So be the pinnacle to address the problem of pedophilia in the Church

The scandal of pedophilia shake the Church. Therefore, the dad Francisco convoc during this week in the Vatican to all the presidents of the episcopal conferences of the world of Indian Summit on Child Sexual Abuse, a stigma that he considers an "urgent challenge" for the institution.

"I invite you to pray for this meeting, which I consider an act of strong pastoral responsibility in the face of a pressing challenge of our time," said the Sovereign Pontiff to a crowd of faithful gathered in Saint Peter's Square for prayer. of Sunday.

By these brief words, the bishop of Rome accepts not only gravity, but also his great concern for a fierce problem that greatly affects the credibility of the Church on all continents and has been disguised and denied for many years.

The leaders of the 113 episcopal conferences of the planet, as well as the superiors of the congregations and the groups of victims of pedophile priests (about 200 people in total), were summoned by the Holy Father for this extraordinary meeting. The main goal is to become aware of this crisis that runs through the Church, as painful and dramatic as it may be.

"This is the moment of truth, despite the fear and humility," said Archbishop Charles Scicluna, Archbishop Malts, author of the report on the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, the Mexican Marcial Maciel, missing, among the most serious pedophilia scandals the church.

This world summit is the first of its kind taking place in the Holy See and will take place from 21 to 24 February, because it is a concrete response to the scandal of pedophilia and especially its concealment in the heart of the world. Vatican

"The first step is to recognize the truth about what happened," said Francisco in an official statement in which he urged participants to go to the summit. In the countries of Africa and Asia, the forms of violence and baduality of which children are the victims always constitute a tab and the meeting is therefore "educational".