Sexual abuse in the Church: A timeline of Pope Francis’ actions

“This is a shame that all of us must take in hand today, [we must] ask forgiveness and solve the problem,” Pope Francis declared. It was his first speech in Belgium, on September 27, 2024, before the country’s authorities. Indeed, sexual abuse emerged as a major theme of Pope Francis’ trip. The Argentine pontiff met with 15 victims on the evening of that same day, and addressed the topic on various other occasions, including the press conference on the return flight.

For over 10 years, furthering efforts begun during the pontificate of Benedict XVI, Pope Francis has sought to wage an “all-out battle” against sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable people in the Church.

Here’s a recap of the actions taken by the Argentine pontiff.

About a year after his election, Pope Francis sets up a commission charged with proposing to him “the most opportune initiatives for the protection of minors and vulnerable adults, in order to achieve everything possible to ensure that crimes such as those that have taken place are no longer repeated in the Church.”

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Chaired by the American Cardinal Seán O’Malley, it’s made up of specialists — lay, clerical, and religious — on issues of abuse of minors from various countries around the world. Marie Collins, victim of a pedophile priest and spokesperson for numerous victims, joins the commission and later leaves, citing her “frustration at the lack of cooperation from other Curia offices.”

Just over a year after his election to the Throne of Peter, Pope Francis makes his first public request for forgiveness from victims of sexual abuse in the Church. “I feel compelled to personally assume all the evil [perpetrated by] some priests […] to assume the burden myself and to ask for forgiveness for the harm they have done for having sexually abused children..” 

Receiving members of the International Catholic Child Bureau (BICE), he calls for “very severe” sanctions against those guilty of raping children. A few weeks later, on July 17, 2014, he receives a group of victims of pedophile priests at the Vatican. “Before God and his people I express my sorrow for the sins and grave crimes of clerical sexual abuse committed against you. And I humbly ask forgiveness,” he says during Mass with the victims.

“I am profoundly sorry that your innocence was violated by those whom you trusted,” Pope Francis declares during a meeting with victims of sexual abuse in Philadelphia, on the occasion of his trip to the United States. “I deeply regret that some bishops failed in their responsibility to protect children,” he laments, assuring them. “Please know that the Holy Father hears you and believes you.” 

In a new law, Pope Francis authorizes the resignation of bishops allegedly negligent in handling cases of sexual abuse of minors. He insists that bishops must show “particular diligence in protecting those who are weakest among the people entrusted to their care.” In the event of serious accusations, Rome can open an investigation, giving the bishop the opportunity to defend himself. 

“I have made serious errors in the assessment and perception of the situation,” the Pope admits in a letter to the Chilean bishops — all of whom will tender their resignations a few months later. During his trip to Chile in January 2018, the Pontiff had defended Bishop Juan Barros, a bishop suspected of covering up for a pedophile priest.

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The Pope had appointed him in 2015 to head the diocese of Osorno, in the south of the country, provoking fierce criticism. After apologizing, he asked for an investigation report. On reading it, he said he was “overwhelmed by grief,” referring to “crucified lives.” 

A few days after damning revelations in the Diocese of Pittsburgh (USA), the Argentine pontiff publishes a Letter to the People of God dedicated to the scourge of sexual abuse in the Church. In it, he reaffirms the Catholic Church’s commitment to protecting minors and vulnerable adults from abuse. He singles out clericalism as a major cause of the abuse crisis and calls on Catholics to fast and pray.

A week later, during a trip to Ireland where he meets eight victims at the Nunciature in Dublin, he asks for “forgiveness” from those who had been sexually abused.

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At the Pope’s initiative, 190 participants from every continent — presidents of bishops’ conferences, heads of Eastern Catholic Churches, superiors of religious congregations, and prelates of the Roman Curia — gather at the Vatican to wage an “all-out battle” against sexual abuse in the Church.

This historic summit — where victims are able to deliver chilling testimonies — does not immediately lead to concrete announcements, but sets out perspectives to be implemented.

With the motu proprio Vos estis lux mundi, all clerics and religious are obliged to report any cases of abuse of which they are aware to a higher authority, without delay. Other measures include the obligation for every diocese in the world to set up one or more “stable and easily accessible mechanisms” for reporting sexual abuse of minors.

In the wake of the law of June 4, 2016, the Vatican is setting up a procedure for investigating bishops or superiors suspected of crimes or covering up crimes. It provides for the metropolitan archbishop — who coordinates the bishops of a single province — to investigate within 90 days, in liaison with Rome. If the metropolitan himself is involved, the most senior bishop in the province must take charge.

A year after the motu proprio was published, an American bishop accused of covering up cases of abuse between 2013 and 2015 resigns, after an investigation governed by Vos estis lux mundi.

In a rescript, Pope Francis abolishes pontifical secrecy in matters of sexual abuse committed by clerics on minors, vulnerable persons, or persons under their authority. Until now, canonical trials have been covered by absolute secrecy, including with regard to victims who are only heard as witnesses. This high level of confidentiality was repeatedly criticized at the summit on the protection of minors held at the Vatican at the end of February. The Pope also calls for closer collaboration with civil courts.

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One year after the abuse summit, the Vatican sets up a task force of experts to help bishops’ conferences and religious institutes draw up or update guidelines for the protection of minors.

Another fruit of the abuse summit, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith publishes a vademecum (guide) aimed at “accompanying and guiding step by step anyone who must seek the truth” when faced with a case of abuse of minors. Non-prescriptive, the 17-page text is available to bishops, religious superiors, ecclesiastical tribunals, jurists and those in charge of listening centers set up by bishops’ conferences. It aims to clarify the Holy See’s legislation, to enable those in charge to react appropriately should they come to deal with a situation of abuse.

In 2018, Pope Francis called for an investigation into how former Cardinal McCarrick was able to rise through the ranks of the Catholic Church without ever being questioned, despite his having committed many abuses. Two years later, the “Report on the Holy See’s Institutional Knowledge and Decision-Making Related to Former Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick (1930 to 2017)” was made public.

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This 445-page document traces the way in which the former high-ranking American prelate rose brilliantly in the Church hierarchy since the pontificate of Paul VI, despite the allegations of sexual abuse levelled against him. In particular, we learn that John Paul II had indeed been officially informed of serious suspicions against McCarrick by a letter from Cardinal O’Connor, Archbishop of New York, in 1999. A year later, however, the man still known as Archbishop McCarrick was appointed Archbishop of Washington and elevated to the rank of cardinal.

Pope Francis makes a major revision of a chapter of the Code of Canon Law dealing with serious sanctions. It aims to adapt Church law to the contemporary world and rebalance the relationship between justice and mercy “which has sometimes been misinterpreted,” leading to a climate of “laxity.” Abuse of minors is now addressed in the Code. 

“The whole Church is in crisis because of the abuse,” says Pope Francis in a three-page letter addressed to Cardinal Reinhard Marx on June 10, 2021.

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Looking beyond the personal case of the Archbishop of Munich-Freising — whose resignation the Pope refuses to accept — the Bishop of Rome invites the whole Church to recognize its errors and sinfulness. “As a Church, we need to ask for the grace of shame,” he says, believing in particular that “every bishop” must accept the crisis and ask himself, “What must I do in the face of this catastrophe?”

He was to have been one of the 21 new cardinals created by Pope Francis in August 2022. But a few days after the announcement of his appointment, Bishop Luc Van Looy, bishop emeritus of Ghent (Belgium), asks the Argentine pope to dispense with his cardinalate. Victims have reacted to the news of this distinction, accusing the bishop of having covered up abuse cases. The Pope accepts the bishop’s request. 

Three years after the publication of the motu proprio Vos estis lux mundi to deal with cases of abuse committed within the Church, the Pope promulgates an “update” of these norms. Among the new features, the role of lay people in reporting procedures has been strengthened. Moderators of associations of the faithful recognized by the Holy See are now also required to apply the norms.

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The law specifies that adults can be considered vulnerable to abuse depending on the situation in which the abuse was perpetrated — taking into account links of hierarchy and authority. The Roman Curia is also more involved in handling reports. Again, real “accessible” offices are required to receive reports in the dioceses. 

Jesuit Hans Zollner resigns from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors with great fanfare, criticizing the lack of transparency within the body and structural dysfunctions. The 56-year-old German priest is a recognized expert on child abuse issues. In a statement issued the following day, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, chairman of the commission, said he was “surprised, disappointed, and in deep disagreement” with him.

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This confrontation raises questions about the mission entrusted by the Pope to this “anti-abuse” commission, whose scope has grown steadily over the years. Faced with the sheer scale of the issue, some believe that the structure lacks sufficient resources. 

As he approaches his 80th birthday, the president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, writes to the heads of the Roman Curia asking them to exercise “pastoral prudence” regarding the use of the works of Father Marko Rupnik, the Slovenian Jesuit accused of having committed psychological and sexual abuse on several women in the past.

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“We must avoid sending a message that the Holy See is indifferent to the psychological distress suffered by so many,” writes the American cardinal in a statement, while dicasteries of the Roman Curia are still using works by this priest, once influential in Rome and close to Pope Francis, in their communications.

Read more:Belgian abuse victims meet Pope: gratitude and skepticism

Read more:Pope Francis addresses abuse crisis head-on in Belgium