Pope Francis Complicated Legacy
ROME (OSV News) — Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis, who died April 21 at the age of 88, faced the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, attempting to balance defending the church from criticism while showing compassion toward survivors, with often mixed results.
Nevertheless, while the fruits of the reforms made throughout his 12-year papacy are yet to be determined, what can’t be denied is his pastoral approach that tried to place victims at the heart of the church’s response to clergy sexual abuse, which he regarded as demonic in nature.
“The abuse of minors is truly a horrible crime. … A priest who does this betrays the body of the Lord,” the pope told journalists aboard his return flight from the Holy Land in May 2014. “It is like saying a black mass.”
In 2013, less than a month into his pontificate, Pope Francis met with the prefect of the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Gerhard Müeller, urging him to “act with determination regarding cases of sexual abuse.”
In the same year, he also amended Vatican City State’s penal code to include explicit definitions of sexual crimes and aligned it with international standards. In 2014, he established the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
Conflicting Actions
While these initial actions were a step forward, the pope’s first meeting with victims took place more than a year after his election.
His attempts to reach out to victims, as well as calls for zero tolerance on abuse were marred, however, in 2015 with his appointment of Bishop Juan Barros to lead the southern Chilean Diocese of Osorno.