The Catholic Church needs “new legal structures of accountability” for bishops accused of sexual abuse or of negligence in handling abuse allegations, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago told the Vatican summit on safeguarding. Addressing Pope Francis and some 190 presidents of bishops’ conferences, heads of Eastern Catholic churches, religious superiors and officials of the…
A state senator in California introduced a bill yesterday which would seek to force priests to violate the sacramental seal of Confession in suspected cases of child abuse or neglect. Clergy are already mandatory reporters in the state of California, but there is a legal exemption for material disclosed in the confessional. Senator Jerry Hill…
Archbishop Eamon Martin elected to key role Michael Kelly in Rome Pope Francis has warned Church leaders that the entire Catholic world is looking to a Vatican summit this week for decisive action on abuse. Addressing the meeting on the protection of minors at the Vatican this morning (Thursday) the Pontiff told bishops and…
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. The February 21-24 summit meeting has brought together almost 190 Church leaders: the presidents of…
Exclusive Ahead of an unprecedented summit on abuse opening in the Vatican this morning (Thursday), Archbishop Eamon Martin has rejected the idea that the abuse scandals can be attributed to priests who are gay. Speaking exclusively to The Irish Catholic, Dr Martin also insisted that the Church has to do a lot more research…
Parishioners need to be helped welcome refugees into their communities and cannot simply be taken for granted, Elphin’s Bishop Kevin Doran has said. Speaking to The Irish Catholic after the publication of a joint statement with Bishop Francis Duffy of Ardagh and Clonmacnois, Dr Doran said “our responsibilities as a nation under international law, and…
The Church in the North will continue to resist efforts to divide the community even if a hard border follows a no-deal Brexit, Derry’s Bishop Donal McKeown has said. Speaking against the background of a UNESCO-backed report that claims young people in the North would be groomed into violence by extremist and terrorist organisations following…
Colm Fitzpatrick and Greg Daly Parishioners must play a more active role in keeping their local churches afloat, Waterford and Lismore’s bishop Phonsie Cullinan has warned. Dr Cullinan said that lay people are called to be involved in and support the Church which at a “very nuts and bolts” level requires financial contribution in their local parish. His…
A Dublin priest who is embracing technology has said parishes that set up online sites facilitating online payments could encourage young people to make donations. Spearheading the Archdiocese of Dublin’s new initiative that allows parishioners to make card payments in Church, Fr John Bracken of Dundrum parish said to further tackle declining donations an online…
Pope Francis has restored priestly faculties to 94-year-old Fr Ernesto Cardenal, who had been suspended in 1984 for holding a cabinet position in Nicaragua’s Sandinista government, in violation of canon law. “The Holy Father has graciously granted the absolution of all canonical censures imposed on Rev. Fr Ernesto Cardenal, accepting the request he had recently…
Michael Kelly
Chai Brady
Greg Daly