Leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has called on his congregants to speak out against sexual assault.
In a statment released over the weekend by the Vatican, Francis stated that the abuse would no longer be tolerated.
“Both abuse and its cover-up can no longer be tolerated,” he said.
He further ordered an investigation into Vatican archives concerning former archbishop of Washington Theodore McCarrick, who resigned in July.
The statement added: “Both abuse and its cover-up can no longer be tolerated” and said the Church had a duty “to prevent such crimes from being committed in the future to the harm of the most innocent and most vulnerable in society.”
“The only way that we have to respond to this evil that has darkened so many lives is to experience it as a task regarding all of us as the People of God.
“This awareness of being part of a people and a shared history will enable us to acknowledge our past sins and mistakes with a penitential openness that can allow us to be renewed from within,” the statement said.
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