Urging people with information about misconduct to come forward, he added: “The church asks that people not be silent, but bring it objectively to light, since the greater scandal in this matter is that of cloaking the truth.”
(Alex Williams – Premiere) The Catholic Church shall “never again” cover up sexual abuse perpetrated by its clergy, Pope Francis promised during a Christmas address to Vatican officials on Friday.
The pope used his annual speech to urge those who have carried out sex crimes against children to turn themselves into authorities.
He said: “Let it be clear that before these abominations the church will spare no effort to do all that is necessary to bring to justice whosoever has committed such crimes.”
The pontiff’s comments come after a year of damaging revelations concerning sexual misconduct and cover-up which have undermined confidence in the Catholic Church.
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