MELBOURNE, Australia — The leader of Hillsong, the Australian megachurch that has attracted throngs of young people and celebrities worldwide, has stepped down as he prepares to fight a criminal charge of concealing historical child sexual abuse by his father. The church’s leader, Brian Houston, said in a statement published on Hillsong’s website on Sunday that he […]
Read MoreMonth: February 2022
ROME — Catholic groups and abuse survivors on Tuesday called on the Roman Catholic Church in Italy, which has yet to reckon with the scourge of sexual abuse by priests, to create an independent commission to investigate how the crisis has been handled. In a number of countries — including Australia, France, Ireland and the […]
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SEOUL, South Korea — A prominent church pastor whose behavior came under scrutiny when the #MeToo movement took hold in South Korea was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison for “habitually” raping female followers who said they were deceived into believing that he was God. Lee Jae-rock, 75, the founder of Manmin Central Church in Seoul, has been […]
Read MoreA South Korean pastor has been sentenced to 15 years in jail for raping eight female followers of his mega-church. Lee Jae-rock, 75, has about 130,000 followers at the Manmin Central Church in Seoul. He denied all the charges. His victims had spoken of his “divine power” and said they felt compelled to do what […]
Read MoreFirst there was the priest sentenced for allegedly plotting to poison a top church official. Then there was the other priest who alleged that Georgia’s prime minister and a billionaire businessman wanted to kill the church’s revered spiritual leader. Oh, and don’t forget the priest who nearly got into a fight with clergymen and who, […]
Read MoreThe Catholic Church of Norway has admitted illegally registering thousands of foreigners to the church without asking their consent in a bid to win more government funding. Since 2010, the number of registered members of the Roman Catholic Church has increased by 66,000 – to more than 120,000. Many people may be members without knowing […]
Read MoreVarious churches in Norway have been accused of manipulating membership figures in order to increase state funding. Here’s what you need to know. In a recent episode of Alt for Norge, the Norwegian American contestants were told that “around 75% of the Norwegian population belong to the Church of Norway”. Having lived in the country for […]
Read MoreOslo’s Bishop Bernt Eidsvig The courts have found that the Catholic Church in Norway defrauded the state of millions of pounds over several years, yet church leaders remain reluctant to admit juridical guilt. A leading Norwegian theologian examines a case that has infuriated many inside and outside the Church The humiliating saga began in February […]
Read More(CNN) — A former Catholic bishop in Norway has admitted sexually abusing a minor 20 years ago, a spokesman for the Norwegian Catholic Church said Wednesday. Bishop Georg Mueller admitted to having sexually abused an altar boy but said there were no other victims, said church spokesman Andreas Dingstad. Mueller, 58, became a priest in 1978 […]
Read MoreAhead of key Uttar Pradesh elections, state police accused of being ‘mercenaries’ of hardline Hindu nationalist government Fatima Begum’s son, Altaf, was said to have hanged himself in prison, but his family tell a different story. Photograph: Shaikh Azizur Rahman/The GuardianRights and freedom is supported by About this contentHannah Ellis-Petersen and Shaikh Azizur Rahman in […]
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