VATICAN CITY
NPR
by Eyder Peralta
April 05, 2013
Pope Francis told his staff to take “decisive action” when it comes to cases of clerical sex abuse of minors.
In a statement, the Vatican said the pontiff ordered the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to “act decisively as far as cases of sexual abuse are concerned, promoting, above all, measures to protect minors, help for those who have suffered such violence in the past (and) the necessary procedures against those who are guilty.”
The BBC reports this was the new pope’s first public statement on the issue, which has plagued the church for years.
The BBC reports:
“When first elected, Benedict XVI promised to rid his Church of the ‘filth’ of clerical sex abuse, but critics accused him of covering up abuse in the past and failing to protect children from paedophile priests.
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