Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis on Thursday handed the world’s top Catholic bishops guidelines to shape the debate at a landmark Vatican summit on tackling clerical sex abuse. “As a help, I would share with you some important criteria formulated by the various episcopal commissions and …
Read More »US ex-priest sentenced to up to 14 years in prison for child sex abuse
New York, United States | AFP | A former Catholic priest who had admitted to sexually abusing children in the US state of Pennsylvania was sentenced Friday to up to 14 years in prison — the second clergyman to be jailed in the wake of a damning statewide grand jury …
Read More »COMMENT: Assault on news media
These five mundane dangers confronting the profession could be more dangerous than the physical attacks COMMENT | ALEXANDRA BORCHARDT | The brutal torture and murder of the US-based Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has focused attention on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is widely believed to have ordered the killing. …
Read More »Sex abuse claims brought against 700 Catholic clergy in Illinois
Chicago, United States | AFP | Almost 700 clergymen in Illinois have been accused of child sexual assault, a far greater number than the Catholic Church had previously disclosed, the Midwestern US state’s top prosecutor revealed Wednesday. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said the Church’s revelations that 185 clergy members …
Read More »Under-fire UNAIDS chief offers to resign in June
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Scandal-plagued UNAIDS head Michel Sidibe offered Thursday to resign in June, following an expert report that said his “defective leadership” had plunged the agency into crisis. The timeline for the departure, confirmed by the agency, amounted to a concession from a leader accused of fostering a …
Read More »As rape crisis grows, South African pupils learn how to fight back
Soweto, South Africa | AFP | In a classroom in the South African township of Soweto, girls listen carefully, knowing they need to learn how to avoid the threat of rape that hangs over their daily lives. “You are going to pretend that it is the rapist’s testicles,” says trainer …
Read More »Spotify to stop promoting R. Kelly songs over sex abuse claims
New York, United States | AFP | Spotify on Thursday announced it would no longer feature R. Kelly songs in its playlists or user recommendations, after the Time’s Up movement for gender equality urged the music business to dump the R&B star over sexual abuse allegations. The move marks the …
Read More »‘I was so naive’: Weinstein wife lifts lid on scandal
New York, United States | AFP | The estranged British fashion designer wife of Harvey Weinstein claims she “never” suspected him of wrongdoing and was “so naive,” in her first interview since the Hollywood mogul’s downfall over sexual misconduct revelations. “There was a part of me that was terribly naive …
Read More »Sexual abuse victims call for Vatican to crack down on Chilean cardinals
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Three victims of a Chilean paedophile priest on Wednesday demanded the Catholic Church force tougher sanctions on complicit cardinals after meeting Pope Francis. The calls by Juan Carlos Cruz, James Hamilton and Jose Andres Murillo come a day after Australian authorities ordered the …
Read More »R. Kelly calls Time’s Up campaign ‘public lynching’
New York, United States | AFP | R. Kelly’s management has lashed out at a campaign for the music business to dump him over his alleged treatment of women and girls, denouncing a “public lynching.” The R&B singer, best known for his ballad “I Believe I Can Fly,” supports the Time’s …
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