Pope Francis opens conference on child sex abuse ‘crisis’
- The multi-day event brings together Church representatives from 20 countries in the Polish capital Warsaw
- Since last year, the Vatican has sanctioned eight Polish bishops accused of covering up abuse, as well as a cardinal
Pope Francis on Sunday opened a Vatican conference on child sex abuse by the clergy in Central and Eastern Europe by urging participants to brainstorm “concrete pathways of reform”.
The multi-day event – a joint initiative of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and the Polish Bishops’ Conference – brings together Church representatives from 20 countries in the Polish capital Warsaw.
The Catholic Church has been rocked by a long series of sexual scandals in Poland, a devout European Union country where it wields strong political influence.
Since last year, the Vatican has sanctioned eight Polish bishops accused of covering up abuse, as well as a cardinal.
The Polish church announced in June that from July 2018 until the end of 2020, it had received 368 allegations of abuse committed by clergy, including some dating back decades.
In a video message delivered on Sunday, Pope Francis described the “serious issue” of child sex abuse by the clergy as a “crisis”.
