In Spirit and Truth Reading Roundup: April 2025 Edition

Welcome to your (belated) April 2025 In Spirit and Truth Reading Roundup.

Obviously, the biggest news in the Church recently has been the death of Pope Francis and the beginning of the conclave tomorrow. Unfortunately, I’ve been having more health problems recently and fell behind on my reading, so I am still catching up on everything. The general April recap is below, and I’ll be sending a separate roundup related to Pope Francis and the preparations for the conclave.

For those who are new here (welcome everyone!), this Reading Roundup is a collection of the latest news and commentary on abuse and institutional betrayal in the Catholic Church, with a particular focus on the United States. Please note that I highlight articles from a variety of sources and perspectives, and inclusion here does not mean that I agree with everything in a given article, only that I think it’s worth reading. If you only have time to read a few pieces this month, I recommend you start with those in bold below.

And if you’re here primarily to listen to the wisdom and perspective of survivors, stay tuned for my next Survivors’ Voices post later this month.

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The Death of Theodore McCarrick

• Disgraced former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has died at age 94

• Theodore McCarrick is dead, and his ghost haunts the Church

• 'Acid on an old scar': Abuse survivors and advocates react to McCarrick's death

The Latest on Marko Rupnik

• Witness in Marko Rupnik trial details allegations of sexual and psychological abuse

• Jesuit general on Rupnik: we were blind, we’ve learned from mistakes

• Lourdes bishop covers Rupnik mosaics on doors to Basilica of the Rosary

• Art center continues to promote Rupnik art as alleged survivors hail mosaic coverages

• Is the tide turning on the Rupnik case?

U.S. News

• California: Once-secret records show how San Francisco Archdiocesan review board handled priests accused of child sex abuse

• California: LA County Catholic priest faces recent child sexual abuse charges

• Illinois: Chicago Archdiocese reinstates priest to ministry after abuse investigation

• Louisiana: Survivor of notorious New Orleans child sex abuser priest speaks out for first time

• Maryland: Survivors allege ‘decades’ of sexual abuse and cover-up at Calvert Hall

• New Jersey: Why are clergy sex abuse investigations stalled in NJ and around US? There’s a ‘playbook’

• New York: Diocese of Buffalo will pay $150 million in sex abuse settlement

• Pennsylvania: Clergy abuse survivor claims his voice on stage in 'Unreconciled'

• Washington: Legislature approves requirement for clergy to report child abuse

• Awake Event Summary: Confronting Sexual Abuse in the Deaf Catholic Community

International News

• Cameroon: Priest criticizes ‘taboo’ against reporting clerical abuse in Africa

• France: Book claims Vatican knew of abuse allegations against Abbé Pierre since the 1950s

• Italy: Arrest of Italian priest for abuse may renew calls for national reckoning

• Japan: Japanese cardinal denies knowledge of sexual abuse case

• Vatican: SNAP complaint against top cardinal involves priest defrocked for sexual misconduct

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Thank you for reading. Even while all eyes are on Rome, there’s still a lot of news worth paying attention to.

More from me soon.

~ Sara