Pope Francis addresses a joint meeting of Congress on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015 from the House Chamber of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. (insert).
© Andrew P. Scott / USA TODAY NETWORK + © Ryan Garza / USA TODAY NETWORK
(Vatican City) – The pope is out with a new book. In his autobiography, Pope Francis says he received a mysterious box when he took over for his predecessor — Pope Benedict. On that day in 2013, Francis received a large, white box that apparently contained several documents.
The pontiff says the box’s documents pertain to “the most difficult and painful situations,” including instances of abuse. Of course it’s a widely-known concern that the Catholic Church has dealt with pedophile priests and some archdioceses who did not pursue the fullest standard of justice. Pope Francis says the documents also related to corruption, and what he refers to as “dark dealings” within the church itself.
It’s believed this is the first time a sitting pope wrote an autobiography. Pope Francis says upon receiving the box he was left with a profound desire and mission to “take responsibility for all the evil committed by certain priests.”
