Saturday, Dec 20th
Last update10:11:42 AM GMT
Special Interest Glance
The longest-serving bishop in Belgium resigned Friday after admitting to sexually abusing “a young man in my close entourage” many years ago, becoming the latest cleric to quit in a spreading abuse scandal.
The development dealt a new blow to the Roman Catholic Church, and marked a new entry in a corrosive catalog of disclosures that has damaged its credibility and shaken the trust of many believers in their spiritual leaders.
The Air Force stated the launch of the reusable Boeing X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle is not a segue into militarizing space. The unmanned space shuttle will be controlled from the ground to conduct experiments in space. The secrecy about the innovative rocket makes its null purposes seem irrelevant.
In a statement confirming that Pope Benedict XVI has accepted his resignation, Bishop James Moriarty of Kildare and Leighlin repeated his acknowledgment that he bore some responsibility for the mishandling of sexual abuse in the Dublin archdiocese.
Although he was not directly criticized for his actions as in Dublin in the Murphy report, he said, "from the time I became an auxiliary bishop, I should have challenged the prevailing culture." He apologized to abuse victims in his statement.
A group representing sexual abuse victims is filing an unprecedented lawsuit Thursday against the Vatican, a lawsuit that names Pope Benedict XVI. The suit stems from the Fr. Lawrence Murphy sex abuse case.
At 12:00 p.m. CDT Thursday, clergy abuse survivors will walk into the Federal Courthouse in Milwaukee and file a lawsuit against the Vatican.
It was planned as a solemn event -- a chance to experience the sacred liturgical roots of Catholic tradition at one of the country's most prominent churches. But after three years of fundraising and careful coordination, an elaborate Latin Mass scheduled for Saturday at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington has been dragged into the clergy abuse scandal.
The allegations against Monsignor Luiz Marques Barbosa — and two other Brazilian priests — have made headlines throughout the world's most populous Catholic nation and come amid accusations of sexual abuse by priests across the world.
A German bishop accused of physically abusing children in his care has issued an apology and asked for forgiveness. Bishop Walter Mixa said in a statement that he was "sorry for causing many people grief" without specifying exactly what he meant.
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