UNITED STATES
Deseret News

Compiled by Kelsey Dallas
For the Deseret News
Published: Thursday, July 17 2014

Pope Francis spoke openly about clergy sexual abuse in a recent interview with an Italian newspaper. But instead of celebrating his willingness to address the issue, some Catholics, including officials at the Vatican, worry that his comments may do more harm than good.

On Sunday, La Repubblica published its account of a conversation between the paper’s founder, Eugenio Scalfari, and Pope Francis. In it, the pope addresses clergy sexual abuse, calling pedophilia a “leprosy in our house.”

“Many of my collaborators who fight with me (against pedophilia) reassure me with reliable statistics that … the level of pedophilia in the church is at about 2 percent. … This data should hearten me but I have to tell you that it does not hearten me at all. In fact, I think…