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Reacting to the publication of the CIASE report on sexual abuse in the Church in France, Jesuit Fr. Federico Lombardi reflects on the need to include women in addressing the crisis and to continue to listen to victims.

At Wednesday's General Audience, Pope Francis prays for victims of clerical sexual abuse in France, expressing his sadness and grief at the trauma they have experienced.

A request by Vatican prosecutors to withdraw testimony in a megatrial regarding financial malfeasance prompted defense lawyers to call for the case to be thrown out.

Pope Francis prayed for the tens of thousands of victims of clerical sexual abuse in France and urged the Catholic Church in the country to "undertake a path of redemption."

Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne will take a "spiritual sabbatical" after a Vatican investigation found he did nothing illegal in his handling of clerical sex abuse allegations, but he did contribute to a "crisis of trust" in his archdiocese.

The President of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley, highlights the Church’s need for pastoral conversion in her response to the sexual abuse crisis, as a 4-day safeguarding conference concludes in Warsaw, Poland.

Both the Church and society in Poland were unprepared to face the crisis caused by the sexual abuse of minors. Negative reactions prevailed at first. In the last few years, thanks to journalists and clear direction from the Holy See, the Church in Poland has learned how to create an integrated structure for the protection of minors and the support of victims.

As a safeguarding conference wraps up in the Polish capital of Warsaw, Prof. Myriam Wijlens expresses hope that the Church is learning to listen to survivors of clerical sexual abuse, but says the next step is for justice to be administered.

Over the past few days, representatives of the Bishops' Conferences from Central and Eastern Europe have gathered in Warsaw to confront the crisis of sexual abuse. Father Adam Żak, a member of the organizing committee, explains the socio-political and cultural situation that has affected the Church’s response in the region.

The Catholic Bishops of Germany are holding their Fall Plenary Assembly, which focuses on the ongoing Synodal Path and reform in the Church.

As a safeguarding conference in Warsaw wraps up its third day of deliberations, Church leaders from across Central and Eastern Europe examine how the suffering caused by clerical sexual abuse impacts the lives of survivors.

On Sunday afternoon, Cardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley, President of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, addressed participants in “Our Common Mission of Safeguarding God’s Children”, a regional conference on the protection of minors for Central and Eastern Europe, outlining the pastoral conversion necessary. What follows is an excerpt of his opening remarks.

Church representatives from Central and Eastern Europe wrap up the second day of a safeguarding conference in Warsaw, which seeks to turn the pain endured by survivors of clerical sexual abuse into the seeds of a more faithful Church.

Pope Francis urged bishops from throughout Eastern Europe to recognize mistakes in their handling of sexual abuse in order to open "new horizons of love and reciprocal service."

As Catholics in Germany prepare for their second Synodal Assembly, Aachen Bishop Helmut Dieser has appealed for open debate to be held within the auspices of the Synodal Path reform project and not in the media, on the internet or other platforms.

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn has been exonerated by a Vatican-ordered investigation of sexual abuse allegations that date back nearly a half-century.

While financial reforms in the Vatican are progressing steadily, cases involving corruption and malfeasance in the Eternal City are "a disease that we relapse into," Pope Francis said.

Although trials are supposed to be about the impartial administration of justice, anyone who’s ever watched “Law and Order” knows they’re really about a catfight among the various parties. The system is called “adversarial” precisely because the idea is that such a vigorous contest will, eventually, result in justice.

A Vatican prosecutor requested that Father Gabriele Martinelli, who is accused of sexually abusing a younger student at the St. Pius X Pre-Seminary, be sentenced to six years in prison if convicted.

A Vatican prosecutor requested that Father Gabriele Martinelli, who is accused of sexually abusing a younger student at the St. Pius X Pre-Seminary, be sentenced to six years in prison if convicted.