Pope John Paul II was no saint but man who covered up sin

ROME
Telegraph (UK)

Victims of clerical sexual abuse campaign against canonisation of Pope John Paul II

By Nick Squires, Rome 25 Apr 2014

Pope John Paul II should not be made a saint this weekend because of his abject failure to bring to justice sexually abusive priests and the bishops who covered up their crimes, victims of clerical sex abuse said today.

The late Polish pontiff could have prevented “thousands” of children from being raped by pedophile priests but instead chose to ignore the scandal in the interests of protecting the image of the Catholic Church, victims from three continents said on the eve of his canonization.

Up to a million Catholic faithful from around the world are expected to pour into St Peter’s Square on Sunday to see Pope Francis canonize not only Pope John Paul II but also Pope John XXIII, an Italian pontiff who reigned in the 1960s.

But campaigners say that John Paul’s refusal to tackle the sex abuse crisis that exploded during his papacy means he is not worthy of sainthood.

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