Pope Francis To Visit Ireland Amid Church Scandals Across The World
The pope is under intense pressure to enact concrete measures to ensure accountability for church officials who ignored or covered up sexual abuse by clergy.
The official purpose of Pope Francis' visit to Ireland this weekend is to attend the Vatican-sponsored World Meeting of Families held every three years.
But with multiple sexual abuse scandals buffeting the Catholic Church across the world, the two-day visit may turn out to be one of the most consequential trips of this papacy. The pope is under intense pressure to enact concrete measures to ensure accountability for church officials who ignored or covered up cases of clerical sex abuse.
Ireland is a predominantly Catholic country where, for decades, the church was more important than the state. "The clergy worked hand in glove with the government," says American Jesuit
