‘I was part of the problem,’ pope quoted telling Chile abuse victims

ROME
Reuters

May 2, 2018

Philip Pullella

ROME (Reuters) – Pope Francis told Chilean victims of clerical sexual abuse “I was part of the problem” and apologized for dismissing accusations of a cover-up by Catholic bishops, one of the victims said on Wednesday.

At an emotional news conference after four days of private meetings with the pope, three men who were victims of Chile’s most notorious paedophile urged Francis to take action against several Chilean bishops.

“For almost 10 years we have been treated as enemies because we fight against sexual abuse and cover-up in the Church,” Juan Carlos Cruz, James Hamilton and Jose Andres Murillo, said in a joint statement read out to reporters.

The three men, who were guests of the pope at his residence, said that during their long conversations, Francis had been attentive, receptive and very empathetic.

“I have never, never seen someone be so contrite … I felt that he was hurting, which for me was very solemn. It’s not often that the pope says sorry to you and apologizes to you for something,” Cruz said in response to a question.

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