News

The Samples were a black Chicago family, with six children and few resources. The priest helped them with tuition, clothes, bills. He offered the promise of opportunities — a better life. He also abused all the children. They told no one. They were afraid of not being believed and of losing what little they had, […]

News

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A new report from Vermont’s Roman Catholic Church says there were “credible and substantiated” allegations of the sexual abuse of minors against 40 priests in the state between 1950 and today. All but one of those allegations occurred prior to 2000 and most of the priests who were named are […]

News

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican expressed “shame and sorrow” Thursday over a scathing Pennsylvania grand jury report about clergy who raped and molested children in six dioceses in that state, calling the abuse “criminally and morally reprehensible” and saying Pope Francis wants to eradicate “this tragic horror.” In a written statement using uncharacteristically strong […]

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A priest raped a 7-year-old girl while visiting her in the hospital after she had her tonsils removed. Another priest forced a 9-year-old boy into having oral sex, then rinsed out the youngster’s mouth with holy water. One boy was forced to say confession to the priest who sexually abused him. […]

National News

A church lawyer is making her most detailed allegations yet about a cover-up of clergy sex abuse in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Jennifer Haselberger says in an affidavit released today that archbishops and staff ignored the 2002 pledge by Roman Catholic bishops to keep abusive clergy out of parishes. Haselberger spent five […]

National News

GENEVA (AP) — The Vatican released comprehensive statistics for the first time Tuesday on how it has disciplined priests accused of raping and molesting children, saying 848 priests have been defrocked and another 2,572 given lesser sanctions over the past decade. The Vatican’s U.N. ambassador in Geneva, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, revealed the figures during a […]