Pope to host abuse victims individually, seek forgiveness

Source: The Boston Globe




Until recently, Francis defended Chilean bishop

By Elisabetta Povoledo NEW YORK TIMES APRIL 26, 2018

ROME — Pope Francis will host three victims of Chile’s sexual abuse scandal this weekend at the Vatican hotel where he lives, to ask their forgiveness and listen to their suggestions, the Vatican announced Wednesday, as he tries to make amends for voicing doubts about their accusations.

The three men, Juan Carlos Cruz, James Hamilton, and Jose Andres Murillo, have been among the most vocal survivors of abuse by priests in Chile. In a statement, the Vatican said the pope would meet with each man individually, “allowing each one to speak for as long as they wish.”

Though the past three popes have apologized to victims of sexual abuse in many countries, the situation in Chile had become especially venomous, forcing Francis to reverse his public stance on specific accusations.

Until recently, the pope had defended Bishop Juan Barros Madrid, who victims say witnessed and covered up abuse by the Rev. Fernando Karadima, the country’s most notorious pedophile priest. In 2011, a Vatican tribunal convicted Karadima and sentenced him to a life of prayer and penitence.




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