As an extraordinary
consistory of cardinals continued two days of meetings Friday at
the Vatican, child sexual abuse was on the agenda with an update
on a commission appointed by Pope Francis on the protection of
minors, according to a Vatican press release.
Cardinal Sean O'Malley, who heads the commission, gave a
presentation to the College of Cardinals, said the director of
the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi.
Reports on financial reforms in the Vatican, including at
the scandal-plagued Vatican Bank, were also presented as the
cardinals continue to work on changes to the Roman Curia.
That is the central body though which the pontiff runs the
Catholic Church.
It has reportedly been hit by infighting in recent years
and in December the Argentine pontiff warned that the quest for
power risked infecting clergymen with "spiritual Alzheimer's".
As Francis opened the extraordinary consistory on Thursday,
he described its goal as being "always that of promoting
greater harmony in the work of the various dicasteries and
offices".
He added that "reform is not an end in itself, but a means
to give a strong Christian witness; to promote a more effective
evangelization; to promote a more fruitful ecumenical spirit; to
encourage a more constructive dialogue with all".
Saturday an ordinary consistory will see 20 new cardinals
created at the Vatican.
The reform of the Curia is part of the Francis's drive to
overhaul Vatican structures after the Church's image was
tarnished by scandals regarding child-sex abuse, financial and
media leaks during the papacy of his predecessor, Benedict XVI.
Last week, Francis said that Catholic Church must rid
itself of the "scourge" of child sexual abuse - and he asked for
"help" in making sure predator priests were a thing of the past.
Families must know that their children are safe within the
Church, the pope said in a letter sent ahead of the first
meeting of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of
Minors.
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