Pressure mounts on pope for tougher action on abuse scandals (Guardian)

With the Catholic Church rocked by a devastating US report into child sex abuse, Pope Francis has this week sharpened his critcism on the explosive issue — but he remains under pressure to enact far-reaching changes. The US grand jury report accused more than 300 “predator” priests in the state of Pennsylvania of abusing more than 1,000 children over seven decades, sparking a fresh bout of soul-searching among senior Catholics across the world. “The clock is ticking for all of us in Church leadership. Catholics have lost patience with us and civil society has lost confidence in us,” Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the archbishop of Boston, who has been advising the pope on the issue, said in a statement last week. Read more