Abuse scandal in focus in search for new pope

VATICAN CITY: For decades, the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests was covered up by the Church. But cardinals on Monday listed it as a key challenge for the next pope.

In a meeting to prepare for the election of a successor to Pope Francis, in a conclave starting May 7, cardinals outlined “evangelisation, the relationship with other faiths (and) the issue of abuse” as the Church´s most pressing challenges. It was a statement welcomed by Anne Barrett Doyle, a long-time campaigner who co-founded BishopAccountability.org, which collates information on abuse.

“The Church worldwide, through its parishes, schools, hospitals and orphanages, cares for tens of millions of children,” she told AFP. “The next pope´s most sacred obligation must be to protect them from abuse. Their safety is at stake, as is the moral authority of the church.”

Francis, who died on April 21, did more than any other pontiff to tackle the scourge of abuse, which appeared to overwhelm his predecessor, German Benedict XVI. But critics say the Argentine´s actions during 12 years as pope fell well short of the “zero-tolerance” he promised.

“What we need from the next pope is meaningful action, not more rhetoric,” said Barrett Doyle. “We need him to enact a universal church law permanently removing all proven child molesters from public ministry. “We need him to release the names of the thousands of priests found guilty to date under church law.”