Pope asks forgiveness for clergy sexual abuse scandal

In his strongest personal remarks yet on the clergy sexual abuse scandal, Pope Francis asked forgiveness “for the damage” that abusive priests have inflicted on children and pledged that the Catholic Church “will not take one step backward” in efforts to address the crisis.

The pope stated that he felt “compelled to personally take on all the evil . . . and to ask for forgiveness for the damage they have done by sexually abusing children.”

“The church is aware of this damage,” he said. “It is personal and moral damage, but carried out by men of the church. And we do not want to take one step backward in dealing with this problem and the sanctions that must be imposed. On the contrary, I believe that we have to be very firm. Because you cannot take chances with children!”