WASHINGTON (DC)
Philadelphia Inquirer
DAVID O’REILLY, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
LAST UPDATED: Thursday, September 24, 2015
WASHINGTON – Pope Francis on Wednesday surprised and irked victims of Roman Catholic clergy sex abuse when he praised a gathering of U.S. bishops for their “courage” in handling the crisis, and consoled them for how stressful it had been.
He also insisted that sex abuse at the hands of clergy must never happen again.
His remarks brought a stinging rebuke from some abuse victims, who said courage should be reserved for themselves.
“The bishops are poster boys for the fainthearted and timid. They have been cowards in the face of rape and sodomy of innocent children,” said the National Survivor Advocates Coalition.
To the bishops assembled for the first full day of Francis’ six-day U.S. visit, the pope said, “I realize how much the pain of recent years has weighed upon you. And I have supported your generous commitment to bringing healing to victims – in the knowledge that we, too, are healed – and to work to ensure that such crimes will never be repeated.”
Bob Hoatson, a former priest in Newark, N.J., and an abuse survivor, said, “I think he let the bishops off the hook.” Hoatson, who runs a group called Road to Recovery for victims and their families, said he had received numerous calls from “disappointed” victims.
“He would have been better off not saying anything about the issue rather than sugarcoating it,” Hoatson said.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.