Some were taken aback by Pope Francis’ description of a pedophile as “children of God” deserving of love and “pastoral care” as well as “enemies” who should also be punished, The Independent reported.
During a meeting with 32 Jesuits last month in Budapest, Hungary, Pope Francis voiced his consideration of offering “Christian love” to pedophile priests who were responsible for destroying both the lives of children and the reputation of the Catholic church.
“The Gospel asks us to love, but how do we love at the same time people who have experienced abuse and their abusers?” a Jesuit asked the pope per Yahoo. “God loves everyone. He loves them, too. But what about us?”
The Jesuit continued his question, “Without ever covering anything up, of course, how do we love abusers? I would like to offer the compassion and love that the Gospel asks for everyone, even the enemy. But how is this possible?”
“It is not easy at all,” the pope said. “Today we understand that the reality of abuse is very broad: there is sexual abuse, psychological abuse, economic abuse, migrant abuse. You refer to sexual abuse. How do we approach, how do we talk to the abusers for whom we feel revulsion? Yes, they too are children of God.”
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