Pope to bishops: Listen to abuse victims for sake of church

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis is urging European bishops to listen to survivors of clergy sexual abuse and consider them partners in reforming the Catholic Church. Francis issued a videomessage to Central and Eastern European bishops who are gathering in Poland starting on Sunday for a four-day child protection conference. The location is significant, given around a dozen current and retired Polish bishops have been sanctioned by the Vatican in recent months for their repeated failures to listen to victims and take action against the priests who raped and molested them. In the videomessage, Francis warned bishops that their failure to listen to victims risks the very future of the Catholic Church.