Rome
CNN
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Although he was a pontiff well-attuned to the concerns of ordinary Catholics, Pope Francis had a surprising blind spot when it came to the abuse crisis. He did not talk very much about the issue in his first months in the Vatican, and when he did, in 2014, appeared on the defensive, saying “no one else has done more” to root out abuse than the church.
His election took place at a time when the problem of sexual abuse of minors by clergy was well known, and after more scandals had emerged during the papacy of Benedict XVI. While important steps had been taken to address the abuse scandals during his predecessor’s tenure, there was still much more the church needed to do.
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