The Catholic Church in South Africa says bishops from around the world had a chance to do serious introspection about the sexual abuse of minors and subsequent cover ups.
President of the SACBC, Bishop Sithembele Sipuka says the testimonies presented by victims of sexual abuse have been very emotional for them as leaders of the Catholic Church.
The leader of the 1.3 billion congregations, Pope Francis called a four-day-meeting at the Vatican to discuss openly for the first time, abuse inflicted on minors by Catholic priests for decades. The conference ends on Sunday.
The church’s leadership came under severe criticism for the scourge of abuse, the protection of perpetrators and neglect of victims.
Speaking to the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) from the Vatican, Bishop Sipuka says Bishops want to take action when they get back to their own countries.
“The process and the direction of the meeting is introspecting and calling for conversion from now on. I cannot guarantee how in other countries this will turn out but the mood, as I say, is that of concern.”
