Pope Francis Tells Abusive Priests And Bishops To Turn Themselves In

Updated at 12:56 p.m. ET

Pope Francis is urging predator priests who have raped or molested children to turn themselves in “to human justice, and prepare for divine justice,” devoting part of his Christmas message to the abuse scandals that he said have undermined the Catholic Church in 2018.

As cardinals and other church luminaries listened in the Vatican’s ornate Clementine Hall on Friday, Francis also compared priests who break their vows to Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus Christ.