Pope Francis has offered strong criticism after learning new information about the death of a six-year-old child who was allegedly thrown off an eighth-floor balcony in 2014. Reuters reports that the girl is believed to have been murdered by her abuser.
"This is a tragedy. We should not tolerate the abuse of minors," the Pope said during his weekly Sunday message in St. Peter's Square. "We must protect minors and severely punish abusers."
He did not mention the extensive child abuse scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church for the past few years.