Under Intense Scrutiny Over Catholic Church’s Sexual Abuse Cover-Up Scandal, Pope Francis Says The ‘Devil’ Did It 

Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, has said that the "devil" is behind sex abuse cover-up scandal, the Daily Mail reported. The report notes that the head of the Catholic Church did not mention the allegations on the recent cover-up of sex abuse directly, but, the speech seemed to refer to the "Theodore McCarrick scandal from earlier this year."

Pope was addressing the congregation at the Vatican. The report says, "He suggested the 'Great Accuser' -- or the devil -- was behind Vigano's revelations."

The Pope has himself been directly accused in covering up the scandal.

Besides this and a few other comments that the daily calls "eyebrow-raising", "a top aide to both Francis and Benedict", adds the report, said that the scandal was a "game-changing catastrophe." They observed that it amounted to "its 'own 9/11".

Archbishop Georg Gaenswein said he was not comparing the sex abuse scandal "to the nearly 3,000 people killed in the US 17 years ago", but observed, that this scandal, "and recent revelations in the Pennsylvania grand jury report", showed "how many souls have been wounded irrevocably and mortally by priests from the Catholic Church".

He said,  "Today, even the Catholic Church looks full of confusion at its own 9/11, at its own September 11, even though this catastrophe isn't associated with a single date but rather at so many days and years, and innumerable victims."

Last month, Pope Francis called for 'silence and prayer', adds the report, saying that he criticised "Irish church authorities for failing to act to sexual over abuse allegations after he met with victims in Dublin."