Pope tells predator priests to turn themselves in
December 21, 2018
Pope Francis demanded on Friday that predator priests turn themselves in and vowed that the Catholic Church will never again cover up child abuse allegations.
Francis was giving his annual pre-Christmas address to Vatican bureaucrats at a time the church has been confronted with revelations of decades of child sexual abuse and cover-ups around the globe.
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"Let it be clear that before these abominations the church will spare no effort to do all that is necessary to bring to justice whosoever has committed such crimes," he said. "To those who abuse minors I would say this: convert and hand yourself over to human justice, and prepare for divine justice."
Pope urges victims to come forward
Francis also urged victims to come forward and thanked the media for bringing to light sexual abuse and cover-ups.
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"The church asks that people not be silent, but bring it objectively to light, since the greater scandal in this matter is that of cloaking the truth," he said.
"I myself would like to give heartfelt thanks to those media professionals who were honest and objective and sought to unmask these predators and to make their victims' voices heard," he said.
Vicious wolves
The pope lambasted consecrated men who abuse their power and position to take advantage of vulnerable people
"They perform abominable acts yet continue to exercise their ministry as if nothing had happened. They have no fear of God or his judgement, but only of being found out and unmasked," he said. "Often behind their boundless amiability, impeccable activity and angelic faces, they shamelessly conceal a vicious wolf ready to devour innocent souls."
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Sexual abuse on a global scale
The address reflected the seriousness of a slew of sexual abuse scandals that have hit the church this year from the United States and Germany to Chile and Australia.
Francis came under fire earlier this year when he defended a bishop in Chile accused of covering up sex abuse scandals, only to later launch an investigation and accept the bishop's resignation. He ultimatelydefrocked three Chilean bishops.
"It is undeniable that some in the past, out of irresponsibility, disbelief, lack of training, inexperience, or spiritual and human short-sightedness, treated many cases without the seriousness and promptness that was due," he said.
"That must never happen again. This is the choice and the decision of the whole church."
The address comes two months before the pontiff convenes bishops for a conference on responding to sexual abuse during which the "church will restate her firm resolve to pursue unstintingly a path of purification," Francis said.
cw/msh (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)