VATICAN CITY
Denver Post
By Daniel J.Wakin
The New York Times denverpost.com
VATICAN CITY — The next pope must commit himself to “zero tolerance” of the sexual abuse of minors by clergymen, a senior U.S. cardinal said Monday, the first day of deliberations by the princes of the Catholic Church ahead of the papal election.
The statement by Cardinal Francis George, the archbishop of Chicago, was a rare mention of the scandal in the context of discussing “papability” — the qualities and attributes desired by the cardinals in the man who will succeed the pope emeritus, Benedict XVI, who relinquished the position Thursday.
“He obviously has to accept the universal code of the church now, which is zero tolerance for anyone who has abused a child,” George said in answer to a question at a news conference. “There’s a deep-seated conviction, certainly on the part of anyone who has been a pastor, that this has to be continually addressed.”
The cardinal asserted that efforts by American churchmen had led to a sharp reduction in reported abuse cases.
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