REPORT: Pope apologizes for "sacrilegious cult" of Church's sexual abuse

News Bulletin Reports
07-07-2014 | 01:54
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REPORT: Pope apologizes for "sacrilegious cult" of Church's sexual abuse
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REPORT: Pope apologizes for "sacrilegious cult" of Church's sexual abuse
Pope Francis, in his strongest words ever on the sexual abuse of minors by Roman Catholic clerics, told victims on Monday that the abuse was "camouflaged with a complicity" and begged forgiveness. 

In the homily of a Mass with six victims of abuse, he said the Catholic Church must "must weep and make reparation" for what it did to victims and begged forgiveness for what he said had become "a sacrilegious cult" that profaned God.       

Six victims, two each from Ireland, Britain and Germany, are attending the pope's private morning Mass in his Vatican residence.

Francis has said he would show zero tolerance for anyone in the Catholic Church who abused children, including bishops, and compared sexual abuse of children by priests to a "Satanic Mass".        

But he has also come under fire from victims groups for saying in an interview this year that the Roman Catholic Church has done more than any other organization to root out pedophiles in its ranks.         

Why the pope waited nearly 16 months since his election in March 2013 to meet with sexual abuse victims is not clear, particularly as his predecessor, former Pope Benedict, met several times with them during his trips outside Italy.       

"I think its very important that the pope meet with victims," said Anne Doyle of Bishops Accountability, a U.S.-based documentation center on abuse in the Catholic Church.         

"We know that this pope is capable of compassion and his refusal to meet with sexual abuse victims so far has been inconsistent with the mercy he has shown with so many marginalized. This is something that he had to rectify," she said.        

Victims groups have said the pope had a spotty record of dealing with abuse cases in Argentina when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, and victims from that country sent him a letter asking him why they were not invited.          


REUTERS


To watch Dima Sadek's report, please click on the video above.

News Bulletin Reports

apologizes

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cult"

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