Laity, Clergy Asked to Defray Sex Abuse Costs

Pontiff keeps his silence on sex abuse scandals

(AP) - A senior cardinal defended Pope Benedict XVI from "petty gossip" today, praising his "unfailing" leadership, even as the pontiff maintained his silence on mounting accusations of sex abuse cover-ups during his Easter message. At the end of the two-hour long ceremony, a weary-looking Benedict delivered the papacy's traditional Easter "Urbi et Orbi" message, analyzing humanity's failings and hopes. More»

Vatican 'needs to look into source of sex scandals'

(NEWSER) - The Catholic church needs to take a long hard look at its celibacy policy in the wake of its seemingly endless sex scandals, an influential cardinal says. Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, the archbishop of Vienna, wrote in his archdiocese magazine last week that the Vatican should carry out an "unflinching examination" of the roots of the scandals, paying particular attention to priests' training and personality development. More»

(NEWSER) - An editor of a Catholic newspaper criticized for a gay affair in a publication owned by the brother of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is out of a job, reports the New York Times. He resigned just days after he slammed the randy head of state in an editorial for his multiple dalliances with young women. Belusconi's brother shot back in Il Giornale that editor Dino Boffo was a "homosexual known to the secret services" who settled a suit for harrasing the girlfriend of a gay lover. More»

President asks Benedict to pray for ill senator

(NEWSER) - President Obama delivered a letter from Ted Kennedy to Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican today, CNN reports. Obama met with the pontiff for about a half hour before leaving Rome for Ghana. The contents of Kennedy’s letter were personal, an Obama aide said, and “not known to anyone I know of except Senator Kennedy." More»

(NEWSER) - Alleged victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests can move ahead with a lawsuit against the Vatican, the Wall Street Journal reports. A federal appeals court in Cincinnati ruled that the Vatican can be held liable for negligence in the thousands of such cases reported in the US. A Vatican spokesman said it will probably not appeal to the Supreme Court. More»