Pope urges determined action against sex abuse

Pope Francis has urged Vatican disciplinarians to act “with determination” against sexual abuse committed by members of the Catholic clergy, in his first public pronouncement on the issue.

“The Holy Father in particular asked that the congregation ... act with determination in cases of sexual abuse,” the Vatican said in a statement, referring to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which handles such cases, after the Pope met with its director.

The statement noted that the policy followed “the line established” by Francis’s predecessor Benedict XVI.

The Argentinian pope, elected last month, asked for “stepped-up measures to protect minors and help those who were subjected to such violence in the past”.

Also in line with his predecessor, Francis asked for a continuation of “procedures against the guilty and the commitment of bishops’ conferences (national churches) to formulate and implement the necessary directives in this area”.

The scourge of abusive priests burst into the spotlight more than a decade ago with a cascade of scandals rocking the Church worldwide, from here to the United States, from Australia to Benedict’s native Germany.

The Vatican says it continues to receive around 600 claims against abusive priests every year, many of them dating back to the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

Sexual abuse by priests has often been coupled with cover-ups by their superiors, typically by transferring them to other parishes.

The pope pushed for decisive action during a meeting with the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Mueller, the Vatican said in a statement.

Francis cited measures to protect minors, help victims of sexual violence and necessary action against perpetrators, and emphasise that drafting and implementing directives by bishop conferences around the world is important to the credibility of the church.

US victims of clergy abuse have demanded swift and bold actions from the new Jesuit pontiff.