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France

French bishops to weigh damning child abuse revelations in Lourdes

For a week, the 120 members attending the meeting will discuss the findings highlighted in the report published on October 5 and devote almost half of their work to the fight against violence and sexual assaults on minors.

World News

Catholic Church sex abuse claims: Vatican has immunity, rules ECHR

Abuse victims seeking compensation from the Holy See and Catholic leaders were told Belgian courts had no jurisdiction over the Vatican.

France

'It's also my shame': Pope Francis on French church sex abuse scandal

"It is also my shame, our shame, my shame, for the incapacity of the church for too long to put them [victims] at the centre of its concerns."

France

French clergy abused 216,000 children since 1950, says inquiry

France's Catholic Church showed "a profound and even cruel indifference towards the victims" of abuse, the head of the inquiry said.

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France

'3000 paedophiles' held positions in French Catholic Church since 50s

An independent commission has heard evidence from thousands of people since being set up in 2018 in response to a large number of historic sexual abuse claims.

Vatican

Pope urges European bishops to listen to sex abuse victims

The supreme pontiff warned that to not acknowledge and learn from victims of rape and molestation could lead to the destruction of the Catholic Church.

World News

Same-sex civil unions 'good and helpful to many', says Pope Francis

The pontiff said marriage is "a sacrament between a man and woman that can't be changed", but he supports civil laws that try to help those who have "a diverse sexual orientation".

Germany

German archbishop's resignation rejected by pope

Pope Frances refused to accept the resignation of the Archbishop of Hamburg, who offered his resignation in March after reported mishandling of sexual abuse cases.

Slovakia

Pope Francis visits Slovakia highlighting inclusion and reconciliation

The pope met visited a Roma settlement where he urged greater integration with Slovak society, the day after atoning for Christian complicity in the Holocaust.

Hungary

Pope Francis' trip to Hungary is first papal visit in 25 years

After Hungary, Pope Francis will travel onto Slovakia.

Vatican

'Resign? Forget about it': Pope Francis plays down health fears

"Now I can eat everything'

Germany

‘Priests bless guinea pigs’: Vatican’s same-sex unions stance slammed

"This bothers and annoys me," said Germany's health minister Jens Spahn. "But it does not lead to me turning away from my belief or the church."

USA

Defrocked cardinal McCarrick charged with sexually assaulting boy

Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked by Pope Francis over the sexual molestation of children and adults, has been charged with sexually assaulting a teenage boy in the 1970s.

Poland

Soaring numbers are quitting Catholic Church in Poland, say activists

Campaigners say as many as 3,000 people have issued statements of apostasy this year - and that this is six times higher than last year.

Poland

Polish Catholic Church reveals hundreds of new sexual abuse claims

From July 2018 to the end of 2020 368 cases of sexual assault, committed between 1958 and last year, were reported to the Polish Catholic Church.

World News

Founding father of EU Schuman moves ahead on sainthood path

Robert Schuman, an architect of European integration, has moved ahead on the Catholic church's path toward possible sainthood, the Vatican said.

Germany

German cardinal resigns over Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the Archbishop of Munich and Freising, said that the church had hit a "dead end" but that he hoped there would be a "turning point".

Germany

German Catholics to bless gay couples despite a Vatican ban

Some Catholic priests in Germany are defying the Vatican by blessing same-sex couples in a move set to increase tensions between conservatives and progressives.

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Hundreds of dogs receive the blessing of Saint Lazarus in Nicaragua

Hundreds of dogs received the blessing of Saint Lazarus, the protector of animals and the sick in Nicaragua, along with their owners - Catholic devotees.

Germany

Cologne church child abuse report finds officials guilty of neglect

A long-awaited report into abuse in the Catholic church in Cologne found hundreds of children have been sexually abused since 1975, with high-ranking officials neglecting their duties to report cases.