He capped off his six-day U.S. visit by celebrating Mass for an expected crowd of 1.5 million people along Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
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That personal connection they felt Saturday evening continued on Sunday as Pope Francis once again rode along Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the joyous roar of the crowd.
Mark Rozzi, a Pennsylvania state legislator who was raped as a young teen by his parish priest, welcomed the pope’s change in tone. Michele Farrell, prison warden, later told Catholic News Service that the pope “threw us a curveball by showing up early”.
June Bounds, 56, of Rochester, New York, watched the Mass with fellow parishioners on a large screen set up at City Hall, closing her eyes and blinking back tears.
“His smile and his presence [are] so peaceful and happy”, she said. “When he kissed my son, it was wonderful”, she said.
“It’s insane just seeing everybody here from all over the country, and the world“, said Molly Bunta. The painting hangs in a church in Germany, where then-Rev Jorge Mario Bergoglio saw it while studying in the mid-1980s.
Clergy and bishops abusing children would be held accountable, he said.
“I pledge to you that we will follow the path of truth, wherever it may lead”, Pope Francis said in Spanish.
“For the sexual abuse of children, these can not be maintained in secret, and I commit to a careful oversight to insure that youth are protected and all responsible will be held accountable”, he told a gathering of bishops after the private meeting. “He is a gift from God”, the father said.
Also Sunday, Francis visited a Philadelphia jail to give hope of redemption to about 100 inmates, included suspected killers, rapists and mobsters.
The Keatings are faithful Catholics who say that even though Michael’s brain has trouble processing what he sees and hears, he clearly loves music, his black lab Shiloh, and physical affection.
The blue-uniformed men and women, some of them heavily tattooed, seemed moved by the encounter. He thanked them for the large wooden chair they made for him.
Furthermore, he promised his prayers for the US people, saying, “This land has been blessed with tremendous gifts and opportunities”. Today, he told these inmates that the journey of life means getting dirty feet and that everyone needs to be cleansed, me in the first place, he said.
The pope’s comments drew a mixed reaction from victims and their advocates. He received some at the Vatican in July 2014.
In 2014, Pope Francis met in Rome with victims of sexual abuse by clergy.
“We humbly owe each one of you and your families our gratitude for your enormous courage to shine the light of Christ on the evil of the sexual abuse of children”, Pope Francis said. “No”, said David Clohessy, director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those abused by Priests.
Last year, a United Nations report slammed the Vatican’s handling of the allegations which it said involved alleged sexual abuse of “tens of thousands” of children worldwide.
People lined up at security checkpoints hours before the Mass began, chatting about their faith and their favorite sports teams. “They’re having this big meeting of families”.
The remarks Pope Francis made to the survivors of sexual abuse were released by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The priest in charge of personnel was convicted of child endangerment in 2012.
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The pope has agreed to create a new Vatican tribunal to prosecute bishops who failed to protect their flock, and he has accepted the resignations of three USA bishops accused of mishandling abuse cases.
