In first public comments on topic, Leo XIV has now signaled zero tolerance for sexual abuser priests
The Roman Catholic church must “not tolerate any form of abuse”, sexual or otherwise, Pope Leo XIV has said in his first public remarks about the worldwide clerical molestation scandal that has long roiled the church.
In a statement read on Friday at the performance of a play which dramatizes the work of a journalist who endured harassment while investigating abuse scandals within a powerful Catholic group, Leo maintained that it was necessary to inculcate “throughout the church a culture of prevention that does not tolerate any form of abuse: abuse of power or authority, of conscience or spirituality, of sexual abuse”.
Leo’s statement also exalted the importance of a free, independent press, saying: “Wherever a journalist is silenced, the democratic soul of a nation is weakened.
“Defending free and ethical journalism is not only an act of justice, but a duty for all who aspire to a strong and participatory democracy.”
