In cases of a cleric sexually abusing a "vulnerable adult," the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith investigates and judges only cases involving "persons who habitually have an imperfect use of reason," the dicastery said in a note published Jan. 30.
Other
Father Gabriele Martinelli, acquitted by the Vatican City criminal court in 2021 of sexually abusing a fellow seminarian, was found guilty on appeal of "corrupting a minor" and sentenced to two years and six months in prison.
Under Vatican law, like Italian law,
With a Wisconsin judge suspending his last remaining criminal trial for sexual abuse, former cardinal Theodore McCarrick has been granted a legal reprieve -- but clergy abuse survivors told OSV News the decision is a kind of "re-sentencing" for them and many
A California lawmaker has introduced a bill that would prohibit sexual abuse of adults by clergy, imposing fines and imprisonment for violators.
State Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine, filed Senate Bill 894, which expands and clarifies existing law to establish criminal penalties for offending
The Michigan Attorney General's Office Jan. 8 released its second of seven expected reports related to clergy sexual abuse in Michigan's seven dioceses and outlined its findings related to abuse allegations in the Diocese of Gaylord.
A Wisconsin judge has suspended a criminal case against former cardinal Theodore McCarrick Jan. 10, citing incompetency. McCarrick had been charged with fourth-degree sexual assault for abuse that allegedly took place in 1977.
The ruling follows a dismissal of all criminal charges against
A now-retired Missouri priest has been barred from hearing confessions, months after diocesan tribunal judges found he had abused his ecclesiastical office through financial misconduct.
The Diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri, announced Jan. 1 that Father Ignazio Medina had been declared guilty of
The Nashville Diocese said Jan. 6 that the associate pastor at a Franklin Catholic parish, Father Juan Carlos Garcia, has been removed from his parish post and from public ministry while the Franklin City Police Department investigates reports of sexual misconduct allegedly
"At the formal request of individuals here in the Archdiocese, the allegations against Archbishop Nienstedt were thoroughly investigated by officials outside of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in accordance with the process set forth in 'Vos estis,'" said Archbishop Hebda,
With a kiss, Judas betrayed Jesus.
With a kiss or other intimate touch, some people with power and influence betray the trust placed in them by those in their care.
A number of recent scandals in the church involving allegations of sexual grooming and