Abuse Crisis

FINDLAY — The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday arrested the pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Parish, alleging that he groomed and sexually assaulted minors for years, beginning in Toledo. Special Agent in Charge Eric Smith said the Rev. Michael Zacharias, 53, is believed... Read more

Cardinal George Pell, who was acquitted this year after becoming the highest-ranking Catholic cleric ever to be convicted of sexual abuse, spoke this week about how he maintained hope during his 400 days in prison. “The virtue of Christian hope is different than Christian optimism. No... Read more

Father Eduard Perrone says he's been vindicated in a sex abuse case against him, and he wants his job back. The embattled priest found absolution in the justice system after suing a detective for defamation, alleging she fabricated the rape claim that got him... Read more

NY’s Cardinal Dolan held an online held a video conference for the clergy Tuesday and said that his sources tell him that the McCarrick report will be out later this month. He said he does not know what is in it. The latter seems believable; the former remains to be seen. It has been two... Read more

A lawsuit filed Tuesday charges that former cardinal Theodore McCarrick sexually abused a boy and aided his abuse by several other priests, and claims that a principal at a Christian Brothers high school helped procure the victim for McCarrick and the other clergy abusers in the early... Read more

The following is a first-person account by Susanna*, the young woman who alleges Fr Kevin McGoldrick sexually assaulted her in August of 2017. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia found her accusation credible early this year. We received the document unsolicited, and present it to our readership... Read more

Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar, India, is pictured in an undated photo. Leading Catholic figures and laypeople have appealed to the Vatican to remove Bishop Mulakkal, who is being investigated for allegations of raping a nun. (CNS photo/courtesy Diocese of Jullundur) See... Read more

There is a lot of goodness in prisons. At times, I am sure, prisons may be hell on earth. I was fortunate to be kept safe and treated well. I was impressed by the professionalism of the warders, the faith of the prisoners, and the existence of a moral sense even in the darkest places. I was... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — An anonymous alleged sexual abuse victim of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick says he and other alleged victims have been working with the Vatican to fact-check the comprehensive dossier on McCarrick’s misdeeds. The alleged victim, writing under the name Nathan... Read more

A judge in the Australian state of Victoria has proposed beginning a trial in November to prosecute journalists and media outlets for violating a court-imposed reporting ban on the trial of Cardinal George Pell in 2018. Victoria Supreme Court Judge John Dixon said Tuesday that the trial... Read more