German archbishop offers to resign over Church’s sexual abuse ‘catastrophe’
One of Roman Catholicism’s most influential liberal figures, Germany’s Cardinal Reinhard Marx, has offered to resign as archbishop of Munich, saying he had to share...
Catholic Church
German Catholic Church to offer abuse victims compensation
The victims of sexual abuse in Germany’s Catholic Church can apply for compensation payments of up to 50,000 euros from next year, the chairman of...
Former Vatican treasurer Pell jailed for 6 years for sexual attack on boys
By Sonali Paul MELBOURNE, March 13 (Reuters) – Former Vatican treasurer Cardinal George Pell was sentenced to six years in jail on Wednesday for sexually...
Vatican treasurer convicted of sexually abusing 13-year-old boys
By Sonali Paul MELBOURNE, Feb 26 (Reuters) – Vatican treasurer Cardinal George Pell has been found guilty on five charges of child sexual abuse committed...
Pope compares having an abortion to ‘hiring a hit man’
Pope Francis on Wednesday compared having an abortion to “hiring a “hit man” to eliminate a problematic person, in comments sure to be welcomed by...
Pope blames devil for Church divisions, scandals
The devil is alive and well and working overtime to undermine the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis says. In fact, the pope is so convinced...
Polish church turns to top court in paedophile case
An arm of the Catholic Church in Poland plans to ask the Supreme Court to annul a ruling requiring it to pay one million zloty...
German Catholic Church apologises for ‘pain’ of abuse victims
The head of the Catholic Church in Germany apologised on Tuesday “for all the failure and pain”, after a report found thousands of children had...
Church in Australia rejects abuse reporting, defying new laws
The Catholic church in Australia said on Friday it would oppose laws forcing priests to report child abuse when they learn about it in the confessional, setting...
Archbishop in Pope crisis says corruption reaches the top
The archbishop who sparked a crisis in the Catholic Church by calling on Pope Francis to resign has denied he was motivated by personal vendetta and said...
Pope to meet sexual abuse victims in Ireland as scandal jars Church
Pope Francis will meet victims of clergy sexual abuse during his trip to Ireland this weekend, the Vatican said on Tuesday, as scandals in several...
Pope accepts bishop’s resignation following misconduct allegations
Pope Francis accepted the resignation of a senior Roman Catholic bishop in Honduras on Friday, following allegations of financial and sexual impropriety against the cleric....
The eighth and the sixth
By Colette Ni Reamonn Ioannidou IN MY time, Roman Catholic primary school youngsters had two sets of tables drummed into them; the one and one...
Cardinal Bernard Law, symbol of Church’s sexual abuse crisis, dies
Cardinal Bernard Law, the former archbishop of Boston who became a symbol of the Roman Catholic Church’s worldwide sexual abuse scandals, died on Wednesday, the Vatican said....
Police question French cardinal over paedophile priest
French police questioned the Roman Catholic cardinal-archbishop of Lyon on Wednesday in an investigation into the activities of a paedophile priest in the early 1990s...
Three years on, pope leaves Catholic conservatives feeling marginalised
By Philip Pullella and Tom Heneghan Three years after the election of Pope Francis, Roman Catholic conservatives are growing increasingly worried that he is quietly...
‘Evil was done’, cardinal says after meeting abuse survivors
By Philip Pullella and Jane Wardell Cardinal George Pell, under fire for his handling of sexual abuse of children by priests in Australia, on Thursday...
Top Vatican cardinal says senior clergy lied about child sexual abuse
By Philip Pullella and Jane Wardell Australian Cardinal George Pell, the highest-ranking Vatican official to testify on systemic sexual abuse of children by clergy in...
Pope radically simplifies Catholic marriage annulment procedures
Pope Francis, making the most substantial changes to Catholic marriage annulment procedures in centuries, on Tuesday radically simplified them and said bishops should give greater...
Vatican signs first treaty with “State of Palestine,” Israel angered (update)
By Philip Pullella The Vatican signed its first treaty with the “State of Palestine” on Friday, calling for “courageous decisions” to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict...