Pope Francis Releases Letter Acknowledging Clergy Sex Abuse in Catholic Church
(WorldNews Italy)

Pope Francis acknowledged the `suffering endured by many minors due to sexual abuse, the abuse of power and the abuse of conscience` at the hands of clerics and consecrated persons in a letter to the world`s 1.2 billion Catholics on Monday, according to National Public Radio. The letter was sent after a grand jury report released by the Pennsylvania attorney general detailed how Catholic church leaders protected more than 300 `predator priests` across six dioceses for decades, hurting more than 1,000 victims. Francis said it was with `shame and repentance` that he acknowledged the Catholic Church was slow to respond to the problems. `The heart-wrenching pain of these victims, which cries out...