Published: Less than 20 min ago
full screen Pope Francis meets cardinals and bishops after the beatification of former Pope John Paul 1. Photo: Alessandra Tarantino/AP/TT
The Catholic Church must have zero tolerance for sexual abuse by members of the clergy, says Pope Francis.
– It is very clear. It is zero tolerance, he tells CNN Portugal.
– A priest cannot continue to be a priest if he is an attacker. He can’t because he’s either sick or a criminal.
Portugal’s judiciary has launched several investigations into sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. An independent commission has so far collected testimonies from around 400 people, says child psychiatrist Pedro Stretch, who leads the investigation.
17 testimonies have led to the initiation of investigations.
– I do not deny abuse, says the Pope.
– It is terrible because it destroys lives.