MALTA
Malta Today
Matthew Vella
The Roman Pontiff will not be showing any leniency towards priests guilty of paedophilia, the Maltese bishop Charles Scicluna has told the Reuters news agency.
Scicluna, the Vatican’s former sex crimes prosecutor, said the number of clerics defrocked by the Vatican was likely to have fallen to about 100 in 2013 from about 125 in 2012.
“I have met with Francis and he has expressed great determination to continue on the line of his predecessors,” Scicluna said, having served in the Vatican for 17 years.
“His gospel of mercy is very important but it is not cheap mercy. It has to respect the truth and the demands of justice.”
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