VATICAN CITY
Crux
By Ines San Martin
Vatican correspondent May 16, 2016
ROME— In a new interview with a French newspaper Pope Francis stirred the waters once again, saying there must be no limit on the Church’s prosecution of sex abuse by priests, defending both secular states and religious freedom, and saying that it’s often a mistake to “clericalize” talented laity by turning them into deacons.
“It’s true that it’s not easy to judge the facts after decades, in another context,” Francis told La Croix when asked about a series of sex abuse scandals currently shaking the French church.
“Reality is not always clear,” he said.
“But for the Church, in this area, there can be no prescription,” he continued, referring to a term in the Code of Canon Law for a statute of limitations against prosecuting crimes after a certain period of time.
“With these abuses, a priest who has the vocation to lead [people] to God destroys a child,” Francis said. “[He] spreads evil, resentment, pain.”
“As Benedict XVI said, there must be zero tolerance,” Francis said.
Questioned about the specific case of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, who has admitted to making mistakes in the handling of clerical sexual abuse in his diocese of Lyon, Francis said that based on the information he has, he believes Barbarin took the necessary measures.
“He’s courageous, creative, [and a] missionary,” Francis said. “We must now wait for the result of the proceedings before the civil courts.”
The pope rejected calls for Barbarin to resign.
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.