IRELAND
RTE
August 20, 2018
Pope Francis has written an unprecedented letter to all the world’s Catholics promising that no effort will be spared to prevent clerical sex abuse and its cover-up.
In the 2,000-word letter the pope condemns abuse, addresses previous failures to deal with the issue and begs for forgiveness for his own sins in relation to the handling of abuse.
Addressed to “the people of God”, the pope appeared to be launching an appeal for all Catholics to face the sexual abuse crisis together and not let it tear the Catholic Church apart.
“We have realised that these wounds never disappear and that they require us forcefully to condemn these atrocities and join forces in uprooting this culture of death,” he said.
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