The Monster

Mr. Fish / Truthdig Nov 1, 2011 I stopped believing in monsters on Thanksgiving Day in 1976, when my stepfather came downstairs for dinner wearing black dress pants, a white collared shirt, a pair of freshly polished black leather shoes and only one sock.What will always make a monster appear even more monstrous is his ability to be magnanimous, even lovable, toward those most often targeted by his abuse. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Vatican Beatifies Pope John Paul II

Staff / Truthdig May 1, 2011 The Roman Catholic Church has beatified Pope John Paul II despite the many child abuse scandals that took place while he was the church's leader. The ceremony was held Sunday at the Vatican. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Vatican Told Irish Clergy to Keep Abuse Reports From Police

Staff / Truthdig Jan 19, 2011 According to an official letter issued by the Vatican in 1997, the Holy See issued a warning to higher-ups in the Irish Catholic Church, strongly suggesting that they keep reports of child abuse by clergy members from outside authorities or they could face "embarrassing" consequences. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Study: Zero Child Abuse in Lesbian Households

Staff / Truthdig Nov 11, 2010 Someone call Focus on the Family: A newly published set of findings from a long-running study out of UCLA shows a child abuse rate of zero percent in dual-mommy households. A pool of 78 teenage children with lesbian parents was studied. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Pope Doesn’t Let Irish Bishops Resign

Staff / Truthdig Aug 11, 2010 Two Catholic bishops in Ireland attempted to resign late last year in the midst of a scandal about widespread sexual abuse occurring in their Dublin diocese, but Pope Benedict XVI wasn't having it. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Pope Threatens to Cancel U.K. Trip

Staff / Truthdig Apr 25, 2010 It seems the pope can't take a joke. The Vatican is threatening to cancel a visit to Britain by Benedict XVI after a leaked Foreign Office memo gave suggestions that included a "Benedict condom." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Jon Stewart’s Not Buying What the Vatican’s Selling

Staff / Truthdig Apr 8, 2010 As allegations of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy members continue to challenge the church, the Vatican, according to a visibly agitated Jon Stewart, has failed to respond appropriately, instead adopting a victim stance with the Western media as its persecutor. Quick -- cue the kitten footage! Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Sinead O’Connor Faces Off With Catholic Flack Over Pedophilia, Post-Pubescence

Staff / Truthdig Apr 1, 2010 Hey, remember Sinead O'Connor? Remember Sinead O'Connor's beef with the pope back in the day? Well, now she's a bit older and has more hair on her head, but she's still up for a good tussle with the Catholic powers that be, as she demonstrates (continued). Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Hitchens on Vatican Sex Scandals: ‘Enough of Forgiveness … We Need Justice’

Staff / Truthdig Mar 31, 2010 It's no secret that Christopher Hitchens isn't big on religion, but above and beyond his disdain of deity worship, he's got some serious issues with the Catholic Church's handling of both the child abuse claims made against clergy members (continued) . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Irish Bishops Called on the Carpet

Staff / Truthdig Feb 15, 2010 The long-running clergy sexual abuse scandal within Dublin's Archdiocese is still the Catholic Church's problem, and on Monday, Pope Benedict XVI met with Irish bishops for the first part of a two-day strategy and damage-control session at the Vatican. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Soldier Accused of Waterboarding 4-Year-Old Daughter

Staff / Truthdig Feb 9, 2010 Police have charged an American soldier with assaulting his young daughter. Specifically, Joshua Tabor of Tacoma, Wash., is reported to have waterboarded his 4-year-old three or four times because she was afraid of water and had trouble with her ABCs. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Report: Irish Catholic Church Kept Child Abuse Secret

Staff / Truthdig Nov 28, 2009 According to a newly released report commissioned by the Irish government, the Archdiocese of Dublin and other Catholic authorities in Ireland kept hundreds of complaints concerning the sexual abuse of children by members of the clergy covered up (continued). Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )