Pope Francis blesses tearful woman with Alopecia areata in heartwarming photos

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The Pontiff had approved new tribunal for sexual abuse cases against bishops

With his eyes closed, Pope Francis blessed and prayed for a woman with alopecia, as he meet the crowd during his weekly audience at the Vatican.

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Highlights

By Talia Ramos (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
6/11/2015 (8 years ago)

Published in Living Faith

Keywords: Pope Francis, Vatican, Woman, Blessed, Prayed, Audience, Tribunal, Bishops, Clerics, Sexual Abuse, Minors, Cover Ups

MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - The moment, captured in photos, shows the Catholic Church leader solemnly offering his prayers for a woman, touching her head gently as she is about to cry for this unforgettable, precious moment.

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The final picture shows the woman awe struck as the Pope embraces her before greeting and waving to the rest of the awaiting audience.

Pope Francis' wonderful encounter with the devotee came along with news of his approval for a tribunal that will oversee investigations and "judgement" of bishops involved in sexual abuse against minors cases -- whether it be charged with speculations of covering up clerics who committed the crime or failing to prevent such occurrences in the church.

Now, bishops suspected of hiding pedophile clerics will be charged with "abuse of episcopal office" under canon law, according to The Daily Mail. This reform has been a long awaited step campaign by organizations supporting victims of sexual abuse by church officials.

Many had been asking the Vatican to take active measures against the bishops covering up crimes, even though they are not directly involved with the abuse.

According to Fr. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesperson, they can now be "judged" if they fail to take the steps to prevent clerics' sexual abuse of minors. Three departments of the Vatican were established to investigate the complaints against bishops before handing the case down to the "doctrinal department" for "judgment."

"For the first time there may be a clear road map for disciplining bishops who conceal or enable child sexual abuse. The path already promises to be bumpy. How can the Vatican discipline enablers when its own top ranks are occupied by them?" said Anne Barrett Doyle of the Bishop Accountability independent group.

However, Doyle added that the reform can be effectively implemented if the investigations begin at the top. With a number of cases worldwide, she explained that the Vatican cannot simply expect Diocesan bishops to comply if the higher officials are the first to ignore.

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