Pope Francis Under Fire As 44,000 Women Highlight Cases Of Sexual Abuse In Church, Demand Answer

Over 44,000 Catholic women have written to the Pope over a ‘sexual abuse crisis’ in the church, Huffpost has reported.

“Our hearts are broken, our faith tested, by the escalating crisis engulfing our beloved church. We are angry, betrayed and disillusioned. We, your flock, deserve your answers now.”, the letter says.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, Vatican’s former ambassador to the United States, had levelled serious allegations against Pope Francis of not only willfully covering up sex abuse allegations against disgraced ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick for years, but also actively promoting him within the church hierarchy before accepting his resignation.

Theodore McCarrick finally resigned from the College of Cardinals after being accused of sexually abusing several children and adult seminarians over the past few decades. The retired Vatican ambassador claims that senior Vatican officials knew as early as 2000 that the now-disgraced McCarrick regularly invited seminarians into his bed and abused them. Despite this knowledge, they elevated him as a cardinal.

This incident has seriously affected Catholic women who see themselves as the backbone of church. The letter from Catholic Women’s Forum, an international network of faithful Catholic women, has been collecting signatures since 30 August. Prominent theologians, business executives, professors, writers and speakers have signed the letter.