Church Sex Abuse Scandal

The previous incarnation of this thread, "Sex abuse Scandal, US Catholic Church", was getting rather long, and it had spread way beyond the US Catholic Church to include other countries and other churches. But I've also noticed that clerical sex abuse is popping up randomly in many other threads. Maybe it would be helpful to have as much of it as possible in a single thread? I've renamed this one to cover the wider topic. On an issue as serious as sexual abuse I think it would be important for us to cite sources when we post about cases, so that anybody who is interested can read widely around each case.

In a parallel thread the name of Archbishop Eamon Martin came up in regard to clergy sexual abuse so I looked him up to see what it was all about. He has publicly apologised for abuse by clergy (link and link), and has taken up the cause of victims and survivors (link). It seems the main criticism against him (and the Church in general) has been the slow and at times clumsy handling of abuse cases. On the other hand he has also criticised Catholics who use the issue of clerical abuse to score points against people they disagree with in the Church, and rejected the idea that abuse scandals can be blamed on priests who are gay (link). However most of these press reports are from several years ago.

Ailing and failing: the Church of England has lost its way (Church Times)

An institution that is marred by scandal and division needs to prioritise ethical thinking and acting... THE presenting issue in the great cloud of distrust and disaffection which hangs over the Church is the scandal of sexual abuse of minors and young people, and the accumulated series of failures to deal adequately with the perpetrators... Who can blame those former churchgoers who have voted with their feet, saying to themselves in disgust something along these lines: “If that’s what the Church is like, I want nothing more to do with it.” We may share the disappointment and disillusionment that motivate such a step on the part of some, but I trust that we do not draw the same conclusion. Rather, we should be saying: “Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their Church!” I want to say (and do say) to such people, who have had a raw deal from a Church of which they hoped better things: “The Church needs you more than ever. So, please get involved once again. Take up your share of the slack. Stick with it. Above all, be there, Sunday by Sunday”... But the failure of justice, which is also a failure of love, goes much wider. There are whole swaths of people in the population — particularly women, LGBTQ+ persons, and members of ethnic minorities — who feel let down, devalued, and disregarded by the Church, when all they have asked is to be accepted and nurtured. This is a Church that, shamefully, loves to exclude... Turning things the right way up again needs us to begin with the ethical imperative. What needs to affirmed, above all, is the priority of the ethical for thinking and acting, because the ethical reflects the nature and will of God and the character of Christ, as it is revealed by the prophets, the apostles, and the Gospel-writers...

A "spiritual advisor" in St. Cloud Minn. will join other abuse clergy being charged in ongoing investigations.+AMDG+

In Neighboring Nebraska a priest was barred from being alone with kids after grooming incident. Fr Grant grabbed a 15 year old by the genitals during a lesson. That was eighteen years ago. Fr Grant is still with the diocese which is an outspken opponent of guildlines to prevent abuse. 195 diocese across America have accepted reforms but Lincoln. The Nebraskan AG's office has credible allegations but refuses to prosecute Fr Grant.+AMDG+

Thanks for these examples, although it would have been nice to have some links to sources so that we can read about them in detail. A few comments. The fact that "I never knew of a woman, LGQBTP++ or ethnic minority who were shamefully excluded" does not mean they don't exist; it only means that you never knew of them. The voices of "excluded" people are often not heard by the "included". Good news that the Archdiocese of New Orleans is finally making some reparations towards some victims, and that another abuser in St Cloud Minnesota is being charged, along with others; the judicial system is working. But if the Nebraskan AG's office is declining to prosecute someone, perhaps it means that after investigations, the allegations turned out not to be as solid as you suggest? We're all aware of such cases where seemingly credible allegations eventually turn out to be unfounded or at least unproven, the most prominent including Catholic Cardinal George Pell and Archbishop Fulton Sheen and Anglican Bishop George Bell.

I'm sorry to hear that a Nebraskan diocese is opposing safeguarding guidelines. In that regard it is an outlier amongst Catholic dioceses, as most are striving to implement safeguarding procedures. But a priest being "barred from being alone with kids" is not an unusual thing; under most safeguarding protocols all pastoral agents are now barred from being alone with minors.

I've looked up Fr Peter Omogo (link) and it seems that the Michigan Attorney General's Office investigated the priest but declined to move forward with criminal charges because some of the alleged victims did not want to do so, while in other cases the statute of limitations had run out. The AG's office said that for one woman's allegations, they didn't believe they could meet the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Fr Omogo was guilty of a crime. He was suspended by the diocese during these investigations. But you now make the allegation that he is "happily abusing more women in his diocese in Nigeria"; can you cite a source for that claim, or is it mere supposition? The Diocese of Grand Rapids notified his home diocese of the allegations and the outcome of the investigation, so his own bishop is aware.

Sisters abused by priest urge Catholic Church to engage with victims (BBC)

Two sisters who were abused by a former priest have called on the Catholic Church to ensure every diocese in Ireland is proactive in providing opportunities for direct engagement between abuse survivors and church leaders... Con Cunningham, then aged 86, was sentenced to 15 months in prison at Letterkenny Circuit Court in 2021 after pleading guilty to eight counts of indecent assault in the 1970s. A spokesperson for the Catholic Church said it is committed to "continuous learning and responding positively" to those who have been hurt. The Martin sisters were nine and 11 when the abuse started... After Cunnigham's conviction, the sisters felt only "one part of their pain" had been dealt with. The rest of the pain was caused, they said, by "a lack of care, concern or engagement by the Church over a period of almost 30 years". The sisters said they were unsure as to what steps to take next following the criminal case but had decided to initiate civil proceedings against the Church. They were then contacted by legal representatives for the Diocese of Raphoe who asked them to consider a sit-down meeting with senior church figures. They accepted and the meeting was facilitated by a mediator in Londonderry last year... Paula Martin told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme while initially cautious about the meeting, she found it brought her "peace I had not expected". "Over the past 30 years it has felt that the Catholic Church was protecting itself at all costs," she said. "For the very first time, we felt heard and understood. "It was a very honest, open and heartfelt meeting." The sisters said all parties were very clear on the structure of the meeting and it felt like a "safe space". For Margaret Martin, the impact of the meeting and the apology was profound. "It opened the door to healing in a way that I never imagined - it was like a cloud lifting," she added. "It really helped to take away the pain I have been carrying for 30 years"... Prof Marie Keenan is an international scholar on child sexual abuse and the Catholic Church, restorative justice and institutional abuses. She said facilitated meetings between survivors and institutional leaders were becoming more common. "I've seen first hand that these meetings can be transformational"... "Many survivors aren't even aware that this type of process is available. "It may not be for everyone as survivors can have very different justice needs." However, Keenan said the meetings can be a chance for victims to get "validation, vindication and accountability". Keenan said research has shown meetings that have an independent facilitator, have better outcomes for survivors as opposed to informal meetings...

Spain's Catholic Church signs deal on sexual abuse compensation (BBC)

Spain's Roman Catholic Church has reached an agreement with the government to compensate victims of sexual abuse by members of the clergy. The accord follows complaints that religious leaders had failed to tackle the issue adequately. It means the government will manage possible compensation in co-ordination with the Church, handling cases where other legal avenues are no longer available because the alleged crime took place too long ago or the individual accused has passed away... "A democracy should not allow the existence of victims who have never been compensated {and} whose situation, on the contrary, had been covered up," said Justice Minister Félix Bolaños after signing the agreement. He added that the agreement sought to "pay off an historic, moral debt that we had with victims of abuse within the Church"... Argüello, who is archbishop of Valladolid, described the accord as "another step forward along the path that for years we have been travelling"... Under the new system, victims will be able to file their cases before a new agency created by the justice ministry, which will then take them before the ombusdman's office, which will draw up a reparation proposal. The Church must then agree to the proposed compensation – if not, the case will be referred back to the ombudsman. Reparation can be symbolic, psychological, or economic, according to the agreement. In each case, the Church is responsible for its execution. The amount of financial compensation that could be paid out is not specified...

>11 brone:

Thanks for this news, but I'd like to read the details in context. I've googled but can't find anything recent. Could you cite a link, please, or at least give us a name, date or whatever that would help us to learn more about this egregious case?

Clergy gather for Bangladesh’s first Church safeguarding forum (Tablet)

‘Priests are called to protect others. If abuse occurs, there must be a fair investigation and justice for victims. Transparency, accountability and responsibility are essential to our mission.’ Religious and diocesan priests assembled to address the sensitive and often unspoken issue of safeguarding in the first such open forum in Bangladesh... the protection of children, women and persons with special needs... Church leaders described it as a significant step towards strengthening accountability, prevention and pastoral responsibility within the local Church...

Fr Damian Howard SJ asked to step down from Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy (Tablet)

In a statement posted on the chaplaincy website, the Oxford Board says Fr Howard was asked to step down from his role at the Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy “on the grounds of professional misconduct, following a complaint made by a student, which was investigated by the Jesuits in Britain and found to be substantiated”. This investigation is currently subject to an ongoing independent review commissioned by Jesuits in Britain... The independent review is being conducted by the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency... Jesuits in Britain said they are awaiting the recommendations of the CSSA review. The matter has also been reported to the Charity Commission and to the relevant authorities...

Ex-priest indicted for allegedly raping disabled child while ministering in New Orleans (Guardian)

A man accused of molesting a disabled boy whom he met while working as a Roman Catholic priest in New Orleans has been indicted on child rape charges, according to authorities... Prosecutors allege that he committed the offenses cited in the indictment between 2006 and 2008, victimizing a boy who was between the ages of 12 and 14... Ford is among several men who have worked as Catholic clergymen in New Orleans to have been arrested by authorities in connection with child sexual abuse allegations both before and after the city’s archdiocese filed for federal bankruptcy protection in 2020...

Ex-Catholic church lawyer who warned US bishops of systemic clergy abuse dies at 78 (Guardian)

A Louisiana attorney whose work helped crack open the US Catholic church’s long-hidden clergy sexual abuse crisis died Thursday morning in suburban New Orleans... {Ray} Mouton’s path to becoming one of the earliest and most influential figures in exposing systemic abuse inside the church was deeply personal – and professionally paradoxical. In the 1980s, he was hired by the diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, to defend Gilbert Gauthe, a priest charged with raping children. Mouton successfully negotiated a plea deal for Gauthe to serve a 20-year prison sentence. The case effectively started the US’s reckoning with the worldwide Catholic clergy molestation scandal... In the course of that work, Mouton became privy to secret information that changed the direction of his life: the same diocese paying his legal fees was quietly protecting other abusive priests. “That realization outraged him,” said investigative journalist Jason Berry, an occasional Guardian contributor who was the first reporter to expose the wider cover-up of pedophile priests... Berry’s reporting in the 1980s laid the groundwork for later investigations into the US church’s abuse crisis... After the Gauthe case, Mouton joined forces with Vatican canon lawyer Thomas Doyle – a former priest – and psychologist Michael Peterson, who had been treating abusive clergy, to write a 95-page internal warning to church leadership in 1985. The document is a complicated relic. It warned that the church was facing billions of dollars in abuse claims – even back then – and offered strategies for meeting the crisis head-on while still protecting the hierarchy from the stench of individual priests’ crimes. At the same time, it cautioned bishops that continued secrecy and denial would only deepen the crisis – and that it would expose the church to catastrophic moral and legal consequences...

An interesting article on one of the Irish Catholic child care home scandals which delves deeper than some headlines.

Home truths – mother and baby homes in Ireland (Tablet)

The Children’s Home in Tuam is perhaps the most notorious example of the depravities of Catholic Ireland, and the nuns who ran it have become a byword for cruelty. But the reality of what happened could turn out to be more complicated...

“Safeguarding is a Sacred Mission, Not Just a Policy,” Says SICS Director at Launch (AMECEA)

Nearly seven years after Pope Francis challenged the global Church to embed safeguarding in all its pastoral activities, that call has taken concrete shape in Africa with the launch of the Safeguarding Initiative for Catholic Sisters (SICS) in Nairobi, built on the conviction that protecting the vulnerable is not a policy exercise but a sacred mission. Addressing hundreds of participants during the launch that brought together women Religious, clergy, bishop, and partners on Thursday, February 20, the Director of SICS Sr. Jacinta Ondeng emphasized that safeguarding flows directly from the heart of the Gospel...

Bishop of Lincoln arrested in sexual assault inquiry (BBC)

The Bishop of Lincoln, the Right Reverend Stephen Conway, has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault. Lincolnshire Police said an arrest of a 68-year-old man was part of an "ongoing investigation following an allegation that a man was sexually assaulted between 2018 and 2025". Earlier, the Church of England said Conway had been suspended from ministry while a "safeguarding complaint" was being investigated, and had been passed to the "appropriate statutory authorities"...

He broke the story of the US Catholic clergy abuse scandal. Now he reflects on struggling to keep his faith (Guardian)

A reporter ponders on how to repair a religious structure long thought of as good but supported by an evil underside...

Tutela Minorum reaffirms guidelines, highlights emerging forms of abuse (Vatican News)

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors concluded its Spring Plenary Assembly in Rome on Friday, marking five days of reflection, dialogue, and planning focused on strengthening safeguarding practices across the universal Church. Gathering Members and staff from around the world, the Assembly centred its work on enhancing engagement with victims and survivors, advancing global safeguarding standards, and reinforcing collaboration at every level of ecclesial life... Contributions from experts and partner initiatives underlined both the complexity of safeguarding challenges and the importance of collaboration between Church and civil society actors. Members highlighted the urgency of fostering “an open, collaborative spirit” capable of responding effectively to these realities. A central focus of the Assembly was the role of victims and survivors in shaping the Church’s safeguarding efforts... Finally, the Assembly turned its attention to emerging challenges, including vulnerability in its many dimensions and the growing threat of online abuse...

Survivors claim Spanish Jesuits used Bolivia as ‘dumping ground’ for paedophile priests (Tablet)

Abuse survivors in Bolivia claimed the Society of Jesus in Catalonia used the country as a “dumping ground” for paedophile priests. The Bolivian Survivors’ Community (CBS) requested that the Catalan ombudsman and parliament investigate alleged cases of abuse involving approximately 1,000 victims and about 20 Jesuits. Some had criminal records or complaints regarding their suspected abuse at schools in Spain before they were sent to the “missions” in Bolivia... Most of the Jesuits accused of abuse are now dead... “The Bolivian mission was used to hide aggressors and distance them from justice in Spain, exposing a vulnerable civil population to new abuses”...

Pope Leo XIV: Safeguarding minors is 'a challenge to the conscience of the Church' (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV sends a message to a meeting of the Italian Bishops' Conference on safeguarding minors, and pledges the Church's commitment to better protect minors and vulnerable adults. "The presence of the smallest and most vulnerable challenges the conscience of the Church and measures its ability to express authentic care"...

Archbishop Wenski laments US cuts to Church aid to unaccompanied minors (Vatican News)

Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami decries that services provided by the Catholic Church for unaccompanied minors will be forced to shut down after the US government strips its funding...

Seminarians Reminded Safeguarding is Every Minister’s Duty (AMECEA)

At the opening of a five-day workshop focusing on capacity building in pastoral response for the local Church in Eastern Africa at Blessed Bakanja AMECEA College (BBAC), the Secretary General of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) has underscored the essence of the protection of minors and vulnerable persons as a fundamental ministry of every minister in the Church...

Louisiana deacon awaits Vatican decision on his excommunication (NCR)

The Catholic deacon from Louisiana, who in May 2024 appealed his excommunication after leaving the church in the aftermath of his son's abuse case, has spent about two years waiting for a ruling from Rome...

A sad case which calls into question the diocese's treatment of the victim and his family, although the priest who perpetrated the abuse was found guilty and sentenced to a prison term.

Peru: Mass of Reparation for the victims of ‘Sodalitium’ (Vatican News)

In the parish of San Juan Bautista in Catacaos, in Peru’s northwestern Piura region, a solemn celebration was held for the Tallán indigenous communities who, for over a decade, suffered persecution, land expropriation, and harassment by the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae (SCV), a movement suppressed by Pope Francis in 2025... The lay society, better known as "Sodalicio," was among the most active and widespread entities in Latin America from the 1970s onward. However, it became the center of severe abuse and corruption scandals involving its founders and top leadership...

Little in this world can elicit a greater sense of pain, anger, frustration, or despair than the sudden unveiling of decades of serious gut wrenghing betrayal by those in ordained ministry. In the spate of dreadful news, it is no stranger to a Church that shared similar ingredients of lust, narcissism, pride, power, and greed. I sugesst reading about the scandalous reign of Alexander Vi and the immoral behaviors by clergy all across Europe. These scandals helped lay the foubdation of the Protestant Reformation. St Francis de Sales uttered prophetic words that are relevant today, "Those who commit these types of scandals are guilty of spiritual murder while those who take scandal are guilty of spiritual suicide." We are forced today to face tragic revelation of scores of accusations of predominately homosexual behavior and abuse."AMDG" Free Jimmy Lai.

Unlike homosexual popes, bishops, and priests, straight priests do not believe that they have to change attitudes before they even think about changing what the Church says about any given question. Prevost however when asked about the Church changing its doctrinal teaching on homosexuality, was his use of the word "we" refering to members of the LGBTQP+++ community? If that be the case, is it possible Prevost might have been groomed by two predators Sternemen and Rupp who were on the faculty where Prevost was formed. The Michagan Attorney General in a sweeping investigation about sex abuse noted the St Augustine Seminary as a site of documented abuse. In the US alone there are 21,00 priests in active ministry and since 1950 it is estimated that there have been over 100,000 victims of an estimated 15,000 predator priests, Let us try to uncover evidence of sexual malfeasance on the part of Prevost in Peru, you can bet the mainstream and Catholic media will bury it just like they buried all allegations of Bergoglian shenanigans. Until the day comes when Prevost disciplines acussed predator priests like Marko Rupnik, Dennis Hanneman, and Adam Park as well as over 160 bishops accused of sexually abusing children you must be kidding to not expect the "wounds of ecclesial" unity in the Church. "AMDG"

US bishops safeguarding report affirms ‘vigilance’ against abuse (Tablet)

More than 1,000 allegations of child sexual abuse were reported in US dioceses during the 2025 fiscal year, according to the US bishops’ annual safeguarding report. On 27 May, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection and its National Review Board released its 2025 annual report of “Findings and Recommendations on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People”... In his preface, the USCCB president Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City said that all the dioceses and eparchies “had participated in at least one on-site audit”. The annual report “stands as evidence that the Church not only continues to prevent child sexual abuse and reconcile with past victims but also ensures that audits serve as effective tools for accountability and prevention”, Coakley wrote. The audit process, Coakley added, helps Church leaders “to integrate the safety of our children into the daily life and work of the Church”. “I hope and pray that, through collective efforts, we remain vigilant and committed to the work needed to prevent the evil of child sexual abuse – not only in the Church, but in society,” Coakley said... The report indicated that 837 clergy members were accused of sexually abusing a minor during the report period. More than half of those individuals were reported deceased as of 30 June 2025...

>31 John5918: A Catholic priest in central Minn. is being chargesdwith inappropriate relationship with a woman that turned violent. This was one of many "relationships " the priest had and of course he was restored as a parochial vicar and arrested again for sexual stalking ect safeguarding and vigilance is what they call it. A well known Cathplic priest was convicted in London in 2023 and got six and a half years his name was Finbow vigilance against abuse the people not the priests and Bishops are vigilant. In Portugal victims of sexual abuse accuse the Church of opacity, slowness, and disrespect years of schocking reports lifted the lid of the deviant behavior of priests and very little has been done for hundreds of victims. Jan2. 2026 a neglected aspect of the abuse crisis is the huge abuse of religious sisters particularly innocent African girls and other scenes of evangelization. There are over 176 offending sisters who are publicly known and profiled. And that is just 2% of the 8,362 persons currently accused. In Nigeria with all they have to worry about with Moslems killing them daily, we have Chris Okafor who has stepped down from his ministries after a wave of sexual misconduct causing Nigerians as if they don't have enough on their minds to worry about sexual misconduct with allegations of rape. Just some more of bishop's vigilance against abuse. Then we have ole Jimmy Cherickal from Kerala somehow got himself to Canada in 2025 and was arrested while serving as pastor of a Church in Toronto Bishops in toronto who had no idea Jimmy was a perv, this shell game is going on around the world while bishops are "vigilant". And yes, the Archdiocese of New Orleans apologizes for an inexcusable evil and takes responsibility. NO is bankrupt and finally after decaes of abuse affirms "vigilance" against it. Leo got what he wanted the UN after listening to Vatican officials now crying "we have to do something. We're losing people. The Catholic Church has created a global catastrophe through a careful maintance of a system that has allowed clergy to abuse children around the world with impunity. Philipine priests are accused of sex abuse by the dozens and remain in active ministry, these things are happening today not 1950, or even 20 years ago but the bishops are "vigilant" against abuse. An Australian bishop actually said an abusing priest could not be sued because he is employed by God, Bishop "vigilance". Ignatius a Nigerian bishop said in 2025 sexual abusere of children have wounded our credibility. Now we have Prevost telling us a "culture of prevention" is needed really a culture of jail time is needed in Itlay alone since 2000, 1,106 priests have been accused of sexual abuse with 4,400 known victims but a culture of prevention and "vigilance from bishops is what they say is needed. Prevost when cornered emphasizes false accusations and priests rights but thats par for the course he did not adhere to canon law or abuse policies in places he led. When Prevost says not to expect major reforms, it is a rejection of survivors. Now it could be that Prevost is coming to grips with the enormity of the Church sscandals if this is so then it is time for Prevost to roll up his sleeves and figure out how to address these issues. The Vatican has ignored every major call for accountability. So far, it's all talk from Prevost and his merry band. My Church let's face it has perpetuated widespread sexual violence amounting to torture and we are mumbling apologies for offences of 200 hundred years ago. Leaving this system in place is suicide Prevost must enact a global Zero tolerance law, release all the criminal evidence you are hiding in the archives, and stop spending our millions on attorneys and lobbyists to fight every effort to pass laws that allow survivors to seek justice. Prevost's continued failure to act will ensure that this crisis remains front and center as it should."AMDG"

Mark this ole Catholic High School educated guy's words, " there will be no global tolerance law" because: Prevost has wielded his papal authority to avoid testifying about his involvment in covering up child sex abuse in Peru. Evidence shows Prevost granted a dispensation to an accused Peruvian priest to end an internal investigation of his own conduct this came to light in 2025. The evidence is there including emails from Prevost and recordings of meetings discussing cases of abuses of children. In 2022 then bishop Prevost had a meeting with 3 victims of abuse they ranged in age from 9 to 14. I won't go into the lurid details of this meeting but Prevost despite assertions that the accused priest was removed from public ministry well you guessed it the old shell game was played by Prevost and the abuser was in public ministry all during Prevosts tenure. A priest Giampiero by name was appointed to investigate this monster and decided that he committed sin but no crime. So, if I get this right the priest that investigated the abuse and shell game said the abuser lost his 'dignity' and rights. The abuser was granted an 'honorary discharge' from the priesthood with no trial, no finding of guilt, and no public record of his crimes. Now they say there are 1.4 billion Catholics in the World If you buy that lie, I'll tell you another one. Of all those people Prevost is the only one to sign off on all those dispensations given to that abusing priest. He stands to lose the most by an investigation and trial by Peruvian locals. So, Prevost himself served as judge and interested party in a case that directly implicates his own oversight. Prevost can do as he pleases even if immoral or illegal he is immune to any laws or judjments save his own. As I have proved abuse continues in the Catholic Church and it will continue to lose members who are sickened by bishop vigilance and cultures of prevention. What disgusts us most is the lack of compassion for the survivors of these perverts."AMDG" Free Jimmy Lai"

>32 brone:, >33 brone: I won't go into the lurid details

I wish you would go into more details, and in particular cite some links so that we can follow up on all this information, read about it in context, and check out the original sources that your reports are based on. You've obviously found all this information somewhere - why are you so reluctant to help us read it in its original form? If these cases are being covered up and/or not investigated, then surely the more people who are aware of the detailed facts (rather than the soundbites, glosses and third-hand social media reports) the better?

While I fully agree that there is no room for complacency and we still have a long way to go, all I can say is that all around me I see safeguarding being taken seriously by the Church, protocols being put in place and updated, and awareness-raising and training for clergy, sisters and lay pastoral workers. Offenders are being suspended, investigated, removed from office, laicised, reported to the police, arrested, tried and imprisoned, while victims are being listened to, believed and offered both recognition and reparation. I've been involved in a few such investigations myself and priests and lay workers whom I know personally have been dismissed, imprisoned and laicised. On multiple occasions Pope Francis acknowledged and apolgised for this egregious failing on the part of our Church, as has Pope Leo, who recently described it as "open wound" (link). There are certainly cases which have slipped through the net, there are still a lot of weaknesses in the treatment of survivors of sexual abuse, and the manner in which some bishops dealt with the issue is still open to question and investigation, although I would say that there's a difference between intentionally and deliberately covering up cases as was the default traditional way of dealing with them, and on the other hand genuine errors or omissions made by bishops trying sincerely and in good faith to negotiate the complex process of investigating allegations fully but also fairly to both accuser and accused, and in a way which will later stand up in court. But since Vatican II a cultural change is taking place within the Church (and society) and the new awareness, openness and transparency is making it more and more difficult for abusers and making it more and more likely that they will be held accountable. It's not perfect and never will be, but it's incumbent upon all of us to continue making it better - and to support and be part of that cultural change within the Church that is part of Vatican II's aggiornamento and which supports the more open approach to safeguarding.