Pope Francis quietly laicized a priest accused of grave immorality and serious canonical crimes in 2017, rather than have him stay in the priesthood long enough to face trial. The former cleric, Peter Mitchell, was a priest in the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin, when he was accused. Before joining the Green Bay diocese, he … Read more
To be perfectly frank, the Fall Meeting of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore, Md., is near the top of the list of things about which I could not care less. I can’t even get up for the race handicapping part, which in other years has been fun. It’s just pointless, if you … Read more
The Vatican has exonerated Bishop Joseph H. Hart, emeritus of Cheyenne, Wyoming, on seven counts of child sexual abuse. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which handled the canonical process, also said five other accusations “could not be proven with moral certitude.” The accusations against the 89-year-old Bishop Hart involved 11 victims who … Read more
A priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Fr Kevin McGoldrick, is quietly seeking voluntary laicization after that archdiocese investigated a claim he sexually assaulted a young woman who had been in his spiritual charge. The Philadelphia archdiocese determined the allegation to be credible roughly seven months after they received it directly from the victim. The … Read more
Bishop Edward Scharfenberger of Albany, New York, is in a tough spot. Appointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Buffalo after the resignation of Bishop Richard Malone, Bishop Scharfenberger is the public face of the Church in a place riddled with scandal and in dire need of urgent repair. But he apparently has little power to effect reform and little information with … Read more
The Holy See is caught in a financial scandal that has seen it suspended from the information-sharing network of the world’s premier financial intelligence club. Some of the players in that scandal are tied to other murky financial doings. If the Holy See doesn’t get a handle on the business – and soon – the … Read more
Whistleblowers were discouraged from bringing counsel to their interview sessions As the US bishops begin their plenary meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, the Catholic bishops of New York are in Rome for their ad limina visits. Among them are Bishop Richard J Malone of Buffalo, and Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, who has recently concluded a … Read more
Priestly celibacy, the role of women, and Scalfari’s latest claims: this has been an intense week at the Vatican The working sessions at the synod assembly broke for lunch on Friday morning, with Synod Fathers still in the small groups into which they split the previous day. It is in these groups that a lot … Read more
Vatican City’s chief prosecutor has handed down criminal indictments against two priests in connection with sexual abuse allegedly committed at the Preseminario Pio X, a minor seminary located inside Vatican City. The Press Office of the Holy See announced the formal charges on Tuesday afternoon, in a statement that named two men: the accused abuser, … Read more
US Church authorities seem hesitant to test the new Vatican law Interesting times got more interesting this week, when the Archdiocese of St Paul-Minneapolis confirmed to the Catholic News Agency that the Congregation for Bishops has authorised an investigation into the conduct of a sitting bishop, Michael Hoeppner of Crookston, Minnesota, under the procedures outlined in Pope … Read more