VATICAN CITY—Four months ago, Pope Francis dug himself into the biggest hole of his papacy by strongly defending a Chilean bishop accused by sex abuse victims of witnessing and ignoring their abuse. He said the systemic failures had left him “perplexed and ashamed.”Juan Barros, bishop of Osornos, greets Pope Francis during a meeting at the Vatican on Thursday. At the end of an emergency summit on Friday, all 31 active Chilean bishops and three retired ones in Rome offered to resign. The mass resignations marked the first time the Vatican has initiated decisive action to hold bishops accountable for covering up sex abuse by priests. Four months ago Friday, Francis callously dismissed victims who for years had placed Bishop Juan Barros at the scene of their abuse.

Source: thestar May 18, 2018 20:37 UTC