Humbled Pope Francis Sorry for Misjudging Chile Sex Abuse Scandal

A humbled Pope Francis is begging the forgiveness of Chile’s sex abuse scandal victims as he extends an invitation to them to come and see him in Rome after he finally admitted on Wednesday that he committed “grave errors” in his earlier judgment of the case.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang=@cadadj Twitter"en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pope Francis blamed a lack of &quot;truthful and balanced information&quot; for mishandling Chile&#39;s sex abuse scandal. <a href="https://t.co/TKr8XpUiPG">https://t.co/TKr8XpUiPG</a></p>&mdash; Curley (@cadadj) <a href="https://twitter.com/cadadj/status/984426165719805952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Pope also summoned all of Chile’s bishops to the Vatican in an extraordinary public letter for an “emergency meeting.” The special gathering is set sometime in the coming weeks to specifically discuss the scandal, which has in no small measure, tarnished the Pope’s reputation and that of the entire Chilean church.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pope Francis admits &#39;grave errors&#39; in Chile sex abuse. sick o <a href="https://t.co/w1LVQpyNUs">https://t.co/w1LVQpyNUs</a> <a href="https://t.co/J6n38SbhH2">pic.twitter.com/J6n38SbhH2</a></p>&mdash; Spectreman (@SpectremanKnows) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpectremanKnows/status/984426110460063745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Pope Francis attributed his missteps in judging the case of Bishop Juan Barros to a “lack of truthful and balanced information.” Barros was a protege of Chile’s most notorious predator priest, the Rev. Fernando Karadima. Francis earlier fervently defended the bishop during his January visit to Chile, in so doing the Catholic Church’s leader has effectively ignored the accusations of the victims of Barros.

Francis earlier even accused the victims of “calumny” for pressing their case against the accused bishop. He also demanded that the said victims present “proof” of their claims. The Pope also revealed in Chile and during an airborne press conference on his return to Rome that he had twice rejected Barros’ resignation, and even said he is convinced of his embattled bishop’s “innocence.”

The Pope’s earlier stance triggered an outcry from the church’s following, compelling him to send Vatican’s most respected sex abuse investigator, Archbishop Charles Scicluna to look into the scandal.

Francis also admitted in his public letter that he and the bishops have a lot of hard work to do to “turn the church around”, and to “re-establish confidence in the church, confidence that was broken by {our} errors and sins, and heal the wounds that continue to bleed the Chilean society.

His letter, however, did not reveal his conclusions now about Barros.On the other hand, he thanked the 64 people who testified and had the courage to bare “the wounds of their souls” in the name of truth.

Karadima was a charismatic preacher who was removed by the Vatican from the ministry for sexually abusing minors. He was sentenced in 2011 to a lifetime of penance and prayer. Barros was questioned for claims that he stood by Karadima and did nothing while Karadima groped his victims. Despite the allegations, Francis still appointed Barros as bishop of the southern Chilean diocese of Osorno in 2015, saying that the accusations against Barros were “baseless.”

Related Coverage:

https://thegoldwater.com/news/22605-Catholic-Priest-in-the-Vatican-Arrested-for-Child-Pornography

https://thegoldwater.com/news/16650-Pope-Francis-Apologizes-For-Sexual-Abuse-Comments

Source:

http://www.azfamily.com/story/37934084/pope-admits-he-made-grave-errors-in-chile-sex-abuse-scandal