Papa Francis had a problematic course on confronting sliding sexual abuse

Vatican City – Little could have predicted that comment Papa Francis made during 2018 visits in Chile would rise in the largest crisis His papacyAnd the one who finally determined the Catholic Church on a new path of responsibility for clerical sexual abuse.

Francis requested a TV reporter about the Chilean bishop, who accused the victims that they covered the crimes Chile the most powerful pedophile. Francis defended the bishop for years and shot that “no rugged proof against him. Everything is defamation. Is that clear?”

His Irati reply hit nerve in Chilewhich he has just begun to be followed by a terrible legacy of the officer, and encouraged Francis’s advisor to protect children to untie him.

But then something outstanding happened: Instead of inserting Francis, he understood the investigation, realized he was wrong, apologized to the victims who discredited and received the whole Chilean Hierarchy offer to resign. It was one of the largest Central Working Modern Papacy.

“He recognized his mistakes,” the Pope told the Biograf Austen Ivereigh. “He learned from them. He said ‘sorry.’ And he has managed. “

When Francis was chosen for the First-Latin American Pontiff in 2013, the abuse of survivors examined at first whether “realized” abusing, because he freely accepted that he had never treated cases of accused of accused as Archbishop Buenos Aires.

Francis was created by the Commission for the abuse of sex early to advise the church to the best practice and placed a trusted officer, Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley. But after a few years, the Commission lost the influence and its recommendation of the crown – the creation of the judge for the Judge Bishop who covered for the priestesser – went anywhere.

And then Chile came.

During Now – an infamous visit to Iquique, ChileFrancis asked about Bishop Juan Barros, which he transferred to the southern diocese for the objection of the local believer. Their appeal? Barros was a priest under sanctioned Rev. Fernando Karadima, and the victims of Karadimine were accused that they testified and covered crimes.

Francis defended Barros because one of his friends and counselors, Chilean Cardinal Javier Ergoriz, also defended the bishop.

After the plane hunting, journalists walked about his Barros defense, Francis ordered the investigation into the Chilitan Church and realized that he was seduced by Erazaris and others.

Juan Carlos Cruz, one of the Karadima victims who received the Pope Person’s apology that year, later developed a personal friendship with Pontif.

“He sincerely wanted to do something and passed it,” Cruz said.

For years later, Francis admitted in 2018. The year was a turning point or “conversion”, in his understanding of abuse, and he deserved reporters, including the Associated Stm.

“I couldn’t believe it. You were that on the plane who told me,” No, that’s not the case, Father, “Father.” Francis said AP in an interview in 2023. years. The gesture of the gesture that has shown that the head exploded, the Pope continued, “Then the bomb has left when I saw the corruption of many bishops.”

By mid-2018 Francis has largely adonned the scandal in Chile. But then the next crisis has hit.

In July that year Francis removed with one influential US cardinal theodor McCarrick After the church investigators told the claim that the died of the Teenage Altar in the 1970s was credible. After that, several former seminars and priests reported that McCarrick abused or mistreated as adults.

It was obvious, the usual knowledge in the United States and the Vatican leadership that “Uncle Ted”, as McCarrick was known, slept with seminars, but he continued to grow in church ranks.

Removing McCarrick and approved the canon trial against him, Francis should have appeared as a hero in Saga because he corrected the wrong St. John Paul II, despite his reputation.

But Francis’s circular circle of victories was interrupted short when the former Vatican Ambassador in the United States accused the Pope I participated in the covering of McCarrick.

In the 11th Cancellations in August 2018. year, at the beginning of its pontificate, at the beginning of its pontificate, that McCarrick “corrupted the generation” seminars and priests, and Pope Benedict XVI for his sexual offense. Vigano claimed that Francis did not neglect his warning for 2013. year and remedied McCarrick. He called Francis to resign.

Francis didn’t answer initially. But he authorized a two-year investigation in McCarrick, finding that the bishops, cardinals and paps were played or rejected several reports on sexual violation against him for six decades. The report spared Francis greatly and found instead that Vigano failed in the supervision of McCarrick while he was an ambassador.

McCarrick died earlier this month; Francis Exmunamencenic Vigano last year for Schism.

The crisis encouraged Francis to take even a brave action to make the hierarchy responsible for covering abuse. In 2019, he invited bosses of bishopin conferences from around the world to Vatican to impress the need to be treated to prevent abuse and punishment of priests.

Changed the church law Remove “Pontifier Secrets” Coverage of cases of abuse and passed a law that requires church staff to report allegations in the house, although not in the police. He approved the procedures for exploring the bishops who abused or covered for his pedophiles priests, wanting to end the tradition of impunity for the hierarchy.

Ivereigh, Papefic Biographer, said that these reforms were the result of Francis’s learning curve for abuse.

“I think he realized that he was a crisis in the root of the crisis that constantly called clericalism, a sense of not only in order to be able to state sexual abuse,” he said, “he said on it.” Ivereigh said.

But the questions continued with Pag Francis even after the scandal passed.

One case that persecuted him during the year was the Argentine Bishop of Gustavo Zanchetta, who were accused, and eventually convicted, in Argentina, abusing his seminars. Francis created a job for Zanchetta on the Vatican after accused of misconduct, consists of Argentina due to the alleged “health” reason.

Francis never answered questions about Rev. Julio Grassi, who was Argentine’s most informal clerical sexual abuser. While Francis was Archbishop Buenos Aires, he ordered a study in Grassin’s conviction, which he concluded that he was innocent, that his victims were lying and that the case was never to go to the trial. The Supreme Court of Argentina confirmed the belief.

“Before Pope Francis can make responsibility for bishops and other church leaders, he must have the victims of the online resource responsibility for Francis to press Francis in order to achieve even abuse.