Pope Francis said he plans to meet with victims of sexual abuse in early June during an informal chat with reporters on the plane ride back to the Vatican after his weekend trip to the Middle East.
He called for zero tolerance: “This is very serious, It is like, by way of comparison, holding a black Mass. You are supposed to lead them to sanctity and instead you lead them to a problem that will last their entire lives.”
The Pope also discussed priest being required to be celibate and said, “Celibacy is not a question of dogma, but rather a rule of life that I greatly appreciate, as I believe it is a gift for the Church. But, since it is not a dogma of faith, the door is always open.”
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