Pope Francis met a group of victims of pedophile priests on the first full day of his trip to Chile on Tuesday, Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said.
He said the meeting took place with a "small group of victims of sexual abuse by priests" at the Apostolic Nunciature in Santiago. "No one else was present. Only the pope and the victims," Burke said. "This was so they could speak of their suffering to Pope Francis, who listened to them and prayed and cried with them".
The pope had apologised for child sex abuse by the clergy on Tuesday. "Here I feel bound to express my pain and shame at the irreparable damage caused to children by some ministers of the Church," he said as he addressed Chile's government authorities, civil societies, and the diplomatic corps at the La Moneda Palace in Santiago. "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".
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