Tag: Catholic sex abuse scandal

Pope aide Pell to stand trial on multiple sex abuse charges

  by Daniel De Carteret Agence France Presse MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — The Vatican’s finance chief Cardinal George Pell Tuesday became the highest-ranked Catholic to be sent for trial over historic sex offences, as the elderly priest vowed to fight the charges. The 76-year-old was impassive throughout the hearing in the Australian city of Melbourne that ordered him to face a jury on “multiple” charges, although half of the allegations against him — including some […]

Scathing U.N. report demands Vatican act against child sex abuse

An unprecedented and scathing United Nations report said on Wednesday (February 5) that the Vatican has consistently placed the reputation of the Church above the interests of child sex abuse victims. The U.N. watchdog for children’s rights demanded that the Vatican “immediately remove” all clergy who are known or suspected child abusers and turn them over to civil authorities, as well as hand over its archives on sexual abuse of tens of thousands of children. The watchdog’s exceptionally blunt paper — […]