As Pope Francis promised an "all-out battle" against abusive priests at the end of the landmark Vatican summit on the issue, his critics dismissed his speech as a "stunning letdown". And when he blamed the Devil for abuse in the Church, one victim described his comments as "pastoral 'blah-blah'". In his closing address to top bishops he also insisted the Church was not the only place children were assaulted. "I am reminded of the cruel religious practice, once widespread in certain cultures, of sacrificing human beings — frequently children — in pagan rites," he said. "We wanted to see measures, to see the bishops (guilty of protecting paedophile priests) named. Start by opening the Vatican archives, not by destroying documents. Start handing documents over to the civil authorities," said Francesco Zanardi, survivor and head of Italian victims' association Rete Abuso. He said measures like bishops (guilty of protecting paedophile priests) named needed to take place.
The sexual abuse of minors was "a widespread phenomenon in all cultures and societies", Francis said, as he denounced priests who prey on children as "tools of Satan". "I make a heartfelt appeal for an all-out battle against the abuse of minors both sexually and in other areas... for we are dealing with abominable crimes that must be erased from the face of the earth," he said. The pope will issue "a new Motu Proprio" on the "protection of minors and vulnerable persons", summit moderator Federico Lombardi said after the pope's speech. "Motu Proprios" are legal documents issued under the pope's personal authority, and this one will "strengthen prevention and the fight against abuse on the part of the Roman Curia and Vatican City State," he said. "Pope Francis's talk today was a stunning letdown, a catastrophic misreading of the grief and outrage of the faithful," said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.
"If the powerful testimonies of the past week moved the needle in the right direction, the pope today moved it back," she said, even as the Pope expressed that he wanted to create "task forces" to help local parishes fight clerical paedophilia and that the Vatican will draw up guidelines for bishops on dealing with abuse cases.
The meeting was marked by soul-seeking and self-recrimination by the Church, and horror stories from abuse victims. Among victims gathered at the Vatican there was one who was forced to have three abortions after being abused for years by a priest who beat her, while another said he had been molested more than 100 times.
"The echo of the silent cry of the little ones who, instead of finding in them fathers and spiritual guides encountered tormentors, will shake hearts dulled by hypocrisy and by power," Francis said.
"Vatican specialist Marco Politi said it would be "crucial to see what happens in the coming months. ""We wanted to see measures, to see the bishops named. Start by opening the Vatican archives, not by destroying documents.
" Start handing documents over to the civil authorities," Politi added. The Vatican has in the past refused to hand over internal documents about abuse cases to police investigating paedophilia.
