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The Office of the Attorney General of the Palestinian Authority has published video interviews of people who claim to be victims of sexual violence by priests. A recent report alleges that more than 1,000 children have been assaulted by Pennsylvania priests since 1940. (Aug. 15)
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A photo made available by the Vatican press service shows Pope Francis at Mass on the Freedom Square in Tallinn, Estonia, on September 25, 2018.(Photo: Vatican via EPA-EFE)

Pope Francis admitted Tuesday that the flames of fury provoked by scandals related to sexual abuse committed by priests erode the faith of Catholics and that they chase many in the benches. The church needs to "change".

The pope's frank comments to young people in Estonia on the last day of his pilgrimage to the Baltic countries coincided with a scathing report of child abuse committed by Catholic clergy in Germany.

Francis told the youth that the church should act to restore the faith of future generations and to be transparent and honest.

"They are outraged by the sexual and economic scandals that are not clearly condemned, by our lack of preparation to truly appreciate the lives and sensibilities of young people, and simply by the passive role we attribute to them," he said. declared. the Estonian capital of Tallinn.

"We have to be converted ourselves," he said. "We need to realize that to stay by your side, we have to change many situations that will ultimately discourage you."

The pope's public admission about the toll of abuse scandals came as anger against sexual abuse by priests reached its climax.

The Vatican was assailed for not responding immediately to the August publication by the Pennsylvania Attorney General of a grand jury report alleging that church leaders were protecting more than 300 "predatory priests" in six Catholic dioceses across the country. The report stated that the church was more interested in protecting its own interests and those of perpetrators than in taking care of the victims.

After two days of silence, the Vatican condemned the incidents as "criminal and morally reprehensible".

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There have been accusations of concealing scandals that have put the public in charge of the personal management of the issue in the spotlight. Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a former Vatican ambassador, who said earlier this month that Francis had hidden allegations of sexual abuse against US Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, even called on the pope to resign.

Some Vatican observers have argued that the latest allegations are part of a fierce battle over the future leadership of the Catholic Church, conservatives opposed to the pope and progressives supporting Francis' efforts to bring about change.

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The scandal of priest abuse, which erupted in Ireland in the 1990s, was global in scope, shifting countries from Argentina to Australia.

A report from a conference of German Bishops released Tuesday revealed that 3,677 people – more than half of whom were aged 13 or under and almost one third of them were altar boys – were attacked by the clergy from 1946 to 2014.

Justice Minister Katarina Barley said the report was "probably just the tip of the iceberg," according to the Guardian.

The report found overwhelming evidence that the files were manipulated or destroyed, the perpetrators were transferred to other dioceses, and the cases were not brought to justice.

There have been signs that Francis is trying to better control the problem. In February, he convened the Presidents of Catholic Bishops' Conferences around the world at the Vatican to discuss the protection of children and the prevention of sexual abuse by priests.

The meeting of February 21 and 24 is considered the first of its kind.

Contributor: John Bacon, USA TODAY, HUI, Associated Press

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