Pope Francis vowed justice for victims of clerical sex abuse on Monday, describing paedophilia as one of the “vilest” crimes ahead of a historic global meet on the crisis roiling the church.
“I cannot refrain from speaking of one of the plagues of our time, which sadly has also involved some members of the clergy,” he said in his annual address to ambassadors to the Holy See.
“The abuse of minors is one of the vilest and most heinous crimes conceivable. Such abuse inexorably sweeps away the best of what human life holds out for innocent children, and causes irreparable and lifelong damage,” he said.
Francis swore to “render justice to minors”, and said a meeting of the world’s bishops in February was “meant to be a further step in the church’s efforts to shed full light on the facts and alleviate the wounds caused by such crimes”.
A litany of child sexual abuse scandals has rocked the church, which has 1.3-billion followers worldwide.
In December, the pontiff called on abusers to hand themselves in to police.