Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options

The pope made his strongest remarks to date on sexual abuse cases at a press conference on May 11 during his flight to Portugal for a four-day visit that included the Marian shrine of Fatima. The pope suggested that the message of Fatima, which foresaw times of trial for the church, could be applied to the crisis. Catholics have long known that attacks on the church can come “from sins that exist inside the church,” he said. “Today we see it in a really terrifying way, that the biggest persecution of the church doesn’t come from the enemies outside but is born from sin inside the church,” he said. “And so the church has a profound need to relearn penance, to accept purification, to learn on the one hand forgiveness but also the necessity of justice. And forgiveness is not a substitute for justice,” Pope Benedict said. “We have to relearn these essentials: conversion, prayer, penance,” he said.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

A Reflection for the Memorial of St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, by J.D. Long García
J.D. Long GarcíaApril 30, 2025
A Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, by Terrance Klein
Terrance KleinApril 30, 2025
In a pre-conclave meeting, an Italian cardinal, and backer of Cardinal Parolin as next pope, attacked Pope Francis for opening positions of responsibility in the church to men and women not in holy orders.
Gerard O’ConnellApril 30, 2025
Michael B. Jordan, left, in “Sinners” (Warner Brothers)
As the film’s title promises, there is plenty of sin on display, even before the vampires arrive.
John DoughertyApril 30, 2025