Pope confirmed reports the Vatican is investigating its former secretary of state
The Pope described the abuse of children by priests as “such an ugly crime” and a “very grave” problem, the betrayal of a priest’s duty to lead young people to holiness, comparable to performance of a Black Mass.
“We must move ahead, ahead, zero tolerance,” he said.
As an indication of how seriously he takes the problem, the Pope said he would meet a group of six to eight sex abuse victims from various countries, including Germany, England and Ireland, in the first week of June. He also will celebrate a private Mass with the group in the Vatican guesthouse, where he lives. Cardinal Seán O’Malley of Boston, a member of the recently established Vatican commission on child protection, will be present at the gathering, the Pope said.
Pope Francis is not known ever to have met with a group of sex abuse victims, something Benedict XVI did several times in various countries. Marie Collins, a sex abuse survivor from Ireland whom the Pope named to the child protection commission, met him at the Vatican in May.
Pope Francis said the Church cannot have privileged “daddy’s boys”, exempt from punishment when it comes to sex abuse of minors. He revealed that three unnamed bishops are currently under investigation by the Vatican for misdeeds related to sex abuse, and another has been found guilty and is awaiting punishment. It was not clear if the bishops in question had been accused of personally abusing children or of mishandling accusations of abuse against other priests.
The Pope also was asked about reports that Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who as Vatican secretary of state was considered the highest Vatican official, mishandled funds held by the Institute for the Works of Religion, commonly known as the Vatican bank.
“It’s something being studied, it’s not clear,” the Pope said. “Maybe it’s the truth, but at this moment it’s not definitive.”
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