Protection of Children and Adults

Policy benchmarks developed from a study of sexual harassment and misconduct at seminaries and religious houses of formation in the United States are being promoted as a way to stem the abuses that came to light recently about former cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

Hamburg Archbishop Stefan Hesse has stepped down from his post as spiritual assistant to the Central Committee of German Catholics, the most important laypeople's organization of the church in Germany, pending clarification of all the allegations about his possible role in covering up sexual abuse cases during his time in Cologne.

The Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops has ordered an investigation into Bishop Oscar Cantu’s handling of allegations of clerical sexual abuse and misconduct. The investigation is being carried out under the provisions of Vos estis lux mundi.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi organized a seminar to create awareness among women and girls about their rights and the growing phenomenon of forced conversion and child marriage in Pakistan

Our Sunday Visitor offers a helpful perspective on understanding the McCarrick Report.

Unfortunately, the Church can never apologize adequately to those who were harmed.  Thus, it is our duty to help victims heal and to be aggressive in maintaining policies and protocols that prevent abuse and ensure safe environments for children and vulnerable adults in the future.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In more than seven years as leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has issued numerous new laws and guidelines for handling accusations of clerical sexual abuse and its cover-up by church officials.

Although dogged for years by rumors of sexual impropriety, Theodore E. McCarrick was able to rise up the Catholic hierarchical structure based on personal contacts, protestations of his innocence and a lack of church officials reporting and investigating accusations, according to the Vatican summary of its report on the matter.

My advice? Don’t read any insta-analysis of the report from 8:00 a.m. tomorrow until at least a few hours later. Anyone who purports to have digested the whole thing before then isn’t being serious.

As a result of inquiries into accusations against Cardinal Henryk Gulbinowicz, and after analyzing other charges concerning his past, the Holy See has taken disciplinary measures," the Vatican's nunciature in Warsaw said

Then-Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick attends a Mass in Rome in this April 13, 2018, file photo. The Vatican announced Nov. 6 that its long-awaited report on former Cardinal McCarrick will be released on at 2 p.m., Nov. 10, 2020, Rome time.

At a criminal trial involving alleged sexual abuse at a minor seminary located in the Vatican, the Vatican City State criminal court approved a motion to charge the seminary and the religious institution that runs it with failing to protect the young students.

he president of Focolare has accepted the resignations of the lay movement's top leaders in France and announced the group will ask an independent committee to investigate how allegations of the sexual abuse of minors have been handled.

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of a Polish bishop accused of negligence after a documentary claimed he repeatedly transferred a priest accused of sexually abusing children.

A report detailing sexual abuse and assault allegations against Catholic musician and composer David Haas describes him using his influence as a faith leader in grooming victim/survivors and suppressing reports or concerns about his behavior.

The meetings, held twice a year, give the 17 members a chance to listen to each working group’s progress report and to lay the groundwork for future action.

Jim Richter, a victim of sexual abuse, said he felt he had been "assaulted" again when listening to news reports on the radio as he drove to work. The reports, he said, triggered a recurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder, known as PTSD.

Karna Lozoya, the host of a new podcast documenting the clerical sexual abuse crisis in the United States, has said the message those behind it want to send is that while important steps have been taken, it is far from over.

A new podcast series, "Crisis," has debuted, which examines the clergy sexual abuse crisis in the U.S. church. Produced by the Catholic Project at The Catholic University of America, Washington, its 10 episodes plan to recount the history of the crisis and church leaders' responses to it.

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Father Michel J. Mulloy -- who had been appointed but not installed as bishop of Duluth, Minnesota -- after an allegation of sexual abuse was raised against him from South Dakota in the 1980s.