Catholic Priests 'Filmed at Gay Clubs and Having Casual Sex'
THE TELEGRAPH: The Catholic Church in Italy was embroiled in a fresh scandal on Friday when photographs apparently showing homosexual priests attending gay nightclubs and engaging in casual sex were published in a magazine.

Panorama magazine published photographs apparently showing homosexual priests attending gay nightclubs and engaging in casual sex. Photo: The Telegraph
A journalist from Panorama, a conservative weekly news magazine owned by Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, used a hidden camera to film interviews with three gay priests, who introduced the journalist to the gay clubs they apparently frequent, and allowed the journalist to film their sexual encounters with strangers, including one in a church building.

One of the priests, a Frenchman identified only as Paul, celebrated Mass in the morning before driving the two escorts he had hired to attend a party the night before to the airport, Panorama said.

The Catholic Church in Italy, still reeling from the paedophile priest scandal, responded on Friday by ordering homosexual priests who are leading a double life to come out of the closet and leave the priesthood. >>> Nick Pisa in Rome | Friday, July 23, 2010

PANORAMA.it: Le notti brave dei preti gay: una grande inchiesta in edicola con Panorama >>> Redazione | Giovedì 22 Luglio 2010

NZZ am SONNTAG: Schwule Priester feiern in Rom erotische Feste >>> Patricia Arnold, Mailand | Sonntag, 25. Juli 2010

Ordination of Women? It’s a ‘Grave Crime’, Says Vatican
MAIL ONLINE: Making a woman a priest is as sinful as abusing a child, the Roman Catholic Church declared yesterday.

New religious rules published by the Vatican set both sins at the same level of gravity and recommended the same punishment for guilty priests.

Church officials in Rome insisted that the new version of Canon Law showed it was 'very, very serious in its commitment to promote safe environments'.

But it had the appearance of an own goal by Pope Benedict XVI in his attempt to cool the scandal over Catholic cover-ups of child abuse by paedophile priests.

Victims' groups protested that criminal offences against children should be given far greater weight than doctrinal arguments over whether women can be ordained.

The Vatican move also appeared badly-timed as it followed the debate in the Church of England over appointing women bishops that won worldwide publicity at the weekend.

The new rules mean that priests can be defrocked or excommunicated for paedophile offences, sexual abuse of mentally handicapped adults or attempting to ordain women.

Acquiring, possessing or distributing child pornography will be regarded as an offence on the same level as physical abuse of children.

Erring priests will be punished by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican department once known as the Inquisition. Vatican labels the ordination of women a 'grave crime' to be dealt with in the same way as sex abuse >>> Steve Doughty | Friday, July 16, 2010

THE GUARDIAN: Catholics angry as church puts female ordination on par with sex abuse: Women's groups describe Vatican's decision on female ordination as 'appalling' >>> John Hooper in Rome and Haroon Siddique | Thursday, July 15, 2010

US Abuse Victim Sues Pope to Gain Access to 'Secret Files'
THE TELEGRAPH: The alleged victim of a US priest accused of being a serial pedophile is suing the Pope and the Vatican in an attempt to gain access to secret files containing internal investigations into sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church.

"There is a painful and long history of the Vatican and the top officials... muffling and suppressing the truth and protecting themselves and their own reputation instead of protecting the children," lawyer Jeff Anderson said at a press conference.

"This suit demands further action by the Vatican and the removal of every single priest that has offended a single child and every single bishop and cardinal that has been complicit in those crimes."

Mr Anderson, who has spent decades pursuing justice for victims of child sex abuse, said the case was "unprecedented" in its scope and demands.

That case is currently before the Supreme Court to determine whether the Vatican, which claims sovereign immunity, can be sued in a US court. >>> | Friday, April 23, 2010

TIMES ONLINE: US court action accuses Pope of failing to protect children from priest: The Pope was named in a lawsuit in a new court action in America yesterday by a man who says that he was abused as a child by a Roman Catholic priest. >>> Ruth Gledhill, Roger Boyes and David Sharrock | Friday, April 23, 2010

BBC: Vatican says US lawsuit against Pope 'without merit': The Vatican says a lawsuit brought against Pope Benedict and two Church officials by a US man who says he was abused by a priest is "without merit". >>> | Friday, April 23, 2010

Pope Calls on Priests to Behave Like 'Angels and Jesus Christ's Messengers'
THE TELEGRAPH: The Pope called on Catholic priests to behave like "angels and Jesus Christ's messengers" in his Easter Monday address, as new cases emerged of the Church failing to report abuses by paedophile clergy.

Benedict XVI said all Christians, but particularly priests, should be like angels and messengers of Christ's "victory over evil and death, the bearers of his divine love."

The 82-year-old pontiff was addressing hundreds of pilgrims at Castel Gandolfo, his summer residence outside Rome, at the end of an Easter Week which has been overshadowed by the sex abuse crisis.

While senior Vatican figures have denounced criticism of the Church as a smear campaign against the Pope, fresh evidence is emerging almost daily of the Catholic hierarchy's failure, or refusal, to adequately deal with priests found guilty of molesting or raping children in their charge.

In Paris, a retired French bishop admitted that he had made a mistake when he accepted a convicted Canadian paedophile priest back into his diocese in the 1980s, but said the practice was at the time an accepted part of the Church's handling of abusive priests. >>> Nick Squires in Rome | Easter Monday, April 05, 2010

Spanish Priest Offered Sexual Services and Spent Church Funds on Pornography
THE TELEGRAPH: A Spanish priest has been sacked after it emerged he advertised himself as a male prostitute on the internet and spent church funds on telephone sex and internet pornography.

Samuel Martin Martin, 27, the priest of two small parishes in the central province of Toledo, posted images of himself posing in grey underpants and said he was available for sex sessions with women and couples for 120 euros an hour.

Calling himself Hector, the priest described himself in an online advertisement as: "Heterosexual man for women and couples. Real photos. Well hung (15cm) to give you pleasure and happiness."

The scandal has made headlines across Catholic Spain where newspapers reprinted the photo and text from the advertisement. "I am open to everything except sadism. Hotels and private addresses. 24 hours. You won't regret it, I will give you pleasure like never before," it said. >>> Fiona Govan in Madrid | Thursday, February 25, 2010

Pope Tells Priests to Get Blogging
THE TELEGRAPH: Pope Benedict XVI urged priests to use the internet "astutely" and make the most of opportunities offered by modern technology.

The Pope had told priests that they should write blogs and use the internet more, saying they must learn to use new forms of communication to spread the gospel message.

In his message for the Roman Catholic Church's World Day of Communications on Saturday, the Pope, who is 82 and known not to love computers or the internet, acknowledged priests must make the most of the "rich menu of options" offered by new technology.

"Priests are thus challenged to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audio-visual resources – images, videos, animated features, blogs, websites – which, alongside traditional means, can open up broad new vistas for dialogue, evangelisation and catechesis," he said.

Priests, he said, had to respond to the challenge of "today's cultural shifts" if they wanted to reach young people.

But Benedict warned priests not to strive to become stars of new media. "Priests present in the world of digital communications should be less notable for their media savvy than for their priestly heart," he said.

After decades of being wary of new media, the Vatican has decided to dive in head first. >>> |Saturday, January 23, 2010

Priests Sign Huge Record Deal
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The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)