Pope Francis responds to McCarrick report with vow to end sexual abuse
By Chico Harlan,
Vatican Media Via Reuters
ROME — In his first comments after a sexual abuse investigation that revealed decades of impunity and coverup, Pope Francis apologized to victims of abuse and said the Catholic Church was committed to “eradicate this evil.”
“I renew my closeness to the victims of all abuse,” Francis said, then pausing in silence.
The report on the rise of ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick has rattled the Catholic Church, with some of the blame falling on now-sainted Pope John Paul II, who in 2000 elevated McCarrick to archbishop of Washington despite being warned of McCarrick’s sexual misconduct.
Francis’s comments on Wednesday were brief, and he did not elaborate on any plans in the church’s fight against abuse. But the 449-page report was in itself a groundbreaking effort from the Vatican, naming names and revealing the details of internal failures in a way the church has never done before.
Francis authorized the investigation two years ago, months before McCarrick — accused of abusing minors and seminarians — was defrocked. The report looks into why it took McCarrick so long to face some version of church justice, when evidence of his crimes had surfaced decades earlier.
Some of the failures on McCarrick took place during the early years of Francis’s pontificate: According to the report, one adviser told Francis, but only vaguely, about the existence of “old allegations.” Another decided against informing the pope of what he had heard, under the belief that allegations only involved young adults, not minors, and that there had been no credible, recent accusations.
Francis only took action against McCarrick after clear evidence of abuse of a minor came to light.
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