STATEMENT ON ABUSES UNDERGONE BY WOMEN RELIGIOUS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 20, 2001 (VIS) - The following statement was released early this afternoon by Holy See Press office Director, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, relative to news about the cases of sexual abuse undergone by women religious on the part of priests or missionaries:

"The problem is known and is restricted to a limited geographic area.

"The Holy See is treating this matter in collaboration with the bishops, the Union of Superiors General (USG) and the International Union of Superiors General (UISG). We are working on both sides of the question of the formation of persons and the solutions to single cases.

"Several negative situations should never allow us to forget the fidelity, often heroic, of the overwhelming majority of men and women religious and priests."

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