• Pope: Stopping child sexual abuse key to 'credibility' of Catholic Church

    Franco Origlia / Getty Images

    Pope Francis said that the church must "act decisively" to stop child sexual abuse by priests.

    By Philip Pullella, Reuters

    VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis wants the Catholic Church to "act decisively" to root out sexual abuse of children by priests and ensure the perpetrators are punished, the Vatican said on Friday.

    Francis, in a meeting with the Holy See's doctrinal chief, Archbishop Gerhard Mueller, had declared that combating sexual abuse was important "for the Church and its credibility", a statement said.

    Francis inherited a Church mired in problems and a major scandal over priestly abuse of children. It was believed to be the first time he had taken up the issue of sex abuse with a senior member of his staff since his election on March 13.

    Mueller is head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican department which includes the office of the "promoter of justice", or sex crimes prosecutor, which investigates cases of sexual abuse and decides if priests are to be defrocked.

    Slideshow: Pope Francis: His life before the papacy

    Marcos Brindicci / Reuters

    Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina was elected to lead the Catholic Church following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. 

    Launch slideshow

    Francis said the department should continue to "act decisively as far as cases of sexual abuse are concerned, promoting, above all, measures to protect minors, help for those who have suffered such violence in the past (and) the necessary procedures against those who are guilty," a statement said.

    It said the pope wanted Catholic bishops around the world to promote and put into place "directives in this matter which is so important for the witness of the Church and its credibility".

    A victims' group, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said the statement did not go far enough and criticized it for saying that the Church's stance against sexual abuse was "a continuation" of the line wanted by Francis' predecessor, Pope Benedict.

    "Action, not discussion, is needed," SNAP said in a statement.

    "We can't confuse words with actions. When we do, we hurt kids. We must insist on new tangible action that helps vulnerable children protect their bodies, not old vague pledges that help a widely-discredited institution protect its reputation," it said.

    SNAP and other victims groups say there is much still to be discovered about how the Church behaved in the past and want more bishops who were aware of abuse to be held responsible.

    The Catholic Church's crisis began in Boston in 2002 when media began reporting how cases of abuse were systematically covered up and abusive priests shuttled from parish to parish instead of being defrocked and handed over to civil authorities.

    Since then, the Catholic Church in many countries has set up new guidelines to deal with cases of past abuse, prevent new cases, report abuse to police, and stop potential abusers from entering the priesthood in the first place.

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    Full Vatican coverage from NBC News

    This story was originally published on Fri Apr 5, 2013 8:28 AM EDT

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  • Catholic Church once again at center of abuse inquiry

    Andrew Taylor / Attorney General's Dept. via AP

    Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard called the inquiry into sexual abuse a "moral moment" for the country and warned of "very uncomfortable truths."

    By Duncan Golestani, Correspondent, NBC News

    The Catholic Church in Australia is one of several institutions in the country being investigated by a "royal commission" that is looking into allegations of child sex abuse.

    At the start of proceedings on Wednesday, the commission's chairman, Justice Peter McClellan, said it was likely that at least 5,000 people would want to give evidence to the government-backed inquiry. It will investigate allegations of abuse and cover-up that could date back decades. The commission will be focusing on religious organizations, state care providers such as orphanages and not-for-profit groups such as the Girl Guides and Scouts.

    Groups representing alleged victims of abuse say the proceedings will finally reveal Australia's history of widespread physical and sexual abuse of vulnerable children.

    As tearful campaigners gathered outside the court in Melbourne, McClellan said he wanted to hear the personal accounts of those abused and those who may have been witnesses to crimes.

    "For the individuals who have been traumatized, giving an account of their experiences and telling their story can be an important part of their own recovery process," he said. "The bearing of witness by another can break the silence over the abuse that a person experienced, in many cases, years ago."

    Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced the commission in November after allegations of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in the Hunter Valley region, north of Sydney. A serving police officer called for a national inquiry, alleging the church had protected pedophile priests and tried to stop investigations.

    The Catholic Church has said it will cooperate fully with the commission and has formed a "Truth, Justice and Healing Council." Its head, Francis Sullivan, said in a statement that the church was ready and willing to assist. "It is essential that the Commission's process contribute to the healing of the victims, and that institutions develop best-practice processes to address child sexual abuse."

    Giving a sense of the scale of the inquiry, McClellan said the commission might not be able to meet its deadline of late 2015. It has already received around 1,200 telephone calls before starting. The allegations are likely to be so harrowing that staff members will be limited in how much testimony they can listen to each day.

    Gillard called it a "moral moment" for the country. She told Australia's ABC News Radio, "When I established this royal commission I understood that it was going to require our whole country to stare some very uncomfortable truths in the face."

    Related:

    Britain's top Catholic cleric resigns

     

  • BBC ripped for handling of sex abuse scandal tied to former host

    Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images

    BBC Director General George Entwistle leaves Parliament on Tuesday after giving evidence to a select committee where he denied charges of a cover-up.

    By Peter Jeary, NBC News

    The predatory pedophilia of a former British radio and TV celebrity has shaken the BBC to its foundations, as the broadcaster struggles to reconcile itself to charges of mismanagement and allowing an "unacceptable culture" of sexual abuse to go unchecked for decades.

    Jimmy Savile, who died in October 2011 two days before his 85th birthday, rose to fame in the 1960s as a dance-hall promoter and later BBC radio disc-jockey. In the 1970s, 80s and 90s, he was a regular fixture of the BBC TV schedules, where his popular, family-oriented shows attracted top ratings. He was honored by the queen, networked with politicians and celebrities and was feted for his charity fundraising and good works.

    But in the months since Savile's death, a catalog of accusations has emerged, stretching from 1959 to 2006, in what London's Metropolitan Police described as "abuse on an unprecedented scale."

    It has also come out that Savile's sexual exploitation of children may have been known to some people at the time, including former colleagues and managers at the BBC, who failed to report or act upon the rumors and accusations. What's more, it has been revealed that in late 2011, the BBC axed an investigative news item into Savile's pedophilia at the same time that it was planning a Christmas tribute program to him.

    UK in turmoil after multiple claims kids' entertainer molested children for years

    The head of the BBC denied on Tuesday helping to cover up the allegations but accepted that it had been damaged by the crisis.

    In a BBC TV documentary broadcast Monday night, Panorama investigated the original news item, which was to have aired on BBC TV's Newsnight program until it was shelved by the Newsnight editor.

    By accessing the original Newsnight video and interviews, Panorama drew a portrait of Savile as a shrewd, calculating and devious predator who preyed on vulnerable young people. Among the accusers were some victims who said Savile had sexually abused them in his BBC dressing room after he recorded his TV shows.


    Panorama also looked into the circumstances that led to the Newsnight item being dropped.

    Suggestions that it was dropped as part of a BBC cover-up were refuted in a blog by the program's editor, Peter Rippon, who wrote, "I was told in the strongest terms that I must be guided by editorial considerations only and that I must not let any wider considerations about the BBC affect my judgement."

    However, on Monday Rippon "stepped aside" from his post as the BBC issued a correction to his blog, in which it became clear that Rippon had made factual errors about what the BBC had known. In particular, the correction clarified that there were "some allegations of abusive conduct on BBC premises."

    'Broader cultural problem'
    BBC director-general George Entwistle was quizzed on Tuesday about all of this by a parliamentary select committee into the BBC's handling of the affair.

    Although he denied the BBC was facing "its worst crisis in 50 years", Entwistle said Savile's alleged behavior had been possible only because of a "broader cultural problem" at the BBC.

    When pressed by parliamentarians for detail, Entwistle told them, "We are looking at between five and 10 serious allegations relating to activities over the whole period in question, the Savile period." He added the allegations included claims of sexual harassment made against people still working at the BBC, but could not say how many.

    The director-general's grilling created an impression of BBC management out of touch with the broadcaster's day-to-day running.

    Instead of evidence of management interference in editorial matters, committee members described themselves as "astonished" at the "lack of curiosity" exhibited by senior management into rumors and "water-cooler" revelations.

    The BBC has announced two independent reviews into the Savile affair: one looking at how the abuse he is accused of could have been allowed to happen, and the other looking into the circumstances of the shelved Newsnight item.

    Meanwhile, the police enquiry into Savile's activities has developed into a criminal investigation which has yet to establish the full extent of his crimes. Police are following more than 400 lines of enquiry involving more than 200 potential victims.

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  • Egyptian women march on frontlines of country's revolution

    Thousands of Egyptian women marched across Tahrir Square Tuesday, calling on their countrymen to join them and demand an end to the abuse of women demonstrators. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports from Cairo.

    By Ayman Mohyeldin , NBC News correspondent

    The plight of women in Egyptian society has been well documented over the years. From enduring daily sexual harassment to being marginalized from politics … being a woman in Egypt has been and is tough.

    But there was something about the video of soldiers stripping and dragging women in the street and ferociously attacking them that has triggered public outrage here. Even as their bodies lay motionless on the concrete, the soldiers repeatedly beat them over and over …

    On Tuesday, Egyptian women fought back and by doing so, pro-democracy activists say, they lifted the spirit of their cause and their country.

    Thousands of women took to the streets of downtown Cairo, walking on the same Tahrir streets where days earlier they had been beaten, arrested and dragged.

    PhotoBlog: Egyptians rally to protest treatment of women 

    They wore black and held signs that read “mourning.” They were protesting abuse by soldiers, not just over the past few days but over the past several months, which included alleged “virginity tests” against female detainees, sexual intimidation and harassment.

    The women were from all walks of life. Young and old, Muslim and Christian, rich and poor walked shoulder to shoulder.

    Niveen Redha, an Egyptian woman living in Canada and visiting Egypt, joined the march to denounce the military crackdown on protesters and women over the past few weeks.

    Others called on people watching the march wind through the streets to join them, shouting, “It could be your sisters and mothers that will be attacked next.”

    'True protectors'
    As the women marched around central Cairo, men formed a human chain around them, making sure no one could disrupt their march.

    On more than one occasion men came up to me and said of the obviously peaceful protesters, “look at these thugs” -- a sarcastic rebuke to the ruling military council, which has tried to paint the pro-democracy protesters as lawless thugs.

    One man said the “noble women of Egypt are the true protectors of the revolution” and called on the men of Egypt to “shave their mustaches” – telling someone to shave his mustache is often considered an insult in this patriarchal society.

    Images of a veiled woman being beaten and stripped on the street, exposing her upper body down to her bra, have fueled the determination of pro-democracy activists calling on the military council to hand power immediately to a civilian government. The video and the images from Saturday’s crackdown have drawn strong condemnation from the UN and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

    "This systematic degradation of Egyptian women dishonors the revolution, disgraces the state and its uniform, and is not worthy of a great people," she said Monday.

    Sexual threats
    Ghada Kamal was one of the women assaulted on Friday. For three weeks she was part of an “Occupy Cabinet” protest outside the prime minister’s office. The protesters there wanted to prevent the military-appointed prime minister from entering his office. On Friday, the military entered the encampment and attempted to break up the protest.

    The 28-year-old pharmacist was dragged away by soldiers who kicked her in the face, groped her and clubbed her head with a baton. While she was in military custody, she said, a soldier taunted her by saying, “We will have a party with you today and show you how much of a man I am.”

    Such accounts are common among women who are detained by the military. Human rights organizations also have documented cases of women being given forced virginity tests.

    In the face of mounting domestic and international criticism, the military said in a statement Tuesday on the Supreme Council of Armed Forces Facebook page that it apologizes to the women of Egypt and said it had the deepest respect for them and their right to protest and to participate in political life during Egypt's transition to democracy. It added that the military would investigate and hold to account all of those responsible for these violations.

    The recent military crackdown has united Egypt’s political forces in demanding a quick transfer of power to a civilian government. The closest thing to a civilian government taking shape in Egypt is the lower house of parliament. Two-thirds of that body has been elected, and the final round of elections is expected in early 2012.

    But the military says that until then, it has no plans to concede power.

    When Egypt's uprising began 10 months, pro-democracy activists trusted the military would protect the revolution. Now that trust is all but gone.