clergy sexual abuse

France’s government has summoned the head of the French bishops’ conference after he said that secrets shared in the confessional are above the law, including sex abuse confessions. These comments come as the country reels from new revelations of large-scale child sex abuse within the Catholic Church.

Victims of abuse within France’s Catholic Church welcomed a historic turning point Tuesday after a new report estimated that 330,000 children in France were sexually abused over the past 70 years, providing the country's first accounting of the worldwide phenomenon.

An independent commission examining sex abuse within the Roman Catholic Church in France believes 3,000 child abusers—two-thirds of them priests—have worked in the church over the past 70 years.

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera signed a bill that eliminates the statute of limitations on sex crimes involving children. The passing of the new Chilean law is the latest news involving the Catholic sexual abuse scandal in Chile, where investigations against Catholic clergy are ongoing.

The attorney general for the state of Illinois has revealed findings from an ongoing investigation into the Catholic Church. She has accused almost 700 clergy members of sexually abusing children, and this number is much higher than the church’s own initial estimate of 185.

“Say Nope to the Pope” has people applying for free tickets for this weekend’s mass with no plans to attend. Organizers hope the the sight of thousands of empty seats will be an effective silent and peaceful protest.

"Priests were raping little boys and girls, and the men of God who were responsible for them not only did nothing; they hid it all," the grand jury report said of its findings into clergy sexual abuse.