Pope set to be blunt with Chile bishops to unravel abuse cover-up
Pope Francis wants Chile's bishops to owe up to the "devastating wounds" inflicted on the Church's credibility by a cover-up of clergy sexual abuse, serving notice that his coming meetings with them will be blunt.
The Pope's unequivocal stand was made clear in a stern Vatican statement on Saturday, ahead of a visit next week by Chilean bishops who Pope Francis summoned for an explanation of why he was misinformed about the extent of the scandal.
The statement said the Pope believed there was a need "to deeply examine the causes and consequences, as well as the mechanisms, that in some cases led to cover-ups and grave omissions regarding the victims".
In a dramatic U-turn last month, Pope Francis said in a letter to the bishops that he had made "grave mistakes" in the handling of the sexual abuse crisis because he had been misinformed.
The letter followed a Vatican investigation into Bishop Juan Barros, who was appointed by the Pope in 2015 despite allegations that he had covered up sexual abuse of minors by his mentor, Father Fernando Karadima. Bishop Barros has said he was unaware of any wrongdoing.
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