Pope urges predator priests to turn themselves in
Pope Francis
on Friday urged predator priests who have sexually abused minors to
turn themselves in, in one of his strongest comments ever on the crisis
sweeping the Roman Catholic Church.
Vatican sources believed it was the first time the pope had made such a direct appeal.
Francis, who in the past has used the Christmas address to denounce
cases of corruption and mismanagement in the Curia, this time
concentrated on the global sexual abuse crisis.
He acknowledged that the Church had made serious errors in the past but promised to make “past mistakes opportunities for eliminating this scourge” from both the Church and society at large.
The pope has summoned the heads of some 110 national Catholic bishops’ conferences and dozens of experts and leaders of religious orders to the Vatican on Feb 21-24 for an extraordinary meeting on the sexual abuse crisis.
Victims of clerical sexual abuse are hoping that the meeting will finally come up with a clear policy to make bishops themselves accountable for the mishandling of abuse cases.
Reuters
To those who abuse minors I would say this: convert and hand yourself over to human justice, and prepare for divine justice, Francis said in his traditional Christmas address to the Curia, the Vatican’s central administration.
Vatican sources believed it was the first time the pope had made such a direct appeal.
Let it be clear that, faced with these abominations, the Church will spare no effort to do all that is necessary to bring to justice whoever has committed such crimes. The Church will never seek to hush up or not take seriously any case, he said.
He acknowledged that the Church had made serious errors in the past but promised to make “past mistakes opportunities for eliminating this scourge” from both the Church and society at large.
It is undeniable that some in the past, out of irresponsibility, disbelief, lack of training, inexperience, or spiritual and human short-sightedness, treated many cases without the seriousness and promptness that was due. That must never happen again. This is the choice and the decision of the whole Church, he said.
The pope has summoned the heads of some 110 national Catholic bishops’ conferences and dozens of experts and leaders of religious orders to the Vatican on Feb 21-24 for an extraordinary meeting on the sexual abuse crisis.
Victims of clerical sexual abuse are hoping that the meeting will finally come up with a clear policy to make bishops themselves accountable for the mishandling of abuse cases.
Reuters
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