A long-awaited report on sexual abuse in Germany’s Munich diocese has faulted retired Pope Benedict XVI’s handling of cases when he was archbishop in the 1970s and 1980s BERLIN — A long-awaited report on sexual abuse in Germany’s Munich diocese on Thursday faulted retired Pope Benedict XVI’s handling of four cases when he was archbishop […]
Read MoreCategory: Christanity
Germany’s Catholic Church has been rocked by a string of reports in recent years exposing widespread abuse of children by clergymen, with the newest investigation placing ex-Pope Benedict XVI, the archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982, in the spotlight. Berlin: A potentially explosive report into the handling of child sex abuse in the Catholic […]
Read MoreA system of “silence, secrecy and lack of oversight” led to a lack of compassion for the victims of sexual abuse by the clergy, a German cardinal has announced. Archbishop of Cologne Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki said he bore some responsibility for the sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the German Catholic Church and that […]
Read MoreThe pope has issues with your dog. And your cat. And your guppy, though he didn’t specifically mention your guppy. He was focused on pets in general — and on how, according to him, we’re rerouting our procreative and protective impulses toward them. Where you see a cockatoo, His Holiness apparently sees a baby who […]
Read MoreMELBOURNE, 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 MoreROME — 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 […]
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