Pope Francis has called for an all out battle against a crime that should be erased from the face of the earth however victims and their advocates expressed deep disappointment, saying Francis had merely repeated old promises and offered few new concrete proposals.
In his closing address to the almost 200 Church leaders he had summoned to Rome, Francis says national guidelines on preventing and punishing abuse would be strengthened and the Church’s definition of minors in cases of possession by clergy of pornography would be raised from the current age of 14.
At least two Vatican officials have been convicted in recent years of possessing child pornography and the Vatican has also announced that it would enact a law to protect minors and vulnerable adults within the Vatican City.
[Source: Reuters]
