The bishops of Poland are meeting with Pope Francis to discuss two complex matters.
The migration crisis is one of those topics. Poland accuses Belarus of allowing thousands of refugees across its borders to destabilize the country and the European Union. The Polish government raised fences and declared a state of emergency in September. More than 10,000 people are estimated to have attempted to cross the border.
Another matter is the sexual abuse crisis. The Vatican has sanctioned 10 Polish bishops guilty of negligence in the handling of victims' reports of sexual abuse.
During his General Audience, when Pope Francis lamented the shocking numbers of sexual abuse cases in France, he spoke directly to French bishops, but extended the message to Polish bishops.
POPE FRANCIS
'This is the moment of shame. I encourage bishops, and you, dear brothers, who have come here to share this moment... I encourage bishops, superiors and religious to continue to put forth every effort to prevent such dramas from repeating themselves.'
Toward the end of June, the Polish Institute for Catholic Church Statistics published a report on sexual abuse.
The report reveals that between July 2018 and December 2020, 368 reports of abuse incidents taking place between 1958 and 2020 were registered. Thirty-nine percent of those are confirmed, while 51 percent are being investigated. About 10 percent of these reports were considered to be unfounded.
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