UNITED KINGDOM
Daily Mail
UK sex abuse victim assaulted by paedophile priests describes ‘life-changing’ private meeting with the Pope who begged his forgiveness
The first British victim of clerical sex abuse to meet Pope Francis has described the experience as ‘life-changing.’
Peter Saunders, 57, who was abused for more than five years by two priests, a teacher and a member of his family from the age of 8, said the visit to the Vatican was ‘very very emotional.’
Francis met six abuse victims including two Britons and two Irish people on Monday in a series of ‘intense’ discussions that lasted more than three hours during which he begged for forgiveness for the ‘sacrilegious’ crimes committed by the ‘sons and daughters of the church, who betrayed their mission.’
The Pope has previously been accused of not doing enough to tackle the abuse crisis.
But he used the encounter to condemn clerical abuse of children in his strongest language yet saying it was ‘sacrilegious’ and caused him personally great pain.
He said the church must ‘weep’ and make reparations for the betrayal of trust.
Mr Saunders told the Boston Globe that by listening to him Francis had done more for him than anyone else.
‘He’s granted me something that the prime minister, and the deputy prime minister and all these other ministers of state in the UK never have. I had the benefit of a discussion with him, with no limits, …It was a life changing moment for me.’
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