Vatican on PA Sex-Abuse Report: ‘Church Must Learn Hard Lessons From Its Past’

Two days after a grand-jury report detailed decades of alleged sexual abuse and attempted cover-ups in the Pennsylvania Catholic Church, the Vatican broke its silence on the scandal, decrying the actions described in the report as “criminal and morally reprehensible.” Vatican spokesperson Greg Burke said in a statement Thursday that “There are two words that can express the feelings faced with these horrible crimes: shame and sorrow.” “The Church must learn hard lessons from its past, and there should be accountability for both abusers and those who permitted abuse to occur,” the statement said. The shocking 1,356-page report released Tuesday lists more than 300 “predator priests” who allegedly preyed on over 1,000 children. “Victims should know that the Pope [Francis] is on their side,” the Vatican’s statement said. “Those who have suffered are his priority, and the Church wants to listen to them to root out this tragic horror that destroys the lives of the innocent.”