PressTV: Pope vows to punish child sexual abuse by clergy
Mon Jul 7, 2014 3:33PM GMT
Head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has vowed to
punish clergymen who sexually abused children, describing their actions
as “satanic.”
During a meeting with six victims of the priests’ sexual abuse at his
private morning Mass in the Vatican residence on Monday, the pope said
the Catholic Church “must weep and make reparation” for what it did to
the children as “sexual abuse is such an ugly crime.”The pontiff also slammed the “complicity” of the church leaders in the alleged abuse cover-up.
Pope Francis further offered his apologies and pledged a worldwide crackdown on abuse.
It was the pope’s first meeting with sex abuse victims since his election as the Roman Catholic Church leader last year.
Victims heavily criticize the church for failing to tackle abuse more aggressively. They also claim the pope has not done enough to protect children and punish senior officials accused of abuse.
Last year, Pope Francis strengthened the Vatican’s laws against child abuse. He has also set up a committee to handle complaints and last month, a high-ranking papal envoy was stripped of his priesthood by the Vatican over claims of abuse.
The Roman Catholic Church has been hit by numerous scandals in the US and Europe in the past few years, including allegations of covering up the sexual abuse of children by priests to protect pedophiles and its own reputation.
Back in May, the United Nations Committee against Torture accused the church of ducking responsibility in the case of sexual abuse by priests. The committee also blasted the Vatican’s practice of transferring abusing clergymen from parish to parish in a bid to hide their crimes.