Pope Francis Opinion The Guardian view on the Catholic church and child abuse: Pope Francis gets it wrong His defence of an accused bishop appears to put him on the side of the hierarchy against the people in the pews ‘Developments in recent weeks have cast Pope Francis’s sincerity and seriousness into question.’ Photograph: Pacific Press/Barcroft ImagesIt is five years since Pope Benedict XVI stunned the Roman Catholic world by announcing he would resign. His time in office had been blighted by the emergence of terrible stories of sex abuse and institutional cover-up. His successor, Pope Francis, seemed as if he were going to change all that as part of the openness, energy and realism that has characterised his approach. Either explanation must damage his reputation, and he has legions of enemies inside the church who want to destroy him. In the case of Bishop Barros he seems to be committing a dreadful mistake by siding with the clergy and the establishment over the instincts of his flock.

Source: The Guardian February 11, 2018 18:11 UTC