GUAM
Guam Daily Post
Neil Pang | The Guam Daily Post
As the church continues in its effort to educate clergy, Catholic school personnel, all church employees and volunteers on the newly adopted Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, news from the Vatican may cast a pall on recent strides made by the leadership of the Archdiocese of Agana.
According to the Associated Press, Pope Francis has reduced sanctions against some pedophile priests in an effort to apply his vision of a merciful church, even to those guilty of abusing minors under their care.
Vatican spokesman Greg Burke told the AP that Francis’ philosophy of mercy applied to “even those who are guilty of heinous crimes.”
Just as Coadjutor Archbishop Michael Byrnes told media during a press conference in February, punishment for priests found guilty of abusing minors always includes being removed from public ministry, but those priests are not necessarily defrocked.
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.