International
Church charges ceased or resigned in the papacy of Francis for cases of pedophilia
The fight against pedophasty within the Church was one of Francis’ objectives during the twelve years that his papacy lasted, in which there were cemiss and dismissals of members of the ecclesiastical hierarchy involved in these cases.
Among the most prominent are the following:
01.10.2013.- Francis accepts the resignation of Bishop William Lee of Waterford and Lismore (Ireland), after he admitted his ‘inappropriate’ performance in a case of alleged sexual abuse in 1993 committed by a priest of his diocese.
23.09.2014.- Josef Wesolowski, Vatican nuncio in the Dominican Republic between 2008 and 2013, was expelled from the priesthood and his responsibility at the head of the Nunciature after being subjected to a canonical process instructed by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, for his alleged ‘serious acts of child abuse in the Dominican Republic’.
On September 23, 2014, by the will of Pope Francis, the former unnuncio was placed under house arrest inside the Vatican State. Weselowski died on August 28, 2015 in Rome, where he was waiting for the trial to be held.
09/25/2014.- Francisco replaces Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano, bishop of Ciudad del Este (Paraguay), for the defense he made of the Argentine priest Carlos Urrutigoity, suspended for pedophilia in the United States in 2002.
21.04.2015.- Pope Francis accepts the resignation of the bishop of Kansas City-Saint Joseph (USA), Robert W. Finn, three years after being convicted of hiding a possible case of pederasty by a priest from his diocese.
15.06.2015.- The Archbishop of Minneapolis (USA), John Nienstedt, and the assistant bishop Lee Piché resign when a report from the Minnesota Prosecutor’s Office is released that accuses the archdiocese of ignoring and treating inappropriately complaints of cases of pedophilia. The pope accepts his resignation.
29.07.2016.- The bishop of the Irish diocese of Galway and Kilmacduagh, Martin Drennan, resigns, pointed out in a 2009 report on the cover-up of cases of pederasty in the Church of Ireland. The pope accepts the resignation.
29.06.2017.- Francis grants ‘a period of leave’ to Cardinal George Pell, considered number 3 of the Vatican, responsible for the finances of the Catholic Church and maximum representative of the Australian Church, when he was charged by the police of the Australian state of Victoria for alleged crimes of pedophilia.
Pell was the first high-ranking Roman curia who in December 2018 was found guilty of sexually abusing two minors in the 1990s and sentenced to six years in prison. After spending thirteen months in prison, the sentence was reversed in 2020 and the religious was acquitted in the last appeal. He died in 2023.
18.05.2018.- All the bishops of Chile -34- present their resignation to the pope after several days of meetings with the Pontiff in the Vatican to discuss the serious errors and omissions in the management of cases of sexual abuse, especially those related to that of the bishop of Osorno, Juan Barros, accused of covering up the priest Fernando Karadima, sentenced in 2011 by the Canonical Justice to a life of imprisonment and penance for committing sexual abuse.
11.06.2018.- Pope Francis accepts the resignations of three bishops of Chile: Juan Barros, bishop of Osorno; Gonzalo Duarte García de Cortázar, from Valparaíso, and Cristiano Caro Cordero, from Puerto Montt, for lack of transparency of the Church in the management of cases of sexual abuse of minors.
28.07.2018.- Theodore McCarrick, cardinal and archbishop emeritus of Washington, is removed from his duties on June 20, 2018 after a commission of inquiry determined well-founded and credible accusations of sexual abuse committed by the purpardon when he was a priest in the archdiocese of New York.
30.07.2018.- Francis accepts the resignation of Philip Wilson, archbishop of Adelaide (Australia) after being sentenced to twelve months in prison for covering up a pedophile priest (James Fletcher) during the 1970s. Wilson was acquitted on December 6, 2018 after his appeal against the sentence of twelve months in prison was accepted, then transformed into twelve months of house arrest, of which he must serve six months.
13.09.2018.- Francis accepts the resignation of Bishop Michael J. Bransfield of the diocese of Wheeling-Charleston (USA), who in 2012 was accused with other clerics from Philadelphia of having sexually abused ten children in the late 70s and early 80s.
21.09.2018.- Pope Francis accepts the resignation of two new bishops of Chile: Carlos Pellegrín Barrera, from San Bartolomé de Chillán, and Cristián Contreras, from San Felipe, also for the scandals of sexual abuse of minors that shaken the Church of the country.
12.10.2018.- The pope accepts the resignation of the archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who presented in September when he was accused of covering up cases of child abuse in the report of the Pennsylvania Prosecutor’s Office (USA).
07.03.2019.- Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, Archbishop of Lyon and primate of France since 2002, is sentenced to six months in prison for covering up acts of pederasty in that French diocese.
Barbarin, also sentenced to pay a symbolic compensation of one euro to the eight victims of the priest Bernard Preynat, whom the purpured man kept in charge of a parish in his diocese, presented his resignation to Pope Francis on March 18, 2019, which was rejected by invoking the pontiff ‘the presumption of innocence’. That day, the French prelate temporarily resigned from his position as Archbishop of Lyon.
23.03.2019.- Pope Francis accepts the resignation of the archbishop of Santiago de Chile, Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati, charged in his country for covering up cases of sexual abuse.
04.04.2019.- The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith definitively expels Anthony Sablan Apuron from the position of archbishop of Agaña, on the island of Guam, for sexual abuse of minors.
10/17/2020.- Pope Francis accepts the resignation of the bishop of the diocese of Kalisz (central Poland), Edward Janiak, accused of having covered up cases of pedophilia in the country.
06.11.2020.- The apostolic nunciature of Poland communicates to the retired cardinal, Henryk Gulbinowicz, the prohibition of participating in public celebrations and the use of the bishop’s badge when he is accused of alleged sexual abuse.
29.03.2021.- In Poland, the Archbishop of Gdansk, Slawoj Leszek and the Bishop of Kalisz, Edward Janiak, are prohibited from residing in their respective headquarters and participating in religious celebrations for not reporting sexual abuse of minors.
The pope grants Stefan HeBe, Archbishop of Cologne (West Germany), the situation of ‘rest’ for alleged evidence of non-compliance with his duty to communicate and clarify alleged sexual abuse on eleven occasions between 1975 and 2018.
06.28.2021.- Polish Bishop Zbigniew Kiernikowski is replaced by the Vatican after an investigation into negligence in relation to sexual abuse in the diocese of Siedle (east).
29.08.2021.- The pope accepts the resignation of Australian Bishop Christopher Alan Saunders, at the head of the diocese of Broome, in which he had been since 1996, when he was investigated for alleged sexual abuse.
07.11.2022.- Jean-Pierre Ricard, cardinal, archbishop emeritus of Bordeaux since 2019, announces his withdrawal from his religious duties by recognizing a ‘reprehensible’ attitude with a 14-year-old girl in the late 1980s.
01.06.2023.- Pope Francis accepts the resignation presented by Bishop Jalandhar Mulakkal, in Punjab (India), who had already been momentarily suspended from his position also at his own request in 2021, due to the complaint filed in 2018 by a nun following alleged and repeated violations that occurred in Kerala between 2014 and 2016.
The prelate, who was arrested and remained in police custody for weeks before obtaining bail for it, was acquitted of those accusations by an Indian court in 2022 in a scandal that shook India’s Christian opinion.
09.03.2024.- Francisco accepts the resignation of Andrzej Franciszek Dziuba, bishop of the diocese of Lowicz, in Poland, accused of negligence in the management of sexual abuse against minors after several complaints filed with the Holy See.
02.04.2024.- Pope Francis accepts the resignation of José Antonio Eguren Anselmi, Archbishop of Piura, Peru, after accusations of having covered up sexual abuse by Luis Fernando Figari, founder of Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana, the religious congregation intervened in 2018 by the Vatican, after the Peruvian Prosecutor’s Office asked for preventive detention for several members and former members of the organization, including Figari.
11.09.2024.- The pope accepts the resignation of Heinz-Günter Bongartz, auxiliary bishop of Hildesheim in Germany, six months before the age limit to remain in office, due to the accusations of families who are victims of abuse of hiding these alleged facts.
International
Venezuela Earthquakes Spark Diplomatic Thaw With Former Critics
The devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela have triggered an unprecedented diplomatic thaw between Caracas and several governments that had maintained strained relations with the country, raising hopes that the humanitarian response could pave the way for broader international engagement under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The United States, Chile, Argentina, El Salvador and Israel were among the first countries to announce humanitarian assistance, deploy search-and-rescue teams or establish direct contact with acting President Delcy Rodríguez to coordinate relief efforts in the hardest-hit areas.
Canada also joined the international response by announcing humanitarian aid while opening a domestic debate over the importance of maintaining diplomatic representation in countries such as Venezuela to better respond to emergencies and assist its citizens abroad.
The wave of international cooperation marks a sharp contrast to the diplomatic tensions that followed Venezuela’s disputed presidential election on July 28, 2024, in which Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner.
In the aftermath of that vote, the governments of Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay publicly questioned the official election results, triggering one of the region’s most significant diplomatic crises in recent years.
The Venezuelan government responded by withdrawing its diplomatic personnel from several of those countries and demanding the departure of their representatives, further deepening the country’s international isolation.
The humanitarian emergency created by the twin earthquakes has now prompted renewed communication between Caracas and governments that had previously suspended or significantly reduced diplomatic engagement, underscoring how major natural disasters can temporarily reshape international relations despite longstanding political disagreements.
International
Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Surpasses 1,700 as Search for Survivors Continues
Venezuelan authorities have raised the death toll from last week’s twin earthquakes to more than 1,700, as rescue teams continue searching for survivors in the country’s hardest-hit coastal region.
According to the latest official report released on Sunday, the powerful earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, have claimed at least 1,719 lives. National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez also reported that 5,034 people were injured, while 15,866 have been displaced and another 22,619 are receiving medical care.
The United Nations has expressed growing concern over the scale of the disaster, estimating that as many as 68,000 people could still be missing.
La Guaira bears the brunt of the disaster
The coastal state of La Guaira has suffered the greatest loss of life and the most extensive damage. The Venezuelan government has declared the area a disaster zone and placed it under military control as emergency operations continue.
Five days after the earthquakes struck, search-and-rescue teams remain on the ground, supported by additional heavy equipment and international rescue crews. However, hopes of finding more survivors beneath the rubble continue to diminish with each passing day.
One of the most dramatic rescue operations unfolded Monday in Catia La Mar, where emergency teams from El Salvador, Mexico, and Venezuela worked together to reach a 21-year-old man who has remained trapped inside a collapsed building since the earthquakes struck.
The twin earthquakes hit Venezuela on June 24, with the epicenter located between San Felipe and Yumare in the country’s northern region. The first quake, measuring magnitude 7.2, struck at 6:04 p.m. local time. Just 39 seconds later, a second and stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred farther to the southeast. Combined, the seismic activity lasted nearly three minutes, causing widespread devastation across several regions of the country.
International
Looting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
Not even the wires were left behind at a small grocery store. Before the ground had even stopped shaking, looting and theft began in the areas hardest hit by the double earthquake that struck Venezuela.
Reports of robberies have multiplied in the coastal state of La Guaira, located near Caracas and now transformed into a landscape of collapsed buildings and debris.
Videos circulating on social media show groups of people removing boxes of household appliances from a damaged store. Other images show similar boxes being carried on top of vehicles and motorcycles.
Social media platforms have also been filled with accusations against police officers and military personnel who allegedly stole from homes and even from victims who died during the disaster.
A branch of a major pharmacy chain was looted, along with supermarkets and other businesses. Some residents have described the situation as “disaster tourism,” while others say the looting reflects hunger and desperation among people who lost everything in a country already facing a prolonged economic crisis.
“Is it fair that our own people turn against our own people?” said María Esther Bernal, 71, who rented commercial spaces to Chinese merchants, all of which were looted. “They left nothing behind, not even the wallpaper. They even took the cables,” she said.
“Next door, a man died. He was Chinese. People walked over his body while they looted the place. It was a supermarket,” she added.
An AFP journalist witnessed looting in La Guaira since Thursday, following the earthquakes.
Jenifer Mayora, 34, defended some of the actions, saying that “the things people took were because the owners of the stores allowed us to take them.”
However, she criticized the limited response from authorities. “I have been waiting for a mattress so my children can sleep,” she said.
Residents have expressed anger over what they describe as a slow and insufficient response from authorities after the double earthquake, which has left around 1,450 people dead and tens of thousands missing.
Communities are demanding not only faster rescue operations in La Guaira, but also stronger security measures and urgent assistance with food, water, and medicine.
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Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Surpasses 1,700 as Search for Survivors Continues
Looting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
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International2 days agoLooting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
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International23 hours agoVenezuela Earthquake Death Toll Surpasses 1,700 as Search for Survivors Continues
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International3 days agoUN warns Venezuela earthquakes could affect up to 6.76 million people
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International23 hours agoVenezuela Earthquakes Spark Diplomatic Thaw With Former Critics