‘Condemn the abusers’: Pope demands judgment for pedophile priests as Belgium tour ends – POLITICO

BRUSSELS — Pope Francis said Sunday that bishops who have abused children need to be brought to justice and not protected by church authorities, following several days of public outrage in Belgium over the Catholic Church’s dark record of obfuscation of pedophilia in its ranks.

“Evil must not be hidden. Evil must be brought out into the open,” Francis said in unscripted remarks to thousands of people gathered for a mass at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels to conclude his visit to the country.

“Let it be known, as some abuse victims have done, and with courage,” he added. “Let it be known. And let the abuser be judged. Let the abuser be judged, whether layperson, priest or bishop: Let the abuser be judged.”