Pope’s promises disappoint sex abuse victims

Pope Francis, ending a landmark conference on sexual abuse of minors by clergy, called on Sunday for an all-out battle against a crime he called abominable and which should be “erased from the face of the earth”.

At the end of a Mass in the frescoed Sala Regia of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, he promised that guidelines used by national bishops conferences to prevent abuse and punish perpetrators would be reviewed and strengthened.

But advocates for victims expressed deep disappointment, saying Francis merely repeated old promises and offered few concrete proposals.

Speaking for more than half an hour, Francis vowed the Roman Catholic Church would spare no effort to bring abusers to justice and would not cover up abuse.

Francis dedicated much of the speech to statistics from the United Nations and other organisations showing that most sexual abuse of children takes place in families.

“We are thus facing a universal problem, tragically present almost everywhere and affecting everyone.

“Yet we need to be clear, that while gravely affecting our societies as a whole, this evil is in no way less monstrous when it takes place within the Church,” he said.

Anne Barrett-Doyle, of the US-based clergy abuse tracking group bishopaccountability.org, called it a stunning letdown that did not sufficiently address the grief and outrage of the faithful.

“As Catholics cry out for concrete change, the Pope provides tepid promises, all of which we’ve heard before.

“Especially distressing was the Pope’s familiar rationalisation that abuse happens in all sectors of society.

“We needed him to offer a bold and decisive plan. He gave us instead defensive, recycled rhetoric,” she said.

The Vatican says it will formulate follow-up measures to make sure all bishops return home knowing how to put anti-abuse procedures into place.