A letter was issued by Pop Francis to Catholics around the world condemning the “crime” of priestly sexual abuse and cover-up for demanding accountability, Decades of misconduct by Catholic Church in the United States was in response to new revelation.
Pop Frances begged for forgiveness from the victims for the pain they suffered and said lay Catholics must be involved in any efforts to root out abuse and cover-up. He blasted the self-referential clerical culture that has been blamed for the abuse crisis, with church leaders more concerned for their reputation than the safety of children.
Francis wrote: “We showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them.”
The Vatican issued the letter Monday, ahead of Francis’ trip this weekend to Ireland that is expected to be dominated by the abuse crisis.
