NEW JERSEY
The Record
BY ABBOTT KOLOFF
STAFF WRITER | THE RECORD
Pope Francis’ brief reference Wednesday to clerical sex abuse left advocates for victims wanting him to go further in the coming days, and expressing confusion by what appeared to be the pope’s praise for the way American bishops handled the matter.
The pope, on the first day of his visit to the United States, did not directly address the sex abuse issue but was widely believed to be making a reference to it when he told bishops they have shown “courage” in the face of “difficult moments in the recent history of the church in this country.”
He said he has supported their “generous commitment to bring healing to victims – in the knowledge that in healing we too are healed – and to ensure that such crimes will never be repeated.”
Some victims’ advocates said they expected the pope to make a statement about clerical sex abuse this week, and were hoping he would focus on bishops who covered up crimes. The pope has discussed setting up a tribunal in Rome to punish bishops who are found guilty of negligence in sex abuse cases, a move that would be unprecedented in the church.
Mark Crawford, the director of the New Jersey chapter of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, said he was disappointed by the pope’s first words on the subject during his visit and surprised by his use of the term “courage.”
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