The exhortation does not, however, include the phrase "zero tolerance."
Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, explained that "zero tolerance" was omitted because "the pope wanted to highlight other aspects" of the abuse crisis.
"The pope could not say everything in one document," Baldissseri noted, but said that the pope had emphasized his commitment to fighting abuse.
"Youth need to know that this problem exists and the Church doesn't tolerate it," Baldisseri said.
The document, addressed to "all Christian young people," observes that because of "sexual and financial scandals" and "a clergy ill-prepared to engage effectively with the sensitivities of the young," a substantial number of young people want nothing to do with the Church.
Pope Francis used the document to express his gratitude, "together with the Synod Fathers," to all of those who had "the courage to report the evil they experienced."
"They help the Church to acknowledge what happened and the need to respond decisively," said the pope.
The "holy People of God" will "liberate us from the plague of clericalism, which is the fertile ground for all these disgraces."
"This dark moment, 'not without the valuable help of the young, can truly be an opportunity for a reform of epoch-making significance,' opening us to a new Pentecost and inaugurating a new stage of purification and change capable of renewing the Church's youth," Pope Francis said.
Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees.