Pope Francis’ Handling of Sex-abuse Cases Fractures a Catholic Stronghold

By Francis X. Rocca and Ryan Dube
Wall Street Journal
October 19, 2018

https://www.wsj.com/articles/pope-francis-handling-of-sex-abuse-cases-fractures-a-catholic-stronghold-1539964695

Pope Francis took charge of the Catholic Church promising a new style of leadership that would make the church more open, candid and dedicated to the vulnerable. His response to the long-running clerical abuse scandal is undermining those goals.

The pope has dismissed coverup allegations from abuse victims and wavered on promised disciplinary reforms. He has struggled to demonstrate a sense of urgency in addressing clerical abuse and has drawn complaints of inconsistency and inaction.