VATICAN CITY/PARIS
Japan Times

REUTERS/AFP-JIJI
MAY 17, 2016

VATICAN, CITY/PARIS – Pope Francis called for “severe punishment” for pedophiles on Sunday after new details emerged in Italy of the 2014 death of a 6-year-old girl who is alleged to have been thrown from an eighth-story balcony by her abuser.

“This is a tragedy. We should not tolerate the abuse of minors,” Francis said, departing from prepared remarks at his weekly Sunday message and blessing to tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square.

“We must protect minors and severely punish abusers,” he said.

Though the Catholic Church itself has been rocked by its own abuse scandals, he did not mention them on Sunday as he has in the past. …

In an interview with the Catholic daily on Monday, the pope said it would be “contradictory, imprudent” to seek Cardinal Philippe Barbarin’s resignation at this stage.

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