During his visit to Chile, Pope Francis had a private meeting with a group of persons who had been sexually abused by members of the clergy. The meeting took place in the Apostolic Nunciature of Santiago, Chile. For more information click here.

Before the meeting, the Pope addressed both the civil authorities and the diplomatic corps of the country from the "Palacio de la Moneda" (Santiago of Chile): "I feel bound to express my pain and shame, shame at the irreparable damage caused to children by some ministers of the Church.  I am one with my brother bishops, for it is right to ask for forgiveness and make every effort to support the victims, even as we commit ourselves to ensuring that such things do not happen again." Click here to access the complete text.

The Pope referred to the same theme during the encounter in the Cathedral of Santiago speaking to priests and religious, inviting "to ask God to give us the clarity to call reality by its name, the courage to ask for forgiveness and the ability to learn to listen to what he is telling us ". More information is available here.

Foto: Sharon Hahn Darlin