At the Sunday conclusion of the historic sexual abuse summit convened by Pope Francis, Vatican officials announced
At the Sunday conclusion of the historic sexual abuse summit convened by Pope Francis, Vatican officials announced « concrete initiatives » generated by the meeting. Summit moderator Fr. Federico Lombardi told journalists at the Vatican that bishops assembled here « have heard the voices of the victims of the terrible crimes of sexual abuse against minors committed by the clergy. We sincerely ask them for forgiveness, as we do also of all of our brothers and sisters, for what we did wrong and what we failed to do. »The initiatives outlined today include promises of new anti-abuse discipline rules at the Vatican City State, a guidebook of sorts telling bishops around the world what their responsibilities are regarding abuse, and new task forces to assist parts of the world « that find it difficult to confront the problems and produce initiatives for the protection of minors.
