Pope Francis has condemned the “atrocities” of child sex abuse and clerical cover-ups in an unprecedented letter released to the Roman Catholic community.
In a letter addressed to “the People of God”, the Pope forcefully condemns abuse and asks for unity to uproot the “culture of death” in the Church.
It addresses previous failures to deal with abuse and asks for forgiveness.
Last week a grand jury report detailed seven decades of abuse in Pennsylvania.
The landmark investigation found more than 1,000 identifiable minors had been abused by 300 priests in the US state, with thousands more thought to have fallen victim.
The inquiry found evidence of systematic cover-ups by the church, with many cases now too old for prosecution.
After the report was made public, the Vatican said the Pope was on the side of victims against “predator” priests.
