Foundation to Abolish Child Sex Abuse (FACSA) Statement Regarding Comments by Pope Francis on Clergy Sex Abuse

By John Salveson
Foundatito Abolish Child Sex Abuse (FACSA)
September 27, 2015

http://www.abolishsexabuse.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=45:about-facsa&Itemid=140

BRYN MAWR, PA – John Salveson, President of FACSA, (Foundation to Abolish Child Sex Abuse) released the following statement regarding Pope Francis’ comments in a speech to a group of bishops in Philadelphia today regarding the ongoing clergy sex abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church.

“This morning Pope Francis committed to ‘careful oversight to ensure that youth are protected and that all responsible will be held accountable’ when addressing the clergy sex abuse crisis.

The truth is that the survivor community has been asking the church to take several simple steps to protect children and hold perpetrators and enablers accountable for years, but the Church has refused to take these actions. If Pope Francis wishes to take effective action to back up his words he could take these steps immediately:

• Require that every diocese in the world immediately report all past and present allegations of clergy sex abuse to civil authorities when it is suspected or discovered. Today, only the Church in the United States of America has been given this direction. • Require that every diocese in the world immediately disclose the identities of those who have been accused of child sex abuse so that children can be protected from them. • Instruct the Vatican to immediately disclose the identities of the hundreds of priests who have been defrocked because of their sexual abuse of children so that children can be protected from them. • Instruct every diocese and Catholic advocacy organization, such as the Catholic Conferences of every state in America, to immediately drop their relentless lobbying against the reform of criminal and civil statutes of limitations in place today, which protect abusers and enablers at the expense of children.

Most importantly, we implore the U.S. Department of Justice and the Attorneys General of each state in America to investigate the criminal behavior of the Roman Catholic Church in America and take the steps necessary to hold them accountable for their despicable actions.”