abuse survivor.

But speaking out came at huge personal cost — and left Greg wondering where he fits in the Anglican Church.

Warning: This story contains themes which may be upsetting for some readers.

For a man who made the decision to become a priest at the age of 16, it’s been a devastating experience.

“I was seen as an outsider and they were telling me I’m an outsider,” Greg told ABC TV’s Compass.

“I am a cynic now of the Anglican institution because of what I’ve seen and experienced.

“But I look back and think, ‘I’ve invested my life in people, and the institution was the framework for me to do that.’”

Where it…

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The new pope, Leo XIV, elected Thursday under the birth name of Cardinal Robert Prevost, is already facing calls from victims’ groups for a thorough review of his handling of sexual abuse cases in his former jurisdictions, notably in Chicago and Peru. Although he has not been accused of any acts of abuse, some denounce a lack of transparency and an insufficient response to cases reported under his authority.

“It is up to Pope Leo XIV to earn the trust of the victims and their families,” said Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org, which advocates for transparency in abuse cases. The organization criticizes Prevost for never publishing the list of accused priests in the dioceses he led, unlike other Church officials. It also accuses him of maintaining a certain opacity in the disciplinary treatment of bishops under his authority at the Vatican.

In March, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by…

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In case you hadn’t heard, the cardinals elected Pope Leo XIV to succeed Pope Francis to the See of Peter.

Born Robert Francis Prevost, the Augustinian missionary priest who served as prior general of his Augustinian order in Rome and was bishop of Chiclayo in Peru, came late to the Vatican – in 2023 – when the recently departed Pope Francis made him prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and gave him the red hat.

There is little without precedent in the Catholic Church, but it is fair to say nothing exactly like this has happened before and safe to say it took Church watchers quite by surprise.

Hard power, soft power

Conventional wisdom had it that cardinals would not pick a fellow from the United States because it would combine the “soft power” of the papal office with the “hard power” of US political (economic, military, and cultural) clout…

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The new pope, Leo XIV, has this in common with many of his peers in the Catholic hierarchy: He’s been in positions of authority when accusations of sexual abuse have arisen against priests under his supervision.

Now some advocates for victims say there needs to be an accounting of how Leo — the name taken by Cardinal Robert Prevost upon his election Thursday — handled such cases when he held positions of church authority in Chicago and Peru. And they hope that as pope, he will crack down on other bishops who they say are mishandling similar cases.

“Some might advise giving the new pontiff the benefit of the doubt. We disagree. It is on Pope Leo XIV to win the trust of victims and their families,” Anne Barrett Doyle of the advocacy group BishopAccountability.org said in a statement.

In its statement, BishopAccountability.org contended that unlike many dioceses and religious…

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Survivor groups call election ‘an insult’, cite past inaction and failed oversight; Vatican maintains no wrongdoing.

Groups supporting survivors of clergy sexual abuse have expressed outrage over the election of Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, citing his past handling of molestation cases and describing his elevation as a grave insult.

Prevost, 69, who became the first-ever US-born pontiff after a short conclave at the Vatican on Thursday, had previously faced scrutiny for decisions made during his tenure as head of the Augustinian order in Chicago and later as bishop in Peru.

As The Guardian reported, while leading the Augustinians in Chicago, Prevost faced allegations against Richard McGrath, an Augustinian priest and principal of Providence Catholic High School, accused of molesting a student and possessing child abuse imagery. Despite these allegations, McGrath remained in his post. Though McGrath retired in 2017, the order only expelled him in December 2023 — a…

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An advocate for victims of clergy abuse said Saturday they are holding on to cautious hope about Pope Leo XIV, but keeping a close eye on recently surfaced allegations that he previously sheltered those accused of abuse.

Newfoundlander Gemma Hickey, the board president of Ending Clergy Abuse, was in Rome this week to push for the church to adopt a zero-tolerance policy for clergy abuse. They said Saturday that survivors have mixed reviews about Leo, which is the name taken by Cardinal Robert Prevost upon his election Thursday.

“It’s only been two days now to his papacy,” Hickey said in an interview. “I am being cautiously optimistic based on what I have heard.”

The bottom line, however, is that the church must change, they added.

“You can’t be married and be a priest,” Hickey said. “But you can be a child rapist and be a priest. There’s something wrong with…

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A new state law in Washington is set to take effect this summer, but members of the Catholic clergy are refusing to comply based on the Church’s own laws.

A new Washington state law is set to take effect on July 27 which will require clergy members to report suspected child abuse – including with information obtained during confessions. Following this law would violate the Catholic Church’s traditional confidentiality protections.

How the Catholic Church has responded to new Washington law

Although the law is put in place to protect children from abuse, the Archdiocese of Seattle has warned its priests that if they comply with this law, they would face automatic excommunication from the Church for violating the canon law and breaking the seal of confession. They also argue that the law itself crosses constitutional lines.

“All Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential and protected by…

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The new pope, Leo XIV, has this in common with many of his peers in the Catholic hierarchy: He’s been in positions of authority when accusations of sexual abuse have arisen against priests under his supervision.

Now some advocates for victims say there needs to be an accounting of how Leo — the name taken by Cardinal Robert Prevost upon his election Thursday — handled such cases when he held positions of church authority in Chicago and Peru. And they hope that as pope, he will crack down on other bishops who they say are mishandling similar cases.

“Some might advise giving the new pontiff the benefit of the doubt. We disagree. It is on Pope Leo XIV to win the trust of victims and their families,” Anne Barrett Doyle of the advocacy group BishopAccountability.org said in a statement.

Some advocates, however, credit Prevost with supporting survivors of an abusive,…

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After Pope Leo XIV’s first day as the pontiff, a local attorney says he and his clients aren’t thrilled about the decision from the Vatican.

Mitchell Garabedian, a Boston-based attorney, has represented thousands of victims and survivors over decades of alleged clergy sexual abuse.

He told Boston 25 News on Friday he was disappointed to see Pope Leo XIV was appointed.

“There’s a track record here that doesn’t give many survivors or victims hope,” said Garabedian. “He doesn’t send a message he’s going to protect children or help survivors heal.”

He pointed towards two incidents over the last 25 years.

Garabedian said in 2000, as head of the Augustinian Order in Chicago, Prevost allegedly housed a priest near a school facing accusations of sexual abuse.

Garabedian explained, “That priest was a pedophile, and those children were susceptible.”

He also pointed to an incident while Pope Leo XIV was serving in…

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Robert Prevost was elected as Pope Francis’ successor on Thursday, May 8, concluding a two-day papal conclave. Hailing from Chicago, Prevost—who has chosen the name Pope Leo XIV—is the first American Pope. But his service in the Catholic Church stretches beyond the U.S., as Leo holds both U.S. and Peruvian citizenship, and has dedicated many years of his life to missionary work in South America.

Leo was appointed a cardinal in September 2023 by Pope Francis, and also served as the Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops from January 2023 until Pope Francis’ death on April 21.

In an unearthed interview from 2023, Leo spoke to the BBC about his appointment to Prefect, during which he mentioned his American roots and how that might aid him in helping with the challenges faced by the Catholic Church in the United States.

”It’s not coincidental that Pope Francis chose me. I’ve been…

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Survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests are calling for Pope Leo XIV to institute a zero-tolerance policy and for the church to investigate his handling of prior sexual abuse allegations. “He needs to be transparent. He needs to be honest,” says Peter Isely, a survivor of sexual assault by a Catholic priest and a co-founder of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests. “Wait and see,” says James V. Grimaldi, executive editor of National Catholic Reporter. “Don’t listen to what they say. Watch what they do.” We are also joined by Father Bryan Massingale, professor of theological and social ethics at Fordham University.

Guests

• Peter Iselysurvivor of sexual assault by a Catholic priest, global affairs chief of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests.
• James Grimaldiexecutive editor of National Catholic Reporter.
• Bryan Massingaleprofessor of theological and social ethics at Fordham University in New York. He identifies as a Black, gay…

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Less than a day after Pope Leo XIV assumed his role as the head of the Catholic Church, a national organization claimed he mishandled abuse allegations in the past.

“We find ourselves with Pope Leo now who, in his past, had turned his back on some sexual abuse charges that he knew of, and that concerns us very much,” said Eduardo Lopez De Casas, national vice president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

Before Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost became Pope Leo XIV, he served as a provincial of the Augustinians in his hometown Chicago. SNAP claims during his time there, Prevost allowed Father James Ray, a priest accused of abusing a minor, to reside at the Augustinians’ St. John Stone Friary — which was close to a Catholic elementary school.

“That is something that was very, very concerning to…

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As the world celebrates a new pope, the largest group for survivors of clerical abuse in the U.S. – SNAP – is calling for a zero tolerance policy, but there’s more to the story in the Chicago area.

The longtime leader of SNAP’s Chicago office knows Pope Leo XIV’s family. So, while he echoes the group’s call for change with this new pope, his main message is one of hope.

SNAP stands for Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests. Larry Antonsen does more than lead the group in Chicago, he’s a survivor himself, and has been involved in the organization for more than 20 years.

“He seems like a pretty normal guy, from what I’ve heard and seen,” he said of Pope Leo XIV, whose Chicago connection goes back a long way. “His mom and dad were at our wedding, so we go back kind of a long way.”

…

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America’s first pontiff will grapple with the church’s decline in Europe and rise in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and will need to confront the decadeslong sexual abuse scandal.

Pope Leo XIV has inherited a raging battle for not only the soul of the Catholic Church, but also its place in the geopolitical world.

The new pope will have to decide whether his global pulpit will continue Pope Francis’ broadly progressive legacy, or revert to a more conservative approach. The first American pontiff will grapple with the spiritual decline in the church’s European power base, coupled with its rise in parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America. And he will be forced to confront the legacy of the decadeslong sexual abuse scandal.

“Usually the most important thing that the pope has to take care of is the Catholic Church…

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Richard McGrath is no longer part of the Augustinian Order under which he served as priest, Patch has learned.

Richard McGrath, the embattled priest and former president of Providence Catholic High School, has been dismissed from the religious order under which he served, its leadership has confirmed to Patch.

The factors behind his dismissal were not disclosed in the Augustinian Order’s statement. It was also not clear if McGrath is dismissed from solely the Order, or clerical state entirely. Patch is seeking to verify.

Both McGrath and the Order which runs the school were previously sued by former student Robert Krankvich, who alleged in 2017 that he had been raped by McGrath as a teen. The lawsuit was settled in 2023, with the school and Order paying Krankvich $2 million.

Krankvich died in April 2025, at the age of 43. His death, attorney Marc Pearlman said, was…

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Catholic bishops in Washington state are rejecting a new law that requires clergy to report child sexual abuse revealed during the sacrament of confession—setting up a constitutional clash between church doctrine and state law.

The law requires clergy of all faiths and traditions throughout Washington to come forward about child abuse, including priests who are told about abuse during confession.

However, a priest who reveals anything told to him during confession will be excommunicated from the Church, even when it comes to a crime being committed within their congregation.

Why It Matters

The law raises significant First Amendment questions and could reshape how religious confidentiality is handled across the U.S. While clergy are mandated reporters in most states, the majority still protect confessions as privileged communication. Washington is set to become one of the few states to explicitly deny such an exemption.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched a civil…

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Robert Morris, the founding pastor of Southlake-based megachurch Gateway Church, is set to make his first court appearance in front of an Oklahoma judge Friday at 10 a.m. as he faces five different counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child dating back to the 1980s.

Here’s everything you need to known about Morris’ case and what his initial hearing could mean for him.

The accusations

Morris first faced accusations nearly a year ago from Cindy Clemishire, who told religious blog The Wartburg Watch Morris abused her when she was 12 years old in 1982. The abuse lasted for more than four years when Clemishire resided in Oklahoma, she said.

Morris, 63, resigned last June after admitting to “sexual inappropriate behavior” with a child in a statement to The Christian Post.

“When I was in my early twenties, I was involved in inappropriate sexual…

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Pastor Landon Schott and his Mercy Culture Church gave Michael Brown a hero’s welcome with confetti and applause, as he returned to ministry this week, following sex abuse allegations.

In an Instagram post, Schott said he refuses to participate in “cancel culture,” claiming Brown has “only made me want to be a better man, a better leader, and a better Christian.”

Schott added, “Though all the noise and accusations, Jesus said, ‘You will know them by their fruit’ . . . I’m a part of the fruit of Dr. Brown.”

Last December, a former secretary of Brown’s accused the acclaimed apologist of grooming her in the early 2000s and sexually abusing her, as first reported by The Roys Report (TRR). The woman, who later identified herself on social media as Sarah Erin Monk, claimed Brown had a pattern of holding her hand, kissing her on the lips, and slapping her on…

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As many celebrate Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost‘s historic selection as pope, the world’s largest organization for clergy sexual abuse victims is worried about the pontiff’s past handling of sexual abuse cases and called on him to take a tougher stance on the issue that has long plagued the Roman Catholic Church.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), a network that says it represents more than 25,000 victims and supporters worldwide, released a statement on the day of Pope Leo XIV’s selection expressing “grave concern” and urging him to “enact a truly universal zero tolerance law for sexual abuse and cover-up.”

The Chicago-born pontiff was chosen to lead the Vatican on May 8, just one day after the conclave to pick a successor to the late Pope Francis began. Prevost, 69, was born and raised in Chicago but went on to spend most of his career in Peru, first as a…

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Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, is facing backlash just hours into his papacy after disturbing allegations resurfaced from his time in the United States and Peru.

Survivors and advocacy groups claim the newly elected pontiff failed to act on serious child sexual abuse reports under his leadership.

The growing controversy is raising urgent questions about accountability, transparency, and the future of reform within the Catholic Church.

Pope Leo XIV Faces Allegations Over Ignoring Sexual Abuse Reports

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) and other advocacy organizations have expressed deep concern over Pope Leo XIV’s past handling of abuse cases.

In a chat with the Daily Mail, Lopez de Casas, a victim of clergy abuse and national vice president of SNAP, accused the newly elected pope of failing to address abuse allegations, which Casas said were relayed to…

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A former Jacksonville pastor who was arrested in 2022 as part of a yearslong investigation into allegations of sexual and physical abuse of minors at a church spanning over 30 years will avoid prison time, a Duval County judge ruled Thursday.

Paul Dyal, 81, pleaded guilty to an amended charge of contributing to the delinquency or dependency of a child, a third-degree felony, after the state dropped two counts of first-degree capital sexual battery against him.

Dyal was one of three pastors arrested in a 2022 raid at the Jacksonville Assembly of the Body of Christ church on Old Kings Road over accusations of child sexual abuse at the church between 1976 and 2001. Dyal was the church’s founder.

A disposition obtained by First Coast News states that the victim in Dyal’s case had reported the allegations decades prior, but no follow-up was conducted. As renewed allegations came to light,…

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A Sanford pastor had been arrested following allegations of inappropriate conduct, and sexually touching and assaulting two underage females.

Yersson David Solarte Basto, 34, is charged with sexual battery and lewd and lascivious molestation.

On April 10. police received a report of an inappropriate relationship between Solarte and two juvenile victims.

According to a news release, investigators learned that Solarte “did create or attempt to create an inappropriate relationship with the victims, did inappropriately touch the victims, and sexually assaulted one of the victims.”

During the investigation, it was revealed that the incidents occurred at Ipul Pentecostal Church in Sanford, where Solarte was the Pastor and both victims were members.

Police said that following the allegations, Solarte was removed from his role as Pastor and a warrant was issued for Solarte’s arrest.

Sanford Police Investigators coordinated with local and out-of-state agencies to arrest Solarte, who was believed to be out…

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Former megachurch pastor Robert Morris stands before an Osage County judge, facing allegations of child sexual abuse stemming from the 1980s.

The founder of one of the nation’s largest churches is set to appear before a judge today in Pawhuska.

Robert Morris is accused of sexually abusing an Oklahoma child in the 1980s. Authorities said Cindy Clemishire was 12 when the alleged abuse began.

RELATED: Robert Morris charged by grand jury with sexually abusing a child in the 1980s

Clemishire and Morris are expected to attend Friday’s hearing, however, Clemishire is not required to be there.

Clemishire said the time has come to hold Morris accountable.

“Justice. I mean, it’s just the first step to justice is having the indictment,” Clemishire said. “I really hope that it makes a statement to everyone out there that it’s not okay.”

Morris was indicted on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with…

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The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) is urging the new pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, to create a “universal zero tolerance law for sexual abuse and cover-up”

• SNAP, a national advocacy group for survivors of clergy sexual abuse, issued a statement expressing “grave concern” about the election of Pope Leo XIV
• The group cited his handling of an abuse case in Chicago, where Leo was the provincial supervisor of the Augustinian
• “You can end the abuse crisis — the only question is, will you?” SNAP’s statement said.

Survivor groups are expressing concern about Pope Leo XIV’s past handling of sexual abuse allegations against Catholic priests.

On Thursday, May 8, shortly before the Vatican announced the election of Cardinal Robert Prevost, 69, of Chicago as the 267th pontiff,  the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP),  released a lengthy exhortation calling on the new leader of the Roman Catholic…

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Cardinal Robert Prevost joins the conclave Wednesday to pick Pope Francis’ successor. His rise in the faith began at a South Side church. “Even as a young teenager, he knew what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go,” a schoolmate says.

To people who grew up in the old St. Mary of the Assumption parish on 137th Street, it’s no surprise that one of their own, Cardinal Robert Prevost, will be part of the conclave that will gather starting Wednesday in the Sistine Chapel to choose the next pope.

Prevost, 69, was elevated to cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023 and now leads the influential Vatican office that selects and manages bishops.

“It was pretty apparent back then that was going to be his route,” John Doughney, a fellow St. Mary’s grade school graduate from 1969, says of Prevost’s path to the priesthood. “Some of us had…

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Survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests are calling on Pope Leo XIV to institute a zero-tolerance policy while demanding an investigation into his handling of prior misconduct allegations.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, which has 25,000 members worldwide, released a statement Thursday acknowledging the “gravity of the role” Cardinal Robert Prevost assumed as the first American pope in the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year history.

“With the title comes a grave reckoning,” the group, known as SNAP, said in a statement.

Hours earlier, prior to the 69-year-old Prevost being elected to lead roughly 1.4 billion Catholics around the world, SNAP released a 6-page open letter calling on the new pontiff to instill a “truly universal zero tolerance law for sexual abuse and cover-up” by clergy.

“Now that he’s the pope, we’re gravely concerned,” SNAP spokesperson Sarah Pearson told Newsweek. “These are serious allegations by three women and…

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Resurfaced allegations state that the new pope failed to act against accused priests in Illinois and Peru, raising questions about how he will address clergy sexual abuse.

Cardinal Robert  Francis Prevost, the American prelate elected on Thursday to succeed Francis as Pope Leo XIV, was hailed in St. Peter’s Square for becoming the first US‑born pontiff.

Yet survivor‑advocacy groups and Catholic media quickly resurfaced allegations that he failed to act decisively against accused priests during earlier assignments in Illinois and Peru, raising questions about how the new pope will address clergy sexual abuse going forward. 

Prevost, 69, led the Augustinians’ Midwest province in Chicago from 1998 to 2010 and was later the order’s worldwide head. During that span, Rev. Richard McGrath remained president of Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox despite long‑standing complaints that he had abused at least one student and kept child pornography images on…

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Survivors respond to Pope Leo XIV’s election with grave concern about his record managing abuse cases

As white smoke rises, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) extends its acknowledgment to Pope Leo XIV on the gravity of the role he now assumes. With the title comes a grave reckoning.

“We were once the children of the church,” began an open letter released by SNAP earlier this afternoon. “The sex offender in the collar commits two crimes: one against the body, and one against the voice. The grand pageantry around your election reminds us: survivors do not carry the same weight in this world as you do.”

This letter is not the first of its kind. Survivors wrote to Pope Francis before his death after he announced plans to write an apostolic exhortation to children. He never replied. “Now that task falls upon you,” SNAP wrote to…

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May 8 Written By David Clohessy

Statement by David Clohessy of SNAP (former national director) 314 566 9790

Two years ago, SNAP and ECA filed a formal complaint to the Vatican about how then-Fr. Prevost – and other Catholic officials – were (and still are) acting recklessly, callously and secretively with a Chicago predator, Fr. Richard McGrath. We’ve still received no response from the Vatican. 

Frankly, it shows an alarming contempt for suffering abuse victims and betrayed Catholic parishioners that the church hierarchy has promoted a cleric who is accused of acting irresponsibly in child sex cases on two continents (North & South America).

We beg anyone who knows about or suspects abuse cover ups by the new pontiff or other Augustinian officials – in the US, Peru or elsewhere – to come forward now. It’s crucial for the safety of kids that Prevost’s full record on this most crucial matter.

…

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Newly elected Pope Leo XIV concelebrates Mass with the College of Cardinals inside the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican the day after his election as 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, Friday, May 9, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP)

The new pope, Leo XIV, has this in common with many of his peers in the Catholic hierarchy: He’s been in positions of authority when accusations of sexual abuse have arisen against priests under his supervision.

Now some advocates for victims say there needs to be an accounting of how Leo — the name taken by Cardinal Robert Prevost upon his election Thursday — handled such cases when he held positions of church authority in Chicago and Peru. And they hope that as pope, he will crack down on other bishops who they say are mishandling similar cases.

“Some might advise giving the new pontiff the benefit of the doubt. We disagree….

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Sexual abuse is “the rotten fruit of the Sexual Revolution,” says Jeff Dalrymple, director of the Southern Baptist Convention’s newly created Sexual Abuse Prevention and Response department, which operates under SBC Executive Committee.

In two Baptist Press columns published May 5 and May 6, Dalrymple set forth his view that abuse is part of “the rotten fruit Western culture has borne over the last several decades” and blamed “the counterculture movements of the 1960s.”

This is deeply disheartening and undercuts any thought that Dalrymple might make a difference in propelling the SBC toward meaningful action to address its clergy sex abuse crisis.

Framing the SBC’s widespread sexual abuse scandal as stemming from “the Sexual Revolution” is a reach too far. It’s also a tactic of obfuscation that already has been tried and rejected in the Catholic context — and of all people, Dalrymple should have known that.

Clergy sex abuse is a…

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On April 29, “Trey’s Law” passed the Missouri Senate as an amendment to HB-737. The child protection bill, sponsored by Sen. Jamie Burger and authored by Rep. Melissa Schmidt, now awaits Gov. Mike Kehoe’s signature.

Sponsored by Sen. Brad Hudson as SB-590, “Trey’s Law” prohibits the misuse of nondisclosure agreements against child sexual abuse and trafficking victims in civil settlement agreements.

Missouri

The bill passed in the Missouri Senate Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee back in April. Versions of “Trey’s Law” also were championed in the Missouri House by Rep. Brian Seitz and House Judiciary Chair Cameron Parker.

“These are legal mechanisms that were created to protect trade secrets, not trauma secrets,” Seitz said in a recent address on the House floor when his version of “Trey’s Law” was perfected.

Several victims of Kanakuk Kamps, a summer camp ministry based in Seitz’s district and currently under multiple litigations related to serial child sexual…

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As history was made a few hours ago here in Rome, I listened to the church bells and roar of the crowd. I was surprised to hear that the world would have an American born pope, Pope Leo XIV.   I am glad I wasn’t in St Peter’s square in the midst of the revelry.  The adoration for a man I’ve heard mixed reviews about, frankly makes me worry.  There is a sense here of instant elevation to “almost sainthood,” with all practical skepticism abandoned. 

The only advantage that American cardinals have over those in other countries is their familiarity with the expectation of zero tolerance and transparency.  Most American cardinals’ adherence to these ideals is lukewarm at best, but at least they’ve taken a stab at it.  Not so in most of the world!  Unfortunately, Cardinal Prevost was never a bishop or cardinal in the US.  His leadership was mostly…

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One of the most pressing issues facing Pope Leo XIV is tackling sexual abuse by clergy in the Catholic Church — and campaigners say he has a mixed record.

Two victims’ rights groups, SNAP and Bishop Accountability, issued statements following his election as the first pope from the United States on Thursday, questioning the 69-year-old’s commitment to lifting the lid on the scourge.

As head of the Augustinian order worldwide and then as bishop of the Peruvian diocese of Chiclayo between 2015 and 2023, “he released no names of abusers”, Bishop Accountability’s Anne Barrett Doyle alleged.

The same was true of his two years as head of the powerful Dicastery for Bishops, a key Vatican department that advised Pope Francis on the appointment of bishops, she said.

“Prevost oversaw cases filed… against bishops accused of sexual abuse and of cover-up. He maintained the secrecy of that process, releasing no names…

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The remarks, delivered in Italian and Spanish, were made from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Pope Leo XIV delivered his first public remarks since taking over as leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. He urged the world to seek peace and remember those who suffer. The following is a transcript of his speech.

Peace be with you! Dearest brothers and sisters, this was the first greeting of the risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave his life for the flock of God. I, too, would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts, to reach your families and all people, wherever they are; and all the peoples, and all the earth: Peace be with you.

This is the peace of the risen Christ, a disarming and humble and preserving peace. It comes from God. God, who loves all of…

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[Includes the full text of Pope Leo XIV’s first homily]

Jesus’ question is not insignificant. “It concerns an essential aspect of our ministry, namely, the world in which we live, with its limitations and its potential, its questions and its convictions.”

Beautiful: There’s hardly another word for Pope Leo XIV’s first Mass. The vibrant colors of the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel contrasted with the dazzling white vestments of row after row of cardinals, punctuated in places by a brightly-dressed cardinal of the Eastern Churches.

The perfectly intoned melodies of the men and boys of the Sistine Chapel choir and the precise careful movements of the monsignors in charge of papal ceremonies. It is the Church in all her splendor, proud and joyous with her new Successor of Peter.

With the strength of youth (he’s only 69) and a firm voice, the new Pope began the homily … in his native…

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Just over 2,000 of the 10,783 Child Victims Act lawsuits filed from 2019 to 2021 have been settled or disposed of.

Back in 2019, James Manfredonia and some of his former Little League teammates thought they would finally be able to confront the coach who they allege abused them decades ago when they sued him under New York’s Child Victims Act.

Five years later, they have yet to get a trial date, and their lawsuit against Tony Sagona remains in limbo.

The Sagona case is no outlier. For two years, from 2019 to 2021, 10,783 lawsuits were filed under the Child Victims Act in New York on behalf of 14,588 men and women who say teachers, coaches, priests and other authority figures sexually abused them as children decades ago, according to figures provided by the state’s Unified Court System.

Of those cases, 7,632 were assigned to judges,…

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Surprise, hope, excitement and pride were reflected in many of the initial reactions to Cardinal Robert Prevost on May 8 emerging on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica as Pope Leo XIV.

Prevost, a 69-year-old Chicago-born Augustinian friar who has spent much of his ecclesial career abroad, is the first pope born in the United States, a development once thought to be near impossible among Vatican experts.

Kansas City, Kansas, Archbishop-elect Shawn McKnight — the last archbishop appointed by Pope Francis — told National Catholic Reporter that he was “floored, stunned and full of hope.”

Dominican Sr. Barbara Reid, president of Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, where Prevost graduated with a Master of Divinity in 1982, told NBC News Chicago that she was not prepared for the news.

“We are overjoyed that someone who is beloved and known to us is now the beloved leader of…

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We are concerned about the election of Cardinal Robert Prevost as pope. His known record on abuse, with one exception, is troubling. He has been accused by victims in his former diocese in Peru of disregarding their allegations against two priests, and he has a history of resisting disclosure of abuse information to the public.

For the last two years, as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, Prevost oversaw cases filed under Vos estis against bishops accused of sexual abuse and of cover-up. He maintained the secrecy of that process, releasing no names and no data. Under his watch, no complicit bishop was stripped of his title.  

As Superior General of the Augustinians and then bishop of the diocese of Chiclayo, Peru from 2015 to 2023, he released no names of abusers.

Most disturbing is an allegation from victims in his former diocese in Peru that he never opened…

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Pope Leo XIV, history’s first U.S.-born pontiff, said Friday that his election was both a cross to bear and a blessing as he celebrated his first Mass as the head of the Catholic Church.

Leo spoke off-the-cuff in English in the Sistine Chapel to the cardinals who elected him to follow in the footsteps of Pope Francis, who put a commitment to social justice at the core of his papacy. He acknowledged the great responsibility they had placed on him before delivering a brief but dense homily on the need to joyfully spread Christianity in a world that often mocks it.

“You have called me to carry that cross and to be blessed with that mission, and I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me as we continue as a church, as a community, as friends of Jesus, as believers, to announce the…

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Robert Prevost may have made history Thursday by becoming the first pope from the United States. But in Peru, he is known as the saintly missionary who waded through mud after torrential rains flooded the region, bringing help to needy people, and as the bishop who spearheaded the life-saving purchase of oxygen production plants during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“He worked so hard to find help, that there was not only enough for one plant, but for two oxygen plants,” said Janinna Sesa, who met Prevost while she worked for the church’s Caritas nonprofit in Peru.

“He has no problem fixing a broken-down truck until it runs,” she added.

Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pope, clearly saw something in Prevost early on.

He first sent him to Chiclayo in 2014, then brought him to the Vatican in 2023 as the powerful head of the office that vets bishop nominations, one of…

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How much the experiences of the US Catholic Church will influence the new pope on this issue is unknown.

An American pope was considered a longshot to be selected as a successor to Pope Francis. But now that it has happened, Pope Leo XIV could be the best hope survivors and their advocates have when it comes to getting the Catholic Church to finally address the long-running clergy sexual abuse scandal in a meaningful way.

It may be a slender hope. After all, files on sexual abuse allegations are still kept secret, widespread coverup still exists in the US Catholic Church, and the new pope’s record on this issue is mixed. But as Anne Barrett Doyle, cofounder of BishopAccountability.org, a Waltham-based watchdog group, wrote recently for the National Catholic Reporter, “Thanks largely to the United States’ unique civil justice system and robust free press, bishops here have…

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 Robert Prevost, the Chicago-born missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and took over the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops, was elected the first pope from the United States in the history of the Catholic Church on Thursday.

Prevost, a 69-year-old member of the Augustinian religious order, took the name Leo XIV.

In his first words as Pope Francis’ successor, uttered from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo said, “Peace be with you,” and emphasized a message of “a disarmed and disarming peace” dialogue and missionary evangelization. He wore the traditional red cape and trappings of the papacy — a cape that Francis had eschewed on his election in 2013 — suggesting a return to some degree of tradition after Francis’ unorthodox pontificate.

“I would also like to thank all my brother cardinals who have chosen me to be the successor of Peter and to walk together with you…

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As high-profile cardinals urge votes for Prevost, some abuse advocates raise concern

[See also Robert Herguth, Accuser dies at 43.]

As the Church’s College of Cardinals prepare to enter the papal conclave Wednesday, American Cardinal Robert Prevost is reportedly among the prelates most-discussed for election to the papal office.

While Prevost reportedly has high-profile advocates among the cardinals, the prospect of a Prevost papacy is also prompting pushback.

And as cardinals tell The Pillar they’re aiming for a pontiff unsullied by the prospect of scandal, it is not clear whether the allegations and reports about Prevost’s leadership will prove a deterrent to the prospect of his election, or whether cardinals will consider them a kind of weaponized smear campaign against a candidate in the mold of Pope Francis.

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Prevost, 69, is the prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a high-profile position that’s made him known to cardinals from around the planet,…

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How the Vatican’s bishop-maker was forged in Chicago and Peru.

When Robert Francis Prevost was growing up in Chicago in the 1960s, a steady stream of priests passed through his family home. They were drawn by the irresistible dishes prepared by his mother, Mildred Martínez, who was of Spanish descent.

Proximity to clergy wasn’t the only reason he considered the priesthood in his youth. There was also the example of his father, Louis Marius Prevost, who had French and Italian roots, and served as a catechist. The youngster also had a positive experience of parish life, serving as an altar boy and attending the parish school.

Once he was convinced of his call to the priesthood, he faced another discernment challenge: should he become a diocesan priest or join a religious order? After wrestling with the decision, he opted to join an Augustinian minor seminary, appreciating the order’s stress on unity,…

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Among 133 cardinals locked in the Sistine chapel, three Filipinos are voting to elect the future pope. While Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is topping the list of “papabili” in the world press, it’s another Filipino that would please advocates and victims of clerical sexual abuse. His name is Cardinal Pablo Virgilio Siongco David of Kalookan.

Survivors and victim-advocates, speaking ahead of the conclave to elect a new pope, said what they expect from the future pope is to continue to listen to victims but also to hold those in power accountable.

Defender of Human Rights

Although considered a “baby cardinal” — only elevated to cardinalate on Dec. 7, 2024, the last consistory that Pope Francis called — Cardinal David made a mark during general congregations that followed Pope Francis’ death and ended May 6, the eve of the conclave.

On May 3, three cardinals told the French Catholic daily La…

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Towards the end of this year’s legislative session, the Washington State Legislature passed a bill (SB5375) making all clergy mandatory reporters of abuse, with no exemptions for the privileged communication between priest and penitent during the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This means that by Washington State Law, Catholic clergy are now required to violate the seal of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, better known to many as confession. On Friday, May 2, 2025, Governor Ferguson signed the bill into law.

This weekend at Mass, the first reading was from the Acts of the Apostles. After the apostles were arrested and thrown into jail for preaching the name of Jesus Christ, St. Peter responds to the Sanhedrin: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). This is our stance now in the face of this new law. Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession – or they will be excommunicated…

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The Catholic bishops in Spokane and Seattle have told parishioners they will not fully comply with a new Washington law that requires clergy to report sexual abuse to police, similar to teachers, police officers and other professionals.

Catholic leaders say that priests who hear confessions are obligated to keep those confessions secret, but that they are supportive of the rule outside of the Catholic sacrament of confession.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced this week that it has opened an investigation into the law, alleging that it “appears on its face to violate the First Amendment.”

In separate statements, Thomas Daly, bishop of Spokane, said “shepherds, bishops and priests, are committed to keeping the seal of confession – even to the point of going to jail,” and Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle said those who break the seal of confession face excommunication from the church.

“All Catholics must know and…

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Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Last week, I promised I would consult local Church officers to reexamine the current legal position of the Diocese of Camden in the case being argued before the New Jersey Supreme Court, in which we have been objecting to the empanelment of a grand jury for the purposes of a presentment on clergy sexual abuse in the State of New Jersey.  Last Thursday, I convened our Diocese’s Board of Trustees, College of Consulters and Finance Council who, with unanimous consent, agreed to withdraw our objection to said empanelment before the Court.

The following day, I went with members of our legal counsel to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office to inform them of our decision. We expressed our desire to be partners with them in this public service, even as we encouraged them to acknowledge the tremendous work being done for the last 23 years by…

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The Diocese of Camden, New Jersey, said this week that it will drop its fight against the state’s efforts to empanel a grand jury to investigate clergy abuse allegations.

Camden Bishop Joseph Williams earlier this month said he intended to “do the right thing” for abuse victims in the diocese, which has been embroiled in a yearslong fight with the state of New Jersey over whether the government can empanel a grand jury to investigate allegations of abuse by priests and other Church officials. 

The New Jersey Supreme Court heard arguments from both the diocese and the state last month on the matter. But in a Monday letter to the high court, Trenton-based law firm Cooper Levenson said that, per Williams, the diocese “will not object to the empanelment of a grand jury” any further. 

The bishop made the decision “in consultation with the diocese’s…

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The Catholic Diocese of Camden has abandoned its attempt to prevent state prosecutors from convening a grand jury to investigate clergy abuse, an unexpected move that comes just a week after the New Jersey Supreme Court heard heated arguments on the matter.

Bishop Joseph A. Williams, in a Tuesday letter to parishioners, said he met last Thursday with the diocese’s trustees and other leaders, and they unanimously agreed to end their seven-year battle to prevent the state Office of the Attorney General from presenting the findings of its clergy abuse task force to a grand jury. State attorneys had hoped grand jurors would issue a presentment, in which they’d publicly condemn abusive priests and church leaders who covered up abuse and recommend reforms to prevent such harms from happening again.

The battle had been waged in secret, since diocesan lawyers years ago successfully persuaded judges to seal all…

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One of Germany’s most senior clerics, part of the conclave gathering to elect a new pope, must pay 26,000 euros ($29,500) to a charity to settle an allegation of perjury linked to a historic case of sexual abuse, prosecutors said on Tuesday.

They added they would end their investigation into the cardinal on condition of the payment being made.

Cardinal Rainer Woelki, the archbishop of Cologne, was under investigation for testimony he gave about abuse committed by a priest who died in 2019.The probe found reasonable suspicion that the cardinal had made false statements on two occasions during his legal dispute with the Bild tabloid in August 2022 and March 2023, the Cologne prosecutor said in a statement.

The false statements were, however, attributed to negligence.

“I am pleased and grateful that we have now come to a conclusion. We can now devote all our energy to the challenging tasks of the…

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As cardinals gather in the Vatican to elect a new pope — with a Filipino among the favourites — the church in Asia’s most Catholic country is grappling with a decline in those with a vocation for the priesthood.

“According to the statistics we have… one priest is catering to around 9,000 Catholics,” John Alfred Rabena, chancellor of UST Central Seminary, one the country’s oldest, said this week.

It is a situation that was leading to “exhaustion” among an overworked clergy, he told AFP during a visit to the seminary’s art deco building on the sprawling University of Santo Tomas campus.

Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is among the favourites to succeed Pope Francis, while another Filipino, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, has emerged as a late dark horse candidate.

While officially cautioned not to campaign for their countrymen, clergymen in the Philippines told AFP they believe a Filipino pope could…

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A psychologist, who worked closely with the late Pope Francis in a task force to end clerical abuse, hoped for a new pope that will continue the former pontiff’s work.

According to a “24 Oras” report by Vicky Morales on Wednesday, Dr. Theresa Tolmie-McGrane acted as the voice of children abused by priests during Francis’ tenure as the Pope.

Tolmie-McGrane herself had gone through clerical abuse at the Catholic orphanage Smyllum Park since she was 8 years of age, and worked her way to college to study Psychology and escape the abuse for the next 10 years of her life.

“When I went to my first day at school, I told my teacher my uncle was doing things to me and I was removed from the school, and taken straight to the orphanage and it was a terrible experience. It was even worse,” she shared.

“A nun walked in when…

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Here’s a brief guide to what to expect in the coming days.

The complex, carefully choreographed process of electing a new pope has entered a decisive phase.

As a papal transition happens only roughly once a decade, even Catholics who have lived through previous interregnums can feel confused about precisely what happens when after the cardinals enter the conclave.

Here’s a brief guide to what to expect in the coming days.

Tuesday, May 6

On Tuesday, 173 cardinals, including 130 of the 133 electors, attended the 12th and final general congregation of the College of Cardinals following the death of Pope Francis.

As at the previous 11 meetings, cardinals addressed the assembly on the qualities they wished to see in the next pope. (Not all of the 26 speeches were laser-focused on the conclave; one apparently tackled the burning issue of “the proximity of the Solemnity of Christ the King and the…

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The chimney on the Sistine Chapel is up, and voting to elect the next pope will begin on Wednesday afternoon, May 7.

There will be 133 cardinals who participate in the conclave and they will elect among themselves Pope Francis’ successor. Eighty-nine is the magic number to pass the two-thirds majority mark required to be elected pope.

While there is no official nominating process — and it is generally perceived to be a wide-open race — here is the National Catholic Reporter’s final roundup of the 12 leading front-runners. (All 12 NCR papal front-runners can also be found here.)

• Could Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu make history as the first African pope in more than 1,500 years?
• One of Francis’ favorite cardinals was Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Pope John XXIII. Might he soon be elected Pope John XXIV?
• Cardinals…

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Some Catholics deride survivors’ calls for change as wealthy donors offer billions in exchange for influence over the Conclave.

With the papal Conclave about to being, deep divisions emerge in the Catholic Church as disillusioned survivors watch from afar.

Hours before the Conclave in Rome, deep cleavages emerge among the faithful. Who should they be worried about? Survivors talking truth to power or wealthy donors willing to buy Peter’s throne?

It is almost impossible to figure out what are the key issues affecting a Conclave’s outcome. The nature of the process, the way the electors are chosen, and a long-standing tradition of uncertainty summarized in the old Italian saying “Chi in conclave entra papa, esce cardinale”, roughly translatable as “who enters a Pope at the Conclave, comes out a Cardinal.”

Over the last week or so, there has been a seemingly endless stream of information in almost any language about…

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THE country’s governing body of Catholic bishops has issued a rare statement on clerical sexual abuse, defending Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle on the issue days before the opening of a conclave to elect a new pope.

Watchdog group BishopAccountability.org warned Friday that Tagle and Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin could not be relied on to protect children, with its co-director accusing the church in the Philippines of remaining in the “dark ages”.

Both men are considered frontrunners to replace Pope Francis.

Cardinals from around the world are currently in the Vatican, ahead of a conclave on Wednesday of the eligible ones among them to elect a new pontiff.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) posted a statement to its Facebook page Saturday night saying that “addressing allegations of misconduct by clergy rests with the respective diocesan bishops or religious superiors” and not with Tagle.

“Since his appointment to a…

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With all the pomp, drama and solemnity that the Catholic Church can muster, 133 cardinals began the centuries-old ritual to elect a successor to Pope Francis, celebrating a morning Mass on Wednesday before opening the most geographically diverse conclave in the faith’s 2,000-year history.

The dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, presided over the service, urging the voters to set aside all personal interests and find a pope who prizes unity. The world today needs a leader who can awaken consciences, he said.

From the altar of St. Peter’s Basilica, Re prayed that they can agree “on the pope that our time needs” as he offered a final set of marching orders before the cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel later Wednesday to begin the secret voting.

Hailing from 70 countries, the cardinals are being sequestered from the outside world, their cellphones surrendered and airwaves around the Vatican jammed…

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Pope Francis’ former point man on migrants has drawn criticism with comments in the context of the African continent being deeply opposed to the LGBTQ agenda.

Pope Francis’ former point man on migrants has drawn criticism by saying in an article published Sunday that some African cardinals make him “shudder” and that he believes “conservatives” are calling for an African pope to further their agenda. 

Cardinal Michael Czerny, a Jesuit who served as prefect at the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development in the last years of Pope Francis’ pontificate, made the derisive comments to The New York Times in the context of the African continent being deeply opposed to the LGBTQ agenda.

“I can think of some African cardinals — they make me shudder,” Cardinal Czerny said in the article published May 4. When the newspaper asked whether conservative Catholics were rallying behind an African pope as a “Trojan horse” to…

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Written by John Bellocchio

Editor’s Note: Late last week, we received an email from John Bellocchio, a survivor of sexual abuse at the hands of the late Theodore McCarrick as a young teenager in Hackensack, New Jersey.

He reached out concerning an April 29 column entitled, “The tragedy of Theodore McCarrick,” published by Angelus News, the official news outlet of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The author was Msgr. Richard Antall, a pastor in the Diocese of Cleveland and a prolific writer for various Catholic media outlets including the aforementioned Angelus News and Crisis Magazine. In his article about McCarrick, Antall wrote about the late ex-cardinal’s positive qualities — including his financial skill, organizational talents, and preaching ability — and lamented that McCarrick’s achievements would be overshadowed by scandal. Antall also criticized the Vatican’s McCarrick Report, suggesting…

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Gemma Hickey is in Rome to lobby on the ground

As the College of Cardinals gathers in Vatican City for the secretive process that will elect a new head of the Roman Catholic Church, one activist is cautiously optimistic the next pope will commit to fighting sexual abuse within the church.

On Wednesday, the process known as conclave will commence. Pope Francis died last month at 88 years old.

Ending Clergy Abuse board president Gemma Hickey is currently in Rome to urge the church to shift its policy on clerics accused of sexual abuse, including canon law reform and mandatory reporting.

“We’re asking to prioritize the protection of children and vulnerable people over predators. I mean, it’s as simple as that,” Hickey told CBC Radio’s The St. John’s Morning Show.

Hickey says whoever is elected in the secret vote will “set the tone” going forward.

“I’m optimistic in general. I mean, I…

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 Cardinal Isao Kikuchi says he had no knowledge about a case of a woman who was allegedly sexually abused by a priest.

According to 64-year-old Tokie Tanaka, the abuse began in 2012 after she went to confession with a Chilean priest at a church in the city of Nagasaki. She told the priest she had been sexually assaulted as a child.

The woman filed a civil lawsuit in 2023 against the Society of the Divine Word, saying the priest sexually abused her over a period of 4½ years. The priest had returned to his native Chile.

On Friday she said Kikuchi, who heads the congregation, ignored her repeated pleas to take stricter measures against the priest.

“During that time, Mr. Kikuchi was also affiliated with the same congregation as the priest and at the same time, held the position of Archbishop of Tokyo. Therefore, it is difficult to believe that…

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CatholicVote, the conservative political operation run by President Trump’s pick as ambassador to the Vatican, is in a war of finger-pointing with the Italian media over a fake report seemed aimed to smear a leading candidate to be pope. 

The dispute arises over a false report on the CatholicVote website and elsewhere saying that Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the secretary of state under Pope Francis, had collapsed and required emergency medical attention. 

The original source is unclear. 

The CatholicVote post sourced Italian media. The famously scrappy Italian newspapers pushed back, saying the item first appeared on CatholicVote. All the related websites involved in the spat have been updated, making it difficult to determine who is to blame.

Regardless of the source of the fake news, the controversy comes at a particularly bad time for CatholicVote co-founder Brian Burch, whose nomination to be ambassador to…

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On May 5, as the cardinals were gathering in the General Congregation, a voice against abuse rose from the very heart of the Church: that of Father Marco Contini, asking the cardinals to look for a pope that will end sexual abuse in the Church. 

Also known as “Father Paolo,” Fr. Contini has been a priest for 25 years, is pastor of three communities, and is a university theology lecturer. In a letter to the cardinals, he disclosed having been a victim of sexual abuse as a teenager in the seminary.

The letter was heavily covered by the Italian media but shared mostly in excerpts and partial quotes. CatholicVote approached Fr. Contini, asking him for the full version of the letter and what motivated him to write it.

“I actually had to go to Rome for some interviews on this topic and, before leaving, I had an idea:…

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More than 20 years after the Spotlight scandals set off a wave of investigations and reform efforts in the Catholic Church, sexual abuse continues to be a subject of discussion.

The Vatican press office has said this week that the subject of sexual abuse has been brought up repeatedly in the general congregations that precede the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor.

Fr. Daniel Portillo, member of the Latin American Council of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Training for the Protection of Minors, spoke with The Pillar about the Church’s efforts at reform, and the role of the next pope in moving forward those efforts.

That interview is below. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Sexual abuse in the Church has been widely discussed in the press for many years – sometimes with exaggeration and bias, but at other times with balance and reason. Now, a report has come…

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The Catholic bishop of a New Jersey diocese said he would no longer oppose a state grand jury investigation of clergy sexual abuse that the church has been fighting behind closed doors in court for years.

It’s not clear, however, that the grand jury investigation will go forward because the state Supreme Court is already considering the diocese’s earlier argument against seating one.

In a letter Monday to the state Supreme Court, an attorney for the diocese said Camden Bishop Joseph Williams wished to inform the seven justices that “the Diocese of Camden will not object to the empanelment of a grand jury for the purpose of considering a presentment.”

Williams took over the diocese in March and first said in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer on Monday that the diocese no longer wished to prevent the attorney general’s office from seating a grand jury to investigate allegations…

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‘Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession — or they will be excommunicated from the Church,’ the Archdiocese of Seattle said

The Catholic Church announced that priests will be excommunicated if they follow a new Washington state law requiring clergy to report confessions about child abuse to law enforcement.

“Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession — or they will be excommunicated from the Church,” the Archdiocese of Seattle said in a statement. “All Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential and protected by the law of the Church.”

“The Catholic Church agrees with the goal of protecting children and preventing child abuse,” the statement added, noting that it “remains committed to reporting child sexual abuse, working with victim survivors towards healing and protecting all minors and vulnerable people.” 

The new law — signed by Democrat Gov. Bob…

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A new law in the U.S. state of Washington which requires “members of the clergy” to report cases of child abuse or neglect learned in the confessional to police is being looked at by the U.S. Justice Department to see if it violates the First Amendment of the United States.

Senate Bill 5375 passed by margins of 64-31 in the House and 28-20 in the Senate, and was signed by Democratic Governor Bob Ferguson, a Catholic, on Friday.

“Protecting our kids, first, is the most important thing. This bill protects Washingtonians from abuse and harm,” Ferguson said.

The Bill offered no exception for the absolute seal of confidentiality that applies to Catholic priests.

Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle issued a statement referring to the quote of Saint Peter in the Acts of the Apostles: “We must obey God rather than men.”

“This is our stance now in the face…

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If we are going to have a prayer of curbing sexual abuse crimes and cover-up in the Catholic Church, the next pope should be an American.

This might sound not just provincial but preposterous. Conventional wisdom holds that a U.S. cardinal will never be elected pope. That likely is truer than ever now, given the upcoming conclave’s large number of cardinal electors from the Global South.

And even if it were possible, who among the U.S. cardinals would be worthy? None of them stands out as a remarkable protector of children or healer of victims. Cover-up still happens here.

But here’s the stunning reality: Thanks largely to the United States’ unique civil justice system and robust free press, bishops here have been forced to adopt more prudent policies on abuse than bishops in any other country have.

U.S. bishops have become accustomed to two practices in particular…

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In the days leading up to the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor, a bevy of wealthy American business leaders, philanthropists and conservative activists have descended on Rome and Vatican City to meet, fete and dine with cardinals and churchmen in well-heeled settings.

Some cardinals were toasted at pricy venues and $100 bottles of wine were served at gatherings that seemed more akin to American political lobbying events than contemplative prayer services for prelates preparing to pick the next pope, according to media outlets and social media posts reviewed by the National Catholic Reporter. 

The festive atmosphere of the conservative gatherings was not specifically planned for the week after the death of Pope Francis. The events occurred now because the Novemdiales — the traditional nine-day mourning period that follows the death of a pope — coincided with “America Week,” an annual American-led fundraising period for Catholic causes in the Eternal…

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As 133 cardinals meet in Rome to decide the next pope, questions about the legacy of the last one will loom large over their discussions.

For the Catholic Church, no aspect of Pope Francis’ record is more sensitive or contentious than his handling of the sexual abuse of children by members of the clergy.

While he’s widely acknowledged to have gone further than his predecessors in acknowledging victims and reforming the Church’s own internal procedures, many survivors do not think he went far enough.

Alexa MacPherson’s abuse by a Catholic priest began around the age of three and continued for six years.

“When I was nine-and-a-half, my father caught him trying to rape me on the living room couch,” she told me when we met on the Boston waterfront.

“For me, it was pretty much an everyday occurrence.”

On discovering the abuse, her father called the police.

A court hearing…

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The alleged rape victim’s lawyer said they met media to present a ‘legal opinion’ to the conclave

Ahead of the papal conclave, a Japanese woman has claimed that Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo was complicit in covering up a Divine Word priest, who repeatedly raped her for more than four years.

Tokie Tanaka, 64, told the media on May 2 in Tokyo that Divine Word Father Vargas Flos Osvaldo Javier, raped her repeatedly from 2012-2017.

Tanaka accused the Divine Word congregation and Kikuchi, a member of the congregation, of inadequate actions. The priest from Chile fled Japan without even apologizing to her, she said.

The allegation against Kikuchi arises while Tanaka’s 2023 civil lawsuit is pending in a Tokyo District Court. It seeks compensation of 30 million yen (US$208,000) from the congregation.

Her lawyer, Kazue Akita, admitted to UCA News that the press conference was an…

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When I enter a Catholic sacred space as a survivor of clerical sexual abuse, I carry more than just my faith. I carry the weight of betrayal, the constant calculation of safety and an acute awareness of how institutions respond to abusers in their midst. The contrasting decisions regarding Marko Rupnik’s artwork at two of the most visited Marian shrines in the Catholic world—to preserve his mosaics at Fátima and to cover his mosaics at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Lourdes—reveal much about the church’s ongoing struggle to keep survivors at the center of attention in its response to abuse.

A former Jesuit and internationally acclaimed mosaic artist, Marko Rupnik was credibly accused of psychologically and sexually abusing at least 20 women, mostly religious sisters within his spiritual community, over three decades. Despite the Vatican’s procedural mishandling of his case—including the initial dismissal of accusations and a briefly…

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Your Eminence,

The task you face this week inspires awe. You have acknowledged in your general meetings that sexual abuse is a major challenge facing the next pope. This crisis will continue to undermine the moral authority and good works of the church for decades if the pope you choose does not dramatically change your laws and practices.

Change is possible. We have seen individual acts of brilliance, of godliness, and true grace by some Catholic prelates – singular instances of a bishop breaking rank in order to protect children and heal the wounded.

The next pope must be capable of such love and bravery.

Consider the list below. These are ten actions that the next pope could take. All could be launched in the first 100 days, and some could be completed in that time. Although just a start, such actions would begin to turn the page on this…

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Activists are fighting a church that wants to put the scandal behind it and a public that may be tiring of it. 

The priests were protected, not the children. 

Is the Catholic Church any different today than it was 20-plus years ago, when the scandal of clergy sexual abuse first engulfed the Archdiocese of Boston and then spread across the country and the world? When it comes to the church policing itself and disclosing its findings, it’s not different enough, according to survivors and their advocates. Which is why, as the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis begins this week, many survivors and their advocates are in Rome, where they are pressing the church, once again, for substantive change. 

But they are up against a church that has been eager to declare the scandal over and a public that may be tired of hearing about it. “I know…

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Members of the Vatican’s child protection body have called on cardinals to make safeguarding a priority, regardless of status or reputation, as they elect the new pope amid a scandal involving the presence at pre-conclave meetings of a cardinal accused of and punished by Pope Francis for abuse.

In a prayer published May 5 in English and Spanish, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) said that as the start of the conclave approaches, “We unite our voices with the People of God in a plea for discernment guided by the Holy Spirit – and shaped by the cries of those harmed by abuse within the Church.”

They prayed that the cardinals “may be guided by courage, humility, and a commitment to safeguarding,” saying, “The Church’s credibility depends on real accountability, transparency, and action rooted in justice.”

“Let no concern of scandal obscure the urgency of truth. Let…

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