VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter
John L. Allen Jr. | Oct. 3, 2013 NCR Today
Rome – Although Pope Francis has earned a reputation for taking on tough questions and shaking up the status quo, so far he’s been relatively quiet on at least one issue that’s arguably done greater harm to the image and morale of the church over the last decade than any other: the child sexual abuse scandals.
Even when the pontiff has had opportunities to express concern, he’s sometimes let them pass by. For instance, there was no meeting with victims of abuse during his July 22-29 trip to Brazil, even though such encounters had become almost a routine feature of papal travel under Benedict XVI.
The activist group BishopAccountability.org recently asserted of Francis, “He has expressed solidarity with nearly every vulnerable population except for those who were sexually abused within the church.”
Neither have there been many substantive developments on the policy front. On July 11, Francis approved a revision to the laws of the Vatican City State adding crimes for sexual abuse of children, child prostitution, and possession of child pornography, but that merely codified changes already announced under Benedict.
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.