clergy sex abuse

Pope Francis prays with his hands clasped in front of his pectoral cross during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican May 15, 2024. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Pope Francis Leaves Complicated Legacy on Sexual Abuse Crisis

Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis attempted to balance defending the church from criticism while showing compassion toward survivors, with often mixed results.
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Then-Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick is seen in this 2011 file photo. The disgraced former cardinal, removed from the clerical state in 2019 after revelations of credible allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct with adults, died April 3, 2025, in Missouri. He was 94.

Disgraced former cardinal McCarrick dies at 94

The disgraced former cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, removed from the clerical state in 2019 after revelations of credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors and misconduct against adults, has died in Missouri. He was 94.
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A Roman collar is seen on display at the International Religious Products and Services Exhibition in Bologna, Italy, Feb. 13, 2024. (CNS photo/Justin McLellan)

Survivor advocates call for universal ‘zero tolerance’ of clerical abuse

A watchdog group in the U.S. is applauding calls to make "zero tolerance" for clerical abuse the rule for the worldwide Church.
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20 years of abuse settlements for US Catholic dioceses exceeds $5 billion total

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles' $880 million abuse claims settlement, announced Oct. 16, brings the total payouts of U.S. Catholic dioceses for abuse claims since 2004 to more than $5 billion -- and possibly more than $6 billion -- OSV News has ...
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A group of protestors stand outside the Shrine of Our Lady of Valverde in the southern Italian city of Enna Aug. 22, 2024, to protest the local clergy’s role in covering up clerical sexual abuse. Among those present was Antonio Messina, center-right, who was 16 when Father Giuseppe Rugolo, a priest of the Diocese of Piazza Armerina, abused him. Father Rugolo was convicted March 5 on charges of aggravated sexual assault against Messina and another unnamed victim and sentenced to more than four years in prison. (OSV News photo/courtesy Antonio Messina)

Catholics in Southern Italian diocese protest abuse cover up

Catholics in the Southern Italian city of Enna, Sicily, protested the local church's role in covering up sexual abuse after a court recently ruled that the diocesan bishop sought to protect a priest accused of having abused several minors as a ...
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Abbé Pierre, a well-known activist for the poor and the homeless who died in 2007 at the age of 94, is pictured in this Oct. 3, 2002, file photo. French Catholics were shocked to learn July 17, 2024 of the "sexual assault or sexual harassment" allegations against the famed priest. (OSV News photo/Philippe Wojazer, Reuters)

French priest known for care of the poor accused of abuse

French Catholics were shocked to learn of the “sexual assault or sexual harassment” allegations against the famed priest Abbé Pierre.
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