Pope Talks Sex Abuse

For the first time since being selected, Pope Francis has publicly addressed the issue of sexual abuse by members of the clergy, expressing sympathy for the victims in the Netherlands to the country’s visiting bishops. “I promise compassion and prayer for every victim of sexual abuse and their families. I ask you to continue supporting them on their painful path to healing, undertaken with courage," the pope said according to the Vatican. A 2011 report by the Dutch government said as many as 20,000 children were abused in Catholic institutions in the country between 1945 and 1981.