Forcing clergy to break the seal of confession harms victims May 14, 2025By Cecilia Cicone OSV News Filed Under: Child & Youth Protection, Commentary Being unable to be honest with a doctor for fear of safety is one thing. Creating a situation in which victim-survivors may feel unsafe being honest with God is a violation of religious freedom and causes direct harm.
Bankruptcy court judge gives victim-survivors temporary window to file civil suits May 12, 2025By Christopher Gunty Catholic Review Filed Under: Bankruptcy, Child & Youth Protection, Feature, Local News, News The judge overseeing the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization case issued an order May 2 that will allow those who filed claims in the case to also file lawsuits against the archdiocese and affiliated entities in order to preserve their rights under an amendment this year to the Maryland Child Victims Act.
Advocates of abuse victims are rooting for a Filipino pope — and it’s not Cardinal Tagle May 8, 2025By Paulina Guzik OSV News Filed Under: 2025 Conclave, Child & Youth Protection, News, Vatican, World News While Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is topping the list of “papabili” in the world press, it’s another Filipino that would please advocates and victims of clerical sexual abuse. His name is Cardinal Pablo Virgilio Siongco David of Kalookan.
Civil rights probe launched over state abuse reporting law’s lack of Catholic confession protections May 8, 2025By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: Child & Youth Protection, News, Religious Freedom, World News The Justice Department said May 5 it opened a civil rights investigation into the development and passage of legislation in Washington state that requires clergy to report child abuse or neglect but provides no exceptions for clergy-penitent privilege.
Judge: New Orleans Archdiocese must show why bankruptcy remains unresolved 5 years in May 7, 2025By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Child & Youth Protection, News, World News The Archdiocese of New Orleans is facing an expedited bankruptcy court appearance, with the judge asking why the five-year-old case should not be dismissed for failure to reach a reorganization plan.
Child protection commission urges prayers for cardinals in conclave May 5, 2025By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service Filed Under: 2025 Conclave, Child & Youth Protection, News, Vatican, World News As the College of Cardinals continues to discuss the church’s most pressing issues before the conclave, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors said it was encouraged that protecting children and vulnerable people was a priority in those discussions.
Washington state bill requiring clergy to report child abuse signed by governor May 3, 2025By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: Child & Youth Protection, Feature, News, World News Legislation that would require clergy to report child abuse or neglect in Washington state was signed into law by Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson May 2.
What’s missing? May 1, 2025By Christopher Gunty Catholic Review Filed Under: Amen, Amen Gunty Commentary, Child & Youth Protection, Commentary If the state wants to show that reducing caps for those who sue the state for abuse is not “just about the money,” then Gov. Moore and other state officials need to go on a listening tour and meet face to face with victim-survivors, particularly those who were abused in state-run institutions.
Father Zollner: Listening to victims a trademark of Pope Francis’ pontificate April 25, 2025By Paulina Guzik OSV News Filed Under: Child & Youth Protection, News, Remembering Pope Francis, Vatican, World News One of the world’s top experts on clerical sexual abuse, Jesuit Father Hans Zollner, said Pope Francis will be remembered as a pontiff who made listening to victims of abuse one of the trademarks of his pontificate — a habit that made him a model for other bishops and leaders in the church.
Buffalo Diocese reaches ‘settlement in principle’ in bankruptcy case April 24, 2025By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Child & Youth Protection, News, World News The Diocese of Buffalo, N.Y., has reached a potential agreement with abuse survivors five years after filing for bankruptcy.
Pope Francis leaves complicated legacy on addressing the sexual abuse crisis April 23, 2025By Junno Arocho Esteves OSV News Filed Under: Child & Youth Protection, News, Remembering Pope Francis, Vatican, World News Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis, who died April 21 at the age of 88, faced the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, attempting to balance defending the church from criticism while showing compassion toward survivors, with often mixed results.
Francis took pastoral and practical approach against abuse April 22, 2025By Carol Glatz OSV News Filed Under: Child & Youth Protection, News, Remembering Pope Francis, Vatican, World News Over the course of his pontificate, Pope Francis held up two recurring images: the good shepherd who looks for the lost sheep and lays down his life to save them; and the good Samaritan, who did not ignore the wounded traveler, but helped him without asking for anything in return.
