While countries in the Global North are progressing with more transparency over historical child sex abuse in the Church, Latin America remains the epicentre of silence.
On May 11, the first Sunday of his papacy, Pope Leo XIV appeared at the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to address the crowd awaiting him. He called on youngsters to answer the call “priesthood and other religious” callings, with a firm and direct appeal: “Don’t be afraid! Accept the invitation of the Church and Christ our Lord!”
Below, in St Peter’s Square, survivors of sexual abuse committed by members of the Catholic Church greeted those words with rejection. “Youngsters are afraid. Victims are afraid and the Pope needs to say, in so many words, that raping children within the Church is a crime and will be punished,” said Sarah Pearson, spokeswoman for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests campaign group,…
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