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4d ago

Catholic Church Faces Calls for Action as Abuse Crisis Persists

With Pope Francis’s death, survivor groups and experts urge the next pope to enforce reforms and ensure accountability in the Church’s handling of clerical abuse cases.

Pope Francis prays inside St. Mary's Pro Cathedral during his visit to Dublin in August 2018.
Sex abuse survivor Alessandro Battaglia, center, marches alongside other survivors and advocates in Rome in February 2019 as Pope Francis hosts a four-day summit on preventing clergy sexual abuse.
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Pope Francis attends the closing Mass of "The Protection Of Minors In The Church" meeting in Vatican City in February 2019.

Overview

  • The Vatican continues to receive approximately 800 new clerical abuse allegations annually, highlighting the global and systemic nature of the crisis.
  • Pope Francis implemented significant reforms, including mandatory reporting and bishop accountability, but enforcement remains inconsistent across dioceses.
  • Survivor groups, such as SNAP, are calling for the next pope to institute a zero-tolerance policy and increase transparency in abuse investigations and sanctions.
  • High-profile cases, including the defrocking of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, underscore progress but also reveal gaps in the Church’s handling of abuse cases.
  • Experts and advocates stress that while Francis introduced critical measures, systemic cultural and institutional resistance within the Church has hindered full implementation.