When the shocking news broke of the coverup of sexual abuse by priests in Pennsylvania in August, word spread far and fast, with a wave of anger following in its wake.

In a decision that confirms its right to proactively reach out to victims of sexual abuse by priests, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst, N.B., has been awarded $3.4 million in a dispute with its insurance company.

KILKENNY, Ireland – Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin warned there was "a danger of complacency or inertia or of slippage into false confidence" in the church's fight against clerical abuse.

WASHINGTON – A New York auxiliary bishop has been removed from public ministry pending a Vatican review of a decades-old accusation of sexual abuse against him, a claim he denies, the Archdiocese of New York said in a letter released Oct. 31.

A priest in the Diocese of Calgary has been placed on administrative leave over allegations of sexual misconduct involving two minors and several adults.

VATICAN – A former nuncio to the United States acknowledged hearing rumors about the sexual misconduct of Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick already in 1994.

VATICAN – Synodality is about more than just bishops participating in the governance of the church; it encourages the involvement of all the faithful in a spirit of collaboration, said Archbishop Hector Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte of Trujillo, Peru.

VATICAN – The more than 250 Catholic bishops from around the world meeting at the Vatican in October missed an opportunity to confront the global sex abuse crisis, said Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Anchorage has appointed an independent commission to review all personnel files of clerics and religious men and women who have served in the Archdiocese of Anchorage since its canonical establishment in 1966.

Nobody goes there anymore … it’s too crowded.

I have left the Church many times, but now I can say with certainty that I will remain with the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church for the rest of my life.

MONTREAL – In a statement issued a few minutes after the broadcast of a story from Radio-Canada investigating sexual abuse allegedly committed by 10 Oblate missionaries in First Nation communities, the Quebec Assembly of Catholic Bishops told of their "indignation and shame" for the "terrible tragedy of sexual and physical abuse of minors by members of the clergy or religious communities."

KOCHI, India – A priest who had been a key witness in the charge of rape against Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jullundur died Monday, prompting a police investigation into his death.

VATICAN – Survivors of abuse in Chile believed they had won a major victory when they heard a Chilean court recognized that the Archdiocese of Santiago prevented a thorough investigation into sexual abuses committed by a former priest, Fernando Karadima.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announced Oct. 22 the launch of a hotline and email address to report child sexual abuse by clergy.