The administrator of the elite Catholic school in Cancun, Mexico, used to take the girls out of class and send them to the chapel, where the priest from the Legion of Christ religious order would sexually abuse them.

The Vatican cardinal who co-authored a bombshell book with Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI reaffirming priestly celibacy on Tuesday strongly denied he manipulated the retired pope into publishing.

Retired Pope Benedict XVI has broken his silence to reaffirm the value of priestly celibacy, co-authoring a bombshell book at the precise moment that Pope Francis is weighing whether to allow married men to be ordained to address the Catholic priest shortage.

The Samples were a black Chicago family, with six children and few resources. The priest helped them with tuition, clothes, bills. He offered the promise of opportunities — a better life. He also abused all the children. They told no one. They were afraid of not being believed and of losing what little they had, said one son, Terrence Sample….

Attorneys suing the Diocese of San Bernardino on behalf of a man who claims he was sexually abused as a child by a priest in Hemet alleged today that the clergyman was one of dozens permitted to have a free hand with children for decades. During a news briefing in Riverside, attorney Mike Reck said the civil action filed in…

The Associated Press has found that more than 900 clergy members accused of child sexual abuse are missing from the lists of credibly accused priests released by the Roman Catholic dioceses and religious orders. Victims advocates had long criticized the church for not making public the names of credibly accused priests. Now, despite the release of nearly 5,300 names,...

The Associated Press has found that more than 900 clergy members accused of child sexual abuse are missing from the lists of credibly accused priests released by the Roman Catholic dioceses and religious orders. Victims advocates had long criticized the church for not making public the names of credibly accused priests.

Saying it is time for every diocese and religious order in the state to come clean, attorneys Friday filed the first of six lawsuits by victims who allege they were sexually abused by a priest while attending St. Francis High School in La Canada Flintridge. During a news conference at the Hilton Checkers Los Angeles hotel downtown, lawyer Jeff Anderson…

Pennsylvania’s Roman Catholic dioceses have paid nearly $84 million to 564 victims of sexual abuse, a tally that’s sure to grow substantially in the new year as compensation fund administrators work through a backlog of claims, according to an Associated Press review.

Pope Francis offered a Christmas message of hope Wednesday against darkness that cloaks conflicts and relationships in large parts of the world from the Middle East to the Americas to Africa. The pope told tens of thousands of tourists, pilgrims and Romans gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the annual Christmas Day message that “the light of Christ is...

Pope Francis assured the faithful on Christmas Eve that God loves everyone — “even the worst of us” — as he celebrated the joyous birth of Christ after a less-than-joyful year of scandals and opposition. With a choir singing the classic Christmas hymn “The First Noel,” Francis processed down the center aisle of St. Peter’s Basilica late Tuesday and unveiled…

The Vatican office responsible for processing clergy sex abuse complaints has seen a record 1,000 cases reported from around the world this year, including from countries it had not heard from before — suggesting that the worst may be yet to come in a crisis that has plagued the Roman Catholic Church....

Nearly two decades after the Vatican assumed responsibility for...

The Japanese bishops’ conference launched a nationwide investigation into sexual abuse of women and children this year, responding to the Vatican’s demand for an urgent response to the global crisis. The results haven’t been disclosed. Similar studies have been carried out by the U.S., German and Dutch churches.

Indigenous dancers, musicians and families gathered to celebrate the 488th anniversary of the appearance of the Virgin Mary in Mexico City. Beverly White reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019.

Half of California’s Catholic dioceses expect to be subpoenaed by the state attorney general as part of an investigation into whether they have properly handled allegations of sexual abuse by priests, a church spokesman said Tuesday.

The bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of Buffalo has resigned following widespread criticism over how he handled allegations of clergy sexual misconduct. Pope Francis has accepted Bishop Richard Malone’s resignation and named the bishop of Albany, New York, to run the Buffalo diocese temporarily until a permanent replacement is found.

At the end of another long day trying to sign up new clients accusing the Roman Catholic Church of sexual abuse, lawyer Adam Slater gazes out the window of his high-rise Manhattan office at one of the great symbols of the church, St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

A vast survey of the Roman Catholic Church workforce in America shows the people who know best how the church is run – the employees themselves – are deeply split on key issues facing parishes across nation. The survey reveals diocesan priests are far more likely to view clergy abuse as a problem of the past, while nuns and other religious…

An Associated Press investigation of Catholic review boards across the country shows that the bishop-appointed boards, operating in secrecy, have routinely undermined sex abuse claims from victims, shielded accused priests and helped the church avoid payouts.

The death toll from an operation by Bolivian security forces to clear the blockade of a fuel plant by anti-government protesters has risen to at least eight, officials said Wednesday. The public defender’s office and the state Institute of Forensic Investigations announced the casualty figures, a day after the violence in the city of El Alto, near La Paz.