Church should admit history of abuse, says Pope
Catholic Church should acknowledge a history of male domination and sexual abuse and repair its reputation among young people
Vatican City — Pope Francis said on Tuesday the Catholic Church had to acknowledge a history of male domination and sexual abuse of women and children and repair its reputation among young people or risk becoming “a museum”. But, in a major document in which he mentioned an array of scandals and again admitted significant failings by clergy, he also said the church “could not agree with everything some feminist groups propose”, a clear reference to the church’s ban on a female priesthood. The pope is grappling with criticism over the church’s response to a decades-long clerical sexual abuse crisis that has gravely damaged its standing around the globe and led to payouts of billions of dollars in compensation. Francis made his comment in a 50-page “Apostolic Exhortation” about a month-long meeting of bishops in October on the role of young people in the 1.3-billion-member church. Francis, 82, urged young people not to be disillusioned by the sexual abuse scandal, but to work with the...
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