Vatican City, Apr 16, 2023 / 06:10 am
Pope Francis on Sunday defended St. John Paul II against a recent accusation that the Polish pope secretly visited women at night.
Speaking to the public on Divine Mercy Sunday, a day established by Pope John Paul II in 2000, Pope Francis called the insinuation “unfounded and offensive.”
“Certain that I interpret the feelings of the faithful throughout the world, I address a grateful thought to the memory of St. John Paul II, at this time the object of unfounded and offensive conjectures,” he said.
Pope Francis greeted groups that promote the spirituality of divine mercy after leading the Regina Caeli, a Marian antiphon prayed during the Easter season, from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square on April 16.