Pope Francis, for the first time, acknowledged the sexual abuse of nuns by priests and bishops, including a case in which some clergy used women as sex slaves. He said on Tuesday that he is committed to ending the problem in the Roman Catholic Church.
His comments came in response to a reporter’s question on his flight returning to Rome from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The reporter asked the pope about a Vatican magazine article published last week detailing reports of sexual abuse by clerics resulting in nuns having abortions or giving birth to children fathered by priests.
“It is true … there have been priests and even bishops who have done this,” said Francis as quoted by Reuters. “I think it is still going on because something does not stop just because you have become aware of it,” he added.
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