VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- "No effort must be spared" to prevent future cases of clerical sexual abuse and "to prevent the possibility of their being covered up," Pope Francis said in a letter addressed "to the people of God."
Read more
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In an Aug. 16 interview with Eternal Word Television Network, Erie Bishop Lawrence T. Persico said the only way to regain the trust of the laity after decades-long claims of sexual abuse by priests and others at six Pennsylvania dioceses is by deeds and one of those deeds may mean getting rid of bishops who hid abusers.
Read more
Kansas City, Mo., Aug 17, 2018 CNA/EWTN News.- Missouri Democratic leaders have voted to remove language acknowledging different views of abortion from their party platform, drawing criticism from pro-life Democrats who say they deserve to be recognized and the move could harm the party’s prospects this November.
Read more
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A U.S. Commerce Department decision that a question about citizenship status be included on the 2020 census has its fair share of critics and has prompted lawsuits. The critics say such questions might make people less likely to participate in the census, especially members of immigrant communities.
Read more
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A Pew Research Center report released Aug. 16 found that Americans' view of genetically engineering animals varies widely based on the intended purpose of the modifications. Despite the wide differences in approval of various uses of genetic engineering, men, those with high science knowledge (based on science-related questions Pew asked) and those low in religiosity were more likely to approve of any given use of genetic engineering than their counterparts.
Read more
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In a tweet, a U.S. bishop said he had spent the night reading a grand jury report detailing seven decades of child sex abuse claims in six Pennsylvania dioceses and "it was like reading a horror book."
Read more
BRAINTREE -- In a statement issued Aug. 16, Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley acknowledged the pain experienced by victims of clergy abuse and calling on Catholics to respond with action and not lose hope. The statement came two days after a Pennsylvania grand jury issued a 1,400-page report detailing cases of clergy sexual abuse in six of its dioceses over a period of 70 years. More than 300 priests were said to be linked to these cases, and over 1,000 children were identified as victims.
Read more
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In the wake of a grand jury report on clergy sexual abuse in six dioceses in Pennsylvania, a Vatican spokesman called the abuses described in the report as being "criminal and morally reprehensible."
Read more
Following is the text of a statement from Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley and released by the Archdiocese of Boston Aug. 16: There are times when words fail us - when they do not capture the depth of overwhelming situations we sometimes face in life. For the Church in the United States this is one of those times.
Read more
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Aug. 16 announced three key goals and a comprehensive plan to address the "moral catastrophe" of the new abuse scandal hitting the U.S. church.
Read more
PITTSBURGH (CNS) -- Bishop David A. Zubik of Pittsburgh expressed sorrow and apologized to young victims of clergy sexual abuse, while explaining his diocese's 30-year record of working to remove offenders, assist victims and prevent further abuse.
Read more
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis is traveling to Ireland specifically for the World Meeting of Families, but the sex abuse crisis is dominating headlines before his Aug. 25-26 trip. While coverage of clerical abuse in the United States, Chile and Australia continues, Irish news media have been filled with articles about how a top Vatican official allegedly tried to get Irish government officials to support deals that would protect church records of abuse allegations and limit the financial liability of the church.
Read more
Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley announced Aug. 10 that he has ordered an investigation into allegations made by former seminarians of inappropriate conduct at St. John's Seminary in Brighton. St. John's rector Msgr. James P. Moroney has been placed on "sabbatical leave" effective immediately, and Father Stephen E. Salocks has been named interim rector.
Read moreBRAINTREE -- Citing the need to take care of "important matters pertaining to the pastoral care" at St. John's Seminary, a statement from the Archdiocese of Boston announced on Aug. 15 that Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley will not be attending the upcoming World Meeting of Families in Ireland.
Read more
WALTHAM -- The Stigmatine Fathers and Brothers say they intend to challenge the City of Waltham, which plans to take their property by eminent domain for use as the site of the city's new high school.
Read more
BRAINTREE -- The newly appointed director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the Archdiocese of Boston, Father Gabriel Troy, brings a strong background in missions to his new position. Father Troy began his new post in July, taking over from Msgr. William Fay, who had served as the director since 2016.
Read more
This week more than 80 teachers joined a team from the Catholic Schools Office (CSO) and members from the Lynch School of Education at Boston College for the Archdiocese of Boston New Teacher Institute. During the two-day seminar, held Aug. 13-14, Catholic teachers who are new to the profession partnered with experienced practitioners and Lynch School of Education faculty to set the foundation for a successful academic year.
Read more
BOSTON -- On Aug. 13, the eve of St. Maximillian Kolbe's feast day, Roy Schoeman shared his conversion testimony and the story of St. Maximilian Kolbe with an audience at St. Francis Chapel in Boston's Prudential Center Mall.
Read moreWASHINGTON (CNS) -- With the Aug. 14 release of a Pennsylvania grand jury report on priestly sexual abuse of minors, the U.S. Catholic Church again is confronting questions about its response to abuse allegations dating back several decades.
Read more
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- When Chris Bell was working in Times Square in the late 1970s, he was shocked to repeatedly see young mothers entering crisis shelters with their children, and he decided that he had to do something.
Read more
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- With allegations of past sexual abuse made against Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick and questions raised about why his behavior was never addressed by church leaders, there has been a lot of talk about what went wrong and the steps church leaders should take to bring about healing and regain trust.
Read more
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Mary's assumption into heaven was a special sign of God's favor, but it also indicates God's desire to save all people, body and soul, Pope Francis said. Reciting the Angelus prayer on the feast of the Assumption Aug. 15, Pope Francis also asked the crowd in St. Peter's Square to join him in praying for the 38 people who died Aug. 14 when a large span of a highway bridge collapsed in Genoa, Italy.
Read more
Following is the text of a statement released by the Archdiocese of Boston Aug. 15: Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley, OFM Cap, Archbishop of Boston and Chair of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Children, unfortunately will not be able to participate in the World Meeting of Families to be held in Dublin, Ireland from August 21-26.
Read more
Washington D.C., Aug 14, 2018 CNA.- Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, D.C., and the former Bishop of Pittsburgh, has been named more than 200 times in a Pennsylvania grand jury report, released Aug. 14, after an 18-month investigation into historic allegations of sexual abuse in six Pennsylvania Catholic dioceses.
Read more
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The U.S. bishops as "are shamed by and sorry for the sins and omissions by Catholic priests and Catholic bishops" that have led to sexual abuse and caused great harm to many, said an Aug. 14 statement from the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the chairman of its child protection committee.
Read more
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A Pennsylvania grand jury report issued Aug. 14 paints a picture of a Catholic Church in six of the state's dioceses that for decades handled claims of sex abuse of minors under its care by hiding the allegations and brushing aside its victims.
Read more
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The report begins dramatically, imploring its readers: "We, the members of this grand jury, need you to hear this." Plain and simple, at least 1,000 children identified in the investigation were raped in Catholic places of worship, in schools, and in diocesan owned vehicles, and were "groomed" through diocesan programs and retreats so they could be molested, wrote members of a 23-person grand jury who heard those accounts over a period of almost two years of an investigation of clergy sex abuse said to have taken place in six dioceses in the state of Pennsylvania over 70 years. Their findings were unveiled Aug. 14.
Read more