The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has been hit hard by the sexual abuse scandal and has been the subject of repeated grand jury investigations, including one that accused it keeping on assignment more than three dozen priests facing serious accusations.
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On Monday morning (AEST), the Pope celebrated the final mass of his United States tour with an enormous crowd in Philadelphia.
Earlier, the pontiff prayed with a group of victims of child sexual abuse, saying “God weeps” for their suffering.
Francis’ address marked among his strongest language to date on the scandal that has stained the Catholic Church. As Mass attendance has dropped, the church has seen a revitalization through a burgeoning Catholic immigrant population. Editor’s note: NCR will be tracking reception to Pope Francis’ visit to the United States.
The pontiff showed his support for people with special needs during his visit to Philly, blessing a young boy with cerebral palsy.
In his speech Saturday, Pope Francis spoke of religious freedom and touched on immigration.
PHILADELPHIA-This morning Pope Francis met with five victims of sexual abuse for about an hour.
The crimes and sins of the sexual abuse of children must no longer be held in secret.
Pope Francis’ six-day trip to the USA was widely hailed as a success, but some criticized the fact that he did not officially have the meeting on his public agenda.
“When there is an allegation of abuse, the church reaches out to the victim and also reaches out to law enforcement, because it’s imperative we involve law enforcement in the investigation of any allegation of abuse”, Burns said.
The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the pope met with the victims for more than a half-hour at the St. Charles Borromeo seminary.
Clergy sex abuse victims and their advocates welcomed his more direct approach on Sunday but expressed scepticism that they would lead to change.
Last week, SNAP members gathered outside the Justice Department in Washington to urge Congress to investigate Catholic Church sexual abuse and possible cover-ups.
The meeting between the pope and survivors was organized by Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, the archbishop of Boston and the leader of a Vatican commission set up by Francis to protect minors from clergy abuse.
He then visited the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, the largest prison in Philadelphia, shaking hands and offering words of comfort to around 100 carefully selected inmates. “Clergy and bishops will be held accountable when they abuse or fail to protect children”.
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Francis’s otherwise triumphant visit has been clouded by what critics call his failure to prioritize the issue of abuse, which has had devastating consequences for abuse survivors and incalculable costs for the American church. “He’s going to say it, he’s going to tell everybody, ‘I will, I will, I will.’ Until I see it happen”, Haddad says, he will not believe it.
