An adviser to Pope Francis and a prominent figure in Australia, Cardinal Pell went to prison on charges of abusing two boys in the 1990s, but a higher court later acquitted him.
Tag: Priests
Benedict’s Burial Leaves Francis Alone, and Unbound
Liberal supporters of Francis, a pope never shy about exercising power, now anticipate a late-breaking season of change.
Benedict Leaves a Conflicted Legacy on Clerical Sexual Abuse
Joseph Ratzinger was accused of mishandling cases when he was bishop of Munich, but as pope he was credited with forcing the Catholic Church to face a scourge long ignored.
Benedict’s Death Leaves Catholic Conservatives Bereft
Even after his resignation as pope, traditionalists invoked Benedict’s name and sought to draw him into internecine ideological wars. Now he is gone.
Pope Benedict XVI Leaves a Spotty Legacy With Sex Abuse Scandal
His efforts to rid the church of what he called “filth” went further than those of John Paul II, but he was reluctant to hold bishops accountable.
Clergymen or Spies? Churches Become Tools of War in Ukraine
Ukrainian officials are cracking down on a branch of the Russian Orthodox Church that they describe as a subversive force doing the Kremlin’s bidding.
Benedict XVI, First Modern Pope to Resign, Dies at 95
He defined a conservative course for the Roman Catholic Church, but his papacy was noted for his struggle with the clergy sexual abuse scandal and for his unexpected resignation.
Amid Scandals and Politics, Poland’s Youths Lose Faith in Catholic Church
The Polish church is in a deep crisis, as its authority is sapped by cascading sexual abuse scandals and as more people grow wary of its perceived alliance with the country’s right-wing government.
A Vatican Auditor Says He Dug Up Too Much Dirt, and Was Buried
Libero Milone is suing the Vatican for wrongful dismissal after he said he found cardinals siphoning off funds. The Vatican has hit him with a criminal investigation of its own.
French Cardinal’s Admission Renews Scrutiny of Church Sexual Abuse
A former archbishop of Bordeaux acknowledged that he had behaved “reprehensibly” with a 14-year-old girl over three decades ago, in the latest revelation to jolt Roman Catholics in France.