Pope Francis has called upon young people to be vigilant in the face of “horrible crimes” of clerical sexual abuse, and to confront priests “at risk” of betraying the trust of their office. The pope issued the plea in his post-synodal apostolic exhortation on youth, Christus vivit, published Tuesday.
“If you see a priest at risk, because he has lost the joy of his ministry, or seeks affective compensation, or is taking the wrong path, remind him of his commitment to God and his people, remind him of the Gospel and urge him to hold to his course. In this way, you will contribute greatly to something fundamental: preventing these atrocities from being repeated.”
