Rome
CNN
 — 

Although he was a pontiff well-attuned to the concerns of ordinary Catholics, Pope Francis had a surprising blind spot when it came to the abuse crisis. He did not talk very much about the issue in his first months in the Vatican, and when he did, in 2014, appeared on the defensive, saying “no one else has done more” to root out abuse than the church.

His election took place at a time when the problem of sexual abuse of minors by clergy was well known, and after more scandals had emerged during the papacy of Benedict XVI. While important steps had been taken to address the abuse scandals during his predecessor’s tenure, there was still much more the church needed to do.

Survivors of church sexual abuse say the next pope needs to do more to tackle clergy guilty of abuse and hold bishops accountable when they mismanage cases.

The biggest mistake for Francis came when he initially refused to believe that a Chilean bishop, Juan Barros, had covered up for a notorious abuser. The pope then defended Barros publicly, dismissing the allegations as “slander.”

Later, the pope commissioned an investigation into the matter and made a heartfelt apology, admitting to survivors that he, too, “was part of the problem.” His willingness openly to admit failings and reverse earlier decisions was remarkable, given that historically popes have been believed infallible.

The turning point for Francis came when Chilean abuse survivors stayed with him for several days in April 2018 at his home in the Vatican, the Casa Santa Marta. He later took the dramatic step of ordering every bishop in Chile to offer their resignation, replacing a large section of the hierarchy.

One of those survivors was Juan Carlos Cruz, who went on to advise the pope on anti-abuse measures.

“I think he has done more than any pope has ever done. But I think there is a lot more to be done,” Cruz told CNN in 2024. “What frustrates me is people in the curia (the church’s central administration) and bishops around the world who are not on the same page. What infuriates me is that survivors are walking this earth without justice… It’s like someone having cancer and no one doing anything.”

In a statement issued Monday after news of Francis’ death, the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests (SNAP) called for whoever succeeds him to institute a “zero tolerance law” for sexual abuse.

The survivor advocacy group wants abusive clergy — and church leaders who’ve covered up their crimes — to be ejected from the ministry. It also wants more oversight of bishops.“ (The next pope) must use his authority to enact fundamental, institutional changes to end the systematic practice of sexual abuse and its concealment.”

Francis diagnosed clericalism, the wielding of power within the church by an unaccountable few, as being at the heart of the crisis. As he sought to get to grips with the problem, he held an unprecedented four-day summit on the issue at the Vatican, where survivors addressed cardinals and bishops and made a series of recommendations.

The 2019 gathering led to the pope issuing new norms for handling abuse, including procedures to hold bishops accountable for cover-ups, and the removal of secrecy obligations from abuse investigations.

He made it a legal obligation for Vatican officials to report abuse and ordered sweeping changes to the church’s canon law to recognize that vulnerable adults can be victims of abuse and that lay people in official positions can be held responsible.

“I would like to see his legacy and what he stood for continued,” Cruz added. He said the church had to find justice for survivors, to care for and support them and to seek to repair the damage that was done. “It’s frustrating that something so simple can be so complicated,” he said.

But Father Hans Zollner believes more consistency is needed when handling cases. Zollner, who runs a safeguarding institute in Rome, is considered one of the church’s most respected voices in calling for action on the abuse crisis. He resigned, however, from a papal commission tasked with child protection saying that more needed to be done on “responsibility, compliance, accountability and transparency.”

Speaking following Francis’ death, the German priest and psychologist told CNN said the late pope brought to attention the “systemic” issues involving abuse in the church and met with many survivors.

“He (Francis) made important reforms in a journey that is far from over, especially when it comes to the church’s need for consistency in engaging with victims, holding perpetrators to account and in applying the established norms and laws when dealing with abuse,” he said.

Francis had established the Holy See’s first pontifical commission for the protection of minors early on in his reign. But the commission, led for many years by a former Boston archbishop, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, struggled to find its place within the church’s central administration and to become truly effective.

Marie Collins, a survivor and safeguarding expert from Ireland who served on the commission in the early years, resigned in frustration at the slow pace of change.

Collins told CNN last year that Francis had “made some positive moves” and “started out well with the right intentions” but that the “old guard in the Vatican” had diluted those intentions and provided him with bad information. When it came to the abuse crisis in Chile, Francis admitted that he had made serious mistakes due to a “lack of truthful and balanced information.”

Collins also lamented the lack of transparency around the accountability of bishops and how new policies are being applied.

“There is change, there is advancement, but it’s been far too slow,” she said. “We are not getting the transparency we were promised.” Collins said she hoped that the next pope would bring “complete transparency” over the handling of abuse.

The crisis widened during the Francis pontificate to include not only minors but also the sexual abuse of nuns and “me too”-style instances of abuse. In 2019, Francis publicly acknowledged the problem of the sexual abuse of nuns by priests and bishops and also warned against psychological and spiritual abuses of sisters.

He showed, too, that he was willing to take action against groups within the Catholic Church where abuse had occurred, and brought in rules to try to prevent new groups being set up without proper oversight. He took time to meet victims and looked for ways to help them find justice.

The abuse crisis in the Catholic Church exposed deep cultural and systematic failings. Francis’ renewal efforts, including his convening of worldwide synod assemblies, sought to build more accountability and transparency.

Despite his mistakes, Francis took some vital steps in tackling the scourge of abuse.

But it will be up to his successor to ensure the necessary reforms are implemented as the Catholic Church continues to grapple with the most damaging scandal it has faced in centuries.

London
CNN
 — 

Pedro Pascal has used a movie premiere in London to advocate for trans rights.

The Hollywood actor was photographed at the red carpet launch of “Thunderbolts*,” the latest offering from Marvel Studios, in a T-shirt proclaiming “Protect the dolls.”

The garment, designed by London-based American designer Conner Ives, has gone viral since Ives wore it at the finale of his Fall-Winter 2025 show in February. The slogan is seen as a show of solidarity with trans women, who are affectionately dubbed “dolls” by the LGBTQ community.

Pascal’s appearance comes a week after Britain’s Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of “woman” in equality legislation is determined by biological sex — excluding transgender women. While some celebrated the ruling, others within Britain’s trans community have described being “absolutely devastated” by the decision, which will have wide-ranging consequences for how equality laws are applied in the United Kingdom.

This is not the first time that Pascal has been spotted wearing the statement T-shirt. He was also pictured in it at his 50th birthday party in London earlier this month. Ives posted on Instagram a picture of Pascal in the T-shirt with trans DJ Honey Dijon, with the caption: “Thank you, to every person that has purchased a tee, and raised money for @translifeline. It has been a marathon getting these tees made but I’m so happy to be getting these out.”

The issue is more than just a fashion statement for the “Last of Us” star. Pascal’s younger sister Lux is a trans actress and model. In 2021, he posted on Instagram about an interview she did with a Chilean magazine about her transition. Sharing a picture of the front cover of Revista Ya, he wrote: “My sister, my heart, our Lux.”

Others who have helped raise the T-shirt’s profile have included Australian actor and singer-songwriter Troye Sivan, French designer Haider Ackermann and Nick Knight, founder of fashion film and photography website SHOWstudio.

Profits from the T-shirts, which sell for £75 ($100) online, benefit US charity Trans Lifeline. Ives website states: “Given the US Federal government’s current hostility towards trans people, support like this is needed now more than ever.”

Slogan T-shirts are a surefire way for celebrities to make headlines. Model and socialite Hayley Bieber, who is the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin and is married to Justin Bieber, was pictured in 2023 wearing a tee with the slogan “nepo baby.”

Rome
CNN
 — 

A cardinal convicted of financial crimes by the Vatican is claiming he can take part in the forthcoming conclave despite being listed as a “non-elector.”

Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, once one of the most powerful figures in the Vatican, was ordered by Pope Francis in 2020 to resign the “rights and privileges” of a cardinal after he became embroiled in a Vatican financial scandal.

The Sardinian cardinal previously held the position of “sostituto” (“substitute”) in the Holy See’s Secretariat of State – a papal chief of staff equivalent.

The role offered Becciu walk-in privileges to see the pope and he commanded huge authority across the church’s central government. He was later moved to a position running the Vatican’s saint-making department.

Becciu was convicted of embezzlement and fraud in 2023 and handed a five-and-a-half-year jail sentence. He is the first cardinal to be convicted by the Vatican’s criminal court.

But the cardinal, who has always maintained his innocence, launched an appeal that’s currently still under consideration. He’s allowed to continue to live in a Vatican apartment while this process is underway.

While the Holy See press office has listed him as a “non-elector,” Becciu told a Sardinian newspaper on Tuesday that “there was no explicit will to exclude me from the conclave nor a request for my explicit renunciation in writing.”

The decision of his participation will likely be decided by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who will oversee the conclave proceedings inside the Sistine Chapel.

The investigation into Becciu centered on the Holy See’s disastrous investment in a London property that saw the church lose tens of millions of dollars.

During his papacy, Francis sought to clean up Vatican finances and changed the law to ensure that Becciu, as a cardinal, could be judged by a Vatican tribunal of judges.

Although Becciu lost his rights and privileges as a cardinal, he was never technically removed from the College of Cardinals. He is allowed to take part in the pre-conclave discussions.

Only cardinals under the age of 80 are allowed to vote in a papal election. As it currently stands, there are 135 eligible cardinals who will participate in conclave. Becciu is 76 and still eligible when it comes to his age.