IOR president stepping down after 12 years

The Institute for Works of Religion’s board has elected a new president, marking a turnover in leadership at the top of the Vatican bank for the first time in more than a decade.

The IOR announced March 25 that the long-serving president of the bank’s Board of Superintendence, Jean-Baptiste de Franssu, will step down on April 28 after a final meeting to approve the bank’s financial statements from the previous year. 

De Franssu presided over a period of significant regulatory reform at the bank.

De Franssu will be succeeded by François Pauly, a current board member, in what the bank described in a press notice as a “carefully managed succession process” aimed at “ensuring continuity in the governance of the Institute.”

Pauly, a Luxembourgian national, has served as a member of the Board of Superintendence since 2024. He is currently Chairman of La Luxembourgeoise Group, and sits on the finance council of the Archdiocese of Luxembourg.

According to the IOR statement, he was elected by the bank’s board in December last year, receiving the approval of the IOR’s Commission of Cardinals at the end of January.

He previously served as CEO and Chairman of Banque Internationale à Luxembourg, and until 2021 was a member of the Vatican Pension Fund.

In a statement to press, de Franssu said it was “a profound honor” to serve as president of the Board of Superintendence and that during his time the IOR had been “through a profound structural transformation” after “a long period characterized by management difficulties.”

“This process has enabled the Institute to achieve strong international credibility and to deliver solid financial results, which will be announced shortly for 2025,” he said. “The wide-ranging reforms implemented in close and constructive collaboration with the director general and IOR employees have established a robust governance framework, a culture of transparency, a strong client-service orientation, and well-developed control functions.”

Noting that the Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering watchdog MONEYVAL had awarded the bank its highest rating, de Franssu said the IOR was in a solid position to serve the pope, the Holy See, and its 12,000 clients. “I now humbly pass this important responsibility to my successor,” he said.

The change in leadership follows more than a decade of reform at the once scandal-plagued bank, the Vatican’s only commercial financial institution.

De Franssu, who has led the IOR since 2014, served more than two full five year terms — the maximum allowed under the bank’s governing regulations — after being asked to remain in post by Pope Francis.

Under his leadership, the bank became both profitable and financially transparent, coming under the oversight of international regulations and inspections, posting a series of year-on-year increases in profits despite broader Vatican financial headwinds.

According to the bank’s 2024 annual report, released June 11, the IOR recorded a net profit of 32.8 million euros (almost $38 million), an increase from 30.6 million euros ($35 million) in 2023.

The result enabled the Vatican’s only commercial bank to issue a dividend of 13.8 million euros ($15.8 million), all of which Pope Francis directed to charitable projects.

The bank also reports annually on its Tier 1 capital ratio, an international standard measuring liquidity and institutional risk exposure for financial institutions. 

The minimum international banking requirement is a ratio of 6%. The ratio for larger U.S. banks is usually somewhere between 13% and 17%.

In 2024, the IOR had a Tier 1 ratio of 69.4%, up from 59.8% in 2023.

Earlier this year, the bank launched two ethical investment indices “designed to serve as a reference for Catholic investments,” composed of 50 companies each in which the IOR said investment would be fully consistent with Catholic ethical principles.

In 2021, the IOR’s former president became the first person to be handed a jail sentence by a Vatican City court for financial crimes, after defrauding the bank of millions by using his position to sell parts of the IOR’s property portfolio to himself and co-conspirators.

Following that result, De Franssu hailed the recovery of more than 17 million euros by the bank “which had been stolen from the [IOR] before 2014” as “amongst the important achievements” of 2022.

De Franssu and the IOR’s director, Gianfranco Mammí, also became the locus of a battle for wider Vatican financial reform in the Secretariat of State’s London property scandal, after they rebuffed a request for a 150 million euro loan from the secretariat to refinance the building after its acquisition in 2018.

Under pressure from senior Vatican officials to approve it, despite their regulatory concerns, the two bankers flagged the loan request to prosecutors, triggering the investigation that ultimately led to the financial crimes trial, currently being heard on appeal, which convicted former sostituto Cardinal Angelo Becciu and eight others.

While De Franssu and Mammí faced retaliatory action from the Secretariat of State for those events, Pope Francis broadened the influence and importance of the IOR in response, ordering that all curial assets and investments be handled by the bank.

That reform was rolled back by Pope Leo XIV last year, who authorized Vatican dicasteries and institutions to effectively choose their own investment vehicles and managers.

In Écône and with great fanfare: The FSSPX announces the schedule of the consecrations while Leo XIV insists on ignoring them

The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X has taken a decisive operational step in the process of new episcopal consecrations. 

While the date, July 1, 2026, was already known until now, the relevant novelty is the official confirmation of the location, the Seminary of Écône, and the full publication of the liturgical program. 

With this, the summons ceases to be a forecast and becomes a fully structured act, with defined logistics and execution underway.

Écône inevitably refers to the 1988 consecrations performed by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, a precedent that marked one of the most tense episodes in relations between Rome and the Fraternity. 

The choice of the same location reinforces the symbolic weight of the act and underscores the continuity of the FSSPX’s criteria at a time when, far from diminishing, ecclesial tension seems to be consolidating.

The official program sets for Wednesday, July 1, at 9:00 a.m., the pontifical Mass of episcopal consecrations, the core of the event. 

At 2:00 p.m., a meal will be held, and at 5:00 p.m., the second pontifical vespers of the Precious Blood will take place, followed by adoration with the Most Blessed Sacrament. 

The following day, Thursday, July 2, at 9:00 a.m., one of the new bishops will celebrate his first pontifical Mass.

The organization also provides for basic infrastructure to accommodate attendees, with food stalls available after the main ceremony, although it has expressly warned of the prohibition on camping in the vicinity of the seminary, a significant restriction given the volume of faithful expected to attend this summons.

The decision to advance on this calendar continues without signs of institutional dialogue with a Rome that has opted for snubs and silence, a dynamic that has characterized the first year of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate. 

Problems? What problems! 

Between embracing babies and calling for the prohibition of aerial bombings (we don’t know if land and naval ones are more legitimate), the Pope shows a special tendency to turn his back on what is contingent, perhaps in the naive hope that everything will resolve itself. 

There is no record, for now, of any approach or formal reception on the part of Pope Leo XIV, while recent contacts have been limited to second-level interlocutions that, far from reducing tension, have introduced new elements of friction. 

The public accusation of schism directed against the Fraternity by Prefect Víctor Manuel Fernández has not been accompanied by concrete canonical development, leaving the qualification on a more rhetorical plane with little legal basis from the author of the infamous document Mater Populi Fidelis.

In this scenario, the FSSPX consolidates a de facto position: its own structure, sustained growth, and ability to generate high-impact ecclesial acts without operational dependence on administrative Rome. 

The confirmation of Écône, along with the precision of the program, eliminates any margin of ambiguity about the will to carry out the consecrations. 

The question is no longer whether they will occur, but under what institutional consequences and with what response - or absence thereof- from the Holy See.

Rupnik's victims denounce months without information about the canonical trial

The victims in the Rupnik case report that they have been months without receiving information about the canonical process announced by the Vatican, which has generated indignation and new criticisms for the lack of transparency in the management of one of the most serious scandals in recent decades.

“We know nothing”: the victims’ complaint

Through their lawyer, Laura Sgrò, several of the women who reported sexual and psychological abuses by the former Jesuit Marko Rupnik have expressed their frustration at the silence of the Vatican authorities. This was reported by the Italian media Il Messaggero.

According to their explanation, despite repeated requests directed to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, they have received no information about the status of the process, not even basic data such as the composition of the tribunal or the calendar of proceedings.

“The victims are completely unaware of what is happening,” warns the lawyer, emphasizing that this situation violates elementary principles of justice and exacerbates the suffering accumulated over years.

A process announced, but without visible progress

Pope Leo XIV announced on November 7, 2025, that the new canonical trial against Rupnik had begun and that the judges in charge of the case had already been appointed.

However, months later, no additional information has been made public. Neither the number nor the names of the tribunal members have been officially communicated, which has fueled the sense of opacity.

Years of waiting and growing unease

The case affects nearly three dozen women who allegedly suffered abuses over decades, since the 1980s. 

For the victims, the lack of progress is not only “intolerable,” but it prolongs the harm suffered.

Their defense insists that it is necessary to guarantee both the right to a fair trial and respect for reasonable timelines in the process, something that, in their view, is not being fulfilled.

A case marked by controversy

The management of the Rupnik case has been surrounded by controversy from the beginning. 

The priest, a renowned artist and influential figure in ecclesiastical circles, allegedly had support within the hierarchy for years.

Among the most controversial episodes is the lifting of his excommunication in 2020, which has raised questions about the actions of the Vatican authorities.

Open debate about his works

While the victims continue without answers, the debate within the Church about the fate of Rupnik’s artistic works, present in shrines and temples around the world, continues.

Some bishops have chosen to remove or cover them, as in Lourdes, where it was considered that their presence increased the victims’ suffering. In other places, however, no decisions have been made, reflecting the existing division.

A silence that aggravates the crisis of trust

The lack of information about the canonical process once again places the issue of transparency in the Church at the center of the debate.

For the victims, the problem is not only the past, but the present: months after the official announcement of the trial, they still do not know what is happening. 

A situation that, far from closing wounds, threatens to deepen distrust toward the institutions responsible for administering justice.

Gozo diocese considering action over priest’s role in rape case settlement

The Gozo Diocese is analysing information to determine possible action after a priest was found to have brokered a €7,000 deal for a 14-year-old girl to withdraw a rape allegation.

In its first public reaction to the case, the diocese said it “understands that such cases raise legitimate questions among the public” and has begun reviewing the court judgment and seeking professional advice.

The case came to light after a judgment revealed that Gozitan priest Fr Michael Said acted as an intermediary in a 2008 agreement with a Nadur family. 

The payment was made in exchange for dropping allegations that several men, including relatives of Nationalist MP Chris Said, had raped the girl.

The diocese said it is assessing “the possibility of further steps” but has not yet indicated what action may be taken.

In a separate statement, the diocesan safeguarding commission said it had never received any report related to the case. It added that it is monitoring developments and remains committed to ensuring safeguarding standards are upheld.

“The recent media report… was never reported to the Commission,” it said, insisting it has consistently referred cases to civil authorities since its establishment in 2022.

The case has also drawn attention to safeguarding procedures within the Church. While structures to handle abuse allegations date back to 1999, the Gozo diocese set up its own safeguarding commission in 2022, operating under policies shared with Maltese Church authorities and last updated in 2024.

Church guidelines state that any personnel aware of a minor at risk of harm must report the matter to police or child protection authorities.

Catholic priest from Oakville charged after Halton police say volunteer sexually assaulted at church

A Catholic priest from Oakville has been charged after Halton police say he sexually assaulted a woman volunteering at a church.

The investigation began in early February when officers started looking into an allegation that a woman had been sexually assaulted while volunteering, say police.

Exorcists urge pope to appoint trained practitioners in every diocese

An exorcist group said growing occult practices and spiritual harm highlight the need for trained priests and better formation.

Representatives of the International Association of Exorcists (AIE) have asked Pope Leo XIV to ensure that every Catholic diocese worldwide has “one or more” trained exorcists, citing what they describe as a rise in cases linked to occult practices and spiritual distress.

The request was made during a private audience March 13 at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, where the pope met with Bishop Karel Orlita and Father Francesco Bamonte, president and vice president of the association. The meeting focused on what the group described as “unprecedented challenges” facing the ministry of exorcism.

During the half-hour meeting, the AIE presented the pope with a detailed report warning of a “painful and increasingly widespread situation of people seriously affected by the extraordinary action of the devil as a result of their involvement in occult sects,” according to a statement released after the meeting.

The group’s primary proposal was structural and educational. Given the “great suffering caused by the extraordinary action of the devil,” it emphasized “the need for each diocese in the world to have one or more priest exorcists” who are properly trained.

To that end, the AIE called for expanded formation at multiple levels of Church life: instruction in seminaries on the “real existence and nature of the demonic world” in light of the Gospel; a brief course in exorcism ministry for newly appointed bishops so they can oversee it in their dioceses; and mandatory prior training for priests designated as exorcists, in line with the Church’s official ritual.

In comments to ACI Prensa, Bamonte warned that ignoring the extraordinary action of the devil risks “leaving the faithful without defense against serious spiritual attacks,” potentially prolonging suffering or leading people to seek inappropriate solutions.

“The spread of occultism in its various forms, and of Satanism, unfortunately opens doors and windows to the extraordinary action of the devil in today’s world,” he said. “This can cause grave suffering in those who imprudently turn to these practices, through possible cases of possession, vexation, obsession, or diabolical infestation.”

Bamonte said it is “reasonable” to believe such cases are increasing, pointing to the rise of esoteric and magical practices in recent decades.

According to the group, this trend is also linked to a broader “turning away from God, the increase of sin, and the spread of esotericism and occultism.”

The presence of authorized exorcists, Bamonte said, allows the Church to “continue Christ’s mandate to cast out demons” and to assist those suffering from what it describes as extraordinary demonic influence.

“The Church, as the family of God, has the task of caring for its members in all their needs, even the most extreme at the spiritual level; the priest exorcist is a pastor who offers this help,” he said.

He added that the absence of exorcists in a diocese constitutes “a harm” to the faithful, depriving them of specific sacramental assistance and weakening the Church’s ability to function as a true “family of God.”

For that reason, he stressed the importance of preparing clergy to address such cases. “The future priest must be prepared to face the real pastoral situations he will encounter in his ministry, including the growing number of faithful who request the intervention of exorcists,” he said.

This formation, he added, should include criteria to discern when the intervention of an exorcist is necessary and should begin during seminary training.

One of the AIE’s recent initiatives has been the publication of “Guidelines for the Ministry of Exorcism,” a document reviewed by several Vatican dicasteries that offers doctrinal and practical guidance. The text was presented to the pope during the audience, along with an image of St. Michael the Archangel from the sanctuary of Monte Sant’Angelo.

During the meeting, Pope Leo XIV also told those present that he had known and appreciated Father Gabriele Amorth, the priest who founded the International Association of Exorcists in 1994.

Dear Pope Leo: After a senior priest harassed me, I learned that justice is elusive

March 25, 2026

Most Holy Father,

I write to you not as an adversary of the church, nor as one who has abandoned faith, but as a son who entrusted his life entirely to her structures and now bears the cost of that trust. I offer this letter as a personal witness, in the hope that it may contribute to the church's ongoing discernment about accountability, justice and the lived reality of those who seek help from within her hierarchy.

My experience raises a painful but unavoidable question: whether it is realistically possible to pursue justice from within ecclesial structures without first leaving them.

Having dedicated six years of my life in preparation for priestly service in the Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut, I looked forward to my ordination in 2014. Yet on the night before that ordination, I encountered a glimpse of how the church can fail to act justly, an experience that would ultimately derail my vocation.

On the night before my ordination, I was sexually harassed by a senior priest who held significant authority and influence within my diocese, following a period of escalating boundary violations. Several months later, I disclosed this verbally to my bishop, believing — based on my formation and understanding at the time — that bringing the matter directly to him was both sufficient and faithful. I was not aware of any other reporting body or review process, and I understood this disclosure as notice to the church.

As long as I remained in active priestly ministry, dependent and under obedience, I did not have standing to confront power without risking reprisal, marginalization or removal.

As far as I know, no investigation followed. No record was kept. No protective or corrective action was taken. Instead, I was advised to distance myself quietly, and the burden of managing the situation was placed upon me.

At the time, I interpreted this response as prudence or discretion. Only later did I understand that it had functioned as strategic inaction.

For years, I remained in ministry, carrying unresolved injury while continuing to serve the church in good faith. During that time, I lived with confusion, strain and growing psychological distress that I could not yet name. I understood, incorrectly it turned out, that my disclosure had been handled appropriately, even though no outcome or process was ever shared with me.

During those years, I did what the church teaches her priests to do: I remained obedient, discreet and loyal to the institution. I did not seek public recourse. I did not pursue civil remedies. I did not frame myself as a victim. I believed that the church was just and would therefore respond justly.

Sadly, the absence of any response from authority, together with the explicit framing of the incident as a "boundary issue," suppressed my ability to grasp the full extent of what had occurred. It produced a dissonance that mounted and worsened without clear explanation, as my formation inclined me to trust the church's judgment over my own experience. In that context, my capacity to name the harm clearly or to press for accountability was not simply diminished, but constrained by the very structure to which I belonged.

What I did not understand then is that remaining within the structure made justice functionally impossible. What this meant in practice is difficult to overstate.

Any effort to challenge my bishop's handling of the matter from within the system would have required me to place myself in direct opposition to the very authority upon whom my ministry, assignments, evaluations and livelihood depended. To pursue accountability while remaining obedient would have required a contradiction the system itself does not permit: to submit to the authority of a bishop while simultaneously contesting his exercise of that authority.

Within such a structure, meaningful challenge is not neutral — it is destabilizing, and it carries consequences borne entirely by the subordinate. As long as I remained in active priestly ministry, dependent and under obedience, I did not have standing to confront power without risking reprisal, marginalization or removal.

In practice, this dependence rendered sustained self-advocacy psychologically and institutionally untenable, leaving me effectively voiceless from within, even as the impact of the harm, compounded by the diocese's failure to respond, continued. Eventually, the cost of carrying this unresolved harm became unsustainable, and I took a leave of absence from ministry.

Only after stepping away from active priesthood in October 2022 did that constraint begin to lift, finally granting me clarity and a renewed sense of freedom to emerge in ways I had not anticipated. No longer bound by obedience, evaluation or vocational dependence, I experienced a perspective that had previously been inaccessible to me. What had once felt confusing and indefinable could finally begin to be named for what it was.

That this clarity and freedom became possible only after stepping away from the priesthood troubles me deeply. A system in which clarity, self-respect and recourse become accessible only from the outside warrants careful examination. While I remained in ministry, my ability to pursue justice was constrained not because the harm was unclear, but because the structure itself shaped how it could be understood and addressed.

Only nearly a decade after my original disclosure did I learn as a matter of fact that no record of my disclosure existed and that no action of any kind had ever been taken.

Working in professional environments outside the church taught me that boundaries, documentation and accountability are standard practice, making it clear to me that what I had experienced inside the church was not "discretion," but the absence of process and accountability. That absence, I later concluded, was structural, not accidental.

I later learned that the priest involved had never been contacted or questioned. Even after I filed a formal written complaint to the diocese in April 2024, no diocesan investigation occurred at that time. This was confirmed for me during the Vos Estis Lux Mundi process, when those overseeing the review informed me that, during the priest's Vos Estis interview, he stated that it was the first time he had heard my complaint.

For those who are not familiar, Vos Estis Lux Mundi is a set of universal norms issued by Pope Francis in 2019 establishing procedures for reporting allegations of sexual abuse and for investigating bishops accused either of committing abuse or of failing to respond appropriately to such allegations.

Vos Estis has resulted in justice in some cases, including the resignation of the late Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville, Tennessee.

Still, critics worried even when Vos Estis was being implemented that it did not go far enough to protect victims, a concern that my own story sadly proves to be correct.

A diocesan investigation was opened only later — after the initiation of the Vos Estis process in the summer of 2024 concerning the bishop's handling of my disclosure, and after I raised the matter with the newly installed bishop in July 2025.

Because the Vos Estis review concerned the bishop's actions rather than the underlying allegation of sexual harassment, those overseeing the review advised me to raise the matter with the newly installed bishop. I did so through written correspondence and during a meeting with the new bishop in July 2025. Following that meeting, a diocesan canonical investigation into the original complaint was initiated. Absent that renewed disclosure, it is unclear whether any investigation into the underlying allegation would have occurred. At the time of this writing, that investigation remains ongoing, with no clarity provided to me regarding its scope, process or outcome.

Silence was rewarded with belonging, while truth-telling required separation.

When the norms of Vos Estis were later applied in my case, my testimony was taken and I was informed that it was credible and that diocesan procedures had not been followed. Yet the process remained internal and its outcomes opaque. I was provided no written findings, no record of conclusions, and no explanation of what resulted. When the bishop retired in September 2024, I was told, in effect, that the matter had reached its end, since the Vos Estis process applies to active bishops and he was no longer in office by the time the review concluded.

This sequence troubles me deeply.

In practice, justice became accessible only once one no longer belonged: Silence was rewarded with belonging, while truth-telling required separation.

I recognize that my own diocesan bishop's failure to act represents a grave personal and pastoral lapse, and I do not presume that such failures are universal. Yet my concern extends beyond any single individual.

Even when ecclesial processes are followed in good faith, the current system relies heavily on discretion, internal control and hierarchical dependence in ways that leave those who come forward insufficiently safeguarded. My experience reveals not only a failure of action, but the limits of a structure that lacks clear, independent and durable protections for those seeking justice from within it.

I do not write this to assign blame to individuals, but to name a structural reality that stands in tension with the church's own moral teaching. A system that requires the vulnerable to choose between fidelity and truth places them in an impossible moral bind. It risks confusing obedience with silence, unity with denial and endurance with holiness.

If my experience is not to be repeated, then the conditions that rendered justice inaccessible must be examined with equal honesty. With humility, I offer the following safeguards for continued reform. Each is intended to address structural vulnerabilities that persist even when procedures are followed in good faith:

Clear formation and education for seminarians and newly ordained clergy regarding reporting mechanisms, rights and safeguards, including what constitutes a report, what follow-up can reasonably be expected, and how concerns may be pursued when initial responses are inadequate.

A clearly identifiable and independent reporting pathway for clergy, particularly those newly ordained, through which concerns regarding harassment or misconduct by senior clergy or others exercising authority can be raised without exclusive reliance on episcopal discretion or internal hierarchical channels, especially where a power imbalance is present.

Explicit and enforceable protections against retaliation, ensuring that clergy who come forward can do so without fear of reprisal or informal sanction, and without being forced to choose between truthfulness and continued belonging.

Mandatory documentation and written acknowledgment of all disclosures, ensuring that reports are formally recorded, preserved and communicated, and that silence does not substitute for prudence or accountability.

Transparency regarding process, including confirmation of receipt, explanation of how concerns will be reviewed, and communication when no action is taken, so that uncertainty and psychological burden are not borne solely by the reporting party.

Structural independence in the investigation and review of allegations involving bishops or senior clergy, such that authority, investigation and judgment are not concentrated within the same office — particularly where prior inaction may itself be at issue.

Guaranteed access to independent pastoral, psychological and practical support for clergy who come forward, so that the personal cost of disclosure is not privately absorbed during institutional review, and so that care remains available regardless of process, timing or outcome.

The establishment of a durable and transparent accountability process for episcopal failures, such that findings of credibility or procedural noncompliance are formally documented, preserved and communicated, and do not lapse or effectively terminate due to retirement, reassignment or changes in office, leaving acknowledged institutional failure without resolution or repair.

Most Holy Father, I still love the church. I still believe in her mission and in the Gospel she proclaims. My life today is one of service, healing and accompaniment — values I learned precisely through my priestly formation.

But I can no longer pretend that my experience was an anomaly. It reflects a deeper tension between hierarchical self-protection and the church's call to justice. I offer this witness not in bitterness, but in hope that those who seek justice within the church's walls are not required to leave them in order to find it.

With filial respect and sincere prayer,

Jonathan Ficara

Former priest of the Diocese of Norwich

‘Nothing will be impossible’ Archbishop Mullally says in her installation sermon

THE Church and its people must strive, like the Blessed Virgin Mary, to have the “audacity” to believe and trust in the promises of God, the Most Revd Sarah Mullally said in her first sermon in her cathedral after being installed as the 106th — and first female — Archbishop of Canterbury.

Addressing, from the chair of St Augustine in which she had just been installed, the 2000-strong congregation on Wednesday afternoon, she began by quoting Luke 1.37: “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Trusting in this was the central theme of her sermon, which drew on the example of Mary — both in her acceptance of the incarnation and her grief at the foot of the cross, which turned to joy after the resurrection.

“For Mary . . . following God’s invitation to trust in his promises meant trusting in a future she couldn’t yet see — a future she could never have imagined,” Archbishop Mullally said.

“This resonates with me, as I look back over my life — at the teenage Sarah, who put her faith in God and made a commitment to follow Jesus. I could never have imagined the future that lay ahead, and certainly not the ministry to which I am now called.”

She continued: “Mary put her hope in God’s future. She trusted that he was with her, and, through Mary, God did a new thing.”

This was not an easy road, Archbishop Mullally said, and she drew attention to the plight of Anglicans in parts of the world experiencing conflict, including church leaders in the Middle East and the Gulf who could, therefore, not attend her installation, as others from the Anglican Communion were doing.

She prayed for peace in Ukraine, Sudan, and Myanmar, besides acknowledging “the hurt that exists much closer to home” — a reference, in particular, to victims and survivors of abuse, for whom, she said, the Church “must remain committed to truth, compassion, justice, and action”.

Archbishop Mullally walked the 87 miles from St Paul’s Cathedral to Canterbury in pilgrimage to prepare for her installation (News, 20 March) — a “personal” journey, which, she said at the start of her sermon, reflected both her move from her position as Bishop of London and her walking “in the footsteps of the past” — referring to her predecessor Thomas Becket, who had made the same journey 850 years before.

The Church was a pilgrim people, she said later, “and, like Mary, we are called to trust that nothing will be impossible with God, even when we see so much in the world that makes hope seem impossible.”

With Mary, as with “the beautiful stories of women like Hannah in the scriptures”, Christians and the Church were called to be hopeful, and to remember that “We walk with God. . . We do not walk alone. There is hope because we are invited to trust that God will do a new thing.”

This was evident in the work of the Church around the world, through “ordinary” lives, she said. “God is at work in the good news of the gospel and in the hearts and lives of ordinary people who — like Mary — have the audacity to believe that with God we can do extraordinary things.

“For me, this trust and hope in God began as I committed my life to Jesus. And God has been with me, each and every step of my pilgrim path, and I trust he walks with me now.”

The Archbishop concluded by inviting the congregation — which included her family and friends, faith leaders, charities, health-care workers (representing Archbishop Mullally’s nursing background), and schoolchildren — to “respond to God’s invitation with words as simple as those of Mary: ‘Here I am.’

“As I begin my ministry today as Archbishop of Canterbury, I say again to God: ‘Here I am.’ May we have the audacity to believe in the promises of God: for with him, nothing will be impossible.”

Academics object to development on Bessborough mother and baby site

Human rights academics have written to An Coimisiún Pleanála expressing their objection to the construction of a large-scale residential development on the site of the Bessborough Mother and Baby institution.

Developer Estuary View Enterprises has been granted permission for the development at Bessborough in Ballinure, Blackrock in Cork.

It will involve the demolition of ten existing agricultural buildings and log cabin structures and the construction of 140 residential apartments across three blocks.

The letter to An Coimisiún Pleanála says that the State "is aware of a situation of mass disappearance" and the probability that some of the disappeared are buried in the grounds of Bessborough.

The authors, who include Dr Maeve O'Rourke, Dr Claire McGettrick and Dr Máiréad Enright of the Clann Project, pointed out that An Bord Pleanála and An Coimisiún Pleanála had refused planning permission for the site numerous times since May 2021 due to the lack of clarity regarding the whereabouts of children and mothers who were confined in Bessborough.

The group notes that the State is obliged under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to investigate the deaths of children and mothers, and to ascertain the whereabouts of the disappeared and return their remains to relatives.

"The State has not complied with its European human rights law obligations in respect of the deaths and disappearances of children and women who were confined in Bessborough Mother and Baby institution," according to the letter.

The Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation (MBHCOI) archive is inaccessible to affected people and the public, including An Coimisiún Pleanála and members of Cork City Council.

The group has pointed out that the MBHCOI did not use "all reasonable means" to search for the disappeared children and women of Bessborough, such as geophysical surveys using ground-penetrating radar, electrical resistivity or magnetometry.

"The State has not established any other investigation into the disappeared children and mothers of Bessborough," according to the letter.

It states that An Coimisiún Pleanála is obliged to uphold the State’s European human rights law obligations, which cannot be displaced or delegated by way of conditions on a grant of planning permission to a private property developer.

Planning for the development was granted by Cork City Council in February subject to 70 conditions.

Since then, a vigil and a protest have been held in Cork and outside Leinster House by the Bessborough Mother and Baby Home Support Group against conditional permission being granted by the council for the development.

It is understood that the developer has been instructed to carry out archaeological excavations during the development works. However, survivors are of the view that this instruction is inadequate.

The Special Advocate for Survivors has also called for the immediate halt of any development at Bessborough.

Patricia Carey has sought a programme of works to identify burial grounds of all the children and women buried on the institution's lands.

She described the proposed housing development on the grounds of the former Mother and Baby Home Institution as "an outrage and an afront to the dignity of all those who died there".

Bessborough was opened in 1922 and was a mother and baby institution until 1998.

It was owned and run by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

64 graves of the over 923 children who died in Bessborough have been identified and located.

However, over 18,000 women and children spent time in Bessborough and many mothers whose children died at the institution, do not know where their children are buried.

According to the Mother and Baby Homes Commission, inspections carried out by the Department of Local Government and Public Health inspector Alice Litster in the 1940s estimated an infant mortality rate of 82%.

Special Advocate Patricia Carey has pointed out that dignified burial, location of burial grounds and dignified memorialisation is one of the most frequently issues raised with her since she took up the role of Special Advocate.

Among the campaigners is Carmel Cantwell from the Bessborough Mother and Baby Support Group who has campaigned for decades regarding her mother Bridget’s son, Carmel’s only brother William, who died in Bessborough.

Bessborough planning row : Preserve this site - we cannot concrete over Ireland's shameful past (Opinion)

THIS MONTH, PLANNING permission was granted for a 140-bed apartment complex at Bessborough Mother and Baby Home in Cork.

More than 900 babies are thought to have died at this site, with burial records in existence for 64.

This project’s reaching completion would cut off access to answers for those affected by this institution.

A full excavation of human remains has never been conducted. I stand in support of the Bessborough Mother and Baby ‘Home’ Support Group by opposing the building of apartments on this site.

This is a site of conscience that cannot be concreted over.

Ireland’s dark past

It is saddening to see the echoes of Ireland’s conservative past rear its ugly head with this announcement. 

I myself was born to a single mother at the time in the late eighties. 

She experienced a huge amount of stigma as a single mother in rural Ireland. I still feel it myself.

I still think a lot about the injustice that was done to her. I grew up hearing about places like Bessborough and the women who were sent there, through no choice of their own.

At the time, whether a woman decided to keep her baby as a single mother, be sent to a home, or travel to England, she could never make the right choice. It was not accepted by society because of the way we dealt with pregnancy and reproductive rights at the time.

Ireland has a shameful history of allowing institutions tied to the church to control narratives about the women in this country. 

We now owe it to the women and children incarcerated in Bessborough and in the other locations across Ireland to make sure this is never forgotten. 

We must treat these sites in accordance with the atrocities that took place at them and complete any necessary investigation.

Where are victims’ rights?

Those incarcerated and born in this institution have suffered enough without seeing history rewritten in this way. 

I know appeals will be submitted to stand against the development of the land in this way, including by my Labour colleague Cllr Peter Horgan, who has been campaigning on this issue for years.

A powerful protest took place this week outside Leinster House, and a vigil was held at the gates of Bessborough on International Women’s Day. 

These are fitting tributes to the women who lost their lives and those who were subjected to trauma and degradation as a result of these institutions. Displays of teddy bears and candles were displayed at the gates of Bessborough. 

This really hammered home to us the need to preserve this space as a place of remembrance and one that the public can access to learn about its history.

The state-sponsored oppression in these institutions is one of the largest injustices committed in the history of the Irish State. 

Redress is out of the question for many affected by Bessborough who have passed away, but those still here to advocate for themselves and to demand answers deserve the utmost respect.

Designating the site that contained this ‘home’ to a brand-new project that ignores its harrowing history is unacceptable. 

We must see other options brought to the table, such as a garden of remembrance and a historic memorial where generations to come can learn about the past.

Do the right thing

Cork has committed to becoming a trauma-informed city. That means recognising that sites like Bessborough are not just parcels of land; they are places connected to trauma, loss and memory.

Any decisions about their future must be approached with care, dignity and respect for survivors. The trauma felt behind the gates of Bessborough is beyond what many of us can comprehend. This is something that must be kept in mind when any of these decisions are tabled.

In terms of housing, we are blue in the face from making recommendations to the Government to change their approach to dereliction and bring the vacant sites in Cork City back into the hands of its residents. 

We know that within 2km of the City Centre in Cork, there are over 700 vacant and derelict sites. 

This, coupled with a renewed focus on above-the-shop residences, could alleviate the pressure of the housing emergency and bring life back to Cork City Centre.

We are seeing many great developments progress across the City and County, and I welcome this, but it would be a grave mistake to plough ahead with the current plans for the Bessborough site.

Cork City cannot afford a reality in which such a horrific part of its past is paved over for a large development. 

Housing is vital, but this is simply the wrong site. 

We have the opportunity now to treat this site and those impacted by it with the dignity and respect they deserve. 

Vatican opens beatification cause for ‘witness to charity’

The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints has approved the opening of the cause of beatification of Fr. Roberto Malgesini, an Italian priest known for his work with the poor in the city of Como, until his murder in 2020.

The Bishop of Como, Cardinal Oscar Cantoni, announced the news on March 21 during the diocesan Lenten retreat for young people, which was attended by Fr. Malgesini’s sister, Caterina.

Malgesini was stabbed to death by a homeless man with mental health issues as he loaded his car with breakfast items to distribute to the poor near the Church of Saint Rocco, where he served.

A statement from the diocese announcing the open cause did not specify if Malgesini is being considered under a 2017 category by which a candidate for beatification can be considered for making an “offer of life,” losing their lives in the service of charity. Shortly after his killing, Pope Francis praised the priest, calling his death a “martyrdom of this witness of charity toward the poorest.”

His killer was later sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Speaking on Saturday, Cardinal Cantoni called Malgesini “a man of prayer, a man of hope, a man of meekness.”

“He was not merely a philanthropist. He was first and foremost a priest, happy to be a priest, capable of seeing the face of God in everyone he met, from the children in the chapel to the poor of the city.”

Malgesini was born in the province of Sondrio in 1969, and was ordained a priest in 1998. After serving in several towns, he was appointed parish vicar of Saint Rocco in 2008, where he served until his murder.

His sister said in an interview with official Vatican media on Monday that, even though they were raised in a practicing Catholic family, his parents did not respond well to his decision to enter the seminary at the age of 23, and were concerned about his internal clarity about his priestly vocation.

“He was so convinced of his choice, but of course we were worried. He would not tell us everything, partly so as not to make us worry — he was always very discreet and reserved.”

Malgesini quickly became known for his service to the poor, bringing breakfast to all he could every morning with a group of volunteers in his Fiat Panda, which became a staple in the area.

At one point, local media reported that Malgesini was fined for distributing breakfast to the city’s homeless, allegedly breaking a measure imposed by the city council. The fine was later dismissed.

His body was found near the rectory of Saint Rocco’s church in the morning of Sept. 15, 2020, with several stab wounds, including one to the neck.

According to several testimonies, Malgesini had begun his morning distributing breakfast to the poor, and was attacked as he prepared to load more food and drinks on his car by a man who was waiting for him outside the rectory.

The man, later sentenced to 25 years in prison for Malgesini’s murder, was a homeless man from Tunisia called Ridha Mahmoudi, whom Malgesini had helped until very recently, but who suffered from mental health issues.

Days after his murder, Pope Francis said in his weekly general audience that he united himself “to the sorrow and the prayers of his relatives and to the community” of Como.

“I give praise to God for the witness, that is, for the martyrdom of this witness of charity toward the poorest,” he added.

A month after his death, Francis met with his family, calling Malgesini a priest “who does not seek the limelight but lives the Gospel in concrete terms.”

In a homily during Malgesini’s funeral, Cardinal Cantoni said that Malgesini had been “a father to the poor.”

“He gave everything for the poor, even his own blood… He was a happy man and priest because he had discovered that a way to follow Jesus was that of meeting Him in the living flesh of the poor,” he added.

“Fr. Roberto did not flee from the many crosses of his brothers and sisters. He did not make long speeches about his poor, nor did he distinguish between good and bad, between our own and foreigners, between Christians and those of other faiths… He loved to act quietly, almost in secret, in complete discretion,” he said.

Cantoni highlighted Malgesini’s joy.

“I remember Fr. Roberto as a happy priest. Happy to love Jesus by serving him in the poor, refugees, the homeless, prisoners, and prostitutes.”

The Diocese of Como has witnessed the tragic deaths of several priests and religious in recent decades while serving those in need. In 1999, Father Renzo Beretta was killed by a homeless man to whom he had been offering assistance.

The following year, Sister Laura Mainetti was murdered by a group of young women in a satanic ritual after being lured by a false plea for help from one of them, who claimed to be pregnant. Sister Laura was beatified in 2021.

“Saints follow one another,” said Cantoni when announcing the opening of the beatification cause. “I am convinced that Father Roberto was a ‘saint next door,’ for his simplicity, for the loving kindness with which he reached out to everyone, for the esteem he received from so many people, even non-believers and non-Christians.”

Bishop of Limerick appeals to people to acknowledge migrants

BISHOP Brendan Leahy has appealed to Limerick people to acknowledge migrants in their local communities this St Patrick’s Day.

The message comes against the backdrop of deadly attacks in the Middle East.

The Bishop says he hopes the message of peace and love that St Patrick espoused will break through the “awful noise of war and hostility” in the world right now.

The leader of the Catholic Church in the diocese has said the “migrant message” of Ireland’s patron saint is more important than ever.

This ‘migrant message’ refers to St Patrick’s life experience of being taken from his home as a young boy, surviving hardship, and ultimately embracing and serving a foreign community, symbolising resilience, hope, and welcome for those far from home.

“This year’s celebration of St Patrick’s Day is taking place against the background of war in the Middle East following the attacks on Iran and Lebanon by the United States and Israel since last Saturday, February 28,” Bishop Leahy said.

“But the message of the Gospel of peace and reconciliation that the migrant St Patrick wanted to promote in Ireland seems more relevant than ever,” he added.

The Bishop said the will of God for humanity is peace.

“To pray for peace, however, requires we re-commit ourselves to doing the will of God in our own lives, in some way correcting within ourselves along with others, the terrible suffering that is being caused through people not doing the will of God, which is peace,” he said.

Bishop Leahy said that in praying for peace on St. Patrick’s Day, we should stand in solidarity with Muslim communities here who also seek peace, especially this week with the end of Ramadan.

“We pray for them. They too pray for peace. They too believe that bowing down to do the will of God matters. Indeed, the word ’Muslims’ means ‘submitters to God’. Muslims often use the greeting ‘as-salamu alaykum’, which means ‘peace be upon you,” he said.

“Let this year’s celebration of St. Patrick’s Day be a time to remember that Jesus asked us not to wait passively for that consoling future,” Bishop Leahy added.

Last month, Bishop Leahy met with Imam Khaled Ghafour at Limerick Islamic Cultural Centre in Dooradoyle.

Korean Carmelite monastery closes in Cambodia after 21 years amid vocation decline

The Discalced Carmelite monastery in Phnom Penh, founded in 2004 by sisters from the Seoul Carmelite Monastery, held the distinction of being the first contemplative religious community from South Korea to undertake missionary work in Cambodia.

After years of service, the remaining sisters are now returning to their homeland.

The closing ceremony was marked by a Eucharistic celebration presided over by Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh, and concelebrated by Bishop Pierre Hangly Suon, Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Phnom Penh, and numerous priests.

Around 100 members of the local Catholic community gathered to express gratitude for the sisters’ quiet but profound witness over the years.

In his homily, Bishop Schmitthaeusler expressed deep regret over the closure, acknowledging the spiritual richness the Carmelite presence brought to the local Church.

At the same time, he encouraged the faithful to remain hopeful and united in prayer, emphasizing the enduring value of contemplative life even in its physical absence.

The Carmelite sisters, members of the Order of Discalced Carmelite Nuns (OCD), first arrived in Cambodia in 2004.

They initially resided in a house in Phnom Penh before moving in 2010 to a purpose-built monastery in Ang Snuol District, Kandal Province, on the outskirts of the capital.

At its height, the community consisted of seven Korean sisters, many of whom learned Khmer and some English to better connect with the local Church.

Faithful to their charism, the sisters lived a cloistered life dedicated to prayer, silence, penance, and manual work. Their monastery became widely regarded as a place of peace and spiritual refuge amid the rapid development and social changes unfolding in Cambodia.

Visitors often described a profound sense of tranquility upon entering the grounds, where the rhythm of prayer shaped daily life and worldly concerns seemed to fade beyond the monastery walls.

Despite their limited external engagement, the sisters’ presence carried a universal mission.

Rooted in the Carmelite tradition, their primary “work” was prayer—for the Church, for society, and for a world marked by suffering and division. Their hidden sacrifices were offered as a form of spiritual solidarity with humanity.

The closure also highlights wider regional concern. In neighboring Thailand, Church leaders are witnessing similar trends.

“A similar situation in Thailand,” said Niphon Saengpradab, immediate past council president of Serra in Thailand, an organization dedicated to promoting vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.

“The shortage of vocations is attributed to secularization, a decline in family faith, and poor catechesis,” he told LiCAS News.

Mr. Niphon, who chaired a seminar for Serra members in the country’s eastern region on March 20–21, stressed that addressing the decline requires a more proactive approach.

“There must be a renewed and deliberate effort to foster a culture of vocations within the Church,” he said. “We must move from a passive stance to active promotion, accompanied by prayer.”

Reflecting on the origins of the mission, the monastery’s prioress, Sr. Mary, OCD, once described the Cambodian foundation as a historic step for the Korean Church.

Established in 1940 with roots linked to France, the Seoul Carmel community had grown steadily over decades, eventually founding multiple monasteries across South Korea.

The mission to Cambodia, she wrote, was a historic milestone, making it the first contemplative outreach beyond Korea.

While the monastery’s closure marks the end of its presence in Cambodia, many in the local Church remember the Carmelite sisters as a quiet yet powerful witness whose legacy of prayer will continue beyond their departure.

Prince William keen to build 'strong and meaningful' bond with Church

The Prince of Wales is "keen to build a strong and meaningful bond" with the Church of England, a royal aide has said, ahead of the future monarch attending the new Archbishop of Canterbury's official installation this week.

The aide said Prince William's "commitment to the Church of England is sometimes quieter than people expect, and for that reason it is not always fully understood".

But they added that "those who know him well recognise that his connection to the Church, and to the sense of duty that comes with it, runs deep and is grounded in something personal and sincere".

British monarchs serve as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and hold the title Defender of the Faith.

As part of the role, monarchs are responsible for approving the appointment of archbishops, bishops and deans on the recommendation of the prime minister.

On Wednesday, Dame Sarah Mullally will be installed as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury.

The aide said the prince had recently had a "warm and substantive" conversation with the incoming archbishop, reflecting his "genuine interest not only in the Church's work, but in its role as a guardian of a distinctive and ancient English spiritual tradition that remains relevant in contemporary life".

"Faith, service and responsibility are themes that have long shaped the role he will one day inherit, and they are things he approaches in his own thoughtful way," they added.

Prince William has spoken of his desire to approach being sovereign in his own way.

His personal relationship with the new Archbishop of Canterbury could be a crucial part of how he views the place of faith in his life.

Dame Sarah will lead the nation during key moments in national life in the years ahead.

Forging a bond of trust with William, as a future king, will give her a powerful voice and influence.

Prince William's attendance for this week's ceremony marks the start of an important relationship between the head of the Church of England and its future Supreme Governor.

Prince William's approach to religion and church going will feel different. He comes from a line of monarchs who wore their faith publicly and often spoke about its importance.

His father, the King, attends church most Sundays and has a deep interest in theology and the beliefs of other faiths.

His coronation was a public show of his commitment to the Church of England and a service immersed in Christian ritual.

Prince William's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, was a committed Christian and found deep comfort in her personal faith - something she expressed more openly during the latter part of her life.

"Christ's example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people of whatever faith or none," the Queen said in one Christmas message.

During the Covid pandemic when she was living at Windsor Castle, she would often pray at the small private chapel within the Castle - a religious commitment that ran through her 70-year reign.

The aide said of the prince: "As he looks ahead to the responsibilities he will one day assume as Supreme Governor, he is keen to build a strong and meaningful bond with the Church and its leadership, one that respects tradition while speaking to a modern Britain, and reflects his broader belief that institutions must continue to remain relevant and connected to the people they serve.

"He understands the importance of the role he will inherit and is committed to carrying it forward with sincerity, authenticity and a clear sense of purpose."

Escalation in the Becciu case: after the nullity of the trial, the Promoter might not deliver key evidence

The trial over the London property scandal has opened a new crack in the Vatican judicial system: a direct confrontation between the Promoter of Justice and the Court of Appeal that threatens to further exacerbate doubts about the transparency of the procedure.

A Showdown Between the Promoter and the Court of Appeal

According to Il Messaggero, in the Vatican, an unprecedented clash is shaping up between the prosecuting body and the appeal judges reviewing the Becciu case. 

The origin of the conflict lies in the order issued on March 17, which declared the relative nullity of the first-instance trial and required the process to be redone.

The Court not only ordered the trial to be repeated but also the full deposit of all documents from the investigative phase before April 30. However, this requirement may not be met.

The Promoter Reserves the Right to Challenge the Judicial Order

The element that has ignited the tension is the Promoter of Justice’s decision to “reserve the right to challenge” the Court’s order. 

In practice, this opens the door to a blockade scenario: the Promoter could fail to present all the required documentation, or limit himself to delivering only a part, as already happened during the first phase of the process.

This precedent is particularly significant. At that time, the then Promoter, Alessandro Diddi, refused to deliver the entirety of the relevant conversations, relying on investigative secrecy, even when the court itself requested it.

Hidden Chats at the Center of the Controversy

The core of the conflict revolves around a series of partially hidden messages - covered with “omissis” - that, according to the defenses, could demonstrate the existence of irregular maneuvers against Cardinal Angelo Becciu.

The appeal judges have expressly acknowledged that the evidentiary material was never delivered in its entirety, but only partially and with censored parts. 

These conversations would include delicate exchanges between the consultant Immacolata Chaouqui and Genoveffa Ciferri, linked to the main prosecution witness, Monsignor Alberto Perlasca.

Some already known fragments have fueled suspicions. In one of them, it reads: “If it is discovered that we were all in agreement, it’s the end,” a statement that has increased doubts about the cleanliness of the process.

Doubts About Respect for Due Process

The Court of Appeal has been unequivocal: in the first-instance trial, a “relative nullity never remedied” occurred that affected a fundamental act of the process. 

Among the most delicate points is also the existence of a pontifical rescript that granted broad powers to the Promoter and which was not communicated to the defenses, limiting their ability to defend.

This aspect has been one of the most criticized by jurists and canonists, who have even questioned whether basic guarantees of a fair trial were respected in the Vatican.

A Setback for Institutional Defenses

The Court’s decision also contradicts the theses defended by the lawyers of the Secretariat of State and the APSA, including the former Italian ministers Giovanni Maria Flick and Paola Severino. Both had argued that the process was conducted with total regularity and that no rights violations occurred.

However, the judges have chosen to side with the defenses of the accused, marking a significant shift in the interpretation of the case.

Uncertainty Ahead of the Next Steps

With the calendar set - first hearings scheduled for June 22 - all eyes are now on the next decision of the tribunal presided over by Archbishop Arellano Cedillo.

If the Promoter decides not to fully comply with the document deposit order, the institutional confrontation could escalate, deepening the credibility crisis surrounding this process from its beginnings.

Changes in the Secretariat of State: Peña Parra's successor already has a name

The recent movements in the Secretariat of State point to an imminent reconfiguration of one of the key positions in the Vatican, in a context also marked by the impact of the Becciu case and its internal consequences.

Peña Parra, headed to the nunciature in Italy

According to Il Giornale, Monsignor Edgar Peña Parra, current substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, would be preparing to leave the position. 

From the Farnesina - the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs - the approval has already arrived for his appointment as apostolic nuncio in Italy.

This is a movement of great relevance, given that the substitute is one of the most influential figures in the Roman Curia, with key functions in the internal coordination of the Vatican apparatus and in the ordinary management of the Holy See.

Rudelli, the chosen one to replace him

To occupy that strategic position, the Pope would have already made a decision: the chosen one would be Monsignor Paolo Rudelli, current apostolic nuncio in Colombia.

Rudelli is considered an experienced diplomat within the Holy See’s foreign service, and his eventual appointment would mean a replacement with a clearly diplomatic profile in a position that in recent years has been at the center of various internal tensions.

His rise has been marked by direct appointments during the pontificate of Francis, who designated him archbishop and nuncio, in addition to entrusting him with missions in complex contexts such as Zimbabwe and Colombia.

A replacement at a delicate moment

These movements are taking place in a particularly sensitive context for the Secretariat of State, marked by the consequences of the judicial process related to the funds managed by this dicastery.

The recent decision of the court of appeal, which has declared the relative nullity of the conviction of Cardinal Angelo Becciu - former substitute - has once again put the internal management and power dynamics within this body under the spotlight.

The weight of the Becciu precedent

The Becciu case, which in 2020 led to the sudden fall of one of the most powerful men in the Vatican, continues to cast its shadow over the Secretariat of State. 

The judicial review of the process reinforces the perception that that episode not only had penal implications, but also institutional ones.

In this context, the replacement at the top operational level of the dicastery is not interpreted solely as an ordinary change, but as part of a broader reorganization in one of the nerve centers of the Church’s government.

Silence in Gozo after priest brokered payment to alleged rape victim's family

The Gozo diocese said it had no comment to make in the wake of a court judgment which confirmed a priest brokered a deal to pay a Nadur family €7,000 to drop their claim that their 14-year-old daughter had been raped by the brothers of an MP.

Fr Michael Said, a relative of the accused, acted as an intermediary in the payment in 2008, allegedly telling the family it would be better to accept the money to fund psychological support for the girl rather than undergo the trauma of court proceedings. The girl’s parents testified they accepted the money but later regretted the decision.

The payment allegedly took place on September 15, 2008, one day after the family filed a police report claiming their daughter had been raped by brothers Josef Said and Peter Paul Said and sexually touched by her sister’s fiancé, Mark Lorry Said. The girl later told police that a fourth man, Peter Paul Debono, had also raped her separately.

Josef Said and Peter Paul Said are brothers of Nationalist Party MP and former minister Chris Said, who was a parliamentary secretary when the report was filed.

All four accused were acquitted. A court of appeal this month upheld the initial ruling, finding that the law at the time allowed prosecution for rape without the victim’s consent only if the alleged acts occurred in a public setting.

The court noted that the alleged assaults took place inside a car parked in a private yard, at a construction site and at a hotel – all considered private settings. Laws have since been amended to allow prosecution of rape cases without the victim’s consent regardless of where the alleged crime occurred.

Times of Malta had revealed the story back in 2008. 

Testimony published recently showed that Fr Said “pressured” the victim and her family to accept the payment and withdraw the complaint.

The victim later testified she was paid €120,000 as part of an agreement that included the settlement of a civil case. Testimonies only link Fr Said to the initial €7,000 payment, which was made on behalf of two of the accused.

Repeated attempts for a reaction from Fr Said since Friday drew no answers. The Gozo Curia said yesterday it had no comment to make while the Gozo Church’s safeguarding commission did not reply.

Peter Paul Said, Josef Said and Peter Paul Debono were found not guilty by the appeals court of raping the girl between 2007 and 2008. Mark Lorry Said was also acquitted of corrupting a minor through lewd acts.

The court ruled that the victim’s withdrawal of her complaint prevented prosecution, as the law at the time required the victim’s backing. The defence also established that the alleged assaults occurred on private property.

Peter Paul and Josef Said are brothers of Chris Said, who later served as justice minister between 2012 and 2013 and currently sits as a PN MP.

Asked whether he was aware of the agreement, Chris Said said: “I was never involved in any way in the agreement reached, and I never had any contact with the victim, her relatives, or her lawyers. I became aware of the agreement from the case records.

“I condemn everything that is illegal. However, I have no doubt that, had there been anything illegal, the police would have taken action and the court, both in the first judgment and in the appeal judgment, would have ordered an investigation to be carried out, as has happened on several occasions,” he added.

‘A donation for the girl’

Police first approached the victim’s parents on September 14, 2008, after the family filed a criminal complaint.

Inspector Graziella Muscat testified that the following day, September 15, the family’s lawyer informed her they no longer wished to proceed. Despite this, Muscat continued the case ex officio.

When questioned on September 17, the mother said she had not wanted to halt proceedings but had been told her daughter would suffer further trauma and that the family had been given €7,000 to withdraw the complaint.

Muscat testified that the mother said Fr Said had suggested giving the girl money to pay for a psychologist, private lessons and other support.

The family received €7,000 in cash, while a larger sum was held by a lawyer as a guarantee that the accused would not approach the girl.

Testifying in 2010, the victim’s mother said that, besides Fr Said, another brother of the accused, Reuben Said, had attempted to broker an out-of-court settlement. She described suffering significant stress, including fainting and spending a night in hospital.

The victim’s father confirmed in 2008 that he had signed the withdrawal of the complaint but said he had not been in the right state of mind and had been pressured by third parties, including the priest and members of the accused’s family.

In testimony given in 2009, Fr Said said he had advised the family not to “inflate” matters and to seek a civil solution. He said he knew a payment would be made as a “donation” for the girl but did not know the amount.

Reuben Said confirmed there was an agreement for the family to receive €7,000, while Lm10,000 (about €23,000) would be retained by a lawyer to ensure the brothers did not contact the girl.

Testifying in 2020 as a defence witness, the victim confirmed she had renounced the complaint and that an agreement had been reached. 

She said she received €120,000 from the accused in relation to civil damages.

The victim’s testimony

In earlier proceedings, the victim described the alleged abuse.

She said she was first raped during Mnarja weekend (June 28 and 29), when, aged 13, she met Josef Said for the first time and went with him to his car. He locked the vehicle and drove to a work yard where the family kept trucks, where she said he raped her. She testified this was her first sexual experience.

“She tried to get out of the car, but the door could not be opened because it was locked. She did not like what Josef Said had done to her, but she pushed him away in vain,” the court judgment states.

Speaking in October 2008, the victim said Peter Paul Said first approached her a week later near her home, asking for her mobile number. She refused, but he obtained it and repeatedly called her to meet, sometimes up to six times a day.

On one occasion, he saw her on her way to private lessons, opened his car door and she entered. He drove her to Ta’ Duru, a construction site, where they entered through a window.

She testified that Peter Paul penetrated her there and that similar incidents occurred almost weekly at Ta’ Duru, the Grand Hotel construction site and empty garages in Nadur.

The victim said that during the first incident at Ta’ Duru, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it when she resisted and threatened her with “serious trouble”.

She also testified that Peter Paul Debono had threatened to kill her if she did not go to his garage, where he allegedly raped and sexually assaulted her.

Mark Lorry Said, her sister’s boyfriend, was accused of touching her inappropriately over four years, starting when she was 10.

Retired P.E.I. Catholic priest again scheduled to be sentenced for 1980s sexual abuse

A third sentencing date has been set for a P.E.I. Catholic priest, who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a child in his St. Margaret's Parish in the late 1980s, after the first two hearings did not go ahead.

Brendon Earl Gallant, 80, pleaded guilty to a charge of sexual assault last summer. The court heard the victim was 12-years-old when Gallant took an interest in the child and began inviting him for sleepovers, where he would give the boy alcohol and invite him to sleep in his bed. 

On the day Gallant was scheduled to be sentenced in October, Gallant’s then-lawyer Peter Ghiz told the court his client wished to withdraw that admission of guilt and instead plead not guilty. 

A hearing for the judge to decide if Gallant would be allowed to do that was scheduled for December, but it also did not go ahead. 

The case was then called back in court March 18. But Gallant’s new lawyer, Chris Montigny, appeared without his client.

Montigny told the court Gallant was ready to be sentenced that day and arrived with all the medications that would be necessary for a period of incarceration, but then an ambulance had to be called for the 80-year-old.

“Unfortunately he became unwell. It was decided to call 911 out of an abundance of caution… so he’s at the hospital now,” Montigny told the court. 

“This matter has taken a bit of a circuitous route here.”

Gallant to return to court in next month

Montigny told Judge Nancy Orr he and the Crown had agreed on a joint recommendation for a period in custody for Gallant, but Gallant needs to be in court himself to be sentenced. 

Judges usually accept the length of incarceration agreed on by the Crown and defense unless they believe it is contrary to the public interest.

Gallant’s next day in court will be in early April, and in the meantime, his lawyer said he is not a flight risk.

“He’s 80 years of age, he’s not going to flee from this jurisdiction in any way,” Montigny said.

The victim in this case — now an adult — has already filed a victim impact statement. 

The man brought the complaint to police in 2023, prompting a two year investigation before Gallant was charged last spring.

The Diocese of Charlottetown has apologized for Gallant’s action and said he was removed from active ministry as soon as he learned of the investigation. 

During the course of his career, Gallant served as a priest in more than a dozen parishes across Prince Edward Island.

His postings included Catholic churches in Cardigan, Little Pond, St. Georges, Georgetown, Souris, Charlottetown, Glenwood, Brae, Alberton, Bloomfield, Foxley River, St. Charles and Burton. 

He retired in 2018 after his final posting in Tignish.

If Gallant is sentenced to less than two years in jail, he’ll be able to serve that sentence on the Island. Any more time and he’ll go off Island to a federal penitentiary. 

'Obsessed' worshipper who harassed Cornwall priest had to be pushed from his home

A vicar kicked an angry parishioner to get her out of his home after she led a campaign of harassment against him, a court heard.

Kay Carpenter went to the home of Reverend Karsten Wedgewood in June 2024 when she had been told not to contact him or go to his house.

The Priest in Charge of St Just-in-Penwith parish church in west Cornwall, near Penzance and St Ives, said he gave the now 62-year-old parishioner the opportunity to leave as she stood in his doorway but when she did not he used his foot to move her back.

He told a hearing at Truro Crown Court last week: "I used my foot and made contact with her stomach or hip area, the middle of her body."

He said he did this so he could shut the door saying it was "a very stressful situation".

The priest told the court there had been years and years of problems with Carpenter which only stopped when she was given police bail with conditions not to contact him.

Rev Wedgewood said the distress led to the diocese being forced to install CCTV at his home so that "any further intimidation on my doorstep can be recorded".

Report shows Cardinal Wojtyla's actions were 'exemplary' in abuse cases, refuting previous claims

In 2023, following a major television documentary claiming that St. John Paul II had covered up clerical sexual abuse when he was leading the Archdiocese of Kraków, Polish experts rejected the claim and urged that archdiocesan records be opened to allow the full context.

It took a change in Church leadership in Kraków to open the archives -- a move announced by Cardinal Grzegorz Rys on Jan. 30, a little over a month after he was installed in Wawel Royal Cathedral.

Once the archives had been opened, two investigative journalists gained firsthand access to the files. 

And after reviewing the material, they headlined their report in the journal Rzeczpospolita: "Cardinal Karol Wojtyla did not cover up cases of pedophilia" in his archdiocese.

What happened in 2023

The opposite headline -- "John Paul II knew about the abuse when he was archbishop of Kraków. As a cardinal, he 'protected the institution first, not the victims'" -- made waves in the media March 6, 2023, when the documentary "Franciszkanska 3" by Marcin Gutowski premiered on TVN24, a private commercial TV network in Poland.

At the time, only the Polish Institute of National Remembrance's archives were opened to researchers -- where state archives from communist authorities are stored -- and based on them, Gutowski claimed that Cardinal Wojtyla wanted to silence the cases, hide them from authorities and move abusive priests to different locations without sanctioning them.

Investigative journalists with Rzeczposolita, Tomasz Krzyzak and Piotr Litka, studied those same archives around the same time -- and in December 2022 published contradictory findings based on the state documentation.

"Looking at those same archives, we had a completely different interpretation of events," Krzyzak told OSV News, stressing that back then, he and Litka knew Cardinal Wojtyla did everything according to canon law, "but, just like TVN's Gutowski, we did not have access to curial archives to obtain more information and verify what was in those state communist archives."

At the time, Church archives in the Archdiocese of Kraków were closed to reporters.

The "Franciszkanska 3" report caused a wave of national debates, with the Polish bishops announcing on March 14, 2023, that they were willing to create a commission of experts to investigate cases of abuse of minors by clergy from the past in the country -- an investigation that would cover the era that St. John Paul II governed the Archdiocese of Kraków as Cardinal Wojtyla.

Fast forward three years, and on March 11, the Polish bishops' conference announced that the commission to investigate past cases of abuse had, after years of preparatory work, finally been established.

A month ahead of this announcement, investigative journalists Krzyzak and Litka had already been studying the archives of the Archdiocese of Kraków, which officially opened on Feb. 10 to researchers and journalists who requested access. 

On March 13, Krzyzak and Litka published the first part of their groundbreaking investigation. On March 20, the second part of their reporting went to print.

What the Archdiocese of Kraków archives say

"Our research shows that Cardinal Karol Wojtyla did not transfer priests from parish to parish when he learned of their criminal activities, but he took quick action, and some of his decisions were above-standard for the time," the March 13 report's lead said.

Asked by OSV News what the archives reveal, Krzyzak said that the archives -- which look "untouched" and "complete" -- give a different picture of Cardinal Wojtyla's actions than found in the story provided by Gutowski.

"There is no evidence that Wojtyla transferred priests from parish to parish because he learned that a person was sexually abusing children," Krzyzak told OSV News. "However, there is evidence that when he did learn about it, he took decisive -- very decisive -- actions consisting in simply suspending one priest or another, sending him to a place of isolation. In general, he took all the decisions that he should have taken."

Krzyzak and Litka studied two cases depicted in an earlier TV documentary in great detail.

One was of Father Eugeniusz Surgent. TVN's documentary claimed Cardinal Wojtyla relinquished responsibility for him, returning him back to his original bishop of the then-apostolic administration of Lubaczów, the future Diocese of Zamosc-Lubaczów.

The case, however, was a lot more complex.

Information about the actions of the abusive priest first came to the archdiocese in 1969 via an anonymous report.

"Anonymous reports at that time were, as a rule, thrown in the trash," Krzyzak said, explaining that when Poland was under communist rule, the communist government persecuted the Church, and anonymous reports on priests were mostly treated as blackmailing the Church by the communist Secret Service, known as Sluzba Bezpiecznestwa, or SB.

But this anonymous report was not ignored. It was treated "seriously," Krzyzak said, because the priest "was causing problems of another nature in different parishes before" by being emotionally unstable and getting into conflict with other priests and parishioners.

After the anonymous report, what Cardinal Wojtyla did "surpassed the times he lived in," Krzyzak said, and provided a vision the future pope had for managing his diocese: He sent the problematic priest for psychiatric tests, and reported the anonymous letter to the bishop of Lubaczów. This bishop, Jan Nowicki of Lubaczów, reprimanded the priest at the time.

The curial archives show that, besides the anonymous letter Cardinal Wojtyla had on alleged abuse of Father Surgent, he had no other official signals from alleged victims' families, even while the state archives claimed the contrary.

"There is no evidence that the boy's mother -- as the Security Service claimed -- presented the case in person at the curia. It cannot be ruled out that this was an over-interpretation by the officers (of SB)," Krzyzak and Litka wrote in their story.

Despite the report being anonymous, the priest was also immediately removed from a classroom where he had been teaching Catechism classes to children. The ordered psychiatric opinion, however, did not refer to any sexual deviances of the priest, only saying that the priest "demonstrates a clear personality deviation."

After two years of no other reports -- whether anonymous or not -- of his alleged abuse, Father Surgent was reassigned to a parish in July 1971.

Indications from the parish that reached Kraków's bishops were, at the beginning, very positive. The priest was a good governor of the parish, and managed the place well, parishioners claimed.

But in May 1973, the director of the school received indications that when the priest was supposedly teaching Catechism, he instead allegedly was abusing boys.

The Archdiocese of Krakow "instantly" -- in June 1973 -- started an investigation -- resulting in the priest's removal from parish, "penal suspension, deprivation of office, income, as well as a ban on working in the Archdiocese of Krakow -- all provided for in such cases by canon law," the investigation by Krzyzak and Litka stated.

"Other penalties -- including a possible transfer to the lay state -- were left to the discretion of the appropriate ordinary, in this case Bishop Jan Nowicki of Lubaczów," it said.

In August 1973, state prosecutors started investigating the case of Father Surgent and, after a trial, sentenced him to three years in prison. He was released early in 1974.

After his prison sentence, Father Surgent wrote a letter with Christmas wishes to Cardinal Wojtyla, saying he offered the future pope his "unworthy prayers and expressions of deepest reverence and devotion," according to the Rzeczpospolita report.

Cardinal Wojtyla answered the letter on Jan. 4, 1975, with a brief sentence: "The Metropolitan Curia in Kraków prohibits you from performing any priestly activities within the Archdiocese of Kraków /can. 2359 § 2 CIC/."

Rzeczpospolita reported: "On that day, a letter was also sent to parish priests and rectors of churches in Krakow, asking Surgent 'not to be allowed to perform priestly functions.'"

Authors of investigation: Wojtyla took decisive action

Krzyzak, who is not only an investigative journalist, but also a canon lawyer, told OSV News that when Cardinal Wojtyla "learned about such cases, he took very decisive action -- suspending priests and sending them into isolation."

He stressed that the future pope was acting with a vision unusual for the time and didn't have the knowledge we have now about manipulative behaviors of perpetrators of sexual abuse: "Sending a priest for psychiatric evaluation at that time was something highly unusual -- almost ahead of its time."

Rejecting the claim of those who doubt the report by Krzyzak and Litka can be objective if based on Church archives, Krzyzak told OSV News: "As time passed, nothing was removed from the archives -- on the contrary, they were expanded with additional documents," he said, underlining the full transparency and cooperation of the curia at Franciszkanska 3, the legendary Kraków address where Cardinal Wojtyla was once archbishop.

At the conclusion of the second part of their newest investigation -- about Father Józef Loranc, whom Cardinal Wojtyla immediately suspended and sent to solitary confinement in the local Cistercian monastery upon learning the priest abused girls -- Krzyzak and Litka wrote:

"The moment Wojtyla learned of the crimes committed by priests under his authority, he made lightning-fast decisions. He suspended clergy, removed them from the scene of the crime, and after they served their prison sentences, he did not immediately reinstate them in pastoral ministry, but ordered them to continue their penance -- effectively keeping them 'imprisoned.'"

"Compared to other hierarchs who also dealt with cases of pedophilia between 1944 and 1989 ... these actions were truly exemplary."

Father Piotr Studnicki, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Kraków, commented: "The research demonstrates that we shouldn't be afraid of opening Church archives for the sake of research. No difficult and painful history is as terrifying as closed archives. We fear what we don't know most."

TVN's reaction

After contacting the author of the documentary "Franciszkanska 3" to comment on the newest investigation debunking the claims published in 2023 by TVN, OSV News received a link to a social media post from the author saying: "For several days now, I've been receiving questions: Why aren't you responding? I thought there was no point, because nothing particularly new had happened in the matter. Two authors went to the archives, found nothing, and based on that, arbitrarily concluded that Cardinal Wojtyla wasn't hiding anything."

Gutowski said the authors of the Rzeczpospolita report "did not confront" their findings with victims of abuse, and said officials at the Archdiocese of Kraków "for 3 years since the publication of 'Franciszkanska 3' have done NOTHING to reach out to the victims and witnesses."

Reacting to the comments of the author of "Franciszkanska 3," Rzeczpospolita's Krzyzak told OSV News: "When writing the text first in 2022, we clearly stated that telling the story through the lens of archival materials does not require us to seek out new testimonies from those who were harmed, but rather relied on the accounts that were given at the time."

"Today, after 50 years, I do not feel competent to enter into someone's life without knowing whether they have processed their trauma or not. It is not my role to knock on someone's door and intrude upon their private life," he said.

"I remain in contact with those who were harmed, but only with those who have reached out to us on their own initiative after the publications," Krzyzak added.

Two days after the initial report by Krzyzak and Litka was published in 2022, announcements were read in parishes of the dioceses of Bielsko-Zywiec (formerly part of the Archdiocese of Kraków), Koszalin-Kolobrzeg and Pelplin, asking people who had been harmed by Father Surgent or who had knowledge of the harm he had caused to come forward.

Father Marek Studenski, vicar general of the Diocese of Bielsko-Zywiec, told OSV News that "one person reported abuse by Father Surgent" after the announcements.

Since the perpetrator died in 2008, "we asked this person what kind of help this person would need, and referred the person to the Foundation of St. Joseph," Father Studenski said, referring to the foundation of the Polish bishops' conference that helps victims of clergy sexual abuse. "The person received the assistance they needed," he said.

On March 17, OSV News asked the TVN station press office what steps, if any, TVN television will take after reviewing the article by Krzyzak and Litka in Rzeczpospolita, given that it challenges the claims made in the documentary "Franciszkanska 3." 

OSV News also asked how TVN is responding to the calls made by public figures that the station should apologize for publishing unverified reports on a Polish historical figure of high importance.

As of March 23, OSV News had not received an answer from TVN, and OSV News forwarded the questions to Paramount, the American owner of the TVN station.