The Vatican's statement came almost 48 hours after the Pennsylvania report was published. The accusations is believe to be
The director of the Vatican's Press Office, Greg Burke said:
"Regarding the report made public in Pennsylvania this week, there are two words that can express the feelings faced with these horrible crimes: shame and sorrow."
"The Holy See treats with great seriousness the work of the Investigating Grand Jury of Pennsylvania and the lengthy Interim Report it has produced. The Holy See condemns unequivocally the sexual abuse of minors."Burke added:
"The abuses described in the report are criminal and morally reprehensible. Those acts were betrayals of trust that robbed survivors of their dignity and their faith. The Church must learn hard lessons from its past, and there should be accountability for both abusers and those who permitted abuse to occur."
"By finding almost no cases after 2002, the Grand Jury's conclusions are consistent with previous studies showing that Catholic Church reforms in the United States drastically reduced the incidence of clergy child abuse"
The Vatican "encourages continued reform and vigilance at all levels of the Catholic Church, to help ensure the protection of minors and vulnerable adults from harm."
"Victims should know that the Pope is on their side. 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."Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston, the Pope's top adviser on sexual abuse:
"The clock is ticking for all of us in Church leadership. Catholics have lost patience with us and civil society has lost confidence in us."According to the report, about six Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania -- a few held in a secret archive to which only the bishop can access -- reveals that more than 300 "predator priests" have been credibly accused of sexually abusing more than 1,000 children.
Kurt Martens, a professor of canon law at The Catholic University of America said:
"There are so many things the church speaks about that are politically sensitive topics. When we do not adequately address an issue as serious as sexual abuse, it undermines the credibility of church leaders."By the Vatican law, only the Pope can discipline or remove bishops.
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