2000 years of secrets

http://bit.ly/2NSKAOd

The Catholic Church has been rocked by thousands of reported incidences of sexual abuse across the globe. In response, Pope Francis issued a law earlier this year that requires all Catholic priests and nuns to report sexual abuse and cover-ups by their superiors.

But in October, the lead counsel of an independent inquiry into child sex abuse in the UK criticised the Catholic Church’s lack of cooperation with the investigation.

Brian Altman QC described the church’s “refusal to provide the inquiry with all the evidence it has sought” as “very disappointing”.

The most senior cleric implicated so far in the global scandal, Cardinal George Pell, was on Wednesday granted the chance to appeal his convictions for molesting two 13-year-old choirboys, by Australia’s highest court.

Pell was previously the Vatican’s finance minister.