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Abuse crisis
Dioceses of Western Australia apologise to abuse victims and survivors
The Catholic dioceses of Western Australia – Perth, Bunbury, Geraldton and Broome – yesterday issued a joint statement, acknowledging the release of a state parliamentary committee report on support for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse.
New Zealand report finds 200,000 suffered abuse in care
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expressed regret yesterday after a Royal Commission of Inquiry report found some 200,000 children, young people and vulnerable adults were abused in state and religious care over the past 70 years. Source: Reuters.
NSW Parliament to consider bill on stay applications in abuse cases
New South Wales Parliament will consider a bill to further restrict churches and other institutions from using stay applications to prevent abuse survivors having their cases heard. Source: The Guardian.
Five new allegations of abuse made against former Jesuit
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has received five new abuse complaints against the former Jesuit Fr Marko Rupnik. Source: The Tablet.
Vatican note clarifies abuse of ‘vulnerable adults’
In cases of a cleric sexually abusing a “vulnerable adult”, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith only investigates and judges cases involving “persons who habitually have an imperfect use of reason”, the Vatican said in a note published yesterday. Source: OSV News.
NSW to consider action over Church’s use of permanent stays
New South Wales Attorney General Michael Daley has ordered an urgent briefing on the landmark High Court decision over the Catholic Church’s legal approach in abuse cases. Source: The Guardian.
Spain’s bishops apologise for abuse but say estimated number of victims a ‘media lie’
Spain’s Catholic bishops have apologised for sexual abuses committed by Church members but have dismissed as a “lie” media interpretations of a report by Spain’s ombudsman that said there were hundreds of thousands of Church-related victims. Source: NCR Online.
Spain’s report on Church abuse estimates victims could number in hundreds of thousands
Spain’s first official probe of sexual abuse by clergy members or other people connected to the Church included a survey that indicated that the number of victims could run into the hundreds of thousands. Source: NCR Online.
All of society must address child sexual abuse: Pope
The scourge of child sexual abuse must be addressed by society at large, Pope Francis said yesterday. Source: Vatican News.