VATICAN CITY
Christian Today
James Macintyre
30 Apr 2018
Several men who were sexually abused by a priest in Chile have described private talks they have held with Pope Francis at the Vatican over the weekend as very helpful and respectful.
James Hamilton, one of three clergy abuse survivors whom the pope invited to Italy, wrote on Twitter that his conversation with Francis, which lasted more than two hours, was ‘enormously constructive’.
A second survivor, Jose Andres Murillo, tweeted that he had stressed the importance of understanding sexual abuse as ‘abuse of power’ during his time with the pope.
The third victim, Juan Carlos Cruz, wrote: ‘I spoke for more than two and a half hours alone with Pope Francis. He listened to me with great respect, affection and closeness, like a father. We talked about many subjects. Today I have more hope in the future of our church… Even though the task is enormous.’
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