Vatican Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Pope Francis Issues Orders Aimed At Cracking Down On Vatican Corruption

By NPR News May 2, 2021

Pope Francis delivers his homily during an ordination mass on April 25, at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. This week, the pope decreed that all bishops and cardinals can be tried if they are suspected of criminal behavior. Alberto Pizzoli/Getty Images

Pope Francis is taking additional steps to crack down on corruption at the Vatican by decreeing that all bishops and cardinals be tried if they are suspected of criminal behavior. This marks the second time in two days that the pope has worked to hold top church officials accountable for their actions.Read More

Vatican Report Says Pope John Paul II Knew About Allegations Against Former Cardinal

By NPR News November 10, 2020

Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick - who was defrocked in 2019

The report on the former archbishop of Washington, Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked last year, states that Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI were aware of the accusations of sexual misconduct.Read More

Vatican Court Hears Unprecedented Sexual Abuse Criminal Trial

By NPR News October 26, 2020

Whistleblower Kamil Jarzembowski meets journalists outside St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Oct. 14. He reported the abuse to Roman Catholic Church authorities in 2012. In 2017, he went public. "I saw my roommate being abused by another seminarian," he told an Italian investigative TV program. "I was scared. I didn't understand. It was the first time I saw two people having sex." CREDIT: Gregorio Borgia/AP

A 28-year-old priest is charged with sexually abusing an altar boy over a five-year period in a Vatican City youth seminary. Another priest, the former rector, is charged with covering up the abuse.Read More

Pope Francis Makes Archbishop Wilton Gregory America’s First Black Cardinal

By NPR News October 25, 2020

In this 2019 file photo, Washington D.C. Archbishop Wilton Gregory poses for a portrait following mass at St. Augustine Church in Washington. Pope Francis has named Gregory among 13 new cardinals. CREDIT: Andrew Harnik/AP

Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, D.C., is among 13 church leaders who will be elevated to cardinal at a ceremony at the Vatican next month.Read More

Pope Opens Amazon Synod Amid Controversy Over Proposal To Allow Married Priests

By NPR News October 8, 2019

Pope Francis walks in procession on the occasion of the Amazon synod at the Vatican on Monday. The pope opened a three-week meeting as he fended off attacks from conservatives who are opposed to his ecological agenda. CREDIT: Andrew Medichini/AP

Even before the synod began, traditionalists were angered by the suggestion that, to offset a shortage of priests in the Amazon, married men might be ordained to serve in remote communities.Read More

Pope Francis Issues Rules Requiring Priests And Nuns To Report Abuse

By NPR News May 9, 2019

Pope Francis issued new guidelines for addressing sex abuse in the Catholic Church. CREDIT: Alessandra Tarantino/AP

The papal decree also sets up new procedures to hold more-senior church authorities such as bishops accountable for committing abuse or for covering up the crimes of others. Read More

Pope Francis Issues New Edict Requiring Vatican Officials Report Sex Abuse Allegations

By NPR News March 29, 2019

Pope Francis, pictured earlier this week, unveiled a new mandatory-reporting edict on Friday. It requires any Vatican official who learns of an allegation of abuse within the city-state or by Vatican officials to report it to Vatican prosecutors. Andrew Medichini/AP

Applicable only to Vatican personnel and diplomats around the world, it is the first unified policy for the protection of children and vulnerable adults. But critics say it doesn't go far enough.Read More

2018 Brought A Big Rise In U.S. Catholic Dioceses Naming Accused Clergy

By NWPB News January 4, 2019

Nearly 50 dioceses and religious orders have publicly identified child-molesting priests in the wake of the Pennsylvania report issued in mid-August, and 55 more have announced plans to do the same over the next few months, the AP found. Together they account for more than half of the nation’s 187 dioceses.Read More