To you, O God, I entrust my sorrow, my fears, my anguish, as well as the people, the flora and fauna, the land of Australia.

“The Catholic Church does not view the sacramental seal as incompatible with maintaining child safety. The Church wants measures that will genuinely make environments safer for children. There has been no compelling evidence to suggest that legal abolition of the seal of confession will help in that regard.”

“The Holy See acknowledges the decision of Australia’s High Court to accept Card. George Pell’s request of appeal, aware that the cardinal has always maintained his innocence.”

The decision by the High Court of Australia comes nearly a year after a unanimous jury found Pope Francis’ former finance minister guilty of molesting two 13-year-old choirboys in Melbourne’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral in the late 1990s.

About 40 million people are now trapped by forced labor and human trafficking. John McCarthy explains how the church in Australia is “slavery-proofing” its procurement practices and supply chains.

An Australian diocese will pay up towards $2 million (in U. S. dollars) in compensation for a claim filed against a priest for clerical sexual abuse in the early 1990s.