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| Pope Francis meets US sex abuse victims | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Pope Francis says he has met a group of victims of sexual abuse, and said "those responsible will be held accountable". | |
| He also promised to "zealously" protect young people. | He also promised to "zealously" protect young people. |
| Many survivors of abuse by priests are angry at how the Church dealt with allegations. | Many survivors of abuse by priests are angry at how the Church dealt with allegations. |
| The Roman Catholic Church in the US has been embroiled in a series of child sex scandals, and US dioceses have made huge compensation payouts to victims. | The Roman Catholic Church in the US has been embroiled in a series of child sex scandals, and US dioceses have made huge compensation payouts to victims. |
| The Pope met the five victims, all now adults who had suffered sexual abuse as children, on Sunday morning at a seminary in Pennsylvania, his spokesman said. | |
| The group, three women and two men, had been abused by clergy, family members or teachers, Father Federico Lombardi said in a statement. | |
| Each was accompanied by a family member, he added. | |
| The Pope listened to the survivors' stories, prayed with them, and expressed his "pain and shame" in the case of those harmed by clergy or church workers, Fr Lombardi said. | |
| The Pope "renewed his commitment" to ensure that victims are treated with justice, the guilty are punished, and to effective prevention in the Church and in society, the statement said. | |
| In June the Pope approved the creation of a tribunal to hear cases of bishops accused of covering up child abuse by paedophile priests. | |
| Last year, the UN strongly criticised the Church for failing to stamp out abuse and for allowing cover-ups. | |
| At the end of a nine-day tour of Cuba and the US, Pope Francis is due to hold an open-air Mass in Philadelphia later on Sunday. |