VATICAN CITY
USA Today
Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY
9:43a.m. EDT April 5, 2013
Pope Francis, in one of his first substantive actions since his election three weeks ago, signals that local bishops’ conferences should step up to discipline priests, serve victims
Pope Francis has called for strong, specific worldwide measures for the Catholic Church to act “with determination” against clergy sex abuse — the scandal that has rocked the church for more than a decade.
It is one of the first actions on a major issue in Francis’ weeks-old papacy, one marked chiefly by attention to his humble, cut-the-pageantry style.
After he met Friday with the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Mueller, the Vatican said in a statement: “The Holy Father recommended that the congregation continue the line sought by Benedict XVI, to act with determination in regard to cases of sexual abuse.”
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.