News Story of the Day
Bishop of Bling v. USCCB’s Omertà
There’s no doubt that the profligate lifestyle of the Bishop of Limburg, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, stinks like the local cheese. One can hope that Pope Francis has exiled him him from his palatial residence to contemplate his behavior in a monastic cell with a hard cot, a diet of bread and legumes, and the bathroom down the hall.
Church wavers on child sex scandals in pope's homeland
LIMA, Peru — Pope Francis’ promise of a more humble, tolerant Catholic Church may have earned rave reviews around the world, but in Latin America, a string of child sex scandals has left some wondering what's really changed in the Vatican.
Former Minnesota archdiocesan official shines a light on failures
"Be loving critics and critical lovers of the institutional church."
Jennifer Haselberger first heard that phrase while she was an undergraduate student at the College of St. Catherine (now St. Catherine University) in St. Paul, Minn. When she returned home in 2008 to take the position of chancellor of canonical affairs for the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese, the phrase returned with her. Responsible for its records and archives, she discovered unreported allegations of clergy sex abuse and lapses in investigations
Fundraiser for former Mount St. Mary athletic director under fire from abuse groups
LITTLE ROCK (KATV) - A weekend benefit is set to honor a former Mount St. Mary's Academy employee who was fired last year for failing to report sexual assault. The "going-away" party for Kathy Griffin, the all-girls school former athletic director is now coming under fire by two national sex abuse advocacy groups – one of which is asking the Arkansas Catholic Diocese to step in.
Files detail Chisago County investigation of St. Thomas priest
University of St. Thomas professor Michael J. Keating told a fellow priest in 2006 that a teenage Italian girl had "seduced" him and he was worried that his colleague might get the wrong impression.
Our View: Church should reveal identities of accused clergy
Some wounds, if closed too quickly, can appear to heal on the surface while festering deep below the skin. When that happens, it can be necessary to reopen the wound, to expose and remove the infection.
Minnesota's Catholic church is at such a point. The infection, in this case, is a list of alleged sex offenders among the clergy in each diocese in Minnesota.
St. Thomas priest sued, citing sexual contact involving girl
A St. Paul priest and University of St. Thomas professor was named in a lawsuit Monday by a woman who said he abused her when she was a minor.
New documents show church leaders debated legality of priest's porn
Archbishop John Nienstedt was in the middle of a heated political fight over same-sex marriage in February of last year when he learned of a disturbing secret, hidden in the basement of the chancery — pornography from a priest's computer, some of which appeared to depict children.
California Bill to Help Sexual-Abuse Victims Sits on Governor’s Desk
California Senate Bill 131, otherwise known as the The Child Victims Act, was passed by the state Legislature earlier this year–but it’s still sitting on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk. He has until October 13 to sign the bill, veto it or let it pass into law without signing.
Pope Francis Concealed His Actions Against Two Prelates. Now Both “Whereabouts are Unknown.”
A “dossier" accusing papal nuncio Archbishop Josef Wesolowski of sex abuse of minors was sent to Pope Francis sometime in July by Santo Domingo Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez. The pope found the information credible enough to dismiss Wesolowski, nuncio to both the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, on Aug. 21 via confidential letter N.2706/PR to the bishops of both countries.