Lee Jae-rock set up the Manmin Central Church in Guro, once a poor area of Seoul, with just 12 followers in 1982. It has now grown to 130,000 members South Korea has proven fertile ground for religious groups with strong, unambiguous ideologies that offered comfort and salvation that appealed strongly during times of deep uncertainty […]
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SEOUL (AFP) – A South Korean cult leader was convicted on Thursday (Nov 22) of the multiple rape of eight female followers – some of whom believed he was God – and jailed for 15 years. Pastor Lee Jaerock’s victims were “unable to resist, as they were subject to the accused’s absolute religious authority”, judge […]
Read MoreBy South Korea correspondent Carrington Clarke, Sook-young Lee and Mitch Denman Woolnough in Seoul Posted Sun 2 May 2021 at 12:46amSunday 2 May 2021 at 12:46am, updated Sun 2 May 2021 at 6:37amSunday 2 May 2021 at 6:37am At 24, Kim Eun-kang was pursuing her dream of becoming a traditional Korean music singer. But she gave it all up to compete […]
Read MorePope Benedict XVI failed to act over complaints during the 1990s about a priest in the US who is thought to have abused some 200 deaf boys, victims say. As head of the Vatican office dealing with sex abuses, the then Cardinal Ratzinger allegedly did not respond to letters from an archbishop on the case. […]
Read MoreIn recent months allegations and admissions of child abuse by priests have shaken the Roman Catholic Church to its core, as a continuous stream of cases has surfaced across Western Europe and beyond. Experts say there is no evidence of a link between celibacy and abuse The Vatican has defended itself by suggesting this is […]
Read MoreThe Vatican’s handling of child abuse allegations has been called into question, following a senior cardinal’s suggestion of a link between homosexuality and paedophilia. Gerard O’Connell of the British Catholic newspaper The Universe says the Church’s attempts to defend itself often just cause more damage. Where is the Vatican’s media strategy going wrong? Pope Benedict […]
Read MoreA high-profile former Roman Catholic priest in Italy has been charged with sexual abuse. Pierino Gelmini, 85, is alleged to have abused 12 young people at a drug rehabilitation centre he had founded. He denies the charges. Mr Gelmini left the priesthood two years ago to defend himself. The Comunita Incontro, which runs drug rehabilitation […]
Read MoreLUJAN DE CUYO, Argentina -When investigators swept in and raided the religious Antonio Provolo Institute for the Deaf, they uncovered one of the worst cases yet among the global abuse scandals plaguing the Catholic Church: a place of silent torment where prosecutors say pedophiles preyed on the most isolated and submissive children. The scope of […]
Read MoreFrance’s Prime Minister Jean Castex has been received in Rome this Monday by Pope Francis amid shocking revelations of sexual abuse and a “secrecy of confession” controversy that have shaken the French Catholic Church to its core. Castex’s visit to the Vatican this Monday morning had been overshadowed by reactions following the publication of the conclusions of the Independent Commission on […]
Read MoreVATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Nine members of a defunct, cult-like Roman Catholic religious order in Italy’s Tuscany region are under investigation for alleged sexual abuse of two brothers when they were minors, authorities said on Wednesday. The nine, including five priests and three other men, were members of a religious order called the Disciples of […]
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