It’s not just children: Pope Francis confirms that clerics have been sexually abusing nuns, and even keeping nuns as sex slaves.

Speaking to reporters while on a historic tour of the Middle East, Pope Francis spoke about the alarming and well documented epidemic of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. However, instead of discussing the usual horror of priests raping children, Pope Francis instead spoke of the less well known epidemic of priests sexually abusing nuns.

USA Today reports:

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Francis noted that Pope Benedict XVI had taken action against a France-based order after some of its religious sisters had been reduced to “sexual slavery” at the hands of the priest who founded the order and other priests.

Commenting on the ongoing sexual abuse of nuns by Catholic clergy, Francis said:

Should we do something more? Yes. Is there the will? Yes. But it’s a path that we have already begun.

Francis added:

It’s not that everyone does this, but there have been priests and bishops who have. And I think that it’s continuing because it’s not like once you realize it that it stops. It continues. And for some time we’ve been working on it.

The BBC notes:

It is thought to be the first time that Pope Francis has acknowledged the sexual abuse of nuns by the clergy.

USA Today notes:

In the past year, The Associated Press and other media have reported on cases of abused nuns in India, Africa, Europe and South America – evidence that the problem is by no means limited to a certain geographic area.

Last month Father Hermann Geissler, the top Vatican official in charge of investigating sex abuse in the Catholic Church, resigned from the position after being found to have been sexually harassing and abusing women, including a young nun, while they were in confession.

Bottom line: According to Pope Francis, Catholic priests and bishops are not only raping children, they are also raping nuns, and even going so far as to hold nuns as sex slaves.

The horror that is the Catholic Church continues….