EPAP Pope Francis greets worshipers during an evening service in Lisbon
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 00:50
Pope Francis met thirteen victims of sexual abuse within the Church during his visit to World Youth Day in Lisbon. Earlier this year, a commission of inquiry concluded that at least 4,815 minors in Portugal have been sexually abused within the church in the past seven years.
The priests mainly assaulted young boys, the report says. Most of the victims were between 10 and 14 years old and the youngest victim was 2 years old, according to the committee.
The pope met the victims at the Vatican embassy in Lisbon. According to a statement from the Vatican, the meeting took place in an “atmosphere of intense listening” and lasted more than an hour.
‘Disappointment and Anger’
Speaking to clergy, Pope Francis said the sexual abuse scandals had “marred” the church and had caused “disappointment and anger”. He called on the spiritual leaders to listen to “the cry of pain of victims”.
Earlier this year, Francis tightened the rules to prevent sexual abuse within the church. Since April 30, in addition to clergy, non-clerics must also report suspicions of abuse to the church authorities. The definition of ‘victim of abuse’ has also been expanded and the regulation designed to protect whistleblowers has been expanded.
One million young believers
About one million young believers are expected on World Youth Day. This international meeting of the Catholic Church takes place every three years in a different country.
2023-08-02 22:50:09
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