Pope Francis, who is on a visit to Portugal, slammed the members of the country’s Church institutions for their lethargic response to decades-long ignored sexual scandal, which he said tarnished the reputation of the Catholic Church and drove the believers away.
On Wednesday (August 2), the pontiff met the survivors of clergy sexual abuse in the capital Lisbon where he minced harsh comments against the Catholic hierarchy, asking them to treat the victims better.
His five-day visit to the predominantly Catholic country coincides with the massive World Youth Day celebrations in Lisbon.
According to the Vatican, Francis met with 13 abuse victims for more than an hour at the Vatican Embassy. The victims were accompanied by church personnel in charge of child protection programs.
The visit comes in the wake of a damming report published in February claiming that priests and other church personnel may have abused at least 4,815 boys and girls since 1950.
The report was prepared by a panel of experts, who were hired by Portugal bishops over a year ago.
The Independent Committee for the Study of Child Abuse in the Catholic Church, looked into alleged cases from 1950 onwards.
The report generated quite a buzz within the country’s Church establishment.
Gravitas: Pope visits Portugal for ‘World Youth Day’
Report on sexual abuse creates unrest in Portugal
Even before the report was published, Portuguese church officials tried to water down the issue by claiming that only a handful of cases were reported.
And after its release, they initially refused to remove named abusers from ministry or to compensate victims.
Francis acknowledged that sexual abuse cases caused many clergy and nuns to feel wary of their vocations and detached the Catholic faithful from their faith.
“It is often accentuated by the disappointment and anger with which some people view the church, at times due to our poor witness and the scandals that have marred her face and call us to a humble and ongoing purification, starting with the anguished cry of the victims, who must always be accepted and listened to,” he said, according to AP news agency.
Earlier on Wednesday, Bishop Jose Ornelas, the head of the Portuguese bishops’ conference, promised to devote “our special attention to the protection of the welfare of children and the undertaking to protect them from all kinds of abuse”.
Also, there were plans to build a memorial for the victims that was scheduled to be unveiled during World Youth Day, but the Portuguese Catholic Church scrapped the plan a few weeks ago.
Francis’ next meeting would be with the abuse survivors this week, as he has done during past foreign trips.
(With inputs from agencies)
