Has Francis Done Anything to Address the Church's Sex Abuse Crisis?

By Brandon Ambrosino
Vox
April 11, 2014

http://www.vox.com/cards/who-is-pope-francis/has-francis-done-anything-to-address-the-churchs-sex-abuse-crisis

When it comes to its record of dealing with sex abuse, "the Church deserves to be raked over the coals," according to Catholic journalist Thomas Reese. A 2004 John Jay report found that thousands of minors were sexually abused by Catholic clergy between 1950 and 2002. More shocking is the fact that some high-ranking officials knew of the abuse but did not remedy the situation, either by stripping the abusers of their priesthood or by turning them over to the proper civil authorities.

When Francis took office, many people looked to him to correct the Church's handling of sex abuse. In a 2012 interview, before he was Pope, he made it clear that Church leadership should "never turn a blind eye" to sex abuse, even when coming forward with such information risks "damaging the image of an institution." He said it's a "stupid idea" to quietly relocate an abusive priest to a different parish, since "the priest just takes the problem with him wherever he goes." He also said pedophilia is not a result of, nor is it linked to, celibacy: "If a priest is a pedophile, he is so before he is a priest."

In December 2013, Francis announced the creation of a Vatican committee aimed at fighting sex abuse in the Church, and working with victims and their families. On March 22, 2014, Francis named 8 people to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. Of the members, four are women, and one — Marie Collins — is an abuse survivor. The group also includes Cardinal Sean O'Malley, archbishop of Boston, the city in which the US sex abuse crisis story originally broke in 2002.

In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Francis spoke about the issue of sex abuse, and praised the former Pope Benedict for being "courageous" in his attempts to curb it. In the same interview, Francis said that although statistics show that the majority of abuse happens outside the church, "the Church is the only one being attacked." The editorial board of the National Catholic Reporter said Francis' comments sounded "defensive," and encouraged Francis to meet with victims and their families and hear their complaints and concerns. Likewise, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests criticized Francis' remarks, saying they "reflect an archaic, defensive mindset that will not make kids safer."

In an April 11 speech delivered to the International Catholic Child Bureau, Francis asked for forgiveness on behalf of priests who abused children. The Pope's unscripted comments were hailed as his "strongest statement yet" on the sex abuse crisis. Francis said the he is aware of the "personal and moral damage ... carried out by men of the Church," and insisted the Church must be "very firm" in fighting sex abuse. "We do not want to take one step backward in dealing with this problem," said Francis, "because you cannot take chances with children." As critics point out, this might be the first time a pope has spoken out about imposing "sanctions" on guilty bishops.