Pope accused of ‘knowing for years’ about sex abuse scandal

ROME – Carlo Maria Viganò, the ex-Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, has accused Pope Francis of knowing for years about the sexual abuse reportedly carried out by the ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick, yet another offensive against the pontiff by conservatives in the Church, sources at the Vatican said on Tuesday.

 On Saturday, Carlo Maria Viganò - now 77 - published a signed text in which he controversially claimed that Francis, along with other high Vatican officials, were aware for years of the paedophilia accusations and of the abuses carried out by the then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

 In the letter, a dozen pages long and published by both the American media and the Italian ‘La Verità’, Viganò claims that dozens of senior Church leaders did nothing about the reported sexual molestation despite being informed more than five years ago. The American ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick in question is accused of paedophilia and was recently also suspended by the cardinal school by pope.

  Viganò then claimed the pope had not respected the sanctions imposed by Benedetto XVI against the cardinal in question and even suggested he should resign.

  The pope’s response to the controversy was brief. “I read this release this morning, and I say sincerely; read carefully the statement and make your own judgement. I will not say a word about this; I believe that the statement speaks for itself and you, as journalists, have the ability to draw your own conclusions.”

 He made the statement whilst returning from Ireland where he made apologies for the abuse carried out by the priests. The pope also spoke of his meeting on Saturday afternoon in Dublin with the eight of the paedophilia victims; “I suffered a lot but we had to create the space for these people people speak,” he said, reporting that it was him who made “the suggestion to ask for forgiveness. It was painful – but there is also the consolation in being able to help bring these things to light.”

  These violent accusations shed light on the toxic current climate in the Church sparked by the ongoing paedophilia scandal.

 cb