Pope Francis lambasts Catholic bishops who helped cover up child abuse
Pontiff makes strongest condemnation yet of paedophile priests and senior clergy who obfuscated rather than punished
Pope Francis waves to
crowds in St Peter's Square. He met six abuse victims after he delivered
his strongest condmenation yet of child abuse scandals that have rocked
the church. Photograph: Claudio Peri/EPA
crowds in St Peter's Square. He met six abuse victims after he delivered
his strongest condmenation yet of child abuse scandals that have rocked
the church. Photograph: Claudio Peri/EPA
Leaders of the Roman Catholic church who failed to "respond
adequately" to reports of child sex abuse by paedophile priests caused
"even greater suffering" to their victims and will in future be held
accountable, Pope Francis has said, in a clear rebuke to bishops who helped cover up the scandal and shield abusers.
In
his strongest condemnation yet of the way in which the church handled
its abuse crisis, Francis asked victims for forgiveness not only on
account of those who had perpetrated the abuse but also those senior
figures whose "sins of omission" had exacerbated the problem.
"Before
God and his people, I express my sorrow for the sins and grave crimes
of clerical sexual abuse committed against you. And I humbly ask
forgiveness," he said. The sexual abuse of minors by priests and other
men of the cloth required the church to "make reparation".
The
pontiff was delivering the powerful homily at a morning mass in the
Vatican before a group of six abuse victims, including two from the
United Kingdom. Sixteen months into his papacy, it was his first such
encounter.
"It is something more than despicable actions," Francis
said of clerical sex abuse. "It is like a sacrilegious cult, because
these boys and girls had been entrusted to the priestly charism in order
to be brought to God. And those people sacrificed them to the idol of
their own concupiscence."
He added: "There is no place in the
Church's ministry for those who commit these abuses, and I commit myself
not to tolerate harm done to a minor by any individual, whether a
cleric or not."
It is not the first time that Francis has condemned abuse,
but his words delivered at the Santa Martha guesthouse on Vatican
grounds were particularly pointed towards those clerics who may have
enabled the abuse to be "camouflaged with a complicity".
"I beg
your forgiveness … for the sins of omission on the part of Church
leaders who did not respond adequately to reports of abuse made by
family members, as well as by abuse victims themselves. This led to even
greater suffering on the part of those who were abused and it
endangered other minors who were at risk," said Francis, according to a
translation made available by the Vatican.
All bishops, added the
pope, must exercise "the utmost care" in order to protect minors. "And
they will be held accountable," he warned.
Advocates of abuse
victims have long complained that the church has yet to act to punish
those bishops who contributed to cover-ups. And, reacting to the pope's
words on Monday, the main US victims' group, Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (Snap), did not appear to have been won over, arguing that words were no substitute for concrete policy changes.
The church needed a leader who was not only kind but had "the toughness
to fire complicit church officials, it said in a statement.
"The
pope says the church should 'make reparations' to victims. That's
secondary. Stopping abuse and protecting children comes first. And
sadly, no child on earth is safer today because of this meeting."
Federico
Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, declined to identify the six adults
who saw Francis for around 30 minutes each on Monday, saying only that
two were from the United Kingdom, two from Ireland and two from Germany.
One, however – Irish woman Marie Kane, 43 – broke her silence, telling Irish radio RTE the audience had been an important vindication. "It can't go any higher than this," she said.
"I
felt it came from the heart," she added. "For me he seemed very sincere
and very sorry. And I think he realises he has a lot of changes to
make. I'd like to believe he will, but, you know, I don't know. We can
only leave it with him and wait and see."
She said she had prayed
for change in the church while attending the mass with the pope. "You
know, just do more," she said. "Get these guys out of power that
shouldn't be there – that are guilty of cover-ups, and who covered up in
my case, as well, and they know who they are, you know. So, yes,
change. Change."
The Vatican has been hauled over the coals repeatedly this year
by two United Nations human rights panels, both of which unleaded harsh
criticism on the church for its handling of the scandal, and urged it
to do more to punish paedophile priests and their protectors, to support
victims and to protect children.
Pope Francis has said he intends
to find new ways forward, having set up a commission for the protection
of minors, which met again in the Vatican on Sunday. The panel, which
includes Irish abuse victim Marie Collins, has been dismissed by some
other advocates as a superficial gesture.
They have found fault
with the way the pope, 77, has approached the scandal since his election
last March. While condemning the abuse, Francis has seemed at times
reluctant to mount a full-frontal attack on the church, for instance
riling many in March by claiming that no other organisation or
institution in the world had "done more" to tackle child abuse. Some
critics have also questioned why it took him more than a year into his
papacy to meet with victims.
Speaking to journalists on Monday,
Lombardi said the encounters had been "extremely broad and intense" and
had left the victims with "the feeling that they had been listened to …
with great attention".
He rejected accusations that the event was
nothing more than a publicity stunt, saying he was "not surprised" that
some people could not understand the "positive intentions" of either
Francis or Benedict XVI, who met with abuse victims on several
occasions.
But, he said: "It is totally clear that it was not a
public relations event. If you [had seen] the people coming out of this
meeting with the pope you [would have seen] that this was not a public
relations event."
adequately" to reports of child sex abuse by paedophile priests caused
"even greater suffering" to their victims and will in future be held
accountable, Pope Francis has said, in a clear rebuke to bishops who helped cover up the scandal and shield abusers.
In
his strongest condemnation yet of the way in which the church handled
its abuse crisis, Francis asked victims for forgiveness not only on
account of those who had perpetrated the abuse but also those senior
figures whose "sins of omission" had exacerbated the problem.
"Before
God and his people, I express my sorrow for the sins and grave crimes
of clerical sexual abuse committed against you. And I humbly ask
forgiveness," he said. The sexual abuse of minors by priests and other
men of the cloth required the church to "make reparation".
The
pontiff was delivering the powerful homily at a morning mass in the
Vatican before a group of six abuse victims, including two from the
United Kingdom. Sixteen months into his papacy, it was his first such
encounter.
"It is something more than despicable actions," Francis
said of clerical sex abuse. "It is like a sacrilegious cult, because
these boys and girls had been entrusted to the priestly charism in order
to be brought to God. And those people sacrificed them to the idol of
their own concupiscence."
He added: "There is no place in the
Church's ministry for those who commit these abuses, and I commit myself
not to tolerate harm done to a minor by any individual, whether a
cleric or not."
It is not the first time that Francis has condemned abuse,
but his words delivered at the Santa Martha guesthouse on Vatican
grounds were particularly pointed towards those clerics who may have
enabled the abuse to be "camouflaged with a complicity".
"I beg
your forgiveness … for the sins of omission on the part of Church
leaders who did not respond adequately to reports of abuse made by
family members, as well as by abuse victims themselves. This led to even
greater suffering on the part of those who were abused and it
endangered other minors who were at risk," said Francis, according to a
translation made available by the Vatican.
All bishops, added the
pope, must exercise "the utmost care" in order to protect minors. "And
they will be held accountable," he warned.
Advocates of abuse
victims have long complained that the church has yet to act to punish
those bishops who contributed to cover-ups. And, reacting to the pope's
words on Monday, the main US victims' group, Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (Snap), did not appear to have been won over, arguing that words were no substitute for concrete policy changes.
The church needed a leader who was not only kind but had "the toughness
to fire complicit church officials, it said in a statement.
"The
pope says the church should 'make reparations' to victims. That's
secondary. Stopping abuse and protecting children comes first. And
sadly, no child on earth is safer today because of this meeting."
Federico
Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, declined to identify the six adults
who saw Francis for around 30 minutes each on Monday, saying only that
two were from the United Kingdom, two from Ireland and two from Germany.
One, however – Irish woman Marie Kane, 43 – broke her silence, telling Irish radio RTE the audience had been an important vindication. "It can't go any higher than this," she said.
"I
felt it came from the heart," she added. "For me he seemed very sincere
and very sorry. And I think he realises he has a lot of changes to
make. I'd like to believe he will, but, you know, I don't know. We can
only leave it with him and wait and see."
She said she had prayed
for change in the church while attending the mass with the pope. "You
know, just do more," she said. "Get these guys out of power that
shouldn't be there – that are guilty of cover-ups, and who covered up in
my case, as well, and they know who they are, you know. So, yes,
change. Change."
The Vatican has been hauled over the coals repeatedly this year
by two United Nations human rights panels, both of which unleaded harsh
criticism on the church for its handling of the scandal, and urged it
to do more to punish paedophile priests and their protectors, to support
victims and to protect children.
Pope Francis has said he intends
to find new ways forward, having set up a commission for the protection
of minors, which met again in the Vatican on Sunday. The panel, which
includes Irish abuse victim Marie Collins, has been dismissed by some
other advocates as a superficial gesture.
They have found fault
with the way the pope, 77, has approached the scandal since his election
last March. While condemning the abuse, Francis has seemed at times
reluctant to mount a full-frontal attack on the church, for instance
riling many in March by claiming that no other organisation or
institution in the world had "done more" to tackle child abuse. Some
critics have also questioned why it took him more than a year into his
papacy to meet with victims.
Speaking to journalists on Monday,
Lombardi said the encounters had been "extremely broad and intense" and
had left the victims with "the feeling that they had been listened to …
with great attention".
He rejected accusations that the event was
nothing more than a publicity stunt, saying he was "not surprised" that
some people could not understand the "positive intentions" of either
Francis or Benedict XVI, who met with abuse victims on several
occasions.
But, he said: "It is totally clear that it was not a
public relations event. If you [had seen] the people coming out of this
meeting with the pope you [would have seen] that this was not a public
relations event."
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