Pope to California pilgrim: clerical sex abuse is a ‘horrible crime’

PANAMA CITY (PANAMA)
Crux

January 27, 2019

By Christopher White

Pope Francis told an American pilgrim taking part in World Youth Day that clerical sex abuse is a “horrible crime” and that “even if it is just one person, the Church should not tolerate it.”

The pope’s words came in response to a question from 29-year-old Brenda Berenice Noriega from California who was one of ten young people selected to have lunch with Francis on Saturday.

The meal took place behind closed doors without any press or cameras, but in an interview with Crux following the lunch, Noriega stressed that the pope emphasized solidarity with victims and caring for their pain.

The pope’s remarks to Noriega marked the first time he addressed the issue of clerical sexual abuse. Earlier on Saturday, during a Mass with priests and religious women and men, the pope encouraged them to remain strong in the faith despite the Church being “wounded by sin.”

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