The Latest on Sex Abuse by Catholic Priests and Bishops

 

Pope Francis

 Photo courtesy: Facebook

Pope Francis has set up a Vatican commission for hearing appeals of Catholic priests and bishops accused of what Church considers delicta graviora (serious sins against the Sacraments), like sexual abuse of minors, wrongful use of the sacrament of penance, and ordination of women, reports the National Catholic Reporter online. 

The seven-member commission within the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to hear clerical appeals of cases involving delicta graviora. Bishops accused in cases involving delicta graviora are to have their appeal heard by the full Vatican Congregation and not only the new commission. 

To know more on different aspects of the issues and cases of sexual abuse by priests and bishops and relevant Church actions on them, you may visit the following:

•  NewsVa (Official Vatican Newwork): Clergy Sex Abuse
• Chicago archdiocese releasing child sex abuse files on 36 more priests
• Chicago archdiocese releases 15,000 pages on priest sex abuse
• How Sicko Priests Got Away With It
• Chicago Priests Raped and Pillaged for 50 Years
• Catholic News Agency (CNA): Clergy Sex Abuse
• Catholic News Service (CNS): Clergy Sex Abuse
• UCANews: Clergy Sex Abuse
• America Magazine: Clergy Sex Abuse 
• The Catholic World Report Magazine: Clergy Sex Abuse 
• The Vatican's Dump-Them-Fast Scheme: Pope Defrocks 400 Priests in 2 Years
• Benedict XVI defrocked nearly 400 priests in two years
• Will the Vatican step up and hold bishops accountable?
• Pope's sex abuse panel to develop protocol to hold bishops accountable
• National Catholic Reporter: Catholic Sex Abuse Cases
• Pope Francis and Clergy Sex Abuse
• The Catholic Herald: Pope Francis and Clergy Sex Abuse
• Rome's abuse prosecutor thanks media for keeping up pressure  
• Bishop Accountability Org
• Voice of the Faithful