Pope on Sexual Abuse Cover-Up Accusations: I Will “Not Say One Word”

While speaking to reporters on Sunday, Pope Francis said that he would not directly respond to the explosive accusations that he knowingly covered up widespread sexual abuse.

Francis dismissively said that the charges from former Vatican ambassador Carlo Maria Vigano speak for themselves and that he would "not say one word."

"I read that statement this morning. I read it and I will say sincerely that I must say this, to you and all of you who are interested: read the document carefully and judge it for yourselves," Francis told reporter aboard a plane returning to Rome from Dublin.

"I will not say one word on this. I think the statement speaks for itself and you have sufficient journalistic capacity to reach your own conclusions," he said.

An 11-page testimony written by Vigano was published late Saturday in the National Catholic Register, detailing how the former nuncio approached Pope Francis in 2013 to inform him of accusations of sexual abuse against Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

Despite knowing this Francis took no action, Vigano claims.

“Pope Francis has repeatedly asked for total transparency in the Church,” Vigano’s testimony reads. “He must honestly state when he first learned about the crimes committed by McCarrick, who abused his authority with seminarians and priests. In any case, the Pope learned about it from me on June 23, 2013 and continued to cover him.”

Theodore McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington, D.C., resigned last month over claims he sexually abused seminary students and an altar boy.

Also within Vigano's testimony are accusations against a long list of current and past Vatican and U.S. Church officials charged with covering up sexual abuse cases of Cardinal McCarrick.