Pope Francis said
Thursday that the Church is aware of the seriousness of the
worldwide cases of child sexual abuse by clergymen.
"In the last few decades the Catholic Church has reached
profound awareness of the gravity of sexual abuse on minors and
the consequences, of the suffering it causes, of the urgent need
to heal its wounds, to combat these crimes with the utmost
decisiveness and develop effective prevention," the pope told
participants at a conference entitled 'Promoting Digital Child
Dignity'.
The Church's standing has been hit by a long series of
child-abuse scandals in many parts of the world and Francis has
not been exempt from criticism over his response.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA