1P5, Steve Skojek: At St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. Pope Francis addressed the victims of clerical sex abuse in no uncertain terms:
I carry in my heart the stories, the suffering and the pain of the minors who were sexually abused by priests. I’m overwhelmed by the shame that people who were in charge of caring for those young ones raped them and caused them great damages. I regret this profoundly. God weeps! The crimes and sins of sexual abuse to minors can’t be kept a secret anymore. I commit to the zealous oversight of the Church to protect minors, and I promise that everyone responsible will be held accountable.
These strong words are exactly the sort of thing that so many people — Catholics and non-Catholics alike — have been wanting to hear.
But in the light of some of Pope Francis’s recent decisions, they ring tragically hollow. The sick details concerning this evil man are here.
