Vatican sex-abuse summit needs serious follow through

The February 21-24 summit convened by Pope Francis and attended by 190 heads of bishops’ conferences and other top clergymen is a laudable move by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. It sought to deal with the filth of sex abuse that has weakened both the moral standing of the Church and the faith of its members.

Pope Francis correctly set the tone for the first-ever Vatican Summit on Clerical sexual abuse by saying that Catholic leaders must go beyond simply condemning instances of abuse. “The holy people of God are watching and waiting not for simple and obvious condemnations but concrete and efficient measures,” the Pope said. “Let us listen to the cry of the young ones who ask us for justice.”