UNITED STATES
HuffPost
By Carol Kuruvilla
Advocates say Pope Francis’ apology to Chilean sex abuse victims is a good “first step” ― but they’re expecting much more action from the pontiff on a scandal that has thoroughly rocked Chile’s Catholic Church.
In a letter published on Wednesday, the pope admitted that he made “serious errors” in handling Chile’s sex abuse scandal due to what he called a “lack of truthful and balanced information.” The pope has summoned all 32 members of Chile’s bishops conference to Rome in May to hear the results of an investigation into the crisis and to discuss short- and long-term changes. Francis is also planning to meet personally with abuse victims and ask for their forgiveness.
The Vatican said on Thursday that Pope Francis’ letter to Chilean bishops effectively declared a “spiritual state of emergency” for the country’s Catholic Church. Vatican spokesman Greg Burke told The Associated Press that Francis is taking the situation seriously and assuring the victims that “Yes, we believe you, you have your place in the church.”
Tim Lennon, president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), told HuffPost that he is waiting for the pope to take concrete action, and not just offer expressions of “thoughts and prayers.”
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