Pope condemns silence over sex abuse in letter to all Catholics

THERE will be “no more cover-ups” of sexual abuse in the Church, the Pope has vowed in a letter to all Catholics.

In the groundbreaking document, addressed to the “people of God”, Pope Francis admitted that the Church had “delayed” the implementation of reforms and asked believers to “join forces in uprooting this culture of death”. He said the Church had “showed no care for the little ones” and “abandoned them”.

The Vatican said it was the first time a pope had written to all of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics about sexual abuse.

The Pope’s letter, published yesterday, responds to a report published last week by a grand jury which disclosed that more than 1,000 children had been abused by 300 Catholic priests in Pennsylvania over the past 70 years.

“Even though it can be said that most of these cases belong to the past, nonetheless as time goes on we have come to know the pain of many of the victims,” he said.

“The heart-wrenching pain of these victims, which cries out to heaven, was long ignored, kept quiet or silenced.”

The report forms part of a growing worldwide crisis surrounding sexual abuse in the Church.

Pope Francis is due to make a twoday visit to Ireland this weekend. It is not yet clear whether he will meet abuse survivors in the country.

His letter drew criticism from campaigners unhappy at the lack of detailed plans to tackle the problem.

Marie Collins, an Irish campaigner and abuse survivor, said the letter was too vague. “Statements from the Vatican or Pope should stop telling us how terrible abuse is ... tell us instead what you are doing to hold them accountable,” she said.