A Superior Court judge authorized the filing of a class action suit related to sex abuse cases against the Diocese of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec.

On May 1, mother of three Linda Murphy began a 900-kilometre hike along Ontario’s Bruce Trail to raise money for domestic violence survivors across Canada.

The Vatican permanently removed from priestly ministry a retired priest of the Diocese of Toledo who was accused of multiple allegations of sexually abusing a minor.

ROME -- A cardinal who had served as an aide to now-retired Pope Benedict XVI and was present for his meetings with survivors of clerical sexual abuse said he "never found in him any shadow or attempt to hide or minimize anything."

VATICAN CITY -- A Vatican editorial defended retired Pope Benedict XVI's record in fighting clerical sexual abuse after the release of a report that accused him of mishandling four cases during his time as archbishop of Munich.

VATICAN CITY -- Amending a written statement made to a panel investigating clerical sexual abuse in his former Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, retired Pope Benedict XVI said he was present at a 1980 meeting to discuss the transfer of a priest accused of misconduct.

MUNICH -- A law firm's report on how abuse cases were handled in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising incriminated retired Pope Benedict XVI, with lawyers accusing him of misconduct in four cases during his tenure as Munich archbishop.

WARSAW, Poland -- A Polish diocese apologized after its lawyer suggested a former altar server could have enjoyed being sexually molested by a priest, as a spokesman for victims warned the church still had "a long way to go" in combating abuse.

MUNICH -- As Germans await publication of a report on how leaders of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising handled cases of historic abuse, a canon lawyer casts doubt on accusations against retired Pope Benedict XVI over possible negligence.

SHERBROOKE, Quebec -- A Quebec Superior Court judge authorized a class action against a Catholic religious group once heralded for its ability to foster vocations, opening the way for people who claim to have been physically, spiritually, or psychologically abused within the organization to join the legal case.

Jane Doe never attended Mount Cashel Orphanage, but she knows the second-hand impact all too well. 

COLOGNE, Germany -- The second expert report commissioned to investigate abuse in the Archdiocese of Cologne also incriminates church officials who are still alive and accuses them of mistakes in dealing with cases of sexualized violence, according to its author, Björn Gercke.

OTTAWA -- Archbishop Peter Hundt says “sacrifices” will have to be made, but the Archdiocese of St. John’s has to move forward with compassion and understanding after a “dark chapter” of abuse in the Newfoundland archdiocese’s history.

A victim of former priest and notorious sexual abuser Charles Sylvestre can reopen her civil suit against the Diocese of London, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled Feb. 11.

VANCOUVER -- The Archdiocese of Vancouver has been named in a proposed class-action lawsuit involving allegations of sexual abuse at two Catholic high schools run by the Christian Brothers.