Why Won't Pope Francis Protect Kids?

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In the past, Pope Francis has promised to make cracking down on child abuse in the Catholic Church a priority. So why hasn't he taken any action yet?

Vatican: Punish Child Abusers Now

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Dear Indra,

Last year, Pope Francis formed a commission to target the horrific problem of child sex abuse within the Catholic Church. Yet thus far, he has taken no concrete action to actually protect children from molestation by priests and other church staff.

Last week, the UN condemned the Pope and the Vatican for failing to prevent priests from raping and molesting tens of thousands of children and then letting those same priests get away with a slap on the wrist. Instead of making sure those priests would never be around vulnerable people again, the UN accused, the Church just moved them to a different parish, where they could again take advantage of people who trusted them.

The Vatican has claimed that it cannot implement a "children's rights convention" beyond its walls. But the Pope feels comfortable telling hundreds of thousands of Catholics how to act on matters of abortion, homosexuality and contraception. Why is it only when it comes to protecting kids from being abused that the Vatican refuses to use its power?

It's absolutely unacceptable that the Vatican has not taken responsibility for these atrocities. Tell the Pope to immediately punish abusive priests and to commit to protecting children everywhere, not just inside the Vatican.