Pope meets with child protection advisory board amid survivor calls for zero tolerance on abuse
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV met with members of the Vatican's child protection advisory commission on Thursday for the first time amid questions about his past handling of clergy sex abuse cases and demands from survivors that he enact a true policy of zero tolerance for abuse across the Catholic Church.
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Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Pope Leo Faces First Major Test Over 'Morally Corrupt' Bishop
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Pope Leo XIV is set to face one of his first major tests with a petition addressed to him calling for the removal of Cologne Archbishop Rainer Maria Woelki over concerns about his handling of sexual abuse allegations. Newsweek has contacted the Vatican via email, for comment. Why It Matters As the newly elected pope, people will be watching how Leo handles concerns about sex abuse in the church. How the Vatican responds to the petition, which has more than 60,000 signatures, could set the tone for Pope Leo's leadership style and his stance on episcopal accountability worldwide. Pope Leo XIV leaves after his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican on June 4, 2025. Pope Leo XIV leaves after his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican on June 4, 2025. AP What To Know Woelki has long been a divisive figure in the church amid criticism of his handling of sexual abuse cases in the archdiocese of Cologne. In September 2021, Pope Francis decided to leave Woelki in office despite massive criticism over his handling of the sexual abuse cases. The pontiff instead gave the cardinal a "spiritual timeout" of several months after he made "major errors" of communication. Woelki had infuriated many local Catholics by citing legal concerns to keep under wraps a report on how local church officials reacted when priests were accused of sexual abuse. He commissioned a second report, and a German law firm produced an 800-page investigation. The report he commissioned absolved Woelki himself of any neglect of his legal duties with respect to abuse victims. He subsequently said he made mistakes in past cases involving sexual abuse allegations but made clear he had no intention of resigning. The Cologne public prosecutor's office had been investigating Cardinal Woelki since autumn 2022 for possible false testimony regarding his knowledge of abuse allegations, according to the Catholic News Agency. In summer 2023, his apartment and offices were searched. However, at the beginning of May 2025, investigations of the cardinal were ended after the payment of a 26,000-euro (about $29,700) fine. The Archdiocese of Cologne told Newsweek: "As is well known, the presumption of innocence public prosecutor's office has expressly confirmed that Cardinal Woelki did not make a deliberately false statement and therefore did not commit perjury." Munich priest Wolfgang F. Rothe, who started the petition on May 26, wrote that "in dealing with allegations of sexual abuse, (Woelki) gravely violated his duty of care. "Against this backdrop, Cardinal Woelki is completely morally corrupt. He has lost all credibility, both in public and within the Archdiocese of Cologne and the Catholic Church in Germany," Rothe said. "Leaders in politics and society do not want to be seen with him, parishes are not visited by him, and confirmation candidates are not confirmed by him." "His behavior is a severe slap in the face to the many victims of sexual abuse and undermines efforts to address sexual abuse in other German dioceses and in the universal Church," Rothe added. In March 2022, after Francis ordered an official review of Woelki's archdiocese, the Vatican found no evidence of unlawful conduct—although it said major errors of communication had been made. It also praised Woelki's willingness to be investigated, the Catholic News Agency reported. What People Are Saying Munich priest Wolfgang F. Rothe wrote in his petition: "Cardinal Woelki is largely isolated both within the Archdiocese of Cologne and within the Catholic Church in Germany. He is a shepherd without a flock. And the Archdiocese of Cologne is a flock without a shepherd." Riccardo Wagner, Head of the Media School at Fresenius University of Applied Sciences Cologne, was critical of the petition in an interview with the Catholic newspaper Die Tagespost. He said: "The platform and the petition act as if sacramental offices could be legitimized or delegitimized by digital public opinion – this fundamentally contradicts the nature of the Church, which is why this approach and means must be clearly rejected." The Archdiocese of Cologne told Newsweek: "For Cardinal Woelki, the end of the proceedings marks the end. He now wants to devote all his energy to the future of the Archdiocese of Cologne together with the faithful." What Happens Next It is yet to be seen how Leo will respond to this petition and what the impact of his decision will be.
Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Pope meets with child protection advisory board as survivors call for zero tolerance of abuse
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV met with members of the Vatican's child protection advisory commission on Thursday for the first time amid questions about his past handling of clergy sex abuse cases and demands from survivors that he enact a true policy of zero tolerance for abuse across the Catholic Church. The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which is made up of religious and lay experts in fighting abuse as well as supporting survivors, called the hourlong audience a 'significant moment of reflection, dialogue, and renewal of the church's unwavering commitment to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable people.' The group said it updated history's first American pope on its activities, including an initiative to help church communities in poorer parts of the world prevent abuse and care for victims. The Vatican did not provide the text of Leo's remarks or make the audio of the audience available to reporters. Pope Francis created the commission early on in his pontificate to advise the church on best practices and placed a trusted official, Boston's then-archbishop, Cardinal Sean O'Malley, in charge. But as the abuse scandal spread globally during Francis' 12-year pontificate, the commission lost its influence its crowning recommendation — the creation of a tribunal to judge bishops who covered up for predator priests — went nowhere. After many years of reform and new members, it has become a place where victims can go to be heard and bishops can get advice on crafting guidelines to fight abuse. O'Malley turned 80 last year and retired as archbishop of Boston, but he remains president of the commission and headed the delegation meeting with Leo in the Apostolic Palace. It has often fallen to O'Malley to speak out on egregious cases that have arrived at the Vatican, including one that remains on Leo's desk: The fate of the ex-Jesuit artist, the Rev. Marko Rupnik, who has been accused by two dozen women of sexual, psychological and spiritual abuse over decades. After coming under criticism that a fellow Jesuit had apparently received preferential treatment, Francis in 2023 ordered the Vatican to waive the statute of limitations on the case and prosecute him canonically. But as recently as March, the Vatican still hadn't found judges to open the trial. Meanwhile, the victims are still waiting for justice and Rupnik continues to minister, with his supporters defending him and denouncing a 'media lynching' campaign against him. Leo, the Chicago-born former Cardinal Robert Prevost, has been credited by victims of helping to dismantle an abusive Catholic movement in Peru, where he served as bishop for many years. But other survivors have asked him to account for other cases while he was a superior in the Augustinian religious order, bishop in Peru and head of the Vatican's bishops' office. The main U.S. survivor group, SNAP, has also called for Leo to adopt the U.S. policy calling for any priest who has been credibly accused of abuse to be permanently removed from ministry. Winfield writes for the Associated Press.
Miami Herald
3 hours ago
- Miami Herald
What our faith should tell us about DEI
When we have wronged others, common decency demands that we right the wrong. This means that diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are not simply one more left-right spat in the ongoing culture wars. For many of us in the faith community, they are the attempt to make required atonement for sin. Human efforts to atone for sin, no matter how imperfectly executed, cannot be erased by government fiat. Our nation has grievously mistreated Native Americans, African Americans, women and other minorities throughout history. To make rightful amends, our institutions began efforts to diversify their staff, ensure equal treatment of all and to be more inclusive of minorities. The effort became known by the acronym DEI. Vilifying those efforts, President Donald Trump, his advisoes and a number of state legislatures have ordered DEI initiatives to be eradicated from government, academia, military, businesses and nonprofits. The purgers' mantra has been: We're diverse enough! Calls for inclusion and equality are Marxist attacks on the merit system. America is great again! We don't need to feel guilty, or to atone for anything. Injustices were committed, though, and a valid question is: How is adequate atonement determined? There is an anecdote about a saint in the Catholic Church named Jean-Marie-Baptiste Vianney (1786 – 1859). Referred to as the 'Curé d'Ars,' this humble village priest was known for being a wise spiritual advisor. One day a woman confessed to him that she had slandered another townswoman. Because the sacrament of penance requires that the penitent make reparations, the priest instructed her to take a pillow up to the church's bell tower, cut it open and scatter the feathers into the wind. Puzzled, the woman nevertheless complied. She then returned to the priest and asked for her absolution. 'Well, you haven't quite finished your penance,' Vianney told her. 'You need to first go and retrieve all the feathers that you scattered.' 'But that would be impossible,' exclaimed the exasperated woman. 'Yes it would,' replied the priest, adding: 'God certainly forgives you, my child; but I wanted you to see that there is no way you can adequately right the wrong and compensate for the damage caused by your calumny. Going forward, though, you must continue to take steps to atone for the sin committed.' The steps made so far by DEI to right discrimination have not even come close to fair and adequate reparation. Yet they are being halted by people who cannot own up to the fact that centuries of injustice have hamstrung minorities socially and economically. Objectors bristle at the thought of any inconvenience caused by the attempted redress of grievances. People of conscience in government, corporate, private, religious, academic and nonprofit institutions must forge ahead with DEI practices aimed at correcting historic injustices. These are a country's honest attempt to right past wrongs. The efforts, even if not always perfectly tuned or implemented, constitute a faith-filled nation's requisite and long overdue atonement for sin.
