Pope Vows to Combat Sex Abuse but Critics Say He Falls Short
Pontiff stresses abuse is a problem beyond the Catholic Church, disappointing those who had hoped for a breakthrough to address the crisis
Pope Francis closed an unprecedented Vatican summit on clerical sex abuse by promising to protect children and help victims of what he called a plague of clerical sex abuse, but he offered few policy specifics. Photo: AP
ROME—Pope Francis on Sunday strongly condemned sexual abuse but offered no specific solutions, disappointing clergy and laypeople who had hoped for a breakthrough at an unprecedented global summit to address the crisis in the Catholic Church.
The pope, in his widely awaited closing speech, said the church’s response should avoid “defensiveness that fails to confront the causes and effects of these grave crimes.” He also warned against overreaction “provoked by guilt for past errors and media pressure” and emphasized that...