Pope Francis has called for “decisive action” in the fight against sex abuse of minors by priests.
He told Bishop Gerhard Mueller, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith – the doctrinal watchdog that deals with sex abuse cases – to ensure perpetrators were punished.
It was the Argentine Pope’s first public statement on clerical sex abuse.
He was elected last month, replacing Pope Emeritus Benedict, who became the first pope in 600 years to resign.
When first elected, Benedict XVI promised to rid his Church of the “filth” of clerical sex abuse, but critics accused him of covering up abuse in the past and failing to protect children from paedophile priests.
Victims of sex abuse by clergy have called for a strong response from the new pontiff to the crisis that has rocked the Church.
In his remarks on Friday, Pope Francis said combating the crisis, which has mired the Church in scandal from the US, Ireland and Europe to Australia, was important to the credibility of the Church.
A Vatican statement said the Pope had urged Bishop Mueller to “act decisively as far as cases of sexual abuse are concerned, promoting, above all, measures to protect minors, help for those who have suffered such violence in the past (and) the necessary procedures against those who are guilty”.