Vatican exorcist warns on ’smoke of Satan’

Sex abuse scandals in the Catholic Church are proof that that “the Devil is at work inside the Vatican”, the Holy See’s chief exorcist, Fr Gabriele Amorth says.

Schonborn says study celibacy, abuse links

Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schonborn has said that priestly celibacy should be considered in studying the causes of the sex abuse scandal sweeping the Church although he later insisted that he was not questioning the tradition of clerical celibacy.

German Church launches new abuse investigations

Germany’s Catholic Church has ordered two separate investigations yesterday into allegations of widespread sexual abuse in its institutions, and into whether Pope Benedict knew about them while he was a diocesan bishop.
With nearly two thirds of dioceses caught up in the widening scandal, the German Bishops’ Conference said that it would examine all 170 allegations [...]

Pope’s brother apologizes over school punishment

Pope Benedict’s elder brother Monsignor Georg Ratzinger has asked forgiveness for slapping pupils at the German boarding school where he was choirmaster and also apologized for failing to act over more violent punishment at the school.

Priest celibacy rule ‘cruel’ and ‘archaic’: Aussie judge

An Australian judge sentencing a Sydney priest to jail for an internet grooming offence has condemned the celibacy required of the Catholic priesthood as “cruel” and “archaic”.

German bishops apologize over abuse shock

Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, head of the German Bishops’ Conference, has expressed shock at a child sexual abuse scandal in the country’s Catholic schools, and asked for victims’ forgiveness.

‘Sackcloth’ for Irish bishops: Cardinal Brady promises

Irish Cardinal Sean Brady says the country’s bishops will perform an act of penance equivalent to putting on “sackcloth and ashes” this Lent as a sign of humility and empathy with the victims of clerical child abuse.

Child abuse ‘a heinous crime and grave sin’: Pope

In a statement issued after a two-day meeting with the bishops of the Irish Church, Pope Benedict described child abuse as “a heinous crime and a grave sin”.

Admit blame: Bertone tells Irish bishops

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone has told Irish bishops at an extraordinary summit with Pope Benedict that they must admit their own blame in cover-ups of generations of sex abuse of minors, or risk losing the faith of Catholics

Irish abuse survivors seek $1.4 billion from Vatican

Groups representing Irish survivors of clerical sex abuse are seeeking one billion euros ($1.4 billion) compensation from the Vatican for victims.

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