UNITED STATES
Christian Catholicism

Jerry Slevin

Recent events make clear Catholics cannot realistically expect Pope Francis to curtail sufficiently any time soon, if ever, priest sexual abuse of children. Catholics must therefore press their democratically accountable governments to compel an unaccountable and out of control Vatican to protect their children better. Recent UN hearings on Vatican child abuse cover-ups, a disturbing AP report indicating the Vatican is quietly discharging some predator priests into an unsuspecting society and continuing confusion on the Vatican attitude towards gay persons indicate clearly Pope Francis has no mystical solutions.

These discouraging disclosures make it clear that the Vatican will most likely continue under Pope Francis to try to operate as a law unto itself and above the law that applies to everyone else, unless compelled by outside governments to act according to international legal rules that protect children.The UN hearings make increasingly clear Francis…