Catholic Church faces ongoing sex abuse crisis

Recent high-profile cases have cast a spotlight on a decades-long history of abuse, secrecy, and cover-up.

Contributors: Vox Staff

In August, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court made public one of the broadest-ever investigations into Catholic clerical sex abuse of minors in the US. The 1,400-page grand jury report, the result of an 18-month probe by Pennsylvania state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, names at least 300 priests accused of child sex abuse by more than 1,000 victims throughout the state.

Five years into Pope Francis’s papacy, the summer has been rocked by scandal for the Catholic Church. In July, former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, among the highest-ranking Vatican officials in America, was forced to resign his cardinalship after accusations of sex abuse from both adults and children. And earlier this year, the Vatican’s highest-ranking official, Cardinal George Pell, took a leave of absence to face criminal charges of child sex abuse in his native Australia. These high-profile cases have cast a wider media spotlight on an ongoing story of abuse, secrecy, and cover-up that dates back decades.

21 Total Updates Since
Aug 15, 2018, 3:40pm EDT

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April 27, 2019
New York Archdiocese names 120 clergy with “credible” sex abuse allegations

By Gabriela Resto-Montero

A list includes 115 priests and five deacons accused of either sexually abusing minors or possessing child pornography.
November 13, 2018
US bishops had a plan to combat clerical sex abuse. The Vatican just hit pause.

By Tara Isabella Burton@NotoriousTIB

The Vatican asked the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to delay votes on proposals to fight child abuse.
October 24, 2018
Even more states have launched investigations into clerical abuse

By Tara Isabella Burton@NotoriousTIB

Now attorneys general in DC and Virginia have launched investigations.
October 19, 2018
Report: 300 Pennsylvania Catholic priests sexually abused more than 1,000 children

By Tara Isabella Burton@NotoriousTIB

The report is a watershed moment in the Catholic child sex abuse crisis.
October 19, 2018
The DOJ is investigating clerical child sex abuse in Pennsylvania. Such an inquiry is unprecedented.

By Tara Isabella Burton@NotoriousTIB

Seven of Pennsylvania’s Catholic dioceses have been subpoenaed this week.
October 12, 2018
Pope Francis accepted DC Archbishop Donald Wuerl’s resignation over sex abuse crisis

By Tara Isabella Burton@NotoriousTIB

Wuerl is the highest-ranking American cleric to be accused of participating in a cover-up.
October 3, 2018
Poll: just 3 in 10 Catholics approve of Pope Francis’s handling of the clerical sex abuse crisis

By Tara Isabella Burton@NotoriousTIB

A new Pew poll suggests trust in the embattled pontiff is plummeting.
September 19, 2018
Americans’ approval of Pope Francis drops to 53% amid more church sex abuse revelations

By Tara Isabella Burton@NotoriousTIB

But US Catholics still support him.
September 13, 2018
West Virginia bishop resigns over sexual harassment allegations

By Tara Isabella Burton@NotoriousTIB

Moments before Pope Francis’s meeting with top US cardinals over the sex abuse crisis, another bishop left his post over allegations.
September 13, 2018
Pope Francis calls for major global summit over child clerical sex abuse crisis

By Tara Isabella Burton@NotoriousTIB

This unprecedented conference hints that the Church is finally taking the global crisis seriously.
September 12, 2018
Pope Francis to meet with top US cardinals over DC archbishop’s legacy of sex abuse allegations

By Tara Isabella Burton@NotoriousTIB

Francis is expected to discuss his handling of Theodore McCarrick and the clerical sex abuse crisis overall.
September 4, 2018
The decades-long Catholic priest child sex abuse crisis, explained

By Tara Isabella Burton@NotoriousTIB

And why revelations are still emerging today.
August 31, 2018
I’m a Catholic priest. I’m ashamed at this abuse crisis.

By Fr. Patrick Gilger

Structural changes alone won’t fix the church. Our culture must change as well.
August 29, 2018
DC Archbishop Donald Wuerl faces calls to resign over Catholic sex abuse cover-up

By Tara Isabella Burton@NotoriousTIB

Wuerl is accused of knowingly turning a blind eye to abusive priests.
August 28, 2018
Catholic Church insiders are calling for Pope Francis to resign. Here’s why.

By Tara Isabella Burton@NotoriousTIB

The internal politics informing the church’s reaction to the clerical sex abuse crisis.
August 24, 2018
New Catholic sex abuse allegations show how long justice can take in a 16-year scandal

By Tara Isabella Burton@NotoriousTIB

Almost two decades after the Boston Globe’s reporting, secrecy and bureaucracy have delayed justice.
August 24, 2018
Pope Francis is heading to Ireland in the midst of scandal. It may be his toughest crowd yet.

By Tara Isabella Burton@NotoriousTIB

Decades of child sex abuse scandals have eroded Irish trust in the Catholic Church.
August 21, 2018
The Pennsylvania Catholic Church report highlights the cruelty of statute of limitations laws

By Daniel Hemel

Why many Catholic Church accusers are legally barred from bringing their case to court.
August 21, 2018
Pennsylvania hotline swamped with new Catholic priest sex abuse allegations

By Tara Isabella Burton@NotoriousTIB

A week after the Pennsylvania report, people are calling in new allegations of Catholic clerical sex abuse.
August 20, 2018
Pope Francis on Catholic sex abuse scandal: “We abandoned” victims

By Tara Isabella Burton@NotoriousTIB

In an open letter, Francis writes that "we showed no care for the little ones."
August 15, 2018
75 Catholic priests and scholars ask Francis to backtrack on death penalty

By Tara Isabella Burton@NotoriousTIB

The pope’s revision to the Catechism calls capital punishment "inadmissible."

Catholic Church faces ongoing sex abuse crisis

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