clerical

Vatican revises its rules on clerical sex abuse (AP)

July 15th, 2010

Monsignor Charles Scicluna, the Vatican's sex crimes prosecutor, left, and Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi talk to the media during a briefing to present a new set of norms The Vatican issued to respond to the worldwide clerical abuse scandal, cracking down on priests who rape and molest minors and the mentally disabled, at the Vatican, Thursday, July 15, 2010. The norms extend from 10 to 20 years the statute of limitations on priestly abuse and also codify for the first time that possessing or distributing child pornography is a canonical crime. But the document made no mention of the need for bishops to report abuse to police and doesn't include any 'one-strike and you're out' policy as demanded by some victims' groups. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)AP - The Vatican revised its in-house rules to deal with clerical sex abuse cases Thursday, targeting priests who molest the mentally disabled as well as children and doubling the…

Pope promises action against clerical sex abuse (AP)

April 21st, 2010

Pope Benedict XVI waves at the end of his weekly audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican April 21, 2010.  REUTERS/Alessia Pierdomenico (VATICAN - Tags: RELIGION PROFILE)AP - Pope Benedict XVI promised Wednesday that the Catholic Church would take action to confront the clerical sex abuse scandal, making his first public comments on the crisis days…

Bishop: Pope dismayed at clerical abuse scandal (AP)

March 12th, 2010

Pope Benedict XVI looks on during his weekly general audience in the Pope Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, March 10, 2010. The Pope has appealed for an end to violence in Nigeria between Christians and Muslims that has taken more than 200 lives. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)AP - Germany’s top bishop briefed Pope Benedict XVI on the spiraling cases of clerical sex abuse in the pontiff’s native Germany on Friday and said the pope encouraged him…