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Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Child sexual abuse scandal cast long shadow over Francis's papacy
In 2002, the Boston Globe published a series of articles exposing the scale of child sexual abuse in the local Catholic church. It shone a spotlight – the title of a later movie based on the investigation – on the church's dark shameful secrets. Eleven years later, Francis became pope. Wave after wave of abuse revelations continued to crash at the Vatican's doors amid mounting anger and revulsion among the faithful and beyond. The issue threatened to derail Francis's papacy and dominate his trips abroad. He was slow to grasp the scale and systemic nature of the issue and apparently reluctant to take firm action to deal with abusers and those who covered up abuse. Within hours of Francis's death on Monday, survivors of clerical sexual abuse sounded a discordant note amid the lavish tributes. They said the pope failed to fundamentally change the culture of deference that allowed abusers to flourish and failed to deliver decisive action. It was the 'tragedy of his papacy', said one organisation. Among the scandals that erupted in the first half of Francis's papacy were a damning report on the sexual abuse of potentially thousands of children by priests in Pennsylvania and the subsequent cover-up by the church; the resignation as a cardinal (and later defrocking) of Theodore McCarrick, a former archbishop of Washington, over alleged sexual assaults; a police raid on the Catholic church's HQ in Chile; and the conviction of an Australian archbishop of covering up child abuse. Related: Fox Chase Boy: stand up comedy confronts trauma in a Catholic community In 2018, George Pell, a cardinal and ally of Pope Francis, became the highest ranking Catholic to be convicted of child sexual abuse. He spent a year in prison in Australia before his convictions were overturned in 2020. He died in 2023. In another crushing blow, a French archbishop and cardinal, Philippe Barbarin, was found guilty of covering up child sexual abuse in 2019. He was later acquitted on appeal. In Chile, Francis defended a bishop, Juan Barros, who had been accused of being an accomplice of that country's most notorious paedophile priest, Fernando Karadima. Francis only changed his stance after a disastrous trip to Chile in January 2018. He admitted 'grave errors' of judgment, and summoned all the Chilean bishops to Rome and received their resignations en masse. Later that year, Pope Francis's two-day trip to Ireland, once a devoutly Catholic country, was dominated by protests by abuse survivors who demanded that the pontiff take responsibility for the church's failures. Francis made repeated pleas for forgiveness at public events. As his trip came to an end, archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, a retired Vatican diplomat, demanded Francis's resignation, claiming he had failed to act on abuse allegations against a prominent figure in the church hierarchy. After the Pennsylvania report, Francis issued a 2,000-word letter to members of the global church. It spoke of sorrow and shame at atrocities committed by priests, and begged for forgiveness. The following year, he summoned bishops from around the world to Rome for a summit on clerical sexual abuse. He told them survivors deserved 'concrete and efficient measures', not mere condemnations. That was followed by a decree that all Catholic priests and nuns must report sexual abuse and its cover-up to church authorities – although not to police. But for survivors it was too little, too late. Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA) said after Francis's death on Monday that his papacy 'fell short of delivering the decisive action needed'. Its statement added: 'Words without action ring hollow. Under [Francis's] leadership, the church failed to hold bishops accountable for their roles in enabling, concealing, and perpetuating abuse. Systemic change remained elusive. 'The resignation of a few prelates behind closed doors is no substitute for public accountability. His refusal to remove or discipline those complicit in cover-ups betrayed the church's moral obligation to protect the vulnerable.' Snap, the Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests, said victims and survivors were mourning the 'tragedy of [Francis's] papacy' – children and vulnerable adults who were abused during his tenure. Shaun Dougherty, Snap's president, said: 'The bishops of the world – including the 137 cardinals who will choose the next pope – collectively possess knowledge of thousands of abusive priests still serving in parishes and schools. A true zero-tolerance policy would mean removing these offenders immediately and holding bishops accountable for keeping them in ministry.' Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the US-based group BishopAccountability, said Francis had 'supreme power' but 'refused to make the necessary changes'. Mitchell Garabedian, a Boston lawyer representing hundreds of abuse survivors, told the BBC: 'There really hasn't been any substantive change within the Catholic church. There hasn't been any transparency. Pope Francis said the right things, he meant the right thing, but the bureaucracy just shut him down.' There have been fewer scandals and revelations in recent years, but the fury and pain of survivors is undiminished and the repercussions for the church continue to reverberate. Members of the conclave that will meet in the coming days to choose a successor to Francis will know survivors will be watching closely. 'The next pope must act where Pope Francis did not,' said ECA. 'He must implement a universal zero-tolerance policy – one that holds clergy fully accountable for abuse and its concealment. He must reject secrecy and complicity and place the protection of children and vulnerable adults at the heart of the church's mission.' Dougherty said: 'We cannot afford another papacy that makes promises but fails to deliver real protection for children and justice for survivors.'
Spectator
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
Why it makes sense to have an American pope
Around 40,000 people gathered in St Peter's Square last night, the mood markedly more expectant than the evening before. While Wednesday had felt like a formality destined to disappoint, Thursday hummed with anticipation – and it delivered. The general consensus in the run-up to the conclave was that an American pope was unlikely. As the world's strongest economic and political power, adding to that the honour of hosting the world's most influential spiritual leader seemed excessive. The United States has also had the furthest to go in addressing the problem of clerical abuse. The ghost of the serial sexual predator Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has not yet been fully exorcised, and the Church still appears to be under reconstruction after its credibility was demolished by countless scandals. Robert Barron, the bishop of the diocese of Winona–Rochester, who has become something of an internet personality in recent years, summed up the papal pundits' consensus on an American pontiff in an interview with EWTN.
New Indian Express
21-04-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Reform, social justice and tackling abuse: 12 years of Pope Francis
Vatican City, Holy See: During his 12 years as head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis was a voice for compassion and peace, reformed the Vatican government and took action against clerical child abuse. Here are some of the main achievements of the Argentine pontiff and the opposition he faced -- and what he left undone. - Battle against sex abuse - Dealing with the worldwide scourge of sexual abuse by clergy and its cover-up was one of the biggest challenges for Pope Francis when he took office in 2013. A 2018 trip to Chile proved a turning point. Francis initially defended a Chilean bishop against allegations he covered up the crimes of an elderly priest, demanding that the accusers show proof of his guilt. He later admitted making "grave mistakes" in the case -- a first for a pope. He summoned all of Chile's bishops to the Vatican, after which they all submitted their resignations. Later that year, he stripped the cardinal title from abusive US cleric Theodore McCarrick, and in 2019 removed his status as a priest. Also in 2019, he held an unprecedented summit that heard from victims, where he promised an "all-out battle" against clerical abuse. Concrete changes followed, from opening up Vatican archives to lay courts to making it compulsory to report suspicions of abuse and any attempts to cover it up to Church authorities. However, anything said in the confessional box remains sacrosanct -- and activists say he did not do enough. One campaigner, Anne Barrett Doyle, told AFP last year that the reforms had been "superficial". "Structurally, they retain all the elements of cover-up: lack of transparency, lack of external oversight, lack of mandatory severe sanctions," she said. - Diplomacy - Francis travelled widely, making 47 trips overseas that gave priority to what he called the "peripheries", countries with small or marginalised Catholic communities. He regularly called for peace in hotspots such as Sudan, Gaza and Ukraine, and promoted dialogue with other faiths, particularly Islam. The Vatican operates behind the scenes in many countries, with diplomatic successes including mediating the rapprochement between the United States and Cuba in 2014. In 2018, the Vatican agreed a historic but also controversial deal with the communist government in Beijing over the appointment of bishops in China. But the pope's calls for peace in Ukraine failed to have any visible impact. In fact, Francis sparked outrage from Kyiv last year after praising those in the war-torn country who had the "courage to raise the white flag and negotiate". His calls for an end to fighting in the Middle East also fell flat, and he drew criticism from Israel in December after condemning strikes on Gaza as "cruelty". - Compassion, social justice - A liberal who loved being among his flock, the Jesuit sought to forge a more open Catholic Church, particularly toward divorced, married and LGBTQ members. The approach angered traditionalists, in particular his 2023 decision to authorise blessings of same-sex couples in some cases. The Vatican was forced to clarify its position after an outcry in Africa and the United States. One German cardinal, Gerhard Mueller, denounced Francis's "doctrinal confusion" in a 2023 book. The son of Italian immigrants to Argentina, Francis strongly defended the rights of migrants, including criticising US President Donald Trump's plans for mass deportations. Francis was also a vocal campaigner for the environment. In his groundbreaking 2015 encyclical "Laudato Si" (Praise be to You), he urged the world to act quickly to tackle climate change, saying rich countries bore the most responsibility. - Reform - From decentralising power and increasing transparency to providing greater roles for lay people and women, Francis implemented fundamental reforms of the Roman Curia, the central government of the Holy See. The reforms were consolidated in a 2022 constitution that reorganised the Vatican's dicasteries, or ministries. Francis particularly took aim at the murky, scandal-tainted finances of the Vatican, creating a special secretariat for the economy in 2014, clamping down on corruption and stepping up scrutiny of investments and the Vatican Bank, which led to the closure of 5,000 accounts. He also revolutionised the Synod, a Catholic discussion body, by involving lay members including women. Since 2021 it has looked at the future of the Church, but key decisions, such as allowing women to become deacons, were not due until later this year. In his institutional reforms, again, Francis faced strong opposition, with some critics accusing him of "tyrannical" behaviour.
News18
21-04-2025
- Politics
- News18
Pope Francis: The Pontiff Who Sought Forgiveness For Clergy Abuse And Opened Doors To LGBTQ Dialogue
The pope's 12-year papacy was defined by moral clarity—confronting clerical abuse with public apologies and offering LGBTQ Catholics a long-denied place at the table Pope Francis, who passed away on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88, leaves behind a 12-year papacy shaped by moral reckoning and radical compassion. As the first Jesuit and the first Latin American to lead the Catholic Church, his tenure was marked by a deep engagement with two of its most painful and controversial issues: the sexual abuse of minors by clergy, and the Church's historically fraught relationship with LGBTQ individuals. While he did not overturn doctrine, Francis reshaped the Church's tone — asking forgiveness for its past failures and opening doors to previously marginalised voices. From declining the Apostolic Palace in favour of a modest guesthouse to choosing a Ford Focus over the popemobile, he consistently opted for simplicity over tradition—signalling a break from Vatican pomp. One of the deepest wounds Pope Francis confronted was the global crisis of child sexual abuse by clergy—an issue that had plagued the Church for decades. Though the scandal predated his papacy, Francis placed the issue firmly at the centre of Vatican reform. In 2018, during a visit to Ireland, one of the countries most devastated by clerical abuse, he issued one of the strongest apologies by a sitting pontiff. 'We ask forgiveness for the times that as a Church, we did not show the survivors of whatever kind of abuse compassion and the seeking of justice and truth by concrete actions," he declared at the World Meeting of Families. But he matched words with action—implementing structural changes. In 2014, he set up the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors to institutionalise safeguarding mechanisms. In 2019, he lifted the 'pontifical secret", a long-standing rule that had cloaked abuse investigations in secrecy, and he introduced Vos Estis Lux Mundi, a new Church law requiring all clergy to report abuse or cover-ups to Church authorities. In 2018, he accepted the resignation of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a former archbishop of Washington, DC, who became one of the highest-ranking Church figures ever to be defrocked over sexual abuse allegations. The move was seen as a watershed moment, signalling that even the most senior members of the hierarchy would no longer be shielded. Under Francis, the Church also began observing an annual 'Day of Prayer" for victims and survivors of abuse in many countries, integrating public acknowledgement and mourning into the liturgical calendar. Yet, his record remained uneven. His initial defence of Chilean Bishop Juan Barros—accused of covering up abuse—sparked outrage, prompting a rare reversal and apology. The episode highlighted the tension between institutional inertia and his personal commitment to victims. Still, survivor groups acknowledged his efforts to bring transparency to the Church's opaque handling of abuse cases, even if much remained to be done. 'WHO AM I TO JUDGE?': OPENING THE CHURCH TO LGBTQ DIALOGUE If sexual abuse was the moral reckoning of his papacy, Pope Francis's approach to LGBTQ issues marked its compassionate pivot. Just months after becoming Pope in 2013, he famously responded to a question about gay priests with: 'If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?" It was a simple sentence that reverberated globally—reframing decades of Vatican condemnation with a message of humility and human dignity. While Church teaching on homosexuality did not change, Francis shifted its tone. He welcomed gay individuals and couples in private audiences, met with transgender persons, and condemned laws criminalising homosexuality. 'Being homosexual is not a crime," he said in 2023, adding that laws targeting LGBTQ people were 'unjust" and rooted in prejudice. He became the first pope to endorse civil unions, stating in the 2020 documentary Francesco: 'Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God… What we have to have is a civil union law." And in one of his final reforms, Francis approved the Vatican declaration Fiducia Supplicans in 2023, allowing priests to bless same-sex couples in informal settings—an unprecedented move within Catholicism that drew ire from conservatives but joy from many LGBTQ believers. For the first time, LGBTQ Catholics were formally invited to take part in Church-wide consultations during the Synod on Synodality (2023–2024). While the process did not lead to doctrinal changes, it marked an important step in Pope Francis's effort to make the Church more open, inclusive, and willing to listen to voices that had long been left out. A PASTORAL LEGACY THAT REDEFINED THE PAPACY Pope Francis was not a doctrinal radical. He did not permit women priests, nor did he revise core teachings on sexuality or marriage. But what he did change, profoundly, was tone. He recentered the papacy around dialogue, empathy and the act of listening. Throughout his final years, even as he battled illness and limited mobility, Francis remained active—travelling, addressing global issues like climate change and inequality, and delivering what would be his last Easter blessing on April 20, 2025. With his passing, the Catholic Church enters a period of mourning and transition. But the legacy Francis left behind, one of compassion without compromise, and of accountability without vengeance, will shape its path for years to come. Get breaking news, detailed analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to tech, so you can stay informed about what's happening around the world on News18 First Published:
The Standard
21-04-2025
- Politics
- The Standard
Diplomacy, reform and tackling abuse: 12 years of Pope Francis
During his 12 years as head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis was a voice for compassion and peace, reformed the Vatican government and took action against clerical child abuse. Here are some of the main achievements of the Argentine pontiff and the opposition he faced -- and what he left undone. - Diplomacy - Francis travelled widely, making 47 trips overseas that gave priority to what he called the "peripheries", countries with small or marginalised Catholic communities. He regularly called for peace in hotspots such as Sudan, Gaza and Ukraine, and promoted dialogue with other faiths, particularly Islam. The Vatican operates behind the scenes in many countries, with diplomatic successes including mediating the rapprochement between the United States and Cuba in 2014. In 2018, the Vatican agreed a historic but also controversial deal with the communist government in Beijing over the appointment of bishops in China. But the pope's calls for peace in Ukraine failed to have any visible impact. In fact, Francis sparked outrage from Kyiv last year after praising those in the war-torn country who had the "courage to raise the white flag and negotiate". His calls for an end to fighting in the Middle East also fell flat, and he drew criticism from Israel in December after condemning strikes on Gaza as "cruelty". - Battle against sex abuse - Dealing with the worldwide scourge of sexual abuse by clergy and its cover-up was one of the biggest challenges for Pope Francis when he took office in 2013. A 2018 trip to Chile proved a turning point. Francis initially defended a Chilean bishop against allegations he covered up the crimes of an elderly priest, demanding that the accusers show proof of his guilt. He later admitted making "grave mistakes" in the case -- a first for a pope. He summoned all of Chile's bishops to the Vatican, after which they all submitted their resignations. Later that year, he stripped the cardinal title from abusive US cleric Theodore McCarrick, and in 2019 removed his status as a priest. Also in 2019, he held an unprecedented summit that heard from victims, where he promised an "all-out battle" against clerical abuse. Concrete changes followed, from opening up Vatican archives to lay courts to making it compulsory to report suspicions of abuse and any attempts to cover it up to Church authorities. However, anything said in the confessional box remains sacrosanct -- and activists say he did not do enough. One campaigner, Anne Barrett Doyle, told AFP last year that the reforms had been "superficial". "Structurally, they retain all the elements of cover-up: lack of transparency, lack of external oversight, lack of mandatory severe sanctions," she said. - Reform - From decentralising power and increasing transparency to providing greater roles for lay people and women, Francis implemented fundamental reforms of the Roman Curia, the central government of the Holy See. The reforms were consolidated in a 2022 constitution that reorganised the Vatican's dicasteries, or ministries. Francis particularly took aim at the murky, scandal-tainted finances of the Vatican, creating a special secretariat for the economy in 2014, clamping down on corruption and stepping up scrutiny of investments and the Vatican Bank, which led to the closure of 5,000 accounts. He also revolutionised the Synod, a Catholic discussion body, by involving lay members including women. Since 2021 it has looked at the future of the Church, but key decisions, such as allowing women to become deacons, were not due until later this year. In his institutional reforms, again, Francis faced strong opposition, with some critics accusing him of "tyrannical" behaviour. - Compassion, social justice - A liberal who loved being among his flock, the Jesuit sought to forge a more open Catholic Church, particularly toward divorced, married and LGBTQ members. The approach angered traditionalists, in particular his 2023 decision to authorise blessings of same-sex couples in some cases. The Vatican was forced to clarify its position after an outcry in Africa and the United States. One German cardinal, Gerhard Mueller, denounced Francis's "doctrinal confusion" in a 2023 book. The son of Italian immigrants to Argentina, Francis strongly defended the rights of migrants, including criticising US President Donald Trump's plans for mass deportations. Francis was also a vocal campaigner for the environment. In his groundbreaking 2015 encyclical "Laudato Si" (Praise be to You), he urged the world to act quickly to tackle climate change, saying rich countries bore the most responsibility. (Staff reporter and AFP)
