Aug 20 Pope on sex abuse: ‘We showed no care for the little ones’ By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press Pope Francis issued a letter to Catholics around the world, condemning the crime of priestly sexual abuse and its cover-up and demanding accountability, seeking to respond to new revelations in the U.S. of decades of misconduct by the Catholic Church. Continue reading
Aug 16 Vatican is in ‘shame and sorrow’ over abuses in Pennsylvania By Frances D'Emilio, Associated Press The Vatican expressed "shame and sorrow" Thursday over a scathing Pennsylvania grand jury report about clergy who raped and molested children. Pope Francis wants to eradicate "this tragic horror."… Continue reading
Aug 14 Watch 9:59 ‘Secret archives’ detailed priests’ child sex abuse and cover-ups, Pa. attorney general says A scathing new grand jury report in Pennsylvania describes decades of sexual abuse by Catholic priests. At least 1,000 children were molested by more than 300 clergy, the panel found, which also claims a conspiracy of silence extended all the… Continue watching
Jul 28 U.S. prelate McCarrick resigns from College of Cardinals By Frances D'Emilio, Associated Press Pope Francis has accepted U.S. prelate Theodore McCarrick's offer to resign from the College of Cardinals following allegations of sexual abuse. Continue reading
Jun 11 Pope Francis begins purge at Chilean church over sex abuse scandal By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the bishop at the center of Chile's clerical sex abuse scandal and two others, launching a purge of a Catholic Church that has lost its credibility under an avalanche of accusations of abuse and… Continue reading
Apr 28 British toddler at center of legal battle dies By Danica Kirka, Sylvia Hui, Associated Press Alfie Evans, a sick British toddler whose parents won support from the pope during a protracted legal battle to take him to the Vatican children's hospital for treatment, died early Saturday, five days after he was taken off life support. Continue reading
Apr 12 Vatican says Pope Francis apology letter is a ‘spiritual state of emergency’ for Chilean church By Associated Press In an interview Thursday with The Associated Press, Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said Francis' letter to the Chilean hierarchy was an acknowledgment that he had made a mistake about abuse victims and that "yes, we believe you, you have your… Continue reading
Apr 01 ‘Hope and dignity:’ Pope calls for peace in Easter message By Associated Press Pope Francis called for peace in a world marked by war and conflict,"beginning with the beloved and long-suffering land of Syria" and extending to Israel. Continue reading
Mar 21 Vatican press chief resigns over doctored letter By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press The head of the Vatican's communications department resigned Wednesday in a scandal about a letter from the retired pope that he mischaracterized in public and then had digitally manipulated in a photograph sent to the media. Continue reading
Dec 25 Pope Francis offers Christmas blessings to children ‘wherever peace and security are threatened’ By Molly Finnegan Speaking to an estimated crowd of 50,000 from a balcony above the Vatican's St. Peter's Square, the pope called for a two-state solution in the Middle East, and an end to conflicts on the Korean Peninsula, in Myanmar, Syria, Yemen,… Continue reading