ROME
Crux
Inés San Martín
VATICAN CORRESPONDENT
May 2, 2018
ROME – After facing heated criticism over his actions and words regarding clerical sexual abuse in Chile, this weekend Pope Francis tried to address the scandal head-on, meeting three abuse survivors from the Latin American nation ahead of a summit later this month with Chile’s bishops.
“Pope Francis formally asked us for forgiveness, in his own name and on behalf of the universal Church,” the three said in a statement released on Wednesday in Rome after their meetings with the pope.
This weekend, abuse survivors Juan Carlos Cruz, James Hamilton and Andres Murillo were hosted by Francis at the Vatican’s Santa Marta residence, the hotel built under St. Pope John Paul II where he’s lived since the beginning of his pontificate.
Overall, the survivors described their meetings positively, with Francis being “attentive, receptive and very empathetic during the intense and long hours of conversations.”
One of the survivors went so far as to say that he believed the pope hadn’t lied, but had been badly informed when it came to the situation in Chile. The survivor said Francis had told him, “I was part of the problem, I caused this, and I apologize to you.”
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