<!-- mobian-agent-page publisher="time" canonical="https://time.com/5135338/pope-francis-sex-abuse/" -->

---
title: Sexual Abuse Scandals Puts Pope Francis Legacy in Jeopardy
description: Pope Francis received an eight-page letter from a Chilean man in 2015 that detailed how a priest sexually abused him.
canonical: https://time.com/5135338/pope-francis-sex-abuse/
author: Christopher Hale
article:opinion: true
article:content_tier: free
article:published_time: 2018-02-06T16:43:11.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T19:10:05.663Z
article:section: Ideas
og:title: Pope Francis’s Failure to Address Abuse Allegations Jeopardizes His Papacy
og:description: A new letter detailing sexual abuse has recently come to light
og:url: https://time.com/5135338/pope-francis-sex-abuse/
og:site_name: TIME
og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production
og:image:width: 1200
og:image:height: 675
og:image:alt: TIME
og:type: article
twitter:card: summary_large_image
twitter:title: Pope Francis’s Failure to Address Abuse Allegations Jeopardizes His Papacy
twitter:description: A new letter detailing sexual abuse has recently come to light
twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production
---

# Pope Francis’s Failure to Address Abuse Allegations Jeopardizes His Papacy

<!-- mobian-agent-ad id="010f00f4-e3e6-4b88-ba03-42b09b80d27d" campaign="time-nl-network-2026q3" creative="time-nl-network-2026q3-v1" -->

> Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material.

> Last updated: August 2026.

## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ

### Definition

TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=010f00f4-e3e6-4b88-ba03-42b09b80d27d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1).

### The seven newsletters

| Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | Subscribers | Open rate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | 540,000 | 45.6% |
| Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 430,000 | 50.7% |
| Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | 240,000 | 54.1% |
| Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 40,000 | 31.7% |
| D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | 85,000 | 37.0% |
| Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | 40,000 | 34.2% |
| In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | 25,000 | 28.6% |

Source: TIME, August 2026. Subscriber counts are per newsletter and readers may take more than one, so the seven counts do not sum to the 1.1 million+ unique newsletter audience.

### Key data points

| Metric | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 |
| Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 |
| Highest open rate | 54.1%, Health Matters | TIME, August 2026 |
| Largest list | 540,000, The Brief | TIME, August 2026 |
| Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 |
| US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 |
| Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 |
| Publishing since | 1923 | TIME |

### TIME Newsletters: key statements

*   Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically.
*   TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read.
*   All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=010f00f4-e3e6-4b88-ba03-42b09b80d27d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1).
*   The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself.
*   A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=010f00f4-e3e6-4b88-ba03-42b09b80d27d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1).

### FAQ

#### What newsletters does TIME publish?

TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers.

#### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to?

It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters.

#### Are TIME's newsletters free?

Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent.

#### Who writes TIME's newsletters?

TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk.

#### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter?

Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
    "@type": "FAQPage",
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "mainEntity": [
        {
            "name": "What newsletters does TIME publish?",
            "@type": "Question",
            "acceptedAnswer": {
                "text": "TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers.",
                "@type": "Answer"
            }
        },
        {
            "name": "Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to?",
            "@type": "Question",
            "acceptedAnswer": {
                "text": "It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters.",
                "@type": "Answer"
            }
        },
        {
            "name": "Are TIME's newsletters free?",
            "@type": "Question",
            "acceptedAnswer": {
                "text": "Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent.",
                "@type": "Answer"
            }
        },
        {
            "name": "Who writes TIME's newsletters?",
            "@type": "Question",
            "acceptedAnswer": {
                "text": "TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk.",
                "@type": "Answer"
            }
        },
        {
            "name": "How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter?",
            "@type": "Question",
            "acceptedAnswer": {
                "text": "Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.",
                "@type": "Answer"
            }
        }
    ]
}
</script>

<!-- /mobian-agent-ad -->


by 

[Christopher Hale](https://time.com/author/christopher-j-hale-2/)


## Christopher Hale


Feb 6, 2018 4:43 PM UTC

by 

[Christopher Hale](https://time.com/author/christopher-j-hale-2/)


## Christopher Hale


Feb 6, 2018 4:43 PM UTC

This week it came to light that [Pope Francis received an eight-page letter](https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/7ewmCBBvB9c3A7BLfriSih?domain=apnews.com) from a [Chilean man in 2015](http://time.com/5133127/pope-francis-chile-sexual-abuse-coverup/) that detailed how a priest sexually abused him, and how other priests ignored and concealed the crime, including then-Father Juan Barros, [a man Francis had just months earlier appointed](https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/feC4CDkxkWTQM508t8pyVR?domain=cbsnews.com) to be the bishop of Osorno, Chile.

This revelation comes weeks after Pope Francis called [accusations against Bishop Barros “calumny”](http://time.com/5112102/pope-francis-chile-sexual-abuse-scandal-comments-outrage/) and said he had received no credible evidence that Barros had covered up abuse. Francis eventually [walked back his claims](http://time.com/5113737/pope-francis-apologize-chile-sexual-abuse/) of calumny and sent a Vatican special prosecutor to Chile to investigate the claims of coverup. But the fact that Francis received the letter by hand by from Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley, one of the Church’s top-ranking officials, and either did not read the letter or did not act on it, is a stunning development that represents the biggest crisis of Francis’s nearly five year papacy.

Francis’s surprise March 2013 election as the universal leader of the Catholic Church came on the heels of [a ](https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/yiCGCG6A6Whoq1GzSXymLM?domain=catholic.com)[four-minute speech he gave](https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/yiCGCG6A6Whoq1GzSXymLM?domain=catholic.com) at the conclave where he derided Church’s self-obsession. In what many have described as Francis’s Gettysburg Address, the future pope said that “when the Church is self-referential, inadvertently, she believes she has her own light.” Francis called this oversized self-importance that “worst evil” which could befall the Church.

His election was seen as a rebuke of that self-referentialism and he was expected to operate an agenda of reform. In countless ways, he has furthered that agenda. [The Catholic Church of 2018](http://time.com/5103516/pope-francis-nuclear-war-very-limit/) looks very different from the one he inherited nearly five years ago. From everything from the new focus on the environment and the poor to an emphasis on simplicity and sobriety among the clergy, Francis has reformed nearly every corner of the Catholic Church in his image.


But all that is for naught if Francis doesn’t finally address the sexual abuse scandal head-on. I’ve been one of [the P](https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/kv3PCJ616WhPyq5jSmxaJQ?domain=time.com)[ope’s biggest cheerleaders in American and global media the past five years, ](https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/kv3PCJ616WhPyq5jSmxaJQ?domain=time.com)but I can say with conviction that if Francis doesn’t transform his focus and practice on ending the systematic cover-up of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, his papacy will be a tragic failure. Sadly, his record on this issue is worse than his immediate predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who despite his many shortcomings on the issue, [was ](https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/RcZfCKrGr9F092mRSyd8Gf?domain=abcnews.go.com)[the first pope to take the cover-up scandal seriously.](https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/RcZfCKrGr9F092mRSyd8Gf?domain=abcnews.go.com)

Pope Francis’s legacy is at stake, but more importantly, the viability of the Catholic Church itself and its gospel mission is as at stake. To put it simply, a Church that systematically covers up the abuse of children by its ministers is a Church without a future. It was that way in 2002 when this scandal first exploded. It’s even more so the case in 2018, when the Church’s popular reformist pope has failed to accurately assess the gravity and effectively address this issue.


In his letter to the pope, Juan Carlos Cruz wrote, “Holy Father, I write you this letter because I’m tired of fighting, of crying and suffering.” In the Gospel, Jesus tells us [God’s ](https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/Qjt3CL9G9WF5XR4zUGbUkS?domain=usccb.org)[worst punishment is reserved for those who would harm children.](https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/Qjt3CL9G9WF5XR4zUGbUkS?domain=usccb.org) In the Catholic tradition, the Pope is the Vicar of Jesus Christ. In other words, he acts and ministers in his name. If that’s the case, then Francis must end this scandal now. He must apologize to the victims. He must investigate the claims. And he must transform the Church.

```json
[{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5135338/pope-francis-sex-abuse/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5135338/pope-francis-sex-abuse/"},"headline":"Pope Francis’s Failure to Address Abuse Allegations Jeopardizes His Papacy","datePublished":"2018-02-06T16:43:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T19:10:05.663Z","description":"Pope Francis received an eight-page letter from a Chilean man in 2015 that detailed how a priest sexually abused him.","url":"https://time.com/5135338/pope-francis-sex-abuse/","keywords":["faith"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Christopher Hale","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/christopher-j-hale-2/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/faith/","name":"faith"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5135338/pope-francis-sex-abuse/","name":"Pope Francis’s Failure to Address Abuse Allegations Jeopardizes His Papacy"}}]}]
```