“Thanks to God, the Lord sent prophetic men and women in the church … who got others involved and began this work to face the problem head-on.”

This is simply not true, and very misleading.   We all know that it was NOT men and women in the church who called for reform and justice.   It was secular newspapers (most notably the Boston Globe) and the secular courts that forced the church to be accountable.    We know that the church did not accept reform; indeed, it fought against it for several years.   This was true from the top on down, from Pope Saint John Paul to every bishop and every priest.   There are virtually NO heroes in the church administration who worked to stop this pattern of abuse.   The entire motive force of the reform was secular.   Many do not want to hear this, but it's true nonetheless.

I have no idea what Pope Francis is referring to when he cites "prophetic men and women in the church that faced the problem head on."   I find it an astonishing comment.