Everyday thousands of children are being sexually abused. You can stop the abuse of at least one child by simply praying. You can possibly stop the abuse of thousands of children by forwarding the link in First Time Visitor? by email, Twitter or Facebook to every Christian you know. Save a child or lots of children!!!! Do Something, please!

3:15 PM prayer in brief:
Pray for God to stop 1 child from being molested today.
Pray for God to stop 1 child molestation happening now.
Pray for God to rescue 1 child from sexual slavery.
Pray for God to save 1 girl from genital circumcision.
Pray for God to stop 1 girl from becoming a child-bride.
If you have the faith pray for 100 children rather than one.
Give Thanks. There is more to this prayer here

Please note: All my writings and comments appear in bold italics in this colour

Friday, 11 April 2014

Pope Francis Ups the Rhetoric on Child Sex Abuse Problem

Pope Francis said he felt "compelled" to personally
take on the evil which some priests had committed
Pope Francis has asked for forgiveness for the "evil" damage to children caused by sexual abusers in the clergy. Still waiting for the whole church to repent and ask the forgiveness of God for sinning against Him. As David confessed, "Against You, Lord, and You alone, I have sinned."
I'm not sure that the church has seen this as a spiritual problem, but it is big-time.

In quotes carried by Vatican Radio, he described the abuse as a "moral damage carried out by men of the Church", and said "sanctions" would be imposed.

It is being described as his strongest statement on the issue so far.

Last month, Pope Francis strongly defended the Roman Catholic Church's record on tackling sexual abuse by priests, following UN criticism.

The Pope set up a committee last year (actually, he announced the committee last year, but didn't populate it until last month) to organise help for victims of clerical sexual abuse but has been accused by some Catholics of dragging his feet in acknowledging the extent of the moral and mental damage caused by paedophile priests, the BBC's David Willey reports from Rome.

Pope Francis made the statement on Friday, during a meeting with a Catholic children's non-governmental organisation, the Vatican Radio website reports.

He said he had felt compelled to "personally ask for forgiveness for the damage [some priests] have done for having sexually abused children".

He said that the number of priests who had committed abuses were "quite a few in number", although "obviously not compared to the number of all the priests". Not so obvious to me.

Catholic Church abuse scandals

Germany - A priest, named only as Andreas L, admitted in 2012 to 280 counts of sexual abuse involving three boys over a decade

United States - Revelations about abuses in the 1990s by two Boston priests, Paul Shanley and John Geoghan, caused public outrage

Belgium - The bishop of Bruges, Roger Vangheluwe, resigned in April 2010 after admitting that he had sexually abused a boy for years

Italy - The Catholic Church in Italy admitted in 2010 that about 100 cases of paedophile priests had been reported over 10 years

Ireland - A report in 2009 found that sexual and psychological abuse was "endemic" in Catholic-run industrial schools and orphanages for most of the 20th century

Canada - Mt Cashel, Newfoundland, was the first case of institutional sex abuse to make global headlines with 300 boys claiming sexual abuse at the hands of the Christian Brothers of Ireland, a Catholic order. However, Canada's Residential School system was the first real exposure of the Catholic church's problem with pedophilia.

"We will not take one step backward with regards to how we will deal with this problem, and the sanctions that must be imposed," he said, adding: "We have to be even stronger".

These are good words and I have little doubt the Francis will follow through. I would like to know more about the 'sanctions', and I would like to see some strategy for eliminating pedophiles from entering the priesthood and for monitoring priests who may give way to this evil.

In an interview last month, Pope Francis defended the Catholic Church, saying: "No-one else has done more [to tackle child sexual abuse]. Yet the Church is the only one to have been attacked." As mentioned in a previous post - no-one else has needed to do more. The Catholic Church is far and away the premier institute of child sex abuse. No-one else is even close.

It came after a UN report accused the Vatican of systematically placing the "preservation of the reputation of the Church and the alleged offender over the protection of child victims" - something the Church has strenuously denied.

The Catholic Church has faced numerous allegations of child sex abuse by priests around the world and criticism over inadequate responses by bishops.

Earlier this year Pope Francis strengthened Vatican laws on child abuse, broadening the definition of crimes against minors to include sexual abuse of children. I can't believe this wasn't considered a crime before last year!!!

While in office, predecessor Pope Benedict XVI apologised to victims of child sex abuse, saying he was "truly sorry" for the "sinful and criminal actions" committed by priests.

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