Pope Francis addresses child abuse in the catholic church, Says "fighting as best we can"

Pope Francis addressed clerical child abuse in the Catholic church and said the institution is working as best it can to fight the crimes. He also admitted that there are shortfalls in the efforts made to curb the abuse done by clergy.

Speaking to the media, he said child abuse inside the church is a "tragic thing." He stated: "We are working as best we can, but there are people within the Church who don't see it clearly. It is an ongoing process that we are carrying out with courage," reported AFP.

Pope Francis has insisted that the Church will adopt a "zero tolerance" approach to abuse but many countries do not seriously confront the issue. Many also allege that the systemic support Church has been providing the abusers is part of the reason. The Pope on Sunday insisted that some things were hidden before but everything is clear now and the Church is moving forward.

He also said that the Church must be ashamed of the bad things while thanking God for the good things.

Allegations about paedophile priests around the world became a scandal in the late 1980s. Several cases were reported across the world including in countries like Australia, Chile, France, and the US.

On his visit to Bahrain, he also spoke of gender equality and said when women are appointed to a position in the Vatican, things improve. He cited the aftermath of appointing five women to the Vatican's finance department. He also condemned male chauvinism and said: "Women are a gift. God did not create man and then give him a puppy dog to play with. He created man and woman. A society that is not capable of (allowing women to have greater roles) does not move forward."