VATICAN CITY
New York Daily News
By Corky Siemaszko / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, April 5, 2013
Pope Francis gave the Roman Catholic Church some marching orders Friday — “act decisively” to root out and punish pedophile priests.
Doing so is necessary “for the church and its credibility,” Francis said, according to the Vatican.
It was the first time Francis publically addressed the festering sex abuse issue since he was elected last month — and he did so in a meeting with Archbishop Gerhard Müller, who heads the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which investigates perv priests.
The department should also promote “measures to protect minors, help for those who have suffered such violence in the past,” the pope’s statement said.
But advocates for victims of sexual abuse by priests were not impressed.
“Once again, as have happened hundreds of times already, a top Catholic official says he’s asking another top Catholic official to take action about pedophile priests and complicit bishops,” said Barbara Dorris of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), a U.S.-based organization. “Big deal. Actions speak louder than words.”
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.