Church, shamed by sex abuse, must better protect kids: Pope Francis
The Hindu
“May the protection of minors be ever more concretely an ordinary priority in the educational action of the Church,” Pope Francis said.
Pope Francis on Thursday called on all those who work with children, starting from the scandal-stained Catholic church, to join together in an alliance to better protect sexual and other abuse of minors.
In a message to a conference in Rome about keeping children safe, Pope Francis said the church’s own efforts are driven by “the sorrow and the shame for not having always been good custodians in protecting minors who were entrusted to our educational and social activities.”
Abuse by pedophile priests, with easy access to children in parishes, schools and Catholic after-school recreational programs, coupled with revelations of widespread cover-ups by bishops and other higher-ups, have marred the church’s reputation and eroded the trust of countless rank-and-file faithful in many countries for decades now.