Pope Francis said he was ashamed that the Catholic church had failed to adequately address clergy sexual abuse. He made the comments during the first papal visit to Ireland in nearly 40 years. ROME—Accusations that Pope Francis helped cover up sexual misconduct, which he has so far declined to answer, reverberated around the Catholic Church on Monday, threatening to undermine his credibility on sexual abuse and to hinder his pontificate more generally. The shock allegations by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, who claimed over the weekend that Pope Francis knew about past sexual misconduct by a cardinal but rehabilitated him despite the previous pope’s sanctions, generated uncertainty, skepticism, and calls for more...

Source: Wall Street Journal August 27, 2018 14:02 UTC