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After Sex Abuse Summit, Survivors And Advocates Question Pope's Commitment To Curbing Abuse

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Pope Francis greets bishops as he arrives for a sex abuse prevention summit, at the Vatican, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019. (Vincenzo Pinto/Pool Photo via AP)
Pope Francis greets bishops as he arrives for a sex abuse prevention summit, at the Vatican, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019. (Vincenzo Pinto/Pool Photo via AP)

An unprecedented Vatican summit on clergy sex abuse concluded on Sunday.

During Mass, Pope Francis said the church needs to protect children “from ravenous wolves,” and called for an "all-out battle" against abuse.

But survivors and advocates around the world are questioning whether any real change came out of weekend's meeting.

"The powerful testimonies of the summit moved the needle in the right direction, but the pope unfortunately moved it back," said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org.

Guest

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a Massachusetts-based website that tracks clergy sex abuse cases. She tweets @barrett_doyle.

This article was originally published on February 25, 2019.

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