Pope: “No one will remain unpunished for child abuse”
No one will miss his punishment within the Catholic Church if he is found guilty of child abuse. That’s what the Pope Francis said.
“Let it be clear that the Church will do everything possible for those atrocities to try people who have committed crimes”, Francis said during his annual Christmas wishes for the staff of the Roman Curia. “To those who abuse minors I would say this: repent and surrender to justice and prepare yourself for divine justice.”
“The Church will never try to remain silent or will never take a case seriously”, it still sounds. It should never happen that cases of child abuse are ignored or put into the cover up, as in the past.
Cardinal accused
The warning came after Cardinal George Pell, who was a member of the Pope’s Advisory Council, was accused of child abuse in Australia. Until last year, the 77-year-old Pell was financial director of the Vatican, which makes him considered the number three of the Vatican.
The Australian cardinal is the highest in ranking accused of abuse. The case Pell worried the Pope for a long time. In February, the Vatican will organize a summit on this subject. Expectations are high and it is hoped that it will not only stay with the commitment to the fight against paedophilia. Victims rather demand concrete actions so that abuse is stopped and a real review takes place.
