Kids were hurt and crimes were concealed on Cardinal Rigali's watch in Philadelphia. For that reason, we urge him to recuse himself from voting on the next pope. 

Dozens of deaf men were abused as kids by a priest. As adults, they were betrayed by Cardinal Angelo Sodano and other Catholic officials who ignored their pleas for help. We grieve for these once-helpless children and struggling adults as Sodano prepares to lead a special liturgy tomorrow as the conclave begins.

Here are three documents about the Francesco Zanardi case.

(Zanardi has many more.)

One is reportedly a 2003 letter from then-Bishop Calcagno to then-Cardinal Ratzinger asking what to do about Fr.  Giraudo because of his alleged sexual abuses of Savona children.

Two others are reportedly documents written by Savona church officials about Fr. Giraudo's personal history, and reportedly includes this sentence: "Nulla è trapelato sui giornali e non ci sono denunce in corso," essentially meaning "so far nothing of this case came out in the newspapers and none of the abused have pressed charges."

For more info on the case, please see our EVENTS section.

The National Catholic Reporter disclosed today that Vatican servers are blocking users from accessing www.bishopaccountability.org.

Here are 20 simple steps the next pope could and should promptly take with little effort or real controversy. Based on our 25 years of dealing with this crisis, we are convinced these moves will make children much safer by exposing and deterring wrongdoing in child sex cases by church staff.

We sincerely apologize for offending anyone by using the phrase "dirty dozen."

Dear Fr. Andrzej Urbański,

We urge you to take action against the Reverend Joseph J. Henn. Specifically, we are asking you to

In a new interview with the Chicago Tribune, Cardinal George says that Cardinals are ‘vetting’ one another on abuse and cover up. If he is correct about this – and we hope he is – we are encouraged. But such vetting should go beyond just likely papal candidates. It should be vigorously expanded to include all church officials.

The following three papal candidates are the ones we feel are the most “promising candidates”. These three were chosen based on their words and actions in regards to the clergy sex abuse crisis. Sources include mainstream media accounts, legal filings and victims’ experiences. The names are in no particular order.

Thankfully the American people now understand that top ranking Vatican officials have not addressed the problem of sexual violence within the church. Americans should remain vigilant in demanding zero tolerance from US bishops, especially since a grand jury found three dozen predators working in one diocese just over a year ago, (Philadelphia.) 

First, we want to urge Catholic prelates to stop pretending that the worst is over regarding the clergy sex abuse and cover up crisis. Tragically, the worst is almost certainly ahead. This scandal, we believe, has yet to surface in most nations. It’s shameless spin and deliberate deception to claim otherwise. It’s tempting to reassure the public and the parishioners by making this claim. But it’s also irresponsible. (It leads to complacency, and complacency protects no one. Only vigilance protects the vulnerable.)

The following twelve papal candidates are the ones that we are most worried about becoming the next pope. These twelve were chosen based exclusively on their actions and/or public comments about child sex abuse and cover up in the church. Sources include mainstream media accounts, legal filings and victims’ experiences. The names are in no particular order.