In an interview with CNN Portugal, Pope Francis said, “I don’t deny the abuse. Even if it was only one [case], it is monstrous. Because you, priest, you, nun, have to take that boy, that girl to God and with this you destroy their lives.”
“This is one thing about abuse, it is a destructive thing, humanly diabolical,” he continued. “In families there is no celibacy and all that and, sometimes, it happens.”
CNN also reported that the Pope “said he was unable to travel at the moment because of issues with his knee,” a remark that raises questions about whether he will make his apostolic journey to Kazakhstan on September 13.