Pope Francis waves as he leads the Angelus prayer in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican May 1, 2016. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis called for "severe punishment" for paedophiles on Sunday after new details emerged in Italy of the 2014 death of a six-year-old girl who is alleged to have been thrown from an eighth-storey balcony by her abuser.
"This is a tragedy. We should not tolerate the abuse of minors," Francis said, departing from prepared remarks at his weekly Sunday message and blessing to tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square.
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