Pope Francis confronted the sexual abuse of children by Roman Catholic clergy on the final day of his U.S. visit on Sunday, meeting with five adults abused as children and vowing to hold accountable those involved in the crimes and cover-ups.
"I have in my heart the stories of suffering and the pain of the minors who were sexually abused by priests," the 78-year-old Argentine pope, speaking in his native Spanish, told bishops in Philadelphia after meeting privately with the victims, three women and two men.
"This disgrace keeps burdening me, that the people who had the responsibility of caring for these tender ones raped them and caused them great pain. God weeps for the sexual abuse of children," the leader of the world's 1.2 billion-member Catholic Church added.
The pope offered his most comprehensive comments on the sexual abuse scandal in his 2-1/2 year papacy and used his strongest language yet in condemning it and promising that "all responsible will be held accountable." It was believed to be the first time any pope has publicly described the abuse as rape.
The pope was criticized by abuse victims earlier in his U.S. trip after he addressed the scandal on Wednesday. At that time, he did not utter the words "sexual abuse," praised bishops for their "courage" and "generous commitment to bring healing to victims" and lamented that "pain" from the scandal had burdened them.
On Sunday, Francis told the victims he deeply regretted that some bishops had failed to protect children and was disturbed that in some cases bishops were the abusers.
The meeting marked just the second time Francis has met victims of clergy sexual abuse and was the first on a foreign tour. He previously met with victims at the Vatican.
The pope also met prisoners at an inner-city jail ahead of a Mass for an expected crowd of 1.5 million people. At the end of this sixth day of his U.S. trip, which followed a stop in Cuba, Francis is due to return to Rome.
"I am profoundly sorry that your innocence was violated by those who you trusted," the pope told the victims, according to a transcript provided by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"For those who were abused by a member of the clergy, I am deeply sorry for the times when you or your family spoke out to report the abuse, but you were not heard or believed. Please know that the Holy Father heard you and believes you."
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said "two or three" of five victims were abused by priests or Catholic educators, with the others abused by a family member or non-Catholic teacher.
Reports that priests had sexually abused children and bishops had covered up their actions emerged in 2002 in the United States and in other countries several years later.
The scandal damaged the Catholic Church worldwide, eroding its moral authority and requiring costly legal settlements.
Lombardi said the Vatican had not yet decided what discipline bishops who helped cover up abuse would face.
MIXED REACTION FROM VICTIMS
The pope's comments drew a mixed reaction from victims and their advocates.
"A smart public relations move. That's what this meeting is. Nothing more," said David Clohessy, director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. He urged the pope to "stop current sexual violence and cover-ups now. Prevent future ones. Then worry about 'healing.'"
"The significant aspect of his words today is that he promised that all responsible will be held accountable," said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a private group tracking the sexual abuse scandal. "Now the test of his resolve will be whether he follows through."
Mark Rozzi, a Pennsylvania state legislator who was raped as a young teen by his parish priest, welcomed the pope's change in tone.
"They were powerful words. Now we have to put those words into real action," said Rozzi, who has introduced legislation opposed by the bishops that would make it easier for people sexually abused as children to sue the Church.
As many as 100,000 U.S. children may have been the victims of clerical sex abuse, insurance experts said in 2012.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has been the subject of multiple damaging grand jury reports relating to the scandal, which by the Church's own estimate has involved 6,400 clergy credibly accused between 1950 and 2013 nationwide.
Twelve U.S. dioceses have filed for bankruptcy in part due to hefty settlements, more than $3 billion nationwide, paid to victims.
The pope met with 71 prisoners, 60 men and 11 women in blue prison garb, who were among the approximately 2,800 inmates at Curran Fromhold Correctional Facility, a drab compound in Philadelphia's northeastern outskirts with barbed wire topping its outer walls.
The pope, an outspoken opponent of the death penalty and lengthy prison terms, sat in a wooden chair fashioned by the inmates and told them that "confinement is not the same thing as exclusion" from society. He then walked around to speak individually with inmates, placing his hand on their foreheads, shaking hands and hugging some who stood to greet him.
(Additional reporting by Ian Simpson and Laila Kearney; Writing by Will Dunham; Editing by Mary Milliken and Tom Heneghan)
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