Pope Francis ‘lacks clout’ on abuse issue

Abuse survivor and former papal advisor Marie Collins says she has no confidence in the newly-reconvened Vatican commission on clerical child sex abuse or in the Pope’s ability to deliver on the reforms it recommended.

Ms Collins quit the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors last March in frustration at lack of action on its recommendations.

Another high-profile resignation followed and the commission finished out its three-year term last December with uncertainty surrounding its future.