News
Cesareo urges greater role for laity in church’s response to abuse
Laypeople must be involved in a "more meaningful and influential role" to help Catholic bishops create "an environment of safety within the church," the chairman of the National Review Board said in an opinion piece published by The Boston Globe.
At summit, survivors expose ‘cancer’ of clergy sex abuse
UPDATED - The pre-recorded testimonies of five survivors were broadcast in the synod hall; the Vatican did not disclose their names, but only whether they were male or female and their country of origin.
Vatican summit opens with acknowledgment of evil committed
Opening the Vatican summit on child protection and the clerical sexual abuse crisis, Pope Francis said, "The holy people of God are watching and are awaiting from us not simple, predictable condemnations, but concrete and effective measures" to stop abuse.
Colorado dioceses, attorney general launch initiatives to address abuse
Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila, on behalf of the bishops of Colorado's three Catholic dioceses, joined Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser at a news conference Feb. 19 to announce several measures to address child sex abuse, including an independent review of records on abuse claims from the three dioceses.
Bishops must protect their flock from abuse at all costs, archbishop says
Catholics need to know that their leaders "mean business" when it comes to protecting minors from abuse, the Vatican's top abuse investigator told representatives of the world's bishops and religious orders.
Ahead of abuse summit, survivor says church is on borrowed time
On the eve of a major summit on the abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, survivors said concrete action, not words, must be made to restore the trust of those who have suffered at the hands of members of the clergy.
Kentucky bishops voice approval for bill that protects pregnant women
The bill's provisions expand "reasonable accommodations" for pregnant women in the workplace to include "frequent or longer breaks, time off to recover from childbirth, acquisition or modification of equipment" and "less strenuous or less hazardous work."
Supreme Court throws out inmate’s death sentence due to mental disability
The court's 6-3 decision Feb. 19 did not return the case to the lower courts as it did two years ago but instead tossed out the lower court's decision to execute Bobby James Moore.
Pipeline struggle reveals value of community to religious congregation
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Feb. 19, 2019, to hear an appeal by the Adorers of the Blood of Christ that their religious freedom was being violated by the construction of the pipeline through their land in Columbia, Pa.
Georgetown University rescinds honorary degree from McCarrick
Georgetown University in Washington is the latest institution to announce it is rescinding an honorary degree it gave to former U.S. Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick in 2004.