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'God weeps': Pope Francis meets with victims of clerical sexual abuse Pope Francis vows clergy in sex abuse cases will face justice
(about 2 hours later)
Pope Francis has met with victims of clerical sexual abuse on the last day of his tour in the US, telling them he was committed to making sure those guilty of abuse were punished, a spokesman for the Vatican said. Pope Francis has met with victims of Catholic church sex abuse and vowed that those responsible will face justice, providing a sombre start to the last day of his visit to the United States.
Related: Ongoing child sex abuse in Catholic church casts shadow on pope's US visit The pontiff met with five victims, now adults, in a private meeting on Sunday morning before starting public engagements in Philadelphia, which was gearing up for a huge, farewell mass.
In a statement, Federico Lombardi said the pope had spent half an hour with five people who as minors had been victims of sex abuse, not only by members of the clergy but by family members or teachers. Francis, who met the three women and two men at the Saint Charles Borromeo seminary in Philadelphia, listened to them and “prayed with them”, said Lombardi. Related: Pope Francis’s words on clergy sex abuse ring hollow for some survivors
While the meeting was not a surprise – the Vatican had suggested for weeks that Pope Francis could meet with victims, but that it would not publicize such a meeting beforehand – it followed a week in which the pope’s earlier remarks on the sex abuse scandal were harshly criticized by some survivors. “I hold the stories and the suffering and the sorry of children who were sexually abused by priests deep in my heart,” Francis said, speaking to a gathering of priests and bishops at St Charles Borromeo seminary.
On Sunday, he sought to address some of those complaints, addressing the plight of victims directly. “I remain overwhelmed with shame that men entrusted with the tender care of children violated these little ones and caused grievous harm. I am profoundly sorry. God weeps.”
At a speech to a meeting of bishops at Saint Martin’s Chapel in the seminary, Francis said: “[It] continues to be on my mind that people who had the responsibility to take care of these tender ones [children] violated that trust and caused them great pain.” Speaking Spanish in unscripted remarks made before a formal address, he continued: “The crimes and sins of the sexual abuse of children must no longer be held in secret. I pledge the zealous vigilance of the church to protect children and the promise of accountability for all.”
Abuse survivors have become true heralds of hope and ministers of mercy, said Francis. “We humbly owe each one of you and your families our gratitude for your immense courage to shine the light of Christ on the evil of the sexual abuse of children.”
Pilgrims gathering in Philadelphia, which is ringed by huge security, watched on Jumbotron screens under cool, autumn skies. Up to one million people are expected to attend the afternoon mass before the pope’s chartered Alitalia plane, informally known as Shepherd One, returns him to Rome.
Francis has already issued an apology for the Catholic church’s inadequate response to the crisis. But meeting victims in the US is significant because it represents the first time the Argentinian pontiff has met with victims outside of Rome. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, then Jorge Bergoglio was sometimes criticized for not being as attentive to the unfolding sex abuse storm as lawyers and victim advocates wanted him to be.
Fr Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See press office, said in a statement the victims had been abused by the clergy or by members of their families or their teachers.
Related: Pope Francis speaks to inmates at Philadelphia correctional facility - live
“The group consisted of five adults – three women, two men – who have suffered abuse when they were minors. Each person was accompanied by a family member or support person.”
The pope spoke with them, listened to their stories as a group, and later with each one individually.
“He then prayed with them and expressed his solidarity in sharing their suffering, as well as his own pain and shame in especially in the case of injury caused them by clergy or church workers,” said Lombardi. The pope reiterated the church’s commitment to hear all victims and deliver justice – that “the guilty be punished and crimes of abuse be combated with an effective prevention program in the Church and in society”, said the spokesman.
“The pope thanked the victims for their essential contribution to restore the truth and begin the journey of healing. The meeting lasted about half an hour and ended with the blessing of the Holy Father.”
The group was accompanied by Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley, archbishop of Boston and chair of a commission set up by the Pope to protect minors. Charles Chaput, the archbishop of Philadelphia, and Bishop Fitzgerald, head of the Philadelphia diocese’s office for the protection of minors, also attended.
Related: Pope Francis: US bishops show 'courage' over Catholic church sex abuse crisisRelated: Pope Francis: US bishops show 'courage' over Catholic church sex abuse crisis
He added: “God weeps for the sexual abuse of children. These cannot be maintained in secret, and I commit to a careful oversight to ensure that youth are protected and all responsible will be held accountable. Those who have survived this abuse have become true heralds of mercy – humbly, we owe each of them our gratitude for their great value as they have had to suffer this terrible abuse sexual abuse of minors.” The meeting had not been published on Francis’s itinerary but had been widely expected during his first US visit since the legacy of sex abuse and cover-ups continues to haunt the church – and victims.
Earlier this week, at a high-profile speech before US bishops on Wednesday, Francis emphasized the “courage” the bishops had shown in confronting the sex abuse crisis, which severely damaged the reputation of the church, and commended them for selling church property to compensate the victims. The remarks were seen as a “slap in the face” to some victims, according to Barbara Blaine, an abuse survivor who started Snap, an advocacy group for victims that has been very critical of the pope. The issue has hovered over an otherwise triumphant visit that has taken in the White House, Congress, the United Nations and Madison Square Garden.
Francis has already issued an apology for the church’s inadequate response to the crisis. But the meeting with the victims in the US is significant because it represents the first time the Argentine pontiff is meeting with victims outside of Rome. As archbishop in Argentina, then Jorge Bergoglio was sometimes criticized for not being as attentive to the unfolding sex abuse storm as lawyers and victim advocates wanted him to be. Francis struggled to balance a desire to raise the spirits of clergy drained by decades of revelations, lawsuits and criticism with the pain of victims, many of whom feel they never received justice.
In Washington he commended the “courage” of bishops gathered at the Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle. “I realize how much the pain of recent years has weighed upon you and I have supported your generous commitment to bring healing to victims – in the knowledge that in healing we, too, are healed – and to work to ensure that such crimes will never be repeated.”
He struck a similar tone in New York, telling clerics that many had had to “bear the shame of some of your brothers who harmed and scandalized the church”.
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (Snap), an advocacy group, accused Francis of rubbing salt in wounds. “An innovator in other ways, this pope is a throwback on sexual violence. He talks and acts like the church hierarchy is the real victim in this crisis.”
In advance of Sunday’s meeting with victims the group said such an encounter would not suffice.