Pope Francis has admitted Catholic priests and bishops had ‘sexually abused nuns’ in the latest allegations against the church.
“There are some priests and also bishops who have done it,” he told reporters when asked about the abuse of nuns. While the leader of the church said Pope Benedict XVI had castigated a France-based order after it was discovered some of the religious sisters had been reduced to ‘sexual slavery’ by the priests he said he wanted to continue to fight the problem.
“Should we do something more? Yes. Is there the will? Yes. But it’s a path that we have already begun. And I think that it’s continuing because it’s not like once you realise it that it stops. It continues. And for some time we’ve been working on it.”
Pope Francis further admitted the mistreatment of women was a ‘cultural problem’ and allegations about nuns being abused were being individually investigated.
“There are cases, usually in new congregations and in some regions more than others,” he said. “Pray that this goes forward,” he said of the Vatican efforts to address abuse. “I want it to go forward.”
The admission followed a rare outcry last week from the Vatican women’s magazine – Women Church World – over the sexual abuse of nuns by priests and religious sisters feeling forced to have abortions or raise children not recognised by their father. The issue hit the headlines last year after a nun accused an Indian bishop of repeatedly raping her in a case that triggered rare dissent within the country’s Catholic Church.
“If the Church continues to close its eyes to the scandal — made even worse by the fact that abuse of women brings about procreation and is therefore at the origin of forced abortions and children who aren’t recognised by priests — the oppression of women in the Church will never change,” editor of the publication Lucetta Scaraffia wrote.
WATCH: Government To Issue Apology For Child Sex Abuse Victims.
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