VATICAN CITY
Boston Globe
By John L. Allen Jr. | GLOBE STAFF MARCH 05, 2014
In the wake of a recent United Nations report blasting the Vatican for its record on child sexual abuse, Pope Francis today issued a strong defense both of the Catholic church and his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI, saying “no one has done more” to combat exploitation of children.
“Statistics on the phenomenon of violence against children are striking, but they also show clearly that the great majority of abuse happens in the family and neighborhood environments,” the pope said.
Francis acknowledged that sexual abuse of minors leaves “very deep wounds,” and insisted that the church has turned a corner.
“The Catholic church is perhaps the lone public institution to have moved with transparency and responsibility,” Francis said. “No one has done more, yet the church is the only to be attacked.”
The pope’s comments came in a wide-ranging interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
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