Tag: Vatican

Church ‘mucked up’ with pedophile priests: Vatican finance chief

by Martin Parry SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) —  Vatican finance chief Cardinal George Pell admitted Monday the Catholic Church “mucked up” in dealing with paedophile priests and vowed he would not “defend the indefensible” before an Australian inquiry. Pell gave evidence from a hotel in Rome via video-link to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Sydney rather than appear in person as he has a heart condition. The inquiry is currently […]

British member of Vatican sexual abuse commission leaves

  (Reuters) — A British member of a Vatican advisory commission on sexual abuse who has been among the most outspokenly critical of the Vatican, has left the group, the Vatican said on Saturday (February 6), in an embarrassment for the Holy See. A statement said that at a commission meeting “it was decided” that Peter Saunders should take a leave of absence.  Saunders himself a victim of sexual abuse by a priest, did not immediately […]

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 — […]