Pope Francis on Monday wrote a letter to Catholics around the world, addressing for the first time the recent alleged accusations of sexual abuse by priests. In the letter released by the Vatican, the Pope said the Church did not act in a timely manner to address the crimes.
The head of the Catholic church said, “Let us beg forgiveness for our own sins and the sins of others.”
The Pope said that no effort must be spared to create a culture that prevents such situations from happening again, and also prevents the possibility of their being covered up. “With shame and repentance, we acknowledge as an ecclesial community that we were not where we should have been, that we did not act in a timely manner, realizing the magnitude and the gravity of the damage done to so many lives,” Francis wrote. “We showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them.”
It is the first time that a pontiff has written to Catholics around the world about sexual abuse, Reuters quoted a Vatican official as saying. In the past, such letters have been addressed to bishops and the followers in individual countries.
The Pope said that the Church should “be able to acknowledge and condemn, with sorrow and shame, the atrocities perpetrated by consecrated persons, clerics, and all those entrusted with the mission of watching over and caring for those most vulnerable”.
The letter comes in the aftermath of a 900-page report by a Pennsylvania grand jury in the United States that spoke about decades of sexual abuses by priests and cover-ups by bishops, CNN reported. The document also highlights other scandals of sex abuse in Chile and Australia. The Pennsylvania report said that documents from six Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania show that more than 300 priests have been credibly accused of sexually abusing more than 1,000 minor victims.
The Pope had earlier apologised for “grave mistakes” he said he had made in the handling of cases of child sex abuse in Chile. In June, the he accepted the resignation of three Chilean bishops in June following sexual abuse scandals. In July, he accepted the resignation of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a former archbishop of Washington DC, who was accused of sexual assault. McCarrick became the first cardinal to lose his title.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!