As a lifelong and devout Catholic, I have the deepest belief and faith in the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ that our religion is based upon. I am writing because I can no longer remain silent on the abuses of the church, especially those inflicted on children by men who are supposed to be our representatives of the Lord.

I cannot understand how the church continues to adamantly oppose such ideas as gay marriage, married priests or women priests but has allowed the church to become a breeding ground for pedophiles. They have in the past and continue to shield these vile, disgusting men from being held responsible for their crimes and instead have continued to move them around to new parishes where they can and do continue to abuse the unsuspecting and defenseless children of the world.

The grand jury report from the investigation in Pennsylvania reads like a horror story, with priests creating a child pornography ring and having abused children wear crosses around their necks so that other pedophile priests could identify them as prey.

I was hoping that Pope Francis would take swift, strong action to make things right for the children and their families. It has been years and this continues throughout the world, with the church continuing to do almost nothing.

The time for words has long passed. It is a time for action. Pope Francis needs to allow the authorities full and open access to all of the church’s records. The church needs to encourage agencies such as the FBI and Interpol to get involved and create special divisions for just this investigation to root out all of the corruption and abuse by the church and its leaders. Only then will the healing begin.

Chris Soule

South Portland