'I promise that all those responsible will be held accountable'

By Jennifer Haselberger
Canonical Consultation
September 27, 2015

http://canonicalconsultation.com/blog.html

As you have likely heard by now, this morning Pope Francis met with five survivors of sexual abuse. As the New York Times has reported, not all five were victims of sexual abuse by clergy, supposedly to demonstrate that the church is taking a broader view of the problem of sexual abuse.

The meeting, while not unexpected, will likely do little to calm those upset by Pope Francis's praise for American bishops' handling of the sexual abuse crisis, which he articulated at his prayer service with them in Washington DC. Ironically, our own Emeritus Archbishop, John Nienstedt, was present to hear the praise, but apparently not Pope Francis's statement that he 'deeply regret[s] that some bishops failed in their responsibility to protect children'.

You can find the full text of the Pope's remarks to victims here.

While I feel a certain skepticism about the meeting, I wholeheartedly concur with the Holy Father's final plea: ' I humbly beg you and all survivors of abuse to stay with us, to stay with the Church, and that together, as pilgrims on the journey of faith, we might find our way to the Father.'