Vatican City, Sep 21, 2017 / 11:26 am
There should be no opportunity for appealing canonical cases of sexual abuse against minors when allegations have been proven by evidence, Pope Francis said in spontaneous comments Thursday.
In off-the-cuff remarks to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) Sept. 21, the Pope said that "if pedophilia, an abuse of minors, is proven it is enough to not receive appeals."
"If there is the evidence, period: it is definitive."
Pope Francis also explained that he would not consider direct appeals for clemency or reconsideration from priests who have been found guilty of allegations of sexual misconduct. "I have never signed one of these," he said, "and I will never sign it."