Pope Francis on Feb. 5 publicly acknowledged for the first time the sexual abuse of nuns by priests and bishops, the latest admission in a crisis that is enveloping the Catholic Church.
Francis made the admission while speaking to reporters en route to Rome from the United Arab Emirates, as he vowed to do more to combat abuse of nuns. His acknowledgment comes just two weeks before he hosts a global gathering of bishops in response to the scandals surrounding child sex abuse by priests and the church’s decades-long coverup of it.
