Pope Francis Refuses to Apologize for Catholic Church Pedophile Scandal

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Pope Francis and the Vatican have come under fire after refusing to respond to the recent grand jury report alleging the massive cover-up of decades of pedophilia in the Catholic church.  

The Holy See's press office refused to address the explosive reports which accuse over 300 pedophile priests of sex abuse amid the Vatican's alleged cover-up.

One critic and Catholic writer said Pope Francis's lack of response was 'disappointing' while another academic called the Vatican's silence 'disturbing', according to CNN.

Predator pedophile priests molested at least 1000 children by using Catholic rituals and symbols to carry out their sickening attacks, the grand jury found.

Pennsylvania theology academic Massimo Faggioli said: "The silence from the Vatican is disturbing."

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"I don't think the Pope necessarily has to say something today. He needs time to understand the situation... but someone from the Vatican should say something."

The DM reports: Catholic magazine editor Matthew Schmitz said on Twitter: 'Francis has at times been unfairly attacked for his handling of sex abuse but his record is still disappointing.

'He needs to act now by authorizing a full investigation of the American hierarchy.'

A papal legate should conduct formal interviews and make recommendations to the Pope about 'appropriate penalties', he said.

Priests across Pennsylvania used religious rituals and the threat of eternity in hell to groom, molest and rape children, a grand jury found, in what the state's top prosecutor Josh Shapiro called the 'weaponization of faith.'

In a letter to the Pope, Shapiro said the report had found a 'systemic cover-up' of the sexual abuse by leaders of the Catholic church.

"There were documents in the Church's own secret archives where bishops notified the Vatican of the predator priests" and of "plans to pass them from place to place," @PAAttorneyGen @JoshShapiroPA tells @JudyWoodruff. "We have no proof that the Vatican did anything about it..." pic.twitter.com/e06lQqpGWM

— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) August 14, 2018

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He called on the Pope to urge church leaders to 'abandon their destructive efforts to silence the survivors' and 'follow the path of truth'.

One priest tied up a victim with rope in the confessional in a 'praying position,' the grand jury wrote. When the victim refused to perform sex, the angered priest used a 7-inch crucifix to sexually assault him, the report said.

One priest rinsed a boy's mouth with holy water after abusing him while another priest allegedly told a boy he was fondling that it was OK because he was 'an instrument of God.'

In another church, a priest told a boy who confided he had been gang-raped as a 7-year-old that he had to provide sex to get to heaven.

At a parish rectory, the report said, four of the priests made a boy strip and pose as Jesus on the cross while they took photos.

Only two of the priests have been charged with crimes as a result of the grand jury investigation, though a number were prosecuted in years past. Over 100 have died, and many others have retired.

The Pennsylvania grand jury said that in almost every case there, the statute of limitations for bringing criminal charges has run out.

Church leaders say most of the offenses occurred sometime in the past and note that major reforms were adopted starting in 2002 to safeguard children.