Pope admits abuse by some priests of nuns, vows to end misconduct

Pope Francis last Tuesday admitted that he is aware of the abuse of women religious by clerics, and said that the Church is doing something to end the misconduct.

An article by the Catholic News Agency posted in the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines website quoted the Pope as saying, “It’s true, within the Church there have been clerics who have done this. Must something more be done? Yes. Do we have the will? Yes.”

According to the Vatican report, Pope Francis spoke on the issue aboard the papal plane returning to Rome after a two-day trip to the United Arab Emirates.

He was asked about alleged sexual abuse of women religious by priests, a recent subject in the women’s section of the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano.

Reports indicate that abuse of women religious by clerics is more prevalent in Africa and Asia.

The most prominent instance of alleged abuse of a woman religious by a cleric is the case of a nun of the Missionaries of Jesus, in the Indian state of Kerala. She has accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jullunder of sexually assaulting her 13 times between 2014 and 2016, the article said.

Mulakkal was arrested Sept. 21, 2018, but was released on bail. A police investigation is ongoing, and the bishop has been temporarily removed from his responsibilities as Bishop of Jullundur.

Also, the pope said he believes the problem is more common in some cultures than others but acknowledged that “there have been priests and also bishops who have done that. And I believe it may still be being done.”

The Church has “been working on this for a long time,” including through the suspension of clerics and the dissolution of some congregations involved in “corruption.”

“It’s a problem. The mistreatment of women is a problem,” the pope said. Asking for prayers, he added that he wants to go forward. “There are cases, yes,” he said, adding: “We are working.”

The issue was broached as the Vatican approaches a four-day meeting of the heads of bishops’ conferences and religious orders to discuss the sexual abuse of minors. The summit will be held Feb. 21-24. —LBG, GMA News