https://www.afp.com/en/news/3954/pope-calls-child-sex-abuse-human-sacrifice-vows-all-out-battle-doc-1ds12m5
Pope Francis on Sunday vowed to tackle every single case of sexual abuse by priests in the Roman Catholic Church, comparing paedophilia to "human sacrifice" in a speech that left victims cold.
His public address to top bishops at the end of a landmark summit in the Vatican promised an "all-out battle" against abusive priests, but blamed the devil and insisted the Church was not the only place children were assaulted.
"I am reminded of the cruel religious practice, once widespread in certain cultures, of sacrificing human beings – frequently children – in pagan rites," he said.
The sexual abuse of minors was "a widespread phenomenon in all cultures and societies," Francis said, and he slammed those priests who prey on children as "tools of Satan".