While speaking to the organization, the International Catholic Child Bureau, Pope Francis asked for forgiveness for the child abuse scandal at the hands of priest that has rocked the church and devastated victims around the world. He was quoted on Vatican Radio saying,
I feel compelled to personally take on all the evil which some priests—quite a few in number, obviously not compared to the number of all the priests—to personally ask for forgiveness for the damage they have done for having sexually abused children. The church is aware of this damage, it is personal, moral damage carried out by men of the church, and we will not take one step backward with regards to how we will deal with this problem, and the sanctions that must be imposed. On the contrary, we have to be even stronger. Because you cannot interfere with children.
Though they are some of the most strong words used by the Pope when addressing the priest abuse, some groups say that without more action, the apology is not enough. The group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) has told CNN and The Daily Beast that they believe that the Vatican—and a commission started by Pope Francis to address the abuse—could be doing more to prevent on-going abuse, improve transparency and punish those responsible …
