By DANIEL BURKE c. 2011 Religion News Service BELLEVUE, Wash. (RNS) The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops on Thursday (June 16) overwhelmingly voted to maintain current church policies on the sexual abuse of children, making only minor tweaks to policies that critics say contain large loopholes. The bishops voted 187-5, with four abstentions, to make only…

By FRANCIS X. ROCCA c. 2011 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY (RNS) Amnesty International has criticized the Vatican for falling short of its commitments to protect children from sex abuse. “The Holy See did not sufficiently comply with its international obligations relating to the protection of children,” the human rights group said in its latest…

By PETER EISLER c. 2011 USA Today VIENNA, Va. (RNS) When officials at Vienna Presbyterian Church decided to acknowledge the church’s failures in handling reports of sexual abuse by a youth ministries director, they thought it might upset some in the congregation. What surprised them was the admonishment from the church’s insurance company. On March…

By KEVIN ECKSTROM c. 2011 Religion News Service WASHINGTON (RNS) The nation’s leading advocacy group for victims of clergy sexual abuse is opposing an Oregon Jesuit’s bid to serve as House chaplain, saying he failed to follow up on alleged abuse 25 years ago. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said the…

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