Pope Francis, facing sexual abuse crises in several countries, wrote an unprecedented letter to all Catholics today, asking each one of them to help root out “this culture of death” and vowing there would be no more cover ups.
In a highly personal letter addressed to “the people of God,” Church language for all members, the pope appeared to be launching an appeal for all Catholics to face the crisis together and not let it tear the Church apart.
The Catholic Church in the United States, Chile, Australia, and Ireland – where the pope made a two-day visit last weekend – are reeling from crises involving sexual abuse of minors. Numerous surveys have pointed to plummeting confidence in the Church in those countries and elsewhere.
In his letter, the pope referred to the suffering endured by minors due to sexual abuse at the hands of a “significant number of clerics and consecrated persons.”
According to Reuters, the Vatican said it was the first time a pope had written to all of the world’s some 1.2 billion Catholics about sexual abuse. Past letters on sexual abuse scandals have been addressed to bishops and faithful of individual countries.
