#clergy-sexual-abuse

#clergy-sexual-abuse

"knew or should have known that Father Sexton was a known sexual abuser of children."

Pope Leo XIV met on Saturday with a group of people who were sexually abused by members of the clergy in Belgium. The group of fifteen were victims of abuse when they were minors, the Holy See Press Office said. Many of the survivors had previously met with the late Pope Francis during his 2024 visit to Belgium, the Vatican said, adding that the late pontiff had heard their story "with a sense of shame for the suffering they endured as children."

Leo spoke on a range of topics - from the Trump administration to the clergy sexual abuse crisis, welcoming LGBTQ+ Catholics and Vatican-China relations - in the interview, published Thursday. It was conducted by Vatican correspondent Elise Ann Allen of the news site Crux for a biography of Leo that was published Thursday in Peru, where Leo was bishop for many years.

Pope Leo XIV signaled commitment to continuing the fight against clergy sexual abuse by appointing France's Bishop Thibault Verny to head the Vatican's child protection advisory commission. Verny, 59, replaces American Cardinal Sean O'Malley, the retired archbishop of Boston, who was the founding president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. This commission was established by Pope Francis in 2014 to advise the church on best practices to fight abuse and protect children.

Bishop Joseph V. Brennan stated, 'I am clear-sighted that this path is the only path that will allow us to handle claims of sexual abuse with fair, equitable compassion while simultaneously ensuring the continuation of ministry within our Diocese.'

A coalition of survivors of clergy sexual abuse has demanded that cardinals elect a pope committed to a universal zero-tolerance abuse policy, emphasizing the need for accountability.