Pope Francis has declined to comment on a claim he ignored sexual abuse allegations against a senior clergyman.
Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a former Vatican envoy to the US, said he had told Francis of the allegations against prominent US cardinal Theodore McCarrick in 2013.
However, rather than punish McCarrick, who resigned last month, Vigano said Francis had lifted sanctions imposed on him by his predecessor, pope Benedict XVI.
Photo: Reuters
Vigano called on Francis to resign in a letter published on Saturday in the National Catholic Register.
He said the pope “knew from at least June 23, 2013, that McCarrick was a serial predator,” adding that “he knew that he was a corrupt man, he covered for him to the bitter end.”
The pope refused to address the issue on Sunday.
“I will not say a word about that. I think that the communique speaks for itself,” Francis said on his airplane as he flew from Dublin to Rome.
He had “begged for God’s forgiveness” for past clerical abuse scandals during his trip to Ireland.
He said he was demanding “firm and decisive” measures to find “truth and justice.”
Before 45,000 supporters at the rain-soaked Knock shrine in the west of Ireland on Sunday, the pope spoke of the “open wound” of the scandals.
He later said Mass to tens of thousands of flag-waving worshipers before traveling back to Rome after his two-day visit.
The pope went to Ireland to close the World Meeting of Families — a global Catholic gathering that addressed issues including the treatment of homosexual people in the church.
On the plane back to Rome, the pope recommended parents seek psychiatric help for children who show homosexual tendencies.
“When it shows itself from childhood, there is a lot that can be done through psychiatry, to see how things are. It is something else if it shows itself after 20 years,” he said.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Saturday urged the pope to take action against abuses and ensure justice for abuse victims worldwide.
“Holy Father, I ask that you use your office and influence to ensure that this is done here in Ireland and across the world,” he said, calling the scandals a “stain” on the church and state.
The pope met eight abuse victims on Saturday, including a woman assaulted by a priest when she was in hospital aged 13.
On the plane to Rome, Francis said he “suffered a lot” at the meeting.
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