Criminal contempt of court proceedings began against Orange County Catholic Bishop Tod Brown on Tuesday. The hearing was to determine if Brown violated a judge’s orders when he sent Msgr. John Urell, the church official that investigated sex abuse allegations, out of the country before he could finish testifying in a sex abuse lawsuit, which […]
Connecticut Roman Catholic bishops softened their opposition Thursday to a new state law requiring hospitals to dispense emergency contraception (EC) to all rape victims. Previously, the Bishops had refused to allow Catholic hospitals to provide EC without first performing an ovulation test. “Our efforts had only one goal, to protect the victims of rape,” Sen. […]
Catholic leaders have denounced Amnesty International following the organization’s adoption of a new policy in support of limited abortion rights. Founded in 1961 by Peter Benenson, a British Catholic convert, Amnesty had previously remained neutral on abortion. The new policy, which was a product of two years of deliberation and member input, supports abortion rights […]
A priest who attacked a women’s health clinic in 2001 has been assigned a top position in a Catholic Church in Elgin, Illinois. Rev. John P. Earl was charged with two counts of criminal damage to property in 2001 after he crashed his car into the Northern Illinois Women’s Clinic and used an ax to […]
Robert Haddad, MD, the head of the Massachusetts Catholic hospital system Caritas, has been forced to resign after allegations surfaced that he has sexually harassed more than 14 women. Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley had at first decided to only privately reprimand Dr. Haddad after four women employees accused Haddad of sexual harassment, despite the recommendation […]
A report from the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin, Ireland includes 350 accusations of sexual abuse against more than 100 priests since 1940. The Irish government plans to launch an inquiry into abuse in the Church, and the number of complainants is expected to rise as they are encouraged to come forward to help in the […]
Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC) released last week the results of a survey that found Catholic hospitals were not fully complying with laws requiring emergency contraception be provided to rape victims. The survey was done by Ibis Reproductive Health, on behalf of CFFC, and focused on Catholic hospitals in New York, New Mexico, California […]
A panel convened by the Irish government has released a report outlining failures by both the Roman Catholic Church and the state to protect children from sexual abuse over a 40-year period, provoking ire and leading to calls for an end to the close church-state relationship that characterizes Irish public life, reports the New York […]
In a win for victims of clergy abuse, the Archdiocese of San Francisco reached a settlement Friday in the case against Joseph Pritchard for abuse committed while he was a priest at St. Martin of Tours in San Jose. The archdiocese will pay $16 million to 12 people who were sexually abused by Pritchard in […]
Plans have been announced for the first ever Roman Catholic religious society devoted exclusively to fighting against abortion and euthanasia. The male-only group, to be called “Missionaries of the Gospel of Life,” will be headquartered in Amarillo, Texas and led by Fr. Frank Pavone. Pavone currently serves as the director for Priests for Life and […]
Brazil has launched a new family planning program that distributes free contraceptives through the country’s 6,012 hospitals and 63,662 clinics, angering Brazil’s Roman Catholic Church. Bishop Rafael Liano Cifuentes denounced the new program, saying that it “will promote the sexual perversion of teenagers, which means prostitution. It’s like telling teenage girls, go out and enjoy […]
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on Friday released the second annual survey of how the church is preventing and dealing with sexually abusive priests, reporting that they have received 1,092 new accusations of sexual abuse against clergy. The New York Times reports that the allegations were made against a total of 756 priests, […]
Catholics for a Free Choice filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on Tuesday challenging the tax-exempt status of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. The group charges that the Archdiocese violated its tax-exempt status by urging Catholics to vote against candidates who support five “intrinsic evils,” including abortion rights, stem cell research, and […]
Several high-ranking leaders in the Catholic Church have recently said that the obligation to vote for a candidate who opposes abortion rights is a priority over all other issues in the upcoming presidential election. Some, including Archbishop Charles Chaput of Colorado, have declared that voting for a pro-choice politician is a sin, and must be […]
The US Supreme Court denied review of a challenge to a California law that requires employers to include birth control for women in their prescription drug coverage. The California Supreme Court had ruled last March in Catholic Charities of Sacramento v. California that the anti-discrimination law did not interfere with religious beliefs or practices, and […]
Though charged by a grand jury with raping and sexually abusing two boys, former Catholic Bishop Thomas Dupre will not be prosecuted due to the statute of limitations. The New York Times reported that both boys abused by Dupre were under the age of 16Ñthe first was 12 in 1976, and the second was 15 […]
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson filed for bankruptcy on Monday in anticipation of having to settle 22 lawsuits involving sexual abuse allegations. The diocese previously settled 11 lawsuits filed by 16 plaintiffs in 2002, all concerning allegations of sexual abuse, for an undisclosed amount, according to the Washington Post. This is the second diocese […]
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops drafted and approved with a vote of 183-6 a statement that Catholic politicians are obligated to speak out against legalized abortion. The statement also said the decision to deny communion to politicians who do support reproductive rights should be left up to local bishops. Bishop Michael Sheridan from Colorado […]
Catholic priests accused of sexually abusing children are hiding from authorities abroad, often with the assistance of church officials, according to an extensive newspaper investigation. The Dallas Morning News has conducted a yearlong investigation of priests who are accused of sexually abusing minors, finding that they avoid law enforcement, often with the help of church […]
Two recent surveys found that the vast majority of Catholics believe that bishops should not use the sacraments as a political tool. The Quinnipiac University Polling Institute found that 80 percent of Catholics disapprove of some bishops’ intentions to deny communion to pro-choice Catholic politicians. Additionally, the poll found that 87 percent of Catholics say […]
