Pope Francis compares abuse of children to human sacrifice

Pontiff tells Vatican conference no effort will be spared to bring abusers within clergy to justice

Agencies in Rome
Sun 24 Feb 2019 11.19 GMT First published on Sun 24 Feb 2019 10.57 GMT

Pope Francis, ending a landmark Vatican conference on sexual abuse by the clergy, called on Sunday for an “all-out battle” against a crime he called abominable and compared to human sacrifice.

Francis vowed that the Roman Catholic church would “spare no effort” to bring abusers to justice and would not cover up or underestimate abuse.

He promised that guidelines used by national bishops’ conferences to prevent abuse and punish perpetrators would be reviewed and strengthened.

Francis delivered his remarks at the end of mass before 190 Catholic bishops and religious superiors who had been summoned to Rome after more abuse scandals sparked a credibility crisis in the Catholic hierarchy and in Francis’s own leadership.

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