General

Pope meets with abuse victims

Meeting in Malta is the first since latest sex abuse scandal

Pope Benedict XVI met with a small group of victims of sexual abuse by priests in Malta on Sunday. According to a statement from the Vatican, the Pope “prayed with them and assured them that the church is doing, and will continue to do, all in its power to investigate allegations, to bring to justice those responsible for abuse and to implement effective measures designed to safeguard young people in the future.” It was the third time the pope met with sex abuse victims but the first since a scandal broke last month in which the Church was accused of covering up accusations against pedophile priests. Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said after the visit he doesn’t think it set a precedent under which the Pope would have to visit abuse victims in every country to which he travels.

New York Times

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