Pope acknowledges nun abuse
The pontiff, after huge Mass in UAE, admits more needs to be done to protect women
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Pope Francis has for the first time publicly acknowledged the scandal of priests and bishops sexually abusing nuns but says he is committed to doing more to fight the problem.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Francis noted that Pope Benedict XVI had taken action against a France-based order after some of its religious sisters had been reduced to “sexual slavery” at the hands of the priest who founded the order and other priests.
“Should we do something more? Yes. Is there the will? Yes. But it’s a path that we have already begun,” Francis said while returning home from the United Arab Emirates.
“It’s not that everyone does this, but there have been priests and bishops who have,” Francis added. “And I think that it’s continuing because it’s not like once you realize it that it stops. It continues. And for some time we’ve been working on it.”
In the past year, The Associated Press and other media have reported on cases of abused nuns in India, Africa, Europe and South America — evidence that the problem is not limited to a certain geographic area.
Francis said some clergy members had been suspended for mistreating sisters. But he also noted that the mistreatment of women is a problem in society at large, where women are still considered “second-class citizens.”
“It’s a cultural problem. I dare say that humanity hasn’t matured,” he said.
Earlier in Abu Dhabi, the soft hymns of “Hallelujah” boomed from speakers Tuesday as Pope Francis celebrated the first papal Mass in the Arabian Peninsula for about 180,000 people, including about 4,000 Muslims, capping a visit to the United Arab Emirates that emphasized the presence of minority Christians in the region and a greater understanding with Islam.
It was considered to be the largest display of public worship by Christians on the peninsula, the birthplace of Islam.
The Mass at Zayed Sports City Stadium drew Catholics from 100 countries, including the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Uganda and Lebanon, reflecting the range of nationalities drawn to the Emirates’ promise of jobs, safety and tolerance.
In his homily, Francis spoke to the many migrant workers who endure years of separation from their families in order to send money home.
“It is most certainly not easy for you to live far from home, missing the affection of your loved ones, and perhaps also feeling uncertainty about the future,” he said. “But the Lord is faithful and does not abandon his people.”