Here’s the full letter.
Via News.com.au:
POPE Francis has issued a rare letter to Catholics around the world condemning the “atrocities” of sexual abuse by priests and church leaders who covered up the crimes, and demanding accountability from leaders in the future.
The 2,000-word letter, addressed to the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, was issued by the Vatican in response to staggering new revelations in the US of decades of misconduct by the embattled church.
Francis begged forgiveness for the pain suffered by victims and said lay Catholics must be involved in any effort to root out abuse and cover-up.
“I acknowledge once more the suffering endured by many minors due to sexual abuse, the abuse of power and the abuse of conscience perpetrated by a significant number of clerics and consecrated persons,” Francis said.
He said it was with “shame and repentance” that he acknowledged the church “did not act in a timely manner, realising the magnitude and the gravity of the damage done to so many lives.
“We showed no care for the little ones,” the pope wrote. “We abandoned them.”