Revelations about sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Conference underscore the fact that the modern corporate institution, whether religious or secular, can enable and conceal such abuse.
It is important that safeguards for due process for those accused of sexual abuse be honored, even as we work toward guaranteeing the safety of all members of the church.
Illinois’ attorney general released the results of a sweeping investigation into allegations of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy on Tuesday; investigators found that 451 clergy sexually abused nearly 2,000 children since 1950.
Pope Francis has sent one of his top sex crimes investigators to Bolivia at a time when the Andean nation is being shaken by an escalating pedophilia scandal involving priests.
The Vatican’s main charitable organization, Caritas Internationalis, is hoping to open a new chapter this week, but the recently ousted head is fighting back, claiming the Vatican engaged in a “brutal power grab” fueled by a “colonialist” attitude.
Francis met the papal abuse commission at a time when many questions have been raised about its organization, governance and direction following the resignation at the end of March of Hans Zollner, S.J.