Pope Francis Berates Portuguese Clergy Over Sex Abuse Scandal

Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis, has blasted clergy in Portugal over their involvement in sex scandals. Francis who gave the verdict Wednesday in Lisbon on his arrival at the Portuguese capital as part of his five-day rip to the European nation, urged them to change their ways and treat victims better in order to stop the drift of faithfuls away from the church.

Pope Francis’ comment is coming on the heels of February findings by a panel of experts hired by the Portuguese church that about 4,815 boys and girls were possibly abused by church personnel since 1950. The panel was set up to shed more light on what is generally regarded as the church’s legacy of abuse and cover-up.

Associated Press, AP, reports that Portuguese church officials refused to acknowledge the widespread abuse, maintaining that only a handful of such cases exist, arguably a reason why they refused to remove identified abusers from ministry or compensate victims.

Pope Francis is also billed for an overnight visit to France.