IOWA
Sioux City Journal
VATICAN CITY | The bishop of the Diocese of Sioux City on Monday said he supports Pope Francis’ desire to seek forgiveness from Catholics who were sexually abused by members of the clergy.
Pope Francis begged forgiveness in his first meeting with Catholics who were victims of abuse, and went further than any of his predecessors by vowing to hold bishops accountable for their handling of pedophile priests.
“I whole-heartedly support Pope Francis’ mission that we as bishops must carry out our ministry with ‘the utmost care’ to protect our young people,” said Bishop R. Walker Nickless.
Abuse victims and their advocates have long demanded that higher-ups be made to answer for the decades-long cover-ups of rape and molestation of youngsters in a scandal that has rocked the church and dismayed its worldwide flock of 1.2 billion.
The pope celebrated a private Mass on Sunday with six victims — two each from Ireland, Britain and Germany — at his Vatican residence, and spent the rest of the morning listening to their accounts, one on one.
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