In a previously scheduled speech to the Vatican office that handles sex abuse cases, Pope Francis did not refer to the findings of a long-awaited report into how the Munich archdiocese handled abuse cases.

The annual audit tracks not only new charges of abuse but also how well U.S. dioceses and eparchies are observing child protection protocols established in 2002 by the U.S.C.C.B. in accordance with its “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.”

A law firm’s report on how abuse cases were handled in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising faualted retired Pope Benedict XVI, with lawyers accusing him of “misconduct” in four cases during his tenure as Munich archbishop.

In the first testimony ever given by a German Catholic bishop in a court case on abuse, Archbishop Stefan Hesse admitted having made mistakes in the case of an offending priest on trial.

The Harry Potter series helped me to create a fulfilling life after being betrayed by my family and the church as a survivor of incest abuse.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has provided extensive answers to lawyers’ questions concerning sexual abuse cases in the Munich archdiocese, a major German newspaper reported Friday.